Our journey now carries us to a distant land where the second pawn is introduced.
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Part 02: The Two Chess Masters
Chapter 11: The Anti-Souls
In a part of the ground sealed away long ago, within an old abandoned castle deep within a rainforest, five children of varying ages sat around a circular table. In the tallest of said chairs was a frowning older teenager in a chef's uniform. Oddly, this didn't detract from his overall appearance. Everything about him seemed radiate evil, and the look in his eyes was filled with nought but malice. He seemed like the kind of person who lived for no other reason than to cause others pain.
Right now, his scowl was directed at the other four people around the table. A male karate master, age 16, who cringed under the glance. A female ninja, age 14, who looked impatient with the whole meeting. A female ballerina, age 12, who smiled with a sickeningly innocent look. A female bookworm, age 15, who simply lounged in her chair. "Will one of you please explain to me why Yellow isn't here yet?" the chef spat impatiently.
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Kaitlyn, known to the others as Blue, leaned backwards, legs crossed under her tutu. She sucked on the lollipop she held in her hands with a smile. She was absolutely adorable, and she knew it. Her long black hair had been neatly slicked back and then tied up into a bun. Her eyes were big and adorable. She acted the perfect ballerina in front of others… but these guys knew her. She was perfectly evil, and everybody liked it better when she acted that way. Her cuteness really got on their nerves.
It was very useful when it came to manipulating people into giving her what she wanted. She'd only been here a couple of days, but she had already learned how easy it was to play puppet master with most the people here. Green was a different story though. He'd set himself up as second-in-command, and nobody had really dared to question it.
"I got no clue," Kaitlyn said dismissively, attempting to play it cool. "Nobody knows! We all know just as much as you. We woke up and walked here because the Master called us. He needs our special talents for his secret mission."
"Well, based on the statistics," the bookworm said carelessly, pushing up on her glasses "considering how Yellow hasn't shown up yet, it's quite unlikely he ever will be."
Green's frowned deepened. "You are all way too relaxed," he growled angrily. "This is not just something we pretend didn't happen. Yellow simply can not be allowed to roam around freely out there doing who knows what. Why don't any of you seem to get that!?"
"I do," came a voice from behind the five of them. A tall figure stepped out of the shadows. Nought could be seen of him but the giant blue cloak that he wore. "I so very, very much do."
Instantly, the group of humans dropped down on one knee. "Master," they all said in unison, though the level of adoration was different for each. Kaitlyn liked to believe she was his most loyal warrior, but she suspected that Green just obeyed in order to keep his position of authority. Another reason to hate the guy.
The room was quiet as The Master strode over to Kaitlyn. He looked down at her and extended his hand. Kaitlyn just looked at it in bewilderment. Why was her master reaching out to her? How was she supposed to respond? Was she supposed to take his hand? Surely he didn't want her to… "Come with me, Kaitlyn," he said. "We have much to discuss."
Kaitlyn's eyes sparkled, and she instantly did as she was told. Their awesome, amazing leader actually acknowledged her by name, and wanted to take her somewhere they could talk privately. As she got to her feet, she smirked arrogantly at the other humans. Then she turned towards Green and mouthed, "Guess I'm The Master's favorite." Following The Master out of the room, Kaitlyn dusted off her tutu and followed obediently. The biggest, most pearly white smile on her face.
The Master led Kaitlyn through the hallways of the castle, and Kaitlyn did her best to take it all in. Her, and the other humans, were never allowed to go very deep into the castle, so she was seeing all of this for the first time. The walls were decorated with framed pictures of kings and queens, dusty and torn from years of being ignored.
Suits of armor of all shapes and sizes lined the walls. They passed a room that had at one time been a spectacular kitchen, and a ballroom that looked like it had been designed to hold thousands of monsters. She felt as if she was trespassing on some sort of ancient sacred ground. She found herself hoping she wouldn't have to be wandering through this much longer.
He stopped at the next turn and opened a closed door. It looked like the typical sort office that one would find aboveground, and did not at all look like it belonged in the ancient castle. There was a shiny desk, a large window that gave a beautiful view of the rainforest outside, a cactus sitting in one corner, a rotating, a refined wooden chair, and a rotating leather one, which The Master promptly sat down in.
"I have a mission that only you are qualified for," The Master said, glancing out the window. A raging storm was circulating the rainforest right now. "My plans are perfect. The seal is going to crumble. Asgore and his ilk will die. My greatest enemy will finally have his soul extinguished. I do not need any snot-nosed children getting in my way, especially not one that is supposed to be on my side. Find Yellow, and if he is a threat, I want you to remove him. Once he is out of the way, I want you to remove the mockery of a monster child, Frisk the human."
Kaitlyn nodded, positively beaming. The Master had selected her for a special mission. And she would totally follow those orders. She did a little twirl. Slicing a couple of people might even be fun. Green would most certainly love it. She paused, mid-twirl, not even losing her balance. Green would also be much better at it. "Uh…why me? I mean, I'm honored, Master! But… what makes me more qualified? I'm pretty sure Green is a lot better at killing things."
