"A Game of Chance" by Launa Sorensen

[Launa]

Introduction: So this is the start of a completely new story. I've never written about these characters. Since hearing it for the first time, I have Rihanna's song "Russian Roulette" stuck in my head. I just got bored today, the song was stuck in my head and I started to write. I noticed my sister reading over my shoulder. I had fun pretending I didn't notice and stopping to "think" at crucial moments to watch her squirm. Before I knew it, the whole story was written and she goaded me to post it here

I have to give a shout-out to Matt on this one, though. His story "Curiosity" reignited my 2nd "unusual" MG3K love: the power of humans in an immortal war. The Crew is entirely human. I'll get into the logistics of the organization in the next bit of the story, but I wouldn't have been in this mindset without Matt. Thank you!

Warning: I don't know if this story actually needs a warning, but better safe than sorry, hmm? The characters start this story playing a game of Russian Roulette. Not everyone lives. I am not a particularly graphic writer, but I figured I'd forewarn. The idea behind Russian Roulette (particularly as an initiation or show of bravery) is intensely eerie to me... which is why I had to write about it.

Enjoy.

~*~

“Six chambers. One bullet. Spin the cylinder.”

The instructions were simple. Kaleigh took a deep breath. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the underground warehouse. There were at least twenty new recruits standing in a straight line. Each held a six-shot revolver. She clenched her fist.

“Are you afraid to die?”

He stood in front of a dark-eyed teenager. The boy was covered in tattoos and false bravado. She could see him shaking even when no one else could. See the line of sweat covering his skin that had nothing to do with the humidity.

“No.” The boy spoke clearly, held the gun to his head and shot. Nothing. His shoulders slumped in relief. He was in.

The man moved to a young woman. She tossed her braids over one shoulder, the beads and marbles strung into her hair clinking. She raised her chin defiantly. She was not nervous.

“Are you afraid to die?”

“No.” She smirked. She held the gun to her head and pulled the trigger once… twice… three times. She was a super soldier. A secret project. She could hear where the bullet had fallen. She was in no danger.

The boy beside Kaleigh trembled like a leaf in the wind. He barely tried to hide it. Kaleigh knew him. They had started their training together. He had heard about the Pack on the streets of New Orleans. Super-elite. Tied to the most powerful forces in the city and across the world. His family line had nearly been destroyed in Hurricane Katrina fifty-some years before and they had never recovered. He needed the Pack. His family needed the Pack. He had no idea what he was getting into.

“Are you afraid to die?”

“No.”

The shot rang through the air. A boy hit the cement floor, blood and bone splattered across the ground. Droplets of blood hit the super soldier, scattering her across the cheek. She brushed it away, the marks looking like war paint beneath her right eye. Blood was not new to her.

The boy beside Kaleigh could not move to wipe the blood off his arm. His shirt, once white, was now stained with gore. The cross tattoo on his arm looked adorned with rubies.

The man didn’t blink. He stepped in front of the boy beside Kaleigh.

“Are you afraid to die?”

The boy couldn’t speak. The man leaned in close, his blue eyes hard like sapphires, the light of the handful of spotlights high above their heads glinted off his platinum-blond hair.

“Close your eyes. Sometimes it helps.”

Kaleigh tensed. Her lips formed a tight line across her clenched teeth. The man’s voice was merciless. He was still alive. He had never lost this game.

The boy closed his eyes. His hands shook as he raised the barrel to his head.

“No.”

He sucked in a deep breath, knowing it could be his last. She saw a flash of sunlight in his mind, the memory of a dawn he might never see.

He pulled the trigger.

He fell to his knees, his head in his hands. No bullet. He wept prayers into his palms as the man continued on.

He stood in front of Kaleigh. The smell of cologne and soap filled her nostrils. He had showered right before the initiation. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t sweat. He didn’t care.

She met his gaze, her eyes flashing, more powerful than his. He was so human, whether he wanted to believe it or not. She could snap his neck if she wanted to.

“Are you afraid to die?”

She held the gun steadily. She was not afraid of bullets, though she knew that she would die if the gun discharged. She had a human skull and brain. She did not flinch.

“No.”

