Edea of Mavros Lykos
Who's Edea? WHO'S EDEA?! You mean the Steel Wolf! The wild, talented, and gorgeous frontwoman of Steel Stinger! I know her! She's me! I'm here to bring the joy of rock to the world and find the treasure of my homeland! What a tale to sing about!
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"Getting Better"
One night, on the Feral Chaos, the crew was restlessly milling about. The ship was uncharacteristically...quiet. No sounds of music rehearsal, arguments over lyrics, raucous laughter, or even the pluck or beat of instruments could be heard. It was quiet...almost too quiet. The Quartermaster walked around the ship, checking on the night watch. There was no activity...and it was leaving the Quartermaster ill at ease. Since the mutiny, the crew of the ship had kept their distance from the captain. Though morale had been restored, it would still be sometime before the memory was allowed to go into the past. Once a port of call was made, many crew would abandon the Feral Chaos for good. The only activity she could see was a small candlelight coming from the door of the Captain's quarters. That was a bit odd. Gerry knew Edea would either practice, drink, or fall right to sleep by this time. She shook her head thinking she must have left a lantern lit. She peaked in and what she saw made her mouth drop open in shock.
There she saw her captain, wearing what appeared to be spectacles much like Orri wore. But it only got stranger. Her characteristic spiky hair and pointed wolf ears lay flat upon her head, a look she never remembered she saw. "What the..." Gerry thought but couldn't help but watch as she watched what Edea did next. As perceptive as she was, Gerry had failed to notice the pile of books and scrolls on the desk. Edea reached for a scroll and unfurled it to read with the ease of a practiced scholar. Gerry rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Unless it was music sheets or epic stories, Edea couldn't keep her eyes open for more than a few minutes before passing out. But Gerry watched her captain's expression. Edea's face was neutral, as if she had done this for years. Edea calmly rolled the scroll up, reading it over seemingly thoroughly before carefully rolling it and placing it back on the desk. At which point she reached for another one. Edea briefly took a sip of tea and kept reading.
Gerry stepped away. She was confused but nodded approvingly. She was leader of more than a bard troupe now and needed to act like it. It seemed her friend was finally growing up a little.
"Kolos"/("Sparta")
So many centuries ago when the Sakkadian invaders came ashore
Heeding their king's call, the Kolossians marched to war
Joined by their brethren
Few against many more
Merian hearts set alight
They fight for what is right
One last stand
Halt the Sakkadians, dory in hand
Man the wall
Live to fall, and live forever
Kolos! Meria!
We again sing of five hundred men!
Massacre! Sakkadians!
Death and glory, Kolosians never surrender!
Dawn has come
This day they fight in the shade
When arrows blocked the sun, many fell
Many dine in Elysium
By bandit's hand
Cavern passage to their land
Know their name
Let their shame last forever
Kolos! Meria!
We again sing of five hundred men!
Massacre! Sakkadians!
Death and glory, Kolosians never surrender!
Kolos! Meria!
We again sing of five hundred men!
Massacre! Sakkadians!
Death and glory, Kolosians never surrender!
"Never Say Die"
It's noon on the 8th day, only hours after the arrival of Amurabi's fleet came in. The relief felt from Anaxa's request to Lord Kestor was felt fleetwide after the dark mood...or at least one would think. The atmosphere aboard the wrecked Feral Chaos was quiet and subdued. The duties of the ship still went on, but the crew having had their baptism of fire...or one could say of Dark Water. The crew's morale had returned to a steady but deathly calm. Captain Edea had only barely stopped the mutiny for now. With Vice Admiral's Altyra's assistance, morale had recovered some. But the events of the past week could not be forgotten so quickly. Though they had all gone, the new crew of the Feral Chaos had sailed into the living tar that came from the Captain's ancestral home. Not even the Captain knew of what had lain beyond the mist. Though not a member of the crew had been lost, the near brush with death had left a heavy mark on the crew. None moreso than the Captain herself.
Strumming of the Captain signature kythera could be heard, followed by the loud belching coming from the Captain's cabin. Ever since the wreck upon the island, the Captain had gone about her duties quietly and with little fanfare, her former boisterousness far away. The crew had little to say, just grateful that their captain was not on their back. Though the Quartermaster had had her work cut out for her, making sure that food and water were properly rationed. "You! Stop laying around! The decks need swabbing now!" Gerry yelled at two young crew men. "Hey, Quartermaster, the ship's a wreck! We can't do nothin with..." "I don't wanna hear it! This ship's gonna be fixed and you're gonna sail! Now get cleaning!" "Y...yes, ma'am!" they piped up as they ran off to fill their buckets. "Ugh...malakas..." muttered Gerry. As she strummed, the distinct plinks of a kythera could be heard coming through the air...though they were very out of tune. "Ugh.."Gerry groaned under her breath, the sound of her Captain's 'playing' not helping her mood. She at once stormed over to the Captain's door. The offkey strumming and plucking continued followed by a loud belch from inside. "Spirits damn it all..." she said as she barged in, though she could only take a step in before curling her nose up. The inside smelled like a winery that had an accident. Laying in the corner, surrounded by empty amphoras of wine laid. She strummed randomly while giggling to herself. "Damn it, Eddie...What're you doing? You got a ship to run." Edea let out another loud belch. "Ohhh....hey Gerry...c'mon....lesh hav a drnk!" Gerry gripped her head in frustration. "Edea, you're a damn captain! You gotta get out here and act like one! Altyra and I can only do so much! You gotta lead this damn ship!" "Aww shaddap!" she slurred as she stood up pushing her instrument aside and grabbing her cup and reaching for another amphora...right befiore Gerry snatched it out of her hands. "Aw! Gerry! Don't be lame!" "Nope! No more! Time to sober up! You got work to do!" "No! No! Damn it! I don't wanna be Captain no more!" Edea slurred out as tears came out. Gerry stopped. "Come on, it's not that bad." "Yes it is!" "Ugh...I was gonna save this for later."she said as she pulled out a bottle, "Okay here. This'll get you good and fucked up. But you promise you have to unload it right here." Edea's eyes lit up snatching at the bottle as Gerry lifted it away. "Unh unh!" "Okay, I promish!" Gerry relaxed and let Edea have the bottle. Edea immediately uncorked the bottle and glugged it down. "Mmm that's so good! So sweet! What's this stuff?" "Oh, it's just Zephy's Cure For What Ails Ya! Get it through ya in 30 seconds!" "Whaddaya....oww...ooowww ow!" Edea yelled as a pain shot through her head. "Ow, Gerry! What the hell!" "That's the hangover coming. And then going. Feel better now?"
Edea's head swirled for a moment. "Well...yeah. Damn it! What was that?!" "I told you. Zephy's Cure. Cures lots of stuff. About to have a hangover? It's over in 30 seconds. Of course, you get a super massive headache for 30 seconds, but it's gone." "Ahhh," gasped Edea as the last of the sudden hangover subsided, "Oh you know that feathery bitch gets off on that..." "Yeah well. You should be laying off the krasí for awhile...and you better start talking..." Edea looked at her friend, her teeth gritting with her long and sharp fangs pushing through. She only made this face at Gerry when truly angry with her...even moreso when Gerry was completely right. "Fine..." She sat and pulled out a jar of fresh water to pour into a cup and drink. "Because I failed." "What?" "You heard me! I failed!" she said and glugged the water down. "There I was! All set to see my homeland again! The first one of our kind to see it in fifty years! I was like, 'future bards are gonna write songs about this!' and then we break through the fog..." Edea stopped as she glugged the last of the water. "There it was! But no, it's a twisted hellscape! With dark water pouring out of it! Then before I know it, it nearly eats us all alive! Then remember, Richard! Ya know...the one from the Silver Seas? He kinda let a FUCKING MUTINY! And, fuck, I can't blame him! I nearly brought him, me, you, everybody on this tub to their deaths!" Edea yelled as she threw the empty cup against the wall as it dropped and clattered on the floor. "I failed..."Edea muttered trying to hold back tears as her head dropped. "I thought I was gonna return home...maybe find myself and rub this in the old bitch's face. But this was worse than just finding nothing..."
