Sunday, March 6, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Another Story - 2
Author's Note: This is an "alternate universe" to the previous set of stories except the last entry. They may use most of the same characters, but their circumstances and events are different.
There was a chime at the door.
Commander Bailes looked up from his paperwork. Rough face but clean shaven, looked about in his fifties with gray hair combed back. Dressed in a navy military suit uniform, markings showing that he held power and authority to some degree. He sat in a spacious office, one wall of glass showing space and stars outside.
"Come in," he called, pressing a button on a console.
The door whooshed open, two figures entering. Bailes smiled, a silent chuckle on his lips.
"Raju and Novia. Glad to see your trip into Logios space hasn't resulted in an uprising." He leaned back in his chair a bit.
Raju was roughly twenty four, with an athletic build, brown skin, eyes and short black hair. He wore sand-colored jeans with a long-sleeved white t-shirt and black hiking boots. A flatscreen device was mounted on his left wrist, a belt on his waist with a few pouches.
Novia appeared to be sixteen, having a slender teenage body with striking golden pupils and long straight silver hair in two large pigtails that reached her lower torso. She wore a black top that exposed her midriff, a white miniskirt with matching jacket, gray boots and black leggings.
"Believe it or not, Commander, you're a sight for sore eyes." Novia about collapsed in a chair in front of Bailes' desk, slouching down a bit.
"I'm going through the reports now; I don't blame you....so Lawthorn was really working with this Quinton person that you keep describing? And that's why he went corrupt?"
Raju nodded, walking over to a coffee machine and pouring two cups of coffee into styrofoam cups, dumping creamer into both of them. "More or less. That's all I was able to to discern."
"Well, intel came up with about the same information. But they came up with a bit more..." He sighed and leaned forward. "I have both good and bad news."
Novia leaned forward a little bit in anticipation, taking one of the cups when it was handed to her. Raju took another seat next to her. "Is it good bad news or bad bad news?"
"Heh...you never cease to amaze me, Raju. Just like a kid..." Bailes shook his head. "Probably good bad news. Lawthorn...ditched part of his crew that might have caused trouble for him. Force them into an escape pod and jettison them onto a primitive planet type of way."
"And how's that news to us?"
"We found the pod two days ago. Most of the crew survived and are living with the local populace. One of the crewmembers....was Haley Grumman."
Novia about dropped her coffee, Raju nearly spilled his. "Haley? She survived?!"
Bailes nodded, a small smile on his face. "She's become a work girl at a ranch there. Wants to stay for some odd reason, was estatic that you were alive. I told her I'd send you over to get you. She made a strange request to give her a few days. I think she's working on something."
"Commander...which planet was Haley jettisoned onto?" Novia asked curiously.
"Let's see here....Valencia." He looked up. "I'm sure you-"
"Yeah, we know the place. Been there a couple times. Old West type of thing going on, there is a small advanced outpost run by an old hermit who more or less operates an H3 "gas station". "
Raju paused for a second. "I'm not completely sure, but Haley's mom is supposed to be from there."
Bailes raised an eyebrow. "Really? How'd you find that out?"
"She told Shinako. A long time ago." Novia finished her coffee.
Bailes sighed. "I see. Valencia...seems to be a trouble spot. I don't understand why so much ruckus is over some underdeveloped planet which people can't even go to space from the surface. And then this..."
He rubbed his head and looked away for the moment. "I know this is going to sound like an impossible task I'm going to give you, but I would like you to find Peter."
"Sir....he went into hiding since last summer. We haven't heard from him since, neither have you." Novia objected firmly.
"I know. I'm beginning to wonder if he's all right. But I've not been able to reach him in any way since Haley vanished...and we still can't reach him till now. It's been almost nine months since we've heard anything." Bailes got up and walked to the windows, staring at space outside. "But his wife being from Valencia...Lawthorn having to do something with his wife previously...something doesn't but does add up at the same time. He might have some answers for us."
"If anyplace that holds a clue, it'll be that old air base back on Earth where he taught you to fly, Raju. That's a good place to start. That is honestly the only lead I have for you."
"Sir...I hoped that I wouldn't have to go see that place again." Raju admitted.
"Well, you've got people with you that'll watch your back. And you have your own starship. I wouldn't say you're on the run for the moment. Just watch your step, though." Bailes folded his hands on the desk.
"I see...thanks for the info. I'll look into searching for Peter." Raju got up from his chair and started to walk to the door.
"Raju...one more piece of advice." Bailes raised a finger. "Things may not be as they seem. And honestly, unless something else shows up, you're about on your own on this one. I don't have anything else that I can offer you except for a place to fix your ship and unload stuff off if you need it. If you need help from your friends, ask."
Raju paused before exiting the door. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the chat and the coffee." With that, he and Novia left the room.
There was a chime at the door.
Commander Bailes looked up from his paperwork. Rough face but clean shaven, looked about in his fifties with gray hair combed back. Dressed in a navy military suit uniform, markings showing that he held power and authority to some degree. He sat in a spacious office, one wall of glass showing space and stars outside.
"Come in," he called, pressing a button on a console.
The door whooshed open, two figures entering. Bailes smiled, a silent chuckle on his lips.
"Raju and Novia. Glad to see your trip into Logios space hasn't resulted in an uprising." He leaned back in his chair a bit.
Raju was roughly twenty four, with an athletic build, brown skin, eyes and short black hair. He wore sand-colored jeans with a long-sleeved white t-shirt and black hiking boots. A flatscreen device was mounted on his left wrist, a belt on his waist with a few pouches.
Novia appeared to be sixteen, having a slender teenage body with striking golden pupils and long straight silver hair in two large pigtails that reached her lower torso. She wore a black top that exposed her midriff, a white miniskirt with matching jacket, gray boots and black leggings.
"Believe it or not, Commander, you're a sight for sore eyes." Novia about collapsed in a chair in front of Bailes' desk, slouching down a bit.
"I'm going through the reports now; I don't blame you....so Lawthorn was really working with this Quinton person that you keep describing? And that's why he went corrupt?"
Raju nodded, walking over to a coffee machine and pouring two cups of coffee into styrofoam cups, dumping creamer into both of them. "More or less. That's all I was able to to discern."
"Well, intel came up with about the same information. But they came up with a bit more..." He sighed and leaned forward. "I have both good and bad news."
Novia leaned forward a little bit in anticipation, taking one of the cups when it was handed to her. Raju took another seat next to her. "Is it good bad news or bad bad news?"
"Heh...you never cease to amaze me, Raju. Just like a kid..." Bailes shook his head. "Probably good bad news. Lawthorn...ditched part of his crew that might have caused trouble for him. Force them into an escape pod and jettison them onto a primitive planet type of way."
"And how's that news to us?"
"We found the pod two days ago. Most of the crew survived and are living with the local populace. One of the crewmembers....was Haley Grumman."
Novia about dropped her coffee, Raju nearly spilled his. "Haley? She survived?!"
Bailes nodded, a small smile on his face. "She's become a work girl at a ranch there. Wants to stay for some odd reason, was estatic that you were alive. I told her I'd send you over to get you. She made a strange request to give her a few days. I think she's working on something."
"Commander...which planet was Haley jettisoned onto?" Novia asked curiously.
"Let's see here....Valencia." He looked up. "I'm sure you-"
"Yeah, we know the place. Been there a couple times. Old West type of thing going on, there is a small advanced outpost run by an old hermit who more or less operates an H3 "gas station". "
Raju paused for a second. "I'm not completely sure, but Haley's mom is supposed to be from there."
Bailes raised an eyebrow. "Really? How'd you find that out?"
"She told Shinako. A long time ago." Novia finished her coffee.
Bailes sighed. "I see. Valencia...seems to be a trouble spot. I don't understand why so much ruckus is over some underdeveloped planet which people can't even go to space from the surface. And then this..."
He rubbed his head and looked away for the moment. "I know this is going to sound like an impossible task I'm going to give you, but I would like you to find Peter."
"Sir....he went into hiding since last summer. We haven't heard from him since, neither have you." Novia objected firmly.
"I know. I'm beginning to wonder if he's all right. But I've not been able to reach him in any way since Haley vanished...and we still can't reach him till now. It's been almost nine months since we've heard anything." Bailes got up and walked to the windows, staring at space outside. "But his wife being from Valencia...Lawthorn having to do something with his wife previously...something doesn't but does add up at the same time. He might have some answers for us."
"If anyplace that holds a clue, it'll be that old air base back on Earth where he taught you to fly, Raju. That's a good place to start. That is honestly the only lead I have for you."
"Sir...I hoped that I wouldn't have to go see that place again." Raju admitted.
"Well, you've got people with you that'll watch your back. And you have your own starship. I wouldn't say you're on the run for the moment. Just watch your step, though." Bailes folded his hands on the desk.
"I see...thanks for the info. I'll look into searching for Peter." Raju got up from his chair and started to walk to the door.
