Which one would you woo?
Blessed Sword
33.3%
6
Leprechaun
33.3%
6
Ophan
33.3%
6
18 votes
| Don't forget to vote in the other brackets! Bracket 1: https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=2113944 Bracket 3: https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=2113939 Bracket 4: https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=2113935 BLESSED SWORD LEPRECHAUN OPHAN |
tygertygerSep 2, 2023 9:57 PM
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| Vignettes incoming, posted in the order in which I received them. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| Snack Time I’d been marching long enough that my feet and legs had given up complaining, but at least the constant motion distracted me from the cold. My borrowed clothing didn’t fit well, but compared to how I’d been dressed when I arrived -- naked as the day I was born -- it was a big improvement. My winged companions made things worse by not being bothered by the biting wind, the shin-deep snow, or the obscuring mist. They made up for that by being nice to look at. Take the woman next to me, for example. Her auburn hair frolicked in the wind like butterflies at play, and her golden eyes shone with good will. Her voluptuous curves and honey-colored skin were on full display since she had given me her outer two layers of clothes, but she assured me that she would be fine as long as the sun was out. Lucky for me the sun bride, as she had called herself, was about my height. The fur-lined boots were a little tight, though. She smiled at me and asked, “How are you doing, Luca? Do you need a break, or perhaps a snack?” The petite silver-haired woman taking point in our little march was facing away from us, but I could hear the eye roll in her reply. “Stop asking that, Sablil. He’s slowing us down enough as it is. Humans have no endurance.” I might’ve argued, but the arrow nocked in the bow she held at the ready was a strong argument for keeping my peace -- no surprise for someone who’d been described as a cupid. I didn’t appreciate the mixed signals, though. She had been insulting me for hours, but I’m not so dense that I missed her wiggling her narrow hips whenever she thought I was looking. “Don’t be mean, Shilmai,” said the woman bringing up the rear. She was the tallest of the group, half a head more than my 182 centimeters, with a muscular physique tempered by womanly curves. She had introduced herself as a valkyrie. Her raven locks shook as she admonished the archer. “Humans can’t help that they aren’t blessed with our physical prowess.” “I just wish they weren’t so useless that a mere six league march was hard for them,” said Shilmai. “Come on, Solveig. You know we’d be back in town already if we didn’t have to keep stopping for him to rest.” “It would have been easier if we had flown and one of us carried him, true…” Solveig began, but I finished. “...but I’m not ready to allow that.” I glanced up at the sky and said, “Speaking of flying, when is the other one -- the ophan, you called her -- coming back?” “She is already landing,” said Sablil, “But I suppose you can’t hear her over the wind.” As she finished speaking I heard wingbeats above us, and a moment later the final member of our party emerged from the mist with wings flared and landed next to me. “Ah, Sandalphon, Luca was just asking about you. Was your mission successful? And did you bring snacks?” “It was, and I did!” the returnee said. She handed over a bag of what smelled like roasted nuts, and the sun bride eagerly claimed a handful. Sandalphon was the prettiest of the group to my eyes -- slim of build and about shoulder high on me with bright green eyes and long blonde hair. She seemed to be a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, but Sablil had told me that the ophan was the oldest member of their squad. “The general approved our plan to take care of Luca until he decides what he wants to do.” She turned to me, and her smile was like a second sunrise. “Isn’t it wonderful? You get to live with us, just like we were a family!” Solveig tutted at the youthful-looking angel. “Slow down, Sandalphon. Luca has been here for less than two days. Give him some time to adjust.” She held out her hand to Sablil, and the sun bride relinquished the snack bag. The valkyrie took some nuts and popped them into her mouth one at a time. “Yes, outlanders have a custom about going on something called ‘dates’ before getting married,” said Shilmai. I stopped in my tracks and yelled, “Married?” at the same time that Sandalphon vigorously shushed her squadmate. Shilmai looked like she was about to launch into a tirade, but Solveig intervened. “Nothing is decided yet,” said the valkyrie. “And the final decision is yours, but men are very scarce here, as we told you. You will be expected to marry.” She tossed the bag to Shilmai before patting