Writing Competition: Draw Seven

[Aves]

Draw Seven
In the beginning, there was an exploding star. This was very inconvenient for the denizens of Onion Corp., whose dimensional shield was in dire need of maintenance and undergoing repairs...

The Task

• Draw seven cards in chat. Then write a story with those cards!
  • The command is: /draw e 7
• Include a screenshot or other confirmation of your card draw in your submission.
• If thematically significant, you may choose either form (unupgraded and upgraded) of the card.
• Ideally, your story will have each of the cards in order.
• One submission per person, to be posted in a spoiler in this thread. Don't forget to give your story spoiler a title!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will the Competition Organizers finish the icon in time for this one?
A:  Maybe!

Q: Are we allowed to reroll?
A: We can't stop you from doing so.

The winner will receive the following forum award icon, as well as a spot in the glorious Hall of Fame!

(Icon WIP), current drafts:

You have no time remaining.

Want to get notified when a competition comes out? Join the Mailing List!

[serprex]

Spoiler for Deckbuilding in Chat 101:

Guest-BlueCrawler-23693: pvp me
Entropy Evangelist: sure, what's your name?
Guest-BlueCrawler-23693: pvp2
Entropy Evangelist: searching
Entropy Evangelist: gg, what's your deck?
Guest-BlueCrawler-23693: i made it

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4vk 4vk 4vk 4vk 4vk 4vk 55v 55v 55v 55v 55v 55v 590 590 590 590 5f1 5f1 5f1 5f1 5f1 5f1 5oc 5oc 5oc 5oh 5oh 5oh 5oh 5oh 5oh 8pl

Deckbuilding Tryhard: you should reduce that deck to 30 cards
Guest-BlueCrawler-23693: how come? i like mutations
Entropy Evangelist: Mutation is a bad card, it's only good upped
Guest-BlueCrawler-23693: how upgrade?
Bronze Grinder: Arena's broken, just play this, it uses Ash Eater too

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

4t3 4t3 4t3 4t3 4vj 4vj 4vj 4vj 5f1 5f1 5f1 5f1 5l9 5l9 5l9 5l9 5l9 5l9 5lj 5lj 5lj 5lj 5lj 5lj 61p 61p 61p 61p 61p 61p 8po

Guest-BlueCrawler-23693: your deck is bad, pvp my deck with it
Bronze Grinder: It's meant to farm 1hp decks
Deckbuilding Tryhard: Ash Eater is bad in that deck, just play

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

4t3 4t3 4t3 4t3 4t3 4t3 4vj 4vj 4vj 4vj 4vj 4vj 5l9 5l9 5l9 5l9 5l9 5l9 5lj 5lj 5lj 5lj 5lj 5lj 61p 61p 61p 61p 61p 61p 8po

Guest-BlueCrawler-23693: what if they not 1hp?
Bronze Grinder: skip 1hp
Deckbuilding Tryhard: if you want to maintain streaks try immorush

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

4t3 4vj 4vj 4vh 590 5gi 5f9 5f9 5f9 5f9 5f9 5f9 5f6 5f6 5fa 5fa 5fa 5fa 5fa 5l9 5l9 5l9 5l9 5lj 5lj 5og 61p 61p 61p 61p 8pm

Entropy Evangelist: Just play antabow, 1hp grinders boring, grabbows fun

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

4sa 4sa 4sa 4sa 4vh 4vh 4vj 4vj 4vj 4vj 4vj 4vj 52q 52q 55q 55q 590 590 590 590 590 5c1 5c1 5f6 5f6 5i7 5og 5og 61q 61q 8pm

Guest-BlueCrawler-23693: my deck has graboids too, they pretty good, but mutants are better
Guest-BlueCrawler-23693: thunderstorm keeps killing all my golems, this deck is trash
Bronze Grinder: how often are you running into thunderstorm?
Guest-BlueCrawler-23693: i played 3.5 games, zero streaks, my deck runs blackhole to heal, this deck has no healing, never em
Deckbuilding Tryhard: Luciferin is a better healing card than Black Hole in 1hp grinders
Narcissus: One Eyed Monkey is a noob, they literally only play stalls and rainbows, I play monogravity bhsofo every game vs them, win literally every game
Entropy Evangelist: Quantum Pillar is probably the most op card besides Nova
Deckbuilding Tryhard: Wind Pillar is the most op card, nerf sofree, this gets Sky Dragon out on turn 3

