Chapter 5, Part 4: Gray
GET OFF MY LAWN! Come inside instead! We have Wi-Fi, fanfiction and Pizza!
Trying to keep up guys, truly I am! Here you go!
Gray paced along the cliff's edge. The mysterious Man in Black was now only fifty feet below him, still climbing steadily. However, the swordsman's patience was by now bubbling beyond control. He stood at the edge, looking down at the hooded figure.
Forty-six feet now.
"Hey down there!" Gray hollered when he could not wait any longer.
The Man in Black looked up and grunted.
"Slow going?" He asked.
"Hey look," replied the stranger "this is not as easy as I may make it seem, so please don't distract me."
"SorRY," Answered Gray.
"You're forgiven!" He shouted back, returning to the work at hand.
The bare-chested man drummed his long thin fingers on his thigh before responding. "Could you pick up the pace? I'm bored."
"IF you're in such a HURRY," the Man in Black said, clearly angry now, "you could lower a rope or a tree branch or find something USEFUL to do."
"I could," Gray agreed, "there is some rope up here. But I don't think you'd want my help. I'm just waiting so I can kill you."
"That IS a barrier against a meaningful relationship."
"But I find you interesting, so I won't kill you until you reach the top."
"That's very comforting," replied the climber below, "but I'm afraid you're gonna have to wait, buddy!"
"I hate waiting." The swordsman paced some more before continuing, "I could give you my word as a gentleman!"
"No good. I've known too many so-called 'gentlemen'."
Gray sighed. "So there's no way to make you trust me?"
"Nothing I can think of." Answered the Man in Black, who was now only twenty feet below.
After a long pause of consideration, Gray replied, "I swear on the souls of Silver and Mika Fullbuster, I will help you reach the top alive."
The Man in Black was silent for what seemed like an eternity. "I have no clue who those people are," He admitted at last, "But something in my heart says I must believe you." He sighed. "Alright! Throw me the rope, already!"
At this, the dark-haired man unwound a few feet of extra rope from the large anchoring boulder, and tossed the end over the edge.
A few moments later, the mystery man was scampering to his feet, his sword half-drawn.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa-we'll wait until you're ready." Gray said, hands held out in front of him.
"Oh… Thank you." Replied the man in black. He sheathed his blade.
"Have a seat?" The bare-chested man asked, gesturing to the large boulder with the remains of the rope around it.
"I will. Again, thank you…" And the two sat beside one another like old friends.
They sat in silence for a few moments before Gray spoke up. "This is gonna sound weird, but… You wouldn't happen to have six fingers on your right hand, would you?"
The man in black scoffed and rubbed his pink goat-teed chin. "That's one Hell of a way to start a conversation."
"My parents were slain by a six-fingered man." Gray explained seriously.
The smirk fell from the mystery man's face. He held up his right hand wordlessly. Five fingers.
The shirtless swordsman's shoulders slumped.
"Sorry to disappoint." The man in black said, his voice truly pained.
"Nah, it's fine." Gray replied. "They were great sword-makers, my parents. The six-fingered man came to us and requested a special sword. No sword ever worked well for him because the hilt was never right for his hand. He desired a sword without equal. My parents were so excited by the challenge, they refused to be paid until he came to pick it up. They worked for a nearly year before they finished." At this, he reverently drew his blade and offered it to the masked man.
"I've never seen anything like it." Said the man in black, testing its balance in his hand. He returned it to its bearer.
"I wish you could have seen them work. Anyway, the six-fingered man returned and demanded it… At one tenth his promised price. Called it a piece of junk, scrap metal not worth having." As Gray went on, the man in black grit his teeth with rage. The dark-haired man appreciated that. "My father said that if he felt that way, if he could not know art when it lay on the table before him, that he didn't deserve it, and that the sword was mine, if he was such an uncultured pig. The six-fingered man snatched up the sword and cut my father's heart out. The bastard even slit my mother's throat before she could even cry out. Right in front of me. I loved my parents. So, naturally, I challenged their murderer to a duel… I failed, but the six-fingered man left me alive. Not without some 'lessons in humility.'" Gray gestured to the twin scars on either cheek.
"How old were you?"
"I was eleven years old. I dedicated my life to fencing after that. Next time we meet, I will not fail. I will look in his eyes and say 'Hello, my name is Gray Fullbuster… You killed my parents. Prepare to die!'"
In the air that followed, the man in black did something Gray did not expect.
He laughed.
"I'm Sorry! I'm so sorry." He regained himself, and said "That just reminded me of that line from that book Princess Bride. 'Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die!'"
"Have you literally not been paying attention since Chapter One!?" Gray demanded.
"Huh?"
"Oh forget it!"
"So that's all you've done?"
"Well, mostly. Did some studying abroad, but mostly under Ur Milkovich. But now, it's been ten years, and I've been losing confidence. I just work for Brain to pay the bills. There's not a lot of money in vengeance."
"I see."
"That reminds me," said the bare-chested man, "Speaking of Brain, why have you been following us?"
"You carry cargo of great value."
"Unfortunately, it's not for sale. Believe me, I'd hand her over to you in a heartbeat. I hate this."
"Is it too much to hope for that you'll kindly step aside, so I can get what I came for?"
"Sorry."
"Oh, okay. It was worth a try." The man in black rose to his feet.
"So, you're ready?" Asked Gray.
"Whether I am or not, you've been more than fair."
They drew their swords.
"You seem like an okay guy. I hate to kill you."
"You seem like an okay guy. I hate to die."
Gray shrugged. "Begin."
DUN DUN DUN!
Okay, so… I'm a turd.
Seriously though, this was like the hardest chapter to write yet. (Stupid dialogue)
Also, I briefly lost the muse for the story, and I don't like to force writing.