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Gray
Gray
The Conqueror / Black Fist
[tracker=/t131-tracker-gray-starks#504]
Name : Gray
Epithet : "The Conqueror"; "Black Fist"
Age : 49
Height : 10'2" (310 cm)
Weight : 1043 lbs (473 kg)
Species : Cyborg Human
Faction : Pirate
World Position : Lurking Legend (Former Yonkou)
Crew : Black Fist Pirates (Destroyed)
Ship : Sangria's Vane (Destroyed)
Crew Role : Captain (Former)
Devil Fruit : Pressure-Pressure Fruit
Bounty : [ber=r] 5,000,000,000
EXP Bonus : +0.20 (to all allies)
Income Bonus : +0.20
Shop Discount : -30%
Balance : [bel] 25,000,000,000
[[strollingdeath]][[baneoftheweak]][[riseandshine]][[childofdestiny]][[freakofnature]]
[[punchoutguru]][[dulcetvirtuoso]]

[[improviseadaptovercome]]
Posts : 3843

[Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts! Empty [Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts!

This post has in-line assessment comments.Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:57 am

Halloween Contest 2019 And Quest Grader Tryouts

Spooktober (cringe) is here. Time to spoop.

Attention!



Ahoy-o, sailors! Since we're now getting close to Halloween, it's time for us to set off Revival Dawn's second Halloween Contest. We got to see a few eerie stories in the 2017 contest, but I hope to see many more this year!



What's this event about?



This event has two purposes. The obvious one is to share creepy stories involving your characters in an attempt to win prizes. The second purpose is for me to recruit quest graders to assist with the increasing volumes of submitted quests. (I'm only one-quarter robot, y'know?)

Below are the details on how you can go about earning prizes or a quest grader position.



Halloween Prizes



The prizes for this event are as follows:
Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit
Logia Devil Fruit
3 free starting bonus rolls (keep the best roll)

"But Gray, how do I win these prizes?"

In order to win one of the above prizes, you must sell your body and soul to the devil...


Just kidding (or am I?), you simply have to reply to this post using one of your characters with a 1,000 to 4,000 word short story. This short story should be spooky-themed in some way. This does not mean the story has to be a horror; it can even be a comedy.

The story does not need to be canonical for your character, and if it is non-canonical, it does not need to follow any lore rules. The story must be original and must be set in the One Piece world though (Please don't reposts your submissions from other sites. Your rewards will be forfeit if you are suspected of doing so). Your submission also does not need to respect any combat rules (RNGesus is not welcome here).

Once the contest ends (see deadline below), each person will get three votes which they can cast for whichever submissions they liked most (you will be DMing your choices to me - preferably on Discord). You are allowed to vote for a single person more than once if you like, however, for obvious reasons, you cannot vote for yourself.

As I will be recording and tallying the votes myself, no votes for my submission will be accepted (though compliments are always welcomed and appreciated).

Once the votes have been tallied, the participant with the most number of votes will get first pick of the prizes. The participant with the secondmost number of votes will get second pick, and the participant with the thirdmost number of votes will have to settle for the leftovers, as usual.

Additionally, each participant will get 5 million berries reward once they have posted!



Quest Grader Tryouts



As you may know, grading quests can be a relatively lengthy and time-consuming process. Grading quests requires a staff member to verify that a player conformed to the combat system properly, and to provide constructive comments on their composition, plot development, character development, and their general writing ability.

Because a big part of a quest grader's job is to judge another person's writing, it is only fair that the quest graders meet a certain standard themselves.

Any accepted applicants for the quest grader positions will then be able to grade quests (with a little bit of training). Quest graders will earn 200k berries per post they grade. So, if a quest grader grades a 10-post episode, they will earn 2 million berries for their efforts.

"Quit wasting my time and tell me how to apply!"

To apply for a quest grader position, you simply need to participate in this Halloween Event with a story. In your submission, you must include an OOC note indicating your interest in being considered for a quest grader position.

Once the contest ends, your writing will be assessed and assigned a Quality Score from F to S. If you are assigned a score of A or S, you will be offered a quest grader position. That is all.



Deadline?




The deadline for you to revive the dead or get up to other spoopy shenanigans is currently set to Thursday, November 14, 2019, 12:00 PM EST. This date is subject to an extension if we do not have a healthy number of participants.





Last edited by Gray on Thu Dec 01, 2022 2:42 pm; edited 6 times in total
Maxwell
Maxwell
[Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts! Vk6odI4
[tracker=/t139-richard-maxwell#516]
Name : Richard Maxwell
Epithet : Plague Rat
Age : 49
Height : 6'0" / 183 cm
Weight : 160 lbs. / 73 kg
Species : Human
Faction : Pirate
World Position : Supernova
Bounty : [bel=r] 243,000,000
Quality Score : S+
Income Bonus : +0.20 (to all allies)
Shop Discount : -10%
Balance : [bel] 1,217,129,125
[[bookworm]][[firstaidkit]][[berryprinter]]
[[identitytheft]][[identitytheft]][[improviseadaptovercome]]
Posts : 299

[Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts! Empty Re: [Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts!

This post has in-line assessment comments.Sat Oct 12, 2019 4:14 pm
Say, have you heard of the Dollmaker?

The Dollmaker is a gentleman, sharp-dressed and ever so mindful of manners. His mansion is terrific and his lifestyle extravagant. A fantastic man who fixes those who are broken. He is all that and more.

Some rumors even say he can make wishes come true.

Well...

---

Slowly the setting sun slipped behind the horizon... But not before painting the sky with beautiful hues of orange. Somewhere a bird sang the last song of the day. A beautiful carriage, red wood decorated with gold, was pulled along a cobblestone path. It stopped before a lavish mansion. Walls as white as fresh snow stretched three stories up and several window lengths to the sides. At the door awaited a lanky man, well-groomed and sharp-dressed. His graying hair had been neatly slicked back. The chocolate brown suit could’ve fit a noble, but lacked any crest. A polite smile sat comfortably on his features.

Out of the carriage stepped several figures. First were the servants, numerous and nearly faceless in their identical uniforms. Then came a rotund man, round even, wrapped in regal vestments. A small crown rested on his thinning hair, announcing his authority without the need for words. Finally in his wake walked a young lady adorned with a flowing silken dress. Long, blonde locks framed a charming face wearing a seemingly permanent frown. It wouldn’t even waver as she walked. The blue eyes glimmered like gemstones, but brimmed with deep sadness. As if she was constantly holding back tears.

Accompanied by the small army of servants, the royalty waltzed gracefully up the stairs to greet the apparent owner of the mansion. The crowned man took charge, introducing himself as King Thalassa, the current and rightful ruler of Ilusia Kingdom. Why he felt the need to add that second note was a mystery. Before the gentleman could even return an introduction, the king grasped his fingers between his hands. “Please, help my daughter. The condition I described in my letter... it has gotten worse.” Desperation loomed behind the plea. Looking into those big, brown eyes, one could see a man nearly out of hope. Well, he had come to the right place, as the mansion-owner reminded with a smile. One week. That’s how long it would take, but there was still hope. There was always hope.

That was exactly what the poor, stressed King wanted... needed to hear.

Bidding farewell to the King and his envoy, the polite man directed the daughter inside. He walked her through long, lavish corridors until they arrived to a set of double doors. Jubilant laughter echoed from the other side. He pushed the doors open, revealing a huge dining hall with a massive table in the middle. Dozens of children, ranging from youngsters to teens, were loudly enjoying a fabulous feast. Foods of all kinds had been arranged across the table. Meats slathered in exotic spices, fresh fruits and vegetables from lands far away, juice sweet like nectar... Their enticing aromas filled the air.

When all eyes turned towards the newcomer and she stared back, the host felt the need to explain. “I have been tasked with taking care of these orphans. Feeding and teaching them. Helping them become the best version of themselves, so to say.” He took a step inside, before getting stopped by a realization. “Ah, but where are my manners?” Such a terrible, tactless blunder on his part. He turned to the lady and bowed deeply. As deeply as his back allowed. “Richard Maxwell, the Dollmaker, as people have come to call me.” Polite to the core, he offered the guest a chair at the end of the table.

“Please, take a seat. Won’t you introduce yourself?”

Following the request, if only out of courtesy, the young lady sat down. Her voice chimed softly, reminiscent of a silver bell. Faint and pure. “I... am Lady Maria Thalassa of Ilusia... But please, call me Maria.” A chorus of greetings rang back. Many didn’t even hesitate to speak her name with friendly familiarity. Their eagerness brought a small smile to the young lady’s face. Father would have not approved. There were many things he did not approve...

Curious by nature, the kids immediately wanted to know why Maria had come here. Was she sick too? She shook her head firmly. “I... I am not sick. Not physically nor mentally.” A heavy sigh passed her lips. “Rather, my father wants me to marry the prince of Briss Kingdom, but... I cannot.” The sorrow returned, bringing the frown with it. “The prince is, frankly, the most selfish soul I have ever met. And his father is a cruel tyrant.” While the children shared surprised looks, Richard only listened quietly. He was well aware of the rumors that buzzed around that particular country. However, if his hunch was right, there would be more to the story.

As expected, after taking a sip of juice, the lady dared to continue. “And... my heart belongs to someone else already... The kind prince Montblanc of Lvneel...” Another sigh escaped her, but this carried longing. “Ah, how I wish to see him again.” Steeling her resolve, she locked eyes with the man supposed to take care of her for the next week. She needed to be polite... But firm. “Please forgive me, Sir Maxwell. I am aware that my father spent a great amount of money hiring you, but I am afraid you cannot change my mind.” She shook her head vehemently, underlining the conviction in her words.

Now it was Maxwell’s turn to mirror the gesture, though only lightly. Reassuringly. “Worry not, Lady Maria. Changing your mind was never my intention. I simply fix what is broken. Bodies. People. Sometimes entire families. In this case, I believe I can teach you the right words for fixing this conflict with your father.” His kind explanation filled her with hope. Her smile grew ever so slightly. She even found her appetite. The journey had been long, so perhaps she could allow herself a light meal. Just some salad... And fruit... Perhaps another glass of juice as well. Before she knew it, she had tasted a bit of everything. Maybe the curiosity of the little ones was contagious. Not that she really minded.

Suddenly the smallest of the children planted his face into the cake he had been hogging. Worried looks were cast his way... Until a long snooore reverberated across the table. Worry made way for lighthearted laughter. The host mused in understanding. “Well, I suppose it is about that time.” Soon after he had said that, another child fell against the table. Third... Fourth... One after another, the young souls collapsed. Food splashed. Spoons clattered. Glasses got tipped over. The final ones up were the host and the young lady. But she too found her eyelids getting heavy. Far heavier than they had ever been. Her hazy stare found the gentle smile facing her way. The sharp teeth twisted into a crescent shape. “Goodnight, Lady Maria.” When her eyes fell shut, those polite words briefly echoed in her fading mind.

“And goodbye.”

---

The world turned. Revolved. Swirled until up was down and vice versa. In that wavering territory between dreams and wakefulness, time lost all meaning. Seconds, hours, days... They all blended together without beginning or end. Sharp steel danced in a crimson ballroom. The walls dripped and pulsed with the slowly thumping tune. Each motion was carefully choreographed, clearing out only what was unnecessary. Cutting new patterns in the place of the old. Between the performances, distant, echoing words filled the void. “...No matter what is asked of you, the answer is always... Yes, papa.” Like tiny seeds they took root in the newly carved emptiness. With so much room to grow, they filled the hollow space until nothing else could fit.

---

A week later, a familiar carriage rumbled down the cobblestone road again. Likewise, the sharp-dressed man was waiting for its arrival in the same spot. He was accompanied by the beautiful young princess, who seemed utterly unchanged aside from a small detail. Finally she had found a smile. Small and gentle. Befitting of her status. When the King practically leapt out his carriage, Maxwell took a step forward to intercept him. “Worry not, your highness. I am happy to tell you that my efforts were successful. See for yourself.” He gestured at the kindly smiling girl by his side. Seeing the fretting father’s anxiety, he added a small note. “Ah, but do be careful around her for the next few weeks. The treatment left her quite frail.” With that, he stepped aside, letting the family exchange words.

Taking the advice, the King carefully approached his daughter. He twiddled his fingers, searching for the right words. Holding a speech to the masses was nothing compared to the pressure of a single question. “Well, Maria, my dear... A-are you ready to marry the prince of Briss Kingdom?” The girl shifted her stare onto him. No, she was not. This wasn’t right. She loved... loved... W-who did she love? It was all so hazy, like mist had filled her mind. But she was firm in her belief. Her heart belonged to someone else! And she would tell that to her father for the final time.

“Yes, papa.”

The father was moved to tears by the softly-spoken words and the small nod accompanying them. He loved how the gentle smile stayed on her lips. Truly she was now the obedient daughter he had always wished for! “Wonderful, dear! Come, let’s go home!” As he pulled her into a hug, she didn’t push him away like usual. Couldn’t push away... Behind those vacant eyes, the prisoner rattled her chains in a futile attempt to fight back. Words wouldn’t come to her. Thoughts fell apart before they could fully form. She wanted to scream, but the sound was muffled, distorted beyond recognition. “Yes, papa.” Taken by hand, she was led away without having any say. A stranger within her own body.

With a smile, the Dollmaker bid his happy customer farewell.

---

As always in life, the unpleasant truths hide between the lines. Underneath the fine and fair words. Kept carefully out of sight.

The Dollmaker is indeed a man gentle in the way he slithers into your heart and ever so mindful of the manner in which he pours poison into your mind. His mansion hides terror and his prices are extravagant. A man who weaves a fantasy for those who are broken. He is all those things and more.

So beware the Dollmaker... Yes, he does make wishes come true.
But no one ever said those wishes were meant to help you.

________________________________________________________
Wanted Dead or Alive: Richard 'Plague Rat' Maxwell
Anonymous
Guest
Guest

[Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts! Empty Re: [Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts!

This post has in-line assessment comments.Sat Oct 12, 2019 5:01 pm



 
THAT'S RIGHT

I'M TALKING TO YOU.




 



BLACKBELL A. WREN


On the day their lives changed, the sky was clear, an utter betrayal to the storm ravaging the night preceding the morning after. Suzanne hadn’t been entirely clear on the details, but from what little she’d been offered, she gathered the fairy had been found washed up on the beach when her mother had gone seashell picking, her wings damaged and her face blue with exhaustion.

It had been an odd morning; she’d returned from the market with an empty basket, bemused to find the entire street had been plundered by debris and empty of the usual stores. Several hardy men and women, making up a listless cleaning crew, swept tree leaves to unclog the streets, but waterlogged posters and even sizable stones still littered the district.

The townsfolk, upon seeing her, had been quick to usher her away, promising the market would be fully operational within the following few days. Anne had tried to offer help, but she had been insistently declined and when she turned away, further bemused, her back prickled at the nervous stares. When she peeked over her shoulder, the townsfolk swiftly avoided her gaze and hurried back to their task with new vigour.

“Poor girl,” she heard a whisper. “Such a shame what happened to her older sister…”

“Her poor mother too,” she heard another. “I hear she hasn’t left the house since.”

“I still remember the funeral.”

“She was so distraught.”


Anne’s fist clenched tightly around the basket on her arm and she quickened her steps as though in blind flight. She left the town with her head bowed awkward, painstakingly aware of the gazes that followed her every step.

By the time she’d reached the homely cottage skirting the town, her breath was ragged and her forehead glistened from both the chill gripping her heart and the white sun glaring from above. Squeezing the tears from her eyes, Anne then took a deep before steeling herself and entering the cottage.

“I’m home,” she called sullenly, before starting at the sound of laughter.

She had forgotten to draw the curtains open before leaving and had expected to return to a gloomy room. With her father waking at the brink of dawn for the seasonal tuna fishing and her mother locked in her room, Anne had become accustomed to a deathly silent home. It had been so long since she’d heard the sound of laughter proliferate their humble abode, it took her several moments to register the high notes.

Sister?

The basket fell unnoticed to the floor as Anne burst into motion, kicking her shoes off and racing through the hall. She flung the living room door open, her heart already lifting. The sight before her immediately sank her feelings, yet giving rise to new bewilderment at the absurdity before her.

It was her mother. Her mother whom she hadn’t seen under a pool of morning light in many weeks was seated on the floor with a scattering of sheets of paper and crayons sowed in a completely disorganised manner across the floor. She still wore a suitcase under each one of her eyes and her cheeks were still sunken deep into skull, but her colourless lips were curved upwards into a gentle smile. It was almost comparable to seeing the dead rise.

“...Mother?”

She looked up and Anne jolted to see pure, genuine happiness shining in her eyes. For a moment, Anne was taken back to when her mother had been hailed Julianne, the most beautiful woman on the island: when her black curls shone under the most meagre of moonlight, when her tender touch sent warmth and love racing through one’s blood...when her songs had stopped tears and lulled Anne into peaceful slumbers.

Now, even as her mother turned her tired form to Anne’s arrival, there was an air of weariness, but the apathy and the decay of her spirit was nowhere to be seen. It was enough to make Anne wonder if she was dreaming and she almost staggered at the sound of her mother’s voice calling out to her.

“Anne! Welcome home,” she said, lifting her cracked lips into a timid smile. “Come, I want you to meet someone.”

Her body moved as though a tide pulled her forward and Anne soon found herself kneeling down in front of her mother. She felt as though she couldn’t take her eyes off her mother’s face lest it all disappeared like a dream, but forcefully tore it down to where she gestured.

