Chapter 8: An Offer You Can't Refuse
Winter.
A time of the year when families patrol the streets in force, staving off the drudgery of schoolwork and toil for several weeks, at least. Despite the grimy, frankly pathetic snow that drifted down from above, the mood in Tokyo was generally cheerful. Most of the populace was either wandering the streets, or were already at home, watching the semi-finals of the KOF Tournament.
No such luck for the DHS team.
The hotel they stayed in was decently heated, with a radiator in every room. It was like being enclosed in a perfect sphere of hot air, to the point of the entire place being stuffy. But the cold that seeped in seemed to be ingrained into the very fabric of the building, with a chill that no fire could warm.
The other problem was boredom.
Simply put, there was nothing to do. Chan was endlessly carving the quartz bullets he favored, with a repetitive click-click-chink sound that set teeth on end. Ryan read and reread the stack of magazines and assorted fantasy novels he'd brought with him till they were torn and tattered.
Andro spent most of his time sprawled out on the sofa, apparently asleep. Judging from the way his fingers twitched, he wasn't having the time of his life. No one dared to wake him.
Jiazheng had spent the first two days running around the small rooms, in a frantic post-victory euphoria. After several death threats, and a very effective decision to tie him to a chair, he'd calmed down. Somewhat.
The entire group was bored out of their minds, and sick to death of being stuck in this small place. Even worse, they were getting sick of each other. If it wasn't Chan's teeth-grindingly irritating carving, it was Andro's thousand-yard stare, or Jiazheng's cheerfulness. The other three dreamed of murdering him, just to pass the time.
Thus, when the doorbell rang, it came as something of a relief to the group.
"I'll get it!"
"Geez. What's eating him?"
Chan stared through the peephole, caution overcoming his eagerness. Since the attack of the clones, he was always far more careful…
"Oh. My. GOD."
***************
Ii was unique, and pretty damn funny, to watch Chan dash back into the living room as if all the demons of hell were on his heels. The boy's face had gone a pasty shade of white, and his expression hovered somewhere between surprise and horror.
"Yo, Chan. Back already? Who's that?"
"It's Kula! What's she DOING here?"
Silence.
"What?"
Andro was on his feet in an instant, a knife in each hand.
"Kula? Who's with her? Where's the extermination squad?"
"Uh…She's alone."
Ryan's face split into an evil grin. He knew exactly where this was going.
"Oh, she's probably not here to fight. Why don't you open that door, Chan?"
"Why me?"
"She's your girl, anyway. Besides, weren't you sooo eager to have a break from your carving, man? You handle it."
The doorbell rang again, this time with a distinctively irritated tone to it.
"Well, go on."
"***grumble, grumble*** Rat bastard."
***************
With the air of a man knowing his fate and dreading it, Chan opened the door-slowly. A purple blur slammed into him, tackling him with a combined hug/glomp that knocked all the breath from him.
"CHAN!"
Was that the sound of his ribs creaking?
"Ugh...Ease up on the ribs, Kula…"
"Oh. Sorry."
Ryan leaned against the wall, watching the proceedings with amusement. He didn't even bother to say anything, but his upraised eyebrows spoke volumes.
"Gakk…Ryan, you know it's not like that…HEY!"
"Heh…I'll leave you two to it."
Ryan promptly snuck back into the hostel, that evil grin still on his face. Chan carefully pried Kula off him, doing his best to hold off the impending nosebleed. The girl looked slightly…Disappointed? What the hell?
"Well, it's nice to see you again, Kula. But tell me: How'd you get here? And why?"
"Easy. I just asked the nice lady downstairs where the DHS team was. She even gave me a key! See?"
Aw, shit.
"Okay…But WHY are you here?"
"Big sisters Diana and Foxy want to see you. All of you, in fact."
"Gods above. They sent you?"
"Of course! They wanted it to be a surprise!"
"Give me a moment, okay? I'll call the others."
***************
"You know very well that this could be a trap, don't you?"
Chan dug through his wardrobe, shoving the large autopistol under his coat. The Mage Cannon, and a few extra clips of ammunition already rode in his holster. Ryan pulled on his Kevlar-lined jacket, yanking on his fingerless gloves as he walked.
"Yeah. I do."
"So why? Why're we walking right into it?"
Ryan sighed, trying to explain the concept to Jiazheng.
