Contest #9: Writing challenge

[The Lost Global Mod]

^because he wrote it that way? idk its up to you if you include "spelling and grammar" into your judgement of the stories. Its a public vote like alway. So yea hacker you should fix this (just to be on the safe side).

[Reaper]

I'm back again
[/offtopic]
@Spark: Are you going to join with your story? It's somehow sad, but I believe you would get quite some votes with it.
@Divisor: Sorry for giving two choices, but why don't you just flip a coin? Or write two stories and decided for the better one. (I would really go for the second option btw. As mentioned before, you got a lot of time.)
@Hacker: I really like the general idea, which fits pretty good to the beginning. The style is also very nice( I especially like how Robert talkes. "Well played..." etc.). You might want to go a bit more into detail about what happened before, but you don't have to. Other than that... Well, you know, atmosphere and descriptions are the things I'm always eager to see
@Phil: You have to make BP join as well.
@The world in general: I've written the beginnings, but still I don't have any idea what to write. Or actually quite a lot, but all of them rather vague and indistinct. Good that we got some time.

[Reaper]

This is very likely to change, but anyway. See it as a reminder. What's annoying me is the fact that writing all the side stuff I had in mind would prevent most of you from reading it. Now it's 749 words + beginning 1. I might add some other stuff after the contest, though. Hope you enjoy reading.
I gotta write some less serious stuff

Spoiler (Click to View)

The cry of a single raven broke the silence of the night. The light of the moon threw nightmarish shadows, one of them being close to a human shape. For a few seconds the shadow laid on the wet grass of a park, then he began to move towards an old Victorian estate. As the raven cried a second time, the head of the shadow turned around and finally light fell onto the face of the man the shadow was belonging to. It was the face of an old man who had already seen too much in his life, but his eyes still radiated power and a strong will.
After some more seconds he came to the great wooden door and took out a pack of picklocks. He tried the first one, but it didn't fit. A silent curse escaped from his mouth. Hectically he took out the next one and almost dropped it.
'Stay calm' he told himself. 'There is no need to rush.'
Finally he managed to open the lock. He slowly moved the door. With a long and painful scream it swung open. He was there. Just one last step to go...

He stopped for a moment to take a deep breath. It had taken him twenty years to get to this point. A few more seconds wouldn't matter. He left the door open and looked around. Gloomy light came from somewhere above, but his eyes already got used to the darkness. In a corner he noticed a broad stairway with a blood-red carpet on it. The source of light was up there and his target probably was as well.
As he climbed up the stairs, he envisioned a stream of blood running down the carpet and melting with it's tone. It would vanish like it's owner. But no, he told himself. This was not about assuaging his bloodthirst. It was just about revenge. Cold, determined revenge.
Lost in his thoughts he hardly noticed that the stairway had ended, revealing a long corridor. At it's end, light fell out of a half-opened door.
Soft-footed, he approached it while taking a silver dagger out of his coat. Somehow he managed to get through the door without moving it.
Now there he stood, a dark figure, surreptitious like an assassin, in the corner of a dark room with his victim lying on a bed in front of him. Next to it there was a small table with a candle on it. After twenty years... Twenty years of plotting his revenge... And now he was so close. So close to the man who had taken everything from him. The man who had killed his wife and burned down his house. Who had destroyed his life. But tonight, this would end.
He came closer and raised the fist with the dagger. As he was about to jab out, he noticed a small book with a violet binding on the bedside table. The word “diary” was on it, written in calligraphic letters. He wanted to end this as fast as possible, but something made him open the book. Maybe he wanted to understand why all this had happened, maybe he wanted to understand why that man had done all this to him and maybe he hoped to find solace by understanding it. He didn't know, but he opened it anyway.
“Dear Diary,” it said on the first page.

“I'm starting to write to you because something happened. Something terrifying. Something I can't keep for myself.
I killed somebody. A woman. It just happened. Why me? I was just hungry, so I broke into a house to find something to eat, but suddenly she was standing in front of me, with a knife in her hand. In my fear I took a knife as well, but she stabbed forward. Probably she didn't even want to kill me, maybe her fear was even bigger than mine. But at that time... I couldn't even grab a single clear thought. And suddenly my knife hit her stomach.
And then... I was so anxious of being put to prison that I tried to hide my act by burning down the house. That way, it would look like an accident and nobody would find out. But as I came out of the house, here husband saw me. He must have seen the flames and the smoke. I ran away, hiding from justice...”

He skipped a few pages.

“I still can't stop myself from thinking about it. Neither at daytime nor in my dreams. It is probably going to hunt me forever.
I wonder how her husband is feeling now. Does he hate me? Of course he does. How does he live on? Does he think of it every day like I do? Or doesn't he even live anymore? I wish I could talk to him and explain what I did, but I fear his reaction. Maybe he would kill me. But well, maybe that's a fair punishment for my misdeeds...”

