Campfire in the Catacombs (Storytelling Contest)
Apr 19, 2024 20:43:23 GMT -5
Stephanie (swordlilly) likes this
Post by Kat on Apr 19, 2024 20:43:23 GMT -5
My first attempt at an ending was supposed to be a bad end (and had an inconsistency I fixed in a later version) :
This one's more straightforward:
I'm thinking of doing a parody of The Emperor's New Groove for a starter next week.
"How do we shrink this duck again?" Rynn asked as she shoved against the Rainbow Battle Duck's behind. In the heat of the battle, the magic words wouldn't surface in her mind. "Battle Duck likes lakes likes Battle Ducks?"
"Wait, no!" Wally exclaimed. "Those are the words for - "
BOOM.
Rynn screamed and instinctively threw herself onto the ground. Wally jumped backward, albeit with more force than should be possible with a Bruce of his size and physical skill. Before Rynn could wonder if Wally had used another one of his "Great Wizard of Warwick Way" tricks to do that, the Rainbow Battle Duck vanished with a violent flash of light that shook the Battledome so roughly, even the Angry Tax Beast tumbled into a sitting position.
Not only that, he was being pelted by Battle Ducks of every color. As they fell and bounced off him, they shot ice-cold water, flames, jets of water, even plumes of darkness and in one case, a shower of confetti.
"Oh," Rynn mumbled, slowly picking herself up amid the mess of Battle Ducks. "Sorry, Wally." So much for her heroic move.
"Don't be sorry, my dear! Look!"
Wally tugged at her arm and pointed. The Angry Tax Beast was sprawled onto the floor, covered in even more Battle Ducks, burned and scorched and drenched and iced. The ruby-red beast was not moving.
"He's...we did it." It took a moment, but the Eyrie jumped for joy. "We did it! The Rainbow Battle Duck worked! But...how do we get it back? Is that even possible?"
"Only one way to find out!" Wally started jogging around the Battledome, chanting, "Battle Duck likes lakes, Battle Duck likes lakes, Battle Lake likes ducks - oops, I mean - "
Rynn needed no further urging. She ran after him, repeating the words, her tongue getting twisted all over them. But even as they ran seven times and more around the arena, the Battle Ducks remained quiescent, like a comical blanket over their defeated opponent. The Eyrie groaned and halted, throwing up her hands. The ritual had worked, they won their battle...but now, they couldn't even get the Rainbow Battle Duck back. She could almost see her bookstore dream taking wing and flying away...
Then she gasped as Wally pressed something into her hands, the hands that had grasped her Eyrie Golden Hand Mirror minutes ago. It was heavy and made a jingling noise.
It was a bag of Neopoints. Quite heavy, perhaps in the thousands. Perhaps, even twenty thousand. Rynn wondered if Wally carrying the Neopoints around was another magic trick she didn't know of.
"But...but the Rainbow Battle Duck..."
"We were successful in our ritual, yes?" Wally winked. "As promised, that's twenty thousand Neopoints! It's easy to clean up all these Battle Ducks, and with the ones I left back home in my kitchen window, we can always try it again. Make it better." The Bruce raised his flippers wide before offering one for Rynn to shake. "What do you say, my friend?"
The Eyrie didn't take long to ponder this. She smiled and let out a breath, shaking Wally's flipper.
"All right. But I'll still get paid, right?"
He chuckled. "Of course, of course! You'd better hurry and help me gather up as many Battle Ducks before the Tax Beast wakes up again, though!"
"Wait, no!" Wally exclaimed. "Those are the words for - "
BOOM.
Rynn screamed and instinctively threw herself onto the ground. Wally jumped backward, albeit with more force than should be possible with a Bruce of his size and physical skill. Before Rynn could wonder if Wally had used another one of his "Great Wizard of Warwick Way" tricks to do that, the Rainbow Battle Duck vanished with a violent flash of light that shook the Battledome so roughly, even the Angry Tax Beast tumbled into a sitting position.
