Smoke billowed from tall, brick chimneys, the sky filled with a thick, dark smog. In the world below, people hurried down cobbled pathways, heads down, avoiding eye contact as they darted through the soot-streaked streets of Velder, a once prosperous industrial city. Ash swelled off of the ground as a hot, dry wind swept through, carrying with it the scent of smoke and earth as it stirred up the sooty. A particularly sooty cat, its once fluffy ginger coat now matted and dirty from when it fell into a chimney, darted through the pedestrians before leaping into a crumbled building. It was once the pride of the neighborhood, standing an impressive ten stories high and producing only the finest clothing from its seamstresses. That is, until it got stepped on. It was one of the usual territorial spats between the two main gangs that ran Velder. Their names were impossible to pronounce to the common folk, so they were renamed the Black gang - which was formerly known as Qynds Pwt'r - while the other was called the White gang - formerly known as Vakaiyana. What these exotic-sounding words meant escaped the citizens of Velder. The reason behind the naming? The gang's mechas.
You see, mechas were mechanical beasts that were created specifically to replace animals. After all, the weak creatures couldn't survive in the smog-filled atmosphere of Elrios and all died off. Consequently, they created mecha beasts as artificial replacements and all became vegetarian. Curiously enough, all plant life survived, although they were mutated slightly from constant exposure to chemical smog. This phenomenon would probably never be explained, but no one really cared anyways.
Back to Velder. Velder was once the very epitome of industry, with thriving businesses that lined the streets left and right. The skies were marginally cleaner, occasionally letting through a blue color. People wore brightly colored clothes as the thin, piping lines of music from street performers and the familiar hum of the machines rang through the streets, echoing alongside laughter and nonsensical chatter. With an advanced team of researchers, Velder was the first to develop cutting-edge technology of steam-powered machines, even inventing the very first steam-powered mecha beast, not to mention the only existing prototype of a harpy mecha beast. And then the gangs had settled in.
The Black gang and the White gang had started warring over something along the lines of stolen goods - or was it territory? No one was really sure anymore, that's how long they'd been going at it. Now, the Black Gang and the White Gang would've left Velder alone with the exception of the occasional raid, as they weren't particularly interested in the growing city. That is, until the Velder scientists developed a miracle battery with enough power to sustain a city twice the size of Velder. And this battery could be used to power mechas too, steam-powered or not. Now that was worth the attention of both the Black and White gang.
It was only fate from there that the two gangs met, with immediate chaos ensuing. A massive mecha-battle followed, as mechas were the most effective weapon each side possessed. Buildings were flattened, blown to bits, and utterly destroyed. Thousands of houses burned silently as the two gangs battled it out, their great beasts spewing ash, fire, and steam in every direction. The stores were destroyed, the musicians killed, the machines destroyed as the people fled, filling the streets with the sound of gunfire and mechanical stomping.
But it didn't stop there.
The massive battle ended in a draw, the Northern part of Velder becoming the new territory of the Black gang, the Southern half occupied by the White gang. Smack-dab in the center of Velder was the building that contained this marvelous battery, what was formerly a research center but was now deserted. This building was the new permanent battleground of the gangs, engulfing the surrounding area in fire and smoke constantly. No one was stupid enough to venture near it, lest they risk their lives. Velder had become an everlasting battleground, a place of eternal war and conflict. And it was all because of one battery.
A. Single. Battery.
Was it really worth the lives of thousands of people? Was it worth the destruction and defiling of a once beautiful city? Was it worth all the bloodshed?
To those who were directly involved, the answer was rather simple.
Yes, it was.
In a dark, slightly musty, nondescript brick building, raucous laughter poured out from the cracks of the shutters which were drawn tight, a neon sign flickering above it, proclaiming it to be a bar. The pale yellow wallpaper peeled away from the walls in long strips in random patterns, wet splotches of moss and mold springing from the exposed boards, accompanied by the cracked frames on the walls with pictures of random objects. Silver pipes jutted from the wall, the faint hiss of steam escaping resounding. Within the bar, which was called The Phoru Crate, several people milled about, sitting on the worn stools or at the slightly rusted tables, each with a massive jug of some cheap beer in one hand, the overwhelming scent of alcohol rolling off of the room in waves. The bartender, a pretty young thing of twenty or so with orange-gold eyes, silver hair, and dark skin who went by the name of Daisy wiped the bar for the umpteenth time, a new layer of grit yielding to her fairly sooty cloth. She scowled darkly, blowing a puff of hair out of her eyes.
