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11/21/2008 20:14:17   
Crimzon5
Member

Visions

*comments: http://forums2.battleon.com/f/tm.asp?m=14103588

Vision is a power granted among people who "earn" it by touching a certain artifact, fulfilling a certain task, or by draining it from its current owner. To do so, the victim has to be dead; a small circular sphere will circle around his head, waiting for someone to accept it. Though Elements are obtained with a Vision, they are separable.

Examples of Vision powers are but are not limited to the following:
1) Seeing the past from the angle where you stand as if you were there.
2) Seeing the future from the angle where you stand as if you were there (this power has no flaw... what the person sees will be a reality).
3) Increases the speed of the senses of your eyes and mind. It seems as if you can slow down time but even your movements are affected.
4) Detecting Lies
5) Tracking anyone from anywhere (the "prey" will be the only visible object while everything else disappears from one's sight)
6) Viewing one's memories
7) Seeing one's emotions
8) Void of Darkness (by looking at an area covered by shadows, you can create your own dimension, your rules)
9) Perfect Vision (can't be blinded by either light or darkness or by anything physical like dirt or dust)
10) Zoom-in Vision (though seemingly harmless, it is accompanied by a powerful element)
11) Vision Hack (can see through another one's sight)
12) Vision Transfer (can let another person see what another person is seeing... the user cannot use his/her ability on him/herself though)
13) Life force Vision (when activated, one can see another's remaining life force, energy, and stamina)
14) 360 degrees (can see everything around him within a given radius of two kilometers)
15) Eyes of Janus (allows the user to see any event which he has already seen or an event which he is about to see; similar to Vision 1 and 2 but is affected by the person instead of the location)
16) Illusion (by imaging a person or figure, the user can create an illusion, accompanied by sound, at the space he or she is looking at)
17) Reflective Vision (allows the user to see things as if they were mirrors, letting him/her see things that its angle reflects)

As mentioned, each Vision has an element. Wielding an element does not give you absolute control over it but allows you to manipulate it in a certain way. The elements are:
1) Light (creates flares)
2) Darkness (can temporarily trap at maximum of 2 people in another dimension and engulf an area in darkness)
3) Fire (channels fire to weapons)
4) Space (can change positions with or teleport near another person)
5) Radiation (creates a weak radiation but very powerful if used on eyes or open wounds)
6) Water (compresses liquid molecules making it similar to solid of any shape; has a limit of 200 cubic meters though)
7) Nature (hastens plants' growth and controls their tropism)
8) Stone (can emerge stone walls from the ground)
9) Sound (can mimic sounds, produce without opening his mouth, and make people hear things in their head)
10) Electricity (controls electrical circuits in devices within touch and channels lightning)
11) Wind (controls wind’s directions. By compressing air molecules, it can be used to seemingly-levitate)
12) Force (increases force exerted by actions or projectiles. Can also use its effect in reverse)
13) Time (creates a rectangular formation of light. Time will freeze at the space it occupies to a maximum of three hours)
14) Matter (can create any object as long as the user knows how it is formed)
15) Dark Matter (can create destructive blasts)
16) Restoration (aids and heals any injury; flawed due to lack of power in reviving the dead)
17) Celestial Bodies (can create eclipses, turn day to night, align the planets, etc)

Though the setting is said to take place on Earth, a few parallel universe changes have been done.
1) Continents, countries, oceans, and seas have different names and geographical location.
2) The calendar uses A.W. (Aftermath of War) instead of A.D.
3) Though it is year 1945 A.W., the planet still seems to be in the industrial stage. Those who have advanced equipment are either part of the government or brilliant inventors.
4) Majority of the world may be in the present age but… strangely, the culture of different people can be related to the culture of different times. Some people are still medieval while others are already Sci-Fi.
5) As for the form of government, the current leader of Magnagon, the country in which the story takes place, is the king whose throne is located in the Southern region. The country is divided into nine regions, commonly named by their geographical location.
6) Though magic is said to exist, it does… but it is very rare. Vision and elements are considered magic. A few mythical beasts are present such as dragons.
7) Like in real life, the people here also believe in the after life. Souls are called essences. When a person dies, his or her essence would either go to Paradise... or Oblivion. Oblivion in the destruction of the essences, and it is composed of several domains, each of which tortures the essence in a different way, depending on how the person lived his life.


< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 11/30/2008 9:05:52 >
AQ DF  Post #: 1
11/21/2008 20:17:41   
Crimzon5
Member

Prologue: Why Does Everyone Around Me Keep on Disappearing?

My name is Ryan Kristen. At that time, I was just a student, a semester away from graduating. Things about me that outstood the others, and still do, are my superior physical prowess, quick adaptations to situations, and… a power called “Vision”.

My Vision allows me to view anything in the past… as long as I look at the area wherein the desired past took place. Using it, I discovered someone who I should’ve hated a long time ago. He killed my parents. I thought it was just because he wanted power. Here in Magnagon, the senate has annual elections. However, only one or two officers are replaced by the winning nominees. Strange, huh? My father was a candidate in the elections. There were three of them running for the one vacant spot. Based on the surveys and his charismatic campaigning, my father was said to be a sure win. But then, one jealous, power-hungry, good-for-nothing, plastic, stupid– ah, you get the picture– guy had to kill him. And since my mom could've been a witness, he took her too.

A few years later, my sister was taken away from me. And no– she did not die. She was recruited to join the army. If you’re wondering why, it’s because of our blood. Our father was one of the greatest knights that served the king, but took a ‘temporary retirement’ when he met my mom. Unfortunately, he was killed before the retirement ended. Why does everyone around me keep on disappearing?

With a few companions, starting out with two, I set out to find that man, and kill him. None of them ever bothered to ask what I would do after accomplishing my revenge, but to be honest, even I don’t know the answer. Eventually, we met up with some others. I’m not really sure why, but they supported me as well. But I’m not the type that gets suspicious of others, especially if they claim and really act to be your friends.

But then… as I got to hangout with them, I noticed that not only I experienced a tragic past. Danielle, a close friend that I could relate with as a sibling, lost both her mother and her sister. Jhenine, an extremely kind stranger at first, was left only with her brother Ethan. He became a close friend of mine quickly. But after the same night I talked and befriended him, he was killed. Why does everyone around me keep on disappearing?

With Lanceler’s help, I formed an organization. With my mask known as Redemption, I became known to the public by that name. Some called us terrorists, but those who supported us called us heroes. We saved victims of casualties and avoided as much bloodshed. However, we never held anything back against the senate.

Eventually, I reunited with my sister. But sadly, she was a supporter of the man who killed our parents, and an enemy of Redemption. There were other people who I became friends with, but they were also anti-Redemption. And sadly… some of them had to go. Why does everyone around me keep on disappearing?

But despite the loss of my friends, I met someone who could’ve been one. Like me, he used an alias. His was Requiem. Another thing that we had in common was the fact that our parents were killed by the same man. We both wanted revenge. But… he attacked me when I was about to bring my blow on our enemy. We both wanted to be the one who kills him, but his reason was because he only wanted revenge. But I also wanted to bring justice. But it really was greedy of me to act of the same reason as well. In the end of our battle, only one of us left. He could’ve been my friend, but I killed him. Why does everyone around me keep on disappearing?

This is what I got for using my Vision. I learned things that should’ve been part of history’s oblivion. But without it, I would’ve never felt like a hero despite all the pains and losses. Why does everyone around me keep on disappearing?

My name is Ryan Kristen. And this is my story.

< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 11/24/2008 5:44:09 >
AQ DF  Post #: 2
11/21/2008 20:58:17   
Crimzon5
Member

Chapter 1: Vengeance is a Reaction

Lanceler eyed the terrain carefully but with an unusual familiarity. He saw the signs as he and his friend traversed down into a rather dense forest. Lanceler stayed a few steps behind, but walked in a considerable pace. A few beams of light managed to pierce through some small openings in the branches and leaves. As he and his companion continued to walk, they enjoyed the marvelous display of shooting lights.

Even from a distance, it could've been seen that they were students. Long black pants that reached down to their black leather shoes and a cream linen shirt covered by a black coat was their uniform. They were also required to wear a tie, but the pair had decided to remove theirs. Like most of the prestigious schools, wearing a uniform was indeed a requirement; if one didn’t, he or she would be given a strict punishment, usually dealing in the likes of community service instead of attending classes. The student would also be automatically marked with a zero on the quizzes and activities that took place on the particular day as an additional punishment.

Since they were still wearing the uniforms, and the day had just recently overcome the night, it was obvious that they were cutting classes. But for some reason, each held an excavating tool and nothing else.

The brunet, who lead the way, rested a large four-and-a half-foot in length shovel's fulcrum on his shoulder. The blade was polished clean but slightly rusted on one side. Though 'Despite recent polishing, the blade was slightly rusted, and bore a large stain of blood on one side. The wielder of this ‘weapon’ referred to that part as the blade, but nothing much to be feared. What he held reputed red as death, but not black enough as sin. He was followed by a blond, appearing to be just an inch taller than him.

“Are you sure about this?” the blond man asked. “I can prove to you that my unreasonably-oversized pickaxe is better than your shovel in treasure hunting anytime, but do we really need to cut classes again?” Nature’s silence followed. He heard not a single sound from his acquaintance. While waiting for a respond, he concentrated on their hike as he listened to the sound of water crashing from a nearby waterfall.

The brunet turned around and stared at his companion’s dark eyes. Seeing this, the blond expected his late reply. “Lance, it’s first period. We can just say that we were late. Besides, Archeology Class is better done on field than indoors,” he reasoned out with a small smile. A small gust followed, bringing with it fallen leaves, almost brown in color. “Ahh… even the wind is encouraging us to go further…”

Keeping eye contact, his escort drew his pickaxe and held it with both hands. Like the shovel, it had bloodstains on the head. The pointed edge was two feet in length and four inches in width while the length of the handle to the edge was four feet. It had seemed as if it had been used as a weapon before. “Don’t call me ‘Lance’. A name such as that one is simply… too common,” he replied with an esteemed voice.

“Whatever, Lanceler. You should know that are millions of other people with the name ‘Lance’ that appreciate their names!” The pair gave each other the cold treatment, and none of them dared to continue the conversation. A few minutes had passed, but time had not healed the scar of their friendship. It was common for the two to argue, whether the feud was serious or not, keep quiet, and then pretend as if nothing had happened. After all, how could two people holding a grudge at each other cut classes together frequently?

These two were already known for this kind of mischief. Some others tried to follow but never had the guts to, while those who did usually dared not to go to locations as far as these two, and would usually just hit the mall. Unfortunately for them, the mall and every other nearby hangout were easy places to get caught in. If a school official were to ask the two where they were that day, they would reply with an unflawed alibi or with the truth which the official, of course, never believed as the things they did sounded too absurd. One time, they cut classes and didn’t return for two days. When they were asked what happened, they said that they were kidnapped. There were also news reports that week about kidnapping and ransoms. When they were further interrogated, about questions like how they escaped, they replied that they were rescued with the other children who were set free. And if one compared what they said to the news, he or she would see a connection. The terrorists in charge of the crimes were caught the same day. The two had everything as planned out. Teachers, and even their classmates, would be stunned by the intricate details of the stories they would come up with. They would map out the terrain, describe the people, and say other things that seemingly one would only know if he was there, while limiting the information for it would easily be identified as made-up. The school couldn’t charge anything against them; they passed their requirements on time and quickly caught up with the lessons despite not attending classes regularly.

The two continued to pass through the forest. They heard the wind whistling in their ears and appreciated it as an encouragement. Aside from the fun, the cool, natural breeze lured the two to wander around. “Ryan, the other side is like a canyon, right?” Lanceler asked. “Then should I mine on the walls or should I break down those hard rocks that pop up in the holes you dig?” Neither one of them halted.

“Do whatever you want. But if you want to outclass me right before my eyes, then ‘steal’ the glory from my holes,” Ryan replied as he turned his head to Lanceler. Seeing that Lanceler made no response, Ryan turned his head back to his front.

It was their usual routine to work near an abandoned mine. Ryan would dig outside while Lanceler would go in and use his pickaxe for an internal excavation. But this was different; they decided to unearth buried objects in the wilderness. They wanted to try something new, well, that was what they told each other but actually, the mine had become off-limits due to it becoming an active excavation area again.

Upon reaching their destination, Ryan shouted out some enthusiastic words. Feeling a bit embarrassed by his companion, Lanceler shook his head. “All right, we’re here!" Ryan cheered as he pointed to a spot under an oak tree. "Let’s dig there by the shade,” he continued. He plunged his shovel’s blade into the ground, pressed his foot on it, and lifted the soil. “Hey, aren’t you gonna start mining or something?” he asked.

“Before I do, did you ever wonder why a barren canyon-like place like this would be next to a forest? It just makes no sense. Even I can’t think of any logical reason.” Lanceler spoke while his arms rested on the head of his pickaxe. The other end of the tool was driven into the soil, giving it a firm posture.

“Who cares? As long as we find something, we’ll have no regrets,” Ryan replied as he lifted more soil. "Hey, why are we even wearing these coats anyway?"

The pickaxe’s wielder grinned. "Good point!" The two removed their black attire, folded them crosswise, and placed them on their shoulders. “Hey, want to know why my pickaxe is better?”

Ryan paused for awhile. “I was surprised to hear you brag first this time. Tell me, why it is?!” he replied. With a calm face and a small grin, he started to dig again. He was more motivated to find something, and was never less motivated than the day before. Sweat started to drip from his forehead once more. Among the two, Ryan always showed more interest in their activities. Sometimes, Lanceler would question him, asking him if they were going too far, but Ryan’s recklessness couldn’t be stopped.

Lanceler lifted his tool up and showed its spade-like bottom. “I can dig and break rocks; you can only–”

An interruption, a loud clang, echoed through their ears. The sound the vibration produced by the shovel and by whatever it hit was similar to that of a ringing bell. “Hey, I hit something! If you want credit, make your pointy stick help out. Shovels rock!” Ryan bragged as he plunged his shovel on the ground and rested his right arm on the handle to recover from fatigue.

“Deep breaths, my friend, deep breaths. I’ll take over,” suggested Lanceler.

“No way,” Ryan exhaustedly argued. “I’m not done yet… most of the credit is going to be mine!”

“Okay, I’ll just watch and–”

“Oh, no you don’t! I can see right through you; you want me to excavate this thing by myself! Get your pickaxe and start digging!” Lanceler shook his head, sighing. While digging, his upper arm leaned on the perfect curve of his pickaxe with the spade-shaped bottom acting like a shovel. Ryan would tend to act all crazy and greedy when they hit something. Sighing once more, Lanceler swore never to forget what happened during their summer break.

The two had dug two separate holes, each of them being worked in. In the beginning, Lanceler also used a shovel. But as of the present, nothing beats a pickaxe when it comes to his preference. The terrain was not to far from the town, just three kilometers by an estimate. “Hey, I hit something!” Ryan shouted. He dropped his shovel and exited his hole, jumping and running around in circles. Lanceler slapped his own forehead, sensing a catch to the hustle. “C’mon! Help me haul this thing!” Ryan persuaded. “But of course– I get most of it…”

“It better not be some buried missile or something. Remember the one you almost triggered? If it wasn’t for me, you would’ve been dead by now!” The blond raised the legs of his pants, letting the heat come out. Deciding to give in, he climbed his hole and approached Ryan’s.

“Are you sure that’s how it went?”

“Yes,” Lanceler replied immediately. He dragged his legs as he walked unmotivated. “Uh… Ryan, that’s a–”

A rusted piece of metal, with most of it earthed, burst, sending a rain of black water. Lanceler, assuming what it was, took a few steps back, avoiding the spills. Ryan in the other hand…

“Err…” Lanceler shook his head and skipped a scene in his flashback. At least the ‘water’ didn’t touch him, he thought.

“Did I just find oil?” Ryan asked innocently. And in Lanceler’s vocabulary, the meaning of innocent besides ‘not guilty’ is ‘stupid’.

“Grr…” Lanceler hit Ryan’s head with his palms. “Trust me, it ain’t. But you don’t wanna know what it is either… and I suggest we get out of here, quick.”

< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 11/28/2008 21:01:46 >
AQ DF  Post #: 3
11/21/2008 21:05:41   
Crimzon5
Member

Continuing to move from the east to the west, the sun scorched them as they made each scoop of dirt. Even the slight displacement caused their shade to turn obsolete. Regardless of the heat, they continued to dig as the visible layers of their ‘treasure’ began to grow larger and larger.

“Time sure is going fast,” said Ryan as he wiped some sweat with the black coat on his shoulder. “We must be having fun, then.”

“Then what about classes?” said Lanceler with a seemingly calm expression, but one in which Ryan could pick up the ‘panic’ in Lanceler’s thoughts. The expression of blankly looking at space with either of his hands or head slightly shaking was already considered panic for him.

“We can–” Ryan stressed out his last word as he lifted a heavy scoop from the hole, “–worry about it later.” Despite his strength, the long walk and his heavy tool had taken much out of him.

The hole dug was about three meters in diameter. A large stone pillar with unreadable inscriptions was left half-buried.

“Lanceler, let’s lift this thing up. We won’t be going to school today– not at this rate.” Lanceler eyed the pillar with interest; a suppressed excitement was evident to Ryan. Each of the two struck the pillar, giving it a dent for them to hold on to. But before they hauled it up, Lanceler unearthed it some more, allowing it to be pulled out with ease. Releasing the stress with a “whew”, the two lifted it, and then Ryan thrust it to the side of the hole as he waited for Lanceler to squeeze himself under it and push it from the bottom with his palms.

“‘Worry about it later?’ Easy for you to say,” replied the blond. The force he exerted on carrying the weight caused him to stress out each word as well. “Unlike me, you don’t have a guardian who’s responsible for you; I’ll be in serious trouble. Who knows? I might never be able to play chess ever again. How would you fell if you lost your right to do something you always wanted to?”

Blood rushed into his head, amplifying his anger. Trying to hold himself back, Ryan remained silent as he left the hole and dragged the stone from the edge of their excavation site. Trying to mask his annoyed and troubled emotions, Ryan gave his companion a small smirk. “Don’t worry, my friend. This thing is gonna be worth it.” Ryan took his shovel from the small pit and examined the artifact.

Next time, I’m going to bring gloves. I don’t want tetanus… Hmm… maybe I should remove the rusts, Lanceler said to himself. “I’m too tired to look. Check it out for me,” requested Lanceler as he bent his legs and rested from fatigue. His exhausted lips started to thirst, but despite it, he chose to quench his thirst later.

“Heh, weakling. For a ‘cool’ nerd… you better get physical as well,” teased Ryan.

Lanceler replied by saying, “Physical? If I’m not physical then I don’t know what is! You only say that as if you’re the top athlete in school. One doesn’t have to be like you to be considered fit, ‘ya know. Besides, only the worthy have the right to brag.”

“Oh, there you go again with your ‘Only the worthy’ phrase... ” Ryan placed his hands on the pillar’s inscribed side. He examined it as he bent his legs to match down to its height. As he moved his hand from one part of the pillar to another, the excitement on his face turned to utter disappointment. “What a waste! A piece of junk!” he shouted. He had to let his anger out on something… or someone.

“Oh, by the way…” Ryan stood straight, turned his body to his left, and pointed the shovel’s blade at his companion. Ryan stared at his companion's eyes with a cold, harsh look. “Don’t mention my parents’ death or anything that leads to it ever again. I just wish that I could find their killer and deliver judgment on him.” Ryan, being tempered, couldn’t completely restrain his anger. He tried to, and succeeded for awhile. After all, not getting mad in less than twenty seconds after getting annoyed was an accomplishment for him.

