SF's "Write Your Butt Off" II - Return of Writer's Block

[Dragoncat]

36 minutes ago, Rapier said:

So, have fun, and don't flake at writing.

What does "flake" mean in this context?

[Rapier]

2 minutes ago, Dragoncat said:

What does "flake" mean in this context?

procrastinating

[Dragoncat]

3 minutes ago, Rapier said:

procrastinating

Thanks! I procrastinate on stuff but not writing lol. I have some of mine written already!

[TheSilentChloey]

I've fully completed mine and need some extra eyes for spelling and grammar.  Obviously I do spell some words differt but they shouldn't be major spelling don'ts.

[Ottservia]

alright I'm probably gonna get started tomorrow cause I am exhausted right now.

[eclipse]

Done with the shell of my story.  Need to polish it up, because the middle is a mess.

[Dragoncat]

Mine is in progress, moving onward!

[Rapier]

If everyone finishes early, I wouldn't mind finishing the round early too, if everyone agrees to it.

Normally this contest doesn't list the entrants until they post their works (I put that list there simply to know how many were interested), and it remains open until the last day to be fair for people who feel like joining in at the last hour, but I don't see any reason to not end it early if everyone submits and no one else manifests interest in joining.

[Dragoncat]

Ana said she might join.

[Shoblongoo]

Got my draft written. 

Flying out to California tomorrow--be back on the 22nd and will Probably wind up posting the final product when I get back.

Anyone with a finished draft wanna swap em  in PM's for proofreading? ( @TheSilentChloey)

Edited August 15, 2018 by Shoblongoo

[Rapier]

Just remember that proofreading for typos and such is ok, but suggesting changes to the story's elements isn't.

[Shoblongoo]

Just now, Rapier said:

Just remember that proofreading for typos and such is ok, but suggesting changes to the story's elements isn't.

Yep.

Not changing anything of substance--happy with how this one came out. 

[Dragoncat]

Title: Finding a Colonel's Courage

Words: 4085

Fandom: Xenoblade 1 (technically an AU)

Spoiler

"Reyn, quit staring at your wife's ass and move yours! You're holding up the line!"

The Colony 9 defense force was having drill, and part of that involved climbing a rock wall. Indeed, one of the female soldiers had passed her husband and he had stopped to look up at her. And he was blocking the path of the others below him.

"Okay, you caught me. Sorry." Reyn blinked and started climbing again.

The man who had called him on it was named Miller, and they were roommates in the barracks. He chuckled softly at his friend's antics. Reyn and Gamma had a three year old son who had just recently been enrolled in daycare so his mother could return to the force. No paternity test needed for that kid for sure...he was like a mini Reyn already, with his father's reddish brown hair and his mother's green eyes, and he even ACTED like a mini Reyn. Full of gumption and a wild little scamp. And his habit of turning the dorm into a circus every time he visited his father was like birth control for Miller, even if he didn't have any romance in his life at the moment.

Gamma reached the top of the wall and pulled herself up to the platform above it. "What is it with you boys? Lately I've been beating you to the top EVERY TIME!"

Miller pulled himself up and sat down, smirking. "Your husband's purposely letting you ahead of him so he can enjoy the booty show."

"I am not!" Reyn snapped, reaching the top and pulling himself up. "Not on purpose! I admit I look when I can though..."

Colonel Vangarre blew his whistle. "Chit chat at lunch, gentlemen! Not here!" And then he made his way down the stairs going from the top of the wall and walked away, barking orders to the other troops.

"Now that was rude, I'm not a gentleman!" Gamma complained as the trio followed the colonel. "And before you comment, imagine if he would've said 'ladies'. You'd be pissed too."

"Don't expect Old Squarestache to be polite, babe."

Gamma blinked. "I suppose that's true."

Miller stretched and started jogging in place. "Next up is the laps! I bet I'll have my first lap done before you slowcoach lovebirds even start! Last one to the track's a rotten egg!"

"First one there eats it!" Reyn took off running after Miller with Gamma following closely behind him.

----

"Come on, chop chop!" The colonel shouted. "I've seen brogs move faster than that!" And then his eyes glazed over and he coughed and sputtered.

"Sir!" One of the medics, a man named Cole, ran over. "Is something wrong?"

"Gerrof! I fine! Grr gragg guh!" Vangarre's knees buckled underneath him and he hit the ground.

"The colonel just fell over!" Cole shouted. Another medic named Tia had noticed the scene and was now running over herself.

"Come on, pump his chest, give him CPR! I don't think he's breathing, or at least not properly..."

Tia stared at Cole. "CPR without a face mask?"

"Ugh, then go get Zetta!"

By now a crowd had gathered. The head medic plowed her way through with her kit of tools. She examined the colonel. It was so quiet, one could hear a pin drop. Reyn's heart raced, knowing what would happen if...no. Squarestache wasn't going down that easily...

Zetta looked up with a look of fear and surprise in her eyes. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but he's dead. He has no pulse!"

"Dead? Does that mean I don't have to finish my laps?" A voice came from the back of the crowd. The soldier snapped his mouth shut when he realized he'd said that out loud.

"I TOLD him he needed to go to the clinic because he'd been acting weak and slow lately!" Tia winced. "He wouldn't listen!"

"The fact of the matter is..." Cole spoke, his tone laced with shock. "...We're leaderless now. He never announced a successor."

Reyn let out an audible gulp. Miller blinked beside him. "You look like you know something important, buddy."

Reyn ignored him and pushed his way to the front of the crowd. "He did, actually...and it's me. I have papers to prove it, but they're in my locker."

"No way, man!" Miller's eyes were like dinner plates. "When was this? You never told me!"

"He told me." Gamma said. "Couple years ago now, I think..."

"Well I suppose it works. I'll perform an autopsy on him, although I think it was a stroke...and then we can give him a water burial near the anti air batteries." Zetta said. "Gotta return him to the Bionis, you know...in the meantime...what are your orders, Colonel Reyn?"

"I haven't shown you the papers with his signature on them!"

Zetta forced a smile. "I believe you though! Colonel Vangarre did seem to be fond of you, so it's not that big of a surprise."

"...Everybody go home for the rest of the day." Reyn announced. "Those are my first orders. I need to...wrap my head around this."

TWO YEARS AGO

"Sir!" Reyn walked into the colonel's office, a tense look in his eyes. "Sorry I'm late! Gamma called and said Ray threw up and I...got distracted. Poor kid. Teething is NOT treating him well."

Vangarre nodded. "Heh. Well I didn't call you in to shout at ya, don't worry about that. But thanks for the explanation. Have a seat."

Reyn sat down. "Is this about the raise I requested? I don't need much, it's just that...well, the paid maternity leave Gamma's getting is nice, but we barely have any wiggle room and baby food is expensive. Before Ray was weaned he was getting fed almost for free, although Gamma was eating more, so...yeah. Long story short a small raise would be appreciated."

"You're paid just enough, if you want more, you're going to have to take more hours or patrol at night. I simply cannot afford to give raises to everyone with a kid, especially with the troops breeding like bunnits nowadays. I guess it's true, there IS a baby boom after every war. And if I gave you a raise I'd have to give one to everyone else."

Reyn hung his head. "I see...makes sense."

"Don't leave yet." Vangarre snapped his fingers to make Reyn raise his head and blink. "I called you in for a bigger reason. If anything happens to me...how would you like to take over as colonel?"

"Are you serious?" Reyn sputtered.

"Dead serious. You've always been like the son I never had, you know...comes with taking you under my wing as a father figure since your own father wouldn't, I guess." Reyn's father, Cal, had been absent throughout his whole childhood, only being around when it was convenient for him. He'd showed up when Ray was a few days old and Reyn had run him out of the house because he saw right through that fake niceness. Cal was a terrible father, so what made him think he'd be any better as a grandfather? Ray would be just fine with two grandmothers and just one grandfather. At least Gamma's father was decent...

"You're a good young man." Vangarre continued. "I've seen you on the battlefield, you can learn to lead if you worked at it. You've got guts, drive, and you give them piss and vinegar. All great qualities of a colonel. On top of that, you've shown you can handle the horrors of war if it ever came to that. I dunno what all happened during your travels with the Heir to the Monado, but come on, you were ON THE MECHONIS during the most brutal attack of the war! You saw it happen from the source!"

"You were in the targeted area though."

"It doesn't matter." Vangarre waved a hand in a "who cares" gesture. "Here's the form with my signature. Keep it, don't lose it! But I'm still kicking, so you shouldn't need it too soon."

PRESENT DAY

Two days had passed since the sudden change of leadership. But yesterday had been Vangarre's funeral and burial, so today was the first day Reyn was actually in the colonel's office. It felt odd sitting behind that desk. So. Much. Paperwork! Almost blew his mind how many forms and papers had to be filled out on a daily basis. And to think he once thought Vangarre was just napping in his office sometimes...

A knock at the door roused Reyn from his thoughts. "State your name and rank."

"Private Mason, sir."

Reyn nodded. "Come in and state your business." Giving these orders felt just as odd as sitting behind the desk. Mason was Miller's younger brother. He'd just recently turned eighteen, today was his first day in the force.

Mason walked in. "My brother said something about some form I have to get from you. Called an ID 10 T form."

That old prank? REALLY? Normally Reyn would have loved to send a private on a wild goose chase, but today...now he understood why Vangarre had never enjoyed pranking privates as much as everyone else. There was so much to do and worry about.

"You won't find one here. In fact...come here." Reyn beckoned Mason over and grabbed a pen and one of the napkins that came with his lunch. The restaurants always included enough napkins in the take out to paper a wall or something! So there was always a ton left after eating.

"What does that say?" Reyn handed Mason the napkin. He had written "ID 10 T" on it.

Mason raised an eyebrow. "Eye dee ten tee."

"What does it LOOK like it says? Turn the numbers into the letters they most resemble."

Mason stared at the napkin for a few seconds before blinking. "...Idiot?"

