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CLASSIC [Magical Library Expansion]



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Cassette-Disk

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I'm bad at starting stories. I'm even worse at following through with them. Thankfully I already have half of the next part written out, and by posting the first half, I'm forcing myself to write no matter what. Furthermore, this will be more episodic than other things I've written before, so if one thing gets too stale I can just move on with something else. With all these safety nets, what can possibly go wrong? (note: don't ever say that sentence in real life, especially in a literal setting.)

---
Starter Pack

A large wooden gate stood in front of me, guarded by two knights. Both of them wore shining armor along with wielding a spear and shield. They were both standing in attention and completely unmoving. I fought the urge to tip one over as I walked toward them. Before I got the chance, the pair crossed their weapons together, blocking the entrance. They had undoubtedly practiced that move before.
“Business?” One asked.
“My name is Bryer Alma.” I said, taking the time to give a quick bow. “The lord of this castle sent for an ambassador from Blueshire. That would be me.”
“You do not appear to be professional enough to be an ambassador.” The other said. I looked at a random window on the brown stone wall just in time to see a quick blur rush into it. Perfect.
“Dude, I'm totally professional.” I said as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a crumbled piece of parchment. I undid the various folds and handed the paper to the guard on the right. He took a look at it before handing it back to me.
“The Blueshire King's very own seal, huh?” He said gruffly. “Alright, I guess you check out.” In another swift movement, the two guards returned to attention and took two very large steps to the outer sides of the gate. The right hand gatekeeper pushed his hand against a tile on the wall, and the gate began to open itself up to me. I hoped that was due to mechanical engineering and not magic. If it was the latter, we were screwed.


As I walked under the large gate that towered over me, I made out the telltale sounds of gears and other assorted mechanical gizmos whirling around inside the castle walls. That was good; we were safe for just a bit longer. I wasn't sure how long it would take Chive to find what he was looking for, but there were only two ways we were getting out of here alive. Either he finds the documents while I distracted the lord and he easily escapes without anyone even realizing they were robbed, or he gets caught and we fight our way out. Of course there was always the chance he might not find the documents, hell there might not even be any documents at all. If that was the case we might be in the middle of accidentally starting a nation-wide war. Suddenly this seemed like a bad plan, but it was too late to turn back. Besides, we had gotten the green light from the higher ups of Blueshire, and we also had various people from Chive's band of thieves scope the castle out and draw diagrams and blueprints of the place in order to get the best route of escape in case things got hairy, so it wasn't like we were flying blind. The majority of the castle was indoors from what we learned. There was some kind of outdoor arena near the center that was exposed to the elements, but if things went well I shouldn't even need to visit it.


How was I supposed to find the lord's quarters? Obviously, I knew where they where thanks to the scouting we had done, but I wasn't supposed to know its location. Surely one of the two soldiers outside would follow me? I turned around to ask, but the gate had already began to close. I sighed in defeat, unsure of what to do. The best thing to do would be to wander around until I find someone to help me out or I “accidentally” find his resting place.
“Need some help, Bryer?” I heard a female voice say. I turned away from the door to find a woman around my age garbed in a black hooded robe. Her long black hair gave her an air of mystery that made me uneasy, and her staff gave me the impression of magic which—given the current situation–was not something I wanted to deal with. Magic had a way of finding thieves easily, and my stomach began to sink at the thought of failure before the mission even began.
“Hi. Yeah, I'm just--”
“Just trying to buy time for your friend to grab the documents revealing Fayfield's plans of attack on the neighboring country of Blueshire by gaining an audience with this castle's lord? A castle built more like a fortress on the outermost region of Fayfield, almost as if it was strategically placed there for an incoming assault?” Well, crap.
“I have no idea what you're talking about.” I said cheerfully. She puffed air at me.
“I hope Chive is a better liar than you. It was a good idea of him to go in through one of the bedrooms. It's afternoon so they're all empty.” Like I said, magic has a bad habit of revealing the truth, and the truth was rarely Chive's friend. “Well come on then.” The girl said as she began to walk away. “Lord Timberpatch is waiting.” I stared at her.

“What?” I said in what I assumed was a stupid manner.
“What?” She repeated back to me in a stupid manner. “I said he's over here. He'll get suspicious if we take too long, come on.”
“Is this a trap?” I asked, catching up to her.
“If it was I would tell you it wasn't. But no, it's not a trap.”
“Alright, now you're screwing with me.” I almost caught a smile on her face before her stoic expression took over again.
“You think I like this?” She whispered angrily. “If you're right this means war between the nations. War brings destruction, and destruction brings ruin. As a scholar I would be a little more than upset with myself if I didn't stop the needless destruction of libraries, books, and magical artifacts before it even started.”
“What about the people?”
“What about them?” I gave her a strained look. “Does it matter what my motives are? I'm on your side, that's all that matters. Also, tell your friend to screen his merry little band when he gets the chance. One of the guys who infiltrated our troop offered to sell me your plan of attack. It was pretty stupid since we would have just killed him after.”
“So what did you do?”
“We killed him before he had the chance. I had to convince everyone he was lying and trying to desert us, and I assume those who pushed my idea were the more loyal men of his band.”


We spent the rest of the short walk in silence. I didn't pay attention to the exact route we took, but I knew the fastest way out in case this did turn out to be a trap. And why wouldn't it be one? This girl dissected our plan probably at the same time we created it. She didn't care about the humanity of what was happening and it was very easy for me to see her create a deal with her Lord to spare whatever she wanted in exchange for a couple of Blueshire prisoners that were caught in the middle of espionage. Things looked grim, but there was nothing to do but keep going.
“Here.” The girl said to me as we reached a door on the second floor. She reached into her pocket and retrieved a blue crystal shard before handing it to me. “Use this when the time is right.” I took the crystal from her and outstretched my arm high above me, hoping for an explosion or something so I can make my escape, but nothing happened. “Not now, you dolt.” She hissed as she reached for the door. I quickly pocketed the shard and followed her inside.
 
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KingdomKey

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Re: CLASSIC 1 [Starter Pack]

I can't promise a hardcore critique, but I'm sure Hidden will eventually take a look at it.

Spoiler Spoiler Show


Okay. Normal review time! :D I haven't mentioned this before, but I absolutely love magic, knights, lords and princesses. One of my favorite types of stories to read growing up. Especially as a preteen. I really like this mysterious sorceress girl helping Bryer. I think underneath the stoic look on her face is someone who's playfully, witty and sarcastic. For the starter of a story, you told this extremely well, and this is evenly paced; so it doesn't feel like you're leaving anything important out, and putting in just the right amount to grab my undivided attention. Seriously, you describe everything in great detail without going overboard, and I'm surprised you haven't tried writing a novel yet.

Also, don't be afraid to start as many stories as you want! Even if you don't finish them, its fun to read the world you created.
 

Cassette-Disk

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Re: CLASSIC 1 [Starter Pack]

I hope you don't mind me defending a couple of my choices.
Spoiler Spoiler Show


For the starter of a story, you told this extremely well, and this is evenly paced; so it doesn't feel like you're leaving anything important out, and putting in just the right amount to grab my undivided attention. Seriously, you describe everything in great detail without going overboard
This is a gigantic relief. I've never been sure of myself with the amount of details I put into my work, so knowing that I did a good job here is awesome.

and I'm surprised you haven't tried writing a novel yet.
Sugar Lips, you're too sweet. Writing a novel is a pipe dream for me to be honest. As decent as I am at writing, there's a really big threshold that's stopping me from becoming a novelist. Though writing for a living would be pretty boss.
 
