|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 8:10 pm
Yes, it is rather interesting...though I'm confused as to where this could lead.... Do share more!
Love and Vale,
~Leavaros
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 5:26 am
Here's chapter 3 of DMO. Hope you enjoy it!
Dark Magical Furniture
Narshe sat in her laboratory, making a few notes on her latest experiment. Beside her on the table, a small crystal sat at the center of a ring of at least eight inlaid magical diagrams. As light hit the crystal, it would radiate thirty precise shades of blue, one of which had the ability to complete any crossword puzzle it was shined upon.
With a slam of a door, Cosette entered unexpectedly, surveying the room. “What are you doing, Narshe?”
“Nothing that can’t wait for a visit from mistress.” Narshe cooed, setting her notes aside. “Did you come to play with me, perchance?”
“I’m bored, not decadent. And don’t call me ‘mistress’.” The young aristocrat held up a hand to block her servant’s advance. As she glanced around, her eyes fell upon a somewhat newer book stacked atop several other old tomes.
“Aleister Crowley?” Cosette picked up the book like something disgusting, “do you read this, Narshe? This is cheap trash—the dime-novel equivalent of a magical text.” Despite her words, she thumbed through the pages disenchantedly.
“There are actually some decent insights in that marked chapter.” Narshe noted.
“The man’s dead–shows you how much of magic he knew.” Cosette was about to put the book down, when a picture near the back caught her eye.
“What’s that?” Narshe walked over, seeing the expression on her face. “Got an interest in the man himself?” She licked her lips. “I can bring him back if you want—”
“He lived in England right?” Cosette cut her off. “His house is still there?”
“Um, that’s not information I have on hand, though it’s really of little consequence in the resurrection ritual…” Narshe said thoughtfully.
“I don’t care about that charlatan.” Cosette made a disgusted face. “Look at this chair—it’s gorgeous.” She held up the photograph of Crowley, sitting in a tall wing-backed chair. “I have to have it.”
Narshe’s head dropped, and a heavy sigh escaped from her lips. “And I thought you were finally warming up to the better things in life.”
---
Cosette sat in a first-class box upon the train crossing Germany, wearing a black sun dress with a wide-brimmed hat. Beside her was Hylie Mignon, wearing casual servant’s attire.
Narshe had stayed behind at the villa, murmuring something about doing the summoning herself.
“Hmmm…” Hylie gave a soft laugh as she watched the scenery pass by.
“Something on your mind, slave?” Cosette cocked an eyebrow at her.
“I was just thinking how deliciously you’re going to suffer when Lord Knale recompenses you for the indiscretion you commit in binding me, mortal.” Hylie relished. “Perhaps I will even be granted to inflict some of it myself.”
“I was wondering about that too.” Cosette mused, with a smile. “It’s been weeks. Are you sure you were important enough to her to be worth retrieving? Greater Demon Overlords must have a lot of servants, after all, and Destroyers rank pretty low in hell, if memory serves.”
“Hold your tongue, mortal. The lowest ranks of hell make the kings of this world seem as dogs.” Hylie declared.
“Is that so?” Cosette shrugged. “I’ll remember that next time I have you do my laundry.”
As Hylie was stewing in a corner, a knock came upon the door of Cosette’s compartment. She motioned her head to the door, and Hylie grudgingly opened it.
“M… M… Milord…” Hylie dropped to one knee before the figure at the door, a creature clothed completely in brown and green robes, face enshadowed by a heavy hood.
“How am I to enter? Remove yourself, imbecile.” An infernal voice rasped. The figure brushed past Hylie, who fell back onto the floor of the compartment.
“Hello, Cosette Amelie Garidion.” The being threw back its hood, revealing the face of a beautiful young woman of some sort of exotic descent, probably from the East. Her skin was somewhat dark, and a rune was tattooed upon her forehead in red.
“And you must be Knale?” Cosette turned slowly to look, careful to show neither respect nor wonder.
“I have many names,” She laughed. Her voice was harmony itself, entrancing and intoxicating. She sat down on the bench opposite Cosette. “but Knale can serve you if you wish.”
“And what can I do for you?” Cosette asked.
“I come with no requests, just introductions.” Knale scratched her chin with two fingernails. “I want you to think of me as an ally.”
Hylie, whose face had held an expression of wicked glee, suddenly dropped to her knees, mouth open in chagrin.
“There are no allies in hell, just enemies who have yet to betray you.” Cosette quipped.
“Ah, well versed. I admire that.” Knale smiled an altruistic smile that seemed to set the entire world at peace. “Think of me as one of those then.”
“What’s your interest in me?”
“We have similar goals. You want the world, and so do I.” Knale explained. “The New Age is a war on two fronts, you see. One is the real world–military, geographic, financial, and so on. I have little interest in this part. The other side of the war, however, is the war of ideas–an age of mystery, an age of science, an age of religion–this is what I take a professional interest in.”
“You, Cosette Garidion,” Knale continued, “are a player in this game too, are you not? You want to control the real world, as an Empress, no? I want to control the ideology of the new age. So you see, we’re really quite a match.”
“So what’s the proposal?” Cosette put up her best poker face.
“Nothing really, since it’s not in your power to accept or deny.” Knale shrugged. “I’m going to back you, and you’re going to drive the world the way I want, because of the kind of person you are. It’s impossible for you, Cosette, to conquer the world without bringing about the age I desire. That’s your destiny.”
Cosette gave her a bored look. “So then? You just came to tell my fortune?”
“Hm, perhaps so.” Knale laughed. “The future is an open book to me, after all. But since we’re working together, I thought perhaps we should get to know one another. I wouldn’t want to use you without letting you know that you can’t stop me.”
“Milord…” Hylie was still kneeling beside her master.
“Keep this slave, as a show of good faith.” Knale laughed, and Hylie bowed her head again. “And if you need me, just call me. I’ll be watching.” The demon laughed, and her beautiful voice transformed back into a harsh, infernal cackle. Throwing her hood back on, she disappeared into her cloak, which evaporated into a blur of green light and vanished.
---
At last, Cosette and Hylie found themselves standing before an old Victorian mansion in the English countryside. It was to this address she had traced the antique, invoking a few small divinations here and there.
Cosette closed her black parasol, and Hylie set down three large cases of luggage, which she carried far too easily to be inconspicuous. The door clicked open at the young aristocrat’s touch, and she stepped inside, followed by her servant.
“Now, the chair…” Cosette surveyed the manor, covered in dust, save for a few footprints leading ahead, “but it seems we’re not alone here. Stay by me, slave.” Hylie moved close to her, not so reluctant to do as she was bidden, now that she had been officially ordered to obey.
“No leads here? I can’t sense the device.” A young voice was speaking up ahead, carrying on a conversation with some silent entity. “I suppose it could be cloaked. They wouldn’t want me to get my hands on it, would they. Clever, I’ll grant them that.”
“Well, well.” Cosette stepped into the doorway of what appeared to be the mansion’s library. “It only follows that one runs into a rat or two in a city like this.”
From rummaging in the corner, a short girl, perhaps fifteen or so, stood. She was wearing a bandana over curly brown hair, and her face was smudged with a bit of grease and soot. She wore a sleeveless jacket and large gloves which covered her entire forearms, topped off with a red scarf and dirty brown mechanic’s pants.
The girl nodded her head in a polite greeting, then pulled a pistol from her pocket, firing a shot at Cosette, who slipped back out of the doorway in the nick of time.
“Shame you had to make the mistake of showing your face on this side of the continent again, Garidion.” She spoke, “It won’t look nearly as pretty once I’m through with it.”
“Oh dear, threats. I don’t think there’s much I can do to make your face any worse. I have to apologize, Archeme.” Cosette, reached a hand out behind the door jamb and snapped her fingers. A howling sound echoed through the room as a bolt of black magical energy swooped from her hand to snap at her foe.
Another figure who was with the girl, but had been standing so still his presence was almost imperceptible, moved. He was a man about twice the girl’s height, dressed in a long coat and a hat which covered his face in shadow. Stepping forward in a swift movement, he reached out a hand and swatted the bolt of energy from the air.
