The (Finished) Creative Writing Story 3 - It's all done, folks.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

IRC once more, and we're back on track with this addition. Nothing of especially potent value to notate, just that Guillermo is a sadomasochist.

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31st Post – IRC 06

*IRC6* - *thirty-one*

Guillermo sat in his room, completely dark except for a single candle on the table. He had his shirt off and was examining his new arm. For all he could tell it was his arm; the same skin tone, same muscle build, he had even sniffed it for authenticity. Perhaps it was this that repulsed him so much about it. It was completely unnatural to him.

Arguile’s hunting knife lay on the table as well. He had come close to cutting it off twice already, but as soon as the blade touched the skin he felt that same feeling of dread that Dobbel gave him. If only he could remember how he had gotten it maybe he could accept it better. The last thing he remembered was chasing after the sound of the cane and then meeting Cassidy and Seek. He was so focused on the arm that he didn’t even register them leaving. At first, they were there, talking in hushed tones outside of his room, but at some point, they were no longer stationed there. So he sat – alone – in the dark clenching his new fist and shuddering each time. He could feel the muscles and tendons moving and the table underneath it, but it didn’t feel like it was his arm. It was like it was someone else’s and they were telling him what it felt. Stranger still was how much it felt: the heat from the candle’s flame, the wind it caused. He swore he could feel the air molecules being sucked into the flame as they moved over his arm. It repulsed him.

He never thought that he would wish himself with a stump. Picking up the knife again, he brought the blade against his skin. Instead of feeling metal he felt his stomach drop. His brain told him that there were small notches in the blade that he could not see. Gathering his courage he brought the blade high above his head and plunged it into his skin. He ignored the sharp rip and ensuing pain. He could sense that he had severed his tendons and even a few capillaries, but when he brought the blade out of the flesh not a drop of blood spilled on the table. He tried to pry the cut open but it was as if he had never stabbed himself; there was no wound.

The throbs in his head escalated, however, and eventually he could not stand it. Vomiting on himself, he passed out. It wouldn’t be until Seek and Arc got back that he would wake up.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

Third by yours truly. I felt as though I should at least bring Guillermo into the picture since I completely ignored him in my last addition. I fixed the perspectives, so that's why it jumps around at the beginning. Also, you'll notice that I skipped the meeting back up of everyone and subsequent meeting with Arguile, only alluding to it, since I felt we were getting washed away on this little camping trip and needed some forward momentum. I made the asinine mistake of at first forgetting that Arc and Seek were already signed on as gunmen, so I had to fix that accordingly. I'm really just not shining very bright in these early additions, am I?

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32nd Post – BRC 03

*BRC3* - *thirty-two*

“Seek, do you think we should wake Guillermo up and tell him what the captain told us?” asked Arc, knowing if he didn't ask, he'd be the one to wake Guillermo and he wasn't particularly interested in doing that. His thoughts were elsewhere; The Inspiration was a chance to fly again, and Avery would be accompanying them as per the captain's request. He thought back to the meeting, how excited he was that the captain allowed the three of them to join The Inspiration.

*****

Walking to Guillermo's room, Seek thought only about how real Guillermo's arm looked, and why he'd never heard of such a mechanical arm before. When he got to the room, however, he found Cassidy already in there, tending to Guillermo, and filling him in on the whole encounter with Arguile.

*****

Guillermo was having trouble focusing on the conversation. “Wait. So, basically, what you're saying is that Arguile wants us to stick with Seek, Arc, and Avery on The Inspiration, because traveling in a larger group would be safer than going off alone?”

'That's what he said, alright. Course, I told him we wasn't going nowhere until you were feeling better, and if the ship sets sail before that, well, we'd have to catch another one.” Cassidy was obviously not going to leave his side any time soon.

Sensing that, Guillermo thought of a way to get him out of the room. “Good, good, whatever. Just let me get some rest now...” Guillermo's head was reeling by this point, and he could only think one more thing before passing out again. “Oh, and make sure The Inspiration has enough room for us before we're due to leave.” At this point, Cassidy apparently decided to let him be for awhile. He walked out of the room just in time for Guillermo’s habitual pass-out routine.

*****

Seek started a conversation before Cassidy even realized he was there. “How’s he doing, in there?”

”Not so bad for a man who just had surgery, but it’ll be a day at least before he’s on his feet. Looks like we're all set for a brand new journey! When does the ship leave?” Before replying, Seek noted that Cassidy wasn't the type to pay much attention to the conversation.

“Don't worry about it. When it's time, I'm sure you'll be ready. Just make sure Guillermo is up for the takeoff before we leave. Oh, and I already checked to make sure the three of you could board the ship with us. All I have to do is add our names to the list, and it's final.”

“Ok then, pal, I'm heading off to bed. Drinkin’s not my thing night before a ship sets sail. You take care o' those names for us, 'k?”

As Seek walked out of the hotel, he saw Arc hitting on Avery again, and decided to leave those two alone. He walked to the airship office in the docks and finalized the five of them on the ship. He and Arc had already signed on as hired guns, so the three jobs left would be split up between the new recruits. “Let's see...” He wrote down Seek Pembran - Security and Gunman. He then wrote down Arc Medose for the same thing, but this was going to make Avery mad: Avery Sagemiller as waitress. Cassidy Raesch as deck scrubber, and he gave Guillermo Avory the Night Lookout position, knowing he'd need a job that didn't require both arms until he got used to his new prosthetic.

Well, that's done. I suppose I'll head to the bar and catch Arc and Avery on the way. It had been a long tradition for Seek and Arc to go out drinking the night before a set sail. Arc had been trying to get Avery in on the deal, but Seek never allowed it until tonight. He figured if they were sailing together under a new captain they might as well drink together, and off he went.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

Next up by Staffmaster. I hope you're all enjoying these little blurbs before each addition. It's more of a way for the current writers to reminisce on the past, and as a way to let everyone know how terrible the first major story arc was destroyed. I feel now that this is so much better than it was before.

On to the addition's many points of annoyance: 1. Staffmaster liked dream sequences and had a way of randomly naming things that just didn't need naming at the time. I shortened the dream sequence and removed some facts that were pointless. 2. There was an absolutely atrocious scene in here with Arc and Avery where they shared a kiss, and then Arc proceeds on to second base, unsuccessfully, and they engage in a completely juvenile conversation that totally ruins the story. He does this several more times later on. He also ignored basic facts and made up new ones, but I digress. We were all doing this at least in part. I did it all the time for awhile.

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33rd Post – Staff 06

*Staffmaster6* - *thirty-three*

Guillermo was in a sunny field. There was a low hill a few meters away with an old, knotty Paccafruit tree growing from the top. The world was a bit hazy around the edges. Guillermo tried to make sense of this. Somehow the hotel room and the problems within his mind seemed far, far away: almost forgotten.

“Before you go hurting yurself trying to figure out how you got here, let me tell you that yur in a dream.”

Guillermo spun around and saw Dobbel standing calmly next to one of the piles of rocks that dotted the landscape randomly.

Dobbel continued. “Well... more like a vision, if you want to call it that.” Dobbel looked around, squinting a bit. “Interesting decor, something from yur childhood perhaps? Yes?”

Guillermo looked around as well and realized that this was the spot where he had taken his first and only girlfriend on their first date. She had moved away months before Guillermo had been drafted into the army.

“How...?” Guillermo started, but Dobbel cut him off, finishing Guillermo’s sentence.

“... Did I get into yur head?” Guillermo was taken aback. “It doesn’t matter what I can do, because this isn’t about me anymore. It’s about you and what you can do after you know how.” Guillermo was confused and became agitated.

“Who… or what are you, and how did you do this!?”

“I already told you, this isn’t about me anymore. You’ll find the answers you seek in due time. This sickness you feel will pass before the night is up. It’s just yur body’s way of dealing with the insurmountable power coursing through it. That enhanced sensitivity will become second nature, and you’ll learn more than you thought possible. Just remember to keep yur end of our bargain,” he said before flickering out of the field.

Without sound or warning, the world started to melt and swirl, until all was black. Guillermo opened his eyes; he was back in his hotel room. He sat up on the bed and rubbed his face. Looking down at his new arm, he began to feel some tentative acceptance for it. While it still felt foreign, he no longer wished it severed off again.

*****

Seek was just coming back from the airship docks when he noticed that Arc and Avery were still talking outside the inn. Seek walked up to them and interrupted. “Good evening,” he said, smiling. “I signed you two up. We didn’t get the best jobs but, hey, we’ll be on an airship again.”

“Amen to that.” Avery looked up and feigned at praying, then sighed.

Arc straightened up, enthused, and said, “What did I get!?”

“You’re a lookout and gunman, same as me. Same as we signed up for.” Seek said unenthusiastically.

“All right! Nearly the same job as before," Arc mused.

“Is Guillermo coming?” Seek asked “I’m ready to get to the Leaky Gasket.”

“No,” Avery said, looking at Arc.

”Guillermo’s all icky and Cassidy won’t leave the room,” Arc said. “He seems to be awfully concerned for a kid.”

