Toon Fiction Contest

Hello Ankhies

Starting the 1st of April and running through to the end of the month, I'm running a competition where all you budding literary types, poets, chatterboxes and role players can write some fiction. All you have to do is select any one of your toons and write a short tale about them, or something they did, or something they thought, fought or bought. Whatever you like! Just keep it PG 13. I'll be amassing wonderful prizes for this one which will include 20 Gold, a RARE and expensive dye and some exotics. So fire up those creative juices and post away. Have fun with it!! Remember it runs all month, so take your time.

But I already wrote 2 chapters of a short story about my character! Doesn't that count? I don't wanna write more right now!

Yeah well I hadn't seen yours at the time I came up with the idea so it doesn't count. Perhaps you could tell is about Melinda the slave girl forced to live on a cave because of her magic skills. Haha

OK, Plum asked me to write the story of why Melinda is stuck at the pirate cave and never gets to go anywhere or do anything else. Here's her sorrowful tale:

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Melinda walked into Lion's Arch for the first time and looked around. There were so many sights and smells. The variety of vendors in the square amazed her. This was so different from Hoelbrak and the small villages she journeyed through to get here. She barely remembered to breath as she took it all in. What a wondrous place!

She wandered aimlessly for a few minutes then stopped to watch a musician play the harp. As Melinda listened to the music, a blonde human female walked up, stopped, and slowly eyed Melinda from top to bottom.

"Well now, aren't you special?" the human asked.

Smiling, Melinda said "Hi. I'm Melinda from Hoelbrak."

"yeah? Well I'm Betty and you're on my corner so beat it sister. All the new girls start off in Fort Marriner taking care of the soldiers so move along."

"Excuse me?" said Melinda. "I don't understand."

"Don't play the dumb blonde with me," replied Betty, "If you want to work, get to Fort Marriner and work your way up like I did."

Melinda's confusion gave way to anger. "I don't know what you're talking about but no one can tell me where I can and can't go! I'm staying right here!"

"Fine, have it your way." Betty turned and walked away. She approached a couple of Lionguard officers who were nearby. Betty stood there speaking with the Lionguard a few minutes then the officers walked over to Melinda.

"Ma'am, you'll have to come with us" said one of the Lionguard.

"Why?" asked Melinda.

"You're under arrest ma'am."

"Arrest?! For what?"

"Soliciting without a permit, vagrancy, and loitering for starters. We can add resisting arrest to that if you wish." replied the second Lionguard.

"But I'm just listening to the music!"

"Come along and you can tell it to the magistrate lady."

With one Lionguard leading the way and the other Lionguard close behind her, Melinda was escorted away. As they passed by, Betty smiled and said, "I told you it was my corner."

The Lionguard led Melinda into a building and in front a gruff looking Charr who was seated at a desk.

"What are the charges?" asked the Charr Magistrate.

"Soliciting without a permit, vagrancy, and loitering. She was working a corner without permission." replied one of the Lionguard.

"Who's corner?" asked the Magistrate.

"Betty's"

"Ahhh, Betty. Everyone in LA knows Betty" smiled the Magistrate. "Well young lady, what do you have to say for yourself? These are some serious charges."

"I didn't do anything! I've only been here a little over an hour. I was shopping and then stopped to listen to a troubadour play the harp."

"Shopping?" asked the Magistrate. "A likely story. But since I can find no record of prior arrests for you, I'll go easy on you. You're a mesmer, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then your sentence is 6 months of community service to be served portaling tourists up to the pirate ghost attraction at Sharkmaw Caverns. The Lionguard will escort you to work. Court is adjourned."

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Now ya'll know why poor Melinda is stuck at Sharkmaw Caverns and can't leave. It's all that tramp Betty's fault for making false accusations.

A Story behind Adriahna Dawn. Enjoy.
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It was a dark, lonely night in Divinty's reach. The nearby shops had recently closed down and all the crowds had left for the nearby pubs for some drinks. A tall female stood in the shadows, quietly watching the empty streets, waiting patiently for her assignment to come from the Whisper's Agent she had spotted down the road. "Why are we recruiting such shabby people nowadays?" she wondered quietly as the agent slipped into the shadows to join her.

"Commander Dawn?" whispered the agent. Adriahna sighed and replied, "Yes? What is it that the Master wants from me?" The agent held out a sealed envelope. "No idea, but it seems to be important. The Master warned me to tell you to open it in a solitary place, and to make sure it got disposed off promptly."

Adriahna glared at the obviously new agent. "You really ought to know the reputation of those that you play messenger for. Now get back to the Master with news that you have successfully----" she was cut off by a whistling arrow that whipped by her cheek, gently brushing the feathers against her skin as the arrow landed straight into the agent's chest. The agent slumped, lifeless, onto the ground almost immediately.

