Well...Now to the main story!And I got a review! Hooray!
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Baten Kaitos Origins.
Let's get on with this!
Oh, and if you couldn't tell, italics are thoughts.
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Chapter One: Meetings
Ugh... where am I? There was this room... and then it was gone. Now I was going at an almost impossible speed down a golden hallway, covered in pipes. Wait... who am I, anyway? First, maybe I should think a name up... Oh, I've got something! Hmm... Naren? Odd. But, the name seems right, so I'll keep it.
Everything was going by fast, so it was hard to see anything. I could notice two constants, though. A woman with blue-green hair. It was long, and her clothes didn't look new. And the second... a small boy, who didn't look even two yet, being carried by the woman. He had large blue eyes, at least proportional to his face, along with blue hair. He was wearing this strange white outfit. It reminded of when someone was sick... Well, whatever gave me that thought, it's gone now. I could tell that those two were out of the building they were in. I managed to follow them, but I still didn't know how. I'll worry about that later, I decided, after seeing the two enter a desert area. In the distance, I noticed a huge city made of metal. It seemed to have a cloud over it, along with a lot of lights. Even at the speed I was going, which I had no idea on how I was maintaining, it should at least take five minutes. That would give me time to check on how I was doing.
I looked down at myself. It seemed that I was a boy. I was wearing a red jacket that was made of an odd material. Underneath that, I had a black T-shirt on, with matching pants. I had deeply stained brown travel boots on. I also happened to be nearly completely transparent. I couldn't tell how my hair looked, but at least I knew it was short. And, guessing from that machine I just passed that was spewing white powder everywhere, I'm somewhere in the 5' 6" foot to 6' range. I couldn't get an exact guess, seeing it was gone in about five seconds. Wow, aren't we acting very precise today? A voice said in my head. Where did that come from...? Well, I'd better loosen up, I guess, seeing as I'm about to enter that huge city.
From the moment I entered, I didn't like the place. First off: the air. Seeing as I was transparent, I assumed I wouldn't smell anything. Breathing as a ghost-thing was completely pointless. But I couldn't help it. And the smell... it was horrible. I actually coughed when I first entered, and learned not to breathe too deeply. Now, why was that familiar...? Oh well. I saw people riding on machines that hovered over the ground. There were pipes spewing a thick gas everywhere, probably which was causing the cloud over the area. I didn't understand either. Why didn't people use their wings, like the lady was? Speaking of which, she had just put them away. I was suddenly going a lot slower. And the pipes didn't seem to serve a function, except to launch gas into the air. As I passed by one, I ended up holding my breath. I had just discovered the cause of the awful smell. And what was really bad was the fact that I was stuck there for a few minutes before I was propelled a few yards. Ugh.
After that, I noticed I was by a large building. In front of me, a platform opened up into the sky. The sky itself was an array of red, orange, yellow, and purple. It must be sunset. And the edge just drops off... I wonder what's at the bottom? First things first. Is it even possible for me to move? Because when I was going before, it was more of a "being thrown" sensation. Well, seeing as my legs are moving, I think that means I can walk.
I decided to go over to the edge. I looked down and froze. There was nothing. I couldn't see any land, any water... just endless sky. That's enough to creep a person out quite a bit. Something that does that job better is someone walking right through you when you're already in a shocked state. Something that also happened to me. I considered yelling at the guy, then thought better of it. Since I could be walked through, I probably couldn't be heard. After getting control of myself, I noticed this huge blue fish-boat thing that was coming into the platform. It had a piece of meat hanging in front of its face off of a string. I'm guessing that it's a carnivore. Note to self: Stay away from the huge fish. Everyone who was on the platform, which I realized was a port, got into a line. Slowly they filed onto the fish. I was now wondering if it even was a fish, since the line is entering inside of it. I noticed the woman with the little boy in the line. I had a strange urge to go over by them. I decided to. I mean, what else could I do? Jump off the dock?
Eventually we got to the front of the line. By the entrance there was guy with a large sheet of paper in his hand.
"Names and ages, ma'am?" He said, getting a pen out. The woman got a handful of coins out.
"Gena and Sagi. One adult and child under three." She replied, handing the coins to him. So, the fish thing is apparently some kind of ferry. The guy wrote something on his paper, and handed them a small slip.
