"This is... creepy, Cye. I've never seen a big place like this totally void of life..." Reia shivered as Cye lent her a hand to crawl over a pile of debris.
"I have," Cye replied simply. "But... you're right, it's still creepy." He glanced up at a stoplight as it switched to green. "At least the power's still running."
"Which could be good or bad," Reia muttered, as they walked back into the empty parking lot. Kasukio and Lys were right where they'd left them. The boy was still bent over the girl, carefully stroking her hair but not saying anything. He looked up at the sound of Reia and Cye's feet on the pavement approaching them.
Reia almost stopped short, his eyes looked so, so... dark! The bright emerald green had gone to almost a greenish black, and he regarded the two with a cold distance as they approached.
"I got her to sleep," He said quietly, his voice flat and emotionless.
"Here, put this on her," Reia whispered, kneeling beside Lys to lay the coat over her.
"...Lys told me what happened," Kasukio continued, his voice pitched low so only Reia could hear him. "But...her account was a little choppy. Reia... where the hell were you when this was going on?"
"Kasu-" Reia exclaimed, but he cut her off as he rose to his feet, his voice gaining volume as he spoke again.
"I told you to look after her! I TOLD YOU TO PROTECT HER!!! What *HAPPENED*, Reia?" He roared at her now, and stepped menacingly towards her.
"I got there as fast as I could..."
"Why didn't you kill him?!" Kasukio raved, "DAMMIT!! Why did it have to be Lys, why not... why not..."
Reia's face flushed and she felt her emotions welling up inside her again, ready to burst out...
"Why did it have to be Lys..." The red head glared at Reia, eyes full of contempt. "Why couldn't it have been you..."
Trembling, Reia stepped back from him again, unsure of how to respond to this.
Cye, naturally, came to her rescue, interposing himself between her and her angry teammate.
"What is the MATTER WITH YOU?!!" Cye shouted, all hints of his usual serenity gone from his voice. His entire body was stiff, and he looked perfectly ready to knock the future bearer of Wildfire into next week at any moment. "How can you wish something like that on your friend?!"
"You stay out of this, it has nothing to do with you," Kasukio snapped. He moved to shove Cye out of the way. The Ronin of Trust easily caught his wrist and held it in a vice-like grip, awarding Kasukio with the blackest of looks. Although Cye was taller than him, he was more muscular, and Reia hated to imagine a fight between the two of them.
"Do not... make me hurt you," Kasukio whispered in a low, dangerous voice. "If anything... it's you who's distracted Reia from her job."
"Stop it, stop it NOW!!" Reia screamed, but they ignored her.
Cye wordlessly twisted Kasukio's arm in his grip, moving lightning quick and pinning him from behind.
"I realize that you're in pain and you're not thinking clearly right now," The auburn-haired man hissed into Kasukio's ear. "But you are still being a fool. We're not your enemies here, on the contrary, we're all Ronin Warriors. May you fall on your knees when you come to your senses and beg Reia and Lys both their forgiveness for the things you've said just now."
Cye released him then, but not gently. In fact, he practically threw Kasukio to the ground.
"I'm going to try to find a pay phone that works and call the others," He said tersely as he turned on his heels and stalked away without looking back.
"Something wrong's going on here," Kento remarked. "How come we're the only ones on the freeway?"
Sage, who was seated in the front passenger seat of Kento's van, nodded at Kento's words but didn't say anything for a moment. "...It feels bad, doesn't it," He said quietly.
"You don't suppose something bad happened in the city, do you?" Rowen asked anxiously.
"You worried about her, Ro?" Sage asked.
"No! Well, I..." Rowen settled uncomfortably in his seat and turned towards the window at the countryside speeding by. "I'm worried about Cye, too. All of them."
"Uh huh..." At the mention of his best friend's name, Kento pressed a little harder on the gas.
"We have no money, and only a vague idea of where the others are in this huge city. Lady Kayura's been captured... those guys are playing with us now... we are so, so, SO screwed," Xanthe muttered.
"Thank you for the news flash, obvious-man," Junichi grumbled.
