Ran Yoko

Sora was dressed in black pants, a long yellow coat that was torn and tattered at the bottom, and a white sleeveless shirt. She had dyed her hair black, pulled it into a ponytail, and had spiked the front of it so that it stuck up in the air. (fans of Jing: King of Bandits will recognize my costume, hopefully) She sat at the bar, sucking down a bottle of root beer while she thought.

 

(Zane?)

the first one is sort of inspired by Native American legends, and the second one is something-from-the-depths-of-my-mind-while-being-clutched-by-writer's-block-and-trying-to-get-past-it.

 

"Listen, Watch, Feel"

 

"Listen. . .

to the song of the wind

to the cry of the eagle

to the voice of the trees

Watch. . .

the path of the sun

the flight of the hawk

the dance of the sea

Feel. . .

the movement of the earth

the heat of the flame

the love of others."

 

"Storyteller"

 

"You, who dwell in the light,

let me tell you of the dark.

You, who dwell in the dark,

let me tell you of the light.

Gather around the fire,

and let me tell my tales.

Stories of love and hate,

war and peace,

heroes and villains,

legends and truths.

Gather around and listen,

for am I not a Storyteller?

Weaver of dreams,

and teller of tales!"

 

there you have it. please post as much feedback as you want on here.

Later that night, Sora is laying on her bed, dozing. Her pets are asleep as well, having helped Sora dump all of the excess spandex suits out of her tower.

Sora is awakened by a scratching noise. She looks up to see something vanish under her bed.

"Blackjack!" she calls.

"Yeah?" the beagle asks, as he's already awake.

"Sic 'em!"

Blackjack disappers under the bed, followed by sounds of a scuffle. He comes out carrying a turtle in his jaws. Sora takes it and studies it. It's about five inches high, with two katanas strapped to it's back, and wearing a colorful headband.

"All right, what idiot put a spell on their TV to let the dang Ninja Mutant Turtles out into the pen!?" she yells.

 

In the Pen Keep, getting a good night's sleep seems more or less impossible. . .

 

OOC: sorry, I just couldn't resist something like this. please don't anyone think that you have to continue this crazy idea of mine.

Kaito stopped flying abruptly as she realized that a large group of people, on horseback, with sharp pointy weapons, following the trail that she hadn't been able to get rid of yet.

She swore softly under her breath as she counted about twenty of them. Maybe the others would be able to handle themselves against that many, but she wasn't taking any chances.

"Damn all the bad luck in the world I've been having lately," she thought as she turned and took off for the others. It would not be good for them to fight in the middle of the public road.

Attention, all pennites!!! I wrote this short story a while back, and thought it would be interesting if other people were to add their own ideas to it. I'm not saying that it has to be a story as gloomy as mine, it could be about a myth of a hidden pirate's treasure even!! but I think it would be interesting if others were to, like, tell 'old stories' from the worlds where their stories take place.

Mine, I got the inspiration from the tale of Atlantis, and also the fact that I had watched Hayao Miyazaki's "Laputa: Castle in the Sky" recently. hope you enjoy.

 

The Lost Kingdom

 

There is a tale about a lost kingdom. All of you young ones, and you older ones too, listen carefully, and learn from my tale.

Some of the people living near the sea were intelligent, and masters of magicks. They learned ways to improve the sandy land they lived upon, and make it suitable for farming. They raised land from the middle of the sea, and created an island for them to live on.

With their advanced magicks, they soon grew prosperous, and became well known for their fine vegetables, and pearls they got from the ocean depths. They formed a kingdom, with their own king, and lived happily for several years.

However, other countries grew jealous and fearful of their power. They decided to take that power from their own, and several kindoms and countries created an alliance.

To keep their kingdom safe, the best magicans there created three crystals. These crystals, when placed at certain points of the island, raised the island into the air, where no one else could get them. They thought themselves safe. But not all dangers come from outside.

It started out very small, just an arguement between two people in the marketplace over the matter of whether or not it had been such a good idea to raise the island in the air. But the unrest grew, and like a plague, took over the entire kingdom. Minor arguements turned to fights, and fights turned to killings. Soon, everyone on the island was fighting. One man, consumed by anger, killed his entire family, then killed himself when he came to his senses and realized what he had done.

The flames of destruction, once lit, are not so easily put out.

Before long, the fields were ruined, and most of the kingdom's inhabitants were dead. The king was driven crazy, his wife long dead from illness, and his two daughters had been killed trying to stop a fight between the palace guards. Not knowing what he was doing, the king ordered for the crystals to be destroyed.

His orders were carried out. Without the crystals to keep it in the air, the island slowly sank into the sea, carrying with it a ruined kingdom that had come to resemble Hell itself.

