Okay, after confiscating breath of fire: dragon quarter, from myself I am
now ready to write another chapter, damn I wish I was playing dragon
quarter right now, this happens to me everytime, it was unbelievable when I
first got neverwinter nights, but after therapy I got over it.
A shrill beeping roused Ryzada from her nap, she stretched out and yawned then picked up the small device responsible for her awakening, her heart leapt to her throat, it was a message from Crimson. He couldn't have gotten injured already? She should never have let him enter, on the first day into it things had gone horribly wrong.
"Ryzada you're being ridiculous" She scolded herself "He said he'd tell me everything so this is probably just a quick update." She pressed the play button and Crimsons voice filled the room.
"Hi Ryzada this is just a quick update, stop being ridiculous I haven't gotten injured already." Ryzada smiled to herself, sometimes it was as if Crimson could read her mind. The message continued "Well we're at our hotel room, which is now a dirt free area thanks to Tatsu's valiant efforts at cleaning, I'm the first of us to fight, I'm against some hunter called Shadow, I've never heard of them and it sounds like the kinda name amateurs trying to look tough would give themselves don't you think? So an easy victory in my first round and then back to the hotel for dinner, Alice is cooking for us, we're having bouillabaisse , she's an excellent cook you know."
Ryzada felt a pang of jealousy when she heard Crimson compliment Alice's cooking, she immediately made a mental apology. So he said something nice about Alice? He was allowed to do that. Crimsons voice continued delivering its message "Well my match is in an hour, I should start getting ready, I'm going to be on TV ryz! I hope you watch. Gotta go now, cheer for me." And with a brief crackle of static the message ended. Ryzada didn't really like TV, for one thing she could hear the electrics hum, but she would watch it this time, not cheering but definitely praying.
Crimson flattened himself against a rock, Shadow was a better fighter than he had anticipated. He chanced a look and got a brief glimpse of his enemy moving through some trees before rifle fire forced him to resume hiding. Holding his mechguns firmly Crimson made ready to move, Shadow would be about 10 meters to the right of where he had just seen him. He leapt out from behind his rock and fired blindly into the trees, he landed rolling and sprang lightly to his feet.
"Keep moving, keep firing, keep yourself alive" he muttered the maxim often used by his boot camp instructor. Suddenly his efforts were rewarded by a cry of pain and the thud of a weapon hitting the ground. The incoming fire stopped and Crimson crept warily towards the trees, on his guard incase this was a bluff.
He found Shadow's rifle lying on the ground, a section of it was melted, obviously that was what Crimson had managed to hit. But where was Shadow, you had to think like a rookie to beat one, amateurs they may be, but they were still dangerous. Now what would seem like a cunning and unpredictable move to a rookie? Crimson drew his saber and sliced cleanly through the nearest tree which toppled over and hit the floor with a crash, a black clad figure pinned beneath one of the branches. Crimson pointed his saber at Shadows throat.
"Which means you, my worthy opponent, have lost" The look on Shadows face was one of disgust, most likely at himself. Crimson knelt down and pressed the button on Shadows breast plate activating the device that signaled Shadows defeat and Crimson's victory. When given the chance Crimson preferred not to injure others, and since the other method of victory was to cause the opponents vital signs to drop to critical levels Crimson's favored method of ending a match was this one.
Crimson stepped out from the trees with his hands raised in victory, the vast crowd was applauding and cheering for him, this was bliss, at this very instant in time Crimson was a hero, even if it only lasted a few moments, those moments were his forever.
"And the winner is Crimson Pryandomar." His victory was announced over the loudspeaker "Well folks matches don't get much better than that one, 25 minutes of fast-paced photon fire and a brilliant game of cat and mouse. Young Crimson really has proved himself today, the question is, just how far will he go?"
"All the way" Crimson smiled to himself "All the damned way"
Ryzada breathed again for the fist time in about a minute, that was too close, if Crimson had picked the wrong tree, or if Shadow had made his move faster it would have been over. Her heart was probably under more stress than Crimsons. It was a stupid idea to let him compete, stupid stupid stupid!
Ryzada turned the TV off, she didn't care how the other hunters did, all she cared was that her friends were alright, as long as the people close to her were okay then Ryzada was too. There was nothing more important than friends
Magus kicked the wall, leaving a sizable dent, friends were bloody useless. He had requested that Mery bring him some things he had left in his apartment, the android had been gone for far too long, the match started in 30 minutes and he was still without proper equipment! Magus had no doubt that he could best his opponent no matter who they were, it was simply a question of style, and what was stylish if not advanced gadgets and exotic looking blades? It was no good, he had to leave for the arena now if he was to be on time, Mery was in for a world of hurt when he got back. Adjusting the mask he had purchased to protect his identity Magus left his hotel room and set off for the arena at a jog. He had been jogging for five minutes when he saw a familiar face, forgetting he was supposed to be in disguise Magus called out to them
"Hey Crimson" he waved "I saw your match, my grandmother fights better than you!"
