Official Forum Halloween Horror Story Contest! for MtGPQ

fight4thedream
fight4thedream GLOBAL_MODERATORS Posts: 1,911 Chairperson of the Boards
edited October 2016 in Off Topic
Greetings fellow Ghouls n' Ghosts!! With Halloween quickly approaching, me, the mod monster squad and the Vampire Lord Hi-Fi thought what better way to go bump into the night than to have a scary story contest! Using in-game characters and cards from Marvel Puzzle Quest or Magic: the Gathering - Puzzle Quest, gather around the campfire and tell us your best horror stories! Loads of prizes and good fun!

Warning: Read at your own peril! Not recommended for those that are easily frightened or wary of scary stories. You have been warned.


The contest: Forum users use in-game MPQ characters or MtGPQ cards to tell a scary story. There will be two separate contest threads, one for Marvel Puzzle Quest and one for Magic the Gathering: Puzzle Quest. A forum user may post one entry in each contest thread. However, in order to give everyone a fair chance, participants may submit only one entry for each contest thread. The top 10 posts with the most up votes for each contest will then be sent to D3 Go! who will select the winner. The period for submissions shall be Friday October 28th 7pm EST (Friday October 28th 23:00 UTC/GMT) to Sunday October 30th 8pm EST (Monday October 31st 0:00 UTC/GMT) while an extra day for voting will be provided, ending October 31st 8pm EST (November 0:00 UTC/GMT). Also, please avoid posting anything that would be considered obscene or vulgar, for example extreme displays of violence or cruelty. Think more along the lines of creepy rather than splatterhouse flick.



Example Entry:
Title: Where is my body!

"What's up with Thompson? He looks like a frickin' zombie."

"Yeah, I heard he went into the old abandoned house down the street on a dare and came out screaming like a baby a couple days ago. Dude said he saw Freddy Kreuger in there or something. Apparently he hasn't slept since."

"What? Was he high on something?"

"Nah, Thompson isn't like that. Apparently people have been hearing strange sounds coming from that house too so a bunch of us are going to go check it out after school, wanna come?"

"No, I think I'll pass."

"Aww what you scared? haha Come on you don't really think Freddy Kreuger exists do you? It was probably just some ol' cat or animal trapped in there and freaked Thompson out. Come on! It will be fun!"

"....ok"

"Great! We are meeting up in the parking up at the basketball court after school. See you then!"

And that's where my nightmare began. I met up with Mika, Jose and Tiffany after school. Alex, the boy who said he saw Freddy, refused to come with us. He told us we were crazy and that we shouldn't go but Jose and Rei were pretty adamant about going.

I actually didn't really want to go either, sneaking in old, possibly haunted houses isn't really my idea of fun. But I have a really big crush on Mika and didn't want her to think I was a chicken. In fact, I was hoping that this might turn out to be my best chance to impress her...

It took us about 10 minutes to get to the place. The old, dilapidated building use to be the club house of some secret society in the 80s, at least according to local legend. It was shut down after some crazy commotion with mutants but the owner of the place never bothered selling or renovating it. It had sort of become a right of passage for neighborhood boys to sneak inside the building to show their courage and there was never any problem before the incident with Thompson.

I never really liked that house. It was an eyesore and kind of spooked me out but there I was following my dream girl and friends into that wretched abode. The front door was nailed shut so we slipped in through a broken basement window in the back of the house. The basement was filled with trash and broken stuff, probably from people who had come to squat in the building or crash for a night. Luckily since it was still light outside it wasn't so dark so it was easy to make our way upstairs into the living room.

Like any creepy ol' haunted house, the doors squeaked and the floors creaked and even with the light of day it was a bit dim since all the windows were boarded up and there was dust every where. I am allergic to house dust so it didn't take long before I started sneezing.

"You ok there, Malcom?" Rei teased.

"Yeah, just allergic to house dust but I'll be ok," I managed to muster out before the next nasal eruption. I decided to cover my nose and mouth with the sleeve of my hoodie to try and stifle my sneezing but it did nothing for my eyes which I could feel begin to water and tingling.

Suddenly, we heard the sound of footsteps coming from the room above.

