"Go On and Pull That Trigger!"

Just a little brain-zephyr's worth of writing for you while I think of a better update:

The bloody mess was spread over a space of at least ten feet, broken bones and flesh scattered like patches of macabre plant life amongst the dry scrub of the plain. What hadn’t been taken by scavengers was playing host to a massive swarm of damned flies, their tiny black bodies part of a hungering army which scurried eagerly amid the gore.

A cloud of them filled the air around what was left of the corpse. Their strange, shrill buzzing was intensely loud despite the open terrain. To anyone listening closely enough, the noise could be heard as hundreds of high, thin screams that could drive a man insane if he listened for too long.The hunter swept his gaze across the thickest patch of the stuff, where rib bones stuck out of caked blood and rotting meat. He’d seen three more killings like this one recently, but this, absurdly, was the tidiest of the bunch. He checked the grip of his pistols and looked at the surroundings.

Parched, gritty plains extended in every direction, dotted here and there with spindly, skeletal trees and unremarkable rocks of all shapes and sizes. The scrub was a no-man's land constantly baked by the glaring, oppressive suns, with little cover for a predator, let alone a man-eater, and the few creatures that called it home could provide no real sustenance. Aside from the damned flies, whose screaming would become maddeningly loud whenever they were attacked, a few small lizards and scorpions could be found scurrying about the baked ground. These might have kept a lone eagle or reaperwing from starving, but a man-eater would die after a day in this environment.

‘Miles from anywhere, no sign of tracks, nowhere near in range of any man-eaters and besides, they wouldn’t have left anything, let alone this much mess.’

‘What a bloody shambles.’

‘What do you reckon?’ asked the taller man, switching his gaze to his partner.

The hunters were nearly identical in their clothing; broad, shady hats protected their eyes from the yellow and orange suns glaring down on the plain. They wore battered brown dusters over their clothes (unremarkable denim jeans and plain, simple shirts) and their hands covered by finely worked black leather gloves. The only real difference lay in their choice of armaments.

The shorter, slimmer man, with cold blue eyes and a scraggly black beard, wore a modified rifle which had a long body and a thick, oppressive muzzle. There were also two very serious-looking knives at his belt, which he toyed with idly.

Ka, the taller of the pair, was a heavyset man with two massive pistols holstered at his waist and a red bandanna tied around the bicep of his coat. A scratched, well-used axe peeked from the harness on his back. His brown eyes flicked nervously from the corpse to his partner.

‘Oll? I said, what do you reckon?’

His companion squatted down by the remains, sweeping his broad-brimmed hat from side to side in an effort to clear the damned flies from his sight. He reached out with a gloved hand and dipped a finger into the mess, stirring it around before gingerly pulling a broken rib from the muck. He inspected it thoughtfully, then tossed it over his shoulder, a handful of damned flies screaming helplessly after their meal.

‘Oll? You goin’ deaf, mate?’

The shorter man stood up, replacing his hat and placing his hands on his hips.

‘I reckon…’

‘Yeah?’

‘I reckon we need a fuckin’ drink.’

"Let me hold you, touch you, feel you, always."

I forgot how much I love Blink 182.

AFTERNOON, MORTALS! How’s life been treating you? Good? Good! I’m pleased for you. Really.

You see, I finally got around to checking my old Yahoo! inbox yesterday, simply because I needed to use a Yank client for Dungeons and Dragons Online in order to play with my buddy Chris (who moved to sunny Walla Walla earlier this year) and I found a message sent during July by an old friend of mine. I thought she'd moved on to greener, college-shaped pastures with a distinct lack of local Odsox (that's the plural of Odsox, by the way. Why yes, I am lazy, aren't I?).

So that's buoyed my spirits a fair bit, and I'll give you lot a little rundown of how life has been lately, mostly for her benefit.

I’ve been having a fairly good time , truth be told. Tonight I’ll be making some more adjustments to Chris’ old bike in the hope of being able to use it myself and increasing my daily exercise from Virtually None to Some, which will be awesome. The diet of cornflakes/toast and a cup of tea for breakfast followed by a sandwich and apple for lunch with a dinner of chicken noodles is working out to be incredibly cheap and easily maintained. I actually had to stop eating my sausage roll for lunch yesterday because I felt full! =D It’s pleasing to know that my self-discipline is increasing in regard to some things, even if it’s failing miserably in others (curse you, ExTeel!).

