frozen moments (test chapters)

hatred

"Eribus woke up in her bed, not remembering how she got there. She heard a clanging sound coming from the kitchen. She went to check out what was going on, and when she walked into the kitchen, she saw her girlfriend wrestling with some pans.

"What are you doing?" Eribus asked, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Well, you were sleeping, and I wanted to make you breakfast, so I'm making pancakes," Erika said, finally getting the frying pan down from the pot rack.

"And how were you planning on doing that when we're out of flour?" Eribus spoke, smiling warmly.

"Shit, Eri, can you go out and buy some flour?" Erika asked.

"Of course, sweetheart," Eri went back to their room and pulled on a wool sweater, a black tennis skirt, black thigh highs, and some knee-high boots. She slipped a knife into her boot and was ready to leave. "I'll be back soon."

"Love you," Erika called back.

Eri took the elevator to the ground floor and stepped out into the crisp autumn air. A person brushed past her, and for a second she saw a glint of metal. Not an uncommon thing nerve interfacing augmentations, or more commonly just referred to as augmentations, were mostly legal, though many people took that to extremes. Despite that fact, they remained incredibly unregulated, and you can find an everyday street thug with them. They were invented in 2064 by Jonathan Frost; four years later, he died with the information being released to the public. "Son of a bitch it's cold. I probably should have brought a jacket."

Eri walked the two and a half blocks to the small grocery store near the apartment complex, grabbing a large bag of all-purpose flour. She paid and began the short but cold walk home. As she walked up to her door, she realized she had forgotten to lock the door when she left. She walked in to see an unknown man.

Upon closer examination, he appeared to be the man she had seen while leaving. She reached for her hidden knife.

"Yeah I wouldn't do that if I were you," The man spoke in a gloating tone that made Eri mad in seconds. "I'm not here to fight you."

"Two things, one where is Erika, and two who the hell are you," Eri was pissed the man hadn't even turned around to address her properly.

"My name is irrelevant but I guess you need some way to address me so just call me spider, Oh and i have no clue where Erika is," spider turned around showing 8 eyes and 4 extra arms.

"Wow you're really committing to the bit aren't you," In the corner of her eye she saw Erika creeping down the hallway. "so if you're not here to fight do you want a drink."

"Thank you i would love a drink," Spider replied.

"So who are you," Eribus asked in reality she wasn't expecting a straight answer but she needed him to keep talking. As they conversed Eri poured two glasses of whiskey Spider had barely taken a sip before Erika pounced stabbing the knife downwards directly at his neck but with lightning fast speed he dodged and extended all six arms as if conducting an orchestra Eri looked up and saw thousands of mechanical spiders dropping from thin wires.

"IGNIS DRACONIS," Erika crushed a dragons eye opal in her hand the powder swirled around her. Her skin rippled and changed into scales her hair glowed and shifted like flame her fingers and nails elongated into claws, enormous wings sprouted from her back, her nose and mouth elongated into a snout and her teeth became dragon like forming wicked points. The inside of her mouth glowed and she shot an enormous column of flame from her mouth scorching all of the spiders in sight. They melted creating a puddle of slag around Spider. Eri reached out with her mind willing the shadows to grab him dark ropes lept out from the shadow of the counter wrapping onto Spider's arms and tying him to the floor

"HA! So the story's I've heard are true the daughter of the shadow and the dragon witch reside in this dimension." Spider smiled as he spoke his calm calculating tone had vanished giving way to a tone laced with joy "well now that we've all been introduced I have a job for you."

"Why should we work for you," Erika asked the transformation had turned her voice into a snarl.

"Because it pays well," Spider's smile hadn't faltered "But before I give you any details I ask you to kindly unbind me."

"Fine." Eri willed the shadows to release him. Spider stood up brushing himself off. "Now explain."

"I'm getting to it. My My I hadn't expected the daughter of shadows to be so impatient." Spider smirked as he spoke.

"Fuck off and die you pretentious eight limbed moron. What's with the eight limbs anyway you compensating for something and for your information I prefer Ms Aradia or the goddess of balance. I'd rather not be tied to my mother," Eri subconsciously placed a hand in her chest as she spoke about her mother.

"Fine fine I'll get to the point do this job and you get 14 million each. I've already put together a team for you here's the info on what they can do I think that information will be useful," Spider sighed.

"And what will we be doing," Erika asked the transformation was beginning to dissolve her voice was bouncing from draconic and normal.

"I need you to steal something for me," Spider's voice became deadly serious in less than a second the smile he had been maintaining dissipated leaving a stern expression, "It's an incredibly important object and I need to know if you can do it."

"Of course we can," Erika stated.

"Good now I need you to steal the Léonce diamond," Spider spoke like every word was the most important he'd ever spoken Eri waited for a punchline anything to signify he was joking. The Léonce diamond was the most protected diamond in the dimension at all times it had countless guards and stealing it meant life without parole was the best case scenario she thought about denying his offer but she realized there was a better way to work this.

"I want information we don't plan on staying here much longer so money is kinda pointless so instead I want to know where I can get a 9 phase energy converter and two level 11 energy conduits" Eri said hoping beyond hope he would agree.

"Oh. I'll do you one better I'll get you a fully functioning dimensional ship." Spider's face said everthing he thought he won and for all intents and purposes he had.

"You good with these terms," Eri asked Erika she nodded in response, "so it's a deal."

"Not quite," spider extended a hand and for a split second it looked like all his eyes and arms became that of a real spider nonetheless Eri took his hand and the shook it, "The deal is made."

Spider left and when he did the room released the sound seemed to return the color flooded back in as if she had just made a deal with a demon but she cast that idea aside he was a human just someone with an aura of fear. "well I bought flour."

"Lets have some pancakes," Erika and Eri ate in silence they both hated this the evolution of that situation the deal they had made. "He won we could have killed him it wouldnt have been hard."

"could we, we have no clue what he can do he could be more powerful than either of us," Eri attemped to rationalize with them she didnt even know why she hated the deal she had gotten what she wanted out of the deal they can leave this dimension they can run.

"you really thinkhe could be more powerful than you or me," Erika's voice was laced with fear.

"I dont know," I dont know thats what scared her she always knew and if she didnt Erika did they relied on eachother and now neither could turn to the other for help, "the only thing we can do is face this bullshit together."

"I know," Erika smiled.