"Raju...one more piece of advice." Bailes raised a finger. "Things may not be as they seem. And honestly, unless something else shows up, you're about on your own on this one. I don't have anything else that I can offer you except for a place to fix your ship and unload stuff off if you need it. If you need help from your friends, ask."
Raju paused before exiting the door. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the chat and the coffee." With that, he and Novia left the room.
Friday, February 4, 2011
FF Entry - Dawnstar Run 1
Newark Starbase
Lagoon Nebula Cluster
January 28th, 2081
The marketplace sector of the starbase was pretty empty. Very. Though brightly lit in most places, it stood stark empty. The dull metal tiles reflected some of the ambient lighting from above.
A strange procession came out of a public elevator nearby. A Navigator walked out, followed by a Roman woman and her teenage son, further followed by what appeared to be a Japanese assassin of sorts. The assassin was controlling a cargo lift cart by remote control, which had a large steel refrigerated shipping container strapped on top.
"Hmm....205....206.....207. There we go." The Navigator woman announced, looking up at the now empty marketplace slot, somewhat dingy and very bare. She seemed to be about twenty-five years old in age, with long smooth goldenrod hair that reached her midriff, with a bit of bangs and a lock running down her chest on each side of her head. She wore a long slightly full slate blue gown that about arrived at her ankles, robe-like sleeves tied to balloon out a bit at the shoulders. A violet banner was draped over the gown, running down the front and back, hiearchial symbols on the front near the bottom.
"I appreciate the help you have given my son and I, Yorina." the Roman woman commented, her form clad in a gray chiton. Her brown hair was held back in a rough bun. She stared at the empty spot, a data pad clutched to her bosom. "I do not know how to thank you enough."
"You just getting back on your feet is thanks enough." Shinako came to a stop, the cart slightly lurching. She seemed twenty-one, with Oriental features and black hair with large bangs and a short bushy and somewhat spiky ponytail. With black leggings and sleeves, she wore a purple sleeveless kimono jacket, fingerless arm gloves and boot covers. A wide magenta sash was around her waist, tied into a large bow on the back and the trailing ends hanging down till her calves. A white sports bra showed a bit between the jacket, and a katana hung on her right shoulder, a wakizashi wedged sideways on her back and a tanto tucked into the front of her sash. Then to top it all off, a pistol was strapped to her right leg.
"You'll get the hang of things. Already got you an ID, an apartment on one of the residential decks, bank account and a commerce permit." Yorina shrugged in a carefree manner.
The assassin started to wheel the cart into the market space, moving it to the back of the wall. Once stopped, she tugged an extension cord, plugging the refrigerating unit into a wall outlet.
"Forgive me for asking again, but I am still apprehensive as to who my customers will be." Adreana carefully set her newly found belonging on the counter which served as a barrier between the interior and the outside traffic.
"Might not want to put that there. Place it underneath. Someone swipes that, you'll have someone posing as you running around on the starbase." Shinako warned.
Adreana took the warning with a nod and placed it underneath on one of the shelves. Yorina nodded in approval, looking to see where Adreana's son went.
"They'll be people like humans, but they'll be other kinds of beings. Some aliens buy human food sometimes. Unless they're threatening you with a weapon, you'll usually be all right. Newark has good security for its residents." Yorina's head craned down the direction opposite from where they came.
"Pfft. Unlike Dortis." Shinako fiddled with a panel on the wall, a few lights flickering on in the area, illuminating the area a little more.
There was the running of footsteps as Adreana's son came running up, in boot sandals and a ivory tunic, with wispy hair the same color as his mother. A terrified look was on his face, panting somewhat heavily.
"Mother, look! A monster, its Hades himself!"
Shinako glanced at where the boy had come from, getting a mixed feeling of understanding but amusement.
"Hector, I have told you, superstitious creatures do not exist. And that is not the..." Adreana looked up, a gasp escaping her lips as she pulled her child closer.
A large creature with a gorilla body shape and about as massive as a large cow was slowly ambling its way towards them. It had a reptilian head sort of like a tyrannosaurus, a tail of moderate length and beige colored skin with a tinge of yellow. It had four feet, the front pair with four somewhat thick digits and claws on the end. It's body was clad in black shiny metal plating, olive green fabric covering its legs. It's pupils were round but bright amber, a scar on the right side of its face.
"Well well, what do we have here?" The creature cocked its head to one side, speaking in a deep but controlled voice.
Adreana let out a short shreik as Yorina about threw her hands up in the air, trying to get the woman to calm down. Shinako had a grin on her face, folding her arms and walking towards the creature.
"Natus...scaring children, I see?"
"I don't like people poking around my salvage, even though most of it is scrap." Natus jerked his head back in the other direction. "But what's this? New residents?"
"Yeah. We got them off one of the underdeveloped worlds....her husband was killed and she was being pressured by unwanted elements. So we 'liberated' them so to speak." Shinako's fingers emphasized the point.
Adreana was surprised when she saw Shinako holding a conversation with the beast before her. She inched forwad, pushing Hector to her side.
"By the gods...are you....are you?" She couldn't quite seem to find the words she wanted.
"Gods? That's an oddly religious term. Immortal? A mystical beast? I don't think so. I'm pretty much an ordinary Arkadalakkian as I'll get, probably not so well off. Haven't gotten that before."
"At any rate, sorry for scaring you boy. Welcome to Newark. There's hardly anybody that lives here selling anything in the marketplace; just me, that gun dealer who's gone for the day and a human who runs a snack bar. What goods do you plan to sell?"
Adreana was speechless for a moment. "Well, um...um...why produce. Vegetables, fruits, things of that nature."
"Seriously?" Natus' voice raised a little. "Finally something decent to eat on this station that isn't paste or comes out of a frozen canister. Fresh food?!"
Hector nodded quickly as he left Adreana's side, poking into the container and pulling out an apple. He went over, handing it over gingerly, not saying a word.
Natus looked curious, taking the fruit with three digits of one of his front legs and examining it with one eye. He let out a half grunt of contemplation as he plopped it into his mouth. There was some crunching as he effortlessly chewed then swallowed, a small bit of juice running down his chin.
"That hit the spot...its been two months since it's been live food I had." He licked his chin. "You're good in my books. If you ever get bored or need something, don't hesitate to ask. Kiosks, storage containers, compressors, almost anything you can imagine I can get it somehow. I don't do fix-it jobs. I'm a bargain salvage, not a repair shop." He shook his head. "You have no idea how many idiots walk in here asking me to 'fix the laser cannon' or 'rewrite the nav computer'."
"Why thank you." Adreana's head bowed a little.
"Yeah...I'll be going now. See ya, Shinako." Natus turned around and ambled off.
"What's an Arkadalakkian doing selling junk here?" Yorina was studying the wiring and electronics behind the counter, attempting to help set up the store.
"Natus is one of the bright ones of his kind that has "found the niche" where there's a need. Newark's a human station and very new, but has few residents and services. He used to be a freighter pilot and still has a ship I think, but I think he charters other people to get and sell stuff for him."
Shinako glanced at her watch then at the counter. "Hopefully Raju and Novia come by with the kiosk and your order register soon. I think they were talking to the station commander. They know each othe apparently."
"Admit it, Shinako. We know most of the faces of Newark and the faces of Newark knows us." Yorina took up a seat on the counter, her feet swinging a little and body hunched forward a bit, her hands bracing on the countertop edge.
Adreana stared at her valued inventory of produce, excited, nervous and frightened of what lay ahead. She owed her life to that man, so young and full of adventure, accompanied by his unusual, strong and brave female companions. Them working altogether was truly a sight to behold and marvel. And their kindness and generosity was something that she had only experienced at the hands of just nobles. She said a silent prayer of thanks, and for the first time since she left her old home, listened to the sounds around her...
Lagoon Nebula Cluster
January 28th, 2081
The marketplace sector of the starbase was pretty empty. Very. Though brightly lit in most places, it stood stark empty. The dull metal tiles reflected some of the ambient lighting from above.
A strange procession came out of a public elevator nearby. A Navigator walked out, followed by a Roman woman and her teenage son, further followed by what appeared to be a Japanese assassin of sorts. The assassin was controlling a cargo lift cart by remote control, which had a large steel refrigerated shipping container strapped on top.
"Hmm....205....206.....207. There we go." The Navigator woman announced, looking up at the now empty marketplace slot, somewhat dingy and very bare. She seemed to be about twenty-five years old in age, with long smooth goldenrod hair that reached her midriff, with a bit of bangs and a lock running down her chest on each side of her head. She wore a long slightly full slate blue gown that about arrived at her ankles, robe-like sleeves tied to balloon out a bit at the shoulders. A violet banner was draped over the gown, running down the front and back, hiearchial symbols on the front near the bottom.
"I appreciate the help you have given my son and I, Yorina." the Roman woman commented, her form clad in a gray chiton. Her brown hair was held back in a rough bun. She stared at the empty spot, a data pad clutched to her bosom. "I do not know how to thank you enough."