Got my hair cut recently, and that always makes me feel a bit better about myself. I suppose it’s helped by the fact that the only person who ever really cut my hair was Mum, so I get that vague pulse of nostalgia when I get it done. It compliments the beard and swish sideburns quite nicely, if I do say so myself, though I’ve been giving second thoughts to either trimming the beard down or getting rid of it entirely. It means I lose my power for a while but hey, when it returns it comes back stronger!

Speaking of getting stronger, I’m continuing my self-torture (read: amateur writing attempt) on deviantArt, so if you feel like taking some time to read a bit of fantasy fiction (and if you don’t like fantasy fiction there must be something wrong with you) set in the Forgotten Realms universe, check out the shiny new link section ovah thur --> entitled "Love and Revenge". I realise the title is lame but that's never been my strong suit.

Well, what else is there to tell you.. Hm..

Oh! I’ve been reading the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher and it’s REALLY good! I won’t get into discussing it (that’s what Wikipedia is for, don’tcherknow), but I highly recommend it for anyone who has a gap in their reading schedule!

I’VE JUST REMEMBERED!

IT’S THE CARLING FESTIVAL AT THE END OF THIS MONTH!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Oh man, I have to get my finances sorted!

TTFN!

Love, Odsox.

"Are you doing something wicked?"

It is to sigh.

I told myself I wouldn't do this, for so many reasons, but here's the second chunk of Odwyn's story.

I can't believe I gave in to writing this bloody thing..

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Water pattered down onto the broad brim of Odwyn's hat.

