"A rabbit is on point? Put the hippocampus there."

He didn't look up. "She's a Bulbori, and he's a Kelpari."

His sister leaned over him. "Whatev, that plague of zombies is gonna destroy Umbra Forest."

He replied absently, "They're Nightfall Bandits."

"Oh, I remember. It's that sitewide event where you have to protect the fairies against the current apocalypse."

The boy sighed and gave up on defending Esior's Haven. "You don't even remember what's in Umbra Forest. You played for all of three weeks, two years ago. And this is my computer time, not yours. What. Do. You. Want."

"Who says I want anything?"

Her brother glared. "True, someone like you would interrupt my only escape from this house just to be a jerk."

"Okay, I do want something; you must be clairvoyant. Mom says do your homework and finish the laundry." She placed an object on the desk. "And here, your inheritance from Great-Aunt arrived in the mail."

He saw a tarnished ring, two of three stones missing, and a paper scrap. Of course, she opened my mail, he thought bitterly. The ring fit him perfectly. "At least she left something to me." His sister smacked his head, hard. "Ow! You snotf--"

"Language!" barked their father, without looking up from his tablet. The boy had forgotten he was even in the living room with them. "For that, you will clean the bathroom this week. Now go do the laundry and your homework."

"But it's her turn to clean the bathroom! I didn't even finish saying it!" Their father ignored him, while his sister smirked and reached over to tap on his keyboard. Fuming, he got up, then realized he smelled actual fumes. "Something's burning!"

"My banana bread!" She bolted from the room.

"Don't run in the house," said their father.

But she doesn't get punished, thought the boy.

Onscreen, the raid was over. He looked at his beautiful team, at his hoard of gold, and sat down again. "Who wouldn't rather be in Sylestia than here." Then he picked up the scrap of paper. Apparently it had been tied to the ring, but the thread had broken. Teeny letters on the handrwritten note read:

There's one wish left. Beward the usual curse of wishes. It takes the language LITERALLY. Better save it until you grow up. Your loving Great-Aunty.

"If I live to grow up," the boy muttered. He looked at his smiling avatar on the screen. "I wish I could become a Sylestia character."

He blinked. The screen had assumed a three-dimensional appearance. "Wow, this is new! Why wasn't there an announcement?"

He started to type, then halted the action. Something else wasn't right. He saw that his new ring's third stone was a shattered mess. Onscreen, the three-dimensional effect deepened. "Whoa. What if I can become a Sylestia character and escape all this?"

The boy reached into the screen.

* * *

After salvaging the banana bread as best she could, the girl scampered back to the computer, in a fever to play her own online game on her brother's time while he was occupied. She did a double-take when she saw the screen. "Huh. That must be a new pose. Good art. It looks like the avatar has its hands pressed against the inside of the screen. But that wide-open mouth looks stupid."

Then she logged the computer out of her brother's Sylestia account.

Asami ran, her lungs straining and her legs aching from how long shed been pushing herself. She could still hear the crunching of breaking branches as the pursuing zombies broke through the brush behind her. She reached out with her power, trying not to trip over her own feet as she hunted for somewhere she could escape. There--an opening big enough for her to squeeze through, but much too small for her pursuers to follow. She dodged left, barely avoiding a swipe from a new zombie. The opening--ahead--she dove for it, her hind legs scrabbling for purchase as she shoved herself into the hole in the ground. Footsteps rumbled around her as she pushed herself deeper into what turned out to be an abandoned burrow. Once she was sure she was safe, she flopped down on her belly, wishing she could afford to rest. But her friends and homeland, and possibly all of Sylestia, were depending on her.

It had only been three days earlier when the first Sylesti had fallen sick. No one had worried about a lone Nyvene lashing out at anyone that came near him, but they soon learned to their sorrow that it hadnt been anger that drove the Nyvene, but sickness. The new disease spread like wildfire, inflicting a blinding fever, and the maddening heat drove Sylesti feral. Many had already died, either from the heat cooking their bodies or from injuries inflicted by other Sylesti.

Out of everyone who knew, and wasnt infected, Asami had been chosen to seek out help for two reasons: as a Nephini, she could fly far and fast, and she personally was clairvoyant, so she could hunt down any rare ingredients if they were necessary for a cure. Shed set off as soon as the decision had been made; if the Mad Fever spread outside her home valley, it could turn into an apocalypse.

