A Devil's Tale

Challenge #04499-L115: Application For Adviser

They are poor, they are ragged, they are tired. They manage to sneak into the kitchens of whitekeep castle, steal some leftover soup and bread, and are found curled up on the floor by the fireplace fast asleep. -- Anon Guest

[AN: Whitekeep has laws to protect its citizens from that level of poverty. It's in the starting tenets of the realm. So... to make this work, it's A Whitekeep castle. Not THE Whitekeep castle. In this case, one of the freshly-conquered ones. Also I changed the plot on you]

Kirkenwald's holdings were known for its magnificent castles and picturesque towns, and the massive amount of homeless folks forced to live in the tunnels underneath. The lord Kirkenwald prided himself in the fact that no slums existed in his holdings. What he was less enthusiastic about was how anyone arrested for vagrancy became part of his laboring chattels.

Those who had money could profit, or at least hold their lives in a form of stability.

Streen was not one of those. She was one of the hidden poor. Starving and desperate enough to try... well. What she was trying.

Support me on Patreon / Buy me a Ko-fi

Prompts remaining: 21 Submit a Prompt!
Ask a question

Challenge #04479-L095: A Safe Space

Some children were playing hide and seek and one ended up in the king's private offices without permission by mistake. But the king, despite the child's fear, didn't get mad. He did suggest safer areas to play though. -- Anon Guest

Whitekeep Castle was large, labyrinthine, and full of secrets. It was also full of staff taking care of it. Some lived there, true, but their accommodations were much less impressive than the King's. The one thing they all had in common

Challenge #04336-K318: A New Challenger

So, kid, you want to fight this old devil to see if I still have skills? You sure? Well I'm slowed with age, but sure I'll humor you. But remember, you did challenge me, not the other way around. Still, you did ask politely, so I won't be - too - rough. -- Anon Guest

After he turned one hundred and seven, Kosh routinely wore his hakama because it was easier to don. His ageing hands were tired of buckles and his

Challenge #04287-K269: Truly Heroic

Tell me, my student.... what is the difference between a TRUE Hero, and the person many just call a hero?

"I don't know, sir."

It is their heart. For a True Hero does not seek fame or fortune. They do not seek to harm others, no matter what they appear. Their only desire is to aid others whenever possible, and the knowledge they could help be their only reward.

The ones far too many tend to call 'hero'.... are usually far too

Challenge #04245-K227: Long Time Learning

He was heavier, had more muscle, and was taller than all the other kids. Yet even the tiniest among them had knocked him flat. This went on for, he was unsure, until the King finally called a halt. Confined to a room with a bathroom "grounded", he was fed, given bed clothes, told to sleep. Next day, again.

Now an adult, he thought of those painful lessons. Grateful for it, It wasn't might, it was the heart, that made a person strong.

Challenge #04120-K102: For Want of Peace

ce vis pacem te ipsum vince

“If you want peace, You must conquer yourself” -- Anon Guest

[AN: This prompt has been cut down to its soul because I really don't like epically long prompts]

They say that war never changes. They're wrong. Some elements of war remain the same, in that the side that kills the most people tends to win... but the means is ever evolving. When the world began, Dragons threw fire at the Elves, and the Elves countered

Challenge #04084-K066: Essential Parenting Duties

No matter how old you are, or how tough you are, when a little child asks you to sit down and have tea with them, you sit down and have tea. -- Anon Guest

It's easy to have a... Reputation when one is both devilborn and the leader of a realm. Kosh had earned his. Elipsis, italics, and all. Though most of the rumours about him were greatly exaggerated. He had become a leader to fear over half the continent. People called

Challenge #04061-K043: The Ultimate Test

They really did not give me a choice here. I mean, I did my best to behave and sit still... but those little claws all over me, up and down my shirt... how could I sit still...

I'm sitting in a room full of kittens! -- Anon Guest

To seek out the Sensei of the Shadow Arts in Whitekeep, one must first find where the Dojo is hidden. One must be clever. One must be observant. And being sneaky helps. A lot.

