Chapter one
Talia awoke to a dimly lit room. Though her vision soon cleared, her mind was still in disarray. As she looked around the room, she noticed there was rubble and debris, apparently from an explosion. Signs of looting were also evident, as beakers and test tubes had been thrown about carelessly, while cabinets were empty, with no trace of the items they once held. "I...guess this is some sort of laboratory." She thought aloud. Suddenly her eyes grew wide with fear. She couldn't remember anything before she had woken up. Her name, this place, it was all a blur. She checked herself over for any form of identification, stopping with a small tag that read, ::Talia Mitri::. "I see, well...I suppose I shouldn't complain, at least it's a nice name." She mused over this for a moment before a small noise caught her attention. It appeared to be coming from the adjacent room. She proceeded to the door in futility, as access had been blocked due to fallen debris. She decided to investigate her surroundings a little before trying to find an exit. As she searched through the debris, she found, among other things, a book. The cover of which was blank. As she opened it, the entries were hand-written and dated, and so she assumed it was some sort of log book. "I'll read this later, after I'm out of here." She also found a small dagger buried under the remains of a broken table. It had a little blood on the blade, but she wiped it off on her shirt and slipped it into her belt. As she was searching, she found a shattered mirror. At least half of it was still in the frame, so she dared take a look. She was an attractive woman, though you would'nt think it if you saw her as she saw herself. Her face and clothes were covered in dirt, her clothes were ripped to shreds, (from the explosion, she suspected.) She also noticed a large gash in her forehead, and a somewhat smaller cut near her temple. Until now she hadn't even noticed the pain, but as she stood in front of the mirror and saw the wounds, cuts and bruises, her entire body began to ache. "Well, enough of this. I need to find my way out of here." As she again walked over to the door, she realized that it had not been blocked accidentally. It had been barricaded! "She almost had second thoughts about using the door to escape, but as she took another look, she realized it was the only way, as there were no windows or air vents.
She began moving the debris out of the way by hand. The barricade was constructed of assorted objects. Pieces of a table, a chair, stool, as well as a large metal crate. None of it was that heavy by itself, but apparently had been enough to keep....whatever it was, out. As she moved the last of the debris, she drew the small dagger she had found before opening the door. What she saw on the other side excited, and at the same time, apalled her. The door had previously led into a corridor which spread around the perimeter of the former compound, but now only led to impassable walls of collapsed ceiling. Bodies of scientists littered the floor...in pieces. Some had had their throats cut, others had limbs missing, and others seemed half eaten or cut into unidentifiable pieces. However, a passage had been cut into the opposite wall, which to her jubilation, led outside. As she crossed the corridor to pass through the hole, she noticed that the cut was jagged and not at all precise. This didn't surprise her nearly as much as the fact that it had been made of 4 inch thick steel. As she stepped outside, the afternoon sun warmed her skin, and she basked in it, arms wide, as she took fresh air into her lungs. This bout of relaxation passed as she heard an unnerving shuffling sound behind her in the now pitch black corridor. She decided she should get away from this place, and quickly. She walked along the rounded outside wall until she came to a bit of a snag. The compound had been built in the most peculiar of places, she noticed. Half was placed in a forest area, and the other half had been built in the desert which bordered the forest. She now had two options. She could traipse through the desert, with no food or water, and pray she would find help. Her other option, which seemed to be best, was to travel through the forest. Her reasoning brought her to the conclusion that...vegetation means water, and water means animals. She hoped whatever animals she might come across could be dealt with by her dagger, as she had no other weapons and would need to hunt or forage for food, at least for the time being.
