# Fire Your Guns (Laila vs. Half Orcs with M16 assault rifles... oh dear.)



## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Earlier this month, David Dalglish (with some help from me) wrote a story where our characters fought one another. Laila, the main character from my novel _Flaming Dove_, faced off against the Half-Orcs from David's novels. In case you missed it, you can still read that story here:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,34717.0.html

Now... it's time for round two. This time, _I_ wrote a story where our characters fight one another. And _this_ time, the Half-Orcs are carrying M16 sub machine guns. Oh my.

Meet the players:

*Laila* -- The main character from my novel _Flaming Dove_. She is a half demon, half angel. Here she is depicted on the cover of _Flaming Dove_:










*The Half Orcs* and *Tessana*-- Harruq and Qurrah the half-orcs are the main characters in David's _Half Orc_ novels. Tessana is a mad goddess from the same books. You can see them here:










*The Faceless Women* -- Mysterious assassins from David's novel _A Dance of Cloaks_. You can see one here:










And now... it's time to _Fire Your Guns_!


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

*Fire Your Guns
Laila vs. Team Dalglish
*

Bullets came whizzing over the ruins.

"D*mn."

Laila leapt onto her stomach, hit the dust, and fired her Uzi. The enemy fire peppered the bricks and pipes she hid behind, rattling, ricocheting. Several bullets hit a concrete pipe beside her, breaking apart, sizzling against her skin.

"God d*mn."

Laila grit her teeth. Where were those half-orcs? She couldn't see them. She dared to peek once over the pipes and bricks, then ducked quickly. More bullets whizzed. She had glimpsed several hills topped with fallen walls, sacks of sand, barbed wire, and concrete pipes. The half-orcs could be anywhere. The sound of their bullets was deafening, and the dust and debris blinded her.

"This was easier when they were still using swords," Laila muttered. She raised the barrel of her Uzi over the pipe, fired several shots, then grunted. Searing pain bloomed across her hand. She pulled her Uzi back and saw a welt rise across her fingers. She was Laila of the night - half demon, half angel, a creature of legend. These bullets would not kill her, but they left nasty bruises.

"Good job, Qurrah!" came a cry from the distance. "I think you got her."

Qurrah answered slowly. "No, Harruq. She's still alive. But I hurt her."

Laila shook her hand. Still lying on her stomach, she surveyed her surroundings. She lay on a hill, its peak just above her. To her sides, she saw boulders, toppled towers, sacks of sand, twisted metal. There were many options for cover... but there was also lots of open space between them. For now, she'd have to stay her ground.

"I'm going to kill you for that, half-orcs!" she called out. "And I'm going to make it hurt."

A guffaw came from the distance. "Last time we fought, I only had my swords. Now I have something much better." He fired again, the rounds hitting the toppled bricks just over Laila's head. Debris and dust flew. One bullet ricocheted off a pipe and hit Laila's in the mouth. She spat it out and tasted blood.

"Man, I love these buns!" came Harruq's voice.

"I told you," spoke Qurrah. "They're called guns. Not buns. _Guns!_ You sound like a bloody idiot when you keep saying you're shooting your buns."

Keeping her face close to the ground, Laila raised her Uzi over her head and fired. The half-orcs only laughed; their cover was too good. Where were they? She could not see. She kept firing, then cursed. Another bullet hit her fingers, and she pulled back her gun. D*mn it. Her fingers were bleeding now.

As if heartened, the half-orcs fired with more relish. The bricks and pipes protecting Laila began to shift. One brick came lose and rolled downhill, and bullets flew through the opening, scratching Laila's leg. There were about twenty yards between her and a cracked, concrete pipe. She'd have to run for it.

"Oh, hell," Laila muttered. She reloaded her Uzi, pushed herself onto her elbows, and leaped. She ran at a crouch, screaming, shooting toward the source of fire. Bullets whizzed around her. One hit her shin, sizzling hot, and she cried in pain.

