Chapter 2
The sun was setting over Nortune, casting the tall metal buildings in long shadows. A muscular olive green skinned giant lumbered through a back alley lined with garbage. Ricardo Banderas had a bright orange mane of hair flowing up and back, partly obscuring his long pointed ears. Small glowing yellow eyes with slit pupils glared from dark pits in his face. He wore baggy red pants with huge boots and metal riveted gloves decorated his fists. On his neck was a large metal ring shaped detonation collar. He paused to survey the people hurrying past him and noticed how little the city has changed in his absence. A gaudy neon sign advertised a nearby pub.
The Wildcat Pub was packed with people. Some workers were laughing as one of them was drunkenly trying to sing along with a sappy love song playing on the jukebox. The waitress ran hurriedly to and fro as she tried to keep up with all the orders. A mole demi-human sat alone in a corner, morosely nursing a drink. Most of the customers recognized him and quickly looked away. As he got close to the bar, he could make out the bartender talking to a blond woman in a pink frilly dress.
"And it's purple, with a really biiig sword," she was saying in a slightly grating, high pitched voice as she spread her arms out wide.
The bartender shook his head. "Nope, haven't seen it."
They both turned towards Rico, the woman gasping in shock.
"Hello Champ," said the bartender amiably, "What'll it be?"
"Tequila," said Rico as he sat down, making the stool creak, "And don't call me Champ."
The bartender nodded and put a bottle and a small shot glass on the countertop. Rico pushed the glass away and began drinking straight from the bottle.
"It's really you Mister Champ!" said the annoying woman.
He glanced at her. "You still here?"
She nodded vigorously. The bangs of her long hair mostly hid her jade green eyes. Something about her innocent expression struck a familiar chord with him.
"We met before?" he asked gruffly.
"Absolutely Mister Champ!" she said, putting her hands together, "I looove your fighting technique!"
"Hmph!" he grunted, "I don't need Arena groupies."
She stared at him solemnly and then began to giggle uncontrollably. He rolled his eyes and tried to savor his drink in peace.
"You really don't remember me?" she asked, delighted.
He slammed the bottle on the counter. "Why, should I?"
"I guess not," she said impishly as she placed her hand on his arm. "You can call me Bunny."
He took another swig of the bottle, pulling his arm free. "Buzz off."
She exhaled sharply in frustration and turned to regard the other patrons. Her face lit up as she saw a female dragon demi-human walk into the pub and take a seat further down the bar. Bunny elbowed Rico sharply.
"Hey!" he snapped irritably.
"Did you see her?" she asked excitedly.
"Who?" asked Rico, instantly regretting the question.
"That's the dragon lady the mole man likes," she said cheerfully, "But he's too shy to talk to her."
"Yeah so?" he responded impatiently.
"I'm gonna help him!" she said as she stood up.
He grabbed her arm. "Don't bother them!" he growled.
She blinked in surprise. "Why?"
"People like to be left alone," he said darkly.
She began to grimace. "Owie."
Feeling horrified, he quickly released her arm. "Sorry."
"It's okay," said Bunny smiling broadly, "I'm the angel of love!"
He watched her bound over to the mole man.
"The angel of love?" he echoed in disbelief.
She leaned over the table and began whispering something to the mole man. He replied shakily after which she nodded. She waved to him as she ran over to the dragon girl. The mole man cautiously walked over to Rico.
"H-hello," he stammered, clearly intimidated by him.
Rico eyed him questioningly.
"It's quite an honor Champ," added the mole man, intertwining his claws.
"Don't call me that," replied Rico wearily.
"Sorry!" said the mole man bowing hastily.
Rico waved a hand. "Forget it."
They both turned to see Bunny return with the dragon girl. Rico felt a slow sinking sensation that he was screwed.
"I'm truly honored to meet you Mister Banderas," said the dragon girl bowing politely.
Bunny handed Rico a pen and two scraps of paper. "Thanks for doing this," she said playfully.
Rico's brow furrowed in puzzlement. Then he looked at the mole man and dragon girl and sighed deeply. Reluctantly he signed his full name on both scraps of paper. He handed a piece of paper to each of them.