"Hey. Come on. You just had a set back is all," said Gerry. "I almost got us all killed. What kinda frontwoman am I. I don't just have my troupe. I got all this crew now too. And I let them down..." "Hey, listen. There's risks with everything. You know that." said Gerry, "We took a risk just leaving Crell like we did. All we had was our instruments and a dream. And now look at us! We bet our souls to get our third member and won the approval of a great spirit for our fourth! And our fifth liked us so much, she convinced a free captain to bring us on! You did that!" Gerry stopped for a moment as Edea looked up at her. "Remember what you and Altyra agreed to?" "Yeah. When it's the troupe, I'm in charge, but when it's the ship, she's in charge." "Yeah...and do you think she woulda let you have a ship if she didn't think you could do it? She would've shut that down in a Citadel minute and you know it." Edea looked back up as she wiped the tears away. "And I wouldn't have followed you all this time. Eddie...I need that crazy thárros just like you need my flawless logikí. We need each other, Eddie......They need you......I need you..." said Gerry, "So...please...if you gotta cry, cry but finish. I love you the most when you're brave and razy. The bard who led me on this crazy odyssey....and I want to see this to the end," said Gerry.
Edea stopped and looked down before saying. "There ya go...talking sense into me as usual," she said as she stood up before grabbing her captain's coat and hat, a beautiful gift from Morrigan. "I can't let these nice things go to waste. Besides, we have time now! The ship will be fixed and we got a nice holiday on this gorgeous island!...and if some of the crew wants to go, I'll pay them a full share and send them on their way...they've definitely earned it!" she beamed as she threw them on. "There's my frontwoman!" said Gerry, "Come on. I heard Orri was setting up shop to make us all swimwear." "Oh, does kitty wanna make some guys purr with approval?" teased Edea. "Oh, shut up....ya know didn't Drake say there might be a dungeon on this island? That sounds like something to write a song about!" "Oh, ancient ruin exploring! I'm in for that too!......hey, Gerry...thanks..."
The wolf woman hugged the lion woman in a big hug. Everything was gonna be all right.
"You've Got Another Thing Coming"
The night has fallen as the three women engage in their happy dancing revelry, unaware of the lurid gaze from the shadows on the bridge behind them. "Oooohhhh Lord Fangsong, Lord Horningheart, and Princess Serpentbottom...oh, so much to work with! Three wild warrior women fighting back to back...sweat and blood dripping...then find themselves so IRRESISTBLY drawn to one another as night falls...finding comfort in each other..." Zephyria writes into her parchment, an impish grin on her face. "You know if you wanna write pornográphos with Eddie in it, you could just ask her," came a voice from behind her. Zephyria nearly jumped out of her skin. She bolted around to see Gerry standing there. "Oh, uh, Gryta! I didn't see you there! Uh, I wasn't doing anything! Strange I can't find Honeylicious! He should have TOLD ME SOMEONE WAS COMING!" "Oh, don't worry, he's right there," she points to the stickly imp lolling around on the ground, giggling and hiccuping happily. "What did you..." "Well, I saw you over here acting strange," she started as she grabbed a wineskin on her belt, "And since I didn't want your imp warning you, I just said, 'Hey, Honeylicious, want some wine? It's got extra honey in it!'...and well you know the rest." Zephyria shied away from the lion woman, cowed that she could be discovered. "Well, of course you could sneak up on me. No one notices you, especially someone with as much 'third child' energy as you," she said with a smug smirk. "Ouch," replied Gerry with a smirk of her own, "Can't argue with that one. Still, when I see a witch perving on my troupe sister, it helps to be easy to miss." Zephyria remained silent. "You know, for a scary bird elf witch who's lived for centuries...you're really interested in our goings on," Gerry said as she nonchalantly took a sip of the wineskin.
Zephyria wandered away from the railing to the back of the ship and gestured the lion girl to follow. Gerry's muscles tightened, anticipating if Zephyria would attack her with a spell, but she followed. "All right. You got me. Better your words than a dagger shoved between my ribs. I'm not going to curse you," said Zephyria sensing the tension from Gerry. "I heard the clap of feet and the sound of Hasapiko being played. It's been a long time since I heard such a pleasing rendition. I thought maybe we'd taken on a musician who understood the classic music...but instead I found none other than the xefonízon that is your friend, troupe leader, and now captain...playing such a lovely rendition...maybe a bit too fast..." "You could just say you liked it," said Gerry cutting her off. "Well, your words are as sharp as your blades. I like that," said Zephyria with a smile. "I'm so honored," said Gerry with a slight note of sarcasm. "You know," started Zephyria, "What were YOU doing over here?" "I came to check on my friend and saw she was having a nice moment with her other friends. I decided to just relax and listen with some wine...and saw a hollow boned bird witch acting like a stalker in the night....kinda suspicious. So how about just telling me or shall we make this even more awkward?" challenged Gerry. "Fine, fine," said Zephyria, "I relent to the sharp scratch of the lioness's sharp claws. I wasn't just attracted to watch them have fun...or write saucy material for sale. It's connection." "Connection?" "You know...my curse." "Ah yes. As long as you shall live you shall know no love." "Good, you paid attention. Well, that means all kinds of love. Storge, agape, eros...the symposium doesn't count...and philia. I don't really understand them. So when they do what they do...I observe. I don't understand how irrational as you all are...especially you. You seem the least manic of all our crew. Why follow such a reckless and crazy woman around?"
Gerry paused for a moment. "I wanted to love and be loved. She makes me feel love. She makes me feel brave. She saw me as a person and didn't care that I was a 'third child"...try 'seventh'. She looked at me and saw I already had value as a person." "Where's the value in that?" asked Zephyria. "See, Zephy...I think that's your problem there. I dunno if it comes from living so long...but you only see people for what you can get from them. I guess we're just too short-lived for you. I dunno...maybe it's just your outlook...or the curse IS to have that outlook." "Well, you certainly do have a lot to say all of a sudden. Well, then, through thick and thin? Tell me more." "We left Crell when we realized we had a dream to wander and make music together. She promised to be our courageous heart and I promised I'd be our sharp mind. That courage she passed onto me and that same courage was recognized." "Oh?" "She would never tell me how but she was taught her musical power. The closest I got to an answer was 'they said I had valor'. Secret aoidos societies or whatever...they recognized her. I waited for her every day and she was so happy as she came back. We had each other's backs." "Well, you risked everything seems kind of irrational." "Well...when all you know is how to take care of yourself it won't make sense. You wouldn't understand...and you never will. Good night, Zephyria," said Gerry. "If you want a hint, realize that even short-lived things can have value too," she said as she walked off into the night. Zephyria watched the lion woman go in silence.
"Mother"
In a far off land...
A young wolf boy is seen sprinting at top speed, his breath ragged as his legs carried him forward. He ran across the grassy plains of the southern Crell grasslands. Two grizzled wolfguards sneered as they saw the young cub run up towards them. "Slow down, runt! What's your hurry?" one scoffedly remarked. "...huff...huff...urgent message...for the Polemarch!" "Oh let me guess...another poofy Crell noble needs his sheep found..." remarked the other one as the other one laughed," Haven't had lamb in awhile..." "No, sirs, it has the Polemarch's own wax seal!" he shouted as he presented it. Both of the guards eyes widened in a confused panic. "Uh..." "but the Polemarch's..." "Ugh not our problem! Go! Káne grígora!" The boy ran towards the middle of the village, in it stood a crude but grand wooden house. The boy ran past dozens of grizzled mercenaries, proud members of the Lykos clan, though few paid no heed.
The boy ran and ran and burst through the large wooden doors. "Urgent message for the Polemarch!" At the table in the middle of the room sat a grizzled wolf woman, her once black hair graying in places. Her face covered in battle scars from many a confrontation. Flanked at either side of the table sat other wolf women and men, prominently clad in the trappings of officers. The woman, clearly very annoyed, stood up prominently. "...you had better have a good explanation for why you interrupted, whelp!" as she began to menacingly march towards the young wolf pup. At first shying away, but then remember his manners, he took a knee before presenting the rolled up scroll. "P-p-please pardon my rudeness, Polemarch Alexandra! I was instructed to bring this to you with all haste!" The wolfboy kept his eyes averted towards the floor. "Mater...you're being a bit harsh for a boy only carrying out his duty," said a voice from behind. Up strode a fresh faced wolf man in his mid twenties. His mother growled. "You are correct, huios." she said as she turned back to the boy. "Now who can have such an urgent missive? Tell me, teknon." "It...it's from...from..." "Out with it..." "It's from Edea, Polemarch!" the young messenger blurted out. The room grew deathly quiet as it filled with the barely contained rage of the Polemarch, now about to be let loose. "That...worthless...little...Everyone out!" she yelled as the war council hurriedly left, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the Polemarch's known thumos. "She has the nerve to write back to me, her own mater, like there's nothing wrong after all this time?!" The boy covered himself afraid of being beaten or worse by her. The young wolf man stepped in again. "Mater! This is only a message! Please calm yourself!" The wolf woman began to breath slowly. "My archon and huios, Konstantin. Please assuage the boy's fear." The wolfman nodded and thumped his chest in salute. "You can give that to me," he said as he kneeled down and smiled before tossling the boy's hair. The boy gulped and formally presented the scroll. "You have done well, " Konstantin continued as he produced some coing to put in his hand," Here. Buy yourself something sweet." The boy's fear disappeared as he bowed again. "I thank you, Archon. I will take my leave now." He bowed and ran off.
