Instant Story

Challenge #03936-J284: Creative Creations

"Should the day come when even I'm not here anymore, please look after this database [DATA CORRUPTED]."

(who is this... Why is this message in my records...)

"Do you have something that's irreplaceable, [DATA CORRUPTED]?"

(irreplaceable... broken parts... can be simply replaced...)

"You'll definitely find it one day, [DATA CORRUPTED]."

(Such things... will only cause trouble...)

"When that time comes... You should leave this place behind" -- Anon Guest

Someone had made it, that was the only certainty. Someone clever. Someone rich. Someone had put gears and cogs and magic together with tools and spells and made... it. A thing that looked like a middle-sized intelligent creature.

A machine that could follow instructions, but also think and reason on its own. Given a task, it could find ways to surmount or subvert obstacles. It could stop if the goal was impossible. Unlike the elemental constructs, that would mindlessly continue on their appointed task until they were destroyed or ordered otherwise by their masters.

That was pretty much all this one knew as it came into awareness. It had been sat on a shelf in a workshop, long gone to dust and cobwebs. What activated it was unknown. Who made it was unknown.

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Challenge #03935-J283: They Followed Him Home

A deregger wearing a collar and leash begged mr sunshine to be their owner. Why? Because their old owner had died at sunshine's hands and they were completely terrified of being free. -- Anon Guest

"You wish to... belong to me," said Mr Sunshine.

"Yes. I'm yours by conquest. They're the rules. I need rules. I need an owner. I don't know how to belong to me. It's too much."

Mr Sunshine knew his limits. "I'd be a bad master to you.

Challenge #03934-J282: You're Allergic to WHAT?

The Havenworlders meet a human who's actually allergic to chocolate. Quite the rarity. -- Anon Guest

There's an allergy for everything. Even amongst those raised on the same planet as the thing. One might easily believe that this is not a great survival tactic. Especially when the thing is really, really popular.

It can lead to some interesting times.

Solo Ships' Humans encounter no problems when it comes to curating their environment. They frequently have isolated kitchens in order to keep their

Challenge #03933-J281: Dreams For Sale

I run two businesses, one open, one clandestine. My open business is running catering to the wealthy, deregger CEO's love me. My clandestine business is taking rescues from their worlds who want to escape, and making sure these rescues eat in a way the CEO's only WISH they could eat. I never charge the rescues for the food though, they deserve as much kindness as I can give them.

Both jobs pay, but only one of those jobs makes me truly happy.

Challenge #03932-J280: A Drop in the Bucket

I'm violent, but I don't kill. I'm Pax Humanis, but I've never taken a life. My job is different. I'm a teacher. My methods are brutal, I've brought more than one of MY type of... student to the brink of death, but never killed them. They eventually learn though. It's an ugly job, but these b--rds need to learn, humans are NOT property, and are NOT to be treated as disposable. -- Anon Guest

So many think that Pax Humanis wades in

Challenge #03931-J279: Something Popped Up

Twice a year, they keep sending young virgins to my cave. I have never attacked them, or ever threatened them. They just started doing this ever since they learned I'm here. I ended up building a special school so these youngsters can get proper care, a good education, and learn how to be free. -- The New Guy

Stereotypes are a terrible thing, especially for Unwelcome People. There's word pairs that everyone knows automatically. Beautiful Elf. Heroic Human. Clever Gnome. Wicked Hellkin.

Challenge #03930-J278: Prisoner's Rights

Can we see what shape former CEO Zhetilli Ankhrian is in when the Pax Huanis members turn them over to the CRC? And what becomes of the former CEO after?

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03854-j202-run-rabbit-run#@internutter/re-bkf-ry4f5f -- Anon Guest

[AN: Also with reference to: https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03876-j224-alive-and-unharmed thanks so much for reading]

Sometimes, Zhetilli swore, the only thing stopping them going further was her Havenworlder status. Even a Level One Havenworlder could perish under the wrong circumstances.

Challenge #03929-J277: Typical Tabletop Talk

P: “Calcium is a metal right?”

DM: “Right…”

P: “Ergo it’s affected by heat metal”

DM: “go on…”

P: “I cast heat metal on his skeleton”

DM: “… f*<£ it I’ll allow it”

[several turns later]

“As the evil wizard succumbs to his wounds, with his final breath,

He summons a Rust Devil” -- Anon Guest

"Wait. What?"

