Seek My Master
A Phantasy Star Online Fanfiction
by
M_BlackHawk
"Leave my training hall," Zoke Miyama told the white haired young man standing in front of him, "I do not train murderers here."
"Don't think this is over, Miyama," the man answers as he turns to leave, "I'll be back, and stronger than you'll ever be."
"True strength doesn't come in fighting technique, Dansen," Zoke told the young man as he left, "It comes from inside. You will never have the kind of strength that truly matters. You will just have the ability to kill, not the desire and power to protect."
That said, Shane Dansen left the training hall of Zoke Miyama, as a young blonde-haired man walked up and began talking to his master. He glared back at the younger warrior, and realized what had just happened.
The HUmar had remembered that day, like it happened just on the previous one. The day he was banished from the training hall of "Great Sword" Zoke Miyama, and his sparring partner had assumed the mantle of master of the Soaring Heaven style.
Today, Shane Dansen is with a team of hunters, down in the third level of the ancient ruins, which had been uncovered by a different team. He was carrying his DB Saber, which he had traded off his old katana for. He had strayed from his team, feeling more at ease, alone.
"Come to me," came a strange whisper of a voice, "I will set you free." Shane grabbed his head, not knowing where the voice was coming from, but feeling it in his mind, instead. "Come to me," it repeated, "Let me set free your real power: Your rage."
Shane proceeded further into the ruins, through a really long hallway, and past one monolith, and into a teleporter. He reappeared in a garden, where he saw a huge structure in the center of the garden. He walked up to the structure, and felt his hand moving toward it, as if guided by some unseen power. When his hand touched the monolith, he felt a surge of power enter his body, coursing through his entire being. Shane Dansen then collapsed to the ground, and started to get back up. His eyes held a strange purple glow to them.
Elsewhere, in the manor of Zoke Miyama, the swordmaster sat in quiet meditation. Suddently, images of his former student, filled his mind. He saw images of the monolith in the ruins, and the power that now coursed through the young man's entire being. "I knew this would happen," Zoke thought, then continued his meditation.
"How are you holding up?" asks a HUcast of his FOmar partner, "Needing fluids yet?"
"Oh, I think I can hold up for a while," replies the FOmar, "Wait, is that Shane ahead?"
It was Dansen. He was holding the saber at the ready. He seemed to disappear from sight, and reappeared behind the force, slicing the man in the back. He then attacked the stronger android, hitting him multiple times in rapid succession. In no time, the android was reduced to spare parts.
Zoke winced as new images entered his mind. This time, he was shown images of the gruesome murder of a team of hunters. The speed of the attacks used could only have been done by a student or master of the Soaring Heaven style. "I now know what I have to do," Zoke Miyama said to himself, walking over to the dias on the wall of his training hall, "I have to finish what I started with Shane Dansen. I can't let him become a devil." He takes the 3 katanas, Kamui, Sange and Yasha, off the dias, setting them at his side.
The black-clad swordmaster had left his manor without saying a word to his RAcaseal companion, Shino. He found a transporter that would take him into the ruins, where he began the arduous task of searching for his former student, Shane Dansen. Little did he know, but he was actually the hunted, and not the hunter.
Watching his former master proceed through the ancient structure, the white haired HUmar smirked, knowing that this place would soon become the swordmaster's tomb. He watched as the legendary katana, Kamui, cut a swathe of carnage through the monsters, knowing that the battles in this structure will wear down his former master, giving him a distinct advantage over his adversary, when the time was right to face each other.
Meanwhile, back on Pioneer 2, Mike, Lara and Amelia BlackHawk walked from their home to the enormous Angelus Manor. Amelia carried with her a long object, wrapped in paper. The three are met at the door by the butler.
"Welcome," Willem tells the BlackHawks, "To what do we owe this pleasure?"
"It's Amelia's idea," Mike says, "She remembered that Seifer's birthday was coming up and wanted to give him this. I was hoping to use the training room for a while, since we're having some work done on our own training facilities."
"I'm just here to make sure Mike doesn't hurt himself," Lara adds in, "Mike tends to overexert himself while training."
"I think Seifer's in there right now," Diego Angelus informs his friends, walking up to the door, "I'll lead you there."
"Thanks, Diego," Amelia says, smiling. "Heaven forbid Seifer and my brother start sparring," she thinks to herself, "the room may not be able to contain it."
Zoke had gotten tired of wading through the almost endless hoarde of monsters in the ruins. His katana was already caked in monster blood, and he was wearing down. He could feel his reserves of strength fading. The swordmaster popped open a trimate and continued on his journey.
He had followed Zoke all the way through the first level of the ruins, shadowing him the entire trip. He watched the swordmaster growing weaker and weaker as he battled on.
