Storythread

Noven Elgers was backing away with his hands up. 'Wait a moment!' he stuttered. 'If you want to have some you can take one. I don't want any trouble with you.'

Roa reached him and sent him to the floor with a blow from his sword pommel.

'Ah... wait... ' Noven spat blood and crawled backwards. Roa stepped on his chest, stopping him.

Sana stepped of the stairs and went slowly to the first cage.

In an icy voice, Roa asked: 'What are the witches planning?'

Inside the barrel, right at the back, three harpies sat on the hay, tightly crowded together. A mother, a son and a daughter.

'I know nothing about witches! My mother is dead. I ... ' A blow, and the cracking of bones interrupted his words, and he shrieked.

Sana gave the prisoners a friendly smile, pulled the glove from her pulsating arm, and then bent the bars with her pitch-black claw. She tore the entire grate away from the barrel, which splintered with a loud crunch.

'What are you doing here in the Onaziz estate?'

'Sana went to the next prison and freed four more. But like the other three they didn't dare come out.

The man whimpered, then said in an agonised voice: 'The Onazizs have been away for a long time, and I was able to hear the bank managed talking with the elder of the family about sending their fortune to Wynzakand. When they were gone I set up my livestock here. The Guards keep their distance from the founding families.'

Sana searched through the other cages, but didn't find any harpies in them. She stepped up beside Roa, who looked thoughtfully down at his victim. Sana crouched down and put her black hand on Noven's chest. She formed a claw, and her talons dug into his flesh. She could scarcely hold her cold anger over his captive harpies in check.

'How long have you been raising these harpies here?' she asked, pressing softly. He screamed under her grip and stammered: 'F-for... seven years.'

Ikallas voice called from the door: 'I couldn't stop Iza any longer, sorry.'

Sana looked up and saw Iza run to the first cage. She stood before it, still silent, then went to the next.

Roa said: 'If you're not telling the truth my friend here will be even more angry then she already is. And you don't want that, right?'

Sana dug her claws deeper into his chest. I should kill him, she thought, slow and agonising.

'Who buys the intelligent harpies from you?' Roa asked.

Novens' gaze darted in panic to Sana and her arm, and he said: 'Various people. They come here to look for their harpies, and then they give me the money.'

Sana noticed Iza come next to her. She looked at Iza's face and saw flowing tears. Sana stood and retracted her talons. She ignored the man as he yelped in pain.

'You sold my mother.' Iza said suddenly in a sharp tone. 'You sold my sisters. "Hopefully they'll taste as good as the last ones", the man said to you.'

Sana had to hold herself back. She felt her anger pulsing in her arm. She couldn't see Iza crying, and her tormentor down there in front of her shaking. But she had no right to interfere right then.

She felt the harpy take hold of her dark arm and pull it away from the man on the ground.

'Let's go upstairs.' she said bitterly.

Sana's anger turned to confusion, and she asked: 'W-what? What about Noven?'

'I don't want to look at him any more.' she said. Sana looked into her eyes and in that moment saw how great Iza was. She didn't see any anger or hate, only a trace of sadness.

The harpy smiled briefly at her, then pulled her up the stairs and through the cellar door. Ikalla sat there on the steps, and made room for them to pass. Behind them a scream of pain rang out. Then another. The third was only a loud whine, and the fourth only a loud cough. When Sana reached the entrance hall the only thing to be heard from below was a soft cry.

When Roa shut the cellar down and pushed the bar across, Iza was still clutching Sana's arm tightly. She was trembling, she noted.

'What about the harpies?' asked Sana, and Roa said to them: 'I'll tip off the Golden Eye later. The harpies, like all intelligent harpies found, will be brought to the military.'

'To the military?' asked Ikalla.

'Yes. They are cared for there. They are trained. They are treated well like any other soldier, and then appropriately employed.'

'You mean they'll be sent to their deaths.'

'They fight, like any other honourable soldier, for the Imperium. What else should we do with them? Kill them?' He sheathed his blades again and wiped his hands on his trousers.

Sana asked: 'What about Noven?'

'He'll definitely enjoy the company of the liberated harpies. His hands and feet are broken. He isn't going anywhere. If he survives the Golden Eye will take care of him. Now, let's split up and search the estate. Knock for secret doors in the walls, collect letters, files, anything that could contain information. I want to find out why the Onaziz left their seat here in Iskanda.'

'I'll go upstairs with Iza.' said Sana, and was about to put her back on her shoulders, but the harpy shook her head and held on tighter to her arm. It had again taken on a greyish colour.

After several unsuccessful rooms, in which there was only covered furniture with empty draws, Sana and Iza stepped into a small room with a child's bed. She couldn't make out much by the weak light emitted by the shining crystal that she'd got from Roa. The chest of drawers was empty, as expected. Disappointed, she sat down on the bed and looked at Iza, who was looking in a box. She is so strong, she thought. Always calm and balanced. Despite everything that she's experienced. 'How do you do that?' Sana asked. Iza turned and looked at her, surprised. Her eyes were still reddened. 'If you hadn't pulled me out of there I would have killed him.' said Sana. 'And I'm not even the one the Onaziz did this to.'

The harpy hopped onto the bed and sat next to her. She said: 'When you freed me, like the Fury of the stories, I followed you even though I was afraid of you. I though that you can be who I'd like to be. The one who punishes the evil men and avenges me. I don't know if the Imperium is evil, like Ikalla says it is, but I've seen a lot of evil men. I quickly saw what's happening with you. The Fury that mama told me about. I don't want you to become that, and I also don't want to become that myself.

Sana was amazed how grown up Iza sounded. She seemed so young and fragile, but as she spoke she sounded like an adult.

Iza leaned her upper body against Sana and closed her eyes. 'Mama always told me a lot about the wind. How it can make you a fury or how he can carry into the heavens. At night I always dreamed of the wind. Of flying, and seeing the world from above.'

Sana looked down at Iza, who had opened her eyes again. There was a sparkle, and a clarity in them. She pushed herself up and brought her face very close to Sana and said: 'I want to be like the wind.'

