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Tales of the Multiverse Bit 81

That was fun! After the 0048 concert at Kasumigastar concluded Sora, Kouta Fujiki, Soaphie, Crusher the Highlands Goat, Sharpshooter Jane & Marcus "The Nerd" Reservoir and Karasu went separate ways rather peacefully but the next time they'll meet again, they will be enemies.

~~000~~

My name is Mace Wyndu.

I'm an elf-like alien being called Duende from a far planet called Duendalia and from what people learned so far about my people, the Duendes are know to be a kind and hospitable people with a love of nature and animal taming but can be dangerous to any hostile entities when protecting themselves.

Sadly... I'm not that kind of person.

Orphaned since birth, I grew up from an orphanage where I was raised to become a mercenary. Ever since I was child... it has been hammered to my head that if I want to survive, I need to do what I was taught. So I learned how to fight, I learned how to use weapons, I learned how manipulate other people, I learned how infiltrate bases, I learned everything I need to do in order to survive.

As a result, I earned a reputation of being a formidable person because of years of training and as time goes on, I've become even more dangerous.

Growing up and after leaving the orphanage, I've been travelling from one planet to another, surviving the harsh life by committing various crimes. And at the same time, I've been joining and leaving one mercenary group to another, I was a fleeting soul back then where I believe that I don't belong to any groups, so I would stay often with a group for a short amount of time before deciding to leave.

I've been doing that for years but when I turned into a middle-aged man, I felt pretty lonely and needed some company to lean on before I finally kick the bucket. So I decided to form a mercenary group of my own, recruiting the most and toughest motherfuckers & bitches all across the multiverse, the mercenary group 'The Vultures' was born afterwards.

We the Vultures loves a good fight and we aren't afraid to show it, and it takes very little for us to pull out our guns and start shooting everyone in sight. and for years, we've scoured through the vast galaxies, raiding and looting every ships that comes across us, killing and eliminating everyone persons that goes against us, we do everything we want in order to survive and because of everything we've done, we've become well-known across the multiverse, striking fears to everyone that hears our name.

However... our life of crime was put into on-hold when we joined the Dimension Defense Union.

How did a criminal organization like the Vultures got ourselves joined such a heroic organization?

Well... there was one time that both sides shares a common enemy and our enemy happens to be a tough guy, so it forces both sides to work together. And after defeating our common foe, the leader of the heroic organization was impressed by our strength and offered us to join them. And while I'm skeptical at first, we decided to accept their offer and started to do good stuffs all across the multiverse.

And I had to admit... helping people all across the multiverse feels good and I do get along well with the other leaders of the heroic organization, and for the first time, I feel that I've finally found a place where I belong.

Sadly... old habits never die as my group and I started to do crimes again behind our allies' backs and I understand that I'm ruining their trust but I can't help it, I was raised as a criminal and it's really hard to turn back on the things I've been doing since I was a child.

And during those times, a man named Noboru Takizawa approached me and offered me money if I could track down his son named Kazeyoshi Imai and kill him. And when we came across the kid and instead of killing him like I was hired to do so, I was impressed when the kid made a declaration that he will kill his father and destroy everything he'd worked for.

And like I said before, I decided not to kill him and decided to raise him instead as a son that I never had. And in years time, the kid grew up to be a tough son of a bitch, and using his hate and anger over his mother's death, Kazeyoshi become one of the strongest and dangerous members of my group.

And I can't help but be proud of the boy.

However things changes after an event when Kazeyoshi accidentally saved a bunch of nimrods from captivity and meeting several people of another heroic organization, the boy had a change of heart, Kazeyoshi left us the Vultures and turned himself in to pay all of my crimes. And after staying in prison for three months, Kazeyoshi got himself a parole and later joined the heroic organization.

And while I'm disappointed that the boy left us, I'm actually happy that the boy is doing something on his own and while his new duties contradicts our own, I rather see him doing something else than going through the same path as mine.

Sadly... my groups' luck just ran out as the Dimension Defense Union found out that we've been doing crimes behind their backs, I assumed that it's Noboru whom ratted out our doings as a way of getting back from not killing his son, and as a result... my group is exiled from the heroic organization.

And I can't blame them. They trusted us, they treated us like a family, we had a lot of good memories with them, and yet we've betrayed their trusts, so they're hatred and disappointment towards us and especially to me is justifiable.

And while I had nothing but myself to blame, I still feel disappointed and guilty for what happened, and to be honest... it's been eating me whole. When I heard my boy started a crusade against his father, it got me excited because I'm finally going to witness what the boy declared years ago, so I decided to aid the boy in his crusade in order to redeem myself a bit.

There I witnessed Kazeyoshi and his merry band of heroes doing their best in saving every planets by fighting off the enemies and freeing them from oppression and seeing how determined they are with their work, I finally realized that there is something much better than my love of doing crimes.

And that's the joy of helping others.

And with that in mind, I decided to set aside my love of crimes and everything I've learned over the years, and decided to aid my boy in saving a certain universe.

