Chapter 4
Infirmary Room – Icarus recovers from his overwhelming lost to Higura.
Asher's Room
Asher: That simpleton is on a rampage again?
Asher lifts 450 lbs weight over his back and shoulder pressed the weight at a quick pace. Using his right hand he dropped the bar to the floor and placed on his black and purple jacket with silver stripes denoting his rank.
Marshal crashed through the nearby interception between the room dormitories and the detention centre. His eyes glowed crimson red, losing all sense, he rushed towards Asher.
Asher: You keep letting his power overtake your mind Marshal, wake up!
Marshal heard no words or pleads from Asher. Marshal swung right hook to Asher's face but intercepted with a thick wall of ice.
Asher: I guess I have no choice.
Marshal's rampaging flame began to degrade the wall of ice and melted it at a rapid rate.
Asher took stance to attack but Higura swiftly knocked him out and began work on re-sealing his limiter on his neck. The tattoo began to glow in response to Higura's aura, the wicked energy controlled by the grand scale of Higura's aura.
Asher: You know we can't keep doing this right? He either needs to become strong enough to control the aura curses influence or we-
Higura: Don't even suggest killing him Asher. Marshal has suffered with problem since his childhood; it's not his fault, all it means is Kota is back on the move once again. Which means "Sting" is up to something big.
Asher began feverishly cleaning up the debris in the hall way using his miniature ice minions.
Higura: You could just leave it to the staff…
Asher: Everything must spotless.
Higura: You and your germ phobia once again.
Asher: Dust, germs, bacteria and diseases are everywhere! The strongest men in history have all fall victim to diseases. Just think about, a weakened immune system, then comes the snotty nose, running eyes, dripping and sweating-
Asher began to catch hives all over his body just thinking about the thought of a cold.
Three hours later, Marshal awoke in the infirmary, his sense returned he looked over and saw the new recruit in the bed next to him.
Icarus: You're the guy that was rampaging earlier.
Marshal: I blacked out again didn't I?
Marshal slammed his hand into the steel bedside leaving a slight dent.
Marshal: It's his fault… damn you Kota!
Icarus: Kota? Who's that?
Marshal: None of your business rookie.
Icarus: Forgot I asked then, asshole.
Marshal: What's that you said punk!? Huh, I'm your commanding officer.
Icarus: I don't care! Even if I join you guys, I'll go by my own rules.
Marshal: Let me tell you a few things about the Force. There since of justice is more twisted than Sting's. They'll do anything and everything to suppress a rebel force. The reason all those rich bastards get to live happily Hirokami is because of the Force. The reason Vagabonds like you get to run free is because we have no jurisdiction in Jarpen but that's not true, the truth is the Force sends people to Jarpen to die, they call it the "Population Management Act".
Icarus: I knew how warped the government is, but who would've thought they'd try to wipe out a whole population.
Marshal: Not the population, just the deformed, the challenged, the rebels once you're not part of the 1 percent-
Mitsuki: Your spouting your psycho babble again, Marshal? Well I guess most of it is truth, our investigations here in the HXU have taught us a lot of things and had you two had this conversation in a camera filled room, both of you would be on a one way shuttle ride to Jarpen with Red Statuses to boot.
Icarus: I got a mansion and a ton of Rubies in Jarpen, I'd survive. Dragon breath over there would probably die in about three days.
Marshal: What did you say you little shit-
Mitsuki: Enough! Glad to see you two getting along so well, you two got assigned to a four man mission. You two, Mimi and Asher are going on a recon mission in Jarpen. Asher is the commanding officer and Mimi is second chair.
Marshal: Bullshit! I have a higher rank than that S&M, boys love and sadist maniac does!
Mitsuki: That maybe true but you gained that Rank for political reasons and you know it.
Marshal: You just don't want to say it but it's because I'm a monster! Fine, I'll play by your rules, I'll be your pet dog on a leash but let me make this clear… one day, and I'll kill you all.
Mitsuki: Marshal…
Icarus: Fantastic.. That performance was flawless. Truth, monster, conspiracies, the government!? None of those things matter to me, all I seek is more power. They are three promises I must keep no matter what and one of them is to kill a man by the name of Joker.
Mitsuki slapped Icarus in his face with pure vengeance.
Mitsuki: I forgot to say this when you were fighting Higura, don't ever call the name Joker in my presence again.
Icarus facial expression got serious.
Icarus: Do you know where he is?
