Ok, so I plan on writing one or two of the days per day, so make sure to check everyday for the next part of the story!
So just to be clear on the world these people live in I'm going to do my best to explain it right now: So this is one of those fantasy stories with mythical creatures and beings such as faeries, dragons, ect. So these people live in a magical world that has just one problem- there is no magic. Years ago, a swarm of crows flew over the world, ridding it of magic. Seeing this as and advantage against the magic wielders, the King of Ravka sent legions into the countries and did one massive invasion of the world. During his invasion, he rid the world of the magic wielders, especially the fae. The only place in the world that was not affected by magic vanishing was the faerie kingdom of Stoneridge. All magic wielders that were left fled there, but were not let in. Ravka's legions reached the faerie kingdom and killed the magic wielders hanging around outside the kingdom's walls. The only fae left are either in hiding or trapped in their animal form. Some of you possess magic, others do not. Some of you are children of the fallen kingdoms: Fjerda, Bellhaven, the Western Wastes, and Novi Zem. You wish magic had never disappeared almost everyday and hope that someone will bring it back. What you never knew though, is that the person to bring magic back will not be just one person, it will be several people, including you.
Elain Salvaterre = Me
Chyrilos Ventei = @Boricua551
Wren = @HelloColdWorld
Knox Martin = @Huskyy
Lauren Diamond = @Katea_
Liv Hunt = @iiBqbble
Fleur Cadenza Waters = @PetiteFluer
So just to be clear on the world these people live in I'm going to do my best to explain it right now: So this is one of those fantasy stories with mythical creatures and beings such as faeries, dragons, ect. So these people live in a magical world that has just one problem- there is no magic. Years ago, a swarm of crows flew over the world, ridding it of magic. Seeing this as and advantage against the magic wielders, the King of Ravka sent legions into the countries and did one massive invasion of the world. During his invasion, he rid the world of the magic wielders, especially the fae. The only place in the world that was not affected by magic vanishing was the faerie kingdom of Stoneridge. All magic wielders that were left fled there, but were not let in. Ravka's legions reached the faerie kingdom and killed the magic wielders hanging around outside the kingdom's walls. The only fae left are either in hiding or trapped in their animal form. Some of you possess magic, others do not. Some of you are children of the fallen kingdoms: Fjerda, Bellhaven, the Western Wastes, and Novi Zem. You wish magic had never disappeared almost everyday and hope that someone will bring it back. What you never knew though, is that the person to bring magic back will not be just one person, it will be several people, including you.
Elain Salvaterre = Me
Chyrilos Ventei = @Boricua551
Wren = @HelloColdWorld
Knox Martin = @Huskyy
Lauren Diamond = @Katea_
Liv Hunt = @iiBqbble
Fleur Cadenza Waters = @PetiteFluer
They had never seen a place so... extravagant. Everything was draped in velvet- everything shined like the cleanest and clearest glass. The walls were made of pure diamond- only all the gold coins in the world could pay for something such as this castle. The whole reason this castle was this luxurious is because of that very reason. A country as powerful a Ravka, could do much to the world. Especially destroy it.
The king had never seen so many people- at least so many people he thought were corrupted with evil.
In the castle's throne room in Rifthold, Ravka, 7 people were being forced to their knees in front of a man covered in red and gold. The King studied his possible champions very closely.
There was Liv Hunt. A thief and killer, from what was once known as Fjerda. She was a little shorter than expected. It was quite amazing how a girl who seemed so vulnerable, could kill dozens of people- especially if almost all are murderers and assassins. Her true family is unknown, but we do know she was raised thinking that the family that took her in was her's.
Next to her was Knox Martin, a thief from Fjerda as well. Records say he picked a young girl up off the streets and took her in as his own daughter. He doesn't seem very strong at all... quite harmless, actually. His strength may be a disadvantage if his speed is not what it should be. Despite his speed, he looks as if he is taking in his surroundings almost like an assassin. If his speed will not make up for his poor strength, his mental capacity will.
Then there was Wren. She has never stated her surname- if she does in fact have one. She looks quite strong and could probably take down a few men in seconds. Wren seems to be very tense and alert, the others should have a hard time eliminating her. The King does fear working with her, though. Her sharp comments and sarcasm will be a problem, provided she wins.
Lauren Diamond was to the right of Wren. As an bounty hunter and thief, she has killed many. Her home country is unknown, but whatever it was, she seems fully against Ravka. She seems pretty strong for someone her age and is a little over-confident. For her sake, hopefully that confidence won't cause her to trip up in the near future. She doesn't act normally, for a human at least. She will definitely be watched closely for any sign of fae heritage.
There is also Fleur Cadenza Waters, a bounty hunter from this very city. She is rumored to have impeccable aim and seems to be strong considering her age. Her crossbow is one of the most extravagant weapons the King has ever seen. As the daughter of one of the richest merchants in the country, she lived a life of luxury as a child. Unfortunately, she would have never been thrown in prison if she had just went along with her life.
Next to Fleur, there is Elain Salvaterre. Elain is a witch who left her clan in the Western Wastes and started committing crimes everywhere she ventured, being a huge pain for the invaders from Ravka. Her skill was second to none before the fall of magic. After magic vanished, Elain became mortal along with every immortal being in the world. Lucky for her, she still has her iron nails and teeth.
Last but not least- there is Chyrilos Vendei. Chyrilos is yet another criminal from Rifthold. She is strong along with being pretty smart. Her skill in thievery is amazing. Despite being a great thief, she is quiet and has a passion for getting drunk, which may interfere with her missions if she wins this.
The King sat up in his throne and surveyed the possible champions one last time. He then stood up and recited the game, his voice booming through the extravagant room, smirking all the while,
King: Champions... As you know you have been taken here for a... game of sorts. The rules are simple- you fail you're gone, you kill- you're gone, you disobey me, my court, or my guards- you get it by now, don't you?
No one answers
King: WELL, DON'T YOU?
The champions all murmur that they understood except-
The King grinned, and walks toward Wren
King: Wren? Why didn't you answer me?
Before she can speak, the king pulls a jeweled knife from his boot and kills her. Wren falls to the ground motionless.
King: Let that be a lesson to what exactly will happen if you disobey me. Thankfully, our dear Wren here loves playing tricks...
A gagged Wren is brought out from behind the throne by two guards and forced to the ground far from the imposter while the other champions stare at the imposter in shock. The King tosses the knife in front of Lauren.
King: I believe this belongs to you. Back to the rules; if you make it through this game, freedom is yours- only if you do me a few... favors. In order to keep your freedom, you must destroy my rivals, help me make their property mine- even if that property is whole kingdoms.
The King took a deep breath-
King: With that said,
Let the games begin.
The king had never seen so many people- at least so many people he thought were corrupted with evil.
In the castle's throne room in Rifthold, Ravka, 7 people were being forced to their knees in front of a man covered in red and gold. The King studied his possible champions very closely.
There was Liv Hunt. A thief and killer, from what was once known as Fjerda. She was a little shorter than expected. It was quite amazing how a girl who seemed so vulnerable, could kill dozens of people- especially if almost all are murderers and assassins. Her true family is unknown, but we do know she was raised thinking that the family that took her in was her's.
Next to her was Knox Martin, a thief from Fjerda as well. Records say he picked a young girl up off the streets and took her in as his own daughter. He doesn't seem very strong at all... quite harmless, actually. His strength may be a disadvantage if his speed is not what it should be. Despite his speed, he looks as if he is taking in his surroundings almost like an assassin. If his speed will not make up for his poor strength, his mental capacity will.
Then there was Wren. She has never stated her surname- if she does in fact have one. She looks quite strong and could probably take down a few men in seconds. Wren seems to be very tense and alert, the others should have a hard time eliminating her. The King does fear working with her, though. Her sharp comments and sarcasm will be a problem, provided she wins.
Lauren Diamond was to the right of Wren. As an bounty hunter and thief, she has killed many. Her home country is unknown, but whatever it was, she seems fully against Ravka. She seems pretty strong for someone her age and is a little over-confident. For her sake, hopefully that confidence won't cause her to trip up in the near future. She doesn't act normally, for a human at least. She will definitely be watched closely for any sign of fae heritage.
There is also Fleur Cadenza Waters, a bounty hunter from this very city. She is rumored to have impeccable aim and seems to be strong considering her age. Her crossbow is one of the most extravagant weapons the King has ever seen. As the daughter of one of the richest merchants in the country, she lived a life of luxury as a child. Unfortunately, she would have never been thrown in prison if she had just went along with her life.
Next to Fleur, there is Elain Salvaterre. Elain is a witch who left her clan in the Western Wastes and started committing crimes everywhere she ventured, being a huge pain for the invaders from Ravka. Her skill was second to none before the fall of magic. After magic vanished, Elain became mortal along with every immortal being in the world. Lucky for her, she still has her iron nails and teeth.
Last but not least- there is Chyrilos Vendei. Chyrilos is yet another criminal from Rifthold. She is strong along with being pretty smart. Her skill in thievery is amazing. Despite being a great thief, she is quiet and has a passion for getting drunk, which may interfere with her missions if she wins this.
The King sat up in his throne and surveyed the possible champions one last time. He then stood up and recited the game, his voice booming through the extravagant room, smirking all the while,
King: Champions... As you know you have been taken here for a... game of sorts. The rules are simple- you fail you're gone, you kill- you're gone, you disobey me, my court, or my guards- you get it by now, don't you?
No one answers
King: WELL, DON'T YOU?
