Luno and Fyanha left the city quietly. Although the priest had cheered them on, the common folk of the city parted silently, frightened. The guards at the city gate saluted Luno, and bowed slightly for Fyanha. At first they walked in silence, until Fyanha had had enough. “So.. Tell me, oh great champion, what do you know of the dryads?” Luno shrugged, a gesture which looked awkward in the huge suit of armor. “Not much.”, he admitted. “Do you?”
Fyanha smiled. “As an elf, I was raised alongside a few. The elvish race is very attuned to nature.” She started grinning. “I don’t like them much.” Luno chuckled, “I bet they don’t like you that much either.” Nodding, Fyanha replied. “Not really. Burned down a few trees, set fire to some elders. That sort of thing.” Luno laughed at this. “I’m beginning to like you. Tell me about the dryads.”
“Where to begin..” Fyanha began. “Well, a dryad will never kill a living being. Nature must take its course, that sort of thing.” She shook her head, “Don’t think they are merciful though. I’ve seen what happens to those who cross the dryads. Eternal life may sound appealing, but eternal life being part of a sentient tree, unable to move, talk.. No, thanks.”
Luno shook his head, “That doesn’t sound right to me. No killing, that must be why the Lord wants them dead.” Fyanha nodded, “That is one of the reasons. As the god of murder, it is his purpose to desire the death of every living thing. Any other goals he might have, none of us mortals know.”
Taking off his helmet again, Luno looked at her. “Tell me about yourself. Why are you here? And how come you didn’t burned when you pulled that little trick earlier?” Fyanha laughed. “You’re quite direct, champion. Therefor you shall get a direct anwser. My mother was a fire demon shapeshifted into an elf. I am an elf, yet my essence is that of a demon.” She grinned, “That’s why I’m immune to fire. As for these clothes..”, she indicated her dress, “they’re enchanted.”
They walked on for another few uneventful hours. As the sun was setting, they walked past a ruined shrine, once a temple for the traveler god. Someone called from behind it, “You made a mistake traveling without guards! Leave all your possessions behind, and you can go on in peace!” Fyanha raised an eyebrow and smiled, Luno drew his swords. They stopped. The man came into view, as did seven others. “Alright, your mistake! Now we’ll kill you and-“ He stopped mid-sentence as he saw who he had threatened.
He hesitated, as did his friends who took a step back. It wasn’t everyday you tried to rob someone who looked like the god of murder. “Err, as I was saying..” He stumbled slightly. Fyanha didn’t give him a chance to go on, smiling sweetly at him. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we can come to an arrangement. She gave a small hand signal to Luno, indicating he should get the ones to their left. Luno nodded. Creating a fireball in her left hand, she extended her right arm towards the would-be robber. “Now, don’t be afraid.” She took a step forwards. “This will only hurt for a moment.”
Caressing his face with her hand, she continued to smile. The robber tried to speak, but couldn’t find the words. He opened, then closed his mouth again. Fyanha grinned, and shoved the fireball into his face. This was Luno’s cue, and he charged shoulder-first into the closest of their assailants. He heard bones snap. Deflecting a desperate swing from an axe with his longsword, he cut of the mans head with single stroke of the shortsword.
He turned his head towards the two men who stood before him. They stared at him, looked at eachother. He could see the terror in their eyes. Wisely, they turned and ran, leaving their weapons. Luno turned just in time to see an orc swing a heavy warhammer in his direction. Unable to avoid the blow, it smashed into his side. His armor dented, and he felt pain. Nothing a little magic wouldn’t fix, he thought. He retaliated by impaling the orc on his swords. As the orc slid off his blades, he looked around. He smiled. Fyanha was poking at one of the burnt corpses at her feet. She turned towards him. “I hope the dryads are more fun..”
---
Lots of dialogue, and some action. First time I actually wrote a fight scene, I think. So I guess you should all just tell me what you thought of it.
Also, Fyanha is really.. 'Nice', isn't she?
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
A Gift from Dead Gods, 6.
There seemed to be no way out of this hellhole of a cave system. Nathaniel hadn’t found any traces of human life either. He remembered blacking out, but nothing else. They’d changed him.. Finally, he saw some light filtering in through a waterfall. He’d found an exit.
Edging along the small path was a lot harder now, his large limbs still new. Suddenly, the path ended, and he looked down. It was a long drop, but going back into those caves didn’t appeal to him either. He closed his eyes and focused his mind, a slowfall charm was all he needed. He jumped and knew something was wrong. No slowfall charm. Well, he thought, time to see how much this body can take.
