Rust [Closed]

[Hysteria]

RUST

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs32/f/2008/210/d/9/Golem_by_gugu_troll.jpg (http://gugu-troll.deviantart.com/art/Golem-93050322)

Skin and bones were once,
where this metal sings so sweetly.
I can still hear tears.

~ ~ ~ ~

Talen lifted his hand to his mouth as he yawned in a half hearted attempt to be polite. The youth had been nursing the same beer for nearly an hour in a tavern best descried as 'rustic'. Talen was not one to lower himself to the level of seeking accommodation often. Rather he preferred to appear, do the job, then retreat back to the comforts for which he had grown accustomed. It was not something that you'd expect by looking at the kid. He was short, barely thirteen if you had to guess. His hair was short and scruffy and his skin pale white. His cloths were pitched back, a remarkable feat considering how even the blackest material often carries a hint of grey.

The youth had not come to the tiny, three horse (he had counted) town on a whim. The town was surprisingly good at growing potatoes. Theirs were the biggest, and when baked tasted far better than any other. In the industry they even had a name for themselves carved out. They were in fact, the ones that provided the Ixian Castle with potatoes. When the town mayor had written to Sei Orlouge asking for help in unmasking the criminal that was stealing bodies from the graveyard, Sei had agreed.

Talen hadn't taken much convincing to come along. The youth had his own history with grave robbers and leapt at the chance to exterminate any who defiled the dead. It was an odd trait for the youth. He wasn't rated amongst the noblest of the Ixian Knights, or the general population for that matter, but he had his moments.

Talen's mind flicked back to the present. He had been hoping that the Tavern would provide some insight into what was going on. Potato farmers turned out to be more interested in solid acidity levels than what was going on in the graveyard. The youth had turned up nothing, only a mention of increasing highway robber activity in the surrounding areas. The youth was at a dead end before he even started. His only option was to wait for Kyla to arrive. Talen had originally wanted to come alone, but Sei had started talking about teamwork and the need for the Ixian Knights to be something, something. Talen had tuned out and just nodded. Since the Cell Sei had been hung up on making the Captains work better together. Or at least work together for that matter.

[Solar Haven]

Adonis sighed as he looked up at the sky. He had been walking with Kit for what seemed like forever, the sun beating down on him demoralizing him all day. He had heard rumors that a neighboring town needed some help. He didn't get any real information for the bar patrons that night and had started off on his journey.

“Kit, if only there was water nearby. This walk seems to be killing us slowly” Adonis said as Kit's ears pricked up and he quickly turned around. The whispering of an approaching wagon could be faintly heard on the horizon, followed by the clanking of metal. Within a few minutes the wagon was within eyesight and Adonis waved them over, Kit climbed up his back and perched on his shoulder.

“Need a lift there, Handsome?” A sultry voice said from behind a straw hat. Adonis smirked as he slowly approached the step to jump up.

“Sure do, been walking for a few hours and me and my little companion here are exhausted.” He leaned his head back and promptly pulled it forward as it felt like he was just poked with something sharp.

“Yeah, I would be careful if I was you. This wagon is filled with weapons and ingots”

“Why so much? It looks like you are carrying enough to supply an army” Adonis whispered under his breathe as he looked at the pallets of Iron and steel ingots that were covered by Iron and Steel weapons of all kinds.

“The town that I am heading to has been having problems with grave robbing and metal going missing, so they put in a request to restock them on everything that has gone missing... and then some in case more go missing. I know they have sent out word for help” Her voice trailed off as she appeared to be emotionally effected by what was happening “but I don’t think anyone has responded.”

“Well, to be honest, it is where I am going.” Adonis said as Kit curled up into a ball on his lap “I was at a tavern last night and I heard them talking about the town needing help and no one has answered the pleas for help. So me and Kit here finished our meal and off we headed.”

“Lil'Roys tavern right? I thought you looked familiar, I can't believe you made it this far in that amount of time though” She said as he lifted her straw hat and peered at Adonis.

“We would have been further along but Kit here decided to take a nap and I had to wait for him to wake up” Adonis said as he turned his gaze down to Kit, Avoiding the brilliant blue eyes of the woman next to him.

