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Standard disclaimer: I don’t own the series.
AN: Okay, this is like the third chapter of Adulthood. Heh. I know, I know. I guess everyone’s been curious as to what the characters (read: Yuki, Nina, Ryu) have been up to the past ten years. Fear not, for you will see soon.
Oh, yeah. Most of us have those bosses that are incredibly strict. Mine just seems to have the stick up her ass half the time. Its like she is PMSing 24/7. Okay, that’s not very nice, but it’s been one of those weeks. Erm… right. Dealing with her is like a double-edged sword. You never know how to approach her. She might be bitchy or nice. It’s almost like Forest Gumps’ box of chocolates. You never do know what you are going to get.
Okay, you so are wondering what the above rant was about? Well, heh… it kinda factors into this chapter… maybe. Or maybe I’m just an overworked gopher that has had very little sleep the past week. Hehh. Makes ya wonder, doesn’t it?
Anyway, I know it seems like things are getting a slow start. I do apologize. But the way this Act is set up, if I go too fast, then things will just get messed up… and I will have readers asking me stuff like “Okay, just WHO was THAT guy/girl?” And honestly? We’ve already had a lot of that from Act I. So, um yeah. I don’t want to mess up again, ya know? And as they say, slow and steady wins the race!
Oh, note that the chapters will probably become a little more graphic and… disturbing from this point on. You have been warned.
Right. Anyway, here’s the next chapter ^_^
Rain pelted down hard as loud sirens were heard blaring in the distance. Thunder roared as the lights flickered on and off. The night drop against the city did little to ease the tension felt by those who had gathered around on the ground, curious to what was going on.
Though a city devoted to peace, Wyndia was not without its crimes.
Whole teams of Rangers were circled around a large building. Apparently, there was some notorious kidnapper that was holding himself up on one of the top floors of the building. This man was wanted for horrid acts of kidnapping and raping of young girls. Some of his victims even turned up dead after he finished with them.
Right now, the kidnapper had a hostage in the room with him, so trying to take him straight out was not an option.
One of the Rangers walked over to one of the doors. He eyed the door and tried to make sense of the odd symbols that were etched along the frame of the door. He reached out to open the door, but was shocked in the process. He jerked back.
“It’s impossible to even enter the building!” one of the rangers grumbled. “How exactly are we suppose to take this guy out if we can’t even get to him?”
“It appears that he has protected himself with magic runes,” the Ranger in charge of the operation said. “Hence, not being able to open the doors.”
“So, what are we suppose to do?”
“That’s why we called in a specialist on ancient runes,” the Ranger in charge said.
“Having a problem, Ranger Carmichal?” a deep male voice asked from behind him and the other Ranger.
Carmichal turned around and looked for the source of the voice. Behind him stood a male Woren towering over him, dressed in a black sleeveless shirt, khaki cargo pants, black boots, and a black headband that held his golden bangs out of his face. A Rangers badge was hanging around his neck.
“Captain Johnston?” Carmichal asked. The Woren nodded, his long golden tail gently swaying behind him. “Thank Ladon that you are here. Have you been briefed of the situation?”
“Yeah. We’ve been having a difficult time trying to catch this guy,” Johnston said. “I don’t think it would be wise for all of us to just barge in there.”
“Then what are you going to do? It’s not like we can even get through the doors. They are held shut by some kind of magic.”
“That’s where I come in.”
Both men turned around and looked at the young woman that was standing behind them. The woman had shoulder length, dark brown hair that was feathered around her face and held back with hair clips. She was dressed in a purple and white jacket, a black halter-top, a black choker, tanned colored shorts, black socks that went to her knees, and purple ankle boots.
“Ranger Uzuki,” Carmichal grimaced. “You’re the specialist?”
Uzuki nodded. “You sound almost disappointed…” she said as she grinned and crossed her arms under her breasts. “Were you wanting someone else?”
It was common knowledge that Ranger Uzuki was something of a loose cannon. Though, not in the way that she would endanger one of her fellow officers or blow a mission. It was more like she would purposely seek out dangerous missions that were somehow tied to the paranormal.
Rumor had it that she was either looking for something… or someone.
It was also common knowledge that most of her missions involved the Church of Ladon. Mainly she would work with Captain Cyrus Johnston in solving cases that involved paranormal activity.
A more common fact was that Cyrus was the only one that was willing to put up with her crazy behavior. Uzuki usually had her own way of doing things. That was why no one really wanted to partner with her. She was defiant, but she would still respect authority and listen to her superiors… to a degree.
As it stood, she was probably the only one that could actually break the protection on the building and allow them access.
