Shipping VIII: Yes, Eight. No, really. We are THAT insane.

[Mordokai]

Memo to self: stop encouraging Rabbit.

[Reinholdt]

>>
<<
Only Cristo can harden Mordokai up. I'm a dead cat.

[RabbitHoleLost]

>>
<<
Only Cristo can harden Mordokai up. I'm a dead cat.

TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH
D=

Silly cat.

[Mordokai]

>>
<<
Only Cristo can harden Mordokai up. I'm a dead cat.

"Oooooh Reinholdt... come closer deary..."

[Reinholdt]

meep.
It's Rabbit's fault! She's been rubbing off on me!
*hides behind her*

[Grim ranger]

"Oooooh Reinholdt... come closer deary..."

Oh please, not with that again. Even I am not that stupid, and that is saying something

[RabbitHoleLost]

meep.
It's Rabbit's fault! She's been rubbing off on me!
*hides behind her*

Or rubbing on-
You know, I'm just going to stop there and go back to the smut I'm writing for my Live Journal Star Wars community.

[Cristo Meyers]

>>
<<
Only Cristo can harden Mordokai up. I'm a dead cat.

...

...

...

...oh bra-vo...

[TwoBitWriter]

I... wrote one...

My typical Action/Adventure rags...

Trials of the Desert Republic

Chapter 1: The Kingman Rangers

Starring: Cristo Meyers, Mordokai, RabbitHoleLost, Dirk Kris, Reinholdt
Mentions: TwoBitWriter, Wolfbane, Ghost Warlock

Spoiler

Show

“Three bullets, how the hell am I supposed to fight Banditos with only three bullets?” Rabbit said, slamming the last round into her homemade rifle’s magazine and pushing the bolt back into place. She double-checked the duck tape holding the barrel to the stock and. It seemed to be in order.

Reinholdt shrugged, pulling out a crudely serrated machete and letting it reflect the desert sun’s light into Rabbit’s face. “These don’t need reloading.”

She could hear Cristo, Dirk, and Mordokai laughing by the Jeep. They were tossing plastic cards into Cristo’s cap, obviously bored out of their minds. Mordokai often lamented that he only had 48 cards in his deck, and would often talk about the day that he would finish his deck and be able to play cards for real. He was looking at Rabbit and Reinholdt now, a big grin on his face. Cristo managed to appear like he was paying attention but still seemed totally uninterested. Dirk pulled a crooked cigarette out of his leather jacket’s breast pocket and put it to his lips. He never lit the damn thing, but just let it sit there when he was thoughtful.

Rabbit huffed, ignoring the two and looked back up at Reinholdt. “You know… you are just a little sadistic for a medic, you realize that?” She kicked a small pile of irradiated dust away, letting it scatter in the hot wind.

Reinholdt shrugged, and put the machete back in its sheathe, located on his belt so that it was actually easier for him to access than his first aid kit. “You really need to learn how to tussle, Rabbit. I think I could give you a good lesson…” he said with a sloppy wink.

She laughed, standing up and slinging the rifle over his shoulder. “You are so damn subtle, Rein, you know that?” She could hear Dirk snickering behind her. Good ol’ Dirk Kris, Rabbit thought. It had been Dirk that found Rabbit hiding out in a rusted out tin shed after the Banditos had slaughtered her brother. Dirk had now assumed that role, and the void in Rabbit’s heart didn’t seem quite so huge.

Reinholdt had his place too, of course, even if he were a bit much sometimes. His heart was always in the right place, and he was surprisingly gentle when it came to patching up her wounds, like that time he had to pry out a 9mm bullet two inches from her liver. Cristo and Mordokai were still new to the group, brothers by blood, but they mostly kept to themselves and she didn’t know much about them.

They had replaced Wolfbane and Ghost Warlock, who had gone missing during a foray into the Desert Wasteland a month ago. Rabbit still… could she even call it praying? She still hoped that somehow they could find them. A Ranger never left another Ranger behind, Dirk had always told her, but they had done just that only a week before. Dirk seemed to take it the hardest. He was the leader after all. Captain Destro had handpicked Dirk to lead the Rangers, and it was Dirk who had spoken for her to join the Rangers so that he could stay close to her and keep an eye on her.

Her thoughts were broken when the CB radio in the jeep suddenly crackled to life. “Destro to Rangers, Destro to Rangers, come back.”

She turned in time to see Dirk jump to his feet, gingerly place the bent cigarette back into his pocket, and to grab the radio transmitter. “Sergeant Kris here. Over.” He gave a hard look down to Cristo and Mordokai, who seemed to get the hint that playtime was over. Mordokai collected his cards and Cristo placed his cap back on his head. They grabbed their weapons and hopped into the back of the jeep.

“TwoBit reports spotting a Bandito raider group two clicks north of the Dragonrider settlement. Orders are to investigate immediately. Please confirm, Destro out.”

Dirk sighed visibly. “Roger, Dirk out.” He said, glancing over at Rabbit and nodding. “Time to go, Reinholdt, little sister.” He said.

Rabbit nodded and jumped into the Jeep, helping Reinholdt take a seat. “You think TwoBit is right? The Banditos have never come this far into Republic territory…” Mordokai asked.