The champions all murmur that they understood except-
The King grinned, and walks toward Wren
King: Wren? Why didn't you answer me?
Before she can speak, the king pulls a jeweled knife from his boot and kills her. Wren falls to the ground motionless.
King: Let that be a lesson to what exactly will happen if you disobey me. Thankfully, our dear Wren here loves playing tricks...
A gagged Wren is brought out from behind the throne by two guards and forced to the ground far from the imposter while the other champions stare at the imposter in shock. The King tosses the knife in front of Lauren.
King: I believe this belongs to you. Back to the rules; if you make it through this game, freedom is yours- only if you do me a few... favors. In order to keep your freedom, you must destroy my rivals, help me make their property mine- even if that property is whole kingdoms.
The King took a deep breath-
King: With that said,
Let the games begin.
It had been a while since Fleur was truly shocked. After watching that imposter fall to the ground. Dead. She was truly terrified of what the King could do after that charade. Later that evening, all the champions had been brought to their rooms where two guards were posted outside. She immediately went to sleep, tired of what that day consisted off. She woke up today to a half dozen guards breaking down her door.
Knox had just gotten dressed when the guards barged in and pinned him to the ground, and then there was a pain in his head. After,that all that could be seen was darkness...
Liv was the first to wake up. Less that 10 minutes later everyone else found Themselves coming to in the training yard in the castle grounds. There was a man standing in front of them, silent. Liv just stared at him for a while. He wasn't- normal. He never moved an inch.
Thorne: It's about time you lot came to. Those blows you sustain should have only kept you down for 20 minutes at the least.
Thorne glares at the guards.
Thorne: My name, is Thorne Coswell, and I am your weapons instructor, or trainer. Training today will be a little different from what the usual criminal is used to-
Thorne smiled
Thorne: Today, we will be running.
Knox thought in confusion, "How could training get more simplistic than running?"
Thorne: You will be running around the castle's 6 miles of paths twice. Oh and one more thing; watch out for the arrows.
Lauren watched while Thorne and the guards pulled shields over their heads. She looked up to see arrows raining down from the castle. As the others looked around in confusion wondering what the purpose of the shields were, she started running. She looked over her shoulder and shouted
Lauren: RUN!
Chyrilos saw the arrows right as Lauren yelled. She jumped to her feet and started sprinting. It literally would not stop raining arrows. Holding her hands over her head, she ran for the front of the group. She screamed as and arrow went through her hand.
Elain looked toward the origin of the scream. She sped up to help Chyrilos pull the arrow from her hand. When she got there, she broke the shaft of the arrow in half and pulled it out.
Elain: Find something to patch that up with. After doing that keep pressure on that and you might just make it through this without passing out.
Chyrilos: Oh- um. Thank you.
Elain didn't reply.
Knox didn't have a hard time making it to the lead. His speed was shocking the other champions. He enjoyed seeing their startled expressions when he sped past them. He had been through races of sorts, but never anything close to this. He could die. He could die and never see his daughter again. This only fueled his speed. Dodging arrows left and right, he tripped on a lose cobblestone in the path.
Fleur was exhausted. She was hardly 3/4 of the way through the race. Then Knox fell. She wanted to help him so much, but she knew that if she stopped now, she could not possibly continue. She looked one last time at Knox, wishing him the best-
Liv had stopped as soon as she saw Knox fall. Even the dumbest person in the world could see he was having a hard time getting up. She holds her hand out to help him.
Knox: I'm fine. Just go.
Liv: You're anything BUT fine. I'm not leaving until you let me help you.
Knox: I don't need help. Go, I can catch up easily.
Liv: To catch up, you need to be able to stand up. And if you sit here, you won't survive much longer.
Knox resentfully takes her hand and he stands up, walking off the pain from his hurt ankle, not noticing the arrows had stopped everywhere but over them. After a couple minutes of pained sprinting, he was back in the group with Liv close behind.
Fleur watched the training yard get closer. After crossing the spot where she started, she collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. Once she was able to breathe normally, she looked around to see almost everyone on the ground vomiting or passed out.
Wren was unbelievably tired. As soon as the run stopped, she fell to the ground and passed out. She simply could not get up. It was if every bone in her body was shattered and glued back together. Once regaining some of her strength, she walked up to Thorne who was watching the champions with- amusement. He thought this was funny?!
Thorne: Yes, Miss Wr-
Wren: WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Do you WANT us to die?!
Thorne motions for guards to apprehend her just as Wren lunges at him. Wren pins Thorne to the ground and chokes him for a good 10 seconds before she is pulled off and restrained.
Thorne laughs.
Thorne: I'm sorry Miss Wren, but I won't be dying anytime soon. Especially by choking.
Wren is knocked out by one of the guards.
Thorne: I will see you tomorrow, champions. And remember; today is nothing compared to what awaits you.
He says this with a laugh.
Everyone is silent on their way to their rooms, shocked by Wren's outburst. They all eat their dinners and fall asleep hours later. They didn't get much sleep though. Screams are like that one annoying bird that wakes you up before dawn.
Knox had just gotten dressed when the guards barged in and pinned him to the ground, and then there was a pain in his head. After,that all that could be seen was darkness...
Liv was the first to wake up. Less that 10 minutes later everyone else found Themselves coming to in the training yard in the castle grounds. There was a man standing in front of them, silent. Liv just stared at him for a while. He wasn't- normal. He never moved an inch.
Thorne: It's about time you lot came to. Those blows you sustain should have only kept you down for 20 minutes at the least.
Thorne glares at the guards.
Thorne: My name, is Thorne Coswell, and I am your weapons instructor, or trainer. Training today will be a little different from what the usual criminal is used to-
Thorne smiled
Thorne: Today, we will be running.
Knox thought in confusion, "How could training get more simplistic than running?"
Thorne: You will be running around the castle's 6 miles of paths twice. Oh and one more thing; watch out for the arrows.
Lauren watched while Thorne and the guards pulled shields over their heads. She looked up to see arrows raining down from the castle. As the others looked around in confusion wondering what the purpose of the shields were, she started running. She looked over her shoulder and shouted
Lauren: RUN!
Chyrilos saw the arrows right as Lauren yelled. She jumped to her feet and started sprinting. It literally would not stop raining arrows. Holding her hands over her head, she ran for the front of the group. She screamed as and arrow went through her hand.
Elain looked toward the origin of the scream. She sped up to help Chyrilos pull the arrow from her hand. When she got there, she broke the shaft of the arrow in half and pulled it out.
Elain: Find something to patch that up with. After doing that keep pressure on that and you might just make it through this without passing out.
Chyrilos: Oh- um. Thank you.
Elain didn't reply.
Knox didn't have a hard time making it to the lead. His speed was shocking the other champions. He enjoyed seeing their startled expressions when he sped past them. He had been through races of sorts, but never anything close to this. He could die. He could die and never see his daughter again. This only fueled his speed. Dodging arrows left and right, he tripped on a lose cobblestone in the path.
Fleur was exhausted. She was hardly 3/4 of the way through the race. Then Knox fell. She wanted to help him so much, but she knew that if she stopped now, she could not possibly continue. She looked one last time at Knox, wishing him the best-
Liv had stopped as soon as she saw Knox fall. Even the dumbest person in the world could see he was having a hard time getting up. She holds her hand out to help him.
Knox: I'm fine. Just go.
Liv: You're anything BUT fine. I'm not leaving until you let me help you.
Knox: I don't need help. Go, I can catch up easily.
Liv: To catch up, you need to be able to stand up. And if you sit here, you won't survive much longer.
Knox resentfully takes her hand and he stands up, walking off the pain from his hurt ankle, not noticing the arrows had stopped everywhere but over them. After a couple minutes of pained sprinting, he was back in the group with Liv close behind.
Fleur watched the training yard get closer. After crossing the spot where she started, she collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. Once she was able to breathe normally, she looked around to see almost everyone on the ground vomiting or passed out.
Wren was unbelievably tired. As soon as the run stopped, she fell to the ground and passed out. She simply could not get up. It was if every bone in her body was shattered and glued back together. Once regaining some of her strength, she walked up to Thorne who was watching the champions with- amusement. He thought this was funny?!
Thorne: Yes, Miss Wr-
Wren: WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Do you WANT us to die?!
Thorne motions for guards to apprehend her just as Wren lunges at him. Wren pins Thorne to the ground and chokes him for a good 10 seconds before she is pulled off and restrained.
Thorne laughs.
Thorne: I'm sorry Miss Wren, but I won't be dying anytime soon. Especially by choking.
Wren is knocked out by one of the guards.
Thorne: I will see you tomorrow, champions. And remember; today is nothing compared to what awaits you.
He says this with a laugh.
Everyone is silent on their way to their rooms, shocked by Wren's outburst. They all eat their dinners and fall asleep hours later. They didn't get much sleep though. Screams are like that one annoying bird that wakes you up before dawn.
Knox is jerked awake by a ear-piercing scream from the room next to him. What's even more scary is that the person in the room next to him is Elain. Witches don't just scream for the heck of it right...? What in this world would make a witch scream bloody murder? He sprinted out of his room to her door to see it was crowded with the other champions who were all gasping. He shoved his way through them-
Chyrilos couldn't believe it. There was so much- oil? There was a tar-like substance everywhere. It was as if someone took buckets and buckets of black paint and started painting the walls in what looked like designs from hundreds of years ago. Though, the startling thing was, the whole room reeked of blood. It was as if walking into a slaughter house.
