Power Shot's Reality TV Show Gradebook

Because this is based off a reality TV show, we need a special place for everyone to see their grades. I should probably explain how I grade, as a simple error could determine the fate of each student. I grade based on the following chart:

1. Spelling and Grammar (this is always checked first, never forget that)
2. Errors (During the first read though, if the wrong word is used, or a phrase doesn't make sense, that could mean the end)
3. Ingenuity and Detail (Does the post interest me? Does it pull me in? Never forget that the most important thing about being a writer is engaging the audience)
4. Fluidity (I want each assignment to make sense. Make sure that, when writing, you always observe whether you like how the story sounds)
5. Enjoyment (Even though this is going to be tough, I want everyone to enjoy themselves. So, when writing, enjoy it, because if you don't enjoy writing something, how do you expect your readers to?)

Each week, on Sundays, at 12:01 AM Central time, the chance to submit ends. All submissions must now be given to me personally by PM to prevent anyone from stealing work from another contestant. They will, however, be posted by me here when grading is done. Critiques, however, will be given via PM, and not posted here, save for small comments and things of that nature.

Submission results will be given via PM's to you, so expect one sometime during Sunday or Monday. After all the assignments are graded, you will be told who will be leaving here in this thread in a post detailing who was removed, why, and give instructions for the next assignment. You are allowed to post here regarding congratulations and, for the weekly loser, the obligatory "Last Words" to the other contestants. No spam will be tolerated here, in this sacred place.

Any further questions may be directed to me via PM. Let us begin!

Week 1: First Assignment!

Now, the characters have gathered in the Homeroom which will serve as our little 'base' for no other way to word it. Each of you, seperately, receive messages telling you to go to a castle in the next town over. The message also details you to bring a rose from the walk on your way to the castle, as that will serve as your key in with the guards.

Special Information: Describing the note, and detail regarding the journey to the castle, will be important. Also, pay attention to your rose. This must all be done within 1,000 words or less. If your post is even 1,001 words, you fail.

I have altered the rules regarding submissions, which are now to be given directly to me by PM instead of posting them here. This is to prevent anyone from stealing ideas from other students.

Ladies and gentlemen, tonight I have given you all reasons to question your writing abilities, and judgement time has come. I have given all of you critisism, and we have much work to do before anyone can graduate. And, yes, one of you will be leaving tonight, and I shall be detailing a little bit of everything that all of you did for me in this week.

Let us begin with the best entry, submitted to me by young Sweet Simplicity.

Originally Posted by Sweet Simplicity

The short walk up to one of the Dome’s many homerooms seemed to last an eternity. Nate deliberately took his time with each step, meaning to prolong his freedom outside the fierce world of television. After a few more paces Nathan walked through the threshold and took his first glance around his “base” for the next few weeks. People wearing all manner of attire were scattered about the room, talking amongst each other in little clumps. The room itself was a world away from the corridor he had just left: lavish chandeliers hung from the painted ceiling by almost invisible wires; frantic waiters scurried through it, taking orders from other contestants and bringing food in from a tiny doorway to his right; and a flowing red curtain was placed on the other wall. The boy didn’t recognize any faces, so simply sat on his own by the sidelines.

The idle chatter continued for a few more minutes before the chandeliers simultaneously flashed out. A spot-light appeared on the curtains, revolving in a clichéd way and then stopping in the center. A voice from behind the curtain boomed out: “Welcome contestants, to the competition.” It was fierce and commanding. “My servants will now hand each of you a letter; I want you to open it and follow the directions within.” The voice stopped suddenly as the great curtain parted in the middle. The waiters from before had changed into pristine tuxedos, each holder an envelope of his own. Nathan waited patiently for his letter then snatched it from the servant’s hand in excitement. The envelope was a grainy brown colour and was held closed by a blood-red stamp. Nathan tore it open and nearly ripped the parchment as he pulled the letter out.

Nathan Overheart,
You are cordially invited to the opening ceremony of the contest you have chosen to partake in. The meeting will be held within Castle Bastille, just beyond the next town. Our guards will only invite you in if you bring them an unblemished rose. Pay particular heed to this, as failure to provide one could have dire consequences. We look forward to seeing you at the Castle Bastille,
The Management

Nathan re-read the letter so he didn’t make any mistakes; from what it said errors were out of the question. While Nate read the letter, everyone else in the room had slowly trickled out. It occurred to him for the first time in years just how slow his education was going. He rolled the thought around in his mind for a moment then dashed out of the room, leaving the waiters to clean the mess.

The boy navigated the complex corridors of the Dome with precision and ease, letting out a shout of triumph as the crisp air of night surrounded him. A single bush blocked the entrance to the Dome from strangers: it was almost insulting considering the hardship Nate had to endure finding his. Pushing the bush aside, Nate saw a pleasant little village slumbering in front of him. He tip-toed out of his hiding place and then walked casually along in search of a rose.

The haunting silhouette of Castle Bastille was already visible. It looked to be about two miles away, up a gently sloping hill: plenty of time to find a rose. He couldn’t see any of the other contestants however; they must have been hiding in the shadows in fear of their competitors. Nate set off for the town at a respectable pace, keeping his eyes peeled for any glint of a flower. The management must have made this intentionally difficult, because Nathan could only see flooded, muddy earth wherever he turned.

The night increasingly lightened as the half-moon rose eerily into the sky. Nate got more worried by every step closer he got to the castle without a rose. There was still no sign of any other contestants either, but Nathan preferred not to get involved with them. The hill became harder to climb as Nate made his way up it, the mud threatening to trip him every few seconds. “Where is that damn rose?” he muttered in frustration. A fierce glint of red suddenly appeared in the corner of his eye. Nate turned round swiftly to locate the source. Not too far off there was tiny pond simply swimming with roses. Nathan dashed over to claim one for his own.

Dead.

The pond was filled with rotting, decaying and lifeless roses. But there had to be a live one somewhere. Why else would so many be gathered in the one place? It was a ruse to deter the unworthy. Without a second thought Nate stripped himself of his hat, pistol and sword and jumped in noisily. He began by tossing away all of the dead roses until only a few relatively in tact ones remained: six, to be exact. He quickly scanned over all of them until one seemed in perfect condition. The boy jumped out of the pool again and threw on his clothes, this time sprinting up to Castle Bastille.

Now that he was near the ominous building he could take a better look. It wasn’t a traditional castle; in fact, it was more like a mansion. The architecture was of Victorian descent – or so Nate thought – and instead of battlements there were complex spires. A couple of the contestants were lined up at the door, guarding their roses fiercely. One by one they entered a tiny antechamber where they were either accepted into the castle or thrown aside.

With a nervous breath Nathan stepped into the line. Minutes passed by until a guard called, “next!” and he was called into the room. He showed him the rose with a smile then waited while the man inspected it. He stared fiercely at the flower for a few seconds then nodded to Nathan to go through. The boy thanked him, and then grandly pushed open the doors of Castle Bastille.

There is very little wrong with this post. The transitions work well, the place is excellent, and there are no errors grammatically save for the unfortunate improper usage of 'either'. That is all I have to say on this.

Next, we have my TA, Zorolo, who provided me with an excellent submission. Let's take a look at it, shall we?

Originally Posted by Zorolo

It was a day like any other day, I'd have to say, given the fact I woke up, walked around a bit in the Dome, and finally found what my day's purpose was going to be. No further then ten feet from me, on a table that lays not but feet from my bed, lay a letter that seemed to wait for me. I suppose it meant that Master had another assignment for me. These always boded well, especially first thing in the morning, you know.

I approached the table with a lax caution, (after all, why would my Master attack me?) and picked up the letter. The envelope itself was simple: A white envelope with my name etched upon it, along with a monogram on the back of merely a dark circle. Interesting though it was, I decided it would be best to open the letter and see what was desired of me before I became too eager.

The letter itself was written on a very fresh piece of parchment, and depicted what I must do this day:

Zorlo,

You're heading off to a castle, and you must find a rose along your way. Hop to it!

Even though the letter had no sender, I knew very vividly who it was writing this letter to me. So I must travel to a castle and collect up a rose upon my journey? Seems simply enough, even for myself. After all, it isn't like it is easy to miss castles, after all.

Now ready to begin my journey, I grabbed my jacket and sword and headed out the door. I moved swiftly to find the door from whence I'd exit and come out where I'd start. The door swung open to my destination, and I hopped through without second thought, mostly since the faster I finished this mission, the sooner I could get back to my own affairs.

The dirt path upon the other side of the door didn't really amaze me, but still I followed it in absolute relaxation. I was highly intent on not rushing this travel any, mostly because I... wait, what's this now? A very beautiful rose I see?

Now finding myself sidetracked by this most beautiful of roses, I walked towards the small flower and crouched down into the lotus position to admire the flowers beauty. The pedals were a glorious and luxurious red, filled with both darkness and light in a wondrous contrast of life. The thorns of the rose were sharp and small, but even so, they could defend that which they were created by to the bitter end.

Ever so carefully I reached my hand out and grasped the flower. With a quick movement, I broke the stem from the flower and placing the flower in my jacket's upper pocket. The letter had said to bring a flower, and I was going to do just that. Anyway, after this mission was done, mayhaps I could give said flower to my one and only? That only made sense.

I continued following the road ahead of me with not a care in the world. I had nothing to worry about, since it wasn't like there were any robbers or thieves on this road. Ah the simple life made things so much more fun then one would assume them to be. All I knew was I was one step closer to the castle with each step I took.

Seconds, minutes, and, mayhaps, even hours passed as I walked along that road, and the sun had moved from the east into the center of the sky as I walked on. Time flowed much more easily when you weren't thinking about it, I guess. For now, however, I had much traveling done, and I could finally see the castle in the distance. What luck, a mission completed without incident. What were the odds of that?

I now stood simple feet from the castle, but as I took what would be one of my last steps towards the giant building, an explosion erupted from under me. I jumped backwards, landing on the heels of my shoes and sliding backwards, as I looked at the point of the explosion. What in the world had just happened?

From the newly formed hole in the ground emerged many prisoners. Most of which were starved, depraved looking men, all staring at me with some level of insanity in their eyes. If they wanted a fight, I'd sure give them one they wouldn't forget.

The men all looked at me, numbering twelve, and rushed towards me with all the speed they seemed to be able to muster. In an instant, I moved at a speed that the human eye can barely contend with, and struck each of the prisoners hard with a quick punch. As my body appeared behind them, totally unharmed, I continued to walk, listening the crashes as their bodies hit the ground.

That hadn't been too hard. Now then, it was time that I, Zorlo, the Fencer of Tasogare and Aura Master, return to my mission. Just to make sure I hadn't hurt it, I checked the little flower, and found it was fine. What luck. Now then, off to finish this mission up and then to return to work. What a serene day it had been.

Notice how the tone is perfectly distributed throughout the assignment? That's a problem, especially when the happy, camp feeling you get while reading it is misused, such as in the letter where Chronos is alluded to, yet I have heard few things that sounded less like the Dark Eye. Tone is good, but don't use it improperly.

Now we come to Ciroton, who did very well, but not quite excellent. There's room for improvement here.

Originally Posted by Ciroton

Sunbeams broke through the canopy of the small forest as though giving pillars of light to the cathedral of nature. Birds in the trees sung in rejoice of the beautiful autumn day, however, this was all but lost to the man who walked the cobblestone path. The harsh colours of his robes stood out against the gentle red, yellows, and greens of the forest as it prepared for its winter slumber.

In one of his hands, the mage known as Arin Bryant held a small letter given to him naught but an hour ago. Its slightly yellowed parchment seemed to compliment the forest scenery, as thought the writer had expected him to take this path. It’s soft lilac sent reached his nostrils and seemed to melt any hesitations the man might have had about this game in which he was now a participant.

Your key to the fortress vast is not through strength or cunning. Instead, ye must win your passage through a kind act. However, there is only one thing that will get you beyond the cold, stone walls. Only something that burns with passion and the eternal symbol of romance will melt the guards’ cold heart.

Re-reading the letter again, the mage tried to decipher the message for what felt like the millionth time since first reading those words. “Burns with passion, and the eternal symbol of romance”? What could that mean? Arin thought. All he knew was that the “fortress vast” meant the castle in the town ahead and that he needed to gain entry by giving the guard this object he was supposed to find.

However, the mage was still clueless as the shallow forest slowly yielded to the farmer’s fields and soon came upon the next town. For the first challenge of this show, it seemed a little hard for him. Dread suddenly filled his mind as he realised that these challenges would only get tougher from here on out.

Still, he boldly walked towards the fortress and apparent failure. Was the item in the forest? Or did he just miss it entirely as he kept reading that letter? Many more of these questions circulated the magic user’s brain as he came to the threshold of the large town.

The town itself was quite handsome; plenty of space for people to walk, yet not so spacious as to think of it as a village. Furthermore, the town seemed to enjoy great prosperity seeing as how many of the residents had become akin to merchants, selling what they produced in street-side carts that served as cheep shops. In between the buyers and seller on the street, the many children played without fear, knowing the castle would protect them in times of trouble, or so Arin assumed.

Coming ever closer to the goal of this challenge, the mage began to look for the other contestants. Perhaps they had found what he needed to enter? Alas, after searching the town for half an hour, he had not seen anyone that even looked like them. Defeated, he turned in the direction of the castle to tell them he could not complete the challenge.

This sucks, he thought as he made the long walk to the fortress. No one wants to be thrown off first, but I guess that will be me. However, as he came close to the gate he saw something that caught his eye. Roses? Then suddenly it hit him like a ton of bricks. “Of course, how could I be so thick!?” Arin exclaimed as he approached the house that grew the flowers.

Boldly knocking on the door, an elderly woman answered his call. “Yes, how can I help you?” Inquired the aged woman. She had a kind voice and an even kinder face, perhaps the kind of face that belonged to a grandmother. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she was, judging by the warmth of her gaze and the friendly feeling she seemed to cast.

“I was wondering if I could have one of the roses from your garden. You see, I was just astounded by their sheer beauty,” said the mage truthfully.

“Of course. You’re so kind to ask,” replied the woman, going inside to retrieve her gardening sheers and gloves. Stepping out of the house, she gently clipped the stem of the flower and handed it to the mage. “Be careful now, the thorns are quite sharp.”

Accepting the flower with gratitude, the mage thanked the kind old lady and continued down the street, studying the flower in his hands. Upon inspection, the woman was right to warn him. The thorns were indeed sharp, maybe even sharp enough to cut through his robes. However, the actual flower was overall very appealing and smelled like nothing he had ever smelled before.

Coming to the massive gate of the castle, the guard looked at the mage as though he was the scum of the earth. “I’m sorry, but I cannot let you in with out the proper authorisation,” said the guard, placing his hand on his sword just in case.

“How will this do?” Arin said, handing the rose over to the gate guard.

Looking at it for a few seconds, the mage was worried he would reject it, and thus be eliminated. However, these pessimistic feelings vanished when the guard nodded his head and said, “Pass.”

Grinning a little in spite of himself, the mage walked past the man and into the castle proper.

I would like everyone to take notes on how to not word a beginning. While it started well, it is fouled by some bad sentence structures and some word problems, such as where he confuses 'scents' with 'sents'. These are errors Spell Check will not pick up, so it's important to always double check to be safe. Errors like that can cost you.

Kanraku Tenma did well, so I will discuss his post. He chose to do first-person like Zorolo, which is harder than third-person. His was also the shortest, which shows that you don't have to always write the most possible words to be a winner.

Originally Posted by Kanraku Tenma

How long had it been since I had last seen the Dome? I was wondering this because in my hand I was holding a small piece of paper with a short note written on it. The writing on the note was not what I would describe as beautiful; the only word I could think of to describe it was clean. It was obvious to me that whoever wrote the letter wanted to make sure I knew exactly what the note said.

There is a castle in the next town over; it should be roughly five miles west of your current location. Go there and await further instruction; you must also remember to bring a single rose. This rose will allow you to pass the guards and enter the castle.

I turned the piece of paper over, hoping to find some more information about what I was supposed to do. I looked at my surroundings; the dark mold covered walls of my shack, it had been only a week since I had found it in the woods and already it was falling apart. I decided that a little adventure would do me a world of good and took a step out of the rotting door. The world around me was full of shadow, the trees above my head almost completely blocking my view of the orange sky. I took a single step and immediately felt a sharp prick in my left hand; I looked to my left and found a thorn sticking out of my hand. I watched as liquid shadow droplets fell from my hand and was absorbed into the shadow of the tree I was standing next to. I looked at the thorn in my hand and with a quick flick of my wrist sent it flying through the air.

I continued walking west, looking for a rose as I moved silently through the trees. I found one after about an hour of searching; I picked it up off of the floor and studied it closely. The average rose is red in color, but this one was black, almost like it had died while growing. Normally I would say that this rose had been dead for a few days, but the stem was dark green in color and was dripping with water. It almost looked as if this rose had been picked within the past thirty seconds or so. I held in my hand as I jumped into the air and began to fly through the air, my eyes immediately adjusting to the now dark sky.

I looked ahead of me as I flew and saw the castle that I was to enter. It was built out of what appeared to be finely polished stone; it looked as if someone had polished every individual stone before building the incredible building in front of me. I became lost in the odd beauty of the stone building and soon found myself standing before it. I shook my head in shock at how I had gotten there so fast and immediately looked at the rose in my hand to see if it was damaged during my flight. It looked completely untouched, as if it had never been picked at all.

I continued to stare at the rose as I walked toward the large gate that led to the inside of the castle. I noticed the guards standing before me, they were both dressed in a suit of heavy looking armor and their helmets prevented me from seeing their faces as they looked at the rose I was holding in my hand. One of them made a grunting sound and motioned for me to enter the gate; I looked up in awe as the gate moved back without making a single sound. I took one look at the inside of the castle and gasped.

Kanraku did a good job with description, almost too good, as he laspes between present and past tense while describing the rose. Never mix tenses if you can, as it sounds awkward most times and can add to confusion. Also, you will notice that Kanraku, like many others, failed to complete the basic objectives outlined in the instructions. This cost everyone who failed to do so.

Sakume is next. She succeeded in being both original and making sure her assignment was completed to my standards as far as objectives. Let's take a look...

Originally Posted by Sakume

Raziel eyed the rest of the students, partially hostile and yet curious feelings stirring within him. He was confident about this, whatever it was. Obviously it must be somewhat important for the whole class to gather within one room. He chose not to familiarize himself with others, although some others were. He had other ideas; it was best to remain silent and calculating, analyzing his enemies and their weaknesses before opening himself up.

