Disclaimer: I do not own Blazblue, A Clockwork Orange, and Disney's Aladdin. All rights belong to their respective owners.
I bet ya all are pretty excited after reading the disclaimer. Am I right? Am I right? ;)
Disney's Aladdin and A Clockwork Orange. How is it possible to combine these two Intellectual Properties together under the same Umbrella Ella of Blazblue. Well you'll have to read and find out for yourself.
~Previously on Blazblue~
"Try as you might. You won't be able to get inside this building through unscrupulous means. As you've already observed that it (building) is heavily guarded. But remember this well, young warrior. Your answers lie in the archives room of this building on the third floor." Said a mysterious hooded individual, who was wearing a black cloak.
"Who the fack are you?"
"I'm just a well-wisher young warrior. And so, I bid you farewell." After that, he turned around and started to walk towards the darkness of the streets. On the backside of his black cloak was a very familiar Japanese symbol 字: "Ji" Ragna read it out aloud. Ragna was dam sure that it was very much the same Japanese symbol that he had seen on that tiny yellow badge that was being worn by that Indian, beastkin belly dancer Makoto Nanaya. Were these two people connected somehow? Ragna wanted to confirm that.
"HEY WAIT?" Ragna screamed as he chased after the mysterious individual. When Ragna came out of the darkness of the streets and into the area which was lit by the fire torches; that mysterious, black-cloaked individual was nowhere to be found. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air.
"WHAT THE HEL IS GOING ON HERE?" Ragna hissed. Things are now getting more and more interesting for him. Ragna didn't really know whether this mysterious, black-cloaked individual was his friend or his foe.
Two Days Later
Ragna decided that he needed to take a walk in the busy marketplace of Baghdad. He preferred his walk on crowded streets rather than deserted ones. As Ragna was not a patient philosopher who sought answers in tranquility. He was a hothead, who sought quick and easy answers. But his current conundrum doesn't involve quick, easy answers that he instinctually craved so much. Although he partially found out more about the mysterious Japanese symbol 天 (Ten) as it led him to an anonymous person who wore a hooded, green cloak that bore the same symbol 天 (Ten) on the backside of his cloak.
But still, he couldn't get any definite answers how this mysterious symbol (天) was actually connected with his brother and his father disappearances. As Ragna's rotten luck would have it, that green-cloaked individual managed to evade Ragna when he took refuge under a certain building that had Gear Wheel symbol on its top. And to make matters worse that certain building was under heavy surveillance twenty-four seven. Making it nigh impossible for Ragna to sneak inside that building without alerting the guards.
And that's not all folks. This mystery gets even more mysterious as Ragna meets another, (black) cloaked gentleman, who told him that he could get all of his answers from the "third floor" of the same building on the "archives room."
What kind of answers would Ragna get from the archives room is anyone's guess? As Ragna had told only a select few people about his fact-finding mission regarding Jin's and Joeseph's disappearances. So he doubted that the black cloaked man actually knew what Ragna motives were in the first place. The whole idea stank, but Ragna had no choice but to look for answers in the archives room of the said building.
But that was in no way an easy task either. How was he suppose to get inside the archives room if he cannot enter that dam building with that much security? He needed at least three or four platoons of trained armed men to penetrate that fortress.
Ragna sighed to himself as he had no choice but to look for answers at the local library nearby. Ragna recalled that particular building had a Golden Gear Wheel Symbol on its top. Now that would be a good starting point to look for answers.
Al-Andalus Library
Al-Andalus was a local library that wasn't from the caravanserai (inn) where Ragna was currently staying. It wasn't as big or even as significant as the Library of Alexandria was. What it had were sufficient volumes of books which he hoped would ultimately aid in his research.
Ragna began collecting books on varied subjects like "symbols" and "recreational organizations" etc with the aim of finding credible information on the Golden Gear Wheel insignia that he saw on that building not so long ago.
After reading numerous books and wasting countless hours, Ragna was frustrated that he couldn't find anything that was relevant to his quest. The only information he got on that Golden Gear Wheel symbol so far was that it was an ancient sigil of an extinct cult. Sigil was some sort of logo or symbol that was used in occult practices.
Using sigils and magic, in general, were considered heresy as per Glosticism (the official religion of NOL). This only dumbfounded Ragna. What's, even more, he found this information on the Golden Gear sigil from a book called "Grimorium Verum" which was supposedly authored by Suleimaniu The Great. Grimorium Verum is considered one of the most important books on magic for witches and warlocks alike.
Suleimaniu the Great was greatly revered by Glosticism as one of the great prophets. Even Jubei's Sufi (mystic) order, Savafif held the ancient prophet in great esteem. A holy man like Suleimaniu was supposedly the author of such dark book. This doesn't make much sense. It would make even lesser sense if he didn't research more on this subject any further. So he started to read Grimorium Verum again.
"Gear Wheel sigil represents the ancient Jerichoan deity Nu'ak. Nu'ak was an all-powerful deity but his power greatly waned when the first of men rebelled against him and ultimately expelling him (Nu'ak) from the "Dilmun" or paradise. The whole rebellion started after Nu'ak debarred men from eating the forbidden fruit Aubade Pome. Aubade Pome aka "Heart of the Sun" was a mythical fruit that had the power to bring back the dead. Aubade Pome is considered by as the precursor of the legendary Philosopher's Stone.
As soon as the Great Deity Nu'ak was expelled, Dilmun downfall began. Overnight Dilmun deteriorated from heaven to abyss. In fact, the current state of the earth is actually the deteriorated and decrepit version of Dilmun or Paradise. And also the entire humanity was condemned with Massa Damnata or Original Sin after their original rebellion against Nu'ak.
Abrahamic religions including Glosticism, on the contrary, believe that the God or more specifically Logos was the one who expelled men from the Gardens of Eden which is the equivalent of Dilmun in the Jerichoan religion.
And it should be noted that the Chief God of Jerichoan Religion, Nu'ak wasn't even as omnipotent as his Glostian counterpart Logos was. Nu'ak needed his followers to pray, meditate and follow other religious customs in order to strengthen the ancient deity and ultimately end his exile with the help of Ark of Divine Flames (an ark that could only be created from humanity good deeds and dedication to Nu'ak). When that day comes the Great Deity would nullify the burden of "Massa Damnata" or Orginal Sin from the shoulders of humanity.
In contrast Logos (God of Glosticism) didn't require the prayers and the meditations of his followers as he was already omnipotent. All those prayers and good deeds as per Abrahamic religions were for humanity own benefits."
Ragna then saw the visual representation of Nu'ak Star sigil in the book. He immediately compares it (Nu'ak sigil) with his hand drawing of Golden Gear Wheel symbol that he saw on that heavily guarded building.
The similarities between these two symbols were mindboggling, to say the least. Whereas the "Golden Gear Wheel" symbol had nine cogs, the Nu'ak sigil similarly had nine triangles on its Golden Star. And both of them were an anomaly in terms of geometry.
