Storm - Wolf
Faced with his current situation, Wolf recalled the storms that he had weathered to get there.
His first storm tossed the sea over his mountain home, killed many and destroyed everyone's lives. But it gave the survivors a purpose in life. United by the storm that destroyed, the survivors strived to protect what was left with everything that they had.
The second storm was a different kind of storm. Although there was no wind or rain, the sky had darkened and the light from the sun turned a deep purple. No wind or rain, but Wolf's instincts told him something was terribly wrong. The storm's true purpose was to disguise the being that took him from the place where he belonged, and threw him into a twisted game of survival.
The third storm took what seemed like years to form. For this storm to build, another group of desperate, but capable survivors banded together. Wolf had joined them in the hope that the leader had somehow inspired. Once the storm they created had picked up speed, there was no way to stop it. The world that held them prisoner showed signs that it wasn't real, and with a final push, the survivors freed themselves and others trapped in that distorted fantasy. However they soon found themselves in the middle of another storm.
Wolf had hid himself to observe the battle that raged around him, his keen senses on overload. He could smell the fear of those who were strangers to battle and tuned them out as they tried to flee. Instead he watched the ones braving the endless wave of faceless enemies. The woman that had pulled together the ragtag survivors was covering the cowards who fled, while a man was brutally slicing enemies that came from the other side. Another four of the survivors were boxed in and struggling against the mass that threatened to overcome them. Arrows and bullets from unseen snipers tore through enemies, but it another faceless monster took the fallen one's place. Wolf could smell the others fighting, but they were surrounded by too many enemies to see. Then the clouds churned and the light darkened. A low growl came from Wolf as he recognised the disguise that started the chaos. The battle hadn't stopped even with the new arrival, and Wolf's instinct kicked in as he stepped out from his observation spot. If the small resistance wanted to make it through the storm they found themselves in, they'd need all its members to take part.
With a clear leap into the fray, Wolf entered another storm.
One he hoped to come out of.
Plan B - The Bodyguards
Johannes had seven employees. He ran a business that had several hundred, but he had seven personal elite employees. Their job description was 'bodyguard', but unlike other bodyguards, not all were handpicked. In fact four had the job because they applied for it, but that didn't make them different from the three that were handpicked. One was a former family butler from Johannes' youth who knew exactly what needed to be done and how to get it done. The second youngest had was a puny male teenager who tried to pickpocket Johannes in broad daylight, while the youngest he found dressed oddly in the slums while she was a child. Their jobs included paper work, information gathering, making sure their boss slept, guarding him during important events, smuggling Intel to the Rebellion Keepers and every other odd job (including the grocery shopping).
Johannes was aware how dangerous it was to attend the political debate at the 5-star resort about the tensions in the land, but representatives from all sides were to be there on 'neutral' ground. Johannes had told his seven to not make a scene and observe everything from the shadows.
He was watching the live security feed of the bar where something was going down. His slum girl was being hounded by a high official who wasn't taking a 'no' for an answer. His thief boy had tried 'politely' to get the official away but subtle hints could only get so far. Johannes frowned at the ordeal, Plan A was to remove themselves from the problem as quietly as possible. Unfortunately the official was anything but quiet. The gathered crowd were parted as a well-built man entered the commotion, and he towered over the three. The new arrival was a guard of the official's and as hostile words were exchanged between both parties, the crowd crept further away. There was an elderly man close to the entrance; his hand hovered over a part of the wall. The moment the official's guard pushed Johannes' thief to the side the lights went off. When they came back on a few seconds later, the official and his guard were sprawled out on the floor and the two youngsters and the old man had disappeared. Johannes smiled in spite of himself and laughed.
Plan B: If they couldn't remove themselves from the problem... Remove the problem.Right! So that's it for today! Hhave a wonderful day everyone!!
Market - Vigis
Vigis loved the markets. Since she grew up on a homestead with her four older brothers and away from towns, her first market visit was a thrill. Especially when she was given her Chevalier Knight sword. She loved the smells that drifted from the stalls, the colours of fabrics that where hung up to separate the stalls and she loved the competitions that went on throughout the day. Although it took the combined strength of her mother and two eldest brothers to drag her away from the sign-up sheet.
She visited the markets in Ashlake regularly. Stalls spread down hundreds of streets, the squares were set-up for tournaments and animal stalls. Vigis helped the farmers from the outskirts travel to and from the markets in anyway she could and while at the markets she would eat her way through every stall and worked off the energy by participating in events.