"Shit," muttered Adriahna. She quickly scooped up the body and ran through the nearest doorway as another arrow thudded into the wooden post next to her head. Quickly muttering a spell, she teleported across the street and rolled behind a local cart. Another arrow whipped over her head. "Why did Balthazar have to grant me the powers of an elementalist?" she muttered quietly as she drew her staff and mentally attuned to the fire element. "There's nothing subtle about this!" She proclaimed as she sent a shower of meteors raining down on the assailants location.

Fire lit up the bushes in which the assailant had been hiding and screams started to come across sharply. Adriahna promptly stowed away her staff and sank into the shadows as doors started to burst open. She sat by quietly as she watched guards pour out of the buildings looking for the source of the commotion to find fire burning brightly. They quickly doused the flames to find a charred corpse. Whoever it was, was no longer identifiable. Quickly and quietly, she stepped away and ran through the gate leading to her hideout in the Fields of Ruin....

When she reached her hideout close to where the local guilds would come to try their luck with the Rush Event, she took out the envelope and promptly opened it to find the scrawled handwriting of her late mentor, Tybalt. She quickly swallowed down her emotions as she read his message,


Adriahna smiled as she wiped a rare tear from her eye. Her parents had gone to the Mist War? Of all places she thought they might be, she didn't expect that. And for them to be commanders! She wondered if it was in her blood to follow their footsteps as she folded up the letter and slid it into a drawer. "Why was I attacked though? This letter held no information on the Order of Whispers location or plans." She thought quietly to herself for a moment and then it dawned on her. "It must have been a spy from the enemy armies! But, if that's the case, why did they waste an assassin to make sure this letter was not delivered and how did they find out about it?" With many questions reeling in her mind, she laid down and forced herself to rest. Tomorrow was the day she was going to go sign up for the Mist War Army and start the process of possibly finding her parents.

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I didn't want to make this too long of a read. Maybe, just maybe, I'll continue it like Myron is doing with his story. Hope y'all enjoyed!

*applauds* Good story Jason! And yes you should continue with it. Write us a longer, stand alone story to post here on the forums.

Tyria, a land of wonder, intrigue, and power. It has survive many centuries of war, death, and renewal. Its abundant lands hosts a variety of creatures, people, and powerful enemies. The people are resilient and hardworking, with each devastating attack on the land, the people come back even more determined to survive. In this tale, we will follow a band of heros who came from all corners of Tyria. These heros are famous throughout Tyria for their acts of good deeds that protect the people of Tyria. This is their story.

This band of heros have no known static leader, each member contributes and earn their rightful place in the group. Their names are Shana, Ithy, Lisa, Nek, and Betty.. Some will say these aren't their real names, but only pseudo-names they picked up on their long journies together. Shana, the brilliant Sylvari engineer, is the most statistical of them all. She approches each problem with logical and maths. Some say, the secret to her vast brilliance are the scrollsheets that she carries. Ithy, a powerful norn mage who specializes in healing is a caring and gentle being. Her towering stature brings a sense of calming to the group. Her brilliant healing have saved the group from many dangerous situations. Nek, the mighty charr warrior that specializes in smashing face is fear among many. To add insult to injury to his enemies, he wears pink armor and carries an ancient and powerful pink sword. Lisa, the mysterious Sylvari ranger whose presence simply stuns her enemies. Some will say that her stare will instill fear into most mortals. Along side her, her trusty powerful Black Widow Spider, together they are a force to reckon with. Finally last but not least, Betty the divine and noble guardian, the protector of the group. Her powerful defensive magic skills soothe and provide much needed defense to the group. She wields her trusty mace and shield that gives protection and vigor to the group.

