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The A.R.C Chronicles: In Seas of Burnt Sand...


DaEndGame

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12 hours ago, DaEndGame said:

Sorry it took such a long time, I had heaps of school work and exams to study for. I also did some revisions to the overall plot of this fiction. Part of the revisions included splitting the original chapter 6 into two parts, as it was originall going to be twice the size.

I understand your pain. I only have one more exam left and then I'm free. People probably think I've abandoned my story and dossiers. But nah, I'm still writing. I have tendencies to overwrite. At least all the good stuff in survivor chapter 2 won't go to waste. As for dossiers, I'm holding them all back until I post the chapter. 

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10 hours ago, Kaprodonychus said:

I understand your pain. I only have one more exam left and then I'm free. People probably think I've abandoned my story and dossiers. But nah, I'm still writing. I have tendencies to overwrite. At least all the good stuff in survivor chapter 2 won't go to waste. As for dossiers, I'm holding them all back until I post the chapter. 

 I find overwriting makes it more engaging and tells you a lot more, So I wont crucify you for it.

i'm free of all mine now. There is nothing left to do and I have gotten two A's this term and an A+ so I'm happy.

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3 hours ago, DaEndGame said:

 I find overwriting makes it more engaging and tells you a lot more, So I wont crucify you for it.

i'm free of all mine now. There is nothing left to do and I have gotten two A's this term and an A+ so I'm happy.

last term I got an A for Maths (which was in Spanish, I know, painful right?) English and Science. Managed to get in the science extension class because of it. yay

thanks for not crucifying me lol

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  • 2 months later...

So, let's get the obvious question out of the way: No, I am not dead, I just got the hell outta dodge for a reason I do not recall.

Also, (feel free to call me lazy about this) I will be posting chapter 7 with in the next few days, sorry for the massive 4 month gap. In other news, After the next chapter, I will be discontinuing my use of the forums to post chapters. Instead I will be putting every chapter on fanfiction.com. I will of course post the link here to that once it is up.

And finally. Thank you all for 1,005 views. It makes me feel like this "beLHDlasgn:OICNS:Ovbaso;fgabdlfbA" on the inside. it's great. Thank for your time, and I hope you all enjoy the next chapter when it arrives.

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  • 4 months later...

Chapter Seven: Down To Business

 

Once the sound of Alex’s hurried footsteps had faded from Aris’ hearing, he closed the foyer door and turned to face Smoke, the irritation evident on Aris’ face.

“So, what’s your secret Aris?” Smoke restated,

“I told you long ago,” Aris replied, “that the Arks, as you all call them, will never let me die.”

“We all thought you were a complete nutter, when you told us that.” William butt in, joining the conversation,

“Well, the lot of you were only half right…” Aris remarked with a grin, eliciting a laughter from William and a reserved grin from Smoke, negativity in the room evaporated.

“Now then, what was this about my other half and my self-control?”

Both men looked at Aris, and William asked, “How much did you hear?”

“Does it matter? You need or want me to do something and Smoke, as usual, is questioning your decision to use me and not him,” Aris answered, “Now let’s get down to business, shall we?”

With that said, Aris returned to the seat he had slept in and waited for the others to take their own seat. As the two other men took their seat, Aris asked, “So what is it you need me for?”

“Well,” William began, “as I’m sure you can tell, like you, we have lived far longer than we should have, however, unlike you, we have aged-”

“And we can’t do what we once could,” Smoke continued, “and with you showing up so unexpectedly yesterday,”

“I had the idea that you should replace Smoke as the commanding officer and combat trainer of the elite guard of this city.”

“I was arguing that there are better, longer lasting choices than you.”

 “Well, if they’re as well trained as the battalion I hospitalized, I can understand why you want me to train them, William,” Aris commented smugly,

“Shall we go see them, then,” Smoke asked and Aris nodded in response, all three of them standing simultaneously shortly after.

 

Aris followed Smoke as he led the way out of the room, through countless corridors, down many sets of stairs and eventually out into a high-walled courtyard with forty guardsmen practicing their form in the center. The soldiers were clad in the dull blue and gray typical of the elite guard of the United Ark Confederacy that was formed almost five centuries ago.

 

“GUARDS,” Yelled Smoke, “ATTENTION!”

All at once, the entire force of guards turned and approached where Aris, Smoke, and William stood, forming themselves into neat, ordered groups.

