The Mist!

Si stares at the commander's belly button. She had never seen someone with a metal ring through a part of their body. She couldn't help but also notice that fact that the commander was barely wearing anything. Turning her head, Si blushed a little, realising that she had been staring at the commander's fit body. Si managed to blut out "Um....is it normal among the demons to have pieces of metal piercing through their body?" to stop the awkward silence.

 

Skraal looked at Dora and the othersw Ben was giving the pain killers to the wounded.

Skraal turned back to the beast.

"You know me and who is this Queen you speak of."

 

"Um....is it normal among the demons to have pieces of metal piercing through their body?" Si asked the commander, she laughed loudly.

"Girl if you think thats weird you should see my other peircing." She said and gave her a wink. "But to awnser your question, yes, it is rather normal, though usually just the ear." She admitted. "But come on, it looks good doesn't it?" She asked and hoisted up the pistol. "Come on girls, i'm gonna pop that cherry today and teach you how to shoot." She said firmly motioning them to follow her back to the actual range part of the club. (Sorry if I insult anyone but some people do talk like that)

 

Cassie was surprised to see the commander standing there when they arrived. If she thought Si's skirt was short, Jacqueline's practically wasn't there at all. Very little left to the imagination. She gave them a look that screamed out competition. Si commented on the metal piercing in her belly button, and she laughed it off.

Cassie eyed the weapon. From her own experience, it was probably similar to the flintlock revolvers they had made; but much more sleek and efficient. It looked a little large, and Cassie would have preferred to start with something smaller, but the challenge in those red eyes couldn't be mistaken.

"Sure." She said, matching Jacqueline's tone. As she stepped up to one of the alleys, she observed the shooters in action; how they stood, how they held themselves, and how they leveled their weapons. Cassie put the headset on, designed to mute the loud report of the guns. Jacqueline then handed her the weapon, the challenge still there, mixed with a bit of mockery. Cassie held a straight face, and then adjusted her stance to match those around her. She held the pistol in a two-handed grip, and sighted down the barrel. Instantly, she noticed the sight; the small protrusion on the back lined up with a small wedge cut out of a longer protrusion near the muzzle.

She fired, the report exploding loudly, even through the headset. It shocked her slightly, as did the massive kick of the gun. The first shot went wide. Her heart beat a little faster as she took aim a second time. She breathed in deeply, and as she let it out, she noticed for a split second that her grip was perfectly solid, and the gun in her hand perfectly still. She fired, and the shot pierced the paper target through the heart.

Thrice more, she shot in the same way, each bullet hole within an inch of the others. With a smile of satisfaction aimed mostly at Jacqueline, she stepped down and handed the pistol to Si.

 

"Um...yeah it looks good." said Si as her face turned a bright red, "I guess I'll check out different rings and might get pierced." The three walk back to the final shooting range and Cassie went first. BANG! The shot stunned Si a little, but the other ones didn't bother her as much. Cassie handed the gun to Si and she aimed it at the target in the back. A machine changed the target on its own. She plants her feet firmly on the floor in an archer's stance, though she kept her shoulders facing forward.

.......Ok, this can't be too different than shooting an arrow.....

She bent her elbows a little to compensate for the kick. She takes a deep breath and then fired. Bang. Right between the eyes. The next three shots also hit it in the head. Taking off the headset, she turned around and said "Beginners luck I guess."

 

The commander stood their and clapped lightly at their little display, and then grabbed the gun her self, dropped the clip caught it in mid-air as it fell slid it into a pocket, drew another, and proceeded to draw a smileing face on the target, though it was more a smirk than a smile. She dropped the clip again quickly, loaded another and fired a line accross the head so tight it fell off when she fired the last bullet. "Not bad girls but I'm the best." She boasted, though she had really looked forward to giving Si some lessons on her own.

She smiled at the two, slipped the gun into a hoister on the small of her back walked up to see looking down at her inquisitivly. She took her chin firmly in her hand to raise her face to look into the air and let go. "You my freind would look great with a nose ring." She commented and started heading back to the counter for more rounds. "How about I show you girls how to have some real fun around this city?" She offered.