Miraculously, a few people survived somehow. They migrated to the mountains, where they settled and managed to live, for the most part, happily. They never wished to see the ocean again, but were always haunted by the memory of a lost kingdom.

Popular legend will tell you that the people of the kingdom grew greedy, and tried to attack other countries for their wealth, but were destroyed by the other countries. But that is not the truth.

As the last living survivor of that kingdom, I feel it my duty to tell the truth to as many as I am able to. I am an old man now, and am sure that soon, I will pass into the Shadowlands. I ask that all who read this letter, learn from the story.

Thus ends my tale.

 

Alonzo Lassenia Halles,

the descendant of Prince Alexander Halles,

once heir to the throne of the floating kingdom Hallesani

this is something I'm writing off the top of my head. sorry if it doesn't sound as good as it could.

 

RAINY DAY

 

She stood on the hospital roof, pounded by the rain, her screams and sobs of anguish drowned out by the thunder. The white dress she wore was the one that he had given her, and the bandages on her wrists showed under the edges of the long sleeves.

He had finally betrayed her. She knew it was coming, but somewhere in her heart she had hoped it wouldn't happen. Lipstick on his shirts, a women's calling card sitting in plain view on his coffee table. He had missed nights together for the past two months, and always avoided talking to her recently.

She had met him in college, just three years ago. She fell in love with him at first sight, and she thought it had been the same with him. She should have known it wouldn't last.

He finally told her to her face.

"I never really loved you. I just wanted your dad's money. I didn't even know you were an illegitimate child, and not even going to get an inheritance when he finally dies. Besides, it's not like we were even really dating in the first place, remember? Just the odd dinner here and now. Good-bye."

She had taken the knife to her wrists last night. She remembered the blood running down her arms and hands, and the utter hopelessness she felt as she passed into unconciousness.

She had woken in the hospital. Apparently he had come to get something of his, and found her lying in a pool of blood.

Her tears mingled with the rain running down her face. She just wanted to end it all!

"What are you doing up here!?" a voice behind her demanded. She turned to see him standing next to the door that led to the rooftop. "Get away from the edge of the roof!! It's dangerous!! You should be in bed."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, lowering her hands from her face.

"I got a call from your old man, asking me to get back together with you." He scratched the back of his head. "Why does he even bother?"

"So that's it," she said. "You knew I would do this. You didn't come back to my apartment to get something. You wanted to make sure that I didn't die, and you get blamed for it. You don't want my death to be your fault!"

"Yeah," he sighed, walking over to her. He put his hand on her shoulder. "Look, will you go back to bed? Please?"

"Don't worry," she said, grabbing his arms. "You won't be blamed for my death."

She yanked him with her as she stepped back off the roof. . .

 

Police sirens sounded as a crowd gathered around the two people who had fallen from the hospital roof.

END

in all honesty, there's two things that I'm referring to. Peredhil got half of it right. if you divide the lines of the riddle into odds and evens, the odds are the sky, and the evens is the wind.

Yue sighed, and told Wyvern to put the sprite on the floor, where she begins to perform CPR. After a few anxious minutes(mostly with the humans and not-so-humans sweating quite a bit), the sprite coughed. It then jumped to its feet and tried to run away, but Yue grabbed him and held him up to Wyvern.

"Now will you please scold this so we can all go to bed without worrying about waking up covered in spadex again?" she asked with an annnoyed look on her face.

Without boundaries. . .

Never stopping. . .

People see me, but never greet me. . .

People both curse me and thank me. . .

I am there for you to see. . .

I am invisible. . .

Who am I?

Who am I?

 

please feel free to guess what this is.

very humorous!! loved the part when Aoi and Shido kissed, and the ending with the horoscope!! keep up the good work!!

Kaito shrugged and said, "I can do it on my own. I've simply met several people in the past who aren't so trustworthy. Go ahead to the meeting place. I have my own way of making tracks."

She tossed the reins of the horse to Lorias and took off, flying straight up almost out of sight, before flying back the way they had come. the rest of the party watched her for a moment before proceeding.

Sorry about the mess. Apparently they were working on the server when I tried to post this and it got messed up. Again, many apologies.

CHAPTER THREE

“Caverns”

 

After a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, muffins, sausage, and hashbrowns, the three set out. Leaving the jeep, they set out on foot towards the west of the village, where the werewolves had disappeared to before dawn.

Seras knelt in the dirt. “They were here,” she said, pointing to several prints in the dirt.

“A-yuh,” Irving said. “Looks t’ me like they went this a-way.”

“Well, let’s get going!” Renee said, starting out at a jog.

They jogged for about half an hour, following the prints, until they decided to call a rest. Renee and Irving sank to the ground, panting heavily, while Seras simply leaned up against a tree, breathing lightly.

“What is it with you?” Renee gasped, trying to catch her breath as she glared up at Seras. “You aren’t even breathing heavily!”