"Thank you for riding. Enjoy your trip!" He said, before Gena went into the ship. I started feeling a slight tugging at my body. Now, that's odd. I saw her get on the covered area on top of the fish and sit at the bench farthest from me. Well, now that that expedition is over, I'm going to check this area out, I thought as I headed away from the ferry fish. But once I got near the huge building, I felt myself being launched, or something like it. The next thing I knew I was standing right next to Gena and Sagi. So I can't go too far from them. Well, now I know how I was going so fast before. I thought grimly.
"All aboard! The skyliner bound for Hasseleh is ready for departure!" The guy shouted, and I felt us being lifted. The fish is flying! I saw it come in, so I knew it could do it... but wow! I started getting excited. Then I looked back at the two I couldn't leave, remembered my situation, and sighed.
"Well...this sucks," I muttered as the ferry took off. I don't even know what is going on, but it doesn't seem good. Or at least entertaining. I also felt really depressed for some reason.
No sooner did I start brooding for whatever reason, Sagi started crying. I turned toward him to see Gena rocking him back and forth, trying to calm him down a bit. I was flooded by emotions. From their unknown source, I could feel fear, sadness, and confusion. Now, I know they weren't my own, as I could feel mine. It was almost like two separate hearts... I think I know what's going on now.
"There, there, Sagi." Gena said comfortingly. Sagi got a bit quieter, but not by much. "It's alright. We're heading to a new home now, okay?" Cue louder crying. I sighed, then walked over and sat next to him.
"C'mon, Sagi, cheer up!" I told him in a happy tone of voice. He looked at me, quieting down a bit. "You don't want to worry your mom, right?" Sagi slowly stopped crying. I smiled and patted his head, then stood up. "There you go!" Wait, why the heck did I do that? Well, the other emotions were different. Happy, but still confused, is what I was picking up then. That supported my earlier theory, but I would still need to confirm it. I'll just need one more piece of evidence. He could have just stopped crying on his own, after all.
I started humming this song that I had in my head. I don't even know where it came from, like most things like now. It was really sad, but comforting at the same time. Heck, I even had lyrics, but there was no way I was singing. That rather was past my line of "Things I'll never do", which has existed for ten minutes. The name started with a L... and that's all I've got.
Sagi seemed to enjoy it. He smiled and pointed at me. "Cool!" He cried out happily. Gena looked at him, stunned. I could see an odd expression on her face. I couldn't quite place it.
"Sweetie, there's nothing there." She told him. Sagi looked at me again, then shook his head. Wow, he's pretty advanced for a kid who isn't three, or even two by the looks of it. I just shrugged. My idea had been confirmed. I appeared to be a Guardian Spirit. And it looked like Sagi is the person I'd bonded with. Since he's the only one who can see, hear, or feel me, that's the only conclusion I could come up with. I can't go far away from him, even though I'm not sure of the exact distance yet... "Now go to sleep." About a minute later he's out of it, snoring a bit. Guess he's had an exhausting day. Now that I think of it, now I'm tired, too. I suppose I should see if Guardians can sleep...
5 years later
Another calm day at Sheratan...not! I thought to myself, running after Sagi. I swear that I'll find the source of his energy one of these days! I mean, I made sure he didn't have too many cookies...
"Hey, Naren, I wanna show you something!" Sagi called to me, stopping at the exit to town. He's really excited about it. I ran up by him. He was almost jumping up and down out of excitement.
"For one, it's 'I want to show you something.'" I said, shaking my head. That is a bit of a thing for me. "Secondly, we are not going into the forest. You know I hate that place." I thought for a second, knowing that wouldn't stop him today. "And what if wild animals are by the entrance again? I don't think a caplin is going to pop in and save you if they are." I barley suppressed a shudder. Thinking about that still frightened me. Sagi did, too. Gena hadn't let him have any treats for a week after that incident.
"Aw, come on. It's really cool! And it'll only take an hour, or maybe less! Pleeaasse?" He begged. I groaned. He was giving me the puppy eyes. I really don't like when he does that. Not only do I feel like a jerk if I say no, it shows he really wants to do it. Heh, I really have softened since I first met him.
