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Challenge #04735-L351: One Head Under the Crown

A long reigning king has reached the end. The eldest has the strongest claim, yet his rule is unlikely to last long. The middle son is inclined to autocracy, yet, deft in international politics and likely to keep the kingdom at peace. The youngest is quarrelsome with his peers, yet, sympathetic to the plight of his people. And there is the bastard, a playboy likely to leave governing to the parliament except when he wants to indulge.

Wraithvine is called to choose from these candidates. And the will, witnessed by hundreds, dictates that it must be one of these four… -- Deathshead419

It was clear why they needed an uninvolved, unimpeachable third party to this mess. Four children of the old king, each with a claim of sorts to the crown and the throne. Or at least a bunch of people backing them to take the throne. That was why Wraithvine got the last letter from King Regimimus III, begging the Eternal Wizard to select the best ruler for the realm.

The choices were: Regimimus IV - first born and already acting entitled to the crown, Andrus II - who was a firm believer in divine power, but also had a gift with diplomacy, Lekthys VI - popular with the people but incredibly unpopular with other leaders of other realms, and Bren the Bastard - who had been living off his father's stipend for all his life. He was not only a gadabout and scoundrel, but also an utter cad.

The only people who backed Bren were clearly manipulative sycophants who could put the worst Grand Vizeer to shame.

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Challenge #04734-L350: Welcome to Pax Humanis

Such a shame, so YOUNG to be a mass-murder, they're only 10./ "Wait, they're still breathin', tho'."

What? But...such shallow breaths and restraints?/ "Th' nice cat lady an' th' scary guys say use this thingy an' th' bad men won't chase me no more!" -- Anon Guest

Timi had had quite enough of the bad men. They all came to her big house and had a lot more food that Timi and her sisters ever did and they did things to

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Challenge #04733-L349: Sensory Overload Episode

They thought it was yet another knomira sitting and screaming not getting their way. But an observant individual sees they're covering their ears and back against a wall. And realize, this isn't a knomira, it's a person who's struggling due to the size and noise of the crowd. -- Lessons

"Stoppit, stoppit, stoppit, stoppit," the voice carried over the hubbub of the crowd. Given that it was a commercial concourse on a nexus station, it was a safe bet that this was

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Challenge #04732-L348: One Taste of Home

The camp was quiet save for the soft sound of weeping. Bibrid, in their guise as gnome, sat next to the young individual and asked what was wrong. The person was homesick, but it would be at least another month or more before they got to see home again. He, of course, listened and his best to be soothing. He understood what it was like to miss one's home. -- Anon Guest

It does a child good to spend some time away

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Challenge #04730-L346: Improvised Weaponry

The pirates caught the ship's human in their jammies and socks. The human captured them by shuffling feet on soft surfaces and touching the pirates. The touches leaving painful spots. Rumor spread humans could shoot lightning from their fingers. Those that knew better knew it was just static. -- Fighting Fit

Ships' night is normally a strategic time for space pirates to attack. Unfortunately for these pirates, normal and Humans don't mesh. Human Zorq was in their BVD's and socks when the

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Challenge #04731-L347: This Will Pass

It's storming and the kids are scared. Wraithvine calls to Lilbit after confirming the kids have no allergies. The soft purring and pets soon have the children sleeping peacefully. -- Anon Guest

It was definitely a dark and stormy night. Between the lightning flashes, it was black as pitch out there. The wind raged against the mountains and the trees. The thunder shook dust loose from the rafters, and the children were hiding under the tables and shrieking at most peals.

Wraithvine

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Challenge #04729-L345: The Hardest Thing to Learn

The Master-Healer looks upon their apprentice with sadness. "There is one lesson I must teach you yet."

~What is it Master?~

"The fact... sooner or later, we will fail"

https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=eny9wNGzYAc -- Anon Guest

[AN: in order to take advertising money away from YouTube, I am translating every YouTube link to Invidious. Watch videos ad free]

"This, above all, I will do no harm," recited the trainee Medik, Min. "I will treat my patients with respect and

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Challenge #04728-L344: Downtime After the Fray

It's been a long slog, the marines were tired, battered, and just tired of it all. They finally got the word, they were going home. One soldier said all he wanted was a nap, and his favorite snacks. Several havenworlder medics, and some level 1 and 2 deathworlder medics, asked the humans, what kind of snacks? -- Anon Guest

"Roasted, salted cashews," said Marine Blem, who had literally rolled out of her battle-rated livesuit and had yet to extract herself from the

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Challenge #04727-L343: Earned Adoption

The human family wept, for illness robbed them of being able to have children. The kobold warren nearby decided to trust them and brought a nest of eggs. They loved the young kobolds as deeply as they would their own flesh and blood. And the sorrow was turned to joy. -- Anon Guest

The good news, such as it was, was that Hirren and Aldin had survived the mumps. The bad news was that it had stolen the young couple's ability to

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Challenge #04724-L342: Free as a... Prince?

Wraithvine and anyone ze believes will help with the task (possibly meaning no one) must infiltrate a ball and rescue a prince from the clutches of his evil (yet, alas, overwhelmingly popular and powerful) Queen Mother. All without being recognized or exposed during the escape, and before the clock strikes one in the morning, for some reason… -- Deathshead419

[AN: Pure evil requires dedicated choice, and I don't believe anyone living is pure evil. Not even in fiction. They have motives and

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Challenge #04723-L341: La Resistance

An undercover agent deep behind enemy lines. The radio is broken. The phones are dead. The gun is still warm, the crime scene fresh. And the contact is 6 hours late. Has the agent been double crossed, left for dead, or worse? -- Deathshead419

Good news, bad news, good news... Good news, the gun still had ammo, and she was smart enough to pick it up with gloved hands. If the occupiers were looking for clues, they wouldn't find a hint of

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Challenge #04724-L340: One Weakened Link

Whilst in the woods, (alone or with someone(s) at the author’s discretion) Wraithvine comes upon a dying man, a double-crossed messenger with an arrow through his chest. He begs Hir to deliver his letter. But, a dying man is not necessarily a righteous one, not all treasons are unjustified. Wraithvine must decide if fulfilling the promise is correct, and ze does not have much time… -- Deathshead419

On a road less traveled, more of a deer trail, there's only a

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Challenge #04723-L339: Unburied

Sluggish movements, unable to think, and forced to work for eternity by a Vodun Sorcerer. Zombies, a metaphor for the nightmare of every slave. After decades of distortion, it would be fitting to tell a tale in the mold of what happened to those unfortunate souls like Clairvius Narcisse… -- Deathshead419

[AN: I usually don't mess with RL people. So this entity will be legally distinct from that person]

I am... stuck. I know I was someone, but I can not remember.

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Challenge #04722-L338: Not the Best Laid Plan

When the conspirators are trapped, their plans come to ruin, someone has to be responsible and that one will have to pay the ultimate price for stupidity… -- Deathshead419

It had been a simple enough plan of sorts. Assassinate the new Earl, gain the favour of the old Earl, and perhaps that of the favoured son. It may even gain them the favour of their liege lord for removing an obvious problem. Others who knew of their plot insisted that no good

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Challenge #04721-L337: Den of the Unwelcome

Where can someone go when the world is on the hunt and there seems to be no safe harbor? -- Deathshead419

The thing with running was... you had to keep running. Stop and relax, and they would catch up with you. You learned a thousand ways to stay out of sight. You learned a hundred ways to avoid notice. And you had to learn what was safe to eat more than once. Especially if you wanted to survive for one more meal.

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