my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Luca. No one is going to force you into anything. You will get to choose your wives, both who they are and how many.” “How many? You mean, I have to have more than one?” “Well… you don’t have to,” said Sablil. She glanced at Shilmai, and the cupid passed the bag of nuts back to Sandalphon after taking a handful. “But it would be nice if you did.” I put my head in my hands and groaned. The ladies considerately gave me some space as I let my new reality sink in. When I managed to compose myself I raised my head and asked, “So, how many wives am I supposed to have?” Shilmai looked off to the side with her face held carefully neutral and said, “Four is a good number.” I gave a bitter chuckle. “And you four have dibs, eh?” “I don’t know what ‘dibs’ are, but it’s true that we would like for you to marry us,” said Sandalphon. “But like Solveig said, it’s your decision. You’re welcome to stay with us until you find someplace you’d rather be. But until then, please give us a chance to convince you how good life with us could be.” She offered the snack bag to me, and I was subjected to three hopeful looks and one glare of suppressed longing. I looked from one woman to the other. It’s not as if I hadn’t thought about being with them. I had fantasized about being nestled into Solveig’s bosom, or having Sablil’s legs wrapped around me, or grasping Shilmai’s narrow hips as I slowly took her from behind. Most of all I envisioned Sandalphon riding me with her wings outstretched. I might not be ready to make a lifelong commitment to women I barely knew, but I’d be lying if I said the idea of having them for wives, or just bedmates, wasn’t appealing. They were all lovely, and they were waiting for my answer, so I grinned as I claimed a handful of nuts from the bag. “I do need a place to stay, so I suppose your place is as good as any,” I declared. “And I know that you four will keep your hands to yourselves unless I’m willing. You’ve been perfect ladies so far, anyway.” I started walking again, and the quartet of angels fell into step with me. Shilmai rolled her eyes. “Get over yourself. You’re not so cute that a girl couldn’t help herself if you climbed into her sleeping bag and started groping her.” Sablil arched an eyebrow. “That was oddly specific.” The cupid shot her a glare and said, “Not now, Sablil.” The sun bride shrugged and just kept walking. I popped a nut into my mouth to avoid laughing at this exchange and chewed. “Mmm. These are pretty good.” “Not the nuts I wanted in my mouth,” said Sandalphon, “But they’ll do.” Sablil tittered, Solveig gasped, and Shilmai facepalmed as the ophan realized what she’d said. A blush spread across her cheeks as she blurted, “Forget I said that!” “Not a chance, Sandy,” I replied. Her blush deepened, but she sidled closer to me and draped a wing around my shoulders. I threw her a questioning glance as she brushed her hair behind her ear. “I just thought you might be cold,” she explained. “Thanks,” I said. We walked like that the rest of the way into town, with no sound but chewing and the occasional giggle from one of the girls, and the cold gave way to feelings of warmth for my new roommates. I’m not ready to have four wives, but four girlfriends? I think I can handle that. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| "Phew... there were a few close calls there," Syl said with worry, coalescing her mana body from the pommel of her sword and coming to hover beside her beloved wielder. Maco, the tanned brown and dark-haired man was loosely clutching her hilt with one hand, his fingers going slack with fatigue as the adrenaline from the arduous battle wore off. "But at least that should be the last of them," Syl continued, gazing down at their most recently slain foe. A big burly bear of a man with pale skin and dirty blond hair, he was armoured in mismatched rusty plate that lay over a filthy gambeson. The bandit leader still clung to his long hafted poleaxe with one hand, perhaps the only possession of his that was kept in good condition. "Those villagers will be much safer now that they don't need to worry about these lowlifes." Syl beamed with pride, but her jubilation faltered when Maco didn't reply, only taking fatigued and ragged breaths. "My love? Were you injured?" Syl asked, a quiver in her voice as she moved in closer to inspect him, immediately spotting a few shallow cuts and some trickles of blood, but nothing that would be fatal. Thanks to Syl's ability to levitate and move through the air of her own accord, much of their fighting style revolved around surprising and confusing their adversaries, especially when her beloved wielder was outnumbered. Syl always felt a twinge of anxiety whenever she left the comforting embrace of his firm but gentle fingers to flank their opponents, but Maco