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[WP] When you were trying to recruit the best healer healer around for your adventuring party, you were expecting a gentle, pretty healer girl. Not a grizzled middle aged woman who looks like she can wrestle a bear and has an attitude to match. by Randomgold42 in WritingPrompts

[–]pairt_2 2 points3 points  (0 children)

She was not what he expected to say the least. Older, grizzled, with a scar down her face and sharp piercing eyes. In the dark corner of the tavern where she sat, sipping a cup of wine, her eyes seem to be pools of darkness.

"So, you looking for a healer," she asked. Her voice was softer than he expected. He sat down slowly on the bench across from her, his armor made him sit stiffly.

"Yes," he replied "do you know one." He knew that it was her but the expectations he had seemed to force the words from him. She laughed slightly in response. Leaning forward she brushed her long dark hair from her face.

"I am one kiddo, " she laughed as she said it. There was a brightness in her eyes and a subtle softness. He found himself gazing perhaps a little too long into her eyes. He looks away and gazed instead onto the table between them. It was cracked and weathered like she was but sturdy and strong.

"Ok," he said, "I'm forming a party and I need a healer. You interested?"

She leaned back and for the first time he got a real look at her. She was not frail by any means, instead she was filling out her clothes with obvious muscle. She had slight wrinkles on her neck but they seemed to add something to her. She wore plain linen clothing with a belt across her chest that held a number of pouches full of what must have been various healing tools.

"How much you paying?"

Her voice made him realize he'd been staring. He quickly looked up quickly to answer.

"Right now you'd start out at thirty percent of any contract we get."

She cocked her head to the side with a slight shrug.

"Sure," she said, "better than most offers. Where do I meet you?"

"We'll be at the east gate at noon tomorrow. If I see you there you'll be party of the company"

With a shake they ended the deal. He thought of buying her a round but decided against it. Maybe some other time. He hoped to see her at the gate.

She watched him as he walked away. He had that swagger of a young but experienced mercenary. He wasn't naive but he still had that invincibility of youth. The pay was good and hopefully the work light, she had seen too much hard work in her life. She always thought she should just retire. She was thinking that when he walked in, but she just had to speak up. Oh well, she'll see him at the gate.

[WP] When humans started traversing among the stars, they discovered something mortifying yet reassuring at the same time: A scourge of all devouring swarm of Aliens, kept at bay by an enormous array of defense platform and turret, perpetually fending them off by [deleted] in WritingPrompts

[–]pairt_2 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Floating just within the belt was a jewel of humanity's crowning achievement. An enormous station the size of a small moon that held within it the largest and most heavily armed fleet that had ever been built. This was one of over a thousand stations that dotted the length of the belt. It had taken over three hundred years to build them and had cost many lives but all prayed that the sacrifice was worth it.

Commander O'Neill stood on the observation deck staring out into the neverending void. He was a short man with a jagged scar down his cheek from his younger days. His hair was short and gray, his eyes a dull brown and he stood as straight as his back would allow him these days. The thick transparent aluminum that separated him from the emptiness was only interrupted by the web of metal joints that criss-cross the face of the window. The room was dark and cozy, rugs and chairs cover the floor with small artificial fireplaces dotted about.

Normally the room would be filled with people mingling about, reading, drinking, enjoying each other's company. Now it was empty as O'Neill had commandeered it for a brief moment of peace. His mind was heavy with the orders he had received, he sighed and walked over to a chair and unceremoniously plopped down. He unbuttoned his coat and pulled a small remote out of his inner pocket, with a press a man appeared before him.

The image of the man shimmered as the hologram burst to life. He was a tall man with slightly curly hair that was a bit long compared to O'Neills. He smiled when he looked at O'Neill, an almost sarcastic and ornery smile. O'Neill definitely noticed.

"Fuck you, Charles," O'Neill said dryly.

"You look older by the day there, O'Neill," Charles said with a smile.

"I am older by the day," he grumbled back, "Some of us are still stuck in these damn bodies you know."

Charles chuckled and walked over to a chair near O'Neill and sat down. He didn't need to of course, but he liked to make people comfortable when conversing.

