Wyvern

Smallscale Mind Games sighs miserably and fidgets in his applicant easychair... The poor applicant had waited for well over a week for Wyvern to take notice of his application, certain that the overgrown lizard would be immediatly attracted to the sweepstake offer attached... yet somehow, the sheet had managed to go unnoticed. Grumbling to himself and rising from his seat, Merry decides to head over to the Elder of Initiates' desk to see what's up... Seated at his desk and taking occasional sips from the Decanter of Endless Booze, Wyvern claws through numerous papers littered on his tabletop, pretending to be seriously at work but actually searching for a particularly tantalizing picture of Cheyenne he kept saved for those long office breaks... Come to think of it, the majority of the lizard's time spent in his office was in breaks... "Mr. Wyvern...?" The reptilian Elder turns his scaly head and raises a brow towards Smallscale Mind Games, who had just arrived at his desk and was asking for his attention. Taking another short sip from the Endless Decanter, the lizard stretches lazily and responds: "Yessss, how can I help you?" Merry clears his throat and responds: "Well... I submitted my application here a while back, and it hasn't been answered yet..." "Oh?!" exclaims Wyvern, suddenly frantically looking through the papers on his desk. It is at this point that Merry notices that 60% of the countless papers littered on the desktop seem to be sweepstake adds, many fabricated by the reptilian Elder in his never ending quest for geld. Suddenly realizing where the confusion has stemmed from, the eager applicant quickly plucks his familier application sheet from a large pile of sweeptake offers present and hands it to Wyvern. Snatching the application from Smallscale Mind Game's hands and thanking him for pointing it out, the overgrown lizard reads over the story on the sheet a few times and an evil grin spreads over his face. Placing the application back down on his desk, Wyvern turns towards the applicant, flashes a toothy grin, and exclaims: "A very entertaining and well written application story, Smallscale Mind Games... though your response to "Amount Enclosed" might have been more generous, nobody's perfect! Come to think of it, not many people have responded generously to that question... I really should reword it..." Having said this, Wyvern flashes another evil grin and mutters: "It's interesting that you should mention both Peachtree City and enormous plants in your application... my most recent no-fail scheme involves a giant inflated peach balloon that I've set up and am charging people to see, claiming that it's 'James' Giant Peach' come to life! It's amazing how gullible the average human sight-seeing tourist can be..." Wyvern's explanation is suddenly interrupted as Melba bursts into the office weilding an "Anti-Wyvern" mallet, her face red with rage as well as with something else... Turning to the overgrown lizard and pointing an accusing finger, the Almost-Secretary exclaims in the most high-pitched, helium-filled voice imaginable: "That's the last time I'm going to try a Wyvern brand gargantuan fruit as a snack! Giant peach indeed... you DIE!!!" Wyvern quickly stamps Smallscale Mind Games' application ACCEPTED before he gets clobbered into oblivion... ;p OOC: An ACCEPTED application, Smallscale Mind Games... welcome to the Mighty Pen! My apologies for the length of time it took for me to respond, my final exams have my creativity in a vice grip... Be sure to either post your e-mail address here or mail me at elitwack90@hotmail.com so that I can send you some additional Pen info... Welcome, once again.

Wyvern contributes a short verse to Peredhil's cipher in honor of Jakob's B-day... minus the gold chains, sunglasses, army unform, etc... Stream of concious style is where Jakob's at Meridian poems untitled up to bat Reflections of back home have never been better Ruminations of the unjust a member can treasure And if alternate definitions are the name of the game Then thirty-five can be altered into something tame. Wyvern's tries scratching something, but people don't seem to care for his scratching on a chalkboard much... OOC: A very happy birthday to you, Jakob.

Alaeha started by setting the scene, giving good examples Salinye followed with boasting bonanzas Ayshela was next, creating her own witty samples Psimon formed his own positive stanzas Wrenwind forged some nostalgic verses about time Cheye's energetic poem was tragic Pered's spoke of his 'block as if it were crime Quin's was based upon murder and magic Excellent work so far, everyone.

Excellent poem Gwaihir! I think that your poetry has improved, particularly on a structural level. I love the way the spacing of the words in "Trying to Keep you" evokes the emotions of the narrator, especially in the seperation of the phrase "Piece by piece you slip away," which is cut into seperate pieces. The allusion to Theseus' slip is also very intriguing, as it brings an element of mythology and the notion that even great heros have their weakness' into the mix. The message of the poem is also strong and heartfelt... Once again, great stuff!

David Namesroks and Wanna Letterback both brush the dust off of their formal uniforms as they swiftly pace down the corridor towards the sealed gate labeled "Entrance to U.N Headquarters." The two officials stop a few inches away from the gate, lifting a panel on the wall to their right and typing in a few passwords onto a computer board that lies hidden there. After a few moments of waiting, the light on the panel flashes green and the gates to the U.N conference room are opened. Wiping sweat from their brows and making sure that their name tags are clearly visible on their chests, David and Wanna step into the conference chamber without further hesitation. Seating themselves in their respective seats at a large round table hosting numerous members of the U.N, David and Wanna catch their breaths for a moment before the former exclaims: "Very well... would anyone care to brief us on the current situation?" A man wearing glasses seated at the opposite end of the table clears his throat and shuffles some papers before responding: "The situation is very grave... yes, very grave indeed. A band of organized vagabonds known as the "Others" have demanded the rights to certain letters, and are threatening to steal the letter "U" from the U.N!" Wanna Letterback's eyes widen as she hears this information, and she immediatly jumps out of her seat exclaiming: "Dear God! We mustn't let them steal the "U"! I vote that we, the U.N, be called forth to put a stop to their actions before they can do any serious harm!" "Agreed!" cries the rest of the U.N attending. "In order to take immediate action, this meeting is ajourned!" ;-) OOC: Wyvern whistles innocently...

