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Barsoom Tales I - COMPLETE
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<blockquote data-quote="barsoomcore" data-source="post: 608151" data-attributes="member: 812"><p><strong>Check-In</strong></p><p></p><p>Ilonka and her friends drew back to the counter after the sudden departure of their guests. The horrible screaming outside came to an abrupt halt, and the rain seemed redouble its efforts to pound the world into muddy rubble.</p><p></p><p>Trazik spoke first. "First new girl I've seen in six months, she gets herself killed the first night here."</p><p></p><p>Ilonka's voice was quiet. "We should have warned them. We should have told them more."</p><p></p><p>Vlad put an arm around her. Ilonka was happy to forget they were mad at each other and leaned against his familiar shoulder. "It wouldn't have done any good, girl. You know that."</p><p></p><p>Karel got up from the sofa where he'd been reading and joined them. The four friends exchanged worried glances, keeping their eyes on the doorway, a frame of darkness and pouring rain.</p><p></p><p>Ilonka whispered into Vlad's shoulder, too quiet for any of the boys to hear, "We're all going to die."</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>Elena and Aubrey stumbled through the mud, following the screams. They made their way up a muddy street and rounded a corner only to crash into a tall, powerful form. Aubrey leapt back, brandishing his sword, and Elena wound up for a good two-handed swing when the form put its hands up and yelled, "Hey! It's me, Philip!"</p><p></p><p>Aubrey cursed and shook his head. Elena leaned closer and nodded. "Yeah, it's you." She scowled.</p><p></p><p>"Of course it's me." Philip jerked his head. "This way. Down here."</p><p></p><p>The screams stopped just as they entered the narrow alley he indicated.</p><p></p><p>Aubrey frowned. "Doesn't this lead back to the del Maraviez house?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes," Elena nodded, "Our parasaurs are tethered out back."</p><p></p><p>Just then they became aware of a terrible tearing and rending, only a few yards away. All three of them charged down the alley. Philip was in the lead and so he was the one who crashed into the shadowy figure at the corner. There was a confused tumble, a burst of inventive swearing and the whole gang spilled out into the back of the del Maraviez house, a two-story stone and wood building with brightly lit windows and a high-peaked roof.</p><p></p><p>The back yard, where their big riding dinosaurs had been tied up, had been turned into a field of torn flesh and bone. Four-ton corpses lay strewn about, ripped open and entrails steaming in the cold rain. Something had just gone through six gigantic dinosaurs in a matter of seconds.</p><p></p><p>Aubrey disentangled himself from Philip, Elena and Nevid (the formerly shadowy figure formerly at the corner) and stared at the carnage.</p><p></p><p>"What the heck...?"</p><p></p><p>Elena pointed. "That."</p><p></p><p>"Huh?"</p><p></p><p>"That."</p><p></p><p>"What?"</p><p></p><p>"THAT!"</p><p></p><p>Aubrey turned and squinted through the rain. He stumbled back, craning his neck upwards to take in the immensity of the creature standing there. It was taller than the surrounding buildings, gleaming white in the rain, with great talons and powerful legs. It roared, a wild, deafening cry that echoed back from the sheer cliffs surrounding the little town, flexed its four arms and sent the foursome stumbling back in terror. Aubrey looked over at Elena, eyes wide. Off in the corner of his vision he saw Nevid shriek and fall flat on his back in the mud.</p><p></p><p>"Oh, that."</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>Arrafin froze at the tremendous roar up ahead. She'd fallen well behind the others, unable to forge through the mud as quickly as they. For a second icy terror numbed her, and then her ever-curious brain started to work. She couldn't identify the animal right away. It certainly wasn't anything she was familiar with, not any sort of common predator. She began to move again, heading straight for the sound, heedless of the muck. Curiousity brought new life to her weary legs and they propelled her down the alley. She came stumbling out just behind her friends -- all of them staring in slack-jawed mindless fear and awe at the massive creature looming overhead.</p><p></p><p>"Look at that," Arrafin exclaimed in wonder, "It's a mammal. Oh, but four arms -- do you think it's a white ape? I never realised they were so big! That must be, oh at least ten meters, don't you think? Philip?"</p><p></p><p>The Saijadani turned his face to Arrafin, cigar forgotten, barely able to focus on her. He had a pistol in either hand.</p><p></p><p>"I need bigger guns."</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>At the roar Trazik looked up from his coffee.