How a witch was in the middle of the room, unconscious was beyond Lauren's thinking. Witches are impossible to wound. There is no person who has survived a witch fight- at least someone who has never fought before-
Fleur: What- what is this stuff?
Knox: I think it may be tar. What else is that dark?
Liv: I think Knox is right. What else can it be besides tar? It just looks so... dense.
Wren: Well if it's tar, tell me why the whole room smells like fresh blood? Hmm?
Fleur: You're right, the whole room smells like someone was stabbed and left to bleed to death. Not to mention the weird markings.
Lauren: Well it's obviously blood. Now; which of you idiots did this?
No one says a word.
Lauren: Well...? You're telling me, that none of you did this?
Wren: That is exactly what we're trying to get into your smart little head.
Lauren gives Wren a death glare.
Liv: Guys if you're gonna' fight, do us all a favor and do it later so we don't have to hold you back until one of us gets punched as well. Right now, we need to-
Thorne: You don't need to do anything. Leave it to the people who run this castle. Now scurry along before I make today even more hectic for all of you.
Thorne looks at Wren and Lauren who are about to get into a bloody fight.
Thorne: Girls, cut it out, you're both pretty. Now ALL of you, get to the training park before I actually murder one of you as an example.
Elain was quite happy, despite being dragged out of her bed in her sleep and being knocked out, today they were actually doing something that hopefully won't get them killed- at least the way Thorne explained it made it seem that way. Capture the Flag can't kill someone... I hope.
Wren wasn't mad. She was furious. More today than she ever was the day before- I mean sure, running through a never-ending rainstorm of arrows is pretty rage inducing, but after the confrontation with Lauren she won't be feeling any better. She watched as the weapons were handed out for the game.
REAL weapons?! These people are utterly insane. One of us will most likely be killed! Knox just couldn't believe it. Real weapons were fine, as long as they were dulled. These look as if they were just sharpened! Picking up these weapons and agreeing to participate in this game is the equivalent of digging your own grave, but for his daughter, he'd survive this. He'd find her no matter what. He'd obliterate everyone in his path. Everyone started lining up on their team's side. The horn was blown, and so the game began.
Fleur was a defender for Team Blue along with Liv. Luckily for them, Team Blue had one extra player, but they couldn't cross the border for 3 minutes because of the advantage. There was a crash from the bushes and Lauren charged towards the blue flag, but Fleur was there to meet her. The chance of Fleur defeating Lauren were not the best, but for her team, she would hold Lauren off until she could get Liv's atten- No. Liv was fighting Knox, and losing. There was several stab wounds in Liv's arms, but before she could try to help Liv, Liv helped herself. Using Knox's speed against him she tripped him and pinned him to the ground. Watching Liv had cost Fleur much. Fleur didn't stop marveling at Liv's skill until she saw a knife in her own left shoulder.
Lauren noticed Fleur staring at her shoulder and smiled.
Lauren: It's not personal.
Lauren had only one goal; the flag. She threw Fleur to the ground only to be tackled seconds later by who she thought was Liv. There was a sharp pain in her forearm while she fell. Lauren tried to shove her off, but only found that 'Liv' had been Fleur and that Fleur had more fight in her than she had thought. Not only that, Fleur had broken Lauren's wrist, rendering her defenseless. Fleur then got up and smiled grimly.
Fleur: It's not personal. Just like this-
She gestured to the knife wound in her shoulder and shoved Lauren into the team's jail along with Knox.
Elain stole blue's flag with only a few slices on her face and arms. She sprinted through Team Blue's territory avoiding everyone. Being the only person not in jail on her team, she had to leave Red's flag defenseless. She knew that if she didn't go to blue, she would not win this. She crossed the border between teams easily when coming and going. There were several gaps that no one was monitoring.
Team Blue was almost at the border with Team Red's flag when they heard that Team Red had won. Chyrilos had wondered why the flag wasn't guarded. The defense must have left their post to steal Blue's flag. She and Wren had gotten into a fight with Knox and Lauren at the border. The after being badly injured, Wren told Chyrilos to go on. She wondered how Wren could still compete in the contest. You can't just heal from a knife injury like that in a days time.
After the game ended, everyone was treated by healers. Except- these healers were literally healing people on the spot. Liv could not contain how happy she was that there was magic in more than just one place. One of them even fixed Wren's stab wound to her stomach. Lauren just stared in shock as her wrist 'magically' healed. How was it possible? Then Liv noticed the markings the healers were writing on the patient's palm. It is probably an old magic that was only ever used for healing among the humans. The person controlling the crows must have not recognized it as the common magic and glossed over it or was human and knew what it was, but kept it for the humans as another advantage over the magic wielders.
Wren had never been so tired in her life. Those healers with their 'magic' had shocked her. She was so done with surprises for now and as soon as she got to her room she collapsed on her bed and fell asleep, but she knew that this hell they called 'training' would go on until she either lost or won this.
Chyrilos couldn't believe it. There was so much- oil? There was a tar-like substance everywhere. It was as if someone took buckets and buckets of black paint and started painting the walls in what looked like designs from hundreds of years ago. Though, the startling thing was, the whole room reeked of blood. It was as if walking into a slaughter house.
How a witch was in the middle of the room, unconscious was beyond Lauren's thinking. Witches are impossible to wound. There is no person who has survived a witch fight- at least someone who has never fought before-
Fleur: What- what is this stuff?
Knox: I think it may be tar. What else is that dark?
Liv: I think Knox is right. What else can it be besides tar? It just looks so... dense.
Wren: Well if it's tar, tell me why the whole room smells like fresh blood? Hmm?
Fleur: You're right, the whole room smells like someone was stabbed and left to bleed to death. Not to mention the weird markings.
Lauren: Well it's obviously blood. Now; which of you idiots did this?
No one says a word.
Lauren: Well...? You're telling me, that none of you did this?
Wren: That is exactly what we're trying to get into your smart little head.
Lauren gives Wren a death glare.
Liv: Guys if you're gonna' fight, do us all a favor and do it later so we don't have to hold you back until one of us gets punched as well. Right now, we need to-
Thorne: You don't need to do anything. Leave it to the people who run this castle. Now scurry along before I make today even more hectic for all of you.
Thorne looks at Wren and Lauren who are about to get into a bloody fight.
Thorne: Girls, cut it out, you're both pretty. Now ALL of you, get to the training park before I actually murder one of you as an example.
Elain was quite happy, despite being dragged out of her bed in her sleep and being knocked out, today they were actually doing something that hopefully won't get them killed- at least the way Thorne explained it made it seem that way. Capture the Flag can't kill someone... I hope.
Wren wasn't mad. She was furious. More today than she ever was the day before- I mean sure, running through a never-ending rainstorm of arrows is pretty rage inducing, but after the confrontation with Lauren she won't be feeling any better. She watched as the weapons were handed out for the game.
REAL weapons?! These people are utterly insane. One of us will most likely be killed! Knox just couldn't believe it. Real weapons were fine, as long as they were dulled. These look as if they were just sharpened! Picking up these weapons and agreeing to participate in this game is the equivalent of digging your own grave, but for his daughter, he'd survive this. He'd find her no matter what. He'd obliterate everyone in his path. Everyone started lining up on their team's side. The horn was blown, and so the game began.
Fleur was a defender for Team Blue along with Liv. Luckily for them, Team Blue had one extra player, but they couldn't cross the border for 3 minutes because of the advantage. There was a crash from the bushes and Lauren charged towards the blue flag, but Fleur was there to meet her. The chance of Fleur defeating Lauren were not the best, but for her team, she would hold Lauren off until she could get Liv's atten- No. Liv was fighting Knox, and losing. There was several stab wounds in Liv's arms, but before she could try to help Liv, Liv helped herself. Using Knox's speed against him she tripped him and pinned him to the ground. Watching Liv had cost Fleur much. Fleur didn't stop marveling at Liv's skill until she saw a knife in her own left shoulder.
Lauren noticed Fleur staring at her shoulder and smiled.
Lauren: It's not personal.
Lauren had only one goal; the flag. She threw Fleur to the ground only to be tackled seconds later by who she thought was Liv. There was a sharp pain in her forearm while she fell. Lauren tried to shove her off, but only found that 'Liv' had been Fleur and that Fleur had more fight in her than she had thought. Not only that, Fleur had broken Lauren's wrist, rendering her defenseless. Fleur then got up and smiled grimly.
Fleur: It's not personal. Just like this-
She gestured to the knife wound in her shoulder and shoved Lauren into the team's jail along with Knox.
Elain stole blue's flag with only a few slices on her face and arms. She sprinted through Team Blue's territory avoiding everyone. Being the only person not in jail on her team, she had to leave Red's flag defenseless. She knew that if she didn't go to blue, she would not win this. She crossed the border between teams easily when coming and going. There were several gaps that no one was monitoring.
Team Blue was almost at the border with Team Red's flag when they heard that Team Red had won. Chyrilos had wondered why the flag wasn't guarded. The defense must have left their post to steal Blue's flag. She and Wren had gotten into a fight with Knox and Lauren at the border. The after being badly injured, Wren told Chyrilos to go on. She wondered how Wren could still compete in the contest. You can't just heal from a knife injury like that in a days time.
After the game ended, everyone was treated by healers. Except- these healers were literally healing people on the spot. Liv could not contain how happy she was that there was magic in more than just one place. One of them even fixed Wren's stab wound to her stomach. Lauren just stared in shock as her wrist 'magically' healed. How was it possible? Then Liv noticed the markings the healers were writing on the patient's palm. It is probably an old magic that was only ever used for healing among the humans. The person controlling the crows must have not recognized it as the common magic and glossed over it or was human and knew what it was, but kept it for the humans as another advantage over the magic wielders.
