Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Mar 22, 2015 5:19:19 GMT
Heyo, just resurrecting my old thread from the old UG, which apparently disappeared and I didn't notice for a while... Anyways, my old name was Keensteel, but I have since come to favour this title more Hopefully I can get some writing up, but that's not likely, what with being in Bible College and all
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Mar 22, 2015 5:37:15 GMT
But, I do enjoy song lyrics, so here are some "The Proof Of Your Love" FOR KING & COUNTRY If I sing but don't have love I waste my breath with every song I bring an empty voice, a hollow noise If I speak with a silver tongue Convince a crowd but don't have love I leave a bitter taste with every word I say So let my life be the proof, The proof of Your love Let my love look like You and what You're made of How You lived, how You died Love is sacrifice So let my life be the proof, The proof of Your love If I give To a needy soul but don't have love then who is poor? It seems all the poverty is found in me So let my life be the proof, The proof of Your love Let my love look like You and what You're made of How You lived, how You died Love is sacrifice Oh, let my life be the proof, The proof of Your love When it's all said and done When we sing our final song Only love remains Only love remains Let my life be the proof, The proof of Your love Let my love look like You and what You're made of How You lived, how You died Love is sacrifice So let my life be the proof, The proof of Your love
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Mar 22, 2015 6:14:47 GMT
And here we are!! The first new segment of story!! I dunno if I'll finish this, but here goes nothing!! (I'm overtired, which means easily excitable ) Ships She was the pride of the Southern Navy, the Reaper Of Souls. Boasting an armament of one hundred and fifty guns, the warship could knock anything out of the sky. The land of Southern had built her in secret, preparing for a surprise offensive against their neighbours, the Northlands. When the attack came, the Northern defences didn’t stand a chance against the Reaper’s next generation armour. Their shots simply bounced off, or at worst, took small chunks off. Once the Reaper had utterly decimated the Northland fleet, she turned her focus to the cities. One by one, the Northland cities were bombed into submission, until there was only one left. It was here the Northlander captains finally realized they were hopelessly outgunned. A midnight surprise attack on the Reaper gave them just enough time to evacuate the city, leaving nothing behind but empty houses. Many ships were lost in the attack, but a bare handful, with their brave, reckless captains, escaped. They flew south, dodging Southern patrols all the way, until they passed all Southern lands, and disappeared into the desert. Their dash to freedom left more than a few smouldering wrecks in their wake, as unskilled patrols happened upon them, or were ambushed by them. This is the story of their captains.
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Post by Lērtāen Miklul on Mar 22, 2015 15:37:12 GMT
Ah! One of my favourite writing threads is back! Looks perty interesting.
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Mar 22, 2015 22:38:03 GMT
Yeah, I basically started this cuz I had left my old story for too long... Ah well, I should enjoy this one too Beginning Merris hummed nervously under her breath as she piloted her ship, the Song Of War through the clouds. It was her job to watch the skies for any sign of the Reaper, in case it had followed them towards the border. Below her, her fellow captains were flying in a loose v, heading south. There were only a few of them left, as the Reaper had decimated their ranks. There was the desert frigate, Shifting Sands, piloted by a young man called Finbarr. Also there was the battleship Headhunter, piloted by Tiberius Regans, a grizzled old warrior. Following the Headhunter was the Broken Angel, a light battleship from the mountainous regions of the Northlands. Her captain was Malachi Korazin. And last, the armed civilian vessel, Heart Thief. Her captain was an odd one, Jairus Together these few ships were what was left of the Northern Armada. Their current plan was to sail south, towards a region of land known as the Deadlands. At some time in the past, a volcano had erupted, scorching the earth over a massive area, leaving only sharp, jagged rocks when the lava cooled. There were few roads through this area, and no people at all. Once they arrived there, they would set up a base and re-evaluate their options. For now though, they must fight their way to the border. Merris flinched as a bolt of lightning flashed through the sky, followed by a clap of thunder. Muttering angrily, she turned to see a large storm catching up to them. “Perfect,” she muttered, shaking her head in disgust. Then her eyes narrowed as she saw a silhouette appear, only for a split second, in the clouds that were steadily gaining. “Ship to stern!” the lookout called, “She’ll be on us within the hour!” Merris shook her head, quickly planning what she should do next. “Drop altitude!” she ordered. “Full ahead, and man your battle stations!” The deck erupted into activity, as every man ran to his appointed station, and began preparing for the worst. “Think it’s the Reaper?” Merris’ first mate, Rork asked breathlessly as he arrived at the stern. “I sure hope not,” she replied grimly. “If it is, we’re in major trouble.” She turned to look for the mystery ship, and spotted it, trying its best to catch every scrap of speed from the ever-quickening winds. “Rork!” She commanded as she turned to face him. “Find a glass and keep an eye on her. If it’s the Reaper the only way some of us will survive is if we all split up and take different paths. So the moment you identify her, call out!” Confident that was taken care of, Merris devoted her attention to the sailing of the ship. The gusting winds were causing the ship to lurch and sway, and Merris found it growing more difficult to hold a steady course.