He was, however; very thirsty. He spied a glass of punch within the small social setting, and walked over, intent upon quenching his parched mouth. Without drawing much attention to himself, he stalked over, pushing aside several pieces of lemons. Raziel had never liked anything sour very much. The drink itself, according to what his keen hearing picked up, was very sweet, but the lycan had no wish to consume any slices of the sour fruit floating about.

He briefly set the cup down, eyes lighting up when he saw something in a lonely corner of the room. There was a dog dish there, just sitting for no apparent reason, filled with the same liquid, but with no lemons. Ironically, Raziel’s mouth began to water as he looked at the pink drink. He felt compelled to go there, because who on earth would use a dog dish but him? Was it planned? No one would ever know, and it was on the table… he moaned softly as he backed up towards the dish, making sure no one was looking in his direction.

Making an effort (if not for trying to remain inconspicuous, then to retain his own dignity), the man lifted the dish to his lips as if it were soup, only sticking the tip of his tongue out to lap a little of the liquid into his mouth. As he drank, his eyes kept darting towards the company with him, making sure no one watched. He set the dish down as soon as it was empty, hearing a small noise as the bowl hit the table. He cocked his head towards it, confused.

A bottle? Perhaps the size of his pinkie, but rolling like a marble would around the empty surface of the container. Raziel took the glass from the empty bowl, un-popping the cork. There was a message, inside the bottle, inside the dog bowl of punch. Raziel didn’t doubt this was a message somehow sent from his teacher, even if the style wasn’t what the lycan had seen before when he first arrived in the Dome. He scanned it for a moment. The wording was brief, and yet quite simple to understand, scrawled in what looked like waterproof ink.

Welcome to the party. The fun’s just begun. Find your way to a castle, the next town over. Don’t forget your party favor. You’ll need a rose from your walk on the way. Without your invitation, how can you expect to prove you’re a pedigree and not a mutt? Hope to see you there.

Raziel growled at the last part of the message, stuffing the note in his pocket. If he were to obey, which he probably should, he needed to leave right away. It’s not as if it should take any more than half a day to reach the next town, but he didn’t want to be late. Besides, his mental count of the guests told him that there were less than before. This meant something.

He didn’t bother to say anything to anyone, slipping out as easily as a shadow would. He would have to walk, which would take longer, but he had no way of doing anything else, at least that he knew. He could always get a horse. No, he couldn’t. The note said from the walk. It may be specific. You never could tell with Chronos. Raziel began at an easy jog, waving good-bye to the Dome as he left it, and the homeroom, behind.

While he jogged at a leisurely pace, he mostly thought about things, which kept him occupied. Memories of his past were brought up several times, and he allowed himself to drift off from reality more than once. One problem became apparent as he neared the town. Still, he had no rose to present. He had paused more than once on the way to check a couple wild flower beds, but with no results. When the castle loomed only so many yards from Raziel, the man felt a sense of panic. Where was he supposed to find a rose? There were none on the way! It was all about the tricks, wasn’t it? Why did it always have to be so difficult for such a simple request?

Frantic, he took time to visit the local bouquet booths, probing them for roses. Every time the answer came up no. He wrung his hands in his hair. How could he lose so easily?

“Pardon me,” a soft voice echoed.

He turned and noticed a woman behind him, about his age, maybe younger. “Of course.” Then he saw it, as he backed up. She had a fresh, blooming, red rose pinned on her collar, just above her breasts.

“Excuse me… may I have that rose?” Raziel asked, pointing at it. “It’s very important.”

“Oh, this?” The woman repeated his point. “I’m sorry, it doesn’t come off.” Although Raziel doubted this greatly, since he saw the pin himself, he didn’t dare contradict her.

He saw the day was about to end. He was running out of time. Turning to the woman with an apologetic look, he sighed deeply. “I apologize in advance for this.” Using a deft movement, swooped upon the woman and hefted her back over his shoulder, easily able to carry her petite figure. He walked calmly towards the castle, the guards in sight. As he expected, she continued to yell and pound her fists upon his back and shoulder, although it was futile. At least he had his rose… although it definitely had its thorns.

Sakume's faults come in the forms of poor sentence transitions and the flow of her writing. She wrote well, but if the story seems detatching to the outside reader, it doesn't matter how well you write. You must always strive to keep the reader engaged, and if the reader doesn't understand how you write, you really have a problem. Her saving grace is her original way of obtaining her rose, which earns her props for being the most interesting.

Our little Fire Bird just barely hangs on, but just barely. Let's take a peek at what she wrote.

Originally Posted by Fire Bird

The morning air was somewhat chilly, and a thick fog had weaved its way into the town during the night. At least, that’s what it looked like to Rhia, who lay half asleep on a cot, gazing outside of a small window. She yawned loudly, and then slid out from under the stiff blankets that covered the bed. It would be best to leave soon, before the owner of the inn she was staying at found out that she had not been planning on paying him for the room. Her long, elven ears twitched slightly. Springs groaned, and then the pit, pat of bare feet could be heard from a room down below.

“Sounds like Mr. Inn keeper is getting out of bed already,” muttered Rhia to herself. She quickly crammed her shoes on her feet, and then picked up the sword belt that she had placed in the corner the previous night. Quickly, she strapped it around her waist, and then bounded over to the window. Mr. Inn keeper was now stomping his way up the stairs, on his way to check and make sure all of his guests where still where they should be. Rhia unlatched the window and pulled it open, the hinges squeaking slightly as it moved. She slipped out of the window, plopped to the ground, and then began to run in the direction that would lead her out of town.

About ten minutes later, Rhia was on a road that lead to the next town over. She had to figure out where she was going to go soon. Eventually she was going to get caught running away from the inns. From the information she had gathered the previous day, the next town was not too far away. The girl sighed. She could barley see the road in front of her. Hopefully the fog would blow off soon. The short trip was quickly getting boring.
"Stupid fog," the elven girl muttered to herself. In front of her, the faint outlines of a tree where beginning to appear. It was a large oak tree with leaves that had just begun to turn orange with the season. Rhia halted at the tree, then decided that she wanted to sit down. She sat cross legged on the ground and rested her chin on her hands.

“Where the hell am I going anyways?” she asked herself, then sighed. For the last few days, she had been traveling through different towns, attempting to find a place that she felt like staying for a while. None of them met her requirements. The girls eyes began to droop closed as she became more relaxed. The leaves in the tree rustled slightly in the tree above her, but there was no wind. Rhia’s opened one eye, then gazed up into the branches. Looking back at her with bright black eyes was a smallish looking hawk. At least, that’s what it looked like to her. She was no expert on those types of animals. It hopped down onto a branch closer to her, then chirruped once. Bound to its leg was a leather tie holding a piece of paper in place.

“Is that for me?” she asked the bird with a smile. It stuck out its leg, That was answer enough for her. She carefully removed the tie from around the birds leg and removed the paper. As soon as it was off, the bird took flight and disappeared into the mist. Rhia watched it go for a moment, then turned her attention towards the paper. It was folded neatly into fourths. She unfolded it, and found a note for her in delicate handwriting.

Dear Rhia,
It would be greatly appreciated if you would come to the castle in the town you are now heading towards. If you agree to come, make sure to bring with you a flower from the rose bush you will pass by on the way. It will allow you to enter the castle safely.

The girl read and reread the paper.
Who the heck is this from and how do they know where I am going? She wondered. She had received such messages before, and most of them had important reasons behind them.
“I guess it would be best if I did what it says,” she sighed, but was still a little unsure about it. She lifted herself up off of the ground, then began to trek down the road once again. The fog had begun to lift slightly, but it was still difficult to see her surroundings.

Watch, I’m going to end up walking right past the bush, she though to herself. Not even a few seconds after she thought this, a ugly looking mass appeared on the side of the road. Rhia walked up to the dying rosebush, and circled it to see if there was still anything living on the plant, and found one half dead looking flower. Unfortunately for her, it was in the center of the plant, and she would have to reach into it to get it out. Carefully, the girl maneuvered her hand around the thorns and tore the stem from the plant as quickly as possible. Slowly, she withdrew her hand, bringing the rose with it. Most of it was brown, but there was some patches of bright orange and yellow on it.

“Well, this is all there is, so that’s what they are going to get,” she said out loud, poking at the dead parts of the plant. She began to walk again, but at a quicker pace. Hopefully she would reach the next town soon.

Fire Bird's weakness is repetition, or constant reiteration of already-known information. This plagues everyone at one time or another, and can strike easily and become a permanent fault. Notice how, when reading, you become bored after hearing information a second time after such a quick interval. This reminds the reader they are reading something, and detaches them. Avoid this. Avoid this. Avoid this.

And...finally... It was very difficult to decide who would be leaving tonight, but one person had to be cut. That person is Zero, and we shall learn why now.

Originally Posted by Zero

Clear skies, fresh air, and the sound of singing birds. It was a day that most people would call perfect. This was the atmosphere of the road he was walking on. Leonidas had been walking for three hours. It all started that morning.

He found a letter besides him when he woke up that morning. The only thing that was written was, “Go to the homeroom. Take the door that is directly in front of your room and walk along the road until you reach your destination. You will recognize it once you see it.” That was all. No details. The door he walked trough was just made out of wooden planks. Nothing special about them

Leonidas was quite confused, but he had already decided to do what he was told to do as long as he was in the Dome.

Nothing special was on the road. Just dirt and huge field that had different kinds of flowers all over it. It also seemed to be filled with bugs, for he could clearly see some flies and other bugs flying around from time to time. Since the road seemed safe, he was able to get lost in thoughts while walking.

Leonidas was still wandering in his mind when he crashed against a wall. Taking a few steps backwards and rubbing his forehead, he raised his view, and saw a manor. The place was made of high quality materials. The fact that it had no walls on the garden to delimit the space of the territory, and to protect the place, seemed odd. After looking around a bit, he stared at the door. Looking at the characteristics of the door often showed what kind of place was behind it. At least, that seemed to be how things were in the Dome. The door was completely made of gold, but it had no designs whatsoever.

Taking a deep breath, Leonidas opened the door and entered. The place was actually quite dark. It seemed that the windows were covered with silk, which didn’t allow too much light to come in. There was a huge table with a seat, worthy of a king, behind it.
In front of this were some golden chairs with three legs and just 3 bars on the back to hold whoever sits there.

The place seemed empty. It seemed that he was the last one to arrive, and that he was late. Most of the seats were slightly off position. Looking from left to right, he noticed that the last chair to his right had a letter on tits seat. He walked to it and grabbed the letter.

The letter was quite peculiar. It didn’t have any seal. Just the wax used to close the letters. The paper was slightly yellow and it had writings in another language that were nearly invisible. It gave the feeling that one was holing a piece of an old scroll.

He opened it and read, “Head to the village east of here. There, you will fin a castle, and he only way to gain access is to present the soldiers at the main gate a rose.”

Opening his eyes widely in disbelief, he shouted, “I can’t believe I walked for three straight hours just to get another useless letter!” The young man then stopped and took a deep breath. “Okay, okay. Think clearly. I have to do is go west and enter a castle.” Fearing he would be late again, he threw the letter away, and he ran out of the manor and headed east.

He was only concentrated on getting there as soon as possible. After all, it seemed there were more people involved. He couldn’t afford being late for the next meeting. This time the road was between a sea of trees.

After an hour of running, he finally reached the town. No welcome sign was in view, and the castle was not in sight. Wondering if he got lost, he turned his head from left to right. Very much to his surprise, there was a road that lead to a castle that could be seen in the distance.

Breathing easily with relief, he walked towards the caste, but he suddenly noticed that he didn’t have a rose with him. Standing right in front of the main gate, he frantically started to look around for a rose, but he didn’t find any.

Leonidas was just walking around in circles trying to figure out where he could get a rose as soon as possible. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from the trees. He couldn’t see past the road tough. The road to the castle had many bushes. The footsteps were obviously someone running. Thinking it was most likely a threat, He took fighting position and waited. A white butterfly came out of the bushes. Leonidas just stared at it for a moment and let his guard down.

Suddenly, a figure came out of the bushes; the young warrior reacted by lifting his right knee and impacted the foe on its face. As soon as the impact was made he realized that it was just a small girl. The poor child only stepped backwards a bit and stood still for a moment before she began to cry. Regretting his actions, he came closer to the girl, trying to apologize, but the child merely screamed even louder and ran away, leaving a rose behind.

It was a red rose, apparently cut by hand. It had a few drops of water on it and it had not bloomed yet. The Rose had no spines tough. It looked as if someone had just cut them with a knife.

Leonidas decided to take the rose wit him and enter the castle. H felt really bad about the incident and wanted to apologize, but he was afraid he’d be late again. He would have to apologize some other time. He walked to the entrance. There was no one guarding the gate, so Leonidas just entered the castle.

Everyone has a little piece of things that are wrong here. It is repetitious and dull, and also lacks proper proofreading. This is a first draft, nothing more and nothing less. It needs work, and is not acceptable work to continue in this competition. Read for yourselves and learn from it.

Zero, I cut you for the above reasons. You did not put any effort into writing this or, at least, not enough to give me the impression that you cared when you wrote it and when you sent it. I expect you to redeem yourself for writing this, and to grow from this experience. Keep working, and strive to do better. It was a pleasure grading you for once, as you have always had Zorolo.

Now then, for the surviving six, take these lessons to heart, and prepare for Assignment Two!

Week Two: Second Assignment!

A basic sparring practice, just to see where everyone stands combat-wise. I'm dusting off two old ideas for you to fight against! Your characters find themselves in an open-air hot spring, enjoying a warm bath, when suddenly an intruder prompts you to battle them! Whatever will you do? Begin the fight, do a few moves, but don't end the match. Do an intro post, as if I were going to follow up with a second post. 1,500 word minimum.

Special Information: Obviously you need to know who you will be fighting. These are two BA characters I created, and have used once. Points are awarded based on how well you follow my instructions, as well as the personality and interactions you write with the Guest Characters. They are:

John: A character with whine-based attacks, find him and the fight I used him in. Zorolo, Kanraku Tenma, and Ciroton will face him.

Dreas: The Power Ranger character of legend, he returns to brawl against Fire Bird, Sweet Simplicity, and Sakume. Read up on him.

PM me any questions you might have detailing this assignment. Once again, submissions are to be PM'ed to me by Saturday, and the winner will be announced next Monday. Hop to it! Both character links can be found under my username.

*Does the happy dance*

We're allowed to post celebratory nonsense here, right? As well as that, I just want to say that I've read your assignments and they are splendiferous. But I'm worried about the next assignment o.O Combat requires more creativity than I possess.

Good evening all. It's time once again to display everyone's entries and decide who shall be leaving us this round. I was a tad surprised at the outcome. But, on to the critiques. None of you received critiques personally because I want you to look into your assignments personally and check things yourselves, without having to rely on me to tell you. Fire Bird, as she failed to turn in a submission, is automatically disqualified.

Our winning post this round surprising is Kanraku Temna. Guess he was right to have stuck around. Let's look at it.

Originally Posted by Kanraku Temna

I had to admit, a hot spring was not what I had expected. I stared at the water for a few minutes before sitting down and putting my bare feet into the water. I watched lazily as the water around my feet turned black. How long has it been since I washed my feet? Years of grime and dirt washed off of my hardened feet and disappeared into the water. It felt good to have my feet clean; it felt good enough to make me want to submerge my entire body into the water. I even thought about it for a second, but I knew that I couldn’t without taking off my robes and armor. I did not want to leave myself exposed to any danger in the area.

I sat with my feet in the water, and I could almost feel my mind drifting away from my body. I held up my arm and stared at it in awe. Thoughts zoomed through my mind at incredible speeds, and I found myself wondering what I was made of. Without warning the skin on my arm peeled off and disappeared into the water as if it was the dirt from my foot. I curled my fingers and flexed my arm, amazed at the movement of my now visible muscles. I watched the shadows course through my veins, I soon became enthralled by my own circulatory system. I was about to use my other hand to touch my veins when my muscle and veins fell from my arm and disappeared into the water. I looked at my arm and experienced what I can only describe as pure shock. My bones were black.

*************************

I gasped, hoping to fill my empty lungs with air, only to choke on the hot water of the spring. My eyes snapped open, I found myself surrounded by water. My lungs began to burn and I found myself struggling to escape the water, but my body would not respond to my brain’s commands. I summoned all of my energy and forced myself into the air using the shadows in the room. I shot out of the water at incredible speed, sending myself crashing to the floor. During my quick fly through the air I wondered what had just happened to me. I tried to remember anything that happened to me in the past few hours, and in less than a second I was able to determine the most likely cause of my delirium.

Seconds before I hit the ground I was able to piece together what exactly had happened to me only about an hour before. Seconds after reading the letter that told me to come to this mysterious castle a thorn hit me in the hand. I considered it as nothing important and simply sent it flying through the air, but as I soared through the air I was able to remember that there was something odd about that thorn. I was about to consider more possibilities regarding the possibly poisoned thorn when I hit the floor with a crash.

All of my thoughts and senses were replaced with a horrible blinding pain. My lungs burned, my muscles felt as if they were about to explode. I could feel that I had broken a bone somewhere in my leg and arm. I could feel a bone in my body hitting an organ and I knew that I would not last much longer. Darkness enveloped me, but it was not the warm comforting darkness that I thrive in. It was not the calm and peaceful darkness of the womb; it was the darkness of death. I could feel my mind beginning to slip away from my body, as if my very soul was trying to embrace this awful darkness that slowly took over my entire body. I was about the slip into unconsciousness and ultimately death when I was shocked back into consciousness.

I felt something sharp in my right arm, forcing me to regain consciousness and open my eyes. I could see a boy standing over me, the boy looked to be in his early teens and was holding a sword of some sort. I could see my dark blood running down his blade. I focused all of the strength I could muster to use the shadows to heal my serious wounds. I knew this was a risky move, but my injuries were too large. I managed to heal myself, but with difficulty. I could feel my bones fusing back together; I could also feel the organs that were injured begin functioning normally.

The boy standing in front of me looked at me; somehow I could tell that he did not wish to kill me. He did not have the insane stare of a mad man, but I could tell he wanted a fight. I stood up and examined the boy further. He was wearing a simple black shirt and blue pants. He looked like the average person that you would meet on the streets. The short sword he was holding looked sharp enough to kill, and I knew from experience that it was sharp enough to pierce flesh.