"I'm just glad that Kento's van still works," Ryo spoke up softly. Mia was still in shock and just leaned against him, her head on his shoulder, eyes staring blankly ahead. "We'd have been even more screwed if the fire had gotten it too." His statement started up Mia's sobbing again- on top of everything else she'd lost in the fire, her little jeep had gone up, too. That left a weird sense of loss for Ryo, Sage, Kento, and Rowen as well... that little car had served them well. "Uh... sorry, Mia..."
"When we find the others, we're going to have a lot to talk about," Rowen sighed.
"Nothing... nothing at all!! Argh!" Cye cried out in frustration as he slammed the pay phone down.
"Cye! There you are..." Reia called as she ran up to him. "You're hard to track."
"Sorry... this phone must not be working properly... I can't get a connection to Mia's. I guess I should try to find another one..." Cye moved to walk past Reia, but she caught his hand.
"Hey... you're shaking, are you OK?" She asked, cocking her head. "Back there... I've never seen you so angry before..."
"I don't usually get that mad," He replied sheepishly. "I...I just didn't like how he was talking to you. The last thing we need is having him blame everyone else on earth for what happened..." ~ And I couldn't stand to watch the way his accusations were tearing you up inside... couldn't bear to hear him wish that horrible deed on you... but, God, I've REALLY never been that angry... I wanted to hurt him... I... I wanted to kill him. What's going on with me?? ~
She smiled slightly at him. "Thanks for sticking up for me... This whole thing would've been a lot more difficult without you on my side... so... no luck with the phones, huh?"
"No." Cye kicked at a stone laying at his feet. "I don't know if it's just this phone or every phone in the city or what..."
"You don't suppose something...happened back at the house, do you?" Reia asked, as cold dread began to clutch at her throat. The possibility was very, very real, after all...
But just as the thought passed from her lips, they heard the sound of a car, somewhere down the street.
"There's someone here after all!" Cye exclaimed.
"I'm gonna go check it out!"
"Not without me you're not!!"
"...This is creepy, guys. Look at this place," Kento breathed as the van rolled down the empty street. He eyed the abandoned cars as they passed them. "It's just like..."
"The first time the Dynasty came. I know," Sage squirmed in his seat, his sensitive nerves feeling squished from all sides by the 'wrongness' in the air around them.
"You can't even give Arcane points for originality. So far everything he's done has been a giant rip off of Talpa," Xanthe growled.
"Yeah except we could fight back against Talpa... we haven't won a single encounter against Arcane yet!" Rowen snapped. "He's just toying with us and we could be driving right into a city sized trap!"
Junichi looked down at Kawai, who was still sleeping, on the floor of the van.
"Reia and the others could be captured. Or they could be dead. We don't know," He said gravely.
"Way to be optimistic!" Xanthe shouted.
"Get REAL, Xanthe!" Junichi shot back. "There is no room for optimism here! Foolish hopes that can only be dashed! I'll have no part in it! All we can do is prepare for the present so we can POSSIBLY live through the future!"
"Hey one more word and I will turn this van right around..." Kento began, but Sage glared at him and he shut up.
"Turn there, Kento," Ryo spoke up, pointing to the right at the upcoming intersection. "The museum is that way... we should check there first."
"Aye aye, cap'n."
But just as the van whipped around the corner, Kento let out a yelp and slammed on the brakes. The van lurched to a stop... just in time to keep from running down a very surprised looking pair in blue sub-armor.
"Hey PAL just cuz the city's levelled doesn't mean you don't have to obey speed limits!!!" Reia was shrieking as Kento rolled down the window and poked his head out.
"Reia! CYE!!!" He exclaimed.
Reia stopped in mid rant, her mouth hanging open.
"Kento! Boy am I glad to see you!!" Cye cried, running towards the van.
~ Reia... she's safe...~ Rowen sighed and dropped his head into his hands. He felt like a tremendous burden had been lifted from his shoulders. ~ I had no reason to worry... they were together, of course they'd be fine...~
Rowen didn't even realize he was shaking until Sage turned around and reached out to him from the front seat, gently laying his hand on his shoulder.
"They're OK, Ro," Sage said quietly. "Hey, Rowen... she's all right."
"I know," Rowen replied, sitting up, quickly regaining his cool composure. "Takes more than a city falling on their heads to take down Ronin Warriors."