</p><p></p><p>"You know, I'm beginning to think..." he began.</p><p></p><p>Vlad continued, "...that maybe leaving Pavairelle for this place..."</p><p></p><p>All four of them finished the well-worn sentiment, "...was a really bad idea."</p><p></p><p>They all smiled at each other. Trazik nodded at the way Ilonka was still resting her head on Vlad's shoulder.</p><p></p><p>"I thought you didn't like him this week."</p><p></p><p>"No, that was last week. This week he's okay."</p><p></p><p>"When's it going to be my week?"</p><p></p><p>"Anytime, Trazik. As soon as you're rich and handsome."</p><p></p><p>Ilonka laughed, ducking Trazik's cup. It shattered against the counter behind her.</p><p></p><p>At first she thought Karel had thrown his cup, too. She realised the subdued bangs she was hearing were gunshots. Vlad raised his head and peered out into the rain.</p><p></p><p>"I thought for sure they'd be dead by now."</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>Philip was deeply offended. Two square hits with the best pistols money could buy, both firing even in this rain, and...</p><p></p><p>It didn't even notice. The great creature turned away from them and picked up two of the massive parasaur carcasses and trundled off, moving with frightening speed and stealth for such a gigantic beast. A few steps and it was almost lost in the dark rain. Carrying two dinosaurs.</p><p></p><p>"I hit it! I swear I hit the thing!"</p><p></p><p>Elena smacked his shoulder.</p><p></p><p>"Come on, don't lose it!"</p><p></p><p>She and Aubrey plunged after the beast, followed by Philip who had grabbed hold of one of Arrafin's arms and was bodily dragging the slender university student along behind him. She, of course, was still talking to herself about the probable origin of the monster, speculating as to its energy requirements and nocturnal behaviour. Nevid staggered to his feet, saw his companions taking off and realised that however bad that creature was, there were worse things roaming this night. He stumbled after them.</p><p></p><p>"It's heading out of town. What's up this way? Is this the way to the mines?"</p><p></p><p>Nobody had any answers to Aubrey's questions. Keeping up with the giant was proving more and more difficult as the mud slowed them down. It was nearly out of sight now, surging forward past the last buildings of the town. In a ragged line they staggered past a big building much like most of the others in this village, stone and wood and a tile roof. Only one light shone in a second-story window, which was where the screaming suddenly erupted from.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>Vlad wore a soft leather jacket, ancient and worn. It smelled of tobacco, the oil he used to keep it soft and underneath both those, a delicate spiciness. The combination always filled Ilonka's head with memories of their times together. She rested her head on his shoulder, eyes closed, inhaling the familiar, comforting aroma of Vlad's jacket.</p><p></p><p>He shifted a bit on the couch to make her angle easier, nodding at what Trazik was saying.</p><p></p><p>"Del Viandour can't take a stand. Whichever way he goes he'll be crucified by the other side."</p><p></p><p>Karel was arguing with him, but without much enthusiasm. They'd had this argument innumerable times.</p><p></p><p>"What kind of leader is that? What kind of example is he setting? We need inspiration, not plots and political maneuvering. We're not Saijadani, you know."</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, I know that," Trazik shook his head. "But we're not a bunch of bloodthirsty Gap warriors, either."</p><p></p><p>"Boodthirsty? Who said bloodthirsty? What's that--"</p><p></p><p>Ilonka cut him off, still with her head on Vlad's shoulder.</p><p></p><p>"This is it."</p><p></p><p>The three young men fell silent, eyes lowered. She spoke again.</p><p></p><p>"This is it. These people, if they can't... They're going to get us all killed."</p><p></p><p>Silence. Or rather, deafening thunder as the rain continued its roaring assault on the tiles overhead. They all sat quietly for some time.</p><p></p><p>Vlad spoke, his voice low and serious.</p><p></p><p>"We're all going to die here anyway, honey. We all know that."</p><p></p><p>The soft leather absorbed the tears from Ilonka's eyes.</p><p></p><p>*****</p><p></p><p>Aubrey edged open one side of the huge double doors to the building and peered inside.</p><p></p><p>"Anything?" Philip was reloading his guns under the shelter of the eaves.</p><p></p><p>Aubrey shook his head.</p><p></p><p>"Too dark. Can't see a thing."