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

7ms 7ms 7ms 7ms 7ms 7oe 7oe 7oe 7oe 7oe 7mt 7mt 7mt 7mt 7mt 7mt 7n0 7n0 7nq 7nq 7nq 7nq 7nq 7nq 7n5 7mv 7mv 7mv 7mv 7mv 8pr

Guest-BlueCrawler-23693: needs more thunderstorm, aoe so good, i upgraded my deck

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6qq 6u4 6u4 6u4 6u4 6u4 6u4 74f 74f 77g 77g 7dh 7dh 7dh 7dh 7dh 7dh 7ms 7n1 7n1 7n1 7n1 7n1 7n1 8pj

Deckbuilding Tryhard: 30 cards, has Wind Tower & graboid & upped mutation, deck checks out good

Probably a waste of an hour writing that..

[MasterWalks]

Spoiler for The Extermination Saga:

Spoiler for Part 1, The Golem Genocide:

I could see the brown mound now. A sphere floating in the blackness of space. This planet sat close to its star. So close that organic life was non existent, however, I know that it contains life. Not carbon based life, but rock. Rock and metal. These Golems that inhabited this planet disobeyed the laws of nature. A primitive species that was the sole inhabitant of the planet. They destroyed the other inhabitants that lived with them, the surface dwelling Stone Dragons and the underground Graboids. These Golems did not destroy the other inhabitants for food, but as a show of dominance. These Golems decided that they should be the only species that inhabits the planet. For these crimes they committed, I am on a mission to destroy them and my ship is about to land on the surface.

I would not be able to defeat these beings by conventional means, they are huge, durable, and posses immense strength. Projectile based weaponry would bounce right off their hematite bodies. Bombing was out of the question as they were spread out around the planet thinly. They have a weakness however, and my ship was carrying a special package. Two enormous electro-magnets. As I hovered above the surface, I flip the switch to drop the first magnet. The dust clouds created blackened the sun. I retreat back into orbit and wait for the dust to settle. The vibration from the dropping of the magnet attracted the Golems that resided in this half the planet. I see them, inspecting the huge probe stuck in the ground. After some moments they lose interest and start to walk back to their dirt homes. I smile and flip the switch to turn on the magnet. The Golems are ripped off the ground and hurled towards the magnet at such a speed that many of them were torn apart mid air. The ones that were not were pulverized into dust upon impact with the magnet. I repeat the process on the other side planet, successfully eliminating the species.

I turn my ship towards the stars and launch warp drive. I am able to reach warp speed much quicker without my heavy load of magnets. I move on to my next target, the divine Seraph race.

Spoiler for Part 2, Seraph Slayer:

Warp speed is fast. You can arrive at the furthest reaches of space in a matter of minutes. I cherish these minutes. I used to contemplate my meaning in this universe. Now I know my meaning. Long ago, my race of people discovered powerful weaponry. Bombs that rip apart the very building blocks of the universe. Once my people discovered the destructive power of these bombs, we swore as a people to not use them on each other. My people were liars. When people disagreed with each other, we resorted to violence. One such disagreement led to these bombs being used, and we used all of them. We destroyed each other, the planet, and all the species that flourished on it. We successfully eliminated all life on that planet and no new organic life would be able to grow on that home planet in any foreseeable future. I happened to be off planet during the destruction and when I returned, the wasteland gave me a purpose; to not allow any species cause that amount of destruction again. I set off on my mission with no intentions of returning. I was going to live out my days preventing destruction until time destroyed me.

