theflintverseblog

[theflintverseblog]

If you’re curious about the gal in the icon...

Her name is Rebecca Scarlet. She’s a major villain in Magitek, and one of my favorite characters to write. There’s not much else I can say about her right now, but at least there’s a name.

[theflintverseblog]

So, I’ve been convinced to start cracking on this blog.

Hey everyone.

My name’s G, but you can call me Battler, Vik, or whatever you like, really. This is my writing blog.

While I may or may not take prompts in the future, the main focus will be snippets and scenes from my in-progress novels. There’s six of them, and I’ll be tagging which excerpts are from which one, so you can keep track of what goes where. The tags are #Magitek, #Weaver, #Minstrel, #Esper Game, #Polypocalypse, and #Station 22. I’ll give small explanations as to the content of each at a later time. This post will be tagged with all of them for easy navigation.

Please feel free to ask me any questions about my work, I’ll answer any I can, although much of the information is still in development and some of it is secret. Answered questions will be tagged #Q&A, as well as the story or stories the question applies to.

[theflintverseblog]

Teaser for Polypocalypse

You know, if you had asked me yesterday what my greatest wish was, I'd have no real idea what to say. Maybe, a nice home, steady job, and loving wife and kids. Or enough money to last me the rest of my life. Hell, maybe a really good chicken sandwich.

Today, I know exactly what my wish would be. I want to find god and punch him.

In the face.

Honestly, the signs had been mounting for a long time. Most of us had been too stupid to notice, but the apocalypse gave plenty of warning. Natural disasters had increased, in different parts of the world. Our governments kept getting worse and more totalitarian, and most of us did nothing about it. And then, one day, it happened. Everything predicted in the book of Revelation began. The moon turned blood-red, and the doomsayers barely had enough time to say "I told you so" before the earth itself split open.

And then a giant serpent rose from the sea and wrapped round the earth.

I'm no biblical scholar, but I gather that wasn't supposed to happen.

At this point, nobody knows what's been happening. Nobody knows who's alive or dead. We've adapted as best we can, but things aren't going great. My apartment is gone, crushed by a pile of debris, and most of the survivors eaten by the snake. Right now, we've holed up in an old nuclear bunker on the outskirts of town. There's twenty of us here, and back in town... well, I doubt anyone outside is still around.

I checked my watch. It started about eight hours ago. At midnight yesterday, the moon turned. Two hours later, the serpent. It went straight through the middle of town, eating everything in sight. Now, all we can see is the middle section of its body, wrapping around through the center of our home. Before our radio died, we heard it was going in a straight line and was currently passing through Los Angeles. By now it could be halfway across the Pacific.

"Hey, Murph. You think we got a chance?"

I looked up. It was one of my neighbors from before all this. Never talked to him much.

"I really don't know, Bill. It's all happened so fast. I barely had time to grab the stuff next to my bed, let alone any food. We'll have to wait until things calm down to scavenge, and even then it could all be gone.."

Bill Burns nodded grimly. From the little I knew of him before this, he was a pretty positive guy. But this kinda thing changes people.

It was changing me, too. For the first time in my life, I was thinking of giving up. All my life I'd prepared for everything that could happen. I kept a shotgun by my bed in case someone broke into my house, I kept a gas mask for chemical attacks... most people called me paranoid, but I figured I'd be the one laughing when something bad happened to our town.

Well, something happened. And strangely enough, I don't really feel like laughing.

This was all so... big. People, I can deal with. I can stand up for myself, I can fight back. But how do you fight the world going to hell around you?

If only there was someone or something I could fight, something tangible, that would be great...

FEAR NOT.

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere, ringing in my head like a gunshot. From the looks of it, everyone else heard it too.

THE LORD SHALL TAKE THEE NOW. LAY THYSELVES DOWN AT HIS FEET AND KNOW HIS MERCY.

There was a pause, then something ripped off the roof of the shelter. We all stared at it.

The thing was... well, it looked... I have no idea where to start. I saw feathers, a lot of feathers. And under them... the thing looked humanid, but shriveled and thin. I could see the outline of ribs, with more feathers tapering off from the grooves, and its eyes were empty pits of skin. I didn't see a mouth anywhere. Its skin was pale white, and almost translucent, but around the creature was a golden light that gave it a tint. The one thing that struck me most was... all those feathers, but it didn't have wings. We barely had time to wonder what it was before we got our answer.

I AM HIS MESSANGER, ANGEL OF COURAGE. MALCHEDIEL.

I blinked. An Angel? Are you kidding me?

NOW, ONCE MORE, GIVE YOURSELVES TO HIM AND... WHAT?

I don't know what posessed me to stand up then. This thing was clearly on another level. Maybe that's what pissed me off. Who the hell was he to act all high and mighty over us?

"So, what? We go with you like good little Christian soldiers, end up in heaven, just like that?"

YOU WILL BE JUDGED BEFORE THE GATES. THE LORD WILL CAST THE SINNERS INTO A PIT OF FIRE AND REWARD THE RIGHTEOUS.

"Riiiiiight... Well, no offense to the Lord, but I think I'd rather take my chances down here."

The shelter fell into a deep silence. All eyes were on me, with good reason. I had just mouthed off to one of god's messangers, after all.

YOUR WISHES ARE IRRELEVANT. THE EARTH MUST BE CLEANSED.

"See, I'm just not into that shit. You want me? Take me. But I'm not gonna go willingly."

VERY WELL.

I gripped the wooden handle by my side and waited. As it turns out, it wasn't long. Malchediel's not-mouth tore open, bits of blood and skin hanging from his chin, and let out a ear-piercing screech before lunging at me.

