Post by Kayar on Sept 12, 2007 2:15:29 GMT 1
Well, I thought I might as well post something here. Although it always happens to me where I can never finish or get too far into what I start. Like for example this little book I started. I barely got past the first/second chapter. And I haven't worked on this thing for months. Just for the heck of it, here's what I got:
The twilight shadows obscured the watcher’s view of the man he stalked. But that made no difference. He had done this thousands of times before, there was no reason for him to fail now. It was not every mercenary who happened to come along that could pinpoint the exact location of his target through two miles of misty countryside and hit it.
His target, a man perhaps more despicable even than himself, was little more than a shadow wandering over a hill at the moment. A misty shadow at that. If he wasted any more time the figure would disappear behind the crest of the hill and he’d have to spend the rest of the day finding a new vantage point. He brought his weapon up onto his shoulder, sighting down it to the figure. It was tough sighting a target two miles away. Never mind a moving target.
Aiming at what he could see of the man’s head, the mercenary begin to slide his finger along the trigger, waiting for the perfect time, the one time the man might hesitate, the one time the sight and the man’s head lined up perfectly, readying himself for the kill.
If he had his way, it would be short and quick, without any undue writhing or screaming. If he were off, there would be a moderate amount of that. But not enough to attract attention. No one alive was anywhere nearby. Not for leagues in this wasteland.
Something whizzed by his head. He quickly pulled away from his weapon and turned towards the source. It didn’t matter. A second later a second slug crashed into his chest, knocking him back. He fell to the ground, in much the same way that he had hoped his target would. The difference was that he didn’t want to be seen by his target. His assailant thought otherwise.
A shadow in the mist, that was all that could be seen, even with the mercenary’s improved visibility. But he could be seen, that was the point. Not the mercenary’s style. In any case this was not the man he had come for, which meant that someone else wanted his target alive. A precarious situation, since he had no idea there was anyone interested in the welfare of his target.
“Well, you’ve got me. Mind telling me who you are and why?”
“I haven’t come here to introduce myself to the likes of you. You know me already anyway. What you should be asking is whether I’ve reserved a place in hell for you.”
“Have you?”
“Yes.”
In a bold attempt to make light of the situation the mercenary attempted a laugh. But due to the recent injury all that came out were a few gruff grunts that could have been made by a scavenging bear. A dying, scavenging bear. The figure above him gave a slight laugh, mocking in the fact that it could.
“Spare me the insult and jus t fucking kill me.”
“You never learned, John.”
“Never learned what?”
“Never learned to keep your nose out of the Empire’s business.”
So ended the life of John Wilds, the second greatest bounty hunter in the world.
The Descent of Night
Part 1
Contract
1
It was a rough day. They were all rough days. It never seemed to bother him, usually, but today was especially rough, and he hoped it wouldn’t get any rougher. It did.
Following his return from his 100th anniversary hunt (some fellow hunters had even baked him a cake. Charming), John Wilds was immediately ordered to report to the Empire’s secretary of the administrational board, who directed him to the head of the board, who directed him to the head of foreign policy, who directed him to the empire’s third in command. In all he waited in seven waiting rooms that day, one for the secretary, one for a meeting with the head of the administrational board, two for a meeting with the head of foreign policy, one for the secretary to the third in command, and two for the man himself. It was a rough day.
And sitting there, later, much later, in that smelly, not-quite-sanitary office room, staring at the pale, short, rat-faced man before him, John wondered whether it was really all that worth it. He knew it wasn’t when he heard the proposition.
“You want me to catch the Interloper for you?”
“Does it look like I’m lying?”
“I’ve known men who’ve been able to break lie detectors with a word.”
The man pulled at his glasses distractedly.
“Yes, well, quite… anyway, you’re to find the interloper and kill him. I don’t think someone of your renowned skill should have a problem with that.”
“You must be joking… what’s the pay for this job?”
“Twenty thousand.”
Twenty thousand. John had killed a mafia boss for more than that.
John tried to keep a straight face, but it was tough. The man before him pushed his glasses up a bit, as if to keep them from slipping.
