Calvin Radi's Story

"Is this instrument truly something to be found so easily?" Lin turned to ask Calvin. "Going to the local store is hardly a quest."

Calvin shrugged. "Hey, you said it yourself, gotta be unorthodox once in a while."

Kaliska waited at the door.

"I'm not going to get just any flute! I don't have any idea about instruments so come inside with me." she ordered. "I...need...help."

The shadows began to pool beneath Kaliska, a familiar warning that someone was to come, laughter spilling from the edges of the dark mass. The laughter was high and young, recognizably female.

Help? The word floated on the wisps of shadow as they climbed upwards through the air towards Kaliska, from beneath her.

Kaliska danced from the pool of black, backwards and out of the store. She flailed her arms and growled. "Hey, hey, HEY! Don't do that!" she spat, waving an arm, pointing at the pool. "Yeah, YEAH! I need help! So what?"

She glanced at Lin and Calvin. "You can probably guess who this is."

Lin only blinked, but Calvin could see the subtle tensing of the muscles in her hand as she put her guard up.

But rather than begin an interrogation like most would, Calvin began to laugh, placing a comforting hand on Lin's shoulder.

"Oh Kaliska.....to think I once considered you a fighter...." He shook his head and wiped a tear that had fallen. "To see you so frightened by a child.....it's hilarious."

The pool of shadows had followed Kaliska out. The giggling grew louder as the head of a girl melted upwards from the shadows, followed by her body, and her legs, feet connected to the pool by a shadowy tendril. Her dress puffed around her, and the shadows melted off of her until she was levitating above the dark splotch.

The girl looked from Kaliska to the two others, grinning eagerly. Are they helping too?

She folded her arms and huffed. "Oh, like you would even understand!" she growled to Calvin. The ass! He didn't know! Not even a little bit!

"Yeah, they're helping! They think you want a flute. They think it'd sound perfect for you." she commented, hand on her sword. "What do you think?"

"Ash did say she wasn't much of a swordsman...." Lin commented quietly to Calvin.

But the man pretended not to hear and simply stretched his arms for a second before letting his hands come together behind his head. He regarded the small girl with skepticism. Her summoning act had been no better than the one his Fives used....so what was so imposing about this....child?

The girl thought for a moment. Then she smiled wider and opened her mouth, her lips kept on stretching towards her ears. As her jaw opened, rows of sharply fanged teeth were revealed. That wasn't the scary part though. No sooner had she shown the interior of her mouth in a horrifying smile than she let loose with the song.
Saura was singing, her head tilted back slightly and her eyes closed. The song started off high pitched, and moved quickly to break glass. Soon it was at an uncomfortable frequency. It was here she held the note for a few moments.

Kaliska's hands came to her ears, pressing them down as Saura began to sing. She crouched, the noise nearly killing the coyote woman, what with her enhanced hearing, better than a humans, and all. It was murder. Worse, it was torture!

"Stop!" she shouted. "Stop it, stop it!" Her forehead touched her knees as she crumpled.

When the girl's shrieking had reached a certain intensity, Lin had given Calvin a look. She would never reduce herself to the state that Kaliska exhibited, but it was plain she was just as uncomfortable.The man nodded and soon the woman was gone with a flash.

Calvin meanwhile placed his hands over his ears and closed one eye. Wow this is annoying.... he thought. What was even the point of this?

Still, he had to admit, seeing Kaliska like this made him a bit...unsettled.

Her jaw shut rapidly as the woman was gone with a flash, and a frown took place upon her lips. People from this land never seemed to like her singing, but it didn't matter, she smiled lightly again.

What do you think? Would a flute harmonize with her? She needed something certainly strong enough to be heard above her singing.

Kaliska rocked a moment as Saura stopped, and eventually sat back, eyes facing the sky. She rose a trembling hand to her nose, which tickled for some reason. Blood. Blood was seeping from her nostrils and over her lips. With a snarl, she wiped if off, red streaking against her skin, and flicked what was on her hands onto the ground.

"Yeah, flute ain't gonna cut it." she said, not once looking at Calvin. The bastard was probably laughing at her.

Calvin removed his palms from the side of his head when he saw the child’s maw finally shut. He glanced once at Kaliska, a curious look in his expression before he turned back to the child.

“One,” He started. “That was annoying, don’t do it again please. Two, I don’t think a flute is going to work either. Three, I think you should work on your volume control.”

Saura giggled as he mentioned volume control, she didn't think she needed volume control. If it wasn't a string intrument (for she already had those in her throat) or a flute what was it? She flicked the shadows around as the thought about this weaving tendrils up and down her wrists. Seeing the blood on Kaliska inspired her to think of something. What about those instruments used on the battle field? She remembered reading about them in school, how their sounds could drive the spirits of the armies even as they bled to their death. Surely they were at least loud enough, being heard over horses, over armies, over generals, over death.

Terrance Verton was on the scene, though he was lacking his powerful ANDEE armor. "Man, whoever made a boom this big, I gotta give 'em props." Without that protective suit, he was relegated to the role of a traffic cop, dissuading curious citizens from getting too close. At the same time, he had to stay ready to be called to investigate. After all, there were very few people on Terra that knew explosions better than him, and none of them worked for the government like he did.

Saura looked up as the groaning was heard, such a beautiful sound rattling everything present she thought in her own mind. Her eyes grew wide as the giant structure came fireballing in from space. She flashed her teeth again and jumped off the ground, the shadows trailing through the air behind her like smoke. There she hovered, silent, waiting for the BOOM! The little girl clapped in glee as plasters rained from the buildings around them. She followed their motion, diving back into the pool of shadows and disappearing as the flakes made contact with the ground. After her feet disappeared into the pool, her giggles would ring ominous as the pool of shadows shrunk, shrunk, shrunk, until rejoining with Kaliska's own shadow.

Intergalactic News Network

Your Source for Intergalactic News

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This is Lorbloo Nuurk, reporting LIVE from just outside Gambit's Bar. Nobody can tell how it happened, and nobody knows where anyone went, that fateful day every single person within Gambit's Bar disappeared into what seemed like thin air. Yes, even the staff! Magical beings, robo-types, and humanoids alike just gone. But, to where? Are they still alive?

Gambit's Bar

Originally a run-down shack of a dive, Gambit's Bar has grown over the years into one of Wing City's most popular attractions.

More questions than answers have arisen from the scene, whether or not a crime has been performed has yet to be determined. The WCPD suspects foul play but have seemingly nobody to blame. Many have speculated that this disappearance will be tacked onto the charges accrued by Zosimos of the Vankoryth Detente, however they haven't been officially named or associated with the incident to any official degree. Others are pointing fingers at the Aschen, but that theory is easily debunked with the remembrance of the treaties. We've reached out to Detente and Aschen officials, neither of which have offered comment on the circumstance other than to claim dissociation.

Inside Gambit's Bar, the discovery of a strange black sparkly void dust has officials concerned. All persons permit access to Gambit's Bar have been advised to not touch the void dust. I repeat, do not touch the void dust. Eyewitness reports claim that prior to the disappearance, a strange red glow had occupied the windows of Gambit's Bar - others claim it was just a local brown out, and that the light was playing tricks on their eyes.

While investigations continue, the Intergalactic News Network will be stationed here to report on whatever- and whoever -is found to be complicit in this mass disappearance. Stay tuned!