Write Your Butt Off 358/II.8 prompts HD Final Chapter Prologue

[TheSilentChloey]

And the moral gray is fun to read about.

[SoulWeaver]

Been going back through my old posts on here today.

Some of these comments have aged like fine milk. Case in point, me arguing that there was no way they wouldn't add in all the FE Amiibo characters to Warriors since the only two we weren't already going to get were Ike and Roy.

Also apparently I have gone on record stating that the obvious name for Awakening Anna's daughter would be Jessica. Expect this at some point in the future.

[AnonymousSpeed]

2 hours ago, SoulWeaver said:

Some of these comments have aged like fine milk.

Things you can say about your posts, but not your girlfriend.

2 hours ago, SoulWeaver said:

Also apparently I have gone on record stating that the obvious name for Awakening Anna's daughter would be Jessica. Expect this at some point in the future.

I expect it to be a part of the Continuity of Nonsense.

[indigoasis]

2 hours ago, SoulWeaver said:

Also apparently I have gone on record stating that the obvious name for Awakening Anna's daughter would be Jessica. Expect this at some point in the future.

i shall vehemently await the arrival of this

[SoulWeaver]

I also have to laugh that this could be considered busted 5 years ago. Oh how the power creeps.

 

[AnonymousSpeed]

Just now, SoulWeaver said:

I also have to laugh that this could be considered busted 5 years ago. Oh how the power creeps.

 

All I see is words and one of them is "Heroes" so my eyes gloss over.

[SoulWeaver]

Just now, AnonymousSpeed said:

All I see is words and one of them is "Heroes" so my eyes gloss over.

Basically the topic was make a Brave Hero, like they do every year. @DefyingFates wanted Ephraim and Eirika so I made them. They looked crazy at the time. They do not look crazy now.

[AnonymousSpeed]

1 minute ago, SoulWeaver said:

Basically the topic was make a Brave Hero, like they do every year. @DefyingFates wanted Ephraim and Eirika so I made them. They looked crazy at the time. They do not look crazy now.

Oh yeah, that much I understood.

Can't wait for Maid Gunter Brave Hero. Make it happen, boys.

[Acacia Sgt]

I remember making an entry for a create regular heroes one.

Ah, found it:

Looking back, only now I realize I could've framed my entry with that context, instead of the one I used. Oh well.

Edited November 20, 2022 by Acacia Sgt

[DefyingFates]

9 hours ago, SoulWeaver said:

I also have to laugh that this could be considered busted 5 years ago. Oh how the power creeps.

 

This was my reply at the time:

Quote

I'm pretty sure these are absolutely overpowered, but I don't care - thank you for putting so much care into them!

"How the power creeps" indeed xD The exclusive Specials are still really neat though: I don't think we've gotten anything like them yet (outside of dragon breaths and the odd weapon like Felicia's Plate, of course).

[SoulWeaver]

On 11/20/2022 at 3:47 AM, DefyingFates said:

This was my reply at the time:

"How the power creeps" indeed xD The exclusive Specials are still really neat though: I don't think we've gotten anything like them yet (outside of dragon breaths and the odd weapon like Felicia's Plate, of course).

Ephraim's is every Moonbow Dragon build ever and Eirika's is Hel's running Moonbow, so you can kind of create your own, but yeah, hasn't been done with a Special. Probably for the best, honestly.

I mostly find it funny that I took what was clearly two C-Slot Skill ideas and stuck both of them into the A-Slot. I mean yes, that is one way to break the game. Also the literal Rally Atk/Spd or Def/Res but only for Units named "Ephraim" or "Eirika."

Looking at him, Ephraim could probably contest the official Brave Ephraim for viability with a different B Skill and a decent refine to his weapon, but Eirika...yeah, too many years between her and the official one, don't think that'd work.

On 11/19/2022 at 5:52 PM, Acacia Sgt said:

I remember making an entry for a create regular heroes one.

Ah, found it:

Looking back, only now I realize I could've framed my entry with that context, instead of the one I used. Oh well.

Huh, that's not a half bad idea, I like it.

Edited November 21, 2022 by SoulWeaver
randomly posted early ok

[TheSilentChloey]

And I am still too busy with another writing project, that I might share because it has a fun little line about someone being a falafel addict and their friend being an enabler.

