Episode 51: The Unexpected

“What was that?” asked Ash aloud to herself amongst the clouds above her home. The sound of a roar filled the air and managed to touch her ears from an impossible distance.

I wonder…

Ash hadn’t seen her youngest brother, in a fortnight. She’d hunted his friends all over the slums of Maelstrom, only to come up short, again and again.

Instead of being able to obliterate everything the runt had built, she’d been forced to follow the code of conduct used between scions fighting for supremacy and the right to rule. So as she floated above the city she would one day rule, she contemplated how to manifest her goals.

“I’m coming for you, little brother. The time for hiding is over…”

…

Arson tapped the table while they waited. The habit was new, but he often noticed how it unnerved those around him, and had begun to use the tactic to unbalance the normalcy of conversation.

In the room was Troy, to his left. Khalif, head down and still asleep. In addition to, himself.

Everyone else was on their way from various locations across the dump as well as the city, but the first to arrive was Rob.

The young man wore some type of aquatic mask, like he needed water to be able to breathe, and Arson’s mind immediately worried over why.

“What in the sparks are you wearing, Rob?” The young man jumped in alarm, and looked frantically around the room for support before Arson snapped to draw his attention immediately back toward himself.

“Hey now, they aren’t going to save you, buddy. What are you wearing?”

“Who, who are you?” stuttered Rob, and Arson was glad the young man didn’t crumble under the pressure he put him under, but grew more worried that Rob refused to answer him.

"Did you really injure yourself while I was gone buddy?" Though he asked himself the question mentally, Arson began to wonder if he should have just been a tad more, empathetic, sympathetic, either may have been better to their current situation.

“Your boss. Now Rob, if I have to ask you what is on your face another time, you won’t like how I make you answer my question, trust me.”

“My boss is Sovereign Arson Omni, a boy I am proud to follow, you my man, are not him,” said Rob; his facial features crumpling further with every word he spat toward Arson.

Arson closed his eyes, lifted the hand he used to tap the table and with a sigh, forced his overlay to present his name visibly as PRO once had displayed her own name to Arson. An honor he still didn’t know the true magnitude of.

The Fearless, sat centered above the name, Sovereign Arson Omni. Which Arson ignored in that moment as he hadn’t chosen a title, and was frustrated slightly by one now being displayed without his approval.

“Holy sparks! You got a title, little buddy,” said Rob as he looked over at Troy, whose face was rather serious. As if the world was seconds from being shattered.

She herself was still trying to get used to the volatility of the emotions that were sent between them and their ever growing bond. She could feel her own emotions mirrored no matter how deep her thoughts roamed, and began to wonder how much the young man next to her had thought of Troy during their time apart. A fortnight was far different than 12 season cycles.

“Rob, I would answer his question, I don’t think we want to know how he will make you answer,” said Troy in an attempt to lighten the mood in the room. She was glad to find that her slight interruption did change Arson’s outright hostility, and couldn’t help but enjoy the sensations she felt from him every time she spoke.

“What, oh, the water-breather, I’m using it to test the quality and efficiency of my water breathing potions. Xani found these a long time ago and they fit my needs perfectly,” said Rob, air bubbles accompanying every other word spoken.

“Glad to see your alchemy training has started, when I’m in the kitchen later, we can trade notes if you like,” asked Arson with a smile. The changed mood threw Rob aback. He nodded and pointed at Khalif in question, before he crossed the room and sat next to him.

“Arson did this spin kick thing, that he’s going to teach me as soon as possible, and knocked him out when he got back,” explained Troy. Only his scrunched brow told Troy that she’d only given him more questions rather than a sufficient answer.

“Might as well get this over with,” said Arson as he put a hand on Khalif, and pushed mana out from his palm. The light formed healing runes of various colors before Khalif snapped awake and sprung upright in his chair.

“What did you hit him with lightning,” said Rob with a laugh. Arson rolled his eyes and watched as Khalif took in his surroundings.

