Ah, right. Then weeee~

Thanks for the reminder. I'll fix the matchups accordingly.

tomorrow's the deadline. you guys ready

Oh. Two day from now where I'm at, but more or less.

Tomorrow is the deadline folks. For some you have another day, please be advised. January 20 is the deadline.

I'm finally done! I gotta say I really love this one.

Kill me. It'll be a tradegy.

I don't think I'll be able to provide this round. No promises(we'll see if I get a short burst of inspiration before midnight), though.

No excuses to be given.

It may not be spectacular, but I will produce a story before the deadline.

Sidenote: Also, Error. Could you update the scoreboard from R3, please? :)

Done! Here is my tragedy!

r ukulele before school. She’d sing and play not only for money, but because she enjoyed making people’s day through music. She’d perform various songs, but one always made an appearance: “La Vie En Rose”. Every day she was there. Until eventually, she wasn’t.
***
She woke up at around 5:30 in the morning. Her phone went off, and a little pre-set tune played. She groaned and rolled over in her bed, grabbing her phone. After silencing the melody, she threw off her blankets and put her feet on the cold hardwood floor. She put on her clothes—a flannel, t-shirt, and skinny jeans. She grabbed her soprano ukulele and her mailbag and headed to the kitchen for breakfast.
She went to the old and slightly rusted fridge and grabbed some milk and went to the cupboard and got a box of cereal. In the middle of eating, her mother stumbled into the kitchen, attempting to rub the sleep from her eyes. She slumped down across from her daughter and put her head on the table. Juliet ignored her.
“Hey, kid, grab me a beer.”
“It’s 5:30 in the morning.”
“I’m pretty sure I asked for a beer, not the time.” Juliet sighed and did as her mother requested. She slid the beer over to her and her mother caught it. She pulled the tab on the can, and the smell of alcohol wafted into the air.
“Where’s dad?” Juliet asked with a mouthful of cereal.
“Work. Won’t be home ‘til later.”
“Okay.”
Juliet quickly finished her food and put her dishes in the sink. She picked up her ukulele and headed for the door, grabbing a jacket on her way.
“Why the fuck did you buy that thing anyways?” her mom asked.
“Because I couldn’t afford a guitar.”
“Aren’t they the same thing except one is smaller?”
“No.” Juliet left the house and walked into the winter cold, walking down the street of her small development and made her way to main street. She stopped in front of the town library, which wasn’t open yet, and opened her ukulele case. She took out the small instrument and placed the case open on the ground. She began strumming as people walked by her, some throwing in a dollar or a fiver in her case.
“Hold me close and hold me fast, this magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose
When you kiss me heaven sighs, and though I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose…”
As people passed they continued to give her money. She played up until her phone vibrated in her pocket, letting her know that it was 7 o’clock. She sat down on the ground and began to count her profit. She pocketed the money and zipped up the case. She brushed the snow off of her and headed towards school.
***
“Anna! It’s time for school!” A groan came from the mass of blankets and pillows. The girl underneath it all threw the blankets off of her and sighed. She sat up and looked sleepily at her mother, a text book and a notebook falling to the floor. “How late did you stay up doing homework?”
“I am running on four hours of sleep.”
“Do you want to stay home?” Anna shook her head no. “Well then get up, it’s already 6:15!” Anna sighed and dragged herself out of bed. She did her morning routine of showering, getting dressed and putting on as little make-up as possible, and headed down to the kitchen. There, her mother was making eggs and bacon, while her father was putting on his tie using the reflection of the stainless steel refrigerator. He looked up and smiled at his daughter as she walked in.
“Morning sweetie,” he greeted.