He stood beneath a massive tree atop a mud-slicked hill, leaning on his staff and glaring out at the bad weather.
'You used to love the rain,' said his companion, sat against the tree trunk and wrapping a longbow in a well-used oilskin. His blonde hair and forest colours contrasted with the sorcerer's dark robes. Odwyn sighed, turning his one good eye on the ranger.
'It felt cleansing, years ago. Now it just makes me miserable.'
He huffed impatiently, striding over to the ranger and looking about.
'Where has she gotten to now?' he asked aloud, peering into the trees. His companion looked up from his task, and tilted his head to one side. The sorcerer held a hand over his eye and smiled.
~Ah, there you are. Come on back now, dear.~ he sent. A buzzing noise came into hearing from the woods behind the massive tree, and a large beetle swooped from the shadows. It flew across to the sorcerer, landing cautiously on the tip of his staff and buzzing its wings once or twice.
'Poor thing,' Odwyn said with a smile, 'you're soaked. Allow me.'
He focused his mind on the staff, causing several of the runes to glow faintly. The drops of moisture on his familiar's back turned slowly to steam, and it gave a contented buzz before hopping to his shoulder. The blonde ranger stood up, watching Odwyn carefully. Sean Greensun hadn't seen his friend for nearly four years, and had already noted the disturbing changes in his appearance and manner. For one, there was the eye. In their adventuring days Odwyn had possessed two sharp, darting black eyes that took in everything with an air of cold calculation. One remained, but as a dull, black orb that swung lazily onto whatever the sorcerer looked at. Sean had still to find out what happened to the other, which was covered by a ragged scrap of cloth completely out of keeping with Odwyn's meticulous dress sense.
'You're staring,' said the sorcerer, frowning.
'Sorry,' Sean replied with an embarassed smile, 'I can't help it. We haven't heard from you in so long. Now you're back, it's..' he trailed off.
'Different,' said the sorcerer, returning his friend's smile. 'I know,' he said, walking over to the trunk of the giant tree and leaning his staff against it. He dropped to his haunches and the blue beetle buzzed upward to rest on a branch hanging over the two travellers. The tree dominated the hill, great branches extending a good fifteen feet outward and providing thick cover from the rain. It stood at the edge of the forgotten forest that Sean called home.
The dark, verdant environment was well known throughout the region, both for its beauty and for the tales of its terrible guardians; a monstrous dragon from ancient times, who sent his ruthless agent of death out amongst the eaves and shadows to murder honest hunters while they gathered food for their families. The stories said that the last thing many travellers heard was the whoosh of an arrow and the mocking laughter of the golden-haired killer that stalked the woods.
Odwyn knew better. He had met Sean for the first time while travelling through the forest on his way to Icewind Dale, when the ranger had dropped from shadows at the edge of his campfire and offered to share a brace of rabbits he had caught. After talking for an age, it turned out that Sean merely kept away the worst of the poachers, and took for himself only what he needed. As to the tales of a dragon residing somewhere within the dark confines of the forest, Greensun had never been able to elaborate.
Odwyn sighed, leaning back against the tree beside the ranger.
'It is complicated, Sean. Once I get to Neverwinter, you will understand.'
'Neverwinter,' said the ranger with a frown, 'is a stinking, despicable hive of thugs.'
His companion blinked with his one eye, before cracking a smile reminiscent of the old Odwyn.
'Your love of cities hasn't grown any, then,' he said with a short laugh. 'Have you even set foot out of your forest since last I saw you?'
'Only when absolutely necessary.'
'You've become a hermit, Sean, skulking in your forest and grumbling over outsiders!'
'I might say the same of you,' Sean replied, unable to stop himself grinning at his friend, 'we haven't heard from you in what, four years?'
'Five,' Odwyn said, raising a hand to confirm it with his fingers.
'Unbelievable. Odwyn Stadt, the recluse. Odwyn "The Sorcerer That Never Shuts Up" Stadt, Daniel used to say.'
'Daniel? Hah, I haven't even thought of him in years,' said the sorcerer, rubbing at his chin with one gloved hand. 'Where is he now?'
'Oh, knifing people in the dark alleys of Waterdeep, no doubt. He always did love picking on spellcasters.'
'I remember,' said Odwyn, recalling some of the practical jokes the rogue had played on him in the past. He removed his hat, placing it on the ground to reveal his closely-shaved black hair. He sat back, drawing his knees up and folding his arms atop them. The rain continued around them, and Sean took the opportunity to set out a few small water skins with funnels set in their necks. The sorcerer watched Sean work, and reflected on what he instinctively thought of as 'the old days'.
Years ago, before he'd consulted the devil Khadys; before he'd lost his eye; before he'd had his heart broken; before he'd fallen in love, he had been a wandering sorcerer. Meeting up with the band of adventurers had been a huge event in his life. Sean, Nila the half-elven paladin, who Odwyn had despised on sight, Daniel Walker and.. her..
The sorcerer curled his lip in a sudden sneer and reached out for his staff, which thrummed gently in response. He shifted into a cross-legged position and laid the staff out across his lap.
'More meditation?' asked the ranger.
'Clairvoyance,' said Odwyn sharply, closing his eye and playing his hands over the runes of his staff like he was playing a musical instrument.
'I tire of this rain, so I'm searching for a quicker route to Neverwinter.'
'This is the fastest route,' said Sean with a frown, 'believe me, I know.'
'Yes, yes,' snapped the sorcerer, his bitter personality rising after the thoughts of his old flame, 'but your method is slow. Now let me concentrate.'
'Alright,' said Sean reproachfully, and moved off to stopper the waterskins.