Sage laughed as he opened his door and hopped out. "Aint that the truth."
"Will he live?"
"Who cares... the animal served his purpose." Balin narrowed his eyes as he turned away from the huge crystal tank where Trox floated, connected to numerous tubes and wires.
Osa leaned casually against the wall, and Persephone stood silent as usual in the corner. She'd finally appeared from wherever she'd gone to sulk for the past several weeks.
"He didn't kill either Halo bearer... so how could he have served his purpose?" Persephone asked boredly.
Balin laughed. "Small minded fool..."
"Watch your tongue, male," Persephone hissed, literally, a sound like an angry cat.
"He may not have killed either of them... but he broke the girl." He nodded, and absently ran his hand over the gash in his armor. "He's made me stronger..." Balin licked his lips. "When I come across Wildfire again... I'll teach him what true pain and humiliation is. Trox has nothing on what I can do... nothing at all."
Osa shuddered, and turned to leave.
"Osa Terrapir," Balin's deep brass voice seemed to freeze her in her step. "I want to talk to you."
The red head cursed under her breath as she turned towards him, trying to hide her black mood from her facial features.
"I shall excuse myself," Persephone muttered, vanishing.
"What do you want?" The curvaceous mercenary put her hands on her hips and glared at Balin.
"That boy... the Hardrock lad... the pretty one. I'm interested in him," Balin told her succinctly. Osa's eyebrows arched.
"Well I always knew you were a sick one, but I didn't know how sick," She replied, boldly.
Balin smiled wryly at her, almost seeming to take it as a compliment. "You're far more bold than a woman ought to be. Actually, this target of yours... he carries quite an interesting seed in him... I can feel it, even through second-hand contact with him through his comrades. I think I'll be able to draw great power from him."
"Give me one reason why I should let YOU have him," She replied, green eyes flashing. "Doesn't anyone here have their own targets to stalk, why is everyone interested in MINE?!"
"Give me a break... you're only here for wealth. You care nothing for glory and power," Balin snapped.
"Ah, but power and glory go hand in hand with gold, my friend," Osa retorted. "I won't give Xanthe of Hardrock over to you... but... I may be willing to SELL him."
Balin looked like he wanted to slap her. "We shall see... just don't kill him or damage his looks too badly..."
"Whatever... if you will excuse me..." With that, she turned on her soft shoes and quickly left the dark chamber of the palace, heading for the gray light of the outside hallways.
That swaggering cretin, Fiian, blocked her path as she rounded a corner.
"What do you want?" She sighed.
"That outfit on the floor by my bed in the morning, for starters," He replied with a grin, as she visibly seethed.
~ The SAME cheesy pick up line from TWO different men here today alone! No amount of gold is worth this!!! ~
She rolled her eyes and moved to nudge past him, but he caught her arm.
"Actually I just thought you may like to see what success looks like," He said in a low voice, a dangerous smile playing on his lips.
"Is that braggart-code for 'I caught Lady Kayura, ha ha'?"
"In so many words, yeah. And I hear that the other three did pretty well on their little forays, too..."
Dais unlocked the door to his hotel suite, sighing under his breath as he shooed away the maid that had tailed him from down the hallway.
~ One nice thing about being a couple thousand years old... you have plenty of time to amass some petty cash, ~ He thought as he switched the light on in the room. ~ The mortal world isn't so bad, when it comes to the five-star accommodations...~
"It's about time you showed up," A female voice remarked. Dais eyes flew to the bed, where Celtia was lounging, looking like she hadn't a care in the world.
"And no, your friends didn't buy me for you," She chuckled sarcastically. As she sat up, toying with a strand of her short blond hair.
Dais tensed, feeling the strength of her aura as she allowed her shields to slip. "You are Arcane's minion." He said, rather than asked.
She licked her lips and nodded as a black whip appeared in her hands. "Arcane sent me to come get you, so... let's play."
Sehkmet put down his glass and numbly forked over a wrinkled bill to the bartender.