"Oh snap! Someone else is in here!" Jose whispered. Everyone froze.

Click Clack Click Clack

We silently listened silently in horror as the person above seemed to be pacing back and forth.

"Guys we should really go" Tiffany blurted out and I couldn't agree more but neither Mika nor Jose responded.

Click Clack Click Clack

The wretched sound continued to fill our ears.

"Guys come on!" Tiffany pleaded but Mika shushed her to be quiet.

Finally the person upstairs stopped moving.

"Let's check it out," Mika said, flashing us a mischievous grin, and she and Jose headed towards the staircase.

Tiffany, out of fear, latched onto my arm and I secretly cursed my luck.

"If Mika sees Tiffany snuggling with me like this she is definitely going to get the wrong idea!," I lamented in the back of mind. I wanted to tell her to let go of me, but I couldn't risk removing my hand from my mouth and nose. Argh! Accursed house dust!

"Woah! That room over there has been blocked off with that large cabinet. Do you think someone is trapped in that room?" Mika asked rather absent-mindedly.

"I don't know but I think that's where the noise was coming from," Jose chimed in.

"What should we do? Do you think we can move it?" just as Mika asked Tiffany tensed up and yanked my arm from my face.

ACHOOO!!!!! ACHOOOO!!!!! ACHOOOOOO!!!!

Three loud sneezes managed to escape from the bowels of my nasal cavity before I could cover my face again. Well apparently whoever was in that room heard it because they started banging heavily against the door.

Tiffany started crying and because of my darn allergies it looked like I was crying too and I caught a look of disdain from the corner of Mika's eye which really made me want to cry. "Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!! The Darth Vader of my mind cried out as I realized I was forever doomed to be seen as a coward in Mika's eyes.

"Hello! Do you need help?" Mika yelled out toward the person behind the banging door. The banging stopped.

"Helloooooooo!! Can you hear me?"

But no response.

"I don't know yo" Jose blurted out. "This is getting kinda crazy."

"Don't wimp out on me now like those other two" Mika hissed at him while giving me and Tiffany a dirty look. I think I heard my heart shatter.

"Ok what do you want to do?" Jose replied in a commanding voice, trying to mask his fear.

"Help me move this cabinet."

Jose and Mika walked over to the cabinet blocking the door.

"Hello! We are going to try to move this cabinet so sit tight!" Mika told the mystery person behind the door but again we were met with silence.

Jose and Mika tried really hard to move the cabinet but they were barely able to get it to budge. In frustration Mika yelled at us to come over to help. Tiffany was a lost cause but holding onto my last thread of hope that I could show Mika I wasn't a coward I managed to dislodge Tiffany from my arm with a few more sneezes escaping but I could see Mika was surprised by my display of courage and a small smile cracked between her lips.

"Thanks Malcom"

YESSSSSS!!!!!! I probably looked terrrible with blood shot eyes and snots flowing from my proboscis but now was my chance and I didn't want disappoint. The three of us together finally managed to pull the cabinet away from the door but it came crashing down partially blocking the staircase.

However, before we realized what was what, Tiffany let out shriek and bolted down the stairs. We turned around to find the door open and a headless body walking towards us. Jose quickly hopped over the cabinet and down the stairs and I was about to do the same when I noticed Mika not moving. Her foot was trapped under the cabinet.

With no time to think, I summoned all my strength lifted that blasted cabinet just enough that she could pull her foot free. Achoo! I grabbed her hand and ran to the furthest room in the back, quickly locking the door.

It was pitch black.

"What the hell was that! What the hell was that!" Finally my brain was catching up to everything I had just seen. I just totally saw body walking around with no head!!! It was wearing a strange red and black get up. But there was definitely no head!! Where was the head?!! How the hell does a body walk around with no head?!

"Malcom"

And it was then I realized that Mika was holding on to me tightly.

"Thanks"

Holy Moly!!! Talk about mixed emotions!! Fear, Happiness, Pain, Soft girl in arms, snot, sweet smell, burning eyes, I want to kiss you, darkness, my brain was definitely on overload. Focus Malcom, focus my internal Miyagi-sensei scolded me. What's most important right now?

