Well, I suspect a big part of the forumers are Americans and they're INCREDIBLY weird and silly about sixy stuff. Take "Age of Conan", for instance. Both the German version and the US version are censored, but... well, in the German version, you cannot decapitate enemies and some of the extreme fatalities have been removed. Now, in the US version you can spit baddies in the face and snap their necks, rip the beating hearts out of their chests and eat them before their eyes, but all the boobies and nipbles have been censored (which are uncensored in the German version). And you know how the boobies helped bump Oblivion from Teen to Mature. I'm still 100% sure there will be a law in the US, which forces women to amputate their briasts - otherwise, they will be burnt in public, because boobs are EVIL! I like boobies AND violence, so British citizenship will be inevitable for me in the long run. Ah well...

Whee! Major update coming up this weekend! Introducing yet another character as well as some minor grammatical corrections to the last chapter (just changing some repetitions here and there, nothing to make you want to read through it all again), so stay tuned!

Yay! This isn't dead yet!

Nope. Just go easy on me. I got started on a brand new job two weeks ago and I have an engagement celebration to prepare, so there's a loooooooot of stuff going on that keeps me from writing. Won't be long now.

Oooook then, all I can say to that is keep up the good work!

(As BSparrow pointed out, I still need to polish up the action scenes in the last part a bit, but for now, I'm focusing on starting chapter 4. One thing at a time! ^^ y Peace!)

Bubbly, clouded darkness. And such noisy darkness at that! Woosh! Silence. Woosh again! Gee, how annoying! What is this, the ocean? Where was she, anyway? And how did she get that splitting headache? "Spark? Cronk! ...ogres? Hello?! Anyone?" Kira held her head. The intense pressure was almost unbearable and the noises she heard were no ocean, but merely the flow of her own blood.
Sssst! Huh? Sssst! Several torches lit around her and Kira found herself in the old fort's dining hall again. A Khajiit, pretty much like herself, sat on a chair, resting her feet on the table while she was sharpening her katana. Sssst!
"You have failed."
What? She came closer to get a better look at the other Khajiit. "You have failed", she explained in an all too familiar voice and looked up at her. Her feline eyes gazed at Kira like glowing emeralds. She rose from her chair, sheathed her blade and slowly walked around the table, her hands folded behind her back. The sound of her armored black boots echoed through the hall with every step.

"Poor, poor Agoran! He never saw it coming, did he?" The Khajiit looked back over her shoulder, gave Kira that cold gaze again, her snow white tail swishing back and forth.
"He was well-aware of the risks when he agreed to join us", Kira responded.
"But he could still be alive if you had stayed closer! And wasn't it you, who refused to travel on horseback?" The mysterious Khajiit continued to walk around the table. Her black leather armor made faint little creaks.

Kira hissed. "So why the hell am I talking to myself here? Where are my companions?"
The other Kira chuckled and walked up to her. "Don't you know?"
"Just cut the crap and tell me already!" she demanded.
Her mysterious twin bared her fangs. "They're all dead!"
Kira gasped. "Spark... Cronk... even Louise?"
"Didn't you see how Spark was taken out by the ogre in a single blow? And do you honestly believe that stupid orc could single-handedly defeat one of them, after he stood absolutely no chance against you? Believe me, the ogres are picking their bones as we speak. You've let them down and they died! You have failed!"

Kira drew her katana and started slashing away at her doppelganger. But each of her attacks were parried with ease. "Hahaha! Fighting with your own self, are we? What are you hoping to achieve?"
"Shut up!" Kira launched another flurry of attacks.
"Your friends could still be alive if you had fought for them with so much passion! Why did you drag them along? Fame and fortune? Spark died before you ever told her your feelings! And did Cronk deserve to die trying to protect you, just because you talked him into joining your little band of adventurers?"

She slowly sank to her knees and held her head. There was that unbearable headache again! Woosh! Woosh! She closed her eyes and screamed in pain. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh... woosh...

