Happy... late... new year everyone! This is a continuation of the first chapter, fair bit of warning this is where a small test for me to try and see if I can give some background on the characters and who they are. The warning comes from the fact that if unrestrained, Krituso curses like a sailor! Also, yes I did change the rating based on that, later on sexual themes, drugs and the like.
The blood soaked ground stretched for miles attributing to the devastation of the world. This was the second great war to ravage its fertile earth and transform the meadows of lush flowers and vegetation into smoky dunes of ash and dust. One young man stood there taking in the sights of this barren earth with his uniform worse for the wear, tears streaking his eyes as he stood by the shallow grave he had dug with his bare hands. Behind him stood his battalion, the cold shock and grief visible on there faces as well.
"First Sergeant…" One of the soldiers tried to speak, his voice hoarse from the dry air. "We've got new orders."
"...Relay the order Staff Sergeant." The young man sighed
"The order for now is to strengthen our footing here in Normandy sir."
"Alright, let's start." The young man started walking, whether to escape the pain and hatred or to build up his mental wall again was to be decided. "After we're done we can rest… oh I wish we can rest..."
The men slowly followed him, each knowing they would be next. Whilst their commander would continue on, wallowing in his self misery like the child he was.
"Hey Kri." Krituso cracked open an eyelid as he felt his shoulder being gently pushed by his friend. "Food's here."
"Alright, I'll join you in a moment." Rubbing his temples, Krituso glanced at his alarm clock. "It's already one."
"Yeah, we got stuck with somebody that didn't know the route." With a shrug Lupis wheeled himself out of the room. "We still need to discuss about the job though."
"I'm not taking it."
"Don't act like that Kri, think about it. With that much money you can open a new shop, and I can finally finish my education."
"I don't care, I'm still not taking it."
"Damnit Kri! You've been far to paranoid since New York!" Lupis rolled his eyes as he opened the microwave and put in his pizza to reheat.
"Paranoia is only if it will never happen." Krituso countered back, not looking at his friend. "We made a lot of noise, and they will tear me apart if they ever find me Lupis, you know this."
"Isn't the whole purpose of that ring to prevent that?"
"The point of the ring is too significantly decrease the chances of being detected, and if I need to be human then so be it."
"Fat lot of good that did for…" Lupis' voice trailed off. Every time they talked about it the conversation would stray right back to… her.
"It was a dangerous thing to get involved for someone so timid." Krituso tried to shrug it off but it seemed to only worsen his mood.
The rest of the time they would eat was spent in silence, both thinking hard on what they would say when this fragile moment of peace was to be shattered.
Krituso eventually started tapping his foot in a nervous beat. "Did she leave a phone number?"
"Smith? Yeah, she set it down by the cup she used."
"Give me the phone… and a stogie."
"What did you say Kri?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, could you please get the phone and a cigarette?"
Giving a small smirk Lupis handed the cell phone over to his friend.
"What about the cig?" Krituso frowned, his right hand shaking.
"They all mysteriously vanished." Lupis hid his smile behind a hand, hopefully it seemed he was rubbing his chin in thought to Krituso. "Could've been the neighbors again."
"Great, add that to the list." With a growl Kri took the phone and started dialing. "We also might want to buy some more of 'you know what'."
"Already done that, now call the nice lady already, and be good for once in your life."
SMITH'S POV
"You're telling me he didn't agree?!" I inwardly flinched at the roaring voice of my boss. "Do you realize how crucial his inclusion was?"
"I do sir, but you must understand how scared he is. He's spent all of his life hiding in the shadow's of others. Now here we come asking him to just walk out of it, what's more I think he knows that the treaty doesn't extend to his kind." It wasn't lost to me that I was defending someone who had insulted and cursed me but his eyes had told me everything. "Why should he bother coming if this effort doesn't help him in the slightest."
"We offered money correct?" The sudden calmness in his voice was terrifying, almost like the storm was yet to be seen just beyond the horizon.
