[Creative Contest] Ragnarok's Got Talent 2018!

Today, the portal has lit up again to reveal a young woman wearing a violet long sleeved dress and a cross around her neck.

A priest that may become an Archbishop one day, even her name means healing, the Valkyrie thought to herself.

“Welcome to Valhalla, the Hall of Honors,” the Valkyrie began as the priestess approached her. It’s the same ritual, she had done this a thousand times.

“You will now end your present life and begin an entirely new life, Honor to the Warriors! I see you’ve already released yourself from all worldly attachments, Althea. That’s an admirable attitude--”

“Wait,” Althea interrupted.

What? I didn’t even know that this can be interrupted.

“Have you changed your mind about rebirthing?” the Valkyrie asked while staring at the young priest with a similar wavy blonde hair like hers.

“Yes... No… Yes... Uh…”

The Valkyrie doesn’t like human contact and wants to end this as soon as possible. “While becoming a Transcendent will make you better, you may become an Archbishop even without undergoing rebirth. I see that you have a selfless heart but if you had changed your mind, you may go back to the portal. In case you change your mind again, you may go back here.”

“Valkyrie, do you have a name?” Althea asked, as if she didn’t hear what the Valkyrie said.

“My name is not significant at a time like this.”

“Why not? It is important to have a name, it proves that you exist and that you matter,” Althea replied with her sweet voice.

It is important to have a name. Why do this human’s words sound so familiar?

“I once had no name, I didn’t know who my parents were. I was a very thin child trying to survive in the war… Until Sandra took me. She was a Rune Knight and she treated me as her little sister….”

Althea’s voice was fading in the Valkyrie’s hearing and her head started spinning.

“How about I give you a name? Althea seems to suit you. It is important to have a name, it proves that you exist and that you matter.”

That’s a familiar voice. The Valkyrie opened her eyes to see a snowy village. In front of her, a young woman in a knight uniform was kneeling before a child.

“Your name means healing because I think your soul will help this world to be in peace and recover again. I lost my parents in the war, too. From now on, you will be my sister, see, we even have the same blonde hair!” she smiled to the child.

That’s… Me.

And just like that, the Valkyrie’s memories came back. Before having wings, she was once a human—a human who had a little sister depending on her. The other adventurers had left their families behind, but she’s different-- she worked as a Rune Knight with a sister to come home to. However, she was killed in the war and Althea was left alone. For some reasons she didn’t know, the gods and goddesses took her in and made her a Valkyrie. Her memories were removed but why are they coming back now?

As a tear fell from the Valkyrie’s eye, her consciousness returned to Valhalla. Althea was still speaking.

“I studied so hard and joined the church to be an Acolyte for my sister. This is to honor her and the name she gave me. Because of her, I became who I am now. I want to become a support to others, something I wish I was able to do for her.”

“Then why are you holding back now?” the Valkyrie asked.

“I… I don’t want to lose my memories of her. I’m afraid that when I lose our memories together, I will not have the same spirit and motivation to become an Archbishop. As you said, I can become one even without rebirthing but… Even that feels like running away, I feel guilty, I feel like I’m disappointing my sister with my weak heart, I feel like I’m just doing it for the sake of becoming one,” Althea explained, her voice is starting to shake now.

I’m glad you grew up to be a strong and pure-hearted woman even without me. The Valkyrie smiled at her younger sister.

“Althea, your memories will indeed be removed, but I will ask the goddess Verdani to keep and record the most honorable moments of your present life to give you strength in your next adventures. While this may not include your childhood memories with your sister, you may remember the feelings in your heart during those honorable moments. We may hope that this will be enough for you to continue in your life as a transcendent Archbishop someday. But whatever you choose, I think that your sister will always be proud of you. You have come this far not only because of the memory of your sister’s love but also because of your own will and sincerity. You honor your sister very much but you are also capable of making your own choices,” the Valkyrie said. She was holding back in hugging her.

Althea fell into a deep thought while looking at the ground and after a few moments, she finally spoke. “Thank you. I… I think I’m ready now. I’ll undergo the rebirth and fulfill my sister’s dream for me to bring healing in this world in my own way. This is also to fulfull my own dream to fully serve the church and the people with all my heart.”

The Valkyrie unconsciously released a sigh of relief which made Althea giggled a little.

“Then, I shall continue. That’s an admirable attitude for an adventurer such as yourself, Honor comes when you abandon all personal desires for the sake of mankind,” the Valkyrie continued with the ritual.

After reciting her lines, Althea transformed to a High Novice in front of her. While her outfit has changed, she still has the same innocence on her face.

