Badoosh. Happy Thanksgiving!
Is it that possible that my patience could be tried in less than forty-eight hours? Clancy was annoying too, but he would only build up my tolerance meter inch by inch. However, this trifling, ignorant thing slides up the meter with ease.
Ever since that incident involving the "made up fungus and sword" and the flashing Master Emerald, he has been-what is that phrase Clancy uses?
"Giving me shit," I accidently say aloud. To make matters worse, Knuckles is less than four feet away from me.
"Whatchu' say?"
"Nothing."
"Tell me," he insists.
"Giving me shit," I repeat painstakingly. "It is a phrase meaning…"
"Yeah, I know what it means," he retorts with his beet red face.
Storm clouds are born into the sky. How could something that conspicuous simply not exist anymore? I have to find it, it might be one of the few ways to get Knuckles to trust me.
"Why are you following me?" I keep my normal pace as Knuckles skulks behind me. He pouts and I can feel his fists rising in frustration.
"I have every right to," replies Knuckles defensively. "Besides, what're you doing? Looking for something?"
"Yes. Please do not insist your help on this," I assure. I prefer not to have a pair of eyes looking at me during my search. "This is something I can handle."
"Whatever."
After two hours, I finally sit by the edge of the isolated island, unhappy with my results. There is rain and lightning playing with each other in the grey skies. Why did the sword disappear off this island forever? I am starting to question, was it just a dream?
"No, it could not have been," I reassure my doubts. "It was real and I know it. Maybe I will have better luck after fulfilling a mission or two in the city." I turn towards Knuckles and say, "Knuckles, I am going to the city for a while and I will be back."
'
"Thank you for being so consistent Risa," says Erick upon my entrance. "Just out of curiosity, what makes you keep this going?"
"I like fighting."
"Hm, alright. Well before I give you an assignment, can you check one of my other employees? She was supposed to be here yesterday, but she didn't come in. And I expected her to excuse herself this morning, but she isn't here either. Can you please attend to her?"
"It does not matter to me," I reply indifferently. "Do you know where she is staying?"
He hands me a white piece of paper with her information filled out, the same paper I had to fill out when I first came here.
I run over to the Star Deluxe Hotel , eager to get my mission done and maybe find that sword. Without any hint of it being chilly, I shiver. There is something wrong here-very wrong. I skulk over to the outdoor staircase, wait for someone to exit, and then I creep in. She is on the fourth floor-I should be hasty about this.
Once I enter the hallway, the worrisome feelings accumulate. As I meander down the hallway, I use my negative innuendo to lead me to the door where the most negativity radiates. When I reach the door, I turn the knob in vain. How am I going to get this door open? A sudden weight nearly brings my hand down, preceded by a flash of light.
"That sword from before," I gasp aloud. "I knew it existed." I raise the sword so that I can get a good look at it and make sure it was same one from before. Yes, the periwinkle color and odd shape, this is it definitely. "Now, I can open this door."
With brute force, I stick the blade in the slit of the door and slide it down until I hear a click. I pry the door open, and observe the room before I see someone sleeping. As I peek over the bed, I recognize her instantly. Ever so soundly, she is fast asleep.
"Excuse me," I whisper while I take her shoulder and shake her gently. "Excuse me, miss. Wake up."
She snores noisily, signaling no sign of awareness. I shake her again with more force, but she disregards me again. I will try one more tactic that almost never fails.
"Hey!" I shout in her ear. Strange, that usually works. Why is she not waking up? Abruptly, some invisible force knocks me over and brings me to the ground. An unfamiliar voice snarls in my head.
"Do not interfere."
My head pounds furiously, but that does not scare me. I squeeze my sword, get back on my feet, and try to wake the sleeping girl again. The same force knocks me back again and this time my sight is swallowed by blackness.
"Do not interfere," it warns again with a colder tone. With waking up a girl?
"Precisely."
The command has been issued and I cannot go back on it.
"That is a dilemma."
The figure of a well-groomed man appears in the darkness with his back turned to me. His fist trembles with obvious frustration.
"I reiterate mortal, don't int-" as he faces me, his eyes stare at my sword and he stops his sentence. He quickly regains his composure and his chest puffs out. "That called you here. I see."
With a wave of his hand, a see-through violet screen encircles us. He instantly vanishes into a purplish mist just as I walk over to see what is beyond the screen. Past the screen are two people, one of them covered in all black and the other seemingly normal.
"That girl who I tried to wake up," I mumble to myself. She seems to be fighting with the other person in all black. There is something bizarre about the one in black however. My sword-wielding hand instantly buffets the screen, but I merely bounce back. The more I follow the black creature's patterns, the stronger the force within me wants to eliminate it.
Once again, I bang against the looking screen repeatedly. Even with the sword, it is useless. My arm throbs painfully, dropping me to one knee. I can never let myself rest.
