Twisted Reality - Important Notice - 10/26/11

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Helinon
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Re: Twisted Reality - Chapter 23 - 12 - 19 - 10

#181 Post by Helinon »

Yeah that happened to me too. What you need to do is go to The November writing Contest thread. His entry is somewhere on the first page and its the latest chapter.

By the way, Awesome story man. When she slaughtered those Basitins in the building in the last chapter, I just thought she went feral for a while, but I never saw THAT coming! Keep up the good work!
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Re: Twisted Reality - Chapter 23 - 12 - 19 - 10

#182 Post by JediGuy »

Oops. Sorry, guys, I must've messed the link up. Try now, I hopefully fixed it :oops: My mistake!

And thanks a lot, glad you enjoyed it!
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Re: Twisted Reality - Chapter 23 - 12 - 19 - 10

#183 Post by furon117 »

Yay the link is fixed,(goes and reads latest chapter),... holy, [censored], hell, I just, I cant, that [censored] makes what happened to the arms general look like a stubbed toe, I mean, holy [censored] Kathrin. Emotionaly distresed fox girl - mental stability + dark magic - need for mana crystals + help from an otherworldly entity (my money's on the devil) = the enemies are [censored] (the language I used was the only way I could put that into words).

Please do NOT bypass the swear filter like that. ~Jedi
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Re: Twisted Reality - Chapter 23 - 12 - 19 - 10

#184 Post by JediGuy »

Well, thanks for the praise, Furon. Glad you enjoy it ;)

Well, as I promised, boys, here it is. Chapter 23 of Twisted Reality. If you haven't read it yet, (And why HAVEN'T YOU!?) prepare yourselves. It's a bit of a doozy.
WARNING: The following chapter of Twisted Reality contains depictions of severe violence and gore. Viewer discretion is advised.



Twisted Reality -- Book 2: Journey -- Chapter 23

What Lies Beneath


---------------------------------------

The cool, dawning air pressed in against Malini's fur, the wolf doing her best to make her breathing as quiet as possible. Occasionally, a wisp of respiration would rise up, dissolving into the air before it even finished forming. The cold was on its way, even if it only showed itself at night; it was all just a matter of time, now. The Keidran shook her head, driving thoughts of the weather from her mind for the moment. The sun's light was just starting to crest over the horizon, the sky a mix of pinks, blues and orange as the light dyed the atmosphere. She was slightly recessed into a rocky outcropping, a pair of jagged crags arcing a few feet over her as she laid down on her stomach, right foot curled up slightly behind her, and her arms out forward, cradling her thirty-ought-six rifle in a two-handed grip, it's stock pressed gently against the meat of her shoulder. The rock's shadow was covering her at just the right angle, eliminating the chance for a stray ray of sunlight to glint off of her scope.

She peered through the magnifying device once more, a nervous tick that she was scratching at while she waited for the others to get into place. She saw a pair of figures, heavily armed, armored, and long-eared, walking along the outer perimeter of a small camp made up of several, tan-canopied tents. A third rested on the lookout flat of a prefab two-story tower that stood in the middle of the camp, holding a rifle that looked almost comically large on the soldier's otherwise-small frame. The soldiers definitely seemed on-edge, considering that at least four of the other residents hadn't returned yet. Korin was flanking north, and Nianika south, the three of them trying to do their best with limited numbers against an apparently fortified position. The longer they delayed, Malini had realized, the less chance they were likely to get anything of value from the camp, and the more chance there was of reinforcements showing up. Even now, the wolf Keidran couldn't be certain that there wasn't another group of Basitin soldiers out on patrol; the camp seemed on the large side for just seven troops, especially with some of the building materials that they'd had. Every moment that she sat there, she grew more and more uneasy. There was just something about the camp that didn't feel right, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Taking a breath through her nose to steady herself, she pushed herself up on her elbows and peered back over her shoulder, back along the small path that lead between the rocks. Kathrin was sitting back with the bags, resting her chin against her knees. The fox had barely spoken since Malini had found her in the shower, the image still in the forefront of the wolf's mind. The look on the mage's face; one of both sheer horror, and a twisted pleasure. The latter flashed and was gone in an instant, Kathrin coming back to her senses, but Malini had seen it, even if for the briefest of moments. Now, she was keeping to herself, for the most part. The fox Keidran glanced up, and their eyes met for a moment before Malini turned back to her rifle, worry etched into her face.


