Daily Writing Challenge #1

Hello all you cool cats and kittens, Nick Goodsell here, and like many of you, I am sick of this pandemic that’s taken the world by storm. I’m not going to be yet another person droning on about it, so I’m already going to leave it at that…

Writing has been a huge coping mechanism for me during these crazy times, and has been a great way to not only distract myself, but enjoy the act of creating something for myself, and maybe even someone else can enjoy or be inspired by. A friend and me were talking about stories and the “Choices” role playing app, and discussing my “When in Doubt” WIP when we came up with the idea to do a fun activity of doing daily writing challenges based off a prompt we switch off and personally select. Since this is my personal blog and want to include more writing projects besides just book reviews and fancasts, I thought I’d post mine on here and share with whoever happens upon them!

My friend, Danielle, selected the first prompt and she selected this image to write a short piece about:

Not sure who the artist is, I’d of course credit them if I knew, but the landscape of the shadowy city mixed with old and new gave me an idea of a steampunk-like heist story involving a small group of rogues who need to steal a powerful, magical item from a corrupt Commandant in order to save their city and return their world back to its former glory.

Without further ado, here’s my excerpt:

“The Heist”

This world may be shrouded in darkness, it may be in the creeping shadows that are filled with the unknown faces of soulless, roaring monsters, but no more. Tonight, they’d put an end to it all.

For too long has the Lord Commandant kept the Alkalian Shield in this world, and for too long has it been a parasite, and has sucked the life from this world in which was once a grand oasis, but now lay in dark and the edge of total annihilation. Paranoia, fear, and chaos have taken over with a brutalistic pull of the trigger, with a twist of cap off a blackhole grenade, and the city of Alpatuan has become the centerpiece for the horror of what everything this world has become. The poster city of desperation, carnage, and near extinction.

From a nondescript roof of a small factory in the heart of the city, five figures hid in the shadows of its smoke stacks, completely unseen as they watched the streets below while ash continued to fall from the black sky like snow.

Andrian, a mercenary and the captain of their small rebel crew, narrowed his eyes as he watched three of the totalitarianistic officers corner a woman who was walking completely alone. They were supposed to be the keepers of peace and order, the presence of safety and protection against the crime that was rampant, yet there they were cornering some poor, innocent soul into an alleyway to rob her of whatever she had, and to possibly commit even worse crimes.

He took a deep breath to keep himself in place once the screaming began. He hates what his home has become.

“Easy, Captain.”

Andrain turned to Elthea, the shapeshifting assassin who’s head slightly turned his way, and gave her a gruff nod. “I know the plan.”

Her eyes narrowed, but Elthea looked back towards her sector while the others remained stoic and silent at their posts.

Andrian’s hazel eyes traveled over her lithe form and noted how she’d gone with her darker skin, long ebony hair, and elongated elven ears for the expert hearing she’d need for their mission. She’d widened her hips since the last time he’d seen her, and memories of last night and their night of wicked passion came rushing back to him and caused his blood to flow to all areas of his body. It was a swift, stolen act in the back storage room while they’d all been resting for the task ahead, but lords had it been absolutely thrilling and absolutely mind altering. All three times.

Andrian swallowed as he told himself that if they survived this night, they’d have to do a couple repeat performances. When he was sure she wouldn’t notice, Andrian squatted in his position to subtly adjust himself without moving his hands from his semi-automatic bronze rifle.

“Captain, suspicious movement on my end,” Rokanathon, his Skyphos spymaster, warned him from the edge of the roof. With his grey feathered wings, and the winged Skyphos people’s ability to stay as stiff as stone for periods of time, he was a gargoyle as he watched over his section of the city.

Andrian’s dirty thoughts flashed from his mind, and he flipped the dark locks of hair that had fallen over his eyes back, and crept over to whatever Rokanathon was reporting about without making a sound. All the others became tense, but no one still made a sound as Andrian peered over his spymaster’s large, tucked in right wing. Sure enough, the figure they’d been waiting for maneuvered through the foggy streets; avoiding contact with anyone as their midnight violet cloak stirred in the air around them.

Andrian scratched his lightly stubbled chin with satisfaction as he witnessed the glowing object the figure carried preciously in their gloved hands. “Good work, Ro.”

Without looking away, he signaled for Elthea, and like she was made of the mist of the early dawn, she was right at his side, her lavender eyes now also trailing who was soon to be her latest acquisition.

Andrian couldn’t help but give her a teasing bump of his shoulder. “Think you can handle ‘em?”

He could sense her eyes narrow at him, but also knew her lips quirked up into a smirk that would’ve sent chills down his spine if he could see it for himself. The air was stolen from his lungs when one of her needle-like knives appeared at his throat, and the scent of rainfall when it lingered on stone mixed with sea mist intoxicated his senses.

“I think you of all people know that I’ve got it covered,” she said along his ear, and he tried his damndest not to shiver at the breath he felt lace along his throat. She wasn’t about to have him lose control in front of everyone else, even if she was obviously enjoying watching him squirm.

Andrian dared to gaze into her eyes, and was both aroused and terrified of the devilish amusement lit in her heated gaze. “Then the plan’s all in motion.” He signaled to all the others to move into the next phase of their heist. “Let’s move.”

…