threetoads

Rise of the New Heroes

Kestrel

Kestrel almost jumped when she felt Olivia's hand touch her back. She tightened the grip around her pseudo-shield and was ready to swing when she realised what had happened. "No no no, no..." She uttered and frantically placed the shield on her back once more. Ignorant of Thundercloud's tantrum in the background.

The woman's eyes had turned a ghostly white and between that and the trace of blood on her face, Kestrel wasn't sure what concerned her more. "Hey, you're going to be okay, I'm gonna-" What was she going to do? She vaguely remembered basic first aid but surprisingly enough superhero first aid wasn't in any of her classes.

With the chaos of Thundercloud's lightning rampage far in the back of her mind, Kestrel checked the woman's pulse and breathing. Both appeared to be in order though possibly irregular. Her own shaking and the wind billowing in from outside made it far more difficult to tell for sure. It took much of her remaining strength to gently roll Olivia over to her side, a side effect of her own intensifying exhaustion.

She wasn't sure if she had helped the woman at all, but there was little else she could do. And even if there had been...A bolt of rogue lightning from Thundercloud's barrage had hit her directly in the back. The shield absorbed as much as it could before shattering and vanishing and the residual force of the attack sent her flying towards the entrance of the lobby.

Mystery of the Key - a Collaborative Writing Story

Arthur's eyes remained fixated on the intricately crafted fountain while Clark cleared his throat.

"Well, believe it or not, a long time ago now there was genuine peace between your people and mine.' He began.

"Irris may not be the capital, but it was the site of one of the most horrible battles of the last war. So when the war ended, the Lord at the time brought together the best craftsmen he could find, human and insect alike."

Clark could tell that Arthur was listening to him intently but he also sensed that his mind was wondering a little towards something else.

"Ants, termites, men from the mountains and men from the other side of the sea, even bees...Some twenty craftsmen, all technically just for a fountain but it meant much more than that. It was a symbol of unity in more ways than one, a true end of the war..." The Cricket wasn't quite sure at what point his tears of awe turned into full on crying but he tried his best to hide it from Arthur.

Arthur struggled to find the words to respond. He listened to Clark speak of something beautiful and he could see it in front of his eyes and yet his words oozed pain as if an old wound had reopened itself.

"Hey, the fountain is still here. People haven't forgotten. One too many need a scapegoat for their problems though." Arthur felt a pang in his stomach. A mix of worry for his friend, adrenaline from his earlier fight wearing off and hunger...

"Yeah, let's hope they find better ways of solving them this time around though." Clark had cleared his eyes and noticed the meat stall that Arthur was eyeing up previously.

"Let's get to Delia, shall we? We'll get you something more to eat than leaves if she pays us, I don't want you passing out on me and believe me I do not have the strength to drag you around."

Mystery of the Key - a Collaborative Writing Story

A sort of anxiety washed over Arthur. The way he'd been treated and his experiences since waking up had been, for lack of a better word, pleasant. Yet he was aware now that based on the information Clark had shared with him and simply with how close they now were to a substantial amount of people, this relative peace might have been at an end.

As they packed up and stretched, Arthur could feel his stomach churn. He wasn't sure if it was just the anxiety or hunger or both but Clark was already nudging him a handing him a leaf to chew on. The scorching sun from before had made way for the moon, or rather two moons, and a chill had begun to roll in. The Amnesiac found himself nearly walking face first into a tree before Clark pulled him out of the way.

"Please be careful." The Cricket lectured.

"But the m-."

"What about them? I know you forgot a lot but surely the two pearls we see in the sky at night isn't something you could just cease to remember?"

"Nevermind." Arthur shrugged. It's not like he could know what was or wasn't 'right' currently and staring into the sky certainly didn't help. What caught his attention next however was the warm orange glow beginning to materialise from behind the trees. Clark had stopped him and, without saying a word, began to guide him in a different direction. He realised they were nearing the road and Clark seemed put off by the sheer amount of torchlight approaching them.