 

So uh, yeah, might do something short lol

[indigoasis]

36 minutes ago, TheSilentChloey said:

So uh, yeah, might do something short lol

do it Chloey

do it

do it

[AnonymousSpeed]

Falafels are pretty good.

[TheSilentChloey]

21 hours ago, indigoasis said:

do it Chloey

do it

do it

We'll see...

 

20 hours ago, AnonymousSpeed said:

Falafels are pretty good.

Yes, they are and I can see why someone would be an addict.

[TheSilentChloey]

Okay FINE, have some spoilers for a Falafel addict.

 

I didn't bother counting the words, it's short, no context and fits within a massive multipaged rated Explicit work.  This section is rated PG, so don't worry.

 

Title: The Falafel and Burger Addicts

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters AU

Words: Do I look like someone that would count them?!

Spoiler

The teacher paused as he looked at the class roll and counted the students.  There was an extra person who didn't have a name and, "Alright, already." Mutou's voice hissed, "Jeez you have a bottomless stomach Yami."
"What can I say, I have not eaten in a very long time, thus my body deems it necessary to eat now." The teacher did a double take at the extra student.

They looked similar but different to Yugi.  Where Yugi's hair was wild, this one's was wilder with blond bolts through the back.  The darker skin tone and kohl made Negami think of someone from Egypt, and he didn’t recall there being any transfer students from there…
"Yeah, well you should have eaten before we left home." Mutou groaned, "Because the school food is not the highlight of the day."
"We could always go to Domino Sidebar."
"Ugh, I swear to god if you weren't such a falafel addict…"
The Egyptian grinned, "So we are going then?"
Mutou sighed in clear defeat, "Yes, we're going.  Okay.  Just sit tight and relax, okay.  Otherwise you’re going to get into trouble for distracting people."

Then there was quiet.  Negami frowned.

He wondered what he'd missed and went to call Mutou to his desk when he saw the Egyptian pull out a book, a children's book no less and proceeded to read… or attempt to at any rate.

Mutou leant over and muttered something to the Egyptian and he seemed to understand before turning back to the book.

~☆~

The rest of the day passed uneventfully and Yugi sighed as he had to take his falafel addicted dragon to Domino Sidebar.

The only saving grace was that it was a cheap fast food street vendor that made falafel.

Yami was practically skipping happily beside Yugi and the pair came to the vendor.

The man only had to look at them before he started making the falafels and burger for them.

Yugi put down two thousand yen on the counter and the man asked them how their day was ("Challenging" according to Yami) and they got their order.

Yugi and Yami ate on the way home as they did their best to ignore the cameras.

Yami made a joke about the fact that they had a lot of fans and Yugi sighed, "You already have it in mind don't you?"
"But of course." Yami grinned, "It is simple enough."

Yugi sighed and wondered how long it'd take before things were spilled out to the public about his very much still new and private relationship status with Yami.

They had always been friends.  Ever since Yugi met him and found out he carried the dragon's soul, before he even knew that Yami was a dragon.

Yet now…

Now it was more.

So much more.

Yugi cast a look over at Yami as he ate the falafels with a wholesome grin on his face, clearly enjoying them a good deal and Yugi smiled softly.  Knowing that it was a rare one indeed.

~☆~

When they arrived home it was to the usual chaos.  Yugi’s mother glared when she saw Yugi had a burger, and Yugi sighed, "You know he's a falafel addict."
"And you're an enabler."
"You try telling Yami no falafels."
"I don't see why he should have junk food everyday of the damned week!"
"Oh shush you two, you are ruining perfectly good food." The dragon growled "I refuse to have such a thing diminished by such pointless arguments."
Yugi’s mother sighed, "What can I say?  He's a falafel addict.  And you can't keep the falafels away from him, otherwise he’s a pain to deal with.”
“I take offence to that,” Yami said firmly, “As a proud enjoyer of falafel, one simply can not be without the taste.  And they are healthier than burgers.”
“Not all burgers are bad!” Yugi shot back,
“Your favourites are.”
“Hey! I only had one this week!” Yugi growled, and the pair shared a knowing look,
“True, this was the only one you have had this week.” Yami conceded, “So it is fair.”
"And that means no one can say shit about my choices.  Because I'm not going overboard." Yugi declared.

Post read notes:
 

Spoiler

Yes there is no context as to what happened, you're going to have to wait for the story to come out because it is in no way ccomplete and I won't be posting it until it is.

