Writing Lyrical Spectrum: Assassin's Overture [M-LSV]

[Onix]

Decadent Oratorio Assassin's Overture Prologue: Break Out The blaring of horns filled the air. Spotlights flashed through the gloom, illuminating the boxlike prison. With a deafening roar of screaming metal, the front door burst off its hinges, slamming to the ground with a resounding crash. Standing amidst the dust and gloom was a hulking figure, at the least seven feet tall. He glared out at the world with one dark eye, the other blanked by a long, wicked scar. His face was masked behind wild dark hair that hung down, weighted by sweat. His huge, rough hands clenched and unclenched in agitation. He wore no shirt, baring his massive muscles and ugly scars. Following meekly behind the giant was a small woman, swathed in a thick, dark cloak that obscured her body from view. A few locks of blonde hair peeked from behind the hood of the thick cloak, black streaking the fair color. Her eyes, gray blue in color, were wide and frightened. "Hurry, Leanne," cried the giant. He grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her behind him as he began to run. Leanne said nothing, simply running along beside him. The giant took loping strides, but the girl was faster, and so was able to keep up. They ran quickly from the prison, leaving the noise and brightness. Endlessly they ran, fleeing the lights behind them, and running into the enveloping blackness of the night, with only the stars above to guide them. [CENTER]*****[/CENTER] Chapter 1: The Man in Black It was an unbareably hot day in Brooks city. Well, you couldn't really call it a city, it was just a small town. Old and poor, it sat on the outskirts of West Country, out in the barren desert that edged the great continent. The sun glared down upon the land, making it feel like your hair would just begin to smoke. The only people out on the dry summer day were a few old folks, sitting under the shade of rickety old porch roofs. The world around was going to hell, and nowhere was this more visible than Brooks city. Brooks was once a prosperous mining town, but now it was just a wasteland. The only people still there were those too old, poor, or weak to move on. No one ever came to Brooks, and no one left anymore. At least, that's how things seemed. But as the old folks on their porches looked about again, they saw figures on the horizon. One tired woman stopped fanning herself momentarily, just to stare. As they slowly drew close to town, more and more people just stopped and stared. Both the figures were swathed in heavy, dark cloaks, blocking themselves from view. How anyone could bare to wear those heavy garments on such a boiling day was beyond the citizens of Brooks. The duo walked slowly down the dry, dusty streets until they reached the only pub in town. Wasn't much business for a pub anymore. People were too poor to pay, or too old to drink. But the man owning it, ol' Mr. Cash, ran it just the same, opening it every day at noon and closing at 10 o'clock sharp. The old salloon doors creaked open, and Cash had to dig a finger into his ear to make sure he wasn't hearing things. He looked around, licking his dry, cracked lips. Sure enough, two people walking into the small building. One seemed to big to be real, the other short and dainty. Wiping his weather-beaten hands on his old stained apron, Cash hobbled over to the table where the hulk and the small one sat. "Welcome to Brooks City Pub," Cash began. His voice was cracked and dry, with a reedy sound, like his throat was a bamboo pipe in need of cleaning. "We don't gots much here in Brooks, but I'll see what I kin dig up fer yeh. Name's Cash." The massive man pulled his hood down. He peered down at Mr. Cash with one dark eye, and one blank one. He had a careful stare, harsh and inquisitive. It was like he was trying to peer through Cash's skin and into his mind. "I'll have the strongest thing you've got," the giant said. His voice was a rumbling bass, so low that Cash could hardly hear it. It was like he was speaking through thunder. "And the lady will take the finest." Cash took that to mean that the smaller person was a woman. "I dun think we've got what ye'd call 'fine' round here, but I'll get yeh the best I got," he said, before hobbling over to the bar. "Ain't gonna get nothin like what yeh kin get up in the central city. I used to live out there, out in Orchestral. But that was a long time ago. I moved here to Brooks some 10 odd years ago, and ain't left since. Hard times prevented it." "Thinks get bad here?" the giant asked. "Thing's got bad all over, son," Cash wheezed. "Ain't yeh been paying 'tention to the world 'round yeh? Whole world's gone to hell since Lord Spike appeared. Our great Leader's too worried about an attack from Spike to focus on his own people, he is. 