“Hello,” I said to the boy.

“Hey how is it going? My name is John and I have magic powers that can make your ears bleed so I can win the fight!” the boy quickly said.

“Why did you stab me?” I asked him, making sure to leave out the fact that he may have saved my life.

“Because I am supposed to fight you,” the boy responded.

“Why?” I asked as I reached for my katana.

The boy did not answer, but instead released a deafening sound at me. The sound of a small child screaming filled the air, forcing me to cover my ears to escape the sound. I raised my hand and fired a blast of Shadow Energy at the boy, a blast that he was able to dodge because I was too distracted by the noise he was generating to get a good shot. Luckily the blast distracted him long enough to allow me to fire another blast at him. The blast hit him in the foot, causing him to fall to the floor and let out a small scream of fear instead of the pain that one would expect. It occurred to me that this child may be afraid of injury, I wondered what kind of person would make a child who was afraid of physical injury fight someone.

The boy got up and dusted himself off, apparently unscathed by the blast that I had fired at him. I drew my katana charged him, hoping to end the fight by scaring him enough to make him stop. I lifted my katana into the air and brought it down on his sword, filling the room with the sound of clashing metal. I could see him flinch as my blade came closer to his face, his body unable to match mine in strength. Suddenly a large gust of wind blew me away from him, sending me to the ground. My breath was coming in short gasps and I could tell that I was getting tired, but hopefully not too tired to fight.

I fired another blast at the boy, draining another chunk of my already low power. The blast hit the boy’s sword and sent it clattering to the ground. I watched as the boy ran to grab his weapon, I decided to take this moment of peace to try to regain some energy. I looked around for some shadows to bathe in, eventually finding one only a few yards away from me. I ran toward the shadow as the boy grabbed his sword. I jumped forward into the shadows as another gust of wind hit me, sending me to the floor again.

“What kind of shape am I in that I can’t fend off a mere child?” I mumbled to myself as I stood up.

The boy came at me again, but this time I was ready. I ducked his sword attack and pushed him out of the way before stumbling into the shadows. I let the shadows comforting darkness refuel my body and mind, leaving me feeling as if I had just woken up from a nap. I shot another blast of Shadow Energy, this time aiming for the boy’s chest. I did not want to kill the boy, but I did want to scare him enough to know not to fight me again. The blast hit him in the chest and sent him to the ground. I jumped forward and landed in front of him, my katana raised as if the sever his head. The boy rolled to the side, hoping to avoid my potentially deadly attack. I brought my katana to the ground, making sparks on the floor and creating a loud clanking sound. I turned toward the boy and entered an offensive stance. The boy stood up, I could see him shaking out of fear as he looked at me. As we stood there I wondered if the boy would be able to continue fighting, I also wondered if I would be able to continue like this, but I knew that as long as there were shadows in the area I would be able to fight for as long as it takes.

“It is just a matter of time,” I whispered, just loud enough for the boy to hear.

Just what I was looking for. Good descriptions and an absorbing tone draw you into reading this. The only query would be the slight confusion one would have at the beginning, but that's explained in the form of poison later on. His portrayal of John was wonderful, and everything I could have asked for.

Sakume's post is next due to once again her comedic writing winning me over with quite a few chuckles.

Originally Posted by Sakume

Ahhh… He sank into the steaming water, a thick layer of hot air rising up from the surface as he did so. “That feels really good.” He extended both of his arms to rest them upon the rocky exterior of the pool. With a gracious smile, he closed his eyes, his muscles releasing tension. “This was definitely worth the trip.” The tips of his hair swayed under the water as he craned his neck to sink further into the heavenly bath.

A scent of a delicate tree blossoms reached his nose, beckoning him to locate the source. Come to think of it, the guest of the castle noticed there were several flowers about the spa’s exterior kept in small vases, probably for aromatherapy while the visitors reclined. One in particular caught his eye, a red rose. In fact, upon closer scrutinizing, Raziel noticed it was the same rose he had presented, taken from the girl’s blouse, no doubt. The pin was barely visible on the stem. All that fuss about the rose was rather silly, in his opinion. What did gathering a rose have to do with anything?

He scoffed and turned away from the flower, the water rippling with his movements. It wasn’t like it mattered, anyway. The only thing that mattered to him was that he had completed his objective.

“Enjoying your bath?”

Raziel nearly jumped out of his skin, water splashing as he flinched backwards from the unknown voice. Instead of answering right away, he scanned the person, making sure to take note of whether he appeared dangerous or not. It seemed he had weapons, but he wasn’t making any moves towards them. Although he noticed the scar on the face of the person, the currently pampered werewolf said nothing involving it. “Well, I was… until you scared me half to death.” He sank back into the soothing water, irritated at the intrusion, but not sensing hostility from the new face. “Who are you and why are you here, anyway? I was told I was to be alone.”

“Dreas is my name. I could have just shot a blast into your pool to introduce myself. Would you have preferred that?” he asked, smiling wryly.

“No, not really.” The carpenter’s son found himself amused by the new visitor’s sense of humor. “So why have you stumbled upon me? I’m sure you’ve got better things to do.”

“Whereas I cannot indulge that information to you, I can give you an opportunity at staying in the party.”

After running that sentence through his mind, something occurred to him. “It was you that wrote the letter, wasn’t it?” Raziel asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. “You invited me here.”

“Maybe, maybe not, but if you don’t stay on your toes, you’ll never know, will you?” he asked, smirking slightly.

“What do you want?” Raziel groaned, hefting his body out of the pool and sitting on the edge so his legs remained inside the water. He felt awfully sad to have to leave his nice hot spring treatment so early.

“I want to see how strong you are,” the challenger replied, staring at the male in front of him with an interested look.

“What, a friendly battle, here and now?” He gave Dreas a scrutinizing look. “Why should I?”

“What’s the matter, you don’t trust me?” Dreas blinked once, his piercing eyes still resting on the wet figure wearing only shorts.

Sighing, the blue-haired man rubbed his neck with one hand and scratched his well-formed chest using the other. He didn’t like making eye contact with this person, especially because of the way the sight seemed to bore into his soul. “No, I don’t. You stink of silver.”

“I won’t kill you. You have my word.”

“What good is your word to me? You don’t know me and I don’t know you, so why should I trust you? Besides, I don’t have my weapons.”

Thump.

The competitor raised one eyebrow towards the two daggers that struck the ground, handles upwards. His own weapons had just been delivered to him. “You’ve really got your heart set on this, don’t you?”

“Call it whatever you like. Either way, I’m going to fight you. Whether you let me smack you around or not is your choice. It would be more engaging with the latter.” He smiled calmly, looking confident.

“Well…” Raziel wrinkled his forehead in mock thought, suspicious that the opponent could already tell his sarcastic attitude. “When you put it that way…” He squeezed a bit of water from his shorts, not minding fighting in what he currently wore. It made things less heavy to fight in. “There is one thing you can do, though.”

“Oh?”

The creature nodded as he stood up, holding a dagger in each hand, running one thumb from his right hand over the hilt. “Stop staring at me with those eyes of yours. It makes me uncomfortable.”
Dreas released a short chuckle. “Oh, it does, does it? Very well. You make first move. Give me everything you’ve got.”

“As you wish!” Raziel exclaimed, launching one bare foot in front of the other, lunging for his opponent. He hoped to get the drop on Dreas, but nothing of the sort happened.

The young challenger shifted his weight to the side just inches from the lycan, grabbing Raziel by the shoulder with one hand and under his arm with the other, tossing him towards the tree that grew over the spring. He then reached down to his belt, withdrawing what appeared to be a gun and crossing it over a twin weapon, waiting for his opponent to be stunned by the impact before he struck.

Okay… so he knows how to use his hands for weapons, too… Angered, the werewolf stabbed his left dagger into the tree’s bark, using the momentum he had from being tossed to swing around the trunk. His right dagger was used halfway around to keep the speed, his feet appearing in place of where Dreas pointed his guns. He kicked one of them from the young man’s grip.

“Damn!” Dreas vaulted back, intent on retrieving his blaster before anything else.

The craftsman took a few moments to take back his own weapons, prying the second dagger out just before the bark of the tree became singed. He looked at the blackened surface of the wood and paled slightly. Okay, so the blasts don’t go through the tree, at least. Could be worse. Sad about the willow tree, though. This is quality wood… what am I doing? I’m in a fight! Raziel snapped out of his short preoccupation just in time to leap up into the tree, grabbing a branch before several blasts missed him.

Okay, go for a stealth look. Blend in…

“Uh oh… where did he go?” Dreas smirked as he walked below the camouflaged figure huddled inside the twenty-five foot tree’s sheltered branches. “Peek-a-boo.”

The previous guns he held were gone, now replaced by a rather large gun, barrel staring Raziel between the eyes. Crack. A blast nearly missed the unprepared opponent in the tree.

“Jesus Christ!” the exposed fighter exclaimed, dodging the blast which held a considerably larger radius than the guns earlier. “I thought you said you weren’t going to kill me?”

“I’m not going to.” Another shot escaped as Dreas pulled the trigger while speaking.

“Well, you’re sure getting close!” Raziel shouted, moving back from the blast, losing sight of Dreas as the warrior on the ground deftly slipped out of sight.
His brown eyes snapped from left to right. Should he move? What if that was a trap? Raziel was tired of losing so much, and he had to plan this carefully. His opponent, this Dreas, was smart. In fact, he was really smart. Deciding upon an action, he vaulted upwards, hoisting himself upon a branch about seventeen feet up, as high as he dared without the branching groaning. Raziel jumped as he heard a noise of a blast, but didn’t see it. He looked down to see Dreas looking directly up, firing again and missing
his prey once again.

“Well come on, now. Twice in a row? What’s the good of having a gun if you can’t hit anything with it? You’d think even you could hit a bulls-eye in that time!” Another blast followed the end of his sentence, completely missing the target, but hitting the bottom of the branch he perched on. “Really, now… you can do better than that.” The chapped lips formed a cocky smile.

Crack.

Raziel’s smiled faded as the branch began to shift downwards slightly. “Uh… oh…”

Snap!

The overconfident man fell like a sack of bricks to the ground, scrambling for a hold somewhere around the tree’s branches as he thudded on the ground. He stared up straight into the barrel of the gun, hefting a palm up to stop the blast just before it hit his hand.

Raziel hissed in pain as he vaulted to his feet and backed up, dodging repetitive blasts and hurling his left dagger towards the foe, which narrowly missed Dreas, who smiled. “Only fools waste bullets on bulls-eyes.”

Responding, he growled, wildly tearing a piece of cloth from his shorts and wrapping it around his hand. It was time to be serious, and stop acting like a weakling in battle. “This match is far from over.”

Sakume, though she failed to keep some of her paragraphs double-spaced, did an excellent job in displaying all of Dreas' personality traits. The only thing I would like to note for everyone is that, at no point in this post, did she state why Raziel was creeped out by Dreas' eyes, and failed to describe them. A minor detail, but an important one nonetheless. She also repeats herself every now and then.

We go next to Ciroton, who really did just as good as Sakume, but for some reason was not quite as drawing. Let's check it out.

Originally Posted by Ciroton

Soft candlelight penetrated the darkness in the stony dungeon; casting deformed shadows that looked liked fierce monsters on the weeping walls. Inside the confines of this subterranean room stood six figures, each of them dressed in strange clothing and wielding a verity of weapons. They sat in an eerie silence as the small clock on the wall ticked, counting down the time until the arrival of what they waited for.

Among these people sat a man in robes with all the colours of the rainbow dyed into the fabric, waiting quietly like all the rest. With his hands clasped together and resting in his lap, the mage remembered the night previous. Anxiety plagued his mind as he wondered if he was going to be thrown off the show first, however, he was relieved to find he was still in the game. However, the anxiety quickly came back as he realised that there was still a long way to go until the end.

Three soft chimes came from the clock on the wall to signal the arrival of the new hour. As if it was scripted, everyone in the room turned their heads toward the door at the same time; the tension inside increased noticeably. Suddenly, the door burst open as the host of the show briskly entered the room and past the assembled group, showing no signs of recognition of his students, now contestants.

Coming to a halt on the other side of the room, the imposing figure turned to the students. “One of you was eliminated last night,” said the Dark Eye. “… And another will follow after the next challenge. Until then, the day is yours to spend freely.” With that, the teacher walked out of the room.

A day off? Arin thought as the impact of those sentences sunk in. Nice, I guess I’ll wander the dome for the day. With his plans set, the mage followed the other contestants out of the room and into the halls.

*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*

After nearly two hours of wandering the vast expanse of the dome the mage began to become weary of the endless halls and classrooms. “I suppose I should find a place to rest for now,” Arin thought aloud. Looking to his left, he saw a pair of doors made of fabric as white as newly fallen snow and oak wood on the edges and running in the centre for support. Curious, the mage approached the doors cautiously. Bewilderment filled him since he could not find any hinges on the strange set of doors. How do I open this? Arin thought.

The mage nearly fell over in shock after seeing what happened next. As though responding to his question, the doors began to slide away from each other on their own accord until coming to a stop after receding completely into the wall. Somewhere beyond the threshold shined a light that cast itself into the hall of the dome, throwing the mage’s shadow onto the opposite wall. Intrigue overpowered his sense of fear as he bravely walked past the doors and into whatever lay beyond.

*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*/\/\/\*

Steam gently rose from the surface of the water into the cool twilight air; the water itself cast wavy reflections on the tall cliff that stood on the opposite side. A dense forest surrounded the location like a buffer zone, giving extensive privacy to anyone in the clearing who wished to have a dip. It looked so inviting to the mage; however, he had to check around to make sure that the area was free of hostile creatures.

After a quick search he became satisfied with his findings, or lack thereof, and slowly approached the inviting waters of the hot spring. Looking into the placid waters, he could see his reflection dancing as the rays of the setting sun bounced off and into his eyes. Giving one last check for any potential threats, the mage then stripped off his robes and entered the waters.

A delightful sensation overcame his entire being as he slid into the waters. It was as though they washed away not only the filth on his body, but eased the mind and comforted the soul itself. He gave a long sigh as he sat on the bottom of the shallow pool, finally able to relax after such a long time. However, it would not be long until this blissful peace was disturbed.

Hidden from the view of the mage, deep in the shadows cast by the thick forest stood the figure of a boy in his early teens. He watched on as the man took his bath, only breaking his gaze when he took off his robes and entered the water. Checking a note he had placed in his pocket, he grew certain that this man was his target. However, he needed to wait for just the right moment to strike, despite his enthusiasm to engage him in combat.

During times like this, Arin liked to reminisce over past events, or just think and fantasise about the future, or all manner of different topics. This time was no different; however, in the back of his mind he could not help but get the feeling he was being watched. Shaking his head, the mage pushed those negative notions aside, and began to plan out the remainder of the show.

Meanwhile, the stranger began to make his move, unable to suppress his overwhelming urge to fight. He dashed from tree to tree and rock to rock to remain hidden as he came upon his target. Climbing the hill that led to the cliff opposite of the mage, he was able to watch him form the safety of the trees, the element of surprise on his side.

I guess it wouldn’t hurt to actually talk to people, Arin though as he climbed out of the spring and began to dress himself. Refreshed from his bath, the mage turned his back on the spring and walked away to find the doors that connected to the dome. Suddenly, a voice shouted from behind saying, “Hey, you!”

Wheeling on the spot, the mage looked up and saw a small figure on the top of the cliff. “How long have you been there for!?” Arin asked indignantly.

“It doesn’t matter,” replied the person. “All I know is that you used my spring!”

“Does it have your name on it?” Asked the mage, anger still hinted in his voice.

“No, but it’s still mine and you shall pay for using it!”

The mage quickly reached for the miniaturised staff in his pocket and placed it in his hand. It quickly grew to full length, just in time to stop the swordsman from landing a blow. A shower of sparks erupted from the point of contact, surprising both parties enough to back off. Arin quickly realised his attacker could be no more then fifteen years old. “What’s a little kid like you doing with a sword? Shouldn’t you be in school or something?”

“I don’t need to answer to you, Whine blast!”

Unexpectedly, the sound of thousands of nails on a chalkboard resounded in the mage’s ears. It hurt so much the he cuffed both hands on his ears and fell to his knees. Concentrating, despite the pain, Arin managed to make a set of earmuffs, which he promptly placed on his ears to muffle the sound almost entirely. “I’ll admit that was good, but eat this! Wind Arrow!” Arin shouted to his opponent.

“Wind Uppercycle!” Shouted the youth.

To the mage’s shock and great dislike, the boy managed to halt his Wind Arrow and shoot it right back at him. Kicking with all his strength, the mage jumped and rolled out of the attack’s path, only to be met by the boy who bounded forth like the wind was at his feet. As he dodged and blocked the flurry of attacks it stuck Arin: He can control wind and sound!

“Let’s see how you like this! Ice Barrage!” Despite its temperature, the hot spring provided the necessary moisture to create strong crystals of ice. As they were created, the mage sent them flying towards the kid who ran as fast as he could to avoid becoming a pincushion.

He made a beeline for the trees, hoping they would provide some cover from the shower of ice. However, his hopes were dashed when he ran in deep only too see that the shards of ice still hounded him like a criminal on the run.

Arin ceased his attack, wondering if he accidentally killed the kid. Even though he was still rude to him, the boy was still young and probably didn’t know any better. He cautiously approached the fringe of the trees and peered in, splinters of wood littered the ground, but not a hint of blood could be seen. Suddenly, from the distance he heard the kid’s voice say, “Call of the Mother!”

Clouds suddenly appeared over the battlefield, blocking out the dying sun almost entirely. Bolts of lightning shot down from the atmospheric disturbance near where the mage figured the boy stood. Then, the entire area was engulfed in light as a giant monster wielding a club appeared from nowhere. I guess he has some skills, Arin thought as he made a strategic retreat to the open area around the spring.

Ciroton, though he was not asked to, had Chronos appear in his post, and did a good job with him. In addition to this, he treated his Guest Character with kindness, and portrayed him fairly, which is important in any battle. You must always treat an opponent's character with respect. What stops this from being on par with Sakume's is the fact that it is sometimes overdescriptive, which can lose readers. Not all of us can be Tolkien.

We come now to Zorolo. The reason he is down here is because he did not do a good job of portraying his Guest Character John.

