Fan Fic Contest - Are you the best writer?

[CheddarLimbo]

For those of us who don't read or write fan fiction very often, please be specific about the "average" length?

[TGRF]

My dear CL, please read the previous page:

Originally Posted by The Grim Reaper's Friend

That long. Try the Wind in the trees for average chapter length.

[Tornado]

So is there a topic for the first write or is it open as earlier suggested? This is great and I am honored to be invited. With the invite restriction I figured I better come guns a blazin'.
I am fired up, sitting by a 'campfire' with a laptop in a mild sprinkle. How much H2O can a PC take?

[TGRF]

I greatly appreciate all the enthusiasm, but I see nothing being done. This must be the fourth or fifth time someone has asked a question which has been clearly answered before.

I will begin with the opening challenge:
Vydar has launched a bold expedition of five units to recover an ancient artifact deep within the Volcarren Wasteland; but they are suddenly ambushed. Write about the ambush and the ensuing battle.

I don't want to seem rude, indeed, I want to encourage activity here. But please, read what comes first, and then post. Thanks.

[Orcs Blade]

Here it is. Took a little longer than I expected, but whatever.

The Talisman of Thor

Major V4 halted, a mechanical hand snapping into the air above his shoulder as he signaled his battalion to halt. Its artificial brain processed its surroundings in an instant, recognizing that there was a high probability of ambush, given the easy cover of the heavy brush on either side of the winding path that they were following. Its battalion was going on a top secret mission through this jungle, attempting to reach the Volcarren Wasteland, a desolate, rocky area in which only lizards could survive. His objective was the Talsiman of Thor. This artifact was a necklace from the ancient times, a symbol of ultimate power. His master, Vydar, sought this talisman, for with it, he could dominate Utgar. Had V4’s mind contained the capability of true thought, it might have wondered what would happen to the other Valkyrie Generals if Vydar obtained this relic. Its scanners could detect no threat from the small life-forms in the surrounding brush, but it nevertheless turned to one of its Lieutenants and ordered “Be prepared for an ambush”. Its voice was cold and emotionless. But then, it always was. The battalion marched on over the trampled ground, ignoring mosquitoes and other such pests.

The robotic battalion rounded a corner in the bend, and finally saw the end of the jungle. No one cheered. It was not in their programming. At the edge of the jungle, Major V4’s hand snapped up again, signaling a halt. Its computerized mind told it that there ought to have been an ambush by now, that the other Generals would not just step aside and let Vydar obtain this powerful weapon. Major V4 swiveled its robotic head from side to side, assessing the terrain. Up until the wasteland, there were still sporadic clumps of brush that could potentially hide enemies. Then there was the wasteland itself. There could be no ambush there. There could be nothing that could live there. Toxic fumes floated through the air, poisoning the nearby brush so that it had receded away from the wasteland. Pools of molten lava littered the surface of the wasteland, and a false step spelled certain doom. Major V4 brought his hand down, signaling his units forward. They marched forward once more. Nothing happened. His troops reached the wasteland unchecked, and, not stopping to wonder why, Major V4 marched on.