Wren had never been so tired in her life. Those healers with their 'magic' had shocked her. She was so done with surprises for now and as soon as she got to her room she collapsed on her bed and fell asleep, but she knew that this hell they called 'training' would go on until she either lost or won this.
All Fleur could think of was the blissful relief at having a day off after the mess of the last three days. Unfortunately, this 'bliss' would just give her more time to think about the dark pit of despair that was called her past. Her unending waves of thought would just stress her out for tomorrow and no doubt, would make the task harder. Hopefully she could maybe talk to someone.
Wren passes her in the hall, cloaked in a black robe and fully armed.
Fleur: Hey Wren! You wanna... uh-
Wren: No.
Fleur: Wha- What do you mean, 'no'?
Wren: I mean, 'no, I don't want to hang out with anyone. Least of all, you'.
Fleur: You know what, I try to ask you something, but-
She notices Wren's clothing and weaponry.
Fleur: Where are you going?
Wren: None of your business. Now if you were smart, you would walk away before you tick me off to the point I gut you.
Fleur: Pfft... you wouldn't... would you?
Wren growled
Wren: Just try me, little girl.
Fleur: Oh so you want to play it that way, huh?
Wren socks Fleur in the face.
Wren: Gladly.
They get into a full-fledged fist-fight. Wren starts speaking while dodging punches.
Wren: You know... I can see exactly why your family cast you out.
Fleur stops mid-punch.
Fleur: What did you just say?
Wren smirks.
Wren: Your family was right to throw you out in the snow that day. If I knew you'd turn out like this I would have done that MUCH sooner. Too bad, you could have been their personal assassin if you had been extra secretive. Maybe not even-
Fleur pins Wren to the ground and starts punching her uncontrollably with brute force all while Wren is laughing like an insane person.
Seconds later she is pulled off Wren by three guards who quickly restrain her. Wren stands up and whispers in Fleur's ear just before Fleur is taken away.
Wren: See. I told you, being secretive is key. You might have been able to successfully beat me up. In fact, you might have gotten away with your many crimes had you kept them under wraps.
Wren smiles at Fleur as she is being hauled away to the dungeon for the day.
Chyrillos had been following Wren all day. What else was she to do? They wouldn't give her any alcohol. Wren seemed as if she was going somewhere today, why not follow her? After watching the fight between Wren and Fleur, Chyrilos wasn't sure she wanted to follow her anymore. She was about to walk away when Wren went for the library. Now why in the hell, would she go there armed to the teeth? Chyrilos followed her into the library out of pure curiosity. As soon as the door shut behind Chyrilos, everything went black. The chandeliers and numerous candles just- winked out. There wasn't even a sign that it had been burning! Not to mention the air quality was perfectly fine. The whole room should smell like smoke! And there this figure draped in- this was beyond darkness. She had never seen something so- terrifying.
Wren was completely aware of Chyrilos tracking her. Of course Chyrilos would follow her, it's what stalkers do. Wren didn't care that Chyrilos was following her or what she saw of this meeting. She could just use some demon magic a make Chyrilos' memory a blank slate. The reason she was here loomed before her. Darkness and death. There wasn't many other ways to describe a demon.
Demon: Who is this you have brought with you?
Wren: An idiot. Now lets get to business; I did what you asked of me.
Demon: Good. You have deserved-
Wren: Oh uh... there is something about her. She is stronger than you think.
Demon: Oh. Well then Wren, tell me, what makes you think that?
Wren: She is just- uh... stronger.
Demon: Is that so?
Wren: Yes.
Demon: Mhm... You still will be gifted what was promised. May it help you in this sadistic game this King has invented.
Wren kneels as the demon walks toward her and puts it hand on her cheek. She is soon covered in the same darkness the demon is made of.
Demon: The faerie and the boy should be dead by morning. Good luck, Wren.
Wren passes her in the hall, cloaked in a black robe and fully armed.
Fleur: Hey Wren! You wanna... uh-
Wren: No.
Fleur: Wha- What do you mean, 'no'?
Wren: I mean, 'no, I don't want to hang out with anyone. Least of all, you'.
Fleur: You know what, I try to ask you something, but-
She notices Wren's clothing and weaponry.
Fleur: Where are you going?
Wren: None of your business. Now if you were smart, you would walk away before you tick me off to the point I gut you.
Fleur: Pfft... you wouldn't... would you?
Wren growled
Wren: Just try me, little girl.
Fleur: Oh so you want to play it that way, huh?
Wren socks Fleur in the face.
Wren: Gladly.
They get into a full-fledged fist-fight. Wren starts speaking while dodging punches.
Wren: You know... I can see exactly why your family cast you out.
Fleur stops mid-punch.
Fleur: What did you just say?
Wren smirks.
Wren: Your family was right to throw you out in the snow that day. If I knew you'd turn out like this I would have done that MUCH sooner. Too bad, you could have been their personal assassin if you had been extra secretive. Maybe not even-
Fleur pins Wren to the ground and starts punching her uncontrollably with brute force all while Wren is laughing like an insane person.
Seconds later she is pulled off Wren by three guards who quickly restrain her. Wren stands up and whispers in Fleur's ear just before Fleur is taken away.
Wren: See. I told you, being secretive is key. You might have been able to successfully beat me up. In fact, you might have gotten away with your many crimes had you kept them under wraps.
Wren smiles at Fleur as she is being hauled away to the dungeon for the day.
Chyrillos had been following Wren all day. What else was she to do? They wouldn't give her any alcohol. Wren seemed as if she was going somewhere today, why not follow her? After watching the fight between Wren and Fleur, Chyrilos wasn't sure she wanted to follow her anymore. She was about to walk away when Wren went for the library. Now why in the hell, would she go there armed to the teeth? Chyrilos followed her into the library out of pure curiosity. As soon as the door shut behind Chyrilos, everything went black. The chandeliers and numerous candles just- winked out. There wasn't even a sign that it had been burning! Not to mention the air quality was perfectly fine. The whole room should smell like smoke! And there this figure draped in- this was beyond darkness. She had never seen something so- terrifying.
Wren was completely aware of Chyrilos tracking her. Of course Chyrilos would follow her, it's what stalkers do. Wren didn't care that Chyrilos was following her or what she saw of this meeting. She could just use some demon magic a make Chyrilos' memory a blank slate. The reason she was here loomed before her. Darkness and death. There wasn't many other ways to describe a demon.
Demon: Who is this you have brought with you?
Wren: An idiot. Now lets get to business; I did what you asked of me.
Demon: Good. You have deserved-
Wren: Oh uh... there is something about her. She is stronger than you think.
Demon: Oh. Well then Wren, tell me, what makes you think that?
Wren: She is just- uh... stronger.
Demon: Is that so?
Wren: Yes.
Demon: Mhm... You still will be gifted what was promised. May it help you in this sadistic game this King has invented.
Wren kneels as the demon walks toward her and puts it hand on her cheek. She is soon covered in the same darkness the demon is made of.
Demon: The faerie and the boy should be dead by morning. Good luck, Wren.
Lauren was so done. Done with everything. This king, this castle, this game. Just before dawn this morning, a half dozen guards swarmed her room, pulled her out of bed, and started interrogating her regarding the Crown Prince. Her sponsor. Apparently, the Crown Prince had met his end during the night. The odd thing was, his room looked exactly like Elain's the day she woke up screaming. The tar-like liquid covered every surface possible. Unlike the instance with Elain, the liquid seemed to be coming from the prince himself. It looked as if someone had broken into his room in the middle of the night, cut him to the extent he bled out until his death, and left him there, but that wouldn't explain how the 'blood' was literally everywhere and why it was black. Humans don't bleed black.
The scene of the prince's murder was a gruesome one, the liquid that was found in the room- there was no way that the prince would bleed that much if he had been set to bleed to death. Not to mention that the prince had not received any injury whatsoever. It just didn't make sense. Why would the King even want her here? If he wanted answers regarding the blood or whatever it is, she didn't have any. And then there was the markings. What could they possibly mean? There wasn't really anyone who knew what this stuff was, and then Fleur walked in.
Fleur strode in with the most vengeful stride Lauren had seen in a long while. Lauren couldn't decide if she was more scared of what Fleur might do, or Fleur's taste is fashion. Fleur was covered in the black liquid as well. She opened her mouth to say something that would most likely get her apprehended by the guards just outside, but closed it when she saw the prince. Fleur murmured something that sounded like "You too?"
Lauren: What?
Fleur: Someone made an attempt to take my life while I was locked in the damn cell. I suppose I can thank Wren for that-
Lauren: You're covered in that blood stuff.
Fleur: WOW! I totally didn't notice!
Lauren roles her eyes at Fleur's comment, which only enrages Fleur more.
Lauren: How exactly did you get covered in that stuff?
Fleur: I was let out of the dungeon not long after midnight. I was heading back to my room when I noticed I was being followed by someone. I remember feeling as if my mind was being invaded, and I started to get a nosebleed. I collapsed from the pressure on my mind and eventually fought of what was in my head while I was out cold, but every time it lunged for me before I collapsed, I would get covered in this stuff. It was weird. It was as if the liquid would become really sticky at random moments and I would have a hard time moving until I pulled it off. Oh yeah also, WHERE THE HECK WERE ALL OF YOU?! I tried knocking on your doors, but none of you idiots would answer!