By the time they broke out into a narrow but visible path cutting through the forest the ringing of the bell had become insufferably loud. He could hear Clark attempt to mumble something about one thing or another being 'unusual' but to Arthur everything seemed unusual currently. He understood that they had to reach the path to avoid just fumbling out of the forest into a swathe of people but Clark had evidently entered Irris before so this should've been child's play to him.

As they made their way out of the path and connected with the main road, Arthur finally understood what the caravan was about.

Wagon after wagon made their way past the duo. Each pulled by two antlered creatures with steam rising from their noses as they huffed. It seemed they were feeling the chill too. Prisoners, goods, wheat, all rolling past them with no end in sight. All surrounded by armed guards and travelling on the outer parts of the road was...Everyone else. Drunks, farmers, other travelers. And while the air was busy was the sound of that godforsaken bell and the huffing of the animals pulling the wagons, Arthur could just barely catch hints of conversation here and there. A confusing blend of complaining, laughter and swearing. All largely incomprehensible and yet the sight and sound of other humans brought him comfort. It wasn't until he realised that he was staring at the passers by rather intently and was getting confused and threatening looks in return that he snapped out of it.

Clark, on the other hand, was frozen in place. Arthur quickly noticed that his eyes were following something and yet it didn't appear as though he was looking at any of the humans. Clark's eyes, it turned out, were fixated on one particular prison wagon. He watched in what Arthur could only interpret as horror as an entire wagon with a single prisoner on it rolled past them. An entire wagon for a single prisoner and yet the creatures that pulled it appeared to be struggling. Once he could see the prisoner more clearly, Arthur wasn't entirely sure if he was going to burst out laughing or just pull Clark right back and immediately start heading for Fletcherville again, his memory be damned.

The prisoner slowly disappearing from their sight was...A frog. A frog that, despite sitting down, would already be nearly as tall as Arthur. The prisoner was bound in three separate sets of chains for both his arms and legs and even that seemed more theatrical than practical. His hands looked big enough to crush each chain to dust with minimal effort and it probably wouldn't have taken more than a gentle stretch for the links on the chain that bound his legs to just start popping off one by one. When the prisoner appeared to look directly at him, Arthur felt like his eyes were going to jump out of his head with how quickly he averted his gaze.

"Look uh..." His thoughts escaped him. "We're about to miss our chance, not much of the caravan left." Arthur tapped Clark on the back and waited for a response.

Mystery of the Key - a Collaborative Writing Story

The road out of Fletcherville towards the human town seemed pleasant enough. While the sun wasn't at its peak anymore, it still burned uncomfortably and so once they had reached the cliffside path and the sun hid behind the hulking mass of rock, the walk became far more bearable.

"So this place..." Arthur began.

"Irris." Clark muttered.

"Right. Irris. You said we'd get robbed? And that your kind doesn't blend in too well around human towns?"

"Mhm."

"But they have no qualms about getting medical help from Fletcherville?"

"Funny how that works isn't it?" Clark sighed. His dejection at the journey he hoped to avoid becoming more apparent.

With the sea on their left and the road ahead uneventful, Arthur lost himself in his own thoughts for a while. Why couldn't he remember where he was from or how he found himself spitting out sand in the middle of the day? The sea felt...Familiar to him in some strange way and yet he wasn't entirely sure what the feeling meant. If he was a sailor before he certainly couldn't remember how to even steer a ship. If he was a pirate then, well, a sword would certainly be nice to have right now but he could picture himself fumbling around with one and stabbing himself instead.

He didn't realise just how gentle the incline on the path must have been because what started as a walk directly by the waves had led them to a rather precarious fall. While Arthur looked down in mild horror, Clark seemed to cheer up once again.

"There! The Irris Lighthouse."

Arthur could just about make out a tower off in the distance though the forest between them and it made it looked like it was hovering over the water.

"Oh that's not the forest." Clark interjected. "I mean, that is a forest but I mean the lighthouse. A good chunk of Irris stands on the rock that's been undercut by the waves for...Well for some time now. That lighthouse will be the first thing to go if any of it ever falls."

"There's a lower port level too, unfortunately I don't know where Charity Lane is so we're probably going to have to risk asking someone."

