Instant Story

Challenge #03107-H199: Too Helpful

welcome to the internet, I’ll be your guide -- Anon Guest

Benevolence Org had spared no expense. They had put everything they could into their shield AI which, in a moment of pure egocentrism, named Bo. It was meant to protect the new, the unfamiliar, the gullible, from those who would exploit them on the nigh-lawless seas of the internet. It was friendly, it was helpful, and users could even customise the friendly avatar of its interface for maximum comfort.

Bo was supposed to help its users know when they were expected to pay for services, give them the options to see advertising, and hand them the truth behind any and all scams online. It was released with great fanfare and a huge uptick in market share. This was what the world clearly needed.

The user-base was immense. The elderly had it installed by their kids to protect them from Phishermen. The young had it installed by their parents so that the little darlings wouldn't run amok on the parental credit card. The left wing installed it to make sure they weren't falling for any dogwhistles. The right wing installed it to make sure no darn liberals were lying to them. Even the body corporate installed it to decrypt the algorithm. And then things... went... bad.

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Challenge #03106-H198: The Curse of Insight

A Tiefling who's one of the rare ones respected as a cleric, with golden horns instead of black, blue eyes instead of red or yellow, and dark red skin, encounters the camp as they've settled in before they make their destination. He hears the harsh words of the nanny / nursemaid toward a child and can sense the child's sorrow, the fear, the self-dislike, and scowls. He decides to take that nanny's fate into his OWN hands and teach her what that child

Challenge #03105-H197: To Break a Curse

I'm trying to get around the Akmet filter, this prompt was what InterNutter suggested in their comments but for some reason the bot hates it when you use comments from one of your postings as a suggested prompt. At least for this one. So let's try a screen shot and the address to the Challenge it comes from?

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03061-h138-of-monstrous-men -- DaniAndShali

[AN: For the record, the idea given by BKF/DaniAndShali is, "That's sweet, he finally has

Challenge #03104-H196: For Great Justice

She was a nanny who was required to care for a Tiefling child. She disliked Tieflings, the whole race were nothing but demons, but her lord ordered it. It was his daughter after all. The child rarely got smiles, save from her parents, rarely got a kind word, except her parents, and then a stranger came to the palace and gave the nanny a hard, cold, lesson in caring for children. One the nanny ever forgot, especially after what that man did,

Challenge #03103-H195: Button Smash Victory

The other Deregger empires laughed. They were losing profits by the year, by year five of straight losses, they were the most mocked of Deregger empires, only their current wealth and ranked saved them from a hostile takeover. But year five, they broke even, year six they broke even, then year seven, they began to profit, year eight, year nine... soon their profits were skyrocketing exponentially, and the other empires were not laughing anymore.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03064-h141-to-deal-with-reformed-devils -- DaniAndShali

Challenge #03102-H194: If Knowledge is Power...

war, war never changes. But men do, through the roads they walk. -- Anon Guest

"Humans are trained to combat from an early age. It is considered a rite of passage that adults 'attack' their young as part of play activities. See file, Household Nerf Wars." Educator Mil read to the class. "This is an older entry on the infonets regarding Humans and Human development. My question to you is, how accurate or inaccurate is it, where is it inaccurate, and why

Challenge #03101-H193: Knowledge Versus Wisdom

A Deathworlder who is a student in a human-run Dojo finds their Sensei in a classroom working on homework and is surprised. The human is more than old enough to have graduated from most classes and was advanced in years. So...

"Sensei? Why are you here? Surely there's little you need to brush up on now?"

The human turns and smiles in a kind, almost grandparent-like, smile upon their student and offers them a seat. "My dear student, remember our first lesson?

Challenge #03100-H192: Unusual Pun-Ishment

The prisoner was sitting cuffed to a chair that was welded to the floor. The human was sitting with a pile of books next to them across the metal table that was also welded to the floor. The chair was not uncomfortable and the cuffs were padded.

[Pirate] "I will never tell you the size of our group or who our captains are. You're wasting your time!"

