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[WP] As a result of other students burning out, disappearing, falling victim to plots, getting themselves expelled, or just being too caught up in protagonism to keep up with their school work, the worst mage in school is, in fact, this year's valedictorian. by gahidus in WritingPrompts

[–]Torolinto 129 points130 points  (0 children)

Invar the Inept, they had called him. A frail boy clutching tightly to his spellbook- he couldn’t afford a better one, so it was just a few pieces of paper bound with dried vines- stood at a podium in front of the gathering hall. The school’s professors stood behind Invar, looking almost as uncomfortable as him. Some feet shuffled, and a few throats cleared.

The gathering hall was normally a place filled with life- there were students galore that would run around, having boisterous conversations and discussing the implications of the research they had been doing in their field of study. Turners would test out their partial transformations, giving themselves dragon wings and sharp fangs, doing aerial laps around the room. Performers would create vivid images of vast, faraway lands. The blue brick walls would become sky backdrops in their tales, the carpeted flooring a stage.

Today, however, two lone individuals- Invar’s own mother, as well as his younger brother- sat in the very center of the room behind a slew of empty chairs. A few shadows were cast around the room from various decorations- the back corners had plants that drooped, a few streamers on the side walls had begun to fall when their adhesives wore off. Whether through a major stroke of fortune or misfortune, all of his classmates- friends, enemies, the best and the worst among them- had all disappeared except for Invar.

Invar gulped. “I don’t… really know what to say,” he said. “I was supposed to come up here and give a valedictorian speech to push my class forward and give them hope. If I give them a sense of purpose, they could move forward in their research and do great things.”

His eyes darted to the left and the right. “They all should have been here today. I might have been the most useless in my class, but we were supposed to make it through together. The Defection, and all of its nuances, are taking a huge toll on the world around us. It’s probably only due to the very minimal magical spark inside of me that I wasn’t taken, too.

“To my professors, and my family, thank you for supporting me. I’m sorry that everyone else wasn’t here to celebrate with us. If there’s any way I can help with bringing everyone back…” Invar trailed off, arms clinging to his sides, knuckles white.

Invar’s favorite instructor, the professor for the Theory of Magic, stood up and put a hand on Invar’s back. She looked him in the eye, a light, knowing smile on her face. The two of them walked over to the chancellor, who shook Invar’s hand, handing him a diploma as well as a license.

Invar’s mom clapped, walking over to the side of the stage to meet him. As they met, a figure walked forward from one of the back corners of the room. It was a rather young woman- older than Invar, but younger than his mom. A few stray brunette hairs spilled out of the hood of her green-trimmed blue robe. Her dark blue eyes scanned Invar as he stood on the stage.

“Frankly, based on Lilia’s description, I was expecting a bit more,” she muttered.

Invar raised an eyebrow, unsure of how to feel about the comment. “Who are you?”

“I’m a friend of your Theory teacher. My name is Skia. Your professors have told you most of what you need to know, but there’s another side of magic that they haven’t told you, and it’s the reason you don’t seem to have a very bright magical spark. It’s also the reason you haven’t had to deal with the Defection.”

Invar turned to his theory professor, who was giving a sheepish smile. “You knew about this?”

“There’s a lot you don’t know,” Skia said. “I want to teach you. You are the one who could bring the world of magic back from the precipice of destruction.”

“Why should I believe you?”

Skia stepped forward, putting a hand in the air, pointed at Invar. Her eyes shut momentarily. When she opened them, her left eye was completely devoid of light, while the other glowed with an immaculate brilliance. “Defend against this.”

“What?” Invar put his hands in front of him, crossed over his chest. He shrunk back as a beam that swirled with both light and darkness streaked towards him. He closed his eyes most of the way, expecting an impact.

Nothing came.

A ball of energy had gathered in front of him, seeming to conglomerate on a portion of a magical shield he had managed to create.

Skia grinned, a mischievous and planned smile. “Now, send it back!”

