Announcement: Delay update with a tiny preview! PLEASE READ!
Hey guys sorry for the lack of an update especially since I started off very confident that it wouldn't take this damn long...so that ended just coming back to bite me in the ass.
I had several things happen to me in a very short amount of time that caused over a month long delay.
To make a long story short.
-First: I severely under estimated what the next few chapters would actually contain and I almost wrote myself into a corner to the point I had writer's block.
-Second: When I finally got my shit together, and figured out my solution was to split the chapter in half, I was still getting slammed by overtime (Anyone who works in any part of the US healthcare system knows that the first three months of every year is a PAIN) so I was constantly mentally and physically drained after working between 10-14 hour shifts which makes it very difficult to write and I ended up just playing video games or reading in my free time just to keep my sanity and not have a complete mental breakdown.
-Third: I've now had three separate family members pass away in the last two months and in one of those cases, I had to leave the country
to both pay my respects and deal with some issue of inheritance (-I didn't even know that I was liked enough to be placed in the will!) I've been back home for over a week and I've only made tiny bits of progress, since I'm jumping right back into my job with all of the overtime it came with.
In short, I'm going a brief hiatus since I've just been in a downward rut with only being able to get only a few lines of work done a day which is very frustrating because I really want to have some real free time to continue this story.
Thankfully I already know that free time is coming soon.
I've requested some time off from work during the second week of march and got it approved.
And I'm planning to use that time to not only recover physically, mentally and emotionally, but also to have some actual stress-free, alone time to actually get back into writing, since I do know how to proceed with the next chapters, I just need some actual time to really sit down and write without everything else weighing me down.
But thankfully I do have a three prong update planned out.
I am almost done with Chapter XXXII which is you've been playing attention to my profile progress status.
Has been renamed from Golden Week Fun to simply Golden Week Part 1
With Chapter XXXIII being Golden Week Part 2
I'm hoping to finish both parts and upload them at the same time (with Part 1 replacing this placeholder chapter)
And part two to serve as the update notice, and have Draco Knight Chapter IV: The Two Paths (which is almost done) and set to upload right after Part 2 is done.
(Which for my readers who are patiently waiting for the next update and have yet to read it...well you may want to give it a shot. You may be surprised on what you find out.)
In addition. When I left the country, I did take my laptop and have in the meanwhile been working on touching up older chapters to fix up a number of embarrassing errors, be it grammar, spelling, missing words; overall just streamlining the chapters to improve the reading experience.
So far I've only fixed up Chapter I and the fixed version is now uploaded on all three sites I use: FF, AO3 and Wattpad. But I plan to continue making these fixes as I move forward.
Anyway guys that's my situation in a nutshell and I didn't want to keep you all in the dark especially since it's been now been my longest time without an upload since, I rebooted the story from its original version.
Like I said before I have very intention to continue this story until I'm either done or dead and even if I die, I still have a contingency plan in place to make sure the story continues should anything major ever happen to me. (No, I wasn't joking when I said that in a prior chapter.)
I just need a short break from the story period, to get my life back on track and then I can get back to writing this story with my mind at ease. If everything goes well, you guys should get the update in the middle of march and if it goes like I planned you'll have three chapters to look forward too. Two Fafnir Chapters and One Draco chapter, with a hopefully new schedule to plan out my future updates accordingly.
But before I go I do have a little treat for all of you.
I have a preview of the next chapter that might interest all of you.
The following is a third draft version of the final scene of Golden Week Part 1 and is subject to slight changes once the final draft is submitted to my beta reader for editing.
Tomura sat alone in the bar, in a dangerous mood.
'He's late...' He thought with a groan, resisting the urge to scratch at his neck. Kurogiri should have returned by now with his other brother. He was tired from all of the extra work that had been piled onto him to make up for his failure at the USJ, still he had at least started to get the ball rolling for his redemption in his master's eyes. Now it was simply a matter of time and making sure that his remaining game pieces on the board would cooperate one way or another.