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KingdomKey

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Re: CLASSIC 1 [Starter Pack]

I hope you don't mind me defending a couple of my choices.

I don't mind at all. I'm still learning how to read and write grammar properly. And its still one of the few skills, I need to work on. :) In fact, I agree with you on changing/expanding the sentences instead. Hence why I said, its your call on how your sentences sound to you. I can't always tell if something sounds right or not in my head, so its good to get an outside opinion, or hear what you (the writer,) thinks of the suggestions being made.

though that last one makes Bryer sound more resentful then he actually is.

Interesting. You put a lot of thought into the sentences you write, where the characters are concerned. :) I thought Bryer sounded more weary and bewildered, and perhaps a tad resentful, at the lack of empathy in her response. That's what I like most about your stories. Your characters express themselves so well, making it easier for us readers to get to know them, and want to know more about them too.
 
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Cassette-Disk

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Re: CLASSIC 2 [Starter Pack]

Wow. This dude takes the title of “lord,” stretches it past “duke” and brings it just into “king” territory. His quarters was less of a bedroom and more a throne room. As I walked into the room, I felt soft carpet under my feet. Though the majority of the room was tile, a single long carpet outstretched from the entrance all the way to two lavish velvet thrones. The one on my left held the lord who looked right at home while the other was empty, and looked hardly used. I briefly wondered if the material caused rashes if people sat on them for too long, but the lord began to speak.
“Bryer Alma of Blueshire!” He called happily.
“What's good, lordy?” I asked. The mage glared at me as she walked ahead.
“Lord Timberpatch,” she said, kneeling. “I brought the ambassador as you requested.”
“Yes, I see, Reyes.” The lord said. “Thank you.” He turned to me as she rose. “Sorry about her. She can be a little uptight.” I shrugged in response.
“I hadn't noticed.” This earned me another glare as she reluctantly walked back to my side.
“Odd behavior from you, Reyes.” The lord went on. “Usually you sulk back to your chambers, but instead you stand beside our guest?”
“I don't trust him.” The girl said. “And I would prefer to keep him at staff length in case of trouble.” Lord Timberpatch chuckled.
“As I said, she's very uptight.” Timberpatch rose from his throne, revealing to me his lanky structure. He was slightly tan, slightly muscular, and slightly hairy. A whole lot of nothing. Weren't lords supposed to be magestic? Maybe things worked differently in Fayfield. His outfit was nothing out of the ordinary, red robes upon gold robes upon what I hoped was a white tunic. He most likely decided to wear his best for Blueshire's ambassador. And here I am wearing leather armor like a chump.

“We have much to talk about, Bryer.” Timberpatch said as he slowly made his way down the room. Was he swaying with each step? Maybe he thought it looked elegant; it looked nauseating to me. “Like for instance our state of trading, small conflicts between the patrolmen around the borders, and accusations of stealing.”
“Stealing?” That one was new. I was told of the other two before they shipped me off, but stealing wasn't on the agenda. My thoughts went to my best buddy Chive. He probably had nothing to do with it, but I decided to ask him about it later.
“Oh yes, stealing.” The lord said, skipping happily to a stop in front of me. “We have had reports from our patrolmen that some supplies went missing. Nothing major, honestly. Just some weapons here, a supply of medical herbs there, small objects. What is more worrisome is the fact that this means people have somehow found their way into Fayfield from Blueshire without us noticing. Most likely bandits, no real issue though, we just need to find the hole and plug it, so to speak.”
“I see. I know a guy who is good with this type of stuff, I'll send a call to him.”
“Would it be possible to do so now?” Timberpatch asked. “The idea of a hole in our defenses gives me the willies.” I looked up at the ceiling, imagining Chive crawling around in some kind of cramped vent. ...In a medieval castle. Or something.
“He's a little caught up in something at the moment,” I told him. “Something about checking the security on one of our castles.” Another glare from Reyes. Boy, I was not scoring points with her.

There was a scratching noise coming from above the room that caused both Reyes and myself to look up for a second. Though we couldn't see him, we both knew it was Chive. Following our gaze, the lord gave a quick laugh.
“Sorry about that. I think I heard some of the newer guards talking about 'dealing with a rat' earlier. We'll have it all sorted soon, I'm sure.” I only nodded, feeling my throat dry up slightly. “At any rate, we have a lot to talk about.” I nodded again as something behind Timberpatch caught my eye. This particular something had short spiky black hair, wore dark slim fitting clothing, and had a knife sheathed near his waist.
“Chive.” I whispered to myself as Reyes cleared her throat, obviously seeing the same thing I did.
“My lord,” She said quickly, “maybe we should move to a different room? Though your room is very elegant, it hardly fits the...” The thief moved silently behind the thrones, checking under them. The documents aren't going to be under some chairs, you idiot. He looked up at me, almost as if he had heard me before shrugging his shoulders. Has he already gone through the rest of the castle? I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he arrived here by accident. Just because we knew our way around the castle didn't mean Chive knew the way around the vents, assuming there actually were vents in this stone castle. “...Is that alright with you, Bryer?” Reyes finished, turning to me. The two had continued their conversation while I was having a panic attack in my head. I looked at the mage, trying to figure out what I was about to agree to. Hopefully it was to move us away from this room.

“Yeah, sure. That sounds good.”
“Excellent!” Timberpatch said, raising his hands in the air. “I knew Bryer would see it fit to discuss our nations' well-fare in my fine chambers.” Crap. Reyes looked at me in disbelief. What can I say? Sometimes life throws you curveballs. And sometimes it throws you spiky haired thieves who distract you. My mind back on Chive, I turned to face him just in time to see him climb into a square hole in the ceiling. Huh. Guess this place does have vents somehow. The hole was quickly plugged with a large stone brick that covered it perfectly. At least Chive getting caught wasn't going to be a problem anymore. A small explosion went off above us as the thief fell from the ceiling along with a small amount of rubble. God damn it, Chive.
“I knew it!” Reyes yelled out through the dust.“Lord Timberpatch, this swordsman is a fraud. He was merely distracting us while his associate went around looting the place. They're nothing but bandits, one of whom detonated one of the many vent traps I had placed strategically in the castle.” Double crap. At least it wasn't my fault we were caught. I would be able to rub this in my friend's face later, assuming we survived. Timberpatch quickly called for guards as Reyes stared us down. What the hell was I supposed to think of her? I mulled this over as a soldier harshly tied my arms behind my back and led me to the center of the castle.

Sunlight was quickly coming into view. Though I remained cuffed, Chive was instead held by his arms by two separate guards because he kept freeing himself from the chains. He was currently struggling with the guards to my right as I walked along quietly. The fact that they hadn't taken my sword away along with the fact that we were heading to the outdoor arena was a dead giveaway as to what was to come. This might be seen as a colossal failure. Chive had been more or less caught, we hadn't found the documents we were looking for, and were about to face a trail by fire. Well, trail by steel. Same difference. From an outsider's perspective, things looked bad. But I knew better, and I'm sure Chive did as well. We were going to fight. And I knew I was being underestimated. After all, what can a single swordsman do against an entire castle of soldiers, right?
 

