Round 1: Fantasy Dialog
600 word limit
Submission: The Gnasher
Quote:
There is a throne room in a castle. Sitting on the throne we have King Oldrack, middle-aged, experienced and solemn. He orders the servants out the room and in comes Gaunt, a young knight wearing fierce eyes and a silvery armor.
"Your Majesty."
"Gaunt. How goes the task I have assigned to you?"
Gaunt looks around the room.
"Are we alone?"
"Yes. You may speak."
"I've made quite a bit of progress, Your Majesty."
"Glad to hear that. What have you learned about the recent attempt on my life?"
"I interrogated the assassin in private. This kingdom would fall apart if the people knew of the things I heard from him."
"And why is that?"
"The Twin Fangs… it is real, Your Majesty. It is not a rumor."
"You mean… the legendary assassin clan?"
"Yes. Unless the assassin was lying, which is unlikely, given my methods, the Twin Fangs not only exist but are also the ones responsible for the attempt on Your Majesty's life."
"By the gods… it is a miracle, then, that I have survived… if you had not been there…"
"I was only doing my duty as a royal knight. Nevertheless, I believe Your Majesty's life is still in utmost danger. The Twin Fangs have supposedly existed for centuries in total secrecy. They have gained a legendary reputation as masters of subterfuge. The methods of the assassin who tried to kill Your Majesty, though, were rude and unrefined, much more enthusiastic than truly efficient. A member of the Twin Fangs would not fail as he did."
"Then what do you think is the connection between him and the clan?"
"I am not yet sure. I believe that there is a member of the Twin Fangs hired to kill you, and that he planned and foresaw the failure of the barbaric assassin. As for why, I do not know."
"That is an excellent guess, Gaunt. It seems I've chosen the right person to perform this secret investigation."
"I appreciate your compliments, Your Majesty."
"You said that there is probably a member of the Twin Fangs working to take my life at this very moment. As I heard, this clan does not act based on a specific philosophy, but will take any job as long as it is paid well."
"So they say."
"Do you have any idea who might have hired the Twin Fangs to kill me, then?"
"Yes. I have investigated the subject and followed the track of the incompetent assassin, and I believe I have narrowed it down to one possible suspect. But my guess will not be well received by Your Majesty."
"Why not? Who is it?"
"Lady Jessica."
"What? But she – oh, no… my own daughter… No… No, now that you mention it… she seems more distant than usual… aggressive… no…"
"I am sorry."
"No, no – do not be. A ruler must take harsh decisions for the welfare of his kingdom. No. She will be taken care of. Daughter or not, I cannot afford to lose my life. I could not do that to my people. Gaunt. I thank you for your efforts on this investigation. You will be well rewarded for that. What do you wish for? Promotion? Wealth? Women? You may ask."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will think about it."
"Good. Just one more thing – are you completely sure that your investigation was done in total secrecy? Are you sure my daughter does not know you have discovered her?"
"I am completely sure, Your Majesty. After all, I am a master of subterfuge."
"Good. Wait… what?"
Gaunt quickly reaches back to his calf, and in one fluid movement, pulls and throws something small and silvery at the King. The heavy body of the monarch collapses back in the throne, his chest heaving with the effort to breathe, the handle of a throwing knife protruding from his heart.
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Submission: TheTrueCoolnessQuote:
Setting: Two friends (Dragomir aka Cosmos, Abadon aka Chaos) happen by each other down a road through the new country of Order. They both fought with each other and other friends against the invasion of Neaoch about 10 years past. They grew up near each other and both were soldiers (in the Knights of Chaos platoon) during Neoach Military. Much has changed since that time, Dragomir decided to stay in Neoach while Abadon traveled between Mystica, Libraco and Prawn. Below is the first time they have talked in years, this is only a snippet of that conversation.
Dragomir: "Hello old friend. It's been quite a while since we last met, and this time it is under much calmer circumstances."
Abadon: "Indeed, after the war with Neoach it seems things have calmed down quite considerably. However, I heard there have been talks of the merger of Ordanily and Neoach into one nation, do you know anything about these events Cosmos."
D: "Yes Chaos, I have been chosen as the leader of these lands and will lead them to the order that the whole world should embody. Before these lands had been taken over with chaotic struggles for power, and they were in the hands of a warmongering elite who decided how things should be. Now I work with the people to eradicate all chaos, all things proceed as they logically should and we close our borders to those who would try to bring in religion or mysticism to the land, and corrupt the order that the people of this land have helped me create."
A: "Listen to yourself Cosmos. What has become of you? Do you honestly think you are somehow better than the rulers who were here before, trying to mold the land and it's people in your idealistic dream of a perfect orderly utopia."
D: "Have you not seen the change that has come about since my reign old friend. We are no longer at war with anyone, things have run more efficiently than ever, no longer is there a ridiculous bureaucracy that helps no one, people are happy. Certainly others may say we are devoid of emotion, but emotion is not needed, only order. I will admit that some of the tactics used to keep our order are viewed by others as cruel, but they are unable to see the end result of these actions. Those citizens that try to stir up chaos are sent to conditioning schools. When they come out however they praise the order that our countries book of law stands for and see it for what it is."
A: "What, preytell, happens in these schools? I can't imagine a transformation of that level in the human mind is any easy task, and I would be surprised all of your tactics are humane."
D: "Chaos, it seems you have no faith in your friend, I do not enjoy the torture of others, and in many cases torturing is not necessary. For those who are strongly opposed, however, more extreme methods are used, but in the end the person comes out of the school a better person. Their health is never compromised, and with all the extra funds avaliable from not having to concern ourselves with in fighting, they receive the best medical care available. Call me a monster if you must, but I think you, like many others, fail to see the grand scheme. Certainly some chaos is necessary in this transitionary phase, but order comes from chaos, but only order can be perpetually maintained."
A: "How quickly you forget the dualistic nature of our world Cosmos taught in school. Chaos and order are two sides of the same coin -"
D: "Have you ever considered that what we were taught was wrong. The school was run by those tyrannical lunatics who used to rule our homeland, and concerned themselves with nothing else but taking over other lands in the name of the great Som Soc. Order is all that is needed, nothing else is important."
A: "Oh really. What about your friends? What about Magdalena? Is she part of your interpretation of order? If you ask me you speak of nothing but madness friend. "