Kathrin held Malini's gaze, even as the wolf turned back to her rifle, weights pulling at the corners of her eyes as she fought away the sleep that she didn't want. It would be plagued with the dreams again. Darkness, pain; caused by her hands, but without her control. She was a slave to her own body in those dreams; and occasionally, in reality, too. The choices were made for her, her free will forfeit. It was probably the most terrifying experience she'd ever had, being forced to watch what happened while trapped in her own mind. Someone -- something -- took control of her for those times, in the dreams. It had a hunger that she couldn't explain, but it was always present, always there, whispering in her ear. A voice at the back of her head, a cricket on her shoulder: "More," it would whisper, "Energy. Mana." She knew she was feeding it when she used her magic without her crystals; she also knew that she didn't have any other choice, either. It was a vicious circle that ensnared her, one that she was unable to escape from. Kathrin feared, with good reason, that it would eventually consume her. It wouldn't, as long as she had a say about it, but how long her voice would last against its presence was another matter entirely. The fox sighed, sitting up a bit against the few duffel bags that they were still carrying around. She had a bad feeling that couldn't be shaken off.


From her position, Malini silently flipped the safety off of her rifle, evening her breathing out as she slowly maneuvered the crosshair over the Basitin on the guard post. She couldn't see much of face aside from the long, furred ears that stuck out from either side of his head-encompassing helmet; the tinted visor prevented her from seeing exactly where he was looking at. In a way, it was eerie, not being able to see their faces. It made all the soldiers look identical, save for the weapons they carried. Malini's eye kept drifting to the rifle that the spotter had his hand on, the bottom half of which was out of sight. The size of the weapon just seemed off, even with the soldier's short stature. It looked too big for her, at almost six and a half feet. She wished Korin would hurry up; the waiting was fraying her nerves, and--

A loose clatter of rocks barely reached her sensitive ears; it was more of a background noise than something to pay attention to. All three troopers whipped around, though, ears flared slightly, facing towards the northern end of the camp. A small, ovular object flew through the air towards the nearer of the two Basitin, clattering across the landscape. Without missing a beat, the soldier scooped it up and lobbed it back into the rocks, shouldering his rifle as he did so. The two on the ground opened fire, a cacophonous, staccato roar echoing amongst the rocks and open air. Brass fell around them in piles, each holding a rather large automatic to their shoulders.

"KOR-," Malini yelped out of instinct, biting her tongue the instant the syllable slipped through her lips. She regretted it. The Basitin on the tower crouched down behind a short barrier, the muzzle of the rifle shifting from its position of laying against the side. He popped back up, rifle shouldered -- literally. Malini's jaw dropped slightly as she realized why the gun looked so unusually large; it's design partially hung over behind the soldier's shoulder. They fired at nearly the same time; Malini's round punched a fresh piercing into the Basitin's ear, causing him to flinch as he pulled the trigger. Thunder erupted around her as the round from his rifle went a few inches higher than its intended target. The shell grazed the crag above her, nonetheless blowing the rocks apart and cascading them down onto the wolf as she curled up, clamping her arms over her head with a shriek.


The machine gun fire made her jump, the fox cringing as she hugged her body against her legs, holding her hands over her ears. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to block out everything outside. 'It can't hurt you,' she told herself, wincing as she heard muffled explosion. Her fur and hair ran between her callused fingers, claws gently scratching into her scalp. Afterdead were one thing; they couldn't feel pain, they couldn't feel mercy -- they couldn't feel anything. She had no trouble ending their suffering. Living, breathing, sentient life, though, was out of the question. Aggressive or not, it wasn't in her nature. She made herself sick after waking back up in the showers.

IT CAN

Kathrin's eyes snapped open, frantically whipping about the darkness in search of the source of the voice. Shadows seemed to dance across her vision, her mind playing tricks on her. "Who-" Her voice was torn from the air by a powerful explosion, the rocks in front of her crumbling. She saw a flash of grey-white fur curl up as the small walls seemed to cave into the gully. Her mouth slowly unhinged, blood running cold as her heart skipped a beat. The gunfire still rang in the background, but everything seemed mute, as if she had cotton in her ears. She slowly, shakily brought herself to her feet, taking a few, wobbly steps towards the miniature rock slide. Malini's legs remained unburied, though they didn't move. "M...Malni?..." Kathrin squeaked, collapsing to her knees, eyes beginning to water. She shook the wolf's thigh, brushing some of the dirt away from the faded, torn denim. Nothing. She could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears, breathing picking up in pace as she hyperventilated. The fox snapped her head upwards, seeing a silhouette on a tower with something over its shoulder.

The sun began to crest over the horizon, rays tracing their way into the camp.

The mage screamed, a blood-curdling soprano of agony and anger, and the rifle once again echoed. Silence followed.



The bullet hung frozen in midair, steam whisping away from the hot lead. The rifleman stared in disbelief as his round levitated, suspended in front of a cross-looking fox with her hand extended outwards, almost as if she were attempting to catch the bullet. The soldier's mouth hung agape for a moment, before slowly raising his hand up to reach the bolt.