“I meant that you got really far, it normally would take me around two days to walk this, yet you almost made it in one.” She returned her gaze to the Ox pulling the wagon and sighed. After a few moments she looked up at the sky. “Well, looks like we are in for a bumpy ride, we got storm clouds rolling in.”

Adonis opened his eyes as a cold breeze coiled around him like a snake and took off down the path they just came from. He sighed and took a big breathe as he stretched, stopping when he smelt the moisture on the air. “From the smell of it, it will be one hell of a storm”

“By the way, the name is Anastasia.” She smirked at Adonis and gently scratched Kit behind the ears.

“My name is Adonis, this is Kit.” Adonis pointed to his familiar as an arrow shattered against the Wagon wheel. Kit immediately jumped off of Adonis' lap and found a safe place in the back of the wagon.

Adonis stood up and looked at the direction the arrow came from, they had a massive mountain on one side of them and a steep drop the other side.

“Anna, get that ox moving, I will defend us best I can” Adonis balled his right fist up and cupped it with his left as he held it to his side.

“How can you defend against arrow-” She stopped speaking as she noticed Adonis' hands appeared to be 'steaming' but the steam was blue.

“Anna, please, we both have a job here to do... and that is getting to the next town intact, you for your cargo, me so I can help.” Adonis threw his hand forward as more arrows rain downed upon the wagon, stopping in mid air mere inches from making impact before they harmlessly fell to the ground. It kept getting darker as the defense continued and the rain started to come down heavier then Adonis had ever seen.

Adonis was starting to get exhausted. He had blocked several attempts at attacking them with arrows. He felt his knees give way as the Wagon came to an abrupt halt and he toppled over the side.

“Adonis!” Anastasia cried out.

Adonis stood back up and brushed off the mud from his shirt, he looked up at Anastasia and smirked. He turned his head to what had stopped their advance and saw a few silhouettes in front of him stopping their path.

“Bandits” Anna called out from the wagon as Adonis unsheathed his sword and magic in his left hand.

“The first chance you get... run. I will distract them and try to open up a path for you to get by” Adonis said as he began his slow walk towards the figures ahead of him.

“Don't do this! It's suicide!” she shrieked from behind him.

“I will be coming back for my companion, so you better take good care of him!”

Anna continued her pleas for Adonis to stop his madness but he had already blocked out her voice.

”Oni, if you are there. I think I may need your help for this one” There was no response and all Adonis could muster was a little chuckle ”Typical”

“You know if you were smart, you would run while you can... you are looking at a cell participant. I will not go down easy” Adonis tried to hide his fear as he attempted intimidation.

The three figures before him didn't budge, just stood where they were. Adonis took a step forward and the figures mimicked him. He stopped at their sudden movement and slowly took another step. As his foot touched the ground the figures in front of him took another step.

He took another step, but this time as his foot touched the ground the three of them took off into a full sprint. The clanking of metal and the hissing of machines could be heard. Adonis sprang forward like a coiled viper, his sword at the ready.

His sword connected with one of the three and all that could be heard was the ringing of a violent metal on metal clash. Adonis' hand was numb from the impact as the slid on the mud and turned around to see the figures had ignored him completely and were heading for the wagon.

“Oh no you don't” Adonis mumbled as his jammed his left first into the ground and released his magic, within seconds a massive rock and mud wall erupted just in front of the wagon causing all three figures to crash into one another against the wall. They got up and turned around. Their movements were extremely twitchy.

A flash of lightning lit up the stormy sky and Adonis got his first full glance at this opponents. They were not mere men... they appeared to be half man half machine. Adonis became extremely frightened and started attempting to run up the slippery mountain side to get away. He had gotten a few feet up the side when a metal hand clamped down on his shoulder and threw him backwards.

His body smashed against a rock and bounced off, Adonis coughed up a few globs of blood as he rolled over to see the three figures leap into the air not far from him, he instinctively created an unwall in front of the things and caused them to go flying past their target and over the side of the cliff, smashing against several obstacles on the way down.

The clanging could still be heard when he felt a hand on his cheek, he opened his eyes and saw Anastasia making sure he was alive. Adonis got to his feet and limped over to the wagon where Kit was pacing back and forth waiting for his master.

