Vyctor's posts

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Peering into the darkness of the park, Vyctor frowns, not seeing anything that could be causing the strange fog. Deciding a little light couldn't hurt, he turns on his phone to use the flashlight, but is shocked as he looks down at the screen.

The camera is picking something up... Are they snails? Mushrooms? Both? it doesn't really matter, he decides. Whatever it is, it's definitely the source, and it's definitely putting Virgil in danger.
"Alright..." He sighs, mentally preparing himself before calling out to Virgil, "Hang on man, I'm going to get you out of there."

"I'm safer up here, you should be more worried about yourself!" Virgil shouts back, clinging onto a tree branch.

Vyctor shakes his head, holding his phone up once more. Whatever that fog was was definitely obscuring the creatures from the naked eye, but that effect didn't seem to work through his camera. It would have to be his eyes during this.

He takes a deep breath, pulling his shirt up to cover his nose and mouth, before rushing into the park. He's careful not to step on or disturb the creatures. Obviously, he doesn't want to harm them, but his larger concern was the consequences of setting off any more of their spores.

"Come on, dude, I've got you..." He spoke gently to Virgil, trying to coax him out of the tree.

"Uh... No? No." Virgil gulps, looking around, "There's snakes everywhere and I think you've turned half falcon."

"What..." Vyctor sighs, not even bothering to decipher that one. With little choice left, he holds his breath as he lowers his shirt to instead grab onto Virgil, pulling him free from the tree. He quickly hoists the man over his shoulder, ignoring the protests as he rushes the two of them to safety.

His main priority was getting Virgil home. That wouldn't be a problem, as his sister is at home and would be able to look after him.

"Uh... Sorry about... All of this. I don't know how long until it'll wear off..." Vyctor mutters, rubbing the back of his neck as Virgil wanders the house, muttering about mystery creatures and colours.

Violet smiles sweetly, clasping her hands together, "Oh, that's alright! I'm just glad he's safe..." Her smile almost seems to turn a little more devious, "Also, he seems like a lot of fun like this!"

"Right..." Vyctor laughs, shrugging, "Well, take care of him. I gotta make a report to the VPD. I don't think those creatures caused the incident but uh..." He gestures vaguely to Virgil, "You know. That's still a problem."

"Is it?" Violet laughs, before nodding, "Good luck!"

Vyctor turns to leave, before glancing back to Violet with a smile, "And uh... Remind me to send you the pics I got of him later. They're pretty good."

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Growing up, I’ve been told stories of a small, but dangerous creature deep in the woods. At first, it’s appearance is quite silly and that is why the most gullible have fallen victim. Even more so misleading about this creature is it’s little to no agility and slow stride. Due to a seemingly harmless appearance and passive motions most don’t realize the imminent danger.

The habitat is unpredictable resulting in little studies and an incomplete understanding of this creature. It has never been sighted beyond the forest, until one stowed away within the equipment of an airship crash survivor who managed to navigate back to our city.

Upon their return, the survivor was a mangled mess, no doubt due to the impact from the crash, but there was something off. At first, doctors suspected amnesia, but the details were adding up to be something much worse. The survivor was running in constant fear, harming themselves, and oblivious to their surroundings. It was only by the guidance of the guardians that this individual made it back alive.

After days in the infirmary, the survivor snapped out of their trance-like state without any recollection of their arrival or airship travels. Weeks passed and the incident was forgotten, then the unexpected happened.

Throwing a neighborhood into confusion and despair. Why was their community park concealed in a ghostly fog? No matter what time of day or night, the fog persisted. Families and children were told to avoid the area until further notice. Things only got worse when the furry inhabitants of the park’s woods would flood the neighborhood streets in a frenzy.

Once the frenzied animals were humanely detained, they too regained their former state of mind. A new piece of evidence was discovered on each furry victim, a thick, pink goo. Some had more than others, the unlucky few that appeared bathed in the goo had the longest, more gruesome side-effects. The local health officials inferred that the combination of the fog and goo caused psychoactive effects which inflicted trauma though hallucinations.

The park became ground zero, barred from any visitors, and guards were posted 24/7. Winter came and all signs of the fog, goo, and consequences were alleviated from the community. The following spring, the park would be reopened. The children would find the most beautiful shells and make “BFF” necklaces and bracelets. It is said that these shells were the remnants of the invasive species that wreaked havoc that one summer.

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Virgil lets out an unhappy sigh, his breath fogging the air as he rubs his hands together, "I didn't even sign up for this, you know. Violet guilted me into it. What's new?”

"Yet you always fall for it, huh?" Vyctor laughs, before smiling down at him warmly, "I'm glad you agreed, though... Means I get to investigate with you."

"Uh, yeah..." Virgil stops in his tracks, holding his hand up to stop the other man in his tracks, "You see that?"

Narrowing his eyes, Vyctor spies the local park. It takes him a moment, before he nods, spotting the eerie, unnatural fog rolling out from between the trees.

"Man, that doesn't look good..." He glances away, fishing in his pocket for his phone, "Maybe we should... Hey, wait!"

By the time he glances up from his phone, it's too late. Virgil's already wandering into the park. Virgil frowns, searching the trees, before glancing back at Vyctor with a shrug, "I don't really see anything. Up close the fog's got uh... a weird colour."

"Weird colour?" Vyctor frowns, debating getting a better look for himself, "Like what?"

"It has a faint green hue... No... No it's pink? Orange. Orange hue. Definitely a blue hue."

"What?"

"Uh..." Virgil stumbles for a moment, catching his balance as the cloud of mist rises around him. He reaches up to hold his head, rubbing his temple "Do you hear that?"

Vyctor looks around, growing more confused by the second, "Virgil all I hear is you... Are you okay?"

"Listen! How do you not hear it? It's music! It's... no it's not... It's laughter..." His voice grows hush and nervous, his eyes darting around wildly.

"Okay that's enough..." Vyctor sighs, shaking his head, "I don't know what this is, but you should come back here to me, okay?" He beckons with his hand, hoping to lure Virgil out of the park. Instead, Virgil leaps back, shaking his head frantically.

"RUN!"

On reflex, Vyctor snaps his gaze back behind him. Of course, there's nothing there, and he shakes his head. "Man... Virgil there's... What are you doing?"

To his surprise, Virgil had already climbed halfway up the nearest tree, "How do you not see it?!" He shouts at him, hand batting frantically at the air, "Why are you just standing there?"

"Good question..." Vyctor mutters to himself, his gaze returning to the mysterious fog. He may not know what it is, but it's definitely the cause of Virgil's erratic behaviour. Rushing in would be a bad call, but so would leaving Virgil alone in this state.

There's only one option left, Vyctor decides: Find and stop the source.

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art by Mica