One day while our mighty heros were taking a much needed rest in a tavern after slaying the Howler King in the ancient Ascalonian catacombs, they overheard some Lionguards mention about something evil that have risen in the sewers beneath Divinity's Reach. They mention about sightings of this evil, a man and his pet feline companion. The party was now intrigued since their specialty was to slay evil wherever they see it. They thank the Lionguards and quickly finished their meals and turned in for the night. The next day, they all decided that they would travel to Divinity's Reach to gather more intel about the strange evil man. Upon reaching Divinity's Reach (DR), the party noticed many wanted posters for the mysterious man. The Shining Blade have requested that the mysterious man be brought to justice for his malicious crimes. The Blades have dubbed this man "Myron the Old Redneck". They mentioned about how there is a strange red aura around the back of his neck hence the name. Priory scholars surmised that "Myron" used to be a regular old man until he came in contact with an evil artifact in the sewers beneath DR while hunting for possums. Many of the older folk in DR told the Blades that Myron used to be a kind and gentle old man until he came back from the sewers. Nevertheless, the general consensus seems that this great evil must be destroyed.
The next day, the party assembled at the local tavern and decided that they will pursue this great evil. The sewers beneath DR is a dangerous place, few dare to venture down there. Only the city workers along with an armed escort are the only ones allowed to be down there offically. The party made the Blades aware that they will be going after Myron. Many sightings report that Myron would emerge from sewers beneath the Eastern District. The band made haste to a sewer entrance in the Eastern District. Upon reaching the grate, they noticed an evil miasma emenating from below. "This must be the entrance!" exclaimed Betty. "We should be process with caution and according to my scrollsheets with all the right conditions, we only have a 11% chance of surviving." remarked Shana. "This hasn't stopped us before, responded Nek." Ithy agreed and Lisa responded with a nod. Without much effort, Betty removed the grate from its housing. The party decended into the depths of darkness. Nek led the way with his mighty glowing pink sword that radiated the tunnels with light. Lisa, a ranger that always carries a torch, helped lit the tunnels behind the group. Shana, the brilliant mastermind of the group, took the initiative hours before to go out and seek a map of the sewers. The party creeped forward and the miasma grew thicker. "We seemed to be getting closer, remarked Ithy." Shana led the group further down the narrow tunnels until they hit a dead end. "Great job, exclaimed Nek, led us to a dead end.""According to this map, this wall isn't suppose to be here, responded Shana." "Look, shouted Betty, this miasma seemed to be coming from inside the wall!""A magical barrier of some sort?" asked Ithy. "We have encounter false magical wall before." said Lisa. "Only one way to find out."shouted Nek."Wait!," yelled Shana. But it was too late, Nek already started to charge through with his greatsword in front. The party heard a loud crash on the other side and rushed through the wall. "Nek are you alright, shouted Betty!""Yea, I'm fine, responded Nek.""You are always thinking with your weapons, Nek," remarked Ithy as she casted a healing gyser on Nek's location. After getting Nek back on his feet, the party ventured forwad until they noticed a faint ominous glow down the tunnel. The misama grew thicker as they approached the glow. The party prepared for battle as they creeped forward.

"Watch out for traps," warned Shana. The warning came too late as Nek had already tiggered a spike trap, but the magical defensive shield aegis that Betty provides protected Nek from injury. "Nek, are you trying to get yourself killed?" questioned Ithy. "It wasn't my fault this time!" exclaimed Nek. The party moved slowly towards the glow until they reached an opened hall. At the center of the hall stood a figure and a creature. "I think we found him," said Betty. The party drew their weapons and the figured slowly turned towards the party. "Who darns to enter my domain?" echoed Myron. "We dare!" shouted Shana. "Now you shall all die!" replied Myron. A stream of arrows started to come from out of nowhere. Betty casted a protection shield around the party, while Nek started to charge towards Myron. "Wait Nek, not again." shouted Ithy. Multiple arrows struck Nek, but the mighty warrior refuse to fall. Betty ran after Nek to back him up, while the rest of the party started to attack Myron. Shana layed down turrets around Myron to keep his pet occupied whilest Ithy continued to heal Nek. Lisa started to return fire with her own arrows. Her spider companion quickly joined in fray with a quick spit of venom. The battle seemed to have gone on for hours, but finally after a quick decisive Hundred Blades from Nek, Myron fell flat on his stomach exposing the red glow around the back of his neck."Curse you darn yungins!," shouted Myron before he passed out. "There is something attached to his neck," said Nek. "Don't touch!, shouted Shana. "We have no idea what we're dealing with," said Shana, "We should get the Priory down here and let them investigate." "What if he wakes up?, asked Lisa. "He won't, exclaimed Nek, "I'll make sure of it." The research party from the Priory showed up with a group of Shining Blades a few hours later with testing equipment. The commanders of the Blades was excited to see that the heros were able to destroy this evil. He graciously handed everyone in the party each a bag of gold as the reward money for defeating the evil. The head scholar came over and explain that this was going to take some time and they should transport Myron and the artifact back to Priory HQ in DR for further studies. The blades commander agreed on the condition that safeguards were to be put in place to prevent Myron from escaping. The scholar agree and mention that they will enlist the keep of the Vigil to help keep Myron contained.

The band of heros quickly made thier way back to the surface. Each one of them with a happy smirk on their faces. "This is a quite a bit of money!, exclaimed Ithy, I am looking forward to finally getting my new dress." "And maybe Nek can finally afford a bath," joked Lisa. Nek quickly responded with a sharp snarl. "I am going to save this money for my lengardary weapon." said Nek. "I am going to spend this money on new amor! exclaimed Shana. Betty and Lisa did not mention what they were going to do with their reward and the others did not ask. Later that night, the party was invite the local inn for a celebration. The entire city was grateful for defeating the evil beneath DR. The Queen and Logan Thackery was there and personally thanked the heros for their mighty deed. The party lasted throughout the night. Everyone was happy and the band of heros eagerly await their next challenge. The Priory to this day have been studying Myron and still are trying to get the ancient artifact off of him. He is still locked away in a magically enforced cell within the Priory HQ awaiting his fate.

