Post by Guardsman Patrick on Oct 12, 2006 23:22:23 GMT -5
Chapter 6: The Icy Blade
Alex woke up to the sweet, hearty aroma of frying bacon and eggs. Sitting up, he saw Patrick already awake and cooking over the fire. The bacon in the frying pan was just beginning to shrink and turn a deep red and brown color. The eggs in another pan were still liquid, but were beginning to sizzle, slowly cooking under the surface. The hickory smell drifted over to Alex, coaxing him toward the pan.
Putting on his glasses, Alex got up and walked over to the source of the thick, enticing aroma. He leaned over the pan and took a long, deep breath and inhaled the smell of the almost ready meal. It was when he exhaled that the bacon grease popped and hit him just above the nose, almost in his eye. The pain was immediate. As it seared his skin, he jumped back and let out a small yelp. He began to rub the sore hard, hoping to ease the pain a little, but it only seemed to make it hurt worse.
“Well, let that be a lesson to you. Maybe you shouldn’t have gotten so close,” said Patrick, letting out a small chuckle as Alex tried to make the tingling feeling in his cheek stop by continuing to rub it as hard as possible. It was no use; he would just have to endure the pain for a little bit.
“It’s not really that funny you know,” Alex said, with a sulking sound to his voice.
“Sorry, but you have to admit, it was a little bit funny when you jumped back,” snickered Patrick.
“Whatever! We need to get lazy over there up, and have him go get some more materials,” said Alex, motioning to the still snoring dragon who was fantasizing about a large field full of animals all his for the taking.
“Then we head off to find the last Gym Master?” Patrick asked to make sure he had to schedule down just right.
“Exactly. Now the question is where to look,” Alex said with a puzzled look on his face thinking hard about where would be the best place to start.
“You said something about the underground fights?” Patrick asked, trying to help. He was spooning out the eggs onto a small, blue, plastic plate, and forking out the still sizzling red and crispy bacon strips to the plate as well.
“Actually, the best place to look would be the battles they have under the docks. Yeah, they’re illegal, but it’s not like cops are going to stop us. There are probably fewer cops outside the fights than there are inside,” Alex said, keeping a straight face as he spoke the words. It was true thought, sadly enough. The cops were supposed to be stopping those types of meetings, but all they did was support them, with gambling and, sometimes, even participation.
“You mean to tell me we are going to some underground fighting arena to find our next group member. You’re kidding, right?” Patrick asked, thinking of all the people there being huge and rugged, and not a good one in the bunch. Most of them would probably be murderers. Murderers were the last thing they need in a group of protectors.
“Why not? I already told you that I’ll be able to tell who’s good and who’s not. Besides, some of these people are really good at what they do.” Alex seemed to be making sure his reasons had good support.
“Okay, as long as you’re sure, I guess I’ll tag along,” Patrick sighed, proceeding to put his now clean dish down and go over to his small stack of belongings. Alex did the same. They started off through the woods, but not before waking up the stubborn Pairon. Alex broke into a jog to catch up to Patrick, who was already heading down the trail towards Andorg.
Andorg was bustling with enthusiastic workers, all of them rushing off to their jobs, half of them late by now. Alex and Patrick just weaved their way through the chaotic people. They were continually bumped, but they walked with their own steady pace, in no real hurry. They heard the steady beating of the ocean waves flooding the streets with sound. The high caw of soaring sea gulls penetrated the air as they flew in small circles, in search of a good lunch. The steady beat of the waves gave way to a steady beat of pounding fists. As they continued, it became louder and the chanting of the under-dock fights overtook the beat of the wave’s altogether.
Alex and Patrick entered the small area that was packed with gamblers and onlookers. Alex looked up at the underside of the dock that was covered with algae, giving the boards a look of green and decay.
Nothing could be heard over the drumbeat and roars of gamblers looking to see if their money was on the victor. Two huge burly men were fighting hard in the arena area, near the barren center of the floor. Each had huge bruises and welts where they had sustained damage. Neither of them was giving any sign that they were hurt, but they didn’t have to show it for people to know.