At first, she didn’t quite recognise what she was looking at: it was a fairy. With short, silver hair cut almost unusually symmetrical and wide, pale eyes the colour of cinnamon, the fairy was enchanting to look at. She was small, just barely the size of Anne’s palm, and she bore a pair of cracked and limp wings on her back.

“This is Wren,” said Julianne gently. “I found her when I went to the beach.”

“You went to the beach?” asked Anne, her eyes widening. “Outside?”

“Oh, yes,” she replied simply. “It was the strangest notion. I suddenly felt so drawn to the idea of picking seashells...and then I found her. It’s almost like fate. Wren, this is my other daughter, Suzanne.”

“Nice to meet you, Suzie!” chimed the fairy, smiling wide.

“I prefer Anne,” corrected Anne politely, returning the smile without a thought.

“I prefer Suzie,” said Wren, pouting.

“Oh, but…”

“I prefer Suzie!” repeated Wren stubbornly.

“Yes, Suzie is better,” agreed Julianne, glancing quickly and admonishingly at her daughter.

“But, mother…” Her voice trailed to a stop as she pouted in objection in a manner almost identical to Wren. “I suppose...you’re right.”

Despite the strange introduction, the remaining day passed pleasantly. Julianne and Wren played first with crayons before moving to toys. Anne helped her mother open the dusty chest of old dolls and baubles she and her sister played in their younger years.

She had been concerned the trinkets would send her mother into a depressive relapse, but she needn't have been. With the market closed, Anne was forced to make their meals on leftovers, but her father returned home in the evening with a large catch.

“What’s all that noise?” asked her father curiously, taking off his cap to tossle the remainder of the day’s salty wind from his messy brown hair.

“Mother found a fairy,” said Anne proudly. “Her name is Wren.”

As she prepared dinner, her father shuffled into the living room where Julianne was now reading a book aloud to Wren. When she called the group to eat, Wren was perched comfortably on her father’s shoulder and an incandescent smile was plastered on his face, as though the jadedness of his day was completely forgotten.

Time passed and the family naturally integrated Wren into their home. Julianne’s smile rekindled and she gradually lost the dark rings that had seemed to perpetually hug her eyes. Her father, Gavin, buried his work at sea and returned home each day with a carefree attitude Anne hadn’t seen in months. As for Anne, she found responsibilities had increased substantially since Wren’s arrival.

While overjoyed to see her mother’s recovery, their play was often more disruptive to her chores than helpful. They left toys scattered across the household and Anne spent more time scrubbing crayons from the walls than she would have liked. It gradually became more chaotic and more uncivilised.

Their playful laughter and shrieks persisted past sleeping hours and Anne had been forced out of bed to install a curfew that had never before been necessary. This had unfortunately only led to pouting before erupting into a hemorrhage-inducing tantrum.

“Just leave them alone,” said Gavin, shaking his head dotingly, as though the situation was comparable to a misbehaving puppy. “They’ll tire themselves out.”

However, the problems persisted. They played with their food at meals and all the grace and elegance Julianne had previously been known for seemed like a lie; soup dribbled down her chin as she appeared undecided between eating and chattering and she left meals in a daze with food smeared across her face, making no attempt to clean herself up before resuming their play.

By comparison, Wren seemed perpetually untainted. No matter how much food and grime attached to her body, her demeanour never changed. She remained forever cheerful and impish; her chiming laughter never stopped and the golden halo surrounding her body never dimmed. Yet it was almost as though she were draining Julianne.

The last straw came on the day Gavin returned home with a heavy, sullen cloud drifting over his head. He dragged his feet across the room as though his heart was a ball chained to his ankle.

“I got laid off…” he muttered.

Anne tried to cheer him up, but before long, he had joined in on the childish play and silly laughter of his wife and the fairy.

“Hold on, we need to talk about your job!” cried Anne, panicking at the thought of no income.

The three froze and turned their gaze on her.

“Are you trying to interrupt us from having fun?” asked Wren, her smile dripping away like toxic.

“Wren...no, I just…” stammered Anne.

“Get out.”

“Wren!”

“I said, get out!”

“Get out!” chanted Julianne before Gavin followed. For the first time, Anne looked pleadingly into their eyes and recoiled to find hollow, dark pits like yawning caverns. “Get out! Don’t interrupt our fun!”

Terrified, Anne fled into the garden and squatted in a bed of flowers. For hours, she sat in trembling silence as deranged, senseless, psychotic laughter rose from within her home. She could distinctly make out Wren’s excited chimes and the chorus her mother sang while her father clapped two pans together like cymbals.

“They’re insane,” she whimpered into her knees.

As the night got darker, trickles of rain began to fall, but Anne couldn’t bring herself to wander back until the house fell silent. Dripping and shivering from both cold and confused fear, Anne dragged her thin body out of the garden bed to find the little fairy hovering in front of her with a pearly-white smile plastered across her rosy cheeks. When had she had the time to repair her wings?

“Suzie, where did you go?” she asked, tilting her head to the side sweetly. “I missed you. I wanted to play with you.”

The rain thundered down heavier, yet it seemed as though even the heavens refused to blemish her. In contrast, Anne’s teeth chattered violently and she wrapped her arms tightly around her body like an indignant rodent.

“What did you do to my family?” asked Anne, ignoring Wren’s nonsensical words. “You changed them! You made them insane! Did you cast a spell on them?! Are you a witch?!”

“A witch?” repeated Wren, her brows curving as though in concern. “Suzie, you aren’t making any sense!”

“It’s Anne, she snapped. “It’s the name my mother and I share! Don’t call me Suzie!”

Wren paused, as though deliberating. “But I like Suzie.”

It was as though something inside of her cracked violently. “I don’t care what you like! I want my family back! You ruined my family, you...you...you monster!”

“Monster?” gaped Wren, her body jolting as though in shock, before breaking out into the most beautiful, manic and heinous laugh Anne had ever bore witness to. “That’s right! Thank you for reminding me, Suzie. I’m a little monster.

She fell into another fit of laughter and it was as much as monstrous as it was charming and beguiling...it was completely captivating in its allurement.

“I don’t...understand,” said Anne, completely unrealising her trembling had stopped.

“I remember where I come from,” explained Wren patiently. “I have to go back.”

“Go...back?” asked Anne and her body jerked as though she were waking from a dream. “No! You can’t!”

“Why?” asked Wren, suddenly incredulous.

“My-My family needs you!” she stammered, stopping for not even a second to consider her rising rambling. All she could feel was an overwhelming panic lifting from her stomach. “Mother only just recovered from Sara’s death and father just got laid off. We need you!”

“Hmm…” said Wren, tapping a finger to her chin. “Okay, I understand.”

“You do?” asked Anne, her shoulders sinking with relief. “Oh, Wren, thank you!”

“That’s okay! I’ve actually started to like you quite a lot, Suzie!” said Wren, spreading another beautifully enchanting smile across her face.

She then spun around and swung her arms up. Suddenly, her limbs enlarged and stretch up towards the pouring clouds. Eyes wide with confusion, Anne could only watched as her giant hands clapped over her head. Grunting with exertion, Wren then brought her hands down like an axe, crushing the homely cottage skirting the peaceful town under her giant fists.

Anne screamed.

She dropped to her knees.

She screamed again, but no sound came out.

“There! Now, can I leave?” asked Wren, gazing down at Anne with her captivating and cheeky smile.

Her hands had returned back to their original size and she clasped them behind her back. Anne stared almost unseeingly at the ruined, wooden boards of her home. She could see a thin, delicate arm protruding from the debris with its hand dangling like a broken sign from its broken wrist.

“I-I-I,” stammered Anne.

“Yes~~?”

Anne glanced slowly up at Wren and froze in horror at what she saw. She saw the tiny fairy, her wet locks somehow strewn neatly across her face; she saw her beautiful, wide smile brighter and whiter than a crescent moon; and she saw her eyes. Her hazel eyes were like spirals drawing her closer, hypnotising in a manner Anne felt as though...she could come to like Suzie after all.

“What about me?” she asked, finally finding her voice.

“You?” gasped Wren, as though suddenly remembering and she recoiled in dismay. “Oh! Of course! I really like you, so I’ll give you something extra special!”

Wren swooped down and stopped just an arms length away from her. Pulling her elbow back, she tensed her hand into a claw before striking forward. Long, thin, needle-like tendrils shot out from her fingertips and stabbed directly into the girl’s chest.

Suzie felt as though she were choking and immediately fell onto her hands as Wren retracted her hand. A burning pain coursed through her body and with eyes wide, she noticed locks of her black hair falling in tufts to the ground.

Raising a trembling hand, Suzie cautiously swept her hand over her scalp, feeling more locks pulling away from her head. She glanced at the fallen locks and saw silver mixed in with the black. Crawling forward in a frenzy, Suzie felt as though her bones were creaking like an old willow tree. She found a shard from a broken window and raised it to her face, recoiling to see a withered, haggard face of an elderly woman staring back at her.

“Wren...w-what did you do to me?” she gasped, staring fearfully at her reflection.

When no answer came, she swung around to find the fairy had already disappeared into the lightning struck skies.





Castor O. Nox
Castor O. Nox
[Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts! G7UGK6I
[tracker=/t980-castor-o-nox#4771]
Name : Castor O. Nox
Epithet : Sanpaku | The Azure Pheasant | Duke Of Lvneel | Saint Nox
Age : 25
Height : 5'9"
Weight : 175lbs
Species : Three-Eye Tribesman
Faction : Pirate
World Position : Blockbuster
Alliance : -
Crew : Nox Pirates
Ship : The Wailing Calamity
Crew Role : Captain | Navigator | Book Collector | Pride Sin
Devil Fruit : Goro Goro no Mi
Bounty : [ber=r] 620,000,000
Quality Score : S
EXP Bonus : +0.20 (To all allies)
Income Bonus : +0.42 (Turf); +0.10 (Blockbuster); +0.20 (To all allies)
Shop Discount : -20%
Crew Pool : [bel=u] 96,000,000
Balance : [bel] 2,470,815,020
[[baneoftheweak]][[riseandshine]][[dreamsneverdie]]
[[bookworm]][[untouchable]][[childofdestiny]]
[[punchoutguru]][[berryprinter]]

Turf : [turf="/t296-turf-details-lvneel#1110"]Lvneel[/turf] [turf="/t309-turf-details-st-poplar#1124"]St. Poplar[/turf]
Posts : 793

[Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts! Empty Re: [Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts!

This post has in-line assessment comments.Mon Oct 14, 2019 12:37 pm
Jack O’ Lanterns filled the streets of Hibiscus Town, as the country folk ready for the age-old festival of the dead. City dwellers found this practice blasphemy, pagan even, but those who lived on the outskirts of the Five Shields in the smaller villages, allowed their children to roam from Town to Town, collecting sugary edibles.

The mapped out course was simple really, Hibiscus Town to Dandelion and Rose being the last stop. Along the lit paths, several spooks and ghouls waited in prey, the only object of their hunts were screams and tears from the candy marauders. It’d been ten days since Castor had arrived on Lvneel, illegally of course. Trouble, an old friend that never seemed to leave him alone came to pay a visit.

The long and short version of tale begins with Newport inviting a local coven of witches abroad their small Freedom vessel for night-time 'adult' entertainment. A couple spiked punches later, the duo awoke stripped down to their undergarments and supplies raided from cupboard to cupboard. Which Castor would have laughed off generally hadn’t been  for two things:

One, Iris and Summer Rain, his weapons was stolen among the witches loot. Two, Castor and Newport were now visibly and physically seven years old. Waking up in a groggy haze, it took the duo awhile to realize what exactly had happened but once the truth sunk in, Castor resorted to a calm anger whereas Newport… He didn’t take this too well.

“Holy shit!”
Newport exclaimed, pausing any further speech after recognizing that his voice had dropped several octaves. He’d sound more like a seven-year old girl than boy honestly.

“Ah… Well this is… unfortunate.” Castor declared, nodding his head in agreement to his own estimate of situation. Pushing Castor on the ground and strangling him, “Unfortunate! Listen to me you little shit! I sound like my ten-year old daughter!” Newport barked. “Eh… You have kids?!” Castor responded, truly astonished by the revelation.

Electrocuting his helmsman, resulting in him freeing the grip on his neck, Castor hopped back to his feet, stumbling to peer over the side of the boat. Gawking at his reflection in the water. “Seems like my Devil Fruit abilities are still useable.” Sensing a looming threat, Castor’s stare shifted towards the skies. The sight before him was a woman dressed in all black robe’s and a matching wizard’s hat, seemingly hovering on a broomstick.

“Can’t get anymore cliché than this.” Castor stated sighing, bending his knees before launching off into the sky. “Seems my power and speed are still the same too.” Castor thought to himself, as he’d glide like a rocket towards the witches post. Latching on the broom stick, swinging back and forth like a small child on the jungle-gym, the woman exclaimed a loud ‘Gah!’ noise, as her eyes seemingly popped out of her sockets.

Wearing a grotesque green ghoulish mask, the woman’s hover began to wobble from side to side, caught off guard as she didn’t even see the man’s ascent to her place. The two went plummeting into the sea water below, the strange woman clutching to Castor for dear life. Now usually, the solution to situations like this would be to electrocute the woman and fly away? Like any murderer would right?

However, the woman wore a pendant on her neck that carried… Seastone as it’s main center piece.

Castor experiencing this drain of energy for the first time couldn’t escape. Newport watched as the duo nose-dived into the ocean, a couple of meters off swimming distance from the vessel. “You’ve got to be shitting me!” Newport exclaimed, lunging in the water his newly obtained childish figure. Fishing the hammer and the natural-born sinker, Newport plopped the two personages on the deck, both of them beginning to flop like fishes out of water.

Spewing water from his mouth like a fountain, Castor quickly regained his composure signaling for Newport to surround the woman in an intimidating manner. Though, with their new height and age, it’d just look like two toddlers pouting about their spilled juice. Heart beating in glee, the woman lunged towards the two, wrapping her arms around Castor and Newport. Leaving a small token of herself on their skins, a tattoo that was not visible to that of the human eye.

“SO CUTE!” the witch shouted.

“Eh.” Castor exclaimed.

“Rululululu… I could just eat you both up! You’re so adorable!” the witch exclaimed rubbing her cheeks against their own, as a child would straddle a stuffed animal.

“Eh.” Newport exclaimed.

Both children now visibly pissed, Castor electrocuted her on the abdomen and Newport grabbed the woman by her ankle, dragging her towards the edge of boat.

“W-Wait! What are ya’ll doing?! Stop! I was just admiring how cute you are.” The witch announced frantically.

“How long does it take for a human to drown?”
Castor inquired.

“If ya shock her while I hold er’ down… No less than ten seconds.” Newport retorted.

Tears streaming from the woman’s eyes, “W-What drown?! PLEASE. I CAN’T SWIM. I’LL TELL YA WHY YOU GOT TURNED INTO KIDS! JUST DON’T TOSS ME IN AGAIN! MY MAKE-UPS ALREADY RUINED-DESU!”  the witch shouted.

Releasing his grip on the woman’s ankle, her body made an audible plop, making a ripple on the ocean’s surface. Looking at each other nervously, Newport hopped into save her once again.

“Rude! All of you human men are the same!” she exclaimed crying.

Shooting a hole through the deck of ship to silence the woman’s childish mannerisms, “Stop it.” Castor declared, growing tired of the loud woman. As the mask she wore dropped off, beneath it was a beautiful woman around 5’3 in height and styling a head of shoulder length royal purple hair. Sniffling, “It was my sisters from the coven. Our Senor Sister Valencia possesses the ability of a Devil within her. She can change the age of anyone she comes into contact with!” the witch announced, wiping away her snot with her robe’s sleeve.

“Fantastic. Witches. More like bit-“ Newport exclaimed sarcastically, interrupted by Castor’s subtle cough.

Walking over to the witch, extending his index finger, Castor pressed it against the woman’s forehead. “Unfortunately for your coven… You robbed the wrong guys. What’s your name” Castor inquired calmly, in an eerie manner. “Jessie. Jessie Salem.” Jess declared as she continued to sniffle.

Smirking smugly, “Alright Jessie. As of today I'm hiring you for the job of traitor. The role entails you leading us to the witches coven and showing us who this Valencia is. Do you understand your role, Roger?” Castor declared, changing his speaking style to that of what a drill sergeant in the Army would sound like.

“Yes Sir!” Jessie shouted immediately, getting caught up in the pace of Castor’s theatrics. “Wait whose Roger?” Jessie chimed in seconds later. “The King of The Pi” Castor declared, this time it was  Newport that interrupted Castor. “What’s the plan then Capt’?” Newport inquired, speaking more quickly due to being self-conscious about the pitch of his own voice. “Well. First… Get some clothes. Then. Go trick or treating at the witches house.” Castor stated grinning.






With introductions covered, Jessie, Newport and Castor flew above the forest terrain, making their way towards Hibiscus Town. Before the Nox Pirates destroyed the town, it was known as a port city, flourishing with life and crops of different kinds in abundance.

At least that was the story on paper, the festival the exception, the people of Hibiscus Town were subject to random experiments and forced to spend hours in the Grind House, turning a metallic notch for at least ten hours every day. These Grind Houses were plenty and spanned throughout the village.

Usually operating as the HQ for laborers to collect their duties for the day, today, they doubled as Candy Stands for the children of Hibiscus Town. Landing in the center of the village, the spectacle of the two half-naked children and the teenage woman drew attention from the villagers.

“W-Why are those poor children naked?!” one of the mothers exclaimed, blocking the eyes of her own child, who mischievously tried to peep through the cracks in his mama’s hand.

