Ack. Double post. D| Sorry about dat!
Anywho, NEW CHAPTER TIME YAYYYYYYYYYYY. This was supposed to go up on Tuesday... but it's just sitting here, completely finished, so I'm just posting it up anyways. But, I have an extra chapter that probably is going to be really weird if it wasn't an extra chapter, which I'm working on right this second... and I'm just gonna shut up now. :<
NEW CHAPTER TIME. *flail* Hope ya like it!
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Chapter 006: Into The Desolate
"Hit."
A monotone voice slithered its way across the table, only to be abruptly stopped by the slamming of a glass against the wooden counter.
"Cut it out! Yer gonna scare away all of my customers!" a character with a southern accent revolting against the monotone voice across the table.
"HIT!" the voice screamed, slamming the glass against the counter once again, seeming to become impatient with this.
"Alright, alright!" the bartender fell into their demand, "But, if you git elixer poisonin', it ain't my fault."
The figure, sitting before the counter, simply stuck their tongue out at the bartender, which only made the man grimace at their childish attitude. They looked as if they were groggy, half focused on the world around them while they wobbled back and forth. Still, they could manage to scream.
They gave a cough, their bangs before their half-opened eyes bounced. Their hair was pulled into a ponytail that sat neatly behind their head, their emerald green eyes glimmering beneath those locks. A glove hand gave a twitch as it sat on the table, painted black as small bars of brown sat on the front; an identical glove was slipped onto their other hand. Their clothing style made them look like a hunter, one that seemed so out of place in this time zone.
"There," the bartender scuffed, proceeding to dry a clear glass with a ratty, old towel. The stranger gave a small twitch before zoning back into the world and hesitantly grabbing a glass of shimmering, blood red liquid.
"Hey," a voice said with a chuckle, "Have you heard that new bounty? Kinda weird, ain't it?"
Their ears perked up, their grasp on the glass loosened.
"A buncha cash from what I heard... Friggin' idiots. Goin' after kids, of all things nowadays..."
"Who's the bounty from?" a feminine voice crooked.
"Ehhhh..." a similar southern accent could be heard now, "Some guy named 'Reniga-ma-str' or somethin' strange..."
CRACK.
"Ay!! You're payin' for that!"
"I can pay for this whole damn piece of shit you call a 'bar' after this..." a smirk was now plastered on their drowsy, pale face, "Now, get me a damn bottle of this, or I'll kick your freakin' ass with a two by four..."
----
"I think I'm gonna be sick..."
That voice belonged to none other than Chase, who's face turned green as he trudged across the invisible pathway.
"Aw, loosen up, Chase-tan!" Kryx grinned, giving his arm a little punch with her fist.
"Yeah, you did plenty of that for me..."
The tomboy stuck out her tongue childishly at the blonde haired boy, who only gave a slight grin as they continued forwards.
"Kryx," a familiar monotone voice begun, "Change back before we get to the edge."
"Uhh... okay..." Kryx replied, a perplexed tone ringing in her vocal cords. There was a pause in her step, merely a minor one at that. Chase turned his head and found that there was only a second between when Kryx was there and when Kris reappeared, scratching the side of her head as if she were still confused.
"Whatcha make me do that for?" the girl questioned, tilting her head to the side with curiosity.
No reply, of course. Yin was too 'enigmatic' to answer those sorts of questions about her actions. Kris let out a sigh.
"Are you all chibi yet?" Chase questioned, a grin on his face.
"CHIBI!? WHERE'D THAT COME FROM?" Kris screamed, seeming rather infuriated by the question.
"Well, you were all happy earlier... I thought you were gonna get really short, get big anime eyes, and start screaming 'KAWAII DESU~!'"
"...Shut up, idiot." She punched him in the arm once again.
The blonde haired boy then glanced down at the ground, and instantly gulp back his random, mocking comment. Beneath his feet was swirling green, from an emerald to a neon, and it was nauseating. The outer walls were the same: swirling green, as the scene begun to change from one to the other. No wonder he felt sick.
"What... gave you the genius idea... to drag me along...? Shit, I think I'm still sick... Mom's goop isn't so magical..."
