Time Flight
Word Count: 4,780
It is the year 3784; mankind had long abandoned its planet of origin and spread out far across the cosmos, prospering with every new habitable planet and sentient race discovered. Humanity eventual made itself a recognized galactic entity by forming the Space Federation of United Worlds, and in time nearly all races were under its banner. Under the SFUW the next great step in transportation was developed: Warp-Inducement Drives.
But this breakthrough was abruptly delayed when a disgruntled fighter pilot named Dex Kilar went rogue and left the federation, taking the WID prototype with him. Months afterward space pirate raids started happening across the border systems and eventually into the prominent mid-systems. It was clear to federation leaders that the pirates were being led by Dex, for despite the pirate fleet being only eight warships it always managed to flee via isolated wormholes before patrol ships could reach them. The WID had successfully been replicated, and the pirates had become a considerable threat to the galaxy.
As the pirates drew closer to the core worlds, scientists were able to recreate the WID and install it onto several SFUW warships. An improved WID was installed on a single fighter, allowing warp ability without the help of larger craft. This special fighter was to be flown by the SFUW's top pilot in the upcoming counterstrike: Lance Armine.
Soon reports came in on the pirate fleet's latest attack, and the modified strike force warped onto the scene in hopes of wiping out the pirates in one surprise attack.
With the pirate forces dwindling rapidly and the SFUW on the verge of victory, a clandestine battle between two former friends was to occur.
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The black of space was tarnished with the harsh flames of smoldering space ships, and the light of the stars were blotted by drifting hunks of burnt gray debris. The battle was nearly over, and the SFUW strike force still maintained thirteen of its initial fifteen ships. The pirate force wasn't faring as well however, for only three jet-black cruisers remained and one of them was being torn apart by several SFUW fighters.
Aboard the stingray-shaped lead cruiser Dex, in military green and sporting an awesome red beret, oversaw the carnage of his fleet in his luxurious chair as klaxons went off all around. Most of the gray-skinned officers there had looks of panic as they quickly read the damage reports filling up much of the console screens.
"Captain, the Malakai is about to break apart! Unless the enemy fighters desist then we will be down another ship!" shouted the officer seated at the console nearest the view screen that took up most of the room.
"Then send our own fighters to deal with 'em, moron," grumbled Dex, who despite his best efforts to relax the panic amongst his crew was annoying him.
"We cannot! They are all destroyed!" shouted the desperate officer in reply. Dex rose straight from his chair for his next statement.
"When the hell did that happen!? What's the goddam matter with you Grays!!" After shouting he slumps back into his comfy captain's chair.
The Zuranthens, or derogatorily referred to as the "Grays," were a skilled technical race that proved valuable to Dex in fine-tuning and replicating the original WID system. But in the heat of battle they're quick to lose their nerves, which was something Dex didn't have the patience for at the moment.
"Contact the Sinistar and tell them to fire up the warp drives. I can't rely on you chicken shits to for anything much less repelling a few lousy federation ships."
"But what of the Malakai, Captain?" asked another gray-skinned officer at the back of the bridge. Dex gives a shrug.
"There are functioning ships elsewhere, and certainly more competent CREW to operate them. Now start pulling us out of this mess."
In the midst of the chaos outside the federation fighters still rained lasers on the floundering and smoking ship. Overlooking the slaughter in the cockpit of his custom fighter Lance eases from his rigid sitting position. Almost immediately the comms buzzed and the voice of the strike force commander was around Lance.
"Status report Lance."
"The cruiser is definitely dead in the water, and enemy fighters are non-existent."
"That makes six of them down. To all SFUW ships, begin firing on the remaining cruiser. All fighters are to follow the Tristar in softening up the capital ship. Lance, I'm counting on you to end this pest problem for good."
"Copy that commander. All fighters group up!" Lance hunches over the control panel and engages the boosters, his blue jumpsuit lighting up with green and yellow lights as his three-pronged ship shot forward. He speeds toward the enemy capital ship with over a dozen fighters following behind.
Inside the enemy bridge a series of beeps goes off in rapid sequence.
"We get signal!" cried the Gray named Zanthur, the ship's head technician who for some inexplicable reason could only speak in stilted English. A holoscreen pops up before the viewscreen displaying the approaching fighters.
"Lance must be in there..." Dex said to himself, and then out loud to his crew, "Just warp us out already before they get here. Let them eat our space dust."
Back outside the fighters gain more distance as the capital ship begins turning away. As it's doing so a shimmering blue circle forms at its bow, steadily growing larger and spinning faster and faster. On the Tristar the commander buzzes in once more.
"Dammit, the lead ship is initiating warp! We won't be able to redirect fire before it escapes, and your fighters won't reach it in time."
"We'll see about that," Lance said determinedly as he punches the extra thrusters and blasts away from the fighter pack straight at the capital ship.
"Lance, what are you doing!?" The commander's voice was mostly muffled by the rattling of the cockpit interior as Lance sped on. The capital ship meanwhile had nearly made its 180 when the warp-inducing circle at its front nearly matched its width.
"You won't get away this time Dex!" Lance shouted as he activates his own warp engine and a blue cone began to envelop his ship. The capital ship begins distorting as its own warp field overtakes it.
"Back out Lance! Back out!!" Commander's order was drowned out by an even greater sound:
"YAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"
Lance's ship starts to distort as his ship reaches the capital ship, and simultaneously they both erupt into blue-white flares and blink out of sight.
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Scientists and engineers could never have predicted what happened next. The synchronized activation of two similar yet distinctly different WID produced frequencies that warped not only the fabric of space but time as well, hurling both ships great distances through light years and centuries toward a forgotten destination.
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At 7/16/10 04:17 PM, BrianEtrius wrote: Dammit, it happened again.
Somehow I already cracked the 5000 word limit and then some. Oh well. That's the problem writing a continuing series.
It'd probably help to write something wholly original, eh?
Goodness, what a turnout this contest came to be. All the latecomers really piled on the stories; this will certainly take a good while to properly read and judge each one (especially with my lengthy entry XP)
"That's that then: You defeated my unstoppable move. You've finally surpassed me, although the way I am now shows that without saying." He laughed painfully and still held a content look even though talking had become a struggle. "I knew you could do it Edgar. Deep down, I always wondered how long it'd be until you did," Master weakly laughs some more, coughing up more blood to spatter his marred face.
"Save your breath old man," Edgar spoke comfortingly. "It was still one hell of a close finish."
"Yes, it was. Still, that reaction and the follow-up... truly masterful." Edgar looks to the side at this statement.
"No; it was chance. I just happened to see it, and then took it."
"Edgar, please listen to what I have to say." Master's voice grew softer and nearly indistinct. "There is something I never told you before; regarding the day I took you in. I think... you should know about it." Master struggles more to speak. Edgar looks back down at him with undivided attention.
"Ten years ago, when I found you on that mountainside, your skin was pale and ravaged with dirt. I could tell that you had been wondering for days in that condition just from the haggard look of your face and body. But, it wasn't long after I took you in that I was bothered by something. The night temperatures of that region were always close to zero degrees. Despite wearing nothing more than a ragged pair of pants, you were completely healthy. You weren't suffering from hypothermia; there wasn't even frostbite anywhere on your body. Somehow you withstood one of the harshest environments on the planet... with no form of protection. As though... impervious."
Edgar was stone silent to this claim, mostly because he was very well aware of that personal attribute from other separate extreme situations.
"You are special Edgar. Whether it's because of a born ability or not, there is something that makes you unique. I had taught you that men understand one another in the heat of battle; during our sessions I could tell there was something wholly unknown within you, but it was also something profound. What I'm trying to say Edgar, is that even if you never learn who you once were, you are very capable of making a life for yourself in the present. Just look at all that you have achieved without my guidance." Master smiles after saying that. During this discourse Edgar was overcome with something, though he couldn't tell if it whether it was emotion or something else. Master coughs more harshly, hacking up more blood.
"Thank you... for lending an ear to an old man's rambling. My time grows ever shorter," he coughs some more. "If it's no trouble, could you finish me off? Save me the troublesome agony of waiting for the inevitable." Edgar lowers his head for a moment, and then looks at Master.
"Sure thing." He lifts up his arm, sword in hand, and gripping the hilt with both hands holds it directly over Master's chest.
"It was... great to see you this one last time. And to know... that my death... was at your hands. And... even now... I think of you... like a son."
Edgar lifts up his sword a bit higher and pauses briefly before driving it into Master's heart. The old warrior gave one gasp of air before rolling his head onto its side, his bionic eye shutting off. Once again the room was silent, with Edgar as its sole living occupant. His friend deceased Edgar lets go of the sword and backs away a few steps before squatting on the floor. A moment passes before he reaches into his coat and withdraws a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Taking out a cigarette he puts it between his lips and bringing up his lighter he ignites the end and takes a long, slow drag.
Before he could take another drag a buzz sound emanated from his ear.
"Ed, Ed, come in Ed. Still alive?" Edgar thought he forgot something.
