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Vijay

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Posts by Vijay

The Colour Beneath

Poetry —
I learned too late, the world was never wrong,
It only mirrored what already dwells.
Within the hearts of those who name the strong,
And cage the rest inside their woven shells.
We rise through doors they swore would never yield,
We climb the ladders painted clean and white;
Yet every hand that claps us from the field
Still weighs our worth beneath the borrowed light.
We draw our lines, we polish what they see,
We wash our names in silence, pride and grace.
But skin remembers what it used to be;
And truth still trembles underneath the face.
No height can free us from that ancient art,
The shadow that lives inside the human heart.

A Perfect Day

Stories —

For someone with a customer facing job at a large amusement park, Kate was quite cheerful. Her demeanour almost never changed when she was dealing with the dozens and dozens of parents who came to drop off their kids, raise complaints about mundane topics or be completely unreasonable in their demands. She never lost her temper, never raised her voice and never complained about her job. Heck, she was never even seen without a smile on her face.

Anyone who knew her would agree that Kate was the most cheerful person at Strawberry Castle. She had been working at the children entertainment giant for seven years. Although she currently headed the customer service department, Kate would often visit the play area and help its staff. She was liked by the children and her Fairytale Hours on Sundays was a popular attraction.

This was a day like any other. Kate finished up her routine checks on the customer complaints and feedback received, made sure everything was responded and in order and got ready to leave. Before she stepped out of her small office, she made sure to take a piece of paper from her desk and slipped it inside her purse. Her steps were light as she exited Strawberry Castle waving to the security guards.

“Mm…hmhmm… Mm…hmhmm… This is a nice evening to be out…” she hummed to herself in a sing-song-y voice. Unlike usual, today she took a different route back home. She cut through Hiblander street and took the long path through the woods. Although the city she lived in was small, it had a nice close knit community. Corporations such as Strawberry Castle and Ronald’s Burgers were slowly destroying much of the forest and natural greenery the city had.

Despite hating this, she worked at one of them simply because she enjoyed watching children smile. Somehow keeping them safe and happy felt like it made her life a bit better. It helped her have something to do every day and feel good at the end of the day. Isn’t that the goal of our lives? To be happy and to make others happy? She thought to herself.

A sudden rustling sound from behind her woke her up from her cheerful day dreams. She stopped walking and took a look around. The road was completely empty and she could not see anything moving through the forest path on either side of the road. M_ust have been a small animal moving._ She started walking on, albeit a little faster than before. A few minutes in she heard another rustling sound, this time followed by faint footsteps.

Her mind ran a dozen different worst case scenarios and just as many equally possible rational ones. She increased the speed of her steps a bit more while listening intently. The footsteps seemed to be coming from her right side. It kept up with her, as if someone was carefully trying to follow her but not fast enough that they got ahead. Sweat drops started forming in the back of her neck and forehead.

While maintaining some calm, she quickly went through all the objects in her purse. Anything that could be used as a makeshift weapon. Like any smart woman she had a small pepper spray bottle. Without turning back, she slipped it out with one hand and held the tiny pocket knife attached to her key chain tightly in the other. She broke into a half run, her heart now pounding.

paht! paht! paht! The footsteps following her now broke into a run as well. Kate tilted her head while trying to figure out how one person could have such a heavy footstep. Maybe it is an animal? She decided to use this opportunity. She ran through the next steps in her head. She would turn around, use the pepper spray on her pursuer and then run away full speed. This was her best option as without a deterrent, the pursuer will catch up to her speed.

Having made up her mind, she turned around and pressed her finger on the nozzle of the spray while she pointed it at the massive figure behind her. The pepper mix that was spat out covered the figure before a massive arm the size of a dustbin lid was swung toward her face. “Oh, shit!” Kate’s world spun as she took a heavy slap to her face. Her body was sent flying and landed two feet away from its initial spot. Blood covered one side of her face. Her horrified eyes watched as the massive bear roared in pain from taking the pepper spray to its face.

“Yeah… i-it burns… doesn’t it?” Kate breathed her last muttering that.