Even if it cause me my own life.

"Mace, what are you doing?!" Kazeyoshi Imai shouted in utter shock.

"One of us must leave this ship alive and it had to be you." Mace Wyndu declared with a smile.

Kazeyoshi made a loud thud inside the pod and Mace followed this by taking off his knife holsters before tossing it inside the pod. And before Kazeyoshi could utter a reply, the glass door closes, "Mace! Mace! Get me out of here!" the blue-haired lad panicked in demand.

Mace shook his head, "No can do, son." he denied, "If I do that then both of us will die." he reasoned, "I wish there was another way but sadly we're stuck with only one option." he stated.

Kazeyoshi bangs on the glass door, "Mace! Stop! We can still get out of here alive!" he exclaimed.

Mace then heard a loud explosion from the distance before shrugging his shoulders, "Even if there was another way... there is no time." he said, "Listen my boy..." he advised, "I've done a lot of atrocious things in my entire life and I think it's about time that I finally pay the price." he explained, "I know that dying is a cowardly way out but to me... I see it as a fitting end." he reasoned with a smile.

"You don't have to do this!" Kazeyoshi shouted, "You can still redeem yourself by doing good things!" he reasoned.

"I've done that before but as you see... I relapsed and kept on doing crimes behind everyone's back." Mace admitted, "It's too late for me." he added, "But it's not too late for the rest, so when you met up with Abdul and Tamina, please offer them memberships to your organization, I know it's going to be hard on them to adjust themsleves from being criminals to heroes but I rather had them become the latter than live the rest of their lives getting chased by the law." he explained.

Kazeyohi's eyes then started to swell, "M-Mace..." he uttered in despair.

"Don't cry my boy, I don't deserve such tears." Mace replied with a grin.

"But... we still need you." Kazeyoshi sobbed, "I NEED you!" he cried, "You're the best person I know whom I considered a father!" he reasoned.

"Well that's sweet and I appreciate it." Mace said, "But let me remind you that you had other people that also considers you as a family." he reminded, "You shouldn't keep them all waiting." he added with a smile.

"Mace..." Kazeyoshi uttered.

"Listen to me my boy." Mace advised, "You got a life ahead of ya and you're doing much better that I could've have." he said, "Keep on living my boy." he beckoned, "Keep doing what you think is right." he furthered, "Help people, save people, make the multiverse a better place for everyone." he listed off, "Spread kindness like what your mother did." he concluded with a smile.

"Mace..." Kazeyoshi sobbed.

Mace then heard the explosions coming in closer, "I think it's about time that you high-tail it out of here." he beckoned before smashing a fist on a nearby green-colored button.

The escape then started to shake while letting out a few smokes at the same time, Kazeyoshi looks around in panic, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" he cried out, "Mace! Mace!" he pleaded while banging the glass door louder.

"And one last thing..." Mace remembered, "... if there's actually an afterlife and I get to meet your mother, I'll tell her that you've grown up to be a fine man." he declared with a smile.

And with that, the escape pod rockets out of the exploding ship, "MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCEE!" Kazeyoshi cried loudly.

Mace watches the escape pod flies away to safety before turning around to see the flames getting closer to him, the alien mercenary chuckled, "I don't know why but I'm craving for some hamburgers and a milkshake." he mused while shaking his head.

And a minute later, the whole ship exploded alongside Mace and Noboru, but unlike the latter, Mace faces his death with dignity and the feeling of closure.

As the escape pods flies farther away from the exploding and blazing ship, Kazeyoshi can't do anything but cry in grief and sadness, Mace was like a father to him and to see him die just to save him completely broke his heart while feeling guilty at the same time because he is unable to save themselves both.

Kazeyoshi continues to cry for thirty minutes as the escape pod floats around the endless space when it suddenly came into a halt. Despite the emotional turmoil Kazeyoshi is feeling at the moment, he felt the pod ceasing it's movement, he then looks up at the glass door and is greeted by the sight of Sensei-Sensei looking at him with a sad expression whilst holding the escape pod in his right hand.

"Kazeyoshi..." Sensei-Sensei uttered in sympathy, "I'm very sorry." he apologized.

"Sensei-Sensei..." Kazeyoshi sobbed, "Mace... he... he..." he choked between his cries, "... he died for me..." he cried.

"I know..." Sensei-Sensei uttered in understanding, "But no need to blame yourself for it." he advised, "What happened is beyond your control." he stated.

"I could have done something!" Kazeyoshi insisted.

"Kazeyoshi..." Sensei-Sensei uttered, "Mace's sacrifice will not be in vain." he declared as the blue-haired lad sobbed in guilt, "Let's head back to everyone." he beckoned.

And with that, Sensei-Sensei with the escape pod in hand, flew back towards Kasumigastar.

A/N: Inspired from someonestupED, damnlastwords, Jamesdean5842, Hope the Victor and Ace Neptune. All OCs and concepts not created by moi were given permission for me to use by it's respected creators.