“Eliminate her, Jake.” Archeme inclined her head toward the wall.
Clasping both hands together, the man smashed his fists against the wall behind which Cosette stood, and the whole structure fell in a crash of wood and metal, opening the library to the hall outside.
Hylie stood in front of Cosette, discarding a large chunk of destroyed wall. She cracked her neck to the side once, and flexed her hands open and shut.
Jake stepped forward, intent to push Hylie out of the way and close of his target. As he reached forward, his arm was grasped in her hand, and he froze for a moment in surprise.
“What inhuman strength,” Hylie noted, “but nothing next to mine.” She swung him off of his feet with her one hand, casting him down the hallway and through another wall.
PAH!
The crack of gunfire rang through the room, as Archeme, now equipped with a chain gun, fired wildly in the direction of Cosette and Hylie.
“Where the hell did that come from?” Hylie asked quizzically, as bullets slashed into her chest and were pressed out by her rapidly regenerating flesh. Cosette seemed to become one with the shadows of the room, her form losing all substance as the bullets whizzed through her.
Archeme raised a hand, and flashes of light from all around the room, and various dimensions outside the normal three, collected together and materialized into another cartridge for the gun.
A hand gripped around the demon’s neck, and she felt the press of metal upon her back. Jake gripped her tightly in a choke hold, and without his hat, she could crane her neck to see a face made entirely of metal, with dim red lights shining where eyes should have been.
“Ah!” Hylie found herself unable to break out of his grip, though she was certainly stronger than he was. “What’s this?”
“That’s right, demons can only be harmed with weapons wielded directly by human hands.” Archeme dropped the chain gun, and it dematerialized back into nothing as a sword materialized into her hands. “Old Jake was human once, and now his whole body is a weapon.” She smiled. “Excuse me while I slay your servant, coward.” The girl walked toward Hylie.
“Blasphemy, I am immortal, wretch.” Hylie struggled against the metal man’s grip to no avail.
Cosette leaned casually against the wall in the hall behind Archeme’s vision. She gave a wide smile, and nodded to Hylie, making a slight separating motion with her fingertips.
“We’ll see about that,” Archeme thrust the blade forward, through where Hylie’s heart ought to be. When it should have hit her heart, it snapped as though striking a stone.
Hylie’s mouth stretched wide, displaying three rows of razor-sharp teeth. “Now you know. Destroyers are granted a heart of iron.” She threw her arms wide, and as though two massive hands had struck the walls of the room, both bearing walls gave way and the second story came crashing down on top of the three of them.
Jake’s grip on Hylie released, and he stepped around her quickly to deflect a large section of the floor falling upon his master. The second floor crashed harmlessly over Hylie and Jake, both made of stuff too strong to be injured in the crash. The rest of both rooms, however, lay in ruins.
“Egh, now you’ve probably destroyed it altogether!” Archeme shouted. “We won’t forget about this, witch! The Domesday Clock ticks toward the end of your age!”
As Hylie threw a punch to slay the girl, she dematerialized just like her weapons, vanishing into some alternate dimensionality along with her bodyguard.
“Eragh!” Hylie screamed, stomping a foot which burst through the old wooden floor. “Test my strength? I’ll kill them both! Where do they reside, master? Speak and it is done.” She looked to Cosette with longing and rage.
“You’ve done well, slave.” Cosette looked at a ruined chair in the corner of the room, “provided you have decent skill in reupholstery.”
Hylie gave the chair a critical look. “I live to fight, not to repair furniture implements.”
“Your master says you live to do as I say,” Cosette sneered. “Now collect the piece and we’ll proceed to our inn.”
Hylie murmured something beneath her breath, and hefted the ruined chair in one hand.
---
“By the way, miss Garidion,” the upholsterer began.
“That’s Lady Garidion.” Cosette corrected, in an irritated manner.
“Lady Garidion, forgive me.” The man seemed exasperated from dealing with the young aristocrat. “In restoring your chair, we found this. We’re not sure what it is, but we figured it must belong to you.” He handed her a rounded tube covered in symbols and numbers, capped on each end with an ornamental statuette.
“Ah, it’s an old heirloom. I have no idea how it got in there though.” Cosette placed a hand over her mouth and gave a slight laugh. “Thank you so much for retrieving it.”
As they exited the shop with the fixed chair in tow, Hylie gave the device in Cosette’s hands a critical look. “So what is it? What that girl was after?”
“Naturally, a family heirloom–Just not from my family.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 6:20 am
Narshe's still awesome. And everything is so wonderfully described.
Um. I'm trying to think of something to critique, but I'm getting nothing. More!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 7:21 am
Everyone who's read the story seems to like Narshe. I should make some chapters to embellish her background. She actually does have some interesting history in chapter 6 though... I suppose I'll post that up in time. 3nodding
Thanks for reading along! ^_^
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 1:21 pm
I absolutely love the storyline! Gods, but this reminds me of Disgaea! (One of my favorite games of all times--PS2--whose main character is Laharl--Gods, but I love that name!--the Demon Prince of the Netherworld.)
Love and Vale,
-LD
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 5:37 pm
Well, if you want Disgaea, this is the chapter that might do it for you... This chapter features alot of action, but chapter 5 is totally wishy washy, so it should balance out in the end. Dark Magic on the BattlefieldCosette had spent several hours in meditation that day, and had just begun her studies for the day, when Hylie appeared from her open doorway. “Master, a telegraph has arrived for you.” The bound Destroyer was wearing her casual clothes and carrying an envelope in one hand. “Hm, I wonder whatever it could be?” Cosette took the envelope and began to open it. Noticing Hylie still standing behind her, she turned around. “Consider yourself dismissed, slave.” Grumbling something, Hylie slipped back out through the door. Unfolding the note, Cosette opened the letter eagerly and read. Quote: Cosette, Desire your assistance against old enemy. Requested samples are ready for you upon arrival. -Etlinde Cosette ruffled through her drawers and took out a piece of paper that she had penned two weeks before. It read like this: Quote: Cosette, Desire your assistance against old foe. Requested samples are ready for you upon arrival. -Etlinde “Damn… I translated the last word in that line wrong.” Cosette sighed, putting her divination practice back into the drawer, along with the telegraph. Donning a sun hat, she walked down to the foyer where Narshe was waiting for her next to a few suitcases. “You got the telegram, I assume?” Narshe asked. “Yes.” “How did they match up?” “My divination was flawless, naturally.” Cosette brushed back some hair that had come to rest on her shoulder. “Excellent. The car just arrived, so shall we depart?” “Yes, let’s do.” “But… I kind of worry about leaving Hylie here alone…” Narshe bit a lip and spoke softly. “Hm… if this villa gets destroyed, I’ll just summon another one.” Cosette noted. “I’ve been doing some studies on the process.” “Splendid,” Narshe said halfheartedly. “Perhaps you can summon back all research I would lose too?” “Suitcases… car.” Cosette waved a finger between the two named objects, and Narshe began loading the waiting vehicle. In South America…Cosette stepped out of the car which had driven herself and Narshe from the airport. A black parasol helped to deflect much of the harsh sun, but the climate still disagreed badly with her delicate skin.”I’m glad you could make it.” Etlinde welcomed them, one of her escorts taking their luggage. “I expected you to come a bit earlier. Did you not predict the telegram in advance?”"I had to see how my prediction matched with the real one.” Cosette explained, cracking open a lace fan and waving it in a vain attempt to cool herself with a gust of hot, humid air.”So you brought them?” Narshe asked eagerly, looking around.”The samples you asked for? They’re in safekeeping, until you choose to take them.” Etlinde noted. “Eckhart will show you.”Etlinde turned back to an tall woman standing beside her, and made a motion for her to step forward. The woman wore a long coat, and her hair brushed the ground behind her as she walked. Her entire presence was almost unearthly, as though she were something beyond human.”Kartika Eckhart, at your service.” The woman bowed.”Kartika is the chairwoman of the Thule Society, and is well acquainted with the procedures used in taking and handling the samples you need.” Etlinde explained. “She