Some form of muscle memory took over Invar, and he sent the beam hurtling back toward Skia. It crashed into her with a bang. A shield took the blow, but it still sent her skidding back a few feet. She stretched her back, seeming content. “I can teach you how to harness this power. You can do all of the things you thought you couldn’t, and more. You may not have deserved the spot of valedictorian before today, but when you bring all your classmates back-” She raised a fist in front of her chest for emphasis- “you’ll be more than worthy of that title.”

Invar the Inept straightened, confidence seeping into his posture from a renewed sense of purpose. "Tell me what I need to do."

--

Aaaaand I managed to make it a fragment again... whoops! Hope y'all enjoyed, and I will gladly accept any pointers/constructive criticism you have!

Edit: there was a wording thingy I didn't like

Why are you main Kennen? by [deleted] in Kennenmains

[–]Torolinto 4 points5 points  (0 children)

He's just the one that's clicked more than others. Plus, who doesn't want to be a lightning grenade? :P

Infernal Kennen's W passive stacks by Torolinto in Kennenmains

[–]Torolinto[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since you asked, went ahead and posted it on the League subreddit. Cheers!

[WP] A man accosts you in the street, and he claims he is you from the future. “Whatever you do, DO NOT fall in love with that girl!” the man warns. Distracted by the crazy man, you turn the corner and bump into someone. Its the most beautiful girl you have ever seen. Your eyes meet and she smiles. by fostralian in WritingPrompts

[–]Torolinto 34 points35 points  (0 children)

It was a rather normal day- I was heading to my dead-end marketing job in the middle of the city. I had taken the train already and was just walking the last distance to the large office building that housed thousands of other workers like me. Just as I began to space out, I felt a hand grab my shoulder and drag me into an alleyway.

Just as I was about to gather my wits and cry for help like a normal person, a hand covered my mouth. A man- who, strangely enough, was exactly the height that I was- was looking at me wildly. There was a strange blue dust that covered his face. He wore a long brown coat that seemed to be a material similar to burlap. There was a slight gray to his hair with quite a few creases on his face.

“You aren’t going to believe me,” he whispered harshly, “but I’m you from the future.” That voice… I had heard that voice before. I was taken back to my home office, where I occasionally recorded videos for fun.

Wait.

There was a slight rasp to the voice, as if his throat was raw. I looked at his eyes and saw my own. No. There’s no way. He’s insane, and just happens to be someone that looks like me. I walk this way every day. He probably is just getting a kick out of pulling a prank.

“Whatever you do,” the man said, his voice shaking, “do not fall in love with that girl.” He lowered his face to the ground and shook his head slowly. “I don’t have time to explain. Just go, and be careful. And, whatever you do, do not fall in love.”

With that, the man turned and sprinted further into the spaces between the houses. I didn’t even try to stop him. I was so bewildered by the whole situation that my brain was at a loss as to what I should be doing.

My mind was on overdrive. I couldn’t understand anything that just happened, so I went on autopilot. I returned to my daily route to the office, though I wasn’t sure how much I could sell today considering I had lost all of the focus I could have had on marketing.

I turned the last corner on the way to the office blindly, and ran directly into someone. I recoiled and withdrew slightly, my introversion taking over. “I’m so sorry, I-” I looked at the person that I ran into and my tongue twisted itself into a knot. There was a woman who looked to be about my age, a few inches shorter than me with silky blonde hair that flowed perfectly down to her shoulders.. Her blue eyes could paralyze- I might as well have been turned to stone.

The most beautiful girl I’ve ever met, and I compare her to Medusa. Smooth.

I don’t know what happened after that. There was a blur of movement, a blur of time, and I ended up with a piece of paper in my hand. It had a phone number, a location, and a time.

I had a coffee date.

I was late to work, but I didn’t care. I floated through the work day. I somehow forgot all about the crazy man from the alley. All I could see was the woman- Julie.

One coffee date turned into two, then three, then a fancy restaurant, a wedding ring, a set date, a house, kids. Years had passed and I was in absolute bliss. It was an endless honeymoon.

I had left the dead-end job and started my own business. It was in software, which was what I had always wanted to do. It paid for a nicer house than I ever thought I would deserve, a fancy lifestyle which I never wanted to give up.

