McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Writers round table
Kristine:
--- Quote from: GWiz on February 28, 2008, 08:13:55 PM --- A huge, wet splash coated my back and neck. I knew it was blood. I could smell it. I rolled left until I hit the dirt sides of the stairway. I crouched there for a second debating whether to make a run for freedom as the battle raged, or head back to the relative safety and security of prison.
--- End quote ---
One of my Grizzlie guards was thrashing around, trying to defend itself for the last few seconds of it's life. It and it's eight legged attacker didn't seem to be paying any attention to me, the captive, even thought I was now covered in blood. The smelly wraith thing seemed to be screeching in that strange sing song way while floating out over the pit. It was fairing much better then my hairy captors as it seemed to sling little bits of the darkness it was made of at the big green spider men (and woman - one of them had breasts I noticed) and wherever the etherial dark whisps would hit the aracnid's skin would turn black and putrid. Usually they screamed and would lash out with one of their blade strapped legs or use their more human arms to throw something that looked like honey but would sizzle like acid where ever it hit. It was one of those honey balls that slapped the wall not 2 feet from me that made my survival instinct overrule all other observations.
"The He...." I gasped and took off up the stairs as fast as my two normal legs would carry me. I had to dodge bits of battle once or twice as one of the spider people's blades came flying from down in the pit, as they fought their way down into the prison. No one seemed to notice the shaking blood drenched captive from below as I stumbled up to the ground level and scrambled on all fours toward the first shelter I could see. People of all shapes, planes, and nightmares were moving toward the battle zone arming themselves in various ways. Wheather it was to help the spiders or Mr Fart-In-The-Wind with an attitude, I didn't know or care.
Qualapec:
--- Quote ---No one seemed to notice the shaking blood drenched captive from below as I stumbled up to the ground level and scrambled on all fours toward the first shelter I could see. People of all shapes, planes, and nightmares were moving toward the battle zone arming themselves in various ways. Wheather it was to help the spiders or Mr Fart-In-The-Wind with an attitude, I didn't know or care.
--- End quote ---
I found my haven in an overturned vegitable wagon. I crawled under it and hoped none of them would notice me. Something resembling a tomato squished underneath my hand. It was odd, it seemed as though crawling under it had forced me into the fetal position...and based off of the quick, ragged breaths, the fear in my chest, and how the sounds of clattering steel and screaming seemed to just be banging around inside my head it didn't seem as though I would be coming out of that shape any time soon. Oh, and my heart was trying to blast it's way out of my rib cage. So now, I was going to be regressing for a while. There was a point I found myself so out of it that when a large arachnid appendage popped a hole through the top of my shelter, barely missing breaking my neck. I didn't scream, only curled deeper into my position.
Then something even more terrible happened. I don't know how long after the battle started, or how long I stayed there before it happened. The sounds of battle halted. Silence. Just silence. And it was so much worse than the chaos. Somehow, I managed to pry my white knuckled grip from my shoulder and rearrange my spine into a flexible state. After a few moments of phyching myself up I jerkily clawed my way through the loose dirt under my hands. A quick glance around told me that Mr. Ring Wraith had lost, apparently that severed arachnid claw had impaled him in it's way through the cart. The invading monsters had made a circle around the prison entrance. I couldn't see what they were looking at...but I could guess before I was able to see.
Andre and Debbie. Two of the monsters dragged them along by their hair. I don't know how Andre managed it, but the hat remained on his head. Perhaps it was super-glued. I dared to crawl closer, hiding behind some crushed barrels and another dead bear guard. I was close enough so that I could hear Debbie's, "Hey! There is no need to push. I'm coming!"
A man-spider came out of the circle to meet them, "Andre Ursula...you have taken something from the Emperor. He does not have patience for petty thieves."
"Yeah, well, I can't be that petty of a thief. I did manage to break into the Imperial Palace and steal it right out from under his pointed, arrogant nose." The man was smiling, he had to be mad.