“Morning, Dad.” Anna sat down at the table and her mother walked over and served her the food.
“Oh, Anna,” he mom said, “You got a letter from NYU yesterday, but when I went to give it to you, you were locked in your room doing homework.” Anna’s entire face lit up.
“NYU? That is definitely something you can interrupt my homework for!” Her mom chuckled and handed her the letter. Anna tore into it and scanned the page, a smile breaking out on her face.
“Well?” her dad inquired.
“I got an interview!” Her parents cheered and went over to hug her.
“We’re so proud of you, kiddo!”
“Thanks, I can’t believe I got an interview!” Anna looked at the clock on the stove. “We can celebrate tonight, but for now I have to actually graduate high school first.”
“Have a good day, sweetheart,” said her mother. Anna gave both her parents a kiss on the cheek and dashed out of the house.
On her way to school, she came upon a girl—one of her classmates. She was playing her ukulele and singing. She was actually quite talented. People walking past her put money in her case, and she nodded to them in thanks, but continued performing.
Anna was entranced by the melodies and rhythms. She closed her eyes and listened intently. She didn’t realize it, but she was smiling. She was finally brought out of her reverie when the music stopped. Her eyes opened and she watched the girl pack up her things and head on down the road. Anna decided to do the same.
How could I have not noticed her before, it’s already December? Anna shook her head. Had she really been there since September or is this just a new thing she decided to do? Either way, she knew that from now on, she would definitely be listening to her set before school.
***
Juliet walked into her house, shivering from the cold. She closed the door behind her, and took off her sneakers. “Hey Julie! Get over here!” Juliet sighed. She hated it when her dad called her Julie. That wasn’t her name.
She walked into the kitchen and saw her father sitting at the table, a bottle of whiskey in his hand. “My name is Juliet.” Her dad glared at her.
“Same fucking thing. Did you get the mail?” Juliet nodded and handed him the pile of envelopes. He took them and put down the whiskey. He grumbled as he shuffled through the papers. Once he finished, he tossed them on the table. “Fucking bill after bill. Why the hell do they send us that shit if they know damn well we ain’t got the money.” Juliet stood there, watching her father, waiting for something. He looked up at her, frowning. “The fuck do you want?”
“Is there anything for me?”
“Why the hell would there be?”
“Well, uh, I applied to SUNY Fredonia last week, and they said they’d let me know in about a week or two if I got in.” He snorted which morphed into a hearty, bellowing laugh. Juliet stood there, waiting for him to finish. Once he calmed down, he wiped a tear from his eye.
“And why the hell would you do that? Tell me, how the fuck do you plan on paying for that, ‘cause me and your mother sure as hell aren’t going to!”
“I’m gonna take out a loan.”
“And what are you gonna major in?”
“Music Therapy.” This response initiated another round of hearty laughter.
“Are you fucking serious!?! What are you gonna do, play your mini guitar until people aren’t sad anymore!?!”
“It’s a ukulele and no, I’m going to help people by using music as a means of coping.”
Her dad scoffed and tossed her an envelope. She caught it and went to her room.
She closed the door behind her and sat down on her bed. Her heart was racing and her hands were trembling. She swallowed hard as she pulled the paper out of the envelope. She only needed to read the first word. She got her answer. She looked up from the paper, tears in her eyes.
She had gotten in.
A smile broke out on her face as she cried tears of joy. She was getting out of this hellhole. She was going to make a difference in someone’s life.
***
“When you press me to your heart, I'm in a world apart
A world where roses bloom
And when you speak angels sing from above
Everyday words seem to turn into love songs
Give your heart and soul to me and life will always be
la vie en rose.”

