Chaotic Dispairity

[Amber Veritz]

Due to MY INCOMPETENT WRITING SKILL some unobserved points, my quest will have to be stretched to a minimum of 7500 words. Since my first post doesn't involve the Dunes at all, it has been voided from the quest. That puts my total word count at 4642 words. I'll need to write 2858 words at least to finish my quest. This is a note to myself and the staff grading my quest.

Amber opened her eyes, her Omnilium orb in her hand. She looked around to find out she was back in Atlas and what she thought was ‘dust’ was snow. The thick snow danced through the air, creating a thick blanket of sparkling white on the streets. The concrete building stretched to the sky. Their roofs occasionally slid snow down into the streets.

“You slimy fucking bastards! You couldn't have let us finish?!” She screamed to the sky, yelling at whatever the hell pulled her away from the kiss she'd waited for since she was 8. On the other hand, it was probably best. She needed to save that kiss for the real Murasaki, not a fake illusion.

If she was still in these illusions, then just like with her copy, the bad memories and the night with Murasaki she had to do something to leave. Facing fear and overcoming her self-pride. Observing the scenery while standing up, she was certain it was Atlas, but the matter was ‘when’ not ‘where’. This has to be another repressed memory, or it could be another trap.

The young woman stood in deep thought, wondering when this was. She nearly fell over when a young girl slammed into her.

“S-Sorry ma’am!” She called back to her as she continued to run away. That voice was familiar but she could not place it. Someone she knew as a kid. Looking at her as she ran away made it hard to identify her. That is until the people chasing her appeared.

“Come on, Murasaki! She's getting away!” Yelled the underaged Amber. Two more children came running behind her, hot on her trail. This was way too familiar to forget. It was the first time Amber and her rival met. Dusk had stolen a treasure Amber had found. It turned out this jewel that she had found in an abandoned house belonged to another faunus, Dusk Carem. The wolf girl had pried it from Amber’s hands. As a child, she was so angered and needy that Dusk had really stolen her lunch for the next week. Seeing it now, she was a hot head, not realizing that gem she had found actually belonged to Dusk. It was a gift from her parents before they had died from a disease. Of course, she had not realized this till they were 16.

Quickly running after the group of children, Amber assumed this would lead her to her next test. If she remembered correctly, they led Dusk into a cave, and they fought. Dusk ends up kicking her ass and running away at the first chance she got. The four went out of town and into the cave the was a half mile outside of Atlas. The three children ran into the opening, but when Amber turned into the rocky entrance, they had disappeared. She had a good guess of what was to come next.

The tunnels were fairly short. They led into an open space with a slightly high ceiling. This was where Amber and Murasaki cornered Dusk, who then beat both of them at once and ran off. When she walked in, a voice echoed through the stone room.

“You tried to steal my most prized possession Amber. The only thing I had of my parents.” Dusk stood at the other end of the room.

“I was desperate, Dusk. A child, a starving child.” Amber said as she stepped in and stood opposite of her rival.

“That is no excuse!” She blurted back. Holding her katana out as a challenge. “This time I’m going to kill you!” The wolf girl scream charging in and loading her dust. Amber readied Razorback. Amber knew this was just an illusion to test her on beating her regret. The sooner she beat Dusk, the sooner she could go back to the Omniverse. Dusk’s speed never ceased to amaze Amber. She could move in and out of Amber’s swings like it was her day job.

The two traded steel multiple times. Dusk got a few scratches on Amber's arms, but no more than that. She was hardly bleeding. As Dusk came in for another attack, dancing around Amber, her opponent quickly feinted. A trick Amber was horrible at but if she could get it, she’d have a clear shot at her rival. She faked a swing, which the wolf attempted to duck under. Dusk’s chin met Amber’s knee, just as planned. She landed harshly on her back, dropping her sword. Knowing that she should keep her mercy for a day it mattered, Amber approached her opponent and drove her zweihander through her chest.

Blood...No. No Blood. Her blade had passed through Dusk’s chest, but no blood. It seemed as though the sword did nothing as Dusk just rolled around and hadn't screamed from pain. It was like the wolf had become a ghost, except you could see she was still in full opacity. Translucent or not, Amber only wondered why she could knee, but not kill her.

Dusk’s foot met Amber’s stomach, sending her on her back. The wolf girl quickly got up, unphased by the blade and grabbed her sword. Amber stumbled to her feet, not having time to grab hers.

“Ha! You can't kill me this time Amber! What are you going to do, other than die by my blade!” Dusk laughed, slicing up Amber’s arms. Her aura shield and claws seemed to be failing in this world so she was blocking with her forearms. She had to think quick. If this continued, she would surely die.

It’s obvious Amber was not supposed to kill Dusk after all. How does she get through this then? Thinking back, Amber conquered her sorrow from her past by defeating herself in combat. She fought her fear confessing her love to Murasaki. So that means there was only one way she would get out of this challenge. A horizontal swing went over the cat girl’s head and she quickly dove forward, spearing Dusk to the ground again. The two fumbled around on the rocky floor. Amber evicted the blade from Dusk’s hand and pinned her arms to the floor.

“Get off me, you feline piece of shit!” She struggled trying to get free.

Amber kept her held in place. Choking on her words she said, “I'm sorry.”

The wolf stopped fumbling around when she heard those words. “What?” She said, completely confused.

“I, am, sorry.” Amber continued. “The whole reason we got off on a bad foot was my fault. I thought you were the worst person in the world, but the truth of the matter was on the other side. I'm the worst person who ever lived. I tried to steal the only memento you had of your family and then put the blame on you.” Amber let go of Dusk and sat on the floor in front of her bordering on crying. “I...I killed you. I was too much of coward to deal with the consequences so I just left you there to die.”

The other faunus was too shocked to respond. She stood up and grabbed her sword. “Amber, nothing you do can change what you've done.” She said gripping the hilt tightly with both hands.

Amber sighed and looked at the floor. “The make it quick if you please.” She said holding her arms out to show she was going to let Dusk kill her. Dusk stared at her with discontent.

“You can't right your wrongs, but..” She said pausing for a moment. “You can do your best to avoid the wrongs. Be vigilant, and don't repeat your mistakes Amber. And, lastly, thank you.” The katana pierced Amber’s heart, but there was no pain. When Amber blinked again, Dusk was gone and she was in front of bakery in Atlas. What now?

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