Swiftly packing away his "samurai sheep accesories" stand as his evil scheme is discovered by the ever-watchfull Madoka, Wyvern quickly makes a dash for the exit of the Cabaret Room only to be met by another unexpected visitor... Stopping abruptly in his tracks and turning towards Boaz, the overgrown lizard points a scaly finger and stutters: "Y-y-you're the one and only..." The reptilian Elder's phrase is suddenly cut short as stampedes of samurai sheep ambush him from all angles, reaping him of his stolen sheep accesories and leaving him a crumpled mess of scales on the ground. After the gang of sheep have repossesed their belongings and skillfuly departed from the scene, Wyvern's tail twitches slightly and he weakly manages to mutter: "... greetings Boaz, venerable Bard of Terra..." OOC: Welcome Boaz! I'm very glad you found us here at the Pen and, like Brute, hope you'll be visiting on a frequent basis. Those of you unfamiliar with Boaz's writing might want to check out the classic "Are Treents too Tall" discussion thread, which has been archived in the Pen's Library.

Searching within the jumbled part of my backpack used for carrying writing utensils, I found: -One fully operating retractable Bic pen, filled with black ink (I tend to shy away from extravagant ink colors...) -One small stub of a pencil, barely hold-able and lacking an eraser... possibly the lost remnants of some hectic semester passed. -One half of a poorly fabricated "Estelle Gelman Day" George Washington University retractable pen, which had been given out free in celebration of the holiday. -The other half of the "Estelle Gelman Day" pen, this one complete with a loose (and fortunatly sealed!) ink cylinder. Should have known that the pen's fancy appearence would be accompanied by a flimsy durability... -One long #2 pencil with a slightly shakey lead tip... Does anyone else have problems with pencil sharpeners due to their eating the tips of pencils rather than sharpening them? I hate it when that happens... Within the drawers of my desk, I also have many spare pencils, though I seem to be lacking in back-up pens at the moment... I won't even dare to begin listing the number of pens the character Wyvern holds in his inventory... the lizard has lots and lots of back-ups since he needs them for signing contracts.

Celestia gasps sharply and tightly clutches her mortal wound, attempting to stop the gushing blood yet failing miserably due to the potency of the assasin's attack. Grinning to herself confidently, Myth turns towards her latest victim, already assured of her victory due to the precision of her previous blow. The assasin's victorious smile is short lived, however, as her eyes suddenly lock in a piercing gaze with those of the dying Celestia... The eyes that had once alerted Kaleyra of Celestia's presence in Saint Andrew's Church no longer shined with malice or hatred. Even after failing her companions and her quest at the hands of an assasin, the fury and power once present in the eyes of Celestia had now been replaced with a gleam of innocence and fear, like those of a child that had lost her way and found herself far from home. For a moment, Myth remains motionless as she relates to that gaze, an icey dagger of memory piercing her heart and momentarily causing her mask of indifference to wear thin. She could sympathize with those eyes... The interlocking of gazes is suddenly cut short as Celestia stumbles forward and coughs up blood, more red oozing out of the spot where she had been wounded. After standing for a few moments in confusion and finally reaching the acceptence of her death, Celestia faintly mumbles: "... how can this be?" The priestess then clenches her teeth, her anger revitalized, and exclaims with her dying breaths: "No matter...! I shall aid my allies regardless, even if it be with my very life's blood!" At this, Myth flinches as Celestia reaches for her wound and tears it open further with her right hand, painfully spilling her blood over the soil of the grove. Chanting words in an arcane dialect and suddenly glowing with blue energy, there is a flash that lights up the clearing as the priestess collapses dead on the ground. Much to Myth's dismay, this flash seems to awaken the zombies of the clearing, who suddenly continue advancing and attacking. What's more, the undead seem revitalized with a new vigour and durability, as the skilled assasin suddenly finds herself spending as much time battling one zombie as she had battling ten previously. With the numbers surrounding her, things did not look good for the assasin. Quickly viewing her surroundings, Myth briefly casts glances towards the motionless bodies of Y'Tren and Celestia before noticing a potential route of escape that leads back into the forest...

