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<|fim_suffix|>rose from its slumber to embrace the city in its comforting light. A part of him wanted to go down and enjoy the festivities.
But Godwin rather enjoyed the company of a quill and parchment.
He thought about the quill and how he had found it on the side of a road outside the city. But here he was hours later, with no inspiration. He dipped his quill in ink and wrote. "Lord
Odin sat upon his lofty throne alone."
He put the quill down and brainstormed the following few words he should write. He heard a sound while gazing at the Moonlite mountains in the distance. Scribble, scribble, scribble. The quill was writing. "Ahhh!"
The quill did not notice and just kept writing. Godwin quickly grabbed the box the quill was in and slowly reached for it like he was about to squash a bug. It stopped writing as he reached for it and gently eased itself into his hand. He locked it quickly in the box and, for a brief moment, thought. I should throw this over the edge. However, something stopped him, and he just placed it on the small table before him. He didn't know how he should feel. A part of him was terrified, heart racing and extreme anxiety, but also a hint of curiosity.
Magical items were common; however, he only saw magical items that acted on command, never one that acted uninstructed. He looked around to see if anyone was playing tricks on him. None of his neighbors were out, and the crowd below was focused on the festivities. Godwin shot a glare at the box. Godwin looked at the parchment to see what it had written. "Why was King Odin alone?" That is what was written. Godwin's curiosity got the better of him. He reached for the box slowly as if it were to jump out and stab him. Damn, pull yourself together. You're an orc. It's just a quill. What's the worst that could happen. He thought. Click. Godwin opened the box and took the quill in his hand. Plop, Plop, he dipped it back into the ink pot and wrote. "Who are you or what are you?"
The quill wiggled in his hand; he eased its grip on it so it could write its response. "My name is Ava. What I am is your quill bound to serve you." "Serve me?" " Is this a Jinni in a quill ?" He thought
"Are you a jinni?" "Not exactly who I am or who I was does not matter. I'm here to serve thee." "So what do you do exactly?" "Write what you desire, and you shall have it; however,
be careful what you write, for you can not take it back." "I don't know what I want." "Let me make this easy for you. Do you want love?" "No." "Do you want untold vast riches? Could you get a new parchment ready? I feel I'm nearing the end of this page." Godwin hadn't realized how much space was already taken up. He pulled out a new piece. "To answer your last question…No." "Okay… how about power? How does that sound like love? I can tell by your grip you're an Orc. Orcs love power, don't they?" "Sorry to disappoint, I'm a strange Orc. No, I don't want power." "I don't understand what you want?" Godwin thought for a moment.
What do I…want? He just noticed that this was the most in-depth conversation he's had with anyone. He felt pretty relieved to be able to speak to someone. He knew at that moment what he wanted was company. He wrote. "I like company." "Wonderful we're making progress love thank you. What kind of company are we talking about? The romantic kind?" "No… Your company is fine." The quill stopped writing momentarily and wiggled its way into Godwin's hand. Bounced and swayed around the parchment as though it were confused. It then turned sharply, facing Godwin, slowly moving inches closer to him. He felt like it was giving him a strange and irritated glare. Odd, it had no eyes or face, but he could feel its frustration. It turned its back sharply at him, lodged itself between his fingers, and nudged his hand to the parchment. It wrote “ I…Wish….For…” "Tell me more about yourself." The quill gave in. "You're strange for an Orc and definitely the most interesting one that has held me. For once I don't feel like I'm being used. What do you want to know?" "What is your name? Where are you from, and how did you end up in this quill." "My name is Ava. I come from the Briar lands. How I ended up here is a long and complicated story." "Summarize it for me. I have time." "You're the first Orc or anyone who's ever shown a keen interest in me instead of my abilities. You're very strange, and I like it." "That's because I understand what it feels like to go unnoticed and for others to see how they can benefit from you." "Well, to keep a long story short, I was once an elf, a wood elf, to be more precise. As I said, I was raised in the Briar lands. Definitely not the place you'd want to raise a family. Full of werewolves, vampires, and necromancers.
I was the daughter of a witch…" "That's unfortunate." "yes, especially when I figured out what my mother had planned for me. I never knew who my father was. My mother told me he was just a traveler who used her for her body and left her. I asked if I had any sisters, and she said I did, but they had passed on." Godwin flipped the parchment so she could continue telling her tale. "My mother would raise me until I was at the ripe age of 20. I was young and beautiful and had long Auburn hair. Many young men wanted my attention…I…"
Ava stopped writing. "Is something wrong? If it pains you to continue, then you can stop." "No, it's been some time since I spoke about this." "How long?" "300 hundred years.." Godwin's problems seemed less serious now. He couldn't empathize with Ava, but he did sympathize with her. "She told me to come in one day and look at a beautiful quill she had made. And asked me to test the ink in it for her on a parchment. I then wrote my name, and shortly afterward, she uttered an incantation. The sensation I felt was my soul being torn from my body, like cotton caught on thorns. Godwin grimaced at the description. "As my soul left my body, I was transferred to this quill, and I could see my mother's soul entering my body and leaving her skin. I found out later that the skin she was in was that of her previous daughter. And now, Here I am serving my Purpose." "How did you escape her?" "I don't know. I just prayed and got whisked away in some random part of the world." "The three wishes you can grant?" Godwin wrote "Are a failsafe just in case she was to lose me. People would be so focused on their needs and their desires. And I would not have control of myself or my actions. I can't speak unless commanded to or asked a question.." Godwin thought momentarily, and an idea suddenly zapped into his mind. He grabbed another parchment and wrote. "I wish for the skills and abilities required of me to help you break free." "Why are you doing this?" "Because all my life I've been stuck in this damned city, I want to experience life and tell stories. And help others where I can. So, How do we break this curse?" "You have to bring me to the Briarlands, where my soul was taken deep in the lonesome forest."
Godwin dipped the quill in the inkpot. Tap, tap, he hadn't realized how low he was on ink. And that his conversation with Ava had filled six pages. He gently placed Ava back in her ornate box. And sat silently on his balcony, contemplating what had just happened.
He'd had an actual meaningful conversation with someone. However long this was going to take, Godwin was happy. For once in his life, he was doing something different and exciting. To ensure he didn't come back home, he would sell all his belongings to his landlord with no intention of returning to Albion. 5 years later "Ay, we're here. This is as far as my carriage goes, shaman." The carriage stopped outside a long winding path between two mountains. "Thank you for the trip." Godwin tossed a small pouch of coin to the driver. "Best you turn back now, driver, before the beasties come out. A full moon's coming." The driver didn't hesitate and instantly sent his horses into a gallop in the opposite direction. Once he reached the end of the path, he was greeted by two colossal statues the size of mountains. The one to his left was that of Lokar wielding a staff, and to the right, Thoran wielding a mighty hammer with one hand. The beautiful Briar lands, a vast sea of copper and golden leaves that looked like an enormous Water painting, took him aback. In the distance, he could see the mountains and how they curved into a valley. He could see the city of Hallow's end. And smaller villages sprinkled between. He remembered her instructions and needed to find a place to make camp and talk to Ava. He pulled out a map and looked for the landmark of the weeping widow statue. He began his journey east.
Night had fallen, and using the earth, Godwin made a tent large enough to make a fire and thick enough to protect him from intruders.
The shamans of the western Highlands had taught him how to harness the elements and nature to aid him. A skill few orcs carried but one he was happy to master to help Ava. He pulled out his journal and ink pot and began writing. "We're here, Ava." "Good. Remember what I told you and what you must do." Godwin felt a stabbing pain in his heart. He and Ava had grown close together over the last 5 years. They both had grown fond of each other. "Yes, I just wish there was another way." "Godwin, I do, too." "Will I see you again in the next life, Ava?" "Maybe.." "I don't want to lose you." "Neither do I, Godwin, but this life isn't the end, only the beginning." Godwin and Ava both knew how this would end. He wanted her but couldn't have her. Having her meant to keep her his prisoner. And he wanted her to be free and to rest in peace.
Even if that meant he'd end up alone.
The day dawned crisp and cold. He knew he was getting near the weeping widow's statue, for he could hear low cries and sobs that got louder the closer they got to the witch's house.
Ava shook violently in his satchel. Her mother is trying to bring her back . He could see smoke in the distance and assumed it had to be the witch's hut. Her home was not as ominous as he'd thought it wasn't cozy, but it had a small garden of exotic herbs.
And was carved into a large tree. As Godwin made his way, the door opened. And he saw Ava's body or rather her mother in her skin. "Come on in, my dear. I have a proposition for you." "I will make no deals with you, WITCH!" "Even if it means you and my Ava can live happily ever after?" Ava was shaking in Godiwns satchel. He could hear the box crack as Ava went piercing out, aiming for her mother's throat. "No no no dear this isn't how you greet your mother." She lifted her finger, but Ava lost control and floated obediently beside her mother. Godwin had no choice but to obey. He came inside the witch's home, which was spacious. It had a cauldron in the center by the hearth, a table carved from the tree they were in, and a closet in which he could hear muffled cries. "Now take a seat Orc." "You've obviously grown an attachment to my daughter." "How do you know." "I made this quill. Do you think I don't know what it writes?" Fear gripped Godwin, all his conversations with Ava, and their plans. Her mother knew it all. "Now that I have your attention."
She smiled. Ava was beautiful, and Godwin couldn't help but notice her deep green eyes, lustrous Auburn hair, and an amber locket around her neck. Her Elf ears were long and Curving towards the top. It's not her , he told himself. "You can have her, and she can have her skin back, for I found someone else." She walked towards the closet and opened it, and another young woman came falling out. Her mouth was wrapped, her hair a mess, and her eyes red from crying. "Now all you have to do is sign your name on this parchment, and the girl's soul will transfer from her body into the quill mine to her, and oh come now, you get the rest." Godwin considered it. He could be with Ava, and they could live out the rest of their lives together. What would she think of me if I sacrificed someone else for her ? Godwin looked at the Girl with fear in her eyes. He tightened his fist, readying a strike. "I see you've made your choice. Cut him up Ava be quick.." Ava began slicing away at him. The pain was excruciating. He was not able to cast any spells or incantations. Slice slice slice, the cuts became more profound, and Godwin had difficulty moving. He knew what he had to do but didn't want to do it. With a heavy hand that felt like the weight of the world, he reached out and snatched the quill. Crushing it. "NOOOOOOO You Fool!" Godwin was in shock. He didn't know what was going on, and he felt an uncontrollable rage begin to boil inside him. "AHHHHHHHHHHH." He lunged toward the witch, and she threw everything she had at him: flying blades, fire, Ice, and storm. Nothing was working, but he kept getting closer. Godwin wrapped his wrapped one hand around the witch's throat, and before she could speak, he snapped her neck. He could see her soul leaving Ava's body as it went limp. The Girl who was to be the next sacrifice fled the house during the carnage. Godwin stared into Ava's dead eyes. I killed her twice. He fell to his knees and began to sob, holding Ava's lifeless body. I'm sorry, Ava, I've failed you. The silence was long and deafening until Godwin heard whispers near the quill. Ava's soul or remnants of it were in the feather. He noticed the amber locket around her corpse. Yes, yes, this could work , he thought. He cleansed the object to make sure nothing was inside of it. Using the life magic he was taught, he transferred some of his soul into the locket. He then grabbed the remnants of the quill. "Let us be one. Let us be whole." The toll this took on him was heavy. He wasn't sure how much of his life he had given away. But, it was enough so he and Ava could have a few more years together. He wrapped the amber locket around his neck and waited for a few moments. Shortly, an apparition of Ava appeared. "Godwin, what happened? How am I still here? Did you kill my mother?" "Yes, but I wanted to ensure your spirit had a safe trip to the other side." "What did you do?" "I gave some of my life to bind you to this locket. I can break it, freeing you, but I won't get back what I had given." "Why would you do this?" "So. I could see for the first time and say goodbye." "Godwin, after all we've been through, I finally have the choice to leave or stay." "The apparition paced back and forth. I know what I want." Godwin looked up at Ava. "Will I be free after your life in this locket fades?" "Yes, once my time ends, the magic holding you will fade, and you'll be free." "Take my hand, Godwin." Godwin reached out for Ava's hand. Her spirit gave him the strength to rise. They embraced one another. She looked up at him. "I'd love to spend the rest of your life with you." When they kissed, it felt strange, for she wasn't fully physical but just enough for him to feel the initial sensation. For a long time, Godwin held Ava in his arms, and he had no intention of letting her go. For once, he had much more in life to experience, and now he could do it with the elf he loved.<|fim_prefix|>It was a cold and lonely night in the city of Albion. The cobblestone streets w<|fim_middle|>ere filled with people from all walks of life. The bazaar was a bright array of shades of amber and violet, and the air was filled with sweet exotic scents from lands far away. Godwin sat alone on his balcony. He saw the entire city for miles. The moon slowly | o2m88l_split1 | The Orc and the Quill | Mielikki/Erebus-87k | [
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] | 3,734 | rose from its slumber to embrace the city in its comforting light. A part of him wanted to go down and enjoy the festivities.
