Dark Recruit - Revision history

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2023-06-20T16:56:22Z

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76.202.177.30 at 04:24, 23 October 2011

2011-10-23T04:24:41Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:24, 23 October 2011
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	Damnation! I snap my hand away from it; it burns at the touch.		Damnation! I snap my hand away from it; it burns at the touch.

	I lean forward and examine it with my eyes alone. It’s the length of my hand, wrist to finger tip. I’m sure it’s sharp, but the tip is still covered in a small piece of meat. My meat; my flesh and skin. The thought snaps me into action. I lift my leg and examine the ~~gapping~~ hole in my calf. There will be a good scar there, one day.		I lean forward and examine it with my eyes alone. It’s the length of my hand, wrist to finger tip. I’m sure it’s sharp, but the tip is still covered in a small piece of meat. My meat; my flesh and skin. The thought snaps me into action. I lift my leg and examine the gaping hole in my calf. There will be a good scar there, one day.

	I use my spear tip to cut a piece of leather off of my jacket, then grit my teeth as I shove it into the hole. I cut another piece, this one long and thin, which I use to tie the first one in place.		I use my spear tip to cut a piece of leather off of my jacket, then grit my teeth as I shove it into the hole. I cut another piece, this one long and thin, which I use to tie the first one in place.
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	I hack at its head as it brings it to bare, trying to keep it at bay. A quick glance behind it shows me its mistress impaling my seven-toed comrade as she leaps over his bewildered head. The (true) beast snaps me back to attention with a clawed swipe to my left thigh; five furrows are dug deep into my flesh and I cry out in pain. I fall back and roll, just moments before it almost lands on top of me.		I hack at its head as it brings it to bare, trying to keep it at bay. A quick glance behind it shows me its mistress impaling my seven-toed comrade as she leaps over his bewildered head. The (true) beast snaps me back to attention with a clawed swipe to my left thigh; five furrows are dug deep into my flesh and I cry out in pain. I fall back and roll, just moments before it almost lands on top of me.
	I slash awkwardly at its h		I slash awkwardly at its head in desperation and am rewarded with a blow to its eye. With a howl of rage it leaps clear and starts shaking its head vigorously while clawing at its face.
	~~ead~~ in desperation and am rewarded with a blow to its eye. With a howl of rage it leaps clear and starts shaking its head vigorously while clawing at its face.

	Seizing my change, I quickly pull myself to my feat, point my blade at its midsection, and charge forward after it. I twist my sword at the last second so its twin blades are pointing towards the floor and invisible ceiling respectively; just seconds before my blade impacts its side. The point passes easily through its flesh and between its ribs, straight into its heart.		Seizing my change, I quickly pull myself to my feat, point my blade at its midsection, and charge forward after it. I twist my sword at the last second so its twin blades are pointing towards the floor and invisible ceiling respectively; just seconds before my blade impacts its side. The point passes easily through its flesh and between its ribs, straight into its heart.

99.17.58.235 at 05:07, 1 August 2010

2010-08-01T05:07:20Z

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	Faced with this monstrous duo, I reach towards the sword nearest to me. I breathe a quick sigh of relief as the bracelets on my hands part once I near the blade.		Faced with this monstrous duo, I reach towards the sword nearest to me. I breathe a quick sigh of relief as the bracelets on my hands part once I near the blade.

	With a jerk of my hand the blade is freed, just in time for me to jump sideways as the demonic quadruped is released by its mistress and lunges forward. Its claws miss my by a hair’s breathe it pounces on the raider behind me.		With a jerk of my hand the blade is freed, just in time for me to jump sideways as the demonic quadruped is released by its mistress and lunges forward. Its claws miss my by a hair’s breathe it pounces on the raider behind me.

	His shriek is cut short as the monster’s jaws close upon its head with a sickening crunch.		His shriek is cut short as the monster’s jaws close upon its head with a sickening crunch.

99.17.58.235 at 05:06, 1 August 2010

2010-08-01T05:06:19Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:06, 1 August 2010
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	I close my eyes as his humorless laughter rolls over us again.		I close my eyes as his humorless laughter rolls over us again.



			Here we sit in the pitch-dark room we were told about, sitting, sweating, and listening to each other breath. Our hands locked together at the bracelets a mere second after we were released from our standing position.

