War Correspondent - Short Story Competition

[willng3]

Spoiler for War:

He awoke, gasping for air.

  It seemed like he had been released from a continuous nightmare as he felt the frigid floor beneath him. He had no recollection of how he arrived at this cold, dark room as he stood and attempted to make sense of his current situation. Gazing at the ground, a sudden burst of greenery caught his attention which spread outwards from an unseen source and seemed to kiss his feet, granting them a warm, tingling sensation as contact was made. Even without the figure having a face, the man recognized the presence immediately.
  "Where...where am I? How did I come to this place?" he asked.
  The response was lighthearted, but not devoid of concern. "You are situated in the void between life and death. Your spirit was resurrected by my power."
  Pausing briefly, she continued. "Both your body and spirit were broken during the Great War, but I am willing to restore your earthly form. And though it may seem heartless of me to ask this of you, I am in need of you to lend your strength in the battles that approach."
  "Whatever my lady requires of me, I will do as she commands. But I must know, how long has it been since my fall?"
  "One and a half years," she responded before adding a hint of caution to her next statement. "I need you to lend your services to another Element in the next Great War."
  The man was virtually speechless. "You would ask me to fight against you? I, who have stood by you for years and have rallied others to your cause?" He clenched his fists tightly as he continued, "Have I dishonored you in my defeat so much that you would breathe life into me only to forsake me?"
  A soothing warmth rose up from within him that seemed to alleviate his devastation.
  "I will never forsake you. You may fight against those who have also taken my name, but I will always remain by your side in spirit. What you need to understand is that, in your current state, you will be unable to offer the same amount of strength as you had when you were still a Master. You have forgotten what it means to fear the power that I have gifted you, and you have therefore forgotten how to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies."
  Breathing a deep sigh, she continued. "I cannot bear losing you again. This is why I need you to traverse to the other side and observe with your own eyes why my power is meant to be feared. I needed you before to act as a shield to defend those who I chose to nurture and grant their current strength. Eventually I will need you to stand among them and cut down our enemies without mercy."
  Grimacing, he responded, "They will despise me for this."
  "They will despise you," the spirit agreed, "They will try everything within their power to see that you fall before them. But in doing so they will also find themselves uniting against a common enemy and they will become stronger than before. By facing their strength you will also become stronger and will remember what it means to fear deep within your heart."
  The spirit approached the man and though she did not possess a physical form, he could still unmistakably feel a hand caress his cheek.
  "I will not stop until I finally have you back within my embrace," she reassured him.
  The spirit then broke off contact with the man and walked away, leaving a trail of wildflowers behind as she passed. Instinctively, he did the same as he left behind the warmth that he was familiar with and wandered out into the cold unknown. After a time he was able to see a doorway of light in the distance which he felt drawn to for reasons he could not explain. When he stood before the door, he took a deep breath and stepped into the light, not knowing what awaited him on the other side.
  When his eyes had readjusted to their new surroundings, he took in a world of purple which seemed to obey a very perverse set of physics that he did not understand. As he explored more of this new area he came across a curved purple sword embedded in what could be called the ground that seemed to draw him to it the longer that he gazed upon it. Casting aside his hesitation, he grasped the hilt and removed the sword from the ground. As he inspected the blade more closely he became aware of the presence of five individuals approaching him from behind. Turning to face them, he understood why they had sought him out like this.
  "So Entropy," he stated with a smile, "What do you require from a fallen Master of Life?" In response, one of the figures pointed to a valley to the east. He knew what awaited him there.
  The two opponents met in this green-filled area and stared at each other for what seemed like hours. "So," spoke dawn to dusk, "Are you ready to fall before my blade, traitor?"
  "Let's just see you try", the man replied with a smirk.
  As the two combatants struck at one another, it quickly became obvious to the man that he did not stand a chance against a general as powerful as the one attacking him. And yet with each new injury that appeared on his body, he felt invigorated by the adrenaline that coursed through him in response. In the end, however, his strength proved to be inferior to his opponent as he lay defeated on the ground, blood exuding from several wounds on his body.
  "Now then...", the general began, "I'll leave you to succumb to death's cold embrace."
  Smiling wearily, the man replied, "On the contrary, my friend, I don't think I've ever felt quite so alive."

