FIIIIINALLY! THE ROCK. HAS COME BACK! Wait...Since when was I a fan of Dwayne Johnson? Ah well, I'm back anyways. With another update on Independence day! :D About time, am I right? Soon never comes soon enough. xD
Alright, so I just wanted to thank all of you for your support so far. I got like, 40 reviews last I checked, 20 favorites/follows? I'm sorry, but that's just funny. xD You guys are awesome.
In honor of the fourth of July, I will decleare my independence from putting that stupid disclaimer up because everyone knows what it'll say anyhow! YA HA!
Welcome to Hell~I mean Fortuna!
Chapter 16-Keeley's Day Out.
As Shawn climbed out of the window, Keeley went to her room. Scrolls and posters adorned the walls, covered with images of Final Fantasy and Devil May Cry. A few Resident Evil action figures stood atop the dresser.
"Keeley, want me to make something for lunch?" Kate yelled from wherever she was in the house.
"Sure, thanks!" The ebon-haired girl replied. Looking about her room, she grabbed a bag and proceeded to grab what she deemed essential. After about fifteen minutes, she was sitting with Kate in the dining room. As they ate, the girls discussed this and that, trying to avoid the subject of what happened to them in the last half an hour. Kate admitted to feeling fear, and Keeley gave her support. Soon after that, they left the house and parted ways.
The area of the park that she'd been told to go could not have been more public. Little kids gathered around their parents, begging for ice cream and demanding to know when the ice cream truck was coming, Swings and teeter-totters creaked as people of all ages played on them, screams of joy came from the merry-go-round and one kid was crying because they fell off. Keeley paid minimal attention to the chatter as she sat on a bench under the shade of a nearby tree.
While she waited, a middle-aged man clad in white approached. He sat on the other end of the bench, leaning forward on an elegant ebony cane. It definitely stood out against the pristine white of his clothing. As he began to cough, Keeley looked over at him.
"Are you alright, sir?" She asked. Looking at her, the man smiled, his pale skin crinkling around kind grey eyes.
"Oh, I'm fine. Thanks for your concern, young lady." He said amiably, chuckling. "You know, your boyfriend should consider himself lucky that he's got such a lovely young woman in his life." Keeley laughed a bit at this, blushing slightly at the statement. The grey-eyed man smiled at her, chuckling some more. "Ah, but you haven't told him how you feel yet, have you?" He mused.
"No, I haven't. But…how did you know, if I may ask?" Keeley inquired. The man laughed again, brushing some of his graying blonde hair from his eyes.
"I know a thing or two about sickness, my dear. Out of all of them, I must admit I like love sickness the best. In most cases, it's more beneficial than harmful." He explained. A small beeping from his side made him pull out what looked like a modified antique pocket watch. "Oh, good. We're both here on time." He mumbled.
Time stood still around them, children frozen in mid-swing. Under normal circumstances, Keeley supposed she would be panicking. But circumstances stopped being normal the second tentacles sprouted from her friend's television and dragged them into the Devil May Cry universe.
"You're the one I'm supposed to meet, then?" Keeley asked, naturally on her guard. The man nodded.
"Indeed I am, Keeley. But you needn't worry, unlike some people I know, I'm here to talk. Nothing more." He explained. The strange man continued at Keeley's nod. "I go by the name Lues Cortez, but my friends just call me King Louie." Keeley snickered.
"You mean, like that orangutan from the Jungle Book?" She asked. Nodding, Lues laughed.
"Yeah, that's the one! The fact I know his song word for word has nothing to do with it!" he replied. "But I digress. You were brought here today because I am the one who made the crossbow that you wield."
"You mean Aphrodite?" Keeley asked in surprise. Lues chuckled, nodding with a smile.
"Indeed. I do suppose Bianca, Mirabelle, Jessie were taken already." He said sagely. "You see, Aphrodite is one of four weapons known as the Arms of the Horsemen. The Riders Arms for short. Both your friends Shawn and Katelyn wield them as well, which is why we sent them to meet their respective mentors." With this, Keeley figured out who this man really was.
