The Mansion's 'Curse'The Mansion's "Curse"Entry for TFtales Halloween 2012 contest Somehow, my girlfriend Aria had managed to convince me to go check out the decrepit Canach* manor. Ever since the patriarch of the clan, Geasan**, had died 19 years ago, no-one who entered had returned. No-one. Supposedly, the place was haunted, and the ghosts took whoever entered the house and added them to their fold. Now, I’m not the superstitious type, but going into a house where people were known to disappear seemed like a bad idea. Besides, it looked really creepy. But Halloween was just around the corner, and Aria wanted to do something spooky together for once. Aria opened the front door, and as it *creaked* open I took a few deep breaths, taking a mental inventory of my backpack one last time before we dove i
One Wish = One Changed Reality One Wish = One Changed Reality
Change, Escape, AdjustChange, Escape, Adjust (Entry for TFtales Summer 2012 contest)“Uhnnnn…” ‘Where am I?’Paul awoke to find himself not in his own bed, but in what appeared to be a high-tech jail cell, complete with energy-field cell door. Having no clue as to how he got there, he decided to ransack his memories for any clue as to what may have happened last night, hoping to find something that could help him. As time went on, he became so engrossed in his search that he failed to notice the field vanish and a hovering drone enter the room. Until the drone zapped him, that is. *BZZZAAP!!!*“EYAARGH!” The strength of the shock resulted in Paul lying on the floor, stunned.“Subject 727-B, you are to come with me.”Not wanting another shock, Paul did his best to stand up and follow the drone outside the cell, where he was promptly surrounded by three more of the drones. In his surprise, Paul forgot to start walking unt
Scourge of the SkiesScourge of the Skies (Original story for TFtales March mini-contest)“There’s no time to explain. Get in the car.”Gunfire sounded all around the 20-something male, as he deliberated whether or not to get in the vehicle. Supposedly, the woman beckoning him was a notorious criminal responsible for multiple disappearances over the past week. However, the fact that the local police seemed overly secretive about the whole thing seemed to imply that something more was going on. *Bang**Bang* *BangBangBang* It didn’t help that mobsters were firing at him from one side, and other people were firing at the mobsters from the other side.*Yoink!*His decision was made for him as the woman yanked Kane into the car, sending him sprawling on the seat. Rubbing the back of his neck, which was suddenly in pain, Kane heard the car door slam behind him before it suddenly took off. On the verge of blacking out, Kane managed to right himself and buckle up before aski
Rise of Dragons: Stage 2, Stop 1Rise of DragonsStage the Second: Road Trip of Reward and PunishmentStop 1: Dragon DreamsDate: December 10, 2012 Time: 11:30:00 AM The unanimous decision among the dragons was for Bahamut to head to Dragon Dreams first, and obtain the Draconis Soran before anything else. That way, they ensured that they had it before anything else happened, and that they wouldn't lose it to the repo men. Of course, he wouldn't be going as a dragon, because Bahamut wanted the existence of dragons to remain secret until the Ushering In. Instead, he would be going in his human form as Henry, which was a simple feat for a practiced m
RoD, Stage the 1st: The CaveRise of DragonsStage the First: The CaveDate: December 7, 2012 Time: 10:00:00 AM Henry sighed as he walked through the cave, knowing that this was going to be a long day. No, not because he wasn't going to enjoy this field trip to what was supposedly the cavern of the Dragon God Bahamut, but because he knew that he was going to be tormented by classmates the entire time. For some obscure reason, Henry was a target for his college's bullies and tormenters. To make matters worse, Henry's best friend, Jeffery, was roped into the torment simply because he was Henry's friend. As the group continued down the tunnel, a g
Virtual Seikai*BRRRRRINGGGG-**SMACK**YAAAAAWWWN*I slowly sat up and stretched the kinks in my human form out, ready for another day of college. However, I knew my mind would be on another thing entirely the whole day. That thing – or rather, my means of accessing it - entered my vision as soon as I entered the front room of my apartment. It was a large, angular pod covered with multiple silver panels. Each panel was peppered with lights, levers and screens. On the very top was a translucent black case, through which I could barely see a helmet with a straw attached to it. This was the VUP – the Virtual Universe Pod. It would allow me to enter a digital world where I could take on any form I wished, including that of my Lung dragon character. That, right there, was what made the whole thing worthwhile… forget the fact that I could traverse into the realms of any video games I had placed in my VUP, or access an infinitely customizable realm of my own (although that last part did
A Unique WorkoutA Unique Workout “Seriously?”“Yep: you need to get in better shape.” The girl in front of me tugged some of the skin on my upper arm gently for emphasis, showing how much excess, ah, “flab” I had.“You know I don’t like working out, Aria.”“Trust me: after you try this gym out, you’ll be singing a different tune.” I sighed, admitting defeat: Once my girlfriend had her mind made up; there was barely any hope of changing it.Aria and I had known each other since we both started attending Heritage University roughly 3 years ago, and we had been dating for about a year now, with very few problems popping up. This was one of them (to me, at least). You see, Aria had gotten on a bit of a health kick a few months back, and decided to try out this new gym in town. Called the “Dream Gym”, it was best known for its rapid results. And I've seen the speed firsthand: after just
Trickster's TreatTrickster’s TreatEntry for TTFA Halloween 2012 contestBold: Foreign word, translations in description‘Italics surrounded by apostrophes’: ThoughtsItalics w/ underline: Memory/flashback “Alright; let’s see if we can stop those candy thieves before they do any real damage this year.”*sigh* “Kane, I’ve tried to make you see reason, but since you’re so insistent on this I’m going to have to let you go on this crazy mission... and go with you, seeing as you were insistent on that also.”“Come on, Aria! I’ve told you a million times: there’s no such thing as ghosts. Candy thieves, however… Oh, they are going down this year.”For the past 4 Halloweens, a trio of bullies had been setting up shop at random hiding places throughout the neighborhood, pouncing on unsuspecting trick-or-treaters and taking their candy. Catching the
Finding Your True Self (Kiriban prize for x0007) To the average person, the woods behind Gravely Orphanage were rather silent. Not to Edward. He could hear the birds in the trees, the animals on the ground, and the wind rustling the leaves. Edward sighed as he ambled through the wood, thinking about his life. He was an orphan, like all the other kids at Gravely. It was actually rather nice place, contrary to the media's perception of orphanages. All the staff were kind to him, as his fellow orphans were friendly-well, except for the occasional “rotten apple” (they just couldn't be avoided). Thing was, Edward just couldn’t connect with anyone. He was unable to make any real friendships, and any attempts at adoption failed. His heart just wouldn't open up to anyone, no matter how hard he tried.
