The Wanderer Chapter 10 "To Gain One is To Lose One (Part 1 of 2)" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Home sweet home," said Allie as she fell unto a couch in a small run-down apartment over a equally run-down pub, but this is her rat-infested home and she loved it, "Kiki can you get me a beer?...What do you mean we out of beer?... Fine I go down to bar and bring some up." Allie got up from her comfortable position on the couch and walked downstairs to the pub. The pub was small, but was always packed. This is a usual place to stop if you're a criminal looking for a job or if you want a quick game of cheater's poker, the only game of poker where everybody cheats. Allie walked to the bar and sat down on the last empty stool. "Tony can I have a beer? It's totally dry upstairs," said she. Then the bartender, a small dwarf who walked on the special walkway on the side of the bar, walked from where he was with a customer. "Allie, you made it back in one piece," said Tony the dwarf bartender. "Yeah, to find that someone went thorough and clean out of my liquor chest," said Allie. "We were running low one night and the shipment was late." "Still doesn't make it right." "If I remember, that was beer from here, which you didn't pay for." "Fine, can you get me something to drink?" "Here try this and tell me what you think," he said as he filled a double shot glass with his own homemade moonshine. Allie took it and drank it in one gulped. "It's missing something," she said. "Yeah, I know, but I can't lay my finger on it," Tony replied. "The special kick it has." "You know, you're right. I forgot to put in that special something." "Then put in and pour me other one." Tony walked down some stairs to the ground. He took out a bottle of some kind of magic dust from a locked cabinet and poured it in the bottle of moonshine. Then he walked back up the stairs and poured Allie other drink. Allie took it and drank it in one gulped again. "Now that's the way I remember it. Keep filling it up," said Allie. "You know the limit," said Tony. "Yeah, yeah, only four, so give the last two." Tony took out any double shot glass and filled it up with the one Allie already had. Allie drank both under ten seconds. "So is there any good job floating out there?" Allie asked. "Yeah, some young kid is looking for catpeople to recruit into her special army," Tony replied. "Not my type of job. Anyone looking for a cat-bugler?" "Nope. Your type of jobs are out of season it seems." "That's not good. So this trip home will have to be cut short for lack of income here." "You know Sonny been asking for you." "I'm done with him." ---flashback--- "My pretty baby, what have you been up to lately?" said a tall, dark vampire as Allie walked in a gorgeous apartment room that cost a small fortune. "What are you doing here? You aren't allow here anymore," Allie replied. "I gave you the world and you just throw it away. Lucky your sister isn't so stupid." "You brainwash my sister to thinking having sex for money isn't that bad. You won't do that to me. I'm never coming back to you." "Oh yes you are," he said as he grabbed her left arm. "Let me go," she said as she struggled to get out of his tight grip. "You were my best and you'll stay that. Your little stunt is costing me a lot of money, baby." "I'm not your baby anymore. Go back to your sluts and leave me allow." "Thanks to you twelve of my goods one left." "Good for them." "No, bad for them. Didn't they know they're all dead and you'll soon join them if you know what's good for you." "I rather die then go back with you." "Fine have it your way." Sonny bared his fangs and went to Allie's neck, but Allie took her claws out and scratched his face, which he cared about deeply. He threw her back and touched his face that was bleeding badly. "You bitch! My beautiful face is destroyed." "I maybe a bitch and least I'm not a goddamn greedy bastard who let men fuck his mother if they pay good money." And with that she left the apartment never to return. --end of flashback-- "Thanks for the drinks, Tony," Allie said as she got up from the barstool. "Allie don't be a stranger. And I'm glad you not going back to Sonny," Tony said. "That's make two of us." ( "A word of advice before we go in this city. Be careful, be very careful," said Wanderer. "You don't have to tell us that twice," said Snott. "And never be only." "Can we stay in the hotel that look like a castle?" Apollo said. "What does that do with we talking about?" "You were saying something." "Why did we get stuck with you? And no, we're not staying at that hotel. I just want to look for Allie and get the hell out of here." "But I want to gamble some." "Aren't you too young to gamble?" said Ruby. "Only be a stupid year. It seems everything is against me even my age. I hate my life." "I said it once, I say it again. You're a brat," said