Kris instantly gave a grin, "'Cause adventures are fun!"
"But, I like silence..."
"SHUT UP. YOU'RE GOING TO LIKE IT."
"Here," that monotone voice returned. Yin's hand begun to glow and, with a snap, a portal leading out into the world behind these walls appeared.
The two teens froze in their tracks, staring curiously into the void. Yin blinked.
"...What are you waiting on?"
"Uhhhh... nothin'..." Kris replied, scratching her head.
"I'm just standing here and staring blankly into that thing 'cause she's doing it..." Chase added in, where Kris stuck her tongue out at him once again.
"Well? We must go through..." Yin plainly stated, taking a step forwards towards the portal.
"Okie-dookie, cap'n!" Kris gave a salute, with Chase saying 'Chibiiiiiiiiiii...' underneath his breath; the tomboy tried to punch him in the face this time.
And they all stepped forwards into a brand new world.
Unfortunately, though, this world wasn't very exciting.
"Dude... are we on a Western or somethin'?" Chase questioned, seeming rather dumbfounded as he ran a hand through his spiked blonde hair.
It, indeed, looked like they were on a set of a western, yet a little bit more plain or bare. Shops lined both sides of the streets, their names written in paint above their doorways. Buildings were made of wood, plain, boring wood, and the doorways were ones you could simply push to reveal either the world or the containments of the store.
The strange thing was: all of the shops and buildings were located in the same places as they would be in New York. There was a bar nearby that was in the exact place of where that bar was in Brooklyn, on the street they were on before! The street even had the same name, though the words were spelt differently!
"What is this 'Western' of which you speak?" Yin inquired.
"Uhh..." Chase was dumbfounded again, "It's a... movi--"
"Don't even bother with that, baka," Kris crossed her arms over her chest as her mouth formed into a pout, "She doesn't get that stuff..."
"Oh," Chase responded, blinking his teal eyes.
"Where... are we...?" Kris then questioned, her deep blue eyes lit with curiosity.
"Velho Pedra."
"Velcro... pete's dragon...?"
"No, it means 'old stone'."
"Oh," Kris blinked once again, "Boy... you guys have got creative names here..."
Yin only tilted her head to the side. Chase rolled his eyes.
"Um... yes. I shall check inside," Yin pointed to the bar across the street, "for how to get to 'Mo Shu Si Miao'."
"And that's supposed to be a cat hissing... and meowing?"
"No, it means 'Magic Temple'."
"Makes sense..."
"You wait out here!"
Yin instantly took off running without another word, leaving both Kris and Chase standing on dirt that was supposedly the street.
"So, how's that pronounced...?" Chase questioned, "Moh... Shoe... Sue... Me-yo?"
"Don't look at me. I can only pronounce Japanese."
The blonde haired boy sighed, already sounding defeated.
It had been minutes since they were standing there, catching weird glances from the citizens as they walked past the two. Chase looked rather nervous as each glanced up at him with a perplexed expression, while Kris was too busy staring at her nose.
"...Do I got somethin' on my face?" she questioned in a childish tone, now glancing around and rubbing her nose with the back of her finger.
"I dunno... but this is so creepy..."
The boy froze, his teal eyes fixed on one thing standing nearby.
"Hey, look at this!" he exclaimed, running over to a pole and grabbing a piece of paper off of it, "They already know me and I only just got here!"
The paper within his grasp with tan in colour, edges burned and torn to look rather old and worn out, and it had a picture of him on the front. It even had his name on there correctly! 'Chase Morton', it said, and it had a description as well...
"There's one of me, too!" Kris exclaimed, grabbing another piece of paper from the wooden pole, "They must know that I'm a cool superhero 'n stuff..." Her voice was rather cocky, which was a new thing for her. Yet, she froze.
"...Gimme that."
The tomboy instantly snatched the paper in Chase's hands away, her deep blue eyes scanning the smaller words at the bottom.
"'Chase Morton is a blonde haired boy with teal eyes from Brooklyn, New York, within Earth. He is mainly harmless, so catching him will be nearly to no trouble at all. Wanted dead or alive...