“I guess we better get drunk, then,” Seek said in mock exasperation.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

The first by the legendary John Mora. It was a conversation between this man and Patryn that got the ball rolling and started this story. Because of our common ground within this story, this is also the start of what I consider to be one of my best internet friendships, but that's just an aside to the point. John had serious doubts about the story at this point, and came to the rescue. Not that it initially mattered, because Staffmaster ruined everything two additions later, but that's another story for another time. For now, enjoy.

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34th Post – John Mora (Mora) 01

*Mora1* - *thirty-four*

As Guillermo sat up in his bed, he noticed that Cassidy was staring at him. For a moment, they just sat there, looking at each other in an uncomfortable silence. Cassidy broke the gaze first, turning away with red in his cheeks. “Sorry if I was creeping you out. It’s just that I was… well… staring-“

“At my arm,” Guillermo finished for him, with a slight tinge of anger in his voice.

“Yeah. I mean, it looks swell. Perfect, even! I guess I didn’t think that they could make arms like that. Is it really metal?”

“That’s none of your business,” Guillermo grumbled.

“Well, like I said, it looks great, whatever it is. You must be pretty loaded if you could afford something like that. They put it on pretty quickly, too, huh? I always thought surgeries took hours and hours and they had to keep you afterwards until you were healthy enough to leave. I mean, you were just able to go in and go out like that?”

Guillermo looked down at the floor. “I told them I was good enough to go on my own.”

“Well, not when you’re throwing up all over yourself, you’re not. Do I have to take better care of you than you do?”

“No one asked you to,” Guillermo mumbled.

“…What?” Cassidy asked, a little confused.

Guillermo looked back up at Cassidy with resentment in his eyes. “Who the hell do you think you are, huh? A friend? A younger brother?”

Cassidy’s eyes opened wide in shock. “Well… I thought that we might be-"

“Friends? Did I ever ask you to be my friend? We barely know each other and you’re acting like it’s your sworn duty to protect me, or something. You follow me around like a little lost puppy and won’t let go. I’ve honestly been waiting for you to drop it ever since the crash, but you don’t seem to get it.”

“H-h-hey,” Cassidy interrupted, his voice much more unsure than it had been moments before, “let’s slow down now. You’re obviously a l-little messed up from the operation you had. You jus’ need to rest, o-okay? I’ll get you some of the herbs…”

“What is WITH you and those things? You’re always so vague about them and trying to give them to me. I might not have had another choice when I was an invalid, but now that I’m better, just lay off.”

“Y-y-you call this better?!”

“Hell yes!” Guillermo yelled, reaching a crescendo in his rant. “I don’t know if you can imagine what it’s like not being able to do the same things other people do so easily, but let me tell you, it’s hell on earth. I was able to… to improve my situation. Why shouldn’t this be better? It’s better than being a stupid, sniveling hick weakling.”

Cassidy began to tear up. “This… this isn’t you talking!”

Guillermo turned his nose up and grunted, “Grow up.”

“I liked you…” Cassidy was violently sobbing by this point, and could barely be understood.

“No one said the feeling was mutual.”

At that point Cassidy couldn’t stand anymore and ran out of the room in tears. Guillermo got off the bed and stood up and flexed his left arm. It still felt—strange. He rubbed it with his other hand. “I… I’m not a weakling.”

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

New one by me! I feel as though this addition could have been done without in the long run, but it's been nothing but seriousness so far in the story, while Seek and Arc have this dynamic that could easily be exploited for some fun. So I did that. Unfortunately, it was destroyed hours later by Staffmaster. You'll hear about it tomorrow.

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35th Post – BRC 04

*BRC4* - *thirty-five*

"So, Seek, just what job did you sign me up for?" Avery was getting impatient with Seek, who had whispered something to Arc, which had them both laughing pretty good. "If you don't tell me right now, there won’t be a trip to Kolika Bay for you. And not just you, Seek, because I know that you know as well, Arc.”

"Ok, ok, but you gotta promise that you won't blow a gasket on us," Seek said, looking a little nervous. He stalled for time. "HEY WAITRESS, bring us a bottle of your cheapest whiskey. We're probably gonna need it. Oh, and put it on my tab, thanks." The waitress put the bottle on the table and walked away. Arc poured three shots and spread them across the table.

Arc began slowly, sensing the need to also stall for time. "Here's the deal, Avery. Seek here thought it best to give Cassidy the grunt work, so he got deck-scrubber. Guillermo needed a job that didn't require both hands, so he got night lookout. You already know what me an' Seek got, so all that was left was you, and one position." He took a defensive position, sitting back in his chair, just in case.

"You might wanna work on your people skills, ‘cause you're gonna be serving food as the ship's waitress!" As Seek said it, he and Arc burst out laughing, while Avery's chin dropped, her face turned fiery red, and she did something radical.

"Are you ****ing kidding me?!" Arc ducked as the bottle of whiskey flew over the top of his head, smashing against the wall in a cascade of green glass and clear liquid. "I can't believe you'd sign me up as a waitress, I hate those blasted 'people service' jobs!"

Arc stopped laughing, and saw this as a golden opportunity. He slid his shot over close to Avery's seat, and sat down next to her. "Look, maybe you won't have to do the job for very long. I'm sure you can prove your worth somewhere else on The Inspiration and get bumped up immediately. We're looking at three or four days, tops. So let's do the most sensible thing we can right now, and that's get hammered beyond belief." Arc could see a smile form at the ends of her lips. "Avery, you with me? Come on!" He held up his shot glass to get her to do the same. Before Seek could join the toast, Avery snatched his shot, clanged it against Arc's, and the two of them downed the three shots.

"We're gonna need a lot more liquor." Avery had apparently accepted this new challenge. "And Seek, just for doing that to me, you're picking up the whole tab tonight. 'NOTHER BOTTLE. CHOP CHOP!!"

"Looks like she's gonna be just fine, ya think?" Arc said as the concoction was placed on the table. Cassidy came running into the bar about that time, sighted the three friends, and slumped down into Arc's old seat, whimpering incessantly about something.

*****

"Hey, kid, you alright?" Seek asked. Avery and Arc paid no attention, but Seek was generally concerned. He poured Cassidy a shot and beckoned him to tell him what was wrong.

"I-i-it's n-nothing, just Gui was really rude ta me just now." He followed this up with a quick shot of whiskey, and poured himself another. "He said he didn't need me, and that I was just a hick w-w-weaklin'!" Another shot. "Can y-ya believe that?!" One more shot. Arc grabbed the bottle from him, muttering something about hogging all the goods, and poured a round for everyone.

"Ok, kid. Look here." Arc took over the conversation. "Guillermo's just a little strung up about everything that's been happening. All you need to do right now is worry about that shot in front you, and the three of us, ‘cause we're going to show you a hell of a time tonight. ‘Drown your sorrow ‘til crow calls ‘morrow.’” He looked to Seek and nodded, who chimed in on a drinking ballad.

“DROWN YOUR SORROW ‘TIL CROW CALLS ‘MORROW. BOTTOMS UP TO BELLIES UP. WE DON’T STOP TIL THE SUN COMES UP!!!" With that, the four of them raised their glasses, clinked them together, downed them, and filled them up again.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

STAFFMASTER! This was the worst addition to the story at this point. It did so many things wrong that we changed the details without his consent early on just so the story made sense. Let me go through the list:

1. Cassidy was supposed to be sharing a room with Guillermo, but it didn't happen that way in the addition. To completely rewrite the addition would still have been unfair, so I had to make Guillermo get his own room so that they didn't share any more words before the night was over. I beefed up Cassidy's short section to allude a little bit more to the drinking event, since it was totally ruined by Staffmaster.

2. In the very first version of this addition, Arc and Avery were supposed to end up together, but Staffmaster had other designs. Cruel designs. Arc had gambling sessions with two drunk barmaids, and Avery committed weird things before passing out snuggled up to Captain Arguile. Weird, and weird. Cassidy and Avery shared a thought during their scenes that related to Avery dancing on tables and having money stuffed down her bra. Poor taste, and completely unnecessary.

3. The next morning, Cassidy and Guillermo shared a nice moment, completely deconstructing Mora's entire addition, and making them all buddy buddy again. I had to remove the scene and write a new scene just to compensate for this.

I believe that was it, or at least the bulk of it. While it's true that this is a collaborative effort, and everyone's ideas have an equal part in the story, your ideas have to be logical with the story, otherwise, you have this completely incongruous piece of garbage. That's why we were so harsh against Staffmaster, and another old boy later on down the road. Here it is, the almost entirely new addition, originally written by Staffmaster, and edited the hell out of by myself.