“Placing a bet, my good friends?” asked a small, rat-like man that was covered in small cuts that had been stitched. He held out a hat full of money, and held a small notebook in his hand, keeping a record of all the bets.
“Nah, we’re just here to watch, but maybe you could find someone over there,” suggested Alex, motioning to a group of strange looking men that were obviously too drunk to know what they were doing. Some of them could barely stand as they teetered back and forth.
“Perhaps… well, enjoy and don’t hesitate to drop me a little visit if you need something,” the rat man said, as he walked toward the drunken crowd of men.
“Huh, I really wasn’t expecting it to be quite like this,” Patrick said, as he scanned the crowd roaring with enthusiasm.
“Yeah, it’s worse.” Alex knew Patrick was unfamiliar with these little gatherings, and thus it was not as it seemed. Some of the people were actually not there to bet, or even to watch, but were there just to have a place to hang out with friends. Alex didn’t really consider this the social capital of the universe, but then again, it was his place for friends.
The fight ended and a large man with red hair and a beard stood and raised his arms as the victor. The loser was dragged out of the arena as the crowd booed or cheered, depending on what their bets had been.
“There, that’s who we want,” Alex pointed toward the arena.
“You mean him? Are you drunk? Look at him, even I can tell he’s a killer,” Patrick stated, pointing out the facts as he saw them.
“Not him, the girl behind him,” Alex pointed again as Patrick stared in that general direction. There was a girl, brown haired, brown eyed and very pretty. She wore an indigo shirt that seemed to hang off her small frame and a pair of jeans that covered a small pair of boots. She had a sword at her side and a glint in her eye that almost made her scary to look at.
“What?” Patrick asked not understanding, “Why her specifically?”
“Hold on and you’ll see,” Alex hissed, being very impatient.
The announcer came out and stood on his large stand, microphone in hand, an excitedly greedy look on his face. “Ladies and gentlemen, our next competitor is this girl, and she wants to challenge our grand champion,” he yelled into the microphone, making sure everyone heard. Alex almost wanted to cover his ears because of how loud the speakers were.
There was a huge uproar of laughter and gamblers yelling to make their bets.
“Well, I have to say, she has spirit, but this isn’t a little girl’s game. Let’s show her what it’s about around here,” blared the speakers, as the announcer tried to get the crowd as riled up as possible. The more excited the gamblers were, then the more money they would spend.
There was another loud uproar of laughter that rang out as everyone settled to watch the fight. The girl, standing behind the judge merely pushed her hair out of her face and unclipped her belt, taking with it her sword. She now stood across from a gigantic black man, tall and wide, with many tattoos. She eased herself into a crouching position and watched as the champion cracked his knuckles and smiled at her. He started to move forward, slightly chuckling under his breath, continuing to crack his knuckles. When he got about five feet away, the girl pounced on him and uppercut him square under the chin. He stumbled back before she was on him again, punching him as many times as possible before she was forced to land. She then punched him in the gut, and when he bent forward in pain, she elbowed him hard in the back of the head. The man fell to the ground, coughing out blood before he passed out. The whole crowd fell entirely silent. Not even the announcer could speak. After a long moment of silence, the girl went to her pile of things, clipped her belt securely again, and walked off. The whole time she didn’t say a word.
Alex and Patrick caught up with her just as she exited the dock. When Alex was just about to reach out to get her attention, she drew her sword and shoved it in Alex’s face before he could move. Alex halted with the blade half an inch from his nose.
“Who are you?” the girl asked, staring Alex hard in the face.
“Well, you see, I’m the-”
“I won’t ask again, who are you?” said the girl with more ferocity than before, ice forming and creeping up her long sword, getting about halfway before stopping. Alex could feel the chill from it, even though she had moved the blade back from his face some.
“My name is Alex Baldwin and I am part of an organization known as T3GM, or The 3 Gym Masters. We were watching your fight and were quite impressed at your fighting skill. We wanted to see if you were interested in joining. We really could use someone with your skill,” Alex talked hurriedly. He could barely breathe with the sword so close to his neck.