 

Suffice to say this falls under the assumption that Yami is still an amnesiac who doesn't have his memories and got his body back.

 

[Edrey]

On 11/15/2022 at 9:24 PM, Acacia Sgt said:

I might actually be finishing something. Might even be up in an hour or two.

Okay, took longer, but here you go:

Title: A Break on the Beach
Word Count: 1504
Fandom: Fire Emblem Heroes

Oh hey! That was really cute! I always go for Deen so I haven't seen much of Genny and Sonya , gonna give it a try now.

 

On 11/23/2022 at 6:08 PM, TheSilentChloey said:

Okay FINE, have some spoilers for a Falafel addict.

 

I didn't bother counting the words, it's short, no context and fits within a massive multipaged rated Explicit work.  This section is rated PG, so don't worry.

 

Title: The Falafel and Burger Addicts

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters AU

Words: Do I look like someone that would count them?!

  Reveal hidden contents

The teacher paused as he looked at the class roll and counted the students.  There was an extra person who didn't have a name and, "Alright, already." Mutou's voice hissed, "Jeez you have a bottomless stomach Yami."
"What can I say, I have not eaten in a very long time, thus my body deems it necessary to eat now." The teacher did a double take at the extra student.

They looked similar but different to Yugi.  Where Yugi's hair was wild, this one's was wilder with blond bolts through the back.  The darker skin tone and kohl made Negami think of someone from Egypt, and he didn’t recall there being any transfer students from there…
"Yeah, well you should have eaten before we left home." Mutou groaned, "Because the school food is not the highlight of the day."
"We could always go to Domino Sidebar."
"Ugh, I swear to god if you weren't such a falafel addict…"
The Egyptian grinned, "So we are going then?"
Mutou sighed in clear defeat, "Yes, we're going.  Okay.  Just sit tight and relax, okay.  Otherwise you’re going to get into trouble for distracting people."

Then there was quiet.  Negami frowned.

He wondered what he'd missed and went to call Mutou to his desk when he saw the Egyptian pull out a book, a children's book no less and proceeded to read… or attempt to at any rate.

Mutou leant over and muttered something to the Egyptian and he seemed to understand before turning back to the book.

~☆~

The rest of the day passed uneventfully and Yugi sighed as he had to take his falafel addicted dragon to Domino Sidebar.

The only saving grace was that it was a cheap fast food street vendor that made falafel.

Yami was practically skipping happily beside Yugi and the pair came to the vendor.

The man only had to look at them before he started making the falafels and burger for them.

Yugi put down two thousand yen on the counter and the man asked them how their day was ("Challenging" according to Yami) and they got their order.

Yugi and Yami ate on the way home as they did their best to ignore the cameras.

Yami made a joke about the fact that they had a lot of fans and Yugi sighed, "You already have it in mind don't you?"
"But of course." Yami grinned, "It is simple enough."

Yugi sighed and wondered how long it'd take before things were spilled out to the public about his very much still new and private relationship status with Yami.

They had always been friends.  Ever since Yugi met him and found out he carried the dragon's soul, before he even knew that Yami was a dragon.

Yet now…

Now it was more.

So much more.

Yugi cast a look over at Yami as he ate the falafels with a wholesome grin on his face, clearly enjoying them a good deal and Yugi smiled softly.  Knowing that it was a rare one indeed.

~☆~

When they arrived home it was to the usual chaos.  Yugi’s mother glared when she saw Yugi had a burger, and Yugi sighed, "You know he's a falafel addict."
"And you're an enabler."
"You try telling Yami no falafels."
"I don't see why he should have junk food everyday of the damned week!"
"Oh shush you two, you are ruining perfectly good food." The dragon growled "I refuse to have such a thing diminished by such pointless arguments."
Yugi’s mother sighed, "What can I say?  He's a falafel addict.  And you can't keep the falafels away from him, otherwise he’s a pain to deal with.”
“I take offence to that,” Yami said firmly, “As a proud enjoyer of falafel, one simply can not be without the taste.  And they are healthier than burgers.”
“Not all burgers are bad!” Yugi shot back,
“Your favourites are.”
“Hey! I only had one this week!” Yugi growled, and the pair shared a knowing look,
“True, this was the only one you have had this week.” Yami conceded, “So it is fair.”
"And that means no one can say shit about my choices.  Because I'm not going overboard." Yugi declared.