Konstantin turned back to his mother as he read the scroll. "Well?" said Alexandra. "Edea's..." "What? Is plucking her little string box too much and she wanted to come home with her tail between her legs?! Serves her right!!" "No...mater...she's returned to the Meria...or what's left of it. She's been sailing with an adventuring crew." Alexandra was quiet. "Well...at least she's doing something with her skills...but still..." "She's grown quite famous already for both her music and being a warrior for the...Fleet of the Crimson Web." "Pah! Never heard of them. What puddle are they sailing in?" "...it's the Merian Islands...what's left of our home. It looks like she wanted to find her muses there." "So she can join the fools who thought they could fight hell and nature themself?! Our ancestors were brave but they were wise enough to know retreat is better than extinction! What wasn't destroyed by the beasts of Tartaros was swallowed by Undine's waves! Fool should just drown herself there!" "She...she thinks Mavros Lykos...our home still stands...she says she found a map...in the lair of the Beholder Sarvaku. She and her allies are sailing there now...they're passing through one of the siren nests...and she seems to have a bounty on her head..." ".....Go on." "And she thinks she can get there...it would seem there's some kind of ancient undead lord occupying the island. She thinks it's some kind of vampire." Alexandra was silent. "...Mater?" "Leave me, huios. I have much to think on...and leave the message here." "As you will, Polemarch." he said and bowed before leaving the scroll on the table and making his exit. As he left, Konstantin carried a smile. "You're doing it, Edea," he said under his breath, "Make us proud!"
Alexandra carried herself back to her seat. She labored to reach a cup and an amphora of wine. Pouring herself a cup, she sipped it and began to read the scroll. She sipped and read. Sipped and read. Sipped and read. Her lips curled into a half smile as a single tear dropped from her eye. "Do it, runt..." she muttered. "Make your pater in Elysium proud..."
"Mama, I'm Coming Home"
A cold wind blows over the floating polis of Io. A newly christened ship floats at its side, its hull still new with freshly applied finish glistening black. It was adorned with decorative spikes and points along the taffrail. At the point of the bow as a lolling skull, the remains of the dread beholder Sarvaku. Watching the ship from the dockside stood Steel Stinger in their entirety. Save for the Vice Admiral herself, this ship would be their floating home. "She's not bad...got some real style," said Satanica, not trying to sound too impressed. "She's fast and can strike fear into our enemies, "said Gerry," Everything else is a nice bonus." "I'm really looking forward to showing my prowess on this new vessel," said Azlotl. "This...is...BAD ASS!" screamed Edea. "It's a fine additional to the fleet, Eddie...CAPTAIN Eddie," quipped Altyra. Edea brandished her new captain's cloak and swept it up. "Altera...none of this would be possible without you...so don't go fuckin dyin' on me again!" Edea said as she grabbed her around the neck. "You're my fuckin' drummer!" "No...you're MY FUCKING SINGER!!" said the burly Lemurian before practically lifting Edea in a massive bear hug in turn. "Now we got a lot to do! Get her ready to shove off in the morning!" "Aye, Cap'n!" Edea said with a salute. Edea turned and glared at the other members to salute. The three followed suit though not without Satanica making a certain jerking motion. "Dismissed!" said Altyra, "I'll see you in the morning! Onward to Mavros Lykos!"
Hours passed like minutes. Last minute preparations were being made. Still the wolf girl scrambled over a piece of parchment while her officers and crew scrambled to get the ship ready for its maiden voyage. As the din of activity settled to a low murmur she pored over it. A knock on the door came. "Unh!" she jumped up. "Come in!" Gerry entered through the doorway. "Hey, Captain Eddie. The crew would probably like to get an inspirational speech from their new leader....you okay?" Edea wiped at her eyes. "Yeah....uh yeah...I'm fine." "Eddie, I know when you've been crying...tell me what's wrong. We need you at your best if we're gonna make this voyage. They're not gonna be Scylla and Charybdis, but those Sirens aren't gonna be pushovers." "Yeah...just writing a letter..." Gerry arched her eyebrow. "To who...wait...you writing back to Crell Monferaignne?!" The wolf girl was silent. "Yeah...damn you're quick." "I know...I did the same when we first signed it with on Squennifer and Altyra. I was thinking of telling you you should too...but I know how rough it was for you to leave." "What about..." "My mater and pater were adventurers. They were angry...but still happy at the same time to see me go. But your mater..." "Yeah," Edea muttered as she looked away," All we did was argue...but I still miss her and adelphoi Konstantin. I miss sparring with them...I miss Konstantin bandaging my skinned knees and fingers...I wouldn't trade this for anything but..." "Eddie," said Gerry sharply cutting her off, "I get it. We're adelfi by bond if not by blood as far as I'm concerned. Let me help." Edea smiled and nodded.
The ship departs....
"Dear Mater and Konstantin,
How have you been? I know you both are so angry with me. I cannot blame either one of you. My muses cried out to me to listen."
The battle against the bounty hunters commences. Fire and projectiles flying overhead as she rallies her crew.
"I have found an incredible group of friends. I have 4 incredible troupe mates. Gerry is here with me supporting me. An Undying named Satanica...we bicker a lot, but she's so talented. Azlotl, from the Tykera peninsula is a powerful messenger of his gods and an incredible bass player. Altyra is a powerful warrior drummer and the second in command of the fleet I now belong to. Oh and I must tell you of my other friends. You would love them! Morrigan, or Orri, as she likes to be called, is an incredible bare handed fighter. She's very breezy and very fun to be around. Captain, now Admiral, Squennifer leads our fleet. She is crazy, fun, and loves the thrill of adventure and partying. Zephyria and Calliope are bother proper witches of our home. Zephy loves to cook up both pastry and poison. Calliope conjures lightning like me! And she also has a beautiful husband and baby named Xander and Willow! Anaxa, you would love her. She is the fiercest woman I have ever met, almost as fierce as you, mater. Many of our enemies fall at her hands when we got to battle."
The scene cuts to the platform being setup. Conch shells and other sound increasing instruments are being set up on the Feral Chaos to play music over a wide area.
"But why am I writing? We found a map. Our ancestral home may still exist! We found this map in the hoard of an ancient beholder who had setup in the remains of a lighthouse of one of the old kingdoms. We don't know if it's accurate, but it's worth it to know! Wait, you don't even know why I'm here. I signed on here for adventure and glory. Maybe more of you rubbed off on me than I thought. But I wanted to find what I was missing and yes write songs about it. But how glorious would it be if it was right and we could go home again?! But we can only hope. If I die during this journey, this may be the last time I can tell you. I love both of you still and I've never stopped. I had to follow my heart. Even if you don't agree, please think of me as I think of you both."
The scene goes to Steel Stinger setting up as soft feminine singing can vaguely be heard in the distance. "Elysium or Tartaros! Let's rock!" yelled Edea.
"Know that I will live and die to bring glory to our name. One way or another.
Always and Forever,
Edea of Mavros Lykos"
FIN
"Welcome to the Jungle" Hidden Track 2
Edea yelled and whooped it up as her troupe mates looked on. "Uh, I just had a thought," said Satanica, "Do they do like...sacrifices...people sacrifices?" Gerry took a sip of her drink. "Whelp...I guess we're about to find out..." she said with a certain world weariness. Edea, too far away to hear, was ceremoniously carried up on the hands of the revellers. "Hells yeah!" she yelled as she was escalated up the great ziggarut. Finally she ascended to the very top. Just as the final reveller was about to put her on the floor, she pulled her enchanted kythera into her hands and strummed a hard cord. At this, she took off and zoomed around the base. The revellers looked on as Azlotl followed, nonplussed but smiling. He watched as the wolf woman zoomed around before landing.