It was a long drop. Hitting the water barely hurt, a fact for which he was thankful. Whatever they had done to him, he wouldn’t have survived without it. At least, he wouldn’t have survived without the slowfall charm. As he clambered up onto the shore, he wondered why it hadn’t worked. He tried channelling fire through his hands, the same spell he had used to break into the museum. Nothing.
He had tried every spell he had once been taught. None of them worked. With every spell that failed, his frustration and his anger grew. Finally, he roared towards the heavens, and slammed his fist into a tree, which broke in two. His anger still not spent, he grabbed the fallen tree and swung it in a wide arc, hurling it across the lake.
This caused him to pause for a moment. He looked at his arms, and slowly started grinning. Although he was still angry about losing his magic, this strength was beyond what he had been capable of before, even if he used his spells. He examined his new body. The first thing that stood out was that his skin had turned into a dark grey. His arms had grown huge, as had the rest of him. His legs had turned into the legs of an animal, as he now walked on his toes. He decided to test how fast he could run.
After a few hours, he reached the edge of a small town he recognised as Adnar, 4 days from Rasnach. That meant that waterfall had to be the falls of spring. When he had calculated how fast he had run, he sat down. Nearly twice as fast, he mused. He resolved to find the people who had done this to him. First, he would thank them. Then he’d rip off their heads. All he had to go by was the dryad though, and that meant the Artok forests.
Edging along the small path was a lot harder now, his large limbs still new. Suddenly, the path ended, and he looked down. It was a long drop, but going back into those caves didn’t appeal to him either. He closed his eyes and focused his mind, a slowfall charm was all he needed. He jumped and knew something was wrong. No slowfall charm. Well, he thought, time to see how much this body can take.
It was a long drop. Hitting the water barely hurt, a fact for which he was thankful. Whatever they had done to him, he wouldn’t have survived without it. At least, he wouldn’t have survived without the slowfall charm. As he clambered up onto the shore, he wondered why it hadn’t worked. He tried channelling fire through his hands, the same spell he had used to break into the museum. Nothing.
He had tried every spell he had once been taught. None of them worked. With every spell that failed, his frustration and his anger grew. Finally, he roared towards the heavens, and slammed his fist into a tree, which broke in two. His anger still not spent, he grabbed the fallen tree and swung it in a wide arc, hurling it across the lake.
This caused him to pause for a moment. He looked at his arms, and slowly started grinning. Although he was still angry about losing his magic, this strength was beyond what he had been capable of before, even if he used his spells. He examined his new body. The first thing that stood out was that his skin had turned into a dark grey. His arms had grown huge, as had the rest of him. His legs had turned into the legs of an animal, as he now walked on his toes. He decided to test how fast he could run.
After a few hours, he reached the edge of a small town he recognised as Adnar, 4 days from Rasnach. That meant that waterfall had to be the falls of spring. When he had calculated how fast he had run, he sat down. Nearly twice as fast, he mused. He resolved to find the people who had done this to him. First, he would thank them. Then he’d rip off their heads. All he had to go by was the dryad though, and that meant the Artok forests.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Suits: 1.
“Is it dead?” I asked. The anwser was the discharge of a railgun, and the things head exploding. Faceless turned to me, “Yes.” before continuing down the tunnel. Brute chuckled, following our leader. I shrugged and followed them, making my way over the ceiling. The three of us were investigating a report about an out of control mutant in a part of the sewers.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against those who choose biological change over augmentation, but sometimes these people forget they are human. Obviously, this happened to the augmented as well, but at least they usually decided they wanted to be integrated into something useful, like a factory or even a tank. No matter, it gave us a job.
“Claws, opening ahead.” With a thought, I acknowledged. That was my job, surveilance, and if we found something hostile, I could easily kill it without anything else noticing. I crept across the ceiling, and over the lip into the cavern. As I reached the top of the cavern, I released my hands from the ceiling, hanging from my feet.
Each of us had their own, specialised suit. Faceless had his (or hers, we weren’t sure) standard, without identification marks. Or any kind of mark. What set it apart was that his left arm had no hand, but was a railgun from the elbow down. I wondered how much of it was still human. Brute was, as his name implies, brutish. A massive suit of armor, lots of power in there. Lots of weapons, too. Mine was designed to be elegant. Claws on both hands and feet, giving me great mobility. All I had for weapons were shock-prods on my wrists, and obviously my claws.
