Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Magi Masuku ❯ Magi Games ( Chapter 4 )

Magi Games

 

 

 

“Dr. Prometheus...” the being said as he appeared in front of the man. The man was old; extremely so. It didn't seem possible that anyone could be as old as he was. He wore a white robe and blue hood that covered the upper part of his face. A Border collie sat beside him, alert.

 

The room in which they were in seemed to be a twisted, nightmarish lab; instead of metal, the room seemed to be constructed of some sort of red, evil-looking rock. In the center of the lab was a strange circle with a star in it; in the center of the star was a metal booth that seemed out of place in the lab.

 

“Dr. Prometheus...” The being repeated. The being looked human enough; it had a human face and a human body, but something about it seemed decidedly... not human. If one looked closely, they'd notice the being was missing a finger on each hand and had abnormally long nails. Also, it didn't seem to blink or stop to breathe. It wore a black, sinister-looking robe.

 

“What is it, D?” The old man asked in a surprisingly young voice. “He's in the middle of an experiment.”

 

“I apologize, doctor.” D said as it bowed. “I just wanted to let you know that the Magi Games are beginning yet again.” “They are, are they?” The old man asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “It's been six months already? My, he has lost track of time, hasn't he?”

 

“Doctor, should we proceed with phase one of `Operation: Fire Thief?'” D asked. “It would seem the time was appropriate; this is a large gathering of Magi, and the Baron's project would be greatly accelerated if we were to launch our campaign.”

 

The old man seemed to think about this for a bit. “Very well, D; he knows how much our troops have been waiting for this.” He said after a bit of thought. “Argus will enter the games, then; he's as good a Magi as any.”

 

D seemed startled at the old man's decision. “But, Doctor...” it began, its alarm showing on its face, “what if Argus' enhancements are revealed prematurely? After the Molecular Rewrite, he's not exactly huma—.”

 

“Are you questioning him?!” The old man yelled, suddenly angry. He spun around to face D and his Border collie-Familiar snarled. “He has the utmost faith in Argus' abilities! Besides, if Argus is revealed then the idiot can simply call forth the Black Wings! You may be a King of the Nether, but remember who your superior is, D!”

 

“Yes, my lord!” D apologized, swiftly bowing. “Darkness...” D thought, sweating with fear. “He wouldn't hesitate to kill me... he doesn't care that I'm a king... oh, Darkness...”

 

 

 

“Alright, Masuku, here's the deal...” Dublin said as he held up a calendar. “It's June 23rd; on July 1st, the Magi Games begin. The Magi Games are a big event for Magi everywhere. Basically, it's a giant festival leading up to a giant tournament allowing Magi to show off their skills. To the winner goes fame, glory, and eternal bragging rights. If you want to be a great Magi, you need to try your skills in the Magi Games! You got that?”

 

“Wow, you mean there's a baby in there?” Masuku asked the kangaroo. He was several feet away from Dublin talking to a random kangaroo.

 

“How'd a kangaroo get here...?” Dublin thought to himself, confused. “Masuku, were you just listening to me?!” “Aw, you scared the kangaroo away! Way to go!”

 

 

 

In due time, a week passed; a week filled with odd training for Masuku and not-cussing for Ohmio. Finally, the day of the Magi Games finally arrived...

 

 

 

“Wow!” Masuku said, amazed at the sight of the festival. Booths full of games and food were littered everywhere, right in front of a large, square building. Magi and their Familiars were everywhere, and Masuku could see hundreds of normal people, as well.

 

“Masuku, it's not all that great.” Symphon said to his friend. Sonent was on his shoulders, wrapped around his neck. “Kinda gives me a bad feeling, to tell you the truth.”

 

“Aw, you don't know what you're talking about.” Ohmio said as he shoved Symphon. “This place is cool!” “... Perv.” “AHH! SYMPHON!”

 

“So when's this tournament thing start?” Masuku asked impatiently. “I want to see all of the Magi who're showing up!”

 

“My, my; we are impatient, aren't we?” A voice asked from directly behind Masuku. Turning to see who it was, he came face-to-face with a floating, grinning skull just inches from his nose.

