PERC Presents: Tell Me A Story!

I'll be entering this as well, Toxic. I'm sure I'll convince MB to enter too, can't resist little contests like this.

I would both love and hate to win by default

Note: Lord Ozi lvl50 Ninja/Dark/Soul MM

***Victor Ozi, the Supreme Sorcerer of Dark Magic, was imprisoned within the powerful minds of two very noble heroes of Paragon City Numina and Malaise. Unaware of this act, Victor trusts that what ensues in his mind is reality thus creating and shrouds darkness across his world known as Apocalypse under the name Lord Ozi.***

The screams finally died out as the husk fell to the floor. Victor breathed in deeply his new soul. It squirmed within him but that was easily ignored. Centuries of taking others souls gets one quite used to their constant movements within. His minions waited for his subtle movements to bring another. He didn’t give the signal. He wished to feel this soul writhe a bit longer before he silenced it.

When he opened his eyes he found his next victim. He smiled to himself. Their unused power would be his to wield. In this world none could stand against him. Those that tried only served to feed his hunger for more power.

Lord Ozi flicked his fingers and the man held between his henchmen was delivered quickly. The man was bruised and badly beaten but alive. That’s all Victor Ozi ever commanded of his ninja minions. That and eternal obedience. He hovered over the unconscious man, looking him over. A hint of memory shifted within his mind but was gone quickly. The man almost seemed familiar but any memories of the man were gone. He stood and raised his arms.

Intense power raced through his body as he began to chant: “Arise soul, heed my call, Arise spirit of innocence, Come to your master, Ride you my power home, Bring into me your power, your eternal life!” As his powerful, deep voice faded the man on the floor began to choke as his soul was ripped from him. As Victor drained the life from the man, his flesh grew younger. He became more invigorated and of course more powerful. The last person was weak, this one felt much stronger. As the chant came to an end the man, no longer a man but a dried husk, collapsed.

Victor Ozi looked about him. His mind was clear as was his vision. He was so invigorated he could almost hear the heart beats of his ninja minions. Pure ecstasy flowed through his veins. He seemed almost at piece but there was something. A small thing surely but something was inkling at the back of his mind. The thought faded as he heard many voices converging outside of his beautiful castle. Lord Ozi smiled. This was the perfect time to test the power within.

Great entry Lord Ozi, gave me your back story. But you left me wishing to read more heh. So far I've read two great stories can't wait to see what else is in store from the other contestants.

Nice, I'll have to start using AE again heh

Through this together in an hour after Kay yelled at me to make something =P
This is for Abscond my Claws/DA Scrapper.

As the moonlight pierces through the barred window of the asylum we see a young girl lost in thoughts rocking back and forth in the corner. Her eyes momentarily closed, now open to reveal a white emptiness that glows in the darkened padded cell. For it was on this night that her true powers would come to surface and this cruel fate would be her own. Let's turn back the hands of time to earlier this day and see how such a terrible fate could be bestowed upon a child.

A young girl sits in her room playfully moving dolls along her bed lost in her own fantasy world of imagination. Suddenly, a wrapping at the front door and a shriek is heard. The girl knows this won't be well, then again she's clever enough to realize this isn't out of the ordinary either. Her mother had gotten a divorce several months ago because her husband was getting aggressive with her. Weekly occurrences of her father "dropping by" would never end well, normally with a trip to the hospital or a lengthy talk with police. This night however is where it crossed the line, as her father quickly bore into her room in a fervor. Blood trickled from his face and onto the carpet by the door, a sick look in his eye. He quickly came to the girl and took the doll from her hand and sat down on her bed.

"Molly, I don't expect you to understand why I've always done the things I've done, but the only thing I ever wanted was your love."