"You just getting back on your feet is thanks enough." Shinako came to a stop, the cart slightly lurching. She seemed twenty-one, with Oriental features and black hair with large bangs and a short bushy and somewhat spiky ponytail. With black leggings and sleeves, she wore a purple sleeveless kimono jacket, fingerless arm gloves and boot covers. A wide magenta sash was around her waist, tied into a large bow on the back and the trailing ends hanging down till her calves. A white sports bra showed a bit between the jacket, and a katana hung on her right shoulder, a wakizashi wedged sideways on her back and a tanto tucked into the front of her sash. Then to top it all off, a pistol was strapped to her right leg.
"You'll get the hang of things. Already got you an ID, an apartment on one of the residential decks, bank account and a commerce permit." Yorina shrugged in a carefree manner.
The assassin started to wheel the cart into the market space, moving it to the back of the wall. Once stopped, she tugged an extension cord, plugging the refrigerating unit into a wall outlet.
"Forgive me for asking again, but I am still apprehensive as to who my customers will be." Adreana carefully set her newly found belonging on the counter which served as a barrier between the interior and the outside traffic.
"Might not want to put that there. Place it underneath. Someone swipes that, you'll have someone posing as you running around on the starbase." Shinako warned.
Adreana took the warning with a nod and placed it underneath on one of the shelves. Yorina nodded in approval, looking to see where Adreana's son went.
"They'll be people like humans, but they'll be other kinds of beings. Some aliens buy human food sometimes. Unless they're threatening you with a weapon, you'll usually be all right. Newark has good security for its residents." Yorina's head craned down the direction opposite from where they came.
"Pfft. Unlike Dortis." Shinako fiddled with a panel on the wall, a few lights flickering on in the area, illuminating the area a little more.
There was the running of footsteps as Adreana's son came running up, in boot sandals and a ivory tunic, with wispy hair the same color as his mother. A terrified look was on his face, panting somewhat heavily.
"Mother, look! A monster, its Hades himself!"
Shinako glanced at where the boy had come from, getting a mixed feeling of understanding but amusement.
"Hector, I have told you, superstitious creatures do not exist. And that is not the..." Adreana looked up, a gasp escaping her lips as she pulled her child closer.
A large creature with a gorilla body shape and about as massive as a large cow was slowly ambling its way towards them. It had a reptilian head sort of like a tyrannosaurus, a tail of moderate length and beige colored skin with a tinge of yellow. It had four feet, the front pair with four somewhat thick digits and claws on the end. It's body was clad in black shiny metal plating, olive green fabric covering its legs. It's pupils were round but bright amber, a scar on the right side of its face.
"Well well, what do we have here?" The creature cocked its head to one side, speaking in a deep but controlled voice.
Adreana let out a short shreik as Yorina about threw her hands up in the air, trying to get the woman to calm down. Shinako had a grin on her face, folding her arms and walking towards the creature.
"Natus...scaring children, I see?"
"I don't like people poking around my salvage, even though most of it is scrap." Natus jerked his head back in the other direction. "But what's this? New residents?"
"Yeah. We got them off one of the underdeveloped worlds....her husband was killed and she was being pressured by unwanted elements. So we 'liberated' them so to speak." Shinako's fingers emphasized the point.
Adreana was surprised when she saw Shinako holding a conversation with the beast before her. She inched forwad, pushing Hector to her side.
"By the gods...are you....are you?" She couldn't quite seem to find the words she wanted.
"Gods? That's an oddly religious term. Immortal? A mystical beast? I don't think so. I'm pretty much an ordinary Arkadalakkian as I'll get, probably not so well off. Haven't gotten that before."
"At any rate, sorry for scaring you boy. Welcome to Newark. There's hardly anybody that lives here selling anything in the marketplace; just me, that gun dealer who's gone for the day and a human who runs a snack bar. What goods do you plan to sell?"
Adreana was speechless for a moment. "Well, um...um...why produce. Vegetables, fruits, things of that nature."
"Seriously?" Natus' voice raised a little. "Finally something decent to eat on this station that isn't paste or comes out of a frozen canister. Fresh food?!"
Hector nodded quickly as he left Adreana's side, poking into the container and pulling out an apple. He went over, handing it over gingerly, not saying a word.
Natus looked curious, taking the fruit with three digits of one of his front legs and examining it with one eye. He let out a half grunt of contemplation as he plopped it into his mouth. There was some crunching as he effortlessly chewed then swallowed, a small bit of juice running down his chin.
"That hit the spot...its been two months since it's been live food I had." He licked his chin. "You're good in my books. If you ever get bored or need something, don't hesitate to ask. Kiosks, storage containers, compressors, almost anything you can imagine I can get it somehow. I don't do fix-it jobs. I'm a bargain salvage, not a repair shop." He shook his head. "You have no idea how many idiots walk in here asking me to 'fix the laser cannon' or 'rewrite the nav computer'."
"Why thank you." Adreana's head bowed a little.
"Yeah...I'll be going now. See ya, Shinako." Natus turned around and ambled off.
"What's an Arkadalakkian doing selling junk here?" Yorina was studying the wiring and electronics behind the counter, attempting to help set up the store.
"Natus is one of the bright ones of his kind that has "found the niche" where there's a need. Newark's a human station and very new, but has few residents and services. He used to be a freighter pilot and still has a ship I think, but I think he charters other people to get and sell stuff for him."
Shinako glanced at her watch then at the counter. "Hopefully Raju and Novia come by with the kiosk and your order register soon. I think they were talking to the station commander. They know each othe apparently."
"Admit it, Shinako. We know most of the faces of Newark and the faces of Newark knows us." Yorina took up a seat on the counter, her feet swinging a little and body hunched forward a bit, her hands bracing on the countertop edge.
Adreana stared at her valued inventory of produce, excited, nervous and frightened of what lay ahead. She owed her life to that man, so young and full of adventure, accompanied by his unusual, strong and brave female companions. Them working altogether was truly a sight to behold and marvel. And their kindness and generosity was something that she had only experienced at the hands of just nobles. She said a silent prayer of thanks, and for the first time since she left her old home, listened to the sounds around her...
Friday, October 29, 2010
FF - Entry 9
An important school assignment is due this weekend; I will post the rest of this sometime tomorrow.
Sophia took a brief respite against the mountainside. A green valley was below, nestled between two mountains. The somewhat cold air warranted a stylish aquamarine coat that reached short of her knees. Within a day she had traveled over a dozen worlds, all with no luck. But the previous place she had been...
Sophia took a brief respite against the mountainside. A green valley was below, nestled between two mountains. The somewhat cold air warranted a stylish aquamarine coat that reached short of her knees. Within a day she had traveled over a dozen worlds, all with no luck. But the previous place she had been...
Friday, October 22, 2010
FF - Entry 8
The ruins of the previous night's battleground was practically the same way, in addition to the horrible stench of ammonia, mostly likely from the defeated creature.
Janeil, Pierre and a few other villagers had come to make sure nothing else was alive in the daylight.
"Some of those creature might have retreated back to the water. We'll never be able to find them." Pierre called down to Janeil.
The pool from the previous night had emptied out with the tide. Pierre was standing on the edge, Janeil in the bottom with his rifle, retrieving the gold "orb" that had opened the portal.
Janeil knew Pierre was right. But besides that, the orb was proving hard to find. Since it was glowing, he couldn't tell what the object's original color, shape or composition was, and all he saw were rocks and pebbles.
"We can't do anything about that. You'll just have to be careful if you run across them fishing or if they decide to come ashore back." Janeil's foot nudged a small sphere about the size of this hand that appeared to be made out of pure glass. Could it?
It was the only thing that seemed out of place. Picking it up, he tossed it up to Pierre and started to climb out of the pool.
"I don't know what to make of this." Pierre looked at the ruined altar. "I am just curious if Volus knew exactly what he was doing or your interference caused these events to happen."
"It was our fault; he destroyed it by trying to shoot us." Janeil answered grimly, not defending or condoning his actions. He waved his hand for everoyne to start leaving. "I'm just glad that it didn't end any worse."
"I suppose that I should be glad about that, too." Pierre started to follow him. "Tell me; what should me make of his possessions?"
"You can sort through them if you want; I guess Sophia wants you to keep them under lock and key because she either doesn't want anyone to mess with it or knows someone that can look at it in the future. I honestly don't know."
Janeil shrugged, letting the matter rest. He was getting somewhat tired of the events in Oceanus and preferred his bare apartement over all this drama.
"You know Sophia left again this morning," Pierre commented.
"Yeah; she told me." Janeil answered simply. He didn't have much to say on the matter.
"Through all of this, a cure hasn't been found for Tamilia. I sincerely hope that Sophia can find Elizabeth..."
======
Later on that day, Pierre, Tamilia and Janeil were sitting underneath a large oak tree on a grassy
hill near the Doorway, waiting for Sophia to arrive.
Tamilia was securely held to Pierre's side with a strong but comforting arm, Janeil a foot away from him leaning against the tree.
Janeil was silent. "There may...be another way to help her if we can't find her soon."