			There’re five of us here, all told; myself, and the four other surviving raiders I had found in the cell. My fifth kinsman, the one who saved my ass when I woke up in that cell for the first time, was left behind. When I asked the Beast why, he responded through his slave that the man was too weak to be of any use. He told me that, and then shocked me with his magics. Our feet locked together once the door into this room was shut behind us.

			I quickly shield my eyes as a shaft of light streaks through the now opening door. Without a sound the bench beneath me is withdrawn into the wall, I barely catch myself before I fall to the ground. A mumbled curse from one of my fellows tells me he was not so swift.

			We reach our feet for but a moment before the back wall of the room begins to push forward with an audible ‘click’ towards us, just as the magics holding our feet together were extinguished. The moving wall quickly dislodged us from its dark bosom and forcing us into a world of bright lights and loud shouting.

			We were roughly jostled forward by unseen figures. After a moment or two our eyes adjust to the light, the cheering dies down, and I take in my surroundings.

			I suspect we are in the circular room my kinsman warned us about. We stand in its center, a good ten spear lengths away from any point on the wall. He failed to mention a few particulars, however; the shagged wall-spikes being chief amongst them.

			Above our heads, just as he said, stand a group of well dressed Beasts seemingly standing on air. They look down upon us like predatory birds with empty stomachs. They drank deeply clear cups of a fine, dark liquid; naked human slaves weaved in an out of the opulent lot refilling glasses and waving fans for their masters.

			Somehow I am unsurprised to see the male Beast from the cell and the she-witch lounging amongst their number. His demeanor is cheery as he socializes with his evil ilk.

			Behind us stand a pair of scantily clad Beasts armed with trident and net. They back away warily from us into the room we just exited; its wall now receding before them.

			I stand here, cautious, ready for anything. I hope.

			After a few tense moments, Slaver, the man-Beast from the cell, begins speaking to his peers. He bows a few times and flourishes his hands with a twirl. They clap delicately. He gestures downwards, towards us, and they clap louder. He nods politely to the Witch, the she-Beast from the cell, who gives a delicate bow in return; they clap louder still.

			Slaver claps his hands and at once a pair of guards march into the center of the room, just above our heads. Each carries a trio of serrated blades in his arms, at least I think they’re males, it’s hard to tell when they’re clothed. With a word from their master they begin to casually drop the swords to the ground; blade first.

			They pass through whatever invisible surface the Beasts stand upon and dig their way into the ground at our own feet with a slight spark. At a cry of pain behind me I turn to find one of my kinsmen taking a knee and nursing his foot; a foot now short three toes.
			Above us the Beasts all laugh with their cruel, sharp voices.

			Slaver shouts another few sentences and the small crowd around him bursts into the most vigorous applaud yet. Seconds later, a hidden door before me opens and steps forth a…
			By the gods!

			Now THAT is truly a monster! It perches on all fours like a hound; its huge fangs dripping thick saliva as its massive head moves side to side. I think it’s trying to pick up a sent. Two massive, yellow eyes dart here and there independently as it claws at the metal floor beneath its gargantuan paws. Most sickeningly of all, it has no skin! Pulsating veins and muscles ripple as it tugs at the spiked collar around its thick neck.

			As it stalks towards us I catch a glimpse of its handler; a lithe, graceful figure with pale skin, tender curves, and long, flowing hair. She is clad in armor that covers far too little of her muscular body to provide and real protection, but what clothing is visible is colored brass and red.

			She holds aloft a trident in salute of the Beasts above, then crouches into a fighting stance as she inches closer too us.

			Faced with this monstrous duo, I reach towards the sword nearest to me. I breathe a quick sigh of relief as the bracelets on my hands part once I near the blade.

			With a jerk of my hand the blade is freed, just in time for me to jump sideways as the demonic quadruped is released by its mistress and lunges forward. Its claws miss my by a hair’s breathe it pounces on the raider behind me.

			His shriek is cut short as the monster’s jaws close upon its head with a sickening crunch.
			Without thinking, I lash out at its midsection with my blade; flesh and bones part, but my cry of victory is cut short by its roar of pain and anger.