Seras shrugged. “I’ll check up ahead, while you guys rest.”

She walked off into the trees, leaving Irving and Renee there.

“Have you noticed that something about her just isn’t normal?” Renee asked, leaning back against a tree stump.

“In th’ past three years she’s been with us, ya ain’t noticed it till now?” Irving answered, a sarcastic tone in his voice.

Renee stuck her tongue out at him.

 

Seras pushed a branch out of her way, and continued walking. She suddenly came to a cliff, and her eyes widened slightly.

In front of her was a large canyon, where there seemed to be a sort of mining operation going on. There were both people and monsters using machines to bring boulders down from the sides of the canyon and break them into manageable sized chunks of rock, others were breaking those rocks into smaller pieces, and yet others were pushing carts filled with crushed rock towards a large, rough wooden building that had lots of smoke billowing out of it. They all seemed to be moving awkwardly, as if they were being controlled. Seras remembered suddenly what Viktor had told them before they had left headquarters.

“According to reports, people have been vanishing from surrounding towns. Filria is the only one who hasn’t had any people vanishing. But, werewolves have been attacking Filria every day at sundown, and vanishing right before sunrise. I don’t know what’s happening, but be careful. There’s something about that situation that I don’t like at all.”

Seras suddenly started to whirl around, only to be shoved from the cliff by Yosef. She tried frantically to grab anything to stop her descent, but to no avail. Her head hit something, and her world went black.

Yosef stood on top of the cliff, his face blank, his eyes completely emotionless. A figure in a black cloak stood behind him, their hands on the boy’s shoulders.

“Yes, my boy. You will receive the wish you want. Your adopted mother will be spared, but the others may not fare so well.”

 

“Seras sure is taking a long time,” Renee said. “I’m gonna go find her.”

“Me too,” Irving said. The two of them headed off in the direction that Seras had gone, only to find a cliff, and an empty canyon below it.

“She’s not here,” Irving said.

Renee simply looked at him. “Have I ever told you that you have a knack for stating the obvious?”

Irving ignored her. “Maybe she went back t’ town?”

“What for?”

“She mighta wanted t’ check somethin’. She probably would do that without tellin’ us.”

“That’s true. C’mon, let’s go look around. If Seras went back, we’ll see her back there.”

 

Keavy sighed, leaning back against the cool stone wall. She figured it had been about a month since she had been captured and brought here. It was hard to tell for sure, as she had seen no sunlight, except in the brief moments when she was brought from the mine to the cell. A candle lit the room, hanging from the ceiling, just out of their reach. Four cots were in the cell, three of which were occupied by her, Toshiko and Jesse.

The door to the cell opened suddenly, and a young woman was roughly thrown in. She lay on the floor, unmoving, as the door was slammed closed.

Toshiko got up off of his cot and slowly knelt down by her. “Miss, are you okay?”

Keavy got up and walked over. The unconscious girl looked to be about 17 years old, with long silvery-gray hair. She noticed that the girl’s hands were chained behind her, and then realized that her leg was lying at an odd angle, and was bleeding heavily.

“Oh, boy,” Keavy said. “Looks like she’s got a compound fracture in her leg.”

“What!?” Toshiko said, looking queasy.

“Help me carry over to the cot, Jesse,” Keavy said, slipping her hands under the girl’s shoulders. They managed to get her to the cot, and Jesse ripped the girl’s pant leg apart so they could see the wound. Toshiko gagged, looking green.

“Toshiko, if you’re going to throw up, go stand over there,” Keavy said sternly, gently pushing the young man away. “Jesse, if I hold her upper body still, can you try and set her leg?”

The old man nodded, and they got ready.

 

Seras lay numbly on the cold floor, the cuts from the whips hurting, but she was not feeling the pain. The chains hanging from her wrists and ankles clanked together as she forced herself to stand and make her way to her cot. The other children in the cell stared back at her, no emotion coming from their faces. Some of them didn’t even look human anymore, due to so much experimenting.

She collapsed on her cot, and curled up in a ball, shaking slightly all over. Days like this just made her wish she had died when the vampires had attacked her hometown. She wouldn’t have been a rare survivor, and she wouldn’t have been captured by the scientists who ran these labs.

“Are you okay?” the boy on the next cot whispered. Seras slowly looked over at him, the concern in his voice slightly surprising her. “I hate that drug too. What part did they put in you?”

“I don’t know,” Seras whispered back, her voice barely audible. “What’s your name?”

The boy whispered, but his voice seemed to fade away. . .

 

Seras awoke to water dripping on her face. She opened her eyes slowly and focused on where the water was coming from. There was a cloth held a few inches above her face, and she heard a voice say, “Hey, she’s awake!”

