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Leech's odyssey-Chapter 9: Just another day...
Leech's smile faded, and his walk became a limp as he entered the long tunnel to the cave mouth. He was astonished to find it was now morning, just before the sun rose. Alice was asleep and sitting back against the wall just inside the cave, where the ground was dry wrapped in Leech's cloak. She held her bow with an arrow ready to fire, he knew it wouldn't be wise to wakes so he just sat down a few feet beside her and leaned against the wall as well. After a few minutes of sitting he began to think, "Damn. Another day, another near-death experiences. Seems like it's happening more and more lately, today the dragon, yesterday those vampire hunters, before that were those other, though much worse, hunters in Bridgedale; then again i did get caught caught feeding on one of their cows, so i guess deserved that one. Then we've got all the wild animals in the forests, and all the crazies in most towns. Not to mention I still have no name or idea where i came from.". He looked over at Alice and smiled, "Well, i guess it's not all bad.", he then closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep. Just as he did so he feel on his side and bumped Alice with his head, causing her to snap awake, firing her arrow as she did so, the arrow hitting the opposite wall was the last sound he heard before the sleep took him.
Leech was woke as several stones hit his head, he just tossed and turned to get comfortable again and fell back asleep, but the onslaught didn't stop more just kept hitting him, "five more minutes", he mumbled sleepily. There was a few seconds of silence, then he was hit hard in the head with a much larger stone, "Get up you lazy bum! I want answers!". "To what?", he asked unmoving and still half asleep, "Well get up and you'll find out!", he rolled onto his back and looked around, it was some time around noon. He lay there for a minute then slow came to his feet, yawned and stretched, "Alright. lets get going. I'll explain latter.", he said while gathering his things and walking eastward. "Wait! Where are you going!?", she called after him while she too gathered her things, "I said i'd explain latter, now let's go!", then he took off running through the trees. Alice packed roughly and fought to catch up with him, but eventually did. "I don't want to wait till latter! I want answers now!, she demanded as she ran beside him, "Look, I promise I'll tell you everything later, but for now I'd just like to reach a town before it's dark again, okay.". "Fine. But you'll have to buy the drinks that we're gonna have when we get there.", she said annoyed, he faced her as they ran, "I guess that's fair." Leech agreed smiling.
As he faced forward again he smacked hard into a tree, he stayed against the tree for several seconds before falling straight on his back, "Ow!" he moaned standing quickly. "I seriously doubt that hurt you, but that's what you get for not watching where you're going", she laughed, "I guess so.", he shrugged and smiled as he leaned against the offending tree. "Ha. I've got a fun idea! let's have a race!", he said with a small laugh, "oh yeah, to where?", Alice asked looking around mockingly, "To the nearest road to the east. That should test our speed and endurance. And hey, I'll even give you a full minute head start.". "Okay! You just say when! I'll beat you this time!", she said confidently as she got into a running stance, Leech closed his eyes and began to count down, "three...two...one...Now!!", and his call Alice darted silently forward. Leech shook his head, "Never can refuse a challenge", he thought with a smile. "Well, now that she's gone i can figure out how to get those wings back. Now, let's see, what was i doing when they came out in the fight. I was falling and really wanted to not hit the ground, so let's start with that.". He looked around and found a very tall tree that must have been at least three hundred feet tall, "That one should be good enough.", he though before leaping effortlessly to the top of it. "Damn, how far in this forest are we. this must be one of the tallest tree here. I think that's Ungar there.", he thought looking eastward, he could even smell the sea from where he was. "Alright might as well get this over with." He said.
He gazed down at the ground from his perch and knew that it would be very messy if he screwed this up. He stepped back and took a deep breath then leapt from his perch, spreading out in midair, facing downward.He realized something was wrong when the ground continued to rise towards him. No understanding that his wings did not appear he thought to himself, "this is going to be a painful landing" just before he belly flopped on the hard surface of the ground". As he landed there was a chorus of snaps and pops as all of his bones broke and joints dislocated. "Well, it wasn't as bad as i thought.", Leech laughed as he flopped he damaged body onto his back. He coughed a small amount blood as he laid there for several minutes while his bone quickly healed. Once they were back together he lifted and slammed his hips on the ground then there were two loud pops as his leg joints went back into the correct places. "s**t, that hurt! well, at least the pain it's as bad as last time.", he thought as he popped his ankles then, with only his legs, stood shakily as another chorus of pops rang from his body.
He walked slowly to a tree and slammed his shoulders, one at a time, into it and corrected them as well. After another few seconds fixing all his smaller joints he leaned against another tree and thought, "Well, as fun as that was, it was totally ineffective. It's gotta be emotion or adrenaline then.". Leech closed his eyes and thought back, remembering every detail of his earlier fight, as it progressed his adrenaline began to pulse from the intense memory. Once he hit the part where he was blasted with flame, there was a ripping sound that tore him from his memory, he turned his head to once again see the black feathered wings. he laughed a little to himself as he tried to gain control of the new appendages, he was amazed to notice that had very little weight. He soon had the feel for them and began to flap them faster and faster, in a matter of seconds he gained enough lift and found himself reaching the top of the trees quickly. "Damn, it's nice up here", he thought as he began soar eastward on the chilly winter air. After a small flight he looked down and saw a small, fast figure moving quickly below him, he smiled and increased his speed when he noticed it was Alice. Once he was far enough away he landed atop a tree and watched her though the barren trees as she got closer. When she was only a few yards away Leech stepped calmly of the branch he was standing on and fell to land right in front of her. "SON-OF-A-b***h!", she yelled sliding to halt before falling flat on her face in the snow.