~ Gotta get sober before I meet up with Dais and Cale again... I don't need them riding me about this, ~ He thought, as the floor seemed to tip a little bit. He made his way outside and slipped into an alley to take a short cut back to where they were staying. Kayura had deemed it unsafe for them to teleport in and out of the Netherworld, with Arcane watching the flows of energy throughout the whole place and probably in the voids between the worlds as well.
And it wouldn't make much sense to stay in the Netherworld, so, they had all obtained suites at pretty swanky hotels. They were former Warlords, after all! If they were going to be reduced to staying in mortal lodging, it certainly wouldn't be a Motel 6!
Sehkmet groaned, as the area around him seemed to warp again. ~ This is... so strange... I may not be used to human drinks but I should NOT get intoxicated this easily...~
~* That's right, you SHOULDN'T. You messed up, snake, messed up in a big way, *~ A telepathic voice sneered.
"What-" Sehkmet gasped, as he fell into a fighting stance. "Show yourself!"
"I couldn't put a poison in your drink, of course, because you would know it right off, Warlord of Venom." The same voice, only out loud, this time. "But what I CAN do is manipulate your mind to simulate drunkenness."
Sehkmet didn't even see his attacker until his face was inches from his own. The green haired warrior let out a gasp as Jicquar's armored fist sank into his stomach.
"I'm disappointed, Sehkmet. It shouldn't have been this easy for me," Jicquar murmured, his purple eyes flashing.
Cale wandered along the dark, misty docks at the ports in Yokohama. The damp air clung to his clothing and would've chilled an ordinary man, but he didn't bat an eyelash.
~ I sometimes think a world of darkness wouldn't be a bad thing. The night it so tranquil compared to the hustle and bustle of the day, ~ He thought, as he paused to listen to the lapping water. ~ Then again, the absence of a noisy day turns the tranquillity of the night to an empty, cold silence. ~
He could already imagine Sage's argument against his view of the daytime.
"The day is not noisy, it's bright and full of light! It symbolizes everything we're bound to protect!" He would say.
~ But you still prefer the tranquil night, as I do, don't you Halo? ~
"I prefer the night, too," A voice behind him said.
"I don't like having my mind read by people I barely know," Cale said loftily as he turned to face Yormo.
"The night doesn't remind me of all the things I can't be a part of in the world, as the day does. But the night, the darkness, is my ally. Where those of you who depend on your eyes flounder, I thrive." Yormo did not draw his bow, but stood patiently with it at his side.
"If you're hoping darkness is going to hamper me, you have a sore lesson coming to you," Cale said smoothly.
He made a move towards Yormo, but flinched as an arrow grazed his shoulder.
"...How can he be so fast..."
"You'll ask that many times before I'm through with you, warrior of Obedience..."
(end flashbacks)
"...I just wonder why the rest of you are having so much trouble," Fiian continued.
Osa gave him another dirty look. "The rest of us have targets that travel in packs... you'd be amazed how they flock to protect each other. They require much more SKILL to capture than lone targets."
She aimed the world skill at him like a knife, but it seemed to roll off his back.
"Skill you apparently don't possess," He replied, turning to walk away.
Only knowing the usual fate of people like him in battle prevented Osa from chasing after him and knocking him upside the head. Instead, she smiled and turned to walk in the opposite direction.
Reia and Cye recounted the entire story of what had happened to them from the first moment of attack, so as to prepare them for when they went to pick up Kasukio and Lys.
"We're going to have to find some shelter here in the city," Ryo said quietly. "Because, well..." He absently stroked Mia's hair as she snuggled closer to him, still trembling and silent.
"He'll find us, no matter where we go," She whispered suddenly, her voice coming out husky. "He's... different, from Talpa... he'll find us, no matter where we hide..."
"This is bad, you guys," Kento whispered, so Ryo couldn't hear him in the back. "The last person we need to wig out is Mia."
"We're going to have a lot of people wigging out, one more won't make a difference," Rowen muttered.
Reia squirmed, hesitating to ask him where Lady Kayura was.
"We can go to that big hotel we saw back there," Cye said. "It would beat sleeping in the subway."
"Yeah... oh, man," Kento sighed as he pulled into the parking lot. Kasukio was standing there, waiting for them. He held Lys in his arms, and she slept, the long trench coat and her matted hair swaying in the breeze. As a few of them got out to help them get into the van, he would not look anyone in the eye...