Lanceler approached him and slowly pushed the tool downward. “If someone points a sword at you, you should expect that he’ll fight back. That shovel of yours is sharp, you know? Sharp, wedged, and long…” The two turned to silence for a few moments, avoiding all eye contact. Breaking the stillness, Lanceler said, “Junk eh? I wouldn’t say that just yet. This is actually…” His tone sounded as if he was unsure of what to say next. Unfortunately for the two, they failed to realize the importance of ‘useless’ but ancient artifacts that can bring the past of Magnagon closer to the present.

“Nothing,” his friend finished off, seeming as if he pretended to have already forgotten about their conflict. Ryan leaned on his back with the pillar as support. “I just wish that I had a vision of this happening…”

There was a flash. The next thing that the brunet noticed was that he lay on the ground and that the relic had disappeared. He turned his head to his companion. Lanceler’s mouth was open, as if he was about to say something. However, he wasn’t moving; it seemed to Ryan that he had been frozen in time. His chest wasn’t even moving; he wasn’t breathing.

He heard a dialect he was unfamiliar with, yet, he understood it perfectly. How this came to be was completely unknown to him. Time has stopped. It will resume if you solve the puzzle or choose to back down…from the power to make your wishes become more than just fantasies. The ominous voice sounded to be from a woman.

“Who’s there?” Ryan scanned the area, moving only his eyes from left to right. He noticed that even the birds flying in the sky were frozen in place. He turned his attention to the nearby forest and observed it. Leaves that should have landed on the ground hung suspended in midair. “What the heck?!”

Time has stopped. It will resume if you solve the puzzle or choose to give up. Begin the puzzle by turning and twisting the rows and columns of the cube located at your left. When finished, six pictures will be seen on each side. Somehow he understood the new words that echoed from all over the place.

“Heh, I’ve solved the Rubik’s Cube thousands of times. So, is it gonna be five rows and columns or—” The grin, accompanied by a little forced laughter, on his face dissolved to a dropped jaw as his head turned. What was caught in his sight was a 20x20 square cube. Each square, however, did not contain a color; it had odd symbols, possibly to form an alphabet or perhaps a picture. “Dang…” Ryan stood up and walked towards the cube. He picked it up and started to turn its columns. Each square was half an inch in length, one thousand cubic inches in volume. He arranged the cube through impulse for an hour, or so he thought as time itself had stopped. He was about to give up… but remembered what was promised by solving this almost unsolvable puzzle– the power to make his wish come true. He was even more driven to solve it, but it was inevitable for him to realize the futility of his actions. But somehow, his instincts told him that this wish was about avenging his parents.

“Man, this impossible! I wish I was able to view how this thing was broken and then just reverse the steps.” After releasing those words, the essence of a yellow flame ignited in his eyes.

The Vision of Genesis is yours. You have the power to revive any action from the existence of the forgotten… Now finish what was started.

”What?!” A vision of the original form of the cube flashed through his mind. “All right, I can do this.” Though, from his angle, only one side could be seen; the picture was a golden eye. His vision then shifted to a different time. He saw his own hands holding the cube. However, his actions were in reverse order. “Heh, I’ll just copy what I see, then…” Ryan turned the middle column once, the fifth row twice, and turned the first three columns twice. The puzzle was now how it had originally appeared to him.

“Okay… now what?” The young man rubbed his head and concentrated. A vision of the puzzle in its current form appeared. However, it was turning and rotating on its own. “I hope my powers aren’t limited to seeing the past backwards… ” he thought. “Hey, too fast!” Many alternating twists were done on the column and sides. After twenty minutes, Ryan deactivated his Vision and wiped the perspiration from his hands on his uniform. He lay on his back and breathed heavily. “I’ve already gotten something out of this. I might as well give up…” He stared at his left hand which was holding the puzzle. “No! I won’t give up. If I give up on a task with limitless time… how will I expect myself to accomplish my revenge? It could take years!” Shaking his head, he got up and reactivated his Vision. Again, he imitated the actions done. After fifty-seven turns... light enshrouded the area. It was too sudden for him to realize that he had finished the puzzle.

“Too bad wishes don’t come true,” replied a familiar voice. Ryan’s eyes subsequently became heavy. His body dropped on the ground; he was unconscious.

He woke up in the middle of the night. Lanceler was leaning on a tree, keeping watch. The melodious sounds of crickets and owls surrounded the area. Their only source of light was the reflecting moon and the millions of stars in the night’s sky. As he got up, he sensed that he was carrying a necklace with a yellow stone, colored to match the hue of his left eye when his Vision was activated. He didn’t care to think about it at the moment, though. What mattered to him was what had happened as the time passed by.

“I… I have the power,” breathed Ryan as he stared at his right palm and held his wrist with his other hand. He shook his arm, feeling power flowing through his body.

“What are you talking about?” Lanceler asked with a curious yet assuming tone. Lanceler was curious to find out what had happened to artifact, but forgot about it as his friend reached a critical state. What further sent the topic away from him was Ryan’s strange behavior. Fortunately, Lanceler kept hold of the remains which were dented off by their gear.

“I… have the power to complete my revenge, to find out who killed my parents! The power to make my wish come true!”

< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 11/28/2008 21:12:37 >
AQ DF  Post #: 4
11/21/2008 21:15:15   
Crimzon5
Member

“What do you mean?”

Ryan’s eye glowed yellow. “I have the power to see the past.”

Lanceler took a few steps back. “Enough of this nonsense. Let’s go!”

“Nonsense? Heh, Believe me or not, I don’t care!” shouted Ryan. His companion paid no attention to him and kept on walking. Lanceler acted calm, pretending to be unaware of Ryan’s eye.

The chilling breeze swept through the lush forest. The two decided to wear their black coats to help tolerate the low temperature, and so they did. The trail they walked on wasn’t a compacted layer of soil anymore. Instead, it was the natural, grassy ground. To lessen the wind, they walked on the forest path, covered by the forking branches of the oak trees. With the burden of the dark skies, the illuminating stars' light that pierced through small holes left by the branches enabled them to keep track of the original path as they walked beside it from under the canopy. It was more magnificent than the day’s displays of light. The darkness of sundown combined with the bright celestial bodies was more appreciated.

“G-grr…” shivered Ryan as he wrapped his arms around his chest. “H-how ma-many steps i-i-issss it t-to town?”

Lanceler took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose. Again, one of them would just start to talk after the cold silence left by the aftermath of an argument. Unlike Ryan, he was more used to the cold. “Just a few more— if you’re comparing steps to the points in a video game. At this rate, we’ll be there in—” A deep, low pitched growl startled him. They turned their backs and caught sight of a dark beast behind them. If it wasn't for the cold wind, Ryan would've shivered in fear.

“Uhh…Lanceler, wh-what’s a bear like this do-doing here in the middle of the night? Hmm… let’s just play dead.”

“I don’t know… but playing dead is a bad idea. Being awake at a late hour like this would mean that it’s hungry. It might just add humans to its diet,” replied Lanceler in a worried tone. “But, my pickaxe could use another workout.” The two lifted their weapons and held them in a reflective position: their arms grasped on their weapons’ handle as their bladed parts were ready to block any physical blow. “Once it moves its biceps backwards, get ready to block an attack. After that, expect it to release a frenzy of scratching blows. As it does that, it’ll give us enough time to flank it from two sides,” he ordered.

“What are you talking about…?! Wait! Y-your eyes are glowing?!” panicked Ryan. His glance then shifted back to his target’s paws as he struck them with his shovel for his counterattack. In pain, the bear gave out a loud roar. Angered, it attempted to slam Ryan with its head. Trying to outdo Lanceler with a stunt, the brunet took a few steps back, avoiding the blow, charged towards the beast and took a huge leap. In midair, he curled up into ball, releasing his legs with a kick on the beast’s back. Retreating back to Lanceler, Ryan gave the bear a chance to get up.

“I have a confession. I have a ‘Vision’ as well. Our powers work differently though.” After staring at empty space as he talked, he focused on the beast. The beast was about to strike. Swiftly, he pushed Ryan out of the way and parried the blows with his tool. “When I say ‘go’, move to your left. I can see him move slowly; so just follow my orders.”

“Vision? Is that what this power’s called? Suweat! So, you can stop or slow time or something?”

“In a way, yeah,” replied Lanceler. “Yet, my movements are affected by it as well. Though when my power is activated, I can only think and see at forty times faster than the greatest athletes’ and geniuses’ capacity–– Now go!”

Ryan slid to his left. His clothes barely touched the nails of the ferocious beast as it unleashed a barrage of continuous slashes. As his legs flounced through the grass, he held his shovel and bashed it on the right leg of the predator with immense speed. The bear gave out a strong cry and rolled 180 degrees to its left. Feeling more curious about Lanceler’s prowess, he asked, “So… you just have a slow perception of time?”

“If you mean that time seems slow for me, then yeah.”

Getting up and staring at the crippled beast that had caused them to nearly lose their lives, Ryan said, “Let’s finish it!” His shovel was ready to stab through the furry skin.

Lanceler remained silent while he watched a tear glint in the beast’s eyes. With pity, he slowly approached the beast and pierced its back with the tip of his pickaxe. In effect, the bear's arms which struggled with such pitiful movements landed on the ground. “Its spinal cord is broken. If you paid attention to our lesson about the nervous system, you’d know that it’s incapable of moving and feeling now. And remember, I don’t need to listen to classes to know that. We’ll let the forest rangers take care of it. That or other carnivores will feast upon it.” The blond rested his tool’s hinge on his back as he walked away.

Disappointed, Ryan lowered his weapon. “Hey, wait up,” he called out. “Why didn’t you kill it?” Lanceler ignored him and continued walking. Hearing silence, Ryan felt a bit guilty. He realized that his question may have sounded stupid and was in fact inhuman.

Lanceler felt disappointed with Ryan. Breaking the solemn moment, Lanceler asked, “We’re headed to your place, ‘kay?”

“Sure. Just guide me as I walk while I try to concentrate. Once I find out who the killer is… I’ll… I’ll-” Lanceler noticed the blood thirst in his eyes. A bit fear struck Lanceler, so he tried his best to calm Ryan down.

“Think about what you’ll do next later. Try to understand your power, its weaknesses and how to use it,” interrupted Lanceler.

“Will do.” Ryan touched his forehead with his right index and middle fingers as he closed his right eye. His left eye emanated a radiance of yellow light. “I… can’t see it. No people… just the forest.” He rubbed his head as he tried to concentrate more. “Remind me to go back here and dig for fossils, will ‘ya? Now time to check a different time era! Hmm… okay, a little bit too much in the past,” he complained.

Lanceler paused for a moment. His chin rested on his right thumb while his second finger was placed between the tips of his lips. “I speculate your power is effective only in a given radius, which would be your limitation. For you to relive what happened to them, you’ll need to be at the spot of their deaths or at least have it in effective radius.”

“Now that you mention it, everything I saw was influenced by my location. I can find all sorts of treasure like this! No more digging empty holes! Who knows? I might actually find more powers similar to ours!” replied Ryan. His juvenile attitude made him stiffen his arms: his left fist punched an invisible target while his right elbow was thrust towards his body.

“What a trivial use for a power such as vision,” remarked Lanceler. Impressed and a little bit envious with Ryan’s Vision, Lanceler raised his palm open.

“Lanceler, where did my parents die?” he asked rhetorically. “One word: home.” After their conversation with a high-five, the rest of the trip became silent.

< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 11/28/2008 21:21:16 >
AQ DF  Post #: 5
11/22/2008 4:06:49   
Crimzon5
Member

Chapter 2: First Blood

Ryan and Lanceler arrived at their town as the sun rose. There wasn’t much though. Crammed houses, small clinics, a tavern, an inn, a chapel, and a school were the only buildings. There stood a few trees, about two in every corner of the street. The roads were made of cement while the sidewalk was tiled with red and yellow of the same size.

The two started out walking, but their rivalry tempted Ryan to take bigger and faster steps. In the process, he ended up running, igniting a race. To make things interesting, the two tried doing stunts like pivoting their bodies with their arms on vendors’ stalls and benches as they lift their legs to the other side.

Upon reaching the block where Ryan’s house was built, the pair noticed two females conversing in front of his neighbor’s house. A brunette, who was nearly the same height as the Ryan, leaned on a lamp pole. She was wearing a checkered skirt of dark green and red, a blue blazer over the top of a white shirt. She appeared to have red eyes although they were just contacts. She also wore a small, fiery red gem around her neck to embellish her appearance. The expressions on her face and the words that could have been read indicated that she was struggling to prove something. The other woman was an adult. Her uniform had a badge attached to it with the letters F, B, and I inscribed.

“I told you already! It wasn’t me!” the girl struggled. It would have been embarrassing on her part if any passers-by were to see what was going on. Luckily, not too many people were awake at that time.

“A katana was found piercing her heart. And guess what? The only fingerprints on it were yours.”

“Hey, Dee,” Ryan called as he waved. “What’s going on?”

Danielle opened her mouth, but before any word could come out, the officer spoke. “Ms. Danielle Derem has committed a homicide.” The FBI agent folded her arms and spoke with a confident voice. As she answered him, Ryan didn’t look at her. His attention was focused on two people, who also appeared to be FBIs, carrying a white coffin from the house.

“I didn’t do it. Trust me; I’m telling the—” the brunette interrupted as she straightened her standing position.

Cutting off her words, the officer shut her mouth with her left palm, and then spoke. “Prove it! All evidence in the crime scene leads to you: A grudge on your mom after an argument a few weeks ago and your fingerprints.”

“Proof? I… I don’t have any… I can’t prove anything,” she sobbed. She started to sweat as her fear shattered her mask of stubbornness.

“But we can!” interrupted Lanceler as he immaturely jumped and extended his right arm upwards. “Ryan, follow me.”

“Huh? Why?” he replied. Ryan’s attention was fixed on the coffin. As he spoke, he didn’t turn his head and spoke as if he was stalling, uninterested in what Lanceler was up to.

“Your power… we can use it to save your friend,” he whispered back, “and please focus, that white box can wait.” Facing the grownup woman, he said, “Umm… I’m really good in finding and analyzing clues. I even have an IQ over 250.”

“In that case, I’ll give you a chance to prove her innocence. Until then, I’ll stay here and keep watch on her,” she replied.

As the men were about to enter the house, Ryan noticed the flag on his mailbox. “I’ll just check the mail…” Without any care if the contents were going to be ripped by his carelessness, he tore a side open and let the paper slide out.

Upon reading the letter he had received and scanning through the words, Ryan said, “My uncle is giving me the option to live with him. But I’ll have to go out of town. Oh well, I’ll write back to him later saying that I’ll stay…” Offers such as these gave Ryan a reason to think if his relatives just wanted his wealth. By law, the legal guardian of any minor was to inherit the ownership of his or her dependant if the dependant were to die. As long as he didn’t have a guardian, all Ryan’s possessions would go to the persons written in his will. However, the list was kept in a small wooden chest, only to be opened if he were to die. The key to the said box was attached to keychain mirror which Ryan had attached to his belt strap.

“Hello? Are you done talking to yourself?!” Danielle shouted. “You have my innocence to prove!”

“Oh yeah, okay,” Ryan replied. Ryan followed Lanceler as he entered the door. “Seesh, what an attitude…”

While waiting for the young men, Danielle and the agent made no eye contact; they kept staring at the surroundings. “You’re always up to no good. If I’m not mistaken, you even killed your sister. You know… your mom was my best friend… and rival as well. We both loved your father. But it took a sacrifice to see those two together.” Sighing, she continued, “Did you really have to kill her? I know the two of you didn’t get along but—”

Danielle interrupted, “I told you, Officer Pheona, I didn’t do it! I haven’t killed anyone in my entire life!” Her anger enticed her to inflict pain on the adult, but was halted by her conscience. Fighting her negative emotions, she remained silent, trying to ignore the words that soon exited from the woman’s lips.

After ascending the stairs and entering the Master Room, Ryan concentrated his Vision. Lanceler, who seemingly could not do anything at the moment to help, analyzed what Officer Pheona had said. “Ryan, don’t you think it’s strange for the FBI to know that much? It’s not like the whole world knows when a mother and daughter have an argument, right?” There was no reply though. Ryan couldn’t hear the present once his Vision went active. Instead, he could see and hear what happened in the past.

A brown-haired at around her late 30s was sound asleep. Wind blew through window left open that night, controlling the curtains as if they were pawns. A hand then gripped the window’s edge from the outside. A dark figure that blended with the shadows lifted itself up. Her slender build seemed to be a woman’s. She was holding a katana which she then used to stab her victim’s chest several times. The first strike killed the victim. The murderer knew of this because there was no scream, but she continued her onslaught. After that, she left the corpse there with the weapon piercing four inches of the body, and exited. Ryan deactivated his Vision.

“Ryan,” Lanceler called, seeing that light dispersing. “What do you see?”

“The culprit was wearing a mask. But Danielle didn’t do it. But then, I wonder why it was only a plain murder. She didn’t steal anything like that crystal glass ornament or open the closet. Those clothes would’ve looked good on her, I think,” replied Ryan. The two returned to Ryan’s neighbor. “We know exactly what happened. An assassin did it. Besides... Danielle isn’t that mean.”

Pheona pushed her long strands of black hair over her shoulder. After that, she shook her head. “An assassin did?” she taunted. “I heard that the two of you cut classes and didn’t come back that night. There was no way that you could’ve seen what happened.” Ryan and Lanceler were known for cutting classes, but never were they seen in town. People who never trusted them believed that they always wandered off to the forest. But even with their reputation, Lanceler was shocked that a woman he had never met knew him too well.

Ryan tried to answer back but was stopped by the officer’s continuation of words. “If a foolish story was all that you could think of, then you just wasted your chance. Try to get some real info next time. Danielle, you will be put to court once I can file the case. And don’t even bother of getting a lawyer; you’d just be a waste of our time.” After those words, she turned her back and slowly left the three in despair. When they thought she was finally finished with them, she turned around. “Danielle,” Pheona brandished her badge and continued, “you’re under house arrest for suspicion of murder. Ryan, make sure that she stays there. Otherwise, I’ll have to arrest you, too.”

Again… she knows too much. I’ve never met this person before but she knows that I cut school, Lanceler spoke in his head.

Why that jerk! Making me do the house arresting. Ryan’s anger tempted him to hit the woman, but his manners cooled him down. Annoying the three with a smile, she turned her head as Lanceler watched her shrink in the distance.

Ryan tried shouting, “Hey, fingerprints are nothing! People have gloves, ya know!” The officer opened her mouth, almost saying a word, but gave no response. If Ryan had seen her face, he would have known that she couldn’t answer him back. Instead, she ignored him, hiding the fact that she really couldn’t use her evidence as legal proof. If she used the fingerprints as her main piece of evidence in court, Danielle’s defendant, who would most likely be Ryan, could just say that she was framed. Thus, embarrassing herself because of a seventeen-year old.

“Danielle…” Hearing Ryan’s voice, the brunette concluded that he was going to follow the officer’s orders. Before he could grab her hand, she ran off to her house, banging the door closed but unlocked.

As she reached her room, she turned the knob, entered, and locked the door behind her. She threw herself hard onto her bed. Hating her day, she covered her head with a pillow as tears poured from her eyes. “Why am I always blamed for everything?”