With a loud bang something fell to the floor in front of them. Sana reached for it and in the glinting light realised it was a book. She put the crystal on her lap and the book on her knees. 'Revin Onaziz.' Sana read out the name written in spidery scrawl on the cover. A diary, she thought. She opened the first page and recognised some childish drawings. Human-shaped figures, trees, sun, all kinds of animals. Sana skipped a few pages and saw the image of a big, black figure. The eyes were painted a bright blue. Next to it on the left and right were two small people. The drawings that followed in the following pages were ever more strange pictures full of childish drawings of monsters. Then, however, the images stopped, and instead came page after page of diary entries. She looked for the last entry in the last third of the book. The remaining pages were empty.

~~~~
13th of Semai, 2137

I now see it ever more often and more clearly. Father says it's a good thing, but I don't want this. It'll be over soon, he says.

Mother always sits on my bed in the evenings now, to calm me down because of the spider monster in the attic. But I hear it every night. It scratches and scratches, and when I look up I see it looking at me through the hole. Then it stretches its long legs down.

~~~~

Sana shuddered, and looked up carefully. There was a small gap split between the boards; behind it, darkness. She stood up and with Iza went back to the stairs. She looked up and found the trapdoor to the attic. She said to Iza, 'I'll lift you up and you pull on the handle, okay?'

The harpy nodded, and let herself be pushed up. With both thumbs she grabbed the cold metal and pulled hard.

Sana put her companion down again and was able to unfold the fold-out ladder hanging from the wood. She gave Iza the book and looked up. Please no spidermonsters, please no spidermonsters, please no spidermonsters. With courage she reached for the rung and climbed up. She held the crystal up in front of her. Cold air swept against her. The air smelled musty. With her head in the opening she cautiously stretched into the attic and held the crystal in front of up so she could see more. She flinched as she discovered the skeleton of a rodent right in front of her face. Then she climbed right in and took a step into the attic. It was like another, muted world. The only light that did not come from Sana was from the round window in the distance, somewhere at the other end of the roof. She briefly looked down at Iza again, before she went to explore the attic. The wood around her seemed to swallow every beat of her footsteps.

First she went towards the window, and found an adjoining room. This, however, was completely empty except for the dust on the floor. But she recognised traces of animals: lone feathers and the patterns of scuttling legs in the dust. A shelf on the wall near the door was empty.

She went out again and moved to the round window. Looking down through it she could see the empty street in the light of the lanterns. Then she turned back, and looked along the whole length of the roof. It looked shorter from the outside, she thought. She now went to explore the other side. As she passed the trapdoor she looked down again, and to her relief saw Iza, still standing there. Where else would she be? she asked herself.

The other side of the roof was just as empty. No old boxes or shelves. Only the skeletons of birds which had strayed in here in the past. She found a room here as well. The door was half closed and there was a trail in the dust that showed that the door was opened regularly. Fearfully she pushed the door with her foot, while she leaned back with her upper body. The door creaked. But the noise sounded quiet, as if the attic swallowed it. Behind it Sana immediately recognised the split in the floor. She got goosebumps. Before she went to it, she looked at the walls of the room. On one of the hung a simple shelf, on which a cloudy glass stood. Dust had accumulated in it.

She stepped into the room and immediately felt uncomfortable. She looked over her shoulder to the door to make sure it was still open. Then she crouched down and peered through the hole. She could see nothing, and she leaned back. She examined the edges of the hole. The wood had no scratches. Apart from the split in the wood it was flawless. No spidermonster. Sana got up and looked at the glass. Carefully she lifted it, and examined it from all sides. It was milky and had a crack. Otherwise it was not particularly distinctive. She set it down again and turned to the door.

It was still open.

What else would it be? Sana reassured herself. She stepped out of the room and felt somewhat better. She went speedily to the trapdoor and climbed down a few steps. But then she looked around again. There was the window, that threw its sallow lantern light into the attic, and on the other side the room with the hole and the glass. She got goosebumps again, and went down.

Beside Iza, she breathed a sigh of relief, and took the book. There was the sound of steps from the staircase. She saw Roa and Ikalla coming up, and said: 'I found this.' She handed Roa the book.

Ikalla said: 'We found nothing. The property is completely empty, apart from some old furniture.'

Roa said under his mask. 'Yes, let's go. At least we have this book.'

They went back down and out through the back door. When they were outside the house Sana looked up again at the roof. There was the little window from which she had looked out into the street. She shuddered at the thought, and left the site with the others as quickly as possible.

----------

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

bump

...

...

...

Wow, I hope theres gonna be stories in here soon. If not, then I guess I might try later.

...

bump

I'll have another chapter of ready in a few hours, but I'm really starting to get the feeling that there's a lack of enthusiasm for these threads atm.

...

Chapter 11: Cave of Desire

Back in the hideout, Roa immediately began to leaf through the book.

'A diary.' Sana said, drinking a sip of acacia juice. She gave the bottle to Iza, who eagerly drank it empty. Sana opened her collar and put it aside.

'I'll be working through the entries for the rest of the night. You should get some sleep.' said Roa, his gaze resting on the pages.

'Isn't it suspicious that the Founding Families live so secretly and so withdrawn?' asked Ikalla. 'Do they maybe have something to hide?'

Roa looked at her now, and answered. 'They are the richest citizens in the Imperium, and the whole empire rests on their backs. They appoint the Imperator and control all the important parts of the economy and culture. It's understandable that they'd be too security-conscious to want to live public lives. Not least because a madman stabbed the head of the Kandi Family in the open street.'

'And you see nothing wrong with this?' asked Ikalla with an angry look.

'No.'

'Who controls the founding families?'

Roa muttered in annoyance and said: 'Are you implying that they don't support the Imperium?'

Ikalla crossed her arms and said: 'I only asked who controls the families.'

'No one.'

'So they have absolute power.'

'Yes. And see what this power has brought us. A powerful Imperium, that protects its citizens, and has brought such prosperity and peace as never before in history. Our airships fly through the sky and the underground rail connects one end of the Imperium to the other. So if the families really are against the Imperium then they're doing a damn bad job.'

Ikalla laughed, and lay down on her mattress. She turned away from him, and said: 'You'll see.'

'That we will.' he said, and lowered his eyes to the pages of the book again.

bumping just to see where you're going with this.

That night Sana had slept badly. She'd had several nightmares, but she didn't remember anything of what she did in them. Maybe it was better like that, she thought. Now she stood beside Roa, who was looking thoughtfully at the big map on the wall. Sana looked around for Iza and Ikalla. Both lay on their mattresses and seemed to still be asleep.

'I think the boy was ill.' said Roa quietly. 'Mentally. He often wrote about his dreams and delusions. About the constantly recurring Shadow People or Dream People who came to visit him. About a monster in the ice, about small animals that only he sees, and apparently about spiders.

'But that doesn't bring us any closer to the witches.' said Sana.