KingdomKey

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Re: CLASSIC 2 [Starter Pack]

What a way to get thrown under the bus. A part of me is in disbelief about this. Could Reyes have seriously meant for Bryer and Chives to get caught? Or is this another ploy? Hard to tell. I chuckled at Bryer's distaste of Lord Timberpatch. Reyes is definitely an uptight mage, and it amuses me to a great degree too. This is definitely not your typical win, win situation you'd see in most medieval stories. Which is what makes this so unique and interesting at the same time. I'm curious what Blueshire is like. Is it all blue? (xD) This sure has escalated and I'm with Bryer on this one, they're underestimating him for, leaving him with his sword. I hope to see another update soon!
 

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Re: CLASSIC 3 [Starter Pack]

Going into Blueshire is like going into a town in the older Pokemon games where everything turns into a tilt of blue. Also, Bryer's callin' you out, Timberpants!


---

As we approached the arena, I couldn't help but be a little impressed. We knew there was an arena in the center of the castle, as well as the fact it was exposed to the elements. What we didn't know was just how grand it was. The entire thing reminded me of gladiators and the stories associated with them. The fighting area was below ground level and a circular wall divided it with an uncountable amount of seats placed firmly above, giving spectators a view of anything and everything happening inside. The guard behind me pushed me forward, past the seats. Oh-uh.
“This is a nice view.” I told him as he undid my shackles. “I don't suppose you plan on taking me to the ground entrance, do you?” Instead of a verbal response, I got another shove over the edge of the railing, causing me to flip once in midair and land on my rear.
“What about me, huh?” I heard Chive yell above me. “You gonna toss me in there too? Go on, I dare ya!”
“Not at all.” Came the calculated feminine response. “I know your type. You'll just claw up the walls and escape. No, I have something more...interesting for you.” I almost heard the smile spread on Reyes' face near the end of her sentence. I stood up slowly, getting my bearings. The ground was covered in a thin layer of what I assumed was sand, though I could feel hard stone underneath. I walked toward the center of the large arena as I waited for my opponent. Looking up, I made out a single chair placed high above the rest on its very own closed off section. It looked far more comfortable than the rest, and sitting on it was none other that lord Timberpatch himself. He smiled at me as he stood.
“Hello again.” He said smugly. What I wouldn't give to punch him right now. “Good job on failing. Just stellar work. Really, I can't express how fantastic...” I kind of tuned him out by this point. Instead I looked at the remaining chairs. They were all empty, but near the railings I saw Chive being restrained by two guards while Reyes looked down at me next to them. Her glare was replaced by a narrow gaze. I realized she was studying me, just waiting to see how I would react to the situation. In the back of my head I briefly wondered if I could trust her. The crystal shard in my pocket suddenly felt very heavy.

“...In conclusion,” Timberpatch droned on, “nicely done.”
“I'm not much for literature,” I cried back to him, “but 'in conclusion' is a terrible way to start a conclusion.” He gave me another smug smile that I had quickly learned to hate.
“It's a good thing you're going to die soon.” He said, looking down at me in every sense of the phrase. “I would hate to see you breed.” What am I, cattle? He clapped his hands twice and I once again made out the mechanical whirling I heard as I passed under the castle gates. A wooden door on the left side of the wall had begun to open itself. A single guard came out, wielding the exact same spear and shield the others did. Well, we have to start somewhere I guess. The soldier immediately charged at me, and I drew my longsword from my waist. I watched the soldier run at me and nearly studied his movements. Predictably, He had placed his shield in front of his body, effectively stopping me from attacking first. He was also running straight at me as opposed to circling around to avoid my sword arm. When he got within distance, he stabbed at me. Fully expecting it, I sidestepped to my right to avoid it. The sensible thing to do at this point would be to go around his shield and attack from behind. I was never the sensible type.

I quickly reached my free hand at the spear, avoiding the sharp part and instead gripping the body. I yanked at the weapon as hard as I could, pulling it away from its owner. By this point, the fight was over. As the metallic spear fell to the ground and the guard staggered forward passed me, leaving his back exposed. I pivoted on my left heel, stabbing at the left side of soldier's back, aiming for his heart. The soldier fell as I pulled away, letting out a grunt. I flicked the longsword in Timberpatch's direction, letting the dark drips fly. I returned the smug smile he had given me.
“If your plan is to bore me to death, it's working.”
“Hell yeah!” Chive yelled, his feet kicking off the ground as the guards held him in place. “Show that ugly lanky monkey who's boss!”
“Keep quiet.” Reyes hissed at him, bashing him against the back of his head with her staff. “Or I'll silence you myself.” This time Chive gave her a rare glare of his own. Man, that guy seriously hates magic.
“Bring in the next one.” Timberpatch said as he slouched against his chair. What, was he bored? I kinda just killed someone. You would think he would be a little more concerned.

I watched the door open once again, expecting another foot soldier. What I saw instead made my jaw drop.
“A god damn tiger?” I yelled at him.
“Do you like him?” The lord answered cheerfully. “His name is Leon. A little cliché, I know but--”
“A GOD DAMN TIGER?” The tiger roared at me as he began to charge. How do you deal with this? I didn't have enough time to come up with a plan and it took less than three seconds for the tiger to jump at me. He jumped surprisingly high, claws outstretched and mouth ready to gore me. I ducked under him and slashed upwards randomly. Soft droplets let me know that my swing had connected, though I couldn't tell how badly I had damaged the beast. I spun around quickly to see the tiger limp slightly as he turned. There was a small red trail against his chest that quickly painted his fur red. A lucky strike, but I'll take it. Leon growled at me, ready for one last attempt. There was no leap from the animal, just a straight primeval charge. It was one without thought or reason, just the basic thought of killing before being killed. I lunged my sword forward at the beast, connecting right above his brow. The tiger stopped in his tracks, and collapsed. I always felt bad killing animals, moreso than humans. Humans had a choice, but there was a good chance this tiger was trained from birth to attack. I faced away from the fallen animal and back at Reyes, ready to question her about the tiger, but stopped. She mouthed something at me that I couldn't make out. She repeated it.
“...eind ...o...” Friend of you? What? She tried again, more slower but full of urgency while Chive spazzed the hell out over something. “BE...IND...YOU”
“Holy crap! That dead tiger ain't dead!” Chive finally blurted out loudly, causing the mage to flinch. Thanks, buddy. I appreciate your calm and on point analysis. I quickly pivoted again, holding my blade with both hands and immediately lowered my arms. The tiger was dead, there was no doubt about that. The wound on its head ran red with blood and parted as it reached the snout. There was no way any animal could survive a steel sword being rammed into its brain. There was no logical reason as to why this tiger had suddenly stood. It's eyes were beginning to glaze over, and the pupils refused to focus on anything. I couldn't think of any reason as to why or how this dead tiger was standing.