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36th Post – Staff 07

*Staffmaster7* - *thirty-six*

Guillermo’s anger at Cassidy by this point had turned to confusion. He had always tolerated the boy, but what was it that made him act so cruel? He stared blindly up at the ceiling, the room being devoid of light. His hands were folded across his chest. Or were they? He knew the right one was his. But this new one... it was so sensitive. It was more sensitive than the tip of one’s finger if the top layer of skin had been removed. It could perceive the slightest touch and make out even the minutest variations in a surface. This was what made the arm feel strange. It felt everything with unparalleled precision. Perhaps this could be an asset... perhaps it could be a curse as well. Guillermo had seen how it healed so quickly. What if someone were to stick this arm in boiling oil, for instance? It would constantly be under damage, yet it would never completely die; it would always heal so that the pain would never subside. And what pain it would be! Guillermo would be able to feel each individual cell explode under the heat. He laughed. “That is one advantage of a fake arm that Dobbel forgot to think of,” he stated to no one. “They don’t feel pain.” Sadly, this epiphany did not make him any more or less acceptant of the arm than he already was.

He found himself walking out of the room and towards the check-in desk. In a matter of minutes he had a key to a different room and confided to his conscience that it would be better for them both if he and Cassidy did not share a room from that point on.

In his new room across the hall, Guillermo almost dared not close his eyes to sleep, for fear that he may run into Dobbel again. He tested them a few times to make sure that the old creep didn’t show up; he did not, but these tests turned in to sleep in very short order, anyway. Guillermo dreamt, but not of the field with the rock piles and the Pacca tree. These dreams were of the more normal variety.

*****

Cassidy clumsily returned to his room. At least he hoped it was his room. He fumbled with the key in the lock. For a tense moment, he wasn’t sure what would happen. He heard the lock fall open and let out a relieved sigh, punctuated with a hiccup. He could barely remember the fight between himself and Guillermo, but felt angry about it. He didn’t want to be in the same room as Guillermo, but had no money to get his own.

Opening the door, he was surprised to see that Guillermo was not even in there. Must’ve gotten a room to be alone, he thought as he shrugged the bad memories away. He remembered the good times while he could. Arc and Seek had many a bar song to sing, and learning the words was more than daunting under inebriated conditions. He muttered the line ‘To high Heaven we’ll drink, and until morning comes, of liquor we’ll stink’ as he disrobed for bed. Chuckling as he lay down, he passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

*****

On the next street over, at Arc and Seek’s hotel, Seek was also getting ready for bed, but unlike the other three he could hold his liquor. Like Arc and Avery, however, he would probably wake up with a splitting headache. He could hear Avery in Arc’s room next to his, giggling incessantly about something before it suddenly went quiet. Seek surmised that they both passed out prematurely, and as any good drinker would, he did the same.

*****

Morning stabbed its way through everyone's windows and splitting headaches were the order of the day all around, except for Guillermo, who was up and ready to go shortly after breakfast. Before Cassidy could make his way down from his room, Guillermo had paid the room fees, gathered his belongings, including all the items Arguile had given them, and headed out the door only to see Arc and Seek waiting impatiently on a bench.

”What’s the deal, Gui? We’ve been here ten minutes already. TEN MINUTES!” Arc said while tapping his wrist, to emphasize the joke. He and Seek had the air of being hung-over, but appeared as jovial as usual despite.

”When did ‘Gui’ become my name?” asked a lighthearted Guillermo, now joining the joviality, being infectious as it was.

Seek looked confused for a moment before saying, “Well, Cassidy called you that last night at the bar, and it’s a might bit easier to say ‘Gui’ than Gui-ller-mo.” He made sure to draw out Guillermo’s full name for maximum effect.

”Just don’t expect me to answer to it. Only my family and friends back home had used such a term, and I abandoned it when I left the town. I also don’t feel the need to bring Cassidy along, but I suppose he’s got nowhere else to go, so one of you will have to go get him.” He was still against bringing Cassidy along, but something nagged in his mind that he didn’t mean everything he said to the boy.

Seek stood up and walked to the inn’s entrance. “That’s fine, I’ll grab him and his stuff and we’ll be right down.” He disappeared into the building as Arc snatched up the conversation in his usual manner.

”Okay, so I know it’s rude to ask and to stare, but damn! Your arm looks so freakin’ real, it’s uncanny. How the hell did you manage to afford that?”

”I don’t feel like talking about it, right now. I’ll tell you all, later. What I will say is that I honestly don’t know how much it is going to cost me.” Silence filled the inn’s entryway as Arc puzzled over Guillermo’s response.

Seek and a frazzled Cassidy appeared out of the inn a few moments later, but neither one spoke as they all geared up and stopped next to the bench. Arc broke the uncomfortable silence: “Avery went to check on Arguile one last time before we head off, and said she’d meet us at the docks near The Inspiration.”

They walked in sullen silence for awhile towards the docks, Arc seeming the only one still excited about the prospect of journeying together. Seek and Cassidy played along and questioned him about Avery and what had truly happened. Arc laughed as he began to tell the story.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

The final addition of the first major story arc, which we are now calling Books. Patryn was completely dissatisfied with the way the story had progressed so far, and showed it in the execution of this addition. I'll give you the details at the end of this post, so as not to ruin any surprises. :b

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37th Post – Patryn 02

*Patryn2* - *thirty-seven*

The group headed down to the docks to see the new ship that they would be working on. Arc and Seek led the way, Cassidy close behind, and Guillermo hanging farther behind. He couldn't help shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something had fueled his anger at Cassidy, as deserved as it may have been. It wasn't like him to lash out like that. However, something in the air was affecting him. He shook his head clear of such thoughts as they reached the magnificent docks. Sadly, only three airships were actually docked, when at the height of the war tens of ships would have been grounded for various purposes. Wistfully looking at the ships, he tried to figure out which one was The Inspiration, when the feeling of dread hit him dead in the stomach. He hadn't felt this bad since he had first met Dobbel, and before that, the destruction of his hometown.

Worry turned to fear at the sound of the first explosion. Fear turned to outright horror when he realized that sitting at his feet was a good portion of young Cassidy's head. Stumbling back, he nearly fell over. Chaos reigned around him.

"What the hell is going on?" yelled Arc.

"Get down!" screamed Guillermo in reply. The ground seemed to be shaking, and people were rushing everywhere. Explosions erupted around them. Guillermo rushed up and grabbed the two sailors, pulling them to the ground.

*****

Seek was staring at Cassidy's corpse. Something had torn through his head, ripping it apart. "I think I'm going to be sick...." he moaned, as he tried to avert his eyes from the horror. However, what he locked onto was almost as worse. It was the mass of brain and skull that had landed near Guillermo. In the middle of it was an unmistakable sight: a giant claw. Suddenly Seek knew exactly what was happening. "This can't be…" he muttered in disbelief.

He was snapped out of it by a slap from Guillermo. "At least one of you has figured something out. We need to get out here, now. We're not going to survive out here for long. Our best shot is that airship. On the count of three,” he said as he directed his attentions to Arc, “we're all going to rush to your girlfriend and get out of here, ok?" Seek nodded weakly. Arc, however, was a bundle of questions.

"What the hell is going on???" he screamed at Guillermo as the ex-soldier counted down.

"THREE! SHUT UP AND RUN!" yelled Guillermo, grabbing Arc by the collar. Seek had already started running towards Avery. In the distance, he could hear her screaming out their names. Before he could reach her, though, his worst nightmare happened.

From under the ground, a giant claw broke through right under the young girl. Instantly she was ripped in two, money fluttering in the air. Arc stopped dead in his tracks. "AVERY!!!!" he screamed. Crying, he ran to her torso. Unbelievably, she seemed to still be alive, but barely.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man..." he repeated over and over again, cradling her head in his lap. Avery looked up at him, spitting up blood.

"I can't feel anything, Arc, I can't feel.....why can't I feel? Oh Arc... I'm....... sorry........" Avery closed her eyes one last time, and with a final spit of blood, lay still.

"AVERY!!!!" Arc screamed.

Guillermo and Seek had other things than their friend to worry about. In the same hole that the claw had come out of now emerged a giant creature. They were seeing what they had only heard stories about.

It was a kronal, a twenty foot tall monster that looked like a giant scorpion, but with four claws. It was making great use of them, snatching people up from the dock and shoving them in its mouth.

Seek was so transfixed by the sight of the carnage that he almost missed the ground breaking apart next to him. However, the sight of a claw beginning to emerge finally brought him out, and he suddenly found a calmness in himself that he had never known before. He suddenly grasped the true nature of the situation. Kronals were breaking up through the ground all around them. The great city was falling. His, and Arc's, best hope for survival lay with The Inspiration. Guillermo had apparently already realized this, as he was already running full speed towards the ship, leaving the two shell-shocked sailors behind. Seek knew that Arc was too traumatized by the death of Avery to seek shelter on his own. It was up to him.

Rushing to Arc, he grabbed his arm and pulled. "Arc, we have to get out of here! It's all going to hell!"

Arc looked at his friend with an odd expression on his face. "This is a dream, right? We're just going to wake up. Where is Cassidy? I want to tell him all about this."

Seek looked at his friend and realized that he was in shock. "I'm sorry, Arc. This isn't a dream. Cassidy's dead. Avery's dead. You need to put that down. It's not Avery. Not anymore. It's just meat. We need to get out of here, or we'll both join them."

Arc looked down at the torso once more and through the haze began to understand just what he was holding. "Ok..." he said weakly. Seek grabbed his arm and pulled him on the same path that Guillermo had taken.

