Chapter 1 New
She’s lived in the city of Paris for all her short life... fifteen years... and now she’s being hunted by a man she thought was her friend...
She can hear his footsteps behind her, and everywhere she looks, she sees nobody who could help her. He’d kill the police officer over by the bakery... and the young couple by the library... he’d kill him... and her... and her... and him...
Nobody can help... so she has to keep running.
She grew up on the streets... orphaned at a young age. When she was twelve, he came to her. At first, she thought he was just a sick old man, looking for a ‘pure’ girl... but he told her such stories... stories about good defeating evil... and he said he was an instrument of good... a Protector.
He looked out for her for over three years... killing many a demon that tried to wipe her from the mortal coil. And then it all changed...
She never thought she’d have to claim ‘sanctuary’... and certainly, not from him... but it’s her last resort.
Making a sharp turn, she heads for Notre Dame... hoping that it can give her the same holy protection that it granted the hunch-backed man of legend.
She sneaks in through a small drainage pipe... hoping that he won’t be able to find a way to follow her.
She works her way into a hallway, and stops to listen... rats... creaking floorboards... but no sign of him...
She runs down the hallway, hoping to make it to the old bell tower... maybe she can hide there. She turns the corner...
... and is thrown back against the wall.
She sobs... knowing that he’s found her.
“Bastian...”
She looks up at him, dressed in traditional French noblemen clothes... as if he were royalty back in the day...
“Bastian... you were my Protector...”
He smiles... raising his sword...
“I still am!”
She realizes, all too late, that it all started with that sword! The cold blue rapier... he changed when he first took hold of it...
But she doesn’t even get the chance to properly process the thought... the blade cuts across her face... and he laughs as her blood sprays against he cold stone wall of the cathedral.
* * * * * *
The demons corner him in an alleyway.... four of them... looking like humans, but with hundreds of needle like teeth. The leader advances, to finish him off...
A bolt of lightening strikes the wall behind him... the demon backs off, and turns to face the new attackers.
A short man wielding a fancy glaive... Saphir, of the Poirier family.
A taller man, wearing a black trench coat, with a quarterstaff... the technomage, Justin Youngsaye.
A tall, thin guy with a really big axe... Brad...
A girl, holding a small crossbow in each hand... the Seer, Crystal.
And a man, wearing jeans and a denim jacket, holding a katana... Protector, Ryan Arrowny...
“You Caleb Jenkins?”
The cornered guy nods... Arrowny turns to Crystal...
“Yeah?”
She shrugs...
“That’s the guy I saw in my vision.”
Ryan takes a deep breath...
“Good... I hate saving the wrong people...”
The lead demon jumps at Arrowny, and is met with a strong kick to the gut...
All hell breaks lose as the Dragoon Warriors battle the demons in the close quarters of the alley. Justin is able to protect Caleb with a force field at the same time he beats down one of the demons with highly charged attacks.
Saphir unleashes a force wave that is so strong the demon actually crushes some of the bricks on the outside of the building it hits, and then decapitates it with a wide swing.
And Brad... makes a large bloody mess.
Arrowny cleaves off the arm of the lead demon, and kicks it back against the wall just as two crossbow bolts fly through the air, and strike it in the neck and chest... killing it.
Ryan turns to Crystal...
“You’re aim is improving.”
“Well, I’ve been practicing.”
Brad walks between them, and points to a bandage that is wrapped around his upper arm...
“Damn good thing you have been too!”
“Brad,” Saphir shakes his head, “That was a long time ago.”
“One...” Brad holds up one finger, “it was only two days ago. And two...” he holds up a second finger, “SHE SHOT ME WITH A FREAKIN’ CROSSBOW!”
“And, I apologized. Get over it, or I’ll shoot you again!”
Brad’s eyes widen... and he takes a step back, smiling. Arrowny laughs, and turns to Justin.
“Let him go.”
Justin nods, and lets Caleb free from the force field.
“You should run home now.”
Without having to be told twice, Caleb runs off. Ryan looks over at Saphir.
“We sure that he’s out of trouble?”
“Based on Crystal’s vision, and our research, we just killed the last of the demon tribe that was after him. Nobody else has any reason to try and kill him, so he should be fine.”
“Alright then... let’s get back to the office.”
Saphir pulls out his FENRIR Card, and mutters the Warp spell, taking them all from the alley in a flash of light...
Arrowny stumbles up the stairs after a good night’s sleep... hair still wet from his shower...
He makes his way into the kitchen, and grabs a glass of milk before heading to the library, where he knows at least one of the other Warriors will be...
As luck would have it, Saphir, Crystal, and Justin are all gathered around the large, book laden table.
“Morning...”
Crystal smiles...
“It’s two in the afternoon... you missed morning.”
“Whatever...” He sets his milk glass on the table, and Saphir jumps forward, grabbing it.
