Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Shadow Realm: Fifteen ❯ Fugitive ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Man Called True 
Fifteen's life unravels. As he tries to piece it together, another trouble begins to appear...
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Drama / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.29.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 269 | Status: Completed
Fifteen's life unravels. As he tries to piece it together, another trouble begins to appear...
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Drama / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.29.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 269 | Status: Completed
The morning train was late. Resting on a bench, Fifteen the Witty Phantom sipped at a cup of coffee he had purchased from a kiosk some way down the street. The only decent thing you could get in the Fiend Quarter was the coffee; the Portrait's Secrets brewed it, and they were good at it, despite having to hang from a wall in order to do anything.
Taking another sip, Fifteen straightened his cuffs. His job was not one truly worth going to most days, but it was the only job a Witty Phantom who couldn't get the attention of high-level monsters could hope to get. Some of the more fortunate low-leveled fiends had found jobs serving the Shadow Realm Council members. Their lives were cushy, happy and comfortable, without the difficulties that came with living in the Fiend Living Complexes. Fifteen had always wished he could meet one of these lucky bastards, preferably while armed with a heavy object.
One of his pointed ears picked up the sound of skeletal toes scraping against the cobblestones, heading his way. Half-turning to see what it was, Fifteen's heart sank a little. It was a Skull Servant.
A Skull Servant with wire weaved between his skull and his neck. One with two Dark Assailants following him. One whose eternal grin was a little strained this morning.
"Well, my friend, I see you got your skull back on," Fifteen quipped, reaching for that special cloth hidden in his pocket.
The Skull Servant made a clacking noise that was probably a snigger. "We meet again, Mr. High-and-Mighty Fiend. I believe you know the reputation of my friends, Misters Slash and Terror." He nodded to the Dark Assailants. "They're here on a very specific job, the requirements of which require them to do to you what you did to me."
The Dark Assailants drew their swords and smiled, an odd smile since they didn't have lips.
Fifteen pasted the cloth to his hands unnoticed. He felt the fabric warming up as it bonded to his hands, and then smiled himself. "I don't think so." He then raised his hands. "Phantom Strike!"
Moving quite a bit faster than one would expect him to, the Witty Phantom slammed his glowing palms into the stomachs of the two Dark Assailants. The monsters writhed for a short while, and then exploded into small triangles.
Realizing that his bodyguards were now beyond helping him, the Skull Servant turned to flee, only to be stopped by Fifteen grabbing his collar. The wire was ripped free...
A few seconds later, a small skull was seen flying over the top of the train station. Nobody connected it to Fifteen, for at that moment his train arrived, and he boarded it before the skull had even landed.
***
Resting in his spot on the train, next to the Magical Ghost and across from the Mystic Clown, Fifteen unpeeled the cloth from his hand. All Witty Phantoms had a cloth like that; when it was placed on their hand, they could use their racial attack. Normally, he never had to use it.
As he folded the cloth, Fifteen noticed that the Mystic Clown across from him was busily staring at him. "What's the matter? Never seen a Witty Phantom before?" Fifteen asked.
"It's not that, man. Haven't I seen you in the Blue Nemuriko?" The Mystic Clown was holding the daily paper in one hand.
"Probably. I go there every few nights. Why'd you ask?"
The Mystic Clown tossed him the newspaper, and Fifteen looked at it.
"'THREE KILLED IN BLUE NEMURIKO RAMPAGE...'" Fifteen snorted. "Finally, something less than Level Five made the headlines..."
"It's the third paragraph you should be worried about, man," the Mystic Clown replied.
Fifteen's eyes dropped to the third paragraph, and he read, "'The Sword Hunter's activities are believed to be the work of fiendish possession, and as a result, the police are investigating various fiends...' What a load of garbage. If a fiend had possessed him, you would know..." And then he stopped cold.
The next sentence was on the tip of his tongue, but it was some time before he read it: "'A Witty Phantom was spotted in the Blue Nemuriko at the time of the murders. Police are currently seeking him out for questioning...'"
"That's why I wanted you to read that, man. You gotta be careful. They'll be searching for you..."