"Yes sir, but it'll take more. Especially for a man that knows he's a walking corpse."
"...What about his friend? Lupis Mond, his surgery was butchered by a novice correct?"
"Yes it was, I'm not sure what thi-"
"Tell Krituso that we'll pay for a professional to help ease the pain, it won't fix the man's legs but it'll be a start."
"Y-yes sir, I apologize but I'm getting another call."
"Fine, but remember Kuruko… he can't keep hiding forever and sooner or later he'll need to man up."
Perfectly fine for a human, but for an extraspecies it can be so different. Reminiscing on my past experiences I changed calls. "Kuruko Smith, who might this be?"
"Hey Matrix… it's me." My eyes widened at the voice on the other side. "I want to make one thing clear… I don't trust you or any of your bigwig bosses."
"Is this all you wanted to talk about?" I asked with a frown. "Listen Krituso, I was about to call you myself to tell you something important."
"Oh? What could you have to say that I would listen to?" In the background I could hear Mr. Mond complaining. ("Kri, I thought I said be nice! Act your age for once!")
"We know a very skilled surgeon that could be able to help Lupis with the pain in his arms. He cannot outright fix them or take care of the pain in his legs but he can at least make it easier for the man to sleep at night."
There was silence on the other side. Smith was sure she could hear Krituso swear under his breath. It wasn't in english though, she was sure of this but it was too soft to tell exactly which one.
Then there was a sudden slam of a door. "What the fuck do you want from me? I haven't done anything to anyone, I fought for my country, I've almost died from humanities mistakes and fucking ambitions!" The pain in his voice was unbelievable, full of rage, and grief. "Is it not enough that I have to sleep with myself for who and what I am?! I have to walk into the jaws of death provided by you people?"
It was hard for me to come up with a response, elder extraspecies had seen the world and its previous errors firsthand. Suspicion usually clouded their judgement, this as well as severe cases of manic depression had been a real problem the whole time I had traveled the world. Many species are slowly going extinct because of it and here was another possible example.
"... I cannot vouch for the people of the past, or the people I am working for, but I would stake my life on this. Krituso please understand that this treaty is the first step towards a better world!"
"For everyone else! You've been in contact with the angels remember, my kind would never be allowed the freedom of peace else they abandon humanity!"
"It's but a start Krituso, we've only discovered a handful of the possibilities, one race in particular talked about you specifically. They told us about the self-sacrifice you'd made and in return they forged you the ring you fervently wear."
"... I trust they are included in your treaty?" His voice came out raspy.
He didn't know… of course he didn't. "Krituso, t-this information was given to us on the Dwarf Keljin's deathbed. His race has officially died out in Japan."
"N-nooo!" A crashing sound rang out from the other end "Damn it all! Must everything whither in the damn desert of time!? Why do I lower my guard? Why do I exist as a reminder of a sin I had no choice to be a part of?!"
NO POV
Lupis continued to eat as his friend walked into his room, swearing under his breath in various ways that Lupis didn't know were possible.
Just remember to breathe buddy. Thinking with a sigh Lupis kept enjoying his meal.
For as long as he's known Krituso Lupis had seen quite a few things. The one thing he hadn't heard or seen enough of was the other world that Krituso kept recalling.
Besides that I've never been told much about his family haven't I? That thought made Lupis pause. That and those books with the weird symbols on their covers.
With that he glanced over at one of the said books. Most had differences in color, symbol, and title but some had a similarity only in symbol. This one in particular was a velvet red with a foxish mask and police badge on the cover… the title itself was also rather confusing, Ghostly Sociopath
What's so special about them? Lupis nibbled on his lower lip. I know Kri told me I shouldn't read them but I swear these things always appear when my mental will is nonexistent and my curiosity at its highest. His left hand trailed across the cover, the symbol gleaming hungrily as if asking for more, begging to be used after being left alone for so long. Maybe just one peek wouldn't hurt… but why would he say to never open them? Is there something magical about them? God the suspense is killing me! Slowly he pulled it closer, gently brushing dust off of the pristine spine and pages. Before he could open them he heard (and felt) something that was like a miniature explosion.