"Fine. But if I even think there's an animal nearby, we are leaving. And I don't care if I haven't seen whatever it is yet. Alright?" I asked, giving in. Sagi nodded so fast I thought he would give himself a concussion. Well, he usually doesn't win, so I'll give him a break. "Let's go then." He tore off into the woods, using his wings to give him a speed boost. I waited for a few seconds, then was right by his side. He'd stopped to catch his breath. "Now, that wasn't very smart." I smirked. "Save your energy, so we can actually walk home."
"Stop teasing me!" Sagi panted, his face still red from running. I could also tell he was a bit embarrassed. "Now, let's get going! It's that way." He said, pointing further in. This time, instead of running like an olifant on a rampage, he walked like a normal person. That's good for me, since being thrown isn't my favorite thing in the world.
The Thornwoods are the creepiest place I've seen, except for that huge blue church. I also feel really sick here for reasons I don't understand. Add that one to the list. And I always have to be on edge here. Knowing Sagi's luck, he'll run right into a rabid bunnycat. The trees are nearly choked by thorns, and there are ledges and falls everywhere. That's usually where the shawra hide. There's even ballona here, who like to live in places where they can pop. That makes no sense to me. But Sagi seems to like it, so I can handle it. Barely.
We reached a large clearing. I could see a path that led right to Sheratan from here. Why did Sagi take the long way? I smirked once I gave it a little thought. He didn't want Gena to see him coming. I'll yell at him for it later. Sagi ran into the center of the clearing. I walked after him.
"It's right here!" He whispered, like it was a huge secret. He pointed into the ground, and I bent down to look at it. It was a weird greenish metal. It seemed like part of a claw from what I could see. I suddenly went cold. This...doesn't seem right. "I saw it when I came here last time. Isn't it cool?" He said expectantly. I was still staring at it. I didn't even think I could move. "So, I'm going to dig it up!"
My eyes widened. "You're... going to dig this up." I stood up. "What do you-...Why-? How are you going to-?" Please tell me he has no idea how to so we can go home! Then, I realized I was being an idiot. And slightly paranoid. It's just some metal thing. No big deal. At least, that's what I told myself. So I took a deep breath and continued, more calmly then before, "Did you bring anything to dig this up with? Because I don't think your hands are going to cut it for this." I gestured at the metal. I can't believe I'm going along with this.
Sagi smiled. I think that he wasn't expecting me to let him. "Look at what I have!" He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a magnus. It was a shovel. "Doc gave it to me when I helped with his plants last week." I remember that. I was the one who told Sagi what to do, but I wasn't noticed due to the spirit thing. So, no magnus for me.
"You really thought this out, huh?" I let out a chuckle. "Alright, but if it's dangerous, you have to run. Got it?" Not that I don't think it is already, but...
Sagi nodded, then used the magnus. A shovel appeared on the ground in front of him. It was a bit big for him, but he still picked it up. Then he started digging.
After about 5 minutes, I could see a claw-like hand. Sagi saw it and started digging faster. I had to resist the urge to back away. The sick feeling I usually feel here started to intensify. Don't run away. DON'T run away became the mantra going through my head. Stop being a clukker! I chastised myself. Sagi isn't even scared! After about twenty minutes, a whole arm became visible.
"Hey, Sagi? Can we go home now? Gena's probably getting worried." I reminded him. It was actually an excuse, but it was true. Even though she knew about me, she got a bit anxious when Sagi was out of sight. With good reason, since I can't really defend him. Sagi shook his head and kept digging. He's a stubborn little kid, I'll give him that. After an hour, I could tell he was getting tired, though. Even though he managed to uncover a torso, he had to take a break. While he sat down, I forced myself to walk over to the thing. It seemed to have a head, or something like it. Where I would expect the head to be, there was a hood with a long slit, kind of where eye holes would be. The hood itself went down to about where a neck would end. I couldn't see anything past the holes, so I moved on. The rest of the torso, along with the other arm, was made of the green blue metal.
"Sagi, we really should head home. Even I know it's getting late! Or do you want to not have any sweets for a week? Again?" I told him. Wow, I'm being a nag right now. But...I don't like this thing. I felt something like horror from him when I said the comment about the sweets. Gena is very hard to get mad. But when she's worried... it's best to stay out of her way.
"I'm almost done! Can I at least finish digging it up?" Sagi begged. Why does he want to finish so badly? I thought grumpily.