The shadowy silhouette's feet suddenly come to a halt on the slippery surface as the book's title once again flashes before his eyes, each letter glowing dimly in a faint red light, haunting him... Clutching his forehead and shaking away the hazy vision, the vague form of a man slowly comes to terms with his physical surroundings. There were no vines, no weeds, no tree limbs reaching out for him in horrendous manners... all seemed calm, tranquil, and serene. Before him lies a vast body of wavey motion, beckoning to him with each ripple and tide, majesticaly spread underneath a distant mountain range which seemed to radiate a dim brightness. The endless unreachable above him slowly changes hues, black and grey gradually melding with brighter colors of orange and yellow... Visions... visions of his curly haired... "Friend, I must warn you of what I've discovered. As devastating and unreal as it may seem, they've decided to murder you, and they're doing it with her. With her, my friend... God, I feel terrible informing you of it, but she's deadly as poison! At times, I feel you're the only one I can trust, the only one concerned..." This was all he could read of the letter before tearing it to pieces... Visions of his friend, yes, and visions of his own past... mingled and interlocked in a blurry nightmare of imagery and emotion. Swaying in and out of sanity, attempting to come to terms with his own physical state... his numbness to pain and touch. And yet... The mattress and bed curtains of the lavishly furnished sleeping quarters glow with an opaque whiteness... ... something seemed... ...satin sheets... ... strangely out of place. Two visions, different colors... different quarters? Finally, he accepts... "...Emotions cannot lie. Even after shells have disintegrated to dust, love can only be elevated through the soul. I shall always love you, and would never so much as consider such a thing..." They passionately hug and kiss, and the man with the tattooed cheek smiles as he tastes her aroma, assured of her ongoing passion. As the two lovers submit to the will of each other's fantasies, the lonely figure standing hidden outside their bedroom window gazes in, soaking in the rain and shedding tears in the knowledge of her betrayal. Unable to bear watching the scene any longer, the man turns from his position and... and... ...had chosen not to accept it, blotted the image out of his mind... why?! Did he lack the courage...? Strangely, the form of the man had no memory of his recent murder, in which he had killed her. It was like an insignificant, emotionless detail that had passed away with the disappearence of the shining circle in the sky... Solitary and devoid of purpose, the man daringly stares out into the vast infinite above, seeking some type of sign in the first and final act of bravery he would ever perform. He was the ephemeral, he was the fleeting one... Purpose...? "Only death remains..." Gazing expressionlessly towards the horizon, the shadowy figure slowly walks into the wavey landscape of motion set before him, marching in one step at a time, numb to the feelings of icey cold it normally produces. As the sky brightens and daybreak falls upon the vast terrain of the forest grove, all that remains of the man are the outcomes of his hideous deeds, and the vague silhouette of his form as it slides effortlessly into the endless depths. Fin~

Ayshela nervously fidgets in her applicant easychair as she waits for the Elder of Initiates' arrival, once again growing slightly anxious due to the lack of comments... After making sure that she has filled out all of the appropriate application forms and has a bit of spare bribe money to offer the greedy Elder if worst comes to worst, the applicant leans back in her easychair and lets out a dismal sigh, wondering how much longer the overgrown lizard would take to arrive... As if to answer her question, Wyvern suddenly strides through the entrance of the Recruiter's Office carrying a large brown package of some sort, hissing curses under his breath due to the weight of the box he holds and nodding to Ayshela as he enters. Setting the heavy package next to his desk and wiping some sweat from his scaly brow, the lizard thoroughly apologizes to Ayshela for his lengthy absence and immediatly gets to reading over her application. After having finished reading the application, the reptilian Elder turns to Ayshela, grinning and hissing: "A very good application, Ayshela... I noticed that you've had a few mirror troubles here and there, and just might have the answer to all of your mirror problems..." The eager applicant raises a brow curiously as Wyvern swifly unwraps the package resting by his desk, revealing a large, mirror-like object labeled "Ourlenne Mirrors™" with the subtitle "providing quality reflections since the second armagedon of terra." Ayshela gazes at the object curiously and mutters: "Ourlenne mirrors...?" "Exactly!" exclaims Wyvern in response "Orlan mirrors for the guys, Cheyenne mirrors for the gals, and 'our' mirror since it belongs to everyone (for the appropriate price)!" "I see..." murmers Ayshela, eyeing the "mirror" closely and noticing that it's nothing more than two poorly pasted photographs on a sheet of silver, one placed on each side of the plaque. The side currently facing Ayshela has a picture of Cheyenne, one of the sexiest and most fashionable woman of Terra, striking a particularly sensual pose on it. The other side of the "mirror" has a picture of Orlan, the sexy sexy man of Terra, "on duty" relaxing on the sun deck of the Pen while being massaged by a scantily clad female Dominion... Ayshela shakes her head in disbelief at the poorly constructed excuse for a mirror, and her eyes widen even further when she notices that the price tag is a foot long due to the number of digits on it... "SSsssso..." hisses Wyvern hopefully "...would you be interested in buying an Ourlenne Mirror™ and ridding yourself of all those pesky multiple mirror images?" Ayshela shakes her head as a response and Wyvern grumbles to himself, stamping her application ACCEPTED while crossing out another of his "no fail" schemes from a seemingly endless list of plots... ;-) OOC: An ACCEPTED application, Ayshela, welcome to the Mighty Pen! My apologies for taking so long to respond, I enjoyed what's been written of your story thus far and look forward to reading more. Be sure to either post your e-mail address in this thread or send me a mail at elitwack90@hotmail.com so that I can send you a bit of additional Pen info. Once again, welcome!