"Wow! Thanks!" gushed the mole man.
"You'll always be the Champ to us!" said the dragon girl.
Rico felt acutely embarrassed. "Yeah, well."
They walked together to the mole man's table and began to talk animatedly as they compared signatures. Rico glowered at Bunny.
"You sneaky bitch!" he snapped.
She giggled. "I'm sorry."
"Like hell you are!" he said returning to his drink.
"But you helped these people," she replied.
He sat there and sulked. She sighed and stood up.
"I'm sorry to be a bother Mister Champ," said Bunny as she walked toward the door.
He suddenly stood and began to follow her. "Wait a minute!" he said.
He reached for her shoulder but caught a lock of her hair instead. As she walked away the whole mop of hair came off her head. He stared down at the wig in his grip, then up to her quizzically. Her real hair was a mass of bright pink spikes with two large pink floppy ears that folded down to violet colored tips.
"Seraphita!" he snarled.
Seraphita grinned nervously and waved. "Oh gee, hi there!"
He swung a massive fist at her. She hopped over him, using his shoulders as a springboard.
"You tricked me!" he bellowed swinging around to face her.
"Wait!" she pleaded, "Let's not fight!"
"Please take it outside!" shouted the bartender.
Rico smashed the bottle over the back of a chair. The pieces of glass tickled softly as they hit the hardwood floor. Then he turned and headed out the door. Seraphita reluctantly followed him.
Outside darkness had fallen, the moon bathing them in a mysterious glow. He threw the remains of the bottle against a wall.
"You made me waste a perfectly good bottle of tequila," he groused.
"I'm sooo sorry Mister Champ," said Seraphita, looking contrite.
"What's with the get up?" he demanded.
She held up the fringes of the skirt and curtseyed. "Do you like it?"
"That's not the point!" he snapped.
She nodded solemnly. "Commander Ramsus told me I had to look inconspicuous."
Rico gaped openly at her, his fangs showing. "This is your idea of inconspicuous?"
"Uh-huh," she said.
He burst out laughing, putting a hand to his forehead. She began to laugh along uncertainly with him. He guffawed uproariously clutching his sides in pain.
"So why are you really here?" he asked between chuckles.
"I'm looking for Dominia," she replied, "Have you seen her?"
"Maybe," he said suddenly serious, "What's it worth to you?"
Seraphita steeled her resolve. "Whatever it takes!"
"Fight me then," he said evenly.
She sighed and put up her fists. He walked over and put a massive hand on top of hers.
"Not here, in the Arena," he clarified.
She blinked. "You mean with gears?"
He nodded. "Tomorrow evening."
"But what-" she began.
He shook his head. "No buts."
Seraphita's face lit up with understanding. "All right!"
He patted her on the head. "Good girl."
She reddened in the face a bit. He turned and walked off into the night. She watched after him for a long time.
The lights went up in the room, brilliantly illuminating everything inside. The paddock was a tremendous hanger style building with metals walls and ceiling, with bare wires and pipes running between the steel girders. In the center of the room rested an enormous gear in the shape of a lion. It was brilliant pink with white trim. In the center of the forehead was a triangular seal. Two massive wings swept back from the shoulder blades and three claws protruded from each metallic foot.
Rico stepped away from the light switch, faintly conscious of the distant roar of the crowd. He looked over to see Seraphita clutching one of the legs, whispering quietly with her eyes closed. He noticed she was in her familiar Element uniform now: a skintight red shirt with a green gem at the white collar, matching red wide shouldered gloves, and a pink sash around her midsection. A white and pink fluffy tail peeked out from her rump. She eventually opened her eyes and noticed him.
"Hello there Mister Champ!" she said brightly.
"What are doing?" he inquired.
She giggled. "I'm talking to Grandgrowl."
"Talking?" he asked looking up at the fearsome jaws.
"Sure, I talk to him all the time," she explained.
"Whatever," he said evenly, "Just remember I won't go easy on you."
She nodded enthusiastically. "Of course!"
"Fine," he said as he ambled out.
She placed a hand on Grandgrowl's paw. "I hope he'll help us Growly."
