Contract Contest #11 Round 5 - Vote 1 (Patreon)

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.

Quest Title: “Daughter of the Darkwood”

By:RobTheNomad

Mila learns of a hidden grove within the Rotten Grove, where locals say a mysterious creature has been luring travelers with the promise of safe passage, only for them to vanish without a trace. Intrigued, Mila ventures into the depths of the forest and encounters Liora, a skilled former vampire hunter who has lost her family to the creature of the grove. Liora is a sharp and courageous sharpshooter with an unmatched knowledge of the forest, and she reluctantly teams up with Mila, drawn by the hope of avenging her loved ones. Although she dislikes working with a vampire, she slowly starts to fall in love with MIla as the quest progresses. As they delve deeper into the shadowy woods, they encounter Nimue, a beautiful yet twisted dryad corrupted by dark magic. Nimue’s once-pure nature has become tainted, and now she captures the souls of humans who wander into her domain, feeding on their life essence to sustain her own dark power.

In the true ending, Mila and Liora manage to break through Nimue’s enchanting defenses, ultimately freeing the spirits of her victims and purging the dark magic that has corrupted her. With Nimue’s defeat, the grove is released from its cursed grip, and Liora, grateful to Mila for helping her avenge her family, asks if she can come with her, knowing that means she must abandon her old ways and become undead. Mila bites her and leaves her at her home in Mor Town. In the alternate ending, if Mila is defeated, Nimue ensnares her with roots and vines, corrupting her vampiric essence to fuel her own power. Her roots spread through Mila and turn her into another Dryad, forever cursed to dwell in the forest with Liora also tangled in her roots and merged with her.