Originally Posted by Zorolo

"Ah..." In the silence of the japanese style hot spring that I sat silently in at the moment, all the worries of the world melted away into nothing but a tingling sense of relaxation. It had been a long while since I'd had the chance to sit in a hot spring and let the heat and warm water soak off the pain of battle and the torment of things that, to a normal person, would have been horrifying. To me, I suppose these things were common place, since nothing really amazed me anymore.

The waters ran off the rocks as I sat in a content manner in the spring, watching the dragon shaped head where water emerged from's mouth. Something about both the architecture and the designs from the orient helped me to relax. This truly was a divine moment for me, since my body had a chance to recover and I had no work to do.

Actually, on that same note, it had become an odd day as well. No missions from the top; no random people asking me for help; no meeting with warriors hunting me down in search of battle; strangest of all, no shifts in the celestial balance of auras. Perhaps if I hadn't been so relaxed and calm at that moment, even to a level greater then my normal relaxed state, I would have thought about this, but I simply allowed it to slide then. Maybe if I had decided to think about it at that time, mayhaps things wouldn't have turned out so strangely.

The sound of rushing water and the occasionally resonance of the sound of a bamboo stick dropping some water that had filled it every so often created more comfort then I was aware was possible. Maybe I should bring Selene to one of these places to help her to relax. She has been most uptight of recently about something, and I'm sure that this would help her to unwind, I thought as looked towards the japanese style mansion where I was staying for the weekend.

That was the other mystery that plagued me. I had gotten tickets to this place from my Master... Chronos wasn't the kind of person to do something like this. He wasn't a very nice guy, I had come to realize, and it worried me at that moment. Had I, mayhaps, been duped by someone? Come to think of it, thinking about it now, it made sense that this whole thing hadn't been the plan of Master; or if it had, he had an ulterior motive. Sadly, what that other motive was I was unsure of.

I simply shrugged off the feeling of a trap and relaxed deeper, so only my head was above the water, and simply allowed myself to relax. If this was a trap set up by the Dark Eye, then he would reveal what it was soon enough. Either it would be a practical thing, or it would be something with a deeper meaning behind it. Either way, this whole trip had something to do with the Dome and the my own training, which I carelessly ignored from time to time. After all, I was nearly there... I could nearly match the Dark Eye. I just needed to train harder, and I'd match him sooner.

When last I had matched wits and weapons with the MetaSkin Master, I had found myself vastly outmatched by the amazing amount of strength and the lack of spirit in his attacks. After all, he seemed to have no emotion at all, so why would he need emotion to overwhelm even the most spirited of foes? Last time had been a mistake on my part, and I wouldn't allow myself to be overcome again by such mistakes. I knew his power now, and I was growing stronger as well... just a little longer.

However, at that moment, my aura was too complacent to allow myself to worry at all. Thoughts of worldly troubles, the battles being waged outside, and even the thoughts of what Chronos had planned all faded. Finally, I dunked my head under the water and allowed my hair to get wet, and quickly surfaced. My long, green locks dripped nonchalantly as I sighed in a content manner. There was absolutely nothing that could ruin this. Nothing...

That was until something blasted past my head. A heard the faint sound of a noise, but heard almost nothing at all. What the heck was that? Well, now I had to investigate this. It had ruined my relaxation.

I stood up, water dripping off of my body, and stepped out of the bath, heading towards where the towels and my clothing were. Obviously whoever had thrown that sorry attempt of an attack would strike again, it was just a matter of time. For now, I'd simply relax and dry off, and then I'd find this person... given he or she didn't elect to strike again.

Another content sigh left my lips as I dropped the now wet towel into a hamper and put on my dark green pants and my lighter green T-shirt. I cracked my neck a little bit and did some stretching while my muscles were still lose. I'll admit, I had become a bit tired from being in the hot spring, but still, that wouldn't hinder me from fighting. Luckily, like any good warrior, I hadn't forgotten my sword. Although... it wasn't exactly where I had left it.

"But it was right here..." I told myself as I looked at the hooks I had placed my sword on, blinking profusely in confusion. They were bolted to the wall and a gray color that I had special ordered since I knew I was staying here and wanted to keep my weapon near me at all times. I didn't have my jacket, nor my gauntlets either, without going back to my room anyway, and I didn't want this chance to fight escape. For all I knew, this foe would be worth my time.

Even if not, he had stolen my sword and fled. This just meant that I'd need to track him... which wouldn't be too hard. I closed my eyes and allowed my Spectral Sight to flush this guy out... wherever it was he had gotten to. In seconds, my mind's eye found an aura, and my body turned into but a blur as I appeared in the center of the outdoor spring's garden. "You can come out now. I know you're there," I stated calmly, but firmly.

That's when I saw him. A small figure jumped nearly six feet in the air when he heard me and came crashing into the ground in front of a fairly large shrub he had been obviously hiding behind, holding my sword tightly between his youthful fingers and looking up at me. Was this the person that had tried to attack me? If so, it explained a lot. The strange sound, stealing my sword. He wanted a fight, didn't he? "Why are you here, and why did you steal my sword?" I asked in a fierce tone, but still holding back as to not scare this boy.

"I... Someone asked me to do this. He demanded that I find a person with green hair and steal his sword and fight him. That same person said that if you lost then you were a complete failure."

I sighed in exasperation and took a few steps towards the boy, who's eyes went wide as he jumped back and tried to appear fierce. "Let me guess," I said rubbing the temples of my forehead, "this person wore all black and spoke in a monotone voice, right?" I asked this young warrior as I continued to walk towards him.

"Y-yes," the boy stated as he placed my sword slightly behind his back. "He said without this sword, you are nothing. He said it was his power that made you strong, and that without him, you're nothing!" the boy pretty much screamed, realizing what he had done a few seconds later. "I probably shouldn't have said that..." the mysterious boy told himself as he took another step back.

Finally, the youth stood under a light and I got a better lock at him. Aside from the medallion around his neck, the rather hideously colored hat on his head, and the short sword at his side, he was an average boy. Why, then, had the Dark Eye recruited him, I wondered. Luckily, from this youths aura, I could tell I wouldn't need to worry much, since he didn't have a great deal of energy.

By this point, I had stopped completely to ponder the question I had just asked myself. The boy stopped to, shaking slightly, but not really doing anything else. Slowly, the dark haired boy smiled. This caught my eye, and I realized something: I was being very rude. "Forgive me, I have forgotten to introduce myself: I am Zorlo, the Fencer of Tasogare and Aura Master. Who might you be?" I asked him as I smiled back, although mine more calm then his slightly sinister smile.

"My name is John, but you can remember me as the man who defeated you!" the boy yelled as a massive burst of power shot out as from the boy's short sword. He had dropped my sword in order to draw his own short sword, and had thrown something at me. Although, when I felt the energy pass, but heard nothing but a faint sound, I disregarded what he had done as folly.

The boy narrowed his eyes in annoyance as he stared at me, holding his sword tight. "What the hell?" he asked, taking but a step back. "Why didn't my Whine Blast effect you at all?"

"Whine Blast?" I repeated as I gave him an awkward look. "What's that?"

"It was the thing I just did. Normally the sound I throw at least makes people flinch or something. Why didn't you at least wince?!" he asked in total shock.

"Well... probably because I wasn't really paying attention and blocking out any sounds that came to me aside from your voice and the sounds of nature. After a great long period of training, I've learned to tune out noises that aren't of importance; nor is it easy to annoy or bother me," I said nonchalantly as I smiled a bit more. The boy looked more disturbed by what I said then anything.

"Okay then. New strategy. After all, without your sword, you can't..." the boy paused as he looked at me looking my sword over. Had to make sure he hadn't tried to damage it. The boy looked behind himself and noticed the sword he had stolen was gone, and then back at me; his eyes were so fully of wonder that I almost hated having to tell him the truth. "How... did you... get that?"

"I just moved over there, grabbed it and moved back," I told him as if I hadn't done anything really. "Watch," my voice said as I now stood a few feet behind him, causing John's neck and body to bolt around and stare at me. He was in even greater awe then before.

"How... are you so... fast?" he asked, barely able to comprehend the fact I had only started moving fast.

"Simple: lots and lots of training." I smiled again as I slid the sheath of my sword onto my belt and took a relaxed breath. Hopefully, this boy wouldn't continue trying to fight. I really didn't want to hurt him at all.

"Well then, I guess I'll need to even the playing field," the boy said as he stood absolutely still, in complete focus. I stared at him, pondering what it was he was doing at that moment, but didn't really take any actions towards him. I didn't want to disrupt whatever he was doing, especially if it was cool. However, after a few minutes, I got bored and decided to interrogate the boy.

I quickly moved in front of him, looking down at him and poking him on top of his head. "Hey, what are you up to?" I asked, giving him a quizzical look.

John's eyes went wide and he slipped and fell backwards, trying to pull himself away from me on the ground. "What are you doing?!" he yelled out to me as he continued to scurry back. I had obviously scared him, which I hadn't meant to do, actually.

"Sorry," I said rubbing the back of my head. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"If you want to know, just wait. I'll show you," the boy said as he returned to absolute focus, obviously planning something. I hated waiting, but if this was worth it, then I'd simply have to wait, right?

After a minute passed, the winds picked up, and I looked at the boy, my eyes scanning closer in on him. Suddenly, a powerful aura surged and a giant beast emerged from a portal that appeared under the boy. Slowly, a figure of light appeared, but after the body fully materialized, what the youth had summoned took its form.

The creature he had called upon was a demihuman. A half lion, half man to be more exact. The creature stood at least ten feet tall, with massive muscles and at least six inch nails, with four inch canines to match. The beast wore red armor on its chest, and only a metal guard on his pelvic area. I had seen something like this beast before, but this one was much stronger then the one I had met. Then again, I was stronger then I was since last I had met a demihuman.

John smirked, not taking a second to not celebrate that he had summoned this creature. The young warrior sat on the beast's shoulder, pointing his sword at me. "Here we go. You're gonna be defeated now, even with that sword of yours. He's gonna kill ya," the boy said as he pointed at the lion creature whom he sat upon.

"Really?" I asked as I pointed at the creature. "You so sure? I mean, he doesn't look very tough," I pointed out as I looked at the boy quizzically.

"Yes... you aren't going to kill him, he's gonna-" the boy was paused as he fell to the ground, landing face first into the soggy ground. Quickly, the boy sat up and scurried away from me, looking in horror as he looked from me to the lion.

My left elbow was fully extended. My left hand balled up into a fist and my right palm pressed against that fist. My elbow had his strong enough to create a massive hole in the beast's armor. Even so, the giant lion creature jammed its claws into the wall and lifted itself up. Stronger then I thought. No matter, this would be fun then.

Quickly, the giant monster blurred past me, picking up John and the monster placing the boy on the beast's shoulder as the beast skidded to a stop and turned to face me. I let my arms drop to my side and looked at the two. "I'll fight you both unarmed and unarmored. I'll prove myself, and there is nothing you can do to stop me. So, shall we begin?" I asked, raising my right hand to wave the two on.

"Wh-what are you?!" the boy asked with a powerful stutter of fear. It was obvious he had no idea what he was up against.

"I told you already," I said with a pause as I looked up, smiling fiercely, "I am the Aura Master and Fencer of Tasogare."

Zorolo wrote well, but if you will notice how arrogant Zorlo seems in comparison to John. I wanted you to treat this like a real battle intro and, no matter how undeveloped a character is, you never treat them like this. I felt no respect for John at all. The post is actually very well written, with only one punctuational error. However, this arrogance to John sent Zorolo right down here. Even with the difference in power, the personality of this John was never developed like in the others.

And...finally, the person leaving tonight. Sweet Simplicity will be leaving us, despite last week's excellent piece, for submitting this to me.

Originally Posted by Sweet Simplicity

Resting comfortably in the fresh springs near Castle Bastille, Nathan mulled over the events of the past few days. The mansion (as he imagined) was lavishly adorned with chandeliers and diamonds in every room. Elegant fireplaces burned brightly in the common rooms and hordes of servants and waiters almost followed people around, waiting to satisfy their every whim. For Nate it was an experience like no other; he didn’t know if he preferred luxury or independence though. Each had its own pros and cons. As for the other contestants, they spent very little time with each other and often firmly refused to even greet Nate. Everyone seemed to be taking the competition just a bit too seriously.

Nathan snapped back to reality as a dense cloud blocked out the welcoming rays of the sun. He slid further into the natural pool to hide from the cool air and took a look at his surroundings. The hot spring was in the middle of a little plateau just beyond Castle Bastille; his clothes were scattered freely about the place, save for the cargo shorts that he kept on. On three sides of the plateau were almost vertical rock faces, on the fourth there was only a sheer drop.

He closed his eyes as the pristine water made its way into his pores. Nothing could be heard but the faint ripple of the water as the wind rustled over it. Bliss, he sighed into himself. Nothing has happened in regards to the competition lately, I wonder if something has happened? Almost in answer to his query, an imposing-looking figure with earthy brown hair jumped down from the shortest of the cliffs. He had piercing red eyes that were almost searching Nate for weaknesses. “What do you want?” he said angrily. “I was enjoying a bath.” The intruder chuckled slightly.

“I thought that being in a competition such as this one; you would be more concerned with whatever the Dark Eye throws at you than some silly bath.” He retorted. He was wearing odd dark blue trousers and a black jacket. The trousers were tucked into a pair of glistening black boots. On his arm there was a large number embedded in an arrogant red. The only other noticeable feature was a scar stretching from his right eye to cheek.

“I am. I just thought that our trials would follow the same pattern that the first one did. You have to understand that I’m not prepared for what might happen.”

“And that’s exactly why I’m here. Now.”

“Fine,” Nathan replied as he jumped out of the spring. “Just give me a minute to get dressed.” Dreas looked away in answer and said,

“Be quick.” A few seconds later Nathan had thrown on everything but is hat, which lay still by the poolside.

“So I presume we shall be fighting to the death and all that cliché nonsense?”

“Oh no. I’m simply here to evaluate you.”

“Fine. Evaluate this.” Nathan unsheathed his sabre and leashed it forward with lightning-swift precision. The oddly garbed man side-stepped the attack with similar ease.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to do better than that.” In reply, Nathan picked up his pistol and fired three bullets to corner the man. He ducked in reply, the bullets ricocheting harmlessly off one of the walls.

“What’s your name, by the way?” Nathan asked while reloading the pistol.

“Dreas,” he replied tartly. The man produced a more futuristic looking set of pistols and fired them. Two flame-red beams of light flew towards Nate, missing him by inches as he rolled out of the way. Nate retorted by stepping closer to Dreas and dealing out a harsh horizontal slice. He tried to step backwards but was still nicked by the tip of the blade. To Nate’s surprise there wasn’t even a rip in his jacket. “Just one of the many tricks up my sleeve,” Dreas smirked. He fired with the Echo blasters again, one stinging Nathan on the shoulder and the other disintegrating into nothing on the rock face.

The boy touched his shoulder gently and blew it as he backed away from the ranger. “I thought you said this was an evaluation?” he shouted.

“You were gladly going to hurt me.”

Nathan let go of his shoulder and charged up his sword with an electrical blast. He stopped electricity from flowing to it then dashed forward at his opponent. As he suspected, Dreas ducked again but Nate struck him with a bolt of lightning and he fell over, stunned. The boy walked superciliously over to Dreas, who now lay groaning on the ground. “I think this evaluation is over,” he whispered.

“Far from it.” The sharpshooter jumped up like he’d never been hit and kicked Nate hard to the ground. He saw the man reveal a pair of shiny silver handcuffs before he was kicked again, this time in the head. Face on the ground, Nathan could only feel the man slide the cuffs up his wrists. He charged up a surge of electricity in his body and let it flow through his hands and into Dreas’. He jumped back in pain and shock as Nathan stood up and punched him in the gut.

“Did you feel that one?” the boy screamed. “That suit will only protect you from my weapons.” Dreas stared at him in disgust and produced two altogether more dangerous-looking guns from their holsters. He clicked them together to form a rifle as Nate looked on in awe.

“You’d best start running,” said Dreas. “If the Beta-E busters get you, I doubt there will be much left.” Nathan tripped the man with a powerful thrust at his ankles and tackled Dreas around the waist, running him towards one of the walls. He hit the solid rock with a painful crack as the wind was blown out of him.

“I think it’s the other way around. Although running might be hard since you’re cornered.” Dreas smirked arrogantly in reply.

“You’ve a lot to learn about being cornered,” he retorted. The man then ran up the wall and behind Nate before he could do anything. He dashed for the larger gun that had been knocked out of his hands and picked it up with a satisfied grin. Now Nathan was cornered, and there was nothing he could do to stop this man from killing him. In this last moment of weakness Nate doubted whether or not this man was sent by the Dark Eye. He seemed altogether too skilful for a simple evaluation.

“Doubt is like rot boy,” Dreas said empathically. “I can tell you now I am just a test. And therefore do not want or need to kill you.” Nate breathed a sigh of relief.

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good spar.” Dreas run towards Nathan with blinding speed and knocked him to his knees with one punch. Nathan produced a bolt of lightning from the sky in retaliation that stunned Dreas while he got to his feet. “You’ve fared quite well against me in regular form, but the Dark Eye requests that you face me in PKM Ranger mode as well.” Nathan appeared downcast in his confusion.

“Don’t worry about what that is, you’ll find out soon enough.” Then, all too dramatically he cried, “PKM Spirit…activate!” and pressed a button on a camouflaged watch. The man was immediately engulfed in vibrant red light and when it stopped, he was dressed in an entirely red and black outfit complete with a visor. “I’m several times stronger now,” he mumbled through the helmet. “Prepare for the battle of your life.”

He produced the two weaker guns again and fired with extraordinary speed and accuracy. A total of three beams of light struck Nate, leaving him dizzy and disorientated. The ranger rushed up to Nate and grabbed his arm, throwing him to the ground. From there he lifted Nathan with both hands by the neck, slamming him hard again on the ground. Nate could feel his strength draining with every blow that Dreas dealt. He had to do something amazing just to counter the man.

All of a sudden Nathan started glowing with a bright yellow light. Sparks started erupting from his body until an immense explosion of sparks erupted from within him. Dreas was sent flying back into the spring as Nate continued dealing out wave after wave of electricity. For minutes Dreas was struck by whips of lightning exuded from Nathan until the boy simply collapsed from exhaustion. Dreas approached him slowly, making sure that it wasn’t a ruse. Anyway, the injuries Nate had dealt had weakened him severely. He dropped out of PKM Ranger mode – ever wary of his depleting levels of energy – and picked up a nearby stone.

