Rhythms of Chaos

Corrie

Corrie was sweating by the time he made his way back to the camp, carrying the carcass of two ducks behind his shoulders. He liked to hunt by the river side that ran by the camp, because there would normally be a large flock of them there. He preferred to hunt during the morning to avoid competing with other kids his age.

It's not like they were any match for him. He had been hunting for practically his whole life and know the tricks and secrets to ensure he would walk home with a reasonable load each day. He had a duck whistle around his neck which he blows on to lure the ducks onto the ground. He would then sneak behind some tall grass and aimed at the duck, trying not to miss.

As Corrie scanned the surroundings to look for a small pond to refill his bottle, he saw a duck just sitting there in the open.

"Wouldn't hurt to bring one more in." He said to himself. He drew out his bow and arrow, but before he fired, he was distracted by the commotion of kids in his camp, causing him to miss his mark.

"Grr, what are they on about..." He shook his head in disbelief and ran right at them, his fist clenched tightly.

It was evening. Geneva stared at her mother as she went on and on about duty to your future husband and this and that. What she couldn't make the old woman understand was the fact that she didn't want to be married to Arthur.

"You should know better than to - "

"Mom!"

And suddenly, Lillian was there, whining about some ruined dress or another. Geneva slunk off and left her mother to face the terror that was Lillian Caldoran. Older sibling and spoiled brat, Lillian whined about everything. Thankfully, Geneva wasn't expected to behave nicely to her sister - the two siblings always did have a rather rocky relationship.

She closed the door of her bedroom behind her, wincing as Lillian screamed loudly about not being allowed to do something. Geneva sighed and sat down at the edge of her bed.

She really did hate her life sometimes.

Salome
It had been quite a very active day for her and Geneva so resting a little bit was a great thing to do. So she walked to her house and went straight to her bed and threw herself to it. It was so great to forget about her duties at least once and just be a normal girl.

But as she drifted she remembered, most people thought that when you are so little, you don't remember things, but she knew that wasn't true. Salome could remember absolutely everything and it haunter her every-time she tried to sleep or rest. It was terrible for she saw the pictures of her parents in her head, dead, with the blood everywhere. So she pushed those thoughts away or at least tried to do so.

The silence of the night quite amused her, it soothed her more than anything but at least it made her laugh due to the little tickles she felt because she wanted to talk.

Jesse:

I snuck into the colony, ducking behind various things as I went. I tried to get Barb to go away but he just kept following me.

"Barb," I hissed and pushed him back again. "Go back to camp. You can't follow me into the colony!"

Barb just looked at me and tilted his head to one side. I sighed and kept going.

"Alright, you can stay," I muttered. I reached the house where I'd seen Geneva vanish into while I had been watching her and crouched down under the window. The lights were all out.

I grinned at Barb, mouthed 'Stay here' to him and slowly stood up to peek in the window. The room was dark and quiet. I looked back down at Barb and sighed. He was just sitting there, looking up at me.

I shook my head and hoisted myself up into the window. I landed just inside the room with a small thud. Nothing moved while I froze, waiting.

A few moments later, I snuck off across the room and over to the small chest at the end of the bed. I opened it and the damn thing creaked. A second later and I found an arrow at my throat.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Geneva asked threateningly. Damn it, I was caught.

Geneva narrowed her eyes at the girl. She recognized the girl as the one who had knocked her out so painfully just a few hours ago - and she intended to make her life hell as long as the girl was in front of her. Small payback for such a heavy blow.

She pushed the point of her arrow against the thief's neck, which earned her a nervous gulp. She smirked. "Trying to steal something from me, little girl?"

The other took a step back, holding her hands up in surrender. "Can't we talk this out like normal people?"

"Too bad I'm not normal." Geneva pushed the arrow even more - she was sure that if it went any further, it would pierce the girl's neck. "Talk."

Jesse:

I tried to grin at her.

"Err, I'm a theif," I told her. "I thought you might of had something worth stealing."

Geneva sneered at me and I flinched.

"Alright, alright!" I exclaimed. "You caught me, I knocked you out... and now I'm trying to steal from you. See the pattern? We'll just keep trying to kill each other.... So, truce?"

Darkkon

Night had fallen. It was time. I steered my raft to the mainland, and stepped off. My minions trailed behind, as the serpent began his attacks. The largest of the animals jumped on his head, allowing the others to come ashore. Finally, they were there. We hiked through the mountains, my hounds sniffing furiously for the scents of others. Eventually, we found what we were looking for: a village. Many people were still out and about, but that didn't particularly matter. It was better to catch them off guard. "Attack." I whispered, and the animals rushed forth.

MYLES

He walked the forest. Ever since he had let that young rich man go, he was only getting angrier about it. He needed to go steal something.

He took off toward the city. A place where he could get himself comething to eat and then take gold of some highly unlucky persons hands.

Myles snuck into the city and snatched a vine of grapes right under the nose of a fruit vendor. He was too busy scolding so young, unskilled theif for trying to take an apple. Myles grit his teeth and grabbed two apples while the merchant wasn't looking.

Myles chased after the young theif boy who ran off the second the vendor slapped him, letting him "go free this time."

"Hey, wait up," he said, easily catching up and grabbing his arm.

The young boy looked up at him, his cheeks hallowed and eyes dim. Myles saw himself at that age.

"Take this," he said, giving him all his food. "And next time you steal wait for someone or...something," he winked. "To distract the vendor."

The boy gratfully ate the apple in one bite. Myles laughed and left the boy to his meal. Maybe one day, if he lived on the streets long enough, he would become as good and fast as Myles. The poor boy. Didn't know what his future held for him.

