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Anne Lauten

Anne Lauten

Posts: 3,830 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
I did*’t answer, and, indeed, in only a few more minutes they were close enough, only a few strides back. We stopped.
They stopped.
We eyed each other for a moment, their group perhaps eleven strong. At this time of day, an impossible battle.
What seemed to be their leader stepped forward, a tall, broad, man with unkempt brown hair and a two-tooth gap in his grin. As evidenced by the state of his nose, this person had been in not a few fights. A scrap of black cloth was tied about one of his wide arms.
“You folks know where you are?”
“No,” I replied, carefully keeping my voice even.
“Lost?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’ll tell you where you’ve got to,” he said. His cronies began to move, slowly encircling us. “You’re in Black Arm territory.”
“Who?” Ravana asked.
“The most powerful gang in Varrock,” he said. “And now you’re ours. What d’you think about that?”
-Ralan

12-Dec-2008 23:12:41

Anne Lauten

Anne Lauten

Posts: 3,830 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
0
Ralan did*’t change expression, but I could see his hand trembling. Unobtrusively, he slid it into his pocket. I did*’t feel too good, myself. Neither of us had been in a situation close to this before.
Only one thing I knew: We would never follow that man off to wherever he planned to take us. Even a fight in the street would be better than that. At least with a battle in plain sight there was a chance that the authorities might intervene, and, at the very least, we might be able to run.
I caught my brother’s eye, getting permission for my next statement. He nodded slightly. “All right,” I started, “we don’t know anything about the Black Arm gang. We’ve never heard of you before, never met you before, and we certainly don’t belong to you just because we turned right instead of left at the last intersection.”
“Well, gee,” the man said. “Strong words, eh, men?”
The ruffians laughed.
“Fact is, I’m so scared now as I think I’d best be getting back home with my tail ‘tween my legs. That sound about right?”
“Oh please,” Ralan said.
“Seeing as they don’* want to come along nice,” the man said. “I say we introduce ‘em to a bit of the old beat-down. What d‘you think?”
In unison, they started towards us.
Ralan and I went back-to-back quickly, letting our packs slide to the ground. In them we each had a dagger, but there was no time to reach our weapons. I tried to summon my energy and felt only a feeble pulse, the pendant at my neck unable to pull any strength from the sun’s burning rays. Ralan cursed softly.
The leader was on my side. He took two steps forward, swinging a heavy fist straight at my head. I lifted my hand to guard, forgetting any training I had ever received. In an instant, I knew my hand would be shattered, at least my wrist snapped.

12-Dec-2008 23:16:05 - Last edited on 12-Dec-2008 23:20:06 by Anne Lauten

Anne Lauten

Anne Lauten

Posts: 3,830 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Suddenly the leader howled in pain, shaking his hand. A flash of heat burst in front of me, the intensity of it nearly burning my pale skin. Fire seemed to swirl through the air as whatever had blocked the man’s strike continued its work.
Ralan jumped to my side as the men facing him fled, and we stared at the being together. It seemed nothing but a golden cloud, a few feet in front of me, though the heart radiated off it in waves. The leader stood dumbfounded, still clutching his hand. I could not see, but I guessed it to have been burned.
“What the . . . ,” he snarled, “you from the Phoenix gang?”
The being spoke. It had a voice, then, male, surprisingly human-sounding. “I’m not. Kinda funny you should say that, though.” Abruptly, a hand extended from the cloud. The leader did not move, a bad choice. Five bloody cuts stood out on his arm, severing the black rag.
Fear stood out on the leader’s face as the hand took his shirt collar, hauling him forward. Smoke curled in ribbons off the cloth. “What do you want?!”
“Not a whole heck of a lot,” the being said. “Kinda disappointing, ain’* it? Just leave these here kids alone. Not like they did anything to you. So, feel free to beat up other gang members or whatever, just leave the kiddies be. Same goes for invalids and whatnot. Get it?”
“Yeah,” the leader gasped.
“I figured.” The being pushed him away, sending him to his knees. “You can go now, an’ I don’t really feel like seeing you again, neither.”
The leader scrambled away. In moments, Ralan and I were left alone with the strange being. The creature had become less hot as time passed, and now was nothing more than a heated patch in the already burning midday sun.
“Ah . . . thank you,” Ralan offered.