Odwyn drew himself up, hands flitting across the staff's surface. His vision, dark within his closed eye, slowly began to change. A gentle light moved in on his peripheral vision, white turning grey, and the constant patter of the rain became visual: the grey light shifted, thinner streaks appearing in it. A darkened patch appeared at the height of his vision, rounding out and splitting until it became the leaves of the tree above him. The centre of his vision pulled away sharply, stretching along and down, taking on the verdant shade of the long grass that covered the hill and curving into smaller hillocks and mounds, with a sharp spattering of colour to represent the few flowers that grew nearby. Taking a long, deep breath, Odwyn slowly turned his head. The vision followed after a split-second delay. A frown crossed the sorcerer's features and he tightened his mental grip on the spell. He felt his hands come to a halt over two particular runes, and the vision's focus suddenly sharpened, bringing detail to the picture. He could see the tiny movements of raindrops hitting blades of grass, the dark speck in the sky that indicated the only bird foolish enough to brave the weather, and even the insects crawling over the leaves of the tree atop the hill a league from where he sat. He allowed himself a satisfied smile, and moved on to his task. The vision swept forward suddenly, hugging the tips of grass blades and skimming through the air like a low-flying falcon. He followed the dirt path that led away from the bottom of the hill, looping around and into a shallow valley. It passed tall trees, foraging creatures and travellers moving so slow as to be standing still. The dirt path solidified, became a paved road, marked by milestones and signs pointing to roads that branched away. There in the distance was the dark shadow of Neverwinter, and a bitter smile hovered on the sorcerer's face. He had located the destination at least. Now to find a faster mode of travel.The vision spun violently, snapping onto the road again with a focus and speed that would have sickened the hardiest of travellers. It sped along, back past the paved road, past the motionless pilgrims and roaming merchants, past the tall trees, and finally past the hill where Odwyn sat. He noted his own presence at the edge of the vision, an almost pitch-black space beneath the massive tree. He took no notice of the strange representation, instead speeding onward. The dirt path continued along a track lined with wildflowers, with the trees of the forest thinning out and becoming sparse. Rocks and boulders began to appear at the sides of the path, and Odwyn noted the looming presence of cliffs in the distance. The rain had stopped.
A great caravan train appeared, and the sorcerer called the vision to a sudden halt, swinging upward to focus on the lead wagon. A woman sat at the reins, dark blonde hair shot with streaks more gold than grey. Her well-worn travelling leathers and focused expression told the sorcerer all he needed to know. She was experienced, and most definitely in charge here. He swept his vision across the rest of the caravan as an afterthought. Children scampered between the wagons, frozen compared to the speed granted by Odwyn's Clairvoyance. A train of beasts followed on, between two heavier-looking, armoured wagons. A real caravan community, thought the sorcerer, sweeping his sight back to the lead wagon. He watched the caravan's leader as she rode, slowing his vision down to a more familiar pace. She watched the road, gaze dancing back and forth as they passed larger rocks and mounds, on the lookout for any possibility of ambush. He moved his vision closer still, until it hovered scant inches away from her face. She was not old, though her face bore a few laughter lines and possessed a thin, severe mouth. She had a proud bearing, intense blue eyes and, Odwyn noted, a vicious dagger strapped to her thigh. No stranger to violence, and utterly confident in her management of the convoy. Yes, this would make for fine transport.

'Odwyn? Odwyn, are you alright?' asked Sean, resting a gloved hand on the sorcerer's shoulder. Odwyn's one eye snapped open, and for a moment Sean didn't recognise what he saw there. Then a lazy smile crossed his friend's face, and the sorcerer nodded.
'Better than alright, Sean. A caravan train approaches.'
Sean stared for a second before turning to look out at the rain.
'I see nothing.'
'No, no. It won't be here for a few hours, but it will definitely enable us to reach Neverwinter sooner.'
The ranger frowned thoughtfully, and turned to indicate the light under the tree. He'd somehow found enough dry wood to start a fire. The scent of cooking meat reached the sorcerer's nose and his stomach rumbled with hunger. Odwyn hauled himself to his feet, moving over to the fire. Keke buzzed down to land on his back before scurrying up to his shoulder and clicking her mandibles as he reseated himself.
'Oh good, we were just getting hungry,' he said, eyeing the sizzling rabbit flesh with a smirk, 'it's just a shame that you still can't cook to save your life.'
Sean frowned, jabbing at the flames with a long stick.
'You should be thankful. If I wasn't here, what would you be eating tonight? Dirt, that's what,' he replied. Odwyn picked up a strip of the rabbit, tearing it in half and passing the larger piece to his familiar. The blue beetle buzzed up into the tree with her dinner.
'What an odd little beast,' said Sean. He sliced another strip of flesh from the fire and leaned back onto his haunches.
'You know, in all the years we travelled together, I never asked of her origins. Some day you'll have to tell me about it.'
The sorcerer finished his first piece and swallowed, resting his staff on his lap. He helped himself to another slice of rabbit.
'Well, we've got a few hours,' he said, 'what would you like to know?'

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hope that wasn't too hard on the eyes! Right, I could blog about a whole bunch of stuff now, but I feel strangely dull, so I'm just going to carry on looking at lolcats and sketching.

TTFN!

Love, Odsox

Ohsh- HE'S GONNA RANT!

Lex Ferenda

The year is 2066, and after a ten-year war spanning the globe, the heroic agents of the British Empire's Metahuman Corps have successfully halted the threat of the American-Asian Alliance, but at a terrible cost.