Ooh how exciting! Great job Jason, definitely wanted to read more, and Myron, pretty sure Melinda has been up at that assignment for longer than 6 months now, so I think her sentence should be well and truly over!!

Yes Plum, I agree. She should have been free to go by now but just as she was approaching the end of her very unfair six month sentence, Scarlet attacked LA and all sorts of mayhem ensued. In the attack, all records were destroyed so Melinda has been told she has to stay there until the records are reconstructed and it's confirmed that she has indeed completed her sentence. She's been told she'll just have to wait for the court records to be processed. Naturally, that's not a very high priority right now with everything else also destroyed so the poor lass is caught up in a bureaucratic nightmare that never seems to end.

This is all Betty's fault.

This excerpt details the beginning of Seive and Kirah Sootpaw’s journey through the fall of their warband. For reference, they are both Charr (surprise!), while Seive is a Guardian and Kirah is a Necromancer.
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“The village was supposed to be safe.”

The words were no more comforting to Seive as she said them than they were to her auburn-furred sister. Kirah huddled with her back against a nook in the rocky cliffside, looking out over the grassy hill and down to the charred remains of Dewclaw Village. Clutched in her left hand was the rustic aureate warhorn of a senior warband member, while at her feet lay an unceremoniously dropped dagger still glistening in fresh blood.

Seive sat beside her sister. She too felt exposed, uneasy, her heart still pounding loudly as if it expected another assault at any moment. Hours passed as the Charr watched the fires of Dewclaw Village burn down into smoldering embers, until the weariness of interrupted sleep caught up with them both. Seive allowed her eyes to fall closed for just a moment, before memories of the horrible attack flooded back.

The youngest and newest members of the freshly-formed Soot warband, the as-yet-unranked sisters had travelled for days across Ascalon with an experienced team of Blood Legion spies. Lacking field experience themselves, the sisters joined in a routine assignment meant to acquaint them with a new team. The village was a regular stop on such ventures, where the band could rest and resupply before travelling into enemy territory. Nobody had expected the enemy to come to them.

Seive winced in her sleep, simultaneously remembering the flash of bright light and the sweltering wave of heat that came just seconds before the first explosion sprayed instantly-molten metal across the ground and into the neighboring river. She remembered grasping Kirah’s paw and pulling her sleepy sister to her feet, and together they rushed out of their temporary quarters and into a village of chaos and flame. They had both stood, stunned, as fire shamans descended from the sky like streaking meteors. With sword in one hand and shield in another, they watched a band-mate hold his own against two shamans for just a moment before a Flame Legion stalker materialized behind him in a flash of light.

No stranger to an unfair fight, the bandmate spun around with his shield, thrusting forth and sending the stalker sprawling across the ground. He spotted the sisters and, as protocol demanded, he shouted the only command that he felt could save the young ones.

“Retreat!”

The word hit Seive with a rush of adrenaline, her paw holding tighter onto Kirah’s as she ran faster than she ever had in her life. A nearby explosion sent metal hurtling at the escaping sisters, but Seive did not slow; she knew she was protected by her bandmate’s words, if only temporarily. Together they rushed towards the ravine known as Champion’s Shield, frantically making their way up the hilltop to the Old Pike Ruins.

They looked back on what appeared to be a winning battle. Despite both the surprise attack and being grossly outnumbered, the hardened Blood Legion squad fought with mechanical synergy, simultaneously attacking and deflecting blows for each other from all sides. It wasn’t until the mute Kirah’s paw nudged her shoulder that Seive realized the warband was in over its head.

What started as an unusual ebb from over the northern hillside became a roaring fire moving through the Champion’s Shield ravine. The ground trembled with each heavy step as an unnatural beast of twisted metal came into view. Looking down from the cliffside, Seive found herself sweltering from the sheer magnitude of heat emanating from the monster.

“Is that,” Seive began, her voice barely above a whisper, “an effigy?”

She had only heard stories of the Flame Legion’s most powerful creations, diabolical machinations of magic and metal that she had once believed were contrived only to scare the young Charr. She wished the monster had remained a thing of fairytale.

The effigy descended upon the village with a flame so intense that the few remaining buildings began to melt in its presence, as if they had been tossed into a massive furnace. It was only through magic that the exotic armor of their band leader was able to withstand the heat. The cloth-wearers of the group were not so lucky. By proximity alone, their clothes burst into flames, searing away their fur with mind-numbing agony. With little time to coordinate, the band leader rushed the effigy, screaming one last command to his warband.

“Save Yourselves!”