"See, Jiazheng, it's like…A gamble. We're taking a chance going to see them, and this'll show that we're not afraid. Besides, if they wanted us dead, a horde of troops would've crashed through the window already. Andro? You coming?"
The assassin shook his head, slowly.
"No. Someone has to watch this place till you get back."
Chan reloaded his Magnum, snapping the gun shut with a click.
"The question is, why'd they send Kula, of all people? They could've come in person."
"Maybe they knew that you'll definitely agree if they sent her."
"Ryan, I'm warning you…"
From somewhere outside, a muffled voice sounded.
"Guys? Could you hurry, please? I don't think Foxy would like to be kept waiting…"
"That's our cue. Let's get this show on the road."
***************
The Pao Pao Cafe #34 isn't a great place, all told.
It's got some of the charm of its Southtown counterpart, to be sure, and on
any given night, the house band is smokin', but it simply tries too hard to
be like it's in Southtown.
The drinks suck, too.
Ryan found that out soon enough, after he tried to choke down a mug of something pretending to be stout. The foamy brew struck the greasy tabletop with an acidic hiss, and promptly began to eat into the varnished wood.
His thirst gone, Ryan shoved the cup away, staring off gloomly into empty space.
Kula had walked off somewhere since they'd arrived, mumbling something about going to get Diana. She'd been gone for half and hour. With nothing to drink or eat, it was beginning to seem like a long time.
Jiazheng elbowed him in the ribs, not too hard.
"Hey."
"Yeah? What?"
"What's their story?"
"Our fearless leader-and that girl. What's that all about?"
Ryan glanced over at Chan, who was moodily pushing his spare change through a stale puddle of beer. The bar's regulars had been giving him weird and extremely nasty looks, held back only by the obvious lump of the Mage Cannon by his side.
What the hell. It couldn't hurt, could it?
"Alright. But it's a longgg story, believe me. See, it all started last year…"
Right. Everything had started exactly a year ago, when four boys, full of bravado and temporary insanity, decided to take on the world in one of the most violent and widely publicized tournaments to date. It'd began with a simple objective: Get the prize, get rich, go home. Of course, very soon, things had started to get complicated.
In a way, it was all Chan's fault. While waiting for Ryan and Andro to get back from a spending spree, he'd accidentally run straight into a trap set for the elusive K'. After the dust had settled, he'd made a new acquaintance, in the form of the 'rescuee', Kula.
To this day, Ryan still believed that it'd all been set up. No way in hell that'd been a coincidence. It just didn't click. And what followed merely confirmed his suspicions.
A week after that, when he'd been out drinking with Chan, they'd met Kula again. She'd succeeded in delaying their return home, long enough for an extermination squad to ambush Andro and Ogion. The two had fought off their pursuers, right before calling Ryan for aid.
Again, coincidence.
Still not suspecting a link, Ryan and Chan just left Kula in the bar, supposedly drunk. They'd run off to aid their friends, leaving a potentially dangerous threat right behind.
Later, in the apocalyptic finals of KOF 2000, pieces fell into place all too suddenly. While lost in the tunnels somewhere beneath Southtown, the DHS Team had been attacked by Kula and her cyborg helper Candy. Evidently, they'd been sent in to cleanup the mess left by Zero-including everyone involved.
One massive battle later, involving a misfired Army Of One, telekinesis and a team attack, the group won. However, Candy had warped away with Kula, leaving them all with various injuries, and yet another loose end to tie up.
"…And that's all. Maybe if not for that fight, Ogion would still be here today. Well, guess we'll never know."
Ryan took another swig from the vile brew, grimacing as it filtered in like soup.
Jiazheng seemed to sink back further into his chair, as the full import of Ryan's words sank in.
"You mean she tried to kill you? You're joking, aren't you?"
"Nope."
"Then why does-You know…"
"Why does Chan like her? He's crazy that way. The end."
Slow, mocking clapping resounded through the small room, followed by brief, feminine laughter. Foxy walked into the room, followed as always by Diana. Ryan turned to face them, hand going to the small orb in his pocket. Chan shifted slightly, reaching for his gun. Jiazheng's hands twitched, as he fought back the urge to go for his sword.
Foxy eyed them all with mild curiosity.
"It won't work, you know. The entire place is filled with dampers. Your powers can't function here."