 

 

Mmmm, Falafel~ 

 

---------------------
 

I, uhh, underestimated how much college can get in the way XD, I think I'm going to need an extension! Could I submit my entry by the 4-5th? 

[Benice]

15 minutes ago, Edrey said:

uhh, underestimated how much college can get in the way XD, I think I'm going to need an extension! Could I submit my entry by the 4-5th?

I'm personally OK with it!

 

Alas, I'm too busy to get mine in... Ah well, maybe next time there's a bonus round.

[Acacia Sgt]

1 hour ago, Edrey said:

Oh hey! That was really cute!

Thanks! That's good to know.

1 hour ago, Edrey said:

I always go for Deen so I haven't seen much of Genny and Sonya , gonna give it a try now.

What heresy is this!?

Hahaha, you should, at least once.

[TheSilentChloey]

4 hours ago, Edrey said:

Oh hey! That was really cute! I always go for Deen so I haven't seen much of Genny and Sonya , gonna give it a try now.

 

Mmmm, Falafel~ 

 

---------------------
 

I, uhh, underestimated how much college can get in the way XD, I think I'm going to need an extension! Could I submit my entry by the 4-5th? 

Yup falafel is that good to him that he wants it all of the time and we know not to say no to a dragon lmao

[SoulWeaver]

On 11/28/2022 at 8:57 AM, Benice said:

I'm personally OK with it!

I got nothing against an extension(it gives me a save after all), but we'd better all make sure we've got at least one prompt idea ready to go so the next round isn't too short.

[TheSilentChloey]

15 hours ago, SoulWeaver said:

I got nothing against an extension(it gives me a save after all), but we'd better all make sure we've got at least one prompt idea ready to go so the next round isn't too short.

Yeah that's a great idea lol, I have a whole huge list of 'em if anyone's interested.

[Jotari]

I feel guilty about not participating for so long, even though this time there was an open prompt. I did have something in mind but got distracted by something else. Anyway because of my guilt, I've decided to rustle up something from my archive that I never submitted before. Quite old, so not my best work. But it's something to chew on.

Title:The Cliff

Word Count: 2115

Spoiler

              "What are you going to do to me?" Lyric asked. He was bound to a tree. Not far away Harrow sat on a stone sharpening his blade, a thoughtful look in his eye.

              "Nothing, provided you tell me what you want."

              Lyric scowled. "I've already made it clear I won't betray them. No matter what you do to me."

              Harrow smiled. "We'll see about that." Harrow suddenly stood up. "I'm going to have a look around...don't go anywhere." He didn't laugh but his smile curled into a smirk. Lyric watched as the Hero walking off into the forest. Hero, what a distasteful word. It had once meant something good and righteous, but people like him corrupted it and made it into something denoting evil.

              Lyric was left alone for some time. Just as he began wondering what would happen should Harrow never return, someone else appeared.  An old man who looked like he might be a merchant.

              "Help me!" Lyric cried from between the trees.

              The merchant caught sight of Lyric. Lyric cried out again prompting the merchant to shamble through the overgrowth to reach the boy. "Greetings" the merchant said cheerfully. "You were robbed were you?"

              Lyric shook  his head. "No. It's something much worse than that." I don't own anything someone would want to take anyway.

              "Not to worry. I'll have you free in a jiffy." The merchant removed a knife and began sawing at the rope binding Lyric.

              "Please. You must hurry" Lyric begged. "He could return any second."

              "Who could return?" the merchant asked, though it was plain he was only half listening, leaving most of his focus on cutting the rope.

              "A monster in human guise. The man known as Harrow."

              The merchant stopped dead. He swallowed once before he began cutting again. "I really shouldn't help you then" he muttered. "No good deed goes unpunished they say. But I've started now. I'd be the real monster if I left you to him after helping you this much."

              Lyric thought about telling the merchant to flee and leave the knife so he could cut himself loose but he soon dismissed the idea. He wanted to be free as soon as possible.

              "There" the merchant said at last. "You are free. I think it best we get out of here as soon as possible."

              Lyric nodded. "Agreed."

              The merchant smiled. He opened his mouth to talk but in an instant he was dead. The sword pierced through he merchant's skull right up to the hilt. The force of the thrown blade cause the merchant to fall in that direction, the blade embedding itself in the ground. Lyric looked to the right, where the sword had come from. It took a few seconds but Harrow eventually emerged from behind the trees.