Dirk fired up the Jeep’s engine and waited for the engine to sputter to life, drowning out their conversation with a dull roar. He put the vehicle into gear and slowly pulled onto the road that had been cleared out in the dunes. “TwoBit is one of the best scouts the Rangers got, if he says there are Banditos, then you had better make sure that you said your prayers this morning…” He yelled back.

Rabbit was seated next to Dirk and flushed slightly as he looked over at her. He smiled knowingly and pulled a rusty trench knife out of it’s sheathe on his shoulder. He handed the weapon over to Rabbit. “You are low on ammo, you might need this…” he said.

She took the weapon, feeling the hot metal of the handle burn against her fingers. She had never fought in melee before, she had never run out of bullets. She looked up at Dirk, who had returned his attention to the road. Rabbit had never noticed just how… handsome…

She shook her head. Not the time. He was like an older brother to her, after all. And they were likely soon to be in another firefight. So many things wrong with that…

“So many things…” she muttered, sliding the knife into her belt.

And, mind you... I came up with this setting nearly two years before Fallout 3 came out...

[Reinholdt]

@ Rabbit - O.o

@ Cristo - o.O

@ TwoBit - o.o
"It was good. I especially liked the whole Mordokai and his 48 card deck. Puts a whole new meaning on "A few cards short of a full deck."

[Dirk Kris]

Toobs, love it. I get to be a badass again! And it's not some 40k nonsense.

Also, Rabbit and Reiny say the things that my brain does. Love you guys.

[Jesse Drake]

First off, Rabbit, I'm not a big Star Wars fan, but that was nice. Really pulled me into the universe.

(Note, I do like the original Star Wars movies though)

Second, Dirk Kris, that's just amazing. That story has always been one of my favorites of Poes work, and I can somewhat akin myself to both characters at times, though I must admit most of the time its Fortunato.

The House the Magtok Built
part 2 of 2

Featuring- Lord Magtok as Magtok
Vullion as Kidnapped Scientist Dude
Thanatos 51-50 as Thorn AKA Terry Foster
Rabbitholelost as Black Rabbit AKA Jessica Foster
GrimRanger as The Seller
Reinholdt and EleventhHour as the young couple buying a house

Oh, and here's part one, for anyone who missed it.

Spoiler

Show

A Few Weeks Later

The grinning Terry Foster shook hands with an oddly musclebound man who was trying to sell his house. It was a beautiful house, and indeed, would fetch what the man was asking for and then some. Yet something in the back of Thorn's mind buzzed mildly. "Pleasure doing business with you Mister Ranger."

But the man left Terry to his work. The seller even threw in the furnishings to sweeten the deal. It wasn't much- a lovely couch and chair in the living room, a large flat screen tv, two beds, one kingsize in the master bedroom and a small in another. A dinner table. And an oven. Plus, a washer and dryer. Things were all set.

Jessica even threw her hat in the ring. "I'm gonna help you sell this." She smiled. "Come on, remember the Tarrax family? I totally sold that house. Plus, I can bake cookies."

"What would I do without my little Grave Robber..."

"I haven't been Grave Robber since High School." Black Rabbit said in a huffy voice. "I don't even have Crawle's Tome anymore. And I've donned several other aliases since then you could have picked from. Hell, I've been The Velvet Hat on occasion over my career even as Black Rabbit."

Terry smiles. "I know. It's just how I remember meeting you. You were the angst filled outcast with a magic tome, I was the noble hero who taught you a lesson and forced you to relinquish your magical toy..."

"No, you were the side kick of the hero then. And I was still a villain after that for a few more years. I just had to get a new shtick. Besides, whatever happened to that book? Did Professor Blasts ever destroy it?"

"Oh, yeah, sure."

"Good."

"Anyways, I'm glad you're gonna help me sell this. I've already got a potential buyer lined up. A young couple. By the end of the day, we'll be having drinks down at the Green Unicorn by sunset."

Jessica giggled and kissed her husband.

-----------------------------------

The next day started off well. By noon, the Fosters were already at the new house, filling it with the scent of fresh cookies. It was sure a lovely day outside, so Terry made a pitcher of lemonade to offer them as well.

Then, right on time, the new couple arrived. The man was a cat person with dark gray hair, and his girlfriend, a silver haired cat girl with a shining gold ring on her tail. They not only held hands, but there tails were entwined in a lovely manner.

"Oh, come on in." Announced Terry. "Come on in..." He took a deep waft in, "Ah, my wife baked these wonderful cookies, you must try one." He went over and reached for one of the chocolate chipped cookies, when he must have caught a bit of static shock. A pretty painful jolt of electricity zapped him suddenly.

"Is there something wrong?" Asked Jessica. Terry shook his head.

The couple smiled and took in the houses beauty. It was more than they could have ever hoped to have. But the curious lady, Ellen, was curious. She saw buttons and couldn't help but touch. "Look Roven, the thermostat has so many options. Heat, Super Heat, Emergency Heat- what's emergency heat anyways! That's fancy! And it's also got air conditioner mode. Chilly, Cold, Freezing- Ooh, I bet it'd be nice to throw it on freezing on a nice summer afternoon."

Roven, the tomcat of the two, smiled and wagged his tail. "It's all very nice dear, just don't push any buttons." Elle heard, but didn't listen. She had to see what exactly emergency heat did.