My mission leads me to the furthest corner of space. A place of impossible physics. Several species lived here, but they were peaceful. The Seraphs however were not. They saw themselves as divine. They saw themselves as the ultimate judge, jury and executioner. Other species feared their burning presence. The amount of destruction and fear they spread across the universe was unimaginable. They have an unusual power, they shine so bright that direct eye contact would permanently blind the eyes. I am going to use this against them. In my trip to the starless planets, before the destruction of my people, a race of half stone half organic creatures had given an interesting weapon. A small orb, capable of removing all reflective properties of all physical objects when broken. Its radius of effect was that of a category 5 planet and low orbit moons. Similar to the Saturn of my own solar system.

I did not want to land on the surface of the Seraph world. They had the ability to become immaterial, the would be able to pass right through the hull of my ship. They also had the ability of flight so I did not want to even reach the atmosphere. I simply loaded my canon with this orb and fired directly at the planet. I watch as the orb flew to the surface, I watch as it impacted, turning the entire planet to a Vanta Black. Once I saw the darkness spread, I turn my head, I know whats going to happen and I need my vision for the rest of the mission. If my theory is correct, in a panic, the race of Serpahs  should emit their light power in hopes to illuminate their world. However, all physical objects would simply absorb the light instead of reflecting it, causing the planet to heat up to nearly the same temperature as their neutron star of their solar system within minutes, effectively burning the species to ash. After a few moments, I look back and my theory was correct.

I feel nearly completed. Almost ready to end my journey. Only one destructive species remains, the Mercenary group know as the Gravitons.

Spoiler for Part 3, Gravitons Fall:

The Gravitons are the universes most prolific mercenary group. Their name is known among all space faring species. They complete any job they are given at a 100% completion rate. They will accept any job, from ship maintenance to species genocide. They are an ultimate destroyer and their fleet is huge. Spread across multiple galaxies, empty space, thousands of planets. If I was to bring justice to their destructive power, I will not be able to do it by conventional means.
From my travels to the Starless Planets, I gained knowledge of a very powerful artifact. A doll, imbued with powers that allow it to copy its pain unto others. While its never been done, I have reason to believe with its power, I can extend its pain to all of a species. However the location of said artifact is long lost. Many believe that it was destroyed. My age is catching up to me. With the time I have left, there is no possibility of me finding the artifact. In theory, it could be created again. I do not posses the knowledge of creating an artifact of such power so I travel once again to the starless planets.
Warp speed allows me to reach my location in about 3 minutes. I reduce speed to light speed and reach the planet, a planet of peaceful vampires. Upon exiting light speed a sight fills me with dread. The planet is surrounded my a fleet of Graviton ships. I must be quick. I do not know what business they have with the vampires and i do not care. I am here for knowledge and that's it. I land on the dark planet. Something is wrong. The planet is lit up with light. I now realize the Gravitons are eliminating the vampires. All of them.
There is a library on this planet. A library of sacred knowledge. I must reach it before I am detected by the Gravitons. If I fly I will be immediately detected. If the Gravitons are using any sort of infrared, I will stand out among the cold blooded vampires. I make haste, sprinting across the black rocks to the capital of the planet. I reach the borders of the city, there is commotion. The vampires are hiding in shelter to escape the light and the Gravitons are flushing them out into the open where they burn to ash. I reach the base of the temple being as stealthy as possible, running up the black stairs, skipping two or three at a time. I open the doors. They creak with an ear drum bursting sound. I am detected. There is no way I have enough time to find the tablets that contain the knowledge. I slip inside just as i hear the footsteps following me up the stairs. I sprint through the corridors looking for the tablet. The temple is enormous. Thousands of corridors that weave like a maze. I choose one and haste though it.
I come to the center of the temple with no clue where the tablet is. Suddenly the black roof of the temple is ripped open, revealing a Graviton ship. Rubble crashes around me destroying the floor on which I stand. I plummet to the bottom. I land on my left foot, it shatters. I cannot stand. I look around, there is a dim light in the corner. Its shining on the sacred Voodoo Doll! I crawl to it. I hear the ropes dropping behind me with Graviton Mercenaries sliding down them. I reach the doll as they reach the floor. I grab the Doll, murmur the words inscribed on its pedestal "The pain you feel is the pain they feel. The harm you receive is the harm the -The Gravitons- will receive!" It comes alive, wriggles in my hand. I pin it down on the ground, the Gravitons are here. As they reach towards me I grab a piece of rubble and smash it down on the dolls head. The Graviton drop to the floor dead. I hear the ships in the atmosphere crashing down into the surface as i lose consciousness

