Disclaimer: Anything concerning Music Titles, Spells, or whatever is connected to the Ancestry of Nack and the Mystery Character are properties of Sting from a video game called "Yggdra Union." Everything else is Natsume's except this story and Nack, which belong solely to me.
Reunion
Sometime after getting a hold of his new work clothes, Nack quickly changed into them and put away his usual clothes away from view.
The new farmer strut around his home for awhile to check out its mobility and comfort. Finally, he went into a dynamic pose with his thumbs up.
"Aw yeah! This works just fine! I bet I look good it in, too!" he beamed.
With his attire finally changed, Nack's attention turned to the toolbox.
"Right. I should probably get myself some tools for the long haul. Dunno what exactly farmers need to grow veggies except a watering can. I think they used tractors, too, but no one seems to be into cars and stuff around here." He said to himself.
Nack practically leapt towards the tool box before diving in.
"Oh, sweet! They have a sickle and axe here! Don't get how I'll be planting crops with these babies, but I could definitely put them to my personal use." He said with grimn satisfaction.
Meanwhile, a mysterious voice from started to chant in a whisper:
"O angel, deprived of light and wings…
Let thy misery cage mine enemy---
Gravity Chaos…"
Soon, a surge of energy encircled Nack's location, which he nimbly leapt away from. However, the deadly field remained and roared, slowly crushing the toolbox.
In his now vigilant state, Nack desperately searched the house for the source of that attack. Sensing a presence, he immediately pulled out two sub-machine guns from seemingly out of nowhere and fired above him. A round of bullets collided with the ceiling, but his target escaped the attack with formidable speed. It was then that the assailant revealed himself when he landed directly in front of Nack with the skill of a cat.
"Hmph… I wasn't expecting to see you for a long time." Nack grinned.
The young man in front of him had shiny, shoulder-length silver hair with sharp aqua eyes. He wore a stylish cow print shirt with a silver dog tag over a black top. He also wore eerily familiar dark purple pants, some cow print socks, and polished black shoes.
The stranger grinned back. "To be honest, I wasn't expecting you to be out in the country like this. What are you even doing here?" he asked.
Nack lowered his head while bearing a wider smirk that seemed to bare fangs. "Why, it's business as usual…"
The stranger sighed. "And that pretty much means you're trying to off someone in the Valley by request, huh?"
The stranger then took a few paces forward with a contemplative look on his face. After tapping his foot in frustration, he shot Nack a bitter glare.
"You know, it was always that whole "murder" aspect that turned me off with the Mafia." He said in deep disgust.
"And that's pretty much why the guys always considered you sentimental failure, my brother Steiner…" Nack remarked.
The mysterious young man shook his head. "There's no need to call a "failure" like me your brother anymore. I'm pretty sure that we've established the fact that I've left that pitiful family behind long ago. Besides, I always thought a full name like "Steiner Pattywack" cramped my style."
"It still doesn't change the fact that the same blood runs through our veins. Awareness of Magic, the Lineage of the Silver Wolf and all that. Of course, why you always had better luck with the ladies is something I never understood." Nack mused.
"I don't know. Maybe I just happen to be the more charismatic one?" he suggested half-seriously.
Apparently, Nack wasn't hit too hard with that comment.
"I wouldn't joke about such things." Nack replied.
The disguised hit man then scanned his brother warily.
"So then… how is that family treasure you stole from us, doing? Is it still in good condition?" Nack asked with a scowl.
"Actually, that old trinket serves me well. I've managed to make far more uses for it than what you would come up with." Steiner taunted.
Nack scoffed. "That wasn't very nice." He remarked while preparing his trigger finger.
"Yeah. But I suppose if you want to see it again, I can do you that favor." Steiner grinned.
As if by magic, the silver-haired stranger pulled out large, crescent-shaped blade out of thin air. Nack grew furious upon seeing the imposing weapon.
"…Silver Moon! So you DID bring it with you!" Nack shouted violently.
"Yep… the very same blade used by our common ancestor, Milanor the Silver Wolf. I still remember the stories about how he used this thing on raids against rival thieves and the occasional pesky Empire, but I figured an artifact like this needs a break from that sort of bloodshed every once in awhile. Of course, if it means ridding the world of a psycho like you, I'll be more than happy to put it to good use." Steiner said.
The stealthy young man raised his free hand to snap his fingers. Suddenly, a record player at the corner of the moon started playing some fast-paced music that was heavy on electric guitar and synthesizer effects. The spinning record was labeled "Milanor Sortie".
He then held out the impressive weapon in front of him, as if implying a charge. Steiner took a few swift steps forward, but not before his movements were intercepted by a few blazing bullets. But Steiner simply darted away and continued the charge. Nack reacted quickly by pointing a sub-machine gun towards Steiner's new direction and fired again, but Steiner simply evaded that with equal ease. The aqua-eyed assailant continued zigzagging and running circles around Nack's round of fire effortlessly.
"Aw, SCREW IT!" Nack shouted as he chucked his sub-machine guns in yet another missed attempt to gun down his brother.
However, Steiner grinned as he saw this chance to end the fight. He immediately lifted himself of the ground, raising Silver Moon right above his head to bring it straight down on Nack, but the hetman's quick reflexes kicked in as he deflected the attack with his newly-acquired axe.
"You know, I ALWAYS hate it when my precious toys are deprived of a kill!" Nack snarled.
The two brothers' weapons were locked in a struggle for a few moments, until Nack managed to knock him back with the axe.
