Hey there :D
So, I started playing Dungeons and Dragons, and the Dungeon Master asked me to write out a paragraph for my character background. And I said, "Nope." And then I proceeded to write out a story instead XD
I hope you enjoy :)
Chapter I
"Executing."
The Drow warrior screamed as the blade ran through him; the steel bit into his flesh as his consciousness faded, and his body fell heavily to the ground.
"Good! Very good, Number 108!" A strong, female voice called out from above, addressing the Changeling boy who had just taken the Drow warrior's life.
The owner of the voice, Shivra the Storm, leader of Do'zbaretho, approached the Changeling; carelessly treading over the warrior's dead body, she stopped in front of him, and slowly asked him.
"Now... Answer me, 108: What are you?"
Synthetic Changeling Number One-Oh-Eight's empty eyes turned towards Shivra as he mechanically answered.
"... I... I am... A weapon."
108's eyes stared blankly at a bird as it roosted on a nearby branch; 108 had no concept of 'emotions', however he possessed an interestingly strong sense of curiousity; 108 had in fact taught himself to read and write in Common without anyone knowing.
But aside from his general thirst for knowledge, 108 was especially curious about towards things he had not seen before... Like living things.
It was because he had been raised by Drow, and given minimal opportunities to learn about the outside world; his purpose was to fight for them, and nothing more.
"Number 108! Do not drop your guard, and keep your senses sharp about you. You know the rule: 'No witnesses'."
108 turned his head towards the man who had addressed him, Lamalggar the Lightning.
Lamalggar was a Drow Ranger, and second in command of their clan, 'Do'zbaretho', headed by a group of Drow who had been exiled for the practice of forbidden arts; hiding above ground, Do'zbaretho's goal was to take vengeance on the ones who had them exiled.
"Keep that retractable blade you're so fond of in your hand," he ordered, with a slightly mocking tone, 108 complied, and drew a seemingly bladeless sword from the sheath on his boot.
It was something he had constructed himself, following the instruction of Thintel the Thunder, another important Drow in Do'zbaretho; the weapon's blade was telescopic, and could shift from the deceptive length of a dagger, to that of a longsword, and slide back into the hilt when not in use, Thintel called it 'a symbol of 108's loyalties'.
108 threw the hilt up into the air, and caught it in a reverse-grip as the blade popped out, as Lamalggar added, "as you know, Do'zbaretho's position cannot be compromised; any and all unfamiliar faces are to be silenced," he looked up at the sun, and sighed in frustration, "that fool Regdar is late; likely drinking himself to oblivion in some tavern." Irritated, he proceeded to slam his fist into an adjacent tree before finishing, "Number 108, go entertain yourself; I'm afraid we'll be here for quite some time."
108 knew that 'entertain yourself' meant 'return with something to eat', but he did not even consider raising a complaint; he was a merely a weapon, a tool for Do'zbaretho. He did not have the right to speak against them.
"... I will return shortly," 108 replied with a short nod, and shot off to find something to hunt.
108 stealthily made his way through the forest, careful not to make any noise, or present too much of himself in the open; then...
... I hear something.
108's ears faintly picked up the sounds of shouting; it seemed to be coming from a particularly dense gathering of trees; 108's curiousity overtook him and he instantly forgot about Lamalggar.
108 raised his 'dagger', and started towards the source of the shouting.
Before he could get any closer...
WHOOSH!
An arrow emerged the darkened grove, and flew towards 108, before hitting the side of 108's blade, and being directed harmlessly into the ground.
Right after 108 deflected the arrow, it was followed by a small human girl, who ran out of the trees, screaming.
The arrow... Was aimed at her...? 108 logically concluded; the girl ran past him and tripped over, falling to the ground before a final figure emerged,
"A Changeling...!" The Drow who had just ran into sight yelled in disgust, and his hand flew to his quiver; 108 tightened his grip on his weapon; whenever a stranger saw him, they would always yell out something to this effect, and attack him; 108's kind was hated by all, but Do'zbaretho had taken him in.
At least, that's what they had told him.
"Entering combat..." He said to no-one in particular, and dashed towards the Drow, "assaulting..."
"Argh!" The Drow pulled back, but he was too slow, a small gash was left on his shin from 108's strike.
"Chaining..." 108 slammed his foot into the ground and vaulted over the Drow, skimming the Drow's shoulder with his blade as he did so.
"Filth...!" The Drow drew a new arrow, and aimed, point-blank at 108's head before receiving a hard kick to the gut.
"Urgh...!"
The arrow missed its target completely, and lodged itself into a nearby tree trunk as 108 emotionlessly stepped back and voiced his thoughts yet again, in a monotone voice.
"Combination complete."
Refusing to yield, the Drow attempted to draw another arrow, but was interrupted as the tip of 108's blade rushed towards his heart; the Drow countered, and locked 108's arm with his own, stopping the blade centimetres from his chest,
"Hah! Fool!" The Drow gloated and aimed again at 108's head; in this position, neither combatant could move their arms, but the Drow could still manage to fire off an arrow.
The Drow paused for a moment, wanting to see an expression of terror on 108's face before he killed him. A fatal mistake.
Using the Drow's hesitation, 108 applied pressure near the end his hilt.
"Executing."
The blade of his weapon extended and impaled the Drow through the heart; his smug expression changed to shock, and stayed there.
108 pushed his opponent's dead body aside and whipped his weapon downward, flicking the blood off of it before sheathing it.
"Conflict... Resolved."
108 began to turn around, intending to make his way back to Lamalggar, but was interrupted by a cry.
"Thank you...!"
The girl from earlier had picked herself up off of the ground and ran over to 108; she stopped to catch her breath as tears dripped from her eyes, "I... I thought he was g-going to k-kill me..." Wiping them dry, she continued, "I... Just wanted t-to get some f-flowers for mummy... She's... She's s-... Sick..."
108 curiously studied her face; he had completely forgotten about her.
"P-Please sir, could you help me get back t-to my mummy, please...?"
108 considered the situation for a moment, and did what he always did.
He followed orders.
"... No... Witnesses..."
So, how was that? :P
If you liked it, head over to my profile to check out some other things I've done c:
ALSO: I am currently participating in The Twelve Shots of Summer, it's immense fun all around, the other, (more experienced,) writers and I write up a story per week, each on a different theme, please check out those, because they are doing some amazing stuff over there.
That's it for me! Chapter II will be up soon, and this time I really do mean that, (X Days, lol.)
#SymbolicDesignation,
-X