"Like always, Ma; good timing as always. Say could you do me a favor and maintain radio silence for five more minutes?"
"Why? Something happen?"
"No. It was just rougher this time is all." Edgar turns off his communicator and resumes doing his silent smoke. Even though his mind was mulling over the things that had just happened and the things that were spoken, he took time to enjoy the serenity that only a room full of death could create.
"Business as usual," he said before giving a long exhale of smoky breath.
Edgar doesn't err from his charge, increasing his dash as his protection quickly turns to ribbons. When barely much of a spine and torso remain on the cadaver Edgar immediately plunges the sword into the ground and using it as an impromptu pole-vault lifts himself off the ground and through the air at uninterrupted speed. The hitman grips both hands on the one remaining sword and delivers a brutal aerial stab to Master's right shoulder before he could have time to react. With feet planted on the chest and arm of his opponent Edgar drives and twists the blade deep into the metal appendage breaking the protruding gear in the process and forcing Master to drop his uzi. Now in noticeable discomfort Master grabs Edgar's shirt with his left hand and yanks him down with the strength of a robotic gorilla. With Edgar at his level the wounded warrior gives him a powerful headbutt with his metal-plated face before tossing him across the room like a sack of oranges. Edgar hits and rolls along the floor pained and disoriented upon stopping close to the opposite wall. Weakly looking up through a newly formed blood stream from his head he spots something near the Master: Canisters from the knocked over shelf. With zombies slowly approaching and with no other option Edgar reaches into his coat and pulls out his pistol once more, taking aim and firing at the canisters with his remaining rounds.
After three bullets one of the canisters ruptures and from it a concussive fiery blast erupts causing other canisters to go off simultaneously. A chain reaction occurs amongst the canisters, going down a line that went along the side of the room close to the hole in the walkway which also happened to be where the remaining zombies were situated. As fire and guts and noise went up all round smoke filled the air and as abruptly as it had started the chain reaction ended, leaving nothing but trembling silence.
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The smoke and dust began to settle when Edgar decides to raise himself up, dropping his spent pistol. Shaken, he stands before the quiet room and looked around. Most of the emergency light fixtures are smeared with steaming zombie blood, shading the room in a sickly gray hue. Through his blurred vision Edgar couldn't see any standing zombies, or anything noticeably mobile for that matter. Sword still in hand Edgar steps toward the middle of the room where much of the remaining smoke was gathered, stopping upon seeing a shadowy form arise within. Even as the lingering smoke dissipated Edgar already knew what it was.
"Still alive old man?"
"Very much I'm afraid." The smoke clears and Edgar was face to face with Master who looked worse for wear as he was covered in scorch marks and soot, not to mention the four-foot sword sticking out of his charred sparking metal shoulder. Despite all that, he maintained the air and look he had before the fight, along with a bionic eye of calm green instead of crimson.
"You have my sincerest appreciation. That stunt of yours has shorted out my body's connection to the security network." As he spoke he slowly reaches his left hand to his right arm, grabbing the mechanical wrist that still had a blade sticking out of the palm.
"In this state," Master grips his wrist hard and with a great pull rips much of his damaged arm from the shoulder, issuing sparks and indiscernible fluids from the socket. "I can fight the way I want."
Holding the severed limb he lowers it to the floor and places a foot over the severed end. Changing his grip from the wrist to the base of the palm blade he pulls and yanks the bare blade from the arm which falls away. Master takes a moment to test the blade by moving it around with his one hand, now dripping blood from wielding it without a hilt.
"How about it: One on one, single blade? With all the distractions gone it will make for an honest match, would you agree?" He begins walking to the center of the room. Edgar looks at him briefly before giving a grin.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Edgar casually walks to the middle as well. Soon the two meet at four paces apart face to face.
"Just like old times, eh Edgar?" Master twirls his blade a bit as Edgar nods.
"Just like old times, Master." Edgar brings up his sword with both hands just as Master held his own in preparation. The two share a silent moment in enjoying the peace in staring one another down, and with a nudge of Master's head they duel.
Displaying considerable focus and reserve the swordsmen cross blades with rhythm and form, but shortly after the duel starts Edgar began feeling the pressure. Despite having both arms he was still disoriented from the earlier headbutt and from Master's unyielding moves the old man seemed completely unaffected by his injuries. In short time Edgar's strikes became sluggish as did his defense, resulting in clumsy deflections and him getting steadily pushed back. Master continues to advance and a finishing strike seems inevitable.
As the situation became dire Edgar's mind started drifting to his earliest memories: Cold, alone, lost and confused in a harsh valley of fog with no recollection of whom or where he was. He remembered how he first looked up upon the figure of the man who took him in, gave him shelter, companionship, and a name to be addressed by. More importantly, that very same man showed him the means to defend himself in a harsh desolate world.
One memory Edgar's mind kept lingering on at that moment was a training session where he and Master faced each other much like now, except the blades were of wood and Edgar was blindfolded. He remembered how Master used this one move where he would stop mid-strike and switch to a merciful side slash almost instantaneously. Not once had he been able to predict or even counter that move. Master had told him several times that the key when fighting an opponent of equal or greater skill was to develop a way to "read" their actions, even before such actions were taken.
Now looking at the unchanging face of his former teacher, caretaker and friend through bleary eyes Edgar felt nervous and uncertain for the first time in recent memory. All motion began to slow as anxiety starts to set in; the air became so still that Edgar could only hear the steady beating of his very own heart. However, it quickly dawns on him that the beats he was hearing weren't coming from within him but from Master. Before Edgar could begin questioning this event Master had brought his blade down in a vertical slash but mid-way down the constant heartbeat stopped. Edgar's brows rose at that instant, right when Master stops his motion and quickly brings the blade down to his side. Edgar knelt in time to avoid the devastating diagonal cut that struck only air. Taking the opportunity Edgar rose and with his sword delivers his own devastating upward slice up through Master's front. A thin shower of darkened blood sprays from the wizened warrior's body as he fell on his back to the floor, ending the duel.
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For a moment Edgar remains as he is: Upright and his sword and arm raised in their finishing position. Afterwards he brings the blade down in a swish to dispel the blood that covered its edge and walks toward his fallen foe. Lying prone on the blood-stained concrete floor Master was all but broken in the physical sense; along with burns and an amputated arm there now ran a deep gash up the front of his body at an angle that missed his face. His bionic eye wavered between green and black and blood slowly flowed from his mouth, but his mouth and one living eye formed a look of content.
At this the master chuckles to himself, almost sounding mournful.
"Such sentimental talk doesn't befit you Edgar. In any case, my days as your 'master' are long passed. Do not expect me to succumb swiftly because we know each other." Edgar shrugs.
"I wasn't gonna assume that anyway." The master nods, before quietly saying,
"Very well." Stretching out his disfigured right arm a "shrink" sound is made as a long thin blade shot out of his right palm and locks into place. He slowly raises and bends his arm to bring the blade up and across his chest in a preparation stance. Edgar flexes out his hands before reaching back into his trench coat and drawing out his two custom swords.
"Two now?" The master playfully inquired.
"It's how I roll." Edgar grins as he gives his swords a twirl before bringing them up into his own preparation stance.
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Before they could begin their duel a warning klaxon goes off. All around the room the lights of the other pods flare up as steam began shooting from them. After a cursory glance Edgar gives a questioning look at his opponent.
"I'm afraid the final security measure has activated. With the delay I had hoped it was permanently shut down, but it seems I hoped in vain."
The seams of several pods on the walkway begin widening and letting out warm liquid which made a considerable noise.
"Try to think of them as an added challenge. Also, this means I will be unable to face you in the traditional sense. Specific factors won't allow me," the master said as the light in his bionic eye flashes into a piercing red shade, his voice sounding more artificial as well. The pods begin to raise their fronts, and from them shambled out moaning abominations that, though once human, were nothing but walking figures of oozing flesh whose only distinguishable features were large black dead eyes and glaring sharp teeth. As the undead shuffle from their pods and pass the Master toward Edgar the lone hitman sharply looked around at the growing odds then casually shrugged while maintaining his stance.
"Guess I gotta live with it."
Immediately Edgar broke his stance and slashed his sword diagonally through the closest zombie in front of him and bringing about his second sword to deal with a second and a third. The decomposition of the walking corpses was so advanced that the steel of the swords cut through them like mushy butter, yet that didn't deter the rest from encroaching mindlessly. Noting the growing crowd behind him Edgar spun with swords raised and level to decapitate two more zombies in one swift motion. Instantly he knelt and rotated bringing his swords down in a half-circle swing to cut off the legs of the zombie approaching his right side. It was then that the mechanized master made his move, dashing with enhanced speed past some stiffs to meet the kneeling Edgar.
Edgar flicked his wrists in order to raise his swords to deflect the quick strike of Master's palm blade, and in a blink Edgar hops into a standing position in time to deflect another two opposing swings. The two engage in a brief series of matched parries and strikes when a corpse lands with a sickening plop between the two along with a stream of liquid. Looking up Edgar finds that the pods on the upper wall were expelling their contents, just as Master leapt far back into the approaching crowd.