“Maybe she was too poor to afford costumes for them… and they’re wearing lion cloths. How embarrassing.”
Another mother chimed in.

Picking up the murmurs due to his Logia’s Electro Radio, Castor could hear the sounds of even nearby seagulls for up to several meters. Trying not to waste time slaying the annoying cockroaches, Castor peered around the square, looking for a family of three that dressed in three costumes that caught Castor’s eye. A Zombie, A Vampire and A Nun. Smiling broadly, the lion cloth wearing shrimp would flicker before the family, “Strip. I’ll be taking those costumes.” Castor demanded, nodding to himself in approval. “Now now… That’s not something you just demand of others little boy.” The Mother of the lot exclaimed sternly.

Sighing, “I don’t wanna get blood on the costumes. Take this as an act of mercy.” Castor exclaimed once more. Activating his Conqueror’s Haki, rendering everyone in the square unconscious except for Newport and Jessie. As soon as the child plopped to the ground, Castor began to strip the zombie outfit off the unconscious youth.

Judging the man-child as they looked on, Castor began to dress in the zombie outfit, stealing the child’s red jacket, bandages and white highlights he’d wore in his hair. Even going as far as stripping the child of his eye contacts, Castor assumed his newest costume.

“Damn. That’s fucking cold Capt’. Robbing a brat… That’s a new low for even you.” Newport exclaimed chuckling, as he’d walk over to steal the Vampire Costume for his own.

“A-A-Are these people dead?! D-Did you kill all of them? How?!” Jessie shouted, stammering her words petrified at the man’s display of power.

“She was the only one in this square that had Jessie’s body proportions. Travelling will go much easier if we blend in.”
Castor retorted.

Even more flustered, “M-My what?! How do you know what my size is?” Jessie exclaimed.

“My Sixth Sense is pretty sharp. Simple measurements are able to use with the right observation.”
Castor declared confidently, nodding to himself in approval.

“Pervert.” Jessie declared with a blank expression.

Finishing dress, “Pervert. Hmm. Never heard that word before? What is it, candy or something?” Castor inquired generally clueless.

“Pwahaha… It’s no use Jess. He’s hopeless. This kid’s a living encyclopedia but if he deems a word or term useless, he won’t remember it. I’ve been trying to teach him about the romances of a man but he won’t even budge.” Newport declared after bursting into laughter.

“Hurry up and get dressed Jessie. The more time we waste here… The more attention we’ll drum up from the local authorities.”
Castor stated.

Breaking into a mild laugh herself, she’d walk over, beginning to strip as she’d approach the duo. Wearing nothing but her lingerie, the woman began to strip the mother of her clothes as well.

“They are no authorities in these parts now that Stain’s in charge.” Jessie said harshly, almost in disdain for the man’s name.

“Stain? Why does that sound so familiar?” Castor pondered to himself as he’d adjust last elements of his costume.

“What do you mean? I know that Lvneel doesn’t usually send Knights so far out but usually even the boonies get at least one squad.”Newport chimed in.

“The villages were about to go through are all just slave camps for Lvneel’s Underworld. It’s why us with Viking heritage don’t dare step into the mainland and live on the land allotted to us by the King. Stain is the name given to the Celestial Dragon's aide who ‘blessed’ these lands. Rumor says he’s actually a Knight from one of Lvneel’s prestigious families.” Jessie explained.

Castor and Newport chose not to continue the conversation, for a while, until they were all fully dressed, the trio put on their costumes in silence. Going from house to house in Hibiscus Village, repeating the same process in Dandelion and Rose, the trio collected Candy to their heart's content. Newport tried to swindle the older gents into giving him Sake and Rum instead but with his new impairment, the odds weren’t swinging in his favor.

Jessie truly assumed a motherly role, politely knocking on each household they visited while Castor and Newport rudely demanded candy and booze. The trio looted each stop and trekked through the forest earnestly to every village in search of adventure. Finally, at the base of Rose Town, a mountain range blocked off by several barricades and plastered with a multitude of warning signs all bearing the same caution.





‘BEWARE OF THE WITCHES OF ROSE MOUNTAIN!’



“It’s not too late to turn away. You have youth on your side… You two can start a new life. Mistress Valencia is a crude one. She boils children in blackened cauldron pots and skins traitors alive. Sings songs of stealing the souls of men and dances to the sound of her victims screeches. If I pass this barricade as your guide, we’ll all be doomed.” Jessie stated.

“The moment you accepted the job of being my guide. I planned on sparing your life.” Castor declared. “An eye for eye. A tooth for a tooth. To steal from me enacts this law, the choice is still yours Jessie. If you wish to die with your fellow coven members, I shall not stop you.” Castor stated sternly.

“Your crazy! Both of you! She’s not human that woman! Don’t you have any concern for human life?! You’re going to wipe them all out just because they stole from you?! Isn’t that overkill? Where’s the morality in that?” Jessie barked at the top of her lungs before running out of the breath near the end of her sentence.

“When a thunderstorm destroys a whole village, do the people not acknowledge it as a ‘Natural Disaster’. That’s all I am. Nothing more and nothing less.”
Castor responded in a calm way.

“Valencia… Castor… You’re both the same. Lashing out against others to mask your own pain! They’ll be a point of no redemption one day. Just like with Black Magic… Once you cross the line into certain arts… It stains you. There’s no return. Can you bear that sin?” Jessie inquired.

“I am sin. All of the Nox Pirates will be. A group of outcasts who became this way because of the world. We are the definition of natural selection. We are the products of humanities short-comings. You ask me if I can bare that sin… My back’s already carrying that and more. I’ll ask you one last time Jessie. Do you want to live?” Castor inquired.

Breaking down into tears, pausing a bit, biting at her lip until blood was visibly seen.

“Yes.” Jessie said, in between sniffling.

Resting his hand on Jessie’s lower back, “Good. It’s okay to want to survive.” Castor declared before knocking the woman out with Haoshoku Haki. Turning to Newport, who’d had weapons stashed among the cart full of candy the brats had amassed.

“It’s time Newport. I can feel Summer Rain’s presence. Shall we go loot the Witches?” Castor declared.

“Let’s not kill the entire coven. This Valencia broad seems like the problem. Go cut off her head. Make me a hero so I can bed some witches tonight!” Newport shouted, digging through the candy piles to toss Castor a katana.  






Jetting up the mountain side in his ethereal form, Castor stumbled across a cavern's entrance. Flickering onwards through it’s entrance, the man was met by two witches, dressed in all black robes, similar attire to Jessie’s own.

“Hmm… What was that song Newport used to sing all the time… I feel like hearing it.” Castor murmured to himself.

The witches on guard approached the child with a creepy stumble, smirks displaying their wicked intent before even a single word could be uttered. Finally overcoming the mental block, Castor grinned at this revelation. Looking up, hovering over him at his former height, the child began to sing the merry tune.

“Yohoho… Yohoho….” Castor sung, drawing the katana from it’s sleeve, as his usually strange angelic voice filled the space. The one night stand of a blade responded to her prepubescent lover’s touch with sensational results. Her pleasure in entering into a lover affair with such an experienced partner permitted the man’s first stroke to cause the witches’ innards to cascade to the floor.

Their eyes losing the former vigor of a predator and inheriting the demeanor of a prey. The last words and tune they’d hear before their death, wasn’t an explanation of why such an injustice had been dealt towards them but an old sailors tune acting as requiem for their souls.

“Going to deliver Bink’s Sake. Following the sea breeze. Riding on the waves!” the infant imp exclaimed in song.

As the witches blood covered the infants face, the song took on a new context. The face paint was ritualistic, it set the pace for the theatrical movements that followed. Dashing through the cavern, his tiny feet seemingly hovering over the rocky terrain, a pack of witches heard the cries of their sisters and ran to their aid. Sadly, the fate that awaited them was just as grim.

Sailing along through the witches hive, his Sixth sense zeroed in on Summer Rain’s aura, the navigational system guided Castor’s path to his muse’s position. Untouched would be those who didn’t cross his path towards Valencia.

Upon arrival, the sailor’s tune rattled along the passageways until Castor stumbled upon a vast open area. Plateau above the ground, succeeded by a series of steps, sat the Mother of all Witches, Valencia. The room contained several cauldrons, hanging from the ceiling by the thinnest of strings.

A fruity scent proceeded the room but once in the heart of the Witches layer, it’s intensity would force most sane men to cover their nose. However, as the Queen spoke, Castor continued sing along to the nostalgic tune.

“The last time a male presented himself willingly before my presence was to declare their love for my beauty! Yet. I don’t get that this is the reason for your rude self invitation.”
Valencia stated in a calm authoritative manner.

“Farewell to the harbor, To my old hometown. Lets all sing out with a Don! As the ship sets sail”
Castor continued to sing.

Annoyed, as the woman’s words were left on seemingly deaf ears, the witch clapped her hands, and the area started to become occupied by spiders as far as the eyes could see. Regardless, even the intimidating creepy crawlies didn’t cease the man’s melodic breaths.

“If you lose your nerve this breath could be your last but if you just hold on, The morning sun will rise!”
Castor sung.

It’d happen in an instant. The Conqueror’s call brought every being in the room, even the Queen herself on the floor, gutted towards the ground. For the first time in life, the High Priestess memories flashed before her eyes. The first man she’d even bewitched, her first kiss, her first kill and a company of other memories flooded her dome.

At her throne side, propped against the wall were Iris and Summer Rain. Discarding the jezebel blade, Castor reunited with his true love. With one step, almost like a flicker of lightning in a stormy sky, the distance between himself in the Queen became mere happenstance. The look in his eyes as the blade’s glare displayed his reflection with a illuminant tint, brought a genuine joy to the pirate’s face.

Resting the tip of the blade inches before the nape of the woman’s neck, Castor singing continued at a steady rhythm.

“Yohohoho… Yohohoho… Yohohoho… Yohohoho”


Suddenly memories of last night came back to the woman as she’d peer sky bound towards the infants face.

“Y-You’re one of the pirates we robbed last night. Is revenge your goal?! You have your possessions mortal! Leave before I hex you!”
Valencia shouted, as the fear consumed her, it had stripped away the earlier elegant way of how she previously spoke.

However, once again, Castor refused to respond, he’d only continue to sing.

“Cease that God awful tune this instant boy!” the Queen shouted in panic.

Instantly, the silence she’d requested fell upon her. The room was no longer filled with a pirate’s tune or even new commentary from the priestesses predator. A dead silence, if one listened closely enough, even the moonlight seemed to have it’s own tone, surely the crickets did, as their sound added white noise to the voiceless room.

As expected, Castor hadn’t paused his actions at the Queen’s response, singing was a way for him to think about topics he’d been lost on. Oh yes, but in this moment, the solution became clear as day. Lunging towards the ceiling, the man severed the spider’s string, liberating the metal pot from it’s restraints.

A loud ‘Don’ sound travelled throughout the room, as the pot’s crash landing left a noticeable crater behind it’s weight. Manifesting his presence by the woman who’d still be firmly propped against the ground, Castor shot off his finger in a lightning bolt format towards the woman’s spine. The shock was enough to paralyze her from the shoulder down but murder wasn’t his intention yet.

Continuing his tune once again, Castor jolted over to the pot, tossing the limp woman into it. Pillaging the room, he’d fine a variety of potions and herbs, which without any scientific reasoning, he’d add haphazardly to it’s contents to the cauldron. Once she’d be bathing in a small bath tub worth of her own concoctions, Castor rest his hand on the pots onion bulb shell.

The witches from across the base rushed towards the Queen’s room after hearing her cries. The once fruity scent masked with a fatty odor, a kind of stench that one would expect if rot and decay had a definitive fragrance. As they stormed the room, the witches stew was already underway. Reverting back to his human form, the man uttered the final words of the sailor’s tune.

"Doesn't matter who you are, Someday you'll just be bones. Never-Ending, Ever-wandering, Our funny Traveling tale!” Castor concluded with gusto.

Thirty minutes before this incident, and five minutes after Castor dashed off to raid the Witch’s Coven – a trick finally bore it’s treat. Newport dug around the candy pile to show his pipe, igniting the pipe’s bowl which was chock filled with fresh tobacco. Taking his first puffs, the infant would turn his attention towards the ‘unconscious’ Jessie. Asserting his weapon of choice against the woman’s head, the barrel of his newly stolen pistol’s cold steel kissed the woman’s cranium gently.

“He’s still wet behind the ears but the moment you resisted his Conqueror’s Haki. I knew.”
Newport declared.

“Ah. I thought I put on such a good showing too. Rulululu” the woman declared with a face full of mud before after breaking out into a crazed laughter.

A powerful breeze kicked up, brushing into the wind the awkward falling leaves that looked like rose petals from the nearby forest life. Lunging at Newport, the woman pulled out the man’s pipe, disarmed him of his gun and pressed her lips against his own, entering into an overly intimate kiss. Breaking away for breath, at that moment, the infant’s body began to revert to it’s casual age and size. Newport was a man once more, and the spirit of the season was as mischievous as usual.

Paralyzed from her poisonous lipstick, Newport was frozen in his tracts. The invisible tattoo on his back disappeared.

“Once he kills Valencia, my blood magic will revert Castor back to his original age and strength. It’s against the Witches Order for one witch to kill another with her own hands. The famed Nox Pirates appeared and made my time of waiting come to an end!

I really am grateful to you two. My favorite part of the season was always the tricks… not the treats.”
Jessie explained grinning broadly.

Summoning her broom with a whistle, the witch hopped aboard and flew off into the sky. Basking in the moonlight, the woman looked down on the scene she’d orchestrated.

“Happy Halloween Mama. I hope you enjoyed my little show for you tonight. I guess it’s too late to ask you – but nonetheless. Trick or Treat. I'm really going to miss those boys.” Jessie declared, winking mischievously.

________________________________________________________
Anonymous
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[Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts! Empty Re: [Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts!

This post has in-line assessment comments.Wed Oct 16, 2019 2:25 pm
Busta Babs in...
[Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts! Image0
"TRICKS ARE FOR KIDS!"


Night had fallen upon the island of Black Drum yet the city was lively. This was due to an annual festival held here once every year at the dead of night. It was a holiday dedicated to the belief of ghouls, monsters and things that go bump in the night. It was also a way to respect the deceased. Everywhere was dimly lit by candles, areas decorated with pumpkins that have scary faces carved into them. Scarecrows which were usually used for farms were now among the decorations with much more twisted, and eerie appearances to them. People were of course out and about wearing creepy costumes, some more bizarre than others. Children ran about, playing, and even pulling pranks on others while some of the adults worked at stands, selling various spooky merchandise and treats.

One of the people who was working a stand was Noel dressed in a purple witch outfit. Her gloved hands lay clasped together on the surface of the stand as she sat behind it, her eyes mysteriously being covered by the edge of her witch hat while her face wore an expression equally as unsettling and mysterious. What was the little rabbit plotting!? Unfortunately, it appears that some unsuspecting children were going to find out….

Three kids who were snickering among themselves walked up to the stand. One was a girl dressed as a werewolf, the other a boy poorly wrapped in toilet paper like a mummy, and another boy dressed like a vampire with little cardboard bat wings on his shoulders. The children stopped their snickering and looked up at the rabbit mink who still didn’t utter a word or shift from her position. ”Um, he-hello?”  The mummy kid said hesitantly.

Again...no response.

”Maybe she’s dead.” The wolf girl said with a whisper. This prompted the vampire boy to quietly walk up closer to the stand as the other two hid behind him. He stared at the woman for a few seconds before crouching down to take out something from a bag he had with him. It was a water balloon. The vamp kid bounced it in his hand for a bit before throwing it straight at the woman’s face where it busted open upon impact, splashing her with water! ”Ack!!” Noel screeched as she fell rear first onto the ground. Turns out she was just sleeping the whole time…

”Who the, what the, where th-” Noel immediately got back up with mallet now in hand as she looked around frantically for her assaulter. She’d stop the moment she heard the kids snickering at her. Oi! Can’t a rabbit nap in piece around he-er I mean….” Without much warning, Noel jumped on to the surface of her stand before gesturing at the sign with her extended hands thanks to her devil fruit. ”WELCOME ONE AND ALL TA NOEL’S SPOOOOOOKY SHOP OF UNSPEAKABLE HORRROOOORRRSSS” Noel shouted with a wink and a grin as she wiggled her arms before retracting them to their normal length.

The mink’s shouting caught the attention of some passerbys, but they didn’t stick around for too long. The three children did not seem to be too intrigued by Noel’s little display neither. The mink’s grin slowly faded, and she stretched her neck and head out towards the kids, placing a hand under her chin. ”Hmmm, not impressed I see.” She then retracted her head and bounced down behind the stand where she started to rummage for some things. The mummy and werewolf kids looked at each other confusingly while the vampire boy yawned. ”Ta Daaa!” Noel placed a couple of objects onto the stand which the kids moved in closer to get a better look at. ”What are these?” The mummy asked leading Noel to grin. ”Why these are some of the most spookiest things you’ll ever find across the seas!” ”Just looks like junk to me.” The vampire kid added, much to Noel’s annoyance. ”Junk….JUNK!? I’ll have ya know that this is an actual severed hand from a rotting corpse!” Noel claimed as she picked up said hand. ”Looks plastic to me…” ”What about….THIS JAR OF ACTUAL HUMAN EYEBALLS?” Noel tossed the hand to the side and held up this jar, extending it out to give the kids a closer look. The vamp child rolled his eyes before slapping it out of Noel’s hand, causing the jar to shatter. ”Fake.”