 

Testing?

Dora was fascinated by the metal beasts. They were elegantly crafted and it was odd to see them acting so lifelike. She wondered how this was done. Were there people inside these, too or was it like the Faery?

She frowned. What had happened to the Faery, anyway?

Her thoughts returned to the matter at hand as the beast ordered Skraal aside so that the rest of them could be tested.

"Take our yonger brothers advice and back down blood angel, you wouldn't want to anger the queen." Said one of the big ones behind Skraal. "Then again you wouldn't want to anger me!"

Dora twisted around at the voice almost directly behind them. It had been one of the huge dragons. She stifled a whimper and fought the urge to hide behind Skraal. After all, how bad could it be?

“I guess I’ll be the first to be tested, then,” Dora said, stepping up beside Skraal, “even though I don’t know what to expect.”

She had an arrow drawn on her bow and her glass knife within reach. Chances were good that if it came to a fight she’d die but she was hoping she was right and maybe she wouldn’t die real bad.

 

"Blood angel listen to your little freind and step back to allow her to be tested." The small beast spoke. "She seems frail, but brave for stepping forward." It said and slowly stalked forward towards Dora. It got close to her and then snapped out at her, it's metalic teeth ringing togeather. "You are not a close combat fighter so we play a game. Hide and seek. You hide I seek, if you survive then you pass the test, If I kill you, then you lose." He said as if it was perfectly acceptable.

"You'd better get running." He said softly.

 

"You'd better get running." The beast said in a soft tone that didn’t hide the menace in it.

Dora’s eyes widened and she gave Skraal a brief look before running hard as she could into the Mist.

If you survive… how was she to know when the test was over? She could be hiding and running forever for all she knew.

Dora’s feet made almost no sound on the ground as she zigzagged through the trees feeling much too much like a rabbit. Her breath was louder than she liked in the mask but she dared not take it off and start coughing again.

She turned and ran straight for the city they had just left. When she came in sight of the gate she saw several huge demon-guards and wondered if they had some way of communicating with those at the other gate a mile away that the group had left by.

A white-hot ball of flame sizzled over her head and landed not far from her, setting fire to a tree.

“Wait! Waitwaitwait…!” Dora held out her hands and panted, “I just saw a group of metal beasts like dragons headed this way. They intend to attack the city!”

She swallowed and the guards looked at each other.

“Perhaps you should come with us.”

“No thanks!” Dora said, “Just shoot the thing if it gets near you, that’s my advice.”

Then she ran past them and deeper into the mist.

 

The beast glanced at Skraal, it gave him the distinct impression that it was smirking, and after a minute head start it took off like a bullet in the direction she had gone, following her foot prints. Almost fell for her trap if it's sensors hadn't caught wiff of the matalic giants. Not hard to miss compared to the little dragon.

It made it's longer way around the building but moved faster than Dora could due to four legs. It had hopped to cut her off but ran into her foot prints once again. "Clever little meal, but I'm harder to kill than that." It said softly to itself and stalked along after her trail. "It is only a matter of time before I find her, but will she mesure up to her magisties high standards?" It muttered to itself following the trail with ease.

 

Well, that was that. They both had done well, but still no contest. It was discouraging to have their effort so easily passed off, but at least Cassie knew she could do it. With time and practice, she would get better.

Cassie was walking away from her as she spoke.

"What did you have in mind?" She asked, not quite sure if she'd find Jacqueline's version of 'fun' much fun. She walked over to a long desk, where a tall, middle-aged man stood. Guns and components of guns were laid out everywhere. Cassie looked at each one with interest.

"Can I help you?" The man asked.

"Could you show me how to take one apart?" She asked. The man smiled.

"Sure." He picked up one of the pistols nearby, and proceeded to break it down, explaining each step to her. She was amazed that the basic technology of how the weapon worked was relatively unchanged from the ones she made. A firing pin ignited a small pinch powder, which exploded and propelled the round forward. The exact parts and the efficiency of how it was done had changed, as had the ability of the weapon to hold several rounds at a time.