“CUTTTT!” Chief Director Yeewon Nam yelled at the crew. “A bear? A. FUCKING. BEAR?!” He pointed his thick, stubby finger at the dozen technical crew members sitting in the A.I.R. office. “Are you morons THAT stupid? Or do you morons NOT understand what we are doing here?”

“S-sir…” Brennan Lager, the Lead in charge of this operation tried to explain their decisions. “We increased the difficulty to extract the most amount of emotions from the subject in the shortest time possi…”

Yeewon stepped next to Brennan and screamed in his face, “THE SUBJECT NEEDS TO BE ALIVE TO EMOTE! A bear kills a human very, VERY easily! Do you understand that?”

Brennan was scared out of his wits. He had never seen the Chief Director this angry before. He kept his mouth shut and only nodded, afraid that he might lose even more face in front of his crew if he tried talking anymore.

After a few seconds of making incoherent noises, Yeewon finally seemed to calm down a bit. “Listen here guys! This is the final run we have at getting the best results possible for Project Zebra. The idea is to get the best possible emotions out of our subjects by inducing artificially created scenarios into their mind and getting them to react to various possible stimuli. The simulation needs to include fun and sad scenarios in equal parts. A constant flow of happy, sad, bittersweet, foul, scary and tension-inducing moments are needed to fill up the Neogen 8K21 series cells. You cannot be doing things like bringing a bear into a thrill scene.”

He paused looking around, “Unlike in movies and video games, most humans would instantly get killed against such a powerful foe. No more being alive, no more emotions flowing and no more A.I. recordings.” He took a few more breaths and took a cigarette out of his pocket.

“Remember, all our subjects are people who are either old, wounded beyond recovery or otherwise classified as being non-useful civilians. They can only take a dozen virtual deaths at most before their hearts stop naturally. We are investing heavily into the life support units for preserving each of their bodies. Our goal is a minimum of 30 full cells of neural energy and a recommended 41 full cells if we want to break even next year.”

Placing it in his lips, he lit up the cigarette. “Keep the situations tense, but not enough to be fatal. Make them go through the good, the bad and the ugly. I want emotions, I want to see ecstasy, I want to see joy, I want to see tears and I definitely want to see fear. All this, while making sure the subjects feel like they accomplished something in their… ah, ‘lives’,” he made two air quotes with his fingers. 

“Heck, make them feel like superstars or heroes if you have to. But do not make things fantastical or too perfect. If they suspect that things might not be real, then the output will not be as efficient.”

He smiled at the crew once again, “Let’s take it from the top folks. This time, be more careful Brennan.” Brennan nodded, feeling a little better now that his boss seemed to have calmed down.

“Do you know the name of the subject Brennan?” Yeewon asked. Brennan took out the subject’s information chart and read out. “Katherine Taylor, sir. Age 82, paralyzed from the waist down after an incident involving domestic abuse…”

“No, you moron. Her subject-name in the file. So I can keep track of the number of A.I. deaths she has had.” Yeewon scowled.

“Oh, sorry sir. Uh, File A-9-211.”

Yeewon nodded and made a change in the YeeCorp app. 

‘Test Project Zebra’ file.

Note 1 – Subject A-9-211 : +1 death due to screw up from Crew 7.

“Who the fuck cares about her actual name anyway?” He mumbled as the new holographic projection started.

‘Studio 7. Artificially Induced Recordings – Making your energy consumption eco friendly’, a sign read in front of large theater room door as the next scenario began playing out in Subject A-9-211’s mind.

The Fish in White

Fan Fiction —

A League of Legends fan fiction

The skies are witness to the deeds of men,
The tides are witness to the greed of men.
To spin a yarn on truth told,
Or covet and lust for another’s gold;
You invite the presence of a being old
The river king cometh, lo and behold!

The last rays of the Sun were vanishing, and the buildings were casting long, dark grey shadows. The streets of Bilgewater were bustling with folk who had come from all over to watch the show being put on by the local theatre. The actors were well-known, and tonight’s show was the story of Gangplank’s Fall. After his very public fall from power, the theatre group became bolder in their depictions of the former king, and the play quickly became famous around the land. 