With a sinking feeling, Ryan realized she was right. Judging from the sudden flurry of curses from Jiazheng and Chan, they'd just found out the effects too.
"Let's head to another table, okay? Too much riff-raff here for my liking."
Exchanging worried glances, the group got up, with no choice but to do as they were told.
Chan swore. He didn't like where this was going.
***************
Back At The Hotel…
The room was perfectly dark, with only a single candle lighting the shadows. Andro sat in front of the pinpoint of brief illumination, visor pulled down over his eyes as always.
The flame flickered-
"Shadow Edge."
-And two halves of the wick fell to the ground, perfectly sliced in twain. Now the place was perfectly dark once more. Andro stretched out a hand, palm out. Focusing his energy, he tried to summon up a light, the way the others did it.
For a brief moment, the shadows wavered, then were still again.
Nothing.
Andro tried again. Brief flares lit up the room, one after another. None stayed for more than a second. With a growl, Andro gave up. He flicked on the lights, sighing in resignation.
No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't sustain his force. Using it to enhance his own physical might and speed was literally child's play, but everything else seemed to be beyond his grasp. Maybe it was time to try a different tack. Andro raised a hand, palm up. Perhaps if he tried it the way the others-
-There was a shattering impact, and the door lurched forward, swaying sickeningly on its hinges. Andro leapt to his feet, drawing his blades in an instant. He dropped into a fighting stance, preparing a Shadow Edge for the first person to walk it.
Another thunderous blow landed on the much-abused door, smashing it in two. All around the hotel, the sound of scrapes and thumping could be heard, as residents barricaded themselves in with anything that came to hand.
"SHADOW EDGE!!!"
Three spinning blades of darkness tore away from Andro, blasting out into the corridor. There was a muffled grunt, and a hiss of pain, as the knives connected with something solid.
Yiming's hulking form piled into the room, small wedges cut into his arm. The big man seemed uncomfortable, but otherwise unperturbed. Andro backed away slightly, realising that he was probably no match for this giant. He drew his arm back, and prepared to launch another volley…
***THUNK***
The knife fell from his hand, neatly punctured at the hilt by a trio of needles.
"Andro, put the toys DOWN."
Claire? Here? The situation was rapidly spiralling out of control.
"Give him some time. We just broke into his room, for God's sake. And you expect a cordial welcome?"
Karmen this time.
A final voice, one filled with a steely tone of command.
"We're not here to kill you. In fact, we have a proposition you might find…Interesting, shall we say?"
"Or, to put it in another light: We shall maketh you an offa you canna refuse."
"Claire, shut it."
Andro didn't relax one whit. But he did lower his blades slightly.
"Talk."
"But could we come in first? Yiming wrecked the windows on his way up, and it's really cold out…"
The sound of an audible bitchslap rang through the place.
"OW! That hurt!"
"Claire…Just…Just SHUT UP!!!"
***************
Meanwhile…
"Soooo…Lemme get this straight. You want us to back out of KOF? You gotta be kidding."
Ryan let out a brief laugh, somewhere between a chuckle and a snort. He shoved his chair back, balancing it on two legs. This had to be a joke or something…Right?
"Ryan, don't do that. This seems to a serious matter."
"Nahhhh. Can't be. That's wayyyyy too stupid for anyone to take it seriously…"
His voice died away, as he realised that no one else was laughing. Diana and Foxy were glaring at him, grim looks on their faces. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Ryan brought his chair back down. Very, very slowly.
"Let me ask a question, okay? Why?"
Chan elbowed his friend in the ribs sharply, trying to get him to shut up. He needed to think, damnit. There was every chance they weren't walking out of here alive, and he had to figure of some way to escape.
He shot a glance over at Jiazheng.
Not too much hope there. The swordsman was sitting dead still, hands twitching occasionally. The boy was way out of his league, and he knew it.
"What my friend means is…Well, what purpose would there be in asking us to withdraw?"
("That's exactly the same thing I said!" Ryan hissed back.)
Diana considered this for a moment, seemingly taken aback.
"You mean you really don't KNOW?"
"Yeah."
"Fine. We'll tell you this once."
Diana's volume dropped sharply, forcing the group to lean forward to hear.
