75 Million Gold Contest!

jokerxdude

Chapter 5: How Come I Didn't See That Coming?

Xaldain and Serenity returned to Plume, only for Serenity to vanish before getting to Battlemark Village.

Xaldian believed that she had somewhere to go so he did not mind. Maybe he would see her again. It was odd that he had not seen her around. This is where all Winged Elves grow up anyways. Serenity. Serenity. He could not get that name out his ears. Through the whole day he had been working on making a better bow for himself. Afterall, the bow he use to have did get crushed when that jerk archer, Rapheal, stepped on it.

"Ok, today I'm going to train really hard. I won't let Serenity waste her powers on me for nothing." Xaldain said out loud to himself as he held the bow and aimed for a beatle. He let go of the arrow and it missed the target. He sighed (Anime sweatdrop), "This may take work though." He pulled out another arrow and started to aim again.

"For starters, you can hold the bow a bit better." a familair voice whispered through the night sky. Serenity landed gracefully down beside him.

"Oh. Hi, Serenity." Xaldain smiled, lowering his bow to his side.

"I hope I'm not interupting your training."

"No, not at all." he replied. "Um.. do you want to train together? Well, teach me. At least how to hold the bow." he asked shyly.

"Sure. Hold the bow like this." She held a white bow in her hands along with a pure white arrow. It was all made of magic. She aimed at a beatle but did not shoot.

He nodded and mimicked her stature. Well at least he was closer than before.

"Here." Serenity stated and before Xaldian knew it, her soft hands were ontop of his. Xaldain felt his cheeks grow warmer than usual. "Let your bow and arrow be a part of yourself. Let it no longer be any seperate item." She waited a moment when she felt that he was good and ready. "Ok, now aim for the target and shoot." Her hand and his hand both allowed the arrow to pass through. The beatle had fallen from the arrow that pierced it through the back. She grinned. "You did it!" Their hands were still touching even when the arrow left.

His eyes glanced to her and her's did the same for a moment. What was this? Then they both tore their eyes away from each other when they heard voices coming from behind them.

"Oh no." Serenity said as she quickly let go of his hands, then hid behind a tree.

Xaldain blinked as he looked over at the tree she was hiding behind. However, he was quickly pulled behind it by her before the two guard elves walked passed.

"Xaldain, lets go to Arrow Falls." Serenity suggested once the guards were gone.

"Ok." Xaldain nodded. He wondered why she was so jumpy ever since they got back to Plume, but he just let it alone and followed her.

---

Next Night

---

"Ok, I'm going to tell Serenity today." Xaldain said to himself out loud.

"Tell me what?" Serenity asked with a smile.

He turned around and smiled back at her shyly. "Oh. That you're... Um... That I... Uhh..." Why was it so hard to say? He practiced so many times in the day. "That I... got better in arching." No, that was not what he wanted to say.

"Oh. That's great." she sounded a bit disappointed.

"I'm an idiot." he thought to himself. "But with your help of course." He picked up some red flowers and handed it to her. "For you, Serenity."

"Thank you, Xaldain." she replied with a smile and sat down once she took the roses. "They are lovely."

"Not as lovely as you." he added, sitting down next to her. Did he just say that? "I mean..." He chuckled shyly and a pink tint ran across his face. He was not good at all with this type of thing. "I have to tell you something."

She blushed. "Thank you. And I must tell you something as well." She looked away. "I am betrothed."

"Oh..." Xaldain sighed. There went his chances.

"But I do not wish to marry that person. I want to marry who I love. Not someone my father picks for me. I do not want to stay at home as my husband goes to war. I want to be by his side in the battle."

"Ya... arranged marriages aren't any fun." Xaldain said. He then got an idea. "Can't you just run away?"

"No." she responded. "It isn't that simple, I am afraid." She sighed. "I must stay here in Plume as my father wishes. And I do try."

"Is that why you sneak out at night?" he asked.

"Partly." she replied. "It is just... All my life I have been controlled by others. I am not able to do what I want to do." she sighed.

"I hear you there. I can't get negative things that others say out my head, no matter what. It slows me down." he sighed.

"They just look up to you and expect everything to go as they planned." Serenity stated.
"They just look down at you and expect everything to go as they planned." Xaldain stated.

"You have no one to stand by you." Serenity continued.
"You have no one to stand by you." Xaldain continued.

"And there is no time for others and you just feel..." Serenity said.
"And there is no time for others and you just feel..." Xaldain said.

"Trapped." they said in unison.

They both looked at each other and smiled. They were both different, yet very similar.

"Serenity."

"Yes?"

He was going to say it this time. "I l-"

"There you are." a guard smiled and walked over to them with another guard following.

"Oh no." Serenity said.

"I'm in trouble." Xaldain said, thinking they remembered him from before when he accidentally misfired and almost shot the Elder of Plume.

"Come now, Serenity." the Elder's voice came from the shadows with his apperance coming in view after. He had black hair and a black gotee, whose bear was rather long.

Serenity sighed and got up. "Yes, father."

"Father?" Xaldain repeated in his mind.

"You, there." The Elder said to Xaldain. "I'll dismiss that little mishap since you kept my daughter safe." He then turned to his guards and started walking. "Let us go." They walked off and Serenity followed them.

"Daughter?" Xaldain said in his mind. "If she is the daughter of the Elder, then that would make her..." His eyes widened and he stood up. "A princess?!" He placed his hand on his face and shook his head (Face palm). "I must have sounded so stupid to her."

jokerxdude

Shota - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Since i'm the only judge for the contest, I won't be specifically critiquing anything til the end, but I enjoy all entries :-)

Can you give us a hint if you are liking it or not?

Tryndal - Heavens Tear

Shota it seems your saying good bye, so this is for you.



Farewell, bright dawns and perfume
laiden airs,
Faint with the breath of roses newly
blown:
Warm, slumbrous noons, when sleep our
haunting cares,
Long summer days and nights, too
swiftly flown.
With sighs and sad regrets we saw you
go;
Why did you leave us, who had loved
you so?




'Neath sapphire skies, by starry hedgerows
sweet,
Laced with pearl threads of gossamer
we went;
Wild summer blossoms beneath our wandering
feet,
And summer in our hearts, on love
intent.
"I will return," you said, "when roses
blow."
That time u said, "Good-bye," a year
ago.