“Mr. Wilds, the Interloper has been wreaking havoc in the realms of the empire. Any more of this could cause a universal breakdown. I think I’d be right in stating that business would not be very good if this were to happen, correct?”
John suppressed the urge to yell in the man’s face. Instead he opted for a nice, meaningful scowl. Of course he was right. If the empire fell the world would follow. The empire was, after all, the only thing keeping the world together. They’d all be screwed if it collapsed.
“I better get a hell of a lot more than twenty thousand for doing this.”
“You will.”
“How much?”
The man gave an exasperated noise. Tight budget? Thought Wilds.
“The amount will be determined depending on the quality of your work.” This was the basic employer’s way of saying “I don’t know.” John’s already low respect for the empire dropped a few more notches.
“I need paperwork. A contract. So I know you imperials aren’t pulling a fast one on me. I want to be sure I’ll get paid for this.”
The man gave a slight laugh. “I anticipated that…”
He reached a crooked, arthritis-ridden hand into a drawer under the desk and pulled out an old, stained and crinkled piece of paper.
“This was the contract of a previous bounty hunter who took on the same job as you. The empire is a bit low on funds right now, so we’re going to have to use this same contract. His name has been erased. He met an… er… unfortunate end. You can sign here, Mr. Wilds.”
John took a pen from the desk, took the contract, and looked it over. He never signed things before reading them. That wouldn’t be smart.
“It says here you want me to pull this off in a month… That’s not a lot of time…”
“Erm, yes, well, there is a reason for that… I’m not sure I’m at liberty to explain it, however. For now just think of it as a condition of our agreement. So do we have a deal?”
“This still doesn’t say how much I’m being paid, either…”
“Mr. Wilds, please, just sign the contract! As I told you, your pay will be determined…”
“…And it says you want him dead or alive… I’m curious as to why you would want him alive at all?”
The executive gave a loud, throaty, grumbling noise. Wilds knew from experience that imperials didn’t like being asked too many questions about their business. That’s why he continued.
“Does he know something you people need to get out of him? Is this a ‘torture ‘til he cracks’ kinda thing?”
“I cannot discuss these things with scum like you, bounty hunter. Now do we have a deal?”
Wilds paused, as if he really had to think about it. Really, there wasn’t anything to think about. The contract was fine, despite a few obvious loopholes he’d noticed, but he happened to be the only one in the agreement who could really use them. One way or another, saying yes wouldn’t change anything, he’d probably be able to get out of this “deal” still alive, no matter if he caught the Interloper or not.
“Alright, it’s a ‘deal’”. He signed his name, then reached across and shook hands with his employer, placing the signed contract on the desk beside him. At that point, he still had no idea what that piece of paper would end up doing to him in the near future.
2
Perhaps a little background history would be helpful at this point. The empire was created at around the time of the Appearance, when the first humans began to forge their own civilizations. At the time, it was in fact one of those first civilizations, but which one and where has long been forgotten. The ancient oracles foresaw the uprising of the empire, and it was said that they would lead the world when the time came for the Great Destruction. The founders of the empire decided that if the Great Destruction were to occur, as was prophesized, then the empire would have to ensure that every civilization in the universe at the time, every person alive, would have to recognize the empire as the ruling class. Thus they started the Campaign. However, that is another story that would take several thousand pages of paper to fully explain.
When the Oracles made their first prophecies, one was of the arrival of a group of people who would stand against the empire. These were the Interlopers, who defied the empire’s authority and chose to fight the empire in a war that would last for millennia. At the end of the war, the Interlopers were left with a shoddy band of unreliable mercenaries, who had joined the rebellion for money mostly. The majority of the group wished to give in to the empire, but there were a select few who still had hope that the rebellion could win. A last, final strike was planned, but as soon as the mercenaries entered the fray it was discovered that the empire had been tipped off, and the brunt of their attack was crippled. Meanwhile, the remaining leaders confronted the traitors of the group, but the renegades managed to escape, leaving their former allies to die trapped in the cockpit of the Interloper’s failing ship.
Only one managed to escape alive, and after that he swore that his allies would be avenged. Ever since, the remaining Interloper struck everywhere he could in order to bring down the empire. This was the story, as John Wilds knew it. Now it was his job to catch the man and finish the war for good…
(This "book" has been reformatted to fit these forums. It is currently in rough, ROUGH, ROUGH draft form.)