These words meant nothing to Molly after those soulless terrible years. Years of physical and sexual abuse by her father were enough to crack even the most willpower-stricken psyches. Molly stood up and started to head for the door, fearing the worst for her mother. Her father had other plans and grabbed her by the leg and tossed her onto the bed. He raised a hand high and smacked her across the face leaving a large bruise below her eye. As her father jumped on top of the bed Molly turned and looked outside at the window. Seeing some sort of reflection through the glass, but not of herself. Some sort of bewildering creature with fierce white smoky eyes starred back. In a blast of smoke and darkness Molly transformed into a magnificent beast, finally free from her mind and in physical form. An eight foot high rabbit creature with long stiletto boots with spikes and a pointy wizard like hat. Her father figuring he was still drunk just swung at the creature with his fist babbling to himself. The creature burst forth massive blades from its arms and sliced the man nearly in two as blood cascaded her fur.

"Never again shall we let you be harmed, such innocence shall never suffer another day."

Molly awoke moments later in the back of an ambulance, both her parents now dead, one by her own hands. She broke down began crying and shouting about the creature she'd become. She tried to flee the ambulance and seeing her reflection in the back window as a creature started thrashing wildly. The paramedics subdued her and she was taken to the psychiatric wing. The doctors dismissed her wild notions of these creatures and how somehow she was this beast she claimed. With her sanity in question the police came to the conclusion that she had committed the murder of her parents and was unstable with paranoid delusions and schizophrenia. They took her to Rhode Island Psychiatric Care Facility where she would remain for 3 years. Three long years fearing what she would become, wildly without her knowing if she'd transform again and what she would do. She rocked back and forth with that glow in her eyes, never knowing what might come next.

After much counseling at the Facility and a new mentor in a psychic named Numina, they were able to determine her illness was not simply a state of mental illness, but an unlocking of extraordinary abilities. This came at a price however, because of such intense trauma as a child her brain began to develop personalities that she would hide into and talk to, her friends and family if you will. These personalities grew to take on traits of her feelings, sadness, anger, happiness, confusion, and so on. These emotions took physical form as magnificent creatures, crazy animal beings, and twisted visions of an imagination gone wild. As Numina took her into training and allowing her the full witness of her powers, trying to control when her emotions would get too high, but every time she would revert back to herself, she had no memory of what her personalities would do. With her signed permission Numina gave her free reign back into the world and invited her along to Paragon City where she could also watch over the girl. Where in a world where so much hate and abuse goes on, that a girl that had lived through it even if it nearly destroyed her mind and body, this girl could help fight for those like she once was.

Wow MagentaBolt, that sounds like something from a stephen king novel but with a different type of twist. I'd like to see the personalities take on Jason and Freddie at the same time lol neither of them would have a chance against those beasts. Great story!

Alright this is the background story for my Fire/Therm/Levianthan Corruptor, Maggie Mae.


A boisterous voice boomed out from the corner of the Dirty Dragon pub in Sharkhead Isle. "Oy Maggie Mae! Bring us another round, eh boys?!" Simultaneous cheers from the other shipmates erupted in agreement with their companion while remarks about how they'd all fancy a go at her were drowned out.

A pretty Irish redhead emerged from under the counter up front and she looked at the drunkenly confident sailor straight in the eye. He grinned up at her with sleepy eyes and he raised his half empty glass in a silent toast to her. The lady known as Maggie Mae simply smiled and rolled her eyes a bit, obviously used to the attention.

As Maggie was preparing the fresh drinks, she had her back turned as a burly pirate ship captain burst through the doors. Everything seemed to stop for a moment while everyone, except Maggie, turned to see the man who had just arrived. He came forward in large strides and was already at the bar before anybody could blink.

"Hullo Maggie, darling. Is this the day you'll agree to be mine?" He said in a slow, deep, and cunning voice.

Maggie had flinched at his familiar, distasteful voice, but luckily the man didn't seem to notice as he was hungrily surveying the woman he longed to have as she turned to face him. Her red curls tangled about her shoulders and she stared at him with her fierce, emerald eyes.

"It'll be a cold day in hell before that, Mister O'Riley," Maggie said in her most calm and innocent voice she could muster. Laughter echoed throughout the Dirty Dragon at Maggie's bold reply as she walked out from behind the counter to serve the other sailors their beverages. O'Riley turned to give a deadly look to everyone around the bar and silence followed Maggie every step of the way. He marched up behind her and seized a lock of her hair to tuck it behind her ear, and in doing so she inadvertently turned towards him as he forcefully caressed her cheek. Cat calls and a few hoots of laughter from the crowd followed.