Finally Tomura heard the sounds of Kurogiri's wrap gate opening up at the edge of the bar, and out came a young man with neat violet hair that was grateful to be out of a stuffy uniform and into a much more comfortable casual orange T-shirt and dark blue jeans. Next to him was Kurogiri who wordlessly made his way to the back of the bar to start mixing their favorite drinks.
"You're late Mimicry," Tomura answered with annoyance clear in his voice.
"Can't a guy enjoy a few extra rounds of Karaoke on his day off?" Minicry answered with an exaggerated shrug of his shoulders as he took a seat two spots away from Tomura's corner seat. "Especially with a voice like mine hahaha! The girls just love it!" He added mimicking the voice of a popular J-pop artist while placing his hand on his chest. However upon seeing no amusement in Tomura's face he quickly changed his tune.
'This guy needs to get laid it's not like any of us can have kids,' Mimicry thought to himself. "I've got everything from my end in place Tomura," he continued with sigh, returning his his normal speaking voice as Kurogiri handed him a drink.
"Thank you Uncle Kuro!" Mimicry exclaimed happily before lifting the drink to Tomura; "to your good health my dear brother!"
Tomura rolled his eyes, as he watched Mimicry take a sip of his drink, while Kurogiri handed him his own. Next to the RPG he had recently gotten to play, a good drink was a good way to greatly improve his mood.
"Good, once you get rid of the rat that works in Doumeki's office, I can have Stain move forward in with the next step." Tomura answered back with a sigh of his own.
"Speaking of Stain...getting him to change his M.O. was a stroke of genius," Mimicry interjected as he took another sip of his drink. "The cops keep arguing with each other if this is a "new" Stain that is simply a copycat, or the original who has updated his methods to give them the slip...needless to say, I've been making sure to keep them on their toes. Add Himiko doing some body double stunts in public only helped add to the confusion."
Tomura nodded, but his face kept on a frown. Despite getting him to work him, Stain was still very annoying to deal with from time to time, as he often just wanted to keep hunting any old pro when he could, but he needed him to continue hunting their list of targets.
"Oh a heads up on the Saturday op you might wanna know about," Mimicry suddenly spoke up as he pulled a folded up sheet of paper from his pocket.
"Oh?"
"Doumeki's as ordered that everyone's gear be maxed out, the real heavy shit, as in fuck the normal nine millimeter guns, he's having everyone pack the heavier caliber gear; stuff that might seriously fuck you up if you end up getting hit by it." Mimicry warned cautiously having seen what difference between the two first hand while handing Tomura the list of equipment that the Overhaul Transport team was expected to carry.
"Good to know...Will you be at the Saturday operation to break out Overhaul?" Tomura answered with a grin as he skimmed through the paper.
"Indeed I will, I'll in the second car behind Doumeki's, but in front of the one that carries the heroes joining us for the Op so do make sure that you don't end up killing me by accident." Mimicry answered with a fake whine in his voice, while lightly swirling his drink in his right hand.
"I'm not going on the operation...after all Overhaul is Yakuza. And any yakuza business is to be handled by our dear younger brother as per his own request to the master."
Mimicry froze his ruby-red eyes growing wide before giving a loud shrill of a laugh. "So he's going solo?! Mimicry banged his hand hard against the bar with his continuous laughter, much to Kurogiri's annoyance.
"Just shut up and enjoy your drink Mimicry..." Tomura said equally annoyed. "It hard enough to juggle all of these damn pieces who think they have minds of their own. And no he's not going alone, he'll have some back-up in the form of some weaker Noumu that have already been attuned to listening to his commands but that's not for you to worry about. "
"Ooooh! Do tell! Its been sooo long since we've had a chance to really talk my dear brother of mine." Mimicry teased with a boyish grin on his face. "Besides venting is good for you!"