996 words before bbcode added :D

[SpikeSpiegel]

TIME EXTENDED.

[CrockettRocket]

Since time was extended, will short stories about which teams some players are on (besides generals) for this war be allowed?

[Oyek]

My entry for the contest. Set in the same universe and world build as my novel.


Permanents are enclosed in [[ ]];
Spells in (( ));
Creatures in {{ }};
Miscellaneous terms in << >>

Spoiler for Into the Night of Falling Stars:

     We suddenly found ourselves in a clearing; the black trees parted, revealing a spacious black lake calmly rippling by the night. We had been running in the dark forest for about ten minutes now. We strained our ears and listened closely for signs of our pursuer.

     “Did we lose them?”

     “No,” I panted, taking out a small water bottle and refilling it. “They have ‹‹Chords›› with them. ‹‹Air’s›› Unique Skill, ‹‹Remote Sense››, allows the caster to radar other people’s locations. There’s no way we’d lose them with just this.”

     “Then what do we do?” the fair-skinned girl with me said downheartedly. She had long, flowing black hair, characteristic of her kind. The fairness of her skin was from being a ‹‹Lensmaker››, while her ‹‹Grimoire’s›› umbrella form was evidence of a ‹‹Rainmaker››.

     I held her trembling hand. “There’s no other way. Kill me.”

     “What?” she panicked.

     “Listen. There’s a troop of ‹‹Lensmakers›› currently after us, and both our Health-Bars are already in the red. Plus, we’ve already seen from Spiegel's fight; they mastered ((Holy Flashes)). ‹‹Darkness›› is completely ineffective here.”

     “I can still fight with ‹‹Water-”

     “Do you really think a ‹‹Half-Blood›› who spent her entire life in the isolated land of ‹‹Darkness›› would be a match for them??? You’re a ‹‹Lensmaker-Rainmaker›› in name only… We can’t win anymore…”

     “But- That… That doesn’t mean I have to end your life……”

     I could see pearls of tear forming by the corner of her eye. This is why I didn’t want to stay in this place too long. I always end up making unnecessary connections with the people, and then it becomes only harder for it to leave them when the time comes.

     “Listen. I am a refugee,” I gripped her hand even firmer. It’s not like I wanted to die, but there were more than a hundred ‹‹Shadow›› casualties already. I can’t let this continue any longer. “Sorry I brought this onto all of you. If only I hadn’t come; ‹‹Light›› wouldn’t have attacked you…”

     “Don’t say tha-”

     “It’s true. This all started when I was accused of stealing the ‹‹Shard of Freedom››. Even though I was only a student, there was somehow a video showing me, stealing the Shard. Naturally, no one believed me when I told them I didn’t do it. No matter how many eyewitnesses…

     “War broke out between ‹‹Air›› and ‹‹Time››. I was driven out of my own country, ran for my life, all the elite forces have been searching the whole map for me, and now they found me; it’s my fault that ‹‹Light›› is now after the people of ‹‹Darkness›› too. That’s why, the least I can do is die by your hands.”

     “I…”

     She remained speechless.

     I mustered my resolve. “You’ll kill me in front of them. When they see with their own eyes that I died by your hands, at the very least, they’ll spare your life… as a witness if anything else……”

     “……”

     “Hey, remember when we first met?” I said, trying to lighten the mood. “It was in this exact same spot, wasn’t it? When I was still running from the T50 and stumbled upon you in the middle of that lake.”

     She didn’t reply. I guess an icebreaker really was too much to ask of right now. The sound of rustling leaves followed. Three of the five generals emerged out of the thicket and pointed their [[Morning Glories]] at us.