One cannot simply make a workable gear wheel without following the principles of a prime number. For a perfect gear wheel, it needs to have five cogs, seven cogs, eleven cogs or twenty-three cogs etc all of which are examples of prime numbers. As long, it has a prime number the gear wheel would work.
The gear wheel wouldn't be functional if its number of cogs are based on composite numbers like six, eight or nine cogs etc. The designer of the gear wheel would be making a grave mistake if put he puts nine cogs on his gear wheel.
Such a mistake cannot be an accident. There is definitely some sort of connection between the Nu'ak Golden Star sigil and the "Golden Gear Wheel" symbol that Ragna saw on that building not so long ago. Maybe both of these symbols were one and the same.
But all of these myths and stories were not really answering any of Ragna questions. He needed to get relevant information on that heavily guarded building. He could possibly get more information on that building with the help of a map. Ragna recalled that he was at Zaytoun Street when he was forced to fight against a group of beefy chaukidars (watchman) at that point of time.
So he procured a map and then he fixed his index finger on the Zaytoun Street: "Okay! There it is...Zaytoun Street..." Ragna remembered that after burying those chaukidars under a huge pile of crates, he resumed his chase after the green-cloaked individual. Ragna estimated that he ran approximately 2.8 kilometers before he arrived at that heavily guarded building where he saw that Golden Gear Wheel symbol.
"So it had to be rightttttt hereeee." Ragna soliloquy. This was it. He had actually found the street where that building was located at. It was: "Haifa street... Hmmmm what's that?" Ranga actually found something on the map that actually caught him by surprise: "What the fack? Why weren't there any bazars or corner shops on Haifa Street?"
This new discovery literally dumfounded Ragna. Baghdad never had a concept of uptown and downtown. This city was a disorganized hel hole. Residential areas freely mixed with the commercial areas. But this part of Baghdad or more specifically Haifa Street was an anomaly in the entirety of NOL Empire. There were no shops, cafes or dhabba (Diner) located there at Haifa Street. It only had Minor Kazi office (police station), governmental residences and farmhouses belonging to powerful tycoons.
If this strange revelation caught Ragna off guard, then the next one would surely give him a powerful sucker punch: "What?" Ragna brows began to sweat: "Where the hel is that dam building?" He couldn't find that heavily guarded building anywhere on this map. In its place was a blank spot where that building was supposedly located at.
Ragna then checked the publication date of the map. It was twenty years old: "It would be a good idea if I try to locate that dam building using recent maps." Ragna mused to himself. He then procured a map that was at least five years old. He then tried to locate that specific building again on Haifa street: "What?" Ragna almost choked himself. He again couldn't find that dam building on this map either. Of course, there was a possibility that this specific building was only constructed last year.
So this time around, Ragna procured a map that was published this year and then he tried to locate that building again: "This doesn't make any facking sense?" That building was nowhere to be found. This was quite a ridiculous discovery. He was sure that he had seen that dam place with his own set of eyes. He even got shoved on his as when he tried to enter it. And his as still hurts up to this day.
In desperation, Ragna took out all of the maps from a tall circular container. Newer maps or older maps; it didn't really matter to him as he was desperate for answers. He tried to locate that dam building from three years old map to six years old map from seven years old map to thirteen years old map and eventually thirty-six years old map...But he couldn't find that dam place anywhere: "DAM ITTTTTT!" As Ragna hammered both of his fists on the table.
"Observe silence young man. This is a library for God sake." Said a bespectacled, old librarian who was probably around sixty-three years old. He had a kind face and he didn't sport any beard. He was definitely a foreigner in Ragna's book.
"Oh sorry." Ragna apologized. Since he (Ragna) had no lead to go on, he realized that he might as well get help from the old librarian while he's at it: "Kind sir! Could you offer me some assistance? It's a matter of utmost importance."
"Certainly my boy. Certainly! What is it do you seek from old Miguel." Ragna immediately deduced that this old librarian was Portuguese.
Ragna then handed Miguel the Golden Gear wheel symbol that he managed to draw on a piece of paper: "Do you know what that is?"
"Intriguing! This is certainly not something that I expected to see again when I emigrated to Baghdad." Miguel mused.
"Do you know what this symbol represents sir?"
"Concentrate on the illustration young one." As Miguel points his index finger on a specific part of the drawing: "There are nine cogs on this on this gear wheel. My educated guess would entail that this gear wheel symbol must have been of golden colour. Is that correct young man?"
"That is correct."
"Leviores."
"Excuse me?"
"Leviores young one. Seekers of Light as they would like to call themselves." Miguel then taps his index finger on the drawing: "I must compliment you on your skillful hands' young man, as this an accurate depiction of the hidden insignia of Leviores Brotherhood."
"Seeker of light? Hidden insignia? What do you mean by all of that?"
"It seems that by answering your initial queries. Your mind is overwhelmed with even more questions."
"Obviously."
"Very well young one. Leviores Brotherhood or Seeker of Light is an organization that assembles some of the most eminent men and women out there. Influential tycoons, ancient nobility, young princes and prominent government officials are all members of this brotherhood. An organization, whose exterior goals are that of humanitarian services and advancing the spirit of brotherhood around the world or so as they say. But you and I know full well there is more to the moral of the story than meets the eye."
"None of this information is really helping me in anyway."
"Sad! My help is restricted on my limited knowledge on this organization. If you're thirsty for more information on this fraternal organization, I recommend that you read this book." Old Miguel then hands over Ragna a brown book from the shelf: "With this, young man, I hope that most of your questions will satisfactory be answered." With that Miguel started to walk towards his desk.
"Wait!"
"What is it young one?" Miguel turned his head.
"I can't find any branches of Leviores brotherhood on the maps of Baghdad. Do you know why that is?"
"Have you considered the mundane fact that there aren't any branches of Leviores brotherhood in Baghdad in the first place?"
"What do you mean? I seen one myself."
"Surely you jest young one. These maps are being published by the government of Baghdad themselves. It would be very unlikely if they would have made such a critical error. I'm much needed at my desk right now. If there is any more questions it would be wise that you ask me forthwith."
"No, I'm cool. Thanks, Miguel."
"You're welcome young one." With that Miguel went back to his desk. Ragna could not believe what he had just heard. He was sure that he had been to one of the branches of Leviores Brotherhood. He had even saw that distinct Golden Gear Wheel symbol of the brotherhood on that building. But Miguel insisted that there were no such branches of Leviores Brotherhood in Baghdad. What was going on?
Maybe it could be possible that the building where Ragna had seen the Gear Wheel symbol might have belonged to a different fraternal organization altogether. It could possible that there were other fraternal organizations out there that were using the same symbol as that of Leviores Brotherhood.
Ranga then started to the read brown book given to him by Miguel. It was titled as "Encyclopedia of Fraternal Organizations Around The World." Ragna searched for Leviores Brotherhood on the table of contents section. It was located on page 54. He quickly turned to page 54 and started to read about the mysterious brotherhood.