Uzuki grinned slightly and walked over to the door that had the runes etched on it. She eyed the runes, then cracked her knuckles.
“A simple level one ward,” Uzuki smirked. “Please… this guy thinks he’s so smart. This will be a piece of cake…”
She held her hands out and started to chant something. Her hands flashed green, as well as the runes on the door. The light from the door died down. Uzuki grinned as her hands stopped flashing. She then walked over to the door and pushed it open.
Johnston glanced over at her for an explanation. Uzuki grinned.
“Ah, well? A friend of mine showed me how to undo binding circles. Those that was a ward and not a…” Johnston gave her an irate look. “Oh, right! Well, I figured that the trick to undoing the ward would be similar to undoing a bind, so uh, yeah!”
“So, you merely guessed?” Carmichal groaned as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead.
“Mn? More or less,” Uzuki said as she placed her hands behind her head. “So, Cap? Now what?”
Johnston drew his gun and gave Uzuki a serious look. “We go get the bad guy.”
Uzuki nodded and drew her gun. In orientation, she was told the gun was a Desert Eagle. She only knew how to shoot the things, she didn’t know much about models of guns. Carmichal gave both of them a crazy look.
“Just you two? Don’t you need backup?!”
The Woren grinned slightly. “It might get messy in there. There’s no telling what this guy might pull. Besides, Uzuki and I are trained to handle this kind of situation. We’ll be fine.”
And with that, the two Rangers entered the building.
The first thing they both noticed was that the entire building complex was pitch black. Upon further examination, they both concluded that it was actually a complex web of shadows and magic that was making the complex look so dark.
“Black magic,” Uzuki said finally. She waved her hand and dismissed another rune, this one a minor paralysis spell.
“So, think this guy’s a demon, or is in league with a demon?” Johnston muttered.
“Probably neither,” Uzuki said. “A friend of mine saw this once. Remember the case ten years ago that had some sick pervert infecting children with Cymoison?”
“Hn?” Johnston mumbled as he and Uzuki crept around another corner. “Oh, the one in Tantar?” Uzuki nodded. “Okay, I’m game. What about it?”
“Well according to my friend, this was like those shadows that the sicko summoned to kidnap those kids.”
“Are you saying that we have a copycat here?”
“No, just similar magical practices,” Uzuki said. She paused. A white-hot pain laced through her head. She suddenly jerked around and threw her hand out. “Cyrus, look out!”
Cyrus looked around just in time to see a bolt of lightning came flying right at them. Uzuki yelled. “Holy Mirror of Light! Reflect wizardry spite!”
And with that simple incantation, a light shield appeared around the two Rangers and reflected the bolt. Uzuki lowered her hand as the shield wavered and vanished. She muttered a couple of curse words under her breath, then continued walking.
“I don’t believe I could be that careless…” Uzuki muttered darkly. “I should have been watching for traps… even minor ones.”
“Don’t let it get to you, Yuki,” Cyrus shot Uzuki a grin.
Yuki grimaced, then returned the smile. “Right,” she said. She then turned attention to yet another flight of stairs.
After dispelling a few more traps and climbing yet another few flights of stairs, the two of them finally got to the floor of the building that their target was one. Yuki shuttered slightly and wrapped her arms around her body.
Cyrus wasn’t affected by the strong magicks like Yuki was. He didn’t have any true magic. Yuki was a minor white mage (at least, that was what she came across as), so she was in tune with the magic around them and therefor, was able to counter all the nasty shit that they usually ran into.
Yuki walked up to the door and looked at the runes that ran along the frame. She frowned. “These runes are a higher level than the ones that we have been seeing. Stand back this might get a little… rough.”
Yuki squared her shoulders and then placed her gun in its holster. She held her hands out, palm out, towards the door. She closed her eyes and started chanting again. Lines of azure energy laced around her hands as the runes on the doorframe started to glow.
A high pitched whining noise started to emanate from the runes. Yuki yelled as she finished her spell and the runes on the frame flashed wildly. The light flared up and Yuki had to jump back to keep from getting hit by the light. She quickly redrew her gun and walked back over to the door.
She gave a nod towards the door. Cyrus cocked his gun and walked over to the other side of the door. Cyrus then kicked the door open. Both of them slowly advanced into the room, eyes quickly scanning the area.
Yuki and Cyrus stopped dead in their tracks. Littered around the room were the bloody and disfigured corpses of young girls that barely looked ten years old. Yuki fought the urge to vomit.