But this market was different. It was as if the trouble from the Nobodies had arrived at Ashlake's front gate. It bothered Vigis that such far away trouble could effect the hustle of Ashlake's market. Everyone was on edge and there were less stalls than usual, and it seemed like everyone was prepared to pack up and go home at the slightest notice. It seemed like there was no reason for that attitude until the trouble started. The moment people were running, Vigis equipped her sword in one hand and wand in the other. A shadow towered over her, and Vigis let an ecstatic grin cross her face. She would still end up enjoying that day's market.
Vigis thought that the dragons were a nice touch to the day.
Long day - Leif
6AM - Wake up and get readyLeif looked at his wristwatch and sighed. He rechecked the notebook that had his messy handwriting for the day's activities. The stuff in the morning he normally did (and sleeping in Maths), but with a job on, it always seemed like there wasn't any time to relax. He looked at his watch again, tapped its face and slammed his head onto the table, which startled his two friends (four technically, but he could only see two at one time). It felt like he had been up for hours, but his perfectly working and correct watch told him that it was only 8:43AM.
6:30AM - Jog to gym (long route ≈ 30 minutes)
7AM - Train in gym
8AM - Shower and change for classes
8:30AM - Breakfast in common room
9AM - Classes start
9-10AM - Level A Anti-detection Training
10-11AM - History
11AM-12PM - Advanced Gym
12PM - Lunch (Meet Heath/Julie outside)
1PM - Classes resume
1-2PM - Languages
2-3PM -MathematicsNap-time
3-4PM - Team Building Exercises
4PM - Classes finish
4:05PM - Raid kitchen
4:15PM - Free time (Find Sal and ask for math notes)
5PM - Gather equipment (Make sure capsule is full of powder)
6PM - Meet up at library and go over plans
6:30PM - Leave campus
7PM - Arrive at location
7-9PM - Operation
9PM - Leave location
9-9:30PM - Weave way to rendezvous point
10PM - Arrive at campus
10:05PM - Debrief
10:30PM Have dinner in either Sal/Faith's or Heath/Julie's room
11PM - Go to bed
It was going to be a long day.
Natural - Minnta
Definition of the word 'natural' according to the Standard Human Dictionary - English Version
1. Relating to nature
2. Inborn, rather then acquired
3. Present in or produced by nature, rather then being artificial
4. A musical note that is neither sharp or flat
5. Not artificially coloured or treated
Minnta had an issue with how humans defined the word 'natural'.
1. Although she has a plant from her home planet, the nature (and the world) was destroyed twice. Once by the species that lived there when technology arrived. Second time is when it was invaded when she was just a child. Although she understands what nature is on other planets, it's always foreign to her.
2. An ability that all species have from the get-go is instinct. However, only a few species rely on it nowadays. Instinct saved Minnta many times, but marked her as an outcast from her own species. She didn't care though, she had always identified herself more Okralid anyway.
3. Total banning of artificial reproduction had been lifted by many species due to colonies being wiped off the face of the universe. Although natural reproduction was still the norm, the lift eliminated the need for it. Humans were the first to lift the ban, lowering Minnta's respect of the species to an ultimate low.
4. Music meant nothing to Minnta. It didn't help her and she didn't need it. Mechanical whirs, start-up sounds and the hum of engines were pretty much the only things she heard on a daily basis. Although with two more people on board, Minnta could hear someone singing in the morning.
5. She has no enhancements like others of her species. She'll die younger than the rest of her species, if she lives long enough. Her bones aren't altered to support things 10x her weight and she doesn't have 360 degree vision. Three of the many reasons she was forced to quit her job.
Minnta was from the most stupidest and hypocritical species she ever had the misfortune to be affiliated with. Even the other species felt sorry for her.Hmm... How was it? Enjoy it? Anyway, have a wonderful day everyone!
Minnta was 100% natural human, and that made her unnatural.
Babysitter - Salicylic
Salicylic, better known as Sal, sat in the darkened room that was barely lit by the street lamps outside. Her eyes carefully watched the wall opposite her and she sat against a mirror to avoid its reflection.
"Sally," a voice called for attention behind her like a small child would. Sal ignored it.
"Sal," the voice was stern having dropped its whiny tone. Sal still ignored it.
"Salicylic! You will look at me!" The voice shouted.
