User: THGF1234

Name: Samuel de Sapphiron

Blood trickled down my bloody nose from Noah. I moaned softly as blood cascaded down my cheeks. I felt a stab of pain as I was dropped and Noah was on top of me. I was dying, slowly dying...

I woke again to pain. This was real. My fight with Noah was in a dream but the wound was real. Noah was shocked. Millicent was slightly baffled. I moaned and Millicent darted her eyes on me. The hatch opened and faint screams ringed my ears.

Two medics surrounded me and Guarde picked up Millicent and Noah, taking them out. They cleaned the dry and wet blood, cleaning the wounds. Then the bandaged my nose, leaving airways for my nostrils.

They helped me up and I went out of the nightmare that I had in the "last twelve hours" they told me. I saw wounded apprentices like Penny and Serena, and some confused and shocked, like Millicent and Luke.

But not all was standing, as there was also some dead. I scanned the bodies, Hazel, Sofia, Maya, Catherine, Miles, Cole, Ruby and eight others who lost the deadly battles of the first stage. Out of nine in our alliance, two was lost. I was horrified.

I walked toward the entrance, then a hand grabbed my shoulder, stopping my walking. It was Thomas. "Don't. Leave." he said sternly. He passed me a sapphire blue bandanna and escorted me to some large steel doors. I clenched my ring back on my finger.

I walked in and saw a large room with three dark hallways branching off. I saw five other apprentices in the room. I saw Serena, part of Adam's, who I knew was dead, alliance. I walked over to her and talked to her about what we were going to do next.

A screen popped on and Kate's voice crackled through the speakers and echoed through the tunnels. "Welcome to Stage Two. Half of you are in the treetop realm and the other half are in a underwater atlantis realm. There are four teams, two in each realm who has to battle to the end. She explains the treetops's task first, where I zone out and adjusted my ring repeatedly.

She then turns to us, "Those in the atlantis realm have to get all of the living team members to the center of the maze first. There are puzzles and traps. Good luck." She vanishes with a zap, and silence echoes through the area. We prepare for what is coming next.

Let Stage Two Begin.

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User: Rdmwrites

Name: Ripley Alician

They were pumping something into me when I awoke. Pain flooded my body quickly, dulling all my other senses, as color and light bombarded my eyes. They had pricked my skin, and have a drippy thingy pumping stuff into me. That was probably the least weird of the things flooding my mind right now, however.

I killed someone. The memories of the ruined city were flashing through my mind. I had killed her, and I enjoyed it. Every second of it. The blood on my hands, the image of her broken body laying limp on the floor. And still, I only felt a twinge of regret. Because I had a new potential. I was able to do things like that. In this crazy, screwed up life, I have the ability of life at my finger tips. The most valuable thing, and I can destroy it whenever I please. It felt comforting to have something I was in control of.

No, stop it Ripley. That's sickening. Why did you enjoy that? Why don't you feel bad for the girl you killed? My neck and face were covered in dried blood, deep gashes through my cheek and my collar bone. There was blood everywhere, dried up, dripping from my ears, arms, all over me. Yet the weird stuff being pumped into my veins seems to full the pain, so it's not too bad, despite be fact there's a four inch deep gasp right below my collar bone, and some major blood loss.

A sudden thought brings my hands to my neck, ignoring the sharp pain erupting through my boy in protest. A chain is there, with a blood piece of green glass on it. The emerald from Aaron, still securely on my neck. I sigh, content at the fact it was still with me, and settle back into my cot. I'll just have to wait for stage two to begin now.

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User: AvengingDemigod

Name: Maris Gold

I woke up and screamed. Everything hurt, bruises and scrapes appeared on my arms. My shoulder started sizzling and the searing pain sent me diving off the bed to the floor. A small woman dressed in white came out of the manhole cover and ran over to me.
"Don't touch me!" I shouted jumping back. I hit the glass and looked behind for Miles and Hannah. I saw Hannah rubbing her neck, crying silent tears while a man tried to get her to go back down. I looked back at Miles and gasped. They had his body covered with a sheet, blood leaking out in small blobs. After a few seconds of watching the whole sheet was bloody.
"Stay still please," I stared at the floor and woman came over and wrapped my shoulder. "Everything else should heal well," the woman said. "Excuse me I need to tend to the others."
"Whatever," I followed her down the manhole and a guarde member appeared. "Oh hi jack-"
"Please follow me this way," the man said. He took my uninjured shoulder and lead me yet again to random room I didn't know existed. The other apprentices were gathered around, some more injured than I.
The room was just a giant metal dome, as small exit leading to a rickety looking wooden ridge. I looked around cautiously and saw there were only twelve of us in the room.
"Blondie!" I shouted. I looked around frantically. She should be dead, I could have lost my ally already. Andreana and Roman the only two people in this damn competition I care more about then myself.
I looked around for a few more seconds and then was suddenly wrapped in a bone crushing hug. I took a deep breathe, breathing in his scent. Before I could say anything though Roman and I were pulled apart and put in different sides of the room.
I watched him from the across the room and smiled lightly. He smiled back and then I kept looking for Andreana. "Blondie!" I called out again.
"Over here stop screaming," Andreana said quietly. I saw her leaning against the wall and I ran over. Her legs were bandaged tightly, more cuts and bruises trailed up her arms and legs.
"Damn what happened to you?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Apprentices!" Kate's voice boomed from a monitor on the wall. "In this task you are fighting to take control of the bases." A guard member handed Andreana and I a green bandana and I wrapped it around my wrist. "The team with the most bases captures wins. Your teams are as follows. Team Green, Penny partnered with Edwin, Steve partnered with Gwen, and Maris partnered with Andreana."
I held out my hand and Andreana held it tightly.
"Team angelic dragons for the win," I muttered.
Kate rattled off the names of the other team and I took a deep breath. "Good luck apprentices."