Her breathing was heavy, ragged. Her teeth were bared, carnivorous, canine teeth pointed dangerously. Loose strands of hair hung down in front of her face, eyes illuminated in a dangerous blue-black. The bullet slowly sagged in the air before falling harmlessly to the ground in front of her, clattering amongst the rubble. The slug was easily the size of her middle finger. Kathrin didn't know if it was her own mind or the shadow that wanted her to hurt the ones that hurt her friend -- her sister -- but, to her, it didn't matter. Everything was a haze, and her body was moving of its own accord, much like it had been the previous night. She didn't try and fight, though. This time, she wanted it.

In an instant, she was gone. The soldier had only brushed his fingers against the steel of the bolt, blinked; the fox was nowhere to be found. Hesitating for a moment, the Basitin got a firmer grip on the bolt before pulling back on it, ejecting the spent casing and pushing the third and final round into the clip. The brass fell to the floor of the outpost, clattering gently against the wooden boards. "[Behind you]," came a whisper in his ear, a stereo voice in perfect Basitin. The soldier dropped the rifle, the gun falling at an angle against the side of the tower. He spun, reaching to his hip to pull out the sidearm strapped to his thigh. She was fast, though, gripping his wrist and palm in a vice. He looked up, and there, framed with the rising sun behind her, was the shadowed visage of the fox. The entire side facing him was covered in shadow from the backlight, the sun framing her body in a golden band. Her eyes, though; her eyes glowed a dark blue.

He snapped his free hand down to his hip, wrapping his fingers around the hilt of a dagger. She snapped his wrist. The Basitin yelled, not expecting her to have that kind of strength. He swung forward, knife intent on plunging into her fur, but knocked his hand aside, slamming him back against the corner post of the tower. He grimaced, pain lancing up his arm as she squeezed the hand harder, a few more, audible snaps making him cry out. The knife suddenly felt molten, singing his palm and forcing him to drop it. Shaking slightly, he raised his head, meeting his attacker in the eye. Her hair blew gently in a passing breeze, a terrifying visage of calm across the fox's face; the only parts that showed emotion were her slightly angled eyebrows. Her free hand snaked towards his throat, hoisting him up higher against the corner, upper body hanging precariously over the edge of the tower. "[I-I'm not afraid of you,]" the soldier said, grimacing in pain.

The fox's arm slowly turned black, tendrils of dark energy lancing up towards the Basitin's throat. He gagged as they seamlessly passed through his skin; there was no pain, but he could feel the cold moving into his spine.

"[You should be.]"

Kathrin dropped him, and, with a gasp, the soldier took a breath, the air suddenly icy within his lungs. The fox simply stood there, staring at him. He shakily pushed himself backwards against the side of the observation base, standing up and cradling his wrist to his side. He reached down with his burnt palm and grabbed the rifle, face slowly turning to disbelief. "[What're you-]"

"[You shot my sister,]" Kathrin said as the Basitin slowly picked up the rifle, grunting in pain as his broken hand slowly opened and wrapped itself around the trigger grip. "[Now, you'll shoot your brother and see what it's like.]" The Basitin tried to resist his own body's movements, but the icy chill running up and down his spine made him feel numb to everything. He was trapped within his mind, only able to watch and feel. The rifle slowly rose, the Basitin nearly falling to his knees as he hefted it over his shoulder and turned to the two troopers down below. They'd stopped firing, one slowly advancing towards where Korin had been.

"[A shame. Only one round left]," Kathrin said. His finger wrapped around the trigger, every ounce of self-will aiming to keep it straight. The first digit slowly bent, sights lining up against the Basitin who was staying back.

"[D-Don't-Aghh!]" the Basitin tried to plead, crying out as broken bones ground against each other. Kathrin huffed, a faint smile etching across her face. His second digit curled around the trigger, pulling back slowly. Looking back at Kathrin out of the corner of his eye, he watched in horror as the soldier below was placed firmly in the sights.


Malini moaned, a pounding headache throbbing between her temples. Her hand hurt, too. Slowly cracking her eyes open, she saw a few shards of light broken up by jagged shadows. Her legs felt cool gusts of air brushing against her fur. She fought to free her arms, but the weight of the rocks and earth on top of her was greater than she could manage from her position. The wolf grunted, squirming her legs and trying to gain some leverage. She pushed against one of the slabs of rock with her hip, grounding her feet against the other wall of the small crag, giving herself some more room to work with. She wormed her way out from the makeshift tomb, eventually angling her arms to push the rocks away from her. With a few coughs, she squinted against the sun's light, sorely pushing herself up to one knee. It took her a moment, but she remembered where she was, crouching back down and hiding amongst the rocks as she searched for her rifle. She paused, her hand brushing against a small rock, realizing that there weren't any more gunshots. 'How long have I been out,' ran through her head as her heart skipped a beat, glancing back behind her. Kathrin was gone, but the bags were still there. Swearing silently to herself, the assassin silently crept amongst the rocks, doing her best not to shift any now-loose stones and alert the Basitin more.