Anna walked up to the girl and handed her a five-dollar bill after listening to her last song of the morning, “La Vie En Rose”. The girl looked up from packing up her things and took the money. “Thank you.” Anna smiled.
“No problem.” Anna continued standing there as the girl finished putting her ukulele away and stood up.
“Um, is there something you need?”
“Oh, no, sorry, I was just…my name’s Anna.” She offered her hand and the girl took it, smiling.
“Juliet. You go to my school, yeah?”
“Mhm. I think we have algebra 2 and trig together.”
“Mr. Smith, 5th period?”
“Yeah. I’ve never seen someone so passionate about math before.” Juliet chuckled, and Anna smiled. “Wanna walk together?”
“Sure.” The two girls then made their way towards the school, talking the whole way. The cold nipped at the exposed skin on their necks and faces, but they didn’t mind. A friendship was blooming, and that warmed the both of them to their cores.
***
After school one day in March, when the weather had started to transition from freezing cold to slightly chilly, Anna invited Juliet over to her house. The entire time, Juliet was shocked at how nice Anna’s parents treated her. She knew that her parents were just horrible people, but still, she was genuinely shocked. When they went to her room, Anna sat down on her bed, while Juliet stood there awkwardly.
“Your room is so…big.” Anna gave her a confused look.
“How big is your room?”
“About half this size.”
“Damn…Well don’t just stand there, come lay down.” Anna patted the spot next to her and Juliet went over to her. The two girls laid in bed next to each other, staring at the ceiling in silence.
“Hey Anna?”
“Yeah?”
“Have you ever been in love?” Anna turned to look at Juliet, who continued staring at the ceiling. A small smile formed on her lips.
“Yeah, I think so.” Juliet then turned to face the other girl and smiled back at her. Without breaking eye contact, Juliet took Anna’s hand into hers, and the two girls smiled even harder.
From that day on, Juliet went to Anna’s house after school instead of home. And in the mornings, every love song she sang she thought about her. Every morning she sang her heart out to the world, but really, it was all directed towards her love, her soulmate, her Anna
***
Juliet walked in the front door of her house one night and was greeted by yelling and screaming. “Where the fuck have you been!?!” The words were slurred and almost incomprehensible.
“Where’s dad?” Juliet asked, ignoring the scolding.
“Where the fuck do you think he is? Working his ass off to support this family! Now where were you?”
“I’ve been staying out late for the past month and you’re just now noticing?” Juliet’s mother stormed over to her and struck her across the face with enough force to send her to the floor.
“Don’t talk back to me, you ungrateful bitch! Where were you!”
“I was with my girlfriend!” Tears had formed in her eyes. She hadn’t been hit in a while. She thought the two had moved on from abuse. Apparently they hadn’t.
“Oh so you’re a fucking lesbian now? Great, just great, my daughter’s a lesbian.” Her mother yanked her up by her hair, causing the girl to cry out in pain. The entire time, Juliet clutched her ukulele, as if it would keep her safe.
She shoved her towards her room. “Get the fuck outta my sight! I don’t wanna see you for the rest of the night!” Juliet stumbled and quickly hurried towards her room. She sat down on her bed and began to quietly play “La Vie En Rose”, tears falling down onto the wood of her instrument.
***
“Juliet!” Anna ran up to her girlfriend at school one day and hugged her from behind. Juliet laughed and turned around, greeting her with a kiss.
“Anna, hey.”
“My NYU interview is next week and I’m screaming inside…What happened to your cheek?” Juliet quickly turned away, hiding the giant bruise on her face.
“I uh, I fell.” Anna turned Juliet’s face towards her.
“Juliet…did someone hit you?” Juliet couldn’t keep up the façade any longer and burst into tears and cried into her girlfriend’s shoulder. She stroked the back of her head and whispered sweet nothings to her, ignoring the strange looks the other students were giving them. The bell rang and Juliet sniffled trying to compose herself.
“I-I’m sorry, I made you late for class.”
“It’s okay. Listen, if whoever did this to you does it again, you tell me and I’ll make sure they don’t hurt you anymore.” Juliet nodded and Anna kissed her forehead.
The week went by pretty quickly, Juliet still doing her morning performances in front of the library, and going over to Anna’s house after school. Finally, the day came for Anna’s interview. That Saturday morning she dressed in an elegant baby blue blouse and black dress pants, completing the look with a black blazer.
At Juliet’s house, she woke up and went to the kitchen only to find her parents glaring at a piece of paper. “An orientation? Really? How the hell are we going to pay for the tuition for this place?” her mother wondered.
“We’re not, she’s going to pay for it herself, we can’t afford it.”
“Mom, dad?” Their heads snapped towards Juliet, who stood in the entrance of the kitchen.
“Well look who it is. Little miss music therapist!” her father scowled. “You didn’t think it’d be a good idea to tell us you got accepted?”
“I…I didn’t think you cared…”
“Oh we care!” Her mother snapped. “Since we’re going to be paying for your damn books and shit!”
“God, you are nothing but a pain in our asses! All you do is keep your hand out and ask for shit we obviously can’t give you!”
“I’ve never met a bigger burden in my life! You’re 18 now, get a fucking job!”
“Or better yet, kill yourself and rid the world of a burden!”
Juliet gasped at the last statement. Tears flowed down her face. She ran back to her room and sobbed into her pillow.
“Yeah, we want to cry, too! Just thinking of how broke we’re going to be putting your ass through college brings me to tears!” Her mother yelled after her.
Back at Anna’s house, she went over her answers again and again in her bedroom mirror. Suddenly, her phone rang. She picked it up off her bed and excitedly answered it when she saw it was Juliet. However, the excitement faded when she heard crying on the other end. “Juliet? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
There was a sniffle. “No…I just…can I come over?”
“I uh, I have my interview today, remember? I’m sorry, but I’ll be back around three.”
“Oh, alright. I’ll see you then, yeah?” Before Anna could answer, there was a click and the call was ended. Anna pocketed her phone, putting it on vibrate.
“Are you ready, sweetheart?” Anna looked up and saw her mother in the doorway. She smiled and nodded and walked downstairs, heading for the door. But just as she was about to get in the car, her phone vibrated again. This time it was a text.
Thank you for loving me even though I am a burden. Good-bye, Anna. I love you.
Anna gasped and put her hand on her mouth. “Oh my god.”
“What’s wrong?”