'That's not the only thing that he wrote. For example, he was always sad that he had to stay in his room when guests were in the house. But he always secretly sneaked to the stairs to eavesdrop on them. He describes everything he heard. One conversation he overheard is very interesting for us. He writes of the 13th Family being talked about, and that Nimrod will soon awake.'

'Who's Nimrod?' Ikalla asked suddenly, sitting up. Muttering, she rubbed her eyes.

Roa answered: 'I don't know. And I've also never heard anything about the 13th Family.'

'But this still has nothing to do with the witches.' Sana repeated. She looked at the map and focused on the Nightshadow Forest in the south.

'Here.' Roa said, handing her the open book. 'Read it.'

~~~~

This morning my big sister ran away from home. I have never heard father speak so loudly and so furiously. Mother couldn't keep him calm for long. I hope Linva is doing well. In the evening father let all our relatives come. Even I was allowed to come downstairs to the big gathering. I was quite afraid. So many people, and everyone was angry and serious. At last a strange woman came. We all had to swear by Vihagai never to betray the family. Should we do so, she would seek us out and take care of us. She also said that she wants to find my sister. I hope she finds Linva and takes care of her.

~~~~

'This strange woman he talks about could be a witch.' Roa said. 'They had to swear an oath on Vishraki. He was the witches' ally in the Vampire War.'

'Was?' asked Ikalla. 'What is he now?'

'Dead. Destroyed by Istanu.'

'What if we look for this Linva?' Sana said. 'She can definitely tell us more.'

'This is from fifteen days ago. Where would we start looking? Besides, I'm sure that this witch has "taken care" of her.'

Sana clenched her teeth and stared at the map. 'I'll go looking for her.' She began to pull her gloves over her hands.

'I'll come along.' Ikalla said, and she jumped up.

Iza at once began to clamber up onto her back, and sat herself in position. She handed Sana the leash.

Roa leaned back with his arms crossed and said: 'Iskanda alone has over a million inhabitants.'

Sana ignored him and made her way to the door, along with Ikalla.

'Don't do anything reckless.' Roa added.

I have no idea where I'm going, thought Sana as she went down the road, across the bridge. She remembered what Roa had said. Over a million... she realised how little of the city she had actually seen, and that even the mass of people around her, which seemed so many to her, was actually so few.

Ikalla said behind her: 'I suppose you know what you're doing?'

'No.'

'Good.'

They came to the plaza again, and saw the familiar Sirah, behind his stall selling smoked meat. She looked around once, before she looked to Ikalla. Her red hair was positively glowing in the morning sun.

Ikalla asked: 'If you were a young girl, fresh from running away from home, without food, or shelter, and you didn't want to be found, where would you go?'

'Maybe I would... I don't know, maybe a bed...'

'Exactly. To the whorehouse.'

Sana looked around embarrassed to see if anyone had heard.

Ikalla said: 'Now we just need to find out where the whore quarter is in this city.'

'Can you please stop saying 'whores' so loudly?'

'Why? Aren't they whores? They probably work in whorehouses. Every village normally has a whore, and every city...'

Sana grabbed Ikalla by the hand and pulled her into a side alley. She tried to ignore Ikalla's wide grin, and said: 'Now we just have to find out where in Iskanda this pleasure quarter is.'

Suddenly, a voice above them said: 'That's simple. On the eastern edge of the city, right along the wall.'

Sana looked up into the face of an old lady, who was leaning on her window sill; she grinned down at them.

'T-thank you.' Sana stuttered, and walked quickly back to the street.

'No problem.' she heard behind her; she felt Iza patting her head in praise.

'Where I come from prostitution is forbidden.'

Ikalla said: 'It's just not so openly displayed.'

She's right, she thought. When I ran away from home and was hungry and cold on Akhor's streets, I saw the inconspicuous houses. At the time, after a week without food, they seemed tempting. Only a few minutes for enough money to keep my belly full for the whole week... suddenly Sana didn't want to find Linva there any more.

'So this is the Imperium.' said Ikalla, as if she had read Sana's thoughts. 'Everything only /seems/ beautiful.'

Even from a distance Sana could smell the pleasure quarter. A sweet scent of perfume lay in the air. The houses on the way were old and not as high as in the rest of the city, and they hardly encountered anyone. Only a drunk man staggering past them. At the end of the street, above a doorless entrance, there was a shimmering arch with the words 'Happy Street' on it. Behind it, to the left was the city wall and on the right a long row of houses.

Sana stood uncertainly in front of the entrance.

'What is it?' asked Ikalla, waiting for her.

'I don't want them to think that I'm a customer.'

'As good as you look, just be happy if no one thinks you are competition.'

Sana felt her ears start to get hot. She walked past Ikalla and into the street. When she looked to her right she was immediately greeted by a pair of big, naked breasts, hanging out of a window on the ground floor, belonging to a blonde woman who said: 'The House of Backblossom offers erotic massage and baths, but also the classic pleasures with one or more women.'

Sana blinked and forced herself to look the woman in the eyes. She said: 'Yes, I... I mean, no, I'm just looking for someone. Her name is Linva. She's young and she'd have only turned up here recently.'

The woman propped her head on her arm and jiggled her chest slightly. Sana tried to focus even more on the woman's eyes that she already was.

'No.' said the blonde. 'I've not heard of anyone like that here.But are you sure that you wouldn't like to come back later?' She looked past Sana to Ikalla and said: 'I have a big redhead here whose massages will totally overpower you. She is extremely powerful. Or if you prefer an older blonde...' with her arms, she squeezed her breasts together. 'If you have some money left over we also have a passionate young man, whose tongue...'

'We're good, thanks.' Sana insisted. Her cheeks were glowing and a tingle went over her skin. 'Thanks for the information... and the offer. We're going to keep asking now.'

Tense, she went to the next house; over the door the words "Cave of Desire" were painted. Sana stopped in front of it and took a short breath.

Ikalla said: 'Come on, penetrate deep into the Cave of Desire!'

Sana heard her giggle, and stepped into the flowery, fragrent hall. In the half-darkness she was greeted by a young woman with glasses. She was sitting behind a counter, and looked up.

'Welcome.' she said with a seductive smile. Her dark brown hair was tied into a braid.

'I have a question...' Sana began, before she was interrupted by the woman.

'I'm sorry, but we don't offer any service that includes harpies.'

Sana felt Iza squirm slightly and press closer to her neck.

'What? No, I'm looking for a certain girl, Linva. Young, would have turned up in the last few days.'

The woman shook her head and said. 'All our women have been working here for a long time and have many years of experience. You can be sure we know how to deal with women too, even if we rarely get visits from them. We have a young Hattusa farmgirl who would love to share a bed with a beauty like you. She's free at the moment. Ellivin!'

Sana said: 'Thanks, but...'

The door to her left opened and stark naked girl stepped out. Her smooth, black hair was cut to shoulder length. She threw Sana a seductive smile, and walked forward. She pressed Sana's arm between her breasts and held it tightly to her. With the other hand she softly stroked her cheek.

Sana took a deep breath and said: 'I... fear I have no time. Nevertheless, thank you for the offer. I'll come back if need be, and recommend her in future.' Slowly she pulled her arm back from the naked skin and took a step back, bumping into Ikalla.

'Hey, watch it.' she complained.

'See you soon, sweetie.' said the naked girl, and blew Sana a kiss.

She paused for a moment, letting her gaze wander over her body, and then walked out of the 'Cave of Desire' in silence. From one of the upper windows came the sound of a woman's loud moaning and the simultaneous grunting of a man.

Ikalla chuckled and said: 'If you want Iza and I can wait out here. We have loads of time. Besides, it's still early, the women are all still free. So you have freedom of choice.'

After an hour or so they had reached the end of the street, and Sana felt as if she had run a marathon. She was sweating and her face was red.

She said, 'We should visit the bathhouse on the way back.'

Ikalla crossed her arms in front of her to protect her chest and said with mock fear: 'After everything you've just seen you'd jump on me, a poor, innocent girl, in the bath.'

Sana wanted to reply snappily when she heard a 'Hey!' behind her. It was a woman wearing a transparent robe of blue silk.

She come up to them and looked with a smile from Ikalla to Sana, and said: 'I heard that you were looking for someone. I don't actually know this person, but you should try the smuggler's caves. But I'll tell you this, it's a dangerous place for two pretty girls such as yourselves. Do you know an entrance?'

Sana shook her head and the woman said: 'You didn't hear this from me, but in the south at twelve Morningstar alley there's a narrow passage between the houses leading into a back yard. There are usually a few watchmen sitting there, and they'll let you pass through the passageway for ten Datta. But like I said. It's best not to go there alone.'

'Thank you so much.' said Sana.

'You can thank me by visiting me at the 'Red Pearl'. Ask for Mariva.' She winked, and went back down the street.

Ikalla said drily: 'You should really visit her Red Pearl to thank her.' A dirty laugh echoed between the city wall and the houses.

----------

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

Bump

...

...

...

...

...

I have a game later today. It's supposed to be a moderately serious Rogue Trader/Dark Heresy game. If anyone's interested I'll post about it afterwards

Jesus Christ, so very little stories so far. I know I said I might try adding a story or two earlier. But I've just been busy with work related stuff. And hey, if this thread gets archived or 404'd early due to lack of posts. I hope atleast the newer thread gets post and contents. Again, I'll try to post if possible.

By all means dude, go ahead and post. The thread could use it.

Alright. It should be happening in a few hours, so the thread will have to live a little longer.

For now, here's the character line up
>Weeaboo Space Capitalist with waifu drones
>Dark Eldar Kabalite Warrior
>Generic Guardsman
>Lacrymole Assassin
>Human Chirurgeon
>Necron Deathmark

Subject to change once the game starts. Here on out I'll post as my R20 account, where the game is being played.

Chapter 12: The Underground

The passageway in Morningstar alley really was extremely narrow. You could only walk in single file between the houses, and you had to lean slightly to the side so as not to rub your shoulders on the walls.

Fortunately the passage was not long and nobody was coming the other way. Sana and Ikalla now stepped into a shady courtyard, as had been described to them. Weeds and bushes lined its edges, and in the middle stood a weather-worn wooden table, where two old men sat, playing cards.When they saw Sana and Ikalla step into the courtyard they looked up.

The one on the left said: 'Get lost, there's nothing here for you.'

Ikalla reached into her pocket and went to the table, on which she put down the coins. She grinned at the man and said: 'To the entrance, please. I've also given you a little extra.'

Both of the men looked at each other briefly, then shrugged. The other stood up, pocketed the coins, and led them to a wooden door at the back of a high house. She looked over her shoulder again at the man who was sitting at the table, watching them. He'd clasped his hands behind his head and gave her a dirty grin.

The room behind the door was completely empty. The walls were full of old cobwebs and another opposite them was walled up. On the floor in the middle of the room there was a big hole. There was a broad wooden staircase which led into the depths, which was illuminated by a crystal.

The door behind them shut, and Sana saw that they were alone. 'Don't worry, I'll protect you down there.' she said.

'I definitely hope so.' Ikalla answered.

Sana descended down the steps. At the end of the staircase she followed the tunnel, which led gently downwards into the depths. Soon she heard muffled murmurs, which were cast from wall to wall.

When she finally stepped out of a passage into a large cave, from the ledge she caught sight of several wooden sheds and huts. They lined the walls, along with many floating wagons that were unloaded.

She walked down the stone steps set in the wall, and was met with surprised and questioning looks from her first step. Sana was on-edge, and she asked herself if she'd really find Linva here.

A old man came up to her and looked her up and down. 'How much?' he asked, and reached out for Sana's breast.

She instantly slapped his hand away, and Ikalla said: 'We're not whores.'

The man looked at them angrily and said: 'That remains to be seen.'

He trotted away and Ikalla said: 'Don't take any shit.'

Sana nodded and watched after the man. Her heart was beating quickly, and she untensed the fist of her right hand. She let her gaze wander over the huts. In front of one stood two armoured men, armed with swords, knives and big axes in their hands. On the sign above them was written: "Jewellery, Gold and Gemstones". Along from it were shops with open fronts, where materials were laid out. In one of the others there were cages with all sorts of creatures. As she walked towards it she felt Iza huddle down on her shoulders. One of the men saw her coming and greeted her, saying: 'Judging by your rare harpy, you seem to have an interest in exotics. If you want I can, for a small but reasonable price, also supply you with a ruby-red. Or are you more interested in smaller animals?'

Sana saw colourful fish in water basins, big insects - to her horror spiders too - and cute looking furry animals that she'd never seen before. They had long, hairless ears and flattened, dog-like faces. They sat on their hind legs and raised their thin little arms.

'Alvirons, a delicacy, freshly arrived from north Kidanas. Their price, however, has risen since the dynasty pushed south. It's hard to hunt them in a warzone.'

Sana looked him in the face and said: 'Actually I only have one question.'

