Loksfjoer

Nobody Will Believe It [SporkoBug and Calle]

Marc squinted at the mention Dia was one of the spirits in Ray's body. He had read in the file that Ray believed she had multiple spirits with her, but to have someone claim she was one of those... Or was it code language for something?
Either way, her last comment made him think. Malpractice, it wouldn't be the first time in history outcasts who wouldn't be believed anyway were used for questionable experiments. He didn't want it to be true, but it did sound it like a possibility, and it would explain the patients suddenly going home.
"I haven't seen or heard anyone talk about dead bodies being transported, so I assume the patients were still alive when they were last seen. Staff walking around with patients is a common sight. I don't know where they are kept though, I've been in every room on this floor."

"The kitchen area is below, right?" Benjamin said, pacing back and forth. "I once saw the cart with the meal remains being brought to the elevator. It would be easy to get rid of bodies through the loading area of the kitchen I assume."

"I've never been down there," Marc added. "I heard it's where deliveries are made for food, medicin, supplies, the laundry. I don't have the keycard for that area."

Paranormal Activities [SporkoBug and Calle]

Mike took hold of Harriet as she instructed. It happened fast, and it was unlike he had ever felt. He world was there, then it was gone, then it was back again. His head felt light and he blinked a few times. "Wow, okay, I'm good," he said as he let go of her. "Wow..." He looked around as if his mind still had to get used to the fact he wasn't where he was a moment ago. "Okay..." He took in a deep breath and went to the door. "Ethan!" he said as he knocked. "I'm coming in."
Mike opened the door and stepped inside.

"Whatsup?" Ethan asked from the bed, yawning. After being awake throughout the night he had been sleeping until now.

"Ben is gone, someone took him."

That woke Ethan up and he jolted up. "What? Who?"

Mike explained what had happened and what he had seen. Ethan looked from him to Harriet to see if she would confirm it.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

"Let's go introduce ourselves," Fenna said to her falcon and extended her left arm so Sil could sit there. She walked over to Alison and held out her right hand. "Fenna Postma, from the Netherlands. Mother of two, forest guard back home, Ranger here," she introduced herself. As she spoke she wondered, not for the first time, if this hadn't been a coincidence. Had they been chosen based on abilities and skills? The thoughts flashed through her mind as she gestured to the falcon to continue the introduction. "And this is Sil, I met her on the first day being here."

She examined the woman in front of her as she thought back to when they all had woken up from the coffins. If she recalled correctly, Lilliana's sarcophagus had fallen later than the others. Had Alison been in a delayed sarcophagus or landed further away from them? She was certain they all had opened in that village. The memories of that first day were still fresh, even before they truly knew who everyone was and what was going on they already had fought skeletons and from there they had travelled together. While being in a foreign world, they had had each other.
"It must have been tough, by yourself," Fenna said softly.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

When Fenna approached the Mended Drum after her shift at the hospital she noticed the hooded figures again. "All right, quit the stalking," she told them. "What do you want?"

One of them stepped forward. "We were tasked to observe. What happened down there was... unprecedented. You need to come with us now, we have to talk. Please."

If it hadn't been for that last word, Fenna would have bashed their skulls with her spear. However, they have had time to kidnap her if they had really wanted to. Even down there, in the room with the energy, they hadn't seemed hostile. Question was of course, how would James feel about her going with people she didn't know and had this mysterious outfit on? He hadn't been exactly thrilled about her experience under the spa. Then again, she was an adult woman, did she really need anyone's permission? "Sil will stay with me," she told them.

"I'm sure he won't object."

"And we stop at the barracks first." That puzzled them and when one of them asked why, Fenna explained she was the captain of a unit and one of them would stay there. A precaution. They agreed to her terms and promised it wouldn't take long.

After Fenna left one of them with the one she had appointed her second in command, they took her to the academy. At this time of the day there weren't many people about, but those who were, were in a haste. Most here were preparing for the battle in any way they could. Information was brought to those who needed it at any hour of the day. The only one who took his time was a janitor who cleaned the floor, nodding politely to those who rushed by him. Being at the academy, Fenna felt more at ease. These people couldn't be bad if they worked here. When they reached an office, Fenna entered it.

The person in front of her wore the same hooded outfit as the others and she noticed similar tattoos on the forehead when they looked up. None of them had facial hair, as far as she could see. It was hard to assess the gender of the person in front of her, and the mystery remained when they spoke. A high voice for a man, a low voice for a woman. They introduced themselves as the Head of Valhiem's Code Readers and began to explain they had heard about what happened. No-one had ever survived coming into contact with a Wellspring, normally people disintegrated when they touched it.

Fenna paled. Disintegrated? That's why they had stared dumbfounded at her when she had walked away. Truth be told, James did have a very good reason to have been upset with her. Sil, picking up on her sudden spike of worry, did her Loud Screech, which caused the startled hooded people to put their hands over their ears. "It's okay, darling. These are not our enemy," Fenna whispered to the falcon.

"How did you survive?" the leader asked after regaining their composure.

