Halloween Workshop [>2000k prize pot]

Awesome progress everyone! Congrats, Raven for submitting your entry and thanks for adding those notes so we could see your reasoning! I'm totally digging the costumes and even the charr effigy... so creative!

As for myself, I've run out of time and decided to forget about the dog costume this year and just work on the story since I can write it during my commutes . Although it's a stretch, I'm going to submit my story into the official contest and see if they'll accept it as literary art since this wonderful workshop is <3 <3 <3

Anyway, I've mostly been writing the ending since I'm a non-linear writer, but I decided to share this snippet that I wrote this morning because I just really liked how it came out. It takes place in the middle of the story after the twins and Ki get called into Master Togo's office. Master Togo suspects something is wrong. Enjoy!



“Let me tell you a story. But first, have you learned in class about how there are rituals to turn Heroes into Allies after death.”

“Immortality is only granted to those who were noble in life and had traits that could aid us. The spiritual energy from the ashes manifest as urns that we can carry with us in battle,” Akan recited, scowling when he saw the raised eyebrow on his sister’s face. He crossed his arms and sunk back into his chair, grumbling to her defensively, “What? I can pay attention in class, you know.” He had been hoping to impress Bix with his knowledge about rituals, but he would leave that part out.

“That’s right,” Master Togo nodded, his eyes wary. “Heroes are rewarded, and through a special ritual remain with us. However, sometimes, we make mistakes.”

“Mistakes?” Rika asked when Master Togo stopped talking.

He nodded, his eyes looking carefully at each one. “Once, a Hero’s body was found, and the ritual was performed. He was well known for his feats and for the goodness of his character. It was said that he was a man of his word, and he never broke a vow. There was great sorrow when his body was discovered, and it was only natural that the most sacred of rituals would follow.”

The twins looked at him expectedly, waiting for him to continue. He remained quietly, looking at each student.

“What happened?” Rika prompted, the hairs on her arm rising as a layer of unease settled on them.

“I’d like for one of you to finish the story,” he said softly, bringing his fingers up into a steeple beneath his chin.

Akan grimaced and scratched his head absently with one hand. “I’m not really good with stories.”

Rika shrugged, half wishing they could just get their usual punishment and leave.

“I’ll finish the story.” All eyes shifted to Ki. He sat in his chair with unnatural stillness, his back straight as a rod, his gaze unwavering as he looked at Master Togo. “The Ritualists didn’t know that the Hero had been betrayed and murdered by the ones he loved most. His ‘friends’ threw him off a cliff, using his blind loyalty and disillusionments about friendship. Then, the fool Ritualists found his broken body and bestowed their ‘gift.’ Imagine their horrified surprise to see that the Hero they honored had died tragically and at the time of his death had been overwhelmed with sorrow, regret, and, most of all, hatred.

“What was resurrected was a monster they couldn’t control, so they sealed the tragic Hero in an urn with a spell written in gold filagree. They left him locked away in a sealed room for millennia, alone in the darkness, cursed by the immortality they had damned him with. He sat in darkness and silence, thanks to the betrayal of first his friends and then the Ritualists. Luckily for him, on the one day a year when the spirit world is stronger than the living world, three children set him free, enabling him to finally get the revenge he had longed for.”

Ki smiled and leaned forward, his eyes suddenly glowing a bright gold, “I imagine the story ends with the Hero returning, and he’s very, very angry.”

At the sight of his eyes glowing, the twins fell back in their chairs, stumbling to stand without letting Ki out of their sites. Anak let out a string of profanities while Rika called out the name of every God she could think of.

Master Togo mouth tightened before saying, “That’s quite the story, Ki. How do you supposed we would put the spirit at rest?”

Ki’s eyes burned more brightly, “The spirit will never be at rest.”

Master Togo nodded, “I was afraid you’d say that.” With a blinding speed the twins were surprised to see, Master Togo stood and lifted his hand to let out a powerful bolt of lightening. While mainly known as a healer, seeing his speed and power was a reminder that in his youth, he had fought in deadly wars where both healing and fighting were mandatory.

Without even blinking, Ki lifted his hand using supernatural speed, forming a shield of golden light. The twins watched in horror as the bolt slammed into the shield and reflected off of it. Master Togo’s eyes widened briefly before the bolt hit him, slamming him back into the wall against a book shelf, tomes raining on his unconscious and limp body.

Rika and Akan watched in open-mouthed, stunned silence as Ki turned to them, the shield disappearing. While he gazed at them, he lifted his right arm out in the direction of Master Togo. He slowly closed his hand and a barrier like a bubble appeared around the old man’s body.

“How long do you think he can survive without air?” he asked as if it was normal conversation.

“Stop it!” Rika shouted, her hands clenched, helpless at what to do.

“Little twins,” Ki laughed, “Always waiting for your dear friend to help you get out of trouble. He can’t help you anymore. He’s mine to control, mine to own! Come meet me at the Rock Cliff, and we’ll continue this conversation there. I do love cliffs after all.” He snarled the last, turning his back on them as he left the room.

Rika started breathing heavily, as if she could never get enough air. The bubble was still around Master Togo, cutting off his air supply. “What to we do?”

Akan was horrified and completely pale. “We have to follow him, we have to do what he says.”

Rika tangled her fingers in her hair at her scalp, pacing back and forth. “We have to figure out how to get Ki back.”

Akan nodded and they both ran out the door, knowing they were walking into a trap but helpless to do anything else.

“Akan!” He turned around at the anxious voice, and his eyes widened.

“Bix! What are you doing here? Are you OK?” he asked, moving to her, his eyes scanning her face. She was standing in the hall outside the door, her face strained.

She nodded. “I was worried about you so I eavesdropped,” she shuddered hard, because she never eavesdropped, “and heard everything, and then I realized what you need to do to save Ki!”

A silly grin appeared on Akan’s face. “You were worried about me?” he asked in an eager voice.

“Focus!” Rika scolded him, slapping him on the back of the head. She turned her attention back to Bix, “What do you have planned?”

* * *