"This's the seventh time I've had to change the cloth. Damn city with its smog and gunk floating 'round. Makin' my job pretty damn hard when I should just smile 'n act pretty for the customers."
Her voice held a slight blur of a colorful accent from somewhere in the West, possibly Hamel or Sander, something that had made Daisy the talk of the town when she had first moved. That paired with her good looks and 'unseemly' nighttime job, she was a rather unusual denizen of Velder. The bar, however, was doing fairly well, despite having several slightly better-kept competitors littered around the area. Who knew Velder had so many drunkards?
The door opened, letting in a blast of sooty wind, a slight chime ringing out to alert Daisy of the new customers. Carelessly tossing her soot-blackened cloth to the side, she fixed her elegantly curled hair, resting her perfectly manicured nails against a fresh mug. "Welcome to The Phoru Crate! What can I do for you gents tonight?" The words had barely left her mouth before she froze.
In front of her was a tall man with skin as pale and flawless as porcelain, wide, cyan eyes reflecting her own image in their irises. His honeyed-blonde hair glinted softly in the lantern light, each strand arranged into paradoxically neat yet messy spikes that defied gravity by their very existence. Two longer parts transitioned smoothly into a warm russet color, giving him the appearance of animalistic ears. He wore a simple black pinstripe shirt, a white tie hanging neatly around his neck. His black slacks slightly covered black leather dress shoes, but did nothing to even attempt to hide two beautifully crafted guns, each with a compartment to load the steam packet that was designed to look like a roaring lion's head. Certainly he was handsome, but that wasn't why Daisy froze. No, she froze because he was Chung Seiker.
The leader of the White gang.
Everyone in the bar froze, the warm atmosphere immediately turning icy. "C-Chung Seiker. What can I do for you?" Fighting back nerves, Daisy finally managed to make her voice work again. Chung gave her a vulpine smile, one that sent chills down her back.
"Let's see. You are Daisy Talon, a female bartender with a fiancé named Rod Ross. You moved to Velder from Hamel in hopes of finding better opportunities, but ended up running a bar while your fiancé works at a factory." His blue eyes glittered icily as he spat out his next words venomously. "Daisy Talon, you are useless to me. However, you are going to deliver this message to dear Miss Eve Nasod for me, because I can't be bothered to waste any of my men or women on a mere distraction such as her."
Daisy gulped. Eve Nasod was the female leader of the Black gang, a fearsome and ruthless woman who was known for pulling no punches and her emotionless demeanor. And now Chung Seiker, an equally frightening person of power, was expecting her to deliver a message to her?! That was impossible. Definitely.
Chung slipped a white piece of paper across the bar. "If you fail to deliver this message, or should you dare read the contents, I will dispose of you like the scum you are. Understood?"
Quivering fearfully, Daisy took the piece of paper. "U-Understood!" Chung flashed her a smile that was mockingly bright.
"Good. I leave it to you, then."
Once he left, the bar's customers sorrowfully clapped her on the back and said that they would pay for her funeral. Daisy sobbed and lamented over her pitifully short life.
Mechas had always made Daisy nervous. It was later in that very same night, and, true to Chung's word, Eve Nasod decided to mosey on by her bar. The night couldn't be any longer. Nervously handing the paper to the silver-haired beauty, Daisy watched as her golden eyes narrowed coldly, before she tore up the paper, scattering the pieces around the bar.
"Worthless scum should know their places." Adjusting the beautiful blue gem adorning her forehead, Eve tossed Daisy a few golden coins to pay for her drink and stalked out of the bar, mounting her massive mecha cockatigle, her smaller, abstract animal mechas - one Stygian black and one snow-white - hovering beside her. Tossing her silver hair that rivaled Daisy's, Eve glared tempestuously at the small settlement, before clicking her black-booted heels against the sides of her great beast. It sputtered to life with a massive roar of the steam-powered engines, orange eyes glowing as it powered on. With a blast of steam and dark smoke, the mecha cockatigle roared, bristling its metallic, rust-brown feathers as it glared at the world before dashing forwards at insanely fast speeds, churning up soot and smoke in its wake.