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he said: 'Could have said that right away. What is it?'

'I'm looking for a girl named Linva. Would have turned up a few weeks ago. Do you know anyone like that?'

The man was silent until Ikalla finally pressed a few coins into his hand. He said: 'Even if someone had turned up here, she would have been sold not long after. The only women you find here are whores or slaves. But if you're looking for a slave, try opposite with old Limfor, who works for Kosvo. And if you don't want to buy anything then you can get lost now.'

Sana turned around and looked over at a house that had grills on its windows. The door was shut. She looked at Ikalla, who shrugged her shoulder and headed towards it.

When Sana hesitantly knocked on the door, a view-slit was pulled aside. One cloudy and one sighted eye looked back at her. The man said nothing.

Finally, Sana said: 'I'm looking... for a slave.' Her fists were balled. She didn't know what to expect if the man opened the door, and secretly she was hoping he wouldn't.

A bolt creaked, and they were let in. When they stood inside it was locked behind them, and the man walked around a wide table to his chair. His bald head reflected the white light emitted from a crystal in the ceiling. He pulled out a large book from under the table and lay it in front of himself. After folding his hands over it he said: 'It's unusual that a woman comes to me asked for slaves, but be assured that I can satisfy all your interests. I'm the most important trader of the city, and my selection is exceptional. Short delivery time is also possible except in the case of especially unusual requests.'

Sana gritted her teeth and took a step forward. She asked: 'Are your... slaves not here then?'

'Oh no. They are in various warehouses in various locations. We only meet here for preliminary discussions, in order to determine your exact vision and wishes. I will then make the best possible pre-selection and then deliver them to any location you desire so that you can make a decision. A blind inspection of our goods is unfortunately not possible. But be assured that you will always get what you want.

Sana took a deep breath, in and out. She could hardly swallow down her revulsion. She said: 'I'm looking for a young girl by the name of Linva. She would have shown up recently; she's the daughter of a rich family here in Iskanda. Do you have such a slave? I would be read to pay more than usual for her.'

The man looked thoughtfully into the air, and answered: 'Daughters of rich families are very rare and also very much in demand. Forgive my boldness, but I am not sure that you could afford such a girl. Especially a youth. But I've never heard the name anyway. And also, no case like that has turned up in the last few weeks. But if it is young girls that you want I'm sure I have the right ones for you. We have daughters of officials and government representatives. However, these are also very high-priced, as you surely understand. Normally availability is limited by the high security measures of the families.

Sana looked briefly at Ikalla, who was standing there with a petrified expression, her arms crossed. Sana crouched down and motioned to Iza to get down. She asked again: 'I have other interests. You wouldn't happen to have children from orphanages available?'

'Ah, you want to buy a group. You can get a hundred orphans for the price of an official's daughter. Just tell me how many and where. Maybe you'd like a certain mixture. From fifty children I'll also add in an exotic from Windora, Damaru or Ravcai. At a hundred you get get a lamia with them. And as promised the delivery times are...'

Sana came up to the table and grabbed the man's throat with her black claw. The remains of the tattered glove hung from her wrist. She lifted the man up into the air and threw him against the wall with ease. He wheezed and gasped for air.

'Kosvo will hear of this.' the man rasped, trying to straighten up.

'Where is this Kosvo.' Sana growled, the hate and anger rushed over her, and the blackness clouded her body. The man whimpered and held his arms in front of his head. She saw him piss himself. Stuttering, he said: 'I only write names in his book...'

Sana grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up. She slammed him against the wall and his shoulders cracked. His scream was only a whisper, for the impact had forced the air out of his lungs. She asked: 'Where. Do. I. Find. Him.'

'Trimur. Smuggler's pit.'

She let him fall to the ground, and saw him break his wrist on impact. The claws of her paw became longer and sharper.

So he will be my first.

Ikalla said behind her: 'Let me do it.'

Sana turned around and saw that the girl was holding a big book in her hands. She stood next to her and swung. With every blow of the book's spine against the man's bursting skull, his choking and whimpering become quieter, before each blow only made his body twitch. His face, along with his brain, was beaten to a pulp. When the body no longer gave any reaction Ikalla stood up and threw the battered book aside. Both stood there silently and looked down at the dead man. Sana's arm took its normal form again and the last remaining fabric of her white gloves glided to the floor. Finally she turned around and saw Iza standing in the room. Despite the brutality that had just occurred, the harpy radiated a carefree innocence.

'I'm sorry that you had to see that.' Sana said guiltily. Iza seemed so pure to her, and she didn't want to taint the harpy.

'He was an evil man.' was all the bird-creature said, and raised her arms to be lifted up.

Sana lifted her onto her shoulders again, feeling as if she had been robbed of a part of her own innocence. She looked at Ikalla, who was looking expressionlessly at the dead man in front of her. Sana noticed a brief smile on the girl's lips, before she turned to her.

'What are we going to do about your arm?' asked Ikalla.

Sana looked down at him, and then to the tattered rags on the floor in front of the table.

There was a knock at the door.

Sana and Ikalla looked each other in the eyes silently. If we don't open up, he'll go away, she thought.

There was another knock. A soft female voice muttered something, and a second, deeper woman's voice responded.

Sana watched as the iron bar jerked aside, and the door opened. An older woman stepped in, followed by a brown-haired girl. The older one shut the door and looked at them sternly. Three big scars ran over the woman's face, which still conveyed charm and grace though. Long grey hair, interwoven with individual pale-gold strands, fell down like a curtain over her shoulders and her deep blue robe. A long, wine-red apron, embroidered with a golden crystal, covered her front. In the middle of the crystal was fixed a large emerald. Around her chest the strange woman wore a golden corset over her robe. On this, small bells, bottles and utensils clinked softly against each other. Little bags hung from cords at her side. A ruby-red cape hung from her back, its bottom wet and dirty. She wore a silver belt around her hips. Sana stared in wonder at the fine silver stitching on the wide sleeves and the golden shawl around her shoulders.

The girl next to her, on the other hand, looked overwhelmingly inconspicuous. She was wearing a brown shirt full of patches and a grey skirt full of holes.

'You are an idiot.' said the woman, and her gaze wandered over Sana's arm. Her eyes narrowed, just before she looked past Sana to the dead man. She eyed Iza, and then looked to Ikalla, before she again looked Sana deep in the eyes. 'So you are the ones who Roa has working for him now.' she said.