The zombie that had landed flat on its face started grabbing at Edgar's legs, and he reacts by driving a sword into its head. Quickly Edgar reaches with his free hand into his trench coat and draws one of his 9mm pistols and whips around to pick off some of the zombies behind him. As he was doing this Master leapt up onto the top of his personal pod and holding himself in place with his left hand he retracted his palm blade and stuck his right arm straight down at Edgar. Tightening his metal-meshed hand into a fist Master fires four bullet rounds from his deformed knuckles at Edgar.
Immediately picking up the noise of gunshots Edgar turned his gaze in the direction of Master only to tilt at an extreme angle to avoid the volley. Master doesn't give him time to reorient himself as his knuckles gave off more sidelong rounds at Edgar. Through fleeting ducks and the use of his one sword Edgar manages to dodge and deflect the rounds, with some of the zombies around him losing chunks of flesh to stray bullets.
During a pause in the firing Edgar aims his pistol at Master and returns fire, but Master leaps off his pod before the rounds reach him. Landing briefly on a nearby pod Master produces his palm blade again, which starts to steam and turn red with increasing heat. Another leap brings Master soaring past Edgar in a dive which lands him two yards from his rear. While crouched Master makes a quick clean cut through the grated walkway with his heated blade, then leaps back into the air with the greatest strength and ease. Going over Edgar once more and landing back on his pod Master retracts his blade and engages his gun knuckles once again, this time aiming at the grating two yards in front of Edgar. Firing once more the rounds hit and detonate on the grating with the force of three Semtex grenades, rending the metal asunder into small shrapnel. With the other part of the walkway sliced through the section of walkway falls through taking Edgar and multiple zombies with it.
There is a loud and clumsy clatter as the portion of walkway crashes onto and knocks over an industrial shelf on the floor below containing several unmarked canisters. Finding himself flat on his back on a slanted walkway Edgar quickly focuses and gets up into a sitting position. He doesn't get more time to rest though as the zombies who had fallen with him are getting up as well, now accompanied by the stiffs on the ground floor. Edgar immediately starts firing his pistol at the hoard, but after taking out several zombies the gun clicks empty. Throwing the gun aside Edgar gets back on his feet and yanks out the sword still holding the zombie head to the grating and goes back into dual-sword mode into the crowd. Getting off the walkway Edgar steadily makes his way toward the center of the room while systematically cutting down zombies left and right, as more zombies drop in from the hole made by Master.
Once at the room center there is a thump sound and Edgar looks to see Master has landed some yards away, this time holding an uzi in his left hand. Master wastes no time to raise the weapon, aim and fire a stream of bullets at Edgar. Edgar quickly squats to avoid the bullets, allowing them to tear through a few nearby zombies. As Master adjusted his aim lower while still firing Edgar makes an evasive roll by some zombies that get their legs blown off in the process. After the quick maneuver Edgar is back on his feet and tossing his left hand sword high into the air he reaches into his coat and draws out another 9mm and returns fire. Master and Edgar begin strafing each other in a circle dodging each other's fire while many zombies are blown apart and dismembered in the cross-fire.
This deadly exchange lasts a few seconds until Edgar dashes at Master while ducking and weaving through the bullet storm whereupon reaching him he gives a vicious upward slash of his sword, which is instantly met by Master's palm blade. The two cross blades for a moment until Master lands a kick to Edgar's chest, sending him sliding roughly back some yards back into the considerably reduced zombie crowd. After Edgar comes to a stop a zombie makes a lunge for him, only to be impaled by the sword that had been tossed earlier. Holstering his gun Edgar grabs the hilt of upright sword when he notices Master raising his uzi for another go. Taking an instant to strategize Edgar heaves up his sword making sure that the impaled zombie is still attached and then charges straight at Master with the burdened sword pointed right at him. Master fires without hesitation, the rapid bullets hitting the unfortunate zombie which has now become a miserable rotting meat shield.
Like Old Times
Word Count: 4,863
Silence filled the dim metallic corridor with the exception of Edgar's boots on metal grating. Red emergency lights lit the industrial hallway, casting deep shadows on the walls and various pipes surrounding the walkway. The shadows and crimson lights blend on the trench coat that covered Edgar's large form as he walked at a fast but steady pace. Even in the poor lighting he could make out the end of the corridor which was steadily coming closer as he kept going.
The lighting was a result of his tussle with the facility's preliminary security measures. Not long after breaking in and dealing with some resistance he managed to find and destroy a power box, but his years as a heavy-duty hitman have taught him that shutting down the lights isn't the end of things. His target was at the other end of this hallway, and he was in a rush to get there.
"Hey Ed, everything alright there?" spoke the modestly concerned voice in his ear. It was his intel partner Maureen, whom he affectionately called "Ma" in the years they've worked together. But Edgar's disposition was far from affectionate at the moment.
"It's fine Ma. I'm nearly done here."
"Things got a little crazy there. You almost had me worried."
"Don't be; I'm still standing. Do me a favor, Ma: Keep quiet for the next ten minutes."
"Aren't you pushing it a little? You don't really need to do this you know." Edgar's next response sounded impatient.
"I said I'm nearly done, okay? Nothing's being pushed so back off. I'll call when I've taken out the target."
Edgar was in no mood for Maureen's stiff doting. The past few days were annoying enough, beginning with the job he took to find an ambassadorial assassin. Having no luck tracking the guy Edgar later learned that he was hired by a floundering foreign nationalist party trying to regain their country's foothold in the world through select killings. In unsurprising irony they wound up being minced by their own attack dog, but even without its masters the client still wanted the assassin dead. Nothing more dangerous than a killer dog off his leash Edgar thought, yet reaching the double doors that marked the end of the hallway he knew that there was more to this story than that. Punching the panel button to open the doors, Edgar was prepared to see a face he once knew long ago.
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The lights were the same as those in the hallway plus one extra: Sickly green. The double doors entered onto a grated walkway that ran along the sides and mid-section of the room's walls, which were close to thirty feet in height. Machines with glass coverings lined the walls, and it was the liquids within these containers that gave off the nauseating new color. The containers, numbering in the dozens, all glowed with the same soft and silent intensity of green. What got Edgar's attention though was the pod in the corner across from where he stood, which was not only the biggest in the room but its glow was far more intense than the others.
Edgar made his way to the pod but halfway there the machine gave off a hiss of steam and began shifting around. He stops and watches the pod, waiting patiently as if knowing what would happen next. The large pod lowered and nestled onto the walkway via piston arms. Seams on the front of the pod expanded and warm green liquid streamed out and fell through the grating to the floor below. Eventually the pod had drained completely and the light within had begun to die down just as its frontal frame lifted up and over itself.
From his spot Edgar saw what he had expected to see: The man he had come to eliminate. As he remembered he was almost Edgar's height, lean and fit despite an aged look of gray hair and wrinkled skin covered by a ragged tunic and pants. Several bursts of steam went off as tubes attached to the man's back flew off, and once freed the man stepped forward and revealed the things that Edgar had not expected to see. The man's right side was a horrendous meshing of metal and flesh, his arm the most horrendous-looking as the few bits of skin appeared steam grafted to the metal works that now made up its muscles and bones. A gear protruded out of his right shoulder, and a large bionic eye took up most of his face's right side.
The man straightened up with a whir and looked at Edgar, his artificial eye lighting up an intense yellow. After a moment he gave a gentle smile.
"Hello Edgar. It's nice to see you." His voice was like that of a sage: Soft, firm and comforting.
"It's been a while, Master," Edgar replies in a typically gruff fashion. After a brief pause he added, "You lost some weight."
"Gained some is more accurate," the man amended jokingly as he lazily waved his left arm over his chest, indicating his modifications. "The desperate attempt to forcefully harness a swordsman's full prowess, but as you've undoubtedly learned such a thing is impossible." He took a moment to look over his former pupil briefly.
"You certainly look as though you've been keeping well." Edgar nodded.
"Yeah; I managed to find a job that suited me."
"I am aware. My time with the party has informed me of your occupation and your various activities. Not the line of work I had expected you to find, but everyone has their own personal calling." The master spoke gently without the faintest hint of animosity, like a father catching up with his wayward son. His voice took on a graver tone with what he said next however.
"With that said, I know precisely why you're here. Though it pains me that we would see each other again under such circumstances, I would like to think that perhaps there was little that could have been done to affect this outcome. I find such thoughts reassuring given my predicament." Master gave a stifled laugh following that last statement, to which Edgar replied,
"Uh-huh. That's a pretty weak excuse. But you're right, Master: It's tough shit. Though, sometimes the hand we're dealt is the only option we can take. No doubt you'd agree."
"Speaking of which, I have a question for you Edgar. You are a freelance assassin; you're never attached to any one group or individual via contract, making you free to quit a task at anytime. Knowing full well that you would have to eliminate me I ask: Why did you come?" Edgar's response was almost instantaneous.