12-Dec-2008 23:18:23

Anne Lauten

Anne Lauten

Posts: 3,830 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“No problem, really. I’ve been watching you and . . . I suppose this is your sister? Pleased to meet you, the both of you. Anyway, you’re interesting, so I’ve been watching for the past half-hour or so. Not long. I figured you’d have some method of defense against those creeps. It was a heck of a surprise when you did*’t. I had to move pretty fast. Did*’t fancy the idea of sis here getting her hand broke.”
“Thank you very much,” I said. “What are you exactly, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“What do you think?”
“Well, you *look* like a gold-colored cloud,” Ralan said.
“I do?”
“That’* what I thought, too,” I agreed.
“Oh yeah,” it said. “Sorry about that. I’ve got my wings folded around my body, and I suppose it does look sort of cloud-like. Should look like feathers, though. Maybe not in this bright sun. I’ll unfold them.”
The brightness unfurled, revealing a tall humanlike creature with eyes of shining sun-color, his hair shoulder length and dark gold, his skin a warm amber. His body was slender and surprising fragile looking. Dazzling wings, the feathers now easily distinguishable, sat folded at his back.
Blood dripped from his nails, the long pointed talons that had so scored the Black Arm gang’s man.
“So that’* what I look like,” the being said. His face was sleepy, lazily handsome. “What are your names?”
“Ah . . . I’m Ravana and that’s my twin brother Ralan,” I answered. “Not to be rude, but we still don’t know what you are.”
“Oh! Sorry. I suppose there’s not too many of us around. Hardly any at all, actually. Anyway . . . what did you ask, again?”
“What are you?” Ralan provided.
“That’s it. Well, you see,* the being said, noticing the blood on his nails and causally incinerating it, *it** rather amusing, really. I’m what you would call a . . . a phoenix.”
“A phoenix?” I asked. I had never heard of phoenixes before, but this creature certainly looked the part.

12-Dec-2008 23:18:45 - Last edited on 12-Dec-2008 23:21:36 by Anne Lauten

Anne Lauten

Anne Lauten

Posts: 3,830 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“Yes. That’s why it was funny, y’know, when he asked if I was from the Phoenix gang. I’m not, but I am a real, material sort of phoenix.”
“What should we call you?” Ralan asked.
“Call me by my name. My name is Neo Ace.”
“Neo?”
“No,* he said. “I haven’t got a last name. My first name is just what I said. Neo Ace.”
“Well, thank you very much, Neo Ace,” I said, bowing. Ralan mirrored me.
“No problem, like I said. Would you like me to take you back to civilization? I see quite a lot, hovering overhead. There’s an inn somewhere ‘round here.”
“Thank you,” Ralan said, with a smile. “Ah . . . don’t you stand out rather, in a crowd?”
Neo Ace shook his head. “I can switch up my appearance. My wings can be put away, as well.” Languidly, he stroked back his wings, lovingly compressing them into his shoulders. When he had finished, his back looked no different, yet the bright arc of feathers had disappeared completely. Lifting a hand, the phoenix carefully broke off his nails, one by one, burning each into ash as he snapped it. Afterwards they looked relatively human, though a close look would betray him.
“Doesn’t that hurt?” I asked.
“A little, but it** alright. I can regenerate my talons quite well, provided, of course, that I don’t do it every two hours.” Concentrating, his shining gold clothes slowly began to morph into more standard garments, black pants with a navy tunic and silver belt. Light leather boots appeared on his feet. A black ribbon materialized out of the air, floating gently into his hand, and Neo Ace bound back his hair.
Lastly, his golden eyes changed easily into a light grey-blue. “There,” the phoenix said with satisfaction. “I should look human enough, now.”
We stared at him in disbelief. A brilliantly magical creature had just appeared in front of us, and, far from behaving like an object of wonder, was acting perfectly normally.

12-Dec-2008 23:19:25

Anne Lauten

Anne Lauten

Posts: 3,830 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Neo Ace looked over at us. “Are you alright?” he inquired. “I know I’m pretty odd lookin’, but I’m really not that strange.”
“Sorry,” Ralan said, “we’re still just a bit in shock.”
“Oh. Well, let’s go to that inn and be in a state of shock there. I’m dreadfully sleepy, and I’m all curious about you two. Mind if I share a room? I can just sort of curl up in a closet or something.”
“Oh . . . certainly,” I said, quickly. “Thank you so much.”
“It’s fine. I’m going to be a bit of a bother to you, taking over your room and such, but if that’s okay . . . ” He turned, moving down the street in the direction we had come from. “Follow me?”
“Yes.”
And we went after him, following Neo Ace’s slender frame back to the city center.
-Ravana

12-Dec-2008 23:19:42

Anne Lauten

Anne Lauten

Posts: 3,830 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Thanks! I don't know if I'll be able to get in any adds for a bit (we're leaving to visit relatives the day after Christmas), but I will certainly write more on this.
In other news: Most of my characters have theme songs (songs which I think fit them and keep a list of). Any ideas for theme songs for any of my Gold and Silver, Moon and Sun characters?

24-Dec-2008 02:19:02

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