Once they had arrived in town Adonis thanked Anna and headed to the nearby tavern to relax. He walked up the front door and saw the sign “Big Roy’s” he didn’t think too much of it and entered the building. As soon as he saw who was on the far side of the tavern his blood started to boil.

Everything clicked in his mind, that man could create illusions, he had fought against him in the cell. This man was responsible for the attempt on his life and Anna's

“Talen!” Adonis roared as he charged across the tavern, ignoring his body as it screamed in agony, knocking over many tables and causing many patrons to spill their drinks. Adonis leapt into the air and aimed a fist directly for Talen's face

[Amber Eyes]

Sei’s ‘voice’ still sat at the back of her mind, “I need my entire army to be a cohesive unit, I can’t have that if my generals can’t even work together.”

“I played nice in the Cell, hell, I died for my allies! Go make Talen and Arden hold hands or something.”

She wasn’t going. Nothing he could say would make her.

“Then you should have no problem going along and assisting Talen yet again.”

“Those people are dead Sei, they don’t really care if people dig ‘em up and take their junk. I don’t see why I need to go around defending a bunch of bones.”

Absolutely not, she just wasn’t going to do it.

”I need my best people to investigate this Kylana, I would appreciate you doing this for me.

He was getting tired of the argument. She was winning.

“Then send Cronen! He’s the head of investigations. See? You didn’t need me after all”

The mystic smiled triumphantly as Sei sighed.

”Kyla Marie Orlouge, you are going to accompany Talen to investigate this or you will no longer have access to the vault.

“Damnit!”

Dust hit her eyes yet again and Kyla cursed, bringing her fists to her face and pressing them hard against her eyelids. “What is wrong with this place!?!” Her scream disappeared into the open nothingness. She kicked the ground grumpily, ready to be at home in a lavender scented tub with servants offering a freshly steamed towel. Instead, she was in the middle of nowhere with Talen, trying to figure out who was digging up a bunch of bodies.

She could see the bar up ahead, and knew she would find her partner in crime inside. She walked up just as a man who looked a bit worse for the journey made his way into the tavern.

The girl followed, just in time to hear Talen’s name being yelled across the bar.

What the Thaynes did he do?

In a moment she was gone. She quickly shadow stepped between the strange angry man and the alcohol ridden twelve year old, gripping them each with a hand and shadow stepping again. The quick movement threw the larger man off balance and he quickly hit the dirt. Kyla turned on him, her frustration with the whole trip threatening to bubble to the surface. She shouted a few choice phrases that the man ignored. He quickly made his way to his feet and was at once back after the shadow mage, who didn’t seem for a moment like he might back down.

“Oh fine then, beat each other to a bloody pulp. Then I can go home and tell Sei that Talen got in a bar fight and the grave robbers got away.”

The stranger stopped instantly, curiosity trumping anger. “Grave robbers?”

[Hysteria]

Talen twisted his head as his name was called. His eyes widened at he realised it was the person who had run him threw in the first round of the Cell. The youth didn't forget people who had killed him easily. Talen was on his feet in an instant, his hand lifting towards Adonis as darkness started to leak out from his palm. The twisting shadows moved in a spiral towards the sudden aggressor.

“Kyla?!”

Talen stumbled backwards and tangled his legs against his chair. With the grace of a drunk pig, Talen fell to the ground with a dull thud. Just as Adonis was back on his feet so was Talen. His eyes locked on he man as the darkness the youth had summons floated through the air in lazy trails.

“Yes graverobbers, the ones I plan to catch after teaching you some manners!”

Talen snatched the darkness out of the air, the formers shape quickly changing into a long straight baton. The youth didn't miss a step and shot forwards towards Adonis with the black baton raised. The youth had moment of doubt as he moved, his opponent seemingly turning something over in his head. Before Talen could strike he felt himself start to move forwards quicker than he had anticipated. His body lurched past Adonis and smashed into a table. Once against he found himself on the floor, but this time in a more painful manner. The youth managed a slight groan amid the shards of wood.

“That bloody wall thing...” he managed.

“Grave robbers, aye, don't forget that missing metal.”

Talen twisted from his spot on the floor and looked up at one of the potato farmers who's table he had just destroyed.

“Metal? No one said anything about metal!”