On the thermostat was a small gauge. It had several unlit, tiny light bulbs on the thing, and that only increased her curiosity- so she hit emergency heat. The room immediately warmed up- and one of the lights turned on.

"Neat." She commented, leaving the room. She followed Roven, who in turn was following Jessica and Terry down to the basement, and she skipped while doing so. She whispered to Terry "I love this place. I don't care what it costs, we're buying it."

The couple marveled at the basement. It was no ordinary basement. Two large rooms, one with a bathroom, and then two small rooms, those ones however contained the water heater and the furnace, thus those two rooms were only glanced at. Though something caught Elle's eye in there.

Roven followed to the next rooms, upstairs, and saw a thing of beauty. In the kitchen, there was a closet. It was raised about twelve feet up, and then ended. Not touching the ceiling. And there was no wall around it either. Just a closet.

And at the top of the stairs, there was a small ledge where someone could lay on... and it was only about five feet from the closets top. So Roven got on top of it and leapt from on ledge to another... but for some odd reason, the closet suddenly was higher than he thought- just by a few inches, but with cats, and consequentially cat people, the leaps they make are carefully calculated, and that little bit caused him to miss his target and fall to the ground.

"Oh... that smarts." He said, sweat dripping off his brow. "Well... it sure is hot in here."

"Yes... it is." Commented Terry. The thermostat now had five lit bulbs.

Roven tried to turn off the thermostat, but saw no off switch. "I could throw on the A/C!" Terry nodded, but the buttons didn't seem to work. "Damnit, Ellen, I told you not to push buttons." He looked around. "Where are ya Ellen, anyways?"

The Fosters looked at each other. "Um... Bunny, could you go for me and run another check on one Mr. Glen Ranger, please?"

Rabbit nodded, and quickly exited the door. Terry, however, started going up the stairs, stroking his chin, curiously. "Who could be behind this?" He thought to himself. "It couldn't be- no, he's dead."

Roven, meanwhile, opened closets and searched for his dear Ellen. "Um..." He opened the random closet and his eyes opened wide...

Then, the last few lights suddenly started blinking bright red. That shade of red... he's seen it several times before, though it had been at least- ten years. "Magtok!"

"Yes." Called a voice over an unseen PA. "It is I, Magtok, here to claim revenge against the oh so successful Terry Foster!" He laughed. "Now, why don't you come to the basement again, and find me?"

The three rooms up top started flickering lights. Then, a large, foul breathed demon emerges. It was the thug who gave ol' Magtok a ride. It crawled on all four, it's eyes clearly glazed over. No, not glazed- they were tiny monitors. And they portrayed no image, just static.

Thornn suddenly returned. With all his might, he ran and kicked the beast- but the demon only moved a little as a result. It swung at Thornn and knocked him into the living room- where "Emergency Heat" had caused it to become an inferno. Thornn got to his feet, but the demon did not follow.

Instead, he heard footsteps behind him. Glen, the seller, was right behind him. He had a large greatsword in hand. And he swung it right at Terry. He dodged, and kicked the man in his groin- not the most honorable move, but definitely the only way he'd be able to disarm him- without any of his own armaments, at least.

But Glen's crotch only clinked. "Adamantine Cup, my friend." Laughed the evil man. Then in a normal, non evil voice, he added "I coach my sister in laws son's soccer team after school, and one of the kids is a half titan. I know, yeesh, right?"

Glen then swung again, only this time, when Terry dodged, the sword became stuck in the ground. Thornn leapt up and kicked the man in the face, then again, in the chest. Then he went to town, kicking repeatedly.

"You know," coughed Glen. "You'd of made a decent soccer player." Then he passed out. Terry dragged him to the kitchen, then tried to open the door. It was locked.

"Damn!" He spat. "Okay, Maggy, I'm coming for ya." Thornn grabbed the blade and went into the basement. But once down there, he saw a horrific sight. Ellen, standing in the doorway of one room, her eyes static filled monitors, and her body limp, like a marionette who's master's resting his arms or something. In the other doorway, Roven, also in a bad way.

Over the PA, Magtok's voice rang again. "Oh dear, my friend. Looks like you lost another client." He laughed.

"You monster! What have you done to them?"

"Let's just say, an old inmate of mine, Professor Blasts, happened to tell me all about this old tome he had stashed away. And with my genius intellect, I knew that making undead cyber soldiers would only be a step away."

Terry lowered his head. "So the rumors were true." He sighed. "Blasts did become corrupt." Then his voice hardened. "Well, you made the mistake of involving two perfectly innocent cat people Maggie." He laughed. "Now I shall teach you a lesson."

"Only if you can get past those two first!" Laughed Magtok, all the way through the house. At that, the two cyborg zombies lunged at Thornn, emotionless, uncaring about anything. They scratched and clawed away, but Thornn took it. He wasn't sure if they could be brought back, so he was very hesitant.

With a mighty toss, he threw the blade into the ceiling. Then he leapt up to it, and held on. The two catfolk, on either side of him, grinned. They got ready to pounce- and did. At that moment, Magtok's voice rang out "NO!", but it was too late. Thornn dropped, and the two cats crashed into eachother, going out cold. Then the blade fell, and Thornn grabbed it. "Now for you Magtok."