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Post by Dmitri Pendragon on Mar 24, 2015 4:44:58 GMT
This sounds good…I'm liking it. I shall continue reading for as long as you continue to post and perhaps provide a few critiquing comments in the future.
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Mar 24, 2015 20:27:44 GMT
Sounds good. I'm always open to new ideas or critiques
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Mar 25, 2015 3:31:13 GMT
I'm actually super tempted to abandon this storyline and write a dystopian-like story instead.... And I can't decide....
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Mar 25, 2015 4:32:08 GMT
I decided... new story!!! I have no name currently though....
I remember when it all went down. When the night turned to day, then back to night, where it stayed, for a full week. I don’t know what happened, I don’t know if anyone knew what happened. All I know is the power died immediately. It wasn’t long before people started to follow. Cities became a living Heck, millions of people fighting for food and water. The lucky ones went first, at least they went down fighting. When the winter set in no one was prepared. At least by that point there weren’t many people left. I remember the survivors who attempted to band together, only to fall apart as arguments and infighting destroyed them. But I survived it all. And am still surviving it, rather well given the circumstances. I was twelve when normal life ended, and those first few years are full of nothing but pain and hunger. I bounced around from group to group, not really attached anywhere. My family had gone missing in the initial chaos, and I never saw them again. Those years were tough, but they made me tough, and in this new world, tough was the new normal. There are no more who are weak, only the strong. I learned to fight through countless beatings, learned to steal when food ran out, and learned to lie when I was caught. And now here I am. A tough, strong, and smart survivor. Because I had to be to keep myself alive. I left the northlands of Canada the year I turned sixteen, and began heading south. Now I find myself approaching what I believe to be the area of the Grand Canyon. I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I know where I’m never going back to. The few survivors I meet on the way all seem to think that what was once Mexico is still populated, with teeming cities. It wouldn’t surprise me. And at my nineteen years, It’d be nice to see a city again. I just have to survive until I get there first. See, if it was like it was before, it would be easy to travel, minus the road gangs who’d kill you, and hunger and thirst. But, animals are changing somehow. There’s no reason for it, but they’re becoming bigger, faster and more aggressive. All of them. Traveling alone like I do, I’ve had to resort to skill to avid them, as many of the predators would take me down without thinking twice. And as I travel farther south, it is becoming more and more of a desert. So this will be interesting.
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Post by Lērtāen Miklul on Mar 26, 2015 2:05:20 GMT
Quite interesting! (Although I think I preferred the other)
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Mar 26, 2015 5:59:59 GMT
I may continue that one sometime... For some reason dystopian-style stories have been running through my head
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Apr 8, 2015 6:01:27 GMT
"I sighed as I put the pen down. I wasn’t even sure why I was writing any of this down. Paper was scarce enough, and goodness knows I didn’t need the extra weight. Maybe it was my way of trying to keep myself sane. At this point, I hadn’t seen another person for close to a month. At least, no living person. See, where cities used to be bustling centres of commerce, now there are only graveyards. Of course, skeletons don’t really count as people, but whatever. I sighed as I stuffed the scarred notebook back into my bag. Winter was coming again, and I was fed up with the cold. Currently, I was somewhere in the vicinity of the Canadian-American border, from what I could gather from the rusting signs next to the cracked highways. If I could hazard a guess, I’d say I was still in what used to be British Columbia, not that it really mattered. The sun had just come up when I stepped out from under the rock I had spent the night under. After a quick scan of the area, I strapped my blade to my side, and hefted my pack onto my shoulders. I chose a sword because ammunition ran out really fast, and guns were now basically useless. My blade I had found in a pile of rubble that had once been a grand mansion. After I removed the skeleton fingers from the handle, it suited me well. I fashioned my own scabbard, and soon became proficient with it. I quickly grew in confidence, and looking back, I realized that finding that sword had helped an immense amount in growing my confidence, and also helped me fight my way through more than a few hairy situations. Somehow it never needed sharpening, and never chipped. It must have been some kind of blade when it was new, and I had long ago quit trying to figure out why someone in the old age would have paid money for a sword, when that had been an age primarily ruled by technology, and guns. As I walked, I mused over the few people I had met most recently, if only to give me something to think about. They looked Mexican, and had been barely able to speak a word of English. They basically repeated the word “wolf” and refused to let me come close. It had been a short meeting, to say the least. "
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Post by Dmitri Pendragon on Apr 8, 2015 22:04:03 GMT
I see what you mean by dystopian. XD That blade sounds like it's going to be important to the story later.