"What's happening?" Arc asked, with a little bit of disbelief in his voice.

"What no one thought could happen. The same thing that happened to all the border towns. They finally figured out how to get in. We watched the borders, but we couldn’t watch underground. The city is now paying for its mistake in blood. Jugere's done. Anteron couldn't finish it, but the monsters sure as hell have," Seek replied, his voice cold as ice, fueled by the new inner calm.

*****

Guillermo, meanwhile, found himself facing certain death. He had managed to avoid most of the kronals as they rampaged through the helpless city. Yet one seemed to have its eye on him, and it now blocked its path. Guillermo didn't even attempt to take his flintlock, remembering tales that only a perfect shot could fell one of the beasts, and he didn’t know where that spot was. Guillermo jumped out of the way as the kronal raised one of its claws and brought it down. He couldn't totally avoid it, though, and a good chunk of his new arm was taken out. Pain shot throughout his body, but before his eyes he saw new tissue begin to grow to replace the lost chunk. He couldn't dwell on that fact, though, given the situation.

It seems to be playing with me... I might have a chance... he thought. If I can fake it out and get around it, I just may have a chance to get to The Inspiration before...

Any thought of escape was cut off as two of the giant claws crashed down on either side of him, cutting off his escape routes. The kronal closed in, snapping its two remaining claws, ready to feast on him. Guillermo closed his eyes, waiting for the killing blow, hoping it would be quick.

Suddenly a shot rang out. The kronal let out a scream before slumping dead in front of him. Guillermo opened up his eyes and searched for the shooter. A man stood on the ramp to The Inspiration, holding a pistol, a weapon even rarer than his flintlock. The mysterious man was dark-haired and a little short, with what looked like a deep scar on the side of his face next to his left eye.

The man holstered his pistol and called out to the three men. "If you three want to live, get on board now! We're out of here! The city's gone! Unless you want to join it, RUN!"

Seek, helping Arc, rushed past Guillermo and into the ship. Guillermo couldn't help but give one last glance back. Smoke and fire raged amongst the massive buildings, decorated with the blood of its citizens. Guillermo got to his feet. He knew that some of the citizens would be able to make it out, if they were smart. He hoped that the captain would be one of them, but he couldn't help him now. Guillermo rushed to the ramp and up it as the scarred man raised it. Feeling the airship rise into the air, Guillermo allowed himself a breath of relief. They weren't totally safe yet, but they weren't in the certain death situation they were just in. It was then that he noticed the Anteron military patches the scarred man wore....

Chapter 3 End

Book 1 End

_____

First and foremost, Patryn killed Cassidy and Avery because they had both been trampled on by people such as Staffmaster, but also because Cassidy was annoying, and Avery was pretty much a useless hunk of tit, despite my efforts in editing, she is still that way. So they both die. Go death. Ironically, Starba - creator of Cassidy's character - was also dissatisfied with the story progression, and with Cassidy's terrible developments in speech and annoyance and sniveling-ness, she was going to kill him off in her next addition, only with a little bit more honor or some such business. So she never posts again in part because of the way Cassidy was killed. It's too bad, because Starba is a pretty good writer, and would have fit in well with the group after things settled down.

This addition was highly controversial in its methods, because Patryn did exactly what he told us we weren't originally allowed to do. Usurp the story, kill off 2/3's of the cast, and move it in a different direction. Ironically, once again, the story needed that exact kick in the nuts to do one of two things: drop the dead weight, and remove the writers who weren't planning on sticking with the story. Patryn never writes for this story again, which is also sad, since he's one-half of the conversation that got it started, and he is the one who wrote the opening addition.

The line about the money fluttering in the air was originally a critique on Staffmaster's perverse methods concerning Avery's table-dancing that does not happen anymore. I had to change it slightly to remove the reference.

There's nothing in here about what happened between Arc and Avery, because you're just supposed to be led to believe that Arc's being a playboy.

One major detail that I changed came as a result of an addition that I posted much, much, much later. Originally, in this addition, Guillermo connects the kronals as the same monsters that destroyed his hometown. I mistook this fact later on and made different monsters attack and gave it a flashback. Originally, and selfishly not wanting to rewrite my scene, I asked around and got the relative 'ok' to just change Patryn's addition so that the kronals weren't the monsters that attacked his hometown. I later discovered that Patryn's own addition, without my editing, had been contradictory to this fact, anyways. 1. If kronals had been attacking other towns, it would have been expected in Jaegar as well. 2. Guillermo notes that he was seeing what he'd only ever heard about, despite having known and seen kronals during his hometown destruction. So it had a weird way of working itself around in a circle that everything coincided with and blended coherently into a workable addition without any major plotholes. There could still be some minor plotholes, I haven't edited the entire story yet, so we'll see. :b Tune in tomorrow for super fun AIRSHIP TRAVEL. Again. :b

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

A short addition by IRC. After Patryn's volatile addition, things almost came to a complete stop. There was a major dissension among the writing ranks, and several people dropped out at this point. Things looked rather bleak for this story after nothing more than 50 pages. It was decided shortly after this addition that we would remove Staffmaster from the people who were allowed to write, our first real mutiny. IRC kind of drove Aznable away, but it wasn't the same as flat out banning Staffmaster. I also had designs on dropping from the story, because I was initially sour about Avery being killed seeing as how she was the only female character thus far besides Sanya (BLECH). I got over it fairly fast, though, because I could see that the story was turning a corner for the best, and I immediately hopped back in, and we persevered up to the point we are currently at, despite many slowdowns and standstills. Enjoy - I don't think anything changed for this addition... it wasn't extremely impactive on the story as a whole, and that's why I probably don't remember.

_____

BOOK 2

Chapter 4

38th Post – IRC 07

*IRC7* - *thirty-eight* *chapter4* *book2*

Guillermo was separated from Arc and Seek in his own room, although he thought of it more as his own broom closet. A small cot and a candle were all he had. Looking out the small window, he could tell that the ship was moving west away from Jaegar. At the moment they were passing over the canyon. We must be heading to Antaross instead,” thought Guillermo. He could swear he almost felt the man through the door with his arm before he heard the keys jingle in the lock. The door swung open and the guard on the other side let the scarred man through.

The man stood there for a minute, absorbing Guillermo before speaking.

“I’ll just have you know that while Arguile asked me to take you and your friends on as a favor, I am not as accepting of ex-Jaegar military as he was. You’ll have to remain here until further notice. I wish to speak with you more extensively later, but for now there is much that I need to attend to first.”

Nodding politely, he turned and left Guillermo alone.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

The final addition by Staffmaster. This was the addition that we gave to him to prove himself capable of sticking with the story. In the end, he failed to meet our expectations of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and overall story content. The biggest turnoff about this addition was the over-abundance of useless information. There was absolutely no reason to go into detail about Malachai, his wife, and their son at this point in the story, but he did just that, explaining and filling out landscapes that had no reason to be filled out yet. He made up some contradictory elements to facts in the story. It was just overall a disappointment, but we let it stay as a compromise to booting him from the story. TO THE ADDITION.

_____

39th Post – Staff 08-

*Staffmaster8* - *thirty-nine*

The captain of The Inspiration surveyed the damage to his ship. He had lost some of his crew and that meant that he was not going to Kolika Bay, but back to Anteron for new personnel. These monsters were a pain in the ass. He had always said that if he ever found the accursed hole they crawled out of, he would plug it up personally. A crew man spoke behind him. “Captain Malachai, Sir, here is the complete list of those lost in the attack.“

Malachai pored over the list briefly. “Damn! Some of my finest officers.” Why did this have to happen now!?” he thought. “Thank you, Cadet.” He said with a hint of exasperation in his voice.

“Sir!” the cadet saluted and went off to perform his other duties. Malachai thought back before the monsters. Times were simpler then. He used to enjoy long walks in the flower forest north of his home village of Xirctze. But those days were over. The monsters destroyed that place along with his village, years ago. This was long before Jugere had known the horror of the monsters. Those people were just too complacent about the threat. They had grown fat on that complacency. Even the war was not enough of a wake up call for them. Now they knew the reason that the Anteronians wanted to settle in their colonies in such numbers. They weren’t invaders, they were refugees.

Those, like himself, that stayed behind at home learned how to deal with the monsters, and even develop innovative ways of outsmarting them. The Inspiration had all the latest innovations for anti-monster travel. Flip-up harpoon turrets were placed strategically around the deck in case of attack while in flight. And all of the Anteronian ships could have their old oak Centerline rooms replaced with ones made out of cast bronze tubes.

Malachai let his thoughts wander. He wished that his friend Devon Arguile was in a safe place, and that those beasts didn’t get him. His thoughts drifted to his wife Lieda, and his thirteen-year old son Reese. He would be seeing them earlier than he had expected, and this at least was one happy thought in all his sorrow.