"Bingo."

"Why on Bionis is there a form called an idiot form?"

"There's not." Reyn sighed. "Your brother is pranking you."

Mason's face twisted into a scowl. "Well that's not very nice of him. I'm gonna go put one of his socks in the urinal." He got up and made his way out the door. "Idiot forms! Ugh! I can't believe I fell for that, hook, line, and sinker!"

Reyn shook his head and turned his attention to the radar screen. Radar transmitters were placed at various places on the outskirts of Colony 9, in Tephra Cave, and a bit of Gaur Plains. Colony 6's radar covered the majority of Gaur Plains and a bit of Satorl Marsh, and its own outskirts and the Ether Mines. All of Tephra Cave was Colony 9's responsibility. It was impossible to go around the cave, so people traveling between the colonies had to go through it. There were beacons to light the easiest path, thankfully.

A large red dot appeared on the screen and the system emitted an ominous beep that made Reyn jolt slightly. The dot was in the Tephra Cave section of the radar. It was too big to be a person for sure. Although the radar could pick up bandits, it wouldn't beep because it couldn't tell the difference between good people and criminals. It only beeped when it detected a monster threat.

Please be a big, stupid brog! Or a swarm of vangs! The hairs on the back of Reyn's neck bristled. Or even a huge caterpile! Anything but...

"Gah! An arachno queen!" Reyn threw himself backward so fast the chair tipped and he fell off. Another knock at the door, and he jolted upward and conked his head on a nearby cabinet. Cursing under his breath, he rose to his feet and put the chair back up and sat in it.

Miller walked in. "Are you bowling in here or what? Playing frisbee golf?"

"The stupid chair's wobbly." Reyn lied. "I tried to put my feet up and crashed to the floor."

Miller blinked. "I see. Hey, how come you told my brother I was pranking him? That's not you at all."

"I'm not in the mood for pranks."

"Sheesh, pull the stick out of your ass! A promotion shouldn't make you lose your sense of humor." No response but a death glare. "Captain Emmy was in on it too. Said you could cut the tension with a knife. So me and her tried to do something to lighten the mood."

"I guess I can appreciate the thought."

"There ya go!" Miller smiled. Then he noticed the radar screen. "There's an arachno queen in Tephra Cave. And it looks dangerously close to the beaconed trail."

"I'm aware of that." Reyn grumbled.

"So...I assume you want me out of your office now so you can come up with a plan of attack?"

"That would be nice, yes."

"Yes sir." Miller turned and left.

Reyn was alone now. Alone with his fears. Of all the dangers in the world, all the monsters that could be vicious, he hated those eight legged demons the most. Even more than he'd hated the mechon from the Mechonis while they were programmed to be man eating terrors. Chief Miqol of the machina had lended a few to the homs and showed them how to program them, it was kind of neat. Dunban made his into a living snack cart. It was funny seeing him threaten it with the anti mechon sword if it wasn't bringing him his chips and salsa fast enough. Shulk programmed his mechon to dust his workshop and identify colors, it would flash a yellow light when presented with a banana for example, and he was working on getting it to organize shelves. Amazing how these mechanical life forms, once hostile, could be made docile with the flip of a switch.

But he was certain the last arachno queen he'd encountered in that cave intended on eating him, bones and all! The thing had been nearly ten times his size and the only reason he was alive today was because of Shulk and the Monado...he remembered it clearly. Giant, sinister claws aiming straight for his throat, then right before they made contact, a forcefield appeared and the claws bounced right off. That arachno queen was dead now, Reyn and Shulk managed to kill it. And Reyn was cursing his rotten luck that another had appeared so soon after the first.

It couldn't be helped, he was colonel now, and that meant it was his responsibility to go in there with the troops and squash that bug before it ate anybody. He turned on the intercom. "This is an important announcement! All troops please report to Base 1 immediately for further orders."

I better get there myself. Squarestache...please lend me strength...

----

"Dear." Gamma leaned in close to Reyn's ear and spoke almost in a whisper. "With your arachnophobia...you're probably scared shitless right now."

A group of sixteen, including Gamma, Miller, Tia, and Reyn himself, were all geared up and armed to the teeth and on their way to Tephra Cave. Reyn turned to his wife and shuddered. "I'm terrified, babe. The last arachno queen almost killed me. Shulk saved my life, and he's not here! If I go down...please...run. Get to safety. We can't have our boy completely orphaned. He needs his mother at least. I tell you this not only as an order from the colonel, but as a husband and father..."

Gamma frowned. "Please don't talk like that. You're not going to die. Where's that fierce, wild warrior I fell in love with?"

"He's still here, but he's barely refraining from discharging the contents of his bowels and bladder and making a run for it."

"Oh Bionis, don't do that. Think. What would Squarestache do?"

"Heh." Reyn forced a smile. "He'd be charging in there telling the arachnos to kiss his ass."

"Then carry his spirit within you. Pray to him, ask him to lend you strength." Gamma nuzzled Reyn's cheek. "He's watching over us right now. I can feel it."

Reyn nuzzled back. "I already did. Funny, I've never been much for spirituality. But the idea that he's up there in the sky watching and rooting for me, well, that helps a lot."

They had reached Tephra Cave, and the troops were waiting for orders. Reyn turned to face them, his back to the cave entrance, and brandished his weapon, a gunlance. "Alright. Our mission is simple: find the arachno queen and kill it. Kill the small arachnos if they become a nuisance, but remember: our target is the big ugly mother fricker. You'll know it when you see it. We are the homs of the Bionis! We've survived assaults from mechon and our ancestors fought other dangerous beasts. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger! Now...get in there and SMASH THAT BUG!"

The troops cheered and waved their weapons, and Reyn swore he saw Miller and Gamma high five.

----

The small arachno, about the size of a medium dog, sensed a stirring in the cave air. The sensory hairs on his pedipalps picked up the scent of humans, and lots of them. Arachnos weren't the most intelligent creatures, living on instinct alone. If it was smaller, eat it. If it was bigger, hide from it, or in the case of the queens that grew to a massive size, bring her food. If it was the same size, mate with it, or try to. Many male arachnos had been eaten by brogs because they mistook the amphibians for female arachnos.

Female arachnos could store sperm inside them for quite a long time and continue to produce eggs that would hatch. Sometimes they could keep this up for years, and if they lived long enough, they would grow into an arachno queen that still laid eggs. The closest to a rule the queens had was that the bigger prey such as humans were only for the queen. The small arachnos wouldn't touch a dead human. And if humans were in the cave, the small arachnos had to inform the queen. In return, the queen provided the swarm with protection.

The small arachno skittered into the queen's lair and let out a noise that sounded a bit like scraping metal. The queen opened one of her eight eyes and stared at him. The message had been passed. Humans were in the cave. The queen had no way of knowing this, but the leader of those humans had narrowly escaped being eaten by her grandmother, the last arachno that grew into a queen, and was directly responsible for the previous queen's death...

----

Reyn walked at the front of the line, all senses on high alert. They were almost to the underground lake...right above that lake was where the last arachno queen's nest was. Something was telling him to look up, but he couldn't place his finger on what. Regardless, he stopped and moved his gaze upward...and nearly soiled himself at what he saw.

"Everybody stand your ground! Big Ugly is here!" Arachnos started to rain from the ceiling, and then a massive arachno queen plummeted into the water and made a big splash.

"Bring it on, ugly!" Reyn taunted. He was still terrified, but he kept picturing the former colonel lending him strength and courage from the afterlife, perhaps even walking right beside him in spirit form...and with that thought, this was no different from a mechon. The arachno queen hissed and clicked her claws menacingly. Reyn responded by slashing his weapon through the air. "Alright everybody! ATTACK!"

The troops charged. Miller yelped a bit when a small arachno lunged at him and latched onto his chest and bit him, but he easily threw it off and shot its head clean off with his gun. Gamma had two small arachnos nipping at her ankles, and was stabbing them with her spear while bashing any others that tried to get to her with her shield. The melee troops were plowing through, killing every small arachno in their path. The ranged attackers fell back and mowed down arachnos with their bullets, some climbing onto the rocks and vine walls to get a better shot.

Meanwhile the arachno queen was fast approaching. She reached the charging human army and they all started stabbing and slashing her. Some of them climbed up her hairy legs and threw themselves onto her back to attack her that way.

"Reyn!" Gamma shouted. "I think the belly is the weak spot! We have to flip the thing over somehow!"

"Got it, babe! Slash the eyes, I have an idea!"

Gamma slashed the arachno queen's head, taking out four of the eight eyes in a spray of spider blood. The arachno queen screeched in pain and nipped at Gamma with her sharp mandibles. The bite connected, and now Gamma had a decent sized bleeding gash down her side. She yelped and pulled back.

"I'm alright!" Gamma yelled. "It hurts, but I'm alright!"

Reyn was thankful for that. "Okay, everybody off the thing's back! Everybody out of the way!"

The troops obeyed. Reyn charged forward with all his strength and speed. When he collided, full force, with the arachno queen, she was flipped over onto her back and flailing with her belly in the air.

"Alright, now tear it up! Aim for the ugly belly!"

The troops piled onto the belly of the beast. Reyn was in the center of the formation. The adrenaline rush he felt was awesome, pure rage, pure fiery spirit flowing through his veins. Almost like he wasn't afraid at all. Big Ugly was weakening! Reyn stabbed his weapon into the belly of the beast and pulled the trigger. A spray of spider blood shot up. The arachno queen let out an ear splitting pain screech, then stopped squirming and laid still. It was over! Big Ugly was dead!

"Did we get it?" Miller asked, still holding his gun in an attack pose.

"I think so." Gamma sounded like it hurt her to speak.

"We did!" Reyn kicked away a small arachno. Countless small arachnos were dead as well, some were retreating and the troops weren't chasing them. He looked up. The sky wasn't visible from inside the cave, but it didn't matter. I know that was you, Old Squarestache! Thank you! 