The train pulled to its first stop, the Low-Level Fiend Living Complex. Nothing got on. Looking out the window, Fifteen saw that several lower-level monsters were patrolling the fringes of the station. Judging from their movements, it was a barricade.
The train pulled away, and the Magical Ghost proceeded to float away from Fifteen and off to another empty seat. The Witty Phantom felt somewhat insulted.
"Work Quarters!" came the shout, and the train proceeded to be emptied.
***
Entering the Death Examination building, Fifteen noticed that things were ever so slightly off-kilter. First off, when he checked for his clipboard and sheet, they weren't there. Secondly, the Judge Man who was supposed to be supervising was standing on the platform in front of his office rather than being in it. And third, there was another Witty Phantom standing at Station #15, chatting with Fourteen and Sixteen.. To the original Fifteen, this was like seeing one's clone doing his job.
Quietly dusting off his coat with one hand, he walked up to his supervisor, shoving his hat back up on his head as he walked. "Excuse me," he said, climbing up the stairs to the Judge Man's platform, "why is there another Witty Phantom at my station?"
After taking a sip of coffee, the Judge Man turned to look at him. "Hate to say it, Old Fifteen, but I got a report from the Shadow Council, of all places. They told me a Witty Phantom who matched your aura-" Since all monsters of the same species looked mostly alike, auras were used instead of descriptions when one was sought for some purpose. "-was seen leaving the Blue Nemuriko last night. I can't have anyone who might be responsible for that judging souls - it's just too hypocritical. So we brought in a replacement..."
Taking off his hat, the newly-replaced Fifteen held it in front of him sheepishly, like a schoolboy who's just received a thorough dressing-down. "But... what am I supposed to do?"
One of the Judge Man's fat fingers pointed towards the service exit, and he grunted, "Don't let the door hit you when you're getting out."
A low clicking, which happened to be Fifteen's shoes on the concrete floor of the Death Examination floor, was all that could be heard as he slowly walked out of his former place of employment.
***
Some three hours passed before a M-Warrior #1, on patrol for his bosses in the Central Shadow Realm Police Force, found a Witty Phantom whose aura matched that of the Blue Nemuriko Witty Phantom sitting on a bench near one of the magic-production factories. The suspect was quietly tossing cracked bits of wheat to the peacocks that wandered near his spot, occasionally shedding a tear and sobbing a bit.
The M-Warrior #1, who had the ID number K-124, had joined the police force because there were few jobs for low-level Warrior types. The police, due to their use of such restricted traps as the famous Gravity Bind, could find much use for monsters like Kay-Ontoofor (called Ontoo by his coworkers). And so he was on duty today, having run into one of the most-wanted list's newest members.
Holding up his sword, the M-Warrior shouted, "Hold it right there!"
There was a brief pause as the suspect's eyes migrated across the sockets to look at Ontoo, and then a muttered, "Ah, damn."
"You're under arrest for suspected treason against the Central Shadow Realm! If you put up your hands and surrender now, we can settle this peacefully!" One of the officer's hands slid to his belt, on which he wore a Regulation Sparks Gun. It contained twenty-five castings of the magic known as Sparks, and was to be drawn only in an emergency. If this fiend was the one who had caused the rash of unexplained rogues, it could indeed be an emergency.
The thought of all the paperwork that would result from this, however, prevented Officer Kay-Ontoofor from drawing his gun in time to prevent the suspect from jumping up and making a break for it.
Ontoo stood there for a second, utterly dazed, before picking up his radio and uttering, "We've got a runner."
***
Fifteen leaped over a fence, dashing towards the train station. He hadn't expected the police to find him that quickly; normally they never patrolled the Work Quarter. Just his luck that he'd run into a competant one.
Three more M-Warriors and two Science Soldiers appeared on opposite sides of him. A Gradius hovered overhead, as two Armaills slid down steel wires from it, landing directly in front of him. A Kojikocy and the M-Warrior from before were behind him. Every single one of them were armed with Sparks guns.
Fifteen was completely and utterly trapped.
One of the Armaills took out a primed trap cube, which was humming dangerously. "Witty Phantom Fifteen, you are under arrest for suspected treason against the Central Shadow Realm! If you surrender now, you will peacefully be taken for questioning to the Headquarters! If you resist, however, we will be forced to use this Gravity Bind cube. It is your choice!"