Leech closed his eyes as he began to laugh uncontrollably, seconds later he was tackled to the ground, still laughing. When he opened his eyes Alice was sitting on his stomach and she hit him in the face with a hard left punch, "Jerk! You cheated! I don't know how, but you did!", "But Alice, seeing as how we didn't set any rules...", she cut him off with a quick and hard slap across the face. "How'd you do it anyway?", she demanded as she sat up straighter and shook the snow from her hair with a quick toss of her head. Time slowed in Leech's mind as something about the way she looked in that moment struck him, the way she sat on him positioned her so that the sunlight haloed her head, and he felt his face get hot as he stared into her amber colored eyes he realized for the first time that she was quite beautiful. "Hey! Why are you looking at me like that? Ya see somethin' ya like?", she asked with a sly smile. He turned even redder and looked away from her, "Um...Well I...um....nevermind. These are how i 'cheated'.", he then gave a quick flap of his wings, showering them both in more snow. "What the hell was that!?", Alice asked as she rolled to her feet and looked ready for a fight, Leech just laughed and shock his head, "What's wrong, you don't see 'em?", "See what?", Alice said confused. Leech looked at is wings to find out that they were both now white and all but invisible in the snow.
He stood and fanned them out to their full seven foot length to rid them of the snow before bringing them together behind him, Alice stood in amazement for a minute before blurting out, "Awesome! Where'd those things come from!?". Leech laughed, "Well, from me obviously", she too laughed, "Smart-a**. Well, I guess that's the only answer you've got, right.", then she looked at the wings inquisitively. "You have a question?", he asked smiling, "Well, if you know that why don't ya just read my mind and see for yourself, 'Thought thief' ". Leech smiled and shock his head, "I guess i could, but doing that always makes me uncomfortable, and besides, I don't ever want to read yours. I trust that you'll say the things you want to.", he said seriously, but still smiling. "You're no fun ya know, Fine, I'll ask. Can i touch them?", she asked with a sigh. "Sure, but you didn't really need to ask ya know.", he spread his wings out again as she walked behind him, "I know, but it's polite, and i figure if you're not going to be the polite one I have to be.", she than began to laugh. Leech felt her touch his left wing as she asked, "Do you have feeling in these things?", he began to laugh hard, "Yes apparently cause that tickles!", "Wow, these things are really, really soft!", she said as though not having heard him. "Hey, come bake around here and look at this.", he said over his shoulder, once the two were face to face again Alice motioned for him to get on with it, he brought the wings in front of him and overlapped them over his body. Alice busted into laughter, "Y...You look like you're in some kinda feathered cocoon or something!", the two stood laughing for several minutes before it subsided, Alice then looked up at the sky, then back at Leech, "You think that those things could carry the both of us? I mean it would defiantly make travel fast and easier.".
Leech looked at his wings and gave them a small flap, "hm, good point. To tell ya the truth I don't know, but i guess there's only one way to find out right.", he looked up and flapped them once more before looking back at Alice, "Ya ready?", she nodded her response then he scooped her up in his arms and she threw an arm over his shoulders and with a leap and a few wing flaps the two were airborne, well above the trees. "Wow! The view is beautiful up here!", Alice said calmly, but despite her tone he could fell her shaking, "Don't be afraid, I won't drop you trust me, okay?", Alice nodded,"I know, and i do. Lets just get going ok.", Leech then flew forward as slowly as he could, but soon he had to speed up to stay up, the speed scared Alice and she grabbed his shoulder and buried her face in his chest. He instantly began to feel extremely hot and slowly descended and landed, "What's Wrong? too heavy?" Alice asked as he slowly placed her on the ground. "No, it's not that, i just need a minute. wait here and I'll be back.", he said walking away from her, he still felt extremely hot and was breathing hard, he heard her call something after him but couldn't listen to what it was. He made his way a few yards from where they had landed to a small, unfrozen creek he spotted, he got down on his knees and took a handful of the cool water and splashed it on his face, then got another and drunk it. After sitting by the water for several minutes he felt normal again and stood to return to Alice, as he did so he heard something behind him and spun on his heels and drew his sword, which was met with a loud metal ringing sound as it struck another held by a person in a black robe and their head wrapped in black cloth except for their eyes, which showed both fear and anger.
"Who are you!?", Leech demanded, the person's only response was a sudden and hard knee to Leech's stomach. The hit didn't really hurt but it did force him to gasp for air, giving his attacker an opening to strike, which they took when they spun to the left and rolled behind Leech cutting a deep gash down his back as they did. He stumbled forward, "Son of a b***h, that hurt you b*****d!" he cried as he quickly regained his footing and doing a huge back flip, landing just behind his attacker, he whispered in their ear, "Surprise. Now let's see how you like it.", then he brought his blade across their back, but his attack didn't just slice teir back, it cut the person clean in half. "Damn, I think I may have over did it a little. Well, i guess they shouldn't have attacked me like that.", he though to him self as he walked back to the creek, when there he cleaned the blood from his sword, dried it, and then returned it to it's scabbard.
Just as he turned to walk back he saw a flash then felt pain and pressure in his chest, when he looked down there was a long, angular blade dead center of his chest. "What the hell.." he said curiously as he pulled it from his body, he examined it for several seconds before two more similar blades tore into each of his legs, "OW!! Dammit, those things hurt!" he yelled just as five more hit him in the chest. He began to feel very weak and sleepy, he sniffed the tip of the one blade in is had and noticed it had a strange smell, "Damn! poison!", he thought as his vision began to get blurry. He took several steps in the direction he had seen them come from, but as seven more embedded themselves in is stomach and another grazed his cheek he stopped and stood wobbly for a second before passing out falling forward onto the knives, that were now totally consumed into his body.
 randomizor301 · Wed Oct 13, 2010 @ 09:02am · 0 Comments |
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