Three soulbourgs had been lost to the lava pools, but Major V4 could sense the nearness of the Talisman. An aura of power seemed to lie about this place, discouraging would-be-treasure hunters from approaching. The major didn’t care. It didn’t have enough emotion to care. Suddenly, it heard a fizzling sound, and Major V4 turned to investigate. One of the soulbourgs in the third rank had lava splattered across its visor. It twitched once, collapsed to its knees, and fell, rolling down a small slope and landing in a pool of lava, sinking beneath the surface in an instant. Major V4’s gun came up as he searched for the source of the assault. “Ambush,” his voice told his units emotionlessly. More lava was flung out of niches in the rock, and more soulbourgs began to fall. “Fire” came the command. The robots began firing immediately, though they had no target. Then, suddenly, they did. Black and red humanoid shapes began running out of the rocks at them, sprinting toward the robots throwing lava. The robots instantly wiveled their guns towards these foes and took aim. There was nothing to aim at. As soon as the guns came to bear on them, the creatures seemed to disappear into the lava. Confused, the robots began to search for new targets, but the creatures sprang out of the lava and sprinted at them again. Major V4 fired, fired again, but every time, the creature seemed to drop out of sight right before the Major fired. Then the creatures were on them, tackling soulbourgs, their lava skins rubbing of on the robots and melting their circuitry. Within moments, Major V4 saw its command being obliterated. It turned away from the battle and moved on towards the feeling of power, firing its grenade launcher indiscriminately where he saw movement. All that mattered was the talisman. Major V4 could see the creatures closing in on it, and it began to sprint forward, spraying bullets and explosives everywhere. The creatures seemed to ignore these, running towards it with a renewed urgency. It sprinted on, the creatures closing in around him. Then, suddenly, they weren’t. They weren’t there. It looked back and saw them picking up chunks of lava. It sprinted faster and faster, and then it stumbled. As it tumbled forward towards the lava, an outstretched hand caught hold of something and pulled. Suddenly it stopped falling. It got up and looked at its hand. It was clutching a necklace etched with runes, but Major V4 spent no time dwelling on its mysterious beauty. It looked up at the creatures and saw them cowering, staring at the talisman in his hand. It confidently walked forward towards them, and they parted down the middle to make way for it, apparently to awed to attack. Major V4’s mechanical features would have born a smile, had they been able. Finally, Vydar would have the power and respect he deserved. He would rule the world, and every world. This thought was interrupted by a burning sensation in his hand. It looked at it with mingled curiosity and fear. Its hand was coated in lava. One of the creatures had gathered the courage and thrown lava at the talisman. Major V4 wasn’t worried. With the talisman, he could not die. Then the hand fell off, taking the talisman with it. Major V4 had only time to think that that couldn’t be good when he felt a burning sensation in his head, and then, blackness. His last thought was that Vydar might not rule after all.

Also, when will they be judged?

[BassistofDoom]

This looks awesome! I will definitely try to get an entry in for this one. When's the deadline for when we have to get the story in? I assume it would be somewhere between tomorrow and Sunday.

[Elven Lord]