But I alone have seen them bloom and
die,
While you have passed beyond the
shadow here
Into the light. I'll follow by and
by;
Meantime I wait and hold the roses
dear,
And summer sacred, for the love I
bear,
Until we meet again, some day,
somewhere.




Peace Shota I hope you like and if you leave this "Perfect World" you will be remembered in the hearts of all.

jokerxdude

Chapter 6: Those Hard Words To Say

---

"Awe how cute. She was your first love." Foxy said with a smile and glittering eyes.

"Sounds like he fell head over heels for her." Aqua added with a cheerful smile.

"Yes, I was." Red Reaper replied.

"Not to be rude or anything, but can you continue with the story?" Fang asked nicely.

"Awe, Fang. And here we thought you weren't interested." Hojo grinned.

"I... Well it passes the time away." Fang replied with a huff.

"So you don't want me to continue?" Red Reaper asked Fang.

"Yes, I do. I did ask you to continue earlier." Fang crossed his arms and tried to ignore the giggles and laughter from Foxy, Aqua and Hojo.

"Alright." Red Reaper started, "It was a week before I saw her again."

---

"Guess who." a voice teased. The girl's hands were over Xaldain's eyes.

"Serenity." Xaldain said with a smile. He did not think he would ever see her again, but here she was.

"Yep." she replied giddily and uncovered his eyes.

"I thought I wasn't ever going to see you again." He was very happy to see her. His heart ached when she was not around and his ears burned from not being able to hear her gentle voice caress them.

"You can't get rid of me that easily." she replied as she hugged him. "I'm so glad I get to see you again."

He felt his face turn warm once more like when they first touched. "You're glad to see me?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be, silly?"

"Uh, no reason." He thought she had forgotten him. Did she feel the same way as he did? There was only one way to find out. "Serenity, I-"

"Ha, you must be this tall to use a bow."

That voice, it was so familiar. Xaldain despised that voice. His green eyes did not decieve him. There was only one bully around these parts that had that voice. It was none other than Rapheal. The same archer who beat him up and left him for dead. "Wait here, Serenity." Xaldain walked over to the group of archers who were picking on an innocent little boy who wanted to learn arching. "Give the boy back his bow, Rapheal."

Rapheal's head turned along with the others' to see Xaldain. "I thought we got rid of you, fail archer. You're in no power to tell me what to do. I am the greatest archer around. So great, the Elder said I could have his daughter's hand in marriage. I say sweet. I deserve all the power. You might as well start bowing." he said smuggly. "So I can do whatever I want."

Xaldain gave him a cold glare and in an instant, Rapheal's hand was grazed by an arrow which made him drop the little boy's bow. "I did warn you." Xaldain had shot the arrow. He did not miss at all. He knew it was not right to shoot a fellow elf even if it was a spineless elf like Rapheal. He had gotten better through the days gone by.

"Thanks, mister." the little kid smiled up at Xaldain before grabbing his bow and running off.

Rapheal growled, "So what if you cut me. It was only luck. And you'll pay for it!" He came close to pulling out his bow and arrows from his back but Xaldain was faster. Serveral arrows flew at Rapheal and pinned him to a tree. No arrow had pierced his skin only his clothing. The others gasped and ran off. "Hey, what are you doing? Don't leave me here like this!"

Xaldain grinned and simply turned and walked back to Serenity.

"Wow, you really have gotten better." she smirked and grabbed his hand. "Let's go."

---

At Nightfall

---

"So you can stay out your room without guards bothering you?" Xaldain asked.

"Yep." Serenity replied. "As long as I have someone with me."

"Oh?" He smiled as she laid her head on his shoulder while they sat down in the grass near the Lake of No Worries.

Her eyelids started to get heavy. "Ok, so it is pass my bedtime." she giggled. "I should have been back hours ago."

He chuckled. "I can carry you back if you fall asleep."

---

"Awe... So sweet." Foxy added.

"Shhh!!" (Hojo, Aqua, and Fang)

---

"That will be nice." Serenity replied softly.

Xaldain stood up. "Then let's get you back." Serenity nodded and got up only to be swept off her feet. He was not kidding when he said he was going to carry her back home.

"Now would be a good time to say it." he thought to himself once he landed on a platform that held Serenity's room. "Here we are."

"Thank you, Xaldain." Serenity smiled and got out of his arms to go to her room.

"Wait, Serenity." There better be no interuption this time or so help him-

"Yes, Xaldain." She turned around from her door to face him.

"I... I love you." The words came. They actually came out!

"And I love you too, Xaldain." she replied with a blush. She walked over to him and kissed him on the lips gently. Her lips were warm and soft like a elysium fowl's feathers and rich like the soil where herbs grew. Their lips parted and she smirked. "Good night, Xaldain." She then walked inside her room.

"Ahh... She... She kissed me." Xaldain was so captivated by the kiss that he fell backwards and landed on the ground with a thud.

Hearing the thud, Serenity quickly came out her room and looked down at Xaldain laying on the ground. "Xaldain, are you alright?"

"I'm ok." Xaldain replied as he still laid on the ground.

Serenity could not help but to giggle.

---

"Wait, that is all you have to do to get a girl to kiss you?" Hojo asked then grinned smuggly. He looked at Aqua. "So... Aqua, I love you." he said as he leaned in to kiss the young girl mage, only to get a slap by her.

"Not on your life, Hojo." Aqua closed her eyes and one of her brows twitched in anger as her fist clenched.

"Awe, Aqua, what did I do wrong? I was confessing my love to you." Hojo muttered.

"For starters, you shouldn't say your plot out loud." Foxy giggled.

---

Stickygreen - Heavens Tear

There once was a Barbarian in Perfect World...

A Certain Barb....

A sexy barb....

He lurked the Land...

Pking unexpecting citizens...

Then one day this barb....

Met this Blademaster....

And got his **** kicked....

This barb went back to the drawing board....

He Came back out of his hole ready...

He went out and improved his Axe killing skillz...

Then when he was ready to face the bm again...

He was no where to be found....

The barb cried...

He sat and cried all day while being mocked by his peers...

Then.....

He went into rage....

Becoming one of the most feared ragebears in the land...

This barb is extra fuzzy.....

He does bite, but only if you want him to... >.o

This barbs name is......

.......