“Congratulations. You are now reborn into a brand new life. I wish that the release the goddess Urd has granted you proves to be a blessing. I hope that the memories Verdandi has recorded will always honor you. And I pray that the new life to which the goddess Skuld will guide you will be even more honorable than your last.”

The rebirth ritual has ended and a light has surrounded Althea to bring her to Prontera, there’s no time to waste. But just before she disappeared, the Valkyrie called on her.

“I do have a name. My name is Sandra.”

Althea seems confused, but for the last time, they smiled at each other.

The Lost Diary

Entry 1:

Dear journal,

I’m finally doing it: I’ve decided to join the Thieves’ Guild.

I’ve been training for months now. The Morroc desert has taken its toll on me: my skin has darkened and cracked from the harsh sun, my legs and the tops of my feet are scarred from scorpion stings, and I’ve become so used to the sandstorms that even when I’m indoors, I keep my eyelids half shut. I’ve had to train in the brightest and most scorching light in order to be able to survive here where I am now, in the darkest black, where my only company are bats and the translucent green forms that scavenge this endless maze.
 

The pyramids.

Few who come here survive, and fewer still find the Thieves’ Guild—I’m well aware of that. But I have a secret: a map.
 

The old woman who I got it from was a member of the Thieves’ Guild decades ago. She lost it to me over a game of cards in the Morroc tavern a few months back. 

It was a real gamble on my part: I was almost out of the game when she put the map on the table and said, “I’ll raise you this.” When she told me what It was, I was in shock: it was exactly what I needed! After a moment of thought, I placed a large egg on the table: a Picky egg I was hoping to hatch and raise as a pet. I gulped down my nervousness and wiped the sweat off of my brow as we finished the hand.

Needless to say, I won.

The map has a red line drawn through the various passageways of the maze, leading to what looks like the very northwest corner of the map to where the Thieves’ Guild must be. 

I can hardly wait.

Entry 2:

Dear journal,

It’s been almost eleven hours, but I’m finally almost there. I would have gotten there much more quickly, but the bats here are…Well, they’re different. 

They’re vicious.
 

Some six hours ago, I turned a corner following the map, passing by what looked to be a staircase leading straight down right in the center of the pyramids. Walking past it, I was suddenly caught off guard by seven—yes, seven!—of the horrible bats. I tried to run, but I tripped on one of the loose stones of the stairway leading downward and fell forward. Before I knew it, the bats were on me. If it had only been one or two, I could have easily dodged their attacks: I’d been working hard to increase my agility to make sure I was always faster than my opponents. But with so many of them, I didn’t have a chance. They clawed and bit me to within an inch of my life. I managed to kill two of them, and that gave me just enough time to get back on my feet and run down another passageway. I ran and ran until they disappeared, taking lefts and rights without paying any attention to where I was going.
 

I managed to stay alive, but in doing so, I completely lost my way.
 

After resting on the ground of the maze for an hour and sipping on the last of my orange potions—I should have brought more—I got up to try to figure out where I was. It took hours, but I finally made my way back to the center of the maze near the staircase. Once there, I was able to pick up where the map left off and walk towards the northwest part of the maze to the Thieves’ Guild.
 

And there it is: I can see the passageway now. The next time I write in this diary, I will be a Thief!

Entry 3:

Dear journal,

Something went horribly wrong.

I should have known something was wrong the moment I went through the passageway. The old lady told me the Thieves’ Guild was just through the doorway at the northwest corner of the map, and that I couldn’t miss it.

Well, I walked through, and there was certainly no Thieves’ Guild.
 

I kept walking for another fifty feet. It seemed like more of the same—except this time, the maze seemed…Simpler. 

But not just simpler. Instead of the passageways branching and turning every five feet or so, the passageways were long and narrow, covering what seemed like hundreds of feet before taking sharp turns in the darkness. I walked down the first path thinking I would surely find the Thieves’ Guild soon. Just as I realized that I was hearing the sound of water dripping from somewhere, the most hideous creature I’ve ever seen stepped from around the corner. It was the skeleton of what looked like a human being, staring at me through empty sockets, holding what looked like two long, curved daggers. 

It immediately rushed me, and I almost fell over again. Gathering my courage, I swiped at it with my dagger, but missed. I attacked again, and missed a second time. This thing was FAST. It had a hard time hitting me too—which was good, because its daggers looked nasty. But I clearly had put too much of my energy into dodging and hadn’t trained my hand-eye coordination enough; I wasn’t going to land a hit on this abomination.