“Oh sorry,” I heard Timberpatch say above me, so full of smugness I expected it to pour into the arena like honey, “I forgot to mention! Leon here has been injected with something a little special. Have you ever heard of necromancy?” Oh hell. I rounded on the lord.
“Timberpatch, you're sick!” I screamed at him while the undead tiger growled at me.
“Aw, but I didn't do anything. Reyes here thought of it. She's really something, isn't she?” I again turned to the mage in disbelief.
“Reyes? You didn't...?” The girl ignored my gaze and nodded at the zombie-tiger I had been neglecting. Before I had the chance to turn around, the tiger mauled at me, knocking me to the ground. I desperately clawed at the sand in front of me, trying to get back to my feet as I heard Chive yell my name. I barely made him out in my peripheral vision, swinging widely as the guards tried to hold him down while Reyes looked on, biting her lip. The thin sand under my fingers gave way, revealing the cold stone below, refusing to give me any kind of traction in such a small amount of time. The zombie-tiger pounced again, and I felt a sharp pain shoot through me as claws stabbed at my back.
“Slowly now, Leon.” I heard the lord say, “This is your dinner, after all.” I was effectively pinned down and could feel the blood from the fatal blow I had delivered to the tiger earlier drip to my neck. I quickly slapped the area around me, looking for my discarded sword, or anything else I could use. The disgustingly warm sensation of the tiger's breath had begun to reach my ears as my fingers finally gripped the hilt of my sword. I swung awkwardly at the undead beast, just managing to knock its head away from my own. I swung again, pushing it further away from me, each backhanded slice cutting into the tiger with a sicking squish sound that was accompanied with more red drips flowing onto my neck. Finally, the tiger's claws let up on my back, allowing me just enough room to roll out from under it. I wasted no time in getting back up to my feet as I felt my own fresh wounds begin to bleed.

“How do I kill it?” I yelled as the tiger charged at me again. I rolled out of the way and ran towards the wall.
“You can't!” Timberpatch giggled, “Leon's already dead!” I reached the wall and jumped towards it, kicking my foot off of it and letting my momentum carry me up a few steps upwards as the tiger collided headfirst. Thanks for showing me that one, Chvie.
“Cut off his head!” I heard the aforementioned thief cry out. It was most likely a guess on his part, but it was better than nothing. Gravity began to take over as I felt my body begin to fall. I turned around as best I could and ran downwards, letting the natural force push me down. I reached the dazed tiger in less than a second and used the force pushing down on me along with my own strength to savagely swing at the beast's neck. I won't say it cut like a hot knife on butter, but it did slice much more easily than I had expected it to. I landed harshly next to the tiger's body as the head fell. Expecting the body to move without a head, I rolled to a staggering stand and was ready to fight the zombie again.

Surprisingly, the animal's body collapsed as the head rolled away. I let out a deep sigh as I reached into my pockets.
“Damn you!” The lord yelled. “You're just a boy, but you fight like a mad man! Who the hell are you?” I pulled out a small folded brown piece of paper wrapped up with string from my pocket and opened it to reveal a red gel-like substance. I scoped up a small amount and rubbed it along my back as best I could over my tiger wounds. I half-jokingly hoped the necromancy stuff wasn't contagious as I tried my best not to flinch from the magical remedy. Chive might not like magic, but even he admits this stuff is amazing. I looked up at the lord as I pocketed the gel in its paper container.
“My name is Bryer Alma,” I roared at him. “That's the unimportant part. I am also a leading member of the Sword Guild: Captain of the Seventh Division. My mother is Mylene Alma, also known as Blueshire's Scarlet Lightning Bolt.” I briefly saw Reyes' eyes widen into a knowing gaze. “She taught me everything I know about swordplay. If you think you have an opponent that can take her sword-work down, then bring it on. If not, quit wasting our time with cheap magic tricks.”
 
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KingdomKey

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Re: CLASSIC 3 [Starter Pack]

I'm such an idiot! I totally forgot about the crystal shard Reyes had given him! All that time complaining, gosh, do I feel like a fool. Nicely written, CD-Man! You should give yourself a round of applause on this chapter. I laughed at Bryer's quips at Lord Timberpatch. Especially this line, "A GOD DAMN TIGER?". And just when I thought the fight couldn't get anymore intense or dangerous, the tiger ends up being brought back to life. I actually felt bad for the tiger like Bryer did. Reyes doesn't seem like the type to like using her magic for necromancy purposes. Let alone like Lord Timberpatch. I really hope at some point we learn about Reyes. Right now, I'm loving Bryer and curious about his mother Mylene Alma. Is Bryer royalty? I hope we get to see more of Chives too. I haven't gotten to know him quite well yet.
 

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Re: CLASSIC 3 [Starter Pack]

Nah, Bryer isn't royalty, he's just good with them swords. Though he also has a big head about his skills which will show later on. I also have a lot of plans for each character, giving them a more concentrated look with their own sections like the Band of Thieves expansion of Chive, Magical Expansion for Reyes, Archery Expansion for a yet to be introduced character, Sword Guild Expansion for Bryer, and a bunch of other stuff. Like I mentioned before, it's very episodic and I hope it pays off for me. Also, the next update will be up at a later date. I've been busy with annoying things lately.

edit: pfft I wrote "lighting bolt" instead of "lightning bolt". gg.

edit edit: I was working on this, but I really REALLY don't want to finish it, nor do I think I'll follow it up so I'll post it now.
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Max

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Re: CLASSIC 3 [Starter Pack]

Wow, I didn't expect this to be so funny when I first started reading it. It's very, very well written. And I like that I don't really no what to expect from scene to scene, it seems like anything could happen. Zombie Tiger? Freaking CLASSIC (You see what I did there?)

Good stuff dude, looking forward to Chapter 4. I really hope Timberpatch gets what's coming to him.
 

Cassette-Disk

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Re: CLASSIC 4 [Starter Pack]

Here's a short quicky. I had planned on writing more now that I'm not as busy, but thought the ending was a pretty good little cliff hanger. I'll try my best to write more often now, especially since I feel as though not much happens in this bit.

---

The usual smirk that had been plastered on Timberpatch's face was gone as one quickly found its way onto my own face.
“Well, lordy?” I asked him as I crossed my arms. “You got someone worth fighting, or are you going to come down here yourself?” The lord sneered at me before looking at the mage.
“Reyes.” He said. “Shut this rat up.”
“Oh how scary!” Chive blurted out at the girl. “What are you gonna do? Give him a magical rash? Hide behind some guards as you throw—and miss—fireballs at him? Oh oh! Or maybe you'll just stand there menacingly hoping he falls in love and lets you whack him?” My friend starting laughing loudly before Reyes interrupted him.
“That's enough.” She said, sliding her hand against Chive's mouth. He grunted something, though it wasn't possible to make out what it was. His mouth had been magically sealed shut, and he was not happy about it.
“Hmm! Hmrck hmmu, hmmu hmmich!” He hummed at her, which caused the mage to slap him across the face.
“That wasn't very nice.” She told him darkly as she pinched his nose and held on to it before turning to the guards holding him up. “Throw him in. I'll deal with them both here and now.” The guards obeyed, though more literally than I had expected. Without moving closer to the edge of the seating arena, the pair of soldiers dangerously chucked the thief into the lowered arena. Being much more agile than me, Chive was easily able to recover in midair and land on his feet, skidding to a stop in front of me.
“Hh, Hmyr.” He hummed as he rubbed his red cheek.
“Hey, Chive. What's up?”
“Hh hmmu hmw. Hhhy hhhmh hhhinh hhghh.”
“Oh don't sweat it. I know your line of work isn't exactly full-proof.”
“Hhm.” He nodded.