Strange… I wonder why she’s trying to make Danielle look bad. I doubt any other FBI agent would agree with her. I mean, seesh! What kind of evidence is that? Lanceler thought. As Ryan crossed him, heading back to his house, Lanceler turned around and followed.

< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 11/28/2008 21:35:00 >
AQ DF  Post #: 6
11/22/2008 4:19:44   
Crimzon5
Member

Senate Officer Joseph Shadebainer has yet again made thousands of lives happy. By visiting the town of Ashfall, a town by the outskirts of this region, and throwing money he earned from his past business, he made them feel that the government cares for them, regardless of where they are.

Ryan grabbed the remote from a nearby table and hardly pressed the off button. He calmly returned the device to the furniture. A small grin occupied his face after he heard the not-well-delivered yet informative report. “How could’ve I forgotten what happened?! When I was playing hide-and-seek with my mom, I hid behind the door. The door then burst open; an unmasked man entered and shot them. How could I have forgotten what he had looked like? His name… my father yelled it out. ‘Joseph Shadebainer’. How could I forget it? He was a rival candidate to my father." Ryan paused for while. Letting out a bitter laugh, he continued, "With my power… I was able to revive that event from oblivion!”

“Did you really want to remember what happened? Why not just let go of the past?” argued Lanceler. The two had already removed their uniforms and wore the clothes of their preference. Lanceler wore a black jacket with a yellow trim for his top and green shorts with pockets on the front sides that reached down to his knees. His hands were equipped with black gloves though the end of his two pointing fingers (one on each hand) and his entire thumbs were exposed.

“Because… I loved my parents.” Lanceler remained silent and turned the television on. “Turn that dang thing off!” shouted Ryan. Lanceler ignored him. “Turn that thing off!”

Starting to get pissed, Lanceler fought back. “Shut up!”

“Make me!” Ryan noticed Lanceler’s eye glowed yellow. From his pocket, the blond took a black chess piece. “Oh, how scary,” he sarcastically spoke. “What’ya gonna do? Bore me to death with a chess game?” Lanceler grinned. His thumb touched a small switch at the bottom of the piece. The king’s crown extended to a hilt and blade. Lanceler grabbed Ryan by his yellow shirt and pulled his body near to the tip of his weapon. “Na-nanobots? You… actually made them!”

“Made– yes. But I have my father to thank for teaching me.” Lanceler grinned but the sense of irritation filled his eyes. “Be quiet. If you want to kill him, find his whereabouts. Look.” Lanceler pointed at the screen.

The senate officer has agreed to stay in town for two days. He will stay in the grandest suite our inn has to offer!

Lanceler pressed the off button on the remote. The two stared at each other with a small smile. Without any words, Ryan took his shovel which was leaning against the wall and rushed out of the room. Lanceler stopped him. “I thought that we were thinking of the same thing. Don’t you ever plan out your actions? This is a senator, with bodyguards. And most likely the inn has taken heavy precautions to ensure his safety. First things first, we have to get you some equipment…”

“Nah, if our tools can kill a beast, what can’t it?”

Awhile later, they entered the lobby and fell inline for the elevator. Danielle… do you have a Vision? Lanceler thought.
After a few minutes, the two entered the elevator. Scanning the buttons, Ryan lifted his finger until he saw and touched a circular one with the number seven inscribed on it. It was a practice for the inn to place the best rooms in the seventh floor. While waiting, Lanceler heard people conversing in whispers about the shovel Ryan was carrying. They were most likely wondering what he was doing with it and complaining silently about it.

Ting! The door opened. Acting normal, the two walked calmly turning their heads as they eyed the room numbers. Ryan activated his Vision in front of each door, examining if Joseph had entered. With an entire hall of rooms, he fast-forwarded the reliving of the past. Rooms 725, 727, 729… 731… there they were. Unfortunately, a well-muscled bodyguard, wearing shades and clad in a black coat, blocked the entrance. The two approached him. “What do you want?”

“We’re here to see Mr. Shadebainer,” replied Ryan.

“He is a very busy and tired man. He has no time for brats like you. Now shoo!” The guard flicked his hands.

“But–” Lanceler tapped Ryan on his shoulder. Ryan knew that he meant him to stop talking.

“Let’s go.” Ryan prevented himself from talking back. He was able to tell from the expression on Lanceler’s face that he was up to something. The two turned tail and left. As they descended through the stairs (Ryan’s shovel would’ve annoyed the other civilians), Lanceler discussed his plan. “We’ll need both yours and Danielle’s power. I believe that she has a Vision. I believe that she obtained her Vision from the candle that mysteriously disappeared from the museum during our fieldtrip. Who else in class was mischievous enough to ignore the rule about no touching? Anyways, in ancient times, when two people had opposing evidence of one’s innocence, both were made to hold a candle. Whoever’s candle would die first would be the one telling a lie. That means—”

“Danielle is a human lie-detector,” interrupted Ryan.

“Correct. And this is where you come in; using your Vision, we’ll find something dirty about him to use as blackmail. Then, Danielle’s Vision will be support. I’m not sure how her power works exactly but I’m sure about the lie detector.”

“All right…” Ryan replied. The two rushed as they descended and headed back.

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Knock knock

A man at about his forties answered the door. “Yes?” His eyes were red from falling tears.

“Hi, Mister Blake. I heard that you just got back from your business travel. Umm… is Danielle home?” Ryan asked, pretending to be unaware of the sorrow that the man felt. From a distance, his companion rested his back on a tree and observed.

The man replied with a nod. Ryan could feel that his pride tried to hide his grief. “But she hasn’t been herself lately. When I discovered blood on my wife's bed, I asked her if she was still alive. Without a word, she ran to her room and locked it. She should be in school right now. Tell me, Ryan, what happened?”

“You’re right… she’s dead." Ryan spoke in a normal calm voice. The lack of Ryan's care and sympathy caused the man he was talking with to erupt in heavy breathing and made his entire body tense.

“W-what? Tell me that this is a joke.” Ryan shook his head. The worrying frown on the man's face turned to an angered stare. “I can't believe that you don't seem to care at all! Can't you see that my wife just died!?"

"I know she's dead. I'm the one who just told you, remember? And how dare you say that I don’t care? Danielle’s also a victim. Here I was, ready to comfort her, but you then had to answer the door! You asked me to answer your question. What more do you want from me?! Besides... I've already lost more than you have."

"Grr... Get out of my sight!" Danielle's father slammed the door. Quickly, Ryan inserted his shovel in the small remaining gap.

"Taking out your anger on me won't do anything. If you just keep on bringing out your wrath on someone innocent, it will just continue to pour out. Find out who the real culprit is!"

"Ryan, not even revenge will bring the dead back to life."

Ryan withdrew his shovel. "It won't... with the killer out there, more will die. Who knows? The next one could be you." Turning his back, Ryan left. Blake tried to call him, asking for his forgiveness, but feared that Ryan would reject his apology.

Facing Lanceler, he saw him pointing to an open window. "If you're that desperate, try climbing using the dents on the walls."

"Maybe I will..." Ryan clutched on the wall with his right hand first, then his left. He lifted his feet to a lower-elevated dent, and reached out for a higher one with his hands. After several repetitions, he entered the window. Danielle’s face was covered by streaks from wiped tears and her cheeks were red. Her contacts were off, revealing the true steel-blue color of her eyes.

"Hey..." Danielle sadly spoke.

“This is important. It’s about what happened earlier.” Danielle quickly smiled, sensing a little hope coming from Ryan.

“I will never cut classes again.”

“What? You came all the way here just to say that? What does it have to do with what happened?” Danielle shouted.

“I said, ‘I will never cut classes again.’”

Danielle’s steel-blue eyes turned red. “Yeah right!” Ryan felt a cold wind running through his chest going to his mind.

What was that? Hmm… must be a side-effect of her ability… “Tell me Danielle, have you felt anything different lately?” Danielle stared at the floor and shook her head. “Oh c’mon! Cheer up.” Danielle shook her head again. “Oh that’s it.” Ryan stood up. “There’s this guy I wanna kill," he said, "but he has a bodyguard who won’t let us pass. Now..." Ryan's arm began to shake with anger. "So now, I need your help."

Danielle lifted herself up but made no eye contact. Shadows, an unlighted area of her face covered by her bangs, concealed her eyes. Ryan frowned and was troubled by a bad feeling. The brunette raised her hand and slapped Ryan across the face. After releasing the quick jolt of pain, she lowered her right hand to Ryan’s shoulder. “You came… all the way here for that?!”

“I’m serious.” Ryan pulled his small rectangular mirror attached to a keychain. “Look, your eyes are red. And remember, your contacts are over there by the table.” The girl took a glance at her reflection. She took a small step back. Ryan then lowered the mirror. Her eyes saw Ryan’s yellow eyes. Her arms slightly shook in fear while her jaw dropped. “It’s okay. We just have… powers,” Ryan comforted.

“I know that,” she replied. “That’s why I wear red contacts.”

< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 11/28/2008 21:46:17 >
AQ DF  Post #: 7
11/30/2008 9:00:30   
Crimzon5
Member

Outside, Lanceler impatiently tapped his left foot. Still leaning on the tree, he relaxed with his arms folded. A small black kitten growled and caught his attention. Curious to see what would happen to it next (was it going to get driven over by a car?), he adverted his gaze to the darling creature. Its helplessness and innocence (which in Lanceler’s dictionary, again, meant ‘lack of practical knowledge’) caused him to think of unfortunate possibilities. As his eyes followed its movements, he noticed Ryan and Danielle conversing. Both of their Visions appeared active, and Ryan was trying to comfort her by placing his right hand on her shoulder. I told him not to use the direct approach. He’s such an idiot, he thought.

Suddenly, Danielle opened the window. Ryan leaped out from it and, with a thud, made a perfect landing on the soft, grassy lawn. He raised his hands, ready to catch her. Lanceler widened his eyes in surprise. “You gotta be kidding me!” He sighed, covering his eyes with his hands. While he stood there, blinded, Lanceler heard the sound of a vehicle passing by. That reminded him of the cat, but seeing it gone, he ignored his curiosity.

Half of Danielle’s body exited the window. She turned her head to scan the area if anyone was watching. As she turned her sight to the tree where the blond had rested, she saw no one. “Umm… okay, here I come!” The brunette held window frame and placed her legs outside. She let go as she slid herself down from the edge.

Knowing that everything that fell had an initial acceleration of 9.8 meters per second squared, Lanceler calculated how long it would take for her to fall if he used his Vision. Triggering his power, he grinned as he watched the experiment take place.

As she was caught, Ryan’s arms supported her on her upper back and behind-the-knee joints. The impact slightly pushed Ryan’s arms downwards. “Umm… you can put me down now,” she giggled.

“Y-yeah… sorry….”

So… my Vision can also let me see things as if they were twenty times slower. I can change my perspective of time to any degree! This would be perfect for– Lanceler approached the two from behind a nearer tree. “What did you say to make her agree?”

Ryan smiled. “Two things: We need her help to blackmail the bodyguard who’s protecting the guy who killed me parents. And two, I promised to help her runaway.” Ryan spoke just as fast as he had done earlier when he had explained the situation to Danielle.

Lanceler shook his head. “If that’s what she wants… then we’ll have to do it. Come, let’s go,” he ordered with a quick movement of his hand. Envy struck Ryan as he wanted to be the leader. But at the moment, subordinating Lanceler was the wisest choice.

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The automatic doors opened as Lanceler approached. Ryan ran towards the elevator and was about to press the up button, but was halted by Lanceler. He pointed at Ryan’s shovel, waggled his finger and shook his head. The brunet groaned and led the way to the stairs. Ryan sighed as a complaint to what they were about to go through: the lifting of one foot to a higher elevated step again and again, followed by a U-turn which would lead to yet another series of steps.

They reached the seventh floor. Taking cover from the bodyguard’s line of sight from a wall near the intersection of two halls, Ryan took a small peek and activated his Vision.

“Hey,” whispered Danielle, “why’d he bring his shovel anyway?” Lanceler replied with a shrug and kept watch.

Based on the guard’s digital watch, it was 10:07 AM, about half an hour after he had shooed the two students. A woman at about her late twenties suddenly approached him. Her face was hidden by straw-hat which was coated with a purple veil. Its top was decorated by a white ribbon. The long strand reached down to her back. The black-coated man greeted her and they exchanged a few words and shared some laughs. Obviously, they had known each other. Ryan paid detail to each word uttered.

“Are you still up for our date?” The woman asked.

The man replied with a nod. “My shift will end at noon. And starts again an hour before dusk.”

“Okay then–” Before she continued, she noticed a ring wrapped around his forth finger (the thumb being the first). Anger, hatred stronger than a dragon slayer’s wrath, consumed her broken heart. “You’re married?!” She raised her hand and was ready to slap him.

“No-no! Let me explain. I... I lost my wife a few years ago,” he hesitantly spoke. “I loved her but there was nothing I could do to get her back. This ring is… just a reminder of her.”

Exhaling heavily, the woman tried to return to her normal state. Hearing those words made her feel guilty; the woman trusted the man so much that she hated herself for jumping to negative conclusions. “Oh, I’m very sorry to hear that. Don’t worry, now you have me. So, we still up for later?”

“Sure. What just happened will never change anything.”

Ryan grinned. Lanceler clapped silently as he assumed Ryan used his Vision to good use. “Danielle,” he called. “Pretend that you’re running a survey. Ask that guy if he’s married,” he ordered. Danielle nodded and approached the man. As she went on to carry her orders, Lanceler turned on his Vision just in case someone were to approach them.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” the man politely asked.

Heh… he shoos us boys and asks a girl if he can do anything for her. Isn’t he a bit too old to be a playboy?

“Umm…” Danielle bashfully replied. “I’m running a survey about government-related people's status and I-I was wondering if–”

“Joseph Shadebainer is a busy man. But I know that he is married. He has a daughter, you know.” Danielle had her Vision on, and as the bodyguard replied with a truth, the brunette had to suffer a weak heat wave which only she felt. If she had felt nothing, she could've been sure that the victim of her Vision attack lied.

“No, I was talking about you.”

“Me? Well… I was but my wife uh… died.” After those words had been spoken, he felt a cold burst of wind, one as strong as blizzard, piercing through his body. The storm of ice hit quick and hard as swords of hail. But it was as if only his senses, and not his body, felt it. The weird sensation made the man look at himself, leaving him wondering about the sudden jolt.

“Hmm… thanks!” Danielle gave a big smile and retreated to the boys. The man smiled as he adored her perfect teeth. After Danielle took cover behind the wall, she gave her report. “He’s married but he lied about his wife being dead. I wonder why.”

Ryan let out quiet yet sinister laugh. “One word… lust. His desire for women is his weakness. He’s married but he has a date with another woman!” he whispered. “He must’ve thought that you were sent by that woman to investigate on his status. Danielle, your cellphone has a camera, right? I’d like to use mine but I left it at home.”

“Of course it does. I always use one of the latest models, unlike Lanceler who hasn’t changed his phone for like… two years. And when the teacher wasn’t looking, I used my phone to take a picture of you when the bucket of grape juice I placed at the door spilled on you,” she replied.

“So it was you! You said it was Lanceler. Heh, I guess I shouldn’t have done the same trick on him… not!” Danielle giggled and ran towards the exit. Ryan then chased after her leaving Lanceler alone. Before Lanceler stood up, Ryan returned to him and activated his Vision from that spot, and then walked away again. Seeing the yellow light in his eyes, Lanceler guided Ryan as they traversed.

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Only the brunet and blond returned to the bodyguard. Danielle on the other hand stayed in Ryan’s place. “You again?” Lanceler remained silent but waved two pictures clipped in between his fingers. One contained the man dating the woman he had met at around 10:00 and the other showed him and his wife kissing each other in front of his house’s door. Though he had to accompany the senate officer throughout his entire trip around the country and live in an apartment in the Northern Region, he had a wife who lived in Ashfall. He would occasionally visit her, during the holidays and special occasions. “H-how did you?”

“Secret!” replied Ryan. Hehe, by using my Vision, I traced the steps you made to your house and waited for you to return. Before you left however, your wife who trusts you gave you a goodbye-kiss. “We’ll rip the pictures apart, just let us in,” he negotiated.

“Deal.” The man faced the door and knocked. “Sir, two boys are here to see you.”

“Very well, let them in.” The door opened before the two. As Ryan gave a taunting smile to the bodyguard, a figure from the shadows observed them and picked up his phone. When they entered, they saw the senate officer with his back turned on them as he bent to pack his luggage. The room was majestic. It had a fireplace, something not all rooms had because of the lack of chimney space, and several paintings of terrains and mythical beasts. A crimson dragon with scarlet wings roaring at the summit of a mountain, the harmony of the colors gave the artwork the essence of reality. There were also a few tables; each had a vase holding spotless (in this case, ‘rot-less’) bouquet. “Don’t mind me; just tell me what you want to say.”

Lanceler activated his Vision and scanned the area. He noticed a wooden chess board with a complete set of pieces. Each piece was in its default location, except for the white king and queen that were switched. Ryan then punched him with his elbow. Because of his slow perception of time, the jolt was felt longer. “Sheesh, you don’t have to use your Vision. Turn those golden eyes of yours off,” Ryan whispered. “Anyways, so… you play chess?”

Joseph stood and faced the two. Lanceler noticed that he was wearing a necklace; he could see the black string around his neck, but the stone was buried in his coat. “Yes. I’m really good at it if I do say so myself.”

Lanceler thought for a while. Instinctively, he raised his right pointing finger in between the tip of his lips, giving away that he was in the process of some critical analyzing. “Then I shall challenge you!” Lanceler shouted as he pointed at him.

“Very well then,” he laughed. “Let’s begin.” As he took his seat, he fixed the positions of the two pieces mentioned earlier. “I’ll be black,” he said.

Lanceler shook his head. “No, I’ll be black.” Joseph smiled, letting out a small breath from his nostrils. He moved a pawn from e2 to e4. Lanceler smiled and charged his pawn from e7-e5. “Your move…” Shadebainer grinned and moved his queen to Square h5. Lanceler thought for a while before moving his right knight to the edge of the board. Capturing Lanceler’s pawn, Joseph declared a check on him. Lanceler block the queen’s attack with his bishop.

“You do know the consequence of that move, don’t you?” the man taunted. Lanceler gave no response. Playing with his mustache, Joseph grabbed the pawn in front of the student’s left knight. “Your rook has nowhere to run.”

“You talk too much… I intentionally moved my bishop to do this!” Lanceler pursued the piece by attacking it with his bishop. “You’ll only be able to retreat to not-so-good squares.” Answering back with silence, Lanceler’s competitor retreated his queen. Several moves followed, some of which forced the players to sacrifice a piece to take one from the other. When Lanceler managed to even up the number of pawns, Joseph released his rook as he threatened the young man with another check. Three squares behind his king was an undefended bishop; it was an open check.

Lanceler analyzed the board and rested his forehead on his left palm. His bangs covered his trembling eyes. Half a minute passed, but he made no move still. He knew that he could only move his king to the right, but not a single one of the three options he had could defend his bishop. Tapping the tip of his finger nail on the table, he cursed to himself silently. Can this guy read minds? Lanceler’s pride gave him the reason think of such. The heat trapped by his gloves combined with his tenseness forced his hands to sweat heavily.

To his rescue, Ryan grabbed his shovel and held it with both of hands and shouted as he attempted to strike Sen. Shadebainer. His anger accelerated the speed of his blow. The game was ruined as Joseph swept his arm across the board to pull a pistol from his sleeves. Without turning his head, he fired a shot blindly aimed at Ryan.

