Fred Perry's Gold Digger: Blind A FanFic by Russell Gaskin (Hilden), w/consultation by Mario Di Giacomo (mdg) Saturday 11:07am, Digger Residence Aftermath Several people now occupied the living room in the Digger household. To one side Britanny and Stripe sat on a couch at the furthest end of the room, hands held tightly. Nearby, Gina was standing to the left of her father, who was sitting in his favorite chair, nursing his arm, now in a sling due to injuries he received the day before. Ryan however leaned by the doorway, his arms crossed, a black bandana wrapped across his forehead. His wound wasn't that severe, but any excuse to look cool was fine with him, even though that wasn't the problem. His problem was that for one brief moment, he had been helpless. It was one thing to be knocked out in a real fight, but to be taken out so easily and without warning was, for his ego, humiliating. He also felt ashamed that he hadn't been there to protect Brit, and in failing to do that, it was almost like letting down Gina as well. Something he never dreamed of doing in his life. "Things'll be different next time, ninja kitch", he murmured. "I've got your number." "I'm ready to begin now." Quickly forgetting his revenge trip, Ryan quickly turned his head to meet the speaker, a formally dressed werehound, who had introduced himself as David Argos, wearing a full Armani ensemble. From what little Gina had told him that she got from Brit, he had come to both her and Theo's aid, and had, in what she described, "Shnit the kick out of her". He'd believe it when he saw it, he thought. He started listening in the middle of David's speech. "-hard for me to explain but I'll do my best to try. It would be more appropriate if I explained not only where MY clan has been and why they've only appeared now, but also to explain our secret history, as well as that of all the were-creatures, where we came from and why we were made." David sighed deeply, as a child would whom fears the consequences of telling a dreadful truth but knows a lie will be worse. He started to speak again. He explained the Age of Magic, with elven kingdoms that began in the forests and reached towards the oceans. Of creatures both beautiful and horrific, who now hid...but once walked freely in the light of the past. And at the bottom of this power structure/caste resided the humans. True, some were wizards, others heroes, but in general they were people who were trying to live normal lives in a world that was NOT normal. To the elves they were beneath them, the trolls they were food. For Iceron? They were slaves. To work in his mines, to build his fortresses, to perform whatever whim or command he demanded, in conditions that no man or woman should be forced to suffer. They were also the basis for his inhuman experiments that twisted both body and soul, into powerful and warped beings in Iceron's quest for power. Those that survived lived never to remember who or what they were originally. There was some mercy in that. This is where the lycanthropes come from. They were not a natural creation of the Age of Magic; they were the products of one of its most evil sorcerers. "The first of lycanthrope creations to be created were the hounds and the rats. The hounds natural protection skills to mold them as bodyguards, the rats for their unobtrusiveness and stealth, making them the perfect assassins, a duty they excelled at." Ryan interrupted. "What about the hounds? Weren't they any good at their job?" David's head lowered, his eyes closing slightly. "NO!" In a cells designed for a hundred that currently held THREE hundred, Sargon raged. He pounded his fists against unyielding walls; he burned his hands against bars laced with silver; he screamed and screamed until his voice was nearly gone. Emotions changing with each movement, he dropped to the floor sobbing, the tears easily mixing with the blood flowing from four scars caused as he dragged his claws across a face that he had not born with. And in a far corner that none of the others he shared his cell with dared stand in lay the cause of his anger. Wrapped in cloth he had battled another for, lay the body of what he knew now was his brother. The beast with which he shared his body with had overshadowed his true mind and the memories that went with it. In a matter of days it had all come back to him. A simple life destroyed by invading monsters. A promise to keep his loved ones safe. All of it was either dead or decaying before him. When his true nature had returned he looked around his cell, frantically searching, praying to gods he paid homage to everyday that his brother was still alive, and it had ended with the discovery of the corpse, bones broken, eyes staring blankly. A distinct scent told him the hand that had caused the murder, but one voice heard far above his subterranean prison told him who had ordered it. Iceron. The name tears his soul apart, within each part a seed of loyalty