</p><p></p><p>The screams had stopped almost as quickly as they had erupted. The white dinosaur-murdering giant had disappeared and rather than try to follow it into parts unknown, they'd decided to investigate these more human-sounding-and-therefore-more-frightening screams. Aubrey slipped through the doorway, Elena and Philip right behind. Nevid and Arrafin exchanged glances and the Saijadani youth went next. The Naridic girl, biting her lip in worry, followed her companions into the building.</p><p></p><p>Inside the darkness was absolute. Aubrey took several cautious steps forward, waving his rapier before him like a blind man's cane. The noise of the rain abated dramatically and he paused for a second to let his ears adjust. Elena and Philip both managed to bump into him simultaneously and there were a confused few seconds while they sorted things out and Nevid and Arrafin caught up.</p><p></p><p>"Does anybody have some kind of light?"</p><p></p><p>"I think I can see something. Are those stairs over there?"</p><p></p><p>"I have some glowsticks but maybe there's a lantern around here..."</p><p></p><p>"I found an anvil. This must be a smithy."</p><p></p><p>"Those are stairs. I can see them, too."</p><p></p><p>As their eyes adapted to the dark they saw a faint glow coming from a wooden stairway leading up to the second floor. Huddled together they made their way to the foot of the stairs and peered up.</p><p></p><p>"Who's first?"</p><p></p><p>The rain carried on in its efforts to destroy the building. Nobody spoke. At last Elena sighed and started up the stairs, moving with impressive grace as she rounded the corner and made her way up. The others followed once she was half-way up. They all froze as she reached the top, peered around the second corner and gasped.</p><p></p><p>Elena had a pretty strong stomach. Growing up as she had on a tyrant ranch, she'd seen not only animals slaughtered, but men badly, even fatally injured. She'd seen a man's dead body crushed by a rex's foot, torn and bloody. Not much upset her that way.</p><p></p><p>The sight of a six-year-old girl crouched over a grown man's still-spasming body, ripping open his chest in order to drag his heart out and eat it, though, did the trick. The bodies strewn down the dimly-lit hall showed that this fellow was only the last of several to meet this horrific fate. The little Kishak girl, covered head to toe in blood that in the dark shone with black wetness, stood up and turned to smile her friendly little-girl smile at Elena.</p><p></p><p>The big Saijadani woman gave a horrified cry and stumbled backward as the girl started walking down the hall towards her. Her companions backed up behind her and the group retreated down the stairs. Arrafin shrieked as the girl appeared at the top of the stairs and smiled down at them.</p><p></p><p>The girl spoke. Nonsensical sounds, barely audible over the rain. Both Nevid and Arrafin strained to make out what she was saying. Nevid shook his head, baffled, but Arrafin's face took on her habitual expression of focus and curiousity as she listened.</p><p></p><p>She got distracted as Aubrey yanked her backwards, and looked up to see the little Kishak girl come down the steps.</p><p></p><p>Without seeming to touch one. Or move her legs at all.</p><p></p><p>Philip swore and drew both pistols. "I hate when they do that floating thing."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="barsoomcore, post: 608151, member: 812"] [b]Check-In[/b] Ilonka and her friends drew back to the counter after the sudden departure of their guests. The horrible screaming outside came to an abrupt halt, and the rain seemed redouble its efforts to pound the world into muddy rubble. Trazik spoke first. "First new girl I've seen in six months, she gets herself killed the first night here." Ilonka's voice was quiet. "We should have warned them. We should have told them more." Vlad put an arm around her. Ilonka was happy to forget they were mad at each other and leaned against his familiar shoulder. "It wouldn't have done any good, girl. You know that." Karel got up from the sofa where he'd been reading and joined them. The four friends exchanged worried glances, keeping their eyes on the doorway, a frame of darkness and pouring rain. Ilonka whispered into Vlad's shoulder, too quiet for any of the boys to hear, "We're all going to die." ***** Elena and Aubrey stumbled through the mud, following the screams. They made their way up a muddy street and rounded a corner only to crash into a tall, powerful form. Aubrey leapt back, brandishing his sword, and Elena wound up for a good two-handed swing when the form put its hands up and yelled, "Hey! It's me, Philip!" Aubrey cursed and shook his head. Elena leaned closer and nodded. "Yeah, it's you." She scowled. "Of course it's me." Philip jerked his head. "This way. Down here." The screams stopped just as they entered the narrow alley he indicated. Aubrey frowned. "Doesn't this lead back to the del Maraviez house?" "Yes," Elena nodded, "Our parasaurs are tethered out back." Just then they became aware of a