And then it was gone, disappearing into the night.
Tossing her hair, Eve casually rode up to a dark, tall building in fairly good condition, still on her mecha. The ebony doors groaned as the gears within them turned, massive chimneys puffing as the doors rolled open, allowing her to pass. Galloping through, Eve pulled her beast to a stop as a petite girl clad in a scant black dress approached her, her messy violet hair pulled into two short pigtails by a black velvet ribbon. Her heels clicked on the ground, a rotund bat-mecha with vicious-looking teeth and glowing amber eyes resting on her head, undoubtedly mussing the violet hair with every step.
"Did you have fun wandering around, Eve?" The girl's amethyst eyes glittered with harsh amusement. "You promised to take me next time..." Although she whined childishly, Eve detected the note of sarcasm in her voice, the childish pout cleverly hiding the shark-like, sharpened teeth that lined her mouth.
Eve snorted, dismounting, waving her hands imperiously as her other two mechas floated over to corral the cockatigle into a mechanical stall that waited for it. "Aisha, you know that I wasn't wandering. And fun? Bah! Who has fun on such tedious trips?" Carding her fingers through silver locks, Eve scowled menacingly. "Those worms have challenged us."
The violet-haired girl, Aisha, raised an eyebrow, removing the bat mecha from her head, flattening the hair that had stuck up. "Did they now?"
Eve's scowl deepened. "I would show you our... ah, invite, however my anger got the better of me and I tore it up." Aisha snorted, before giving a sassy canter of her hip, folding her arms.
"That seems like something you would do. What time?"
Stalking past Aisha, the clicks of her heels on the marble ground rang throughout the empty, black building. "Tomorrow at noon. How cliched."
Dashing after her, Aisha struggled to keep up with her and her longer strides. "And are we going to be accepting their invite?"
Eve scoffed, stopping abruptly. Aisha stumbled to a stop, nearly crashing into Eve, before glaring at her petulantly. Eve folded her arms, looking down her nose. "Insects should stay in the ground, else they be crushed by my boot."
As Eve turned, Aisha grinned wolfishly. "Good. Angkor needed a bit of a test-run before he got rusty."
Me: And there! So this time I'm challenging the steampunk theme.
Aisha: Really, Captain Obvious. I never would've guessed.
Me: Hush.
Rena: I think that your readers would rather have you update another story rather than create a new one...
Me: Well, they're getting a new story. This one'll be updated in rotation with the others, though, but if you guys like it just let me know and I can update it more often!
Raven: Why steampunk, though? You've never written anything like this.
Me: Exactly.
Elsword: ...I don't get it. Explain? Please?
Eve: Rosa intends to challenge her writing skills by going into a variety of genres, themes, and ideas that she's never done before. Simple enough, right?
Me: EVERYONE SHOULD CHALLENGE THEMSELVES FROM TIME TO TIME.
Chung: Random caps lock abuse time!
Me: It's fun :D Side note: Winter Olympics! Yay! Canada isn't sucking like in the Summer Olympics!
Ara: It might have to do with the fact that you're buried in snow for four months of the year and it sometimes snows in the summer -.-
Me: Hush. Anyway, I'll cheer for absolutely everyone, not just Canada, but I don't like it when the athletes are all like 'OMG that person doesn't deserve it 'cause I'm better and they cheated.' Bad athlete, bad.
Elsa: I think you're rambling. Also, Daisy? Why?
Me: Because Daisy is a plot thickener. No worries, she's nowhere close to being a main, heck, we won't see her again after this until the end of the story essentially! :D
Rena: ...Spoiler alert much?
Me: Okay, now I'm rambling because I have absolutely nothing to say, so... ROLL THE END CREDITS! XD
Chung: Don't forget to R&R!
Aisha: Follow and favorite if you want, too!
Elsword: See you all next chapter!
Me: Love y'all! Chu~