"Alright. But you have one hour. If we get back too late, we won't be allowed to climb the clock!" I sighed, crossing my arms and resolving not to talk again. Unless an animal comes along, then I'll yell. Since when did I give in this easily? I wondered. Last year, I would have refused without a second thought.
After a few more minutes of sitting down, Sagi picked the shovel back up and resumed digging. Now he was digging faster then before, so maybe my talking actually got through to him. Or maybe he'd figured out how to hold the shovel properly. Whatever the case, Sagi got a leg out of the dirt in less then ten minutes. It was attached to a waist that was clearly part of the object. For one, it was wearing an odd skirt made out of the same material as the hood. Another thing was that I'd never seen any type of metal that was close to this. In ten minutes, I could tell that it was now completely out of the ground. And it was a very odd looking thing, too. The legs had these odd feet that were shaped like high-heels. The hood had clips on it, and it looked like some old paramachina. If paramachina made me feel scared and rather sick. It also seemed familiar. And not in the "This is how Mom made pow steak!" happy kind of way. It was a "This is where the machina incident happened" sort of familiar.
Sagi was rather excited by his find. By rather, I mean nearly jumping up and down like he's had a dozen cookies. And, by some strange six year old logic, he pulled the thing out of the hole onto the flat ground by it. While he was doing so, I was frozen, mostly by disbelief. Did... did he just do that?! Once he started poking it, I snapped out of it.
"WHAT did you just do?" I nearly yelled. I ran over to him. "Do you even know what that is?!" Sagi shrank back a bit. Seeing that, and feeling that he was shocked and scared, I forced myself to calm down. "Look, sorry for freaking out on you. But, this thing kind of scares me. Just..." I thought about it for a bit. "Tell me next time, alright?" Sagi nodded. I looked back at the thing on the ground. "Well, you finished digging. Let's go home, okay?" He looked at it, then nodded slowly. "Right, now start on home." Sagi then walked on the main path back to Sheratan. I looked back at the thing, then got ready to follow him.
And the hand twitched.
"Holy-!" I cut myself off so I wouldn't swear in front of the kid. Sagi ran right back next to me. I had to stop myself from slapping my face.
"What is it, Naren?" He said excitedly. "Did you see a Thornflower? Or a Yesterbean?" Then I saw lights go on in the eye holes, and the hand moved again. "Whoa!" Sagi gasped. "Did you just see that?"
"Sagi?" I forced myself to say calmly. It was my "Run before the Shawra get you" voice. He'd learned it during the caplin incident. "This is what I classify as dangerous. Get back to Sheratan. Now!" Sagi took two steps backwards, then froze. The thing had just sat up. It put the claw-hand to the hood.
"Where... where am I?" It said, sounding confused. I felt chills run down my almost non-existent spine. It spoke with two voices, a male and female. To me, I could hear the female more clearly. But that wasn't it. What really scared me was how the voices affected me. I felt angry, sad, and scared. "What... happened?"
It still seemed to be out of it. Sagi should be able to get away... Darn it! I yelled in my head. The last thought was caused by the fact that Sagi had walked up to the thing. Now that I think of it, it reminds me of a puppet.
"Are you alright?" He asked, sounding concerned. Does he not know what dangerous means? The puppet looked up at him immediately. It somehow managed a glare. I felt my eyelid twitch. Scared or no, this thing wasn't going to be mean to Sagi.
"Who are you? And where am I?" It asked sharply. I saw Sagi take a step back. I checked his heart: I felt a bit of hurt. I snapped.
"Don't be mean to Sagi, puppet!" I snarled, before Sagi could respond. Did I just do that...? I saw it glare up at me, and its lights turned blue, then the slit was red. I took a few steps back.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Sagi asked, not sounding scared at all. The puppet seemed to snap out of it. "Is something there?" Tch, like you don't know. But, no one is supposed to be able to see me, so... Man, I'm confused.
"It's... it's nothing." It replied. "I merely thought there was an animal there." I hope that's all it was, I thought, still slightly scared. Something about the puppet set me on edge. Then I looked up and saw barely any light coming through the trees. Oh, hograts! Gena's going to have my ass if Sagi doesn't come home soon!
"Sagi, we need to head home!" I told him, barely keeping my voice under control. I was more afraid of a scared and worried Gena than this puppet thing. She knew I was there, and ranted at me for what felt like hours once Sagi was asleep. Ugh. Sagi waved a hand at me.
