DROCA Round 8

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<sub>Date: 3 - 1 - 2060

It's been quiet and boring in contrast to the previous year. While not everything is "normal" the past few months have been the closest to my previous life that I'm ever going to get with Lyra "attached" to me yet I would never give that up. We don't argue like we did, we just bicker like old couples and I'm starting to believe that she truly is my external soul. Sometimes I wonder if I could live without her if she were to die now or that we would die together as a single person.

I'll quickly recap what I did since my last entry, I didn't see any point to update it until recent events but I'll get to that after the recap. When I left the Island, me and Lyra flew out of the fog until we were in the sunshine from where we could see the distant Australian shores. Logically we headed for those shores and landed on a vacant beach chosen for its distant from any settlements. From here we travelled on foot, mostly keeping to the bush but on the occasions that I had to enter towns, for whatever reason, Lyra paralleled my own path safely hidden in the surrounding vegetation. We always avoided large towns and cities. We occasionally wished that she hadn't grown so big since hatching.

In just over a week from landing on the Australian shores we got ourselves employed as guards for a small town. They didn't know about Lyra and I was luckily posted on one of the more dangerous sides were a thick bushland boarded the town so Lyra could always disappear easily. The money wasn't good but seeing at least I got the occasionally gift from a thankyou town person and had a decently safe place to sleep at night (I had a makeshift two-roomed house).

I've been living there, fending of all sorts of creatures and relaxing until a day ago when that bloody demon came around. I was in the local bar when I heard Lyra mentally calling for me. She wasn't in trouble but it felt urgent and I left as soon as was inconspicuous. It took me about ten minutes to reach my little hut and the trusty old machine gun that I was given for the job. It wasn't much against some of the creatures here but it did leave it's mark.

I followed her mental voice into the dense bushland and listened with all my senses to the rustling shrubs and active scutterlings of the normal creatures amongst the plants. It wasn't long before I found her in a makeshift nest and cocked my gun slightly to the left of her head. It wasn't her nor did she flinch at the gun. She knew what I was doing before I even had done it, a cool trick of being bonded.

I was nearly frightened shitless and if it hadn't been for the fact that this wasn't the first time I had seen it, I wouldn't have been
able to put on my neutral face while pointing the gun at its face with a steady hand. The demon stared back at me with an easy smile yet it was hard to ignore the glint in his completely black eyes. It stalked towards me with an easy grace, perhaps it was an inherited ability from the body it was using, I couldn't tell just like the first time. It talked to me, seemingly ignoring Lyra, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to remember it all because the conversation started of with a casual chat about me and my new experiences.

Then it started to turn towards the Winged and before I know it I've been half convinced that the Angel Winged are evil and need to be exterminated to prevent the real Angels taking over. I don't remeber telling him about the Dragon or its riddle but it seemed to know about it. I tried to defend the Winged but he kept turning the conversation around before I finally just snarled "Why the hell did you come, you didn't come for a chat."

As I glared at the demon, daring it to disagree he replied with slyly "I haven't asked for anything of you after my gift I gave you." I refused to scratch the black mark at the base of my neck but I couldn't forget my affinity with animals. Once you can talk to them you can never go back.

"I just wanted to make sure my investment was still intact" The slick demon replied.
I lifted my gun a little higher, making sure his head was in my sights. "O' really? It doesn't seem like it to me." I replied coolly.

He seemed a little ticked off but replied just as coolly, maybe a little coldly, "We have a two way contract and I need you too do your end. Simply get rid of the 'Angel Winged' and I won't ask you of anything else."
"And what if you refuse? Are you just going to take back the contract?"

"Not at all, this contract doesn't end unless I say it does but I can motivate you otherwise." He cast a glance at Lyra, "No doubt there are things you care about, things that I could easily cleanse."

We stared like wolves before I finally looked down. "Fine"

"Good choice."

I looked up but he was already gone. I grumbled as Lyra came over to comfort me. We didn't need words and as the bush resumed its nightly activities I managed to settle down.

So that's the recap including the recent events and now I'm packing (mainly stealing) what I need. I've still got to figure out where these Winged are.</sub>

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DROCA Round 7 Summary

<sub>After the Bearers and Soul Creatures meeting with the Dragon they went their separate ways, some staying together, but all returned to a near normal life. With very little information to work with the Dragons words it appears as if the journey is at an end for most.

Months later, while going about their daily lives, the demon who had made the deal with each Bearer reappears in their life once more. Not all the demons kept their original appearance making them unrecognisable to some. Each demons forces the Bearers to seek out and kill the Angel Winged in some way whether it was by coaxing, out-witting, threatening or with near-death. In some cases loved ones where killed to make a point.</sub>

I've provided the information about the Winged here: [link] which is more accurate than previously. Remember that the Winged are not actually demons or angels.

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Rules and Guidelines

Literature entries can be no more than 6000 words (this is because it takes a very long time to read those very long entries and fairly judge them)

Art entries can be no more than 10 pages long

The judging guideline is as follows judge out of 5:
Technique
Originality
Scenario
Suppplementary
Impact

1 (poor) -> 2 -> 3 (average) -> 4 -> 5 (Excellent)</ub>

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