Chapter 3 Destiny and Choice
“I
can’t believe that somebody actually hired a bunch of KIDS to hunt demons for
them!”
Two
days have passed since Saphir and Brad had decided, and thusly convinced
Arrowny, to become professional demon hunters. That night, Brad put a small
advertisement on some webpage or another, and now, here they are in
“I told
you so!”
It’s
day time, and Brad and Arrowny are running through the back streets and
alleyways of the city, chasing the last of the quick moving pests in the
direction of Saphir... or, at least, they hope they’re chasing it in that
direction... it is a big city after all. Several times, Arrowny has had to
throw small lightening bolts or fire balls in the imp’s way to force it to take
the right turn at a fork. Hopefully, nobody has taken notice of their
activities.
Sure
enough, as they reach the next corner, they can hear Saphir’s voice...
“FUah-haneayn
KU-deoo-bae!”
A beam
of light hits the imp, stopping it in midair. Saphir steps from around the
corner, with a large grin on his face.
“Stop
spell works great!”
Arrowny,
slightly out of breath, holds up his hand...
“...Fire...”
A ball
of flame envelops the imp, dying down only when the creature is nothing more
than a pile of ash on the ground. Ryan looks at Saphir, who is holding a
rematerialized FENRIR Card in his hand.
Arrowny
places Sky Render in duffle bag that they brought with them, and stands back to
allow Brad to put his axe in as well. The Glaive is too long to fit, but
another one of Saphir’s spells will make sure nobody notices it. He pulls out a
card, depicting a grey ghost with the word PHANTOM written along the bottom.
When he touches it to the tip of the Glaive, he mutters, “BAE-raae-ha-deoo-see
JAEae-haeay-ku-ra” and the weapon vanishes from sight.
When
they emerge from the alley, it’s easy for them to blend in with the crowd of
people walking down the sidewalk. It amazes the three of them, whom have never
really been in a true city environment before... the largest city any of them
have been to is
But
before they even have a chance to step foot on the pavement, gun shots ring out
over all the noises of the city.
People
scream, and dive to the ground... the only one who are still standing are
Saphir, Brad, Arrowny... and two men standing in the middle of the street...
one with a dark blue suit and shoulder length brown hair... the other with a
lighter blue suit and shorter hair... each holding two silver guns, pointing
down at the group of five people huddled at their feet.
“Good
people!” The one with the long hair addresses the many people on the street, “I
assure you that there is a chance you will make it out of this alive.
Unfortunately, that chance rests with one individual among the masses.”
He
pulls the trigger, shooting one of the hostages in the head...
“That’s
just to let Adam know that I’m serious... and if he doesn’t want any more
people to die... he needs to show himself NOW!”
As
Saphir removes the Vanish spell from the Glaive, Ryan and Brad pull their
weapons from the duffle bag. They just can’t sit around and let this kind of
thing happen... but, as soon as their weapons are in sight, the two men turn
their attention on them.
“Well,
well,” the short haired one shakes his head slightly, “what have we got here,
Castor?”
“Looks
to me, like some kids want to play hero, Pollex.” He gives a slight grin, and
shoots another person. “Makes no difference, really. We’re here for Adam... and
Adam only.”
“LET
THEM GO!” It’s exactly what Arrowny wanted to say, but it wasn’t he who said
it. The voice is coming from the homeless man that bumped into them earlier.
Castor and Pollex smile... and the man stands up straight... letting his
traveling cloak fall to the ground.
Every
single person who is brave enough to glance up at him gasps...
“Whoa
ugly!” Brad voices the thought that runs through all of their minds.
White
hair... white eyes... white clothing... and nearly white, partly decayed skin. But,
beyond looking like death warmed over... the man is HUGE! Nearly seven feet
tall, and arms the size of small trees.
Castor
smiles at him.
“Wonderful...
thanks for coming out Adam. Everybody else on the street has exactly two
minutes to get as far away from here as they can before we stat killing.”
It
doesn’t even take that long for the streets to clear.
