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Challenge #04120-K102: For Want of Peace

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“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 it with ice and water magics.

Weapons were invented by later species. War evolved after that.

Magic got so devastating, that several treaties limited its use in battle thereafter. Some say that's how the sky islands happened, or how the magical wildlands originated. It's certainly how a great many monsters became creatures living in Alfarell. One of whom, also among the Unwelcome People, had become a king by means of conquest.

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Challenge #04119-K101: Unplanned Landscaping Incident

The dragon was young, admittedly, only about a 100 human years. It tended to rampage, but so far not in any place where cogniscent beings lived. But it was only a matter of time. A much, MUCH, older dragon decided to put a stop to such behaviors firmly. Before it caused a ruckus that would end up risking other dragons lives. -- Anon Guest

Ze called hirself Remrot, like all young Dragons, ze liked a name with a bit of edge. In

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Challenge #04118-K100: Skills? Share!

Many years later, Wraithvine travels back to where they gifted hair to a person who was desperately poor and had taken to thievery. They found the person had used the funds to feed themselves, get a home, and open a free trades-school so that all those who were like them could learn a solid trade, and get to their feet.

Sorry, keep forgetting to put in the link.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03613-i325-a-kindly-cut -- Anon Guest

Knowledge of what is precious

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Challenge #04117-K099: Remove the Cause

The Culpeo, and others like them, are getting CRC monitors that don't take cogniscent abuse lightly. The numbers of deaths begin to drop significantly, those that were dead and simply "dumped" are picked up so they can be given proper memorials. The new group that formed to do this have the full backing of the CRC.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03614-i326-soup-and-nonsense -- Anon Guest

Things were a long time in understanding, on both sides. Karo took some time to understand the

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Challenge #04116-K098: Will They Won't They

Can we pretty please have the convo between the two beings, the one in love and the one they are in love with? This outta be fun!

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03952-j300-the-affection-conundrum -- Anon Guest

Human Flor was starting to wonder if he'd caused an accidental offense. Diagnostician Eun kept staring at him in random moments. Approaching and then running away. Sending pings for permission to speak, and then ghosting him.

Asking Therapist Rhett about it only resulted in assurances that

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Challenge #04115-K097: Breaking Point

Their significant other had struck them once too often. Aboard the station, the slap was more than audible. Sunshine and Jay saw the person so struck suddenly get a blank look, and leap upon their abuser with their hands around their neck. Too many years of beatings will do that to a body. -- Anon Guest

[AN: Spousal abuse is not a thing in Alliance territories because children are taught from day dot that hitting other people is not okay]

Welcome to

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Challenge #04114-K096: Earned Gratitude

H - I have.... WAY too much Time.

G - "You've worked hard you've earned that pay."

H - I didn't do that much.

G - "You signed the agreement including how much we were going to pay you."

H - Are you certain about this?

G - "Of course, your work has been absolutely invaluable to us."

H - It still... feels like I'm cheating... ripping you off.

G - "I assure you, you're not." -- The New Guy

I honestly

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Challenge #04113-K095: Truce With Benefits

They were the leader of an enormous pack of kobolds. All of them had found a gold vein. All of their burrows were very well defended. The humans seemed to treat them politely enough to their faces, because they had gold, but also talked hatefully behind their backs due to being kobolds. Then, when potentially deadly dangers arose, the humans realize it's not the gold that's the true value of having a kobold's friendship. -- Anon Guest

Kobolds, Gobelliin, and occasionally Gnomes

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Challenge #04112-K094: Data for the Experiments

They enter a swampy area where biting bugs are a real nuisance. The bridges keep people out of the waters, so people can stay dry, at least, but ergh, all the BUGS!! But this is a good test for the enchanted repellants, they were asked to test them after all.

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03984-j332-early-access -- Anon Guest

It was fascinating to watch, and Wraithvine watched it intensely. Biting bugs and midges approached hir and hir party, and veered away once

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Challenge #04111-K093: Consider This...

Could we have the trio meet up again and work together?

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03986-j334-outsourcing-horror -- Fighting Fit

The ones who hold their employees in stables with no beds. I've got them on my list. The ones who play psychotic games with any servant's heads. I've got them on my list, they never will be missed.

What continues to surprise me is the lists I receive.

It's disturbing for multiple reasons. One: the CRC knows about me. Two: They know

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Challenge #04110-K092: The Important Points

I run a school to teach new pilots how to fly their ships, how to work with the Gravy Drives and their caretakers, and all the ins, outs, and laws of owning and flying a ship here in the Alliance. I get to travel a lot so I really love my job, it's never boring! -- Anon Guest

The controls and simulator teach pilots the essentials. All the variants of controls available and how to interact with them properly. That can only

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Challenge #04109-K091: A Long Time Waiting

A being cursed, or blessed depending on whom you ask, with immortality. They want to join their family in the next world and, despite multiple tries cannot. They spend days and nights in sorrow. Then they meet Wraithvine and friends. -- Anon Guest

One thing they never mention about undying immortality, it's that recovering from otherwise fatal injuries really, really hurts. And if there's nobody to help you, you end up healing wrong, and it hurts worse.

Asking a healer to help

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Challenge #04108-K090: Go Forth in All Your Beliefs

While Wraithvine and hir companions are guests at a noble's mansion, the noble's mate asks if they will watch the children for an hour. Why there? There'd been a major out-wash of several roads, and they had kindly invited all travelers to stay in their mansion until it was fixed. They were ones that fully believed the gods blessed those who showed true kindness. -- Anon Guest

It was, indeed, a dark and stormy night. The wind howled so loudly that it

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Challenge #04107-K089: Truth and Consequences

An egotistical heir to a throne was lying to everyone about how they were "best friends with Wraithvine hirself!" and using that as a threat to get people to listen. Wraithvine finds out about the loose-tongued young teen and decides to make it so they have to be more....honest, whether they want to speak honestly or not. -- Anon Guest

It's technically well-acknowledged that an heir to the crown can take charge of their nation at the age of twelve. It's

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Challenge #04106-K088: The Most Difficult Choice

They abused the being sorely in their first life and left them for dead, but they didn't truly die. Now in this new chance, the being got revenge on them, but did not kill them. Instead, they got to learn what the being went through, and then, got to learn what compassion felt like. -- Anon Guest

[AN: This sounds like a follow-up to a past tale of mine, but this prompt was gifted to me in early December, last year. It's

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