#within hiphehoun

[athenajbrooks]

Challenge #1

POV: Cloud

"Your uncle?" Ray kept whispering to Cloud as they wound through side streets. "Do I look old enough to be your uncle?"

"Kinda," Carlarai stated.

Cloud shrugged defensively. Ray was indeed more than twice his age, and his chiseled, angular features didn't read as "baby-faced" in the slightest.

"I could have said 'grandpa,'" Cloud kidded.

Ray punched him in the shoulder with a thick fist, making him stumble. Even with the armor hidden under Cloud's loose tunic, it hurt.

"I'm more worried about how you claimed I'm your sister," Carlarai said. "We look nothing alike. You're gonna start rumors about us and our imaginary parents."

"Hey, it worked, didn't it? Why are you guys picking on me?"

Ray pushed them past the mouth of a new street they'd almost obliviously walked past. He pointed. "There. Found 'em."

DQors paced in front of a wooden cart laden with shining stained-glass trinkets. He had one of the trinkets in his fingers, spinning the metal rings around the little colored glass ball in the middle. It looked really pretty. Cloud wondered if he'd have a moment to admire the stuff on the cart himself. Keldie would probably love a souvenir.

On a bench nearby, Laijha noticed them immediately. He stood, his tense posture relaxing.

"Is everything all right?" he asked in Nunepian Common as he approached.

It was weird seeing him without the scar that ran from his right brow down to his jaw. He'd hidden it, insisting that it was too clearly the result of a demon attack--something that rarely happened here in Monr. Cloud disagreed, but there was no talking Laijha out of his paranoia.

"We got stopped at the checkpoint," Ray explained in the same language. "Cloud talked us in."

"Always pack an honorary Monrine with you, is what I learned," Carlarai praised.

Why did her compliments have to also be insults? Cloud made a face at her.

Laijha gave Cloud a grateful nod. "Glad you made it," he said to the group. "Let's find our way downtown."

POV: Carlarai

"Your uncle?" Ray kept whispering to Cloud as they wound through side streets. "Do I look old enough to be your uncle?"

"Kinda," Carlarai told him, resisting the urge to snicker. Besides Laijha, Ray was the oldest Adventurer, but apparently he was in denial about it.

"I could have said 'grandpa,'" Cloud kidded.

Ray punched him in the shoulder--not hard, but Cloud was half his size. Cloud stumbled.

"I'm more worried about how you claimed I'm your sister," Carlarai said. She took in his caramel-brown hair and scrawny stature. They were close to the same unimpressive height, which Carlarai found hilarious, but that was where the similarities ended. "We look nothing alike. You're gonna start rumors about us and our imaginary parents."

"Hey, it worked, didn't it? Why are you guys picking on me?"

Carlarai was about to tease him for whining, but a heavy hand turned her down a new side street.

"There," said Ray, pointing. "Found 'em."

The goal was to look casual, but the other two members were failing. DQors drew Carlarai's eye immediately. He paced in front of a vendor's cart, fiddling with a gold and stained-glass trinket like a member of a pickpocketing gang might flip a coin to signal a target was nearby. He remained fixated on the twirling golden rings, giving an air of cool aloofness that would attract any Knight's attention.

Laijha's posture was tense, and his eyes flitted nervously to every corner like he expected a demon to pop out at them. His right hand lingered to where his sword would be if it weren't hidden in his enchanted supplies pouch. When he noticed them, the worry on his face melted away.

"Is everything all right?" he asked in Nunepian Common as he approached.

Carlarai noticed him looking mostly at her and Cloud. She pressed her lips tight, suppressing an exasperated sigh. They weren't helpless babies.

"We got stopped at the checkpoint," Ray explained. "Cloud talked us in."

"Always pack an honorary Monrine with you, is what I learned," Carlarai praised. Cloud scrunched his face at her in a rather adorable manner.

Laijha gave Cloud a grateful nod. "Glad you made it," he said to the group. "Let's find our way downtown."

POV: Laijha

Five minutes passed. Then fifteen. Perhaps it wasn't wise to send the two Saviors in the same group. Losing either of them to Monr's guards would be disastrous, but losing both would be worse.

Ray will protect them, Laijha told himself. The man had been fighting demons for seven years. He was strong and excellent with a halberd. There was no better bodyguard for Cloud and Carlarai than him.