     “Do it,” I whispered.

     But she stayed rooted to the spot.

     “Please,” I repeated.

     Her legs were limp, her face downcast. I knew it was too much to expect of her. She never, not even once, had the guts to hurt a {{Damselfly}}, let alone bring herself to kill a living, breathing human being.

     If she wasn’t going to… maybe I can still do that by getting hit while protecting her.

     However, just when I thought she’d bail, hands trembling more than ever, she slowly raised her [[Vampire Stiletto]], looked into my eyes one last time, and when she had finally conveyed her last farewell telepathically, closed her eyes and let out a blood-curdling scream.

     Her weapon pierced through my chest. It didn’t hurt much thanks to my high END. My Health-Bar dropped empty, and in a whirl of white light, the last thing I saw was Ching’s defeated face.











     Under a faraway tree, Synth rested from the moonlight shade. His ‹‹Hunger-Bar›› was empty, but he didn’t worry. It only deals damage when walking. Nor did he worry about his emptying ‹‹Sleep-Bar››. He wasn’t going to fight. An empty ‹‹Thirst-Bar›› will deal damage over time, much like a Poison-Counter, so being the most dangerous, he occasionally drinks from a small, black water bottle.

     Miraculously fullest of all, however, was his ‹‹Health-Bar››. It was a risky plan, but just after Ching struck, Synth used a ‹‹Teleportation-Crystal›› to escape. Thank the Oracles the moon was out tonight. For the first time, ‹‹Astral Watch›› was actually useful to him, timing the ‹‹Teleportation-Crystal›› at the exact millisecond. Honestly, he had never been happier to be a ‹‹Chronicler››.

     He didn’t die, because for some mysterious reason, unlike normal humans, he has two ‹‹Health-Bars››; 200 Hit-Points. He only found out about this recently. His Mark had also been quite active lately, and his Draw Rate has increased twice as fast. Why, he no longer knew; what these things mean, he could only surmise.

     He felt bad faking his death and not telling Ching, but he was sure she wouldn’t believe he had 200 HP anyway. In any case, he could not stay in the same place for long. Who knows when the generals will find out he’s still alive. To keep Ching and the other ‹‹Shadows›› from danger, he had to get away from the land of ‹‹Darkness››, as soon as possible.

     Clutching the wound in his chest, he heaved himself up and, staggering, started on his next journey.

[Higurashi]

Spoiler for Mindgate:

"Honey, time to get out of the baaaath."
"Dun wanna!"
"You'll turn into a raaaaisin."
"Nuh-uh, you can't trick me anymore, mom."
"Oh yeah? Look at your fingertips then."

The girl looked down at her hands and her eyes widened. She flings herself out of the bathtub and skids into the wall.
"Oof."


She loved spending her time in the yard. Her mother had a small but lovely garden that encircled her in their backyard. Surrounded by flowers and bird's song, she would play around with her pretend-fencing act. In her head she was a galactic heroine out to save the universe from evil.

Suddenly, a spark.

She stops in her tracks, mid-lunge, and stares at the bushes. There had been a flash like dry lightning, for there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and a crackle from behind the bushes. She slowly tip-toes into the foliage...

And just like that, she was tumbling through a tunnel, trying in vain to get her bearings and remain upright. Finally managing to look in the direction she was falling, she was approaching the end and saw a ring of bones. She was falling into it.


Marisa was well occupied fending off a near-full platoon of Graboids and more. Explosions all around her bore witness to Novas with which these creatures were summoned. Then, something heavy drops on her head.

"Oof."
She stumbles on her feet. A little girl? She looks up as the portal closes. Bad timing.

An enormous Shrieker assaults the wall with a deafening screech. Inside the wall it's only louder. The girl forgets where she is and clings onto the leg of the only other human around. She looks up to see the tall Lady Aether surrounded by crackling electricity. Her hair stands on end as energy from within her travels into the ashen red sky. It breaks open to reveal dark space with all its stars. Just like that the sky is clear as on a winter night in just that spot.