A rush of protective magic enveloped the squad, pulling the fire off of the band and onto their leader. He raised his shield as the effigy raised its fist, gritting his teeth while trying to ignore the pain of the burns. The effigy’s first strike sent him to his knees, shattering his protective barrier in a flash of light. The second strike crushed the raised shield into the ground with such ease that it was as if the band leader’s armored body was no obstacle.

Despite his valiant sacrifice, the damage had been done. Unable to recover from their intense burns, the band fell just moments after their leader, overwhelmed by the attack. A few Flame Legion remained standing beside their effigy, drinking in the glory of an ambush gone smoothly. Seive was unsure if it was the sight of the event, or the laughter of the enemy, or simply misguided anger that led Kirah to barrel away from her grasp and off the cliff towards the ruined village.

Seive jumped down the cliff after her sister.

“Kirah, stay back!”

Her words were more damning than helpful. Hearing the scream, a shaman looked up to see Kirah rushing on all fours towards their group, her face twisted in a snarling growl. With a short gesture and whip of his hand, a fireball streaked from his fingertips. Kirah leapt in an attempt to dodge the flaming missile, only to find herself spiraling through the air and sprawling several yards across the ground from the force of its explosion. She landed stunned, the wind knocked from her lungs, gasping for air and looking at the body of a bandmate she had laughed beside just the day before.

Seive found herself with little time to plan. Grasping a simple, maul-like warhammer from wreckage on the ground, she ran at the Flame Legion who descended upon her sister. The feel of hard metal in her hand reverberating with the impact from a blow to the skull was the single best form of restitution she could imagine. Regardless, her sister mattered more than revenge.

“Get up!” Seive yelled at her fallen sister, swinging her hammer around full-circle to create a magical barrier of white light. “Run!”

But in that moment, Kirah seemed as deaf as she was mute. She stared into the eyes of her dead bandmate, but it wasn’t death that she saw looking back at her. She reached forth a hand, rubbing it gently along a broken jaw of singed fur.

“Snap out it it!” Seive commanded, slamming her warhammer into the ground to release a wave of force that upheaveled the enemy. “The effigy is coming Kirah, we can’t fight it!”

Kirah had learned little conventional magic in her life, but still she felt an unmistakable draw towards the body beside her. The body was broken, defeated, and useless, but inside she saw the unbridled anger of a soul that had died unjustly. She wanted to believe she wasn’t imagining it, that with enough focus she could make it real. Kirah held on to that feeling, grasping it with her mind, breathing in the hatred and pain of her fallen comrade.

Seive looked down again at her sister, who stirred for the first time since falling just moments before. Kirah lifted herself from the ground, pausing for a second on all fours while hues of green and black twisted around her body in spiritual flame. She looked up, staring into the eyes of a Flame Legion stalker as he closed in after picking himself up from Seive’s hammer attack.

She opened her mouth to roar, but it was no ordinary sound that came out. Echoing of a plane beyond the physical, Seive felt the roar echo into her soul, but felt no fear beside its anger. The stalker heard the same cry, but to him it reverberated in horror so great his will shattered and he turned tail and ran, unable to process another thought.

Kirah stood. A shaman began a quick gesture but the spirit-infused Charr was faster, releasing a bolt of black flame with a flick of her wrist. The dark fires seemed to penetrate cleanly through the enemy’s physical form, burning his soul and sending him to his knees.

“Kirah,” Seive whispered under her breath.

‘They will fight for you, if you let them,’ Seive heard the voices speak into her mind, as if all of the fallen bandmates were speaking in unison.

Seive looked to the flame effigy, its slow, lumbering steps closing on the outnumbered sisters. She then looked just behind the effigy, where she saw three fallen squad members, each one tightly clutching the magical weapons they had carried since they were recruits. From that moment, instinct took over.

Seive dashed past the effigy, barely rolling away from a deadly slam into the ground. Landing beside the first squad member, she grasped his shield and raised it to block the next attack.

When the effigy’s fist collided with the shield, it burst into white flame, awakened by Seive’s will to defend her fallen warband to the last. Springing from her hands, the shield’s physical matter seemed to burn away, leaving behind the brilliant white image of a spiritual shield – a weapon that, like the effigy, Seive had only heard of in legend. The weapon confounded the effigy, who saw strike after strike deflected effortlessly by a shield that had no owner.

The few remaining Flame Legion turned to Seive, but made not a step in her direction before chains of shadow extended from Kirah’s soul into theirs. Finding themselves unable to move from the spot, the legion looked to the source of the shackles, only to see Kirah’s flaming shadow open its arms as if to embrace them from afar. From willpower alone she beckoned for their souls to come to her. She felt their resistance, their fear, drinking in a mental high from their terror as realization crossed each enemy Charr’s face. Then, with an unrelenting pull, she ripped their souls from their body, piece by piece, fueling herself with their fragmented beings.

