Wind, the feeling of a cool breeze on ones skin is a pleasant one, our sense of touch brings us the sensation of pain, but also the sensation of a soft surface, and heavenly touches. Sight allows us to see all danger, we can view beauty and...Ugliness.
These were the thoughts of a single Sentinel, as he sat with his back pressed up against a split boulder. Clutching his bleeding chest as his brain attempted to comfort him in his last moments with it, thinking of his past.
He couldn't help but smile as he felt the pain subside, his breaths remained deep although they went through his lung and out the hole. His brain had not enough air or blood to tell him he was in pain or even sad, he felt at ease, his eyes closed as his blood and dirt soaked teeth showed in one last smile.
Proceeding the death of the Sentinel followed another leaping onto the boulder, her eyes tracing the battlefield in worry, her dagger gripped tightly in her right blood stained hand. In the distance came a flash of pure red light, her eyes widened as her brown pupils shook in horror of the approaching blast.
Taking a step back she found herself collapsing backwards off the boulder, tumbling onto her back she coughed through the near toxic air surrounding the location. Swallowing deeply she pulled herself onto her knees, glancing around the area behind the boulder, her gaze falling into shock and horror.
The previous Sentinels now cold corpse sat in his final resting place, his smile still plastered on his face, a fate the current one desperately wished against. Her hands shook as they rose to her face, covering her trembling mouth, one with a stream of puke rising. She leaned her head down to her knees, her body desperately denying her stomach from relieving itself.
Her chest twisted within itself as it protruded through her ribs, her breaths deep and audible across the battlefield. Her stomach began to shake as it begged and begged, the woman clutched her torso as she began to inhale deeply, only letting out a soft gust of air as she breathed.
The oxygen spun in her lungs, unable to escape her grasp in any way. She gulped audibly as her chest tightened from the lack of air, though she began to notice a steady decrease in pain. Her veins showed as she clenched her fists and eyes to attempt to handle the uncomfortable feeling twisting her entire torso.
Her fingers squirmed in tension as her bodies veins and muscles tensed up, her teeth gritting to the point where a scraping sound could be heard. She wished an escape would come but deep down she knew there could only be made one by herself. Her chests muscles wrapped around her stomach, the tension on it was great, but so was the relief.
In just a few moments after her body tensed up, she found her stomach completely relaxed itself, its pain having now completely subsided and replaced with just pressure. Her sigh of relief was an echoed joy all on the battlefield could hear. Her muscles that were once tense now softened, like a rock melting into a marshmallow, her throat extended outward for a moment as she looked towards the red sky.
Her mouth opened as a gust of air passed out of her lips, only for a wave of new oxygen to inhale into her lungs. She took breath after deep, deeply focused on her now pained lungs without a thought to her previously pained stomach. She lowered her head to face forwards, staring down the sentinels corpse, she swallowed the saliva within her jaw as her ankles downwards began to tense up.
Her arms fell to her sides as her left leg retracted behind her, the other progressing forward a dozen centimetres. In one push she managed to hoist herself onto her feet, her teeth gritted as her body, despite it being calm before, had to tense and relax her muscles in her lower half just to stand up. Her balance wobbled as she attempted to ground herself, her legs widening as she clenched her hanging fists.
She retracted her head back for a moment as a gust of air entered through her mouth, her head lowering forward as she exhaled the wind the way it came in. Her eyes stared forward as she tensed herself up again, ready to continue the battle. Her eyes twitched as she noticed a light in the sky, a red dot flashing, like a giants eye staring down at the earth.
The dot began to grow as she looked at it, though she was still unsure of the origin of the floating orb. She never noticed the base of the orbs location as it reached its destination, it was diving at incredible speeds, like sound travelling through a diamond. As it reached its destination the woman found herself feeling, nothing, like there was no concept of touch anymore.
In a flash of red light her head mimicked that of a Dullahan, the peak of her upper body reduced to a bloody mess as she collapsed onto the red tainted soil. Brown and black dust flew into the air only to disperse as few moments later, the blood drops staining the rubbles surface. The body having now been frozen and burnt over by the harsh movement.
The object that had taken off her head raised into the air, its mechanical construct streaking from the long arm shaped object to an enormous body. The body had thirty seven arms each with silver linings across them, the body had multiple fleshy looking mouths scattered across the surface each without lips but instead rows of large sharp teeth.