A Boundless Life (TFTales March contest entry)A Boundless Life*BOOM!* *Mooooooooooo*The unfortunate bovine careened through the air, obliterating the field of cabbages which it smashed into."What the bleep just happened?" I said, unable to restrain my confusion. Just seconds ago, I was driving through town in my new car, a rather old-looking convertible which my gut told me to be a road hazard. Next thing I know, I was in some sort of crazy place where cows were shot out of cannons for fun. 'Correction…', I thought as I drove past the field the cows were shot from, 'circus cannons.'"Hey, where're you goin'?" I'm not sure how, but right in front of me was…a tiger. A tige
New Year's Dragons-Chinese New Year TFNew Year's DragonsWell, this was just dandy.Dad had to go to China to help a client, and the whole family was able to come along. Mom thought it would be a nice vacation, so here we are in Beijing, looking for our hotel. It just so happened that we arrived just before the Chinese New Year started off, and businesses would be closed for at least half of the celebrations. This meant we had to stay longer than planned, as Dad wouldn't be able to get finished before the festivities began. And since China is a Communist country…well, a longer stay just makes me that much more nervous. I'm just darn lucky that my friend-who-is-a-girl Kim h
Escape to a New LifeEscape to a New Life It was a calm, cloudless night-perfect for flying. I lazily soared through the air, my serpentine body slithering through the sky as I enjoyed the view of the city from above. My dark blue scales blended in surprisingly well with the night sky, but I still had to camouflage myself since my dark yellow mane and scutes made me stick out like a sore thumb. I was miles above the planes that humans would use to get from place to place in a hurry, and for good reason: I was over twice as long and just as wide as the average passenger plane, meaning that collisions were near-inevitable unless I was much higher up than they wer
Coming of Dragons, P1: A Life-Changing Weekend-FriComing of Dragons, Part 1: A Life-Changing WeekendFriday I couldn't believe it! Both of my parents were gone for the weekend, leaving me home alone for three and a half days! They had received tickets to a special adults-only event in Chicago, so I had to stay behind. Everything had been included, even payment for the bags on the plane trip, so there was no reason for them not to go. Still, it did seem a little fishy, but I shrugged it off. *GURGLE* OK, I think it's time for some lunch. As I walked over to the fridge to see what there was, I heard a strange sound from the behind me. Turning around, I looked for the source o
A Diver's WishA Diver's Wish Ah, the sea. Calm, serene, and blue, its surface was sparkling and undisturbed. The moonlight reflected off of it, giving the water's surface an almost eerie glow…Suddenly, a strange black shape appeared. It grew larger and larger until…*SPLOOSH!* James, happy about his dive, swam over to the boat and handed his fins to the assistant at the ladder before climbing up onto the deck. He removed his mask and regulator, walking over to his seat. "Man, what a dive!" "I know, wasn't it?" James turned to face the voice, which was coming from his dive buddy, Rob. "Yeah. Man, I never get tired of seeing the ocean floor."
Cado Tyrannus, Familus Orior-2Cado Tryannus, Famiulus Orior-Part 2 Two days later, the royal wedding was about to begin. All of the people of Sagasan were in attendance, from the guardsmen to the royal officials to the commoners. And although the commoners present desperately wanted to stop the wedding in its tracks, the presence of the royal guardsmen prevented the commoners from taking any disruptive actions. Then the doors swung open, and everyone turned to look at who was at the doors. It was Soren, who was now walking down the aisle towards Diana, who was at the altar. Upon seeing Soren, Diana, who didn't recognize Soren in his new body, sighed and looked down, res
Cado Tyrannus, Familus Orior-1Cado Tyrannus, Famulus Orior* 'Many years ago, in a far-off land, there was a kingdom known as Sagasan. It was a land filled with magic, and practically anyone could harness it. But Sagasan was far from idyllic, as it was ruled by a tyrant named Rizon. Rizon was the very pinnacle of a tyrant-he would do almost whatever it takes to get what he wanted. One day, he heard of an ancient statuette of an Oriental dragon located in the Temple of Ryuzan. Rumor had it that the statuette, known as the Sanctimonia Praemium**, could give immense power to those who were worthy, but would punish those who were unworthy. Rizon was sure that he, who ruled o
Sta.sh