Fifteen's hand slid into his pocket, carefully wrapping around a magic cube he'd forgotten was in there. Sensing its aura, he determined that it was an Creature Swap cube. A glance over the Armaill's shoulder revealed that the train was pulling into the station. He carefully primed the cube, and prepared himself.
"You have ten seconds to answer me!" The Armaill set one finger on the cube's trigger.
"I choose to resist," Fifteen said, and he hurled down the cube. It exploded in a flash of light, and when it faded...
...one very confused Armaill stood in his place. The Witty Phantom, on the other hand, was legging it towards the train.
***
To his utter chagrin, the train was pulling out of the station by the time Fifteen got there. Not having much of a choice, he continued running towards it. His run was punctuated by the hissing noises of missed Sparks shots hitting the ground behind him.
By the time he reached the train itself, it was almost out of the station entirely. Against his better judgment, Fifteen sprang at it, causing a few of the policemonsters chasing him to gape. Thankfully for his immediate future, Fifteen managed to cling to a door, although his fingertips immediately began to scream in pain. His shoes were also the worse for wear.
Looking ahead, Fifteen recognized a few landmarks. The train was heading towards the Spellcaster's Quarters - the Low-Level Section, by the looks of it. Fifteen's fingers were threatening to pop out of their sockets and crawl for their lives, and his toes were about to snap off.
A rogue gust of wind grabbed the Witty Phantom's hat and decided to take off with it. Instinctively, Fifteen took one hand off the door and grabbed it. This was a two-edged sword: his hat was safe, but he himself was teetering badly, about to fall from his perch and plummet into the inky void that was the landscape around him. One foot began to slip...
The door was opening... Fifteen let go, and he began to fall backwards...
A curved staff suddenly grabbed his shirt and pulled. Fifteen fell forward, crashing face-first into the floor of the train. The door slid shut behind him. There was a short delay as Fifteen's mind reassembled itself.
Once he had recovered, the Witty Phantom got onto one knee and dusted himself off, examining his savior. It was a girl, not entirely to his surprise, one with a purple tunic over a red shirt and leggings. Her hair was a light fuschia, and she carried her staff rather adroitly. Her face was currently lit up with a smile.
"Hi!" she chirped. "I'm Tessia."
Now, normally, Fifteen would have introduced himself and thanked the Magician of Faith (for that was her species) for saving him. A pleasant conversation would have followed, ending when the train reached its stop and Tessia disembarked. Then Fifteen would have ridden the train home and, shortly afterwards, be promptly arrested. So it was all for the better that, even as his mouth formed the words, "I'm Fifteen. Thanks for saving me," his mind derailed.
What emerged was, "A name? You have a NAME?"
***
Somewhere near the Work Quarter train station, the Central Shadow Realm Police Force was busily combing the area of an escape that, if videotapes existed, would have made the rounds of "Amateur Video Night" programs. Kay-Ontoofor, the M-Warrior #1 who had brought glory and shame on himself simultaneously by finding and then losing the fugitive Witty Phantom, was standing near the east exit, senses actively seeking the Phantom's aura.
A voice spoke in his head all of a sudden: [Leave the train station and head into the former Equip Factory.] It sounded rather urgent, and was not the sort of voice that an intelligent creature would cross. So Ontoo obeyed it.
Sneaking out of the east exit, he crossed through the park and found himself at a large, empty building. Not one to hesistate, he walked right in, and found himself in a gigantic room full of machinery. Large assembly lines flanked him, now still and cold. The tables with pentagrams carved upon them, where Spellcasters once imbued the magic cubes with power, still maintained a glow of undrained power.
A large figure hovered in from the shadows at the back of the room, staying just out of Ontoo's sight. Another figure joined him, hunched over and growling. [Stay quiet, Pav,] Ontoo heard in his head. [You'll get your chance soon enough.]
"What... what is going on?" Ontoo asked. Then a loud, screeching wail burst in his mind, and he sank to his knees. The world went dark...
...His master was standing before him, holding up a gigantic, wicked weapon. A Sword of Deep-Seated? No, it was even more terrible than that... It was an axe. An Axe of Despair.