Under the protection of the spirit shield, Seive had moved quickly from one bandmate to another, awakening their vengeful spirits through their magical weapons. Each time the weapon burned away like the last, until Seive was left mentally commanding the spiritually-imbued shield, sword, and bow of her fallen squad. While the shield deflected the effigy’s attacks with ease, the bow rained magical arrows upon its head, spraying shards of its metal body with each strike. The sword swung alongside the shield, using each block as another opportunity to attack, until it severed a flaming arm and the effigy howled in pain.

Each seeing an opportunity to strike, Kirah spent her remaining power on a streaking burst of black fires, destroying one of the effigy’s feet. As it fell backwards, Seive commanded the spiritual sword to strike at its chest, digging the blade deep into the magical metal before bursting into a flash of white light.

With that flash, the ruined village went quiet. The weapons Seive had summoned seemed to disappear, leaving no trace of the weapons that formed them behind. Her newfound power spent, Kirah was found on her knees, looking silently at the smoldering village as if she didn’t fully believe what had occurred. She looked to her sister, as if to ask what they were to do next.

“We flee, before more come,” Seive began before pausing.

She knew that wasn’t what Kirah wanted to hear. She herself was not satisfied with the answer. Despite their unexpected victory, the remains of her warband still laid around her. Dewclaw Village stood in ruins. And the Flame Legion, while defeated during this attack, would no doubt consider ravaging a well-respected Blood Legion warband a victory in its own. She was not content leaving them to believe they had won anything from this attack.

“We will move into the hills, for tonight,” she continued, her strategic mind taking over. “Tomorrow, we will tell the legion what happened here. They need to know the Flame Legion has the ability to mobilize effigies so close to the Citadel. Then, we will resign.”

Kirah stared at her sister in disbelief.

“And once we resign,” Seive paused again. “Once we resign, we bring the fight to the Flame Legion. Every day, every night, until we die or there are no more of them left to kill. Today’s attack has to come at a price greater than they could have fathomed.”

She looked over the warband one last time, settling into her resolve.

“It has to, or else we’ve let them win,” she said, reaching forth a hand to help her sister up. “We won’t die with that burden.”

When our uncle died, my sister decided to join the Seraph. I was against it, as our mother didn't want us risking our lives for someone who we will never meet. Our mother always liked Minister Caudecus and his ideals. But I know a grinning rat when I see one. With our uncle dead and being fourteen I had to listen to my sister, with her being the big sister and all. She gave me a choice, join her with the Seraph or be a streetwalker. I didn't enjoy the thought of either, since both could get me killed. I told her," I rather be a tavern maid than join the Seraph!" My sister slapped me across the face and left me there in our house.

Heartbroken and hungry, I decided to walk the streets of Divinity's Reach. Looking for food was the first thing on my mind since I hadn't eat anything for two days. Soon I started to smell something good and savory. By tracking down the smell to a local tavern, the subtle irony that I yelled at my sister was laughing at me. I didn't care, I just wanted something to eat. Opening the front door to the tavern and seeing the tavern keeper, I asked if I could have some food. The tavern keeper looked at me and said," you have no boots, no money, and you're feet are dirty. Why would I give food to you?" "I'll work for you", I said. "If you're going to do that then you're going to take a bath." said the tavern keeper. "My name is Andrew. My daughter Petra is downstairs stocking up the ale." Hearing footsteps coming from downstairs, I see this girl dressed in old fashioned tavern clothes. "Petra, could you take this girl upstairs and help her give a bath and some fresh clothes," said Andrew walking behind the counter. Petra grabs me by the hand and guides me to the room with the bath.

Moments later, having taken a bath and wearing fresh clothes, I started to smell food again. Quickly running down stairs and catching the attention of Andrew and Petra. Petra walks up to me saying that lunch will be ready soon. "Is there anything I can do while the food is being prepared?" I asked. "If you could take all the chairs off the tables, we will be opening up soon," said Petra as she's grabbing mugs. "What's your name if you don't mind me asking," Petra added, "even strangers have names." "My name is Amara," I replied. "The chairs are down," I said. "Good, time for lunch and after that it will be time for work," Petra said with glee. "Are you always this enthusiastic about work?" I said. "Yeah, think of all the people you get to meet while working in a tavern," Petra added, "the stories you get to hear, it makes my life exciting." Later that night, Amara wakes up restless and walks over to the window shutters and opens them. Looking outside, she sees the lights dotting the landscape of houses. "Did you really leave us or are you waiting to be found?" says Amara.