She pulled the trigger. She knew the result a millisecond before it happened.

She threw the gun on the ground, her jaw set. Blank. The man nodded and moved on.

She hid a grin. She was in. Part of the Pack.

A Celestial had successfully infiltrated the largest companion training organization in the world.

[Admin]

This is very dark. I like it. The idea of humans in an Immortal world is truly a fascinating one. I particularly like the repetition of "Are you afraid to die?" The silence is so palpable between the dialogue.

Will you post more soon?

Brianne

[EJ]

I may very well like your darker work more than anything else, Launa, because the starkness is very smooth.

The idea of exploring Humans in MG3K is taking on more and more strength. As I posted elsewhere, with "That Human Grrl" and "Band Together" and even "The Taste of Sunlight," we're seeing that Humans have a place and a powerful one.

Worth exploring for sure. Keep writing, Launa. I'll keep reading.

[Jennifer]

I agree with you, EJ, about liking the darker angle. Nicely done.

Launa, in case you'd like to segway this piece into something like novella or other official fiction, you may want to weigh in over on the thread about Terrapyre Companion training. Just to keep things as realistic as they are richly dark.

[Launa]

Thank you all very much. I will definitely put in my two cents in the Terrapyre Companion training conversation.

As a quick note, I am working on the next section but I wanted to point out that I renamed the organization from the Crew to the Pack. I have spent all night researching and building my inner workings for the organization and the name change was necessary. I also did a lot of research on various weapons. The Chinese had some insanely cool weaponry. Who knew chopsticks could be so deadly! 80!

[Launa]

Kaleigh leaned against the wall. She didn’t know where she was. The compound was underground and hidden. The new recruits had been taken in vans with no windows. She knew that there were many training centers like this one. Most were empty. They rotated often.

She watched as advanced trainees practiced on platforms, wielding hook swords, trying to pull each other to the ground. The Pack emphasized skill with weapons that did not rely on electricity. All electric weapons failed at close range with a Celestial.

Kaleigh studied their moves. It was like a deadly dance.

One of the fighters hooked his opponent around the neck and threw him to the ground. A long, ugly gash circled his nape. He was still alive. They had not been battling for the kill. But in a real fight, he could have lost his head.

A woman walked past. Leather armbands with red coup marks wrapped around sleek, hard biceps. A blacksnake was coiled at her hip and Kaleigh could tell she had the exceptional skill to use it. Her hair was pulled into a tight tail, each strand silver and metallic. She was not cybernetic. The implants were cosmetic. Intimidating. An amazon.

“Lycan.”

Kaleigh didn’t turn to see the boy leaning against the wall beside her. He had changed his shirt, but he still smelled of blood.

Lycan. Best of the Pack. A title won by blood. She was fierce. Barely human.

Lycan moved across the room, never acknowledging the other fighters, but her eyes constantly moving. Kaleigh knew she was wearing HUD lenses. The image of taking the woman by her face and watching her eyes explode ran through her mind.

Out of the shadows, a dart cut through the air. Lycan sidestepped and the dart plunged into a young man's shoulder. He let out a cry of pain and reached back. His hands shook. He dropped to the floor. The dart was poisoned.

Lycan's whip flew instantly, lashing into the shadows. The crack of the whip striking its target rang through the hallway. Lycan leapt toward the sound. She spun to avoid the sharpened tip of chain whip, the crimson silk flag a hand's breadth from the tip spun with the speed of the attack. Lycan grabbed her attacker and pulled her out of the shadows by her hair. Everyone froze and watched.

“That was sloppy, Dhole.”

Kaleigh's eyes narrowed. Dhole. Title for the leader of Ca de Bou. One of the five divisions of the Pack. The fighters. She was a contender for Lycan.

Lycan threw the woman against a wall and clubbed her with the base of her blacksnake. Dhole turned back to Lycan, her dark eyes burning.

Lycan pulled a knife off her belt and pressed it against Dhole's throat. Blood welled along the edge.

“You better kill me now,” Dhole hissed.

Lycan chuckled. She removed the knife. She licked the blood off the blade.

“You say that every time. You belong to me. Until you can kill me, you do as I say.”