Europe is in ruins. France is gone, carved from the continent by a Chinese super-weapon called the Moon Sword. Italy has been decimated by an earthquake induced by American weaponry that split the country in half. The rest of Europe and the British colonies along the eastern coast of what used to be the United States are slowly recovering, though they are surrounded by desolate wastelands that stretch across thousands of miles.

Beaten into retreat by the world's greatest legion of metahumans, the Americans have gone to ground. The Empire is attempting to rebuild its lost colonies, and is working to reinforce its hold on Europe to block any further advances from the still-defiant forces of Asia. The Imperial forces are beset by spies from within and deadly raids on their territorial borders from without, all the while working to keep the vitriolic metahuman population of the British Central Isles under control.

You are one of the Empire's latest recruits, a metahuman with untapped potential. On your arrival in London, you are transferred to CAPE, the base of operations for the nation's empowered protectors. After a rigorous training regime, you will have your abilities unleashed and put to good use by the Empire.

Assigned to a Street Team of fellow recruits watched over by an Enforcer, one of CAPE's formidable psychics, you will work your way up through the ranks to become a true hero. During your actions in London, it becomes clear that the fires of rebellion seethe beneath the skin of the Empire, but will you stamp it out or fan the flames?

As your career progresses, your team become embroiled in a sinister plot to bring down the Empire from within, and will be forced to cross into hostile territories, including the European Wastes, the war-torn battlefields of Asia where the fight never ceases, the mysterious city of Desolation, U.S.A. and even the abandoned Chinese lunar complex housing the deactivated Moon Sword.

GAME FEATURES:

The abilities you gain during your Activation affect the way you play!

+ Decimate enemy armour, shrug off bullets and reduce buildings to rubble with your bare hands as an unstoppable Titan!

+ Become a Hawk to eliminate enemies at lightning speed and take flight to strike with deadly precision from the air!

+ As a Warrior, the ultimate fighter, any weapon you pick up, be it blade, bludgeon or firearm will become a masterpiece of death in your hands!

+ Speak to machines, create bizarre weapons and control astounding vehicles of war as the ever-ready Enginseer!

+ Focus your mind to shred metal and destroy your foes with Tactile Telekinesis as an Enforcer or become a Puppet Master to hurl objects and your enemies around like toys!

+ As a Pyro, Geo, Aero or Hydromancer, control the elements themselves and the destructible environment becomes your playground!

Customisable Characters!

Hundreds of customisation options -

+ Appearance - Make your Hydromancer stand out from the crowd with silver hair and blue skin or create an imposing Titan with fiery eyes and a rocky hide that bullets bounce off!

+ Background - CAPE recruits from all over the world! Is your Puppet Master fleeing metahuman persecution from the African Borderlands? Was your Hawk an S.L. Academy prodigy whose whole family has enrolled as CAPE agents? You decide!

+ Personality - Does your Titan love monster trucks as much as you do? Are they more likely to help a wounded soldier than grant them a merciful death? It's up to you!

(NB: Like all good game designers, I've listed these last two as customisation options when it's really just a few boxes for information you can choose to leave blank! NWN Alignments and Background, anyone? xD)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Okay, so there are the bare bones for my game. Lex Ferenda is a working title which means 'The Law as it Should Be'. It would play like a Role Playing Game, with elements of first-person-shooters and God of War-style action sequences with a ton of enemies, and it would be intensely story-driven (and written by me, damn it, I'm sick of the pee-poor dialogue I keep seeing in games), though without a huge emphasis on finding people and talking to them. It's war out there and possible insurrection in here, YOU AIN'T GOT TIME TO CHAT!

There would be an extensive single-player campaign spanning chapters and issues in a comic book style-ee, but I'd like a multiplayer campaign too, where you go through the game with a team formed from your friends or clan mates or acquaintances or whatever. It'd probably be quite sweary, with a few seriously gory moments, because let's face it, reality is harsh, so why not take it further with fiction? And that brings me to my reason for thinking this up:

I am tired of seeing reality duplicated in videogames. You can keep your precious football games (which as far as I'm concerned aren't games anyway), sponsored racing games and fething World War games. This is all stuff we know, we've seen, it happened, it's OVER.