She climbed up the leg to the mane, tapping on a small square hatch, which swung open. She climbed inside and pulled up a series of levers. Grandgrowl roared to life, the lights in the eyes burning fiercely. She pulled back on the handles and pressed the foot pedals. It began to lumber toward a pair of massive doors that slowly opened. She blinked a bit against the glare of sunlight streaming through the viewers. She could make out a huge crowd seated in the circular arena muttering excitedly at her entrance. A vast grassy plain was spread out before her.
"Our first surprise challenger is the lion gear Grandgrowl," echoed an announcer's voice, "Piloted by the spunky little fireball known as Seraphita!"
A huge roar erupted from the crowd as they waved their hands in excitement.
"Uh, hi everyone!" she said through her loudspeaker.
She saw doors on the far side of arena creak open. She magnified the view and saw an ungainly colossal green gear mounted on wheels. It had a mask with slits for a face and an enormous cylindrical tank bolted to its back. The left arm ended in pincer like claws.
"And our second surprise challenger is the giant gear Stier," said the announcer, "Piloted by Nortune's own former champion, Ricardo Banderas!"
The crowd went wild, getting to their feet and cheering. Stier raised a claw and dropped it back to its side.
"He's big, but he's not invincible Growly," reassured Seraphita.
"May the best gear win!" said the announcer.
Stier fired up its engines and careened wildly at her. Grandgrowl roared and spit out a glowing ring of energy straight at Stier. Rico maneuvered out of the way as Seraphita pounced on top of him, knocking him over. Stier swung its massive feet up and kicked off Grandgrowl, which flipped over in mid-flight and landed on its paws. They both fired off their thrusters and began circling each other warily, searching for a weak spot.
"You're really terrific!" said Seraphita through her speaker.
"You're not going to win by sucking up!" taunted Rico's voice from Stier.
Grandgrowl and Stier both shot out waves of energy that collided and canceled each other out. Stier lurched forward and pounded Grandgrowl with a punch to the face then an uppercut that sent the lion gear flying. Seraphita gritted her teeth and plowed forward biting Rico across the head, then pummeling him with both wings. They separated again, retreating to opposite ends of the arena.
"You're good!" shouted Rico, "But not good enough to beat me!"
"We'll see!" replied Seraphita.
Seraphita leapt into the air and rocketed down of top of Rico. Stier caught Grandgrowl and flipped upside down, pummeling it into the ground. Explosions rocketed across the surface of Grandgrowl and its head drooped low.
"And the victor is Ricardo Banderas!" yelled the announcer.
The crowd cheered lustily for their former champion. Stier turned and regarded the mobs of chanting fans. The top hatch on Grandgrowl popped open and Seraphita climbed, shaking all over.
"I can't loose!" she said on the verge of tears, "I have to find Dominia!"
The front hatch on Stier swung open. Rico clambered out grinning triumphantly.
"Better luck next time bunny girl," he sneered.
"Wait, I'm not done yet!" said Seraphita defiantly.
Rico laughed. "Your gear is toast!"
"Fight me one on one!" said Seraphita desperately.
Rico shook his head. "You're beaten, just accept it!"
Seraphita leapt over to Stier and started pummeling Rico with her fists. "C'mon fight me you big coward!" she taunted.
Rico shoved her backwards and watched her land on the grass below. "No one calls me a coward!" he roared.
He leapt onto the ground as she just barely hopped out of the way.
"It looks we're having a rematch," said the announcer in wonderment, "Except this time without the gears."
The crowd began to cheer and chant Rico's name as he swung his fists at Seraphita, who nimbly dodged. She put her hands together and began to glow with a red aura. A pillar of fire surrounded Rico, searing him. He howled in pain and grabbed her by the throat. She gasped and choked as he shoved her headfirst into the ground. She flailed and then kicked him off. She shakily got to her feet and wiped blood away from her mouth.
"I can't lose!" she said, her green eyes aflame.