will take you to view them. Cosette and I have other matters to discuss.” “Pleased to meet you.” Narshe bowed as well, licking her lips slightly. “I hope we can become good friends.” Narshe and Kartika departed in one direction, while Cosette followed Etlinde into the heart of the military outpost, down some flights of stairs, and into a sealed chamber which appeared to be some sort of office. “So what’s the trouble, cousin?” Cosette placed her hat on her lap, sitting down uncomfortably on one of the spartan armchairs in Etlinde’s office. “There’s a plague going through my ranks, a severe one.” Etlinde explained, after her soldiers had excused themselves. “A plague? I thought your soldiers were immune to disease.” Cosette asked. “So did I, but this is some sort of new ill. It’s not a chemical weapon–it’s a natural virus that selectively targets humans with the genetic patterns my forces possess.” “Ah, so Tania is back.” Cosette noted, remembering the girl who had caused her some trouble recently. “Cousin Nateel beat her back quite soundly only a few weeks ago. It surprises me to see her here so soon.” “The next generation of soldiers will be immune to this disease too, ready in a month’s time.” Etlinde explained, “but that’s not fast enough–the Thule warn me that an attack from Tania is imminent.” “So how do I play into your plan?” “I would like you to use a ritual to banish the spirit of the plauge, giving my forces a fighting chance against her. I’m confident that at even 70% of full capability, we can rout her completely.” “I see. The ritual takes time. Give me three days, and it will be done.” Cosette noted. “Though, its far easier for me to make your fallen soldiers get up and fight again.” “That would be rather devastating for morale.” Etlinde refused. “Suit yourself.” --- “So, you received the samples?” "I received all sorts of samples. Eckhart is an interesting girl indeed.” Narshe gave a sly smile. ”Don’t defile this holy place with talk of your perverse hobbies.” Cosette waved her away. She had been sitting in a ring of mystic circles for the past few hours, completing the last of the ritual to call the spirit. The smell of intoxicating incense filled the room, accented by dim candlelight to make the entire place dreamlike. ”As mistress commands.” Narshe grasped under one arm a case of glass bottles, which were filled with pulsating lights of various colors. Cosette took a deep breath of the incense that filled the room, and let out a horrific scream–deep, infernal, and painful. Narshe fell to the ground clasping her ears in pain, and almost dropping her samples in the process. ”Get back.” A murderous, dark voice seemed to echo from the area around Cosette, as a grouop of soldiers, alarmed at the noise, entered unexpectedly. Bracing themselves, they took another step forward. “I order you to remove yourselves!” The voice shouted. Gritting their teeth against whatever monster they imagined to be there, they stepped forward again, the first one crossing the outer boundary of Cosette’s circle. “No! Narshe yelled, as the man’s entire body withered and turned to dust in an instant. The other two’s eyes widened, and they evacuated the room in haste. The swirling mist all around Cosette spun and collected into a semi-humanoid creature. The being growled in something like the sound of a blighting wind or a swarm of locusts, but did not move. “Be now bound to this form, and through life, and through death.” The voice surrounding Cosette spoke, and the plauge-spirit’s form coalesced into a more solid state. Voices seemed to chant from everwhere, as Cosette, dressed in some sort of ceremonial robes, stood, and unsheathed a decorated dagger from her sleeve. With an ornate wave of her hand, she placed the dagger into the chest of the spirit with both hands. “Be purged from this world, anathema.” The voices around Cosette chanted rhythmically, growing louder and more angry with each second. With a hideous howl of pain, the spirit dwindled down into nothing, puffing out of existence in a plume of vile smoke. Cosette’s form dropped to its knees, exhausted, and Narshe stepped into the circle to catch her as she fell. “Mistress, are you alright?” Narshe tried to fan the girl with her hands, but only put more smoke into her face. “Tell cousin Etlinde that all is well.” Cosette’s glassy eyes slipped shut, and she fell soundly asleep. --- Cosette awoke to the sound of battle. Well, one side of a battle. Soldiers were rusing around outside, and the sound of bullets and bombs fileld the air. ”You’ve awakened.” Etlinde was with her. “Tania’s first assault has arrived, but we seem to have a strong advantage over them.” "Naturally. You have weapons.” Cosette sat up, looking around. She was in a canopy bed, probably Etlinde’s suite, in the bunker beneath the base. ”I need to go to the command center, I was just checking in on you.” The Fuhrer explained, standing to leave. ”I’ll just wait here. The battlefield is no place for a noblewoman, after all. Have Narshe bring me some tea.” --- Etlinde was already gone. A herd of rhinoceros trampled the earth, tearing down brush and charging toward Etlinde’s base. Straight in their path, heavily armed soldiers fired automatic guns from a trench, mowing down the thick skinned creatures with decent efficiency. Behind the stampeding herd, a single girl stood, dressed in dirty, torn shamaness’s garb. Her skin was dark, and her jewelry was crafted of bone and untempered metals. Raising both hands, the earth seemed to rumble around her, pressing toward the trench like a wave. With a crunching sound, the trench began to squeeze shut, and Etlinde’s soldiers were buried alive with their heavy gear, unable to escape. The few that made it out were run down by the stampeding herds, which were advancing far too quickly upon the center of the base. ”Kriegger, the tank unit?” Etlinde stood in her command post beneath the center of the base, watching the battle above on a large moniter that covered a wall of the room. ”Ready at your command, Mein Fuhrer.” A decorated general stepped out of the room. ”Eckhart, are preparations complete?” “We stand ready.” The taller woman nodded. Above on the surface, a batallion of tanks rushed out, firing in turn at the group of stampeding rhino. Taking down several a shot, they were rapidly clearing out the herd. Just when things were beginning to turn in the favor of the soldiers, however, vines snaked up from the ground, quickly climbing around, upon, and inside the slow moving tanks, locking them in place. At about this moment, there was a ripple in time and space, and what appeared to be some kind of gate broke open through the air above Tania and her forces of nature. Meteors rained down from the sky, burning apart the earth, crushing animals and blistering plants into ash. Tania herself began to walk forward past the ranks of her dying forces. Her very presence seemd to heal their wounds and grant them incredible strength, as they rose up, regenerated their flesh, and began to move with her once more as a group. Cosette entered Etlinde’s command post, a glassy look in her eyes. “Oh, she looks like she wants to talk.” The familiar pungent scent of Ritherwhyte hung in the air around her, as she took a breath from her slender pipe. “I think not.” Etlinde sniffed. “And we have sensitive equipment in here.” “I’m sure you do.” Cosette crowed “Let me go speak to her then.” “That’s hardly necessary.” Etlinde smiled, looking up at the clock on the wall of the command room. “Time’s up.” The whole room shook as a heavy bomb exploded outside, followed by another and another. A heavy troop of bombers soared overhead, and masses of soldiers mounting all-terrain vehicles rode out to catch Tania in a pincer movement. “Today we’ll be rid of this menace once and for all.” Etlinde smirked. “Those aren’t your troops though.” Cosette looked closely at the screen. “They’re mercenaries,” a voice spoke from the back of the room, “courtesy of the Babylon Foundation.” “Lydia?” Cosette was suddenly looking the other direction. “It’s been awhile, Cosette.” Lydia spoke. She was a little taller than Cosette, and her body was covered with expensive silks, gold, and jewelry. Cosette did a quick assessment, and concluded that Lydia must have enough money to buy a decent-sized country ornamenting her person. She was of middle-eastern descent, and her face was veiled from below the eyes. The smell of lavish perfumes exuded from her form. “I think you can appreciate the cause of not simply routing Tania, but destroying her for good.” Etlinde explained. “So I requested cousin Lydia’s assistance.” “Is that so? So my role was a more minor one.” Cosette leaned against a wall of the room. “Not wholly.” Etlinde explained reaching for her pistol. “You still have one very important thing to do, cousin.” A group of soldiers stepped into the room, drawing their weapons and leveling them at Cosette. “Oh, so soon?” Cosette laughed. “I thought you would have found a more opportune time to kill me.” “Think of it as the cost of doing business, Cosette.” Lydia smiled. “And you presume to kill me?” Cosette took another