Tia wrapped Gamma's side with bandages. "She might scar over, colonel. But she should be fine otherwise."

Reyn ran over and kissed his wife on the cheek. She chuckled at him. "Don't kiss me right now, I'm all sweaty and gross and covered in blood."

"That just makes you even hotter, honestly."

Gamma rolled her eyes. "Dear..."

----

Shulk had Reyn's son picked up from daycare. And with his own little rugrats around, that meant he was watching three toddlers. They'd visited his wife, Fiora, at the restaurant she waitressed at. And the kids had seen a cake. And now his daughter was still throwing a temper tantrum because she didn't get any cake.

"Did you have a nap today?" Shulk's son asked his twin.

"I didn't!" The little girl wailed. 

"Well you need one!"

"No I don't!"

Shulk was starting to get a headache. "Just forget about the cake, Violet! Maybe you can have some tomorrow."

"She needs a nap, Daddy."

"Keep your comments to yourself, Rickson!" Shulk felt like HE was the one who needed the nap.

Reyn's son rolled his eyes. "Why are we waiting outside the cave anyway? Why can't we go in?"

"I told you, your parents are on a dangerous mission!" And your father is facing his biggest fear...Bionis, I hope he's alright!

Reyn stepped out of the cave, saw his friend, and broke into a huge grin. "SHULK!" He ran up to Shulk and almost hugged him.

"Daddy! Mommy!" Ray ran to his parents. Reyn ruffled his hair and Gamma bent over like she wanted to pick him up, but winced and returned to standing straight. Ray looked confused. "Mommy, are you hurt?"

"I am. But don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Shulk, you honestly just made my day." Reyn said, still grinning. "I get to see my best buddy AND my crotch fruit after I've just made Tephra Cave safe again? And right away too? Best thing ever!"

"I heard there was an arachno queen, so it was the least I could do."

"I tell you what." Reyn continued. "I have undeniable proof angels exist now."

Shulk blinked. "What?"

"It's a long story, so sit back, I'll tell you the whole thing..."

High above, the spirit of a grizzled old homs soldier with a magnificent mustache was smiling.

 

Edited August 19, 2018 by Dragoncat
Added word count and title

[TheSilentChloey]

Alright.  Here's my entry.  It's a semi original work.

Title:  A Dragon's First Mission

Word Count: 1, 419

Spoiler

“You have got to be kidding me!” I yelled at Master Mahad, “I don’t wanna do it!”
“Yuganna, you’ve completed your sword training, you are a full fledged Shamen now.  You’ll be working with your cousin Setonara, if that helps make it easier for you to complete this mission.” He said and I groaned.
“Okay.” I pouted unceremoniously, “I guess I was bound to do my first ever mission at some point in my life.” I said with a roll of my eyes.  “So then where are we meant to go?” I said wings folding to my back as the fabric I was wearing gave me a good indication as to what my tail was doing.
“You’ll have three weeks to prepare for the mission,” Master Mahad said with a smile, “We’ll need to coordinate with the people who were being attacked to see if they have some more information about the nature of the attacks and if they’re able to help us pinpoint the nest of Vampires and hopefully we can work out a timeframe for you both to work with.”
Right...vampire nests.  I knew that as a newly promoted warrior it would be my job to fight alongside a Sharman, an experienced fighter for the next three years since I was fresh out of training.  So my cousin would be the one who fit the bill this time. Curse him and his ten years seniority on me!  I let my hands unclench and gripped my Cherick blade in hand as I pulled it out to look at it since this would be the last time I would need it for good.  The blade was designed with a flier like me in mind. The length of it was not meant to cut since I was until today a Sharika, a trainee.  I had three weeks to mentally prepare myself for my first mission as a Shamen, a warrior.  I was uncertain if I could handle it...after all it was a huge step from a Sharika.  I looked to my gear uncertain. This was going to be the first blood. My draconic instincts thirsted for blood, but my mind...not so much.

Three weeks passed quickly.  My new armour was being fitted to me as I was prepared by my Kakurajack who’d been cleaning it and fitting the pieces onto my body while I was giving my Claymore sword a turn over in my hands.  The blade was a light silver colour, the grip jet black, signifying my status as a Quick Blade, a Shamen who’s sword moved at speeds beyond the human eye’s ability to see it. My Kakurajack (a creature that was a harmonious blend of both reptile and mammal) moved swiftly as the clanking of armoured boots announced Setonara’s presence, “You’ll do fine Yuganna.” He said said as I scented him.  He was a Sharmen, and for the first time in my life I actually saw his scars, “Besides, you’re ready for the Claymore now.” He said gripping the hilt of his own Claymore sword at his side. “A step up from the Cherick huh Yuga?”
“Y-yeah.” I said wincing at how nervous I sounded,
“Master Mahad would not have sent you if he didn’t feel like you were up to the task.” Setonara said calmly, “He’s a good judge of a Quick Blade.”
“Right so when do we fly?” I asked taking my mind off the metal plating being placed onto my upper thighs,
“As soon as you’re ready.” He said with a grin, “And comfortable.” He added,
“Right…” I said with a sigh.  “And we’ll have vampires trying to murder us.  Always relaxing.” I said shivering,
“Yuga...you know they won’t be able to hurt you.”
“I know.” I said rolling my eyes as the last of my armour was put on, “Let’s just get this over with please?”
“Okay, if you’re sure.” He said calmly white wings opening up.  He lead the way to the take off pad.

If there was one thing I didn’t need instruction on it was flying.  My wings spread across the skies as I took on my dragon form, my armour designed for both my human and dragon forms.  I landed behind my cousin as we came to where we were meant to be. The place was off putting and he motioned to me, “Be on your guard.  We’ve found the nest.” I gulped and trembled he grinned, “Come on Yuga remember your training.” He said and I tried to grin but it was a grimace to be sure.
“I know…” I shot back.

The first lot of Vampires scented us and we stood side by side.  Welp looks like there wasn’t take backs now...I grit my teeth. This just kept getting better.  I watched as the Vampires came out to play. The night sky reminding me that they thought they had the advantage.  However against hunters like us...yeah not so much. The first one ran at Setonara and he easily cut it down, not even bothering with the elaborate moves that we’d learned.  I focused on what I had to do. This wasn’t going to be pretty…

I jumped swinging in the air for a full five seconds.  The vampire below me had no idea I could fly clearly. My Claymore sliced it in a neat half.  The blade was designed a little differently to how the humans used to make them. It was heavy mostly; intended as a two handed weapon and it was something that mimicked my Cherick, a blunt version of the blade in my hands now.  The edge was all that was different but I still felt off as I fought. I knew that I would have to clean the nest out with my cousin but the ease which he fought was lost to me. I was still too much of a Sharika. Any moment now and my enemies would take advantage of that.  I managed to pull alongside him, “How many more?” I yelled over the din of combat,
“Should be two or three.” He replied not even the least bit worried.  We ducked and I sprung forwards to take out the vampire, “We’re nearing the centre of the nest now.  Stay focused Yuga. Tail at the ready; it’s as much of a weapon as your sword.”
Ah, he meant the venomous barb on the end of my tail.  I flicked it at the nearest vampire and the creature shrieked in agony as its body started to disintegrate.  My bite to a vampire’s neck was much worse but I didn’t feel like letting my teeth taste their blood just yet.  I wasn’t a Sharman yet and certainly wouldn’t have the presence of mind required not to go into a frenzy. I suddenly became aware of something near me and in perhaps a Sharika mistake forgot to swing my blade at the right moment…

Teeth scraped along my arm as I bought my tail up quickly.  Thank Ra for my armour as the worst of the blow wasn’t serious.  My tail hit the vampire right in the chest and it almost died at once.  Setonara grinned at me, “Nicely done Yuga! It’s battles like this that make the Shamen.” He smiled at me.
“Yeah.” I said focusing more on the area now.  So far we’d yet to encounter more vampires. I smelled the Queen.  “Down below, twenty...no...thirty meters below us.” I said and he grinned,
“Good!  You smell it too.” He said and causally motioned with his hands,
“Now then keep watch because the Queen will have a few guards.” He said, “Nothing we can’t take care of.” He said lightly

I followed him down to the central chamber of the nest and we’d fought the guards.  The Queen was a weakling vampire. Its only role was to produce young. It was of course swollen with unborn vampires.  It didn’t put up a fight at all. Setonara killed it and that ended our mission. The area was clean now. The humans would live in peace until they had need of us again.
When we at last returned to headquarters Mistress Isis was waiting for us, “Ah good, you’ve arrived.  Congratulations on your first successful mission, Yuganna.” She smiled, “We’ll have your Kakurajack cleanse your armour.  Then you’ll need to report to Master Mahad. After that...well I’m sure you’ll receive a many more missions.” Mistress Isis told me.

FIN
 

 

[Anacybele]

As Dcat said, I thought about joining and I managed to both start and finish something, so I'm now officially entering. This is an FE piece with a couple Tellius characters, but mostly original ones. Takes place in a sort of AU where Elincia followed Ike after he left Tellius and they married and had a family. I hope it doesn't seem dragged out too much by some of the lore.

Title: The First Time
Words: 8603
Fandom: Fire Emblem: PoR/RD

Spoiler

The First Time

 

 “Ha!”

 “Yah!”

“HAA!”

The sounds of blunt weapons clashed in the small back yard of a house, located a few blocks from the more business oriented area of a Talgria mountain town known as Dawn Village. Close to eighteen years before, a war had swept nearly the entire continent of Altarais. An army comprised of brave heroes from various Altarais nations brought an end to it, and peace reigned since. Now, a father was sparring with his son, to get him ready for the next step. The two had matching unruly blue hair, and similar battle garb, complete with long waving headbands. The boy’s were different colors, however, with his tunic being red, his cape blue, and his headband a bluish green. His father’s tunic was brown, his cape red, and his headband green.