Next Morning, Amara is woken up by Petra. "What is it?" Amara added, "It's still morning." "We need to get some ingredients from the market today," Petra replied. "Alright, I'll get up just give me a moment," I said. Walking down from the market with bags of ingredients in hands, Amara grabs an apple from the bag and begins to toss up in the air. "This way, we're going to take a shortcut," Petra said. Looking at the dark and damp alley, Amara is looking at Petra. "I don't think this is a good idea Petra," Amara added, "Thugs live here." "She's right miss, thugs do live here and we don't like being called thugs," A man from the shadows said. The stranger quickly grabs the apple from Amara's hands. "Hey give that back!" Petra demanded. "Why should I?" He snorted.

The thug calmly pulls out a dagger and Petra starts get nervous. "Hand over the bags," the thug said. Petra quickly hands her bag over. The thug looks over to Amara, who has her head down. "What are you playing at?" He said. Amara slowly raises her head and the thug sees her eyes glowing a pale green. Amara violently grabs the thug by the head and looks deeply into his eyes. The thug starts screaming in fear and quickly gets free from Amara's grasp. He starts running but stops as he's coughing uncontrollably and falls to the ground. Petra nervously walks over the thug and quickly taps him with her boot. "You killed him!?" Petra said. Amara calmly turns her head and looks at Petra with her pale green eyes.

Diary Entry - Twinkle Starr

It’s hard to live in the shadow of a legend. All my deeds will be measured and weighed against a veritable history of the world, for my great great-great, ad nauseum, grandmother lived in a time like no other. Sure I have saved villages, garrisons and countless lives; swept through hordes of Risen and rallied the three Orders of Tyria against the dragon Zhaitan, but no matter what I achieve, it pales in my mind to the great deeds and words of my ancestor, Giseylt Vainglory. She was there when the Guild Wars ended and the Charr brought The Searing upon Ascalon, vanquishing the home of humanity. She was with Prince Rurik when he died getting a remnant of humans through to Kryta. And she met the great dragon Glint. Who can live up to that I ask myself every day. And yet, prove myself I must for the spirit of my ancestor lives within me, and I am driven to fight for those who cannot.

And yet, I understand that she did not fight alone. The records of her deeds are littered with the names of countless others, Jora, Gwen, Razah and Olias. Her diaries show she was rarely alone. And I suppose she did not see what she was doing as great. When I read her words, which I do often, I do not get a sense that she saw the impact of what she was doing at that time.

Like me, she did what she thought was right at the time. And like her, I do not fight alone.

Yesterday I battled alongside my brother, Atlas Blackthorn, to defend the gates of Arah. Zhaitan might be dead, and he might not, but his undead minions continue to infect the lands of Orr with his blight and we must fight on. My friend the Windlord, a legend in his own time, led me to a sunken ship in the Straits to find new meaning in the delight of new skills learned and treasure gained. Treasure I will use to fund the fight against the dragons, and what may result from Scarlet’s madness. And my guild brother Chaosborne led a group of guild brothers and sisters into the depths of caverns great and small looking for treasures and secrets which can only help us battle the dangers which lay ahead of us. These kinds of raids only help to make us stronger and more determined, and a lot more wealthy, to turn the tide on our enemies.

My guild fights against the shadows of darkness, Allahandra, Sincanister, Dart in the dungeons of the world, looking for answers, for secrets, for treasures to aid the battles ahead, while others like Maiden and Adriahna fight on the open battlefields against the enemies of this world, day after day, in the mud and the blood and the fear (and the beer). When they’re not out in the field, others like Strix, Ashlynn and John T, co-ordinate the tasks and rally the troops, stirring our blood with fire when we feel battered and weary. And like any organized group of soldiers, merceneries and the like, there are the never ending operations to take care of, which the Sister Romania handles with the tenacity of a lawyer and the fiendish calculatory skills of an accountant, that is when she’s not battling ogres, or farming supplies and recipes.

Then there are the rest of us: the warriors, mesmers, elementalists, thieves, rangers, guardians, engineers and necromancers who travel the world every day seeking new knowledge, answers, and an edge against what is to come.
And I see within these ramblings, that what we will be when the pages of our histories are finished, will never meet the reality of who we are today, and I think for the first time I truly understand the legacy Giseylt has left me.

Enough retrointrospection for this day. Battle awaits!

Nice story Betty! I expected a rebuttal about Melinda but you tossed a twist at us.

Even more impressive is the stalwart band of heroes you have at your beck and call. How DO you elicit such dedication and loyalty? Following you into a place that you only have an 11% survivability chance! My party usually includes me, my pet and my rock. Perhaps someday I'll figure out your secret...

Here goes, hope its ok.

 It had been a long and tiring week and Katt's muscles ached from all the jumping. Coming across a large old stump she sat down and started massaging the top of her sore feet, through her boots. Stroking Shadow's black fur, she looked around assessing her surroundings. She noticed just down the path in the direction she was headed a vigil fort, a vendor's cart stopped at the entrance, the vendor handing down his vendor's license to a vigil guard. A small group of adventurers were leaving the fort, turning in Katt's direction.

