High Above We Sing, While Down Below We Dance. Chapter 1: Snatched.

Hey guys, I decided to jump on the bandwagon with @LouiseXminerX , @ImJustAGirl and @ItzJWD and have decided to publish a book on the forums.
W-woo...
Anyway, this is a book inspired by my love for MMOs, and this will be updated ASAP the next chapter comes out. I keep this in rhythm with my Wattpad release date, so, without further a do, I present to you, my 2nd book, "High Above We Sing, While Down Below we Dance"
Enjoy!
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Nyahaha!" screamed a boy on the beach, as one of the flat stones skimmed five, six times on the beach. It wasn't as full at this time of the year, it was only winter, and the clouds, easily overpowered the sky, and reflected their colour onto the sea below. It was a group of 6 boys, all born between December and February, that sat on the beach, smiling and laughing. But it didn't matter, it was February 2nd, and now, tonight, they awaited the self-proclaimed leader of the group, Eireann Beltion to turn 13.
"You call that a fair throw?" A far smaller boy, and the competitive one smirked, before picking up one of his own stones he had collected, and ran at the water, before throwing it as low and as hard as he could. Unfortunatley, for the lad, it was a powerful throw, which submerged under the blue blanket of the River Xheon without even jumping from the water once. His disappointing throw was met with howling laughter from the rest of the gang, who were clutching their sides in pain.

"Why... Eheh, yes I would call it fair, AHA!" the other guy responded, he took his friends failure as comedy relief after all. The smaller boy, whose name was Cresway, blushed cherry red through embarrassment, it's not everyday you would see him mess up such an opportunity like that.

"Eh, Jearg, (pronounced Jar-ig), cut him some slack." Eireann sighed, as he looked at the cargo ship on the other side of the bay. His family was middle-class, and with the thought of his mother, bedridden with illness, his hopes and dreams of travelling outside Carew always seemed to fade away at the sight of the R.M.S Grimoire. He was sitting down, his feet just out of reach from the small ripples which were forced into the shore by the wind. He saw a small crab scuttle past him, and hide within the sand. 'He's still young, and he has freedom... But hey, I'm 12, I'm young, I have hopes and dreams.' He though to himself. He had always gone by the rule of 'Life is a privilege, don't get too cocky, or it'll end just like that.', and that's why he had always played the safe card, but what he had coming was a struggle so desperate that he would have to play his trump card, despite the fact he knew he would lose.

"Then maybe he can work on his arm." Jearg responded, trying to sound smart and higher-up, to make Eireann and Cresway feel like peasants. Jearg was the type of person who tried to live the high-life, and at times to complete opposite of Eireann. Jearg flirted with girls, meanwhile Eireann watched. What he did, was always opposed by the leader, but it didn't stop him from doing what he wanted.

"Stop bragging because you're a natural, ever heard of something called improvement?" Barkley, the more logical member of the group, who was always there to sink their anchor if they were in an argument, spoke up in the situation.

"I second that." Rastil replied. His father served in the Carew military, but unfortunately passed when a flame mage's spell cast off when he was trying to save citizens in the defense of Altarus, the 2nd largest city in Carew. His father's casket was filled with many notes from his surviving members of the squadron, and from the citizens he had saved that day. The autopsy said he had died from bleeding out and dehydration.

"Damn, always killing my vibe. Can I just have one triumph?" Jearg whined, knowing that he had been beaten.

"That's your choice to decide, mate." Kaiser, the oldest in age of the group, who had got links to the pre-mature military deal, but could not see truth into it just yet. From his knowledge, the mission was called "Operation Straightwater", and consisted of raising child soldiers to fight against an enemy, from an island, known as Goran, many kilometres away. Shahler, the capital of Goran, and is also the name of the military. Goran have taken Fatima, an island belonging to Carew and no trace has been left behind.

"Cut him at least SOME slack guys." Rastil sighed, before having his go at tossing a stone into the river. It jumped 4 times before finally descending to the floor. He smirked, and followed it up with a "Tch." before standing up from the giant boulder, and looking at the exit from the docking area. There was a ramp which led directly down to the water, and it was used for boats.

"I think we should head back. The celebrations are going to start soon." Eireann suggested in a low tone. As he became older, his voice seemed a lot deeper than usual. As time moved on, just little developments happened. Soon, however, Eireann Beltion would be eligible for the Carew Army, where he would be put into his district. He lived in the Drought district, and was going to be part of Batch Sneatcha, yet he didn't know it yet.

Now, Eireann and his friends lived in the village of Yana, which was located near the coast. The river ran through a large parting from the other side. Of course, despite the large enforcement of military, there were still highway men. They had a gang established. Its name was Quicksand. The highway men usually had trained in the army, and carried large, one handed shotguns. They took the name of scopers. He had been forced to flee his home once due to them, but they were handled.

(Time Skip: 11:59PM)

"Just one more minute 'til you're a fully fledged lad." Kaiser gulped excitedly.

25

24

23...

22

"It is coming... Slowly... Very slowly..." Cresway whispered deliberately to add to the tension.