Crimson fell into step with Magus keeping up with him easily "Maybe so but you don't have any victories to your name at all just yet."
"I'm on my way to collect one right now, some hunter called Derek is waiting to hand me it."
"I'm sure he is quaking." Crimson grinned
"May I remind you I am the feared and respected assassin Magus Black?"
"The one who "Never killed anybody" you mean?"
"That's right"
"Excuse me for a moment, but you mean you never completed an assassination?"
"Oh I never said that." Magus shrugged as if this was nothing "I've assassinated quite a few people, but I never murdered or killed them"
"What's the difference?" Crimson honestly did not understand the logic behind this
"Murderers murder people because that person annoys them, killers kill people because they like the feeling of power over their lives, I'm an assassin I assassinate people for money, and I moved out of that business a while ago." Magus said the last part almost mechanically
"Doesn't that weigh on your conscience at all? That you were responsible for those deaths?"
"Not really, it's not as if I was doing anything illegal was it now?" Yet another legal oversight, The client was breaking the law, not the assassin, the assassin was providing a public service.
"So who sent you to kill, sorry I mean "assassinate" that soldier?"
"I didn't do that, and now you are going to shut up about it and never mention it ever again or I will find a client who wishes to have you removed, even if I have to pay myself."
"I don't get you Magus, sometimes you seem like a normal hunter and the rest of the time its like you're an alien or something."
"Yeah isn't it a total bitch?" Magus laughed and sped off into the distance, even running as fast as he could Crimson couldn't even come close to keeping up with him so he stopped chasing.
"Weirdo." He muttered and jogged back to his hotel room wondering briefly what bouillabaisse was and what it tasted like, oh well he would find out later.
"Weirdo" muttered Magus as he sprinted along the corridor, what the hell was Crimson's interest in his life anyway? What did it matter to him? People should keep their nose out of the business of others, otherwise it would quite likely be cut off.
Magus arrived at the arena ten minutes early for his match and so sat in the combatant preparation room, this was where fighters could psyche themselves up, check their weapons or buy refreshments. Magus didn't need to psyche himself up, he had no weapons to check and he certainly wasn't thirsty. So he sat down on a bench and waited for his match to be announced. A mistake it turned out
A hunter dressed in blue and white threw the door open and jumped in, his arms out wide and his face grinning broadly, the name Derek was written across his chest plate.
"Duuuuude I hear you're my opponent, whoa man I pity you, cos I'm one bad ass, butt kicking fighter! BOOYA!" Derek head butted the air.
Magus said nothing pretending not to see the new arrival but he fervently wished that the match would start, another five minutes of this and there would be a corpse before the match began.
Finally, just before Magus' temper ran out, the match was announced and the two fighters entered the combat zone. Derek leaping around and waving at the fans
"OH YEAH! I'M THE FREAKING GREATEST BAY-BEE!"
Magus walked slowly, silently contemplating the ways in which he would cause pain to this fool, he struck upon an idea that he liked and an evil smile twisted his lips. The klaxon signaled the start of the match and Magus cracked his knuckles in anticipation, this was going to be sweet.
The announcer was stunned "Lets see that again in slow motion for those folks out there who blinked and missed this fight." The entire 7.43 seconds that the match lasted was played at one third speed. "And there you saw it folks, Mr Black working the upper body, I'm sure that broke a few ribs, and ohhh there's that leg sweep followed by the crushing heel-drop, another kick to the ribs and this one is over. I think we will be seeing more of Black in the next few days, and now our official reporter for the event Chisato Madison catches up with Derek as he lies in the hospital."
The main screen flicked to an image of the ever perky reporter and what appeared to be an ancient Egyptian mummy.
"So Derek? How does it feel to know that your bid for fame and glory has been stopped short by the breaking of almost every bone in your body?"
The mummy spoke "dude.., freaking awesome.., booya." He said weakly
"And there you have it folks, the first casualty of the tournament, possibly brain damaged."
Magus flicked the TV off "It's not like he wasn't mentally retarded already."
There was a knock at the door. Magus went to answer it, fully prepared to bring a terrible vengeance down upon Mery for failing to get his equipment, he opened the door
"ABOUT TIME YOU STUPID PIECE OF JUNK, I'VE BEEN WAITING ALL DAY!"