Spoiler for Finale, The Tower, Dragon, Queen:

I wake up in a strange way. Its almost as if the darkness of sleep faded away slowly. It felt like a lifetime to just open my eyes. As i take in my surroundings I get a feeling of being home, but I am outdoors. Its a spanning field, but the grass is not green. The grass is a blend of all colors, constantly changing. The blades are translucent but pulsating in a rainbow of colors. The sky is filled with distant nebula and stars but its still very bright, even though there is no sun in sight. I stand up, my leg is no longer broken. I turn around, there is a large tower in the center of the field. I know exactly where I am. This is the beginning of the universe, the beginning of everything. That tower is the Quantum Tower. The tower is pulsating. From the top of the tower spews out the 12 Elements that make up the universe, 3 at a time with each pulse. According to legend, before the existence of time or light or anything else, the Tower emerged from nothing and spewed out the elements that create our universe. The Tower should not be pulsating now.
I hear a sound, like a florescent light bulb that's almost out of power. I turn towards the sound and before my eyes stand the largest creature I have ever seen. The mighty Golden Dragon, protector of the Quantum Tower. It shines so bright that it should blind me, but there is no pain in my eyes. It looks at me as if expecting something from me. I ask it a simple question; "Am i dead?" He speaks to me, not with sound but with light. Somehow i understand. "Not yet". His response gives me chills. I ask "Why am I here?" He bows his head, but not towards me. Something behind me speaks; "You are here because you have upset the balance of the universe." I turn around, its the creator of life from the same legends as the Tower and the Dragon, its the Firefly Queen. Her fireflies swarm around her. "I was only bringing justice to those who harm life, surely you should understand." I say.
"You have not. You have only brought more destruction and chaos to the universe. You have exterminated 3 entire species. You think you bring justice, but you do not. You are not capable of doing so. The Hematite Golems you destroyed? They did not eradicate the Graboids and the Stone Dragons for no reason, the Graboids were evolving into Shriekers. Shriekers are capable of destroying a planets crust to the point of planetary colapse. The Stone Dragons were destroying the Golems in order to make themselves larger. The Golems simply preserved themselves. The Seraphs were not war mongering elitists, they were simply a beacon of hope and moral guidance for those who followed them. The Gravitons were not evil eradicators, the evil ones were the ones who hire them. The Gravitons were trying to make a living so they can feed their families. Due to your actions, they do not have families anymore. You are the evil eradicator, you are elitist, you are the war monger. You caused so much destruction and harm that the Tower now has to create Elements again just to bring balance back." She exclaims.
The Dragon speaks now; "You are not punished with death. That would only bring more imbalance. Instead, you are banished from death and life. You will reside in the realm of light. Only death its self can help you now!"
Before I can speak I am completely engulfed in light. Everything is white. I close my eyes but there is no difference. Its as if the inside of my eyelids are made of the same light. I look at my body, I am made of the same light that surrounds me. There is nothing I can do. I have no arms or legs. I have no body. I have no mind. I simply exist. An unknown amount of time passes, if time even passes here. My vision catches the silhouette immediately. Its a woman. She has her back to me. On her shoulder is a tattoo, the skull of death. She has come for me. She has come to save me.

The End.

[InsignificantWeeaboo]

Spoiler for The Gnomad:

I am but a simple Gnome. Someone as simple as I am doesn't need a name besides "Gnome". Upon it, I ride a steed which was given to me as a gift by my late father, Norman. It has a thin body, four legs with hooves, dark brown eyes, and a horn. He gave it the name Ralph many years before he died. Our home, the Stone Tower, was destroyed during an accident involving 2 tons of dynamite and a stray Brimstone Eater. This happened 2 days ago. Together, we travel to search for a place to rest.