"I have," Cye replied simply. "But... you're right, it's still creepy." He glanced up at a stoplight as it switched to green. "At least the power's still running."
"Which could be good or bad," Reia muttered, as they walked back into the empty parking lot. Kasukio and Lys were right where they'd left them. The boy was still bent over the girl, carefully stroking her hair but not saying anything. He looked up at the sound of Reia and Cye's feet on the pavement approaching them.
Reia almost stopped short, his eyes looked so, so... dark! The bright emerald green had gone to almost a greenish black, and he regarded the two with a cold distance as they approached.
"I got her to sleep," He said quietly, his voice flat and emotionless.
"Here, put this on her," Reia whispered, kneeling beside Lys to lay the coat over her.
"...Lys told me what happened," Kasukio continued, his voice pitched low so only Reia could hear him. "But...her account was a little choppy. Reia... where the hell were you when this was going on?"
"Kasu-" Reia exclaimed, but he cut her off as he rose to his feet, his voice gaining volume as he spoke again.
"I told you to look after her! I TOLD YOU TO PROTECT HER!!! What *HAPPENED*, Reia?" He roared at her now, and stepped menacingly towards her.
"I got there as fast as I could..."
"Why didn't you kill him?!" Kasukio raved, "DAMMIT!! Why did it have to be Lys, why not... why not..."
Reia's face flushed and she felt her emotions welling up inside her again, ready to burst out...
"Why did it have to be Lys..." The red head glared at Reia, eyes full of contempt. "Why couldn't it have been you..."
Trembling, Reia stepped back from him again, unsure of how to respond to this.
Cye, naturally, came to her rescue, interposing himself between her and her angry teammate.
"What is the MATTER WITH YOU?!!" Cye shouted, all hints of his usual serenity gone from his voice. His entire body was stiff, and he looked perfectly ready to knock the future bearer of Wildfire into next week at any moment. "How can you wish something like that on your friend?!"
"You stay out of this, it has nothing to do with you," Kasukio snapped. He moved to shove Cye out of the way. The Ronin of Trust easily caught his wrist and held it in a vice-like grip, awarding Kasukio with the blackest of looks. Although Cye was taller than him, he was more muscular, and Reia hated to imagine a fight between the two of them.
"Do not... make me hurt you," Kasukio whispered in a low, dangerous voice. "If anything... it's you who's distracted Reia from her job."
"Stop it, stop it NOW!!" Reia screamed, but they ignored her.
Cye wordlessly twisted Kasukio's arm in his grip, moving lightning quick and pinning him from behind.
"I realize that you're in pain and you're not thinking clearly right now," The auburn-haired man hissed into Kasukio's ear. "But you are still being a fool. We're not your enemies here, on the contrary, we're all Ronin Warriors. May you fall on your knees when you come to your senses and beg Reia and Lys both their forgiveness for the things you've said just now."
Cye released him then, but not gently. In fact, he practically threw Kasukio to the ground.
"I'm going to try to find a pay phone that works and call the others," He said tersely as he turned on his heels and stalked away without looking back.
"Something wrong's going on here," Kento remarked. "How come we're the only ones on the freeway?"
Sage, who was seated in the front passenger seat of Kento's van, nodded at Kento's words but didn't say anything for a moment. "...It feels bad, doesn't it," He said quietly.
"You don't suppose something bad happened in the city, do you?" Rowen asked anxiously.
"You worried about her, Ro?" Sage asked.
"No! Well, I..." Rowen settled uncomfortably in his seat and turned towards the window at the countryside speeding by. "I'm worried about Cye, too. All of them."
"Uh huh..." At the mention of his best friend's name, Kento pressed a little harder on the gas.
"We have no money, and only a vague idea of where the others are in this huge city. Lady Kayura's been captured... those guys are playing with us now... we are so, so, SO screwed," Xanthe muttered.
"Thank you for the news flash, obvious-man," Junichi grumbled.
