Chapter1: The Meeting

Chapter 1: The Meeting

When the blare of the alarm snapped her out of her clouded stupor, she glanced back at the worn photo frames at her bedside. Two young girls stared right back at her, one with solemn blue eyes and a piercing frown while the other with impish and bold with twinkling blue eyes that shone with mirth and mischief as she forcibly tried to make her sister smile with her dainty fingers.  

“Come on, Forge smile”, and “stop it, you can’t make me”.  The voices, laughter, and memories as did the waves of pain and nostalgia made her head buzz and spin. By god, she needed that aspirin. The past was in the past, she thought to herself as her palm pilot Keene hopped on to her mistress’s shoulders.

   Keene, fitted in maid garb that enhanced her shoulder length red hair and deeper burgundy eyes announced as always in her crisp nonsense tone of the upcoming news “Mistress forge, shall it be weights and shadow-cast or cardio and reconnaissance? You have ten seconds to select an option. If not a random interval will be provided for you.”

 Forge, now fully awake, responded, “Weights and shadow-cast”.  Her voice at once activated her home; her white bed-sheets folded themselves, pillows fluffed, while her closet threw a pair of lasered shorts and a sports bra. In response, forge wordlessly glanced at the clothes and in an array of magic, the clothes melded to her bare body, a neo-synthetic polyacylic sinew. 

                  After completing three hours of weights followed by an additional two hours of building her minds’ defenses, with her muscles strained and magic tempered, Forge felt ready and braced herself for the real world. By the time she donned her uniform and badge, Keene had already prepared breakfast , a solid glass of aura and four claxels.

  When she finished eating her breakfast, Keene relayed her schedule. “ Mistress Forge, Ice is already awaiting and prepared for your arrival in Lady Holmes’ shop, your meeting with the head of the department along with commanding superior officer Maquae is canceled, however your meeting with Mr. Paxton is at 10am as scheduled.   Your superior officer Wilkow requests that you come to the office as soon as you get this message. Replaying video transmission.  As Forge watched the video, her blue eyes flattened and cooled to an ice chip blue before addressing Keene to lock and place all wards and accompanying seals to the house.  

After hearing the bitters of the wind, Forge donned a heat waved black trench-coat and opted for tractioned boots to keep the burs off her feet.  Even as she boarded the agency’s secure magical bus affectionately termed gloom, her hands remained in her pockets, one gloved hand clasping the leather hilt of her throwing knife and the other caressing a semi-automatic.  A quick glance at her watch revealed the time, 9:45. The gloom would hopefully evade through air traffic and reach the office by 50’. One stop by another, other people, other creatures, and agents poured in - the seats becoming uncomfortably crowded and congested with sweat, urine, and magic. Although the rambunctious whispers, and sweat oozing from their skin created havoc in her mind, her face and posture betrayed nothing. When she felt her mask about to slip and the beginnings of a tremor, she willed herself to relax by hearing the symphony of individual beats of magic coiled around her.  It was calming, soothing even as the notes played up and down, racing around the room. She reveled in its beauty before abruptly tensing.  

 Three paces down, two to the left, the note did not mesh with the harmony of the others. It sounded flat, and off-key. Granted some members on the gloom were prone to bouts of despair, the melody was interesting in that it bounced from flat to sharp and back. With her ears perked, she engaged the amplifier by pretending to discern a lock of hair behind her ear.  With her magic, she eliminated everyone’s magic as background noise and focused on the individual. The melody was going crazy as there was barely a note tying the piece to the other beats. It appeared almost self -destructive. Warning bells rang in her head even as she cleared her mind to the present and notified the agency. Hopefully the flag would spur any agent on the gloom to action while alerting the agency for backup.

 Of all the time Forge thought just when I don’t have Ice on me. Alert and wary now, she followed the agency’s procedure and diverted her eyes to the door of the gloom. A side-swept glance revealed all other active agents on the gloom, two from the looks of it, a ‘were’ and a newbie, b*****d and wild cannon, hell of a combination she thought. She tapped on the mind link by pretending to put a scrap of paper into her bag.

