Ch 01 I Am Not Loving It

Chapter One: I am not loving it
 
‘You know those kinds of days that just make you want to go on a killing spree? Well it just so happens that I am experiencing one of those days’ the local McDonalds had been rather busy on this particular summer afternoon. Cars had been going through the take out line almost nonstop since the fast food giant’s staff has begun serving lunch at 11 AM as they always did on weekends.
 
A young man dressed in the typical McDonalds uniform; which consisted of a light blue button up shirt made of a semi heavy material, black work pants, and a tacky red and blue diagonally striped tie. As a member of the male half of the mammalian species Homo sapiens, this young was required to wear a baseball cap on his head, whereas the female members of the staff were required to wear a visor.
 
The aforementioned young man stood behind the front counter, at the first register, a forced smile upon his face, one that was not even remotely reflected in his brown eyes. It was this frazzled young man’s thoughts that were clearly able to be heard just moments ago. You see like any respectable tale, a main character is necessary. And as unlikely a choice as a McDonald’s employee maybe, he is this story’s protagonist none the less. Now this young fellow was of only the age of 20, soon to be 21, in October to be exact. And he was only working at this wonderful establishment part time.
 
Things for this particular young man had not been especially easy; in fact it has been one thing going wrong after another. He had been yelled at by his superiors numerous times, half of which were for incidents that he had no fault in what so ever. ‘I just can’t wait for 3 PM. I will finally be free from this nuthouse…although it isn’t much of an escape, considering I’ll be back here tomorrow morning once again…I really hate my life…’ Five minutes later, and at least 4 orders paid for and served, the clock finally struck 3:00. 
 
 
However the young man at the counter was not at all aware of this, rather his mind was wandering as it tended to. ‘I wonder if any of the guys from the PG site are on the chat right now…I really can’t wait to get out of here…Wonder if Kelvin or Shugo are on now?... Man, I really hope Kerrik updated his newest fic before I get home there’s been nothing good to read of late…’ He was awakened from his midday reverie, by a poking at the side of his skull…one that was beginning to get particularly annoying.
 
”Helloooo? Anybody home?” inquired an annoyingly smug sounding male voice.
 
This was enough to shake the cashier from his thoughts completely. Whirling around almost completely by reflex, the cashier snagged the offending digit that had been poking at his cranium in a particularly hard grip. He looked from the hand he had seized to the owner of said digit, which was of course one of his co-workers.
 
“Dude chill, there’s no need for you to go all ninja one me!” he exclaimed, much to the further annoyance of the young man that had seized his finger. The young man that stood at the first register gave out a particularly loud sigh and replied.
 
”How many times, do I have to tell you not to do that Travis?”
 
The offender, now identified as Travis tried to look as innocent as his somewhat diminutive stature would allow him to, which of course meant that he looked somewhat amusing, sitting there, with his extended pointer finger held in a hand much larger than his own, smiling up at a figure that was easily a head taller than his barely 5’2’’ frame.
 
“Umm…I don’t know….maybe three more?” Travis stated innocently in reply, craning his neck slightly to look at his much larger coworker’s scowling face.
 
 
”What could you possibly need, that made you feel that it was necessary to poke me in the head?” Inquired the still scowling cashier, his annoyance at the situation, and this day in general apparent in his voice.
 
Travis didn’t look even remotely fazed by his colleague’s obvious annoyance. “It’s time for you to go man; it’s already 3:00.” A look of slight embarrassment crossed the cashier’s face as soon as his smaller comrade had finished his sentence.
 
“…I was daydreaming again wasn’t I?” It wasn’t so much a question as a statement that left the cashier’s mouth.
 
The familiar smug expression immediately reappeared upon Travis’ visage. “No shit, why else would I be poking you in the side of the head? You totally had this glazed look to your eyes and everything.” Replied the little bastard, as the cashier’s mind had now labeled him.
 
The cashier just grunted in reply and made his way over to a nearby monitor with a touch screen, and entered his employee number, and chose the option to clock out for the day. With a wave of his hand, the cashier made his way into the gas station that was attached to the particular McDonalds he worked at.
 