"Nothing personal if that's what you're asking about. I'm here because I make a good living from this work. I get the most out of my life doing this, and you said it yourself that everyone needs to find something fulfilling to their needs and talents." A pause between the two, and then the master gives a mild sigh.
"Fair enough. Clearly you have done more with yourself these past ten years then I have with mine. If I hadn't remained a hermit, I may not have ended up like this. Who can say? But you have changed much Edgar; that is certain. No longer hesitant, your sights set unwavering on whatever you want. Gone is the wandering man who couldn't even think up a name for himself." Those last statements revealed a twinge of nostalgic reminiscing in his voice which nearly upset his steady tone.
"So you know Master, I didn't get my shit straight without the help of some friends, and even then I still wander around. That's why I do what I do. Yet you were the one who pointed me in the direction that would bring me here from the start. You could say it's a thing of serendipity, Master."
Man it's been a long while since I did one of these. Last time I participated was last August or so and I managed to make honorary mention. Hopefully this time I will make it to the top 3! :D
I'm just about to write up the fight portion of my story so if I'm not terribly lazy I should have it posted in a few days. Happy writing everyone!
Well shucks, I got an honorable mention! But congrats to the ones who actually won top billing. Because of laziness I never got around to reading any other entries, but I bet they would've been awesome reads.
I'm actually honored just to get an honorary mention, but I suppose my story lacked the umph to make it into the top 5. But hey at least I'm a step in the right direction! Hopefully October will be my moment!
By the way, what comments/pointers/tips could you judges give so that I can improve even further? Your honest critiques was what got me this far to begin with!
(My Entry Concluded)
Shin would come to learn that the gods that inhabit the world rely on the beliefs of humans to have any substance; basically the people's faith was what allowed the gods to exist in the first place, and without it the gods would cease to be. The kitsune, as well as many other creatures, are employed to prove their master gods' existence in subtle ways and through such subtleties faith is both founded and replenished in the people.
Thusly, the kitsune are tasked with preserving the life of one of many heavenly beings by garnering life-sustaining faith from those who believe in the gods, as well as making believers out of those who don't.
Upholding this great responsibility is one of the kitsune society's founding principles, as well as the reason for its continuing success and longevity in the ever-encroaching world of man.
The End
(My entry continued)
Seeing that the youth wasn't fleeing from her very sight, the beast bellowed,
"Why do you not fear me? Why do you not run?? You're no ordinary human are you!"
In another puff of mist the bear had reverted to the tanuki girl, and giving a sniff she straightened up with a cunning grin on her face.
"Why, you're really a kitsune, and no more than a pup at that!" she mocked. Unfazed Shin quickly said,
"Do you know anything about the items stolen from the nearby village?"
To this the girl sharply replied,
"Know anything? I was the one who took all their disgusting tools! For too long they had gone unchecked in their terrible ways and now's the time someone like me did something about it! What's it to ya, pup?"
"Terrible ways? You deprived farmers of their harvesting tools!" Shin replied somewhat in disbelief at her flagrant obnoxiousness. "I have been sent to solve the village's problem, and that means taking back everything you stole from them!"
"So that makes you a meddling pup then," the tanuki smugly said. "Well it doesn't matter if you're a youkai like me you will never catch me in this forest. So says the brilliant Konata Kuronami!"
With that the tanuki girl leapt into the woods and Shin gave chase after her. However, Shin was unfamiliar with the forest, and the tanuki proved to be quite agile amid the dense vegetation, so that for over half an hour Shin was always falling behind.
Elated by her advantage over the young kitsune the troublesome thief mocked him constantly as the light of day dwindled more.
"You will never catch me, and neither will your human conspirators ever feast on my brethren again!"
After making this boast she produced a puff of mist and had vanished. Both exhausted and frustrated at failing to catch the tanuki thief, Shin left the forest and headed back to the village empty-handed. Upon returning to the village Shin thought back to the last words the tanuki had said to him, and curious about them he asked a friendly housewife about the village people ever eating tanuki.
The woman replied that tanuki rarely stray into the village, and occasionally these strays would wind up as someone's supper, but by no means were tanuki a staple food source for the villagers. She also mentioned that for the past few months no tanuki have been around, and taking into account that the thefts happened just a few days ago Shin was then reminded of another trait displayed by tanukis in general: Absentmindedness.
When night finally came Shin decided to take shelter beside one of the outer huts. As he was about to sleep he overheard the man of the hut praying to Inari for help with collecting all their rice harvest in time to pay tribute to him. Hearing the man's earnest plea he was convinced that the villagers were indeed true believers and followers of Inari, and was further determined to get their tools back from the troublesome tanuki.
Morning of the new day arrived, and as he awoke Shin formulated a plan to reclaim the villagers' stolen tools. Sneaking out of sight of the villagers he stole away a sizable pot and a container of soy sauce. Next, adding some twigs to his broadleaf he took on the appearance of a beautiful young woman and entered the home of the village butcher. With his new disguise he was able to acquire a live rabbit from the butcher free of charge, for the man happened to be quite fond of young ladies. The kitsune art of deception was very useful indeed.
With the necessary items in hand Shin could finally put his plan into motion. After leaving the village he took time to cover the rabbit in the soy sauce he had stolen, and putting the rabbit into the pot with the lid on tight he made his return to the forest. Moving at a brisk pace it wasn't long before he got there, and with great determination he went into the dense foliage once more. After some minutes he reached a small clearing, and holding out the pot before him he shouted out to the encroaching trees:
"I have captured one of your tanuki brethren, and he is ready for cooking! If you do not return the villagers' tools then they will all be treated to tanuki stew tonight!"
For a while he was met only with silence. Then, in an instant, a hawk bearing a leaf and ring tail swooped down before Shin and snatched the pot out of Shin's hands. Landing upon a high branch the hawk transformed into the vexatious tanuki girl, who now held the pot over her head triumphantly.
"Foolish pup! Fiendish threats will never defeat me, or the proud tanuki!" As before the girl vanished in mist along with the pot. Making a small grin, Shin began moving further into the forest. Picking up the strong lingering scent of soy sauce, he moved with confidence and direction until finally he came upon the nearly-hidden opening of a cave.
Heading inside, he began hearing cries of anger and disbelief. Moving deeper in he soon reached the back of the cave, where he discovered a wide array of farming and cooking tools in a clutter, as well as the tanuki girl fuming over discovering a rabbit in the pot she had taken rather than a tanuki. Turning in anger she spotted the intruding kitsune, and gave a cry of surprise as well as further frustration.
"You mangy runt, how dare you trick me with this insignificant rabbit! None have ever made such a fool of me and my clandestine mission! Mark my words devil fox, I will return to exact my vengeance on your hide!!"
With that said, the tanuki girl fled from the cave and was never seen again; another remarkable display of the tanuki's innate absentmindedness.
The encounter over with and the stolen goods all to himself, the crafty and now victorious Shin proceeded to at last complete his assignment.
The next day back at the village, the inhabitants awoke to find all their stolen tools in a pile before the Inari shrine, with a used broad leaf and twigs on top of them for all to see.
Returning to the kitsune society and brimming with accomplishment, Shin eagerly headed straight for the Kyuubi's residence. Once there, he greeted Kyuubi with gusto and gave his report on the completion of his assignment, adding that he did it all with the villagers being none the wiser of his true identity. Hearing that boast the Kyuubi gave a slight laugh, and before Shin could ask what was so funny the elder kitsune told Shin that his true self hadn't gone entirely unnoticed, for his powers allowed him to see all that happened in the mortal world. What he told Shin was that a young boy, having a hard time going to sleep, looked out his family hut's window and spotted Shin reverting to his true form just before leaving the village.
Shin was immediately flabbergasted at making such a careless mistake, but quickly Kyuubi reassured him that this was nothing to be worried about. Kyuubi explained that by seeing a kitsune the night before the return of the village's belongings, the boy would believe that the god Inari had something to do with the reclamation of the villagers' things, and those who would listen to him would also believe Inari was responsible for such a thing as well.
Though Shin didn't mean to be seen, this little slip up actually pleased the Kyuubi further as well as knowing that the village's woes had been resolved. Uncertain of how to take this added praise, Shin quickly bid farewell to the Kyuubi and returned to his home to tell all his friends about his successful mission.
It was only much later that Shin would realize the full significance behind his first assignment. More than just stealth training or even the chance to interact with humans, the ultimate goal of Shin's seemingly simple task was something of vast importance: Preservation of the god Inari.
(My Chinese, actually Japanese Spirituality Entry. Word Length is 2,840. I hope you enjoy it!)
When the world was still new, The Great Kami created deities for all earthly things as well as the being Death, who was tasked with guiding the souls of the departed safely into the after-life. As life flourished, Death could no longer maintain the ever-increasing amount of souls by himself, and thus created helpers from his own body to carry out the duty of soul reaping in all places at all times. These helpers came to be known as Shinigami: Death Gods.
As mankind grew in number, so did the numbers of various mythical creatures in different parts of the world, including those that inhabited the distant land of Nippon. Among that country's most recognized and respected of these legendary beasts was the kitsune: A creature of great wisdom and power that can show great compassion or malevolence to those around it.