Noel started gritting her teeth before showing the kid even more stuff. ”Well what abou-” ”Nope.” ”How abo-” ”Seen it.” ”Oh, but you haven’t seen thi-” ”Yawn.” At this point Noel’s eye twitched before raising up her final item...a frankenstein-esque den den mushi.

”...This?”

”This lady’s a quack.” the vamp kid said to his friends who then started to laugh. Noel then chucked the den den mushi somewhere and grabbed her hammer. ”OH I’LL SHOW YA WHO’S A QUACK, YA LITTLE SHI-” The rabbit mink quickly stopped herself, placing the mallet behind her back as she gave a forced grin. ”I mean...what do you kids think is scary then?” The mummy and werewolf kids looked at each other before the wolf girl responded. ”Ermm, we don’t really care about scary stuff. We just like pulling pranks.” ”Uh huh, and what better time than to do it during the Festival of Frights!!” the mummy added while the vampire gave an approving nod. This caused Noel to chuckle lightly before bouncing off of her stand. ”Ohhhhhhhh a couple a jokstas I see. Well then how’s about I show ya the work of a true pro?” Noel then pointed at herself with her thumb and winked. The kids all looked at each other before the mummy genuinely asked, ”You know someone!?” causing Noel to “deflate” disappointingly.

The mischievous children now accompanied by Noel were now on a pranking spree, something that was rarely seen during a festival meant for monsters, and scares! Who would have the audacity to play tricks on this night!? They went from doing Noel’s most classic pranks of shocking people with joybuzzers since she could no longer use her electro, sneakingly placing whoopie cushions  on to chairs and benches to more hardcore pranks from the three youths that involved egging people’s houses, and places of business, throwing toilet paper everywhere to even leaving banana peels on the ground that were colored to match the surface. These “little” pranks went on until the four troublemakers were run out of town, leading them to the outskirts of the island.

Noel, and the three spooky costumed children finally stopped running to catch their breathes. ”Me....me...thinks they given up.” Noel claimed, referring to the angry mob that was pursuing them. ”Y-yeah.” ”Mhhmm…” The vampire dressed kid didn’t say a word, he appeared to have been distracted by something. The other two kids went up to him to see what was up before they ended up looking in the same direction as him with shock in their eyes. ”You brats feelin okay?” Noel asked before stretching her legs over to get closer to them. The vampire kid then pointed in the direction of where they were looking. Noel looked up, and her mouth gaped wide open at the sight of an….

S-S-S-SPOOKY LOOKING ABANDONED MANSION!!

”Aww man...Of all the places to run to, w-why did we have to end up here” The mummy kid gulped while the werewolf girl shook her head. ”Isn’t that place rumored to be...haunted?” ”By the Old Hag of Black Drum…y-yeah.” The vampire kid then turned around and gave his two friends a sinister grin, made even scarier by his fake fangs. ”I dare one of you to go inside.”  the vamp kid said, causing the other two to shout a collective “WHHHHHAAAATTTT!?” which snapped Noel out of her little trance. ”Come on you big babies. That haunting stuff is just an urban legend anyway.” the vampire kid claimed, waving his hand dismissively. ”N-no way I’m going in there!” the mummy kid shouted. Noel just stood there and snickered lightly at the three bickering. ”Wh-why can’t you do it?” The wolf girl frantically asked the vampire. ”Cuz I’m in charge, and you two have to do what I say.” he replied with a smug expression on his face. ”Plus, I heard it’s really dusty in there, and I don’t care about that secret stash of carrots the old hag apparently kept in there…” the boy added, immediately catching the witch dressed mink’s attention.

”Wait wait…did you say….” Noel stretched one of her arms out towards the vampire kid and wrapped it around his shoulders before retracting her arm, pulling him in a bit, and whispered, ”....carrots?” The vamp gave Noel a plain nod before lifting her arm up from around him. Noel jumped with joy as she started to march on over to the mansion. ”I’ll give it a try! It’s just as the kid said, nooooo ghosts!” Noel claimed with a confident grin before stepping up to the porch. The three children then looked to each other, their expressions of worry, and fear being turned into mischievous snickering.

Noel slowly opened the old looking door, creaking with every little push. The mink took her first step in the dark looking house which was dimly lit by the moonlight outside. ”Hmmm…” Noel took a few more steps in before looking around which appeared to be a large living room like area with old beat up furniture. The mink placed her hands on her hips before claiming, ”Nyeheh, this ain’t so bad…”

As if the house heard her, the door behind her slammed shut!

The rabbit mink jumped up a bit in response and turned around to look at the shut door. ”Eh...just the wind.” Noel sighed before marching forth, her shoes squeaking with every step and the floor creepily creaking as well. Everything seemed relatively calm in this supposedly haunted house. Noel had no problems crossing the living room area, even deciding to jump around on one of the old dusty couches for a bit before it broke down. She then found herself in the abandoned dining area where there was a very long dining table witch maybe around seven to nine worn out chairs placed on both sides. Noel walked up to the table to see that there was a single fancy looking covered dish placed on the middle of the table. ”Carrots…?” Noel slowly placed her hand onto the handle, and lifted the top off revealing not carrots, but a swarm of spiders that immediately rushed out in different directions, causing Noel to bounce back in fear and land on her back. ”Eeck!” Noel managed to lift herself back up to look at the plate. The mink’s disgusted face grew pale as she saw… a severed hand pointing right at her!! Noel immediately stretched herself from out of the dining room, breathing heavily.

Noel found herself back in the living room...which now had a trail of a strange red liquid that looks awfully like blood! The mink stared at it, at a loss for words. Her heart began to jump even more, and at the corner of her eyes, she noticed stairs, but what really caught the rabbit’s attention was a mysterious light flashing up there with faint whispers. Noel stared in that direction for a bit before gulping, and shook her head. ”Cmon Noel! Ain’t nothin stoppin ya from gettin those carrots!” she claimed, pulling her mallet from behind her back and clenching it with both hands before slowly climbing up the stairs. Each step taken caused a creak which didn’t help Noel at all with her nerves. Finally, Noel made it up the long stairway. At the end of the hallway, there was an open room where this light source was coming from. The rabbit looked left and right at the closed doors before setting her gaze at the room at the end of the hall. It was a bathroom from the looks of it. Noel peeked her head in, and saw that the light was coming from the bathtub which was covered by shower curtains. Slowly, Noel opened the curtain and was immediately jumpscared by a small illuminating ghostly figure hidden under a white blanket.

Noel screamed at the top of her lungs and rushed out of the bathroom, closing it in the process. She was about to head down the stairs until she noticed a similar figure waiting for her at the bottom. ”Nope Nope Nope!” Noel ran back into the hall and went into one of the other rooms, a master bedroom. Noel closed, and locked the door before running up to the dresser, dropping her mallet and placing her hands onto the surface of the dresser while she catches her breath. The mink then looked up at her reflection in the cracked mirror, and watched as it slowly dissolved into an old hag like face that was decaying. It then screeched at Noel, causing her to scream in return as she picked up her mallet and smashed the mirror to pieces. ”That’s it!!!”

The rabbit, being fed up with this broke out of the room, and ran down the stairs, ready to fight the ghost downstairs with a combination of rage and fear. The moment she made it back down to the first level however, Noel noticed that the thing was gone. ”Eh...yeah that’s what I thought!!” Noel shouted with some uneasiness in her tone. Screw the carrots, Noel decided to make her way to the entrance. As soon as she opened the door however, Noel was greeted by three of those ghostly things. Noel let out yet another scream and crouched down with her back facing the figures and mallet over her head. ”Keep yer carrots! I don’t want em anymo-” The three “ghosts” then started to snicker which sounded awfully familiar. ”...Wait…” Noel raised her head and looked back at the them. The three figures stopped glowing and took the sheets off of them, revealing the culprits to be none other than those mischievous children!

”Ahahaha, should’ve seen the look on your face!” ”We got you good!!” ”S-sorry, but it was just too good to pass up!!” Noel’s dumbfounded and borderline teary face was then overshadowed by a more rage fueled expression. ”You….you….!!” Noel dropped her mallet and stretched her arms out at the children, wrapping them around the three before pushing them all together. ”W-wait, it was just a prank!” the mummy whined. ”Yeah, i-it was all his idea, I swear!” the werewolf girl claimed, pointing at the vampire who remained silent, and obviously afraid. ”Youuuuuuu reallllyyyyy…..” Noel then immediately retracted the three in for a hug. ”...got me there!” The mink laughed before booping the vampire kid’s nose shortly before he fainted from the fear he built up, causing the rabbit and other two kids to blink a few times.

The group was now leaving the mansion, the mummy and werewolf dressed children walking beside Noel and the vampire kid lying unconscious in the rabbit’s arms. ”So that hand was actually the one from my stand?” ”Yup! We managed to snag it before going on that pranking spree.” the wolf girl giggled. ”Yeah and we collected some spiders around the island.” the mummy kid added. ”Ah, and the blood?” The mummy boy lifted up a bucket of red food dye, and nodded in response. ”Oh, and creepy lights were just these.” the werewolf girl took out some flashlights and shined one to her face to make a sinister expression which led the other two to laugh. ”Man, I can’t believe ya little brats planned all of this from the get go. True pranksta prodigies.” Noel claimed with a nod. ”Oh but what I reaaaallllyy wanna know is how ya pulled off that mirror trick.”

The two children then looked at each other puzzlingly. ”Ummm, we didn’t do anything with mirrors.” Noel then looked at the children with an eyebrow raised. ”But...I saw some old hag in da bedroom mirror..” Noel claimed, causing the other two kids to look at eachother again before snickering. ”Maybe you were just so scared, that you imagined it? We didn’t do anything in the bedroom.” the wolf girl waved her hand dismissively. Noel then stopped in her tracks as the two kids continued to walk and chuckle.

”Yeah…”

Noel looked behind her, still able to see the house from a distance. There appeared to be a ghostly figure floating on the porch who appeared eldery. It gave a slow finger wave in the mink’s direction before dissolving into nothingness.

”....just imagined it….yup….”

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"Happy Fright Fest Folks!"
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This post has in-line assessment comments.Sun Nov 03, 2019 12:53 am
Prologue

Within the uncharted islands of the north blue, lies a tale of no other.  Because the village has no name and their names unknown to others, does that mean they never truly lived? Such traditions lost, but these men have indeed lived, and this is one of their tales...

Crom Elkjær was born to a family of pirates called the Gray Danes, they served under the high king  Loke Høyer as a successful group of pillagers.  However, Loke had enemies and some people didn't agree to his rule. During one of the raids to take control of a village in the name of Høyer, he was counter raided by Simon Kjærsgaard, who convinced others that the star of Fenrir, the god that they worshiped, has chosen him to be next in line as the leader of the bandits.  The counter raid resulted in Loke's death and public execution. Those still loyal to the name of Høyer was threatened to be killed without a sword in hand, denying entry to Valhalla. Arms were deliberately chopped off before the killing blow to make sure that those loyal to the old high King had gotten the message.  Of course, Crom fought with honor, but he was wounded back at the village during the counter-raid and left on top of a pile of dead bodies.

But soon after,  a giant being from the sea came and swallowed them whole, the whole lot of warriors from both sides. The scent of death and despair attracted it. The blood they shed was even more than just the morsel delicacy of man,  but the limitations of man and the madness brought along with their ambitions. This village had a curse unlike no other,  the summoning of a particular sea king.  Crom could still remember it, even in his half-conscious stupor, he could still remember it's a foul stench.  A crash of darkness overwhelmed them, the beat of its heart vibrated the land along with its continuous thumps. A horrifying entity of decay and fury was brought to them by their actions, but it was not their tormentor. It only served as their boat across the river Styx to their true destination.

The torment was within the belly of the beast itself.  In this cruel world of horrors, what awaited Crom was sacrifice, insanity,  violence, and revenge.




The liquid drops on his face were warm and comforting as he laid on the meat-like surface of skin and flesh. This should have been the belly of the beast, but as he opened his eyes and stood with the support of his blade, he saw something much more horrific. Three bug-eyed eyes view their surroundings from their narrow sockets. A round nose rests below, but it's the giant mouth below that takes all the attention. A gentle smile reveals several large broken teeth and a large tongue. Thin wrinkled ears sit on each side of its huge, rounded head, which itself is covered in soft hair.
Its tall fat body is hunched over. Two average crooked arms dangle at its sides and end in small hands with curvy fingers, of which it has 8 in total. Its legs are muscular and are slightly bent, each ending in skinny paws. Its body was covered in small scales and its shoulders are broader than its pelvis, from which a tentacle-like tail grows.

There were so many of them, and they were eating the bodies of his men. The men who fought to protect their way of life and died with honor was being used as nourishment for such horrific creatures.

"Nooooooooo!"

With his pain seemingly gone, he raised his mighty claymore and swung it in the direction of the nearest creature.

*clang!*

The sound of the blade making a connection to the neck of the creature was met with some resistance, a dermal armor of some kind. However, the pure force of a man full of rage in the face of horrors was beyond any mystification that these creaturs could bring. Crom wanted to see their blood, he wanted them to pay for their transgressions against the sleeping dead.  With the head being lopped straight off,  he continued on his path of slicing through every horror humanoid that came his way.  He wanted to kill them all, but the person who had to die the most was Simon, he caused all of this to happen.

*Drip Drip Drip*

But walking further ahead, Crom started to notice something akin to egg sacks being laid about the corners of walls. They were people, but he could see the change, he could see them slowly morphing into something else. But it wasn't even the notion of change that gave Crom such fear, it was the look in their eyes. The last thing they probably ever saw was the beast, and to be spared from being feasted on, a fate worse than death awaited them.

"....."

He turned away, even with such a sight, his pity would be wasted on them. He felt like he was still alive to settle a score,  and braving such a dark and disastrous place was how he was going to get it.  The next corridor of this strange place awaited him with a bright light beyond it.




Walking to the entrance of the corridor,  Crom found himself in a different kind of scenery compared to what he was experiencing earlier.  A tall graveyard in a dire mountain top was what awaited him. Beyond the graveyard lies a large, dark room.  The only sort of light was the occasional green hue of wisps that flew around the area. The room itself was It's covered in puddles of water, dead insects and ash.

"What is this place?!"

With the light available, it allowed him to see an overgrown underground garden, long lost and claimed by time itself. There were even more of those glowing wisps, but they started to act differently once Crom reached this particular area. Every time a wisp would past through him, he would feel no initial pain, but would be plagued with memories of the things he did in the past. The people he enslaved and slaughtered in the name of his leader, it was a flashback of all the transgressions he ever committed.

He wasn't a good man, he knew that for a fact. But he was a loyal one, wanting to see his path through the end, regardless of what this strange journey had in store for him.

"...."

After gathering his bearings,  he went on into the next corridor.

The final...corridor.....



 
"Simon!!!!!"

As he moved forward through the impressive portal seemingly disguised as a cave entrance, Crom was immediately met by a hostile world. The land around him was burning, literally. Fires wreak havoc to everything that's even remotely alive, which by now is very little. It was almost as if the fires were alive themselves, Crom truly found himself in the infernos of a custom made hell.  The light played tricks on his eyes as shadows from a new landscape make his imagination go wild. It's because of this awful landscape that he couldn't help but feel danger lurking around every corner.

But there he was, Simon, fighting against other creatures with one arm. His other arm was burned to a crisp and seared off, the wound cauterized and throbbing with black soot.  Before those creatures got to him, Crom had to get to him first.  

"Out of my way!!!!"

Swinging wildly,   it was a race of time against the brutal creatures.  With each swing, his sword grew even hotter to the touch. The heat started to become unbearable, causing him to drop his weapon.  A bestial roar erupted from his vocal cords as he picked up one of the arms of the creatures he killed, using the fractured bone that stood out from it as a makeshift knife.  He was covered in blood, he was covered in burns, and his energy was failing him.

"Just a little more, you bastard!!"

With a last burst of his strength, he launched himself at the beasts, pushing them out of the way to attempt to stab Simon in the heart.

*Drip Drip Drip...*

But then it starts all over, the feeling of deja vu being a fleeting experience as he goes through the same trials once more. This was his purgatory, leaving him just at the grasp of revenge to begin anew.

A dream he would never wake from unless he changed his ways from within.....




This land was cursed, but not for the reason you believe. Bringing violence among man to the land was the one sin that couldn't be broken in this village, everyone who already lived here knew of the consequences.

There was no creature, there is no other world, just people who are frozen in a place like mannequins while being trapped in a hell of their own making.   That was the curse, the desire for violence came about the result of creating a neverending world of suffering.

As for the villagers, being alive and well, what do they do with such unwanted guests in their company?

Well....that's simple...

They eat them......

The end.
Gray
Gray
The Conqueror / Black Fist
[tracker=/t131-tracker-gray-starks#504]
Name : Gray
Epithet : "The Conqueror"; "Black Fist"
Age : 49
Height : 10'2" (310 cm)
Weight : 1043 lbs (473 kg)
Species : Cyborg Human
Faction : Pirate
World Position : Lurking Legend (Former Yonkou)
Crew : Black Fist Pirates (Destroyed)
Ship : Sangria's Vane (Destroyed)
Crew Role : Captain (Former)
Devil Fruit : Pressure-Pressure Fruit
Bounty : [ber=r] 5,000,000,000
EXP Bonus : +0.20 (to all allies)
Income Bonus : +0.20
Shop Discount : -30%
Balance : [bel] 25,000,000,000
[[strollingdeath]][[baneoftheweak]][[riseandshine]][[childofdestiny]][[freakofnature]]
[[punchoutguru]][[dulcetvirtuoso]]

[[improviseadaptovercome]]
Posts : 3843

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This post has in-line assessment comments.Sun Nov 03, 2019 11:48 am


This is a re-telling of a story canon to Revival Dawn's lore.