 The Were’s domineering voice flooded into her mind. He asserted himself as alpha and would lead the way to victory. She had learned over years of experience that it was best to not let pride interfere with decisions. She would allow him to take control provided the job was done accordingly. Any mistakes and she would intervene. Still, the plan he suggested although brute and blunt could be effective in securing the creature down. The newbie piped to scan the area, take Intel on the opponent. She approved as a wise fighter was one who exploited his opponents’ weaknesses.  The newbie observed three paces down, two to the left, two women in their mid -fifties.

 The first appeared relatively sane with greying hair and an old woman’s guise. Hands, feet and spine wrinkled while the second also followed suit in whitish hair and thin bony frame. The newbie reported innocent grandmas through the link and suggested that she retire or get her magic sensing capabilities checked. Men were such idiots Forge thought as she glanced in the guise of the suspects’ way. The boy was right in that they appeared normal, but she knew from first hand that appearances were deceiving and that her ears never failed. She gave the two a once over before spotting it.

 Nails she yelled through the  mind- link. While both women looked opulently wealthy and ostentatiously dressed, woman number 2 had surprisingly dirty fingernails for someone who was supposed to pompous and well kept considering the usual travelers on the gloom.

The Were’s nose confirmed her speculation "blood on her nails he affirmed.  The low rumble of the gloom was a telltale sign to Forge that the gloom was about to achieve its final destination, Diem a popular destination for business trading and tourism. In other words, a hot spot for danger. 

          The suspected woman, trembling, fumbled with her purse and feinted searching for something. The alpha's nose scented sage, valkium - a harmless metal and dragon blood. Ingredients by themselves that would pose no threat, but together with the right spell would destroy an entire quadrant. A fourth of the sector would be destroyed. If it was smart, it would aim straight for the center of the city. The rookie hurriedly jumped into action asking the woman if he could assist her with her luggage.

 "Too soon", Forge thought. One would have to be deaf to hear the panic and worry in his eyes. A more contemplative scan of the woman drew attention to the widening of the suspect's eyes. They were tinged purple, bulging and straining. Her hair was falling, strand by strand to the floor. Her magic -cast confirmed her suspicions. The suspect's core magic and life force was expanding rapidly. Skin stretched, veins bulging.

 "Rookie", Forge shouted over the mind link , " get out of there NOW!" He was too young and frozen by the suspect's transformation - a demon. Level three from its grotesque appearance. Women, men, and creatures around her began to scream in fear, in panic. The demon merely smiled now maniacally, blood dripping from its fangs. It was insane, " she thought". The "were' leapt on its back and lunged for its throat, while the demon merely plucked him off as if it was a piece of lint. Since strength was useless, Forge shot bullets in its eyes to temporarily blind it. Racing into action, she threw the blade to the rookie and told him to keep the demon distracted. The 'were' , as far as she could tell, was still alive. Good, she thought, he was a fighter. His hands clutched to his dagger, the "were' recited fang, bane, come forth, A burst of red light emanated as two kodachi knives flew to his side. As the were’ and his knives worked in unison, a flurry of red and black, to disarm the demon and at the very least, gouge its arms from regenerating, the rookie crouched low to spring and jab the blade into the demon’s throat.

 Although a shriek of pain and despair emitted from the creature for a few moments, it became oddly reticent. Opening her magic-cast, Forge observed a dynamic shift in the creature’s magic. It was normal for a demon’s magic core to be increasing in intensity as an innate attempt to heal itself while minimizing loss. No, what was peculiar was the behavior of this “insane” demon after being attacked. The “were’ and the rookie should have finished it off with brutal accuracy by now and yet, it was still thriving as if it was only recovering from minor wounds.  Suspicious, She re-examined the demon’s throat and arms to discover that the attacks had only increased the demon’s regeneration ability because of its condition. It was female and over three months pregnant.  A well known fact; pregnant demons are able to siphon magical attacks towards the barrier covering the womb.

Stripping it of its flesh would only increase the chance of its offspring being born in an explosion of magic per offspring and consequently, a city’s desecration. She needed backup, her weapon wherever it may be. Her voice was calm and resolute as she recited her pledge to her companion.   

            “ Death’s cradle

               Soul’s remise and nature’s vice

               Now who bears my will to protect

               Eternally bound, come forth Ice”

 Her eyes closed, even as she heard the clamor of her surroundings. The rookie’s yells of disclaiming her judgment and likewise the were’s growling of her inability to fight were drowned out as Forge sought the humming of her weapon. A cool burning metal was encased in her palm when she opened her eyes.