And it's says... 'Reward: 1,000'..."
"Wait, I HAVE A REWARD!? So, I'm wanted!?"
"Mine says '2,500'... I wonder if that's weird Desolate munnies..." Kris trailed off, scanning her own piece of paper while she threw Chase's back at him, "I'm thinking yes to that!"
"What's your description say?"
"'Kris Everwood is a brown haired girl with blue eyes from Brooklyn, New York, within Earth. Though Kris is gifted with the power to turn into a ghost, she's barely a match for anyone. You could easily knock her unconscious by throwing a dime at her head. Wanted alive'... HEY!! I'M NOT WEAK!!"
"It says... 'If found, send both to RenigmaSTER'."
"OH THAT SLIMEY LITTLE ASSHOLE! WHEN I FIND THAT STUCK UP, BLONDE HAIRED JERK WHO'S TOO DAMN PERVERTED, I'M GOING TO KICK HIS ASS SO HARD THAT'S HE'S GOING TO GO CRYING TO HIS PATHETIC LITTLE--!!"
"Kris! You're scaring them!!"
It was true: Kris was scaring the crap out of the citizens of Velho Pedra. They were all staring at her. Many children had their ears covered by their parents' hands, which hid them from the loud girl in a protective manner, while others were shocked and appalled by all of that cursing.
She gave a nervous laugh, a nervous grin following behind, "Uhh... sorry... about that..."
The tomboy quickly turned around, forcing Chase to turn around as well.
"Shit, now we're wanted..." she begun, staring up at the pole once more, "Is there one for Yin? I hope not..."
"Here ya go," Chase replied, giving Kris another paper that had a picture of the black haired girl on it.
"...Thanks," Kris growled, seeming rather annoyed at that moment.
"It says 'Yin Yang is a black haired girl with green eyes from the Desolate. She poses no threat to anyone, much like Chase Morton, but is a citizen of 'Mo Shu Si Miao' in Zhong Guo. Wanted dead or alive. Reward: 800'."
"Hey!"
A rough hand grasped onto the two teen's shoulders, jerking them around quickly and swiftly. It was a middle-aged figure, with balding hair and a tense, annoyed frown. He scratched his head.
"Yeah... it's you two..."
With a small swish! came a small throwing knife, the blade curved at the tip. It quickly went straight at Chase's head.
"Ah!!"
"OY!"
A hand quickly grasped onto the handle, the blade pointed at their forehead for the missed moment of contact. Kris twirled it and growled at its wielder.
"I don't care how stupid he is, you have no right to throw sharp objects at him!!"
"I can, if they're on a bounty..." they replied with a chuckle.
"Bounty or not, you're not gonna catch us!!"
"Easy for you to say!"
Their eyes lit up when they saw the two teens, as the figure grimaced.
"Hey! It's them!!"
"I'M GONNA BE FILTHY FRIGGIN' RICH!!"
Kris' eyes widened as the people drew into their prey, with weapons and nets galore as they stepped closer.
"Oh shit," she squeaked, quickly grabbing Chase's hand as she stood in front of him. Her voice soon became low, in the form of a whisper, "When I count to 3, we make a run for it. Knock people on the head, attack 'em, whatever... just don't let me lose you."
She knew Chase gave the slightest nod, no hesitation within it.
"Alright, one..."
"Now ya done it, kiddo... I dun care what that damn paper says, I'll slice ya both to pieces!"
"Two..."
"Kris?"
"THREE!"
Then they ducked, hands still locked together as they crawled through the crowd that was hunting for them as they charged to where they once were.
"Kris!!"
A familiar voice came into sound, over the screams of 'THEY'RE MINE!' and 'I SAW 'EM FIRST, YA SCUMBAG!!', and the two teens soon popped up to meet them.
"Yin!" Kris sighed with relief.
"You know that we're wanted, right?" Chase questioned, as he glanced back and forth at the crowd.
"That's... what I was afraid of..." Yin gave a sigh, "Come. We must get to the shrine before they find--"
"They're gittin' away!"
"GRAB 'EM!!"
"Ahhhhhh!!" the trio yelled in unison, marking their run down the street of dirt as they sped past shop after shop.