"What does a sailor fear the most?"

"The Flying Dutchman!"

"Drowning!"

"Sea Kings!"

"Scurvy!"

"Doldrums!"

"Failure!"

"A sailor fears the very thing he seeks out; the thing everyone fears the most - the unknown."

***

There's an odd sort of comfort in the darkness. When you don't know what's in front of you, you can never see your doom coming.

There's an odd sort of safety in being trapped. There are only so many things that can go wrong.

There's an odd sort of relief in being on the side of monsters. When the entire world fears you, what use is there in being afraid yourself?

My captain was one such monster.

"Foooouuunddd yooouuuuu~" With a violent jerk, I sat awake. Only once the dizzying haze cleared from my vision did I see his face. The colossus hovering over me had burnt orange hair tucked behind his ears, sunken hazel eyes, and a frame taller and broader than most bears swaddled inside a midnight black cloak. His cheeky smile was twisted into a gleaming crescent, mocking my slow recovery.

I turned my head away. "Can you get out of my face, boss? Your breath stinks." The giant retreated with an unembarrassed chuckle.

A familiar salty scent consoled my offended olfactories. Once the caped titan moved, I could see gentle grey waves crawling and clawing up onto the sandy shore. A cloudy, moonless night shrouded the horizon and all that lay before it. White foam spared by the tide kissed my bare feet, wetting my heels with its cold touch to remind me I was still alive.

"Where is everyone? And what happened to the shi--" I turned to inquire, only to be answered with silence by an absent captain. I couldn't be sure if he was ever even there.

We'd reached a place adventurers around the world could only dream of - the land of an unknown promise. The darkness made it moot. How could I appreciate the grandeur of something I couldn't see? Though perhaps there were no better embellishments to the mysterious island's beauty than the conjurings of my imagination. They do say reality is often disappointing.

My tired stroll on the desolate beach towards what appeared to be a dense forest was interrupted by an adrift plank grazing my ankle. The fading burgundy shade of the debris suggested its origin was Sangria's Vane, our beloved ship. I couldn't help but imagine her tattered sails hailing a final farewell as the briny waters consumed her. Surely the captain wouldn't let something as measly as lousy weather take our home away?

A distant hum from deep within the murky woods stole my attention. Soft harmonies of a violin followed. My older crewmates had played the same tune many times before, though never so elegantly. Each note evoked a different feeling in me - joy, regret, curiosity, melancholy, exhilaration. But, none of those emotions could overpower the fear gradually enveloping me — fear of the unknown. It was as if the music was tearing at my very soul.

The song ended abruptly. For two deep breaths, the forest remained undisturbed. Upon the third breath, a woman's scream nearly chilled my spine into a popsicle. I urged myself to find its source, but my body refused to obey. Surely the abyss of this island couldn't be any more sinister than the terrors we had suffered in the Florian Triangle? But, I had monsters on my side then; and I was alone now. Where did you go, boss?

Every moment of the future is unknown. Worrying about what can happen later only keeps you from enjoying what's happening now.

Remembering the captain's words was what freed me from paralysis. I chased the trailing echoes of the scream before they weakened to an ominous lull. The voice behind the cry was familiar, and my doubts were confirmed when I happened upon a pale body in the clearing.

"Maria!" I yelped and ran to my crewmate, my panic abbreviating my caution. Her mouth was frothing, but I could still hear her ragged, raspy breaths. I lifted the auburn curtain formed by her long bangs only to see her eyes nearly rolled up into her head. Her caramel skin had blanched, but I could not find a single scratch on her. "Afr..." She gasped in a volume so low, I had to put my ear against her lips to hear her.

"Don't be afraid, Maria! I'll find help!" There was little I could do to lift her fears when my own fright was arresting my limbs.

"N..n-no... Afr..ro..s.." The haunting song continued, knocking Maria unconscious before she could detail her assailant.

The strings and hums enchanted me into a trance. In spite of my fears, my legs carried me towards the song as if drawn by a siren. My soul was drawn to the music, drowning my ability to reason. Leaving Maria behind, I swam through the thick mist settling in the forest. The eerie-but-soothing melody guided me closer to its source one heavy step at a time.

Another woman's screech stole my attention. The music had paused. I struggled through the thicket towards the shriek, thorns catching and tearing at my airy silk shirt and leaving scrapes on my arms.

I exited the bush only to run into a wall of ice nearly as tall as the trees of the forest. The barrier emitted an alien chill - one that did not seem to belong in this world, let alone in this temperate forest. Even the jade blue colour of the ice seemed otherworldly.

The violin resumed closer than ever.

"Charge in blindly if you don't want the chance to be afraid," the captain used to say. I followed his teachings this time.

Speeding through the swarming fog, I reached a ruined carrack with a sunflower figurehead set upon a studded gold ring. The flower's head was splintered beyond recognition, but the sharp orange petals did not seem to have lost any colour. Two long, mossy bones were crossed under the flowery figurehead. The rear half of the ship was a mangled pile of lumber.

Rubble from what was likely once the mast of the ship surrounded its forecastle. A phantasmic aura from the ship lured me closer as if the voice of the vessel itself was calling out to me to tell me its story.

I inched closer to the ship with my gaze fixated upon the flower. My heart raced and pounded, threatening to burst out of my chest. Every step towards this ship felt like a step towards finding the answer to life itself. Was this the treasure we were looking for?

A loud crunch under my foot halted my approach. "Excuse me, miss?" A hollow yet gentle voice came from the ground. My head cranked downward in measured degrees. Two black holes on a mask of white peered up at me from the ground. It had no skin, no muscles, and no organs, but it wore a dark suit with a blue cravat and had a head full of curly hair. It was nothing but bones.

"May I see your パンツ?" asked the pile of bones. An inhuman cry escaped me, and I collapsed into a well of blackness.

"Welcome to Laugh Tale~ Yohohohohohohohoho...~~!!"



Last edited by Gray on Fri Jul 29, 2022 3:55 pm; edited 2 times in total
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This post has in-line assessment comments.Mon Nov 04, 2019 7:05 am
Daimarus mom had rather quickly filed for divorce suddenonly one day, but she only had a part-time job and made very little money, so finding a place to stay that was affordable and available immediately was tough. A friend of hers told her that she and her husband had a cabin home that was currently sitting empty and we could rent it practically for free ‘til we figured out something else.

Dai immediately didn’t like the house. Part of this I’m sure was due to my parents’ abrupt divorce and having my life turned upside down, but it was also just the house itself. He was now forced to live in a mountain town, and this cabin was way up a steep mile-long driveway. Beautiful pine trees surrounded it, but the house itself looked abandoned and out of place. It had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, so Dai was forced to share a room with his younger brother. While his mother took the bedroom with the attached bathroom. It was a very ‘70s home, with wood paneling and dated fixtures. Some areas showed strange damage, like holes in the wall that were badly patched up. For whatever reason, He immediately refused to use the hallway bathroom. He wouldn’t even step into it. His mom never really asked me why or questioned it, but would allow me to use her bathroom.

One day, While Dai's mom was gone. She had left to go and to find but sadly failing with a lot trying to find whatever work she could, so I would be home alone a lot after school and on the weekends. Each time He received the Marine Hq call, He was by himself.
His mom always told us not to answer the door, but we should always answer the phone in case it was her. So when the phone rang one afternoon, Dai figured it would be his mom since no one else had there den den number yet. There was a woman on the den den mushi who sounded very concerned.

“Hello, this is Marine Hq, returning your call. We received your call, but we got disconnected,” the woman said.

DaI immediately got a sick feeling. He told her that He did not call Marine Hq, and she asked me if there was anyone else in the house who might have called. He would answer her saying "ugh I think you got this mixed up I'm was home alone" but DaI started to get worried that maybe that he wasn’t so alone after all. the pe would dispatch police to our address just to make sure everything was okay.

At that point, He was terrified to be in the house, so Dai sat outside and nervously waited for the police, who showed up in about 15-20 minutes. The officer asked me if He had called Marine Hq, and DaI said “no,” but they claimed I had called them. The marine officer just sort of shrugged, and said, [color=#000099]“This kind of thing sometimes happens. They say that it can’t, that the numbers can’t get mixed up, but it happens.”
He did a cursory glance around the outside of the house and left after finding nothing.

Dai tried to convince myself that the officer was right. It was just a mixed-up phone call, and hopefully whoever did call got the help they needed. About a month later, the same thing happened. DaI got another phone call from the marines, saying they had received a phone call from my number. I told them again that it must have been a mistake. The woman on the phone scolded me a bit, telling me that Marines wasn’t something to play around with and I was preventing people from getting help. She didn’t dispatch any officers this time. Again, Dai got an uneasy feeling that someone was in the house, so Dai cautiously checked and made sure all the doors were still locked.

He doesn't know why, but He always kept the hallway bathroom door closed. Maybe because of the eerie feeling that he got from it. As he was checking the house, He just knew someone was in that bathroom. Dai was terrified. Part of me felt like He needed to open the door to check, maybe to prove myself wrong, but He was too afraid. So he just sat in the living room, watching that door. It was so quiet in the house, that after a few minutes he swore he started to hear faint little sounds coming from inside, like a kind of shuffling noise. He asked my mom to check the bathroom when she got home and she quickly looked inside. She made me come and look to see that it was empty and was letting my imagination get the better of me.

The marine calls happened three more times over the coming months, and only when He was home alone. The fourth time the dispatcher told me daI could face criminal charges for what he was doing and they would contact my parents. Dai hung up the den den mushi sobbing and terrified. Dai had that feeling like someone was in the house again, but if he called Marines, They probably wouldn’t even show up. I felt like the boy who cried wolf, only it wasn’t me. It was like someone was playing a horrible, twisted joke on me. He sat and watched the bathroom door again, hearing noises like someone dragging their fingers across the door.

He decided that his mom was right, and HeI was probably just letting my imagination getaway. Dai decided to try and leave the bathroom door open so he wouldn’t get so freaked out by the thought that someone was in there. Then he got the fifth marine base call. This time though, after he hung up the phone with the dispatcher, the bathroom door slammed shut. the sound of a wet hand scraping against the door. Blood slowly began to pool out from the seems from the bathrooms door

Dai ran. He ran down his steep driveway and found a place to wait until his mom pulled into the drive. When she arrived, she was angry with me for leaving the house, but she saw how upset He was. Maybe she thought He was acting out due to the stress of the divorce. Dai refused to be alone in that house again though, So we worked it out so He would stay later at school or go to a nearby friend’s house till she got off work. Not long after this, we got a notice from my mom’s friend that we needed to move out of the house because her mom needed a place to stay. Dai was so grateful to be moving out. He tried to tell his mom she needed to tell her friend that someone was wrong with the house, but his mom thought that was a ridiculous way to pay back someone’s generosity.

Dai moved around a lot in the next few years and tried to forget about that house. It wasn’t until I was older that I thought about it. I witnessed an accident and had to call the marines and the fear and paranoia all came flooding back. DaI decided to do some research, which honestly, He wished he had never done. A few years before we moved in, a woman was killed in that house in some kind of “domestic dispute.” It was days, though, before she was found, shut up in the bathroom blood seeping through the bathroom door and int the carpets. claw marks upon the bathroom door indicating a struggle to open the door
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[Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts! Empty Re: [Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts!

This post has in-line assessment comments.Mon Nov 11, 2019 2:21 am
This was supposed to be a quick and simple mission, explore the island and get the treasure that lied within and bring it back. To be honest, Mezra didn’t even understand why this was a mission in the first place, as this was a task that made her feel like a pirate more than anything. Typically missions consisted of taking down different Government bases, not exploring random islands after all.

“You see, this is an island that doesn’t belong to anyone yet so maybe we can claim it as our own and make it into another base. It’s fairly small and from the reports of the scouts who were watching it, there doesn’t seem to be any danger here so you should be alright. We can’t waste any other high-tier members to go check it, so that’s why I called for you guys.” Her boss had told the group at their debrief, with little other information. Naturally, Mezra felt uneasy but the rest of them seemed fine.

“Relax, it’s just an abandoned island, Mez.” Jack, the group’s navigator said as their ship would edge closer onto the shore of the island. “At worst they’ll just be a few stray bugs, which are creepy but nothing too threatening.”

An audible shiver came from Merry, their medic who glanced around the perimeter of the island once again. “I don’t like bugs, do I really have to come along?”

Cepa, the swordsman, laughed loudly as he gently poked Merry in the back with his sword, prompting a small squeal from her. “Of course you do, how else will we survive here. Besides, Mezra and I will protect you, right?”

She nodded at his question without looking back. She felt an uneasy feeling in her stomach, one that she didn’t understand. Thankfully, it was the afternoon when they had docked here so they still had some sunlight. However, the entire task would take an entire day to do, thus they were all forced to sleep here overnight.

While Jack and Cepa seemed rather excited to explore and map out the place, Merry had hardly stepped farther away than the beach, instead of staring into the forest in front of her. “Feeling queasy.” She had told the three, “You can go ahead of here. I’ll just stay and clean up the place for tonight.”

While she wanted to stay with Merry to keep her company, Mezra ultimately decided to follow up with her other crewmates. Even if she was a medic, Merry was still capable of holding her own in a fight. Besides, she had to make sure the two meatheads wouldn’t get too much in trouble. Throwing her one last glance the trio would enter into the woods.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before all three of them had split up. The trees in the forest had oddly seemed to grow denser, the tree limbs closing around her until she felt as if she was suffocating. Instead, she ignored the scratches across her metal body and continued. Finally, she felt a cool blow of fresh air as she noticed the branches were finally relenting until she came into a village?

She had expected a clearing, but a village here of all places? It seemed unlikely. Silently, she walked towards the buildings, expecting to see some sort of life. Instead, she found nothing. Buildings sat there, empty, without any signs of life even from the insects. Curiously, she opened one of the doors to the houses to find it unlocked. Upon peeking inside, there was no one here. Everything seemed organized? The beds were clean and made, the furniture was in order and everything else was spotless. It was as if their original owners had disappeared.

“Hey!” A familiar voice called out, “Is anyone hereeee?” Immediately she made her way out of the house to see Jack sticking his head into one of the windows of the abandoned houses.

“Jack,” Mezra called out. He took his head out the window and smiled at her.

“Ay Mez, sorry about that, just tryna find you or Cepa but I got lost and found this cool place. It’s like nobody lives here which is weird.” He wondered, scratching his chin. “Maybe there was some weird disaster made them go elsewhere.”

Just maybe, although Mezra had doubted it. If they were, why were the houses so orderly? If they were trying to run away, chances were their houses would be in a state of disarray yet everything seemed fine?

A loud scream had caught their attention, both of them ready in their combat stance as they braced to face the danger that lied ahead. To their surprise though, all they saw was Cepa, fearfully slashing his sword over and over at nothing. “What’s up?” Jack insisted, running over to his teammate.

The words didn’t seem to calm him down, but rather make him even more hysterical than he was before. If it wasn’t for Mezra pulling Jack back by the collar of his shirt, he would have been slashed. Instead, she would approach him, deflecting his swords with her metal arms, causing less damage than if it was flesh. Grabbing ahold of his shoulders, Mezra would shake him a couple of times before a familiar light returned to his eyes. “M-mezra is that really you?”

She couldn’t help but shoot him a confused look, “Yes? What do you mean its really me?”

A whimper came out of the swordsman’s mouth, “I got lost and thought I found you so I called out to you. When you didn’t respond, you turned back and started attacking me. I got so confused, so I ran away to find Jack or something. But when I turned around I found my…” He began to stutter incomprehensible words, prompting Mezra to try and calm him down.

“It’s fine, you’re here with us now. It’ll be all ok.” She said quietly, patting his back although Cepa still didn’t stop shaking, only that he was trembling a little less.

She exchanged a glance with Jack as she did her best to comfort Cepa until he was at a state where he was finally able to talk. It took quite a while, but all they were able to do was get a single word out of him: “Copy.”

“You gotta be hallucinating,” Jack dismissed with a roll of his eyes. “How can two of you exist int he first place?” He didn’t get a prompt, only a series of incomprehensible words.

Mezra sighed, “It’s no use, why don’t we go back to base. I’m sure Merry is waiting for all of us.” She would begin to walk before she felt a hand close around her arm. Turning around, she was met with a wide-eyed Cepa with the most fearful look on his face.

”Don’t leave me.”

“I’m not?” She asked with confusion, although he still refused to let go of her arm. Sighing, Mezra would walk with him, hand still wrapped tightly around her arm until they made it back to the base where they saw Merry currently tending to a fire.

“Welcome back,” she greeted as she walked over to them. “How was the exploration? Also, are you ok Cepa?” She inquired, staring worriedly at her friend.

Jack merely shrugged his shoulders, “Something happened and now he’s really scared. Dunno why. Maybe things’ll be better with a little rest.” He suggested, “You’re the doctor so you probably know what to do. Mez and I are fine.”

Merry would gently take his hand, one that he readily let go of in favor of another. Cepa let out another whimper as she would lead him to the fire, “Why don’t all of you rest up. I also made some dinner, although as a warning, I’m not the best cook.” She said with a small smile.