He entered one of the rooms. Magtok wasn't there. He checked another. Nothing. Finally, he checked out the boiler room, and only barely caught glimpse of a slight crack in the wall. He pried it open with the blade, and inside, he saw a figure, sitting at a desk. Thornn approached it. "Don't strike!" Called Vulshock. "Magtok left. Through there." He pointed to an elevator. "It leads to either that weird closet, or down, to the sewers. I swear."

Thornn checked out the lower chambers, and sure enough, Magtok was gone. Up ahead, he could see light, where a sewer lid must have been moved, and probably where Magtok escaped.

Thornn left- not by choice. He would have preferred to investigate, but the fires were spreading far. The doors opened now, and he took Glen to prison. But he couldn't help feel bad. Those two were such a lovely couple. But no one would ever see them again...

[Mordokai]

"It was good. I especially liked the whole Mordokai and his 48 card deck. Puts a whole new meaning on "A few cards short of a full deck."

Hardy har har, mister Funny...

The sad thing being, of course, you're totally right.

[Cristo Meyers]

Hardy har har, mister Funny...

The sad thing being, of course, you're totally right.

Bah! Bah, I say! Insanity's healthy!

[TwoBitWriter]

Was that a fair ship to return with?

And Jesse Drake... damn...

Damn that's good.

[Mordokai]

Bah! Bah, I say! Insanity's healthy!

Too bad nobody sees it as that when you're applying for a job.

[RabbitHoleLost]

First off, Rabbit, I'm not a big Star Wars fan, but that was nice. Really pulled me into the universe.

(Note, I do like the original Star Wars movies though)

Second, Dirk Kris, that's just amazing. That story has always been one of my favorites of Poes work, and I can somewhat akin myself to both characters at times, though I must admit most of the time its Fortunato.

The House the Magtok Built
part 2 of 2

Featuring- Lord Magtok as Magtok
Vullion as Kidnapped Scientist Dude
Thanatos 51-50 as Thorn AKA Terry Foster
Rabbitholelost as Black Rabbit AKA Jessica Foster
GrimRanger as The Seller
Reinholdt and EleventhHour as the young couple buying a house

Oh, and here's part one, for anyone who missed it.

Spoiler

Show

A Few Weeks Later

The grinning Terry Foster shook hands with an oddly musclebound man who was trying to sell his house. It was a beautiful house, and indeed, would fetch what the man was asking for and then some. Yet something in the back of Thorn's mind buzzed mildly. "Pleasure doing business with you Mister Ranger."

But the man left Terry to his work. The seller even threw in the furnishings to sweeten the deal. It wasn't much- a lovely couch and chair in the living room, a large flat screen tv, two beds, one kingsize in the master bedroom and a small in another. A dinner table. And an oven. Plus, a washer and dryer. Things were all set.

Jessica even threw her hat in the ring. "I'm gonna help you sell this." She smiled. "Come on, remember the Tarrax family? I totally sold that house. Plus, I can bake cookies."

"What would I do without my little Grave Robber..."

"I haven't been Grave Robber since High School." Black Rabbit said in a huffy voice. "I don't even have Crawle's Tome anymore. And I've donned several other aliases since then you could have picked from. Hell, I've been The Velvet Hat on occasion over my career even as Black Rabbit."

Terry smiles. "I know. It's just how I remember meeting you. You were the angst filled outcast with a magic tome, I was the noble hero who taught you a lesson and forced you to relinquish your magical toy..."

"No, you were the side kick of the hero then. And I was still a villain after that for a few more years. I just had to get a new shtick. Besides, whatever happened to that book? Did Professor Blasts ever destroy it?"

"Oh, yeah, sure."

"Good."

"Anyways, I'm glad you're gonna help me sell this. I've already got a potential buyer lined up. A young couple. By the end of the day, we'll be having drinks down at the Green Unicorn by sunset."

Jessica giggled and kissed her husband.

-----------------------------------

The next day started off well. By noon, the Fosters were already at the new house, filling it with the scent of fresh cookies. It was sure a lovely day outside, so Terry made a pitcher of lemonade to offer them as well.

Then, right on time, the new couple arrived. The man was a cat person with dark gray hair, and his girlfriend, a silver haired cat girl with a shining gold ring on her tail. They not only held hands, but there tails were entwined in a lovely manner.

"Oh, come on in." Announced Terry. "Come on in..." He took a deep waft in, "Ah, my wife baked these wonderful cookies, you must try one." He went over and reached for one of the chocolate chipped cookies, when he must have caught a bit of static shock. A pretty painful jolt of electricity zapped him suddenly.

"Is there something wrong?" Asked Jessica. Terry shook his head.

The couple smiled and took in the houses beauty. It was more than they could have ever hoped to have. But the curious lady, Ellen, was curious. She saw buttons and couldn't help but touch. "Look Roven, the thermostat has so many options. Heat, Super Heat, Emergency Heat- what's emergency heat anyways! That's fancy! And it's also got air conditioner mode. Chilly, Cold, Freezing- Ooh, I bet it'd be nice to throw it on freezing on a nice summer afternoon."

Roven, the tomcat of the two, smiled and wagged his tail. "It's all very nice dear, just don't push any buttons." Elle heard, but didn't listen. She had to see what exactly emergency heat did.

On the thermostat was a small gauge. It had several unlit, tiny light bulbs on the thing, and that only increased her curiosity- so she hit emergency heat. The room immediately warmed up- and one of the lights turned on.

