The Vandoosa Saga: Episode One

Status
Not open for further replies.

Blind Hemingway

Ancient Iwaku Scum from 2006.
Original poster
MYTHICAL MEMBER
Posting Speed
  1. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
NEVER
Writing Levels
  1. Adept
  2. Douche
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Primarily Prefer Female
Genres
Surrealism, Surreal Horror (Think Tim Burton), Steampunk, Sci-Fi Fantasy, Spaghetti Westerns, Mercenaries, Dieselpunk, Cyberpunk, Historical fantasies
The Names of the Night



"The Muses" were - more or less - reincarnations of the same being; she "bears herself again and again like a phoenix. Proving that she is always present and never far away. To those that still truly believe, she will reveal herself."

Londi sat back. The tavern smelled of the thick scent of cheap cigars and liquor, two scents he didn't care for. If one was going to smoke, it should be real tobacco. To native populations, that plant was scared because of it's scent would reach the heavens. While he knew that way of thinking was outdated to most, he felt closer to the spirits that way.

"I tell you, the fortune teller said that there was going to be a major rift in the world...That guy is always right on these issues. He said that there would be the falling of fire from the skies and devastation would haunt the land for the next 15 years! It's the sign of the end of all things!!!!" One of the patrons argued across the way.

"You seriously let these sorts in this bar?" Londi mentioned to the barkeep. She was a heavy set woman with a large chest, a clear sign that she had raised many healthy childless. Her white hair was still very messy from an encounter with a drunk that she had tossed out a few moments earlier. "Da. I'd rather deal with loons like him than the damn military of Staadtplatz." She responded.

"Ah ha. The wonderful world of politics, as they say?" Londi said, with a charming smile on his face. "Hey boy. Don't assume your good looks will get you any free beer. It might be hard to believe but a long time ago I was once a charmer. I know how your kind works, rather well."

"Do you now? Well that's mighty interesting." Londi continued to smile, "Since you're the expert, what's your opinion then?" He asked.

"You're wearing a caped uniform, you must be one of those Travellers." The bar keep said.

"Maybe. But I would be carrying a revolver if I were one." He said.

"Well I never said I was a physic, now did I?" She added.

"This is true, very true." Londi said.

"You're still trying to be a charmer. You must be one of those young men that seeks all the wild girls of this city. There are many that would fall head over heals for a man like you."

Londi then chuckled. Many people seemed to believe this about him. He did have good looks and a spiffy uniform. The saying goes, "The ladies love a man in uniform," and this even applied to the world of Iwaku.

"What's so funny?" The barkeep asked.

"It is nothing, really." He said, "Just one of those things that always makes me chuckle."

Londi then placed a grey coin on the counter, "That'll do for tonight. I'm not in much of a drinking mood today."

He was indeed feeling a bight melancholic. The news of the Staadtplatz invasion didn't exactly bode well for a man of his category. Londi was a Protector, a title that very few carried with them. He had been assigned to watch over a young woman named Altantia. While she was not the issue, the war was. If her kinfolk were still around, they would have demanded that he stuck with her through thick and thin. Londi decided to do this of his own free will now.

Speaking of which, where did that girl slip off to anyways?
 
[bg=dimgray]
Engel never was much of a drinker. Or... Atlantia, rather. That was a name she was still getting used to.

She didn't much care for the atmosphere of bars or taverns; anything that could be crawling with drunks. For some reason, they liked to pull at her robe and try to yank it off. It was some of the most disgusting behaviour she's ever seen! If only they knew who she really was, perhaps they'd treat her with more respect. Then again... People did lose that sense when alcohol overtook them.

Atlantia was simply outside of the tavern, sitting on one of the concrete stairs. Out here, she could avoid those awful smells and those people. It would also give Londi a break from her... Sometimes, she wondered if he ever got bored of her company. She was the only person he really knew and he always had to pay such close attention to her. A woman as vulnerable as she was could get in the worst types of danger! Atlantia really wasn't that defenseless... She just didn't want to hurt anybody. Ever.

One of her hands curled over her chest, where her heart was located. Pain was beginning to swell up in that area, because of the war that was going on. Her eyes began to sparkle with tears, for the people who were suffering, dying, losing their loved ones, being forced to kill... She could even hear voices in her head. There were screams of pleas, children crying for their Fathers, even the last breath of someone who had just been shot. War was such a morbid subject. Atlantia didn't much like the pain that came with her role in this world, this life.

'Why do people do this do each other?' she wondered. No matter what the goal was, it didn't make sense to her. The only times she found herself agreeing with fighting is when a side was oppressed. If fighting for your freedom was the only option, then she was damn supportive of that.

There was always too much on this woman's mind.
[/bg]
 
Londi stepped out from the tavern. He had his fill of patrons for one night; he was never much of a drinker anyways.

As he stepped outside, he spoke to his Lady. "You ready then Atlantia? Serico isn't exactly the best of places to be this time of day."

Londi then handed her his umbrella. This side of the capital always seemed to be in the rainy season. It fit the depressing feeling that always hung over this side of town. Of course, if they were to travel to the more fancy sides of the city, the upper classes were looking forward to taking on the heathen Staadtplatzian military force. The last major war that had been waged was against the kingdom of Iwaku, over hundred years ago, and that proved to be a rather difficult place to contend with, so there focus remained on the eastern half of the continent.

"If we continue going, we can reach Lake Vostok by night fall. Though that area is fairly cold this time of year. I know that you hate being out in it when you don't have to be..." Londi said.

He then knelt down and pulled out a cloak from his backpack and then handed it to Atlantia. "This should do the trick. There aren't many buldings in the area but I think that we can convince at least one of the fishermen to allow us to spend the night on a steamer. If we continue going at this rate we can be out of the nation in less than a month. The forests will be our biggest problem following that."

Why he continually told her these things, he wasn't sure. All Londi knew was that he had to protect this young woman. Maybe it had to do with something like that.
 
[bg=dimgray]
When Londi walked out to meet her, she instantly straightened herself up and put on a smile, hoping she didn't look sad like she had been. He was right... This wasn't the best of places to be. No matter how grave a place might be, she couldn't just ignore it. If there was someone that could use her help, then she'd do her damnedest to grant that.

"It's okay, Londi. I can tough out the cold," she assured him. Although she did dislike frigid weather, she wasn't one to complain. It was important for her to be strong.

As she stood up, she pulled on the cloak he offered, with the umbrella in hand. It felt like he was doing too much for her, but she didn't protest. She did hope he would join her under the umbrella if he desired it, though. He was her responsibility as much as she was his!

"Let us go, then. We'll worry about the forests when we get to them. I'm sure it won't be too difficult." Atlantia was confident in her sense of direction.
[/bg]
 
The sparse trees of this region were hardly enough to provide cover for a man with a sword when everyone else had guns, the veritable urban jungle ahead would be far worse, he knew. Endry was just lucky that it was a few men ahead of him, and that a master bladesman could use a sword as both close combat and a ranged weapon, if it was curved.

His weapon of choice in this moment was a midsized dagger shaped quite like a scythe. He held it by the tip of the blade and swung, rending it through the air like a boomerang of death.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.