Now
Castor, Pollex, Adam, Arrowny, Saphir, Brad... and two dead bodies, are the
only people in sight. Castor and Pollex point their guns at Adam... but the
dead looking man just shakes his head...
“You do
realize... that even with you holding back my powers, I can kick your ass any
day.”
Castor
nods...
“Yes...
that’s true. But...” he looks behind him as a black limousine pulls around the
corner, and parks just a little ways away from the two gunslingers. Castor
smiles at Adam... “He can!”
The
door of the limo opens... and the three Dragoon Warriors stare in shock at the
giant who steps out. He is over seven feet tall, with long hair, and strange
symbols tattooed on his face. He’s wearing a long, royal blue trench coat...
but the most impressive thing about him is the actual size of his arms...
Adam
turns to the Dragoon Warriors...
“You
guys run. There’s nothing you can do.”
Arrowny
shakes his head.
“We
just watched them kill two people... we’re not going anywhere.” An affirming
nod from both Saphir and Brad ends any argument that Adam could have come up
with.
“Okay...
fine.” He points over at Castor and Pollex, “They’ve got something on them
that’s negating my powers. If you can shut it off... we might get out of here
alive. I’m going to head Joseph off, and keep him from ripping you guys apart.”
Adam
runs off, before any of them can respond, in the direction of Joseph. He stops
only when he is just a few feet from the other man...
“Hello
Joseph... how’ve you been?”
“Can’t
complain... money and power and all that.”
Adam
gives a small nod, and then punches Joseph, right in the jaw, as hard as he
can. Just from the look of the attack, all of the bones in Joseph’s face should
be broken... but the taller man doesn’t even flinch... doesn’t even give a hint
that he felt the hit.
“You do
realize, dear Adam... that without your powers... you are no match for me.”
And to
make his point, Joseph quickly backhands Adam across the face... forcing him to
his knees.
Castor
and Pollex turn their guns on the Dragoon Warriors... and fire! Saphir and
Arrowny dodge, but Brad instinctively raises his axe. Three bullets strike the
strike the broad side of the weapon, and fall harmlessly to the ground. Everybody
looks shocked at this... especially Brad...
“Hey!
This thing’s bullet proof!”
Ryan
reaches up and pulls Brad to the ground by the back of his shirt as more shots
fly by. The three of them move quickly to hide behind a set of stone steps that
jut out of a building on the other end of the street. They can hear the bullets
strike the stone, but they are safe.
Castor
and Pollex do not advance on their location... for good reason. The kids have
swords, pikes, and axes... which would prove very useful if the two brothers
decided to walk right up to them... it’s safer if they just wait at a distance,
and let Joseph deal with Adam...
At
least... they think it’s safer...
...
until Arrowny starts chucking fireballs at them.
* * * * * *
Joseph
gets bored with beating Adam after a few short minutes. The white haired,
decomposing man is lying on the road, trying to get up under his own power.
Joseph leans down, and pulls him effortlessly to his feet.
“Adam...
you should not have tried to fight me. Now... if you don’t mind... I’m going to
imprison you for a few... hundred... years.”
Adam
tries to land one more punch... but after the beating... he barely has the
strength to lift his own fist...
* * * * * *
“Um...
your fireballs are great and all... but do you think you could actually try and
hit the evil people that are shooting at us?”
Brad’s
remarks, though all in good fun, do nothing to improve Arrowny’s mood. He
actually has been trying to hit Castor and Pollex, but they just move away. At
least, they’re not trying to shoot at them as much now... most of their energy
seems to be taken up by dodging.
They
hear a voice... belonging to the man called Joseph... boom out over the street.
“Castor...
Pollex... I’ve got him! Leave the children!”
Arrowny
glances around the stone steps... Pollex looks up at his brother...
“Guess
this thing really works, eh?” The younger assassin pats the right side of his
suit jacket... and Arrowny notices a small bulge in the fabric... and realizes
that it must be where they’re keeping whatever it is that’s blocking Adam’s
powers.
“Damn...