Lauren: Well there is not much we can do about this. We better get to the training yard before Thorne holds up on his promise to make examples of those who are late.
Fleur: Fine.
Chyrilos had the best sleep of her life last night. She had never felt so rested before! Forgetting Wren right after she and Fleur got in a fight was a great choice. She really needed the extra sleep. At least she'll be ready for what training is today.
After everyone arives, Thorne starts speaking. He speaks in a light-hearted manner, as if today would consist of something fun. It would, for him and his guards at least.
Thorne: Champions! As much as I would love to take a break from instructing you all and grieve for our beloved prince, I cannot do that without risking death from the King. So today, we will be playing a game of dodge. You will be dodging things. Doesn't that sound simple?
He waits a few seconds then smiles.
Thorne: Wrong.
Thorne pulls a lever and the ground drops out from under the champions. They fall into a room full of mud. The champions look up to see Thorne smiling at them.
Thorne: Better start running!
Just then, the walls open up releasing boulders, tree logs, and other objects. All are capable of crushing a man.
Liv: For once, and hopefully the only time, I agree with Thorne.
Knox: This is going to be easy!
Wren: You sure about that? There is mud covering one hundred percent of the arena. That means there is an one hundred percent chance you will slide into the path of an object. Hope you enjoy your broken spine!
Knox: At least if I die here, I wont grow old to be as cranky as you are.
They all start dodging objects. And then, there is the crack of bones breaking.
Chyrilos is killed instantly. The game ends at that sound.
The scene of the prince's murder was a gruesome one, the liquid that was found in the room- there was no way that the prince would bleed that much if he had been set to bleed to death. Not to mention that the prince had not received any injury whatsoever. It just didn't make sense. Why would the King even want her here? If he wanted answers regarding the blood or whatever it is, she didn't have any. And then there was the markings. What could they possibly mean? There wasn't really anyone who knew what this stuff was, and then Fleur walked in.
Fleur strode in with the most vengeful stride Lauren had seen in a long while. Lauren couldn't decide if she was more scared of what Fleur might do, or Fleur's taste is fashion. Fleur was covered in the black liquid as well. She opened her mouth to say something that would most likely get her apprehended by the guards just outside, but closed it when she saw the prince. Fleur murmured something that sounded like "You too?"
Lauren: What?
Fleur: Someone made an attempt to take my life while I was locked in the damn cell. I suppose I can thank Wren for that-
Lauren: You're covered in that blood stuff.
Fleur: WOW! I totally didn't notice!
Lauren roles her eyes at Fleur's comment, which only enrages Fleur more.
Lauren: How exactly did you get covered in that stuff?
Fleur: I was let out of the dungeon not long after midnight. I was heading back to my room when I noticed I was being followed by someone. I remember feeling as if my mind was being invaded, and I started to get a nosebleed. I collapsed from the pressure on my mind and eventually fought of what was in my head while I was out cold, but every time it lunged for me before I collapsed, I would get covered in this stuff. It was weird. It was as if the liquid would become really sticky at random moments and I would have a hard time moving until I pulled it off. Oh yeah also, WHERE THE HECK WERE ALL OF YOU?! I tried knocking on your doors, but none of you idiots would answer!
Lauren: Well there is not much we can do about this. We better get to the training yard before Thorne holds up on his promise to make examples of those who are late.
Fleur: Fine.
Chyrilos had the best sleep of her life last night. She had never felt so rested before! Forgetting Wren right after she and Fleur got in a fight was a great choice. She really needed the extra sleep. At least she'll be ready for what training is today.
After everyone arives, Thorne starts speaking. He speaks in a light-hearted manner, as if today would consist of something fun. It would, for him and his guards at least.
Thorne: Champions! As much as I would love to take a break from instructing you all and grieve for our beloved prince, I cannot do that without risking death from the King. So today, we will be playing a game of dodge. You will be dodging things. Doesn't that sound simple?
He waits a few seconds then smiles.
Thorne: Wrong.
Thorne pulls a lever and the ground drops out from under the champions. They fall into a room full of mud. The champions look up to see Thorne smiling at them.
Thorne: Better start running!
Just then, the walls open up releasing boulders, tree logs, and other objects. All are capable of crushing a man.
Liv: For once, and hopefully the only time, I agree with Thorne.
Knox: This is going to be easy!
Wren: You sure about that? There is mud covering one hundred percent of the arena. That means there is an one hundred percent chance you will slide into the path of an object. Hope you enjoy your broken spine!
Knox: At least if I die here, I wont grow old to be as cranky as you are.
They all start dodging objects. And then, there is the crack of bones breaking.
Chyrilos is killed instantly. The game ends at that sound.
Liv didn't take the King seriously enough. He legitimately meant some of them may die. Whether those who died's deaths were slow or swift, was unknown. Chyrilos's death was an unfortunate turn of events. It was depressing that she would get a shallow, unmarked grave in the forests surrounding Rifthold's towering walls. At least she would be at peace in a place like that. The champions were aloud to attend the 'funeral' which meant they could leave the castle grounds for just this once. As the carriage came to a halt, she saw something move in the bushes outside. She was to distraught to think about it further. She stopped suddenly when she was nearly half way out of the carriage, her legs dangling a few feet above the cobblestone road that had been reduced to rubble as her fae senses picked up something... odd.
Knox mindlessly watched Lauren flirt with a royal guard in his normal red and gold uniform with the royal crest embroidered into the chest area of the outfit. He thought Lauren was appalled by Ravka, could he have been wrong, or was this just a twisted way to get information? Whichever it was, Knox did not care. Chyrilos DIED. She was gone. Dead. Could he be next..? He cleared his mind of useless thoughts such as those once again. His daughter. For his daughter he would survive this. He heard from the guards that today's training would just be regular hand-to-hand combat. No capturing flags and severely getting injured, no dodging items that could crush every single bone is a man's body, no death- for now at least.
Wren was scared. Scared beyond scared, in fact. She watched the ants crawl across the bare ground. Too bad she couldn't be one of them- hard to notice and not to mention, it's kind of hard to kill something so small- unless you had a boot. As she feared, Fleur had survived, which meant that her oath to the demon had been broken. Whether the oath was broken purposely or not, it was still a broken oath. A broken oath in most cases meant death. It depended how generous the person who she swore the oath to was being. Considering she wasn't dead, it seemed the demon was either sparing her, or making the wait for her death agonizing on a mental factor.
Elain had been to hundreds of funerals in her time, but none were as pitiful as this. The King explained it as "the burial of a criminal" and that Chyrilos really had deserved less. Maybe if she was lucky, she would come back and give this poor girl a proper burial. The funeral was just the King's guards laying a person wrapped in sheets in a far to shallow hole. After they left the grave, they returned to the castle just to be shoved into the training hall by Thorne and his men.
Thorne: As you all know, tomorrow is your first test. One of you will be going back to where ever the King's rotten courtiers got you. To save your strength for tomorrow, today we will just be dueling.
Wren: As in fighting another in a duel..? No catches whatsoever?
Thorne: I mean, unless you consider weapons as a 'catch' then no.
Everyone continues to look suspicious despite Thorne's reassurance.
Thorne: Lets get to the dueling pairs, shall we?
Thorne: We have Knox and Liv, Lauren and Wren, and Elain and Fleur. Knox and Liv, you're up first.
Knox and Liv make their way to the chalk circle in the middle of the training hall.
Thorne: Fight.
Knox pulls 2 knives from his belt and lunges toward Liv. Liv pulls only a single knife from her belt, blocks one of Knox's knives and grabs Knox's other wrist with her free hand, holding his other knife away from her. Knox pulls his hand from her grasp and tries to strike again. He makes it past her defenses and slices her arm, leaving a trail of blood dripping from her arm. She flinches clutching her arm which costs her a stab to her shoulder of her already injured arm. She uses her good arm to give Knoox a good punch to the face. Knox falls to the ground clutching his head, but gets up almost instantly. At this time they are both panting. Knox growls the words,
Knox: It's going to take a heck of a lot more than that to keep me down.
Liv knocks him to the ground.
Liv: You down yet?
She smiles. He gets up and they spend minutes throwing punches until both have a hard time staying upright. They stumble around and trade lousy punches until Liv throws a punch with enough force that it knocks Knox to the ground and he is unable to get up from delirium.
Thorne: Congratulations, Liv, you have won. Just next time, please try not to bore us all by resorting to disorientated punches.
Thorne grins at Liv, who is stumbling out of the blood-stained ring.
Thorne: Next; Lauren and Wren. Well this outta' be good.
Both make their way into the blood-soaked fighting ring. Wren smiles and starts speaking in a tone that promises pain to come.
Wren: How about we resolve that argument we had not long ago that was in my favor, shall we?
Lauren: You're on.
Lauren says those words with a large amount of hostility.
Wren circles the ring, watching Lauren's every move.
Lauren: Are you an assassin or spy? God help you if you we're a spy, I bet the silent speakers would have heard you all the way in Fjerda if they were still alive!
Wren launches herself at Lauren with a small axe in each hand without a reply. Lauren rolls to the side leaving Wren slamming into rock. Wren groans as she gets up. Mid-groan, she launches an axe, aiming for Lauren's legs. The blade hits home, striking Lauren's shin in a burst of blood. Lauren falls to the ground in pain, but stops herself from screaming. Wren walk up to Lauren slowly to pin her down and end the duel, but Lauren uses her good leg to trip Wren. Wren tries to fall on top of Lauren, in an attempt to crush her, but Lauren is faster. She uses her gauntlets to make several gashes in Wren's forearm, and slice Wren's side, which causes her to double-over in pain. Lauren drags herself over to Wren, ready to make the killing blow, but is tackled by guards and realizes what she had almost done.