Not only that, he was being pelted by Battle Ducks of every color. As they fell and bounced off him, they shot ice-cold water, flames, jets of water, even plumes of darkness and in one case, a shower of confetti.
"Oh," Rynn mumbled, slowly picking herself up amid the mess of Battle Ducks. "Sorry, Wally." So much for her heroic move.
"Don't be sorry, my dear! Look!"
Wally tugged at her arm and pointed. The Angry Tax Beast was sprawled onto the floor, covered in even more Battle Ducks, burned and scorched and drenched and iced. The ruby-red beast was not moving.
"He's...we did it." It took a moment, but the Eyrie jumped for joy. "We did it! The Rainbow Battle Duck worked! But...how do we get it back? Is that even possible?"
"Only one way to find out!" Wally started jogging around the Battledome, chanting, "Battle Duck likes lakes, Battle Duck likes lakes, Battle Lake likes ducks - oops, I mean - "
Rynn needed no further urging. She ran after him, repeating the words, her tongue getting twisted all over them. But even as they ran seven times and more around the arena, the Battle Ducks remained quiescent, like a comical blanket over their defeated opponent. The Eyrie groaned and halted, throwing up her hands. The ritual had worked, they won their battle...but now, they couldn't even get the Rainbow Battle Duck back. She could almost see her bookstore dream taking wing and flying away...
Then she gasped as Wally pressed something into her hands, the hands that had grasped her Eyrie Golden Hand Mirror minutes ago. It was heavy and made a jingling noise.
It was a bag of Neopoints. Quite heavy, perhaps in the thousands. Perhaps, even twenty thousand. Rynn wondered if Wally carrying the Neopoints around was another magic trick she didn't know of.
"But...but the Rainbow Battle Duck..."
"We were successful in our ritual, yes?" Wally winked. "As promised, that's twenty thousand Neopoints! It's easy to clean up all these Battle Ducks, and with the ones I left back home in my kitchen window, we can always try it again. Make it better." The Bruce raised his flippers wide before offering one for Rynn to shake. "What do you say, my friend?"
The Eyrie didn't take long to ponder this. She smiled and let out a breath, shaking Wally's flipper.
"All right. But I'll still get paid, right?"
He chuckled. "Of course, of course! You'd better hurry and help me gather up as many Battle Ducks before the Tax Beast wakes up again, though!"
This one's more straightforward:
"How do we shrink this duck again?" Rynn asked as she shoved against the Rainbow Battle Duck's behind. "Battle Ducks dodge blows beautifully, Battle Ducks dodge blows beautifully..." She gritted her beak as she tried to get the words out properly.
"Yes! Battle Ducks dodge blows beautifully, Battle Ducks dodge blows beautifully!" Wally joined her as they continued pushing the Rainbow Battle Duck toward the exit.
"You won't get away without paying your taxes!" the Angry Tax Beast bellowed.
"Battle Ducks beautifully dodge bellows...ah!"
Rynn gasped. With a loud pop and a burst of multicolored light, the Rainbow Battle Duck had shrunk back into regular size, plopping into her outstretched hands.
"Oh, thank Fyora!"
"Don't thank Fyora yet, we're not out of the dome yet!" said Wally in between deep breaths as they ran full tilt out of the Battledome. "But congratulations, on a job well done! That was quick thinking with your mirror!"
The Eyrie smiled sheepishly. "Well, your ad did say safety wasn't guaranteed."
* * *
Rynn smiled as she gazed out the window at the Golden Dubloon down below. The sun had begun to set, and the crowd in her bookshop had thinned considerably. She almost didn't want the day to end, even though her legs and her wings were beginning to sag.
The bell over the front door chimed. She wondered who would come in so near closing time.
"Wally?"
The Bruce beamed and extended his flippers. "That's THE GREAT WIZARD OF WARWICK WAY, to you, my friend!" He even looked the part, with new star-studded robes and a neat-looking briefcase by his side. "Sorry I'm late, I just got another round of orders for Rainbow Battle Ducks. Oh, that poor Tax Beast doesn't know what he's in for!"