My first stop was the Aether Tower. It was much more advanced than any of the places I've traveled to. The whole thing was made out of a material that didn't exist in this world (This observation ended up becoming a common theme during my stay at the Aether Tower). It seemed to be made of differently shaped planes of the fabric of space-time. They were mostly triangles, and some other shapes. Despite being called fabric, it was a sturdy and hard material. It was taller than the heavens itself, with different wormholes that would teleport you to different parts of the Tower. It was kind of crooked in some areas, but not crooked enough to collapse. Lightning rods were placed at different parts of the tower, probably for power. In some cases sparks emitted from the rods would come to life, only to phase out of existence seconds after. The inhabitants were colored black and wore bronze armor on their shoulders that consisted of shoulder guards, a chest plate, a type of crown, and a midnight blue cape. They stood upright, were thin, and had white glowing eyes. One was kind enough to show me around the tourist's marketplace, which held necessities that were deemed unnecessary by the immortal inhabitants there. I couldn't find an inn there. Instead, I had a meal at the tavern there, bought a couple of supplies for the road, and went on my way.

I noticed that I was running low on electrum, so I traveled a familiar path to look for a job. Once I reached my destination, I found two giant Armagios guarding the way into the Gravity Tower. The tower was giant orb floated in the air, with different metal ribbons floating around it. I looked over at a ship landing inside the barbed wire fence on a marked landing zone, and saw a platoon of Graviton Mercenaries exit it. They jumped, and were pulled upwards towards the orb. I got off Thomas, approached one of the Armagios and asked if there were any open jobs I could take. It replied, "I'm afraid I cannot allow you to enter the tower. We're currently in lock down and will not be permitting any outsiders from entering, even civilians from allied countries." It then scanned my body and added, "Even if we weren't in lock down, your size would make it near impossible to work at this settlement." Gravitons were known for being blunt. A nearby Mercenary overheard this conversation and gave me directions to the Wind Tower, saying that I'd have an easier time finding jobs there. So I thanked him, mounted Thomas, and headed towards it.

At some point, my travels to the Wind Tower brought me in the middle of the Nox Fields where it was eternally night. Suddenly, Thomas collapsed underneath the weight of my supplies and my body. I hopped off and noticed Thomas was having trouble getting back up. I unloaded everything on Thomas' back, but this didn't help Thomas get back up. His breaths got slower and slower, until he didn't breath any more. Tears filled my eyes as Thomas slowly crumbled, turning into rocks, then stones, then pebbles, then dust.

The one thing that my father left me before he died: gone.

My sorrow quickly turned to despair. I had nothing; no home, no family, no companions, just myself and a bunch of pouches of items. I didn't even fight back the Devourers that burrowed out of the ground and latched onto me, feeding off of the despair and emotions in my body. I could feel my own life force being drained away from my body. Yes, this will be the way I go out: a slow yet painless death that will reunite me with everything life took away from me.

I expected to find heaven when I woke up. Instead, I found my supplies around me and a Pegasus standing in front of me. I was still in the Nox Fields, but the Devourers were gone and I felt as alive as ever. This mercy didn't relieve me, it only made me more depressed. Was I saved out of kindness, or spite? The Pegasus turned, and walked towards the Wind Tower. I gathered my things and followed it.

I live a relatively simple life at the Wind Tower. I'm an apprentice for a bowsmith at the Owl's Nest Blacksmith Shop. It pays pretty well for an apprenticeship. But everyday, I'm haunted by the trauma of my life a couple of years ago. The death of my father, the collapse of my home, the demise of my steed Thomas, the sweet release of death snatched away from me by divine intervention, it all plagues me. I can't do anything to stop it, and everything I do to end it all is made useless by light bringing me back every time. Light can't end, it can only revive. No amount of money or success will save me from this living hell I am trapped in.