"If ye won't come willingly, then I'll hafta take matters into me own hands," he murmured so that only she could hear. With that, O'Riley turned on his heel and he was gone faster than he appeared.

Maggie stood dumbfounded for a few moments, then shrugged it off and continued her shift for the rest of the night.


Four nights passed before rumors began spreading about Maggie Mae's disappearance. Nobody knew exactly what had happened other than a few sailors that were recounting the tales of the dread pirate O'Riley and his lust for the sweet Irish waitress who couldn't care less about him. All they could do is drown yet another one of their sorrows in the Dirty Dragon while poor Maggie seemed to be lost for good.

---

Three weeks passed for Maggie before she caught a break on O'Riley's awful pirate ship. She had been held as his prisoner on board as they sailed around aimlessly (to her knowledge anyway) and was rarely let out of her cabin. Though with Maggie's natural charm, O'Riley's crew was awfully shy and bashful around her and would often help sneak her out for some fresh air and real food at her request. She even learned all of their names and duties. In fact, she was much more friendly than ever except when O'Riley came about in order to spite him.

In order to try and redeem himself in Maggie's eyes, O'Riley tried every trick in the book, but most of all he showered her with gifts and precious jewels. One item in particular caught Maggie's attention when O'Riley mentioned it being a Circle of Thorns heirloom, but hell if she would acknowledge anything from her captor. So she casually tossed it aside, seemingly uninterested as per usual, and ended up getting a hold of it later through his crew.

As Maggie examined the fiery red jewel, she decided to try it on since she thought it would complement her hair. Almost immediately after, Maggie's hands felt insanely hot, and she could see that fire was emerging from them.

"A Circle of Thorns heirloom, huh...?" Maggie wondered aloud.

---
Before nightfall, Maggie had singlehandedly taken over O'Riley's ship. She yelled something about being too hot to handle, in which case O'Riley obviously tried to counter-attack her through action, which resulted in him getting severely burned. He had no other choice but to jump overboard to try and cool down, and was never seen after that. O'Riley's crew was much happier to be under the leadership of Maggie Mae anyway.

Not ever wanting to be held captive like that again, Maggie Mae chose to live a life of piracy, and a damn good one at that with the aid of her newly found powers. In fact, her misdeeds were so well known of that Captain Mako recognized her talents and decided to made her his protege. With Maggie's agreement, of course.



End!

Also here's some of Maggie's costumes.

Good story Kay. Not sure why Nethergoat is bothering to post. Seams like people are enjoying spamming this post whenever they want. This is a contest post if your going to enter, and post your entries along with comments or feedback on the stories stop wasting space with random pointless postings.

A little under 2 weeks left of this event and then I will make the posting of the top three and reward the winners.

OK, below is my entry for my Claws/SR scrapper, Bladeranger. The story comes in at 1,497 words (whew!), counting the title and such.

Here's a pic of Blade's main look:



---

A Tall Tale of the West
The Story of Bladeranger

The tall man in the cowboy hat looked out of place in the Paragon City History Museum — and considering the city was full of aliens from strange planets, wizards from parallel dimensions and otherwise ordinary joes who made tights and capes a fashion statement, that was saying something. He wore his hat down low, obscuring his eyes, which were covered by a small red domino mask. He was focused intently on a display of tattered and aged journal pages displayed in a glass case.

A museum attendant gathered up the courage to approach the masked man. “Can I help you, sir?”

“No, thanks, partner,” the man said congenially. “But I’ll let ya know if ya can.”

The attendant left the tall man alone to his reading. He wondered what was so engrossing about some old journal in the Tall Tales exhibit — the guy had been the only visitor in at least a week.

The man in the hat smiled slightly and went back to his reading. He knew the attendant would probably mention the encounter to his buddies over a beer at the local watering hole sometime after work, but he was used to that.