What a tragedy...

The story itself is a tragedy...



Also, no problem at all, Error. I can appreciate how much work goes into running a tournament like this, I'd forget things too. :)

in a white one piece with red laces quietly hums a tune without a care in the world. The gentle mountain winds rubs
her short, ruby hair, making it flutter freely in the air. Her scarlet pupil, ripe with energy, glows as she savors the view provided by the cliff; the peaceful town of Arludeia, with green fields as far as the eye can see, with the river’s crystal clear water flowing down the water. The view takes one breath away. As in a trance, the girl continues to hum her song whilst taking in the sight.

Breaking her daze was a call, not too far away. Carefully but surely, the girl stands up, and broke into a jog towards the source of the call. As she gets closer to the origin, the visage of the one calling her becomes visible. The one who called for her was a woman with similar features with the girl; ruby red pupil, scarlet hair, as if on fire. Though, she keeps it long, contrary to the girl. The lady styles long, red, slightly pleated skirt tied with a bow, a white jacket and braided hair, accompanied with black ribbons.

Next to the lady in white is a man sitting cross-legged. His height towers over the lady next to him, with a somewhat muscular build. His attire consists of a blue greatcoat, black trousers and a hat lies on top of his head. The back of his palm features an insignia; A shield on two sides and a pair of swords crossing the other. A broad smile crept on his face as the figure of the little child came into view. The couple of male and female sits together under the shade of the tree.

Energetically running over, sometimes skipping and hopping around, the little girl eager to join the pair of man and woman. But right before arriving, the girl tripped over and fell. Alarmed, the woman hurled over to the child while the man broke into a laugh.

“She takes over you, that clumsiness.” The slightly muscled man said, chuckling.
“No, that obviously came from you.” The concerned mother picks up her daughter, “Are you alright Kari?”

Her eyes starts to glass, but trying to look tough, the girl hold back her tears and nods fervently. Unbeknownst to her, her snot is leaking out of her tiny nose. On her head was a red mark, clumsily closed with her small palms.

Letting out a small laugh, the mom holds her hand and helps her get up, and the pair of mother and child sits next to the father…. Well, the lady did. The daughter sat on the man’s thigh, as it is her one and only special spot.

“It sure is peaceful here.” Breaking the silence was the mother, gazing at the blue sky.
“It’s a great break from the constant fighting.” The man replies, sipping a bottle of water. “It’s almost like the calm before the storm.”
Hearing this, the woman balled her hand and dunked the fist on the head of the dad. “No raising flags!”
“What was that for?!” the man responds as he massages his head. Not that it hurt him.
“Hahaha, Mum is bullying Dad!” Kari laughs as she rolls on the ground playfully.

The family of three continued the rest of their day joyfully playing around. Face of bliss apparent on each of their faces, fully enjoying the moment of peace. But peace is brittle.

