Submission (#3394) Approved
User
Prompt
URL
Submitted
30 June 2023, 20:57:40 UTC (1 year ago)
Processed
1 July 2023, 02:15:22 UTC (1 year ago) by SpaceCereal
Comments
952 words
The banners whipped in the breeze, streaks of colour like the haphazard brush strokes of an enraptured artist across pale canvas. The breaking of morning signalled the beginning of the Solbright Games and with it, Vadi’s heart skipped a beat with excitement. There weren’t many things that stirred his blood but the Solbright Games was one of those - the excitement of the competition, the thrill of barreling towards the finish line, all of it was a tantalising tableau. Approaching the long wooden table manned by several Symprites, Vadi plucked one of the forms off the table and along with a pencil. With a flourish, he wrote his name before returning it with a whoosh of paper.
“So, you want to compete in the aquatic obstacle race?” The Symprite asked as they scanned the piece of paper. Placing a hand on his hip, Vadi’s tail whipped from side to side. “That’s right and not just compete in the obstacle race, I plan on winning it.” The Symprite registering the competitors gave him a flat look, as if he had heard that same cocky line at least a dozen times already that morning. “Yeah, okay. Anyway, here’s your number.” The Symprite held a number out to him, black paint on a circle of white wood, suspended on a cord. Looping it over his head, Vadi bade the Symprite goodbye with a careless wave of his hand before he joined the line of competitors waiting at the start line.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Vadi scanned his competition. There was a vast assortment of Symprites lined up to complete; ones from the arctic, some even from the desert and a few he had never seen before, not even at previous events and celebrations. One Symprite took his eye, a particularly tall and muscular Symprite festooned with white flowers and crimson moss.
“Never seen you before.” Vadi purred as he approached the swamp Symprite. The other Symprite looked down at him with a startling cut of amber eyes, the eyes of a predator. Vadi shuddered with the thrill of the scathing look.
“My name is Vadi and yours?” Vadi asked with a flutter of his eyelashes.
“Malenia…” The other answers with a narrowing of her eyes. Seeming to consider the conversation at an end, Malenia turned her attention back to the obstacle course but Vadi wasn’t satisfied, no, far from it.
“Why don’t we make a bet?” Vadi asked with a vicious curl of his lips. “If I win, you have to make me lunch and tell me all about yourself and..if you win, well, tell me lovely, what is it that you’d want? You may not realise but you stand before one of the foremost crafters of poisons and medicines. My rare corals have all sorts of corals that I can coax out of them with the right treatment…so, do I have your interest?”
For a moment, Vadi thought Malenia might simply ignore him but the moment the word medicine passed his lips, Malenia shifted subtly, her ears twitching. Got you. Vadi thought to himself.
“The medicine…” Malenia began softly. “For this…” She gestured to the toxicity on her legs and arms, the ghost of a grimace passing over her features before she quickly concealed it behind a mask of stoicism.
“Ah, well that is quite advanced…I can treat but not cure that. Help with the pain for a while, at least.” But do we still have a deal?”
Malenia gave him a firm affirmative nod of her head. “Deal, I’ll wait for you at the finish line.” Malenia returned her attention to the obstacle course, her gaze as piercing as the specimen needle on a butterfly board.
Chuckling to himself, Vadi turned his attention to the race and just a few moments later, the flag was waved and all of the competitors surged forward. The race had begun. Pushing himself as hard as he could, sand sprayed under Vadi’s hoof as he propelled himself towards the race.
Floating structures made of wood had been constructed on the course, with the first obstacle presented being a slalom of logs that one had to swim around. Malenia was a blur of garnet before him, her red hair a stream of blood that rushed away from him. Vadi swore under his breath and pushed himself harder, wanting, no needing to catch up.
The next obstacle was a pyramid of wood that had been constructed, forcing competitors to climb it and then carefully descend from the other side. Or at least, that had been the intention. Malenia on the other hand, surged out of the water, easily scaling the obstacle before throwing herself off of the obstacle from its apex and with a splash, landed in the water on the other side. The awe of the feat was quickly overshadowed by the realisation that there was no way that he was going to win against her.
Vadi sighed and continued with the swim, determined to at least finish soon after Malenia.
As they competed, the crowd watching on the beach were hollering and screaming, urging friends and family competing in the race to do their best, to push harder.
Finally, Vadi reached the finish line, muscles burning, lungs aching with exertion. Malenia was already waiting there for him, her arms crossed over her chest and an eyebrow raised with expectation.
“Well, the medicine then Vadi?”
Vadi laughed and nodded. “Of course, a deal is a deal. Now, why don’t you come to my reef and whilst I work on your medicine you tell me about yourself?”
Malenia shrugged as she tossed her winner’s toke up in the air and caught it again without looking. “Why not.”