"Ignis is beginning to be…perturbed by your actions. Your impromptu alliance has been winning with distressing frequency, more so than was expected in the first place. Add that to your extremely rude habit of staying alive-"
"So you did send the clones."
"Clones? What clones?"
"Nevermind."
"Continuing…The man up there intends to get serious. Just to avoid any unpleasantness, he's given you this one chance to quit. Roll over in your next match, and you might live. Go home. This doesn't concern you in the slightest."
"Bullshit."
Silence. For the second time, all eyes turned to Ryan.
"Half a million people died in Southtown, and you expect us to forget it? Even better, one of our own was iced by Zero. And now what? We head back to Singapore? No way."
He followed it up with a very eloquent gesture.
Foxy went pale with rage. Visibly fighting to stay composed, she decided to intervene.
"Zero was a rogue. And now, he's dead. As far as you should be concerned, it's over."
"Not to me it isn't."
Jiazheng this time, eliciting several raised eyebrows of surprise.
"It's the Cartel's fault. From what I've heard…Whatever it was, you people don't particularly deserve to live. Or at least, not in this world."
Chan let out a gentle cough. He stood up, signifying that the meeting was over.
"Well, you have your answer. Guys? Let's go."
There was the hiss of steel leaving a scabbard, and the business end of a rapier was shoved against his throat. Foxy held it by the hilt, the blade never wavering.
"And there is one more thing."
Unperturbed, Chan looked down at the sword. Worse came to worse, he intended to use The World to dodge and then blast her with warpflame. That was when he remembered that they didn't work here. Chan began to sweat.
"If you walk away from our offer, you will be facing the NESTS team in the finals."
"Wasn't that what we were expecting in the first place?"
"Let me rephrase that. If you pass this up, you'll have made four new enemies. We'll have to become foes. Just to let you know what you're getting into…"
Chan shrugged.
"So be it. Now, if you'll excuse me…"
He walked off quickly, not even bothering to look back. Jiazheng got up, and quickly left, all too anxious to get away. Ryan was the last one to leave. He turned back once, and spoke a single word that carried tonnes of menace:
"Later."
And then he too was gone.
Foxy let out a sigh, slumping back down into her seat.
"That went as well as could be expected. I never expected them to agree, anyway. Frankly speaking, those kids don't know what they're getting into."
Diana nodded sympathetically, snagging a bottle and two glasses from a passing waiter. Promptly filling up a glass, she took a long swig, before answering.
"Don't blame yourself. That was a stupid suggestion by Ignis, by the start. He'll never understand it. Should I begin the preparations?"
"For now, just shut up and pour me a drink. I'll have to think about what I'm going to tell the others."
"You're going to need more than a drink, then."
***************
Back Again…
Relatively nonplussed, Andro sat stiffly at the sofa, watching the other DHS team, formerly known as the Cartel Team, ransack his residence.
Yiming was seated in a corner, resting in a chair way too small for him. He sipped coffee from a ridiculously undersized mug, holding the small tumbler between thumb and forefinger. Claire was somewhere in the kitchen, searching for some decent food. Judging from the muffled clanks and thuds, she wasn't enjoying much success.
Alvin and Karmen were busily emptying out the contents of two large backpacks, dumping them in an untidy heap on the coffee table. A small pile of weapons, bracers books and other odd junk soon cluttered up the area, scratching and denting the surface.
Chan, Ryan and Jiazheng chose that time to get home.
Jiazheng spotted the split door first. He burst in at a run, scabbard already aflame. Ryan barrelled in next, fists glowing with electricity. Chan, the slowest of the lot, staggered in panting, clutching both handguns.
"YOU! No mercy this time!"
"Up for another beating? Just bring it!"
"Don't worry, guys. They're okay."
There was a moment of total quiet. Each side stared at the other, thinking very fast. Ryan broke the silence first, blinking rapidly.
"Andro? The hell is going on?"
Andro tried to explain.
The others tried to understand.
***************
Even Later…
The situation got progressively more and more surreal.
The DHS team sat on one side of the table, with the former Cartel team on the other. Claire had found several packets of instant noodles from somewhere in the kitchen, leaving the entire group all happily munching away. This helped settle their nerves somewhat, turning it into an almost casual discussion.
Almost.
"The question is, what are you guys doing here?"
Chan had been saying that a lot.