RednixY scanned the horizon. Everywhere hot air bubbles formed, popped and frothed on the surface of molten lava. Very little lava rock remained and the battalion’s mission objective was still very far away. Rednix’s second in command opened a communication link and said, “Sir we are not making fast enough progress. There is so little land left and we have already lost many troops to ground giving way beneath them. We need something native.”
“Negative. There is no available life.”
“How about that magma lizard sir?” The mechanical arm of the second pointed to the precise location of the creature. Each time the carefully camoflauged creature moved the second’s hand moved with it always pointing to its precise location.
Rednix lunged forward and snatched up the foot long creature. A blue beam from Rednix’s eyes moved over the creature. A mechanical voice spoke, “DNA copied.”
He then passed it over to the second who completed the same procedure and passed the creature down the line. Reports of DNA copied issued from all down the line.
“Battalion commence morph.” Ordered Rednix.
Immediately every soulborg down began shifting his parts, the metallic bits moving soundlessly against one another until fifty copies of the lizard now appeared on the rock surface. Replicas of the fire proof skin covered metal body parts. The internal cooling system the lizards had possessed were modified and adapted by the soulborgs. Upon Rednix’s command the battalion dove into the lava and made headway on a shortcut to the talisman. The soulborgs pulled their long camoflauged bodies out of the lava and spread out as Rednix moved to take the talisman, a small gold ingot which possessed incredible healing power. Round identical blocks of solid obsidian stood round the small talisman as if to guard it. The area was scanned for signs of life, but instead of scanning for literally any life form they scanned only for DNA. Rednix grabbed the talisman, but as soon as he did so the obsidian blocks stood up revealing faces arms and legs. Rednix wasted no time in calling an alert and coordinating immediate aggression. A human or other life form may have paused in surprise, but Rednix could not think enough to be surprised. “Left wing commence back morph. Fall back twenty feet. Commence fire immediately. Right wing commence morph to laser cutters. Attack immediately. Battalion kill with extreme prejudice.”
Immediately all the bots on the left wing morphed into their original forms. They came out crouched, retreated 20 feet as ordered, and the units in the back began sniping with deadly precision while the front row poured as much fire as they possibly could into the obsidian monsters. At the same time the right wing morphed into small energetic soulborgs with long scythes for arms that shone shown with lasers in the humidity. The obsidians reacted more or less slowly. They took deadly sniper and machine gun fire to the head with hardly a blink. Five of the ten fiends turned to the cutters picking them off by twos by bashing their mechanical brains together and tossing them into the molten lava that surrounded the small obsidian island. The other five proceeded to attack the “Archers.” Rednix went for the talisman. Once it was safely inside him he chanced a glance around. One obsidian had been sliced to a pile of rubble one had lost it’s head from concentrated sniper fire, but the losses from the battalion were tremendous. All but two of the 25 cutters were down. The left wing had two losses only-which Rednix decided in some part at the back of his slowly developing free thinking mind-was a blessing. One obsidian curled himself into a ball. Another guard heaved him up and—Rednix saw what was happening and snapped a quick order. The left wing staggered the line, and in the same instant focused fire on the guard. The guard hurled the other obsidian into the line. Three soulborgs were flattened.
“Good only three” thought Rednix. Then upon seeing the one guard drop dead and the other roll into the lava, Rednix leapt to the offensive employing every technique he knew on the obsidians legs to bring them to the ground. The score was now four obsidians down and out, one injured, and thirty soulborgs down. At this rate the battle would be lost. Seeing his chance Rednix reluctantly gave the order, “Troops hold them off for as long as you can. Then retreat.” Morphing back into the Magma lizard he dove into the lava with the talisman safely inside him. His developing emotions and sense of honor told him he should stay, but he had a job to do, and he was going to do it. Those troops back there had duties as well and they would not retreat because “as long as you can” meant “until death” with those mindless fighting machines. He had left none too soon for the Obsidian that had rolled into the lava returned with a better position on the “archers” and had rolled one massive rock right along the line obliterating the last of the battalion. They had done their duty and done it well. Vydar couldn’t ask for finer fighting units.

Two weeks later Rednix appeared in Vydar's chamber delivering the talisman to him. Vydar then used the talisman to heal his deathly ill wife. Despite the mindlessness of their bravery the 5th 6th 7th 8th and ninth changling soulbourg units received a statue in their honor which still stands today in Vydar’s Fortress, Valhalla.

[TGRF]

Originally Posted by BassistofDoom

This looks awesome! I will definitely try to get an entry in for this one. When's the deadline for when we have to get the story in? I assume it would be somewhere between tomorrow and Sunday.

Probably either Saturday night, or Sunday afternoon, depending on my schedule. It should always be either Saturday night or Sunday, but the actual time will very with each winner. Just try to get your entry in before 4:00 PM on Saturday.
Also, please remember that, if you win, you will have to give out the next challenge.

Great stories, Orcs Blade and Elven Lord! Keep it up!

[BassistofDoom]

Well, here's my entry. Sorry if it's a bit long.

Clank. Clank. Siege and his four companions marched slowly but determinedly through a seemingly endless field of lava. This didn’t bother them, however, because Warforged were designed for the toughest environments. Vydar had sent Siege and four of his finest soldiers, Tech, Spotter, Tank, and Bullseye, to retrieve an ancient talisman from the heart of the fiery desert. Although the Warforged were new to Vydar’s army, soulborgs were needed to defend Vydar’s fortress and Agent Carr was not able to bring his strike force because of the terrain. Siege received his orders, and he carried them out, no matter what they were. That was why he existed. Suddenly, a crack broke the silence and Siege turned to see Tech’s leg sinking into a patch of molten lava. Tank grabbed Tech’s arm and hoisted him back out. “Are you ok?” Siege inquired. “Affirmative.” Replied Tech, who had been brought along for his expertise with technology. Spotter was the scout of the group who was fast and able to navigate harsh terrain. Bullseye and Tank were the two fighters, along with Siege as the leader.

