Run: 2026-02-19-01KHT04EBGZK5RZMQVFMFQ65VG

Rory stepped through the portal, heart pounding as the familiar patter of raindrops gave way to alien sensations. Warm sun stroked her skin, and the scent of rich earth and ripe fruits filled her nose. She blinked in the sudden brightness and took a tentative step into the alien realm. Gently sloping mounds stretched before them, covered in a lush tapestry of vines and flowers, their exotic blooms emitting a sweet perfume.rique pastel fruits dangled from the branches, begging to be plucked and savored. "Blow me down," Stimpy breathed, eyes wide as he admired the vista. "The heavens, but this place is a feast fit for kings!" Nyx, still in shadow form, flitted about, darting into grottoes and emerging from behind boulders with ethereal grace. Every so often, their whispery chuckle drifted on the breeze. "This world... it sings to me," they purred, shadow solidifying into a tall, lithe form near Rory. "Such delicious, pulsing life." Rory shivered at the nearness of their cool presence but nodded. The land thrummed with an energy she felt to her core - a sense of pure, heedless indulgence. "This place... it's addiction in solid form. You can feel it, can't you? The sheer, unabashed hedonism." "Indeed," Nyx whispered, voice resonating with suppressed glee. "Can you hear it?" Rory closed her eyes, letting her senses expand. At first, there was only the susurrus of wind through leaves, the distant burble of hidden streams. But beneath those was a deeper sound, a pulsing, throbbing vibration nearly at the edge of hearing. It pounded almost in time with her heartbeat, and she felt it in her bones, an almost primal hunger. When she opened her eyes, Nyx was studying her, expression unreadable in the shadowy veiling their face. "It calls to your nature, doesn't it? The Heartstone, the core of your desire. You cannot escape who you are." Rory's cheeks flushed hot. She looked away, scanning the landscape. "What do you mean-" A sharp bark cut her off. Stimpy skidded to a halt at the edge of a grove, hands extended, staring at a toppled standing stone. "Lookit! Covered in these squiggly fucker marks!" Rory peered at the stone through the dense foliage. Ancient runes were carved into the weather-beaten surface. She squinted, trying to make sense of the alien script. Nyx drifted closer, shadow eyes narrowing. "Interesting. I sense a resonance..." They trailed off, drifting towards another moss-covered monument. Stimpy followed eagerly, tugging at trailing vines. "C'mon, it's like a fuckin' Lost treasure chore in here!" Rory followed hesitantly. Each stone seemed to whisper secrets, giving off an almost electrical tingle. She felt her unease growing with every step. The hunger gnawing at the edge of her senses intensified - but it was becoming... pointed. Focusing almost on... something. A sudden nicker made them all freeze. From a clearing ahead emerged a horse... no, something equine but also avian in shape. Glossy ebony plumage coated its long neck and legs, and a magnificent crest of feathers adorned its head. It regarded them with eyes like molten gold. "Aw fuck," Stimpy breathed. "That's a-" He was cut off as a second creature, its brother, sidled in behind them. The birds pinned them between the two with a calm, almost lazy panache. "Oh no," Rory whispered, recognizing the meaning of the silhouettes in Stimpy's words. "Those are not just Roc. Those are the Roc." The pair of birds made one eerie, guttural sound, the equine version of a growl. It chilled Rory to her bones. She remembered the stories too well... She glanced at Stimpy, trying to read his intentions, but his eyes were glazed with a fear she knew too well. "Steady on," she hissed. "Don't spook 'em." Nyx shifted, shadows resolving into solid form for a moment. "The Roc are said to carry their prey to their eyries... to consume them piece by piece. It is a slow death and a family pleasure..." "You're not helpin', mate," Stimpy snapped, eyes darting between birds as they began to creep forward. The roc in front opened their massive beak and belched a gust of wind, ruffling Stimpy's hair... ...which set his nose twitching... Rory's heart stuttered. She knew that look. It was inches from them shifting into... He quivered, hoof scraping at the ground. "Blow me down," Stimpy rasped... and then he was charging at the nearest Roc head-on, sending it scrambling backwards. The other hedge forward, eyes blazing. "Bollocks!" Rory hissed, heart pounding. "Nyx-" The shadow destabilized. "I cannot... I will not harm them." "Fine. Fine. Could you just... keep 'em distracted?" Rory shot back, already moving toward Stimpy. As she closed the distance, the Roc nearest her focused, beak parting, and a shriek tore from its throat... and Rory's mind fogged with a rush of intoxicating hunger. Delicious smells filled the air, the scent of within the Roc's beak, the flavor of the Roc's flesh and the weight of its meal in her belly....and something else... She stuttered to a halt, shaking her head. What the fuck? Overstimulated senses overwhelmed her; she stumbled, vision whiting out. Twinges shot from every nerve as phantom hunger cramped her insides... the taste of living flesh... so REAL... With a herculean effort, Rory shook it off. The hungry mirage parted, leaving the Roc shrieking and confused. They swept past her, their talons slicing through the air... Stimpy stood frozen, eyes glassy, shaking his head. Rory seized his arm, hauling him to the side... Incandescent pain exploding through her arm, spinning her around as the Roc's claws raked her suit. She fell, screaming as the bird loomed above her, its eyes burning into her flesh, shrieking in her mind... ...to feast... to devour... to... "ENOUGH!" The power in the Fae-blessed blade lashed out, slamming into the Roc's chest... jolting it back with a ragged, confused cry as the magic wove through its mind, clearing the mental fog. The Roc shrieked and clawed at the air as it stumbled back. Rory pressed herself up, weapon in front, breathing hard, her blood singing with the hungry adrenaline. Stimpy stood at her back, shaking his head in stark relief. "That's seven more years of bad luck," he croaked. "Let's just... get the fuck out of here," Rory prayed... and ran. They vaulted over the mounds, back through the trees, the Roc trilling in confusion below. Rory didn't stop until the portal was in sight by the stream... Stimpy collapsed behind her, gasping, as Nyx drifted beside her. They were smiling faintly, movement almost... blurry in places... "As you can see," Nyx rasped, that resonance in their voice stronger than ever. "DYMAS is... a formidable place." The realization jolted through Rory. She looked back at the darkening landscape... the translucent Roc outlined by the purpling sky as they drifted off... and the stand of standing stones... and she drew in a shuddering breath... and understood... That pulsing, that hunger, that overwhelming MISSING... grew from the ground... and its veins TERMINAL towards... an object in the grove... something... waiting...