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Apr 9, 2015 3:18:26 GMT
Funny how that happens, eh? I hadn't really been planning on it, it just happened
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on May 9, 2015 23:39:33 GMT
It had ended when I finally got fed up with them and walked off. They had stood watching me until they disappeared from sight. For some reason, I couldn’t shake the word wolf from my mind after that encounter. Why would they only know that word in English? But, my world was full enough of mysteries, and one more didn’t make the load that much heavier. I tripped on a rock, and muttered under my breath. Thinking for too long never ended up being a good idea, it seemed. And so I walked forwards, heading farther and farther south. After several days of walking, I realized my food was beginning to run low. Since I lived off the land, this wasn’t too much of a concern. There was food everywhere, if you knew where to look. See, since the day this started, animals and plants had become… strange. At least, that’s how I explain it. Just changed, looked different, acted different, tasted different. some for the better, some not so much. Take apples for example. Used to be a nice fruit. Tasted nice, you could make cider out of them if you wanted. Well, nowadays they weren’t so nice. I had one once, and it nearly knocked me out. I’m sure it was some kind of drug or something now. And animals. I hate to get started. Coyotes are a good example. Usually nice, sort of loveable, as long as you weren’t a small animal. Nowadays, they were ferocious killers. They hunted in large packs, and basically ate anything that moved. As of right now, I haven’t been unlucky enough to run into one that was hunting, but I had seen a few packs from afar. And what they hunted wasn’t exactly tame either. Deer had become fast, faster than I thought possible. So hunting for meat was always interesting, and mostly dangerous. For now, I was content to gather some edible berries and plants. Through a long process of trial and error, I had learned the warning signs for which plants would end up messing you up, and had escaped mostly unscathed. When I eventually found a place to sit down and eat, it turned out I was lucky I had chosen a patch of bushes to stop in. As I sat there, I heard a strange sound, like I had never heard before. It started like the cry of a wolf, but continued on up in pitch, ending in a wild scream. My food temporarily forgotten, I slid lower into the bushes, silently drawing my sword. All bird song had ceased upon the sound of that cry, and it was eerily quiet. Several minutes passed with no sight or sound of the creature, and I was about to make a move when I heard it again, but much, much closer. Not only that, it was coming from the direction I had just traveled. The cry came again, and it was then I realized there must be two creatures, as the sound came from a different direction. I felt my heart begin to beat faster as I realized that whatever the creatures were, one of them was tracking me, and another was on the way. I slipped my pack off my back, as well as my tattered coat. If this came to a fight, as it most likely would, I would need freedom of movement. And then it came. I sensed, rather than heard, feet pounding into the ground, only seconds before the creature barrelled over a low rise, headed straight towards me. I had a few seconds to react, and with that, I was able to dive out of the bushes, narrowly escaping being trampled by… whatever it was. It had the appearance of a buffalo, but less hair, and long thick tusks protruding from its mouth. Its back was covered with what looked to be armoured plates, and as it rushed past, I caught a glimpse of long, bloody scratches running down its spine. Sword at the ready, I rolled to my feet and braced for its next charge. Instead of turning though, it continued its mad rush, without veering course one bit. Confused, I dropped my guard for a millisecond.
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Post by Lērtāen Miklul on May 11, 2015 16:10:07 GMT
Quite good. You have me in suspense now...
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on May 24, 2015 6:23:18 GMT
Unfortunately, that was the wrong thing to do. I heard the faintest sound of something rushing through the air, and collapsed where I stood, hoping I was fast enough. As I went down, I swung my sword upwards, hoping to land at least one good blow before whatever creature it was ate me. Rather than striking flesh or bone though, my arm jarred as the blade connected with metal, sending the blade down into the dirt beside me. The force of the impact spun me onto my back, and a black blur seemed to pass only inches from my face. Even as it passed, I was already moving to get to my feet, hoping I could be fast enough. When I realized what had jumped at me though, I lost the thought of fighting in a wave of confusion. There was a large cat, big as a horse, that was what had jumped at me, and I assume had been chasing whatever the earlier creature had been. And riding on the back of the cat was a figure clad in black armour, and it had a sword in hand. I snapped out of my momentary confusion as the big cat growled and began moving towards me, with a look in its eye that definitely wasn’t friendly. Seeing no other place to go, I stood my ground, holding my blade out in front of me. The thought of talking entered my mind, but before I could say anything, the figure in black stepped down from the back of the cat and began walking towards me, holding up a hand to halt the cat’s advance.