After nearly an hour's walk through the forest, Talia spotted a small stream about 40 feet away. She ran to it, her throat dry and cracked from walking. Even the shade offered by the immense trees did little to decrease the effects of the burning sun overhead. She dropped to her knees at the bank of the stream and thrust her head into the water. After choking a little on the cold water, she decided it wasn't going anywhere and simply drank from her cupped hands. The water refreshed her thoroughly and she was quite satisfied for the moment. After making sure nobody was around, (which she did simply out of bashfulness.) she removed her clothes and stepped into the waist high stream to bathe. She washed her clothes as best she could, and after she finished washing her face and rinsing her hair, she hung them on a low branch to dry. After realizing that she was completely nude, she decided to keep her shirt, wet or not, and at least wrap it around her waist. She also took her small dagger and slipped it between the shirt, being careful not to cut herself. After a few minutes of exploring, she found a small berry bush. Though she couldn't exactly remember what kind of berries they were, she somehow knew they were safe to eat. She attributed this to her, "woman's intuition". She ate a couple handfuls before tying off her shirt and using it as a makeshift satchel so she could take some berries back to the stream. She slung the berries over her shoulder and contentedly walked back to her "camp". She pulled a large leaf off of a nearby bush to use as a plate and dumped the berries out onto it. She then hung her shirt back up to dry with the rest of her clothes. After eating a bit more and taking several more drinks from the stream, she found that her clothes had dried and gladly redressed. Her long red hair, now dry, hung about her shoulders, and she somehow felt like herself again. She took one more drink from the stream before stuffing the pockets of her pants with the remaining berries, and, before setting off, made sure her dagger was safely secured in her belt.
As Talia continued through the dense forest, she was refreshed to see that there were streams about every 30 minutes walking distance. "At least I shouldn't have to worry about water." She told herself. She walked for about 4 hours before stopping at another stream. She had already finished off the berries she'd brought with her, and was starting to get hungry again. She took a few drinks from the stream, then started walking again, hoping she might find another berry bush. As she was poking through the bushes, she heard a faint thump behind her. As she turned to investigate, she felt a cold steel blade pressed against her neck. She cautiously turned her head to get a good look at her attacker, and what she found surprised her more than anything else. A young girl stood in front of her, holding a long staff weapon with a large blade at the end. The girl had bright, white hair that came to her shoulders, and olive green eyes. She wore a simple armor of leather, woven vine and bark. The girl looked surprised as she saw Talia's face. "You...you're not one of them are you?" Talia was more confused than ever. "One of what?" The girl withdrew her weapon and extended a hand to help her up. "I thought you were one of the demons that has appeared in the forest." Talia cocked an eyebrow, not understanding. "Demons? What do you mean, demons?" The girl leaned against a tree and explained to Talia how strange creatures had showed up in the forest about 3 days prior. This was preceded by a massive explosion at the nearby research facility. "I'm surprised you didn't know, you did come from that direction didn't you?" Talia nodded her head. "How long have you been wandering in the forest?" Talia thought for a moment, then said "About six hours I guess." Talia looked at the young girl and noticed she had long and, slightly pointed ears. "Excuse me, but...what exactly are you?" The girl gave out a sharp laugh. "What do you mean...what am I? I'm an elf of course." She laughed again before seeing that Talia was quite serious. "Err...and my name is Dione. What's yours." Talia looked uncomfortably at the ground. "Apparently it's Talia...Talia Mitri." Now it was Dione's turn to be confused. "What do you mean, apparently? Is that your name or isn't it?" Talia seemed even more uncomfortable. "To tell you the truth, I don't know. I can't remember anything before this morning." Dione's complextion softened. "Oh, I..I'm sorry. I didn't know."
It was then, that they heard a rustling sound not far away. Talia remembered it as the same sound from the lab. "It's a demon! Quickly, do you have a weapon?" Talia showed Dione her dagger. "That little thing! That won't even make a scratch, c'mon, we need to leave." Talia wasn't in a position to argue, as Dione grabbed her arm and started running. "Damn she's strong for a little kid." Talia thought as her feet stumbled to try and keep up with the small elf. A few minutes later, they ran across a path through the forest. It was pretty wide, so Talia imagined it was for travelers or caravans to cross through the forest without getting lost. As they passed through the last of the trees and onto the path, the last thing they saw before hitting the ground was polished steel.
