Dormant: A Past Left Sleeping. [Chapter 1. Drawn to Copperhead Valley]
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Light =&gt; Light: Human Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Sabby on 03-01-2010, 10:41:55</h2>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Dormant: A Past Left Sleeping. [Chapter 1. Drawn to Copperhead Valley]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sabby</strong> on <strong>03-01-2010, 10:41:55</strong>
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				Before them stood a woman of feintest golden light, hair like liquid sun rays swaying in an unfelt breeze. She raised her head to look at them with sad, hopeless eyes, her dress in tatters, feet bare dirty. She would reach out, fingers splayed, imploring, calling to them. Whenever they would touch her, her fingers would shatter, and she would bow her head, the breeze taking her apart like shards of ice in a warm breeze. Her sorrow would remain, byt her light would flicker and die.<br><br>Around them, the darkness took form. A ring of people in a wide circle, surrounding them, impossible to make out in the darkness, their hearts filled with murderous intent, eyes upon the party in the middle. Before them, two infernos of flaring violet shone brightly, slanting like narrowed eyes. The shadows around them whipped from a sudden breeze, icey and fierce, a hood and cloak now. This figure stood head and shoulders above the rest, just as obscured, but its eyes filling them with dread and hopelessness.<br><br>One massive hand raised as if to reach for them, and then a flash blinded them. The figure of shadow growled and recoiled, the tatters of darkness chased away by the eruption of light. A wolf, sparkling and golden, eyes as red as rubies, stood unfazed by the darkness all around, calm, bathing them in reassuring warmth. It called to them, implored a barely felt wish that echoed in their minds, leaving them with a mutual wish to follow.<br><br>It turned and bounded from the rings of shadows, its tail leaving specks of gold to dance and glitter in its wake. The figures of shadow rushed in, closing the gap, enveloping them like wolves upon a sheep.<br><br>It was the same every night. They would awaken just as they were lost to the icey dark.<br><br>The last few weeks, strange events would occur. No matter how well they hid their Commune, the technology of the Old World would stir, and it felt different. It was imploring, desperate, and with purpose. Whenever these events occured, whatever Tech involved seem to reach to them exactly the same as the mysterious woman in their dreams. A elusive flash of golden light would accompany them, red eyes in the corner of their vision, a fiery tail slinking behind a wall before they could turn to look.<br><br>Before they knew it, they were following this elusive messenger, the golden wolf bringing them towards Copperhead Valley, and to their eventual meeting. None understood why they followed, but could not shake the intense curiosity, or the foreboding behind them. With each passing day, a sense of urgency would grow. They were in danger, of this they could all be sure.<br><br>Copperhead Valley cut between two sheer cliff faces, the most direct, and safest route to Old Cuntfucks Landing, a modest settlement started long ago by a blind man with a sense of humor and a filthy mouth. From there, the world beyond was open to any who could pay the transport, and the further you got, the more and more the world began to resemble the Old World. Everyone dreamed of heading north and finding a home, but for most, Copperhead could provide a decent enough living.<br><br>While Old Cuntfucks Landing rested on the northen opening, the blandly named Copper Town was nestled on the southen mouth, using the rock face as cover from the unpredictable weather. Here, people only stopped to rest and find someone to take them through the Valley.<br><br>Was the Wolf leading them here? Or would their journey take them through the Valley, and to the hub town? The uneasiness was growing... whatever danger that was at their heels, it was drawing close. <br><br><br>"The Copperheads are getting restless... wouldn't be surprised if one took a snap at the bus..." the skinny assistent nodded his head to the distance, where a dog like creature lurked near a brown, shriveled tree. Its tail was short and stubby, a smooth plate of armor covering its face and head, brown and green, irridescent like an insect. It snuffled the dusty air, watching them curiously, then ducking behind a small shack that had collapsed on one side. <br><br>The burly man that was his boss, missing a tooth and sporting a brown beard that covered his swaying chins, slapped him on the back with a thick hand, which knocked the breath from his chest, laughing. "Do not worry boy, my Couches are built to withstand the pesky Coppers in this area... what you really should worry about are the storms. If the bus gets knocked upside down, then we're screwed! Hahahaha, come on everyone, breaks over, on the bus! We need to be in Copper Town before nightfall..."