Reyald slowly walked around the gathering crowd. His eyes scanned the drunks, the gamblers, and the folk of the night gathering around excitedly as the theatre group started their preparations. A crowd was a haven for old Reyald, his quick hands, and slippery fingers ready to prey on his next target. He entered the crowd, having spotted a large coin purse. But he was quickly distracted by a couple who joined the crowd. The husband and wife duo looked like nobles from a distant land. Were they lost? He decided not to let this opportunity slip up and went to talk to them.

Forty minutes later, Reyald could be seen walking out of his inn, having helped the couple get a room there for the night. Apparently, the husband was a rich nobleman from Piltover who thought he could make a fortune as a bounty hunter. Reyald had seen many guys like this and took his chance to get to know the couple, posing as a friendly innkeeper and offering them protection and shelter for the night at a fair price. This was only a cover for his nightly operations. Tonight, he would pay them a visit when they were both asleep and help secure their belongings. Usually, he would just sell the women to one of the many captains of the city in an auction. But this one, he had decided to keep for himself. He was imagining the various ways he would play with her when he heard a low whistle from an alleyway.

Curious, he looked in the direction to see a figure vanishing around the corner. A beautiful, white skirt whisked away as someone had walked swiftly. What a lucky night, he thought to himself. Two pretty women on the same night. He double-checked the dagger in his belt and the hidden blade in his shirt and quickly walked into the alleyway. This long alley led to the sea inlet, and he knew there was nowhere for the woman to go after that. He started jogging in excitement as the flowing white skirt turned yet again in the corner out of the alley and into the open space.

Half jogging, half running, he reached the opening to see a beautiful woman bending over a crate in the distance, sweetly whistling to herself.

She didn’t seem to have realized he was there. “Well, aren’t you a beauty?” He called out to her as he closed the space between them. “Now turn around and don’t make a sound. Do as I tell you, and you won’t be hurt much.” He smiled, his hand gripped on the hilt of his dagger. The woman stopped what she was doing and turned around. And as if an invisible hand had wiped the air out, there was a slight shimmer, and in the place of the woman, there stood a seven-foot-tall, scaly monster. The illusion magic that was in use vanished with a low pop! With two giant tentacles that resembled a mustache growing out of its face, the demonic sea monster’s face resembled a catfish. It gave Reyald a wide grin revealing sharp dagger-like teeth and a long coiled tongue. Its voice was smooth and calm as it replied, “Oh, I have to repeat that sentence to you, I’m afraid. Do you like my clothes?”

Clothes? It took everything in his power not to keel over in fear. Reyald was a hard man, and having lived in Bilgewater all his life, he was accustomed to seeing all sorts of strange and powerful beings. But nothing he had seen or heard in his life could have prepared him for this sight. There was a huge fishlike monster in front of him wearing a beautiful set of women’s clothing. But he did not dare to laugh in front of this monster. The fish demon was oozing an aura that would chill even the most hardcore killer’s bones. He looked at the monster as its watery eyes fixed their gaze on him, waiting for his reply. He gulped, swallowing his saliva, and nodded.

“Why, thank you.” The monster seemed to smile even wider. This made it look even more terrifying than before. “Now, I’m here to make a deal with you, Reyald Barley.” The monster continued in an even tone. “I offer you a bargain. Bring the couple you have given shelter to here instead of harming them, and I will offer you this crate full of treasure in return.” It waved a large, scaly arm to indicate the now open crate. Reyald looked at the contents of the crate and gasped. Hextech! And the crate seemed to be full of the highly coveted raw material. These can be used to craft almost any gear and would fetch a great price. Better yet, with his contacts, it could be sold in a day, and no one would be able to trace it back to him. He looked at the smiling monster and nodded again. “Excellent! Then I expect them here soon.” Reyald turned around and ran towards his inn. Half scared, half ecstatic, he could not believe the turn of events tonight. What an extraordinary stroke of luck!

As the lone ship sailed into the sea through the backwaters, Reyald and his two guards stood wordlessly, staring at the crate of Hextech material. He ordered them to take the crate carefully back to the inn and looked one more time in the direction of the ship, quickly vanishing in the distance. The monster had left with the couple once they boarded the ship. He walked leisurely back towards his inn. His mind was abuzz with thoughts of luxury and power. The trio turned a corner and entered the familiar alley again. Reyald heard a Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! noise behind, and he saw a flash of blue light when he turned. The world seemed to spin and roll as his vision suddenly became witness to the night sky.