Giving a nod in the direction of the heavily tattooed and pierced gas station clerk, the cashier made his way out of the building fairly quickly. Looking left and right before stepping off the curb and making his way into the parking lot, the fast food cashier’s eyes landed upon his mode of transportation.
 
A blue vehicle that looked like the bastard child of a VW Bug and a station wagon, a Chrysler PT Cruiser sat sandwiched in between other numerous parked cars.  Unlocking the door, with a remote he had fished out of his right side pocket, that was attached to a key ring and black lanyard combination¸ the cashier calmly unlocked the driver’s side door of his Cruiser and at himself in the seat.
 
Shifting about in place to get comfortable, the driver of the PT Cruiser let out a sigh of exasperation, his thoughts going back to the numerous incidents that had occurred that day.
 
With a wry smile, that looked absolutely normal on his previously scowling face, the McDonalds employee, and self-proclaimed butt monkey of his particular place of employment said one phrase, which he had said many times before. A phrase, that he knew from reading many stories, and having viewed many anime, that Fate loved to kick the protagonist in the butt whenever the main character dared to utter this phrase.
 
“At least things can’t get any worse.” He said with a shake of the head, as if he were denying the possibility of further bad things happening to him.
 
Boy, would he live to regret saying those very cliché words…
 
Little did the unsuspecting cashier know that trouble was afoot and that he and several others were about to have their world’s turned upside down. Not only that but the views and beliefs of these individuals would be challenged, as they experience what is in store for them.

 
Dark Continent, Sanctuary, 1201 AM Local Time
Within a dark chamber, made entirely of brick, and lit by only a circle of torches, the shadowed forms of an unidentifiable number of individuals stand. Their forms are arranged in a circle surrounding what appears to be a diagram. This diagram is made up entirely of diagonal lines that intersect one another repeatedly…if one has any knowledge of the arcane and the supernatural, they would recognize this symbol for what is was…a Pentagram.
 
The sound of chanting fills the room, each of the figures chanting as one, to increase the power of whatever spell they are attempting to complete. The tone and pitch of the chanting increased and decreased as the arcane energies were woven according to the words of the spell casters.
 
The Pentagram that the group of shrouded figures stood circled around began to glow with a bloody crimson light. The faces of the figures were illuminated for the first time, since their chanting has begun.
 
What was revealed were the faces of women…each bore different tones of flesh and eye color. The figure standing at the top of the circular formation possessed almost deathly pale skin, and had gaunt sunken in features, her eyes seemed to almost glow with an inner light, making her indigo colored eyes shine in the recesses of her hood.
 
The figure to her right, clockwise in their formation, had dusky skin of a most exotic hue, her golden eyes seemed to glow like a cat’s would in the darkness of night.
 
The next face to be revealed was that of a woman who had as black as the darkness of a moonless night. Her eyes were a demonic red that seemingly reflected the inner rage and anger that this female felt for the world.
 
The final female form to be revealed stood at the position of nine o’ clock, if one were to compare these enigmatic women’s positions to those of numbers on the face of the clock. The latter three women stood at 12, 3, and 6 respectively. Another thing of note was that each female stood at one of the cardinal directions. North, East, South and finally where this woman stood, West.
 
Her features were seemingly the most normal among the group. She had healthy Caucasian features and held a slight tan to her skin. Her eyes were a sky blue color.
 
There is one key feature that aside from the hooded robes that these for women wore, and that was the presence of numerous and various kinds of markings that appeared on the faces of the hooded robed females. These markings were of different color on each woman, and seemed to be indicative of their place in their society. In truth though, these various markings were a form of tribal tattoos and runic markings that set them apart from their seemingly human appearances, it truly marked them for what they were…Pokegirls.
 