I want to see more games with freaky creatures and weird goings-on, alternate dimensions and histories, more examples of surreality and just out-and-out weirdness! Stuff that just doesn't happen in real life! Who cares about whether the new Fifa has all the licensed players from the many and various leagues (I know next to nothing about footy btw) - Have any of the players got five eyes? Guns for toes? do they have a predisposition to eating old rubber tyres or do they fly starships made from cheese to their games of ubarfitba (which is a game played on aircraft carriers using horses, tridents, one military-grade laser cannon per team and one very worried were-hamster)?

We already know about reality! With videogames you can do anything! USE YOUR IMAGINATIONS FOR A CHANGE!

...wow, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to go on such a rant.

Anyway, I'm particularly fond of the battlefields idea, and before anyone asks, I'm aware of how obvious it is so it's no spoiler, but YES, THE MOON SWORD IS A GIANT MOON LASER.

....LAZERZLAZERZLAZERZ

Any questions would be welcome :D

"Like anything worth writing, it came inexplicably and without method."

Yeah, I'm never going to get tired of that quote. It's Kay Eiffel (character) from Stranger Than Fiction, number five on my Top Five All-Time Favourite Movies. Anyway, here's something I wrote today. It's D&D-oriented and details my Neverwinter Nights character's reasons for heading to the cold city and enrolling in the Academy there. LOOK OUT NON-NERDS!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Odwyn tightened his grip on his staff, watching the rift open with one narrowed black eye. The swirling purple vortex grew into a tall oval shape, spilling tiny lights and a thin mist that
clung to the edges of the summoning circle, outlining the cylindrical confinement. The light reflected from his robe, highlighting the gilt silver edging against dark, red leather. The spell
had gone perfectly, as he'd expected; the small frown he wore merely a result of the theatrics insisted upon by the creature he'd decided to summon. He inspected the runes laid out around
the circle with a practiced eye. Not a single rune or sigil out of place, as usual. He looked up at the rift, which had begun to twist and now resembled a spiralling cloud of lights that seemed to be taking a more familiar shape. The cloud swept up suddenly, breaking from its spiral, and began to pour down, filling out a figure from the feet first like some expertly crafted hourglass pouring sand made from stars. Odwyn let a small, vain smile cross his lips and ran over the binding incantations in his mind, bringing his memory of the control and punishment spells to the fore. The purple light glowed faintly now, and an obviously female figure stood within it. Tendrils of a darker colour stretched out from the back of its bowed head, spreading out and becoming a long, thick mass of hair curled into ringlets of a style popular in Waterdeep. As the more intimate details of the figure's skin began to appear, a simple shift of fabric in purple so dark as to be almost black slipped into being, coiling slowly up and around the figure like a protective lover. Its face lifted to the air, and a narrow nose appeared above full, red lips curved in a smile. Two tiny points of light came into being on its face, expanding into softly glowing eyes of a solid, crystal white.
'Ah, Odwyn. So good to see you again,' purred the apparition, tucking a lock of purple hair behind its ear with a perfectly-manicured finger. The corners of her mouth lifted in a smile, and she lowered her eyelashes, looking at the sorcerer coyly. He frowned again, and raised a hand, making a claw gesture.
'None of your games, Khadys, I haven't the time.'
The summoning made a pretty pout, folding her arms petulantly.
'But Odwyn, don't you enjoy our games? Why else would you summon me?'
The sorcerer sighed, and snapped his fingers. A clicking noise answered him from the darkness beneath a workbench. A huge blue beetle came scurrying across the tiled floor and leapt to his shoulder, wings buzzing furiously. The horned insect tilted its head back and forth, eyeing the captive woman. It inclined its head toward its master. The sorcerer smiled and ran a beringed finger gently over the beetle's carapace.
'I know she doesn't look like much, dear Keke, but she does have the answers we seek,' he said quietly, adding ~Watch her carefully. Mind her tricks,~ through his familiar's mental link. The apparition appeared put out by this display of affection, and casually allowed her shift to slip an inch or two down one shoulder. Her captor returned his attention to the being in the circle. Her purple skin reflected the light of Odwyn's candle-lit workroom in a distracting way, highlighting the smoothness of her skin and the gentle curves that trailed off beneath her shift. She flicked her head lightly, and the subtle glimmer of -