In the next two seconds, the pain settled in, and he realized that his body, now headless, was lying next to him, bleeding out on the dark floor, and beyond it were the two bodies of his guards. Two shadowy figures with masks over their faces carried the crate away, happily talking to each other, “The demon was true to his word. This crate is full of Hextech. We are going to be rich!” Reyald opened his mouth to say something, but it slowly filled with his frothing blood. And his eyes slowly dimmed.

Atop the sails, as the ship with the rescued couple sailed back to Zaun, a bright blue bird huffed unhappily, looking at the giant fish demon prancing around happily in her clothing. Janna had lent her clothes to Tahm laced with illusion magic because he promised to help guide her believers to a safe place. She would let it go this time. He did save her followers upon her request. But the sight of the Riverway King, Tahm Kench, dressed in a white priestess outfit, was one that she was sure would haunt her dreams for a long while.

Droplet in the Lake

Stories —
Lichtarr, Banaad, Gintaar.

That which is meant to happen, will happen. It was the fundamental philosophy by which the world worked. Everything is as written by the Ancient, and what the Ancient wrote becomes reality. Liza had grown up hearing this mantra every day. She was part of a large clan that lived in the Shivering Pines, the enchanted forest. The worship of the Ancient was salvation, and the teachings of the Ancient were absolute. Liza knew this.

But this day was unlike any other. Something had shaken her unquestionable resolve to abide by the laws of the Ancient. She had to do this! Growing up in one of the smaller villages among the clan, her only family were her mother and her brother. Liza’s brother had been called to a village meeting four days earlier and sent on a hunting mission to secure a sacrifice for the Festival of the Many.

Rior never came back to the village, and the elders had declared him dead. In the Reultsi belief, a hunter who died during a hunt was declared a failure, and his family would be bound to two decades of servitude to the temple of the Ancient. She knew her brother well. He was one of the best Reultsi hunters alive. He would not have died to any beast in the forest. There was something amiss about the way things were happening. For one, the village council did not send out a scouting party to determine his death. Second, the hunting mission was given to Rior unannounced in the middle of the night with no time to prepare.

Liza was not going to stand quietly and let her family be shunned. She had heard of one capable of opposing the Ancient—a being dwelt in the black lake. The children grew up hearing stories of how the Ancient had stood up against this creature and bound it to the lake. The Reultsi were prohibited from going anywhere near the lake as the creature could apparently take control of someone’s mind. It was a significant risk. But Liza was desperate and needed help. She had to find out what happened to her brother. Her mind was made up.

Her vision blurred as she tore through the thick forest with everything she had. Her legs powerfully kicked down, causing her body to be propelled forward with practised efficiency. West! This has to be West! There were footsteps behind her. She dared not turn around and look. She threw down one of the round, grey spheres she had packed in her bag and quickly darted to the side as the dung bomb exploded. She continued running as the stench of feces swiftly spread. She and her brother had devised the idea of modifying the smoke bomb into a dung bomb to cover up their scent from tracking beasts and rogue hunters.

The bomb seemed to have done its job as the footsteps behind her stopped. She could hear the sounds of the black lake ahead. She made it! No village hunter would willingly enter the lake. She had to reach the inky water, and they would stop pursuing her. She saw a glimpse of the dark, splashing water, its colour seemingly absorbing all light around it. She kicked herself forward by using a nearby tree trunk as a platform. Her body plunged into the inky black surface of the lake. She felt herself entering a thin, invisible layer of air. A barrier? Before her thought could go any further, she heard a swoosh and a loud, wet thunk! A scream escaped from her throat as she felt the sharpened tip of an arrow sink into her spine.

Liza opened her eyes. And quickly closed it again. Everything was bright. Had she died? Was this the afterlife? It has to be because the last thing she remembered was diving head first into the black lake, the inky black water swallowing her vision as she bled from her wound. She moved her shoulders and winced at a sharp pain shot through her. Wait! Why am I still hurting if I’m dead? She forced her eyes to open again and blinked several times, slowly adjusting to the bright light.

The scene before her was almost unbelievable, circling it.