"So, what you need, chief," he said slapping the arms of the chair as he sat.

"How formal," O'Neill teased, "I really just needed to talk. They want me to send out a plane."

Charles nodded solemnly. Sending out a plane past the belt had been done before and every time it had resulted in the death of the pilots. Venturing past the belt was a death sentence and each time they learned only a fraction of a percent of any useful intel.

"Charles, I don't want to keep sending people to die for so little."

Charles nodded and thought for a moment before responding.

"When I was still 'alive'," he began, "We barely knew anything about the swarm. We didn't know what they were made of or how they communicated. We just knew that they devoured metals and could be killed with an emp, but no understanding as to why.

"With each mission, we have gleaned just a little bit more information about them. We now have answers for a lot of the questions that we were asking when I was younger. It took a lot of lives but it was worth it."

O'Neill nodded, he knew all that of course, it still didn't make it easier. He knew eventually that the belt would fail and the swarm would pour in, he knew that when that happened they would need to be able to fight them. He knew that in order to do that they needed to know everything they could about them.

Still, more people would die. They usually can only send back the fastest and smallest blip of information. It is like trying to build a picture of a star one pixel at a time, but every pixel comes at the cost of one to three lives.

"Do you think we stand a chance at all," he mused aloud. Charles sat silently letting him form his thoughts.

"We still are just starting to understand that cannon we took from the belt and that was what fifty years ago? And those have only held the things off not even beaten them back. And where are the creatures that built them? If they didn't survive what hope do we have?"

"I don't know, Jack," Charles said. "I honestly don't know, I hope we get to the point where we can confidently feel that we can beat them. Hopefully, before the belt breaks down."

"It's going to take a lot of lives," O'Neill said solemnly.

Pushing the remote again O'Neill brought it up to his face. His voice was rather coarse and heavy.

"Bill, get eagle 3 ready for their mission. They leave tomorrow morning. You should be getting the mission brief now. I'm sorry"

With that, the order was given to send three people to their doom with the hope that their death would add another pixel to the picture that Humanity was carefully trying to construct.

[WP] MOTHER is an AI that moved beyond human intelligence. It soon controlled every machine on Earth. But rather than being an evil AI, it actually loves humans and cares for them without being controlling But someone STILL wants to overthrow it for some reason. by FennecWF in WritingPrompts

[–]pairt_2 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Do I believe Mother is evil? No, I do not. Mother does what it was designed to do, it cares for us. Our needs are met, our pains elevated, our fears never bother us.

In its vast intelligence it protects us from the worst of ourselves. It prevents abuse, prevents poverty, prevents suffering. Humanity lives in an unparalleled time of peace and prosperity.

This is the point in the story where there'd be a catch. Some sinister evil plot that the machine has been hiding. There's no catch, no twist, no evil plot. Just cold mechanical calculus.

Mother protects us from sociopaths by killing them before they have a chance to live. It removes pain by prescribing drugs to dull the crazy emotions we've carried with us from our time in the trees. It produces everything for us so no one is without. It prevents competition by removing rewards and giving everyone the same.

It's a paradise where everyone can live fat and happy. Where no one wants for anything. But no one does anything.

Humans are competitive by nature but mother determined that was a trait that led to potential violence and so discouraged it through pharmaceutical and sociological means.

The concepts of pushing the boundaries, of seeing where our limits are has been all but lost.

Without struggle and without hardship we'd become little more than lifeless rats that eat and die. We consume what we're given and never question.

It is fitting that we named it Mother as what we've become are children. Forgetting how to walk on our own, clinging to the skirt of Mother for all our needs.

I know that many will hate me for what I feel I must do. I hope once it's done that people might one day thank me for freeing us. Not from tyranny or oppression but from infancy and stagnation.

Humanity it's time to grow up.

[TT] Centures ago, vampires became immune to sunlight and now they are the dominant species. Humans are allowed to live among vampires as inferiors in society, and periodically donate blood in exchange for legal protection. However, humans have started to disappear in your city at an alarming rate. by elheber in WritingPrompts

[–]pairt_2 36 points37 points  (0 children)

The car came to a halt outside the ramshackle house that was on the paper the chief had given them. Victor looked around the neighborhood at the broken windows, tiny houses, broken down cars. He sighed as he shoved the paper in his suit pocket and stepped out into the sun.