 “A spear, she heard the rookie yell.” “ you summoned a bloody blunt spear " it won’t do anything!.

 The were’ at once clasped his paws over the rookie’s mouth and eyes widened with shock and recognition as he asked her, “ what do you want us  to do?”

Forge calmly replied,” distract him. Let the rookie brandish his weapon and motion if attacking the demon while you and your blades circle around it. Keep the demon off guard and off balance if possible. Do not pierce its flesh unless you want your strength and magic drained from you.”

           At the Were’s confirmation to pass it along to the rookie, Forge went to work. The rookie proceeded to arouse the demon with pointed jabs to the face and chest, making it bristle with anger while the Were’ and his blades swiped at the demon’s feet, always missing by a hair. After five rounds, she spotted an opening. Ice strummed and hummed in her hand.

“ Kill “ it whispered. Power and magic concentrated into Ice, Forge swung and struck at the demon’s waist, an inch below where the sacs enclosing each offspring were expected. Although the demon tried to regenerate by absorbing her magic, Ice, a demonic weapon, negated it and froze the demon and her brood from its internal organs. She needed to take the demon back to the lab for further testing. A pregnant level 3 demon was a rare find and even so, for it to come out into public like this implied desperation and fear.  What on earth was out there?

            The pull and grim notes from Ice dragged Forge out of her contemplations.

“ What’s wrong with the Godric’s lance” questioned the were’.

“Godric’s Lance? “ The rookie paled upon hearing the name. It appeared as if Lady Holmes wasn’t able to quell it entirely. Although the bloodlust and the thirst for death had somewhat faded, Ice still continued to be enveloped in notes of revenge and remise. Even as she tried to soothe it with her own wavering soul melody, the Were’ interrupted her musings.

 “ It must be difficult to harness it huh”. His voice was suspiciously soft and soothing. She said nothing, merely waiting for the agency to arrive.

The rookie’s eyes lit with enthusiasm and admiration " that’s godric’s lance " the weapon that sealed hell’s gate?. The Were spoke for her,” yes yes… now run along the agency’s arrived.” Forge looked ahead to witness a chain of air-cabs, transpo for each of them and the civilians caught in the zone, and a floating cage for the demon. On sight of broad shoulders encased in a green suit pinned with medals, her commander, her heart squirmed even as she quelled it.

As he held the door open inviting her into the comfort of the air-cab, she heard the rookie question the inevitable , “ still why does she have it?,” and felt the Were’s narrowed gaze to the soft yet clearly masculine hands that brushed over her knuckles to offer comfort while coaxing her to the car.

             Upon sitting, she whiffed the fragrance of piping green tea harmonized with the scent of buttermilk biscuits, her favorite snack. She allowed herself one small sigh before leaning back into the padded velvet cushions of the cab.  A cool finger tickled and stroked the column of her neck.  Cerulean eyes flashed open, wary now.

 “Long Day?” His voice, a smooth baritone with a taint of dry humor, had once appealed to her like a honey bee drunken to the nectar of snowdrops. But it was the past, and by sheer grit she had moved on.

 Plastering an emotionless façade, Forge responded “ Officer Maquae, I would strongly appreciate if you removed your hands of my person” At once, the hand dropped. She faced away from him now, silky strands of hunter green hair drifting into his face.  She looked stressed, bags under her eyes from overworking but her posture was rigid, tense, braced against the world. She’d shut herself away from him he knew and he’d deserved it. He had made a mistake but so had she in not trusting in him. A relationship he thought was a two way street with trust as the binding glue. It was over and he needed to move on, away from her. It was for the best.

 The remainder of the twenty minute ride was spent in an uncomfortable silence. Though the tension and heat instinctively coiled around the pair, this time both ignored it. There would no more furtive glances or lingering touches. Their time had come and gone.  An abrupt stop indicated their arrival at site of destination: the administrative branch of the council’s headquarters.

            Forge merely pressed a thumbnail on her wristlet to adjust the wardrobe magic; she still needed to address Wilkow after all. Though her ankle enclosed leather boots remained, a flurry of white replaced her standard green military uniform with a grey chiffon blouse complete with a black bowtie, form fitting black trousers, and black gloves.  Ice was sealed in a briefcase clasped in her hand to match her ensemble.