After he guided her through it, she did it herself on a different gun that she picked out; breaking it down and reassembling it. He smiled as she finished.

"Well done." He leaned a little closer to her. "I don't normally do this, but I'm gonna put this one away for you. This is your gun, to use whenever you come here. If you later decide you want to buy it, I'll make sure you get a good deal on it." She smiled at him.

"Thank you."

 

Si looked down and said "Well, I don't really have anything better to do tonight, so I guess I'll come along. Maybe I can get one of those piercing things." She noticed that Cassie was figuring out how the guns work. "I swear, you'll end up marrying a machinical man." said Si with a smile. Turning back to Jacqueline, she said "Do you know of any good bookstores here. I really like reading."

 

Hortensio wondered the military base on the surface and the city underground. faint explosions could be heard when on the surface 'more war' he thought.
while searching and exploring he had a feeling of uneasyness, as though something was following him...

after being stripped of his cloak and weapons on arival he had also been issued new cloths, a grey tight T-shirt and long trousers coloured several shades of green. this was thesame as the lower ranked soldiers that ran around the base every which way, and although he felt naked with such tight fitting clothing and without his orb, he was trying to find an advantage to his situation.

he noticed a group of people all of like uniforn moving into the underground city and decided to follow. he followed them as they moved in two lines of equal number, in perfet unison. he did not attempt to join this troup, but lagged behind seeming to have his own adjender. and all the while he would look over his shoulder expecting something to be there.

he walked into a tunnel of explosions, light and smell. an all round assult on his senses and he didnt like it at all. there was a row of roughly 20 men and women with the metal weapons causing explosions and emence dammage to their targets.

he spotted the commander, and although her name escaped him her image did not. wearing almost nothing she did not hide her flesh, nor did she appear overly embarrased about this. as she was a soldier, at the peak of fittness she did not suit what she wore in the slightest. the muscles in her legs added a strange curve and bulk where there should be slim and symetrical. her shoulders where wider than his, and she had biceps! 'maybe this is what is attractive in this place' he thought to himself.

the two girls she sopke to where some what more conservativly dressed, although still quite revealing and tight fitting. the two girls had their back to him and the commander instructed them on the correct way to hold the metal noise maker.

the commander spotted him and waved him over and after exchanging brief plesantries the commander, and as the girls turned around he recognised them for who they where, and his jaw dropped slightly thye smiled politly at each other and was about so speak when the commander whos name still evaded him asked in her all controlling tone "your with the outsiders group aye?"

"yes" he replied still consentrating on keeping his eyes on hers, it wasnt working and so decided to stare at her forhead instead.

"whats your name outsider?"

"Hortensio" he was restricted to one word answers. she was intimidating to no end.

"Hortensio aye? sounds too forign, gotta last name?"

"i do"

"dont be a smart arse. what is it"

"Rasponov" he said holding her gaze, she mused over this all the while flicking an important looking switch on her noise maker on and off, on and off, on and off...
"that wont rub off in my camp my thin little friend, you need something short, n' easy to remember. like bob, bill, frank, jerry.....you look like a jerry-"

"thankyou commander, i shall be leaving now" and with that he walked passed her, and triped up slightly on his new shoes hitting shoulder to shoulder with the mountian of a woman. he appoligised and walked away brushing himself off.....placing her security card in his pocket

 

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I don't really have anything better to do tonight, so I guess I'll come along. Maybe I can get one of those piercing things."

She smiled at Si. "I know the perfect place, and I'm sure you'll get along fine, a few escapees from the wall like to hang out their." She said and then added. "How do you all feel about Rock music?" She asked and then noted their confused looks. "Don't worry you'll love it." She insisted.

"Theirs tons of book stores around, just look, but for now I think we should start heading out, best to get to the club earily if we want in, it can get pretty busy." She explained, and turned to look up and (Insert upper post here! GM)

"Strange boy." She said and countinued out the door with Si in tow.

 

Ben took the medical supplies as Skraal handed them to him. Bending over, he grabbed one sword and one of the pineapple shaped things. He opened his pack and placed the bottle of pain reliever, the cream, and bandages inside. He put the pineapple thing in a small outer pocket of his pack.