"But hell, I guess these new farmer tools aren't so bad, after all." Nack smirked. "Looks like I found my first set of chopping material…"
Cool and confident as ever, Steiner simply replied with a silent nod. The subtle brother attempted to round Nack and take him down from the back, but Nack was all too aware of this strategy. He withdrew his axe momentarily and took out his sickle with sick pleasure in his eyes. As Steiner ran circles around him once more, Nack took once step back and swung his sickle with precision, forcing Steiner to escape his target's radius. Nack then went on the offense as he ran at Steiner with sickle in hand, and ready to strike. Finally, Nack swing hard and fast to the right, but Steiner quickly put up his blade and deflected the sickle swing. He then pushed off the sickle and prepared to retaliate, but Nack parried just as quickly. The manic hit man once again forced his brother away, and followed up by taking a swing at his head, but Steiner managed an impressive limbo-style dodge. Steiner then kicked away the sickle from Nack's grasp, and stood upright to take down his unarmed foe. Nack saw this coming, and clasped both hands on the incoming crescent blade. With great effort, the hit man managed to push back Silver Moon to avoid execution. Steiner made yet another swing at Nack, but the lively hit man responded by front flipping high over Steiner's head and landing cleanly on both feet. The former "Purple Ferret" grinned viciously as he again took out his axe to continue the fight.
For a little while, the two brothers' weapons continual clashed and exchanged blows. Neither of them was about give up. Their strong drives to kill each other kept them at the peak of their battle performance. Eventually, both of them began to tire from their seemingly-endless stalemate. They ended up standing right in front of each other with heavy breathing and readied weapons.
Nack lacked in maniacal amusement. "Funny… I didn't know some petty thief could fight like that." He remarked.
"That's odd. I wasn't aware that a blood thirsty hit man would ever consider settling down." Steiner said back.
Despite their overwhelming fatigue, both combatants were still quite wary and kept their guards up. After spending some time catching their breaths, Steiner decided to relax his stance and positioned his weapon like a standing prop.
"You know… I've been scouting this whole house the entire time we've been fighting, and I realized that there isn't a single thing worth stealing around here! Why should I bother sticking around if it'll just be an ultimate waste of time?" Steiner asked his brother.
Nack laughed in amusement. "Feh. The typical logic of a thief. You're just too much of a coward to continue this fight, aren't you?" he taunted.
Steiner shrugged. "Honestly, when I heard someone from the city would be taking over this dump, I would've thought some careless fool with valuables would be stopping by. But hey, if I was fortunate enough to deal with a new lady farmer, I would be having plenty of fun right now. Apparently, it had to be YOU of all people."
Nack laughed again. "You really suck at flattery, you know that?" he replied.
Steiner laughed back. "What can I say? I'm more used to pleasing the ladies than complementing family."
Afterwards, the thief's eyes wandered around the house while he kept a tight grip on his weapon. He shook is head in disgust.
"Man, this place is just too cramped for a proper fight, don't you think? Personally, I'd prefer more space for a clash this epic." Steiner suggested.
"So then, you're backing out for real?" Nack asked in frustration.
"…For now. At least until we meet in a more appropriate place to settle this." Steiner grinned. "The longer I stay around this dump, the longer some well-deserved home will be left untouched."
"Hmph. That's a shame to turn tail so soon, just to pursue a few measly thefts." Nack said in a low voice.
Slowly and subtlety, the frustrated hit man slipped his hand in a pocket.
"It certainly is. I'm looking forward to ending our fight real soon, though." Steiner replied.
The slick thief turned his back towards his brother while contemplating a sneaky way to escape, while Nack quickly pulled something out of his pocket.
"So do I…" Nack uttered in a growl.
In an instant, Nack fired his secret handgun right at Steiner's head; however, the cunning thief escaped in a flash, and the music that once played out for their struggle became silent. Nack carefully searched the area in case Steiner was still around, but he was no where in sight. Out of anger, Nack chucked the handgun right in front him.
For a long time, the house remained eerily silent as Nack simply stood motionless. His head was lowered with an upset scowl and his long bangs hid his bloodshot eyes.
The silence eventually broke when Nack threw his head up with loud , malicious laughter.
"….so now I know. Steiner's here. That just means I have more to look forward around here." Nack stated in sadistic pleasure.
The devilish delinquent let out another fit of disturbing laughter which echoed throughout the entire farm.
Author's Notes: Steiner's premiere--- you gotta love it. :)
"Dakara, omae wa Steiner. Wakata?" (By the way, my name is Steiner. Got it?)
Yeah. I can imagine Hikaru Midorikawa doing his voice. I think it would match his badass look perfectly. The guy's done plenty of characters that were fun loving or cold and serious. If you don't know what I'm talking about, reffer to the Japanese voices of characters like Slayers' Zelgadis, Gundam Wing's Heero Yuy, or Fushigi Yugi's Tamahome.
If you don't know Anime, forgive me for blathering on about jiberish. And Rock, forgive me for taking your job of being the community's buffoon.
Anyway. I heard Steiner had this ability to freeze people or ability, and I thought there was a technique from Yggdra Union that was the perfect equivalent: The Curse-causing "Gravity Chaos." Since Steiner and Nack possess magical awareness, I decided to give Steiner that Special Attack as an explanation of how exactly he can freeze others.
Well, yeah. Enough Steiner commentary. The next update will spell some things out on my plans for this story. What does that mean? Wait and see...