Searching
Fandom: Original
Summary:
The world of Torpin is open, dragging in Others from different worlds. The majority of them are monsters, prone to violence. There are some, however, that are not, and are able to live amongst the human population, if allowed to. Marland should know; he's one of them. His job is to hunt and stop the Others that seek only to destroy what's around them. On one job, a human Other drops through a portal, an event which Marland has never heard of happening before. And that's not the only thing different about the human...
Rating: M
Notes: Contains swearing.
Any questions or clarifications, just ask. (Unless it’s, you know, plot-related. XD)
As for the italics thing, I'm going for if the word's in caps, then chances are, it's supposed to be in italics. Similarly, if there's words encompassed by -' '- , then whatever's in between them should be italicised.
Genre: Urban fantasy
Word count: 1,158
Total word count: 56,312
Status: Work in Progress
"He does still want to meet with you, you know," Shodin said as they walked down to the shop.
He wrinkled his nose, his wings shrugging for him. After that phone call, he really didn't feel like talking with Balt. He didn't want to be studied to make sure that he really was all right or something. And they always met during the day anyway, so there was no way that he would be able to go out without SOME sort of event happening. The place where they met was in the centre of the city, with large windows and seemed to be busy whenever Shodin went. So, really, no.
He didn't exactly want to just be sitting there while the other two chattered on about stuff he didn't care about, just waiting for the screaming to start.
Shodin twitched his lips at him, chuckling softly. "I guess this would be a bad time to say that I think Balt can be very stubborn as well?"
Marland eyed him. He couldn't be serious. But, he could ignore Balt easier since he wasn't actually talking to him face-to-face.
"Ah well," Shodin sighed, looking up at the sprinkling of stars in the clear sky.
They continued on like that for a little longer, Shodin humming as we they went along. The humming trailed off at one point and it wasn't long after that that Shodin spoke up again.
"I don't think I'll talk with Balt again, after this."
Marland's head snapped to him, startled, his ears completely focused on Shodin. "What?"
Shodin shrugged, finger playing with a few strands of hair that had escaped his hairband. "I know what I did before and… I'm not interested, really," he said, tone wistful, eyes still skyward.
"You're not?" Why didn't he want to go back?
Shodin breathed in deeply, breathing out just as deeply. "I prefer this life," he said simply, a small smile curling his lips.
The hell? "That makes no sense!" he spluttered, ears going back in confusion. Shodin preferred living a life where he came out in the dead of night, when he was normally diurnal, and getting attacked by Others or going after Others on a semi-regular basis? Not to mention, why wouldn't he want to live with other humans again?
His smile just grew, eyes shining. "You also need someone to keep you out of trouble," he said, voice light.
His ears went to the side. Did not, his mind went mulishly. He huffed, turning away. Shodin chuckled, bringing his head down.
"You told him?" Marland didn't exactly know Balt very well, but he seemed pretty enthusiastic. He'd probably be disappointed that he wouldn't be seeing Shodin again.
Shodin shook his head. "Not yet; I will at the next chance I get."
So, probably in the next day or so. He flicked an ear at Shodin. Marland wasn't sure what to call the swirl of emotions that was swelling in him. It was largely relief, and there was also a lightening feeling around his chest.
They continued on to the shops.
* * *
Fucking hell. Marland ducked the -what? Tentacle? Whip? It was still attached to the Other, so it was probably a tentacle- tentacle and brought up a burning hand, trying to grab it. He failed, missing, but his flames got it, the Other snatching its tentacle back with a high-pitched howl.
Marland's ears flattened. He really hated this Other; it was a brightly coloured, almost neon, red. Its body wasn't a fixed thing, where it seemed to be able to control and mould its body in to whatever it wanted. It was vaguely humanoid at the moment, but as Marland watched, its body shifted, adding a pair of leathery wings to its back.
When they'd come across it, it looked nearly exactly like the human man that it was standing beside, apart from being red all over. Now, it had a mix of Shodin's hair and hands, while it seemed to be trying to copy Marland's scales and horns.
The other thing that Marland hated about it was that it didn't stop screeching. It screeched when it attacked, when it defended, when it was hurt, when it moved. Marland couldn't tell if there was a difference between them all. Maybe his hearing range was too low to hear it or something.