Sana countered: 'Who are you and what do you want from us?' She looked from the woman to the girl, and saw how she flinched uncertainly. The old woman lay her hand on her shoulder and said: 'Alexia Asamati. And I believe you're looking for Linva, the girl next to me.'

Sana's eyes widened and her heart jumped. She said: 'Yes. We wanted to save her from a witch, and ask her about her family.'

'I know.' Alexia replied.

Ikalla asked: 'Do you know about the witches' plan.'

Alexia answered: 'Linva told me about it when I found her some time ago. I've been protecting her since then.'

Sana didn't fully trust her yet. It was somehow too easy. Not even a day, and she was presented with the girl on a silver platter. 'Where do you know Roa from?' she asked.

A vulpine smile played across her lips, and she answered: 'You distrust me. Very good. That means he did not choose idiots.' She turned her head to the door, and seemed to be listening. She said: 'You have to trust me. I am on your side, and also fight against the witches. And I'll be able to prove it to you, too.'

Outside, there was a loud crash, and panicked cries rang out.

Fear rose in Sana. She looked at her arm, which was becoming dark again.

Alexia pushed Linva to Sana, and said: 'Follow the wide tunnel down. Take the third tunnel entrance, follow the path that branches up, not down. Linva will show you the way from there.' She reached up to her corset and grabbed a golden crystal. 'When I open the door, run.'

Sana nodded and took Linva by the hand. She looked briefly at Ikalla, who shrugged.

'Now!' Alexia said, and opened the door.

----------

Hey, don't worry about it. If you don't have time, you don't have time.

What concerns me more is that this thread is only supported by a handful of writefags, to the point where one or two of them being busy kills the whole thread. Don't get me wrong, you guys are great, but it seems like the rest of Veeky Forums just completely ignores us. Ideally we'd have a small core group AND a larger number of people who just drop in every now and then. But I don't think anyone else on this board knows we exist or cares in the slightest. Maybe that's just my fault for not advertising more.

Either way, I'm starting to wonder if it's really worth continuing these threads as a regular thing when they attract so little interest. I've been doing this thread for over two years now, and although the response was good in the first couple of months it sort of petered out after that. When I first started doing this I'd do a thread every week and it would get to the bump limit within three or four days. Now it can't even make it to 300 posts in two weeks. There have been ups and downs over the past two years, but it's never got as much attention as it did in the beginning. Maybe this sort of thread was better when it only happened every few months, like it used to before I took it upon myself to make it a regular thing.

Anyway, I'll have finished translating soon. There's only one more chapter available (btw, I have now realised that the story isn't actually finished, so I guess we'll just have to wait for Germananon to write some more to find out what happens). Once I've done that I'll try writing something of my own to contribute.

...

This is Dank Heresy: Rogue Trader Edition.
The characters have been hired to transport some packages across the galaxy.

Shitposts await.

The players are:
>Fio'El Fal'Shia Or'es Ukos "Powerful Spoon," a weeaboo Earth Caste Engineer with waifu drones.
>Darastrix, a Space Marine-sized red lizard who hates humans and is the physical embodiment of slow strength.
>Nemesor SP1 "Prince," a Necron assassin of the Enmefer(?) Dynasty.
>Some Eldar Fuck who never introduced himself.

The Rogue Trader has locked herself in her room. No one has seen her for a few days. Any one who goes near the crates the party is transport becomes disturbed. Darastrix decides to check on the Rogue Trader... by punching her door in. He manages it in one punch. Inside there are scratches, symbols, and words all over the inside. There's also blood, too much for just one person. There are no bodies. At this point we realize none of our characters can read Low Gothic. With this knowledge we summon Steve the Painfully Average Guardsman, a player characters who was unable to make it to today's session. He examines the room, determines that the red stuff splattered on the wall is in fact blood.

Steve reads the writing on the wall and says, "Red Thorn, I think that's a planet."

Prince suggests we pick a new captain. It is put to a vote, with Prince voting for himself and everyone voting for Steve. Darastrix changes his vote to himself after learning that Steve is a human. The vote is cancelled and straws are drawn to decide the next captain.

Steve draws the longest straw and exclaims, "I'm the captain now!"

The party decides to check the boxes. Powerful Spoon brings his drones along in case anything goes wrong. He attempts to shoot the lock off and misses. Darastrix finds the other guardsman aboard and Intimidates him. Spoon then has his gun drone Ruby tries to shoot the lock off. She misses too and so does Steve when he tries. Darastrix continues intimidating the guardsman until he

leaves the room. Not wanting to accidentally shoot through the hull, the party gives up on opening the crates.

Powerful Spoon decides to poke around engineering. he sees something scuttle into the vents, thereupon screaming, "ORKS! ORKS! ARE IN THE VENTS!" this only confuses everybody. Steve then brings the ship out of the Warp, dropping the party in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere.After the party yells at him for that, he explains he wanted to change directions, that he's new at this kind of stuff, and that he only learned how to read yesterday. The ships makes the jump back into the Warp.

Darastrix takes a shower. Looking into the drain he sees an eye scuttle away. He tries to punch the drain, but misses, coming up short. He returns to taking his shower after grunting and saying, "Eh, I've seen bigger."

After a few days the ship exits the Warp above Red Thorn. It is Earth-like, with not much space travel around it. It's probably a feudal world.

After an argument about how to get down, the party chooses to have Steve land the ship rather than jump from orbit.

The ship lands in a field. There are a few castles visible in the distance. Steve volunteers to stay with the ship, under the pretense he's the only one who knows how to fly. Prince decides to stay with Steve to make sure he doesn't ditch the party.

Garastrix tries to Intimidate the guardsman again. He fails, and the guardsman Intimidates him back. The guardsman is successful.

Everyone goes to the cockpit, where Prince sees a creature scuttle into a control panel. Steve opens up the panel and the creature flies out, taking a bite out of his midsection. The creature retreats into the panel and flees. Scuttling can be heard all around, just before the lights cut out. Everyone leaves the ship, and Darastrix tries to heals Steve. At first he sticks his hand into his wound. Then he sticks his fist in. On the third try he successfully heals Steve. Steve is now at full health. Steve and the other

guardsman stay with the ship.

There are eight-legged equine creatures in the field where the ship has landed. Darastrix approaches one and pets it. After a few moments he jumps on top of it. it strains a little, but manages to support the half-ton creature. Darastrix can now move at the same speed as everyone else.

The party decide to head to one of the castles. As they travel through the field the trees stay about the same distance away. They notice a man riding one of the eight-legged horses. The party ignores him.