She turned her head and saw a young man standing by her, holding the cloth above her face. He had short dark hair and eyes, wore glasses that were streaked with dirt, and his clothes were those of a mage’s, but were torn and dirty. “How are you feeling, miss?” he asked.

“Where am I?” Seras asked, getting a grasp of her surroundings. She was lying on a cot in a cavern, and besides the man next to her, there were two others, also sitting on cots.

“Well, you’re in the same cell as us, that’s about all I can tell you,” said one of the others. Her red hair was shaggily hanging on her shoulders, and her eyes were a vivid shade of blue. She was dressed in jeans, a tank top, boots, had fresh cuts on her hands, and had dirt on her face, hands and clothes. “Where exactly on the map we are, I don’t have a clue.”

The last person was a man who looked to be getting elderly, with hair and a beard that was turning gray. He was dressed in a scholar’s robes, blood on his hands, and Seras noticed suddenly that all three of these people had their hand chained together.

Even more surprising, she realized that her own hands were chained together behind her back! She tried to sit up, only to visibly flinch as pain shot through her right leg. She looked at it, and saw that her pant leg from the knee down was soaked with blood and ripped apart, and had cloth wrapped around it about four inches above the ankle.

“I’m sorry about your leg, but there wasn’t much I could do,” the mage apologized, looking like he might be sick. “I’m not a medical expert, but the bone was sticking out a bit and it was bleeding. . .”

He suddenly turned and ran to the corner. Sounds started issuing forth, such as a pan of chunky soup being dumped onto a stone floor.

“Sorry about him,” the redhead said, walking over to Seras’ cot. “Toshiko isn’t very good with blood and stuff like that. By the way, I’m Keavy O’Malley. The old man is Jesse Sanders, and the mage is Toshiko Yuner. As he was saying, your bone was sticking out, and it was bleeding quite a bit. There wasn’t much we could do besides trying to set it and bandaging it.”

“Why couldn’t the mage try to heal it?” Seras asked, looking over at Toshiko, who was looking slightly better as he staggered over to his cot.

“Because of these,” Keavy said, holding up her hands. The iron cuffs around her wrists had magic-preventing runes inscribed on them.(magic-preventing runes prevent the person who has them on any of their possessions from casting any magic spells.)

“I see,” Seras said, dryly. She tried to turn over on her side so she could rest without lying on her hands, but Keavy had to help her.

“You’re welcome,” the redhead said, smiling slightly at Seras’ silence. “By the way, I never got your name.”

“It’s Seras.”

 

Late in the afternoon, Renee and Irving arrived back at the village only to find the villagers running around in a panic.

“What’s wrong?” Renee asked Halla.

“Yosef’s disappeared!!” the woman said, sobbing uncontrollably. “He went to get some wood from the forest after you left, and he never came back!!”

“Some of the men went to look for him, and couldn’t find him anywhere,” Mayor Phelps said.

“Is Seras here?” Irving asked.

“No, she hasn’t come back yet,” the mayor said.

Renee and Irving looked at each other, starting to feel uneasy about the situation.

“What’s going on here?” Renee wondered aloud.

“This is all your fault!!” one of the women shouted. “Until you Monster Slayers came here, no one’s ever disappeared!! How do we know you’re not with the werewolves!?!”

Renee and Irving looked around at the townsfolk, who were around them and muttering.

“She’s right! No one’s ever disappeared before.”

“How do we know that their ‘contract’ is real and not forged?”

“We don’t! They could be with the werewolves!”

“We should lock them up!”

“You’re right! Get them!”

“GET THEM!!!”

 

END CHAPTER THREE, “CAVERNS”

CHAPTER THREE

“Caverns”

 

After a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, muffins, sausage, and hashbrowns, the three set out. Leaving the jeep, they set out on foot towards the west of the village, where the werewolves had disappeared to before dawn.

Seras knelt in the dirt. “They were here,” she said, pointing to several prints in the dirt.

“A-yuh,” Irving said. “Looks t’ me like they went this a-way.”

“Well, let’s get going!” Renee said, starting out at a jog.

They jogged for about half an hour, following the prints, until they decided to call a rest. Renee and Irving sank to the ground, panting heavily, while Seras simply leaned up against a tree, breathing lightly.

“What is it with you?” Renee gasped, trying to catch her breath as she glared up at Seras. “You aren’t even breathing heavily!”

Seras shrugged. “I’ll check up ahead, while you guys rest.”

She walked off into the trees, leaving Irving and Renee there.

“Have you noticed that something about her just isn’t normal?” Renee asked, leaning back against a tree stump.

“In th’ past three years she’s been with us, ya ain’t noticed it till now?” Irving answered, a sarcastic tone in his voice.

Renee stuck her tongue out at him.

 

Seras pushed a branch out of her way, and continued walking. She suddenly came to a cliff, and her eyes widened slightly.