"For more than 270 years, Leviores members have been addressing challenges around the world. Grassroots at the core, Leviores links 1.2 million members to form an organization of international scope. It started with the vision of one man — Ilya Rasputin. The Siberian mystic formed the Leviores Brotherhood in Ingolstadt, Kingdom of Bavaria. So people with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas, form meaningful, lifelong friendships, and give back to their communities."
Ragna then swiped to next page as he continued his readings on the Leviores Brotherhood: "Membership is not available for all people. Rather, one should wait for the club's invitation for joining, according to the principle of selection. Classification is based on the main profession. There are 77 professions. Workers are deprived of the club's membership, and only those who occupy high positions are chosen. Leviores Brotherhood tries to have a balanced age level among the members and nourish the organization with new blood by attracting young members."
Marketplace of Baghdad
Ragna research at the library had proven to be quite fruitless. He couldn't get any reliable information that would help him in his quest. He only got superficial information on Leviores Brotherhood and some bedtime mythology on the Paganistic Cult of Nu'ak.
Ragna intended to head back to the building where he saw that golden Gear Wheel symbol in the first place. He wanted to confirm whether that building belonged to the Leviores Brotherhood or to a different organization altogether. Out of nowhere, he heard a sound of a very familiar animal or more specifically, a monkey: "Ooowhh...ommmhhh..."
It was a tiny, brown monkey who wore a sleeveless maroon jacket and a matching fez hat. Ranga knew who that vermin was: "ABU?"
Abu, the pet monkey of Aladdin, had a mischievous countenance on his face. Ragna knew that it was a lot better than that aggressive behaviour the tiny monkey displayed last time around. Frankly, Ragna wanted to forget that whole episode ever happened. How humiliating was it for Ragna if anyone found out that he got his as handed to him on a platter by a tiny monkey.
"Ooowhh...Owhhh...owwwhhh..." Abu cooed. Clearly trying to get Ragna's attention.
"Not now Abu. You should be thankful that I'm not in the mood of kicking your as."
"Ooowwh woooh oonnnhhh..."
"Shoo! Shoo! Get lost! You little monster!" As Ragna unsuccessfully, attempted to scare off Abu. The little monkey responded by throwing an apple on Ragna's face.
"Yeah, real mature Abu. Real mature"
The little monkey then tried to mock Ragna by imitating his walking style in a funny manner.
"Not gonna work Abu. You'll have to do better than that."
"Oooowwwwwhhhhhh Wuhhhhhhh (Oh Really)?" Abu sported a devious grin on his face. As he did something quite middle-eastern. Abu pointed his left index finger to his right hand while pursuing all of his right fingers together. This was an authentic "five fathers" gesture. Five fingers on right hand representing five fathers. A single left index finger representing Ragna's mother. The "five fathers" gesture simply meant that Ragna's mother was a: "Did you...just call my mama a...a...a...a...WHOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?" As his face became beet red with anger.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU! YOU LITTLE SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" As Ragna began to chase after the obscene, disrespectful monkey. Just as it looked like Ragna was about to catch him; the little monkey jumped so high that he could have sworn that Abu flew into the sky like a bird. Since Ragna was using his maximum speed as he was chasing after the little vermin, he couldn't have stopped himself when he realized that he was about to his hit his head first on a banana tree: "AAAAAHHHHHHH...AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..." As Ragna screamed in fear.
"CRASH!"
"AHHHHHH! MY HEAD!" Ragna groaned in pain, after accidentally headbutting a banana tree.
Suddenly he felt tremors from the banana tree as he knew that his troubles were far from over. As wave upon wave of bananas were bombarding Ragna at regular intervals: "OOOOOH! AHHHHHHH! ! AUUUUGGGGHHHH! OUCCCCCHHHHHHHHHH!"
After the dust settled or more appropriately the bananas settled, Ragna was buried six-feet deep under huge piles of tropical fruits.
Suddenly a menacing right arm gets out from the huge pile of bananas. Followed by the upper body of Ragna: "OOOOAAARRGGHHHHHHHHHHH!" who moaned like an evil zombie, that was about to wreck havoc on Baghdad. This sight would've scared little children if the setting of the scene was at night and in a graveyard. But since, the scene was set at a daytime and in the busy marketplace of Baghdad. The supposedly scary scene of Pseudo-Zombie Ragna coming out of the huge piles of bananas looked more like a parody than a pastiche (an artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work or artist). And that ultimately drew laughter from the crowd: "Hahahahaha..." "Hehehehehe..."Ahahahahah" "Bwahahaha..."
When Ragna came out of his fruity grave he saw that Abu was already enjoying fruits of his of his painful and humiliating labour. This greatly pissed off Ragna as that little vermin had planned this sit all along just so he could eat a lot of bananas.
"ABUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" The little monkey on finding out that Ragna was about hurt him immediately ran away. When Ragna started to chase after the little vermin his foot slipped on (ironically) fully peeled banana (a whole banana with no skin): "WOOOOAAAHH!"
"CRASH!" He fell down quite painfully. Then an age old question was finally answered. Can a person fall down just as badly on a fully peeled banana as one would when stepping up on its peel? Quite frankly Ragna never wanted to find answers to such useless mysteries of life and that too in a painful manner.
When Ragna got up, he saw that Abu was sitting on the shoulder of a handsome young man that he knew all too well. The aforementioned young man wore a large turban (with what appears to resemble neck shade coming down on opposite sides) complete with a ruby gem and bluish, deep purple feather, cream undergarments, and a matching top, with a cape flowing down, just below his calves. He also wore golden brown shoes, with swirled tips.
"Aladdin?" Ranga gasped.
"Abu! How could you? I thought that your new year's resolution was to be kind to dumb animals." As Aladdin aimed dig at Ragna. Being the violent person he is, Ragna would have under normal circumstances have kicked anyone as for that snarky remark. But this wasn't anyone else; it was Aladdin- Ragna's childhood friend. One of the many virtues of Aladdin was that he didn't go overboard with his teasing. It was a sort of opening banter with Ragna whenever they meet after a long time.
"Says a guy who sleeps with a monkey. I'm not really interested in knowing whether your relationship with Abu is a platonic or a romantic one." Ragna grinned.
"Dam! You and your sick comeback." Both them shook their hands in an arm wrestle sort of manner and immediately followed it up by hugging each other.
"Well, how am I suppose to trump your 'be kind to dumb animals' dig if I don't use my trump card."
"Trump card? Get out of here."
"Dude, it's really hard for me to hug you right now. Especially considering when you have Abu on your shoulders." As Ragna tried to change the subject.
"Say what?" Aladdin emphasized on the word 'what'.
"Plain and simple your monkey hates me."
"Abu doesn't hate you."
"That dam monkey insulted my mama."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure he was having fun." Aladdin then turned his head towards his right shoulder where Abu was sitting: "You didn't mean that, did you?"
"Owwwmmmh...Ownnnhhhh..." Abu cooed in his monkey tongue that-he didn't mean to insult Ragna's mother.