"One from a foreign land," said Azlotl in Harmonian," the gods have judged you worthy! Speak your name and be known!" Edea beamed...before sending out one magical light....then another...then another. "Edea of Mavros Lykos! To the gods and the people!...but to you...I'm Eddie! Now what's the name of my new bassist?" "I am Azlotl, musician and chosen herald of the Rain God! Well met! If you pass the test, I shall join you!" "Another music battle?" "Not quite. Play with me and play before the gods! They have judged you worthy to be tested! If they find you worthy I am yours! Do you have the passion and stamina to pass?" "Malaka," she said as she strummed, "You've never met me..." she said with a smirk.
The sunset began and the two played. The lizardman adding his deep thrumming sound while the wolf woman added her energetic playing. Edea furiously kept pace with Azlotl. Dusk turned to evening. Sweat dripped down her brow but on they played. Night turned to midnight, on they played. Midnight turned to dawn, on they played.
"ENOUGH!" went a booming voice from the heavens. "My servant! You will join this woman on her holy music crusade! Bring the world the strength of our song through her! Go forth, Azlotl, my herald!"
Edea stopped, sweat dripping from her brow, but she still had enough strength to extend her hand. "Welcome to the troupe!" "I am glad to be with you, leader!" he said as she clasped her hand to signify their new friendship.
"Welcome to the Jungle" Hidden Track 1
Three days had passed during the long festival. The three rocker girls moshed, drank, sang, and partied. On the morning of the 4th day, Gerry sat in one of the covered booths, eating a breakfast of scrambled eggs, tortillas, and poc chuch. She sat before yelling in the direction of the pyramid. "Eddie! Remember to eat and drink! You're gonna pass out!" "Yea yeah," was heard in the distance, "Hell yeah surf this dude! Go for it buddy! Oh my turn! Throw me up high!" "Holy shit, she's really going at it," said a voice approaching. It was Satanica striding up seeming to be almost glowing. "Speaking of going at it..." quipped Gerry. "Wha..." Satanica started. "I saw you sneak off with that ttzitzimitl last night." Satanica blushed at Gerry's matter of fact statement, one of the very few times she was ever caught flustered. "Hey, it's cool. 'looks like you had fun. Besides it's a party. Though you can probably use some food too. Here, eat up. It's simple but it's really good and this chocolate drink goes great with it. I think it's called xocolatl." Satanica sighed and had a seat. "And splash some hot sauce on it too."
Satanica relaxed and began to eat. "Ya know...I admit I only came with you all because Lord Ozman ordered me to...but I'm glad I did. I feel all this inspiraton everywhere, meeting all these interesting new people, eating all this great food, seeing all these sites, " she said as she bit into a tortilla. "I gotta say you've both really grown on me...and I'm getting so many ideas!" Gerry chuckled. "We have that effect on people. We shouldn't just entertain our audience. We need to have fun too. And things are always fun when Eddie's with you. Ya just need to reign her in from time to time..." she said as she sipped the xocolatl. "Okay, speaking of...is she okay out there? I mean seriously did she like...sleep...or eat or drink?" asked Satanica. "Yeah, Edea has always gone hard, but even I'm getting a little worried now. When I went to sleep, she was still raging...and I woke up and she's already out there raging. I mean maybe she just got to bed after and woke up before me...but she never makes her bedroll so I can never tell if she slept in it or not." "Shit, even if she did...shouldn't she chill a bit?" replied Satanica. "FFFUUUCCCKKK YYEEAAHH!!" yelled Edea as she left the dancing line/mosh pit.
She quickly ran up and pulled a seat as the wolf girl proceeded to live up to her name and wolf down the pork, eggs, and tortillas. "Aw shit, these people are awesome! I could hang out here a whole damn year!" "Okay, that's great and all but did you find out..."started Gerry. "Yeah, yeah I found out. This is a festival to honor their rain god. Sounds a lot like Undine going between the gentle rains and raging storms...maybe some Volt mixed in there. And that dude up there is named Azlotl! He's the best musician in their people, so he got the honor of being up there and playing for a straight week to appease Huei Ati...still think that might be Undine and Volt." "Well you did your work," said Satanica. "Girl it gets better! I found out yesterday that the quauhquauhnochtzin can pick any promising revelers to come join them up there! How cool is that?!" "Oh so that's why you're going so hard, "said Gerry. "Yeah I gotta a little sleep and ate and drank a little! But I'm still good to go! He's gonna be our new bassist!" "Edea, calm yourself," said Satanica, "No time! I gotta get back out there!" she said as she bolted off again "gotta get my kythera!" The two musicians looked at each other and laughed. "Let's eat first." "Agreed."
Morning turned to afternoon and then to evening. The three women revelled and sang and danced. As the sun moved to dusk a booming voice could be heard. At once all stopped to hear the words of the quauhquauhnochtzin. He pointed and spoke a commanding word. All the revellers stopped and looked to see the wolf girl from a foreign land had been picked. She looked up with eyes of joy before the revellers scooped her up to carry her up. "I'm coming, Azlotl!" she screamed as she was crowd surfed up the massive ziggarut. Azlotl looked on with a bemused smirk on his face. "Maybe you're who I'm looking for..." he thought.
"No More Mr. Nice Guy"
::one night after the fleet docks in Io for the winter::
The Blazing Chariot was quiet, the only time of day it ever was. It was a dark night, the light of the watch lanterns the only light to be seen. Another tiny light formed to join it, in the hand of the wolf girl. She raised the light to her lips inhaling and holding for a moment before exhaling a plume of smoke she tried to shape. A chill wind blew over the deck of the ship as the sounds of footsteps tracked across it. "Eddie," came the female voice of Edea's lion girl companion, "What's eatin' at you?" "Who says I'm stressed?" replied Edea. "You're smoking. You only smoke when you're really thinking hard about something." Edea sighed before taking another puff and exhaling. "Shit, ya know me too well...fine. This whole trip..." "You regret going?" Edea went silent at the question. "I dunno. This whole trip's just..." "Not what you expected? You didn't think it was gonna be that easy?" "Shit no! I'm not as smart as you, but I knew it was gonna be hard. Shit how do I...I thought we would be more...I dunno...heroic..." "Whaddaya mean?" "I mean I knew we weren't gonna come back to some great homecoming or something...but...yeah I thought it might feel a little different..." she paused to drag before continuing. "I thought I'd find something that made it all make sense...but it's the same here. Everybody's just as petty and power-hungry as back home..." "Well at least we got a nice crew to hang out with..." Gerry replied. "Yeah...that's the thing...I thought we were gonna be this big epic pack of heroes like in the old stories...and we'd be living them and then singing 'em! But it's hard to..." "You don't like 'em anymore?" Gerry said, "Ya wanna leave?" Edea sighed, "Hells, I dunno. I do like them but it's hard to sometimes. Anaxa wants to dominate everyone she can and rip apart everyone she can't. Calliope kinda lives in her own world. Zephyria's so haughty and detached. They're supposed to be my people too...but sometimes I feel like back home. I mean yeah they're not screaming at us left and right trying to make us their bitches but...ugh..." "...Sure they have their rough spots. Our culture's definitely a bit...extreme...at times...but hey we balance it out with our bandmates and what about the Admiral and Orri?" "They're...yeah...the Admiral approached me the other night and asked me if she wanted us to help her setup a criminal empire in Io. And Orri...well...she's the scariest of all sometimes..." "That sweet pastry who loves dresses and romance novels?" "Yeah, ya know what else she loves? Fighting. She sees a fight, her little brain just knocks everything out of the way to get to the fight, everything else be damned. Remember when she kicked Hephane into the water so she'd salvaged faster so she could go kick a malaka with a burning sword? She goes from 'not scary' to 'most scary' in a second." "......oh," Gerry said flatly.