In front of her was a large canyon, where there seemed to be a sort of mining operation going on. There were both people and monsters using machines to bring boulders down from the sides of the canyon and break them into manageable sized chunks of rock, others were breaking those rocks into smaller pieces, and yet others were pushing carts filled with crushed rock towards a large, rough wooden building that had lots of smoke billowing out of it. They all seemed to be moving awkwardly, as if they were being controlled. Seras remembered suddenly what Viktor had told them before they had left headquarters.

“According to reports, people have been vanishing from surrounding towns. Filria is the only one who hasn’t had any people vanishing. But, werewolves have been attacking Filria every day at sundown, and vanishing right before sunrise. I don’t know what’s happening, but be careful. There’s something about that situation that I don’t like at all.”

Seras suddenly started to whirl around, only to be shoved from the cliff by Yosef. She tried frantically to grab anything to stop her descent, but to no avail. Her head hit something, and her world went black.

Yosef stood on top of the cliff, his face blank, his eyes completely emotionless. A figure in a black cloak stood behind him, their hands on the boy’s shoulders.

“Yes, my boy. You will receive the wish you want. Your adopted mother will be spared, but the others may not fare so well.”

 

“Seras sure is taking a long time,” Renee said. “I’m gonna go find her.”

“Me too,” Irving said. The two of them headed off in the direction that Seras had gone, only to find a cliff, and an empty canyon below it.

“She’s not here,” Irving said.

Renee simply looked at him. “Have I ever told you that you have a knack for stating the obvious?”

Irving ignored her. “Maybe she went back t’ town?”

“What for?”

“She mighta wanted t’ check somethin’. She probably would do that without tellin’ us.”

“That’s true. C’mon, let’s go look around. If Seras went back, we’ll see her back there.”

 

Keavy sighed, leaning back against the cool stone wall. She figured it had been about a month since she had been captured and brought here. It was hard to tell for sure, as she had seen no sunlight, except in the brief moments when she was brought from the mine to the cell. A candle lit the room, hanging from the ceiling, just out of their reach. Four cots were in the cell, three of which were occupied by her, Toshiko and Jesse.

The door to the cell opened suddenly, and a young woman was roughly thrown in. She lay on the floor, unmoving, as the door was slammed closed.

Toshiko got up off of his cot and slowly knelt down by her. “Miss, are you okay?”

Keavy got up and walked over. The unconscious girl looked to be about 17 years old, with long silvery-gray hair. She noticed that the girl’s hands were chained behind her, and then realized that her leg was lying at an odd angle, and was bleeding heavily.

“Oh, boy,” Ke

OOC: no idea if this will even make sense. man, i'm tired. boy, i hate geometry. here's my questions. please regard them kindly.

 

Have you ever. . .

 

flown on the breeze?

 

walked on a cloud?

 

caught a falling star?

 

seen a moon rabbit?

 

held a baby dragon in your hand?

Sora walks by, hearing the exchange between Miho and Wyvern.

"I think he's getting desperate," she remarks. "I'd hold out a little longer if I were you, ninja."

She hurries to catch up with Ran, and pats her on the shoulder, saying, "Nice job on your poem."

ROTFL

laughing so hard she can barely type "Great job! Very humorous!"

(a little overexaggeration, but why not?)

Sora shook her head, after witnessing Ran Yoko's evilness(if that's even a word). She knelt down and motioned to Yue. The ferret scampered over her and jumped on Sora's outstretched palm.

Sora whispered to Yue, "I want you to go with them and make sure it's taken care of. And if you get into a bigger space and the sprite is causing trouble, just go ahead and transform and get rid of it, okay?"

Yue grinned as she nodded. Sora straightened up and said loud enough for everyone to hear, "If it's at all posible, Yue has volunteered to come with you."

"A ferret?" Wyvern asked.

"Oh, trust me, she can be very. . .helpful," Sora said, smiling mysteriously. She pulled out of her pocket a small crystal vial and tossed it to Degorram, the shape-shifter catching it.

"What's this?" she asked.

"It's a potion made from sundew," Sora answered. "It'll give you some energy. I don't want you transforming again and maybe destroying part of the building before Kikuyu Black Paws can contain it again. Just remember, I want the bottle back."

 

OOC: Degorram, if you don't want the potion, just toss it back. And if you guys decide to have Yue transform and I'm not here to add along, she transforms into a large silver wolf-like creature with horns. Please don't say that she turns into a huge ferret, it's just wrong.

Sora was getting very annoyed. Not only had her writing been interrupted by ninjas in spandex, she couldn't find Wyvern anywhere, plus the fact that the stupid ninjas had been creeping up on her every time she turned around.

Yue easily dispatched another ninja by simply biting it's ankle, while Sora turned her staff into a broadsword and took out two more. Blackjack and Foxy where having the time of their lives by butting into ninjas and knocking them down. They were calling the game "Ninja Bowling Points".

