Okay, standard disclaimers still apply. And I still haven't given any of
you soul stealers out there permission to use their souls yet. So please
give them back, or I will be forced to take credit for every evil plot you
have ever come up with. And you know what, I probably DID come up with
every evil plot you ever thought of. So you better give those back to.
Okay, Rhapsody belong to Elizabeth Haydon and Tor Fantasy books. Gundam
Wing belongs to.me. Not really, but I'm pretty sure the Devil owns them.
Why else would we be tortured with not owning them? NEwayz, on with the
story!
Starfire's Melody: Chapter 1: The Silencer and the Sergeant
1146, Third Age
Moving like a shadow, unseen, unnoticed, he crept up the rise to the crest of the hill, his eye scanning below. The wind gently bent the grass, the only thing disturbing the silence of the field.
As darkness swept over the land, the Silencer rose, nodding over his shoulder, then returning to his reconnaissance.
A moment later, a larger shadow joined him, the fading light catching the dull reflection of several hilts, making his form look like that of a giant pincushion. The Sergeant matched his angle of vision to the Silencer's, then spoke up.
"How much longer?"
The figure in various shades of dark green and black paused, cocking his head as if listening to a conversation.
"They are a quarter of an hour behind us. They don't concern me."
"I know that." The walking weapon shop sighed. "We aren't going to make it, are we?"
The Silencer's eyes didn't leave the horizon. "Most likely not." After a moment, he looked at his six-and-a-half-foot companion. "You could always leave."
"You dishonor me!" the taller man replied, looking indignant. After a moment, he grinned feraly. "I most certainly will not let you hog all the glory after I've done all that hard work just to get here. 'Twould be a waste. That, and they'd catch up to me eventually. If it's all the same, I'd rather die here with honor and you as my companion, then leave in dishonor."
The Silencer nodded, his gaze returning to the horizon. "Well, I'd rather not be caught, so let's move." With a shrug, the crossbow on his back came into his hands, and he ran off down the hill.
"I suppose not." Said the Sergeant to the wind, the only thing with him on the hilltop. Then he too ran down the hill.
@}~~~
Camping for the night in a valley between two smaller hills, the Silencer ate his meal, contemplating what had happened in the Dark Room of the K'veli. His boots wouldn't even be silent on that obsidian floor.
The walls of the chamber were also of obsidian, and even if you lit a candle every two feet, you still couldn't see where they ended. The obsidian was the only beautiful thing down in this abyss, but the grotesque carvings on them churned even his stomach.
A circle of dark light was the only illumination in the room after the doors had shut, and he had a hard time walking towards it. A man stood in the center, or was it a woman? He couldn't tell. The creature was clad in a dark pink robe, stained with blood. They were the robes of the demonic priests. The priests were the human hosts of the K'veli, and he would have never accepted any of them as clients. He had some morals, even for an assassin.
The Silencer clenched his teeth against his instinctual reaction to this place: to run. Pins and needles were felt in every cell of his body. His race and the K'veli had been at war for many centuries, and now he, a Dhrachian, was helplessly bound to the K'veli's bidding.
Both sides of his blood, the Dhrachian side of his mother, and his father's sky loving side of the Vantan's, made the queasiness in his stomach five times worse. This place had once been holy, but now it was defiled with evil and dark majicks. The strongest of his disgust, and what almost made him lose his breakfast, lunch, and dinner from the past three days, was the once-human thing standing in front of him. The One-of-a- Thousand-Eyes. The K'veli. The One-Who-Wore-Too-Much-Pink. Relena. His master.
Stepping into the dark circle, the soft voice of his master spoke, warm as honey.
"I have a job for you."
Searching for a reaction, the priest's eyes roved over his face. The Silencer's nerves screamed in protest at the intrusion, but his facial expression remained blank. He was trying to remain on his feet, the air in his lungs burning to be released. He didn't want to breathe the same air as this thing.
"Your hand," said the demon-priest thing.
Barely unclenching his left hand, the Silencer extended it outward.