“Before we continue, I’d like to point out some major holes in your story. One, I have never heard of this corporation and two, I have been given plenty of fake offers before. Offers that not only killed my hopes, but took my hard earned money and possessions as well. If you plan on me becoming a member, you’re going to have to give me some damn good evidence. I don’t mean tomorrow. I don’t mean in an hour. I mean now!” Alex was entranced. He couldn’t help noticing that she seemed ever more graceful when up close. It was then that he snapped out of it and began to respond.
“I would like to say something myself. The first is how do you know I’m lying if you haven’t even given me the chance to explain in full, and second, I do not mislead those who have hopes and dreams, because I have some of my own. Now, if you would be so kind as to put your weapon away, I would like to show you my proof.” The girl hesitated for a moment, but finally sheathed her still frost-covered sword. The ice layer melted almost instantly when it touched the metal of the sheath.
“All right, where is it? I told you, not later, now.” She was impatient.
Alex withdrew his wallet and searched it for a second, then pulled out a small, silver card.
“There, this is my Andorg City Council Corporation ID and Funds card. As you can plainly see, my corporate logo is engraved and my license number is as well. This is all the proof I have with me as of right now, so, if this doesn’t satisfy you, I will be more than happy to just be on my way.” Not even Alex was remaining patient in this small conflict. Patrick was the only one that remained calm. He only looked on in a sort of trance, smiling at how childish they were both acting.
Rachel snatched it and inspected it thoroughly, before handing it back to Alex. “All right, let’s say I believe you. How much will I make and how many benefits will I get?” Rachel seemed to be taking more of an interest in the offer.
“Well, the council said that each will make about eighty thousand annually, and benefits are dental, drug, medical and psychological. They said they might offer more as they see success as the project proceeds,” Alex explained, making sure Patrick was tuned in too because this was the first time Patrick had this explained to him also. He had seemed less interested in compensation.
“One more thing before I join. I want to have the option of leaving whenever I feel like doing so, not when my contract runs out or anything like that. Am I understood?” she asked, making a strange sort of half smile. Alex thought, when she smiled like that, it added to how she looked. He couldn’t help but think this.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I let you leave? My last question too you is, what should we call you?” Alex asked, being sure to ask politely.
“Right, I never introduced myself, my name is Rachel Hikari, and who is he?” she asked, motioning to Patrick who simply was standing back and watching.
“Oh, I’m Patrick. I’m the other Gym Master that you will be working with. Pleased to meet you,” Patrick extended his hand to her, and she first looked at it strangely and finally shook it firmly, as if it was her first time doing so.
“One thing- I can’t help but think I’ve seen you before… maybe in my hometown Dragonia… perhaps Sojun,” Patrick let go of her hand. He didn’t want her to have to hold it the whole conversation long.
“It might have been Sojun; I used to live there until times got harder. We had to move here and things are already not the same,” Rachel seemed a little uncomfortable with this topic and was obviously trying to ease out of it.
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Well, I hope this job helps.” Patrick couldn’t tell if he had made it better or worse with the few words he said.
“You don’t have to be sorry. You did nothing wrong,” she said with a quick little smile that faded away just as quickly. “Well, I’m glad to meet you both, but how am I supposed to move my stuff to wherever your corporation is located?”
“I’ll send Pairon to get it in a bit. He’s my dragon by the way, and all you have to do is tell me where you’re at and when to be there,” Alex was confident that Rachel seemed happier. Seeing her happy made him feel happy…but he didn’t have the faintest idea why.
“I’ll have him pick up my stuff at the little town square that you came through to get here, and I’ll be there at about noon,” Rachel seemed to getting more and more excited by the thought of her new job.
“Sounds good,” Alex returned her smile. “I’ll see you then.”
“One more thing,” Rachel said causing Alex to turn back, “I want you to promise me that this is just protection, and it won’t be anything more complicated than that.”
“I promise,” Alex said.
Alex and Patrick headed in the opposite direction as Rachel. When Alex turned back to see her, she was excitedly running back toward her home, her sword gently swaying at her side.