..... OH! DINNER TIME! cya guys b:bye

jokerxdude

Chapter 7: Case Of The Missing Rock

"Since your skills have improved, we can fight bigger things." Serenity stated as they walked towards Silk Ridge. "Wow, it is really hot here." she said as she raised her arm to block the sun from her eyes.

"You sure? It will be dangerous." Xaldain asked while walking beside her.

"Well that is good. Danger is my middle name." she teased.

"Then I will be your guard and protect you if anything should happen." He could not help but to smile. "So what should we start on first?"

"I don't know. Wolves?"

"Rocky. Come on, Rocky. Man, where is he?" a female voice said to herself out loud. "Rock! Rock, where are you?"

Xaldain and Serenity turned to see a young fox venomancer with long white hair crawling on the ground. They both looked at each other with puzzled faces.

"You think she is lost?" Serenity asked Xaldain. Xaldain only shrugged. They both approached the venomancer. "Are you lost?" she asked the fox girl.

The venomancer quickly stood up and raised her hands. "Stop right there. I have powerful veno magic." she warned.

Xaldain had his bow and arrow already out and aimed at her.

The venomacer blinked then waved her hands in a surrender motion. "I was just kiding. That war with the races ended 100 years ago." She smiled. "I'm Luna. I usually train at night but my pet, Rock, hasn't come back to me."

Xaldain lowered his bow and arrow then put them away on his back.

"I am Serenity and this is Xaldain." Serenity said, now relieved that they did not have to fight Luna.

"Nice to meet you. Have you seen my pet, Rock, anywhere?" Luna turned around and walked a little ways away from them. "Rock! Where are you, Rock? Come back!"

Xaldain and Serenity turned to face each other again with puzzled faces. "Pet rock?" This was the first time they had even seen a venomancer. After all, they were usually near Plume.

"Does she mean an actual rock or a pet named Rock?" Xaldain asked, lowering his voice so Luna would not hear.

"It could be a rock that she calls Rock." Serenity replied to Xaldain as she lowered her voice as well.

"I hope she means a pet named Rock. It will be easier to find a wolf that she calls Rock. If it is a rock, then she's crazy." Xaldain whispered to Serenity.

Luna's fox ears twitched and she turned to them. "I can hear you." she said, giving Xaldain a sharp glare.

"Serenity, save me." Xaldain said as he stood behind Serenity.

"Hey, I thought you would be my guard and protect me?" Serenity crossed her arms.

"She isn't coming after you. Heh..." Xaldain replied (Anime sweatdrop).

Serenity shook her head. "You mean a rock for a pet named Rock?" she asked Luna.

"Yes." Luna replied.

"See, she is-" Xaldain paused and nervously waved at Luna who was glaring at him. "We'll help you look for him."

"Is he this one?" Serenity asked Luna. She was pointing to a small light brown rock on the ground.

Luna looked over and shook her head. "No, he's way bigger and grey colored."

"Oh..." Serenity lowered her hand and looked around.

"What about this one?" Xaldain pointed to a grey boulder.

"No, he isn't that round and he usually stands." Luna responded, shaking her head yet again.

Serenity and Xaldain both sighed then kept searching.

---

Four hours later

---

"We've been looking everywhere for your pet, Rock." Xaldain sighed and sat down next to Serenity. "Can't you get another pet rock?"

"No, he is the best pet I've ever had." Luna replied with sparkling brown eyes.

"I told you she was a nut." Xaldain whispered to Serenity.

Luna continued her ranting, "His loyalty to me is very high and he wouldn't let anything happen to me." She sighed. "I was thinking he would come back for fresh meat but then I remembered that he doesn't eat meat." she said, tossing meat on the ground.

"Figures. He's a rock." Xaldain muttered.

Growls and snarls came from all directions around the group. Xaldain, Serenity, and Luna sprang to their feet to meet a pack of wolves. A wolf snapped at Luna's ankle ans she quickly shot it with a green mist from her fingertips. Xaldain and Serenity both shot two wolves each on either side with arrows, but there were still more wolves.

"Remember, Serenity. I won't let anything happen to you." Xaldain said as he let go of his bow and arrow to cover over her and make himself a shield as the wolves pounced. Though amazingly, they did not touch him. They did not touch any of them. He looked up to see a huge giant grey thing bashing the wolves right and left until they ran with their tails between their legs.

"Rocky!" Luna giggled and hugged the giant. "You came back!" she exclaimed happily.

Serenity and Xaldain both blinked while staring up at Rock.

"That's your pet, Rock?" Xaldain asked.

"Yep. Told you he wouldn't let anything happen to me." Luna replied with a smile.

"He does look like a rock." Serenity added.

"He is a Volcanic Magmite to be exact." Luna then thought about it more. "Oh, I know why he didn't come. I told him to stay by the River of Tranquility last night and I fell asleep at home. He must have sensed I was in trouble and so he ignored my stay command and came."

"You mean all we had to do was get you to fight a wolf and you would have found him?" Xaldain asked.

"Guess so." Luna replied cheerfully.

Serenity and Xaldain both placed their hands on their heads and sighed (Face Palm).

"Well, at least she found him." Serenity smiled. She then noticed Luna's ankle was bleeding. "Luna, your ankle is cut. Let me see it."

Luna looked down at her ankle where the wolf bit her and nodded. "Ok." She sat down and watched Serenity work her magic. "Whoa, cool." She stood up and hopped up. "Yep, it feels great. Thanks, Serenity and Xaldain. I'm going to go home now." she said with a wave before running off with her pet, Rock, following behind.

"Well that was different." Xaldian stated as he waved bye to Luna.

"Very." Serenity replied while she waved bye to Luna.

"We better get back home ourselves." Xaldian smiled at Serenity.

"Sure. Maybe wolves aren't the best idea." Serenity smiled back.

"I thought your middle name was Danger?" he chuckled.

"Oh, shut it." she replied as she started walking.

Shota - Heavens Tear

jokerxdude wrote: »

Can you give us a hint if you are liking it or not?

I am enjoying everything people have to share :-)

Stickygreen - Heavens Tear

shes like fail barbs poems the most though ;D

TheGoliath - Heavens Tear

look at all those ppl trying to get the cash o.o

Shota - Heavens Tear

TheGoliath - Heavens Tear wrote: »

look at all those ppl trying to get the cash o.o

It's a lot of cash :-) I hope there will be tons more playing!