“Ye only asked about the grave robbing dinna ya?” Replied the farmer, taking a drink of his mug but finding do where to place it afterwards.

[Solar Haven]

Adonis smirked as his quick thinking caused Talen to go sailing past him and smash into a table behind him. His smirked vanished when he realized that Talen didn't know about the missing metal.

“Wait, So you weren't the one that attacked me and Anna on our way into town?” He saw the obvious look of confusion on Talen's face. “Three things attacked us on our way in to town, at first with arrows from a distance. And when they couldn't get through my magic they attacked head on... they were mostly made of metal... but I saw human face's, they were like nothing I have ever seen before so I figured they had to be illusions...” he paused and looked at Kyla “...And when I came into the tavern and saw that Talen was here. I figured he was the one that attacked us, Seeing as he uses illusions.”

Adonis offered a hand to help Talen up. He was slightly red from embarrassment and causing Talen even more pain. “I came out here cause I heard you were looking for help, I just so happened to be on the wagon carrying your supplies in to town when we were attacked.”

“Ye should consider yer'self lucky. We have lost many caravans to attacks, no bodies found nor any metal... all the other valuable materials be left behind they are.”

Adonis' eyes grew wide as he quickly headed for the door holding his side as he coughed and a few lines of blood trickled down the side of his mouth. If the person was after the metal and bodies Anna wouldn't be safe by herself. Adonis had just opened the door when a shrill cry could be heard down the road. Kit took off sprinting out of the tavern and down the road to where the sound came from.

Adonis finally arrived at the scene to see the same three 'things' attacking Anna and her wagon. Adonis dropped to a knee to catch a breath as Talen and Kyla showed up either side of him.

“These are the things that …attacked us outside on the way in, but … I threw them over the cliff. They shouldn't be alive” Adonis punched the ground as he stood up, panting heavily. As a flash of lightning light up the sky Adonis noticed that these things were covered in dents. The ones he had 'fought' earlier were pristine. Were these the ones he fought and sent over the cliff?

“You two go, I will support you from back here. I am in no shape to fight at the moment.” Adonis clasped his ribs as his impact on the rock earlier was starting to take its toll.

[Amber Eyes]

“Ladies first, I guess,” Kyla mumbled under her breath, stepping forward to fight the metal and mechanical menace, swirls of black washing over her hand. The tip of the long sword felt like a feather in Kyla’s capable hands. The ebony blade sung through the air as it went after its target, severing its hand as it reached towards the interior of the wagon.

There was a spark from the weapon’s contact, and then several smaller sparks running out of the mutilated arm. Black ooze poured out of the creature much like blood would pour out of an entirely organic being. The sight caused Kyla to step back for a moment, her eyes narrowing at the enemy. The hybrid seemed unaffected by the loss of his limb, his head instead turning towards Kyla, where she finally got a good look at the beasts that horrified Adonis so.

Half of the man’s face was human, blonde hair running down to his neck, his right eye almost as blue as Kyla’s own. His left half had been almost completely overtaken by machinery, wires running out from his neck, the sky in his right pupil a stark contrast from the deadly crimson in his left. He opened his mouth and Kyla gasped when she saw half of the boy’s teeth had been removed, replaced now with what appeared to be steel like blade tips while his ‘human’ side’s teeth remained completely untainted, pearly whites to leave an unsettling feeling in his opposition no doubt.

Kyla did not fear this monster, but felt bad for it. Whatever the youth had been subjected to, it looked like it had been a painful and mutilating experience. She closed her eyes as the past traumas of her life washed over her, a scream erupting as the memories took her. When she opened her eyes again, the sword was sent flying towards the chest of the creature, piercing through it like a knife through butter.

“Talen!” she screamed, “We have to put these things out of their misery!”

[Hysteria]

“Misery?” Talen let the words hang in the air as he looked at the twisted machinations.

The thoughts drifting through the youth's mind were cut short by the necessity of action. The boy ducked forwards, his feet arching across the ground as he moved with unnatural speed towards one of the constructs. The mechanical beast lifted a blade in response. The resulting swing sung through the air. The youth bent low, the tip of his head passing just under the singing slash. The youth's determined blue eyes looked up a the machine, a cold calm radiating outwards. A flash of darkness and the clang of metal on metal sounded as an armoured fist caught the creature's chest and lifted it into the air.