terrible tearing and rending, only a few yards away. All three of them charged down the alley. Philip was in the lead and so he was the one who crashed into the shadowy figure at the corner. There was a confused tumble, a burst of inventive swearing and the whole gang spilled out into the back of the del Maraviez house, a two-story stone and wood building with brightly lit windows and a high-peaked roof. The back yard, where their big riding dinosaurs had been tied up, had been turned into a field of torn flesh and bone. Four-ton corpses lay strewn about, ripped open and entrails steaming in the cold rain. Something had just gone through six gigantic dinosaurs in a matter of seconds. Aubrey disentangled himself from Philip, Elena and Nevid (the formerly shadowy figure formerly at the corner) and stared at the carnage. "What the heck...?" Elena pointed. "That." "Huh?" "That." "What?" "THAT!" Aubrey turned and squinted through the rain. He stumbled back, craning his neck upwards to take in the immensity of the creature standing there. It was taller than the surrounding buildings, gleaming white in the rain, with great talons and powerful legs. It roared, a wild, deafening cry that echoed back from the sheer cliffs surrounding the little town, flexed its four arms and sent the foursome stumbling back in terror. Aubrey looked over at Elena, eyes wide. Off in the corner of his vision he saw Nevid shriek and fall flat on his back in the mud. "Oh, that." ***** Arrafin froze at the tremendous roar up ahead. She'd fallen well behind the others, unable to forge through the mud as quickly as they. For a second icy terror numbed her, and then her ever-curious brain started to work. She couldn't identify the animal right away. It certainly wasn't anything she was familiar with, not any sort of common predator. She began to move again, heading straight for the sound, heedless of the muck. Curiousity brought new life to her weary legs and they propelled her down the alley. She came stumbling out just behind her friends -- all of them staring in slack-jawed mindless fear and awe at the massive creature looming overhead. "Look at that," Arrafin exclaimed in wonder, "It's a mammal. Oh, but four arms -- do you think it's a white ape? I never realised they were so big! That must be, oh at least ten meters, don't you think? Philip?" The Saijadani turned his face to Arrafin, cigar forgotten, barely able to focus on her. He had a pistol in either hand. "I need bigger guns." ***** At the roar Trazik looked up from his coffee. "You know, I'm beginning to think..." he began. Vlad continued, "...that maybe leaving Pavairelle for this place..." All four of them finished the well-worn sentiment, "...was a really bad idea." They all smiled at each other. Trazik nodded at the way Ilonka was still resting her head on Vlad's shoulder. "I thought you didn't like him this week." "No, that was last week. This week he's okay." "When's it going to be my week?" "Anytime, Trazik. As soon as you're rich and handsome." Ilonka laughed, ducking Trazik's cup. It shattered against the counter behind her. At first she thought Karel had thrown his cup, too. She realised the subdued bangs she was hearing were gunshots. Vlad raised his head and peered out into the rain. "I thought for sure they'd be dead by now." ***** Philip was deeply offended. Two square hits with the best pistols money could buy, both firing even in this rain, and... It didn't even notice. The great creature turned away from them and picked up two of the massive parasaur carcasses and trundled off, moving with frightening speed and stealth for such a gigantic beast. A few steps and it was almost lost in the dark rain. Carrying two dinosaurs. "I hit it! I swear I hit the thing!" Elena smacked his shoulder. "Come on, don't lose it!" She and Aubrey plunged after the beast, followed by Philip who had grabbed hold of one of Arrafin's arms and was bodily dragging the slender university student along behind him. She, of course, was still talking to herself about the probable origin of the monster, speculating as to its energy requirements and nocturnal behaviour. Nevid staggered to his feet, saw his companions taking off and realised that however bad that creature was, there were worse things roaming this night. He stumbled after them. "It's heading out of town. What's up this way? Is this the way to the mines?" Nobody had any answers to Aubrey's questions. Keeping up with the giant was proving more and more difficult as the mud slowed them down. It was nearly out of sight now, surging forward past the last buildings of the town. In a ragged line they staggered past a big building much like most of the others in this village, stone and wood and a tile roof. Only one light shone in a second-story window, which was where the screaming suddenly erupted from. ***** Vlad wore a soft leather