Pierre looked at Janeil, trying to discern if he had a viable solution or he was just attempting to comfort him. Tamilia eyes fixiated on him in search of an answer.
"Another way?" Pierre asked slowly. "Do you know of something?"
"Well, sort of." Janeil stuck his hands in his pockets. "You know that I'm from a different world from Sophia, right?"
Pierre nodded, letting Janeil continue.
"My world has advanced medical technology and biological sciences. They might be able to find out what's wrong with her and maybe even cure her...."
"Yes?"
"But if we bring her, questions will be asked. I don't have money for someone private to look at her. And even then, if its something really strange, there might not be a cure..." Janeil shook his head.
"I see..." Pierre murmred.
"I don't get it." Janeil turned to Pierre momentarily. "We've cataloged the human genome. We can genetically engineer artificial syntethic humans and meld some technology with organisms. But we can't cure cancer or AIDS..."
"It's all right...nobody is telling you that you have to find a cure..." Pierre patted his shoulder. "But thank you for the offer."
Janeil didn't say anything in response as he stared at the village and the ocean from his vantage point.
"What did you use to be?" Tamilia asked timidly.
Janeil looked at the two skeptically. "Do you really want an honest answer to that?"
"Why yes. Why wouldn't you tell?"
Janeil sighed. Tamilia was fairly innocent in the ways of the world; was it her being sick that made her think this way?
"I...was a soldier." Janeil didn't look at either of them, trying to give them the most simple answer possible.
"I see..." Pierre studied Janeil. "Who or what were you fighting for?"
Janeil sighed. He didn't want to give an explanation because it would entail another story in itself. But he could try to 'dumb' it down to their level and keep it brief as possible.
"My world travels to other worlds...using a vehicle we call a starship. We-"
"A starship?" Pierre raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. Just like you use a boat to go across the ocean, we use a starship to go to different stars and planets. They're very massive, made of metal and built with the most complex techologies our society has to offer." He explained.
"Anyway...despite my world pushing itself into space, there's still hostilites between people there. Then to make matters worse; we found other people and other creatures out there. Aliens. Some were friendly...some weren't."
"My world put together an initiative to defend humanity's interests in space called the Unite d Earth Alliance. That's who I was fighting for."
Pierre looked glazed over for a second, but seemed to grasp the concept. Tamilia didn't say a word.
"So...how long did you fight for?" Tamilia asked.
"As unbelievable as it sounds, three months. I fought in two battles; and in my second one I sustained serious injuries. I got discharged after that. That's when Sophia asked me to help her."
"I see."
There was silence amongst them once again as they waited.
Janeil, Pierre and a few other villagers had come to make sure nothing else was alive in the daylight.
"Some of those creature might have retreated back to the water. We'll never be able to find them." Pierre called down to Janeil.
The pool from the previous night had emptied out with the tide. Pierre was standing on the edge, Janeil in the bottom with his rifle, retrieving the gold "orb" that had opened the portal.
Janeil knew Pierre was right. But besides that, the orb was proving hard to find. Since it was glowing, he couldn't tell what the object's original color, shape or composition was, and all he saw were rocks and pebbles.
"We can't do anything about that. You'll just have to be careful if you run across them fishing or if they decide to come ashore back." Janeil's foot nudged a small sphere about the size of this hand that appeared to be made out of pure glass. Could it?
It was the only thing that seemed out of place. Picking it up, he tossed it up to Pierre and started to climb out of the pool.
"I don't know what to make of this." Pierre looked at the ruined altar. "I am just curious if Volus knew exactly what he was doing or your interference caused these events to happen."
"It was our fault; he destroyed it by trying to shoot us." Janeil answered grimly, not defending or condoning his actions. He waved his hand for everoyne to start leaving. "I'm just glad that it didn't end any worse."
"I suppose that I should be glad about that, too." Pierre started to follow him. "Tell me; what should me make of his possessions?"
"You can sort through them if you want; I guess Sophia wants you to keep them under lock and key because she either doesn't want anyone to mess with it or knows someone that can look at it in the future. I honestly don't know."
Janeil shrugged, letting the matter rest. He was getting somewhat tired of the events in Oceanus and preferred his bare apartement over all this drama.
"You know Sophia left again this morning," Pierre commented.
"Yeah; she told me." Janeil answered simply. He didn't have much to say on the matter.
"Through all of this, a cure hasn't been found for Tamilia. I sincerely hope that Sophia can find Elizabeth..."
======
Later on that day, Pierre, Tamilia and Janeil were sitting underneath a large oak tree on a grassy
hill near the Doorway, waiting for Sophia to arrive.
Tamilia was securely held to Pierre's side with a strong but comforting arm, Janeil a foot away from him leaning against the tree.
Janeil was silent. "There may...be another way to help her if we can't find her soon."
Pierre looked at Janeil, trying to discern if he had a viable solution or he was just attempting to comfort him. Tamilia eyes fixiated on him in search of an answer.
"Another way?" Pierre asked slowly. "Do you know of something?"
"Well, sort of." Janeil stuck his hands in his pockets. "You know that I'm from a different world from Sophia, right?"
Pierre nodded, letting Janeil continue.
"My world has advanced medical technology and biological sciences. They might be able to find out what's wrong with her and maybe even cure her...."
"Yes?"
"But if we bring her, questions will be asked. I don't have money for someone private to look at her. And even then, if its something really strange, there might not be a cure..." Janeil shook his head.
"I see..." Pierre murmred.
"I don't get it." Janeil turned to Pierre momentarily. "We've cataloged the human genome. We can genetically engineer artificial syntethic humans and meld some technology with organisms. But we can't cure cancer or AIDS..."
"It's all right...nobody is telling you that you have to find a cure..." Pierre patted his shoulder. "But thank you for the offer."
Janeil didn't say anything in response as he stared at the village and the ocean from his vantage point.
"What did you use to be?" Tamilia asked timidly.
Janeil looked at the two skeptically. "Do you really want an honest answer to that?"
"Why yes. Why wouldn't you tell?"
Janeil sighed. Tamilia was fairly innocent in the ways of the world; was it her being sick that made her think this way?
"I...was a soldier." Janeil didn't look at either of them, trying to give them the most simple answer possible.
"I see..." Pierre studied Janeil. "Who or what were you fighting for?"
Janeil sighed. He didn't want to give an explanation because it would entail another story in itself. But he could try to 'dumb' it down to their level and keep it brief as possible.
"My world travels to other worlds...using a vehicle we call a starship. We-"
"A starship?" Pierre raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. Just like you use a boat to go across the ocean, we use a starship to go to different stars and planets. They're very massive, made of metal and built with the most complex techologies our society has to offer." He explained.
"Anyway...despite my world pushing itself into space, there's still hostilites between people there. Then to make matters worse; we found other people and other creatures out there. Aliens. Some were friendly...some weren't."
"My world put together an initiative to defend humanity's interests in space called the Unite d Earth Alliance. That's who I was fighting for."
Pierre looked glazed over for a second, but seemed to grasp the concept. Tamilia didn't say a word.
"So...how long did you fight for?" Tamilia asked.
"As unbelievable as it sounds, three months. I fought in two battles; and in my second one I sustained serious injuries. I got discharged after that. That's when Sophia asked me to help her."
"I see."
There was silence amongst them once again as they waited.
Friday, October 15, 2010
FF Entry - 7
The square was empty upon Janeil's arrival. Not a single soul was in sight as he stuck along one of the walls behind a stack of barrels, staying out of sight. The shadows hid him as he peered at the supposed chapel-like building. Small, gothic looking, not very elaborate. A dim light flickered behind one of the oil-stained cloth windows.
Biting his lip, Janeil took a deep breath and sprinted towards the chapel, covering forty feet in three seconds. Bounding up the steps, he reached the doors, letting the rifle drop slightly as he tried the handle. It rattled some, the doors staying shut.
He exhaled and gave the doors a sharp kick. The flimsy look snapped as the doors burst open. Janeil brought the rifle to his shoulder and aimed into the dark interior, flicking the light on the end of the rifle.
The beam illuminated musty looking bookselves and cubby holes with dust-covered and moldy books and scrolls. A saline smell of saltwater reached his nostrils, the room completely silent. He cautiously entered in, aware of his surroundings the entire time.
There was a small rattle in the distance. Looking up, he crouched slightly and pushed past a curtain that separated another room. This place looked nothing like a chapel or temple like he knew. it looked more like a workshop mixed with a library. Except the was being worked on seemed like chemistry or biology of sorts....
There was distant yelling the street as people seemed to gather together. The noise seemed to come closer. Janeil ignored it and pushed forward; if people were coming to do justice by breaking and burning, there might not be a clue what happened to temilia or what his motives were.
The next room was somewhat spacious. Jars lined the wall, strage pickle-colored hunks of flesh in preservation alcohol. A rat skittered across the floor, knocking over a tin can in the corner.
Janeil sighed. Nothing made sense. He didn't see anything else or evidence of Volus' other "treasures", but he was studying about some living thing. And the few scrolls that made sense, they looks like maps of the ocean. Maybe the thing was an ocean-dweller?