The group continued on their journey, undeterred by Tech’s slip, because they were Warforged, and it would take more than just some molten lava to put a dent in their armor. “Halt.” Announced Tech. “My equipment indicates that the talisman we seek is just north of here, perhaps 500 meters.” Siege nodded. “We shall march for 200 meters, then Spotter, you shall proceed ahead of the group and scout out the location.” The pace of the group quickened as they all eagerly approached the talisman, before Siege motioned for them to stop. “My sensors don’t detect any life.” Said Tech. “Good. Spotter, go.” Replied Siege. Spotter ran ahead, carrying only his steel dagger as the group watched him. There was a small hill up ahead of blackened rock, behind which he assumed was the talisman. Suddenly, molten rock sprouted up in front of him, taking an almost human form. Before he had time to react, a solid punch sent a fiery rock arm propelling through his skull, shattering it and ending Spotter’s life.

Siege watched Spotter curiously as he darted across the molten terrain, focused on reaching his goal. Spotter stopped abruptly, however, and Siege suspected there may be something wrong. As he watched Spotter collapse as a bulky figure stood over him, his suspicions were confirmed. “Ambush!” he cried to the others, who immediately grabbed their weapons and charged at the figure. Others shot up from the turf, and Tech was soon brought down in a heap. Bullseye slashed at each rocky form that approached him, but soon they overwhelmed him with their numbers and tore him apart. Although Tank’s mighty axe struck down many of the beasts, he soon was mortally wounded as well. Siege, however, would not fall. His mission must be completed. He defeated each attacker that challenged him until suddenly a long blade sprouted from his chest. Falling to his knees, Siege knew that he had seen that blade before. “Well well well,” said Agent Carr. “You…” uttered Siege. “Yes it is. Why might you ask am I here sticking a sword in your chest? Well, let’s just keep things short and say Utgar knows how to persuade a man. I’m talking about wealth, something stupid machines like yourself wouldn’t understand.” Siege noticed that Carr was able to navigate on the terrain with shoes that allowed him to hover above the molten rock. “Oh yes.” One of the lava beasts spoke in a deep, penetrating voice. “About that…” Carr whirled around just as the figure placed its hands on his neck and twisted it harshly so that a loud snap echoed across the desert. And so lay on the ground 5 heroes and a traitor, who’s body now slowly burned on the searing rock, as the Obsidian Guards made their way to the talisman, which would certainly serve Utgar quite well.

[CheddarLimbo]

Longer than you wanted, probably. But I had a story in my head and this is how long it took to tell it.

Theta Unit in the Foothills of Volcarren.

Spoiler Alert!

Belly down and propped on his elbows, Jorsen surveyed the area ahead, the landscape tinted in shades of green through his goggles. The terrain ahead was formidable at best, and down-right hostile at worst. The cracked earth and the low foothills to the east were forbidding. Jets of gas would erupt - violently at times - from rocky piles and it seemed the ground beneath them was constantly shifting. Then there was the heat. Oppressive and unending, it seemed to get worse the further north the team traveled. Jorsen wore the distinctive Stealth Armor of his team, and while it had saved his life in the past, in this environment he was beginning to suffer for it.

He and his team had been sent to the area to scout for a secluded spot in which to stage a small task force. The area was far enough west of the swamp and the main battle that the Marro forces would be hard pressed to maintain a strong presence here. If Vydar could find an area in which he could stage an assault, they might be able to strike a critical blow to the Hive Lord’s forces.