Edea looked out into the night. The silence only broken by a cold wind blowing through. "Are we the weirdos? I mean....is there something seriously wrong with us? Not the lyrics. That's just venting. Did we just pop our of our maters not tilted enough to live...anywhere?" Edea dragged again as Gerry looked on in silence. "Are we...am I just not mean enough...not extreme enough...to live in Meria...to live in this world?" she said as she sniffled a little, "I feel like a lost pup at the feet of gigantes...trying not to be eaten or stomped on...I wanted to run off with you and play music and be happy...but..." Gerry smiled. "Look, I may be the brains our little troupe...but you're the heart of it...whatever we do we gotta do together. Your power comes from songs of battle and I before I picked up an instrument, I learned to skulk and strike from the darkness. It's let us live this long." "Yeah, okay, but..." "I'll follow your lead but you asked what I thought and I'm telling you. Maybe for now we need to take cues from our pack and pride. Maybe if for a time...we need to be the predators they tried to raise us to be...at least here." "So we just become as bad as there are?" "Maybe for a time, we gotta play by SOME of their rules...I'm not saying we just go crying home begging for forgiveness...we pick and choose...and we get mean when we have to...only when we have to...but whatever we do we gotta do together," Gerry said. Edea looked at her for a long moment before taking the final drag of the tobacco, now reduced to its last nub before putting it out on the railing of the ship. "That was a good smoke.........Yeah..." "Don't worry, Eddie, I'll keep you on track...just like you've always done for me," she said with a smile. "Yeah" she said as they clasped and hugged. "Gerry...I think we need to have a talk with the Admiral."
"Welcome to the Jungle" B Side
"Follow that bass, bitches!" yelled Edea. It's not like it was difficult to do. The ziggurat the mysterious player stood on could barely, it didn't matter. The bass was not just heard. No, even more so it was...felt by the three women. Even more so it almost pulled them towards it. No they had to see this incredible bass player. On and on they ran until...
The jungle opened up into a vast open clearing. The bottom of the ziggurat came into view in the vast clearing. Surrounding it was a vast line of bodies, humans and demi-humans alike. Humans, jaguar folk, monkey folk, snake folk, but most of all...many lizard folk of many types, some big and some small. But all danced in a line around. Well, maybe more than danced...they thrashed...in such an incredible dance around the ziggurat. "Are they...?"started Satanica. "I think..."said Gerry. "THEY'RE FUCKING THRASHING!!" "Uh yeah, I guess they are..."said Gerry,"So should we..." before trailing off realizing her troupe leader had already disappeared.
Quickly following their impulsive leader, they found her in front of a booth, a colorful lizard merchant dressed in flowing in feathers handing her flowing drink bowls full of a white, cloudy liquid before Edea handed him some silver. "Eddie, what's the matter with you?!" started Gerry. "Oh, cram it! Here try this!" she said as she shoved two of the drink bowls into their heads. "It's something called pulgue. It's this real boozy, sweet drink!" Edea said. Gerry regarded it before saiying, "How do you know this stuff isn't drugged or..." Gerry started. "It's not drugged," interrupted Satanica right before taking another sip. "Wait, you just..."started Gerry. "I'm an Undying with one of the hardest partying Noble Lords as her Patron. It's just good booze," she said and smacked her lips before taking another sip," Besides even if it was drugged, what would happen to me? I get more dead?" Gerry started to argue again before realizing Satanica did actually have a good point before taking a sip. "Hey this stuff's good. Really sweet." "Yeah! This guy...his name's Paolo by the way...was telling me they make it by fermenting a plant called agave. They always drink up during festivals!" she said before taking a swig. Gerry nodded approvingly. "Yeah...let's drink up!" she said. "Here's to our growth!" "Steen ee-gia sas!" replied Edea. "Noroc!" said Satanica before they clinked up and slurped down the pulque. It had been a long trek but their moods had instantly improved. "We're not just walking in on one of their sacred festivals?" started Gerry. "Nah, they're cool with visitors! It's just one big party in honor of their gods of rain, harvest...and music!" "Umm....not to sound shitty..." "No there's no people sacrifice...but there is a bad ass contest...!" "Huh?" "This is what Shale was talking about! That dude up there is their quauhquauhnochtzin!" shouted Eddie. Both of them looked at her completely dumbfounded. "Their what?" "I'm not fuckin sayin that mouthful again...he's a kind of musical ambassador! He's playing a tribute to his gods...looking for a sign!" "Holy...Shale IS guiding us!" said Gerry. "Okay, I know Shale is one badass bitch but...you're seeing visions of her? You sure that's not just those greasy empanadas from that last village?" "NO! This is a sign! He's our next member! Now we're gonna find out how and we're not leaving until we do!" "Whelp," started Gerry," that's how we found you, Satanica. Whether it's Elwing or empanadas...it works!" "Okay. I'll indulge her but how do we get his attention!" "By staying for this festival and having a party! It'll be fun!"she said as the finished the last of the pulgue before joining the line. They both looked at each other, shrugged, finished their drinks, and went to join their leader.
"Living For Mesánychta"/("Living After Midnight")
Living for mesánychta
Thrashing 'till avgí
tryferós in the proí
Then we're chaménos
...and we're chaménos
We hit the póli by 1 to proí
Girded, girded
We're all armed up to conquer again
Girded, girded
We come alive in the festive light
That's where our moves are right
Living for mesánychta
Thrashing 'till avgí
tryferós in the proí
Then we're chaménos
...and we're chaménos
Got shiny iron, glamoured copper
Girded, girded
Ready to take on every jobber
Girded, girded
My blood is screaming, hard to take
And this bow's pulled back fit to break
Living for mesánychta
Thrashing 'till avgí
tryferós in the proí
Then we're chaménos
...and we're chaménos
I'm angling for ya
I'll overun ya
My body's quaking
óli nýchta
My aura's sparkin', eletci power
Girded, girded
I'm amping up by the hour
Girded, girded
I check the wind and then dial in
The bolt starts flyin when I begin
Living for mesánychta
Thrashing 'till avgí
tryferós in the proí
Then we're chaménos
...and we're chaménos
Living for mesánychta
Thrashing 'till avgí
tryferós in the proí
Then we're chaménos
...and we're chaménos
Living for mesánychta
Thrashing 'till avgí
tryferós in the proí
Then we're chaménos
...and we're chaménos
"Welcome to the Jungle" A Side
"Ok, so......why are we here again?" said Satanica, swatting away a mosquito. "You should ask our fearless leader here," said Gerry, her tail swishing away a mosquito on her back. Edea, grunted, clearly annoyed herself. "Oh, fuck off. Yeah, it's humid as fuck, but I've got a feeling here!" "Right......and what's this feeling again?"said Satanica "Shale gave me another vision...there's someone here!" "Here...in the Deep Marsh...the fucking armpit of Tykera..." "Oh come on! This place is full of ruins and ancient treasures! Think of all the cool shit around here waiting to be found!" "And you think that includes..." said Gerry. "I dunno. I keep hearing about cool stuff out here. We need inspiration!" Satanica immediately piped out "And we couldn't have found it someplace...oh I dunno...COOL and DRY!" "You have to go to the far-flung corners! Really search out that vision!" "You can find it in cities too...with clean food...and baths," said Satanica before being cut off. "MALAKA! WHERE'S THE THEOPNEUSTOS IN THAT?!" Satancia looked at Gerry in confusion. "It means 'inspiration'," said Gerry dryly.
"Ugh..." Satanica scoffed, "You're the level-headed one right?! Why do you just follow her around like this?" Satanica grilled Gerry, Edea oblivious as she plowed on through the jungle. Gerry twisted her face up, one of her sharp fangs protruding from her lips. "'cause sometimes you need to follow someone with the tharseo to plow on ahead and make things happen...it means courage by the way." "I don't..." "I'm not done. Our situation sucked. We both became friends and just wanted to make music and make people happy. Our culture loves music...but ya wanna know what else they love...fuckin violence...why?...not to defend the people you care about...not even to get resources...nope...just to prove you're BETTER! Fuck that noise!" Gerry continued. "Yeah...she doesn't always think, but she has more courage in the tip of her tail to do what she wants and bet everything on it...and sometimes you need that...and she knows it too. If I can temper it a little with a little common sense, then we're an unbeatable pair," said Gerry with a smile.
"Aw, that warms my heart!" said Edea looking at the two of them from the small hill she was standing on. Gerry turned to look at her friend, flustered and blushing. "Ya like me! Ya really like me!" said Edea, "but of course she does! Gerry and I will always be heitairoi...companions for the barbarian..." said Edea flashing a grin at Satanica making the latter grit her teeth a little. "Oh don't take it so hard! I think I found something!" Satanica stopped dumbfounded. "I just see trees...and bugs...and vines....and bugs..." "Malaka! LISTEN!" she shouted.
