Long awaited (by some at least) reboot of one of my old stories. Reworking the canon and everything from the ground up. So here's hoping everything goes smoothly this go around.
Prologue
Feudal Japan, One thousand Years Ago.
The smell of burning homes, the screams of dying innocents, and the blood on his hands. Ah, paradise. He was massive, not human at all. A towering purple demon, with powerful arms and legs, a long bony tail with a razor sharp arrow head tip, and red hair that stood up like fire on his head. His eyes were putrid yellow, with no pupils. He smiled, revealing his razor sharp teeth, with blood dripping from his pronounced fangs.
"That was a good snack." He said, his voice deep and would scare most into weeping and begging for their lives. His smile vanished as quickly as it appeared. "But it was not enough. I need a more…filling meal."
"Demon!" Cried a voice behind him. The demon turned his head, not even turning all the way around to see who was challenging him this time. A wicked smirk,
"So," he said, "another fool from the Iga ninja clan comes to challenge me." He turned all the way around, flexing his muscles to show off his claws. "These claws are stained with the blood of your brothers and sisters. Tell me, what can you do that they could not? You cannot kill me and you know it!"
"That's what your brothers said." The lone figure said evenly, not showing even the faintest trace of fear. He was tall and lean, but his outfit obscured everything about him, save for his piercing green eyes. "You know that you can bleed. I'm about to show you that you can die as well." The demon laughed.
"Big words for such a puny warrior. I do not know where your fellow Iga ninjas have gone, but I know that you are about to join them." The demon lunged at the lone hero with a furious roar, but the hero sidestepped with ease and slashed him across the back, which caused the demon to scream in pain and fury. The warrior sprang forward, slashing the demon across the chest twice, in an X shape, causing his blue blood to drip from his chest. The demon swung his arm with enough force to knock the warrior's head clean off, but the warrior ducked in the nick of time and stabbed two Kunai into the demon's knees.
But the knees were much denser than the warrior had counted on, so they only broke the skin, which more annoyed the demon than hurt it. In response to this, the monster brought his leg up with deadly speed and accuracy, knocking the warrior back several feet before he used his metal claws to end his slide. But this gave the demon time to lunge again, grab the warrior by the throat, and lift him up off the ground. He then slammed the hero down hard.
"You played a good match," said the demon, planting a foot on the hero's chest, "but it looks like it ends in pain and screaming for you."
"Don't count on it!" The hero shot back, which caused the demon's face to contort in anger.
"Even in the face of your own death," snarled the monster, "you are flippant and defiant. I was going to give you a quick death because I was in a good mood, but you have closed that door." But faster than the demon could register, the hero's hand disappeared from view. When it returned, it held a shining white gem. The demon tried to brace himself, but too late, the gem flashed a powerful white light. The demon felt his body burning, the steam billowing off his frame confirming it. He stepped off the warrior and roared in pain. This gave the warrior time to rise and use his secret weapon.
It's now or never! Thought the hero, and pulled out an unusual sword. The hilt was a dark purple, the bottom of the handle decorated with the head of a wicked looking monster. The blade was as black as sin, and the hero gripped the purple handle tightly in his hand.
"Demon!" He snarled, "I banish you into the Blade Of Sin, where your brothers are! You will never escape! And you will wither away until you die." The hero prepared to throw it, knowing he only had one chance. If he missed he may never get another shot. He threw the blade with deadly accuracy at the monster, who was still recovering from the attack. As the blade neared its prey, it began to glow an evil shade of blackish purple, and pierced through the demon's torso. The monster flinched, but checking himself to see minimal blood from the new wound, he looked at the hero with a wicked smirk.
"I do not know what you tried to do," he taunted, "but it did not work." He began to walk towards the hero menacingly…or at least he tried. He found that his steps were greatly hindered, like a mortal trying to walk up a swift river. He turned around, and he realized what he had fallen for. He was slowly being dragged into the black vortex created by the blade. The monster tried to escape for all he was worth, but to no avail. When he realized his chances to escape this trap were nonexistent, he looked at the hero with a venomous glare; if looks could kill, the hero's flesh and muscle would be ripped from his bones by fiery hands.
"Mark my words!" snarled the monster, "I will escape this blade, no matter how long it takes. And when I do, I will track down every last descendant of the Iga Ninja Clan, and give them a slow and painful death." The hero said nothing in response, allowing the sword to do its work. Finally, the demon succumbed to the portal and was gone in the blink of an eye. The vortex closed itself and the sword ceased to glow, save for a red flash in the monster's left eye, as if winking at the hero, thanking him for the meal. The hero stood silently, as rain began to fall from the sky and pelt his body with icy cold drops. Hardly a worthy reward for him, but he simply stood there, allowing the rain to wash away the blood.