Feeling fear for his friend, Lupis quickly wheeled down the hall and opened the bedroom door. "Kri! Are you ok?!"
Krituso was on his knees, the phone long having fallen out of his hands onto the carpeted floor. Lupis could see his friend was badly shaken, Krituso's pupils were contrasted, his skin pale and his eyes leaking tears freely. The bookshelf originally next to the desk by Lupis' bed was now burnt and scattered in pieces on the other side of the room.
"Stay right there! I'll go get it!" Quickly wheeling back over to the kitchen Lupis opened a drawer and took out a cigarette. "God I hate giving you these things…" Moving back to the bedroom he lit the cigarette and handed it to Krituso.
Krituso took deep breaths of the thing, clutching it tightly in his hands like it was his lifeline.
Slowly but surely he calmed down, letting out a cloud of smoke. "We didn't have any?"
"Oh big whoop-de-doo, I lied because I was concerned for your health!"
"You know they don't affect me like they do your kind!"
"It's as bad as taking a drug though Kri, you're already having too many as of late."
"I'm sorry to be interrupting you both but what happened?!" Smith yelled into her phone "Do you need any help, I've only heard
"Nothing much… just a panic attack." Lupis replied back
"... Alright, are you alright Krituso?"
"I'm perfectly fine, now tell me what happened to Keljin!"
"Krituso… please calm yourself. He is the reason we are here, telling us about you and what you meant to him as he was lay dying in the hospital. Even though his ancestry was at its conclusion Keljin gave the information to allow other races of extraspecies to blossom and flourish. He has told us that you do not play favorites, you yourself are known for your shrewdness and inability to take only one side in an argument. Keljin could see no one better and unfortunately for you we can see no better as well."
"Gah!" Scowling, the extraspecies man picked up the phone. "Tell me this then… what kinds of extraspecies are to be at the treaties meeting?"
"I can only say this. Almost every kind of extraspecies we have found will be there save for one."
"Which one?"
"Angels, they have deigned it unnecessary for themselves to attend since they've already agreed to the treaty."
"Why didn't you lead with that?!" Lupis facepalmed. "Seriously this has been the whole problem for Kri throughout all of this!"
"I had actually just received this news a few minutes before you both called." The tone that Smith was adopting reminded Lupis that of an old grandmother who wasn't afraid to discipline her children or grandchildren harshly. "I trust there will be no issue now Krituso?"
Krituso's scowl deepened even further. Lupis could tell that he was weighing this carefully now that he had this new information. Judging by the twitch in the corner of Krituso's lips, Lupis could tell he was actually considering this.
"We'll still get the money right?"
"Correct, and the other thing we talked about."
"...Fine, I'll take the job." Krituso looked relieved that he didn't have to debate about this any longer. "For Keljin, and for the money…"
"Thank you Krituso… I'm sure Keljin would be proud." Smith let out the breath she had been holding, leaning against the window in her hotel.
Lupis chuckled at his friend and glanced out the window. One thought bringing a massive grin to his face.
Well that took a while, thankfully Kri's better at thinking under stress than others are. Still… replacing that bookshelf is gonna be a pain. Wait… why aren't the books burned?!
Many thanks to all of you guys who have been reading this so far, again this is a continuation of the first chapter. I don't want to keep everyone waiting in suspense for the blatantly obvious murder but at the same time there is a world that has to be built or... it'll look like a mess (at least for me... give me this please?)
Many thanks to OutragedFungus4 and all of you who have had a look in at this story! If you have any questions please do ask them, also help me to become a better writer by reviewing!
Updates:
4/23/18: So for this chapter I've added in these curious little trinkets, also highlighted something about this cigarette addiction that he has, hopefully somebody can give me a good guess as to what he's doing? Still working hard on the next chapter, trying to keep a straight vision for this story at the same time as stave off the dreaded writers block. Hope you all are having a good day!)