"And if this were just about killing somebody, I would have to go to him," The Master said in agreement. "But this mission is going to require a bit more tact that killing skill. After all, Yellow is by far the strongest soul. Even Green wouldn't stand a chance against him, and we can't have a human wandering around killing in order to increase their strength. For my master plan to work, everything must be done discreetly."
Kaitlyn frowned. If even Green wouldn't be able to beat Yellow, and she couldn't kill to grow her Level of Violence, how was she supposed to do it? "How am I supposed to beat him?"
"Win his trust. Find out if he is still on my side. If he is not, stab him in the back. You are the most skilled deceiver and manipulator in existence. There is nobody who could do this better than you."
"Why, thank you." Kaitlyn did a little curtsy, her pearly white glinting off of the office lights. She was a great dancer, super adorable, and an efficient killer.
She had many fine qualities that she loved about herself, and she could make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich. However, the thing she had always been most proud of was her ability to lie and deceive others. And to be recognized by somebody as important as The Master for something so important to her… there was nothing better than that. It was like a dream come true.
"I won't disappoint you!" Kaitlyn said confidently. "Are there any other details to the mission? Do you know where I should look first?" She looked up at him and tilted her head. The Master was rather like a father-figure to her, and she wanted to make him as proud of her as she was of him. She wanted to impress him. Anyone, and everyone, else could burn for all she cared.
The Master shook his head. "Unfortunately not. As even I do not truly know what is going on, how to resolve it is a little vaguer than I would like. At the moment, I can only conjecture that HE is probably behind it in some way. Do whatever it takes to bring down both that traitorous soul, and that upstart human. But Kaitlyn… make no mistake. Yellow is the main target here. You have two months. No matter the cost, he must be dead by then."
The Master walked over to the window, looking out at the storm, his eyes darkened. "I can get you through the barrier, but that is it. From then on out, you will be on your own. There is far too much that needs to be done on this side if I do not intend to miss my chance. I have no time to hold your hand.
"Once the mission is complete, do not try to return. We will see you again when once my plan is complete. Of course, that all depends on how you do on your mission in the Underworld. Everything hinges on that. Kaitlyn, do not fail me." He turned and looked directly at her as he said the last five words.
Kaitlyn continued to smile beamingly, even as The Master's face darkened. She wasn't unnerved in the slightest. After all, to feel unnerved, one would have to have doubts over whether or not they were going to succeed. She had no such doubts. She was perfection incarnate, and the Master would see that soon.
She would perform her mission so spectacularly that the only thing he would be able to say in response was, "Kaitlyn. You are indeed perfection. In fact, you are so amazing that I want you to be my daughter. How could I not have somebody so amazing as my only heir?" She grinned at the thought. There was just one slight problem with the plan.
"Question," she said, raising her hand. "If even Green would have a hard time killing him, how can we be certain that I can cut him down in one blow? I mean, I am only level one. How can I get strong enough to make sure he dies in one blow?"
The Master turned, and chuckled, eerily. He walked over to the desk, pulled a key out of his cloak, and unlocked the door on the front of it. "A while back, HE gave me a gift. It was a rather ironic one, considering how HE stabbed me in the back emotionally just a day or two later." Reaching into the drawer, he pulled out an ebony, jeweled dagger with ancient ruins inscribed upon it.
He tossed the weapon to Kaitlyn, who jumped into the air and caught it, then landed perfectly, feet together. Several years of ballet had caused her acrobatics to become unparalleled. "That weapon can kill anyone in one hit, regardless of their LV or armor." He laughed this time, a full, deep, disconcerting laugh. "The very weapon he gave me as a gift will be his undoing. I can't help but appreciate the irony. 'It can cut through anything,' he had said. In that case, we'll use it to cut his plans to pieces."
Kaitlyn's eyes were wide and she stared down at it with growing pride. The weapon looked deadly, very deadly. It looked a lot like the kind of knife you would expect an assassin to carry. Fitting. She was about to prove herself the most perfect assassin ever. "Gladly," she said with a nod of her head. "Use the weapon he gave you before stabbing you in the back figuratively to stab him in the back literally? Sounds like fun."
"I expect you to return that to me, blade red with their blood. Don't lose it or break it. I still have plans for that dagger." He closed his eyes, and an aura of darkness began to appear around him. Kaitlyn could feel the wind beginning to pick up inside of the building, nearly propelling her forward. It was like standing in the middle of a raging windstorm.
"Yellow and Frisk must not be allowed to cross the seal," The Master spoke calmly, yet loudly, over the sound of the wind. "That is your responsibility. Everything I've been working towards for the last several hundred years depends upon it." His eyes flew open, and a blinding darkness blanketed everything. "I expect great things from you, Kaitlyn. Don't let me down."
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Who is this mysterious Master? Where will Kaitlyn appear in the Underworld? What adventures await the young ballet dancer? Hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always, your fanship means a lot to me. Hope to hear from you.
~ Xanatos Stones
(Thanks again for your reviews, Guest, Olerbasity, and Esther 3. I really appreciate it ^_^ )
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