breath from her pipe. “Etlinde. Die.” The fuhrer eyes widened, and her body tensed. Lifelessly she dropped to the ground. “I’m not so easy to kill either, cousin.” Etlinde stepped forward from the group of soldiers, dressed in the uniform of a common infantryman. Beneath her feet was the corpse of a soldier who had just been killed. Cosette could see that his death had been substituted for hers. She picked up her pistol from the soldier wearing her uniform, and levelled it at Cosette. “Oh dear…” Cosette smiled again, looking at the clock. ”As it happens, I have business elsewhere.” She stepped back through the wall, which made a way for her into Narshe’s quarters and closed just as soon. “Narshe, time to go.” “So quickly?” Narshe asked. “I was just getting settled in.” “Now.” Cosette’s glassy eyes had a dim red glow behind them, and Narshe knew it was not a time to ask questions. Piling her bags together with the case of samples, she and Cosette fled through the base, Cosette opening up the way, as they narrowly dodged groups of soldiers. Outside, the battle was drawing to a close, with Tania standing between only a small pack of creatures, which were rapidly falling before enemy attack. Cosette and Narshe slipped through the lines of battle, bullets dodging Cosette’s body in fear of punishment should they harm her, and passing through Narshe’s mist form completely. Finally, they pressed through to Tania, who was saying what appeared to be a last prayer to whatever being it was she followed. “You?” The shamaness spoke a tribal language, and Cosette managed to understand her by the spiritual force of her words, not by their pronunciation. “We both need each other’s help.” Cosette explained, speaking in the language of trees, as best she could remember it. “I can kill you now.” Tania drew a knife from her robes. “So you can, but the law of nature is survival. Kill me, and you’re doomed as well.” “What can you do for me?” “Protect me. My army arrives any minute.” Lydia’s mercenaries and Etlinde’s troops halted in fear, as the sun above them slowly turned black, casting an eerie glow across the battlefield. In the silence as they ceased firing, a rumble sounded from deep beneath the earth. “Come unto me, fallen. Let your malice be consummated at my command!” Cosette raised both hands, and the earth burst open. Etlinde’s fallen soldiers rose up, fully armed, along with a hoarde of mercenaries and animals to match the living in equal number. The earth rumbled even more, and a tidal wave of sand and dirt shot up into the air, as Tania, Cosette, and Narshe overlooked the battlefield from the shoulders of a twenty story giant–a creature out of legend. “Take us to safety.” Tania whispered in its ear, and the creature began to trample back across Lydia’s troops, led by Cosette’s undead forces. Tania heaved a heavy sigh and sat down as she saw the battle falling behind them. Cosette, exhausted as well from the magnitude of the spell she had cast, leaned over on Narshe. “The Great Beast despises you, but I respect your power.” Tania noted. “We were enemies before, but perhaps we can find some peace.” “You were of use today, don’t presume more than that. If you are against me tomorrow, expect nothing.” “I understand, and agree.” Tania consented. “But I will pray to the Beast that you are not my enemy for many moons hence.” “Do as you wish. Perhaps you will continue to be useful to me as well.” Cosette drifted to sleep in exhaustion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 6:17 pm
Loved it! You've a gift, KK.
Love and Vale,
-LD
P. S. Go back and make sure you've spelled Fuhrer correctly. That's all for critiques.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 9:52 pm
Many thanks, especially for catching that spelling error. Glad you're enjoying the story! You know, one of the fun parts of Dark Magical Orchestra is all the references and things left unsaid. Since the stories are short, I try to put in a little extra for people looking for it... References like The Domesday Clock, House Al-Sabah (Lydia's Family), and even minor characters like Thule Chairwoman Kartika Eckart, have interesting hidden histories to their origins. I hope that the story deepens for readers as you look for more of these kinds of references in the coming chapters. Off topic, Disgaea is indeed an awesome game. Have you gotten to the sequel? I have to say I liked it even better than the first one. biggrin
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2007 2:54 pm
Hmm, you've researched this quite a bit, haven't you? Kudos!
And yes, I did get to the second game, and I really liked it--Rozalin and Adell must be the power couple of the century--and the ending slowly crept up on me. I like it when I get my suspicions confirmed.
Did you figure out that Mid-Boss is actually Laharl's father? That one took me a while to figure out.
Love and Vale,
-LD
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2007 10:42 pm
I realized it when I fought him in heaven, but not before that. I didn't ever get the ending where he reveals himself completely though. It's a shame.
Anyway, I'll go ahead and post part 5 of the story. Here's where we start to get into the real background story--the one that runs through the other short stories as a kind of recurring theme...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2007 10:58 pm
Thanks to everyone keeping up with the story, Hope you're enjoying it!
Dark Magical Monoliths
Cosette Garidion sat listlessly upon the balcony of Villa Vivikadvra, sipping some tea and looking out over the forest that surrounded the place--an island of civilization in a wild land, miles from the nearest other human soul.
"I've been thinking, Narshe," Cosette began, not looking over to her servant who was enjoying tea with her, "there's far too much action in my life recently. I've made some enemies, and no real allies."
"Indeed you have, mistress. I wouldn't be surprised if cousin Lydia decides to bomb the villa any day now." Narshe noted, without a hint of fear in her voice.
"You sound pretty relaxed about that." Cosette sneered. "Maybe they'll just rain holy water on us instead."
Narshe's eyes got a little wider. "That's..."
"Forget it. I would foresee anything like that." Cosette looked down into the leaves of her tea, then at a flock of birds overhead. "We're quite obviously in no danger at all."
"That's a relief." The vampire sat back in her chair, taking another draft of tea.
"For long term developments however, it's good to have strong alliances."
Narshe looked out over the forests. The moon was faintly visible in the deep blue afternoon sky--a sky untainted by smoke or pollution. One so pure it seemed to dome over the earth and touch down at the edges of sight, where one could touch it with a hand if he were to walk the distance. "And so you have something in mind?"
"I've sent a letter to cousin Nateel. I was hoping she would allow us to visit for a bit, and thereby strengthen our standing goodwill."
"Ah, you always did get along with Nateel best." Narshe reminisced, "birds of a feather, I suppose."
"Perhaps that's so." Cosette mused. "At any rate, be ready to go when the reply comes. Don't start anything that can't be finished within the next two days."
"As it happens, I'm already in the middle of a 3 week project." Narshe sighed, "as much as I would like to see Nateel once again, it seems that I'm occupied."
Cosette sighed. "Fine, I suppose Hylie can come. I'd like some protection at any rate--not a mist that will breeze away at the first spark of danger."
"That's me," Narshe smiled. She set down her empty teacup, and snapped into a red mist, breezing back to her laboratory.
---
Hylie and Cosette sat in their train car, heading east on the Orient Express toward Istanbul, where they would hire a private plane to carry them into the mountains or Northern India, where the reclusive Nateel kept her residence.
A knock sounded on the door to the train compartment, and just as Cosette was about to say "come in", the door slipped open anyway, to reveal the same hooded figure who had accosted them on their previous train ride.
"Lord Knale!" Hylie fell down and buried her face on the ground before her master.
"Don't presume to speak my name, slave." Knale nudged her away with a foot as she stepped past to sit beside Cosette.
"It seems you have some fascination with trains." Cosette gave the demon a flat stare, as Knale removed her hood to reveal her beautiful features.
"I do. I do." Knale Sye Kolor, grand high overlord of the pit, ran a slender hand across the windowsill of Cosette's private compartment. "In hell, I'm usually carried on a palanquin by my slaves, but this is so much more comfortable, and faster too. I'm thinking of building my own private rail, sometime in the future."
"How soon does that happen?"
"Oh, maybe a hundred years? It depends largely on how our affairs settle, to be quite honest." She nodded to Cosette. "I saw that you caused quite a clamor down in South America. Making enemies right and left, aren't you?"
"It's the duty of rulers to have the most bitter enemies." Cosette looked disinterestedly out of her window.