After all, he’d been the topic of conversation over many a drink for — oh, goin’ on 120 years or so now. As the gentleman in this here diary could attest…

(From the diary of Billy Denton)

I’d been hearing the stories for months. Folks from Texas all the way to California had been talkin’ about a lawman who could run like a tornado with no need for a horse. Who could dodge a bullet before it had ever left the barrel it was fired from, with a set of blades so fine and sharp that folks said couldn’t have been crafted by a human hand.

Bunk, most people said — though they used language that ain’t fit for writin’ down here.

But I know different. And, near as I’ve been able to figure, this here’s the first recorded appearance of that lawman — the man they call Bladeranger.

It was July 23, 1885. I’d been on a cattle drive through most of Texas when it happened. The other guys stayed back at camp, but Andy Patterson and I decided to head on into Laredo for a couple of beers and to try our luck at some poker. We went in the local saloon, sat at the bar and ordered our drinks. Just then, we heard a voice behind us.

“You’re in my seat, runt.”

I turned and saw a massive man — easily six and a half feet tall (if he slouched) and around 300 pounds, and that wasn’t countin’ the heavy iron he had strapped to his hip.

I got up to move, but ol’ Andy — always did have more guts than sense, that Andy did — kept himself firmly planted. “Don’t see your name on it, friend. And which one is your seat, anyhow?”

The big man laughed, and it sounded like a bomb going off right there in the bar. The place got deadly quiet. “They’re both mine. In fact, ain’t no one allowed in here ’cept if I say so, and I don’t say so for you all. Best be gettin’ along now ’fore someone gets hurt.”

I moved toward the door, but Andy wouldn’t budge. “Our money’s as good as yours, and we ain’t movin’.”

The bartender, who had been trying hard to look like he wasn’t listening as he had been polishing the same spotless shot glass for five minutes or so, finally spoke up. “Hey, Jack, don’t bust up the place too bad, now. I just fixed the bullet holes in the walls from last time, y’know?”

Some town, Laredo, I thought. Should have stuck with bathtub gin and beans at the campsite.

Andy’s brain finally caught up to his mouth. “Oh, Lord — you’re Big Jack Henderson, ain’t ya? Killed 12 men, robbed the Pine City Stage, wanted for horse thievin’ in nine cities…”

“You forgot cheatin’ at cards,” another voice said. “If there’s one thing I can’t abide, it’s a card cheat.”

Every eye in the place shot toward the middle of the room, where there now stood a man just a hair shorter than Jack himself — though this fella looked a lot more intimidatin’. A white hat pulled low over a tanned face, with a little red mask hidin’ the eyes. A gray leather riding jacket stretched across shoulders at least a mile wide, with a badge on his chest. Worn blue jeans with what looked to be every speck of desert dust from Laredo to San Antonio, and white leather boots and gloves as crisp as Boston snow at Christmastime.

“Reckon this ain’t your affair, dude,” Jack said menacingly, though he shrank back a bit when the masked man met his stare. “Best be hightailin’ it outta here if you know what’s good for you.”

“Anytime there’s a murderer loose, it’s the law’s affair — and that makes it MY affair,” the man replied coolly.

“Lawman, huh? Well, you just made a bad mistake, partner.” And quicker than a rattlesnake, Jack’s hand flashed down toward that cannon he had holstered at his side. He fired off three shots — BLAM BLAM BLAM — before any of us had the good sense to duck.

The masked man somehow moved even faster, which shouldn’t have been possible. One second, those three bullets had all been perfect headshots, dead between the eyeholes of the fella’s mask. The next, he’d zipped clean outta their way, letting them impact in the wall 10 feet behind where he’d been. Meanwhile, Jack’s gun was now in two neatly sliced pieces on the floor, with a fair amount of blood as well.

The masked man leaned back against the bar and tipped his hat back a ways with the tip of a blade held in some compartment on the back of one of them fancy white gloves. The blade was as black as the ace of spades, apart from the spatter of blood on one edge.