21

20

19

18

"Jearg... Finally, we see you realizing you're not the star of the show." Barkley choked

"Oh come on!" Jearg retorted.

17

16

15

14

13

"This is it... Brace..."

12

11

10

9

8

"The clock... the clock..." Rastil mumbled to himself

7

"Six." Kaiser said to himself.

"Five." Rastil followed.

"Four." Barkley sang.

"Three." Cresway hummed.

"Two." Jearg chanted

"One." Eireann exclaimed.

"Welcome to the new life!"

(Stop OST Here)

(3 weeks later)

7:30 AM

"Eireann... The rags need hung up for drying." The mother of the Beltion family yelled to him. He was still rolling around, sleepy in his bed. He had plans to practice his spear fishing today when everyone went down to Yana Point. Hopefully he could bring home kelp, or crabs to sell.

"Ungh... Hnnn-right...." Eireann groaned, before picking himself up from bed. He wore a simple brown, and maggot-worn tunic, followed with simple leather chausses. On his feet, were duckbills. He saw his spear balancing on one of the walls in his room. He picked it up, and handled it. It always gave him goosebumps when he handled it. It didn't matter, his father was a hunter, and was famous for slaying an Overgrown Runezet, one of the more fierce beasts of the realm, that can be found anywhere. But one day, he disappeared, he's still been gone for two years, and it's safe to say he's dead. At the age of 31, he perished. Despite, the fact he pondered of his father's whereabouts everyday, the certainty of Anglo Beltion's death was 99.9% accurate. Shadu Rid, Anglo's best friend, and fellow hunter, had recalled that he sent out to fight a Cerberus, but was mutilated, alongside his party, the "Slits Of Grace". Still, Eireann used his lance as a memorial. Yet still, his weakness was bare, for the whole world to see.

"Ngh-Kya!" He shrieked as he fell after leaning back to much. He had inherited his height genes from his father also, and was standing tall at 5'8 at his age. He sighed, and stared at the clothing for a little bit.

*Scene cut*

GONK GONK GONK!

"Erm... Hi?" Jearg replied, the red-headed boy was still half-asleep, and his ginger hair was hanging down over his eyes. He was dressed in casual clothing, but still he found it hard to stay awake.

"Hunting. In the Emano Forest. Now."

That was Eireann's message to all 6 of the gang, as they grabbed their spears, bows, and one-handed shotguns. It was a good few miles to the forest, they wanted rabbit, and maybe even a weak deer. Venison was short since the species of deer they looked for, the Limbeth, was nearly shot to extinction, therefore, it goes for a lot on the market. Eireann had killed one before, but scopers snagged it from their grasp before they could do a thing. He still remembered the shame after that day.

As the gang stomped through the nettles and ferns, they decided to take their positions. Kaiser and Cresway, using a bow and a shotgun, took to the trees, and had Kaiser load up his gun with a type of black-mail magic, which had been delivered to him by his grandfather, a convicted and murdered smuggler, who went in between Blight and Drought, to sell weapons and magicks to others. Tar Birch, is credited in the drought district, as nothing more than a perk that thins the barrier from a war between the country. So, of course, Kaiser inherits his grandfather's name, and carries the barrel that his grandfather gave to him, the barrel, which contains "Architect's Glory" magic, which creates bridges from structure to structure. It's a rare magic, and to be forged within a barrel, is even more spectacular.

Eireann, Barkley and Jearg, picked out their daggers and Spears. Barkley was an ex-archer, and was given trials at Deadshot, but was rejected. But, due to his speed and accuracy, he picked up hunting knives to throw at the animals in the forest.

"Hmph, there could be a trail here, but it's masked by the vast amount of grass, and I'm not getting my hands dirty just yet." Eireann, acknowledged the paw-prints on the ground, and watched Kaiser shoot his gun, which had a suppressor on it into a tree. It created a bridge for him to walk across, with a direct connection to the next tree.

"You know," Cresway paused, "Blood is a lot more filthier than dirt." He shouted from above in one of the branches. He walked across the bridge with Kaiser, and then saw something rustling in the bushes. His eyebrows raised, and he jumped in shock.

"Rastil, shoot an arrow into that tree, meanwhile, everybody face, north, south, east or west." Eireann commanded, and everybody followed so.

Fwi-tong!

It struck the tree, and the rustling became extra loud. Eireann sighed, and climbed a tree. He sat calmly on the trunk, before grabbing his spear and sent it flying in Kaiser's direction, luckily, it hit the stump of the arbor.

"What was that for!" Kaiser shrieked.

"Sh. We need to get our prey out from the bushes." Jearg hissed. Kaiser remained motionless and white in the face, but proceeded to calm himself and push his conscience away from the ginger boy's tone.

"Okay, Cresway, since the target is making no noise, I'm guessing it's a rabbit. Listen, I'm going to grab a handful of leaves from the tree, and throw 'em into the air, at that point. Kaiser, you will remove your Architect Barrel and your suppressor, and fire at that tree, nearest to the bush, hopefully, the rabbit will make a run for it, giving you the easy shot. It gets hit, it dies, bingo." Eireann spoke clearly and quietly to the others,

"Roger..." Barkley whispered.