There! She saw one. The ugly mug of Harruq leered at her from behind a toppled wall. She kept running and screaming, firing at him. He leaped behind the wall. More fire came from behind sandbags. Qurrah! Laila shot at him too, then dived behind the concrete pipe.

The half-orcs peppered the pipe with bullets, but could not break the concrete. For a moment she was safe. Laila examined her wounds. Her fingers were scratched and bloody, and her leg felt bruised and battered. These bullets might have killed a mortal woman; she, Laila the half-demon, had survived, though she was in pain. If enough bullets hit her--especially if they hit her head--she could die. A bullet right in the eye would surely blind her. Laila shuddered, pushing the thought away.

Ignoring the pain in her fingers, she reloaded her Uzi. Bullets whizzed over the pipe.

"Do those half-orcs ever run out of bullets?" Laila muttered. "For Hell's sake."

Enough of this. Laila decided she needed to take them out. Hiding from a couple half-orc worms? It was pathetic. She was Laila of the night, of light and of fire. She would not hide, even if their bullets stung like bees. With a scream, she ran again, firing her Uzi, and hit the ground behind a fallen column. She fired, leaped, ran again. A bullet hit her chest, and she screamed, ran some more, fired her gun.

She hit one!

Harruq had peeked behind a wall to fire, and her bullet slammed into his chest. He fell, clutching the wound. More bullets whizzing around her; Qurrah was still firing. Laila flapped her wings, leaped into the air, and fired down. She saw Qurrah behind sand bags and barbed wire; she swooped toward him. He shot up at her. She fired down. A bullet hit her shoulder, and her bullets hit him. He cried, fell over, and lay still.

Laila landed, panting. Her wounds ached. Her fingers were bloody and swollen, she tasted blood in her mouth, and welts rose across her arm. But the half-orcs were taken out.

"Tough bastards once you give them guns," Laila muttered.

Suddenly a silence fell.

A chill gripped the air.

Laila raised her head and saw shadows gathering. Tendrils of smoke snaked across the Earth.

"Oh, great," Laila said and reloaded her gun. What black magic was this? Laila stood, aiming her gun, not even knowing what she was aiming at. The smoke and shadows moved together, weaving into the forms of three figures. Laila fired her Uzi, but the bullets shot through the smoke and hit the wall behind.

"Just fantastic," Laila said and started to run. When she glanced over her head, she saw the smoky figures become three women. At least, she thought they were women. Strips of black cloth bound them, so that they looked like mummies. Thin white cloth covered their faces. As Laila watched over her shoulder, running the other way, the faceless women pulled daggers from their belts.

Laila fired her Uzi.

The daggers flew.

The faceless women contorted like billowing smoke, and the bullets flew between them. The daggers flew at Laila, and she leaped and rolled. One dagger sliced a strand of her hair. Another sliced her cloak. The others clattered against the ground, narrowly missing her.

Laila leaped, rolled, and crouched behind a few iron barrels. Two barrels were about an inch apart, and Laila shot between them. Again the faceless women contorted, avoiding the bullets. Daggers shot her way, and Laila pushed herself near the ground.

"D*mn," she muttered. "What unholy creatures were these?"

Bullets would not work here. Laila leapt, flapped her wings, and flew toward the faceless women. They threw daggers at her, and one hit her thigh, nicking her. She felt blood trickle down her leg.

Laila swooped and clawed. Her claws were long, sharper than razors, but the faceless women moved like wisps of smoke. Most of her thrusts missed, but a few cut into the creatures, drawing blood.

"What are you?" Laila demanded.

"We are the faceless women," they spoke in unison. "The outcasts of Karak."

Laila kept clawing and biting, digging her fangs into their smoky essence, until they dispersed like dying candles. Their shadows crawled across the ground, disappearing into the ruins.

Laila took deep breaths. She was a bloody mess, her clothes torn, her lip swollen, her fingers red with welts. Her enemies had come here meaning business. She ducked behind a fallen pile of bricks, just in case more creatures appeared, and surveyed her ammo. Not much left; just two magazines. She'd have to make due. She slammed a new magazine into her Uzi, yanked back the cocking handle, and waited to see what came next.

