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One Day Notice

[imperials]

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Childhood Experience - [ word count ; exactly 600 ]
As a young child, Cain and his family always had next to nothing when it came down to it. Day by day by the age of fifteen, he would go out every day and scavenge for food and raid abandoned houses or thieve from shops and female viscets’ purses. Yet this all changed one day when Cain was out scavenging. If Cain would have been told that that day, his life would be turned around for the worst and best, he would have never believed you.

The young viscet trekked onward through the undergrowth in the mid-day sun, his satchel over his flank bumped loosely against his body and a few small coins dropped out which he scooped back up with haste. Cain hated the forest he was in at the moment. Around these parts, it was ominously known as the Forbidden Forest. The elders in his town always spoke of ghosts, ghouls, and monsters that roamed these forests waiting for a victim to wander in. Though he had no choice but to go through this hell hole of geography as it was either walk through this forest, somehow get through the town which was near the forest but he was wanted beyond believe – dead or alive – in that town. Or he could have made the week long trek around the forest, through the mountains, over the hundred-yard-across river, and through Ol’ man Kepler’s wheat field which was infested with rats, cicada, and poison snakes. There would never be an amount of money you could bribe Cain with to even touch that field or go through that guard ridden town. So he just continued on his way through the forest until his paws brought him to a halt.

He couldn’t tell if he was dreaming or not. It felt like a dream. Everything seemed to stand still for a few moments. Not moving a muscle, he stood like a rock from the Stonehenge. It was something from out of an old movie you would have seen. Laying there in the middle of the grass, toadstool, and flower infested – tree cleared, field, was a dragon. Cain could hear his heart beating in his ears and his body shook in fear. Never in his life had he seen a dragon. He had heard stories of the nearby town, Croaki – where he is highly wanted – that dragons decades ago would sometimes wander into the town, stealing all the gold and treasures within it with a horrid roar and rancid breath. But this dragon… seemed different. He neared her. The dragon looked at Cain with fear and pain in her eyes. Her forest-green wings unraveled from her sides which Cain could now clearly see the crimson color or blood that scored her body. A small, faint-brown, egg rolled onto the grass.

After a few minutes decision once the life seemed to fade from the female-dragon’s eyes. He crept closer. Under further inspection, it seemed as though the egg had already been cracked and was open. A small baby dragon with dark-grey scales was cradled inside.

Over a decade later, the male-dragon whom was now named Greece by Cain, was much older and started to cause havoc. The dragon would get easily enraged and started to run off, steal, and kill livestock. Until one fateful day… At approximately midnight on July 23rd., Greece went rampage on Cain’s family after his newest little sibling, Ramona – whom was two - , tugged on Greece’s tail. Without thinking, the dragon lit up the home in a fierce blaze, killing Cain’s whole family. He will never forgive that dragon

[Desmond]

Link to Round One Forum
Childhood Experience (600 max) -
Torino changed his name when he ran away from home, determined to take on the monster that took away his brother. He wanted something with a heavy weight to it, like how the word ‘broadsword’ brings to mind a sturdy, weighted blade. A few ideas came to mind, but they were used far too often to convey the idea of strength and power - Phoenix. Roc. Angel. Steele. None of them fit. For weeks, he trained with his weapon - a long but narrow sword that he’d stolen from his father’s collection to aid him in his mission - without a name, refusing to answer to the one his family had given him, for he believed it to be his mother’s fault that his brother had been taken. She had, after all, answered when the thing had made its siren call, just shy of being impossible to resist.

And so the monster found her, brushed her aside, and went after the little one that she was protecting.

He’d fought against his father’s tight hold, thrashing wildly against the warm chest that he’d nestled against, half-asleep not long ago. He could only watch as the thing took to the skies, little echoing wails coming from the little viscling in its clutches. His mother had only just survived being tossed aside, but he couldn’t be near her. She was being taken care of, anyway; his father wouldn’t leave her.

The weapon he’d stolen was simple, despite the rune work down the flat side of the blade. It called for bravery and righteousness… two qualities he hoped he could live up to. The leather and steel made for a hefty weight - it could make quick work of the young one as he swung it, toppling him into the dirt - or mud, or rock, or whatever he happened to be practicing on - within just a couple swift swings.