Bang!

The projectile, piercing through the fulcrum, cut the shovel into two pieces. “How… how did you-?”

He obviously can read minds. He… he has a… does he have Vision?!

“You… you killed my parents, you son of a—”

“Now, now, Ryan, be careful of your words.” The man grabbed Ryan’s hand and placed an envelope filled with money and locked it in his hands. Ryan twitched his eyebrows while staring at the money curiously. The door then burst open. The news crew and several cameramen flooded his room. “Be careful about that shovel of yours. It has a few rusts. Here, why not have it repaired,” he said out loud. Ryan tried to punch him but the cameramen and interviewers blocked him from doing so.

“I guess someone saw us getting inside and used the same blackmail we used to convince the bodyguard. Let’s retreat for now,” suggested Lanceler. Ryan remained silent but followed Lanceler as he crawled towards the exit.

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When they had returned home, Danielle approached them. She was about to greet Ryan but noticed his depressed face. “Mission failed…” Lanceler looked at her with a frown. Wiping the saddened looked on his face, he stared at her again. “Let’s play for a while.”

The blond and the brunette played chess in Ryan’s lawn while Ryan knelt in front of a small altar in his garden. “Dang! I’m so weak! I’m the worst!” sobbed Ryan as he punched the remains of his shovel. Lanceler pretended to ignore him and continued the game. He lifted his king, which was two squares away from his rook, and made it adjacent to the said rook. If it weren’t for his king… there would’ve been a checkmate. His king was in front of the rook that could’ve checked the opposing king and was next to another rook.

“Check!” Danielle exclaimed as she landed her knight. Her excitement sent her jumping as she lifted her piece. Like for many other beginners, a simple check could sound like a great accomplishment.

“Checking is just a mere harassment,” replied Lanceler. “Ryan,” he called, “that man Joseph… we’ll find him again, and then… we’ll place him in…” Lanceler grinned as he grabbed his king and moved it diagonally to its lower-right. Left to the king was the rook which it had formerly blocked and in front of it was the rook which it was next to in the last turn. “Checkmate,” he continued. Danielle groaned and rearranged the pieces. “Actually, you could’ve blocked the rook with your knight… but it’ll just delay your loss.”

“How… he’s invincible! He knows our every move! It’s like he has a Vision! He saw us coming, he knew I was going to attack him, and he knew that cameramen were coming. Besides, we’re just kids…” Tears dropped from his eyes, but Ryan tried his best to avoid showing any other sign of weakness. “Besides, he’s left already.”

Lanceler activated his Vision to think for a quick reply. But before he could, he noticed the letter addressed to Ryan on the table. He upended it and read the words it had contained. “We’ll use your uncle’s letter as an excuse to leave the town. Then, we’ll head over to our excavation site and cross the bridge that was built over the fissure.”

“And Danielle?”

“She wants to run away, right?” Lanceler quickly responded. Ryan wiped his tears off and gave Lanceler another high-five.

< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 12/13/2008 7:13:46 >
AQ DF  Post #: 8
12/2/2008 7:58:06   
Crimzon5
Member

Chapter 3: Castling

A short woman, with her hair tied in a ponytail, sat behind a table, signing papers. Through her transparent glasses, one could easily see that she was a bit annoyed, yet used to what she was doing. Her blue uniform was spotless, but her hair needed some combing. The ceiling-lights were turned off, and the woman had to rely on a small lamp placed on her table.

Knock knock

“Come in,” she said with a sigh. The door slowly opened. The dim light only showed the person’s silhouette. But that was already enough for her to recognize the person. Behind him were two other people, one possessed long strands of hair, while the other had two months’ length of grown hair. “Mr. Kristen, I do not seem to recall calling you to my office. Are you here to confess about cutting classes the other day?” Her voice had a sarcastic tone to it, implying she was expecting another excuse from him.

The figure approached her and was followed by the one with shorter hair. The third stayed outside. Without a word, Ryan slammed his uncle’s letter at the woman’s desk with a teasing smile. “Sorry, but we’re out of excuses,” taunted Lanceler. They had to find a way for Ryan to leave school. If they didn’t, his relatives would worry. Their only option left was to change the topic when interrogated. After quickly scanning it, she pushed herself from her table by kicking it, causing her seat’s wheels to carry her towards her files. Opening the second drawer, she skipped the labels A-J and proceeded to K. “It’s a shame to have you go, Mr. Ryan Kristen.” Ryan could feel the irony in her words.

The principal wrote her signature at the bottom part of the page and offered the brunet a pen. “Sign here… and you’re good to go. Now,” the woman turned her attention the other two, “what can I do for you?” Her palm positioned to retrieve the pen from Ryan as soon as he finished.

“I got a scholarship… so I’m going to another school,” replied Lanceler. He was known in the campus for his superior knowledge among the community, so a scholarship was most likely going to be offered to him. But in the middle of the school year? Such analyzation caused the listener to question him.

“Mr. Vi Ladoli, what school was it that you’re going to?” she asked, thinking that she was finally able to catch the two in their weakest moment. Waiting for a reply, she grinned as she disguised her agenda with an apathetically manner of signing the documents.

Pretending to rest his forehead, Lanceler sealed his left eye with his palm and activated his Vision. “GunBlazer Academy. It’s a top school in the Western region... well... that’s what I heard,” he lied. “It’s said to teach methods to… slay dragons, one of the best schools for that I heard.” Deactivating his power, the blond reached into his pocket, trying to find some documents which he had forged.

“Now wouldn’t a school like that be better located in the Southern region?” The principle asked, thinking again that she caught him off guard. She rested her chin between her hands, forgetting about the importance of signing the documents as she paid full attention to Lanceler’s comeback.

“Who in their right mind would do that?” Lanceler retorted. His sudden change of speech wiped the smirk off the woman’s face with curiosity. “If the dragons found out, they would scorch such a school to nothing more but a pile of ash. That is why it is in the Western region, a place that has too little food and water to sate their needs and thus, safe from their flaming breaths. Amongst all the beastly creatures, only they match the human brain; some even surpass it.”

Knowing that his documents were now unnecessary, he folded his arms, confidently waiting for a reply. “Very well, you do seem to possess excellent grades. I’m surprised that your behavior didn’t stop them from giving you a scholarship.” Very well,” the woman repeated. The woman grabbed another paper. “Sign here.” Lanceler took the pen from Ryan, and began filling the form.

This is too easy. Why didn’t she ask me for any parental approval?

“Ok, guys, let’s go! Umm… thank you, Miss,” Ryan courteously said.

The principal made no response even as they left, laughing at the success of their deception. As soon as the door had closed after them, they heard a voice, similar to the principal's, screaming joyful, immature interjections. “I was… expecting that.” Lanceler suspected that his dropping out was so easy because the principal wanted him gone. A simple grudge wouldn’t have been the reason though. Maybe his mischievous acts were bad for the school’s reputation. After all, a school would often care more about its image than its students and services offered. One time, an excellent teacher was fired for failing to provide the yearly requirement of a new study; as students had to create a thesis, the same went for the faculty. It was contracted in the school’s terms and agreements that every teacher and professor must contribute in its growing knowledge.

As they left the building, the three approached a parked black motocross motorcycle. It was fastened to a lamp pole with the mirror chain which Ryan attached to his belt strap. Next to it was a black steed with a yellow saddle. Ryan grabbed his helmet, absorbing light with its mask’s crimson tint. After putting his on, Ryan offered Danielle a pink helmet with a mask shaped like a heart. (According to Lanceler, the heart shape is actually two kidneys overlapping at the bottom.)' Its shade shimmered in a dark-green hue that, in certain light, appeared almost black. “Let’s head off to the fissure now.”

“But, Lanceler, what about Danielle? She needs an excuse, too," argued Ryan.

Annoyed by Ryan’s lack of tactical logic, Lanceler mounted on his horse and patted its head. The horse neighed cheerfully in response. “She’s running away. As I said earlier, there is no need.”

“But what about you? Unlike Ryan, you have parents who care for you, right?” Danielle questioned. Ryan felt a bit annoyed of her mentioning his parents. He tried not to show any signs of anger by masking his emotions with a simple sigh. But unlike Lanceler, Danielle was hard for someone to get mad with, especially if that someone was a boy. Most students in their school that hated her had only two reasons: One was that she’s a cheerleader, a cheerleader that attracts most of the guys, and the second was because she tended to misbehave at times. But despite her beauty, neither Ryan nor Lanceler got infatuated to her.

Lanceler laughed, obviously forcing himself. “I forged documents about my scholarship and showed it to them. Now let’s go!”

"And... they believed that there was such a school called Gunblazer?"

"You know, Danielle, remember that time when the two of us were absent for two days? We decided to explore the other side of the fissure for once. Gunblazer did exist... but it's not that elite," replied Ryan. Gunblazer was indeed an academy located in the Western region, the land of deserts, gun draws, and train robberies. But as mentioned by Ryan, it wasn’t one of those top schools that only recruited scholars. In the past, the school was only used for the arts of gun-drawing, gun slinging, and accurate shooting. But the demands of its eastern visitors and colonizers forced changes. With its past of being a battle-oriented school, it would seem logical for it to become a dragon-slaying school as well.

“Okay, but before we go, stop by my place first. I need to pick something up there,” Danielle requested.

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The three headed to the forest, but were halted on the way by a city patroller who rode on a black motorcycle. The mask on the guard’s helmet was raised, exposing him to the light. However, his identity was kept hidden with a pair of shades covering hi eyes. “Halt! It’s getting late. Where are children like you headed off to at such late hour?” Insulting words and negative emotions clashed in Ryan’s head. But seeing the man armed with a baton and pistol returned him from his angered state, as fear struck him and reminded him to respect authority.

“My best bud and I, as well as my girlfriend, are going stargazing,” Ryan lied. “Besides, I’m seventeen. I’m one year older than the first year of adulthood.” The charismatic expression on the boy’s face, revealed by the opening on his helmet, and charming smile were filled with a such confidence, persuaded the watchman to believe him.

Danielle’s helmet hid her blushing cheeks. She never thought of Ryan as more than a friend, but that changed when she was given the idea by the young man’s deceiving words.

The guard drove away, but didn’t ignore the weapons, cased in two overlapping katana scabbards forming an X, the female passenger carried. But since they were headed out to the forest, they would’ve needed those for their protection.

At the end of day, the three rode to the west, chasing the sinking sun. For her safety, Danielle had to wrap her arms around Ryan. Trying to look at his face, covered by his helmet’s tinted mask, she felt mixed emotions: Shyness about being too close to Ryan, fear of what they were getting into, grief over her mother’s death and running away, and growing a crush on her companion.

Back at her house, Danielle’s father eyed a letter at his door. Written with red ink and wet with tears, the crumbled note hung nailed on the wall four feet above the ground. Upon grabbing it, the man turned his attention to the TV report.

Bernadette Derem, a thirty-six year old woman was found dead this morning with a katana piercing her heart. Unfortunately, not a single specimen or proof was available to point any fingers. The only person who possibly could’ve been involved was her daughter, Danielle Derem, a sixteen-year-old girl.

Hearing the accusation on his daughter, he turned the TV off. He loved his daughter so much that he hated to see her labeled as a criminal. "Danielle, I trust you. I know that you didn’t kill your mother but did you really have to run away? I wonder… where are you now...?"

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Danielle's strands of hair waved with the passing winds, and the sinking sun was the scenery's beautiful background. The glorious sun falling down was indeed a splendid sight. Adding to the noise which the motorcycle had produced, she yelled, "Yee ha!"

< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 12/9/2008 7:15:14 >
AQ DF  Post #: 9
12/5/2008 20:40:31   
Crimzon5
Member

The three had reached the fissure exactly at nightfall. It was a lunar eclipse; the Earth had completely blocked the moon, enshrouding the trio with darkness. It was still too early for any star to shine, so Ryan's vehicle remained their only source of light. Stopping in front of the rope bridge that connected the two ends of the large crack in the earth, the horse trampled vigorously, as if it was never tamed. Lanceler, who struggled to keep a firm hold on his mount, saw trepidation in Knightmare’s movements. Refusing to continue, Lanceler decided to set camp. “My horse doesn’t want to go any further. We’ll have to wait for sunrise…”

“Knightmare doesn’t want to go? Can’t you reason out with it? I mean, he is a horse but you guys can play chess together, right? Hey, what about the lights of my motorcycle?” Ryan asked as he tapped the light slowly.

“Your light is too dim. Besides, do you think it’s safe to set camp on the bridge?” Annoyance became evident in the man’s voice. Ryan attempted to return the hostility with anger, but before he could act, Lanceler continued, “I think not. Now do as I say! By the way, Knightmare doesn’t know how to play chess… yet.”

“Hey, you’re not the boss of me!” the man shouted. Ryan could feel a light but continuous pound in his chest. The release of his emotions was concluded with silence, a barely perceptible yet heavy breathing.

Lanceler let out a forced laugh and took a black king from his pocket. Its varnished layer, covered by a level of black, gave it a shiny effect. A small cut on the left side of the crown outstood as a detail. “Danielle, just sit back there and watch. Ryan, let me show you how hard life is with two leaders, how hard chess is with two kings…”

“Did you just challenge me?” Ryan mimicked the sarcastic amusement, but failed to supply it with the proper conviction of speech. “Remember, you were owned by Joseph. You were lucky that I rescued you on time. Heh, I accept your challenge. But please, make it feel like one.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. He’s really good,” commented Danielle. “I know the outcome; Lanceler will surely win.” No one replied. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she turned her head away and said, “Anyways, I’ll be setting the tents.” Danielle dismounted the motorcycle, grabbed Ryan’s backpack, and pulled from it three rolled-up green tents Danielle, you idiot! How do you expect Ryan to like you if you’re saying that he’s weaker? You know boys; their hormones (If Lanceler heard her thoughts, he would correct her with the word ‘androgen’ to be more exact) makes them fight for the position of the alpha male. I guess setting the tents will do the trick.

From his left pocket, Lanceler pulled a magnetic chess board, one hundred square inches in area. He opened it, and slid the pieces to his hand. “I’ll show you the power of this golden eye.” Lanceler’s eyes emitted a yellow light, creating an intimidating gesture. Amidst the darkness, the glow shrunk the blond’s pupils. Ryan observed the small change of detail in his companion’s eyes.

Everything has a strength…and a weakness. Using a Vision will produce a light in the eyes thus, the pupil shrinks. In darkness, the pupil widens. I wonder… what happens if Lanceler uses his Vision where there’s only a little light? His pupil would require to expand for it obtain light… but his Vision will make it do the opposite.

“Ryan, please hold the board.” With a calm face and a small smile, the blond swiftly took one piece from his left hand, and placed it on its default location. However, he didn’t seem to look at the piece, as if he knew what it was. His eyes moved so quickly that Ryan couldn’t see him look at the piece. When there was one pawn left to be placed, he positioned it three squares in front of his king. They illumination in his eyes then faded. “I’ll be white. And here are the rules: The queen will act as a king. It can only move one square, and must not be eaten at all costs.”

“Got it,” replied Ryan. The hustle gave Ryan too much excitement that he played his early moves without a second thought. The brunet’s first move was his left knight; jumping over a pawn, it landed on the edge of the board. Pretending not to look or not to even think, Lanceler used his Vision to analyze. At the instant his piece made contact with the black square, Lanceler charged another pawn forward. So… he’ll play with his Vision, eh?

When Danielle had finished setting the tents, the game still continued. The white army had lost five pawns, two rooks, and two knights while its opposition had four pawns remaining, two knights, the royal pieces, one rook, and only one bishop. The other one was just captured by Lanceler’s rook.

“You may have the piece advantage… but you have neither the tactical nor the positional advantage. Look.” Lanceler pointed at Ryan’s king and queen. They were diagonally adjacent. “Remember, the rule is that the queen acts like a king and must not die. However, with what you’ve done, all I need to move my bishop and you’re pinned.” Lanceler moved his bishop four squares diagonally to its upper left. “Check…mate. If you move your queen out of the way, your king will die. But if you don’t you’ll still lose. I sacrificed some of my officials to align your royalties in that manner.”

“Grrr… there has to be a way out of this,” Ryan hissed to himself.

“That is why, there should only be one leader,” Lanceler continued, his voice full of conviction in every word spoken. Despite his loss, Ryan commended his companion for his gift in impromptu speeches. Such sincerity and passion made his words sound scripted yet, at the same time real and convincing. “When one gets in the way the other, one has to choose and it is guaranteed that the other will be destroyed. If that’s the case, I should be the leader. Remember Ryan, if you’re going to kill Joseph, you’ll be known to the public. You’ll need an alias, a mask. I’m currently in the process of making one; it should be ready in two days. I still need to finish a few things.”

Ryan gave no reply. In response to the silence, Lanceler released a small huff from his nostrils.

“Guys, the tents are all set up.” Ryan sighed, thinking that Danielle tried to change the topic. The girl noticed this, and her negative speculations broke her heart.

The tents were two meters away from each other, forming a circle around a bonfire which Danielle had ignited. Danielle took a seat near the fire, trying to warm herself. Dragging himself, Ryan approached the fire as well. He didn’t seem to be cold though; instead, he wanted company, but his emotions left him with no guts to initiate a conversation. Poor Ryan, She thought, it must be really bad for him. Failing to kill the man whom he should’ve hated for twelve years without knowing him and failing to make good decisions for the group.

“Here,” Lanceler offered Ryan. Lifting his head miserably, Ryan looked at his hands. Lanceler generously offered him two sticks of barbecue. “There’s no fat in it; I already removed it because, heh, no one seems to eat it anyway.” The scent stimulated his hunger. Ryan remained still, reflecting about himself. He tried to resolve himself. He knew that he couldn’t accomplish anything with the way things were.

“Thanks,” he replied, taking the offered sticks. After the quick meal, the three just talked around the fire, chatting about interesting stories, jokes, and experiences, as well as some riddles. Danielle could see that Ryan seemed to have cheered up. Smiling at him, she remembered her home, her father. Was he still furious about the news and enraged that his daughter killed his wife? Or was it impossible for him to believe that she killed her mother? Those questions seemed to bother her throughout the night. Sighing, she exhaled miserably. The brunet looked at her, knowing that something was wrong.

“It’s okay. Be regretless of the past,” he comforted, “and fearful –or should I say excited– of the future. Besides, it wasn’t you who killed her. My Vision says it wasn’t you.” The girl started to sob. Ryan felt pain coming from the inside as he mentioned the word ‘past’. He was lucky to have a guardian until he was fourteen, the age he was in when he thought that he didn’t need one anymore. But, even that couldn’t heal the pain left behind by the death of his parents. “I promise… some how, I’ll find a way to use my Vision to find out who the culprit really is. I’m just not yet sure how I’m gonna do it though. It’s either with the help of Visions. Or maybe–” Before he could continue, Danielle wrapped her arms around him, crying. The sudden movement and boldness astonished the other two.

Danielle had thoughts of regretting her actions but it was too late to take anything back. Ryan was about to say something but his resolve taught him to be careful of his words. Ryan closed his eyes, feeling the warm touch of his companion. Leaning on a tree, a bit isolated from the other two, Lanceler grinned as he looked at them.

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As Ryan exited his tent the following the morning, he saw Lanceler equipping his gloves. Next to him were the charred remains of the bonfire. Smoke slowly rose from it, indicating that it was recently extinguished. Nodding at him, Ryan shook his hair, trying to fix it, and packed up his tent. “Let’s go!” he exclaimed, mounting his motorcycle. “Hey, where’s Danielle?”

