A bunch of shorts :)

[moonrise]

New one again

“You must be the one called “Bishop”.” Lady Justice stepped forward, guns drawn. “You’ve got quite the reputation.”

“Who might all of you be?” he raised a dismal brow.

“What’s with the hostility?” The Judge readied his blade. “We’re not really here to fight.”

“The Guild is not pleased with your recent murder run.” The Lady Law cut straight to the point. She raised a pistol face level and pulled back the hammer. “You’ve got crimes to pay for.”

Hearing the word “Guild” caused Bishop to tick. “I’m innocent to begin with!” he reasoned. “I was turned in and scourged mercilessly for something I never did!” he lashed out, his symbols of past captivity rustling menacingly. “You and your damned “associates” dragged me and my friends to some forsaken prison where we were put under excruciating pain despite our innocence!” he cried out in infuriation as he demanded Justice, figuratively. “How the fucking hell can you call yourselves “law enforcers”, huh?” he huffed, patience dwindling.

“What in the world are you talking about? We haven’t had any mass arrests the past moon.” she fidgeted the triggers of her sidearm. But the frantic runaway would have none of it.

“Twelve came in, but I’m the only one who managed to get out.” He made bold step up front. He glared at his challengers as he pointed a cursing finger at the Marshals’ leader. “For every life that your lunatic group took from me,” he lengthened his chains to an intimidating measure. “I’m bound to collect double.”

Taking it as a sign to kickstart, Justice initiated the rumble with a shot out of her sidearm. Experience has toughened Bishop, though, so with a calm lash he caught the bullet within the link of his iron strands and quickly redirected his whip to her direction. Enchantments turned the simple connections of metal into a menacing killing device.

To his dismay, the Judge’s speed beat him to his target by deflecting the speeding metal away from its intended mark using his modified sword. Ordering the two marshals standing by, they reactivated their unearthly contraptions, sending specters out on the open while they followed right behind, weapons on the ready and hungry for the first sign of real action.

Good for Bishop though, knowing that no coffins means no obstruction. He made it a point to burn them with his lightning first, the spiking flashes blowing the wooden casings asunder and stripping the Marshals one of their greatest advantages. Now they have to beat him fairly.

Trying to hold each contender at bay, he skillfully turned his chains into a raging storm of steel, the endless links of alloys churning in a brutal storm as Bishop spun his makeshift weapon around wildly. Despite being a close call, even the slightest touch tore a gruesome laceration across a marshal’s arm.

Modifying her tactics to suit her foe, the blind Lady called to her allies and signaled a sort of attack pattern through her fingers. The delicate flexing of her digits played out a crucial step to their advantage.

“Go.” She said coolly as she drew her blade and charged alongside Judge. Both delivered but one sword stroke, which Bishop reflexively blocked and attempted to reverse. Perfect.

“Now!” Justice snapped as the marshals aimed their sixshooters at the preoccupied Bishops and fired a round each.

“Damn!” he hissed as he swirled his chain to stop each bullet in their tracks, then quickly turning around to tend to his opponents. But their strikes were too quick to be countered that easily. Their pattern turned into a bloody pendulum, where every slice of the blade was shadowed by a hail of gunfire. Even if Bishop would struggle to keep up, he knew for long he wouldn’t last. He had to think.

With a furious swing, he managed to force the Judge and his pair to step back a little. Using the momentary stillness he swayed his emotions to shift into anger as he raised a chain-wrapped fist and slammed it to the ground, causing thousands of vaults to surge through their mortal shells. The immediate shock stunned the unsuspecting Guild members. All the lesser officers crumbled into an unconscious heap save for their superiors. Weakened, Justice and the Judge fought to stay on their feet.

“Gah… that really hurt…” Lady Justice rasped as she clutched her gut.

“Boss… you okay…?” the Judge groaned as he fixed his hads. He was still smoldering from that assault. The two, despite fumbling, still raised their swords and persisted with attack, but Bishop effortlessly subdued them. The remaining bastions of the Marshal fighting spirit finally got on their knees. The taste of defeat was bitter.

“I’m glad that shock didn’t kill you.” He said with seriously honest relief. “I’m not interested in taking any more lives.” The reluctant rager confessed as he turned and started to walk away.

The Judge could no longer hold on, finally passing out and biting the dust. Justice wasn’t intending on throwing down the towel that easily. “Wait. Aren’t you going to finish us off?”

Bishop seemed to have taken insult to her remark. Wasn’t she listening to him? He shook his head in slight discontent and disappointment as he removed his shackles, placing them before her. The bloodied band of metal glistened under the pale moonlight despite being worn with grime and flesh. Even though she could not see him per se, she could swear he was looking directly at her. But his gaze wasn’t hard, or hateful, or angry. Strangely she found it… human. His parting words hit a nerve in her. He was no ordinary "convict".

“I’ve got enough blood on my hands.”

C+C welcome :3

Edited November 23, 2008 by moonrise

[moonrise]

and another update. enjoy !

The clock’s pendulum sparked unrest in him as he sat inside his spacious but dull office. His handsome and youthful features soon turned sour with spoiled eagerness. It had been fifty three hours in passing and still there had been no updates. He was starting to lose patience. But with the sudden, slow creaking of the door across his chambers, perhaps something interesting was about to come up.

“News.” His voice rang with baritone melody as one of his underlings entered the room.

“He escaped, boss.” The henchman stuttered awkwardly, knowing their results of failure meant great displeasure to the master.

“So you are telling me that a hundred men were unable to stop one measly escapee?” he growled, slowly getting up from his comfortable chair.

“We were powerless, sir…” he took smalls steps back, obviously trembling. “He was no ordinary man…”

“Neither am I.”

Just like that, the lackey found a knife through his gut, working its way up to the neck. Having no plausible reason how his employer suddenly ended up right behind him, he was to die without knowing the answer to the mystery. After a twisted pull, his jugular artery had been severed, letting a dozen pints rain freely on the carpeted floor.

“Fool.” The foreman hissed as he flayed off some portions of flesh from the victim. “If word got out that I do this for a living…” he savored the mortal flavor of his inhuman appetite. “How I wish that it wouldn’t.”

Edited November 23, 2008 by moonrise