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THE WINE DARK SEA (Part 3 of The Chronicles of Midnight)


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#1 ss_midnightxx

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 05:03

This Story is the 3rd in a series, I have started writing. The stories are a combination of entertainment and back story to flesh out my character. Please ignore errors in spelling and grammar, as I'm not a great literary, and what constitutes a rough draft for most people is a finished work for me.

If you have not read the earlier stories, please go back and do so first...
1) RAD LAND http://forum.sigmast...php?f=11&t=2820
2) DARKEST HOUR http://forum.sigmast...php?f=11&t=2834

and if you enjoyed the story please leave a comment I'll be more motivated to write more, as opposed to just wasting my time surfing the net.

#2 ss_midnightxx

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 05:04

THE WINE DARK SEA

I still was well ahead of the Rad storm, but already the air was filled with fine dust, the remaining day light was rapidly turning a hazy orange, and a noticeable increase of atmospheric pressure had occurred.

But the decreasing visibility and blurring of the landscape were not an issue for me….this close to the Reaper stronghold I knew the way well. The structure itself was a ramshackle collection of metal plating built against the windward side of a shallow box canyon. Despite the dilapidated exterior appearance the structure was quite strong and the inside comfortably inhabitable.

Apparently Tucotew had been quite active recently, for there were several new booby traps set along the narrow path, fortunately he had taken the time to mark each with location in advance with a Reaper rune and I avoided each with ease….although if we had to evacuate our stronghold via this route…..there could easily be several mishaps….I made a mental note to take this up with Slayer.

A shadow passed near the canyon rim above me……I paused to assess the possible hazard… we had killed off most of what was dangerous in a roughly 5 kilometer zone around the Stronghold….but the desert held many hidden surprises….likely just a scavenger….

The Rad storm was close now, and as I entered the dimly lite Reaper base, a swirl of fine dust entered with me to settle on the assorted trophies of our common room. I sealed the port tight and then looked about, if any of the other Reapers where within the structure they must be hold up in their own compartments.

My eyes quickly adjusted and as I went to my chair, I regarded all the items we had collected in the past several months.

Dominating one wall was the flayed carcass of the Lurker…..from the time we had actually gotten it right.

Next one of my earliest contributions, a knife with the shattered blade, from when the Buglette nearly took off my hand. I smiled to myself, how much play had I got off of that story, telling it on drinking nights, how had I ever thought that a worthy trophies!

An arrangement of leaves and flower blossoms Aniee had taken from Spine Bloom plants…beautiful and deadly.

I plucked a half full bottle of some dark brown fluid off my chair and sat heavily, for the first time realizing how fatigued I truly was. I surveyed the murky contents of the bottled then, un-stoppered it and took a hesitant sniff….a bouquet of cleaning solvents, with a nutty hint of unwashed garments…one of Tucotew’s concoctions. The mystery was not how the mutant was able to drink such as this, but what exactly he used to distill such noxious liquor. Re-stoppering it I quickly set it aside.

As I settled back into the deep chair, a felt the full grasp of my weariness take hold, my eyes wandered from object to object as a flood of memories returned….


The gun Slayer would never let anyone touch, the one he claimed the day he shot down the chieftain of the Radeyes….


….a collection of Proto Warrior dog-tags, who had it been to claim the first one of those…Slyfighter….or perhaps Slayer….


….The wall of spears, each one a unique creation, an expression of it’s owner...and the day we had earned them.

The Phantom Stalkers, swarming up from the ravine that concealed them...the Taulin Guard falling back and then routing as Sly and failsafe held their ground…the first spears beginning to fall around us to stick quivering from the ground at a 45 degree angle, like quills on the back of some giant beast. We had all taken trophies that day….


….The day we had nearly gone down in defeat….the day we had tried to help the settlers against the Bullet Storm Cyborgs.

A Rad Storm had been blowing hard that day too. We had taking up position along side their soldiers, behind sand bags and broken tractors. But the defensive passion had done us little good.

The Chrome hand had sent their Bullet Storm Cyborgs, in wave after wave. Each wave materializing out of the blowing sands almost on top of our positions, their guns blazing.

Finally in a desperate gambit, Slayer had led the Reapers in a wide arc and into their flanks. Then the wild running battle on the sand that followed. By the time the Chrome Hand commanders had realized that we were in amongst their forces it was far too late….


….thoughts drifting to the place we named skull canyon.