"I assure you, I know more than anyone." Knale sighed, looking out over the scenery herself. "But the strong rulers are defined by their allies, not their enemies."
"If you see some benefit for yourself in my future, that's well and good." Cosette's voice became less polite. "But I make no alliances with devils."
"You don't need to fear that, little empress." Knale gave Cosette a look that might have been annoyance. "Our situation hasn't changed, and you're doing admirably. I've come today to tell you a little bit more about the world. You see, I'm not the only one who is vying for control of the next age. There are other forces at work in this world, each with vastly different ideas about the kind of future that should be brought about."
"I'm listening." Cosette sat back, doing her best to continue looking bored.
"Tania, the girl you saved the other day--she spoke about a 'Great Beast', did she not? This is one of the entities working towards a different future than the one I have in mind. Most of the kinds of forces I'm speaking about are rallying vast powers and generals upon this earth, where their full strength cannot manifest. They intend to fight a secret war that will determine the outcome of the next age."
"So we're just gamepieces you and your rivals are throwing around?" Cosette leaned forward. "Are you trying to insult me?"
"Not in the least, my dear." Knale laughed a good-hearted laugh. "I just want you to know--the gods your cousin Nateel serves are my rivals as well, so is Lydia's Babylon Foundation, and Archeme's Domesday Clock. Regardless of your personal alliances or rivalries, your relationships will change with our alliances, and you may be forced to work alongside those you don't necessarily like, and against those you thought friends."
"And if I refuse to be your pawn?"
"You have little choice. I chose you because I don't need to control you. Your personality is really quite like mine. You'll do what I intend for you to do, because its what will make the most sense to you."
Cosette brooded for a moment, then Knale broke the silence by turning to Hylie. "Askimilar, Happy Birthday."
"It's my birthday?" Hylie looked a little confused, then a look like a light turning on spread across her features. "That's right. I'm two thousand nine hundred and forty two today."
"Congratulations." Cosette said flatly. "And you still look so young."
"This is a little present Valdimap asked me to bring you. Says it should raise your spirits a bit." The demon lord reached beneath her cloak, and withdrew a large blue bottle of something, apparently ice cold since it was covered with frost. The blue glass was blown to have what appeared like a screaming face on it. She tossed the bottle to Hylie, who caught it, eyes wide with glee.
"Thank you, my lord." Hylie bowed once more, hugging the bottle tightly. "It's good to have a taste of home. These weak mortal drinks are disgusting. Tell Valdimap that I'll relish this."
"I shall. Hope you don't mind, but I had a bit of it on my way up here as well. It is a terribly long trip."
"But of course, my lord." Hylie's eyes were beaming.
"I have a little token for you as well, my dear." Knale smiled kindly as she reached into her cloak again and withdrew an old fashioned, highly decorated key, tied upon a string. "This is the original Key of Solomon, the one I gave him several thousand years ago. The book of the same name is a replica of the powers this key contains, but it has nowhere near the potency of the original. As long as you hold this, the demons which serve me will follow you unquestioningly."
Eyeing the key carefully, Cosette reached out and took it once she was sure that it bore no curses. "I should say thank you, but I'm the one doing you the favors."
"Quite so. Well then, I must be going. Things to do, things to do." Knale laughed, and stood. "Take care of my pawn for me, Askimilar. You will be rewarded well."
"As you wish, my lord." The Destroyer bowed as her master left.
Uncorking the bottle, there was a small wheezing sound, almost like a soft scream, and Hylie tipped the bottle up to her lips, taking a long drink. A confounded look spread across her features. Cosette smirked.
"Empty?" Hylie shook the bottle once or twice, and a single drop of liquid fell from its neck and onto the carpet of the train car.
"Betrayal of your expectations," Cosette laughed, "that's indeed the taste of hell."
"Rahhh!" Hylie yelled, and slammed a fist to the ground, leaving a large dent in the floor of the train.
---
"Welcome to Istanbul, Miss Garidion." An voice spoke in a heavy middle eastern accent, as the snap of a gun cocking rang through the air. A cold piece of steel pressed against the girl's temple, as a man in a military uniform accosted her while she stepped off of the train.
"What manners. This is Lydia's doing?" Cosette sighed, "I have pressing business, and no time for charades."
"You'll be coming with me to the station, criminal." The man shoved her roughly toward a wall, and pulled a pair of handcuffs from his belt.
A hand grabbed him from behind and spun him around. Now he faced down Hylie, her shiny white teeth combined with the fire in her green eyes to make her a fearsome sight. "It seems there's a problem, officer... yours." She grabbed the gun, and it crushed in her one hand like an overripe peach, dropping it to the ground as a pile of ruined steel and grease.
The man tried to step back, but Hylie grabbed him by the collar, holding him fast. By this time a small crowd was forming at the spectacle, and Cosette could see more officers walking over from the distance.
"Don't cause a scene, Hylie." Cosette commanded, and the destroyer dropped the man in a heap at her feet. The aristocrat stepped over him and looked down, her sharp golden eyes meeting his. She whispered quietly, "clean this up, or your entire family will be dead by this time tomorrow." Something flashed through her eyes, and the security officer had to choke back a yelp of terror as he stood shakily and did his best to clear out the crowd.
"That was a decent display of evil, mortal. I'll concede a slight admiration for you." Hylie retrieved their luggage, and rejoined Cosette, who was quickly hailing a cab.
"Of course, Lydia will be on the lookout for both of us. You may need to protect me again at the airfield." The young empress ignored her servant as she boarded the cab, speaking the directions to the airfield in her fluent Arabic.
The two of them arrived at the airfield with little incident, and Cosette led her servant to an old, empty hanger, with a small room situated at the back. Lights were on in the room, and Cosette stepped up and gave a smart knock to the door.
From the room emerged a middle-aged, clean-shaven German man dressed in an aviator's jacket and goggles, adorned with a red scarf and several medals. "Hello, Baron." Cosette nodded.
"Ah, Lady Garidion." The man bowed a deep bow. "I've prepared for the trip as you requested, but there have been... ehem... complications."
"I noticed the lack of a plane--a critical piece of our arrangement." Cosette put her hands on her hips and surveyed the hanger
"It seems as though the security forces intercepted some of my mail." The Baron spoke in a thick German accent, "and they confiscated my plane. Apparently you have become... hm... well-known... at least here in Istanbul."
"It's a mere annoyance." Cosette waved a hand. A simple Rite of Obfuscation could erase every picture and printed record of her existence as soon as she returned home to use the proper tools. Perhaps she could even borrow Nateel's... "I did foresee these circumstances. Did you follow all of my instructions, Baron?"
"As you instructed, I painted the seal in a hidden place on the plane." The Baron nodded.
"Excellent, then we have no problem at all." Cosette stepped out of the office and attempted to pick up a heavy 4 foot stake of wood leaning against the wall. After a few seconds of futile efforts, she turned to Hylie. "Slave, I want you to carve this diagram on the ground of the hanger." She made a simple motion with her hands in the air.
Looking outside, Cosette noticed that their taxi driver had not left, but seemed to be having a heated discussion with someone at a nearby phone booth. "And make it fast, there will be trouble soon." She added to Hylie. Cosette's mouth moved in a few silent words, and the taxi driver gripped his throat, struck mute.
Hylie finished carving the diagram in the floor of the hanger, and Cosette stood before it.
"Let's hope your drafting skills are sharp, Baron." She raised both arms, and spoke words in a language no one understood. The earth before her glowed and seemed to twist and coil in unnatural patterns. As her chanting rose and her voice grew deeper and raspy, an airplane rose out of the dirt, filling the hanger once more.
"Ah, she is back!" The man exclaimed, arms wide. "Thanks to you, Lady Garidion."
"No trouble, Baron. It was my fault after all, no?" Cosette made a motion with her head from Hylie to the plane, and the Destroyer began loading luggage into the small passenger area. In the distance, the sound of engines drawing near rang through the air. "Hylie," Cosette snapped her fingers as the last bit of luggage was loaded. "Go and break some things for me."