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Jun 7, 2015 4:17:12 GMT
I bent my knees slightly, preparing for anything. As the figure approached, he raised his sword, running it against the edge of mine. “Know how to use that?” I asked tauntingly, getting tired of the silence. In a blur, the figure threw a slash at my head, which I unfortunately wasn’t quick enough to block. Fortunately though, I am rather good at ducking, which I employed with success. I blocked the backswing with my blade, and followed through with a slash of my own. He managed to block, but it caught him off guard, and forced him to take a step back. We faced each other down for a few seconds, then went at it hammer and tongs. I realized fairly quickly that while I wasn’t as quick as my opponent, I could see attacks coming better than he. Only a few minutes in to the duel, I realized that the amount of effort we were both putting into the fight was tremendous. As soon as I realized that, I blocked the next swing, held it for a split second, then released and stepped back, out of sword range. “Seeing as we don’t really have a reason to be killing each other, and wasting energy, why not try talking it out?” I suggested, staying on guard. The figure paused for a second, considering what I said, then sheathed his blade. I did the same, then stepped closer, extending my hand. “The name’s Malachi, Malachi McCreery.” The figure shook my hand, but took a second to speak, as he took his helmet off. And then I realized, as soon as the helmet came off, that of course the figure was not a he, it was a she. “I’m Janna,” she replied, “And that is Ajax,” She pointed at the cat, who still looked like he wanted to eat me. “And that,” she indicated the trail of broken plants the first creature had left “Was our next meal. Until you got in the way.” “Hardly,” I snorted. “I almost got ran over by that thing. And then you did try and run me over. Which is why I had to defend myself.” Ajax growled at me, and I backed up, not liking the look in his eye. “Ajax,” Janna commanded. “Not now.” Ajax huffed at me, if cats can do that, then backed off and sat down.
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Feb 27, 2016 19:36:46 GMT
Haha, been too long since I've seen this place. I even have a little bit of writing to leave behind!!
“Well, regardless of who was in the wrong, lunch got away,” Janna shrugged. “So unless you are planning on replacing our food, we have no reason to stay here.”
“No, not really,” I agreed, looking at the path the animal had broken. “I could help you hunt it down and kill it, for a small share of the meat though,” “We don’t need your help,” Janna informed me, moving back to beside Ajax. “And we’re wasting time. You would only slow us down.”
With that statement, she mounted the big cat and began moving off. I watched them go, then shrugged. It would have been nice to get some of that meat, but I had no doubt the duo was capable of taking down whatever the heck that creature had been. As soon as they were out of sight, I finished snacking, then packed everything up and began to move off, following their trail. Perhaps they would leave some of the meat behind, or attract other animals that I might be able to hunt. Going without meat wasn’t very fun, to say the least. The day began to draw to an end, and there was still no sign of either Merris or Ajax, which was pretty interesting, considering how fast they had been moving. Perhaps whatever beast they had been chasing had stepped up its pace. That or Ajax had slowed down, for whatever reason. As soon as the sun began to hit the horizon, I located a nice big tree, and clambered up into the branches. Generally speaking, the dangerous beasts couldn’t climb very well, or at all, though Ajax had me worried. A cat like him could easily sneak up and end me before I knew what was happening.
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Mar 31, 2016 4:57:44 GMT
Hey, I have no idea if anyone still reads this, but I have a request for anyone who wants to. My bible college is Millar College of the Bible, and we are doing a fundraiser for a new gym floor, as our current floor is in a dangerous state of wear. Our goal of 100,000 dollars seems huge, but we are over halfway done. I am trying to raise a meager goal of 500 dollars, to walk 20k in a week or so. At the bottom of this there is a link to a page where donations can be made, if you are so inclined. It is kind of a competition, as I get a prize if I raise the most out of all the students. A donation as little as a dollar per kilometer would be great oh, and the name to put in the box for who is being sponsored is Sam Thompson. Yes, that be my real name :)https://www.millarcollege.ca/walk-a-thon-2016/
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Mar 31, 2016 4:58:48 GMT
Even if you can't or don't want to donate, spreading the word around would help so much
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Sept 11, 2016 19:30:48 GMT
Wow, I actually got a lot more on this. Prepare yourselves....