"Kira?"
She groaned.
"I think she's waking up!"
Spark sat in the corner of the room, sharpening her blades. Ssst! "Are you sure this isn't just another feverish nightmare, Cronk?"
The noble sir Cronk took the cold, wet cloth off Kira's forehead.
"Ooo... au..."
Spark jumped out of her chair and rushed to the side of Kira's bed. "You were right," she exclaimed excitedly. "She's waking up!"
Kira slowly opened her eyes and blinked at her companions. Spark raised her hand. "Alright. How many fingers?"
"Thirty...seven! Where am I?" She rubbed her eyes and tried to get up, but Cronk gently held her back.
"We're at the inn in Bravil. You passed out for several days!"
"What??"
Spark shrugged. "Well, the ogre broke your arm and a few ribs, which then punctured your lung and... let's just say the healers had a hard time patching you up, but you were still lucky. Cronk over there was practically dead when the bandits got him! But our friend is tougher than a troll!"
"Wait, what? Bandits?"
Spark explained the events, which occured after Kira had passed out in all detail.

Kira reached out for Spark's arm and slowly rose from her bed to give her a tight hug. "Aww, I'm so glad you are still alive! Come here, Cronk, I wanna hug you t... um... Cronk?" Kira hesitated for a moment. "Spark, why is he turning away", she whispered. Spark put her hands on Kira's shoulders, made a small step backwards and eyed her from the head to the feet and back up. "Well..."
"I'm naked, right?"
"Yup."
She took a deep breath and prepared to yell. "Why the..."
"Shhh! Easy there! Broken ribs, punctured lung... remember? Can't fix that with a spell or two without actually looking at what's damaged, okay? So, we had to get you out of that leather suit to..."
"WE???"
"Hee hee! Just kidding! Don't worry, Cronk was knocked out, too, remember?"
Kira mumbled and went back to bed to hide under her blanket.

Later that day, after getting her armor, the cowl and all of her traveling apparel back on, she sat down to talk to her companions.
"You know, I've been thinking. First, we've lost Agoran and then the three of us nearly got killed. We might not be so lucky next time."
Spark's eyes widened. "But... did you even see the reward we got for dealing with those ogres? And the bonus we got for finishing off the bandits and having their leader thrown in the dungeons?"
Kira sighed. "Spark, all the money in the world won't buy us our lives if we fail on a quest!"
Cronk shook his head. "I think we did remarkably well and with a little practice, we can overcome dangers much bigger than a bunch of ogres and bandits!"
"A little practice? Cronk, it's a miracle you're still alive!"
He laughed. "Haha! Yeah! Isn't that great? We were as good as dead and now we're back in top shape after just a few days! Restoration magic is truly amazing. I have a few new scars here and there, but those will only make me more popular with the ladies!"
Spark nodded. "Cronk is right. Look, that ambush was unfortunate, but I think we can all trust and depend on each other and next time..."
"NO!" Kira slammed her fist on the table and the other patrons at the inn fell silent. "There will be no next time! If I die, fine, that's my problem, but I can't risk the lives of the people around me whenever I fail!"
Spark got off her seat and yelled back at Kira. "Hey, if you don't want us around, just say so! I don't have to save your furry ass whenever you screw up!"
"Fine!"
-"Fine!"

Kira ran out and slammed the door shut behind her. Spark gnashed her teeth as she watched her go. Cronk patted her on the back. "Calm down, Spark, calm down. She'll be back."
Kira ran for the next gate to get out of Bravil. She needed to get away from them! Bunch of idiots! Oh sure, we'll get better! Nothing can stop us! Let's take on a dozen ogres next time! With our bare hands! If they wanted to get themselves killed so bad, fine, let them! But she wouldn't have their blood on her hands! Grrrr! She growled and kept on running for hours. Her feet were killing her, but she didn't care. She was too angry and annoyed and just wanted to vent her frustration and running all day seemed to help more than yelling at her friends.

Eventually, she slowed down and tried to figure out where she was. It was dark now and she had lost track of time. Why did Cyrodiil have to look exactly the same, no matter where you were? She walked through the tall grass, which swayed back and forth in the wind. In the distance, she could see the White Gold Tower of the Imperial City. She stopped and thought for a moment. Perhaps she should go there, have some rest and think about the situation some more.
Her train of thoughts was driven completely off track when somebody bumped into her from behind and nearly made her fall flat on her face. "Oof! Watch it, you clumsy..."
"Please! You have to help me! They're coming for us!" A robed Argonian croaked at her. She carried a flower basket and somebody waddled after her, followed by a bunch of soldiers.



Chapter IV - Rot'n'Roll

A little earlier, in a small village, not very far from Kira, Adelina sat at a small table in the corner of the little inn, drinking some stale, warm beer. The young Dunmer couldn't wait to get away from this place, but for today, she had traveled far enough. She'd just finish this disgusting pint of piss-warm beer and then she'd head upstairs and get some sleep at last.

All of a sudden, there were screams outside! The door flew open and a farmer yelled, "Run for your lives! We're being attacked by zombies!"
Adelina drew a knife from the shaft of her boot and slowly walked towards the door to see what's going on. Some farmers were trying to fight off a bunch of zombies with torches and pitchforks. Others were leaving their homes and running for their lives, as more zombies approached and went into each of the small huts. Oddly enough, the animated corpses seemed to come out of the huts again after a while, carrying whatever they could find inside. Grain sacks, shovels, one of them even carried an old chair!

One of the braver farmers approached the zombies with his blunt short sword, but before he even got to do any serious harm to them, a furred little creature jumped him and bit his hand. He screamed in pain, dropped his sword and ran off, along with the other farmers. Was that a rabbit?

Adelina had no idea what was going on, but she'd rather sneak off now and think about it some other time. She stepped into the dark and proceeded to slowly walk away from the village, eyes focused on the plundering undead horde, that went from one hut to the next. "Hurrr...!"
One of the farmers must have stayed near the inn the whole time, so she didn't even notice him at first. He wore a little hat and some rags, which faintly resembled a potato sack. "Gods, you startled me! Be quiet, or they will find us!"
"Hurrr..."

The farmer grabbed her roughly, lifted her up and carried her off. She screamed. "What the hell are you... oh no!" She swallowed when she realized her mistake. She got caught by a zombie! Certainly they would eat her now or turn her into a zombie, as well! Well, for now the monster carried the dark elf on its shoulder and they were slowly leaving the village, several other zombies waddling after them, carrying furniture and other random objects. This didn't make any sense at all.



"They're coming back, master", Naala said excitedly. "I'm sure they were a lot more successful this time!" Thalassan sighed and followed his servant to the entrance of their hidden little cave, where about a dozen zombies were gathering. One of them carried a screaming woman. "Let me go, damn you!"
Thalassan gave Naala a questioning look. "I don't remember ordering my zombies to take live prisoners! Naala, do you happen to know anything about this?" Adelina kept on screaming and protesting. Thalassan sighed and put his fingertips to his forehead, then proceeded to silence her with a sleep spell. "Naala, take her inside and tie her up. We'll talk about this after I've inspected tonight's loot. Zombies, take these things inside!"

A little while later, Adelina woke up in a cavern, to the sound of a dunmer's voice, scolding his servant. "Naala, how many times do I have to tell you to stop giving my zombies such stupid ideas? I told them to kill all the farmers and what do I get instead of some fresh corpses? A screaming woman! What are we supposed to do with her now?" Adelina didn't want to stay and find out, but she was tied up and forced to remain where she was.

"With no new zombie material, I'll never become the world's most powerful necromancer. Besides, have you taken a look at our hideout, lately? Chairs, drawers, random portraits, all kinds of vegetables, shovels... why don't you go outside and put up a sign? Thalassan's little pawn shop! Heck, you've already kidnapped our first customer!" Somebody giggled.
"This is not funny, Naala! What am I ever gonna do with you? You're so incompetent and useless and... argh!"

"Incompetent?" Adelina shouted. "Who ordered your zombies to attack farms? What kind of riches were you expecting from farmers?"
Thalassan sighed. "Great, now she is starting, as well!" He stepped into her sight. "What do you suppose I should do then, zombie fodder? What would you do, attack the imperial city with a hand full of zombies?"

"Yes", she said. "It's really not that difficult to figure out when you know what you're doing." Thalassan sat down on one of his newly-acquired chairs. "Well?"
"Bah!" Adelina turned away. "Why would I want to help you? I'm your prisoner!"
Thalassan nodded at Naala. "Untie her."
"But master..."
"I said untie her, you useless, rotten lizard, so do as I say!"

Naala was visibly hurt and without saying another word, she proceeded to untie their guest. Adelina got up and grabbed a chair next to Thalassan. "Alright, listen up. Of course you cannot approach the Imperial City directly, but if you just..."
"Ahem..." Naala interrupted her. "Master, I really don't think..."
Thalassan finally lost his temper. "Yes, I know! You don't think, you're always coming up with your crazy ideas, zombies with hats, flower necklaces, brown robes, you fail to carry out even the simplest of orders and always slow me down by acting like a total idiot!"
"But..."
"Get out of my sight!"

Naala grabbed Mr. Nibbles and put him in her flower basket, took Claude by the hand and looked back at Thalassan once more. "Goodbye, master", she sobbed and walked off.
To his great surprise, Thalassan felt his stomach cramping up into a little ball and he was flushed with incredible guilt. He didn't know why, but he felt miserable for hurting her feelings like that. Bah! He tried to push it away. He couldn't allow himself to get soft if he wanted to become the world's most powerful necromancer! He nodded to Adelina.
"Anyway, as I was saying...."



Naala walked up to the road, sat on a rock and cried. She felt so incredibly sad, lonely and heartbroken. She knew she was only his servant, but he had no right to insult her like that, not after everything she had done for him! "I'm sorry, Claude", she sobbed. "I'm embarassed you see me like this, but it has all been a little much for me, you know."
"Hurrr..."
"Yeah."
She sniffed, held Claude's cold, dead hand and pet the undead rabbit in her flower basket.

"You know, I think we should travel down this road a bit, go to the cities, maybe find a place for us to stay, right?"
"Hurrr..."
"Right, let's go." She slid down the rock, hopped back on her feet and proceeded to walk down the road, when suddenly she heard a voice coming from behind her. She turned around and in the distance she made out a few armored figures with torches. She hesitated. She was used to hiding from people, to only come out at night, stealing a few things here and there for her master and herself to survive. But maybe these people were friendly?
"Claude... what should we do", she whispered nervously.

The strangers came closer and Naala could hear their rattling suits of platemail. One of them pointed at her and shouted, "That robe! It's one of the necromancers and their zombies! GET THEM!!"
Naala's heart stopped for a moment. How could she be so naive and walk around outside right after they had sent the zombies? "Run, Claude! Run!"

She ran away from the road, into the tall grass, hoping to be more difficult to detect that way. Claude waddled after her, but he had a hard time keeping up. "Hurry, Claude! Please!"
The soldiers came closer, she could hear their shouting behind her and eventually, Naala had to let go of Claude's hand, because he slowed her down so much. "Please", she shouted. "Claude! You have to run! They mustn't get you! Please!"

Naala ran as fast as she could, fearing for her friend as much as for her own life. Fortunately for her, the soldiers couldn't run too fast with their bulky armor, but it was only a matter of time until they would catch her if she kept looking after Claude! "Please, dear gods, if you have not completely forsaken me, show me and Claude some mercy! He's everything I have!" She kept on running, looking back to Claude. "Claude, RUN!" When she looked ahead again, she barely had enough time to stop and prevent running into the Khajiit, who was standing before her, in the middle of nowhere. Without warning, she bumped into her and nearly made her fall flat on her face. "Oof! Watch it, you clumsy..."
"Please! You have to help me! They're coming for us!" Naala croaked at her, a tight grip on her flower basket and Claude still waddling after her, followed by a bunch of soldiers.

(to be continued...)

I just read it all and I love it. The humor is great, the characters are life-like, and ... OK, I can't think of anything else to say, it's simply good writting.



Reminds me of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcxKIJTb3Hg&feature=related.

Hee hee I knew EXACTLY what I was gonna see in that link!

Thank you very much for taking the time to read it all. I'm incredibly happy and proud with every new reader I get! :angel:

Ah, the many trials of being an evil wizard.

Poor Naala. It's not often that you cheer for the Necromancer, but I'm really hoping that she gets away all right, and her affection for Claude makes the entire situation all the more endearing. Poor, Kira, though... out of one stressful alliance and into another. :nope:

You're characters are all so quirky. It's good to see you still working on this.

One of the main reasons for me to continue is the high praise I keep getting from you, BSparrow. I really envy you for the way you write and how you handle the language at a level, which I'm afraid I'll never reach, because I'm not a native speaker and I seriously lack some decent vocabulary.

I'm glad you like my characters. I can't wait to flesh out Adelina some more. It's not an everyday thing to join sides with your kidnappers.

I'm just glad some people actually came back to read the latest update. I have lots of stuff going on, which keeps me from writing as much as I'd like to and some issues just summon up major art blocks. Quality stuff takes time, you know

Just on the off chance that you are counting; add me to the list of your devoted fans.

Aww, I really don't know what to say. I never expected to get so much feedback, let alone to keep writing and come up with a story so big! I'll try to write some more during the week, maybe even today, because I'm feeling really creative right now!

I've always dreamed about creating my own characters for a big RPG, but designing and voice-acting Murray, the necromancer squirrel, was as good as it got, so far. For some NWN2 mod, which never saw its full release. Ah well, this fanfic isn't exactly the same, but it still feels great to have so many faithful readers! :angel:

EDIT: All right! 2nd half of chapter 4 is practically "in the making", will probably upload after work today, if I can find the time. Stay tuned! :hehe:

Geez! Imagine my surprise when I found out that you'd been posting chapters. After you told me to shoo because there was nothing to see. Lol. I don't have time to read today (borrowed net) but plan on catching up tomorrow. Now I'm happy

Aww, I'm sorry. But I'm glad to have ya back! I'm just fine-tuning the 2nd half of chapter 4, so you might have more to catch up on than you know. :hehe:

I'm all caught up on the current details. I really have to say I'm enjoying the story so far. Honestly I wouldn't know that English wasn't your first language. There are tons of people here that have English as a first language and massacre it on a regular basis lol. Personally I envy anyone's ability to share their stories with others. I have my own on-going fanfic, but share it with only one other person. I envy your ability to share. I truly like your characters and how they interact with one another. It makes it easy to feel for them when things are going on in their lives. I can't wait to read the next part of chapter 4.

Frankly, I had to do some research on Argonians prior to finishing the rest of chapter 4, but it will be done before the end of the week - promise!

As for your fanfic, I'm insanely curious now, so if you ever feel like sharing... well, you know. :angel:

Chapter 4 was awsome!
Hmm I think I may get around to write my own Fan Fic

Here's the rest of chapter 4, somewhat slow and cheesy, but it's necessary to develop the plot a little. Next one will have more action and humour, don't worry!

Before she knew what was going on, Kira saw herself surrounded by four armored men, who had been chasing after the strange Argonian and her zombie. The dark steel of their chest plates was decorated with a crest, which she knew all too well.

"Say your prayers, necromancer scum", one of them shouted and gave Naala a rough push, sending her to the ground. He drew his sword to finish her off. "Hold it right there", Kira demanded. "What are Blackwood Company goons doing here?"
The young Nord spared Naala for the moment and looked at the Khajiit, his sword still drawn. "Are you not with the necromancer?"
"I'm not a necromancer", Naala protested from below.
He kicked her in the ribs. "Shut up! You and your zombies have invaded Pell's Gate and tried to kill everyone!"

Kira walked up to him, ignoring the angry faces and drawn blades of his companions, ready to draw her own at any time. "So you're telling me this Argonian girl and that walking corpse over there eradicated an entire settlement?"
Claude just stood there, moaning.
"He's lying", Naala shouted. "We've never hurt anybody! Never! I swear!"
"I told you to shut up!" Naala curled up and remained silent when the Nord kicked her once more. Kira could see his cold blue eyes turning into tiny slits in the torch light, as he turned back at her. "Don't get in my way", he hissed. "She is wearing a robe just like necromancers do and she is being followed by a zombie. And now I will collect her head and a handsome reward along with it!"

Kira bared her fangs at him. "You Blackwood Company bastards are always just after the profit, aren't you? Bunch of half-wit mercenaries! This Argonian's robe is nothing like that of a necromancer! And if she really killed everyone in an entire village, why isn't she using magic to defend herself right now? Why isn't the zombie helping her?"
"I'm growing tired of you", he said, without looking at Kira, but rather at something or someone behind her.

With a wild scream, Kira unsheathed her katanas, whirled around and parried the swing of a heavy longsword with her left blade and counter-attacked with her right. The burning edge of her katana cut its way into the side of her attacker's neck, nearly chopping his head off. The Redguard dropped his sword, sank to his knees and finally crashed to the ground in his heavy armor.
She turned to face the Nord again.
"One down, three to go. How well can you see in the dark?"

One of the remaining mercenaries, an Altmer, sheathed his sword. "This isn't worth it", the High Elf explained. "I'm not risking my life for a few Septims, especially when that Khajiit is right and the Argonian isn't even the one we're supposed to kill."
The other mercenary, also a Redguard, agreed. "He's right, Haukur! Let's leave them alone."

The tall Nord glared at them in disbelief. "Cowardly fools! She's all by herself! There's no way we could lose!"
Kira pointed one of her blades at him. "You had better listen to your companions, pick up your fallen comrade and get out of my sight, or you'll find out how much of a chance you really stand against me, scoundrel!"
Haukur gnashed his teeth and sheathed his sword.
"We shall meet again, Khajiit, and then I will make myself a new rug out of your filthy hide!"

Kira watched him walk away, his companions carrying off the dead Redguard. When she was sure they wouldn't be back, she kneeled next to Naala, who was still curled up in the tall grass. "Are you okay? They're gone now."
Naala shivered. "Don't hurt me", she croaked.
"No one is going to hurt you now." Kira sat down at her side.
Naala lifted her head a few inches and cautiously peeked at Kira through one eye, hesitated for a moment and then decided she was safe. For now. She slowly sat up.

"I don't know who you are, but you must have a serious death-wish, upsetting the Blackwood Company like that. Is it true what they said about you?"
Naala seemed confused. "Blackwood... Company?"
"You don't get around much, do you? They do all kinds of dirty jobs for money, much like the fighters' guild, but without the slightest bit of honour and without asking question. You can be glad they've only sent some inexperienced, low-ranked members after you!"
Naala remained quiet.
"My, you're a talkative one. What's your story? How come you ran into me like that, chased by those morons and a zombie?"

Naala turned her head away from Kira and looked at Claude. "It's okay now, Claude, you can come here. And please bring me Mr. Nibbles' basket, okay?" The zombie picked up Naala's flower basket with the undead rabbit inside and sat down next to her.
"This is my friend Claude, and I am Naala", she explained. Then she told Kira about how she grew up to be a slave until Thalassan found her and made her his servant, how she stole for him and assisted him with his experiments until he created Claude. She told her about the attack on Pell's Gate and how she secretly instructed the zombies not to harm anyone. And about how she ran away from her master, now that he was oh-so busy with their hostage.

"So, Naala... what are you going to do now?" Kira asked.
Naala shrugged. "I have never known anyone, but the master. I don't know where to go."
Kira sighed. She didn't like where this was going.
"Hurrrr...." Claude was moaning next to her. Kira got up to inspect him.
"Say, Naala..." she scratched the back of her head. "Aren't you afraid to catch something, when you're with a zombie all day? They carry all kinds of diseases from the brownrot to gods know what else!"
Naala chuckled. "Oh, don't worry! Sniff him!"
Kira tilted her head. "What?!"
"Go ahead, it's alright!"
Kira cautiously approached Claude, holding her breath for a while, then she carefully inhaled just a little bit, then some more, then breathed normally.
"What the... hmmm! He smells like mint! Almost yummy! What did you do to him?"
Naala clapped her hands excitedly. "Oooo, I knew you'd like it! I've enbalmed him! I have extracted various plant juices and I rub them into Claude's skin every once in a while to keep him fresh. It stops the decomposing and keeps the maggots away!"
Kira took a close look at his dead face. "Like leather. Mummified. Impressive!"

Naala laid down on her back to gaze upon the stars. "I have to take good care of him. He's my only friend, you know?"
"Hmm...", Kira looked at him, lost in thought. "I don't think you'll make any more new friends if he keeps following you around, though."
Naala quickly sat up again, clinging to her zombie. "What do you know? He is all I have! I've never even been around people except when I had to sneak out at night to steal from them! I won't leave him behind!"
"Alright, alright, relax! Look, I will head back to Bravil in the morning and I can take you with me, if you want to come along, but Claude will get us in trouble! If at least we had something to disguise him..."

Naala handed her a small pouch full of coins. "I stole this from the mercenary, when he tossed me to the ground."
"What? How..."
"The master needed me to steal for us, remember? All just a matter of practice!" She gave Kira, what looked like a crude, toothy Argonian smile. "So, do you think this will be enough for a disguise?"

The next day, a white Khajiit in black armor was seen stepping into the Lonely Suitor Lodge in Bravil, followed by an Argonian wearing a light brown robe and a mysterious person wearing an oversized straw hat.
Kira asked Naala to take a seat with Claude and wait for her, while she'd go check on their room to see whether Spark and Sir Cronk were still in town.
"But Kira, what if somebody..."
"Calm down, Naala. I'll be back in a minute, just act natural, order yourself a drink or something, I'll be right back."

Naala sat down at one of the tables and looked around nervously. Most of Claude's face was hidden by the huge new straw hat and the fact he was missing his lips and most of his rotting teeth was covered by a long scarf. They also bought him a nice, long, loose cotton shirt and some pants, so on first sight, he looked almost alive.
Naala's heart raced when one of the other patrons approached her. "Excuse me, but what's wrong with your friend? He doesn't look so good."
"Oh, err... well, he... you know..." She stuttered. "That's my uncle Claude. He has a very bad cold, so he needs to wear a scarf. Andand... he's not allowed to talk. The sore throat, you know."
"Hurrr..." Claude waved, just as Naala had instructed him to do if somebody talked to him, to make him seem more natural.

"By the gods! Your uncle has only three fingers! And look at his skin! Did... did you bring a leper in here?"
"N-nonono! He's a veteran soldier! Lost a few toes and fingers in battles, got his hands burned in torture... he had a lot to go through. Please, mind his feelings."
The other patron slowly backed off.

Naala let out a relieved sigh when Kira finally came back with her companions. After a short introduction, Spark sat down at the chair opposite to Claude. "Oooo, so this is a real zombmmf...?!" Kira covered Spark's mouth. "Hush! Are you insane? This is uncle Claude now, unless you want to spend the rest of your life in the dungeons! I don't want to get in any more necromancy trouble", she whispered.
Spark flattened her ears and gave Kira an annoyed look.

"Anyway", Kira sighed. "I think we should split up the reward for our mission and everyone will continue on their own."
Cronk spoke quickly when he noticed how Spark took a deep breath to lash out at Kira. "Before we end up having another argument, may I ask what caused your sudden change of mind?"
"Look, I just don't want you to get hurt because of me. Or worse. It is my fault you nearly died, because I talked you into coming on our mission with me. And the ogre could have killed Spark just like it happened to Agoran and there was nothing I could have done to prevent it!"
Cronk shook his head. "I think Spark will agree with me when I say we followed you by our own, free will. And to die for a noble cause is an honour for every true knight!"

Spark punched Kira in the side. "Yes, silly! Why do you always have to be so stubborn? It takes more than a hit on the head to kill me! Besides, if you're no longer tagging along with us on missions, then there will be a much bigger chance for us to fail and you'll have to feel guilty for not being near me in the first place! Pfff!" She stuck her tongue out.
Kira rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, mock me all the way you want."

"Aww..." Nala sighed. "You should stay with them, Kira. They will be adventurers with or without you. That's not for you to decide. But if you go together, you'll get to watch over each other."
"Hurrr...."
Spark grinned. "See? Even Naala and the zombie understand that! I say, we'll take them along, as well!"


Chapter V - Aromageddon

Fight by my side and there shall be nothing to fear,
for I am the shield, and I will allow no one to harm you.

Fight by my side and no one shall stop us,
for I am the blade, and I will tear through anyone, who dares to oppose you.

Fight by my side, for I am Kira
and I will fight, kill and die for the ones I love
and anyone, who steps in my path
shall be torn to ribbons by my fangs and claws

-Kira


(to be continued...)

Good thing you linked it up in your siggy, otherwise I never would've come upon this But thoroughly enjoyable - I don't read fanfic all that often but this definitely reads very well ^_^

Maybe I should add a note about it being totally unlike any other fan-fic. You know, enjoyable, fun to read... hee hee! Kidding, kidding. :hehe:
Thanks a lot for reading and for leaving the nice message. :hugs:

For Kira to use "Mea culpa" as a way of expressing that she cares for the others is ok but I hope it will not be a long term thing. It's a plot device that can rapidly become overused. If she gets stuck in that mode, her character will atrophy into a two dimensional stereotype. Hopefully, Nala's wisdom will prevail.

Well, I wanted to show she cares for her friends, but also that she's not overly fond of responsibility. If you die, fine, but don't blame me, mmkay? That kind of thing. They're girls, remember? Talking about feelings and stuff.
No worries, I won't overuse it. Thanks a lot for voicing your concern, though. :angel:

I had a suspicion that I'd find your chapter addition in place. Good thing I looked. I like the fact that your characters do happen to have feelings. It adds a depth to them. Feelings pervade most situations. To explore them in a story adds color. It gives you an idea of where a character is coming from. Showing that Kira has feelings gives you a better sense of who she is as an individual. Even male characters have feelings.

Which leads me to a response to something else you'd mentioned Kira. In order to be able to put a fan-fic up, I've had to write from another character's perspective lol. I have a huge fan-fic based on my character Thor the Lucky. Sadly, his adventures aren't very T for teen lol (at times the story gets rather graphic.) I've started writing another from the perspective of my assassin Luca. I'm still rather shy about adding it. For now, I'll continue reading. Hopefully working up enough nerve to do it!

To be frank, I'd love to add something not so teen-rated involving 2 of my characters (you can tell if you've been paying attention ), but there will probably be a harmless, censored version for the forums and all the exciting detail on my original fan-fic's website

Interesting first chapter... , but did the Breton HAVE to be chopped like that... I know its funny, but... :yuck: .
Good job though.

Judging by the screenshots, I am assuming Kira is the kitty in your avatar and the rest of the characters in the story are your companions, right?