Within Nippon there exists a society whose sole purpose is to raise zenko (good) kitsune, all under the unerring guidance of a single nine-tailed leader known as the Kyuubii. It is here that many kitsune are taught the many tricks and trades of survival in the human realm as well as ways to help the humans, all of which is perfected as the kitsune's power develops throughout its centuries of life. Some kitsune will become guardian deities for towns and villages; a luckier few may be hand-picked to serve as assistants to the Shinigami, thus making them honorary shikigami to Death's design.
This is but one story to happen within this secretive society.
Shin and the Troublesome Tanuki
Once there was a mild but friendly and clever kitsune named Shinosuke, or Shin to his friends and family. Though he was over one hundred years old he was still a very young kistune that had never ventured beyond the safety of his homeland. One day Kyuubii, leader of the kitsunes, ordered an audience with young Shin. Nervous and uncertain of the nature of this sudden summons Shin went to Kyuubii's home with some trepidation.
Upon arriving and giving his greetings, Shin stood quietly and listened attentively as the Kyuubii spoke. The reason he was summoned, the Kyuubii said, was that he personally wanted to give Shin an assignment: Assist a small human village that had started experiencing some kind of misfortune. Shin was expected to not only figure out and solve the village's problem, but also do it without drawing attention to his true identity.
This task surprised Shin; so much so that Shin could only ask what the village was called. Kyuubii answered that the village had no name, and was a simple one that was practically isolated from other villages. Curious, Shin asked,
"If the village is so small and isolated, then why pay it mind? Surely there are far larger villages, even cities that have problems that could use help from the kitsunes; why focus on just this one?"
At that, the Kyuubii calmly replied,
"Remember that we serve the will of Inari. This village, though small and isolated, is home to many devout followers of Inari, and every year the villagers work hard to make a sizable offering to him. As servants to Inari, we the kitsune must uphold his wishes by blessing and protecting those who acknowledge him and pay undying tribute. Whether they are rich or poor, hail from the mountains or the sea, or come from a city like Edo or some nameless village, matters not to the tireless zenko kitsune."
Shin was humbled by his answer, but overcome with a sudden urge to be snippy, he further inquired,
"Then why must I conceal my identity? Would they not be grateful to see one such as myself?"
To this Kyuubii gave a gentle chuckle, and slyly replied,
"Consider it a handicap for training your stealth abilities, little one. The practice will no doubt prove invaluable."
Without further questions, Shin headed out for the nameless village.
The village was indeed simple, was what Shin thought upon his arrival. From its border all he could see were simple straw and wood huts over mud padded flat from generations of routine busywork. Taking a nearby broad leaf Shin used his powers to take on the form of a young boy, and taking some clothes that were hung out to dry he was able to adopt the look of a traveling vagrant. His tail tucked into his pants and his ears covered with a makeshift hood he entered the village to get a closer look.
He found the village's inhabitants to be as simple as the very houses they lived in. However, the men were robust and strong from constant labor and the women and children were just as healthy; clearly this was one village that was quite self-sufficient with its peaceful isolation, yet to Shin he could detect a looming sense of woe and uncertainty among the people. Though this was Shin's first encounter with actual humans, he reminded himself of his purpose for being there and began searching for the cause of the village's uneasiness.
Aside from the several hut and house dwellings Shin found a modest shrine near the center of the village, bearing a statue of Inari and was well-kept for the most part. At the other side of the village Shin spotted rice fields, and making his way toward them he saw that there were a few acres of rice, all beginning to show shades of brown.
Remembering that it was harvest season, Shin was surprised to see that much of the patties had gone untouched, and that there were no bales of chopped rice reeds either. Even more perplexing, the men tending to the fields were removing rice plants by hand without the use of any tools. Unsure if this slow method of harvesting was some kind of tradition, Shin went back into the village and asked around, putting his vagrant disguise to the test.
It proved successful, as he received warm buns from one kindly person as well as information on what was making everyone so anxious: Apparently some thief had managed to steal the entire village's farming tools in only a night, and without them the chances of having a quick and fruitful harvest were nil. Not only farming tools, but the thief had also stolen most of the cooking utensils and even much of the chopsticks without anyone's notice. To Shin's immediate delight he had discovered the village's misfortune in little time, and immediately began searching for clues to the thief's whereabouts, confident he would find him before day's end.
After an hour of careful inquiry he eventually found a lead: The other day a young girl had found one of her mother's pots close to the nearby forest, which all the villagers regarded as being cursed and forsaken. Certain that that was where the thief had fled to, Shin dashed to the forest forthwith and arrived at its border by late afternoon, still in high spirits. Maintaining his human disguise he entered the forest just as the fringes of twilight appeared.
The trees were tightly packed and most were in decay, giving a forbidding aura, but young Shin kept going, intent on finding the despicable thief. After some minutes of walking he heard a rustling, and suddenly right before him a whimsical woman appeared, bearing all the amenities of a female human with the exception of a peculiar ring tail and a leaf on her head. Immediately she shouted,
"Someone dares to trespass on my territory? You shall face my wrath!!" then in a puff of mist the woman had turned into a tall menacing bear that also had a ring tail and leaf headwear.
This startled Shin greatly, but before running headlong out of there he suddenly remembered a creature from his studies that also sported ring tails and leaf adornments: Tanukis. Instantly he recalled that tanukis often transform to beguile and trick unwary humans, and without hesitation he stood his ground before the "bear."
At 8/11/09 07:49 PM, UpoqvoSAMMIovpoqU wrote: The amount of effort made into the stories is superb. I honestly thought that there would be only a few entries. I am glad to see that people care about this competition and I hope I speak for everybody in that we all eagerly await judges comments and official results.
Sammi.
What kind and supporting words... Makes me feel all the more guilty about the quality of my entry :'(
At 8/6/09 06:09 PM, RapeMuffin wrote:At 8/6/09 04:47 PM, Squishy69 wrote: Well this is a little off-topic, but just now I have beaten the boss who's theme I had used in the contest. So yay me. Also, where exactly do we look to learn about each month's contest theme? I learned about this one from Tom's front page post and that was like midway through the month. Is there any way to find out about it sooner than that?You just have to keep your eye on the BBS to find the next thread. Don't worry - you haven't missed August's contest thread yet since we are still trying to figure out what the theme is and who will run it. There might not even be one, sadly.
Say What!!? No August contest!? Bummer if that were true. After having one story turned away more or less and with another in the wings more than likely about to be shot down I was looking to redeem myself for the next one. Well, if that's how it is then I may have to wait longer for that oppurtunity. I might wind up getting caught up in "real life" anyhow (or not :P).
Well this is a little off-topic, but just now I have beaten the boss who's theme I had used in the contest. So yay me. Also, where exactly do we look to learn about each month's contest theme? I learned about this one from Tom's front page post and that was like midway through the month. Is there any way to find out about it sooner than that?
Admittedly, I feel rather downtroddened by my scores: A 5, 6 and 7.5. Well, 7.5 isn't so bad, but the other two make my fiction sound like "meh." But either way, thanks for the criticism you three. This has been probably my first exposure to true honest criticism in regards toward my writing, and no doubt if I stay mindful of your words I'll improve in future ventures. Still, I feel that I should say some things and maybe clear up some things for you judges.
To Fyndir: My entry is more or less a romanticized recollection of a past scene in an on-going series of mine that is based in Star Wars but really isn't Star Wars (confusing yes but believe me I have all kinds of random s**t going on that the only thing Star Wars is the setting and most of the races). So I can understand your confusion and the confusion from the rest of you; I basically dropped you guys in the middle of a pretty lengthy and complex storyverse.
To WritersBlock: Your score affected me the most. A 5... middle of the road, nothing special is what that says to me. But I like how you called my story bizarre. It perfectly describes the universe and all the happenings that take place around those two characters, both in past present and future. As for the dialogue, I'm sorta hurt that you called it artificial but I can understand. Normally I write my stories out like a script, hoping to one day turn them into something visual. My entry's style is not a norm for me so I'm kinda rusty in making it seamless. And admittedly I could've polished the dialogue some more but I really wanted to get through everything, and I suppose I was trying too hard to sound eloquent hence your issues with the wording and vocab. I also apologize for those times where reading was painful for you. I'll try to avoid making that mistake again in the future.
To Scarab: I appreciate the good score! As I told WritersBlock I tried too hard to sound professional and eloquent so next time I'll just stick with simple but effective words more often. And forgive my use of dominating dialogue as you call it; it's a reflection of my real life enjoyment of talking a whole lot and getting great satisfaction from it. Clearly not everyone are favorable of excessive wordiness.
I hope I addressed most of your critiques and cleared up some confusing parts accurately. Like I said, this is my first time my writings were judged by actual judges, and I hope to improve as time goes by. Again, thanks for helping me (in your own brutal ways T_T).