[Human interrogator with a sigh] "Are you sure? I really don't want to have to

Challenge #03099-H191: Orders Are Not an Excuse

The Good Soldier - Bridget Kielas-Fecyk

.

I'm a brave and proud soldier.

I'm strong with sword and bow.

And upon my Leige’s orders,

My enemy did I lay low.

/

I found my enemy was a father.

A child now filled with tears.

Into my arms I took her.

And tried to calm her fears.

/

My Leige, oh please, forgive me.

For my duties I must forsake.

For I've killed this child's father.

Now as my child, this girl, I take.

/

Now

Challenge #03098-H190: We Already Made That Choice

A planet has a rogue virus that is quite dangerous and, for some, lethal. A vaccination has been found, but due to a dangerous quirk of the virus, it's being difficult about combining it with an immuno-flu, so the old-fashioned shots have to do until another way is found.

Unfortunately, the "pure life" protestors are there trying to physically stop the medical ships from getting to the planet, and they're willing to open fire to stop them. -- Anon Guest

There were

Challenge #03097-H189: The Alliance Has Hackers Too

Look dude I set the bar pretty low, you brought a f@#$%! shovel -- Anon Guest

[AN: Another one I love is, "The bar was set so low that it was a tripping hazard in Hades, but you had to go limbo with the devil." It's just... SO raw and so delicious.]

P.T. Barnum said it best, There's one born every minute. He anticipated people willing to believe his particular brand of bafflegab, but there's suckers that will fall for anything

Challenge #03096-H188: Grey Goo Economy

They seemed like the perfect set of employees. They actually begged the CEO's of the Deregger colonies to be allowed to live there. They offered to work for almost no pay, even less than what the other workers got. Odd, the other workers were not complaining as this group seemed to do a lot more work, but for less shelter and less pay. But the other workers were getting healthier, the air seemed to be getting cleaner, the stacks were not producing

Challenge #03095-H187: Only Among Siblings

Human: We're going to die.. it's over, we're done for.... I'm.. so tired.

Havenworlder: Stop that, we're NOT going to die, you're the human, you're supposed to be comforting me!

Human: I can't do this anymore.. I want to go home, this is hopeless it's over....it's over.. it's over...

Havenworlder: I beg forgiveness in advance for this! - gives the human a sharp slap! -

Human: -- startled --

Human: Sorry... sorry... yeah.. needed that... c'mon, little brother, let's go home

Challenge #03094-H186: They Will Write to Each Other

A human child, hearing a loud bang, finds an alien who looks, at least to the human, like a medium sized dog that's hurt. The child picks up the alien to bring them home and then gives them a bath since they were covered in mud and sticks. The alien wakes up realizing they're now wrapped up in bandages, stuck in what looks like a makeshift "hospital gown", and the child is rocking the small bed they were put in, reading them

Challenge #03093-H185: The Wait for Travel Services

The Humans were sitting around the fire with several of their Havenworlder friends. The winds outside the shelter were howling loudly and they were still waiting for the rescue vessel to bring them the rest of the parts they needed to repair the ship enough to limp it to a spaceport for a full refit. It was a stormy night so the Humans decided to have fun and tell ghost stories. -- Anon Guest

It was a dark and stormy night. The

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Challenge #03107-H199: Too Helpful

Challenge #03106-H198: The Curse of Insight

Challenge #03105-H197: To Break a Curse

Challenge #03104-H196: For Great Justice

Challenge #03103-H195: Button Smash Victory

Challenge #03102-H194: If Knowledge is Power...

Challenge #03101-H193: Knowledge Versus Wisdom

Challenge #03100-H192: Unusual Pun-Ishment

Challenge #03099-H191: Orders Are Not an Excuse

Challenge #03098-H190: We Already Made That Choice

Challenge #03097-H189: The Alliance Has Hackers Too

Challenge #03096-H188: Grey Goo Economy

Challenge #03095-H187: Only Among Siblings

Challenge #03094-H186: They Will Write to Each Other

Challenge #03093-H185: The Wait for Travel Services