He threw it clumsily and it bounced off Nathan’s wasted form. The boy moved slightly then sat up straight and rubbed his eyes. Dreas was a few feet away, obviously worried in case the boy was dead. “It would seem you have limitless power,” Dreas said slowly once he knew the boy was fine. “Perhaps you’ll be a match for me after all.”

This post is flawed due to the immense problems of portrayal that Sweet Simplicity had with Dreas. Dreas is portrayed with the wrong descriptions of his weapons, Simplicity did not properly use the Echo and Beta gun types. He also transfoms into the PKM Red Ranger which is not in character with Dreas at all, given he must save the transformation for dire situations or, at the very least, later in a battle. This is not the battle intro I asked for, as the transformation was written too quickly.

Sweet Simplicity, you are cut for failing to read Dreas' profile properly and taking liberties with the character. Surely you know that, unless you get permission, the other writer must enact a transformation of this importance. I told you to write this as though it would be ongoing, and a second post would follow it. The portrayal of the Guest Character was too flimsy and weak. In future, study the profiles of characters you have been given to fight.

Fire Bird is also removed, for not doing the assignment.

To the remaining Four, the third challege awaits. Learn from your errors, and forge on!

Week 3: Third Assignment!

A search and rescue mission goes wrong in a church! Working in teams of two, you must defeat a man by the name of Elrick of Red, a powerful warrior who is also known as the bloodmaster, a Demon of Blood that is said to prey upon fair maidens! You will begin at the local tavern, gathering information about the kidnapping of a woman, and head for the church, where you will begin combat with Elrick. The objective is to save the woman, not to defeat Elrick in battle. The Red is far too powerful for your present levels, all you can hope to do is distract him from the maiden!

Special Information: For this assignment, you will be submiting your assignments in pairs. I will describe what each person does:

Team 1: Team 1 will be consisting of Zorolo and Kanraku Temna. It will be Kanraku Temna's job to write the first half of the assignment, gathering information, and Zorolo's to write the actual rescue. You will submit this together for me.

Team 2: Sakume and Ciroton make up Team 2. Sakume will write the information gathering in the first half, and Ciroton the rescue itself in the second. Submit this together, just like Team 1.

The theme for this assignment is teamwork and transitions, as you might have guessed. Do your best, because you know the penalty for failure! And some additional information...

Elrick of Red: the former partner of your sensei, Elrick of Red is the demonic warrior who owns the Bloodsword, a powerful blade that grants him control of blood! He has agreed to assist the Dark Eye in this assignment, but don't think this will make him go easy on you! Read up on his bio, his battles, and his fighting style. I'll be looking for the most realistic portrayal of him!

Each team member's contribution to the joint-submission must be 1,500 words. And, to add difficulty, because you got that same amount last time, you may not use the following words anywhere except in diolague or thoughts: is, am, are, was, were, be, been. Only diologue with others or inner thoughts. If I see these words anywhere else they are going to count big time.

Begin! Entries are due Friday. Work together, or fall alone.

And now, the final announcement here. Unlike the other weeks, we shall not be doing this by way of who did the best. Rather, I am simply going to post everyone's assignments, then post my own little piece detailing who the winner is! Exciting, isn't it? Congrates to everyone, I am very proud of all of you for coming this far.

Our first piece is Sakume's, for she submitted first.

Originally Posted by Sakume

Pain… so much pain… it’s not fair. That’s all it is. Raziel stubbornly clung to his opinions harder than any ornery mule. Why do I have to fight so many people? Furthermore, why do I have to lose every time? I can’t even remember what happened. I lasted five minutes, and then what do I do? I faint… still… I survived. He lifted the blooming rose Chronos had bestowed him with to his nose, inhaling the sweet, tender scent.

“Such a beautiful flower, and useful, too. I can’t help but think it will come in handy… when the thorns press against my flesh, I’ll be calmed and see my environment differently. I would thank him, but I’m too tired right now to take up any sort of journey.” He stretched back, hearing several crackling noises from his joints. “Ouch…”

Tap tap tap… A hesitant knocking rang out from the door of his room.

“Come in.” The recovering battler cast his gaze towards the door, not bothering to straighten up from his relaxed position. He doubted the visitor would pay much mind. He tucked his rose in-between his cloak and shirt pocket, making his appearance look more distinguished.

“Raziel?...” A very timid voice came with the swinging of the door, two thin hands resting on the edges of the frame.

“Yes?” Wait a minute… that voice sounds familiar…where have I heard that before?

The figure emerged from behind the door, closing it behind her. “Hello…” Her long fiery hair was pinned up behind her in a ponytail. She wore what looked like some sort of tight training outfit for the Dome, dark green in color to contrast her locks. The rest of her clothing, namely, her inner long-sleeved shirt, was black in color, but the stunned man hardly focused on that. She flushed when she saw his mouth widen in shock, putting her hands behind her back and hanging her head a little. “You… remember me, don’t you?”

“Lezari?” He closed his gaping mouth after a moment, absorbing her lingering there before him. “You… you’re huge !” he exclaimed, managing to erect himself from his chair, much taller than the girl when standing upright. She’s out of the book!

“Huge, huh?” She began to laugh, her emerald eyes sparkling. “Gee, thanks. I’m glad you remember me.”

“You know what I mean!” he exclaimed, one hand held to his head in disbelief, the other hanging limply at his side. “How did you get out of the book? The last I knew, you were trapped in there, when I was looking for Chronos…” he paused for a moment, a realization hitting him. He furrowed his brow, looking apologetic. “Oh, Lezari… I’m so sorry I never came back to check on how you were doing. I just left you with him… he must have helped you return to normal…”

“Yes, Raziel, but it’s not your fault for not visiting. You’ve been busy with your own training, I’m sure. It’s been awhile since I saw you last… how are you doing?” the student asked, smiling, dimples lighting up her freckled cheeks.

Why not tell her the truth? Something bothered the lycan as he did so. They had so much to speak of, why would she choose small talk like this? “A little sore right now, actually,” the bandaged figure replied, rubbing a hand along his arm.

“Oh… I heard what happened. You’ve… oh!” She seemed to stop, another thought interrupting what she wanted to say. “I’m supposed to tell you, the Encorna wants to meet with you!”

“The what?” he asked, a smile flitting across his lips as he tilted his head. She must have been trying to remember what it was she wanted to say… that’s why she was buying time with normal chit-chat.

“Not what, silly! Who!” Lezari exclaimed, walking forwards and taking his wounded hand in her own. “The Encorna! He’s a top teacher here, and he’s asked for me to bring you to meet him! I won’t meet him personally, of course, but that doesn’t matter!”

“Okay…” He winced a little as her fingers squeezed near his wrist. “Careful, Lezari! That… hurts. I broke some bones in the last battle I went through, and they won’t be healed for a few weeks, at least. Now for reviewing time… I’m meeting someone called the Encorna. I have that down now. So… where are we going to meet him? Is it far?” He hated to sound whiny, but every muscle of his still ached from his battle with the Dark Eye.

“Oh, not far at all! It’s just the highest floor of the Dome!” Lezari replied, smiling as Raziel’s face drained of color. “Don’t look so pale! You’ll be fine… look, I’ll help you up! After all, you carried me under your arm once. Why shouldn’t I do the same for you?” she asked softly, approaching him and supporting him by wrapping one of his arms over her shoulders. “Lean on me, and we’ll be there in no time.”

He flashed her a grateful smile. “Thank you. It’s nice to helped instead of battling so much here. Are you sure you don’t mind if I lean in a little?”

“Not at all,” Lezari replied, patting his back with her arm supprotively. “Come on, let’s get going.” After a small amount of searching through the hallways of the extensive Dome, she found the staircase she needed. “Up here. Now, there’s a few stairs, but you- we, I mean, can do it together. Keep going, Raziel. Don’t give up now. You’ve come so far…”

Her last words, though he didn’t recognize the significance of them, encouraged the fellow student. “You’re right.” A new, small sense of resolve spurred on his trudge up the cold, hard stairs. “I don’t mean to be a trouble or anything, though.”

“Don’t even say another word, you. I know you must be tired. After all, you never visited me, did you? You must have been busy.” She winked and chuckled softly, continuing her trek up the long, winding way, her friend at her side.

“Right.” Raziel also laughed a little, remembering his previous threats to the young girl when she was still, quite literally, “in the middle of a good book”. The two chatted away about various experiences they had overcome as they climbed, making the time seem to fly by. When they finally reached the top at least an hour later, the man’s hair was damp from perspiration. “How many stairs did we climb, anyway?” he asked in a few pants. Exhaling sharply, he used his good hand to wipe away a bit of sweat on his forehead.

“I… I’m not entirely sure. See, they change like the Dome changes, so there’s been anywhere from a hundred to a thousand. That climb was tough, though.” She gave a short nod to his following unasked question. “Yes, I’m a student of the Dark Eye, but I’ve been up here a few times. I just got these new clothes for training that absorb a lot of my fatigue. What do you think?” She threw him a slight pose against the backdrop of the descending staircase,

“They’re…” Raziel searched his mind for a proper term, but none came. “Green.”

She seemed a little put-off by this reply. “Well… I was expecting more of an answer like beautiful, or radiant… wait a minute, you don’t think I look good in them, do you? You think I look fat! You need to answer more quickly or else people will think …”

Raziel cut her off with a forced chuckle. “Right. So is this the place?” A huge pair of iron doors towered in front of him, causing him to crane his neck a little.

“Yes, this is it. Now you just have to get the doors to open, that’s all.”

“Gee, you make it sound so easy,” the tired figure replied, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. “You haven’t done this before, have you?”

“I sure haven’t… but I do know the doors won’t open unless they deem you worthy. They haven’t even cracked for me.”

Raziel dropped his hand from her shoulder, thinking silently. He took a step forward, sucking in a breath to force the butterflies in his stomach down. “You called?” he asked loudly, retaining a straight posture to appear braver than he felt. Creeeak… The two doors swung a little, opening just enough for the warrior to slip through. He flashed a slightly prideful smile back to Lezari. “Well. I guess the doors know who they like.”

She bit her lip, a frustrated pout evident on her features. “You know what… Ugh. Just go inside already, and I’ll meet up with you after you’re finished, okay?” she replied, annoyed at her company.

“That’s fine… I will see you again, Lezari. I promise you.” Raziel nodded, smiling as he patted her shoulder a few times.

“Okay… I’ll see you soon. Don’t look so wimpy when you meet the Encorna, okay?” she called as he began to enter between the small space the doors allowed, waving while a triumphant smile on her face.

“Hey! Just remember who it was that got through the doors first!” the figure clad in blue called back, teasing as he emerged on the other side.

“Why you little…”

Slam! The doors smashed shut together, a huge clang resounding, leaving no noise from the other side, not even Lezari’s yelling. Raziel straightened his cloak, putting two fingers to his forehead and giving the gate a mock salute. “Thanks for that! If you remained open, I’d be kibbles and bits by now.”

Upon his entry, he was serenaded by a symphony of sweet smells, defeating the garden in the Dome by a long shot. “Wow. This is a nice place…” He took a few hesitant steps forward, loitering for a moment to see if anyone came to meet him. After no sign of any arranged meeting, he shrugged and took his own leisurely stroll towards the intricate garden. The flowers and greenery sprouted from the damp soil with no sign of any brown or withered blossoms, everything in full bloom. Vibrant colors and patterns he never imagined jumped out to greet him as he continued along his merry way.

Nothing’s attacked me yet. This must be a trick. Raziel thought, though his guard began to drop more by the second. The Japanese-style palace behind the garden came closer with every step, beckoning him to see first-hand. Although the wanderer had never been to Japan, he had heard of the place and wanted to visit it someday. The mere structure of the building caused him to marvel for a moment.

He entered the extensive temple itself, wandering aimlessly through the various halls and archways, decorated intensively. “This is a huge place… I sort of feel honored to be here. I just hope the owner isn’t calling me to battle.”

“Excuse me.”

“I mean, I’m here to learn, and that doesn’t mean I have to fight constantly, right?” Raziel asked, absorbed in his own thoughts.

“Excuse me? Sir?”

“Just tell me that. Is it fair?” Raziel unconsciously turned to see the voice, currently not quite enough in-tune with reality to realize he had not been talking to himself. “Whoah!” He nearly jumped back, patting his chest a little as if hoping to slow his heart rate.

“Please don’t be alarmed!” The ghost-like figure waved two hands rapidly. “Please! I won’t harm you, Mr. Oscuridad.”

“What the heck are you… wait, how did you know my name?” Raziel asked, secretly complimenting himself. Not bad. You didn’t jump that time, just had a slight startle. Well done, if I do say so myself.

“I’ll answer your questions in order, I think. I’m a Domerii… you could call me the personal attendant of the Encorna.”

“That would explain why I can see right through you.” A logical answer, so the guest accepted it for now.

“As for why I know your name, well, that’s answered by what I just said. I’m to show you to Master Encorna. Are you quite ready?” The transparent figure asked, with no apparent gender as Raziel noticed, though he assumed male since the voice sounded so.

“Oh, I’ve been ready. Please take me to him.” He held his breath for a brief moment.

“Come with me.” The see-through mystical being led the visitor through several hallways to an entrance of the palace, which looked quite a lot like the previous temple. He stopped near the doorway as the figure did. “We’re here. You may enter whenever you please.” With that last word spoken, the figure disappeared.

“Well… here goes nothing.” He opened the sliding door, passing through to the training room of the Encorna. His eyes wandered to every aspect of it, though he might not remember them all. The large room had plenty of space for practicing whatever it was the man did; a rather shallow surface of water rippled around a mat in the middle of the surroundings.

“Well. Here you are.”

Reacting on baseless instinct due to the difficult battles he recently took part in, he snapped, drawing his weapons from his boots and pointing them towards where he thought the voice originated from.

A soft laugh echoed. “And just what do you plan to do with those?”

Raziel narrowed his eyes for a moment, but then looked to his weapons. A deep flush began to creep across his cheeks. He had forgotten… both of his daggers were useless now. After the fight with Chronos, they had chipped and broken against the rock, leaving nothing but handles. The tone of the voice that spoke caused Raziel to relax slightly, and he thought of a response. “Well… I could always throw them at you.”

Another laugh came, but with no sign of the source. “You’re quite the comedic one, Raziel Oscuridad.”

How did he know my name? “Who are you, the Encorna, I presume?” he asked, the back of his neck prickling since he could not see the person speaking.

“No need to get flustered… yes, I am Kenjin the Encorna. You may call me Kenjin. You’ve been through quite a lot, lately, haven’t you, Raziel?”

He sighed. “Indeed I have… but wait. You’re not going to battle me?”

“Of course not.” Raziel turned to meet the Encorna face-to-face. “I’ve called you to take you somewhere with me, not to fight you.” Seeing the expression of the figure as he took a few steps back, Kenjin slowly expressed a smile. “What’s wrong? You’re not scared of me, are you?” he asked, his eyes closed.

Raziel swallowed a lump in his throat quite audibly. “Me? Scared? Of course not…” The look on his face proved otherwise. “You’re…” He stared up at the fierce figure, his voice like an awed child. “Really tall.”

A chuckle emerged now. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Are you ready? We should get going.”

“I am, indeed,” Raziel squeaked, still staring at Kenjin, absorbed by the sort of commanding presence he gave off that the werewolf could not ignore.

“Good. Then let us be off. Won’t take long at all.” He was right. Within what seemed moments, the two were somewhere the exploring man had never seen before.

“Where is this place?” he asked, looking to Kenjin for guidance, noticing the man had opened his stark black eyes. He didn’t want to ask exactly how they got there, since that would only waste time. He just accepted the fact that they somehow transported there.

“This is a village I lived in a long time ago. In fact, the place you see before us is my own home… or was.”

The dazed companion turned to see what Kenjin spoke of, and felt slightly homesick at the sight of the quaint little dwelling. It felt much like he himself was home once more, as if none of this ever happened. He pushed the feeling down for now, not willing to dwell on it at a time like this. He kept it back for years before this, so why should he allow it to affect him now?

“Why are we here, though?” he finally asked, his voice a little raspy. He cleared his throat.

“I need you to find me a Cyrstal somewhere in the village. I’ll be crafting a Crystal Weapon for you using it,” Kenjin replied, his eyes closed once more.

“A crystal? Alright… I think I can do that. I don’t see why not. Okay then…” He bowed deeply to his new acquaintance, showing proper respect. “I’ll be back as soon as I find one. Won’t take long!” Raziel jogged off towards the village with mixed feelings about his new “friend”. He seems to have good intentions, and I like his face. My instincts aren’t really reacting apart from… well, a little nervousness. I’ll do as he asks.

He entered the quaint town, his feet padding along the streets of soft dirt and mortar. Why did he feel so at ease here? Raziel found he enjoyed himself. Children played along the streets, running sticks along fences to make clacking noises or skipping rocks across the pathways. Shops lined the streets, some composed of rarer item choices than others. Nothing caught his eye inside the windows.

“Hello, sir?” He suddenly turned to see if he was being addressed. Indeed, he was.

“Hello,” he responded to the young woman, probably around seventeen. She was dressed in a skirt of a cream color, a blue flowered pattern along the bottom. About her collar she tied a small yellow handkerchief, her brown hair resting just below her shoulders. Her hands gripped a pink parasol, simply to shade her from the sun’s harsh rays.

“You haven’t seen a young boy about these parts, have you?”

“I’ve seen several,” Raziel replied with a chuckle. “Is there any more information you can tell me?”

“He’s wearing a blue shirt and dark brown pants that probably have holes in them. He’s got the same color hair as me in a bowl-cut. He’s my little brother, you see, and he’s only eight. I sort of lost track of him, and I’m worried sick. My parents will be so angry if I lost him.”

“I’m afraid he doesn’t match any of the ones I’ve seen today… I’m sorry, though. I’ll keep an eye out and I’ll tell you if I see him. What’s his name and how can I find you if you need me?”

“His name is Timothy. I know a place he might have gone, but I’m sort of afraid to go there, myself. There’s a cavern that contains these crystals, and sometimes my little brother crawls through to see if he can get one.” She reached forward and tightly squeezed Raziel’s wrist. “Please help me!”