“Nothing here, there are tracks though.” I dropped from the ceiling, landing on all fours. Walking on claws is hard. Brute entered, followed by Faceless. Something stirred in the darkness, and heavy footsteps came our way. Brute put himself between us and it. “Looks like you were wrong, darling.” I knew he was grinning in his suit, he loved this part. Then we saw it, and even Brute took a step back.
These days, being altered was easy. All you needed was money, and if you had none, there were other ways. The army was a good one, since they always needed more soldiers, be they augmented or mutants. After a few years of service, upon your discharge, you could get an alteration again, making you more suitable for civilian life. Of course, those with extreme alterations usually didn’t leave, it’s hard being a civilian when you’ve been a predator for years. And of course there were those like us, who took on the special missions.
It was a spawner. Mutants so far gone, their offspring wasn’t even human. “It’s a female sir, not all gone. The spawn are though, so it’s mate has lost it.” Faceless nodded, “Kill the spawn, but keep the female for interrogation. Brute, do not engage, wait for the mate.”
---
Sci-Fi, to break up the fantasy.
A little background is perhaps in order.
Humanity now consists of the normals, and the altered. The altered are again divided between the mutants and the augmented. Augmented are mechanically enhanced humans, while mutants are, as their name implies, mutated nearly beyond humanity.
Sorry if this sounds bad or anything, but I would like to ask anyone who has read this to leave a comment. I want to know who, if anyone, reads my stories.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against those who choose biological change over augmentation, but sometimes these people forget they are human. Obviously, this happened to the augmented as well, but at least they usually decided they wanted to be integrated into something useful, like a factory or even a tank. No matter, it gave us a job.
“Claws, opening ahead.” With a thought, I acknowledged. That was my job, surveilance, and if we found something hostile, I could easily kill it without anything else noticing. I crept across the ceiling, and over the lip into the cavern. As I reached the top of the cavern, I released my hands from the ceiling, hanging from my feet.
Each of us had their own, specialised suit. Faceless had his (or hers, we weren’t sure) standard, without identification marks. Or any kind of mark. What set it apart was that his left arm had no hand, but was a railgun from the elbow down. I wondered how much of it was still human. Brute was, as his name implies, brutish. A massive suit of armor, lots of power in there. Lots of weapons, too. Mine was designed to be elegant. Claws on both hands and feet, giving me great mobility. All I had for weapons were shock-prods on my wrists, and obviously my claws.
“Nothing here, there are tracks though.” I dropped from the ceiling, landing on all fours. Walking on claws is hard. Brute entered, followed by Faceless. Something stirred in the darkness, and heavy footsteps came our way. Brute put himself between us and it. “Looks like you were wrong, darling.” I knew he was grinning in his suit, he loved this part. Then we saw it, and even Brute took a step back.
These days, being altered was easy. All you needed was money, and if you had none, there were other ways. The army was a good one, since they always needed more soldiers, be they augmented or mutants. After a few years of service, upon your discharge, you could get an alteration again, making you more suitable for civilian life. Of course, those with extreme alterations usually didn’t leave, it’s hard being a civilian when you’ve been a predator for years. And of course there were those like us, who took on the special missions.
It was a spawner. Mutants so far gone, their offspring wasn’t even human. “It’s a female sir, not all gone. The spawn are though, so it’s mate has lost it.” Faceless nodded, “Kill the spawn, but keep the female for interrogation. Brute, do not engage, wait for the mate.”
---
Sci-Fi, to break up the fantasy.
A little background is perhaps in order.
Humanity now consists of the normals, and the altered. The altered are again divided between the mutants and the augmented. Augmented are mechanically enhanced humans, while mutants are, as their name implies, mutated nearly beyond humanity.
Sorry if this sounds bad or anything, but I would like to ask anyone who has read this to leave a comment. I want to know who, if anyone, reads my stories.
Monday, May 11, 2009
A Gift from Dead Gods, 5.
Finally, the day had come. Luno wore his ceremonial robes of the priesthood with pride as he marched into the temple. As he had expected, the Lord was waiting, as were the sisters. The god spoke first, “Ah, Luno.. How long has it been, when you stood here, amongst the masses, not knowing what you would become? Look at you now, a full warrior. Today, I pronounce you as my champion!”