              "You aren't going to run?" the monster asked.

              In truth Lyric hadn't even thought of it. His only though was of the merchant who helped him that died without even revealing his name.

              "Just in case I'll make sure you can't run even if you wanted to." Harrow was twirling a stone around in his fingers. With barely a flick of his wrist he threw it at Lyric's left leg with enough force to shatter the bone. Lyric cried and fell to the ground. He looked up at the approaching Harrow and glared. The monster only smiled.

              Harrow picked up the remains of the rope and lightly tied it around Lyric's waist. "Up you get" he prompted, half helping the boy to his feet.

              "Where are we going?" Lyric asked, doing nothing to hide the pure hatred in his voice.

              "You'll see. This way." With one hand held lightly on the rope, Harrow lead Lyric through the forest. They made slow progress but Lyric was determined not to show weakness. He had broken his leg before, not this badly but at least he was somewhat used to such pain. He limped behind Harrow, only falling to the ground three times. Eventually they came to a cliff face. By now it was dusk.

              Harrow slowly took in a long breath of air. He pointed into the distance. "That's the coast line over there, about a mile away I reckon.  It's low season though so where we're standing would be the coast half the time." He brought Lyric forward and made him look at the ground below the cliff. The height made Lyric feel dizzy though it could just as easily be the pain. "Half the time it would be water down there instead of rock. That's why this is here." Harrow bent down and picked up a chain. On one end was a manacle, the other was attached to a hoop which in turn was bolted to the earth. Harrow gave it an experimental tug. It was old but well made.

              Harrow placed the manacle around Lyric's left wrist. "This was used to dock boats back when this was a busy trade area. It might seem strange since there's nothing close by but around here there's plenty of places designed for solitary docking. The ground here isn't much suited for anchoring during high tide so it helped to have some land to dock to to instead of travelling off course to reach a harbour. Not that this has anything to do with you. High tide won't be for months and we'll have long finished our business by then."

              Harrow suddenly pushed Lyric off the cliff. For a second Lyric's heart jolted as he fell through the air but before he could even properly register it his entire body jerked as the manacle grew taunt and he was hanging from his wrist. Lyric swore. He hit his injured leg off the cliff and the sudden stop had torn a lot of skin off of his wrist.

              "I've heard before that an arm can come right off if you hang it off something for long enough. Personally I don't think it's true but I suppose we'll see in the morning."

              "You're leaving me here! " Lyric screamed.

              "Of course. This is your torture. I'll come back tomorrow and ask you where are mutual friend is again. If at that time you still wish to hold your tongue then I'll come back I'll leave you there another day and another and another until you tell me or you're arm really does fall off.  Personally I find this entire set up very interesting. I'm excited to see what state you'll be in when I come back." Without saying another word Harrow walked off.

              Lyric screamed and swore until Harrow was well out of ear shot. Within minutes his arm had started aching beyond belief. He tried everything he could to get a more comfortable position but every movement just made things worse. Even after successfully getting his good leg onto a foot hole, the tension in his left arm didn't lessen at all. He tried to grab the chain with his right arm in an attempt to climb back onto the cliff but he couldn't use his broken leg meaning he had to swing off the chain to move his good leg. This tore at his now bloody wrist and strained his arm even further. Eventually the pain overwhelmed him and he dropped down the few feet of progress he had made.

              Exhausted, he decided to rest awhile but the longer he waited the worse his state grew. By the time he convinced himself to try again he had only just made progress before exhaustion swept him again and found himself swing from just his arm once more. Throughout the night he attempted to climb several more times but he never managed to gain the  minute success he achieved on his first attempt.

              At first the ground so far below him made him feel uneasy but he eventually  started wishing he could fall. He might survive the fall, would definitely be in pain if he did, but no pain was as bad as the aching in his arm. He screamed and shook but nothing he could think of helped in anyway. He wished another merchant would appear and save him but it was dark now. He knew no one would find him. No one except the wolves whose howling could be heard in the distance.

              The blood from his skinless wrist dripped down onto his face. This prompted him to inspect the manacle itself in hopes of unlocking it and falling to freedom. But it was no use. Harrow had sealed it with some kind of spell. Without the heroes consent, the only way he was going to get the damn thing off was to lose his hand completely.