Lycan struck her again and walked away, never turning back.

Dhole watched her go, her fingers digging into the wall.

Everyone stepped aside as Lycan passed. They were afraid of her. Kaleigh grinned.

Lycan glanced at her. For a moment their eyes connected. Kaleigh could read her thoughts. Back off, pup. Her eyes flashed. A soft, barely audible growl escaped her lips. Kaleigh's gaze was steady. Her grin deepened. She fingered a marble on the back of her belt.

She watched as Lycan walked away. She stroked the marble once more and crossed her arms over her chest. She could feel Lycan’s skull beneath her foot already.

Only a matter of time.

[Launa]

So... I can't sleep. And I decided to put these together. I didn't have many credits, so I'll probably do better pics in the future (like with weapons, better expression packs, etc) but I thought these were fun. Some character images:



Kaleigh



Lycan


Dhole

A couple characters still to come:



Coyote



Hyena

[Launa]

So here's another fun freebie

I did a lot of research that may never appear in this story. I wanted to find weapons outside the norm, particularly weapons that are handy at decapitation (since it makes sense to me that humans training to fight Celestials would most often aim at decapitation, the easiest way to kill a Celestial.) This brought me to ancient chinese kung fu weaponry. I found an amazing national geographic special about them on YouTube. It shows the top 10 types of ancient chinese weaponry not only talking about the weapons (and bits of great Chinese history if you're interested in the time periods) but showing each in use and battle. They go over how each weapon works and I find the martial arts masters amazing to watch. I found it very inspirational.

The entire special is about an hour long, so I split down which weapons are covered in which videos so it will be easier for those of you who are interested, but can't sit for an hour

Video 1:

Introduction
10: Sword and Saber
9: Long Range Weapons (Bows, crossbows)
8: Warrior's Weapons (just the very beginning)

Video 2:

8: Warrior's Weapons (Pole arms: the ge and ji, shown fighting both on foot and on horseback.)
7: Long Weapons (Staff, spear, guan do)
6: Soft Weapons (chain whip)

Video 3:

Very end of 6.
5: Domestic Killers (Chopsticks, fan, dark judge brushes)
4: Mechanical Concealed Weapons (sleeve arrows)
3: Exotic Weapons pt. 1 (Twin deer antler blades, ring, crescent spade)

Video 4:

3: Exotic Weapons pt. 2 (Adapted farm tools (like the rake), ermine needles, dang, double mallets, twin hook swords, tobacco pipe sword, claw)
2: Ultimate Flying Weapons (Rope dart, meteor hammer)
1: Flying Guillotine beginning

Video 5:

1: Flying Guillotine (this is a weapon that was never found, only spoken of in legend. They try to create the weapon and use it to see if it could actually have been used anciently.)

Here are the videos:

[EJ]

Launa, the 'tubes are really cool but the characters are unreal awesome! Thank you for sharing! Can't even pick a fav... Kaleigh ... Lycan... Coyote... ugh! LOL!

[Launa]

Thank you! I thank my shopping obsession. I didn't have much time and only a couple thousand credits, so I had to use mostly things I had lying around. Which is why the other two characters, Jackal and Fox (both males) aren't posted yet. I don't have many things for guys! Also why the faces aren't varied enough. Still, I do like them. Perhaps I'll branch into comics/graphics for the story? *shrug* I've been doing a lot of studying of the modeling and fashion industry. I just like doing promo shots in my free time

[Jennifer]

Fan fiction comic shorts sounds like so much fun! Especially for a visual story like this one.

[Launa]

She grabbed the man’s short, blonde hair and threw him into a wall.

She could feel their eyes on her. She smiled. Perfect.

The man spun around, his eyes wild and his fist flew for Kaleigh’s face. She barely dodged. She leaned in, sending a hard jab to the man’s lower stomach, a right hook to his jaw and drove her elbow back into the other side of his head.

The man flew to the ground, blood dribbling past his lips and smearing across the floor.