There, on the tower, was the soldier that had shot at her. He was cradling his rifle still, aiming it out towards where Korin was. Something was off about him, though; the gun was angled too far down for a shot towards that side of the camp. She put two and two together right when another thunderous clap echoed among the camp, followed an instant later by the nearer of the two groundside Basitin vaporizing in a cloud of blood, meat, and bits of armor plating. His lower torso flew like a ragdoll a few feet, crumbling into a bloody heap; everything else was smeared around the next few yards. Malini gasped, cupping her hand over her mouth. She looked up to the spotting tower, but the sniper was nowhere to be seen.


The shot threw him to the ground, the chill in his spine still present but no longer supporting him. The Keidran stood over him, looking down with a sick, twisted smile on her face. She slowly kneeled down, picking the gun up from next to him. His arms felt like lead, and it was hard for him to breathe. "[W-what kind of Keidran ARE you?!]"

"[Oh, she's not here right now]," the Keidran said, which only confused him more. She took the gun and pressed the hot muzzle against his armored midsection, pressing down with ever-increasing pressure. He grunted in pain, crying out weakly as she shifted the barrel from his abdomen to his sternum. "[She...I...am no longer just a Keidran.]" She began pushing down with more weight, the press on his chest painfully constricting him. He screamed, burned hand coming up and trying to push the barrel away. She grinned, pressing harder, pulling back when she heard a faint crack. The Basiting went silent, his breath gurgling from his throat as blood welled from his mouth. He wheezed, eyes wide and looking at her as she got a new grip on the rifle.

"[I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.]" With naught but a smile, the fox Keidran slammed the rifle through the Basitin soldier's ribcage, impaling him upon the weapon as it shattered through the wooden floor below. The soldier twitched only once before going still. Kathrin stood there for a few seconds, looking at the rising sun. She grinned, before her smile slowly faded and the mage collapsed. She panted heavily, covered in a sudden, cold sweat, pushing herself up into a sitting position. She gagged, not looking behind her at the body she already knew was there. Regaining her composure, the Fox slowly crawled to the ladder that stuck out the far edge of the tower. She descended it, being forced to look at the Basitin's body as she did so. She stared at it for a brief, silent moment before she made her way down, not shedding a tear.


The scene she arrived at wasn't one she expected. Korin stood over an unconcious Basitin, shotgun not-so-subtly lodged against the soldier's skull in case he decided to become a little more lively. He gave her a strange look, pulling his attention away from the Basitin for a moment. "Kat, what're you doing down here?"

"I...I was helping with the guy on the tower," she said simply, turning as she heard footsteps coming up behind her. Nianika trotted up, face glued to the scene of a Basitin spread out over several square yards.

"What the hell happened?" she asked, finally breaking her sight away from the bloody remains to look between Korin and Kathrin.

"Hell if I know," Korin replied, nonchalantly putting his foot down between the Bastitin's shoulder blades. "Though, I could ask you the same thing. Where was my support? I had to fight both of them at once!"

"Hey, I had to circle around the damn camp and come in from the back. It took me a while to clear the tents!"

"Guys," Kathrin said softly, looking down at the ground. She got quiet as the other two looked at her, biting her lower lip. She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, slowly looking back up at them. "I...Malini, I...she..."

Nianika glanced behind Kathrin for a moment. "She...what?" The wolf walked up behind Kathrin, past the fox and the human, and went straight to Korin. Angrily, she gave him a quick jab across the face.

Kathrin stared, dumbstruck, as Korin reeled back, cradling his muzzle. "You son of a [censored]," Malini snapped, pointing a threatening finger right in his face. "Don't do that to me again!"

"Wha-what'd I do!?"

"I thought you were [censored] blown up, that's what! You scared the hell out of me!" Malini sighed, glad to have gotten that off her chest. "From where I was, it looked like they hit you with your own grenade and then lit you up. Got me buried in some rocks from the guy on the tower...Christ, he had some heavy firepower."

"Twenty millimeter," Kathrin mumbled, though no one seemed to pick up on it. Korin looked at Malini sourly for a moment before he brightened up a little, as if someone had flipped a switch. Shaking his head, he sorely rolled his shoulder.
"If it's any consideration, I got grazed on the shoulder. That enough wound for you?"