Thorne: ENOUGH! Lauren the rules were made VERY clear at the beginning of this game. You must not kill others!
Lauren: I-I- I didn't me-
Thorne: It does not matter whether you tried killing her on purpose or not! You are to good of a fighter for this game to loose so I will not disqualify you, but you do not win this duel. The win goes to Wren! Next is Fleur and Elain!
Elain steps into the ring and instantly unsheathes a sword. Fleur pulls out a sword, as well. They launch into battle. Fleur lunges towards Elain, but Elain trips her and she falls face-first to the bloodied ground. She gets up, spitting blood. She pulls a dagger from her boot and throws it at Elain's knee. The blade is embeded in her kneecap and Elain falls to the ground screaming. Fleur walks over and tries to pin Elain down, but Elain's iron nails appear. She digs her nails into Fleur's arms leaving 5 puncture wounds about 2 inches deep in each of Fleur's arms. Fleur screams.
Fleur: You witch!
Elain: Be lucky it wasn't your face.
Elain pulls the dagger from her knee and shoves it into Fleur's side. Elain tries to quickly bind her knee with a few strips of her shirt, but Fleur recovers enough to punch Elain's injured knee. Elain grabs her knee in pain, undoing the already blue bandages. Fleur pins Elain to the ground, but before Thorne can announce the fight is over, Elain scratches Fleur's face leaving 5 trails of blood running down her face.
Thorne: Ladies, ladies, that's enough. Fleur, you win.
Both stumble out of the ring covered in blue and red blood. Elain can hardly walk and falls to the ground and has a hard time standing. Fleur sees this and helps her get to the healers who are already using their magic of sorts on the others.
Thorne: That will be all for today. Go to your rooms and get plenty of sleep for tomorrow.
Knox: Thorne, what exactly will the test be based on tomorrow?
Thorne: Why tell you now and ruin all the fun? Now all of you, go to your rooms. Now.
Wren made it to her room safely. No demons. Yet. She opened the door to her room and is thrown onto the wall by an unseen force. The demon covers her mouth and whispers,
Demon: Wren... why is the faerie not dead yet?
Wren tries to speak
Wren: Mmmff!
Demon: I'm sorry?
Wren: Mmf tmf shf!
Demon: If I take my hand away, will you not scream?
Wren nods. The demon removes his hand only for Wren to turn around and see that Lauren had killed him in his physical form with her gauntlets.
Lauren: You mind telling me why there was a demon in your room? Cause I can always finish what I started today and have this demon body-
She looked where the body was. It had disappeared.
Lauren: Okay, nevermind. I still want an answer though.
Wren: No.
Lauren: No? What a pity... I wasn't going to tell anyone.
Wren: I don't know why there are demons in my room, okay? So just leave.
Lauren walks out the door slowly, eyeing the many other shadow figures in the room.
Lauren: If I were you, I'd come with me.
Wren: Your joking. No way I'm coming-
Lauren: About how many demons were involved with you?
Wren looks behind her and sees the shadows. She looks to Lauren who smiles and walks out. Wren follows silently.
Knox mindlessly watched Lauren flirt with a royal guard in his normal red and gold uniform with the royal crest embroidered into the chest area of the outfit. He thought Lauren was appalled by Ravka, could he have been wrong, or was this just a twisted way to get information? Whichever it was, Knox did not care. Chyrilos DIED. She was gone. Dead. Could he be next..? He cleared his mind of useless thoughts such as those once again. His daughter. For his daughter he would survive this. He heard from the guards that today's training would just be regular hand-to-hand combat. No capturing flags and severely getting injured, no dodging items that could crush every single bone is a man's body, no death- for now at least.
Wren was scared. Scared beyond scared, in fact. She watched the ants crawl across the bare ground. Too bad she couldn't be one of them- hard to notice and not to mention, it's kind of hard to kill something so small- unless you had a boot. As she feared, Fleur had survived, which meant that her oath to the demon had been broken. Whether the oath was broken purposely or not, it was still a broken oath. A broken oath in most cases meant death. It depended how generous the person who she swore the oath to was being. Considering she wasn't dead, it seemed the demon was either sparing her, or making the wait for her death agonizing on a mental factor.
Elain had been to hundreds of funerals in her time, but none were as pitiful as this. The King explained it as "the burial of a criminal" and that Chyrilos really had deserved less. Maybe if she was lucky, she would come back and give this poor girl a proper burial. The funeral was just the King's guards laying a person wrapped in sheets in a far to shallow hole. After they left the grave, they returned to the castle just to be shoved into the training hall by Thorne and his men.
Thorne: As you all know, tomorrow is your first test. One of you will be going back to where ever the King's rotten courtiers got you. To save your strength for tomorrow, today we will just be dueling.
Wren: As in fighting another in a duel..? No catches whatsoever?
Thorne: I mean, unless you consider weapons as a 'catch' then no.
Everyone continues to look suspicious despite Thorne's reassurance.
Thorne: Lets get to the dueling pairs, shall we?
Thorne: We have Knox and Liv, Lauren and Wren, and Elain and Fleur. Knox and Liv, you're up first.
Knox and Liv make their way to the chalk circle in the middle of the training hall.
Thorne: Fight.
Knox pulls 2 knives from his belt and lunges toward Liv. Liv pulls only a single knife from her belt, blocks one of Knox's knives and grabs Knox's other wrist with her free hand, holding his other knife away from her. Knox pulls his hand from her grasp and tries to strike again. He makes it past her defenses and slices her arm, leaving a trail of blood dripping from her arm. She flinches clutching her arm which costs her a stab to her shoulder of her already injured arm. She uses her good arm to give Knoox a good punch to the face. Knox falls to the ground clutching his head, but gets up almost instantly. At this time they are both panting. Knox growls the words,
Knox: It's going to take a heck of a lot more than that to keep me down.
Liv knocks him to the ground.
Liv: You down yet?
She smiles. He gets up and they spend minutes throwing punches until both have a hard time staying upright. They stumble around and trade lousy punches until Liv throws a punch with enough force that it knocks Knox to the ground and he is unable to get up from delirium.
Thorne: Congratulations, Liv, you have won. Just next time, please try not to bore us all by resorting to disorientated punches.
Thorne grins at Liv, who is stumbling out of the blood-stained ring.
Thorne: Next; Lauren and Wren. Well this outta' be good.
Both make their way into the blood-soaked fighting ring. Wren smiles and starts speaking in a tone that promises pain to come.
Wren: How about we resolve that argument we had not long ago that was in my favor, shall we?
Lauren: You're on.
Lauren says those words with a large amount of hostility.
Wren circles the ring, watching Lauren's every move.
Lauren: Are you an assassin or spy? God help you if you we're a spy, I bet the silent speakers would have heard you all the way in Fjerda if they were still alive!
Wren launches herself at Lauren with a small axe in each hand without a reply. Lauren rolls to the side leaving Wren slamming into rock. Wren groans as she gets up. Mid-groan, she launches an axe, aiming for Lauren's legs. The blade hits home, striking Lauren's shin in a burst of blood. Lauren falls to the ground in pain, but stops herself from screaming. Wren walk up to Lauren slowly to pin her down and end the duel, but Lauren uses her good leg to trip Wren. Wren tries to fall on top of Lauren, in an attempt to crush her, but Lauren is faster. She uses her gauntlets to make several gashes in Wren's forearm, and slice Wren's side, which causes her to double-over in pain. Lauren drags herself over to Wren, ready to make the killing blow, but is tackled by guards and realizes what she had almost done.
Thorne: ENOUGH! Lauren the rules were made VERY clear at the beginning of this game. You must not kill others!
Lauren: I-I- I didn't me-
Thorne: It does not matter whether you tried killing her on purpose or not! You are to good of a fighter for this game to loose so I will not disqualify you, but you do not win this duel. The win goes to Wren! Next is Fleur and Elain!
Elain steps into the ring and instantly unsheathes a sword. Fleur pulls out a sword, as well. They launch into battle. Fleur lunges towards Elain, but Elain trips her and she falls face-first to the bloodied ground. She gets up, spitting blood. She pulls a dagger from her boot and throws it at Elain's knee. The blade is embeded in her kneecap and Elain falls to the ground screaming. Fleur walks over and tries to pin Elain down, but Elain's iron nails appear. She digs her nails into Fleur's arms leaving 5 puncture wounds about 2 inches deep in each of Fleur's arms. Fleur screams.
Fleur: You witch!
Elain: Be lucky it wasn't your face.
Elain pulls the dagger from her knee and shoves it into Fleur's side. Elain tries to quickly bind her knee with a few strips of her shirt, but Fleur recovers enough to punch Elain's injured knee. Elain grabs her knee in pain, undoing the already blue bandages. Fleur pins Elain to the ground, but before Thorne can announce the fight is over, Elain scratches Fleur's face leaving 5 trails of blood running down her face.
Thorne: Ladies, ladies, that's enough. Fleur, you win.
Both stumble out of the ring covered in blue and red blood. Elain can hardly walk and falls to the ground and has a hard time standing. Fleur sees this and helps her get to the healers who are already using their magic of sorts on the others.
Thorne: That will be all for today. Go to your rooms and get plenty of sleep for tomorrow.
Knox: Thorne, what exactly will the test be based on tomorrow?
Thorne: Why tell you now and ruin all the fun? Now all of you, go to your rooms. Now.