“So you came here to find what happened to your brother, child?”

The voice echoed inside her head. It sounded similar to that of her mother’s. She was too dumbstruck to speak. She nodded, unable to move or speak for the time being. Was this the dark creature bound to the lake? Was this the black lake? It is so bright here. Is this a dream? 

“Yes. Yes. And no.” The voice replied as if it could read her thoughts. “You see, I was bound to the lake by the one you call the Ancient. But neither myself nor this lake is dark. You see it as such because of the barrier the Ancient had raised around this place. I am Lilori, once the goddess of pathways. If you are determined to walk, I can show you the path you need to take.”

Something about the being made Liza feel at ease. Her heart no longer felt the presence of danger nearby, her pain had reduced from the water touching her wound, and her voice slowly returned as she responded to Lilori. “Yes, I want to find out what happened to my brother. He… He is still alive, isn’t he?”

There was a pause. Then, the doves flapped their wings, flying toward Liza. A wave of water lifted Liza’s body gently. The arrow that was stuck in her back was slowly pulled out. She winced but straightened up, standing in the waist-high waters of the lake. The doves quickly dipped into the lake and came out. A large bubble of water floated between them. As they approached Liza, she noticed that the bubble showed a scene. A Sunset in a distant land she had never seen before, with rocky shores and strange-looking wooden contraptions that floated in the water. This must be a vision, she thought.

“The road you must travel is long and hard, child. You must gain power and knowledge of the Ancient to know the truth. I cannot answer your question now, but I can tell you this is the path you must take if you want to know the truth.”

Wordlessly, Liza nodded. She would do anything to save her brother. She thought about her mother. She would be made to serve the temple now. However, since Reultsi considered that to be the ultimate punishment, she would not be subject to anything worse. She looked up at the pair of eyes and then the water bubble. “Yes, I’m willing to do anything to save my family.” Tears rolled down her cheek as she slowly extended her palm. I’m sorry, mom. I will return soon, with Rior! she thought to herself.

The doves placed the water bubble on top of her hand. It did not burst like she expected it to. It slowly started expanding in size, becoming larger and larger in her palm. The scene inside it seemed to get closer and closer to her. She held the bubble with both hands as it continued to grow in size.

And before she realized it, she was being pulled into the now child sized bubble. Was this one of the pathways that Lilori mentioned? Before she knew the answer, she felt a tug in her back as she felt like she was falling face-first into nothingness. She closed her eyes tightly as her stomach was getting ready to hurl. Then, the sensation suddenly stopped. Her feet were planted once again on solid ground. She opened her eyes to see the Sunset. The Sunset from the bubble! Surprised, she looked around to find herself standing on the sandy beaches of a strange land. Broken, massive wooden vessels could be seen in the distance. Her hand gripped the dagger at her waist. 

I will walk this path! I will get stronger! And I will find my way back home!

Twin Fists

Novel —

Cold winds blew over the snow-covered peaks, shifting the top layer of the thick, white ice ever so slightly. As far as the eye could see, there was only one color. The frozen tips of Anorra’s Nails lived up to their name. No one knew how the treacherous mountain range got its moniker. But anyone who knew the Queen of Wails wholeheartedly agreed that it was a perfect name. Near the edge of the farthest mountain, one lone figure trudged on. From afar, an onlooker could see the long, winding path the figure had steadily made climbing down through the snow.

“Hah, hah, hah…!”

The figure panted laboring on through waist high snow. With two powerful arms that held a massive shovel, the figure carved out a narrow path moving forward one step at a time. They wore a thick, fur coat which was fitted to their size perfectly. The practiced efficiency with which the figure shoveled the snow, the rhythmic breathing and the controlled power with which the figure moved would tell the onlooker that this was not a physical act that a regular person could emulate.

Three hours of laborious walking later, the figure finally reached clear land. They climbed out from the thick snow and sat down on top of a damp boulder. Pulling back their fur hood a little, the figure scanned the region ahead. One could see a small town nestled at the bottom of the fifth nail of Anorra. The figure still had their nose and mouth covered with a mask. So only their sharp green eyes could be seen scanning the remote town with intense interest.

