Emblem Wars: A New Game

Author's Notes: Yeah! Finally, chapter 2! Sorry for taking so long, but I've been pretty busy. Please don't lynch me.

Chapter 2: Morphs for Sale

Meanwhile, back down on the planet of Nabata, our story focuses on a small estate in the middle of the desert...

"Raven!"

Uncle Cornwell walked out the house and into the bright, hot day.

"Now where did that darn kid go? RAVEN! GET OVER HERE BEFORE I GET THE DUCT TAPE!"

"I'm coming, Uncle Cornwell!"

Uncle Cornwell turned and saw the red-haired youth coming in from the fields.

"You've been messing around with your friends again?"

"Uhhh... yeah... sort of..."

Uncle Cornwell sighed. It was like this every weekend.

"And the two morphs I lent to you?"

"Uhhh... funny story about that. You see, we went to town stole an ambulance, a flamethrower, and a ton Ilian tapioca and... OH MY GOD, IT WAS JUST SOOO COOL!"

Uncle Cornwell shook his head.

"Raven, just what am I going to do with you? That was the fifth time this month that you trashed a morph! Now I'm going to have to buy new ones, and I'm taking it right out of your Academy fund!"
Raven's jaw dropped.

"You can't do that! I was supposed to go to the Academy this year!"

"Well, that's too bad. The next harvest is coming soon, and I'm going to need all the extra help I can get. Maybe next year, once we sell off the harvest."

"But-"

"That is enough, Raven. This should teach you a lesson about sneaking off with those friends of yours and doing all those reckless things at night. For all I know, you're probably out stabbing various people you come across in the street."

Uncle Cornwell noticed that Raven's eyes began to shift around.

"But-"

"No buts, Raven. Now go and help your Aunt out in the kitchen."

Raven gave a look of pure rage at Uncle Cornwell, but he was very used to that already. Raven always had problems with his temper, but Cornwell couldn't do much about it. He once tried enrolling Raven in an anger management class, but all that did was give Raven more excuses to beat up people, saying that he was merely "venting his anger."Cornwall sighed and waited for Raven to stomp off to the house before picking up the phone and calling the nearest merchant.

Out in the desert, a morph clad in red armor was stumbling through the desert, trying to get his bearings.

"Once I find my way out of this stupid desert, I am going to Kill Nils."

Kent was already thinking about a hundred ways to kill the annoying little morph when his eye caught a wagon in the distance.

"Finally! Civilization! Stupid Nils, this'll show him!"

Kent started jumping up and down and waving his arms.
"Hey! Over here! I need help!"

Nils, in the meantime, was walking through a canyon when he began to hear strange noises.

"Uhhh, who's there!"

It was silent for a moment, when another voice spoke up.

"Um, we're the, uh.... Desert gnomes! Yeah! We're not like merchants or anything, who want to capture you and sell you to a farmer or anything..."

Nils raised an eyebrow.

"Uh huh, so you mind showing yourself?"

"Sure thing!"

Suddenly, a little midget wearing a tan robe appeared from the rocks.

"See? I'm a desert gnome! Or at least, I think I am. I was lost in this desert for so long..."

"Uhhh... okay..."

"I remember when I first got lost, when I was a little girl.."

"Wait... but... aren't you a.... uhhh..."

The little gnomish figure looked at Nils.

"What?"
"Uhhh... nevermind."

Suddenly, Nils felt something slam into the back of his head, and everything went black.

"Oh my god! What the heck did you do that for!? He was my only friend for who knows how long!"

The gnome started hopping angrily at the merchants. The merchants just looked at each other.

"Uhhh, who the heck is that?"

"I don't know, but it sure is ugly."

"Fugly is more like it."

"HEY!"

The gnome got up and prepared to attack, the merchants were too quick. Like all merchants, they were very good at running away. They quickly dashed to their wagon, tossed the unconscious Nils into the back, and sped off. The gnome continued to chase them.

"Come back here, and feel the wrath of Vaida!!!"

Tap tap tap "Ugh..."

Kent started to wake up. He wanted to go back to sleep, but something kept poking at his head.

"Can't I just stay in bed for five more minutes?"

"I'm not your mommy, Kent, and I doubt anybody would want to be."

Kent suddenly recognized the voice and shot straight up.

"NILS! You're here!"

"Yeah, its great to see you too-"

Nils gagged as Kent's hands grabbed his neck and began choking him.

"I am sooo going to kill you!"

Nils gasped for air and managed to blurt out.

"B-but it's dishonorable to attack an unarmed opponent!!"

Kent suddenly stopped choking Nils and put him down.
"Dang! You're right! You win, this time."

Suddenly, the wagon went to an abrupt halt, and a bright beam of light shone through as the door opened.

"Agggh! My eyes!"

"Come on, Raven! The merchants are here!"

"I'm coming, Uncle!"

Raven came running out of the house. Dealing with merchants was his favorite pastime.

"Okay Raven, while I'm working out the details, why don't check the quality of their product?"

"Sure thing!"

Raven took out the baseball bat from behind his back and eagerly ran to the wagon like a child after candy. One of the merchants noticed him.

"Hey, you're not supposed to-"

Raven turned around, with a demonically devious smile on his face.

"You know, I could take out this baseball bat which can and will be used as a weapon of lethal force. And after that, I'll break your legs and sell them to the Swedes!"

The merchant's eyes bulged at the threat and he shied away.
"That's what I thought!"

Raven then proceeded to take out random items from the wagon and "test" their "structural integrity" with his baseball bat.

"Oh man, I hope they get this done soon, that red-haired guy with the baseball is freaking me out."

"Don't worry. He won't attack an unarmed opponent!"

"No, you wouldn't attack an unarmed opponent."

Kent elbowed Nils hard.

"Silence!"

"I told you, 500 gold for two morphs. No more."
"Come on now, we've got operating costs, expenses, the hiring fees."

"Bull! You probably just pulled those morphs off the street or in the middle of the desert for all I know! 500 gold!"

The merchant looked at Uncle Cornwell's expression. His face might as well have been made out of stone. He knew that there was no way to make the customer relent. Oh well, a sale was a sale.

"Okay, fine. 500 gold."

"Okay, I'll choose that tall red one."

Kent jumped for joy.
"Yeah!"

Nils looked down glumly.
"Aww man.."

"And uh, I'll choose..."

Nils crossed his fingers.

"That short one over there with the red hair."

"Yeah! Cool!"

Roy began to cheer, that is, until Raven came over and beat the living daylights out of him with his baseball bat.

"RAVEN!"

Raven looked up at saw his Uncle.

"Uhhh... it was an accident?"

Uncle Cornwell sighed.

"Now what?"

Kent bent over and whispered in Uncle Cornwell's ear.

"Hey, you see that short blue stupid looking one over there? He's a good worker. He doesn't look it, but he just looooves hard manual labor. And he likes it more if it's life-threatening!"

Uncle Cornwell quickly pointed at Nils.

"I'll have that one then."