"Neat." She commented, leaving the room. She followed Roven, who in turn was following Jessica and Terry down to the basement, and she skipped while doing so. She whispered to Terry "I love this place. I don't care what it costs, we're buying it."

The couple marveled at the basement. It was no ordinary basement. Two large rooms, one with a bathroom, and then two small rooms, those ones however contained the water heater and the furnace, thus those two rooms were only glanced at. Though something caught Elle's eye in there.

Roven followed to the next rooms, upstairs, and saw a thing of beauty. In the kitchen, there was a closet. It was raised about twelve feet up, and then ended. Not touching the ceiling. And there was no wall around it either. Just a closet.

And at the top of the stairs, there was a small ledge where someone could lay on... and it was only about five feet from the closets top. So Roven got on top of it and leapt from on ledge to another... but for some odd reason, the closet suddenly was higher than he thought- just by a few inches, but with cats, and consequentially cat people, the leaps they make are carefully calculated, and that little bit caused him to miss his target and fall to the ground.

"Oh... that smarts." He said, sweat dripping off his brow. "Well... it sure is hot in here."

"Yes... it is." Commented Terry. The thermostat now had five lit bulbs.

Roven tried to turn off the thermostat, but saw no off switch. "I could throw on the A/C!" Terry nodded, but the buttons didn't seem to work. "Damnit, Ellen, I told you not to push buttons." He looked around. "Where are ya Ellen, anyways?"

The Fosters looked at each other. "Um... Bunny, could you go for me and run another check on one Mr. Glen Ranger, please?"

Rabbit nodded, and quickly exited the door. Terry, however, started going up the stairs, stroking his chin, curiously. "Who could be behind this?" He thought to himself. "It couldn't be- no, he's dead."

Roven, meanwhile, opened closets and searched for his dear Ellen. "Um..." He opened the random closet and his eyes opened wide...

Then, the last few lights suddenly started blinking bright red. That shade of red... he's seen it several times before, though it had been at least- ten years. "Magtok!"

"Yes." Called a voice over an unseen PA. "It is I, Magtok, here to claim revenge against the oh so successful Terry Foster!" He laughed. "Now, why don't you come to the basement again, and find me?"

The three rooms up top started flickering lights. Then, a large, foul breathed demon emerges. It was the thug who gave ol' Magtok a ride. It crawled on all four, it's eyes clearly glazed over. No, not glazed- they were tiny monitors. And they portrayed no image, just static.

Thornn suddenly returned. With all his might, he ran and kicked the beast- but the demon only moved a little as a result. It swung at Thornn and knocked him into the living room- where "Emergency Heat" had caused it to become an inferno. Thornn got to his feet, but the demon did not follow.

Instead, he heard footsteps behind him. Glen, the seller, was right behind him. He had a large greatsword in hand. And he swung it right at Terry. He dodged, and kicked the man in his groin- not the most honorable move, but definitely the only way he'd be able to disarm him- without any of his own armaments, at least.

But Glen's crotch only clinked. "Adamantine Cup, my friend." Laughed the evil man. Then in a normal, non evil voice, he added "I coach my sister in laws son's soccer team after school, and one of the kids is a half titan. I know, yeesh, right?"

Glen then swung again, only this time, when Terry dodged, the sword became stuck in the ground. Thornn leapt up and kicked the man in the face, then again, in the chest. Then he went to town, kicking repeatedly.

"You know," coughed Glen. "You'd of made a decent soccer player." Then he passed out. Terry dragged him to the kitchen, then tried to open the door. It was locked.

"Damn!" He spat. "Okay, Maggy, I'm coming for ya." Thornn grabbed the blade and went into the basement. But once down there, he saw a horrific sight. Ellen, standing in the doorway of one room, her eyes static filled monitors, and her body limp, like a marionette who's master's resting his arms or something. In the other doorway, Roven, also in a bad way.

Over the PA, Magtok's voice rang again. "Oh dear, my friend. Looks like you lost another client." He laughed.

"You monster! What have you done to them?"

"Let's just say, an old inmate of mine, Professor Blasts, happened to tell me all about this old tome he had stashed away. And with my genius intellect, I knew that making undead cyber soldiers would only be a step away."

Terry lowered his head. "So the rumors were true." He sighed. "Blasts did become corrupt." Then his voice hardened. "Well, you made the mistake of involving two perfectly innocent cat people Maggie." He laughed. "Now I shall teach you a lesson."

"Only if you can get past those two first!" Laughed Magtok, all the way through the house. At that, the two cyborg zombies lunged at Thornn, emotionless, uncaring about anything. They scratched and clawed away, but Thornn took it. He wasn't sure if they could be brought back, so he was very hesitant.

With a mighty toss, he threw the blade into the ceiling. Then he leapt up to it, and held on. The two catfolk, on either side of him, grinned. They got ready to pounce- and did. At that moment, Magtok's voice rang out "NO!", but it was too late. Thornn dropped, and the two cats crashed into eachother, going out cold. Then the blade fell, and Thornn grabbed it. "Now for you Magtok."

He entered one of the rooms. Magtok wasn't there. He checked another. Nothing. Finally, he checked out the boiler room, and only barely caught glimpse of a slight crack in the wall. He pried it open with the blade, and inside, he saw a figure, sitting at a desk. Thornn approached it. "Don't strike!" Called Vulshock. "Magtok left. Through there." He pointed to an elevator. "It leads to either that weird closet, or down, to the sewers. I swear."