“You okay, buddy?” asked Arson. Khalif took each person in the room into view one at a time.

He seemed okay when he saw Rob, and Troy, but the scream of alarm when he took in Arson made him laugh.

A knife appeared in the bodyguard's hand, and was thrusted toward Arson’s eye. Arson in seeming slow motion, turned Khalif’s hand mid thrust, using the hand he’d just been tapping the table with. The knife collided into the table, and Arson thought the attack was finished, until both the knife and then Khalif’s hand sank into the shadow cast by Arson’s own hand.

Arson leaned his neck to the side, and watched as the same knife and Khalif’s hand emerged from the shadows made by his hair around his shoulders. He then pulsed with light mana to disrupt the shadow mana, with a single explosion of force and will.

“Enough!” roared Arson, and Khalif’s eyes focused. Focused on familiar features, framed by a sharpened jawline and a deepened tone of voice.

“Arson?”

"Yeah, now put that away, before I show you a real blade,”said Arson with a laugh. Khalif looked between Rob, who shrugged, and Troy, who also shrugged, and inevitably shrugged himself.

“How long you been back?” asked Khalif. The body guard stretched in his chair, his bones cracking and popping as he did so.

“I wasn’t even here long enough to take a breath before you all attacked me,” said Arson.

“Oh damn, was that crazy yell your doing, little buddy?” asked Rob.

“Crazy yell, I mean I yelled in excitement when I managed to get back here, so I guess, maybe,” said Arson, but before further comment could be made, Jasmine and Lane walked into the room, neither one managing a look up from the flatscreen devices held in their palms.

The two girls stood there typing for a while, and the only things that could be heard, were the touch tone sounds of their fingertips against keys, and Arson’s continual tap on the table.

Finally Lane looked up, glanced at the room, yawned, then looked back down at her screen.

Almost as an after thought she added, “Whose the hottie in the boss's chair? Don’t you think Jade would be mad we just let some dude sit there, hot or not…?”

The room stayed silent after the statement, and still neither girl seemed to see the effects they were having on the room. Then Jasmine looked up and said, “Oh wow, yeah definite hottie, but you do have to get out of my boss's chair, I was only cool with Troy doing it because I think my boss has a crush on her and wouldn’t mind.”

Jasmine then also returned to typing, and Arson’s jaw slowly fell open. His tapping had stopped completely, and the simmering rage sensation he felt coming through his bond with Troy gave him pause. He didn’t even know if being appreciative was the right thing to do with the ferocity he felt coming from Troy.

Then Troy lifted a hand, pointer finger extended, and poked the air.

In the next instant two copies of her hand poked the girls in the head hard enough to make them both stumble backward. The girls looked up, shocked. Troy had never done anything like that to either girl, so their confusion was reasonable.

“What the sparks, Troy? Don’t let the power go to your head, not even little man—“ Jasmine stopped talking the moment she saw Troy’s face.

“Did we miss something?” added Lane with the slow realization that more was going on than she realized.

“Hey guys, called you here to catch me up on how things ran during my absence,” said Arson in an attempt to cool things down. He set the stage for the environment, but didn’t want to lose control of the room.

“Sit down, and report to, little man, as you so call him, I’m sure he’d love to hear about how hot you think he is now…” The undertone of violence could be felt as it came off Troy, and Arson was now the confused one, and knew his hopes for control were quickly fleeting.

Why is she so mad, the compliments were small, and she has always called me little man, that can’t be it right?

“You called me little man all the time before I left, love. I don’t take offense to it,” started Arson.

Only his words seemed to deepen Troy’s expression of rage, and he didn’t know if he should hug her, or run.

“Okay, not the point, noted, anyone seen Xani,” asked Arson in an attempt to change the subject.

“Owww!” said Jasmine as she was struck again in the forehead.

“What did I do that time?” asked the girl as she rubbed her forehead.