"You're the White Rider Pestilence, aren't you?" She asked. Lues nodded and smiled again.
"That I am dear girl. But my day job is teaching Philosophy at the local college. Which brings me to the next topic of this discussion." He said. Humming, the blonde male looked around. "But not here though, those kids want Ice Cream." With a wave of his hand, time once again flowed as normal. Using his cane for support, the White Rider stood up, and Keeley did the same.
Sometime later, they were at the library which was conveniently located near both the park and Kate's house.
"You see my dear, the powers you three have gained…your healing, Shawn's alchemy, Kate's newfound shamanic tendencies, those can be refined by anyone who knows what they're doing. But Aphrodite…any skill involving her needs to be taught by me. You are, by extension, doing my work in places I cannot reach. Therefore, only I could tell you what you need to know and how to do it." Lues explained, rummaging around his briefcase for something. "However, we may not always be able to meet. Which is why this grimoire will have to suffice." He said, retrieving the leather-bound book, much like the one Shawn received, and handing it to her.
Politely, Keeley accepted the item and opened it, taking note of all the diagrams and sketches within, amazed at the intricacy and thoroughness of its contents.
"Thank you. This is...well, it's pretty neat." She said softly. Smiling, Lues chuckled and nodded. Sitting back in his chair, the smile became a grin.
"I should be the one thanking you, Keeley. In the wrong hands, our weapons would truly bring the Ragnarok which the Norse gods so feared." He said. "But I'm glad that most of them are in the hands of good-hearted persons such as you and your friends."
"Shawn? Good-hearted?" Keeley asked, laughing. Lues chuckled, nodding back.
"Yes. Even Morrigan and Shawn, for all their violent tendencies, are good people at heart." He said. "Now, when you're not in other worlds, you and I will be here. If anyone asks, I'm going to be your tutor."
"Tutor? What for?" Keeley asked. Lues shrugged before turning to the side to cough.
"Whatever course you may be struggling with, I suppose. Or the lessons could be about life, like Tuesdays with Morrie." Lues explained, getting a faraway look in his eyes. "Ah, Morrie…Adrian and I were sad to see him go." Keeley listened silently, thinking.
"So…this Adrian you mentioned. He's Death, isn't he?" She asked. Cortez nodded, smiling.
"I suppose I can tell you." He chuckled. "Adrian Finis is our leader, Death. He runs a studio called Bone Dancers, and he's the one who made Kate's scythes. A woman named Aveline Fames works there as well, she's Famine. Morrigan Pele is the fiery horseman War, creator of Shawn's blade and the woman in charge of the Parkour Gym Concrete Amazon." Satisfied with the explanation, Keeley then asked the other burning question she had.
"If you're the four horsemen…does that mean you're not human?" She wondered. Lues smiled calmly, nodding.
"The four of us were born of Angels and Demons. The term is Nephilim, if memory serves." He confirmed. Keeley whistled low in amazement. "Now…let's get started on how to work with Aphrodite, shall we?"
The next few hours were spent by the two sitting in the library as Lues showed Keeley how to operate and maintain her new weapon, all the while they spoke of inconsequential things. By the time Keeley got back, Gary and Bobby were in the living room playing Resident Evil 5 while Shawn sat nearby, looking tired but heckling the guys regardless. The two newly chosen agents nodded at each other, and with a yawn Keeley headed to her room for a nap. She had a feeling she was going to need all the energy she could get.
And here we are again. :) Sheesh, this chapter went through a ton of editing. Didn't add the Jungle Book reference until today, and when he (Yes, HE did. Not me, HIM.) called himself King Louie, I started to sing "I wanna be like you" out loud, and undoubtedly confused my dad and younger sister. My parents and sister are gonna be gone from tomorrow to Sunday, meaning I get to run amok on Mass Effect 3! Gonna get the Prothean and kick ass on Multiplayer as an Alliance Infiltration Unit! WOOOO! XD If anyone does the ME3 multiplayer and has a PSN, if you wanna add me let me know! I'm Yurei_Surana there. Just make sure you say that you know me through here when you send the request, okay? Reviews are always welcome, and I'll see you next week.