“I’m right behind you.” Ryan turned his head to where the voice originated from. Danielle’s hair was a bit messy, and her wrist carried her headband. With a pink comb, Danielle brushed her long, wet strands of brown hair. “I woke up early and took a shower at the falls.”

“What falls?” the two men questioned.

“At the bottom of the cliff is a river. And of course, the sea at one side and a waterfall on the other. But the hike was tiring though, but climbing back up was easy.”

“Heh, we know. You’d use your acrobatic stunts to climb up. Too bad you’re not brave enough to jump down. You could at least jump to a platform a few feet below.” Shaking his head at his own nonsense comments, Ryan headed towards his motorcycle. Danielle followed while Lanceler, riding his steed, led the way.

Though it was an old wooden bridge, it was proven to be a sturdy one. From the two students’ experience, it would take two hours on wheels to cross it while five hours on foot, running. Recently, the two regions which it had connected proposed a project to repair the bridge by replacing the wooden steps one at a time. Yet, not a single construction worker laid a hand on it. The fact that those who had held power and position in society failed to do what they promised was one reason why Ryan hated the senate. Of course, the other reason was because of the assassination of his parents. If his father won the election, would he have hated him as well? Even a man whom Ryan looked up to couldn’t have resisted the temptations. Reflecting about this, the young man smiled for awhile, thinking that his father’s death saved him from his son’s hatred.

They were just half an hour away from the end of the bridge, but Ryan’s motorcycle couldn’t go on any further. He suspected it to have used up all of its gas. “Dang! Lanceler, can Danielle ride with you for awhile? I’ll have to push my motorcycle to end of the bridge and I don’t want her to walk all that distance.” Lanceler was surprised by his words. If Danielle were to mount on Knightmare, it would have been his idea and not Ryan’s. Even though that the idea was simple, the last person he expected to hear it from was Ryan. Smiling at him, he offered the girl his hand. “Thanks.”

Lanceler was forced to think why Ryan acted kinder than usual. Why Danielle would be his main concern at the moment and why did he thank him on behalf of her?

“So, should I make Knightmare moved slower?” Lanceler offered in order to keep their convoy together. “Or should–”

“Nah, I’ll catch up. Remember, among us three…no, among everyone in school, I am the strongest but obviously not the brightest.” Laughing at himself, he continued, “If I run faster than I usually do, we’ll be there in about… forty-five minutes.” Trying not to waste anymore time, Ryan executed a quick stretch, cracked some knuckles, and then grabbed the handles of his vehicle, and pushed. The force he exerted on his arms and legs caused him to drag the motorcycle at a speed equivalent to Knightmare’s. Even though that he excelled in Gym Class, no one ever thought that he was capable of such a feat. What was he taking? Has his excavations given him too much exercise? Or did he have this ‘special gift’ ever since he was born?

Forty-five minutes? Lanceler mused in his head, Well, at least he’s right about not being the smartest.

The stallion galloped as fast as it could, thinking of Ryan’s actions as a challenge. It feared falling behind a human pushing a motorcycle. Even burdened with two people carried, Knightmare didn’t seem to be bothered. Their combined weight was nothing compared to the tons of load it carried in Lanceler’s training exercises.

Ryan could feel his legs burning up. It seemed as if he had reached his limit but he still went on. Slowly, he decelerated. Lanceler could see him struggle; Ryan’s chest, which can be seen through the hole surrounded by his collar, was tired red. He started to breathe heavily and his eyes could barely remain open. The pain that had started small, grew until it strained his every muscle, tripping the man down. The vehicle slid to side of the bridge, but failed to descend as Ryan clutched onto the hind wheel with his remaining strength. Gathering his remaining vigor, Ryan screamed as he tossed the vehicle overhead. As he never let go of the wheel, he flipped with it in the air, and landed on the seat. The sudden movement caused the bridge to start shaking.

“Ryan!” he heard a voice shout, accompanied by the wild cries of the horse. But that was the last thing he remembered as the brunet fell off his vehicle unconscious.

< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 12/9/2008 7:34:28 >
AQ DF  Post #: 10
12/7/2008 3:52:57   
Crimzon5
Member

Ryan awoke. His vision started out blurry, but slowly regained its focus. Checking his surroundings, he saw that he must have been in a rented room. Wooden walls, a plain white bed, glass windows, and no air-conditioning. “Welcum’ to dee ol’ west!” greeted a familiar female voice.

Getting up, Ryan nearly fell as his tired legs failed to support his body. Being at the same level with his knees, he detected bandage wrapped around his leg. This gave him a feeling that they were overdoing his treatment. “One, the accent fits you really well, Dee. Two, I think you got the words a bit wrong. And three… what happened?”

“You shouldn’t push yourself too much. You fainted on the bridge and almost slipped off. You shouldn’t do stunts like that without awakening your senses and getting something to eat.” Ryan sat down for awhile, tolerating the girl’s motherly scolding. “Good thing that Lanceler was quick enough to get you. He decided to push your motorcycle while Knightmare carried you.”

“Heh, I guess I won’t do anything stupid like that again,” Ryan quickly replied. Rubbing the back of his head, he continued, “So umm, where’s Lanceler?”

Trying out a pair of pink cowgirl boots she had recently bought, she replied, “He’s taking a shower. Now that you mentioned it, I wonder why an inn with no air-conditioners has a shower.” The girl tapped her feet, trying to push them to the far, inner end of the thigh boots. With no success at the said attempt, Danielle knelt down to adjust her feet using her hands. Gripping onto a white leather region of her footwear, she pulled her right boot upwards first as she exerted force on her foot towards the opposite direction.

Ryan answered her question with a brief elaboration. “Hehe… you know how strange this country is. The Western Region’s culture is a bit less modern than the Eastern Region. Yet, the Southern Region still uses swords and catapults. Heh, I wonder if there’s still a group of people in Magnagon that haven’t invented fire yet.”

Coming out of the shower room, Lanceler wiped his golden hair with a towel. After shaking his head, his wet hair formed out his regular hairstyle yet slightly messier and fuzzier. “C’mon guys! Let’s head for the saloon. I’m starving!”

Attempting to stand up again, Ryan asked for Danielle to help him out. Offering her right hand, she grabbed Ryan’s palm with her other hand and pulled him up. Ryan stood perfectly on his two legs. However, when he tried to walk, he felt his joints burn up as if the friction was slowly destroying his weakened muscles. “Heh, I’m good to go. All I needed was a little rest.” Hiding the fact that he was sore, Ryan pretended to act natural, as if nothing was wrong with him.

“I don’t know, Ryan...” After a short pause, Danielle changed her accent. “’Ya nearly land’d on ‘yar behind awhile ago when ‘ya were tryin’ to get up.” Laughing at herself, she continued, “I guess I mixed up this cowgirl accent with pirate-talk.”

“I’m okay,” argued Ryan.

Grinning, Lanceler replied, “Fine. Let’s have a race.” Even though that he didn’t have Danielle’s Vision, Lanceler could see in Ryan’s eyes that he was lying. “And before you ask… the saloon is right next door.”

“Grr… you’re on!” Before he could do anything else, the same cold sensation from Danielle’s previous Vision attack plagued his essence. Staring at Danielle, he saw her smiling at him mischievously. The expression on her implied that she knew that he knew that she knew that he was lying.

“Don’t worry, Ryan. You may be lying about not being able to walk all the way next door but maybe that’s because you think you can’t.” Giving him another smile, Danielle exited the room, leading the way.

Lanceler gave Ryan a quick look in the eyes. Rotating his hands as he moved his arms to direction of the door, Lanceler teased, “Ladies first.”

Ryan smiled and walked towards him. “Yeah, ladies first.” Quickly, Ryan grabbed Lanceler and pushed him out of the door. Wiping his hands against each other, Ryan laughed as he decided to follow the two. What made it a drag for Ryan (literally) was that there were no elevators. On the bright side, the rented room was only on the third floor. Ryan had to carefully place and land his feet at each step– or else, his legs would collapse and send him falling through the remaining stairs.

Danielle, being the first to reach the saloon, pushed the door open, and waited for Ryan, whose way of walking made him appear as if he were drunk, to enter. Though they were too young to drink, and didn’t have any intentions of doing so, the saloon offered more than just whisky. The pub offered rice meals and pastries as well. Since the ingredients were imported once a month from the Eastern Region, the prices were incredibly expensive.

Lanceler scanned the area, looking for table for three that was isolated from anyone who might cause trouble. It was common for drunken people to start fights, and it would be very unlucky for someone to get into a fight with a person that is related to any political person. Another reason why this area was dangerous is that everyone above the age of fifteen was allowed to carry an arm or any kind of weapon. But being a western-cultured town, most people armed themselves with a pair of revolvers.

“Hey you bas… uhh… what’s that b-word again? Ah whatever…” a drunken man shouted as he slammed a bottle of whisky on a round wooden table. The drunkard’s movements were wavy and uncontrolled. Even a weak push would be enough to easily blow him off his legs.

The other man who sat with him drew his gun from a hostler. “Hey, since when did you have a twin? Oh wait… I’m just seeing two of you, that’s all. I know! I’ll shoot the one in the middle!” Bang! The bullet never came close the target. Instead, a barrel of whisky next to the bar was pierced. The The alcohol drink started to pour out from the small hole. The crowd stared at two. The man who first fired a bullet continuously pulled the trigger, but failed to realize that his revolver was empty.

“Haha! You’re out of ammo, you son of a… uhh… what’s that other b-word?” Grabbing a silver pistol attached on his belt strap, the second drunkard pressed hard on the trigger. But again, no bullet was released. “What’s wrong with this thing?” The man’s attempts never ceased, but all ended up with no success because the trigger was locked.

“Tsk tsk tsk…” A man clad in a brown vest spun a handcuff with his index finger. A brown hat hid his eyes with shadows. Whistling as he approached the two, he walked with pride as the bullet-holes on his headwear were exposed. The man locked both of the drunkards’ arms to a pole at the far end of the room. Turning around to face the audience, the man announced, “It’s okay ladies and gentlemen; just enjoy the rest of your day.” Removing his hat and taking a bow, a small light reflected a golden star attached to his vest.

“Oh wow! I wish life was interesting as this back home!” Ryan enthusiastically remarked. Danielle slapped her forehead, trying to pretend that her companion never said that.

Catching sight of a good seat, Lanceler noticed a pair, a blond and blonde, conversing. They appeared to be a couple, but one being a few years, maybe four or five, older than the other. Looking at their beverages, he saw that they only drank cold water. “Hmm… they don’t appear to be drunk nor do they appear to be locals…” Looking at them closely once more, he noticed the female’s eye glow green for a second or two. “Hey guys,” he whispered. “I think that girl over there has a Vision.”

“Huh? Where?” Ryan asked. Catching eye on a different girl, Ryan continued, “Wow! Sheeee’ssss preeetttyyy.”

“Not her,” Danielle said in response to Ryan. “The one over there.” She pointed to the blonde who Lanceler eyed on awhile ago. “If you’ve noticed, all of us have these weird necklaces. I wondered how I got it but some weird feeling told me not to worry about it.”

“Heh, me too. How about you, Lanceler?”

Lanceler was startled for awhile. “Umm… yeah. Same here.” After sighing, he continued, “Anyways, next to them is a good seat. Why don’t we–”

“Danielle,” Ryan interrupted as he cut Lanceler’s words, “come with me.” Curiosity buffeted Danielle. But before she could inquire, Ryan continued, “Using your Vision, we can tell how she got that gem.” Ryan approached the two but his weakened legs shook as they failed to carry his weight. “Umm… excuse me. Where did you get that interesting gem of yours?” he asked the teenaged girl boldly. But before she could reply, the grownup blond grabbed his bayonet and pointed its blade at Ryan. The metal wedge created a shadow that covered the entire table. The blade was one foot wide and three feet long. The other customers didn’t seem to care though. Usually, draws started out in the pub. The townsfolk had grown so accustomed to it that life-threatening events like this didn't seem to bother them anymore… as long as they saved the bullets for outside duels.

“Ethan,” the girl called, “he’s not drunk. His legs are just sore. Can’t you tell by his bandage?” The man took a seat, never letting go off the stare in Ryan’s eyes. Ryan felt another cold breeze, passing through his body; the sheer cold was enough to paralyze, or freeze him in place. At the instant the familiar phenomenon occurred, Ethan’s azure eyes beamed off with a radiance of gray light.

“What’s going on?!” Danielle asked in shock. She waggled her hand in front of Ryan’s eyes, but there was no response. He appeared to have been completely immobilized.

“Ethan’s just viewing his memories, checking if he’s ever taken a drink before,” the blonde replied. Her tone was normal as if there wasn’t anything abnormal with what she said.

“Umm… do you two have a… Vi…Vision?”

Nodding, the blonde replied, “Yeah, you too, right?”

“Hehe, is it that obvious?”

“Of course. I can see curiosity in your eyes. Well, that’s because of my Vision. Hehe… Oh yeah,” offering her hand to Danielle, the girl continued, “I’m Jhenine Russel. And that over there’s my brother. You should know his name by now.” Danielle accepted her hand and began to shake.

From a small distance, Lanceler paid close attention to the conversation. So… my hunch was correct. Lanceler thought, It appears that they each possess a Vision. The man can view one’s memories once an eye lock has been made. But the girl… what she said wasn’t enough for me to identify her power…

Still shaking hands, Danielle replied, “I’m Danielle. My friend over here is Ryan, while the blond over there…” Danielle steered her finger at Lanceler.

Great… how embarrassing… Appearing to approach the two, Lanceler walked towards the vacant chairs, took a seat, and waited for them to finish. Clenching his teeth in annoyance, he hid his actions as he stared the opposite direction. Evidently, he was a bit antisocial, often isolating himself, even from his closest friends. However, trying not to look like a loner in school, he would either eat a quick snack outside the campus, without getting caught of course, or share a table with Ryan.

Seeing that Lanceler was a bit rude, she decided to quickly turn back Jhenine's attention to their conversation. “Anyways, he’s Lanceler. He’s a bit shy and quiet but he’s really… well… umm, smart.”

“So it seems…”

Creating an unexpected, sudden movement, Ethan took a seat. The impact of his arms landing on the table caused the plates and glasses to produce a shattered-glass-like sound. “He’s, okay…” said Ethan. He spoke in a hostile tone, not looking into Jhenine’s face, as he stared at the window.

“So… you guys from around here?” Ryan asked.

“You don’t know us?” Jhenine replied with a giggle. “You must be new then. We were migrants from the Eastern Region. We got bored of the simplicity of that place… so we decided to move here.” Placing her finger under her chin and looking at the ceiling fan, she continued, “So… where’re you guys staying?”

Unexpectedly, Lanceler joined the conversation. “at the third floor of the neighboring inn,” he butted in.

“Well, if it’s okay with Ethan, you could stay over with us…” Jhenine generously offered. Hearing this, Ethan, who was leaning on a wall while seated, gave a quick nod. “Great! Once you’re done eating, we can head over to–”

“What makes you so sure that we’re to accept your offer?” Lanceler questioned. “You just met us and you already trust us? What if I wake up in the middle of the night, grab a knife and stab your hearts?”

Challenged by his questions and words of choice, she discharged a green light from her eyes. “You’re not bad people,” she said. Lanceler ironically grunted in disbelief. “Ryan, I know that you’re anger-driven, but I also know that you won’t do anything to harm the innocent.” Ryan remained silent. Looking at Lanceler she continued, “Why do you reject kindness?” Lanceler felt a cold, yet weak, gust blow across his body. He ‘wiped’ the feeling off his skin as he brushed his jacket with his gloves. Though it had no effect against Jhenine’s Vision attack, the physical feeling helped. “You know that you yourself can be trusted. Yet, you always isolate yourself from others. You think that one should only trust himself and not others.”

Lanceler gave no sign of recognition to what she said. “Danielle,” he called, “tell the serving wench our orders. I wrote them earlier while we were laughing at Ryan’s pathetic walking.” Handing over a notepad to the brunette, he turned his attention to the blonde, “As for you, Jhenine, my ‘problem’ in none of your business. Please, don’t use your Vision often. People hide their feelings from others so that they won’t do anything to ‘help’.”

“You know, Lanceler, she’s only trying to help. And besides, we’re not bad people,” argued Ryan. “Are we?”

“And I’m helping her to be careful with strangers. This world is full of bad people and outlaws.” In a lower volume, he continued, “By avenging Ryan’s father, we plan to be criminals too.”

“What?” the whole group questioned. Ethan, however, remained silent as he pretended to ignore the entire conversation. Such indifference matched with Lanceler’s. Getting up, the man flaunted his bayonet once more.

“Lanceler, is that right? Why don’t we have a draw? If you can beat me, then feel free to reject our offer. But if you can’t then you pose no threat to us.” The man starred at the younger blond’s eyes. Frowning, Lanceler stared back.

Activating his Vision, he planned out what to say next. A draw is an honorable kind of duel. An assassination is different. Yeah, that’ll work. But before any word was spoken from his dried lips, he thought, Why am I making this so difficult? Jhenine, you’re one strange girl…

“Fine, I accept! But first–” Lanceler licked his lips as watched the waitress lay three plates on their table. “I’m going to feast my victory in advance.”

“Wow! The service here is fast, too! We should’ve stayed here longer when we were absent for two days,” Ryan commended again.

< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 12/9/2008 7:44:48 >
AQ DF  Post #: 11
12/12/2008 8:43:58   
Crimzon5
Member

Chewing slowly, and proving that one can’t think and eat at the same time was not true, Lanceler debated with himself whether he should lose on purpose or not. Ryan on the other hand, ate as fast as he could, stuffing his mouth with two to three scoops before chewing and gulping them all down. Being Ryan’s exact opposite, Danielle ate consciously, only filling half of her mouth with every scoop.

Lanceler analyzed the situation. Losing would cost him his ‘right to brag’ but winning would just make things more difficult for his companions. Wishing that he never argued with Jhenine, he thought again. If he didn’t question her, she just might commit the same mistake again. But then, why didn’t Ethan intervene right away? Such strange logic was unknown to Lanceler. He couldn’t anticipate what kind of people he was dealing with.

Finishing his meal, he made up his mind. After wiping his mouth with a serviette matching the white silverware, Lanceler rose and grabbed a wooden rook from his pocket. Closing his eyes, Lanceler posed with his left palm covering his face and his fingers separating his bangs. He then pressed the switch located under the base of the piece, and grinned as it extended, forming a double-barreled shotgun. “Show off!” Ryan ranted in a joking manner.

“It’s only fair that I fight with a heavy gun as well.” From Ethan’s point of view, Lanceler was taunting him.

“You’re from the Northern Region, aren’t you?” the sheriff asked as he intruded his way into the conversation. “I remember the time when a trio of outlaws who raided the town with a handgun that turned into a field gun.”

“Sorry, but I’m from the East,” Lanceler replied with a calm accent; his hands still hid his eyes. The fact that his voice was lifeless and showed his reluctance to continue the conversation shooed the vested man away. Hearing the footsteps fade with the distance, Lanceler lowered his hand, transpiring the fierceness of his eyes. “Let’s draw!”

Everyone but Ryan rose from his or her seat and exited. Before standing up, Ryan rummaged through his backpack for his wallet. Opening it, he searched between his numerous 1000-Saphron bills, looking for some change to give as a tip. His wallet lured he waitress to approach him.