"Hold on Naren." Why does he want me to wait? "Hey, what's your name?" He was talking to the puppet again. He really needs to learn to listen to me.
"Sagi, I don't think-" I started to say, when the puppet spoke.
"It's..." It seemed like it was thinking. It has a name? Why would someone name that? "My name is Guillo." Hmph, Guillo? Another thing that sounds familiar. And in the bad way, too. I shrugged the feeling off, feeling like a worry-wart. "What's yours?"
I started to warn him against it, when he answered. "It's Sagi!" He chirped happily. I did hit my head this time. Grah! Do I need to give him the 'Don't talk to Strangers' lecture again? Wait... how does this thing know how to talk if it's been buried? "Do you live near here? Or do you need to come back with u- me?" He continued. I could tell he was covering up the fact that I was there. Wait... did he just invite that to Sheratan?!
"Sagi! Let's go home! Leave the thing here!" I don't care what Sagi is thinking, that puppet is not entering Sheratan without a fight from me. Before I could convince Sagi further, the pu- Guillo stood up. I actually saw it stagger for a few steps before it started walking normally. I felt my eyelid twitch. How did I manage that one?
"Show me where to go." It... commanded? Oh, hell no! I nearly let out another outburst, but resorted to yelling in my head. You little son of a fluffpup! You're not worthy of living in pow dung! And so on. Sagi jolted a bit, then started waling on the path. Back to the village. Once Guillo started walking, Sagi stayed behind a bit.
"Why were you yelling earlier?" I stared at him in shock. How did he hear that? "And why were you insulting Guillo?" Yep, he heard me.
"Um..." I tried thinking of a valid excuse. I didn't find one. "I just don't like that thing." I shrugged. I looked at it as it was walking. "Hey, is it just me, or does it look like a girl to you?" I said hurriedly, trying to change the subject. "I can kind of hear the girl voice more, anyway."
I saw Sagi lean forward and squint a bit. "I can see it a bit. I'm not that sure about the voice though." He smiled a bit. "Sorry."
"It's okay!" I told him, then paused. "Hey, Sagi?"
"Yeah?"
"Gena's going to kill you when we get home for bringing that." I saw him pale, and smirked a bit.
Hey, I'm not a saint!
Eight years later
Warriors flying, fighting, on wings of the heart... People in masks floating, surrounded by light.... A strange silhouette coming forward and stabbing me in the stomach...
"Whoa!" I yelled, bolting upright. Holy shit, that was vivid! And why do I keep seeing that?! I looked around quickly. I saw Sagi sitting up on his bed, breathing heavily. Please tell me he didn't have to go through that.
After a few seconds, he looked at me. "The same dream... again. You too, Naren?" Dang it, yes he did.
I sighed and nodded. "Yes." I replied simply. I mean, what else could I say? I was having a nice dream about Sheratan before that thing came along? Yeah, right.
"Wonder what it means... Such a strange dream..." Hell, you bet it is! It feels almost as familiar as Guillo did! I chose not to share that thought with Sagi. After all, it could have been my imagination. Sagi glanced up at the wall clock. It was a quarter after 1. Dang, that early? Stupid nightmares. "There's still a few hours before dawn. Let's try to get some sleep, Naren."
I nodded, then yawned a bit. "No problem. No more nightmares, alright?" I told him, laying down on the table, making sure to avoid the lamp. I heard him lay back on his bed. Poor guy, that bed is as bad as an uncleaned pow stall. I'd take a table any day. We were just about to go back to sleep, when another serviceman ran in. Sagi sat up immediately. Huh? What the heck is going on?
"Servicemen!" I saw the guy in the other bed sit up. "The captain's called an urgent meeting in the strategy room. Rise and shine!" Aw man. I'm still tired... After his message was delivered, he ran back out. I sat up, let out another yawn, then looked at Sagi. He was sitting on the bed sideways, looking down.
"A meeting in the middle of the night?" He muttered. "I guess we do have to earn our keep..." I nodded, feeling a bit worried. His mind was still on the nightmare, apparently. Then he pulled out his wings, went in the air and did a flip, then landed on the ground. He put his wings away a moment later.
"Show off." I called to him. And, he's not even remotely tired anymore! I saw him smile a bit.
"Alright, my wings of the heart are good to go." He said cheerily. I slid off the table and went over by him. "Ready, Naren?"