The three quieted down. At first all could be heard was the trickle of water, the the birds fly over head, the annoying insects buzzing around, the leaves blowing in the trees...but then there was something else...so faint at first...not something one could just hear...but feel in the pit of one's stomach. A rhythmic thrumming of a string, deep and gutteral as if it came from the Underworld itself. "Is that a..." Satanica started. "You know it! It's a bass! This has gotta be it! Whoever that is...is gonna be our bassist!" said Edea with a huge, toothy grin. "Yeah, but that could be coming from anywhere..." started Satanica. "Don't just hear it, FEEL it!" said Edea cutting her off. "She's actually right...we can track it by how it vibrates..."said Gerry. "Yeah! Let's go!" Edea replied before breaking into a run. "No! Not that way!"
Minutes or maybe hours past as the three made their way through the jungle, hopping streams, swinging on vines, dodging nasty insects...but something came into view. "There!" pointed Edea. Above the jungle canopy stood the top of a massive ziggarut. From which the deep thrumming sound could be both heard and felt. Satanica squinted and looked up. "Someone's up there!" Indeed, a figure could be seen but nought except the horns on his head and the instrument in his hands. "So that's them! Come on! Let's go meet 'em!"
"Thumos" ("Archangel")
My desire to unleash hell
To destroy, give up control
To rest up and then
Fall to thumos again
I'll bend their backs until they break
Thumos roaring inside my brain
Masters of evil, call me a beast
Like sheep they will be fleeced
Start the machi
Start the machi
Come join the wave of destruction
Andreia, sweet as wine
Unsheathe the blade, it will never end
And it will never end
Tear down the temple, burn the agora
Violent force needs somewhere to go
I'll rip through your sheeple
Bring bloodto this awful world
I'm a lawless outcast always on the run
I'll challenge everything I've just begun to
Start the machi
Start the machi
The desire to destroy
To overturn, to lose control
To recover and then
Destroy again
Come join the wave of destruction
Andreia, sweet as wine
Unsheathe the blade, it will never end
And it will never end
Come join the wave of destruction
Andreia, sweet as wine
Unsheathe the blade, it will never end
And it will never end
"Living Dead Girl" Hidden Track
"Steel Stinger!" yelled out Satanica. The cheering crowd grew quiet. "You say you're an admirer...but you've interrupted my set." The monstrous crowd gasped. Lord Osman turned to look at the wolf and lion girl as his apostle yelled her declaration. "You have chords, I'll give you that... but I just can't let this go unanswered. I, Satanica Avernus, Apostle of the Great Lich Lord Osman Osbournous...CHALLENGE YOU TO A MUSIC BATTLE!" Gerry's face went pale but before she could respond, Edea cut her off. "YOU'RE FUCKING ON!!!" A booming laugh could be heard from the pedastal, "So shall it be!" said the Lord Osbournous," My beautiful and talent Apostle versus this promising upstart from a foreign land! Monstas of Taraq Asu, what say you to this challenge?!" All responded with a loud cheer. "BATTLE! BATTLE BATTLE! BATTLE BATTLE!" "My subjects have spoken! Tomorrow is the Full Moon! These gorgeous ladies shall be at full power beneath the Moon's Power! Let this contest be one for the ages! Let your music be heard in every corner of the land! Bare your fangs and fight with music as your weapon! I, Osman Osbournous, have engraved this upon thy souls! HAHAHA!" As he says the words, he waved his skeletal fingers in the air, eldritch symbols wafting out. Edea and Gerry's eyes widened as the symbols floated over. With a flash they seared into their flesh, both screamed in pain and fell to the floor. "BRING IT ON!" they both yelled together as they stood up again, seemingly unfazed.
That night back at Cedric's bar. "Damn, this is gonna be great having her onbaord." "Eddie..." "She's gonna be such a huge draw. Her playing is top notch...and she's kinda sexy in a weird way..." "Eddie..." "I wonder what kind of solos..." "EDDIE!" yelled Gerry, only getting more and more indignant. "Damn, girl, what's the problem?" "We have one night to get ready for this...and ya know we just got branded by a LICH!" "This Lich loves heavy metal! He's testing us!" "Or maybe...oh I dunno...he's trying to take our souls!" "Why are you so unhinged?! You were so gungho before!" Gerry stopped, "Okay, I got hyped up too. I gotta admit getting recognized like that was pretty awesome......but I'd like to ya know...not have my SOUL owned by a LICH!" "Then that means we just gotta answer her challenge and win!" "Do you just have like...no sense of danger?" "That's how it goes," piped up Cedric, " The Great Lich Lord loves upstarts that punch above their weight. Thing is, it's not interesting to him if there's no stakes." "So," Gerry asked," Does he..." "Yup! Your soul's his to do with as he pleases if ya lose. Got quite the collection already. Those brands on your arms make sure of that." Eddie looked down into her drink. The two looked at Edea. "Eddie, don't tell me now you finally get what's at stake," said Gerry. "Bitch! I always knew! We knew we were putting everything on the line when we left home! I'm not going down without a fight!...and hey if Osbournous winds up owning us...she has a backup band! Haha" "Damnit, Eddie..."
The night arrived. A huge crowd gathered in the town square. Lich Lord Osman Osbournous presided from his grand stage. Satanica paced on the stage in all her finery like a hungry predator waiting for prey. The champion waiting to defend her throne. The crowd milled around, waiting for the show, murmuring, watching waiting...then. "SATANICA! STEEL STINGER IS HERE!!!" came a yell from the back. The crowd turned just as the spotlight hung over them. "HAHAHA!" could be heard from the Lich Lord's balcony, "The guests arrive for their challenge! Everyone, please let our esteemed challengers through! This shall be a night to remember!" The crowd parted as the two, dressed in costumes as if to go to battle. For this was truly a battle for their lives, souls, and most of all musical careers.
The two stepped up onto the stage, both smirking at Satanica as their instruments magically synced to the speakers. Satancia only looked on with annoyed disinterest. The crowd began to grow silent, the calm before the storm. As Satanica strummed her lute to begin...
(Watch this)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix1ZyYfxyA0
(Then this)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqdL36VKbMQ
The three women panted exhausted, their limits fully tested. Edea and Gerry panted on their knees. Satanica could barely stand. She was still so annoyed but seemed so...thrilled. The crowd grew silent, the battling musicians having given everything. Who was the winner? "HAHAHA! Marvelous! Marvelous! It shook me to the very pits of my undead soul!" "Who won?!" yelled someone from the crowd. "Yeah, who won?!" "Easy, my friends. You must learn to savor the moment. These titans pushed each other back and forth for hours. I've lived for centuries. You can live a human's life time and never experience it. Yet here it is!" "Lord Osbournous!" yelled Satanica, "Have I pleased your my Lord! Have I destroyed these two upstarts!" "Yes, you have pleased me! You put your whole heart in your playing not such I've heard in decades. Strange...since I have it right here! HAHAHA!" said the Lich Lord as a spectral heart appeared in his hand. "Who can I thank but Edea and Gerry of Steel Stinger for bringing out the very best in my apostle! These two have such potential! Who am I to snuff it out! Satanica, it will be you who takes them to new heights and they will help you soar to new heights as well!" "My Lord, what are..." "I have spoken! Satanica has proven herself better but your furious conflict has brought out a glimpse of your true potential!" Satanica threw her lute off the stage and stamped off. Edea and Gerry fearing for their lives and souls, both stood up. "Take a bow, girls! You deserve it!" said the Lich Lord, "Don't worry. She'll get over it." The two looked to each other before throwing up the horns and bowing to the cheers of the crowd.
The two ran back to Cedric's bar after a round of autograph signing. "Cedric!" "Yes, I heard. My good friend here told me all about it," he said looking expectededly. "Oh your friend?" said Eddie "was he..." They look to see Lord Ossbournous in the table with a tall glass of wine with a pouting Satanica in tow. He waved them to as if nothing was wrong. "Cedric..." said Eddie. "Oh he never told you? His name used to be Anthony Lommi! We toured for years!" said the Lich Lord," helluva player. Even better eye for potential!" "Cedric..." "I knew you two had it in you!" "Wait!" said Gerry, "What about the soul binding if we lost?!" "Oh that?" said Lord Osbournous, "Worst I do usually is give 'em some lessons, maybe force 'em to wait on me and Satanica for a few decades...then I let em go home...All that 'eternal servitude' rot's just to see who's serious or not..." Edea grabbed Cedric around his spectral neck and hugged him. "Thanks for believing in us!" "Hey," said Satanica with a wry smirk, "I'll admit it. You two are good. But I'm not letting you hold me down. You two better keep stepping up your game if you want me to stick around. We clear?" Eddie looked up at the Undying woman. "You got it, dead girl!" The two clasped arm to arm. Steel Stinger had ascended to a new level.