"Uh…Due to our loss, NESTS decided to terminate our contracts prematurely. Note the added emphasis on the word 'terminate'. Anyway, we didn't take it too well, and decided to fight back. After the bodies fell to dust, we gathered up everything at hand, and made a run for it."
"Oookkayyy…I can buy that. But why us? Why come here?"
"There was nowhere else to go. Alvin suggested approaching another team, but we knew that there was no way anyone would trust us."
"Neither do we, in fact."
"Bite me. My group knows your vendetta against the Cartel, and we would like to help you in any way we can. See the stuff on the table? It's all yours."
Andro and Jiazheng instantly reached for the pile, looked at each other, and drew back. Trying very, very hard to contain his excitement, Andro decided to ask a question.
"What's the catch? Everyone has a price."
Karmen smiled. She had them hooked, and she knew it.
"Now let's get down to business. Yiming? The map."
The huge man removed a large square of paper from some hidden pocket, clearing a space in the heap with a sweep of his hand. Using a nearby orb as a paperweight, he pinned the entire thing down.
"This is a plan of a weapons factory, somewhere in Tokyo. It's only a short distance from here, and the place where we received these items. The factory also supplies advanced technology to NESTS allies, and serves as a temporary base for its troops."
"And you want us to?"
"Destroy it. Full wrath-of-God treatment, fire raining from the skies and all that. No one gets out alive, and we leave a crater in our wake. After all…"
"…A group of overpowered self-inserts should be able to do it?"
"Exactly."
Alvin finished the last of his noodles. Shoving the bowl aside, he snapped his fingers in their faces, smiling sardonically.
"So, poof. Everyone's happy. You get your items, we get payback, NESTS loses an important factory. There's no way you can lose in this!"
"The alternative is?"
"We kill you here and now, and attack the place ourselves. NOT a good idea."
Chan sighed. Always the rhetoric, and then the threats. Typical of Alvin. In the end, the decision wasn't wholly his own. He did have to give the others some semblance of free will, after all.
"Well, guys? Your opinion?"
Andro shrugged, his glittering eyes fixed hungrily on the weaponry just out of reach. His minor mystical senses had gone nova, sensing the gelatinous aura of power that literally clung to the objects like a shroud
"Let's go for it."
"Jiazheng?"
"Whatever the others say."
"Ryan? "
"Will we ever get another chance like this? Why not? Besides, it'll be fun."
"Looks like you have your answer, Karmen…But, on two conditions."
"Name them."
"First: You're coming with us to this…factory, as you put it. We don't trust you enough to go alone. Second: You'll help us sort through the stuff you brought. We'll need to know how the objects works. And of course…You'll tell us where you got them, won't you?"
Karmen winced.
"Alright. Shall we get started?"
***************
"Useless."
Ryan tossed a cracked orb aside, letting it thud back onto the table. The thing soon joined the larger of two untidy heaps, piled haphazardly on the floor.
"Almost every damn thing here is cracked, broken or exhausted. Where'd you get this junk from, anyway?"
Claire shook an empty bracer, trying to elicit some response. With a sigh, she let the thing drop, catching her breath before replying.
"We just grabbed everything we could get our hands on. Most of it comes from…Shall we say…Their previous owners? The rest comes from the very factory we intend to attack."
Andro looked up from where he'd been digging through the small set of working items. Already, some of the more powerful working ones were concealed underneath his jacket. Most were merely magical explosives, one-use time bombs, but others seemed to have unique functions he couldn't quite decipher.
Chan sat cross-legged on the floor, calmly browsing through an unmarked, battered brown book. A salvaged box of ammunition was placed next to him, filled to the brim with mixed ordnance of all types. He'd taken the book before everyone else, leaving all the other items.
Ryan weighed a pair of spiked gloves in his hands, wondering why they felt unnaturally cold. With a shrug, he slipped them on, taking a few practice jabs at the air. Yiming watched him with amusement, as if Ryan's efforts were some form of elaborate entertainment.
"Go ahead, big man. Laugh. Or at least, if Claire finds the right button to make you do so."
That got a response. Yiming rose to his feet, taking a single earthshaking step in Ryan's direction. At some silent signal from Alvin, he sat back down, returning to his outward calm.
Karmen scooped up a chipped arrowhead, cut her finger on it, and swore. Tossing the thing carelessly to one side, she wiped the blood off on her pants.
