Shorts for MtG

[Eritta]

I am a self proclaimed flavor whore when playing Magic the Gathering. I look at Art and Flavor text first, then ability. I get giggly when flavor text and ability match up.

Finally, I wrote a short thing off of flavor text. I kind of want to do some more, so I'm putting it here. Have a shorty ^^

---
Spitting is the customary greeting between a creature and its magical impostor. û Spitting Image

The evening was perpetual on Shadowmoor, but Erli didnÆt mind. He had the eyes for it after all, and the ears to hear rats in the bushes and owls in the trees. Only problem came when the rats shut up and the Owls got loud. That was when he scrambled up a tree or down a hole, because that meant something scary was coming. Something that wasnÆt him. He wasnÆt scary û because when he walked around, nothing shut up.

Sometimes he wished it would. After all, then he would have known even before he walked into himself that he was coming. As it was though, he walked right into something before he realized that there was something there.

And when he looked up, he blinked. ôHello Erli,ö he grunted, then frowned, worked his mouth, and spat on the ground in front of himself. Himself as in the other himself.

ôHello Erli,ö his double grunted, and did the same, except it spit in front of Erli himself û as in the real Erli.

Erli frowned, already terribly confused. He was here, but if he was here, than what was there? He reached out to poke the double, wondering, if he poked his shoulder, would he feel it?

He did indeed, and when he looked down in surprise, he realized that the double was poking him in the same spot. He sputtered, jumping back. ôStop that!ö Erli said.

The double mirrored his actions nearly perfectly. ôStop that!ö it cried.

ôYouÆre not me,ö Erli stuttered, flapping his hands at it, ôGo away.ö

ôYouÆre not me!ö the other Erli retorted angrily, ôYou go away!ö

ôNo!ö Erli shouted, ôI was here first!ö

ôNo, I was here first,ö the other Erli said assuredly, and reached out his hand. Erli felt a sudden headache come on, as if someone had plundered his mind, wracking through it painfully with dirty claws.

ôStop it!ö Erli mumbled, feeling suddenly light headed and stumbling into the other Erli.

ôStop it?ö Erli asked after a moment, cocking his head in an expression that was most unlike Erli.

ôYes! Stop it!ö he cried, still holding his head in his hands.

The double paused, still cocking itÆs head, then shrugged. ôOk,ö it said, and the world went blacker than before.

Erli returned to his hole later than night grinning as usual and dragging a juicy tidbit in for the little ones of his tribe. Everyone celebrated û and from then on Erli was always known as the boggart with the best taste.

 

[GenocideHeart]

Nice short. Too bad I absolutely hated the whole Lorwyn setup.

Now, if only something could be done with Ravnica...

 

[Eritta]

Ask and ye shall receive
(Though, please note that I didn't read the Ravnica cycle, so mimicing the way it reads is kinda hard)
----

Three hundred years of practice thwarted by an instant of mischief. - Reroute

Honestly, the things people would wear around the city. Tanith wrinkled his nose as he passed a man in a cloak consisting of vines and cloying thorns. The smell was horrific û surely he was Golgari û only they could ignore such a stench. He was well aware that most of the food he ate was provided by their so-called gardensà but that was a different matter. At least when he was looking at his loaf of bread he didnÆt have to imagine the carcasses that had fed the wheat.

ôBah,ö he muttered, slipping to the side of a knot of Gruul men. He could always tell the Gruul û they smelled too û usually more to the taste of sweat and manliness than the rot that hung around the Golgari. He snorted softly to himself as he realized that half the group he had just passed were women. Then again, they knew how to throw a party û heÆd been to one once. Never been so hung over in his life û but what he remembered of it was a mass of people dancing to drums to loud you couldnÆt help but move your body.

HeÆd been late to the barracks the next morning, but no matter. ItÆd only cost him an extra round of laps.

This thoroughfare was growing more and more neutral ground every day, he observed, smirking. A woman stood to the side of a fountain, preaching the word of Selesnya. It was a pityà she would have looked a lot better bathing. He seriously considered telling her this, but finally settled on a leer and a pause to listen to her. They loved it when you listened, and indeed the pitch of her voice grew a little more fevered as he stood there.

"The clamor of the city drowns all voices. But together we can sing a harmony that will resonate from Ravnica's tallest spires to her deepest wells!"

Tanith snorted. ôI know a well IÆd like to resonate against!ö he called, ôThink you can sing when I fill it?ö

The womanÆs mouth fell open in scandal, but Tanith was already walking away, sniggering and congratulating himself.

What he didnÆt count on, in the moment of thought heÆd taken to come up with that particularly witty riposte (at least, he thought it was witty) was the bank of Saggitars standing within ear shot of him. He paused, soldierÆs senses realizing that a bow had just been strung, nocked and pulled taught. It was less than a breath later that he spotted them.