“Might be a good idea,” Jack said, placing his hand on his forehead and shaking his head. “We gotta have the energy for the mornin’ anyways.” As Mezra settled down in front of the fire, she could have sworn she saw something weird in Merry’s eyes. One moment it was completely pitch black although once she blinked it was gone. Maybe it was just her imagination.



After eating, it was time for them to go to bed. Cepa had calmed down enough, although he still refused to sleep without one person taking guard. “Who knows if it will come in our sleep.” He said, eyes darting around constantly.

“I’ll take the first watch,” Merry offered. “I didn’t really do any exploring today anyway so it should be me.” Everyone quickly agreed to it and thus an order was created. Jack would be next, followed by Mezra and finally Cepa. With this decided, Mezra allowed herself to close her eyes and fall asleep.

Only to be awoken by the sound of screaming.

Immediately, she would leap to her feet and search around for the source of the noise. She had her weapons ready to fire, yet she saw nothing? She stared around with a confused expression on her face before looking at her teammates. Merry was sound asleep, meaning her shift had ended quite a while ago. That meant that it was Jack’s turn but where was he? It was almost as he had disappeared.

Silently, she would walk away from Merry and Cepa. Hopefully, they wouldn’t mind if she wandered around to see where Jack went. It could be plausible that he went to the bathroom, but that didn’t explain why he didn’t come back when he heard the scream. Maybe he went to investigate it as well? If so, Mezra prayed that he was alright.

The forest was even more difficult to navigate underneath the blanket of night. It was quite dark as well, being a new moon with almost no stars in the sky. All she could navigate through was with touch, which she did her best to get through. It was like she was blind, navigating through an unseen world until her fingers finally landed on something soft.

A scream sounded in front of her, and she would quickly ready a bullet in her arm, pointing her finger at whatever was there, when a voice spoke. “Mezra?”

“Jack?” She said with a hint of shock in her voice, “Why are you-”

“Out here? Well, I heard a scream as well and went to investigate. We are not alone on this island, Mezra. I just want to make sure that whatever that is, it is not near us. Right?”

She nodded, moving her finger down as she would then ask, “What are we going to do now?”

Mezra thought he might have shrugged, although it was difficult to tell what he did in this blanket of darkness. “Do you want to go figure it out?” He offered. She would take a moment to think before finally giving him an answer.

“Sure, but you’re leading I suppose?” She questioned, only to receive a laugh.

“I cannot see either, so it does not matter either way. However, since you insisted on me to do so, here.” A hand reached out to grab hers, causing her to recoil. “Do not worry, it’s just me.”

He began walking, prompting Mezra to follow closely behind him. Their walk was mostly silent, without Mezra or Jack to start up any conversations. However, she simply couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that she felt. The darkness around her felt stifling, even more than before. She knew that something was wrong, and she had a feeling of what it was.

Just like before, she would feel a light gust of wind on her face before she knew the exit was near. This time, there was some visual indication as well. With how dark the forest was, the light at the end of it seemed almost like the sun despite how dim it was. When they emerged…

They found themselves back at the village that they had come to before. Jack shook his head before shooting Mezra an apologetic smile. “I must have gone the wrong way, but at least we know where to head to again. We should get back before Cepa wakes up. Besides, I am tired and would like to sleep as well.”

Jack was right about to pull her back into the woods before she wrenched her hand out of his grasped and pointed one of her fingers at his forehead. He reacted with shock, “What are you doing Mezra?”

“I know you aren’t him,” Mezra said with hostility clear in her voice. She didn’t take her finger away from his head and would continue to stare at him with a stronger intensity than before. “Where is he?”

“Jack” looked at her with shock, clearly confused about what she was talking about. “What do you mean? I’m Jack, Mezra. I am your-”

“You are not my crewmate,” she interrupted. “First of all, Jack had never called me Mezra before, always Mez or something else. Why would begin doing it now all of the sudden.”

“Well, people can change and-”

“If that’s the case, why did you also start talking so properly. Jack hardly used any formal language like that, mostly contractions. Is that something else that you suddenly decide to do?”

Whatever that was in front of her only gave her a smile. It wasn’t the joking one that she knew Jack always gave her, but the one that chills down her artificial spine. It was full of malice, and without hesitation “Jack” walked towards her. “Oh Mezra, I did not expect you to be this observant. Although props to you though. You’re the first person in a long to figure this out.”

“Who are you really?” She insisted, half considering shooting this fake imposter right where he was standing. “Where is Jack?”

“Right here, you’re talking to him.”

“Lies. Where is he? Tell me or I shoot you!”

Jack laughed, sending more chills down her spine. “Do you really want to know?” She gave one small nod before he shrugged his shoulders in the same way the old Jack would do so as well. “Well, if you insist.” A shadowy figure would begin to walk up behind him.  Mezra couldn’t hide a gasp as she saw who it was and what it was holding.

“Merry? What’s happening here?” She questioned, completely confused about what was happening. However, her eyes widened even more as she saw that she was carrying both Merry and Jack’s severed heads.

“This is what happened to both Jack and Merry.”
The imposter said, “You see, it is our duty as doppelgangers to kill our mirrors and take their place in this world. It is only this way we can stay here forever.” Soon more shadowy figures appeared behind both Jack and Merry, rather all of these were now shapeless. One prominent figure came up to her, taking a familiar form. “Now then, I think I should introduce you to your doppelganger Mezra.”

It looked exactly just like her. Every detail, every design, looked exactly like her. However, there was one unmistakable quality that distinguished the two: the eyes. Its eyes were pure black, just like the same type of eyes she had thought she imagined Merry had earlier. Only this time, Mezra knew that this was real The eyes seemed to be trying to stare into her own soul. It wasn’t long before Jack and Merry’s eyes would change, taking on this same quality as well.

“It’s nice to meet you Mezra, finally.” Her copy said, taking a few steps closer towards her. Left with no other choice, she had unleashed a gunshot. It merely raised a hand and caught the bullet, brandishing the ruined bullet in her palm. “I've waited so long to take your place in this world. Let’s not be too difficult ok?”

With her attack doing absolutely nothing, Mezra was left with no other choice but to run. She would turn on her heel and bolt, running as fast as her legs could take her. It seemed impossible for her to escape them though, for the moment she turned to look over her shoulders they seemed to be at her heels. “You can’t escape us Mezra, just give up.” At one point she promptly gave up looking back and continued to run forward for dear life.

She burst into the forest again, but their taunts still floated around the edge of her ears. “I promise I’ll make it painless if you just give in. Know what’s best for you. You will eventually submit.”

No, she had to live. Even if Jack and Merry were dead, she couldn’t die for their sakes. And Cepa’s too… Cepa! She didn’t see him back in the horde so maybe he was ok. With this little hope, Mezra continued to run as fast as she could, ignoring the scratching branches which seemed to slice into her metal body almost as if they were sharp knives. She had to getaway. She could see the light that was just there. Cepa too and-

Mezra was immediately greeted with the sight of Cepa, only this time there was a sword plunged right through his heart by his own doppelganger, an expression of fear permanently etched onto his dead face.

She couldn’t help but stand there in horror. All three of her friends were dead. She was all alone here now, doomed to follow in their fate as well. She could still hear their voice as she knew they inevitably got closer and closer. “Just give up Mezra, it’s alright.”

She wanted to so badly. Maybe this way she could finally end the pain of living. She could see her husband and child again, along with all her friends. Although it would be a shame that she would never be able to sail on the sea with her crewmates again. Especially since they just got a new boat…

The boat! She glanced at the vessel which was still docked to the shore. Maybe if she could get to the boat, she would be able to able to escape this island. She wasn’t the best at sailing herself, but Mezra knew her way around one after spending plenty of years on the sea. But how was she going to be able to get past this army of doppelgangers? It was risky, but her only risk was to sprint to it.

As the grasp of the doppelgangers grew closer, Mezra allowed her to take one deep breath before she sprinted at the boat. Cepa’s copy would lunge at her of course, but she would fire off a volley of bullets at its face until she had used up all of her ammo. While it wouldn’t hurt it at all, hopefully, it was enough to distract it long enough for her to escape.

She continued to run, kicking up dust storms in the process, but the boat felt so far yet so close. Just as she was about to touch the boat, it exploded in a display of fire and smoke. She had to shield her face from all the debris. There was nothing Mezra could do but look in horror as her last hope, her last chance at survival would burn up right in front of her.

“Like I said Mezra, there is no escape. You really wanted to play hard to get, so I’m afraid this is going to hurt. A lot.”

No. if Mezra was going to die, it wasn’t going to be on their terms. She was going to give up, but she definitely wasn’t about to be killed by one of them. If they wanted to take her place so badly, then so be it. But if she was going to die, it was going to be by her hands.

Mezra ran forward towards the sea, throwing herself at one of the larger waves, ready to be swept up in its cold grasp. The last thing she remembered before the wave fell down on her was how relieved she felt to die on her own terms.



She didn’t expect to wake up, but she did. Her body was currently being operated on by the mechanists that she was so familiar with, fixing all of the damage that had been sustained on the island. However, she couldn’t help but cry tears of joy when she saw them.

Later, when she was all fixed up, she would meet with the boss to debrief about all that had happened on the island.

“I see. Doppelgangers... Well, that’s concerning. I’ll let the other generals know if they see Jack, Cepa, and Merry that they are to kill them immediately. I’ll also keep a note not to send anyone there now.” Mezra couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief after hearing that. “Now then, Mezra. I have a new task for you that I want you to take with this crew when you’re fully recovered mentally of course. Meet with this person when you are ready. Goodbye Mezra.” She nodded, standing up before walking out of the room.

Her boss stood up and regarded the woman that had just walked into the room. “I am afraid that now Mezra knows our secret we can never mention it around her ever again.”

The woman nodded, "Now then, when shall we introduce the three back into the army again? They have grown tired of being stranded on the island.”

“Wait a little longer. Once Mezra leaves, I’ll send another crew there and they can take their ship back.” With one final nod of respect, the two would leave. However, for a brief moment, both of their eyes would turn that same deep black color from before.

OOC Note: I'll be willing to be a quest grader if no one else works


Last edited by Mezra on Thu Nov 14, 2019 11:30 am; edited 4 times in total (Reason for editing : Adding note)
Goldmonger
Goldmonger
Goldmonger
[tracker=/t1979-dax-morgan#10865]
Name : Dax Morgan
Epithet : Goldmonger
Age : 25
Height : 6'5"
Weight : 250
Species : Human
Faction : Pirate
World Position : Shichibukai (Future)
Crew : Gold | Works
Ship : Cleopatra
Devil Fruit : Goru Goru no Mi
Bounty : [ber=r] 27,900,000
Quality Score : S
Income Bonus : +0.20 (to all allies)
Shop Discount : -25%
Balance : [bel] 117,500,000
[[hardboiled]][[berryprinter]]
[[ancientzoan]]x2[[logia]][[firstaidkit]]
Posts : 210

[Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts! Empty Re: [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts!

This post has in-line assessment comments.Tue Nov 12, 2019 1:59 am
[Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts! Untitl10

"Like, zoinks guys." Shaggy exclaimed, "We've been like, riding down this long, dark, bumpy road all day."

"Rah, r-all ray!" Scooby echoed his best pal's sentiment from the back of the Mystery Machine.

"Relax you two!" Fred responded, dismissing their complaints with a wave. "Old man Jasper says theirs a house out here that's haunted by a phantom ghoul!"

"…*Gulp*…Like, that’s what I'm afraid." Shaggy groaned, his voice cracking from the fear.

"Rah, rhats rhat re are rafraid r-of!" Scooby yelped.

"Don't worry boys."  Velma interrupted, "There's no such thing as ghosts. There's a scientific reason for everything." She stated sternly, pushing her glasses up to reflect the light in classic anime fashion.

"Yeah boys, don't worry!" Daphne said with a smile, turning back over the bench seat to see Shaggy and Scooby sprawled out on the van floor surrounded by food particles and empty wrappers. "Ugh! Gross!" The red head exclaimed.

"Like, relax! Me and Scoob will clean it up, like no big deal, man." Shaggy said in a soothingly sublime tone, moving with the reaction time of a stone as he did so.

Suddenly, the Mystery Machine came to a grinding halt, the tires squealing as the brakes locked up and sent the van skidding down the abandoned dirt road. "Jesus, Freddie Jones!" Daphne shouted, "What the hell is wrong with you!"

"Ahhh!" Velma screamed, her hands clutching at her now bloodied face, "Gwawd dwamnit, Fwed!" She shouted with tears in her eyes.

"Yeah, Fred, like what the fuck, man!" Shaggy shouted from the back of the van, having tumbled onto his head and was now wedged against the back of the seat with Scooby's ass firmly planted on his head.

"I'm sorry guys! But there's someone back there one the side of the road!" Fred yelled as he slammed the gears shift in park and hopped out of the van. Daphne and Velma following quickly out of the passenger side as well.

"Like, me and Scoob will watch van!" Shaggy shouted from inside the safety of the vehicle, slamming shut the doors his friends left open.

The brave trio gathered together behind the back of the Mystery Machine, the dim red tail lights barely illuminating the foggy dirty road. "Hello!" Fred shouted out, "Is anybody out there!" He called out once more, with no response. "Huh, I could've sworn I saw someone." The astute blonde said, scratching his chin in a perplexed manner.

"I swear to fucking god Freddie, if you broke my nose for no reason…" Velma started angrily, a tampon shoved in each nostril before her voice tapered off as a large silhouette began to appear in the dense fog.

"YO!" The shadow called out before it came into full view, appearing as a tall mocha skinned manned adorned in gold. "How the fuck are ya?! Thanks for stoppin! Mind if I catch a ride?" Dax said with a golden fanged smile.

"Well we are heading to the old Beaudeir mansion to check out the rumors of it being haunted, where are you headed?" Fred said cheerfully.

"Well wouldn't ya fucking know it!" Dax gasped, "That’s where I'm headed too!"

"Well I'll be! Hop on in!" The teenager said, inviting a strange, heavily pierced man into the back of his van with his stoner friends and dog.

Dax climbed into the back of the van, pushing passed the mounds of empty dorito bags and mountain dew bottles before he nestled into a nice cozy spot on the shag carpet lined floor. “Sup, yo.” He said with a nod towards Scooby, completely ignoring Shaggy.

“Rup, ro.” Scooby responded in a cool guy fashion, prompting a jealous look from the left out Shaggy.

“It’s so crazy that we ran into yu out here! Going to the same place!” Daphne said, not realizing the absurdity in what she was saying.

“Yeah, real coincidence.” Velma, said, clearly the only catching onto the fact Dax’s final destination was going to be theirs no matter where it was.

“Yeah, really fuckin appreciate you guys giving me a lift there.” Dax replied with a smile. “So uh, is this what you guys do” He questioned, picking up a glass pipe. “Cause I fucks with that.”

“Like, hold onto your ass, dude, even just ten percent of my stuff will take you out.” Shaggy with aggressive smile, his attitude completely changing. The aura in the van grew heavy and the entire gangs eyes fell on Dax as they awaited his response, waiting to see if he was brave enough to anger the one known as Shaggy Rogers.

“Lets fuckin do it then my man! Consider my ass held!” Dax shouted, giving a solid two thumbs up, quelling the animal that was Shaggy.

“We’re here!” Fred shouted over the squealing breaks as they came to a stop in front of a decrepit old mansion.

“Wait, this is the place?” Dax questioned.

“Yeah!” Daphne responded gleefully.

“Well if this ain’t the most white people shit I’ve seen this year….” He mumbled, gathering up his belongings as he started to climb out the back of the van. “I’m getting the fuck outta here, good luck you dumbass motherfuckers.”

“Legend has it that the Beauxdeir family stashed away an ancient family gold somewhere inside the home and that for centuries people have looked for it.” Velma said, “Though it has never been found.”

“Gold?” Dax perked up, “Well why didn’t ya fuckin say that sooner.” His attitude doing a complete one eighty as he turned around and marched towards the modern ruin.

“Like, you may go in there, but me and Scoob are out!” Shaggy protested, “We can watch the van.”

“Not even for a-..” Daphne started before she was interrupted.

“Ralright, rive rus the rhuckin rooby racks!” Scooby growled, clearly having caught onto their food motivating gimmick.

“Alright gang! Let’s solve this mystery!” Fred shouted as he flicked on his trusty flashlight and led the way up the cracked and flora ridden pathway. Bats could be seen darting out of the shattered windows as the grew closer to the faded red door, the paint chipped and dried like the sun scorched lands of the desert. As Fred reached out to open it, the door began creak open on its own, the slow developing noise echoing throughout the abandoned home.

“Like, spooky.” Shaggy chattered in fear.

“Real fuckin spooky.” Dax echoed the sentiment.

“Relax, it’s just a backdraft.” Velma snapped, barging passed Fred to be the first inside of the mansion.”Hellloooo~!” She shouted, her voice carrying throughout the entire estate. Though she was only met with silence, “See? I told you guys.”

“Alright gang, I feel like the best plan is too split up and look for clues.” Fred said like it was a brilliant idea.

“Wait what..?” Dax muttered confused.

“Shaggy, Scooby, you two take Dax and check out the basement, Velma, you go outside and check out the hedge labrynth by yourself, Daphne and I will check out the master bedroom.” Fred barked out the orders one by one, all to the astonishment of Dax.

“Yeah, I got it now..” The Goldmonger mumbled, rolling his eyes as he wandered off with the stoner and his dog. “So uhh, this happen a lot?” He asked Shaggy as they strolled down the creaky wooden hallway, led only by a single flashlight.