I’m gonna get shot!” Saphir and Brad looks curiously at him, but they don’t get
a chance to actually ask about the statement before Ryan dashes out from behind
they’re nice, safe stone protection. He runs, holding Sky Render before him,
straight up, so that the blade is between his eyes... hoping that the brothers
are as good shots as he thinks they are.
Castor
turns, and fires... he only has time to get off one shot... and he makes it
perfect. The bullet slices through the air... aimed directly at Arrowny’s head.
It is on target... and that’s just what Ryan was hoping for. The bullet hits
the blade of the sword, and gets cut in two by the sharp metal.
Castor
tries to fire again, but Arrowny is upon them to soon. He slashes out with Sky
Render, and cuts through Pollex’s suit. He feels the sword hit something
metal... and he feels it go clean through.
The
brothers give a collective gasp as the shattered bits of the device fall to the
ground through Pollex’s torn pocket.
* * * * * *
Most
people are not afraid of fog... it’s just not that scary...
However...
to Joseph, in the position his in right now, trying to stuff Adam into the back
of a limo... the thick fog that rolls in around the automobile is the second
most frightening thing he’s ever seen.
The
first being the bright, glowing red eyes that gaze through him as Adam turns
around... and Joseph can only watch as the decomposed flesh on the other man’s
face heals, making him look... well... really, really old... but a little less
dead.
And
then the thick fog fills the limo... and Adam vanishes from Joseph’s grasp.
He
feels a hand grab at his hair, and pull him out onto the fog filled street. He
feels a fist collide with his face... he knows it is Adam’s fist... even though
he cannot see the man. The slight metallic taste of blood fills his mouth... he
can’t even remember the last time somebody made him bleed.
Actually,
he can... it was over fifty years ago... and that time also... it had been
Adam.
* * * * * *
Castor
and Pollex are amazed at the sight before them... their boss, Joseph, and his
limo, were just covered with thick fog... too thick to see through... at all. They’d
been briefed on Adam’s powers... but they had no idea.
They
raise their guns, and fire blindly into the fog, hoping to hit their target,
and slow him down enough for Joseph to grab him.
What
they do now know... is that their target is no longer there.
Arrowny
takes the momentary lull in the brother’s attention to run back to his hiding
spot behind the stone steps. He’s greeted by astonished looks from Saphir and
Brad... and a strange kind of smile from the new, not so decomposed looking,
Adam... who’s standing just outside a massive wall of fog in the alleyway
behind him.
Without
a word, the large man reaches out, grabs each of them in turn, and pulls them
into the fog.
Arrowny
can’t see anything... but he has the strangest sensation that the world around
him is moving... like that moment just before you really wake up during a long
car trip.
After a
few moments, the fog lifts from around them... and they are most definitely not
in
“
A large,
old looking, white wolf steps out from deeper in the forest. It shows signs of
an old injury as it walks over to Adam... a slight limp when it puts weight on
its left front paw.
“Hey
there little guy... didn’t worry you too much, did I?” He scratches the wolf
behind the ears a bit before turning to the Dragoon Warriors.
“His
name is Interceptor... he’s my traveling companion.” He turns to Saphir, “You
can teleport, or something... right? You should take us to your office so I can
fill you in on all of this.”
Saphir
glances over at Arrowny, who nods his approval, before using the FENRIR card to
Warp all five of them back to the Dragoon Warriors offices in Ryan’s home...
And
when they appear in the living room... they are surprised to find a teenage girl
sitting on the couch, watching an old X-Files rerun on television.
She
looks up, not the least bit shocked at the fact that three people carrying
large bladed weapons, a very tall dead looking guy, and a wolf have just
appeared out of thin air in front of her.
“I was
wondering when you guys would get here! I expected you about five minutes
ago... I thought you were hurt or something!”
Brad
steps forward...
“That’s
so nice of you... to actually put thought into our wellbeing... it really shows
how much you care.
Who the
HELL are you?!”
* * * * * *
This is
the second time in less than a week that Arrowny has had a group of people that
he doesn’t know too well sitting in his study, telling him why he should trust
them, rather than killing them right off.