 Since Maquae belonged in the same sector, he would unfortunately be with her until the 70^th floor. Wordless, Forge strode over to Cair, bubbles enclosed in magic that would rise due to air pressure to their intended destination. Flashing her ID, and a stream of magic to confirm her identity, Forge declared 70. Together, they shifted. He knew her eyes were observing the changes brought by the mechanical revolution. Diem had evolved from careless pocket magic to a city unifying global technology and pure core magic. Trees composed of silicone fused with core magic grew to unthinkable heights while acting as a notable for a power source for the third sector. Magic was now stable, secure in nano-machines and computers. It would protect and nourish the growth of civilians as it was designed. Beside him, Forge shifted towards the thin element of the capsule. They were here and she walked in front of him now. Her gait was cool and confident as ever. He turned left towards the electronic division, and she to the right towards the council’s chambers.

            As Forge made her way through the seemingly endless hall, she was left with whispers. The rumor mill would be running she knew with “Does she deserve it?” “ She looks weak” “ She slept her way to the top” She would not falter. Instead, Forge wrapped her thumb around Ice more so to draw in comfort. Her expression was grim and determined when a blast of light reached her eyes. She strode inside to the middle of the court or what some would call the middle of chaos.

 “Forge Geneseo, you are in violation of code and clause VI  article 389: insubordination of proper protocol. Do you understand your rights? A baritone voice spoke out of the shadows. She glanced sideways at the smirking Were and rookie before answering yes.

The prosecutor stuffily fussed with his tie and proclaimed, “All officers, regardless of rank, here she subtly flinched, are required to call dispatch before magic use in public your honor.” The Were at this point whispered to the prosecutor acting as council. “Ehm the instability of godric’s lance also suggests the need for a more capable and experienced officer.”

At this, Forge lifted a slender eyebrow. Her voice softly cool, she said “ your honor I have been employed in Orion for the last 14 years. The godric’s lance has been my partner for 5 out of the 14 years. I assure you I am more than capable.”

 The prosecutor at once interjected, “ Hell’s gate along with sector 4 of Diem was destroyed 30 years ago as a result of a malfunctioning in Godric’s Lance. The Were, an agent at the top of the elite class, can vouch for the presence of haphazard patterns and darkness. We question her integrity and authority in decision making on behalf of the citizens of diem, your honor.” Abruptly, doors opened and light swung into the room once more. A bilious red cloak strode into the room. Brown eyes assessed the situation and focused on the judge.

“ Your honor, it is a pleasure to see you again.” The judge looked at the newcomer, took off his glasses, and smiled. “ Lady Holmes, what a privilege it is have you grace your presence in this court room.” Lady Holmes merely smiled, one fang peeking out of her bottom lip.

She answered, “Your honor, the complaints against my client are foolhardy and a waste of time and your convenience. The godric’s lance as does any weapon chooses its owner not the other way around. Forge Geneseo was chosen as a suitable candidate for both the weapon and position due to her magical compatibility and strength of character. As the creator of the godric’s lance, I attest the superiority of her capability and morality. The opposition is merely trying to play meager politics.”

The prosecutor and Were paled at the accusation before sputtering about the misconduct. Lady Holmes gestured to Forge; Forge dipped her hand into her pockets and handed over the recording. “This recorded memory should be more than enough to dismiss Forge Geneseo from any violation. Irregardless of the evidence, the violation is a low rank II felony at best and once more, is a waste of time.” The Judge looked at the tape, lady holmes’ eyes and the deathly white faces of the prosecution.

 “Miss Geneseo, you are free to leave.”  With that, Forge walked out of the court room and rode the Cair to the 40^th floor accompanied by Lady Holmes.

The moment they were enclosed, Lady Holmes admonished, “ Forge, you could be more careful with who you dine and wine politics with. The Were is the son of one of the prominent figures no investors of this city. “

Forge refused to say anything further and instead thanked the lady for her aid.

Lady Holmes looked at Forge shaking her head saying, “ stubborn as always  I see, “ before getting off the Cair. Now alone, Forge walked to meet her 10am appointment with Lieutenant wilkow albit an hour or so late.

Wilkow furrowed his eyebrows and gruffly responded, “ You’ve had quite a day today haven’t you?” She chose not to respond and stared fixedly at a point behind his head. Wilkow then strode to the center of the room, handing her the case files and presented her new mission.

