!! NOTE: Of the three names on the stone(in the first chapter), Sole has been changed to Elos.
Episode Two: The Awakening Soul
Midnight, near the end of the broken summer, when the leaves depart from their trees only to die; here, on this blood- soaked plain, a swordsman and his companions walk. The Moonlight shining down, not only upon these three warriors, but also a creature out on a hunt. A hunt to where its prey shall not see the light of day again…
"Hey, Lyle. Let's make camp here." Derek recommended. Derek was a tall, skinny man that wore nothing but red. He was the right-hand man of Lyle, always sticking to Lyle's side.
"Alright, we'll rest here for the night," Lyle replied. Lyle, a unique character with the ability to lead and strategize. "Dameon, go get some firewood while we set up camp."
"Yes, sir!" Dameon saluted. Dameon, always very loyal to Lyle even if he was the bigger brother. Dameon sets his weapons down and headed for the forest while the others set up camp, unaware that they are not alone.
"Ok, just a couple of more pieces," Dameon said to himself. rustle rustle "Huh? Who's there?" Dameon trembled. A quiet chuckle was heard close by. Dameon reached for his weapons…but they weren't there. "What? Oh crap…my weapons…I left them at-" interrupted by the sound of flesh being punctured and ripped. Dameon gawks, he looked down at his body, only to find himself covered in blood; slice marks all over him. Dameon drops to his knees, and then screams in pain. He was losing his sight, fading into darkness. He could set his eyes upon a dark figure. The shadow lunges forward at him and struck, ending his life.
Back at camp, a few minutes before the slaughter, Lyle and Derek finish setting up camp.
"Wow, we really set this camp up in record time, and before Dameon got back. Your brother is starting to get slow, Lyle." Derek smarted. He lies down and got comfortable on his sleeping bag.
Lyle was sitting down, resting his arm on his knee. "Yeah, but something isn't right," he said gazing at the stars and moon, "He's never taken this long before."
Off in the distance, they hear the roars and screams of their now fallen comrade. They both jump up and equip their weapons. They stand back-to-back, ready to attack at any given moment. Lyle looks down to where Dameon left his weapons. He cursed and claimed how much a fool his bother was.
"Derek, don't let your guard down, even for the slightest second," Lyle commanded. "We're not alone…"
Derek tenses up and looks for any figure in his sight, relying only on the moonlight for vision.
Suddenly, from several directions, a voice speaks, "This is where it ends…there is no escape…"
"Where's it coming from? The left? The right?" Derek asked panicking.
"The left? The right? Or from Above!" the voice shouted. The killer swoops down, slicing Derek down the middle. Derek falls, with no clue of what has become of him. Lyle jumps away form the dark figure and readies his knives and stares at the figure, studying it. It was kneeling with its head down, then after a few seconds it rose and looked at its next target. It's face still not visible.
"Why are you doing this?" Lyle asked.
The killer just smirked and replied, "Business, Hon, just business. I have nothing against you, but it's my job, and you're the job!" The figure steps forth for the kill, but Lyle evades quickly out of its reach. The killer's face was now visible, Lyle was shocked. He surprisingly yelled, "A girl?"
She grew angry, she shouted, "Oh yeah! What did you think I was?! Are you saying that women aren't able to fight?! Now this is personal!" The woman disappeared and struck him from behind.
Lyle grunted and he knelt to the ground. "Who…what are you?" he gasped.
"My name is Ven, and you…"Ven picks up Lyle by the neck and grasps it, "are no longer a concern to me." Ven clutches Lyle's neck harder and harder until it snapped; then she dropped the corpse. "I'm finished here…"
Ven leaves the area, abandoning the corpses. She heads for the closest town, miles away, without remorse.
The town of Asgard, a lively yet dangerous place for thieves, rogues, bandits, and other mischief characters. Entering town, Ven heads for the Pub, but she gets stopped by a drunk. The drunk leans on her and rudely confronts her, "Heeey----Beeatch! Whats yous say me and you get hitched!? I'd just love to…argh…" Ven struck the drunk through his chest with her arm.
Ven recedes, and the drunk drops to the ground with a hole in his chest. She continued onward to the town Pub, "How bout not…" she uttered. The locals swiftly move out of her way, in fear of her.
"Miss Elos," the pub's doorman greeted as he bowed. "Thank you for returning so soon." The doorman opens the door for her. "Mr. Duo will be with you shortly." Ven nods and enters the Pub.
"Ah, Miss Elos, how nice to see you again! I trust that you took care of my problem?" Duo greeted her.
"Yes, it wasn't a problem at all," Ven chuckled.
"I am deeply grateful for your help," Dou bows. "Uh, Jimmy! Miss Ven's pay please!" A boy, no older than eight, comes out, from the back. The boy held a bag in his hand.
A kid? What's a child working in a place like this? She thought.
"Ah, Thank you, Jimbo!" Mr. Duo takes the bag and hands it over to Ven. "Here you are Miss Elos, 2,000 GIL, just like we agreed. Thank you very much."
"Hmph…no, thank you," Ven muttered. Ven leaves the pub and stops as she steps off the porch. She stops upon the last step and gazed about. "What the…?" Ven's surroundings had stopped, frozen in time. She runs out onto the town square.
"Hello, Ven," a voice came from above.
Ven looked up at one of the rooftops behind her. On the roof stood a man with a vampiric get-up. He had long violet-blue hair and red eyes. A blood-red cape draped down along from his shoulders. His skin was white and rough. He had fangs long and pointy. As for a weapon, he held the trademark of the Reaper, a scythe.
"You're a vampire, are you not? If so, you'll have no chance of feeding on me," Ven mentioned.
The man looked at her and laughed, "As much as I look like one, I am not. And I do not wish to engage in a fight with you. I'm here as a messenger. My name is Magus."
