First story

Oh man.  I debated not doing this to be honest, but if I want to make any progress I'm going to have to bite the bullet and give it a try so Here's my first story that I have been working on, I only have a working title so far.  I figure I'll wait a few days before posting one of the others I've been working on.

The Spirit and Other Legends

(working title)

(Ok, so quick note as I do with all my writing projects right now.  This is the first one where I just wrote something without planning the characters out first, so I don't know if that's going to be bad or good.  Anyways, I'm not sure if it's going to be apparent at the start, but this is a steampunk western.)

"So there I was gentlemen," Ben said as he took a look at his cards.  Nothing great.  "Miles off the coast.  The townsfolk had been getting attacked by a great beast in the sea, and I was elected to investigate.  For hours there was nothing, Then finally, When I was getting ready to head back to shore it came, a huge beast!  Massive tentacles thrashing about.  I pulled out my electro gun and shot one of the tentacles, causing the beast to shriek in pain, but when I shot the next one, nothing.  This happened a few times so finally I told Melody here." Ben paused, pointing at a girl sitting next to him, a striking girl with silver hair and blue eyes.  "To hold the ship steady while I dove into the water to get a better look.  Well, I couldn't believe it, but it was the Mecha Kraken."  "The Mecha Kraken?  That's just a myth." one of the other players says.  "No, it turns out it's real.  Some scientist built it to keep pirates away.  Well, built is a soft word.  He caught an actual Kraken and performed some rather horrible experiments on it.  Anyways, it turns out the town's fishing boats were getting a little close to its nest, where it had a large number of eggs.  The only thing I could do was move the eggs and get the Kraken to follow to a new nesting ground.  It wasn't easy, cost me most of my supplies, and just about all my ammo.  Which I why I thank you all for this." he says laying down his cards.  Bets had been flying while he told his tale, all of it true, and it had distracted everyone enough that Melody had been able to observe the game and signal Ben when to raise, fold, or trade cars out.

 Ben grinned as he scooped the money up.  This would cover them for a few weeks.  Just as he was about to head up to his room though three rough-looking men came up to him.  "Hey, we think you cheated." one of them says.  Ben looked them over.  He hated when people were sore losers at the poker table, but holding a gun on him, well, that was just rude.  "Well I'm sorry, but I won fair and square."  "Well now, we could debate that, but seeing as how we're holding the guns and you have no ammo." the man said.  They were regular guns, just bullets.  Of course, bullets could kill just as well.  "No ammo?" Ben asks.  "Oh yes, I suppose I did say that.  But you see gentlemen, what I don't advertise to many is I always keep a spare charge cell in my boots, Never know when you're going to need one after all."  "You're bluffing." said one of the man's friends.  "Am I?" Ben asked, flicking a switch on the gun, it hummed to life and a few bolts began to crackle at the barrel.  "See, I might bluff at cards, but I never bluff about how much ammo I have."  "Oh shit!" one of them exclaimed as they all three ran out.  Ben sighed in relief.  In truth, he had maybe a 3% charge on that cell.  He switched the gun off and headed up to his room, Melody following behind.  "Ben, I want new clothes," she says.  "I know you do," he says with a sigh.  All but the clothes on their backs had pretty much been taken.  First, he had used most of his supplies dealing with the Mecha Kraken.  Then as if that weren't bad enough, Everything else they had pretty much went to paying for the damages to the ship they had borrowed in their quest. And the clothes they had were ripped and stained, it was kind of amazing they had held up this long.  "But what am I going to sleep in?!" Melody asks in a bit of a higher tone."  "The lady provided you a nightgown.  "That's not what I like and you know it," she says in a pout.  "I know." Ben sighed exasperatedly.  "For an Automaton, you sure have fancy tastes.  I've got money now, we just have to wait until morning.  No one's open at 11 at night."  "Fine." she huffs as they make their way to the room.  Ben sighing as he climbed into the bed, Melody getting in on the other side after changing.