"On the contrary Ragna, Abu loves you."
"Seriously you're wrong at every level. Not only, did he made fun of my mother. But he also used me as a human bull..." Ragna then pointed both of his arms at the huge pile of bananas where he was buried deep not so long ago: "...to get all these bananas from that tree."
"My point exactly. You know Abu isn't always like that. He seemed to be annoyed with people outside his friend's circle. He broods a lot. He complains. He is moody. But when he is around you, he acts like a...you know...a monkey. Joyous, energetic and mischievous. He always seems to have fun whenever you're around Ragna."
"That dam monkey ASSAULTED ME!"
"Ragna you don't have to shout to get your point across."
Ragna then looked down in embarrassment: "Oh sorry."
Aladdin then put his right hand on Ragna's shoulder: "Believe me, when I say this. Abu is quite fond you. He still hasn't gotten used to Jaz."
"Did someone say Jaz?" Came out a voice of a young female. Immediately Abu countenance went from mischievous to that of annoyance.
Ragna turned his head around and he saw an extremely beautiful woman of average height. She had medium skin, long lustrous black hair, brown eyes, and a distinct hourglass figure. Her clothing consist of sky blue cropped tube top that reveals her midriff and her navel with sewn-in sleeves for her arms, matching pants, and light sky blue curled shoes. With the outfit, her hair is tied in a ponytail held together by two sky blue bands matching her outfit, and ending in a small swirl. She wears a sky blue headband that is centered with a sapphire adorned into it. To complement her clothing, two large golden earrings that dangle from her ears completely covering them, and a matching necklace. Ragna knew who she was. She was the next in line to the throne of the kingdom of Agrabah; Princess Jasmine.
"See what I mean." Aladdin pointed out Abu's sudden foul mood to Ragna.
"Were you boasting about your fiancé in front of your friends again Aladdin?" As Jasmine hugged her lover.
"Words are not enough to define your beauty, my love." As both Aladdin and Jasmine kissed each other.
"BLARGHHHH!" Abu was almost about throw up. But it didn't draw the same reaction on Ragna. He could actually understand Abu's feelings. Aladdin and Jasmine were quite a lovey-dovey couple. All of this reminded Ragna of his past self. How he was in a similar kind of relationship with another girl just like Jasmine.
After the kiss, Jasmine then spotted Ragna and immediately hugged him: "Ragna! It's so nice to see you again."
"Same here Jasmine. Been a while huh? "
"Time sure does fly Ragna." Jasmine said after breaking the hug: "Wish she was still here. I mean whenever I come to Baghdad I always have a nice girl time with her." On hearing the word "her" Ragna's mood immediately shifted from festiveness to that of glumness. But he pretended not to show it. Pretending and not showing his real emotions were one of the few things that he shared with Jin. Otherwise, they were polar opposite in terms of personality.
"Hehehe...Yeah...So what were you guys doing here in Baghdad?" Ragna asked as he scratched the backside of his head.
"Oh, Aladdin didn't tell you? Why didn't you tell Ragna why we're here?" Jasmine looked at Aladdin in a menacing yet in a cute manner.
"Hey, Jaz I was about to tell him..."
"What's going on here?" Ragna interjected.
"Well, you see Rags..." Aladdin then shifted his gaze towards Jasmine: "How about I talk with him alone...huh?" He then bowed: "May I have permission to have some guy time with Ragna, your majesty?"
"You may my royal servant." As Jasmine offered her hand to Aladdin.
Aladdin then kissed her hand: "This humble servant is under your gratitude, your royal highness." Aladdin then mischievously smiled at Ragna: "Let's go Magic Carpet."
"What the hel are you sayiiii..." As Ranga was literally thrown into the air by a mysterious object: "...IIIIIIIIIIINNNNGGG...?" Ragna thought he was about to fall back to earth in quite a painful manner as he didn't see any pottery stalls to break his fall this time around; but out of nowhere, he was safely caught in midair by a purple carpet.
When Ragna recovered from his initial shock, he found out that he was still levitating twelve feet above the ground thanks to a purple carpet. Ranga immediately jumped down as he didn't want to be in the company of a demonic carpet any longer: "HOLY SIT Al? THIS CARPET IS POSSESSED BY A GENIE! OH GOD! OH GOD! WHAT THE HEL IS GOING ON HERE?" As Ragna pointed his fingers at the purple carpet.
"You mean Magic Carpet? Nah it's not possessed by a genie. But I'm friend with a blue genie though." As Aladdin tried to calm Ragna down.
"WHAT THE FACK MAN? WHY THE HEL WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH AN EVIL GENIE?" Ragna panicked.
"Evil is not the right adjective for him, more like comedic. But you should be glad that he is not here with me right now. "
"IT DOESN'T FACKING MATTER." Ragna then points his index finger at the Magic Carpet: "THIS DAM CARPET! IF IT'S NOT POSSESSED BY A GENIE, THEN WHY IS IT MOVING ON ITS OWN? LAST TIME I CHECKED CARPET ARE SUPPOSE TO BE SEEN NOT FLY! NOT FACKING FLY! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW CREEPY THAT IS?"
"Chill, Ragna. Chill. His name is Magic Carpet. As the name suggests it's being powered by magic. As far as its origin goes I have no idea. But I can assure you that it's not being possessed by Dark Souls. Now what I want you to do right now is that you relax. Take a deep breath. Come on Ragna...Inhale and exhale slowly..." As suggested, Ragna took some deep breaths to compose himself.
Jasmine giggled: "Boy he sure is panicky. So unlike Jin, who was so calm and composed in comparison." On hearing Jin's name, Ragna mood became even grimmer. It had been three weeks now since his father and his brother have gone missing; with little to no clues regarding their current whereabouts.
On spotting Ranga's grim mood Aladdin coughed: "Cough...cough...Hey Jaz. Why don't you just take care of Abu? While me and Ragna go for a...ummm...walk..." Aladdin secretly gestured to Jasmine that Ragna was in a grim mood right now and he needs to be alone.
"Okay, but don't take too long darling." Aladdin then hands over Abu to Jasmine. However, the little monkey initially tried to resist but it didn't work. Jasmine then hugged Abu and took him away: "Oh, my dear Abu. We are going to have lot fun today. I hope you like pedicure and manicure?"
"Ommwwuurrr...n...Muunnnooor (Pedicure and Manicure)?...HUMMMRRRRRRR!" As Abu screamed in fear.
"Hey Al! I don't like this. Where is she going? " Ragna asked. But when he turned his head around, he saw that Aladdin had already mounted his flying carpet.
"Forget her Ragna. Say, do you wanna go for a ride?"
"Your Magic Carpet? Hel no!"
"Come on Ragna! I already told you that it's not possessed by genie or ghost for that matter."
"Gh...os...ttttt?" Ranga almost shat his pants on hearing the most dreaded word: "Who said I was afraid of gho...stttt?"