While Clark had successfully managed to make him feel uneasy about Irris, Arthur couldn't help but feel a tinge of excitement at the prospect of seeing another human. What if someone recognised him? Maybe he lived in Irris before his memory loss? Clark must've read his mind because Arthur only just caught him rolling his eyes.

"We should camp here." Clark said and perched against a dark green tree. "There's a caravan that arrives at the upper level every day in the evening, along with various other people from the local farms and whatnot. It'll be easier to get in with a crowd but that's not for a couple hours away still."

Arthur sighed and sat by a tree opposite the cricket. A nap sounded good right now.

Rise of the New Heroes

Kestrel

Kestrel felt as though she was watching the spectacle unfolding in front of her in third person. As if she wasn't truly there. No, the person that watched helplessly as the talisman slinging hero sacrificed the last of his power to shield her from Thundercloud's attack couldn't have been her. She felt as though she was up above in the lobby, unsinged by the lightning, not truly experiencing the absurdity of the goth-looking man turning himself into a more extravagant light show than Thundercloud himself.

She was frozen. Evaluating but not acting. There were less of them inside the lobby now, she knew this was hardly an astute observation but the information had only just caught up to her. One hero dead. The rogue tire sent flying out towards the sky. The teleporting woman and the strange shadow being nowhere to be seen. That left just...

"...the brigHTER THE RAINBOWWW!"

The light that filled the lobby nearly blinded her and she felt herself stumbling. The mix of sensory overload and exhaustion were not doing her any favors. She turned herself away from the light-powered beatdown she hoped Thundercloud would receive and scanned the room. She had not seen a single dead body before this night, now she was certain she was seeing many. Several of Thundercloud's goons were sprawled on the ground and yet the ringing of the gunshots from outside continued since...

Movement! Someone was okay, or at least somewhat okay. Kestrel quickly realised it was the funny woman, and she was clutching her head.

A round disc of swirling energy materialised on Kestrel's back. A sort of shield, attachment strap included, to keep her from getting herself zapped in the back while she traversed the lobby. Olivia wasn't far from her at all but the lobby felt far larger to her now than it was since she arrived. She dashed between the rubble of a pillar and more than a few broken desks to get to her.

"Are...Are you okay?" She uttered. Olivia looked to be in pain, as if she was experiencing the migraine of a lifetime, Kestrel wanted to nudge her gently to get her attention when it hit her. The only reason they weren't all being peppered with bullets right now was because of Olivia. Her unusual humor always coincided with Thundercloud's goons behaving unusually. Kestrel wasn't certain how or if that's how the woman's power worked, she had a choice to make and neither felt optimal.

"If you can hear me and if you need help please just...Thump me on the back or something, I'll try to keep you safe in the meantime. " Kestrel knew that all confidence was sapped from her voice. Her knees barely held her up as she crouched by Olivia and removed the shield from her back, expecting only the worst.

Mystery of the Key - a Collaborative Writing Story

"Aaaaah..." The Cricket repeated the sound in between bites of his leaves, as if he was stuck in deep thought. "Aaaaahhhrrr..." Then Clark's eyes appeared to light up. "Arthur! That must be your name." The Man pondered. It didn't sound like his name, but he didn't know what his name was in the first place. He knew he had to pick something though, it wasn't likely that his every encounter would go as well as this one and introducing himself as an amnesiac with no name would probably get him in some kind of trouble sooner or later.

Clark looked at him with what appeared to be a smile, seemingly picking up on his acceptance of the name and the indirect compliment. "Arthur it is." The Man said, finishing up the last of his leaves. His belly was full and his thirst was quenched and yet he remained directionless. He watched the fire begin to die down when it hit him that he would be sleeping under the stars tonight if he didn't find civilization...And some gold.

"I don't supp--" Arthur began.

"No." The cheerful cricket had suddenly turned serious.

"What do you mean no?" The man was confused again.

"We're not going there." Clark shook his head and paced around the fire, slowly beginning to gather his things.

"Going where?"

"If you don't know then all the better for you. Neither of us has much to be robbed of and my kind doesn't really blend in too well in your towns."