As this is a chase scene, you're probably meant to know that it was very epic indeed, with buildings setting on fire and swords, along with knives, being thrown left and right. Unfortunately, this isn't the case: it was just a generic chase scene, where the trio and a crowd of people who want to be rich are running through the streets.
Finally, someone was sick of generic crap and their feet slid to a stop on the dirt covered street.
"OY!" Kris exclaimed, her eyes lit with the fire of her annoyance, "Wanna catch us? Try it, I dare ya!!"
"Kris?" Chase questioned loudly, trying to drag her back into running, "What're you doing!?"
She merely grinned, that familiar fire spawning down inside of her shoes.
"SPYRX!!"
The tomboy was suddenly engulfed by green fire that lashed out menacingly, forcing the citizens to stay back away from the teen. It was only a second later that the same girl reappeared, now with silver hair, green eyes, and black and white themed clothes.
"Want your damn money now!?" she exclaimed, waving her hands back and forth defensively as they begun to glow with a neon green colour. Now, with a loud battle cry and a toss of her hand, an emerald flame went crashing down to the ground, the thought locked in Kryx's mind of the fire spawning into an eruption of fire.
It didn't.
"EH!?" Kryx screamed, watching as her flame hit the ground before shriveling up into ash, "AW C'MON YOU STUPID FIRE! LIGHT ALREADY!!"
The tomboy instantly turned to Yin, a sour expression plastered onto her pale face, "Yin!!"
"Uhh... she's not here..."
Chase was right: Yin wasn't there! Kryx blinked, staring at the spot where Yin once stood.
"...Well, this is just fantastic..."
"OY! LET'S CATCH THE STUPID LITTL' BRATS AND GET OUR REWARD!"
"I SAW 'EM FIRST, YA SCUM!!"
They were fighting... over wanted kids. Still, they were distracting themselves, which lead to a chance to escape. Sweet!
"C'mon!" Kryx exclaimed to Chase, grabbing his hand once more as they took off running into one of the many alleyways in Velho Pedra.
For now, they hid in the darkness, waiting for those bickering morans to run off and try to find them again.
"What'd we do now?" Chase questioned as they curled up in a corner at the back.
"Like I know..." Kris bitterly replied, watching the entrance with her now neon green eyes.
It felt like hours, and they still continued to bicker. Bicker, bicker, bicker... Over money! Over stupid teenagers! Greed was making them blind, and it was idiotic.
There came a loud, long gasp of pain. Chase's eyes grew wide at the sound.
"Kris!?"
A hand was going through the back of her head, her hair and eyes changing back to normal.
Finally, Kris choked, grabbing her throat as she gasped for air. She was human again, but it felt like someone was ripping her ghost self right out of her for a moment.
"What the heck!?"
"Shut up, brat," a voice sourly growled, the heel of a boot pushing Kris' head to the dirty ground.
"Hey!! What're you--!?"
"You, too."
Chase let out a growl of pain as his head slammed against a building's wall. His screaming had ceased now, but Kris' hadn't.
"Chase!!"
Her eyes glanced over to Chase, but no avail; she just couldn't see him. But, the boot finally picked itself up, leaving Kris to give a sigh of relief, before a hand grasped the front of her throat. Now, face to face, was a figure with a feminine voice.
"Bait," they simply said, before Kris slammed against the ground once more.
'Not again...' she thought, as everything drowned into black once more. They were both unconscious.
----
She was fighting. She was annoyed. And, she would've punched him in the face if she got the chance.
"Leave me alone, Izak!!" Yin screamed, infuriated that he was simply holding her back against a wall by putting a finger to her forehead.
"Don't call me that damn name, you worthless puppet!!" the voice screamed, now equally annoyed for a smaller insult.
Yin froze, feeling as if she had been cut by a long blade that stung with every second it passed through her. That insult, that stupid, simple insult, hurt more than anyone could imagine.
But, she finally got the courage to speak again.
"Why are you after us?" she questioned, her eyes focused down on the ground.
"Not exactly you two idiots... more like the one who's half and half of both... And you know perfectly why I'm chasing after you guys!"