With an effortless glance, the wench eyed a 3x2 inch family portrait. Ryan’s father, a man with a muscular build, held his son Ryan, who had been three at that time, on his right shoulder. Between him and his wife, clothed in an elegant, shoulder-less dress, stood a brown-haired girl, slightly akin to Danielle’s appearance.

“Wait, I know there’s some change here. Ah, never mind!” Ryan slammed a 500-Saphron bill on the table, and dragged his legs as he attempted a quick exit. “Keep the change!”

Ryan’s father, a man known for having enough to support his campaign, had been obviously wealthy. He had owned many businesses, including a mining company and a marketing company in the Northern Region. But two weeks after his death, the mine had closed down due to poor productivity and thus, abandoned. People suspected his ghost to be the reason for this. However, when Ryan, the prosperous man’s son, was caught excavating there, accompanied by Lanceler, the former mine workers had returned, thinking that it was a good sign. But instead of finding gold, they caused a flood of oil. Up to this point of time, machines could still extract hundreds of gallons from the well. The other companies, however, were inherited by the second-in-charge, now Magnagon’s wealthiest businessman.

Without waiting for the lagging Ryan, Lanceler and Ethan exchanged intimidating stares. After giving each other a quick but slightly mocking bow, the two faced opposite directions. “One,” counted the younger man, as a large tick from his trigger’s lock accompanied his voice.

“Two,” continued the older blond. Rubbing his boots on the sand, Ethan watched the wind’s direction as its whisper piloted the dust's movement. After a short pause, a quick breeze made the two delay the third count. The strong whistle of nature’s element blew the grown-up’s hat off. Five seconds had passed and there was still complete silence. Lanceler took deep breaths and exhaled by blowing through his mouth while trying to keep his cool.

As Ryan exited the pub, the two turned their heads and shouted “Three!” at the same time. Lanceler turned to his left, firing right away as he activated his Vision. With the capability of holding a cartridge full of six bullets, Ethan pulled the trigger only twice, matching the double-barreled firearm. Lanceler planned to catch Ethan’s bullet with his left hand, testing if his senses were capable to withstanding such recoil. However, the four powerful shots collided with each other.

The gunmen didn’t move; the only motion in the scene was the smoke cooling down the weapons and the alternate contraction and expansion of the two’s diaphragms and chests. Hearing the combined sound of the two gunshots, the people in the saloon rushed to the windows to catch a glimpse of the duel.

With a hmph the sheriff took a sip from his cup of coffee, and licked the bitter taste off his teeth. Tolerating the flavor, but enjoying the stress-releasing sensation, the man lifted his legs and landed them on the table as he ignored the starting show.

Lanceler morphed his gun back to the rook. At the same time he returned it to the left-side pocket of his shorts, he took the damaged king from his right pocket, and extended it to a blade, the form of his weapon when he first introduced his nanabots to Ryan. Jumping and aiming for Ethan’s head, Lanceler’s attack was blocked by a stone wall that emerged from the ground.

“What?!” exclaimed the pair of brown-hairs. The local audience didn’t seem surprised though. Ethan and Jhenine were already known for possessing a certain power as well as a Vision. The town looked up to them as heroes. When the trio of outlaws had plagued the town, as mentioned earlier by the sheriff, Ethan stood amongst the crowd. Despite them having stolen equipment from the Northern Region, the most advanced region in the country, they were nothing compared to his skills and earth-rising powers.

“I’m surprised that you were startled. I guess Lanceler also doesn’t know that the gems around our necks are elemental stones,” Jhenine responded.

“Guess again,” replied Lanceler. With a snap of his fingers, he appeared behind Ethan. Attempting to stab him, his attack was again blocked by a stone wall. “Heh, nice!”

“How’d he do that?” Ryan questioned. Taking hold of the golden stone his necklace held, he tightened his grip.

“I can destroy the scripts and laws of physics; I can bend the dimension of space!” Snapping his fingers again, his perspective of time stopped completely. Unlike his Vision, his movements weren’t affected. He landed from his attack and positioned himself at Ethan’s current position. He saw that that his body was passing through him. Deactivating his power, Ethan found himself a few feet from the ground, the same place where Lanceler, in midair, used his element.

Lanceler felt overwhelmed by his amazement. He possessed the ability to stop time, pass through objects and people, and swap places with the matter occupying his new position when time resumed. But he had to keep the restrictions of his power in mind. He was not able to damage his foe for he would’ve just passed through him. Lanceler started to gasp heavily for air, being unable to breathe as everything in time but himself was shut in an immobile dimension. Subjected to the feeling of suffocation under his slow perception of time, he could only use the power to gain a positional advantage over Ethan

Landing safely, Ethan left himself vulnerable as he couldn’t move from his recovery. Using that as an opportunity to attack, Lanceler charged towards his opponent, wielding his blade like a lance. Grinning, Ethan pointed his open hand at the ground, and lifted it upwards. Another wall of stone rose from the ground, following the movement of his hand. “Wrong move,” taunted Lanceler. Snapping his fingers once more, the two swapped places. The momentum left by Lanceler’s movement caused Ethan to continue moving forward and sent him crashing into his own wall. Thinking that he had already won, Lanceler turned his back on his competitor. But, the sound produced by the shattering of the boulder caught his attention, and even startled him.

Rising from the dust, Ethan leapt high up, quickly reloaded his bayonet, tricking Lanceler that he was going to shoot. Lanceler activated his Vision, attempting once again to catch a bullet. Seeing him activate his power, Ethan summoned another solid wall from the ground where Lanceler stood. With his slow perception of time and quickened senses, everything he saw, everything he heard, everything he tasted and smelled, and everything he felt took a larger amount of time to be executed. Thus, the pain caused by the impact of the emerging earth caused more distress.

“How… how did you know my… Vision’s weakness?” Lanceler struggled to speak.

“You’re not the only one who has brains, you know. Never underestimate an opponent; never imagine an outcome of a battle. Instead, you have to plan it,” replied Ethan. “And once this is over, I could teach you something about Visions. Knowing that your element was space, I assumed your Vision power to be one that is obtained with it.”

Snorting at Ethan's little lecture, Lanceler disappeared with a blink of an eye and appeared three feet above his opponent's head. After releasing a stabbing blow, which again was blocked by a concrete wall, Lanceler vanished again, reappearing and disappearing at random spots; the first strike being a backstab, the second was an axe kick, and a frenzy of blows followed. Each attack however, never had a chance to cut through the stone walls.

“I see… I guess we silent types have a lot to teach each other.” Taunting by polishing his blade with his jacket, Lanceler tried another jump attack. Planning to strike him down in midair, Ethan did the same. Before the two had made contact, Lanceler swapped places with his adversary. The two were in midair, with their backs facing each other. Swiftly, Lanceler executed a turning side kick, forcing his opponent to crash on the ground.

Pulling the ground as he got up, Ethan grabbed the dirt with his left hand, paying no attention to the countless grains of sand that slipped between his fingers. After giving the young man a quick horizontal slash with his bayonet, he slid the sand across the metal blade of his firearm, forcing Lanceler to dash backwards. Realizing that this draw had turned into a freestyle type of battle, Lanceler returned his weapon back to his pocket, and recovered his shotgun.

Ethan gave him another horizontal blow. Trying to avoid the attack, he jumped, but landed on the three-foot long blade on Ethan’s bayonet. He pointed his gun at him, creating another early conclusion that he already won. But even before a second could pass, Ethan swung of his weapon, causing Lanceler to fall off. The young blond landed on his behind and found himself at a critical position. Ethan’s bayonet was pointed at him, and he couldn’t risk swapping places anymore for he knew that he was too tired to survive casting another elemental technique.

“I… I lost?”

“It appears that you did,” replied Ethan. Sheathing his weapon’s wedge in a white cloth, Ethan retreated back to Jhenine. Without turning his head back, and leaving Lanceler staring at his silhouette, Ethan plunged the bayonet five feet into the ground and rested his right foot on the butt. “It’s just a twenty minute’s walk away, but feel like you’re at home when you’re there.”

I… I lost?

“Thanks, Jhenine; thank you, Ethan,” Ryan and Danielle courteously replied. Checking the time on his cell phone, Ryan stood in place as he waited for Ethan to lead the way.

“Aren’t you going to pack your things first?” Jhenine giggled as she asked, reminding Ryan about their belongings.

“Danielle, let Knightmare carry Ryan. I’ll bring the rest of the stuff,” Lanceler commanded.

“Okay, but let me warn you: I went shopping,” the brunette teased as she accompanied Lanceler back to the inn.

“Nice friends you have there,” commended Jhenine. Jiggling, she covered her mouth with her white, lady-like gloves. “That Danielle, do you like her?”

“Heh,” Ryan sighed. “Well, she’s been a friend for over six years now. But if you’re talking about the scandalous type of liking, well… she’s like a sister to me.” Jhenine smiled in silence, standing next to Ryan as the three waited for the two to return. “How about you? You seem to like Lanceler; I mean, you act different when you talk with him.” Jhenine tried to counter but gave it a rest, knowing that Ryan was only joking. Smiling at each other, they continued to wait.

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The sun scorched their path as the five journeyed towards a cliff. The rock face’s structure was like an ocean’s wave; allowing one to climb the surface, and stand on the summit as the view of a hundred miles would become present in his eyes. At the bottom of the said structure was a manor house, painted with a combination of lavender and white. Walling it, were wooden fences, about three feet high, and a garden containing a large tree at a far corner, with its branches covering the roof of the three-story building.

Staring at grass that grew from the sand together with lively, blooming flowers, extravagant scarlet roses, and a small pond by the shade of the enormous tree, Lanceler widened his eyes in bewilderment. “How is this possible?”

Opening the fence’s gate Jhenine rested her arm on a stone sculpture of a winged archer. Such intricate details on the feathery wings, cloth with folds wrapped around body, arms, and legs gave the viewers the feeling that it could come to life at any moment. “Like our decorating? Ethan’s a talented sculptor. Even though he could make a statue by raising it from the ground, he’d rather take his time with a chisel. As for the unbelievable garden, it would die in a day or two if I don’t take care of it.”

“So, you control nature?” Lanceler hypothesized.

“Yes,” Jhenine nodded. Watching Knightmare help itself as it grazed, the blonde unlocked the front door and led the way inside.

All of a sudden, a dark shadow engulfed the area. The whirling wind gave the group and idea of a sandstorm, yet… the sound was accompanied by a beastly roar. Turning their heads to where the sound originated, a creature on four legs stood at the summit of the cliff. It raised its head with pride, the long, armored neck extended high. Flapping its feathery wings, it forced rocks to fall from the majestic structure, bombarding the group. Light from the gigantic ball of fire shone the silica fragments on the dragon’s skin, blinding certain angles. Again, the beast roared, pushing the five’s faces away from its splendid, brown scales.

“Hey Lanceler, didn’t you tell the principle that a school for dragon slaying is best placed in the Western Region because dragons wont bother living there, thus making it a safe place to stay?” Ryan questioned in a swift, elaborative manner as he took a step backwards. The brunet stiffened his arms, ready to endure and defend against an attack just incase.

“Stand back!” Ethan commanded. “Sand dragons are rare yet powerful creatures.” Turning his head to view his companions, the man only counted three. “Where’s Lanceler?”

Hearing an angered roaring gust originating from the heavens, Ryan covered the top of his eyes with his hands, watching Lanceler appear behind the dragon, attacking it, blasting it, kicking it, and teleporting away before the beast could retaliate. As he backstabbed the dragon, the third law of motion pushed his weapon against the mythical beast’s hide. His movements could have fooled their eyes, just appearing out of nowhere faster than a blink on an eye.

Shing! The sound produced the unsheathing of Danielle’s blades caught the group’s attention. The sun bounced off the steel, creating a blinding light, which distressfully caught Lanceler’s eyes and uncoordinated his movements. Trying to wipe the light off his face, Lanceler became a standing target for the creature. Death reached out for Lanceler, but changed its course as Ethan came to the rescue. Lanceler’s ground was fortified by a layer of diamonds, crushing the dragon’s nails upon impact.

“We have it outnumbered! Learn to work as a team if you want to live!” shouted Ethan. Lanceler couldn’t hear him very clearly, but made out the sense of his words. Vanishing from the top of the cliff, the man with golden hair returned to his companions.

“Danielle, I’m going to bring you up the cliff, okay? Having the composition of silica in its scales, an insane degree of heat should kill it,” Lanceler planned. Turning to Jhenine, the tactician continued, “Since you can control nature, can you wrap the thing’s legs with thick vines? As well as the wings?” Sensing a cry from the titanic creature, Ethan elevated another barrier from the earth, sliding the steaming blasts of sand to the side.

“Since there’s a garden nearby, abiding to your orders is possible. But let’s make this quick; I’d hate to see my garden become completely wiped out.” Jhenine removed her gloves, as a green aura emitted from her dress. Concentrating her energy, enormous roots sprung out of the ground, creating huge cracks on the earth’s surface. With the command to dart towards the beast, the roots quickly captured its wings, compressing them with several constricting loops. More roots and thorny stems arose from the sand, holding the fabled beast in place.

Grabbing the brunette’s hand, Lanceler snap his fingers. The pressure she felt suddenly changed. Danielle found herself hundreds of feet from the ground. Screaming, the girl was immobilized by fear.

“Don’t worry, I can teleport us back on the ground safely,” Lanceler comforted as he covered the girl’s mouth. “Just concentrate and burn that thing to a crisp. It’s obvious that your element is fire, just looking at your ruby already implies it.” Lanceler let go, leaving the rest to Danielle.

With a quick, firm swing of her arms, the swordswoman created a wave of inferno, obeying to the pyromantress’ signaling commands as it towered at about twice the size of a dread cyclone. The conflagration swept across the air, inevitable as the swarm of locusts, exhausting the oxygen in the air as its medium. The fiery light resembled a spectral figure, a serpent-dragon made from the flames, seemingly alive as it brushed against the draconic horror. The impact of the flames sounded similar to the Nidhogg’s glorious roar, devouring its enemy in the vivid flames.

The enormous roots burned off, riding in the wind as ashes when the combustion was completed. Beneath the dust, remained the remnants of the sand dragon, now turned to glass and deformed on a few sides. Impressed with the success of her attack, Danielle used the last of her strength to smile, as she then closed her eyes, feeling too weak continue.

Lanceler dashed towards the edge of the cliff, planning to shatter the beast’s glittering corpse into thousands of shards. The weapon, a mallet resembling a rook, had made its contact; ignoring the glass fragments that could’ve scratched him, Lanceler continued his movements, jumping off the summit and catching Danielle just on time. With another eye-tricking stunt, Lanceler appeared a few feet away from the group. The brunette’s head rested on his shoulder, oblivious to her surroundings. Supporting her by the joints of her legs, Lanceler remained quiet, giving Danielle the rest she needed.

< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 12/30/2008 8:27:20 >
AQ DF  Post #: 12
12/27/2008 7:57:41   
Crimzon5
Member

Chapter 4: Vision Versus Vision

Danielle’s blow-drying could be heard across the hall. Waiting for his friend to finish the preparations he correctly deducted to regard her appearance, Ryan sat on the outdoor railings. Sitting on one leg, while swinging the other, Ryan glanced at the garden. Seeing the impossibility of the rose’s blossom in the desert, the brunet felt a sudden pulse in his mind. Man, it was just the other day when I set a larger foot out of Ashfall– now this? I wonder what more of the world I’ve missed.

“Eeeemmmmmoooooo,” Jhenine teased as she made her entrance to the scene. Brushing her hair with her fingers, she approached the railings, lifting one leg before she took a seat next to Ryan. “So, what’s up?” she asked with a friendly smile.

“Nothing,” replied Ryan, “I was just about to watch the sunset.”

“Sunset? Dusk started three hours ago.”

Ryan activated his Vision. Seeing the yellow glow in his eyes, she remained silent, staring at the constellations. Disturbing the stillness, Jhenine crawled her hand towards Ryan’s. The yellow light faded as the young man felt her touch. Smiling at each other, they turned their heads back to the sky, one watching the countless stars, the other viewing the falling sun.

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Jhenine sat at the end of the majestic dining table, with Ryan and Danielle seated at her left and right sides respectively. They were already finished with their meals with only a few grains of rice mixed with ketchup remained on their plates. At the opposite end, Lanceler sat with books laid on the table, turning the pages every second. The covers had no titles, and the crumpled pages were stained with marks, probably accumulated from liquid spills and dirt. After scanning a paragraph from one book, he would turn back the pages of the other, comparing and combining the facts.

Ethan leaned on one of the outside pillars, keeping watch. Searching the area, covered by the night’s darkness, all he saw were the plants which Jhenine had grown and the decorative rocks he had placed. 'His power was not limited to mere boulder-raising, but he also had the power to shape them in anyway. He could even create a stone statue shaped like a human. However, he chose to sculpt them instead. His talent was so remarkable that his sculpture of Jhenine showed more quality than the element-made figure.

Checking his watch, it was 9:30. Letting out a shallow exhale, he tapped his bayonet’s butt on the ground, causing it to bounce for him to catch it with a better gripping. As he entered the large mansion, Lanceler stood from his seat and returned the books to him. “Done already?” Ethan asked, surprised.

“You know my Vision, it lets me think and see an X amount times faster. And combining it with my element of space, I can save time by stopping it. Instead of swapping places with anything, I used my Vision to make my limited breathing not be much of a problem while time doesn’t progress.”

“Sorry to interrupt– but please, Lanceler,” Ryan called, “why don’t you try Jhenine’s cooking? It’s really great and you haven’t even taken a single bite.” Lanceler looked at him back in reply. With the eye contact intact, Ryan turned his gaze to Lanceler’s plate. The blond followed Ryan’s movements and glanced upon his untouched meal. If he didn’t touch it soon, the flies were going to beat him to it.

“Why Ryan, that’s the kindest thing you ever said ever since… nine hours ago.” Jhenine gave Ryan a cute smile. Ryan turned his head, facing Lanceler. He used his friend as excuse to turn away, allowing him to hide his blush.

“Understanding my power is my priority… but since I’m done, might as well eat,” Lanceler replied.

Turning his attention to Ryan, Ethan slid the books across the table to his direction. “Read the thickest one, especially the first page. Danielle, the second brook– bah!” Fixing his words, he continued, “The second volume, page 37… read it.” Without asking questions, Ryan stretched out to reach the books located at the center of the table. Apparently, Ethan didn’t exert enough force on sliding it. Ryan opened the book flat on the table and began to scan the page, then rereading some of the paragraphs for a better understanding. Danielle read with the proper posture: the book standing on its bottom and her back leaned against her seat.

Vision is an enhancement to one’s sight, allowing the user to see, and sometimes hear, things which others normally cannot. There are numerous kinds of Visions. Two of which can allow the user to see the events of either the future or past, six of which that enables the senses of the eyes see extraordinarily, three of which can see through a target’s mind, and two of which can allow others to see through another’s sight.

*Editor’s note: However, there may be more kinds of Vision. The author doesn’t seem to possess all the knowledge about this power.

Reading this, Ryan was forced to think, So… Shadebainer has one of the three Visions that can ‘see’ through the mind? Wait… Ethan, Danielle, and Jhenine already have those three Visions: detecting lies, viewing memories, and seeing emotions. Maybe this is an inaccuracy… well the editor’s note does catch the eye. Deciding to think about it later, he continued reading.