also carried specially crafted spiked shield so he wasn't left completely defenseless, or without some offensive options, when she did. Over the months since Syl had taken Maco as her beloved wielder they had continuously formed a stronger synergy in battle, becoming more and more in sync with each other after every fight. They had so far won every altercation with whatever beasts or evildoers they had come across on their journeys, but that didn't mean Maco always came out completely unscathed, and Syl knew from painful experience that it only took one mistake for her beloved wielder to fall. "Maco!" Syl shrieked as he suddenly collapsed, first dropping to his knees, then falling to his side and rolling to his back. Syl's hilt slipped from his fingers and her blade clattered to the ground. "Maco speak to me!" She wailed as she moved her mana body to hover over him. He didn't respond, only taking laboured breaths as he clung to his left arm. The look of panicked fear in his eyes was soon reflected in her own. No, he can't be... not here, not now, Syl pleaded in her mind as his breathing went ever more frantic, as if he could not draw in any oxygen no matter how hard he tried. "Please Maco, just hang on, stay with me!" Syl begged as she cupped his face, desperately trying to think of a way she could save him. But how? What could she do? Syl had used most of her energy in the fight, so even if she knew of a procedure to help him she likely wouldn't have enough clout to perform it. They were in the innermost depths of a cave that was located in an obscure section of a forest, and its well hidden nature was the very reason the bandits used it as their base of operations. They themselves only managed to find it because Syl had pretended to be valuable loot for the bandits to bring back to their den, escaping and returning to Maco once she knew their location. No one else knew of the lair's whereabouts, and even if they did they were too far away to be able to make it here in time. For a single moment Syl looked about with wide eyes at the people laid around her, but they were all very dead so they would be of no help. As Syl considered it, these bandits would sooner speed things along rather than give any kind of aid, so they'd be of no use even if one were left alive. A slow sinking feeling of dread settled over her as she considered the facts; everyone around them who could have helped them was dead by their own designs, anyone who would have tried to help them didn't know where they were, while Syl herself didn't know how to save Maco and probably didn't have enough energy to do so even if she did. There's nothing I can do. He's going to die. He's going to die and all I can do is watch, Syl thought, looking down at him as those words crossed her mind, only to see that Maco was no longer heaving ragged breaths, no longer tightly clutching his arm. In fact he almost looked... peaceful… laying there as his eyelids began to droop, as if he were just going to sleep. "No, no, no, no! Don't close your eyes, please!" Syl wailed at him, but he didn't respond, his eyes now fully closing. No, he can't... not here, not like this, it's too soon, it's not fair, Syl thought, succumbing to despair, looking down at him with a feeling of helplessness. Time seemed to slow as the moments of calm went by, despite him already being gone, Syl clasped her ghost-like hands together and bowed her head into them, closing her phantom eyes as she prayed for a miracle. Please... we've helped so many people, and I swear we'll help more... just save him first. Please, just don't let him... Boo!" A voice suddenly boomed. Syl shrieked in surprise as her mana body sprang back, even though nothing could really harm it. When she opened her eyes she saw Maco staring up at her, a smug grin on his face, Syl's mind raced with thoughts. Was her prayer answered? Was Maco brought back to life? Was he an undead now? Was he turned into an incubus? All of these explanations were dismissed from her frantic mind when he suddenly burst out laughing. Syl only looked on in slack jawed bewilderment, until it finally dawned on her. "No... you didn't..." Syl breathed. "I did!" Maco retorted in between fits. "Oh I wish you could see your face right now, it's priceless." He laughed. "Why?" Syl almost whispered. "Payback," he chimed sweetly. When his response only prompted a look of further disbelief he went on. "Well... let me put it this way, maybe now you'll think twice before putting a load of cheese in my boot so I find a rat in there when I try to put it on in the morning, eh?" Maco retorted. He really did this... as payback for my little pranks? Syl thought, hesitated, then chuckled darkly as her blade began to rattle against the stone floor, only stopping when it rose up into the air. "You know... I'm still happy that you're alive and well," Syl