As dusk approaches, the family was visited by a knight in full armor, on top of his horse. The next moment, the warrior announces;

“Your presence is needed on the battlefield, Prince Teito.”

------

No longer dressed casually, Teito in a suit of armor commented. His signature blue greatcoat still hangs on his shoulder. Contrary to the soldiers around him, he isn’t fully in a dress of armor--- he only has a cuirass, a pair of greaves and gauntlets. The rest are fully exposed; his hardened skin there for all to see. Hanging on his neck is a pendant, with a picture of his wife and daughter.

“Things are looking grim… huh.” Teito commentates as the overviews the battlefield.

The battlefield in front of him was… messy. Every step you take, you see a new corpse. Guts of the fallen everywhere. Some was beheaded, lost all of his limbs and bled to death. One passed away sitting--- with arrows on every inch of his body. The ground was soft from absorbing too much blood; the mud of the earth and blood was uncanny. Fire can be seen raging at the camps ahead, infiltrated by the enemy. Truly a sight of a battlefield.

“The enemy flanked us from the side and caught us completely by surprise.” The knight next to him reports.
“Seems like we still can turn the tides; you inform our allies. I’ll flank them in return.”
“Alone?” The knight asks in shock.
“Yes. Any problems?”
“No…no sir.”
“Alright. Get going then.”

The knight turns and gallops away upon receiving the prince’s demands. Teito meanwhile unsheathes his sword, held it upright, and brought it close to his chest. Closing his eyes, he muttered, “Mika. Kari. Give me strength.”
Abruptly opening his eyes, Teito roared a fearsome war cry, echoing throughout the battlefield, and breaking into a charge towards the enemy lines.

-----

“Hey mom, where’s dad?” Kari asks in curiosity.
“Dad’s… on an adventure.” Mika hesitatingly answers. Technically she isn’t lying, but Kari’s pure eyes makes it difficult not to lie.
Innocently believing her mother, Kari went “oh~” and going silent for a few seconds. Later, she asks again, “When will he be back?”

The question freezes her in place. Mika dazes outside the window, the veil of night covering the skies, decorated with bright little stars. In all honesty, she always worries on her husband, despite knowing his occupation and his social standing. Their marriage wasn’t really blessed by the King either; which is the reason why they’re living in a cottage, not in the palace. Despite that, they were happy together, settling in a relatively calm area.

“Mom?” Kari’s calls snap Mika back to reality.
“Soon, dear.” Mika answers, as she hopes her answer would be the truth. “Nevermind that, how about some cake?”
“Woah, cake! Yay!” Excited for cake, Kari bounces all over the cottage.
Mika serves it on the table, as Kari’s saliva overflows, eyes fixed on the cake. Suddenly, as if remembering something, Kari raises her head (with great difficulty) to tell her mother “Save some for Dad!”
A smile crept to the mother of one’s face, answering, “Will do.”

----

The battlefield is a noisy place. Swords clashing, dying screams, war cries, arrows flying. All of these sounds mixed to produce one thing; chaos. In the midst of it all, is a man, fighting between life and death. Constantly dodging, blocking, countering, with one sole purpose in mind; win, and survive. Scratch that--- survive. For the sake of reuniting with his loved ones: Kari, Mika. He swears that he won’t fall here.

Surrounded with enemies on all side, Teito brandishes his trusty sword, the other broke a long time ago. The air was tense… none dares to make a move. The fact apparent to everyone; the first strike is vital. But with fatigue weighing him down, Teito instinctively knew that he can’t win in a battle of attrition. While he still has energy, he should beat them down. So to break the stalemate, the hero pretends to slip.

Hook, line, sinker. One of the opposing soldiers lunges, aiming for a stab. With his opportunity open, Teito twists his body around and delivering a clean cleave on the neck of the soldier. As his head rolls, other adversaries charge, one after another, on all sides.

Diving under the first to charge, Teito delivers a stab under the enemy’s helmet, straight through his head. Without a wasting a moment, the warrior lifts the corpse and charge towards the other soldiers, knocking anyone down in his path. Unable to lift the corpse anymore, the hero stumbles but quickly recovers with a roll, his beloved sword in hand.