A dull thud sounded as the construct hit the ground. The youth lifted his eyes up towards the fallen enemy. His hand hovered in front of him, clenched in a fist and covered in darkness. The dark sinews of shadows twisted up off the skin of his hand and formed into a simple black dagger. The youth burst forwards again, his foot slamming the construct's arms into the dirt. The metal monstrosity fought the youth's strength to no avail. Talen crouched over the creature's body, his eyes scanning its malformed features. Finding no obvious weak-points Talen lifted the blade above his head and brought it down onto the machine's. The armour shattered and cracked as the blade pierced the metal like a knife through butter. Under the surface the once living creature's head shattered with the force. The lingering image of the woman's face, marked with metal seared into her features would bother lesser constitutions.

“Unfinished...” Muttered the youth as he turned to the last one.

The youth threw the dark dagger towards it with a casual toss. The blade vaporised, twisting through the air as darkness. Like a snake catching it's prey it wrapped around the last construct's legs before hardening into a twist of black metal. The creature fell forwards before being able to attack Adonis. In a blink Talen materialised on the back of the creature and in his hand a metal spike. The youth slammed it down onto the creature's arm joint and severed the metal join. Another thrust and the limb flicked across the ground. The youth turned his grizzly task to the other arm, severing it from the shoulder in a similar fashion.

“What’s going on?!”

The yell was from the townsfolk that had followed the commotion out to the wagon. Talen turned to Kyla.

“Can you calm the simpletons? The last thing we want is hysteria spreading through the yokels.” The youth's voice soft enough to escape the notice of the approaching men, “and we need to get this stuff into the tavern.”

Talen twisted around to the creature's legs and lifted his spike. He paused for a second and turned back to Kyla's horrified face. Talen glanced down at the spike and his hands covered in blood and oil.

“They are dead Kyla. If I'm right they were dead well before they were merged with the machine.” Talen paused for a second. The unmasked faces of the abominations darkened as shadows masked their identities.

“Adonis,” Talen slammed the spike into the leg joint and levered it off as the creature below him started to thrash, “we need to drag these things inside.”

[Solar Haven]

As Kyla and Talen began to drag the corpses to the tavern he opened up an unwall and threw some of the severed limbs through it, causing them to slam against the porch of the tavern. the injured mage bent down and picked up the last limb and casually tossed it through the unwall as a wave of pain erupted from his ribs causing the unwall to clause prematurely and strip the exterior metal off of the human like arm, the metal casing had landed on the front porch while the lifeless human arm, black, gooey, and decrepit, was left sitting in the middle of the street where the unwall was previously sitting. Adonis saw the arm and immediately doubled over, the meal from the day before had come back up and met with the oil like ooze that was sitting on the dirt road before him.

Adonis took off his overshirt and threw it over the human limb in front of him and gingerly picked it up while he walked to the tavern where the last pieces of the machines were taken inside. The Battlemage walked into the tavern with a oil soaked t-shirt in hand, he walked over and dropped it on the table in front of Talen and Kyla.

"What is this wrapped in your shirt?" Kyla asked as she looked over at Adonis

"Open it and find out" Adonis said as he was fighting back another urge to puke just at the thought of seeing the arm again.

Talen grabbed a piece of the shirt and pulled up as a human forearm flopped out of the shirt and landed on the table. A horrible stench immediately flooded the room while more black ooze was erupting from the arm and dripping onto the table.

Adonis ran outside and puked again as he held his ribs, he had never seen something so disgusting or smelt so vulgar in his life. while he was huffing and puffing after puking he started to debate what kind of practicality these monsters could possibly have when it hit him. If used properly they could be used to protect the innocent, to keep the peace, to fight wars instead of people. The mage stood up and turned around, wiping the puke from his mouth as he entered the tavern with a new resolve. He knew that these things could be infinitely helpful if used in the right hands, and if they weren't made from humans.

As Adonis approached the table he swallowed what would of been another fit of vomiting and investigated what everyone was doing. Kyla was investigating the metal that the contraptions were made of. Talen was busy investigating the exposed human arm and the empty metal tube that it had come out of, trying to figure out how they interacted with each other. After a few minutes the local blacksmith walked over at the request of Kyla to lend his expertise on the metal.