At 8/4/09 01:14 AM, Podburrys wrote:At 8/4/09 12:46 AM, Squishy69 wrote: Hey guys! Maybe to help pass the time until judging is over perhaps you all could look over my posted story and give me some feedback on it. I know it's too late to change things but I'd still like to hear what other people think of my writing style, and if they found it entertaining. Pretty please??So yours is both a fan fic and a script based fic? Well, your warning was right - I know nothing of this 'Tohou Shooter' series, and I got confused. That being said, I actually could imagine people (although I have no idea how they look) singing thier lines with the song. The song sort of matched the story well enough, if only for the implied anime-fight style the series is and the singing, but the fast-paced and light-hearted music still matched as much as it did. So good on you for that.
But it was really confusing. I had no idea what the hell was going on half the time; you cannot enter a short story competition with a fan fic, if for the only reason that most rely on prior knowledge of the characters to work. I don't think many will know your series anyway. Also, script format is a bad idea as you completly forgo the descriptions to have people imagine the settings, the characters or what they're even doing. I just had a mental image of generic anime characters standing in a temple singing, and the randomness of it only made me cringe and want the story to go away.
It did not keep my interest, and I strained trying to read it through. I'm sorry, but it's honestly how it made me feel. I like how you used a unique premise of a musical to play on the story's association with it, and how you told us when the characters were singing, but it was horrid to read. I hope you enjoyed writing it though. Sorry. : /
Next time, spend more time on it, use your own ideas and try to forgo a script format. Writing, although enjoyable, is all about the reader, and the story has to be accessable to them or it won't work.
...Ouch. Well, no one said it was going to be easy XP.
But yeah, to you and everyone else who reads it I apologize for the confusion and the script format. Personally that's my preferred writing style. Call it my wanting to animate something when I can not animate, but rather only can write it in script format. Also, I didn't put in descriptions because I didn't want people to get hanged up reading them as the music was going by. I was trying to lengthen and shorten the story so that the reader reaches the singing parts at just the right point in the song. But yeah I could've done more to describe things. Call it my lauding ego as a writer.
Sigh... and I guess fan fics aren't really the best material for these contests either? Well I was really in the mood for Touhou, though I had another idea for a story of same length. There was also another idea that would've been lengthy and just like a regular story, but to be frank I was lazy and only got the gumption to work on an entry just a few days ago. Guess next time I better work on my time management.
So again thanks for the blunt and honest critique Podburrys. I'm sorry that reading my fiction was painful for you; believe me that was not my intention :'(. And I did have fun writing it... and, if I could, I would've made it into a flash animation so you could see what I had envisioned. But alas, I can only work with what I got, ie, active imagination rather than decent drawing capability and the patience to improve it. Still, there's always next month :). And I promise I'll make it as pain-free as humanly possible for all of you ;) (I hope @_@)
Hey guys! Maybe to help pass the time until judging is over perhaps you all could look over my posted story and give me some feedback on it. I know it's too late to change things but I'd still like to hear what other people think of my writing style, and if they found it entertaining. Pretty please??
At 8/3/09 07:02 PM, Zerok wrote:At 8/3/09 06:34 PM, Podburrys wrote: lol damn it I thought you'd already looked and we finally had the resultsWell it doesn't take too long to compile it all.
I don't know when I'll have time to organize the VAs and post a big fancy official thread like usual since I am truly being worked to the bone every day from 8-5... every small scrap of free time I get I spend on fun-having instead of computer lazing now, heh.
BUT, in the meantime what I will do is post our TOP THREE winners, i.e. the money makers.
Then sometimeish in the future set up the VA dealio.
Apologizes again :)
==============================
JUNE'S TOP THREE:
1) RapeMuffin
2) Coop83
3) Peaceblossom
Congrats folks!
The top ten are coming soon :)
Huh... well, shouldn't be surprising; this is only my first writing contest I got to enter. What could I expect? *sniff*
But anyway, congrats to the Top 3. Hopefully I'll be able to write something as good and compelling as your stories. *sniff sniff*
In the meantime, I hope that I get honorable mention. To be honest, learning that there was a monthly writing contest on Newgrounds really got me pumped; it invigorated the writing spirit in me. Though plenty of you say that the writing was a waste of time (whether jokingly or not) I'm just happy that I got the chance to share my writings with you guys. To those who read it, I hope you found it entertaining and enjoyable, possibly heart-soothing and relaxing.
Even if I don't get a mention there is always July's contest (though honestly it might stand less chance of winning then June's T_T), and every month after that. Again, to Zerok and all those involved in the planning and making of these contests, I humbly thank you for giving me and so many others a chance to show our writing mettle, and I'll continue to participate so long as this writer's soul continues to radiate within me.
...You guys are the best!! *weepweepsob joyfully*
BONUS!! (Remainder of my entry)
Marisa: Oi; how come we weren't in this story?
Reimu: They probably had more than enough people for it. All the better; I actually enjoy not being involved.
Marisa: You would say that even though you're the main character??
Reimu: I didn't ask for that position, and all I'm saying is that it's nice to have a break every so often.
Marisa: Sheesh, and you're already a crummy enough shrine maiden.
Reimu: What was that?
Marisa: Uh, n-nothing!
The real END
Remembering the glamour of musical endeavors,
Even moderators stray from the path of sensibility.
Click to listen.
Touhou Faithfuls (Or, A Musically Mad Romp Through The Internet's Most Beloved Shooter Sensation)
Word Count: 1,369
[Warning: This involves the Touhou shooter series. If you're not familiar with the series, it may confuse you. Some notes: "o/" indicates the start of singing, ","s indicate suggested pauses, and "\o" means the end of singing for the moment. Overall: Just follow the beat, and enjoy!]
Within the snowy corridors of Moriya Shrine, three warriors were on the verge of thief apprehension.
Sally: It's over Dramatist. Give us back Suwako's hat!
Dee: You realize that I have both the power AND the authority to blink you out of existence, or should I say wink you out?
Richter: But you never would do that. You'd just sing instead.
Dee: That's absolutely correct! Uh-HUM!!
o/ This hat, belongs, to one as worthy as me,
Who exudes, command and respect.
An orchestrator of the divine arts,
And not a producer of loli bait.
o/ She, does not, even fit the requirements,
Of being, a proper god.
She, only has a fixation for frogs
Which oddly enough I'm starting to have as well! \o
Stan: "Command and respect?" Cheh! Right! You're nowhere near as tough as Suwako is!
Sally: Get 'im!! (Suddenly a man in women's business casual swoops in)
Ex: Yo Dee! I've come to help out!
Dee: Ah, so good of you to drop by Ex.
Ex: Okay, let's get the party started!!
Sally: Crap.
Ex:
o/ Here, comes Ex! Cosplaying as Aya:
The tengu, who fights with a maple leaf.
You'll, get shredded by my cartwheel danmaku,
Don't you think these puffballs make me look cool?
Yes I'm the, Wind God, Hidden in the Leaves,
Prepare, to be smattered by my greens!
Rick:
o/ But all, your attacks are the same for every character,
Stan:
o/ You broke the chain you lousy ****! \o
Ex: Jeez, tough crowd.
Dee: Well what did you expect? They are here to apprehend us after all.
Sally: That's right! (From the side rolls in a wildly spinning loli-gagger)
Nathan: Agh! Could someone please stop me!?
Ex: Hey look. Ol' Nate's trying to play Nitori.
Dee: Rather disastrously from the looks of it.
Nathan: I had just put it on; now help me already!!
Ex: Hahaha.
o/ Dressed like a kappa, but acting like hedgehog,
You spin around like your first name was Ran...
But you be throwing out cucumbers and spitting out oo-ooze,
Yet you're still Candid Friend DADADADADADADA!! \o
(Now appears the whirling Miserables)
Trey: Apotropaic apotropaic apotropaic apotropaic-
Ex: Heh, now Trey is pretendin' to be Hina Kagiyama.
Trey: Pretending? I am always like this, you know that. Apotropaic apotropaic apotropaic, (The mumbling sad man whisks away. Suddenly a storm begins to brew and the sky darkens.)
Stan: What now??
Dee: It seems we're about to experience a 100% chance of serious back-up.
Ex: Yer definitely screwed.
Richter: Great... (The thunder rumbles and the lightning strikes and through a mighty gust a formidable presence touches down on the scene. Out of a veil of turbulent miasma appears a highly decorative god she-male and his blue-white one man entourage)
Cliff:
o/ Now, I'm here, playing Kanako,
Primed, to blow away some punkos.
And with, my assistant Sanae (Played by Romi!)
You will never get a chance to breath.
o/ What? Are you, not even scared?
And you say, it's only props? Pah!
Well these ropes, will bound your smarmy a***s,
And then I shall verily f**k them up!
o/ So, then how, will it all go down?
What will, be the method for your demise?
Go and pick: Rice Porridge, Hunting Ritual,
Or maybe I'll just douse you with my Heaven's Stream.
o/ Oh, what the, you're not satisfied?
Well then I'll, go with Mountain of Faith!