[Take this weapon,] the master said in his mind. [Go out there. Show your friends the power of a true warrior. If you do, I promise power without measure...] Ontoo's old sword was plucked from his fingers, and the powerful new weapon was placed in his grip. His fingers were curved around it.
Ontoo rose, feeling the sheer energy from the master's gift swelling his muscles. He was dizzy, but soon that left him. He stood before his master, willing to do whatever he was bid.
[Go now,] the master commanded. [Tear them to pieces. Show me what you are!]
As the M-Warrior #1 left to do as his master wished, he could hear one last thought, from the master to the other creature beside him: [Do you see, Pav, how simple it truly is?]
***
The first one to notice Ontoo's return was a Science Soldier, ID number T-408. He noticed that Ontoo's eyes were blazing with a dark red light, and that his comrade was holding a gigantic axe. Fearing the worst, that his coworker had gone rogue, Tee-Foroate raised his gun. "Hal-"
The axe chopped his hands off before he could even fire. Staring at the stumps, Tee never saw the axe coming down to cleave him in half.
Three Armaills rushed up to stop the rogue M-Warrior. One was beheaded, which was fortunate, as he didn't live long enough to feel it. The next had his tail sliced off, and then the hilt of the axe crushed in his head. The third tried to run, but received a chop to his spine for his troubles.
By now, the other police officers could see that Ontoo was beyond control. The other M-Warriors readied their blades and charged in, with support from the airborne Gradius.
Using his innate magnetic pulse, Ontoo launched himself into the air by repelling himself off the other M-Warriors. Landing on the Gradius, he sliced its engines off. Leaping from the ship before it crashed, he spun around on the ground and chopped all three M-Warriors in half.
Only the Kojikocy was left. Taking an emergency Rush Recklessly cube from his pocket, he activated it, feeling the massive boost of power to his limbs. Aiming himself, he charged directly at the M-Warrior rogue, blade slashing wildly.
All too late did he see Ontoo activate his own Rush Recklessly cube...
By the time the Kojikocy got within range of his former comrade, both his arms had been sliced off. He didn't suffer, though, as he was decapitated shortly afterwards.
The entire train station was a scene of ghoulish slaughter as Ontoo lowered his axe. The bodies were quickly becoming unstable, and when they did, they would shatter into the triangular shards that all Shadow Realm monsters shattered into on the occasion of their deaths. It had been a good fight...
And then Ontoo's mind woke up.
The Axe of Despair slid from his fingers as he rushed over to the slain body of the Science Soldier who was the first to die. "Tee!" Ontoo screamed. "Tee! You can't be dead!"
Tee-Foroate's body shattered, cutting Ontoo's palms as it did so.
All around the M-Warrior, body after body shattered in a rain of shards.
Raising his hands and clawing at the air, Ontoo weeped, red tears streaming down his mask, leaving small mineral deposits on the metal. Only then did he notice the twin shadows again, the ones he had seen in the Equip Factory. The hunched-over one was growling and snarling, barely restrained by a leash, which was being held by the taller, upright figure next to it.
Its grip on the leash never loosening, the taller shadowy figure floated forward, and suddenly Kay-Ontoofor, the M-Warrior #1, saw what it was. It was a figure of nightmares.
"You..."
[Yes, me. Is there something you want?]
Ontoo rose, staggering, to his feet. The tears still poured down his helmet.
[Perhaps... you would like release from this nightmare you call a future? A quick and not-unduly-painful escape from a destiny that would end in a far more agonizing death?]
His mind barely able to contemplate the words, Ontoo nodded. The tall figure let go of the leash.
Before his eyes could follow it, the hunched-over figure - an Amphibian Beast - pounced on him, its terrible claws ripping into his flesh. The foul hands then locked on his head, pushing...
Ontoo quite quickly exploded, his shards covering the Amphibian Beast's body. The monster's skin was too thick, so they merely slid off.
Having taken the edge off his rage with one kill, the Amphibian Beast turned to the other creature nearby. Suddenly, however, its mind was assaulted and thrust at by a million clashing thoughts...
And then the tall figure picked up the leash, and it heeled to its master.
One long-fingered hand held out Ontoo's sword. Because Ontoo had not held it during the time of his death, the sword was in one piece.