But Godwin rather enjoyed the company of a quill and parchment.
He thought about the quill and how he had found it on the side of a road outside the city. But here he was hours later, with no inspiration. He dipped his quill in ink and wrote. "Lord
Odin sat upon his lofty throne alone."
He put the quill down and brainstormed the following few words he should write. He heard a sound while gazing at the Moonlite mountains in the distance. Scribble, scribble, scribble. The quill was writing. "Ahhh!"
The quill did not notice and just kept writing. Godwin quickly grabbed the box the quill was in and slowly reached for it like he was about to squash a bug. It stopped writing as he reached for it and gently eased itself into his hand. He locked it quickly in the box and, for a brief moment, thought. I should throw this over the edge. However, something stopped him, and he just placed it on the small table before him. He didn't know how he should feel. A part of him was terrified, heart racing and extreme anxiety, but also a hint of curiosity.
Magical items were common; however, he only saw magical items that acted on command, never one that acted uninstructed. He looked around to see if anyone was playing tricks on him. None of his neighbors were out, and the crowd below was focused on the festivities. Godwin shot a glare at the box. Godwin looked at the parchment to see what it had written. "Why was King Odin alone?" That is what was written. Godwin's curiosity got the better of him. He reached for the box slowly as if it were to jump out and stab him. Damn, pull yourself together. You're an orc. It's just a quill. What's the worst that could happen. He thought. Click. Godwin opened the box and took the quill in his hand. Plop, Plop, he dipped it back into the ink pot and wrote. "Who are you or what are you?"
The quill wiggled in his hand; he eased its grip on it so it could write its response. "My name is Ava. What I am is your quill bound to serve you." "Serve me?" " Is this a Jinni in a quill ?" He thought
"Are you a jinni?" "Not exactly who I am or who I was does not matter. I'm here to serve thee." "So what do you do exactly?" "Write what you desire, and you shall have it; however,
be careful what you write, for you can not take it back." "I don't know what I want." "Let me make this easy for you. Do you want love?" "No." "Do you want untold vast riches? Could you get a new parchment ready? I feel I'm nearing the end of this page." Godwin hadn't realized how much space was already taken up. He pulled out a new piece. "To answer your last question…No." "Okay… how about power? How does that sound like love? I can tell by your grip you're an Orc. Orcs love power, don't they?" "Sorry to disappoint, I'm a strange Orc. No, I don't want power." "I don't understand what you want?" Godwin thought for a moment.
What do I…want? He just noticed that this was the most in-depth conversation he's had with anyone. He felt pretty relieved to be able to speak to someone. He knew at that moment what he wanted was company. He wrote. "I like company." "Wonderful we're making progress love thank you. What kind of company are we talking about? The romantic kind?" "No… Your company is fine." The quill stopped writing momentarily and wiggled its way into Godwin's hand. Bounced and swayed around the parchment as though it were confused. It then turned sharply, facing Godwin, slowly moving inches closer to him. He felt like it was giving him a strange and irritated glare. Odd, it had no eyes or face, but he could feel its frustration. It turned its back sharply at him, lodged itself between his fingers, and nudged his hand to the parchment. It wrote “ I…Wish….For…” "Tell me more about yourself." The quill gave in. "You're strange for an Orc and definitely the most interesting one that has held me. For once I don't feel like I'm being used. What do you want to know?" "What is your name? Where are you from, and how did you end up in this quill." "My name is Ava. I come from the Briar lands. How I ended up here is a long and complicated story." "Summarize it for me. I have time." "You're the first Orc or anyone who's ever shown a keen interest in me instead of my abilities. You're very strange, and I like it." "That's because I understand what it feels like to go unnoticed and for others to see how they can benefit from you." "Well, to keep a long story short, I was once an elf, a wood elf, to be more precise. As I said, I was raised in the Briar lands. Definitely not the place you'd want to raise a family. Full of werewolves, vampires, and necromancers.
I was the daughter of a witch…" "That's unfortunate." "yes, especially when I figured out what my mother had planned for me. I never knew who my father was. My mother told me he was just a traveler who used her for her body and left her. I asked if I had any sisters, and she said I did, but they had passed on." Godwin flipped the parchment so she could continue telling her tale. "My mother would raise me until I was at the ripe age of 20. I was young and beautiful and had long Auburn hair. Many young men wanted my attention…I…"
Ava stopped writing. "Is something wrong? If it pains you to continue, then you can stop." "No, it's been some time since I spoke about this." "How long?" "300 hundred years.." Godwin's problems seemed less serious now. He couldn't empathize with Ava, but he did sympathize with her. "She told me to come in one day and look at a beautiful quill she had made. And asked me to test the ink in it for her on a parchment. I then wrote my name, and shortly afterward, she uttered an incantation. The sensation I felt was my soul being torn from my body, like cotton caught on thorns. Godwin grimaced at the description. "As my soul left my body, I was transferred to this quill, and I could see my mother's soul entering my body and leaving her skin. I found out later that the skin she was in was that of her previous daughter. And now, Here I am serving my Purpose." "How did you escape her?" "I don't know. I just prayed and got whisked away in some random part of the world." "The three wishes you can grant?" Godwin wrote "Are a failsafe just in case she was to lose me. People would be so focused on their needs and their desires. And I would not have control of myself or my actions. I can't speak unless commanded to or asked a question.." Godwin thought momentarily, and an idea suddenly zapped into his mind. He grabbed another parchment and wrote. "I wish for the skills and abilities required of me to help you break free." "Why are you doing this?" "Because all my life I've been stuck in this damned city, I want to experience life and tell stories. And help others where I can. So, How do we break this curse?" "You have to bring me to the Briarlands, where my soul was taken deep in the lonesome forest."
Godwin dipped the quill in the inkpot. Tap, tap, he hadn't realized how low he was on ink. And that his conversation with Ava had filled six pages. He gently placed Ava back in her ornate box. And sat silently on his balcony, contemplating what had just happened.
He'd had an actual meaningful conversation with someone. However long this was going to take, Godwin was happy. For once in his life, he was doing something different and exciting. To ensure he didn't come back home, he would sell all his belongings to his landlord with no intention of returning to Albion. 5 years later "Ay, we're here. This is as far as my carriage goes, shaman." The carriage stopped outside a long winding path between two mountains. "Thank you for the trip." Godwin tossed a small pouch of coin to the driver. "Best you turn back now, driver, before the beasties come out. A full moon's coming." The driver didn't hesitate and instantly sent his horses into a gallop in the opposite direction. Once he reached the end of the path, he was greeted by two colossal statues the size of mountains. The one to his left was that of Lokar wielding a staff, and to the right, Thoran wielding a mighty hammer with one hand. The beautiful Briar lands, a vast sea of copper and golden leaves that looked like an enormous Water painting, took him aback. In the distance, he could see the mountains and how they curved into a valley. He could see the city of Hallow's end. And smaller villages sprinkled between. He remembered her instructions and needed to find a place to make camp and talk to Ava. He pulled out a map and looked for the landmark of the weeping widow statue. He began his journey east.
Night had fallen, and using the earth, Godwin made a tent large enough to make a fire and thick enough to protect him from intruders.
The shamans of the western Highlands had taught him how to harness the elements and nature to aid him. A skill few orcs carried but one he was happy to master to help Ava. He pulled out his journal and ink pot and began writing. "We're here, Ava." "Good. Remember what I told you and what you must do." Godwin felt a stabbing pain in his heart. He and Ava had grown close together over the last 5 years. They both had grown fond of each other. "Yes, I just wish there was another way." "Godwin, I do, too." "Will I see you again in the next life, Ava?" "Maybe.." "I don't want to lose you." "Neither do I, Godwin, but this life isn't the end, only the beginning." Godwin and Ava both knew how this would end. He wanted her but couldn't have her. Having her meant to keep her his prisoner. And he wanted her to be free and to rest in peace.
Even if that meant he'd end up alone.
The day dawned crisp and cold. He knew he was getting near the weeping widow's statue, for he could hear low cries and sobs that got louder the closer they got to the witch's house.
Ava shook violently in his satchel. Her mother is trying to bring her back . He could see smoke in the distance and assumed it had to be the witch's hut. Her home was not as ominous as he'd thought it wasn't cozy, but it had a small garden of exotic herbs.
And was carved into a large tree. As Godwin made his way, the door opened. And he saw Ava's body or rather her mother in her skin. "Come on in, my dear. I have a proposition for you." "I will make no deals with you, WITCH!" "Even if it means you and my Ava can live happily ever after?" Ava was shaking in Godiwns satchel. He could hear the box crack as Ava went piercing out, aiming for her mother's throat. "No no no dear this isn't how you greet your mother." She lifted her finger, but Ava lost control and floated obediently beside her mother. Godwin had no choice but to obey. He came inside the witch's home, which was spacious. It had a cauldron in the center by the hearth, a table carved from the tree they were in, and a closet in which he could hear muffled cries. "Now take a seat Orc." "You've obviously grown an attachment to my daughter." "How do you know." "I made this quill. Do you think I don't know what it writes?" Fear gripped Godwin, all his conversations with Ava, and their plans. Her mother knew it all. "Now that I have your attention."