"Whoo!" Blackjack said, after knocking one into a tree, causing it to break it's neck. "5 more points for me!"

"10 points for me," Foxy said, after causing two ninjas to crash into each other.

"WYVERN, WHERE IN ALL THE FREAKING PEN KEEP ARE YOU!?!?!?!?!?" Sora screamed, her voice echoing.

Kaito raised an eyebrow at Lorias's suggestion. She crossed her legs and assumed a postion as if she were sitting cross-legged with her arms folded across her chest, except for the fact that she was still hovering in mid-air, her wings flapping occasionaly to keep her off the ground.

"Just to make things clear, I am a thief by trade," she said, enjoying the slightly-shocked looks on everyone's faces. "I don't mind redirecting our pursuer's attentions, but how do I know that you won't leave me behind and continue without me?"

 

OOC: just thought you might want to know, Kaito isn't an Ashter. She's one of the Ancients in my story who will appear later.

something i came up with off the top of my head. it could be used as a song.

 

I want to fly

in the deep blue sky

I want to spread my wings and soar

I want to fly

I want to soar

 

I feel the wind against my face

and feel the urge to fly

but I don't know if

my wings will hold me up

but I do know this:

I have to try!

 

I'm ready to fly

in the deep blue sky

I'm ready to spread my wings and soar

I'm ready to fly

I'm ready to soar

 

So how does my story end?

Did I believe in my strength and fly?

Or was I afraid and fell to my death?

Or did I decide not to try after all?

You decide if a bird's life will continue or end.

Kaito no Tsuki was bored. Not only had she not had a job in a while, but everyone in this small town avoided her, and she had no one to talk to. All in all, she really didn't blame the humans for avoiding her, for she was a strange sight to behold. Silver hair that reached to her waist, long pointed ears, dark blue eyes, and silvery feathered wings that reached the ground. She was dressed this particular day in leggings and short boots with black leather strips wrapped around them, a long sleeved white shirt that reached almost to her knees, two belts that held several small pouches and half gloves. Not to mention her crescent moon-shaped pendant around her neck, and her several earrings.

However, something interesting HAD just happened. She had observed from her perch on the top of the stables the fight that happened between the bandits and several other people. She heard what Sliver and Darwin said, and considered her options. She could leave here on her own, and try to find a job in the big city. After all, many people would pay a lot of money to have a professional thief steal something for them. Or, she could see if these people in front of her would be willing to take someone like her with them. She grinned, and snapped her fingers. Her bag appeared out of thin air and dropped onto her lap. She stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder, then stepped off the building. The second option it would be.

When she was about two feet from the ground, she spread her wings out, which slowed her descent, and she landed gracefully on her feet. She looked up, ignoring the shocked expressions on the faces of the others.

"Hello there," Kaito said, smiling. "I heard what you said, and I was wondering if you'd mind me coming along with you."

 

OOC: if you don't want me to join your quest, just refuse me, and I'll go on to the city to get me a different job

to all of the readers: due to an oversight, the prologue was posted separate from the rest of the story, but under the same name. so, to read the prologue(and to be able to make sense of the rest of this), you’ll have to go back further into the archives of the Mighty Pen. many apologies for the inconvenience.

 

CHAPTER TWO

“Karma and Contract”

The three in the jeep stared at the boy for a minute, then Renee spoke.

“You mean that there are werewolves around here?”

The boy nodded vigorously. “The only reason they haven’t destroyed Filria is because we have a barrier erected around our village.”

“Well, at least we know that th’ rumors ain’t unfounded,” Irving said. “You want a ride back?”

The boy climbed into the back seat, and they started off down the right-hand road. The boy introduced himself as Yosef, and directed them towards the village. The sun started to sink in the western sky, then suddenly they heard howling.

“That’s them!!” Yosef yelped, sliding down between the back seat and Seras’ seat.

“Renee, take the wheel,” Seras ordered. As Renee managed to climb into the driver’s seat, Seras took Renee’s seat in the back, and pulled out her automatic pistol and another gun, a two-shooter(which shoots two bullets almost simultaneously).

“Here’s some silver bullets,” Irving said, handing several cartridges to Seras. He loaded his own sniper’s rifle with a cartridge, and rested the barrel on the jeep door.

“They’re coming!” Seras called, letting off two shots, and felling a werewolf, which did little to decrease their numbers.

“Hang on, people!” Renee yelled, shifting gears and slamming her feet down on the gas, and the jeep sped up.

“Hey, go easy on th’ engine!” Irving said. “If anythin’ happens to this jeep, Viktor’s gonna be mighty displeased!”

“How far are we from the village, Yosef!?” Renee shouted.