Wyvern swiftly rushes into the Cabaret Room upon hearing of Madoka's arrival, happily saluting the famous bard of Terra while dragging several jumbled pieces of cardboard and wood into the chamber. Rapidly clawing through the various materials he has with him, the greedy Almost Dragon sets up a large marketing stand in a matter of minutes and paints a sign next to it that reads: SALE SALE SALE!!! CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!!! SAMURAI SHEEP ACCESORIES SALE SALE SALE!!! CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!!! Wyvern immediatly goes about placing several eccentric accesories for samurai sheep upon his stand, making sure the extra large price tags attached to each item are clearly visible. Among the accesories on the overgrown lizard's marketing table can be found newly polished, stainless steel hooves, shuriken cow bells, bullet proof wool vests, and steroid enhanced sheep grass (complete with free samples). Grinning to himself sinisterly and rubbing his scaly palms together in anticipation, the reptilian Elder immediatly puts on Ja Wool's "Greatest Herding Baaahs" CD for background music and patiently awaits his first customers... ;-) OOC: Konnichiwa, Madoka, and welcome to the Pen! I'm very happy you found us here, and definitely look forward to reading more from you! Madoka no "writing" wa totemo ii-desu nee!

Finnius patiently waits for Wyvern in his applicant easychair as weeks pass by and cobwebs begin to gather... The overgrown lizard's absence is extended to the extent that the seasons actually change as the blue man waits, the weather outdoors slowly turning from cold and rainy to bright and sunny. By the time the overgrown lizard finally walks into the entrance of the Recruiter's Office, the poor applicant has become covered in a thick layer of dust and has several creaky limbs... Swiftly striding into the room and tipping a tattered top hat that he had found laying in a garbage bin during his extensive scheming travels, Wyvern happily greets Finnius and suddenly notices that the blue applicant is covered in a variety of dusts and cobwebs. Sighing to himself and thoroughly apologizing to Finnius for the excruciatingly long wait he had to endure, Wyvern grabs Melba's feather duster from a nearby desk and quickly dusts the Patron Saint of Haikus off. Noticing that this has little effect on the many layers of dust covering the blue man, Wyvern grumbles and takes out a dustbuster vacuum cleaner, vacuuming around Finnius in an attempt to get rid of all the dirt. Having finished this, the overgrown lizard is dismayed to find that several cobwebs still remain, and is about to rush off to get a toilet plunger for some serious clean-up business when Finnius suddenly signals to Wyv with a creaky hand, not wanting to risk the overgrown lizard departing from the office again... Wyvern nods to this and immediatly gets to his office desk, shoving several dusty magasines off of it as he finds Finnius' application and reads over it several times. Grinning to himself as he reads over Finnius' piece on magic inquiries for the fifth time, Wyvern turns to the haiku master and exclaims: "First, let me apologize for not having had time to respond to your questions about magic earlier. That little old lady I was mug-errr... questioning had... well... had stolen some money from an innocent child! Yeah, that's it! And I was trying to get it back so I could buy the child some candy and then steal the candy from the baby, like I always do..." Suddenly realizing that the latter part of his argument doesn't work in his favor, Wyvern stops short and considers it for a moment as Finnius shakes his head in amusement... Wyvern certainly hadn't gotten any better at forming lies... "Anyhow..." mutters the greedy lizard, clearing his throat of a few ashes "I can now demonstrate to you a few of the processes of magic, if you're still interested... I'm a bit rusty, but can always try..." "Hmmmm..." murmers Finnius, having forgotten Wyvern's level of skill in the magical arts and uncertain if he'd want to take the risk of testing them out. Unfortunatly, before Finnius has time to object, the reptilian Elder has begun the demonstration... "Magic is largely based around two thingssss..." hisses the lizard "luck and a bit of good ol' memorization. Lessee here... for example, if you want to cast a Blaze spell..." Wyvern waves his hands around a bit and mumbles some arcane jargon to himself quietly. Then, suddenly, two starving peasants appear out of thin air, a rainbow color fills the room, and Wyvern rockets upward towards the office ceiling in a sudden jet of air. After colliding with the ceiling, the overgrown lizard dizzily falls back down to the earth before being beaten down by the two peasants for not feeding them enough... Finnius watches all of this while chuckling under his breath, wondering how the overgrown lizard had managed to accidentaly cast a "Summon Starving Peasant" spell, a "Cantrip" spell, and a "Flight" spell all at the same time... After the reptilian Elder has recovered himself and has managed to remove the starving peasants desperatly clinging to his scaly legs, he stamps Finnius' application ACCEPTED and happily hands the blue man a little sheet that reads: The Basic Laws of the Universe According to Wyvern: 1) Geld rules over all. 2) All things will eventually dissolve and aid the development of geld. 3) Every living being expresses a certain degree of greed. 4) Geld really does rule over all. ;-) OOC: An ACCEPTED application hands down Finnius, glad you could make it over to the Pen! I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of your stuff, and apologize once again for my extremely late application response. Be sure to either post your e-mail address here or mail me at elitwack90@hotmail.com, so that I can send you a bit more Pen info. Once again, welcome!

