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RS Story Contest #4 - Survivor

Quick find code: 49-50-216-62851328

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WintryElf

WintryElf

Posts: 1,194 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Posting to check how much time is left.

Edit: 14 hours. Can do.

Edit 2: Leb, when you say Die will be removed due to inactivity, will that mean that our team automatically loses his piece's duel? Just curious.

Edit 3: Also, it occurs to me that in waiting til the last minute to submit, we increase Leb's workload. x)

06-Jul-2011 18:02:40 - Last edited on 06-Jul-2011 18:47:50 by WintryElf

The Level

The Level

Posts: 8,999 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
An icy wind whipped across the lake, summoning churning white waves that would charge the colorless shore and claw up the sandy beach, gaining ground until their grip finally loosened, and then the waves would slip back from whence they came. Grey clouds blanketed the sky, and a light, misty rain fell to the ground below.

A party of three men and one woman stood close to the lake, though outside the reach of the frigid water. Two of the men held the woman, while an older, bearded man faced the others.

“Elizabeth Taylor,” said the old man, “You have been charged with witchcraft and the practice of black magic. These charges will now be put to the test. You shall be thrown into the lake, and if you float, then you are a witch. If not, then you shall be set free of the accusations made against you.”

“I’m not a witch!” the woman, Elizabeth, cried. She struggled to free herself from the hold of the other two men, to no avail. Even if she had loosened their iron grip, the two hefty stones chained to her ankles would have prevented her from making any escape.

Elizabeth was young, no older than twenty, with fair skin and a gentle face that could make even the most hardened adventurer soften. Wavy, brunette hair fell across her eyes, colored a deep blue that matched the hue of the lake water.

“Please,” she begged, “I’m not a witch!”

“You are allegedly responsible for the deaths of three young children,” the older man said coldly. “I would be remiss to allow such charges to go unconfirmed.”

He gestured to the men.

“Throw her in.”

She screamed in terror as one of the men lifted her from her feet, while the other carried the rocks behind them. She thrashed violently, a last ditch effort to escape the fate that sought to claim her. They waded several yards into the lake to a steep drop-off in the water.

06-Jul-2011 18:46:49

The Level

The Level

Posts: 8,999 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“Good luck,” the man that carried her murmured. He let her go, and backpedaled several feet. Elizabeth screeched, before the rocks dragged her to the dark depths below. The men waded back to the old man, who stood impassive at the shoreline.

“What now?" one of them gasped, panting with the effort of having to fight the waves.

“We return to our homes,” the old man said quietly. “Her name shall be cleared, and—” He stopped, squinting out at the lake.

The water appeared to be boiling; steam rose from the lake’s surface and the water began to bubble. Suddenly, twin tendrils of water rose in the air, weaving and hissing in the air. They shot forward, enveloping the two burly men and sucking them beneath the waves so fast neither could open their mouths to shout for help. The old man stumbled backwards, fear rising in his throat, as Elizabeth Taylor emerged from the water, a thin smile playing across her lips.

“Okay,” she admitted, “I’m a witch.”

With a flick of her flawless hand, a thousand gallons of scorching hot water soared through the air, straight at the old man.

"She's a witch," he said incredulously, a moment before the water reached him.

06-Jul-2011 18:48:46

Archive

Archive

Posts: 23 Bronze Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Meriago’s hand sifted through the earth surrounding him.

‘Something has unsettled this ground.’

‘Do you think it’s him?’

‘I fear it may be.’

‘How long..?’

‘Perhaps tonight.’

The woman looked visibly shaken. She glanced backwards through the window of her house at the children playing.

‘What if it is? He wouldn’t...Not the children...’

‘You and I both know that’s not how it works.’

The woman looked back at the children.

‘And there is nothing we can do..?’

‘Nothing.’

The woman remembered what she’d seen of the first murders. The floors paved with blood, the bodies twisted into grotesque, inhuman shapes. A shiver ran down her spine. She feared for the children.