"Are you ok?" I asked her.

"I think I broke my foot but other than that and the walking zombie in the hall, yeah."

The walking zombie. Was this Thompson's Freddy? But wait where is the head? If it is a zombie it can't eat us without a head! Maybe we still had a chance!

"Wherrrre.......*gargle sound*....is....my.....bodyyyy......*gargle splash* "

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!!!! Both me and Mika jumped to our feet!!!

There was a splashing sound coming from somewhere in the room.

"Wherrrre.......*gargle sound*....is....my.....bodyyyy......*gargle splash* "

We need a light!! I quickly grabbed my smart phone and turned on the flash light. We were in a bathroom, on the sink there was Spider-man mask but there was no else in the room.

""*splash* WHERRREEEEE.. IS.....MY.....BODYYYYYY!!!!!

OMG! OMG!! The sound was coming from the toilet. Could this be the zombie's head? I told Mika to sit in the corner and walked cautiously toward the dirty chamber pot. The splashing sound stopped just as I shined my light into the toilet. Mustering what little courage I had left I took a peak and...

"IT'S HERE!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

I could hear Mika scream and from the corner of my eye I saw the door had swung open and the zombie's body had enter the room before I blacked out. Next thing I knew I was in a hospital bed. Apparently both Mika and I were brought there by some dude named Deadpool. Apparently he left a note with a gift:

Hi!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and help me out of that pickle!
I thought I was going to be stuck in that toilet forever! You saved me!
Please accept these limited edition signed Deadpool underpants (to make up for the ones you "sacrificed" saving me lol).
All the cool kids are rocking them this year!

Best,
Deadpool

P.S.~Cute girlfriend btw (*~-^)v

The End


Rewards for Marvel Puzzle Quest

*1st Place (1 winner) - 1 cover of your choice, 1 Legendary Token, 500 Hero Points, 10 Command Points & 20k Iso

* Runners up (2 winners) - 1 Legendary Token , 500 Hero Points, 5 Command Points & 10k Iso

* Honorable Mentions (7 winners) - 100 Hero Points, 1 Command Point & 3k ISO

Rewards for Magic: the Gathering - Puzzle Quest

*1st Place (1 winner) - 600 Mana Crystals & 2k Mana Runes

* Runners up (2 winners) - 200 Mana Crystals & 1k Mana Runes

* Honorable Mentions (7 winners) - 60 Mana Crystals & 1k Mana Runes


Guidelines for post submission:

1. Voting will be restricted to three days in order to help mitigate the advantage early posters get with votes.

2. If, for some reason, you will be unable to submit an entry during the selected time period, you may send a PM with your entry to fight4thedream and he will post your submission with your name in the contest thread. Please be sure to mention which contest your are entering: MPQ or MtGPQ.

3. A participant may submit only one entry for each contest. Good luck!

4. Please check all prior entries before posting yours to avoid similar submissions.

5. Forum members may vote for as many entries as they like. However, in the event of a close race please feel free to remove previous upvotes in order to support the entry you feel is best.

6. Please do not post comments or suggestions in the contest threads. A discussion thread will be provided for those that have any questions or comments.

7. Keep it clean and PG-13. While some violence and gore will be inevitable, please be sure to avoid any extreme graphic displays of violence or cruelty. Offensive and vulgar entries will not be tolerated and will earn you an immediate ban from the forum, either temporary or permanent depending on the severity of the offense.

8. The top 10 upvoted posts will be submitted to D3 Go! to determine the winners of the contest.

9. There is no word limit so feel free to write as much or as little as you like. However, bare in mind your writing will be judged first by your peers and then if it makes it to final round, by D3 Go!

10. Also please keep in mind that stories have to include content from either MPQ or MtGPQ.

11. Be creative and have fun! ( ゚ー^)イェー♪

Please remember all submissions must be submitted by October 30th 8pm EST (October 31st 0:00 UTC/GMT) and votes submitted by October 31st EST (November 1st 0:00 UTC/GMT). If you have any questions or comments, please post in the contest in the discussion thread here

Comments

  • yunnnn
    yunnnn Posts: 168 Tile Toppler
    Title: The Circle

    Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
    Should I throw this event match... I want a new card dearly?
    While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
    As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
    An event maintenance had come once more...

    Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
    Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
    But the silence was unbroken, the maintenance gave no compensation token,
    And the only words there spoken were the whispered words, “Wait some more!”
    Merely this and nothing more...

    And that cursed circle... never finishing, still is spinning, still is spinning
    On that speckled black background, spinning forever more;
    And its soul has all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
    And the lamp-light o’er it streaming, throws it's shadow on the floor;
    And my soul from out that shadow that lies in boredom on the floor
    Never shall I play this game —nevermore!
  • THEMAGICkMAN
    THEMAGICkMAN Posts: 697 Critical Contributor
    *title:* missing planeswalker

    Once, long ago there was a dragon planeswalker in the vault...
    Then one misty evening, he vanished into the night...
    All hoped he would return...
    Months later...
    And he still hasn't returned...
    Hope has started to fade...
    The players are worried about his absence, grinding teeth and gnawing nails, tossing and turning, questioning and pondering, worrying and complaining...
    When will he return?
    Nobody knows.....


    (Que spooky music)
  • Horror story haiku!

    Currently first place,
    Connection issues maintenance!
    Prized rank awarded 26th
  • Fiddler
    Fiddler Posts: 251 Mover and Shaker
    Once upon a QB dreary, while I grinded, weak and weary,
    Over many a quaint and curious jayemdae tome of lore,
    While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly a deep dark drabbling,
    As of some unholy hunger, scrabbling, uncaged fury at my door.
    "'T is some fetid imp," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door;
    Only this and nothing more."

    Open here I flung the shutter, when, with a rolling thunder,
    In there stepped a stalwert aven, like some sage of ancient lore
    Not some mad prophet was he; now an heir to the night no more;
    But, with ghostly wings in hallowed moonklight, perched above my chamber door,
    Perched upon a thraben gargoyle, just above my chamber door:
    Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

    Then tormented thoughts began beguiling, my sad fancy into smiling,
    By the grave and stern decorum, that touch of moonglove that it wore,
    "Though thy eyes be always watching, thou," I said, "art sure no chaplain's blessing,
    Ghastly grim accursed witch, wandered from flameshdow conjuring:
    Tell me what thy lordly name, that it would engulf the shore!"
    Quoth the Aven "Dreadwater"
  • Always had fun with MtG lore. Spoiler in tags. The character 'Evran' doesn't officially exist in lore, but I didn't want to do a cop-out with a second-person 'you'. Assume self-insert if you'd like, if you want some more fun, since technically all players are mages!
    I've always had fun with the Delver of Secrets -> Insectile Aberration -> Docent of Perfection line/lore. I decided to use it here!

    Title: Progression
    He could hear them.

    From the time he'd scrambled onto the shore of that cursed sea, he'd known that the shiver that ran down his spine was more than a visceral reaction to the cold, clammy air that stuck to his skin. He'd been running from rumors and tales, hiding from the once-white wings of hope that now drowned out the warm moonlight with promises of death and covering his tracks to keep the already dangerous werewolves from turning their now whiplike tendrils against his body and mind. There were, of course, always the normal dangers: vampires were no less thirsty than before, and geists still continued to rattle their chains and shriek as he passed them by. The screams had grown more twisted, but he'd grown used to feeling like hunted prey all his life. His profession had all but guaranteed that.

    Sweat clung to his skin and his breath came in shuddering heaves as the brunet clung fiercely to his brown leather satchel, hearing the delicate clinking of vials rubbing against one another in his arms. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness long ago, his course set just after sunset to avoid the now paranoid eyes of the Inquisitors who would flay him on sight. Tongues that once heralded the praises of Avacyn's mercy now whipped with curses and damnation, searching for any and all humans who dared to invite the wrath of the divine upon their towns and homes. As his ragged boots carefully sought purchase on the dark rocks beneath his feet, Evran turned his head to look behind him, not daring to trust his ears alone amidst the whispering breezes that did nothing to stop the suffocating dampness and the smell of rot that clung to his skin.