He bowed his head, uttering a silent prayer to one deity or another for the victims of the monster, before he looked up, sensing someone. He saw before him two of his allies. One of them faced him, the other one looking at the sword.
"You have done well." The first one said to him. The hero nodded.
"We must seal the blade away." The one eying the sword said. "Should it ever be touched by greedy hands, the demons will be freed." The figure grasped the sword, and placed it in a sheath hidden in the back of their outfit. Then as quick as a wink, they were off.
…
By sunrise, the figure was at their destination. A massive fortification, so big it blocked the sunrise where they stood. The figure walked to the steep and numerous steps of the place, stopping only to acknowledge the statue of Fusajiro Yamauchi, the man to whom they owed their livelihood. Then they ran swiftly as a gust of wind up the steps, getting to the top faster than most athletes of future generations could ever dream of, then stepped through the doors. Inside was a man sitting in the lotus position on a stoop, surrounded by candles and incense. Though their footsteps were silent, the old men looked up at them as if they had made a single noise.
"Is it done?" he asked, in a raspy voice, a face weathered by experience and combat.
"Yes, master." Said the guest, bowing, showing the hilt of the evil sword. "He has succeeded, and the demons that have plagued this beautiful land for far too long have been sealed away." The master nodded.
"We must guard this sword." The master's face turned solemn, "I know you are capable of this task. I just wish it were not my own daughter who would be the one who…" The old man's heart jumped to his throat, and the ninja strode over to comfort him.
"It is alright, Father." She said, "I do not regret what I must do. I will guard the sword to my last breath. Tell my husband I love him."
"It is a shame," said the old master, "that this hero's reward for saving our land is the loss of his wife."
"It is hard," said the wife, choking back her own tears, "but it is for the benefit of our land, and of all of mankind. These monsters must never be allowed to escape." With no more words, concluding what would be the last time the two spoke, the femme fatale slipped into a corridor. She pressed her hand into a certain stone on the wall that looked like it was simply part of the décor, and it technically was. But pressing this stone caused the wall to slide back and part, revealing a convenient rope, which climbed down for several stories, before finally reaching her destination. A massive underground room that few knew about, even inside the Iga Ninja Clan. The ceiling was very high, the walls very far apart, and at the center of the room was a massive round alter of sorts.
It was decorated with heads of monsters and demons, the same monsters and demons that now called this sword their home. She walked up the stairs, ignoring the hateful glares carved into the statues around her, and finally reached the top. Here, in a small open air stone room, rested a hole in the floor, for something to be inserted. The ninja took the evil sword and inserted the blade into the alter. She nearly flinched and drew her regular weapon when she saw the demon she thought had been sealed away, only to realize it was another statue.
Satisfied the danger was only imagined, the ninja turned around, and sat down in the lotus pose, allowing her mind to slip into a meditative state. She knew she would never see the sun again, and that she would have to learn to breathe the air down here, rather than the fresh air above. And the only people she would ever see were those who would bring her food and water, for she could not guard the sword if she starved to death. She almost began to weep at the final realization that she and her husband would never meet again, but she had planned ahead for this; her sister would take her place as her husband's wife, and they would be the ones to conceive. The woman pushed the thoughts out of her mind for the last time and allowed herself to become one with the room, and her new job.
…
Diamond City, Present Day
The rock star strummed the strings of his guitar, in front of thousands of screaming fans. The lights shining bright about him, and he ignored the sweat they brought, and focused on pleasing the people in front of him, but one in particular. He cast his eyes down to the audience, and there he saw her. The one whom he adored, the one whom led him to his great position today, and the one whom he proudly called his girlfriend. He jumped off the stage and approached her, the only thing holding them apart was the waist high barrier between them, yet he never missed a beat.
He sang his love ballad for her right there in front of her, and she fawned over him. Then the two got closer, preparing for their sweet kiss. But that all changed when her head grew massive, and she began to scream in a piercing shriek. This caused the whole place to crumble, and a massive piece of rubble was ripping from the ceiling and heading straight for him. His feet became glued to the floor, so he braced himself for the end.
Then he jolted awake in his bed. No fans, no arena, and worst of all, no girlfriend. The shrieking sound had been his alarm clock. Oh goody, it was time to get up and go to Diamond City Prison, or rather, Diamond City High School. It may as well have been prison though.