“You’re doing well!” the father said with a smile, the goatee on his upper lip and chin widening with the smile. “Keep it up, Kael!”

“Heh, thanks, Dad,” Kael replied with a smile. “But I’m not done yet!”

With that, Kael brandished his wooden practice sword and took a short hop backwards, a few feet away from his father. He then leaped upwards, his sword held high above his head, and did a forward flip downward right in the direction of his father.

“HaaAAAH!” he cried, smashing his weapon into his father’s, who immediately had brought his up to block. The impact was so great, however, that both swords also snapped into two pieces. The father also stumbled a little bit, but managed to keep his footing.

“Whoa,” he said.

Kael was silent for a moment when he saw what he’d done.

“…Aw, man!” he then sputtered. “I’m sorry, Dad, I didn’t mean to break the practice swords!”

“Ah, don’t worry. These were getting pretty worn down anyway,” the father replied. “It also looks like you’ve passed the test!”

Kael blinked at these words.

“Huh? But I never hit you!” he protested. “You said I had to land one good hit on you and then you’d consider letting me do my first job.”

“You might as well have though, with the way that blow smashed the weapons and made me stumble,” the father insisted. “I think you’re ready now regardless, Kael.”

“What? You really mean it?!” Kael excitedly deduced.

“Yep!”

“Alright! Thanks, Dad! I won’t let you down.”

“I should hope not! We’ll go as soon as we get called upon.”

“Great!”

“Oh, then Father, do you think I could be ready next time?” a girl sitting nearby inquired. She had a curly green ponytail and similar blue eyes to her father.

“Ah, maybe,” the father replied. “We’ll see, Lalita. For now though, I’ll just take Kael and see how he handles it.”

“Alright then, that’s okay.”

Kael and his father then picked up the broken pieces of the practice swords. The father promised they’d get another pair at some point. A moment later, a woman with green hair similar to Lalita’s ponytail walked out, her brown and orange simple dress flowing behind her. She had auburn eyes, the same eye color as Kael’s.

“Ike, Kael, Lalita, dinner is about ready!” she announced. “…Oh my goodness, what happened to those swords?”

“Kael clashed so hard with me that they snapped,” Ike replied with a chuckle. “I then decided he’s ready for a job!”

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” the woman said cheerfully. “You two just make sure to be safe.”

“Of course, Elincia.”

“Yeah, Mom. Dad and I will be too strong a team for any bandits and thieves!” Kael proclaimed with a grin.

“I hope so,” Ike added, also smiling. “The only thing to do now is find a job we can handle.”

“Ah, well, you may be in luck,” Elincia revealed. “A messenger arrived at the door while I was cooking and brought a letter from Azura. It says she’s received reports of some suspicious people wandering around Castle Elhorhi’s walls.”

Elhorhi was the earldom of Talgria in which the family lived. It was ruled by Lady Azura, one of the former leaders of the army that ended the previous war. Ike and Elincia had aided her, despite having come from not just another country, but a different continent all together. They had had their reasons for departing Tellius, and they were rather complicated ones, but their new friend had needed help and they were not ones to turn away. Elincia had actually been the princess and later queen of her country. Yet, despite that she still loved Crimea and her people and even sent many letters home, she felt that her true place was with the man she loved, and watching over her homeland from afar, rather than upon a throne. Ike had departed first and had been going through a variety pack of emotions at the time, and he began to heal as soon as the woman he loved reunited with him. And now, raising two children in a lovely home, they couldn’t be happier.

“Huh, the guards can’t capture them?” Ike wondered.

“They’ve been trying to, but these people remain elusive,” Elincia explained. “Azura’s wondering if she could get a little extra help.”

“Well, we can do it, Dad. Right?” Kael said.

“Oh, of course. I actually think this is a great starting job for you anyway,” Ike agreed. “We’ll leave for the castle first thing in the morning.”

“Great!”

“I guess I’m going to have to make sure my boys have a good breakfast tomorrow then,” Elincia deduced with a smile.

“Heh, and as always, just do what you can,” Ike replied, returning the gesture.

The family then went inside to enjoy their meal and further plan out the next day’s job. Elincia pointed out that Azura may have hired other help as well, so Ike and Kael should be prepared to meet with other mercenaries. Ike had worked with several in the area more than once over the years, so he was likely to know them when he saw them. Azura surely wouldn’t make him work with strangers if she didn’t have to anyway. Lalita asked to be told all about it when Ike and Kael returned home so she could learn more about mercenary work. Kael was excited to see the castle as well as do his first job, as he’d never been there before. Lalita had though, as she was friends with Azura’s daughter, Nancy. Kael knew her as well, but they weren’t as close. Lalita described the castle as amazing both inside and out. And as one of the newer castles in Talgria as well as the continent in general, it definitely was worth seeing.

“Dad, do you think we’ll get to go inside the castle?” Kael wondered.

“We might,” Ike replied. “It depends on exactly what Azura wants us to do.”

“If you do though, and you see Nancy, tell her I said hi!” Lalita said.

“Sure thing,” Ike agreed. “Now Kael, Azura may also want us to stay a night or two, whether in the castle or in Elhorhi Town, so we should bring changes of clothes.”

“Alright, sounds good,” Kael agreed. “I’ll grab some as soon as I finish eating.”

“Good. Elincia, did Azura specify a meeting location in the letter?” Ike inquired.

“She said to go to the castle gate, that’s all,” Elincia replied.

“That figures. She never did like making things complicated,” Ike recalled with a smile.

The room soon grew silent as the family continued to enjoy their meal. It was comprised of roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. Meat generally was a favorite of Ike and Kael’s. Lalita could stand some of it, but she still preferred other foods. Elincia didn’t have many real preferences. She liked a lot of dishes. Lalita asked if she and Elincia could continue training together in the morning while the boys were out on their job, to which Elincia said they could.

When it was time to turn in for the night, Kael wasn’t sure how well he would sleep. He was excited to finally embark on his first job as a full-fledged mercenary. Though there was also a ping of nervousness. Kael’s father, Ike, was not just any ordinary mercenary. He was a legendary hero who had more or less saved Tellius twice. He led an army as a general in both wars and brought closer together the beorc and laguz, the two races of Tellius and Altarais. He even gained two nicknames, the Radiant Hero, and the Blue Flame. The former was the one that was more commonly used. With such a famous father, Kael wondered if some people would expect him to eventually be on the same level. He didn’t want to be a general or lead armies or anything of the sort, though. Ike had hated the position himself as well, and surely wouldn’t want his son to feel pressured to take on the same role. But even if Kael didn’t have to be a general, would people expect him to kill hundreds of bandits, thieves, and other enemies before he turned twenty one? Or defeat powerful villains in battle? Or save entire countries?

Or more importantly, could Kael actually ever live up to his father regardless? He had told Ike that he wouldn’t let him down, but in reality, he was unsure. He’d actually gotten a few comments already that were along the lines of “I’m sure you’re going to be as amazing as your father someday!” But what this meant exactly was a mystery to Kael. He could only try his hardest to remember something his father always said himself, and that was to simply try his best.

Regardless of how hard it was for him to sleep, Kael practically leaped out of bed the next morning. He put his battle garb on as quickly as he could and went downstairs to greet the rest of his family. He saw Lalita first, already dressed in her pink and purple tunic. She was about to put her hair in her usual ponytail.

“Kael, you’re not going to comb your hair or anything?” she inquired.

“I’ll scrub my teeth after eating, but my hair looks fine,” Kael replied.

“Really? It looks more like a bird’s nest to me,” Lalita retorted. “Don’t you want to look presentable on your first job?”

“I’m not going to some formal party, sheesh. I’m going to fight bad guys.”

“I sure wouldn’t take you seriously as a good mercenary if you look like a mess.”

“Dad doesn’t comb his hair much either. And he does keep his goatee neat.”

“Yeah, and I think he could look better too, but he doesn’t look as bad as you.”

“Gee, thanks!”

Ike walked in a moment later, also fully prepared for the mission. He’d even already donned his blue and gold armor. He didn’t wear it when training with Kael, but never failed to have it when doing real battle.

“Hey now, cut it out, you two,” he interrupted. “Kael, you’re likely going to get dirty anyway, and maybe in more ways than one. So you look fine for right now. But we might have to trim your hair a little some time, as it is getting long. …Or, if you’re okay with it growing long, that’s alright too. Just so long as it doesn’t actually look completely wild.”

“Oh, alright…” Kael obliged. “I don’t think I want it to be that long either, yeah. Would be too hard to take care of.”

“Alright then. And Lalita, you can groom yourself the way you want to and Kael can groom himself the way he wants to as long as neither of you look like a mess very often.”

“But Father, you don’t think Kael really does look like a mess?” Lalita protested.

“Not that much of one, no. Like I said, he’s fine as he is. Now let’s go get some breakfast, your mother should be finished preparing it soon.”

“Alright, fine…”

The three then entered the kitchen to the warm smell of eggs, oatmeal, breakfast steaks, fruit, and more. Ike had a voracious appetite and often ate multiple plates full in one sitting. Kael was almost the same, though he never could eat quite as much as his father. Elincia happily set the table for her family and as always, everyone enjoyed the meal. Ike and Kael nearly practically woofed down their food, and to the point where Elincia had to tell them to slow down. It was actually rather often that she had to do this, and as much as both her husband and son wanted to listen, it was a tough habit to break.

“I keep telling you, it’s supposed to be an unhealthy habit,” she said.

“I know, we’re trying,” Ike assured. “Alright, Kael, let’s finish up, grab our weapons and clothes, and get going. A wagon is coming to pick us up and take us to the castle.”

“Alright,” Kael replied.

It’d been awhile since his last ride in a wagon. He could almost always walk to his destination before. This was going to be a good trip. As soon as both Ike and Kael cleaned up their plates, they strapped their weapons to their bodies, picked up the small bags containing their changes of clothes, and went outside. Elincia and Lalita followed them to say good bye.

“As I’ve said before, you two be careful,” Elincia said.