The twilight shadows obscured the watcher’s view of the man he stalked. But that made no difference. He had done this thousands of times before, there was no reason for him to fail now. It was not every mercenary who happened to come along that could pinpoint the exact location of his target through two miles of misty countryside and hit it.
His target, a man perhaps more despicable even than himself, was little more than a shadow wandering over a hill at the moment. A misty shadow at that. If he wasted any more time the figure would disappear behind the crest of the hill and he’d have to spend the rest of the day finding a new vantage point. He brought his weapon up onto his shoulder, sighting down it to the figure. It was tough sighting a target two miles away. Never mind a moving target.
Aiming at what he could see of the man’s head, the mercenary begin to slide his finger along the trigger, waiting for the perfect time, the one time the man might hesitate, the one time the sight and the man’s head lined up perfectly, readying himself for the kill.
If he had his way, it would be short and quick, without any undue writhing or screaming. If he were off, there would be a moderate amount of that. But not enough to attract attention. No one alive was anywhere nearby. Not for leagues in this wasteland.
Something whizzed by his head. He quickly pulled away from his weapon and turned towards the source. It didn’t matter. A second later a second slug crashed into his chest, knocking him back. He fell to the ground, in much the same way that he had hoped his target would. The difference was that he didn’t want to be seen by his target. His assailant thought otherwise.
A shadow in the mist, that was all that could be seen, even with the mercenary’s improved visibility. But he could be seen, that was the point. Not the mercenary’s style. In any case this was not the man he had come for, which meant that someone else wanted his target alive. A precarious situation, since he had no idea there was anyone interested in the welfare of his target.
“Well, you’ve got me. Mind telling me who you are and why?”
“I haven’t come here to introduce myself to the likes of you. You know me already anyway. What you should be asking is whether I’ve reserved a place in hell for you.”
“Have you?”
“Yes.”
In a bold attempt to make light of the situation the mercenary attempted a laugh. But due to the recent injury all that came out were a few gruff grunts that could have been made by a scavenging bear. A dying, scavenging bear. The figure above him gave a slight laugh, mocking in the fact that it could.
“Spare me the insult and jus t fucking kill me.”
“You never learned, John.”
“Never learned what?”
“Never learned to keep your nose out of the Empire’s business.”
So ended the life of John Wilds, the second greatest bounty hunter in the world.
-------
The Descent of Night
Part 1
Contract
1
It was a rough day. They were all rough days. It never seemed to bother him, usually, but today was especially rough, and he hoped it wouldn’t get any rougher. It did.
Following his return from his 100th anniversary hunt (some fellow hunters had even baked him a cake. Charming), John Wilds was immediately ordered to report to the Empire’s secretary of the administrational board, who directed him to the head of the board, who directed him to the head of foreign policy, who directed him to the empire’s third in command. In all he waited in seven waiting rooms that day, one for the secretary, one for a meeting with the head of the administrational board, two for a meeting with the head of foreign policy, one for the secretary to the third in command, and two for the man himself. It was a rough day.
And sitting there, later, much later, in that smelly, not-quite-sanitary office room, staring at the pale, short, rat-faced man before him, John wondered whether it was really all that worth it. He knew it wasn’t when he heard the proposition.
“You want me to catch the Interloper for you?”
“Does it look like I’m lying?”
“I’ve known men who’ve been able to break lie detectors with a word.”
The man pulled at his glasses distractedly.
“Yes, well, quite… anyway, you’re to find the interloper and kill him. I don’t think someone of your renowned skill should have a problem with that.”
“You must be joking… what’s the pay for this job?”
“Twenty thousand.”
Twenty thousand. John had killed a mafia boss for more than that.
John tried to keep a straight face, but it was tough. The man before him pushed his glasses up a bit, as if to keep them from slipping.
“Mr. Wilds, the Interloper has been wreaking havoc in the realms of the empire. Any more of this could cause a universal breakdown. I think I’d be right in stating that business would not be very good if this were to happen, correct?”