[Look at it, Pav,] the tall figure thought to his savage "pet". [An M-Warrior's sword. Imagine what potential THIS has in our little machine... And all it cost was a bunch of useless, low-leveled pests. Oh, for the days when we will rule...]
The two figures departed, the tall one's hand tightly clamped around his pet's leash.
Taking another sip, Fifteen straightened his cuffs. His job was not one truly worth going to most days, but it was the only job a Witty Phantom who couldn't get the attention of high-level monsters could hope to get. Some of the more fortunate low-leveled fiends had found jobs serving the Shadow Realm Council members. Their lives were cushy, happy and comfortable, without the difficulties that came with living in the Fiend Living Complexes. Fifteen had always wished he could meet one of these lucky bastards, preferably while armed with a heavy object.
One of his pointed ears picked up the sound of skeletal toes scraping against the cobblestones, heading his way. Half-turning to see what it was, Fifteen's heart sank a little. It was a Skull Servant.
A Skull Servant with wire weaved between his skull and his neck. One with two Dark Assailants following him. One whose eternal grin was a little strained this morning.
"Well, my friend, I see you got your skull back on," Fifteen quipped, reaching for that special cloth hidden in his pocket.
The Skull Servant made a clacking noise that was probably a snigger. "We meet again, Mr. High-and-Mighty Fiend. I believe you know the reputation of my friends, Misters Slash and Terror." He nodded to the Dark Assailants. "They're here on a very specific job, the requirements of which require them to do to you what you did to me."
The Dark Assailants drew their swords and smiled, an odd smile since they didn't have lips.
Fifteen pasted the cloth to his hands unnoticed. He felt the fabric warming up as it bonded to his hands, and then smiled himself. "I don't think so." He then raised his hands. "Phantom Strike!"
Moving quite a bit faster than one would expect him to, the Witty Phantom slammed his glowing palms into the stomachs of the two Dark Assailants. The monsters writhed for a short while, and then exploded into small triangles.
Realizing that his bodyguards were now beyond helping him, the Skull Servant turned to flee, only to be stopped by Fifteen grabbing his collar. The wire was ripped free...
A few seconds later, a small skull was seen flying over the top of the train station. Nobody connected it to Fifteen, for at that moment his train arrived, and he boarded it before the skull had even landed.
***
Resting in his spot on the train, next to the Magical Ghost and across from the Mystic Clown, Fifteen unpeeled the cloth from his hand. All Witty Phantoms had a cloth like that; when it was placed on their hand, they could use their racial attack. Normally, he never had to use it.
As he folded the cloth, Fifteen noticed that the Mystic Clown across from him was busily staring at him. "What's the matter? Never seen a Witty Phantom before?" Fifteen asked.
"It's not that, man. Haven't I seen you in the Blue Nemuriko?" The Mystic Clown was holding the daily paper in one hand.
"Probably. I go there every few nights. Why'd you ask?"
The Mystic Clown tossed him the newspaper, and Fifteen looked at it.
"'THREE KILLED IN BLUE NEMURIKO RAMPAGE...'" Fifteen snorted. "Finally, something less than Level Five made the headlines..."
"It's the third paragraph you should be worried about, man," the Mystic Clown replied.
Fifteen's eyes dropped to the third paragraph, and he read, "'The Sword Hunter's activities are believed to be the work of fiendish possession, and as a result, the police are investigating various fiends...' What a load of garbage. If a fiend had possessed him, you would know..." And then he stopped cold.
The next sentence was on the tip of his tongue, but it was some time before he read it: "'A Witty Phantom was spotted in the Blue Nemuriko at the time of the murders. Police are currently seeking him out for questioning...'"
"That's why I wanted you to read that, man. You gotta be careful. They'll be searching for you..."
The train pulled to its first stop, the Low-Level Fiend Living Complex. Nothing got on. Looking out the window, Fifteen saw that several lower-level monsters were patrolling the fringes of the station. Judging from their movements, it was a barricade.
The train pulled away, and the Magical Ghost proceeded to float away from Fifteen and off to another empty seat. The Witty Phantom felt somewhat insulted.
"Work Quarters!" came the shout, and the train proceeded to be emptied.