"Rust. Devil. An infernal variant of the rust monster." The DM at the table, Yaz, grinned. She was radiating smugness. "They have

Challenge #03928-J276: It's Teamwork

There was a child who was stricken with a rare disease. As they mature their mind degrades losing any sense of emotion or feeling. Doctors and engineers created an artificial intelligence that is able to compensate and amplify the faded emotions. The brain and the AI work as one being, giving the child the life they deserve. But the doctors didn’t know as the child sleep the mind split into two beings. One as the emotion deprived human, the other being

Challenge #03927-J275: Visiting the Niblings

Wraithvine visits Amatu, the half-halloblood / half-hellkin that is his friend and adopted brother. Amatu has a wife, an adopted child, and a large family now. -- Anon Guest

Grey showed too early in mortal hair. Some lasted longer. Some were gone in a blink. For a friend and baby brother, it was... jarring to see snow settling on a far younger man's head.

Then again, everyone was younger than the immortal Wraithvine. Except a few other immortals, of course.

Baby Corbinian was

Challenge #03926-J274: Domestic Drama

The human goes to their cat wearing the equivalent of chainmail and has a very tiny scissor in their hands. When their friend looks as them quizzically, they see the cat HATES getting its claws trimmed. But, necessary evils, unfortunately. -- Anon Guest

The Humans are full of weird sayings. A favourite of Human Bruk was, "It's better to be prepared than be embarrassed." And that made the rest of the crew on the Halcyon Curiosity wonder why their Human kept the

Challenge #03925-J273: One of Our Own

A Vorax ship holds a shock to the humans, another human. A female who was raised from infancy by the Vorax. She's as fierce as they are. -- Anon Guest

Peace rarely happens all at once. There is no universal celebration when the Evil Overlord is vanquished. There is no worldwide breaking of chains when the fascist is hanged, or meets a lonely demise while hiding in a bunker from the revenge of the righteous.

Some are kept unaware of their new

Challenge #03924-J272: A Breath of Fresh Air

On the planet, many of the population were sick due to the badly polluted air. One elderly individual, a lung disease causing them to cough blood, living in the streets, crawls to Sunshine and Jay asking the two kill them as they're hurting so badly life isn't worth it anymore. -- Anon Guest

"You're here for them, aren't you?" said the woman who Jay had loaned their mask to. It wasn't improving anything. "The ones in charge?"

"Yes," said Mr Sunshine. "They

Challenge #03923-J271: Good Game, Friend

The massive, plated, deathworlder asked to fight the human. The other humans warned their friend to go easy on the being. The being sneered at the soft, squishy, opponent. They learned that humans are... a lot more dangerous than their soft, smooth, appearance, with no fangs or claws, make them appear to be. -- Anon Guest

No matter how big and strong you are, there is always someone who can whip your ass. There is, as the saying goes, always a bigger

Challenge #03922-J270: Sole Area of Genius

"How often do we have to go through this? I love you, you silly furball, but do NOT try sniff at my cactus! I don't HAVE any shelves higher and I'm tired of pulling thorns from your nose!" -- Anon Guest

Some cats, every cat person knows, reserve their brain cells for specific purposes. When it comes to that specific area of expertise, they're absolute little fluffy geniuses. For everything else... their brains may well be made of sawdust.

Case in point,

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Challenge #03936-J284: Creative Creations

Challenge #03935-J283: They Followed Him Home

Challenge #03934-J282: You're Allergic to WHAT?

Challenge #03933-J281: Dreams For Sale

Challenge #03932-J280: A Drop in the Bucket

Challenge #03931-J279: Something Popped Up

Challenge #03930-J278: Prisoner's Rights

Challenge #03929-J277: Typical Tabletop Talk

Challenge #03928-J276: It's Teamwork

Challenge #03927-J275: Visiting the Niblings

Challenge #03926-J274: Domestic Drama

Challenge #03925-J273: One of Our Own

Challenge #03924-J272: A Breath of Fresh Air

Challenge #03923-J271: Good Game, Friend

Challenge #03922-J270: Sole Area of Genius