John suppressed the urge to yell in the man’s face. Instead he opted for a nice, meaningful scowl. Of course he was right. If the empire fell the world would follow. The empire was, after all, the only thing keeping the world together. They’d all be screwed if it collapsed.
“I better get a hell of a lot more than twenty thousand for doing this.”
“You will.”
“How much?”
The man gave an exasperated noise. Tight budget? Thought Wilds.
“The amount will be determined depending on the quality of your work.” This was the basic employer’s way of saying “I don’t know.” John’s already low respect for the empire dropped a few more notches.
“I need paperwork. A contract. So I know you imperials aren’t pulling a fast one on me. I want to be sure I’ll get paid for this.”
The man gave a slight laugh. “I anticipated that…”
He reached a crooked, arthritis-ridden hand into a drawer under the desk and pulled out an old, stained and crinkled piece of paper.
“This was the contract of a previous bounty hunter who took on the same job as you. The empire is a bit low on funds right now, so we’re going to have to use this same contract. His name has been erased. He met an… er… unfortunate end. You can sign here, Mr. Wilds.”
John took a pen from the desk, took the contract, and looked it over. He never signed things before reading them. That wouldn’t be smart.
“It says here you want me to pull this off in a month… That’s not a lot of time…”
“Erm, yes, well, there is a reason for that… I’m not sure I’m at liberty to explain it, however. For now just think of it as a condition of our agreement. So do we have a deal?”
“This still doesn’t say how much I’m being paid, either…”
“Mr. Wilds, please, just sign the contract! As I told you, your pay will be determined…”
“…And it says you want him dead or alive… I’m curious as to why you would want him alive at all?”
The executive gave a loud, throaty, grumbling noise. Wilds knew from experience that imperials didn’t like being asked too many questions about their business. That’s why he continued.
“Does he know something you people need to get out of him? Is this a ‘torture ‘til he cracks’ kinda thing?”
“I cannot discuss these things with scum like you, bounty hunter. Now do we have a deal?”
Wilds paused, as if he really had to think about it. Really, there wasn’t anything to think about. The contract was fine, despite a few obvious loopholes he’d noticed, but he happened to be the only one in the agreement who could really use them. One way or another, saying yes wouldn’t change anything, he’d probably be able to get out of this “deal” still alive, no matter if he caught the Interloper or not.
“Alright, it’s a ‘deal’”. He signed his name, then reached across and shook hands with his employer, placing the signed contract on the desk beside him. At that point, he still had no idea what that piece of paper would end up doing to him in the near future.
2
Perhaps a little background history would be helpful at this point. The empire was created at around the time of the Appearance, when the first humans began to forge their own civilizations. At the time, it was in fact one of those first civilizations, but which one and where has long been forgotten. The ancient oracles foresaw the uprising of the empire, and it was said that they would lead the world when the time came for the Great Destruction. The founders of the empire decided that if the Great Destruction were to occur, as was prophesized, then the empire would have to ensure that every civilization in the universe at the time, every person alive, would have to recognize the empire as the ruling class. Thus they started the Campaign. However, that is another story that would take several thousand pages of paper to fully explain.
When the Oracles made their first prophecies, one was of the arrival of a group of people who would stand against the empire. These were the Interlopers, who defied the empire’s authority and chose to fight the empire in a war that would last for millennia. At the end of the war, the Interlopers were left with a shoddy band of unreliable mercenaries, who had joined the rebellion for money mostly. The majority of the group wished to give in to the empire, but there were a select few who still had hope that the rebellion could win. A last, final strike was planned, but as soon as the mercenaries entered the fray it was discovered that the empire had been tipped off, and the brunt of their attack was crippled. Meanwhile, the remaining leaders confronted the traitors of the group, but the renegades managed to escape, leaving their former allies to die trapped in the cockpit of the Interloper’s failing ship.
Only one managed to escape alive, and after that he swore that his allies would be avenged. Ever since, the remaining Interloper struck everywhere he could in order to bring down the empire. This was the story, as John Wilds knew it. Now it was his job to catch the man and finish the war for good…
(This "book" has been reformatted to fit these forums. It is currently in rough, ROUGH, ROUGH draft form.)