"Alright, guys," Nianika said, reaching into one of her vest pockets, "save the arguing for later. We've got daylight to burn." She pulled out a hastily folded, worn piece of paper, and quickly unfolded it, laying it down on the ground. It was a relatively large tactical map of the Azure badlands, drawn on in red pen in several areas. "Here, look," the soldier said, pressing a finger against a city that appeared to be circled several times. "I don't think any of us know how to read Basitin..." She looked up, searching the other's faces. Korin shrugged, and Malini shook her head. Kathrin remained silent. "...but, if I'm reading this right, they're going to use this city as a staging point, before moving to the west..." She dragged her finger across the badlands, eventually halting at the mountain boarder of United Keidran Tribe territory. A string of red X's boarded the mountain, with one town in particular, "Far Haven," being circled as well.

"My God...it's an invasion," Malini breathed, looking across the map.

"We can't do anything about it," Nianika said, "but we can warn the UKT if we get there first."

"Yeah...we could observe inside the city when they start to arrive, see what we've got, and then bug out before they do. We should be able to make it by a few weeks, especially if it's a large force." Silence hung through the air among them for a few moments, Nianika and Malini staring intently at the map before the latter stood, brushing the dust from her knees. "Alright, then, no use in standing around. Scrounge what we can from the tents, and lets go."

"What should I do about our friend here," Korin asked, giving the unconscious Basitin a not-so-gentle prod with the barrel of his shotgun. Nianika answered the question by pulling out her sidearm and planting two shots directly into the back of his head, before reaching down and folding up the map. "That...works," Korin said, stepping over the corpse and walking after Malini, who'd gone back towards the bags.

Kathrin stood there for a moment, her mind numb yet racing. "She...she was alive," she mumbled to herself, wanting to break down but just not having the energy. "I...I did all of it for nothing..."

"No...you did all of it for me."
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Re: Twisted Reality - Chapter 23 - 12-27-10

#185 Post by furon117 »

sorry about the word/content filter faisco earlier, first thing I did upon joining the forums was disable the word/content filter thing and I had forgoten completly about it, sorry for any inconvineance it caused.
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Re: Twisted Reality - Chapter 23 - 12-27-10

#186 Post by avwolf »

Aw, Korin and Malini are such an adorable couple. :P
"[Behind you]," came a whisper in his hear, a stereo voice in perfect Basitin.
Obviously that should be "a whisper in his ear." I suspect you were thinking "at the edge of his hearing" when you wrote it but went with "in his ear" instead.
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Re: Twisted Reality - Chapter 23 - 12-27-10

#187 Post by Kaptain »

OOOOOHHHHHH Lordy. Hell hath no wrath, like a dark mana infused, traumatized fox-girl mage. ... ... ...

Damn.

That was pretty messed up what "Kathrin" did to the Basitin. Not the killing him part, but the making him kill his own ally part. An eye for an eye I suppose.

Beautiful update as ALWAYS Jedi. I read the chapter on the NWC thread but was too lazy to comment... sorry :/ Haven't been on the forums at all for about a week and a half except to check e-mail alerts. That link problem was annoying though. Glad you fixed it. I just went to the NWC thread from the Story Board index :p I wasn't going to let a broken link stop me from reading the next chapter!
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Re: Twisted Reality - Chapter 23 - 12-27-10

#188 Post by JediGuy »

Eesh...I think this is a new record low for me. I apologize about my unintentional hiatus, peeps. A lot of life, school, and general drama got in my way. When I had the will to write, I didn't have the time. When I had the time, I didn't have the will. And when I had both, it was past midnight. Nothing good happens after midnight (especially Denny's.)

Well, anyway, you won't have to hear me rattling on and on anymore. Saving the thread from being booted to page 2, I now present you with Chapter 24. As always, comments and constructive criticism are encouraged and appreciated. Enjoy.

=============================================

Twisted Reality -- Book 2: Journey -- Chapter 24
Camping Trip
--------------------------------

Laid out in front of her was a long, thin strip of olive-drab, wool cloth, arranged with assorted pieces of metal on it. The black, dirt-covered parts dully reflected the firelight, the crackling sound and smoky smell of a few pieces of burning lumber liberated from the Basitin camp’s wooden frames permeating the air around the two Keidran and the human sitting around it. They were nestled in a small crevasse for the night, faintly-black smoke spiraling up and away into a dull sky, the moon dimly gleaming through the haze of the stratosphere.

Nianika sighed, stripping off another spring from her nearly-disassembled rifle. The dirt was small, light; it was easy to remove, but it was everywhere, easily blown about by the wind. She dug another, smoother cloth across the joints of the metal, the oiled, slightly-damp cloth smearing across the black steel. The soldier held the half-gun up to the fire, using the light to clarify her work, before she took off a few more pieces and kept at it, glancing up to the others with her. Korin was sitting back, balancing himself on one hand and simply staring into the fire, as men – as she’s noticed, anyway – are wont to do. The wolf’s emerald green eyes are unfocused, the iris’ shining dangerously. His hand, absentmindedly, turned a single, spent shotgun casing in between his fingers, the red plastic scarred with gunpowder smears. His ever-present vest, for once, was tossed to the side, the bare fur of his chest faintly blowing in a wind. She imagined that, had his fur not been covering them, his muscles were toned and fit. In fact, for a Keidran, he looked pretty good; bright eyes, strong jaw, toned, firm as—

Nianika blinked.

