ORMOULU :

Chapter One: Ground Gold

Author's note: This story has been edited by Missus Ann, it's a steam punk adventure this first chapter is really short on purpose following chapters will be longer and coming soon. :) enjoy! Please R&R.

The town was barren - disaster had struck here and there were no people left. Or, at first it seemed as if there were no people; if they were there they were hiding or running away. There were two men standing on the road which was made of dirt and covered in building debris; the buildings - if there were any to speak of - had bullet holes throughout them, letting the sunshine in. It was a massacre and only these two brutes and a few other men remained. Even horses lay dead, or dying. A pair of eyes peeked through the saloon windows. They were robin-egg-blue. He barely breathed to keep himself unknown to the two gunslingers. "You killed my horse!" the more unkempt of the two men said. This man, known as Sid, wore a trench coat that was beat to death just as much as the closest horse, his horse.

A ragged black shirt that didn't fit, black jeans and boots that were meant for more than just wearing and keeping your feet dry. The other man, younger, and dressed less like a slob - in fact, he wore a suit, white dress shoes and a monocle over his left eye - smiled and said, "No, Jimmy killed your horse, and you killed Jimmy. All is fair."

Sid stomped an unruly foot. "Don't get technical with me!" Sid loved that horse. Not only was he out a horse, he was out transportation, which meant he was stuck in that rotting, ghost town. Oddly enough, those two bickering murderers were brothers. Sid was older, Anthony, however, was smarter. A car rolled through the dusty road to pick up Anthony and his two remaining men.

"Don't be a sore loser!" Anthony called to his brother. The black car was powered by steam and it had train technology. It was large, like an over-sized town car; gold trimmings and chrome.

"Instead of wasting your time getting free drinks at the bar," He taunted, adjusting his monocle, "Why don't you figure a way for you and your men...," he paused, "if you have any men, to get out of here." And with the last laugh, he shut the door to the steam powered vessel. It made a three point turn and left Sid in the dust.

"You pussy!" Sid screamed "I've got men!" He looked about and saw no one, "Bah!" He threw a gloved hand into the air and marched off into the saloon, passing the survivor who tried so hard not to breath or be noticed by the barbarian. He marched right up to the bar, his feet stirring up dust which formed in clouds around his feet and settled. "Vodka tonic on the rocks," he said, smirking like a damn fool, knowing he was the bar tender now. The giant hopped over the bar with ease, like he was a gymnast. Maybe he could have been, but he decided a life of crime and adventure was far more suited. "Let's see," He slurred, "Jim Beam, Captain Morgan." He hackled at the pirate "captain" and gave the lunging man on the bottle a salute.

He had several guns hanging from his belt, including one that was very much like a blunderbuss, though knives hung from where they could and were tucked into pockets and pouches."Ah!" he said with delight. "Vodka and Tonic!" Meanwhile, the boy who he had passed on the way in was trying to make his way out. He stepped on a creaky floor board. "Hey!" Sid said, startled, thinking that everyone had left or was dead. "What the hell are you doing in here?" Sid took a swig of vodka and tonic out of each of their bottles, not bothering with a damn thing like a cup. What a barbarian Sid was. Though he had his reasons, mostly mommy issues in the time he'd grown up; he'd seen things a child should never have to see.

The boy, who wasn't actually a boy - more or less an adult - turned to face Sid, and replied, "Trying not to die. Sir."

"Fair Enough." Sid said with a yellow-toothed grin that spread ear-to-ear. "Sit." He pointed at the barstool. The kid cringed, knowing that he only had moments of life left; he was sure of it. He sat.

"What'll it be?" Sid asked.

"I- Uh," The boy replied. "I'm not old enough to drink." Sid looked unhappy.

"I said: What'll it be?" Knowing damn well enough that you couldn't drink alone, that just made you an alcoholic! The kid reasoned with his morals - he wasn't going to get into trouble if he drank - and just maybe, if he complied, he'd get to live too. "Well?" He scrunched his nose. He hadn't heard the names of much alcohol before, he called the first bottle he saw, not wanting to share germs with this man.

"Whiskey."

Sid laughed. "Takin' it like a man!" For this he found two shot glasses, and topped them off. "Cheers!" Sid said to the kid, and held up the shot glass, his fingers getting sticky with alcohol that spilled.

"To What?" He rose a brow - everyone he ever knew was dead; his town was destroyed.

"To not diein'! And adventure!" The kid shrugged and tapped the shot glass with his own. That was good enough for him. Sid took that shot like a pro, the boy on the other hand was not a pro. The first taste to his lips was vile. His nose scrunched and face twisted, like when you give a baby sour candy. "C'mon! Trick is to drink it all at once!" Now he tells him. He finished it off in several horrible drinks and stretched out his lips as if to make sure they were still there. The whiskey was warm going down and settled warm in his stomach. Why did people drink? This was disgusting. Sid laughed at his expressions. "So, what do I call you?"

The unfortunate boy replied. "Samuel."

Sid leaned on the bar counter, grinning ear-to-ear. "Well, Samuel, looks like we will have adventures, indeed."

Samuel could barely sit on his barstool. He fell over and hit the floor with a thud. Sid shrieked with laughter at the boy's misfortune. Soon enough, Sid was ready to go - he managed to find a hovercraft stored in a garage of someone's house - he found keys in the pockets of the dead man who owned it.

It sped away from the only home that Samuel ever knew. What was to happen to him now? Was he going to be stuck with this mangy, ill-mannered pirate for the rest of his life? Little did he know, Sid was a wanted man. A first rate criminal. Caused death and destruction whereever he went. "Time to regroup!" He said, kicking the hover craft into second gear, almost like warp speed on the ground.

"Watch out brother dear, because Sid is coming to get you!" With that horrible cackle that must have broke the sound barrier in its loudness, the hover craft made its way to the next town.

-END!