Asami had gone to the fairies first, expecting their aid, and had been frightened when the fairies told her there was nothing they could do to stop the spread of the disease. Before she could panic, the fairies had told her that deep in Umbra Forest, there was an enchanted lake, guarded by an ancient immortal Kelpari. If water was taken forcibly from the lake, it would sicken and blight whoever touched it, but if the guardian gave permission, the waters magic would cure any disease and mend any wound. Theyd given her a flask that looked small but could carry enough water for thousands of Sylestis to drink their fill, and shed set out in search of the lake.

Shed been too intent on her mission and hadnt noticed the dark figure of a Nightfall sorcerer waiting in ambush. The sorcerer must have known about the plague and wanted to stop Asami from finding a cure. Hed thrown a curse on her, trapping her in the form of a Bulbori--taking away her wings and giving her banana-yellow fur that made it impossible for her to hide. In any other circumstance, she would have fled back to the fairies, hoping theyd be able to at least break the curse, but she didnt have the time to waste. Shed had to brave Umbra Forest as she was, in her new Bulbori body, and that brought her to her current predicament: trapped in a burrow, shivering, ears twitching with each groan from the zombies outside.

She had to find some way to escape. Even if the zombies did disappear during the day, she couldnt just wait it out. She inched deeper into the burrow, the dark, wet soil pressing tight around her, staining her fur. She couldnt see, could barely hear--she only had touch and smell to guide her as she made her way through the packed earth.

When the space ran out, she started to panic again, but strangely enough, her new shape served her there. Paws dug on instinct into the earth, pulling the soil free and kicking it behind her. Somehow, despite her exhaustion, she wormed her way up to the surface. Luck was with her for once; there were no enemies in sight and the clinging dirt hid her yellow fur. Her weary body wanted nothing more than to rest, but for the sake of everyone, she pushed herself on.

It was a relief to see light ahead--moonlight reflecting off of still waters. She might not have been a Nephini but she could still feel the magic pulsing from the lake as she approached the shore. She inched closer and stared at her reflection, unable to see into the depths below.

Guardian of the Lake, she called out, please, speak with me.

The surface rippled, and a Kelparis head appeared. A golden crest crowned its violet head, and golden eyes stared hard at Asami. Why have you called me, little one? the Kelpari asked.

Asami had planned an eloquent plea, but as desperate as she was, the words just started to
fall heedlessly from her mouth. She told about the fever, her journey, the fairies promises and gift, and she begged to be allowed to take the water back to save everyone. The Kelpari listened. Asami couldnt tell what it was thinking, but when she finished, it spoke again. Drink for yourself, little one, then take what you need with my blessing. It vanished back under the water.

It took all of her bravery to touch the water. She had barely taken a sip, the cold liquid tasting more of magic than anything else, when her body shuddered, and almost at once she found herself back in her Nephini body. She was thrilled, but didnt have the time to enjoy it. The flask still hung around her neck. She dipped it under the surface of the water and felt the magic flow into it. When it was full, when she was sure, she hugged it close and took to the sky. Hopefully she would be back in time to save everyone.

(~500 words, according to google docs)



Storm, a young clairvoyant, trudged through Umbra Forest, the pain in his head pulsing with each step. Victim of the plague that had ravaged through his hometown, he had fled into the dark, forbidding forest in search of a cure. But now, soaked with sweat and burning with fever, Storm was too exhausted to continue his search. He collapsed under a tree, breathing hard. But suddenly
CRACK.
A sharp crack echoed through the forest. Storm jumped, the movement sending a flare of pain tearing through his skull. He squeezed his eyes close for a moment, then opened them again when the pain had somewhat receded. He sat up gingerly and peered out into the forest.
"Wh-who's there?" Storm called, his voice hoarse from days of unstoppable coughing.
A small Bulbori scampered out from behind a bush, gazing at him with wide eyes. He sighed in relief; there was nothing to worry about. He soon changed his mind, though, when it leapt at him, snarling. Storm scrambled away, alarmed, and stared at the creature, confused. Bulbori were not known for their - they were normally gentle and friendly, never attacking unless cornered.
After a moment, he glanced up, noting that it was far past nightfall which further puzzled him. Bulbori werent nocturnal; this one should be sleeping in its burrow instead of wandering about. But he soon realized that it was dreadfully thin, its cheeks sunken in, and that its eyes were lifeless pools of darkness.
It was a zombie.
Lunging for him again, the Bulbori clawed at him. Storm recoiled, but not quickly enough. The Bulbori managed to land a stinging scratch on his leg. Kicking it away, he scooted against the tree and turned his attention to his wound. The skin around it had immediately blackened and withered, curling into the wound, and it was now oozing a thick, yellow fluid. It released a sickly sweet odor, similar to that of a rotten banana.
Uttering a violent curse, Storm made to retreat, only to realize a Kelpari had slithered out beside him. It had the same gaunt frame as the Bulbori, and its eyes were hollow and soulless pits. One by one, more zombies emerged from the undergrowth, baring their sharp, rotting teeth. The scent of decay filled the air, and he was suddenly stuck with a terrifying vision.
Zombies of every kind filled his village, ripping apart buildings, destroying houses. And in their wake, fairies. Hundreds of thousands of them, their sharp teeth bared into malicious grins as they tear apart the village
He was jolted back to the present when he felt a sharp stab of pain in his stomach and felt warm liquid gushing out. He looked down and, to his horror, saw the Bulbori's claws buried in his belly. The last thing he remembered was a deep, malevolent voice, ringing through the forest.
"Farewell, young clairvoyant The apocalypse has begun."