Yin shook her head, "I do not know what that is!"
"Shut it!"
The heel of RenigmaSTER's boot found its way of slamming into Yin's stomach, making her cringe at the attack.
"You think I'm actually going after you guys 'cause I've got nothin' better to do? Nu-uh! I'm going to be a freakin' king, and you know exactly how I'm going to get that..."
"King?" Yin got the courage to laugh just a bit, "How do you expect that to happen? You are not royal and--"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't give me that idiotic talk... I know you know what I mean!"
"I do not! I swear it!!"
RenigmaSTER growled, "Whatever..."
Yin was choking now, as she hung against the wall in midair, as her eyes grew wide with panic and dread.
"You'll be enough bait for the moment..."
----
'Okay... I feel like I got hit by a wreaking ball again...'
With a groan, the tomboy's eyes opened halfway, staring with confusion as the world begun to come into view. The only problem was the place was rather dark; though, saying 'rather dark' wouldn't be able to explain how dark this place was. One thing was for sure: this definitely wasn't that alleyway.
"Chase?" she questioned quietly, glancing around for the blonde haired boy. She went to push herself up to her feet, but no avail; she already fell on her face.
"Ow!"
The tomboy froze. Then growled.
"Why... oh why... am I tied up?"
"Bait," a familiar voice spat, as footsteps echoed throughout the darkness. They hadn't shown themselves yet.
"Oy!!" Kris yelled as she attempted to sit up straight, "Get these things off of me!!"
"No."
"Aw c'monnnnnn!"
"No. I have to catch RenigmaSTER, and he wants you two..." the voice said, sounding rather bored to be exact.
"NO, YOU'RE NOT MAKING ME GO TO THAT GUY!!" Kris screamed, her fear beginning to rise as that name entered her thoughts.
"Not my problem," they replied, their footsteps echoing once more.
Kris let out a loud growl of both annoyance and frustration. Great, just great. She was tied up and she going to be bait for that stupid idiot from before! But, she couldn't help but wonder why 'bait' was there in the first place; it seemed like they were in it for money like everyone else, actually...
The tomboy's fingers twitched, as they were stuck behind her back. The ropes around her wrists were pretty damn tight, too!
"Chase..." she called once more, glancing around for the blonde haired boy. There came a small groan as that name entered the air, and Chase turned his head as he laid flat on the floor.
"I feel like crap..." he stated, putting his face flat on the ground.
"You're not the only one," Kris replied with a nervous laugh.
Knock-knock.
BAM!!
"You know I hate knocking..." a sly voice begun, footsteps echoing into the dark room.
"AH!" Kris unintentionally screamed, sliding backwards across the floor in hopes to hide behind Chase or some tall, random object. Yet, her sliding ceased, as a hand grabbed her shirt's collar and pulled the tomboy to her feet; Kris watched as another figure did the same to chase.
Footsteps begun to echo once more, until a tall, female figure stood before the two teens. They were clad in black and a dark teal suit, one that was skintight. Various belts, pouches, and pockets were seen on the suit, though, and many of the belts had a variety of guns. Tall combat boots clung to their feet, while their eyes stared out from behind huge goggles that sat on their face. Two guns were grasped in their hands, each hand wearing the same pair of gloves.
"Miss me, little bro?" the voice snarled, the guns seeming to click as they pointed at the figure in the open doorway.
She took a double take, her deep blue eyes blinking. Little... bro? She felt herself start to shrink at the thought, and Kris merely hoped that meant they were in some organization together. She didn't want to say anything, though. After all, that figure behind her had a knife at her throat, same with Chase.
"Eh... not really," RenigmaSTER yawned, before pulling forward a familiar figure.
"Yin!" Chase exclaimed, before trying to gulp back that name as the figure behind him snarled at him.
"You found those two... At least fork over the ghost kid. You can let the other one drown for all I care."
Chase gulped. Kris froze up. Both of them wanted to start screaming, or just start yelling, but those people behind them probably would've started attacking if that even made the slightest sound.
"What? You think I want your stupid money? Do you even have all that cash?" the gun wielder growled.