A yelp of fear echoed from the opposite end of the beast, as another Sentinel stared death in the face. His eyes shaking as his teeth scrapped together, his body frozen in fear as the beast stared him down. Its living metallic hand grasping his feeble body within its fingers. It raised him higher and higher, his breath shallow and light, like a soft breeze.
The arm swung itself slowly through the charred breeze, the side of the body harshly extending outwards towards the raising hand. The Sentinel looked onwards in horror as he was pulled towards the extended metal, its innards reshaping in a gentle stream like waves of water.
The Sentinels breath exhaled unawarely, his eyes shaking as his teeth gritted worriedly, like a prey just caught by its predator. The beasts extended physical structure began to reshape harshly, the tip of its cyborg like exterior pointing towards the Sentinel, whose arms clutching his weapons lay lifeless.
The tip began to crack as its once clammy clay like structure stared to shatter, its grey exterior a mirror to the red machinery on the inside. In the ashes of the torn construct remained a new opening, a jaw without gums or lips. The teeth rotated like a wheel in circles, the sharp tips but one of a streak of pointy ends across the jaw.
The Sentinels eyes widened as the creature revealed its mouth, his body taking several moments to catch up to his mind. As it did a wave of fear rushed over him, he began shaking and wiggling in the grip, yelling out in fear as the mechanical arm began to approach the gaping maw. His head frantically turning to find an escape to his fate.
As the creatures mouth widened he screamed in horror "No! P-Please! Don't do this, s-someone help!" His teeth gritted in impatience as he awaited rescue.
The teeth looked as if they were extended towards him, further intensifying the overwhelming fear he yielded within his mind. He continued wiggling within its iron grasp, though in one small grip its fingers crushed his torso. His mind became clear, his supple body was in the grip of that beast, no possible escape, his life was over.
Tears began to form on the edges of his eyes, the singular drops of water extended to streams of fear and sadness filled liquid. He continued yelling although he knew no one would help him, his mind shutting off all pain as he kept wiggling in its grasp, its collection of eyes staring heartlessly down towards the flailing organism in its grasp.
His screams got louder and louder as he got closer, until it stopped, and the area was filled with the sound of crunching bones. All that remained of the Sentinel was a pair of glasses with a cracked lens that fell off him as he was grabbed. Its fragile structure lay untouched by any organic life, only contact with the terrain.
The giant beast let out a deafening roar, the very ground shook from the waves of volume released. The sound echoed across hundreds of metres, though it slowly diminished more and more and more. The sound became muffled and instead a soft buzzing sound erupted from all directions.
A yell echoed out "Miss O'Reilly!" The voice croaked from the height of volume it had to unleash.
A sudden crash blasted as someone sat up, shaking their elbow firmly on the table before them. They groaned slightly as they leaned back, their eyes slowly opening to look at who woke them up.
There sat a woman with short brown hair, her eyes blue and her cheeks freckled, her glasses were large and like orbs, she wore a white shirt and black trousers. She sat back down before the other person with a stream of heavy breaths escaping her nose, shaking her head to herself as she picked back up her papers.
She stated annoyedly "Niamh O'Reilly was it? Falling asleep mid interview is deplorable, ye already have little qualifications, but this kind of disrespect cannot be tolerated" Her thick Dublin accent hissed through her teeth.
Niamh sat, her short dark hair waving in her cap, her shining green eyes barely open as she leaned on one arm with her mouth partially open. Her eyes slightly squinted as she leaned her head away, her mouth closing firmly.
She asked in a calm Donegal accent "Who are you again?" She let an arm land on the table before her, much to the annoyance of the other person.
She took a deep breath as she stated "I'm Fia Fitzgerald, now Niamh, you need to work on your attitude" Her fingers interlocked as she sat forward.
Niamh pulled her eyelids up as she asked groggily "Why am I here again?" Her green eyes turned to the ceiling blankly.
Fia let out a groan from the very depths of her lungs "You're here to become a Sentinel yes?" She pressed the back of her hand on her face.
Niamhs skull rocked forward as the blood in her skull smashed into her face, she responded "Oh yea I was doing that..How'd I do?" She rested her chin on the desk, much to the displeasure of Fia.
Fia sat forward as her elbows propped on the desk before her "You are not the most ideal for this work" Her mouth remained open, her breath caught in her throat as she annoyedly finished "Though I'm not saying you are the worst either, you should be careful if you want this job" She sharpened her gaze as she stared down Niamh.
