Crimzon5
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***THough I used the name Alteon, this is NOT a DF fanfic***
**This is a short story**
*Comments: http://forums2.battleon.com/f/tm.asp?m=14103588 *
“Heh, gotcha…” Blake Ladoli whispered from his position in the rooftops. A weak wind blew across his golden hair. His right hand, equipped with a black glove, was ready to pull the trigger of his sniper. Overconfident with the operation, he decided to allow King Alteon to deliver his ‘last’ speech, so he leaned on the red roof-tiles for a while.
With his shades on, he enjoyed the splendid view brought about the sunset as he rested the back of his head on his palms. From his position, he could hear the loud voice of the king, which was amplified by a speaker. “Life is a piece of cake! Wait for a guy to hire to me, take the bounty, then get the payment,” he mused with himself. “With a reward like this, I could skip work for a week!”
The crowd echoed, “All hail Alteon! All hail Ninemia! All hail Alteon!” The voices blended with one another, sounding like choir of deep voices.
Wow, they sure seem to love this guy, Blake thought as he rubbed his chin.
“Oh well…” checking his watch, wrapped around his left wrist, he continued, “I guess he’s lived long enough. Now back to work!” Getting up, he wiped the dust off his pants, and grabbed his gun. As he released the trigger, a straight line of green light was emanated from his weapon. The tip had pierced the king’s head while the other end of the beam had revealed his location. The people screamed in fear, panic, and anger.
“Oh well, gotta run!” The blond returned his shades to his left pocket, and activated his mask. From what seemingly appeared to be a metallic headband, a green, tinted visor descended from it down to his face. He then peeked down, using the stone railings somewhat as a shield. The instant he showed his mask, an ironic rain of arrows and bullets from the ground showered upon him. Swiftly, he withdrew from his position and slid across the other side of the roof. He endured the bumpy ride as he typed a short code on his watch. The second he dropped from the castle’s edge, a small hover board swept down to catch him. With a mocking salute, he taunted, “Catch’ya later!”
Later that night, the young man sat in front of a bar. His black jacket’s hood covered most of his head while his face was exposed to those in front of him. Tony, the local bartender noticed a miserable scowl on Blake’s face. Wiping a glass with a wet piece of cloth, he asked, “Anything wrong kid.”
“Nothing,” Blake replied as he stared at his half-full glass of water. Even he could see his agonizing expressions in the blurry reflection. His lowly cerulean eyes could barely keep open as he tried to avoid shedding tears. “I might not be able to sleep for the night…”
“Take this bottle home with you then,” Tony offered. “It’s on the house.” Blake refused the offer twice but then decided to change his mind. “Just don’t mention it. The other customers might ask for free drinks, too, ya hear?” Blake replied with a nod and exited the pub.
“I guess we won’t be able to have another drink again…” Blake said in a quiet voice. He sounded as if he was ready to kill himself as atonement.
With the press of a few buttons on his device, his hover board again appeared for him to mount on. As he landed his feet, metallic straps locked onto his shoes for his safety. He thrust upwards, heading towards the top of an old clock tower. He read the time as 11:25, a few minutes early for his reward. As he soared just a few feet above the roof, he jumped off. “Dang! Once I’m done gettin’ my bounty, I am not gonna accept another assassination,” he said to himself out loud.
“Is that so? I was going to offer another task. The reward is… let’s say… ten fold the last bounty,” a familiar voice interrupted. Seeing that Blake’s mask was off, he continued, “So that’s your real face. To think Requiem, the number one bounty hunter, was just a kid.
“Y-you’re early?!” Blake responded in a shock. “Just give me the loot already! If you want another guy killed, why don’t you hire someone else?” The young man scanned the area but saw no sign on any other’s presence. He had to rely on his sense of hearing alone.
“Because your reputation is exceeded by no other. And remember, didn’t I convince you that King Alteon needed to be eliminated? He’s a dictator, forcing others to cheer for him.”
“Yeah, so? He’s dead. What more do you want?”
“Oh,” the voice replied calmly. Blake however could identify the stress and tension the employer was trying to control. “His son is next inline to the throne. The crowning will take place tomorrow, at the same spot of his father’s death.”
“Gio?! The next king? Ahh! How could I forget that he was the prince?!”
“So you know him?”
Blake nodded. ”There is no way that I’m killing him! I already killed his father. But there in no way I will spill a single drop of Gio Argetlahm’s blood.”
The employer let out a bitter, sarcastic laugh. “Man is a power-hungry creature. Surely, the only way we can save him is to not make him the king. You see, Ninemia needs a democratic form of government, not a monarchy.”
Blake opened his mouth, almost about to say a word. He remained silent for a while, and thought. Breaking the silence, he said, “Mission taken.”
The sun was about to rise the next day, and Blake knelt on the same spot of his last operation. He chose not to wear his mask incase anyone were to see him. Sighing, he said to himself, “I need to convince Gio to change the way Ninemia is following. Heh, besides… what kind of effective leader would choose to make the elite vanguards wield plain swords? I just hope he agrees… so I don’t have to kill him.” With those words spoken out from his mouth, he turned tail and descended through the tower stairs.
As he exited the castle’s south tower, he observed four guards, each wielding a halberd, surrounding a raven-haired man. “Hey, that’s Gio!” he said. As he approached them, the guards halted him with their weapons. “W-w-wait! I’m his friend!”