 She turned her gaze upon the vast open grassy terrain between the fort and village off in the distance to her right and the few trees that were scattered or clumped together. The beautiful green grass looked plush and cool, tempting her to lye down in it and cool off. Off in the distance in a cluster of trees she could make out a figure moving thru it, even Shadow's ears perked up as he noticed it too, but turned his attention back to the clamming petting Katt was still administering to his head and ears. She had always been awed by the lumbering cluster of living trees that are the Ancient Oakhearts and how they meandered as they grazed, seemly oblivious to their surroundings.

 Her thoughts circling back, as she continued to enjoy the load taken off her feet as she sat, to the past weeks events. She had been on a jumping trek with Begin Chaosborne and some of her other guildies. Thinking how nimble the Mesmer is at those jumping puzzles, it never ceases to amaze her how quickly he could bound across them with little effort. It was then she noticed that the group of adventurers were almost upon her, two Sylvari, an Asura, and a human ranger. She new those four, she thought to herself. Strix Alluco, Trinkket, and John T. Chance, the leaders of Ankh, her guild, and the mysterious Sylvari ranger, Romania, Katt's best friend. Strixie! hey!, where are ya'll headed? We heard LA has been attacked and destroyed and we're head there to help evacuate the surviving citizens, Strix answered. Katt jumped to her feet, her muscles no longer aching, count me in!


Kitt(Katt)   

Have A Blessed Day  

"So bright, wait... where am I?" Azalea spoke to herself glancing around the predominantly green natural beauty of the Grove. She felt herself unable to move her legs as she looked around the vast landscape. A booming voice echoed from an indeterminable source. "Ya know... Maybe I will go with the blue hair.

Darkness

After another meeting with the Pale Tree and yet another long, tedious, drawn out, monotonous speech from Trahearne, the 2 gloriously golden barked sisters Twig and Sprig Muir decided to go down to the crystal waters of the pool beside Caithe's house to rest. On the way down, Sprig grabbed a cup of Nectar from one of the Nectar Dealers beside one of the Grove's many ramps, took a sip and feeling a now familiar tingle, heaved a sigh of relief.  Twig frowned slightly saying "You know that Trahearne wouldn't approve of one of his Captains using Nectar don't you? He says it's like Speed and I'm sure he'd have something to say about that."

"Ha!" laughed Sprig. "Just try shutting him up about ANY subject. I swear I could hear him blathering on about the mating rituals of trolls and the nuances of tumbleweeds whilst in the Battle of Claw Island. Furthermore when we were last back home on leave and I told you how we got a little passionate. What I didn't mention was that he nicely asked me not to talk and he then continued to talk dirty to himself and whispering sweet nothings into his own ear."

"SPRIG! Really, must you be so crude?"

"Oh Twiggy, it felt so good to get that off my chest. It feels like I've been wanting to say that out loud for over a year now" Sprig downed the last half mug of Nectar in one gulp and pulled out a cigar.

"Sprig, it's been a long hot day so maybe you should have a swim before you light up."

"It's fine Sis, I'll just have a couple of drags, besides, nothing can happen to the Indestructible Muir Sisters....we are Elementalists after all."

All too late Sprig realised that she'd made a horrible mistake. With the loss of self control due to her intoxicated high from the Nectar she misjudged the power placed into the Flame spell and set herself alight. Fortunately due to Twigs quick thinking, she casted Cleansing Wave, extinguishing the flames just in time to save Sprigs life, her glorious purple hair but all too late for her beautiful yellow bark.

The moral of this story is "Drugs and Smoking are bad M'kay" and if you catch on fire it will be much, much worse than looking like a Struck Match.

How do you get longer responses? It blocks me after a couple so sentences

Spruce, I typed into a word program such as MS WORD then copied and pasted into the forum page. Hope this helps

Thank you all soooooo very much for entering this competition, and judging it was extremely difficult as the standard of the entries was excellent. Alas I have only enough goodies for one winner, but I want to give you ALL something just for entering it.

And the winner is Shana. Some goodies will be winging their way to you when next I am in game.

Thanks again to you all. I really loved reading all your stories. So much fun and so many great contributions. Thanks and thanks again!!!!

Puddleplum

Grats Shana!

Thank you Plum for an AWESOME AWESOME contest idea! I want more!!!
I promise I will enter next time... school just kills my creative voice.

It was really fun to read all the stories and see how clever and funny and creative everyone is! It's always a bit scary to share what you write.. so I commend everyone who was brave enough to post... It was an honor to read them!

Great contest Plum

And I suppose I should congratulate Shana even though I think my story was better Þ Gratz Shana