"This sucks. I've heard Ignis has been collecting every artefact he could get his hands on, but I expected much higher quality than this…This trash. Chan? Put the damn book down and HELP ME!"
No response. Chan continued reading, lost in his own little world.
"I'm warning you…"
Jiazheng stepped into the girl's way, blocking her off from his friend.
"Don't push it, Karmen. Leave him alone."
"Then YOU help me. March."
Andro picked up an oddly curved, sheathed sword. He tossed it to Jiazheng dismissively, returning to his browsing of the more interesting items.
"Take this, kid. Swords aren't really useful to me."
The swordsman caught the weapon, hefting its light weight. He staggered, almost overbalancing. The thing was far too light for its size, lighter even than his own scabbard…
"Alvin, what's this?"
The psycho shonen looked up. He gave Jiazheng's new sword a glance, before waving a dismissive hand in its direction.
"Useless. A wooden sword, or something. Keep it, for all the good it'll do you."
Jiazheng drew the wooden blade, more than slightly disappointed. Just for fun, he faked a slice at the coffee table, wondering whether the thing would even scratch the surface. Chan cast a warning glance at him, wondering what was going on in his head.
"Jiazheng, put that down. We don't know what it does."
Claire gave him a gentle nudge in the ribs.
"Forget it, Chan. Let the boy have his fun-"
***SHIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNKKKKKKK***
The blade went right through. Sliced in half, the table toppled in halves, sending bowls tumbling to the floor. Everyone in the room looked up, their eyes suddenly fixed on the razor-sharp wooden edge.
"I ***LOVE*** THIS!!! WAY COOL!!!!" Jiazheng yelled.
Alvin cleared his throat, then looked at the four Dunmanians, and the
Big-Ass Sword (tm) Jiazheng held, and thought better of it.
"There's nothing worse than a man with a new toy," Ryan muttered.
"Maybe we should ask him to give it back?"
"Then YOU ask him."
"Hell no."
Karmen decided to bring the impromptu salvage to an end, hammering on the ruined table with her fists for attention.
"Alright. That's enough people. Everything on use is on one side, everything else is on the other. We'll be going now, okay?"
There was no answer. Chan kept reading. Andro ran his finger along the brilliant metal of his miniature chainsaw, now sporting several highly unauthorized modifications. Jiazheng sliced the air, giggling to himself. Ryan flung punches at the speed of sound, the sharp crack of lightning punctuating each strike.
They barely noticed when the other four let themselves out.
***************
Chan was amazed by the sheer amount of knowledge he now held in his hands. Forget the ammunition. When he was done with this, he'd have so many doomsday spells, he wouldn't know what to do with them all.
Of course, it would take time to study. A lot of it, in fact. But several measures could be implemented instantly, starting with Requiem. 'The binding and control of spiritual entities', eh? Sounded worth a look.
And what was that? 'Combustion and the power inherent in chaos magic'? Even better. He held the greatest treasure of the entire horde in his hands. Sure, most of the writing was scrambled and twisted, forming alien glyphs and symbols that burned themselves into his brain. But wasn't it a worthwhile sacrifice?
Forbidden knowledge was the key to power.
And who wouldn't want more power?
***************
Ryan kept up his shadowboxing, relishing each and every brief burst of electricity released. Fast, light and deadly, these gloves suited him perfectly. The minor spikes at the knuckles looked cool too, glowing with barely-controlled lightning the moment he concentrated. Add that to the matching bracers, and the combination was simply too deadly to resist.
To Ryan, speed was life. Only dead guys actually spent all their time standing still, something which wasn't going to happen to Ryan for a long time. He let off a full-powered body-charge, sending tendrils of electricity crackling in all directions.
And then there were the rest of the borrowed objects to consider. Andro wasn't the only one who'd been sneaking things into his pockets.
A smile spread across Ryan's face, as he now considered what he could now do. Even better, considering what he shouldn't do, but would widened his grin even further.
***************
This was a happy day for Alistair 'Andro' Gillus.
Evidently, the others didn't know the true value of what they'd found. Watching Chan read that stupid book and Ryan punch at empty air like an idiot was almost depressing. Enough items to equalize the equation now lay hidden in the folds of Andro's clothes, ranging in power and purpose.