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Sept 11, 2016 19:34:04 GMT
Unfortunately it looked like I wouldn’t be catching up to them anytime soon. While up in the tree, I made sure to secure myself to the tree with some ropes I had. Tree-sleeping wasn’t fun by any means, but nowadays it was the only moderately safe way to sleep and not get eaten. Luckily, the night passed quietly, and I wasn’t eaten by anything. That would have been quite unfortunate. What I did discover however, was that something had left tracks around the base of the tree I had been sleeping in. And they weren’t just any tracks either. From the little I could see, they appeared human, only much bigger. I had seen quite a variety of tracks in the few years I had wandered, but never anything like this. And also, never anything that could walk under me while I slept, and not make a sound. And I’m quite the light sleeper. Troubled, I decided to follow the tracks, and see if I could catch a sight of whatever this creature was. I couldn’t help but think of all the Sasquatch stories I had heard all my life. Before, I laughed at them. Now, who knew what was possible? The tracks meandered quite a bit, but generally held to a southern course. Hours passed, and nothing of interest happened, until around noon, when I stopped to eat. It is interesting to note, that whenever a predator watches its prey, while undetected, it somehow triggers alarms in its prey. Uneasiness, nervousness, getting jumpy, feelings of fear, all that jazz. As soon as I took a seat, those feelings made themselves known. I froze, as a wave of apprehension washed over me, leaving every sense tingling, straining to detect any abnormality in the surrounding foliage. There had to be something there, everything in me was on edge, and yet there was nothing. The sun beat down, and there was no wind to speak of, but somehow my ears still managed to pick up the slightest rustle in the grass. It came from behind, which I should have guessed it would have. I weighed my options, and there weren’t many. If I had enough time to get my blade out, then I should be good. The only thing was, I had no idea what was out there, and if it would attack immediately, or wait until it had sized me up. Throwing caution to the wind, I rolled to one side, choosing not to draw my sword. It would have only slowed me down. Somehow, I sensed movement behind me, as whatever it was pounced at the space my head had occupied, no doubt with the intent of removing it from my shoulders. Luckily for my head, whatever this creature was missed its mark, at least partially. A searing flash of pain traveled across my shoulders, and a high-pitched screech rang into the air as I collapsed, unable to fight through the pain in my back. I managed to roll over onto, hoping to at least catch a glimpse of whatever it was that was undoubtedly about to eat me. Instead of a fearsome creature however, I caught the puzzling glimpse of a person, standing where I had been. The puzzling part was that this person was not a normal person, as whoever or whatever it was had large wings sprouting from their back. This fact was enough to hold my attention as I slowly lost consciousness. There was a small thought in the back of my mind that perhaps I would survive this, but the majority of my suddenly tired brain had pretty much resigned itself to the afterlife. And so, I sadly bid a mental goodbye to my sword. I never really got to use it much anyways.
When I discovered some time later that I was in fact not actually dead, I was rather surprised. Of course, the fact that it felt like there was molten metal running across my shoulder blades played a large part of me realizing that I had not yet died. And the fact that I was apparently tied hand and foot caused me some concerns, one of which still ended in me being eaten. As my eyes focused in however, I realized that it was no random chance that had resulted in my being bound. The first thing that caught my eye was the stereotypical large bonfire in front of me, but that was where the stereotype ended. For one, it was daytime, and also I was apparently alone. And, the pole I was tied to seemed to be in the middle of a city street intersection, albeit an abandoned and ravaged intersection, in a likewise abandoned and ravaged city. There were no clues as to where in the world I was, except for a few street signs that were mostly meaningless to me. I relaxed slightly, until I heard a noise come from behind me yet again. “Who is it?” I asked, not really caring anymore. “If you wanted me dead, I’d be dead already.” “That may be true,” came the unsettlingly quick reply. “But I have not yet decided if you should live.” I noticed the speaker was female, and mused inwardly on my good luck. No people around for two years, and now two girls in two days. The countryside was getting downright crowded. The girl moved around in front of me, and I was once again mesmerized by the wings that were apparently growing from her back. “In fact, the reason you’re alive right now is because I may need your services. That is of course if I find you trustworthy.” “And how will that work?” I asked. “I’m kind of severely injured, and tied to a pole in front of a rather large bonfire. Which, I suspect is not just for warmth.” “Actually, it is,” the stranger replied. Without saying another word, she walked up to the pile of branches and pulled a large chunk of flaming wood from the middle of the pile. Moving closer to me, she stopped out of arm’s reach and extended the branch until the heat was beginning to sear my face. “I would prefer if you didn’t do that,” I winced, moving my face to the side. Instead of moving it away, she pressed it up against one cheek, holding it for a split second before moving it away. “Hey!” I yelled, whipping my head about. “What in the heck was that for!” “A test.” She replied. “And you passed.” And then, for some reason she moved behind me and cut the ropes that were holding my hands, freeing them. I hesitated for a split second, then spun around and swung a fist, trying to connect with her nose. If not for the fact that she was not there, it would have been a perfect swing. Instead, the movement stretched my back, causing a fresh wave of pain to hit me like a truck. Once again I found myself acquainted