He
already sort of... trusts... Adam... what with him getting them all to safety
and that... so he made the decision that the girl,
“So...
I know you guys deal with demons and all that... so I’m not going to be cryptic
about myself. I’m a Seer. I get visions.”
Arrowny
glances over at Saphir, with a ‘can this really happen?’ look in his eyes.
Saphir nods, giving the appropriate ‘it can, but there’s no way to know for
sure’ look.
“Okay...
let’s say we believe you,” Ryan turns to the girl, “Why would a Seer be hanging
around my house? And, while we’re on the subject, how’d you get in here?”
“Um...
the door was unlocked.”
Arrowny
turns to glare at Brad...
“What...
I never lock my room... this is
“Yeah...
but Brad... there are books in here that can open portals to hell dimensions,
and set hoards of demon upon the world... I kinda need to keep that kind of
stuff secure!”
“Oh...
right... sorry...”
Arrowny
turns back to
“The
reason I’m here is because I used this,” He pulls a small, rose quartz coloured
sphere from her pocket, “and the vision I got was of you in a fight for your
life. It’s a Prophet Stone... it lets me see the big things that destiny has in
store for the world.”
“So...
that stone thingy allows you to see the future?”
“Well,
no. I can do that naturally... the stone just lets me see it differently.”
She
glances around at the blank faces of the others... the, very blank faces... and
takes a deep breath before continuing.
“Okay...
you walk out of the house in the morning, and you’re faced with the choice to
either turn left towards downtown, or right towards the top of the hill. I have
the power to naturally see all of the infinite possible futures that could come
from this one, simple choice. You could go down town and buy some milk, or rent
a movie... or buy milk and rent a different movie. Or, you could go up the
hill, and run into somebody who’s out for a walk... maybe make a new friend.
I can
see all of those futures... and infinitely more... by my self... without help.”
She
holds up the Prophet Stone.
“This
allows me to see destiny. Things that will happen, no matter what... things
that are necessary. It allows me to see up to a certain event... but I can’t
see past the choices made in that event. I can see that there’s going to be a
basketball game on television... but I don’t know who will win, because it
depends on whether that tall guy passes, or shoots... and that’s a choice
that’s up to him.
Do you
get it?”
Four
human heads slowly shake... and
“Right...
let’s try it this way. I know a lot... and you should trust me. I’ve seen you,
all of you, in a really, really important fight... and I want to help you get
ready for it.”
“Okay
then,” Arrowny, still looking confused, turns to Adam. “What’s your story?”
“Well,
I’d like to tell you... but the truth is, I don’t know the all of it. But...” he
scratches his chin, and Ryan notices for the first time that his eyes have
returned to their blank, white state, “I know a... person, who might have all
the answers. It will be dangerous to try and find him... but if you’re up for
it?”
The
three Dragoon Warriors all nod...
“Okay
then... I guess we’re off to see Morning Star!”
* * * * * *
Joseph
sits in his chair, behind his desk... in his office... staring at his
employees. Kenneth stands, completely unfazed, beside the brothers Castor and
Pollex, who seem quite disgusted... as Joseph digs his fingers inside a bullet
hole in his chest. One of the brother’s stray shots into the fog hit the wrong
target. Not that it caused him any harm...
He
watches their faces turn to an ugly shade of green as he pulls the bullet out
from his chest, and throws it on the desk. Castor, who recovers quicker than
his brother, speaks...
“Sir...
we are sorry. We still wish to serve you... and we request that you allow us to
upgrade, in the same manner which you allowed him to.” Castor motions to
Kenneth as he speaks. Joseph nods... and the brothers leave the office.
Kenneth
steps forward.
“What
are your orders, Sir?”
“The
next time you are able to track Adam’s powers... take a full squad with you,
and bring him back. Failing that, at least bring me something to torture... I’m
bored Kenneth... I need amusement.”
Kenneth
nods... and as he turns his back, Joseph speaks again...
“And...
take the technomage with you... he may prove useful.”