resides, but the majority cries for vengeance. And he will have it. But he cannot accomplish it alone. He rises from his place and looks upon those who share his fate. They are tired. They are afraid. But they all share the same rage that dwells within his heart. And with time, they can become a new family. A strong family. And the freedom denied his brother would be theirs. He knows their lives can never be normal again. But any life is surely a better alternative to a slow death of imprisonment. It comes sooner than they think. The rats' loyalty to Iceron had slowly dwindled with their absence from his presence much as how the hounds' loyalty had. Iceron never saw it coming. The hounds hear every delightful rip as his throat is pierced. They hear the wolves rise to avenge there master's death, which is quickly diffused by the words of the assassin. "We are free!" No, thought Sargon. Not all of us. Not yet. It would have been simple for the hounds to cry out at that time, to ask for help, to plead for their freedom. But if they were to be strong, they would bring about their freedom themselves, with the assistance of no one. Though it was doubtful that the wolves or rats would have helped them in the first place. They wait until the wolves are gone to begin their exodus. Gates of silver bar their way to freedom, but they have prepared for this. Sargon and a few others line themselves along the bars and without hesitation, grab hold of them, pressing their bodies against them. The pain is intense, and the smell of burning souls fills the air, but they do not release, even as others shove the full force of their weight against them, their strength not impaired by the silver that each hound acts as a barrier against. Sargon and his brothers have spent the months adjusting to the touch of silver but even now it is worse than they imagine. But they will not falter. Even as they are hit again. And again. And again. Until finally, the gates break free of their foundation. A few do not survive, and those that do bear terrible scars. But for Sargon, it is just one of many that all them will have to endure. Their escape is not without adversity as a few of Iceron's ogres still protect its halls. But in this case, a few cannot survive against many. They are brought down by superior numbers and ripped into odd number of pieces. For some, no pieces are left at all. Many are soon gone, but Sargon, his arms numb and bones broken remains behind, searching for the one scent he has never forgotten. He soon finds one ogre, mace in one huge hand. It makes a sound between a grunt and a laugh, and advances towards him. As the mace swings towards his head, he shifts to his quadruped form, narrowly dodging the blow. The transformation is painful, putting strain on both his already numb arms and broken bones. But the only thought he has at the time? Go for the throat. When he awakens, he finds that he has been carried away from their prison by those of his family, his clan, a powerful storm raging around them. A female gently cradles his head. As the rain falls, he ponders if any of them are truly human anymore. Looking at his bloodstained face in a puddle, he thinks: "Barely. Just barely..." David looked up, and around the room at those listening to him. He could see that they had conflicting views of the story he told, but they were listening. A factor, his uncle told him that was necessary. "I'm sorry that took so long. If you want me to stop.." "No, please continue..." Britanny responded. " There's so little of my own clan's history that I know of, its nice to hear what a similar clan was doing around the same time. Is there anything you know about the were-cheetahs?" David shook his head. "Very little. Only that they appeared shortly after Iceron's resurrection, (a fact that took us by surprise as well) along with several other kinds of were-cats, presumably to be his tool of revenge against the 'rats. None of the clans ever made any real contact with each other, except in the case of the cheetahs and the wolves, sparking a war, which may have been engineered by the wererats. Very few people believed that its final outcome could have been prevented...." David's gaze met Theo's. A silent agreement is made. Better that Dr Diggers explain his own involvement in privacy with his daughter, than here. Brit's voice broke the momentary silence "There's nothing for you to apologise for David, or your clan. There was nothing you could do." "That's the problem miss 'Gia. There was plenty we could have done. But we chose not to. From the moment we escaped Iceron, we pledged ourselves to becoming a stronger, more powerful race. In order to do this, we did many...questionable things. We participated in nearly every conflict this world has ever seen and some that no one should ever know. We learned secrets that were meant to be forgotten....we turned our backs on those who we should have realized we shared a common circumstance. We