Rico gestured her to get him. She sent a series of flying kicks into his chest, which felt like hitting iron. As he began to chuckle she switched to hitting him in the face. He bellowed and grabbed one of her feet but she managed to kick herself free. She glowed green for an instant and looked revived. He glowed with an intense aura and knocked her down with an outstretched arm. The then pummeled her with blows to her face and stomach. She skidded backwards into the grass. He then ran and leapt on top of her pinning her beneath his massive weight. When she stopped moving he sat up, breathing hard.
"Had enough bunny girl?" he demanded between pants.
Her bloodied body did not stir. He reached down to her throat, suddenly worried. There was a weak pulse. He gently scooped her arm into his arms, marveling how light she was as he rushed back toward Stier.
"Another victory for the Champ…oh, it looks like his opponent was badly hurt," said the announcer.
Stier fired up its engine and raced back toward the paddock. Cradling Seraphita in his arms, Rico hoped he wasn't too late.
Seraphita opened her eyes weakly, staring up at a kindly woman with dark hair.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
Seraphita looked around the threadbare metal walled room, with only a few chairs and a table. "Where am I?" she asked.
"I'm the doctor for D-District," replied the woman, "You're in my house."
"How did I get here?" asked Seraphita gingerly touching the bandage around her forehead.
"Rico brought you here," said the Doctor, "He was pretty upset."
As the memories flooded back, Seraphita began to sniffle.
"Hey," said the doctor, "Are you in any pain?"
Seraphita grabbed the Doctors arm and began to sob. "I lost!"
The Doctor patted her head reassuringly. "That's okay, we all lose sometimes."
"But I failed Dominia and Commander Ramsus!" she wailed.
"You work for Ramsus?" asked the doctor in surprise.
"Yeah, and he'll never forgive me!" cried Seraphita.
The Doctor sighed. "Rico, can you come in here for a minute?" she asked loudly.
The door swung open with a bang and Rico rushed in. He knelt next to them.
"Will she make it?" he asked.
"She'll be fine," said the Doctor.
"Can you give us a minute then?" he asked with an edge in his voice.
She nodded and walked into the back room. Seraphita buried her head in her arms.
"Look, I'm sorry," said Rico hanging his head, "I know you hate me, but-"
Seraphita looked up, tears still spilling out of her eyes. "I don't hate you Mister Champ."
Rico frowned. "Then why the hell are you blubbering like a baby?"
"Because I failed the Elements," she said, dropping her head onto the pillow, "I can't face them again."
"Seraphita," said Rico sadly, "I don't know anything about Dominia's whereabouts."
She looked up in shock. "But you said-"
"I lied, all right?" he snapped, turning away in disgust, "You wouldn't have won either way."
She blinked on confusion. "But why?"
"I wanted to fight you," he said.
Seraphita painfully pulled herself upright.
"That's the way I measure people's worth," he muttered, staring at his claw tipped hands, "By strength."
She wobbled over to him and fell against his back. He turned around and held her up by the shoulders.
"I'm fine," she said.
He shook his head, "I may have beaten you, but I didn't win."
She reached up and wrapped her arms around his huge neck.
"Seraphita," he protested.
"Shh," she said, "You need a hug from the angel of love."
Rico stared at his hands, completely unsure of what to do with them. With a free hand she pulled his arms around her shoulders. His breath made her ears gently sway.
"This is wrong," said Rico his heart hammering.
"I bet you love hugs," she replied.
He looked away. "Bull!" he said with more conviction than he felt.
"I'm sorry too Rico," she said evenly, "I saw you in the bar and well, I tried to meet you as a normal person."
"I'm not normal," he corrected.
"Well then none of us are," she replied.
Rico stood there, holding this tiny slip of a girl is his arms and remembered a similar feeling from a long time ago.
There was a polite knock on the door. The Doctor crossed through the room, doing her best to ignore them as she answered the door. A soldier in a long gray overcoat and a round black helmet saluted.
"Sorry to bother you Doc," he said, "But we're here for the Element."
She peered at the dozen or so soldiers standing behind him and opened up the door all the way. Rico pulled away from Seraphita and crossed his arms angrily.
"N-now we don't want any trouble," said the soldier nervously.
"It's okay," said Seraphita, touching Rico's arm, "I'm ready."
The soldier saluted and escorted her outside. Rico followed them.