I looked back at Reyes in time to see her jump over the railings and into the arena. It might have just been my imagination, but I was fairly sure I saw her slow down in midair before she landed. She held her right hand above her as a purple light slowly seeped out of her palm and over the large opening over the arena. The purple light quickly acted as a covering for the arena, blocking my view of Timberpatch and the guards above.
“Okay.” She said quickly. “Bryer, when I give the signal, use the crystal I gave you. Chive, stay near Bryer.”
“What?” I asked.
“Hmmt?” Chive asked.
“Just trust me.” She said. I nodded at her as Chive looked on in disbelief.

The purple covering quickly vanished. Though at first I thought it had simply disappeared, I was able to see thin trails of purple pulsating through the air from one end of the wall to another.
“It's a barrier.” The mage explained. “To stop little mice trying to scurry away.” Being the outstanding gentleman Chive was, he gestured a vulgar hand-sign that I won't bother explaining. Reyes responded by clasping her hands together. I had thought this might be some kind of insult from Fayfield, but I realized my mistake as soon as her hands starting glowing purple again. She began pushing her palms away from each other as well as extending her fingers, and a small purple ball of energy began to form between her hands. I wasn't sure what she was doing, but I was sure I didn't want to be standing still in one spot to find out. I started to move to the left as Chive began running to right. The mage separated her hands, shredding the energy into two separate entities in each palm. She threw the first one at me, aiming just ahead of where I was currently running. I dropped down and slid as the ball of magic flew a few inches over my head. The second blast was reserved for Chive, and even though she aimed for exact positioning, the thief still managed to evade the attack by jumping towards a wall and kicking off of it as the small explosion splashed harmlessly against cold stone. Is this her holding back? Because it sure doesn't feel like it.

As Reyes began readying another attack, I ran to the body of the soldier I had defeated earlier and picked his shield off from the ground. I turned back to the magic user and to my surprise, saw Chive swinging one of his knives at her. She easily dodged the first two swings and ducked underneath a third. As she did so, Reyes punched at the ground and caused a large concrete fist to shoot out of the sand, knocking my friend backwards. He skidded for a short distance before flipping backwards and landing on his feet just in front of me. By the time he was up, Reyes had already prepared another purple-energy-ball thing and launched the pair at us. I ducked behind the green circular shield as Chive ran off once again towards the wall behind us. I felt the magical attack connect with my shield, and the pressure pushed me back slightly. I watched Chive run up the wall, much like I had done earlier, but where I had begun to falter, he kept going straight up. It didn't take long for him to reach the barrier Reyes had placed, and I watched as he punched at it. Of course, the magical wall didn't budge, and the gravity-deifying snoop slammed against it like a fly against a glass window before falling pathetically back to the ground below.
“I'm good.” He coughed as he got to his feet. “Just had ta', you know, test it out.”
“Right.” I said as my friend made his way to me and behind the shield. “Well, do you have any ideas?”
“How about you go punch her? Like really really hard?”
“Okay. Any plans that won't get me blasted with magical fire stuff? And how are you talking? Didn't she silence you?” Something pulled at the shield I was gripping, and it was easily pried away from me.

“I can hear you.” Reyes said. A large illusion-like transparent right arm held on to my shield, stemming from her own hand. Chive quickly launched a set of knives at the mage, but they were blocked handily by...err...her giant purple ghost-hand thing. The large hand quickly wrapped its fingers around us, mimicking Reyes' own finger movements. I felt a tight squeeze as she lifted us from the ground and slammed us back down to the hard floor. The mage slowly walked toward us with a smile on her face, and as I stared at the barrier above us, I just managed to see Timberpatch literally on the edge of his seat. “It's a shame,” Reyes said, “that you don't have any kind of secret weapon.
“Hey...Hey Bryer.” Chive gasped. “Do you have some kinda secret weapon on ya? I musta left mine in my other holster.”
“Lemme check.” I wheezed back at him as I did my best to reach into my pocket. When my fingers wrapped themselves around the crystal shard, I gave it a tight squeeze as the surroundings around Chive and myself vanished, replaced with bright white light.
 

KingdomKey

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Re: CLASSIC 4 [Starter Pack]

I really liked the ending the most because of the secret weapon. Pure comical moment right. The fight itself was a lot of fun to read and Reyes performing magic was mouth dropping. For real, I felt like I was there and witnessing it first hand. Chive must be something close to an acrobat to run up a wall and evade attacks like that. I thought it was really amusing with his mouth shut too. I wonder what he had said to Reyes that she didn't take too well? I really can't wait to see what happens next, now that Bryer and Chive are out of harms way. Will we be seeing Reyes again? This was well worth the wait and a lot of fun to read. If you don't mind me asking, why is the story titled 'CLASSIC 4'? Does it mean anything? [I can't remember if I asked this before but, thought I should ask it. :)]
 

Max

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Re: CLASSIC 4 [Starter Pack]

Dude, epic fight. The choreography you come with with is pretty awesome. Especially Reyes, the way her magic is implemented into the fight doesn't come off too strong, it's just right.

And of course, the whole thing was pretty hilarious, you have the comedy down pretty good for this, looking forward to more.
 

Cassette-Disk

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Re: CLASSIC 4 [Starter Pack]

Good to know you guys dug the magic. I wasn't sure how to approach it at first to be honest.
If you don't mind me asking, why is the story titled 'CLASSIC 4'? Does it mean anything? [I can't remember if I asked this before but, thought I should ask it. :)]

CLASSIC's the title, and this was the 4th 'chapter' of the story. I change it, silly goose. :p
 

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Re: CLASSIC 4 [Starter Pack]

I started writing and then kept stopping, so here's a short bit until I find the muse to keep going. We're getting out of this freaking castle, damn it.
---

I found myself floating in mid air for a split second before falling back to the ground. I was glad to see that Chive fell next to me and that he too, could not recover in time to land on his feet.
“Bryer.” He cried as he slowly got to his feet, “That's the second time today I've fallen on my back.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Yeah? But you're normal. This shouldn't be happening to me. It's a scary experience.”
“What, does that make you more than normal?” I asked as he helped me back to my feet. “Where are we anyway?” I gathered my surroundings. Iron bars, a large circular safe door that took up an entire wall, a small combination safe, a few desks scattered around the room, and a small mountain of gold, jewels, and silver.
“Heaven.” Chive told me as he ran towards the pile of treasure. I looked at the crystal shard in my hand. Reyes had gotten us out of danger, sure, but why would she have us teleported here? She knew we were looking for a document.
“Chive,” I ran up to my friend who was earning his worth as a member of the Band of Thieves by greedily stuffing a small black bag with a large amount of various treasure. It seemed impossible that the bag would hold any amount of gold, but somehow he kept shoveling it in. Seems as if even thieves were a fan of some kinds of magic.
“Little busy here, Bry-Bry.” He told me.
“I can see that. I need you to open that safe right there for me.”
“Why? This is where all of the good stuff is.” I hate when he gets like this.
“Fair enough. I mean, it's not like that safe is obviously out of place or anything.” Chive stared at me.
“You think that's where the document is?”
“I think that's where the document is.” The thief looked at the safe and handed me the small bag. It felt very light and silky.
“Keep fillin' it up while I get to work.” I looked into the bag and saw nothing but darkness.
“How will I know when to stop?”
“When all the gold is gone, obviously.”
“Obviously.” I did as I was told and grabbed a fistful of golden coins before carelessly dumped them into the bag as my friend walked towards the small safe. He squatted down in front of it and began turning the dial while pressing his ear against the cold steel. Counter clockwise. Clockwise. Counter clockwise. Click. Chive opened the safe quickly as he beckoned me to come closer. I walked behind him and handed the bag.
“There's a buncha rolled up parchment in here.” He told me as he pulled one out.
“Just take them all; we don't have time to go through them all of them.”