Romi:
o/ But you know, Faith is for the Transient People-
Cliff:
o/ Cram it! Wait for your own solo performance! \o (Just then a group of naked pixilated females float in)
Kanako: There you are!
Richter: What the??
Nitori: These people stole our clothes and all our things except for my optical camouflage.
Nathan: Oops, forgot about that. (Takes the camo; pixels disperse)
Nitori: AIIIEEE!!!
Sally: You monsters!!
Dee: It appears the jig is up, men.
Ex: Cheese it! (The villains at large flee down the mountain, and thus our heroes find themselves partaking in a heated and whimsical chase through Gensokyo)
Romi:
o/ Cut, -ing through, the bamboo forest,
We make, for the mansion Eientei.
Hopefully, it's many corridors,
Will leave our pursuers at a loss.
o/ But, inside, we find to our dismay,
Bunny girls, hopping all around,
But then, there's one, in particular,
Whose Lunatic Eyes might spell our doom. \o
Reisen: I locked all the doors; there's no way out.
Dee: There is but one! Compendium, AWAY! (The odd lot dramatic leap and bust out through the ceiling. Enter the intrepid pursuers)
Richter: Which way did they go? (The speechless Inaba points up at the gaping hole)
Richter: Oh, right. (They leap up in haste. Off in the nearby airspace)
Dee: Quickly: To the lake of Tepes!
Ex: It's just a regular lake!
Nathan:
o/ Now, we head, for the Scarlet Devil Mansion,
And the Magical Library Voile.
Although, the resident is anemic,
She still looks cute in her jamm- \o
Patchy: Back off. (Agni Blast!)
Nathan: WAAH!!!
Cliff:
o/ And, right there, is Sakuya,
Brandishing, her trusty knives.
Though, her World is rather tough,
She can't match the Road Rolla da WRYYYYYYYY!!!! \o (Enter the Scarlet Moon)
Remilia: What have you done to my maid?
Dee: We've disturbed the mistress. Flee. (And they do so. On the lake shore the chosen three watch their quarries jet)
Stan: How are we gonna get them now? (In comes a decrepit turtle)
Genji: Climb aboard; I'll take ya. (The three are snatched and flown off in pursuit)
Sally: I didn't know you were a three-seater! (Meanwhile, in the stratosphere,)
Nathan:
o/ Where shall we go? Where shall we GO!?
Dee:
o/ Shouldn't it be obvious to you by now?
o/ There is one place, and there is no mistake,
It's the Capital City of Flowers in the SKYYY! \o (They bust through the gates of Hakugyokurou)
Dee:
o/ Gliding up all these long stairs,
Beneath the falling cherry blossom petals,
We pass by the gardener swordswoman-
Ex:
o/ Who wishes she were as hot as that chick from Heavenly Sword.
Dee:
o/ Continuing on, we climb ever higher- \o
Goodness, it's the Prismrivers!
(We turn to a live performance of those poltergeist musicians. My just marvel at their transcending majesty: Lunasa, Lyrica and Merlin playing their instruments so finely as though they wish to spirit away my soul oh I have never heard anything as hauntingly incredible as wait a minute CRAP! I forgot to narrate the rest of the chase! Gotta skip to the finale now, dang it!)
The Bad:
o/ So now, you face, The Compendium!
We, will not falter to you.
With, the assistance of fair Yuyuko,
This is where we will make our final stand.
o/ By the glow, of the, Ghost Butterfly,
You will meet, a most Fatal Sin.
Feel, like Getting Lost on a Trackless Path,
As we Reflower to a full 100 percent. (One epic screen rape later)
Dee:
o/ By golly, at last! We have won the day!
Our foes, lay beaten like dogs.
Three cheers, for the likes of ourselves,
For we are nigh unstoppab- \o (All of them get whacked on the head by a newcomer's massive halberd)
Ace: 'Fraid your dabbling privileges have been revoked guys. (Takes spiffy hat off Dee and hands it to a diminutive goddess)
Ace: Sorry for the trouble Ms. Moriya.
Suwako: I would have gotten it back myself if I hadn't put all my powers into it earlier.
Ace: Now there are just the clothes to return. I'll leave the rest up to you Suika.
Suika: Nothing says party like the rhythmic busting of skulls!
Dee: Bother...
END
A Quiet Spot (Part 3)
With a final strum I finished up the song, and once again the area was silent. Nothing but breeze, leaf rustling, and surf stirred amid that peace. I turned to Sylvia and saw that her head was nuzzled more onto the rock and closer to me, and that her eyes were closed, her nostrils breathing softly and slowly. Music had soothed the not-at-all-savage beast. I smiled at that thought. Then looking around me I took in the scenery once more. It was just the two of us, against a cool rock, on a lonely stretch of sandy beach, surrounded by ocean and jungle, with only a sinking sun watching over us. I gazed at Sylvia again, and upon doing so I realized how incredibly relaxed I myself was feeling after playing that song. Taking Sylvia's cue, I nestled myself back against the rock and let my eyelids take me into quiet darkness.
And like that there we were: A Jawa and a Ssi-Ruu, on an island on Mon Calamari, napping like two chums against an infinite sunset.
The thing that made that island even more special... was that the beginning of my greatest happiness took place there.
The End (For Now, Anyway XP)
A Quiet Spot (Part 2)
Steezy: The name of my closest partner in my resort enterprise. The partnership forged between me and him was one that greatly helped in bringing his species into friendly terms with the galaxy at large, as well as forming one of my tightest friendships outside of my usual circle. Now, due to the immense gap between languages it was much easier to designate an English name to every Ssi-Ruuk rather than translate it all, hence is why he was referred to as Steezy. As the name would suggest he was a laid-back and calm sort, like a surfer kind of. Yet he was reliable and often took over the business proceedings whenever I was away, and definitely stays calm under pressure. His easy-going attitude was what got me to like him right off the bat, but to think: He having a sister? Suddenly this chance encounter had become very interesting.
"Really?" was my follow-up response to that surprising bit of information. "Hunh, I didn't know he had a sister."
"Not surprising that nobody around here would know. He's a little over-protective of me; sometimes taking it a bit too far."
"Is that so?" I gave a slight chuckle. Imagine that: Cool-headed Steezy being an overly protective brother. I would have found that funnier if I wasn't already finding it hard to believe. And then she said,
"My name is Sylvia by the way. Nice to meet you."
Sylvia...
"Eh, Squishy. Nice to meet you too," I said to her.
"So your name really is Squishy?"
"Yeah it is. Weird, right?" Squishy: The result of a youth spent playing video games and slacking off, earning me a namesake befitting a person of absolute laziness in the eyes of my people. Even now I still procrastinate, though not as much as I used too. Anyways, she spoke again.
"It's a little strange, but from what my brother has been telling me you are a rather unique character."
"Heh, he wouldn't be wrong there." The things that I had done in the past have elevated me to the level of an icon, but it came with the territory of my other, and more renowned, occupation sadly. She gave a light laugh at my agreement to her brother's claim. A Velociraptor laughing gently... strange, yes?
"Don't take it too hard. He also said you were a pretty nice guy, and I can see that he was right."
"Why, thank you. You're rather nice yourself."
"I'm just being polite. Being among so many different types of people, being kind and courteous is the best strategy."
"That it certainly is. Or give them free stuff; that usually works." My weak attempt at being funny got a kindly chuckle out of her. Some more silence followed, with me looking back down at my guitar caressing my hand over the strings. Luckily this period of quiet was shorter than the last, as Sylvia spoke up again.
"That's a nice-looking guitar you have there. Were you practicing earlier?"
"Yeah a little. Nothing in-depth; just something to keep my fingers preoccupied."
"Have you been composing any songs?"
"No. I don't compose. I just like playing other people's songs. Songs that I like."
"Ah. So you're only half a musician."
"Guess you could say that." Again, my pride... "Want to hear my favorite tune?"
"Sure. Some music would be nice."
"Okay." I began plucking at strings with a pattern in mind. "Just let me warm up."
"Alright." My short fingers twanged and picked strings at a moderate pace, in order to loosen them. All was quiet again save for the light breeze, the waves and my guitar fiddling.
"So Steezy brought you here to meet new people. What do you think of this place so far?" I asked to stir up conversation until I was ready to perform.
"Its beautiful here; so different from our home world. There's water everywhere, and only islands instead of continents. And the calmness of everything... I can see why Steezy likes it so much here."
"Yeah. It's one of my favorite places too, for that precise reason. How about the people at the party? Meet anyone interesting?"
"I didn't really meet anyone. Just had idle talk with a few people. Everyone was having their own fun and talking with other people they knew, and there were so many kinds of people there. It was almost uncomfortable being around so many."
"Crowds tend to do that, especially when you're the one thing that sticks out the most." She gave a slight laugh at that.
"It's just nice to be with only one or two people. I lost track of my brother not long ago, and without him there really wasn't anybody around I could talk with. But, seems I was lucky enough to stumble upon you. It's been really nice talking with you, and getting to know my brother's business partner as well."
"Well there really isn't all that much to know about me. I'm just a guy... only littler." This time she gave a livelier laugh.
