Rolling Story - The Story Thread

This is the thread for posting sections of the story. Any comments and those whishing to put thier name forward to join in should use this thread [linky]. The story is open to anyone (new and practiced), those who want to contribute as often as possible or those who just want to do one chapter because it takes their fancy.

Here’s your starter for ten:

There was an clang of metal as one of his swords struck the side of the mausoleum and Rainn felt the vibrations travel in to his hand. A punch from the shaman missed him by a millimetre, brushing the side of his face like a passing feather. This guy was quicker than he’d anticipated.

They had been waiting when he came out of the crypt. He had been careful enough going in, leaving no sign that the lock had been popped, so the only way they could have known he was there was if someone had tipped them off. Fortunately whoever had sent these lot had underestimated his skill. The husks had gone down pretty easily and he’d been able to steel his mind against the shaman’s earth powers. Now the quicker he could dispatch this last one the quicker he could get out of this fog bound place.

He stepped back slightly as he brought both swords back in to a guard position, and the shaman, thinking his target was off balance, started to cast another spell. Rainn was still on the balls of his feet though and the shamans surprise was evident as the tips of both blades flashed across his body. The words of the half formed spell were still rising from his throat as Rainn finished him off with on final thrust.

In the stillness that followed, Rainn listened for any more attackers. Then, when nothing presented itself, he sheathed both his blades.

Rainn crept off into the shadows, knowing the cover of the dark would allow him to leave as he intended - without a trace. Even though this was now partially impossible.

As he began his journey, his mind lamented on the shaman he had just defeated as he moved nimbly. Those eyes were so knowing like staring at the real Rainn, not the crusader he was respected as, but the man inside. This unsettled him no end as his mind continued to replay the events of the last 10 minutes in near slow motion.

That shaman's words had all resonated in him. But why? And how did those partially decayed eyes stare with that air of familiarity? He remembered the moment the hilt of his blades went tense as they pierced through the shaman and impact the tomb behind him. The way he knew he'd defeated this impending evil, but yet he felt oddly cold about it all. It wasn't the first time he'd cut their numbers down, but today, it felt wrong.

Those eyes were so familiar.

He continued his present course and decided to head out for the night. He was in no frame of mind to carry on at that moment and he needed time to reflect.

After Rainn finally dissapeared into the shadows there was a flicker of movement where he'd been only minutes before locked in battle. The soft and dense sound of a pair of boots crashing on the dusty ground. The figure stepped into the light and stared at the mess around him. He smiled from within the polished white helm. The smile of someone with dark intent of the highest order.

The smile of an Arbiter.

Rainn slipped out of the cemetary and back onto Fulci Boulevard. He touched the headset control built into the side of his mask.
"This is Rainn. I'm on my way back. Ran into some Tiki guys back there. Damn place is crawling with 'em."
Only the hiss of static replied.
"McQuaid? You there?"
Still no reply.
"Damn redneck," Rainn thought to himself, "probably gone to get himself another beer." He left the channel open and set off across the cemetary in the direction of the silent road.

Rainn hated Astoria. Anywhere else in the city you could stick to the shadows and get just about anywhere without drawing attention to yourself. Here, the worst things were already in the shadows. He crept along the middle of the road, keeping all his senses trained into the fog around him. Slowly and cautiously he made his way along Fulci Boulevard toward the Talos Island Gate. As he moved, that niggling, creepy feeling returned. He'd been here enough times to recognise the Astoria vibe but this was different. That damn shaman just wouldn't get off his mind...

There was a burst of louder static on Rainn's headset, then a warbling, distorted voice emerged.
"This is Oak Tree callin' Yeller Ribbon, you got yer ears on good buddy?" McQuaid's familiar Alabama drawl cut through the static.
"This is Yellow Ribbon, I'm reading you loud and clear. About time you-"
"Shut up and listen, I ain't got long. I picked up your signal on the tera-band scanner, you ain't coming through on the standard channels at all. Seems there's a jamming signal originatin' out your way, a real doozy too, some kinda dynamic-stepped array broadcast. I patched a multi-band tracking algorithm together and I'm running comms through her, but she ain't that good. Won't be long before the jammer catches up with me."
"I love it when you talk technical."
"I ain't foolin' around, Rainn, there's someone out there who doesn't want you talkin' back to base."
"OK, any idea who it is? Or where they are?"
"Negatory, buddy. There was some Arachnos traffic over there a few hours ago but they bugged out pretty quick. Best I got."
"Alright, I'll keep my eyes open."
"Hey, wait a second, I'm getting some-" McQuaid's uncharacteristically urgent voice fizzled into static.
"McQuaid? You still there?"
Nothing. The jammer had defeated McQuaid's algorithm. Once again the unearthly silence of Dark Astoria was deafening, and once again Rainn got the feeling that something was very, very wrong.