[FFML] Exalted C+C DB Summer

[peter]

DB is having E-mail trouble and asked me if I could try and post this C+C 
from him to the FFML


Thanks
Finally getting to this:



> Exalted is the creation and property of White Wolf Publishing. No 
> infringement is intended. This is a not for profit fan work.
>
> This is it. If you read it, I hope you enjoyed it.
>
> All chapters at ff.nt
>
> Act 5
>
> Angel shrugged. "It seemed reasonable at the time," was the only 
> explanation she offered. After that Hail took over the narrative of  our 
> capture and reverse interrogation. They agreed that the panther  had 
> probably let it go on exactly as long as he wanted. The  coincidence that 
> he had left with his students in tow just as Dog  arrived was too unlikely 
> to be unintentional. Similarly to Maheka, the  jungle cat had set the 
> situation so he would gain if we succeeded, but  lose nothing if we 
> failed.
>

% One smart cat


> "When I was living in the Imperial City, I once heard Dragon-Blooded 
> warriors talking of 'Charms.'" Dog reminisced. We all grew silent, 
> surprised he was willingly breaking his silence on his history. "At  the 
> time I didn't understand what they meant. They talked about them  like 
> they were tricks, little moves they've figured out which let them  go past 
> the normal limits. I think that's what we're doing."
>  >

% Sounds about right

> "I noticed that too," I agreed. "There were things my old sensei  taught 
> me to do but never explained why. When I would ask, he just  told me that 
> it was part of the form. But up until now, I've never  been able to make 
> the tricks work. Now, they seem easy. The secret to  them, the 'trick' I 
> was looking for, makes sense now."
>
> "Are these tricks, Charms,  magic?" Hail asked.
>
> "No," replied Dog thoughtfully. "They're close, but I don't think  they're 
> the same."
>
> "So, how long did you live in the Imperial City?" asked Angel, losing  the 
> fight against her curiosity.
> > "Oh, look. The sun's setting. We should pick up the pace,"
>

% Dog: If you have enough breath to ask questions, you have enough breath to 
run


> "Of him telling me 'no.' Ending, I already know he doesn't feel the  same 
> way for me. If I push the issue, he'll just have to reject me.  Maybe in a 
> little while when time's taken the edge of his grief we can  discuss it. 
> In the mean time
>

% meantime


>
> "My dreams are always pretty strange. I try not to pay too much  attention 
> to them," he replied.
>
> "Strange how?" I asked.
>  >

Dog: I dream of tearing off my face and discovering I'm Daniel Baldwin 
underneath.

Ending: : Wow! That beats mine by a longshot.

>
> Nibeldamt was framed by two great peaks. They had once been joined by  a 
> soaring kol, but centuries ago an earthquake had sheared that apart.  Now 
> their shoulder's
>

shoulders


> "Did you kill Ash Maiden?" I asked her.
>
> For a moment Defile Perilous stared at me, like she was debating  lying. 
> Finally she shrugged. "Yes. I did. Shall we make this a formal  duel, 
> then?" asked the Icewalker.
>  >

% Too bad they didn't come to her first, but then the story would be much 
shorter

>
>
> everywhere with arrows sticking out of their eyes and nostrils, mute 
> testimony to Hail's efforts. More of them kept coming, rushing around 
> rocks that could barely conceal a bird. There seemed an infinite  supply, 
> which was quite likely if Shogg the Forest God was bending his  effort to 
> it.
>
% Ah, that makes sense. I wondered where they were all coming from.


>
>
> My heart exploded in pain. Suddenly Angel was beside me, and though  I'd 
> seen her strike home, her blade was buried to the hilt in my ribs.  In 
> shock my grip on the blade weakened, letting it pass between my  hands. 
> Defile Perilous cut me from shoulder to hip, and in gentle slow  motion my 
> body fell into two pieces.
>  >

% Oops.

> Angel lost her mind. She landed and lunged, and Defile swept her  weapon 
> around to parry and kill as she should have done so easily now  that she 
> could focus all her attention on Angel. Yet the starmetal  weapon twisted 
> slowly, and cleft the air where Angel had been. With a  crunch it bit into 
> rock and stopped.
>
> Defile Perilous looked down and saw Angel still. She saw the glorious 
> hilt of the saber driven to her sternum, nestling between her breasts. 
> Curiously she looked at her own weapon, wondering why it had failed  her, 
> and only then saw half my bloody body trailing the ornate handle.  My arm 
> had spasmed shut when the nerves connecting it to my spinal  column had 
> been severed. It had thrown her balance off just enough.
>
> "I lost?" Defile Perilous asked, confused, before Angel swept her own 
> weapon upwards, taking her head. An alchemical signal
>

% sigil? perhaps?


> glittered on her  forehead and began to fade.
>
> Dog and Hail arrived as Angel turned to me. My blood had stopped  gushing 
> and now just trickled out.  All that was left was my head, an  arm, and 
> about half my chest. With three friends clustered around me,   I tried to 
> smile as the last bits of strength faded from me. Life was  good, I 
> decided. Then I died.
>
> The End(ing)
>  >

% And so it was. I'm mildly surprised as I thought he'd survive. And since 
the person that was conducting the first person narrative is dead, it can 
end abruptly.

% Excellent story. Sorry it took me so long to read and review it. I enjoyed 
it a lot.

DB Sommer