The Vision of Genesis allows the user to relive the past, seeing and hearing what happened in the past as if he were there. However, the Vision conceals his senses of the present time, failing to hear and see his current surroudings. A swift blow or any other kind of pain can cause the user to return his senses back to the present. Accompanying this Vision is the Lore of light. Lore, short for Life’s Obsequy Ritual Element, is the concrete connection of this planet to her inhabitants. The words ‘Obsequy’ and ‘Ritual’ refer to the curse attached to the element. Using Lore lessens ones bond with his body and essence. When this bond is too weak, the two separate, causing the death of the user.

When obtaining a Vision, an elemental accessory will be attached to the user. Though they’re obtained together, they are in fact separate and separable. Having the element of light, one does not control it directly but can manipulate it in a certain way. In other words, one cannot just make light become blue or green. Having the element of light will only allow the user to create flares of light and control them as he pleases.

“Seesh, the author forgot to put an n in 'surroundings'.” Again, he continued reading.

Keeping an eye on him as he read, Ethan noticed that only Ryan was unarmed, unlike Danielle and Lanceler. Danielle’s twin blades were placed in the living room while Lanceler’s were just in his pocket. “Ryan,” he called. “Accompany me outside.” Knowing that he could trust him, Ryan without a word closed the book he was reading and followed Ethan outside.

It was a cold night but unlike on the night he discovered his Vision, he wasn’t wearing his fiber-made uniform which wasn’t suitable for very low temperatures. “Hey look,” Ethan used the sharp tip of his bayonet’s wedge to point out a constellation, “that’s Cepheus.”

“Which one?”

“Over there. See those bright stars? With the other stars in between them, they form some kind of shape. Heh, I used to do this with Jhenine when we were kids…”

“Heh, looks like a bullet. When I was a kid, I used to do this with clouds. I had this game with my sister. We would lie down on the front yard, spotting clouds and making the other one guess it. The first one to get it wrong would give the other one a piggyback ride. And since I was younger, it was right for me to win. Heh, the first time I lost was when she spotted a crocodile. I said it was an alligator but she said it was a crocodile. And since she was older, she made me believe that she was always right. Man, she was heavy!”

Instead of laughing, Ethan exhaled through his nostrils, indicating a bit of laughter. Raising a boulder from the ground, Ethan handed the brunet his weapon. “I would like you to give it a try,” he said. “Let’s see if you can use it properly.”

“Sure,” Ryan replied nervously. It was his first time to wield a firearm. He held the handle with his right hand and supported the body with his left. His fingers slid and gripped once again. “Umm… what am I supposed aim for?”

Handing Ryan a bullet, he said, “Shatter the boulder with this. It’s a special kind of bullet, designed to break through hard walls.” Taking it from his hand, Ryan opened the firearm at its joint and inserted the bullet. Holding the gun with the same posture he had awhile ago, he was halted by Ethan. “Support the bayonet’s body with your left hand. Holding it too close to the trigger will give it a tendency to fire at a different Y angle.” Pulling Ryan’s arm and positioning it a few inches in front of a small triangular extension under the blade, he continued, “There.” Ryan pulled the trigger, releasing the bullet. Watching him, Ethan noticed that he had nothing pulling him back from firing. Nothing seemed to bother him, no fear of pulling the trigger– he was odd for a first timer. Was this because of his past, seeing death as a point to eventually pass by? As the bullet made contact with the target, it exploded. “Here.” Ryan handed Ethan his weapon back.

“No, it’s yours.” Ethan replied.

“You’ll need it more. Once we’re outta here tomorrow, what can you use to protect Jhenine?” Ethan gave no reply. “I’ll be going back now…”

As he returned, he saw the two girls occupying the seats next to where Lanceler sat. Overhearing the conversation, he wondered why Jhenine was participating in the planning of attack. Was she now part of this plan? Or was she just being too kind again? Maybe she was just curious. He approached them to contribute as well as to be informed properly.

“Danielle, purchase three train tickets, one for each of us. Once they inspect our tickets…” Lanceler paused for awhile. Noticing that Ryan had just arrived, he gave him a small badge, shaped like the folded wings of a dragon. “As I was saying, once the inspection’s done, Ryan and I will go to the far end of the train, the caboose, and activate our nanabots which will form two armors, one for each of us. I will draw attention from the top of train, pretending to be a terrorist. Since Shadebainer is on that train, his guards will have to shift from his carriage to check what’s going on. As I create a diversion, confront Joseph and finish things once and for all.”

“So… if we’re gonna be masked and act like terrorists, why do we need tickets?” Ryan asked.

“In case he manages to escape,” replied Lanceler. “Since no flaw has still been pointed out about my plan, I’m giving you two minutes to question it before we go shuteye.” The two girls remained silent but Ryan raised his hand, asking for more details.

“Umm… we’re doing tomorrow, right?” Nodding, Lanceler stood up, pushed his seat back under the table and left the room.

He had the urge to say, “Well, duh! That’s when he will depart on the train!” but realizing that he hadn’t told them the details, he stopped himself.

Knowing that the two were curious about where he went, Jhenine told them their assigned rooms. “Lanceler rejected my offer to stay in the guest room, so he’ll be at the living room’s sofa. The guest room has five beds, more than enough for the two of you. The room’s at the far end of the hall, opposite to the main entrance door.”

“Thanks,” the two brown-hairs replied.


< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 4/2/2009 2:22:22 >
AQ DF  Post #: 13
4/2/2009 2:37:22   
Crimzon5
Member

A blanket of darkness swept across the infinite sky, carrying millions of stars. The sun, now banished, had left behind only one visible trace of its existence; its light reflecting on the silver moon. The four were sound asleep. Such stillness conveyed the area. Quiet, quiet it was.

Ethan had informed Jhenine that he would stay up the entire night. Finding herself lonely in the master’s room, Jhenine decided to accompany the other two in their room. With five beds, and only three people, Ryan occupied the rightmost bed while Danielle took the leftmost. Jhenine’s bed was next to Danielle’s, isolating Ryan’s. It was already four in morning according to the pendulum clock in the living room. Even Lanceler was sound asleep.

Bang!

The stillness broke into a thousand pieces. Lanceler stood up as fast as he could. To not waste time, he equipped himself with a pistol and rushed to inspect the outside area.

Lanceler was greeted by Ethan’s dead body, back straight, arms extended, head lowered. The man was crucified to a stone cross; his arms and legs tied with a rope. Fresh blood was spilled all over the garden, and more dripped out on the ground where the corpse was.

Ryan and the other two got up and entered the scene as well. Jhenine, among the three, was the first to exit through the door, revealing Lanceler who examined the blood. Startled by the door’s creak, the blond gazed upon her face, mouth opened in horror, eyes failing to control their tears. Seeing her older brother and legal guardian dead, she turned to Lanceler. “What happened here?!” she asked, waves of hate starting to shield her from her own sorrow.

The first thing Lanceler could do was defend himself. “It wasn’t me!” he replied, shaking his hands in front of his chest. “Ryan, do your thing.” Ryan nodded and activated his golden eye. Feeling distrust in Lanceler, Danielle activated her Vision on him. He saw her eyes glow red as she stared straight at him, but there was no cold sensation. Instead, Danielle felt a small heat burn up within her. As the pain faded, nothing but guilt remained in her.

“Sorry for not trusting you,” she apologized, twiddling her fingers. Lanceler discerned her reason for using the Vision-attack, and forgave her immediately. Either eager or anxious to discover the truth, the three could do nothing but wait and listen to Ryan’s witnessing.

Ryan changed the direction of his head from time to time, darting through the grass as he sought better angles to view the past.

It was a just a few minutes to four on his watch. Ethan was calm, polishing his blade with a wet rag, oblivious to what was about to befall him. The line between life and death is thin, indeed.

The silence was then shattered by the approaching of a dark figure. It was a man, about the same height as Jhenine’s guardian. However, the trees in the area prevented the light from revealing his face. Quickly unlocking his gun’s trigger, he pointed at an empty space. “Who’s there?”

The man replied, “Your reaper…” Unsheathing a sword from a scabbard attached to his left leg, he ran towards him, aiming for his neck. Underestimating his enemy, Ethan turned his back and created a twelve-feet-tall wall. Hearing no thud, he turned his head and saw the moonlight shining on the stranger’s weapon. However, he was surprised that the silver-haired man was two feet above the wall, levitating in midair. A whiff white essence surrounded his legs. “Surprised? You’re not the only one here who can use an element…”

Knowing what danger the man presented, Ethan created several stone walls of different height, jumping on one of them of lower elevation to one of higher elevation. From the highest stone pillar, he jumped off, aiming his bayonet at his opponent’s neck. “Fool,” the swordsman said, “you should’ve only made one stone pillar. While stepping on it, increase its height. You could’ve saved more life force that way. Look at me? Using the element of wind, I can control the air molecules’ movement, allowing it to carry me around. But, I only used the energy on my legs; that saves me a whole lot of life force.”

Grinning, the man just levitated a few feet backwards, escaping Ethan’s range. In order to prevent himself from falling to the ground fourteen feet below him, he created another stone wall, about six feet in height, and landed on it so that he could descend back to the ground safely. Turning his head and searching for the intruder, he then felt his right shoulder being pierced. Looking at it, he saw a rusted dagger, buried two inches deep into him. Pulling it off, another dagger pierced his left shin. The pain caused his legs to weaken thus, he knelt in pain. Being very vulnerable and very exhausted from constant earth-rising, he got his bayonet, fired a bullet upwards towards the sky, trying to wake the others up. Circling his target, the man then stabbed the back of his neck, his heart then followed.

Not wanting to see anymore of this, Ryan shut off his vision. He felt pain in witnessing death. It was the first time after watching his parents die. Up until now, his anger-driven attitude had shielded him from the pain brought by death of another person.

Seeing Ethan’s weapon lying on the floor, catching some drops of his blood, he picked it up. “I won’t reject your offer twice”, he whispered to Ethan’s ear. But when he approached his body, he saw Ethan’s elemental necklace was gone. “Guys… a man… a man with a Vision did it! He even took Ethan’s! Shadebainer…” Ryan falsely accused. Even though he had heard the assassin’s voice, which was different from Joseph’s, his anger caused him to suspect Joseph right away.

Not knowing anything about the man, besides him having a Vision, and thinking that Ryan’s suspicion was correct, Lanceler developed a stronger grudge on Joseph. Looking at Ethan, he knew that they just couldn’t leave him like that.

“Danielle, cut him down. Ryan…” Lanceler offered him a white bishop. “… let’s dig his grave.” Activating the chess piece, which then extended to a shovel, Ryan began digging at the spot next to the cross. Lanceler took a white knight from his pocket. After being activated, it extended into his pickaxe. Seeing this, Ryan figured out how its spade-like bottom suddenly appeared one day.

Silently, they dug a grave: eight feet deep, four by eight feet wide. With a miserable scowl on their faces, and tears dripping from Jhenine’s eyes, the two girls watched the young men bury Ethan. Wiping his hands, Ryan then thought about Jhenine. With Ethan gone, who would be there to care for her?

“Jhenine, do you have any parents or some kind of aunt or uncle?” Ryan asked, breaking the solemn silence.

Wiping her tears with a white handkerchief, she miserably replied, “They died four years ago…”

Scowling even more, Ryan apologized, “Sorry for bringing that up as a topic.” Looking at his two original companions he said, “Danielle, buy four tickets instead of three. Lanceler, we’ll have to bring her with us. She welcomingly opened the gates of her house, fed us good food, and… and… well, we just can’t leave her!”

“Yes… like Danielle, she will be good for manipulation.”

Ryan’s fist started to shake. Looking at Jhenine sobbing miserably, he subsequently turned his eyes to Lanceler. His cold words forced Ryan to talk back in an angry tone. “Don’t say things like that! You’re making it sound like that we’re only using her!” Hearing this, Jhenine lifted her head and watched the two converse.

Before Lanceler could reply, his arms shook. He took a few steps backwards. Activating his Vision, he thought of what to say next. “Don’t raise your tone of voice on me! I’m in-charge and I have no time to show any sympathy!” Saying these words caused his heart to pump faster. He knew that he was lying, but why was he making things harder again?

“Why? Because you’re the leader?!” Ryan shouted back, starting to believe that he really was a cold-hearted person. Enraged, he pointed his bayonet at him. “I thought that when you joined me, you wanted to help me. But I’ve realized that all you want is a real life chess game! Are you just gonna throw her away like a dispensable pawn?! Don’t you even care about her?”

Lanceler's eyes opened wide. Never in his life was he scolded or defeated in words. Even people in authority would be left speechless against him. “Yes, I do care about her. I just need to learn how to say things properly,” he replied shamefully. Finally, his pride didn’t get in the way of his actions.

Morning came. Waking up, Ryan did a quick stretch. Seeing Danielle still sleeping in her cozy bed, he smiled for awhile and wondered where Jhenine had headed off to, seeing that her bed was empty. Opening many doors and entering many rooms, Ryan called out “Jhenine” each time he did so. “She must’ve runaway?! Why?!” Thinking that he still has a chance of catching up with her, he exited through the kitchen’s backdoor.

Seeing several townsfolk mourning, he remained silent for awhile to give his condolence once more. Watching the blonde making flowers bloom on her brother’s grave, Ryan approached her. “It’s okay… I’ll find that man… and kill him,” he whispered. Feeling confident about their operation, Ryan entered the house once more and started to prepare.

Jhenine, rereading the inscriptions “Ethan Blake Russel 1924-1945” on her brother’s tombstone, remained on her spot, not knowing if she could really trust the three of them. Danielle did use her Vision on Lanceler but was there any proof that this wasn’t all planned out? Ryan may have seen the past… but, could she really believe that he was telling the truth? With what had happened last night, only Jhenine couldn’t clarify what really happened. Turning her head to ask Ryan something, all she saw was Knightmare grazing by the entrance door. With mixed feelings, she looked back at Ethan's grave on more time and forced herself to trust Ryan.

< Message edited by Crimzon5 -- 4/5/2009 1:34:07 >
AQ DF  Post #: 14
4/2/2009 3:06:38   
Crimzon5
Member

Scenes flashed through and out the window. Looking out the window, one could estimate that the town was about a hundred yards away. Since the train had not traveled much, its speed was still a bit slow, due to its early stage of acceleration. Seeing that the conductor was approaching the passengers for an inspection one at a time, Ryan tapped his legs impatiently. Lanceler, keeping his cool, stared at his window, letting the wind blow through his hair.

Behind the two men were the reserved seats for the girls. Danielle was dressed up with her cowgirl outfit while Jhenine wore a simple dress and a straw hat with a pink bow on top. "It’s a shame to watch those tears flow from their eyes,” Jhenine said. “Ethan’s departure was on thing, but me leaving the town is another.”

“Well, we’re not forcing you to leave or anything,” remarked Danielle. Smiling, she continued, “Besides, we just can’t leave you there all alone. But if you were Lanceler, you would’ve obviously declined our invitation to join.” Staring at Ryan, who wasn’t paying attention to her, she silently thought of something to say to make her noticed.

“Heh,” Ryan retorted, “Figures… but if you really want to stay, the townsfolk could take care of you. But then… there wouldn’t be any adventure.”

“Tickets, please?” the conductor asked as he approached them. Already holding his and Lanceler’s, Ryan flashed them to him, waiting for the conductor to punch their tickets. “Thank you sir.” Seeing the man proceed to his female companions, Lanceler gave Ryan the signal to commence the operation.

Aha! I got it, Danialle told herself, I’ll just say… Before any word could leave her mouth, Ryan stood up in response to Lanceler’s signal. Trying to at least get a talk to with him, Danielle asked, “You’re going already?” Ryan gave hardly noticeable nod. Thinking that she was ignored, Danielle felt miserable, and pouted. “Be careful,” she said at one last desperate attempt.

Jhenine sighed, catching the brunette’s attention. “What wrong?” her companion inquired.

“Nothing… it’s just Ethan’s–”

“What do you mean ‘nothing’? Something concerning a loved one is not ‘nothing’!”

“I’m fine, Danielle. Just… give me time to think.” Danielle was left speechless by those words. Knowing that it was polite to give a depressed one some time alone, she kept her mouth shut as she stared outside.

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The train was divided into eight sections; one being the engine, another one being the caboose, and the other six being the passenger rooms. Upon exiting the last room, they entered the caboose. Giving Knightmare a small pat on the head, Lanceler proceeded to the end of train. A small chain connected the two railings, serving as a wall to prevent people from falling off. Climbing his way to the roof, Lanceler attached a dragonhead-shaped insignia on his jacket.

Upon activation, it extended to his armor, resembling a black knight, with a dragonhead being his breastplate. His trim’s golden color reflected the light from the scorching sun. Holding a black bishop, which had the capability of extending to a lance, he proceeded to the roof of the first passenger room, the room where he suspected Senator Shadebainer to be in. Stabbing the roof with his lance, he ‘introduced’ himself. “I am Lancelot, the knight of justice!” His voice entered through the hole, allowing him to be heard.

Seeing the damage, a hole produced by a silver lance, Joseph gave his guards the order to investigate. The other passengers exited with the guards. Only Joseph and a young teenager chose to stay. The civilians rushed towards the other rooms, occupying vacant seats while the security climbed on one another, gave each other a boost, and did whatever it took to reach the top of the train. Laughing at their futile attempts in reaching him, Lanceler kept a five-feet distance from the edge of train and sent sparks flying with his lance. Having a length of six feet, his lance was able to reach the edge, despite the distance. The friction of the two metals, accompanied by the force he exerted, ignited small flames. They were harmless, yet enough to repel his enemies, knowing that they wouldn’t dare make contact with the sparks. Thinking that if they climbed the roof at different places would prevent Lancelot from striking them all at once, they retreated to the second passenger room and split up, climbing the roofs in between different areas.

Ryan returned to the fifth room, waiting for Lanceler to divert all the guards. Assuming that he had already done so, he attached the badge Lanceler had given him. But just as he was starting to activate it, he heard the door burst open as six guards barged in. There wasn’t any panicking. After all, Ryan was the only ‘civilian’ in that room. Pretending to be unaware of what was happening, he asked one of the guards for what was going on. Being too busy with the black knight, they ignored him and exited through the other side. Wiping his face, Ryan folded the wings of his badge as he stood there, being awed by the forming of his armor. Like Lancelot’s, his armor was black but had a blend of crimson for the trim. His armor wasn’t balanced; his left shin guard shone dark silver and was blade-shaped while his right one had a spike on the kneepad. His left hand was equipped with a rectangular knuckle glove, unlike his right one which was protected only by a plain rubber glove.

Realizing that his face was unmasked, he rushed back to last passenger room, the one connected to the caboose. Like the fifth, it had no passengers so it was used for storing large luggage items such as his motorcycle. Grabbing his helmet from the seat, he wore it and grabbed his bayonet as well. Strange… why would they just leave a weapon here? I know that they confiscated my weapon when I was inspected. But man, this is so irresponsible for them!

Upon entering every room, making his way towards Joseph, he pointed his firearm at the nearest passenger and shouted “Nobody move!” The people had no choice but to cooperate. Knowing that they were safe, Jhenine and Danielle still had to play along to prevent suspicion. But her doubts still continued to trouble Jhenine. She had the feeling that she was going to get shot. In fear, she started to shed tears. Wow, she’s a natural, Ryan told himself.

Ryan head reached the second carriage. When he opened the door, leading to the small joint connecting the train, a young raven-haired teen pointed a pair of identical guns at him. Evidently, they were made in the Northern region, the most advanced region in Magnagon. “Get out of the way,” Ryan warned with a boastful attitude. Man, just a kid? How old this guy? Fourteen, fifteen?