Mitsuki: He's not a man you or I ever want to see. Just seeing him once is like escaping death.
You could see the pure fear and hate behind Mitsuki's lavender eyes.
Icarus: Five years ago… Joker attacked me because I denied his invitation into "Sting" He pitied me and I lived. I need to crush them all Sting, the government. I want to change this world, that's one of my three promises.
Marshal: Promises to whom?
Icarus: A woman I thought I knew… very well.
Siegfried Co.
A pregnant Nana lies in bed as Dalus prepares for work.
Dalus: Oh by the way… I forgot to tell you, my brother finally popped back up.
Nana's dead eyes now regained life.
Nana: Icarus! He's alive…
Nana's eyes now filled with tears.
Nana: I'm sorry… I'm sorry.
Dalus rushed over to Nana and slapped her tears and whimpers.
Dalus: Your body and soul or mine now. My brother can never have you.
Nana eyes became cold once again.
Nana: Yes, my love.
Dalus: Now, off to work.
Dalus left for work now putting on a black pin with the roman number VII on his collar. As walks to the elevator, a man dressing in all black with a shades and a trench coat whispered into Dalus ears and disappeared.
Broker: Dalus, it's time. The meeting of X commences in one week, clear your schedule.
Dalus: Yes, VI.
Dalus Siegfried
Bounty: None
Status: Citizen
Shinju: N/A
VII
Shinju: Ghoul's Keeper
Bounty: 400,000,000 Nola, Tier B
Status: Red
Organization: Sting's numbered
Sting –
An organization that opposes the Force and the new government, the modern-day Robin hoods that invests their assets in everything from politics, weapons and drug trade. The ranking system goes as follows:
G.O.D
Kami
Joker
Tengu
Athena
Manis
Court
I – V
V – X
Foot Soldiers
Gorilla Goons (They compete for the numbered seats)
Covert Agents
Politicians, officers, judges basically undercover Sting agents
The rain falls and the city's darkness thickens.
Chapter Five – Journey to Hell – Jarpen (1)
Unknowns
Deserted Land – Sand Cove
Two hooded figures sit with white masks covering their faces at a round table overlooking a balcony, among the five chairs, three where empty. On the lower level, a large table with ten chairs sat, ten of these chairs were empty, three figures sat with black masks and the numbers. "VII" "VI" "VIII" in that disjointed order as VIII, sat wherever he pleased because of the open seats, with feet lying horizontally on the table.
In the seating's five stories below from the numbered agents, various masked men with question marks on their masked gathered. About five thousand in number, they knelt and waited for the men in the white mask to begin to speak.
Kami: Let's begin the meeting. I see Joker, Tengu and Manis are missing, as well as I-V and IX as well as X.
Alias: Kami
Name: Unknown
Bounty: Unkown , Tier Somewhere above A
Status: Red
Shinju: Unknown
Athena: They never come to these sort things anyway.
Alias: Athena
Name: Unkown
Bounty: Unknown, Tier Somewhere above A
Status: Red
Shinju: Unknown
Kami: Doesn't matter, rules state as long one of you is here among the G.O.D's it doesn't matter.
Athena: With that rule, once you're here, we don't have to come.
Kami: True! Haha, I never thought about that. I should change that.
Kami began to laugh whole heartedly.
Athena coughed.
Kami: Right! Well- *clears throat* I just called you all to check in on the missions or whatever, just to see if everyone's OK!
Nyxon: If it so pleases you my grace, if I may, we do send mission reports. Why the meetings once a month?
Kami: Uh… Hm… good question! Why do we whole meetings Athena-chan?
Athena: Boss…
Kami: So mean. Yes, well- Honestly. We've been informed there's a mole among us. We all know-
A rush of energy sent shivers down the spine of everyone present whether psychically or spiritually present via Shinju's.
Kami: I hate rats. So! If anyone would like to come forward before we find you, speak up! I may spare your life. By the way VII, how goes the operation in Jarpen, Mojules?
VII: As I said, in the report, it's about 90% completed. As my plan stated, it'd take about a month for 10% to set up. Nine months have passed. By next month the White Matter Machine will be finished, all according to my plan. That being said, using II's predictions, he has calculated that force will send, four of their B Tier fighters to Jarpen to destroy the machine. Again, II said there's a 99.9% chance our plan will succeed.
Kami: 99.9% huh… Which means there's a 0.1% chance of failure, Oi, VI, send this following messages to Covert Agents?