After about twelve hours they reach the castle at around 10 PM. The wall is large and smooth, with a barred portcullis and two guard towers. Two soldiers in plate armor stand guard at the gate. Prince comments that they're pathetic, prompting an argument about the patheticness of humans.

Darastrix tries to talk to the guard to let them see the count. The guard refusing, claiming Darastrix looks like a greenskin, citing the similarity in size. The guard also points out that he may be trying to kill the count. Prince tries to calm him down by calling Darastix "special." The guard questions why he's talking to a skeleton. After a clusterfuck of bullshit excuses involving an invading army and temple from the skies, the guard calls for reinforcements and tries to arrest Darastrix. Everyone else steps back to watch, sure that the giant lizard will be able to take the guards.

One of them manages to spear Darastrix in his left foot, anchoring him to the ground, breaking his foot at the same time. Garastrix swings his chainsword and misses, while Prince fires his Gauss blaster into the air in an attempt to draw their attention and stop the fighting. He accidentally shoots a soldier off a guardtower though, causing most of the guards to flee. The remaining guards attack, doing nothing, and Darastrix also misses his punch.Prince shoots a bowman with his synaptic disintegrater, giving him a heart attack. A spearman hits Darastrix's arm, shattering

it and another spears his other leg, tearing off a chunk off flesh, causing him to die. Seeing their best fighter go down, the party's morale breaks and they run back to the ship.

The end of session one of Dank Heresy: Rogue Trader Edition

>Prince fires his Gauss blaster into the air in an attempt to draw their attention and stop the fighting.
>He accidentally shoots a soldier off a guardtower though
at this point, I was almost expecting the soldier to land on one of the party. Well done user, you gave me a smile before bedtime. that sounds dirtier than I meant it to

Don't kill the storythread Chronicler. Just keep posting it every week. It gives me reason to come back in this board asides from shitposting, just keep it up.

Maybe people this week are busy shitposting in /v/ because of E3 and to see what Todd Howard will lie about and if Half Life 3 will ever come.

Bump

...

...

Okay I think I might give this one a go:

"Please spare some change." Groaned a pathetic looking woman who's seated in a curb of the city streets.

"Change. Change... Please help a lil' ol' woman... Help a princess!"

It was quite a hard-to-look at sight to be honest. No one's sure where she came from but people who know about her only noticed her just five days ago. She's first seen in Ambervale Corner and this city's no stragner to beggars as any city out there's always bound to have some beggars and bums begging for alms to folk. However, unlike most beggars bums or hobos, this lady was quite different. At least different in terms of appearance, because this particualr female beggar wears some whimsy fairy tale-esque dress. Like she's some kind of princess, or something.

Anyway, this poor broad was probably doing some act or stunt by being this riches-to-rags princess who used to have everything from being rich. Then fell poor and now begs for scraps and shit, but thats not all. You see it seems that poor broad's crazy, cloud cuckoo land crazy, batshit insane. Because just like the way she's dressed she really tried to make her act of being some former noble lady believable. Saying she's from some faraway land this, an evil wizard cursed her to be poor that. It was kinda fun and games in the first few days but that's when she started acting even crazier.

(will continue later soon)

...

Damn, I'd hate to see these threads go. I was not really able to participate in them lately, I barely have the strength to read, much less write something worth posting, or give reasonable feedback, but I still lurk in these and enjoy them.
I think it is natural that the traffic isn't as big as it was originally. But it is true that lately it's been a bit sparse. It seems like there is little new blood - mostly just the same people writing.

Maybe a change in frequency would help. Maybe not. I'm not sure. But I'd hate to see them go entirely.

Lets keep it alive just a little bit longer, shall we?

I'll keep going as we're going for the moment, but if things don't pick up I may scale it back to once a month.

I might start looking on Veeky Forums, and maybe a few other boards to see if I can find some interest and bump up our numbers.

Veeky Forums can be... a handful. I don't really like the place, which is a shame because otherwise, it could be very much an ideal place for me. But I've mostly found a lot of arrogance and utter refusal to accommodate others, in no way justified by their erudition. Maybe I was just unlucky, but I tried it several times. That said, Veeky Forums guys can be pretty cool outside of their own board in my experience. So I guess it's worth the try.

In an unrelated news, I may have something to post after all. It's small and pointless even by my standards, but at least it may liven up the thread. I'll try to polish it up.

...

Hope you update the storythread's 14dchan wiki page and post the stories from last week.

Also if you're really gonna make the storythreads once a month next time, ya might aswell update the 1d4chan wiki page about it. And hope that plan works too.

...

...

...

...

...

Well, this is the last chapter. Unfortunately it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but who knows, maybe Germanbro will return someday to complete his/her work. Either way, I've had fun translating it; translating isn't an easy business but I think I've more or less done okay, although a translation can never really do the original justice. Plus, it's a good story and I've enjoyed following it along.

----------

Chapter 13: Witch

A cone of golden threads of light unfolded from the golden crystal in Alexia's hand. They took the form of circles which extended from the tip of the crystal to form a large circle in front of the house. Sana saw a white creature shoot out, which unfolded its whole form to the round end of the cone. White fur covered a wiry body, and radiated brightly. Horns arced backward on its wolfish head. It landed on mighty paws and turned its head towards Alexia.

Sana saw watchful cunning in its eyes. She jumped back as a black creature broke out of the ruins of the animal trader's stall opposite her. A few Alvirons hopped away. The monster was black, and consisted of black energy. Violet, glowing eyes looked towards the small animals. In its maw hung the lifeless body of the seller, which it swallowed down a moment later. On its back, between its protruding spines, sat a woman. Her black leader coat formed a concealing collar in front of her mouth. Her grey hair was wild and curly.

'Didn't you hear what I said?' said Alexia firmly, and Sana got moving. Taking Linva by the hand she ran towards the big cave exit at the end of the tunnel. A roar, and when she looked over her shoulder she saw Alexia's white creature spitting fire.

A few minutes later, when they could only hear the battle behind them as a quiet rumbling, they reached the tunnel she had described. It's entrance was low, and they had to bend over; Sana more than the others because of Iza. Behind the entrance lay darkness, but Linva pulled out a crystal.

'Thank you.' she said, her voice soft and shy. 'I'll show you the way.' She led them into the tunnel.

'What about Alexia?' asked Sana.

Linva answered: 'She'll defeat the witch. I'm sure of it.'

They followed the path along a black precipice which led into the depths. Sana heard a distant thunder, that neared and then fell silent underneath them. 'What was that?' she asked.