[mathman101]

Spoiler for The Journey:

There once was a young Iridium Warden who had just finished his training to be a full-fledged vanadium warden, but he still had one final test to prove his worth for the kingdom. He was required to venture to another realm and return with a trophy to prove his worth to the king. He decided to go and look through the traveler’s boards to see which quests he was eligible to use towards his final training. Upon seeing the board there were many quests available to be taken, however only a few of them could be utilized towards credit for his training classes.



 Upon reading the many job postings available, he knew which would suit his abilities best. His task would be to journey to the mighty and fearsome Water Tower that over looked the undersea realm of the water elementals. He would go there and rid their temples of the nasty ice holes causing headaches, and hopefully he would be gratefully rejoiced and accepted by the water dwellers and be given some type of token of appreciation. He journeyed for many moons and many suns hoping to make it home one day alive, and to be able to prove to his fellow warriors that he had the right stuff inside him that every true warrior should have. He knew that not every warrior who set out on a journey like this returned to the castle in one piece alive, but it was a risk he was willing to take if it meant that he could join the other vanadium warriors in protecting his kingdom. Along the way he met an old wizard who was willing to share some advice for a high price. The price the wizard had set out was that of knowledge, the warrior must answer his riddle or risk being destroyed. The young warrior thought about it and agreed to offer up some knowledge for any advice the old wizard could lend to him, he felt confident that having recently finished the majority of his studies he should have learned something useful there that would help to cross step this wizards riddle. The wizard thought for a moment and spoke  a confusing rhyming riddle for the young warden.

“What shines the same, but creates no change.
Multiplies an army, and makes them much more swarmy.
A warriors friend, but could also be his end.
Can create lots of strife, and has no place in life.”

The warden thought for a moment to himself with a puzzled look on his face. As the wizard started to grin thinking he had outwitted the warden, the warden exclaimed with a shout of delight, “Fractal!” An ancient spell he had only heard of from his many studies during training, but was glad he had actually paid half attention in those classes. The Wizard scowled in shame realizing he had been bested, and offered up some knowledge to the warden about a terrible Plague that had spread throughout the outer realms of the water kingdom. The warden thanked the wizard for his advice and continued on his way to the mighty Water Tower. As he continued to walk he thought about what the wizard had said, and wondered if the death realm and the water realm were still at war. Why would there be a plague spread across the water realm, and how could he avoid catching the infectious disease if he wanted to make it to the water tower alive.

As he reached the outskirts of the water realm he saw in the distance the kings fearsome beasts! The terrible Ice Dragons, monstrous guards that the water lord only used when there was a war ongoing. He feared his thoughts about the death-water war was still underway. He had read about the ice dragons in his school textbooks with their legendary freezing breath that can freeze a humble fire spirit solid for years. He knew of his own kings indestructible stone dragons and how they could bash enemies to bits with their rock hard stone skin, but was fearful how his mineralized armor would stand up against the dreaded ice dragons.  After the fright and shock had worn off he thought to himself if he could check the warrior boards for another quest to attempt for completing his training. Among inspection with his mobile communication device that all young warriors are given, he noticed there was a quest in the chromatic realm of the ‘others’ that could also be used to fulfill his training requirements. He knew this was a mysterious place and that not many had ventured there so there was no way to know what kind of fearsome and terrible creatures could be there. He knew that some might call him a coward for leaving one quest when it became difficult, but he was willing to try though if if it meant he did not have to fight the wicked ice dragons of the water realm. “Off to the Quantum Tower”, he thought to himself as he journeyed towards the unknown.

To Be Continued……….

[Aves]

Time is almost up! Be sure to get your stories in!

[Wyand]

Spoiler for The Staller:

Long time ago a pesky little Parasite wanted to get the fabled Relic guarded by the legendary Emerald Dragon.
He went into the Time Factory, bought a few Sundials, infected the Emerald Dragon and wanted to stall until
everybody is utterly bored (and the Dragon gets rekted of course). Little did he know that the Emerald Dragon
had a Titanium Shield and a Purify. THE END.