202.156.14.104 at 06:24, 24 May 2010

2010-05-24T06:24:47Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:24, 24 May 2010
Line 25:		Line 25:
	"Woohoo, let's go!" Mari says as she drags everyone else out the room with her.		"Woohoo, let's go!" Mari says as she drags everyone else out the room with her.

	~~******~~		----

	There's something in the alley.		There's something in the alley.
Line 81:		Line 81:
	Empty, except for the tracks in the dusted sands...		Empty, except for the tracks in the dusted sands...

	~~******~~		----

	Damas Kas' servants watch with a mixture of bemusement and horrified fascination as the once arrogant lordling reduces himself to pitiful abasement before Shrike, who seems singularly uninterested in his antics. Instead, her attention's focused on his two lieutenants, who appear to be the ones who actually do all the work around here. Normally, there would have been the usual period of hemming and hawing and sorting out the chain of command, but Shrike has a way of instantly winning peoples' loyalty over, to the point where it seems perfectly natural to do as she says.		Damas Kas' servants watch with a mixture of bemusement and horrified fascination as the once arrogant lordling reduces himself to pitiful abasement before Shrike, who seems singularly uninterested in his antics. Instead, her attention's focused on his two lieutenants, who appear to be the ones who actually do all the work around here. Normally, there would have been the usual period of hemming and hawing and sorting out the chain of command, but Shrike has a way of instantly winning peoples' loyalty over, to the point where it seems perfectly natural to do as she says.
Line 146:		Line 146:
	"Point," Khaled grins back. "Right, we'll need to start assembling the troops; let's not keep the new boss waiting..."		"Point," Khaled grins back. "Right, we'll need to start assembling the troops; let's not keep the new boss waiting..."

	~~******~~		----

	Shortly after that, Mari and Shrike are back in the square where the latest victim met his grisly end, flanked by a platoon of sentries. The men seem remarkably more comfortable and animated in her presence than in Damas Kas'; some of them even go so far as to smile and ruffle Mari's hair as she skips around them. Shrike, on the other hand, surveys the crime scene with an aloof eye.		Shortly after that, Mari and Shrike are back in the square where the latest victim met his grisly end, flanked by a platoon of sentries. The men seem remarkably more comfortable and animated in her presence than in Damas Kas'; some of them even go so far as to smile and ruffle Mari's hair as she skips around them. Shrike, on the other hand, surveys the crime scene with an aloof eye.
Line 200:		Line 200:
	It takes a while for this to set in, but Shrike silences the dissenting complaints with a vicious glare. Still, muttered grumbling rises from the guardsmen as thry grudgingly turn to make their way down...		It takes a while for this to set in, but Shrike silences the dissenting complaints with a vicious glare. Still, muttered grumbling rises from the guardsmen as thry grudgingly turn to make their way down...

	~~******~~		----

	Meanwhile, Mari's leaping from roof to roof, following the strange, inhuman tracks. Normally, she'd have as much luck following a trail over hard stone as she would have following a swimmer through the ocean, but evidently her quarry is heavy, as evidenced by the cracks and slightly depressed crater in which she finds the first set of prints on each rooftop. More importantly, the tracks change; the only reason she's even able to tell they're by the same being is because the Slayer is strong enough to emboss hoof and claw marks into the stone of the buildings. Sometimes she finds entirely different prints in the craters on a new roof; clearly it must have changed its tracks in mid-air.		Meanwhile, Mari's leaping from roof to roof, following the strange, inhuman tracks. Normally, she'd have as much luck following a trail over hard stone as she would have following a swimmer through the ocean, but evidently her quarry is heavy, as evidenced by the cracks and slightly depressed crater in which she finds the first set of prints on each rooftop. More importantly, the tracks change; the only reason she's even able to tell they're by the same being is because the Slayer is strong enough to emboss hoof and claw marks into the stone of the buildings. Sometimes she finds entirely different prints in the craters on a new roof; clearly it must have changed its tracks in mid-air.
Line 308:		Line 308:
	The goatman's wail echoes into the night.		The goatman's wail echoes into the night.

