Scrapbook #7

Well, this doesn't seem so bad! I guess it is a bit easier to crank out stuff if each entry doesn't have to be quite as long. So a couple of really tiny entries here, as well as some more Templarverse material, including a literary version of part of the story to Murder in the Rue Marche (albeit with only having a couple minutes to write each part). Enjoy!

"Write the best novel title you can in 11 words or less"

Attack of the Unspeakably Awful Nameless Horror From Beyond The Stars

Cats! Explosions! Whiskey! Boobs! Existentialism! Grecian Tragedy! Sardonic Humor! - A Memoir

"A flash of lightning. What do you see within it?"

The bolt struck with the force of an atomic explosion, and the demons around me simply shattered. I was thrown to the ground. Within the bolt I saw a ghostly form, and the roar of its explosion mingled with fury and a single word.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSEEEVEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLTTTT!"

"At the scene of a crime"

"Alright, stand back, what's happened here?" Sergeant Daniel shoved his way through the gathering crowd, his voice cutting through the shocked murmurs. As he broke through and saw what they had, one of the citizens spoke up.

"It's a murder! Can't you tell?!" The body of a man lay on the cobblestone streets, blood pooling into the cracks from a head that had been bashed into pulp. His clothing looked worn, rough leather and the accoutrements of a man used to being on the road. Possibly a mercenary or adventurer of some sort.

"20 minutes later"

"So you're sure it was a murder, eh?" the captain said, barely glancing up from the papers on his desk.

"Yes, sir. We need to track them down." Sergeant Daniel replied firmly.

"And we will, but this will be a low priority for now. Return to your patrol."

"Sir?"

"Another 20 minutes later"

"I can't believe he won't let me investigate!" Daniel punched the brick wall near him.

"His concerns due to La Tournie coming up are valid, but I think you're right. Not punishing the perpetrator immediately would only encourage more murders," Arnoldt said.

"I need to borrow your armor, go undercover, and figure this out," Daniel suddenly said after a moment of glaring at the wall.

"fake saw traps"

Ali glanced down, knowing full well as an experienced acrobat she shouldn't while walking something so thin. The beam beneath her feet creaked slightly, unused to the weight of a human upon it, even one as light as her. Below it, a number of water-powered saws churned automatically, though there was no wood being passed through them at the moment. Just as well, the noise would probably make it even worse for her to maintain her balance.

"Hey, who's that up there?" She heard someone below say. She instinctively twitched heavily, her first reaction to be to run into the shadows, remembering a second later there were no shadows for her to flee to. Instead, she tried to rush along the beam as fast as she could. Inevitably, her balance gave out and her foot slipped, and she tumbled off, screaming, into the saws below.

"A doctor meets a patient on a ship"

"Urgh, my head..." Alex muttered again, clutching at his cranium. The boat rocked beneath them, crashing through the waves of the Inner Sea on their way to Korandus. It had been a week since they'd lost sight of land, the peaceful greens and sloping hills of Orius vanishing beneath murky blues and chopping waves. It was as if nature knew what had been done, the power threatening to consume Alex, body and soul. Conrad held him up as he leaned over the railing and vomited again.

"Jeez, puking again?" Ali said as she reclined atop several lashed crates.

"Even if I wasn't fighting the power of a lich trying to destroy me from the inside out, I'd still be sea-sick," Alex said as he wiped his mouth. He leaned against Conrad for support.

"If you're feeling sick, go take a nap then. Stay off your feet. You won't feel the waves as much," Ali said, taking a sip from her mug of grog.

"Every time I close my eyes, I see visions of death and blood. It's horrifying," Alex stated weakly.

"That doesn't sound so bad. One time I fell off a beam into what I thought were a bunch of wood-cutting saws. Turns out they were just wood decorations for a haunted mill or something. Scariest five seconds of my life. I still needed to change my underwear after. Or did I just throw them out?" Ali trailed off as she realized Alex wasn't paying attention, puking off the side again. She leaned around the crates and called to a woman standing near the bow of the ship.

"Marie! Get over here! Alex needs help again!" The cleric came rushing, concern on her face.