“How dare you take the new king as such a lowly-“
“It’s okay,” Gio interrupted as he lowered the weapons with his left arm. The royalty’s movements exposed the several accessorized gem bracelets wrapped around his arm. With a snap of a finger, he gave the order to dismiss the guards for a short a moment. “So, what is it?”
Blake was troubled by the friendly, innocent smile that Gio wore on his face. “Umm… well, you see.” The bounty hunter stared at the ceiling as he thought of his next words. “Maybe you could make a new decree. I mean, isn’t a federal form of government better than a monarchy. I mean, Ninemia is one of the only monarchies left in this world. And also, may I suggest you give up on the medieval concept? Swordsmen will just get shot by snipers like Requiem.”
Gio slowly nodded as his acquaintance talked. At first, Blake thought that things were going as planned, but as he finished his suggestions, Gio glared at him with a cold, harsh look. “Turn this nation away from monarchism? Never!” The aggressive motions of his arms intimidated Blake, and forced him to take a few steps back. “As the king, even my children’s children’s children will have power!”
Blake stared at him one last time with a disappointed look. Sweat started to drop form his forehead. His anger tempted him to curse and talk back, but his instincts told him that he was in no position to do so; guards were everywhere. Quickly shaking his head, he ran across the hall, fading from Gio’s vision. Typing the same code on his watch, he did the same routine and eventually returned to the rooftops. It was 6:15, just another fifteen minutes away from the coronation.
You… you really are a power-hungry thing! People like you… people like you… Tears started to drip from the man’s eyes. I’ll rid you off this world.
Over ten minutes had passed. A large crowd had gathered in the fields surrounding the castle while the army stood in the garden, a grass-filled lot where the king would hold parties and declare speeches in. Gio was on the stage; it was almost time.
“Dear friends, tenants, servants, men-at-arms, and Ninemian citizens who I am yet to know…”
Flattery will get you nowhere… Blake uttered in his mind as he shook his head. As he ignored the rest of the speech, he equipped his black gloves, removed his black jacket, and activated his mask. His weapon lay on the floor, waiting for him to pick it up. Just then, the tower’s door burst open. A small brigade of knights rushed towards his direction. Blake tried to retreat with his hover board but was surrounded, captured, and then tied up too quickly.
The guards dragged him down. Blake was given no other option but cooperate as he endured the empty, flattering words of Gio.
“My friends, today, Ninemia will know the glory of the 65th king, Gio Arget–“ Interrupting his words was the groused comments of the soldiers who saw Requiem tied up and dragged towards the new king.
“Sorry to interrupt your highness. But your hunch was right, oh wise one! Requiem, the man who killed your father, really was going to attack from the same spot. Hahaha! Foolish for the one they call ‘The world’s greatest bounty hunter’!”
“Good. Take off his mask,” Gio ordered. The crowd outside wondered what commotion intruded his speech. As the lieutenant fulfilling obeyed his orders, Gio’s grin faded into a surprised scowl. “B-Blake?!”
“He was right! You are a power-hungry king! I’ve failed to kill you, but others will follow!” Blake shouted as he struggled, trying to escape from the ropes.
From where he stood, he could hear the townsfolk murmuring about Blake’s accusation. After a quick thought of what to do next, he decided that changing the topic was going prevent the peasants from revolting. “I… I’ll never forgive you for killing my father!” Gio unsheathed his blade, a silver sword possessing a golden handle, a magnificent hilt that appeared to be a pair of golden dragon wings. “Cut the rope! And give him your sword! I want to kill him with honor.”
The officer was given no choice but to follow. Blake could see in his eyes that he was serving Gio out of fear, not loyalty. At the instant the rope fell on the ground, he grabbed the sword before it was offered to him and pointed it at Gio’s neck. “You think a spoiled brat like you could kill Requiem?! Hahaha!” the blond sarcastically laughed.
“Your bluff is nothing! You rely too much on guns and gadgets. I in the other hand am used to weapons such as this that I’m holding.” Enraged, the two stuck each other’s sword. Several clashes and clangs then followed. Using his watch, Blake tactically positioned himself wherein his hover board would ram towards Gio. But before he could finish the code, Gio’s blade pierced through Blake’s watch and wrist.
The blond screamed in pain! Grabbing his other arm, Gio pulled his opponent towards his blade that was about to be driven towards his stomach. Several young men turned their heads away from the bloodshed while those of strong will endured the pitiful sight.
“Ka… kuh…” Blake breathed deeply. “Yes… thank you! I’m now free from the curse of your rule. And the sin of murder is my blood stained on your sword!” The young man took a quick pause for breathing. “If you want me to regret my death… why don’t you make the world I’m about to leave something that I’m about to envy…?” Silence followed those words.
The two just exchanged stares. Gio’s eyes glared with a fierce look while Blake’s eyes were about to fall. More silence followed.
“I… I see it now,” Gio whispered. “What you just said… you wanted to atone for your sins. You died on purpose, and told me that your envy will be brought about by a good tomorrow on earth. Knowing that I wanted revenge, you knew I was going to take those words into account. You sacrificed your life and created something that you will envy… just to see the world as a better place for those who haven’t yet departed… and those to come. I’m sorry… my friend.” Gio pulled the blade from Blake’s chest as his body dropped and slid off the stage.
~The End~
< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 11/2/2008 22:59:36 >
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