A birthday in the Burbs

Market was busy today.  Busy enough to kick up a dusty haze in the summer heat.  What a wonderful day Johnna thought to himself.  Things can’t get any better.  Beautiful day, busy market, plenty of credits for the food he’d need for this afternoon, and to top it all off; today was the day he’d make his first step towards citizenship.  Today was Johnna’s birthday, his eighteenth birthday.  Today he was eligible to enlist in the Armed Forces.  That is the fastest way for a dweller of the Burbs to get their citizenship into the Coalition States and admittance to Chi-Town.

Rifts – Chapter 10

Smoke and crimson flame filled the ruined remains of docking bay 99231.  Thick smoke flowed in plumes into the adjoining corridor through the gaping blast doors.  Explosions and gun fire could be heard from within for a few seconds, but had abruptly stopped.  Tanashi tried to see through the smoke and flames with his draconic eyes and could see nothing.  He saw a dark shape in the smoke clouded room and saw something fly at him.  He had a split second to react as, what looked like a metallic ball, flew towards his head.  He snaked out of the way and the object embedded itself into the wall behind him.  He was aghast when he realized it was Howitzer’s head looking back from the crease in the wall where he had just been.  He snapped his gaze back toward the blast doors to catch a glimpse of a second object being hurled in his direction.  This time he was not quick enough.

Rifts – Chapter 9

“Drax, this is Azz.  Ash had an… episode.  We are on our way.  ETA in about 30 seconds to a minute.  we are almost there hold on.”

 

Sirens and alarms rang through the halls as Ash and Azznorock ran as fast as they could to the docking bay they were suppose to meet up in. The corridors shook violently and everyone they passed wore looks of concern.  A warning keened overhead, “Environmental and Planar breech has occurred in Docking Bay 99231.  Evacuate the Docking Sector.  Evacuate.”, the message repeated in several other languages.

 

Armed Kreegor and Arcanely equipped humanoids began to gather in adjoining halls as the two ran past.  They even saw a few of the reclusive Prometheans joining these ranks.  The halls were thick with evacuees, slowing their progress.

Rifts – Chapter 8

A salty wind blew against his face.  In the distance the cries of seagulls and the crashing of waves could be heard.  Ash lifted himself up from the sandy grass outcropping he found himself on and looked around.  He saw beaches for miles ahead of him, and tropical forest behind him.  He noticed that instead of his body armor and weaponry he was barefoot and dressed in loose fitting cotton pants and shirt.  He stood for a second and took in his surroundings and felt at peace. The whole place seemed, serene.

Rifts – Chapter 7

The circle flared an angry red and illuminated the docking bay in its crimson aura.  Tanashi and Howitzer, closest to the circle were thrown back by the force of the eruption.  Drax and Idol, now joined by Faq, looked on in horror as the area where the rune circle had been etched shifted away and sulfurous flames leapt from the gaping hole.  The body of Zak was gone, having fallen when the floor shifted out of existence.  The flooring around the circle sputtered, cracked, and steamed as it melted to liquid and fell into the hole.  The central docking arm nearest the abyss bowed under its own weight and fell to the floor as it began to melt.  The heat was unbearable.  With a gesture Drax erected a telekinetic force field around them to keep the heat at bay.

Rifts – Chapter 6

Ash flipped the amulet in his hands, studying it.  It was roughly circular in shape with jagged edges, tied to a simple leather thong.  The amulet was covered with runes etched into its metallic surface.  It was lighter than it looked.  Mounted in the center was a jewel or stone of sorts that was filled with what looked like liquid mercury flowing just beneath its surface.  Above the stone was an oval sized indentation with a barb protruding sharply at its center.  The whole amulet gave off a faint glow in the dim corridor’s light.  He lovingly traced the edges of the amulet from the woman who had enraptured him so much.  He brought the amulet to his nose, inhaled and believed that even with his heightened senses he could smell her again across the gulf of time.

The birth of The Shade

This the start of a story i began along time ago and never finished.  This isn’t related to the current chapters I am writing.

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I have followed this one since my end.  What has it been? A year?  Maybe more.  It is hard to keep track of these things, especially with the crossing of temporal barriers and all.  What a ride to this point.  Where shall I begin?  Hmmm?  I guess we shall start from the beginning.  My rebirth.

Rifts – Chapter 5

The air thrummed with energy.  Faq watched with his smoking eyes as the crumpled ball of titanium bulk head began to collapse more in on its self, as if being sucked into some great hole.  The metal twisted and whined in protest as it shrank smaller and smaller until it began to tear on one side.  The tear quickly breached the full length of one side of the sphere and the whole thing was sucked at once into an inky black portal.  Faq planted his feet and felt the pull of the portal.  He could see inside of it, and what he saw frightened even the Violence stricken Crazy.  He saw what looked like a singularity in space.  Zak had opened a portal to a black hole.

Rifts – Chapter 4

Level 9 wasn’t the foulest level of the Phase World sub-levels nor was it the safest.  The dimensional anomalies were at a minimum and most of the people that inhabited the level where hard working and kept to themselves.  Mechanics, Utilities repair-men, production workers, and people who worked hard for a living populated the general areas of the level.  The only blight to speak of on this level was a band of degenerates known as Blood Elves; a race of crimson skinned aliens that resemble elves with out the grace of that race.  Brutes, bullies, and extortionists comprise the lot of these creatures.  As much as the stale air of this sub-level they are a part of life here.

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Rifts – Chapter 3

“Bio-Wizardry.”

“Techno-Wizardry.”

“Psionics.”

“Mechanics.”

“They all have failed you. You companions have failed you, abandoned you.”

“Your soul is broken, as is your body.”