Then comes a crackling, oppressive pressure from the sky that forces them both to avert their eyes from the beauty. A huge stream of turquoise energy booms down into the Shrieker in a matter of half a second. Pieces fly everywhere and it roars in its death throes. The girl is mouth agape.

A familiar brand of Arsenic flickers in the darkness. It beats its searing poison against the wall. The thing that is giving them no time to rest is a Fire elemental. Marisa mutters under her breath.
"Traitor..."

He responds with a mocking cry.
"Maybe you should've bid more for me then!"

His banter leaves him open for a split second. She accelerates her own Arsenic with psionic force. It thuds into his chest. His eyes widen. He loses control of his legs and kneels, clutching his torso. Her work isn't done, she knows that much. She finishes uttering a long and forbidden chant in a language understood only by the Immortals, the Phase beings and the old gods. This time the entire sky opens up and the darkness and the reddening hue of everything makes way for a bright blue glow.

What they see before themselves is something akin to the northern lights breaking apart into smaller and smaller fractions, gaining sharp angles and corners rapidly. It's immensely beautiful. The fire elemental stares at it wistfully, as if remembering something familiar and comforting.

Then from the thin lines in the cracks of the sky, something enormous comes crashing into their world. Wings of ivory and purple mist beat the air, and a deafening roar fills the temporary silence. Nearby six more of the beasts come down from the sky, their eyes aglow with an unnatural fire as they stare hungrily at him. The fire elemental summons a mist around himself and brings down a few Dragons with fiery rage in a final desperate act, but the destruction that follows is merciless. Marisa turns the girl away.


"Who was that?! Where am I?!"
She's both excited and terrified, but doesn't ask who the woman before her is. Marisa can't help but smile.

"You're having a bad dream. You fell asleep in the garden. Remember the garden? The flowers and the bird song. Can you picture it in your head? Keep thinking of it, okay?"


The girl wakes up in the grass and the serenity. No more thunder, no more destruction. She had a very noisy dream. Her fingers touch something that wasn't there before, around her neck. The string tied to a small pendant, shaped somewhat like a leaf. She feels the inexplicable need to avoid touching the pendant itself and to hide it away in her room. She feels she's going to need it later. Back to her pretend swordplay.


Marisa approaches the blackened remains of the fire elemental.
"The process of mindgating does not always involve seeing into your opponent's mind in the present. Sometimes you have to go back in time, or forward, to see plans they didn't know they had yet or plans they had forgotten. My younger self was here today and saw what you had in mind. That's why I knew your moves before you did. Take notes."

She pulls out the Arsenic and he falls to the ground with a final breath.

http://elementscommunity.org/forum/round-2-167/%28aether%29-gen-higurashi-3-%28fire%29-deuce22-%282%29/

[eljoemo]

Spoiler for Hidden:

Accessing Digital Journal for Pvt L. Joemo.

Locating Digital Journal entries.

Digital Journal entries located.

Beginning playback of recent Digital Journal entries.

Entry recorded on 17-05-2145 at 22:46 local time.

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Still not much to report so far. We've been running drills and training for the most part. I think the General is still worried about what happened in the caves a couple months back. Reckons we were under-prepared and need more training. I reckon he just can't take blame for sending us in ill-equip. Blaming us is a load of bull crap; he's supposed to know what's going on. How were we supposed to know they would set off an earthquake? Leaving us stranded from our supplies. Leaving us sitting ducks for their shriekers. He's the one with all the intel, he should have prepared us better! Anyway, still no word on who'll we'll be hitting next. I heard from a guy that Fire tried to take on one of our outposts near the mountains. Maybe the General wants to get some revenge. I dunno. And as long as he doesn't screw us over this time, I don't care who we have to fight. Anyway, sleep's calling. It's been a long day. Joemo Out.