The K'veli chuckled in the dry darkness. "Your resistance is still extremely amusing," it said. "But now you've learned you can never reclaim your true name. Your service to me is invaluable, and there is no price to which I would ever give it back, nor reveal how I came upon it."
A vine made of glass, maybe, grew up in front of the Silencer, spiked with sharp, pointy thorns. A key was trapped in its highest growth.
"Take it."
With a decisive motion the silencer reached for the key, encircling his hand about it and pulling it down into his hand. The vine shattered like a hammer was taken to it.
Holding the key up into the dark light, he smiled at the quickening of the human heartbeat in the demon's breast, the only outward sign of its anger at his defiance. The key was made of dark bone, curving around like a rib would, and was unremarkable in itself.
"You will take this key to the failed land bridge, at the base, at the northern islands. The base of the bridge contains a gateway unlike any you have ever been through. Passing through it may be a little disconcerting, but if you have done it correctly, you will find yourself in a desert."
"You will know the direction you are to go, and an old friend of mine will meet you there. You will agree to a time and date for when you shall be his guide through the gateway to this side. My only concern is it being as soon as possible. Return again, and then I shall prepare you. Is this clear?"
"Yes."
"You will tell me anything and everything said, and bring me any message he would send."
"I am not a mail carrier."
"Stupid fool. You are mine, and I say you will be this time." The dark light caught the edge of the demon's talisman, glinting darkly in the dim light. Within the circle of gold flame, a pattern of red stones spiraled into the center of it, which made it out to look like a solitary eye in the amulet. It had the same stare that was piercing into his brain that the demon had now.
"I want this done quickly, and without fail. I own you, and nothing will ever change that. One day you will follow me willingly."
@}~~~
The Silencer shook his thoughts off at the stirring in the distance. The key was attached to a leather thong, which in turn was wrapped around his wrist. He quietly slipped it back inside his sleeve. Feeling the vibrations and feeling their presence, he could tell they were wolves.
They were a long way off, but were hunting. A discordant vibration indicated they were not ordinary wolves, but lower demons used as eyes for the K'veli.
"Do you feel that?"
The Silencer nodded, then stood and reached for his crossbow. Wufei stood as well, reaching for one of the many weapons strapped to his person. He and the Silencer turned in the direction of the wolves without a sound.
Wufei thought better, and reached for the longbow on his back, and with the unoccupied hand, he doused the fire, quickly fanning the smoke into nothingness.
Turning back to the direction the wolves were coming from, he took three arrows and nocked them, waiting until they had attacked. The wolves didn't even stop, not noticing their little camp. The Silencer took a deep breath, then exhaled. Wufei did the same.
"They're getting closer," the Silencer said. "No surprise really, is it? They've got our scent, and we've got that damned key. They can probably feel it."
"I know. We have to make haste to another city. Get lost in the crowd."
"Lovely. And we know how much we love cities."
The two broke camp well before dawn, and headed for Easton ahead of the thunderstorm.
@}~~~
end chapter 1
@}~~~
Dhrachian - Clan of the Blood. They can lock onto any heartbeat in the world and track them to the ends of the earth. All they need is some of the blood of their target. They give their trust out rarely, but when they do, it is only to those who deserve it. They are a people of very few, and not many remain.
Dragon - A Giant Wyrm, these huge reptiles are few and far between, and are very rarely seen. They mate for life, and stay in a state of depression when their soulmate dies until they succumb to death. They are extremely long-lived, and are easy to piss off. Angry dragons are bad. They have to ability to take a humanoid shape.
K'veli - Demons who only want power and destruction. They cannot procreate, or their power will diminish, but they've found many ways around it. When one of these demons finds a particular person or thing they want, they will stop at nothing to get it. They usually take the form of an innocent bystander or child, using these skills to maintain their desires. The only people who can kill them are members of Clan Shinigami, or the Talen.
