Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ To Wars End ❯ Unexpected Events ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A/N: I don't really know where this story came from, but I thought it was a good idea. So, here we are, Chapter 1. As a side note, I will probably be making up my own words and such to this story. I do know elvish, but as the story goes on, you'll understand why I'm basically making up my own language. I kinda need it...Oh, and also, it's pronounced Aidin. You'll understand when you read it...Since the prologue was so short and uneventful, I decided to be nice and give you guys another chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

I stood in the alley, behind a dark mass of shadows I’d created with my essence. Not long after, a loud crunching and grinding of gears could be heard. The entrance to the alley was steadily and quickly growing lighter as my hunter drew near.

Soon, a chrome machine, looking much like a preying mantis (from what I’d seen in the few books left in this world) thumped past, its flashlight-like eyes swiveling, searching for its prey. Which just so happened to be me…what are the odds?

It continued past me and I slowly, quietly stepped out of my hiding place, methodically and stealthily sneaking up behind. I unsheathed one of the swords strapped to my back, flinching at the sound of the blade gliding against its casing.

The machine whipped around, gears screeching and its headlights pinpointed me in the gloom. It let out a metallic squeal. I sighed and raised my blade

It lifted a large, heavy claw, swinging it down with surprising speed. I jumped back, but not before my shirt was caught on the jagged edge. “Aw, damn it…I liked this shirt…”

I sighed again and rolled under and between its legs. A second afterward, dust and clumps of dirt and old tar scattered. I jumped up swiftly, gracefully, and landed on the contraption’s cold back, hanging on with one hand as the thing spun around. It really was making quite a loud racket, squealing and hitting itself with its metal pincers, creating loud bangs. I lifted my other arm and stabbed, sword point down, into the electrical neck wires. I missed the main cord, merely piercing a router, but, luckily, it shut down one side. The metallic bang as it fell reverberated off the alley walls and the clanging screech made me wince.

Quickly, before its ear bleeding screams brought more unwanted company (and made me deaf), I slashed down, severing the electrical cords and beheading the annoying creature. Snaps and cracking, along with small flashes of electricity, signified the things death.

I turned and walked out of the alley, re-sheathing my sword and adjusting my coat to hide the weapons. The world I lived in was far from safe, but, ironically, there were still laws against carrying weapons in “public society”.

I turned a corner and, wouldn’t you know it, I ran into more “bugs”.

Guess my luck’s not as good as it used to be…

I really didn’t feel like spending more energy (not that it would take a lot...), so I quickly turned and ran a ways before dissolving into a dark mist, my adrenaline high enough I did it unconsciously, leaving the mantises behind.

I turned the knob to my rundown apartment of the week. Immediately, I felt a presence and drew both my swords.

“Relax, Edin.” A figure stepped out of the shadows behind me.

“Markus. What’s a leech like you doing here? I suppose you have another job for me, eh? And after I just got back…” I asked. I relaxed my stance, but kept my weapons drawn. You could never trust one of his kind. And the fact the job he gave me tonight turned sour at the most critical point didn’t ease my mind. It was a simple heist, a chance to steal one of the three remaining idols of Bast, the ancient cat god of the Egyptians. The item was virtually priceless now and was placed on its final one-time-only display this night, after being vaulted away for decades.

The job was simple. Slip in with the money-bag crowd, wait for an opportune moment to slip into hiding, wait for the lights to go out. Once the idol was placed back in its protective casing and into storage for the night, I changed out of the god-forsaken tuxedo I was forced to don (I swear, it left a rash) and wiped the makeup from my face and hands (have to appear normal, remember). The security was easy enough to bypass, simple codes and high-tech laser beams that were no trouble to dismantle. However, as I was reaching into the case to remove the statue, the alarm “somehow” sounded and the security lights flashed on. My five seconds of slight surprise were enough for the cameras to pinpoint me and alert the security patrol. They overreact and send out their new and improved “secret weapons,” hence how I came to be frolicking with a six foot metal can shaped like a bug and sounding like a knife on glass.

Markus had been a partner of mine for nearly a decade now. Most of the time, the leech (and I do not use that term lightly) would be somewhere nearby, in case trouble showed up. But tonight my “partner” mysteriously disappeared. I wasn’t going to ask him about it. I wasn’t hurt, so I didn’t really care. But I wasn’t going to relax around him (what little I did relax when he was near).

Markus removed the hood of his cloak, showing his decaying face. He smiled and a yellow tooth dropped from his too-white gums. He really was a disgusting thing... “There’s no need to be so defensive, Edin.”

I resisted the urge to scoff and roll my eyes. Instead, I stood there quietly, waiting for him to tell me his reason for invading my home.

“I have a message for you.”

This time, I did roll my eyes. Well, duh…

He grinned again, then suddenly rushed forward. He grasped my head between his rotting hands and pressed his mouth to mine.

My body was instantly paralyzed. Markus stared into my wide eyes as he literally sucked the life from me. As my vision began to spot and darken, I could see his body mending, healing itself. His soars festered, healed, his skin knit back together, re-grew where it had rotted away.