"As you wish, master." Hylie's eyes burned with vicious glee. She walked out of the hanger and towards the three approaching cars, which seemed to have the intention of running her down. As the car was just about to collide with her, Hylie reeled back and threw a single punch at it, flipping it over and landing it on top of another car. The Destroyer clapped her hands once and yelled a single word "Burn!" as both cars exploded into flame.
Three men leaned out of the windows of the final car, toting machine guns. They ignored Hylie, and swerved around her to begin firing at the hanger.In response to this, the demon stretched out both of her arms, and the bullets seemed to pause in the air and turn to dust as they passed by her. Bringing her arms together, she clapped her hands again and yelled a Daemonic word that cannot be perfectly translated, but means something similar to "utter and irreparable annihilation." Before the men in the car knew what was happening, they and their car were a smoldering pile of dust.
The propeller of the Baron's plane turned once, and again as the engine sputtered to life. A rising dust in the distance foreshadowed the arrival of more cars, and the plane was rolling out of its hanger, ready to take off. Cosette made another motion to Hylie, who hopped onto the plane in mid-motion. Within a few more seconds, the three of them were off the ground and soaring above the clouds, oblivious to the sounds of vain shooting below.
---
The plane settled down on a remote runway near Tibet a few hours later, and the Baron awoke Cosette. "We've arrived at your destination, Lady Garidion."
Yawning and stretching a bit in the cramped passenger compartment, Cosette stood and stepped out of the plane.
"Give my regards to your mother." The baron said. "It's only thanks to her that I'm here today."
"Alas," Cosette sighed, "It seems my mother has already left on a journey she won't be returning from. After four years, there is still no trace or word from her."
"She was a great woman, I'm confident that she is well, wherever she may be." The Baron said without a tinge of doubt in his heavily accented voice.
"Well, I thank you for your assistance this time as well, Baron." Cosette opened her purse, and handed some notes to the pilot.
"It's my pleasure to serve my lady." He bowed and accepted the payment gratefully. "I shall wait here for your return."
Hylie finished unloading their belongings, and Cosette led her to the exit of the airfield, where a group of robed figures awaited them.
"Cousin Nateel, its been too long." Cosette smiled a warm smile.
"Ah Cosette, a sight for sore eyes indeed." The tallest figure in the group threw back its hood to reveal a spindly, long-faced woman of Asian descent. Her skin was soft and dark, contrasting smoothly with her shoulder length black hair, which fell across her face to cover one eye. She stepped forward and embraced Cosette, the two of them kissing one another on the cheek affectionately. "How long has it been? Four years?"
"Four years. A long time to leave someone you grew up beside." Cosette released her cousin.
"As you can see, I've become some sort of demagogue in the past few years. After mother left, I retreated here to become an ascetic, but pupils began flocking to me one by one..." Nateel looked back at the twenty hooded figures following her. "These are only a few of our new initiates at the monastery. It's only a little ways ahead, if you'll accompany us."
Cosette looked back to Hylie, who nodded, and entrusted their luggage to Nateel's trainees. Together, the group of them trudged about a mile through the light snow, moving slightly slower on Cosette's account. Apparently long hikes did not agree with her too kindly.
When they reached the monastery, they were all treated to a relaxing hot bath, and a short rest in snug yet hospitable quarters reserved for monestary guests. After relaxing a bit, Nateel brought some herbal tea to Cosette's room, and the two sat for several hours recounting their adventures and catching up on lost time.
"Cosette, there is something I wish to show you." Nateel spoke at last, in a more serious tone. "Will you come with me?"
"Of course, but why so dark all of a sudden? You cannot simply tell me about it?" Cosette pulled the robe she had been given a bit tighter. The walls of the stone monastery were not so effective at resisting the cold of a Tibetan winter.
"It is something you can really only understand once you see." Nateel stood, and taking the arm of her distant cousin, led her down several flights of steps and down a few dark catacombs. When they reached a dead end, the aesthetic touched a secret switch somewhere in the wall, and a door opened to reveal a wide chamber before the two of them.
A strange violet light radiated throughout the chamber, and its source was immediately evident. In the center of the domed room, a pedestal stood. On that pedestal, there hovered a device, something out of the stｒangest science fictions Cosette had ever heard of. It consisted of several spheres of what appeared be mercury, orbiting a central needle, which continually moved and transformed its shape. The spheres also seemed to twist, grow, and churn in unnatural and nonsensical ways. As she stepped forward in wonder, she found the device to be wholly two dimensional, as her view of the thing did not change at any angle.
"What in the world..." Cosette said softly.
"I discovered it when I first came here, and built this monastery around it. It's called a monolith. A fallen star. A device by which gods communicate their will to men."
"That's..." Cosette reached out to touch it gingerly, but it seemed to stay a constant distance away from her.
"It doesn't seem to like you." Nateel shrugged. "I still don't understand it myself, but I can feel it speak to me, somehow. Like I've become its voice to the world."
"Archeme..." Cosette murmured.
"Our old playmate Archeme?" Nateel asked. "What about her?"
"Her father went insane several years ago, and built a device--the Domesday Clock--with the power to destroy the world. The heart of that device was another machine he had found--a machine he too described as a Monolith." Cosette still spoke softly, as though something were caught in her throat.
"You think this is something like that?" Nateel found herself whispering too, in response to her cousin. "No, that couldn't be..."
Cosette suddenly grabbed her cousin's shoulders, and looked up into her black eyes. "Nateel. Something is happening--turning us against one another. This is the same manner of thing which took hold of Archeme... Nateel," Cosette gripped her cousin's shoulders and shook her a bit. "Don't turn against me! Don't betray me!" Her eyes were glistening wet.
Nateel smiled and wrapped her arms around her younger cousin. "Don't worry about a thing, cousin. I'll stand beside you against the very face of god, if the need arises. Never doubt that for a second."
"Thank you..." Cosette looked up into the ascetic's face, beaming.
Nateel smiled back warmly. Behind them both, the otherworldly mechanism continued to transform and remake itself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 12:42 am
Wo-ow.... I'm impressed. Really, really impressed. One thing though--some of the htmal coding you used didn't work. Run through and clean some of it up.
Love and Vale,
-LD
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 8:12 am
Thanks for catching that. I cut and paste these right off of my wordpress site, so sometimes I miss conversions in the HTML.
As for the next story, I'll try to post it tomorrow (though like always, you can peek ahead at the website ^_^). After story seven (finished yesterday), the first "Symphony" of DMO draws to a close--that is, what might constitute a complete arc of short stories. The next set, starting from chapter 8, should build up to another similar climax story after seven or so more chapters. At least, that's my general format plan for the series at the moment. Any opinion?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 12:02 pm
Different, but if you pull it off--and it seems like you could--it could really draw people into the storyline like a linear story can't.
