| ~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library |
| Weekly Writing Challenge Thread 2 - The Morning After (Deadline December 31st) |
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| Esifex:
--- Quote from: Takamachi Ruroha on July 09, 2012, 11:35:28 PM ---I never thought that I would once be told that my story was too short. Back to long, sprawling epics, I guess! BV --- End quote --- That's short? :wat: |
| capt. h:
Me and Utsuho each take a bar stool. The stools are made of granite, the glasses are made of stone, and the counter is made of marble. There is no shortage of rock in Chireiden. I suppose that?s to be expected of an underground city. ?Two glasses of sake,? the raven says ?So what do you think of hell?? I glance around the bar. The first thing I notice is that they all pretty much look human, except for the horns and the heights. Some of them were normal or even short, but about half of them had at least 6 feet. The other thing is that they?re all staring at me. ?Confusing. You know, the days feel? longer?? ?The days may very well be longer.? Utsuho says. ?Huh?? ?When we invented our clocks, we couldn?t time them to the movement of the sun and stars.? the raven begins, ?At first we only had two or three across all of hell, and they fell into disrepair during the panic right after hell was sealed, including the clock tower.? ?As the dust settled, it became problematic enough that Satori commissioned the tower?s repair. A spider youkai managed to fix the machine, but didn?t have any way to tune it to the length of a second. Eventually, we simply guessed the length, and made that the Hell Second. Don?t expect the days down here to match the days up there, that?s for certain.? The bartender hands us our pints. Utsuho?s empties her glass almost immediately, while I swirl my drink instead. ?Welcome stranger,? The bartender states. She?s a large woman even by this bar?s standards, towering at nearly seven feet. She also had a big red distinctive horn jutting out of her forehead. She?d be easy to find in a crowd, that?s for sure. ?I take it you?re the weirdo human that went to hell,? the bartender states matter-of-factly. I do find one thing about the oni?s lack of subtlety refreshing, although rude. ?What about it?? I say. ?M?name?s Yuugi Hoshiguma, oni.? The lady states, giving me a bone shattering handshake. When a strong youkai gives a strong handshake, broken bones are not uncommon. ?I haven?t smelled a human ages.? Great. So that?s why I?m getting so many funny looks. ?Fujiwara no Mokou.? I bury myself in my drink with my left hand and let my right droop. Should be fine in a couple minutes, but still a pain. ?So, tell me human, will you challenge me to a contest of strength?? ?I?d rather not,? I say. ?Ah,? she smirks. ?Then you forfeit?? The oni flexes her muscles, her biceps the size of mellons. ?You know, I gotta take you home with me if you forfeit. Honesty of the oni, after all.? ?That really isn?t necessary,? Utsuho interjects nervously. ?Sure it is. Honesty of the oni, and all that. Us oni gotta challenge humans to tests of strength, and gotta take ?em home if they lose. And besides,? she laughs, taking my still swollen right hand, ?I haven?t had my fun with a human in centuries. Well, cept for that shrinemaiden and witch, but they were in a hurry.? Great, a match of strength against an oni. ?Does it really have to be arm wrestling?? I ask. ?Yep,? she says, with a mighty jerk of her arm that crushes my hand against the table. ?Looks like you lose,? she says with a sly grin. ?Now I get to keep ya!? I take another sip. ?And?? ?Satori?s gonna be really mad if I don?t take her home,? Utsuho adds sheepishly. ?Let her be mad!? Yuugi says, still pinning my hand. ?You know, human, considering what I did to your arm I?m surprised you aren?t screaming. Humans up top tougher than they used to be?? ?No, it?s just me,? I say, letting a little fire flare up. Yuugi lets out a deep yelp, lifting her palm off mine and dumping it in a barrel of ale. ?Physical strength? I can?t compare to an oni. But pain? I?m good with pain. Fire too.? ?I see, human.? Yuugi says with a toothy grin. ?Then this might be fun.? A rising chant began filling the bar. ?Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!? the chant went. Yuugi picked up a glass of sake with her burned hand. Clearly not taking the match very seriously, otherwise she?d at least use both her hands and bothered with a guard. Then again, I suppose I wasn?t taking her too seriously either, otherwise I?d at least have my good hand up, rather than resting both of them in my pockets. Yuugi takes a step forward, launching a slow punch. I dodge backwards and land a kick right into her gut. The oni laughs ?Is that all you?ve got?? she asks, lunging forward on the second step with an axe-kick. I hurl myself to her left. Then she flashed forward at blinding speed, cracking my jaw in two with an uppercut that send my skull shattering into the ceiling. ?Go Yuugi!? you hear a bystander chant. ?Knock her out in three steps!? I straighten out the kinks in my neck, and relocate my jaw. Then, I flare up. No sense making it easy for the ogre, if she wants to fight, she?s in for some hurt. ?Still have some fight left?? the oni says, with a straight punch aimed at the jaw. I duck underneath it with an explosive kick to her gut, blasting the oni straight into a wall with a bone shattering crack. Yuugi quickly smothers her burning shirt before finishing her drink. She then gets up, tossing her glass aside with a huge grin. ?Well now,? she says with a crack of her neck, towering over me. ?You are fun one.? I?m forced to grin back. It?s not every century I meet someone who can take my kicks better than Kaguya. Though the feeling was cut short by a chair to the back of yuugi?s head by one of the drunker oni. This was followed by a third oni smashing a glass over the head of the second oni , and then abother three oni just start punching eachother for the hell of it. Utsuho?s hiding safely behind the bar, I can?t really blame her, but I?d think she want to be part of the fun. Meh, to each their own. The rest of the night is a bit of a blur, but it becomes clear why oni work in stone ? nothing else would have survived the fight. I don?t remember details too well (I blame the ale, if nothing else I now know to watch out for any drink an oni hands me), but there was a horribly messy barfight which the barkeeper actively participated in, followed by lots of drinking, followed by more fighting, and more drinking but with song, and huge blanks in my memory. Bits and pieces come back alongside a terrible headache. I would love to empty my stomach if it wasn?t already growling, which with my constitution says a lot about the ale. Scorch marks everywhere, it looks like clothing became optional at some point, and I see at least a dozen oni were unable to find the door. I also note that something actually managed to melt the stonework. Lets see now, what happened again? It?s all a bit of a blur, but I remember Utsuho flipping out at some point, and everything became really, nastily hot. From me that?s saying something. ?I know you were trying to help,? Yuugi lectures, ?But you can?t use your powers in the bar anymore, alright?? Utsuho gives a slow nod, head down in at least slight shame. Funny how in spite of being my height, Utsuho looks like a child being scolded by her mother next to Yuugi. Her extremely masculine, body builder mother. ?On the other hand, using them outside the bar would be really good for business.? That perks the raven up a bit. Supporting my head with the bar?s counter, I recall a significant lack of paying and manage to ask, ?How the hell do you stay in business?? Yuugi replies with a wide smile, ?Honesty of the oni. Their pride keeps these guys from skipping their tab, even if they don?t remember how they got one.? The oni pauses, bringing her face in close, ?It looks like someone had a good night!? ?I don?t remember last night,? I slur. ?Ah, then you must have a great night!? Yuugi says patting my back with the force of an elephant. I don?t dwell too much on the details of that, instead forcing all my power into getting upright. Utsuho moves to support me and ends up tripping over herself. The two of us manage to pay the bill, and we find the door after a minute or so, before Yuugi waves back ?You come on back anytime.? ?Sounds like fun,? I say feebly. Then as we stagger through the doorway, I see more bodies lying around the street. I ask Utsuho, ?Is this kind of thing normal?? ?Yep.? She says. |
| Scrittore:
I exist, have regained some semblance of sanity, and I have a question! Are we allowed to submit more than one entry without penalty? |
| Iced Fairy:
--- Quote from: Scrittore on July 12, 2012, 06:31:39 PM ---I exist, have regained some semblance of sanity, and I have a question! Are we allowed to submit more than one entry without penalty? --- End quote --- For the sanity of our judges I ask that you place only one within this thread. Though I'm sure you will receive acclimation should you create a short story thread for the other one. Though if Rou's crazy.... :P |
| FinnKaenbyou:
--- Quote from: Scrittore on July 12, 2012, 06:31:39 PM ---I exist, have regained some semblance of sanity, and I have a question! Are we allowed to submit more than one entry without penalty? --- End quote --- You can submit several entries but only one will be judged. You should make it clear which of your entries you want to be considered for judging, and you can change your mind on that regard any time before the deadline as long as you do so very clearly. |
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