“You seriously expect me to believe you didn’t know you were staring at him just now,” grumbled Troy nearly underneath her breath.

“I mean look at him, he’s gorgeous and he’s looking right at me,” said Lane, before Troy sent another projection at her as well.

“Owww! What, he’s looking right at me and I can’t look back at him, that’s kinda hard Troy,” said Lane as she rubbed her forehead.

“Neither one of you are actually speaking, you're just staring,” said Troy and when both girls nodded and didn’t look away from Arson, he raised a hand to stop Troy before he gave their non-cultivator friends brain damage.

“Girls, I need a status report.” The two looked at one another and then back at Arson and both started speaking at the same time almost completely on top of one another.

Arson caught something about a movie and exclusive deals. Neither girl seemed bothered that the other was speaking, and in the end, Arson decided he’d have to interact with them individually later.

“Well, thank you for all your hard work guys,” said Arson.

“No problem,” said both Jasmine and Lane simultaneously.

Not even a full breath later, Xani walked into the room, looked up from the Flatscreen tablet she held, looked around the room; then at Arson and said, “Welcome back boss, took you long enough. Heard you were only supposed to be gone for four days. What happened, you find out you ain’t all that special and get beat up by some real cultivators?”

Arson could only smile and nod back at his rival. Only feeling at home in the moment that all his friends were once more around him. Arson couldn’t help but chuckle before he responded, unable to keep the joy from his face even as he made light of his trials.

“You could say that, but we got bigger things to handle right here in our own back yard, trust me.”

The meeting finished and Arson was left alone before he ended up calling on the demon that once worked for his father. Although Arson once more tapped the table in front of him, Seneschal was unfazed by the minor annoyance completely.

“So you do not want to be trained by me personally, but you intend to have this, Micro, be trained by me instead, I’m not saying that I refuse, but I will require a valid reason for my time,” said Seneschal. Arson gave a customary nod before he spoke, his smile grand as he stated his reason clearly.

“Two reasons, I don’t know anyone better than a demon to teach her about the shadows, and secondly, I’m beginning to feel as if my lack of martial knowledge is holding her back, I can see no better teacher for the leader of my private sector than you, Seneschal,” said Arson.

“These reasons are flimsy and you are aware of this, so…”

“I’m going to start a war and need the sharpest blade, not an untrained girl that will be judged for her background, at least if you train her when I send her to silence, punish or equalize the balance of power between me and my enemies, I will know that the job is done. What will it take? I can come learn from you after I figure out my school schedule,” pleaded Arson. He wouldn’t beg the demon, but a few days with the skilled monster would change Micro’s path drastically.

Arson wished he’d seen her secondary affinity for the dark far sooner within the trials, but wouldn’t miss giving her a true opportunity to learn a second time if he could help it.

The time compression was an unrivaled tool, but if he could have Micro skip the need for such drastic measures to be needed to advance her skill, he would.

He’s a demon, but he will make her an opponent worth rivaling.

“I will not miss a chance to teach the son of a man I respect as I do your father. If it were almost any other, I would say no, but I do have an extra requirement.”

“Don’t drag me through the void here, Sen. As long as it is reasonable I will accept,” responded Arson.

“You must learn the essence of speed, silence, and dark, and all that comes with void mana,” stated Seneschal. The request not small in the slightest. Though Arson had dark mana, having had gained a slight affinity when he experienced the poisoning of shadow. Void mana was a new poison he hadn’t experienced, and Arson wondered how it would truly effect his body.

Yet… He was interested. A buzz at the back of his mind at a new mana untested, and unclaimed left him exhilarated, and before he knew it, he’d accepted and three days passed.

He wouldn’t begin school for days to come, but as he focused more on his plans for the BHC, his unsettled revenge, and training, he knew his life would never be the same again.

…

Ash felt something was wrong. She couldn’t tell why she felt that way, or what was truly wrong, but felt odd regardless.