Love and Vale,
-LD
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:01 pm
Sixth Movement -- Dark Magic and Old Acquaintances
" Arise" Cosette's voice rasped, as a score of banes--creatures forged of living hate--rose from the ground before her. She seemed physically drained by the single word. Winded, she slumped down and pointed a finger toward the North of the desolate grove where she stood. " Go." "Mistress, you're pushing yourself too hard!" Narshe fawned, offering her a cup of tea. The girl growled angrily, smashing the cup from Narshe's hands. It shattered upon the rocky ground of the old holy place. "We're falling behind! Have you prepared the Rite of Shields?" Cosette breathed again deeply, noticeably fatigued. "Yes, it's waiting on you. But mistress, your energy..." "I won't let them defile this site--it's too close to the villa." Cosette pointed to Narshe. "I want you to prepare your spells and ghouls and stand ready at defense of the site! Tell Hylie to continue pressing the attack with the banes!" She shouted, stepping into the center of a diagram of several interlocking rings Narshe had prepared. "And don't call me mistress!" She tacked on as an afterthought. How had Archeme managed to get an entire battalion of troops so deep into her territory? How had she not seen them coming? Getting from England to Romania requires a bit of time, but the birds, the cards, and even her scrying had shown no traces of invasion until only a few hours before. It was a complete surprise attack, and Cosette was losing pace. Not only were Archeme's troops powerful, and outfitted with excellent weaponry, but they seemed quite impervious to her magics. There was nothing to do but fight them head-on, it seemed. " Souls fallen from light to writhe in eternal torment, call from within your shattered pride! Make it once more whole, and bind it about your neck and loins! Let it become a bucker upon your arms and a helm upon your brow! For the cause I vest in you, serve me with all your might!" Cosette's voice boomed in an infernal tone, and the circles began to brighten and shift, growing from the ground and towering into the sky, flooding over the area in a wash of violet light like a thunderbolt rising from earth into heaven. Further forward on the field, that same violet light surrounded Hylie and all of the banes around her, locked in intense combat with soldiers that seemed to be completely robotic. As the light fused into her bones, Hylie felt even more invincible than before. With one kick she turned a wave of earth upon itself, burying Archeme's soldiers within it. With Cosette's ritual magic flowing in their veins, her banes were holding their own now, and beginning to push back, overwhelming the mechanical soldiers against which they fought. Already deep in the middle of enemy forces, Hylie and her soldiers pushed onward. After a long fight, she could finally see Archeme, standing before what appeared like a large antennae, and surrounded by troops of robotic minions. Hylie cracked her knuckles, feeling the power of the ritual burning within her. Charging ahead of her own troop, she dashed ahead, swinging her fists to each side, sweeping three or four enemy soldiers into dust with the invisible forces of power and destruction that surrounded her every attack. Archeme's eyes widened a bit, as she saw the Destroyer approach, and more as she saw her defenders being laid to waste left and right. She quickly ducked behind the large antennae-like device and began manipulating some sorts of controls upon it. Leaping into the air, Hylie pulled one fist back to make her final blow and destroy the contraption. Air swam around her unnaturally as her daemonic powers congealed into a vorpal mass of destructive energy around her hand. Just as the final blow was about to land, a metallic Clang! rang through the air, and Hylie's entire body was thrust aside, landing in a head on the ground several yards away. Old Jake stood over her, one fist still outstretched. The metal man tipped his hat up to Hylie with a nod, then motioned with two fingers for her to stand. The Destroyer was sure that her jaw would have been broken, but for the power of Cosette's spell defending her. Confident in herself, while both enraged and thrilled at the challenge offered, she stood and bared her teeth at him, raising both hands in a ready position. Jake charged forward, remarkably quick despite his stiff form. He dropped down and slid under her initial swing, propelled back to standing by his momentum. Spinning around, he threw a side kick into Hylie, who turned just in time to block the attack in one outstretched palm. Hylie smiled, gripping his foot tightly and ready to tear it out, while Old Jake's features remained frozen in cast metal. Several long spikes shot from the soles of his feet, piercing through her hands and eliciting a howl of rage from the demon, ignoring pain, Hylie cried out something in daemonic tongue, as she pulled Jake's entire body into the air and smashed it upon the hard ground. There was a clashing of metal, and a few sparks blazed from his hands and face as he hit the ground, but any damage seemed superficial. "Think you're made of pretty stern stuff?" Hylie raised one foot into the air, and dropped her entire weight into one heel, smashing it into Jake's back. The robotic man's body shuddered and sparked, eventually freezing up as the red glow in his eyes dimmed to what must be 'standby'. Hylie gave him another stomp for good measure. "You'll look nice hung up in my trophy case in hell. Quite nice indeed." As she was about to turn back to Archeme and her device, a column of thin green light spiked down from the sky, striking both her and the machine she stood behind. In a flash of light, both of them dematerialized and vanished. Hylie shouted in rage, looking about the field of battle. Similar bolts of light were snapping up her soldiers--both the functional and the destroyed. Taking them back for repairs? Hylie thought. Like hell she'll take my trophy! She stepped over Old Jake's body, just as the light to take him shot down from the sky. In a flash, Hylie Mignon vanished. ----- Narshe looked over the collection of parts and robotics strewn across her workbench. She had found and retrieved the body of Old Jake after the battle--the only one of Archeme's troops left behind in the fight. Hylie's absence had yet to be accounted for, but with one beam for each of Archeme's retrieved soldiers, the remains of Old Jake gave her some clue as to the demon's fate. As she was pondering what to do, Cosette walked in, dressed in long housecoat, and smoking from her long pipe. The thick smell of Ritherwhyte hung in the air around her, distorting it slightly. "And what have we here?" Cosette asked, in a sleepy sounding voice that didn't seem to come from anywhere in particular. "It's Jakob." Narshe looked over the scrapped parts on the table, "the soul is the same... but what's happened to him?" "Doubtless Archeme did that to him." Cosette shrugged. "And what do you want to do, Mistress? Revive him?" Narshe asked. "Hm... I'll bring him back enough to speak. Perhaps he'll be able to tell us some stories, like he used to so long ago..." Cosette smiled, tracing out the sigil for a ritual of resurrection with one hand in the air... -----
September 1945 , Villa Vivikadvra, Romania... "With the war finally over, we decided that it would be safe to return here." An elderly English gentleman spoke to a middle-aged woman, sitting together in the villa's study. He was dressed in a fine suit, though his appearance was a little disheveled, as though tired from a long trip. "And Cosette was so anxious to see you again too, Rozalina. The girl was crying tears of joy when we stepped off of the train. She's certainly attached." "I was the same with my mother, Jonathan." The woman smiled and said with a laugh, "closeness to our ancestors is a trait in Garidion women, after all." She was sitting before a wall of dark old tomes of forbidden secrets, a sharp contrast to the lacy white dress she wore. He laughed in turn, as a knock sounded on the door. Narshe entered, "ah, Madam, I thought you and Lord Kalika might appreciate some refreshments?" She was carrying a tray of small cakes, which she set down upon the table between the two. "Thank you, Narshe. Are the children doing alright?" "I thought they would be tired from the train ride, but they're already rambling off in their old haunts." Narshe laughed. "The young really do have limitless energy. But don't worry, I'm keeping watch." Narshe tapped her glasses with a smile. The vampire left the room, walking back down to the foyer and out of the front door of the mansion. A clear sky shone overhead, and the voices of Cosette, Archeme, and Nateel playing off somewhere in the nearby wood could be faintly heard over the chirping of birds. "Thought your kind didn't take to all this sunshine." A man spoke to Narshe, puffing from a cigarette. "What gives?" He was wearing a long coat and hat, which he kept on despite the heat. "Well, we're alot like humans in that respect, to be honest." Narshe walked over towards him, "it really depends on complexion." "I see." The man looked Narshe up and down. She did have rather nice skin, despite being undead. "And what about you, Jakob? Afraid of a little sunlight?" Narshe snatched off his hat playfully, exposing his curly brown hair to the cool air. "I'm a'ight." He blew a puff of smoke into her face, causing her to cough twice. In the distraction, he snatched his hat back and put it back upon his head. " 'as a gift from me mum, back in the states. I 'ppreciate you not touchin' it, miss Narshe." He dropped and crushed his burnt out dogend underfoot. Jakob took a small case from his pocket and snapped it open, pulling a cigarette he had rolled himself out and placing it in his mouth. " 'ere's just no good 'bacco once you get to the mainland. Can't buy in en route--can' really get anything--damn Nazis 've ruined the whole continent. The Doc says we might stop in Berlin th'way back. Get me a chance to dance on 'itler's grave." "The world will dance with you, Jakob." Narshe sighed. She was glad to have things over, but that didn't relieve the bad memories of the conflict. She had been fighting alongside Rozalina--inspiring the spirit of the Russian Winter, while Jakob had just been watching over the girls, evacuated to England by Madam at the start of the war. "Need a light?" Narshe changed the subject. She snapped her fingers, and a small red flame hovered above them. Lighting his cigarette with a deep breath, Jakob leaned back against the side of the villa. "Nice trick. Guess magic's got some use aft'r all. 