"I never said you were. Come on Ragna. Do you trust me?" As Aladdin offered his hand to Ragna to mount on the Magic Carpet.
"Yessss...But only on one condition..."
"What would that be?"
"Just don't hum that cheesy song Whole New World along the way."
"Deal! Promise you won't call me Prince Ali Ababwa then?"
"You got yourself a deal Mr. Ali Ababawa." Ragna grinned as he accepted Aladdin's hand to mount on the Magic carpet.
Immediately, the carpet took off at such a speed that Ragna could feel that his lips and his cheeks were forced to expose his pearly whites in all its glory: "NOT AS FUN AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD BEEEEEEEEE!" Steadily, the speed of the Magic Carpet normalized.
"You okay there Ragna?" Aladdin asked.
"I could have sworn that you have pulled that off on purpose."
"Nah! You're just imagining things Ragna. It always happens when you're flying the Magic Carpet for the first time. But you'll get used to it. Look! We are already on the outskirts of Baghdad." When Ragna looked at his surroundings, he noticed that they were indeed outside of Baghdad as Aladdin suggested: "How quick is this thing?"
"You wanna go at Supersonic speed again?" Aladdin grinned mischievously.
"Two words. Hel no!" Ranga then saw something quite beautiful. It was a dazzling floral life that was growing in the middle of a desert. It was one of the few oases left in Baghdad. As the Magic Carpet flew within the touching distance of the crystal clear water of the oasis; it allowed Ragna to see his own reflection in the sparkling water. He tried to drink it. It was cool and refreshing, that beautifully contrasted with the hotness of Baghdad.
The magic carpet then alleviated towards the sky, so high that Ranga body had touched some of the clouds there. When Ragna looked down, the streets of Baghdad and its inhabitants looked as tiny as ants. The already marvelous Castle of Caylip Nazid (Emperor of NOL) looked even more impressive from bird's eye view.
Their next stop was the ancient City of Giza, Egypt where a humble sculptor was perfecting the nose of The Great Pharoah Ramses III using a hammer and a chisel. On seeing the strange sight of two youths on a flying carpet gave the humble sculptor a huge scare: "EKKKKKKKKKK!" But seeing such outlandish sight was the least of his worries, as his jumpy reaction resulted in the accidental destruction of the once impressive nose of Ramses III which he was working on all night long. On realizing his mistake: "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH." He screamed for the second time. As he dreaded that the current Pharoah would not be in good mood when he realizes that his great father's (Ramses') face was missing a nose.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..." Both Ragna and Aladdin howled in laughter on seeing the mistake of epic proportion from the expert sculptor. The Magic Carpet then took its two passengers to see the rare sight of a herd of horses running together in harmony. On seeing the alluring white beast, wild and free brightened the otherwise grim mood of Ragna.
Aladdin observed positivity on Ragna's countenance. This was basically the reason he had asked Ragna to ride him on the Magic Carpet in the first place. Ragna was for one reason or another was feeling quite gloomy when they first met at the marketplace: "Glad you're enjoying the ride. However, our next stop is the ancient city of Athens." Aladdin grinned.
As promised they had arrived at Athens. Where Ragna saw the famous Lyceum; a school founded by the great philosopher Aristotle. He also saw the huge temple dedicated to the city patron deity Athena. Ragna wished that he could have visited these places inside out. No matter how brief their trip to the Athens was, he was only grateful to see all of these historical places; which he otherwise would have read only on books.
"Awwwww! Did Ranga-poo fall heads over heels for Athens? Did he blush? That was a blush right? Sho cute."
"I bet that I don't even blush as half as you do whenever Jasmine is around." Ragna winked at Aladdin.
"Hahahaha...That's the Ragna I know and love. If you have loved Athens then our next stop would definitely make you scream like a little fangirl inside."
"Don't count on it."
At the Rooftop of Emperor Zhu Di's Palace, Forbidden City, China.
Enjoying New Year's fireworks in the largest Palace Complex in human history was definitely an honour only a select few had the privilege to see. Quite honestly, Ragna was screaming like a Nu-13 level of fangirl inside. As this palace complex was forbidden to both commoners and outsiders alike. Only the Emperor and his children were allowed to roam inside the 178 acres of land; which had 900 buildings and mindboggling 9,999 rooms.
"Hey! Drink this." As Aladdin passes a transparent bottle containing a white liquid that apparently looked like a milk.
"What's that?"
"Cold-Cream Milk. I know you were used to drinking poison back in Samarkand. But Jeez Ragna! Just drink it!" Aladdin sarcastically replied as he sipped his own bottle of Cold-Cream Milk.
Ragna then drank the cold beverage. He always loved the feeling of residual sweetish cream on his tongue whenever he drank Cold-Cream Milk. Ranga never figured how the Confectioners of Agrabah were able to make it. The only plausible theory he could come up with was that they combined Ice-Cream, butter, and Pistachio with a delicious, cold milk. They also added translucent vermicelli that was specifically made to absorb the maximum flavour of Cold-Cream Milk. So it was a beverage that could not only be enjoyed by drinking it but also by eating it (the vermicelli part).
"I'm glad that you're finally relaxed now Ragna." Aladdin smiled as he was looking at the magnificent fireworks.
"You keep on saying that. I'm not depressed friend."
"I have known you for a long time. You and Jin for one reason or another religiously attempt to hide your true emotions. But unlike him, you're face is quite expressive. I can easily tell when you're depressed and when you're not. If you wanna talk about it, then I'm willing to lend my willing ears at your service."
"Shut up." Ragna smiled. He was glad that he had a friend like Aladdin in his life. Ragna was a loner by nature, thus he had few friends. They might be fewer in number, but they were quality friends like Aladdin.
"Listen I appreciate that you're doing all of this for me. But I'm pretty okay Al."
"Whatever you say, pal."
Ragna then began to ponder as he sipped on his bottle of Cold-Cream Milk. Should he tell Aladdin what happened to him since last three weeks or should he not?
After much philosophical debate on his mind, Ragna finally made up his mind: "Al! I don't...know how to say this..."
"Wow! I thought you would offer more resistance. Oh Boy, your training under Jubei sure made you meek."
"I'm no Noel, Al."
"But still I'm glad Ragna. I might not have solved all your problems. But sharing your problems with your friends is the best way to release burden from your mind. But after offering my customary false humility. You should know that I'm engaged to the Crown Princess of Agrabah. So I have more influence than anyone out there." Aladdin winked at Ragna.
"False humility kinda suits your image, your majesty."
Aladdin then clapped three times: "Chop Chop. More storytelling and less lame comebacking."
"Lame comebacking? Fack you...Sigh!...Alright! Where do I begin?" Ranga then took a deep breath: "Haaaahh...Well, it all began when I returned to my home from Samarkand..."
~Fifteen Minutes Later~
"Ragna! I'm so sorry about your family. I pray to Logos that they are alive and well."