"I'm just glad that Kento's van still works," Ryo spoke up softly. Mia was still in shock and just leaned against him, her head on his shoulder, eyes staring blankly ahead. "We'd have been even more screwed if the fire had gotten it too." His statement started up Mia's sobbing again- on top of everything else she'd lost in the fire, her little jeep had gone up, too. That left a weird sense of loss for Ryo, Sage, Kento, and Rowen as well... that little car had served them well. "Uh... sorry, Mia..."
"When we find the others, we're going to have a lot to talk about," Rowen sighed.
"Nothing... nothing at all!! Argh!" Cye cried out in frustration as he slammed the pay phone down.
"Cye! There you are..." Reia called as she ran up to him. "You're hard to track."
"Sorry... this phone must not be working properly... I can't get a connection to Mia's. I guess I should try to find another one..." Cye moved to walk past Reia, but she caught his hand.
"Hey... you're shaking, are you OK?" She asked, cocking her head. "Back there... I've never seen you so angry before..."
"I don't usually get that mad," He replied sheepishly. "I...I just didn't like how he was talking to you. The last thing we need is having him blame everyone else on earth for what happened..." ~ And I couldn't stand to watch the way his accusations were tearing you up inside... couldn't bear to hear him wish that horrible deed on you... but, God, I've REALLY never been that angry... I wanted to hurt him... I... I wanted to kill him. What's going on with me?? ~
She smiled slightly at him. "Thanks for sticking up for me... This whole thing would've been a lot more difficult without you on my side... so... no luck with the phones, huh?"
"No." Cye kicked at a stone laying at his feet. "I don't know if it's just this phone or every phone in the city or what..."
"You don't suppose something...happened back at the house, do you?" Reia asked, as cold dread began to clutch at her throat. The possibility was very, very real, after all...
But just as the thought passed from her lips, they heard the sound of a car, somewhere down the street.
"There's someone here after all!" Cye exclaimed.
"I'm gonna go check it out!"
"Not without me you're not!!"
"...This is creepy, guys. Look at this place," Kento breathed as the van rolled down the empty street. He eyed the abandoned cars as they passed them. "It's just like..."
"The first time the Dynasty came. I know," Sage squirmed in his seat, his sensitive nerves feeling squished from all sides by the 'wrongness' in the air around them.
"You can't even give Arcane points for originality. So far everything he's done has been a giant rip off of Talpa," Xanthe growled.
"Yeah except we could fight back against Talpa... we haven't won a single encounter against Arcane yet!" Rowen snapped. "He's just toying with us and we could be driving right into a city sized trap!"
Junichi looked down at Kawai, who was still sleeping, on the floor of the van.
"Reia and the others could be captured. Or they could be dead. We don't know," He said gravely.
"Way to be optimistic!" Xanthe shouted.
"Get REAL, Xanthe!" Junichi shot back. "There is no room for optimism here! Foolish hopes that can only be dashed! I'll have no part in it! All we can do is prepare for the present so we can POSSIBLY live through the future!"
"Hey one more word and I will turn this van right around..." Kento began, but Sage glared at him and he shut up.
"Turn there, Kento," Ryo spoke up, pointing to the right at the upcoming intersection. "The museum is that way... we should check there first."
"Aye aye, cap'n."
But just as the van whipped around the corner, Kento let out a yelp and slammed on the brakes. The van lurched to a stop... just in time to keep from running down a very surprised looking pair in blue sub-armor.
"Hey PAL just cuz the city's levelled doesn't mean you don't have to obey speed limits!!!" Reia was shrieking as Kento rolled down the window and poked his head out.
"Reia! CYE!!!" He exclaimed.
Reia stopped in mid rant, her mouth hanging open.
"Kento! Boy am I glad to see you!!" Cye cried, running towards the van.
~ Reia... she's safe...~ Rowen sighed and dropped his head into his hands. He felt like a tremendous burden had been lifted from his shoulders. ~ I had no reason to worry... they were together, of course they'd be fine...~
Rowen didn't even realize he was shaking until Sage turned around and reached out to him from the front seat, gently laying his hand on his shoulder.
"They're OK, Ro," Sage said quietly. "Hey, Rowen... she's all right."
"I know," Rowen replied, sitting up, quickly regaining his cool composure. "Takes more than a city falling on their heads to take down Ronin Warriors."