She smiled. Ava was beautiful, and Godwin couldn't help but notice her deep green eyes, lustrous Auburn hair, and an amber locket around her neck. Her Elf ears were long and Curving towards the top. It's not her , he told himself. "You can have her, and she can have her skin back, for I found someone else." She walked towards the closet and opened it, and another young woman came falling out. Her mouth was wrapped, her hair a mess, and her eyes red from crying. "Now all you have to do is sign your name on this parchment, and the girl's soul will transfer from her body into the quill mine to her, and oh come now, you get the rest." Godwin considered it. He could be with Ava, and they could live out the rest of their lives together. What would she think of me if I sacrificed someone else for her ? Godwin looked at the Girl with fear in her eyes. He tightened his fist, readying a strike. "I see you've made your choice. Cut him up Ava be quick.." Ava began slicing away at him. The pain was excruciating. He was not able to cast any spells or incantations. Slice slice slice, the cuts became more profound, and Godwin had difficulty moving. He knew what he had to do but didn't want to do it. With a heavy hand that felt like the weight of the world, he reached out and snatched the quill. Crushing it. "NOOOOOOO You Fool!" Godwin was in shock. He didn't know what was going on, and he felt an uncontrollable rage begin to boil inside him. "AHHHHHHHHHHH." He lunged toward the witch, and she threw everything she had at him: flying blades, fire, Ice, and storm. Nothing was working, but he kept getting closer. Godwin wrapped his wrapped one hand around the witch's throat, and before she could speak, he snapped her neck. He could see her soul leaving Ava's body as it went limp. The Girl who was to be the next sacrifice fled the house during the carnage. Godwin stared into Ava's dead eyes. I killed her twice. He fell to his knees and began to sob, holding Ava's lifeless body. I'm sorry, Ava, I've failed you. The silence was long and deafening until Godwin heard whispers near the quill. Ava's soul or remnants of it were in the feather. He noticed the amber locket around her corpse. Yes, yes, this could work , he thought. He cleansed the object to make sure nothing was inside of it. Using the life magic he was taught, he transferred some of his soul into the locket. He then grabbed the remnants of the quill. "Let us be one. Let us be whole." The toll this took on him was heavy. He wasn't sure how much of his life he had given away. But, it was enough so he and Ava could have a few more years together. He wrapped the amber locket around his neck and waited for a few moments. Shortly, an apparition of Ava appeared. "Godwin, what happened? How am I still here? Did you kill my mother?" "Yes, but I wanted to ensure your spirit had a safe trip to the other side." "What did you do?" "I gave some of my life to bind you to this locket. I can break it, freeing you, but I won't get back what I had given." "Why would you do this?" "So. I could see for the first time and say goodbye." "Godwin, after all we've been through, I finally have the choice to leave or stay." "The apparition paced back and forth. I know what I want." Godwin looked up at Ava. "Will I be free after your life in this locket fades?" "Yes, once my time ends, the magic holding you will fade, and you'll be free." "Take my hand, Godwin." Godwin reached out for Ava's hand. Her spirit gave him the strength to rise. They embraced one another. She looked up at him. "I'd love to spend the rest of your life with you." When they kissed, it felt strange, for she wasn't fully physical but just enough for him to feel the initial sensation. For a long time, Godwin held Ava in his arms, and he had no intention of letting her go. For once, he had much more in life to experience, and now he could do it with the elf he loved. | It was a cold and lonely night in the city of Albion. The cobblestone streets w | ere filled with people from all walks of life. The bazaar was a bright array of shades of amber and violet, and the air was filled with sweet exotic scents from lands far away. Godwin sat alone on his balcony. He saw the entire city for miles. The moon slowly |
<|fim_suffix|>ne: Travail We had set sail on a journey across an ocean that had not been traversed for generations. Our entire community was blighted with an affliction causing the population to dwindle to just us men aboard our ship. The last vestiges of humanity as we saw it. A dangerous and likely suicidal journey was ahead of us, but we were without anything to return home to anyway. Desperation can make any task seem less daunting, I suppose. Our young had been dying off while our elders ceased to bring us offspring. We were not certain of the cause any more than we were certain of our impending extinction.
Yet we had hope. An old tale of a far-off island known only as No Man’s Land, named such as a warning against all who tried to reach it. The surrounding waters breed only sickness, misfortune, misery, and death for all who try to approach it. All who have attempted have done so for one purpose. The Goddess of Immortality, a special idol that was rumored to grant eternal life, was told to be stored there. For most, a chance at eternal life, rumored to be true and never proven, was never worth the higher risk of losing their life. But, we had run out of options. All we had left was promise of myth and legend. Off to No Man’s Land we set sail. Among rank on ship was one of the oldest and only surviving members of our village’s officials. Fortunately for us, he was our local doctor. He became quite handy while we were aboard the ship. Many had never left the island and the voyage was cruel on their bodies. Despite our doctor, named Banks, helping, we lost a few of our already small crew. The air grew full of stink as we could see the island on the horizon. The waters were full of dead marine life. No monsters of the sea to ward off, only the foul, gut-wrenching odor of the salty dead.
“No, you don’t ever get used to the smell. No matter how often you smell death, it smacks you in the face each time. Then in the stomach,” Banks put his arm around my shoulder as I lost my lunch overboard. The putrid water stared back at me and tempted my breakfast as well before the Doc spun me around. “You hang in there, Bub. We are almost there! We are but a day’s journey from fortune and glory,” and he was not wrong! The island was growing ever closer. We had only to look for a spot to anchor before we set out on our pontoon.
There were not many of us left for a proper split party to maintain the ship and the sick while we sent a crew out to search for the idol. However, Banks could not be persuaded to stay and tend to the sick and dying. “They won’t make it anyways, and I’ve come too far to die with those who are already dead,” was his only argument. Who were we to question his call? It’s not like we could if we wanted to. If they had no chance at surviving, maybe he had a point? We hardly even knew one another as it were. We had all been dying off so much, even before our journey, that we hardly saw it fit to properly get to know one another. It is quite an effort, especially for one to suddenly drop dead the next day. Banks happened to know most of us, being the village medical official that is. Perhaps that gave him the authority to boss us around at the time. He led those of us who were still able-bodied, which amounted to but four crewmen including myself and Banks who stood at the bow of the pontoon before barking at us, “Listen up, men. I have a bit of a confession. Admitting this is hard, but you must understand where I am coming from in order to trust me properly going forward. I have been here before. To this island. Put your hands down. I will answer questions later as I see. I need you to hear me out now. I have been here before and I am the only one to have been here and lived to tell about it as far as any of you lot or I know of! The inhabitants of this island are very dangerous and very territorial. They hate visitors, especially us. When we make landfall we will need to be quiet and discrete if we hope to have any chance of survival. Nod if you all understand me, because I will not go down WITH any of you for not paying attention to me now! Good. Now the other thing that is very important; if they do talk to you, the inhabitants, and they might try to, but if they do, do not listen to anything they say! They are liars and tempters. You have never encountered their kind before and I promise you will regret not being careful if you do! They are mystical and have magics they can use against you. I’ve seen many a man do strange things as a result of encountering these kind. Heed my warning, I will not think twice to strike one of you down if I think you are compromised by them. Nod again if you all understand! Good. Now, let’s start rowing,” he sat himself down after the speech and stared at us with a pleased grin as we all rowed in unison to the shore. Part Two: Booty Our main source of entertainment in the village was stories. We had many written works. Most of our free time was spent recreating stories we had read with variations or twists. Mostly tall tales much like the one we were following. My favorites of those were always the ones of pirates in search of booty. Not mythical treasure, just unfathomable wealth. Yet, here I was on a quest for immortality, something I wasn’t even sure I wanted. Living forever seemed a bit long then. Now, no time would seem like enough to me. We reached shore as night fell. Banks held us in a single file line and used hand signals and whispers. He warned none of us to make a sound as we got out and quietly pulled our pontoon to a dry section on the beach. The ship looked impossibly far away anchored off-shore, the moonlight passing through the cracks in the sails giving her an eerie glow. I could see the death emanating from her. A harsh tap on my shoulder spun me around to see that Banks had gathered our attention. There was a small clearing ahead at the edge of the treeline. He put his finger to his lips before turning to face the clearing and slowly we began our approach to it. As we could make out the tree line edge, we began to notice that it was actually a beautifully painted mural. “Shit,” Banks managed to sigh before collapsing to the ground in a slump. Before any of us could make any sense of what had happened, I felt a sharp sting in my neck just as my knees went weak and also began collapsing to the ground before my eyes refused to stay open for me.
Part Three: The Friends Along the Way I awoke in a small room on a very comfortable bed. The clothes I was wearing were neatly pressed at the foot. I found myself to be wearing a very comfortable sleeping gown. I changed back into my clothes and found the door to be unlocked. As soon as I
opened it the aroma of a fresh meal being cooked pulled me in its direction. I followed my nose down a set of winding steps and into a massive banquet hall. At the head sat a very oddly proportioned man. His face was rather slender and pointed with long flowing blonde hair held back with a band at the forehead. His body seemed even more perplexing, along with the fashion. At his chest, there were significantly swollen masses almost perfectly proportioned to each other and evenly distributed to take up the entire section between the arms. He looked at me with mutual curiosity as he gestured for me to have a seat. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions. Allow me to try to explain,” he spoke with such a soft and sweet voice, that I found to be soothing. He sounded nothing like Banks. “Your… friend, “doctor” Banks,” he said doctor while holding up both hands and scrunching his middle and index finger in rhythm with the syllables, strange behavior, but it definitely gave the impression that this man did not believe him to be a doctor, there was a tone that carried with it as well that I could not place, aside from when Banks had something to say about our ineptitude. “...he has been here before. He stole some things of ours, as well as one of our women. Ah, yes, you don’t know what we are, do you? My apologies for this crash course in history but, it is necessary. Have you never wondered why only Banks and a few of your other officials could speak? Never crossed your mind? What DO they teach you where you are from? Nevermind, you can’t answer quickly enough, we have much to discuss. Help yourself to some food while you have the stomach for it. Yes, the chicken is delightful! As is everything else on the table. Help yourself to drink, you have had quite the journey,” the woman took a sip from his chalice as I began to eat feverishly.
The food was delicious and my stomach screamed for more after the first bite. I had never had such foods. “Banks had come here long ago, as I said,” he continued, looking even more relaxed after having some of their drink. “The wine is quite good, you should try it. It was opened this morning at its natural peak! You won’t get another glass like it. You see, we have cut out a safe haven here. We need or want for nothing. Men like you have come here intermittently, rarely do they get this opportunity. I suppose you are wondering what happened to the rest of your men? Banks is being held in our barracks, awaiting our decision on what to do with him. The rest of your crew, minus one and you, are in the infirmary. We do not have much hope for them making it through the night. One already has passed, and you are here. You are all very sick. You may be experiencing some of the symptoms already, but it will only get worse.” I was mid-sip of the wine when this was said, causing me to choke a bit and spit some out on myself and the chalice. It was still one of the most delicious things
I had ever tasted, even with the news of my impending demise.
“You see, humans, what you and I are, have many, many different forms and identities and cultures.
Or, at least they used to. We of this island are but a few of the variations on our kind. You are a man. I am a woman. A long time ago we cohabitated. That is not important though, much too far in our past to matter. Now, we live in isolation on this island. Protected from men by their own actions. You seek a magical artifact that grants immortality, no?” The woman began rapping his fingers against their chalice before gulping more. “I regret to inform you that no such thing exists here. We are not magical. The founder of this community is the goddess you seek,” he pointed at a portrait hanging on the far wall from the head. It displayed someone who looked very much like the person speaking to me, enough to make me look back and forth a few times.