"I hope so man. But God! Things are really messy right now. Noel gave me a piece of paper that had a Japanese letter Ten (天) written on it. After a long, long search, I managed to find some random guy who had the same facking Japanese letter (Ten) printed on the backside of his green cloak. Strangely, that green-cloaked individual clearly knew who I was. Then he ran off as if I was carrying leprosy on my as. Obviously, I chased after that runt. He then got inside a heavily guarded building that had a facking Golden Gear Wheel symbol on its roof. More specifically that Gear Wheel symbol had nine cogs on it."
"Nine cogs? Golden Gear Wheel Symbol?"
"I thought that building belonged to Leviores Brotherhood but I couldn't that dam place anywhere on the map. The librarian insisted that there weren't any branches of Leviores Brotherhood in the entirety of NOL Empire. The funny thing is that the place where I thought I saw that Leviores Brotherhood lodge, that place is totally blank on the maps. That dam building doesn't exist on the face of the earth according to those maps. I'm beginning to suspect that the only reason I saw that dam place was due to temporary insanity."
"Which street was it exactly where you had seen that building?" Aladdin asked.
"That building was located at Haifa Street near the Shorjah Gardens."
"Shorjah Gardens eh?" As Aladdin begins to caress his chin to help him think better.
"You won't believe me. But you're not going insane. You might already have gone cuckoo but that's an entirely different issue altogether."
"Fack you." Ranga hissed.
"But Leviores Brotherhood lodges do exist in Baghdad. In fact, thirteen of them are operational right now."
"What? But it didn't even show up on those maps."
"Think about it Ragna. Why was there even blank space on those maps in the first place? Even though you saw that building yourself. And furthermore, why did that place had such heavy security? Who were they trying to protect?"
"How am I suppose to know?"
"Ranga...Leviores Brotherhood is not looked upon kindly by the common folks of Baghdad."
"What the hel are you saying Al? Why would the common men be so dead set against the members of Leviores Brotherhood in the first place?" Why the fack would they need all that heavy security in the first place?"
"It's an assembly of some of the most powerful and richest men of NOL empire. They will work together for their common goals. Their exclusive goals. The will seek to protect each other's interest at the expense of common men. As for your second question I hope my previous explanation is enough to satisfy your curiosity."
"It doesn't make much sense Al."
"In time it would."
Ragna groaned:"GAWD! Time is something that I don't have right now. I need to get inside that sitty building. I need to have access to the archives room there. The main problem is that I can't even get inside of that dam building without bringing a small army."
"Small army? Ragna that's extreme. You and thinking big, go hand-to-hand. Thankfully there's a less violent way. Obviously, that green cloaked individual that you were chasing that day must've been one of the members of the lodge right? Otherwise, they wouldn't have allowed him to get inside. Find a way to become a member of that lodge."
"Yeah, that could work as well."
"You should think small sometimes Ragna. Your tiny brain can't handle big ideas."
"Well, I gotta tiny but functional brain. You've got a large brain that is as functional as that of an elephant."
"Nice comeback." Aladdin grinned as he lay down on the roof to enjoy the sight of beautiful stars at night.
Haifa Street
Ragna headed back to Haifa Street which was supposedly the location of one of the thirteen lodges of Leviores Brotherhood in NOL Empire. He intended to study the mysterious building from outside in order to figure out its blueprint and its structure. He was hoping that he could find its blindspot from where he could sneak inside the building.
From what Ragna could observe his first impression of this building wasn't off the mark. This place was indeed heavily guarded; even more so on working days. He also noted that there were various people out there all wearing cloaks of distinct colours. One person was wearing a yellow cloak, the other was wearing pink, maroon, dark blue, sky blue, white, grey cloak and so forth. Each and every person who wore these fashion disasters were allowed entrance into the building. Perhaps these signature cloaks were only worn by the members themselves?
"Hey, Ragna. Watcha doin?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH...NOT NOWWWWW..." Ragna jumped in fear. It had to be her. But wait! That voice? It sounded more like that it belonged to a young boy than that of a girl.
Ragna tried to compose himself as he slowly turned around to confirm his suspicion. It was: "Big bro what happened? It seems like you've seen a ghost." Said a young man of average height, who had brown eyes, a pale complexion, and eye-length, styled brown hair. He wore a black collar skintight jacket with short sleeves and cross emblems, black fingerless gloves with red guards, a black trouser with a red belt, and black-red boots.
Ragna knew who he was. Thankfully it was his cousin and his biggest fanboy: "Oh! It's you Naoto. What the heck are you doing here?"
"Big Bro, I'm a member here. Attendance is mandatory, as in sixty-six percent of the time."
"Sixty-six percent attendance? What the hel are you even saying Naoto? How come you're a member of Leviores Brotherhood?" Ragna was flabbergasted.
"Leviores Brotherhood?"
"Isn't this joint owned by Leviores Brotherhood?" As Ragna pointed his fingers at the building.
"Big Bro! This is officially one of the branches of Rotary Club."
"Rotary Club?"
Ragna then tried to process all the conflicting information given to him by Naoto. His cousin insisted that this place belonged to Rotary Club. But Aladdin, on the other hand, deduced that this building was one of the lodges of Leviores Brotherhood. Maybe Aladdin was telling the truth. Maybe, there were lodges of Leviores Brotherhood in Baghdad but not on this part of the city. Perhaps this building indeed belonged to Rotary Club. Given that Naoto was a member of this organization.
"So how do I become a member of Rotary Club?"
"What are you talking about Big Bro?" Naoto was dumbfounded.
"YOU IDIOT!" Ragna punched Naoto on his head: "I'm sorry Big Bro...I'm a fool...I'm a fool..."
"Let me rephrase that Naoto. How do you become a member of Rotary Club?"
"Oh, that! First, you'll have to fill up a membership form in which you'll have to state your age, your gender, and your occupation etcetera...etceteras-then you'll have to deposit one hundred fifty non-refundable gold coins as your name is registered in waiting lists. And if your occupation matches with Rotary Club occupation quotas then you're given the membership immediately, along with the ceremonial cloak. You can't gain entrance into the building without the ceremonial cloak though."
"How long does it take for one to become a member?"
"Five to eight years big bro."
"Fiv...fi...ve TO EIGHT YEARSSSSSS!"
"Ahhh! Big Bro...Are you okay? You seemed a little bit..." Naoto gulped: "psychotic..." He immediately covered his head: "I'm sorry big bro...I'm a fool...I'm a fool...Please...Don't hit me..."
Ragna then tried to compose himself as he thought for a moment: "Maybe Naoto could prove useful after all considering that he is a member of this organization."
"At ease cousin, I'm not angry with you."
"Oh, thank you Ragna!"
"But in exchange for my kindness, you'll have to lend me your Rotarian's cloak. Am I calling it right? It's called Rotarian right?"
"Ah! What're you talking about Big Bro?" Naoto asked innocently.
"JUST GIVE ME YOUR DAM CLOAK! OTHERWISE, I WOULD FORCEFULLY TEAR INTESTINE FROM YOUR BODY AND WOULD ROADSKIP WHILE I'M AT IT." Ranga barked while he grabbed his cousin by his collars.