“Ow!” the man yelped, stamping a foot to rid himself of the pain, though it didn’t seem to help. “Please! Don’t grab my wrist again, and I’ll do whatever it is you want!” She said… crystals? Well… this may come in handy after all. “Alright, let’s go… and find your brother.” Raziel winced. Sometimes I’m too much of a good guy for my own good. The irony kills me. Literally.

The girl’s face lit up as she waved for Raziel to follow her, leading him out of town, just beyond the border to a cavern. She pointed at an extremely small hole. “This is where he goes through most of the time. I heard him in there, earlier, so I know he’s there.”

“Are you positive there are no other entrances?” the spectator asked, staring at the gap in disbelief.

“I’m absolutely sure. He always goes through here.”

“Listen… I want to help you, I really do, but I don’t think my boot can fit in there, much less my body.” He shrugged sadly, unsure of the truth of this, but not quite willing to give it a go.

“Oh, please help me! My parents will throw a fit if Timothy gets lost! There are so many earthquakes lately, and each time a tremor hits, this place always shifts!” She clasped her hands together, laying her parasol aside. “I’d do anything for my brother… anything.” Her eyes began to shimmer with tears.

“Alright! Alright! Just don’t get that look on your face… I’ll help you.” Raziel brushed off his uncomfortable feelings and bent down to examine the hole. It now seemed bigger than before. “Hm… I think I may be able to fit in here…” He started in backwards, the opening getting larger as his feet pushed through inside. “Ack! Tough squeeze, though!” He winced as he pushed himself back further, completely in a tube of rock, using his feet like hooks to pull the rest of his body inside.

Thump. He tumbled in a heap inside the cavern, the temperature cooler than it had been outside. “I’ll look for him, don’t worry, we’ll be back.” Raziel waved a hand to let the spying girl know he was alright, and then crouched, making his way deep into the recesses of the darkness. His eyes easily adjusted thanks to his instincts, forms of rock becoming clear. The shadow increased the further he went. No way the kid could be this far inside… right?

Just then, he paused in place. A noise occurred, one that sounded like quiet whimpering. He listed for it to repeat, getting closer as he shifted his body to avoid jutting rock. “Timothy? Timothy, are you there?”

“Huh?” A voice, obviously a young boy, echoed out. “Who’s there?”

”I’m here to get you out. Your sister is worried. Are you alright?” he asked, keeping a steady, calm tone.

“Yeah, I’m okay… I got lost is all.”

“Okay… well, I’m here to help you.” Raziel followed the voice until he saw the outline of the child in the darkness, gripping the shoulder to ensure more security. “Let’s go, alright? Your parents are probably worried sick.”

“Don’t have any,” the boy replied, contradicting what the girl had told the werewolf earlier.

“You don’t? Well, still, it’s not safe in here. Come with me and we’ll get you out.” Why did the girl lie to me?

“I can’t yet. I have to get a crystal. It’s my fault my parents died… maybe she’ll forgive me if I give her a crystal. See? They’re here somewhere, I just don’t know where. I know they are. I saw one once here,” the boy answered, struggling against the pull of the man’s hand.

“Hey, quit that wriggling! I’m trying to help you! Listen, if you agree to come out with me, I’ll help you find a crystal.” Raziel inwardly sighed. I just keep burying myself more and more, don’t I?

“Okay, that sounds fine! But how?” the boy asked.

The man on a quest took a moment to look around, trying to spot a strange shape or jutting from the rock. Nothing seemed out of place to him, but the boy found something before the werewolf.

“Hey! I found one!”

“Wait, don’t take it!” he shouted towards the young child, but it was too late. Removing the crystal caused the entire inner cavern to begin to tremble. “Come here, quick! The entire cavern is collapsing!” The boy’s figure flung itself into the man’s, clutching the crystal close, quite large in size by the feel of it. “The entrance is blocked!” Raziel’s mind raced in the panic of the moment, and he shielded the boy beneath his cloak while thinking. The boy clutched at his elder’s shirt, pressing his weight into the man.

Whoah. Within what seemed like seconds, the feelings of nervousness and strife melted away from the protector of the child, leaving nothing but an overwhelming sense of peace and comfort. He was, for once in his life, able to think clearly and concisely in a dangerous situation. His heartbeat slowed immensely, as did his breathing. He felt entirely in a world of his own. His surroundings changed in appearance, standing out as almost transparent visions, his eyes able to see past them. How… the rose. The realization hit him that the boy must have pressed the thorns into skin with his weight. … This is… really cool. He blinked once, searching for a weakness in the rock wall, now quite visible so he could tell multiple layers from single.

Perfect. Right here. He snatched up the boy, making his way quickly but comfortably towards a weakness in the wall. He smashed a foot into it, breaking through. The two figures tumbled into the welcoming rays of the sun.

“Oh, Timothy! Timothy, are you alright?” The girl immediately ran over to her younger brother, picking him up and dusting him off, inspecting him for injuries. “Thank you so much! Thank you! I don’t know how I can ever give you anything in return!”

Shaking his head and brushing the dust from his clothes, he flashed the two a smile. “Don’t mention it… but… there is something I want to know.” He brushed some dirt from his ever-bright rose.

“Oh?” The girl asked, holding her brother in front of her.

“Yes. Why did you tell me your parents were worried? Your brother confessed you had none…”

“I… well… I thought if you knew it was just me, you might not help me. I was… scared.” She swallowed loudly.

“Sister, look! I got one! A crystal! I told you I would get one! I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to kill them…” The boy offered his sister the crystal, which was half his size, but seemed to be very light.

“Oh, Timothy… was that what this was all about?” she asked, eyes glimmering with tears. “I told you… you had nothing to do with the death of our parents. Just because you couldn’t help them when they were sick, doesn’t mean it’s your fault. It’s no one’s fault.” She bent down to her knees, dropping the crystal on the ground and enveloping him in a hug, tightly squeezing. “I’m sorry I ever made you think otherwise.”

Raziel blinked once as he watched the scene unfold. Sakume… sister… do you still hate me? For what I’ve done? How could you? Look at these two… they forgive so easily, and admit it’s not a fault… how is it you refuse to forgive me? Father is alive… is that not enough for you? No, it never was. You always had to take it one step further. You had to kill our sister… Yosuke. She was so innocent, Sakume, why did you have to sever our family bonds? Sister… even after all this… I love you.

“Sir? Are you alright?” she asked, tilting her head. The man was crying?

He shook his head a little, wiping away a few tears that slid down his cheeks. “Yes, yes, I’m fine…”

“Here. Why don’t you take the crystal? We don’t need it… we have each other, and that’s all that matters.” She pressed the large object into his hands, smiling gratefully. “I can never repay you, but maybe that will do for now. Thank you so much… for everything.”

“O-of course!” he stammered, hugging it close. “Now… you two be careful. No more… exploring in those caves, okay?” his voice cracked as he turned away. “Good-bye.” Paying little attention to where he was going, the lycan ran. Tears began to streak down the side of his face, and this time he made no effort to wipe them away. He returned to where he first arrived in this village. “I’m… back. I found the… crys…” He found his voice choked inside his throat.

“What is wrong? You’re crying,” Kenjin stated, eyes closed.

“I… God, I miss my family,” Raziel finally admitted with a choked sob. “I miss it all so much.”

“Hm… come. We have to journey to the Core. You’ve… done very well.”

He soundlessly nodded, throwing some tears to the ground and gripping the crystal tightly. The next thing he knew, he opened his eyes to what seemed a complete dark void, with no sign of ending. This was too much for him in such a state. “Wh-where am I?”

“You are in the Core. Welcome, Raziel Oscuridad. My name is Kenjin.”

Our second piece comes from Zorolo. Let's watch what he does.

Originally Posted by Zorolo

Whilst I pondered over the letter Chronos had given me after his last assignment, I looked around from time to time, either peering around the empty forest of my room, or looking at the small marble that Master had given me; and gained, from my studies of the letter, that, mayhaps, this thing that Chronos had asked me about was something I needed to address to myself at some point. Although I didn't wholly agree with the letter, nor what Master had said about the connection of my will to fight with my love of Selene, mayhaps there was still something within that thought that may have needed to be looked into.

My eyes locked upon it, now, the small marble, so very light and tiny a thing with so very much within it. Reflected back into my eyes was the image of the person I love. Selene's figure formed upon the marble, smiling at me, and I smiled back. Without much thought of what had just transpired, I put the marble into one of the many pockets of my jacket and sat down to meditate a little bit. I had other things to think about now, anyway, and what Master had told me seemed less pressing at the moment because of this.

No sooner did my eyes close did I sense something oddly amiss. The aura of my room began to transform, and, as I opened my eyes, I noticed that my room was being transformed, or I was being moved by some force beyond my reckoning. Slowly, my room dissolved into nothing, and I found myself staring, straight ahead, upon a japanese style dojo. I looked down slightly, where, under myself, there was a massive symbol of balance. I think it was called a Yin Yang symbol, but I couldn't completely recall at this time.

I stood up and looked for a short while longer upon the symbol. And then around at the vast expanses of the room, which seemed to not end, no matter where my eyes traveled about it. After my examination completed, I heard a loud, thunderous voice chuckled, and found my eyes drawn to someone who, odds are, owned this room. A figure stepped out of the dojo. If he had been in there, then how had I heard him laughing?

The person that appeared before me was, very much, a giant, standing over seven and a half feet tall, or mayhaps only seven and a half, but even so, I hadn't seen one of this size in a while. Not since Tuariv. The man's massive, toned body pulsed with a huge amount of energy, and the warrior wore a white martial arts outfit. The white gauntlets around his hands interested me a bit, but that soon faded as I met eyes with this monstrous sized person, pondering how I had wound up here, and who he was.

The figured chuckled fiercely again as he looked down upon me I stepped back slightly, unsure of how to handle what was happening. Simply being in this warrior's presence made my body shake against my will, and I could barely keep my eyes fixed upon his. There was one thing that was a bit odd, despite the strength of his spirit, this warrior didn't seem to have an aura, I could sense. I forced myself to meet eyes with this great force, but even so, his mere presence astounded me.

"Like Master, like pupil," the great warrior spoke with a chuckle. "The only difference is he doesn't shake in my presence. Then again, you are human, so you can't help but shake. Perhaps I should make my presence a little bit weaker," the giant spoke, and my body stopped shaking.

I looked at my now calm hands and then back at the warrior. Something about him was unreal, and it wasn't just his size. "Who... who are you?" I asked, trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

"You have already asked that, youth, although there is no problem with answering. I am Kenjin, and you, Zorlo, have been summoned, because I have a task for you," the mystic stated as he crossed his arms over his chest.

I narrowed my eyes at the immortal, as his name did ring a bell, and I began to say something before he answered what I was thinking for me. "Yes, at one time, I was the Encorna, but as of now, that is no longer true. Worry not about the mission you and the other deshi failed. You shall have a chance to complete it," the warrior said as if the fact he had just invaded my mind was nothing.

"I... see..." I began as I smiled, realizing this man meant me no harm, or so I hoped, and I met eyes with him again. "So, what is this mission?"

"I hoped you'd ask," the Master of Reality stated as he held out his hand and a transparent image of a crystal like substance appeared in the mystic's hand. "I want you to retrieve something known as a negative energy crystal. This crystal can be made into a weapon of choice by its user and is completely opposed to the user's strength. Simply wielding effectively is a difficult task, but how this crystal really works, you shall, perhaps, learn in time."

"I see. Where do I find one of those crystals?" I asked, looking at the giant and almost hoping he'd give me a straight answer, although nothing was that simple.

Kenjin removed one arm from across his chest and snapped his fingers, and suddenly his room began to change into something else. The only reason I could still tell it was the room of this great Master was that the Yin-Yang symbol still sat on the floor. Slowly, a village appeared, and the Master of Reality pointed at a small tent. "This is the town where the Master of Light was born. I shall leave you here to search out the crystal. When you find it, I shall find you," the giant said with a smile as he closed his eyes and both he and the Yin-Yang symbol vanished.

"Well, I guess this is where I start," I stated as I began to look through the tent, scanning for anything of interest. I found very little within the tent, and left soon after, sighing. "Nothing there. Well, I might as well begin looking around," I stated as I began to waltz through the streets, looking at the people who past. Although they seemed to notice me, they didn't seems to say anything, nor make any comments about me. I wasn't too sure where to start, but I supposed asking one of the villagers wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Excuse me," I said as I reached my hand out and slightly touched one of the villager's robe, causing the person, a young man, to look at me.

"Yes?" the villager asked, smiling.

I smiled back in a relaxed manner and elected to ask. "I have been sent here by one known as Kenjin to find something called a negative energy crystal. Do you know where one may be found?" I was a bit nervous to ask a total stranger, but the man simply smiled and nodded.

"Yes, actually, I have heard of such a thing. The elders of this village discuss such a thing of myth, but I can take you where they say the crystal resides. I must warn you, however, that the elders also discuss some kind of test to get the crystal. Allow me to show you where we are going, though," the young man told me as he began to walk, and I followed.

Myself and this young man walked through the entire village and didn't stop until the young man stopped us at a cave at the end of the village. The young man stopped and looked at me. "I can go no farther, since this cave is a forbidden place to all villagers. I shall wish you good luck," the young person said with a bow and a smile as he walked off.

"Fair well," I told the youth as I looked at the cave and entered into it. The cave was so dark, I couldn't see anything, but could feel the very closely placed walls to my sides. The dank, cold darkness and the close walls were fairly odd, given this seemed to be less of a cave, and more of something else. My feet continued to push through the cavern as I continued onwards, having the feeling I was near whatever I was searching for. How I knew this, I knew not, but I knew it. I shall simply call it intuition.

It felt as if I spent nearly an hour walking through the hallway before I felt myself a bit more free, and looked around. Still nothing but darkness. I had never been a very big fan of the bleak darkness, since the darkness was the one thing that could defeat me, at least in terms of elements. I sighed and walked around what turned out to be a circular room for a little while before I stopped in what I figured to be the center and sighed. "Well, it was worth a shot," I muttered as I smiled slightly.

What you seek is here, young Zorlo, a loud voice, as loud as Kenjin's had been in his room but different from Kenjin's entirely, echoed through my mind in an evil tone as it laughed slightly. Although, to retrieve this object for which you desire, you must pass a test. None who are not worthy shall lay there hands on the negative energy crystal. In the wrong hands, the power of the crystal could destroy existence itself.

I smiled. "All right then. I'm ready for any test you are willing to give. What is it you desire me to do?!" I yelled into the room, listening to my own echo.

You misunderstand. This is not a test of merit, or skill, but rather, a test of your soul. Your soul seems to be in conflict, so how about you make a choice. There are many things I must learn about you through your soul, and after the test is complete, you shall gain, perhaps, gain what you seek, or you will be destroyed.

I sighed and nodded. "All right, what do I do first?" I asked the voice that spoke in my mind, trying to figure out who or what it was.

Remove the marble from your pocket. Then, the test shall begin.

I reached into my pocket and removed the marble that Chronos had given me. As soon as the marble was removed, light erupted from within the marble, and the room was soon engulfed and transformed into something else entirely. When I could see again, I was standing upon the cliff upon which Stacia's castle had once stood. I turned quickly and rolled to the side, evading a blast of dark magic. My eyes rose, and met with him, my dark half, Kowai Shinu, and he smiled darkly towards me.

"It is good to see you again," the dark one said as he rushed me, and I blocked the two blades the appeared in his hand with my own sword. The clash of metal rang out as we stood face to face, neither giving any ground, and merely trying to get the other to lose some ground. While we stood in conflict, he spoke again. "What's wrong, Zorlo. Not happy to see yourself again? After all, it is your fault I exist, and it is your fault that I am destroying everything that gets in my path. One day soon, I'll destroy you, and everything you love! Can you handle that, Zorlo?!" spoke the Master of Darkness evilly.

I smiled and laughed. "You were, at one time, part of me. Now, however, I no longer feel responsible for you, aside from defeating you. What evil you have done cannot be undone, but future evil of yours can be stopped. If not by myself, then by other heroes." I pushed my sword with all my power behind it, and the dark one seemed to lose some ground. Finally, I pushed with all of my force, and sent him flying back on his heels. "Also, if you ever attack anyone I love, I would strike you down without hesitation. I created you from my own weakness, but that weakness is gone. The guilt I held for creating you is gone, and all that is left is the sense I need to fulfill my purpose and stop you. The question is, can you stop that?" I asked with a smile.

The setting simply went wavy as the dark one smiled under his hood. After a few moments, the setting had changed again, and I now stood upon a very familiar plateau. "Here?" I asked myself as I recalled this place as where Kellson had fallen at my hands for the first, and only, time. I rested my sword on my shoulder as I began to walk around the plateau, looking around. I pondered why I may have been sent here by the marble and the creature that seemed to be reflecting my conflicts via it.

Chronos had been right. Only I could use the power of the marble, and perhaps that was why it was working right now. Perhaps I wished to finally settle the unrest in my soul and put it to rest once and for all. Suddenly, I heard a heavy step behind me, and turned to see Zachary Leos standing behind me, looking at me angrily. His eyes burned with the darkness of the demon that lived in his sword, but his ardent fervor burned in them as well. His combined form stood before me, perhaps wishing for a battle as well.

Leos answered my question as he rushed me and we crossed swords, and broke off, and then rushed each other and clashed a few times more. Finally, we broke off from our sword clashes as I leapt backwards, and he did as well. "Why are you here, Zachary?" I asked him, smiling like I normally did.

"What business is it of yours what I do? You're always getting involved in other peoples live! Who are you to try to help me with this demon, or to help anyone else?!" the young ice innate asked as he rushed me and started swinging his sword wildly.

"I only wish to help others," I stated as I blocked the boy's reckless assaults. "I don't like seeing others in pain, and wish to help anyone I can help!"

"That's a lie! You help others to make yourself feel good! If you really cared about others, then why did you fight Johnny Bones in the middle of that city that was clearly populated? I you really cared about others, then why have you engaged in battles that killed countless others?! IF YOU CARE ABOUT OTHERS, THEN WHY?" the boy cried out, tears streaming down his eyes, his fervor still burning bright as the sun.

"That isn't true! If I knew I could fight to stop others from dying, or fight so that others weren't there to get involved, then I would, but there are times that it is unavoidable to fight in a populated area. This isn't much of an excuse, or even a good reason, but there are times that some must be sacrificed for the good of others. If I can stop someone who's killed hundreds from killing thousands, then those that he's killed, and those accidentally killed in his and my clash, shall have been avenged. Although I don't like claiming revenge for any reason, there are times that battles can't be anywhere but places they shouldn't be," I said with tears streaming down my eyes, as I felt extreme sadness overcome me.