I grinned. Perfect. Fucker won't know what hit him.

IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, I SHALL CLEANSE THIS-

The voice was cut off by a loud explosion. The angel reeled back, clutching at its face and staring at me in disbelief.

"What's the matter, Mal? I just want you to meet my lord. His name is Oliver Winchester."

Sitting in my hand, the double barrels still smoking, was a Model 24 that I had sawn the end off of. I reloaded and started walking towards him, still pointing the shotgun.

CHILD OF ADAM. YOUR FATE IS SEALED.

"Yeah, yeah. Save it, featherbrain."

I took another shot, this time for the center mass. But as soon as the shot hit his chest, the pellets bounced off like they'd hit a solid metal wall. Mal lunged again, this time with claws getting dangerously close to my face. I jumped back, but now my back was to the wall, and I didn't see him come around to grab me.

O LORD, TAKE NOW THIS WAYWARD CHILD INTO THY KEEPING...

Damn. What was the trick? Why did the first shot work, but not the second? I swung my leg and kicked at Malchediel's body. A sharp pain in my leg prompted me to look down.

One of the feathers had pierced my leg with that last kick. Damn, that stung. It was like a stab wound...

That's it.

The feathers. They were his armor. The first shot was a headshot, straight to the face. I planted my foot against the wall of feathers for stability, popped in another round of buck, and stuck the gun right in it's gaping mouth and pulled the trigger.

With the sound still ringing in my ears, I fell to the ground. Malchediel was screeching again, and I could barely distinguish it from the leftover noise of the shot. I quickly got up and surveyed the damage. The angel was lying prone, its fall apparently having left a crater in the floor of the shelter. 'Angel of Courage', my ass. The other survivors were huddled along the walls, staring at both of us with wide eyes.

I reloaded one more time and limped over to Malchediel, shoving the gun in his mouth at an angle. Straight towards where a human brain would be.

H-HUMAN, YOU KNOW NOT WHAT YOU...

"Just where does an angel go when it dies? I think I'll help you find out."

NO... PLEASE, MERCY...

I smiled.

"Fear not, asshole."

BOOM.

And with that, it was over as quickly as it had begun. I stood in the middle of the ruined shelter with angel brain coating the floor and wall. Slowly, the other residents approached.

"Um, mister?"

I looked down. It was a little kid, I didn't know him. Probably lost his family in the quake.

"Who are you?"

I smiled, and knelt down next to him. "Name's Gunner Murphy, kiddo."

Bill was the next to come by and sit with the kid. "Gunner? That a name or a title, Murph?"

"Can't it be both?" I asked with a grin.

[theflintverseblog]

Excerpt from a thing I’m writing

Jackal yesterday at 5:38 PM

Has anyone heard from @Ricochet? He mentioned in general that he was tracking Oracle about four days ago.

Codex yesterday at 7:09 PM

No, he’s been absent from all channels since then.

Jackal yesterday at 7:10 PM

Thanks. I’ve been waiting to hear back about Oracle.

MD yesterday at 7:25 PM

I think we all have, Jackal.

Jackal yesterday at 7:26 PM

It’s frustrating. You think if he doesn’t reply soon, it means we can write him off and I can move in?

Codex yesterday at 7:31 PM

Don’t get jumpy. He could be on a long stakeout.

Gauntlet  yesterday at 7:31 PM

I wouldn’t recommend making any movements until he’s been gone for a full week. You could easily tip off the target through carelessness.

Jackal yesterday at 7:32 PM

I suppose it’s bad form to interrupt. I can wait another day, I guess.

Gauntlet yesterday at 7:38 PM

I meant a full week, Jackal. Seven days.

Jackal yesterday at 7:39 PM

Ugh, fine. All this fucking professionalism can be a real pain.

Jackal yesterday at 7:56 PM

By the way, @MD, were you planning on moving in on Oracle next?

MD yesterday at 8:39 PM

Knock yourself out, @Jackal. I don’t intend to move until I have a better grasp of the situation. If you’d like to be the first in line after Ricochet, be my guest.

Jackal yesterday at 8:40 PM

Thanks, MD. I can always count on you to move last, it looks like.

Ricochet today at 6:50 AM

Sorry for worrying everyone. @Jackal, I’m fine, but I don’t think I’ll be able to take out Oracle. I’ll explain in a sec.

Jackal today at 6:51 AM

What happened?

Ricochet today at 6:52 AM

So, I had been tracking Oracle for a day when she noticed me.

Ricochet today at 6:52 AM

It was terrifying. I fired a shot at the back of her head, and she dodged at the last second. Then two more times in a row. It’s like she could tell where the bullets were coming from.

MD today at 6:52 AM

That makes sense. Her codename is Oracle, after all.

Jackal today at 6:53 AM

Man, I can’t get over the fact that you have a gun. Lucky bastard.

Ricochet today at 6:54 AM

I managed to escape by the time she reached the base of my sniping position. I’m currently hiding out in another city.

Ricochet today at 6:54 AM

Oracle didn’t follow me. I’m pretty sure she’s either moving a different direction than me or staying in Cali.

MD today at 6:55 AM

I haven’t seen any signs of her in my area. Any reports, @Codex @Gauntlet ?

Codex today at 6:56 AM

Nothing on my end.

Jackal today at 6:56 AM

Mine either.

Codex today at 6:58 AM

Gauntlet’s probably working, he usually responds quickly when we ping him.

Ricochet today at 6:58 AM

My point is, I’d advise against trying to take down Oracle unless you know for damn sure what you’re doing.

Ricochet today at 6:59 AM

She’s extremely dangerous.