Myles wouldn't wish his life on anyone. Not even his worst enemy. He walked around the city, eventually spotting a nice shady area. He would wait there until he could find some rich old man, alone. Then he'd take everything.

And he knew that he meant everything. Even, he prayed not, the life of his victom. He wouldn't let anyone go this time.

Jesse:

Geneva narrowed her eyes at me. "This sounds like some thief trick."

"It's not, I swear it's not." I told her, hoping she'd ease up on the arrow.

"Fine," she snapped. "It's not."

I stumbled backwards, relieved that the arrow was gone for a moment. I rubbed the cut the arrow had left. That was going to scar.

Geneva picked up her bow and notched an arrow. Oh, hell no. She wasn't actually going to shoot me, was she? I saw her set her jaw in concentration. Oh hell, she was. And she was an amazing shot too! Damn it.

I had to do something and the only thing I could do was scream, so I did. I screamed.

MYLES

Myles heard a scream not even a few feet from him. He ran towards the sound. He knew that scream. That was Jesse.

"Jesse!" Myles yelled, pumping his arms faster.

He saw a woman holding a bow and arrow, about to shoot...straight and Jesse's heart. Myles didn't even have time to make a snide comment.

"Jesse no!" He yelled, diving toward her, pushing them both down to the hard ground.

He grunted and Jesse groaned under all his wait. The arrow had grazed his arm, but it wasn't anything serious. He jumped off of her and she stood up confused.

Myles swung his leg out and hit the archer girl's leg's, knocking her down. "Well don't just stand there! Run, you idiot!" He urged, heart pumping.

Myles turned back to the girl, angrily. He was going to steal everything she had. She was lucky she was a woman or else he'd steal her life as well for trying to kill his friend.

Jesse:

"Myles, no!" I yelled but he didn't seem to be listening. "MYLES!"

He paused and turned back. "I thought I told you to run!"

"No! That's Geneva! The girl that was picking on me earlier, don't do anything," I hissed.

He froze and looked from me to the girl and back again.

"Why?" he asked.

Just then there was a shout from outside and we all looked towards the window. Someone was stumbling up the path towards the main house, screaming about some army of mutants attacking his village.

I looked towards Myles and Geneva. "Did he just say army of mutants?" I asked.

*Darkkon*

My minions made quick work of the village. Next, we moved towards the city. WE would take them by surprise. And then nothing would stop me from taking over the world. One of my mutant hounds barked at it picked up a scent. I cursed. Someone had escaped from the village. The city had probably been forewarned. So perhaps surprise was not our element... we would have to conquer by our force. I arranged the minions into ranks when we neared the outskirts. "On three..." I whispered.
"One...
two...
THREE!"
And the air became a mass of sound as thousands of mutants rushed forward, thirsty for blood.

Arthur

Arthur wandered through the woods.

Once the fear of escaping the thief was over, his familiar, cocky attitude began to take over. Just wait until Genie heard of how he had warded off a blood-thirsty thief. Oh, she would be so impressed… she might even forget her doubts about marrying him.

And as for Pricilla, well, she would know not to antagonize her elder brother, and her future leader.

And his father would be so proud.

But, most importantly, he would impress his Genie. Yes, that was the best part.


It was then that he heard the screams and howls of monsters, coming, seemingly, from the village.

Oh, no, he thought. But… the sea-serpent! What happened?

Arthur stood for a moment, torn between the urge to turn and run, and the urge to go and see what was happening. The latter won.

Arthur, my boy, he thought to himself while running. What are you getting yourself into this time?

Jeremiah

On the outskirts of the town, the isolated screams did not reach their household until the mutants let forth their bloodcurdling roar. Jeremiah sat bolt upright, looking somewhat fearfully out the window. His brothers, waking up as well, looked at him, then started getting dressed.

"What're you doing?" He asked, "It's dangerous out there at night!"

He caught a glare from one of them. "The town's in danger, little brother. People are going to be hurt if we don't go."

Jeremiah was out of the bed in a flash, pulling on his shirt and pants and groping in the dark for his club. The others found themselves more lethal weapons - two of them picked up the axes they used to cut wood, and the eldest revealed that he had been hiding a sword under his bed. Jeremiah frowned a little, not entirely pleased that such a thing had been so close to him.

As the boys burst out the front door, they found their father already prepared to join whatever fight was happening, carrying a heavy club of his own, his axe slung across his back.

"Right," he said, "Things've got past the serpent, so we've got to help people toss 'em back. Jeremiah, Michael, you two go and see to it that all the people who can't defend themselves are safe inside one of the big houses. People like Brimas' family, and they'll probably also want the Caldoran girl there, though she can take care of herself. Isaac, Daniel, you two can come with me."

And with those words, the Ulis men set off from their home at a run, all set to protect their town to the best of their ability.

Whoosh! And the arrow flew right into the monster's chest as she had intended. It dropped dead. Geneva took another arrow from her quiver, trying not to think about the fact that she had just let two thieves go. After all, an army of mutants had gotten past the serpent somehow, and were dead intent on killing every single person in the colony. She let another arrow fly.

Just as she was preparing to let another monster bite the dust, her concentration was quickly broken by a shrill cry from behind her. Geneva jumped and turned around, expecting a monster.

It was only Lillian.

"Monsters in the town! Monsters in the town!" Her squeals carried over the shrieks of the panicking townsfolk. "Monsters in the town!"

"Be quiet Lillian, I'm trying to work here!" Geneva spared a glare at her elder sister before turning back to the enemy at hand. "Just let me - "

"GENIE!"

Geneva groaned loudly. "Arthur, what are you doing here?!"