“Now I had heard tell that it’s a fool who brings a knife to a gunfight,” the masked man said with a smirk. “Guess it ain’t so dumb after all — right, Jack?” The masked man retracted the blade back into his glove and produced a length of rope from his belt, tying the now-whimpering Jack’s hands behind his back as he shoved him out the door and into the hands of the waiting sheriff.

Andy quit while he was ahead and went back to camp. I stayed behind and watched the lawman scoot out the back door, stopping to refill a small canteen at a horse trough. I approached him with my hands held up.

“I don’t want no trouble,” I said.

“Got no problem with you, partner,” the man said. “Only trouble I got is with lawbreakers.”

“I been hearin’ stories about a fella like you out on the cattle trail,” I said. “About a fella named —”

“Bladeranger,” the man confirmed. “I heard them tales too. Nine feet tall, a voice as deep as the Grand Canyon and able to blot out the sun with his hat, so I heard.”

I laughed. “So, are you him?”

He nodded.

“I ’preciate the help — Lord knows Andy and I were sure in a world of hurt back there.” I stuck out my hand to shake his. He took it and shook — as powerful a handshake as I’d ever felt — when his glove made a weird “beep” sound.

“Well, partner, duty calls. Y’all be safe out here, all right?” I nodded dumbly, and he touched a spot behind his wrist. A golden light appeared out of nowhere, and I could have sworn it almost looked like a snake shaped like an “8.” He tipped his hat to me once and then disappeared into the light.

I never saw him again. But I ain’t never gonna forget that man — the man they call Bladeranger.

The man smiled again as he finished reading the diary. He knew Mender Lazarus would tell him he shouldn’t be here, but what ol’ Lazzie didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Besides, he knew it was almost time for this trip “back East,” as he referred to it, to come to its close this time around. Bladeranger walked out onto the street from the museum, adjusted his hat on his head and triggered the Ouroboros portal. From there, he would be headed back home — the open plains of the Old West.

Bladeranger checked the small calendar display Lazarus had given him to make sure he always returned to the proper date. It read July 22, 1885. I was over in Virginia City when I made this trip, he chuckled to himself. Seems I’ve got a bit of a run ahead of me when I get back.

With a smile on his face, Bladeranger stepped through the golden portal and vanished.

---

Astris, nice story, was impressive and a good read. Heck I read this when I was tired as heck but I still think it's another great entry. This is not going to be an easy top three judgement for me at this point with so many good entries.

4 More Days to enter left. I'm keeping track of my scores, and I have to get another PERC member to award the reward in-game money to the top 3, since I am lacking the money to pay on my game account until next Thursday. In hindsight I should have put the deadline for last Friday, since my account deactivates on 10/12/10 at midnight. Still thanks to all the contestants.

Hi everyone, I'm MP the 2nd chair of PERC. Toxic asked me to drop in over here and spread some good news! Although he is away from game for the next few days, I will handing out prizes for the winners, and the prizes are now DOUBLED!!!

So for First we have 200 mill, Second will be 120 mill, and Third will be 80 mill!

Showcase that awesome writing! I can't wait to see all your entries and help judge them


Good luck,

MP


PS- You can also enter on other servers if you would like, but you need to enter with a different story (each server has separate prizes and judging). I am currently hosting this on Freedom, Infinity, and Guardian and another PERC member is hosting on Liberty.

Here is an even bigger twist, how about since a good friend allowed me to play (they paid) How about we keep your double prizes and we both judge this contest?

Alright well the last day is finally here no more entries so far I have sent my judgements to MP not sure what her opinion is as of yet trying to work together.

We (Myself and MP) are still working on the scores and will announce the winners some time early next week.

Should have the winners to post up and pay by Tuesday 10/19/10

We have out winners. All of the entries were great! Mp and Myself had to pull in two other judges just to help us get the final scores. Here are your winners.
1st Place - Obsidious
2nd Place - Astris
3rd Place - Magentabolt

Congratulations winners! Please send me your in game global chat handles, so that I can get them to MP so that she can send you your winnings.

And I can haz 200M?

Sweet!

I am @Obsidius BTW

If I remember MP's offer yes it should be double prize money.

Hey sweet =)

My handle is @Magenta Bolt