Shinigami - Clan Shinigami, a people of peace thought of as evil, they really only cause trouble when attacked. Becoming Death Incarnate when a Demon is around, or when provoked. Their sworn enemy is the Demon Lords, known as K'veli. The Clan Shinigami are also known as the Slayers. They are semi-immortal.
Talen - God-like people who have been around since the beginning. Known as the Ancients, these people have powers beyond comprehension. Not able to fully control the elements, they are able to control the mind to its fullest capability. Telepathy, Empathy, Telekinetic, Manipulators of mind and materials, and Projectors, their talents exceed anything known to mortals. They are immortal.
Terre - A normal scholar tribe, these people strive on intelligence and learning. Their sense of justice and honor is sometimes their downfall. Extremely hard to anger, when their temper flares, it is a force to be reckoned with. They are easily annoyed by anything mischievous. Their loyalty to friends and loved ones is as strong as their want for more learning. They have control of the earth.
Vantan - A silent people, the Vantans are masters of the body. They have trained their reflexes to striking almost before an attack is made. When they do speak, what they say is worth listening to. Even despite their silence, they are romantics at heart, and only mate with the other half of their soul. Anyone less would be considered an outcast. They control the wind.
V'kandis - These fire people are tender-hearted and kind. Natural leaders, they do what has to be done, and are master strategist. Their trust is a well earned product of years of friendship and loyalty, and are fiercely loyal in return. They have a prescient ability only in the true leaders.
@}~~~
I'd have to thank Ms. Haydon for writing this series, or else I would have never written this. *huggles the author* And don't you think Trowa looks kawaii in dark colors. *huggles Trowa* Trowa: ....///_¬' And Wufei can handle all kinds of weapons. He's super sexy when he's all- knowing. *huggles Wufei* Wufei: *preens a bit, then glares at Tigae* Onna. Refrain from touching me, or I kill you. And it is about damn time someone finally recognizes my weapon skillz. Yeah. Quatre: But I wanna be in the story.y_y Duo: Yeah, where are we? _ Heero: Hn. -_- Tigae: Don't worry, you guys will come in later. And Heero and Quatre, don't kill me, but you'll be in later on in this story.much later. Quatre: *starts to cry, then realizes he can do all kinds of bad things from behind the scenes* Heero: Hn. Tigae: And that's what scares me.¬_¬'
Starfire's Melody: Chapter 1: The Silencer and the Sergeant
1146, Third Age
Moving like a shadow, unseen, unnoticed, he crept up the rise to the crest of the hill, his eye scanning below. The wind gently bent the grass, the only thing disturbing the silence of the field.
As darkness swept over the land, the Silencer rose, nodding over his shoulder, then returning to his reconnaissance.
A moment later, a larger shadow joined him, the fading light catching the dull reflection of several hilts, making his form look like that of a giant pincushion. The Sergeant matched his angle of vision to the Silencer's, then spoke up.
"How much longer?"
The figure in various shades of dark green and black paused, cocking his head as if listening to a conversation.
"They are a quarter of an hour behind us. They don't concern me."
"I know that." The walking weapon shop sighed. "We aren't going to make it, are we?"
The Silencer's eyes didn't leave the horizon. "Most likely not." After a moment, he looked at his six-and-a-half-foot companion. "You could always leave."
"You dishonor me!" the taller man replied, looking indignant. After a moment, he grinned feraly. "I most certainly will not let you hog all the glory after I've done all that hard work just to get here. 'Twould be a waste. That, and they'd catch up to me eventually. If it's all the same, I'd rather die here with honor and you as my companion, then leave in dishonor."
The Silencer nodded, his gaze returning to the horizon. "Well, I'd rather not be caught, so let's move." With a shrug, the crossbow on his back came into his hands, and he ran off down the hill.
"I suppose not." Said the Sergeant to the wind, the only thing with him on the hilltop. Then he too ran down the hill.
@}~~~
Camping for the night in a valley between two smaller hills, the Silencer ate his meal, contemplating what had happened in the Dark Room of the K'veli. His boots wouldn't even be silent on that obsidian floor.