said to her now wary beloved wielder as her blade slowly oriented itself towards him. "But only because I get to change that myself!" She wailed as she dissipated her mana form and fully concentrated on beating the shit out of him by repeatedly batting him with the flat of her blade. His protests either cut off as he chuffed from being hit or were muffled by him blocking or hiding behind his shield. *** Many hours later, back at their rented room in the tavern, they both lay together on their bed enjoying the afterglow of their recent carnal activities. Maco lay on his back with Syl snuggled up to his side. Usually their afterglow would be spent in idle chatter before Maco went to sleep, and after risking his life to help or protect others that idle chatter would normally consist of praise and adoration from Syl, along with reaffirmation of her love and devotion to him, but now she only pouted in silence. "Are you still mad at me?" Maco sighed. She didn't respond. "I'll take that as a yes," he continued. Again no response. "Alright, I'll also assume you're mad because I beat you at your own game." "What!?" Syl snapped. He grinned, figuring that would get a reaction. "Yeah, I came up with a better prank than you've ever done, and I managed to pull it off flawlessly," He affirmed. "Excuse you, that was not a good prank, let alone better than any of mine," Syl retorted. "Oh, and how else could I go about pranking you, hm? One who doesn't need to eat or sleep, doesn't need or have any possessions to work with, and whose mana body is only tangible when you want it to be, what else could I have done?" He asked. Once more she didn't respond, but this time it was different. He waited for a pause before continuing. "Admit it, you can't think of any better pranks for someone in my shoes, can you?" "No," she admitted begrudgingly, "But I have plenty of ideas on how to pay you back in kind. You should know by now, I don't bend when I meet resistance. I don't stop until I pierce straight through," Syl said direly. "Oh, you're going to pierce straight through me, are you?" Maco asked amusedly. "Oh you won't even know what hit you." She swore. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| Allie finished another song with a dramatic flourish of notes, pleased at the rolling eyes this inspired from Mike, her interesting stranger for the evening. They had met only hours before at a crossroads, a short walk where they set up camp. After showing Mike her ability to turn the gold coins in her pot into pretty much whatever they needed or wanted it didn't take much convincing for him to spend the night with her. They had spent a lot of time talking about themselves, Allie mainly speaking of her ilk and their powers, an always interesting topic for strangers to hear about. But when Allie returned the prying questions she learned that he had flown the nest just a few months ago and was just traveling, seeing as much of his little corner of the world as he could. Taking odd jobs here and there just so he had enough to put food in his belly or a roof over his head whenever he stopped in a town or village. They sat by each other next to a warm, crackling fire as the sun fell. Allie had turned one of her coins into a guitar for her to play as they sang, and Mike sang along whenever he knew the words, which she delighted in. She was always disappointed whenever her company was too shy or took themselves too seriously to sing along with her, but thankfully Mike was neither. After they finished belting out the words of another chanty Mike let out a groaning yawn as he stretched his arms out into the air. "What? Am I boring you?" Allie asked in mock offense while holding her hand to her chest. "Not at all… but unlike some people I didn't have the luxury of spending all day lying in wait to ambush lone travelers," he shot back with a smirk. Good, she liked it when they fired back; having someone who took things too seriously all the time was boring. "Well I hope you have saved enough of yourself for tonight," Allie said with a devious smile. "Why? What's happening tonight?" He asked, Allie couldn't help the smug smirk on her face as she gave her reply. She always loved the look of shock when she sprung this on them. "Why, you're fucking me, of course," Allie answered casually. The twitch in his body, the sudden widening of his eyes, and the gaping of his jaw all combined to make one of the most amusing reactions she had gotten yet. He mumbled for a moment, searching for the words, eventually sputtering a single; "What?" "S-E-X," Allie literally spelled out for him. "You do know what it is right?" She teased. "Of course I do!" He stammered. Allie tried to withhold her grin. She always enjoyed toying with the bashful and easily flustered. "Great, then you should have no problems messing me up real good tonight," Allie