“Now,” the figure whispered. “Where might I find a powerful sorcerer who specializes in flame magic?” The pair of green eyes narrowed on an old building in the distance. From the edge of the mountains, the enhanced vision of the figure could pinpoint a thin yellow aura wafting out from the distant building. “In the coldest part of the world.” Under the fur mask covering the lower half of their face, a thin smile bloomed.

“Found you!”

The figure shifted forward an inch and disappeared from the spot where they had been sitting. Screaming winds followed the figure as they moved with immense speed tearing through the air. Their legs stepping on rooftops, walls and tree branches the figure traversed through the town at a breakneck speed toward their target.

Travis had endured one of the worst weeks at work and was ecstatic when his master announced that there will be three days off after many long nights of work. He lay on his small feather bed looking at the decorated ceiling of his room. All the rooms in the Terand, contained beautiful artwork and decorations. The old Duke of the nearby kingdom had this small palace made for the Crows. Although the registered Crows and Hawks were only allowed to practice their magic in the kingdom, they used the Terand to teach and train apprentice mages before they go through the process of branding.

As for Travis who barely made through the selection exam, staying at the castle and training alongside expert mages and wizards was something he never even expected. Born to a low class hawker family in this remote town, he never expected to show magical aura or to somehow get through the famed Flight of Crows qualification exams. He absentmindedly ran his fingers along the soft fur of Mister Whiskers, his cat, as he lay day dreaming in his bed.

“Hey Whiskers, I’m heading outside to take a walk around the market.” He turned and looked at the cat before asking it. “Do you want to come along?” The feline creature meowed and turned its back to him. He shrugged his shoulders. “Suit yourself.”

Taking a few copper coins with him, he stepped outside his room and closed the door. The cat, Mister Whiskers stared out the large window. The small town, its rustic buildings, the streets with a few fur-clad people walking by and the dome of the church in the distant filled the cat’s vision. The cat moved closer to the window as if something had caught its attention.

Suddenly, the cat’s body froze in place. Its eyes opened wide and it started trembling as goosebumps ran along its back. The irises narrowed to a thin line and its face turned from side to side scanning the town. What is this feeling? Its body suddenly shivered although it was inside a warm room. What is this power? Who dares? A mixture of rage and anxiety filled the cats face. Something is coming! Fast! Its head whipped around and it jumped to the window sill.

“Who dares?!”

A voice that sounded ancient and powerful came from the cat’s maw. It bared its fangs unleashed a wave of magical aura thick enough for the naked eye to see. The golden aura surrounded the cat and intense heat suddenly enveloped it. The air itself started heating up and white vapor started forming around the feline giving it the image of being encased in a bubble of fire and vapor. The magic condensed quickly to become a shield made of flames. Red hot flames licked the air every time they moved and the moisture in the air around the cat instantly evaporated. The window cracked and blew apart. The people from the streets started panicking as shard of glass rained down on them. They could see a massive ball of magical fire from atop the Terand.

Guards started running towards the source of the commotion and two Crows, nameless wizards, who taught at the castle came running to the room. The bizarre scene of witnessing a cat casting such a powerful barrier shocked the wizards. One of them began casting counter magic to put off the flames but even before he could form the image of the spell in his mind, the cat waved its tail in his direction. A massive ball of flame to rushed towards the pair. The second one barely managed to jump away in time to see the first wizard get incinerated by the flames. “R-Raillic!!!” He turned towards the cat in horror.

“W-who?” He could not finish his question. A second ball of flame was already rushing towards him. “AAARRGGHHHH!”

“Insects! All of you are beneath me!” the cat screamed before once again turning towards the broken window. “I know you are nearby! Come! I will burn this world to ashes! Then no one shall dare challenge me!”

The next second, the people of the town felt a gust of wind so strong that it blew them away several feet. The Crows who witnessed this later claimed on their lives that it was caused by a single person who moved so fast that they tore through the fabric of the wind itself.

BOOM!

A massive explosion rocked the castle. The hooded figure punched the cat with force enough to break the spirit level flame barrier and throw the cat down several floors of the castle. The massive hole that could now be seen in the middle of the castle caused several cracks to appear and slowly spider web through all the broken floors.