The ever-present sound of clamoring people reached the front of the building. Sophia darted in.
"Janeil!"
He turned to see her, somewhat shrinking back at the eerie surroundings. Stepping close to him, Sophia tugged a strand of hair out of her face.
"Did you find her?" She asked worriedly.
"Not yet. You?"
"A couple people saw Volus head towards the bay. Some are looking for him over there now."
"They might be right; I don't see any sign of anyone here." Janeil started to brush past her.
Sophia stuck close to him as the two walked outside. A large group of the villagers number roughly fifty or so gathered outside, armed with torches, harpoons and shovels.
"Is he in there?" Pierre asked.
"No. Search inside, but don't ruin anything." Janeil looked around. "Where's the bay?"
"I'll show you." Pierre motioned for some of the people to go inside.
Everyone seemed to realize this was a sense of urgency. All of them were running behind Pierre down the road towards the water's edge. Most of them were silent and didn't say a word...
Upon arrival, everyone's voice raised along the lines of a cave that wasn't there. Between outcroppings of rocks a black gaping hole stared back at them. There was a low and deep moan that seemed to vibrate through everyone's body.
All the voices fell silent.
"What in heaven's name was that?" Pierre asked quietly.
Janeil didn't answer as he scampered over the rail down the rocky slope onto the sandy beach. As he hit the bottom, pebbles rolled past him as Sophia skidded to a stop next to him.
"What are you doing?!" Janeil's voice was clearly annoyed and warning.
"What else do you think?" Sophia shot back in a raised voice.
"You're getting in the way!"
Sophia sighed, holding her forehead in frustration. "I'm trying to help you. Doesn't that mean anything to you!? You're the one crying on my shoulder a few days ago about fighting alone." She grabbed his shoulders and tried to give him a good shake. "I'm your friend! Get a grip and see past yourself!"
Janeil was quiet, knowing that in the midst of this, they were causing a spectacle. He needed to get his act together. And Sophia was right; she was in with him as much as he wanted to deny it. Still, he thought it was too dangerous for her.
"I'm sorry." Janeil answered in a quiet voice. "But..."
"Let it go. Don't waste time." Sophia unclenched her hands from Janeil's shoulders and started towards the cave. Janeil picked up his pace to come in front of her.
Most of the cavern's roof has collapsed, the bright moonlight starting to bathe the rock and push away the darkness. Glimmering pools of water were scattered left and right, a few large ones bubbling in motion as the waves crashed against the shore outside.
"What is this place?" Sophia noticed a part of the wall had been cut flat by hands of man, inscriptions engraved into the wall. She studied it closer, forgetting that they were on a chase to save someone's life.
"This writing...I have not seen it for ages." She whsipered to herself. Her lips mouthed the words, trying to make sense of what had been inscribed.
Janeil had not noticed her stop. Something else had caught his eyes. His footsteps quickened as he came to what appeared to a flat area, a stone oblong altar in the middle. A mixed lump of fabric was piled at the base of the altar.
"Sophia!" Janeil called out ot her, noticing that she was more than ten feet behind him.
"...the nightmare that possesses its host is complete." Sophia mouthed the words. She looked up, seeing Janeil wave her over to him.
"Janeil...that wall...something horrible is here." Sophia started to explain in desperation. "We have to-"
Her sentence stopped short at the pile of fabric. Sophia gasped, kneeling down and shuffling through the fabric.
"Tamilia's clothes...even her undergarments. The poor girl's completely naked...What is he... " Sophia's voice dripped with anger. "I can't forgive him for this."
"You won't have to, my dear." Came a voice out of the darkness.
Sophia was immediately on her feet. Both her and Janeil looked over a giant sinkhole of water where the voice had come from. An outcrop of rock hung over the edge, Volus' sillouhette outlined by the moonlight.
Janeil immediately raised his rifle at him. "Where's Tamilia?"
"She's right here." Volus motioned to the base of the pool with open arms. Tamilia was bound with rope, submerged up to her neck in water. She coughed, shivering and sweaty.
"Janeil! Sophia! Help!" She cried, coughing as water splashed into her mouth.
"No one can hear your cries, child!" Volus boomed. "Your time is about to end. Krashalna will be mine, and you will be its offspring."
"No!" Tamilia tried to struggle against her bonds, choking and gasping for breath.
Janeil didn't wait and opened fire. Volus raised his hand towards him as a blue bubble formed around him, the bullets ricocheting off.
"You cannot defeat me!" Volus shouted. A bolt of lighting crackled from his hand and lanced towards them. Janeil shoved Sophia behind the altar as the ducked behind cover.
"It's one of the artifacts! It's preventing you from hitting him." Sophia explained in a strained and harried voice.
"You think?" Janeil ducked back out and started to fire once more.
Volus apparently was surprised by this, switching back to his bubble. The bullets' impacts seemed to make him lose his footing a little, making him grimace and stand tall once more.
"Your futile attacks willl not damage me! You must be as powerful as I am to defeat me!"
Another lightning bolt lanced out.
The bolt devastated the altar as Sophia yelped and threw herself to the floor. Janeil rolled to the other side, the pulverized dust blinding their vision. In between the confusion, a yellow glow illuminated where the altar once stood.
Volus's attacks ceased. "What do we have here?"
The glow seemed to "roll away" and plopped into the water. There was a rumble as the moan that was heard earlier sounded again, reverberating throughout the cave. The watter bubbled as the sinkhole glowed with the light, a dark and twisting shape.
Sophia crawled over to Janeil and started to pull him to his feet. Volus paid no attention to them as the sinkhole glowed even brighter, as if a portal was opening in the water's surface.
"Come forth, Krashalna! I beckon you to be my servant and offer you this mortal as a sacrifice and your offspring!" Volus declared.
Four humungous tentacles emerged from the portal, stretching skyward. They wre more than forty feet long, each three or four feet across. They snaked towards the cavern roof, the tips arriving at Volus' level.
Janeil fumbled at his thigh, drawing his pistol. "Stay out of the way." He pressed it into Sophia's hands.
Sophia stared at the weapon, holding it gingerly. Before she could say something, Janeil had dashed off towards the end of the pool towards where Tamilia was.
Tamilia was barely keeping her head above the water. She saw Janeil approach, but wisely kept quiet as the monster's tentacles danced around in front of Volus. He stepped into the water and lifted her out and quietly as he could, slashing the ropes with his knife.
Tamilia collapsed facefirst onto the ground, coughing. Janeil looked up to see if Volus was still occupied as he tugged her behind the outcrop for protection, motioning for her to stay. Satisfied that she would be safe for the moment, he started to make his way up the outcrop.
Unforunately something happened just at that moment. Several squid-like creatures emerged from the pool, roughly five feet in length. They crawled along the ground with their tentacles, their dark green bodies standing almost vertical. Sharp yellow pupils burned the night as they twitched around, searching.
Sophia gasped and took cover behind a chunk of the altar, squeezing the pistol as hard as she could. Three of the creatures were crawling towards her at a rapid pace. One of them whipped of the longer pair of tentacles towards, eaching having a black fang-like hook on the end.
She gave a short shriek, jumping backwards as they missed her by inches. Sophia prayed hard that she would know how to use the gun given to her and pulled the trigger repeatdly at the creature closest to her. She flinched as each report each bullet made, the slugs tearing into the creatures flesh. It writhed around with no noise, flopping to ground and squirming about, clear liquid oozing out from its wounds. Sophia did not miss a beat and started to fire on the other creatures
Volus looked up from his "summoning" and looked at Sophia's plight with a sick grin on his face. He started to raise his hand to lance her with lightning once when Tamilia screamed. He looked down to see another creature approaching her helpless form but also Janeil scaling the wall. He swung his hand around, Janeil realizing he was caught.
He thumbed off the safety and fired off a rocket out of the secondary weapon tube on his rifle. The projectile left with a pop and impacted the outcrop with an explosion, causing Volus to lose his footing and the lightning to spark into another portion of the cave. The explosion pushed Janeil off of the outcrop, sending him crashing to the ground. His body flared with pain as he rolled onto his stomach and peppered the creature next to Tamilia.
Volus lost more than just his footing; he lost his balance. He gave a suprised cry as he toppled off the rock, grasping the edge at the last moment. His eyes widened in fear as he stared at the tentacles below him, struggling to climb back up.
The pistol gave its last round as the slide jammed into the loaded position, the magazine empty. Her frantic eyes realized that she was in serious trouble and backed away from the creatures that had either been injured or still alive.
Janeil had Tamilia leaning on his shoulder, making his way towards Sophia's position. The way the creatures were advancing, they would be cut off and Janeil would not be able to aid her in time.
Out of nowhere a harpoon stabbed one of the creatures approaching Sophia. Pierre overlooked at the proceedings, horror in his eyes. He plucked his weapon out of the creature and hurled in at another, skewering it against a rock.
