*01* Start It Off With A Bang! *01*

((Thanks so much for the banner, MrsShigureSahoma! It's awesomness in a can! ^_^))

Author Introduction:

Hello everyone, and welcome to the first chapter! It's a bit different from the first first chapter on this site; I took out the character introduction, seeing as I plan to put up a character sheet eventually. ^_^ I hope you enjoy this series; happy reading!

Chapter Icon:

Chapter Song:

Beat It; Michael Jackson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqxo1SKB0z8

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That Otherworldly Romance

Start it off with a Bang!

I took a deep breath, held it a moment, and exhaled the sounds and smells of the city. Ah... this is truly the life for me.

It was 11 in the morning, and I found myself out of my bed (where I really would have liked to still be, immersed in dreamland...) and standing on one of the few truly deserted streets in Hell.

Oh… not the ‘fire and brimstone’ hell… no, no, no. I mean… I’m not the greatest person in the world, but I can tell you I haven’t would up there yet. The ‘humble’ little conurbation I which I dwell is called Hell... seriously. It’s on all the signs. According to local legend, the founder of this stinking mini-metropolis was a comedian of some sort. Not a very good one, I’ve always thought; but then again I’m told I have a twisted sense of humor. Despite the at-times-regrettable name, Hell is a thriving town. It’s a city ‘on the way’ to one of those large, popular American cities… which I’m not allowed to disclose. Some sort of security issue… anyway, Hell’s sort of a last-leg-of-the-journey type place. Not even close to being the safest town on the planet... neither from human nor… inhuman threats. But hey, I like it.

Which… is kinda strange, now that I think about it.

I rubbed the back of my neck and roved my eyes slowly over the vacant line of shops and the normally busy highway, so devoid of people that it was almost spooky. Yellow police line tapes crossed off both ends of the street to traffic, but were so far away from me on both sides that I almost had to squint to see it. On my left hand side the yellow tape had been cut by some cheeky teenage wannabe gangster; the breeze pushing the jaded edges up towards the empty sky. But that yellow tape served as a barrier; even the bravest of Hell’s thugs hadn’t dared to come any closer.

Gotta give the free-roaming kids of America their credit. We may be dumb... but we’re not that dumb.

Wait... I’m standing here, on this dirty, abandoned street... Did I actually just call myself dumb..? This feels like the moment for a heavy sigh… Naomi Solace, everyone. Smart, brave, and totally NOT dumb. Far from it. In no way. Completely, totally, and all that jazz.

“Let’s see... reports say that a group of school children first saw it last week. It was about seven in the morning, and they were walking together as a group when the manhole seemingly exploded, shooting it and a stream of water twenty feet into the air.” The soft male’s voice spoke into my ear.

I screamed like a banshee (good lord…maybe not THAT loud)… err, I mean… squeaked loudly. I placed my hand over my racing heart and shot a dagger filled glare at the startled looking young man who stood at my side.

“S-Sorry… I didn’t mean to scare you!” he exclaimed, rubbing the ear I had squeaked loudly into.

Ah… just Arkadios Macbeth. I call him Dio; I'm sure you understand why. He had an official looking notebook in his hands, and a look of confusion on his boyish features. He’s tall... at least a foot taller then me if not more, with a mess of well groomed red hair atop his head and friendly brown eyes that have a crimson tint in the sun. He was dressed in a comfortable white cotton shirt, slightly baggy dark blue jeans, and worn white Converses on his feet. He has a warm, friendly aura, and boyish good looks. He’s the typical human teen... at first glance.

I know differently, of course. This kid (I call him kid, even thought technically he’s at least 4 months older than me...) is anything but typical... in fact, he’s downright otherworldly. Only my father and I know the extent of his true powers: the rare ability to foretell the future, and glimpse into the past.

But more on that later.

“You didn’t scare me!” I huffed, crossing my arm over my chest. “I was deep in concentration and you disturbed me!”

“Oh… right.” He sounded the slightest bit sarcastic, but cleared his throat as I peered at him analytically. “So… ah, a-about the reports we got on the monster here.”

“Right; back to business!” I exclaimed, instantly cheerful again. Nothing distracts me better then my job. “We got over 50 calls on this particular incident… what do we know?”

He looked down and into my eyes, a look of concentration on his face. “Well... it’s been hiding out in the sewers, so it’s probably one of the creatures that dwell in the water. Ummm... should I use my Sight?”

“Nope! You don’t have to!” I replied cheerfully, giving him a goofy grin that sent a blush dashing across his cheeks. It happens all the time, for some reason... it seemed that my apprentice can hardly go a minute without blushing. Go figure. I wrote it off as a fault in his genetics long ago. Poor guy... cursed with the blushing gene.