Challenge #04054-K036: Ordinarily Fighting Words

"Hey you old Teuf!"

"Hey yourself, naked ape!"

The two, human and hellkin eyed each other a moment before giving each other big hugs with warm, cheerful smiles. -- Anon Guest

Some words can kill. In the remote and isolated valleys of Nohmyraa, the residents call any Hellkin 'teuf' shortly before a noose is tightened around their neck or, in the case of those hours old, a pillow is pressed to their face.

The polite say, "Harukh," or, "D'varuv." Those less inclined

Challenge #04052-K034: Test That Theorem

A kid who used their strength and size to bully other kids was sent to Lord Kormwind, Kosh to his friends, to try to teach him, the parents were at their wits end and needed help. He refused to listen to them anymore as his parents, weakened after having gotten sick, could no longer get him to stop hanging out with .... less than pleasant crowds. -- Anon Guest

Whitekeep never kept anyone in chains. It was one of the founding principals of

Challenge #04014-J361: Benevolent Reformations

A kingdom's literacy rate is less than 30%. The new rulers want, need, to improve that. Why? A literate, educated, population is a population that can help pull the kingdom out of the rut it's fallen into. -- Anon Guest

Pax Infernus was changing the world. Not just with a peace between realms, nor by banding together against mutual threats. This time, they were changing the world by helping within the allies' infrastructure.

Some joined just for the help that Pax Infernus

Challenge #04012-J360: Everyone Should Have a Fish

The kind hearts at the school learn to make the treat so that children, like young Kormwind, can have them.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03883-j231-not-available-in-this-location -- Anon Guest

[AN: Bless you, Nonny, but this doesn't happen in the book the original story is based on. Check my Patreon for the chapters. My choices are to alter my series' continuity or go with a huge time gap between the inspiration post and this one]

The parcel had come a long way to

Challenge #04005-J353: Time For Nothing

It's rare I get days like these. It's quiet, there's no emergencies, no one needs my assistance at the moment. I rather am enjoying the relaxation. -- Anon Guest

He had gone through his routines. His morning Kata, feeding the cats, feeding the Dire Goats and then milking them, and then setting most of the milk into the vats with rennet. A few pints went into the sterile bottles and then into the cold box for later. He'd breakfasted and flirted with

Challenge #03983-J331: Snow Falls Fast on the Crown That Cares

"Those who actively seek power, seek a throne, will end up having neither, nor do they oft deserve them. Those who have such thrust upon them unwilling, and then seek to use them for the sake of others, realize the true weight, and are needed there." -- Anon Guest

Briar very rarely used her full name. It took up too much time and the people of U'ah had a long tradition of an 'urgency' eke name. "Baroness Henriette Bri'arillain Kalamitee U'ah, get

Challenge #03953-J301: Not About Winning or Losing

A: There’s a story behind every law.

B: Is that’s the reason why this place has a book of rules?

A: Honestly I’m surprised they haven’t banned me yet -- Anon Guest

"Oh come on," sighed Lali. "It can't be that bad. This is a little town. There can't be that many rules just because you're in it."

The Hellkin student of Hidden Cloud Landscaping and Boarding School, known only as 'K', smirked in a very knowing way.

Menu

A 37-post collection

Challenge #04479-L095: A Safe Space

Challenge #04336-K318: A New Challenger

Challenge #04287-K269: Truly Heroic

Challenge #04245-K227: Long Time Learning

Challenge #04120-K102: For Want of Peace

Challenge #04084-K066: Essential Parenting Duties

Challenge #04061-K043: The Ultimate Test

Challenge #04054-K036: Ordinarily Fighting Words

Challenge #04052-K034: Test That Theorem

Challenge #04014-J361: Benevolent Reformations

Challenge #04012-J360: Everyone Should Have a Fish

Challenge #04005-J353: Time For Nothing

Challenge #03983-J331: Snow Falls Fast on the Crown That Cares

Challenge #03953-J301: Not About Winning or Losing