Improv...

[Anil]

I'm bored so I thought I'd write something here to keep myself entertained...

I'll probably release in bits and pieces...

Warning... If I get bored with it I'll end it ...but I will NOT just leave anyone hanging... I WILL end it...

Warning... I've read a lot of fantasy books lately, so this will likely be an alternate universe that has nothing to do with Earth.... If you don't like that sort of thing, just don't read it... not unless you are as bored as I am anyway...

you may comment on anything you feel like commenting on, that includes grammar, typos, plotline, characters... just don't flame and don't break any forum rules... If you want to make suggestions or speculate as to what will happen next, feel free.. it's more fun that way...(I AM REALLY BORED)

I've no idea what to call this, so... but maybe later if this stuff gets more organized I'll give the chapters names...

right then...
here we go...

********
Cold. It was wretchedly cold. The kind that you can't keep out no matter what you wear or how much you try to ignore it. Cirico knew this, so he didn't try. It was far easier to let the cold in than to resist it. It swept over him, helped him retain his calm and focus. It made him more aware of himself, all the way to his very bones. His eyes gazed out into the moonlit night. Crouching on a small hill, he could see smoke coming from the chimneys of houses all along the riverside. He waited silently, hoping to catch a glance of his contact. He fingered his sword, still sheathed in it's scabbard. Even with the leather wrapping the hilt, he could feel the bite of cold metal below. He considered drawing the blade, but it wouldn't do to appear hostile. It wouldn't do to alarm his contact before they'd even exchanged words. His contact. He'd been waiting at least an hour now and there was no sign of this supposed contact. He could almost feel his blood turning to sludge from the cold and lack of motion as he waited. He'd need to stand again to keep his legs from freezing up. But as he moved to rise, the sharp point of a blade pressed against his back.

Cirico froze, his eyes narrowing. How? How had he been caught off-guard? There had been no movement from below, no sound of footfall. How had he been caught from behind? He retained his posture while reassessing his situation. He was in no position to fight. He'd brought nothing of any value, and so he could offer nothing in exchange for his life. The only way he could be of any use was the information he was privy to, but there was no guarantee his captor would be interested in what he had to say. As he struggled to come up with a plan, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Are you Cirico?” He mentally noted that the person sounded female.

“Yes.” he replied. No need to say more until he knew what she wanted.

“Do you have proof?” she asked.

Proof? What proof? I’m here aren’t I? He thought it over.

“Perhaps... It would require that I stand up in order to-”

“That won’t be necessary. Tell Karnik that it is unwise to meet me in person any time in the near future. There are far too many eyes watching.” Something light struck him on the shoulder, and he caught a glimpse of a note loosely bound by a knot of yarn. “Give this to him. Tell him I require no payment.” Finally, the pressure of the blade’s tip removed itself. Cirico spun, drawing his sword as he rose. The figure that stood before him was cloaked and hooded. She brought her sword to a low guard.

“I was told,” started Cirico, “that someone wished to speak to my lord regarding a matter of great importance.” His eyes narrowed. “I was also told to come in secret, and be careful of being seen. Yet here I am offering no proof of my identity, and yet you hand over the information willingly and require no payment.”

“I recognized your voice,” was her simple reply. She turned to go. “Do not make the mistake of following me.” But as she stepped away, Cirico had decided he’d had enough of being talked down to.

He moved to strike, body and blade moving in unison, but was quickly blocked. The sound of cold steel rang in the air. “Are you insane?” she whispered. “Do you mean to get us both killed?” Cirico wasn’t buying it. She was obviously overmatched. He moved to strike again but, she flicked her wrist and stopped the blow before it could start, pressing his sword to the ground. He broke off and came back in full force, blade dancing through the air, he flowed from one form to the next. She met each form with one of her own, quickly dispatching each strike and countering till he was pressed back. Cirico broke off his attack, eyes staring in disbelief. “Who are you?” She gave no reply. She turned to leave again. “Answer me, damn you!” Cirico tried to launch another assault but was quickly greeted by a ferocious counter. He refused to let up so easily. Side-stepping the attack, he pressed in again but was greeted by another block. Brows furrowed in concentration, he swept his blade back again to attack. Suddenly, he was staring at one too many blades. Two shallow lines were carved into his chest, and a blade was pressed to his neck.