'an you teach me that one?" "I don't know," Narshe put a finger to her lips coyly, "you have to have the touch." "Think I don' have the touch, do ya?" Jakob smiled roguishly back at her. "I know a few ways to find out for su--" Narshe was cut off by Cosette's voice. "Narshe!" She was dressed like a little princess, tied up in white and pink lace. "We're going to have our tea party now!" She yelled from across the yard, where she, Nateel, and Archeme were standing, looking expectantly toward her. "'Ey now," Jakob spoke up, "fer royalty yev got pretty sloppy manners, Cosette. You three run along, can' you see Miss Narshe and I are 'avin a grown-up talk?" "Boo!" Archeme, the youngest at nine years, stuck out her tongue. "Uncle Jakob's an old fogey! I think we'll call him 'Old Jake'!" She shouted across the field, "Old Jake, Old Jake, Old Jake!" She chanted, pulling her cheeks down to mock an elderly face. Cosette chimed in too, and finally even the older Nateel joined in, laughing. "Old? Lil' brats, I'll show ya who's old!" He coughed, tossing his cigarette away. "You hol' that thought, Miss Narshe, and I'll be back aft'r takin care o' some pests." He sprinted off after the girls shouting, "Old ya say? We'll see who's old!" Narshe laughed, watching them run off as she stepped back inside the villa. The sun was starting to get to her a bit. ----- As Cosette completed her ritual, a dim light flashed to life in the machinery that was Old Jake's body. His metal mouth opened once, then again. "Good morning, Uncle Jake." Cosette sat down beside Narshe at the table, looking into the dim lights that were now his eyes. "Cosette?" Jakob's familiar voice called quietly from the slight creaking of his jaws. It seemed as though he weren't too used to speaking, at least not in this form. "I wasn't really yer uncle, ya know." "I..." Cosette was a little taken aback. "I... of course I knew that all along." "Eh, Miss Narshe's 'ere too? Back at that ol' villa, am I?" "That's right," Narshe nodded to him, "your body was destroyed in battle, so we brought you back. Well, Mistress brought you back." "Ah, fin'ly someone's mistress are ye' Cosette?" There was something like grating metal in his laugh, which was stopped only by an abrupt clang on the head from Cosette's knuckles. "It's nothing... like that..." Cosette clipped her words as she winced, nursing her bruised knuckles in her other hand. "An why's I brought back? Ain't I died enough to earn my rest?" Jakob spoke more seriously, "I been through more 'n any man ought to in a life." "We want to know about the clock." Cosette said firmly. "And Archeme?" Jakob finished her question for her. "Figured as much. Yeah, I'll tell ya a story if ya like. S'no fairy tale though, kid..." "Y'see," he began, "s'all goin well fer a few years aft'r the war. We get back to Engl'nd, get home, an all's fine--'till one day the Doc gets this package. I ain't seen what it is, but he goes 'n shuts up in his lab--don't see no one, ev'n lil' Archeme. So this goes on, and I ain't gonna raise a girl my'self--it's a dad's job ya know, 'specially with 'er mum gone." He paused. "Well, long n' short, I took a cab down to the university myself, broke in an confronted 'im 'bout it. He says 'is research is more important--and we both know how he'd dote on the girl 'afore--it was jus' out o' place. Somethin' wrong." "So what happened then?"Cosette asked, urging him on. She took another long breathe from her pipe, and blew it out over the metal man's body. Wires and devices seemed to click back into time, reconnecting, giving him a little more freedom to move. "Ugh," he managed to pull himself up to sit on the table, with a little help from Narshe. "Well, I say to 'im: 'Doc, somethin's not right.' And he says, 'it's not alright yet, but it'll be all fine soon.' 'soon?' I ask 'im, pretty confused. And then he points up to this enormous machine e's built, and goes off into some kind of rant. I don' remember every word, but sum of it was that e'd made somethin' what's going to smash the whole world up. 'The Domesday Clock' or somethin' to that extent." "That's right. He described it in his journals. But how soon? That could be any day now!" Narshe nodded. "Ey, but can I 'av a smoke before we go on? All 'is talkin's not somethin' I'm used to 'ese days." He tried to move a hand into his pocket, but his body was still not in any state for such precise motions. "They're down in that pocket." He inclined his head. Fishing through the pocket, Narshe found his old cigarette case, a little more worn and dented than she remembered it. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it on one of the Bunsen Burners nearby, placing it in Jakob's mouth. "Thank 'e, Miss Narshe." Jakob managed to speak well through the cigarette, a skill his metal body had apparently not taken from him. "So as I was sayin'... I told the Doc that he was off 'is rocker, and I grabbed hold o' the fire axe, ready to smash the thing up good. An as I'm headin' toward it, the Doc steps back, an puts his arms in front of me. I try an' push 'em away, but he's stronger all of a sudd'n. We throw a few punches, and then we're on the ground. Wrestling. I hear a gunshot, and then there's blood seeping out o' my chest. The Doc laughs, and now I'm really mad--can barely even remember it I was so gone. I rip the gun out o' is hands, put it to his head. I tell 'im he's as mad as 'itler, tell 'im I'm gonna save the world. Then I blew out 'is brains." Jakob paused, and Cosette thought she barely heard a sniffle echo deep in his throat. "I'm no 'ero, Cosette, Miss Narshe. I kill'd the Doc outta rage alone. Somethin' I can't forgive myself for." Old Jake blew a thick cloud of smoke. "Realizin' what I'd done, I wasn' quite sure what to do. Course, I was still losin' blood pretty bad, an it was gettin' hazy. Thought I'd die there sure, so I want'd to make my last act somethin' to redeem m'self. I picked up the axe again, and went at the machine best I could. Jus' as I was strikin' it, there was a bright light. Thought I was bein' burned 'live." Cosette shuddered at the thought. "So anyway," Jake continued, puffing again on his cigarette. His arms were articulate enough now that he was able to take the dogend from his mouth and tap it on the table, just in time to avoid getting ash on his ruined clothes. "I wake up, might 'av been weeks later, Acheme cryin' her eyes out over my bed at the local 'ospital. Then, jus' as I wake up, 'is b*****d young doc comes in, tells me they don't know my condition, an I'm lost for this world come a few more days. Now that's fine with me, but he says this right front o' Archeme, who's just lost 'er dad too. 'fore I can do anything, she's run out screaming." A little drip of oily liquid rolled out of his eye socket. "Apparently, she's gone down to the Doc's old lab, tryin' to find somethin' to save me. 'stead, she finds the goddamned clock. After that, she came back, rebuilt my body--no idea how she did it. S'like some sort of..." he seemed at a loss for words, "Doc called it a 'monolith' er somethin'. Anyway, Archeme 'as always good with machines like 'er dad, but this," he flexed a hand, "I don' know much 'bout science, but you don' find 'is kinda thing at the local machine shop. Since she did it tho, she's not the same girl." "So, that's it." Cosette sat back, exhaling deeply. "Well 'at's the thing." Jakob said. " it's really like she's caught b'tween two things. Some days she's mad as the Doc was that day--some days I've found her cryin' in her room, tryin' to get back to the days when you 'n Nateel were still back wi' her in the estate. Even tried to build a time machine once. Don' think the clock took to that tho'. She says it tells her how and what to make." "I see." Narshe thought aloud. "But why didn't you destroy the clock? You've been around it for years, right?" " 's not possible with this body." Jake sighed. "That damn thing an' Archeme both--they got some sort of supernat'ral power. Machine's hav' to obey em', an' that's what I am now. Evn' then, I still gotta protect Archeme-- 's all I remember how to do anymore anyways. Upset that clock, 'e might take it out on 'er." Cosette put out her pipe, and set it down upon the table. "Uncle Jake, we need to destroy the clock." "Easy talk, kid." Jakob snorted, putting out his cigarette on the table. "Last I saw it, the clock was readin' seven minutes to Midnight--don' know what that means in our time tho'." "So, are you going to fail to be a hero again?" Cosette mused, "or are you going to help us save the world?" The man's face looked at Cosette as sternly as it could through its fixed metal expression. "I'll help you save Archeme." To be continued in part 2...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
