Saturday, October 8, 2005

   Fake Wings, Chapter 7!
Yesh, here's Chapter 7. Minoru and Ian are back on the scene, so it's going to be a bit longer than it would be if it were only Izayoi and the hunters.

Chapter 7

Otomaru did as he was told. He took a vial out of his pocket, marked “SUBJECT 1”. Grinning, he drew a pentagram on the floor with it, emptying the beaker. However, he was uneasy. This ritual was deep, black magic; most often used by corrupt alters. Would it actually work?

“Otomaru, it’s going to work. The prophecy will come true, and we’ll succeed in our mission,” Hadden said clearly, as though he could read Otomaru’s mind. Sighing, he outstretched his hands, gesturing for his bodyguard to take them. He did as he was told, then closed his eyes, focusing on Tenji. His boss began chanting something low, in a strange language. Otomaru knew it well; he’d been studying this spell since he’d first heard of the prophecy.

Otomaru joined his boss in the chanting, speaking slowly and in English. A dark, black aura began to form around the pentagram, but neither noticed. If they opened their eyes, the spell wouldn’t work. The words seemed to drift throughout the room, ominously filling it with darkness. Soon, Tenji’s body also began to herald the black glow. Then, with a whooshing noise, a white orb burst through the pentagram, flinging itself through the glass, through the formaldehyde, and into Tenji’s body.

Her pulse returned, but her eyes did not open. Otomaru opened his eyes once the chanting had ended, and looked over at Tenji. Her body had undergone a great physical change. Her once red fur was grey, and the black stripes beneath her eyes were green. She had also grown wings; black and leathery, orange membrane connecting the wingtips. Her eyes, which were half open, were yellow; changed indefinitely from her former green.

“So it was true… the prophecy is about to come true.” Otomaru chuckled, looking at Tenji, “she looks comatose… shall we leave her? Or should I keep watch?” He looked at his boss, who told him to leave her be. It was late, and Otomaru wouldn’t be on his toes if he didn’t get enough sleep. With a sigh, he retired to his quarters, flopping onto his bed.

“Perhaps Tenji sides with the Alters? What if it’s her destiny to destroy US instead of them?” Otomaru mused, before his head hit his pillow. As soon as it did, all speech ended, and he’d fallen into a deep sleep.

***

Terra was a bit surprised that there were actually survivors in the village. They’d turned up in the last day, glad to see the others. Terra decided to stay back in the city and stand guard, while Minoru and Ian went on their search. Unfortunately for them, they weren’t the only ones lurking just outside. Izayoi, who waited beyond the barrier, couldn’t wait for them to exit. She only wanted to do her job and get back to the base.

“The sooner I can go, the better.” Izayoi griped, watching as Ian stepped out of the dome. She sighed, unsheathing her nodachi; quietly, stealthily. Holding it near her left side, she prepared a dash. Ian, who was picking herbs for medicine, didn’t notice her. Now, if it was by extreme fortune or extreme clumsiness, Ian tripped, and managed to escape the berth of Izayoi’s blade. He looked over his shoulder at Izayoi, her milk white eye staring directly into his.

“Damn!” Izayoi cursed quietly, straightening herself, “I was supposed to get you quietly and go home, but I guess not. How would you like to die? A) You submit and die quickly… or B) we fight until I kill you.” She sighed, looking at the fear in his eyes. It sickened her; she hated being viewed as a monster. Of course, being a killer of extreme skill, she knew she would be hated.

“But… but why do you want to kill me?” Ian asked, having fallen over in terror. Izayoi was about to answer, but she was cut off by a sudden attack from Minoru. He swung at her with his scythe, but she blocked the brunt of the attack. As quickly as he’d come, Minoru grabbed Ian and teleported again. Izayoi grimaced in pain, her hand darting to her ribs. She was bleeding; Minoru’s scythe had connected, but the blow was not fatal.

“Hadden, sir… they got away.” Izayoi said bluntly into her P.A. system, “I’m returning to base.” She shut off the communicator without waiting for a response, and headed back to her ship. Blood soaked into her uniform, but she ignored it, only intent on returning to her base. If the alters came, she would be ready to kill them.
***
Minoru and Ian reappeared on the outskirts of the forest, staring into the desert beyond. A sandstorm was being whipped up, which made it difficult to see. Ian thanked Minoru for saving him; the hunter would probably have made short work of him. Minoru told him it was no big deal, and the two began their walk across the blazing dunes. Izayoi’s ship streaked by silently invisible through cloaking. Neither of them noticed; they were too preoccupied with their mission.

“So… how far is it to the hunters’ base?” Ian asked, his grip tightening on his shuko as they walked. Minoru told him it would take at least one day to get halfway by foot. Fortunately, they’d brought enough food and water to keep themselves alive. Of course, with all the dangerous creatures and raiders lurking in the desert, they would be lucky not to be attacked.

They walked in silence, both being careful to watch out for enemies. Even if they had wanted to speak, it may have warranted unwanted attention. Ian sighed, scratching his cheek with his finger. ‘If we aren’t the only ones in the desert, why does it seem so?’ He asked himself, ’a simple sandstorm shouldn’t be able to hide as many enemies as there are supposed to be.’ Unfortunately, his hunched proved incorrect, as they were being followed. However, it was by desert predators; gigantic scorpions.

Their claws clicked ominously as they approached, no longer trying to hide. Ian stopped walking, looking over his shoulder. What he saw chilled him to the bone. The dunes behind them were slowly being filled by the gigantic beasts, all hissing and waving their toxic tails ominously. Minoru never seemed to notice, even as the beasts approached. Also, he didn’t pay attention to Ian’s nudges.

“SCORPIONS!!” Ian screamed frantically, finally getting Minoru’s attention. The scorpions also took this time to attack, claws clicking furiously as their many legs rushed toward the two alters.

There you go! Hope you enjoy the story! ~_^
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