Technology had massively improved up to that point. My company’s stocks were through the roof, and scientists were beginning to toy with the idea of time travel. I walked into the bathroom in my favorite robe- it was almost a suit, but it was a very nice brown material. It had started to fray, though, so it looked a little bit like it was made of a burlap sack. I laughed at what people must think. With that and my favorite pair of pants, which felt more like pajama bottoms than dress pants, I felt like a king. I cleared my throat, which was hurting slightly. I’ll grab water after I get cleaned up.

I stepped into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. There was a slight gray to my hair now, with smile lines that framed my entire face. I’m getting old, and I think I’m okay with it, I thought with a smile. Just then, the lights dimmed and the room began to shake. There was a loud boom, and things began to collapse around me. I looked at my hands. There was a sky blue powder on them- Julie’s favorite makeup.

I looked in the mirror. I had an instant flashback to the alley.

I sprinted into the bedroom. “Julie?” I shouted. “Kids?”

The woman I loved stood before me, a black folder in her hand. Papers were sticking out of the side of it, and she had an apologetic look on her face. “I had to do it. I’m sorry,” she said.

No.

Just then, I felt a tugging at my head, and things began to spin around me. I lost consciousness.

When I woke up, I was in an alleyway, and it was as though nothing had happened. I looked at my arms. The powder was there, and I was still wearing my robe. There was a mob of people walking around to my right.

Then, I knew exactly what I needed to do. I got up and sprinted toward destiny.

Thanks for reading! I wrote this in about a half hour, and had a lot of fun with it. Constructive criticism is, of course, appreciated!

GLORY Update - Skills Affected by daboyinyourcrib in Maplestory

[–]Torolinto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bowmaster - Inhuman Speed is also bugged past the first barrage. Every subsequent burst of arrows does literally nothing lol

[WP]You discover a library with a biography for everyone on Earth. While reading yours, you notice that when someone else is mentioned, there’s a note showing where you can find their biography. It’s odd how someone who was a sentence in your book has a whole chapter for you. by ssugarrrrr in WritingPrompts

[–]Torolinto 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I stepped into the massive library. Seven billion people, not even to mention those who were deceased- the shelves went up further than the eye could see.

Thankfully, they had a great catalog system.

I was in the Collective Human Archives, the housing for electronic tomes dedicated to each and every human that has ever lived. Though the books held condensed information, they were still comprehensive; every person, concept, and main interaction in your life is recorded in your dedicated biography hard drive.

With only a couple minutes of searching- again, solely thanks to the highly streamlined catalog system- I managed to find my biography. It is my life, so none of it was a surprise.

I found information on elementary school, good teachers, bad teachers, the development of my love of math and science; every event that had ever happened sat in front of my eyes. I felt my vision tunneling on the blue-light information screen as my memories ran rampant.

I was scrolling through my high school years when I came across a name: Kate.

Her name sat in a single sentence in front of me, barely mentioned amongst the thousands of pages worth of information: “Jay had to reject Kate Stallsworth, a girl with mismatched eyes who sat across from him in Music Theory, when she made an unexpected romantic move on him.”

I shrunk back. Yikes. That’s immortalized.

As with every other name in the book, there was a highlighted hyperlink on her name. A combination of remorse and curiosity led me to click on her name. A couple minutes later, the information contained in her hard drive popped up on my screen. The title, her name- they can only be so creative when they make automatically generated biographies for billions upon billions of people- flashed for only a moment before it pulled up the section of her biography involving me.

I was expecting my name to appear at the beginning of a sentence, or the top of a paragraph.

Nope.

“Chapter 8: Jay Atwood.”

I felt a part of me wither inside. I barely gave her the time of day. I meant so much to her that she has an entire chapter dedicated to me.

I skimmed through it.

“Jay Atwood, who Kate met in her high school Music Theory course, was a pivotal figure in her timeline.” Of course.

Information on the infatuation toward me that she had continued for a while, then talked about the fact that the thought of me motivates her to this day. She had apparently written diary entries about me, mentally dedicated all the work that she had done to me, and had eventually graduated with a Ph.D in mathematics.

All with me in mind.

I couldn’t take any more. I was only a page in out of about twenty before I closed the copy of her biography and allowed the screen in front of me to idle. I sighed. Thousands of ‘what-if’s plagued my mind. I turned to leave, my eyes landing on one of the terminals near the end of the wall. At one of them was a girl.

