As Darkness Falls

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Yay! Won 1st place C:
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A quick contest submission for Neopets. I originally thought a story had to be written along with it, but when I entered in the text, it only gave a 25 character limit. So much for writing one. Since it has no where else to go, I'll just stick it here on my dA. Apologies for any lameness/bad grammar/etc. I wrote it at 4 am in the morning with a bad cold.

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Thick clouds swirled through the starless sky as a Maractite Hissi, seemingly lost, slithered along the rocky terrain.

"Where am I? I should have arrived at Neopia Central's Battledome Arena before nightfall," she said to herself. A cold breeze blew by and she pulled her Mystical White Cloak closer in. "So much for gearing up already," she muttered, "had I known this was going to happen, I would have prepared more than just battle equipment."

There was a soft hiss and a dark shadow sped by.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" the Hissi demanded. She stood still for a few moments, but all was quiet. "Great, now I'm seeing things too. If I don't find my way to Neopia Central soon, who knows what will happen."

As she hurried along through the canyon, she had the feeling that she was being followed. Several times the Hissi turned around only to see the endless maze of rocks staring back at her.

A sudden blast of cold wind hit the Neopet as a shadow flew by. "Myyyy, don't you look ready for some action," a soft voice hissed, "and where may you be heading off to at such a late hour with such fine battle armor?"

"Wh-wh-who are you? What do you want? Have you been following me all this time?" the Hissi stammered.

"So many questionsss, why don't you answer mine?" the voice whispered. "You look lost, perhaps I can help you out?"

The Hissi looked around, but could not find the source of the voice. She had no choice but to play along—she was clearly at a disadvantage here. "I was off to the Battledome this morning, but I have lost my way. I've been wandering around for hours, yet these rocks are endless."

The voice made a soft squeal of glee. "The Battledome, you say? That explains the equipment. I know exactly where it is, having been there many times."

"Really?!" the Hissi excalaimed. Perhaps this mysterious stranger could help her after all!

"Oh yesss, definitely. However, I don't think you need to arrive at your destination any longer," the speaker cackled.

"Wh-what is that supposed to mean," the Hissi whimpered.

"I meant what I said. Since you were planning to battle, the SHADOW USUL WILL GIVE YOU THE BATTLE OF YOUR LIFETIME!"

A strong gust blew out the Hissi's torch, but not before she got a quick glimpse of her attacker—small dark shadow with a pair of gleaming yellow eyes. And all went dark.


I had to clear out any potential gore/violence because it's for neopets