Wren made it to her room safely. No demons. Yet. She opened the door to her room and is thrown onto the wall by an unseen force. The demon covers her mouth and whispers,
Demon: Wren... why is the faerie not dead yet?
Wren tries to speak
Wren: Mmmff!
Demon: I'm sorry?
Wren: Mmf tmf shf!
Demon: If I take my hand away, will you not scream?
Wren nods. The demon removes his hand only for Wren to turn around and see that Lauren had killed him in his physical form with her gauntlets.
Lauren: You mind telling me why there was a demon in your room? Cause I can always finish what I started today and have this demon body-
She looked where the body was. It had disappeared.
Lauren: Okay, nevermind. I still want an answer though.
Wren: No.
Lauren: No? What a pity... I wasn't going to tell anyone.
Wren: I don't know why there are demons in my room, okay? So just leave.
Lauren walks out the door slowly, eyeing the many other shadow figures in the room.
Lauren: If I were you, I'd come with me.
Wren: Your joking. No way I'm coming-
Lauren: About how many demons were involved with you?
Wren looks behind her and sees the shadows. She looks to Lauren who smiles and walks out. Wren follows silently.
Wren was insanely tired. After following Lauren, she had been convinced to sneak out of the castle and go to a popular bar nearby. The rest... well there was no 'rest' in her memory of that night. Just bits and pieces. She remembered Lauren flirting as soon as they got there, what was served being the strongest liquor she had ever drank, almost getting killed in some way, Lauren flirting with the King's captain who had even more alcohol than any of them, getting socked in the face at some point, a dazed walk through the city streets, almost getting caught on their way in the castle, running in with Elain who had threatened to report them, and finally, noticing that there was only 4 hours until dawn, which was when the test began. After getting 2 hours of sleep, Wren woke up and had quite the struggle getting out of bed. Thankfully, the effects of the alcohol had worn away during the night, but tiredness wasn't so easily pushed away. She got out of bed with an unyielding force of will and was out the door ten minutes later.
Sleep was all Liv could think of. She hadn't gotten any. She drowsily headed into the hall and to the dining hall for a quick breakfast. She shoveled the soupy oatmeal into her mouth, disgusted at the taste. She tried to focus on the poster of a wanted criminal on a nearby post. The she had never heard of the person, but apparently they were a wanted criminal. Liv wondered if she would have to hunt them if she won.
Fleur was the last to arrive in the training hall. She stared at the ground, studying the dust-covered stone floors. She pulled a hidden knife from her pocket and started carving little figures in the stones, paying no attention to what Thorne had started saying
Thorne: Welcome, champions. Today is your first test. It will be on different poisons from around the world. Hopefully, you won't ingest the the liquid glasses that consist of poison.
Fleur watched as everyone, including her, went pale. Poison was not something most people trained in, and those who did, often didn't know much.
Knox wasn't that afraid. He was utterly terrified. He had a very small knowledge of poisons- let alone poisons from different countries. How dangerous were some of these poisons? Could they kill?
Knox: Um.. uh.. Sir, are any of the poisons deadly?
Knox watched in horror as Thorne nodded.
Thorne: Another reason to not screw up. You will be given 13 glasses full of different types of liquid. You must judge from the look and smell alone if they are safe to drink. Only one glass will be filled with an untainted liquid. The untainted liquid is the same type of liquid for everyone. There will be antidotes on the scene. The one eliminated will be decided on what poison they drank and how easy was it to tell apart from the actual liquid, Those of you who do locate and ingest the untainted water are automatically safe. Once you go to a table,
Thorne gestured behind him to 6 tables covered in cloth.
Thorne: you will receive the glasses.
The champions made their way to the tables. One person stood behind each.
Lauren frowned uneasily at the stained wood tray of glasses that was gently set on her table. The table itself was beautiful- it was a stained wooden table like the kind you would find at wineries in the southern corners of the continent. It was concealed in a bright white tablecloth almost entirely covered in embroidered flowers and vines in several different colors. She ran her fingers lightly over the embroidery and smiled to herself as she thought, 'What a beautiful thing to die standing at.'
Thorne: You all may begin.
Lauren noticed some of the other champions watching her.'They must be thinking I am good at things like this.', she thought. It was true- sort of. Lauren was skilled in this section of weaponry- just... she had never quite mastered it. She picked up the first glass- it was full of wine, except the wine had a bit of a thick consistency- no doubt wine had a thick consistency already, it just seemed... off. Trusting her gut feeling usually was Lauren's go-to strategy, so that is what she did.
Knox smelt the contents of his first glass- salt. Almost like- salt water. They had given them salt water. Maybe it was regular water with poison that smelt like salt? Hopefully that was the case. Salt was disgusting to him. He set it aside as a 'maybe' with a frown. He picked up several more glasses.
All of them ended up going into the 'maybe' section he had made on the left side of his table. He had no idea of what the hell poison was supposed to look and smell like! He picked up a glass of what looked to be wine and smelt it. It smelt like an herb. His eyes widened at the contrast between the liquid and the obvious poison it contained and set the glass down on the other side of his table. There was clearly a difference between the smell- what about looks? He picked up the clear glass once again and saw a very fine- but visible- powder in the wine. He smiled as he set the glass in what he now called the 'no way' section of his table. He had found his way to decipher the tainted liquids from the regular one and set to work. Unfortunately, what he didn't know, was that some poisons are unseen and have no recognizable scent.
Almost an hour passed.
Fleur stared into the whiskey she was about to choke down. She hated alcohol with a deep passion. She brought the cup to her nose and smelt it for the last time. The normal water had seemed untainted as well, but she wondered why they would make the water untainted, it would have been more obvious. She had went with the only other normal seeming glass she could find- the whiskey. She looked around and realized she would be the first to drink. She watched the others look and smell the glass cups with concentration written on their faces- plain and clear as fresh ink on the whitest piece of parchment. She was lifting the cup to her lips when Thorne walked over and plucked the glass from her hand.
Thorne: Not yet, Ms. Waters.
Fleur glared at him.
Fleur: And why is that?
Thorne: Well, did you see the other champions watching you very closely as you were bringing that cup to your lips? Did you think that if you survived or died, they would not be closer if not already there to the untainted liquid?
He set the glass of whiskey back on her table. When Fleur didn't show any reaction.
Thorne: You will still drink this Ms. Waters, just wait until everyone else is ready.
He smiled and Fleur sneered and debated growling at him. And so she waited.
Sleep was all Liv could think of. She hadn't gotten any. She drowsily headed into the hall and to the dining hall for a quick breakfast. She shoveled the soupy oatmeal into her mouth, disgusted at the taste. She tried to focus on the poster of a wanted criminal on a nearby post. The she had never heard of the person, but apparently they were a wanted criminal. Liv wondered if she would have to hunt them if she won.
Fleur was the last to arrive in the training hall. She stared at the ground, studying the dust-covered stone floors. She pulled a hidden knife from her pocket and started carving little figures in the stones, paying no attention to what Thorne had started saying
Thorne: Welcome, champions. Today is your first test. It will be on different poisons from around the world. Hopefully, you won't ingest the the liquid glasses that consist of poison.
Fleur watched as everyone, including her, went pale. Poison was not something most people trained in, and those who did, often didn't know much.
Knox wasn't that afraid. He was utterly terrified. He had a very small knowledge of poisons- let alone poisons from different countries. How dangerous were some of these poisons? Could they kill?
Knox: Um.. uh.. Sir, are any of the poisons deadly?
Knox watched in horror as Thorne nodded.
Thorne: Another reason to not screw up. You will be given 13 glasses full of different types of liquid. You must judge from the look and smell alone if they are safe to drink. Only one glass will be filled with an untainted liquid. The untainted liquid is the same type of liquid for everyone. There will be antidotes on the scene. The one eliminated will be decided on what poison they drank and how easy was it to tell apart from the actual liquid, Those of you who do locate and ingest the untainted water are automatically safe. Once you go to a table,
Thorne gestured behind him to 6 tables covered in cloth.
Thorne: you will receive the glasses.
The champions made their way to the tables. One person stood behind each.
Lauren frowned uneasily at the stained wood tray of glasses that was gently set on her table. The table itself was beautiful- it was a stained wooden table like the kind you would find at wineries in the southern corners of the continent. It was concealed in a bright white tablecloth almost entirely covered in embroidered flowers and vines in several different colors. She ran her fingers lightly over the embroidery and smiled to herself as she thought, 'What a beautiful thing to die standing at.'
Thorne: You all may begin.
Lauren noticed some of the other champions watching her.'They must be thinking I am good at things like this.', she thought. It was true- sort of. Lauren was skilled in this section of weaponry- just... she had never quite mastered it. She picked up the first glass- it was full of wine, except the wine had a bit of a thick consistency- no doubt wine had a thick consistency already, it just seemed... off. Trusting her gut feeling usually was Lauren's go-to strategy, so that is what she did.
Knox smelt the contents of his first glass- salt. Almost like- salt water. They had given them salt water. Maybe it was regular water with poison that smelt like salt? Hopefully that was the case. Salt was disgusting to him. He set it aside as a 'maybe' with a frown. He picked up several more glasses.
All of them ended up going into the 'maybe' section he had made on the left side of his table. He had no idea of what the hell poison was supposed to look and smell like! He picked up a glass of what looked to be wine and smelt it. It smelt like an herb. His eyes widened at the contrast between the liquid and the obvious poison it contained and set the glass down on the other side of his table. There was clearly a difference between the smell- what about looks? He picked up the clear glass once again and saw a very fine- but visible- powder in the wine. He smiled as he set the glass in what he now called the 'no way' section of his table. He had found his way to decipher the tainted liquids from the regular one and set to work. Unfortunately, what he didn't know, was that some poisons are unseen and have no recognizable scent.