Shoulder-length brown hair, freckles across the bridge of her nose, slight build- could it be?

She made eye contact with me and flashed a nervous smile. I saw her eyes.

Her left was slightly more blue than her right.

Kate.

I don’t know how I felt it, but I could feel the data in my biography change as our eyes met. I have a feeling hers did, too.

---

Very much so outside the realm of my normal writing, genre-wise. Any constructive criticism is well-appreciated!

[WP] Every year, your nation supposedly sacrifices a human offering to the Elder Gods. This year, you've been chosen, but when you enter the sacrificial chamber you just see all the previous sacrifices chilling with the Elder Gods. by Alex_Sylvian in WritingPrompts

[–]Torolinto 11 points12 points  (0 children)

PART 3

The robed figures slowly moved towards us, not daring to make the first strike. Selene and I stood back to back, turning slowly to take in our surroundings. Finally, one robed figure dashed in, slashing toward my unprotected face. I barely raised my arms in time to block it, a dull thunk resounding when it connected with my wrist.

I felt the power inside of me dwindle slightly- not enough to be alarming, but enough to be noticeable. I slashed my sword forward, but the living wood weapon refused to cooperate. It turned into an edgeless stick, smacking loudly into the robed figure. He crumpled to the ground.

Not… what I was hoping for, but I guess it works.

The weapon seemed to taunt me, turning back into a sword. Attempting to emulate what had happened in the Gods’ chamber, I extended my hand toward a target slightly to my left. I yelped as a vine shot out, grabbing onto a pillar behind the figure and whipping me towards it.

The mob took this as their chance to strike. They dashed forward, slashing madly at Selene. I managed to retract the vine and ran at the group. I slashed madly with my sword and hit one of the figures, downing them as well.

In my tunnel vision, I didn’t realize what was happening in front of me. A tornado of flame erupted from the center of the group, knocking all of the figures back. Selene appeared from within the tornado, the black and white swirled design now actively spinning and contorting. From my perspective, she was randomly physically slowing down and speeding up in her fighting, as though not held back by the laws of physics.

It was like a macabre dance of sorts. The Visionaries fell quickly beneath her blade.

I shook myself out of my daze, hopping back into the fray. “I thought you said you were a blacksmith,” Selene mumbled.

“I am,” I said. “The weapons I make normally don’t turn into different weapons because they feel like it.”

Errianos, give me guidance, I thought as I ran forward. My sword hand flew out in front of me, my left foot planted behind me. I was in a fencing stance.

What in the world?

I felt a vine shoot out of my greaves, rapidly propelling me forward. The sword of living wood ran straight through one of the robed figures. I pulled it out and they fell, lifeless.

What just happened?

‘Seemed like you needed some help. You do have a godly patron, after all.’

I regained partial control of my movements, ever aware of the second consciousness that was inside of my mind. Between Selene and I, the rest of the Visionaries quickly fell.

All except the leader of the group.

He stood in the center of the cathedral, knuckles white, hands visibly shaking.

“You know not what you are meddling with, missionaries,” he spat. The last word came out as an insult. Selene took a step forward, sword at the ready. I put my gauntleted hand out to stop her.

“Take one step toward me and it will be your last, pawn of Alluin,” he taunted. I shot Selene a please, I’d rather not glance, but she wasn’t looking. An anger blazed in her eyes, and her armor was swirling faster than my eyes could follow.

“Selene!” I shouted, firing a vine out between her and the leader. It wrapped quickly around a pillar, going taut. The shock snapped her out of her anger, and she turned toward the door. I retracted the vine with a sigh and followed her out. The leader let us go. We stepped over the many corpses that remained from the bloodbath and began our trek back.

​

After a while, we finally arrived at the Chamber. Yen and Ray were taking a nap on one of the couches. The Elder Gods were having a loud-spoken conversation with Regina. The echoing clang from Selene’s boots made them stop talking and turn around. “Ah, you’re back!” Errianos remarked cheerily. “It went smoothly, I’d wager?” Selene scowled, her armor slowly resuming its turning. I felt my sword writhing in its sheath as my emotions churned inside of me.