"Leave me alone Faith," Sal responded plainly and heard a huff behind her. Sal knew Faith was annoyed at the situation; Faith always needed action while Sal could sit in a spot for hours.
"We are stuck here while your partner is stealing what you have spent weeks searching for."
"Yes."
"But we could be doing that! Just the two of us, like when we were kids!"
"Stealing the cookie jar at home and stealing a dangerous, overpowered sword from a guarded museum are two completely different things," Sal explained to what she knew was deaf ears.
"Same principle..." Faith muttered and then spoke up, "Better than babysitting."
Sal sighed, but continued to watch the wall opposite that had three security guards tied up together. Gathering intelligence, formulating plans and, as Faith put it, babysitting were Sal's best assets on a heist that she could do by herself.
"I hate you," Faith commented bluntly only for Sal to shrug the statement off. She was used to Faith's harsh comments in an attempt to provoke her since the two grew up together. They stopped getting to her years ago.
"I finished reading that book you've been saving time for," Faith said, "and Raven is actually-"
"Don't tell me!" Sal yelled angrily and quickly tried to compose herself, but it was too late. The next moment, Sal saw Faith sitting in front of her.
"Ah~! My turn!" Faith stood up and stretched her limbs out. Although the shape grew into what looked like a young adult, and the curves and hair colour changed, it was still technically Sal's body. It just changed to Faith's when Sal got emotional (which is why she still hadn't finished reading the book). The two were completely different people, and unfortunately, they shared the same body. Sal watched from the mirror as Faith started to walk towards the main exhibition of the building. Sal berated herself for falling for that trick again.
"Oh!" Faith stopped and pulled something out of Sal's, now stretched pant pockets. She examined it and after a brief think over, opened it. A white powder covered Faith and Sal smiled from her mirror prison. Faith tried so very hard to not do what Sal was hoping for. She tried so, so hard.
"AH-CHOO!" Faith sneezed, and in an instant Sal was back in her body. Clothes stretched beyond repair and covered in white powder, Sal read what was on the capsule Faith opened.
On the outside; 'Faith - I think this will look good on you'
Inside; "Sal - Your Welcome'
"Your partner sucks."
Sal grinned and turned to the mirror that a bitter and red-nosed Faith was standing in. Although Sal's reflection in the mirror was Faith and didn't know what she looked like as a result, she was sure that she looked like an insane smiling mess. Faith's eye roll only confirmed her suspicions and she returned to doing her job.
Babysitting.
If - Sakti
All her life, Sakti has been protected by her father. He was her only family since her mother died in childbirth. Something her father never got over and Sakti herself, desperate to know her mother, watched the recording she left behind over and over. Sakti wondered if her mother were alive, would she be on her mother's home world studying the Lore?
The mechanical-metropolis that Sakti has spent her life on was the centre for smuggling weapons and drugs. Her father told her what areas to stay away from and she listened. It was dangerous to get involved, everyone knew that, but since the criminal activity seemed to run parallel to normal life, people turned a blind eye.
She wondered what would have happened if she had continued on her way home that day instead of following her curiosity. Would the criminals have remained on the hunk of metal she had called 'home'? Would the Okralid and human that drew attention to the criminal group have bleed to death that day? Would her father and herself lived the rest of their lives on that metal-planet depressed and against the wishes of her mother?
But 'would' was not the question that Sakti asked herself at that moment she made a decision.
If the opportunity to escape her boring life arose, why wouldn't she take it?
Nightmare - Cap. Amarina
Amarina never had a nightmare, bad dreams she had, but never a true nightmare. At least she could say that until 'that day'. She saw first hand what happened and the carnage of bodies at the end of it. When she got called back to the military by her superiors, she thought they'd put her on the front line. She would have been out of theirnonexistenthair that way, but they put her behind a desk on secretary duty. Amarina filed away budgets and reports on stupid plans of attack doomed from the beginning as the carnage continued with each passing day. Reality became a nightmare for Amarina and most of the world's population. Filing one day, she read about a case of a successful attack, but not from the military. A target of the carnage retaliated and killed the attacker. An idea began to fester in Amarina's head, one that was at the least slightly better than her superiors'.
But then 'the event' happened. Another nightmare, so many young lives lost for no reason, very little survived and more paper work for Amarina to deal with. Sick to death with worthless ideas that amounted to nothing, Amarina forged a superiors signature on a summary, slipped it to another and her idea was passed. Those higher up didn't care who came up with it, so long as they got the credit for it. If the targets could successfully attack the enemy, why not recruit them? As a bonus, Amarina was finished with desk work and got a team of female recruits to train. She still had bad dreams, but before they could manifest into nightmares, a 'BOOM' in the distance would wake her and she would count the minutes it took for the rapid knocking at her door to start.