How the hell was she supposed to know? She didn't know anything about the Wellsprings or code reading. The silence lingered, they expected an answer. "I suppose... it may have something to do with my Element Absorb?" she tried. "I have no other explanation. During battle I noticed I could absord a part of the elemental damage I received and when I attacked I used a part of that. Oh, and I've been able to make bolts infused with an element I came in contact with. Maybe that's it?" Still silence. "I think?"

"Is that what caused-" "No, that's been going on before that." "Absorb Elements?" "Maybe, possibly..." After they whispered amongst themselves for a bit, the leader turned to Fenna. "Please come with us."

After Fenna agreed to took her back to the Wellspring she had been before. She could feel the energy before she saw the glow at the end of the corridor, and it got stronger the closer she got to it. It was as mesmerizing as before, the curling of the energy, the different colours shooting through it. It seemed calmer too.

"I won't go into details," the hooded figure next to her spoke. "But there have been issues and maybe... since you can return elements you took. Can you return the source energy?"

Fenna looked at her spear which had a faint glow to it ever since that moment she had come into contact with it. Like that fire before, maybe it waited to be released again. "James is not going to like this..." she muttered. It was a huge risk to be here to mess with that thing again, but this time there were Source Readers with her. Just like with the bolts, she thought to herself. Just like against that wraith. Channel outwards. Don't touch it. She held out a hand and felt the energy move from her spear through her body and out.

The Wellspring shuddered and became a bit more energetic. The people in the room quickly jumped back. "It did something... we'll monitor it for now. Thank you, Fenna of Second Chance for your explanation and assistance. You can go."

Fenna gladly left the hooded people, the source readers, behind and returned to the Mended Drum after telling her second in command he could release the collateral. Finally, it was getting late. "What a day, right?" she said to Sil. "What a day."
After speaking with MacKensie for a moment, who had news about another like them who would meet them at lunch, Fenna went to bed.

---

The next day, Fenna went to her unit after breakfast, but made sure to be back at the Mended Drum before this new person would arrive. She wanted to sit at the bar and examine her as she walked in. Was it really someone from their world, or a spy of the witch queen?
Fenna ordered an ale and some water for Sil, who stood on the bar. She looked up when the door opened and someone she hadn't seen before entered. Was this the person MacKensie had talked about?

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Fenna finished up for the day and brought the last dirty bandages to the washing room. The staff here had been so kind with sharing their knowledge, and in turn were grateful for the extra pair of hands. The hooded figures had been ushered out by one of the nurses when it had become clear they weren't patients and weren't there to work.

"Thank you for your help," the doctor said when he approached.
"Thank you for the opportunity to learn," Fenna replied, as she was busy putting her gloves back on.
"Oh, I see you have a Source Crystal. Are you an adventurer?" After the affirming nod he continued "I see. What team are you on?"
"Second Chance." That name had brought several kind of expressions to people's faces the past few days. Curiosity, hope. Seeing a face scrunch up in irritation was not what Fenna had expected to see.
"I have to ask, is everyone in your team a complete idiot?"
"Excuse me?" Fenna asked. Sure, there was Zell. And James hadn't been exactly thrilled to hear how she had handled the big bundle of mysterious energy (although she had tried to keep a distance from it, it wasn't like she had poked her finger in it), but their party was definitely more sane than idiotic. "No, not everyone..." she said
"Well, your Druid certainly is," the doctor grumbled, crossing his arms. "Some imbecile named Adam, came in here a few days ago coughing up a storm. Somehow poisoned himself. Then the next day, the moron comes in with severe burns. Doesn't show up for a bit after that, so I thought that was the end of it. Nope! The fool was here yesterday!" After thinking about it for a second, the doctor continued. "I'll spare you the details. I shouldn't care as long as he pays, but that man has to be one of the dumbest people I've ever met. No plant is worth that."
"W-what plant?" Fenna asked. What had Adam been doing?
"I would try being smarter than your Druid - not that that's tough to do." Saying this, the doctor walked away.
Oh dear, what had Adam been up to? Should she tell James about this? Did she really want to make their cleric disappointed in yet another of their team? Maybe she could talk with Adam first and then go to James?

Fenna left the hospital thinking about the conversation. Sil joined her as she walked towards the Mended Drum. Two hooded figures followed them from a safe distance, whispering to each other.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

During the evening, Fenna went to hospital where she aided the healers with the little knowledge she had. They had been kind enough to teach her the basics and welcomed the help. Even though the fighting hadn't started, the preparations hadn't gone without injuries. Construction work accidents, accidental injuries during training, people on edge fighting each other in the streets. Most injuries were minor, thankfully, although one fallen log had knocked a man out and he still hadn't regained consciousness. Fenna helped out where she could, if there weren't any bandages to wrap or salves to apply, she went around with food and drink.

Two hooded persons watched her from a corner. Fenna had spotted them, but ignored them for now. It was becoming clear they were watching her, she had spotted them too often for it be a coincidence. Wasn't there once on TV a simple tailor on a space station once who said "I believe in coincidences, coincidences happen every day, but I don't trust coincidences." While the cloaked people were watching her, she watched them. If they would make a move, she would react. For now they kept their distance, but the temptation to just walk up to them and ask them what the hell they were doing was real.