“The resemblance is uncanny, I know. All a result of her work. You see, before she founded our island community, she was one of if not the head of genetic and reproductive research. One of her discoveries was a method of reproduction that did not involve sex. Something, I know you know nothing about, unfortunately for you. Her ideas were eventually stolen and used for abhorrent means. Before the catastrophes that were to come could unfold, our founder, Dr. Godowski, decided to bring her best and brightest colleagues and friends, all of whom were women, to this island. We thrived here ever since, while the man’s world fell apart. You fought and murdered each other over dwindling resources. You tainted the waters and ruined the lands. You destroyed the very essence of humanity. For a long time, your world was on the verge of extinction, I suppose it still is. But this paradise exists, through science, hard work, dedication and the strength of community, we have outlasted all of the destruction your kind have caused. Make no mistake, I don’t blame you at all. This was so long ago, that most have forgotten or never had the chance to learn of it. Much like yourself,” the man paused again before pouring more wine from the decantur and consuming it in one gulp. “Banks, had made his way here. Your history had become muddled, but rumors of our island of women with the science to restore humanity and even grant eternal life, which I assure you we have not solved! Though, we do live much longer than anyone else in recorded human history now. Due to our founder’s medical and scientific expertise and equipment. Banks had made his way here in hopes of discovering these secrets. And he did, for the most part. He grasped our technology enough to attempt it on his own elsewhere. He kidnapped one of our women. We assume under the guise that he would show her things outside of our little safe haven. I admit, we are confined here for our own safety. We do not allow our kind to leave. Poor child. She did not understand how cruel the intentions of men can be or how utterly hopeless their world has become. He only got access to part of our supplies and equipment. His process was not true to ours and still required a woman to bear children. But he knew enough to learn how to breed a community of slaves. Sterile, speechless slaves. Flawed in so many ways,” he put his head in his hand for a moment before raising again to speak. “All of you and your crew’s organs are failing. Shutting down even as we speak. We have ways of eliminating all disease, ailments and flaws before insemination even occurs with our equipment. Unfortunately for you, we cannot stop what has already been done any more than we can reverse it. Occasionally we have want for breeding men, whom we send out to the world in hopes they can find a community to branch out to, maybe to revitalize humanity one day. I fear this has brought men like him here. Banks had realized his methods were flawed and unsustainable, and after many decades of his abductee, you and your whole community’s mother, giving birth to sterile, speechless men, born to die in their 20s, he decided it was at last time to come back for the rest. Stupid fool. The damage he had caused. He was too short-sighted to see how he was only pushing along extinction. I am so sorry to be telling you all of this in this way. You truly don’t have much longer to live. You are welcome to stay here in comfort for the rest of your days. You are also welcome to leave, return to whatever may be back where you came from. Perhaps visit your poor mother if she is even still alive.” The woman got up and left as soon as he had finished explaining everything to me. I finished my meal with a feeling of emptiness rotting away inside. Part Four: Yo Ho! They allowed me to visit Banks one last time before I left their beautiful community. He only handed me a vial with handwritten instructions that meant very little to me. He told me they would kill him and there was no hope for either of us, but if I were to find their treasure store, which I now know is their lab where they create life, I could fix everything with his instructions. Now I am aboard the ship. Uncertain if I can manage to sail it back home before I die, let alone manage the entire thing by myself safely the whole way. I want to see my mother, alive or dead, whom I only just now realized existed. They gave me a bunch of books to read for my journey home. They told me the least they could do was let me go with knowledge. I’m not sure how much better it feels to die knowing more. Our whole history was made up and lied to us. My whole life is a lie. I have no future. Perhaps I'm better off reading some more of those pirate stories I loved. <|fim_prefix|>It is incredibly taxing to recount all of the pertinent events of our history, let alone the full account of mine without mentioning some horrific details I had only discov<|fim_middle|>ered this month. My memory has been rather hazy due to severe shock and trauma throughout the past few months. I suppose I should begin there while I have my faculties. Part O | 77j0q5_split1 | No Man's Land | Mielikki/Erebus-87k | [
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] | 3,484 | ne: Travail We had set sail on a journey across an ocean that had not been traversed for generations. Our entire community was blighted with an affliction causing the population to dwindle to just us men aboard our ship. The last vestiges of humanity as we saw it. A dangerous and likely suicidal journey was ahead of us, but we were without anything to return home to anyway. Desperation can make any task seem less daunting, I suppose. Our young had been dying off while our elders ceased to bring us offspring. We were not certain of the cause any more than we were certain of our impending extinction.
Yet we had hope. An old tale of a far-off island known only as No Man’s Land, named such as a warning against all who tried to reach it. The surrounding waters breed only sickness, misfortune, misery, and death for all who try to approach it. All who have attempted have done so for one purpose. The Goddess of Immortality, a special idol that was rumored to grant eternal life, was told to be stored there. For most, a chance at eternal life, rumored to be true and never proven, was never worth the higher risk of losing their life. But, we had run out of options. All we had left was promise of myth and legend. Off to No Man’s Land we set sail. Among rank on ship was one of the oldest and only surviving members of our village’s officials. Fortunately for us, he was our local doctor. He became quite handy while we were aboard the ship. Many had never left the island and the voyage was cruel on their bodies. Despite our doctor, named Banks, helping, we lost a few of our already small crew. The air grew full of stink as we could see the island on the horizon. The waters were full of dead marine life. No monsters of the sea to ward off, only the foul, gut-wrenching odor of the salty dead.
“No, you don’t ever get used to the smell. No matter how often you smell death, it smacks you in the face each time. Then in the stomach,” Banks put his arm around my shoulder as I lost my lunch overboard. The putrid water stared back at me and tempted my breakfast as well before the Doc spun me around. “You hang in there, Bub. We are almost there! We are but a day’s journey from fortune and glory,” and he was not wrong! The island was growing ever closer. We had only to look for a spot to anchor before we set out on our pontoon.
There were not many of us left for a proper split party to maintain the ship and the sick while we sent a crew out to search for the idol. However, Banks could not be persuaded to stay and tend to the sick and dying. “They won’t make it anyways, and I’ve come too far to die with those who are already dead,” was his only argument. Who were we to question his call? It’s not like we could if we wanted to. If they had no chance at surviving, maybe he had a point? We hardly even knew one another as it were. We had all been dying off so much, even before our journey, that we hardly saw it fit to properly get to know one another. It is quite an effort, especially for one to suddenly drop dead the next day. Banks happened to know most of us, being the village medical official that is. Perhaps that gave him the authority to boss us around at the time. He led those of us who were still able-bodied, which amounted to but four crewmen including myself and Banks who stood at the bow of the pontoon before barking at us, “Listen up, men. I have a bit of a confession. Admitting this is hard, but you must understand where I am coming from in order to trust me properly going forward. I have been here before. To this island. Put your hands down. I will answer questions later as I see. I need you to hear me out now. I have been here before and I am the only one to have been here and lived to tell about it as far as any of you lot or I know of! The inhabitants of this island are very dangerous and very territorial. They hate visitors, especially us. When we make landfall we will need to be quiet and discrete if we hope to have any chance of survival. Nod if you all understand me, because I will not go down WITH any of you for not paying attention to me now! Good. Now the other thing that is very important; if they do talk to you, the inhabitants, and they might try to, but if they do, do not listen to anything they say! They are liars and tempters. You have never encountered their kind before and I promise you will regret not being careful if you do! They are mystical and have magics they can use against you. I’ve seen many a man do strange things as a result of encountering these kind. Heed my warning, I will not think twice to strike one of you down if I think you are compromised by them. Nod again if you all understand! Good. Now, let’s start rowing,” he sat himself down after the speech and stared at us with a pleased grin as we all rowed in unison to the shore. Part Two: Booty Our main source of entertainment in the village was stories. We had many written works. Most of our free time was spent recreating stories we had read with variations or twists. Mostly tall tales much like the one we were following. My favorites of those were always the ones of pirates in search of booty. Not mythical treasure, just unfathomable wealth. Yet, here I was on a quest for immortality, something I wasn’t even sure I wanted. Living forever seemed a bit long then. Now, no time would seem like enough to me. We reached shore as night fell. Banks held us in a single file line and used hand signals and whispers. He warned none of us to make a sound as we got out and quietly pulled our pontoon to a dry section on the beach. The ship looked impossibly far away anchored off-shore, the moonlight passing through the cracks in the sails giving her an eerie glow. I could see the death emanating from her. A harsh tap on my shoulder spun me around to see that Banks had gathered our attention. There was a small clearing ahead at the edge of the treeline. He put his finger to his lips before turning to face the clearing and slowly we began our approach to it. As we could make out the tree line edge, we began to notice that it was actually a beautifully painted mural. “Shit,” Banks managed to sigh before collapsing to the ground in a slump. Before any of us could make any sense of what had happened, I felt a sharp sting in my neck just as my knees went weak and also began collapsing to the ground before my eyes refused to stay open for me.
Part Three: The Friends Along the Way I awoke in a small room on a very comfortable bed. The clothes I was wearing were neatly pressed at the foot. I found myself to be wearing a very comfortable sleeping gown. I changed back into my clothes and found the door to be unlocked. As soon as I
opened it the aroma of a fresh meal being cooked pulled me in its direction. I followed my nose down a set of winding steps and into a massive banquet hall. At the head sat a very oddly proportioned man. His face was rather slender and pointed with long flowing blonde hair held back with a band at the forehead. His body seemed even more perplexing, along with the fashion. At his chest, there were significantly swollen masses almost perfectly proportioned to each other and evenly distributed to take up the entire section between the arms. He looked at me with mutual curiosity as he gestured for me to have a seat. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions. Allow me to try to explain,” he spoke with such a soft and sweet voice, that I found to be soothing. He sounded nothing like Banks. “Your… friend, “doctor” Banks,” he said doctor while holding up both hands and scrunching his middle and index finger in rhythm with the syllables, strange behavior, but it definitely gave the impression that this man did not believe him to be a doctor, there was a tone that carried with it as well that I could not place, aside from when Banks had something to say about our ineptitude. “...he has been here before. He stole some things of ours, as well as one of our women. Ah, yes, you don’t know what we are, do you? My apologies for this crash course in history but, it is necessary. Have you never wondered why only Banks and a few of your other officials could speak? Never crossed your mind? What DO they teach you where you are from? Nevermind, you can’t answer quickly enough, we have much to discuss. Help yourself to some food while you have the stomach for it. Yes, the chicken is delightful! As is everything else on the table. Help yourself to drink, you have had quite the journey,” the woman took a sip from his chalice as I began to eat feverishly.
The food was delicious and my stomach screamed for more after the first bite. I had never had such foods. “Banks had come here long ago, as I said,” he continued, looking even more relaxed after having some of their drink. “The wine is quite good, you should try it. It was opened this morning at its natural peak! You won’t get another glass like it. You see, we have cut out a safe haven here. We need or want for nothing. Men like you have come here intermittently, rarely do they get this opportunity. I suppose you are wondering what happened to the rest of your men? Banks is being held in our barracks, awaiting our decision on what to do with him. The rest of your crew, minus one and you, are in the infirmary. We do not have much hope for them making it through the night. One already has passed, and you are here. You are all very sick. You may be experiencing some of the symptoms already, but it will only get worse.” I was mid-sip of the wine when this was said, causing me to choke a bit and spit some out on myself and the chalice. It was still one of the most delicious things
I had ever tasted, even with the news of my impending demise.
“You see, humans, what you and I are, have many, many different forms and identities and cultures.
Or, at least they used to. We of this island are but a few of the variations on our kind. You are a man. I am a woman. A long time ago we cohabitated. That is not important though, much too far in our past to matter. Now, we live in isolation on this island. Protected from men by their own actions. You seek a magical artifact that grants immortality, no?” The woman began rapping his fingers against their chalice before gulping more. “I regret to inform you that no such thing exists here. We are not magical. The founder of this community is the goddess you seek,” he pointed at a portrait hanging on the far wall from the head. It displayed someone who looked very much like the person speaking to me, enough to make me look back and forth a few times.