Luno nodded, “As my Lord commands.” The sisters grinned and the one on the left, whom he had come to know as Ilane, nodded. “An obedient champion, my Lord. Do we honor him with the gifts?” The god nodded his armored head. The other sister, Irune, who had further decayed in the years that had passed, waved a skeletal hand and a group of guards carrying a heavy chest came into the hall.
Ilane opened the chest, pulling out a helmet. Luno noticed it looked a lot like the armor the Lord used to be present. Irune smiled at him, “This is our gift to you, Champion. Let no man, woman or beast doubt the power you wield!” He bowed his head as he accepted the helmet. “Thank you, sister.” The sisters bowed, turned and left the hall. He was alone with the Lord. “My champion, you have grown. No longer are you as young as you were when we met.”
“You have said you were at my command. Thus, I command you to go to the forest of Artok, to the north. There you will find a host of dryads. As the god of murder I bid you, destroy them all. A mage will accompany you.” The Lord of Blades turned and headed for his throne, where he sat down. “You will leave in two days. Finish your business here, then come to the plaza at dawn, wearing your new armor. She will find you.” Luno bowed, turned and left the hall.
In those two days, Luno went around the city, saying farewell to all those he had met in the last years. Finally, he came to the house of the man where he had lived, before moving into the temple proper. He still visited here often, the old man had turned into a reliable, if talkative friend. Before he had knocked on the door, the man opened. “Hello, good to see you! You’re quite the talk of the town, you know. Yes, everyone is talking about the new champion, and I wondered if it would be you. Well, do come in!”
When the two days had passed, Luno put on his new suit of armor. As a note in the chest had explained, the armor was enchanted. It could repair and clean itself, and the pieces locked together to form an almost impenatrable shell. As he began putting it on, the plates, joints and undersuit clicked together the way they were meant to do. He noticed several cleverly placed plates which he found he could open using a little magic burst. Finally, he wrapped a cloak around his armored shoulders, and headed for the plaza.
It was just before dawn, and the streets of Rasnach were quiet. Those few people he passed stared in awe as he walked by. Inside the suit, Luno grinned. He had certainly come far from where he started. The plaza was packed with priests, he noticed. They parted, bowing to him as he passed. Finally, he came to the entrance of the temple, and on the steps stood an elf girl. She smiled at him and jumped down to stand before him. “So.. you’re the champion. I hope you’re as strong as you look, we have a lot of killing to do.”
Luno took off his helmet, and held it under his arm. He looked her over, and grinned. “I hope you’re stronger then you look, because all I see is a small elf girl, without armor or weapons.” She anwsered by lifting into the air, fire streaming from her eyes and hands. In seconds, she was covered in flames. She tilted her head, “My name is Fyanha. I have no need for such things.” Luno nodded, “Agreed.”
As the flames went out and Fyanha landed gracefully, a priest threw himself on his knees before them. “Champion, we of the priesthood present you with a final gift!” Two priests came forwards, one bearing a longsword, the other a matching shortsword. “Please, accept our gifts, oh great champion!” Luno put his helmet back on, and accepted the swords. “Thank you, priest. I accept your gift.” He turned to Fyanha and smiled. “Shall we leave?”
Luno nodded, “As my Lord commands.” The sisters grinned and the one on the left, whom he had come to know as Ilane, nodded. “An obedient champion, my Lord. Do we honor him with the gifts?” The god nodded his armored head. The other sister, Irune, who had further decayed in the years that had passed, waved a skeletal hand and a group of guards carrying a heavy chest came into the hall.
Ilane opened the chest, pulling out a helmet. Luno noticed it looked a lot like the armor the Lord used to be present. Irune smiled at him, “This is our gift to you, Champion. Let no man, woman or beast doubt the power you wield!” He bowed his head as he accepted the helmet. “Thank you, sister.” The sisters bowed, turned and left the hall. He was alone with the Lord. “My champion, you have grown. No longer are you as young as you were when we met.”
“You have said you were at my command. Thus, I command you to go to the forest of Artok, to the north. There you will find a host of dryads. As the god of murder I bid you, destroy them all. A mage will accompany you.” The Lord of Blades turned and headed for his throne, where he sat down. “You will leave in two days. Finish your business here, then come to the plaza at dawn, wearing your new armor. She will find you.” Luno bowed, turned and left the hall.