Rynn laughed. "He's probably cursing us again." Then she reached under the counter and offered him a book with a rainbow-colored cover, her signature on the lower right corner. "Here. As promised, an autographed copy of my first book, 'Battle Ducks Battle Bravely Down the Battledome'."
"Splendid!" Wally clapped with delight. "I'm honored you decided to write our adventures into a book! Look at you, putting those twenty thousand Neopoints to work!"
"E-Excuse me sir, we heard you say you're the Great Wizard of Warwick Way. A-Are you Wally, the wizard?"
Wally turned to see a young Lutari tugging at his sleeve. Behind the Lutari were several more young Neopians, and all of them were clutching Rynn's book, "Battle Ducks Battle Bravely Down the Battledome".
"Why, yes, I am! Do you require my services, young chaps? Has Rynny told you more about my feats of magickery?"
"Yes, but...we want you to sign our books."
And Rynn smiled again as she watched her friend and erstwhile business partner - and a great wizard, to boot - sign the books that told their story, with flourishes befitting a mage of his stature.
She was done with washing dishes at the Golden Dubloon, and he was done with posting ads in the Neopian Times.
"Yes! Battle Ducks dodge blows beautifully, Battle Ducks dodge blows beautifully!" Wally joined her as they continued pushing the Rainbow Battle Duck toward the exit.
"You won't get away without paying your taxes!" the Angry Tax Beast bellowed.
"Battle Ducks beautifully dodge bellows...ah!"
Rynn gasped. With a loud pop and a burst of multicolored light, the Rainbow Battle Duck had shrunk back into regular size, plopping into her outstretched hands.
"Oh, thank Fyora!"
"Don't thank Fyora yet, we're not out of the dome yet!" said Wally in between deep breaths as they ran full tilt out of the Battledome. "But congratulations, on a job well done! That was quick thinking with your mirror!"
The Eyrie smiled sheepishly. "Well, your ad did say safety wasn't guaranteed."
* * *
Rynn smiled as she gazed out the window at the Golden Dubloon down below. The sun had begun to set, and the crowd in her bookshop had thinned considerably. She almost didn't want the day to end, even though her legs and her wings were beginning to sag.
The bell over the front door chimed. She wondered who would come in so near closing time.
"Wally?"
The Bruce beamed and extended his flippers. "That's THE GREAT WIZARD OF WARWICK WAY, to you, my friend!" He even looked the part, with new star-studded robes and a neat-looking briefcase by his side. "Sorry I'm late, I just got another round of orders for Rainbow Battle Ducks. Oh, that poor Tax Beast doesn't know what he's in for!"
Rynn laughed. "He's probably cursing us again." Then she reached under the counter and offered him a book with a rainbow-colored cover, her signature on the lower right corner. "Here. As promised, an autographed copy of my first book, 'Battle Ducks Battle Bravely Down the Battledome'."
"Splendid!" Wally clapped with delight. "I'm honored you decided to write our adventures into a book! Look at you, putting those twenty thousand Neopoints to work!"
"E-Excuse me sir, we heard you say you're the Great Wizard of Warwick Way. A-Are you Wally, the wizard?"
Wally turned to see a young Lutari tugging at his sleeve. Behind the Lutari were several more young Neopians, and all of them were clutching Rynn's book, "Battle Ducks Battle Bravely Down the Battledome".
"Why, yes, I am! Do you require my services, young chaps? Has Rynny told you more about my feats of magickery?"
"Yes, but...we want you to sign our books."
And Rynn smiled again as she watched her friend and erstwhile business partner - and a great wizard, to boot - sign the books that told their story, with flourishes befitting a mage of his stature.
She was done with washing dishes at the Golden Dubloon, and he was done with posting ads in the Neopian Times.
I'm thinking of doing a parody of The Emperor's New Groove for a starter next week.