    Howls tore through the night, just beyond the cliff face that lead to the dark woods. He heard answering shrieks, howls twisted to create an undulating series of notes. Though a part of him wished he could study the horrifically warped werewolves, he knew better. A researcher like him had no business being out in the field, ordinarily, and his own discomfort was a testament to that. His feet fought against the slickness of the rocks, his worn soles occasionally slipping on the moss covered masses of stone.

    He had a safe house here, but he had to get to it quickly, quietly, before anyone realized that he'd vanished. He pulled his bramble-torn gray cloak tightly around his torso, carefully making his way down a barely-visible path to a small alcove beneath the cliff face. He'd found the fissure here while he was just a child, and infrequent checks had told him that no one without a death wish made their way to this side of the harbor. The waves pounded around the area during high tide, though the water never made its way into his secret hiding place.

    His pale hands searched the rocks, groping for the hold that would let him slide aside the "rock" he'd placed here years ago. The cave had originally been sealed; a particularly vicious storm had dislodged the stone that had held the water back from its depths. He'd fashioned a door out of a metallic alloy some time ago, covering it with indigenous stones and keying it for extra security. His hand slid along the top of the stone, stopping when he'd hit the hold. Digging one-handed through his pouch, he gave one last look around, whipping his head side to side as he fished out a small, weathered iron key.

    Evran slid the small hold aside, revealing a rusty keyhole. Since he was still watching his back, he inserted the key and turned it without wasting another moment.

    He did, in hindsight, find it odd that the 'click' wasn't quite as loud as it normally was.

    Likewise, he'd later lament not looking at the lock, whose outer surface was gouged and scraped.

    His desperation to get him to safety bade him to throw open the door, fling himself in, and slam the door shut behind him. The door's slamming echoed through the corridor, and he let out a few heaving breaths as darkness all but smothered him with relief. He let himself have a laugh of relief- to think that he'd braved Innistrad's most vicious predators at night!- as he slumped to the floor, feeling safe for the first time in what felt like centuries. He could hear what sounded like insect's feet running across the cavern, relishing the familiar sound of ocean vermin scampering from the sudden influx of fresh air. They weren't the idea housemates, but made for excellent sources of protein when he got too desperate to forage outside.

    He let his eyes slide shut- no use for them in absolute darkness- and took in a deep breath of what he was sure would be the funk of stale sea air, tainted by the stench of rotten algal blooms.

    Instead, he could smell... chemicals?

    His eyes snapped open and his nostrils flared as he pushed himself quickly into an upright position, reaching into his bag as quietly as possible. This smelled like his lab, a combination of old tomes and experimental brews simmering over a carefully controlled flame. But he also knew that it wasn't possible; there weren't enough materials here to make even the basest of potions or alchemical brews. That's why he packed so heavily now, and why he guarded his supplies so carefully; he knew he couldn't make another trip back to Thraben, not after the most recent ghoul attacks. He needed his supplies, and knew that even his safehouse wasn't stocked, yet.

    His shaking hand wrapped itself around the geist-powered lantern. He held his breath, trying to hear anything beyond the heartbeat that thundered in his ears. His nerves were shot, sweat streaked down his brow, and he fought to stand and pull the lantern out at the same time. His clumsy effort and nerves made his boots scrape loudly against the floor, his back up against the wall as he flipped the switch to summon the eldritch-blue light...

    And shrieked as a scythe-like limb, borne by a creature from his nightmares, slammed something solid into the side of his skull.


    Wake up.

    "I... urgh..."

    The world throbbed with pain. The world was dark, and all he could hear was the sound of rasping insect feet running across stone and the sound of their wings brushing together. Ocean-living roaches often got large, with so much rotten material to eat...

    Awaken.

    But this was different. He couldn't feel stone beneath him, but something harder, smoother...

    I grow impatient!

    There was a hiss, but it was in his mind, pressing against the pain, through it, enhancing it, making every pulse of his heart press against his skull. Evran fought to open his eyes, then shut then again as his vision spun, his stomach threatening to reject what little he'd put into it the night before. Desperately, he reached forward...

    Only to have his hand bang harshly against cold, unforgiving iron bars.