VI pulled out a giant book over 9000 pages long.
Alias: VI
Name: Unknown
Bounty: 430,000,000 B Tiers
Status: Green
Shinju: Keeper's Law / Black Law / Empress Law
VI placed her left hand over her left eye and the big black book began to glow.
VI: Record! Black Law! Yes boss, continue…
Kami: Two Covert Agents: K.K.N.9 Gorilla Sol's 2000, Foot Soldiers 2000 and VIII, you'll be organizing the reinforcement.
VIII: Yes, sir.
Kami: Well, meeting adjourned, time to get back to parfait-
Kami's body disappeared.
Athena vanished as well.
Utopia Main Land
Dragon's Nest
A town dedicated to researching and resurrecting Dragon life.
A man with long white hair, red eyes, three-inch long nails in a long purple overcoat sat at a café shutting down a Shinju fueled laptop program called "Link".
VIII: Damn, Kami… always wants me to the dirty work. Bink, let's go.
Bink: Jarpen this time… May the God's be with us?
Lloyd (VIII): I don't believe in God.
Lloyd Noxomi
Alias: VIII
Bounty: 300,000,000 Tier B
Shinju: Lindworm's Skin
Status: Green | VIII – Red
Bink
Bounty: 150,000,000 Tier B
Shinju: Mace Volume
Status: Green
Lloyd: Jarpen… haven't been there in ages.
HXU Headquarters
Mitsuki: Ok, here's how this going to work. Asher you're going to train Icarus in Hunter Combat style and the secret about Shinju's. Marshal and Mimi you'll be working on helping Marshal control that Shinju curse of his.
Asher: I have to train the brat too, sigh.
Icarus: The secret about Shinju's huh… I always thought that gift from God thing was a bunch of crap anyhow.
Mimi licked her lips and laughed maniacally.
Mimi: This going to be so much fun!
Marshal: Damn… I got the masochist Goth girl…
Training Grounds
Asher wasted no time to carry Icarus to the pseudo space area fueled by a Shinju called, White Room. In White Room, time flows differently, cells regenerate faster and no one can die, no matter how much damage they suffer.
Asher: This is the White Room. In this room, we'll train for about ten days, that's somewhere around 10 weeks in this place. The mission date is eleven days from now; it takes eight hours to get from here to Jarpen Gate and ten hours to get to the mission sight. Right now, you're about Tier C, I need you to get about upper Tier C before you can clear the requirements for this mission.
Icarus: What's this thing about the truth about Shinju's? What are they, are they really gifts from God?
Asher: That's all you heard from the time we left the briefing room and got here huh? Gifts from God… well, it depends how you look at it. First off, Shinju's aren't acts of Nature, it's all science. Your soul emits a special energy know as Matter. Shinju's are like mini unique machine programs fueled by Matter, each with their own special skills. Each soul can have a most of three Shinju's but the average or even the most extraordinary person could only have two or even one. Your main is always known as your Driver, never forget that.
Icarus: Your tip toeing around this. You said Shinju's are science right, which means its synthetic? What are Shinju's in the plainest form you can put it?
Asher: Hm... Simply put. Shinju's are on a principle from the old Era known as Alchemy, the act of exchange one thing for another. In this case, Matter for abilities or special skills. For example, Matter can give extra IQ or even skills in martial arts like Higura. Finally, ever wonder why some people can use Shinju's and others can't? It's because we aren't human anymore, humans can't use Alchemy. All Shinju users are what some people call Homunculus.
Icarus: Homunculus!
Asher: Yes, and we surrender the one thing all humans want, normality. We become the innovators of this Era!
Icarus: There is a cost right? No one can have this power without any sacrifice?
Asher: Of course, ever Homunculus has a Number and a time. The stronger you become, the more time you can borrow, however every time you use your Shinju, your times drained.
Icarus: So when your time's up?
Asher: You die. That is our fate.
Explanation of Shinju's!
Matter is force. Force fuels Shinju's.
Shinju Example A:
Asher Crux
Shinju Max Timer: 1,000,000 M's
Time Used to Activate: 1,000 M's.
Every 10 Minutes after activation: 2,500 M's exhausted.
Every Year Max Timer Decreases: 250,000 M's
Every Timer Your Shinju Increases in Force, decreasing timer reduces.
When your Max Timer hits 1,000,000 You die.
Standby for Example B next time!