"This will be easier than I thought," the shadow thinks to himself, "he'll be as weak as a child when he gets to the right spot." The Shadow smirked and continued to follow Zoke Miyama.
"Mike, Lara," Seifer Angelus says as the pair of hunters enter the training room, "What's up?" He then notices Amelia standing beside Lara, and gives her a smile before asking, "And how are you, Amelia?"
"Fine," Amelia answers, "I wanted to give you this. I thought it would help you in your training." She hands him the long object, and the young HUmar carefully unwraps it, revealing a katana-like, steel twinsaber. He looked over the blades, noticing how they had been left blunt. "Mike told me that a sword like this would be heavier than your photon sabers, and could enhance your strength. He trains with a similar katana already."
"Really," Seifer thinks, "And is that the sword you have with you, Mike?"
"It is," the blonde haired hunter answers, "I was going to do a bit of training myself. We're having some work done to our own training facilities at home."
"Then why don't we put these swords to the test," Seifer says, grinning, "En garde!"
Zoke had entered a long hallway. The room was empty, except for a human sized shadow standing in the center of the room, holding a saber. He held his katana close as he readied himself for battle.
This was the moment he was waiting for. He would soon have the vengeance he had longed for for over a decade. He gripped the saber tightly, making ready for combat. A smile came to his lips, as he watched his weakened former master, and now opponent ready the katana, Kamui, for battle.
The two HUmars stood not 20 feet away, steel swords gleaming in the light of the training room. the warriors charged at each other, and Seifer tried to get the first strike in, slicing laterally at his opponent. Mike, in turn, leapt high into the air, diving at the white haired youngster. His strike was blocked by one of the twinsaber's two blades and he descends off to the right. The youngest Angelus charges once more swinging the twin in a flurry of blows blocked by the speed of Mike's katana.
The elder hunter dodges around a few more of Seifer's blows, rotating around to hit his younger opponent in the back, force added to the blow by his rotation. Again, the advantage of the twinsaber's blades blocks this attack, forcing Mike to try something else.
"Who do you think will win?" Diego asks Lara, "They're almost equal in speed and strength."
"I don't know," Lara says, "Mike's Soaring Heaven style is pretty strong, yet he's got to deal with the twinsaber this time."
"I'm betting on Seifer," Amelia answers, "But it's going to be a good fight, either way."
Seifer once again charges his elder with a flurry of attacks, but an airborne strike from Mike knocks the youngster off balance. The elder HUmar continues the combination of strikes with a rising uppercut slice that knocks the youngster into the air himself. He descends on his feet, readying for another attack. Mike seemed to be faster than ever as he charged at Seifer. His next sword attack hit 9 places on the younger man's body in rapid succession, seemlingly at the same time. Seifer stumbled back, but regained his composure to attack Mike from the air. The slashing twinsaber knocked Mike backwards, into the wall.
"This kid's good," Mike thought to himself, "I've not been challenged like this in a long time." The blonde HUmar smiled
"He's better than I thought," Seifer considered, "Glad he's on our side." Seifer let a grin come to his face, readying his twinsaber for one more strike. He watched Mike put his katana back in the sheath and rest his hand on the hilt.
"This is it," Lara thinks out loud, "What do you think, Diego?"
"I don't know what to think," the ranger answers, "these two are faster than anyone else I've ever seen."
"Come on, Seifer," Amelia yells, "Get him!"
Seifer charged at Mike, who stood his ground. When the time was right, Mike drew the katana from its sheath, attacking with unfound speed. Seifer's twinsaber blocks the attack, but gets slung from the young man's hand, as Mike rotates around.
"What's happening," Seifer thinks, "I blocked the attack, but he's coming back around to hit me again. Wait..I'm advancing toward him. That attack must have displaced the air around where I blocked it. Now I'm being drawn in with the vacuum."
Sure enough, Seifer was being drawn in by an air vacuum, created when he blocked the initial strike of Mike's attack. The blonde haired HUmar rotated around, katana in hand, and struck again, nailing the youngest Angelus brother in the ribs. Seifer flew off to Mike's right, from the added force of the blow. Amelia's eyes widened as she saw the full-on power of her brother's final technique. She rushed over to Seifer and began to heal his wounds with her Resta tech.
"How did you do that," Seifer asked as Mike sheathed the katana, "What was that attack?"
"The final technique of the Soaring Heaven style," Mike answers, "The strike of the soaring dragon. The way Master Zoke explained it to me is 'Should one evade the fangs of the dragon by soaring high, he will be drawn in by the fierce winds, and shredded by the claws'. Hardly anyone's challenged me to the point that I had to use it, Seifer. You're the first in a long time."
At the front door of Angelus Manor, Willem stands face to face with a black and white colored RAcaseal. "I need help," she tells the butler, "I must find my master."