Janeil had skirted around the edge out of range of the creatures and opened up on them, leveling the field within seconds. Pierre let his harpoon drop and rushed to help his granddaughter as Janeil got to Sophia's side.
"You okay?" He pried the pistol out of her hands and exchanged the clip with a full one.
Sophia nodded shakily, somewhat tramautized at the current event. Janeil put the pistol back into her hands as more creatures started to slither up from the portal.
"This cannot happen! No!" Volus was starting to lose his grasp. He stared hatedly at the foursome below. "You ruined everything!"
More tentacles from the larger creature emerged as the creature started to wrap its arms around the outcrop and pull itself out. Its body slowly emerged, gigantic eyes fifteen eyes across staring at them.
"Get out of here! Go!"
Pierre picked up Tamilia in his strong arms, draping her clothes over her exposure. He quickly left the cave, leaving Sophia and Janeil to fend on their own.
The pupil's seemed to tighten as one wrapped around Volus' body, pulling him off the rock. He
screamed as it brought him to its mouth, devouring him whole.
Sophia looked away with a cry of horror, Janeil tearing the next wave of smaller creatures to shreds with the armor-piercing rounds in his rifle.
"We have to leave!" She cried.
"We can't! We have to stop that thing!"
Sophia understood and fired off the pistol at the creature's eye. It roared in pain as Janeil shifted his fire to aim at the same target, the eye disintegrating as it was riddled with bullet holes. The creature writhed as it slowly started to sink back into the portal, tentacles trashing about wildy.
Sophia took hold of a loop in Janeil's vest in the chaos so that she would not get separated, watching him as he yanked a grenade off his vest and pitched it at the edge of the pool, letting it plink along the side of the pool towards the bottom towards the yellow light. There was a dull explosion as the portal started to shrink, starting to squish the creature's tentacles together. It seemed to struggle to yank them in as the portal finally closed, severing the tentacles with a loud pop. A shockwave shot through the water, rippling the rock and causing the cave to crumble.
Janeil knew his work was done and ran out of the cave, grabbing Sophia's hand and pulling her behind her, dodging falling rocks and hunks of severed tentacles falling all around them. Sophia glanced back at the wall where the inscription was engraved, knowing that she would never see it again...
Biting his lip, Janeil took a deep breath and sprinted towards the chapel, covering forty feet in three seconds. Bounding up the steps, he reached the doors, letting the rifle drop slightly as he tried the handle. It rattled some, the doors staying shut.
He exhaled and gave the doors a sharp kick. The flimsy look snapped as the doors burst open. Janeil brought the rifle to his shoulder and aimed into the dark interior, flicking the light on the end of the rifle.
The beam illuminated musty looking bookselves and cubby holes with dust-covered and moldy books and scrolls. A saline smell of saltwater reached his nostrils, the room completely silent. He cautiously entered in, aware of his surroundings the entire time.
There was a small rattle in the distance. Looking up, he crouched slightly and pushed past a curtain that separated another room. This place looked nothing like a chapel or temple like he knew. it looked more like a workshop mixed with a library. Except the was being worked on seemed like chemistry or biology of sorts....
There was distant yelling the street as people seemed to gather together. The noise seemed to come closer. Janeil ignored it and pushed forward; if people were coming to do justice by breaking and burning, there might not be a clue what happened to temilia or what his motives were.
The next room was somewhat spacious. Jars lined the wall, strage pickle-colored hunks of flesh in preservation alcohol. A rat skittered across the floor, knocking over a tin can in the corner.
Janeil sighed. Nothing made sense. He didn't see anything else or evidence of Volus' other "treasures", but he was studying about some living thing. And the few scrolls that made sense, they looks like maps of the ocean. Maybe the thing was an ocean-dweller?
The ever-present sound of clamoring people reached the front of the building. Sophia darted in.
"Janeil!"
He turned to see her, somewhat shrinking back at the eerie surroundings. Stepping close to him, Sophia tugged a strand of hair out of her face.
"Did you find her?" She asked worriedly.
"Not yet. You?"
"A couple people saw Volus head towards the bay. Some are looking for him over there now."
"They might be right; I don't see any sign of anyone here." Janeil started to brush past her.
Sophia stuck close to him as the two walked outside. A large group of the villagers number roughly fifty or so gathered outside, armed with torches, harpoons and shovels.
"Is he in there?" Pierre asked.
"No. Search inside, but don't ruin anything." Janeil looked around. "Where's the bay?"
"I'll show you." Pierre motioned for some of the people to go inside.
Everyone seemed to realize this was a sense of urgency. All of them were running behind Pierre down the road towards the water's edge. Most of them were silent and didn't say a word...
Upon arrival, everyone's voice raised along the lines of a cave that wasn't there. Between outcroppings of rocks a black gaping hole stared back at them. There was a low and deep moan that seemed to vibrate through everyone's body.
All the voices fell silent.
"What in heaven's name was that?" Pierre asked quietly.
Janeil didn't answer as he scampered over the rail down the rocky slope onto the sandy beach. As he hit the bottom, pebbles rolled past him as Sophia skidded to a stop next to him.
"What are you doing?!" Janeil's voice was clearly annoyed and warning.
"What else do you think?" Sophia shot back in a raised voice.
"You're getting in the way!"
Sophia sighed, holding her forehead in frustration. "I'm trying to help you. Doesn't that mean anything to you!? You're the one crying on my shoulder a few days ago about fighting alone." She grabbed his shoulders and tried to give him a good shake. "I'm your friend! Get a grip and see past yourself!"
Janeil was quiet, knowing that in the midst of this, they were causing a spectacle. He needed to get his act together. And Sophia was right; she was in with him as much as he wanted to deny it. Still, he thought it was too dangerous for her.
"I'm sorry." Janeil answered in a quiet voice. "But..."
"Let it go. Don't waste time." Sophia unclenched her hands from Janeil's shoulders and started towards the cave. Janeil picked up his pace to come in front of her.
Most of the cavern's roof has collapsed, the bright moonlight starting to bathe the rock and push away the darkness. Glimmering pools of water were scattered left and right, a few large ones bubbling in motion as the waves crashed against the shore outside.
"What is this place?" Sophia noticed a part of the wall had been cut flat by hands of man, inscriptions engraved into the wall. She studied it closer, forgetting that they were on a chase to save someone's life.
"This writing...I have not seen it for ages." She whsipered to herself. Her lips mouthed the words, trying to make sense of what had been inscribed.
Janeil had not noticed her stop. Something else had caught his eyes. His footsteps quickened as he came to what appeared to a flat area, a stone oblong altar in the middle. A mixed lump of fabric was piled at the base of the altar.
"Sophia!" Janeil called out ot her, noticing that she was more than ten feet behind him.
"...the nightmare that possesses its host is complete." Sophia mouthed the words. She looked up, seeing Janeil wave her over to him.
"Janeil...that wall...something horrible is here." Sophia started to explain in desperation. "We have to-"
Her sentence stopped short at the pile of fabric. Sophia gasped, kneeling down and shuffling through the fabric.
"Tamilia's clothes...even her undergarments. The poor girl's completely naked...What is he... " Sophia's voice dripped with anger. "I can't forgive him for this."
"You won't have to, my dear." Came a voice out of the darkness.
Sophia was immediately on her feet. Both her and Janeil looked over a giant sinkhole of water where the voice had come from. An outcrop of rock hung over the edge, Volus' sillouhette outlined by the moonlight.
Janeil immediately raised his rifle at him. "Where's Tamilia?"
"She's right here." Volus motioned to the base of the pool with open arms. Tamilia was bound with rope, submerged up to her neck in water. She coughed, shivering and sweaty.
"Janeil! Sophia! Help!" She cried, coughing as water splashed into her mouth.
"No one can hear your cries, child!" Volus boomed. "Your time is about to end. Krashalna will be mine, and you will be its offspring."
"No!" Tamilia tried to struggle against her bonds, choking and gasping for breath.
Janeil didn't wait and opened fire. Volus raised his hand towards him as a blue bubble formed around him, the bullets ricocheting off.
"You cannot defeat me!" Volus shouted. A bolt of lighting crackled from his hand and lanced towards them. Janeil shoved Sophia behind the altar as the ducked behind cover.
"It's one of the artifacts! It's preventing you from hitting him." Sophia explained in a strained and harried voice.
"You think?" Janeil ducked back out and started to fire once more.
Volus apparently was surprised by this, switching back to his bubble. The bullets' impacts seemed to make him lose his footing a little, making him grimace and stand tall once more.
"Your futile attacks willl not damage me! You must be as powerful as I am to defeat me!"
Another lightning bolt lanced out.
The bolt devastated the altar as Sophia yelped and threw herself to the floor. Janeil rolled to the other side, the pulverized dust blinding their vision. In between the confusion, a yellow glow illuminated where the altar once stood.
Volus's attacks ceased. "What do we have here?"
The glow seemed to "roll away" and plopped into the water. There was a rumble as the moan that was heard earlier sounded again, reverberating throughout the cave. The watter bubbled as the sinkhole glowed with the light, a dark and twisting shape.