But as he grew, the weapon became less of a burden, and more of a part of him.

His determination, too, grew to suit him. What was once a youthful obsession, like the singlemindedness of a child fitting a square peg into a round hole, became a finely-tuned piano string, struck to create a… well, perhaps not melody, but a note that could stir a dancer into action. The young viscet and his ‘enemy’ in battle training were partners, each trying to gain the upper hand and avoid the other’s flashing blade.

And all the while, he would sing.

The tune wasn’t the important bit. It kept him in time with himself, and forced his opponent to either step in time with him, or spend some of their concentration blocking out the distraction, allowing him to become the powerhouse of the match.

Soon, he started being compared to a bull as he mowed down his opponents, despite his smaller stature. He was still so young -- but once he gained the upper hand, he held it tight, and every ounce of strength went into bringing the other weapon and its owner to the ground.

He liked the comparison. Him! - an oft-underestimated youth being compared to a creature noted for its strength and feared for its power! His armor pieces - what he’d had at that point, at any rate - changed to suit the comparison, and he took on a new name, Torino, to take on the identity of the little bull.

The monster that took his brother away would learn to fear the bull-horned helmet. Torino would ensure that.

Extra (Optional) -

[DragonsofMyth]

Link to Round One Forum
Childhood Experience (600 max) - When he was small, Kasai-Arashi's parents didn't spend much time with him. They tried their hardest, but as loyal guards for a higher ranking viscet, they didn't have the time. As days past, they started spending more time at home, to Kasai's relief. Soon when he was old enough, he joined too as a guard, just like his parents.
Months Later
After the passing away of his mother from an illness, he and his father decided they would travel the world, defending others from enemies. With his father a trained warrior, he took part in training his son all he needed to know about protecting others and fighting. Soon, they were in a feild where, a young viscet was being chased by a pack of wolves. After a long fight, with minimum injuries sustained, they left the fight with the young viscet safe at their side.
Extra (Optional) - His mother was named Akiea and his father was named Diablo.

[-Shaded-]

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Childhood Experience (600 max) -
Soft hums escape hammel as he grabs a tray of tea with a small cup of honey and walked through his kitchen into the bedroom hallways. His mother has a sore throat the night before and he wanted to be there with something to make his mom feel better. He had always wanted to be the sunshine that would make her smile and laugh so he would try to make her proud each and everyday!
"BOO!"
Hammel's heart jumped as the viscet jumped out from around the corner snickers. The tray flys up and comes down on top of his head drenching hammel in warm tea and sticky honey. "Oh... oops! Sorry bro!" His brother apologizes and laughs once more, "Come on obie!! I'm trying to do something nice for mom and you made a mess of it..." I sigh and feel the honey start to get stuck in my fur. "Here hammi, I'll make another cup for mom while you get cleaned up!" Obie picks up the tray and cup and trots to the kitchen.
---
I grab a towel and dry my mane and my fur and shake out the excess water. My ears perk as a I hear a knock, "Hey Hammi! I finished the tea and mama is about to wake up!" Obie whisper-yells through the door. I open the door and go into moms room. "Good morning mama!" she rolls over and groans, "why are you up so early?" She hoarsely says as she sits up. She stops and looks at the tray of tea and bread, "Hammel made you some tea for your throat!" She smiles and accepts the tray but as she picks up the cup she pauses, "... hey, where is the honey?" I freeze up and a wave of embarrassment crashes over me and heat rises to my face. Obie starts laughing and falls on the floor. I nervously chuckle and say, "that's a story for another time"
(326 words)

[Hail.]

Due to request, this will be extended by one day

[Hail.]

CLosed for judging!

[Hail.]

Sorry for how long it took to judge this ^^;; Crazy stuff has been going on but things should calm down a bit for the next two weeks before finals kicks start c:

Here are the people who will be moving on!!

sschw
prince lotor
BeardedDragon
~Trompy
Shadow Striker
Bentley

Alright! Round three will begin today!