*****

One deck below, Guillermo sat in his bunk napping restlessly. The attack was still fresh on his mind, and visions of Cassidy and Avery’s corpses littered his dreams. Shortly, a crewman came and unlocked Guillermo’s door. “The captain would like to see you,” he said. “Come with me.” Guillermo followed.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

Ryu. This addition actually starts the story down the road it needs to go. It deals with issues that needed to be dealt with, and that Staffmaster completely ignored, and it basically sets the pace for the rest of the story. Prepare for the additions to start becoming longer than one page. It's going to start happening fairly quickly, and I think, perhaps, that I may have to shorten the daily additions to 5 pages at a time to ensure that everyone keeps up. I personally liked this addition because Ryu placed a clever line about Avery's table-dancing and mocked Staffmaster at the same time. It served as an inside joke to those who knew about the writers, but didn't fit in quite so well with the story. With the reference point removed from the story, it didn't have a place, so it, too, like Patryn's line about the cash floating down from Avery, was changed.

_____

40th Post – Ryu 03

*Ryu4* - *forty*

Guillermo followed the crewman just to the door, and then stood still. He peered around the corner to see that the crewman hadn’t noticed he stopped just yet, and then gently closed the door. Noting a schism between a Jaegar ex-military like himself and the captain of the old Anteron military, Guillermo did not count on the message being delivered very pleasantly—probably with a vague warning that he had his eye on him. He thought of how soon the captain had asked to see him, and grimaced with indignation at the scarred captain’s demand for time that should be spent grieving. Of course, what does a hardened veteran of the Anteron military care about what just happened to Jaegar? He can wait until I feel like visiting him, thought Guillermo, as he toppled onto his bed and tossed his tricorn to one side. He sat without making a sound for a long while.

Guillermo stared transfixed with lethargic eyes facing the drab brown wall. After doing what had to be done – showing the presence of mind to get onto the airship – the adrenaline wore off, leaving him solemn and weary, desiring only the time to think. No tears fell from his eyes as he sat as grey and motionless as a gargoyle, looking much as if his soul had rotted away and the remaining residue swallowed up by maggots, leaving stranded an empty husk of a body still propped up. A myriad of thoughts assailed him as so frequently had been the case as of late. The city may as well have been relocated to within his skull, so vivid the crumbling walls, fire and screams echoed inside his mind, as if audible to others had they been in the room. Thoughts about the well-being of the captain, the city, Avery’s horrible death, Arc and Seek’s distress, tore themselves into the existence of conscious thought like a kronal’s claws, yet, as if the wrong set of keys were being tried, vanished when they lead to nothing.

Ironically, the visage of a pitiful, eviscerated corpse of Cassidy was the only one to linger in focus, and Guillermo couldn’t help but think that he might be the only one presently thinking of the fragile boy, despite his indifference towards him. He monitored with a chill apathy this corpse that refused to let his mind be, when in an instant a curious scene of a still-alive Cassidy standing before a roving claw played before his mental view. The claw peeled towards him like an enraged shark, kicking up chunky waves of stone, dirt and gravel in its wake—Cassidy did not even budge. Not even as the terrible hook pounced from its cover of earth and cleaved his skull. His face had been sullen and expecting the last moments of his death. [/i]He lost his will to live?[/i] Guillermo thought in confusion, not questioning the validity of the unwanted vision. Those beasts may as well have answered his call… could it be? Something he had not thought of struck him in an unclear stream of consciousness: perhaps deeper than anyone could see, behind that erratic front of jovialness and contentment, lurked a distilled sadness—loneliness—perhaps stemming from secret failure to protect someone or something. Maybe all the kid needed, after these suppressed feelings of worthlessness, was a friend or ideal to protect and cherish—something to be proud of. And it took something in Guillermo, the active force of his mere presence, and moreover his rejection of accepting that attempt to take pride in him, to get him to face this hidden trauma and realize what he was doing. I feel like a damn curse, was the irresistible reflection. Monsters strike and people die wherever I go. A sense seemed to say to him that Cassidy might have been thinking the same thing before he died. He concentrated on the projection of the flattened corpse that had returned to hovering before him, and said to it: “Well, you’re gone now, kid. I’m sorry you couldn’t handle it…being alone.” He paused. “… I don’t have anybody either.” With that, the little body faded away into darkness.

Alone once again, Guillermo started when he found himself wanting to grin at the suggestion that it took death to see through people, through Cassidy’s outer-coating of youthful naivety, like life itself consisted of people putting up shields to be kept from being seen. He felt sorrier for Cassidy’s death, Arc’s loss, and the destruction of a city he once thought would be kept safe from imagined threats, than what he could ever imagine himself being. And just think, something seemed to assume the voice of his mind, All of this could have been prevented if only you were strong enough! He commenced to thinking as to why he had to be the one to do protect everyone—who assigned him that duty?—when another voice opined that the power was there for anyone strong enough to pick up—why not him? Like succumbing to that thing one long thought wrong, Guillermo’s fear and foreboding—even guilt—before the prospect of seizing power melted away and a rush, an exhilaration, replaced it. Suddenly energized and brimming with life, somehow released from his feelings of fear and anxiety—his sense of shame at being a mere mortal, yet holding the power he knew dwelled in his arm—Guillermo could understand why serial rapists always seemed to prefer the most innocent looking ones: the rush, the daring, the stealing of innocence, the vampire-like transference of life required invigorated the act; the audacity of the crime made the thrill that much stronger. He thought of the kronals with disgust and swelled a righteous anger and pride that filled him with the willpower to utilize his new arm’s fist. He stared at it; no one could have guessed it had received a blow from a kronal—it looked as flawless as before. Yes, death could yield answers, buzzed through his brain, between now and the staining of a billion monsters’ blood on my fist, I will find the answer to this carnage. The walls seemed to buckle and warp before his fist; he could sense, as if the hairs on his arm were little antennas, the notches on the walls, feel the vibrations of the little insect stowaways, and the other beings on board channeling their presence with their varied wave-lengths in space—loud, shining targets just dying to be rubbed out.

No! a voice among many others seemed to shout from within, these thoughts… are not my own… Guillermo put his hands over his face as the great commotion inside died away. He did not even understand what he had been thinking; it was like noise, so many words had run their course through him. I…must be losing my mind, he thought as he reclined onto his shabby cot. Before he could decide what to make of all of his impressions, and unsure of what came over him, an insuperable weariness came over him and he fell asleep.

*****

After his trembling body had been corralled into his quarters, Arc flew into a brief and violent fit before clasping the meager pillow with his two hands. Seek, looking on with gloom, took that as more than a suggestion to retreat to his own quarters. The pillow collapsed like a strangled cat before Arc's vice-like grip as he buried his face in it. The spectacle of Avery's death - her confusion, the horror of the manner of death itself, the blood spluttering about like water rolling off a windmill in a windstorm, her last words - replayed itself over and over again with growing intensity as his heaving breathes increased in pain and intensity. His eyes were red, swollen and raw, as if they ran out of tears. Why?! his inner voice screamed, Why… why… did she have to die - like THIS?! He tremored with the thought how, as if to satisfy his beckoning, Avery's personality and character somehow had been reduced to that of just another giggling drunken barmaid. You… That was not the woman I… fell in love with, he cried, I loved you…because you were so different… different from the girls I picked up and dropped off in a day… who giggled and swooned too easily… because I didn't care… they meant nothing… He wished he could see the Avery he had known during the time they all spent sailing with Captain Arguile – the boldness, the independence he always saw in her serene face and dark blue eyes while she embraced the sky-borne airs.

*****

Seek cringed with sadness from his quarters as Arc’s loudest wails traversed the barrier of The Inspiration’s walls. He noted a suspicious silence coming from Guillermo’s room as he could only imagine what would have happened to all of them had it not been for Guillermo’s decisive action during the pandemonium. The full implications of the preceding horrific event still had not fully taken root in Seek’s mind—at a loss at how to react, the whole crisis still seemed like a dream he did not know how to awake from. Thinking of the town and the captain and Cassidy and his and Arc’s loss seemed too painful to confront. Light-headed and aloof, he felt as if he had been thrown out of a tower and still awaited the landing. Unable to curb his restlessness, plagued with the suspicion that the nightmare had just begun and a storm of beasts were pursuing them right now, he bolted out of his room with a vague intention to talk to the captain and ended up in the guest lounge where many of those who had saved themselves still waited for word of the destruction. With working lips, Seek surveyed those who had been saved: a meager cast of a few people here and there, though he found some consolation as he came across a man huddled together with and grasping tight his wife and two little children. He suddenly wanted to say something to them, but thought it better to let them be. He wondered why so few had reached the ships, but recoiled when the thought of The Inspiration’s captain and crew struggling with masses of people—some already aboard while some of their children fought to reach them, stretching their arms out to them in vain from the ground—all desperate to save themselves in the madness of the city’s final hour, weighing down the ship beyond its ability to take off, almost clogging its engines in their sheer numbers, and with no time to try to find another vessel which was probably suffering the same scenario. He could still hear eerie moans echoing down the hallways from the guest lodgings.