Thornn checked out the lower chambers, and sure enough, Magtok was gone. Up ahead, he could see light, where a sewer lid must have been moved, and probably where Magtok escaped.

Thornn left- not by choice. He would have preferred to investigate, but the fires were spreading far. The doors opened now, and he took Glen to prison. But he couldn't help feel bad. Those two were such a lovely couple. But no one would ever see them again...

Grave Robber?
Grave Robber, Grave Robber...why do I even bother?
Couldn't get the image of Repo from my head xD

Edit: Twoobs, that was awesome. A great thing to return to!

[Jesse Drake]

Was that a fair ship to return with?

And Jesse Drake... damn...

Damn that's good.

Thanks. That house is real, by the way. The random closet, the emergency heat thing, the rooms and all. Not the living house thing though.

And Rabbit, yes, Grave Robber. It's the perfect necromancer/seductress identity, heh heh heh.

Oh, and I enjoyed your ship too, Mr. Bit. It seems in my lethargic style of writing I missed at least one page of activity, one and a half.

[EleventhHour]

@Rabbit :
@J-Drake :

Wait... I could just...


@R&D :

Well. It seems I'm the lucky one today.

>.>

"Oooooh Reinholdt... come closer deary..."

"Oh dearie, you look a little lost. The library proper is back that way. This is the Pages of The Lost. Not somewhere for a young, aspiring blackguard like yourself... let me show you the way out..."

[Mordokai]

"I'm going, I'm going..."

*walks out quietly*

[Jesse Drake]

@R&D :

What do you have against Research and Development?

[EleventhHour]

What do you have against Research and Development?

They made a witty pun out of your names?

I'm curious if Rabbit's going to write more, and I'm nervous about what's going to happen if you do.

[loopy]

OMG PG-13 SHIP AHOY

I promised Loopy I'd ship him in a SW-theme, and eleventhhour was the most recent gurl to give permission that I felt comfortable shipping like this, so I hope noone is offended o.o
(This is also highly, highly influenced by a ship I've read elsewhere >>)

Tempations
loopy/Eleventhhour

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The battle continued to rage outside, blazing beams of lightsabres clashing against another, greens and blues mixing with the bloody colors of the Sith sabres to make a murky shade of death.
The sounds of blasters overwhelmed the air, so that anyone within miles could hear only the constant static zoom.
It was a battle that would go down through the ages.

And loopy was stuck in med-bay, far, far from the carnage and the fight for the continuation of his beliefs. They fought for the continuation of Jedi.
"Yowch!"
loopy hissed, pulling himself away from the medical droid who had prodded him so violently.
"Master, I can't assist if you do not cease sudden movements."
Grinding his teeth, loopy steered his gaze away from the oncoming needle. True, he had fought with monster twice his size, and had faced the possibilities of death over and over, but still, a small needle was all that he could take.
And his eyes landed on her.
A Padawan, but not much younger than the young Knight that he was. With her back turned to him, he could only recognize her by her long white hair, pulled up for easier access to the gaping wound against her chest, and her pale, milky skin.
"Mistress Eleventh-"
"No! I don't want the pills!"
"But they'll help with the pain."
"I'm a Jedi. Pain is nothing."
Suddenly, all his thoughts, all his teaching on purity, disappeared in a tuft of gray smoke.
She was slashed across her chest, and she sat topless, only one bed away, and loopy was instantly overcome with thoughts, desires. Images of his lips at her neck, drifting down her slender shoulder to trail along her spine. Was her skin as soft as he would have liked to think of it as?
Murmurs of imagined lovers filled his ears, erasing the sounds of the ongoing battle, and loopy felt so confused with this desire to leap over the bed between them, to press against her and...
"Ow!"
"Sorry, Master."
When he looked up from the injection in his arm, her privacy screen was deployed, and loopy the Jedi sat back against his rock-hard pillow, sighing.

Haha, ah, epic.

Jedi vows suck, I'm gonna go rogue and be a Jedi smuggler!

Thanks RabbitHoleLost!

[TwoBitWriter]

Haha, ah, epic.

Jedi vows suck, I'm gonna go rogue and be a Jedi smuggler!

Thanks RabbitHoleLost!

How about becoming a Jedi Snuggler?

[loopy]

How about becoming a Jedi Snuggler?

Depends, whats the pay like? I've been amateur for a while, but I'm thinking of going professional.

[Viera Champion]

I hear all of you cheering at your computers. Yes thats right I have finally given permision to use me in any fic story that you may desire to write with me in it. I know I know. You have been waiting for this day since I joined. You are all probably franticly grabbing your pens and papers and writing down all the wonderful stories you can write with me. Just remember im modest.

What are you all waiting for get started on those stories with me in them!

[Jesse Drake]

Drakeblood4, The Dark Immortal Blood
SilverRaptor, Sarros, The Russian Ice Immortal
Je Dit Viola, Violet, The French Viola Playing Immortal with a history of pain
Jesse Drake, The Narrator and Cousin of Blood

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The Playgrounder
There Can Be Only One

Not a year has gone by that I don't regret this curse that has fallen upon me. It's been five hundred of those cursed things too, so I've felt a lot of regret. But that's not to say there aren't a few benefits to being immortal. It's just, sometimes, it sure doesn't feel like it.