A bright flash in the goggle viewscreen blinded Jorsen briefly, and he swore. Similar explosions had already erupted twice while he surveyed the area from his perch. The entire region seemed volatile, and the mission was going poorly. The last surviving member of a team of nine, Jorsen was beginning to worry that he and his new team might not succeed. While they had yet to find any of Ne-Gok-Sa’s forces in these foothills, the inanimate threats were taking their toll. It seemed to Jorsen that every advantage he and his team brought was canceled by the terrain itself. Their advanced monitoring equipment was unable to differentiate between living threats and the constantly shifting landscape. The rock slides negated their audio sensors, and the ambient heat made their thermal vision all but useless.

Jorsen’s earpiece squawked quietly in his ear. “Seven, this is base. Report.”

“Seven here” Jorsen replied into his mike. “No activity that I can see, Hillard. I’m about two clicks north by northwest. I’m heading back and should be there in time for the rendezvous.”

“Understood. Try to double-time it. Carr says he found a path through the foothills we can use to get around to the west side of the peak.”

“I read you. I’ll start heading that way.” Jorsen clicked off his comm. He moved to a crouch, and stretched his arms a bit before rising and turning south. As he crunched down the rocky hill, he reflected more on his situation. He hated the way Hillard insisted on calling him “Seven”. It was a constant reminder that he was not a part of the team in his commanding officer’s eyes. Carr and Hillard’s squad had found Jorsen after he’d barely survived a skirmish that had wiped out the rest of his team. Hillard's group had been sent deep into Volcarren in search of what he would only call "a powerful new weapon for Vydar". His lack of details just another example of Hillard's mistrust of him. Jorsen was relieved he’d been able to join up with their small force, and had tried to mesh with the team, but it was difficult. Microcorp are specifically trained and taught from the very beginning to act as a tight and unified squad. It wasn’t easy to find a place in that dynamic as a “fourth wheel”.

But he was alive - for now anyway - and that was worth something. It was more than could be said for Shane, Chris, and the rest of his team who had died eleven days earlier while trying to flank a horde of Annubian soldiers. They wolfen men had been patrolling the southern edge of Volcarren when the Microcorps had attempted to ambush them. Jorsen still heard their howls sometimes while he tried to sleep, and thought he’d probably never get the image of their maddening eyes and snarling faces out of his mind. Or the screams of his comrades as they were literally torn to shreds by the frenzied beasts.

Jorsen approached the camp, mutely acknowledging the perimeter scout, Fender. Once Jorsen moved closer in, the other team members made themselves seen and the group huddled together in the lee of a large stone outcrop near the base of the nearby foothills.

“So, nothing, then?” inquired Astor, the third member of Hillard’s squad.

“Nothing worth seeing.” Jorsen replied. “The terrain is rough. Gas jets, crumbling rocks cascading down the hillside every few minutes. It’s hard to get a proper read on the area. Something could be lurking and it’s very difficult to track in a region like this.

“I know what you mean,” Astor replied grimly. “You can’t tell if it’s just the rumble of the earth of if somethin’ is sneaking up behind you to slit your-”

“Enough of that, Seven.” came Hillard’s voice from behind. “I sent you out to get the lay of the land, not come back with ghost stories.” He approached the group and stared stonily at Jorsen.

“Sir.” said Jorsen, straightening. “Just acknowledging our disadvantage, sir. Our equipment isn’t going to be much use out there.”

“I don’t know how they did it in your squad, Jorsen, but Theta Unit uses our brains and our ability first. Our equipment is just the icing on the cake. Besides, this place is a wasteland. We haven’t seen signs of any troop movement since-”

A crash from the left made the team jump, and pull their weapons, instinctively falling into formation guns trained on two large boulders that had crashed to the ground from the outcropping above. Jorsen could feel through his feet as a series of far-off thuds and rumbles quaked. Was it the sound of an army mobilizing on the other side of the foothills? Or just this terrible pit creaking and flexing?

Astor moved forward, half crouched and weapon trained on the rocks ahead of him. He began to carefully circle the stony wreck, but before he could get more than a few feet away, a creature sprang up from behind the rocks and perched on top of the pile. It was small, with dark skin and pointed features. It clothes were a mess of tangled rags. It breathed quickly, it’s tiny eyes glinted black as they darted around the area. Its body began to coil inwards to pounce.