Who cared if his abilities weren't up to the mark? The weapons he now had more than compensated for his deficiency. Even if the 'Glaive' he carried around was too big for the arena, there were many other things he now had that weren't.
And soon, the world would tremble.
Mwahahaha.
***************
Jiazheng swung his sword happily, humming a merry tune. Well, it looked like he'd gotten the best of the deal once again. Though made of wood, the blade was incredibly sharp, and far stronger than it looked. Every force he directed at it failed completely, simply glancing right off.
The air itself seemed to scream at being cut, as the sword sliced great swathes of wind through it. There was a barely perceptible noise, as air rushed back in to fill the sudden vacumn.
Gloves? Books? Explosives?
All nothing when compared to this.
With a smile, Jiazheng sheathed the weapon, sliding it into his scabbard. Despite the obvious difference in shape and size, the sword fit perfectly. Faint green flame licked around the hilt, not even scorching the wood.
A swordsman wasn't complete without a decent blade. And one had just fallen into Jiazheng's hands...
***************
The meeting broke up, as everyone headed back to their rooms to experiment with their new toys. There was a definite tension in the air, as each boy tried to gauge what someone else had received, and how useful it would be to him.
Chan ended it quickly, laying down a few fast rules to prevent everything from degenerating into chaos.
"Listen up. I know that we've all received some good stuff, but I just want to make a few points clear. First, no experimentation…Too much, at least. I don't want Andro to blow off the roof with something while we sleep. Second, no taking from the 'junk' pile, for basically the same reason. Third…"
"Shut it, Chan. I don't have to listen to you any longer."
Andro walked off, leaving Chan staring in astonishment.
"See you, man. Don't worry…I won't destroy anything expensive. Yet."
Ryan left too, shutting and locking the door behind him.
"Tell me this later, okay? I need to find out exactly what I can do with this."
Even Jiazheng strode off! The humiliation!
Ah, well. There didn't seem to be much Chan could do about it. But it didn't matter. Removing the book from his jacket again, Chan toed the box of munitions into his room.
Looking left and right to make sure that no one was watching him, he closed and barred the door.
"Requiem."
The monster flashed into existence again, roaring its fury at being disturbed. An evil grin spreading across his face, Chan flipped the book open, and turned to a certain page.
"And now…Let us continue our discussion of your disobedience."
Despite its massive, armoured bulk and razor-edged weapons, Requiem shuddered.
For the first time, it knew a very human emotion: fear.
***************
NESTS Base...
Ignis stalked the base, in a black mood. His cloak fluttered out behind him in an unseen wind, as Ignis lashed out at everything and anything within reach. Telekinesis gouged holes in the solid steel walls. Fireballs detonated in non-stop blasts, levelling doors and incinerating unfortunate personnel.
Most of the base's staff cowered in the secure living quarters, as far from their leader as possible. They were prudent enough not to upset him during one of his rages, at least.
At last, exhausted and spent, Ignis slumped back onto his throne, which had miraculously escaped total destruction. Very, very slowly, a trembling clerk emerged from behind a barred, secured door. He handed a file to Ignis, sketched a quick bow, and ran like hell.
With a growl, Ignis flung it aside, smashing a priceless vase flown in from Italy. He already knew the contents of the report before he opened it. Evidently, the ill-fated Cartel team had escaped captivity, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Thirty guards dead, ten wounded. Even worse, they'd snatched most of the artefacts he'd carefully collected over the years.
Flipping impatiently through the list of objects lost, Ignis ended up cursing again. They'd really taken everything in reach. Most of the items had merely been odd junk, pawned off to allies as curiosities or for favours, but there'd been a few decent items in the lot.
With an effort, he forced himself to be calm. They couldn't have gotten far. All he needed to do was to wait, till anything appeared on the black market for sale. And then Ignis would have them.
He hoped.
Added to the Kyo Kusanagi, DHS, Iori AND the K' problems, this was fast becoming a big headache. Without a doubt, it was time to call in the big guns. Once again, all who opposed Ignis would fall, crushed by his sheer intellect and great mental might.
As it should be.
Like a spider in his web, Ignis plucked another string, sending more insects scurrying to do his bidding. Soon, he reminded himself.
Soon.
(Sorry for taking so long to update, but fanfiction.net seemed to be down, and my computer crashed halfway through this chapter, forcing me to start again. Rest assured I'll still be writing.)