I myself am a writer. I do not care too much for the thought of true power. It does not tempt me at all. Though there are others who it means the world to. And those "people" are the reason I stay in this monastery all my life. They are the ones who I am afraid of.

Those, like my ex-cousin, Blood. I donnot care to say his true name, for it belonged to my cousin, before the power got to him. And now, that person is completely dead. And the creature who took his body can live for a long long time.

But today is unlike any other day. Today I received a letter from an old friend. Violet, the French Fiddler, another like myself, not only immortal, but content to live her life without violence. Though it may have been me who made her that way, for I was not always a man of peace. I took her loved one from her, and the fact she has forgiven me is no small task.

But that was years ago. I'd like to say she forgot, but that's not true. We don't forget easily. But she has come to terms and we do not discuss it. Did not discuss it, that is. I admit, it has been at least 100 years since we spoke. That's why the letter came as a surprise.

But I answered it- as a friend, I owed her that much. She beckoned me to join her in Haiti, a small island not too far from my current hide away spot. A call had been made. It seemed he was back.

I joined Sarros, a younger immortal I met in Russia, at the Florida airport. He smiled. "It's been too long Jesse." he said with a jovial, well trained American accent. "Far too long."

I agreed. It was not often we immortals got together, and even less often it was for something good. And, alas, this was not one of those times. But it was a reunion none the less, so pleasantries could be exchanged.

Sarros was different from most immortals. He was one of the lucky ones who possessed an outward power, beyond our almost eternal bodies. He could freeze things. Well, he could freeze water at least. It was a very special talent that almost any other immortal would lose there life trying to get. But not I. I did not desire more power. As I said, I found it to be a curse.

But his power is handy. It was how we managed to defeat Blood all those years ago. He was stuck in an ice cube, thrown down a pit, and left there. Apparently he got out.

Violet didn't say much in her letter. Only that he was sighted in France. That's why she got out of there. She called me cause he was my cousin, and presumably I'd like to be the one to take him out. It was true, and yet it wasn't. I didn't want to kill what used to be my cousin. But I didn't want to risk anyone elses life doing it.

I arrived and was greeted by a warm, yet somewhat mechanical hug. She still harbored some malice towards me, and no doubt seeing him again has stirred those feelings around even more. But there was nothing I could do about it. I asked where we should go. She took me to a beach. After ordering a few drinks, she spoke.

Tears streamed down her eyes. "I... I should have told him." she spat out. I didn't question who, for I had a knot in my stomache telling me not to ask. "He didn't know about us immortals. And when Blood came out started shouting for me, he went out and decided to 'take care of things' for me."

We both looked down. We knew what that meant. There was not a single one of us who had not lost a loved one to, well, age, disease, and in some rare, painful instances, murder. But this was worse. She continued.

"I should have told him not to go out. I could have explained it all- oh, but he wouldn't have believed it. I'm so stupid. I should have been more open. But his death. His death was terrible. Blood cracked him in half... then he flayed him, but that wasn't the worst part of it. The broken back had not killed him. I could hear the cries of pain as he lost his skin..."

She did not continue. She didn't have to, nor would I want her to. I patter her on the shoulder and apologized. It seemed like me and my kin were destined to keep this woman in eternal pain. And there was nothing I could do about it. Except risk my own neck stopping him.

"Can't we just freeze him again?" asked Sarros. I shook my head.

"No. He escaped once, he'll do it again. We have to destroy him. I have to destroy him."

Violet wiped her eyes. "I'm going too." She said. "I want to see him fall. I want to see him suffer for every moment of pain he's caused me- no, he's caused the world."

"Violet, you are no warrior-"

"And you are?" She asked sharply. "What, does staying in a churches basement for 100 years suddenly make you a Knight Templar? No, you're not doing this alone. Blood is more powerful than all of us combined."

I could have mentioned the power I drew from her past love, but I didn't. She knew I possessed it, and if she didn't feel it was powerful enough to defeat Blood on my own, then I could not argue that. But I did worry.

I drew in a deep breath. It was gonna be tough. But I knew I had to do it, and I grit my teeth hard. It was time to face my past. It was time to go home.

We took the next flight to Spain. The tickets were easy to get, since we all possessed trinkets from our youth that fetched a pretty penny.

The three of us arrived in Spain in no time. Well, we'd spent several decades living our lives, a few hours felt like nothing. But it was nice. The sight, it was beautiful. The clouds were lovely. The world below looked like a doll house.

Once in Spain, I felt him. And I knew he felt me. He was close, not even a whole city away. He had expected us.

I paid for our room. A large one. Two rooms and a couch. It'd be nice. Sarros was excited. Just like he was all those years ago. He thought of this as an adventure, and I hated to burst his bubble, but he risked his life just like us. And if Blood got his power, then things would get worse.

That night, I felt the surge. I had not slept a wink, yet the others manageed to get a little. But his presence sent shivers down all of our spines. Cold sweat dripped down our faces. He was powerful. I could see why Violet was so afraid.

I reached for my cane, and withdrew the rapier from it. Violet took her viola case and opened it from a secret compartment. She had an extendable sword hidden away. Sarros looked at us. "You guys brought swords with you?" I shook my head.