“Cutters!” Hillard shouted. “Set two! Mark!”The team quickly and fluidly spread formation, taking a few steps back and fanning out. Fender fired twice, missing. The creature scuttled quickly to the left, seeming to magically dodge the point-blank shot, and was gone from sight.

Astor cried out and a sharp pinching pain shot up his leg. Looking down, another of the tiny beasts was clutching to his calf, its teeth sunk into the padding of his armor. Astor used the butt of his weapon to smash the creature in the head. It let go, and stumbled backwards, dazed. Jorsen stepped closer and swung his own weapon down on its skull. There was a sickening crunch and it was still. Jorsen turned in time to see three more Goblins almost fly through the air towards Fender. Fender raised him arm to block his face, screaming. One Goblin was buffeted aside, while the other two latched onto Fender’s arm and thigh, scratching, clawing, and snarling as they tried to tear and rip through the thick armor. Fender stumbled backwards from the force of their leap, but kept his feet.

“Astor!” shouted Hillard from the left. “Up!”

Astor rolled backwards and sprang to his feet, barely dodging another pair of Goblins that swarmed forward from the right. He began to climb the nearby hillside to attain a perch from which he might be able to get a better shot of the swarming monsters.

“Where are they coming from?” thought Jorsen as he fired three times rapidly at the pair of Goblins. “How can so many have surprised us?” One of the Goblins fell to the ground, the other disappeared.

Hillard rushed forward to knock loose the Goblins clinging to Fender’s armor. Seemingly indifferent to gravity, one had quickly scurried up and around to Fender’s shoulder, and once there sank its teeth into the back of Fenders neck, just below the helmet. Fender howled, and Hillard tried in vain to pry off the terrible creatures.

The earth rumbled again, but with more force than before. Dread in his stomach, Jorsen knew, now, there could be no mistake. The rumbling quake was footsteps, but not the even march of an army on the move. It was the slow, thunderous pace of something enormous. And it was approaching.

Astor climbed quickly up the side of the hill, breathing hard. If he could get to a perch, they might be able to regroup. If he could begin to control the advance of the little beasts, catch them by surprise before-

Astor neared the summit of the hill and the earth rocked beneath him. A hulking, enormous form was climbing up the opposite side of the same foothill. The creature was twice the size of a man, and wielded an enormous broadsword. Its skin was dark, almost black and charred, and seemed to smoke itself like the fissures all over the ground. It’s blazing face was terrible in its hatred as it approached spotting Astor. Astor froze, and immediately began to descend back down the slope.

The flaming giant strode forward, with a speed Astor would not have expected from such an enormous thing, and hefted its blade. Astor stopped his descent, and raised his weapon. As his eye came to the sight, he hand time only to see the glint of the gigantic sword swinging towards him.

Jorsen was dizzy now, and blood trickled into his left eye, obscuring his vision. He was still reflexively crushing a Goblin’s small form in his bare hands when he heard Astor’s scream. Jorsen looked up in time to see Astor’s body flying across his field of vision, landing in a crumpled, unmoving heap.

A voice in Jorsen’s mind whispered darkly, “It’s happening all over again...”

[TGRF]

Originally Posted by CheddarLimbo

Longer than you wanted, probably. But I had a story in my head and this is how long it took to tell it.

Theta Unit in the Foothills of Volcarren.

Spoiler Alert!

Belly down and propped on his elbows, Jorsen surveyed the area ahead, the landscape tinted in shades of green through his goggles. The terrain ahead was formidable at best, and down-right hostile at worst. The cracked earth and the low foothills to the east were forbidding. Jets of gas would erupt - violently at times - from rocky piles and it seemed the ground beneath them was constantly shifting. Then there was the heat. Oppressive and unending, it seemed to get worse the further north the team traveled. Jorsen wore the distinctive Stealth Armor of his team, and while it had saved his life in the past, in this environment he was beginning to suffer for it.

