K: "What is your name, Rotkennk brother?"
"I was a Builder, I never had one. What did my brother call himself?"
K: "Gold."
"Then I am Silver."
K: "Til next time, Silver."
Silver: "I pray that day doesn't come soon for all our sakes."
And with that both sets of twin Rotkennk warriors set off in opposite directions of the galaxy. They knew that one day despite their shared heritage that they would meet again on the battlefield. When that would be, only time would tell. For now all were content to be alive and, though strange for creatures born of machinery, were happy to have family standing by their sides.
K: "It is sad to have to fight them. In a way they are like us."
Xen: "Orders are orders brother. You don't want to displease father after all or Raven for that matter."
K: "That's a frightening thought."
Xen: "Now come on let's get back to the Nebula X."
K: "I thought I told you that my half of the ship is to remain nameless."
Xen: "Well when it's combined with my half it's going to be called the Nebula X. My ship must have style after all."
K: "No! I refuse. If you continue with this there will be a mutiny."
Xen: "You're only half the crew dimwit. Mutiny this!"
K: "Ow! You scoundrel! Take this!"
Xen: "You're really going to use dark rays against your big brother like that?"
K: "Who says you're the big brother?"
Xen: "Isn't it obvious? I’m the mature one."
K: “Like hell you are!”
And the brothers went on like that for who knows how long. In the cold, distant, lonely reaches of space moments like this were to be cherished. See you next time travelers as we use these guiding stars in this great sea of black.
The Lowdown on Story of K
Story of K is an absurd tale about a warrior who’s the son of a living mechanized planet who travels the galaxy and conquers in his father’s name. The warrior is K and like his father, he is made of nanites. For the uninitiated, nanites aka nanomachines are microscopic robots programmed for a certain task. In my story, the Rotkennk race is a race of bio-organic robots composed mostly of nanites. The Rotkennk possess beyond cutting edge artificial intelligence and are guided by their creator, K’s father K’OS. K is a special kind of Rotkennk referred to as a Masked One along with his brother Xen. They serve K’OS directly and to gain more strength they find and absorb the masks and powers of their long dead brothers who were sent to conquer the galaxy before they did. By travelling the universe for K’OS or for their own whims the brothers discover many powerful opponents and intense situations. The universe, after all, is not a peaceful place and no one wants to be conquered. I’ve already planned a ton of planets and other races and characters with unique powers and abilities to inhabit the universe. So K, Xen, and the rest of the Rotkennk are not the only ones to inhabit this vast galaxy.
Above all Story of K represents a story that I’ve wanted to tell since childhood. Its influences are plain to see as you read it. Dragon Ball-esque battles, Digimon-esque transformations, and shounen manga-esque character growth. There’s loads of other inspirations too, but I’ll let you guess at those. All of the characters seen in this story are based off of toys I used to play with. Most of the characters that I’ve planned are actually based off of those toys as well.
This part of the tale, An Infinite Golden Light will occur at some point later down the line of the story once I start it properly. Here I just wanted to try an idea and see how far I could take that idea. So this was a good start for me. I got to actually dive into this world that I’ve been planning for so long and test its characters out. So my plans are for this to be a book series with a shounen manga feel to it and maybe some art for the chapter headings at least. Before I start this series from the beginning I just want to gauge how people feel about it. I have a lot of projects already ahead of this one, but if the demand is here for this story then I’ll write more of it. Most of it is already planned out so if enough of you tell me that you want more then I will be obligated to oblige you. You can do this by reviewing this book from wherever you bought it as soon as you finish it. I mean like now, go! Go! Just indicate in your review that you’d like to see more Story of K.
Even if there is no big demand for this series right now, I will eventually get to it and maybe later in life when my resources have improved and technology has accommodated me (and my failing art skills) even more I’ll be able to do a proper manga for this story. We can all dream, can’t we?
Acknowledgements
This one goes to my mom, one of the most beautiful and peaceful souls that I know and to my granny who started it all and provided us all with strength. I’d also like to thank my big cousin Maurice, my Uncle Shane, Aunt Elaine and my nephew Aric who helped make my childhood more than awesome in spite of all the tragedy that followed. And to my grandfather, may you forever rest in peace.