Almost an hour passed.
Fleur stared into the whiskey she was about to choke down. She hated alcohol with a deep passion. She brought the cup to her nose and smelt it for the last time. The normal water had seemed untainted as well, but she wondered why they would make the water untainted, it would have been more obvious. She had went with the only other normal seeming glass she could find- the whiskey. She looked around and realized she would be the first to drink. She watched the others look and smell the glass cups with concentration written on their faces- plain and clear as fresh ink on the whitest piece of parchment. She was lifting the cup to her lips when Thorne walked over and plucked the glass from her hand.
Thorne: Not yet, Ms. Waters.
Fleur glared at him.
Fleur: And why is that?
Thorne: Well, did you see the other champions watching you very closely as you were bringing that cup to your lips? Did you think that if you survived or died, they would not be closer if not already there to the untainted liquid?
He set the glass of whiskey back on her table. When Fleur didn't show any reaction.
Thorne: You will still drink this Ms. Waters, just wait until everyone else is ready.
He smiled and Fleur sneered and debated growling at him. And so she waited.
Knox thought he had the correct glass. The water seemed to have no poison whatsoever. It was like gazing through a pane of glass. He gave it a sniff and found that for the 8th time, there was no smell that raised any red-flags in his mind. He smiled uneasily at the glass as he murmured a prayer for his safety. He examined the liquid once more to be sure of the contents. When nothing seemed out of the ordinary once again, he set the glass down without a word.
Liv hated this. Actually, 'hate' was an understatement. She loathed it. Her decision could decide whether she survived. She felt like picking up each of the wine glasses and smashing them. She picked up the glass that contained what she thought was about a quarter cup of untainted wine. She watched Wren look at her wine glass with fear clearly written on her face like fresh ink. What could she be scared of? She wouldn't be scared for Liv... would she? Everything was a mystery nowadays. It didn't matter if you had the world in your bare hands. Secrets are one of the most powerful weapons in the case of war. There was and always will to many secrets in this cruel world not matter what time. Rain, sleet, snow, rebellions, war, betrayal... people would still keep secrets. As long as secrets existed, the world was not safe. That is the reason Lauren hated secrets.
Lauren was almost sure the untainted liquid was the glass of whiskey. Of course, the chances weren't in her favor. There was no such thing as 'chance' in this game. In this world, full of rebellions, thieves, tyrant kings, and innocents just trying to live, you are either as good as dead or dead. So she would admit that she would not win this game itself. She would admit that because 'hope' is a false statement, that hope will break you when you least expect it.
Wren thought of whiskey. How it smelt, looked, tasted. She wouldn't know if this had poison until she tasted it. Thorne started speaking when everyone had found there glass.
Thorne: I take it you have all found a drink?
The champions nodded and murmured they had.
Thorne: Good, good. You will all drink at the same time. Wren, Lauren, and Fleur, you have chosen the whiskey. Knox, you have chosen the water and Liv and Elain have both chosen the red wine.
Thorne grinned sadistically.
Thorne: Now all of you, pick up your glass and bring it to your lips.
Thorne watched with a stalker-like grin as the champions lifted their glasses to their mouths and drank.
Thorne: Those of you who drank the poison will be affected anytime in the next 10 minutes. We shall wait. Those of you who are in fact poisoned, there will be antidotes on the scene at the first sign of the poisoning.
5 minutes later:
Liv falls to the floor. A healer sprints to her side and injects her with a green solution inside of a large syringe.
Thorne begins laughing uncontrollably as Elain starts seeing dark spots in his vision.
Less than 30 seconds later:
Elain collapses to the floor, a crying mess. Poison must have came later in a witch's training. To bad Elain had hardly ever been given any witch training. The intensity of Thorne's laughing increases.
3 minutes later:
Knox falls to the floor, having drank the deadliest of the poisons. To his credit, the poison in the water is extremely hard to detect. Thorne keeps laughing until they are all treated for the ingested poisons and carried off to their rooms. Knox's chances of survival are slim.
Fleur: A- are they going to be ok..?
Thorne: Probably not.
He grins wildly while saying this.
Wren: What if they die?
The cold rage in her voice in undeniable.
Thorne grins.
Thorne: Then they receive the same treatment as Chyrilos.
His grin suddenly vanishes.
Thorne: The results will be revealed at the time of the healing of the other champions.
11:45 pm that night:
Wren's door was shouldered open by several guards. She leaped out of her bed at the first sign of banging.
Guard: Outside. Now.
Wren: Why?
Guard: Do you wish to know the results or not, girl?
Wren: First off, I am no girl. Second, sure.
Wren walked into the hall where Thorne was standing. He was at the end of the hall in blood red robes. Everyone was standing outside of their doors- even the poisoned ones.
Thorne: Champions; the fates of Knox, Liv, and Elain are now known.
Everyone looked to the three champions.
Thorne: Guards.
Thorne said it in a way of summoning.
The guards seized Liv and put her in shackles. She was then dragged away down the red carpeted hall towards the dungeons.
Thorne: Knox and Elain, you have passed. Elain your skills made up for the quite harmless and easy to detect poison that was in the red wine. Knox, you drank the deadliest and hardest to find out of the twelve poisoned glasses. As you all know, the whiskey was untainted. With that news, the end of your first week has come.
The clocks struck twelve midnight just as he finished his sentence and the chimes could be heard throughout the castle.
Liv hated this. Actually, 'hate' was an understatement. She loathed it. Her decision could decide whether she survived. She felt like picking up each of the wine glasses and smashing them. She picked up the glass that contained what she thought was about a quarter cup of untainted wine. She watched Wren look at her wine glass with fear clearly written on her face like fresh ink. What could she be scared of? She wouldn't be scared for Liv... would she? Everything was a mystery nowadays. It didn't matter if you had the world in your bare hands. Secrets are one of the most powerful weapons in the case of war. There was and always will to many secrets in this cruel world not matter what time. Rain, sleet, snow, rebellions, war, betrayal... people would still keep secrets. As long as secrets existed, the world was not safe. That is the reason Lauren hated secrets.
Lauren was almost sure the untainted liquid was the glass of whiskey. Of course, the chances weren't in her favor. There was no such thing as 'chance' in this game. In this world, full of rebellions, thieves, tyrant kings, and innocents just trying to live, you are either as good as dead or dead. So she would admit that she would not win this game itself. She would admit that because 'hope' is a false statement, that hope will break you when you least expect it.
Wren thought of whiskey. How it smelt, looked, tasted. She wouldn't know if this had poison until she tasted it. Thorne started speaking when everyone had found there glass.
Thorne: I take it you have all found a drink?
The champions nodded and murmured they had.
Thorne: Good, good. You will all drink at the same time. Wren, Lauren, and Fleur, you have chosen the whiskey. Knox, you have chosen the water and Liv and Elain have both chosen the red wine.
Thorne grinned sadistically.
Thorne: Now all of you, pick up your glass and bring it to your lips.
Thorne watched with a stalker-like grin as the champions lifted their glasses to their mouths and drank.
Thorne: Those of you who drank the poison will be affected anytime in the next 10 minutes. We shall wait. Those of you who are in fact poisoned, there will be antidotes on the scene at the first sign of the poisoning.
5 minutes later:
Liv falls to the floor. A healer sprints to her side and injects her with a green solution inside of a large syringe.
Thorne begins laughing uncontrollably as Elain starts seeing dark spots in his vision.
Less than 30 seconds later:
Elain collapses to the floor, a crying mess. Poison must have came later in a witch's training. To bad Elain had hardly ever been given any witch training. The intensity of Thorne's laughing increases.
3 minutes later:
Knox falls to the floor, having drank the deadliest of the poisons. To his credit, the poison in the water is extremely hard to detect. Thorne keeps laughing until they are all treated for the ingested poisons and carried off to their rooms. Knox's chances of survival are slim.
Fleur: A- are they going to be ok..?
Thorne: Probably not.
He grins wildly while saying this.
Wren: What if they die?
The cold rage in her voice in undeniable.
Thorne grins.
Thorne: Then they receive the same treatment as Chyrilos.
His grin suddenly vanishes.
Thorne: The results will be revealed at the time of the healing of the other champions.
11:45 pm that night:
Wren's door was shouldered open by several guards. She leaped out of her bed at the first sign of banging.
Guard: Outside. Now.
Wren: Why?
Guard: Do you wish to know the results or not, girl?
Wren: First off, I am no girl. Second, sure.
Wren walked into the hall where Thorne was standing. He was at the end of the hall in blood red robes. Everyone was standing outside of their doors- even the poisoned ones.
Thorne: Champions; the fates of Knox, Liv, and Elain are now known.
Everyone looked to the three champions.
Thorne: Guards.
Thorne said it in a way of summoning.
The guards seized Liv and put her in shackles. She was then dragged away down the red carpeted hall towards the dungeons.
Thorne: Knox and Elain, you have passed. Elain your skills made up for the quite harmless and easy to detect poison that was in the red wine. Knox, you drank the deadliest and hardest to find out of the twelve poisoned glasses. As you all know, the whiskey was untainted. With that news, the end of your first week has come.
The clocks struck twelve midnight just as he finished his sentence and the chimes could be heard throughout the castle.
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Nice job!