"Sarros- this is serious stuff friend. I told you when I met you, never travel without your sword. Your blade is your life. It is an extension of you. If another immortal comes to you, you have to be able to defend yourself."

"I have the power to freeze others! I've been attacked twice, and both times I froze the jerk and took off. It's no biggie. I am a pro." I shook my head. This was something I didn't have the time to deal with.

"Just lay low." I ordered. "I don't want to lose you." Why did Violet call him anyways? I know he was one of the ones who helped us years ago, but his mind was somewhat simple. He didn't seem to be able to work his way around situations.

But that was a different story. I didn't dislike Sarros. In fact, he was one of my closest friends now. But this situation- a situation where I may lose him, well...

Then the feeling grew strong. A drop of blood trickled down my nose, and I knew he was close. He projected an image into my head. It was him, crushing some poor fool over his knee. I cringed.

Then the glass burst. We were on the third story, yet he managed to send a shock wave towards us. I took my position. Violet took hers. Then, he leapt into the room, with a mighty leap, using sound waves behind him to give him a slight push. (Siryn, anyone?)

He wore black armor- covered in spikes. And his helmet had two tiny slits for eyes, and they glew red. I felt a spark in me ignite. The sparks within me started to fly. I lifted my hand and pointed it at him. Then, lightning shot out and grabbed him. I pulled him toward me, then with my other arm, swung at him.

My strike was easily parried, and he reacted by swinging his mighty greatsword. Violet, who's eyes twitched when she saw me use that power, didn't move. She let me struggle. I fought the foe, ducking a bit and dipping away. "Cousin." he grunted. "You've been lazy, haven't you?" He kicked me back, and got ready to swing his blade. Then Sarros grabbed his arm. It froze, but only for a moment. "You." he laughed. Then he took his head.

"NO!" I roared. I leapt up, and pierced the armor easily. I then kicked him down, and out the window. But it was too late. Energy started exiting Sarros and entering Blood. It was terrible. But I knew if we stopped now, I would never be able to defeat him. I didn't want Sarros's power. I wanted him to keep it, but now, it looked as if I'd be stuck with it. Would my curse ever end.

I got to the window. I looked down, and Blood was getting up. I got ready to leap down, when Violet grabbed my shoulder. "Come on, let's get him." I nodded. It was time to finish this, once and for all.

We jumped from the window. Down onto the broken glass. It was dark, so not many people were around. Those that were left. The three of us were engaged in a heavy battle. I'd swing at him, he'd dodge, and swing back, leaving himself open to a strike from Violet. But he was too keen for that to work that well. He'd deflect the blow and keep going. I wasn't sure if we'd make it.

Then he grabbed me... and I felt the icy grip turn me into a frozen statue of myself.

I awoke several hours later. I was in the hotel room, my blade next to me. I was in warm water. My clothes drenched. On the toilet was a note. "Dear Jesse- He's gone. I wish I had not been the one to do it, for I'm stuck with his memories- full of death and violence. But I'll be fine. Please, go home and stay safe... and I'm sorry. I know he meant a lot to you. I not only saw the evil, but I've seen the man he was. Your cousin."

I packed up my stuff, and left. I got home, standing in my doorway, and looked back at the world. Then I locked my door, and took to the road. I would not be rusty the next time I was challenged.

[Je dit Viola]

(@Viera: Cheer!)

To Jesse Drake, though...(and all those other ships I just barely read...)
Wow, that's pretty good. You're making me jealous, like I want to write one. But not tonight, 'cause I have a test to study for.

Jesse, I like the ending of yours, it's a pretty good ending.

(Now...I need to start planning on the one I'm going to write sometime this week...)

[Nameless]

Rabbit always writes good stories. Nameless admires Rabbit's skills.

[Destro_Yersul]

Sweet holy crap on a stick! My computer breaks and the thread takes off on the same day. I think you all dislike me or something

Twobit: Go read my Horror series that was not at all ripped off from Dead Space. READ IT! You missed it, and it has you being badass.

I had more ideas, but the only one I can remember is this.

Hellbent
Jesse Drake/Eleventhhour

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The radio blared, the dial turned to maximum volume. One hand, knuckles white, gripped the wheel, the other holding a half-empty cup of coffee that had long gone cold. Windshield wipers fought the snow as the car barreled down the highway.

Come on... Jesse whispered to himself. Stay awake. Only a couple more hours, you can do that. He had been fighting drowsiness for the past fifty miles, assisted by the coffee.

He thought of his destination, the city his car had been pointed at ever since that last phone call. Her voice tumbled through his mind, and he smiled in spite of the snow that had turned the highway into a slushy mess. Even with the danger, he was going fast.

How could he not?

Eleventh had told him she missed him, wanted to see him so badly, and that if he were to turn up on her doorstep, she'd make the trip well worth his time. Just a hint, but it had still sent him running for the car.

The phone was still in the backseat where he'd tossed it. Behind him, another car was trying to keep pace. Lights flashed, red and blue. Jesse only grinned, and pushed the pedal down as far as it would go. His car leaped ahead, spraying slush at the police cruiser.

Adrenaline chased away the last vestiges of tiredness, and he couldn't help but laugh as the ground beneath him flashed by. If he made it through this without dying, he'd be in for the time of his life.