Sage laughed as he opened his door and hopped out. "Aint that the truth."
"Will he live?"
"Who cares... the animal served his purpose." Balin narrowed his eyes as he turned away from the huge crystal tank where Trox floated, connected to numerous tubes and wires.
Osa leaned casually against the wall, and Persephone stood silent as usual in the corner. She'd finally appeared from wherever she'd gone to sulk for the past several weeks.
"He didn't kill either Halo bearer... so how could he have served his purpose?" Persephone asked boredly.
Balin laughed. "Small minded fool..."
"Watch your tongue, male," Persephone hissed, literally, a sound like an angry cat.
"He may not have killed either of them... but he broke the girl." He nodded, and absently ran his hand over the gash in his armor. "He's made me stronger..." Balin licked his lips. "When I come across Wildfire again... I'll teach him what true pain and humiliation is. Trox has nothing on what I can do... nothing at all."
Osa shuddered, and turned to leave.
"Osa Terrapir," Balin's deep brass voice seemed to freeze her in her step. "I want to talk to you."
The red head cursed under her breath as she turned towards him, trying to hide her black mood from her facial features.
"I shall excuse myself," Persephone muttered, vanishing.
"What do you want?" The curvaceous mercenary put her hands on her hips and glared at Balin.
"That boy... the Hardrock lad... the pretty one. I'm interested in him," Balin told her succinctly. Osa's eyebrows arched.
"Well I always knew you were a sick one, but I didn't know how sick," She replied, boldly.
Balin smiled wryly at her, almost seeming to take it as a compliment. "You're far more bold than a woman ought to be. Actually, this target of yours... he carries quite an interesting seed in him... I can feel it, even through second-hand contact with him through his comrades. I think I'll be able to draw great power from him."
"Give me one reason why I should let YOU have him," She replied, green eyes flashing. "Doesn't anyone here have their own targets to stalk, why is everyone interested in MINE?!"
"Give me a break... you're only here for wealth. You care nothing for glory and power," Balin snapped.
"Ah, but power and glory go hand in hand with gold, my friend," Osa retorted. "I won't give Xanthe of Hardrock over to you... but... I may be willing to SELL him."
Balin looked like he wanted to slap her. "We shall see... just don't kill him or damage his looks too badly..."
"Whatever... if you will excuse me..." With that, she turned on her soft shoes and quickly left the dark chamber of the palace, heading for the gray light of the outside hallways.
That swaggering cretin, Fiian, blocked her path as she rounded a corner.
"What do you want?" She sighed.
"That outfit on the floor by my bed in the morning, for starters," He replied with a grin, as she visibly seethed.
~ The SAME cheesy pick up line from TWO different men here today alone! No amount of gold is worth this!!! ~
She rolled her eyes and moved to nudge past him, but he caught her arm.
"Actually I just thought you may like to see what success looks like," He said in a low voice, a dangerous smile playing on his lips.
"Is that braggart-code for 'I caught Lady Kayura, ha ha'?"
"In so many words, yeah. And I hear that the other three did pretty well on their little forays, too..."
Dais unlocked the door to his hotel suite, sighing under his breath as he shooed away the maid that had tailed him from down the hallway.
~ One nice thing about being a couple thousand years old... you have plenty of time to amass some petty cash, ~ He thought as he switched the light on in the room. ~ The mortal world isn't so bad, when it comes to the five-star accommodations...~
"It's about time you showed up," A female voice remarked. Dais eyes flew to the bed, where Celtia was lounging, looking like she hadn't a care in the world.
"And no, your friends didn't buy me for you," She chuckled sarcastically. As she sat up, toying with a strand of her short blond hair.
Dais tensed, feeling the strength of her aura as she allowed her shields to slip. "You are Arcane's minion." He said, rather than asked.
She licked her lips and nodded as a black whip appeared in her hands. "Arcane sent me to come get you, so... let's play."
Sehkmet put down his glass and numbly forked over a wrinkled bill to the bartender.
~ Gotta get sober before I meet up with Dais and Cale again... I don't need them riding me about this, ~ He thought, as the floor seemed to tip a little bit. He made his way outside and slipped into an alley to take a short cut back to where they were staying. Kayura had deemed it unsafe for them to teleport in and out of the Netherworld, with Arcane watching the flows of energy throughout the whole place and probably in the voids between the worlds as well.