Konariraiden - Heavens Tear

Shota - Heavens Tear wrote: »

It's a lot of cash :-) I hope there will be tons more playing!

Hehe...20 million is nothing to scoff at. Hell, most of the prizes on the list are nothing nothing to scoff at.

Anywho, I must thank you, Shota. This contest has reignited the writer in me, and reminded me why I love creative literature in the first place! I humbly and sincerely thank you!

b:thanks

Shota - Heavens Tear

Konariraiden - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Hehe...20 million is nothing to scoff at. Hell, most of the prizes on the list are nothing nothing to scoff at.

Anywho, I must thank you, Shota. This contest has reignited the writer in me, and reminded me why I love creative literature in the first place! I humbly and sincerely thank you!

b:thanks

*curtsies* tis an honor to inspire!

Konariraiden - Heavens Tear

Oh, yeah...before I forget:

ಥ_ಥ ...this thread is beautiful.

Tryndal - Heavens Tear

Shota - Heavens Tear wrote: »

*curtsies* tis an honor to inspire!

Thank You for the inspiration and thank you all who have posted.b:pleased I have really enjoyed reading all of your stories and poems etc. Really awesome keep it coming.

to Shota great way to bring out the artists and writers of Perfect Worldb:victory

HatsuHina - Heavens Tear

"OFF THERE to the right--somewhere--is a large island," said Whitney." It's rather a mystery--"

"What island is it?" Rainsford asked.

"The old charts call it `Ship-Trap Island,"' Whitney replied." A suggestive name, isn't it? Sailors have a curious dread of the place. I don't know why. Some superstition--"

"Can't see it," remarked Rainsford, trying to peer through the dank tropical night that was palpable as it pressed its thick warm blackness in upon the yacht.

"You've good eyes," said Whitney, with a laugh," and I've seen you pick off a moose moving in the brown fall bush at four hundred yards, but even you can't see four miles or so through a moonless Caribbean night."

"Nor four yards," admitted Rainsford. "Ugh! It's like moist black velvet."

"It will be light enough in Rio," promised Whitney. "We should make it in a few days. I hope the jaguar guns have come from Purdey's. We should have some good hunting up the Amazon. Great sport, hunting."

"The best sport in the world," agreed Rainsford.

"For the hunter," amended Whitney. "Not for the jaguar."

"Don't talk rot, Whitney," said Rainsford. "You're a big-game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares how a jaguar feels?"

"Perhaps the jaguar does," observed Whitney.

"Bah! They've no understanding."

"Even so, I rather think they understand one thing--fear. The fear of pain and the fear of death."

"Nonsense," laughed Rainsford. "This hot weather is making you soft, Whitney. Be a realist. The world is made up of two classes--the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are hunters. Do you think we've passed that island yet?"

"I can't tell in the dark. I hope so."

"Why? " asked Rainsford.

"The place has a reputation--a bad one."

"Cannibals?" suggested Rainsford.

"Hardly. Even cannibals wouldn't live in such a God-forsaken place. But it's gotten into sailor lore, somehow. Didn't you notice that the crew's nerves seemed a bit jumpy today?"

"They were a bit strange, now you mention it. Even Captain Nielsen--"

"Yes, even that tough-minded old Swede, who'd go up to the devil himself and ask him for a light. Those fishy blue eyes held a look I never saw there before. All I could get out of him was `This place has an evil name among seafaring men, sir.' Then he said to me, very gravely, `Don't you feel anything?'--as if the air about us was actually poisonous. Now, you mustn't laugh when I tell you this--I did feel something like a sudden chill.

"There was no breeze. The sea was as flat as a plate-glass window. We were drawing near the island then. What I felt was a--a mental chill; a sort of sudden dread."

"Pure imagination," said Rainsford.

"One superstitious sailor can taint the whole ship's company with his fear."

"Maybe. But sometimes I think sailors have an extra sense that tells them when they are in danger. Sometimes I think evil is a tangible thing--with wave lengths, just as sound and light have. An evil place can, so to speak, broadcast vibrations of evil. Anyhow, I'm glad we're getting out of this zone. Well, I think I'll turn in now, Rainsford."

"I'm not sleepy," said Rainsford. "I'm going to smoke another pipe up on the afterdeck."

"Good night, then, Rainsford. See you at breakfast."

"Right. Good night, Whitney."

There was no sound in the night as Rainsford sat there but the muffled throb of the engine that drove the yacht swiftly through the darkness, and the swish and ripple of the wash of the propeller.

Rainsford, reclining in a steamer chair, indolently puffed on his favorite brier. The sensuous drowsiness of the night was on him." It's so dark," he thought, "that I could sleep without closing my eyes; the night would be my eyelids--"

An abrupt sound startled him. Off to the right he heard it, and his ears, expert in such matters, could not be mistaken. Again he heard the sound, and again. Somewhere, off in the blackness, someone had fired a gun three times.

Rainsford sprang up and moved quickly to the rail, mystified. He strained his eyes in the direction from which the reports had come, but it was like trying to see through a blanket. He leaped upon the rail and balanced himself there, to get greater elevation; his pipe, striking a rope, was knocked from his mouth. He lunged for it; a short, hoarse cry came from his lips as he realized he had reached too far and had lost his balance. The cry was pinched off short as the blood-warm waters of the Caribbean Sea dosed over his head.

He struggled up to the surface and tried to cry out, but the wash from the speeding yacht slapped him in the face and the salt water in his open mouth made him gag and strangle. Desperately he struck out with strong strokes after the receding lights of the yacht, but he stopped before he had swum fifty feet. A certain coolheadedness had come to him; it was not the first time he had been in a tight place. There was a chance that his cries could be heard by someone aboard the yacht, but that chance was slender and grew more slender as the yacht raced on. He wrestled himself out of his clothes and shouted with all his power. The lights of the yacht became faint and ever-vanishing fireflies; then they were blotted out entirely by the night.

Rainsford remembered the shots. They had come from the right, and doggedly he swam in that direction, swimming with slow, deliberate strokes, conserving his strength. For a seemingly endless time he fought the sea. He began to count his strokes; he could do possibly a hundred more and then--

Rainsford heard a sound. It came out of the darkness, a high screaming sound, the sound of an animal in an extremity of anguish and terror.

He did not recognize the animal that made the sound; he did not try to; with fresh vitality he swam toward the sound. He heard it again; then it was cut short by another noise, crisp, staccato.