***
Entering the Death Examination building, Fifteen noticed that things were ever so slightly off-kilter. First off, when he checked for his clipboard and sheet, they weren't there. Secondly, the Judge Man who was supposed to be supervising was standing on the platform in front of his office rather than being in it. And third, there was another Witty Phantom standing at Station #15, chatting with Fourteen and Sixteen.. To the original Fifteen, this was like seeing one's clone doing his job.
Quietly dusting off his coat with one hand, he walked up to his supervisor, shoving his hat back up on his head as he walked. "Excuse me," he said, climbing up the stairs to the Judge Man's platform, "why is there another Witty Phantom at my station?"
After taking a sip of coffee, the Judge Man turned to look at him. "Hate to say it, Old Fifteen, but I got a report from the Shadow Council, of all places. They told me a Witty Phantom who matched your aura-" Since all monsters of the same species looked mostly alike, auras were used instead of descriptions when one was sought for some purpose. "-was seen leaving the Blue Nemuriko last night. I can't have anyone who might be responsible for that judging souls - it's just too hypocritical. So we brought in a replacement..."
Taking off his hat, the newly-replaced Fifteen held it in front of him sheepishly, like a schoolboy who's just received a thorough dressing-down. "But... what am I supposed to do?"
One of the Judge Man's fat fingers pointed towards the service exit, and he grunted, "Don't let the door hit you when you're getting out."
A low clicking, which happened to be Fifteen's shoes on the concrete floor of the Death Examination floor, was all that could be heard as he slowly walked out of his former place of employment.
***
Some three hours passed before a M-Warrior #1, on patrol for his bosses in the Central Shadow Realm Police Force, found a Witty Phantom whose aura matched that of the Blue Nemuriko Witty Phantom sitting on a bench near one of the magic-production factories. The suspect was quietly tossing cracked bits of wheat to the peacocks that wandered near his spot, occasionally shedding a tear and sobbing a bit.
The M-Warrior #1, who had the ID number K-124, had joined the police force because there were few jobs for low-level Warrior types. The police, due to their use of such restricted traps as the famous Gravity Bind, could find much use for monsters like Kay-Ontoofor (called Ontoo by his coworkers). And so he was on duty today, having run into one of the most-wanted list's newest members.
Holding up his sword, the M-Warrior shouted, "Hold it right there!"
There was a brief pause as the suspect's eyes migrated across the sockets to look at Ontoo, and then a muttered, "Ah, damn."
"You're under arrest for suspected treason against the Central Shadow Realm! If you put up your hands and surrender now, we can settle this peacefully!" One of the officer's hands slid to his belt, on which he wore a Regulation Sparks Gun. It contained twenty-five castings of the magic known as Sparks, and was to be drawn only in an emergency. If this fiend was the one who had caused the rash of unexplained rogues, it could indeed be an emergency.
The thought of all the paperwork that would result from this, however, prevented Officer Kay-Ontoofor from drawing his gun in time to prevent the suspect from jumping up and making a break for it.
Ontoo stood there for a second, utterly dazed, before picking up his radio and uttering, "We've got a runner."
***
Fifteen leaped over a fence, dashing towards the train station. He hadn't expected the police to find him that quickly; normally they never patrolled the Work Quarter. Just his luck that he'd run into a competant one.
Three more M-Warriors and two Science Soldiers appeared on opposite sides of him. A Gradius hovered overhead, as two Armaills slid down steel wires from it, landing directly in front of him. A Kojikocy and the M-Warrior from before were behind him. Every single one of them were armed with Sparks guns.
Fifteen was completely and utterly trapped.
One of the Armaills took out a primed trap cube, which was humming dangerously. "Witty Phantom Fifteen, you are under arrest for suspected treason against the Central Shadow Realm! If you surrender now, you will peacefully be taken for questioning to the Headquarters! If you resist, however, we will be forced to use this Gravity Bind cube. It is your choice!"
Fifteen's hand slid into his pocket, carefully wrapping around a magic cube he'd forgotten was in there. Sensing its aura, he determined that it was an Creature Swap cube. A glance over the Armaill's shoulder revealed that the train was pulling into the station. He carefully primed the cube, and prepared himself.