An innocent girlish face blinked at him, not the blank metallic one he had been expecting
"Hiya Magus" Mei said apparently oblivious to the fact that she had just been yelled at "I signed up for the tournament cos I wanna get on TV and be famous, not famous like Chisato, I know you like her but I want to be even MORE famous and I said I was with you so I would be sharing your room is that alright? I hope it is, please don't be mad at me." She looked like she was about to cry
"Ahh no no, its perfectly fine Mei, umm come in." Magus said quickly, a crying girl was NOT something he wanted to deal with.
Mei cheered up instantly "Okay, thanks a lot Magus I knew I it would be okay, you're always really nice to me." She leaned forwards and kissed Magus on the cheek before brushing past him and setting her stuff down on the floor.
Magus was at the same time highly embarrassed, blushing terribly, and was highly aware of the state of the room, he had not really bothered to clean up after himself.
The rest of the evening passed pretty quietly. Mery still hadn't come back, which Magus viewed as a good thing, but he was still edgy around Mei, should he talk to her? Should he just leave her alone? What? Why was she even here when she could have had her own room? He pondered these questions over dinner, which also confused him, a quiet meal for two in his room? Was this normal between friends? These questions kept him thinking right up until he decided it was time for bed, at which point he had a new problem to think about.
He climbed into his bed, keeping on a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt and then realized, there was only one bed, and no settee or anything, this room was a single, Mery could sleep standing in a corner, but what about Mei?
"Mei?" He asked "There is only one bed, where did you plan on sleeping?"
"Where else silly?" Mei answered giggling as if Magus had just asked something very funny, instead of the one he was actually taking very seriously. "I'll just sleep here."
Magus felt a warm weight settle on his chest and an arm drape across his shoulder, he tensed at the close physical contact.
"Mei?" he asked nervously "What are you doing?" But Mei didn't answer, she was already dozing quite peacefully, having fallen asleep in only seconds. And so it was that Magus Black, feared and respected assassin spent the most uncomfortable night of his entire life.
AN: heh heh Magus you sly old fox, you do know that Mei is underage? Well that chapter explained pretty much nothing at all, and so a new one will be needed soon, (maybe one of these days I should explain why Pioneers legal system is so screwed up?) anyhow, Psilo is in next chapter, and some other interesting stuff will happen I swear! And don't ya think Derek deserved it? Help pass a law against people like him!
A shrill beeping roused Ryzada from her nap, she stretched out and yawned then picked up the small device responsible for her awakening, her heart leapt to her throat, it was a message from Crimson. He couldn't have gotten injured already? She should never have let him enter, on the first day into it things had gone horribly wrong.
"Ryzada you're being ridiculous" She scolded herself "He said he'd tell me everything so this is probably just a quick update." She pressed the play button and Crimsons voice filled the room.
"Hi Ryzada this is just a quick update, stop being ridiculous I haven't gotten injured already." Ryzada smiled to herself, sometimes it was as if Crimson could read her mind. The message continued "Well we're at our hotel room, which is now a dirt free area thanks to Tatsu's valiant efforts at cleaning, I'm the first of us to fight, I'm against some hunter called Shadow, I've never heard of them and it sounds like the kinda name amateurs trying to look tough would give themselves don't you think? So an easy victory in my first round and then back to the hotel for dinner, Alice is cooking for us, we're having bouillabaisse , she's an excellent cook you know."
Ryzada felt a pang of jealousy when she heard Crimson compliment Alice's cooking, she immediately made a mental apology. So he said something nice about Alice? He was allowed to do that. Crimsons voice continued delivering its message "Well my match is in an hour, I should start getting ready, I'm going to be on TV ryz! I hope you watch. Gotta go now, cheer for me." And with a brief crackle of static the message ended. Ryzada didn't really like TV, for one thing she could hear the electrics hum, but she would watch it this time, not cheering but definitely praying.
Crimson flattened himself against a rock, Shadow was a better fighter than he had anticipated. He chanced a look and got a brief glimpse of his enemy moving through some trees before rifle fire forced him to resume hiding. Holding his mechguns firmly Crimson made ready to move, Shadow would be about 10 meters to the right of where he had just seen him. He leapt out from behind his rock and fired blindly into the trees, he landed rolling and sprang lightly to his feet.
"Keep moving, keep firing, keep yourself alive" he muttered the maxim often used by his boot camp instructor. Suddenly his efforts were rewarded by a cry of pain and the thud of a weapon hitting the ground. The incoming fire stopped and Crimson crept warily towards the trees, on his guard incase this was a bluff.