Nothing.

A cold breeze blew.

Was that it?

"Is that all you've got?" Laila cried out. "A pair of half-breeds and some tricks of smoke and shadows?"

Nobody answered her, and Laila breathed out in relief. Good. It was over. She'd be able to go to the bar now and drown her pain in booze. Laila stood up and began walking among the ruins.

Then she heard it.

It sounded like the flap of wings, but somehow... ethereal, slowed down, rippling. The sound ached in her chest. Clouds covered the sun, and the world became a painting of yellows and blacks and grays. Laila could hear her own heart beat, the soft breath in her lungs. She did not like this.

There! She saw it. A figure was gliding down from the skies--no, not gliding but swooping toward her on black wings. It looked like a girl in a tattered dress, just a young woman, but the sight of her sent chills through Laila.

"Tessana," she whispered.

The goddess landed before her in the rubble. She smiled a strange, small smile that seemed more dangerous than an army of gun-toting half-orcs. "We meet again, Laila. How are you, darling?"

Laila responded with a hail of bullets.

Tessana only smiled wider. She raised her hands, and the bullets slowed to a crawl in midair. Tessana examined them, tilting her head, then pointed at Laila. The bullets turned around and flew her way.

With a curse, Laila leapt aside. Not fast enough. Two bullets hit her shoulder, and she fell, rolled, cried in pain. She could hear Tessana laughing, not even an evil laughter, but the laughter of a little girl playing with dolls. _Only this little girl is insane_, Laila thought.

Snarling, Laila flapped her wings and shot toward Tessana. She clawed and bit, and her fangs dug into Tessana's shoulder. The goddess's smile vanished, and Laila tasted ichor, burning, sticky, acidic.

"That was not very nice," Tessana said and punched Laila in the stomach. Laila flew into the air, crashed into a wall, and hit the ground. Loose bricks fell onto her. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and saw Tessana walking toward her.

"Oh, Hell," Laila said. Last time she'd faced Tessana, she was saved at the last moment. What would she do now? Bullets would not harm that creature. Claws and fangs might, but Laila dared not get close again.

"Ready to die, Lailoosh?" Tessana asked, walking daintily among the rubble.

Laila looked aside. Harruq lay there, mouth open and eyes staring. Three grenades hung from his belt, each painted with the letters H and O. Keeping one eye on Tessana, Laila reached out and grabbed the three grenades.

"Oh, what are those?" Tessana asked. "Little metal pineapples."

"I thought you might like to eat them," Laila said. Then she shouted, pulled the rings from all three grenades, and tossed them at Tessana.

Tessana caught one in her hand and stared at it curiously. The other two landed at her feet. Laila flapped her wings, flew behind the wall, and crouched.

The blast was enormous. The wall came down, raining bricks on Laila. Dust flew. Spitting out debris, Laila rose to her feet, Uzi raised.

Tess sat on the ground, covered in dust, dazed.

"Ow," the goddess said.

Laila walked toward her, reached out her hand, and helped her up. "You okay?" she asked.

Tessana nodded. "We'll call it a draw. Game over!"

The half-orcs stood up, brushed dust off their clothes, and grinned. "We like buns," Harruq said, hefting his M-16 assault rifle. Qurrah punched him.

"Next time I'll use real bullets against you two," Laila said with a growl. "No more of this rubber stuff. You annoy me." Welts still covered her from their fire.

The faceless women reappeared from wisps of smoke, and Laila shook their hands. "You did well," the half-demon told them. They only nodded, looked at one another, then vanished into a million shadows.

Laila smiled. She should train with these guys more often.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Best line!


> You sound like a bloody idiot when you keep saying you're shooting your buns.


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

BTackitt said:


> Best line!
> "You sound like a bloody idiot when you keep saying you're shooting your buns."


At least he didn't caress his M16s and say, "Ahh... buns of steel."


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