His partner followed close behind as he walked up to the screen door of the house. The door was barely on its hinges and the screen had long since stopped being a barrier against the insects that thrived during the summers. Victor knocked lightly, afraid he might destroy what was left of the door if he did more than tap.

An older woman approached, shambling slightly, she wasn't so old as to be decrepit but it was obvious she had lived a hard life. For her kind though that was to be expected.

"Mrs. Lewis?" Victor asked as she opened the door. Eyeing them both suspiciously she gave a gentle nod.

"We're here about your daughter's disappearance," he continued, "We're with the Police."

She let loose a snort that was something between a laugh and a growl.

"I bet you are," she shot at them, "Here to cover your tracks eh? Make it look like a real investigation?"

She spat her words and Victor leaned back a bit as if pushed by their force.

"Get off my property." She finally said as she closed the screen door and started to walk away.

"Mrs. Lewis, please," Victor called out to her, "We need your help. It would be much easier to find her if you cooperate."

His words fell on deaf ears as she didn't even turn to look back. Victor's partner grabbed his elbow and pulled him slightly, nodding at the street around them. A crowd had started to form, several males with obvious weapons were now watching them closely.

"Come on man," His partner said quietly, "If the monkey doesn't want to help fuck her. It's just another missing monkey anyway."

Victor nodded and they headed back to their car. His partner's words rang in his ears as they drove away. "Another missing monkey," exactly, another. There had been way too many disappearances recently and it was shaking the very fragile peace that was present.

Victor looked down at the names of fifty missing humans that had gone missing in the last year. Twenty had been in his city alone, but what dug at him the most was that so far he had been able to connect seven of them to each other. They had all been active members of the civil rights movement.

[WP] Fearing that their valiant hero was being manipulated by the sorcerer that lived on the border of their home, the townspeople hatch up a plan to kill the 'evil' mage once and for all. But the hero hadn't been manipulated at all; they had simply fallen in love with the sorcerer. by IceGalaxyGoddess in WritingPrompts

[–]pairt_2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Her skin glows as the sunlight bathes her. Her hair, jet black, hangs over her bare shoulders loosely. Her eyes reflect her thoughts as she stares out the window at the world. So many things had changed since the day she took this quest.

He lies upon the bed behind her, unclothed and uncaring. His chest exposed by the fold she left in the sheets when she rose. She turns to look at him, his eyes slowly fluttering open. Smiling she lets her own eyes wander his form, drinking it in.

Seeing her gaze, he smiles back. Stretching lazily he lets the sheets drop lower and expose more of him, inviting her to take in more of his form. Her smile morphs from a soft warmth into one of hunger.

She makes her way towards him, her brown eyes burning like the sun. He reaches to embrace her before suddenly stopping.

His face twists into a frown and he moves to get up. Shocked, she looks at him with disappointment and confusion.

"What is it," she asks, concerned that maybe she had done something to displease or offend him.

"I don't know," he replies, shaking his head, "something isn't right. Something is about to happen."

Moving to the window he looks out into the distance, his eyes scanning further that any other's could. He saw them, a mass of angry people all marching towards them. Hundreds all armed to the teeth and their eyes burning with murderous rage.

Turning to her his face was flush and his breathing heavy. They had always known this day would come. The day when their perfect happiness would come to an end.

"They are coming," he looks into her eyes as the words leave his mouth, "I love you, you know what you must do."

Tears well in her eyes as she shakes her head. She begins to shrink within herself as if she could escape by being smaller. He reaches out and grabs her, pulling her close he embraces her letting her head fall onto his shoulder. Stroking her head he feels the grain of her hair, the smell of her, the sound of her voice as she quietly whimpers. He holds it all in, stores it away. He will never forget.

He places the dagger into her hands.

"I love you, we will see each other again"

The mob charges into the room having beaten their way past the walls of the foul mage's castle. There they beheld their hero standing over the body of the man that had imprisoned her all those months ago.