“W-what?” The cat, now in his normal form as a seven foot tall, pale-white elf looked up and found himself sprawled in a hole. He looked up with rage filled eyes and screamed.

“I WILL BURN…”

“Me?” the figure stood in front of the wizard now.

“A woman?”

BOOM!

The wizard was lifted up and punched yet again. This time he was sent flying through three castle walls and landing on the street outside.

BOOM!

Another earth rocking explosion and he was thrown through the walls of the town church breaking into the inner sanctum and sliding down the marble floor.

“Wh-what? Who are you?” his voice was shaking and for the first time in his thousand-year-long life, ...the infamous Blood Crow was afraid.

BAM! BOOM! CRASH!

He felt them before he heard them. The two punches to his face dislodged his jaw. Before the pain settled he felt his body crashing through several more buildings in the town.

Whoosh, Crack!

A powerful fist buried itself in his abdomen lifting him up the air and sending him flying high. His blurred vision saw the town floating below his body. He raised his blood-soaked face just in time to see the fur-clad figure jump next to his floating body. But before he could stop them, BOOOOOM!

His face was buried a foot under the cobblestone road before he managed to pull himself free. His mind barely functioned trying to figure out just who in this world even had this much power and speed. Finally, it landed on a face of a beautiful woman. It can’t be!

With his last reserve of magic he conjured up an intense fiery barrier and completely covered his body in the hottest flames of the highest tier. The flames formed an armor that could melt anything it touches. “Are you related to Irina? That little bitch was the only one with strength like that!”

The fur-clad figure stopped in front of the wizard. “What made you decide to kill her, Jark? You already had power, you already had influence and you commanded the largest magical force in the Eastern continent. So what could you gain by killing a little girl?”

“Hah, you would never understand.” Princess Irina did nothing against me. But she had too much power to rival mine. I could simply not allow it to grow. Allow her to grow. “Her pathetic life was nearing its end anyway, I just sped it up. How did you gain the same power as her?”

The figure shook her head slowly. “As I thought, it is useless trying to understand a lunatic.” She started walking toward Jark slowly.

“You can not harm me anymore! My armor will melt your hands away if you try to touc…”

BOOOM!

Jark’s entire body was sent flying as the woman landed her heaviest punch yet. The armor including the outer shields had all been broken. He could see the molten armor sporting massive cracks where she had hit it. “I-impossible! T-this, this cannot be happening!”

BOOM! His face turned to one side from the impact. BOOM! He keeled over as his stomach twisted inside. BOOM! Blood splattered from his shoulder where his bone could be seen jutting out of his flesh. BOOM! He felt his knee shatter, and his legs caved inside. He fell, screaming and spewing blood on the frozen street.

I was so close, the boy was almost ripe. If only, if only I could have soul transferred a little earlier. His thoughts filled with anger, fear and regret.

“C-curse y-y…” his lips barely managed.

“Me?” BOOM! CRACK!

Jark spat out blood and the world lost its most feared sorceror, the infamous murderer, Blood Crow that day. Investigators later found his body completely mangled and all his bones broken. The cause of death was written as a magical experiment failure. Despite the few Crows swearing that it was caused by one lone figure, no one could accept that one of the most powerful Crows known to the world could be bested by any individual person.

The fur-clad figure could be seen walking through the thick snow once more. This time they had lowered her mask revealing a beautiful face with a horrible burn covering one of her cheeks. A smile floated up her face. In a low voice, she spoke to herself.

“In the end, the strongest Crow in the world could not burn a little girl who trusted him. In the end, his flames were put out by the very same girl. Two souls, had the young girl. Two lives, she was destined to live. One giving love, one taking life.”

The figure trudged forward ever so slowly through the waist high snow. They were already planning their next destination, towards their target.

State of IT Part 5: Guardrails for the Generative Era

State of IT —
Building a Safety Net Against Unchecked AI Tool Usage in the Workplace

AI-powered tools are becoming part of everyday work. Companies now face a challenging balance. Productivity gains and creative leaps are appealing. But risks are real. Data could leak. Compliance could become a problem. To thrive, organizations must build strong protections around AI tool use. This is not just wise. It is necessary for business trust and continuity.