“And good luck!” Lalita added. “Though I still want to join you next time!”

“Of course, Elincia,” Ike assured with a smile. “And I still promise we’ll see, Lalita. You help your mother for now. It always helps to hold down the fort too, you know.”

“Right!”

A few moments later, the wagon Ike had mentioned approached the front of the house, pulled by two beautiful chestnut horses. Ike gave Elincia a farewell kiss before greeting the wagon’s driver and leading Kael inside. The top was open since the weather outside was fair. Kael was so excited at this point that he’d forgotten about his nervousness from the previous evening. Especially when the wagon began moving.

“Wow, Dad, I’ve rarely been outside of town,” Kael pointed out. “Do you think we’ll see some neat things?”

“Possibly,” Ike replied. “I’ve traveled to Elhorhi Castle many times before, but it does feel like no trip is ever quite the same.”

“Awesome! Might we pass through at least Narcoss? That was the king of Astryn’s old hometown. Still amazing how King Bryan was actually raised as a commoner and now he’s successfully ruling Altarais’s largest country.”

“Maybe. It is on a route to Elhorhi, but it might also be a little out of the way. I could ask the driver to take a little detour there, but we can’t do much dilly-dallying. Don’t forget that we’re going on a mission.”

“Right, I remember. I just thought I’d ask.”

“Of course. But I do agree with you on Bryan. He is quite a story indeed.”

“Yeah. I often wonder how Alex and Calina are doing though. They have to be busy since they’re the prince and princess of Astryn, but surely they get to have some fun sometimes? I mean, their parents both were commoners…mostly.”

“Oh yeah, I’m positive Bryan and Faline make sure those two get to have fun once in a while. It wouldn’t be in character for them not to.”

“And your old mercenary friends in Tellius… Hope they’re always doing well too. Aunt Mist was always sweet as could be. Kind of surprising that she loves a nut like Uncle Boyd though… I think of Dilan, Clarice, Grandma Titania, and the others a lot too. Hopefully Dilan’s learned a lot of tactics from Uncle Soren by now. Whenever he’s around that is.”

“Yeah, Soren’s one of my best friends. And it’s done him some good to spend time in that Branded community in Begnion. It’s great that he returned to the old gang for a while. How about Jerec though? Never thought I would ever see him in the Crimean army of all places.”

“Oh yeah, given what you told me about him, totally! But he’s great too! And I only met his daughter once, but Kathy seemed very nice.”

“Definitely. Jerec’s come a long way, as a soldier, a man, and a father. Do you remember Ranulf, by the way? You should’ve seen the look on his face when he and Kiara ended up with twin boys!”

“Haha, that had to be amusing! I do remember him, he would have the most hilarious teasing jokes and sarcasm! Aren’t laguz more likely to have twins and triplets and all than beorc though? And he is a cat laguz.”

“Yeah, but the odds for them still aren’t extremely high. For beorc it’s probably…one in a hundred. Laguz, it’s more like…one in fifty, likely due to their animal forms and features. From what I’ve been told, anyway.”

“I see…”

The two fell silent for a few moments. As they rode closer to the deeper part of the village, they heard a familiar voice call out to them. Ike and Kael looked ahead to see a boy about Kael’s age riding atop a palomino horse with a dark tail and mane. The boy was garbed in blue armor that went nicely with his lavender hair and he was carrying a lance.

“Hey, Kael! Sir Ike!” he called.

Ike motioned the wagon driver to stop for a moment.

“Cam!” Kael greeted. “What’s up?”

“Yeah, what brings you out here, Cameron?” Ike wondered. “Marc and Leona send you on an errand?”

 “Actually, my parents went to Castle Elhorhi for some business. I think General Leyon is there too. They’re probably sharing reports and stuff,” Cameron replied. “He is Lady Azura’s husband and my parents’ commander, after all. I’m out looking for a little work to help them out since my dad says I’m getting pretty good at combat and riding.”

“Oh, really? My dad and I are going to do a job too!” Kael announced. “This is my first one. And it happens to be at Elhorhi Castle.”

“Wow, awesome! Do you think I could tag along? I’d love to help! Since my parents are already there as well, they won’t mind. And maybe they’re also working on the same job, who knows?”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Ike replied. “You can definitely come! Just be sure to stay close to us on the road. We can’t have you getting lost. Your parents would lose their minds. Especially your mother.”

“Oh, definitely. I hate when my mom gets mad…” Cameron opined. “She always makes mountains out of molehills, I swear. And then my dad just forgets it all ten seconds later.”

Ike and Kael chuckled at this, as it definitely wasn’t far from the truth. Leona did seem to have a lot of pet peeves, and ever since he sustained a bad head injury when he was a child, Marc was known to have lapses of memory. Yet, both were skilled knights of Talgria and fought hard in the most recent Altarais War. And despite seeming like an odd couple at times, they loved one another dearly.

The group then resumed the journey to Elhorhi Castle, Cameron following closely behind on his horse as he’d promised.

Since the castle was within the same mountains as Dawn Village, the journey there wouldn’t last more than a couple hours. Ike decided that the small detour through Narcoss wasn’t a bad idea and did request to the driver to pass through. Narcoss was one of the larger towns in the mountains, and was a sort of hub for many merchants as well. Not only did it serve as a route to Elhorhi Castle, but even before that castle was built, it was always directly on route to Aracion, Talgria’s capital, and Castle Talgria.

“…Dad! This…it’s Narcoss, isn’t it?!” Kael guessed, his jaw dropping.

“Yep!” Ike confirmed. “Decided I would surprise you.”

“Wow, I’ve not been here more than a couple times!” Cameron said. “My parents have had to come here on occasion, but never had much time to really explore.”

“I’ve never been here at all,” Kael added. “Lalita and I would ask to go and see a lot of things here, but my parents could only ever make enough money to make ends meet.”

“Yeah, unfortunately,” Ike confirmed. “And Elincia refuses to take money from Castle Crimea since she wants it all to go to Crimea’s restoration after the Tellius wars. Which is perfectly understandable. But this is still a very nice town.”

“Yeah!” the boys agreed.

Within a few turns and street changes, Kael soon noticed a two story building that had several emerald colored decorations.

“Hey, that’s the museum dedicated to King Bryan!” he pointed out. “Apparently, this is the place he grew up in, and where his father, Grand Duke Owen, ran his shop.”

“Yeah, my parents told me about that too,” Cameron said. “We need to visit sometime!”

“Yeah, Dad, we have to save up enough money to go!” Kael insisted.

“Believe me, your mother and I would love to. And we’re working on it,” Ike replied. “I promise we’ll go someday.”

“Awesome! Thanks for letting us pass through the town, though.”

“Of course!”

The group soon took in other sights in the town, such as the various shops, cafes and restaurants, and more. Narcoss wasn’t really a city, but it still had enough for someone from a smaller village to entertain them. Kael knew Lalita would’ve loved to shop in many of these places. And Elincia would have to put in a lot of effort to restrain her daughter, no doubt. Kael supposed this was a reason Lalita also wanted to get started on real mercenary work soon, so she could earn her own money and buy things herself.

As Ike had said, however, the group couldn’t spend too much time making side visits, so they left Narcoss in a fairly short time. The remainder of the journey to Elhorhi Town and its castle was mostly a downward stretch to a lower elevation, though for a reason. Elhorhi Castle and its town were nestled in a more or less hidden valley in the mountains. The valley once served as the location of the original Elhorhi Village, home to a tribe of beorc that practiced light magic and healing. Azura and Nancy were the last remaining descendants of the tribe, as they had otherwise been wiped out in a devastating massacre during the first of the two Altarais wars that occurred in the last few decades. Azura was made the new leader and given a much larger mass of land, as she had also been the daughter of the village’s chief. The valley had nearly been forgotten about in the years following the village’s destruction, until Azura and her then-small party of allies stumbled upon it. It was deep on the other side of a cave tunnel.

This tunnel had once not been traversable for horses and wagons. After Azura began overseeing construction of her castle and new town, the tunnel was also worked on to enable it to allow more transportation beyond pedestrians. The tunnel itself was widened and made taller, and the ground was remade into a road. Now, horses and wagons could freely pass through it without concern. When the group reached the tunnel, Ike cautioned Cameron anyway, however, because sometimes caves such as these were inhabited by bats or rats that could possibly spook a horse. Cameron obliged and agreed to be careful.

Kael’s heart began racing when more and more light appeared at the end of the tunnel, and soon enough, the group at last entered Elhorhi Town. Kael was in awe. It wasn’t as big as Narcoss due to the valley limiting how far it could expand, but what he did see was still bigger than Dawn Village. The style of the architecture was different than what he knew as well, as many buildings were made of white stone or wood coated with an ivory paint. Some of the larger buildings had gold bordering along their rooves and columns. Even the roads used silvery stone instead of the more common brownish one.

“Dad, is this how the architecture of the original village looked?” Kael wondered.

“As a matter of fact, it is,” Ike confirmed. “Or at least, it’s meant to be. Since no one who saw the village before it was destroyed survives, those who constructed these buildings could only go off of what remained in the village ruins. Unfortunately, the Elhorhi tribe liked keeping to themselves a lot and preferred communicating only with the royal family and nobles. However, they did occasionally allow marriages with outsiders for rather obvious reasons.”

“Amazing!” Cameron commented. “And the castle, wow! It looks almost as grand as Castle Talgria!”

“Yeah!” Kael agreed. “I’ve only seen Castle Talgria in paintings, but still.”

Like the other buildings, Castle Elhorhi was mainly ivory stone, and many of the towers and roof borders were gold. Ike also mentioned that Elhorhi soldiers also mainly wore gold armor. Parts of Azura’s current garb were gold as well, though her main color of choice in armor was light blue. The color scheme of the town and castle reflected how the now-mostly extinct tribe focused their culture on light magic arts.