              His stomach grumbled. He had woken up that morning thinking he would get to eat today but instead he had met Harrow and everything had changed. People were dead because they had tried to help him. All because of a vow he made to a childhood friend. He spent a lot of time wondering what he would do when Harrow returned. He couldn't endure this torture another second let alone another night. But he couldn't betray Listel either. He would have to lie. It's what he should have done in the first place. But would it even make a difference? Harrow was a monster. "He's probably going to leave me here no matter what I say."

              The tears fell to the ground far below. Fell as Lyric wished he could fall. He tried to empty his mind. Calm himself and fall asleep. He was used to sleeping in harsh conditions but even these conditions were too harsh for him. The sky was already lighting up by the time he managed to put himself in a half sleep like state. It didn't last long though. By the time the sun started warming his face, the anticipation of Harrow's return kept him awake.

              Morning as Lyric came to discover, was a vague time. He watched as the sun steadily grew higher and higher into the sky. Harrow didn't return until after noon. He heard the sounds approaching and though he had been expect Harrow all day he immediately forgot about the monster and started screaming for help. Moments later Harrow was staring down at him from above.

              "Still have the arm attached I see. I bet you're hungry. Let's get you up here and have a little rest." Harrow pulled on the chain and managed to lift Lyric's entire weight with one hand. He collapsed on the top of the cliff and closed his eyes. He barely noticed Harrow removing the manacle. What he did notice however was that Harrow hadn't brought any food.

              "Look at me" Harrow commanded. Lyric looked up into the Hero's eyes. "Are you ready to tell me what I want to know?"

              Lyric nodded weakly and prepared to lie but when he opened his mouth the truth spilled out. He couldn't help it. He betrayed Listel but at this point he no longer cared.

              Harrow smiled and nodded his head. "Thank you for telling me the truth. But don't worry. I would have found your friends anyway. Someone in the bar last night told me exactly which direction they're heading." Lyric looked up in shock. Then what was the point of his torture. Why didn't Harrow come back and free him the instant he became useless. But Lyric knew the answer. The answer to all the suffering he had endured the past two days. Harrow was a monster.

              "Do you think I'm going to kill you now?" Harrow asked.

              Lyric nodded weakly, steeped in too much misery and pain to care.

              "You're destiny is in your own hands my little friend." Once again he helped Lyric to his feet. he placed the closed manacle in the boy's hand and made sure he was holding it properly. "Goodbye."

              Harrow pushed Lyric over the side again. This time Lyric had been expecting it somewhat but the jerk as the chain tightened still shook him up. He was now dangling off the cliff with the manacle held in his hand rather than bound to his wrist. Harrow slowly walked away leaving Lyric there alone.

              Enduring the pain he held onto the manacle with both hands and looked down. He now had the option to fall but he no longer wanted to. He noticed a lot more sharp rocks that he hadn't seen before.

              However before long his other arm began to cry with pain. Blood, sweat, tears and every other fluid leaked from him and fell to the ground below. "Listel...I'm sorry" he whispered as he let go of the chain and fell to the ground below.

 

[TheSilentChloey]

On 12/2/2022 at 4:07 AM, Jotari said:

I feel guilty about not participating for so long, even though this time there was an open prompt. I did have something in mind but got distracted by something else. Anyway because of my guilt, I've decided to rustle up something from my archive that I never submitted before. Quite old, so not my best work. But it's something to chew on.

Title:The Cliff

Word Count: 2115

  Reveal hidden contents

              "What are you going to do to me?" Lyric asked. He was bound to a tree. Not far away Harrow sat on a stone sharpening his blade, a thoughtful look in his eye.

              "Nothing, provided you tell me what you want."

              Lyric scowled. "I've already made it clear I won't betray them. No matter what you do to me."

              Harrow smiled. "We'll see about that." Harrow suddenly stood up. "I'm going to have a look around...don't go anywhere." He didn't laugh but his smile curled into a smirk. Lyric watched as the Hero walking off into the forest. Hero, what a distasteful word. It had once meant something good and righteous, but people like him corrupted it and made it into something denoting evil.

              Lyric was left alone for some time. Just as he began wondering what would happen should Harrow never return, someone else appeared.  An old man who looked like he might be a merchant.

              "Help me!" Lyric cried from between the trees.

              The merchant caught sight of Lyric. Lyric cried out again prompting the merchant to shamble through the overgrowth to reach the boy. "Greetings" the merchant said cheerfully. "You were robbed were you?"

