Over the River and Through the Woods (Adventures!AU Book 2)

Ch. 49 Uploading Coordinates... Stand By

WE'RE BACK AND STRAIGHT INTO PAIN
So originally this was gonna be two chapters, but now its one. Which means...
"Trust Shattered Part 1: Impact" is next :)
All I can say is... buckle up this gonna get painful. Especially for CrossxShadow fans

Also! In case you're just following this story, I've started another one called "Commander, Meet the Cat" which details my first run in with Cody! That story will be posted on alternating Fridays with this one!

Why the numerous postings? Well, recently I made a patreon (Shadow Hyder) and we hit a goal of 40$ a month so I'm posting every week now! All patrons ($1+) get to see content early! There's also cool goodies for the higher tiers! $20 (two slots left) get a personal flash fic from me every month!

With all THAT out of the way... ladies, gents, and eldritch beings, welcome back to Over the River and Through the Woods! <3

CW: Language, nightmare/gorey imagery, angsty premonition. Very angsty. Zed's an asshole

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I wasn't... really sure what I should expect when I touched the thing.

A shock? Blackout? Blinding blaze of light?

Certainly not a resonating chime and the flicker of a deep indigo symbol above the sphere before silence reigned once more.

"That it?" Wrecker said, scratching his head. "Thought it'd be more..." He gestured vaguely. "Spectacular."

"You just wanted an explosion," Crosshair said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey! Explosions are cool," Wrecker defended, poking Crosshair with every word and earning himself a slapped hand.

"Do not jinx it," Hunter growled, clearly relieved nothing major happened.

I, for one, was confused. "That's... Nova's symbol, right?" I asked, glancing at Max.

He nodded. "Correct. Deity of knowledge, remember?"

"Why is their symbol here and not yours?"

"This is one of their sacred sites."

Surprise rippled through me, but before I could respond to the Ancient, the symbol fell and passed through my hand before streaks of white light raced up my arm.

"Shadow!" Hunter yelped, lunging for my hand to yank it away.

My arm, however, wouldn't budge no matter how hard the sergeant pulled.

Even when Wrecker tried to help him, my palm remained on the orb.

"Hey, guys! Not that this tug-o-war with my arm isn't appreciated, but you're yankin' a bit hard and pullin' my fur!" I protested before Wrecker could grab my torso and pull.

Hunter looked up at me. "But what about you?" he asked, brown eyes wide with worry as he gripped my arm tightly.

"It's not painful," I assured him as the tendrils of light arced over my chest and up my neck before spreading across my face towards my eyes. "I'm alright."

The commando didn't look too convinced, especially as the light grew stronger.

"Ack, though my eyes hurt." Closing them to spare myself a headache, the sharp snap of electricity combined with gasps and the smell of ozone forced them open again.

I could scarcely believe what I was seeing.

No.

Fuckin'.