There are many types of dragons. Some literal, some metaphorical. In life we all face our own dragons and wage wars against them, though we often may not recognize it. The Dragon Hunter design was made after I had watched a game play of a heartbreaking game known as "That Dragon, Cancer." In that game, the family battled dragons known as Sorrow, Helplessness, Desperation, Anger, and Misery while their young child battled the infamous dragon, Cancer. We all battle our own dragons, some of us battle the same dragons. What kinds of dragons does this dragon hunter battle?

Rules
!. This can be a literal or metaphorical dragon, I will leave it up to you
2. You may only focus on one type of dragon. You can mention others, but focus on the dragon which is the most challenging or has the biggest impact on their life and purpose.
3. You will have 800 words to explain the dragon they face.
4. For this round, you are required at least one art piece. It can be made by you or another. Remember, quality of scene counts. An image showing emotion which applies to the story and adds to it will be counted higher than a simple smiling, sad, or angry face. Speak through the art you use and have it help to tell your story.
5. You are allowed an option of two extras, which you can mix and match but you cannot plug into the 800 set for the theme. 1 art piece is equal to 300 words. (1 art and 300 words, 2 art, or 600 words)
6. Coding and prettying up is allowed

Code: Select all

Link to forum 1
Link to forum 2
Name -
Gender -
The dragon they face (800) -
1 Art -
Extras -

This will end on March 31st

[~Trompy]

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Link to forum 2

His Name
Kaizen

His Gender
Male

His Dragon, Revenge
798/800

He thought he needed it. He couldn’t go a day without thinking about it. His whole life revolved around it. But once he got it…

A physical dragon killed Kaizen’s family. Even though that dragon did put him on his path, it was the new, metaphorical dragon perched on his shoulder that impacted his life and purpose.

A dragon called revenge.

Kaizen’s purpose in life was revenge. It started out in school, where he would punch the bullies five times harder than they had punched him. Then it was in the army, where he would wipe out an entire fleet because they took out one of his own. Once in the royal guard, he took out an entire enemy line by himself to exact revenge for his fallen king. It all led up to three years of intensive dragon training… which made him ready to face a real dragon, but that still, wasn’t enough.

Hundreds of dragons were scattered around the kingdom he called home, and thousands more were presumed to be alive throughout the world. The dragon he wanted could be anywhere... and we was willing to search forever to find it.

He started in the mountains by his childhood home. He found and killed two dragons, but neither was his dragon. Anger welled up inside him as the numbers grew. Four dragons, eight, ten, and then twenty. He was dropping them like flies as he came across them, but none of them ended being the one responsible for his family's death. The little voice in his head would keep pushing him forward. “The next one, I promise.” Villages that were ravaged by the beasts he had slain would honor him as a hero, but he could hardly notice. He would leave as soon as he had came, following the voice that told him that his prized dragon was right around the corner. Every time he was faced with anger and the feeling of defeat grew inside of him, but right there was that little voice. "Every dragon you slay is just practice for the one you want most! It may seem never-ending, but there are only so many dragons. You will find him."

And the little voice was right.

Five years, eighty-seven days and two hundred-fifty-six dragons is what it took to find HIS dragon. Those pitch black eyes and reflective scales... he knew it was the one. Kaizen readied his sword to charge the beast, but it didn't even flinch. It waited for Kaizen, but he hardly noticed. He was quick in slaying the beast, and his heart filled with pride. He had exacted his revenge for his family. He could die a happy man.

Or so he thought.

He looked over the dragon, and found his pride quickly receding. The dragon’s wings were broken, probably from a bad fall. It couldn’t fly. Most of its teeth were missing… it couldn’t defend itself. It didn’t charge Kaizen not because he deserved death, but because he yearned for it. And Kaizen was so blinded by revenge; he hadn’t even taken the second to see that. This dragon had seen better days, and over the years Karma had gotten the better of it. Kaizen had basically shot a fish in a barrel. And that wasn’t right. This wouldn’t have made his family proud.

Suddenly he heard a little click from further inside the cave. Checking out the noise, he realized it was a nest. One lone egg sat in the middle, and shook and clicked as the little dragon within it started to hatch. The little creature poked out its head, and chirped at Kaizen. It had the same black eyes and reflective scales as its mother.

