Worlds change and so must I. I'm feeling some chaos a'brewing. Time to batten down the hatches and ride the storm. The air has a static feel to it and I don't feel quite as safe on the streets as I once did. I've taken to going around armed now, which is a shame as I'm not very handy with physical attacks. Lucky for me we got a few places to practice in town. Best be seeing how I an I go up against a cop bot or two. Might even have to look into getting a trainer or something...not much use for my preferred style of combat. Magical Certamen anyone? Really much more enjoyable than puling a trigger or hacking with a blade, but to each their own.
Seein' some new faces about town and in the shop. Always good to have fresh blood in the city. Keeps it from getting stale. Haven't seen Baal in a while, busy man. Been busy myself. Had my nose stuck in a book so long I an I barely had the time to check in at work. Research, learning and seeking. Some quests never end.
Mmm, been seeing the walking dead about town. Strange stuff that. Lucky for this one I've seem him clock in and say a few words, otherwise I'd have to do something bloody. Brains belong in the skull, not as an appetizer.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
~Interlude: The Bottle
It must have rained earlier in the evening as puddles of water helped reflected an oily sheen of the neon lights and the air was heavy with mist
I cupped my hands around my zippo lighter and flicked it to life, briefly illuminating my face and blinding me with it's flame. Taking a drag off my cigarette, I watched spots of color dance before me and waited for my sight to adjust.
I heard a bottle clank not too far off in the distance and turned around. Waving the smoke from my face I peered off into the night, still trying to see what made the sound. It couldn't have been rats, I would have heard them squeaking. The cop bots that patrolled the city hovered up high enough that they couldn't have done it. I hadn't seen anyone walk past the shop in hours.
Letting my curiosity get the better of me I trudged across the street and passed St.Anne's church. Continuing along my way I noticed that not many were out tonight. The streets of Nomos seemly well and truly empty. Not even dealers were hawking their wares.
As I came upon the alcove I saw the tipped bottle and looked around. There was no one around as I kneeled down and examined the bottle.It was just an empty Nomos beer bottle that a majority of the bars seemed to carry.
I picked it up and immediately wish I hadn't. The glass was covered in a sticky clear slime that clung to my skin. I hastily dropped the bottle back on the ground and examined my hand
A film of that stuff clung to my skin. I brought my palm under my nose and gave a tentative sniff. My head reeled back as my eyes watered at the acrid smell.
I dropped my hand into a puddle and tried to scrape the slime off into the pavement. I flexed my hand, it felt a little numb, but that could have been from the scraping. It still had the strange oder about it. My nostrils twitched as I braced myself for another whiff as I tried to identify the scent.. There was a diesel smell to it, diesel but something chemical and unknown to me. I repressed a shudder and smacked my hand against my thigh finding it still numb.
Sighing I stood, wondering if I should take my chances with stopping over at Med-Tek and letting them check me out. It seemed like a good idea until I remembered I had just a few outstanding bills.
Well, no place like home to administer a little self medication. I lead myself out of the alcove and turned towards home. My hand still numb with that weird smell about it.
I was wondering what I had gotten myself into as I lingered on the bridge that lead out of town. I stood there watching the mist hover over the dark creek and began to mull over my thoughts
Abruptly I stopped my thoughts as the smell hit my nose,much stronger than what I picked up earlier. The culverts! Why hadn't I thought about the culverts that fed into the creek.
I hurried along the bridge and made my way through the scrub brush and the campfire someone had left burning at the water's edge. Wading into the murky water I sloshed up the creek bed and tried to keep my balance on the algae covered bottom.
I sniffed at the air and led myself to a dark culvert. It was too dark to see into so I flicked my lighter and held it aloft so I could peer inside.
A gasp left my throat, the bottom of the culvert and part of the wall had been coated in that same thick slime.
Not all of the culvert was coated and I found a few hand holds and hauled myself up inside, and did my best not to touch the slime with bare skin.
The smell was strong enough to make me gag and I fought the urge not to retch. My gut felt cold and told me to turn back, but this was something new, something unexplained.
I forced myself onward until I heard something flop and smack against the sides of the culvert. Water, I thought, trash...what was making that sound. The smell had gotten so strong my eyes began to tear up and my nose burned with it
Fumbling for my lighter once more, I had to see. I couldn't not know what lay beyond the darkness. I flicked it to life and held the flame aloft as my eye refused to make sense of what they saw.
I first recognized bones strewn about, all of varying sizes. I felt a laugh try to escape my throat as I figured out where all the strays had run off to.
Starting at the bones I worked my gaze upwards Thick tentacles slapped blindly at the walls leaving the thick slime trails where it touched.
I watched a smaller tentacle circle itself around a rather large rat and draw it inward. The rat shrieked, but fell silent with a wet crunch and a soft sucking sound began.