For two months, the inhabitants of Seer’s Village had been terrorised by these happenings. The only indication was an unsettlement in the earth surrounding the victim’s home. Then all they could do was wait. Their only relief was Meriago, an accomplished Seer, telling how long they had left.
The sun had started sinking below the horizon. The woman stared at Meriago, waiting for him to deliver great words that would guarantee her survival. They never came. Instead he stood up, brushed the soil off his robes and started heading back to his house. The woman was left to her thoughts, knowing only that the night would be her last.

Morning came and news of the murder had already spread. Meriago woke late, unfazed by what had happened. As he got up, he noticed a note had been posted under his door. He bent down and picked it up. It was another report of unsettled earth surrounding someone’s house. He sighed, strapped on his sandals and stepped out of his house into the sharp morning air.

The earth surrounding his house felt unfamiliar and out of place. Meriago thought nothing of it.

The body was recovered the following night.

06-Jul-2011 21:22:38 - Last edited on 06-Jul-2011 21:24:04 by Archive

Venmi

Venmi

Posts: 14,744 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“What you see before you is more than what meets the eye. What you see represents acts of love, hate, compassion, and malice. The amount of emotions and drive behind what you see is beyond comprehension.

“For you see, child, like water, what you see before you has many useful applications, whether it be to warm up something that’s cold, cook something that is raw, or even to kill a man. Like water, the uses of this beauty can be both helpful and hurtful.

“The creator of life, they call water, eh? Well what you see before you is the fuel of life. Use it well and it will aid you and others throughout your life. However, if you use it poorly, death and destruction will rein upon you and those around you. The choice is yours. But please, my child, know that no matter what choice you make, be yourself. What you see before you burns brightest in your heart. Remember that.”

“What path did you take?” the little girl asked. She sat there, staring at the flame, pondering the many things that can be done with the beauty in front of her. “Are you a good man, or a bad man?”

“Well,” he said as he snapped his fingers. “I use it as I need it.” A log on the ground suddenly combusted into flames. The man took out a piece of raw meat from his backpack which made his cape, orange with a log lit on fire etched in it, flow in the wind. He picked up a nice looking stick on the ground, skewered the meat, and held it over the fire.

“Rabbit!* the girl exclaimed, licking her lips.

“Indeed,” the man said, smiling. “So you see, as I mentioned before, cooking is just one of the many useful aspects of fire.” Once the rabbit was cooked, the man took it off the skewer and placed it on a clean patch of grass. Sifting through his bag again, he took out a knife this time and cleanly cut the rabbit into manageable pieces to eat.

06-Jul-2011 23:34:37

Venmi

Venmi

Posts: 14,744 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“Dig in,” he said as he took a piece and chewed it. The girl looked at him as he was chewing, and she couldn’t help but smile and take a piece for herself.

As she was eating, she asked with her mouth half-full, “I never got your name. What is it?”

The man wiped the few pieces of meat that the girl accidently spat at him, and then he said with pride, “I am Ignatius Vulcan, a pyre master. No one knows more of the art of fire than I. This is why I plead of you to take my words wisely. Fire is very helpful—as our ancestors a long, long time ago have figured out—but at the same time, it is extremely dangerous. Pick your use of fire wisely, and life will go well for everyone who deserves peace. You understand?”

The girl, still baffled by all this, nodded and smiled without uttering another word.

“Good,” he said.

“Vulcan,” the girl said, now eager to say something. “Why did you rescue me? Why did you take me in?”

“No reason at all,” Vulcan said. “You were in need, and I answered your cries. Also, I have made many mistakes in my past. I must make up for them. Take that whatever way you want. Just be happy I saved your life, and nothing more needs to be said.”

Both of them stayed quiet after that, sat down, and ate until the rabbit was completely gone. Vulcan got up and doused the fire with his foot, looked at the girl, and then smiled. “Let’s go.”

She got up and walked alongside him, and they walked along the fields near Seer’s as the sun set behind them.

06-Jul-2011 23:34:54

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