Wait. What?

Quickly shifting her gaze, she glanced over to Malini. The white-furred wolf was sitting Indian-style, hunched over the brittle, bloodied notebook that they had found at the base last night. Her mouth was faintly moving, mouthing out the words or muttering to herself about whatever potential meaning she could glean out of it. Earlier, she had tried to chip some of the blood off of the various pages. There was some success, but there wasn’t much she could get without tearing the paper or damaging what was written underneath. The wolf turned a page, crinkled her nose at something, and closed the book, setting it to the side of her leg with a vague look of disgust.

“Dare I ask,” the human soldier said, bringing an inner joint of the rifle up to her mouth before blowing on it gently.

“Dissections,” the wolf replied simply, giving a small shudder. “With pictures.”

Nianika gave a small, almost invisible shrug. “You’ve seen plenty of insides before,” she said matter-of-factly, using a small screwdriver to loosen a screw.

“Yeah, but all the pokers and scientific stuff creeps me out,” Malini replied, shaking her head slightly as she looked into the fire. She mumbled something about hating needles, otherwise resuming the near-silence that had previously befallen the small camp. The crackling of the fire and small puff of breathing was the only thing that interrupted it. Nianika begrudgingly cleaned her rifle in silence, glancing up at Korin again. Eventually, she reached out with her screwdriver, softly pricking the Keidran’s upper arm. He jumped slightly, eyes snapping back to reality and head darting back and forth.

“You keep staring at that and you’ll go blind,” Nianika said, attention already back down at the skeletonized remains of her gun.

“Sorry,” Korin said, completely missing the joke, rolling his shoulders. “Just thinking.”

“Shocking.”

Malini gave a gentle glare to NIanika that went all but unseen before the female Keidran reached behind her. Her claws dug slightly into a piece of lumber, hefting it into the fire. It was greeted with a calamity of pops and a surge in light. “About what,” she asked Korin, glancing up at the wolf.

A small smirk fell across his face, his vision returning to the newly-empowered fire. “Nothing,” huffed, “just remembering this one time that Ryan and I went camping when we were younger.” His eyes fogged with memory, the grin easing. “There was this forest behind his parent’s house that went on for a few miles, and we’d go out and rough around when they weren’t home.” He sat forward a little, hands coming forward and moving as he talked, acting out what he described. “Somehow, he gets his dad convinced to let us spend the night out there, and we go all out with the tent and marshmallows and everything. We build this big bonfire that took almost an hour to make, and we light it up, right? Turns out we didn’t realize that “a little lighter fluid,” doesn’t increase according to how big the fire was.” He laughed, shaking his head and clapping his hands across his knees. “Almost blew up the whole damn campsite. He gets a few burns on his hands and I lost the fur on my face for a good week.” His laughing died down after a short moment, his grin fading away and a sigh escaping his lips. An uncomfortable silence tried to rush into the void, but Nianika intercepted it.

“My brother and I did something similar,” she said, not catching the unanticipated wince at the mention of Mikhail. “Our foster parents loved to take us outdoors, so we camped a lot. One time lightning hit a tree near our camp when a storm was rolling in. THOSE were fireworks.” Nianika raised the remains of her gun up to the fire one more time before, satisfied, she began putting it all back together.

Malini and Korin exchanged curious glances. “Foster parents?” the former echoed, stretching her legs out underneath her.

“Yeah,” Nianika said, not looking back up to the Keidran. “Our parents were killed when I was really young. As the story goes, my brother was coming back from a friend’s house, from staying the night, and he walks in and finds me under my mom’s body. Apparently, my dad was some kind of activist for the preservation of Human society or something. He’d received death threats before, but this was the one that actually carried through.”

Korin and Malini, again, glanced at each other, an uncomfortable silence floating between them. “And...you’re…okay with that?”

Nianika stopped her work and cocked an eyebrow. “Am I okay with it? No, but I’m not really upset about it either. I was too young to remember either of my parents. All I have to go by are some pictures and what Mikhail told me. I think that’s why he was the [censored] he was.” She glanced between the other two. “Oh, don’t worry, I know how he was to all of you. He may be my brother, but that doesn’t mean I think he’s infallible.” She turned her attention towards Malini, the Keidran awkwardly staring at the apparently fascinating dirt near her feet. “Since we’re having story time, what about you? How’d you and Kat meet?”