were all products of a "father" who created and abandoned us, and to our horror we discovered that deep down, had spent centuries trying to please. In a way.....we let your people die." The room grew silent. Then Britanny slowly rose from her place and knelt by David's side, carefully lifting his bowed head and looking into his eyes. She spoke softly and reassuringly. "David, in my whole life, I've learned to forgive those who can't forgive themselves. What's done is done. If you are truly the representative of your clan then this is for you AND them to know.." She took his hand and squeezed gently. "I forgive you." Theo watched the scene a few feet away. When he'd first seen David, there was emotional intensity about his aura, dark and encompassing. It was one of the reasons he hadn't trusted him completely. Now he watched as that darkness slwly disappeared, sliding away, and vanishing. One less thing to worry about, he thought. "Thank you, Mrs. Gia, but I feel I need to earn your forgiveness. Which is also why I was sent to you. I'd like you to allow me to be your bodyguard." Wrong again. "I know it seems unnecessary. Your aura (and body) show you're a lot more capable then we actually thought. Even so, it I would rather earn forgiveness for my clan than have it given to me." "But David, you saved my life. And my father's." "And I was only too glad to do so. But my fears are shared by those of my clan, and these are that the wererats WILL stop at nothing to try to kill you. We would rather not add another death to the count we have. Nor any of your family or friends. Please Mrs. Gia. Let us help." Britanny thought hard about this. The rats she'd encountered had been pushovers, no serious threat, not to her anyway. But there was a reason she was Gina's bodyguard. All it'd take is one moment of distraction, and Gina could be...could be...it was a fear she'd had through most of their adventuring duties. Make no mistake, Gina was all out independent, but she couldn't help but feel concerned whenever she went out alone. And the way David described the rats only made her more nervous. "I accept." David perked up in his chair, enthusiasm spreading all across his face. "Thank you Mrs. Gia, I'm honored! I promise I won't....what's that...?" Brit felt it too "Is that?!?" A decidedly female digital voice interrupted" "It is! It's about time they got back!" David watched as everyone made a beeline in the direction of the lab and was just a mite confused. "Did I miss something?" Theo placed a reaffirming hand on his shoulder. "Time for you to meet the rest of the family." In the middle of the lab, its audience assembled, a blue tunnel of light shimmered and soon four figures stepped through. Furious conversations began. "ANOTHER were-cheetah?!?" "It's a long story.." "Yeah well we got one of our own.." "Hi everybody! Wow, Brianna, so this is Earth! I thought you said it was more like Jade is, with trees and grass and..ooooh! Shiny!" "Bri', where's your eye stripe? Wait, lemme guess, ANOTHER long story." "Bingo." "Day-um, what kind of wheaties they got on Jade, Seance? You're huge! By the way Genn, I like the new look." "Haven't changed much have you Ryan? That's OK. So, wanna arm-wrestle later?" "HELL NO." Things managed to settle down quickly within those 5 minutes. Introductions were made, and explanations were hastily promised. Theo spoke for the first time. "Brianna? Where's your mother?" "Oh, uh, she'll be along soon. The mage had to make a seperate portal for her and..." "Seperate portal?" "Yeah. Uh, Dad there's something you should know..." "Don't worry, Bri'" he chuckled. "I know she tends to get a bit..."frisky" when she's away from me for a long time, it's understandable." "Nooooo, that's NOT it .You see.." Before Brianna had time to finish, a second portal opened up, this one significantly larger than the first. Theo stood at the mouth, arms open for an embrace. "Ah, Julia my love, it's been so *WHOMP* Julia's flying tackle knocked the wind out of the mage as he was sent flying across the room. Which is probably what saved him from being decapitated by a 1 meter long serrated disc, which buried itself 3/4 of the way into one of the labs more durable walls. Moments later, a huge figure exited the portal a cheerfully annoyed tone booming from it. "Oh Julia, you made me miss!" "That's not funny, not in the least!" "Who's trying to be funny? Oh, Hellooooooo Mage Boy. Good to see your still...alive. But don't worry, I'm going to be here for a quite awhile, ohhh, maybe indefinitely. And Mumsy will take GOOD care of you. TRUST ME." Theo watched his life flash, crash and burn in front of his eyes several times before he could speak again. "David?" The werehound had instinctively assumed a fighting position at the moment he saw the disc exit the portal and was now trying to assess the current situation. "Yessir?" "Your duties begin as of NOW. Full time, around the clock." "YES SIR." And then Theo fainted.