About the Author
Hi everyone! I’m Belart Wright and I hail from Michigan, the land of super hot summers and bitter cold winters. I typically wear or carry a hoodie whatever the weather so that I’m prepared for anything. I have experienced days that started like winter, felt like summer by noon, and ended like a storm on the high seas. But enough about the weather, this isn’t just small talk!
I’m a huge gamer. My favorite game series of all time is The Legacy of Kain Series, with Soul Reaver 2 being my favorite in the series. My current gaming rotation consists of Borderlands 2, Dark Souls, Virtua Fighter Final Showdown, Resident Evil 6, and Dragon Ball Xenoverse. You can find me on Xbox Live at kidNihilnom IV.
I’m a huge book lover too, though I don’t read nearly as much as I should. You can find my current book list over at Goodreads. My favorite so far this year belongs to Alex McKechnie’s Exurbia. My favorite series so far this year belongs to Christina McMullen’s Eyes of the Sun series.
My days consist of working, working some more, and writing. If I have any time left over it’s used for hanging out with family and friends, gaming, reading, or exercising.
You can find me blogging about gaming, books, and life at http://belartscorner.blogspot.com/.
If you want to chat about anything (and I’m not too busy) then you can reach me over at Google+: https://plus.google.com/+BelartWright/posts or any of my other social media profiles like Twitter: https://twitter.com/BelartWright.
I’d also like to plug the awesome efforts of my brothers over at FlubberKnuckle Games. They’re making some really cool games right now. One’s a unique card game called Flip’d that can be played here http://www.flubberknuckle.com/wordpress/flipz/flipzdemo.html. Not only is the game a digital production, but we’ve also crafted a physical card game as well that can be found at https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/flipd.
Check Out My Other Book
Average Joe and the Extraordinaires
Chapter 1 Fun at the Game
The day was hot and the crowd rowdy and rambunctious. Everyone was getting riled up for today’s statewide collegiate football match where the state favorites, the Sunshine City Fowlers, would take on the underdogs, the Orangetown Pickers. Joe and his girlfriend Kate, along with her little brother, Mod, had predicted a bloodbath today between the two rival teams and their rabid fans. Too bad for now the line had stalled.
Joe: “This line is way too long.”
The three teens were here to support their hometown team, the Pickers. Joe and Kate were set on going to Orangetown University. Neither had even considered the alternatives. Joe himself didn't have any bright prospects when it came to choosing his college, but Kate on the other hand had many schools to choose from. In the end she chose with her heart and decided to stay with Joe.
The line had finally started to move, but everyone was still pretty antsy. The game was set to start in only thirty minutes. As always the red-haired siblings couldn’t help but fuss at one another. Mod stopped argui
ng with his sister just long enough to lean over to Joe.
Mod: “Hey, Joe, I brought some game boosters.”
Mod smiled a devilish smile that lasted longer than it should. He pulled off his backpack, took out a bright red insulated cooler bag, opened it, and showed its contents to his shocked sister and Joe.
Kate: “How did you get that?”
Kate looked at her fourteen year old brother with alarmed blue eyes. His smile still hadn’t faded as he stared her down with his green eyes, so she knew he had something planned. She waited for his explanation of some half-brained scheme.
Mod: “The how is unimportant, dear sister, at least when it comes to the where. A different how should be asked.”
Mod smiled over towards where Joe was absentmindedly standing, and repeated himself a bit louder after delivering an elbow to Joe’s side. Joe snapped to attention and responded.
Joe: “As in how we’re going to get it in there with all that security.”
Mod: “And the answer to that, my dear sister, is you.”
Kate: “Why do I feel as if this is going to make me feel so stupid?”