The female wolf Kediran blinked, frowning slightly in thought. “Oh…uh, wasn’t really much of anything,” she said softly, looking down at the ground again. “I was…ah…running from a POW camp, and I see this body curled up in some dead plants on the side of the road.” Malini turned, glancing over her shoulder at the pile of clothes and a blanket that made up Kathrin’s sleeping form, the fox’s back turned to the fire. She was a good dozen feet away, body curled slightly in the fetal position. “She had passed out from dehydration. I nursed her back to health as best as I could, and the rest is history.”

Malini turned back toward the fire to find Nianika staring at her, a slight glare in her eyes. Korin smacked his thighs, standing up. “Well, that as fun. I need to take a leak.” The wolf Keidran wandered off toward the other side of the ravine, his figure shrinking slightly as he walked.

“What?” Malini said, finding that Nianika had finished assembling her rifle.

“I have a pretty good ear for lies, is all,” the marine said, a hand snaking down to her boots and untying the laces. She kicked one off, then the other, wriggling her toes from the stiffness of their confines.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Malini said, glaring back just as strong. Nevertheless, a cold chill ran down her back and into her tail.

“Like hell you don’t. What really happened?” Nianika asked, laying her helmet on top of her boots and crossing her legs. She glanced towards Korin’s figure before turning back to the female Keidran. “C’mon, just us girls here.”

Malini bit her lip and sighed. “Promise not to tell anyone,” she pleaded, only to meet the soldier’s stoney gaze. With another sigh, Malini hung her head. “She was being raped,” she said simply, shoulder’s sinking. “I was heading east and I see this group of human soldiers raping this Fox Keidran. I shot two before the others knew what was going on, and the rest were down in a few seconds.” Silence finally flooded back between the two, Nianika a bit more sullen now.

“I see why you didn’t want to say,” she said simply, nodding with the statement. “Don’t worry, her secret’s safe.”

Malini smiled faintly, nodding while staring into the fire. Internally, her stomach knotted, her chest feeling hollow. Covering up one lie with another wasn’t something she was usually good at.



Kathin’s body was curled slightly, warm under the weight of the blanket and back against the fire. Her eyes, however, were slightly opened, irises unfocused as she mentally probed against the other presence. Her throat echoed a barely-audible chuckle.

“So…what are you?”

I’m you, of course. The voice that came from her throat was her own, but not under her control.

“No games,” the fox rebutted, clenching the blanket slightly tighter around her. For whatever reason, her body was chilled to the core.

I’m as much you as you are, sweetie her mouth said of its’ own accord. What I am is everything that you’ve denied yourself, an embodiment of what you’ve always wanted but couldn’t have.

“What do you mean?”

You were powerless before, a slave to your low self-esteem. I gave you power. I gave you revenge, strength, passion.

Kathrin shook her head, eyes aching slightly from the tears that would no longer fall. “All you are is black mana that-“

Call it what you want, but we both know that’s not true. It happened before, and now it’s happening again.

“No, it’s not. I got rid of you before.”

Then who are you talking to now?

Silence.

Who do you think gave you the balls to lunge out at that sick [censored] Mikhail? Who do you think helped you attack him? I see into your inner passions and desires. I know what you need, even if you don’t want to accept it. I know what you want, too. One of Kathrin’s hand’s fell asleep instantly, the arm moving without her will toward the fork in her legs.

“No,” Kathrin said simply, forcefully, her arm regaining control before it moved more than a few inches. She folded her arms across her chest, tucking her hands into her armpits.

Suit yourself, she said, laughing again. You’re a very sick little girl, Kathy. I’m just trying to help.

“You’re the sick one,” she responded back.

Whatever helps you sleep at night. There was a pause. I’m not evil, you know.

“Doesn’t mean you’re not a colossal [censored].”

Guilty. But c’mon, you have to admit beating that Basitin to death with his own arm last night was-

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

There was no answer. The presence – herself – had receded for now. She sighed inwardly, clenching her eyes closed. The fox Keidran was asleep a few moments later.
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Re: Twisted Reality - Chapter 23 - 12-27-10

#189 Post by Kaptain »

As Malini told her 2nd lie I felt extremely sad for Kathrin... Then it was revealed that it was yet another lie. I can only assume that the truth has something to do with "Darth Kathrin". Right pleasant to have you back, Jedi ;) Not that you left or anything. Just in the writing sense. And ah, Korin... So straightforward.