Ruby. "I'm not a brat!" "You two stop it," said Wanderer, "Let's look for Allie, okay?" ( "Katie, make me a monster," said King Robert. "Yes, your highness," replied Katie, "Crystal of evil and darkness hear my voice with taste of your master's blood make me a monster of my imagination and of my mind and set it free." A blue catlike creature appeared in the light from the crystal. It had claws that went to the ground and a sword at end of it's tail. The light surrounded it and squeezed it into a ball that fell into Katie's hands. "When you want to use it. Throw it and say 'Release monster of the dark crystal, and hear my command because I'm your master now,'" Katie said as she put the ball into Nala's paws. "With this I will crush those fools," said Nala. "Go Nala to the City of Cards and kill Kismet and his pathetic friends," said King Robert. ( Apollo walked in to Tony's pub with one thing on his mind, getting idiotically drunk. He was tired of looking for Allie, so when the rest were in their beds asleep, he sneaked off to get something to drink. "What can I do you for?" asked Tony. "Death demon," Apollo replied. "A what?" "You don't know what a death demon is, shit. How about a suicidal psycho?" "Doesn't ring a bell." "Magical death?" "Nope." "Dragon breath?" "Haven't heard of it." "You haven't heard of any of my toxin of choice. My life sucks. Just gave me a beer and don't tell me you don't know what that is. If you do, I will report you to the Council of Bartenders." "I know what a beer is." Tony grabbed a beer from a shelf behind the counter and handed it to Apollo. Apollo took it and drank it all in a minute. When he was on his third one, Allie came down from her apartment and sat a seat down from Apollo. "Gave me something fruity Tony," said Allie. "Are you all right? You usual like your drinks hard," said Tony. "I need something I can think with and a watery death just doesn't seem right, right now. You know I mean?" "Yes." "Shit, I forgot watery death," said Apollo as he banged his head against the counter. "I think done with that," said Tony as he took Apollo current beer bottle. "Hey I wasn't done. Besides it take about around five to get me drunk." "Wait I know you," said Allie, "You are one of Wanderer's friends he was traveling with." "It's you. We had been looking for you. We need your help." "I don't want to help you." "We followed you to Crystal City, then to here." "You guys are that depress to get me. So what do you want?" "Your Blowgun of the Winds." "My what? You mean this old thing. You have to take it over my dead body." "You don't understand. We are on a quest to find the husband of the Fairy Queen, King Daven and the only way of finding him is if we find the holders of his prized weapons and that blowgun is one of them. So will you help us?" "I don't know." "Please? It's really important that you do. The fate of the world depends of it." "Let me think about it." Then suddenly Kiki ran down the stairs to Allie, jump on her lap, and started do this begging-dance thing. "You're right Kiki. I agree, I will join you," said Allie, "So when do we leave?" "Tomorrow morning. Meet us here, okay?" Apollo said. "Okay." Allie walked back to her room with Kiki. As they walked towards it, they found the door opened. Allie carefully walked in and Kiki closely followed. To their surprise, Sonny was standing in the middle of the room. "What do you want?" said Allie. "To beg for your forgiveness, and ask you to please come back to me," responded Sonny. "I'm never going back to you." "I'd change. I'm not the same man you left a year ago." "You will never change." "I have change. I don't sell girls anymore and I stopped drinking. Jail changed me for good." "I knew your action will catch up with you. It was only a matter of time." "Allie, I love you. I realized that while in jail. You were always special to me." "Don't make me laugh. In a few months, you'll go back to your wild ways." "I will never go back. Allie, I really do love you." "If you loved me, why did you sell me to strange men? Why did you hurt me? Why did you hit me, beat me, and throw me around like a plaything? Why did you use me? Why did you make me the way I am today? Goddamnit, why? Tell me why." "Allie, that was back in my wild days. I will never do anything like that ever again to you or anyone else. I'm promise." "How can I trust you? You never keep true to your word. You said nothing bad would happen to my sister or me. Now look at us, I'm damage goods and my sister is dead. Dead! All because of you. She was raped by one of your stalker ex- client and left dead in an alley. It was all your fault." "Allie haven't you heard me at all. I'm completely, totally different. I'm not like that dark creature of the night I used to be. I'm changed. CHANGED! And Allie, I love you. Can you get that through your head? I LOVE YOU! And I always