"Of course!" I replied, then let another yawn out. "Okay, at least halfway ready." Sagi gave a quick chuckle, then headed to where he had stored his Will magnus, then put it in his pouch. Eh, that's not that good of a magnus, but oh well. I checked his heart again. There was no trace of the nightmare from what I could tell. Good, mission accomplished!
After we left, I saw a mass of soldiers heading to the strategy room. It made me wonder how many people were supposed to go to the meeting. From what I'd heard, also known as eavesdropped, most missions were for groups of about 5 to 6. I was seeing about twenty in the hall. They were all running, but I bet I could have beat them in a race. Speaking of which...
"Hey, Sagi?" I grinned at him. "I'll race you to the safety flower. No wings." Okay, so I was being a little bit immature. But, I'd been ignored since we got to Alfard!
Sagi rolled his eyes. "What for this time? You'll let me buy an attack magnus?" He asked sarcastically. I resisted sticking my tongue out at him. Stay mature. Come on, it's not that hard... Even when you want to collapse on a comfortable bed somewhere...
"Not this time." I smiled wider. "If I win, you have to listen to me during the mission, no matter what." I paused. What can I offer in exchange? Then it hit me. "And if you win, you're in charge of our money for a month." Ha, bet he wasn't expecting that! Then I realized what I'd just said. Oh shoot! If he agrees, there is no way I can lose!
"Alright, but no whining if you lose!" Hm, he's acting odd... Oh yeah. He does this when he's tired. Well, I'm acting like an immature brat. We're very weird...
"Three." I counted, not responding to his comment. "Two. ONE!" I yelled, and we ran our butts off. Sagi kept having to shove through the crowd, which was fine by me. Although I did hear a bit of grumbling from the servicemen. I just ran on through, reaching the stairs a few seconds before him. Wow, he's gotten fast... I thought as he nearly ran by me. ...But I'm still faster! I finished as I reached the flower. Sagi arrived a second later, panting. "Yeah! I won!" Okay, self control back now.
"Yeah. You did." Sagi said slowly as he entered the flower. Suddenly he wasn't tired anymore. Well, not tired from running. But he was a bit annoyed. "But you don't get tired. You just sleep when you're bored." He continued his tired grumbling as he entered the strategy room.
"I didn't cheat, Sagi. Now stop talking to yourself." I smirked. Oh, it is so fun seeing his reactions when I'm tired. And in a bad mood. It's not even two yet! I defended myself mentally. Before I could finish, we had walked in.
After we entered the strategy room, I had to resist the urge to groan. It was the captain who had handled the initiation. I had learned he does not know when to stop talking. Sagi saw him and had the same reaction.
"You're late, newcomer!" He barked. "Hurry up and take your position!" As Sagi headed to our spot in the back of the group, I said a few... inconsiderate things about the captain. Once we reached our spot, I sat on the floor. The captain looked around and nodded. "Let's begin the briefing." He started pacing. "Tonight's mission is an assassination." I sighed and shook my head. Why couldn't we have a monster infestation, like we did in the army? Killing is not something I want to do. "The target..." I saw him press a button, and a big fat guy in expensive ropes appeared in a hologram. "...is Emperor Olgan." What the-? Won't we face a firing squad for that?! The rest of the servicemen started yelling, talking to each other, and asking questions. I looked at Sagi. He looked shocked, and I checked his heart. There was a wall-like thing blocking it. What the heck? That's never happened before! The captain looked around and took a deep breath. "Shut your traps!" He yelled over the noise. "Attention!" The entire group sprang to attention. Even me, I'm sorry to say. Sagi looked back at me and sighed a bit. I once again had the urge to stick my tongue out at him. Okay, I'm going to make sure he gets a cup of coffee soon, and I don't care if he doesn't like it!
"As you were." All of us went back to normal, with me sitting cross-legged on the floor. The captain continued speaking. "I certainly share your unease. But as you know, the Imperial Dark Service does not answer to the emperor." I rolled my eyes. Of course not, since we're going to kill him. That one Bale-something guy is in charge. "We're Lord Baelheit's private guard." There we go! "I don't see why these orders should come as a surprise." After he said that, he paused for a few seconds.