Sophia crawled over to Janeil and started to pull him to his feet. Volus paid no attention to them as the sinkhole glowed even brighter, as if a portal was opening in the water's surface.
"Come forth, Krashalna! I beckon you to be my servant and offer you this mortal as a sacrifice and your offspring!" Volus declared.
Four humungous tentacles emerged from the portal, stretching skyward. They wre more than forty feet long, each three or four feet across. They snaked towards the cavern roof, the tips arriving at Volus' level.
Janeil fumbled at his thigh, drawing his pistol. "Stay out of the way." He pressed it into Sophia's hands.
Sophia stared at the weapon, holding it gingerly. Before she could say something, Janeil had dashed off towards the end of the pool towards where Tamilia was.
Tamilia was barely keeping her head above the water. She saw Janeil approach, but wisely kept quiet as the monster's tentacles danced around in front of Volus. He stepped into the water and lifted her out and quietly as he could, slashing the ropes with his knife.
Tamilia collapsed facefirst onto the ground, coughing. Janeil looked up to see if Volus was still occupied as he tugged her behind the outcrop for protection, motioning for her to stay. Satisfied that she would be safe for the moment, he started to make his way up the outcrop.
Unforunately something happened just at that moment. Several squid-like creatures emerged from the pool, roughly five feet in length. They crawled along the ground with their tentacles, their dark green bodies standing almost vertical. Sharp yellow pupils burned the night as they twitched around, searching.
Sophia gasped and took cover behind a chunk of the altar, squeezing the pistol as hard as she could. Three of the creatures were crawling towards her at a rapid pace. One of them whipped of the longer pair of tentacles towards, eaching having a black fang-like hook on the end.
She gave a short shriek, jumping backwards as they missed her by inches. Sophia prayed hard that she would know how to use the gun given to her and pulled the trigger repeatdly at the creature closest to her. She flinched as each report each bullet made, the slugs tearing into the creatures flesh. It writhed around with no noise, flopping to ground and squirming about, clear liquid oozing out from its wounds. Sophia did not miss a beat and started to fire on the other creatures
Volus looked up from his "summoning" and looked at Sophia's plight with a sick grin on his face. He started to raise his hand to lance her with lightning once when Tamilia screamed. He looked down to see another creature approaching her helpless form but also Janeil scaling the wall. He swung his hand around, Janeil realizing he was caught.
He thumbed off the safety and fired off a rocket out of the secondary weapon tube on his rifle. The projectile left with a pop and impacted the outcrop with an explosion, causing Volus to lose his footing and the lightning to spark into another portion of the cave. The explosion pushed Janeil off of the outcrop, sending him crashing to the ground. His body flared with pain as he rolled onto his stomach and peppered the creature next to Tamilia.
Volus lost more than just his footing; he lost his balance. He gave a suprised cry as he toppled off the rock, grasping the edge at the last moment. His eyes widened in fear as he stared at the tentacles below him, struggling to climb back up.
The pistol gave its last round as the slide jammed into the loaded position, the magazine empty. Her frantic eyes realized that she was in serious trouble and backed away from the creatures that had either been injured or still alive.
Janeil had Tamilia leaning on his shoulder, making his way towards Sophia's position. The way the creatures were advancing, they would be cut off and Janeil would not be able to aid her in time.
Out of nowhere a harpoon stabbed one of the creatures approaching Sophia. Pierre overlooked at the proceedings, horror in his eyes. He plucked his weapon out of the creature and hurled in at another, skewering it against a rock.
Janeil had skirted around the edge out of range of the creatures and opened up on them, leveling the field within seconds. Pierre let his harpoon drop and rushed to help his granddaughter as Janeil got to Sophia's side.
"You okay?" He pried the pistol out of her hands and exchanged the clip with a full one.
Sophia nodded shakily, somewhat tramautized at the current event. Janeil put the pistol back into her hands as more creatures started to slither up from the portal.
"This cannot happen! No!" Volus was starting to lose his grasp. He stared hatedly at the foursome below. "You ruined everything!"
More tentacles from the larger creature emerged as the creature started to wrap its arms around the outcrop and pull itself out. Its body slowly emerged, gigantic eyes fifteen eyes across staring at them.
"Get out of here! Go!"
Pierre picked up Tamilia in his strong arms, draping her clothes over her exposure. He quickly left the cave, leaving Sophia and Janeil to fend on their own.
The pupil's seemed to tighten as one wrapped around Volus' body, pulling him off the rock. He
screamed as it brought him to its mouth, devouring him whole.
Sophia looked away with a cry of horror, Janeil tearing the next wave of smaller creatures to shreds with the armor-piercing rounds in his rifle.
"We have to leave!" She cried.
"We can't! We have to stop that thing!"
Sophia understood and fired off the pistol at the creature's eye. It roared in pain as Janeil shifted his fire to aim at the same target, the eye disintegrating as it was riddled with bullet holes. The creature writhed as it slowly started to sink back into the portal, tentacles trashing about wildy.
Sophia took hold of a loop in Janeil's vest in the chaos so that she would not get separated, watching him as he yanked a grenade off his vest and pitched it at the edge of the pool, letting it plink along the side of the pool towards the bottom towards the yellow light. There was a dull explosion as the portal started to shrink, starting to squish the creature's tentacles together. It seemed to struggle to yank them in as the portal finally closed, severing the tentacles with a loud pop. A shockwave shot through the water, rippling the rock and causing the cave to crumble.
Janeil knew his work was done and ran out of the cave, grabbing Sophia's hand and pulling her behind her, dodging falling rocks and hunks of severed tentacles falling all around them. Sophia glanced back at the wall where the inscription was engraved, knowing that she would never see it again...
Sunday, October 10, 2010
FF Entry - 6
Late that evening, the door creaked open. Sophia appeared in the doorway as she closed it. Janeil and Pierre were on their feet in an instant.
"Where had you been all day?" Janeil asked. "You had me worried."
"You, worried?" Sophia seemed surprised that he was concerned about her. "This is my domain, you know.
"Well, that aside, you didn't say a single thing about what youi went to do."
"I beg your pardon, if I told you what I was going to do, you would have wanted to come along,"
Sophia was getting a little irritated, still not answering his questions. "I needed you to keep an eye on Tamilia."
"From that Volus guy? He swung by today and reminded her that he could heal her."
Sophia sighed and lowered her head in thought, not saying a word.
Janeil was fed up with her behavior a little, walking away and let her be. Pierre looked at both them and shuffled closer to Sophia.
"Did you accomplish what you wanted?" Pierre asked in a slightly lowered voice.
"Mostly..." Sophia shook her head. "I need to be alone for a little bit. I'm under a lot of stress right now." She turned to head to a corner of the room, sitting down on the cot. Pierre took a seat nex to her, placing his large hand on her shoulder.
"Really...what's on your mind? What's troubling you?"
"I...didn't think that Volus was actually doing something this horrible." Sophia's gaze never met Pierre's eyes. "Going after your daughter, that is. But...I had gone back to my old village that I we used to live to see if Elizabeth returned. It's just a lot of painful memories..." Her voice wavered a little.
"You know Janeil deserves to know some of the things you're doing, you know. After all, you brought him along to help you." Pierre noted.
Sophia knew Pierre was right. "I know...but I was hoping to keep him out of tihs as much as I could. I want mine and Elizabeth's life to return to normal. Isn't that a good goal?"
"Well, of course. But you know that Janeil is trusting you and what you want him to do; and he's trying to help you as a friend. You have to remember that. If you leave him in the dark, he's going to start question his loyalty and your motives."
Sophia's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Pierre.
"He likes you. A lot. Enough that he left his world on your word to go find your friends. Don't you owe him anything in return?" Pierre looked out the window at the setting sun.
"I don't know how to answer that right now." Sophia turned away. "We have to keep an eye on Tamilia so that Volus can't do something to her. I just...need to sort myself out."
"We'lldo that. Just remember there are people wondering about you." Pierre patted her shoulder and got up, leaving her be.
He exited the hut through the backdoor. Janeil was leaning against the wall, staring at the twilight sky once again.
"You all right?"
"I'm fine...never got used to guard duty, but glad its just a person versus something else." Janeil looked at him. "Shouldn't we be doing something?"
"Do you feel like something should be done?" Pierre was slightly curious, folding his arms.
"Stopping Volus...or getting Tamilia out of here. He doesn't strike me as the kind of person to go through the Doorway thing to get to his goal."
"Those are plausible ideas; but I would warn you that stopping Volus won't be easy. Some say he isn't a man; and he plays tricks with your mind." He grabbed Janeil's elbow roughly. "Every single man that rushed in to kill him has never lived."
"What's your take on it?" Janeil turned to him. "What do you think we should do?"
"That surprising from you. You don't trust your own judgement?"
"I do trust my decisions. I just can't go blowing holes in everything like I please. I might screw up Sophia's repuation or worse someone's life." Janeil gave him a slighlty sharp look.
"I see...kill first ask questions later? That is the mark of someone untintelligent, isn't it?"