Arthur watched the cricket collect his cups and remaining leaves and how carefully he packed them in a makeshift rucksack of sorts, a combination of sturdy looking vines and wide leaves he wasn't sure he had ever seen before.

"We have plenty of time until sunset. I would be delighted to bring you with me to my people and perhaps you can find some answers there, maybe the village doctor can do something about your amnesia." Clark chirped, his serious tone fading. "Otherwise I can give you directions to the town but I would highly suggest you don't go there. It's your choice."

Mystery of the Key - a Collaborative Writing Story

was a man, holding the key, unable to find a lock that would fit it. Thoughts raced through his mind. Was he seeing himself, or someone else? The previous owner perhaps? A strange sort of panic began to set over him and he could feel himself reaching for the key as if there was any chance it could have disappeared. It was his only clue, after all.

Then he laughed. He was delirious, of course. There was no other explanation. Here he was, watching a cricket maintain a fire he had probably built himself which created prophetic smoke. Suddenly things started to make more sense. He still couldn't remember a thing but he began to try and deduce his circumstances. It was likely he got into a drunken brawl on a ship, perhaps he had won the key from someone and the argument that followed got a bit too heated. He took a solid blow to the head and went overboard and of course no one had bothered to look for him.

"Yeah, that must be it." He said, sitting down by the fire. For a moment it seemed as though the cricket had looked at him, confused, but he simply continued adding wood to the fire. The Man in the Smoke seemed desperate now. Charred chests, doors and padlocks manifested themselves from the flames but none would fit the key. Eventually all that was left was the key itself, and the scene in the smoke remained unchanged. No man, no locks, just a key without a purpose or owner.

A sudden thirst overcame the man and he realised all he could taste was salt in his mouth and being dehydrated probably wasn't helping his apparent hallucinations. He got up from beside the fire and tried to think of where to go to find some fresh water when the cricket...

Mystery of the Key - a Collaborative Writing Story

I submit as my sample:

Something

By the time one of the pirates had called out land, The Archivist had just finished emptying what little food remained in his stomach. The sea did not agree with him; travelling on a ship full of cutthroats did not agree with him and his assignment definitely did not agree with him.

It was for the fourth time since they had departed that he had thrown up a mix of fish and grog over the side the ship and he wasn't sure he had the energy to go through it once more. He slumped against the wood and looked up at the sails billowing overhead. The pirates had swapped out their signature flag, a fractured island, to one more acceptable to the locals; A mix of three shades of blue coming together in a swirl in the middle to form a whirlpool.

Their destination had no quarry with pirates. It welcomed them, in fact, as a deterrent for even more unsavory characters. The passing ships of the royal navy would cause problems however, and the closer they were to the island the more of them they happened to come across. It would typically be an unusual sight to see hulking warships patrolling an island known primarily for its export of fungus and potent alcohol and yet the last few months had made such a sight increasingly more common.

Between ghost ships, the drowned plaguing the beaches and an unusually high amount of storms, there were plenty stranger sights to see and so despite the imminent danger of the navy figuring out that the ship The Archivist travelled on was filled to the brim with outlaws and perforating it with cannonballs would be effortless to them, their presence was welcome.

A bit of nothing.

Rise of the New Heroes

Kestrel

"You see that? Is that a fucking talking cat?!" Kestrel heard the large man's words but couldn't quite process them. Between trying to maintain her two ethereal spears and witnessing a tire assault Thundercloud and the shadowy figure that appeared behind him, she was starting to doubt if this wasn't just another one of the dreams like the ones she had shortly after the meteor fell. The fact that she kept seeing another woman zip from place to place didn't help either. There was simply too much happening.

Her initial plan was to redirect Thundercloud's attacks outside, to throw one spear outside and try to channel the energy absorbed by the other into it but the glances Kane was giving her and the racist electrician suggested he had another idea. "Are those safe to touch?" His question shook her out of it somewhat. Redirecting the lightning would protect them, yes, but Thundercloud kept responding to their attempts at survival with increasing force and none of them were entirely sure how much he was capable of. It was time to respond with force.