"Now," said Alex. "We can begin."
Alex woke up to the sweet, hearty aroma of frying bacon and eggs. Sitting up, he saw Patrick already awake and cooking over the fire. The bacon in the frying pan was just beginning to shrink and turn a deep red and brown color. The eggs in another pan were still liquid, but were beginning to sizzle, slowly cooking under the surface. The hickory smell drifted over to Alex, coaxing him toward the pan.
Putting on his glasses, Alex got up and walked over to the source of the thick, enticing aroma. He leaned over the pan and took a long, deep breath and inhaled the smell of the almost ready meal. It was when he exhaled that the bacon grease popped and hit him just above the nose, almost in his eye. The pain was immediate. As it seared his skin, he jumped back and let out a small yelp. He began to rub the sore hard, hoping to ease the pain a little, but it only seemed to make it hurt worse.
“Well, let that be a lesson to you. Maybe you shouldn’t have gotten so close,” said Patrick, letting out a small chuckle as Alex tried to make the tingling feeling in his cheek stop by continuing to rub it as hard as possible. It was no use; he would just have to endure the pain for a little bit.
“It’s not really that funny you know,” Alex said, with a sulking sound to his voice.
“Sorry, but you have to admit, it was a little bit funny when you jumped back,” snickered Patrick.
“Whatever! We need to get lazy over there up, and have him go get some more materials,” said Alex, motioning to the still snoring dragon who was fantasizing about a large field full of animals all his for the taking.
“Then we head off to find the last Gym Master?” Patrick asked to make sure he had to schedule down just right.
“Exactly. Now the question is where to look,” Alex said with a puzzled look on his face thinking hard about where would be the best place to start.
“You said something about the underground fights?” Patrick asked, trying to help. He was spooning out the eggs onto a small, blue, plastic plate, and forking out the still sizzling red and crispy bacon strips to the plate as well.
“Actually, the best place to look would be the battles they have under the docks. Yeah, they’re illegal, but it’s not like cops are going to stop us. There are probably fewer cops outside the fights than there are inside,” Alex said, keeping a straight face as he spoke the words. It was true thought, sadly enough. The cops were supposed to be stopping those types of meetings, but all they did was support them, with gambling and, sometimes, even participation.
“You mean to tell me we are going to some underground fighting arena to find our next group member. You’re kidding, right?” Patrick asked, thinking of all the people there being huge and rugged, and not a good one in the bunch. Most of them would probably be murderers. Murderers were the last thing they need in a group of protectors.
“Why not? I already told you that I’ll be able to tell who’s good and who’s not. Besides, some of these people are really good at what they do.” Alex seemed to be making sure his reasons had good support.
“Okay, as long as you’re sure, I guess I’ll tag along,” Patrick sighed, proceeding to put his now clean dish down and go over to his small stack of belongings. Alex did the same. They started off through the woods, but not before waking up the stubborn Pairon. Alex broke into a jog to catch up to Patrick, who was already heading down the trail towards Andorg.
* * *
Andorg was bustling with enthusiastic workers, all of them rushing off to their jobs, half of them late by now. Alex and Patrick just weaved their way through the chaotic people. They were continually bumped, but they walked with their own steady pace, in no real hurry. They heard the steady beating of the ocean waves flooding the streets with sound. The high caw of soaring sea gulls penetrated the air as they flew in small circles, in search of a good lunch. The steady beat of the waves gave way to a steady beat of pounding fists. As they continued, it became louder and the chanting of the under-dock fights overtook the beat of the wave’s altogether.
Alex and Patrick entered the small area that was packed with gamblers and onlookers. Alex looked up at the underside of the dock that was covered with algae, giving the boards a look of green and decay.
Nothing could be heard over the drumbeat and roars of gamblers looking to see if their money was on the victor. Two huge burly men were fighting hard in the arena area, near the barren center of the floor. Each had huge bruises and welts where they had sustained damage. Neither of them was giving any sign that they were hurt, but they didn’t have to show it for people to know.
