Welcome to Fred's Website
  • Home Page
  • Fred's Blog
  • The Right Writes
  • Mascot Serial
  • Contact

An Old Trick Still Works

5/28/2017

0 Comments

 
Gypsum stood still for a few minutes, looking at the bodies of his attackers. So this feeling of hollow satisfaction was the reward for killing.
He recalled that his brother and he had asked their father and uncle what it felt like. The answer had been that every Riotori felt it differently; it was too individual a thing to offer any kind of foreknowledge.
Gypsum was pleased that his training had been so effective and that he had used it so well. But he also wished that the others had not made it necessary.
But he had no time to indulge in sentimentality. He looked around carefully but quickly. There was an open doorway leading into what he expected to be an empty building about thirty yards to his left.  He would have liked to drag the corpses that way but there was too much rubble and big pieces of broken stone.  He would either need to carry them, or leave them where they were.
He spent only seconds making the decision. If any scouting patrols happened to come by, the bodies would advertise his presence and a search might be initiated. He had no idea about the level of organization and sophistication of the security measures the residents employed.
He was sweating by the time the third body was dropped onto the other two in a dark corner out of sight of the open doorway.  He helped himself to a swallow of water from the metal canteen attached to his armor before cautiously exiting the building.
The street he'd been following continued directly toward his destination and from where he stood it appeared that the debris became less as the center of the city was approached.
With one last look around, and one last concentration of listening, and a final searching sniff of the air, he resumed his cautious advance.
He was able to progress several hundred yards before he heard the sounds of people. They were not talking, but neither were they attempting to keep silent. Their footfalls scuffed on the ground and their weapons clicked in their sheathes or slapped against their clothing.
He could hear at least three separate individuals, but there might be more.  They approached from in front and to his right. There were no open doorways offering concealment, but a block of stone at least twice his size lay just to his right. It was a ragged squarish piece that had one corner against a wall. There was room for him to squeeze in between the rock and the wall.  The approaching residents would not see him unless they looked purposely into the confining area between rock and wall.
He realized that his armor would scrape the rock as he inserted himself into the concealment. He picked up a fist-sized rock and hurled it up the street. The noise of its contact with the ground alerted the advancing enemies.
Their silence was dispelled with sounds of alarms and the six of them (Gypsum could discern six different voices) suddenly spoke loud enough to drown out the sounds he made as he drew his sword and crept into hiding.
He could not see them as they hurried onto the street from a side-street, but they made enough noise to inform him where they were and what they were doing. He was surprised to perceive two female voices among the group.
He waited, not so much as twitching a muscle that might result in a sound of armor against rock. As he had hoped, the group hurried up the street to the sound they'd heard. Commands were issued (so, thought Gypsum, they are organized enough to have leaders and followers) to split up and look for intruders.
Their calls and answers gave clear evidence of their locations and eventual regrouping where the rock had landed or perhaps beyond that point. Their conversation indicated that they accepted the probability that the noise was simply another piece of rubble falling from a roof.
They moved on. Heading down a different side street to the left of Gypsum's path. He gave them several minutes to move on before cautiously leaving his hiding place and looking around. There were no hazards in sight, sound, nor carried upon the breeze.
He went forward, hesitating at every crossroad to listen and then look for danger before going on. It was taking a lot of time, but his goal was visibly closer.
He might, he hoped, be able to accomplish his objective without further violence.
That hope would prove unfounded.

0 Comments

First Encounter

5/6/2017

0 Comments

 
Gypsum looked at the closest obvious entrance to The Old City. Most of the perimeter of the city consisted of the backs of buildings; stone, metal, and wood, windowless and sheer. Only an infrequent space between buildings marked what used to be an avenue in and out of the city.
That closest avenue of access was obvious only at first glance, however. His keen eyes and ears revealed that traps were everywhere. He could easily detect three and detected two more after only an extra minute of observation. He assumed if five were that apparent, at least another five were well concealed.
The watchers on the hill saw him hesitate, then turn to his right and jog along the jumbled perimeter of The Old City. Although at one time the perimeter was clearly defined, over the last many decades tumbled buildings, broken and useless artifacts, and even the occasional Riotori skeleton cluttered the outside markings of the city limits.
About half a mile on he came to another point of access. But this was a small street and the space between buildings was cluttered and almost blocked.
Gypsum could detect no traps, but he expected one or more anyway. He maintained peak vigilance as he clambered over the huge blocks of stone and around the shattered pieces of rusted artifacts, some as large as he was.
Despite his care and watchfulness, he stepped on a trip wire as he gained the ground after climbing down from the biggest block of ragged stone that impeded his progress.
A simple arrow bolted from his right. For previous adventurers it would have meant death or, at least, a severe wound in the upper arm or chest. But those that set the trap had not expected an invader to be armored. The bolt glanced harmlessly off the metal protecting his upper arm.
But as it did the metal point gouged a small vertical scar upon his armor. Gypsum realized that if he had not been protected he would have been seriously hurt. He acquired a new respect for his adversaries. Despite the apparent incompetence of their ambushers at the campsite, these people should not be taken lightly.
With even more caution than before he made his way slowly toward the center of the city. He hugged the walls of buildings whenever possible and kept his senses on a constant search for more hazards. Not only did his eyes and ears stay alert, but he tested the air for scent with every breath. No sight or sound betrayed any danger. The city was not silent, as the working of the machines and fires offered a constant rhythm of hums and thumps in the background. But they were in another part of the city and did not overwhelm any sounds close by. There were none to overwhelm. The Old City was as quiet as one would expect a dead city to be.
He kept both hands free to help with the constant ascending and descending of huge blocks of stone, toppled towers of splintered ancient wood and rusted metal.
At the same time he almost always had at least one of his hands near his waist, ready to grab sword or dagger.
That was a good thing. Suddenly three residents of The Old City appeared from around a corner in front of him. Two held knives, one brandished a long wooden club. They charged him together in a group.
Gypsum had just enough time to reduce his estimation of their abilities. They made no move to attack from three sides, but approached him from the front, nearly inhibiting the movements of each other. And they howled with the attack.
Gypsum filled his right hand with his sword and his left with his dagger and crouched, ready for their assault.
As they approached he took one step forward and swept his sword horizontally, knocking the knives from the hands of two of his attackers.  Without any hesitation he stepped closer still and skewered the club-wielding aggressor in his unprotected belly while that one was still raising his club prior to crashing it down on Gypsum's skull.
He whirled quickly and dealt death to the other two simultaneously, one with the sword and the other with his dagger.
He looked around, expecting more attackers, but there were none.  The city was as quiet as it had been before the encounter. He straightened up and looked at the men he had just killed. His training had served him well.
But this was the first time he had ever killed another Riotori.

0 Comments

    The story: This serial is about the "mascot" shown at the top of these pages. There are actually two of them, identical twins, Feldspar and Gypsum.
    The people call themselves Riotori, and their planet is Kylrock. The twins have been journeying for hundreds of miles, across many hazards, in search of mates. Please visit the archives to read their whole story.



    Archives

    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly