There is muttering, then following that there is uproar as the small rodent speeds toward the grill smashes it and vanishes.
"ok what just happend ?"
"yeah who spiked the food, my god what was that?"
the discourse continiues and drowns out the sound of the gun fire out side
"hush!"
Old, almost forgotten arguments proceed, but noise outside still unheard
the barrage of noise continiues
"I said Hush"
The voice is harsh as it is brittle, the voice of age and of knowlege
"I've seen this before"
Now the croweds noise dropps to almose a wisper
"this isn't magic you dammed fools"
The voice is that of the old woman that let the stranger into to reffuge
"When I came to Rubi-Ka I saw such things with my father"
"It's simpley technology, and something to do with the extra element here"
"notum?"
"yes that's it notum, this isn't magic"
"Hey I just saw a 180 kilio guy just became a rat, you wanna say it's not still not magic ?"
"It is NOT magic"
As the noise has subsided, now the refugees hear the gun shots
"he's dead"
"who is dead?"
"he's not dead !"
"how would.."
"the gaurds are attacking outside again"
All at once the recentley forgotten grill almost explodes, parts of it hit the outer walls, there is smoke and dust
When the dust settles there is our stranger, bloodied and swaying
In each hand he hold guns like those of the guards, two in each, he looks to the refugees and locks his gase on just one, the attention is heavy like lead and the refugee almost buckles under it.
"can you use a gun?"
"I think I can try"
"don't try, DO"
At that that a weapon crosses the air, nothing special save that is is loaded and it can kill.
"will you use it? when the time comes?"
"I will try to.."
"WILL YOU USE IT WHEN THE TIME COMES"
The voice is cutting, some of the over-tomes make others feel ill there seems to be an echo in the room around these words the seem to speak to something primal deapth, carrying something that lifts the hairs on the mans neck
"I WILL use it"
Tears welling in his eyes, a glance to the others, he is lost in the moment, lost to the voice that has called, not from with out, but from with in, inside the man can hear the voices, there is no doubt, there is no question there is simpley now.. and what must be done
From somewhere there comes a surge, a uplifting of emotion that would over welm him send him screaming into the darkness save the voice he finds as the emotion washes over him...
He screams from his belly, from something primal a shout cuts across all distraction all thought
"I AM CLAN,"
he gasps almost staggering from the effort and emotion of the statement, but gasps and continiues
"AND WHEN THE MOMENT COMES I AM READY"
Scilence follows behind it's wake like a wave, some look agape at the madness that hey have heard, save one our stranger
Our stranger makes an arc in the air with somethingthing, the man pulls it out of the air without taking his eyes from the stranger
"extra ammo, use it sparingley"
There is a glance, a momentary meeting of eyes, no words pass no movement but all can sense something being said
"I'll try not to miss"
"Anyone else think they can fight?"
The world seems to stop for a moment, and then begins again to turn. somehow on a new axis somehow with.. something so petty and human... hope.
/to be continued
(re-posted as the thread wasn't part of the forum move backup)
peace
cal2