The Other screeched again when Marland's sight flashed white. At least he wouldn't have to worry about wondering if it had moved while he was blinded. Hand engulfed in flames, Marland threw a fireball at it, ears clamped to his skull.
It didn't make a difference; the scream still felt like it was reverberating right in his skull.
It didn't seem to be move as well as before though. Its movements weren't as fluid, and the time it took to change its shape was becoming sluggish too.
Good. Because otherwise, Marland had NO idea how to kill it. Its head didn't exactly stay in position, and he wasn't sure if it even had a heart. It probably DID, but that probably wouldn't stay in a fixed place either.
Marland lunged to the side from another wildly aimed attack, and struck it low in the torso, causing it to thrash some more. The tentacles drooped, and then fell, slapping on to the pavement.
Breath coming in deep gulps, Marland continued to watch it, in case it wasn't completely dead. They didn't have any way of telling thought - it didn't breathe unless it was to screech, and Marland wasn't really sure what would happen if they took off the part that looked like a head for that moment. Maybe it'd grow in to another Other, or it would rejoin with the main body without any problems. Marland wasn't interested in experimenting.
The tentacles twitched as Shodin approached it, a pipe in hand. He poked at the main body, then hastily scrabbled back as the tentacles whirled towards him. There was another white-out, lasting longer than the previous ones, Marland hearing the crackling sound again, and then he heard the thump of something hitting the ground heavily, the smell of cooking meat hitting him shortly after.
Blinking and waiting for his eyesight to clear, Marland kept an ear out for any sounds that weren't supposed to be there, but apart from the wind whistling through the street, he couldn't hear anything else.
Shodin was leaning on a nearby wall, but not as badly as he used to, and he waved at him weakly, a small smile on his face. Not panicking. Not badly, anyway.
Marland eyed the Other, where it was smoking, and threw a fireball at it, just in case. This time, there wasn't a twitch when it got hit.
Really, it did seem like they'd be attacked at least once every two trips they went out. Or at least have some sort of encounter with an Other, even if they didn't actually fight it.
Summary:
The world of Torpin is open, dragging in Others from different worlds. The majority of them are monsters, prone to violence. There are some, however, that are not, and are able to live amongst the human population, if allowed to. Marland should know; he's one of them. His job is to hunt and stop the Others that seek only to destroy what's around them. On one job, a human Other drops through a portal, an event which Marland has never heard of happening before. And that's not the only thing different about the human...
Rating: M
Notes: Contains swearing.
Any questions or clarifications, just ask. (Unless it’s, you know, plot-related. XD)
As for the italics thing, I'm going for if the word's in caps, then chances are, it's supposed to be in italics. Similarly, if there's words encompassed by -' '- , then whatever's in between them should be italicised.
Genre: Urban fantasy
Word count: 1,158
Total word count: 56,312
Status: Work in Progress
"He does still want to meet with you, you know," Shodin said as they walked down to the shop.
He wrinkled his nose, his wings shrugging for him. After that phone call, he really didn't feel like talking with Balt. He didn't want to be studied to make sure that he really was all right or something. And they always met during the day anyway, so there was no way that he would be able to go out without SOME sort of event happening. The place where they met was in the centre of the city, with large windows and seemed to be busy whenever Shodin went. So, really, no.
He didn't exactly want to just be sitting there while the other two chattered on about stuff he didn't care about, just waiting for the screaming to start.
Shodin twitched his lips at him, chuckling softly. "I guess this would be a bad time to say that I think Balt can be very stubborn as well?"
Marland eyed him. He couldn't be serious. But, he could ignore Balt easier since he wasn't actually talking to him face-to-face.
"Ah well," Shodin sighed, looking up at the sprinkling of stars in the clear sky.
They continued on like that for a little longer, Shodin humming as we they went along. The humming trailed off at one point and it wasn't long after that that Shodin spoke up again.
"I don't think I'll talk with Balt again, after this."
Marland's head snapped to him, startled, his ears completely focused on Shodin. "What?"
Shodin shrugged, finger playing with a few strands of hair that had escaped his hairband. "I know what I did before and… I'm not interested, really," he said, tone wistful, eyes still skyward.