Amarina was pleased that in this nightmare called reality, that one of her three recruits had ahatreddistrust of authority and knew how to channel it well.
Chameleon - Moselle
Moselle knew how to make like a chameleon and camouflage. Sit in the corner with her head in a book. Although unusual, no-one seemed to notice her, or at least she didn't notice them. Her friend Leon camouflages in plain sight, standing out so much that he blends right in. Moselle doesn't understand how that worked but it did. But then, everyone eventually meets the ultimate chameleon...
"Goodfellow!" Moselle skidded to a halt in the kitchen and surveyed the room. She opened the cupboards and checked inside the pots.
"Goodfellow..." Moselle growled despite it sounding like there was water in her throat. No response.
"I need my book back." In the safety of her home, she didn't feel nervous enough to shutter.
Still no response. Moselle sighed and turned her attention to the pots. She pulled them out and rolled across the floor so that they would crash either into a wall or another pot.
"Come on! I just cleaned those!" A voice bounced around the room which made it impossible to tell where it came from. Frantic knocking at the side door in the kitchen caused Moselle to switch focus.
"Moss! Open up! That thief stole my phone!"
Moselle opened the door and Leon stepped in.
"Hi," he nodded to Moselle and surveyed the room, kicking a pot while he was at it.
"Really?!" The disembodied voice bounced again and Leon turned his attention to Moselle.
"Let me guess, he took your book?" He asked and Moselle nodded. No book meant no camouflage, which meant that people could see her and that makes her a nervous wreak. She picked up the land line phone and passed it to her friend, who picked up on the unspoken idea and punched in his number. A few moments later, a ring-tone started up in the ceiling.
"Crap!" The voice cursed and something was dropped. Leon jumped up onto the bench, moved a panel aside and in one fluid movement, pulled himself halfway through the opening.
"Gotcha!"
Moselle watched the struggle she couldn't see in slight amusement. Something hit the side with a dull thud and Leon grumbled. Little footsteps ran around the ceiling and faded the further away they ran.
"Good news!" Leon called out, "He dropped the book and phone!"
"G-great," Moselle managed to reply.
"Bad news. It's out of my reach."
Moselle sighed, grabbed a short broom and tapped Leon's dangling legs. He attempted to move, but there was another thud.
"More bad news. I'm a little bit stuck."
Moselle was sure that as she sighed bitterly, she could hear the crackling laugh of a certain little Brownie.
In the beginning... - Hyde
Hyde really didn't know how he ended up camping in 'The Nobodies', but he assumed that if he could pin-point when the trouble began he could work the rest out.
Was the beginning when Hyde had first displayed the ability to use magic? Was it when he lifted his friend, Jekyll, into the air with his mind to restrain the restless and emotional boy? He highly doubted that was the beginning of the trouble, but it was a beginning.
Or maybe when he first went to the school, a day he'd never forget. The line of children, all who showed potential to use magic and the looming door that opened to allow the next in line in. Hyde watched from his spot; kids walked in and came out with a proud look on his or her face with a wooden wand in hand. No wand, and you were never to be recognised as a mage. A girl came out, an angry glare set on her face and her hands empty. People with wands laughed at her, but ended up in a pile when the wind suddenly picked up and threw them all into a wall. That was the way it worked since the beginning, and the girl was next in line to be treated lower because she couldn't wield a wand. Jekyll came out with red eyes and avoiding looking at anyone. Hyde was about to comfort his friend, but a voice called for him beyond the door and he went in. That day was a beginning too.
Maybe the beginning of the trouble was five years later when an unknown power increased in 'The Nobodies'. It was defiantly the last peaceful moment that Hyde could recall. Out camping in a forest, he and his friends woke in the morning to find that the trees had left the forest. They went back to civilisation to discover that the trees were attacking mages that were connected to a wand. Although he knew it was wrong, Hyde was pleased and smug about it, along with a sense of relief that he and Jekyll were safe. Suddenly, those who were looked down upon were needed to protect those who were 'superior'. Hyde would have rather let them sort it out for themselves, but his friends were too morally conscious, so there he was in 'The Nobodies', trying to uncover what disturbed the status-quo. He knew that he might not be able to pin-point the original beginning, but Hyde felt that a new beginning was about to emerge from the land.