Convinced he would kill himself with worry if he had nobody to talk to, he raced across the room, brushing harshly someone’s shoulder in his hurry. He turned to face the offended, and found a pale woman dressed entirely in black, with a black cloak. Though Seek figured she could have been anywhere from twenty to thirty years of age, her large dark eyes, medium height, extraordinarily thin and slight figure, pale, grooveless face, and small, expressionless mouth made her look even younger, like a child. Though small, a large, white bladed scythe with a long, purple handle was strapped tightly around her torso and over her cloak (Seek was glad he had not run into that instead), and a profound, vicious look in her eye nonetheless made her seem dangerous. Not crying like the rest, she seemed just like the type who would be competent enough to reach the ship. Sleek black hair hugged her head tightly at the top of her head, then jutted out on either side as it reached her shoulders, leaving the back of her neck exposed, looking much like a helmet. Despite her girlish figure, Seek stood entranced by her mystique, for indeed in the dimly lit room she seemed to recede into the background and hang softly from the walls, etched upon them like a shadow. Her small mouth did not move, but Seek was sure the sorrow in his moist eyes would convince her of his apologies, as he was too nervous to make a sound. With Arc’s dynamic penchant for seeking out and soliciting women, Seek was not used to, and was even embarrassed of, meeting and locking eyes with them first and unannounced. He again hurried off, sorry he had said nothing, but thinking that he would probably see her again on the ship or at least after they had landed, when he ran into just the person he was looking for standing silently in the hallway.

The captain stood straight with his arms crossed and eyes closed as both he and Seek listened noiselessly to the ghostly cries from afar, as if the ship was a graveyard in which all came simultaneously to mourn. Seek knew the captain was taking a short rest probably after the final valiant effort to secure the ship, survey damage, and otherwise give orders to what crew members he still had left to work with, giving him some reassurance of their current safety. The captain’s scar by his left eye lined up with itself with his eye closed; Seek could only imagine the captain wincing as some person or thing gave him that deep mark. An awkward pause came between them.

After a minute, the captain was the first to speak: “You know, this is not the first time I have captained a ship full of devastated people. You may make your friend well aware of that, if you wish, if he’ll ever let me speak to him.” The phrases were said with a dignified distrustfulness, but also with a noted lack of sympathy towards the current situation. Seek understood that the captain surely cared far more about the people on those preceding ships, and probably could name them all. He had seen this all before, only this time his ship was decorated with civilians of an old, hated enemy. Seek still opined that this scarred captain couldn’t possibly be too bad if he knew Captain Arguile; he tried to recall if the old captain had ever spoke of the man that now stood before him. The man still remained very stately and proper despite the temptation of treating the denizens of Jaegar with inhospitality.

“So, where are we headed?” Seek asked softly. Seek had not peeked out of the window to get a good glimpse of their surroundings yet.

“Far from here, for now,” the captain said enigmatically. “We’ll have to make a stop somewhere nearby because we did not finish loading supplies before the kronals struck, and maybe some will want to be let off there. At any rate, my cadets have to examine the passengers and see if they have any family or associates in other regions. Once we have some intel, we ought to be able to develop a surer depiction of those on board. From there we can finalize our decision.”

Seek had nothing more to say, and feared another uncomfortable silence would strike. Taking his leave, he returned from the direction he came, fearing he would come into contact the dark woman’s glance again so soon, but managed to return to the passenger quarters unscathed. He sat in his room for some time, until he acquired the mind to see if Guillermo or Arc had any desire to talk.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

Second by Mora. This addition does one thing that altogether tied me back into the story, basically for good. In the last addition, Seek sees a woman clad in black with a scythe, which is a good indicator that she'll be more important later on. Mora wastes no time bringing her into the light as we have our real introduction of the character Sasha. With this addition, Mora made use of clever dialogue that instantly attracted me to the story again. Probably, it was that the story was a sausage factory up to this point, and a girl in the ranks made me happy. Sasha is an important character and as most everyone knows, she is my absolute favorite in the story. But enough about that.

_____

41st Post – Mora 02

*Mora2* - *forty-one*

Guillermo woke up to a groggy view of the ceiling above his cot. He sighed. Even sleep was beginning to tire him out. He rubbed his eyes and smiled. He wondered how long he’d kept the captain of the vessel waiting with his little snooze. He almost felt bad about it. Almost. Well, he thought, I had better get it over and done with.

As he left his quarters, he noticed a woman dressed all in black standing on the other side of the narrow hall, looking straight at him. He also noticed the scythe she was carrying. “Well,” the woman began, “good evening.”

“Good evening, madam,” Guillermo properly, but curtly, greeted her.

“I’d like to have a talk with you.”

“I’ve got an appointment I have to meet,” Guillermo said, eyeing her weapon. “Besides, no offense, but you look a little suspicious, standing there with… that.”

The woman’s demure mouth turned into a coy smile. “Maybe I want to look suspicious.”

Guillermo rolled his eyes. “I really don’t have time to be flirting with you right now.”

“We’re not flirting. I’d have to be attracted to you for us to be flirting.”

“And with that brutal shot to my ego, I bid you good day.” He turned in the direction of where he thought the captain would be and began walking.

“You lose some friends in the attack?” the woman called out as he walked away. He turned around and looked at her. She stood defiantly with her serious, yet distinctly feminine face sternly looking at him with eyes that seemed infinitely more wise and cunning than they had a second ago.

“I lost more than you can imagine,” he said with more than a hint of pain in his voice.

“You may not believe me, but I know what you’re going through,” she said somberly. Guillermo could have sworn she had glanced quickly at his left arm when she said that.

“What the HELL do you mean?!” he exclaimed in an outburst that was becoming more and more common for him.

“I mean that you’re not the only one that has ever lost something, or someone. We all have,” she seemed to be carefully choosing her phrasing, “questions about our existence. You’re confused right now. That’s okay. But if you feel you need a friend, maybe I can help.”

“What are you, a quack? Or one of… those women?”

The woman laughed abruptly at this. “Yeah, I’m here to seduce you with my incredible fashion sense and DEADLY WEAPON. I’m Sasha. My room is the second from the last down this hall, see?” she said, pointing. “Like I said, if you want a friend, maybe I can be one.”

Guillermo stood silent, thoughtfully for a minute. “It was… strange meeting you, Sasha.”

Sasha smiled again. “Same to you.”

Guillermo began to walk again, but stopped and turned around to call out, “My name’s Guillermo!”

“See you later, Guillermo,” Sasha said knowingly to herself as she walked back to her quarters.

*****

Sasha closed the door to her quarters tightly behind her. She hadn’t lit the lamp in her room, and it was close to pitch dark. A masculine voice asked from the direction of her bed, “Were you able to engage him?”

“I think I got his interest.”

“I hope that’s all you got.”

“You worry too much,” she said playfully. “I know when to stop. I’m a professional at this, you know.”

“So you’re going to talk to him again.”

“Most definitely.”

“Will it be here?”

“Yes, I told him this was where I was staying.”

“You don’t think he knows, do you? He could smell Dobbel from a mile away. We don’t want a repeat of that.”

“Don’t worry, we’re more up to the task, don’t you agree?”

“…I worry that I’ll scare him away.”

Sasha felt her way to her desk and lit the lamp sitting there. She put down her scythe and gazed at the man in the gentle light. “You didn’t scare me away.”

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

IRC again. We finally have the confrontation between Malachai and Guillermo, and *gasp* a person who may be able to answer questions for our dear Gui. Some more locales are made known, but nothing major.

_____

42nd Post – IRC 08

*IRC8* - *forty-two*

Guillermo finally found Malachai on the deck of the ship. The captain was standing near the railing looking off into the setting sun. Guillermo walked up and waited for him to break the silence. The Inspiration was nearing the border between Jugere and Anteron - the Sea of Grass already behind them - and the Blood Fields ahead. The Blood Fields were originally a part of the Sea of Grass but had been so stained with blood from the war that they were separated from the Sea of Grass in name. By now, though, most of the grass was burned away and nothing new had sprouted. The landscape was dotted with iron-rich red soil showing through small patches of grassland, so the ugly name stuck. Abandoned military equipment and even wrecked airships littered the fields, never having been salvaged by either side. Since the war, the Blood Fields had been home only to groups of outlaws and corpses.

Malachai simply stared beyond all that and into the horizon. Guillermo guessed he was looking at where his mind knew Anteron’s capital, Antaross, to be. After a moment Malachai turned away and spoke.

“There was a time when my country was one of the most beautiful, now it lies in decay. But I choose to see it with my memories, for what it once was.”

Guillermo remained silent, willing the captain to get to the point on his own.

“You have made quite the impression on Captain Arguile. When he asked me to accept you on my crew despite your history, he mentioned your incident after The Swallow crashed, and I see that you clearly have two arms. In times of war, there are always stories of the unexplained that originate on the battlefield. There was one that comes to mind about the battle of Anterock. In a war long ago, there was a battle at the fortress of Anterock. The survivors of the battle were deranged and spoke of a pale giant with startling blue eyes who appeared and slaughtered men from both sides. It is nothing but a rumor, of course, but a personal favorite of mine.”

“And?” asked Guillermo, clearly annoyed that the captain was wasting his time with children’s stories.

“And, this past war was no different. I’ve heard stories about soldiers who have suffered serious injuries, such as your arm, only to have them healed later. Even more curious, weeks later the injury would return and the soldier would not speak of how it happened.”