"Not really; and I only start fighting if its too dangerous to ask questions first. " Janeil leaned forward. "As much as I know how to fight, I don't enjoy or "get into it" like other people. But if I need to be 'in the zone' to stay alive, I'll do it."
"I didn't get some of what you said, but I'll take that as a no." Pierre let out a huff of air.
Silence fell onto the boardwalk once more. Pierre was about to talk more when Sophia walked up to them. She gave a soft cough, announcing her presence.
"I'll start getting dinnery ready." Pierre disappeared back inside.
Janeil looked at Sophia in interested surprise as Sophia shuffled to his side.
"I'm...sorry. I should have and need to be able to share with you." Sophia had a shameful look on her face, eyes looking away.
"Its all right, I guess."
"I...went to the village where I first met Elizabeth," Sophia explained. "She wasn't there. And I did some asking about Volus as well. He has...oddd interests. I wouldn't say curio is the correct world. Its like archaeology, but of unusual items. Sort of like the cryptologist researchers on your world."
"Ah, I see. Following things that seem out of the ordinary? For what reason?" Janeil was slightly interested.
"A very chilling and twisted reason; power. I don't know how much or what he's hoping to achieve, but he looks for these things for that purpose. What's more scary is that many of these "legends" are actually quite real and that he has found so many of these things already. If we have to confront him; he will be able to fight us or even more. It will be dangerous."
"Sophia...what do we do? I mean, I know you went to go for Elizabeth so that we can have somplace to base off to look for 'Jennifer', but what do we do with Tamilia and Volus?"
"I simply thought that telling the townspeople of Volus' actions would be enough to throw him out of power. Then I figured that Elizabeth could treat her and make her better."
The conversation was broken by Pierre's raised voice calling for Tamilia. Looking at each other, the dashed into the house.
Pierre skidded to a halt in front of them. "Tamilila....she's gone!"
"Gone? Is this like her?" Janeil looked at him hard.
"No...she never would leave like this. She's always with someone. I would know."
Janei exhaled in frustration and started towards his bag.
"Janeil! What are you doing?" Sophia demanded.
She didn't get an answer. Janeil yanked his assault rifle out from his belongings as he looked at
her.
"Getting Tamilia back one way or another." Was his simple reply.
"No! We can't do this like this!" Sophia grabbed his arm in an attempt to stop him.
"Do you have a better idea?"
Sophia's lips moved, wanting to tell him a piece of her mind. But the words wouldn't come. In fact, her mind was frozen. She WAS at a loss of what to do.
"No...." Sophia admitted. "I don't."
Janeil tugged Sophia off of him. "You better start your rallying soon if you want this to look like the right thing. Otherwhise this might just end up a murder." Janeil slammed a clip into the rifle, slung it onto his shoulder, and donned a combat vest and a utility belt. He strapped his pistol and a knife to his leg.
"Get moving." He told her flatly. "Time isn't on our side."
Janeil was out the door without another word.
"Where had you been all day?" Janeil asked. "You had me worried."
"You, worried?" Sophia seemed surprised that he was concerned about her. "This is my domain, you know.
"Well, that aside, you didn't say a single thing about what youi went to do."
"I beg your pardon, if I told you what I was going to do, you would have wanted to come along,"
Sophia was getting a little irritated, still not answering his questions. "I needed you to keep an eye on Tamilia."
"From that Volus guy? He swung by today and reminded her that he could heal her."
Sophia sighed and lowered her head in thought, not saying a word.
Janeil was fed up with her behavior a little, walking away and let her be. Pierre looked at both them and shuffled closer to Sophia.
"Did you accomplish what you wanted?" Pierre asked in a slightly lowered voice.
"Mostly..." Sophia shook her head. "I need to be alone for a little bit. I'm under a lot of stress right now." She turned to head to a corner of the room, sitting down on the cot. Pierre took a seat nex to her, placing his large hand on her shoulder.
"Really...what's on your mind? What's troubling you?"
"I...didn't think that Volus was actually doing something this horrible." Sophia's gaze never met Pierre's eyes. "Going after your daughter, that is. But...I had gone back to my old village that I we used to live to see if Elizabeth returned. It's just a lot of painful memories..." Her voice wavered a little.
"You know Janeil deserves to know some of the things you're doing, you know. After all, you brought him along to help you." Pierre noted.
Sophia knew Pierre was right. "I know...but I was hoping to keep him out of tihs as much as I could. I want mine and Elizabeth's life to return to normal. Isn't that a good goal?"
"Well, of course. But you know that Janeil is trusting you and what you want him to do; and he's trying to help you as a friend. You have to remember that. If you leave him in the dark, he's going to start question his loyalty and your motives."
Sophia's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Pierre.
"He likes you. A lot. Enough that he left his world on your word to go find your friends. Don't you owe him anything in return?" Pierre looked out the window at the setting sun.
"I don't know how to answer that right now." Sophia turned away. "We have to keep an eye on Tamilia so that Volus can't do something to her. I just...need to sort myself out."
"We'lldo that. Just remember there are people wondering about you." Pierre patted her shoulder and got up, leaving her be.
He exited the hut through the backdoor. Janeil was leaning against the wall, staring at the twilight sky once again.
"You all right?"
"I'm fine...never got used to guard duty, but glad its just a person versus something else." Janeil looked at him. "Shouldn't we be doing something?"
"Do you feel like something should be done?" Pierre was slightly curious, folding his arms.
"Stopping Volus...or getting Tamilia out of here. He doesn't strike me as the kind of person to go through the Doorway thing to get to his goal."
"Those are plausible ideas; but I would warn you that stopping Volus won't be easy. Some say he isn't a man; and he plays tricks with your mind." He grabbed Janeil's elbow roughly. "Every single man that rushed in to kill him has never lived."
"What's your take on it?" Janeil turned to him. "What do you think we should do?"
"That surprising from you. You don't trust your own judgement?"
"I do trust my decisions. I just can't go blowing holes in everything like I please. I might screw up Sophia's repuation or worse someone's life." Janeil gave him a slighlty sharp look.
"I see...kill first ask questions later? That is the mark of someone untintelligent, isn't it?"
"Not really; and I only start fighting if its too dangerous to ask questions first. " Janeil leaned forward. "As much as I know how to fight, I don't enjoy or "get into it" like other people. But if I need to be 'in the zone' to stay alive, I'll do it."
"I didn't get some of what you said, but I'll take that as a no." Pierre let out a huff of air.
Silence fell onto the boardwalk once more. Pierre was about to talk more when Sophia walked up to them. She gave a soft cough, announcing her presence.
"I'll start getting dinnery ready." Pierre disappeared back inside.
Janeil looked at Sophia in interested surprise as Sophia shuffled to his side.
"I'm...sorry. I should have and need to be able to share with you." Sophia had a shameful look on her face, eyes looking away.
"Its all right, I guess."
"I...went to the village where I first met Elizabeth," Sophia explained. "She wasn't there. And I did some asking about Volus as well. He has...oddd interests. I wouldn't say curio is the correct world. Its like archaeology, but of unusual items. Sort of like the cryptologist researchers on your world."
"Ah, I see. Following things that seem out of the ordinary? For what reason?" Janeil was slightly interested.
"A very chilling and twisted reason; power. I don't know how much or what he's hoping to achieve, but he looks for these things for that purpose. What's more scary is that many of these "legends" are actually quite real and that he has found so many of these things already. If we have to confront him; he will be able to fight us or even more. It will be dangerous."
"Sophia...what do we do? I mean, I know you went to go for Elizabeth so that we can have somplace to base off to look for 'Jennifer', but what do we do with Tamilia and Volus?"
"I simply thought that telling the townspeople of Volus' actions would be enough to throw him out of power. Then I figured that Elizabeth could treat her and make her better."
The conversation was broken by Pierre's raised voice calling for Tamilia. Looking at each other, the dashed into the house.
Pierre skidded to a halt in front of them. "Tamilila....she's gone!"
"Gone? Is this like her?" Janeil looked at him hard.
"No...she never would leave like this. She's always with someone. I would know."
Janei exhaled in frustration and started towards his bag.
"Janeil! What are you doing?" Sophia demanded.
She didn't get an answer. Janeil yanked his assault rifle out from his belongings as he looked at
her.
"Getting Tamilia back one way or another." Was his simple reply.
"No! We can't do this like this!" Sophia grabbed his arm in an attempt to stop him.
"Do you have a better idea?"
Sophia's lips moved, wanting to tell him a piece of her mind. But the words wouldn't come. In fact, her mind was frozen. She WAS at a loss of what to do.
"No...." Sophia admitted. "I don't."
Janeil tugged Sophia off of him. "You better start your rallying soon if you want this to look like the right thing. Otherwhise this might just end up a murder." Janeil slammed a clip into the rifle, slung it onto his shoulder, and donned a combat vest and a utility belt. He strapped his pistol and a knife to his leg.
"Get moving." He told her flatly. "Time isn't on our side."
Janeil was out the door without another word.
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