Naoto turned his head away as he didn't want to be smacked by Ragna: "I'm sooooo sorry big bro...I forgot to bring mine today... I'm a fool...I'm a fool..."
Ragna immediately felt bad for bullying Naoto: "I'm sorry for my earlier outburst Naoto. You don't need to apologize."
"No Ragna. You're the best. You're one of the most literate men in Baghdad. Plus you're a capable sword fighter. You're everything that I'm not. I'm nothing but a fool."
"STOP CALLING YOURSELF A FOOL! YOU FOOL!"
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."
"Again, I'm sorry for my outburst Naoto. But tell me, how can I become a member of Rotary Club quickly?"
"You don't have to big bro. You're already a member."
"What the fack are you saying Naoto?"
"Uncle Joeseph was already a member of Rotary Club, right? And so is Uncle Kisaragi. As an SOP of Rotary Club, you can inherit your father's cloak and along with his membership..." Naoto then looked down in sadness as he remembered his own father: "...just like I did mine."
"Naoto? Are you crying?"
"I'm not crying. I just got a dust on my eyes. Honest, I'm not really crying." Naoto then tried to change the subject: "But you can't really find your father's cloak lying around the room. It's a valuable item as SOP dictates all members are required to hide their ceremonial cloak in a safe place."
"Okay! Okay, I just need to find my father's cloak back at the mansion. That's not a big deal. And thank you Naoto."
"Why are you thanking me Ragna?"
"Don't be modest. You've been a major lifesaver for me. But Naoto! I need to ask you something very important. Do you have any knowledge regarding my family disappearances?"
"I'm sorry...I don't know anything...I'm really am sorry about Uncle Joeseph and Jin...big bro..."
Ragna grumbled: "AAAAAAAHHHHH...Figures..." Ragna then remembered that he could ask Naoto regarding the mysterious person who had a 天(Ten) symbol on the backside of his green cloak: "Naoto could you tell me..."
"SEEMS LIKE OUR NAOTO BOY HAS MADE A NEW DROOG (friend) TODAY! FORGET ABOUT YOUR OLD DROOGIES (friends) LOVE." Came a voice of a young man.
Both Naoto and Ragna turned their heads towards the direction where that said voice came from. It belonged to a young man, who was roughly around Naoto's age. He had a dirty blonde, pageboy hair and had sported a fake eyelash on his right eye. His clothing consisted of a white shirt, matching trousers and a black bowling hat. He was surrounded by fifteen adolescents who all wore the same attire as their young leader. Their leader was tapping his walking stick on the ground in a threatening manner "tick, tick, tick, tick,...tick..."
"Ahhhhhhh! Excuse me for a second Ragna." As Naoto tottered towards the mysterious youth.
"I'm so sorry Mister De Large...AHHHHHH..." Suddenly Alex De Large put his cane inside Naoto mouth: "Something on your mouth Naoto boy? Allow us to viddy (see). Seems finely...Govoreet (speak) Naoto boy govoreet (speak)..." Naoto then nodded.
"I'M SO SORRY MISTER DE...LARGE...I forgot to bring the money today..."
"Lend me a dozen of ears, droogies (friends)...Our Naoto boy has forgot to bring pretty polly (money) today..."
"Mister De Large...I'm really sorry..."
Alex De Large then put his arm around Naoto's shoulders: "No need for appy polly loggies (apologies) my long-suffering droog (friend). It happens to the best of us."
"Aaaahhhhh! Thank you Mister De Large."
"Naoto boy...I'm quite fond of you. But you shouldn't be thanking me..."
"What do you mEEEEEEAAAAANNNN?" Suddenly Alex tackles Naoto on the ground and then he assaults the poor boy with his cane constantly: "Think not of this as a punishment my unreliable droog (friend). But rather think of it as a tough love."
Naoto screamed in agony: "AHHHHHHHH...I'M SOOOOOOOOO SORRY MISTER DE LARGE...I PROMISE I WILL BRING THE MONEY NEXT TIME...AHHHHHH..."
"Tsk...Tsk...Tsk...This boy doesn't seem to pony (understand). Naoto my boy, you don't get...NEXT TIMEEEEE...!" As Alex De Large attempted to finish off Naoto with one powerful blow. However, his cane never reached its intended target as it was stopped in midway by a powerful hand. When Alex turned his head up he saw Ragna: "Well Salam old chap. Who might you be?"
Suddenly Alex got a powerful, knockout punch from Ragna: "Your father, you dipsit. You're late for dinner."
"LEADERRRRR!" As six of Alex's henchmen tried to attack Ragna. However, all six of them were knocked out by Ragna with his punches and his kicks combination.
Ragna never liked the idea of beating the crap out of juvenile delinquents. As they're mostly frustrated youths. They were frustrated to see their fathers in dead-end jobs. They were frustrated to see them badly exploited by their employers. And they were mostly afraid that they would end up doing the same dead-end jobs as their parents did before them.
So they sought escapism by two means. They either seek a career in a professional wrestling and if they are good enough, then they would end up under Caylip Nazid patronage; where they would live a life full of luxury and comfort. Or they could go for a more deviant path of streets gangs.
Various Caylips (Emperor) of NOL were partially responsible for this, as they had given freehand to various employers to hire labour at a minimum of wages possible and under the harshest of the working environments possible. He could actually sympathize with these frustrated youths plight.
Ragna then proceeded to cup Naoto's face in order inspect his injuries. His cousin was quite a bloody mess now; broken nose, black eyes, bruised lips and blood on every part of his face. Ragna knew why he was so overprotective of Naoto. He was meek, harmless and innocent. His cousin was literally a male version of Noel.
"DAM IT NAOTO! YOU COULD HAVE EASILY TAKEN DOWN FIFTY OF THESE AS CLOWNS BY YOURSELF WITHOUT A BREAKING A SWEAT!"
Naoto then panicked: "Ragna you don't understand..." Suddenly Ragna hears an exploding, whistling sound from a mini-rocket firecracker. It was being released by Alex De Large: "Death comes to us all. But unfortunately for you baboochka (grandma), it's long overdue."
"DID YOU JUST FACKING CALL ME BABOOCHKA (grandma)?" Ragna smoldered. But suddenly he realized why Alex had used that rocket firecracker in the first place. It was a signal for all of Alex's gang member to aid their leader in battle. Ragna now understood why Naoto was so unwilling to fight against these juvenile delinquents. There at least two hundred bloodthirsty teenagers that were now after Ragna's as.
"PLEASE MISTER DE LARGE! SPARE MY COUSIN! HE DIDN'T KNOW WHO YOU WERE!" As Naoto started to plead.
"NAOTO! SAVE YOUR BREATH! THIS BOY ALEXANDER WON'T UNTIL YOU AND I ARE DEAD!"
"Okay!" Naoto gulped.
Ragna then cracked his fist and his neck: "Brace yourself cousin, cause it's clobbering time!"