<br><br>The large bus was plated on all sides with thick metal that had seen more then a few Copperhead attacks. Gouges and dents marred every side, even the roof sporting some damage. The front windshield was barred and spiked, the engine rumbling healthily. Across the side was a faded painting of the mans face, grinning, text reading "Randals Couches"<br><br>From the sound of the engine, and the good condition of the outside, despite the many scars, it looked as though Randal ran a pretty good operation. And it also looked as though people knew it too, as every seat was taken.<br><br>"Come on, come on people, on my bus before the Coppers snatch one of ya!" he kept his hand near his pistol, despite his demeanor, looking out to the dusty, bleak horizon, where the twisted wreckage of another bus lay, the paint stripped by the cruel wind. He slowly shook his head, and when everyone had filed inside, he pulled himself in and shuffled his considerable girth into the drivers seat, pulling a lever, the thick, barred doors sliding closed, locking loudly.<br><br>"Rides almost over. In Copper Towns gates by night fall, Randal's promise!"<br><br>The bus lurched forward and rumbled down the faded road, toward the high canyon walls in the distance, the sun low on the left side, a Copperhead scampering from the path as Random blasted the horn.<br><br>Up on the mountains to the high right, a small metallic shape hovered, watching the bus.<br><br>The Journey has begun.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Dormant: A Past Left Sleeping. [Chapter 1. Drawn to Copperhead Valley]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>03-01-2010, 20:17:21</strong>
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				When Klaus awoke in a cold sweat it was still the dead of night, and the fires set about the cave entrance had long since died away to smoldering coals.&nbsp; The only light came from the throbbing crimson heart of his only companion, the skeletal machine that crouched before the charred earth almost reverently.&nbsp; The skies were utterly black, too black to even see the clouds blocking the starlight.&nbsp; It was like the nightmare, a frigid darkness, impenetrable.&nbsp; The boy tugged his collar up around his neck and snatched a strange metal rod from the ground.&nbsp; His touch caused one end of it to flare to life, turning red with heat almost immediately.&nbsp; He jammed it into an old lantern and set the candles inside ablaze before latching it shut and damping the firestick.&nbsp; The heat from the fire was minimal, but enough to stave off the shudders and chase away the unnatural chill that seemed so eager to choke the breath from his lungs.<br><br>His anger was also a potent source of warmth, and it seethed within him until it came hissing out from clenched teeth and he spat into the dark.&nbsp; Every night it was the same damnable vision without variation.&nbsp; The gilded woman of fragile glass that decayed at his touch, the horrible shapes and their gibbering speech, and the wolf that abandoned him to their claws and teeth and blades.&nbsp; It was infuriating, <em>maddening.</em>&nbsp; Dreams had always been a refuge from the unbearable stillness of the wastes, but now some outside force dared to intrude itself upon his mind as though it had the sovereign right to do so.&nbsp; Though he had taken to sleeping only minutes a day, the habit was wearing upon his soul.&nbsp; His eyes were bruised, yellowed, and bloodshot from fatique, and his flesh seemed pale as parchment.&nbsp; His placidity had been utterly shattered by the accursed visions.&nbsp; A nervous excitement vibrated constantly in his chest, urging him to sleep and quell it so that he might find some measure of peace.&nbsp; But Klaus hated the dreams too much to give in.&nbsp; He hated the woman and her frailty.&nbsp; He hated the wold that promised sanctuary and then left him for the beasts.&nbsp; To anyone else they would have seemed serene beings, but to the boy they were every bit as despicable as the shades that tore him limb from limb.&nbsp; They simply had the benefit of looking prettier.&nbsp; Deception, all of it.<br><br>Sensing its master's frustration, Abaddon lurched from its post and over to the boy's side.&nbsp; The machine stood twice as tall as he did, and his head would have scraped the top of the cave if it had been complete.&nbsp; As it was at least half of the cranium was missing, leaving a desiccated skull of tarnished metal and two crimson eyes.&nbsp; It just stood there, staring down.&nbsp; Expressionless.&nbsp; But Klaus seemed relieved at the presence, rather than disconcerted.&nbsp; <br><br>"Yes, again," he muttered hoarsely.&nbsp; It felt like he hadn't spoken properly in days.&nbsp; In fact, it was very likely that he hadn't.&nbsp; All the days seemed to blur together without note.