ArboseOromont

     Fyo'Dwara and Xine stood before the large rock set into the face of the sheer cliff.      Behind the rock lay the chamber where Grellux was known to reside. Neither of the women were looking forward to seeing him, but they both knew it may be necessary.      Fyo'Dwara said, “I hope you're in a splendid mood, Xine, because I'm liable to crush this whelp's head at a moment's notice.”      Xine looked at Fyo'Dwara. “Why so hostile? Grellux never hurt anyone. Directly.” She paused thoughtfully.  “Well, he

And in the thickness of the night, when exhaustion broadens the gap between thought and reality I begin to wonder WHY MY MIND IS SCREAMING AT ME And why these spots insist at hovering at the corner of my vision, blinking on and off maddeningly They are green and red and yellow and they are vengeful I cannot even begin to think what was inflicted upon them to make them act this way I sip liquids of all different colors in an attempt to find comfort I begin to retreat to a fantasy world Where the bats are made of candy And nuclear fallout is just limp and made of hats And nothing makes any sense And everything is wonderful So like th

     The sun glared as if it were angry that something had managed to survive the night and dared to show its face to the dawn.     That something, in this case, was Vinrey Valerion.     Each step the man took seemed to bring him closer to the ground. He had been walking all night in desperate hopes of avoiding the sun, and here it rose, bringing the full force of its burning fury to the already beaten and submissive ground.     He stopped, unable to move any further. In an instant, he blinked out of existence and reappeared fifty or so yards to the west, clutching a writhing lizard in his hand. He snapped its neck, then placed its bod

     Vinrey had never had so many people in his conference room before.     The conference room was a little-used, rectangular room that seemed out of place among the rest of the rooms on the Blacklance. The furnishings were well matched, and seemed to be the only few articles of the sort that were part of an apparent set. The robust, mahogany table was long, and could seat twelve people. The chairs arranged around it were large and upholstered with a soft, suede-like leather. The furnishings contributed an air of awkward disuse that still managed to be somewhat impressive. It was apparent that Vinrey did not use the room much, and the usu

     In the middle of the plain, there was a cottage where the gods of the earth convened.      It was by no means a large cottage. It did not seem like the kind of place where the gods themselves would meet. Most people would assume that the gods would have their meetings in a great palace or hall in the clouds, or someplace beyond the scope of imagination.      This preconception may or may not have been exactly what the gods wanted them to think.        The Earth God stood outside the cottage door and scratched his chin thoughtfully.   

All parts interlocking. Interface removed. What has no face needs no interface. All systems green. Diagnostics complete. What needs no blood now thirsts for it. Blades, bullets, shells. These are our instruments. Under armor(skin) lie wires(veins). We will not save you. We are not capable of salvation. Only damnation. All surfaces intact. Armor upgraded. What feels nothing makes others feel. All gyroscopes calibrated. Balance perfected. What never falls is now fallen. Destruction. Perfection. Cleansing. These are our ideals. We replicate persistently. Our system is flawless. We will not take pleasure in confiscating your lives.

Welcome to our Paradise, this blackened husk of bliss. This is what you've been waiting for. Far and wide you scoured, running from the foe. Seeking asylum. Now is the time. You've earned it. Open this door and know to be known. Your pieces become part of the whole. Take on our responsibility, this holy charge of benediction. This is your final calling. Unclip your bindings, bear the weight of challenge. Stronger now. Here it is. This is yours. Command these with skill and your potential will become real. Your mind becomes part of the whole. Hold high our weapons of desruction, this war machine of retribution. This is your ul

     Echoes.     Every sound repeated evenly to a predetermined pattern. Reflections.     Combinations.     Remembrance.     The charred, blackened embers of what used to be the Redfield station smoldered and smoked under the proliferation of desert stars, like so many holes in a black cloth held against the sun. A few embers still glowed, and scraps of fluttering debris and ash blew in the breeze. The melted and twisted fragments of metal supports and infrastructure thrown across the site marked the would-be graves of the one hundred and ninety-nine people that died there.     In the center of the wreckage, a small speck, nearly i

     Vinrey pounded down the street with Marcus running next to him. They shoved pedestrians aside and lost the man in the blue suit, to Vinrey’s annoyance. If his ribs had been whole, he would have been able to catch the strange man, but it hurt too badly to move at top speed. He could barely match pace with Marcus, who wasn’t in the greatest shape.      Marcus stopped and ducked against a wall, Vinrey followed him to avoid being lost in the crowd.      Marcus said to him, “Vinrey, we lost him, there's no way we'll find him in that.” He indicated