Orlan, I read what's been written of this so far and am liking it even more than "Final Death," which I thought was awesome. Your characterization remains superb, and the sheer number of eccentric and individual characters established in this first post is amazing. One reason I think this story is a step up from "Final Death" is that there are no "good" or "evil" sides set up in it (or at least not yet). There are characters in both the House of Zoran and the Defenders of Agregra that we can relate to... Currently, if I had to choose one side to root for, it would probably be the Defenders, since Lord Avoil of the House of Zoran came off as one of those ignorant "women are inferior" types (nice reoccuring theme from Vestat in "Final Death", that). Having said this, however, Coania is currently my favorite character... her flaws and timid nature really allow us to relate to her. Fortunatly, there's nothing forcing us to choose a side, and I'll be rooting for characters in both... ;p I also noticed that the beginning of this story is leaning more towards "introspection mingled with action" than "action mingled with introspection". Obviously there's going to be lots of battle, since the title of the story suggests it's based around a siege, but I think that never the less we get loads of introspection and personal habits/feelings from the numerous characters in this introduction... A big plus in my book, since I personally like reading introspective stuff over detailed battles. I also really like how the changes of perspectives flow into one another, it makes for a very fluid read. Some things I might like to see happen: - Some more info/scenes for R'Tearin. We're briefly given a description of his manners and appearance from Coanin, but have yet to actually see them in action. - A scene involving Coanin and Ma'aten, to see just how crappy a teacher the latter one is. - I'm curious of seeing Vasia's reaction when she learns that Donaxon is part of the opposing force, since it was mentioned she was trained as an Uri-Van. - I think it would be interesting if Ludia ended up being correct in her assumption that her archaeon was a more valuable asset to the battle than Donaxon, as despite lacking his level of skill their loyalty made them more formidable in the end. That's all for now... can't wait for the continuation of this!

Yui and Salinye, Thank you very much for your comments! I was wondering what people might be thinking of the story, since it's sort of experimental, and am glad to see that you two have enjoyed it thus far. Yui, I know exactly what you mean by the repititions, and will certainly be working on varying the vocabulary a bit more. Leaving the characters nameless has actually been one of the most diifficult things about writing the story for me, as the characters don't have too many distinctive character traits seperating them and thus the range of words I have to describe them becomes rather limited. Salinye, I editted the repitition error that you pointed out, thanks for the heads up. Thanks once again to both of you for the kind comments. The next post will probably be the end of the story, and should be coming fairly soon...

Myth and Y'Tren slash away furiously at the swarm of zombies, slowly growing tired in thieir relentless onslaught... Noticing that the undead are gradually decreasing in number, the heros gain confidence in their premonition that the battle is nearly over. Unfortunatly, an unexpected turn of events occurs, and these expectations are immediatly shattered... As the two adventurers cleave through numerous zombies, an unearthly silence suddenly falls upon the grove... The undead suddenly cease advancing and stop attacking, standing still as stone in their positions. A chill passes over Y'Tren and Myth, and the two heros immediatly turn towards the ancient angel statue at the center of the grove as the sound of a falling pebble suddenly breaks the unnatural quiet. Seated upon two of the uplifted angel hands on the ancient statue rests none other than the priestess Celestia, dressed in her typical pearl white priestess cloak... the same clothing she had been wearing underneath her nun outfit the night that the Cathedral had burned. Gazing at the two adventurers in a serene and almost peacefull manner, one would have never expected that the calm priestess was in fact a cold blooded murderer. Lifting herself from her seat on top of the statue, Celestia casually hops off of it, floating effortlessly to the ground rather than falling. The silence of the clearing is once again broken as the light tap of her foot upon the base of the statue echoes hollowly throughout the unbearable stillness... Much to Myth's dismay, it takes Celestia no more than a glance in the assasin's direction to dispell the veil of camoflage that she had been using. Grumbling something under her breath, Myth takes half a step back and breaks the unnatural stillness of the grove in the process, though the zombies remain motionless and all is still relatively quiet... Y'Tren uneasily reaches halfway for his sword, briefly glancing towards Myth, then back at Celestia, anxiety written in his eyes... Celestia remains expressionless and serene for a few moments, and then a subtle smile makes it's way across her face. Calmly raising her left arm and slowly extending the fingers of her hand, the priestess does not even utter a word as her eyes suddenly flash with a frightening blue energy. The silence of the clearing is broken by a deafening roar as a concentrated bolt of uncanny force soars towards Myth at an incredible speed, effortlessly burning at least 6 zombies in the proximity of it's trajectory. Myth is suddenly faced with a rare moment of indecisiveness, uncertain of the best method to evade the spell, finding both directions of escape equally inadequate... Y'Tren's eyes immediatly widen as he notices his companion's uncertaintly... Dropping his sword and shouting something inaudible, the venerable adventurer suddenly breaks out into a wild dash towards Myth, oblivious to all thoughts other than that of saving her... Despite still holding a grudge against the assasin for her previous murders, Y'Tren somehow finds himself unable to risk her demise... In a moment of selfless bravery and compassion, the scholarly adventurer valiently jumps in front of the bolt directed at Myth, sacrificing his own life to intercept the spell. Myth gazes in shock as she is suddenly showered in Y'Tren's blood, the bolt colliding with his body and dealing him a fatal blow... The venerable hero falls to the ground, collapsing in the same spot that one of his ancient S'den ancestors had fallen several hundred years ago in a war between clans... Celestia remains motionless, the smile faded from her face and replaced with a look of confusion and uncertainty. This hadn't been written.