Also... Nianika you naughty girl >_<

Also also... Kathrin you naughty girl :eric:

EDIT: Almost forgot Darth Kathrin! You made her quite the 2nd consciousness in Kathrin's body. I think... I think I like her. Unless she endangers Kathrin at all. Then, we're gonna have to throw down.
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Re: Twisted Reality - Chapter 23 - 12-27-10

#190 Post by avwolf »

JediGuy wrote:Malini gave a gentle glare to NIanika that went all but unseen before the female Keidran reached behind her. Her claws dug slightly into a piece of lumber, hefting it into the fire. It was greeted with a calamity of pops and a surge in light. “About what,” she asked Korin, glancing up at the wolf.
I'm pretty sure you didn't want "calamity" there. Perhaps "cacophony" (though that's a little nonsensical) or, more likely, "cavalcade." Also, check that capital I in "NIanika" there.
JediGuy wrote:“I have a pretty good ear for lies, is all,” the marine said, a hand snaking down to her boots and untying the laces. She kicked one off, then the other, wriggling her toes from the stiffness of their confines.
Considering that Malini is helping produce a stereotype that Wolf Keidran are incapable of lying convincingly, I don't think Nianika needed to have a very good ear at all. :P
JediGuy wrote:“Like hell you don’t. What really happened?” Malini asked, laying her helmet on top of her boots and crossing her legs. She glanced towards Korin’s figure before turning back to the female Keidran. “C’mon, just us girls here.”
Nianika is asking this question of Malini. Wrong person talking here. ;)

I think the interesting giveaway here is that Kathrin is familiar with this side of herself. This isn't the first time that she's turned to darkness for power. Seems like she's got a little deeper backstory than we expected. One must wonder if Malini's story isn't so much a lie, as a transposition of roles, perhaps. :| Might explain part of her hard edge.
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Re: Twisted Reality - Chapter 23 - 12-27-10

#191 Post by Donnellson86 »

As I read this chapter there is an active T-storm going on. The thunder and lightning is heavily enhancing the dark half of Kathrin's mind...excellent work, Jedi.

EDIT: What you said about writing after midnight I found rather humorous, I tend to get my best writing done after the clock strikes twelve.

P.S. Using phone so posting is a bit difficult.
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Re: Twisted Reality - Chapter 24 - 4/25/11

#192 Post by JediGuy »

Gentlemen and Lady, I apologize for the length of time between the previous post and the next one. However, I assure you, Chapter 25 is coming. Coming soon, even. And with it, a very special surprise; Book 2's cover, courtesy of our good friend Sapphwolf.

Summer classes are so condensed, it's hard to get writing time in! So, a little bit more patience. It'll be worth the wait ;)
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Re: Twisted Reality - Chapter 24 - 4/25/11

#193 Post by Donnellson86 »

Jedi, take the time you need. I'm gonna use a cooking analogy, so bear with me, I've found that when a meal is rushed the quality often suffers the most. I do, however, look forward to the next section with great anticipation.
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Re: Twisted Reality - Chapter 24 - 4/25/11

#194 Post by JediGuy »

I've been on a self-imposed hiatus from writing for...well, longer than I ever have been, unfortunately. Since the last TR update, really. A combination of hard-hitting writers block, combined with some Summer classes that continuously sapped my energy devolved into a sloth that left me with little to no will to really do anything. It wasn't a fun position to be in. So, lately, I've been feeling the writing bug come back to me...IE, the desire to write, but not quite the will. I think I've found a solution that makes sense to me.

Long story short, I'm going to be rebooting Twisted Reality. The larger plot points will remain intact, but the execution will be notably different; new minor characters, worldbuilding, fleshing out, all things that the first round of TR desperately needed, but that I didn't really have at the time of writing (Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I like to think I have improved). Ever since I came up with the storyline for TR, it's always been kind of a grand vision for me, fanfiction notwithstanding. Hell, if I wanted to (I don't), this would be the perfect opportunity to seperate from the "Fan,' part of it, and tweak things enough to make it it's own stand-alone story. But I digress; I'm going to be re-writing TR. I encourage, when the time comes, to re-read it, as well, even those of you who already have, because while the main themes will still be there, there will be much more three-dimensional aspects to the story.

I apologize to all of you who've invested your time and interest into the story, and urge you to equally consider the reboot. It will be worth the additional wait, I can assure you. Lastly, for this reboot, I will be creating a new thread. So, this will be the last post I make in this particular one (not barring responding to any comments / questions / concerns). I'll let it sink down to the bottom one last time before it disappears into the back pages. I have missed writing the adventures of Malini, Korin, Nianika, Kathrin, Ryan, and even Mikhail. It's time I paid my dues to them.

I hope you've enjoyed the journey thusfar, and will enjoy the many more to come.
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Re: Twisted Reality - Important Notice - 10/26/11

#195 Post by Donnellson86 »

Jedi, I can safely say: "It is god to hear that you are returning to the writing scene." I will admit to feeling some doubt as to whether you were going to continue with the story and I really am glad you are fleshing out the story more.

To be completely honest I think it's a great thing to see the return of an author that has inspired others myself included in the "others" category.

P.S. Just remember not to go overwordy in the restart.
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