“The resemblance is uncanny, I know. All a result of her work. You see, before she founded our island community, she was one of if not the head of genetic and reproductive research. One of her discoveries was a method of reproduction that did not involve sex. Something, I know you know nothing about, unfortunately for you. Her ideas were eventually stolen and used for abhorrent means. Before the catastrophes that were to come could unfold, our founder, Dr. Godowski, decided to bring her best and brightest colleagues and friends, all of whom were women, to this island. We thrived here ever since, while the man’s world fell apart. You fought and murdered each other over dwindling resources. You tainted the waters and ruined the lands. You destroyed the very essence of humanity. For a long time, your world was on the verge of extinction, I suppose it still is. But this paradise exists, through science, hard work, dedication and the strength of community, we have outlasted all of the destruction your kind have caused. Make no mistake, I don’t blame you at all. This was so long ago, that most have forgotten or never had the chance to learn of it. Much like yourself,” the man paused again before pouring more wine from the decantur and consuming it in one gulp. “Banks, had made his way here. Your history had become muddled, but rumors of our island of women with the science to restore humanity and even grant eternal life, which I assure you we have not solved! Though, we do live much longer than anyone else in recorded human history now. Due to our founder’s medical and scientific expertise and equipment. Banks had made his way here in hopes of discovering these secrets. And he did, for the most part. He grasped our technology enough to attempt it on his own elsewhere. He kidnapped one of our women. We assume under the guise that he would show her things outside of our little safe haven. I admit, we are confined here for our own safety. We do not allow our kind to leave. Poor child. She did not understand how cruel the intentions of men can be or how utterly hopeless their world has become. He only got access to part of our supplies and equipment. His process was not true to ours and still required a woman to bear children. But he knew enough to learn how to breed a community of slaves. Sterile, speechless slaves. Flawed in so many ways,” he put his head in his hand for a moment before raising again to speak. “All of you and your crew’s organs are failing. Shutting down even as we speak. We have ways of eliminating all disease, ailments and flaws before insemination even occurs with our equipment. Unfortunately for you, we cannot stop what has already been done any more than we can reverse it. Occasionally we have want for breeding men, whom we send out to the world in hopes they can find a community to branch out to, maybe to revitalize humanity one day. I fear this has brought men like him here. Banks had realized his methods were flawed and unsustainable, and after many decades of his abductee, you and your whole community’s mother, giving birth to sterile, speechless men, born to die in their 20s, he decided it was at last time to come back for the rest. Stupid fool. The damage he had caused. He was too short-sighted to see how he was only pushing along extinction. I am so sorry to be telling you all of this in this way. You truly don’t have much longer to live. You are welcome to stay here in comfort for the rest of your days. You are also welcome to leave, return to whatever may be back where you came from. Perhaps visit your poor mother if she is even still alive.” The woman got up and left as soon as he had finished explaining everything to me. I finished my meal with a feeling of emptiness rotting away inside. Part Four: Yo Ho! They allowed me to visit Banks one last time before I left their beautiful community. He only handed me a vial with handwritten instructions that meant very little to me. He told me they would kill him and there was no hope for either of us, but if I were to find their treasure store, which I now know is their lab where they create life, I could fix everything with his instructions. Now I am aboard the ship. Uncertain if I can manage to sail it back home before I die, let alone manage the entire thing by myself safely the whole way. I want to see my mother, alive or dead, whom I only just now realized existed. They gave me a bunch of books to read for my journey home. They told me the least they could do was let me go with knowledge. I’m not sure how much better it feels to die knowing more. Our whole history was made up and lied to us. My whole life is a lie. I have no future. Perhaps I'm better off reading some more of those pirate stories I loved. | It is incredibly taxing to recount all of the pertinent events of our history, let alone the full account of mine without mentioning some horrific details I had only discov | ered this month. My memory has been rather hazy due to severe shock and trauma throughout the past few months. I suppose I should begin there while I have my faculties. Part O |
<|fim_suffix|>stalemate. The problem was that without the legendary sword, Excalibur, many of the claims were invalid and most of the people were just not sure who to support.
So after warring with each other, the strongest warlords met together under the flag of truce to deal with the problem of Excalibur and young Arthur, a squire was amongst them and he listened in on the discussions. "Excalibur! Why must we be given the impossible task? The land needs a king, now! It doesn't need an old sword from a fable told by a fool!" "And yet", came a dissenting voice across the table, here we are." "Sir Kay," the first man said. "You and I have fought side by side in the old days and we fought each other just last week! If we do not come together as one people, we will kill each other." "I have no argument with you, Sir Robert of the Lowlands. You are right that we will be a divided land if we continue to fight, so I propose that we search for Excalibur." "Ha!" , sneered Sir Robert. "A quest, Sir Kay? More like a fools errand. Search for a mythical sword that no one has seen and then once we find it, draw it from the stone! Sounds simple enough, right lads?" There were a few murmurs of laughter but most remained silent. Sir Robert looked around the room and shook his head and ran his hand on the top of his bald head. "Alright,. alright. Excalibur. So exactly where should we look? Would it do any good to offer a reward for it's location?" Sir Kay put his hand on his red bearded chin, leaning forward on the wooden table. "Merlin always said that only the worthiest would be able to see it, but he did say that it's location was here in the land and it was going to be due north, not northwest or northeast but... North." Sir Robert's brow furrowed and he looked away from the table banging his fist on it, his face showing a bit of red. "Merlin and his riddles! Always a riddle wrapped up in an unanswerable question!" He sighed again Sir Kay spoke again. "How about this, then. We go to the people, you and I and we tell them that we're at a truce and that we understand the need to find Excalibur" Sir Robert scoffed. "Then what? We find a forge who can build Excalibur? That sword was said to be able to pierce armor with the tiniest touch and it's weight was greater than 20 armed men! No blacksmith could make such a blade!" Sir Kay looked at his companion, brother in arms and competition to the throne. "Excalibur is real, Sir Robert. I know it's real. It's out there waiting to be found!". He grasped Robert's had. "Brother, we both want the same thing! To unite the kingdom! It doesn't matter to me, who wins the crown as long as he is just." Robert looked at his old friend. The two of them had fought long and hard against each other for almost a year, without a clear winner. The continued fighting wasn't doing any good to the kingdom "Alright. So we really look for Excalibur?" "Yes, brother, We tell the people that we will find Excalibur and that we will be gone for a month" "A month", Robert murmured. "Alright, agreed" The next morning, the two of them stood before the kingdom and told them that the truce was still in effect and that both of them were going on a quest to find Excalibur. The people applauded this decision and were content to wait until they had returned. Sir Kay and Arthur headed due north towards the mountains while Robert headed to the northern plains with his squire. On the 3rd day, Sir Kay and Arthur stopped by a quiet lake in a glade and rested for awhile.
Arthur sighed as he took the pack from his back and started serving the provisions. "Do you really think we will find Excalibur sir?" Sir Kay laughed. " We're alone now, little brother, you don't need to address me as sir. In answer to your question,. though l, I believe that one of us will find Excalibur. It wants to be found. The Lady of Lake embued the sword with a spirit, one that knows the needs of the people." *But, Kay, what if the sword is only a legend? What then?" Sir Kay sighed, not wanting to acknowledge the possibility. "If it's not real then we just saved the kingdom from war for a month. Perhaps after a month of peace, we can find some other way to resolve our differences" Arthur nodded his head and sat down by the tree and did his best to not fall asleep.
“Little bro, get some sleep don't worry about it. I'm going to need you fresh, come morning.” Arthur nodded his head again and he closed his eyes as he let himself sink into slumber on the soft grass. The glade seemed to slowly fade away like ripples in a pond. A glowing green object appeared far in the distance penetrating a fog. “Arthur……” “Hmmmm….?” “Arthur…” came a voice in a fog. “Over here….” The fog lifted and there in the middle of the glade was the magnificent sword in the stone, glowing green in the night, inviting Arthur to draw it from its resting place. “Rise and shine, little bro!” With a start, Arthur awoke, bolt upright, heart pounding in his chest and sweat on his brow. Sir Kay grinned down at his young sibling. “Say that must’ve been some dream! Whose the girl?” Arthur shook his head again trying to wake up. “Girl?”.
“Yes, girl!” Kay said laughing. “You were breathing heavily!” “No, no..it was Excalibur!” Kay slowly takes turned to his brother.
“Excalibur? You dreamt of Excalibur?” Arthur nodded his head. Kay walked around the glade, stroking his beard
“What is it, brother? It was only a dream” Kay turned back to Arthur. “Little bro, the legend says that the closer you get to the sword, the more it calls….to the wielder” Arthur stares at his older brother dumbfounded. A cold sweat dripped down his back. “A squire? “came another voice. “Hah! A squire will become king? Now that is rich one!”, Sir Robert chortled as he and his squire came into the glade. Sir Kay smiled to himself and shook his head.
“I realize that it sounds unlikely, but the legend does actually say that. Part of my knight training included taking on scribing as well and I used my position to read the legends.” Sir Robert scoffed again. “Scrollworm!” Sir Kay took the jab in stride and laughed. Arthur, on the other hand seemed troubled and focused on something else in the glade. His eyes peered into the glade, much like a cat getting ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey.
The two knights watched in silence Arthur ventures further ahead of them, towards the edge of the glade.
“Arthur?”, Sir Kay called out. Both Robert and Kay followed Arthur to the edge of the glade. As they caught up to him, they saw him holding a sword in his right hand and a scabbard leaning by a rock nearby. Sir Robert looked at the scene incredulously, shaking his head. “Are you going to tell me that…that …” , pointing at the sword in Arthur's hand. “Is supposed to be Excalibur?” Sir Kay stood silently looking at Arthur and the sword. The hilt of the sword had a small, winged guard, and red tassels at the bottom. The blade itself was almost paper thin. “Arthur, “ Kay began. “Where did you find this?” Arthur looked at both of them pointed towards the stone with the first two fingers of his left hand. Robert threw his hands up in the air, growled and laughed, walking around the stone. He came closer to the blade and tapped it lightly and the blade rang in a vibration that even Sir Kay could feel. “A quest for a mythical sword ends with squire holding child's toy! If the people won't believe a fake sword made by a blacksmith, they certainly won't believe this.” Suddenly, as he said this, his face fell for a moment, then cleared and a smile appeared. “Let's go back!” Sir Kay looked back at Robert, his mouth hanging open. “Ummm, what?” Robert stopped for moment and looked at Kay. “Well, we found Excalibur, didn't we? Yeah the people won't buy it, but that's okay. Maybe the people will realize that they have to make the choice themselves and give up looking at a sword to make the choice.” Kay looked down and shrugged his shoulders watching Robert leave the glade. “Oh well. Come on little bro. Sheath the sword and let's pack up and head out.
Arthur did as Kay asked and followed his brother. “Kay,” Arthur began..” I really did pull this sword from the stone. Don't you believe me?” Kay mounted his horse and looked at his brother. “In fact I do. Now, we have to present the sword to the people and they have to believe too. Do you believe that this is Excalibur, Arthur?” Arthur looked down at the ground and then to the sword in his left hand….”I don't know” Kay looked ahead. “I'm a believer, Arthur. Right from the start. That is Excalibur and you are the rightful King of our land. Now, we must prove to the people that this is Excalibur. 3 days later, Sir Robert, his squire, Sir Kay and Arthur stood before the people on an open field. Sir Robert had just finished explaining that Excalibur had been found by the squire, Arthur at which point, Arthur was to unsheathe the blade. Arthur did as he was asked and drew the blade from it's sheathe and the blade sung as it sliced through the humid air. The crowd gasped at the sound. "So, " Sir Robert started. "Is this Excalibur? Is squire Arthur your King?" The crowd murmured amongst themselves. Arthur heard some saying things like "so young, too young" and "can't be Excalibur. It's not even a real sword." Robert smiled in satisfaction. "Yes, it is beautiful piece of craftsmanship and I salute it's maker, but this toy cannot be the sword of legend and this boy, cannot be king!" There was a murmur of assent. "Therefore, since Sir Kay has renounced his claim to the throne in favor of his little brother, and the boy cannot be king, that makes me the best choice now, doesn't it?" Again, the crowd murmured and shuffled their feet, some of them started to open their mouths and shout "hail, King Robert", but the words seem to catch in their throats. Robert glared at the crowd, wondering if he had now become king of cowards who were too scared to be loyal. Sir Kay spoke up. "People of the land. I have a proposal" "I think we've had enough of your proposals, Sir Kay., Robert growled. Kay ignored the comment and continued. "Let there be a duel here and now between you and Arthur. Battle axe against sword. Whomever is the victor is the king." Arthur gaped at his older brother. "Ummm.." he began. "Sir Kay....".he tried to say. Kay turned to Arthur. "Believe, Arthur! Believe! Trust Excalibur!" Arthur swallowed hard, looking at his brother hoping to get out of this somehow. His stomach seemed to turn itself inside out as he looked at the gigantic figure of Sir Robert and his Battle Axe. "Boy," Robert said his eyes seemingly boring into Arthur's skull. "There is no honor in killing you. I know that is what, Sir Kay is planning. I have no wish to kill you at all, but this land needs a king. You can surrender now and avoid all of this." Arthur wanted to surrender. He felt the urge to lay down the sword and run back to his brother or run away from the field of battle in shame, like a dog with it's tail between his legs. Instead he sheathed the sword and held it out in front his chest and walked around the field. Sir Robert took a step and swung his axe overhead in a stroke that would have cleaved through flesh as easily as it would a log. Instead, it hit the soft ground, missing Arthur by inches. Robert snarled as he heaved the axe upwards again getting ready to strike. This time, he swang his axe horizontally from right to left,. missing Arthur again as he sucked underneath the first swing. The second swing came a little lower than the last and Arthur stepped backwards, feeling the wind from the axe touching his face. When the third swing came, Arthur pressed his sheathed sword at an angle, deflecting the axe swing upwards. Then, in a swift motion,.he unsheathes the sword and it sung in a small arc, slicing through Sir Robert's breast plate, which fell to the ground in a thud. Sir Robert, realizing what had just happened, stared at Arthur,.his jaw open as he dropped the axe to the ground. "You.....it..... really is Excalibur...", his voice barely a whisper. He dropped to his knees and looked up to Arthur. "I have always said that the people should make the choice and I have made mine. My axe, my land ,my wealth.and my life, are yours to command, my leige! You are King Arthur!" At once, all the people bowed in respect to the new King.<|fim_prefix|>Jian The world was in turmoil and leaderless without the benefit of a king. Hundreds of warriors gathered support of farming communities and other warriors and some veterans of <|fim_middle|>war, all in a bid to claim the throne.