Wow, very last minute ^^; been avoiding writing. I've never done a spooky story so it was definitely a fun new game to play, hopefully my entry is still acceptable even though most of it takes place in the Spring Fest setting (do skip to Fall Fest though). In all honesty, I still love the Administrators for working so hard, but It'll be hard to live those fruits down

"Wow, I'm so excited for Spring! All the pretty colors!" Said Jinxie, squealing as we walked down the path towards into the egg maze. "I wonder what kind of new things we'll find!" Jinxie continued to ponder as we walked through the lush grass, trying not to get confused.

"I'm hoping to see a rare wild pet, maybe find some cool festive clothing, but who knows, anything can happen." We poked around the corner in search of the key rumored to lead to a strange temple inside the maze, but instead were surprised to see a frightened Bulbori ready to dash. Jinxie jumped back as I quickly rushed to pull a net out of my bag. By the time I had it in my hand, the bunny was already rounding the maze out of sight. "Drats.." I held my head in disappointment.

"What kind of clairvoyant are you, predicting a rare pet! Well, there's always next time!" Jinxie cheered as we continued on, eventually finding the silvery key hidden in a colorfully decorated egg just to the left. "Perfect! Now we've got to hurry and find that temple, who knows what goodies are waiting!" Turns out that 'goody' was Lucilla Luckyhooves, who put up a good fight to keep us from the chest. After defeating the bright Unicorn boss, I excitedly opened up the chest to immediately scream in horror. What IS that cursed thing?? "Is that a.. banana?" Jinxie said, puzzled before taking the fruit. "And an apple? Seems like we took that poor Unicorn's lunch." I pointed a finger at the fruit zombies in the Fairy's hands. "Those are staying in this maze, their beady eyes are... unsettling." Jinxie rolled their eyes at me but agreed to set the fruits back into the chest before we made our way out to finish collecting eggs. " Wh erE do yOu th inK you'Re g oinG?" A hiss came from behind us. We both whipped our heads around to see the nce lifeless fruits poking out from the chest, eyes gleaming. Jinxie cried, looking up and seeing more glowing eyes peering down at us. "Wh-why are there so many?? We have to get out of here!" It felt like a fever dream, seeing those 'innocent' produce glaring at us with such evil expressions. I yanked Jinxie's hand out the entrance, fleeing from the temple plagued with demon fruits back into the Nightfall ridden fields of Spring festival.

. . .

Aeling and I were sitting on top of the hay bales of the hay maze in Umbra Forest, enjoying the Fall fest and. "Wish that Kelpari hadn't taken my last trap.. Now I'll have to go back to those Fairies and spend more of my gold that I could be using to buy more floofles." They sighed. "Did I tell you how many of those demon whips Azazel and Lilith have been dropping too? I could probably make my own nets out of all those." I froze, realizing how many I'd also had drop for me over the past week or so of the Fest.

"It could be a lot worse." I replied, scrunching my nose at the memory.

"How so?" They asked, picking out pieces of hay and pulling them apart.

"It could be the Unicorn Fruit Apocalypse of Spring 2019, that's how." And we left it at that.

It had been an unknowable amount of time since the worldwide {apocalypse}. The {plague} of the {zombies} had long since faded. All that remained was {Umbra Forest} in its perpetual state of {nightfall}. Beyond that was total darkness that not even Ryori dared venture into. Perhaps they were {clairvoyant} and could see the {curse} hidden in that darkness... Something so much worse than zombies or the mundane illnesses and panic that followed... The void {fever} that consumed its victims whole had swallowed the rest of the world. The few {fairies} that remained in Umbra Forest could barely be seen by their glows, dimmed and drained of life force by the encroaching void, slowly floating between black silhouettes of trees like lost souls marooned on listlessly bobbing {banana} boats adrift in an abandoned sea. {Kelpari} and {Bulbori} alike had lost all zest and zeal and everyone moved so slowly. Understandably so as there wasn't very far to go nor much to do upon arrival. So much had been lost and there remained no hope that all remaining things settled into a shadow of life, absently moving through the dark forest as they kept the future out of mind. As they kept most all thoughts out of mind. Almost as if they were a new kind of zombie. Undead of spirit instead of of body...