“ The rival organization Hydra”, he began, “ along with other factions are reportedly hunting for a totem for the past several months. The totem possesses a severe amount of magical power. If it falls into the wrong hands…. “ He gave her a pointed look. “ You have a week to isolate and recover it.” She said nothing, just flipping through the paper work.

 So, she thought,” its last known activity was in sector nine at the hands of a fire-witch.” Her stomach at this moment protested, hungry from the morning events. She slipped her hands in her pockets searching for claxels and two soldier pills. Lunch would have to wait. No change in her pockets and after the morning, she had no desire to take the gloom to sector nine. She would have to walk or maybe not, she thought remembering the key in her right pocket. Now in the face of her palm, the key shone a brilliant blue and silver. She pressed the key to her index finger and pricked a drop of her blood upon its edges. The key at once activated, transforming into a levitating vehicle come skateboard of sorts.  As she zipped through the streets and subsequent sectors, “Yes, she thought,” this would do just fine.” Upon reaching the destination, nothing could have prepared her for what would witness.

            There was debris everywhere followed by ash and thick smoke. Torrents of fire, six no ten, were spinning into the skies. Clouds of fire, dragons, were swiveling in the streets. People were screaming, crying, and the scent of death hovered over all. It was surprising that the gate to sector nine even stood in front of her although its bars were getting bent. Forge unstrapped Ice and focused on the energy itself. The notes were rumbling, a cacophony of noise. Some harmonious and others self-defeating. While sector nine was highly regarded as a dangerous part of town, this seemed to resonate with the appearance of the totem. Still nothing. She would have to scry at a close distance to pinpoint its location. The closer she got, the more dark winds blew. A burst of light caught her attention. Following it, she witnessed a blonde woman throwing her head back maniacally laughing as there were screams below her.

Five steps closer and blood spattered onto Forge’s cheeks and chin. The bodies in front of her had internally ripped apart.  She wiped off the matted blood on her hair as Ice began resonating. Blood it sang. Holding on to it more firmly, Forge heard rather than looked the totem and apparently its new owner. In the middle, a young girl barely six or seven, was crying no wailing. The totem , glowing, was in reach. As Forge extended her arms to seize it, she was propelled backwards by a larger body. Blue clashed with sanguine red eyes.

Author's Note

I finally finished this chapter!

Reviews

[747]

Again, I think it would help a lot for you to break up your large chucks of writing. This is especially important when you have dialogue; each new speaker should be a new paragraph.

The content of your writing is very intense and intriguing.

However, in your second last paragraph, the dialogue gets a little bit messy:
“ You have a week to isolate and recover it.” She said nothing, just flipping through the paper work. So, she thought,” its last known activity was in sector nine at the hands of a fire-witch. It was time to get to work.”
I'm confused by your formatting as to what you are trying to convey here.

Over all though I think there's a lot of potential and you have a good solid idea!

[DaughterNature]

The Sci-Fi stuff is pretty cool. Be careful about remembering to capitalize your character's name, though - since it's also a normal word, it gets hard to pick the name out from the rest of the text.

So, wait: she does 5 hours of intensive exercise, THEN has breakfast and gets ready for her day? How many hours long is the day???

On the bus you use the 3/2 combination to describe something, just like you did for her hours of exercise - significance?

The action of the fight is VERY difficult to follow. I suggest trying to rewrite it as if you were viewing it in a movie - if you were the director, what would you focus the camera on when? Make sure the writing is clear so that your readers feel the excitement of the action along with your character.

The transition from the fight into the court case is also pretty murky. How did she know she had to go into the court?

The new mission is interesting, for sure. I like the description of how Sector 9 is being destroyed, but the whole 'new owner' thing about the totem is a bit confusing.

[Lizardo]

Wow this was very intense, I did enjoyed reading it a lot!
You're doing a great job writing it, although I should recommend changing the letter type.
It was for me sometimes to keep up with the read because of the letter type, I see this TimesNew Roman probably? Maybe you should changed it Trebushet or Arial that would make more sutetable for reading.
But anyways thas just my opinion, you don't have to change it if you don't want to.
It was really good and intense. You have a great style of writing making the scenes como to life.
Excellent

[CrimsonShinigami]

The prologue was great it was intense with details and so is this chapter but I like to say you could have stuck with one set of writing i think but all in all it's great I look forward to helping out again