At that point he closed the book and turned his head to look down at his former enemy. All this years, he had thought he was hunting a monster. And now he realized that this man suffered as much as he did. Somehow he felt an affinity to him. A single event had bound them together for a lifetime. He could still kill that man, but it didn't mean anything to him. Furthermore, wouldn't he be the cold, deadhearted monster if he did so?
He took the pen lying next to the book and wrote “I forgive you” on the last page, then he left through the open door.

[The Lost Global Mod]

^ thx for reminding me, i gotta write mine too haha
oh and crap, i have to be extremely awesome to beat your story =3

[Elias]

Dare to read it.

This will not win (Click to View)

The sun went down beyond the horizon and painted the landscape in blood red. Blood! As if he hadn't seen enough of that the last months.
His glance wandered around on the battlefield. Finally it was over. After three month, silence came back into the vale for the first time. But it wasn't a peaceful silence. It was frightening.
He shuddered and was about to go back the way he came from, but he had to walk to the other side of the valley.
The smell of death normally would have been hardly endurable, but he got used to it over time. This, however, didn't apply for the sight presented to him. Dead soldiers of both sides were lying next to each other, looking at him with empty, vacant eyes, still clutching their weapons in death. He began to shiver even more. Involuntarily his hand raised towards a pocket of his vest and opened it. His fingers fumbled around until he found a picture of his fiance.
'Finally can get back and never return on the battlefield, I'm the only survivor in here but how will they know,' the man thought to him self.
He walked towards the horizon, were the sun was setting. The sun wasn't bright orange, but like blood spilled in water.
It took him 3 hours just to reach outside the battlefield and be on the road. He didn't want to walk all the way back because it would take him about three days just to walk half his destination. After he walked he noticed that he still held his sword. 'Having my curse is horrible, always my sword in near me, even if I threw it in the ocean, or left it on high mountains it would always comeback to me. Also its so strangely shaped, and has only one sharp edge.' After that thought he continued walking, he also noticed a merchant wagon came by. He starched his hand and made a hitchhiker's thumb. The merchant came by and said, "Where are you going swordsman?"
"I'm going to Nirba."
"Oh that's good, you can come along."
So the man jumped in the wagon. He tried to sleep but couldn't. It was in two days when the merchant reached Nirba.
"Thanks, sorry I have no money or anything to pay back."
"It's okay, many travelers get help from merchants."
So lf-empire.deeft. The man turned and looked at the village. His face expression was shock, fear, and hatred. The whole city was burned to the ground. There was a letter on the ground near the entrance. He opened it and read it.

You have ten days to return Loile to the military or more villages will be burned.
You know who this is from Loile, it is us Lagins the people who want to fight you
and your army, we heard about your skill and that is the reason why we want
to fight you.

Loile than ripped the paper and threw it into the ashes. He grabbed his sword and started walking into the nearest Limeans military base which was only three hours away. After he reached the base he took a horse, which belonged to general Leo. Soon Leo was walking outside the base and screaming at Loile for taking his sword and he ordered three soldiers to chase Loile. General Leo's horse was the fastest around the area so the three soldiers were far behind. Loile tried to reach the Lagins' base which was not so far from the military base and with Leo's horse Loile reached it in one hour. He got off the horse and looked at the mansion. There were about 50 guards outside. So Loile took his sword and charged at them. He slashed most of the guards without breaking a sweat. Now their were dead people outside and Loile entered the mansion. In it there were even more guards and some archers on the second floor. Ten man charged at him, but Loile slashed throw them with his sword and ran to the top floors. Everyone was dead who tried to attack Loile. Than he saw a giant man with a club guarding a door. Loile ran towards him and slashed him and back jumped. The huge man smiled and then his smile turned into a sad face and he fell. Loile opened the door. There was a man writing some paper then he looked up with a calm face but when he Loile his face showed great fear.
"Hhhhellooo, Lllllloile...long tim-," and Loile slashed his throat.
THE END

So that's all probably will get a 4th place, but at least I wrote something.

[Alectric]

oh man, i forgot about this!
hopefully, i can get some time for it.

so yea, ill BEquack - Simoneon

[Reaper]

24th of April today, just two days left. Where are your entries? A few more would really be nice. Or is there anyone who would write something if we extended the deadline a few days?

[Silverthorn]

I'll try to get something up. Don't rely on it, though. Might be that I trash my entry one hour before the contest closes because my internal filter tells me that it's suboptimal :P

[Magnamancy]

I would Reaper.

... to put it simply, writing won't work for me tonight/lately, primarily
related to real life blowing up in my face.

I'm partway through writing it, I just need to finish up, so a few more days
would be lovely.

edit: you lot have my apologies as well, this is twice now that I haven't
finished a contest's submission by the deadline.

[Taniaetc]

24th of April today, just two days left. Where are your entries? A few more would really be nice. Or is there anyone who would write something if we extended the deadline a few days?

Me. I'm in the contest. So please, please please (x100) extend the deadline!
Yes, I'm atm writing my story now... using word.
Sorry, haven't noticed this ago... must have missed it.