As the minutes stretched by, Laijha was anxiously aware of the occasional glances from the merchants on the street. Most passersby strolled down the street with hardly a pause. He and DQors had been waiting here for long enough to grab attention. He pulled up the collar of traveling cloak to ensure the armor beneath was hidden. Here in the heart of Aldea's enemy kingdom, stealth was imperative.

DQors had gotten restless enough to purchase a shiny gold and stained glass fidget toy from one of the vendors' carts.

"By the way," he heard DQors say in Common, "I'm supposed to meet with someone. Have you seen her, perhaps? A girl with long blue hair? About this tall?"

He held his hand three inches below his own height.

The vendor replied that she had seen no one like that. DQors thanked her and got to pacing the street, twirling the toy's golden rings with a finger.

When DQors wandered close, Laijha asked, "How are you handling this?"

Mesmerized by the glittering stained glass orb in the center of the spinning rings, DQors shrugged and answered without looking up. "It's a lot. New sights. New sounds. Danger around every corner."

It was what Laijha expected him to say. DQors had returned from his first quest as an apprentice an overwhelmed wreck and practically begged Laijha to let him work from headquarters as much as possible. Now here they were, in the heart of Monr, across the continent from home.

"With your expertise, we'll find her quickly," Laijha promised.

"We'd better."

DQors returned to pacing.

Soon, familiar voices came from around the corner. Ray, Carlarai, and Cloud appeared in view. They looked unharmed. Both young apprentices had the remains of laughter in their faces.

A flood of relief washed away the heavy tension in Laijha's body. He eagerly stood and approached. Aware of the vendors sneaking glances, he spoke in Common, "Is everything all right?"

"We got stopped at the checkpoint," Ray explained. "Cloud talked us in."

Cloud smiled humbly. He looked so much like his mother. He was proving to be as valuable to the Adventurers as she had been, too.

"Always pack an honorary Monrine with you, is what I learned," Carlarai praised, giving Cloud her signature playful smirk. Cloud gave her an offended look.

Laijha wanted to remind him that "Monrine" wasn't an insult, but now wasn't the time for a lecture. One of his students was in the hands of their enemies, somewhere in this city.

"Glad you made it," he said to the group. "Let's find our way downtown."

A Day in an Unfamiliar City | Week 1

You’ve found yourself at the edge of a small street where the walls are high and there are flowers creeping up them. As you walk further along, you can see that the street opens up to a little square, and further on past that many more streets could take you away into new parts of this city you're ready to explore. But first, you need to meet up with the people you plan to do this exploring with.

You see a group of strangers chatting front of a street vendor, the place you're meant to meet them. What sort of characters will you find yourself spending this time with?

Challenge option one: write the scene where your characters come together, from the pov of each of them, including as much information about them as you can sneak naturally into the scene.

Challenge option two: the characters have met, and personalities are clashing, goals are diverging, and trust is strung up high, just out of reach. Write a scene from each character's pov that introduces personal conflicts between one or more of them.

These scenes need not be canonical to your story. The goal of these challenges to help you better know your characters: the way they think, the things they want, and how they all differ from each other.

Bonus challenge HARD MODE: write the scenes and then edit them. Objectively. Like you didn't even write them. You're just making them better. No big deal.

Have fun this week and keep an eye out for extra games and challenges!

(You can continue to reblog the sign-up post and join the event at any point. Please tag this blog with whatever you create for the challenges.)

[athenajbrooks]

Adventurers of the Seven Kingdoms book 3: Within Hiphehoun is in the works!

Here's a snippet of my opening scene to celebrate! ✨✨💫

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    Carlarai rushed from one classroom to the next, looking for anyone who might be trapped or injured. The distant sounds of chaos echoed from every corner of the School of the Kingdoms. There weren’t any demons in this wing, as far as she knew–she’d destroyed all the ones she’d come across–but several more still roamed the floors below. Occasionally, a howl would reach her ears, and Carlarai held her flaming firesteel dagger in front of her, waiting for one of those twisted hyena-like creatures to jump out at her.

    Carlarai whipped around and held out her spellcasting hand at the sound of footsteps coming in her direction. It was just Alchemy and Astrid rounding the corner. Alchemy was frantically buckling his belt full of gadget holsters around his waist. He wore his armored vest over his Skydance clothes. Carlarai couldn’t wait to tease him about his terrible fashion choices later, particularly his lack of real pants.