“Enough!” came her sharp whisper. “Every moment we waste here, we risk discovery. Just deliver the message. And do not follow me.” Suddenly, she was gone, and Cirico was left there to wonder at what he had just encountered.

[_Ink]

sounds nice...short and sweet for this one opening, like the fight scene, it is well done, and i like how u can describe deeply the surroundings of the character.

[TrueShinobi]

very nice have you ever written a story before cause your real good i think :)

[anaguma_kun]

klkl its gd i like it

[Shaehl]

You are very good with descriptions, that made it easy to get into the story. I only noticed a few minor things that could use improvement. You seem to fall into the habit of Beginning sentences the same way alot. It's nothing major, but it does get distracting. Also, I'm not sure Cirico attacking the person he met was an entirely realistic reaction. Unless he has an extremely volatile personailty that is. Maybe it's just me, but attacking a messenger simply because they were out of the ordinary doesn't make sense. The girl was leaving, so she obviously didn't pose a threat. Besides that though, great beginning.

[Anil]

very nice have you ever written a story before cause your real good i think :)

well I've tried but could never finish them... I had the bad habit of getting bored with what I was writing...

I am currently working on one other story, also an original work, but it will be long and if I can get it published then I will...

Thanks for the comments... I was just reading one of Shaehl's stories and if you like this you'll probably like that... I've only read up to chapter 2 but it's pretty good...

It's Bleach fan-fiction though, so you'll have to look in that section...

-edit -speak of the devil... Thanks for the comments... yes I do have that bad habit, I'm trying to fix it... and yes Cirico is extremely violent.... very loyal, but very violent...

[prime91]

cool, I like the story, go on :D

[SLVR]

Cool. Next one?

[blazedsouls]

good vocabulary lol i like it next one please.

[Pipp-ORK]

I'm intrigued. XD HURRY AND UPDATE. I want to see what happens.

[Anil]

Um... right so I've been taking far too long to update this....
Anyway, this little tid-bit is merely to tide you guy's over till I can manage to get around to properly updating this...
I warned you it may come out in bits and pieces...
I will try to write a follow up to this soon... so be on the look out for it...
Like, REALLY SOON. I just need the chance and time to work on it... and a little inspiration could help.
anyways...
********
“Welcome back Master Cirico. How went th-”

“Step out of my way Reese.” said Cirico. “I have to deliver this to Lord Karnik.”

“My apologies Master Cirico.” said Reese, promptly stepping aside. Cirico had a volatile temper, and was a decent swordsman to boot. Crossing him was most unwise. Reese watched him as he strode down the entrance hall. A fine soldier, if one got to know him well. The master-servant shook his head, and noticed something dark staining the moonlit marble. As he bent for a closer look, he realized what it was. Blood. Little droplets of blood leading all the way from the manor doors. Following the trail with his eyes, he soon found them resting on... Cirico? It was impossible. This man was almost a legend inside Karnik’s household. He had once single-handedly defended their lord from a group of assassins, taking only minor bruises and cuts in the process. Perhaps he had been ambushed tonight? Shaking his head again, Reese set off to find another unfortunate servant who would help him clean up the mess.


Cirico made his way toward the meeting room, arm still pressed to his chest. They were shallow wounds, but the exertion from running back to the manor had caused them to bleed a great deal more than usual. A sudden gust blew through manor house, flickering candle light and causing the drapery to cast long shadows. Cirico paused for a breath. He was getting older, but entering his third decade of life should hardly be cause for concern. Deciding he was looking for excuses where there were none, he regained his steady pace. The truth of the matter is that I was out- matched. Snorting in disgust, he finally entered the side room that his lord had designated. Lord Karnik was already waiting for him, glancing out of a window at his estate, lost in thought. Cirico waited patiently, nearly jumping at the sound of his lord’s voice.