Kaleigh stretched her hand. She liked the feel of bone and skin beneath her fist. It wasn’t nearly as satisfying as a similar blow in her Ornate Form. She couldn’t feel the human’s pain or emotion through her hand. But still…

Kaleigh grinned as she grabbed the man by his hair once more. She looked into her opponent’s blackened eyes. He would be so easy to finish off. But they were not supposed to kill or maim each other. Kaleigh had already won her place in the class. She fought the urge to deliver a death blow.

She leaned in close to the man’s ear, her lips almost brushing skin.

“Are you afraid to die?” she whispered very softly. She felt her opponent stiffen beneath her hands. He gasped, his breath caught in his lungs. Kaleigh chuckled lightly. “I thought so. Stay down.”

She pushed him back to the ground. He didn’t move. Kaleigh walked away from the ring before the official had finished calling her victory.

The Pack parted as she passed. She glanced carefully through the crowd, looking for the leaders. Dhole. Jackal. Coyote. Fox. Hyena. They were watching her closely. She was the top of her class. They would want to recruit her. She saw Lycan sit back in her chair, her chin on her fist, her eyes ice cold.

Kaleigh made her way through the crowd. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around, her fist flying, but the man ducked easily, his hands in his pockets. She froze. Of course he would find her first.

“You’re quick.” She could read the message between Fox’s words. He was quicker.

“I’m not going for Seebeerskij,” she announced, her face unreadable.

“Yes, I suppose you are trying for Ca de Bou, the way you fight,” he responded, his Irish accent thick. He held himself casually, his long, thin frame almost slouched back against the wall. His blue eyes danced. He fingered a medallion of some Catholic saint. “But you know Seebeerskij isn’t just about running. We need fighters, too. You’re quick. Graceful. You could rise through the ranks very quickly.”

She leaned back beside him, matching his casual stance, but her muscles were still taut. She was not a runner like Fox and his division. As far as she knew, a Seebeerskij had never been Lycan. But she was a prize. And she would not make an enemy of him yet.

“I’ll look into it,” she conceded.

“You’re wasting your time, Fox.”

Kaleigh’s shoulders stiffened. Fox scowled.

“You don’t know everything, Coyote.”

“No. That would be Jackal. But I know enough.” Coyote placed her finger over Fox’s lips. “She isn’t interested in Seebeerskij. She doesn’t want jobs. She wants to be Lycan.” Fox knocked her hand away with a precision that betrayed his strength. Coyote’s eyes flashed. She pulled a gun off her back and leveled it at his head. She was still smiling. “Play nice, puppy.”

Fox pulled away from her and stepped back toward the crowd. “She won’t want to join Malinois either.”

“I never expected her to,” Coyote retorted as she placed the gun back under her shirt. Fox glowered and melted back into the rest of the Pack. “He’s just sore because he was last for Lycan,” Coyote remarked.

“I have been thinking about it,” Kaleigh interrupted. Coyote turned to her. She brushed a piece of choppy blonde hair back behind her ear.

“About what, baby?”

“Joining Malanois.”

Coyote paused. Her eyes squinted in thought. Kaleigh kept her face even.

“What would a Ca de Bou whelp if ever I saw one want with spy and messenger work?”

“You work with them the most. Stay with them the longest.”

Coyote glanced at her. "With who?"

"Terrapyres."

Coyote smiled. “You wanna play with the Terrapyres?”

Kaleigh shrugged. “In a way.”

Coyote shook her head. “Not buying it, honey. What do you want?”

Kaleigh glanced through the crowd at Lycan. Coyote followed her eyes and she nodded. “You want Lycan, you go to Ca de Bou. They’re vicious and nasty, but they get the job done.”

“She won’t expect her opponent to come from Malanois.”

Coyote leaned back against the wall. Kaleigh spotted another gun on her thigh through her jeans. “While I appreciate the irony of your dream and would gladly step down as Coyote if it meant one of my mates taking Lycan, it’s not your best path. She suspects you, no matter where you come from.”

“You could help me,” Kaleigh suggested softly. She didn’t look at Coyote. She couldn’t seem anxious. But Coyote only shook her head.

“Lycan owns us. She dominated us in the ring. We belong to her. We all want her dead. A hint about this game, Precious. If you want help taking her down, you get on Dhole’s good side. No one wants it more than Dhole.”