The lead spider didn't do or say anything. There was a jerk of his head. Two more arachnids brought out blocks of wood, placing it before the theives. Those same two started wiping the blood from their large battle axes. The head honcho gave the command, in classic emotionless villain tones, "You have been charged with thievery of the Wildflower. Do you have last words, so that the emporor may spare your immortal souls?"
"The emperor isn't a god," Debbie snarled defiantly. She was ignored.
Andre answered the leader, "Mmm...nah. I'd do it again and that bastard knows it."
The spider, I kid you not, sighed, "So be it." And as he raised his hand my heart lept to my throat.
meg_evonne:
"The spider, I kid you not, sighed, "So be it." And as he raised his hand my heart lept to my throat." Why can't I remember to post the last line....
I closed my eyes. I always do in the gross parts of movies and I honestly didn't want to see a real beheading. Debbie was screaming though.... that got to me. Not sure what I could do, I pleaded with whatever god might be listening and stood up. It would have been nice if I'd found some decent clothes though. I would like to think that I planned it, I hadn't. As I stood up I brushed against the pile of crushed barrels and they fell in a thundering crash, leaving me naked and exposed. The spider people all turned, including the grim reapers ready to slice and dice Andre. The head honcho was wearing a heavy gold necklace around its neck and a ruby the size of my fist on one of his giant fingers. The sun glinted off of it, but he didn't drop his hand as he looked for the cause of the commotion. Fart-In-the-Wind was gone, which was fine with me.
The assembled spidy people, Debbie, and Andre all stared up at me and I sent up another prayer. A huge roar sounded overhead and three military blackhawk helicopters came over the largest building with weapons blasting. Spidy bits were blown everywhere. Whirling sand was stinging my bare ass. I really needed a pair of pants.
I squinted my eyes against the swirling sand and could make out an open door of the middle helicopter. My Guardian, with my lightsabre in her hands, leaned precariously out of it. She shouted something I couldn't hear and then tossed it towards me. I swear you not, that darn thing flew straight into my right hand by its own volition. Some instinct told me to swing it overhead. Instantly the weapons fire ceased and those spider people, including the ruby ringed head honcho, that hadn't been creamed in the weapon onslaught, froze and then, honest to god, bowed down facing me. I was NOT sticking around to figure that one out.
Ropes snaked out of the helicopter from both sides and Debbie, Andre, & I grabbed one each and hung on as the helicopters soared upwards, lifting us up and out of the battle zone. Having no where to tuck my lightsabre, it was not an easy climb to get into the helicopter. As my Guardian reached out to pull me to safety, I saw the spidy people below still staring up at me like I was the risen Christ or something.
I didn't let go of my Guardian for quite awhile and her arms rhythmically stroked my back in sympathy as I shook in reaction to almost dying again. When I finally pulled back, because I noticed that Debbie was eying me in anger--wait, could that be jealousy? Andre was apparently feeling his age because he was rolled over on the floor trying to catch his breath.
I looked at my Guardian and couldn't imagine a prettier welcome committee. "You didn't by any chance pick me up some pants did you?"
She laughed and crossed to a leather pouch, pulling out pants from out of Nights of Arabia, billowy and thin. I didn't care; I put them on and fastened them with a wide leather belt with a lion shaped belt buckle. There was even a shoulder scabbard for my lightsabre. Things were looking up for the first time in a long while.
Qualapec:
--- Quote ---Things were looking up for the first time in a long while.
--- End quote ---
"So," I said to my Guardian, "You don't have phones but you have blackhawk freakin' helicopters."
"Oh, I was just screwing with you," She said with that same wolfish smile, "Our world is the closest to your earth. Things like this can exist here where they cannot in the Inner Kingdoms." She prattled on as if I knew what she was talking about.
Debbie sighed in frustration, "Look. The kingdom of Wildfire, where we are, is under the rule of the Empire. Wildfire is a...frontier if you will. It's on the outskirts of the Empire, and the world right next to Earth. The farther you go to the center of the Empire the more effected by magic they are, the farther technologically set back they are due to the overpowering presence of magic. The Imperial Palace is stuck back in...Andre, where would you place them in human history?"