The Growing Attack Surface

AI adoption does not always start with leaders. Employees want to work faster and solve new problems. They may try generative AI tools before IT teams know about them. These tools include chat bots, code helpers, and quick image creators. The number and speed of new AI tools can quickly overwhelm old security methods.

Discovery: Shedding Light on Shadow AI

The first step is to see what is happening. You cannot protect what you cannot see. Some ways to find AI use include:

  • Watch network activity for connections to well-known AI services such as OpenAI, Midjourney, or Anthropic.
  • Scan devices to list browser extensions and desktop apps that use AI.
  • Ask employees through surveys or interviews. Sometimes, a simple question reveals hidden use cases.

There are also less common but important options:

  • Study internal messages for language patterns that suggest AI-generated content. Be sure to respect privacy.
  • Audit API keys. Track which keys are created and used for outside AI services.

Monitoring and Control: Keeping AI Usage in Check

Discovery is just the beginning. The next step is to set up real oversight:

  • Use data loss prevention tools to flag or block uploads to AI services.
  • Limit who can use approved AI tools based on their job, project, or the type of data involved.
  • Create alerts for strange usage. For example, large data uploads or unusual access times.

More advanced controls include:

  • Make lists of allowed or blocked apps. Update these lists as new tools appear.
  • Use special firewalls or gateways that inspect AI traffic and enforce rules.

Blocking: When to Draw a Firm Line

Not all AI tools are safe. Some carry too much risk. To block these, try:

  • Blacklist specific websites or IP addresses to prevent devices from accessing risky AI services.
  • Blacklist certain domains and services entirely if you are unsure about the service provider’s business practices with regard to training their models.
  • Enforce browser rules that stop people from installing unapproved extensions.
  • Use mobile device management to limit AI access on both company and personal devices.

AI rules and laws change fast. Companies need to take several steps to ensure compliance and protection:

  • Map how data moves when AI tools are used. Make sure this meets privacy laws such as GDPR or CCPA.
  • Define clear request and approval procedures for the use of new AI tools.
  • Specify who can submit requests, how requests are submitted, and what information must be included in each request.
  • Check all AI vendors for strong security, privacy, and ethics.
  • Set approval criteria for new AI tools, including vendor security, cost, data handling, and ability to meet regulatory standards.
  • Identify automatic rejection criteria. For example, reject tools that cannot ensure data residency or that do not grant proper intellectual property ownership. This applies to tools that do not integrate with your Identity Provider as well.
  • Keep records of AI use and any exceptions to the rules.
  • Require enterprise-level review for significant decisions, such as tools that impact budgets, require integration with sensitive systems, or could create legal exposure.
  • Consider risks related to budget overruns, unclear ownership of created content, and the difference between code generation and art generation.
  • Ensure use cases align with the company’s strategy and legal requirements.

The Foundation: A Strong AI Usage Policy

Before encouraging AI-driven creativity, set clear rules. A good AI policy should cover practical steps for control and decision-making.

  • What types of AI tool use are allowed or banned?
  • How to handle data at every stage, especially if it is sensitive or regulated.
  • Training for employees on risks and safe habits.
  • Steps for reporting problems or responding to AI misuse.
  • Define who reviews and approves requests for new AI tools. Document criteria for approval, including compliance, costs, and potential risks.
  • List automatic rejection triggers, such as lack of data protection or IP ownership.
  • Require periodic policy and tool reviews at the enterprise level.
  • Address budget risks, ownership of generated intellectual property, and the distinction between code and creative content.

Creative Environments: Fostering Innovation with Boundaries

Creative teams need room to try new things. But they also need limits.

Consider:

  • Setting up sandboxes so AI experiments do not touch real business data.
  • Introduce a new Pipeline: ie, Sandbox, Build, Dev-Test, Pre-Production, Production, and Live. Keep the Sandbox pipeline similar to the Development pipeline, but fully contained.
  • Giving trusted users more access while keeping checks in place.
  • Regularly reviewing both AI tools and the policy as technology changes.

Conclusion

AI tools can change organizations for the better. Without solid safeguards, they can also cause harm. The winners in the generative era will be the IT teams that combine smart discovery, careful monitoring, strong controls, and a clear policy. This approach allows for creativity while keeping risks low.