“That's a stupid idea.” Reyes said from somewhere. I turned to face the large wall-safe in time to see her phase through it and into this room.
“Oh, I hate magic.” Chive said as he rushed at the mage, dagger in hand. He leaped at her before I had the chance to stop him, but I realized it didn't matter as the girl simply threw a hand into the air, trapping Chive mid-flight in a transparent purple bubble. “Oy! Lemme out!” He yelled as he banged against his prison.
“I like this.” Reyes said, “It's like you're my parrot on a leash.”
“Ah, I'm gonna carve you a new cake hole when I get outta here.” Reyes responded by shaking the bubble up and down violently, disorienting Chive.
“Bad bird. No cracker for you.” She told him with a smile.
“Guys?” I said, walking between the two. “Can we be serious for a second? Chive, she's on our side. ...At least I'm pretty sure she is.”
“I am.”
“See? She is. Reyes, I know Chive can be a...uh, handful...but can you let him down?” Without a word, the mage waved her hand and the thief fell to the ground.
“Three times.” Chive gasped as he hurried to his feet. “That's three times in one day. Can't let anyone in the Band know. I'll be the laughing stock.”
“Those are fake.” Reyes said suddenly, pointing at the rolled up parchment. “We put them there knowing that eventually someone would break in hoping to find the truth.”
“So where are the real documents?” I asked as I unrolled one of them. I made out the words “mechanical duck” “water vacuum” and “flying exploding beds” as I skimmed through it. Yeah, there was no way this would lead to any real plan. The fact that the words “Risk Playthrough #21” were written at the top also would have tipped us off.
“I have it.” she told me as she produced an identical rolled up document from her long sleeve. “When I was brought here I was instructed to protect this document without reading it. I did so assuming it was related to the actual fortress itself. It wasn't until much later did I start to piece the puzzle together.”
“Did you read it?”
“Yes. It lists various steps for a war. The first of which included this fortress being placed so close to Blueshire's boarders. Of course, this was a risky move as it would draw attention to it.”
“Us.” I interrupted.
“Yes. After this visit they were certain Blueshire would be satisfied and would leave the country open for attack. They also have a plan written where you were to fall for the fake documents and attack based on them, thereby allowing a full declaration of war.”
“And since Blueshire would have attacked first, they would be seen as the ones starting the war.“

“Why do you keep saying 'they'?” Chive asked suddenly. “Whenever you talk about Fayfield you say 'they' instead of 'us'.”
“Well, I can't very well be a part of them anymore now, can I?” The mage said as she stashed away the document. “Not only because I wouldn't approve of the actions behind this, but if it were to ever get out that I assisted you I would be bared, quartered, possibly decapitated, and—worse of all—stripped of my magic.”
“That's worse than being decapitated?” Chive asked.
“I said they'd cut off my head, I never said they'd kill me.” My friend's face was overcome with a sudden disgusted look, which amused me greatly. “At any rate, we need to leave. We have exactly seventy seconds before they start searching for you here. I had elected to come down here myself, but they will undoubtedly follow me for 'protection'. We need to move.” Without waiting for our input, the mage walked back to the large wall-safe and easily pried it open. I wasn't sure if that was magic or if she had somehow unlocked it. I dragged Chive away from the looming pile of gold and we silently followed Reyes. We quickly reached a large circular staircase that ran against the walls and Reyes began running up them before stopping. “Damn,” She whispered, “they're here sooner than expected. Through the dungeon, come on.”
“Dungeon?” I asked quietly as we started heading down. “What kind of dungeon are you talking about?”
“What kinds of dungeons are there?” She hissed at me as we reached a wooden door.
 

Max

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Re: CLASSIC 5 [Starter Pack]

Ohhhh my, a dungeon! I can only imagine!

And decapitation without the death... Weird!!!!
 

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Re: CLASSIC 5 [Starter Pack]

I imagine being stripped of magic is worse in comparison to being decapitated, when it comes to Reyes. I ended up laughing a little at Chives for being treated like a parrot. Chives sure does have a little bit of a mouth on him, don't he? Also, I suspect the tiny black bag is actually made of magic and happens to hold more than what appears to the naked eye. :D Although, Chives doesn't like magic... I still wonder why that is. Although, having Reyes on their team/side ought to make things that much more exciting. A dungeon she says. ooh, what kind of dungeon could it be? xD You crack me up a lot. CD-Man. Your stories are the best to read through.
 

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CLASSIC 6 [Starter Pack (End)]

Now this is an update. It also counts as the Writing Challenge's 'Fantasy Challenge' as well, and I had a blast writing it.

---

Reyes quickly walked into the door, and Chive and I followed. Darkness flooded around us as the mage closed us off from the rest of the castle, and I was made aware of a very disturbing smell from the dank dungeon.
“What is that?” I asked, covering my nose.
“Don't ask questions you don't want answers to.” She answered as a sudden flame appeared in front of me. The source was none other than the magic user's palm: she had magicked up a small ball of fire in the center of her hand, granting us visibility. “Put your hands out.” She told us. I did what I was told and Reyes dropped the fire onto my own palm. I flinched, expecting it to burn me, but was surprised when it felt surprisingly cool against my skin. “You too, birdy.”
“Nah thanks. I'm good.” The thief answered as I just managed to make out his figure reaching into the same small black bag he had used earlier. He pulled out a pair of goggles and strapped them to his face. Tiny green dots appeared in the center of each lens and though I wasn't sure what it was, I was fairly sure he could now see better than I could. I also judged that Reyes had some other magic she was using to aide her, since she didn't summon another fireball for herself.
“Come on, then. We need to move before they figure out where we are.” I felt the girl start to move forward, and followed behind. We walked in silence for a few minutes across the hard cobblestone floor. Every once in a while I thought I caught a glimpse of iron bars, chains against the wall, maybe even a human figure slumped on the floor. I didn't say anything, and judging by Chive's unnatural silence, it was safe to say I made the right choice. Once or twice I thought I heard unfamiliar voices, but I didn't dare say anything. I'm sure I will regret this later. How could I just walk away from people who are trapped here without lifting a finger? Given any other circumstance, I would waste no time in freeing anybody I would find here.