Andre looked up from his hat, the man liked to keep to himself, "Picture China in the middle ages full of immortal wizards."
Debbie nodded, "Oh, right. About like that. And the Wildflower is a great treasure of the emperor. The King was desperate to get it back because he knew it would be his head if one of his people took it and he did nothing to get it back. But then you bonded with it. By the-"
My Guardian cut her off, I wondered if it was just a play to irritate Debbie, "By the King of Wildfire enlisting your services he has something to hold over the Empire's head and keep them from taking away our self-rule." She turned another one of those million-dollar smiles at Debbie and Andre, "Unfortunately it means he needs to make a showing of your friends here."
"Ohhh man! Hey, Debyone, the way she talks you'd think we were screwed or something!" Andre blurted, earning several nasty looks from the other human(oid?) guards in the chopper.
A small smile quirked at my lips, the guy had balls. That was for sure. I mean, he had to, why else would he mock giant spiders sent to kill him or steal something from the Empire to begin with. Either that or my initial assumption of his being totally off his rocker was correct. I caught a glance at Debbie. She was leaning on the floor, staring out at the odd world zipping by below us with the most gentle look on her face. The gravity of the situation hit me. They would die. All because of some stupid political powerplays. I didn't know why they took the Wildflower...and right then it didn't matter.
I couldn't let that happen.
"Hey," I grabbed the attention of my Guardian. I went for power and commanding presence, this was exceptionally hard to pull off since I was still buzzing on adrenaline, it was worth a shot. "So. Here's the scoop sweetheart," I pointed to Andre and Debbie, "I don't to jack for you or your king until you promise a pardon for them."
There was a moment where I could have sworn she was overpowered by the sense of masculenity and heroisim that I attempted to portray.
Then she laughed. "No," She squeezed out between uncontrollable chuckles.
"No?" I asked, shocked, "What do you mean no?"
It took a couple of moments, but she pulled herself back together, "I mean, you don't have a choice and you don't have the power. More lives are at risk than those of two petty thieves. Think about it." She held up different fingers as she finished sentences, "Our world is the next dimensional stop on the way to Earth. We are on the outskirts of the Empire. If we retain power that will keep the Empire from gaining a military foothold here. And I'd bet you can guess what happens if that unfortunate circomstance falls into place." She paused for effect.
"Earth will fall to the Empire."
Kristine:
--- Quote from: Qualapec on February 29, 2008, 05:08:38 AM ---And I'd bet you can guess what happens if that unfortunate circumstance falls into place." She paused for effect.
"Earth will fall to the Empire."
--- End quote ---
I imagined some of the green spider people riding the metro or Mr Smokey-Bad-Smell waiting in line at a 7-11 for an instant before logic told me there would be mass panic on a global scale - compared to fighting about who was right about God or what sexual positions were obscene and what color of people should be in power - people who were clearly NOT human would present such a huge paradigm shift in every-day reality that it would fracture the human psyche. Your average Joe Public couldn't handle the idea of ghosts or aliens much less parallel dimensions and magical political take overs.
This stopped me in my tracks and for an instant I forgot that my rescuer was pretty or that she had just probably saved my life. For that moment I saw her as only an agent of a hostile government who would mete out an undeserved punishment and kill 2 people to make a political showing. It seemed so wrong but I didn't see a way around it either.
"my cooperation should be good for something..." I muttered darkly, then turned to Andre. The man looked mildly shocked, like he had been enjoying dozing by candle light and someone turned on a bright light. I was hoping his candor wouldn't quit on me now. "So what does being wildfire bound do?" I asked.
He shrugged, "It means this plane has connected with you. circumstances will go your way, things that are unlikely, and a few that seem impossible" he looked meaningfully at the light saber, "might happen if you need them to bad enough."
"what do you mean, bad enough?" I sounded creeped-out even to my own ears.
He smiled crookedly as my guardian jumped in, "He means you can't wish for something, you have to actually need something for it to happen." She smiled again, "so if you are protected, reasonably cared for, and mostly safe, the connection you have will not be forced to take a hand in things. You do not have power whenever you want it."
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