And it wouldn't make much sense to stay in the Netherworld, so, they had all obtained suites at pretty swanky hotels. They were former Warlords, after all! If they were going to be reduced to staying in mortal lodging, it certainly wouldn't be a Motel 6!
Sehkmet groaned, as the area around him seemed to warp again. ~ This is... so strange... I may not be used to human drinks but I should NOT get intoxicated this easily...~
~* That's right, you SHOULDN'T. You messed up, snake, messed up in a big way, *~ A telepathic voice sneered.
"What-" Sehkmet gasped, as he fell into a fighting stance. "Show yourself!"
"I couldn't put a poison in your drink, of course, because you would know it right off, Warlord of Venom." The same voice, only out loud, this time. "But what I CAN do is manipulate your mind to simulate drunkenness."
Sehkmet didn't even see his attacker until his face was inches from his own. The green haired warrior let out a gasp as Jicquar's armored fist sank into his stomach.
"I'm disappointed, Sehkmet. It shouldn't have been this easy for me," Jicquar murmured, his purple eyes flashing.
Cale wandered along the dark, misty docks at the ports in Yokohama. The damp air clung to his clothing and would've chilled an ordinary man, but he didn't bat an eyelash.
~ I sometimes think a world of darkness wouldn't be a bad thing. The night it so tranquil compared to the hustle and bustle of the day, ~ He thought, as he paused to listen to the lapping water. ~ Then again, the absence of a noisy day turns the tranquillity of the night to an empty, cold silence. ~
He could already imagine Sage's argument against his view of the daytime.
"The day is not noisy, it's bright and full of light! It symbolizes everything we're bound to protect!" He would say.
~ But you still prefer the tranquil night, as I do, don't you Halo? ~
"I prefer the night, too," A voice behind him said.
"I don't like having my mind read by people I barely know," Cale said loftily as he turned to face Yormo.
"The night doesn't remind me of all the things I can't be a part of in the world, as the day does. But the night, the darkness, is my ally. Where those of you who depend on your eyes flounder, I thrive." Yormo did not draw his bow, but stood patiently with it at his side.
"If you're hoping darkness is going to hamper me, you have a sore lesson coming to you," Cale said smoothly.
He made a move towards Yormo, but flinched as an arrow grazed his shoulder.
"...How can he be so fast..."
"You'll ask that many times before I'm through with you, warrior of Obedience..."
(end flashbacks)
"...I just wonder why the rest of you are having so much trouble," Fiian continued.
Osa gave him another dirty look. "The rest of us have targets that travel in packs... you'd be amazed how they flock to protect each other. They require much more SKILL to capture than lone targets."
She aimed the world skill at him like a knife, but it seemed to roll off his back.
"Skill you apparently don't possess," He replied, turning to walk away.
Only knowing the usual fate of people like him in battle prevented Osa from chasing after him and knocking him upside the head. Instead, she smiled and turned to walk in the opposite direction.
Reia and Cye recounted the entire story of what had happened to them from the first moment of attack, so as to prepare them for when they went to pick up Kasukio and Lys.
"We're going to have to find some shelter here in the city," Ryo said quietly. "Because, well..." He absently stroked Mia's hair as she snuggled closer to him, still trembling and silent.
"He'll find us, no matter where we go," She whispered suddenly, her voice coming out husky. "He's... different, from Talpa... he'll find us, no matter where we hide..."
"This is bad, you guys," Kento whispered, so Ryo couldn't hear him in the back. "The last person we need to wig out is Mia."
"We're going to have a lot of people wigging out, one more won't make a difference," Rowen muttered.
Reia squirmed, hesitating to ask him where Lady Kayura was.
"We can go to that big hotel we saw back there," Cye said. "It would beat sleeping in the subway."
"Yeah... oh, man," Kento sighed as he pulled into the parking lot. Kasukio was standing there, waiting for them. He held Lys in his arms, and she slept, the long trench coat and her matted hair swaying in the breeze. As a few of them got out to help them get into the van, he would not look anyone in the eye...