with the ground, as my legs gave way. “That wasn’t very wise,” she chuckled, landing beside me. “It’s been a while since anyone landed a blow on me.” “Maybe if you played fair that’d change,” I growled, trying to rise and swing again. She stepped back, easily avoiding the strike. “You have heart, at least,” she laughed, apparently amused at my attempts to strike her. I continued my efforts for only a few more seconds, then was forced to give up due to the pain in my back. She stood back for a few seconds more after I quit moving, then moved in to apparently help me to my feet. “I’m good,” I snapped, scrabbling to my feet. “Suit yourself,” she replied, moving over to the fire. Seeing the fire reminded me that I had a throbbing pain in my cheek, causing me to wince. After a moment’s hesitation, I moved over to the fire as well, finding a chunk of stone to sit on. “So why did you do this?” I asked, gesturing to my face. “Was it really necessary?” “Yes,” she replied, and then apparently was content to leave it at that. “Alright,” I huffed. “Why? Why did you take me down? And bring me here? And by the way, where did my sword go? You better not have lost it.” “It is safe,” she answered. “I made sure of that. And as for the fire, it will take some explaining.” I nodded, expecting no less. Nothing seemed to be simple in the world nowadays. She took a few seconds to gaze into the fire, before looking over at me. “As you know, it has been several years since the… Change… things are not even close to what they were before.” She gestured to her wings, for effect. “These would have been a wonder of the world before. Now, they are simply one thing in a sea of many.” I wondered briefly how she had gotten them, seeing as she would have to have been born after the Change to be born with them, quite obviously. “And now, instead of just people and animals changing, the land itself is changing. The farther south you travel, the more dangerous the land becomes.” She look intently at me. “The wilds of the north are hard. Hard and cold, and thankless. But, in the south it is truly dangerous. There lies a jungle there, the likes of which this world has never seen.” She shuddered, thinking back to the past. “I have flown over it, though only in the day. There is a foulness there. And normally, that would be okay. I would avoid the place, and that would be the end of it.” She paused, looking at me. “But something changed, didn’t it?” I guessed, reading her expression. She nodded tersely. “Creatures started emerging from the edges late at night. Foul creatures, with no names. Anything living they devour, and even the plants shrivel at their coming. I tried to fight them, but they grow ever bolder and stronger. And so I stopped fighting them, as I am only one against many. I have been watching and observing for some time now. And until a few months ago, I saw nothing but the same.” She paused again, searching for words. “There was a person.” she finally said. “At least, I think. It walked in shadow, and I could not see it’s figure. But it spoke to me…” She stopped again, looking like she was about to puke. I noticed how quickly she had gone from commanding and dangerous to looking like a scared refugee or something. I had the distinct feeling that whatever this thing had said, it had not been good. “It… it spoke into my mind…” she said, finally. “And I felt the filth of it in every part of my being.” “What did it say?” I asked after a period of silence. “Many things.” she replied after a time. “Suffice to say, it, whatever it is, it controls the evil in that jungle. And it want to spread, and cover the land. It… it commanded me to join it. It told me I could rule with it. I wanted nothing to do with it. I flew, as fast and as far as I could. When I felt I was safe, I made a camp.” She sighed again, appearing distressed. “Whatever that evil is, it can… control people. Some found me a week later. They appeared normal, and likeable. The only warning I had was the fire.” I looked confused, which she caught on to. “See, when they saw my fire, the evil… came out of them. I saw it in their eyes. A blackness. Of a kind I had never seen before. I flew immediately. If I hadn’t they would have gotten me.” She shuddered again. “Whatever that thing by the jungle was, it was hunting me.” “But where do I come in?” I interrupted. “I mean, this is a good story and all, but I don’t see how it ties into me.” “I’m getting to that.” She snapped. “The next time I encountered it, it was in a different way. I saw some people, and I went to talk to them. But before I got there, the dark got there first. A shadow reached out and… took them. When it cleared, they were still there. But their eyes were different. And they immediately started heading south, straight for the jungle. Left all their things. I’ve even felt a presence in my mind, drawing me that way. It’s easy to fight, but it got me wondering if others are feeling it, and subconsciously heading south, closer to the jungle.” She looked at me, as if trying to judge if I believed her. “Well… I can’t say that I’ve felt it. I’ve been heading south because I heard rumours that Mexico is doing well. Then yesterday I ran into a girl and her pet cat. Well, the cat was big enough to ride. Anyways, they were hunting something, and were also headed south. Then today you decided to take me down.” “That was because of last night,” she retorted. “Something scouted you out, when you were asleep.” The hair on the back of my neck stood up as she mentioned it. It still had an unsettling feeling to it. “It was a human, at least I think. But it moved very fast. Fast, and quiet. I tracked it back to the jungle last night, then came right back to interrogate you.”
“Interrogate me to see if I’m an evil spirit possessed person?” I asked skeptically. “Well… kind of,” she replied. “I also happened to see your showdown the other day, and noted how fast your reaction time and blade skill was. That other girl may have had armour to slow her down, but I believe you had superior skill. So I was already thinking about recruiting you into my little cause.” She stopped and looked at me, half expecting me to act like she was crazy, I believe. “So what? Am I supposed to accept all this unflinchingly and go along with your plan? What even is your plan?” I asked.