			I hack at its head as it brings it to bare, trying to keep it at bay. A quick glance behind it shows me its mistress impaling my seven-toed comrade as she leaps over his bewildered head. The (true) beast snaps me back to attention with a clawed swipe to my left thigh; five furrows are dug deep into my flesh and I cry out in pain. I fall back and roll, just moments before it almost lands on top of me.
			I slash awkwardly at its h
			ead in desperation and am rewarded with a blow to its eye. With a howl of rage it leaps clear and starts shaking its head vigorously while clawing at its face.

			Seizing my change, I quickly pull myself to my feat, point my blade at its midsection, and charge forward after it. I twist my sword at the last second so its twin blades are pointing towards the floor and invisible ceiling respectively; just seconds before my blade impacts its side. The point passes easily through its flesh and between its ribs, straight into its heart.
			It howls a final time, now with a torrent of gore streaming from its mouth.

			I collect my sword from its side with another sharp tug and marvel at its beautiful craftsmanship as I catch my breath. Its silver-steel blade is finer than any I have ever seen; it puts the bronze blades of my people to shame. I am sure it could shear a hair down its length.

			Laughter on the other side of the arena draws me out of my reverie, and my head jolts towards its origin.

			The final raider-slave is cornered between the blades walls and the three points of the she-Beast’s trident. He bleeds from a score of minor injuries as he flails wildly in front of him. A similar scene flashes through my mind and I smile wickedly as I jump into action.

			Sparing only a moment to collect a fallen raider’s sword, I rush to my kinsman’s aide. The bitch raises her trident, I fear for a final blow, and stares down her injured quarry.

			I challenge her with a furious roar and she half turns her head towards me. Without thinking I fling my blade overhand at her face; but she quickly spins and knocks it out of the air with a swirl or her staff-weapon. Right into my trap.

			The raider to her rear leaps forward without a word jabs his blade down the back of her neck into her chest. Her mouth opens in shock, her eyes roll back in their sockets, and my second blade takes off her head with a sideways slash.

			It tumbles to the ground with an audible smack and rolls off towards the wall.
			She learned the hard way not turn her back on an enemy, wounded or not. Especially not a raider from my clan.

			The crowd above goes silent.

			Slaver stares down at me, mouth and eyes open wide. He snarls in anger and points in my direction with a shout. Hidden doors open all across the arena walls and dozens of black clad guards stream in. All carry wicked swords or spears. All points them at my surviving kinsman and me.

			Slaver raises his hand to give the kill-order…

			“That won’t be necessary, Ra’Zul,” chimes a faint voice in my own language, not a hint of accent detectable. “If memory serves,” says the voice as I try to locate its source, “Our Mon-Keigh friends requested ‘tougher meat’ with the next batch. I think these will do quite nicely, don’t you?”

			Slaver sweeps his hand to his side and bows deeply to the Witch. She ignores him and stares down directly into my eyes and smiles.

			Her white, fang-like teeth are clearly visible between her black lips.

99.17.58.235 at 02:18, 1 August 2010

2010-08-01T02:18:55Z

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99.17.58.235 at 20:44, 31 July 2010

2010-07-31T20:44:31Z

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99.17.58.235 at 03:36, 29 July 2010

2010-07-29T03:36:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:36, 29 July 2010
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	And, I was really damned hungry.		And, I was really damned hungry.



			I sit on a cold bench with my hands tied together by some sort of metal rope. Minutes earlier I found myself, along with a few others, dragged out of the cage and shoved into this cold, dark box.

			I can’t see, it’s pitch black in here; but I can hear the sound of the others around me, breathing. I don’t know how many there are, but I think I know who they are. They’re the ones that got pointed out by that dark eyed bastard from earlier. Whatever they try to do to me next, I’ll be stuck facing it with these worthless fools. Wait, is one of them crying? Gods above and below, help me!

			I hear a grinding sound by what I think is the entrance; then raise my hand to my eyes to shield them from the light now pouring into the room. The silhouette standing in the opening barks out a command in a language I don’t recognize. Some of the others in the room start to stand so I follow suit.

			We are walked out into a large, circular room. Although I know the lights are far from bright, I am forced to squint as I come out of the dark hole behind me. Once I regain my vision, I see that we are not in a circular room, but merely a circular hole in the floor. Standing around its edges, twice my height above my head, are a collection of the earlier monsters; all of them staring down at me, us, and jeering.