will. You were my hope in my dark jail cell, my light. The one thing that help me life to see the next night, just to see your beautiful face once again. Yours, nobody else, just yours. I'm sorry what I did in my past, but I can't erase them. Yes, I'm tempted to go back the way I was, because that's the only way I know how to live, but remembering your face that night you went away and all the pain I cause, help me not to go back. Allie, I'm asking you to forgive me, nothing more. You don't have to came back if you don't want to." "You scarred me too much. I don't think I can. Can you give me time?" "Take as much as you want. You know where to find me when you're ready." Sonny walked past Allie. His hand brushed past her as he exited. When he left Allie just fall down and cried about all the memories that flooded back to her. Kiki laid in her lap, trying to be a comfort to her, which she did. ( "Where are you taking us?" said Wanderer the next morning. "You'll see," Apollo said as he led them to Tony's pub where he was meeting Allie. Apollo pushed open the door and led the group in. Allie was sitting on a barstool handing a piece of paper to Tony. "Here, if you see Sonny again, gave him this," Allie said. "Will do," said Tony as he took it from her. "Look what we found here," said Wanderer as he sat down next to Allie. "Hello Wanderer," said Allie. "Where did you find her?" said Ruby to Apollo. "Last night at this bar. She agreed to join us," he responded. "So you are useful after all." "Hey, I fought off I don't know how many creature with my Bow of the Elements." "Wait, you all have one of this weapons," said Allie. "All except Ruby, Cleini, and Wanderer." "Then why are you with them Wanderer if you don't have a weapon?" "He's like a tour guide for us." "I'm not your tour guide," Wanderer responded. "Then what are you then?" "I just agreed to help Kismet find King Daven, that's all." "If I'm going to travel with you guys, I want to know your names at least," said Allie. "Yeah, that's important," said Ruby, "I'm Ruby. This is Stry. Over there is Snott and his girlfriend Cleini. Right there is Kismet, and you already know Apollo and Wanderer." "Okay. I'm ready to go if you are." "Yeah. We should be going," said Apollo, "Hey how many do we have left?" "Two. The Mace of Strength and the Staff of the Kings," replied Kismet. "Ruby, will you show us the way?" said Stry. "It will be my pleasure," responded Ruby, "Crystal diamond show me where I can find an owner of a weapon." The light from her hand showed Northwest towards Dwarves' Country. "I guess we need to get some kind of climbing gear," said Apollo. "I think so," said Kismet. "I don't. I think we won't live to see another day," said Nala as she walked in the pub. "Her again. Haven't you embarrassed yourself a bit too much," said Apollo. "It was all your fault, now you're going to pay. Release monster of the dark crystal, and hear my command because I'm your master now." She threw the ball with the monster in it and the catlike creature appeared. "Attack," she said. Apollo quickly took out his bow and shot an arrow of fire, but the monster shallow it up and blew it back. "Shield," said Apollo as he raised up his hand. A shield came up and blocked the attack, then went down. "How do you know magic?" said Kismet. "I guess you found out one of my little secrets." "Apollo look out." But it was too late; the monster already had its right claw in Apollo's stomach. The monster took out it claw and Apollo fell to the ground. "Apollo!" said Kismet as ran to be by his friend side. "I just this is it for me," said Apollo. "No, you going to make it. You're not going to die." "Too late, buddy. My time has come. Tell my father, I love him, even if he's a jerk." "You not going to die. I can heal you like I healed Cleini." But Apollo didn't hear him, because he was already die. "Sorry, Kismet, but he's die," said Wanderer. "You're going to pay for killing my best friend," said Kismet with anger in his voice and eyes. He took out the Sword of the Fairy Queen and his anger made it glow a dark red, "Death Attack." His sword led his arm into the attack. He sliced the monster across the stomach, then brought the sword up and cut it from the end of the first attack to the opposite shoulder. After that with one smooth move with the sword, he cut the monster's head off. He brought the sword in front of him and placed his free hand on the other end of the sword. And then a red light came out of it and turned the monster into dust. "Now it's your turn." "I don't think so. I want to live to fight another day, so I guess I got to run- away," said Nala as she disappeared. "I will find you Nala and kill you for what you done to my friend." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A/N- I'm going to cry. My favorite character is dead. I will try to remember the good times. Later!