"Well lads, on your marks." Rastil chirruped.

"3."

"2."

"1!"

Eireann clinched as many leaves as he could, and threw them onto the ground, Kaiser took the shot, and well enough, the enemy was a rabbit. It flinched and began to panic.

"T-there it is! Take the shot!" Cresway exclaimed, but didn't know what he was saying, as he was supposed to be the shooter. Luckily, someone was listening, and out of all people, it was Barkley. He took Kaiser's barrel and did a second-rate DIY attachment to his thickest knife. He threw it at a tree and made another bridge, and did it until he had a clear sight of the rabbit. He jumped off the branch threw the thick knife at the ground, which he had respectably named Turpin, making the bridge so he could land well, and then he took another knife from his pocket, he lined up his shot nicely, so it aimed right where he wanted it.

EEP!

The knife pinned down the Rabbit's tail as Barkley landed, so all he had to do was stab it quickly and without failure. Despite his love for animals, desperate times call for desperate measures. He shut his eyes and stabbed it in the spine. His breathing became ragged, but soon calmed down as everyone else arrived at the scene.

"Well played, I must say." Rastil applauded.

"Bravo, mate." Kaiser cheered.

"You're a natural." Jearg cried out.

It was definitely something he would remember for some time, and something they could remember too.

Soon enough, Barkley and co. skinned the rabbit, and put it in one of the 4 pouches they bring with them on hunting expeditions. They were all labelled: Pork, Mutton, Venison, Pheasant. All the kinds of edible animals found in the forest.

They headed back to Yana, but where cut off when they heard vehicles pulling up. They stayed low. Could it be scopers, who were, if anything, the closest thing to mafia around here. But no...

It's the...

S.T.E.M.

The military.

"O-oh my..." Eireann gasped from behind the branches.

"E-everyone! Get down low!" Rastil shrieked, before pulling everyone down. They watched from behind the bushes, as male boys were chucked onto transporters.

"Chada! FIGHT BACK!" A young girl, presumably this boy's sister screamed, tears streaming down her face. She was held back by her mother, who was still in shock.

"What are they..." Jearg was in shock.

"Doing to Yana..." Barkley couldn't shed any differences.

"HOW COULD YOU!?" Eireann screamed as he revealed himself from the camoflague. A few soldiers turned to face him. His rags had become ripped, his heart was throbbing, nothing could stop his rage.

"E-eireann what are you doing!" Jearg yelled, as he tried to drag his friend back, though Eireann fought back, and elbowed his face. He fell to the ground, unconscious. He grabbed his spear, and ran at the military. They saw him coming, and even had mages with them. One dark mage, and a machinist, took action, the mage took the Machinist's gun, and put a fire spell on it. The fire wouldn't be visible, but it would deliver excruciating pain on the young boy. Despite the fact the military were ready to defend themselves against such small hostility, Eireann kept running, until the Machinist, reloaded his gun and shot Eireann through the heart. It was a harmless bullet, but it still brought him to the ground. Eireann's eyes widened, and his fury, suddenly slipped away. He lost his grasp on his spear, and fell to the ground. There and then, the pain began to kick in.

"AGGGGH!" He screamed and cried in agony, as he grew more weak. He was near being sickness from the stress that was being created from the fake sensation.

"There's no point fighting... Is there?" Jearg looked at Kaiser, who responded with a haunting glare, showing he was scared.

"N-no..." Kaiser wallowed, and dropped his weapon. He walked out from behind the bushes, followed by the rest of the group, with their hands up. They dropped their weapons, every single person, as they felt this new feeling.

Defeat.

It's one hell of a thing.

Isn't it?

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Kaiser's Journal

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With that, we walked forward onto the bus, that would take us to Scorpio...

That day... I'll always remember it, that infamous day.

It shook me to the core. Yes, Kaiser Birch, me. The more fearless Machinist there was.

Scared.

I can never forget the screams Eireann made that day.

I can never forget the gloom in our faces.

I can never forget the shaky tone in my voice.

I can never forget.

Operation Stillwater.

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Okay, that was one hell of a sad way to start a new book that I sincerely look forward to writing, but anyway, here's to Chapter 2!

Yours Truly!

Dankcred

Anyway: I know people are thinking about some of the weird names I have in the story.
Here's to clarify that I made a lot of them up from jibberish.
Though, Jearg, whose surname is Scamala, is actually an Irish anagram for snow.
Jearg's full name is Buan Jearg, which is short for Pink.

Jearg Scamala - Red Clouds.
Buan-Jearg Scamala - Pink clouds.

Meanwhile, Eireann well...
I kinda got that from Attack On Titan.
heheh, but yeah.
That's just Irish for Ireland.

But yeah, the majority of these names were thought of from jibberish, or from looking at random words in the dictionary.

See y'all in Chapter two!

 

Nice c: keep it up