He saw the metalic beasts arrival and stared at them. He didn't like the sound of the test proposed to Dora. Worry spread across his face as she took off running. He really hoped she would survive. It looked to him like the little beast smirked before sprinting after her.

Ben wondered if they would all have to face a test alone. He looked over at Ceri and thought, She is in no condition for running and probably not for any test at all right now. He sat down on the ground to wait for the test to be over; staring in the direction Dora and the beast ran.

 

Cassie turned just in time to see Jacqueline and Si heading out the door. She turned to the man behind the counter.

"Thanks again!" She said.

She dashed off to catch up with her friend and their...apparent leader.

 

The club was a short distance form where they where, but by the time they got their the sky was darkening in artificial evening. It wasn't somewhere easy to find, in a back alley, down some stairs, a small sign on a door where loud noise was coming from read "The ROCK!"

"You'll love this place." She inssured them and threw open the door, grabbed them both and dragged them inside. The gaurd at the front just gave the commander a smile as the group passed.

In side the club heavy metal played loudly, almost to loud to talk over, but not quite. "Great music right?" She asked as she lead them through the dimly lit, lights flashing and moving over head. They reached the bar and she leaned over it and said some type of drink to the bar tenderess, ordered three of them and sat down at the bar motioning for the others to join her. "Just wait till everyone starts to arrive, this place gets HOT!" She commented.

 

I had sat on the bed for to long, wondering what to do. "I should really find something to do." I said to myself and then let out a sigh and pulled my armor back on, and attached my sheild to my back. "I'm sure their's a black smiths shop somewhere so I can fix these dents." I said though I wasn't sure at all.

I walked out of the room, and then the hotel, people watching me as I went. I felt more a stranger and alone than I ever had before. I proceeded to walk down the road, not sure where I was going to end up, but not wanting to stay put anylonger. Maybe I should have left with the group. I wondered to myself. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I ran head first into a pole. Who stuck poles in the middle of a walk way. "Ouch." I said rubbing my head, "Should have brought my helmet." I commented and suddenly I heard someone crack up with laughter.

"I'm sorry." She said as I turned to look at her. She was wearing apair of jeans and a pink t-shirt that read "Ya I'm wearing pink." Across the chest. I felt kind of perverted just reading it at the location it was, and that combined with my running into a stationary object incident I blushed bright red.

She ran a hand through her long brown hair and smiled at me. She looked to be around 17 or 18, but I couldn't be sure. "You know for a kluts and an emo, you're kind of cute." She teased causing me to turn redder. She walked over from where she was and stood about a foot away from me and seemed to be studying me for a long moment. "Thats good work? Did someone make it for you?" She asked commenting on my armor.

"N-no." I said and then cleared my throat to stop me from stuttering. "No, I made it myself." I replied, amiling that she thought it was good work. It was my best actualy.

 

Si looks at the drink that the commander ordered. There was alcohol back home, but it didn't quite look like this, though she trusted the commander and downed the drink. She could feel it slighly burn the inside of her throat as it went down. "Um....what do you call this drink?" asked Si, trying to speak over the music.

 

Cassie walked in tentatively, looking around. That which Jacqueline called 'music' pounded from various points around the room. Cassie found it somewhat ironic that such noise would be considered worthy of the term. The percussion was prominent, and there was a constant shredding noise that went along with it. The only melody in the thing was the singing, if such it could be called. The vocalist appeared to be yelling, rather than singing. Despite the criticisms, Cassie couldn't deny the fact that she suddenly wanted to spontaneously start dancing.

She fought the urge off and followed Jacqueline to the bar and sat down on one of the stools. The setup was somewhat familiar; the inn back home bore a slight similarity to this. Jacqueline ordered drinks and one was placed in front of Cassie. She hadn't drank often back home, but she had done it often enough to know her limits. The last thing she wanted to do was get drunk in Jacqueline's company.