Sir Robert of the Lowlands, a burly man that could swing his axe so hard that it would fell a tree in one stroke, was often favored to win the crown, but he was held back by the last contender for the prize, Sir Kay a close friend. Their armies fought each other on the battlefield many times but every battle ended in a | z6wuvc_split1 | Jian | Mielikki/Erebus-87k | [
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] | 3,130 | stalemate. The problem was that without the legendary sword, Excalibur, many of the claims were invalid and most of the people were just not sure who to support.
So after warring with each other, the strongest warlords met together under the flag of truce to deal with the problem of Excalibur and young Arthur, a squire was amongst them and he listened in on the discussions. "Excalibur! Why must we be given the impossible task? The land needs a king, now! It doesn't need an old sword from a fable told by a fool!" "And yet", came a dissenting voice across the table, here we are." "Sir Kay," the first man said. "You and I have fought side by side in the old days and we fought each other just last week! If we do not come together as one people, we will kill each other." "I have no argument with you, Sir Robert of the Lowlands. You are right that we will be a divided land if we continue to fight, so I propose that we search for Excalibur." "Ha!" , sneered Sir Robert. "A quest, Sir Kay? More like a fools errand. Search for a mythical sword that no one has seen and then once we find it, draw it from the stone! Sounds simple enough, right lads?" There were a few murmurs of laughter but most remained silent. Sir Robert looked around the room and shook his head and ran his hand on the top of his bald head. "Alright,. alright. Excalibur. So exactly where should we look? Would it do any good to offer a reward for it's location?" Sir Kay put his hand on his red bearded chin, leaning forward on the wooden table. "Merlin always said that only the worthiest would be able to see it, but he did say that it's location was here in the land and it was going to be due north, not northwest or northeast but... North." Sir Robert's brow furrowed and he looked away from the table banging his fist on it, his face showing a bit of red. "Merlin and his riddles! Always a riddle wrapped up in an unanswerable question!" He sighed again Sir Kay spoke again. "How about this, then. We go to the people, you and I and we tell them that we're at a truce and that we understand the need to find Excalibur" Sir Robert scoffed. "Then what? We find a forge who can build Excalibur? That sword was said to be able to pierce armor with the tiniest touch and it's weight was greater than 20 armed men! No blacksmith could make such a blade!" Sir Kay looked at his companion, brother in arms and competition to the throne. "Excalibur is real, Sir Robert. I know it's real. It's out there waiting to be found!". He grasped Robert's had. "Brother, we both want the same thing! To unite the kingdom! It doesn't matter to me, who wins the crown as long as he is just." Robert looked at his old friend. The two of them had fought long and hard against each other for almost a year, without a clear winner. The continued fighting wasn't doing any good to the kingdom "Alright. So we really look for Excalibur?" "Yes, brother, We tell the people that we will find Excalibur and that we will be gone for a month" "A month", Robert murmured. "Alright, agreed" The next morning, the two of them stood before the kingdom and told them that the truce was still in effect and that both of them were going on a quest to find Excalibur. The people applauded this decision and were content to wait until they had returned. Sir Kay and Arthur headed due north towards the mountains while Robert headed to the northern plains with his squire. On the 3rd day, Sir Kay and Arthur stopped by a quiet lake in a glade and rested for awhile.
Arthur sighed as he took the pack from his back and started serving the provisions. "Do you really think we will find Excalibur sir?" Sir Kay laughed. " We're alone now, little brother, you don't need to address me as sir. In answer to your question,. though l, I believe that one of us will find Excalibur. It wants to be found. The Lady of Lake embued the sword with a spirit, one that knows the needs of the people." *But, Kay, what if the sword is only a legend? What then?" Sir Kay sighed, not wanting to acknowledge the possibility. "If it's not real then we just saved the kingdom from war for a month. Perhaps after a month of peace, we can find some other way to resolve our differences" Arthur nodded his head and sat down by the tree and did his best to not fall asleep.
“Little bro, get some sleep don't worry about it. I'm going to need you fresh, come morning.” Arthur nodded his head again and he closed his eyes as he let himself sink into slumber on the soft grass. The glade seemed to slowly fade away like ripples in a pond. A glowing green object appeared far in the distance penetrating a fog. “Arthur……” “Hmmmm….?” “Arthur…” came a voice in a fog. “Over here….” The fog lifted and there in the middle of the glade was the magnificent sword in the stone, glowing green in the night, inviting Arthur to draw it from its resting place. “Rise and shine, little bro!” With a start, Arthur awoke, bolt upright, heart pounding in his chest and sweat on his brow. Sir Kay grinned down at his young sibling. “Say that must’ve been some dream! Whose the girl?” Arthur shook his head again trying to wake up. “Girl?”.
“Yes, girl!” Kay said laughing. “You were breathing heavily!” “No, no..it was Excalibur!” Kay slowly takes turned to his brother.
“Excalibur? You dreamt of Excalibur?” Arthur nodded his head. Kay walked around the glade, stroking his beard
“What is it, brother? It was only a dream” Kay turned back to Arthur. “Little bro, the legend says that the closer you get to the sword, the more it calls….to the wielder” Arthur stares at his older brother dumbfounded. A cold sweat dripped down his back. “A squire? “came another voice. “Hah! A squire will become king? Now that is rich one!”, Sir Robert chortled as he and his squire came into the glade. Sir Kay smiled to himself and shook his head.
“I realize that it sounds unlikely, but the legend does actually say that. Part of my knight training included taking on scribing as well and I used my position to read the legends.” Sir Robert scoffed again. “Scrollworm!” Sir Kay took the jab in stride and laughed. Arthur, on the other hand seemed troubled and focused on something else in the glade. His eyes peered into the glade, much like a cat getting ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey.
The two knights watched in silence Arthur ventures further ahead of them, towards the edge of the glade.
“Arthur?”, Sir Kay called out. Both Robert and Kay followed Arthur to the edge of the glade. As they caught up to him, they saw him holding a sword in his right hand and a scabbard leaning by a rock nearby. Sir Robert looked at the scene incredulously, shaking his head. “Are you going to tell me that…that …” , pointing at the sword in Arthur's hand. “Is supposed to be Excalibur?” Sir Kay stood silently looking at Arthur and the sword. The hilt of the sword had a small, winged guard, and red tassels at the bottom. The blade itself was almost paper thin. “Arthur, “ Kay began. “Where did you find this?” Arthur looked at both of them pointed towards the stone with the first two fingers of his left hand. Robert threw his hands up in the air, growled and laughed, walking around the stone. He came closer to the blade and tapped it lightly and the blade rang in a vibration that even Sir Kay could feel. “A quest for a mythical sword ends with squire holding child's toy! If the people won't believe a fake sword made by a blacksmith, they certainly won't believe this.” Suddenly, as he said this, his face fell for a moment, then cleared and a smile appeared. “Let's go back!” Sir Kay looked back at Robert, his mouth hanging open. “Ummm, what?” Robert stopped for moment and looked at Kay. “Well, we found Excalibur, didn't we? Yeah the people won't buy it, but that's okay. Maybe the people will realize that they have to make the choice themselves and give up looking at a sword to make the choice.” Kay looked down and shrugged his shoulders watching Robert leave the glade. “Oh well. Come on little bro. Sheath the sword and let's pack up and head out.
Arthur did as Kay asked and followed his brother. “Kay,” Arthur began..” I really did pull this sword from the stone. Don't you believe me?” Kay mounted his horse and looked at his brother. “In fact I do. Now, we have to present the sword to the people and they have to believe too. Do you believe that this is Excalibur, Arthur?” Arthur looked down at the ground and then to the sword in his left hand….”I don't know” Kay looked ahead. “I'm a believer, Arthur. Right from the start. That is Excalibur and you are the rightful King of our land. Now, we must prove to the people that this is Excalibur. 3 days later, Sir Robert, his squire, Sir Kay and Arthur stood before the people on an open field. Sir Robert had just finished explaining that Excalibur had been found by the squire, Arthur at which point, Arthur was to unsheathe the blade. Arthur did as he was asked and drew the blade from it's sheathe and the blade sung as it sliced through the humid air. The crowd gasped at the sound. "So, " Sir Robert started. "Is this Excalibur? Is squire Arthur your King?" The crowd murmured amongst themselves. Arthur heard some saying things like "so young, too young" and "can't be Excalibur. It's not even a real sword." Robert smiled in satisfaction. "Yes, it is beautiful piece of craftsmanship and I salute it's maker, but this toy cannot be the sword of legend and this boy, cannot be king!" There was a murmur of assent. "Therefore, since Sir Kay has renounced his claim to the throne in favor of his little brother, and the boy cannot be king, that makes me the best choice now, doesn't it?" Again, the crowd murmured and shuffled their feet, some of them started to open their mouths and shout "hail, King Robert", but the words seem to catch in their throats. Robert glared at the crowd, wondering if he had now become king of cowards who were too scared to be loyal. Sir Kay spoke up. "People of the land. I have a proposal" "I think we've had enough of your proposals, Sir Kay., Robert growled. Kay ignored the comment and continued. "Let there be a duel here and now between you and Arthur. Battle axe against sword. Whomever is the victor is the king." Arthur gaped at his older brother. "Ummm.." he began. "Sir Kay....".he tried to say. Kay turned to Arthur. "Believe, Arthur! Believe! Trust Excalibur!" Arthur swallowed hard, looking at his brother hoping to get out of this somehow. His stomach seemed to turn itself inside out as he looked at the gigantic figure of Sir Robert and his Battle Axe. "Boy," Robert said his eyes seemingly boring into Arthur's skull. "There is no honor in killing you. I know that is what, Sir Kay is planning. I have no wish to kill you at all, but this land needs a king. You can surrender now and avoid all of this." Arthur wanted to surrender. He felt the urge to lay down the sword and run back to his brother or run away from the field of battle in shame, like a dog with it's tail between his legs. Instead he sheathed the sword and held it out in front his chest and walked around the field. Sir Robert took a step and swung his axe overhead in a stroke that would have cleaved through flesh as easily as it would a log. Instead, it hit the soft ground, missing Arthur by inches. Robert snarled as he heaved the axe upwards again getting ready to strike. This time, he swang his axe horizontally from right to left,. missing Arthur again as he sucked underneath the first swing. The second swing came a little lower than the last and Arthur stepped backwards, feeling the wind from the axe touching his face. When the third swing came, Arthur pressed his sheathed sword at an angle, deflecting the axe swing upwards. Then, in a swift motion,.he unsheathes the sword and it sung in a small arc, slicing through Sir Robert's breast plate, which fell to the ground in a thud. Sir Robert, realizing what had just happened, stared at Arthur,.his jaw open as he dropped the axe to the ground. "You.....it..... really is Excalibur...", his voice barely a whisper. He dropped to his knees and looked up to Arthur. "I have always said that the people should make the choice and I have made mine. My axe, my land ,my wealth.and my life, are yours to command, my leige! You are King Arthur!" At once, all the people bowed in respect to the new King. | Jian The world was in turmoil and leaderless without the benefit of a king. Hundreds of warriors gathered support of farming communities and other warriors and some veterans of | war, all in a bid to claim the throne.