ôOhà. Fuck,ö he muttered, and started running. He knew they protected their own, but did the pointy eared preachers have to be so anal? Scratch that, he thought with a vague smirk above his adrenaline pumped heartbeat, why canÆt they be more into anal? He almost barked a laugh, but that would be a bad plan û he knew these archerÆs reach û wasnÆt something to mess around with. Instead he concentrated on running.

Sadly, that was brought up short û apparently there had been an entire battalion there. He rolled his eyes, and here people said the Boros always travelled in packs, and stopped short as an elf stared him down, bow drawn and pointed dead blank at his chest from five feet away. Tanith held up his hands, chuckling nervously.

ôHey now,ö he said, ôI didnÆt mean anything by it, just a little joke, ya know?ö he managed, smiling charmingly at the stern elf before him.

ôWe do not take such things lightly,ö The man replied. Tanith had to suppress a snort û as if they took anything lightly û as the man continued. ôYou will be severely reprimanded for this action against our Evangel.ö

ôUh, how?ö Tanith said, looking around nervously. ôSee, I gotta be somewhere in a few minutesàI might need to justà slip off?ö

Eyes narrowed, ôIf you feel the need to æslipÆ my fingers might need to do the same,ö the Sagittar said severely.

Tanith couldnÆt hold it in this time, snorting and chortling. ôHey what do you know! You guys do have a sense of humor!ö

Wrong thing to say, apparently. The Selesnyan narrowed his eyes, and TanithÆs eyes widened, having only a quarter of an eye blink to realize what was next. Praying that he had recently been in RaziaÆs thoughts, Tanith ducked, feeling the whiz of the arrow through his hair. He grimaced, noting that perhaps, if he made it out alive, he should as the healers for a mouth suture.

Well, no time to think about it now û now was time for running again. He dodged, dove through a break in formation caused by an attempt to shift into the offensive, and hit the ground running.

The Izzet, it was said, were insane. Damn good constructionists, but insane none-the-less. He did have a bit of fondness for their explosions though û and thankfully he was right near one of their sites. If there was one thing an Izzet hated, it was someone messing with their experiments. Happily, he wasnÆt planning on messing with them. The Saggitars might not have known it, but they would be doing that work for him.

As he streaked through the streets, he kept his eyes on the vendors û spice ropes, salted meat, vegetables, jewelry, jewelry, weapons û Izzet. Ah, to be the sore thumb of Ravnica û literally in this case. The vendor was nursing his hand as Tanith stopped and looked behind him. As if on cue, the formation following him turned the corner, spotted him, and sprinted his way. Tanith grinned and dove into the tent, he only had a second, but thatÆs all heÆd need.

ôHey grandpa! Got any boom-powder?ö he called out.

ôEh? Wha-?ö

The man û who of course wasnÆt related to Tanith in the least û turned just in time to see (to his perception anyway) three Selesnyan elves charge into his tent.

Tanith stepped to the side, half crossing his fingers, and sure enough the Izzet panned out. Slightly crazed by natured of being shut up in Labs for most of the day and stereotypically nearsighted û Tanith had always pegged the vendor for a paranoid old man, and he was deliciously correct.

ôWhat in all the!? Out you fools! I have sensitive equ- AUGH!ö

He had cut off, of course, because Tanith had been forced to sidestep an arrow, which landed directly in a pot of black, soot like powder. Of course, it wasnÆt soot, but apparently the Selesnyan didnÆt care, because he went on chasing Tanith, who continued to sidestep.

ôOut you dim soldiers! The lot of you! Do you even understand what you are doing?!ö The man sputtered. Tanith grinned û just a bit moreà

The man shot another arrow, this one going through the heatless flame that burned in the side of the tent on what looked like a mizzium stand. Unfortunatly, what was heatless on the Mizzium and the tent û which probably had about ten flame retardant spells on it û didnÆt translate so well onto the arrow. The feathers caught quickly and Tanith nearly crowed in triumph as he threw a hand up to follow the arrow, magic and will ripping a tear in the AEther which began at the head of the arrowà and ended at the pot across the room.

As the evangel and the Izzet tried to figure out what had happened to the arrow, Tanith tugged up a corner of the tent. ôSee ya!ö he chirruped, and ducked out as quickly as he could. One last good run and he was freeà provided they didnÆt realize that the smoldering arrow was stuck in a pot of boom powder.

Yells erupted from the direction of the recently vacated tent, and Tanith smirked, not pausing his step, even as a few moments later there was a massive explosion and a shockwave powerful enough to knock him off his feet, sending him rolling head over heels forward.

As he came to a stop, he chanced a look back and his eyes widened. ôWhoops,ö he said simply, which was the only thing that came to mind at the shreds of tent, goods, and rather shell shocked shoppers that now made up that particular part of the block. He got up, checking the sun. He was late û but hey û the pointy ears were off his trail.

Grinning in ridiculous pride, Tanith set off jogging for the barracks. He could handle the extra laps, he decided, the boom was worth it. Maybe he was an Izzet at heart.