&nbsp; Abaddon did not answer.&nbsp; At least, not out loud.&nbsp; <br><br>Klaus heaved himself to his feet, the swinging lantern casting odd shadows on the cavern's walls.&nbsp; "I'm being led by a hook through the nose, my friend.&nbsp; The porcelain bitch and her flea-bitten pet won't give me a moment's rest.&nbsp; They're either desperate or cruel.&nbsp; Yes, I am going to them," he added, glancing back at Abaddon as he wandered nearer the entrance.&nbsp; "Clearly they're not going to let up.&nbsp; Besides, I believe I owe them something.&nbsp; When I find that wench and her pooch I'm going to break both of them into so many pieces that all the King's horses and all the King's men will just say 'Fuck it!' and go drain a couple of kegs back at the tavern."<br><br>He sneered at the gray landscape that greeted him at the edge of the embankment, and the crevice far in the distance.&nbsp; Copperhead Valley.&nbsp; Nestled deep within a glorified crack in the ground.&nbsp; Easily defendable in case of an attack, of which there were probably plenty.&nbsp; Bandits always tended to enjoy the challenge of assaulting well fortified settlements.&nbsp; If they actually managed to tame enough of the Copperheads and other indigenous mutants, they might even eventually stand a chance.&nbsp; As it was though, the Valley was isolated and fairly safe.&nbsp; Isolated being the key word.&nbsp; It was likely his name and reputation hadn't spread this far, nor news of the killings back in Mortartown.&nbsp; Everyone was assumed to be a murderer these days, but an actual confirmation always made people jittery.&nbsp; Especially if the victims were <em>important.</em><br><br>Hocking another wad of spit over the rocks, Klaus turned and went about gathering his supplies together.&nbsp; There wasn't much packing to be done.&nbsp; Klaus' packs had been uncomfortable light recently.&nbsp; Too much time spent on the road.&nbsp; He hadn't found a trading caravan to steal from in weeks.&nbsp; Oddly enough he preferred it to having too much; the boy carried everything himself, and too much weight would just increase the chances of dehydration.&nbsp; He didn't let Abaddon carry a thing.<br><br>---<br><br>The clouds had broken and the day was done again by the time they reached the entrance to the Valley.&nbsp; They'd seen no one on the way, and the Copperheads always kept their distance.&nbsp; Something about Abaddon always scared off wildlife, even the bigger beasties.&nbsp; Someday he'd have to find out why, but for now Klaus was content to avoid fights instead of slaughtering the ecosystem just to get to where he needed to go.&nbsp; Unfortunately the machine also seemed to have an uncomfortable effect on <em>people,</em> so Klaus had to cover most of him in tattered rags to create the illusion of a worn down old junk bot.&nbsp; The last thing he needed was to have to break down the door just to avoid having to go around the long way.<br><br>A big clunker of a bus was already pulled in ahead of him, which served to his benefit.&nbsp; Requesting an entrance was always easier with a crowd.&nbsp; People tended to be suspicious of loners, especially in such dangerous country.&nbsp; Everyone was so dependent on each other for survival that it made Klaus nauseous.&nbsp; Better to retain one's independence, even if it meant sacrificing the company of others.&nbsp; A very small sacrifice, in his opinion.&nbsp; Hoping to miss the crowd of travel-weary passengers, Klaus hurried on ahead with Abaddon in tow and found the gatekeeper suspended a good distance overhead on an elevator.&nbsp; It paid to be wary.<br><br>"Requesting entrance, Sir.&nbsp; For trading purposes."&nbsp; He rapped his knuckles on Abaddon's chassis.&nbsp; "Looking to get my Guardbot a bit of a fixing.&nbsp; Bit of a scuffle with some Copperheads, and I'm not leaving it to chance that he won't quit on me next time the dogs come looking for dinner."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Dormant: A Past Left Sleeping. [Chapter 1. Drawn to Copperhead Valley]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sabby</strong> on <strong>08-01-2010, 03:54:59</strong>
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				The man at the gate was understandably a bit dumbstruck. A robot like that wasn't an uncommon sight, but they were usually half buried in junk. To see one walking around would have been an odd, even alarming sight for someone up North, let alone an isolated place like Copper Town.<br><br>The man peered behind him, sighting Randal's Coach, which seemed to be followed by dark clouds. The sky at the horizon was already beginning to hiss bolts of green.<br><br>"Mate!" from above the wall, up in a raised crows nest-style look out, was a tanned man with a broad hat. Square jawed, with a light stubble, he wore only a vest of some animals skin on his bronze chest, a rifle gripped in his hands. Some long pole, made of dark metal, looking like a spear with a small Slurry motor near the handle area, was strapped to his back. Both the rifle and the spear looked of much better quality then the guards slug-throwers.