Standing over in the far corner was a young girl gagged and bound by thick rope. Her body was bloody and all cut up, but she was still alive, as she was trying desperately to get loose. When she spotted Yuki and Cyrus, her eyes widened in fear and surprise. She made a muffled sound.
Yuki walked over to the girl and placed her gun back in its holster. She then drew out a dagger from her jacket and proceeded to cut the rope. She freed the girl a second later. The girl screamed and started crying. She wrapped her arms around Yuki’s waist and cried harder.
Yuki told her it would be okay, that they were the good guys and they were there to stop the bad guy. The little girl shook her head quickly. Yuki looked down at the girl in confusion. She heard Cyrus yell.
Yuki jerked her head up and glanced over in Cyrus’ direction. The Woren’s body shuttered violently for a moment. He choked then fell over to the side, unconscious. Yuki and the girl took a step back.
Standing where Cyrus just was, was a young man with light brown hair, dressed in blue jeans and a tee shirt. His right hand glowed faint red. Yuki pushed the girl behind her and flipped the dagger around in her hand.
“What the hell is this?!” Yuki yelled.
The man smiled slightly. “Oh, you managed to actually make it all the way up here? I am truly impressed. Greetings, I am Mikiah, a follower of the one true divine god. You are messing up my offerings to god. I will have to ask you to hand the girl back over.”
The girl whimpered. Yuki placed one hand on the girl’s shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. She readied her knife, then smiled.
“Oh? I am truly sorry, you fuckshit, but I am afraid that I will have to refuse your generous offer. You see, I am a Ranger, a really pissed off one at that, and you just harmed my partner. Also, you murdered these helpless girls who have done nothing wrong. I’m going to have to take you in… or down. Whichever is easier.”
Mikiah grunted as he took a step back. “I don’t believe that will happen…”
With lightning fast reflexes, Mikiah jumped up and was in front of Yuki in a matter of seconds. His hand flashed red and he thrust his palm forward, aiming for Yuki’s chest. Yuki yelled for the girl to turn around and hide. Just as Mikiah’s hand got within a couple of inches from Yuki’s chest, Yuki’s dagger arm flew up and in one quick swipe, fell down and severed the man’s hand from his wrist.
Mikiah hollowed in pain as he grabbed the stump of his wrist with his still whole hand. He glared daggers at Yuki, who just grinned and twirled the dagger around in her hand.
“It’s not nice to hit a lady!” Yuki said. She then lunged forward and twisted around and kicked the man in the gut. The man went flying and landed against the far wall.
Yuki took the time to run over to Cyrus. She knelt down next to him and placed her hand on his arm. A white and blue light formed around Cyrus and enveloped him. Cyrus sputtered awake and shot up just as the light faded.
“You okay?” Yuki asked.
Cyrus blinked and grunted while holding his head. He turned his head towards Yuki and grimaced. “That sucked…” he muttered.
“No shit,” Yuki said.
“Heh…” Mikiah laughed in a shaky voice. “Do you think that you have won??” he then started to laugh in a crazily manner. “God has given me power beyond what you mere mortals can even comprehend! I have given myself unto god! I am a god! Behold my powers and despair!”
Yuki and Cyrus shifted into battle stances as Mikiah started to glow. He grew in size until he towered even over Cyrus. Spikes formed in his back, legs and forearms. His skin and hair was replaced with gray scales and a tail formed and slammed into the ground. Fangs, claws and talons grew and sharpened. When he was done transforming, he let loose a mighty roar and slammed his tail into the marble floor, causing it to splinter upon impact.
“Okay… he’s ugly,” Yuki muttered as she drew another dagger from her jacket.
Cyrus readied his gun and looked over at Yuki. “You aren’t using your gun?”
“I’ll go close range, you go far,” Yuki said.
“Who’s the one giving orders here?” Cyrus muttered.
“You, but ah! Oh shit!” Yuki yelled as she launched herself at the beast. The once-man swiped at her with one of his claws. Yuki yelled and countered with her daggers.
Cyrus grunted and started to fire off several rounds at the monster. The bullets didn’t even penetrate the thick scales of the beast. He kept firing as Yuki made a swipe at the beast with her daggers. The daggers didn’t even graze the hide.
Yuki jumped back. And so began the deadly dance. Yuki jumped in order to avoid getting hit with by the monster’s claws, tail, talons, or whatever else the prick had on his person.
She was just glad the damned thing didn’t have wings. Oh, wait! That gave Yuki an idea. Ten years is a long time to develop a fighting style and her brother was an excellent teacher. Ten years ago, she started to explore her powers a little more in detail. What she found out was pretty interesting.