The positions of these women seemingly held some significance, though what it was, aside from what their respective locations corresponded to, any further significance is unknown. What was apparent though, was that a great deal of power was being put into this particular arcane ritual. Each of the figures showed signs of exsertion¸be it sweat that was beginning to form on their brows, or the harsh breathing that began within the golden eyed female’s form, some 6 or more minutes into their chanting.
 
“Focus Sister!” was the harsh reprimand from the crimson eyed woman who stood at the southern end of the circle of spell casting women.
 
 
The golden eyed woman seemed to gain a second wind of sorts at the harsh tone of the ebon skinned member of their group. Her posture seemed to become much straighter, even as her body was pushed to its limits during the process of this particular spell.
 
The blue eyed member of the group of women seemed to shake her head in wry amusement, though she showed no strain like her fellow “Sister” seemed to be showing. She eyed the scowling visage of her fellow robed accomplice, and smirked at the look of outrage on the dark skinned females face.
 
The chanting seemed to reach its peak as the light also reached a peak in its intensity in synch with the chanting. An explosion of bloody light seemed to shoot both upwards and outwards consuming the group of magic users in its wake.
 
An audible explosion similar to the one a plane would make when it reached the appropriate speed to breech the sound barrier would, filled the chamber as the light’s intensity seemed to continue to remain even after the explosion of sound occurred.
 
As the explosion of arcane energies died down, the shrouded forms of the four females became visible once again. The four females all seemed to show various signs of relief, be it in their stances or in their facial expressions.
 
The indigo eyed woman with the pale skin and almost malnourished facial features seemed to show almost no emotion what so ever. However if one were to look at her eyes, the glow in them seemed to be brighter…it also seemed to convey a feeling of satisfaction that wasn’t at all present on her stoic face.
 
The golden eyed and dusky skinned female that has seemed to struggle with the spell that the group had just successfully completed, seemed to sag once again, though this time it was in obvious relief. Her face seemed to convey this as well, as her expression just screamed her relief even if she did not do so audibly.
 
The posture of her body and the matching expression on her dark skinned face both matched perfectly, as both seemed to convey her irritation at her golden eyed Sister. It was with a considerable effort that she was able to reign in her considerable temper, and not throttle her Sibling, right there and now.
Just as had been apparent during the spell casting, the blue eyed female showed no obvious exertion from her usage of a considerable amount of her magical energies into the unknown spell. Instead she wore a content smile upon her face that was reflected both in her eyes and in her seemingly relaxed posture.
 
“It is done.” Intoned the monotone voice of the pale, indigo eyed woman. She had said this with seemingly as much enthusiasm as her completely blank expression showed.
 
The heads of her three robed Sisters nodded almost in chorus to her declaration, the robed head of the golden eyed female was a little slower than the other two were in their responses.
 
With a nod of her head the pale woman with gaunt features clapped her hands together once, as the three others bowed their heads in recognition of her action.
 
“We shall not be unsuccessful in our efforts to successfully use the powers of one of the Authors, as many of our other Sanctuary sisters have been in their attempts.” Explained the confident voice of the blue eyed woman, who seemed to still stand with an oddly relaxed posture.
 
“Indeed we shall not, Sister West. If this author shall prove to be as difficult as the others have, I have certain…measures that can be taken to insure this one’s cooperation.” Replied the intense voice of the crimson eyed woman that had earlier reprimanded her other sister. A sadistic grin appearing on her face as she stated this. Again her eyes seemed to convey her emotions…and this time they showed bloodlust.
 

“Well, if your ‘measures’ as you call your torture techniques don’t work…” Came the statement of the golden eyed beauty. “I have my own measures that I can take as well…hehe.” she ended with a giggle. Her eyes seemed to convey her amusement at her statement…as well as a bit of mischief perhaps?
 
The pale faced woman that was the seeming leader of this group of vastly different individuals seemed to nod her head in acknowledgement of their various statements and claims.
“So to it that this is the case…you are all dismissed.” Came the monotonous command from the almost deathly pale and thin woman in command.
 
The three robed women once again bowed their heads as one, to acknowledge their commander’s words and each replied in turn.
 
“As you wish Milady!”