I ran, back the way I came. But as soon as I got to the entrance, another of the same kind of monster, this time holding a bow with an arrow knocked and trained at my chest, stepped in front of me.
 

Seeing a passage to my left, I ran down it. I kept hearing the sound of water, and not knowing what else to do, I ran towards it.
 

I ran and ran, hearing the rattle of bones gaining on me from behind. The passages seemed to be circling the water, bringing me closer and closer to it. Finally, I turned a last corner, and there it was: a pool of what looked like crystal clear, icy blue water. I was at a dead end, but I could tell the skeletons were going to step around the corner at any moment.

I jumped into the water and ducked below the surface.
 

I swam for about forty feet, holding my breath. My skin was freezing and my lungs were on fire. I thought that if I could get to the middle of the water, maybe they wouldn’t see me in the barely lit darkness and give up the chase. I came to the surface and took as big and as quiet a breath as I could, and watched as the skeleton monsters checked the water, looking confused.
 

I waited, shivering, for two or three minutes. Finally, they shambled away.

I pulled myself up onto a small island, and took my clothes off to dry them out. I checked to make sure this journal was still dry in my waterproof knapsack—and that’s where I am now, writing all of this down.

Either the Thieves’ Guild is close, or the old woman tricked me. All I can do now is try to press forward. From across the water, I can see a faint glow coming from what looks like an enormous staircase going downwards. That place looks special and well-lit; I’m betting that’s where the Thieves’ guild is. I’m going to go there now.

Entry 4:

Dear reader,

By the time you read this, I will be long dead. The old woman who gave me this map was a liar. There’s no Thieves’ Guild here. I’m scribbling these last words from inside of a sarcophagus. The old woman’s map led me not to the guild, but to the grave.

Literally. This is a tomb.

There are mummies everywhere. Their stench of their rotten flesh permeates the whole cavern, and their groans fill my skull, driving me to madness. There are also other monsters here—horrible snake women, ten feet tall, whose screams are as shrill and piercing as the two-inch claws on the ends of their otherwise human hands.

But worse of all—worst of all is the dead king himself: a mummy with a crown, whose power is unimaginable. It is his sarcophagus I now hide in, and his I am doomed to die in.

I watched as he crawled out of this very coffin. I watch as he lurched towards a pillar, and with what looked like a mere touch of his cloth-wrapped arm, knocked it down, the stones shattering not by the impact with the stones of the floor, but rather merely from his touch. He radiated dark magic, and he saw me.

I ran, but there was nowhere to run. He was slow, thankfully—so I was able to circle around. But with nowhere to go, all I could think to do was hide. So…Here I am.

I...

I hear him now. He's coming for me.

Whoever finds this journal, my name was Arc. I was born in the town of Izlude, but I always knew I wanted to travel west to the sands. If you find this journal, please: take it with you, and spread the word of the dangers of this place. And if you ever meet an old woman with dark gray hair with a scar below her left eye who offers to play a game of cards with you, take my advice:

Run.

More shots:

Proof I made this.

Entry title: The Costume Maker
Category: Writing
Ro Character: name alvehu
Desired Participation Prize: Green convention hat





The Costume Maker

Once upon a time, in a far land of rune midgard, there was a small deviruchi called Gerhard,
who always dream with become a greatest costume maker.
Always asking to his friends for help, wearing the headgears that he made,
but his friends never support him, they always keep telling him how dangerous was trying to talk to a human adventurer.
Gerhard’s friends: Human adventurers are horrible creatures thirsty of experience and greedy farmers,
they will kill you, and take your wings and horns to make potions or quest to get more experience!!! Could you imagine that?!!
It’s a horrible thing, and you want to become friends with them? Are you crazy?!...
Those words every morning were making the dreams and hopes of Gerhard going down and down,
till he felts that all his work was just a waste of time, maybe his friends were right, after all he was just a monster,
so he tooks his new creation and ran away through the city no matter if someone looked at him,
his eyes were covered of tears and didn’t let him see that he was about to crash against a merchant’s cart.
A warlock who was walking there searching for a cute headgear found Gerhard on the floor crying,
so he stop walking for a minute and try to cheer up him, Gerard told him about what his friends think of him,
because he wanted to be a costume maker, so the warlock instantly got an idea and whisper him
Naurum WL: What if you make a deviruchi costume who is always flying around you?
Gerard got an idea and inflate his body and keep flying around naurum to try to look like a real costume,
and everyone thought it was a real rare costume, from that day till now,
everyone in rune Midgard wishes to have a costume made by the greatest costume maker Gerhard Von Deviruchi.