“Report?” The man hadn’t even turned in his direction.

“Yes my lord. The contact arrived terribly late and-” he faltered as Karnik turned to face him. Hopefully he wouldn’t notice the blood. Cirico continued. “And left no name or any means of identification. No insignia, clan or otherwise, and no method of contacting her in the future. The only thing she left us with was this.” He drew the note out and handed it over. “My lord, it is my strong recommendation that we-”

“Cirico.” Cirico blinked.

“Yes my lord?”

“Are you bleeding?”

Cirico’s shoulders sagged in resignation.

“I am my lord, but it's only a scratch.” Karnik’s eyes narrowed.

“Cirico, the weapon could have had poison. Who attacked you?”

“The contact my lord. Although as I have already said I’m uncertain as to who she may be.”

Karnik seemed to wonder at this. “Why did she attack you? A test of some kind?”

“Er, no my lord.” Cirico nearly rolled his eyes at what he knew was coming next. “To be honest, my lord, it was in self-defense.”

“Cirico, I thought I’ve told you that you need to keep your temper in check. How did this happen?” asked Karnik.

“Well, my lord, she snuck up on me and then-”

“WHAT?” Lord Karnik seemed stunned. Cirico could feel the heat crawling into his face. “How did she sneak up on you?”

“I...” Cirico took a deep breath before continuing. “I have no idea.”

[Anil]

...

Ok I know it's been forever but I promised I'd finish it...

I was just lacking inspiration... and trust me, its a pain to write without it...

HOWEVER! I was recently inspired, and I may decide that if this turns out well enough I'll continue this story and publish it....

Maybe...

but for now... to help ease the excruciating wait for the next Bleach, I'm going to put energy into releasing these as fast as possible...

So I hope you all enjoy...

anyway ...here's the next bit...-_- ...don't kill me, I didn't bother to proofread

*********

The early hours brought with them the grey-white light of a snowy morning. Just before the entryway to the barracks sat a lone figure, silently polishing his sword. Striding past him, Tess made her way down the main hall and took a right into the sparring area.. Already there were numerous soldiers here, sparring for fun and practice. Looking to capitalize on of her few free moments to have some fun, Tess took a seat quietly in the wings to observe the combatants. She didn’t have time to waste on piddling idiots, so she’d need to find the best of the bunch quickly. Eyes darting, she soon picked him out, a single soldier in the center of the room, working in a circle to fend off three attackers. He moved with ease, and the force of his blows seemed effortless. Tess turned to another soldier next to her, who was eagerly watching the display.

“Who’s the guy in the middle?” she asked.

“What you don’t know Mazin? He’s probably the best here. Takes to fighting multiple opponents in order to help the younger ones get the most out of it. Otherwise it’d just be a slaughter.”

Tess turned back to the action in time to see Mazin’s training sword slap the right side of his last opponent, ending the fight. As the man rubbed his side furiously, she watched Mazin explain where he had left himself open, and how to correct his stance. After he had finished, Tess seized her opportunity.

“You the best in here?”

Mazin narrowed his eyes in response. “Perhaps... who wants to know.”

Tess smirked. “I do obviously. I was hoping for a decent duel this fine morning. You aren’t too busy are you?” she asked in a sarcastic tone.

“No... but there are better people for dueling in here if that’s what you are looking for.”

“Such as?”

He looked past her to a form slouched over in the very wings she had just left. Sitting to one side, with his eyes glazed over was the very same soldier she had passed near the entryway earlier.

Tess turned back to Mazin skeptically. “Him?”