Her mind wandered again. Kestrel was never violent. All her life she was kept away from danger and coddled by her parents to the point of being terrified of risk. She went against them, of course, as much as she could. Time and time again she tried and often failed to leave her bubble and do something new. And yet here she was, feeling as though her life was moments from being over be it via dangerous jolt of electricity or from the weight of the building burying all of them as it slowly fell apart.

She was pretty sure she saved a few of the strangers after the initial attack and she protected Robin just as he requested, and yet what would it all be for if she failed now? Was she really expecting to accomplish something grand when she barged out of her dorm and ran for the Tower? The crackling that began to emanate from the embedded spear snapped her out of it.

With the gunfire amplifying outside, Thundercloud began charging another attack. A big one. There was no time left.

"They're still absorbing the energy from his previous attack, but I don't know how much more they can hold." She uttered. "If I let go of it I don't know how long it will last, but you can throw it harder than I can." Kestrel tightened her grip on the spear embedded in the floor and reached out with the other towards Kane just as Thundercloud unleashed his newest attack. It seemed as though even the weather had turned against them as another flood lightning came from behind. She manifested a set of waist high barriers for herself, Kane and Robin to in a desperate attempt to give them some degree of protection if worst came to worst.

There really was no time left.

Rise of the New Heroes

Kestrel

With her barriers now gone and after seemingly receiving some help from the talisman-throwing stranger with protecting others, Kestrel tried her best to take quick stock of the room. The pillar behind which she previously hid was fracturing, that much was clear. But it would last for a little while at least. She was ready to conjure something to slow or break its fall if and when it was necessary.

She never did receive a response to her callout, not a verbal one, but with all the other mysterious arrivals in the room now fully engaged in fighting Thundercloud and his goons she was fairly certain that they were all there for the same reason. Even the truck making its way alarmingly fast towards the walking, talking storm. It seemed, at first glance, that they had the advantage. Thundercloud was strong, and he was clearly holding back, but the odds were against him especially as his armed militia fell or became enthralled by dad jokes.

Then in a flash it seemed as though they were all back where they started. The thralls fell, zapped by their own boss. The hulking man from the elevator was in the sights of several rifles and the truck was no barreling towards Thundercloud. She had intended to approach the girl with the deadly humor or try and catch up with the girl that seemed to disappear from place to place to try and organise better but she had only enough time to formulate the thought before Thundercloud began lashing the lobby with more electricity.

Wider arcs this time. If she put up barriers all she would be doing is splitting the electricity briefly before it rejoined itself on the other side. She considered throwing something at Thundercloud, an energy tennis ball perhaps? She feared it might dissipate before it hit him but she didn't have to worry about it long.

"I need to consult with my sensei. Can you protect me?" The ski-masked stranger had landed next to her and without giving her time to respond he began to chant. The barriers he had put up for others helped but she suspected (and hoped she was wrong) that the different nature of this attack would make them only partially effective. Still, he had asked for help and she wasn't about to fail.

Kestrel had to think. Fast. Thundercloud's electricity obviously didn't function like normal electricity, but shared enough properties to be just as deadly. The visible lashes of yellow lightning that permeated the room looked almost as though they were flowing. Could she make a wavebreaker? Applying fluid dynamics to electricity seemed absurd yet not much more than the events unfolding around her. On the other hand, she wasn't sure how the energy that made up the objects she conjured interacted with electricity. She couldn't tell in the earlier chaos if her barriers were destroyed or if they simply dissipated upon contact with Thundercloud's attacks. The wavebreaker seemed like an idea for another time, Kestrel had something else in mind.

She conjured two lightning rods. Or rather, two glorified spears composed entirely of energy she couldn't fully understand and she was about to try and use them as something resembling lightning rods, if lightning rods were made with superpowered physics in mind. What could go wrong?

By the time Robin had uttered "Pyu, pyu! Hakishujo!", one rod was jammed firmly into the floor beneath Kestrel. After which she braced for the impact of Thundercloud's attack before attempting to throw the other through the now 'open' windows...