The little voice raged. “You must kill it!!”

Kaizen shook his head in shame. He ignored the angry cries of the “dragon” on his shoulder and picked up the hatchling. In all his years he never thought twice about an alternative to his revenge, and now, being forced to look at his life decisions, he realized he had been petty to rely on revenge all those years.

“Sometimes the best revenge… is forgiveness.”

Kaizen chose to ignore his revenge, in a way, and brought the baby dragon home. His fellow dragon slayers were enraged, ready to exact their own revenge. Kaizen knew now that revenge was bittersweet. You may get what you want, but it was never what you really wanted. And as he sat down with his baby dragon, he chuckled to himself.

“Your mother is probably rolling in her grave, knowing you’re friends with a viscet. That’s the best revenge of all.” The baby dragon chirped happily as it chewed on a bone.

Kaizen’s family smiled down from the heavens with pride.

All because of that dragon, revenge.

[Corvuss]

Name
Kaleo

Gender
Male

The Dragon They Face
[800/800]

The cool night air passed through Kaleo’s fur as he approached the nest. He had done this many times before. There was excited squeaks from the hungry hatchlings inside as they heard him approach. He stepped over the corpse of their mother. She lay outside, obviously killed by another dragon. She wouldn’t be worth collecting for that reason. Kaleo pulled his dagger from a small pocket in his armor as he approached the hatchlings.

Kaleo had reached his stash quickly. He carefully arranged his new trophies with the rest. ‘These will make an amazing story’ he thought, removing his armor. One day he would be able to return to the village if he kept gathering pieces like this. He would tell the story of how he defeated a vicious, fire-breathing dragon in order to prevent the spread of dragons. With a sigh of contempt, he laid down to rest.

Sounds of rustling woke Kaleo, causing him to drowsily sit up. He glanced over towards the source—a small, silky-furred dragon who was curiously picking through his things. He merely just watched it out of a mixture of surprise and inquisition, pulling himself quietly out of his makeshift bed and approaching. Shortly after moving closer to the creature, it froze and stared straight at him—yelping as Kaleo leapt towards them. The small dragon puffed out its chest, and angrily attempted to breathe fire, resulting in a pathetic puff of smoke. Realizing its mistake, it scrambled away from him for dear life.

Without hesitation, Kaleo raced to grab his armor and a dagger, then sprinting after the dragon. Using only his scent and limited vision to follow the auburn scrap through the dark forest night, but before he knew it he met with brilliant orange eyes. A snarl ripped through the air, and a large form loomed over him. The beast was adorned with horns and bore sharp claws, shielding the smaller dragon. ‘Ohgodohgod—’ is all that raced through his mind as he quickly stepped backwards to avoid the talons. The beast let out a lower snarl, rippling with ferocity. “Dragon hunter, you don’t belong here.” Kaleo’s eyes widened in surprise, but also confusion—it’s a talking dragon? Kaleo shook off his confusion, he wouldn’t be put down ever again. Kaleo started to slowly reach for his dagger keeping his eyes locked on the dragon, “You are the one who shouldn’t—” Kaleo was cut off by a sharp smack to the face, nearly losing hold of his dagger.

pm me about art
Without a moment to spare, the dragon breathed fire—brightly lighting the area and revealing it wasn’t a dragon at all, but an abnormally large viscet. “W—wait,” he withdrew away swiftly,
“You’re not a dragon?!”

The viscet shook their head. “No.” Kaleo tilted his head slightly, “Then why are you protecting that?” They stared straight into his eyes in a serious manner. “They’re my friend. We help each other.” Kaleo looked disgusted but felt a tiny pang of jealousy that baffled him. Why was he jealous of this? He shook off the thought and responded with a question. “Just who are you?”

They narrowed their eyes at Kaleo. “I’m Sanke.” Kaleo straightened up a little, “I’m Kaleo.” He glared at the small dragon, “who are they?” Merely looking at them repulsed him. “That’s Abaven.” Sanke almost snapped, beginning to lose their temper. Kaleo was taken back by the sudden remark, “I was just asking.”