Tearing himself away from the red glare of the luminescent mass, the lonesome form suddenly breaks out into wild dash, making a final, desperate attempt at escaping from the darkness that continuously surrounds him. As the figure races by numerous obstructions of various shapes and sizes, he feels the presence of the object above slowly growing weaker... slowly fading... sinking to the earth as the sky above gradually begins changing hues... ... of silver and grey, the daggers each glimmering faintly on the rack where they had been secretly arranged. Searching through the numerous varieties of knives, the woman's right hand reaches towards one and carefully pulls it out, silently removing the cold steel blade from it's resting place. Swiftly concealing the dagger within the front of her evening gown and carefully placing the weapon rack back in it's hiding place within the confines of an elegent wardrobe, the woman waits patiently for the arrival of her prey. Seating herself upon the satin sheets of the large bed and crossing one bare leg sensuously over the other, she quickly casts a glance at her own reflection in a nearby mirror and forces herself to smile, secretly eager to complete her mission and get her reward... What was taking him so long? Had she not seduced him properly over the course of the last few weeks...? As if to answer her question, a door leading into the bedroom chamber of the suite suddenly creaks open and the man, her prey, nervously steps in. Faking another of her smiles with the fervor of a professional, the beautifull woman winks to the figure standing before her and beckons to him slyly with a finger... The man advances a step, then suddenly stops short and looks towards the ground, recalling the letter he had read and torn to pieces... the image he had previously seen, yet refused to acknowledge. But after a moment of hesitation, none of it mattered to him, and he was once again under her charms, advancing towards her... He didn't have time to cry out as her fingers smoothly caressed his cheek and... The figure's vision is suddenly interrupted as he realizes the ground on which he treads is now rougher, more... "... concrete law." finishes the shaded form of the guild leader, seated at the far end of a needlessly large discussion table where only two other guild representatives sit and listen. "If an exterior element of some sort threatens to impede upon his studies, eliminate it. Magical arts require the utmost concentration." The two other guild representatives nod sagely at this statement. The one seated to the guild master's left rubs the tattoo on his right cheak and turns to his leader, calmly stating: "Then it will be done... I personally would like to offer to incorporate the guild's most skillfull assasin in this process of elimination, for safety measures." The shady leader nods. "Permission granted." Unknown to the figures in the room, behind the door of the conference chamber leans the curly haired man, who overhears the conversation in a horrified stupor... The figure turns from the door in disgust and races off to act upon the information he had obtained... The clumsy form almost trips over one of the many slippery rocks on which he steps, suddenly remembering... ... the title of one of his foolish friend's books read: "The Insignificance of Death"

The solitary figure... ... doesn't have time to cry out as her fingers smoothly caress his cheek and her knife swiftly gouges his throat, gleaming as it tears through the fabrics of his existence. Darkness.

Salinye sighs glumly as she broods over her cup of coffee and her french croissant, staring longingly out of one of the 6th Avenue Cafe's windows while contemplating ways to write an application without her piece of paper abruptly laughing at her. Taking a large bite of her croissant while leaning back in the mahogony cafe' stool where she sits, the Pen applicant raises a brow as she suddenly notices a strange-looking barbershop quartet humming directly in front of the Cafe'. The four members of the quartet, comprised of the Pen Elder dwarves Sexy, Greedy, Grouchy, and Courteousy respectively, each wink in the direction of Salinye and give her thumbs up signs. Then, Sexy the Pen Elder Dwarf breaks into a singing solo, chanting the advertisement: "If you need... a sexy sexy paper One that's docile... and won't attempt a caper One that'll improve, your looks and class Buy Wyvern's and don't even asssssk!" Greedy then starts singing: "If your pages... are kind of expensive And you need... somethin' cheaper than your rent is Get something cheap, and get something fast Buy Wyvern's and don't even assssssk!" Grouchy sings: "If your paper... makes you feel kind of grumpy And you want... something a little less lumpy Wyvern is probably not the place to go But hey... at least it costs less doooough!" The other three dwarves glare briefly at Grouchy before Courteousy chips in and sings: "If your sheets... are acting kinda cocky Always rude... n' laughing or mocking Politely shove those sheets in the drawer And come buy some from Wyvern's stooooore!" Having finished their advertisement for Wyvern Brand Tame Paper™, the four Elder dwarves bow to the bystanders surrounding them as several tomatoes, shoes, and small cats are tossed at them by pedestrians who hate having their day ruined by particularly corny songs. Salinye giggles to herself as Sexy the Pen Elder Dwarf wanders up to her cafe' stool holding a pamphlet containing several "tame" papers and purring: "Hey baby... how about purchasing some of these Wyvern Brand Tame Papers™? I know you can't resist my manly advertising charms... after all, I'm the sexiest dwarf this side of-" Sexy is suddenly shoved out of the way by Greedy the Pen Elder Dwarf/Semi-Lizard, who hisses: "Salinye, listen, I've got this overstock on Wyvern Brand Tame Paper™, so here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to charge'em to you at only their regular sales price, minus government imposed taxes plus an additional loyalty charge fee divided by the surplus quotient times the common denomonater of 34,589,723/234,872,384,798 and 2,384,928,347/2,459,009,456,803..." Greedy is interrupted as an angry Sexy gets back to his feet and chases him out of the cafe', the two dwarves followed by Grouchy, who's interested in seeing them brawl... Corteousy sighs as he's left alone with his potential client. Politely turning to Salinye and smiling the Elder Dwarf exclaims: "I encourage you to try out one of these Wyvern Brand Tame Papers™ for free... they're surprisingly docile for a Wyvern product, and shouldn't cause you much trouble in the politeness department. Each individual paper has been processed through a wiggly cabbage and a fuzzy camp to ensure tranquility, and has chromosomes immune to the invasion of random squares and ™ symbols..." Salinye smiles at the politeness of the dwarf, accepting one of his papers only to find that it's her application, and that it's been stamped "ACCEPTED" ;-) OOC: Definitely an ACCEPTED application, Salinye, welcome to the Mighty Pen! My apologies for the amount of time it took for me to write a response... I greatly enjoyed your application in addition to many other writings you've posted at the Pen, and encourage you to keep up the good work. Once again, welcome!