"Pankration" ("Karate")
With pankration I'll break your ass
Here to Citadel Square
Oh yeah ma-malaka
I'm gonna break ya motherfuckin' tail yea e yeaaa
You broke the codes
Now I pull out all your bones
You damn malaka
You damn malaka
Gerry just ditched me, then she went up, to hook up
Then I was sad deep inside, now you know the reason why
You broke the codes
Now I pull out all your bones
You damn malaka
You damn malaka
"Living Dead Girl" B Side
The sounds of strings playing. Like the cherubs singing and dark one screaming..."She's fucking awesome!" said Edea thrashing around in front. "Edea!" Gerry yelled back trying to get her frontwoman's attention. Edea was of course hearing none of it. She bodychecked a zombie who's head rolled in. All participants kicked the head out before Edea scooped it up and put it back on the zombie's neck. The zombie cracked his neck and they both screamed in joy as they started to mosh again. "Fuck yeah!" "BREAKING SOME BONES! BREAKING SOME BONES!" sang out Satancia. "BREAKING SOME BONES! BREAKING SOME BONES!" sang back the audience in chorus. Gerry looked on, banging her head. The mood was infectious. Her lute work, lyrics, and stage presence were nothing short of transcendent. Edea and Gerry had gone every night she had played a major show. And each night they had come away impressed.
"Volt DAMN she's awesome!" Gerry yelled out as they headed back to the inn. "Okay, yeah she is...but we're only making barely above our expenses, "said Gerry. "Oh, don't worry, we gotta give it time. We're getting bigger crowds each night!" "Yeah, you forgot one part...those are the nights Satanica ISN'T playing!" yelled Gerry as they went inside the inn. "Calm your tits, Gerry!" said Edea as she slid up to the bar. "Eddy, I want us to succeed, but it's not gonna work if we can't...ya know...EAT!" yelled back Gerry. Cedric slid up to the girls. "Any troubles I can help with, ladies?" "Just a band meeting, Cedric. Can I get some of your Rib Cracker?" "Yeah, I'll have the same." "Of course, girls. First one's on the house as always." "Thanks, guy!" Edea said as she sipped at the beer. She had hated the taste for awhile but now it felt so comforting and familiar in their temporary home. "I want to thrash as much as anyone, but we still have to keep moving forward, "said Gerry as she sipped as well, "I feel like all we've done is playing our shows and then listen to Satanica...oh and you still think you can get her to join us?! You haven't done a damn thing!" "It's part of the plan..." "You seem more like her biggest fan." "It's PART of the PLAN," said Edea with greater emphais. "Okay, explain." "I'm studying everything. Her stage presence, her music, her charisma. My game is growing too. She'll see me as her equal and BEG to join us." "You need more than your bravado, Eddie," said Cedric. "What do you mean?" "You're good. You're pulling in more people each night. My patrons are having fun...and it's real profitable...but you'll need more than that. Satanica is a patron of none other than the Great Lich Lord Ozman Osbournous. It's said that he loved her music so much, he offered a Pact with her. Musical power and influence in exchange for her service." "That is," said Edea with sparkles in her eyes, "SO FUCKING COOL!" Cedric looked at Edea, seeing how unfazed she was. "Anything you do...is gonna have to go through him. After all, he comes out to see her shows regularly. He's definitely gonna be at the big show on the Full Moon Festival making the rounds" "Cedric, I could kiss you!" said Edea, "You just gave me an idea!" "Oh no..." said Gerry.
The night of the Full Moon Festival. A crowd of Amaranthine's most rocking crowd. Undead and Monstrous Beasts of all colors looking to have a thrashing time. "Are you sure about this, Eddie?" said Gerry. "Hey, I had you slip in and swap the stage positions before they were posted, right? We're in perfect position! Now let's hit it!" Edea mounted the stage with Gerry at her side. The plan was perfect. Lord Osbournous sat in his VIP booth up top. Just to her right was Satanica at center stage. No, it wasn't completely honorable, but sometimes you have to go big or go home. Satanica set up and played her big number Breaking Some Bones. As the song ended, Gerry piped up over the mic stone. "This one goes out to our Lord Osbournous and the Queen herself Satanica. It's a new one especially for you. It's called Lightning Peck 55!" she screamed as she began to shred on her Kythera.
Satanica looked at Steel Stinger, non too pleased that these newcomers were eating into her stage presence. "Those bitches..." as she saw her Lord and Patron, bobbing his skeletal head to the music. He looked to his disciple and what passed for a smirk crossed what was left of his face. "Yes, My Lord. I WILL answer this challenge." she whispered.
"Living Dead Girl" A Side
Night falling. A fog-shrouded city. A door opens. A skeleton walks out carrying a pick axe. Another day in the mines. Another door opens a zombie shambles out. It lifts a bag of turnips over its shoulder to head to market. Another door opens. An ancient hag cackles and walks out. She walks to her cart and loads it with small satchels. Her latest harvest of herbs should sell well at the Night Market. In the fog two shapes appear, both covered in spikes and leather. One a black and silver werewolf with prominent fangs and claws, the other a tall and threatening chimera. Their vicious appearances countered by the kytheras they had strapped to their backs. The werewolf stopped before yelling "HHEELLOO TORAQ ASU!!" Her voice echoed through the streets. The denizens turned to look at the two. The chimera froze in fear as the werewolf looked around seemingly so proud of herself. "Eddie...they're staring...like really staring..." The denizens continued to stare for a long moment...before moving about their business "C'mon Gerry, don't be a scaredy cat! See they just don't know us yet." "Eddie...one guy's eye was hanging out...and on the road we saw a knight riding around on a flaming horse holding his own head.." Edea kept walking. "That's how the Undying are. That guy was just keeping the road safe...he even waved to us!" Gerry looked at her friend, not sure if this was confidence or stupidity. "You know we're two of the very few living beings here...right?" "Yeah." "They can also tell we're not from around here." "Oh come on! They know what's up! We're just dressing the part! When in Harmonia, do as the Harmonians do! That's why we're dressed like this! Two fierce beasts that inspire fear!" "Yeah, you know they can tell we're not..." "It doesn't matter! The great gods Mayvin, Ereshkigal, Masako, Maxine...and Namazu...almost forgot did that very thing! Don't you wanna be that cool to?!" "Well yeah..." "Trust me! I got this figured out. We're gonna play at the local bars and square. Get a feel for the place. Take in the atmosphere!" Edea said as she zipped up the street. "This is where Steel Stinger gets its start!" "Eddie..." "Hey! Don't forget! I'm the Steel Wolf! and you're the Prideful King! We're music stars! Let's act like it!" she cut her off. Gerry sighed in resignation before perking up, "Okay, but let's get some food and a place to sleep. I hope these guys eat regular food..."
Night was beginning to fall over once again over the nation of Amaranthine. Edea and Gerry found themselves strumming along to "Defy and Disturbance" and the new Ballad of Steel Stinger. They wrapped up their last song to a near empty bar, the one patron a zombie sulking in the corner. "Thank you! You guys have been awesome!" They went to the corner to count their take. Gerry counted out the stack one at a time...a very small stack. "That's...20 silver..." "Hey! 20 for..." "BOTH of us!" Gerry cut Edea off. "So we had a slow night!" she piped up. "That's gonna happen! Shale's even more famous for playing empty dive bars at her start!" "Hey, I love Shale too but that was her. She still had to figure out how to make more...and so do we..." said Gerry. Edea stopped and looked down. She looked over to the bottle of local hooch, she grabbed it and took a long swig. "Eddie, take it easy." "This is my thinking hooch!" "It's a spare bottle the revenant bar keep gave us as advance payment......I still don't know how you drink that stuff..." "Ugh.....we need......something new..." "Hey, ladies!" came a scraggly voice from the bar They looked to the revenant barkeep rubbing a glass. "If ya wan' my advice take a stroll around town, clear your heads. You been playin' but they ain't comin'. You should go hear some other musicians." The two looked at each other. "Trust me. I' been aroun' forever...literally. I see all sorts of artsy types like yourselves and it's always the same. Go listen to some others, ya never know," said the barkeep. "...yeah," said Edea, "That's a good point, Cedric. Thanks for that and putting us up." "Hey, just think of old Cedric as your first fan when you hit it big!" "We will," said Gerry, "I haven't seen a lot of other musicians around here. Where should we start." "I hear there's another one causing a real stir over at the Marrow! I hear she's something else...and you can hear her strings sing in the dead of night..."
