[spoiler]thank you guys so much for getting me to 30 pages!! [/spoiler] [spoiler]just a couple short little stories here[/spoiler] [u]Round Two[/u] “Hive spawn [i]claw[/i] their way towards your light..." [i]You're so very dramatic.[/i] Shadow smirks beneath her helmet. The glow of the servitor lights the room around her in a surreal purple glow. "Impress me, yesss?" Shadow nearly passes out. "I'll try," she mutters breathlessly. "Fight, and win!" Was he really cheering her on, or did he just enjoy watching her continuously fail? She pushes away her doubt, entering the arena. She remembers her conversation with Cayde. [i]You'll get better in the prison kid. Keep practicing. Don't give up.[/i] She slashes her knife across a thrall's throat.[i] I got this.[/i] Just as she believes she may be progressing successfully... "More enemies, guardian," Variks says in a rather nonchalant tone. [i]What? Wait![/i] Shadow backs away from the door too late. [i]You didn't do this last time! I'm not read- [/i] Shadow is utterly smothered by thrall, practically disappearing beneath them. Their rotten stench fills her mask. Hordes of them flood out of the door, far more than Variks typically released. [i]Did he do this on purpose?![/i] She swears she can hear his suppressed laughter though the screams of the hive before everything goes dark. [u]Just One[/u] "Hive spawn claw their way towards your light." Variks's lower hands interlock over his desk. He watches, all four eyes glued to the monitor screen as the guardian enters the arena. "Fight, and win!" He leans back, raising his mechanical fists in a gesture of excitement. Playing with this new guardian has been ...entertaining, for Variks. But she was a friend now, and Variks doesn't go easy on friends. He chuckles quietly, mischievously, to himself before opening another door far earlier than he should have. Thrall flood into the arena. "More enemies, guardian," Variks says innocently. He suppresses his laughter as the hunter is completely taken off guard. Her struggles to avoid the hive are poorly timed and clumsy. How entertaining she was- "Variks!" Variks quickly turns off his monitor screen. "Petraaa..." He innocently blinks all four glowing blue eyes out of sync. Petra isn't fooled. She strides into the dimly lit room with a cold eye. "Variks, we have work to do. What am I hearing?" "Oh nothing, nothing to worry about," he soothes her, clasping his lower hands together. "Variks." Petra is not amused. "Quit toying with the guardians. I need you in on this channel right now!" "Yes yes, of course..." Variks answers obediently. She turns on her heel, quickly striding back out. Variks waits for the door to close. "Not [i]guardians[/i]," he burbles to himself quietly, bringing the monitors back to life. "Just one."