Aniee running up the boulder strewn canyon, sweat streaming down her face as she strove to stay ahead of a band of Radeye Pistol Slingers. The Radeye close on her heels, gaining, some firing pistols into the air, and making a game of it. As she struggled to keep ahead of them, they jeered and called out to her, making lewd promises of what they would do to the girl once she was caught.

Aniee whirling about on them, striking their leader a swift blow with her finger blades and nearly tearing half his face off. A huge mutant next to him, his body guard, reached out to seize the girl by the hair. Aniee just rammed her finger blades cleanly into his throat, then yanked the blades back out. The towering Radeye dropped to his knees before her, both hands grasping his throat. His face bewildered that his fortunes could have taken such a sudden turn. Aniee left him like that to choke to death on his own blood.

The rest of the Radeyes looked on for a moment in frozen in dismay. A moment later their dismay became panic as Reapers leaped from cover and rushed in from every point of the compass yelling battle cries and closing the jaws of our trap.

Pistol slinger on the edge of the band whirled around wildly trying to determine from what the direction the danger lay. Seconds later they were cut down, as Reapers moved amongst them dealing out every manner of death.
Several of the Radeyes nearest Aniee, reversed their weapons and offered the girl their surrender. She paid them no heed cutting each down summarily, and then moving on to those who wished to still offer resistance.

The battle was brief and violent and none escaped the Reaper ambush.

The last of the Radeyes were vanquished, a score of bodies lay around me, both of those who had tried to escape past me, as well as those who chose to fight. I gave my whip a playful snap, cleaning the weapon of gore and blood. From all around came savage cheers of triumph from my fellow Reapers. Aniee turned and came toward me as I let out a load and jubilant laugh. Her face was a mask of furry and my amusement died on my lips. She shoved me roughly out of her way and without pausing hissed at me “YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT THEM FOR ME!”

The other Reapers fell suddenly silent, then we turned and followed the girl back out of the canyon, not bothering to loot the bodies….


…..LadyKyu, the sullen and moody Reaper Purist, who hardly ever muttered more then three words to me….staring at me with her strange pale violet eyes…a thin and contemptuous smile parting her lips…. her thoughts unreadable looking at me.…looking through me…..seeing….what?....


….a better time, back in the Reapers common room, my feet up on the table and strong drink in my hand. Aniee dancing coyly before me in a suit of my hand me down amour…. Failsafe and Slayer walking in un-expectantly, their eye brows raised in surprise, then retreating back out of the door, poking each other in the ribs and guffawing…


….Staring down from the hills at Taulin City in the predawn…the Chrome hand prophet whispering silken words in my ear…."The world is not as it should be brother...this is not what is meant to be.” …..

….The crashed flyer Tucotew found out in the Razor plain, he thought that it had crashed and burned in a great fire. But looking at the blackened hull I thought that was not quite right….it had not so much burned as been seared by some great heat….


….Slyfighter and Failsafe dragging the failed Reaper Hemess, to the access port and throwing him naked into the howling Gamma Winds, as we all looked on….


….running my feet in the wet sand, the sound of my pursuer close behind…her musical laughter following me….turning into the surf…..and taking leaping strides and the water pulled at my legs slow me, her arms catching me around the neck and she playfully drags us both beneath the surf….warm water….the taste of brine in my mouth and her body close….


….The time that Failsafe had told us all….


Wait….what had that last memory been, surly not mine…but then what…and where had it come….I tried to go back to that place but what those thoughts had been I could not recall…faded now…gone….


….for along time I sat there searching them out, before my exhaustion finally took full hold….my thoughts drifted off to the sounds of the Rad storm gusting against the strongholds wall....almost rhythmic…washing in and out….a huge pale moon reflected off of dark surging waves…slipping slowly below that wine dark sea….the water muffling all sounds in its warm embrace….drifting deep into its dark abyss…….

#3 ss_aniee

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Posted 28 January 2009 - 23:05

U R TRULY AWESOME!!!!!! AND A GREAT GUY 2 BOOT :P
KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK !!

#4 ss_sharri

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Posted 29 January 2009 - 19:53

This is very awesome stuff,you should write a book.Your good,can't wait for next part. :)

#5 ss_valestra

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Posted 12 February 2009 - 05:03

(((((HUGS))))) Keep up the great work!! Can't wait to see more!

#6 ss_door23

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Posted 12 March 2009 - 22:28

god u write good :D


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