“As you all are sure to have heard,” Smoke began, “I have been searching for a suitable candidate to replace me when I retire. Yesterday, Mayor William here, presented a man who he is certain can fill the role.” Smoke indicated Aris, who was studying the guardsmen before him. “Now before he takes over if anyone has any objections speak now or forever hold your peace!?”

Immediately, a tall, dark-haired soldier, who Aris had assumed to be the Captain of the elite guard, stepped forward, “I believe I speak for most, if not all, of us when I ask what he could teach us that you couldn’t and what makes someone with such a young face more qualified than any one of us?” he asked, both William and Smoke looked at Aris, awaiting a response to the captain’s challenge.

“What’s your name?” Aris inquired and walked downed the stairs to stand before the guardsmen, who stood over a foot taller than Aris, forcing him to look up at him.

“it’s Dirk.” The captain replied,

“Well Dirk, if you think you’re more capable than me then you can take my place.”

“What’s the catch?”

Aris gave an approving grin, “You have to drop me with one hit.”

Only hesitating to nod in understanding, Dirk drew back his right arm and delivered a powerful right hook to the left of Aris’ jaw, that would have dropped any other man his size, as Aris was by no means a tall man.

A resounding crack echoed around the high walls of the courtyard. The impact dislocated Aris’ jaw, but apart from that, he hadn’t even been shifted from where he was standing in front of Dirk.

 

Aris snapped his jaw back into place and quietly said “My turn.” And, grinning something devilish, he drew his left arm back for his own punch. The blow landed on the stomach plate of Dirk’s armor and a near deafening clang filled the courtyard. The impact shattered the metal plating and sent Dirk flying into the rows of his fellow guardsmen. The other guardsmen tried to catch him, but the force knocked them over as well.

 

As those that had been knocked over got back to their feet, those that were still standing looked at the man responsible, then at the pile of fallen guardsmen, then back again. Aris was standing, there waiting for them all to get to back up, completely ignoring the share of stomach plate impaling his hand between his knuckles and the blood that was dripping off of it.

 

Standing now in a loose group, the guardsmen watched as Aris raised his hand to his face and, gripping the metal shard between his teeth and ripped it out; spitting it out afterward. In eerie silence, the guardsmen all watched him raise his left hand with his knuckles towards them as the gash between his knuckles knitted itself together in seconds, the scars left behind was the only proof that it had ever been there.

“Who… are… you?” Dirk, who was still winded from Aris’ punch, asked bewilderedly

“You can call me whatever you want, so long as it isn’t insulting!” Aris said quietly, then raising his voice a little more, “For the rest of the day we’ll be using practice weapons to avoid grievous injury and Y'all will be trying to incapacitate me. We’ll move on from that once you can all incapacitate me and do it effectively as a team.” The moment Aris finished talking, the already well-trained Guardsmen immediately discarded their actual weapons, collected their preferred type of practice weapon and formed up into their familiar ranks.

 

Like Aris had ordered, the guardsmen spent the rest of the day trying to incapacitate their new mentor. This proved a seemingly impossible task for the guardsmen, once they experienced how well Aris could use a bow staff.

By the time the day was ending, the closest any of them had gotten to even touching Aris was when he grabbed one of their weapons, pulled the poor guardsman towards him and head butted him. The unlucky fellow would have a concussion for a few days.

 

With the sun slowly retreating behind the horizon and the heat along with it, Aris dismissed the guardsmen for the day and they all limped, hobbled or in some cases crawled away to do whatever they did at this time of day. As Aris turned to walk back up to the door that he came through earlier, he noticed Alex and Dirk watching him from the doorway; they were talking to each other.

“I would still like to know your name,” Dirk stated as Aris got closer,

“Can you and your men be trusted to keep a secret?” Aris replied,

“I know my men well enough to say that they’ll take a secret to their grave!”

“Good, cause that’s where they’ll be if they tell,”

“Why is your name’s secrecy so important?”

Aris drew a long breath, “You can call me Aris; and if you’ve heard that name before, then you’ll know why I’m so bloody good in combat.” Aris answered and turned to Alex, “Now then, if I know your father then he has sorted out my accommodation and sent you to take me there.”

A little surprised by Aris’ statement, “How di-” She bit her tongue to stop the already answered question, “This way.” She said, and with a quick glance at Dirk, who returned the look, walked towards the door behind them, and disappeared inside with Aris following shortly after.

 

After following Alex through the many passages and stairwells, they finally arrived at the end of an empty passage that saw little use, with a door at the end.