As the words were spoken, an intense melody carried over the air. The notes were so beautiful and melodic but at the same time, so hard core. "Speak of...I think that's it! Girls! Get going! Find that musician!" "Gerry, you heard him! Let's go!" The two ran off into the night, following the sound. They ran through street, alley and square. In the middle of the square sat a hangman's gallows. Atop the platform stood a grey skinned woman, eyes glowing with yellow fire, clad in a sleek grey dress. In her hands she held a lute pulsing with magical power. She looks to the audience and yells out. "I am Santanica Avernus! Here to rock you to your marrow!" The crowd of zombies, skeletons, lycanthropes, and other various monsters cheered, throwing the horns up and screaming. "LET ME HEAR YOU!!!" she yelled again. And again the crowd yelled back. "HELL YEAH! THIS ONE'S CALLED 'BREAKING SOME BONES'!" she screamed as she began to shred her lute. Gerry and Edea stood in awe and listened. "Gerry...holy shit...she's awesome..." "And she's way better than..." "GONNA BE OUR NEXT MEMBER!"
to be continued
"Defy and Disturbance" ("Resist and Disorder")
We are the ones who hold the deeds
We plant the seeds, and we know what you need
We are the dark, we are the chaos
We pull down, we are the devils
All of the world, the prize of a warrior
Now we decide if you live or die
Stand up! Defy and disturbance!
Stand up! Defy and disturbance!
Nowhere to go, it's all begone
Everything dies, everything dies
We'll watch you come down, we'll pull you all down
Everything dies, everything dies
Behind it all is all your greed
It takes your souls, eating up all your dreams
Our hands hold fast upon the wheels
We're in control, we are the devils
Rage at the world the trial of a warrior
When we decide if you win or die
Stand up! Defy and disturbance!
Stand up! Defy and disturbance!
Nowhere to go, it's all begone
Everything dies, everything dies
We'll watch you come down, we'll pull you all down
Everything dies, everything dies
Nowhere to go, it's all begone
Everything dies, everything dies
We'll watch you come down, we'll pull you all down
Everything dies, everything dies
Nowhere to go, it's all begone
Everything dies, everything dies
We'll watch you come down, we'll pull you all down
Everything dies, everything dies...
"The Ballad of Edea" ("Kickapoo")
7th of Kythona 182 ED
A long ass friggin’ time ago, in a land of blood and strife
Lived a fierce wolf pack, with violence they were rife
But oh, there was a lone wolf there and she knew what she would do
Her name was Edea and she refused to walk that line
With her lion friend Gerry, she would jam out all the time
They sang and strummed and jammed and their vision did arise
Oh the Calamity arose! Fangs and claws they did appear!
And the Fated came from the hills, to make their stand here!
Was they who fucked up the Calamities oh fucking hell
And if you ever fucked with them they would fuck you up too!
Gotta rock out in the pit tonight
Gotta get it on in the pit tonight
Gotta hit it hard in the pit tonight
Gotta find some love in the pit tonight, aah!
::noise of smack being heard::
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
You’ve made me angry, runt, why were you never drowned?
Your brother’s more fierce than you, his strength is more than sound.
This noise that you keep blasting makes you weaker than a babe
This music’s for the sheep, it makes you a snowflake
You’ll become weak and soft and trouble it will bring
Your friends already with an enemy and chaos it will bring
::sound of posters being ripped down and figures being knocked over::
You’d better hold your tongue and muzzle keep shut
You’re training for a month in the fighting hut
Don’t wanna here you whimper, don’t wanna hear you whine
As long as you’re in my home, your future’s mine!
::door slams::
Shale, are you out there? Elwing, can you hear me too?
I’m asking for your wisdom, won’t you please come through?
I need some incredible music god advice
My mother thinks you’re weaklings but she can hang in a vice
Rock is not evil, it’s amazing and cool
But Gerry and I won’t make it as long as we’re in her rule
::Edea goes to sleep as Elwing and Shale appear in a dream::
Shale: We hear you brave young wolf cub! Your song’s behind key and lock!
Elwing: You want to learn the greatest songs, you want to learn to roll and rock!
Shale: Run from your mother’s grasp and this ruthless way of life!
Elwing: Grab your friend and go or violence will be rife!
Shale: In the City of Citadel, where the East meets the West!
Elwing: You will find a strong crew, in whose friendship you can invest!
Shale and Elwing: To find your greater glory, onto a great ship you must board!
Shale and Elwing: You will face many hard ships, but with them you’ll find accord!
::Edea bolts up and grabs her things, her kythera, posters, figures of Elwing and Shale and runs to Gerry’s house as they run away from their hometown::
So they bailed from their shitty town, hunger in their hearts
And they sailed and walked and ran, to escape this violent farce
But in the end they knew their fate was in the cards
Rock!
Rah-ha-ha-ha-hock!
Raye-yayayayaye-yock!
"It's My Life"
It felt like it was just yesterday, journal. Let me tell you a little about how Steel Stinger started.
The view pans out. Dusk is rolling in over a long road through the plains. Two figures can be seen walking across. Two women. One, a sharp mouthed wolf woman with a permanent grin on. "Come on, Gerry! Let's make camp at that hill over there!" the wolf yelled to her companion. Her short but dexterous frame yelling to her companion. She swept her hand over her forehead and through her dark, spiked hair before shedding her jacket and tying it around her waist. Her companion, a tall lion girl shook her hair out. "What? Tired already, little pup?" she said with a grin. "Ah, fuck off, pussy cat!" she yelled back with a laugh. The two went for the nearest hill and quickly built a fire before setting some cured meats to cook. "We don't gotta worry about watches out here right?" said Edea. "If you wanna become bandit bait, nope not at all, "said Gerry sarcastically. "Ah, fine..."
Edea laid back, her arms behind her head. "This's gonna be fuckin'AWESOME!" she smiled a huge toothy grin as she looked up into the starry sky. "We are going to fuckin' rock ALL of Gaia!" "That's great and all, "said Gerry dryly," but we still need...oh I dunno...lead kythera, bass kythera, percussion...uh...songs, a name..." "Ah come on. We're Steel Stinger We're gonna get all of that too! We're just gonna start small!" Edea responded as she bolted up. "Come on! Shale started out just busking on the streets on her own! And Elwing was a solo act her whole life!" "I know, dumb ass," said Gerry, " I know we needed to get outta there, but you didn't have a plan." "NO. I just followed my musician's instinct!" said Edea with a grin pointing to herself. Gerry only starred blankly. "Come on! It's me! I haven't got a clue! But I had a fuckin' VISION!" "Okay...where does your vision tell us to go..."
Edea stopped and paced around the fire back and forth...back and forth...before slapping her fist into her outstretched hand. "Let's start with our first hit song! Something simple that just the two of us can do! Instruments and lyrics will be simple but it's still gonna FUCKING ROCK!" Edea blurted out. "Could you keep your fuckin' voice down?! You want this whole prairie to hear us?" retorted Gerry. "What, "Edea snarked, " You afraid some big scary monster's gonna come and eat our...souls..." Edea said..."Shit, that's awesome!" she said as she sat back down and pulled out her kythera. "Me and my sis Gerry were out..."she began to sing. "Shit...there's so many songs about being on the road...ship maybe?" "Eddie, c'mon. We need a place to go. We might be able to head for Crell at the next port...maybe Treesenia..." "Wait!" Edea stopped and closed her eyes while holding up a finger. "What's the most metal nation around?" Gerry stopped, "Uhhhh...." "You know. Lots of spikes, skulls, and shit like that!" "......Amaranthine...wait...Eddie no!" "C'mon! Their music scene must be awesome! It's the best place to learn! We might even be able to pick up a band mate there! C'mon!" Gerry sighed knowing when Edea made her mind up it was hard to dissuade her..."Amaranthine it is..." "Fuck yeah!"
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