			They are different from the ones I have seen before, save the one that chose me for whatever was about to happen. These monsters were finely dressed in multicolor clothes bedecked in gold and fine gems. They drank deeply clear cups of a fine, dark liquid; naked human slaves weaved in an out of the opulent lot refilling glasses and waving fans for their masters.

			I am directed into one of two lines on either side of the pit. As I stand here, I take in the pathetic morsels of humanity that stand next to and across from me. Across, six men, all naked and nervous. To my left, a young boy a head shorter than me. To my right, a man my height, a slender woman, and another man, this one taller me by quite a length. I look back across the pit and am mildly surprised to see one of my kin, a fellow raider. It pains me to see a once noble warrior reduced to the shaking bag of nerves I see before me.

			I hear footsteps coming from the dark room; I snarl as I recognize the pale face of the monster that chose me for this. He doesn’t even give me a second look as he marches into the center of the pit.

			He looks up at the spectators above us and begins to them in a booming voice in that strange, watery language of his. Like a Trader selling his wares he went on and on until the crowd above began to clap and cheer. I smile with satisfaction at the sight of him standing there awkwardly; obviously he wasn’t finished, but the crowd was impatient for the action to start.

			The monster gives its peers a flourishing bow then gestures towards the door. Almost immediately a pair of slaves pushing a covered rack entered the pit. With a wide smile Pointer, that bastard, saunters over to it and rips off the black cloth to reveal a wide array of brilliantly shinning weapons.

			I see daggers and swords and spears and whips and bludgeons and staves and realize what is about to happen. An arena, with two groups of slaves and a large array of weapons; that could only mean one thing. Combat, blood sports, battle.

			I smile, once armed, I may have a shot at taking down some of these skinny cretins.
			Pointer gives the rack-slaves an order and they quickly push their charge over to the other line of waiting combatants. As it passes, they each take a weapon off the rack, but only after a few shouts and menacing gestures from Pointer. By the time the slaves finish arming the other line and reach me, only two weapons are left: a rope of linked metal bits with a large, metallic, spiked ball, and a fine edged sword as long as my arm.

			As I reach for the blade the metal restraints on my hands break apart. I pause for a moment then pick up the sword. The magiks these monsters have at their disposal is truly astounding; maybe it wouldn’t be wise to fight against them. I am still debating my options as the boy to my left takes the chain and Pointer leads the rack-slaves out of the arena. He stops at the door and turns to the now armed slaves.

			“You lot, kill that lot. You lot, kill that lot. Fight well, the winners leave here alive,” he says in a broken, heavily accented version of my own language. The door in front of him closes with a crunch, cutting off his soulless laughter.

99.17.58.235 at 02:50, 29 July 2010

2010-07-29T02:50:08Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:50, 29 July 2010
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	It is a disconcerting sound, though; like countless angry insects winging in every direction with all haste. And it’s getting louder.		It is a disconcerting sound, though; like countless angry insects winging in every direction with all haste. And it’s getting louder.

	Even the weariest of my ~~kid~~ are starting to hear it; they pop their heads up as if waking with a start and look around with confused looks hanging from their faces.		Even the weariest of my kin are starting to hear it; they pop their heads up as if waking with a start and look around with confused looks hanging from their faces.

	“Keep them quite,” I order them, pointing to the nearly frantic prisoners at our feet. “I’ll find the Clanlord,” I am fortunate that they are too tired to notice that the person giving them orders is many years their junior.		“Keep them quite,” I order them, pointing to the nearly frantic prisoners at our feet. “I’ll find the Clanlord,” I am fortunate that they are too tired to notice that the person giving them orders is many years their junior.
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	The bastards don’t even have the decency to get angry. They just drop their eyes to the floor and sulk. One of them, a different one from before, answers in a soft voice, “we daren’t again; we tried at first, but… the Clanlord…”		The bastards don’t even have the decency to get angry. They just drop their eyes to the floor and sulk. One of them, a different one from before, answers in a soft voice, “we daren’t again; we tried at first, but… the Clanlord…”

	“The Clanlord?”		“The Clanlord?”

99.17.58.235 at 02:22, 29 July 2010

2010-07-29T02:22:21Z

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