Several7s:
Rain fell gently on the cobblestones as Eris walked through the streets of Kypha. Zaydaan hadn't accompanied her this time. He'd clearly indicated what he thought about her going a third night without sleep, but she didn't care. Seeing Mordzar and Kyren had made her even less inclined to face the nightmares. Still, she felt the effects from lack of sleep. If she'd stayed in the hotel, she would've slept whether she liked it or not. Knowing that, she'd wandered into the storm.
She paused and turned her face into the rain. It calmed her, temporarily driving away thoughts of the past. For a brief second, she thought peaceful sleep might be possible.
"Eris," Shiazmu said from behind her, interrupting the moment. "Raylee asked me to find you. We need to go back."
His voice sent a bolt of panic through her, but she hid it better now than she had with Kyren. "I like it out here." She started walking again, without bothering to see if he'd follow.
"It's raining- you'll end up sick," he argued.
"I've suffered worse." She glanced back at him as she walked and immediately slammed into someone.
She looked up to find Greo, from Black Dragon, scowling at her. The stench of alcohol filled her nostrils, and she resisted the urge to gag. She could hear the annoyance in his voice when he spoke.
"Watch where you're going, she-elf," he growled.
Shiazmu moved to her side, sticking to the shadows where he could move unseen. Eris opened her mouth to apologize, but the panther pounced before she got the chance. He tackled Greo, claws digging into his leather armor. The orc responded with an angry roar and tossed Shiazmu away.
Eris stood still, unsure how to react. Should she be helping Shiazmu attack Greo? But what had the orc done to deserve this response? Should she stop the fight? Greo answered that question when he slammed his fist into her.
The attack was enough to send her flying into the wall. Her head didn't hit too hard, but it was enough to make her vision spin. That's it- he's going down. Cool metal met her hand, and she pulled out her knife, which also served as her wand.
"Laden thand!" she whispered. The knife warmed in her hands and she dashed forward across her shield.
The shield allowed her to stand on equal ground with Greo, but as soon as she pulled a weapon, he responded in kind, unsheathing a massive sword. His stance shifted, and the sword came flying toward her. She leaped into the air and pushed off a wall, using the momentum to flip over him. Her knife connected with his face, but only created a shallow cut.
Behind her, Shiazmu fought someone else who had arrived, but she ignored him and focused on Greo. His sword came inches from her arm, and she moved away from it, but something else sliced into her side. She was about to retaliate when Raylee showed up.
***
Shiazmu did not like prison cells. They were uncomfortable, small spaces with little room for escape. What's worse, Raylee had been the one to jail them. Or, she hadn't stopped it, at least. She and the Black Dragon guild master- Rovad- had shown up in the middle of the fight with a bunch of guards and swiftly put an end to it.
It was a shame, too. Kyren fought well and had given Shiazmu a refreshing challenge. He'd been enjoying himself, just a bit. Of course, he soon found out he'd attacked Kyren, who was a hero among the republic. Probably not his best decision.
Eris leaned her head back against the wall and held her side. It had been bandaged, but blood was gradually soaking through the cloth. "I could've sworn I dodged him," she muttered.
Greo spoke from the cell next to theirs. "Any other person and you would've," he said. "You're fast- I had to use magic to catch you."
"When I knew you," Kyren said, "you wouldn't have let Greo catch you." He fixed his blue eyes on her. "Have you not been training?"
"He didn't catch me," Eris objected. "Besides, I hit him too."
"You two know each other?" Shiazmu looked at Eris. Was Kyren connected to the past she refused to tell anyone about? It occurred to him that if Kyren knew Eris, she might've been connected to the incident with Vaxon. "Were you on Kasten, when Vaxon forced the magi to fight each other?"
"Wait... you never told them about it, Eris?" Kyren frowned.
She stared at the floor. "I don't want to talk about it." The words effectively shut down the conversation, leaving them in silence.~~~Word count: 796 (I split between the jail and the fight as evenly as I could, but it isn't a perfect 500-300 ratio.Kills: N/ABallots: N/A
Mine:
Bekka giggled as she splashed her brother Logan. The spherical bodies of water were surrounded by magic crystals that continuously streamed water toward the spheres. Waterfalls poured from them onto pools along the floor, where dozens of other Magi - mostly from Black Dragon - were swimming and having fun.
Logan glared at her where he relaxed with his upper half out of the pool. "Bekka, you know how I hate water."
