A Troubled City  

{pictures is a work in progress}

 Aelmor…. A beautiful city, with medieval rocks and walls, thrown together with seam work pipes and aging metals! A town that was to be the center of the region… now is nothing more than a den of the deprived and home of monsters! With breaking walls at the forefront and brittle beams made of scrap… Is all that holds back the dark part of the city! 

A city that was once filled with children's laughter... Is now met with the gloomy silence of the winter winds… where the parents worry themselves about their future… for food is scarce and fresh water contains a silver poison! By the day the elderly die, while the young wither away! A place filled with sober songs, and crying lullabies, where the days are harsh, and the nights are frightening! 

For when night passes, their monster neighbors, hiss and roar none stop! The sound of constant scratching and banning drives the weaker-minded mad! Some cover their ears while others try to deny it… all while they turn a blind eye to their fellow man, as they are swept up in the middle of the night! 

The pirates' offer to shelter them safely came at a cost… some of which weren't willing to pay! And those who didn't... were left alone in their dark houses… staring at fireplaces… while an alien hid just behind their father's chair…. Every night they came like clockwork… every night the city grew restless… every night… screams…. Was the lullaby the infants slept to! 

When finally full compliance came into the pirates' hands! And with fattening bellies and commercial planes, they reopened the runways! For, the aliens didn't try to stop them… for this was all part of their father's plan! But by the time Aaron came home… the plan had changed! The dwarves had done something they shouldn't have…while the elves sent out an invitation… 

While another answered a night beaming from a dragon breath…. 

→→→→→→→→excerpt by Vice dairy ←←←←←←←← 

Day Aaron arrived in the city 

It was through a column of burning light, that shined the night to instill Blacky to ask: 

[Father…] 

{you have my permission… but you can only choose one! and hurry back to the nest…} replied Breder with all seriousness as he raced back into the nest tunnel system. 

With permission granted, Blacky calls the 'matchless one' to the front! And so, with a burning desire and a night to compete with a dragon, the Matchless ones looked into the sky… 

Mister white POV 

As mister white sat at the epicenter of the city on his throne, his pet dragon smiley lazily as it ate its fill, of fruits brought by skimpy-clothed women… with a smugness only a dragon could enjoy, it watched the night stars with its fairy wings, while the star he set faded as another rose to challenge his! 

A raging star made of pure red fire! Came flying over the city! Only to explode and rain down its star children! With fire and brimstone, the people panicked! As they heard a roar unlike any other! For an alien monster stood just over that wall of theirs, locked between snowy fields and a dark sky! 

As Mister White turned to look through his spy glasses, the earth trembled, while the night sky burned! With soaring heat and water steam, aliens with giant crowns burst down flimsy gates! As panicked pirates ran to their guns, Mister White saw through the bare doors… A giant alien whose flesh was coated in fire! With horns curled in a crown, that glowed in fresh heat! While the snow evaporated with each step it took! And the water dried up as per breath it breathed! 

With a burning symbol of a diamond on its head! Its tail was molten and its claws glowed obsidian black red. Like an element beast of legends and the working golems made by dwarven hands, this monster… this demon… gave Mister White a frozen brow! With its call, it rushed into the city with its other cohorts! 

Knowing a fight was coming, Mister White gave the order, for the tarmac to send out their air force! But as they took off into the night, the pilots sent over the intercom… their screams! For, inside their little ships… they could only feel the sensation of being watched as a tail or jaw went through their backs or skulls! All mister white could do was stand there and watch as his precious air force fell right out of the sky like scattered bugs… 

Pilot short Pov 

[the order came in! Squadron three! You're up! Go go go!] yelled the flight master 

[But sir! What are our orders?] screamed back a fellow soldier 

[Bran! Your orders are to kill anything not human! The city is under attack! Other squads are on the way as we speak! Just go and lead your team!] replied the flight master 

Understanding the urgency of his order, Bran collected his squad mates and headed into the hangar, but when they arrived the lights would blink uncontrollably, and the people who were supposed to keep watch were not at their post! 

Annoyed, Bran called out for anyone, but was only met with silence and empty beer bottles! Annoyed that his fellow pirates were not at their post but not completely unexpected, Bran led his team further inside! An eerie quiet was the first thing he noticed… as the banter between his team members settled… the sound of explosions and screams was but a distance away… 

The rusty walls and metal pipes did little to make the men feel at ease… the blinking light blinded them, while the steam noise covered the scratching… with the feeling of starving eyes on their backs, they made it into the hanger bay… they never ran into the men who were supposed to be here, neither did they hear them call back… no matter how much Bran called! 