"You have ten seconds to answer me!" The Armaill set one finger on the cube's trigger.
"I choose to resist," Fifteen said, and he hurled down the cube. It exploded in a flash of light, and when it faded...
...one very confused Armaill stood in his place. The Witty Phantom, on the other hand, was legging it towards the train.
***
To his utter chagrin, the train was pulling out of the station by the time Fifteen got there. Not having much of a choice, he continued running towards it. His run was punctuated by the hissing noises of missed Sparks shots hitting the ground behind him.
By the time he reached the train itself, it was almost out of the station entirely. Against his better judgment, Fifteen sprang at it, causing a few of the policemonsters chasing him to gape. Thankfully for his immediate future, Fifteen managed to cling to a door, although his fingertips immediately began to scream in pain. His shoes were also the worse for wear.
Looking ahead, Fifteen recognized a few landmarks. The train was heading towards the Spellcaster's Quarters - the Low-Level Section, by the looks of it. Fifteen's fingers were threatening to pop out of their sockets and crawl for their lives, and his toes were about to snap off.
A rogue gust of wind grabbed the Witty Phantom's hat and decided to take off with it. Instinctively, Fifteen took one hand off the door and grabbed it. This was a two-edged sword: his hat was safe, but he himself was teetering badly, about to fall from his perch and plummet into the inky void that was the landscape around him. One foot began to slip...
The door was opening... Fifteen let go, and he began to fall backwards...
A curved staff suddenly grabbed his shirt and pulled. Fifteen fell forward, crashing face-first into the floor of the train. The door slid shut behind him. There was a short delay as Fifteen's mind reassembled itself.
Once he had recovered, the Witty Phantom got onto one knee and dusted himself off, examining his savior. It was a girl, not entirely to his surprise, one with a purple tunic over a red shirt and leggings. Her hair was a light fuschia, and she carried her staff rather adroitly. Her face was currently lit up with a smile.
"Hi!" she chirped. "I'm Tessia."
Now, normally, Fifteen would have introduced himself and thanked the Magician of Faith (for that was her species) for saving him. A pleasant conversation would have followed, ending when the train reached its stop and Tessia disembarked. Then Fifteen would have ridden the train home and, shortly afterwards, be promptly arrested. So it was all for the better that, even as his mouth formed the words, "I'm Fifteen. Thanks for saving me," his mind derailed.
What emerged was, "A name? You have a NAME?"
***
Somewhere near the Work Quarter train station, the Central Shadow Realm Police Force was busily combing the area of an escape that, if videotapes existed, would have made the rounds of "Amateur Video Night" programs. Kay-Ontoofor, the M-Warrior #1 who had brought glory and shame on himself simultaneously by finding and then losing the fugitive Witty Phantom, was standing near the east exit, senses actively seeking the Phantom's aura.
A voice spoke in his head all of a sudden: [Leave the train station and head into the former Equip Factory.] It sounded rather urgent, and was not the sort of voice that an intelligent creature would cross. So Ontoo obeyed it.
Sneaking out of the east exit, he crossed through the park and found himself at a large, empty building. Not one to hesistate, he walked right in, and found himself in a gigantic room full of machinery. Large assembly lines flanked him, now still and cold. The tables with pentagrams carved upon them, where Spellcasters once imbued the magic cubes with power, still maintained a glow of undrained power.
A large figure hovered in from the shadows at the back of the room, staying just out of Ontoo's sight. Another figure joined him, hunched over and growling. [Stay quiet, Pav,] Ontoo heard in his head. [You'll get your chance soon enough.]
"What... what is going on?" Ontoo asked. Then a loud, screeching wail burst in his mind, and he sank to his knees. The world went dark...
...His master was standing before him, holding up a gigantic, wicked weapon. A Sword of Deep-Seated? No, it was even more terrible than that... It was an axe. An Axe of Despair.
[Take this weapon,] the master said in his mind. [Go out there. Show your friends the power of a true warrior. If you do, I promise power without measure...] Ontoo's old sword was plucked from his fingers, and the powerful new weapon was placed in his grip. His fingers were curved around it.
Ontoo rose, feeling the sheer energy from the master's gift swelling his muscles. He was dizzy, but soon that left him. He stood before his master, willing to do whatever he was bid.