    The pain made him snap his eyes open, the shock of it stunning him from his reverie. His eyes sought to adjust to the soft green glow- a workstation, his workstation, and some sort of concoction was boiling away in a beaker beside a series of very meticulous notes. He tried to sit up, pushing his body up ever so slowly as he kept his ears open for the researcher to return--

    And shrieked as the face of an insect-like aberration pressed itself against the bars from beneath the cage, its mandibles whirring and seemingly chewing on themselves. Every few seconds, at least one small tongue swept over its constantly moving mandibles, cleaning them with deft swipes. Its eyes beheld him with interest, but Evran's mind could scarcely focus on anything but the blinding fear of being a caged animal in the presence of a beast twice as large as he.

    Welcome. Its voice was a sneer, a garbled and echoed hiss that seemed to bubble up from its throat. Satisfied that its victim acknowledged its existence, the large fly moved back, flexing its wings despite wearing a tattered cloak that scarcely fit its bloated form. It seemed twitchy, its head constantly turning and shifting as it flicked through two or three pages of notes that it kept in its claws. They scream, they always scream, but it's for a good cause, a good cause. You're to join the hive, subject E324. For the benefit of She who Sings, you see.

    "Wh-- what? No! Who? I'm-- why are you here? Who are you?!" Evran's voice cracked, and he pressed as far back into to the cage as possible as the beast scuttled back towards the boiling beaker, giving a small 'tsk' as it lifted the mixture from the flames. It began searching for a stopper as Evran's eyes darted around the cave, desperate to find a way out of this cage and out of this hell.

    Nice of you to offer the lab. Unsecured. Idiotic. Anyone with a brain can figure out you used a simple key. Reaching one of its six limbs back, the giant insect fished a small key out of one of the many tattered pockets of its robes before hiding it again. Its clawed hands were constantly moving, shifting ingredients from one pocket to another as it sprinkled a bit of about six different ingredients into the still-steaming mixture it held in two hands. Even as it worked, the insect continued to speak, his pace furious as his antennae twitched even faster than his tongue. Too simple. Too easy. Excellent work environment, though. Basic lab. Clean. No frills, excellent. Had to procure ingredients to do my work. Difficult, but necessary.

    Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped completely, its body freezing as it rotated its head to look directly at the shaking mage.

    She who Sings. Singer of unheard songs. Em Rah Kul. The voice of many, breaker of weakness, whispers of wisdom. She asks little of us. This lab... key to the spreading of perfection.

    Without another word, the insect dashed forward, reaching through the bars to grab the flailing, shrieking mage. Using his weakness to its advantage, the creature hooked one sharp leg behind Evran's head, slamming him forward against the bars one last time. There was a slight crunch, but it wasn't fatal- not yet. As the mage's head slumped against the bars, the one known only as a Docent of Perfection forced the beaker against the unwilling man's mouth.

    Perhaps later Evran would be able to reflect back on the pain of being brought back from the brink of death, only to experience newfound agonies as his limbs twisted and antennae burst from his bloodied forehead. Perhaps later, if the world recovered from its madness, he would reflect on the fracturing of his consciousness from a singular entity to a mere element of a hive mind.

    But for now, he listened to the first whispers of Emrakul brushing against his mind, and slipped into a realm of darkness as she promised him a rest he would never forget.
  • SpaceDuck
    SpaceDuck Posts: 85 Match Maker
    Kiora ran.

    She hated it.

    Her lungs burned, her muscles were so wasted out of the water...motion up here was always so clumsy, but that didn't matter. She had to survive.

    Rising from the Tides behind her a swarm of zombies slowly shambled to shore. More Revenant and oversized Catacomb Slugs, smelling of death burst from the ground around her from ancient graves. She had picked the wrong place to come to shore, but it didn't matter. She had to find the Heirloom.

    Jace was slowly draining her mana. She couldn't fight back, but there was mana stored in the relic. Enough to get her to a new realm.

    After an eternity of running she made it to the place where she had burred it and clawed it from the ground with her bare hands. She didn't look back, but she heard the Thopters; hundreds or more closing in fast. She held the ancient relic in her hand and pulled from the mana inside...her spark opened up a rift and she jumped through into the unknown.
This discussion has been closed.