"Pistol shot," muttered Rainsford, swimming on.

Ten minutes of determined effort brought another sound to his ears--the most welcome he had ever heard--the muttering and growling of the sea breaking on a rocky shore. He was almost on the rocks before he saw them; on a night less calm he would have been shattered against them. With his remaining strength he dragged himself from the swirling waters. Jagged crags appeared to jut up into the opaqueness; he forced himself upward, hand over hand. Gasping, his hands raw, he reached a flat place at the top. Dense jungle came down to the very edge of the cliffs. What perils that tangle of trees and underbrush might hold for him did not concern Rainsford just then. All he knew was that he was safe from his enemy, the sea, and that utter weariness was on him. He flung himself down at the jungle edge and tumbled headlong into the deepest sleep of his life.

When he opened his eyes he knew from the position of the sun that it was late in the afternoon. Sleep had given him new vigor; a sharp hunger was picking at him. He looked about him, almost cheerfully.

"Where there are pistol shots, there are men. Where there are men, there is food," he thought. But what kind of men, he wondered, in so forbidding a place? An unbroken front of snarled and ragged jungle fringed the shore.

He saw no sign of a trail through the closely knit web of weeds and trees; it was easier to go along the shore, and Rainsford floundered along by the water. Not far from where he landed, he stopped.

Some wounded thing--by the evidence, a large animal--had thrashed about in the underbrush; the jungle weeds were crushed down and the moss was lacerated; one patch of weeds was stained crimson. A small, glittering object not far away caught Rainsford's eye and he picked it up. It was an empty cartridge.

"A twenty-two," he remarked. "That's odd. It must have been a fairly large animal too. The hunter had his nerve with him to tackle it with a light gun. It's clear that the brute put up a fight. I suppose the first three shots I heard was when the hunter flushed his quarry and wounded it. The last shot was when he trailed it here and finished it."

He examined the ground closely and found what he had hoped to find--the print of hunting boots. They pointed along the cliff in the direction he had been going. Eagerly he hurried along, now slipping on a rotten log or a loose stone, but making headway; night was beginning to settle down on the island.

Bleak darkness was blacking out the sea and jungle when Rainsford sighted the lights. He came upon them as he turned a crook in the coast line; and his first thought was that be had come upon a village, for there were many lights. But as he forged along he saw to his great astonishment that all the lights were in one enormous building--a lofty structure with pointed towers plunging upward into the gloom. His eyes made out the shadowy outlines of a palatial chateau; it was set on a high bluff, and on three sides of it cliffs dived down to where the sea licked greedy lips in the shadows.

"Mirage," thought Rainsford. But it was no mirage, he found, when he opened the tall spiked iron gate. The stone steps were real enough; the massive door with a leering gargoyle for a knocker was real enough; yet above it all hung an air of unreality.

He lifted the knocker, and it creaked up stiffly, as if it had never before been used. He let it fall, and it startled him with its booming loudness. He thought he heard steps within; the door remained closed. Again Rainsford lifted the heavy knocker, and let it fall. The door opened then--opened as suddenly as if it were on a spring--and Rainsford stood blinking in the river of glaring gold light that poured out. The first thing Rainsford's eyes discerned was the largest man Rainsford had ever seen--a gigantic creature, solidly made and black bearded to the waist. In his hand the man held a long-barreled revolver, and he was pointing it straight at Rainsford's heart.

Out of the snarl of beard two small eyes regarded Rainsford.

"Don't be alarmed," said Rainsford, with a smile which he hoped was disarming. "I'm no robber. I fell off a yacht. My name is Sanger Rainsford of New York City."

The menacing look in the eyes did not change. The revolver pointing as rigidly as if the giant were a statue. He gave no sign that he understood Rainsford's words, or that he had even heard them. He was dressed in uniform--a black uniform trimmed with gray astrakhan.

"I'm Sanger Rainsford of New York," Rainsford began again. "I fell off a yacht. I am hungry."

The man's only answer was to raise with his thumb the hammer of his revolver. Then Rainsford saw the man's free hand go to his forehead in a military salute, and he saw him click his heels together and stand at attention. Another man was coming down the broad marble steps, an erect, slender man in evening clothes. He advanced to Rainsford and held out his hand.

In a cultivated voice marked by a slight accent that gave it added precision and deliberateness, he said, "It is a very great pleasure and honor to welcome Mr. Sanger Rainsford, the celebrated hunter, to my home."

Automatically Rainsford shook the man's hand.

"I've read your book about hunting snow leopards in Tibet, you see," explained the man. "I am General Zaroff."

Rainsford's first impression was that the man was singularly handsome; his second was that there was an original, almost bizarre quality about the general's face. He was a tall man past middle age, for his hair was a vivid white; but his thick eyebrows and pointed military mustache were as black as the night from which Rainsford had come. His eyes, too, were black and very bright. He had high cheekbones, a sharpcut nose, a spare, dark face--the face of a man used to giving orders, the face of an aristocrat. Turning to the giant in uniform, the general made a sign. The giant put away his pistol, saluted, withdrew.

"Ivan is an incredibly strong fellow," remarked the general, "but he has the misfortune to be deaf and dumb. A simple fellow, but, I'm afraid, like all his race, a bit of a savage."

"Is he Russian?"

"He is a Cossack," said the general, and his smile showed red lips and pointed teeth. "So am I."

"Come," he said, "we shouldn't be chatting here. We can talk later. Now you want clothes, food, rest. You shall have them. This is a most-restful spot."

Ivan had reappeared, and the general spoke to him with lips that moved but gave forth no sound.

"Follow Ivan, if you please, Mr. Rainsford," said the general. "I was about to have my dinner when you came. I'll wait for you. You'll find that my clothes will fit you, I think."

It was to a huge, beam-ceilinged bedroom with a canopied bed big enough for six men that Rainsford followed the silent giant. Ivan laid out an evening suit, and Rainsford, as he put it on, noticed that it came from a London tailor who ordinarily cut and sewed for none below the rank of duke.

The dining room to which Ivan conducted him was in many ways remarkable. There was a medieval magnificence about it; it suggested a baronial hall of feudal times with its oaken panels, its high ceiling, its vast refectory tables where twoscore men could sit down to eat. About the hall were mounted heads of many animals--lions, tigers, elephants, moose, bears; larger or more perfect specimens Rainsford had never seen. At the great table the general was sitting, alone.