'The cave railway.' said Linva, stepping into the next tunnel. At the branch they went up the path and found a small room. It's walls were smoothly carved, and there were old chairs around a table and a ladder with a trapdoor above it.

'Up there.' said Linva, letting her climb up first.

Behind the trapdoor Sana discovered an empty room. The daylight streamed in through the clouded glass in milky rays. She helped Ikalla and Linva up and closed the trapdoor. There was a moment of stillness, and they caught their breath, before Sana turned to Linva and asked: 'And now?'

The girl looked uncertainly from her to Ikalla, and then said: 'I don't know. Maybe we should wait for Alexia.'

Sana looked at the trapdoor, and then at the window. We can't stay here. We may be safer in public. She looked at her arm. It would stand out too much. Lastly, it wasn't only witches that might be a danger to them, but also curious guards who might want to see their identity papers. She looked again at the trapdoor. She hoped that if someone came through it it would be Alexia.

Ikalla said: 'We should wait until darkness falls. Then your arm won't stick out so much.'

Sana nodded and then looked at Linva, who bashfully avoided her gaze. 'You're Linva Onaziz, right?'

The girl nodded.

Sana said: 'You don't have to be afraid now. We're here to protect you from the witches.' She saw the girl wince at the word "witches". Poor thing, thought Sana. She felt Iza slide from her shoulders and watched as the harpy went to Linva.

She hugged the girl and said: 'We'll take care of you.'

'You can talk.' she blurted out, wide eyed.

'I'm Iza.' said the harpy, breaking away from her.

Sana saw the girl visibly relax, and then she said: 'Who actually are you? Alexia said that you were looking for me and wanted to help me, but I don't know who could do anything against the witches.' Her gaze fell on Sana's arm.

'I'm Sana and this is Ikalla. We're working with someone by the name of Roa to destroy the Nightshadow witches. But for that we need your help.'

The girl frowned and said: 'I don't know how I can help you.'

'Information.' said Ikalla. She continued: 'We must know everything about the witches that you can tell us. We have your brother's diary.'

Her eyes began to water and she bit her lower lip. 'I had to flee.' she said. 'My parents were always... strange, but I heard them talking in the kitchen one night. They wanted to meet with the other families in Wynzakand and give me to the Collias. The witch-family.

'Witch-family?' asked Sana. 'Doesn't anyone in the Imperium know that they are witches?'

'No.' the girl said, shaking her head. 'But I don't want to become a witch, so I ran away.'

Sana said: 'We'll bring you to Roa and he will get you to safety with the Golden Eye. Then you can tell them everything that you know.'

The girl looked at her, questioningly at first, then finally she nodded.

'Who is Alexia?' asked Ikalla.

Linva answered: 'She saved me from a group of men; they'd found my sleeping place, in an abandoned backyard. She said that she knew who I was, and that I would be safe with her. But I don't know anything more about her other than her name and that she commands magic.'

'I don't trust this Alexia.' said Ikalla, and she sat down by the wall and lay her hands in her lap.

Sana said: 'Yeah, she's really mysterious. She knew we were looking for Linva, and about Roa.'

'I trust her.' said Linva.

The longer they waited, the more tense Sana got. Her eyes kept falling back on the trapdoor, which never opened. She asked herself several times what had happened to Alexia. The evening came, and then night finally fell. She heard her stomach growl. The rumbling woke Iza, who had been sleeping with her head on Sana's lap for some time. She saw that Ikalla, at the wall opposite her, had also closed her eyes. Next to her sat Linva, her gaze resting on Sana's arm.

'What is that?' the girl asked, carefully stroking Sana's arm.

'Good question.' she answered. She continued: 'A spirit, which is now my heart and my arm. It reacts to my emotions and lends me strength.' She stood up and lifted Iza up onto her shoulders. 'Ikalla.' she said, and the girl sat up. 'We should get out of here. Roa's definitely worrying by now.'

'He's more worried about Linva and her information than us.' she said, stretching.

They left the room through a door that led to a small corridor, which then led to a door. Behind it lay an empty street. The lanterns shone brightly.

'I have no idea where we are, or how we can find our way back.' said Sana, as she looked furtively through the doorway. She took her bag and pulled out Roa's map. But that was no help.

'Let me see.' said Linva, and she pulled the paper out of Sana's hand. 'Oh, I know where the bank is. Follow me.' Immediately she went off, and Sana followed her.

When a young couple came near them, Sana hid her arm as well as she could at her side and back. They came to a main street, where there were a few people to be seen. On one corner stood two guards, talking amongst themselves.

Fortunately Linva led them away from them. After a short march they passed by a Trimurtian church, which Sana recognised. The plaza with the statue couldn't be much further.

When they finally reached it, Sana breathed a sigh of relief. They quickly crossed it. As they passed the statue, a female voice thundered from above: 'Linva!'

Startled, Sana looked up and recognised the black beast, which was clinging to the chest of the figure like a lizard. The witch stood on its back between the spines, arms crossed.

She said: 'Your parents are very sad about your disappearance.'

Sana quickly set Iza down and gave Ikalla the leash. She said 'Take her and Linva to Roa. Quickly!'

Ikalla took Linva's hand and ran off. With a loud cracking of shattering stone, the monster landed in front of Ikalla and Linva.

The witch said: 'You're going nowhere. You're tonight's dinner for my Mahr.' The monster under her tore its mouth out of the blackness and roared.

Her arm pulsating, Sana intervened. He heart pounded and fear ran down her spine. She had no idea what witches and their Mahren were capable of, what magic they could invoke. Maybe she would simply be eaten. Or just killed. Rait, lost forever, and Ikalla and Iza dead. Just like Linva.

She let her fear flood over her, and shrouded herself in blackness.

----------

The end - for now. I'll maybe do a googledocs link with all the chapters I've done together. It'll also be on the wiki page, which I really need to get around to updating (now that I've finished this it should happen soon. I've been really busy recently so all the time I could spare has gone on this.)

> Maybe I was just unlucky
No, that's exactly how I've found Veeky Forums to be as well. That's the reason I do this thread here, rather than on Veeky Forums. But there must be some people on Veeky Forums who are both interested in writing AND not complete douchebags. Maybe I'll be able to lure some over.

>I may have something to post after all. It's small and pointless
either way I look forward to it. I miss your posts, Czechfag.

...

I hope theses threads will stick around. I don't contribute much aside from posting pictures and bumping the thread but I like the stories posted here, there's usually a lot of inspiration in them

...

...