She picked up the glass and tasted a bit of the liquor. Her eyes widened slightly as it burned its way down her throat. It was very potent. She managed not to cough...barely. She cleared her throat and set the glass down. She looked over at Jacqueline, who was apparently very used to such potency. If she kept up like that, she'd be very drunk in very little time.

 

Dora tried to still her breathing as she stood with her hands behind her back and the naturally occurring deadfall above her. She could hear the beast coming through the trees.

She waited.

She wished she was Skraal or Dameon or Madline…someone strong and brave. As it was she was Dora and so she just believed with all her heart that this would work.

The beast saw her and gave something close to a laugh as it approached. Dora allowed herself to pant, out of breath, and the trembling came naturally.

“What a shame that you give up so easily, little meal.” The beast said.

It barely paused before coming right at her.

Dora pulled the vine that she held behind her back. It tugged at the weak point of the deadfall and a huge dead log leaning against a smaller tree came crashing down.

She leaped back, in between two large boulders as the dead tree crashed down right where the beast was, hopefully falling across it to pin it to the ground.

At least that was the plan. She didn’t wait to see if it had worked but simply ran, up a narrow rocky path, leaping from rock to rock before scrambling up into a hiding spot. It was too small for the beast to negotiate, even if it had eluded the trap.

 

The commander said some drink name, but she couldn't hear it over the music. "Bartender, do you have any drinks that don't burn when drinking it?" He smiles a little at her and mixes some alcohol with a carbonated drink. "Here this one shouldn't be as bad." Si nodded and said "Thanks." She takes a sip of it, and it tasted really good. She takes a full drink of it and looks around the club. Some of the people there seemed to be attractive than she first thought.

 

Cassie sipped the strong drink slowly, getting accustomed to it. It was good, as far as drinks in general went. She looked over at Si, who had exchanged the strong stuff for something lighter....but she had just downed a whole glass of it, and Cassie began to see a faint twinkle come to her eyes. This could be bad.

Jacqueline was on her third, and Cassie could see her self-control digressing rather quickly. Cassie took another sip of her drink, and looked around the room. More people were starting to enter; most of them dressed either extravagantly, or provocatively.

Jacqueline waved to somebody, and then stood, giggling a little.

"C'mon! I'd like you to meet some friends of mine." She picked up her drink and walked over to a larger table where three guys sat; all of them young and quite attractive. Cassie shot a glance at Si, and let out a breath. This could be bad. The girls seated themselves and Jacqueline greeted her friends.

"I brought some friends tonight," Jacqueline said. "This is Si, and there's Cassie. They're from out of town."

Cassie smiled nervously, and blushed when the three of them looked at her and smiled back. Two of them took their gaze off her to look back at Jacqueline, but one of them held her gaze a little longer. He had wild black hair and green eyes, and he was dressed in a leather jacket. When he did look away, Cassie took another sip from her glass.

 

Si sat down and waved at the commander's friends. She takes another gulp of the drink. It was really good, and she was a little suprised at how strong it was. She gave a small hick up and then turned to Cassie. "Hey Cas. Wanna dance a little." said Si.

 

As soon as they came to a halt Ceri practically collapsed. Her face was pale and drawn as she leant back against the nearest tree and stretched her injured leg out before her, wincing with every minute movement.

She was furious at herself for getting hurt, and, looking down at her ankle, was surprised to see that even beneath the bandages Ben had put on it swollen to almost twice the size of her other leg.

“Damn it,” Ceri hissed under her breath, just as the metal beasts appeared through the trees and mist.

She listened to the conversation between them and Snarly with confusion, and wondered who this ‘majesty’ the beasts referred to was.

When Dora stepped forward, volunteering to be tested, Ceri half pushed herself up off the ground. The curly haired looked even slighter and more fragile than she was next to the looming, metal beast. They spoke for a moment, then Dora darted off into the mist.

Dora was fast, but Ceri could help but worry as the beast vanished after her. Time seemed to slow, seconds ticking by as they waited. Worry was palpable in the air, but Dora didn’t reappear. Neither did the beast.

Oh, gods, Ceri thought, I hope she’s alright.