<br><br>"How the bloody hell you get her up and walkin'?!" he seemed positively thrilled at the sight, but one look toward the sky and he adopted a much brisker demeanor, grabbing a handle on the edge of the crows nest and vaulting over the side. The wire mesh rope allowed him to rapple down to ground level.<br><br>"Never mind, Spurs on her way, and we got a bus load right behind ya. Head on inside, we gotta lock up if that thing comes too close, alright? In with ya" he waved him inside, looking toward the bus that had just pulled up a few feet away, then back at the sky, not waiting for Klaus to respond before rushing off to help unload the bus' cargo.<br><br>"Well, come on you lot! Ya want this outside when she hits?" he had waved three other men over, the gate guard and two civilians. It was a good guess he was the Sheriff. He certainly seemed to know what he was doing, and with equipment like that, and his reaction to Klaus' robot, the man had likely spent some time exploring.<br><br>"Inside, all of ya's, those with Merchant Badges, verify 'em inside, come on, move ya asses!"<br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Dormant: A Past Left Sleeping. [Chapter 1. Drawn to Copperhead Valley]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Chelemar</strong> on <strong>08-01-2010, 04:20:33</strong>
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				"Bitch!" Jezi, Jessica's nic and the moniker she went by almost all the time now that any family she knew of was dead, shouted as the aeroskiff she did a loop de loop she hadn't expected. Laughing in the back of her throat, she let let a bit more air out of it's sails and glad that the two dogs were locked in the small boats mini-below. Had they been up top with her, she might be looking down on squashed boxer right about now.<br>As it was, startled yelps were coming from them. "Aww be quiet then, it's alright." She said, her voice all sing songy.<br>The golden horror that lead and dissolved, lead and dissolved had been leading her a merry chase till she had been about mad with it. The pups would wake her at night as the night terrors came to her, and would awaken her with their snouts in her neck and hair as they snuffled and whined in the night.<br>Two nights ago was the last time. She had simply quit sleeping since then. This forsaken valley seemed to be where she was pushing to go, or rather a town just beyond.<br>Caricatures of dogs with metal growing from them like porcupine shields snarled and snapped trying to jump and snatch the skiff from the air. Jezi thrilled that they couldn't reach her or the pups, and a scream of fear shot through her at the thought of what those beasts could do with their teeth and nails.<br>Seeing the edge of the town just ahead and a safe landing spot, Jez brought the sled's power level down and landed. Calling her dogs to heel from the hold, she snapped leashes about their collared necks. No matter who well trained her pups were, there were things out there that weren't quite so nice and she wouldn't take any chances.<br>She pushed the button that shrunk the skiff down to the size of 3 ft by 3 ft box. and locking it, stashed it in behind some ugly green and black bushes along the city's armored doors.<br>She brought the dogs to a run fearing that the green flashes in the night's sky mean a storm would be coming sooner rather than later. A young man with a machine stood asking for admittance to the gate as she arrived.<br>"Wait for me please, I too would ask for admittance and protection from the storm for my dogs and I."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Dormant: A Past Left Sleeping. [Chapter 1. Drawn to Copperhead Valley]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sabby</strong> on <strong>08-01-2010, 07:20:44</strong>
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				As the trailers attached to the bus were unlatches and dragged into the gates by hand, Randal waited for another set of gates to open, a garage perhaps. It too was armored with the beaten copper skulls of the Copperheads. By this time, the sky above was dark as pitch, and the armored walls lost all of their brilliance. The Sheriff simply ushered everyone into the walls without exception. <br><br>The usual order of things would have been a stop outside to verify everyone and get the practicing Merchants on register and such. With the storm so close, however, the priority was locking Copper Town up. If they had to get an armored bus to safety, what would those ominous green clouds do to a person?<br><br>Though the two pups with her were young and never had been part of a pack, the instinctual reaction to a storm would kick in late. By the time she would usher them inside, they would be very quite and seek to cuddle close to her.
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