“If you use your Sight to view the events of the past, it wears you out the same way as it does when you look into the future. When we’re out on the streets like this, in a possibly dangerous situation, you should always look to keep yourself alert and safe. You never know when what you’re hunting will decide to hunt back, Dio. Instead, think. We have a creature powerful enough to create a funnel of water strong enough to rocket a steel manhole twenty feet into the air. Take the creatures that fit that description and cut out all but the ones that could easily dwell in the sewers of Hell. What’s left?”

I paused in my rant, looking at my assistant encouragingly. See... Dio may be older than me, but I’m the one who knows all the weirdo magical creature stuff. It’s in my blood... I’ve been obsessed with Otherworldly Poaching ever since I could say Otherworldly Poaching. I eat, drink, and breathe it. And I seem to have become something of an expert on anything not human... which, according to my father, makes me the perfect person to train Dio. I really don’t mind... watching him slowly adjust to the life I love is kinda fun.

I paused for one moment... two... and sighed as Dio continued to look at me with a blank expression in his eyes.

“A water dragon, Dio. Probably Chinese in origin... they were quite popular as gifts last Christmas, making it to the top of the Chinese exports.”

“A water dragon..!” Dio breathed as I turned from him and walked from where we both stood on the sidewalk towards an open manhole in the center of the darkly paved street. Directly across from me was the manhole cover... it had crashed through the window of a china shop.

Hmmmmmmmm.... I wonder... what sort of insurance does that place have? Do they cover damage done by a water dragon? Somehow I doubt it. Flying manhole coverage...? Eh... maybe... this is Hell, after all. Manholes go flying through shop windows all the time here. I’m no insurance expert… but if it’s out there, I should think about buying some...

“But water dragons can be deadly! How did one get in the sewers..?” Dio continued, cutting into my thoughts once again.

“Same as how all exotic pets end up where they shouldn’t be.” I said as I knelt next to the hole, gazing down into the gaping abyss. “The owner gets a cute and, more importantly small exotic pet for kicks or for a gift. But, lo and behold, the baby actually flows with the rest of the world by ageing and growing. The owners get tired of caring for it and dumps it when convenient.” I scowled, my voice angry even in my own ears. “It’s the kind of person I hate the most, one who is so willing to abandon.”

A sudden but slight shutter caught my attention, and my whole body tensed. I looked at the ground, eyes zeroing in on some small bits of debris on the abandoned road. Small pebbles from God knows where, looking more like beads from a necklace then small rocks as they danced across the pavement… oh, wait. They weren’t dancing (rocks don’t dance, not even in a city as weird as Hell), but twitching, picking up momentum as the tremor in the ground became more pronounced.

“Ohhh... crap! It’s coming up!” I gasped, jumping to my feet and twirling around to face Dio, hair haloing annoyingly around my face. Dio just blinked at me, so I ran his way before he could speak and grabbed his wrist, yanking him in an abrupt circle and practically dragging him away from the manhole.

Seconds later, an ethereal roar echoed loudly, and a great column of water spewed from the manhole. Dio gasped and I spun to stare at the creature that emerged, water falling in sheets from its body.

It was the water dragon.

Now, I’ve seen a lot of dragons in my career thus far... but this one took the cake.

It was absolutely breathtaking, a midnight blue in color. The ivory colored horns that started just behind intelligent cerulean eyes and pointed back behind the beast identified it as a male. The head was dog-like, held up by a slender and sleek neck, completely covered in hard scales that glinted like jewels in the murky sunlight. There were rippling fins along his spine, and long whiskers that trailed from his snout. He rose several feet from the manhole and hissed at us, serpent like.

“Wow.” Dio said softly, his soft tones seeming to echo slightly in my ears. “He’s... magnificent. Poor guy... it’s not his fault he’s stuck here like this. I almost feel bad that we have to...”

“Move!” I yelped, jumping forward to smash into Dio as the water dragon lunged forward, jaws wide. Rows of ivory teeth slammed shut only inches from my skin, the sickening snapping sound of sharp incisors loud in my head. A nagging little voice in the back of the same cranial space told me lying flat on my stomach before a pissed off water dragon was not the way to make it to retirement, and I quickly rolled to my feet. Dio flailed and stumbled up with less grace... gonna have to work on that boy.

“Set up the barrier! Get ready to seal the hole!” I called to him as the water dragon roared angrily.

“Huh?!? The manhole? But the dragon’s in the manhole!” Dio yelled over the noise.

“JUST DO IT!” I screeched at him as the dragon lashed toward me once more.

Believe me... when I screech, I screech. You obey the screech, no questions asked, because if you don’t the screech will come back and get you. Simple.

Of course... the screech also irritated the water dragon, who decided the screech and its source had to be stopped.

Well... shoot.

It wasn’t hard to guess what was going to happen next. I dodged to the left, but the dragon’s head swiveled to follow my progress. Growling under my breath, I surprised him by darting forward, planting my hands on his scaly side and leap-frogging over.

“Wheeeee! Tag, you’re it, Mr. Water Dragon!” I laughed, hitting the ground running as fast as I could away from Dio. As could probably be expected, the dragon lurched after me.