My blade hit the ground and I fell to my knees, crying painfully as the fact I had been so careless in the past. I had always known that life was precious and irreplaceable, but it wasn't until this point I realized how I had been no better then those who killed senselessly. My sense of justice, although it had always been in the right place, and my honor had always shielded me from the cold truth that I had killed other people. Now, I understood what I had done wrong.

"I can't undo what has been done, and I'm sure it shall happen again, but those who have died... it wasn't there fault. If I took part of the battle, and people were killed because of my actions, then I am truly the one at fault, and I beg their forgiveness. Even so, justice was served, and although I may hate the cost of doing what I did, the ultimate good that comes from small evil is worth it," I stated through the tears and sadness.

As Zachary's sword neared my head, it stopped, and the youth smiled. "Thanks, Zorlo." The boy pulled his sword back and rested it on his shoulder. "You serve good very well, and don't fear death to save others. Your love of life is truly admirable, and your empathy for those who are both alive and dead makes me feel like helping others as well. First, however, you need to finish saving me," the youth told me with a smile as he and the landscape I had fought him upon vanished as the marble released another massive burst of energy.

As I sat in the bright, white surrounding created by the change from one place to another. I pondered what had just happened, and I stood up and looked at my hands, and my sword. "Guilt and sorrow. Both emotions that weaken resolve to ones duty and ones dreams. It is, mayhaps, then that my soul is being tested. I must remain vigil in order to survive this arduous task. I wonder how many tests are left, then?" I asked myself, as if I actually knew.

Slowly, the bright whiteness of the landscape faded into a most strange place. One I could not recall being, actually. Massive chunks of land floated through the air, all very spaced from the tiled land beneath my feet. The chunk of land I stood on was about twenty-five to thirty yards long, I couldn't really tell. All I knew was that the tiles ran in the form of a road, the rest of the area being grass until the jagged edges. I found this place most baffling, given that there seemed to be no logical boundary to this reality.

I looked around for a few seconds before my eyes laid themselves upon the man that stood before me. A man about my height in a long, dark trench coat. His head looked down towards the ground as he dragged his feet on the ground towards me, not really doing anything hostile; however, simply his presence felt unwelcoming. Before I knew what had happened, a sword blade passed my cheek, leaving me a small cut on my right cheek.

I looked at the blade being pointed at me, and then at the man again, as his head slowly rose to reveal glowing green, and figured out that it was Monroe Vossler, a bounty hunter that had been searching for me for a while, staring me down. I rested the tip of my sword against his, and the dark man smiled as he pushed back the tip of my sword, which astounded me given my knowledge of his natural strength, and he took the offensive. Had it not been for a last second guard, his sword would have probably crushed my skull, but I narrowly escaped that fate by guarding his sword with my own blade held over my head. I held as hard as I could, barely able to move against the strength he had.

Monroe must have been at least two or three times stronger here, for some reason, and I could feel the weight of his strength seeming to grow. "Why are you doing this, Monroe!" I cried, trying to get through to him.

"Who's Monroe?" he asked, no tone in his voice at all. "I live only to kill. Only to fight," he told me, lifting his sword up and swinging it down again. I narrowly rolled out of the way and began leaping backwards, trying to get away from the mercenary, who again peered at the ground. In an instant, the dark clad man appeared behind me and stopped. "Is your instinct strong enough to best me, who lives for combat?" he asked with a dark smile as he lunged towards me.

My body spun around the tip of his sword and I swung the hilt of my sword, slamming it into Vossler's face. I was breathing hard, but smiled at my accomplishment. I hadn't quite thought of what I was doing, but that had certainly turned out effectively. "I may not live for battle," I began, "but I will fight to protect those I love. I cannot die as long as I live to protect others, you see. That is where I trump you. I have a purpose!"

The dark warrior smiled and bowed his head. "A purpose... for one who only lives for battle, a purpose is a wonderful ideal, but I don't think we can attain it. Are you so sure you'd be willing to give up everything for this person?" spoke the man in the black trench coat.

"Yes," I stated simply, looking at the dark figure, which began laughing. As his laughing echoed through the strange realm, the realm burst into a white light again, and I returned to the world of total nothingness. Something about a realm of total light disturbed me equally, if not more, then a realm of total darkness. Absolutes, although it is claimed they exist, are hard to find in the world, so this place of contradictions proved to best me again. "Sorrow, guilt, pride. I am proud because I have someone to defend, and shall defend that person until I die. What is left to prove?" I asked myself, watching a realm form.

The rubble and debris of what I assumed to once be a city stood before me, along with a dirt path, and I found great flames lighting my path from the outer edges of the town. Destruction, sadness, chaos and fear had swept this town when the attack had started, but all that remained now were regrets and destruction. The lives extinguished here would be forgotten, along with their city, and the murderer would be remembered. Such was the hypocrisy of the world.

I walked through the town, looking around emptily, slightly pained by the chaotic and unneeded destruction that had occurred. Whoever had done this had no remorse about whom or what he destroyed, merely that they were destroyed. The once small town could now be compared to a desert almost, under the circumstances that almost nothing lived here anymore. With nothing to sustain that which lives there, all things dies but those most adapted. Survival of the fittest, the greatest, and most dangerous, law of nature.

I couldn't have said it better myself, echoed a voice from within my head. I felt a sharp pain as something seemed to break out from my back and leapt in front of me, staring at me hatefully. "Survival of the fittest is how the world should work. The weak die, and the strong live to grow stronger. Without strength, you're nothing. You honestly think you could give up everything you are now?!" asked the Blood Aura Master, Crimson. "Do you honestly believe that you could give up traveling, being a teacher, fighting random people, surrender your powers, or throw down your sword if Selene asked you to?!" He scoffed at me, and then cast a cocky smile towards me.

"I'll admit," I stated, sighing slightly, "I do love adventuring, and fighting, and training, and being an assistant, and hopefully a teacher one day, at the Dome, but if Selene asked, I'd do anything for her. She is my world, and if I didn't have her, I wouldn't be as strong as I am now. The only reason I'm powerful is because seeing her die once awakened the great power that lived within me. Now, I use that power to protect her and any others that need me. Once I am done being a guardian, I shall settle down with her, and give up all that I am, to the best of my ability, to make her happy."

"Can you prove it?" the demon asked with great sureness in his voice as he cut his hand and produced a scimitar in his left hand, and gave it a few test swings. "Can you really throw down your sword? If you don't, I'll kill her while you sleep," spoke the demon evilly as he cast a malicious grin upon me and pointed his sword at me. "Will you?!"

"I shall," I stated as I threw down my sword. "If to die is to protect Selene, then, as I've said, I'd lay everything I am on the line to save her. My body, my soul, and my mind all point towards only her as the one I love. Can you destroy that?" I asked the demon, who merely scoffed again.

"Well then, die!" yelled the beast as he rushed me, swinging his sword towards my skull. As the blade would have connected, the weapon shattered, as did the illusions from the marble, and returned me to pure darkness.

I blinked a few times and looked around, realizing that I hadn't moved from the spot I was standing in. Had everything that had just transpired been a dream? After all, my sword lay in its sheath at my side. There was only one way to know. I checked my pockets for the marble, but didn't find it. What had happened?

Click.

The noise alerted me as the sound of something rolling towards me echoed through the empty room and stopped as it hit my shoe. I picked up the marble and looked at it, unable to see what appeared upon it. In that moment, at least one of my questions was answered. I placed the marble in my pocket and looked around, still trying to figure out what in the world had happened.

As I stood there in total stupor, a massive burst of light erupted in the room and filled the chamber brightly. I stood in a circular room, with a great tablet beneath my feet, and four holes, one on each cardinal direction in the room. I stood in the center of the circular tablet, and looked at how the floor had been broken into rings, with the outer rings having placers, it seemed.

The Essence of Completeness, spoke the voice that I had first heard in the chamber. A heart that is complete has the will to fight on, even knowing the evils being done by people that the warrior knows. A rare feature.

I looked around quickly, trying to figure out what was going on. Suddenly, a silhouette of Shinu appeared on the western opening in the ground. I felt an urge to ask, and finally did so. "Who are you?" No answer. At least until the voice continued.

The Essence of Righteousness. A sense that right comes from action, and takes into account the price paid for it. A quality that allows a person to truly understand how awful the world truly is, yet still stand against the terrors of the world.

"What does this all mean?!" I begged for an answer from this voice. It didn't speak to me at all, and a silhouette of Zachary appeared in the eastern indent in the ground. I looked, and then heard the might voice again.

The Essence of Duty. The power to know who and what you are fighting for that is not yourself. The willingness to stand up to great evil for the betterment of existence. The knowledge that one does not simply fight for the sake of fighting all the time, and one that knows when the time to fight is the only choice.

I raised an eyebrow at this one. This test had some of the most interesting things I had ever heard before. Something about it didn't quite seem too natural, and again I asked something, even knowing I'd receive no response. "What are you?" After I asked, again, a silhouette formed, this one of Monroe to the northern indent.

Lastly, stated the voice as it seemed to ponder something, The Essence of Love. A person who fights for everyone without having something to return to is a person who's life isn't whole. Only by understanding love can a warrior truly understand the strength in his soul, and the willingness to give up everything, including ones own life, proves that you, Zorlo, are worthy of this negative energy crystal, stated the omniscient voice in my head as a bright light glowed in front of me. I saw the silhouette of Crimson just as the voice spoke the last words I heard from it.

Hold out your hand.

I held out my hand and felt something drop into it. Moments later, I appeared outside of the cave, holding something in my hand. I looked at the crystal as I started to walk back towards the town. I had an interesting feeling I'd meet Kenjin again somewhere soon, but didn't quite know where. Well, that was half the fun of looking, right?

I returned to the village, and walked silently, pondering the test in its entirety. It had proven a lot to me, both good and bad, and I now knew more about myself then I had before. Even if I rarely felt negative emotions, that didn't mean they weren't there, it just meant that I could better control my emotions then other. These things gave me a feeling of completeness, more so then normal, which made me a bit happier.

Finally, I arrived back at the home of the original Master of Light, Kenjin, and looked about. I looked around a bit in the tent of the mystic and found nothing. Just then, I heard a sound and turned around to see a bright door of light appear and I moved towards it. I grabbed the handle of the door and turned it, opening the door and entering it. As the light faded, I found myself in the center of Kenjin's room and looked around. It didn't take me long to find him, as he sat upon the steps of his dojo, looking at me.

"You've returned, I see," spoke Kenjin as he stood up and crossed his arms.

"Yes, and I have the crystal," I told him, holding the object before him.

"Well then, let us go," spoke the mystic as he smiled at me.

"Where?" asked I.

"To the Core," stated the giant as I approached him. Suddenly, I felt space change around me, and I stood, with Kenjin, in a realm of total darkness, save for the Yin-Yang symbol upon the ground. "We are here. Now then, it is time you meet the true Kenjin." These words echoed oddly through my ears, but still, I waited hoping the legendary Kenjin would show himself to me.

I find it very funny that Ciroton is still listed third, though for a different reason, as he submitted last. Enjoy!

Originally Posted by Ciroton

Soft footsteps resounded off the hard, stone walls of the long hall; its vaulted ceiling causing an eerie echo that would chill one to the bone. However, no one walked down this hall today, save for the man that made these noises. For the longest time, he had searched the majority of the dome in search of this particular room. Alas, as the fifteenth hour drew near, had had yet to find it.

What is it with these teachers and letters? The man thought as he reviewed it. Come to think of it, I’m not even sure this guy I’m supposed to see is even a teacher. Reaching into his pocket, the mage drew the letter and read it again, making sure he didn’t miss a clue. Sighing after finding no sign of a new clue, he stuffed the letter in his pocket one more and continued.

Confident of his memory, Arin closed his eyes and envisioned the letter in his head, thinking hard about any hidden meanings or clues within the text. Again defected, the mage continued his slow walk down the seemingly endless corridor. Alas, he could not keep his thoughts off the enigmatic letter. Who was this person, and how did he know his name?

Failing to resist the urge, he pulled it out of his pocket and read it again.

Arin,

It is time for the final task. Come to my room for further details, you’ll find a set of iron doors down a long corridor on the top floor of the dome. That is where you will find me.

Kenjin.

“I guess I didn’t search thoroughly the last time,” the mage thought aloud as he remembered his last scan of the top floor. “All of these stupid doors are made of iron! How am I supposed to know which one is the right one!” Arin turned absent-mindedly down a new corridor; however, it looked like every other hall on this floor.

I hate these long, pointless halls, the mage thought. Quickly growing weary of walking, Arin decided to stop wasting time and broke into a run. Turning his head to glance as every door as he passed, the mage in the strange robes could find a door that felt like the right one to him. Indeed, they were all made of iron as described in the letter, however, if this Kenjin were a teacher, their door would probably be quite elaborate.

Master Shintu taught the mage about the importance of the dome’s doors, each one being unique to its inhabitant or purpose. Keeping this in mind, Arin began to wonder what this person’s door would look like. He had never met this person before, so how could he tell which door was his? After all, they never said anything specific about it.

With his mind wondering on other things, the mage in the mulit-coloured robes had no idea he reached the end of the hall until he ran right into the solid iron door. Suddenly snapping back to reality with the impact, the mage backed off until, however, he got a good look at the door. If this isn’t it, I’ll eat my hat. He thought in wonder.

This door was unlike any other that Arin had ever encountered, its sheer size dwarfing his tall body. Countless intricate designs were caved into the solid metal, the most predominate of which was a large drawing of the Ying-Yang symbol. Moreover, the other most striking feature was the absence of a handle, or even a lock of some kind upon the door’s surface.

Hoping for the best, the mage stepped forward and pushed on both sides of the door. However, neither would budge even an inch. Figuring he should concentrate on one side, Arin shifted all of his strength on the right-hand door. Despite all his physical strength, the door still refused to budge. Stepping back once again, he could make out the shapes of ancient runes as apart of the intricate designs. “So, it’s a magical door,” Arin figured aloud.

Magical doors weren’t that hard to figure out because they had the same thing in common; they all needed either a payment of sorts, or a show of strength or worth. The only question now was figuring out what it was looking for.

I’ll try the easiest method and pound the snot out of that door. If all else fails, then I’ll try looking for something to give it, Arin figured. Stepping back from the door, he lowered his staff into the attack positions. Clearing his mind and focusing on what he needed to do, the mage closed his eyes and started throwing attacks at the door in rapid succession.

“Wind Arrow! Ice Barrage!” Arin shouted, unleashing the attacks immediately after each other. Thinking quickly, he morphed the staff into its sword form and issued more attacks. “Shockwave Blade! Light Cannon!” Each attack hit the door, not that they could miss because it was so big, causing a series of loud blasts to echo down the cavernous hall.

As the light and smoke from the surrounding walls and floor cleared, the mage in the strange robes could see his attacks had an effect. The Ying-Yang symbol on the door slowly inverted causing a narrow shaft of light to shine through the crack that separated the two doors. “That wasn’t too hard,” spoke the mage as he approached the double doors.

Unlike last time, the doors now seemed to move with even the most gentile touch, sliding into the walls. Hmm, just like the door that led to the hot spring, Arin recalled. Opening the doors just enough to fit his body, the mage stepped forward into the light. However, beyond the threshold he could see nothing but misty whiteness.

Turning around, the door back into the hall vanished, leaving the mage alone in this strange place. “Well, no sense in staying here,” he spoke to the mist. Walking forward, he realised the he could see nothing more then a foot in front of his face. This sent a chill up his spine as he wondered what this room contained.

Suddenly, Arin tripped, his face meeting the sharp edge of a stone step. Grasping it in pain, the mage all but forgot about the stairs until he sat on them to rest a little. I wonder where these go, he thought as the pain in his face faded away. From what he could tell, the old stone stairs were steep and narrow with many of the tiles threatening to fall off at a second’s notice.

Damn it, the mage thought after reviewing the stairs. I hate climbing, especially on old, decrepit stairs such as these. Giving an exasperated sigh, Arin began to climb despite himself and his secret fear of heights. The progress he made was slow at first; however, as he climbed the fog began to lift. Eventually, it had vanished completely. Looking back, the mage could see the valley he just left covered by fog, making this small mountain look like an island in a sea of white.

Shifting his attention to the top of the stairs, the mage could see a bright red arch unlike anything he had ever seen. In the middle of it, although he couldn’t really make it out, he saw what looked like another Ying-Yang symbol. Confident he was heading in the right direction, the mage continued while resisting his urge to look back once more.

Several strange and unknown plants grew on the fringes of the narrow stone staircase. Many of them looked quite beautiful to the mage. However, he resisted his urge to pick one; this Kenjin person might not be so understanding if they found a rare flower missing from their garden or something.

Finally reaching the top of the long set of stairs, Arin moved far away from the ledge in order to rest for a few minutes before continuing. However, he found he could not rest when he got a good look around the top of this small mountain.

It was a building unlike anything the mage had ever seen in his life. In front of him sat a massive building with a tower higher then any castle or structure he had ever seen. It didn’t look like a single structure either; instead it looked like many copies of the base were stacked on each other in an attempt to reach for the heavens. Around him was a ring of halls, although they had no walls that separated them from the open-air atrium, only a roof protected the wooden floors from the elements. Two smaller and narrower towers flanked the larger one, like guards protecting their king.

Three doors opened out into the atrium, all of them with a symbol over the door that related to the obvious theme of this place: Balance. The left door featured the Yang symbol, while the right held they Ying symbol. However, in the middle the symbols combined in perfect balance. It’s obvious this guy was going to be in the main building anyway, but the hint was sure nice, Arin thought as he approached the centre door.

He couldn’t help but notice how the doors in this palace, for lack of a better word, matched the one he found that led to the hot spring. However, he could find no reasonable link between the two, so he pushed these comparisons out of his mind for the time being. Slightly nervous about what lay beyond the door, he opened it slowly, hoping he wasn’t disturbing someone or anything.

Silently slipping inside the room, Arin could not help but notice the size of it. A series of weapons lined the walls, ready for use at a moment’s notice. It was unlike a training room, he assumed it to be, he had ever seen in his entire life. In the centre of this room, surrounded by a moat of deep water was a large area covered by a large training mat in the centre of which sat a man.

“You arrive at last, Arin Bryant,” the man sitting on the mat said. Arin could not help but think it was quite painful, sitting cross-legged like he was. “No, it’s not painful at all once you get used to it.”