 As Ben closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, his dream turned to memories, memories of just how he had found Melody.  He had been out looking for salvage.  There had been a great battle of some war years ago before he was born, and the townspeople would occasionally go out there and pick through the remains for parts or other things.  Ben had taken his dad's horse and carriage, a steam-powered one was way too expensive, and made his way to fort Ironsides.  A massive and impressive Calvary fort, named because it had iron walls on its side.  Unfortunately, not the front gate, which is why they had been ambushed and lost that battle.  Ben parked the horse and carriage and made his way inside, keeping his hand close to his pistole.  He was sure he wouldn't be the only one here, and some people didn't like to share salvage.  He looked around and found some good things.  Weapon parts mostly.  Some old uniforms, he made his way to various rooms seeing what he could grab.  "Oh shit a dead body!" he gasps.  Then he stops and looks again.  It looked like a girl, there was no blood though.  "Oh it's an automaton," he says relieved.  Getting a closer look, she was badly damaged, a huge hole in her stomach area, her face looked strangely at peace.  There was something in her though, tucked away a bit.  "What's that a ruby?" he asked to no one in particular  Suddenly he could hear a voice.  Several of them, very loud.  "Shit, Pirates," he muttered, a sense of urgency and panic filling him.  He was about to run when he remembered the Automaton.  Surely he couldn't leave a find like this to those pirates.  But he needed to get out of there before they saw him.  He picked her up, finding she was surprisingly light, and ran.  "Who's there?" a voice called.  "Shit, shit, shit!" he says trying to get out as fast as he could.  Bullets and other things started to fly in his direction, but he managed to get out with a bag of goodies and the automaton, throwing them into the carriage and getting the horse to go as fast as he could.

The dream was interrupted by the sun streaming through the window, and a loud commotion could be heard outside.  Ben groaned a bit as he got up, peering out the window.  The townspeople were going about their daily lives, "Melody, come on." he says nudging her.  It was one more weird thing about her.  She was the only automaton he had ever heard of that slept.  He wondered sometimes if she dreamed. "Come on, let's go, we got to do some shopping," he says as Melody finally gets up.  After getting dressed again in their worn-out clothes they headed down to the shops.  While they shopped for supplies Ben couldn't help but notice the whole town was abuzz, everyone was talking about an airship that had landed.   A sense of dread and annoyance filled him as he bought a few charge cells and other supplies.  He had already bought some new clothes for himself, but Melody was taking her sweet time.  "Hey, what's the name of the airship that landed?" he asks the shopkeep.  "The Humble Relic," he says.  Ben sighs.  The humble relic was the ship of one Captain James Sprocket, a hero among heroes.  That in and of itself was not the problem, and Ben would even like the chance to see the captain.  No, the problem was who else would be in town then.  "Well well, Benjamin Cogsworth." A voice from behind him said.  "Sally Sprocket."  He responds, his voice having a hint of annoyance as he turns around.  There stood Sally Sprocket.  A girl the same age as him, and Captain James sprockets Daughter.   Her red hair blowing down behind her underneath her cap.  She wore trousers, a growing trend amongst girls, especially the kind that went on adventures.  "So what brings the Famous Sally Sprocket to Broadstead?" he asks, changing out the power cell in his gun, and slipping one into his boot.  "Oh this is just a quick re-supply stop," she says.  "But it figures I would find you here.  You know, if you ever want, I could give you a ride anywhere you want on the Humble Relic," she says.  Ben's face went a little pale at the thought.  He hated airships.  "Thanks no," he says, preparing to walk away.  "You know Ben, I'm surprised.  I hear you're making a bit of a name for yourself out here in the west," she says.  "Yeah well, just trying to help people if I can," he says.

(now I have two ideas, either way, I figure that Ben and Sally grew up together.  On the one hand, she insults his father, a mean spirited drunk, which angers Ben, thus putting them at odds, the other is having them be kind of rivals)