The teenager lifted his head and said, “Just a couple more miles!”

A werewolf suddenly landed on the front hood of the jeep, crunching the hood down into the engine and slowing the jeep. Renee, not wishing to waste her knives, grabbed a handful of screws from her pocket and threw them at the creature’s vital points. To her surprise, the werewolf turned to dust.

“How interesting,” Renee grinned. “Hey, Seras, just get out the big gun. These are puppets!”

Nodding, Seras holstered her guns and knelt on the seat, pulling several gun parts out from under the seat. She joined them together quickly into a large gun that had a word inscribed on the side: “KARMA”.

“Hurry it up, we’re almost at th’ village an’ they’re gettin’ ready to put th’ barrier up!!” Irving yelled.

Seras set the barrel of the gun on the back of the seat, pulled back a small lever on the top of the gun, and a light blue glow started to gather around it.

“Dust to dust, ashes to ashes,” she said, then pressed the trigger.

A huge blast of energy shot from the gun, decimating all of the werewolves. The force from the blast propelled the jeep forward, through the gates of Filria, and into the village square, the barrier coming up just a few seconds after them.

Renee slammed on the brakes and spun the wheel, finally managing to stop the jeep just inches from a house. She turned the ignition off, and slumped backwards in her seat.

“Okay,” she sighed mightily. “I think I’ll be able to do without that sort of experience for a while.”

“Are we still alive?” Yosef asked, slowly peeking over the side of the jeep.

“Yes,” Seras answered, disassembling KARMA. Curious and wary townspeople were starting to gather around, so Irving dug an envelope out of the glovebox. He hopped out and, with a winning smile to the nearest women, asked, “Could I speak to th’ mayor of this fine town?”

“That would be me,” an elderly man said, stepping forward. “Mayor Phelps.”

“Ah, good,” Irving said. “We’re here from the Monster Slayers. Here’s our proof.” He handed the envelope to the mayor, and Phelps withdrew a sheet of paper. The paper was standard Monster Slayer certificate, with Viktor filling in the blanks for the names with his scribbles.

 

This ensures that the following people:

Irving Battlik, Renee Helraser, Seras

have been given the task of destroying the monsters currently attacking the village of Filria. When the job has been finished, the payment will be delivered to the Monster Slayer Headquarters, and the amount will depend on how many monsters are killed.

Viktor Grenrick

Leader of the Monster Slayers

Rune Hollathe

Second in command

“Well, it looks like it’s in order,” Phelps said, handing the document back to Irving. “You’re welcome here. Though I’d suggest waiting until tomorrow to set out, considering we can’t take down the barrier down until then.”

“Sounds good to me,” Renee said, stretching after she had climbed out of the jeep. “Where can we get something to eat?”

“More importantly, where can we stay the night?” Seras asked.

“I run an inn,” a woman volunteered. Her eyes were dark blue, and her hair was dark with a few gray hairs. “My name is Halla Somen. You saved my son, and also came to help us, so I’ll throw in a free breakfast and supper.”

“Your son?” Renee said. “You mean Yosef is your son?”

“Yup,” Yosef said. “This is my mom. If you’ll stay with us at our inn, I’ll be glad to help you with anything you need!”

“Sounds like a deal t’ me,” Irving grinned. But Seras stood in the background, her eyes narrowed as she gazed at Yosef.

 

About an hour before dawn, Seras woke in the bed she was sharing with Renee. Rising quietly without waking Renee, she dressed. Jeans, a brown T-shirt, half gloves, and the belt that had two holsters for her guns. Lacing her combat boots, she looked back on the past three years. Three years hadn’t changed her appearance much, except for gaining a few inches in height. She had learned the weaknesses of monsters, how to kill them effectively, and other techniques. But, for some reason, she felt as if she already knew how to wield the guns they had given her.

She stood up, pulling on her coat. She picked up her guns and left the room, going through the inn like a wraith, not making a sound. She settled down on the front steps of the inn, and started cleaning her guns. She worked methodically and quickly, taking them apart, cleaning the chambers, and reassembling them together after making sure they were clean.

Dawn’s first light rose over the horizon, glancing off the water of the stream that ran through the village. A skylark began its first song, and dew dripped off of the leaves of trees. But the beauties of the morning were lost on Seras. She stood up and holstered her guns, then started to practice her quick-draw.

“Miss Seras?”

Seras drew her gun and spun in the same instant, and Yosef found himself once again looking down the barrel of her automatic pistol. Sweat ran down Yosef’s face, as they stood like that for about two whole minutes, then Seras finally lowered her gun.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that,” Seras said shortly, then holstered her gun.

“S-sorry.” Yosef sighed nervously, sitting down on the steps. “What are you doing?”

“Practicing my quick-draw,” Seras answered, resuming practice.

“Does it come in handy?”