“Why?” Kaleigh questioned.

“Don’t ask me why. I’ll give you what I want. No more.”

Kaleigh didn’t press the matter.

“Will you help me?”

Coyote looked her over, her eyes betrayed her wisdom. She smiled again. “As much as I want. Good luck, Ca de Bou.”

She sauntered back into the Pack.

[ashlen]

Wow Launa, this is soo good. I loved reading over your shoulder as you were writing the first peice. No matter what anyone says your one of the best authors I know, and not to mention my favorite. Everything you write comes to life for me. Rock on sistaa,literally (:

[EJ]

*Love* the hard edge here, Launa. The characters read real and just crackle.

[Launa]

The halls were dark and empty. Kaleigh stepped silently down the stairwells that twisted deeper underground. She wasn’t allowed to be here. The training rooms were for high-ranking members of the Pack.

The lights flickered above her head as she continued on. She was invisible. Vanished. Her True Form buzzed. It was night time. Even underground she could feel it. She felt slow. Sluggish. She should be sleeping.

Kaleigh turned a corner and stepped into a large training room. Weapons lined the walls. Sabers and flying darts sat in one corner, already used. Dhole twisted and danced, two whips lashing out at the air. Her face was completely composed, but her lips were tight and her eyes burned. She was feral. Kaleigh couldn’t help but be stare.

Suddenly, a soft snap echoed through the room and a small, canvas bag swung from the ceiling. Dhole spun, her whip flying, catching the bag mid-swing. She immediately sent out her other whip, spearing the bag and twisting it violently. She charged, dropping one whip and pulling a knife off her hip, slashing through the bag with a war cry. Sand burst into the air as the bottom of the bag dropped to the ground.

Dhole stared at the remains, her body shaking, sweat glistening along her skin. She took a deep breath. She clenched her fists.

Kaleigh shifted out of her True Form and morphed back into her human form. She took one step forward and Dhole turned.

“I knew you’d find me,” she announced, picking up her whip and curling it into her palm. Kaleigh leaned against the doorway. Dhole didn’t hesitate. “Ca de Bou is hard. Harder than any other division of the Pack. It is relentless. Every member is constantly in battle with the other. And it doesn’t stop when you are called onto a job. You are frontline. Only. Always. You stay at the top of your game or you die. And one day, far sooner than you expect, no matter how hard you train, you will not be strong enough, your body will fail you and you will be killed.”

“But Ca de Bou takes Lycan.”

Dhole paused, her back to Kaleigh. The muscles in her shoulders tightened. “Yes.”

“I want Lycan,” Kaleigh announced.

“Lycan is mine,” Dhole hissed.

“But you don’t care about the title.”

Dhole turned around, crossing her arms over her chest. “You do not know me, pup. I am not a person to you. I am your trainer. Your mentor. And ultimately your competition.”

Kaleigh smirked lightly. “Our only competition is Lycan. I can take her. You will help me.”

“You have no idea what you’re getting into,” Dhole remarked, turning to pick up the rest of her weapons. “And you’re not allowed to be here. Go back to your bunk.” Kaleigh watched her. She tightened her fist. “Meet me at dawn to start training.”

Kaleigh smiled and stepped back into the hallway.

“She is right, you know. You don’t belong here.”

Kaleigh froze. She hadn’t seen him.

Hyena stepped out of the shadows before her. His eyes beamed like marbles the color of robin’s eggs. She caught herself holding her breath. Of all the leaders, he was the most dangerous. Mysterious Hyena, leader of the even more mysterious Catahoulas. For all she knew, he could see her Celestial form even through her morph.

“Dhole is my new trainer,” she announced.

He sighed thoughtfully and took a step closer to her. His skin blended into the shadows. His voice was smooth. She didn’t want to look into his eyes. She forced herself to meet his gaze.

“None of us are what you see. This game is more complicated and much longer than you think.”

“We are all playing games,” she responded. “We all want Lycan.”

Hyena didn’t respond. His expression did not change. He held her gaze a moment longer, then he hung his head gently and walked away. Kaleigh watched him go, her nails digging into her palms. The game had just shifted.