"Do you remember learning that?" I asked Sagi during the quiet. He shook his head slightly. "Then again, you never did finish that Dark Service guide..." I stopped talking, since the captain had started lecturing again. Geez, when will he shut up?
"Our duty is to take action whenever his lordship requires it- nothing more, nothing less. Are we clear?" He asked. The group saluted in response. I decided not to, since I was getting annoyed with how long this was taking. It was before two in the morning, for the god's sakes! The captain nodded in, seeming satisfied. "Consider this mission Code S." On no, please tell me no! "All Servicemen are authorized to use paramachina."
"Oh, hell no!" I yelled out of habit. "I have to deal with her again?!" Luckily, only Sagi heard me, as usual. Maybe that was a good thing, too. Sagi didn't seem to happy with my reaction. I couldn't tell because of the wall-thing blocking his heart. Which was annoying me to no end.
The captain turned to technician by the control panel. "Open the lockers!" He commanded. Okay, someone really needs to learn to be polite. The guy didn't seem to mind.
"Yes sir!" He replied, sounding full of energy. I was rather shocked. I wonder how much coffee he's had? I wondered as he entered the unlock code. He sounds wide awake! After he stepped away, I could slightly hear the hiss of machina gas. The captain turned back to us.
"Retrieve your paramachina and head to the rendezvous point. I'll provide further instructions there." By now, my attention was starting to wander. I'd been expecting a briefing, not a lecture. So, my thoughts started to turn elsewhere. ...I wonder what would happen if pow yogurt got mixed together with mountain apple wine? Outside of my odd thoughts, I felt a bit bad for Sagi. Not only would he have to kill someone, he'd have to listen to this guy talk his ears off. "I'm also going to break with protocol and issue blank magnus." Sure, we're breaking the law, why not protocol? Then what he said got through to me. Wait, blank magnus?! Sweet! I've wanted some for ages! "Use them during your mission to store and transport the magna essence of whatever you need." He stopped right by the middle of the table and looked around. "That is all. Dismissed!" The group, except for me, saluted the captain again. Then they scattered, stopping by the door guard to pick their magnus up. A few people stayed behind, Sagi and me included.
"Assassinate the emperor? Leave it to the Dark Service to handle the dirty jobs..." He trailed.
"Hear, hear!" I agreed. Then I noticed three servicemen behind Sagi staring at him. I realized at the same time that he wasn't being nearly as quiet as usual. Ok, this probably wasn't the best place for this conversation...
"A high-ranking confidante sends his own men to strike down his master..." He shook his head. "And not just any master. This is the emperor we're talking about... It doesn't get much dirtier than that." I nodded, and then noticed a sliver haired lady looking at Sagi. I know her from somewhere... "Then again, Naren..." He continued, sounding happier. Huh? Is he actually getting excited about this? "This could be our lucky break." I had to resist a violent urge to hit Sagi on the head for that sentence. "I bet you never thought the emperor would go down like this." He paused, like he was waiting for my reaction. The lady walked out, and I took a deep breath.
"Ok... twenty seconds to explain." I said, sounding calm. However, I was ramming what ever part of me that was connected to Sagi against the wall. After getting through, I made sure he could feel what I thought about this mission. Sick, worried, angry, and sad to name a few. While I'm no fan of Olgan, I didn't think he should die. I also noted Sagi's emotions. I could register shock, and something that could be best described as something dark under it. It reminded me of something, but I couldn't quite place it. During this whole time, I was counting. He had twelve seconds left.
"Plus," Sagi said rather quickly, "we could use the money to put food on everybody's table!" I stopped counting. Four seconds left... nice job.
"Alright, that's a better reason." I nodded. If he didn't have a good reason, I would have made sure he had a week full of migraines. "Nice job staying within the time limit, too." I grinned at him.
"There's no way I'm passing up this chance. Are you with me, Naren?" He asked. I took a few seconds to think about it. I don't really like this mission. Add the fact that Guillo will be joining us...
"Are you sure about this?" I asked slowly. Hey, if I had to deal with the sarcastic puppet, he had to be sure. That didn't seem to be the smartest thing to say.
"Of course I am. Why would I hesitate?" He replied, sounding unnerved. Shoot! I can't believe I just did that. "Come on, let's go." He continued.