Niamh tilted her head as she asked "Why? I was told I broke several records on the physical test" She scratched the side of her head innocently.
Fia lowered her head as she responded bluntly "Yes, that's the reason you're still here, if you had even a proficient performance you would've been out the moment you did one disrespectful action" She let out a low hiss as she focused back on Niamh.
Fia placed a page in front of Niamh, it was her file, it had every bit of info on her from her age to even exact height. She turned it back to face herself as she scanned the page, although already knowing every word on the page she still pretended to read it to her.
She cleared her throat firmly before reading it bluntly "Name, Niamh O'Reilly, Age, 23, Weight, 72KG, Height, five foot-eleven and a half, pre-" A sudden slam made her head fly up, her recoil heavy to the point her head spun with the sudden smash of blood in her skull.
Niamh exclaimed happily "Really? I'm nearly there? YES!" She held her wrists against her chin in happiness as she thought of her height.
Fia leaned back as she looked up and down the excited individual before her, she swiftly took the page and flicked a pen into her hand. Her writing was swift like lighting, her fingers shoved her glasses a pinch from her eyes as she pricked the pen from the paper.
Ink dropped across her desk as she looked down at her handiwork, a row of thick, heavy ink stating Niamh is suspected to be insane. Fia leaned her head on her elbows as she stared down the energetic woman before her.
Niamh fell into her seat calmly, her legs crossing as she leaned forward on the desk. Her head tilting as she stared Fia in the eyes, a soft smile stretched across her jaw. Fia stared at her blankly, her gaze dull and bored as she confirmed mentally her suspicions.
Niamh asked nervously "Soooooooo…Did I get the job?" Her hands stretched outwards as she awaited an answer.
Fia sighed deeply as she lowered her head, mumbling annoyedly "Why do I have to do this interview?" She let out a low groan as she spoke.
Her head rose as she straightened her glasses, asking calmly "Niamh, do you have any experience with combat?" Her fingers locked as she rested her chin on her firm knuckles.
Niamh let out a soft gust of air from the depths of her lungs as she responded "Kinda yea, I've beaten a couple people in fights" Her gentle palm rested against her pale cheek.
Fia continued her questions "How are you when it comes to blood? Do you get queasy?" Her head tilted only by a pinch, her voice had a slightly comforting tone.
Niamh shook her head firmly, wind shaking the paper from the speed as she responded "Nope, blood is just red water after all" Her hands raised in a presenting manor, confusing Fia a bit.
Fia continued although slightly nervous "Alright then, last question" She tapped a longer than average nail on the desk as she stared Niamh in her green gaze "Why do you want to become a Sentinel?" Her forehead tensed as her skull lowered.
Niamh took a heavy but bored breath as she stared off to the side, bluntly responding "I mean, it's the same reason as everyone else, I want to stop the Fomorians" She leaned slightly over the desk as her haze returned to Fia.
Fia pinched her chin as she looked down for a moment, her hair rising as she felt Niamh's gaze on her, the weight like an elephant. A gulp streamed down her throat as she inhaled deeply, raising her head back to Niamh.
Fia claimed calmly "You'll be kept on a short leash, but if you can pass the exam you will be in" She stood up firmly, her hands pressed harshly on the rough wood.
Niamh tilted her head as she asked "Exam? I just did one!" She slumped over the desk as she let out a deep groan.
Fia sighed deeply as she walked to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder as she looked down at the woman. Niamh was unusual, she acted so childish but yet her physicals were nothing short of incredible, she was the strongest non sentinel recorded.
Fia glanced to her side, taking a quick look at her phones wallscreen, her eyes unwavering, not even a blink for a few seconds. She put it away firmly as she looked back to Niamh, her grip tightened as she pulled her off the desk.
Fia stated firmly "Go down the corridor to the left, you'll meet my boss in there, it'll be another physical test, the paperwork will be done later…" She kneeled down to stare her in the eyes, her gaze straight and unmovable as she stated without any hesitance "I expect big things, do not disappoint me" Her glasses tilted down as she stared Niamh down.
Niamh stood up firmly as she responded "Alright sure" Her tone was bland as she scratched the back of her head.
Fia stood up as she looked the other woman in the eyes, her lip quivering as her fingers inched towards her phone. Her entire arm tensed as she took an exasperated breath, nodding firmly before turning away from Niamh.
She whispered to herself "Don't mess this up Niamh, p-please…" She glanced at her wallpaper one last time.