"Big bro I will defend you till my last breath."
"Let us just hope that it doesn't...COME TO THAT!" Ragna shouted as both he and Naoto simultaneously punched their respective assaulters away. With that, all of the gang members ran towards Ragna and Naoto. Both Ragna and Naoto attacked their oncoming assaulters with punches, kicks, dodge, and repeat. They managed to take down scores of them. But the wave upon wave of Alex De Large goons were not to be stopped anytime soon. Ragna knew that they need to plan their next move well or they won't be getting out of Haifa Street alive. So he joined his back against Naoto and whispered: "Listen Naoto. We won't last long fighting like this. But we can get out this place alive if you follow my instruction exactly as I say."
"I'm all ears, big bro."
"First thing first. Do these guys know where you live?"
"No." Naoto replied.
"Good! They don't where I live either. So here is the plan little cousin." Ragna points in a specific direction: "Just look at the place where I'm pointing my fingers at right now. It's an opening."
"Okay!"
"These kids aren't that much smart. As you can see there is a relatively lesser concentration of these goons than anywhere else. If we focus our joint effort there, we could clear that area in no time and then we can make a run for our homes."
"I hear you."
"Good on the count of three. One, two and..." Both Naoto and Ragna screamed together: "THREE!" As they focused their attacks on clearing that specific part of the street. Naoto himself was a capable fist fighter, as he was trained by Ragna himself. Ragna was sure that Naoto was even better than his brother Jin in that regard.
When it finally looked like that they were successful in their endeavors, out of nowhere Ragna gets stab on his back by one of Alex's goon: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH..." He was already feeling weak from the initial attack, but suddenly a second gang member stabbed Ragna on his chest: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH..." He had no strength left to fight against these two assaulters anymore. As of right now, Ragna was a sitting duck.
On hearing his cousin scream: "RAAAAAAAAGNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAA!" As Naoto raced towards Ragna and finished off the two stabbers with his punches and kicks. Ragna was about to fall down on the ground when suddenly Naoto supported his cousin by putting his (Ragna's) arm on his shoulders: "Are you okay Big bro? How much deep are your wounds?" Naoto panicked.
"Naoto...this is your chance...to escape...cough...!" As Ranga spat out some blood from his mouth, which made Naoto, even more, panic: "But I won't leave without you..."
"SHUT UP! JUST DO WHAT I SAY, STUPID KID! NO ARGUMENTS!"
"Sorry."
"Good boy!...Ha..ha..ha..ha..Now at the count three...One, two and... ...RUNNNNNNNNNNNNN!" As both Ragna and Naoto ran towards the area which they have managed to clear recently. Since their (Ragna and Naoto) respective homes were in different parts of Baghdad they ran their separate ways.
Ragna was sure that Naoto would be safe by now as he was a fast runner, but unfortunately for him; he could not run just as fast. As he had already lost a great deal of his blood and his strength after getting stabbed on his body two times. He was sure that it wouldn't take long for Alex De Large goons to catch up to him and eventually kill him. He had to carefully plan his next move. Ragna then scanned his environment for a good hiding place and the only spot he could find was a dark alley where a group of hobos were sleeping peacefully under a warm bonfire. This alley could prove to be a good hiding place for the time being.
Ragna was successful in hiding himself, as the foolish gang members ran past the alley without ever looking there. But his success was only temporary, as they would definitely come back to look for Ragna after they would have realized that he was not out in the streets. So had had a very small window of opportunity to work on his next scheme for his survival. Ragna looked around and suddenly realized that he was surrounded by hobos who could prove their worth given the right price.
He then threw some silver coins at the two hobos which diverted their attention towards Ragna: "Here's some money. I need your hat now." Ragna then points his fingers at the second hobo: "You! Give me your shirt and your cardigan." As Ragna was about to throw his jacket on the bonfire; the second hobo immediately grabs hold of Ragna arms: "Don't burn that! It's a nice jacket." Ragna nodded as he hands over his jacket to the second hobo.
After wearing these clothing items Ragna started to feel itchiness. Those hobos weren't too much keen on hygiene. Regardless, beggars can't be choosers, and for his own sake, he had to make sure that he played the part of a beggar well. So he put some dirt on his face and dashed straight towards his way to home.
Vampirherzen Residence
Somehow, Ragna was able to reach his mansion alive; but his condition had not improved one bit. One of the reasons Ragna planned to retreat back to his home (besides evading Alex's lackeys) was because he recalled that his father, Joeseph used to wear a hooded cloak that was very similar to the one worn by the members of Rotary Club. It was red in colour and had a Japanese symbol on its backside.
If he could find his father's cloak, he could finally get inside that dam building and hopefully get all of his answers from there. As Ragna started to walk towards his father's room, he immediately coughed out some more blood from his mouth. Seconds by seconds he was getting weaker. Seconds by seconds he was feeling dangerously tired.
After getting stabbed, he naturally lost a lot of blood. Plus, he expended most of his energy on trying to evade Alex's goons. Because of which, Ragna was already struggling to move his body around.
But he had no choice but to find his father's cloak. After taking few more steps Ragna collapsed on the mansion's floor. He tried to get up, but he couldn't move. His body was no longer responding to his commands. His eyes slowly & steadily started to get heavy. Until all he could now was a pitch, black darkness. With a huge of loss blood and him collapsing on the floor, Ragna wasn't really sure whether he would live to see the next day.
A/N: I gotta say I'm really proud of myself after writing this chappie. Writing Alex De Large character in this chappie and making him relevant to the whole narrative was quite a daunting task. He is both iconic and a complicated character. Alex, as you all know, is the main protagonist of the film "A Clockwork Orange". One of the best movies of the legendary director Stanley Kubrick. Alex De Large has inspired fan-favourite characters like Hannibal Lecter (Silence of The Lambs), Yoshikage Kira (Jojo Bizarre Adventure), Patrick Bateman (American Psycho), Jordan Belfort (Leonardo Di Caprio's Character in The Wolf of Wall Street) and countless others.
The biggest difficulty that came while writing Alex De Large character was his speech pattern and his complicated psyche. I had to spend countless hours of research and watched numerous youtube videos in order to understand his character better. Plus I had to rely on Nadsat Dictionary 24/7 while writing his dialogues. Nadsat is a fictional language created by "A Clockwork Orange" author Anthony Burgess. Nadsat is a combination Old English, Anglicized Russian, and some good ol British Slang. Cool huh.
I'd like to give a little shout-out to the reviewer "Sandwich". I'm really glad that you think this fanfic is turning out to be better than you thought it'd be. Actually, your review gave me a healthy dose of confidence as a writer. I know I need to improve my grammar. So, for this reason alone, I'm have proofread this chapter three times before publishing it.
Say people what do you think of the fictional beverage "Cold-Cream Milk" that Ragna drinks in this chapter? Is it delicious and creamy enough for you people to try out this drink for yourself? Okay, everyone, this is Howling Blood speaking, signing off.