“Like, every fucking time.” Shaggy grunted.

“You ever uhh, you know, fuck the shit out of the nerdy one?” Dax snickered, accompanied by a flurry of bro like elbow flurries.

“Like, Velma?! Fucking Zoinks man, she’s a prude.” The stoner moaned, “Ain’t like I haven’t tried, dude.”

“Relieve me, rhes ried.” Scooby interjected with a disappointed head nod.

“Ahhh” Dax nodded, gathering all he needed from Scooby’s response.
The trio came upon the basement door when a shrill scream filled the entire house. “Zoinks! Like, that was Daphne!” Shaggy shouted as he turned back to run the way they had come, only to be blocked by a large machete wielding man.

“Oh shit.” Dax said bluntly, grabbing Scooby by the collar and taking off through the basement door. “Get moving Shag!”

“Like, wait for me!” He yelled, turning back to run, however the machete wielding man was able to cleave off his left arm before he escaped, sending the limb dropping to the wooden floor. “ZOINKS!!! MOTHERF?UCKER! EWF WSD!” Shaggy shouted an agony as he tumbled down the basement steps.

“Help me out Scoob!” Dax shouted as they dragged Shaggy up against the wall and the goldmonger used his powers to stop the bleeding by casting the nub in gold. “That’ll do or now, we gotta move! There’s a second set of steps over there!” He shouted, throwing the wounded teen over his shoulder, “Let’s go Scoob!”

“Right!” The great dane nodded as he trotted after their golden guardian. The stairs led to the opposite side of the manner, which allowed them to make their way to the third floor where Daphne and Fred had gone. What awaited the trio was a gruesome sight, Fred was butchered  and his pieces were left decorating the interior of the room. His innards were strewn about like Christmas lights and his head was mounted on top of the bed post like a pike.

“Where…*bleghh*…” He attempted to say before throwing up, “Like where’s Daph?!” Shaggy shouted.

“Rook!” Scooby said, drawing their attention to a blood trail going off down the hall. “Rets ro!” The dog demanded, taking off down the hallway. The great dane rounded the corner and disappeared out of sight.

Shit. Dax though, “Scoob!” He shouted as he rounded the corner seconds later, though he was greeted with an empty room and a dead end.

“W..where…s … Scoob?” Shaggy managed to say, his conditioned worsening by the second.

“Shit.” Dax gritted his teeth as he used his powers to cleave through the aged wooden walls like butter. There he was greeted with a secret passage back to the basement, scurrying down with the injured Shaggy still draped on his shoulder, Dax was greeted with Velma’s head at the bottom of the steps. “Hey Shag, why don’t you close yer eyes bud. Shag?” He said, shaking the lifeless corpse of the teen, realizing that he had taken his last breath, Dax dumped the body onto the stone floor.

“Help!” Daphne shouted as she came running down the hallway, her clothes tattered and stained with blood. “Oh thank god! It’s you! Please help me!” She begged with tears in her eyes as she embraced the mocha skinned man.

“Holy fuck, you’re still alive?!” Dax exclaimed as he embraced the terrified teen. "What the fuck happened?!"

"I...I don't know!" She cried out, "One moment it was just me and Fred and the next it was-..!" She started before being interrupted as she screamed at the sight of the killer.

"Oh fuck!" Dax shouted as he tossed the terrified woman intovthe machete wielding psycho and took off running. Leaving the helpless teen to fend off the attacker. "This shit is way to much for my fuckin ass." Dax mumbled himself as he ran out of the mansion, seeing Scooby hiding by the front door as he did so. " Ayo Scoob! We finna be out!" He shouted as he hoped into the drivers seat of the mystery machine with Scooby riding shotgun.

"Rhets rlow rhis ropsicle rand!" Scooby shouted as they sped off safely into the night with all the scooby snacks they could eat.
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[Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts! Empty Re: [Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts!

This post has in-line assessment comments.Tue Nov 12, 2019 3:16 pm
Halloween Entry Lucilla, Based on a true story.
Please Imaging my character Lucilia reading this story to you as you sit around a campfire. You Lucilia and Rilo. 



"It was a Friday the 13th, a very spooky day, really really spooky or so Lucilia was saying as she told this story, yes I’m referring to myself in the 3rd person you can deal. A friend of mine named Milo a doctor from drum island who spent most of his life, saving lives and working his daily runs in a wheeled machine called a white house it was a fantastic machine; a perfect white body with blue and white flags and it makes Donkey sounds oh it was amazing.”EEEE OORRR WEEEE ORRR”. Okay yes you may be thinking such a machine doesn’t exist in our world, and how on earth would I have seen such a thing, Well, I have another friend called Rilo who paints stuff and he told me this story originally and painted the important details. With this in mind I was pretty sure the machine in question actually had an actual Donkey inside, I know this because I think I ate the Donkey afterwards. Anyway Anyway moving on.  Outside was covered in snow as Milo woke up quite early in order to go to work; however, no matter how hard he tried for some reason he couldn’t open his front door.  He grabbed the handle with a grip of desperation and rammed his shoulder into the wooden door as hard as he could *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*. The door just wouldn’t budge at all, in fact, it wasn’t even shaking from the impact, it wasn’t locked or made of anything that shouldn’t be breakable *Loud Thud* *Bang* *Loud Thud* *Bang* he proceeded to kick the door repeatedly.  Milo looked to his right and gazed at a clock mounted on his wall as he started to become stressed. “Shit it's already 6.30, at this rate I’m going to be late for work, and at this rate hot blonde won’t sleep with me tonight ...Geez this is the 3rd day in a row”

Out of desperation he grabbed his pickup trucks keys and headed out the window, just low enough to drop from safely but with this, in mind, there was no way back into the building once he had left. His feet plonked through the snow leaving deep footprint impressions in the ground, the fog of his breath reacting to the cold becoming visible inches from his face. He climbed inside his truck and began to attempt to start his wind dail. It wouldn’t start. Milo would attempt to start it again and again without luck “Guess I need to call in sick, no chance in making it today, No Door… no Wind and no beli this early in the morning”. As Milo got out of his truck and started making the trek around his house to his front door, the same door that wouldn’t budge to investigate the situation while also trying to get inside his house his eyes would widen as he swallowed the saliva massing within his throat. Something had spooked him and put a real fear into his spine, something was really off, he could see tracks in the snow. Kneeling down Milo placed his hand within what he could only assume was a footprint, it was double the size of his hand.  "Rilo did you call me fat? Nevermind"

Travelling around his house following the tracks his heart was pumping faster, his addrenerlaine was rushing through his body and his hair had risen, part of him knew what it was and yet couldn’t believe it. The sun was rising and yet it was still quite dark as only a small portion was now revealing itself on the horizon, it wasn't until he made that final turn to gaze upon it, the sun finally had risen revealing not just the wonder of a blooming sunrise, but the strength and power radiating from the huge beast sitting against his front door, and it was very much awake, alive and ready for the situation.  Having never experienced the terror of a tigress putting him down on her breakfast menu Milo experience his life flash between his eyes, all the people he watched die at the hospital, all those he saved he knew it was his time and yet he could not move as; Time slowed down and curiously crept in, as if from a great distance, he admired her savage grandeur as she lay there staring at him, her colours seemed to ignite in the light of dawn, a combustible mix of burning orange and black gunpowder. Milo couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak and the weather was preventing his flight or fight response from kicking in, and yet for some reason the Beast a Great Tiger had yet to move. The tiger revealed its sharp claws and then dug them into the snow and bowed its head as if to signal, I mean you no harm, in fact, the Tigar didn't mean the doctor any harm, however, only a second passed before it stood up upon her mighty limbs and began walking towards Milo. Milo fell backwards and covered his head.  The beast would raise its paw and simply push away the risen arms and roared before taking a step to the side revealing its side. After some time Milo would lift his head in confusion as to why he was still alive, the Tiger was still their right in front of him. He would notice the Tiger was injured and needed help and just like that the entire situation changed the moment he realised the Tiger wanted help and was now his patience.   He collected his medical bag from his trunk and got to work.  

Over the next three days, he would Feed and Heal the Tiger, at which point the Tiger simply left. However, 2 more days would pass and once again he would be unable to open his door *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*. Once again he climbed out his window to discover Tiger Tracks “Has she come back to eat me? This time however he would find something different, something else. It was a Dead Deer dress in a Halloween costume “Wait” Rilo interrupted me telling the story “There was no dead Deer in the story” I placed one finger on rilos mouth and whispered “Don’t worry I’m just getting to the good bit” So where was I, oh I know. Dead Deer in a Halloween costume was left on his doorstep, a gift from the Tiger he saved. The blood of the door was still fresh and slowly staining his door and the path leading to his house, something he would need to clean with any chance to secure that blonde he liked so much. Though he did smile at the gift. “Em, where's the good bit?” I raised my eyebrow at Rilo and smirked my mouth started changing to that of a beast “How dare you spared false information, I’m not a Tiger. I’m an Ancient Dog “AhhhhhH”.

The End

Wait wait, Don’t leave yet I didn't eat Rilo nor did I kill him for something so simple as mistaken Identity Milo owed Rilo a lot of money, so i Dressed him up as a Dead Deer and gave him to Milo as a present.  Happy Halloween..... now look behind you....RARRR. "

---------------------------
Summary

Lucilia tells you the audience a story, that someone called Rilo was telling her in which she was actually apart of in the first place. Rilo had changed the truth of the situation making Lucilia out to be a Tiger which annoyed her, she also knew Milo owed Rilo money and that Rilo was causing Milo problems [like breaking his wind dail]. Since Lucilia felt grateful to Milo she killed Rilo and left him dead in a Halloween costume of a Dead Dear on Milo doorstep riding him of the debt he owed.

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[Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts! Empty Re: [Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts!

This post has in-line assessment comments.Tue Nov 12, 2019 3:33 pm
Spoiler:

OOC: I want to be a thread grader.
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[Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts! Empty Re: [Closed] [Event] Halloween Contest 2019 and Quest Grader Tryouts!

This post has in-line assessment comments.Wed Nov 13, 2019 10:33 pm



The Evil Witch's Chateau!

Interested in Quest Grader.

It was a dark night, clouds of black rolling across the ocean skies of the southern blue, allowing no twinkle of light from a star be seen by any soul. A young man, or to be at least, was sailing the dark waters near an island, having just left his hometown of Baterilla some days ago. Coup D. Baratel had been living on whatever would bite his fishing rod, and some food he stocked up on before his trip. He would be doing alright sailing with his small little boat but this island on his map was yet to show up. It was quite odd in fact, and inexplicable to him, as he should have been at the island by now according to this map. Perhaps he may have sailed off course by mistake? He was just lost.

Baratel: "Where is this isl- Aaah! Waaah!"

Screamed the boy as he would grip onto his boat, being taken off guard by a large wave. Baratel were to rock around on his small vessel, trying to not fall of it. Winds only picked up, and strengthened. This was not good! If it kept up, Baratel's sailboat may very well be destroyed. He would clutch onto his boat for dear life, and hope for the best!

Baratel: "Baaaaah!"

-

Dark clouds lied no more in the sky, only a black empty sky, void of any wind or any clouds. Waters of a dark blue crashed along the black shoreline of the eerie and quiet island. A young boy lied beside his sailboat, one who's name was none other than Baratel. He had succumb to the sea after an hour of struggling to endure it, and had lost strength for a moment as the sea spit him out on the beach of a dark island.

Baratel: "Man, that was something else."

Said the boy, picking himself up after being washed ashore for a few minutes. He went to immediately check on how his boat faired in the winds and waves. Upon looking at it, the boat did not seem too beat up. Sure, it got roughed up a bit but not as bad as Baratel would of thought. Well, on this new mysterious and eerie island, the blue haired boy looked around the area, smiling. He was in some unknown land of dark forests and beaches of black sand. He would be amazed by this island's unique look. It was the first time he had ever seen an island much like this. Baratel would explore the area, and walk into the twisted tree forest after moving his sailboat farther in shore for it is not washed away by the ocean's waves.

Baratel: "Welp, let us see this island.."

Baratel said in a low voice, walking along the sand to the dark forest of twisted trees. He would step foot upon the forest grounds, and immediately then catch a sound of some rustling bushes. Hell is that, the boy thought. Within the forest's bounds, he would continue venturing father into the unknown. However, on guard he was.

Baratel: "Freaking weird.."

Said the wanderer boy, walking further into the forest. Dead trees and pumpkins covered the forest, with some foliage of green and purple colors, just not very lively hues. A crow would swoop over the head of Baratel, cawing and landing on a branch of a black wooden tree. It was some weird forest, Baratel thought.

After some while, he would eventually come to a shadowy cave of mysteries. Wanting to explore the cavern, the boy entered it, feeling cold upon stepping foot inside of it. He would rub on his arms and look around, seeing if there was anything cool in the cold cavern. However, it were to end at some point and what was found in the end of the cave was honestly just better left alone.
Blinking twice, Baratel shivered, and would turn his torso and legs around, then sprinting out of the cavern, after finding a hoard of evil looking bats.

Baratel: "Aaaaaa! Why did I go in there!?"

Cried the boy, running from a swarm of bats with scary eyes screeching at him as he hightailed on out of there so quick. By the grace of fate, Baratel managed to make it out of that cavern no problem. However, he would decide maybe going into a spooky dark cave maybe is not a good idea. Traversing along a dark and rocky path, Baratel were to grow hungry for dinner and want somewhere to sleep for the night. Then, as if fate itself was listening, a glorious chateau would appear from out of nowhere, standing tall before young Baratel. He would see the door open ajar, almost welcoming him. Baratel's eyes would widen at the sight of the door suddenly open ajar.

Baratel: "What i- huh?"

His heart were to beat faster, a bit nervous at what he saw, to tell you the truth. Nobody came out of the chateau. Its door just lied ajar, opened by some mysterious force. Baratel would near closer to the chateau doors, before then stopping. Does he want to spend the night in this place? He was uncertain. However, then a wolf's howls were to sound throughout the dark night sky.

Baratel: "Eh, it is sure better than outside... Bahaha..?"

He said, placing his hand upon the right door of the double door chateau entrance. Baratel would gulp, pushing the door open wide and stepping back to see if there was anything that would jump out from behind the double doors. With a creaking sound, the door to the chateau opened, nothing to be seen in the first steps inside of the dark chateau.

Baratel: "Okay, nothing is there, I think it is fi-"

Unknown Voice: "Haaaaalp! Pleaaaasse! It will be anytime now!"

A feminine scream would echo throughout the mysterious chateau which was calling desperately for help. Baratel would freeze, his eyes widening in shock at what he just heard. What island is this he has somehow found himself upon? He just wanted to explore. However, it seemed that may not be a possibility on this island, at least not without his justice heart. He were to rush through the opened door and immediately begin scouring the area for the voice, dashing down a long hall at the entrance of the dark chateau.

Baratel: "Where are you!?"

Roared out the young hero, deciding to find this girl who had screamed out for help. Baratel would find three stairs adorned with a crimson carpet that led to three different paths and hallways. It was a dark and shadowy room, lit up by only one dim chandelier topped with a few candles. The walls were made of a dark purple wood and a black stone of some unknown origin. Its stairs made of wood, dark purple in color as well. An odd and strange feeling would creep up young Baratel's spine, unsettling him.

Baratel: "Who is here!? What the hell is going on!?"

Yelled the boy, looking at each staircase in uncertainty and haste, deciding to go down the middle one in hopes of finding the girl who screamed out for someone to help her. Palms sweating, Baratel ran along the middle staircase into a hall of doors. He did not know where to head. Halting in his tracks, Baratel froze and would try to think of where he heard the voice come from. He would clench his teeth and his fists, not knowing what island he just ended up on. However, suddenly from the corner of his eye a suit of armor from a stand would walk towards him. A sword in hand, its dark shadow equipped with a sword would cast over the blue haired intruding boy.

Baratel: "Whaaaat!? A living suit of armor!?"

Suit of Armor: "Kachook! Kachook! Kachik! Kachaaaaaak!"

Baratel: "Aaah! You want a fight, I will give you a fight, metal junk!"

Walking toward Baratel, the armor would halt, before then slashing at him! In a single leaping step, the blue haired boy would jump out of the sword's path and roll across the floor toward the stairs. He would quickly then stand up on his feet, and get in a flicker jab stance. Baratel would flex his muscles and quickly leap at the metal junk that just missed his attack, and apply haki to his fist. His fist turning dark, it would be let loose upon the walking armor and dent its metal, throwing it back the hall.

Suit of Armor: "Krsh!"

Baratel: "Where is the girl that screamed!?  Point me to her or I will crush you!"

Suit of Armor: "Kreek.."

Roared the boy, his fist turning back to its original color and reverting to normal. His fallen armored foe would lift an arm slowly, pointing to a staircase at the end of the second floor hallway. Baratel would nod, dashing forward and leaping over the armored foe over to a staircase some meters away. He would begin to climb the staircase when suddenly, a different voice would scream for someone. It rung very loud.

Unknown Voice: "Someone!"

Baratel: "I am coming! What is going on!?"

Loudly asked the hasty heroic, rushing up the staircase to a short hallway on the third floor. He would run to the source the voice, coming to a room where a bubbling cauldron lied. Books lied about, with more armor stands in the corners of the room. The door was wide open, seeping some streams of green fumes and smoke. It was like out of some painting or story. A witch would be in the middle of the room, rotating and smiling, with her ugly face, meeting eye to eye with Baratel, just some random passerby of unknown strength.