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Entry recorded on 07-06-2145 at 15:07 local time.

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Water just hit us. Hard. The weather'd been a little grim, then the day before last, it just started raining and raining and raining. This storm would make a hurricane look like a hose pipe. Within hours we're flooded, at least two foot deep, the whole base. Then the crawlers came, pulling the men down with their tentacles. They keep coming more and more, more than I've seen at once. We fought back what we could, but conventional weaponry doesn't work well underwater. We had to retreat to higher ground, the General was not happy. Salvage and repairs didn't take long, there wasn't much left for them to destroy. It's the men they wanted anyway. They know we're short on troops. But at least- ... Yes, Sir! Coming, Sir! ... ugh. Joemo out.


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Entry recorded on 23-06-2145 at 18:30 local time.

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The General is pleased with our progress. We spent 5 god-damned camped out in some hellish jungle, constantly fighting off some kind of rabid animal or critter all the damn time. Barely time to stop and eat before something else attacks you for 5, whole, days! And the General is pleased! The general can kiss my god-damned ass! I watched a man get his leg torn off by some huge jumped up chicken thing and he's pleased. He didn't even come out here either. He sent his cocky lieutenant over to tell us he's bloody pleased. We could have died! We nearly did. If he ever gets his self righteous backside out of his office and comes down here to where us soldiers are, I'll be damn pleased. Pleased I finally have the chance to shove my boot up his snatch. Who the hell does he think he is? I swear sometimes I could just ... argh ... When this is done, I swear I'm gonna find that guy, and I'm gonna tell him what I think. Of him. And this whole operation. Joemo out.


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Entry recorded on 25-06-2145 at 08:23 local time.

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Y'know, I knew the General was cold. I knew he wanted to win, whatever the cost. I knew that we were just another asset to him, just another tool for him to use then cast aside. But this? This is a whole new low. We just got a bunch of new recruits in and they don't have a clue. They wouldn't know a salvager from a sanctuary. I'm surprised one of 'em hasn't managed to kill himself yet. And they're being shipped out to the desert as soon as we get the signal. They don't stand a chance. I know that, you know that. Hell, I think even they know it. But the General's got this master plan, he knows what he's doing. When them Time folks wipe out our little friends, they'll think we're done. They'll come for more, and they'll find an ambush. It's a brilliant strategy, mind you. But what the hell kind of leader would send an entire squad of rookies in knowing they're dead men? And that's our General. He'd get us all killed if it won him the war. Disobey order, you get killed. Follow orders, you get killed. Either way, the General's screwing us over... Joemo out.


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Entry recorded on 03-08-2145 at 20:41 local time.

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Someone once said war is hell. War isn't hell. If it was, there'd be a reason for me being here. I'd know why I had watch my friends die. I'd know why I have to slaughter the innocent in the name of something that means nothing to me. If war was hell, I would deserve this. We move tomorrow, first thing. The last push, the big guys. They say that that's where we can win this war, once and for all. They don't get it. No one wins war. Even if we beat Aether, and I get to go home, to my family, to my life; even then we won't have won. When all 12 nations fight each other for... for what? Everyone loses. So I'll go. I'll go and I'll fight. Maybe I'll die, maybe I won't. But in truth, I already did die, a long long time ago...


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Closing Digital Journal for Pvt. L. Joemo.

Finally got this finished. Came out to 997 words in the end.

[CrockettRocket]

So far my two favorites are Willing3's entry and Eljoemo's I think it's clear as to why; theirs shows 1st person perspective and emotion throughout.

[SpikeSpiegel]

TIME'S UP.

Odinvanguard has 24 hours to fix his story.

No other stories will be accepted after this post.

[montrossen]

Just my luck I try to enter a 16-or-so day competition to make a story ONE day before it finishes.

[SpikeSpiegel]

Locked!