“Placing a bet, my good friends?” asked a small, rat-like man that was covered in small cuts that had been stitched. He held out a hat full of money, and held a small notebook in his hand, keeping a record of all the bets.
“Nah, we’re just here to watch, but maybe you could find someone over there,” suggested Alex, motioning to a group of strange looking men that were obviously too drunk to know what they were doing. Some of them could barely stand as they teetered back and forth.
“Perhaps… well, enjoy and don’t hesitate to drop me a little visit if you need something,” the rat man said, as he walked toward the drunken crowd of men.
“Huh, I really wasn’t expecting it to be quite like this,” Patrick said, as he scanned the crowd roaring with enthusiasm.
“Yeah, it’s worse.” Alex knew Patrick was unfamiliar with these little gatherings, and thus it was not as it seemed. Some of the people were actually not there to bet, or even to watch, but were there just to have a place to hang out with friends. Alex didn’t really consider this the social capital of the universe, but then again, it was his place for friends.
The fight ended and a large man with red hair and a beard stood and raised his arms as the victor. The loser was dragged out of the arena as the crowd booed or cheered, depending on what their bets had been.
“There, that’s who we want,” Alex pointed toward the arena.
“You mean him? Are you drunk? Look at him, even I can tell he’s a killer,” Patrick stated, pointing out the facts as he saw them.
“Not him, the girl behind him,” Alex pointed again as Patrick stared in that general direction. There was a girl, brown haired, brown eyed and very pretty. She wore an indigo shirt that seemed to hang off her small frame and a pair of jeans that covered a small pair of boots. She had a sword at her side and a glint in her eye that almost made her scary to look at.
“What?” Patrick asked not understanding, “Why her specifically?”
“Hold on and you’ll see,” Alex hissed, being very impatient.
The announcer came out and stood on his large stand, microphone in hand, an excitedly greedy look on his face. “Ladies and gentlemen, our next competitor is this girl, and she wants to challenge our grand champion,” he yelled into the microphone, making sure everyone heard. Alex almost wanted to cover his ears because of how loud the speakers were.
There was a huge uproar of laughter and gamblers yelling to make their bets.
“Well, I have to say, she has spirit, but this isn’t a little girl’s game. Let’s show her what it’s about around here,” blared the speakers, as the announcer tried to get the crowd as riled up as possible. The more excited the gamblers were, then the more money they would spend.
There was another loud uproar of laughter that rang out as everyone settled to watch the fight. The girl, standing behind the judge merely pushed her hair out of her face and unclipped her belt, taking with it her sword. She now stood across from a gigantic black man, tall and wide, with many tattoos. She eased herself into a crouching position and watched as the champion cracked his knuckles and smiled at her. He started to move forward, slightly chuckling under his breath, continuing to crack his knuckles. When he got about five feet away, the girl pounced on him and uppercut him square under the chin. He stumbled back before she was on him again, punching him as many times as possible before she was forced to land. She then punched him in the gut, and when he bent forward in pain, she elbowed him hard in the back of the head. The man fell to the ground, coughing out blood before he passed out. The whole crowd fell entirely silent. Not even the announcer could speak. After a long moment of silence, the girl went to her pile of things, clipped her belt securely again, and walked off. The whole time she didn’t say a word.
Alex and Patrick caught up with her just as she exited the dock. When Alex was just about to reach out to get her attention, she drew her sword and shoved it in Alex’s face before he could move. Alex halted with the blade half an inch from his nose.
“Who are you?” the girl asked, staring Alex hard in the face.
“Well, you see, I’m the-”
“I won’t ask again, who are you?” said the girl with more ferocity than before, ice forming and creeping up her long sword, getting about halfway before stopping. Alex could feel the chill from it, even though she had moved the blade back from his face some.
“My name is Alex Baldwin and I am part of an organization known as T3GM, or The 3 Gym Masters. We were watching your fight and were quite impressed at your fighting skill. We wanted to see if you were interested in joining. We really could use someone with your skill,” Alex talked hurriedly. He could barely breathe with the sword so close to his neck.