Markus released me and my body fell. He smiled a perfect smile down at me. “I wish you a pleasant death, my friend.”

I was glaring at him as best I could, trying to make my body obey me so I could kill the bastard. But my brain, along with my body, was shutting down, despite my forbidding it. My world faded.

I slowly woke to a pounding in my head. I was sure the causes of that were the voices chattering away in a constant whisper.

“Shut up…” I clenched my eyes shut, as the voices seemed to rise to drown me out.

“Shut up…” I demanded, a little louder. The voices only increased in volume.

I sat up quickly, ready to hit the idiots refusing me peace. “Shut up!”

Blessed silence…But I was puzzled. I was in an extremely green meadow, which that alone confused me. But I was also alone. I spread my senses, searching for a life force that would account for the previous chattering. No one. Nothing but trees and animals cowering from my shout and aura. I sighed in annoyance.

Wonderful…A “comrade” betrays me and now I hear voices in my head…I shouldn’t be surprised….

I stood, forcing myself to ignore the nauseous feeling in my stomach and the pounding in my head. I took a quick surveillance of my surroundings. I was in a strange place, circled by…Trees? But there hadn’t been any real vegetation on earth for nearly seventy years. I stored that information away. Somehow, conveniently, I’d appeared in this strange, peaceful world in a meadow. There were flowers and butterflies for God’s sake!

My eyes, skin and lungs were beginning to burn, not used to the amount of light and fresh, clean air. I decided it would be best if I retreated to the trees. My breathing would eventually get easier, but my skin and eyes felt on fire.

I took another look around, and then backed into the darkness of the trees cautiously. I rested a moment against the damp bark of a tree, relishing in the cool of the shade. My eyes closed and I sank to the leafy floor, my body quickly shutting down to regain the strength that bastard leech, Markus, stole from me.

I really need to kill him…

I awoke to something poking my arm. I cracked my eyes open, keeping the rest of my face slack in “sleep”, and observed this new nuisance through my eyelashes.

It was a strange, disfigured…thing, with greenish-black tinted skin and a terrible, rank odor. There were five, all around me, looking curious and speaking in odd squeals and clicks.

The one directly in front of me poked me again. I was beginning to get annoyed and their smell was making me sick. But I decided to tough it out and see what I could learn from this new development. Another creature on my side picked up a lock of my currently blue-black hair (which was slowly turning a green-black) and sniffed it. That was the last straw. Not only was that my personal area and property, but that was just gross….

I shot my hands out, catching both creatures’ wrists. There was a surprised squeal from both of them and my red-tinted eyes flashed open. I stood, dragging them to their feet and a little above the ground. The others, by this time, had recovered from their shock and were rallying, squealing and clicking at me, jabbing their swords in my direction.

They charged and I dropped my captives, reaching up and unsheathing both of my blades. I bent down at my knees and did a series of spins, moving through the group. When I stood straight again, three bodies lay strewn, each slit from side to side. I wrinkled my nose and resisted the urge to gag.

Their blood smells worse than their skin.

The two remaining, the ones who’d annoyed me, were lying on the ground staring up at me in fear and horror.

“Boo.” I smirked.

They squeaked, and then scrambled off, making a horrible racket as they rushed through the dense trees.

I was beginning to relax (which was stupid on my part) when I felt five more auras. I closed my eyes and sighed. Why is it always me?

I had left my bloodied swords unsheathed, and I now raised them a bit. I could now here the soft sound of feet walking across the carpet of leaves. Soon afterward, a group of men emerged, some with bows strung and others with swords drawn. As they drew closer, I could tell they weren’t men. They were elves.

Now, a normal being would be surprised, possibly skeptical. But, coming from a world such as mine, very few things surprised me anymore.

The lead…elf spoke to me in an odd, flowing language, which I assumed was elvish. I looked at him blankly, clearly showing that I didn’t understand.

He tried another language. I shrugged in a helpless gesture. The others of his group were looking at me curiously. I realized my appearance was strange, especially compared to theirs, but this was getting ridiculous. I was beginning to feel like a piece of meat on auction.

I was staring right back at them, my eyes narrowed and taking on an orange tint of great annoyance, when I caught the tail end of something familiar.

My attention snapped back to the lead elf. “Excuse me?”

He repeated himself, looking a little relieved I could understand him this time. “For what purpose are you here?”

I shrugged. “To tell the truth, I really don’t know.”

A/N: Let me know what you think so far. I realize that this chapter and possibly the next one is a little shorter than you or I would like, but it’s the beginning and those are always hard to get started. Seriously, if you pay attention, 95% of the time, the first few chapters are shorter than the others and not nearly as good, seeing as how we're trying to get the ball rolling. Anyway, I would like at least a little feedback so I know whether or not this story is a total bomb and needs to be destroyed or if I should keep going. I know it may seem a little bland right now, but it's only the beginning. That and a fight scene is coming up real quick. It may not be the best fight scene I've done (which I know I've done better), but it was just a small one. The real fight doesn't come until much later in the story, along with other good parts, heh heh. Anyway, please let me know what you guys think so far, if you find the time. I don't want to continue a story that nobody likes when I could be using the time to work on my others.

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