Above the two, Lancelot watched the security guards sprout out from behind their cover. Seeing the same bodyguard that halted them from entering Room 731, he tried to stop himself from shooting. Ironically, for being cold-hearted at some times, his sympathy was stronger than his willpower. The captain of the squad signaled his men by swaying his hands at certain directions. Each finger combination –and whether which hand was used– indicted one person. Forming a W arrangement, the frontiers knelt as they aimed. The captain was the first to fire a bullet from his musket, only to be stunned by it being caught by Lancelot’s hand. “What?!” Looking at his men, he gave the order to shoot. “Fire!” Their weapons fired several projectiles, and produced a large cloud of smoke. After the smog had cleared, they saw the knight’s fists closed, being slowly opened as they dropped the bullets. Ting ting… ting… The bullets which his hands failed to capture blunted off his armor.

Being overwhelmed by their number, Lancelot jumped off the train, smiling. At one moment, the captain was standing next to one of his gunmen; what happened next was that he found himself a few feet from the ground, away from the tracks. As he landed, blood started to drip from his scraped knee. From his spot, he could see Lancelot in midair, kicking his men off the train one by one and just suddenly appearing behind their backs. “What… is this?” Hearing the snuffling of a horse, he turned his head. Seeing a silhouette on a man’s face, he asked, “Who are you?”

The man raised his hat, allowing his face to be seen. Fixing his vest, and adjusting his golden star, he replied. “Hmph… I’m the sheriff.” Drawing two guns from his hostler, he gave his steed a small heel kick. Whistling while watching more men fall off the train, he returned his guns to his belt and lit a cigarette. Bang! The cigarette was suddenly shot off from his hand.

“Isn’t it a bad idea to smoke, sir?” A small portion of his mask opened as Lancelot blew the smoke emitted by his shot gun. Dodging the punches of the guards, he grabbed their fists and threw them overboard.

He can shoot a target very accurately with a shotgun at the distance of fifteen feet?! He must be like Ethan… a wielder of an element. That could be the only reason for his supernatural abilities… What a shame that he’s using it for wrong causes! Ethan should’ve been teaching him a thing or two right now– wait! Did he kill Ethan? He must’ve drained his powers or something… Aggravated and desiring to avenge Ethan, he kicked his horse with the pointed stars on his boot, stimulating it to go faster.

Tailing the sheriff was a gryphon, soaring in the air. Mounted on it was silver-haired swordsman. His left boot had a sheath tied to it. Within the scabbard was a silver blade. His belt strap had black daggers attached; each had a length of seven inches. Riding with him, seated behind, was a redhead. He carried a rail gun and wore its strap as if it were a shoulder bag’s. “You see that?” The silver-haired man pointed at the twilight-colored knight. “That is Lanceler Vi Ladoli. He uses his Vision and element for terrorism. We need to eliminate him.”

“Yes, brother,” replied his companion. Keeping an on Lanceler, another black knight, within the range of his peripheral vision, caught his attention. The redhead closed his left eye, concentrating his vision on fifteen year old boy. An invisible beam of light was discharged off his eyes, headed towards his target. “Vision-hack: Activated!” With his Vision-hack used on him, his target became a host, a host for him to spy and learn information with. The swordsman’s brother could see whatever the young gunman saw.

The boy ignored Ryan’s word of warning. Trying to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, Ryan grabbed the boy and threw him into the carriage before he could shoot. Ryan then shut the door close and locked it by placing his shovel on the handles, preventing the door from opening. “These nanabots really come in handy!”

Landing on his back, Vincent aimed and shot the door, trying to penetrate it. Unfortunately, his ammo was too weak. Only a bullet designed for demolition could break through it. Standing up, he tried to kick the door open but with no success. “Dang,” he cursed. Turning his back, he saw the civilians staring at him. One of the female passengers wrapped her child with her arms. Seeing this, he thought that he seemed to pose a threat to them. “It’s okay,” he nervously said, “I am Vincent R. Fabula, a junior CIA agent. My license is well umm…” Vincent tapped his pockets, trying to feel something that had a shape of a rectangle. “Well, it’s somewhere here…” Failing to locate his ID, his tension started to build up. Warm blood rose to his head, causing him sweat. Pulling out a handkerchief, he said, “Wait guys, it’s here somewhere…”

Seeing only two men, the “playboy” and another guard whose face was masked by the shadows of his cap, Lanceler cracked his knuckles. Joseph’s personal bodyguard immediately fled while his companion chose to stay. “Lancelot, eh? Hmm… you’ve already swapped places seventeen times. You also seem to be exhausted from constant punching and kicking.” Letting out a maniac laugh, he continued, “You appear to have just enough life force left to use your element twice. Bwahaha!”

Seeing a grayish white light from the shadows of his eyes, Lanceler took a few steps back. Aiming his gun, he said, “I don’t need it to beat you.” The guard let out another maniac laugh, only to be interrupted by a gunshot. Staring at his shoulder, he saw no injury. “Shoot, I missed!” Lancelot shouted. Ryan, you’d better thank me for this!

With Vincent out of the way, Ryan entered Joseph’s carriage. Shadebainer seemed to hide his face, facing his back at the terrorist. “I’ve been expecting you… Tell me, why are you doing this?” Turning around, the senator opened a bottle of water. Showing no sign of fear, he twisted cap and slowly gulped one quarter of the water. Wiping his lips with a white handkerchief, he intentionally spilled the remains. Not minding what his visitor would think of him, he placed a plastic cup on the water dispenser, leaving it as is as the water continued to pour, creating a larger mass.

Even without his Vision, Ryan remembered the incident that happened a few days ago. He was about to strike but only to be disarmed. “Shadebainer! You already know, don’t you? I am here because of two crimes that you’ve committed. One is murder and the other is stealing an innocent man’s Vision!” Ryan unlocked the trigger of bayonet and aimed. He chose to fire after they finished exchanging their words. “You can’t hide anything from me! I, too, have a Vision, one that let this all happen.”

“Please, call me Joseph. That was the name given to me, so please use it.” A small light emitted, coming from inside his coat. Ryan’s jaw dropped as he was immobilized by the rising of the water. Ryan could see it being slowly assembled. A trigger, a revolver, six bullets, and a few more mechanical parts... all those, being formed out of water. A revolver levitated in midair. Joseph swept his right arm, grabbing the weapon. Looking at the ceiling, and placing his left finger under his bearded chin, he continued, “Murder? What was that’s man name again?” After a very short pause, he continued. “The only thing ‘important’ about it that I could remember was what I took from him, his Vision. For twelve years, this power has never failed me. It even allowed me to anticipate your arrival.”

“Wait! You mean you’ve had that power for twelve years?” That means my father–

Quickly responding, and interrupting Ryan’s thoughts, “Enough of this!” From his loose grip, he stiffened his arm, aiming at Ryan’s tinted mask, seeing it as the most vulnerable part of his armor. “Who are you?”

He… he doesn’t know me?! This makes no sense. I thought he could read minds. And as for his Vision, he’s saying that he stole it from my father. What about Ethan’s? Wait, he doesn’t have a blade. So, it was someone else? “Shadebainer, I am Redemption. I am the knight of vengeance and atonement!” Hearing his reply, Joseph grinned as he fired a bullet. Dangit! Not now! In fear, Ryan closed his eyes. Three seconds had passed after he heard the bang. I… I… Am I dead?

Opening his eyes, he wondered where he was. Seeing the cacti and the desert sand shrinking as the distance grew, he heard a familiar voice. “Ryan, I need your help. That guy… he has a Vision!” Lanceler’s right fist was closed and in front of his chest while he used his left hand to point.

Looking at the other end of the train, he eyed the bodyguard. He didn’t seem to do anything, as if he was waiting for them to finish talking. “Sure thing, Lanceler.”

“Sssh! We're terrorists! When I wear this mask, call me Lancelot. That’s what hidden aliases are for!”

“Fine, but call me Redemption.” Feeling very confident, Ryan released another shell from his bladed weapon. Grinning, the anonymous man let out a screech, seeming to source from his palm. The sound caused a crack on Ryan’s mask. At the same time, the vibration broke his bullet’s coordination thus, it missed him. Laughing, he created another screech, this time coming from his other hand. The fracture grew larger to a point wherein a large shard fell off his helmet. “Okay, no need to panic,” Ryan said out loud, but addressing himself, “Sound is obviously his element.” Licking his lips, he tasted the metallic flavor of blood. He suspected his shattered mask to have made some cuts on his face.

Lancelot noticed Redemption pausing. “Anything wrong?”

“Nothing,” he replied. “And don’t get any ideas like teleporting with Danielle here. I ain’t lying this time. Besides, her Vision is cold…”

“Heh, I was gonna do that, however, according to that guy’s Vision, which is the ability to see one’s life force, I can’t. I used my remaining energy to get you here. Heh, if sound’s his element, then seeing life force has gotta be his Vision.” With his ability, Lanceler could teleport to any area as long as he can travel to it while holding his breath.

One flaw was that he couldn’t inflict any harm on anyone for he would just pass through. Another weakness his power was burdened with was the fact that he couldn’t pick anything up, or take any material object for his skin would just pass through. If he decided to let his breath go, he would just swap places with the object that occupied the space he ‘stole’. But if he held an object, and then used his element, the item would teleport with him. Knowing his limitations, Lanceler was able to plan out his actions. By teleporting next to Ryan, and then grabbing him as he teleported back, Ryan was dragged along with him.

Opening a small portion of his mask, Lanceler wiped his lips. After a quick stretch, he heard the man shout out, “Hey, you seemed to have regenerated enough life force to teleport one more time.”

“This could be a trap,” warned Redemption.

“Don’t worry; my power doesn’t use up that much of my life force. Besides, what is life force anyway? Stamina? Oh well, I’ll just fall unconscious from excessive teleporting anyway. Swapping places isn’t my only ability, ‘ya know…” Taking his chances, he snapped his fingers for a sign of good luck.

Time stopped.

He could see his ally and his opponent both immobilized. Redemption seemed to make an attempt in stopping him from using his element. His arms were stretched out, trying to grab him, but failed to make any kind of contact. The man who could produce any kind of sound had a position wherein he was just laughing as he stared at the sky. His right arm rested on his forehead while his left hand held still held his weapon. Trying to save time, Lancelot ran towards him, positioning himself behind his back. As he took a deep breath, canceling the effects of his power, he performed an axe kick.

At the same time, he heard his companion shout, “Lancelot, no!”

The man landed on his front, but supported himself by pillaring on his arms. Quickly standing up, he unexpectedly introduced himself. “Hi! I’m Cyro!” Waving his hands, he got another kick on his back, this time from Redemption. Landing hard, he felt a force applied on his back, ‘drilling’ its way on his back. Redemption stepped on him, imitating the movement of a drill with the tip of his feet. Feeling pity, Lancelot did nothing but watch. Underneath his mask was a scowling frown.

The pain caused Cyro to be enraged. Opening his right hand, he let loose a powerful burst of sound, shattering the remaining glass on Redemption’s helmet. As effect, the two were brought down to their knees, produced by the pain and damage done to their coordination. More shards cut Ryan’s face, and blood started to bleed from his left nostril. His face was exposed, a fair-skinned man who had long brown bangs, covering his eyes. Standing up once more, and wiping off dirt from his torso, he offered the two a hand. “Hi! I’m Cyro! Spelled as C-Y-R-O.”

Bang! A few feet from them, at the left side of the train, was a mounted gunman. His brown vest had a golden star attached to it. “Heh, missed…” The distance between the gunman and train grew, as a result of his immobility when shooting.

Being alerted, Lancelot stood up once more and gave Cyro a swift punch. The impact caused his head to turn to the left, receiving more and more pain from constant punching. Before he could hit him with his ninth blow, his fists were caught by Cyro’s palms, his right being the first and his left being the second as it attempted to strike him once more. “Why are you attacking me?!”

“What?! Why are you attacking me?!” Lancelot asked. Cyro just blinked ‘innocently’. “Seero, eh? Hmm… aren’t you a guard or anything?”

“No,” Cyro rebutted, “I had to get on this train somehow. After thinking for a few seconds, this idea came to me: dress up as one of the guards!” After mentioning the last word, he stared up to the sky, laughing madly again. Ryan, wondering about Cyro’s motive for getting on the train, opened his mouth. At the instant this happened, his new, but strange, ‘friend’ covered his mouth. “It’s rude to talk when someone else is.” Being up close, the two could see that he could produce words without moving his lips. Ryan’s jaw struggled as he tried to reason out. “Now, where was I?” The short silence he left was broken, conquered by the noise Ryan produced. “Oh yeah,” he continued followed by his laughter. “Have you guys heard of the new Barney character? He’s on the train! Everyone’s talking about him. Shadebarney… must be some kind of black dinosaur.”

Stimulated by the foolishness of his words, Ryan pulled Cyro’s hands off from his face and corrected, “It’s Shadebainer. And second, he’s in the train.” Following his words was another gunshot. The accurate bullet hit his torso but failed to damage Ryan in any way.

Sticking his tongue out at the sheriff, taunting him about his futileness, Cyro subsequently activated a detonator which he pulled from his pocket. A large portion of the tracks that they’ve already passed exploded, engulfing the horse and several unconscious men. The pain the horse felt at the instant before it died caused it to trample wildly. As a result, the sheriff was dismounted. Fortunately, he was just inches away from the blast’s radius. Exhausted by the pain, he silently cursed, and gripped onto the sand, trying to crawl, hoping that somehow he’ll get to them again.

“You were able to plant bombs in the tracks?!” Lancelot asked surprised, almost being impressed.

“Seesh! That’s impossible!” Cyro rebutted, “That place was too heavily guarded. All I did was hack one of the computers from the Northern region and send a missile.” He pointed to a building, several kilometers distant and slightly visible through the enshrouding fog brought by the distance.

“Uhh… isn’t that more impossible?” Ryan sighed and continued, “But heh,” Ryan shrugged, “remarkable. You came all the way here from the Northern region to see ‘Shadebarney’?” The two black nights were driven to laughter. Seeing that ironically he was the only one who wasn’t expressing a lively gesture, Cyro started to laugh as well, not knowing what was funny.”

“Anyways, you two owe me something.” His fingers alternately folded towards his palms, and then contracted away, seeming as if he was asking for payment. Seeing this, Ryan felt a bit guilty so he pulled his wallet from a small opening of his armor that recently unlocked itself, allowing his hand to reach his pocket. “Since there’s no Shadebarney, and just that senate guy, I feel… bored. Since you two are getting yourselves in such a fun yet dangerous ‘activity’ you might as well bring me along!”

“Hmm… he may useful,” said Lancelot. As usual, he would place his finger under his lips and his thumb under his chin. “But… please try not to use your element all the time. Not only is it a waste of energy but people might see you with an abnormality.”

Hearing this, Cyro was driven to more laughter. The sudden movement of his head caused his blue cap, a part of his disguise, to fall off, being left behind on the ground as the train continued steaming its way to its destination. Like Lanceler’s, his hair was blond, but more yellowish than his. “Bah, I don’t care. According to my Vision, I haven’t even used four percent of my life force.”

“Hehe,” Ryan silently laughed. “You know, Lanceler, if Cyro was Jhenine, I would kill you for what you just said.” Ryan discarded his bullets and rested his bayonet’s body on his shoulder. The blade was just three inches from him, and the butt, being supported by his right hand, was touching his chest.

“Hmph…” Lanceler’s rivalry forced him to challenge the brunet. “You’re on! As soon as we get off this train, let’s have a fight. And based on the map, the Northwestern region would be the best place.” The Northwestern region riddled with deserts and canyons, making it an ideal place for such fights. Not only was it isolated from the public, but it was near their destination as well.

But little to their knowledge was that since the place had a population of zero, the King of Magnagon declared it as the War Zone, as requested by the UNF or the United Nations Federation. To prevent civilian deaths, an invading country should only attack the defensive country’s selected region. But rules stated that land’s area should not be less than a hundred thousand square kilometers and that it should be one of the country’s boundaries. Another rule mentioned that the defensive nation could have an advantage if it could supply itself with antiaircraft mortars and stationary weapons as support to their units as protection from invading forces.

Nowadays, first world countries would supply themselves with golems that would be piloted by soldiers. It would either take the shape of a human or an animal. However, experts believed that human-shaped models are the best, being capable of wielding giant artillery designed for them as well as being the most versatile. But the mass saw it merely as an opinion, so the production of animal-based models such as the Pantheroen, a jaguar-based mech, still took place.

“Speaking of getting off this train, how do we get back in? Wouldn’t it be suspicious? I mean, why would the terrorists just leave the train? All the guards have already been knocked out– literally. Besides, if we just show up, being present only when the terrorists have left, it would be obvious that we’re Lancelot and Redemption,” Ryan discussed. To save time, and to derive an urgent answer, Lanceler activated his Vision. Letting him concentrate, both Cyro and Ryan kept silent. But as usual for how their story goes, the silence would yet again be broken. A powerful gunshot caught their attention. When the three decided to check what was happening, they were nearly stumbled, due to the deceleration of the train.

Vincent managed to blast through the door, and was able to disconnect the senator’s carriage from the other six, the caboose being one. Ryan aimed his bayonet at him, trying to take out his anger. But he realized that now they had a reason to ‘disappear’. Being known the public, would mean that he was going to be an enemy. Yet, he could still gain allies and supporters, as long as he chose the right words. Thanking Vincent in his mind, he pulled the trigger, knowing that he was still an enemy, only to hear a click. Dang! When I planned to use Shattered Cepheus, I had to discard my bullets. Unfortunately, I forgot to reload. Hmm… I could experiment it on him… but, that might kill Joseph. I can’t do that… not until I know the details…

Lanceler armed himself with his shotgun. He placed his hand behind his back, activating the chess piece as he moved his hand from his back to his front. His actions imitated the cartoons wherein the characters would just pull stuff from their backs. Laughing silently, Lanceler’s long wait to use his nanabots in a situation like this was over. But before he could shoot, Vincent retreated to the safety of the inner portion of the train, unaware of their presence. “Let him go.” Ryan slowly pushed Lanceler’s firearm downward. Smiling, the two remembered the incident when Ryan pointed his shovel at the Lanceler, being enraged by the mentioning of his parents’ death. “Besides, he’s out of range.” Lanceler remained silent, thanking the events that prevented him from spilling blood.

Hearing this, Cyro laughed. “Heh, I wonder what happened to the money we spent on riding the train? Wait, I didn’t spend anything! Bwahahaha!” Lanceler and Ryan were made to think about Cyro’s natural voice. When he laughs, he does open his mouth, but the two didn’t believe that his pitch was so high.

Shaking his head and folding his arms, Ryan replied with a grin, “Heh, I am one of two inheritors my father’s wealth…”

As mentioned, Ryan is the only son of his father. But there wasn’t anything said about the nonexistence of another child. Ryan was a half blood, borne by a woman of the Eastern region with a man of the Southern region. The people of the South were known for superior strength thus, explaining Ryan’s physical prowess. However, none of his friends ever had knowledge of his sister, not even Danielle who had been his neighbor for eight years. At the age of ten, with Ryan just being seven, his sister was assigned to training under the supervision of a Southern soldier. Normally, men at the age of eighteen were the youngest candidates, but for possessing the blood of a native from the Southern region, she was recruited at a very young age.

Giving Lanceler a stressed stare, he continued, “and my sister’s the second.”
AQ DF  Post #: 15
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