[Go now,] the master commanded. [Tear them to pieces. Show me what you are!]
As the M-Warrior #1 left to do as his master wished, he could hear one last thought, from the master to the other creature beside him: [Do you see, Pav, how simple it truly is?]
***
The first one to notice Ontoo's return was a Science Soldier, ID number T-408. He noticed that Ontoo's eyes were blazing with a dark red light, and that his comrade was holding a gigantic axe. Fearing the worst, that his coworker had gone rogue, Tee-Foroate raised his gun. "Hal-"
The axe chopped his hands off before he could even fire. Staring at the stumps, Tee never saw the axe coming down to cleave him in half.
Three Armaills rushed up to stop the rogue M-Warrior. One was beheaded, which was fortunate, as he didn't live long enough to feel it. The next had his tail sliced off, and then the hilt of the axe crushed in his head. The third tried to run, but received a chop to his spine for his troubles.
By now, the other police officers could see that Ontoo was beyond control. The other M-Warriors readied their blades and charged in, with support from the airborne Gradius.
Using his innate magnetic pulse, Ontoo launched himself into the air by repelling himself off the other M-Warriors. Landing on the Gradius, he sliced its engines off. Leaping from the ship before it crashed, he spun around on the ground and chopped all three M-Warriors in half.
Only the Kojikocy was left. Taking an emergency Rush Recklessly cube from his pocket, he activated it, feeling the massive boost of power to his limbs. Aiming himself, he charged directly at the M-Warrior rogue, blade slashing wildly.
All too late did he see Ontoo activate his own Rush Recklessly cube...
By the time the Kojikocy got within range of his former comrade, both his arms had been sliced off. He didn't suffer, though, as he was decapitated shortly afterwards.
The entire train station was a scene of ghoulish slaughter as Ontoo lowered his axe. The bodies were quickly becoming unstable, and when they did, they would shatter into the triangular shards that all Shadow Realm monsters shattered into on the occasion of their deaths. It had been a good fight...
And then Ontoo's mind woke up.
The Axe of Despair slid from his fingers as he rushed over to the slain body of the Science Soldier who was the first to die. "Tee!" Ontoo screamed. "Tee! You can't be dead!"
Tee-Foroate's body shattered, cutting Ontoo's palms as it did so.
All around the M-Warrior, body after body shattered in a rain of shards.
Raising his hands and clawing at the air, Ontoo weeped, red tears streaming down his mask, leaving small mineral deposits on the metal. Only then did he notice the twin shadows again, the ones he had seen in the Equip Factory. The hunched-over one was growling and snarling, barely restrained by a leash, which was being held by the taller, upright figure next to it.
Its grip on the leash never loosening, the taller shadowy figure floated forward, and suddenly Kay-Ontoofor, the M-Warrior #1, saw what it was. It was a figure of nightmares.
"You..."
[Yes, me. Is there something you want?]
Ontoo rose, staggering, to his feet. The tears still poured down his helmet.
[Perhaps... you would like release from this nightmare you call a future? A quick and not-unduly-painful escape from a destiny that would end in a far more agonizing death?]
His mind barely able to contemplate the words, Ontoo nodded. The tall figure let go of the leash.
Before his eyes could follow it, the hunched-over figure - an Amphibian Beast - pounced on him, its terrible claws ripping into his flesh. The foul hands then locked on his head, pushing...
Ontoo quite quickly exploded, his shards covering the Amphibian Beast's body. The monster's skin was too thick, so they merely slid off.
Having taken the edge off his rage with one kill, the Amphibian Beast turned to the other creature nearby. Suddenly, however, its mind was assaulted and thrust at by a million clashing thoughts...
And then the tall figure picked up the leash, and it heeled to its master.
One long-fingered hand held out Ontoo's sword. Because Ontoo had not held it during the time of his death, the sword was in one piece.
[Look at it, Pav,] the tall figure thought to his savage "pet". [An M-Warrior's sword. Imagine what potential THIS has in our little machine... And all it cost was a bunch of useless, low-leveled pests. Oh, for the days when we will rule...]
The two figures departed, the tall one's hand tightly clamped around his pet's leash.