“Dan there may be as good a fighter as I am.” He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Hell, he may be better, but it takes a good deal to get him to pay full attention to you or take anything seriously.” He leaned out. “However if you want a challenge, he’s your man.”

“I really don’t feel like wasting time... But what the hell?” Her spontaneity had kicked in, and she felt up to a little teasing. She smiled mischievously. “Sounds like a challenge.” She relished the last word as she left Mazin and walked over to the wings.



Dan was just thinking about the pleasant snow and crisp winter air outside when a young woman slammed the tip of a practice sword down in front of him. Startled slightly, he blinked twice, and then turned to look up at her. “Can I help you with something?” he asked blankly.
She laughed, at some private joke he supposed, and sat down in front of him at eye level. “I’d like a duel if you aren’t too busy daydreaming.”

Shoulder’s sagging, Dan sighed. “I suppose you’ve already asked Mazin for one? No need to answer that. He always sends me the eager ones.” He shook his head. “I’m in a rather peaceful mood today, so if you don’t mind I’d rather not be disturbed.”

“Oh, but I do mind. Duel me now, and I’ll give you 20... but if I win I get to take back ten.”

“I could careless about money.” Dan answered serenely.

The young woman made a face. “I can’t see why with the kind of clothes you’re wearing.” She picked at his torn overcoat. Dan thought perhaps that she was trying to provoke him, but only stared back at her haughty face with a blank expression. He was used to being taunted and teased, and it amused him slightly to watch other’s try to get him riled up. He expected that she’d get angry soon and threaten him with bodily violence, and stomp off in frustration at the end of a little rant.

But as he turned to look sideways at the ground to continue his thinking, she took him by the chin. He looked back at her and his eyes locked with hers. She seemed to be studying him intently, so he gazed back at her with his best look of boredom. She leaned in close, till their noses were almost touching and smiled.

“You’re not fooling me Dan. So let’s have some fun, ok?”

Dan smiled inwardly, but sagged his shoulders a little more as he got up. “Very well. I hope you enjoy this. At least that way one of us will be happy.”

Taking up a practice sword, he positioned himself a little way off to the left so as not to disturb Mazin who was busy with another round of trainees. As the young woman chose her stance, in front of him, a sudden thought occurred to him.

“Miss, I don’t believe I’ve gotten your name.”

She blinked, and cocked her head to one side. “Who calls anyone ‘miss’?” She shrugged. “My names Tess, but please don’t call me ‘miss’. It makes me feel old.”

“Sure thing miss.”

Tess smiled, and then launched herself at him. Her practice sword cut in sharply, and Dan flicked a parry with his, then shuffled left as she swept it back in. She missed him as he stepped out of her arc, but she lunged at his feet to close the distance and as he stepped back she grinned and slashed upward. He felt the wind on his face from the narrow miss as he dodged, and spun into a backslash. The force of her block shuddered through his arm, but he danced away as she countered, leaving her striking at empty air. She paused.

“Are you toying with me?” she asked.

“Not at all. You’re quite good. But we are sparring, not trying to kill each other.”

Her face darkened. “Oh really...”

There was a sudden blur of movement and Dan found himself lying on his back. He’d seen what had happened, but he simply hadn’t been ready for such an assault so he merely took the hit rather than put out the effort to dodge. She looked down at him, wooden blade pointed at him from a few feet away as she spoke. “You’re pathetic. You’re supposed to be one of the best? Quit wasting my time. Get serious. Otherwise, give up and I’ll spare you a beating.”

After a moment’s thought, Dan answered. “Very well. My loss.”

Tess stared at him, then slowly smiled. “I see...” she said.

Then she struck.

[Endess Wings]

Sounds good here!:doindadom

[Nomadic Dragon]

This is really great Anil..I've always liked to read fantasy and this is a great example of one. I can't wait to read more. This reminds me that I need to write myself..I'm getting lazy.

[Anil]

Ok... UPDATE!!!

I'm on a roll right now... I might as well make the most of it.