But this was not any other circumstance. We were trapped. Effectively pinned down and on the run. Yes, I was a good swordsman. Yes, Chive was an excellent thief and fighter. Yes, Reyes was on our side and undoubtedly possessed an unreal amount of magical power. But there was no possible way the three of us could fight off an entire fortress of guards, escape said fortress and into safety, and protect whoever we might find here. It just wasn't possible, and I'm sure both Reyes and Chive would tell me the exact same thing if I brought it up. I thought up various plans as we walked, trying my best to think of ways to save these people. I turned to see Chive's face scowled in concentration. He was the type of person to go for the money first but I knew he still cared about people, and I could tell he was thinking the same thing I was. But we both new the chances of us saving these people headfirst was nearly impossible. I instead looked at Reyes only to find her staring at me. I averted my gaze quickly as she sighed.
“We can't.” She said.
“I know.” I answered quickly. “What are the chances the people will stay alive long enough for a rescue attempt from the Blueshire army once we leave?”
“Low. Once Timberpatch realizes I'm gone he will panic. They will strip this castle clean and escape before we even make it to Blueshire. And that will mean either executing the prisoners or moving them.”
“So we've effectively damned these people.”
“Don't think of it that way,” She told me in a tone I would almost call kind, “these people were damned from the start. Hope was never a real option for them. However, now that you two arrived, anything goes. In their hurry to leave they might overlook a few things. You've seen how long this dungeon is, there is a chance that Timberpatch will order an instant retreat, ignoring these prisoners. When they are set free they will, of course, blame Fayfield but they would just easily wave those accusations away, clamming that the people who were behind the kidnappings were a rouge band.”
“But we still can't do anything besides hope the dice rolls in these people's favor.”

I'm not sure how long we've been down here. It's felt like hours and I am so very tired. The fireball resting in my hand had diminished significantly since we first started, and Reyes had neglected to reignite it. I took this as a sign that we were nearly out of here; I highly doubted she was the type of person to forget about something like that. I heard the sounds of a metal door opening in front of me as light blinded me.
“Here.” I heard Reyes say. “We aren't out yet, but we're much closer. This is near an exit point. Once we escape the castle I can teleport us near Blueshire.
“Teleport?” Chive said. “That's disgustin'.”
“If you feel so strongly about it, you are free to walk the rest of the way. I should probably mention that this exit leads us to a desert.” I heard chive groan behind me.
“I better not be missin' any fingers when we're done.” Reyes lead us into the brightly lit room, adorned with torches that were most likely a product of magic. The room itself was circular and large, and I counted three separate doors: The wooden one we had exited, one to our right that was made of metal and had various scratches, and one ahead of us that seemed to have been broken down by the elements. It was so badly damaged that I could practically see through it. I made out a small hallway and a ladder at the end of it. “What's with that door there?” Chive asked, pointing at the metal door.
“Don't ask questions you don't want answers to.” The mage repeated. “It doesn't matter anymore anyway. He's been long--” Something collided with the opposite side of metal door and I instinctively reached for my sword. “Oh.” Reyes said simply as she walked towards the door as another loud bang emitted from it. “You yet live?” She asked through the bars.
“Yesss.” Came a gargled and wheezy response. I felt a shiver go down my spine as Chive lowered his goggles so they rested against his neck and once again reached into his bag.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked aloud. Whoever was behind the door suddenly let out a loud breath.
“Iss that Alma?” He asked.
“Bryer, yes.” Reyes answered. What the hell? How did he know about me? My heart began to race as I slowly walked towards the door, Chive following close behind me.
“Oohhohohoo.” The voice said as I neared it, “Bryer Alma. You're one of Dyson's men, aren't you? From the Sword Guild?”
“Captain of the Seventh Division now.” I answered calmly. “Dyson was my commanding officer.”
“Ah yesss. You must forgive me, I've been in here for far toooo long. But I must say, it sure is sssomething to have the Scarlet Lightning Bolt's own son right in front of me.”
“Who are you?” I asked, “how do you know so much about me?” There was a rushing sound before a deathly thin face appeared behind the bars, surprising me to the point of backing away a few steps. His skin was so pale and empty. I could see his neglected hair had been matted and torn, and his eyes were sunken into his skull. The man laughed at my behavior.
“Did I ssscare you? I'm sure I look like a mess right about now. Do the words 'Wakizashi Gang' mean anything to you?” I shook my head. “No. I'd be surprised if you knew anything about it.”
“I've hear rumors,” Chive spoke up, “it's supposedly a large group of fighters. They are said to be so organized that one would easily mistake them for an army or guild.”
“Yesss. It is no baseless rumor, however.”
“This is Rai.” Reyes said suddenly. “He's been locked up here longer than I have even been at this castle. Some say he's been here since before the castle was even built.”
“I can hardly remember if that's true anymore.” Rai said.
“Would you like to be set free?” The mage said, almost teasing the prisoner.
“Mother may I?” He answered back coldly.
“You may. I'm sure you have some scores to settle with the troop of this fortress. Well, we three are leaving and wouldn't you know it? We just happen to accidentally open the door to the most dangerous prisoner that Fayfield has. Wouldn't it just be a shame if he were to somehow know the dungeon beyond his cell not only held his old weapons, but Lord Timberpatch himself?” Rai's eyes widened at the lord's name.
“That...would be quite a ssshame for them.” he answered.
“What the hell are you doing, witch?” Chive asked angrily.
“This man's hate for Fayfield is unmatched. He was only held down here because they feared him so much. He isn't going to go around killing civilians.”
“I would very mmmuch like to go home.” Rai pleaded. Was that an act? I couldn't tell, but Reyes knew what she was doing.
“I will unlock the door.” Reyes explained, You will wait thirty seconds, then you will exit. Use the door on your left and head straight through the dungeon. You weapons will be in the first chest to the left of the exiting door. It is the first of many confiscated weapons.” I saw a smile spread across Rai's broken face.
“Thisss is going to be a good day.” He said simply. Reyes waved a hand at the door as mechanical clicks and whirls were brought to life inside the door. “Bryer.” He called as we started to walk away. “Though it has been long sssince I have been here, I am sure of one thing. Do not trussst the Sword Guild.” I felt a sudden heaviness in my stomach.
“What?”
“We of the Wakizashi Gang have been keeping an eye on them for yearssss. The last I heard was that there were planning sssomething...uncivil. Keep an ear out.” I nodded at him once, but ignored his warning. He was a prisoner I had met only a few minutes ago. How could I trust him about that, especially when compared to the Sword Guild, the place I've devoted so many years?