"You'll have a cocktail, Mr. Rainsford," he suggested. The cocktail was surpassingly good; and, Rainsford noted, the table apointments were of the finest--the linen, the crystal, the silver, the china.

They were eating borsch, the rich, red soup with whipped cream so dear to Russian palates. Half apologetically General Zaroff said, "We do our best to preserve the amenities of civilization here. Please forgive any lapses. We are well off the beaten track, you know. Do you think the champagne has suffered from its long ocean trip?"

"Not in the least," declared Rainsford. He was finding the general a most thoughtful and affable host, a true cosmopolite. But there was one small trait of .the general's that made Rainsford uncomfortable. Whenever he looked up from his plate he found the general studying him, appraising him narrowly.

"Perhaps," said General Zaroff, "you were surprised that I recognized your name. You see, I read all books on hunting published in English, French, and Russian. I have but one passion in my life, Mr. Rainsford, and it is the hunt."

"You have some wonderful heads here," said Rainsford as he ate a particularly well-cooked filet mignon. " That Cape buffalo is the largest I ever saw."

"Oh, that fellow. Yes, he was a monster."

"Did he charge you?"

"Hurled me against a tree," said the general. "Fractured my skull. But I got the brute."

"I've always thought," said Rainsford, "that the Cape buffalo is the most dangerous of all big game."

For a moment the general did not reply; he was smiling his curious red-lipped smile. Then he said slowly, "No. You are wrong, sir. The Cape buffalo is not the most dangerous big game." He sipped his wine. "Here in my preserve on this island," he said in the same slow tone, "I hunt more dangerous game."

Rainsford expressed his surprise. "Is there big game on this island?"

The general nodded. "The biggest."

"Really?"

"Oh, it isn't here naturally, of course. I have to stock the island."

"What have you imported, general?" Rainsford asked. "Tigers?"

The general smiled. "No," he said. "Hunting tigers ceased to interest me some years ago. I exhausted their possibilities, you see. No thrill left in tigers, no real danger. I live for danger, Mr. Rainsford."

The general took from his pocket a gold cigarette case and offered his guest a long black cigarette with a silver tip; it was perfumed and gave off a smell like incense.

"We will have some capital hunting, you and I," said the general. "I shall be most glad to have your society."

"But what game--" began Rainsford.

"I'll tell you," said the general. "You will be amused, I know. I think I may say, in all modesty, that I have done a rare thing. I have invented a new sensation. May I pour you another glass of port?"

"Thank you, general."

The general filled both glasses, and said, "God makes some men poets. Some He makes kings, some beggars. Me He made a hunter. My hand was made for the trigger, my father said. He was a very rich man with a quarter of a million acres in the Crimea, and he was an ardent sportsman. When I was only five years old he gave me a little gun, specially made in Moscow for me, to shoot sparrows with. When I shot some of his prize turkeys with it, he did not punish me; he complimented me on my marksmanship. I killed my first bear in the Caucasus when I was ten. My whole life has been one prolonged hunt. I went into the army--it was expected of noblemen's sons--and for a time commanded a division of Cossack cavalry, but my real interest was always the hunt. I have hunted every kind of game in every land. It would be impossible for me to tell you how many animals I have killed."

The general puffed at his cigarette.

"After the debacle in Russia I left the country, for it was imprudent for an officer of the Czar to stay there. Many noble Russians lost everything. I, luckily, had invested heavily in American securities, so I shall never have to open a tearoom in Monte Carlo or drive a taxi in Paris. Naturally, I continued to hunt--grizzliest in your Rockies, crocodiles in the Ganges, rhinoceroses in East Africa. It was in Africa that the Cape buffalo hit me and laid me up for six months. As soon as I recovered I started for the Amazon to hunt jaguars, for I had heard they were unusually cunning. They weren't." The Cossack sighed. "They were no match at all for a hunter with his wits about him, and a high-powered rifle. I was bitterly disappointed. I was lying in my tent with a splitting headache one night when a terrible thought pushed its way into my mind. Hunting was beginning to bore me! And hunting, remember, had been my life. I have heard that in America businessmen often go to pieces when they give up the business that has been their life."

"Yes, that's so," said Rainsford.

The general smiled. "I had no wish to go to pieces," he said. "I must do something. Now, mine is an analytical mind, Mr. Rainsford. Doubtless that is why I enjoy the problems of the chase."

"No doubt, General Zaroff."

"So," continued the general, "I asked myself why the hunt no longer fascinated me. You are much younger than I am, Mr. Rainsford, and have not hunted as much, but you perhaps can guess the answer."

"What was it?"

"Simply this: hunting had ceased to be what you call `a sporting proposition.' It had become too easy. I always got my quarry. Always. There is no greater bore than perfection."

The general lit a fresh cigarette.

"No animal had a chance with me any more. That is no boast; it is a mathematical certainty. The animal had nothing but his legs and his instinct. Instinct is no match for reason. When I thought of this it was a tragic moment for me, I can tell you."

Rainsford leaned across the table, absorbed in what his host was saying.

"It came to me as an inspiration what I must do," the general went on.

"And that was?"

The general smiled the quiet smile of one who has faced an obstacle and surmounted it with success. "I had to invent a new animal to hunt," he said.

"A new animal? You're joking." "Not at all," said the general. "I never joke about hunting. I needed a new animal. I found one. So I bought this island built this house, and here I do my hunting. The island is perfect for my purposes--there are jungles with a maze of traits in them, hills, swamps--"

"But the animal, General Zaroff?"

"Oh," said the general, "it supplies me with the most exciting hunting in the world. No other hunting compares with it for an instant. Every day I hunt, and I never grow bored now, for I have a quarry with which I can match my wits."

Rainsford's bewilderment showed in his face.

"I wanted the ideal animal to hunt," explained the general. "So I said, `What are the attributes of an ideal quarry?' And the answer was, of course, `It must have courage, cunning, and, above all, it must be able to reason."'

"But no animal can reason," objected Rainsford.

"My dear fellow," said the general, "there is one that can."

"But you can't mean--" gasped Rainsford.

"And why not?"

"I can't believe you are serious, General Zaroff. This is a grisly joke."

"Why should I not be serious? I am speaking of hunting."

"Hunting? Great Guns, General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder."