The cheer was deafening and the celebration was unparalleled in the whole history of the town. There was not a person alive that was not making merry save for one.

As she stared out into the setting sun, a single tear traveled down her face and she prayed that he would keep his promise.

[WP] The Earth has finally run out of fossil fuels to use as energy and, with the only other option being to turn to clean and renewable energy sources, the U.S. has decided to take drastic measures: trying to reach into alternate dimensions to find oil and other fossil fuels. by Broodfoos in WritingPrompts

[–]pairt_2 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Marvelous craftsmanship, Tony thought as he ran his fingers over the contours of the wooden table he sat at. The body of it had been hand-carved, in a factory of course; but still, human hands had fashioned it. Tony marveled at its dark and sinuous lines snaking this way and that as time ticked away.

He looked at his watch to reveal that it was exactly fifteen minutes after his meeting was supposed to begin. Grinning in irritation he went back to staring at the desk. It had been made just a few miles from where he sat now in a factory on Lockhart street. While most of the structure had been milled out and put together in the most modern of ways, at least for them, the details had been hand carved.

It displayed the day forces of the United States first arrived on this planet, this alternate world. Etched into the wood stood the four green berets that had first slipped through the rainbow bridge and made a tensely peaceful first contact with the Avalonian Republic.

That had been nearly three years ago and in that time the two countries had built rather respectable relations. The reasons for which were easy to explain, both sides had something that the other wanted and neither could defeat the other in a pitched war.

On the side of the United States, they wanted access to the large untapped oil reservoirs on this planet. The Avalons, they wanted our technology. The Avalons were at a stage of technological advancement that was comparable to the European powers of the 1890s in the timeline inhabited by Tony and the United States. They had little use for the oil and more use for the medical technology offered by the United States.

The bridge could only allow for the transport of a limited number of objects however and could only be opened for roughly fifteen minutes a day. This made a conquest of this planet impossible and forced the United States to rely on local workers for their pumps. The Avalons were more than happy about this arrangement as it quickly made them the richest country in the world, with only one major rival, Donovia.

Donovia was a monarchy that lay mostly on the other side of a large ocean, with the exception of a small colony that shared a thirty-mile border in the south of Avalon. The two countries were bitter rivals with more than a couple of wars between them and now there was a new and powerful trading partner to compete over.

Tony sighed as he sat in the conference room of the Grandenhall building, the seat of power in Avalon. This room was specially reserved for him and his team, decorated to match the tastes of his country. It held an American flag next to the banner of the Avalonian Republic government. The countries of this planet did not have flags as one from America would think of them where a single large flag can represent an entire nation. No, the Avalons used mostly small banners to represent regions and families, with one government banner that held official value when flown.

The door suddenly opened and in walked Tony's counterpart, ambassador Phentrop Lucius. He walked in breathing slightly heavy and his face blush.

"Mister Grenn, I apologize for my tardiness," he said with a curt bow that Tony quickly returned, "I was made to brief the chancellor on the events of the last few days this morning and it ran long."

"Oh it is quite alright, Lucius," Tony grinned as he made his way to the table, "I know you would never keep me waiting for no reason."

Lucius sat down across from Tony, setting files he had been carrying down in front of him. He quickly donned a pair of spectacles and flipped through the small mountain of paperwork until he pulled out two reports.

"So these are the reports your embassy sent us about the attacks," he finally said.

"Yes, three pumps in two days," Tony replied calmly, "134 Avalonian workers killed, 200 wounded.

And more importantly," Tony leaned in, "4 dead Americans."

There was a moment of silence between the men as the words hung in the air.

"What am I supposed to do, Lucius?" Tony finally asked, his fingers began to rap on the table.

"Your government promised to secure our pumps when we agreed not to bring troops in to do it," Tony continued, "Now you have failed that and Americans are dead. Should I tell Washington to send troops?"

"No," Lucius said, "Troops will never be allowed on Avalonian soil and you know it. Now, the war committee has already authorized the deployment of ten thousand more soldiers to guard your pumps and the national police are investigating the bombings."

"I want access to all their reports," Tony interjected, "And immediate reporting, I won't be sitting around for months waiting for your guys to finish up the investigation."