"You're also funny," she said, giving as best a smile as her reptilian face could manage.
"I try." A moment later I was ready. "Alright, I believe I'm set."
"Goody!" That sounded particularly bubbly, reminding me of another girl I knew. Guess she had gotten pretty comfortable.
"This is one of my more favorite songs. It's pretty simple so I shouldn't mess up too badly." That song was more than just a favorite. It was the song that started my interest in guitars; the sole reason why I decided to even pick up an instrument. That and it was appropriate for the current surroundings.
I shifted my back straight and relaxed it some more against the rock, sitting up to be in a more comfortable playing position, as well as flexing my wrists and fingers. In seconds I was set to play in comfort. Some more seconds went by as I put my fingers in position to make the opening notes, and once those were in place I took a quick glance at Sylvia. Her head was turned in my direction, intent on hearing what I had to offer. Assured that I now had a listener, I started to play.
The song's progression was hard-wired into my memory; I had played it so many times that my fingers had become automatic in producing the notes. Though there were some initial cramps they went away quickly as I got into the rhythm of the melody. I played it slowly; slower than it was originally meant to be played. This gave it a very calming, soothing feel to it. In all honesty, it had the nuances of a campfire serenade.
"Huh. That's pretty good," Sylvia said a ways into the song, giving a relaxed yawn shortly thereafter.
"I've played this a couple of times. It really helps in relaxing me."
"Uh-huh. It surely does." She meant those words, I could tell. As I kept playing, I pulled back my head to look up at the sky, and that's when I noticed that above the few scattered clouds the sky had become mostly black, with a fringe of orange on the part closest to where the sun was. The first of the evening stars poked out from the murkiness of the twilit sky, adding a bit of surrealism as I continued to play. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, as I found myself lost in the song. The breaking waves, which now sounded so distant in comparison to the music, seemed to accentuate the overall vibe being created. This feeling was common to me. Music had always been a comfort in my life, as well as a lifestyle. To play it out with my own hands further engrossed me in the thing which had granted me joy and excitement for years. The very basis for much of my past successes... and I was at its center once more.
*First time participating in this sort of thing; so nervous XP. Anyways, imagine this being told to a stranger in a bar setting. A more romanticized take on a cherished memory. Enjoy!*
Title: A Quiet Spot (Part 1)
Word Count: 2,874
It had gotten pretty late; I could tell from how much darker things looked than I last recalled. The sun was pretty low off in the distant horizon, hovering steadily over the vast watery expanse that took up most of my sight whenever I took a glance. The endless ocean glimmered almost too brilliantly, as if screaming the intensity of the light that shone from its farthest edges. But all was silent, save for the lazy waves that broke in steady rhythm nearby. The dull crashes of minute waves seemed to heighten the serenity of my chosen spot.
Just another shoreline it might have seemed, that of one of hundreds of islands that dotted the planet, which in turn where the only landmasses on an otherwise aquatic world. An average sized lump of sand and dirt, with the atypically impressive amount of exotic greenery atop it. Not far from where I sat the tree line of the forest rose like a wall of bark and leaves across from me, and somewhere near the center of that jungle the day's celebration was still going on.
Now, the thing that made this island special from every other island on that planet was that it had been artificially created; fairly recently at that. It was the latest of several recreational projects that I had funded and overseen, and in celebration of its completion a get-together was organized. Considering the droves of people that came, I would say it went pretty successfully. Even hours after the grills were lit to signal its beginning the party was still going strong. From the coastline I could still hear the faint thuds of booming music, but I had gone there to make my own music.
Although I was the supposed emcee/man of honor for this get-together, I figured I socialized enough and had set out for some alone time. And finding myself sitting down on orange-tinted white sand, my back to a large flat-sided rock, with only the ocean air to keep me company, I knew I had found the perfect place to strum.
My guitar was a custom-made acoustic but nothing too special. It was the one instrument I was really good at, and it's one of the things that get me recognized instantly since I often carry it around. Though, in those days, I just picked at the strings and sometimes played the simpler songs that I really enjoy, just to relax. With things as peaceful as they were, I've mainly been playing for myself. But I didn't mind; I've always been the kind of loner sort. I enjoy solitude more often than not, but talking and being with others is nice, especially with friends. At the time, though, I was content just playing for an audience of one: Me.
I can't say how long I just sat there plucking at strings, playing out the occasional ditty; might have been a couple of minutes. But at some point I heard a gentle rustling from the jungle across from me. It was a deliberate progression of noise, and thanks to the near complete silence around me I could tell that it was heading for the borderline. Apparently I wasn't the only one who needed a break from the crowd.
For the moment I just resumed looking over my guitar, ignoring the noise. However, curiosity got the better of me when I caught sight of the approaching someone from the upper part of my vision. Looking up I saw that the person had exited the jungle completely, and that it wasn't any ordinary person. Six foot tall, streamlined with curves in multiple places, with reverse-bent knees and a tail and razor sharp claws, with scales all over, the newcomer I beheld was a very fit Velociraptor-esque Ssi-Ruu. And from the softness of its face and the eyes, I figured that it was a girl. When I surmised that bit of knowledge I realized that she had started walking toward my general direction.
I looked back down at my guitar, still held within my grubby digits as she approached, not because I was nervous but it was just a general habit of mine whenever there were people around. From the sound of approaching foot-falls there was certainly no doubt that the Ssi-Ruu hadn't overlooked me. She stopped just two feet from where I sat and spoke.
"Why hello there," she said in a surprisingly soft, clear voice, in perfect English. Now you're probably thinking, 'Exactly how is a dinosaur talking in English, perfect English no less?' Well, thanks to years of effort and patience in forming and deepening a firm political and social relationship with the Ssi-Ruuk species, we had overcome that little barrier in a relatively short time. As I was saying, the wayward female raptor addressed me and I talked back.
"Oh, hi there," was my rather blunt reply. "Fancy that there'd be anyone else out here."
"I can say the same," she said with a hint of amusement. "Yeah, I'm just taking a walk; get some air, taking a break from the bustle of the party."
"Oh yeah, same for me," I said rather dumbly. "So, you're one of the guests then?"
"Yes I am. And you must be the one who arranged all this."
"Uhh, yeah, that's right. How'd you know?"
"I thought it was you because of how short you were."
"Ah, right, heheh." Once again, my recognizable shortness left my frail pride cringing... But regaining my inner composure, I took up the chat once more.
"So, you decided to walk out along here to take a breather, eh?"
"Correct. That shouldn't be a problem; this is a public beach after all."
"Well technically it's my beach... and island," I said shrugging and rubbing my head with a free hand (Yet one other random habit of mine).
"Uh-huh. Mind if I crouch by you?" she asked rather politely.
"Uhhh, sure, go ahead." With that the dark-green Ssi-Ruu female positioned herself close to me and the rock I was sitting against and bent her legs, lowering into a crouch. Of course, because of her odd legs and tail it would be pretty hard and awkward to sit like any human or tail-less creature, so the best a creature like her could do as a substitute was crouch. Come to think of it, birds do the exact same thing when they rest... But back on topic. Once as comfortable as she could get, she nudged slightly toward the rock I was against.
"This boulder is still giving off some heat. I hope I'm not bothering you getting this close."
"Oh, no, not at all. It's good." Now normally, what with me being a mammal, and considerably smaller, someone in my position would be pretty nervous having a large ferocious looking lizard sitting next to them. But that kind of circumstance didn't bother me in the least; rather, I was still pretty comfortable where I was. If anything, my only discomfort was that I was next to someone at all. An anti-social bit of anxiety you might say, but I stayed put nevertheless.
With the lady Ssi-Ruu up close and next to me I thought over the brief discussion that we had shared. From the tone of her voice she sounded like an adult, but a fairly young one. I didn't know her age, but from how she talked I thought she could've been slightly older than me. Well, in human years. She definitely had a gentle aspect to the way she talked; completely opposite of what the looks given to her race might've implied. After a bit of awkward silence I spoke up.
"So... how did you come about attending the party here? Just, curious, is all." She answered that question as though it wasn't awkward in the least.
"Oh, my brother insisted that I come down here and see the planet at least, maybe meet some new people. He works for you."
"Does he?"
"No doubt you know him. His name is Steezy."
"Steezy!?"
Oh wow I´m kinda nervous; this is the first time I´ve ever made any posts here. Like, it´s so an honor Tom :D. But yeah here´s my list:
Resivic Evil Diremesis p1
Last Minute Shopper
There She Is!!... well it´s more of an influence to me but w/e
Press Start
Electro Gypsy
Orange Runner
L337 Kr3w: Reanimation, definitely
Taco-Man Gamemaster
Jesus vs Godzilla
Easy Way Out
Angry Dog
How Not To Time Travel
The Greatest Idea Ever
Kaiser Faces the Colossus
With My Mind's Madness
Little too long? Well these are all the ónes I enjoyed and others should look at, if only just for a laugh. Again it's an honor posting here, omg. So Happy New Years to ya all and hopefully I'll be around another time.
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