Sir Robert of the Lowlands, a burly man that could swing his axe so hard that it would fell a tree in one stroke, was often favored to win the crown, but he was held back by the last contender for the prize, Sir Kay a close friend. Their armies fought each other on the battlefield many times but every battle ended in a |
<|fim_suffix|>e cacophony. Ash-rim stealthy moved close to Oakaford. "Captain, perhaps we should ask the elves for help? They're naturally quiet," he whispered. His three-foot-tall tree stump body was more agile than most stumpers because Lady Nimmo carved him from a rubber tree. "We protect Lady Nimmo!" Oakaford said too loudly. "Shh, Captain." "Oh, um, yes." Oakaford lowered his voice, "We protect Lady Nimmo—not elves." "I understand, Captain. But how are we going to sneak up on anyone? We're louder than a pack of grundle barrs chomping on dried leaves." "Don't question your Captain. I know what I'm doing." Oakaford had no idea what he was doing. But he wasn't about to let this upstart know it. Suddenly, clashing swords and battle cries rang out from their left flank. The entire stumper guard raced to join the fight. Shadow elves and stumpers mixed it up like an epic Tolkien movie, and it grew more fierce as additional shadow elves and stumpers joined the battle.
Oakaford directed his troops from a hill. "Ash-rim! Take some guards to reinforce those guys!" Oakaford pointed to an isolated group of stumpers surrounded by shadow elves. "Slim! Move your troops over there!" "Reg! Go help those guys!" "Tat! I need you to bolster our right flank!" Oakaford continued shouting commands while studying the battlefield. Fighting in Trugen Forest gave them the home-field advantage, but he couldn't deny that those despicable shadow elves possessed some mad fighting skills. "Trey! Take your team to the center!" No response. "Trey?" Oakaford turned to discover he was alone. He turned back to the battlefield to see every stumper engaged in battle. He was about to join them when he heard someone shouting his name. Turning from the battle, he spotted several shadow elves running towards him. He pulled out his sword, "Let's do this!" However, instead of the shadow elves engaging, they circled him. "Come on, you pansies!" Oakaford shouted, facing each one. "When I'm done cutting you all down to size, you'll be looking up to see down." "Captain Oakaford. My, my, you are a feisty one," Lammerous said. The leader of the shadow elves cut through the circle, clapping his hands. "I admire that." Following Lammerous were three ten-foot-tall magical tree trunks called kraff-nocks. One carried an odd-looking belt encircled with indecipherable ruins. "You!" Oakaford shouted. "I never thought I'd see your skinny butt again. Didn't you get enough last time?" "A minor miscalculation on my part. I promise you won't be so lucky this time." Oakaford's temper rose upon hearing this condescending, pointy-eared, spineless twerp. He raised his sword and charged. Immediately, several whips from the surrounding shadow elves lassoed him in mid-stride. "Tut, tut, Captain. Remember, I don't fight. I've never been into swords or exertion. Surely, you haven't forgotten that I'm an artist?" "Lady Nimmo is an artist. You're a monster." Lammerous's lips curled angrily, "You dare to compare that witch to me!" He snapped his fingers, and a kraff-nock appeared beside him, handing him the belt. "You won't think so highly of her when I place this on you." Oakaford struggled against the whips that bound him vigorously. He didn't know what Lammerous meant but knew it couldn't be good. "Yes. Struggle. You'd struggle more if you knew what this belt does." He snapped his fingers again. Two kraff-nocks joined in restraining Oakaford. "It makes you evil." Oakaford struggled even harder. His mind was racing; could he be turned into an evil stumper? Surely not. There wasn't an evil piece of wood in his body. "It won't work on me!" Oakaford shouted. "Oh, I assure you, it will. I procured this belt from the Order of the Tellmarians. Perhaps you've heard of them?" Oakaford gave no response. "No matter. Let's just say they're really talented at cursing objects. It's their magical gift. Anyway, I digress. The cursed belt will control you. You'll become my servant. And my first order will be to destroy your fellow stumpers." His maniacal laugh echoed throughout the forest. "Never!" "You know what they say about never." He put the cursed belt on Oakaford, and the ruins glowed red, and a magical blast of wind encircled the struggling stumper. Oakaford's eyes began glowing as red as the ruins. After a moment, the wind died down, and Oakaford stopped struggling. He stood zombie-like: no expression, no response, no sign of life. "My. That was unexpected. Those Tellmarians do love their theatrics," Lammerous said. He removed the whips and ordered the kraff-nocks to release Oakaford. Oakaford stood as still as a tree. If it weren't for his freaky glowing eyes, you'd think he was just another tree stump in the forest. Inside Oakaford, a battle raged. Powerful thoughts invaded his mind. They were commanding him to serve Lammerous. He remembered Lady Nimmo and fought furiously against the evil onslaught. To Oakaford, this inner war seemed to go on for hours, but it only lasted a few minutes. Inevitably, the cursed belt overcame, not that he had a chance. The poor stumper was no match against the power of the cursed belt. Lammerous waved his hand in front of Oakaford's eyes, "Hello? Anyone home?" He knocked on Oakaford's head. "Can you hear me?" "I can," Oakaford said in a mechanical, hollow voice. "Oh, my. What a sensational voice. I love it – so evil sounding." He ordered the shadow elves to loosen their whips and kraff-nocks to release Oakaford. "Who is your master?" "You are." "Delightful. I must send a gift to the Order, like a meat and cheese charcuterie board. Their belt is absolutely perfect." Lammerous snapped his fingers. "Let me show you your new enemy." He led Oakaford to the battle and pointed to the stumpers. "Annihilate them! Every one of them!" Oakaford bellowed with an evil war cry, lifted his sword, and charged at the rear of the fighting stumpers. Ash-rim turned to see Oakaford joining them, his pride and confidence surging. He knew the advantage would be theirs once he joined them. But a nagging voice told him to look once more. He couldn't say why. He focused on Oakaford. This time, he noticed the glowing red eyes. "That's not right," Ash-rim said. He left the front to intercept the charging Oakaford. Oakaford changed his course towards Ash-rim. "Hey! Captain! Is all well?" Oakaford readied his sword and swung. Ash-rim nimbly ducked and rolled. "What's wrong with you!" Ash-rim shouted. "You! You pathetic piece of firewood!" Oakaford recalculated his route and swung downward. Ash-rim blocked. "What happened to you? Why are your eyes glowing?" Ash-rim parried several more blows. "Nothing! I've always been like this. You sorry excuse for scrap wood!" "There's a difference. For one, your eyes are freaking me out. Two, your voice sounds evil. And three, you're trying to kill me." "Alright, maybe I've wisened up since last we've met." His evil voice cracked through their clashing swords. "I now see through you. You want to be captain! You think you're better than me! Telling me how I should run things!" Oakaford grew more menacing with each word. "You think I'm a doofus! Well, how about now!" Oakaford unleashed a torrent of blows. Ash-rim parried all but the last blow. He looked at his side. A terrible gash marred his wooden body. He had sparred with Oakaford many times but had never seen moves like these from his mediocre captain. He shouted retreat. Grief and confusion overwhelmed him. He needed Lady Nimmo's help. Lammerous was content and chose not to pursue the retreating stumpers. Oakaford was his. And if he was correct about Lady Nimmo, she would attempt a rescue precisely as he wanted. When the stumpers returned to Jorton, Ash-rim recalled his fight with Oakaford to Lady Nimmo and her inner circle. Jor, her father, and Flimlet, the dwarf, believed there had to be some misunderstanding. Perhaps Oakaford was only pretending to fight for Lammerous to get close enough to kill him. Tim the elf, Ash-rim, and Gladise, Lady Nimmo's mother, agreed with Lady Nimmo: evil magic was responsible. That night, Lady Nimmo called for a city-wide meeting. She warned everyone to be on the lookout for Oakaford and not to trust him until they found a way to restore him to his normal self. She appointed leaders to fill the spots of those leaving to rescue Oakaford, including herself and her husband, Captain Arrow James. The entire city loved and respected Oakaford and wholeheartedly supported the rescue party. Lady Nimmo asked her father to choose the party because of his experience with the King's Guard. Jor chose Lady Nimmo simply because he knew she'd go with or without his permission. But even Jor had to admit it wouldn't hurt to have someone who could carve a troop of stumpers to life in just a few hours. Next, he picked Captain Arrow because he knew the land beyond Trungen Forest and was Lady Nimmo's husband, which played a huge factor. Flimlet and Tim's speed made them indispensable, and Ash-rim, Tat, Splinter, Rain Storm, and Nob would provide the stumper support he knew they'd need before this was all over. The party received news that Lammerous took Oakaford to the shadow elves' port city of Lorevain on the Sea of Grindle. They knew they had to intercept Lammerous before he took Oakaford on board their ships. Once on their ships, they would sail to their homeland, where the party could do nothing. Oakaford would be lost forever!<|fim_prefix|>Oakaford strategically positioned stumpers to capture the shadow elves who were shooting arrows into Lady Nimmo's house. Oakaford and the stumpers took this very personally. She brought them to life, and because of this connection, they bec<|fim_middle|>ome extremely upset when someone tries to harm her. "Okay, everyone," Oakaford whisper-shouted. "Less noise." The entire line of root-footed stumpers kicked up enough noise to alert a passed-out drunk troll who is hard of hearing. Of course, Oakaford's "whisper-shouting" only added to th | b77us7_split1 | Lady Nimmo and the Cursed Belt | Mielikki/Erebus-87k | [
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] | 2,400 | e cacophony. Ash-rim stealthy moved close to Oakaford. "Captain, perhaps we should ask the elves for help? They're naturally quiet," he whispered. His three-foot-tall tree stump body was more agile than most stumpers because Lady Nimmo carved him from a rubber tree. "We protect Lady Nimmo!" Oakaford said too loudly. "Shh, Captain." "Oh, um, yes." Oakaford lowered his voice, "We protect Lady Nimmo—not elves." "I understand, Captain. But how are we going to sneak up on anyone? We're louder than a pack of grundle barrs chomping on dried leaves." "Don't question your Captain. I know what I'm doing." Oakaford had no idea what he was doing. But he wasn't about to let this upstart know it. Suddenly, clashing swords and battle cries rang out from their left flank. The entire stumper guard raced to join the fight. Shadow elves and stumpers mixed it up like an epic Tolkien movie, and it grew more fierce as additional shadow elves and stumpers joined the battle.