“This is your room,” Alex told Aris, as she opened the door and walked in with Aris following in behind her. “There are clothes in the dresser, the bathroom is just through that far door there and a map of the building, city and surrounding terrain on the table over there.” She added, to which Aris grunted in thanks.

 

After a few more moments, Alex turned and walked out the door, but before closing it she turned around and looked back into the room and asked, “Why did you lie about who you really are?”

To which Aris replied, “I didn’t lie. I’ve been given many names over the years, so I give those instead of the one everyone knows, hence I never lied. Besides, every story you’ve ever heard about me is probably true; especially those that your parents would have told you!”

Satisfied with the answer she had received, Alex began to close the door, but Aris interrupted her with his own question, “Does your father know about you and Dirk?” he asked,

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She replied quickly, closing the door before he could ask another question.

‘I’ll take that as a no then,’ Aris thought to himself as he turned to inspect his new home.

 

The room was by no means large, but it was more spacious than the hollow tree trunk that he had called home for many, many years. It was very Spartan in design, with only necessary items around the room: A bed in a dark alcove to the left of the door, the door that apparently lead to the bathroom, a dresser with an assortment of clothes and armour, and a simple set of table and chairs in the centre of the room with a pile of maps on it.

 

Walking over to the table, Aris sat down and began to examine the maps. At first, he couldn’t tell which was the city map and which was the map of the building, but the map of the scorch was obvious, as it was much larger than the table. After a few hours were spent familiarizing himself with all the maps, Aris decided it would be best to clean himself off.

 

Dragging himself from the chair he was in, Aris walked through the bathroom door into the dimly lit room beyond. After a few moments, his eyes adjusted to the light in the room and he found a candle and lit it with a flint and steel that was conveniently nearby. As his eyes were adjusted to the relative darkness, it seemed to Aris that the room came to life with a near blinding light.

 

Despite the brightness, Aris’ eyes adjusted quickly and he surveyed the room: a mirror, sink, waist high drawer, cupboard, and a bath. The essentials. Aris chuckled inwardly, ‘William still knows me,’ he thought to himself.

 

Walking towards the mirror, Aris saw his own face for the first time since he left mankind to its own the devices, not including the distorted water reflections. Looking into the reflection, the man looking back at him was familiar, yet it may as well have belonged to a stranger. His forever youthful face was framed by long, ragged hair and a beard that had clearly been cut with a knife; the scars on his face were faint lines that he could only find because he knew they were there; and the eyes that looked back at him were that of another man – a much older man.

 

Searching through the cupboard, Aris found scissors and a razor blade and went to work on shortening his hair and neatening his beard, so that he looked at least somewhat presentable. When he was finished grooming, he poured himself a bath, removed his grimy clothes and hopped into the water, which was already hot as a courtesy of the day’s heat. He lay there, letting the warmth seep into him and relieve the tension in his body.

 

After an hour had passed, Aris pulled himself up and out of the tub, pulled a towel from the cupboard and wrapped himself in it. Then he left the bathroom and found himself some clothes to wear from the dresser.

 

Aris had just sat down after getting dressed when there was a knock on the door. 

“It’s open,” Aris said, and the door opened to admit William, who walked over to Aris, who was at the table, and sat down with him.

“So, I never asked why you are here,” William stated, as Aris started to pore over the map of the Scorch.

“Does it matter?” replied Aris, who seemed to be looking for something particular on the map.

“There is a reason you’re here, and I know it.”

“What makes you so sure” Aris muttered distractedly.

“I know you. You wouldn’t come here if you knew it had already been settled and you wouldn’t stay for the weather.”

“Maybe I got sick of seeing the same sights every day.”

“You get sick of your side of The Dividing!?” William exclaimed,

“Is that so hard t-” Aris was cut off by William who said,

“You’ve been challenged by It haven't you.”

Aris looked up from the map he was studying and looked at William sharply,

“What do you know of ?”

“Very little. I only know what I know from paintings on cave walls. Most regard it as nonsensical myth, but from what you once described of the ‘Ultimate Lifeforms’ I’d damn well say it isn’t a myth.”

Aris stopped for a few moments, processing what William had just told him.

“Is there a way to cross the desert?” Aris asked,

After a moment’s hesitation, William replied, “There is, but it’ll take around three months to organize.”

“Then you best get to it,” Aris then pointed to a point on the map and said, “this is where we’ll start the journey.”

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