Witch: "Bababababaaa! I have been expecting you, young one. I could sense your aura step foot within my chateau!"

Baratel: "Hey! What are those people doing locked up, you old hag!"

Witch: "Oh.. Uhh, well they came into my home.. So I am going to boil them alive.."

Baratel: "You left the damn door open, old hag! Of course people would come in! At least it opened when I arrived!"

Witch: "What!? Why did the door open for you all!? I told it not to open for anyone but for me!"

Baratel: "What the hell is going on here anyway!? Release those people or I will beat your ass! They probably just got washed up here by the storm like me!"

Witch: "Never! I do not care if the door was open! They are intruders! Therefore, I shall boil them until nothing but bones are left! You will go with them!"

Baratel: "That is it, I am beating your ass!"

Suits of Armor: "Kachook! Kachook! Kacheek!"

Argued the wanderer and the witch over what to do with the people who accidentally had entered the chateau. However, talking would prove futile as the witch would not be willing to work things out. So, it would turn to fighting. Suits of armor began walking towards the angry Baratel, one of them attacking. An armor from the corner of his eye would lunge at him with a sword. Then followed by four others with swords. Baratel were to apply armament haki to his right fist and left fist, and set himself in a flicker jab stance. He would use his feather feet technique and up his reflexes, and start dodging attacks from all angles while unwinding on his living metal foes. With each strike of his blackened fist, he would see his attackers dent and be thrown back.

Some would get back up and slash at Baratel again, and manage to get lucky and cut him but others would miss. Baratel, throwing his darkened fists out in front of him before then moving them violently to his sides while rotating his body around, he would send all within his close proximity flying against the walls. For a case of one living armor, they would fly back and tip over the cauldron of green boiling liquid, burning the witch's feet before she was able to jump back in time. Baratel would roar out "Oi! I said I would beat your ass, did I not?". Baratel young wildling, dashing quickly up to witch's slightly burnt feet, he would cock back his fist, rotating his torso, before then letting his fist fly!

Witch: "W-whaaaa!? Get away from m- Bwaaaah!"

Punching the crooked witch in the nose, he would find the witch knock back against a bookcase in the far back of the room, and be left unconscious for the rest of the early night. Metal junk, tossed books, and green evaporating liquids over the place, Baratel were to have truly caused a mess, even garnering himself a few cuts along the way. "Phew, alright, let us release you guys and get out of this wack place, how about it?" Said the young hero, walking up the cage and unlocking it with a key hanging on a hook on the wall.

Prisoners of the witch would cry out in joy, some tearing up and crying out of relief and happiness. After releasing the prisoners, it were to seem most of them were rookie pirates and sailors who had their ships wrecked on this island by a similar storm to Baratel, and happened to come upon this creepy chateau. After talking some more, Baratel and the others would leave the chateau and come together to help repair one of the damaged ships tonight. Hours later into the night, tired but happy to help, Baratel would see his new friends depart from the dark island of the witch. Soon after his new friends, Baratel too would depart from the spooky island, returning to his adventures.
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This post has in-line assessment comments.Thu Nov 14, 2019 11:59 am
The clanking of metal and panting huffs were the only sounds that pierced the silent air. Talin, naked to the waist, soaked in sweat, his back furrowed as his muscle struggled to pull himself up across the bar he was dangling on. The source of clanking were the brazen plates that were tied with a hemp rope to his legs, hitting each other each time he pulled himself upwards. The number of times he had repeated this arduous task was irrelevant to him, having made no effort to keep count. He simply started and finished; the latter only coming about when his body, pushed to its physical limits, could do more.
Yet today, that would not be the case.

A series of firm but polite knocks sounded from the door that lay in front of Talin. The men knew well enough not to waste their Captain's time with trivial things like signatures or paperwork when he was engaged in this activity. Talin trusted the man who knocked knew that.

“Enter.” Talin husked, followed by the cacophony of metal as he landed on the thatch and wool that was laid as to prevent from another hole to be bored in the oaken floor that lay underneath. Lieutenant Fieldrige entered, his face showing obvious pallor. He saluted regardless, seemingly a bit shaky from the Talin’s glance.

“Things are a bit...awry, Captain.” Talin knew that awry could mean a range of things when coming from Fieldridge; be it having run out of eggs or a fleet of pirate ships were heading towards them and the ship’s guns are jammed.

Yet, he had only seen Fieldrige scared when they fought the minks. So maybe things were really awry.

“And why would that be?” Talin asked as he undid the brazen ropes, before giving a sign for the marine to be at ease.

“Well Captain, things got…well, dark”.

Talin looked at the timepiece that hung behind him. It was thirty six minutes past noon.

“What does Navigator Collins say?” Talin asked. Collins was more navigator than anything else, able to tell the time even when blind folded and put in a dark room; down to the minute and able to tell the weather simply by smelling the air. If he didn’t know, it was anyone's guess.

“Well… thing is, he was the one that ordered me to get you, Captain.”


...then things are awry.

---

"Can't 'xplain it, Cap. One moment we sailin' through smooth wata', then choppy 'eas, than this." Collins pleaded with Talin, his voice leaden equally with eccant as with panic.

Talin stood silent, his eyes sweeping from starboard to port, choppy dark waters was all that could be seen from the crow's nest. Talin had decided to talk to the navigator where the panic would not spread. Not more than it already had at least.

"I tell ye Captain, this ain't proper. This is 'rong." Collins whispered, standing on his tiptoes, barely reaching Talin's chest.

Talin's fingers drummed on the wooden lip of the nest, his mind trying to wrest reason from this very unreasonable predicament.

"Turning Back?" Talin offered simply, his voice tense.

"Compass spinnin' like a whirlpool Cap. Was I not on a vessel, could not say were astern and ahead be." Collins responded ardently.

Talin in gave it a moment's thought, his eyes not leaving the misty horizon.

"Any Land?"

"Nuthin' but reefs and wrecks for the next day."


The creaking of the wood as it stood against the slapping waves filled the air.

"Keep the course." The Captain ordered simply, grabbing hold of the rigging that lay to his right side and sliding down, not waiting for confirmation.

"Aye Aye, Cap." The navigator responded to thin air sully.

Things were really awry.

---

The gaslight hissed dully, the only sound bar the storm raging outside. Talin lay hunched over his desk, where a .44 Blackhawk Model lay disassembled piece by piece of cut white tarp, his hand holding it's hammer as he polished in a strong-smelling toupe oil with a worn rubber pipette. Small cardboard boxes lay spread around the table; pins, grips, cylinders, bolts and triggers resting on cotton.

One of the most powerful patterns of pistols in the service of the Marines; it could shoot clean through an oak mast and still have enough power to gore a man; a fact Talin knew first hand. This power came at the cost of being fully made out of steel, which made it far heavier than the normal wooden flintlock, and having a fixed chamber, which only held six rounds and needed to be reloaded one by one; factors that were imperative to allow the weapon to be able to fire with such power and not combust.

A cacophony of creaks and surprised yells broke the rhythm of waves lapping against the hull. Putting the hammer down on the tarp, he turned the copper knob that stood at the side of the lantern, shutting the gas off. Talin listened. The woosh of an incoming swell.

Talin sprang up on his feet, his hands reassembling the .44 with swift, mechanical haste; Cylinder in the frame. Fit in the barrel, the ejector rod clicking into place as he pushed in the wedge. Before he had the chance to pin the hammer, the floor underneath him slanted, knocking him clear off his feet and sending him crashing into the brazen tub that was stashed to the side.

Had the table not been bolted, it could have easily decapitated him.

Talin’s head rung against the lip, the echo of the impact filling his mind. Dazed and confused, his legs seemed to have no strength and his mouth filled with the remains of the food he had eaten in the morning; Two pieces buttered hardtack, with eggs, jerky and shrimp; the latter thanks to a lucky haul from the nets that hung at the sides of the ship. He did his best to swallow it all down, yet a drip of spittle escaped between his clenched teeth. A warmth in the back of his head suggested that something was either ruptured, cracked or broken and it wasn’t the tub. He clambered to the side, where his coat hung; the alignment of the ground creaking as it shifted to the other side. His hands felt the cold metal of a buckle, and pulled; just as gravity pushed him to the other side of the room. As he flew off, the holster flew with him, secured safely in a tight fist. His spine slammed against the table, sending the lamp flying, shattering as it hit the ground and raining glass all over Talin.

He needed to get on the deck. Quickly.

Before the ship had time to slam him back against the other wall, Talin grabbed hold of the ebony hilt that lay buried in the side of the holster, drawing the kukri before burying it once more in the wooden floor; which soon enough became a wall. The blade had found good purchase, yet the weight of the captain was no light load. He could feel the grip of the blade loosen, cracking wood as it started to slid ever downwards before the room swung to the other side once more. This time prepared, Talin braced himself against the feet of the table, escaping death from a caved skull.  

With a bellowing grunt, he forced himself on his knees; gripped the table and pushed himself upwards. Pain shot from most of his body as he did so. He grimaced; the taste of breakfast replaced with that of copper. He spit, yet alas the taste remained. The tidy arrangement of his table was no more; half the boxes flung all across the room. He searched the upturned boxes, searching for the last remaining piece.

Lady Luck smiled that flirtatious smile of hers.

Hammer into the frame. Pin in the pivot point. His heart beating wildly in his chest, he raised the chamber to his ear.

Click.
Thump Thump.
Click.
Thump Thump.
Click.
Thump Thump.
Click.
Thump Thump
Click.
Thump Thump.

Click.

Kicking the kukri clean off the floor, he snatched it out of mid air and slid it back in its sheath, after which he made a mad dash for the door before the ship could disbalance him once more.

---

Even before he had reached the deck, Talin could see the effects of the ferocious gale that was consuming the ship. The stairs that led upwards to the open where soaked; as if a cask had been spilt over them. Cold wind bellowed, spitting rain even before he had reached halfway through the corridor.

As he stepped outside, narrowly avoiding another marine slamming into him, he was met with utter chaos. The winds were whipping ropes and men alike, into the maws of waves that were bashing the hull from all sides, with force that seemed to dent eyeballs. The sky was nowhere to be seen, only grey clouds shifting around the vessel; the time of day it is impossible to tell. Albeit no Navigator, Talin was sure they were in the eye of a storm.

It was then that the wind died and the sea seemed to lay still, turning from a hungry whirlpool to unmoving glass. And the sound of hooves filled the air.

A herd of red eyed horned beasts burst through ragged sky, stampeding on thin air. Their hooves were red hot iron and their horns black as soot, uniform traits amongst the flying herd. Even at this distance, he could feel the heat of their breath as they snorted fire with each breath.

Footsteps sounded as Collins rushed towards Talin, doing his best to not slip on the slick deck, still drenched in sea water.

“Cap, ‘his bad omen, of the worst sort!” He shouted at the top of his lungs, yet it sounded barely a whisper compared to the slamming hoofs of the ghastly herd.

“Suggestion?” Talin said, as he drew the .44 and flicked open the loading gate with a thumb.

“Well, I ‘ouldn’t kno’ Cap. I just kno’ it’s as bad as ‘hey come.” Collins replied, his eyes till fixed on stampede. “The man are wantin’ to jump ship. Better than face whatever these haunts are. Cap.”

“One way to find out.” Talin husked plainly; punctuating his sentiment with the click of the loading gate snapping shut. With a single movement, the sights were set on the leading beasts.

“CAP-” That was all the Collins could get out before the hammer hit the primer.

The shot flew true and hit the nape of the beast with a gong-like sound, as if metal hit metal.

The cacophony of sound hushed.

The demonic crimson eyes all turned onto one point.

Talin.

---

A tremendous weight, akin to some sort gelatinous slab, seemed to shift off him, followed by throaty grunting and heavy steps that slowly faded out. His body quaked with pain, his lower torso and upper legs throbbing numbly especially. Even his eyelids somehow were in pain and the act of opening threatened worse.

Yet Talin was calm. He was in this position many times, being a man who drank casks of firewater when off duty and waking up in pain, in a strange position...

He slowly shifted his body. He seemed to be covered in some roughspun tarp.

… and yes, naked; was a very regular occurrence. So much so, he had devised a system to be able to get back on his feet, both metaphorically and literally, in the most efficient way possible.

First, Talin did his best to recall what occurred before he ended up in this situation.

Stormy Seas. Ghost Beasts. And strangely, not a single drop of alcohol involved. Neither was it Fisstech, Dream Ink, Bojack, NHC10, Angel Eyes, Hot Heat nor Ocean Green. After all, he was on duty. Talin might be wanton in his indulgences yet never when he was working.

Scraping of pots, clanking of metal and wood filled the air. Seeing this as his cue of enough respite, he painfully opened one eyelid to sneak a peek of the environment.

He seemed to be in some kind of cot that lay on the ground, his clothes in a pile next to him. Upon further inspection, this was a dimly lit cabin, the walls made of thatch or some similar material. The sound of what seemed to be water being boiled was coming from an adjacent room. He scanned the room for his knife and gun, yet it was too dark to search for them without going around the room. He drew short but deep breaths, preparing himself to brace against the pain and get up. Where the occupants of this hut allies or foes? Striking down law abiding citizens would not go down well, he pondered to himself.

Nevertheless, Talin needed to get back to his crew before he gets himself a court martial for desertion.

Yet before he could act, the thudding steps sounded once more. Feinting sleep, he loosened his whole body. Soon enough, he was lifted and hoisted on a shoulder. The being that was hoisting him smelt strongly of rotten meat and faintly of bleach. The odour was so strong he could feel his eyes tear up, even though they were closed.

Feeling movement underneath him once more, Talin took this as his cue to open his eyes again. The person that was carrying him, if it could be called a person, seemed to be made entirely of rolls on rolls of fat. His head was resting on what he assumed was a breast, but it could very well be just another roll of fat.

“Nanny Pupu had fun, now Nanny Pupu eat.” The being of fat said, it’s breath filling the air with the smell of burnt grass. A bubbling cauldron lay in the middle of the room.

Definitely a foe. Now he could act.

Talin bit down with all his might on the possible breast, before he slammed his knees in the back of the being, tearing flesh as he arched backwards and sprung off.

Spitting flesh and rags, he wiped off the blood on his lips with movement of his wrist.

A screech of pain filled the air as he finally saw his captor. Nearly as thick as Talin was tall, this hag had green flesh, which tasted like shit, as Talin now knew. It was wearing discolored rags, seemingly as old as it was, and a crimson stained apron, with all sorts of primitive bone implements tied to it.

“Nanny Pu-” She begun, but Talin had no time for monologues. He rushed in with a knee strike, hitting her belly in full and ripped out one of the hanging objects from her apron, which turned out to be some kind of chopping knife.

The Nanny belched, partially over Talin, her words now only a croak. Despite it, he remained engaged, not wanting his foe to regain balance.

Slashing at her chest, the sound of flesh of hitting dirt sounded as he cut off what remained of her bosom.

She clawed wildly at the Captain, hitting him in the shoulder and causing him to drop the knife.

The hit reiganated all the pain in his body, yet Talin was now high off the adrenaline. Nothing short than a knife to his heart would stop him once he drew blood.

The hag took a step backwards, reaching for a meathook that lay hanging. Talin charged, cupping his hands as his arms did a twisting motion before slamming into the fat of her belly.

Hungry Tiger Palm. A dispectivily flashy strike, yet could send men twice Talin’s size flying off their feet.

Losing her balance, her legs lost grip and she reeled backwards, her head finding its way in the bubbling cauldron that was behind her.

The screams of pain were accompanied by the smell of fried bacon.

Talin’s stomach grumbled.

---

Having had to dress quickly in multiple occasions, it didn’t take long for Talin to be back in uniform; .44 holstered on his right and his knife at his back.

Thankfully, the pills he kept in a hidden pocket sewn in his boots, prescribed by Dr. Maximlius Payne, were still there. Extremely powerful painkillers, they had kept him going after the most turbulent of fights.

Chugging a handful, he checked he had collected all of his belongings one last time, before facing whatever obstacles lay in his way.

Prying a hole in the thatch with the edge of his blade, he could see that the cabin lay overlooking some kind of village. A monolith lay in the middle of the village, surrounded by droves of figures, all sitting around it, feasting.

Further on, dense woods, a jungle possibly.

In the distance, against the pink sky of dusk, a flapping flag. A marine flag.

Collins had said that no land was nearby, and any land not listed on a World Government map was a haven of scum.

A pressure filled the space behind his jaw. The telltale sign that the pills were now in full effect.

---

The sound of wood breaking filled the air, up from the hill where the holy hill were the shipbreaker lived. A boulderlike shape was rolling down with force, blood splashing with every bounce as it gathered speed.

Screams filled the air as the villagers ran out of it’s way, and the rolling corpse slammed against the monolith, which with a long winded groan, akin to that of a dying giant, collapsed onto itself.

Although he was out in plain view, the villagers were too busy trying to escape the falling debris to notice him. A solitary lone figure, standing on what onces was Nanny Pupu’s hut.
---

“He’s dead. That spooky shit we saw? It killed him.” One raspy voice said.

“But he’s Captain Roche; that man could be tied to a rock and thrown in shark infested waters and somehow find a way to survive.”
Another, raspier voice, replied.

“Oh, things are awry, they are so awry.” Fieldridge helpfully added for the sixth time, but whose observation was ignored by everyone from the first time.

“He disappeared halfway through the storm. The ship barely made it out alive, let alone a man. Not to mention the fucking bulls. He angered the gods by shooting them.” The less raspy voice argued.

“The only god you should be worry about is your commanding officer.” Talin added.[/b][/b]
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