Talia awoke to a dimly lit room. Though her vision soon cleared, her mind was still in disarray. As she looked around the room, she noticed there was rubble and debris, apparently from an explosion. Signs of looting were also evident, as beakers and test tubes had been thrown about carelessly, while cabinets were empty, with no trace of the items they once held. "I...guess this is some sort of laboratory." She thought aloud. Suddenly her eyes grew wide with fear. She couldn't remember anything before she had woken up. Her name, this place, it was all a blur. She checked herself over for any form of identification, stopping with a small tag that read, ::Talia Mitri::. "I see, well...I suppose I shouldn't complain, at least it's a nice name." She mused over this for a moment before a small noise caught her attention. It appeared to be coming from the adjacent room. She proceeded to the door in futility, as access had been blocked due to fallen debris. She decided to investigate her surroundings a little before trying to find an exit. As she searched through the debris, she found, among other things, a book. The cover of which was blank. As she opened it, the entries were hand-written and dated, and so she assumed it was some sort of log book. "I'll read this later, after I'm out of here." She also found a small dagger buried under the remains of a broken table. It had a little blood on the blade, but she wiped it off on her shirt and slipped it into her belt. As she was searching, she found a shattered mirror. At least half of it was still in the frame, so she dared take a look. She was an attractive woman, though you would'nt think it if you saw her as she saw herself. Her face and clothes were covered in dirt, her clothes were ripped to shreds, (from the explosion, she suspected.) She also noticed a large gash in her forehead, and a somewhat smaller cut near her temple. Until now she hadn't even noticed the pain, but as she stood in front of the mirror and saw the wounds, cuts and bruises, her entire body began to ache. "Well, enough of this. I need to find my way out of here." As she again walked over to the door, she realized that it had not been blocked accidentally. It had been barricaded! "She almost had second thoughts about using the door to escape, but as she took another look, she realized it was the only way, as there were no windows or air vents.
She began moving the debris out of the way by hand. The barricade was constructed of assorted objects. Pieces of a table, a chair, stool, as well as a large metal crate. None of it was that heavy by itself, but apparently had been enough to keep....whatever it was, out. As she moved the last of the debris, she drew the small dagger she had found before opening the door. What she saw on the other side excited, and at the same time, apalled her. The door had previously led into a corridor which spread around the perimeter of the former compound, but now only led to impassable walls of collapsed ceiling. Bodies of scientists littered the floor...in pieces. Some had had their throats cut, others had limbs missing, and others seemed half eaten or cut into unidentifiable pieces. However, a passage had been cut into the opposite wall, which to her jubilation, led outside. As she crossed the corridor to pass through the hole, she noticed that the cut was jagged and not at all precise. This didn't surprise her nearly as much as the fact that it had been made of 4 inch thick steel. As she stepped outside, the afternoon sun warmed her skin, and she basked in it, arms wide, as she took fresh air into her lungs. This bout of relaxation passed as she heard an unnerving shuffling sound behind her in the now pitch black corridor. She decided she should get away from this place, and quickly. She walked along the rounded outside wall until she came to a bit of a snag. The compound had been built in the most peculiar of places, she noticed. Half was placed in a forest area, and the other half had been built in the desert which bordered the forest. She now had two options. She could traipse through the desert, with no food or water, and pray she would find help. Her other option, which seemed to be best, was to travel through the forest. Her reasoning brought her to the conclusion that...vegetation means water, and water means animals. She hoped whatever animals she might come across could be dealt with by her dagger, as she had no other weapons and would need to hunt or forage for food, at least for the time being.