RenigmaSTER let out a loud laugh, "Of course not! But, how do you think I was supposed to motivate them? They're all too damn blinded by greed..."
"You filthy little liar..."
Their grip on their weapons grew tighter.
"I can't wait to see that pool of blood..."
Yin cringed as she stared up at the two guns. RenigmaSTER growled once more.
"Oy! Just fork over kiddo over there, and I'll get you anything!"
"What makes you think I want money or stupid possessions, Izak!?"
BAM!
The shot rung throughout the room, and RenigmaSTER let out a loud gasp of pain.
"You're cruel..." he choked, his hand wrapped around his arm, "Hurting your sibling?"
Then, he let out a laugh, "Not that I don't have the guts to do the same..."
Suddenly, their weapons escaped their grasp, and the figure went flying backwards, as the two characters behind Kris and Chase disappeared with a flash. As they hit the wall, they begun to rise up into the air, choking and staring in horror at the wall across the room.
"You know, I'm better at this cruel sort of thing... Stop trying to act so evil, 'cause you suck at it."
Kris stared up in horror as the hunter that was trying to destroy RenigmaSTER in the first place was now being tormented out of her mind. Tears escaped her emerald green eyes as fear seemed to take over her.
"No!" Kris screamed, trying to untie the ropes around her wrists, "Leave her alone!"
"Shut it, kiddo..." RenigmaSTER growled with a roll of his eyes, "I'll deal with you two when I'm done with this one..."
The tomboy let out a growl of her own as she watched the hunter's eyes begun to roll into her head.
There came a sudden burst of heat behind Kris, as the ropes soon ceased to exist. Blinking, she glanced behind her to see none other than Yin, who had burned the ropes just a bit.
"Well?" she questioned, stepping over to Chase to free him, "Go!"
Kris nodded, and quickly jumped to her feet. That flame begun to burn again, and, like a gradient, Kris' hair, eyes, and clothes changed once more until she had that familiar head of silver hair.
"Oy!" the tomboy exclaimed, running forwards until she jumped into the air. Her hand reached out for an object, and her fingers wrapped around it when it was within her grasp. Her feet landed back on the ground, and a grin was plastered on her pale face.
"Got your hat!" she exclaimed with a grin, pointing to the straight top hat that was in her grasp. That, somehow, made RenigmaSTER snap in half. He was definitely annoyed now!
"BRAT!!" he screamed, stomping towards the teen as flames begun to flicker in his eyes, "Give it!!"
"What's the magic word?" Kryx questioned in a sly tone, hiding the hat behind her back.
"GIVE ME MY DAMN--"
There came the sound of something small hitting the cold ground. Kryx blinked and glanced around, staring at what had landed on the floor. It was...
She lifted it into her grasp, and simply started at it.
"A... rabbit?" she questioned, staring at the worn-out rabbit within her grasp. It was strange, actually, because it looked like it belonged to RenigmaSTER: it had a hat, much like his own, a tie, and a cane. It actually looked like a magician of sorts...
"GIMME THAT!" the voice screamed, snatching both the plush and that hat from the tomboy's grasp. He was outraged at that point, so annoyed that a fist was probably going to slam against her face any second now. Yet, no words seemed to come out of his mouth. He didn't even know what to say to that! Several growls came out of his mouth, clueless of what to say. Finally, though, a word came out of his mouth:
"BRAT!"
Then, he was gone. He vanished into thin air. Yet, Kryx could only blink.
"...What... the..."
There came a loud cough from the wall, as the figure from before sat in a daze on the ground.
"Ah!" Kryx unintentionally exclaimed, running over towards the hunter. Yet, when she stood over her, she didn't know whether to ask if she was okay, or if she should start asking questions or not.
"...Uhhh..." she begun, scratching her head. Finally, some words escaped her mouth.
"Who are you?" she questioned, hoping her question didn't sound too rude.
She chuckled, "Easy..."
Her eyes glanced up, now covered in the shade of purple, "My name's Stephanie Noir, or just plain Steph. His name is Isaac Noir, or Izak. I'm his big sister..."
Kryx could only blink at the sound of that fact.
"...Sister?"