'Great Unborn Lord,' feh. Somethin' tells me he oughtta get born real quick or the whole West Country's gonna end up one big wasteland. Just like Brooks." Cash walked back over, holding a massive mug of dark liquid and a slightly cracked wine glass. "Best wine yeh kin get in this part o' the Country. Ain't much, but it ain't nothin to scoff at neither." "So, you don't agree with Lord Xion's politics?" the giant asked, taking a sip of his drink. It was thick and strong, just how he liked it. "I used to like 'im," Cash said, pulling over a stool. "He used to be real good, back before Spike showed up. Now, he's focusing on makin' sure Spike doesn't do nothin to do anythin 'bout his own people. He might be tryin to protect us, but he's killin us instead." The giant was about to speak up again, when a sound rang out. It was a scream. The scream of one of the people out in the town. Something sparkled in Cash's eyes, and he got off the stool to look out the battered window. "It's the army," he said sourly. He turned back to the two with a dark look on his face. "They must be here for us," said the giant. He stood up, filling the room. The woman stood up as well, putting a black gloved hand on the giant's arm. "We best go. I don't want trouble for you, old man." "I kin handle trouble, son," Cash said, a strange smile creasing his face. "You could say I was involved in...unscrupulous activities in my younger days. They could be here fer me. Lord knows they've had 'nough time to track me down." As if on cue, a loud voice rang out. "We're here seeking the Man in Black. If he does not show himself, we will have to use force." Cash slowly walked to the door and opened it, stepping into the sandy street. He looked back to the duo with a determined look on his face. Fear flickered across the Giant's face. The old man was going to turn them in... "Oy, soldier boy, c'mere!" Cash called. The giant stepped back, enraged and frightened. How could the kindly old man do this to them? "What do you want old man," growled a soldier. He stepped towards Cash, gun raised. "To stop chasin' me!" Cash yelled. With a fierce cry, he plowed his fist into the soldier's face, dropping him. "What...?" the giant began. "Back in the old days, they called me the Man in Black. I was a legendary theif. Stole as much as I could from the government. Guess they did finally find me. Yeh'd better go. If'n the government is after you too, I don't want yeh gettin' caught on my account. There's a secret exit through the back." "Thanks, old man," the Giant said, nodding to him. "No problem, son," Cash said, nodding back. The sound of footsteps surrounded the building. The giant moved to the back exit, but it seemed blocked off. "Guess we're stuck together, Ol' Cash." "Well then, I guess the next question is, kin yeh fight?" "What do you think?" The giant slammed through the front doors, shoulder-tackling the doors off. The wooden chunks flew out, one smashing into a soldier. "Freeze!" "No!" The giant grabbed the soldier by the shirt and hurled him back. The flying man smashed into another soldier, and both flew into the wall behind. They collapsed in a heap, unconscious or dead. Other soldiers raised their guns and readied them. "Do not give us cause to fire!" The giant swung his arm out, gripping a support beam of an overhand. He tore it easily from its spot, and grabbed it with both hands. He pulled back and swung hard, knocking three men aside with a single swing. They went flying, the audible sound of shattering bone ringing out in the quiet street. "How the hell can he do that!?" screamed a soldier. "I'm a big, healthy boy, that's how!" The giant tackled the stunned soldier, sending him flying back. He grabbed another nearby man by the soldier and threw him to the side. From the crunching sound the man made as he fell, he wasn't getting up. Suddenly, several soldiers ran around the sides of the pub. They aimed their weapons at the giant. He was outmanned and surrounded. It seemed all over. And it probably would've been, were it not for Ol' Cash jumping out of the doorway with a strange weapon attached to his arm. With the sound of energy discharging, several bolts of blue energy flew, striking the soldiers. The hit soldiers froze on the spot, unmoving. "Anyone else want some!?" Cash yelled. The soldiers switched aim to Cash. Their mistake. The giant barreled in, taking them down ruthless efficiency. Several soldiers aimed for him, but they were taken out by Cash's freeze gun. Soon, all the soldiers were dead, unconscious, or frozen to the spot. "C'mon, son. We've gotta get out of this town!" "I don't know who you are or where you got that weapon, but fine. I need allies." "Then let's go!"

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[COLOR=SlateGray][SIZE=1]So begins the Assassin's Overture. Cool, ne? You hooked yet? I hope so.

Unlike my other story currently on the OB, it is neither parody nor comedy. It's a very dark, dramatic, fantasy action-adventure. Those squemish should probably run far, far away, as I have a tendency to use gore quite vividly.

The characters you met are Leanne (alias Dark-Girl) and Charles Orion (Giganto). Giganto's real names will almost never be used, but Leanne will probably be heard more than Dark-Girl. Few actual names will even be used, with major characters taking such monikers as Black Tiger and Cyber King.

Oh, and anyone familiar with musical terms will know that there's something big to come. Heh heh heh.

-ULX[/SIZE][/COLOR]