She would be patient, for now, and stay in crowded places.

Microfiction and Poetry Contest Hall of Fame

MF&P #12 - the meeting

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Killing time

He was supposed to be here at this hour,
It was not like him to ever be late,
Pray tell me by what ungodly power,
Could delay thus force me to sit and wait?
The clock keeps ticking tick ticking away,
And with each passing moment I pondered,
Shall I still be waiting for him all day,
Or will he repay the minutes squandered?
Alas now comes a knocking at my door,
There is the visitor I longed to greet
I never knew him from my days before,
But ever so glad to finally meet.
The late gentleman takes me by the hand,
As Death shall come to visit every man.

MF&P contest #12 - the meeting (voting and feedback)

Another round of wonderful entries, thank you to everyone who submitted a piece and voted for this round.
Judging by the comments all entries were enjoyed and wich makes it a very close victory for Killing Time.
Congratulations! I will post the winning entry in the hall of fame.

I also want to apologize for taking this long to write this post.

THE WAR FOR MYTHERIA - Isekai Adventure

Fenna's talk with James had gone well, for the most part. He knew of a place where she could learn healing, which was good. He wasn't all that pleased with what happened down at the spa, and she understood that. She repeated the story when he asked her to do so, adding in the defence that she didn't try to touch it, her intention had been to just feel it from a somewhat safe distance, and she hadn't anticipated it would have arched like that. In the end there wasn't more to say about it, although she did promise James to be more careful with strange phenomena like that, and she showed him her spear that ever since the encounter had a faint glow to it. In daylight it was barely visible.
As they couldn't find out what it had been between the two of them, both went their ways: James to get supplies and Fenna to start her day.

First, Fenna went back to her soldiers to continue their training. For the lunch break she went to the Golden Tree Park with Sil and watched the druids work while the falcon could spread her wings. Sil stayed closer now, even since Fenna had gone down in the spa, and wouldn't let her go near that building again. When she went back to the soldiers she noticed those hooded figures were watching her. They kept their distance, but Fenna had spotted them a few times now. Let them look, she thought to herself. I'm not doing anything wrong. They were connected to that underground place, that was all she knew. And that she wasn't allowed down there, but they had let her leave and none of them had approached her since then. She couldn't shake the feeling they were following her around now. Observing her, maybe? To make sure she wouldn't go down there again?

The afternoon was spent with her soldiers again, they marched through the city, ran laps and did fighting exercises. Rest was equally important, so when the light faded she sent them all home. After dinner, she went to the place James knew to learn a bit more about healing.

MF&P contest #12 - the meeting (voting and feedback)

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Welcome to the Voting and Feedback round for MFP#12!

Voting and Feedback guidelines

• Please take your time to read through all the entries before voting for your favourite work. The reasons you base your vote on are up to you, as long the vote isn’t based on whether or not you like the author.
  It would be nice if you could share why you voted for a specific work.
• Giving feedback is optional but highly encouraged. When giving feedback you should be respectful and constructive. It’s good to point out any flaws or the things you feel could be improved or why you didn't like something, but don’t be mean.
  Make sure to point out what you liked or appreciated in the entry too.
• Contestants may (and are encouraged to) vote and/or give feedback for the other entries but shouldn’t vote for their own entry. If contestants wish to withhold a vote and only give feedback, that is good too.
• The entries are anonymous unless the writer asked for having their name added. That being said, writers may claim their work at any time during or after the voting period.
• The entry with the most votes will win, but in case of a tie a Contest Mod will cast the tie-breaker vote.
• You can vote for entries and post your feedback in this thread, but if you rather have your vote and/or feedback be anonymous you can PM it to @Loksfjoer.
• The voting period deadline is Thursday 12 September, 9:00 CET, which is 7:00 server time (both times are in a.m.).

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The Entries

A Forever Friend

By @Artexercise

We met, she and I.
The chaser and the chased.
In a bed and breakfast.
She had coffee, a deathly black.
and I a bagel with everything
yet nothing makes it so.

We sat at separate tables.
Just out of reach.
"Won't you join me?" she proposed.
And I considered the offer.
I am always.
Considering.

"No, I'm waiting," I'd say.
There are promises I made,
And dreams to keep.
Another lily on a stone,
And a song to cry
before my immortal lullaby.

Me and myself

By @Xandrya

It wasn’t easy; it was hard
For that piece of crap metal was once my car

The blood slowly inched toward my feet
Now there was nothing else but to meet

Sirens from near and afar filled the air
A sense of sorrow, a sense of despair

I took a few steps across the street
And knelt down beside the body that was once me

Killing Time

He was supposed to be here at this hour,
It was not like him to ever be late,
Pray tell me by what ungodly power,
Could delay thus force me to sit and wait?
The clock keeps ticking tick ticking away,
And with each passing moment I pondered,
Shall I still be waiting for him all day,
Or will he repay the minutes squandered?
Alas now comes a knocking at my door,
There is the visitor I longed to greet
I never knew him from my days before,
But ever so glad to finally meet.
The late gentleman takes me by the hand,
As Death shall come to visit every man.