"Thanks a million Doc," he said.
"Anytime," she said.
A steely man with an iron gray beard and moustache pounded away at an organ console, wrenching out a powerful but melancholy tune. He was dressed in flowing royal red robes and a small pointed hat. A servant in a gray coat appeared behind him.
"The Element is here your Majesty."
"Show her in," he responded.
The door opened and Seraphita walked in. She stared at the Emperor in awe.
He stopped in mid note and turned to look at her. "So, you're one of Ramsus' Elements."
"Yes Your Majesty," she said, bowing courteously. "I'm Seraphita the Element of Fire."
"I'm Sigmund, the Emperor of Kislev," replied the old man.
"Your Majesty-" began the servant, but he stopped when the Emperor held up his hand.
"I'm pleased to meet you," she said bowing again.
"That was quite a performance yesterday," said Sigmund.
She gasped. "You saw the arena battle?"
He nodded. "Both of them, on an unofficial basis of course."
She looked down at her feet. "I didn't do very well."
"I think you did better outside of the battlefield than inside," said Sigmund with a twinkle.
"Huh?" said Seraphita, "I don't understand."
"Never mind that," he said waving a hand in dismissal, "Let's cut to the chase."
She nodded; nervously resigned to whatever fate he had in store for her.
"What do you think of Ricardo?" asked the Emperor eventually.
She gaped openly. "Uh, oh, he's a great guy!"
"So you like him?" he asked.
She thought it over and nodded. "Yeah."
"Good, you may go now," said Sigmund, turning back to his console.
Seraphita stood there and stared, completely bewildered. The servant took her by the elbow and guided her out the door. She glanced back at Sigmund as he began to play a new thunderous tune. The door shut behind her. He was losing himself in the reverberating melody when the door opened again and the servant returned.
"I have to plan for the future," said the Emperor.
"Of course your Majesty," said the servant bowing.
"What did you think of her?" asked Sigmund.
"A complete ditz with a soft heart and a hard head," said the servant superciliously.
"Quite," said Sigmund with a smirk, "She'll do."
The servant waited for further elaboration, but the Emperor simply played out the fearsome tune. He bowed and walked away, once again mystified by his liege's motives.
Seraphita walked down the massive marble staircase leading into the Imperial Place. She saw Rico pacing nervously in the courtyard below, a cordon of soldiers keeping a watchful eye on him. He rushed up to her.
"Are you all right?" he demanded, putting his hands on her shoulders.
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"What happened in there?" he asked.
She frowned slightly. "I'm not really sure."
Rico stared at her, equally mystified.
"Thanks for worrying about me though," she said smiling.
He dropped his hands to his side. "It's nothing."
She giggled. "You silly."
He sighed and gestured her to follow. They walked down the main avenue of Nortune. Seraphita marveled at the huge towering buildings.
"This is a nice city," she said eventually.
"It's a cesspool," he said, "I thought I could come home again, but I was wrong."
"It's not the buildings that make a home it's the people," she responded, "And the people here love you."
Rico tried not to laugh out loud. "That's ridiculous!"
Seraphita sighed softly. "You don't see it I guess."
They went back to the arena area down a flight of stairs into a basement room with a counter protected by steel mesh.
"Hi there Champ," said a woman at the counter.
"We're here to pick up the gears," said Rico.
"At once sir," she said, pressing a button.
They heard a faint rumbling sound. The guard at the far door let them pass into a large room. Stier and Grandgrowl stood side by side, both looking pristine.
"You fixed Growly!" said Seraphita.
"That makes us even, okay?" said Rico quickly.
She turned and hugged him. "Thank you."
"Sure," he said somewhat gruffly.
She bounded over to Grandgrowl and climbed up into the cockpit. She waved down to him.
"I hope we get to fight again!" she called out.
He grinned toothily. "I'll kick your fuzzy little tail again!"
She giggled. "We'll see about that!"
Grandgrowl's wings unfolded and it took off toward the edge of Nortune, streaking across the sky. Rico continued to watch long after she was gone.
"The angel of love," he muttered as he touched Stier's leg, "What a crock, eh boy?"