Tomura wasn't normally one for sharing, but he knew that Mimicry wouldn't betray him, after all Mimicry had fallen from grace by their brother's hand, spared only because of his hacking and infiltration skills. Mimicry would have rather die than see him as the successor rather than Tomura. So keeping Mimicry happy and on his side was simply the smarter thing to do.
"Kurogiri's been working overtime moving things and people around for us," Tomura started off after taking a deep gulp of his drink and motioning his head to their silent bartender who was taking the chance to wipe down some dusty glasses. "Giran just filled a rather unique request for the Neocon boss."
"Remind me again, is the old fart actually on our side?" Mimicry questioned unsure of the answer, in case he ever needed to use his cover to get some dirty work done.
"No just another pawn in my plans...but one that is becoming increasingly annoying at that...it's taking everything in Giran's power to keep him in line with generous funds and support for their movement. But now the old codger went ahead and ordered a batch of Trigger out of the blue!"
"Maybe the old man just wants to get high?" Mimicry suggested with a laugh until he realized something strange. "Wait I thought that Giran doesn't deal drugs, I always thought that the guy deals with support gear only."
Tomura's mouth finally turned to a grin. "Normally he doesn't deal drugs, but if it keeps the old man in line then so be it. It simply gives us more blackmail material to work with in case we really need to bring him to heel. Plus with all the other Yakuza trying to snatch up Overhaul's old territory, drugs like trigger have been flowing like water in the underworld."
"The Four Cardinal Kings." Mimicry said his tone becoming flat as his previous enjoyment was gone in an instant. "A right pain in my ass with all the work they keep piling on my plate."
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Tomura said with a forward glance, careful with how he played around with his fingers on the bar. "Them and the remainder of the Eight Precepts of Death that are still loose are causing most of my damn headaches right now. So far the feds have been keeping the underworld fights quiet and out of the news, but we know those prideful idiots are going to do something big and stupid unless we can have someone bring them back in order."
Mimicry's eyes grew wide.
"Don't tell me..."
"He and Himiko met up with Southern and Eastern Cardinal Kings on Monday night to stake his claim. And since our dear little brother is about to make his public debut this Saturday I went ahead and had Giran use some of his connections to whip up something that...I personally found very fitting!" Tomura finished up with a dark chuckle; pulling out a picture and slid it to Mimicry who was taking another sip of his drink.
Mimicry took the square piece and only took a glance at it; only to end up spiting out his drink over the bar..
"How fitting indeed! Daddy's little boy...He's going be very angry wearing that." Mimicry cackled with a sickening smile.
"Is," Tomura corrected, " he had to wear it for the meeting with that outfit and his face, he should've had enough proof that he is the son of the old Phoenix King."
"So it's time for them to have a new boss huh?"
"Not yet, they want to see a demonstration of his power; Saturday's mission will be his proving grounds for them. That he is strong enough to be their new leader, becoming a Yakuza boss by breaking out another Yakuza boss from their ancient enemy: The Police."
"So Overhaul is just going ending being a puppet for them eh?" Mimicry questioned unsure what else would be in store for someone who could cause a number of problems if left unchecked.
"Overhaul doesn't matter to us in the long term, we have his research for those quirk destroying bullets and that could always be useful to have as a back-up plan,otherwise if he cooperates good. If he doesn't, we'll just kill him; Himiko can just serve as his double until we have the remaining members of Overhaul's old gang under our brother's control absorbed into the Southern gang." Tomura answered with a nod.
"Its been thirteen years since the last Phoenix King died, now everyone in both light and dark will see the new one be born...and just in time since I encountered the debut of the new Draco Knight back at the USJ. Only this time the new Phoenix King has a few aces up his sleeve. "
"All hail His Grace the new Phoenix King!" Mimicry proclaimed mockingly lifting his drink in the air.
Both men suddenly went silent, until both began to chuckle lightly, a chuckle that only grew into a roaring fit of laughter. Finding the irony of the situation completely delicious, knowing that a rematch between The Phoenix and The Dragon would be a fight no one would want to miss.