Odwyn yelped suddenly as Keke bit down on his ear, and shook the familiar free with a snarl. He raised his hand in a violent gesture, then realised what had happened.
~Thank you, Keke,~ he sent. The beetle settled back onto his shoulder and the sorcerer's scowl became a smile as he turned the punishment spell against his captive. The effect was instantaneous. Lightning crackled across her purple body, tearing an ear-splitting shriek from those full lips. The luxurious hair which draped across her shoulders paled to a matt white, becoming coarse, sharp and straight as it crept back from her forehead to reveal two dark horns. Her white eyes became an electric blue, glinting with malice. As the simple shift she wore fell away to reveal a more muscular, red-skinned body, far darker in tone than the one she had worn, Odwyn grinned in triumph, and spoke in tones of command.
'Khadys Tal'Ratha Orin'vesh'tak Y'lrahtep, I bind you by the runes of blood, the runes of fire, and the sigil of law.'
A darkness seemed to fall upon the room as the sorcerer spoke.
'My will is greater than yours, my faith is greater than yours and my power will forever be a sun to your mere spark.'
Odwyn loomed suddenly, the darkness rising behind him like a vengeful shadow.
'Answer my questions truthfully and without deceit, lest your being be torn asunder by my wrath and the runes which bind you here,' he finished, snapping his hand around in a lashing
gesture. The summoning's body went horribly rigid with this last motion and as another shriek split the air a pair of leathery, eldritch wings exploded from her back, convulsing madly. Odwyn reigned in his power, and watched the succubus with an impassioned black eye. The devil shuddered, and ran her black talons through the coarse hair atop her skull, her wings folding back into repose with only the occasional twitch.
'Ooh, you aren't playing around at all, are you,' she asked, batting her eyes at the sorcerer and licking her lips.
'No need to get hasty,' she added as Odwyn curled his hand into a claw once more, 'I'll tell you what you want to know.'
'About time,' he growled, tapping his staff against the tiled floor. He drew himself up to his full height, fixing his one eye on the devil in the circle.
'You know how much I despise resorting to such formality. Still, if you insist,' he continued, clearing his throat, 'Khadys Y'lrahtep, I charge you to tell me the whereabouts of -'
'Neverwinter,' interjected the succubus, causing Odwyn to blink and falter mid-sentence. The sorcerer narrowed his eye again, and tapped his staff against the floor. Khadys raised a hand
in supplication and tilted her hips, wearing a patient smile.
'I swear by the sigil of law that binds me to this place that the one whom you seek may be found in the city of Neverwinter, hidden from your sight but clear to mine.'
'How may I find her?' asked the sorceror, his fingers playing anxiously across the runes of his staff. The succubus' pointed teeth came into view with her smile. She dropped one hand to her hip and rested the other against her chest, closing her eyes and tilting her face downward.
'You will find her among the people of Neverwinter. She will reveal herself to you when the time is right.'
The gravitas in her voice made the sorcerer frown. He tugged at his beard thoughtfully, staring past the succubus at the map of Faerhun on the far wall. Neverwinter was a long way away,
he thought to himself, already thinking of ways to make the travelling spell simpler and more efficient. Perhaps he could enlist Khadys' aid the journey. The succubus had proved her
resourcefulness in the past, and there was always the possibility of a cold night, when her infernal warmth could help him pass the nights in comfort, if not -Keke wrenched at his ear again, buzzing furiously. Odwyn swore loudly as the familiar spun out of his way and levelled his staff at the summoning circle. As the first syllables of the punishment cantrip left his mouth, leaving tiny lacerations on his lips that bled down his chin, he faltered. Where the succubus had been, the woman he sought now stood, surrounded by the gently thrumming runes he had painted. She was tall, with curled, jaw-length hair of a deep, autumnal red. She wore scaled armour of silver and gold over a leather tunic and breeches of a darker red than her hair. A weighty hammer hung at her left hip while a thick tome marked with the sigil of Kossuth, the Lord of Flames, hung at her right, attached by a pitted metal chain. Her green eyes were filled with a sorrow that pierced the sorcerer's heart.
'Odwyn,' she said, her voice quiet and pained, 'why are you doing this? What has changed so much that you would hurt me this way?'
A shiver of sadness passed through him until Keke buzzed up to his face, looping around his head. So quickly his familiar reminded him that this was just another of Khadys' tricks, faithful
creature that she was. Odwyn sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and tightening his grip on the rune-covered staff. He shook himself, and looked again at the image of his former lover.