jacket, ancient and worn. It smelled of tobacco, the oil he used to keep it soft and underneath both those, a delicate spiciness. The combination always filled Ilonka's head with memories of their times together. She rested her head on his shoulder, eyes closed, inhaling the familiar, comforting aroma of Vlad's jacket. He shifted a bit on the couch to make her angle easier, nodding at what Trazik was saying. "Del Viandour can't take a stand. Whichever way he goes he'll be crucified by the other side." Karel was arguing with him, but without much enthusiasm. They'd had this argument innumerable times. "What kind of leader is that? What kind of example is he setting? We need inspiration, not plots and political maneuvering. We're not Saijadani, you know." "Yeah, I know that," Trazik shook his head. "But we're not a bunch of bloodthirsty Gap warriors, either." "Boodthirsty? Who said bloodthirsty? What's that--" Ilonka cut him off, still with her head on Vlad's shoulder. "This is it." The three young men fell silent, eyes lowered. She spoke again. "This is it. These people, if they can't... They're going to get us all killed." Silence. Or rather, deafening thunder as the rain continued its roaring assault on the tiles overhead. They all sat quietly for some time. Vlad spoke, his voice low and serious. "We're all going to die here anyway, honey. We all know that." The soft leather absorbed the tears from Ilonka's eyes. ***** Aubrey edged open one side of the huge double doors to the building and peered inside. "Anything?" Philip was reloading his guns under the shelter of the eaves. Aubrey shook his head. "Too dark. Can't see a thing." The screams had stopped almost as quickly as they had erupted. The white dinosaur-murdering giant had disappeared and rather than try to follow it into parts unknown, they'd decided to investigate these more human-sounding-and-therefore-more-frightening screams. Aubrey slipped through the doorway, Elena and Philip right behind. Nevid and Arrafin exchanged glances and the Saijadani youth went next. The Naridic girl, biting her lip in worry, followed her companions into the building. Inside the darkness was absolute. Aubrey took several cautious steps forward, waving his rapier before him like a blind man's cane. The noise of the rain abated dramatically and he paused for a second to let his ears adjust. Elena and Philip both managed to bump into him simultaneously and there were a confused few seconds while they sorted things out and Nevid and Arrafin caught up. "Does anybody have some kind of light?" "I think I can see something. Are those stairs over there?" "I have some glowsticks but maybe there's a lantern around here..." "I found an anvil. This must be a smithy." "Those are stairs. I can see them, too." As their eyes adapted to the dark they saw a faint glow coming from a wooden stairway leading up to the second floor. Huddled together they made their way to the foot of the stairs and peered up. "Who's first?" The rain carried on in its efforts to destroy the building. Nobody spoke. At last Elena sighed and started up the stairs, moving with impressive grace as she rounded the corner and made her way up. The others followed once she was half-way up. They all froze as she reached the top, peered around the second corner and gasped. Elena had a pretty strong stomach. Growing up as she had on a tyrant ranch, she'd seen not only animals slaughtered, but men badly, even fatally injured. She'd seen a man's dead body crushed by a rex's foot, torn and bloody. Not much upset her that way. The sight of a six-year-old girl crouched over a grown man's still-spasming body, ripping open his chest in order to drag his heart out and eat it, though, did the trick. The bodies strewn down the dimly-lit hall showed that this fellow was only the last of several to meet this horrific fate. The little Kishak girl, covered head to toe in blood that in the dark shone with black wetness, stood up and turned to smile her friendly little-girl smile at Elena. The big Saijadani woman gave a horrified cry and stumbled backward as the girl started walking down the hall towards her. Her companions backed up behind her and the group retreated down the stairs. Arrafin shrieked as the girl appeared at the top of the stairs and smiled down at them. The girl spoke. Nonsensical sounds, barely audible over the rain. Both Nevid and Arrafin strained to make out what she was saying. Nevid shook his head, baffled, but Arrafin's face took on her habitual expression of focus and curiousity as she listened. She got distracted as Aubrey yanked her backwards, and looked up to see the little Kishak girl come down the steps. Without seeming to touch one. Or move her legs at all. Philip swore and drew both pistols. "I hate when they do that floating thing." [/QUOTE]
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