Axis had invited her to a fashion show that her sister was co-hosting with Arson’s company.

She assumed that it was a trap originally, but when Axis told her that Arson promised not to disrupt the show as it would look bad on his company’s image, Ash relented and went.

Her brother wasn’t stupid, no matter how weak she believed him to be, she was still aware of his potential and his genius qualities. Anything bad for his business, was bad for him.

So why do I feel like I missed something?

The evening was surprisingly wonderful. Ash and her friends reluctantly all bought clothes, pressured by the variety and quality displayed by the collaboration of her younger siblings.

She waited for something to happen the entire night. Yet nothing did.

No grand entrances, no epic monologues. Just a nice evening with friends, and still, Ash found herself unbalanced somehow.

“Man, they're lucky Axis was a part of the show, or we could have wrecked that whole place,” said one of the Augustines. Ash and the others agreed. Their entire group full of nods and acceptance of the words as simple fact.

“Yeah, but little fire starter may just be softer than I originally assumed, no big deal,” said Ash.

The group continued to head toward the hovercraft they’d rented to go see some sort of high profile cage match.

A new pop-up venue had gained some popularity over the last couple weeks and interests had finally been piqued for the Augustines, which led to Ash being dragged along.

A kind looking young man in a chauffeur's ensemble opened the door for her and her group and all 31 of their party stepped inside.

Though the hovercraft was the size of a small stretch limo, the inside was a spacial pocket the size of a small gym. The inside filled, with food, comfortable seating, and soft music.

The room still had windows. The view of outside the vehicle still made available to all.

Additionally there was the door they came in from, which had windows to either sides of it, and another blacked out window that Ash assumed separated them from the chauffeur who operated the vehicle's systems.

Ash didn’t trust that any of the windows opened at first, and was even looked at strangely when she checked them all, and even knocked on the driver’s window to check if he was still there halfway through their journey.

Still, nothing occurred. Eventually Ash sat, and socialized. The large group had a great time and ate their fill, and finally the pop-up venue came into sight.

“Hey look, guys, we’re here.”

Ash stood up from the couch she sat on, and at the same time the black window opened up on the far side of the room. Immediately the rushing of air could be heard and Ash saw the pilot drop a small box inside the room.

“What the sparks is that,” yelled Ash while she pushed pass those in front of her. The black window slowly rose, and the chauffeur could still be seen as he strapped on a parachute, looked Ash in the eyes, shrugged, and jumped out the vehicle.

The black window closed once more and Ash hadn’t even made it halfway across the room before the first scream was heard. She turned to see a group of Augustines spinning around frantically, and didn’t know why at first. Until the room grew darker, and Ash spun to witness an entire window disappear from the wall completely.

“What the sparks…”

Each one of their exit points vanished one after another, and by the time Ash turned back to the black window, even it was gone. Her eye fixed on to the box just below where the window had been, and watched as it lit up and the voice of an announcer could be heard all around them.

“Ladies, and gentlemen, may I have your attention please!” The walls and ceiling around Ash and the Augustines turned invisible and allowed the entire venue to see them adrift above the masses below.

“Tonight, The BHC has a special event for you all!” Cameras flew into the air and filmed Ash and the others. Holograms of the rooms interior were broadcasted in the sky all around them.

Ash grew nervous. Her stomach flipped at the sight of herself reflected back at her no matter what direction she faced.

“Tonight, may I present to you, the Augustines versus the BHC’s, Pocket Apartment Village!”

Behind Ash the box on the floor opened up, and right before everyone's eyes, a portal grew into the shape of a doorway.

Two dozen figures in all black stepped free of the portal, and the crowd erupted into to cheers. “Place your bets now, as this is going to get messy quick, people!”

Ash looked around at the Augustines. None of which looked ready for what Ash knew was about to occur.

“Sparks…”

“Let the battle BEGIN!”