"Oh, really! Well, I'm a busy person, so if you're not here on business, Leave!" she shouted.
"I'm afraid that I can't do that!" Magus told. "I'm here to fill you in on your next destination, and if you refuse, then I must make you reconsider," he said heavily.
"I'd 'love' to see you try," she smarted. Ven gave Magus a glare and started to walk toward the town exit. Within seconds, Magus popped in front of her. He grabbed her by the throat and threw her back.
"Come on…please don't make this hard on me, or yet, on yourself," Magus pleaded. He walked toward her shaking his head, "Tsk, Tsk…You have got to be the worst assassin I'd ever seen!" Magus chuckled. Magus circled around Ven, picked her up from her shoulders, nicely. "Are you ready to compromise?" he asked.
"Not one bit!" Ven shouted. She spun around with her leg up, attempting to kick Magus in the head. Magus saw what was coming, but he couldn't evade. The kick connected with the back of his skull. Magus pummeled to the floor and let out a small yelp. He stood up and wiped the blood off from his mouth. He closed his eyes and reached into his pocket.
Ven glares and takes out a pair of dual knives. She charges the white skinned creature, unleashing a variety of stabs, slashes, and shanks, but none made contact with Magus. Ven, with each passing second, becomes filled with rage and hatred. Her hazel eyes have become a shiny yet dark red color without a pupil.
Magus notices the changes with Ven. Her rage and the changes in her physical traits. Huh?! What's going on?! Her eyes…they're different. They're full of hate and evil. Her fighting style, her movements…they both have changed completely! It's as if she's a whole different person! This is not in the memo I received! I gotta step it up if his plan is ever to come into play…
Still maneuvering passed all the thrusts and slashes, Magus calls out, "Hey, not bad Ven, but if you wish to continue your life, living, you would cease your charges right now!" Ven continued her attacks, as if she never heard Magus's recommendation. Magus chuckled. No use. She has been engulfed with hatred. I'm sorry; I hoped it didn't come to this.
By now, Ven dropped her dual knives and without wasting time she pulls out a pistol and shotgun. From this, Magus expressed a panicked look, "I can tell that this isn't going to end well." He said sarcastically.
Ven began unloading shells and shells of bullets. Some connected with Magus, but it didn't faze him. Ven, still grasping her shotgun and pistol, uses her feet to slash out knives at him. One struck his shoulder. Blood oozing out of him, but still, he seemed that he wasn't in any pain. Ven dropped an empty clip of her gun and started to reload both weapons. Magus took this opportunity to his advantage; he leaped above Ven and landed behind her. Before Ven could grab a hold of the situation, Magus 'judo' chopped the side of her neck, knocking her unconscious.
Ven woke up in a small, dark room, lit by a single light. When she sat up, she saw Magus and another character. It was dark, but Ven could see some of character's features. He wore a long black coat that ended at his ankles. He wore his coat closed and he wore some type of cloth which covered his mouth. He had silver hair and blue eyes. She could barely see it but he wore black baggy pants, and shoes. Heck, everything he wore was black! In his hand he held a sphere that looked like some type of gem. It was green and yet it had some blue. It was clear and very smooth. The person who made it was one heck of a craftsman. When Ven looked at his face, she couldn't see it very well. It was covered up in the shadows.
The mysterious character finally grunted and said, "Finally woke up, huh?" The character walked up to her. His face was now visible to Ven.
Ven was stunned, he was just a boy, but she noticed something different about him. Something that she couldn't put her finger on.
"I told you to listen to me, but did you? NooOOoo…." Magus smarted off.
"That's enough, Magus!" the boy yelled. The boy turned around and looked at Ven. He seemed to observe her for a couple of minutes.
"What are you looking at?!" she yelled, giving him an evil glare.
The boy grew angry. Growling, he remarked, "You better watch your attitude, Missy!" Ven was very insulted, she got up and reached for him, but the boy appeared behind her and slammed her down again.
"What do you want?" she asked.
The boy smiled. "We need you to assassinate someone for us," he chuckled.
Magus pulled him aside and question him, "What? That's not what he wanted her to do. We need her to meet Kain. That's the whole purpose! We need to set her up by-"
"Would you can it!" The boy yelled. "I know that, but she won't do it unless it involves money," he whispered. The boy lifted her up. "I'm Lloyd. We need you to kill a….uh…"
"An evil merchant!" Magus added.
Lloyd grinds his teeth and then calmed down. "Yes, an evil merchant. His name is Gurr Mailen. He's been doing some underground marketing. He's basically hurting us…economically. You'll be paid, but not by me. You'll go to Mideel, a town west of here. When you reach Mideel, there is a church located in the slums. A man by the name Kain will be there. He will fill you in on everything that you need to know."
Ven thought deeply about this. "Fine, since I see that you guys aren't going to take 'no' for an answer. I'll do it just to get you guys out of my hair."
"Good," Lloyd chuckled.
Upon departing, Magus and Lloyd wished her luck. Once Ven was out of sight, Magus and Lloyd continued their private conversation.
"Well thought out, Lloyd," Magus complemented.
"Shut up, you couldn't handle her, at all, at the square!" Lloyd laughed.
"What? You were watching?" Magus asked embarrassed.
"She worked you out," Lloyd added.
"No! She didn't. She was just very skilled," Magus covered up. "Let's see you go up against an aggressor!"
"You were careless," Lloyd said, recalling the previous event with Ven and Magus at the square, "She has to be the best assassin I'd ever seen."
Magus looked at him and growled, "Oh, put a sock in it!"
Lloyd bolted his head toward Magus. His eyes glowing red, "What did you say!" Lloyd said angered. Magus gulped and took a step away from him.
Chapter 2: End