Two soldiers rush at him as he recovers from his fall, their swords falling on him. In the nick of time, he blocks both swords. While his enemies try to force him down, Teito lets their swords slide down his own; giving him freedom to kick one of the soldiers back. The other one fell next to Teito due to the momentum; the warrior spared no moment executing him.

Intimidated, the remaining adversaries stayed back. Despite his exhaustion, the hero taunts them, gesturing them to come. Seeing this, the soldiers broke into a run--- retreating.

The chaos of the battlefield has come to a halt, and instead becoming eerily quiet. As if on cue, the stars in the sky started falling one after another--- a meteor shower. As if to congratulate his survival… Teito has survived.

----

The silence of the village was broken by sudden roars, screams and cries. Smoke rises as houses catches fire. Without rhyme nor reason, the village is being sieged.

The noise outside wakes up Mika with a start. At first dazed and confused, but upon the sight of wreck outside her cottage, her brain goes into full alert. The first thing that popped into her head was Kari. Instantly, she broke into a run, hurtling her way to her room. Relief washed over her face as her eyes lay on the figure of Kari, peacefully sleeping in her bed, the ruckus outside unable to wake the child.

With a little shake, Kari’s small eyelids open. Drowsy, she tilts her head as to why her mother wakes her up in the dead of the night… until she hears the ruckus outside, and with her mother’s anxious face. Her mother puts a finger on her lips signaling her to keep quiet, and the child nods. Led by her mother, she follows her outside her house where the see the origin of the ruckus.

The chaos is at it’s apex. Men in green are plundering everything and everyone; killing without remorse, destroying property, looting valuables. Without rhythm, without reason. Screams, roars, cries resounds in the air, whilst the smell of blood, steel and smoke is thick in the air, choking anyone who breathes them in. By common bandits… or so it would seem. Unknown to the pair of mother and daughter, the bandits are there for a reason--- for them.

One of the purple bandits caught the family from behind sneakily, gave a kick right onto Mika’s back making her fall flat to the ground. Immediately, Kari kneels and worriedly holds her mother. Writhing in pain, she lies on the ground as she tries to catch the face of her assaulter. His appearance leaves her holding her breath.

Her assaulter has impressive stature, towering over the mother and child. His presence covers the other bandits--- this one was the leader. Clothed in purple robes that seemingly glistens with the presence of the moon, with brown skin… sight of him makes one quiver in one’s boots. A greater shock and despair washes over the woman as she spots an insignia on his shoulder; the Royal Hi-Knights.

The man breaks out a malicious grin.

-----

The sounds of a horse trampling the ground can be heard from a distance. Gradually, the sound gets closer and closer. Teito takes a stance in alarm, despite his exhaustion. Despite how the battlefield raged and roared, no wounds is visible on his body--- except scratches here and there. However, seeing the warrior on the horse, Teito lowers his swords as he relaxes his body; it was his friend, Renau.

Renau fought at the other end of the battlefield, and was almost routed before Teito appeared behind the enemy lines as he wrought chaos. Taking advantage of the confusion, Renau rallies his allies as they fought once more. This time, to victory. Once it was over, Renau went over to Teito with haste. A sigh of relief escapes his mouth as he saw the figure of his friend standing still on the battlefield.

As the two friends unite, a messenger, his pale white face giving them a bad premonition. As soon as the news has been passed, the duo’s face also undergoes a change; one of fear, one of anxiousness. As if knowing what each other was thinking, the two faced each other, and nods. Almost jumping, Teito rides the saddle and the two rode off--- to Arludeia.

Under siege.

------

Horror creeps it’s way to Kari’s face, looking at the man who attacked her mom. Fear rooted her in place, unable to move a muscle--- only able to whisper “Mom…”

Besides her is Mika, reeling in pain after being kicked. Her brain is blanking out, the man’s emblem being the only thing in her head. The Royal Hi-Knights are known as the most elite of the elite but also the highly sensitive secret; the King’s guard. They are known to be monsters in the battlefield; them on one means victory for they side on. Her knowledge on them stems on the fact that her husband too is part of them.