Chanz slowly awakens from a hazy dream he had been having and sits up in his hospital bed, silently cursing at the car company Nissan™ for getting him into this entire car crash mess. Stretching and yawning in his numerous casts and white bandages, the unfortunate car crash victim is suddenly brought to a rude awakening as he notices that his hospital bed is surrounded by several news reporters carrying large cameras. Before the bandaged Pen applicant can so much as utter a word, several cameras flash and the questioning commences: "Chanz, is it true that Nissan™ is being held responsible for your injuries?!" "Errr... well, I-" responds Chanz before being rudely interrupted by an advertisement agent seeking a cheap method of advertising "Nanotoknonnen-Os" (the cereal officially endorsed by Super Mummy.) Shoving a box of the infamous cereal brand into Chanz's bandaged hands, the advertiser quickly takes several snapshots of Chanz clutching it while happily exclaiming the slogan "Mummies even eat it in bed!". The unfortunate crash victim stares at the box of cereal in disgust, noticing that it's made of 90% sand and even has Nissan™ as one of it's sponsors... "Chanz!" exclaims another reporter "Is it true that you'll be suing Nissan™ for all of the damages that you've been dealt?!" "Hmmm... I hadn't heard-" manages Chanz before his bandaged head is burried in an ocean of microphones held out by eager reporters, stiffling the dialogue he has to offer. "Chanz..." questions a third reporter, this one speaking in a much more solemn tone than the others. "... is it true that you've hired Wyvern as a lawyer...?" Chanz frowns as, upon hearing this question, all of the reporters in the room suddenly fall into a frightened silence. Now gazing at the hospilitized Chanz with a far greater sense of pity than they had had before, the vicious circle of reporters is suddenly broken up by a hospital nurse carrying a large breakfast tray. The rather small looking nurse is, in fact, Shiny the Pen Elder Dwarf, who had been assigned by Elder Wyvern to rescue the applicant Chanz from his news-rat-infested recovery hospital... Quickly winking and giggling to Chanz, Nurse Shiny immediatly grabs the box of "Nanotoknonnen-Os" that now lays by the applicant's bedside and immediatly tears it open, searching through the cereal of the box with an eager ring-adorned hand until she finally pulls out the shiny ancient egyption heiroglyphic prize that comes in each box. Admiring the shiny-ness of the heiroglyphic symbol, the Pen Elder Dwarf quickly pockets it before getting to work on her assignment... Opening the lid of a large, shiny silver platter that rests on the breakfast tray, Nurse Shiny swiftly pulls Chanz out of bed and shoves him onto the platter, slamming the lid back on and quickly dashing out of the hospital room. By the time the dumbfounded reporters realize what has happened, the clever Pen Elder Dwarf has already exited the hospital with Chanz and is quickly making her way to the Pen... Upon arriving at the Pen, Chanz is given a new recovery room and the cast on his left leg is stamped ACCEPTED. ;-) OOC: An ACCEPTED application Chanz, welcome to the Mighty Pen! My apologies for my lateness in responding, I greatly enjoyed your poem. Please be sure to either post your e-mail address here or mail me at elitwack90@hotmail.com so that I can send you some addition Pen info.

I haven't had a chance to see "Spirited Away" yet, but am eager to see it as I really enjoyed "Princess Mononoke." I was actually hoping to see "Spirited Away" this evening, but my family wasn't interested and we ended up watching the film "Legally Blond" instead... "Legally Blond" is an O.K film, though totally unmemorable. I personally cannot envision Rhese Witherspoon acting out any role other than that of a dumb blond... ;p

A very good free verse poem, SoaringIcarus. I found the imagery of flower petals very intriguing, and like how it accentuates the beauty of the person the narrator speaks of. The last two lines of the poem offer an excellent piece of symbolism which, in my opinion, might be associated to the gradual growth of beauty. Once again, very well done!

Moved this thread to the Banquet Hall, as that's where poetry belongs. I like the poem, kandara, it's a very clear an concise depiction of the horrors of war. I found the image of becoming "calloused and numb" despite surviving particularly striking. In terms of things to improve, the "apple pie" reference seems a bit out of place to me and might be switched for something else. Good work, I look forward to reading more from you.