It was in this place, at this time that a pair of eyes opened.

They glowed darkness, as if that was possible, and gazed blankly, as if seeing what was beyond what was there. Spines chilled and blood froze of those that looked upon these eyes.
And then a streak of panic as beneath the eyes appeared tooth after sharp tooth. A widening mouth yawned open, pausing ever so excruciatingly slightly before terror erupted and everyone ran as fast as their energyless bodies could muster. Silent screams and unheard wishes deafened the quiet motionless air as sluggish chaos unfolded.
And the mouth closed.

Another piece of Umbra Forest was gone.

The man staggered into the now deserted town square cradling his precious package as frightened faces peered out at him from behind shutters and dusty windows. Nightfall was quickly approaching and his fever burned steadily. Time was running out.

Normally, this square would be packed, especially on market day where vendors hawked their wares: everything from the freshest produce to exotic goods like Bulbori gems which were fabled to ward away diseases.

Ah those cursed Bulbori gems, the man thought bitterly, that's where all the trouble began. No one wished to acknowledge the sacrifices which must be made to harvest the gems. Their actions were justified by the gem's usefulness, and so the townspeople moved on with their lives, their consciences appeased.

Ah how quickly an apocalypse can change our peaceful lives. Until recently, the townspeople had an uneasy peace with the fairies, but all that changed when the fairies took notice of the townspeople's cruel treatment of their Sylestis. Innocent bulboris were brutally slaughtered for commercial gain, dignified Kelparis were forced to haul the boats from port to port. The fairies had had enough. They cast a curse on the bulbori gems. Anyone who came into contact with a gem contracted a plague-like illness which caused their minds become zombie-like before eventually succumbing to the disease. Worse, they created a magical border around the town through which only Sylestis and those infected could cross.

The townspeople have tried to send the infected out to get help, but none have returned. As the days passed, their supplies began to run low and people were succumbing to the plague at an alarming rate. The man sought out the village clairvoyant where he was told that the only way to lift the curse was to find the fairies deep in the Umbra Forest and plead for their mercy.

And now he had returned. These are proud people, would they accept the fairies' offer? Only one way to find out...The man took a deep breath and with the last of his strength, projected his deep voice across the square. "I have returned from the fairies with a cure." He glimpsed a rustle of movement as people began appearing at their doors, poking their heads out of their windows. Good, he thought, I have their attention.

He peeled back the vibrant purple skin like a banana revealing the iridescent flesh. He gently placed the fruit on the ground before he announcing, "One spoonful per person will combat the symptoms. The fairies have given us this one chance to mend our ways. We will stop our cruel practices. We must let our Sylestis choose if they wish to remain with us. The fairies will come again in a month to pass their final verdict."

The man crumpled onto the platform, too weak to support himself. The mayor rushed up and knelt beside him, his face creased with worry. "Hold on friend, give us time to make the potion. We owe you that."

"No." The man's voice was soft but firm. "I'm too far gone. Besides," he added as the mayor shook his head in protest, "There's someone I want to see."

And with that, he closed his eyes for the last time.

1st Place

Winner: Grapejuice (View Entry), Oiseau (View Entry)

Prizes: Free Stable, [Peerless Avatar Token] x1, 3-Visible Fall Festival Themed Pet of Choice (2-Vis if Majestic) OR Brew Catalyst of Choice, [Expedient Brew Agent] x1, [Premium Vial Holder] x2, [Box of Brewing Supplies] x1, [Box of Brewing Agents] x3


2nd Place

Winner: Celticnuru (View Entry), Creativity (View Entry), SpaceElf1 (View Entry)

Prizes: Free Stable, [Majestic Brew Catalyst] x1 OR [Fabled Brew Catalyst] x1, [Expedient Brew Agent] x1, [Premium Vial Holder] x1, [Box of Brewing Supplies] x1, [Box of Brewing Agents] x3


All Participants
With valid submissions

Prizes: Title: Ghost Writer, [Fabled Brew Catalyst] x1, [Box of Brewing Agents] x2, [Chocolate Coins] x500