********

Amazingly the lazy bastard managed to roll himself away before the blow landed. Her sword had cracked slightly at the tip, and she’d even managed to put a nasty dent in the hardwood floor. But she’d missed... and she had felt like hitting him after that pitiful performance. Though she supposed it’s fine that she hadn’t. So he wasn’t as pathetic as he looked. She turned to see if his expression had changed. It still appeared blank, but the glazed look of boredom had left his eyes, and he was staring at the crack in the floor.

“You... are enjoying this a little too much perhaps?”

Indifference had left his voice; he sounded very composed, but obviously this had ceased being amusing, if that was in fact what he had been thinking before. Tess really had no idea. Perhaps he just didn’t care?

“No, I’m not enjoying this at all. And that’s the problem. You aren’t even making an effort
you-”

“You...want me to make an effort?” he asked quietly.

Tess gave a dark smile. “Please.”

He looked her dead in the eye, face void of.... anything? No emotion? No intensity? Tess frowned.

“Very well.”

As Dan took a step toward her, she started another assault. This time his blocks and strikes held the power they were lacking before. Tess tried to open him up twice, failing both times and having to retreat as he hammered in strikes of his own.

“Well look at that, you are decent. And you haven’t even broken a sweat.” she said.

“Thank you.” Dan answered, with no hint of gratitude in his voice. “Are you enjoying yourself then?”

“Oh, not quite. But I’m sure you can remedy that.”

Dan’s eyes narrowed into a glare. “You won’t leave me alone till you are satisfied, will you?”

“Nope!” Tess replied cheerfully. Standing low, he drew her blade up to a high guard. “Ready then?” Dan didn’t answer. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Before, Tess had staggered her attacks a little, trying to slowly build up an idea of just how well Dan could react. Now she set about the duel at battle pace, flowing from each attack and parry to the next. Dan did not disappoint. He kept up with her at each step, shuffle, and spin. Their weapons seemed anything but wooden with their movement, and the noise coming from the impact of their practice swords was beginning to draw attention.
As other combatants paused to watch the spectacle, the little duel became more heated, and soon soldiers were hurrying to get out of the way. Measured strikes were fewer and far between, and their speed increased as the fought, till each was little more than a furious blur. Each attack became more vicious, and soon they were striking each other with glancing blows. Hoping to end the fight, Dan waded in, blade tumbling end over end, and Tess was forced into a corner.
By now everyone else had completely stopped what they were doing. Sweat, streaming down his face, Dan finally broke through Tess’s defenses, but before he could finish the strike, there was a flash of movement from below, and he took a knee to the chin. Wasting no time, Tess pounced, but in a blur Dan rolled away and increased their distance. The two fighters paused, each trying to catch their breath.

“Well then,” Tess cast a glance at her adversary. “You turned out to be more fun than I realized.”

“Then are we done here?” asked Dan. He was eyeing her warily.

“Almost..” In the next moment, only three people in the room had any real idea of what was occurring. Mazin watched, jaw loose, as Tess’ blade seemed to multiply by two. The first strike Dan managed to block, just barely, and the other struck him squarely in the left shoulder. He hit the ground and rolled onto his right side, clutching at his shoulder while his gaze fixed itself on the woman standing over him. Tess herself looked stunned speechless, and was staring at Dan’s shoulder. Her face contorted, then suddenly relaxed. Eyes gleaming with interest, she tossed aside her practice sword, and spun on her heel to leave. But before she turned into the hallway, she turned back and called out to Dan, who had managed to pick himself up off the floor.

“If that last hit I landed was due to your lack of training effort, imagine what you would be like if you trained!”

And then she was gone.

*****

Hope you enjoyed, expect another update soon!

Like... maybe... tomorrow... or something...

[Nomadic Dragon]

With each post is just keeps getting better. You are really good at description and at writing battle scenes, both of which are my weakness in writing. I can't wait to read more..you really seem to be on a roll with this.