The group soon saw the Elhorhi soldiers for themselves, and they did indeed wear a lot of gold armor. Several infantry lancers patrolled the streets. Even though the valley offered some natural protection against invaders, if there was such an attack, escape for the townsfolk would not be easy because of the valley’s rock walls. The tunnel was virtually Elhorhi Town’s only entrance and exit. So soldiers always patrolled the town so they could make it even a little easier to oversee an evacuation.

When they neared the castle’s tall golden gate, Ike motioned Kael to follow him off the wagon and then thanked the driver for his service. The driver said he would return for them if needed. Two guards stood in front of the gate and Ike showed them the letter from Azura. He had made sure to take it with him since it was proof that she had summoned them. It contained her insignia, and these had enchantments on them to prevent them from being replicated by the wrong people. The guards then allowed Ike, Kael, and Cameron to enter.

Ike soon pointed to a temple sitting on a cliff higher up from the castle. It almost looked like a smaller version of the castle itself. He said that inside was a valued treasure whose power was once sought for evil. It was an enchanted stone known as the Miracle Stone, and also sometimes Fire Emblem from the flame-like glow it sometimes made. It was one of the main reasons the recent two wars in the continent had been fought. It was what remained of three powerful saints, ancestors of the Elhorhi tribe, who sacrificed themselves when using their combined power to drive back the waves of a terrible flood that had submerged many other lands hundreds of years before. These days, the temple was heavily guarded and people often went there to pray and thank the goddess and the saints that Altarais still thrives.

“Whoa…” Kael commented. “If I remember, that’s the same flood spoken of in Tellius. Everyone there thought Tellius was the only land left until Altarais was re-discovered.”

“Exactly,” Ike confirmed again. “It’s pretty amazing that this continent would also be under water if it wasn’t for those three saints.”

“Yeah…” Cameron said. “It’s why they’re worshipped almost like the goddess here. I learned about this some time ago. It’s pretty much mandatory history for people here to know. I’m guessing that’s also the reason for the Elhorhi people’s culture, right?”

“Indeed,” Ike replied. “They used light magic in honor of those saints to continue their good name. The spell they used combat the flood waves is believed to have been called the Elhorhi Enchantment, which is where the tribe’s and their home’s name came from.”

“I see…” Kael said. “Wait, Dad, doesn’t Tellius also have something they call the Fire Emblem? That’s kind of weird.”

“True. It’s merely a coincidence though. The Miracle Stone and Lehran’s Medallion are entirely unrelated.”

Moments later, a familiar face to Ike soon appeared from the eastern castle grounds. It was a man with light green hair and bright golden eyes and he carried a silver sword at his side. His dark green tunic was somewhat elaborate, though a little tattered, and implied that he was a skilled swordsman.

“Hey, Sir Ike!” he greeted.

“Ned! Hey there! So Azura hired you for this job too, huh?” Ike replied.

“Yep. She also knew we’ve worked together multiple times,” Ned replied. “…Your wife isn’t here though. Bummer! I love her battle techniques!”

“Heh, yeah, not this time,” Ike confirmed. “Elincia doesn’t do jobs as often as I do since she and my daughter are the only ones who are any good at household chores. My son and I have tried, but…we just can never do much right.”

“Haha, I see! No big deal then. And I presume this strapping young lad with the blue hair is your son?”

“That’s right. This is my son, Kael,” Ike introduced. “And the other lad on the horse is his friend, Cameron. His parents are knights here at the castle as well as at the capital. They’re ready to take on their first job!”

“Nice! Your dad’s told me a lot about you, Kael,” Ned commented. “You’re the spitting image of him too, wow! The only notable difference is that eye color of yours. That auburn is just like your mother’s.”

“I’ve heard a thing or two from my dad about you too,” Kael replied with a smile. “Nice to meet you! And yeah, everyone always says that.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever do full time mercenary work, but I’ll definitely do it on the side even after gaining knighthood since Kael is my best friend!” Cameron put in.

“That works!” Ned commented. “I might’ve seen your parents earlier, actually, Cam. Were they that lavender haired woman and bluish-green haired man that looked like he was forgetting something?”

“Yep, that’s them,” Cameron confirmed, playfully rolling his eyes at his father’s memory problems.

 “Thought so! You look like them,” Ned observed. “Nice to have met you too! I’ll go let General Leyon and Lady Azura know you all are here.”

“Alright, thanks,” Ike said. “Does Jared have something else lined up already, by the way? I hardly ever see you two apart.”

“Oh, yeah, he accepted another job somewhere,” Ned confirmed. “We work together a lot, but we also actually work apart more than you think. It isn’t very often, but it does happen! Archers can do some things that swordsmen can't, after all.”

“I see!”

“Well, be back in a few minutes!”

With that, Ned hurried into the castle while Ike and the boys awaited his return. In the meantime, Ike told Kael and Cameron to be on their best behavior. Azura and Leyon weren’t exactly typical nobles, but Azura especially was the no-nonsense type. The boys listened and everyone waited patiently. And just as Ned had said, he returned minutes later, though followed only by Leyon himself. He was about as tall as Ike, though slightly less bulky, and sporting burnt orange hair and bright red and gold armor.

“Ah, good you could make it, Ike!” he greeted. “Azura’s in the middle of something right now, so I came out here by myself. She knows you’ve arrived though, and we also let her know about Kael and Cameron. It’s nice that you boys want to help! I hear your parents are training you very well, Cam.”

“Yes, they are! My dad is a surprisingly good instructor even with his memory problems too,” Cameron replied with a smile.

“That Marc, poor guy always was underestimated a lot,” Leyon remembered. “But that’s great! And Kael, it’s nice to finally meet you. You look like you’ve trained hard too, as you should be, considering who your dad is.”

“Heh, yeah,” Kael replied. “My dad does his best and so do I.”

“Indeed! So tell us exactly what we have to do here,” Ike continued.

“Azura and I just need a few more pairs of eyes to look for those suspicious characters and get them to stop doing…whatever it is they’re trying to do,” Leyon explained. “Thankfully, they haven’t been seen at the temple, just here, so you only need to patrol the castle grounds. Whenever you want lunch and later dinner if necessary though, just let a guard know and he’ll tell us. Nancy wanted to help too, but I assigned her only to lookout duty since she still has more training to do.”

“Alright, we can do that!” Ned said. “Two of us should take one side and the other two can take the other. How about that, Ike?”

“Sounds good to me,” Ike said. “Kael, you come with me and Cam, you can go with Ned.”

“Alright,” the boys agreed.

“You may want to leave your horse somewhere though, Cam,” Leyon also said. “It might be hard for a mount to get around certain areas of the grounds. Especially the left, as that area gets a bit thin and follows along a cliff side. The right may be alright though.”

“Okay, then Ned and I can take the right,” Cameron offered.

“Sure!” Ned agreed.

“You all have your plan now? Alright, before I go back inside, there’s one more thing,” Leyon continued. “The total number of people you’re looking to apprehend right now is four. We’ve not seen any more than that so far. So once you capture all four of them, let us know.”

“Understood,” Ike agreed.

Leyon then went back inside, closing the large castle doors behind him. Ike then turned to Kael and Cameron.

“Alright, before we get started, I want to review a couple things real quick,” he said. “Kael, Cam, you both remember the weapon triangle, don’t you?”

“Oh, yes!” Kael replied. Cameron nodded.

“Good. I brought my axe with me as well as my sword to show you one more time so you don’t forget. My axe serves me best against lances. Cameron, your lance is best used against swords. And Kael…”

“My sword is best against axes,” Kael finished. “Right?”

“Exactly.”

“I remember that too,” Cameron added. “I should take anyone who has a sword then.”

“That’s right!” Ned added. “And Kael and I should handle axes while Ike should put his axe to use against any of these creeps that might have a lance. And while I’m with you, Cam, I’ll help you if an axe wielder comes charging since I carry a sword.”

“Great!” Cameron replied.

“And I can help Kael with my axe if he runs into a lancer,” Ike finished. “…Heh, I just felt a ping of nostalgia there. This is just like when I took on my first mission as a mercenary. Titania and Oscar taught me the weapon triangle in the same way.”

“That’s cool!” Kael commented. “And it figures, they have more experience than just about all the other Greil Mercenaries.”

“Indeed. And one more thing,” Ike went on. “Don’t hesitate to separate and take slightly different routes. And if you are attacked while you’re by yourself and you need help, just yell and one of us will come running, if not one of the soldiers that are already here.”

The others agreed. Ike and Ned also decided that when they would separate, Kael would check out the northwest side of the castle while Ike would take the southwest and Ned would take the southeast while Cameron patrolled the northeast. Cameron had the best movement while atop his horse, so he could reach another area quickly if an ally needed help, so he being farther away was not a problem. In the end, when they successfully captured the suspicious people, they would all bring them and meet back at the castle’s main doors.

With that, the four separated and went to their assigned patrol routes. Along the way, other patrolling soldiers let the group know when the usual sightings of the suspicious people occurred. They were seen most often around dusk and then when it was dark. It was currently midday, so the group was likely going to be there a good several hours. Kael took note that the northwest side of the castle did not have as many walls as the other sections due to the cliff side that Leyon had mentioned. The cliff provided a natural barrier, as the rocks were definitely not scalable and the drop was rather far. So Kael would have to be careful where he walked or else likely take a deadly tumble. The castle itself was on higher ground than the rest of the town so it could overlook everything and provide effective protection as a massive watchtower of sorts. Even the tunnel into town could be seen from the castle towers and lookouts.

While they patrolled, both Kael and Cameron took in a little of the castle grounds themselves. Cameron had landed the castle garden area and was amazed at some of the flowers there, even if it looked more like something Lalita and Nancy would be interested in. Kael was enjoying the views he was getting from the cliff side that he was traveling along. He could see even more mountains in the distance as well as practically all of Elhorhi town. The boys still did their best to focus on their work, however, and not allow themselves to get too distracted. They both had often been warned that distraction could leave them vulnerable to ambushes.