Elsewhere on the island... Myth and Y'Tren stand at the pathway they had discovered in their search for the Pool of Eternal Reflection, the two adventurers still unaware of the devastating consequences that gazing into the Pool produces. Turning towards Myth to respond to her question on whether or not they should take control of the Pool if they find it before the others, Y'Tren smirks and mutters: "Perhaps... we'll play it by ear. If we happen to be the first ones to find the Pool, then I'd certainly be willing to test it before the others... though I'd like to share it with them as well. After all, they did aid us in battling that serpent..." Having said this, Y'Tren carefully examines the pathway they had discovered and suddenly turns his attention towards the tree which Myth leans against, noticing part of a strange symbol that had been carved into it's bark. Advancing towards the tree, Y'Tren signals to Myth with his right hand and says: "Myth, would you mind moving over for just a second?" Myth raises a brow curiously and shifts from her position to reveal the full ancient symbol, which had been carved into the bark of the tree centuries ago... Y'Tren carefully traces a finger over the carving in awe, noticing that it depicts the image of a galloping unicorn underneath a crescent moon. Smiling and turning to Myth, Y'Tren points to the carving and exclaims: "It's a picture of a unicorn that must have been placed here as a sign for directions... The ancient S'den clan often associated unicorns with wisdom, meaning we must be on the correct path towards the Pool! Let's head onwards..." Y'Tren turns and heads down the path they had discovered as Myth nods and follows suite. The two adventurers pass by several enormous trees and vines on the twisting path until they finally reach a clearing of magnificent beauty. Exotic flowers of all sorts completely surround the open area and a large crumbling statue of several angels singing in harmony rests at it's center. Myth and Y'Tren view the continuation of the path that they follow, noticing that it leads onward through the clearing and then heads back into the heart of the forest. Gasping in admiration as he enters into the flower grove, Y'Tren stares in amazement at all the beautifull varieties of flowers that surround him, as well as the ancient statue from a lost civilisation. Grinning to himself, Y'Tren heads off of the beaten path for a moment to get a closer look at the statue while Myth patiently crosses her arms over her chest and waits behind. Standing at the center of the grove on the edge of the path while Y'Tren stoops over to examine the scriptures written at the base of the statue, Myth suddenly realizes that something is wrong with the clearing. Though she couldn't put her finger on it, something seemed out of place in the grove, something unnatural... Then, in a flash, it suddenly hits her: The smell. Though the grove was surrounded by flowers, the air smelled rotten and decayed... Slowly reaching for her dagger as Y'Tren walks back towards the pathway from the statue, Myth clenches her teeth and shouts to her companion just as the enormous bushes of beautifull flowers surrounding the grove are torn open by a swarm of hideously deformed zombies. Y'Tren's jaw drops open and he clutches the longsword at his belt, racing towards the edge of the path to aid Myth in battle...

Turning again, slowly... both in the figure's mind and in his movements. The swirling spirals of darkness surrounding the silhouette are once again broken by a beam of translucent light from the object above, it's crimson gaze penetrating his very soul, his heart... "... was never truly torn apart, that's my only regret. My only regret!" The curly haired man utters a mixture of insane laughter and shaking sobs, staring at his friend who had just risen from the marble tablet... A trembling form, unearthly and horrid, yet more adamant than the blurry image of his tattooed associate could have ever been. Was this then the ultimate truth behind existence...? Unfathomable! "Your heart was wronged..." continues the curly haired man, looking at his former friend in a mixture of horror and awe "... yet it knew it's wrongs too well, and should have acted upon them! It should have been punished for it's idleness, for it's foolishness... and yet now it feels nothing. Nothing at all!" The man lets out another short laugh, wiping tears from his eyes and angrily tossing a black tome he holds at the ground in front of him. "Gibberish, they said! The work of fools... were they not right?! What fool would use knowledge for so wretched a purpose?" The figure laughs again, this time hysterically, while the form of his friend stares in confusion, uncertain of it's surroundings. "A fool obsessed with revenge, like myself!" cries the curly haired man, turning to the unstable form of his former friend "And you will be revenged, my friend, I have planned everything for you. It was all for you... these books, this tablet, this unholy sanctuary... Only death remains..." The curly man sobs and opens his arms widely, approaching the unstable form of his friend in the hopes of holding him in a loving embrace, yet not recognized by the confused figure that had once been his companion. No sooner has the curly haired man laid a finger upon his former friend's body than the ghastly figure flings it's hands frantically towards the man's face. A scream rings out throughout the dark sanctuary and where eyes had once been now flowed sockets of streaming red, fountains of crimson substance that caused the figure to back away from what it had just done, the red image permanently embedded in it's mind and associated with horror. After having rested a long moment in uncertainty, the now solitary figure slowly approaches the dead form and clumsily searches through it's possesions. Finding a map with a circle traced around a forest grove, the figure heads out of the sanctuary in search of this mysterious and intriguing location, uncertain even of his own existence.

I posted this in the member's forum, but feel the need to post it publically here as well since not everyone has a chance to read that forum. As Ozymandias and Tralla have pointed out, the bottom line is that the Pen is a community primarily focussed on creative writing... I also feel that it is this shared interest in creative writing that builds bonds of friendship in the guild. Here's my post: ----- My thoughts on this matter: The Pen is a community centered around creativity and creative writing, and the bonds that form between writers who share this common interest of creative writing. For this reason, I feel that debate threads are out of place in the Pen, particularly offensive and controversial ones. The emphasis in the Pen is, and has always been, on creative writing and constructive comments. I feel that recently in the Pen, the emphasis on creativity has shifted more to an emphasis on general posting, and will be working to correct this. The first step in this process in correction will be for all of the membership to read back over the "Manners and Consideration" thread currently repinned in the Cabaret Room, to make sure they understand the principals laid out in this thread, and to collectively contribute creative writing and constructive comments to the boards. I also think it is very important that members remain positive and confident in the Pen, despite current issues. I've already seen numerous threads of people blaming themselves. These should cease, and creative writing should continue even as this issue is being dealt with. The Pen has been through difficult times, and has persevered. The current issue the Pen is faced with will be corrected, as countless others have been. Having stated my thoughts on this issue in a particularly bland and unoriginal manner, I give all concerned Pen members my best regards, along with the assurance that this issue will be acted upon immediatly. Thank you all for reading.