Cool, sorry if I posted too soon. ^^;
Username: Lucky~9~Lives
Length: About 3,000 words
Genre: Fantasy
Story Details:
Characters
Cyrus - scheming teenage warlock; 17 years old, average height, skinny build; pale skin, shoulder-length fair hair tied in a pony-tail, cold blue eyes; wears a black tunic and pants, a blood-red cloak, and carries a wooden staff.
Kane - the King's champion warrior; late 20s, tall and well-built, shortish dark brown hair, green eyes; wears the armor and uniform of the Royal Guards. Skilled fighter, although he tends to goof-around, and can be a bit cocky.
Alus - Noble King; early 30s, average build; short brown hair, gray eyes, trimmed brown beard; wears an embroidered tunic, black leather breeches, a purple cloak, and a plain gold crown. Generally competent ruler, but prone to over-thinking issues.
Plot
Cyrus marches into the castle and challenges Kane to a duel, intending to overthrow the kingdom with a powerful demon he has bound. Kane just laughs, not taking the kid seriously and treating him like a child, but Cyrus lashes-out, causing Kane to warn him he should knock it off because he could get hurt. Undeterred, Cyrus continues his assault, causing Kane to start sparring with him. Initially, Kane is clearly the superior fighter, but gradually he realizes something is wrong - his sword is harder to swing, his armour feels strangely heavy, his voice is...getting higher...?! The demon Cyrus has summoned is actually an age-stealer, and Kane is getting younger and younger as he drains him of his growth! Now just a teenager, Kane fights frantically as Cyrus laughs at his high-pitched threats and struggle to stand in his armour, taunting him with all the formative skills he'll have to relearn and the things he'll have to be dependent on others for whilst knowing he was once a man. Kane's attempts at combat are rendered futile as he becomes a helpless baby and Cyrus turns his uniform into a diaper, mocking his "tantrum" as he begins to cry.
Easily subduing the other guards, Cyrus presents the defeated warrior before the King in a literal "changing of the guard" - changing the protesting Kane's diaper - demanding he step down or suffer a similar fate. The King is skeptical that the bawling babe is his champion, but soon finds himself getting younger too! He proceeds to duel with Cyrus, demonstrating some skill, but he is not as used to fighting as Kane, so his situation appears truly dire - his sagging clothing and slipping crown don't help as he is taken back to awkward adolescence, Cyrus sneering that he should quit playing at ruling a kingdom and leave it to the grown-ups. All looks lost as the King becomes a mere boy...however, a well-placed throw of his crown manages to smash the crystal on Cyrus's staff he is using to control the demon - it turns on the warlock, reducing him to infancy and re-aging the others before departing. Lifted from his adult trappings, Cyrus wails in frustration as Kane teases his predicament and the King muses that his champion would make a firm-but-fair father.
Timeframe: Is a week too soon?
Cost: 70K
~~~
Hopefully that's okay; feel free to ask any questions here or by PM!