              Lyric shook  his head. "No. It's something much worse than that." I don't own anything someone would want to take anyway.

              "Not to worry. I'll have you free in a jiffy." The merchant removed a knife and began sawing at the rope binding Lyric.

              "Please. You must hurry" Lyric begged. "He could return any second."

              "Who could return?" the merchant asked, though it was plain he was only half listening, leaving most of his focus on cutting the rope.

              "A monster in human guise. The man known as Harrow."

              The merchant stopped dead. He swallowed once before he began cutting again. "I really shouldn't help you then" he muttered. "No good deed goes unpunished they say. But I've started now. I'd be the real monster if I left you to him after helping you this much."

              Lyric thought about telling the merchant to flee and leave the knife so he could cut himself loose but he soon dismissed the idea. He wanted to be free as soon as possible.

              "There" the merchant said at last. "You are free. I think it best we get out of here as soon as possible."

              Lyric nodded. "Agreed."

              The merchant smiled. He opened his mouth to talk but in an instant he was dead. The sword pierced through he merchant's skull right up to the hilt. The force of the thrown blade cause the merchant to fall in that direction, the blade embedding itself in the ground. Lyric looked to the right, where the sword had come from. It took a few seconds but Harrow eventually emerged from behind the trees.

              "You aren't going to run?" the monster asked.

              In truth Lyric hadn't even thought of it. His only though was of the merchant who helped him that died without even revealing his name.

              "Just in case I'll make sure you can't run even if you wanted to." Harrow was twirling a stone around in his fingers. With barely a flick of his wrist he threw it at Lyric's left leg with enough force to shatter the bone. Lyric cried and fell to the ground. He looked up at the approaching Harrow and glared. The monster only smiled.

              Harrow picked up the remains of the rope and lightly tied it around Lyric's waist. "Up you get" he prompted, half helping the boy to his feet.

              "Where are we going?" Lyric asked, doing nothing to hide the pure hatred in his voice.

              "You'll see. This way." With one hand held lightly on the rope, Harrow lead Lyric through the forest. They made slow progress but Lyric was determined not to show weakness. He had broken his leg before, not this badly but at least he was somewhat used to such pain. He limped behind Harrow, only falling to the ground three times. Eventually they came to a cliff face. By now it was dusk.

              Harrow slowly took in a long breath of air. He pointed into the distance. "That's the coast line over there, about a mile away I reckon.  It's low season though so where we're standing would be the coast half the time." He brought Lyric forward and made him look at the ground below the cliff. The height made Lyric feel dizzy though it could just as easily be the pain. "Half the time it would be water down there instead of rock. That's why this is here." Harrow bent down and picked up a chain. On one end was a manacle, the other was attached to a hoop which in turn was bolted to the earth. Harrow gave it an experimental tug. It was old but well made.

              Harrow placed the manacle around Lyric's left wrist. "This was used to dock boats back when this was a busy trade area. It might seem strange since there's nothing close by but around here there's plenty of places designed for solitary docking. The ground here isn't much suited for anchoring during high tide so it helped to have some land to dock to to instead of travelling off course to reach a harbour. Not that this has anything to do with you. High tide won't be for months and we'll have long finished our business by then."

              Harrow suddenly pushed Lyric off the cliff. For a second Lyric's heart jolted as he fell through the air but before he could even properly register it his entire body jerked as the manacle grew taunt and he was hanging from his wrist. Lyric swore. He hit his injured leg off the cliff and the sudden stop had torn a lot of skin off of his wrist.

              "I've heard before that an arm can come right off if you hang it off something for long enough. Personally I don't think it's true but I suppose we'll see in the morning."

              "You're leaving me here! " Lyric screamed.

              "Of course. This is your torture. I'll come back tomorrow and ask you where are mutual friend is again. If at that time you still wish to hold your tongue then I'll come back I'll leave you there another day and another and another until you tell me or you're arm really does fall off.  Personally I find this entire set up very interesting. I'm excited to see what state you'll be in when I come back." Without saying another word Harrow walked off.

              Lyric screamed and swore until Harrow was well out of ear shot. Within minutes his arm had started aching beyond belief. He tried everything he could to get a more comfortable position but every movement just made things worse. Even after successfully getting his good leg onto a foot hole, the tension in his left arm didn't lessen at all. He tried to grab the chain with his right arm in an attempt to climb back onto the cliff but he couldn't use his broken leg meaning he had to swing off the chain to move his good leg. This tore at his now bloody wrist and strained his arm even further. Eventually the pain overwhelmed him and he dropped down the few feet of progress he had made.