The walls of the chamber were also of obsidian, and even if you lit a candle every two feet, you still couldn't see where they ended. The obsidian was the only beautiful thing down in this abyss, but the grotesque carvings on them churned even his stomach.
A circle of dark light was the only illumination in the room after the doors had shut, and he had a hard time walking towards it. A man stood in the center, or was it a woman? He couldn't tell. The creature was clad in a dark pink robe, stained with blood. They were the robes of the demonic priests. The priests were the human hosts of the K'veli, and he would have never accepted any of them as clients. He had some morals, even for an assassin.
The Silencer clenched his teeth against his instinctual reaction to this place: to run. Pins and needles were felt in every cell of his body. His race and the K'veli had been at war for many centuries, and now he, a Dhrachian, was helplessly bound to the K'veli's bidding.
Both sides of his blood, the Dhrachian side of his mother, and his father's sky loving side of the Vantan's, made the queasiness in his stomach five times worse. This place had once been holy, but now it was defiled with evil and dark majicks. The strongest of his disgust, and what almost made him lose his breakfast, lunch, and dinner from the past three days, was the once-human thing standing in front of him. The One-of-a- Thousand-Eyes. The K'veli. The One-Who-Wore-Too-Much-Pink. Relena. His master.
Stepping into the dark circle, the soft voice of his master spoke, warm as honey.
"I have a job for you."
Searching for a reaction, the priest's eyes roved over his face. The Silencer's nerves screamed in protest at the intrusion, but his facial expression remained blank. He was trying to remain on his feet, the air in his lungs burning to be released. He didn't want to breathe the same air as this thing.
"Your hand," said the demon-priest thing.
Barely unclenching his left hand, the Silencer extended it outward.
The K'veli chuckled in the dry darkness. "Your resistance is still extremely amusing," it said. "But now you've learned you can never reclaim your true name. Your service to me is invaluable, and there is no price to which I would ever give it back, nor reveal how I came upon it."
A vine made of glass, maybe, grew up in front of the Silencer, spiked with sharp, pointy thorns. A key was trapped in its highest growth.
"Take it."
With a decisive motion the silencer reached for the key, encircling his hand about it and pulling it down into his hand. The vine shattered like a hammer was taken to it.
Holding the key up into the dark light, he smiled at the quickening of the human heartbeat in the demon's breast, the only outward sign of its anger at his defiance. The key was made of dark bone, curving around like a rib would, and was unremarkable in itself.
"You will take this key to the failed land bridge, at the base, at the northern islands. The base of the bridge contains a gateway unlike any you have ever been through. Passing through it may be a little disconcerting, but if you have done it correctly, you will find yourself in a desert."
"You will know the direction you are to go, and an old friend of mine will meet you there. You will agree to a time and date for when you shall be his guide through the gateway to this side. My only concern is it being as soon as possible. Return again, and then I shall prepare you. Is this clear?"
"Yes."
"You will tell me anything and everything said, and bring me any message he would send."
"I am not a mail carrier."
"Stupid fool. You are mine, and I say you will be this time." The dark light caught the edge of the demon's talisman, glinting darkly in the dim light. Within the circle of gold flame, a pattern of red stones spiraled into the center of it, which made it out to look like a solitary eye in the amulet. It had the same stare that was piercing into his brain that the demon had now.
"I want this done quickly, and without fail. I own you, and nothing will ever change that. One day you will follow me willingly."
@}~~~
The Silencer shook his thoughts off at the stirring in the distance. The key was attached to a leather thong, which in turn was wrapped around his wrist. He quietly slipped it back inside his sleeve. Feeling the vibrations and feeling their presence, he could tell they were wolves.
They were a long way off, but were hunting. A discordant vibration indicated they were not ordinary wolves, but lower demons used as eyes for the K'veli.
"Do you feel that?"
The Silencer nodded, then stood and reached for his crossbow. Wufei stood as well, reaching for one of the many weapons strapped to his person. He and the Silencer turned in the direction of the wolves without a sound.