A couple hours later, the group decided to take a lunch break as Leyon had allowed. Azura herself had joined them as well, and it served as a good opportunity for old friends to chat and catch up a little. Kael and Cameron were so awed by the castle’s interior that they had nearly forgotten about being hungry. Plush carpets, shining chandeliers, and lovely paintings decorated the magnificent structure. The main hall also had white statues of the three saints. They also had similar statues in the temple, Azura had mentioned. And just as Ike had said, Azura did seem like a no-nonsense and atypical noble. She was more tomboyish than either Nancy or Lalita, and prided herself more in battle and putting criminals in their places than politics and such. She still did the best she could, however, and she was aided by Leyon and any advisors when needed. Her long dark red hair was even less fancy than one might’ve pictured. She only kept part of it into a ponytail and that was it aside from the gold circlet she wore.

“I thank all of you for your help, by the way,” Azura eventually said. “It’s even better that you brought Kael and Cam along, Ike, since the more eyes and weapons, the better.”

“Indeed,” Ike agreed. “They’re doing a good job so far too. Marc and Leona would be proud.”

“Yes, they would! They’re on errands in town right now, but will be back later to help out.”

“I thank you for the wonderful meal, milady!” Ned spoke up. “I don’t get to eat like this very often.”

“No problem at all,” Azura obliged with a smile. “All I ask in return is that you guys nab those suspects and keep them away from the temple if you have to.”

“Of course,” Both men replied, returning the gesture.

As the hours passed, Kael and Cameron both had to admit that they were getting a little bored. They’d crossed paths a few times since they both had the north ends of the castle grounds, mainly to check on each other. Similarly, Ike and Ned checked on each other and the boys once in a while too. The group could only hope that the mysterious suspects would show up soon.

Neither Kael nor Cameron had fought a real person other than their parents before, so they were a little nervous about possibly having to fight actual enemies. But they knew they had a few years of training, and Ike wouldn’t have allowed them to do this job if he didn’t think they were capable. So they remained confident as well.

When dusk finally settled upon the town and castle, the four warriors began focusing even harder on their mission and tightened their guard. A few more soldiers began patrolling the grounds as well. It was about the time that the suspects liked showing up. Though why they would do so at a time when even more eyes were looking for them than during the day, no one was sure. Maybe they thought the darkness could obscure them well enough? Whatever the case, they had to be caught.

As the sky darkened, Kael continued keeping watch in his section of the castle grounds, his sword at the ready in case a suspect appeared. His eyes darted every which way, even when it was getting harder to see due to the darkness. He was near the northwest corner of the grounds and heading south for what felt like the millionth time when he suddenly heard what sounded like a footstep or two. Soon enough, a twig seemed to snap as well. Kael brandished his sword, pausing in case someone was very close by. He looked around, but couldn’t see anything.

“GOT YOU!” a deep masculine voice suddenly shouted.

Kael soon found himself face to face with a strange man with ebony hair, and the man was aiming a sword right at him. The young novice mercenary brought up his own blade to meet the attack just in time, though was almost knocked off balance.

“Oh no you don’t!” Kael retorted, shoving him back. “I’ve caught you!”

“…Hey, you’re that guy Ike’s kid, aren’t you?” the man realized. “I heard of him. You almost match his description. Heh, this’ll be fun!”

“We’ll see about that!”

The two went back and forth with their blades, Kael carefully watching out for the cliff edge. Remembering his father’s training well, Kael did his best to match his enemy’s moves.

“You’re not bad!” the man complimented. “But no kid is getting past me!”

“That’s what you think, punk!” Kael shot back, taking on and attempting to dish out more of his own hits.

A few moments later, however, Kael stumbled as he blocked another blow and then swung his own weapon in another attempt at a strike. He went crashing into his opponent, sending both of them to the ground. Kael had his man pinned beneath him for a moment as he tried to take advantage of the situation, but the man quickly turned the tables and rolled them over. Kael dropped his sword in the process. He tried to retrieve it, but the man pinned his sword arm. The man tried to aim his blade at Kael’s neck as a result, but the mercenary used his left hand to hold him back as hard as he could.

“Get…OFF OF ME!” Kael shouted. Having no other choice, Kael raised his legs and drove them into the man’s gut, sending him flying over his head behind him. Kael then quickly grabbed his sword and got to his knees, but his eyes widened when he discovered what he’d done.

Kael had sent the man flying in the direction of the cliff and he soon tumbled off, unable to take ahold of any rocks to help himself.

“AAAAAAH!”

The man’s scream echoed loudly and then gradually faded until it was silent once again. Kael thought he could faintly hear the sound of his body crashing to the ground below. Now terrified, some sweat trickling down the sides of his head, he peeked over the cliff side to see a few people approaching the man’s now surely dead body.

“Ugh, DAMN!” Kael fumed angrily to himself.

“Hey! I heard some commotion over here, what’s going—” a nearby castle soldier suddenly spoke up, snapping Kael out of his trance.

The soldier then looked to see what Kael had been peering at.

“…Oh goddess,” the soldier uttered and then turned to him. “Did you do that?”

“Y-Yeah…” Kael admitted. “I didn’t mean to though, I swear! He attacked me first!”

“Okay, I see. That was one of the suspects though, I recognize him even from up here,” the soldier confirmed. “But you’re going to have to report this, son. You should go meet with your allies at the castle doors and tell them before there’s a commotion down there in town.”

“Oh, right,” Kael agreed and then ran off to find his father.

Dad is not going to like this… Kael nervously thought to himself. I could’ve apprehended the guy without killing him!

Kael made his way towards the castle doors as quickly as he could. When he nearing them, he caught a glimpse of his dad going there as well, with another one of the suspects. This one looked a little younger than the man Kael had dealt with, and he was carrying an axe. His messy blonde hair was covered in leaves.

“Ah, Kael,” Ike greeted, soon noticing his son. “I caught this sneak trying to get over the wall and then I pulled him down into a bush. Seems he saw me and just ran. I do have that effect on adversaries sometimes.”

Ike chuckled as he said his words. Kael wasn’t surprised, as he also knew that some enemies were just too frightened to ever try going head to head with his father.

“You didn’t find anyone?” Ike continued.

“Uh… I did, but I’ll explain…” Kael replied, almost stuttering.

“Er, alright,” Ike replied, raising an eyebrow.

As the two approached the doors, they saw Cameron coming their way as well, with a young girl in messy black pigtails. She was carrying daggers and blood was tricking down the bottom of her right leg.

“I told you already! All I wanted to do was pet her!” she snapped at Cameron.

“And again, why should I believe you?” Cameron shot back. “And I told you she isn’t comfortable around strangers when I’m not there!”

“Hey, what happened, Cam?” Kael wondered.

“Oh, I caught her trying to hurt my horse!” Cameron said. “She fell backwards when Caramel here got spooked and startled her and I grabbed her right away. The girl tried to get away from me, but I got her in the leg with my lance and now she can’t walk too well. A soldier helped me stand her up and escort her here.”

“I hate you!” the girl cried. “And I really wasn’t going to hurt the damn horse!”

Ned soon followed with another man. This new man had rope on his wrists to subdue him.

“Huh, sounds like you all had some more interesting encounters than I did,” Ned spoke up. “This guy here wasn’t a novice, but he didn’t put up much of a fight once I made him drop his axe. Heh heh.”

“…Hey, where’s my brother?” the pigtail girl wondered, and turned towards Kael, who just grew more nervous by the second. “WHERE IS HE, YOU ARSEHOLE?!”

“Uh… I…” Kael uttered.

“Hey, calm down!” Ike shouted at the girl. He then turned to Kael with a hand on his hip.

“Kael, do you know something about this?” he inquired.

“Dad, I can explain. It’s what I was about to tell you,” Kael admitted.

Before Kael could begin, however, Leyon soon reappeared from the castle doors.

“…Wow, I get told one of you caught someone, and I come out here to see three someones in custody!” he said. “Nice work! But…where’s the fourth? I think he was the leader.”

“Kael was just about to tell us,” Ike said, his voice very serious.

“Yeah…” Kael said. “Dad, I swear to the goddess I didn’t mean for this to happen, but…”

He then explained the situation and how the man’s body was now at the bottom of the cliff with people noticing.

“WHAT?!” the girl screamed. “NOOO!! You MONSTER! I’LL KILL YOU! I swear to you I’LL RIP YOUR FACE OFF!!”

“We were just looking for good stuff and food! Sometimes people just don’t know how else to survive, you know!” the man Ike had caught added.

Kael jumped, startled by the girl’s screeching loud voice. The girl then broke into tears as Leyon motioned for some soldiers to take the suspects to the castle dungeon.

“Damn…” the general irritatingly uttered. “Now someone has to go down there and make sure no one starts raising questions. But I see, it sounds like this was an accident and that you were defending yourself, Kael.”

“It’s the truth!” Kael insisted. “I really didn’t mean to kill him!”

“That’s all we needed to know, Kael,” Ike said. “I do wish he could’ve just been imprisoned, but you did your job. Good work.”

“I-I hope so. Thanks, Dad.”

Leyon then decided to go inside to assist with sentencing the culprits. Kael, however, was still bothered. His face soon scrunched into a grimace.

“Kael, are you alright?” Ike wondered. “You didn’t sustain any injuries back there, did you?”

“No, I’m fine there,” Kael replied. “It’s just that… That girl cared about her brother. And it looks like these people were just poor. I wish someone could’ve just helped them make better decisions instead of…all this. And having a sibling myself, I get that girl’s feelings.”

“Well, sometimes that happens,” Ike explained. “At times, we’ll have to face enemies who have families and friends that care about them. It’s just a hazard of our profession and also war in general. You just have to remember that you have a duty and that you don’t have a choice except to face these people in battle.”

“True… I also just never thought my first kill would be…this.”

“I understand. But believe me, you did well, and you didn’t do anything wrong here. And it’s as they say sometimes, the first time is the hardest.”