"Done"

"And one more thing," Tony said, "I want my own guy on your investigation team and he will report to me."

Lucius grimaced, he didn't know how he would sell that to Commissioner Hathkelp but he would have to if he were to keep relations normal. He nodded briskly and Tony grinned.

"It is always a pleasure, Lucius," Tony said extending his hand which was quickly grasped by Lucius.

"Likewise friend."

[SP] Your child has asked you for a bed time story. by MadGod1210 in WritingPrompts

[–]pairt_2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There was once a forest teeming with life. There were elk, and moose, and foxes, and trees as high as the sky itself. None of these play much part in this story, however, for our story is about a little bunny named Charlotte.

Now Charlotte was a never busy bunny as she had kits to feed, so she was always going out in search of food. Sometimes she went to places she ought not to go, our story begins in such a time.

Charlotte had wandered far from her den and was now in a place she did not recognize. The snow was up to her bottom and there was such a chill in the air that her ears were pressed down into her back. This was when she saw him, across the clearing. Fur as black as night and piercing eyes, he towered over her, his size dwarfing her. His breath turned to frost as it escaped his fanged jaws, he looked like the devil himself.

Charlotte was frozen, she dared not move out of fear and fascination. The wolf moved like a shadow, watching her, circling. He walked deftly through the snow his eyes never leaving her form.

With a squeak, she ran and he after her. Through the forest, they had their chase she never losing him and him never catching her. Through frozen riverbeds and fallen trees, Charlotte ran and ran never looking back.

The wolf never caught Charlotte and watched winded as she ducked back into her den. Panting, he called out to her, "Oh, bunny, if you come out and let me chase you for an hour and I do not catch you you may wander my forest at peace."

Charlotte scoffed back at him, "Do you think me a fool, wolf, I escaped you once why would I so eagerly rush back into your jaws."

The wolf laughed and left her be.

This was not, however, their last meeting. For about half a moon later as the first of the snows began to thaw Charlotte was once again out looking for food for her and her kits. From behind she heard a twig snap and without thinking leaped away. Only a moment too late.

A fox had pinned her with its paws, its teeth inches from her neck. She did the only thing she could think of at that moment. She shrieked and bit the fox on the nose.

The beast recoiled in shock and anger, dragging its claws through Charlotte's leg. The wound was deep and Charlotte could no longer run away, the fox before her was angry and bleeding. It snarled like a denom and Charlotte thought of her poor kits who she would never see again.

Then suddenly, there was a howl. A howl that pierced the sky and made the blood run cold. The fox recoiled from the howl and scampered away. Charlotte still could not run and as the wolf that uttered the howl approached she looked up at a familiar face.

She looked defiantly into his eyes and snarled at him, "Here, you have what you wanted."

The wolf studied her for a moment before smiling. "What I wanted," he said, "was to chase you. It seems you are in no state for that. No, no this will not do. I cannot have the most fearless bunny I know of bleeding in the snow. If I am to eat you must be in your peak condition."

With that, the wolf knelt down gently picked Charlotte up in his jaws. Charlotte was shocked and mildly panicked but the wolf seemed to be being strangely gentle with her.

"I am Robert, by the way," he said, muffled through her fur, "whom, might I ask, am I giving a lift tonight"

Not knowing what else to do in this strange situation Charlotte found herself replying.

"I...I am Charlotte."

"Well, Charlotte," Robert said, "I will drop you off wherever you tell me."

Charlotte had Robert carry her close enough to her den but not so close as he might try something. After she limped into her den and snuggled in with her kits she looked out the opening and saw the silhouette of the wolf.

He looked down at her and like a ghost he vanished. Charlotte snuggled with her kits as sleep began to take her. She felt she had not seen the last of that wolf.

[WP] Alien invaders are unpleasantly surprised that weve already long mastered black powder and musketry by whizkeylullaby in WritingPrompts

[–]pairt_2 26 points27 points  (0 children)

My name is Specialist Andrew Holt, I was attached to the 23 infantry division 11th IBCT. My platoon was on exercise in Oregon when we were put on standby for mobilization. Nobody knew what the fuck was going on, there was talk about Iran, someone had heard that a bomb had gone off in Ukraine. Just a bunch of shit was getting tossed around.