I heard a rasping mewling sound and realized it was coming from me as the nightmarish shape took form. I could feel my sanity leaving me as I gasped upon a creature that shouldn't even exist outside of some writer's imagination. My mewling turned to moan as I watched a tentacle reach out for my boot, leaving a thick trail of slime of anesthesia behind.
My reptile brain kicked on with its fight or flight and I threw my lighter towards the rippling mass. With a thump and a whoosh the slime ignited, the force knocking me backward into the concrete as I watched with terror as the tentacles crisped and burned.
Not wanting to watch the aftermath, I turned my back to the heat and it's own keening wail and ran.
I cupped my hands around my zippo lighter and flicked it to life, briefly illuminating my face and blinding me with it's flame. Taking a drag off my cigarette, I watched spots of color dance before me and waited for my sight to adjust.
I heard a bottle clank not too far off in the distance and turned around. Waving the smoke from my face I peered off into the night, still trying to see what made the sound. It couldn't have been rats, I would have heard them squeaking. The cop bots that patrolled the city hovered up high enough that they couldn't have done it. I hadn't seen anyone walk past the shop in hours.
Letting my curiosity get the better of me I trudged across the street and passed St.Anne's church. Continuing along my way I noticed that not many were out tonight. The streets of Nomos seemly well and truly empty. Not even dealers were hawking their wares.
As I came upon the alcove I saw the tipped bottle and looked around. There was no one around as I kneeled down and examined the bottle.It was just an empty Nomos beer bottle that a majority of the bars seemed to carry.
I picked it up and immediately wish I hadn't. The glass was covered in a sticky clear slime that clung to my skin. I hastily dropped the bottle back on the ground and examined my hand
A film of that stuff clung to my skin. I brought my palm under my nose and gave a tentative sniff. My head reeled back as my eyes watered at the acrid smell.
I dropped my hand into a puddle and tried to scrape the slime off into the pavement. I flexed my hand, it felt a little numb, but that could have been from the scraping. It still had the strange oder about it. My nostrils twitched as I braced myself for another whiff as I tried to identify the scent.. There was a diesel smell to it, diesel but something chemical and unknown to me. I repressed a shudder and smacked my hand against my thigh finding it still numb.
Sighing I stood, wondering if I should take my chances with stopping over at Med-Tek and letting them check me out. It seemed like a good idea until I remembered I had just a few outstanding bills.
Well, no place like home to administer a little self medication. I lead myself out of the alcove and turned towards home. My hand still numb with that weird smell about it.
I was wondering what I had gotten myself into as I lingered on the bridge that lead out of town. I stood there watching the mist hover over the dark creek and began to mull over my thoughts
Abruptly I stopped my thoughts as the smell hit my nose,much stronger than what I picked up earlier. The culverts! Why hadn't I thought about the culverts that fed into the creek.
I hurried along the bridge and made my way through the scrub brush and the campfire someone had left burning at the water's edge. Wading into the murky water I sloshed up the creek bed and tried to keep my balance on the algae covered bottom.
I sniffed at the air and led myself to a dark culvert. It was too dark to see into so I flicked my lighter and held it aloft so I could peer inside.
A gasp left my throat, the bottom of the culvert and part of the wall had been coated in that same thick slime.
Not all of the culvert was coated and I found a few hand holds and hauled myself up inside, and did my best not to touch the slime with bare skin.
The smell was strong enough to make me gag and I fought the urge not to retch. My gut felt cold and told me to turn back, but this was something new, something unexplained.
I forced myself onward until I heard something flop and smack against the sides of the culvert. Water, I thought, trash...what was making that sound. The smell had gotten so strong my eyes began to tear up and my nose burned with it
Fumbling for my lighter once more, I had to see. I couldn't not know what lay beyond the darkness. I flicked it to life and held the flame aloft as my eye refused to make sense of what they saw.
I first recognized bones strewn about, all of varying sizes. I felt a laugh try to escape my throat as I figured out where all the strays had run off to.
Starting at the bones I worked my gaze upwards Thick tentacles slapped blindly at the walls leaving the thick slime trails where it touched.
I watched a smaller tentacle circle itself around a rather large rat and draw it inward. The rat shrieked, but fell silent with a wet crunch and a soft sucking sound began.
I heard a rasping mewling sound and realized it was coming from me as the nightmarish shape took form. I could feel my sanity leaving me as I gasped upon a creature that shouldn't even exist outside of some writer's imagination. My mewling turned to moan as I watched a tentacle reach out for my boot, leaving a thick trail of slime of anesthesia behind.
My reptile brain kicked on with its fight or flight and I threw my lighter towards the rippling mass. With a thump and a whoosh the slime ignited, the force knocking me backward into the concrete as I watched with terror as the tentacles crisped and burned.
Not wanting to watch the aftermath, I turned my back to the heat and it's own keening wail and ran.
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