“Yeah, Kael, don’t beat yourself up too hard,” Ned encouraged. “You took on the leader and won! That in itself is impressive!”

“Yeah!” Cameron agreed. “Amazing job! I kind of wish I could’ve seen it!”

“Heh, thanks,” Kael replied with a smile.

“Though Kael,” Ike continued. “There is some criticism I have to hand to you. You absolutely cannot allow yourself to be disarmed the way you did. Holding onto your weapon could be the difference between victory and winding up with a blade in your gut. You have to get better at handling your sword. As well as your footing. That one trip could’ve meant you going over that cliff instead of your opponent.”

“Ah… Yes, Dad,” Kael understood. “I’m sorry about that. I’ll improve, I promise.”

“Good. Well, let’s go inside and see about dinner and a place to stay for the night. How about that? It might cheer you up.”

“Oh! Yes, that sounds terrific!”

“Then let’s go, everyone!”

With that, Cameron dismounted Caramel so a soldier could put her somewhere for him. The group then happily began piling back into the castle, wondering what Azura’s chefs had waiting for them this time.

Kael still didn’t like that his first mission hadn’t gone quite the way he’d hoped, but he did know that it could’ve been worse. And next time, he would do even better, most definitely.

 

 

Edited August 23, 2018 by Anacybele

[Rapier]

On 19/08/2018 at 5:57 AM, TheSilentChloey said:

Alright.  Here's my entry.  It's a semi original work.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

“You have got to be kidding me!” I yelled at Master Mahad, “I don’t wanna do it!”
“Yuganna, you’ve completed your sword training, you are a full fledged Shamen now.  You’ll be working with your cousin Setonara, if that helps make it easier for you to complete this mission.” He said and I groaned.
“Okay.” I pouted unceremoniously, “I guess I was bound to do my first ever mission at some point in my life.” I said with a roll of my eyes.  “So then where are we meant to go?” I said wings folding to my back as the fabric I was wearing gave me a good indication as to what my tail was doing.
“You’ll have three weeks to prepare for the mission,” Master Mahad said with a smile, “We’ll need to coordinate with the people who were being attacked to see if they have some more information about the nature of the attacks and if they’re able to help us pinpoint the nest of Vampires and hopefully we can work out a timeframe for you both to work with.”
Right...vampire nests.  I knew that as a newly promoted warrior it would be my job to fight alongside a Sharman, an experienced fighter for the next three years since I was fresh out of training.  So my cousin would be the one who fit the bill this time. Curse him and his ten years seniority on me!  I let my hands unclench and gripped my Cherick blade in hand as I pulled it out to look at it since this would be the last time I would need it for good.  The blade was designed with a flier like me in mind. The length of it was not meant to cut since I was until today a Sharika, a trainee.  I had three weeks to mentally prepare myself for my first mission as a Shamen, a warrior.  I was uncertain if I could handle it...after all it was a huge step from a Sharika.  I looked to my gear uncertain. This was going to be the first blood. My draconic instincts thirsted for blood, but my mind...not so much.

Three weeks passed quickly.  My new armour was being fitted to me as I was prepared by my Kakurajack who’d been cleaning it and fitting the pieces onto my body while I was giving my Claymore sword a turn over in my hands.  The blade was a light silver colour, the grip jet black, signifying my status as a Quick Blade, a Shamen who’s sword moved at speeds beyond the human eye’s ability to see it. My Kakurajack (a creature that was a harmonious blend of both reptile and mammal) moved swiftly as the clanking of armoured boots announced Setonara’s presence, “You’ll do fine Yuganna.” He said said as I scented him.  He was a Sharmen, and for the first time in my life I actually saw his scars, “Besides, you’re ready for the Claymore now.” He said gripping the hilt of his own Claymore sword at his side. “A step up from the Cherick huh Yuga?”
“Y-yeah.” I said wincing at how nervous I sounded,
“Master Mahad would not have sent you if he didn’t feel like you were up to the task.” Setonara said calmly, “He’s a good judge of a Quick Blade.”
“Right so when do we fly?” I asked taking my mind off the metal plating being placed onto my upper thighs,
“As soon as you’re ready.” He said with a grin, “And comfortable.” He added,
“Right…” I said with a sigh.  “And we’ll have vampires trying to murder us.  Always relaxing.” I said shivering,
“Yuga...you know they won’t be able to hurt you.”
“I know.” I said rolling my eyes as the last of my armour was put on, “Let’s just get this over with please?”
“Okay, if you’re sure.” He said calmly white wings opening up.  He lead the way to the take off pad.

If there was one thing I didn’t need instruction on it was flying.  My wings spread across the skies as I took on my dragon form, my armour designed for both my human and dragon forms.  I landed behind my cousin as we came to where we were meant to be. The place was off putting and he motioned to me, “Be on your guard.  We’ve found the nest.” I gulped and trembled he grinned, “Come on Yuga remember your training.” He said and I tried to grin but it was a grimace to be sure.
“I know…” I shot back.

The first lot of Vampires scented us and we stood side by side.  Welp looks like there wasn’t take backs now...I grit my teeth. This just kept getting better.  I watched as the Vampires came out to play. The night sky reminding me that they thought they had the advantage.  However against hunters like us...yeah not so much. The first one ran at Setonara and he easily cut it down, not even bothering with the elaborate moves that we’d learned.  I focused on what I had to do. This wasn’t going to be pretty…

I jumped swinging in the air for a full five seconds.  The vampire below me had no idea I could fly clearly. My Claymore sliced it in a neat half.  The blade was designed a little differently to how the humans used to make them. It was heavy mostly; intended as a two handed weapon and it was something that mimicked my Cherick, a blunt version of the blade in my hands now.  The edge was all that was different but I still felt off as I fought. I knew that I would have to clean the nest out with my cousin but the ease which he fought was lost to me. I was still too much of a Sharika. Any moment now and my enemies would take advantage of that.  I managed to pull alongside him, “How many more?” I yelled over the din of combat,
“Should be two or three.” He replied not even the least bit worried.  We ducked and I sprung forwards to take out the vampire, “We’re nearing the centre of the nest now.  Stay focused Yuga. Tail at the ready; it’s as much of a weapon as your sword.”
Ah, he meant the venomous barb on the end of my tail.  I flicked it at the nearest vampire and the creature shrieked in agony as its body started to disintegrate.  My bite to a vampire’s neck was much worse but I didn’t feel like letting my teeth taste their blood just yet.  I wasn’t a Sharman yet and certainly wouldn’t have the presence of mind required not to go into a frenzy. I suddenly became aware of something near me and in perhaps a Sharika mistake forgot to swing my blade at the right moment…

Teeth scraped along my arm as I bought my tail up quickly.  Thank Ra for my armour as the worst of the blow wasn’t serious.  My tail hit the vampire right in the chest and it almost died at once.  Setonara grinned at me, “Nicely done Yuga! It’s battles like this that make the Shamen.” He smiled at me.
“Yeah.” I said focusing more on the area now.  So far we’d yet to encounter more vampires. I smelled the Queen.  “Down below, twenty...no...thirty meters below us.” I said and he grinned,
“Good!  You smell it too.” He said and causally motioned with his hands,
“Now then keep watch because the Queen will have a few guards.” He said, “Nothing we can’t take care of.” He said lightly

I followed him down to the central chamber of the nest and we’d fought the guards.  The Queen was a weakling vampire. Its only role was to produce young. It was of course swollen with unborn vampires.  It didn’t put up a fight at all. Setonara killed it and that ended our mission. The area was clean now. The humans would live in peace until they had need of us again.
When we at last returned to headquarters Mistress Isis was waiting for us, “Ah good, you’ve arrived.  Congratulations on your first successful mission, Yuganna.” She smiled, “We’ll have your Kakurajack cleanse your armour.  Then you’ll need to report to Master Mahad. After that...well I’m sure you’ll receive a many more missions.” Mistress Isis told me.

FIN
 

 

What do you mean by "semi original"?

Submissions were added to the first post, by the way.

[Dragoncat]

2 minutes ago, Rapier said:

Submissions were added to the first post, by the way.

I only see my submission there. Ana and Chloey's aren't.

[Anacybele]

16 minutes ago, Dragoncat said:

I only see my submission there. Ana and Chloey's aren't.

I see them. Odd.

[TheSilentChloey]

44 minutes ago, Rapier said:

What do you mean by "semi original"?

Submissions were added to the first post, by the way.

Some of the characters are based off a few different fandoms.

[Dragoncat]

34 minutes ago, Anacybele said:

I see them. Odd.

Maybe they were edited in after I posted that.

[Anacybele]

6 minutes ago, Dragoncat said:

Maybe they were edited in after I posted that.

Yeah, sounds like it.

[eclipse]

Please don't end this round early.  Looks like Hawaii's in for a hurricane (though whether it brings some rain or actually does major damage is still up in the air).

[Dragoncat]

15 minutes ago, eclipse said:

Please don't end this round early.  Looks like Hawaii's in for a hurricane (though whether it brings some rain or actually does major damage is still up in the air).

Stay safe!

Is it Hector

[Anacybele]

43 minutes ago, eclipse said:

Please don't end this round early.  Looks like Hawaii's in for a hurricane (though whether it brings some rain or actually does major damage is still up in the air).

Really? I always figured Hawaii didn't get those because in the Pacific, where they're called typhoons, would form closer to and head towards Asia instead. Guess I thought wrong though. Are they just rare in Hawaii or something?

But like Dcat said, stay safe!

Also, no way, Ike should be the only FE lord with a hurricane to his name! :P

Edited August 22, 2018 by Anacybele

[Rapier]

1 hour ago, eclipse said:

Please don't end this round early.  Looks like Hawaii's in for a hurricane (though whether it brings some rain or actually does major damage is still up in the air).

I realized that was a very stupid idea from me a day after I proposed it, don't worry. I won't end this round early.