The general laughed with entire good nature. He regarded Rainsford quizzically. "I refuse to believe that so modern and civilized a young man as you seem to be harbors romantic ideas about the value of human life. Surely your experiences in the war--"

"Did not make me condone cold-blooded murder," finished Rainsford stiffly.

Laughter shook the general. "How extraordinarily droll you are!" he said. "One does not expect nowadays to find a young man of the educated class, even in America, with such a naive, and, if I may say so, mid-Victorian point of view. It's like finding a snuffbox in a limousine. Ah, well, doubtless you had Puritan ancestors. So many Americans appear to have had. I'll wager you'll forget your notions when you go hunting with me. You've a genuine new thrill in store for you, Mr. Rainsford."

"Thank you, I'm a hunter, not a murderer."

"Dear me," said the general, quite unruffled, "again that unpleasant word. But I think I can show you that your scruples are quite ill founded."

"Yes?"

"Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and, if needs be, taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure. I am strong. Why should I not use my gift? If I wish to hunt, why should I not? I hunt the scum of the earth: sailors from tramp ships--lassars, blacks, Chinese, whites, mongrels--a thoroughbred horse or hound is worth more than a score of them."

"But they are men," said Rainsford hotly.

"Precisely," said the general. "That is why I use them. It gives me pleasure. They can reason, after a fashion. So they are dangerous."

"But where do you get them?"

The general's left eyelid fluttered down in a wink. "This island is called Ship Trap," he answered. "Sometimes an angry god of the high seas sends them to me. Sometimes, when Providence is not so kind, I help Providence a bit. Come to the window with me."

Rainsford went to the window and looked out toward the sea.

"Watch! Out there!" exclaimed the general, pointing into the night. Rainsford's eyes saw only blackness, and then, as the general pressed a button, far out to sea Rainsford saw the flash of lights.

The general chuckled. "They indicate a channel," he said, "where there's none; giant rocks with razor edges crouch like a sea monster with wide-open jaws. They can crush a ship as easily as I crush this nut." He dropped a walnut on the hardwood floor and brought his heel grinding down on it. "Oh, yes," he said, casually, as if in answer to a question, "I have electricity. We try to be civilized here."

"Civilized? And you shoot down men?"

A trace of anger was in the general's black eyes, but it was there for but a second; and he said, in his most pleasant manner, "Dear me, what a righteous young man you are! I assure you I do not do the thing you suggest. That would be barbarous. I treat these visitors with every consideration. They get plenty of good food and exercise. They get into splendid physical condition. You shall see for yourself tomorrow."

"What do you mean?"

"We'll visit my training school," smiled the general. "It's in the cellar. I have about a dozen pupils down there now. They're from the Spanish bark San Lucar that had the bad luck to go on the rocks out there. A very inferior lot, I regret to say. Poor specimens and more accustomed to the deck than to the jungle." He raised his hand, and Ivan, who served as waiter, brought thick Turkish coffee. Rainsford, with an effort, held his tongue in check.

"It's a game, you see," pursued the general blandly. "I suggest to one of them that we go hunting. I give him a supply of food and an excellent hunting knife. I give him three hours' start. I am to follow, armed only with a pistol of the smallest caliber and range. If my quarry eludes me for three whole days, he wins the game. If I find him "--the general smiled--" he loses."

"Suppose he refuses to be hunted?"

"Oh," said the general, "I give him his option, of course. He need not play that game if he doesn't wish to. If he does not wish to hunt, I turn him over to Ivan. Ivan once had the honor of serving as official knouter to the Great White Czar, and he has his own ideas of sport. Invariably, Mr. Rainsford, invariably they choose the hunt."

"And if they win?"

The smile on the general's face widened. "To date I have not lost," he said. Then he added, hastily: "I don't wish you to think me a braggart, Mr. Rainsford. Many of them afford only the most elementary sort of problem. Occasionally I strike a tartar. One almost did win. I eventually had to use the dogs."

"The dogs?"

"This way, please. I'll show you."

The general steered Rainsford to a window. The lights from the windows sent a flickering illumination that made grotesque patterns on the courtyard below, and Rainsford could see moving about there a dozen or so huge black shapes; as they turned toward him, their eyes glittered greenly.

"A rather good lot, I think," observed the general. "They are let out at seven every night. If anyone should try to get into my house--or out of it--something extremely regrettable would occur to him." He hummed a snatch of song from the Folies Bergere.

"And now," said the general, "I want to show you my new collection of heads. Will you come with me to the library?"

"I hope," said Rainsford, "that you will excuse me tonight, General Zaroff. I'm really not feeling well."

"Ah, indeed?" the general inquired solicitously. "Well, I suppose that's only natural, after your long swim. You need a good, restful night's sleep. Tomorrow you'll feel like a new man, I'll wager. Then we'll hunt, eh? I've one rather promising prospect--" Rainsford was hurrying from the room.

"Sorry you can't go with me tonight," called the general. "I expect rather fair sport--a big, strong, black. He looks resourceful--Well, good night, Mr. Rainsford; I hope you have a good night's rest."

The bed was good, and the pajamas of the softest silk, and he was tired in every fiber of his being, but nevertheless Rainsford could not quiet his brain with the opiate of sleep. He lay, eyes wide open. Once he thought he heard stealthy steps in the corridor outside his room. He sought to throw open the door; it would not open. He went to the window and looked out. His room was high up in one of the towers. The lights of the chateau were out now, and it was dark and silent; but there was a fragment of sallow moon, and by its wan light he could see, dimly, the courtyard. There, weaving in and out in the pattern of shadow, were black, noiseless forms; the hounds heard him at the window and looked up, expectantly, with their green eyes. Rainsford went back to the bed and lay down. By many methods he tried to put himself to sleep. He had achieved a doze when, just as morning began to come, he heard, far off in the jungle, the faint report of a pistol.

General Zaroff did not appear until luncheon. He was dressed faultlessly in the tweeds of a country squire. He was solicitous about the state of Rainsford's health.

"As for me," sighed the general, "I do not feel so well. I am worried, Mr. Rainsford. Last night I detected traces of my old complaint."

To Rainsford's questioning glance the general said, "Ennui. Boredom."

HatsuHina - Heavens Tear

CONTINUED

Then, taking a second helping of cr

HatsuHina - Heavens Tear

Uhm why won't it let me type anymore?