He found Shadow's rifle lying on the ground, a section of it was melted, obviously that was what Crimson had managed to hit. But where was Shadow, you had to think like a rookie to beat one, amateurs they may be, but they were still dangerous. Now what would seem like a cunning and unpredictable move to a rookie? Crimson drew his saber and sliced cleanly through the nearest tree which toppled over and hit the floor with a crash, a black clad figure pinned beneath one of the branches. Crimson pointed his saber at Shadows throat.
"Which means you, my worthy opponent, have lost" The look on Shadows face was one of disgust, most likely at himself. Crimson knelt down and pressed the button on Shadows breast plate activating the device that signaled Shadows defeat and Crimson's victory. When given the chance Crimson preferred not to injure others, and since the other method of victory was to cause the opponents vital signs to drop to critical levels Crimson's favored method of ending a match was this one.
Crimson stepped out from the trees with his hands raised in victory, the vast crowd was applauding and cheering for him, this was bliss, at this very instant in time Crimson was a hero, even if it only lasted a few moments, those moments were his forever.
"And the winner is Crimson Pryandomar." His victory was announced over the loudspeaker "Well folks matches don't get much better than that one, 25 minutes of fast-paced photon fire and a brilliant game of cat and mouse. Young Crimson really has proved himself today, the question is, just how far will he go?"
"All the way" Crimson smiled to himself "All the damned way"
Ryzada breathed again for the fist time in about a minute, that was too close, if Crimson had picked the wrong tree, or if Shadow had made his move faster it would have been over. Her heart was probably under more stress than Crimsons. It was a stupid idea to let him compete, stupid stupid stupid!
Ryzada turned the TV off, she didn't care how the other hunters did, all she cared was that her friends were alright, as long as the people close to her were okay then Ryzada was too. There was nothing more important than friends
Magus kicked the wall, leaving a sizable dent, friends were bloody useless. He had requested that Mery bring him some things he had left in his apartment, the android had been gone for far too long, the match started in 30 minutes and he was still without proper equipment! Magus had no doubt that he could best his opponent no matter who they were, it was simply a question of style, and what was stylish if not advanced gadgets and exotic looking blades? It was no good, he had to leave for the arena now if he was to be on time, Mery was in for a world of hurt when he got back. Adjusting the mask he had purchased to protect his identity Magus left his hotel room and set off for the arena at a jog. He had been jogging for five minutes when he saw a familiar face, forgetting he was supposed to be in disguise Magus called out to them
"Hey Crimson" he waved "I saw your match, my grandmother fights better than you!"
Crimson fell into step with Magus keeping up with him easily "Maybe so but you don't have any victories to your name at all just yet."
"I'm on my way to collect one right now, some hunter called Derek is waiting to hand me it."
"I'm sure he is quaking." Crimson grinned
"May I remind you I am the feared and respected assassin Magus Black?"
"The one who "Never killed anybody" you mean?"
"That's right"
"Excuse me for a moment, but you mean you never completed an assassination?"
"Oh I never said that." Magus shrugged as if this was nothing "I've assassinated quite a few people, but I never murdered or killed them"
"What's the difference?" Crimson honestly did not understand the logic behind this
"Murderers murder people because that person annoys them, killers kill people because they like the feeling of power over their lives, I'm an assassin I assassinate people for money, and I moved out of that business a while ago." Magus said the last part almost mechanically
"Doesn't that weigh on your conscience at all? That you were responsible for those deaths?"
"Not really, it's not as if I was doing anything illegal was it now?" Yet another legal oversight, The client was breaking the law, not the assassin, the assassin was providing a public service.
"So who sent you to kill, sorry I mean "assassinate" that soldier?"
"I didn't do that, and now you are going to shut up about it and never mention it ever again or I will find a client who wishes to have you removed, even if I have to pay myself."
"I don't get you Magus, sometimes you seem like a normal hunter and the rest of the time its like you're an alien or something."
"Yeah isn't it a total bitch?" Magus laughed and sped off into the distance, even running as fast as he could Crimson couldn't even come close to keeping up with him so he stopped chasing.
"Weirdo." He muttered and jogged back to his hotel room wondering briefly what bouillabaisse was and what it tasted like, oh well he would find out later.
"Weirdo" muttered Magus as he sprinted along the corridor, what the hell was Crimson's interest in his life anyway? What did it matter to him? People should keep their nose out of the business of others, otherwise it would quite likely be cut off.