 

Masuku let out a scream and fell down backwards causing the skull to laugh and then vanish abruptly. “Wh-what was that?!” He asked, startled.

 

 

 

Four foxes lay dead; each one of them had a large wound and was bleeding heavily, and each one had five tails. They were all surrounded by dense foliage and trees, and ten men in black capes.

 

One of the men stepped up to one of the bleeding foxes. He was young, roughly fifteen, and had spiky, blue-black hair. Red, tear-drop like tattoos were under his eyes. He wore a red suit of armor under his black cape and had a bat hanging from his arm. A large, red, two-bladed sword was strapped to his back

 

“Kitsune blood...” he said as he dipped his fingers in it and sniffed it. “A delicacy that's hard to come by...” After a moment of staring at the blood on his finger, he licked it off and smiled. The men surrounding him all winced.

 

“The Magi Games are starting, and there's a good chance that some people will be killed, from what I hear.” The young man said with a smile. “It could be worth our while; besides, if no blood's spilled, we can spill some ourselves.”

 

“King Darc, sir?” One of the men asked timidly. The young man turned to face his much older servant. “What is it, eh? Out with it. I'm fair; I won't kill you for stating your opinion.”

 

This didn't seem to ease the man's worries; he rubbed his hands nervously and began to sweat. “Well, sir, some high-ranking Magi will be there, and, uh... won't it be dangerous?” “Dangerous?” Darc repeated, thinking about it. “Well, yes, sir. Wouldn't it just be easier to hunt for Magi who are in the Makai instead of—?”

 

In one swift movement, Darc took out the two-bladed sword, cut the man's head off, and then strapped it back on his back. “The Magi Games are too big an opportunity to waste.” Darc said calmly, as if nothing had happened. “Besides, my brother the Nothing will be there; it shall be nice to see how Soushiki is.”

 

 

 

“The first stage of the preliminaries is really quite simple.” The man said as he handed out packets of paper to the large group of Magi, each of whom was seated in a different desk. “You take a written exam; the score you get will be added to your score in the fighting stage of the prelims; the sixteen people who get a 150 or higher are in the tournament. The prelims are specially designed so that only 16 will get through it; no more, no less.”

 

“Wait... written exam?!” Masuku asked, suddenly realizing what the man had said. Herupanen wasn't there (There were at least a hundred Magi there; that meant just as many Familiars. They'd have to wait outside, or someone's allergies could go crazy!) And he was sitting next to a black-haired man wearing a brown trench-coat, red shirt, and blue jeans. He had neat, black hair and, whenever he smiled, his teeth actually shined.

 

“Written exams are boring, aren't they?” The man asked cheerfully. He looked at the test he received and circled what he thought (incorrectly, by the way) was the right answer on the first question. He then smiled at Masuku, and his teeth gave the strange shine.

 

“Did... did his teeth just shine?” Masuku thought as he stared at the man's teeth.

 

 

 

“Janus, we're approaching the Magi Games Festival.” The limo-driver said as he drove the three, young men towards the gathering of booths and happy people.

 

One of the young men, roughly sixteen, had a large, x-shaped scar on the front of his face. He wore a chain jacket and wore leather gloves. He had messy, auburn hair and two katana strapped to his back.

 

“Uh... Hey, Janus, everything okay?” One of the other young men asked. He was large and muscular, and wore a white tank-top and green bandanna. He had a cartoon picture of a monkey tattooed on his arm.

 

Janus scowled angrily as he looked out of the limo's window at a passing Magi with a horse Familiar. “How many Magi are there here, Ape?” Janus asked in a quiet yet commanding voice. “A hundred? A thousand? Or are they like a hydra, two popping up for every one that dies?”

 

“Janus, maybe we shouldn't be doing this.” The final young man said. He had black skin and thin, shaved hair. He wore a grey tank-top and had a cross on his necklace. “I mean, not all Magi are evil.”

 

“Magi have taken away everyone I've ever cared about, Arch.” Janus said, not showing his rage or his sadness. “They might as well all be evil.”

 

 

 

“Sir, you can't come in here.” The security guard said to the young man and his friends who were trying to enter the off-limits area. The guard and his partner didn't notice that the young man was missing a finger on each hand and wasn't blinking.