Oakaford directed his troops from a hill. "Ash-rim! Take some guards to reinforce those guys!" Oakaford pointed to an isolated group of stumpers surrounded by shadow elves. "Slim! Move your troops over there!" "Reg! Go help those guys!" "Tat! I need you to bolster our right flank!" Oakaford continued shouting commands while studying the battlefield. Fighting in Trugen Forest gave them the home-field advantage, but he couldn't deny that those despicable shadow elves possessed some mad fighting skills. "Trey! Take your team to the center!" No response. "Trey?" Oakaford turned to discover he was alone. He turned back to the battlefield to see every stumper engaged in battle. He was about to join them when he heard someone shouting his name. Turning from the battle, he spotted several shadow elves running towards him. He pulled out his sword, "Let's do this!" However, instead of the shadow elves engaging, they circled him. "Come on, you pansies!" Oakaford shouted, facing each one. "When I'm done cutting you all down to size, you'll be looking up to see down." "Captain Oakaford. My, my, you are a feisty one," Lammerous said. The leader of the shadow elves cut through the circle, clapping his hands. "I admire that." Following Lammerous were three ten-foot-tall magical tree trunks called kraff-nocks. One carried an odd-looking belt encircled with indecipherable ruins. "You!" Oakaford shouted. "I never thought I'd see your skinny butt again. Didn't you get enough last time?" "A minor miscalculation on my part. I promise you won't be so lucky this time." Oakaford's temper rose upon hearing this condescending, pointy-eared, spineless twerp. He raised his sword and charged. Immediately, several whips from the surrounding shadow elves lassoed him in mid-stride. "Tut, tut, Captain. Remember, I don't fight. I've never been into swords or exertion. Surely, you haven't forgotten that I'm an artist?" "Lady Nimmo is an artist. You're a monster." Lammerous's lips curled angrily, "You dare to compare that witch to me!" He snapped his fingers, and a kraff-nock appeared beside him, handing him the belt. "You won't think so highly of her when I place this on you." Oakaford struggled against the whips that bound him vigorously. He didn't know what Lammerous meant but knew it couldn't be good. "Yes. Struggle. You'd struggle more if you knew what this belt does." He snapped his fingers again. Two kraff-nocks joined in restraining Oakaford. "It makes you evil." Oakaford struggled even harder. His mind was racing; could he be turned into an evil stumper? Surely not. There wasn't an evil piece of wood in his body. "It won't work on me!" Oakaford shouted. "Oh, I assure you, it will. I procured this belt from the Order of the Tellmarians. Perhaps you've heard of them?" Oakaford gave no response. "No matter. Let's just say they're really talented at cursing objects. It's their magical gift. Anyway, I digress. The cursed belt will control you. You'll become my servant. And my first order will be to destroy your fellow stumpers." His maniacal laugh echoed throughout the forest. "Never!" "You know what they say about never." He put the cursed belt on Oakaford, and the ruins glowed red, and a magical blast of wind encircled the struggling stumper. Oakaford's eyes began glowing as red as the ruins. After a moment, the wind died down, and Oakaford stopped struggling. He stood zombie-like: no expression, no response, no sign of life. "My. That was unexpected. Those Tellmarians do love their theatrics," Lammerous said. He removed the whips and ordered the kraff-nocks to release Oakaford. Oakaford stood as still as a tree. If it weren't for his freaky glowing eyes, you'd think he was just another tree stump in the forest. Inside Oakaford, a battle raged. Powerful thoughts invaded his mind. They were commanding him to serve Lammerous. He remembered Lady Nimmo and fought furiously against the evil onslaught. To Oakaford, this inner war seemed to go on for hours, but it only lasted a few minutes. Inevitably, the cursed belt overcame, not that he had a chance. The poor stumper was no match against the power of the cursed belt. Lammerous waved his hand in front of Oakaford's eyes, "Hello? Anyone home?" He knocked on Oakaford's head. "Can you hear me?" "I can," Oakaford said in a mechanical, hollow voice. "Oh, my. What a sensational voice. I love it – so evil sounding." He ordered the shadow elves to loosen their whips and kraff-nocks to release Oakaford. "Who is your master?" "You are." "Delightful. I must send a gift to the Order, like a meat and cheese charcuterie board. Their belt is absolutely perfect." Lammerous snapped his fingers. "Let me show you your new enemy." He led Oakaford to the battle and pointed to the stumpers. "Annihilate them! Every one of them!" Oakaford bellowed with an evil war cry, lifted his sword, and charged at the rear of the fighting stumpers. Ash-rim turned to see Oakaford joining them, his pride and confidence surging. He knew the advantage would be theirs once he joined them. But a nagging voice told him to look once more. He couldn't say why. He focused on Oakaford. This time, he noticed the glowing red eyes. "That's not right," Ash-rim said. He left the front to intercept the charging Oakaford. Oakaford changed his course towards Ash-rim. "Hey! Captain! Is all well?" Oakaford readied his sword and swung. Ash-rim nimbly ducked and rolled. "What's wrong with you!" Ash-rim shouted. "You! You pathetic piece of firewood!" Oakaford recalculated his route and swung downward. Ash-rim blocked. "What happened to you? Why are your eyes glowing?" Ash-rim parried several more blows. "Nothing! I've always been like this. You sorry excuse for scrap wood!" "There's a difference. For one, your eyes are freaking me out. Two, your voice sounds evil. And three, you're trying to kill me." "Alright, maybe I've wisened up since last we've met." His evil voice cracked through their clashing swords. "I now see through you. You want to be captain! You think you're better than me! Telling me how I should run things!" Oakaford grew more menacing with each word. "You think I'm a doofus! Well, how about now!" Oakaford unleashed a torrent of blows. Ash-rim parried all but the last blow. He looked at his side. A terrible gash marred his wooden body. He had sparred with Oakaford many times but had never seen moves like these from his mediocre captain. He shouted retreat. Grief and confusion overwhelmed him. He needed Lady Nimmo's help. Lammerous was content and chose not to pursue the retreating stumpers. Oakaford was his. And if he was correct about Lady Nimmo, she would attempt a rescue precisely as he wanted. When the stumpers returned to Jorton, Ash-rim recalled his fight with Oakaford to Lady Nimmo and her inner circle. Jor, her father, and Flimlet, the dwarf, believed there had to be some misunderstanding. Perhaps Oakaford was only pretending to fight for Lammerous to get close enough to kill him. Tim the elf, Ash-rim, and Gladise, Lady Nimmo's mother, agreed with Lady Nimmo: evil magic was responsible. That night, Lady Nimmo called for a city-wide meeting. She warned everyone to be on the lookout for Oakaford and not to trust him until they found a way to restore him to his normal self. She appointed leaders to fill the spots of those leaving to rescue Oakaford, including herself and her husband, Captain Arrow James. The entire city loved and respected Oakaford and wholeheartedly supported the rescue party. Lady Nimmo asked her father to choose the party because of his experience with the King's Guard. Jor chose Lady Nimmo simply because he knew she'd go with or without his permission. But even Jor had to admit it wouldn't hurt to have someone who could carve a troop of stumpers to life in just a few hours. Next, he picked Captain Arrow because he knew the land beyond Trungen Forest and was Lady Nimmo's husband, which played a huge factor. Flimlet and Tim's speed made them indispensable, and Ash-rim, Tat, Splinter, Rain Storm, and Nob would provide the stumper support he knew they'd need before this was all over. The party received news that Lammerous took Oakaford to the shadow elves' port city of Lorevain on the Sea of Grindle. They knew they had to intercept Lammerous before he took Oakaford on board their ships. Once on their ships, they would sail to their homeland, where the party could do nothing. Oakaford would be lost forever! | Oakaford strategically positioned stumpers to capture the shadow elves who were shooting arrows into Lady Nimmo's house. Oakaford and the stumpers took this very personally. She brought them to life, and because of this connection, they bec | ome extremely upset when someone tries to harm her. "Okay, everyone," Oakaford whisper-shouted. "Less noise." The entire line of root-footed stumpers kicked up enough noise to alert a passed-out drunk troll who is hard of hearing. Of course, Oakaford's "whisper-shouting" only added to th |
"<|fim_suffix|>as alert and talking. My hand clutches the locket hanging around my neck. It was just(...TRUNCATED) | 4dsysf_split1 | The Locket | Mielikki/Erebus-87k | [40,1401,916,518,41984,13,5301,3579,374,10296,323,10735,438,566,27578,1119,264,5000,12921,7702,13,20(...TRUNCATED) | 3,709 | "as alert and talking. My hand clutches the locket hanging around my neck. It was just a few hours a(...TRUNCATED) | "I look over at Noah. His face is tight and focused as he backs into a difficult parking spot. Every(...TRUNCATED) | "around me, and my body trembles. When we leave the truck, Noah rests his palm between my shoulder b(...TRUNCATED) |
"<|fim_suffix|>ing long beams across the polished stone floors. The high, rounded towers of the gran(...TRUNCATED) | 09ttwt_split1 | Dreamweaver's Nightmare | Mielikki/Erebus-87k | [64354,896,7255,594,74125,4710,785,6556,7015,18293,1526,279,11030,315,17829,2154,554,11,24172,1293,4(...TRUNCATED) | 3,550 | "ing long beams across the polished stone floors. The high, rounded towers of the grand castle stret(...TRUNCATED) | Dreamweaver's Nightmare
| The morning sun filtered through the windows of Dreamspire, cast |
"<|fim_suffix|>golden boulevards or to die in the dusts of Oklahoma. As Sammy looked up, he spied a (...TRUNCATED) | a662fy_split1 | The Mask of Sammy: A Tale of the Arts Department | Mielikki/Erebus-87k | [16,24,18,22,1532,4261,4311,90029,1320,2185,264,23560,22766,315,4087,6469,15138,63766,1119,264,5567,(...TRUNCATED) | 4,209 | "golden boulevards or to die in the dusts of Oklahoma. As Sammy looked up, he spied a suspicious mas(...TRUNCATED) | "1937 New York City Sammy flung a precise complement of steaming chestnuts into a paper bag - an imp(...TRUNCATED) | "y signature tune, Sammy proudly conferred his toasty treasure to the Dapper Dan and his Dazzling Da(...TRUNCATED) |
"<|fim_suffix|>o it was a little out of character for him to have chosen to pursue a major in that s(...TRUNCATED) | 4qfvp7_split1 | Magic Carpet Ride | Mielikki/Erebus-87k | [1519,5710,1405,3602,264,37850,11,714,37813,9815,572,279,23513,5458,304,678,315,806,6846,518,5836,18(...TRUNCATED) | 3,273 | "o it was a little out of character for him to have chosen to pursue a major in that same subject ar(...TRUNCATED) | "He wasn’t yet a grandfather, but nonetheless Scott was the oldest student in all of his classes a(...TRUNCATED) | " State University. In grade school, he had had no interest in the obligatory hour of Spanish lesson(...TRUNCATED) |
"<|fim_suffix|> with a capital ‘W’,” Aunt Carol explained. “Follow me, Denise.” “What?(...TRUNCATED) | 096n0f_split1 | Oh, Well | Mielikki/Erebus-87k | [23619,1064,572,1101,9380,279,7055,3054,979,279,274,46335,3937,1007,13,9211,1340,572,7484,11,1340,32(...TRUNCATED) | 3,909 | " with a capital ‘W’,” Aunt Carol explained. “Follow me, Denise.” “What?” Denise had n(...TRUNCATED) | "Denise was just leaving the band room when the siren went off. Because she was alone, she didn’t (...TRUNCATED) | "hrew her drumsticks into her backpack and headed outside. There she saw her Aunt Carol looking worr(...TRUNCATED) |
"<|fim_suffix|>ng into a solid mass. The effect was a large misshapen mound of rock. Sections of the(...TRUNCATED) | 4fasno_split1 | Avifauna | Mielikki/Erebus-87k | [26907,4017,9393,17320,1119,32324,402,300,74718,13,46690,14553,315,7448,35642,2341,377,832,279,9058,(...TRUNCATED) | 3,733 | "ng into a solid mass. The effect was a large misshapen mound of rock. Sections of the rock overlapp(...TRUNCATED) | "Hard hot earth pressed into Nuavas palms. Flecks of obsidian speckled the dry ground. Sweat poured (...TRUNCATED) | "lders they were collectors, which was why she was here in the first place. The Vorex had somehow ma(...TRUNCATED) |
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