"You're not?" Why didn't he want to go back?
Shodin breathed in deeply, breathing out just as deeply. "I prefer this life," he said simply, a small smile curling his lips.
The hell? "That makes no sense!" he spluttered, ears going back in confusion. Shodin preferred living a life where he came out in the dead of night, when he was normally diurnal, and getting attacked by Others or going after Others on a semi-regular basis? Not to mention, why wouldn't he want to live with other humans again?
His smile just grew, eyes shining. "You also need someone to keep you out of trouble," he said, voice light.
His ears went to the side. Did not, his mind went mulishly. He huffed, turning away. Shodin chuckled, bringing his head down.
"You told him?" Marland didn't exactly know Balt very well, but he seemed pretty enthusiastic. He'd probably be disappointed that he wouldn't be seeing Shodin again.
Shodin shook his head. "Not yet; I will at the next chance I get."
So, probably in the next day or so. He flicked an ear at Shodin. Marland wasn't sure what to call the swirl of emotions that was swelling in him. It was largely relief, and there was also a lightening feeling around his chest.
They continued on to the shops.
* * *
Fucking hell. Marland ducked the -what? Tentacle? Whip? It was still attached to the Other, so it was probably a tentacle- tentacle and brought up a burning hand, trying to grab it. He failed, missing, but his flames got it, the Other snatching its tentacle back with a high-pitched howl.
Marland's ears flattened. He really hated this Other; it was a brightly coloured, almost neon, red. Its body wasn't a fixed thing, where it seemed to be able to control and mould its body in to whatever it wanted. It was vaguely humanoid at the moment, but as Marland watched, its body shifted, adding a pair of leathery wings to its back.
When they'd come across it, it looked nearly exactly like the human man that it was standing beside, apart from being red all over. Now, it had a mix of Shodin's hair and hands, while it seemed to be trying to copy Marland's scales and horns.
The other thing that Marland hated about it was that it didn't stop screeching. It screeched when it attacked, when it defended, when it was hurt, when it moved. Marland couldn't tell if there was a difference between them all. Maybe his hearing range was too low to hear it or something.
The Other screeched again when Marland's sight flashed white. At least he wouldn't have to worry about wondering if it had moved while he was blinded. Hand engulfed in flames, Marland threw a fireball at it, ears clamped to his skull.
It didn't make a difference; the scream still felt like it was reverberating right in his skull.
It didn't seem to be move as well as before though. Its movements weren't as fluid, and the time it took to change its shape was becoming sluggish too.
Good. Because otherwise, Marland had NO idea how to kill it. Its head didn't exactly stay in position, and he wasn't sure if it even had a heart. It probably DID, but that probably wouldn't stay in a fixed place either.
Marland lunged to the side from another wildly aimed attack, and struck it low in the torso, causing it to thrash some more. The tentacles drooped, and then fell, slapping on to the pavement.
Breath coming in deep gulps, Marland continued to watch it, in case it wasn't completely dead. They didn't have any way of telling thought - it didn't breathe unless it was to screech, and Marland wasn't really sure what would happen if they took off the part that looked like a head for that moment. Maybe it'd grow in to another Other, or it would rejoin with the main body without any problems. Marland wasn't interested in experimenting.
The tentacles twitched as Shodin approached it, a pipe in hand. He poked at the main body, then hastily scrabbled back as the tentacles whirled towards him. There was another white-out, lasting longer than the previous ones, Marland hearing the crackling sound again, and then he heard the thump of something hitting the ground heavily, the smell of cooking meat hitting him shortly after.
Blinking and waiting for his eyesight to clear, Marland kept an ear out for any sounds that weren't supposed to be there, but apart from the wind whistling through the street, he couldn't hear anything else.
Shodin was leaning on a nearby wall, but not as badly as he used to, and he waved at him weakly, a small smile on his face. Not panicking. Not badly, anyway.
Marland eyed the Other, where it was smoking, and threw a fireball at it, just in case. This time, there wasn't a twitch when it got hit.
Really, it did seem like they'd be attacked at least once every two trips they went out. Or at least have some sort of encounter with an Other, even if they didn't actually fight it.