Shock filled the mage’s body. Did he just…?

“Read your mind?” Replied the man. “Yes, I did.”

“Well, that’s kind of rude,” Arin spoke aloud. “I take it you must be Kenjin then?”

“No. I am his avatar. The true Kenjin resides in the core.”

“Avatar? Core?” The mage asked, clueless. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“I will give you a brief explanation,” spoke the avatar. Sitting down on the mat as well, Arin listened to his brief detail on the Core, and that the true Kenjin was bound to it. All the time, he sat there and pondered on his words until he stopped. “Now then,” said the avatar, standing to his full height. “It is time for the final task.”

Arin was surprised, to say the least at the sheer height of Kenjin. Not many people were tall then him, yet the mystic dwarfed him by over a foot. It was also the first time he took note of his form, a muscular build that could only hint at his true strength His long ears also caught the mage by surprise at first, initially thinking he was an elf until he said otherwise.

“What is the final task?” Arin asked inquisitively.

“You are to retrieve the crystal that will be used to fashion the grand prize,” the avatar replied. “However, it is hidden somewhere in a village long since past.”

“Then how are we going to get there?” The mage asked.

“You’ll see,” replied the mystic’s avatar. Placing a hand on the mage’s arm, the room around them slowly began to dissolve and turn into a void of white nothingness. Just as the mage began to worry, however, the whiteness slowly began to fade, a new room slowly coming into existence. Everything became sharper and the colours began to return to the word.

The solid training room they stood in became the interior of a rather large tent, although it had all the amenities of home, minus indoor plumbing of course. “In this village,” started the mystic. “Is where you will find the crystal. I suggest you start searching now for it, since I shall announce the winner after sunset. You have about four hours until then. I will be waiting for you outside this tent for you to return.”

“How will I know what it looks like?” Arin inquired.

“Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it.” With that, the avatar vanished, leaving the mage alone in the tent to search for this crystal. Alone again, Arin decided to cut to the chase, searching through everything he could in the confines of the tent. He opened boxes, drawers, and looked under makeshift beds and tables. Alas, there was no crystal anywhere in the tent. Figures, thought the mage acidly. No one would keep something so valuable in their own home. That would take away the fun from watching people suffer while searching.

Realising the futility in searching there, the mage turned to the exit and lifted the flap. However, he soon wished he hadn’t. From the entrance of the tent, Arin could see the tops of clouds just after the roof of a building that stood in front of him. Cautiously, he walked onto the roof, since one could easily access it from the road, and saw something that made him fall over.

Wherever this village was, it sat in the worst possible place for the mage. He never expected for a village to ever be build into the side of a very tall mountain, however, whoever these people were, they defied convention.

“Who the hell builds a village into the side of a mountain!?” Arin exclaimed as he sat on the roof’s shingles. Suddenly, visions of him slipping and falling to his doom entered his mind, motivating him to get off the roof and back onto the road behind him. Pressing himself tightly against that wall, many of the villagers that were present began to look at him inquisitively.

Pull yourself together, Arin! He thought. If you have to go close to the ledge then hug the wall, but when you’re this far away, there is no need to cower! Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and tried to not think about the location. Instead, he decided to snap his focus back to that crystal and the limited timeframe in which he had to find it.

Quickly finding his resolve, the mage calmly began to walk down the street. Never taking his eyes off the road, he felt a little more secure in this strange and high-elevated village. However, he was certain that the crystal just wouldn’t be lying on the ground in front of him. With his eyes squarely on the road below him, it came as no surprise that he walked headfirst into someone.

“Ow! Oh, I’m sorry,” apologised the mage. When he looked up, however, he saw a giant of a man looking down on him. Unlike Kenjin’s avatar, this guy’s build was similar to that of a mountain. Big, bulging muscles were all over his body, like a wrestler except even larger. Arin had to crane his neck in order to get a look at the man’s face, which looked down on him. The mage felt certain this was the kind of guy who would not take any nonsense form anybody.

However, this school of thought was shattered when this hulk of a man gave a jolly laugh. “No problem, kid. It happens all the time,” responded the large man. “What’s that matter? You look like you’ve just seen a dragon.” Giving a chuckle the man continued. “Oh, I get it. You thought I was going to hit you? Nah, I’d never hit a person. In fact, I’m a very peaceful guy, just like everyone else here. Well, have a nice day.”

Arin stood there stunned for a few seconds. In pretty much every other village he went if you carelessly ran into a person like that, you’d get you rear handed to you. For some reason, that did not apply to this village. Perhaps it was something in the water, or maybe because they were so high up that visitors were few and far between.

Gathering his wits, the mage continued his search for this infamous crystal. Walking up the sloping path and onto another “level” as he called them, he began to walk down a road that lead to what he believed was the town square. As he walked, the mage in the mult-coloured robes could not help but notice people paying attention to him. Not the kind of attention he grown used to, people staring or gawking at his robes, instead, these people would smile and wave as he passed, as thought they had known him for their entire lives.

Returning the gestures for the sake of being polite, the mage wandered into the town’s square. Unlike many towns he’d visited, this one did not have a fountain or garden of any sorts in the middle of it. Instead, many open-air shops gull of merchants peddling their wares filled in the void amongst the buildings. You never know, I might find that crystal here, Arin thought as he approached the stalls.

Snaking in between the stalls, the mage got a good feeling for what this town liked to merchant. Unlike many villages, no one seemed to haggle or bargain for the best price. In fact, the mage saw a shopkeeper give an elderly woman some bread for free because she could not afford it. However, despite his searching and asking the locals, not one store in the village sold crystal or any precious metals for that matter.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could not help but notice a rather large tavern that opened onto the square. Strange, the mage thought. How come they have a bar in a town like this? I didn’t strike me that there was any alcohol here. After all, it brings crime and yet this place looks crime free.

With the idea of finding it in the bazaar destroyed, Arin promptly left the square, hoping that maybe the crystal might be higher up. Walking on the street in the highest level, all that remained for the mage to explore was the village’s small graveyard. At the very highest point in the village, that graveyard looked down upon everything else since it sat at the very top of the mountain.

Still a little freaked out by the location of the village, the mage pressed on, although, he figured the odds of finding the crystal in the cemetery extremely unlikely. Looking behind tombstones and in crypts, the mage left almost no stone unturned in his quest. However, as the sun slowly began to sink, so did his hopes of finding it before sunset.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Arin notices a man sitting on a bench at the top of the mountain, which was also the centre of the graveyard. Figuring it couldn’t hurt to ask, the mage walked up the stairs that led to it and approached that lone man.

“Hey,” the man with the crystal staff spoke. “I was wondering if you had seen a weird crystal in this village.” However, the man sitting on the bench did not utter even a single sound. “Something the matter?” Arin asked.

Again, not a sound escaped form past the man’s lips. I might as well test this mirror, the mage figured. Putting a finger on the man’s hand while he wore the mirror on his own, a sudden, uncontrollable feeling of despair washed over the mage. Withdrawing his hand form the man’s flesh, he looked at him with disbelief. How could a person who lived in such a friendly place be so miserable?

There was no way he could let this man wallow in despair, even if it meant that he lost the entire game. “What’s the matter? Is there … anything you want to talk about?” Arin asked gently.

After a few minutes of silence, the man finally spoke, saying, “My wife. She died recently.”

“Oh,” responded the young mage. “I’m sorry to hear that. Was she sick, or was it sudden or something?”

“Both,” replied the man. “She died of Pneumonia”

Arin had no idea what to say to this. Pneumonia was a deadly disease, even where he came from. “How long ago?” The mage inquired.

“A month ago. I’ve come here every day since then.”

“Would your wife want you to mourn this much for her? Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure she appreciates it to an extent, but surly she wouldn’t want you coming every day?”

Silence followed that last remark, the look upon the man’s face showed that he was thinking about the mage’s words. The dying rays of the sun shined on the mage, giving him warmth despite the cool autumn wind that blew at this altitude. Looking towards it, the sunset was quite lovely, painting the blue canvas that was the sky all sorts of colours.

“I suppose you’re right,” the man said, breaking the silence. “I needed someone to talk to, someone who would listen to what I have to say. She was the only one before you who cared what I felt. Thank you.”

“No problem,” the mage in the strange robes replied in earnest. Standing up, he intended to continue his search for the crystal. Until, however, the man spoke again.

“About that crystal you’re looking for, I’ve heard the owner of the milk bar as a strange crystal she wears around her neck. Maybe that’s the one you seek?”

“I’ll look into it. Thank you very much,” Arin thanked. With this new information in hand, he felt elation unlike anything he’d ever felt before. Practically sprinting down the top of the mountain, he ran back onto the streets of the village and towards that tavern he saw earlier. It made sense, why would such happy people have such a miserable place unless it severed a harmless drink instead of beer?

Sounds of screaming filled the air as he drew closer, puffs of black smoke turning into a steady stream. A fire had broken out somehow in the village, if it was on the way he would assist in putting it out. However, as he turned in the square, he found that it was his destination that was set ablaze. Already, the citizens were busy trying to put the fire out, others tending to those who escaped. Suddenly, a feminine scream emanated from inside, someone was still inside the burning structure.

With blatant disregard for his own safety, the mage rushed into the building despite the protests of everyone outside. Covering his face with his sleeve, Arin bravely made his way through the fire, confidant his Infinity Robes would protect him from the flames. Progress through the flames was slow; however, he made it safely to the room where the damsel in distress waited.

“Come on!” Arin shouted through the roaring flames. “I’ll help you get out of here!” Grabbing her arm with the mirror-less hand, the mage lead her back through where he came. However, as he neared the stairs, the floor caved in front of him, forcing him to double back. Seeing the open window, he quickly formulated a plan. Sure, he had never tried it with someone handing on to him, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

“I’m going to jump out the window,” he shouted to the woman. “Hold on tight!” With that, he hopped onto the windowsill, the woman quickly following suit. Taking a deep breath, the mage stepped off the ledge and quickly shouted, “Wind Arrow!” With his staff pointed to the ground a sudden burst of wind blew, scattering debris that lay below, also providing a cushion of air that slowed the decent enough for them to land softly.

Immediately, people began to run forward, wishing to make sure the two were okay. Meanwhile, the others continued to fight the fire with great valour. In the end, their efforts were in vein; the shop burned down to the ground.

“Thank you so much for saving me,” the woman said softly. “My shop may be gone, but I can always rebuild. I just hope there was a way I could repay you.” Arin could not help but notice a soft glow coming from under the woman’s shirt. She seemed to notice this too since she reached underneath and pulled out a glowing crystal. “I’ll tell you what, I will give you this crystal I found a couple of weeks ago.”

“No,” Arin stared. “I couldn’t.”

“Please take it, you risked your life to save me.” Giving a small sigh, the man with the crystal staff took the small crystal and put it in his pocket. “Thank you, very much,” Arin said as some of the villagers began to take her to the local doctor. Sighing again, he turned around and headed in the direction of Kenjin’s avatar, reflecting on the day’s events as he walked. A lot had happened during the course of this game show, things that made him learn more about himself and his own flaws.

Before he knew it, Arin was standing face to face, as a figure of speech, with Kenjin’s avatar. “Do you have the crystal?” He asked. Pulling out the crystal from the owner of the milk bar, he handed it to Kenjin who surveyed it with great interest. “Very good, it is now time to announce the winner.” Placing a hand on Arin’s shoulder, the surroundings began to dissolve once more. However, instead of returning to the palace training room, the mage found himself in a void of darkness with the Ying-Yang symbol far below his feet.

Welcome to the core, Arin, said the disembodied voice of the true Kenjin.

And now, the very final piece, written by me, and arguably the finest submitted. Guess who it comes from? That's right, it's...

He had never had so much company in the Core.

I am happy to see so many of Chronos’ deshi with me today. The Dark Eye himself stood before the three chosen, alongside the avatar. Truly, it stands to testament of how much my friend here has grown, if he has successfully passed on the teachings I myself instilled in him. Chronos, though his mask, watched his students as they became slowly aware of their surroundings. Each one reacted differently. Zorlo, for example, chose to wonder at the shadowy phoenix that majestically circled the Core, singing softly in the background its mournful lullaby. Arin was simply amazed at the other two that had appeared beside him in the dark dimension. Raziel, however, was probably the most interesting, for he was pricking himself with his Rose to keep his nerve.

“Arin, Raziel, Zorlo,” the ebon knight muttered, and the trio turned to face their sensei. “This is the Core, the dwelling of my former Master, Kenjin. He is watching over us, and will show himself soon. But, before he does, I must impart with you some knowledge about what you have faced and the difficulties that you have fought against. Do you understand?” All three, for none had the courage to answer verbally, nodded solemnly. “This challenges were designed to torture you, to destroy you, and to rebirth you into the people that you can become. Each one tested a particular asset, and all of you demonstrated your humanity thereof.”

The yin-yang symbol in the center of the space began to glow softly. The Dark Eye, as if he heard a whisper in his ear, nodded and continued. “There is only one Crystal within this room that will resonate with its owner. And that owner is the victor of this little game. Only their Crystal will transform into a weapon for their personal use. This weapon will be very much like poison to that person, until they can overcome the weapon and themselves to invoke a metamorphosis that has never before been understood by any save one person.” The giant looked towards the brightly glowing center of the symbol. “And that person is coming. Prepare yourselves.”

The floor they stood on began to vibrate, and a translucent figure began to float within the circle. It bore many resemblances to the avatar that stood silently by Chronos, only none of the deshi could quite make out its complete body. The only things they saw for certainty were its eyes, black pits of darkness. None of the three could help themselves, and stared into them for what felt like days, feeling them invade the deepest recesses of their minds, bodies and souls. I see. The true Kenjin spoke, vibrating his thoughts through their minds. These children have indeed been through some terrible experiences. My friend, you were too rough on them, I think.

Chronos was indifferent to the comment, and remained as stoic as the avatar. I sense that one of you can receive my weapon. I feel it through your transformation, and your acceptance, and in the bonds that define who you are. My friend here will be more than happy to take your Crystal from you and give it to me, as he is the only one here strong enough to hand it to me in this form. The Dark Eye and the avatar then straightened up, and began to walk around the circle where Kenjin floated to stand before the three students. Hold out your Crystals, and the victor’s will shine.

Zorlo, Raziel, and Arin all did as they were told. Each one, reflecting on their trials to receive their Crystals, held out their prizes in the palms of their hands. Chronos and the avatar looked down on the line of three, and the true Kenjin held out both his hands. Shine, my Crystal. A larger Crystal appeared, and hovered just before Kenjin’s body. Each smaller Crystal resonated, and began to glow in tune with the giant Crystal. They warmed in their owner’s hands, and lightly burnt those without protection. But, as they continued to shine with radiance, it became clear whose Crystal was the one chosen to become a weapon.

My friend, take the Crystal. The other two, though they were disappointed that they had lost, nonetheless smiled as the Dark Eye took the Crystal from the victor’s hand. Now give it to me so I may forge the weapon. Chronos did as he was told, and stuck his hand into the yin-yang circle that Kenjin was trapped in. Kenjin took the Crystal into his hands. Thank you. Now I shall use my Crystal to give birth to a new weapon. The Crystal began to glow softly, then started to transform into a new weapon.

It will bear the distinct traits of the warrior’s signature weapon. As he spoke, the Crystal started to grow and extend, forming a beautiful new weapon. It transformed into a sheen, transparent weapon, with a keen handle so it could be easily gripped by its new master. At the end of the handle, as always, a sphere of black energy began to emerge. This will measure the weapon’s purification. When it is completely transparent, the weapon will alter you in ways you could never imagine. Look what happened to me. When the weapon was complete, Kenjin held its glorious handle, unharmed by the negative energy of the weapon. My friend, give it to its owner. Chronos once more placed his arm into the circle to take the weapon by its handle, and turned towards its champion.

“Receive it, deshi, and use it wisely. It will be difficult, but you must endure to receive the eventual reward.” The champion stood forward, and accepted it with a smile. Chronos was thanked, as was Kenjin, and returned to the line. “For you two, I expect you to resume your training soon,” he told the others. “You may keep the Crystals as mementos, but you must work hard.” The two smiled, and nodded, feeling both the down of failure and hope for the future.

And, as for you, my champion, you are finally free of the bonds that tie you to your training. Go free into the world, or stay as my friend here did to continue training other deshi to surpass you one day. Kenjin spread his arms in farewell, then his glowing figure vanished from within the circle. When the glowing died down, the avatar stepped forward. “Now, I will take you back into the real world, away from the Core.” The avatar clasped its hands together, and the entire world around them began to glow.

The deshi shielded their eyes as the world of the Core faded away and, when they opened their eyes, they found themselves in the bright courtyard of the Dome. The smells of fresh grass surrounded them, and the water from the fountain radiated the light of the sun above them. “It is done, my deshi,” the Dark Eye said. “Kenjin has given his gift, and all of you will forever reap the benefits of this training. It may have been difficult, but you survived it. And, one day, it will pay off.” With that, the giant nodded his head once, for he had work to do, and less time to do it in. He turned from the courtyard to leave the deshi, but stopped just before he went back into the Dome.

“I do hope that, even though you have graduated my class, that you remain with me,” the Dark Eye murmured. “I would not want to be parted from the pieces in my arm for too long, Zorlo. And as for you, Arin and Raziel, I will see you tomorrow. Your training will begin anew then.” With that, the ronin vanished into the Dome with a swish of his coat. “Be ready.”

Needless to say, our winner today is Zorlo, who successfully managed to take the first steps towards becoming a person under the vision of his creator, Zorolo. As a reward, Zorlo received the Sapphire, a crystal rapier that will be very difficult for him to use, so he'd better stick with his regular weapons for bigger battles. Only time will tell how far the Sapphire will be capable of sending him.

Raziel and Arin failed where Zorlo succeeded for several reasons. Ciroton, during his submission, paid so much attention to his story he failed to address the evolution of his character. Sakume did better at giving her character a better evolution but neglected the story, and in several portions seemed to 'jump the shark'. Zorolo did a much better job at tying together the evolution of his character and the story. Hence his victory.

I salute Zorolo as my first graduated student, and anticipate that both Ciroton and Sakume will follow him someday, probably very soon, as you both are nearing the point where you will surpass my expectations. But, there could only be one winner, and it was a difficult choice to make.

Let's do this again next year. Probably not during NaNoWriMo.