After nearly an hour's walk through the forest, Talia spotted a small stream about 40 feet away. She ran to it, her throat dry and cracked from walking. Even the shade offered by the immense trees did little to decrease the effects of the burning sun overhead. She dropped to her knees at the bank of the stream and thrust her head into the water. After choking a little on the cold water, she decided it wasn't going anywhere and simply drank from her cupped hands. The water refreshed her thoroughly and she was quite satisfied for the moment. After making sure nobody was around, (which she did simply out of bashfulness.) she removed her clothes and stepped into the waist high stream to bathe. She washed her clothes as best she could, and after she finished washing her face and rinsing her hair, she hung them on a low branch to dry. After realizing that she was completely nude, she decided to keep her shirt, wet or not, and at least wrap it around her waist. She also took her small dagger and slipped it between the shirt, being careful not to cut herself. After a few minutes of exploring, she found a small berry bush. Though she couldn't exactly remember what kind of berries they were, she somehow knew they were safe to eat. She attributed this to her, "woman's intuition". She ate a couple handfuls before tying off her shirt and using it as a makeshift satchel so she could take some berries back to the stream. She slung the berries over her shoulder and contentedly walked back to her "camp". She pulled a large leaf off of a nearby bush to use as a plate and dumped the berries out onto it. She then hung her shirt back up to dry with the rest of her clothes. After eating a bit more and taking several more drinks from the stream, she found that her clothes had dried and gladly redressed. Her long red hair, now dry, hung about her shoulders, and she somehow felt like herself again. She took one more drink from the stream before stuffing the pockets of her pants with the remaining berries, and, before setting off, made sure her dagger was safely secured in her belt.
As Talia continued through the dense forest, she was refreshed to see that there were streams about every 30 minutes walking distance. "At least I shouldn't have to worry about water." She told herself. She walked for about 4 hours before stopping at another stream. She had already finished off the berries she'd brought with her, and was starting to get hungry again. She took a few drinks from the stream, then started walking again, hoping she might find another berry bush. As she was poking through the bushes, she heard a faint thump behind her. As she turned to investigate, she felt a cold steel blade pressed against her neck. She cautiously turned her head to get a good look at her attacker, and what she found surprised her more than anything else. A young girl stood in front of her, holding a long staff weapon with a large blade at the end. The girl had bright, white hair that came to her shoulders, and olive green eyes. She wore a simple armor of leather, woven vine and bark. The girl looked surprised as she saw Talia's face. "You...you're not one of them are you?" Talia was more confused than ever. "One of what?" The girl withdrew her weapon and extended a hand to help her up. "I thought you were one of the demons that has appeared in the forest." Talia cocked an eyebrow, not understanding. "Demons? What do you mean, demons?" The girl leaned against a tree and explained to Talia how strange creatures had showed up in the forest about 3 days prior. This was preceded by a massive explosion at the nearby research facility. "I'm surprised you didn't know, you did come from that direction didn't you?" Talia nodded her head. "How long have you been wandering in the forest?" Talia thought for a moment, then said "About six hours I guess." Talia looked at the young girl and noticed she had long and, slightly pointed ears. "Excuse me, but...what exactly are you?" The girl gave out a sharp laugh. "What do you mean...what am I? I'm an elf of course." She laughed again before seeing that Talia was quite serious. "Err...and my name is Dione. What's yours." Talia looked uncomfortably at the ground. "Apparently it's Talia...Talia Mitri." Now it was Dione's turn to be confused. "What do you mean, apparently? Is that your name or isn't it?" Talia seemed even more uncomfortable. "To tell you the truth, I don't know. I can't remember anything before this morning." Dione's complextion softened. "Oh, I..I'm sorry. I didn't know."
It was then, that they heard a rustling sound not far away. Talia remembered it as the same sound from the lab. "It's a demon! Quickly, do you have a weapon?" Talia showed Dione her dagger. "That little thing! That won't even make a scratch, c'mon, we need to leave." Talia wasn't in a position to argue, as Dione grabbed her arm and started running. "Damn she's strong for a little kid." Talia thought as her feet stumbled to try and keep up with the small elf. A few minutes later, they ran across a path through the forest. It was pretty wide, so Talia imagined it was for travelers or caravans to cross through the forest without getting lost. As they passed through the last of the trees and onto the path, the last thing they saw before hitting the ground was polished steel.