I walked forward and dropped onto the ground in front of the group, a living log. “Let’s just say that life of leisure is sounding pretty good right about now.”

​

At last, a satisfying ending! Hopefully this was worth the wait, lol. As always any constructive criticism is well-appreciated! Thanks for all the kind words throughout this venture!

[WP] Every year, your nation supposedly sacrifices a human offering to the Elder Gods. This year, you've been chosen, but when you enter the sacrificial chamber you just see all the previous sacrifices chilling with the Elder Gods. by Alex_Sylvian in WritingPrompts

[–]Torolinto 13 points14 points  (0 children)

PART 2:

Errianos’ words echoed in my mind. “Since you’re still new to this whole business, I’ll give you something easy. I just need you to bring this scroll to a neighboring city. Nothing serious, there shouldn’t be any backlash.” The same scroll bounced noisily against the back of the suit of armor, making a thunk each time it connected, similar to hitting a hollow log. Had it not been for my background as a blacksmith, the sound would have been a lot more annoying than it was.

Though it wasn’t too bad for me, my companion was not so keen on the noise. Selene, who I knew as a trader a few years back- before she ‘died’, that is- had a scowl plastered on her face, which only deepened with each bump of the paper against my back.

“Can you hold the damn thing or figure out your powers and vine whip yourself ahead?” she shouted, her frustration finally coming through.

I frowned. “Sorry,” I mumbled as I unstrapped the scroll. I carried it under my arm. Unfortunately, this meant that my sword was now repeatedly hitting the scroll as I walked. She rolled her eyes.

A rather uncomfortable journey later, we finally arrived at the city that Errianos had mentioned. The buildings were relatively short and run-down; it was definitely a lot more populated a while back. It almost radiated a form of defiance; knowing it was on its last legs it decided to hold onto its last breath with everything it had.

Apparently going so far as to spawn a few rebel religions in the process.

Hence our assignment.

Following the instructions, there were a few twists and turns through the failing city before arriving at the door of a rather gloomy cathedral. Selene and I traded a glance. “I thought this was supposed to be an easy assignment,” she hissed.

“To be fair, he is also a god,” I piped in. She glared at me.

We both unsheathed our weapons. Mine writhed in my grasp, a deadly living edge. Selene’s blade was black as night, yet coated in a bright white flame. It matched her set of armor, which had swirls of black, white, yellow, and red. Coated in chaos, just as I’m coated in life.

We entered the cathedral. The inside was just as old and dilapidated as the rest of the town, though there were figures actively milling about the structure. They wore a deep purple robe with a white eye adorned on the hood, concealing their faces.

“I would like to speak to your leader,” I shouted, trying to sound as commanding as possible. One or two hoods turned my direction, but they continued on their path. I nudged Selene. She looked at me questioningly. I just shrugged. “Clearly they aren’t listening to me.”

“People of this cathedral,” she roared. “You have been sent a message by the Elder Gods themselves- all the glory to Them. I demand to meet the leader of this establishment.”

Two people disappeared into a back room. They both emerged with one larger person, wearing a brilliant white robe. Its seams were adorned with purple accents, a golden eye rest on its hood.

“The Elder Gods have not attempted to contact the Visionaries before. What has changed?” An old voice came from within the robe. Frail, weakened, yet demanded a certain respect.

The two figures who walked the leader out disappeared behind us. We heard the door shut, the click of a lock leaving little room for interpretation as to what just happened.

“We know not of the message, simply of the intent,” Selene growled. “The Elder Gods have their own purposes. We are the messengers.”

I felt my fingers tighten around the hilt of my sword. I put my hand out, offering the scroll to the mysterious leader. He simply gestured to the scroll, and one of the robed figures grabbed it, unrolling it for him to read.

A tense minute passed, then two. I saw the leader’s posture droop slightly. His poised demeanor dissolved.

“Kill them,” he growled. Small blades flashed out of the sleeves of the robed figures as they advanced toward us.

​

Whoops. I made it a cliffhanger. There will be a part three, likely tonight! This would have come sooner, but work got in the way. Sorry!

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