 

The young man's friends all wore bandages wrapped around their faces and all-black outfits. The guards didn't find this at all suspicious until the young man's long nails suddenly stretched, stabbing them in the heart.

 

“My, my, if you hadn't been so rude to one of the Demon Kings of the Nether, I wouldn't have had to kill you.” The young man-looking being said as its nails stretched back. For some reason, the guards hadn't died yet and were just barely alive.

 

“Do you fear death?” The being asked one of the guards with a friendly smile. “Do you fear the trials of the Afterlife? All your deeds lay bare, all your sins punished? I can offer you an escape.”

 

“Why should I trust someone… someone who just tried to kill me?” The guard struggled to ask. “Well, simply put, you'll gain immortality.” The being said as it casually walked over to the other guard. “And you won't suffer the same fate as your friend here.”

 

The being suddenly grabbed the guard's face and grinned insanely. “Dark Arts… Noppera-bo; Face-Stealing!” In one swift movement, the being pulled the guard's face off, leaving only a blank, smooth sheet of flesh where the face had been.

 

“When a person dies without a face, it's really quite interesting.” The being said with a smile as it held the guard's face up; the face now resembled a mask which, for some reason, wore a cheerful, stupid-looking grin. “If you have a face, you move on to the Afterlife. However, without a face… nothing. You simply vanish from the 9 Planes of Existence.”

 

 

 

“The preliminaries are finished!” The man yelled as Masuku's opponent stopped kicking him. “Please report to the front of the building to see who has advanced to the next stage. The fighters in the tournament are as follows…

 

“Ohmio Galvani…”

 

“Great, I'm first.” Ohmio muttered upon hearing the announcement. “Maybe my opponent will be a girl…”

 

“Eve Hunter…”

 

“Oh, dear lord, I TAKE IT BACK!” Ohmio yelled upon hearing the second name. “PLEASE DON'T LET HER BE MY OPPONENT!”

 

“Janken Chokitsune…”

 

“Was there ever any doubt?” Chokitsune asked his Familiar, Tagawa Matsu.

 

“Chancy 7…”

 

The man simply pulled his cowboy hat down over his eyes as his moose Familiar continued drinking from the fountain.

 

“Soushiki…”

 

“Whatever.” Soushiki said without even budging.

 

“Escarabjo Deporte…”

 

“Oh, cool!” Escarabjo said as he held up his armadillo Familiar. “This is great, isn't it?”

 

“Ivan…”

 

Ivan smiled as an eye opened in the palm of his hand. His hawk Familiar had bandages wrapped around its head.

 

“Bai Lao-Hu…”

 

“Didja hear that, Piao?” The 8-year-old boy asked happily as he picked up his white tiger cub Familiar. “This'll be fun!”

 

“Tawamure Kabuto…”

 

“Wow, me and Escarabjo in the same tournament.” Kabuto muttered as he tapped his bat on his shoulders as his spider sat on his head. “Imagine if Bille was—.”

 

“Bille Ludus-Dublin…”

 

“What?” Bille asked as he woke up with his squid Familiar wrapped around his head.

 

“No Name Given… oh, wait… Mystery Entrant…”

 

The man in the blue robe coughed violently.

 

“Sutashishi Tanabata…”

 

“Oh, cool, I got in!” Tanabata said as he smiled and his teeth gave off the strange shine.

 

“Symphon Beetzart…”

 

“I… I got in?” Symphon asked, surprised.

 

“Taras I'm Not Going To Tell You My Last Name…”

 

“Well, I wasn't.” Taras said to his Familiar, Ursa.

 

“Macabre Box (?)…”

 

The man dressed all in black who wore a box on his head neither moved nor talked.

 

“And, finally, Masuku Eikomugen…”

 

“Herupanen, we made it!” Masuku yelled as he tossed his Familiar into the air, making Herupanen hit the ceiling.

 

“Those of you whose names I called, please report to the waiting area, where you will draw lots for your matches.” The man said. “I would also like to say that all Four Great Sages are present for this tournament; all other combatants should try their best to beat them.”

 

 

 

Next Time: First Round: Room 13 Struggles!