			----
	~~******~~

	When Shrike and her long-suffering entourage finally reach the plaza, she finds chaos. The night breeze carries dust and debris in a vision-obscuring haze, the voices of panicked and distressed people rising through it like a symphony of the damned.		When Shrike and her long-suffering entourage finally reach the plaza, she finds chaos. The night breeze carries dust and debris in a vision-obscuring haze, the voices of panicked and distressed people rising through it like a symphony of the damned.
Line 397:		Line 396:
	"Well, if you say so," Gareth nods, glad that he doesn't have to defend his plan. "Lead on then, Lady Shrike," he says.		"Well, if you say so," Gareth nods, glad that he doesn't have to defend his plan. "Lead on then, Lady Shrike," he says.

	~~******~~		----

	"So these are the men?" Shrike asks Jamal. The men in question are the several dozen "specialists" that he and Khaled have hired with Shrike's funding. Like most mercenaries, they don't look particularly presentable, but Shrike doesn't want parade troops who'll fold at the first sign of danger, she wants people who can bring down an ancient Lunar god-monster.		"So these are the men?" Shrike asks Jamal. The men in question are the several dozen "specialists" that he and Khaled have hired with Shrike's funding. Like most mercenaries, they don't look particularly presentable, but Shrike doesn't want parade troops who'll fold at the first sign of danger, she wants people who can bring down an ancient Lunar god-monster.
Line 424:		Line 423:
	"Right, then carry on. Khaled will supervise the ones we don't need. I'll talk to the rest..."		"Right, then carry on. Khaled will supervise the ones we don't need. I'll talk to the rest..."

	~~******~~		----

	The moon shines high overhead. Mari is bored, Gareth is nervous, and Shrike? Annoyed, most likely.		The moon shines high overhead. Mari is bored, Gareth is nervous, and Shrike? Annoyed, most likely.
Line 540:		Line 539:
	"About that," Gareth says, his hand sticky with the chimera's blood. "I think I have a plan..."		"About that," Gareth says, his hand sticky with the chimera's blood. "I think I have a plan..."

	~~******~~		----

	"Right, so... we find it here, in the tunnels under Chiaroscuro, and then... we beat it up?" Mari asks Duro, who's concentrating on feeling the dragon's bones.		"Right, so... we find it here, in the tunnels under Chiaroscuro, and then... we beat it up?" Mari asks Duro, who's concentrating on feeling the dragon's bones.
Line 572:		Line 571:
	"Yes, candytime," Shrike smiles. "Come on, we're done here."		"Yes, candytime," Shrike smiles. "Come on, we're done here."

	~~******~~		----

	Dawn sees Shrike and Mari passed out on the bed, holding Robin and Lark close to them. Duro and the other "specialists" are spending their coin on amphoras of wine. Damas Kas sits morosely at his desk, pondering Shrike's command to "serve, respect and protect the people; especially women". Khaled and Jamal are getting a well-deserved rest.		Dawn sees Shrike and Mari passed out on the bed, holding Robin and Lark close to them. Duro and the other "specialists" are spending their coin on amphoras of wine. Damas Kas sits morosely at his desk, pondering Shrike's command to "serve, respect and protect the people; especially women". Khaled and Jamal are getting a well-deserved rest.

202.156.14.104: Created page with 'WARNING: This piece is bad. Really bad. I would have disowned it, but I put a lot of myself into it and effort like that needs to be preserved, if only to tell me where I went wr…'

2010-05-24T06:22:55Z

Created page with 'WARNING: This piece is bad. Really bad. I would have disowned it, but I put a lot of myself into it and effort like that needs to be preserved, if only to tell me where I went wr…'

Show changes

The Chiaroscuro Chimera Caper - Revision history

202.156.14.104 at 06:24, 24 May 2010

202.156.14.104: Created page with 'WARNING: This piece is bad. Really bad. I would have disowned it, but I put a lot of myself into it and effort like that needs to be preserved, if only to tell me where I went wr…'