“Before we continue, I’d like to point out some major holes in your story. One, I have never heard of this corporation and two, I have been given plenty of fake offers before. Offers that not only killed my hopes, but took my hard earned money and possessions as well. If you plan on me becoming a member, you’re going to have to give me some damn good evidence. I don’t mean tomorrow. I don’t mean in an hour. I mean now!” Alex was entranced. He couldn’t help noticing that she seemed ever more graceful when up close. It was then that he snapped out of it and began to respond.
“I would like to say something myself. The first is how do you know I’m lying if you haven’t even given me the chance to explain in full, and second, I do not mislead those who have hopes and dreams, because I have some of my own. Now, if you would be so kind as to put your weapon away, I would like to show you my proof.” The girl hesitated for a moment, but finally sheathed her still frost-covered sword. The ice layer melted almost instantly when it touched the metal of the sheath.
“All right, where is it? I told you, not later, now.” She was impatient.
Alex withdrew his wallet and searched it for a second, then pulled out a small, silver card.
“There, this is my Andorg City Council Corporation ID and Funds card. As you can plainly see, my corporate logo is engraved and my license number is as well. This is all the proof I have with me as of right now, so, if this doesn’t satisfy you, I will be more than happy to just be on my way.” Not even Alex was remaining patient in this small conflict. Patrick was the only one that remained calm. He only looked on in a sort of trance, smiling at how childish they were both acting.
Rachel snatched it and inspected it thoroughly, before handing it back to Alex. “All right, let’s say I believe you. How much will I make and how many benefits will I get?” Rachel seemed to be taking more of an interest in the offer.
“Well, the council said that each will make about eighty thousand annually, and benefits are dental, drug, medical and psychological. They said they might offer more as they see success as the project proceeds,” Alex explained, making sure Patrick was tuned in too because this was the first time Patrick had this explained to him also. He had seemed less interested in compensation.
“One more thing before I join. I want to have the option of leaving whenever I feel like doing so, not when my contract runs out or anything like that. Am I understood?” she asked, making a strange sort of half smile. Alex thought, when she smiled like that, it added to how she looked. He couldn’t help but think this.
“Of course, why wouldn’t I let you leave? My last question too you is, what should we call you?” Alex asked, being sure to ask politely.
“Right, I never introduced myself, my name is Rachel Hikari, and who is he?” she asked, motioning to Patrick who simply was standing back and watching.
“Oh, I’m Patrick. I’m the other Gym Master that you will be working with. Pleased to meet you,” Patrick extended his hand to her, and she first looked at it strangely and finally shook it firmly, as if it was her first time doing so.
“One thing- I can’t help but think I’ve seen you before… maybe in my hometown Dragonia… perhaps Sojun,” Patrick let go of her hand. He didn’t want her to have to hold it the whole conversation long.
“It might have been Sojun; I used to live there until times got harder. We had to move here and things are already not the same,” Rachel seemed a little uncomfortable with this topic and was obviously trying to ease out of it.
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Well, I hope this job helps.” Patrick couldn’t tell if he had made it better or worse with the few words he said.
“You don’t have to be sorry. You did nothing wrong,” she said with a quick little smile that faded away just as quickly. “Well, I’m glad to meet you both, but how am I supposed to move my stuff to wherever your corporation is located?”
“I’ll send Pairon to get it in a bit. He’s my dragon by the way, and all you have to do is tell me where you’re at and when to be there,” Alex was confident that Rachel seemed happier. Seeing her happy made him feel happy…but he didn’t have the faintest idea why.
“I’ll have him pick up my stuff at the little town square that you came through to get here, and I’ll be there at about noon,” Rachel seemed to getting more and more excited by the thought of her new job.
“Sounds good,” Alex returned her smile. “I’ll see you then.”
“One more thing,” Rachel said causing Alex to turn back, “I want you to promise me that this is just protection, and it won’t be anything more complicated than that.”
“I promise,” Alex said.
Alex and Patrick headed in the opposite direction as Rachel. When Alex turned back to see her, she was excitedly running back toward her home, her sword gently swaying at her side.
"Now," said Alex. "We can begin."