In those two days, Luno went around the city, saying farewell to all those he had met in the last years. Finally, he came to the house of the man where he had lived, before moving into the temple proper. He still visited here often, the old man had turned into a reliable, if talkative friend. Before he had knocked on the door, the man opened. “Hello, good to see you! You’re quite the talk of the town, you know. Yes, everyone is talking about the new champion, and I wondered if it would be you. Well, do come in!”
When the two days had passed, Luno put on his new suit of armor. As a note in the chest had explained, the armor was enchanted. It could repair and clean itself, and the pieces locked together to form an almost impenatrable shell. As he began putting it on, the plates, joints and undersuit clicked together the way they were meant to do. He noticed several cleverly placed plates which he found he could open using a little magic burst. Finally, he wrapped a cloak around his armored shoulders, and headed for the plaza.
It was just before dawn, and the streets of Rasnach were quiet. Those few people he passed stared in awe as he walked by. Inside the suit, Luno grinned. He had certainly come far from where he started. The plaza was packed with priests, he noticed. They parted, bowing to him as he passed. Finally, he came to the entrance of the temple, and on the steps stood an elf girl. She smiled at him and jumped down to stand before him. “So.. you’re the champion. I hope you’re as strong as you look, we have a lot of killing to do.”
Luno took off his helmet, and held it under his arm. He looked her over, and grinned. “I hope you’re stronger then you look, because all I see is a small elf girl, without armor or weapons.” She anwsered by lifting into the air, fire streaming from her eyes and hands. In seconds, she was covered in flames. She tilted her head, “My name is Fyanha. I have no need for such things.” Luno nodded, “Agreed.”
As the flames went out and Fyanha landed gracefully, a priest threw himself on his knees before them. “Champion, we of the priesthood present you with a final gift!” Two priests came forwards, one bearing a longsword, the other a matching shortsword. “Please, accept our gifts, oh great champion!” Luno put his helmet back on, and accepted the swords. “Thank you, priest. I accept your gift.” He turned to Fyanha and smiled. “Shall we leave?”
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Random short stories.
All she wanted to do was dance. Dance on her toes. Twirling around on the roof, not seeing where she goes. Her blindfold blocks out the world. She never falls down, something greater guides her steps as she moves across the roof.
Tired. She is so tired, but she never stops. The dance goes on, and on. Never stopping, not for a moment, she dances here. Is she waiting for something, or someone? No one knows. All that is known, is that she is always there, dancing on that roof, blindfold always on.
---
He remembered what it was like, in the old days. People were everywhere back then. He smiled as he stared across the quiet landscape, thinking about the ones who had filled his life with joy, back then. Now, the world was silent.
How it had happened, he never knew. All he knew was that in all this time, he hadn’t met anyone besides himself. They were all dead. Sometimes he longed for a goal, a purpose. No such illusions surrounded him anymore.
There he stood, alone. The wind carried the scents of a patch of beautiful flowers. They brought him happiness, these days.
---
Never never never. He said it again and again. Never never never would they catch him. He couldn’t let them. Never never never would they learn what he had learned. What they could do with the knowledge, if they got their hands on it. Never never never would he allow that to happen.
He couldn’t die, that would just make it easier for them. Never never never die. He shook his head in frustration, why couldn’t they just let him go? Never never never give up, he reminded himself.
---
These were some things I wrote up. What do you think?
Tired. She is so tired, but she never stops. The dance goes on, and on. Never stopping, not for a moment, she dances here. Is she waiting for something, or someone? No one knows. All that is known, is that she is always there, dancing on that roof, blindfold always on.
---
He remembered what it was like, in the old days. People were everywhere back then. He smiled as he stared across the quiet landscape, thinking about the ones who had filled his life with joy, back then. Now, the world was silent.
How it had happened, he never knew. All he knew was that in all this time, he hadn’t met anyone besides himself. They were all dead. Sometimes he longed for a goal, a purpose. No such illusions surrounded him anymore.
There he stood, alone. The wind carried the scents of a patch of beautiful flowers. They brought him happiness, these days.
---
Never never never. He said it again and again. Never never never would they catch him. He couldn’t let them. Never never never would they learn what he had learned. What they could do with the knowledge, if they got their hands on it. Never never never would he allow that to happen.
He couldn’t die, that would just make it easier for them. Never never never die. He shook his head in frustration, why couldn’t they just let him go? Never never never give up, he reminded himself.
---
These were some things I wrote up. What do you think?
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