He decided it would be safer to drop the subject of ‘Abaven’. Yawning, Kaleo looked to the sky attempting to tell the time. He had gotten little sleep. “I’ll be going,” the words tumbling out of his mouth while turning and dashing back toward his stash. He didn’t trust Sanke at all, but for some reason felt regret pool in his stomach for not staying. As he’s sprinting, his mind continues to linger on the viscet and dragon. ’Things probably could've gone much better...but if it hadn’t played out like this we might’ve even been friends.’
The first thing Kaleo did the next night was head towards where he met Sanke. A small part of him hoped they would be around the same location. He had a sudden inspiration to try, he was going to try to change and be better for himself, not the village. He thought of the blacksmith and the way he tried his best to give him freedom to do what he wanted to be happy. Maybe he had been thinking of it wrong the whole time. What if they just wanted him to be happy, not prove himself. He would use the opportunity they gave him the best he could. Friends would be a start.

Extra
[600/600]

Kaleo began wandering to find a place he could be happiest after abandoning his old life. One of the locations he discovered was a small village at the base of a volcano far from the dragon territory. He still traveled with his vigilant mindset. The village was quiet at first, then suddenly a blur fell from a tree onto his head. “Who are you? I’m Sylvester, but everyone calls me pester. I don’t know wh—” a high pitched voice asked, but was cut off as Kaleo tried to shake it off. It held onto his armor like glue. Kaleo gave up and stopped shaking his head. He sighed, “I’m Kaleo— is this how you normally greet visitors to your village?”

“Normally, yes. If no one notices there's a new viscet around, I’m here to—” Pester was cut off by Kaleo suddenly jerking his head forward, catching him by surprise. The small black and blue viscet was sent flying. “Eek!” The viscling squeaked as he flew; luckily landing in a small patch of grass. He looked up to Kaleo. “Why’d you—wait, are you wearing a dress?!” Pester looked as if he was trying to hold himself back, but ending up laughing hysterically. “Y—your face! Priceless!” Unable to tame his laughter, he ended up snorting. Kaleo looked down to the small viscet, realizing he wasn't a threat at all. He was still rather annoyed but he pushed it aside.

Kaleo looked up when he heard more small footsteps approaching, it was another viscet a little bigger than Pester. “Sylvester, What are you doing?!” The hazelnut viscet stopped, looking up to the viscet in armor, her tail bushing up slightly in surprise. “Oh, hello—sorry about him, he's… different. I’m Kayla.” Pester snorted, “Kay, your tail did the thing.” Kayla looked back to her brother, “Pester, I dare you.” Pester stopped laughing and sat up, shaking his fur from all the grass. He didn’t say a word more after that. Feeling a bit more contempt, She looked back to the stranger, “sorry, sir, but—might I ask, what are you doing in our village’s territory?”

Kaleo had been amused watching the visclings. “I’m just traveling, but I don’t know where I’m going,” Kaleo replied. Pester snickered quietly, “you’re lost, aren't you?” Kayla glared at her brother, looking ready to kill him. “I’m not lost, I just don’t have a specific place I need to go. I want to find a place where I really belong,” Kaleo spoke while gazing around at the surrounding village. It was pretty empty with a few humans around. They weren’t at all like the humans from his first village. They seemed more relaxed and kind. Kaleo backed away from the visclings, as he wasn’t sure if he should stay. Humans still made him really nervous, but these were more like the Blacksmith than the others. Kaleo was conflicted again. Pester looked up at Kaleo, “Are you okay? Are you sick? Good thing your dress is keeping you warm!” He was silenced by Kayla once again. He sat there trying to stay quiet for a moment, before he realized something, “You can stay here!” He suddenly blurt out, “we have plenty of space, and you're sick, we have a bunch of nasty herbs to give you!”

A viscet approached upon hearing her name. “Uhh, I mean—good, healthy stuff!” Pester quickly corrected himself. “Aniseee! He can stay can’t he?” Pester pleaded. She nodded to Pester and Kaleo, “Of course.” Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stay here for a little while. Kaleo was surprised by their offer, “Thank you.”

Credit
Sylvester/Pester and Kayla belong to BluKitty53
Sanke and Abaven are owned by humerussin
The art (click it for full size) was also drawn by humerussin

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