She took a breath, then hesitated. “I have the beginning of a plan,” she admitted. “But it involves more muscle than I have.” “So you don’t really have a plan,” I snorted, “You just need more fighters to stay alive.” “Basically,” she sighed. “I have hope that others will appear. I only need to ensure that the effects of the blackness do not reach them before I do. There have been some, but the darkness has always taken them first.” She looked sad, surprisingly. “How many?” I asked, dropping the intensity. Whoever this girl was, she obviously wasn’t hardhearted. She sighed again, and her wings drooped. “At least six. Maybe more.” She looked me in the eyes. “You may think that to survive in this world, there must be no weakness in you. I thought the same, until I saw the dark take them. One… one was a little girl. And it took her all the same. I could move on, sure, but I’ve gone too long without something to fight for. And if this darkness continues to spread, who knows where it will end?” I sat back, thinking. It was true, that nowadays there was only really one way of life, that of a survivor. The thought of joining a cause other than a robber band seemed strangely appealing, but the wild part of me resisted. I opened my mouth, then hesitated. “I don’t even know your name,” I suddenly remembered. “What is it, if I may ask?” “Merris,” she answered, looking confused. “Well, Merris,” I stood and extended an arm. “Before the Change, I would have thought you were crazy. Maybe you are, but I don’t care anymore. I’ll help you as much as I can, for as long as I can. But one day, I know that I’ll have to move on. Too much wild in me now.” She grasped my hand, nodding her understanding. Staying in one place was what dead people did, nowadays. “I guess I should ask you,” she chuckled. “What name do you go by?” “Malachi,” I replied without hesitating. “From the northlands, at your service.” She laughed. “I didn’t mean you had to be a servant, I just asked for help. And actually, while we’re on the topic, there is something that you could help me with right away.” “What is it?” I asked. Man, this girl moved fast. She stood and spread her wings wide, rippling them slightly. “Well that depends,” she smiled. “Are you afraid of heights?”
Janna cursed under her breath, watching her prey disappear into the distance. Those things were frickin fast, and Ajax was definitely winded. “It’s alright,” she muttered, patting his neck. “Next time we’ll get him.” Ajax grumbled, in a cat like way, and sat down, nearly throwing Janna. “Hey!” she cried. “Easy now! It’s not our fault it got away!” She righted herself in the saddle, trying to ignore her rumbling stomach. The sword fight with that random swordsman had taken up precious energy, which her and Ajax could ill afford to lose. It was difficult, finding enough food for the big cat, and she refused to eat when he could not. They had been through too much together. She sighed, scanning the horizon for any movement. “Why did we even come down this far south?” She asked Ajax. He didn’t respond, which was typical of cats who couldn’t speak. “There’s little food, less people, and it’s getting way too hot.” Ajax flicked his ears sympathetically, wishing he knew what his strange companion was doing. It often would sit and simply emit noise, with an occasional pause. He was simply content to have a companion to adventure with. The sun was warm on his fur, and he contemplated falling asleep. Then, something changed. He tensed up, feeling uneasy. “What is it?” Janna asked, feeling the big cat stiffen. She couldn’t tell if anything had changed, but the cat’s behaviour made her nervous. More often than not, Ajax could hear or sense danger far before she could. She simply loosened her sword in its scabbard, and waited.
As the time passed, Ajax got more and more nervous, which caused Janna to do the same. Finally, she had had enough. Prompting Ajax forward, she moved to the top of a small hill, hoping to see what was around more clearly. Immediately upon cresting the hill, Janna spotted movement. There was a small black figure in the distance, moving closer. “What in the blazes…” Janna muttered, drawing her sword. Something about the object seemed… off. Like she was gazing at something so absolutely despicable that it almost made her gag. Yet there was no logical explanation for it. Ajax felt it more keenly, bristling the fur on his back and tail. If not for Janna, he would have fled long ago, but he would not leave his companion. “Something is really not right…” Janna whispered. “But what…” On a whim, she spun around.
There was another figure, this one much closer. She cursed under her breath, trying to steady her nerves. How had it gotten so close? And who, or what, was it? “Come no closer!” she cried, drawing her sword. Ajax snarled, baring his razor sharp teeth. Whoever it was should have taken the hint, and at least slowed down, but this figure wouldn’t stop. As soon as Janna saw its face though, she understood why.
It was a man, at least she thought so. But his eyes had been completely coloured black, as had his hair. “Now that is definitely not good,” Janna told herself. She didn’t know why this man was like this, but she wasn’t about to let it get any closer. She pulled a throwing knife from her belt and flicked it at the man, burying it deep into his neck. To her relief, the man fell, but the relief faded quickly. It was true that the man had fallen, but the blackness that had been in his eyes remained. And it wasn’t just the eyes, it was an entire human form, just silhouetted completely in black. She reached for another knife, but before she could she felt a strange wave sweep over her, dampening her senses. At first she resisted, but it had a strange pull to it, compelling her to accept. Her sword dropped from her hand, and she slumped off Ajax onto the ground, no longer caring. The black figure moved closer, seemingly satisfied with the results. However, before it reached her, a shadow passed over the ground, and Janna thought she heard a voice, crying out. The darkness seemed to leave her for a second, and she clearly heard a somewhat familiar voice, yelling a challenge. The dark creature recoiled, then seemed to disappear in a flash of light.