"Aye, who be the hog that forgot to bathe this month?" He uttered as he walked into the tavern

"That would be these fine men, well fine if they were still alive" Adonis said as he turned around and gestured to the three contraptions on the tables that were being pieced together slowly.

"Aye, the smell like hog droppings on a ripe sunday morning" he muttered as he walked over and examined the piece of metal that was in Kyla's hands.

"Do hog droppings smell different on a tuesday?" A villager asked as he looked rather confused.

"Aye, that they do, Tuesday is slop day like any other day of the week. they get leftovers on Saturday so their Sunday dropping is especially ripe. Now to the matter at hand, this metal... it reminds me of something" The blacksmith contemplated as he snatched the metal from Kyla and gingerly tossed it up and down in the air. "Aye, that it did. a few months back a rather unpleasant man came to me asking questions about my craft, and was rather fond of asking how to get metal lighter yet stronger. i told the bugger i had no idea how to make it lighter and stronger and that maybe he should try some magic. Looks like he has succeeded"

"What can you tell us about this unpleasant man? did he say his name or where he came from" Kyla asked as both Adonis and Talen looked at the blacksmith.

"Aye, he said his name was Zheuck, and that he was from a castle that was about a days ride from here if you head east..." The blacksmith said as he scratched his beard. The three looked at each other and nodded, as if in agreement of what they must do next.

[Amber Eyes]

Kyla hated sand. It stuck to her legs and seemed to find its way into every available orifice. This was her only thought as the trio traveled in an awkward silence. The mystic constantly stilled to brush sand from her legs or kick it off her boots. Occasionally she would see the smirk on Talen's face from the corner of her eye, and she would huff before resuming her battle with the wilderness. Adonis seemed trapped in thought, his feature calm but for the occasional furrow of his brow.

The day went by quickly, with minimal conversation. As the sun began to set the group settled on a spot to set up camp. Talen seemed eager to figure out the mystery of the metal men, while Kyla was just eager to return to a proper inn with a claw-foot tub and a selection of perfumes. Adonis, well, Kyla hadn't quite figured him out just yet.

Kyla unwrapped her pack, laying out a blanket which she shook more than necessary in hopes of finding a good nights sleep. Adonis and Talen huddled around the ground, making a fire before the sunlight took with it the warm day. When Kyla was settle she joined them near the growing blaze. Picking at a few blades of grass and throwing them, watching the fire turn green as it consumed them.

Kyla, as always, was the first to speak. "What exactly do you think we are going to find up here?"

[Hysteria]

Talen poked the fire absently with a stick, causing embers to dance into the air before their light flicked out of existence. The youth looked older than before, his features darker somewhat in the light of the flames.

“What could we find?” Talen echoed Kyla. His words hung in the air, followed by a few cracks of the fire. “I don't know Kyla.”

Talen looked up at Adonis, turning something over in his mind. The youth knew that he might come to regret his decision, but he continued regardless. The boy sat back and lifted his eyes to the sky above.

“You know much about me before I joined the knights?” Kyla shook her head, it was more a rhetorical question anyway. “Well, I had some interesting experiences on the streets. This was before I knew myself well enough to control the darkness within. A necromancer of sorts tried to use me as a living soul to create a zombie. He thought of me as just a street kid, someone no one would miss. It was my unique body that allowed the experiment to work, at least until I was guided back into my body by something.”

Talen turned his eyes back to Kyla.

“I still don't know why I am here. I still don't really know who I am or what I can do. Can you imagine having those questions and no one that can answer them? Am I some sort of demon? Perhaps an elemental? Maybe I am just condensed magic that formed a conscious. Maybe I have a real body somewhere and this is a sort of astral projection. Who knows?”

The youth flicked his stick into the fire and watched the flames slowly wrap around it.

“Perhaps I'll find more about myself up there. Maybe I'll stop someone from doing evil. Either way Kyla,” Talen turned his eyes to the relative stranger, “and Adonis, I think we will do some good. To be honest, I'd like to know what brings our friend here alone with us. The sight of rotting flesh fused with metal too much of a pull?”