All they heard were echos… empty echos…. With nerves running high, Bran made a call to the flight master about this…But as they were about to enter their respected gyrocopters, Bran felt a wet feeling, as he gripped the handle to the plane sliding door… however, equally annoyed by the missing guards, the flight master sent over another team to check out the situation… 

As those men entered the warehouse, they saw much as what was reported by Bran, they saw the empty beer bottles, and the blinking lights, they felt the eerie quiet much the same… but as they looked deeper they saw the subtle claw marks, as liquid drool landed on their bodies… they looked up to see black goo and shaded skins about… 

But they never found the bodies… until one of the men caught something moving in between the nauseating light! With guns turning which ways, the men cautiously moved forward as they reached a door! A door where at the bottom was drenched in wet fibers… with a call back to the flight master, one of the men opened the door to see nothing! 

With a sigh, the men lowered their guard, when the body of a pirate fell from in between the piping ceiling! With a burst, out came gore and little black creatures! Aliens that were in the middle of their growing phase! Little tiny creatures who barely formed their lower legs! And with a mouth similar to that of a leech, they jumped at the men! Who then quickly pointed their guns, but before they could fire… 

The lights flickered off but for a moment! And in those moments when the light flashback… the men got jumped from behind and from above! As blood rained down, the little aliens danced in it, while others shook like a wet dog! 

Their screams only came second to the flight master's ears, as he heard Bran and his team scream from inside their ships! 

Inside the gyrocopters: 

[everyone in formation C! Our main target! That weird monster that… looks like it's on fire already?] said Bran to his team over their comms. 

[yes sir] They all reported 

[Kevin! Get on the lower gun and give our men some cover fire!] yelled Bran 

With a nod and a yes sir, Kevin raced into positions, but on the way, he suddenly slipped on something… annoyed and angry, Kevin quickly got up and ignored the gooey substance that made him trip, as he didn't have time to question what it was… but as he limped into in his metal chair, and looked out his window, he saw in the reflection … a pair of tiny hands! 

Hands that reached for him from the cabinet door! With adrenaline pumping, he heard the doors creek, he sensed the low hissing… with a quick turn he felt the blow to his head! 

As Kevin died silently, Bran called a mic check only to hear back echoes from Kevin… 

[Kevin!] 

[...] 

[Kevin! Answer me damn it!] 

Frustrated, Bran got up from his position in the pilot chamber, only to see a cabin silent! But not minding the quiet, Bran stormed to the gunner room, as his right foot stepped on a sticky substance, stopping him abruptly… 

As he looked at his foot, a cold feeling rushed him… A nervous look ate away at his stoic appearance… he began to question what he saw in the hangar bay… but he didn't want to believe that the enemy managed to get inside their base… but then… as he looked down into the gunner position from up on high, he saw blood and brain matter all over the place! 

With a fright, he was just about to call it in, when the gyrocopter suddenly made a jolt! With nervous sweat, Bran turned to the direction of the pilot chamber, when the jolting continued in abundance! As the light flickered and warning sirens echoed, Bran raced to the pilot seat! But each step was met with the light bulbs shattering, and with a stumble Bran finally reached the pilot door, which to him felt like it took ages… 

But as he pulled and yanked on the doors, they wouldn't open… It was as if something on the other side was holding them in place… something that was far stronger than he was! But then suddenly, the copter did a nosedive! Causing the door to slam open, just in time for Bran to catch the glimpse of a black tail, sliding into the very tin vents! 

Scared but with no time to think, Bran crawled into the pilot chamber, to see another gory mess, but more than just saw it! He had to crawl through it on his stomach! He was drenched in blood, as he pulled himself to the pilot seat!

Now covered in guts and blood, he sent out the distress call as he got the copter upright... to his relief... Relief that was short-lived! As he heard multiple loud Boom noises! Worried, Bran looked out the window to his right and left, and to his horror… he saw monsters infesting his other squad mates' gyrocopters! While the booms that he heard, were the sounds of his squad mate's gyrocopter engines exploding! 

With their engines on fire, he saw many black monsters crawling outside, while other monsters were fighting the pilots! Only then did he notice that his inner comm was switched off! With a little hesitation, he switched them back on. Only to hear a dozen different screams mixed with gunfire! 

It was then… that he saw it… in the reflection of the glass… the alien came back! Quickly turning around in time, Bran drew out his pistol and fired until the clip was empty! The alien screamed as the bullet entered its tiny body… killing it right as it landed on top of him! As the alien's blood poured onto Bran, Bran screamed as the flesh on his hands began to melt, as he pushed the alien off of him! 

But as the alien body fell onto the floor, the frail metal could not withstand the acid in the blood! With creaking noses, the metal gave way! With alarm ringing and a cockpit filled with rushing air! Bran quickly forced his bloody hands to grip the control stick, when suddenly out of the vent the alien used to scurry about, burst out a face-hugger! 

The hand crawled and latched onto anything it could as it approached its prey! It was then… when Bran was at his most vulnerable in focus, that the silent face-hunger settled right next to Bran without him knowing… 

Just in time for Bran to finish leveling out the Gyrocopter… with alarms off and a ship ready to make an emergency landing, Bran coughed out a sigh in relief… Just for him to turn his head slightly to the right, to see a creature in the shape of a hand!