She raised a hand to the barrier between them, but seemed to hesitate.
'Is this how she appears now?' the sorcerer asked, tilting his staff toward the circle.
'Odwyn, I don't know what you mean. Are you well?' asked the image, and the look of concern on its face finally snapped him back to his task. This could never be her. The staff blazed suddenly, and a coil of light extended around the circle, blades of blue energy extending from the band of light.
'Drop the charade now, Khadys. I grow tired of it, and you would do well to test my patience no longer.' The blades sliced into the cylindrical prison, and a sudden sneer appeared on the
face of the red-haired woman.
'Fine, fine,' came the voice of the succubus, and the scaled armour melted away, revealing Khadys' naked red form once again.
'You have grown serious, Odwyn. It doesn't suit you,' said the devil, a disappointed frown crossing her face for a scant moment.
'I have told you what you wish to know, now unless you want to play, let me go. I have other souls to enrapture,' she added with a smile, her pointed tongue tracing her upper lip. The sorcerer frowned once more as he ceased his spell, the blue blades dissipating like fine mist. The succubus flexed her wings within the confines of the summoning circle, anticipation apparent on her face. Odwyn nodded, and began the banishment spell. He spoke in a guttural language, his eye closed in concentration. Keke flitted around the circle, watching the devil with her multifaceted eyes. The runes around the circle slowly began to smoke and disappear, each one making a little fut! sound as it vanished. Before long, the stern, solid sigil of law was all that remained holding the succubus in place. As Odwyn began the final incantation it broke down into several squares, each breaking into smaller squares until they were gone from sight. The purple rift tore into being behind her and Khadys threw her captor one last glance as she stepped into it, curving her lips in a teasing smile.
'Oh, and Odwyn?'
The sorcerer looked up carefully, his staff set in an offensive position, ready to counter any tricks the succubus might decide to play.
'What?' he asked acidly, preparing a lightning bolt.
Khadys fixed him with her cruel blue eyes.
'She still loves you.'
The rift snapped closed, vanishing from sight as the bolt of elemental force crashed into the brick wall where it had been. The sorcerer heaved a breath, relaxing his grip on the staff. Keke
buzzed about his head curiously, before swooping around and diving onto her perch in the bookcase. She watched her master, clicking to herself as she settled into the elven skull that
served as her nest. Odwyn straightened up, sending his staff to its hook in the darkest corner of the room. He contemplated clearing the few singe marks from the floor and repairing the
damage to his far wall, but could not tear his thoughts from the journey that lay ahead. He moved to his desk, and sat down in the high-backed wooden chair. The clawed feet of the seat
trotted toward the desk until he was in a comfortable position. As the sorcerer pored over the piles of parchment and paper scattered over his desk, he snapped his fingers idly. Keke
buzzed across the room to alight on his shoulder. Odwyn tilted his head slightly, frowning in concentration.
'Hm? We're going to Neverwinter, my dear,' he said, one finger tracing the outline of a teleportation spell in a great blue tome. The beetle crept down his arm, hopping onto the book and angling its head up at its master. The one-eyed sorcerer blinked, then a satisfied smile stole onto his face.
'To find my true love, of course,' he said with a chuckle.
Keke's wings buzzed shortly. Odwyn lowered one beringed hand to the table, relishing the tickling sensation as his familiar stepped onto his palm. He ran a finger across her wing casing with a smile and lifted her back onto his shoulder. As he spread a scroll out onto the desk, weighing it down with two small metal figurines resembling toy soldiers, the beetle buzzed at him once more.
'Oh,' said the sorcerer, a contented gleam coming into his eye, 'We're going to kill her.'

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There you go, that wasn't so difficult now, was it?

Thanks for taking the time to read through that jumble of fiction, I hope it didn't take up too much of your time. :) There were a few songs I listened to during the writing, I may as well list 'em.

Billy Talent - The Ex
Billy Talent - Line & Sinker
Paramore - Misery Business
Porcupine Tree - What Happens Now?
Ivy - Worry About You
Offspring - Gone Away

I listened to a few more of course, it didn't take me twenty minutes to throw this together. xD

Oh, as a side note, isn't it annoying as HELL when you're in the loo and some bastard just shoves on the door without even looking at the vacancy bar? I've never left a door unlocked, but it still pisses me off that these idiots just attempt to barge in without even checking the occupied/vacant bar.

Love, Odsox.