quipped. Mike didn't respond, only gulping as he tried not to look anywhere too indecent. "Don't you try averting your eyes now, I've felt you ogling me since we met. You've been stealing glances at my girls after every song. I know you want to cop a feel of them," She teased breathily, moving a hand to raise one breast up before letting it fall back down, the slight wobbling it made entrancing Mike again. "Are... you being serious?" He asked, clearly suspecting this to be some kind of joke. Allie raised an eyebrow at him with a devious smirk, before standing up and waving her hand, causing her guitar, the fire pit and the two seats they’d sat on to disappear. Mike yelped in surprise as his seat disappeared and he landed squarely on his ass. By the time he regained his wits and looked up Allie had already turned a dozen of her coins into a ten-foot square room, four walls on each side but with a glass face on the top instead of a stone one so they could still gaze at the night sky without being exposed to the elements. She had also conjured a king-sized bed in one corner of the room, complete with sheets covering the mattress, a blanket, covered pillows, and a bedside table which supported several already lit candles. She had also removed all of her clothes except for her hat. When Mike looked back at her he was even more gobsmacked than he was before. Allie looked him dead in the eye and said, "I don't know, you tell me," in a sultry voice. Mike hesitated only a moment, glancing around the room, to the bed, then back to her, before frantically beginning to take off his clothes. Allie grinned, walked over to him and kneeled down. As he finished taking his coat and shirt off she raised a hand and placed a finger under his chin. He fought against her digit to look down at her nude body, but she renewed her efforts to get him to look up at her. "Ah, ah, ah... you may fondle, squeeze and suck on them in a moment. For now though, eyes up here, mister," she scolded. Mike reluctantly obeyed and met her eyes. "One night. You only get one night with me to do whatever you wish, then it's goodbye," she told him, hiding her smirk when his expression fell. "Only one night?" he asked dejectedly. "Afraid so. I like to travel, as well you know, and for someone like me there's nothing in the world that would weigh me down more than another person. So I have a policy of only offering one night of pleasure to people... but I've been known to offer two if the one I'm staying with is really good with their tongue." In actuality she had no problems with camping with someone for over a week if they were pleasant company, but she found that telling men they only got more nights with her depending on their performance made them work harder. "Understood?" she asked.He nodded emphatically, a motion that allowed him to get several looks at her chest and nether regions, she noted. "Good." Allie chirped before rising and turning to walk over to the bed, putting an extra sway into her hips as she made each step, twirling in place once she reached it and seating herself with her legs spread. "Alright, I entertained you, now let's see how well you can entertain me." |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
| Well, well. have we ever had a three way tie? I'm not sure, but this is certainly not easy. I really enjoyed all three of these, from the interactions between the four angels and their new "roommate", to Maco playing his prank on Syl and of course the continuation of the encounter between Allie and Mike. Let's just say this decision is a bit of a difficult customer :P |
| Think this is our first three-way tie. Yeey! And has it been a joy to read the different vignettes the authors have delivered. For me Allie's the clear winner of this one, that deliberate use of tactical teasing to get herself better quality nookie is hard to top. Now for Sandalphon I quite liked how the four different personalities interacted. Do wonder, however, what "glues" em together. Are they a squad that works together, did Sandalphon simply decide one day that they make for a great husband-sharing arrangement and the others just rolled with it, or is something else going on between the four? Lastly of Syl's vignette I especially liked that it drew attention to her species' limitations in the way she can interact with her wielder. A daring choice that I respect. A bit less of a fan of the unaccountable vigilantism, but I guess it does highlights the advantage someone wielding a sentient blessed sword has over people wielding regular swords. |
| After much deliberation the 3-way tie has been resolved. The entries that will be going on to round 4 are the leprechaun and the ophan. |
| "When you have bought your own load of hooey, you know exactly what it is worth." -- Bruce Sterling |
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