Big water creature... I should have the advantage on dry land, right? Wrong! The water dragon was only slightly less agile out of the water, and it slithered after me like a great blue snake, head held high. I backed away slowly, watching the great long body slowly pull free from the manhole. Though the dragon looked about ready to eat me alive, I couldn’t help but grin as the thin tip of the dragon’s tail clear the manhole and Dio darted to it. Now was the fun part.

I get to fight a dragon.

I stopped my retreat and turned, not giving the dragon time to react before jumping forward. The dragon, a learning animal by nature, had anticipated my move. His tail whipped forward to slam me back, hoping perhaps for a fatal, spine-snapping blow. I could see the frustration rise in his eyes as I leaped over the attack, a wild grin stuck on my face. I darted forward and smashed my knee into the dragon's lower jaw as my fingers whipped to my leather side pouch to pull out several small papers, which I held splayed between two fingers. But the dragon darted away from me before I could put the papers, which contained seals that would restrain the dragon’s powers, to good use. Instead he pulled himself backwards, arching up towards the sky.

“Signum, strenuus!!” Dio called and a shimmering hexagonal pattern seemed to fill the sky, curving to create a protective dome around Dio, myself, and the dragon. I winced as the magical creature in question smacked into the seal full force, his roar of rage almost shattering my eardrums. The dragon fell back, and then twisted his body around to fly full force into the gaping opening of the manhole.

“No... wait! We’ve sealed that too...” I started, but hexagonal shapes shone as the dragon slammed into the gaping manhole, his way blocked by the transparent shield. The great creature slipped to the ground, his body falling in coils around his head.

“Oh no...” I whispered, a sinking feeling twisting my stomach as I stared at the limp body of the great beast. He was hurt... he was hurt!

I heard Dio’s frantic protests as I jumped over the dragon’s body, trying to reach his head... but ignored them, as is my nature. I dropped to my knees and reached out without hesitation to cradle the massive skull between my hands, eyes roving over the blue scaled surface for any gaping wounds. The only sign of damage was a small bit of blood trickling from the edge of the mouth; the dragon was laying far too still for my tastes. I bit my lip in concern... and the dragon’s great eyes abruptly popped open.

I had only a second, maybe two, to feel surprise and relief... before the tail coiled around me tightly, crushing my bones and pushing the air from my lungs. I cried aloud, my hands gripping the slick scales as my body screamed in protest. The dragon was badly injured... but he was going to crush me with whatever strength he had left. His face came within inches of my own, a boiling hatred for humans evident in his glassy eyes. I met his gaze with a look that was half wince, half grin, and reached forward to place my palm on the skin between his eyes.

“Sorry... buddy... but I’m not... checking out now!” I gasped as I withdrew my hand... leaving one of my magical mystical seals behind. “Strenuus!”

The paper snapped open from its trifold, and the dragon’s coils were suddenly limp around my body. I instantly inhaled, and held onto the immobile dragon as my head spun. I struggled to stand as I slid free from the coils, got on my feet only to promptly wobble and fall backwards... but warm arms caught me instantly, pulling me gently and completely free from the tangle of the beast.

“You ok, Naomi?” Dio asked from somewhere above my head. His voice was full of worry and concern... just like it always was when I had done something life threatening. I couldn’t help but smile as I steadied myself and stepped free from his embrace.

“Peachy!” I said, all smiles. Dio blushed... I hardly notice anymore. I turned to look at the dragon, which seemed to be sleeping peacefully, with a triumphant expression on my face. “Yeaaaah! I LOVE my job!” I abruptly crowed, punching the air. “This is THE LIFE!”

Dio smiled ruefully and slipped a small cell phone from his pocket.

“I’ll call the truck...” he said, stepping away from me and lifting the phone to his ear.

I grinned, adrenaline still pulsing through my veins. The danger, the thrill, the satisfaction... this was what it was all about. This is what it meant to be an Otherworldly Poacher.

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Arkadios ‘Dio’ Macbeth; Hapless Minion

End Note Madness!!!

<3 End of Ch. 1!!! I really hoped you all enjoyed it, please rate and message!!<3

Also... just to let you know... I used Latin for the sealing spell (I hope I use it correctly... if anyone can proof me on this, let me know and I’ll be extremely grateful!) and hope to continue using the language throughout the series (in my original writings I’d completely made a language up… but I ‘cleverly’ never made a key so most of it I can’t read. ^.^; Silly little Amu… X.X). The phrases used, ‘signum, strenuus’, basically meant ‘Seal, activate!’ Just so you know... ^.^v

*le sigh* The layout of this isn’t exactly how I want it to look… I struggled with it, but since this new Quizilla is blatantly refusing to let me play with HTML the way I want I can’t put up links and such. Which makes me sad and weepy, which is never good. Sorry, I’ll do my best to figure things out!

Ok, that’s all… have an awesometastic day! ^_^;

♥†♥ Amunet ♥†♥