Vixe - Heavens Tear

Uhm....great story and all, but...I thought this was supposed to be a fanfiction contest based on PWI? o.o

HatsuHina - Heavens Tear

Rule #2 on first page.

Could be a fan fiction short story or poem OR based on PWI.

HatsuHina - Heavens Tear

Ima use a different account to see if I can post the rest

Feczo - Heavens Tear

CONTINUED from HatsuHina


Then, taking a second helping of cr

Vixe - Heavens Tear

o.oa So we're allowed to post stories that AREN'T based on PWI?

.....*makes some changes to story*

Konariraiden - Heavens Tear

2) Entries must be original fan fiction either short story or poem that deals with PWI. Feel free to include characters, monsters, players; even me… mentions of the wonder of me could enhance judging so long as it doesn’t diminish the quality of the work!

Any entry made MUST deal with PWI, according to the rules. Sorry, but you lose the game.

...

...damn, I just lost The Game.

Vixe - Heavens Tear

=O good thing I still have the original manuscript.

And damn it Konari, you made me lose The Game! T_T

Konariraiden - Heavens Tear

Vixe - Heavens Tear wrote: »

=O good thing I still have the original manuscript.

And damn it Konari, you made me lose The Game! T_T

b:victory

A WINRAR IS ME!

Vixe - Heavens Tear

Konariraiden - Heavens Tear wrote: »

b:victory

A WINRAR IS ME!

Don't celebrate, you lost The Game too. >:U

Konariraiden - Heavens Tear

Vixe - Heavens Tear wrote: »

Don't celebrate, you lost The Game too. >:U

b:angry

NO U

jokerxdude

Chapter 8: Strangers In The Night

"Oh wow. I never felt like this towards anyone before." Xaldain's voice trailed in the wind and he laid on the grass, looking at the moon. "That kiss was amazing. I can't get it out of my head. Even if it was a day ago, I can still feel the warmth we shared." He closed his eyes. "How I long to share that kiss with her once again. Oh.. Serenity..."

"Talking about me?" a voice whistled through the trees.

Xaldain quickly got to his feet. How long had she been listening? "Serenity, I... I didn't know you were here." His eyes wondered over to her angelic figure standing next to a tree.

She giggled. "That is the point of spying."

"Spying?" He blushed. "How much did you hear?"

"Now why would I tell you that?" she teased.

"Come on." he said as he approached her.

"No, I'm not telling." she replied, wagging her pointer finger from right to left. "You can't get it out of me."

"Oh, really?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Yes, really." she responded with a big smile. She backed away playfully. "What are you planning?" She gave him a curious look as he steeped forward every time she stepped back.

He glanced away and walked with his hands behind his back. "Oh... nothing." Once his eyes met her's, he ran towards her only for her to run away.

"No, you're not going to catch me!" However in a few seconds, his arms wer already wrapped around her. "No, no! Let me go!", she shouted in laughter. She squealed when he started tickling her.

"Are you going to tell me now?" he asked while laughing.

She managed to slip out his grasp and run pass him. "Not a chance!" she giggled. She stopped in her tracks when her white shoes hit some of the water of the Lake of No Worries. She bit her lip and turned to see Xaldain running after her.

"Got ya-" Xaldain landed right in her trap. She had side-stepped at the very last moment so he would fall right in te water. He swam up to the surface with his red hair and clothes being drenched.

She giggled. "Told you, I'm not going to tell. How is the water?"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her gently in with him. "You tell me." he smiled.

She gasped and brushed her blonde hair away from her eyes. "Refreshing and cold." she replied with a smile.

"I see." he stated. His arms wrapped her. "Better?"

"Much better." she responded.

They looked up to hear a sound burst through the sky. Along with the sound was different colored stars, glittering across the night sky.

"Wow, what is that?" Serenity asked.

"They are fireworks." Xaldain replied. He looked over to her. "You never saw them before?"

"No." She shook her head, then looked over to him. "I have been in my room most of my life." Looking back up at the sky, her eyes sparkled. "They are very beautiful."

"Then I will take you to see them on Dawn's Cry Isle." he replied with a smile.

"Dawn's Cry Isle?" she repeated with a blink.

"Don't worry, I will take you to see it. There is a very beautiful spot where you can see the sunset."

"I would love that..."

Again their eyes had locked together. This time Xaldain was leaning towards her. Their lips were inches away...

"I'm bored, lets do something else. I know, we can visit Plume." a male voice grew near.

"What is so great about Plume?" a girl's voice asked.

"You'll see when we get there." the male replied.

Serenity and Xaldain turned to face the direction of voices before nodding to each other and hiding from sight.

Cautiously, the two followed the two strangers that were sneaking around Plume. The male was the leader, seeing how he motioned the girl to follow him every second. They were humans. What were they doing here?

It was not long to find out why the two humans were in Plume. Those two were stealing things that were out in the open. Elves were usually peaceful natured and did not lock their doors nor hide their precious belongings. Serenity and Xaldain had to do something.

Xaldain aimed his arrow at the male human. It was hard to see in the dark, but if the male stepped close enough to a lamp post then Xaldain would get him. In a moment, Xaldain saw his chance and took it. Xaldain's aim was very good, however this human had blocked his arrow with his sword. Was that even possible?

"Let's go. We've been spotted." the male said as he ran alongside the girl.

"Xaldain? Didn't you shoot him?" Serenity asked as she looked over to him.

"Yes." Xaldain nodded. "But he deflected my arrow. I didn't know that was possible."

"So what do we do now?" she asked.

"We can't let them get away."

Serenity agreed and they both followed the thieves.

jokerxdude

Shota - Heavens Tear wrote: »

I am enjoying everything people have to share :-)

Ok

Stickygreen - Heavens Tear wrote: »

shes like fail barbs poems the most though ;D

:O +Gasp+

Shota - Heavens Tear

As per the rules, winning entries are supposed to relate to PWI, that was kinda the point. I think the submitted fiction is awesome-sauce (nod to Konariraiden), but in order to be eligible to win, the submitted work needs to be PWI related.

This doesn't mean you can't be original, you could merely be referencing PWI places, critters, in-game personalities, etc.

Please make sure if you are referencing other real players that, even for humor purposes, these references should not be disparaging. The point here is to be creative, have fun, win some gold, but NOT to hurt anyone.