We climbed out of the circular room with the aide of the ladder behind the third door. I was the last one up, and as I neared the top I heard the metal door swing open and slam closed, followed by the wooden door leading to the dungeon doing the same. Could Rai even stand on his own after being imprisoned for so long? How was he still alive? I climbed out of the pit only to be greeted by sand.
“I told you we were in a desert.” Reyes told Chive with a smile, “But you can still walk home if you'd like.”
“Just make sure I don't lose any appendages.” Chive scoffed at her.
“Oh, you'll lose more than that, I'm afraid.” I heard Timberpatch say. As if from no where. The lord appeared. It looked as if he had simply walked into view, but Reyes only sneered at him.
“Magic.” She hissed.
“Oh, Reyes.” The lord said, “I'm so very disappointed in you. I thought we were true friends.”
“I have nothing to say to you.” The mage said, raising her arm above her head.
“Oh, tut tut my dear. Did you forget I had this?” He pulled out a small black rock from his pocket and gave us a good view of it. Whatever it was, it caused Reyes to drop her arm back down.
“No, but I had hoped you were stupid enough to forget it yourself.”
“What is that?”I asked, unsheathing my sword.
“My suppressor.” Reyes answered. “Whoever has it can limit my powers. I was hoping to avoid this, but if I can get it back I can easily teleport us out of here.”
“That won't be very easy!” Timberpatch called as he snapped his fingers. Guards similar to the ones from inside the castle suddenly flashed into existence, effectively surrounding us.
“Hey, Bryer?” Chive asked suddenly as he wielded his dagger.
“Yeah, Chive?”
“Why was your mother called the Scarlet Lightning Bolt again?” I smiled, seeing where he was going with this.
“Because she wears red and hit as hard and fast as a bolt of lightning.”
“Can you do that?” Chive pulled a spherical object from his never empty bag of tricks as the guards grew closer.
“I can bring the lightning bolt if you can bring the thunder.”
“Sounds good to me. Witch,” he added in a whisper, “close your eyes.”

Chive threw the grenade into the air and it detonated in a bright explosion. Though it dealt no actual damage, it blinded anyone who happened to be looking in its direction at the time. Since we were fully surrounded, this meant everyone would be incapacitated. I crouched down, focusing everything I had into my sword. Come on... come on... I fed all of my energy into this. Some people call these things skills. Others say they're artes. Abilities, powers, whatever they were called, they were things that took practice to learn and use effectively. The one my mother had made famous was a very difficult skill to pull off in the best of settings, but I had to do this right, and I only had one shot at it. But it wasn't working. I could feel all of my energy flowing into my sword, but there was no reaction. Time was running out, I had to do this and I had to do it now. I took a quick deep breath. Just relax. Calm down and redirect all of the stress into energy. I felt a sudden lashing power from the hilt of my sword and knew this was the moment. I felt a sudden electric sensation in my eyes as they shifted to a bright yellow, and I shot back up in an instant before running to the nearest guard. The world slowed to a crawl around me, and I could make out every detail of my victim as I rushed near him. His helmet had a large scratch on it, probably from training. His armor was also torn up here and there, most likely meaning he wasn't important enough to receive better equipment. I sliced at his side and ran by him, turning once to stab him in the approximate area of his heart. They didn't need to be killed; they just had to be out of the way. I ran towards the next guard and easily kicked the shield out of the way before stabbing his chest. Then I moved on to the next one. And the next one. I chained between guard to guard in seconds, making sure to dispatch as many as possible, including the ones behind us. As I jumped from foe to foe, I realized I was tiring out. The world around me was hastening, and I felt myself slowly return to my normal speed. I've done all that I could; there was just one more target. I rushed towards Timberpatch, his face in total shock. It's a good thing time was still moving slowly for me. I wanted to enjoy that expression for as long as possible. I kicked him once in the stomach as the world returned to normal and grabbed his collar with my sword hand. As if at once, all the guards I had attacked fell to the ground, grunting in pain.

“You have something I want.” I growled at him, yellow eyes blaring out. His face was of pure terror, and I loved it.
“I—“ He said before I punched him with my left hand.
“Drop the rock.” I let loose another satisfying punch.
“What—?” I heard Reyes say behind me.
“Scary, ain't it?” Chive answered. “We should stop him. Bryer'll probably kill that dude if we don't.”
“That's...fine.” She said, causing me to smile.
“Hear that, lordy?” I told him, causing him to whimper. That, in turn, caused me to strike him again. I let go of his collar as my fist connected, and he fell to the hot sand. I noticed the black rock on the floor and ignored it, instead bringing my focus on the downed lord. I pointed the blooded tip at Timberpatch's neck. “'Good job on failing'” I quoted back to him. “'just stellar work.' Isn't it funny how quickly the tables can turn?”
“No—no wait! I don't want to die! Money! I can offer you money!”
“Money's nice.” Chive said.
“We'll find you another score.” I told him.
“No! No no no! I have a large supply—“ I stabbed at his throat, literally cutting him off.

I felt myself fall backwards into the sand.
“Holy hell.” I muttered to myself, trying to catch my breath. I rubbed at my eyes; they had undoubtedly returned to their normal shade of dull blue by this point. Chive stood over me, offering me his hand.
“Hell of a dance there, Bryer.”
“Yeah,” I said, grabbing his arm and made my way up to my feet. I saw Reyes near Timberpatch's body, most likely inspecting it for...some magical spell or whatever. “Thanks for bringing the thunder.”
“Always, man.” He held out his fist and I happily bumped my own against it. “I guess that means Rai won't be able to take out his anger on Timberpatch though. The rest of the fortress' staff will probably be checking this place out, I reckon. We should scatter.”
“Yes,” Reyes said as she approached us, holding the black rock, “and I can make that happen. But first, I want to know why you waited for Chive's flash bang to explode before using your skill.” I sighed.
“I'm...not good enough yet to pull that off whenever I want.” I told her. "If I tried using it when everyone's attacking us, I would have failed.”
“That's where I came in.” Chive said proudly.
“Can we just go now, Reyes?” I asked.
“Naturally. But you should probably know that Reyes is my last name. You may call me by my first name: Alice.”
“Good to know,” Chive said sarcastically, “Can you take us out of the Looking Glass now?” Alice pocketed the black rock and smiled.
“Of course, my loyal parrot.” She lifted both arms above her as a comforting white light surrounded us, and the barren wasteland around us vanished in an instant.


[Starter Pack Scenario 3, End]
 
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Max

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Re: CLASSIC 6 [Starter Pack (End)]

Dear lord, that was the best chapter yet! I absolutely loved it! I hope we run into Rai again down the road. I'm also very curious about what the sword guild is up to. I really liked that Bryer actually killed Timberpatch. I kept half expecting someone to stop him, or for him to just change his mind. It's great that you're willing to make these characters go all the way.

Constructive criticism? I suppose I should be useful sometimes.

“Though it has been sssince I have been here, I am sure of one thing. Do not trussst the Sword Guild.”

Was this just supposed to say "Though it has been a long time sssince I have been here, etc." I know this was probably just a silly mistake (I make them all the time), I was actually curious what this was supposed to say. Unless I just didn't quite get it.

Chive threw the grenade into the air and it exploded in a bright explosion.

It exploded in a bright explosion, I don't know, this just bugged me. I wasn't going to bring it up, but I did. The wording just doesn't seem right if you know what I mean.

Don't tell Heat that I threw you my two cents, he'd be pretty upset. Any idea when we can expect more CLASSIC, I absolutely love it dude. I really wish there was more to read now, I was upset to reach the bottom of the page.
 

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Re: CLASSIC 6 [Starter Pack (End)]

Whoops, yeah those were just silly mistakes. I usually go through everything I write a few times to make sure everything makes sense, but this time around I just posted it as soon as I was finished. As you can tell, a few things slipped through the cracks. I'm glad you enjoyed it though, and I plan to write some more today and get it posted up as well. Here's hoping!
 
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