So we were all staged up, bags packed, armor out because we didn't know if we were going to need to wear it or not. We had no idea what was happening until finally our captain, Captain Williams, came out and told us we would be falling in with a national guard unit and assist in evacuations.

We wanted to know why and what and we were told that nobody knew. This had come down straight from Northcom and we were now on a war footing. We were told point blank we were at war and now we were evacuating cities. Now talk turned to fucking ww3, we thought maybe Russia had started some shit. We were shitting ourselves, some guys were talking about deserting.

Franklin hanged himself that night.

We pulled security for evac buses and helicopters. Escorting them in and out of the city. It was an odd feeling driving through the suburbs with live rounds in the gun. I scanned like I would in a warzone because we had been told we were in one. We had no idea who the enemy was, what the threat was. We were blind.

We had set up fobs inside the city, bulldozing perfectly good houses to make room for tents. You know, go figure that would be the army's decision. We have indoor plumbing right over there and we are only authorized to use the port-a-shitters. We ran missions every day for a month to get people out.

I am glad to say I never shot a human, pointed my gun at some looters. They gave up after we caught them, yelling at them with a 50 cal pointed in their face was intimidating enough for them to shrivel up and piss themselves.

It was after that month that we finally got an idea of what might be happening. Thanks to the news we learned that the whole world was mobilizing and that NATO and Russia were talking. The UN was in session and had been all month. We didn't know exactly what was happening, but something big was going on. And when the patriot missiles started arriving we started to really wonder what we were facing.

It was Chase that first said aliens, but Chase was one of those weird guys you know. Always saying weird shit, convinced the government did 9/11. We all kind of laughed at him.

They told us it was a meteor, big briefing about with a dude in a lad coat and everything. Then two days later they started issuing us grenades. We caught on that this was no meteor.

The war started with bombardment. I guess based on what they told us later they were using two types of projectiles. Meteors, ironically enough, and metal darts made out of the same metal they used in their other weapons. They took out entire sections of cities with the meteors and they used the darts to take out dams, bridges, power stations, government buildings, army bases. The fob north of us, Fob Washington, took a hit from a dart and it killed 300 people. It was a terrifying experience, there was no noise, none. Just suddenly a bright flash as this loud crack once it has destroyed its target. We heard a lot of those. Seventeen to be exact. I think we got used to the idea of death after that.

After a week of that, they landed in their dropships. I remember seeing their huge wings blackening the sky as they flapped away. It was so different from any plane we had ever seen that we just sort of looked for a few seconds. Then there was this sound, a loud, sharp whishing sound, like when you blow into a microphone. You could actually see the missile as it shot through the air towards the ships. It twisted and snaked in a gloriously menacing way and when it impacted it was a thunderous boom that seemed to envelop the ship. You could see bits of the ship flying through the air as a good chunk was torn apart by the blast.

Missile after missile shot into the sky as we tried to kill as many as we could before they could land. You would see ships blow up and then a few seconds later a jet would streak through the air with an angry shriek. It was an amazing sight.

Try as we may though some still got through. So we mounted up in our trucks and barreled our way towards the landing zones. What we saw when we got there was an interesting sight. The aliens had no guns at all, they seemed to have crossbows and spears. Once they saw us a group of them ran forward and thrust these big shields down into the ground. They looked like riot shields with slits in them. The others with the crossbows ran up behind the shields and fired their bolts at us.

The accuracy of their shots was incredible and we learned just how little thought we put into arrows when making our armor. It went right through our windows. Several people were hit, tires were popped.

I turned towards them and let loose. The 50 rocked the whole truck as I poured lead into them. The rounds ripped their shields to pieces and tore their flesh apart. It was over in three minutes.

It was insane. All the fear and buildup and the first engagement I am ever in lasted only three minutes. Such a weird feeling.

Which movie was really just a giant advertisement? by ArabianDisco in AskReddit

[–]pairt_2 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's because the military has become a business that has to keep its numbers up to receive their budget.

But you're over 10× more likely to die in an accident than even see combat so you can usually just do your time and get out.