    “Oh, good, it’s just you,” Carlarai breathed. “Wings A, B, and C are all clear, by the way. I got everyone headed for the emergency hovercar ports and slaughtered a ton of demons.”

    “Excellent. We just finished evacuating the other three wings,” Astrid reported. She wiped sweat from her forehead. Into her APAD, on which the Adventurers’ emergency channel was open, she asked, “Laijha, DQors, and Cloud, where are we needed?”

    “Bottom floor,” came DQors’ reply. “More of these things keep trying to come through the doors. Laijha’s doing his best outside, but he can’t guard all the entrances at once.”

    Cloud spoke up, “I think I got most of the demons, but, um, I’m all alone on the second floor since Astrid went upstairs to give Alchemy his stuff, and I’m scared.”

    “Okay. I’m coming to your aid, DQors. Carlarai and Alchemy, help Cloud clear the second floor.”

    With that, Astrid took off toward the nearest stairs. Carlarai and Alchemy followed.

    This staircase happened to be the one with a landing near the infirmary on the second floor. While Astrid continued downstairs, Carlarai and Alchemy stepped into the hallway.

    “Watch out, coming through!” alerted a voice from the elevator tile on their left.

    The tile clicked into place, and the two Adventurers backed against the wall as two EMTs hurried past, flanking a levitating stretcher. On it, a first-year boy lay groaning in pain, clutching his heavily-bleeding right arm. His right leg, too, bled from several puncture wounds. Bite marks. Carlarai winced. The sight of blood didn’t bother her, but that looked incredibly gnarly and painful.

    As she and Alchemy passed the open infirmary door, a voice called out after them, “Princess?”

    They stopped and turned. The head nurse, Nareda, leaned out the door. The wrinkled skin beneath her eyes was wet with tears. Her face fell when she noticed Astrid wasn’t with them.

    “Just missed her. What’s up?” Carlarai asked.

    “I–” Nareda stopped. She shook her head and sniffled. “I wanted to ask if her life-type powers are up to…a certain task…N-nevermind…”

    Carlarai and Alchemy looked at each other, wide-eyed with gut-wrenching horror. Life types were best known for their exclusive ability to do a resurrection spell.

    Alchemy gasped. “Is…is someone dead?”

    “Two,” Nereda wailed. “A first year and a fourth year. But, I suppose it’s more important the Princess stays on task. We need these intruders gone.”

    A first year. Of course Carlarai cared about the fourth year’s death as well, but a first year’s death was more of a problem. What if it was the sixth hero? Or one of her friends? Was it Renaq?

    “Who–?” she started to ask, but just then, someone inside the infirmary called for Nereda’s help. The distraught woman hurried back inside.

    Carlarai’s body trembled with adrenaline like she’d been electrocuted. She gripped the handle of her dagger and marched down the hall. No way in Nunepi was she going to let these demons kill anyone else.

[athenajbrooks]

For the rescue team in Within Hiphehoun:

1. Cloud, probably. He appreciates pretty things. DQors might want something to fiddle with.

2. Ray. 100%, Ray would silently (or maybe not silently) judge his apprentice for buying something useless.

3. Cloud would get something for his sister and dad. Carlarai would get something for her friends, but only if she's visiting a place her friends might never get to see.

4. None, although Carlarai is for sure the most likely to make impulsive purchases.

5. Maybe Laijha? He's been in a dangerous occupation for a long time. It's hard to justify unnecessary purchases if you know you might die later that day.

6. None

7. Cloud, an artist himself

8. None

9. Ray. They're there to rescue a kidnapped teenager, after all.

10. Laijha, the quest leader, has his head on a swivel for any sign of danger.

Mini-challenge! The Tempting Tchotchkes asks

You and your new acquaintances are gathered by a vendor selling pretty but fairly useless items. What a person is willing to collect or discard can be an excellent opportunity to subtly show values and desires. Who is buying? Who isn't?

Who is most likely to purchase a frivolous but happiness-inducing trinket?

Who silently judges the purchase of frivolous items?

Who will always make a purchase to give away to a friend?

Who buys carelessly without really looking just because they like to spend money?

Who stares wistfully at the wares that they can't justify purchasing?

Who observes the wares carefully to try and replicate them later?

Who inquires about the crafting process with the vendor and compliments their skill?

Who gets into an argument with the vendor about the wares' assumed value or lack thereof?

Who can't wait to move on and shows no interest in dallying whatsoever?

Who is too busy counting heads or making lunch plans to even notice the vendor at all?