The crowd started to move forward faster, the group’s shady acts cleverly hidden from the security staff. No one could really see what they were doing with all the secrecy. When the line paused again Joe stood in front of the two to block what they were doing. Mod took what looked like an albino baby seal and a gray sweatshirt from his backpack and stuffed the cooler bag and his backpack into the weird seal looking thing. He attached it to Kate and hid it under the sweatshirt that he had also hidden in his backpack.
Kate: "Did you get this sweater from Grandma?"
Mod: "Nah, it's one of Dad's old sweaters."
The weird thing wrapped around Kate wasn't really an albino baby seal, as that would be a ridiculous and smelly thing to attach to someone, even more ridiculous than a regularly pigmented seal. He had attached a fake pregnancy belly to his sister.
Mod: “Okay, now act natural, sis.”
Kate scoffed at the notion.
Kate: “Act as if I’m pregnant? You jerk, that’s not even funny.”
Mod: “With the rate at which you and Joe have been going, I will be able to say that with a straight face a few months from now.”
Kate and Joe both blushed.
Kate: “You’re lucky I don’t slap you.”
Uncomfortable conversations aside, the line was moving full speed ahead and Joe’s group was finally nearing the front doors of the stadium. The closer they got to security, the more nervous they all became. It was difficult to tell if Kate’s sea of sweat had formed because of her nervousness or the hot fake belly and sweatshirt that she now had to wear over her clothes.
At the front of the line, Joe went towards the doors, but was pushed back by a large man the size of a pro-wrestler, wearing a red t-shirt. Kate looked at him with rising fear in her eyes and a growing knot in her stomach. The large man might’ve been a wrestler, but he had the words UNIVERSITY SECURITY on his shirt. He approached the group and looked right at Kate and Joe.
Security: “Is this woman with you?”
Kate and Joe looked at each other, and then back at the security officer. Joe nodded his head and Kate sweated even more, to the point of drenching her socks.
Security: “Where’s your head at, kid? Let the lady go first. She’s with child.”
He looked right at her and smiled, which Kate guessed was meant to be inviting, but didn’t make her feel any more comfortable.
Security: “Go on through, miss.”
Kate gulped down her previous fear and strolled past the man, while the other two followed close behind. Joe got the stink-eye from the security guy. Sensing DDTs and power-bombs in his future, he decided to hasten his pace towards the ticket taker, who then took their tickets.
Inside, they all had a powwow about where to go and if they would get snacks. Eventually, they got it all together and found their seats. The game began with the singing of the national anthem, which got everyone riled up and patriotic. The players on both teams took to the field in a frenzy, to everyone’s delight. You could feel the high levels of energy throughout the stadium. The pops that the players took created audible “pops” throughout the audience.
The hometown team was losing in the first quarter, to the chagrin of Joe and the gang. Mod had pulled the thermos from Kate’s baby belly when he was sure no one was looking. Kate hastily ripped off the hot sweater and fake belly and threw them underneath her seat. The upper part of her green tanktop was drenched with sweat.
Kate: “Ugh, I need to cool down.”
Mod pulled a couple cans of Double Dog Brew for himself and handed another to Joe and then to Kate. Joe sipped his beer while the other two downed theirs like old pros and argued over who had finished first. Kate and Mod grabbed more beers and shared stories of the time Mod had accidently soiled his underwear during a camping trip. Mod tried not to laugh but couldn’t help himself.
Mod: “You guys are poop-heads.”
Kate: “Great choice of words, little bro. You might want to rethink what comes out of your potty mouth.”
When the second quarter picked up, they poured their hearts into cheering the Pickers, while pouring more beers into their mouths. You would’ve thought the Fowlers had murdered the families of their rivals from the jeers they got. Joe, Mod, Kate, and the rest that sat in their row, screamed expletives at the rival team, and a few death threats as well. Mod and Joe had made friends with the group sitting next to them and even shared some of their beers. The man sitting next to Mod was very grateful.
Neighboring Fan: “Yeah, they’re selling beers at the concession for about seven flippin’ dollars. If I didn’t think security would be so tight I would’ve brought me some cans too.”
Mod: “Yeah I always come prepared, man. Otherwise I’d blow all of my allowance—er paycheck, on these drinks.”