Wufei thought better, and reached for the longbow on his back, and with the unoccupied hand, he doused the fire, quickly fanning the smoke into nothingness.
Turning back to the direction the wolves were coming from, he took three arrows and nocked them, waiting until they had attacked. The wolves didn't even stop, not noticing their little camp. The Silencer took a deep breath, then exhaled. Wufei did the same.
"They're getting closer," the Silencer said. "No surprise really, is it? They've got our scent, and we've got that damned key. They can probably feel it."
"I know. We have to make haste to another city. Get lost in the crowd."
"Lovely. And we know how much we love cities."
The two broke camp well before dawn, and headed for Easton ahead of the thunderstorm.
@}~~~
end chapter 1
@}~~~
Dhrachian - Clan of the Blood. They can lock onto any heartbeat in the world and track them to the ends of the earth. All they need is some of the blood of their target. They give their trust out rarely, but when they do, it is only to those who deserve it. They are a people of very few, and not many remain.
Dragon - A Giant Wyrm, these huge reptiles are few and far between, and are very rarely seen. They mate for life, and stay in a state of depression when their soulmate dies until they succumb to death. They are extremely long-lived, and are easy to piss off. Angry dragons are bad. They have to ability to take a humanoid shape.
K'veli - Demons who only want power and destruction. They cannot procreate, or their power will diminish, but they've found many ways around it. When one of these demons finds a particular person or thing they want, they will stop at nothing to get it. They usually take the form of an innocent bystander or child, using these skills to maintain their desires. The only people who can kill them are members of Clan Shinigami, or the Talen.
Shinigami - Clan Shinigami, a people of peace thought of as evil, they really only cause trouble when attacked. Becoming Death Incarnate when a Demon is around, or when provoked. Their sworn enemy is the Demon Lords, known as K'veli. The Clan Shinigami are also known as the Slayers. They are semi-immortal.
Talen - God-like people who have been around since the beginning. Known as the Ancients, these people have powers beyond comprehension. Not able to fully control the elements, they are able to control the mind to its fullest capability. Telepathy, Empathy, Telekinetic, Manipulators of mind and materials, and Projectors, their talents exceed anything known to mortals. They are immortal.
Terre - A normal scholar tribe, these people strive on intelligence and learning. Their sense of justice and honor is sometimes their downfall. Extremely hard to anger, when their temper flares, it is a force to be reckoned with. They are easily annoyed by anything mischievous. Their loyalty to friends and loved ones is as strong as their want for more learning. They have control of the earth.
Vantan - A silent people, the Vantans are masters of the body. They have trained their reflexes to striking almost before an attack is made. When they do speak, what they say is worth listening to. Even despite their silence, they are romantics at heart, and only mate with the other half of their soul. Anyone less would be considered an outcast. They control the wind.
V'kandis - These fire people are tender-hearted and kind. Natural leaders, they do what has to be done, and are master strategist. Their trust is a well earned product of years of friendship and loyalty, and are fiercely loyal in return. They have a prescient ability only in the true leaders.
@}~~~
I'd have to thank Ms. Haydon for writing this series, or else I would have never written this. *huggles the author* And don't you think Trowa looks kawaii in dark colors. *huggles Trowa* Trowa: ....///_¬' And Wufei can handle all kinds of weapons. He's super sexy when he's all- knowing. *huggles Wufei* Wufei: *preens a bit, then glares at Tigae* Onna. Refrain from touching me, or I kill you. And it is about damn time someone finally recognizes my weapon skillz. Yeah. Quatre: But I wanna be in the story.y_y Duo: Yeah, where are we? _ Heero: Hn. -_- Tigae: Don't worry, you guys will come in later. And Heero and Quatre, don't kill me, but you'll be in later on in this story.much later. Quatre: *starts to cry, then realizes he can do all kinds of bad things from behind the scenes* Heero: Hn. Tigae: And that's what scares me.¬_¬'