Clearly unnerved by what he was hearing, Guillermo pondered how much Malachai knew about the story behind his arm. He had trusted Arguile, but this man was completely different. He had no reason to trust him and even less to believe his story.

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked.

“Because unlike the story of the giant, these rumors have been substantiated as being fact. Tomorrow we will be stopping in Danu for supplies and to let refugees off before we reach Anteron. Also in Danu, is a man who was blinded in the war. He was said to have had his eyes healed and been stricken blind once more. I do not know him personally, but I’m sure his story will be of interest to you.”

Leaving him to ponder what he had said, Malachai walked past Guillermo.

“I also tell you this because Arguile had much respect for you. He said that given time I would find that you wear worthy of his respect, and mine.”

Guillermo didn’t know what to think about this latest bit of information. He was very interested in meeting this man tomorrow, and hopefully finding some answers for a change instead of only more questions. But everything moved too quickly for him. Two weeks ago his only plan was to find work on an airship until something better presented itself. Now he had fled from a capital city overrun with monsters, heading towards the capital of a country that was the enemy only two years ago, and was wearing an arm that some strange man had somehow given him. Part of him wished he was back on his father’s plantation where he had very few cares, but when his arm told him that Malachai had gone below decks because it could no longer feel his presence, he knew that would never happen. Sighing heavily, he followed the captain’s lead and went below.

*****

The next morning was a blur; Arc and Seek had met Guillermo in the breakfast hall, and discussed what they were going to do next. Not paying very much attention, Guillermo made some excuse about a need for some maintenance on his flintlock. He wasn’t even sure if Danu had someone with the knowledge to work on them, but the two sailors seemed not to care. And so Guillermo found himself at the doorstep of a man he didn’t know, hoping to find answers to questions he wasn’t sure he wanted answered. He knocked on the door, and was surprised when a middle-aged man answered. The first thing Guillermo noticed was the blindfold the man wore covering his eyes.

“Hello? Can I help you?” the man asked, ****ing his head to the side as if to try and hear who Guillermo was.

“Maybe,” he replied, “my name is Guillermo and… this may sound strange, but I was wondering if you’ve ever met someone named Dobbel?”

The man’s face broke into a strange smile, as if he found Guillermo humorous.

“Yes. I know Dobbel, he was the one who gave me a gift and was kind enough to take it back.”

The man reached back and pulled loose the blindfold wrapped around his head. Where the man’s eyes should have been now had only empty sockets. Both eyes had been perfectly removed and there was no trace that the man even had been born with eyes at all. Guillermo couldn’t help but shudder when he realized that it was just how his arm had been perfectly attached without a trace that it was ever gone.

“So what did he give you?” the man asked as he opened the door farther to allow Guillermo entrance.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

My first attempt at real writing within this story. Before, I was just having fun with it, and I felt as though the story was now going in a direction I could deal with. I also didn't hate Guillermo nearly as much anymore by this point, so I felt comfortable writing the scene between him and the blind man. I really like this addition because it's my personal turning point in the infrastructure of this colossus, and I always laugh when reading Arc's explosive dialogue.

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43rd Post - BRC 05

*BRC5* - *forty-three*

"Well then, what do you think we need to do while we're docked?" Seek asked a weary Arc, who had done nothing but slump around since the events in Jaegar. "Can you focus for just a second, please?"

"Why don't you focus!? I think with the way things are going, we need to get out of this city as soon as possible, and back into the air. Is this city safe from the kronals tunneling underneath the roads and EXPLODING INTO THE STREETS AND KILLING EVERYONE?! I DON'T THINK SO!!" Arc collapsed into a chair, exasperated from his little tirade. Seek sat down next to him at a cafe in the center of town. He sighed, looked up into the sky, and panned down to the buildings and streets to take a look at the civilians trotting around living their lives. Since the end of the war, they had not much to worry about except for the slight economic depression. They were completely unaware of the horror that came from seeing your friends die in front of you.

"You know as well as I do that the kronals have free reign on Jaegar. Danu is taking every measure they can to prevent the same from happening here," said Seek, trying to reassure Arc, who had obviously gone off the deep end for a minute.

"You wanna know what I know?" Arc recovered for a minute, and his face hardened into such a serious manner that Seek was taken aback. "I know that I'm going to kill every last ****ing one of those monsters! For Avery, Cassidy, Arguile, Hawkins, and for everyone else who's needlessly lost their lives." Arc was getting upset again, and laid his head down on the table.

Seek tried again to comfort him. He felt the same feelings, and he wanted revenge just as bad as Arc. He placed his hand on Arc's shoulder and said, "You and me both, buddy. You and me both."

*****

"Excuse me, gentlemen. May I take a seat with you?" Malachai had overheard part of the conversation on his way to the supply station, and thought he'd give them their official crew assignments to get their minds off of Jaegar. "I know how hard this is for you two, but if you want to stay on The Inspiration, then you need to compose yourselves before we set off tomorrow morning. As soon as we're off the ground, you (pointing at Arc) are going to be trained on the harpoon gun. One of my lost men was a new harpooner, so I think instead of putting in for a new one, we'll just put you there. And you, Pembran, are joining the other gunmen on the decks, for the same reason. If you don't like it, then don't get on my ship again, understood?" Arc was hardly paying attention, but Seek nodded in agreement for the two of them.

"Thank you, Captain. We will fulfill our duties as requested." This made Malachai at least content for the time being, so he bid them farewell for now and went on his way.

*****

Guillermo looked around this curious character's home: not much at all on the walls, and the floor practically vacant, save for a small oval black and red rug that looked as if it had never been cleaned. A single window next to the door held a lone Lufra flower in a clay pot, fully bloomed and shining with red, blue, and orange petals and stems. A brown wooden table with three intricately-designed chairs around it sat next to the kitchen area, and he saw two doors that he guessed led to a bedroom and a bathroom. This place is a dump, thought Guillermo. I guess a blind man doesn't need a lot of valuables lying around...

The man began his story slowly. "I can tell from your scent that you have met Dobbel, and his magic as well. So, bearing that in mind, let me begin from what I think is my beginning. You no doubt have questions about my eyes, why I no longer have them, and where I met Dobbel, but rest assured, I will answer them. My name is Private Shon Yuperius, former soldier of the Anteron Ground Assault, which you probably know as the AGA. You've probably never heard of me, but around here, I used to be renowned for my amazing vision, in town and on the field." Shon settled down into a chair, laughed at what Guillermo could only guess was the irony of his situation, and invited Guillermo to sit with him. It unnerved Guillermo to be in the same room with a person sharing Cassidy’s personal gift of great vision, but he pushed the thought aside to listen longer.

"While stationed in the Sea of Grass close to the border of Jaegar, a surprise attack from the enemy took out most of our unit, and scattered or imprisoned the rest. I at first thought I was a lucky one, having made it out of the frontlines. I, along with another man from my unit, made my way back to the headquarters three clicks from our positions. A flash mine left from a previous battle took the life of my partner with its blast, and took my vision in an instant. I was way too close to Lars when the mine went off, resulting in what is medically referred to as a 'white-out'. I saw only white for a month, living with my handicap in this dump, until a man approached me offering gifts of power and sight, much like he probably approached you. Said I was special, or unique, or had potential or some crap like that."

Guillermo knew all too well of what Shon spoke. He interrupted the blind man to further along the story, and to get himself out of this depressing room. "So you took the vision just like I took my arm, right? Well, just skip ahead to the part about what these eyes did for you, and how they affected you mentally, physically, and emotionally. I'm in a hurry here."

"Eh, you Jaegarians are all the same, moving so fast you miss the meat of the story. But very well." Shon stood up, got a drink of water for himself and Guillermo, and sat back down. "As you probably already know, the gift offered more than just the previous use the body part had. It gave me an ‘enhanced vision sense,’ if you will. I could see everything there was to see if I concentrated, even so much as looking through walls and clothing. I kept that part to myself as a way to keep the military off my back, of course. I rejoined the AGA, but I felt different all around.

The eyes turned out to be serving their own purpose, and forced me to have mood swings and fits of rage rather frequently. My friends started dropping me and I did not like who I was becoming. Dobbel popped up frequently to remind me of the bargain I made with him, and eventually, I got sick of his mind games. Told that bastard to take his devilry back: I'd rather be blind than a servant of some puppet master." Shon held his nose, as if a great pressure had just befallen him.

"As punishment for 'failing' him, he removed the eyes I had previously as well. Hurt like a *****, too."

"So what was Dobbel's plan, exactly? Did he ever tell you, or what?" By now, Guillermo was really disinterested, having heard exactly what he already knew.

"All I ever really gathered from our cryptic dialogues was that he was preparing a soldier. I see at this point that he's still trying. Don't listen to him, and if you've got any sense, you'll give back that arm in a hurry. Understand? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some shopping I need to do, and I don't think I'll be of much more use to you, anyways."