Kate elbowed Mod in the ribs and the friendly fan merely laughed. Towards the end of the second quarter the group started smelling something weird.
Joe: “Do you guys smell that?”
Kate: “What is it?”
Joe: “Smells like something is burning or something.”
They all smelled it, but it was so faint that no one paid it any major attention. The Pickers were still down and so the group cheered louder than ever.
Chapter 2 Boom
BOOM!
A large rippling explosion reverberated throughout the stadium, knocking many people over into the aisles below them. Fires came from seemingly nowhere. Chaos erupted throughout the stadium as everyone sprang out of their seats and to the exits. Joe kept sight of Kate and her brother Mod and moved down the crowded stairs and into the hallways of the stadium. They all ran towards the exit. Kate and Mod had a sizable lead on Joe.
Another explosion then ripped throughout the stadium, causing the panic to erupt into pandemonium. Joe lost sight of Kate amongst the sea of desperate people seeking the exit. The smoke coming from the lower levels of the stadium was so black and thick that it began to obscure the field. It had begun to choke Joe; his eyes were starting to water. He wiped them, and when he did, he saw the most beautiful girl that he’d ever seen in real life. There were women on TV who came close to this beauty, but no woman he’d ever seen or met in this reality was even close. He was forced to question if he was still even alive, or if the smoke and heat had gotten the better of him. He was as hot as a slab of ribs on the fourth of July, so that gave him a clue.
For some reason, the woman was running the opposite way from the rest of the crowd, like fighting a tide, but she managed gracefully and with marginal effort. There was a loud pop and the beauty ducked, another and she ducked again. She did all this without losing her running pace, and Joe realized the woman was being chased and shot at. After another pop, Joe saw someone in the crowd fall to the ground. He looked around for the shooter, but had a hard time seeing anyone specific in such a large crowd. He waited for an
other pop, and maybe a flash. The anticipation was killing him. He knew he should be trying to escape with the others, but he was compelled to find this shooter.
There! He caught sight of the man in the black suit with what Joe could tell was probably an M9 handgun, thanks to his years of playing Call of Duty. The crowd had thinned considerably around the man, and he ran forward after the woman. He pushed a small child out of the way, and then shoved an older lady to the ground. He carefully aimed his gun and drew a bead on the olive-skinned beauty. He stopped and anticipated the way she might move and BLAM!
The bullet flew upwards and clicked against metal near the ceiling. Joe had slapped the gun out of the man’s hand. After the initial moment of shock, the man clad in the black suit glared down at Joe, who had fallen clumsily. Thick red veins bulged from the man’s neck.
Man in Black: “What the hell do you think you’re doing, kid? I’m going to pop your head off your skinny little shoulders. And guess what? I’m going to love every second of it.”
The man picked Joe up and threw a wild punch into the defenseless boy’s stomach. Joe tried to double over and heave up everything he had eaten today, but the man held him up for more punishment.
Man: “I’m not done with you yet, boy.”
Joe saw the man wind back for a punch that he just knew was a gift for his face. If given a choice, he would reject the present, or re-gift it, but he currently didn’t have that luxury.
Joe then fell under the force of several people. He felt the floor and was free to crawl away from the pandemonium. When he looked back, he saw that a group of very big Fowler fans were going to town on the man in black’s face. He couldn’t stomach any more of the carnage, so he looked forward to see where the woman had went.
Joe just had to make sure that she was okay, then he could leave. He wasn’t sure if any of those bullets had hit her, and he wasn’t quite thinking straight. It could have been the drinks. It could have been the chaos. It could have even been the lack of breathable air. He hadn’t noticed that there was no blood trail. He hadn’t even noticed that he had run past another man in a black suit or that the man was drawing a bead on the back of his skull. The only thing on his mind now was a scent. It had disrupted Joe’s surroundings. It didn’t fit in with all the running people, fire, sweat, blood, and chaos. It smelled…
Story of K: An Infinite Golden Light (Sci Fi Action) (Space Fiction) (Robot Fiction) Page 4