He and his team had been sent to the area to scout for a secluded spot in which to stage a small task force. The area was far enough west of the swamp and the main battle that the Marro forces would be hard pressed to maintain a strong presence here. If Vydar could find an area in which he could stage an assault, they might be able to strike a critical blow to the Hive Lord’s forces.

A bright flash in the goggle viewscreen blinded Jorsen briefly, and he swore. Similar explosions had already erupted twice while he surveyed the area from his perch. The entire region seemed volatile, and the mission was going poorly. The last of surviving member of a team of nine, Jorsen was beginning to worry that he and his new team might not succeed. While they had yet to find any of Ne-Gok-Sa’s forces in these foothills, the inanimate threats were taking their toll. It seemed to Jorsen that every advantage he and his team brought was canceled by the terrain itself. Their advanced monitoring equipment was all but useless. The shifting earth negated their sensors, and the ambient heat made their thermal vision all but useless.

Jorsen’s earpiece squawked quietly in his ear. “Seven, this is base. Report.”

“Seven here” Jorsen replied into his mike. “No activity that I can see, Hillard. I’m about two clicks north by northwest. I’m heading back and should be there in time for the rendezvous.”

“Understood. Try to double-time it. Carr says he found a path through the foothills we can use to get around to the west side of the peak.”

“I read you. I’ll start heading that way.” Jorsen clicked off his comm. He moved to a crouch, and stretched his arms a bit before rising and turning south. As he walked, he reflected more on his situation. He hated the way Hillard insisted on calling him “Seven”. It was a constant reminder that he was not a part of the team in his commanding officer’s eyes. Carr and Hillard’s squad had found Jorsen after he’d barely survived a skirmish that had wiped out the rest of his team. Hillard's group had been sent deep into Volcarren in search of what he would only call "a powerful new weapon for Vydar". His lack of details just another example of Hillard's mistrust of him. Jorsen was relieved he’d been able to join up with their small force, and had tried to mesh with the team, but it was difficult. Microcorp are specifically trained and taught from the very beginning to act as a tight and unified squad. It wasn’t easy to find a place in that dynamic as a “fourth wheel”.

But he was alive - for now anyway - and that was worth something. It was more than could be said for Shane, Chris, and the rest of his team who had died eleven days earlier while trying to flank a horde of Annubian soldiers. They wolfen men had been patrolling the southern edge of Volcarren. Jorsen still heard their howls sometimes while he tried to sleep, and thought he’d probably never get the image of their maddening eyes and snarling faces out of his mind. Or the screams of his comrades as they were literally torn to shreds by the frenzied beasts.

Jorsen approached the camp, mutely acknowledging the perimeter scout, Fender. Once Jorsen moved closer in, the other team members made themselves seen and the group huddled together in the lee of a large stone outcrop near the base of the nearby foothills.

“So, nothing, Jorsen?” inquired Astor, the third member of Hillard’s squad.

“Nothing worth seeing.” Jorsen replied. “The terrain is rough. Gas jets, crumbling rocks cascading down the hillside every few minutes. It’s hard to get a proper read on the area. Something could be lurking and it’s very difficult to track in a region like this.

“I know what you mean,” Astor replied grimly. “You can’t tell if it’s just the rumble of the earth of if somethin’ is sneaking up behind you to slit your-”

“Enough of that, Seven.” came Hillard’s voice from behind. “I sent you out to get the lay of the land, not come back with ghost stories.” He approached the group and stared stonily at Jorsen.

“Sir.” said Jorsen, straightening. “Just acknowledging our disadvantage, sir. Our equipment isn’t going to be much use out there.”