“What do you mean, heights?” I asked, looking around. “Are we climbing…” That was all I was able to say before she grabbed me by the arm and took off, laughing at my sudden panic. “Just relax!” she called down. “I’ve never dropped anyone!” “Is that supposed to make me feel good?!” I yelled back, grabbing onto her with both hands. “No, not really,” she laughed. “I just enjoy frightening people like that.” I closed my eyes as we made a corner, which caused me to swing out from underneath her. Hopefully this wouldn’t end with me throwing up. “Where are we even going?!” I yelled, trying to turn so I could see what was ahead. Unfortunately, my moving around almost caused her to drop me, as all she was grabbing onto were my arms. I also realized that the injury on my back did not like being towed around by my arms. At all. I could bear it, barely, and anyways, soon enough the view was enough that I quit noticing the pain. We flew higher and higher, heading I don’t know where, but the altitude steadily increased until we were skimming along just underneath the clouds. “This is awesome!!” I yelled, enjoying the adrenaline that came from being so high off the ground. “How do you stand being on the ground?!” “Not easily!” she yelled back. “Some times I spend days up here!” Now that was interesting to know. The more I found out about Merris, the more I was intrigued about her. “I’ve been keeping an eye on your friend with the cat for a bit as well!” she called down. “She should be around here somewhere!” I scanned the ground far below, but my eyes were clearly not designed for high-altitude cat watching. “I don’t know how much help I’m gonna be!” I yelled back. “I can’t see anything!” She didn’t reply for a second, and I was about to yell again, when she suddenly began to descend. “There!” she cried. “Don’t point!” I almost screamed, suddenly very aware of how tenuous my grip was. “I know, I know!” she replied. “But your friend there is in trouble! Dark Ones have surrounded her!” Now that didn’t sound good at all. Of course, I could do practically nothing from here, as I didn’t have any long range weapons, and even if I did, there was no guarantee that I could hit them, or if it would even hurt them. “There’s a flare gun on my belt!” Merris called down. “Grab it!” Well, that solved the first part of my problem. But it also created a new one. I would have to let go with one hand to grab it. How fun. I gritted my teeth, mentally ran through all possible scenarios resulting in a Malachi pancake, then let go and grabbed for the gun. Amazingly, I didn’t die. Even more amazingly, I grabbed the gun by the handle. “What am I shooting at?!” I yelled, suddenly realizing how close to the ground we were. And how fast we were going. Maybe I shouldn’t have thought about that too much. But, I also noticed Ajax and Janna ahead, approaching fast, as well as the shadowy creature that was seemingly about to kill them. Strangely enough, they didn’t seem to be fighting back. “Watch out!” Merris yelled, pulling up suddenly. My boot clicked off a rock, and a fresh wave of Malachi pancake scenarios blasted into my mind. But there was no time to think, only time to react. Just before I was about to swing into the dark creature, I raised the gun and somehow sighted it in on its head. “Comin’ in HOT!!!” I yelled, then blew its head off.
At least, I hit it in the head, miraculously, and the creature vaporized, blowing away in all different directions at once. There was little chance of celebrating however. Merris again nearly crashed me into a rock, but luckily before that happened I hit a tree. I may have blacked out, but when I woke up, I saw both Merris and Janna standing over me, looking concerned. Well actually, Janna looked slightly annoyed, with a hint of concern, and Merris mostly looked embarrassed. “Before you say anything,” Janna snapped. “I would have been fine without you two butting in.” “Yeah,” I winced as I tried to sit up. “Sure looked that way.” I looked over at Merris with my best evil eye. “And who the Heck taught you to fly? Trees are not a good place to land.” “Apologies.” At least she looked suitably remorseful. She shrugged, causing her wings to flutter. “I was watching the Darkness, and didn’t notice how low we were getting. But, on the bright side, I know now that you’re fairly tough.” “Thanks, but I could have told you that without hitting a tree,” I groaned at the effort of standing. “Now I feel hungover, and dizzy to boot.” One interesting thing to note however, was that my back was apparently now fine. Before I could ask about it, Janna broke in again. “First you messed up my hunt, then you and your new friend come in and interfere with my business! Who do you think we are?”
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Phenomenon
Elf
I was in the moment, and the moment told me to do it....
Posts: 33
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Post by Phenomenon on Sept 11, 2016 19:34:24 GMT
That was longer than expected....
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