Bekka shook her head, dribbling water from her fur. "You're the only Animaloid wolf who does! Even Kamu is joining in the fun - and he's an Animaloid Lion!" She nodded her head to the center of the sphere, where Kamu's entire Animaloid body was completely submerged. Even his mane was floating in the water, the same with Iri and Aimi, the two freshwater mermaids whom everyone knew had crushes on him.
Kamu roared, creating a typhoon of water that consumed both mermaids. Aimi created a gust of air, but it missed Kamu entirely and instead slammed against Naro, the male harpy who had perched on the open window at the top of the swimming room in their hotel.
Flapping his wings, he flew through the air. "Aimi, I know that was you!" he called, huffing ice breath.
Meanwhile, Iri was twirling through the water gracefully, hopping through the darker shadows in the water.
"Only because Kamu is a Water Mage!" Logan protested.
Bekka giggled and once again splashed her brother with water.
*****
Slugging back his fifth cup of ale, Greo burped. Fifth? Sixth? At this point, he couldn't remember, but as long as his belly was filled with the burning sensation of alcohol, Greo didn't care.
Kyren smirked from beside him, taking a slug of his own pint.
"What are you doin' here, Pretty Boy?" Greo growled. Kyren hated it, so Greo continued using it.
Kyren frowned. "Greo, do you even know how to be civil?"
"I'm drinking here. Barkeep, another!" Greo slammed his cup against the wooden slab bar.
The keep, an Animaloid black bear, wrinkled his snout. "I think you've had enough, Greo," the bear snarled.
Kyren laughed, hitting his leg as he chortled. "No, you're not drinking here!"
With another growl, Greo whirled around and tackled Kyren around the waist. Kyren slammed against a table, cracking it in half. Mugs of ale spilled everywhere, along with mirzakki crystals, and piles of gold.
An animaloid jaguar jumped up with a hiss. "Who do you think you are?"
Kyren wiped blood from his mouth, smirking. "Oh, did we interrupt something? It's not like you're any good at that game anyway, Shiazmu!"
"Kyren!" a woman yelled with a frown. "You'd better shut up - "
The jaguar roared and leapt on Kyren, while Greo laughed.
"Not gonna back up your teammate, orc?" The woman shook her head while Shiazmu threw him across the room.
Landing in a heap against the wall, Kyren coughed, slowly getting to his feet. Despite a wince, he chuckled, spitting blood and a tooth onto the floor.
"I back up teammates who deserve to be backed up. You're welcome to him." Greo turned back toward the bar.
"Not so fast." Shiazmu snatched the back of Greo's collar and threw him backward. "You were just as much at fault as he was!"
Catching his balance, Greo cracked his neck. "Crying over spilled ale? Why don't you run back to your mommy, Kitten!"
With another roar, the jaguar threw branches that sprouted out of the ground at Greo, who formed two metal axes in his hands, thinking, metal axes. He whirled the axes around and sliced through the branches with ease.
He barely caught a glimpse of the woman and Kyren fighting before vines wrapped around his arms and legs, tossing him outside.
Metal towers, Greo thought and instantly, two metal towers grew beneath his feet, freeing him. Metal rods, he thought with a grumble. He front-flipped off the metal towers and slammed the rods against Shiazmu, or at least he thought so. Shiazmu twisted passed him, bouncing off the towers and then flipped over Greo, landing on his back. Claws dug into Greo's skin making him hiss. Metal spines, he thought instinctively. Metal spikes grew from his flesh, making the jaguar yowl in pain and leap off him.
Just as Greo prepared to stomp on his tail, two guards grabbed his arms and yanked him backward. Two other guards did the same to Shiazmu, Kyren and the woman.
Greo cursed.
*****
"This is your fault," Greo hissed at Kyren, who was chained beside him.
"My fault? How is this my fault?" Kyren glared at Greo, appalled. What had he done? Greo was the stupid orc who attacked him first, thus ticking off Shiazmu and Eris.
"Who cares who's fault it was?" Eris asked with a smirk. "I won and you know it."
Kyren glared at her from where she was chained on his left and Shiazmu on her other side. "You did not win. Not the first time we fought and not this time, either!"
"Yes, I did."
"Would you two just shut up?" Greo yelled.
Word count: 846 total; 242 for the opening hotel scene, 499 for the fight (PHEW), and 105 for the end scene. Just FYI, the word count killed me (and I'm sure it killed Several7s too).
Even though this was just for fun, if you guys wanna pick a winner, feel free! We'd love your feedback. No hard feelings no matter who you guys choose :)
MusicgirlXD you're the only one who hasn't handed in so soon as you get in, I can score your entry and put the next task up! It's due tomorrow at 6pm central!