“I don’t know how they did it in your squad, Jorsen, but Theta Unit uses our brains and our ability first. Our equipment is just the icing on the cake. Besides, this place is a wasteland. We haven’t seen signs of any troop movement since-”

A crash from the left made the team jump, and pull their weapons, instinctively falling into formation guns trained on two large boulders that had crashed to the ground from the outcropping above. Jorsen could feel through his feet as a series of far-off thuds and rumbles quaked. Was it the sound of an army mobilizing on the other side of the foothills? Or just this terrible pit creaking and flexing?

Astor moved forward, half crouched and weapon trained on the rocks ahead of him. He began to carefully circle the stony wreck, but before he could get more than a few feet away, a creature sprang up from behind the rocks and perched on top of the pile. It was small, with dark skin and pointed features. It clothes were a mess of tangled rags. It breathed quickly, it’s tiny eyes glinted black as they darted around the area. Its body began to coil inwards to pounce.


“Cutters!” Hillard shouted. “Set two! Mark!”The team quickly and fluidly spread formation, taking a few steps back and fanning out. Fender fired twice, missing. The creature scuttled quickly to the left, seeming to magically dodge the point-blank shot, and was gone from sight.

Astor cried out and a sharp pinching pain shot up his leg. Looking down, another of the tiny beasts was clutching to his calf, its teeth sunk into the padding of his armor. Astor used the butt of his weapon to smash the creature in the head. It let go, and stumbled backwards, dazed. Jorsen stepped closer and swung his own weapon down on its skull. There was a sickening crunch and it was still. Jorsen turned in time to see three more Goblins almost fly through the air towards Fender. Fender raised him arm to block his face, screaming. One Goblin was buffeted aside, while the other two latched onto Fender’s arm and thigh, scratching, clawing, and snarling as they tried to tear and rip through the thick armor. Fender stumbled backwards from the force of their leap, but kept his feet.

“Astor!” shouted Hillard from the left. “Up!”

Astor rolled backwards and sprang to his feet, barely dodging another pair of Goblins that swarmed forward from the right. He began to climb the nearby hillside to attain a perch from which he might be able to get a better shot of the swarming monsters.

“Where are they coming from?” thought Jorsen as he fired three times rapidly at the pair of Goblins. “How can so many have surprised us?” One of the Goblins fell to the ground, the other disappeared.

Hillard rushed forward to knock loose the Goblins clinging to Fender’s armor. Seemingly indifferent to gravity, one had quickly scurried up and around to Fender’s shoulder, and once there sank its teeth into the back of Fenders neck, just below the helmet. Fender howled, and Hillard tried in vain to pry off the terrible creatures.

The earth rumbled again, but with more force than before. Dread in his stomach, Jorsen knew, now, there could be no mistake. The rumbling quake was footsteps, but not the even march of an army on the move. It was the slow, thunderous pace of something enormous. And it was approaching.

Astor climbed quickly up the side of the hill, breathing hard. If he could get to a perch, they might be able to regroup. If he could begin to control the advance of the little beasts, catch them by surprise before-

Astor neared the summit of the hill and the earth rocked beneath him. A hulking, enormous form was climbing up the opposite side of the same foothill. The creature was twice the size of a man, and wielded an enormous broadsword. Its skin was dark, almost black and charred, and seemed to smoke itself like the fissures all over the ground. It’s blazing face was terrible in its hatred as it approached spotting Astor. Astor froze, and immediately began to descend back down the slope.

The flaming giant strode forward, with a speed Astor would not have expected from such an enormous thing, and hefted its blade. Astor stopped his descent, and raised his weapon. As his eye came to the sight, he hand time only to see the glint of the gigantic sword swinging towards him.

Jorsen was dizzy now, and blood trickled into his left eye, obscuring his vision. He was still reflexively crushing a Goblin’s small form in his bare hands when he heard Astor’s scream. Jorsen looked up in time to see Astor’s body flying across his field of vision, landing in a crumpled, unmoving heap.

A voice in Jorsen’s mind whispered darkly, “It’s happening all over again...”

Yeah, it was a little long, but a long story that's fun to read is no problem. Great work!

[elvenwizard9]

Er... I may not have a story in, Ive been kinda busy lately...