“EEK!” He picks up the glass, and pulls a tattered parchment from underneath. “Eighth century demonic text... only copy in existence...” he holds the glass out for Arrowny. “If you insist on bringing food or drink into MY library, you will hold on to it, and you will keep it well away from the books.”
Arrowny takes the glass... and glares at Saphir...
“Your library? I was under the impression that this was MY house... you just work here.”
“And you pay me to keep the books safe... so... go over there.” He points to a chair by the door. Arrowny shrugs, and takes a seat... far away from the books.
“Is Brad up yet? He wanted to work on his fighting technique today.”
Justin shakes his head.
“No... he’s still sleeping.”
“Okay then. You guys looking up anything important?”
Saphir looks up from one of the three books that lay open before him...
“Just the usual.”
“Oh. Okay then... I’m gonna go watch some TV.”
The ‘usual’, as the group has come to call the ever present research topic, is trying to find information on whatever power Joseph, owner of the now nonexistent Apocolypse Incorporate company, turned to when he betrayed the Chaos Demon Morning Star... who had hinted to a group called ‘the Children of Jove’...
Problem is, there’s no record of anything relating to the group in any of the books Saphir has managed to procure for the Dragoon Warrior’s library... he’s still waiting on a few texts from Europe... but he doesn’t expect much from them.
Ryan steps into the living room, and realizes just how much the house has changed over the few months since the downfall of Joseph.
They’ve had a great number of jobs... not just ones from Crystal’s visions, but actual people calling them up to hunt demons for them... actual people who are willing to pay! With the extra money, they’ve been able to... upgrade certain sections of the house... namely, the living room.
What was once a single television has turned into a massive entertainment center. Three separate TV’s... one hooked up to a Nintendo Gamecube, one with a Sony Playstation2, and one with a DVD player, that is also connected to the cable feed. The entertainment center itself was built by Brad, as one of his various carpenter projects, and houses a rather large game and movie collection.
Ryan stretches out on the couch, and turns on the television, switching through the channels, trying to find something to watch. After nearly an hour of mindless flicking, Crystal walks out from the library, and stands directly in his line of sight.
He glances up at her... unable to see the television, but still pressing the channel up button on the remote.
“You’re in my way...”
“I know.”
“... and I’m wondering if you have any idea when you’ll be stopping being in my way.”
“I didn’t really plan on stopping.”
“Do you realize how dangerous it is to anger a man who can freeze you solid, zap the ice statue into little icy bits, and then thaw out the little bits to make nifty little girlyflesh cubes?”
“Good point.”
She takes a step to the side... and sits on his stomach...
“I’m not in your way now... right?”
“Not technically, no. Did you want something?”
“Now that you mention it, yes.” She stands up, and pulls him by his arm up to a sitting position. “I want to go for a walk.”
“I’m not stopping you.”
“And, you should go for one too.”
“I don’t need to walk... I train... I fight... don’t walk.”
She shakes her head...
“You’re not even functional right now.”
“It’s only early... what do you expect.”
“Ryan... it’s nearly three in the afternoon now... get up, and come for a walk.”
She pulls him to his feet, and he follows her to the door. He puts on his sneakers, and grabs his jacket and sunglasses before heading out...
Just as the door shuts, Brad stumbles down the stairs, and makes his way into the library. Saphir and Justin glance up at him...
“Good day!”
“There is nothing good about a day in which I wake up.”
“But, you were supposed to wake up early and train today anyway.”
Brad tilts his head to the side, and blinks...
“Early... who’s the idiot that came up with that idea?”
“You... you said, ‘hey, I’m going to wake up early to train’.”
“Well... I’m a big freakin’ IDIOT! Now, don’t talk to me... I’m going to watch TV... and sleep...”
“You just woke up.”
“Sleep... and TV... and maybe some Pepsi.”
* * * * * *
Crystal leads Ryan in a walk around the town. They don’t talk much, which is okay, as far as Ryan is concerned. It’s pretty early to be expected to carry on a conversation.
They circle around the town for about half an hour, eventually coming to the edge of some woods. Ryan slows down, and glances at the tree line.
“Something wrong?” Crystal comes to a stop beside him.
“No... it’s just, this is the place where Saphir first jumped out and attacked me on the night that the Dragoon Warriors were formed. Hard to believe that was nearly a year ago.”
“A lot’s happened since then. Makes you think, doesn’t it?”
“No... not so much.”
She looks over at him... and laughs.
“You really don’t relate to people all that well, do you?”
He smiles...
“No... swords are easier to handle than all those ‘interpersonal relationship’ things.”
“Maybe that’s something we should work on.”
Ryan glances over at her...
“What does that mean?”
She gives a sly smile...
“Nothing much...”
She starts walking off back toward the house, and he rushes to follow.
It takes them a few minutes to get back. When they arrive, they find Justin and Saphir still in the library... and Brad sound asleep on the couch, with a can of Pepsi on the coffee table, and an old episode of Transformers on the television.
Arrowny laughs...
“I guess we can put off training for another day.”