Contract Contest #11 Round 1 - Vote 1 (Patreon)

Contract 1: Quest Title: “The Serpent’s Embrace”

By:Cosmic Echo

Mila catches word of a secluded village that has been mysteriously abandoned, with whispers that the villagers were taken by a creature known as the Serpent of Silvershade Grove. When Mila ventures into the grove, she encounters Rowan, a fierce but hesitant alchemist who is searching for her mentor, who vanished while studying the magical flora in the area. Rowan, skilled in concocting potions and wielding a unique explosive magic, agrees to join Mila, seeing an opportunity to rescue her mentor and uncover the truth behind the disappearances. As they delve deeper into the dense, misty forest, they come face-to-face with Zarynthia, a monstrous lamia with a snake’s tail and a mesmerizing beauty. Zarynthia has been luring villagers into her grove, slowly transforming them into mindless servants under her control, and she’s fascinated by Mila’s vampiric nature, believing it could strengthen her own venomous powers.

In the true ending, Mila and Rowan fight together to overpower Zarynthia, resisting her hypnotic gaze and breaking the curse over the villagers. Zarynthia is defeated, and as she crumbles, Rowan’s mentor and the surviving villagers are freed from her control. Rowan, impressed by Mila’s bravery and sensing a kindred spirit, chooses to follow Mila on her journey, bringing her alchemical talents and fiery combat skills to the party. In the alternate ending, if Mila is defeated by Zarynthia, the lamia entwines her in her coils, injecting her with a venom that warps Mila’s mind and binds her to Zarynthia’s will. This results in Mila becoming Zarynthia’s vampiric slave, luring more victims to the Serpent’s Grove.

Contract 2: Quest Title: “Veins of Vespera”

By:Cherry-Monarch

Rumors reach Mila of a secluded village hidden deep in the forest where women are acting with an unsettling sense of unity, their eyes emitting an eerie, violet glow and have an unsettling smile. She soon uncovers the source: a parasitic entity known as a Vespera Root. This mind-controlling parasitic body exclusively targets women, burrowing into their brains and bending them to its will, while men are captured and used as sustenance. The infected women spread the parasite through a tendril that grows out of their mouth and crotch, implanting a Vespera seed in their womb and fertilizing it with their fluids. The female victims are then capable of laying their own Vespera spores, capable of growing into Vespera Root bodies.

Evelina, a skilled herbalist who managed to resist the parasite’s control by using a rare antidote. Together, they delve into the heart of the village, facing the infected women who now zealously guard an ancient, crumbling mansion where the main Vespera’s Root pulsates with twisted life.

In the true ending, Mila and Evelina succeed in reaching the parasite’s heart and destroying it, breaking its control over the village women and freeing the male captives. Evelina, grateful for Mila’s help, sheepishly asks to become a vampire and join her. In the bad ending, if Mila is defeated, she becomes a vessel for Vespera’s Root, a loyal guardian of the infestation. Evelina attempts to flee but is ultimately caught and joins the collective. The two are shown with their tendrils out, ready to breed and spread their spores.