Magus arrived at the arena ten minutes early for his match and so sat in the combatant preparation room, this was where fighters could psyche themselves up, check their weapons or buy refreshments. Magus didn't need to psyche himself up, he had no weapons to check and he certainly wasn't thirsty. So he sat down on a bench and waited for his match to be announced. A mistake it turned out
A hunter dressed in blue and white threw the door open and jumped in, his arms out wide and his face grinning broadly, the name Derek was written across his chest plate.
"Duuuuude I hear you're my opponent, whoa man I pity you, cos I'm one bad ass, butt kicking fighter! BOOYA!" Derek head butted the air.
Magus said nothing pretending not to see the new arrival but he fervently wished that the match would start, another five minutes of this and there would be a corpse before the match began.
Finally, just before Magus' temper ran out, the match was announced and the two fighters entered the combat zone. Derek leaping around and waving at the fans
"OH YEAH! I'M THE FREAKING GREATEST BAY-BEE!"
Magus walked slowly, silently contemplating the ways in which he would cause pain to this fool, he struck upon an idea that he liked and an evil smile twisted his lips. The klaxon signaled the start of the match and Magus cracked his knuckles in anticipation, this was going to be sweet.
The announcer was stunned "Lets see that again in slow motion for those folks out there who blinked and missed this fight." The entire 7.43 seconds that the match lasted was played at one third speed. "And there you saw it folks, Mr Black working the upper body, I'm sure that broke a few ribs, and ohhh there's that leg sweep followed by the crushing heel-drop, another kick to the ribs and this one is over. I think we will be seeing more of Black in the next few days, and now our official reporter for the event Chisato Madison catches up with Derek as he lies in the hospital."
The main screen flicked to an image of the ever perky reporter and what appeared to be an ancient Egyptian mummy.
"So Derek? How does it feel to know that your bid for fame and glory has been stopped short by the breaking of almost every bone in your body?"
The mummy spoke "dude.., freaking awesome.., booya." He said weakly
"And there you have it folks, the first casualty of the tournament, possibly brain damaged."
Magus flicked the TV off "It's not like he wasn't mentally retarded already."
There was a knock at the door. Magus went to answer it, fully prepared to bring a terrible vengeance down upon Mery for failing to get his equipment, he opened the door
"ABOUT TIME YOU STUPID PIECE OF JUNK, I'VE BEEN WAITING ALL DAY!"
An innocent girlish face blinked at him, not the blank metallic one he had been expecting
"Hiya Magus" Mei said apparently oblivious to the fact that she had just been yelled at "I signed up for the tournament cos I wanna get on TV and be famous, not famous like Chisato, I know you like her but I want to be even MORE famous and I said I was with you so I would be sharing your room is that alright? I hope it is, please don't be mad at me." She looked like she was about to cry
"Ahh no no, its perfectly fine Mei, umm come in." Magus said quickly, a crying girl was NOT something he wanted to deal with.
Mei cheered up instantly "Okay, thanks a lot Magus I knew I it would be okay, you're always really nice to me." She leaned forwards and kissed Magus on the cheek before brushing past him and setting her stuff down on the floor.
Magus was at the same time highly embarrassed, blushing terribly, and was highly aware of the state of the room, he had not really bothered to clean up after himself.
The rest of the evening passed pretty quietly. Mery still hadn't come back, which Magus viewed as a good thing, but he was still edgy around Mei, should he talk to her? Should he just leave her alone? What? Why was she even here when she could have had her own room? He pondered these questions over dinner, which also confused him, a quiet meal for two in his room? Was this normal between friends? These questions kept him thinking right up until he decided it was time for bed, at which point he had a new problem to think about.
He climbed into his bed, keeping on a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt and then realized, there was only one bed, and no settee or anything, this room was a single, Mery could sleep standing in a corner, but what about Mei?
"Mei?" He asked "There is only one bed, where did you plan on sleeping?"
"Where else silly?" Mei answered giggling as if Magus had just asked something very funny, instead of the one he was actually taking very seriously. "I'll just sleep here."
Magus felt a warm weight settle on his chest and an arm drape across his shoulder, he tensed at the close physical contact.
"Mei?" he asked nervously "What are you doing?" But Mei didn't answer, she was already dozing quite peacefully, having fallen asleep in only seconds. And so it was that Magus Black, feared and respected assassin spent the most uncomfortable night of his entire life.
AN: heh heh Magus you sly old fox, you do know that Mei is underage? Well that chapter explained pretty much nothing at all, and so a new one will be needed soon, (maybe one of these days I should explain why Pioneers legal system is so screwed up?) anyhow, Psilo is in next chapter, and some other interesting stuff will happen I swear! And don't ya think Derek deserved it? Help pass a law against people like him!