Nothing fancy like Sari’s powers or rejection or space alteration, but just crazy enough to…
Yuki stopped in her tracks and held her hands out. “I’m a tree! You can’t stop me!”
The monster looked down at her in confusion. What the hell was that woman thinking?
Without notice, Yuki was enveloped in a gulf of white and blue light and vanished. She reappeared on top of the monster’s head. She gave him a feral grin.
“Its call a distraction!” Yuki yelled.
Yuki’s daggers flashed white and blue and she plunged them deep into the monster’s skull. During her time training, she actually tried to copy Nina’s Eternal Session technique. She later learned that was something that only Nina, and Nina alone, could do.
She had practiced with her odd powers. She found out something very interesting. Her powers were light, spiritual in nature. Cyrus, like many others, thought she was a white mage. They could have been farther from the truth. If she was a white mage, she could heal life-threatening injuries. She couldn’t do that.
She could, however, purge the dark powers that a person inherited. In other words, the transformed Mikiah was a sitting duck. She had every intention to make him revert back to his human form.
Though the “move” did not have a name, Yuki had called the move Soul Embrace. The move did far more than just purge darkness and cause people to revert back to their human forms, but she wasn’t in the mood to figure out what they were.
With one fell swoop, the monster flashed and was forced back into his human form. Yuki jumped back and readied her daggers once more. When she found no threat, she stormed up to the man and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
“How did you do that?!” Yuki demanded.
“My god… he gave me the power…” Mikiah said weakly. “He said that he… needed power. More power. So… I gave him that power… and in exchange… he gave me power…”
Yuki’s gave contorted into a snarl. “Who’s this god you speak of?”
“God told me not his name… only that when the time comes… he will devour you pathetic mortals…”
Yuki fought the urge to slap him. “Okay, one more question then. Does this god of yours have anything to do with the disappearance of someone named Ryu?”
“I… don’t… god does not tell me his plans…” and with that, the man fainted.
Yuki growled and dropped the man. She turned to Cyrus, who was carrying the crying girl in his arms. He walked over to Yuki and looked down that the unconscious man.
“That… wasn’t normal, was it?”
“…” Yuki turned away and sheathed her daggers.
Mikiah was apprehended and the girl was taken to the hospital, where she was treated. Yuki decided to call it a night and headed home. She walked the deserted streets of downtown Wyndia to her apartment building.
Ten years ago, she lost someone dear to her. For those ten years she did everything in her power to find Ryu again. She didn’t know if it was because she felt guilty because of how she treated him, or what, but she just wanted to find him again.
Nina was willing to tear the world apart to find him again, but her parents would not allow it. It was a miracle in and of itself that her parents even agreed to search for the boy in the first place.
She became a Ranger for that purpose alone. Rangers were called out to investigate weird stuff all the time. Luckily, she had been partnered with Cyrus Johnston. The Woren was one of the main captains of Wyndia’s Ranger guild, and he usually investigated cases that pertained to paranormal activity.
The case with Mikiah was just one of many recent monster/demon sightings that the Rangers were called in to take care of. She was beginning to become concerned with all the recent activity. It was almost like some sort of dark force was at work.
She certainly hoped that wasn’t the case.
Mikiah groaned as he glanced up at the cell’s ceiling. He had failed to give the girl’s energy to his god. God would be most displeased with his actions.
Mikiah prayed for forgiveness. He knelt down and started to chant his prayers in a quick pace. He didn’t know how long he knelt there, but before he knew it, a soft light appeared behind him.
Mikiah jerked his head up at the source of the light. Wrapped in golden robes, giant wings outstretched behind him stood a man with regal features. Mikiah let go a moan and the man knelt with his face to the ground.
“Forgive me!” Mikiah wailed.
The man smiled and extended a hand down to Mikiah. Mikiah looked up and looked at the outstretched hand. He took the man’s hand and shakily got to his feet. He couldn’t believe it. He was standing face to face with god.
“Despair not, my child,” the angelic being said. “For you have been chosen amongst the many.”
“But… I failed you, my god!” Mikiah said as tears ran down his cheeks.
“Yes, but while you did, I have learned through you the name of the devils of this world. And so, I shall punish them.” Mikiah smiled. “Now, my child. I will need something of you…”
“Yes, god?” the man asked. “Anything I have is yours.”
“Yes, it is…” the man said. The light formed around Mikiah and quickly flowed from him into the man.
“My god???” Mikiah croaked out before he fell to the floor, dead.
“Your life-force will sustain me, for now,” the man said. “Very well done, my child. Even though you have failed me, you still had a use…”
And with that, the man vanished.
To be continued…