The banners whipped in the breeze, streaks of colour like the haphazard brush strokes of an enraptured artist across pale canvas. The breaking of morning signalled the beginning of the Solbright Games and with it, Vadi’s heart skipped a beat with excitement. There weren’t many things that stirred his blood but the Solbright Games was one of those - the excitement of the competition, the thrill of barreling towards the finish line, all of it was a tantalising tableau. Approaching the long wooden table manned by several Symprites, Vadi plucked one of the forms off the table and along with a pencil. With a flourish, he wrote his name before returning it with a whoosh of paper.
“So, you want to compete in the aquatic obstacle race?” The Symprite asked as they scanned the piece of paper. Placing a hand on his hip, Vadi’s tail whipped from side to side. “That’s right and not just compete in the obstacle race, I plan on winning it.” The Symprite registering the competitors gave him a flat look, as if he had heard that same cocky line at least a dozen times already that morning. “Yeah, okay. Anyway, here’s your number.” The Symprite held a number out to him, black paint on a circle of white wood, suspended on a cord. Looping it over his head, Vadi bade the Symprite goodbye with a careless wave of his hand before he joined the line of competitors waiting at the start line.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Vadi scanned his competition. There was a vast assortment of Symprites lined up to complete; ones from the arctic, some even from the desert and a few he had never seen before, not even at previous events and celebrations. One Symprite took his eye, a particularly tall and muscular Symprite festooned with white flowers and crimson moss.
“Never seen you before.” Vadi purred as he approached the swamp Symprite. The other Symprite looked down at him with a startling cut of amber eyes, the eyes of a predator. Vadi shuddered with the thrill of the scathing look.
“My name is Vadi and yours?” Vadi asked with a flutter of his eyelashes.
“Malenia…” The other answers with a narrowing of her eyes. Seeming to consider the conversation at an end, Malenia turned her attention back to the obstacle course but Vadi wasn’t satisfied, no, far from it.
“Why don’t we make a bet?” Vadi asked with a vicious curl of his lips. “If I win, you have to make me lunch and tell me all about yourself and..if you win, well, tell me lovely, what is it that you’d want? You may not realise but you stand before one of the foremost crafters of poisons and medicines. My rare corals have all sorts of corals that I can coax out of them with the right treatment…so, do I have your interest?”
For a moment, Vadi thought Malenia might simply ignore him but the moment the word medicine passed his lips, Malenia shifted subtly, her ears twitching. Got you. Vadi thought to himself.
“The medicine…” Malenia began softly. “For this…” She gestured to the toxicity on her legs and arms, the ghost of a grimace passing over her features before she quickly concealed it behind a mask of stoicism.
“Ah, well that is quite advanced…I can treat but not cure that. Help with the pain for a while, at least.” But do we still have a deal?”
Malenia gave him a firm affirmative nod of her head. “Deal, I’ll wait for you at the finish line.” Malenia returned her attention to the obstacle course, her gaze as piercing as the specimen needle on a butterfly board.
Chuckling to himself, Vadi turned his attention to the race and just a few moments later, the flag was waved and all of the competitors surged forward. The race had begun. Pushing himself as hard as he could, sand sprayed under Vadi’s hoof as he propelled himself towards the race.
Floating structures made of wood had been constructed on the course, with the first obstacle presented being a slalom of logs that one had to swim around. Malenia was a blur of garnet before him, her red hair a stream of blood that rushed away from him. Vadi swore under his breath and pushed himself harder, wanting, no needing to catch up.
The next obstacle was a pyramid of wood that had been constructed, forcing competitors to climb it and then carefully descend from the other side. Or at least, that had been the intention. Malenia on the other hand, surged out of the water, easily scaling the obstacle before throwing herself off of the obstacle from its apex and with a splash, landed in the water on the other side. The awe of the feat was quickly overshadowed by the realisation that there was no way that he was going to win against her.
Vadi sighed and continued with the swim, determined to at least finish soon after Malenia.
As they competed, the crowd watching on the beach were hollering and screaming, urging friends and family competing in the race to do their best, to push harder.
Finally, Vadi reached the finish line, muscles burning, lungs aching with exertion. Malenia was already waiting there for him, her arms crossed over her chest and an eyebrow raised with expectation.
“Well, the medicine then Vadi?”
Vadi laughed and nodded. “Of course, a deal is a deal. Now, why don’t you come to my reef and whilst I work on your medicine you tell me about yourself?”
Malenia shrugged as she tossed her winner’s toke up in the air and caught it again without looking. “Why not.”
Rewards
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| Solbright Games Swag | 1 |
| Diamond | 1 |
Characters
SYM-190: Vadi
No rewards set.
SYM-250: Malenia
No rewards set.