Questions rang in her mind; why? Why would the secret, elite soldiers of the King attack the village? Attack them? It didn’t make any sense…

Her daughter’s call managed to pull Mika back from her thoughts. There was no time to ponder on the little things. What was important that Kari is safe. The intimidating man stood there grinning, as if mocking her. Gathering her strength and courage, she lifts and throws herself to the man, trying to constraint his movements. At the top of her lungs, she yells “Run, Kari!”

Startled, Kari kneels in the same spot, frozen. But another of her mom’s screams sends a shock through her body, which she lifts her body up and runs away, looking back at her mother as she does. As a result, not too far from where she was, she knocked into something… rather someone. Another bandit in purple.
The bandit looks down as she raises her head to see what she bumped into. The moment the two locked sights, a chill went through her spines, every cell in her body warning her. But again, dread took over heart, immobilizing her.

“Don’t block me.” The bandit, coldly said, kicking the child away into a wall. Impact from being kicked knocked her out cold as blood flowed from her head, her body going limp with the sound of bones breaking resounding inside her.

The scene unfolded in front of her too quickly--- Mika couldn’t react to it. She could only helplessly watch in despair. The next moment, she found herself on the ground, a foot on top of her. The next moment,

A sword through her chest.

-----

The horse speeds through the mountainous terrain, at its maximum speed, kicking up an impressive amount of dust in the air in the process. Yet, it’s two rider wants it to even faster, in order to reach the sieged village as soon as possible. The view of the village soon comes into view--- bringing panic and fear into their hearts.

Smoke rises high into the night air. At this time of the hour, it should be serenely quiet and peacefully dark but instead it was hectic and bright. Crimson flames licks the villages building, screams of panic fills the air as civilian scampers everywhere, only caring about saving themselves.
Renau got himself off the horse first, intending to help the villagers escape as they are being pursued by purple bandits. He then entrusts his horse to his friend and tells him to find his wife. At first, Teito hesitates to leave his friend alone against the bandits but upon seeing his resolve, he speeds of towards his home.

Upon arriving, he was greeted with the sight of Kari being stabbed.

-----

“MIKAAAAAAA!” A scream rang out through the night, shaking the earth, blocking all other sounds.

Forgetting his fatigue, adrenaline rushing through his body, Teito jumped off the horse, rushing to his wife’s side. The bandit who stabbed her stood in his way, blocking him… not for long. In a flash, Teito unsheaths his sword, dicing his opponent before his adversary could blink.

“Mika?” whispers Teito, carefully lifting her up. Blood was flowing out of her wound like a river as he to patch it up. Her warmth was nowhere to be found.
“Tei…to?” Mika weakly answers, energy escaping

Are you telling me more than 4 people didn't post their stories? Again?

Jesus Christ, guys.

I can understand real life problems getting you, but come on, you could at least tell Error or your opponent so they know, right? I mean, at least Kamiroo warned us a few days ahead of time. You have two weeks to write a story that's more than 1,000 words. I'm pretty sure you can write 1,000 words in an hour if you set your mind to it. Do you not realize that even if you post the shittiest story in all of existence, you still get 2 points in a loss (4 if you fulfilled a challenge)? But if you don't post, you lose 2 points. That's for the people who care about the points.

For the people who don't, then you should realize that you're not only hurting yourself, but your opponent, too. Take Arch for example. He literally has no opponent because not enough people posted their stories. How is that fair that he might not get points this round for your inactivity? You're right, it's not.

For the people who don't care about THAT, then how about the honor of having people read and vote on your stories? How about getting some criticism (From only a few, mostly, but that's another rant for a later date) and learning to do better?

And honestly? It's just good to actually stick to your commitments when you make them. Instead of getting excited for a day or two and then disappointing everybody. Here's a bit of a thought--If you can't stay committed, DON'T PARTICIPATE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

If you don't care about any of these things, then just drop right now. Save everyone the damn headache.

EDIT: Honestly, though, I'm happy that 9 out of the 13 people left posted their stories. This is pretty much for the select few that have consistently done this lately.