"Crappy food." Mused the teen, getting out of bed and heading downstairs for breakfast. "Thick windows, and needing a hall pass to go darn near anywhere. That's probably what prison is like at least." He simply prepared a bowl of cereal and some toast, and quickly ate them before heading back upstairs to shower. He knew she'd be awake soon, and he wanted to be out of here before then. But as he headed back down the stairs, he could already smell the bourbon…too late.
"Have fun at school," his mother slurred, "and try not to get sick; I'm too sloshed to come get ya."
"Mom, seriously." He began, but the woman with curly but messy brown hair, pasty skin, and bloodshot eyes pointed a finger at him.
"Daniel Albert O'Connor," His mother said, "don't you dare lecture me. You have your demons, I have mine." Danny didn't have time for this, so he simply nodded and left. His blonde hair blew in the wind, his small nervous frame clad in an orange T-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers with a green backpack on his shoulders. Danny couldn't believe it. Here he was, a senior in high school with a drunk mom, no dad, and an army of bullies waiting for him. His only friend in the world was Mona, a kind girl who always stood up for him. Danny could only hope she was here today. He looked at the rising sun as he walked to school. The sky was red, and he'd seen this many times, but something was oddly eerie about this sunrise.
"Red sky in the morning," Danny muttered to himself, "nerds take warning." He walked passed an electronics store, with many TV's in the window. Since he had time, he stopped to observe.
"And in a week's time," the news reporter said, "Wario's comet will pass the Earth, as it does once every twenty years. But what's interesting, is that some scientists believe this comet to be radioactive, which could be a disaster if it were to strike earth." Danny dismissed this and resumed his trek. But he was barely able to get onto school grounds before he felt his bag ripped from his shoulders. Oh joy, here it comes.
"Ya want it, loser?" taunted a voice behind him. Danny turned around to see his usual bully, and some of his cronies.
"Seriously?" Asked Danny, "do you just have nothing better to do than pick on people weaker than you? Come on, Nick, what's wrong? Did your mom love everyone but you?" Nick was way too easy to insult, even for him. But a glare in his eyes told Danny that today wasn't a good day for insults.
"Got some nerve, O'Connor!" said Nick in a dangerous tone, "insulting me on my birthday? Ugh! Get him!" Danny tried to turn and run, but he was quickly tackled to the ground. But before the beating could begin, he heard a voice.
"Get off him!" The voice filled him with comfort and relief. Here she was to save his hide. The bullies scrambled up and off him, scattering like ants until only Nick himself remained.
"I don't care if it's your birthday!" Asserted Mona, placing a firm finger on Nick's chest, "bullying isn't cool. It's like you WANT me to report you, because you never seem to learn." Mona was just a touch shorter than Danny, with orange hair, wearing a red tank top and skirt, with red boots, a brown biker's helmet, and a white coat finishing the outfit. Nick's face changed from one of fury to one of happiness.
"Hey, baby, how you doin'?" He tried to flirt, but Mona wouldn't have it. She shoved him back,
"Step off, creep!" She nearly shouted. Nick grunted, then sighed, before wandering off to parts unknown. Even if the rest of the world hated him, at least Mona didn't.
"Thanks, Mona." Said Danny, "At least I can count on you."
"No worries, Dan." She said with a wink, "but you gotta learn to stick up for yourself, ya know. I can't always be there." A buzzing sound could be heard. "Listen, I'd love to stay and chat." She said, "But I got to go practice with the Monettes for the big game next week. See ya around." Then without a word, she was gone.
…
From there, School whizzed by, and the next thing Danny knew, he was walking home. The sky had gone from eerie red to dismal grey, the slamming rain confirming the rotten weather. Danny trudged through the rain. Up ahead, he saw something that scared him; that old ratty mansion. He didn't know who lived there, if anyone, but he had an eerie feeling already, and he needed this mansion like he needed a bag on his hip. So Danny looked around, trying to find a way around. But with the street bustling with cars, Danny knew the only way was to walk past. So he picked up his pace and jogged past the mansion. He was almost home free, when suddenly, something struck him, causing him to fall down to the ground in a heap. Danny stood and looked around, soon seeing a small red demon looking thing.
"Did you just-" He began to ask, when suddenly, an even sharper pain came to the back of his head. Danny fell again, beginning to lose consciousness. Then he felt hands grab his arms and he felt the concrete scraping his abdomen and legs; he was being dragged, and judging by the circumstance, it was into the mansion. Danny's worst fears were confirmed. He could only pray to any deity who would listen for help now.
Prologue done, let me know what you guys think.