"You've helped me more than you'll know, Shon." Guillermo shook the hand of this strange blind man he came in contact with, and went on his way. He now knew that Dobbel had been trying to find someone for a long time, and that he was not the only one, not by a long shot.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

Special! A new writer, and another girl! Karim surprised most of us by joining the story late in the game, and I can't think of any issues she had starting out that the rest of us didn't have, so her additions were pretty solid. I changed some minor dialogue issues, and fixed some punctuation errors, but all in all, this addition remains true to its original.

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44th Post – Karim 01

*Karim1 - *forty-four*

Arc and Seek left the café, and sat down on the corner of the road. The sun was setting, and a cool breeze blew through the city. It was relaxing; tranquil even. For a few minutes it was almost like nothing was wrong at all, and life had gone back to being good. But seconds later, a high pitched screech was heard from a few blocks away.

“Arc, you don’t think…”

“…They followed us!” he screamed, “...We’re all ****ing dead!”

“Get a hold of yourself! I really doubt they could have followed the airship this far.”

“Then what was that!”

Almost instantly a crash was heard around the corner of the street. They looked and found a midsized wyrm around twelve feet tall and several meters long staring back at them. It crawled forward, screeching at them, and then it paused again.

“****, ****… we’re dead!” Arc screamed.

“Arc! Shut up, just stay calm, we aren’t dead yet!”

“What exactly do you have planned? ANYTHING!?”

“Well…”

“Just what I thought! I’m not letting this bastard take me down!” he shouted, stepping closer to the monster. He took out his rifle, and fired several rounds randomly at the creature with minimal effect; nearly all the bullets missed as he didn’t even try to aim. Anger was clouding his mind and keeping him from thinking straight. “Damnit! Why won’t you just… die!?”

“Arc, get the hell back here!” Seek screamed.

As the monster began to lunge forward, a man ran at it from its left. The creature swung its head at him, but the man evaded it instantly, and countered it by throwing several Kunai at its side. Enraged, the creature lunged at him, but the man jumped to the side, evading it as well. The creature rolled over and regained its balance only to have several of the daggers thrown into its mouth and face. It screamed in pain, and fell to the ground dead. Arc stared at this and began to laugh uncontrollably.

“W-wha…. how did he… no way!” Seek exclaimed.

The man walked up to them and took a bow. Up close, he did not look like he was very formidable; he was not the type one would think could kill such a massive creature with ease. In fact, he was a bit effeminate. His long black hair was tied back into a ponytail, and he was rather lanky, with little muscle mass. He wore simple clothes as well, which left the two to believe he was not a professional at this sort of thing.

“The name is Aleksi, and yours would be?” the man said.

“… I’m Seek. And this here is Arc,” Seek replied.

“It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“… Where did you learn to… to do that?” Seek was still in shock.

“Oh, just something I picked up.”

“Killing a freakin’ monster in seconds, and just with some simple knives. It’s like something out of an old legend… just unbelievable,” said an equally surprised Arc.

“No, it’s not that unbelievable. You just have to read your enemy’s muscles. If you do so, it is easy to predict how they will attack. And since a Wyrm is merely a giant muscle, it is not so difficult.

Seek looked unconvinced. “… Sure.”

“I don’t suppose either of you realize the danger we are in!?! This guy may be able to kill one of them, but hundreds!?” Arc shouted at them.

“Relax. That must have been the only one. I saw it sneak out of the docks and I chased after it; I assume it hitched a ride on one of the airships.”

“… Probably ours…” Arc said.

“Oh, what a pity. But this raises a question, which airship did you come in on?”

“The Inspiration,” said Seek.

“… Coincidence is fond of me today. I am riding that airship as well. This raises yet another question: are you companions with Guillermo Avory?”

“I don’t think we should be telling anything to a freak that can kill monsters with simple weapons,” Arc snapped back.

“… Freak? I merely wished to know if you knew him. If it is too much, I will leave. But I figured you might be willing to tell me as I saved your life and all.”

Seek conceded. “Alright... We know him… but why are you asking?

“Just curious, and I heard he was going to be part of the crew now.” He said, smiling. “But I must go. Perhaps we shall meet again.”

The man walked away, back into the direction of the docks. Arc sat down, looking at the ground.

“Why… why do I have to be so weak? I can’t help anyone! … I can’t even defend myself…!” He shouted, seeming to hold back tears.

“Arc, no one expects you to be a ‘god of war’ or anything. …But you’ve gotta knock this off. You’re not helpless. We couldn’t defend them; we were nowhere near her when she was killed. Don’t you get it? It’s not our fault; …it isn’t anyone’s. I want to get revenge as bad as you do, but you can’t blame yourself…”

“You just don’t know, Seek, just leave me the hell alone!”

Arc got up and ran off into the city. Seek sighed, Arc wasn’t going to recover from this loss for quite some time, it seemed. But this was life; people were killed every day by the monsters; why Arc felt it was so different, he didn’t know. Maybe he was just mentally unstable from seeing her die before his eyes. … Or maybe he just didn’t know how to move on with life because he had never dealt with such a loss before.

*****

Aleksi returned to his room. Sasha was waiting for him

“So, you showed off and all in front of them, right?” Sasha asked.

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t brag?”

“Not at all. Well… maybe a little.”

“I just hope they were impressed. Just getting that monster here was a pain.”

“It was your idea.”

“I’m aware of that! But if they realize that we brought that thing here on the airship purposely, we are going to get caught.”

“Relax. I put on a good show. I doubt they could even tell the thing was drugged. The one was so scared he was firing randomly in the air.”

“Well, as long as they don’t realize. We need everyone on this ship to trust our skills at fighting those things, or our reasons for being on this ship are compromised. And make sure those two spread the story around with the crew tonight.”

“Of course.”

“But as for the monster being drugged… I thought you really had skill at this?” she asked in a playful mock.

“I do. But fighting one of those in a populated area was just asking for casualties. I had to drug it, or else some old lady would have ended up in its stomach.”

“… Sure.”

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: The Creative Writing Story 3.1 (Edited for Your Enjoyment)

ANOTHER NEW WRITER! I like how I pretend that this is a story being read by dozens of people who are not a part of it. Anyways, here is Magik, and for a very long time, this was Magik's only addition. It seemed he would be one of those rare few who only had one addition total. But that was not the case. Acacia is introduced here, and that's a major thing. You'll see why later.

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45th Post – Magik 01

*Magik1* - *forty-five*

Arc, still sulking, left Seek’s company and meandered around the town. He didn’t speak to anyone, and hardly took notice of the other people. He passed by a pub and overheard a raucous group of men talking about the ‘wyrm attack’ from earlier that evening. Some of them applauded the man — Aleksi — for his skill, while others called him a lunatic. Some of the men even embellished the attack and claimed that they helped Aleksi fight off the beast. Normally, Arc would have smiled at their antics, but now he was in deep meditation of the last few weeks.

Avery, he thought silently, What could we have shared between us? Where would we be right now? What would we be doing? If only… he clenched his fists, If only I was stronger.

He didn’t notice the figure in front of him until he bumped into it.

“Hey, watch it!” said a voice.

Arc looked up and gasped, “Avery?!”

There, in front of him, was Avery. She smiled at him softly, “Arc, I’ve missed you.”

“Hey?! Are you ignoring me?” exclaimed a voice in front of him—but it wasn’t Avery. Avery’s figure faded away. Her smile, her eyes, her hair, her soothing breath all faded away. In their place was a young woman. She was not smiling; she was fuming. “Hello?”

“Huh?” was Arc’s dumbfounded reply. The woman looked nothing like Avery. She had chocolate colored skin, light brown hair, and amazing green eyes. Her left eye was a light shade of green, like grass in the springtime, and her right eye was dark green, like a shining emerald. She was lean and very tall, with sharp facial features.

“Geez, now you’re making me feel bad. Are you ‘handicapped’ or something?” she muttered.

“No. I was just thinking about things, and I wasn’t paying attention. Sorry ‘bout that,” he replied. For some reason, this woman’s presence made him feel comfortable. He almost felt happy for a moment.

“Well… just be careful from now on,” she said.

“Yeah, I will. My name’s Arc.”

“… Okay.”

“Uh… what’s your name?”

“Acacia, but most people just call me Cay.” she paused. “So, you’re not from around here, are you?”

“Not really. I’m on my way to Anteron, I guess. We just stopped here to reload our cargo,” said Arc.

“Oh! You must be riding on The Inspiration!” Cay exclaimed cheerfully.

“Yeah, I am,” he half-smiled.

“I was going to travel on foot with a caravan to Anteron, but the monsters seem to be coming in such large quantities nowadays that most of the caravan left to bum rides on the airships.”

“So, how are you getting to Anteron, then?”

She smiled widely, “Can I go with you?”

Her innocent smile made Arc chuckle. “I don’t think there would be a problem, but I’d have to ask the captain, I think.”

“Oh! Would you?! Thank you so much. I’m heading into the pub, you wanna join me?”

He was reluctant, but he decided not to join her. He needed some rest; it was getting very late.

He walked briskly down the road thinking: the captain had to let her board the ship. For the first time in a while, he felt a bit contented. Although he still had nightmares after he went to sleep, he wasn’t as afraid when he woke up in the morning, and he looked forward to the day ahead.