"Alright. Now, let's go get our magnus!" I cheered. I am... slightly obsessed with magnus in all forms. I actually scared Sagi when he was a kid because of it... but it was a sale straight from the Empire! In Hassaleh! I immediately slapped myself so I wouldn't, as Sagi put it, 'freak out on him'. I need to stop doing that.
We headed to the door, when the guard on the left stopped us. "Everyone's been issued eight blank magnus. Here's your share." He said, passing the said magnus over to Sagi. Oh boy, oh boy! This is amazing! I wonder what I can do with them! I once again hit myself, only harder this time. Stop acting like a child! I scolded myself. "You clear on how to use these?" The serviceman asked. Sagi took a quick look back at me.
"Crystal clear!" I reminded him. A week ago, I had nagged him for magnus instruction guides. Luckily, they were only about five gold each. I love sales! Sagi nodded to the Serviceman.
"All right, head to the locker room, pick up your paramachina, and head to-" The guy was cut off as the control panel suddenly caught fire. What the hell?! How did he manage that?
"The control panel's on fire!" The operator screamed. No freaking duh!
"Sagi, grab some water. Now!" I shouted. The place may have been awful, but I didn't want it to burn down! Or up since we're underground. Mostly, I didn't want it burning down since we were inside it! The other servicemen turned to the fire.
"Someone get some water over here!" One of them shouted. Well, they at least have some common sense. The guard by us looked at the fire... and smiled. I'm not kidding, I could see him smiling under his mask! What is this guy on?!
"Now's your chance, kid." He told Sagi. "Store some water form the barrel and use it put out the fire. Quickly now!" He waved Sagi towards the barrel, which I could see had some stale looking water in it. Sagi didn't need to be told twice. He pulled his wings out, rushed over, drew the magna essence out(book 3, paragraph 9) and flew to the fire. I guessed that the technician was panicking, since his eyes were wide and it looked like he would pee himself any second. Well, at least in my opinion.
"Hurry up and douse it with that water!" He cried out, his voice almost unbearably high. I winced. Yep, he's panicking. Sagi lifted the magnus up, focused his will into it, like the book said, and a small waterfall pelted the fire. It went out a second later. The operator took a few deep breaths, then turned to Sagi, wiping his forehead. "Whew, thanks. Take this for helping me out." He reached into his pocket and got an herb magnus out, the passed it to Sagi. I examined it, then snorted. Not that good at all. A low potion could do better! But, it does help if someone's poisoned. Eh, I won't sell it.
After that, we headed toward the door. The guard stopped Sagi again. I resisted the urge to back away. I was debating whether he was crazy or something. But he smiled at Sagi, so I guessed that he wasn't mad about the fire.
"Smart soldiers use their magnus to help with their missions. There's more to it then storing and releasing magna essences-" Do you think we didn't know that? "-but you'll learn about that as you go." Not likely, since I've already memorized the manuals. The guy reached into his pocket. I tensed up a bit, since I was still doubting his sanity. "I've got one last thing to give you. Take it along in magnus form." He pulled a book out. Sagi stored the book in our magnus, and I immediately noticed an almost-transparent copy floating by his head. Now, that isn't slightly creepy. "Use it to record mission progress and objectives as you go, so you can refer back to them later. All right, off you go." He waved us off. Yes! Finally, we can get away from the crazy guy! Sagi gave a quick sigh of relief, then went to go sit down in the safety flower. He used the magnus with the travel log, and it fell down in front of him, along with a pen. After writing whose log it was on the cover, he turned to the first page and started writing. I looked over his shoulder and laughed. He wrote it rather formally... kind of like when I slip into 'perfect sentence mode', as he called it when he was a kid. But, his writing wasn't the neatest. And as for spelling...
"Sagi, you misspelled 'assassinate.'" I told him, pointing at the word. He sighed, then scratched it out and rewrote it correctly. Yeah, defiantly not the neatest. After he finished, he stored the log, which was by his head again, and headed down the hallway. Thinking of who I'd meet in the lockers, I let out a groan.
Now, this will be SO much fun! I thought sarcastically.
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Now, that was... long, wasn't it? I swear, I'm not writing a novel or anything! On a side note, do you know how hard it was not to take a LotR title for this chapter?
So, did you like it? Please review! And, in case it does happen, flames will be used to fuel a True Flame Ice Fury attack, so don't do it. OK? Glad we understand each other.
And if you're wondering, this was over 7,900 words... dang.