Instant Story

Flash fiction fresh from my fingers to your mind!

Challenge #03821-J169: Where to Draw the Line

Strike me? I don't care, go ahead, I may end up bruised, but I will not be broken. I'll just walk away annoyed, but you may live. Strike the innocent around me? And I will rip your arms off and beat you to death with them. -- Fighting Fit

Only the Master Bai called the resident Hellkin a Lord. It might have been sarcasm. It's hard to tell with Elves. The rest of the Dojo either referred to him as Trainee Hellkin, or that Hellkin. As if there were any other in the entirety of Wolklippenstadt.

Some debated his status as Trainee, but the Master allowed him to wear the red, even though he had his arm in a cast and a sling.

Several other Novices had already tested his skill and failed. The devilborn could beat any challenger literally single-handed. He never picked a fight with any other student, and it seemed like nobody could make him angry.

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Challenge #03820-J168: The Fine Tradition of Hautboll

An Academy for Tieflings aka Hellkin, and an Academy for Humans come together once a year for a friendly inter-academy competition. This has been a very old tradition in this nation. It's sad that outsiders keep trying to push their bigoted ways and wreck the tradition. When will they learn that THIS nation doesn't discriminate like that? -- Anon Guest

[AN: Hellkin are of course a totally original creation not at all based on anything that WOTC might have accidentally released on

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Challenge #03819-J167: Artistic and Edible

A human made a tray of "silly treats." Grapes stuffed into raspberries so they looked like they were wearing little beards, unpeeled apple slices with apples spread with a bit of frosting and marshmallows to look like smiling mouths, oranges peeled to look like big, fat, flowers, etc. Why? Just to share treats with friends and to enjoy life. -- Anon Guest

Of all the foodstuff inventions created by Humans, the most famous is their food-on-a-stick. The second most famous is, interestingly

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Challenge #03818-J166: The First Thing

They had immense power, they had been gifted, though they would say cursed, with immortality. But what to do with it? Money wasn't exactly an interest, and they hated the idea of settling down and owning land, that would drive them nuts after a while. Who was that famous person again, that living god? Oh that's right, go to the temple of helping hands! Maybe they can give advice! -- The New Guy

Most immortals never come by it on purpose. Even

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Challenge #03817-J165: Uniquely Deathworlder Fare

"Popcorn! It's been so long!"

"You heat the seeds until they...explode? This is a treat-food? Humans." -- Anon Guest

"Empty calories. Bland and harmless on its own. They take up the flavour of whatever you put with them." Human Meis grinned, still fondling the seemingly harmless orange-yellow seeds in their care package. "The process of making it might be bad for you little squishies, but the finished product? You might like it. I'll do you some caramel corn an I'll have

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Challenge #03816-J164: Troublesome Oaths

During the day, they quietly shadowed Wraithvine's party where-ever the group went, the desire was only to protect them. During the night, they stayed up all night, guarding against any potential dangers. But it was not long before they collapsed from exhaustion. Sometimes, a person could care too much. -- Anon Guest

Wraithvine found Gruhaag on the second night. It wasn't as if she was trying to hide. Then again, it's difficult for a Bugbear to hide in most places when they

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Challenge #03815-J163: Alike in Villainy

One side was demons, the other, humans. What was the difference, other than looks? Nothing at all. Both sides knew it, but it took a blind child to slap sense into both, and get them to work together. The village is prosperous now that they work as equals. -- Anon Guest

They say, "Out of the mouths of babes comes the truth." Obviously whoever 'they' are, they have never known children. They only spout the truth when it's socially inconvenient. A more

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Challenge #03814-J162: All Due Caution

To stay in this city, all strong magic users had to wear an amulet that suppressed their magic as far as it could go without being life-threatening to the magic user. Why? To protect the magic user from the unstable energy of this place, which was still healing from a massive series of storms that had only recently, that is within one human lifetime, had been quelled. -- Anon Guest

They said it was the last strike of the Xenophobia Wars that

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Challenge #03813-J161: Where They Never Look

The Dereggers INSIST on inspecting my ship every single time I state I'm ready to take off. I don't mind. My cargo I get there is always strapped in properly. My living cargo? Well, heh, there's a reason that domicile-sized crate hasn't moved from Cargo Hold B ever since I started making my run. That reminds me, it's my turn to do laundry, gotta run! -- DaniAndShali

"Hello and good morning, Officer Croupki," cheered Trader Xiik, smile wide on their face. "How's

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Challenge #03812-J160: That One Place

Fights constantly broke out at this bar, but the man in the red, yellow, and black chevron tattoos down his arms was left strictly alone. -- Anon Guest

The sign out front named the establishment the Brawl Inn. The mandatory Standard Language prefixes for food, drink, and rest stood in front, declaring that all three were available within.

There's always a fight going on in there. It's one of the reasons why the plates and drinking vessels were metal. It's among the

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Challenge #03811-J159: Phenomena (do do do do do)

The rules said, do not contact those not ready for space flight. This culture was quite primitive, and religious. So the humans had to make a choice. Possibly risk interrupting the culture, and the religion, and rush in with their advanced tech to save the civilians before that huge quake they detected caused a tsunami that would wipe out almost the only large city on the entire planet, or sit back, do nothing as the rules dictated, and watch tens of thousands

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Challenge #03810-J158: Keep the Light Burning

Yet again, their human was finally located... asleep at their work desk. Ah, poor human. They needed to learn to stop pushing themselves so hard. Well, the young adult had quite a bit to learn. -- Anon Guest

As a Companion, it is crucial to be aware of the needs as well as the wants of your Ship's Human. Making a study of, and contributing to the Manual of Human Behaviour is vital. Not all Humans operate according to the extant rules.

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Challenge #03809-J157: Tactilely Rewarding

There was a small, human child staring at them. The small child shuffled closer then said, in a soft voice, "your fur looks soft. May I touch you? I washed my hands."

The child's hands were still slightly damp. -- Anon Guest

Humans are deadly, they leave a trail of blood in pursuit of conquest. Humans are insane, but there is method in their madness. They want to pet, tame, or ride any creature that they find. And if all else is

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Challenge #03808-J156: Around the Roadblock

Several Deregger rescues bemoan themselves, constantly claiming they are stupid and useless. The therapist tries an interesting tactic, and teaches them a puzzle game, Sudoku. -- Lessons

Dereggers were, as the Alliance liked to call them, Rescue Humans. Like any other creature that was rescued from a bad place, they had their issues.

"You provided Health and Caregiving with a list of your skills," said Therapist Vide, doing her best to avoid sounding reproachful. "There are several freelance jobs available that could

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Challenge #03807-J155: A Test of Mettle

The soldiers were tired, cranky, and sore. They looked at the young upstart who'd marched them far from where they thought they needed to go. The person wasn't what they wanted in a leader, but they quickly learned, the person was what they had NEEDED as one. -- Anon Guest

Of all the fates that an army could ever despise, it was being under the command of an untried, untested Noble with no knowledge of the battlefield. The stripling prince was barely

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