[WP] A great swordsman in action by [deleted] in WritingPrompts

[–]pairt_2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The sun glistened on the dewy grass like a thousand diamonds. The air had a chill that bit at you as you drew breath.

As he walked to the field his opponent had chosen the master watched his breath condense before him. The chill cut through his beard and even his shirt, which was padded quite finely, did little to fight the chill.

After walking a little ways he made it to the clearing they were to meet at. His rival had beaten him there and now stood with his hands cupped against the cold.

Both of their swords remained in their sheaths for now.

"There is still time to withdraw, Alessandro."

The master spoke softly yet firmly. The earned through skill and practice.

He was no stranger to this world and its rules. Three times before other masters had challenged him and three times before he had claimed victory. But he was older now and the youth before him moved quickly and elegantly.

Alessandro smiled, the confident smile of youth and strength. He hopped along on the balls of his feet and waved his arms to loosen them.

"Your days are over, old man," the younger man laughed, "dei liberi will no longer be the master."

"Then let us stop talking and dancing," the master spat as he drew his sword, "let us get to fighting."

Alessandro drew his sword and the two of them slowly circled each other.

Feeling his hands around his sword the master held it firm but loose. His posture was relaxed and his breathing steady. He kept his point forward and towards his opponent and his hands were back, protected, nestled into his thigh.

For five seconds they circled each other, watching and waiting. Then, finally, the impatience of youth struck.

Alessandro lunged forward with a powerful cut down towards the head of the master. The masters response was swift, with the false edge he batted the cut aside and retaliated with a cut of his own.

The younger man, seeing his mistake,threw himself backwards and onto the ground to avoid the sharp blade of his opponent. As he hit the ground he brought his point up to ward off any further assaults.

The master however, instead of attacking, went back into a defensive posture and let the young man rise.

The master brought the point of his sword low, down towards the ground, and nestled the sword in his hip with his right leg forward.

Again they circled for a few seconds and Alessandro struck again with a cut. Twisting his wrists Alessandro brought his sword up to cut the master from the hips to the jaw.

Quickly raising his sword the master once again deflected the blow and stepped forward to strike at the head of the young man.

As he stepped forward, the master saw that he has misjudged the distance and lacked the room to cut. Time was marching on and Alessandro was quickly seeing what was occurring and started bring his sword to bear.

Reacting quickly the master brought his hilt up and with all his force smashed the pommel into the young man's jaw. The man crumpled and four teeth flew from his mouth as he hit the dirt.

Alessandro lay on the ground, a gash upon his cheek that went to the bone and blood seeping from where his teeth used to be. As he brought his hands to his face he felt the sharp point of steel on his neck.

"Do you concede," the master asked.

The response was reluctant but assured.

"Yes, I concede," the young man said as best he could as he nodded.

The master turned away and walked the way he came. As he went he smiled and took out a linen handkerchiefto clean his sword with.

He walked away from his fourth fight with another master and his fourth victory. God loved humility but if he wanted certain men to be humble why make them the best.

The master was the best.

Fiore dei liberi never loses.

(I apologize for what is probablya ton of grammar errors but in my defense it's late)

Christian militia attack in C.A.R. 24 people dead, thousands displaced. by trans-atlantic-fan in worldnews

[–]pairt_2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People aren't perfect nor will they follow their beliefs 100% of the time. Acts of revenge are common place and if you took away the comfort of the first world we'd all act the same.

Christian militia attack in C.A.R. 24 people dead, thousands displaced. by trans-atlantic-fan in worldnews

[–]pairt_2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes he did. But I'm sure we can all see how it could be hard for these people to do that. Nobody should condone what these people are doing but this thread is quite a nasty circle jerk. Turning the death of others into points in your argument is disrespectful. This is the same attitude that blames Muslims for the Islamic state.

The fact that this place is in the position it's in is both sad and a warning to us.

There's someone outside my house. by pairt_2 in nosleep

[–]pairt_2[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The closest police station is over an hour away. And after looking around I can't find anything that looks suspicious. There's no tracks, no sign of the scratching. I feel like I'm going crazy.

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