The beginning of a clash.And that's todays story! Did you like it? Still not as good as Seasons-Scarlett in my mind, but better than the first one I wrote (which will never see daylight again). And I know someone is going to point out the names here so... Yes, the names are taken/inspired by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. No, I have never read the story, I don't like to be scared. Yes, I know what the story is about.
Sky - Dawn
Dawn had a strange relationship with the sky. During the day under the blue, sometimes cloudy, sky she was her normal, angry and reckless self. When it was a red-orange in the evenings she was slightly more cautious, but after the last light had faded and the sky turned black, she changed. Withdrawn, headphones in her ears to ignore everything around her. She would stay inside and refuse to look out in the fear that she would see the auras that she felt pulse through the atmosphere. People said she was just over-reacting, but they didn't hear what she did. They didn't know why her headphones were blasting music at full volume. If they could only hear the ominous, repetitive chants that sent chills down Dawn's spine and felt the increase of black magic invading a world were it didn't belong. But they couldn't hear it or feel it, because only a witch could, and despite Dawn having rejected that part of her heritage, she was haunted by the feeling. Under the night sky the witches were most powerful, if Dawn could somehow push them into the daylight she might stand a chance of collecting one witches soul. But they covered their auras in the day, making it impossible to find them.
Dawn sighed as she walked along the street. Another day of achieving nothing. Even so, a part of her brain was screaming at her 'Look up! Something is there! Be wary!'. She passed it off as her brain over-reacting to doing nothing, but the idea still hung around like a pest.
"Hey Dawn," her friend called from a few steps behind.
"What?" Dawn turned her attention away from the ground.
"Don't you think that the sky is a bit more red today?"
Dawn blinked at the question, then looked up. Now that her friend mentioned it, the sky was more red than usual. A more blood red. The voice screamed at her louder 'Behind! Behind!' but it was ignored. Dawn recognised the colour in the sky from a distant memory, one she'd prefer to not dig up.
"You're just over thinking again," she mumbled to both her friend and herself. A surge of power erupted from behind Dawn and she quickly turned to catch sight of an adult female, with a hat that pointed like cat ears, float to the ground with the grace of one. Dawn swore under her breath as she jumped back and grabbed onto her friend, who transformed into the familiar naginata that Dawn was used to handling. As she gripped onto the weapon for strength, she realised that she should have recognised the red sky for what it was. The woman caught sight of Dawn and an inhuman grin spread across her face.
The red sky was a sign for a disaster.
The red sky was her.... ... Ok, so... OWEN! If you read this, and make fun of me, I will make next Supanova a huge ordeal for you!! I believe you know what a corset is right? I also believe you know what happened to a certain character from a certain show when it was introduced to him? And if that doesn't work, than I move onto Plan B.
Seasons - Scarlett
Scarlett never needed to know what the date was, just how many days had passed. But she was observant and knew when the seasons changed, even in the unchanging landscape she was in.
The year always starts with Summer for Scarlett. It was marked with the arrival of a parcel that contained a new journal, letters from her parents and sister and an odd piece of gadgetry from her grandmother. She could also tell it was Summer from the intense heat that the sun's rays caused and the lack of male captains standing in it.
Autumn was when the supply helicopter arrived with food and medicine for the winter. It was also when Kibwe would disappear after the last meal of the day and arrive back at false dawn with smuggled bits of dried meat for the cadets to hide and survive on in the unforgiving winter.
Winter was marked when the male captains appeared fatter than normal. Scarlett was sure it was from eating more than their fair share of the rations and not from a thicker coat to deal with the cold. It was also marked by Maya's bleak attitude to everything and the stifled cries of buried memories that haunted Scarlett and Leann in the night.
When Leann started to sort through and organise her belongings, Scarlett knew that Spring had arrived. A new breeze swept through the landscape despite no actual change in it or in the world outside. Even so, Scarlett was slightly happy herself with the arrival of the season because it meant she had survived the long and harsh one before it.
But she never needed to know what the date was, what season or even the year. She just needed to know how many days had passed. She kept track of how many days had passed since she last reminded those who ranked higher than her that she waspissed offirritated at them. Last time she checked, it had been 4 days, but she felt that it was enough time for them to have recovered the sleep they lost.
And replace the wall to their sleeping quarters.Well, hoped you all enjoyed it. Have a wonderful day!