“Sometimes the difference between life and death is how quick you can draw your gun.”

“Oh, by the way. I noticed yesterday that your big gun had KARMA written on the side. Was that its name?”

“Yes.”

“Do all of your guns have names?”

Seras turned her gun toward Yosef and flicked a small lever with her thumb. A red dot appeared on the boy’s leg, and he realized that it was coming from a small hole near the top of the gun’s barrel.

“It’s a hunting laser,” Seras explained, her expression never changing. “This one is called ‘HUNTER’. My two-shooter is ‘HOLLY’.”

“Oh, I see,” Yosef said, somewhat nervous by the fact she was turning her guns toward him without any hesitation.

“Since you’ve been asking all these questions, it’s my turn,” Seras said, starting to practice with HOLLY. “Halla Somen, she isn’t your real mother, is she?”

Yosef flinched visibly, then said, “What makes you say that?”

“You look similar, and your personalities are very much alike, but something about you is almost screaming ‘She’s not my real mother!’” Seras said bluntly. “It’s obvious that you love her, but you’re distancing yourself from her for some reason. Is it because you have something in your past that you’re afraid of? That might hurt her. . .?”

“Is it any business of yours?!” Yosef exclaimed, jumping to his feet. A look of fear was on his face. “Is it any business of yours what our family is like!?”

“So you do have something to be afraid of,” Seras said, smiling mysteriously.

Yosef ran into the house, almost bumping into Irving, who was coming out.

“What’s eatin’ him?” Irving said to himself. “Howdy, Seras. Beautiful mornin’, ain’t it?”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Seras said, her face back to it’s impassive mask.

“Morning, guys!” Renee said cheerfully, coming out of the inn. “Are you ready to go hunt some werewolves?”

“I want breakfast first,” Irving complained. “Supper was really good last night, so breakfast oughta be spectacular!”

“Fine,” Seras said. “We’ll leave right after breakfast.”

 

END CHAPTER TWO, “KARMA AND CONTRACT”

sorry if this doesn't make much sense, i wrote this after an all-nighter. yes, i was studying geometry for my college class.

 

Sora slammed her geometry textbook closed, and leaned back in her chair. "I hate geometry," she muttered, reaching for her bottle of root beer, only to find it missing. She looked up, prepared to glare at her pets, only to find a ninja hanging from the ceiling and drinking her root beer.

"Oy," she said, glaring at him. "That's mine." She realized then that she was talking to a ninja intruder. "Hey," she yelled, grabbing her pen. "How the heck did you get in here!?!"

She flung the pen, but the ninja dodged it, leaving the pen stuck in the ceiling, point first. The ninja landed on the ground and took a step backward, only to trip over Sora's Siberian Husky, Jacki. the ninja then cracked his head on the stone wall and deflated, leaving behind a spandex suit.

"What was that?" Xiao, a Siamese cat, asked, regally uncurling herself from around Sora's pillow on the bed that was rarely ever used.

"Whatever it was, it tripped over me," Jacki complained, standing up and shaking herself.

"Hey, Sora, is this okay to play with?" Blackjack, a beagle, asked, touching the dubious spandex suit with a paw.

"It might give you fleas," warned Yue, a black and white ferret. "I wouldn't touch it if I were you."

"It smells familiar," said Foxy, a Somali cat. "Like that big dragon dude."

"Wyvern?!" Sora exclaimed. "I don't believe this." She got up and stalked over to her wardrobe and flung it open. Muttering to herself about geometry, hated teachers, stupid ninjas, and never getting any sleep, she pulled out her battle costume. Cargo pants with small weapons stored in the pockets, combat boots, a sleeveless shirt with a zipper, half gloves that extended up to her elbows, and a trenchcoat that went to her knees. Her eyes glittered with anticipation as she lifted up what seemed to be an ordinary staff. But it was the legendary Staff of Many Weapons, that could turn into whatever weapon the wielder desired.

"Whoa," Jacki said, her blue eyes shining. "It's been a while since we've seen the whole outfit."

"Indeed," Xiao said, stretching herself regally back out on the pillow. "And the staff is nothing to sneeze at either."

"Alright," Sora said, taking the spandex suit with two fingers. "Blackjack, Foxy and Yue, you're coming with me. Xiao and Jacki, stay here. If any more ninjas get in here, you have my full permission to get rid of them in any way you see fit. Just don't destroy my room too much."

"Yes, ma'am!" Jacki said, saluting with her paw.

"Oh boy, oh boy!!" Blackjack said. "We get to go huntin'!"

"Wyvern, where the heck are you!?" Sora muttered as they left the room.

I think it's a very interesting start! I like the flow of dialogue and the pacing of your story. I may not be a great writer myself at times, but I think it's very promising! Outta curiosity, where did you come up with the name of Aterra?