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User: infinitywordlover

Name: Crysalis

Slowly the mercy of the dark fades away and I’m met with the sight of a crowd of concerned faces.

“Alright, back off. She’s waking up now,” an authoritative voice says. I blink taking in the slender form of a blonde woman bending over me.

“How do you feel?” she asks.

 I stare down at myself surprised that all the cuts from the ice are only faded scars now. I lift my arm to get a good look at the burn on my hand only to find a small patch of silvery skin in its place. “Good actually,” I say grinning. She nods briefly before motioning to someone.

“Bring the meds Aleya.”

“Yes, Quarria,” comes the reply. A tall girl steps forward with long brown hair flowing down to her waist. I frown slightly. It reminds me of the girl in the walled arena. Teresa.

Suddenly it all comes back to me. I gasp slightly for air as a sharp pain in my chest blossoms. I see her terrified expression, and her fierce eyes lit by the flames of Serena’s making. I had killed her. Keeling over, I clutch my stomach as it turns inside out trying to empty itself. Nothing comes out since I haven’t eaten in at least two days. A soothing hand pats my back, while their owner hums gently. Tears stream out of my eyes, and my throat is sore from crying so much. Waves of guilt wrack my body, each one bringing a dry-heave with it.
“It’s alright child. Let it all out, you’ve been through a lot,” the woman-Quarria- says. She hums a quiet tune and eventually, I lean back exhausted. “You know, she didn’t really die you know. She’s in resurrection right now, even as we speak.” I stare at her a feeling of hope spreading through me.

“You’re right!” I say. “I’m not really a murderer!” I laugh in exhilaration as what feels like a massive weight is lifted off me. She smiles and motions the girl Aleya forward. She’s wide eyed and uncomfortable at the scene she had just witnessed, but dutifully sets down a tray of needles and pills. As she does so, I’m suddenly aware that I’m not alone in the room. Medics hurry back and forth looking harassed, and I see twenty-four other cots lining the room. Twenty-four had survived. Doing a quick scan, I count my allies. Jace is missing, but I see Sabrina sitting up staring distractedly off into the distance, and Loira gives me a weak grin and a small wave.

Most people in the room are sitting up at least, but the people at the far end are still lying down and sharp shrieks of pain can be heard from that direction. Twice as many medics are in that region than the rest of the room combined and I figure that those are the more seriously injured. I see a familiar sweep of blond hair and I wince as a loud groan is pulled out of him, but at least he’s ok.

Returning my gaze to the two medics in front of me. Aleya is mixing some strange greenish stuff in a glass vial and she hands it to me.
“This will help the pain,” she says.
 
I eye it suspiciously but gulp it down anyways. A vile taste fills my mouth, and I rub my tongue against my teeth furiously trying to get rid of the taste while glaring accusingly at the two. They shrug unconcerned and leave apparently feeling that their task is done.
A moment later, after I’ve given up on getting the taste out, several Guarde members file into the hall. Ariadne, my trainer, is among them and when she spots me, she sidles up to my cot holding out a red bandanna.

“Here. You have to wear this so that everyone knows you’re on Team Red,” she says.“Kate will explain later. Now come with me.” I stand up shakily and follow her out the room. I can vaguely see the other apprentices being guided out different door, and I am plunged into a dark corridor.

After a few twists and turns, we come to a steel door, which she yanks open. “I leave you here. Good luck,” she says. I step inside and hastily move backwards a couple inches. I’m standing along with several other apprentices on the edge of a sheer cliff with a long, precarious rope bridge connecting it to a small, shaky, tree house on the other side of the chasm. Beneath us a river of lava simmers, bubbling threateningly, the heat already making my hair curl.

I spot Sabrina and slide into the space next to her. She glances up and nods in greeting. Nothing happens for a while until a screen unfolds from mid-air and the face of the Keeper appears.

“You have made it past one stage. Congratulations! This  next stage is about teamwork, as the Guarde has to work together in order to be effective in protecting the Hybrid population. The apprentices you are with now are your teammates. Get a good look now, so you don’t kill the wrong person.” She pauses while we exchange bewildered glances. “You will find several bases or treehouses numbered one through six in the realm, and your job as a team is to capture as many as you can. Find someone you can work with and they will be your partner during this stage.” She pauses again, but this time, there is only minimal shuffling as we’re already standing by people we like. “When you capture a base. Throw the enemy team’s flag into the lava and that base is yours. Good luck Team Red!”
The screen blacks out and a strange silence spreads over us. I take the opportunity, and quickly tie the bandanna around my wrist and as I do so, and a small smile breaks through my lips. At least I’m not alone this time.