              Exhausted, he decided to rest awhile but the longer he waited the worse his state grew. By the time he convinced himself to try again he had only just made progress before exhaustion swept him again and found himself swing from just his arm once more. Throughout the night he attempted to climb several more times but he never managed to gain the  minute success he achieved on his first attempt.

              At first the ground so far below him made him feel uneasy but he eventually  started wishing he could fall. He might survive the fall, would definitely be in pain if he did, but no pain was as bad as the aching in his arm. He screamed and shook but nothing he could think of helped in anyway. He wished another merchant would appear and save him but it was dark now. He knew no one would find him. No one except the wolves whose howling could be heard in the distance.

              The blood from his skinless wrist dripped down onto his face. This prompted him to inspect the manacle itself in hopes of unlocking it and falling to freedom. But it was no use. Harrow had sealed it with some kind of spell. Without the heroes consent, the only way he was going to get the damn thing off was to lose his hand completely.

              His stomach grumbled. He had woken up that morning thinking he would get to eat today but instead he had met Harrow and everything had changed. People were dead because they had tried to help him. All because of a vow he made to a childhood friend. He spent a lot of time wondering what he would do when Harrow returned. He couldn't endure this torture another second let alone another night. But he couldn't betray Listel either. He would have to lie. It's what he should have done in the first place. But would it even make a difference? Harrow was a monster. "He's probably going to leave me here no matter what I say."

              The tears fell to the ground far below. Fell as Lyric wished he could fall. He tried to empty his mind. Calm himself and fall asleep. He was used to sleeping in harsh conditions but even these conditions were too harsh for him. The sky was already lighting up by the time he managed to put himself in a half sleep like state. It didn't last long though. By the time the sun started warming his face, the anticipation of Harrow's return kept him awake.

              Morning as Lyric came to discover, was a vague time. He watched as the sun steadily grew higher and higher into the sky. Harrow didn't return until after noon. He heard the sounds approaching and though he had been expect Harrow all day he immediately forgot about the monster and started screaming for help. Moments later Harrow was staring down at him from above.

              "Still have the arm attached I see. I bet you're hungry. Let's get you up here and have a little rest." Harrow pulled on the chain and managed to lift Lyric's entire weight with one hand. He collapsed on the top of the cliff and closed his eyes. He barely noticed Harrow removing the manacle. What he did notice however was that Harrow hadn't brought any food.

              "Look at me" Harrow commanded. Lyric looked up into the Hero's eyes. "Are you ready to tell me what I want to know?"

              Lyric nodded weakly and prepared to lie but when he opened his mouth the truth spilled out. He couldn't help it. He betrayed Listel but at this point he no longer cared.

              Harrow smiled and nodded his head. "Thank you for telling me the truth. But don't worry. I would have found your friends anyway. Someone in the bar last night told me exactly which direction they're heading." Lyric looked up in shock. Then what was the point of his torture. Why didn't Harrow come back and free him the instant he became useless. But Lyric knew the answer. The answer to all the suffering he had endured the past two days. Harrow was a monster.

              "Do you think I'm going to kill you now?" Harrow asked.

              Lyric nodded weakly, steeped in too much misery and pain to care.

              "You're destiny is in your own hands my little friend." Once again he helped Lyric to his feet. he placed the closed manacle in the boy's hand and made sure he was holding it properly. "Goodbye."

              Harrow pushed Lyric over the side again. This time Lyric had been expecting it somewhat but the jerk as the chain tightened still shook him up. He was now dangling off the cliff with the manacle held in his hand rather than bound to his wrist. Harrow slowly walked away leaving Lyric there alone.

              Enduring the pain he held onto the manacle with both hands and looked down. He now had the option to fall but he no longer wanted to. He noticed a lot more sharp rocks that he hadn't seen before.

              However before long his other arm began to cry with pain. Blood, sweat, tears and every other fluid leaked from him and fell to the ground below. "Listel...I'm sorry" he whispered as he let go of the chain and fell to the ground below.

 

It's a bit too M for my liking personally but it is interesting enough.  If better than my falafel addict.

[Edrey]

Well... I'm embarrassed XD...

I'm going to read everyone's entries but I don't think I'm gonna make it anytime soon...