Assassinating Kings
Seven Avengers
PUBLISHED BY:
Manik Ali on Smashwords
Copyright © 2011 by Manik Ali
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Table of Contents
Map
Part I: Maya Kyuketsuki
It's dark and there's no one around. I jump from building to building, in thirst for blood. The name of this town is called Azumamura, which is on the south side of the continent, Genso Kiko. As I continue through the night, I spot a man in the alleyway, pissing on the wall. I sneak up quietly behind him and grab him from behind and bite his neck, as I suck the blood out of him. Then a man stops me, who jumped out of nowhere. He says his name's Ace, an assassin from Aoi Ishi. "Join me, and I'll make your dreams a reality." He adds.
Later, we somehow end up in a dark room, surrounded by lighted candles. I'm not sure how, but I think he teleported us here. I can see a figure of a boy walking through the corridor.
"Ken, get over here!" Ace shouts.
The boy runs towards us, and then gets down on one knee. He has white spiky hair, red sleeveless top and red trousers with a black belt around his waist.
"Yes, Father?" He says.
"This is Maya Kyuketsuki, she will be joining Kin'iro no Star."
I look at Ken, closely... I wonder if he’s Jen's little brother. I look back at Ace, and he sits down on a chair, which is like a throne, in front of us. Ace might be Jen's father, I’ll have to ask her later.
"She will watch and observe you, in your next mission." He continues. "Your next mission shall be completed within seven days, failure to comply will result in your dismissal. The target is your sister, Jen. She walks through Walking Forest every day, which shall be the place where you must kill her."
"What!?" Ken shouts in confusion. "Why?"
"Jen is a boundary to my plans. She must be eliminated." Ace replies.
"No, I refuse!"
"Ken, if you don't do this, there will be consequences!" Ace intimidates.
"No, I swore I would protect her, even if it costs me my life! Intimidate me all you want, but I will never kill my sister!"
"Very well, then your next or maybe your last mission has been decided. You've got seven days to protect Jen, and if you fail, you will be banished from Star and you will have no home to return to!"
Ken leaves without saying a word, and then Ace looks at me.
"Follow him, and find out what he's up to. When you see Jen, you must kill her." He says.
"Why Jen?" I say timidly.
"Huh?" He looks at me with fierce eyes.
"Oh, it’s nothing." I say and walk off, and follow Ken, but I need to find Jen and warn her, quick
I try my best to catch up with Ken, but it's so dark outside, I don't know where I am or where I'm going, especially with these trees close together, it's hard to move around. I remember Ace saying that Jen passes Walking Forest almost every day, maybe I should try there. But which way is it? I don't even know where I am. I start running straight ahead, away from the building. I then reach a road, which crosses through the forest, so I turn left and into the road, and follow ahead. Then I finally find a sign, which says Walking Forest on the next right.
As I continue moving forward, I find Jen with two other guys. Jen stands behind one of them, who holds a sword, against the other kid. It looks like he's trying to protect her, it must be Ken. I quickly hide behind a tree as I move closer, to get a better look. I then realise he isn't Ken; this guy has black hair, black jacket and blue jeans. The other guy is wearing a black robe and a mask. He's probably after Jen, Ace must have sent him.
Jen is wearing a white knitted sweater and a matching skirt, with black boots. She has a beautiful bright pink hair and green eyes. She stands behind the boy with the black hair, as the boy in the mask stands in front, facing them. Then, Jen takes two steps forward and stands beside the boy. I hear her talking, but I can't tell what she's saying, so I get a little closer.
The guy in the mask takes his robe and mask off, and throws it to the side and reveals himself. He has white hair... Ken...? That's a surprise! He's wearing the same red sleeveless top and red trousers.
I look at Jen and... No!
I feel a shiver, tingle down my spine. Ace is standing behind Jen, as his sword rests through Jen’s back. The boy beside Jen looks at her as he screams. "Jeeeeeeeeeen!"
He then turns his sword towards Ace, and strikes him, but Ace takes his sword out of Jen's back and parries the attack. Jen walks slowly, closer to Ken, and Ken just stares at her with teary eyes. Jen reaches out her right hand as she holds her wound with her left. Ken then runs towards her and quickly holds her before she falls. Ace and the boy continue to cross blades, as I stand behind the tree, and do nothing. I need to do something, but something’s telling me to wait. Jen is lying on the floor in Ken's arm, I hope she's still alive.
Ace and the other boy were fighting further away from Jen, but Ace isn't there anymore and the boy is knocked out. I look back where Jen is, and Ken's been knocked out, too. What happened, where did Ace go? I look around carefully, making sure he isn't around here, so i move closer to Jen, cautiously.
I was once told, if a human were to drink a vampire’s blood, they would become what are known as Damphyr. They would be craving for blood, but wouldn't require blood to survive. They're not entirely immortal, they just live longer than humans. And the only way to kill a Damphyr is by decapitation.
If I give Jen my blood, could I save her? I grab my knife that's strapped to my right leg and slit my wrist, and make her drink the blood. As I wait, I see her wounds slowly closing, and realise there's hope for her, after all. I pick her up and carry her on my back, and take her somewhere safe.
Part II: Gin Tatsumaki
Last night, I lost my whole family, my home was destroyed and my parents were murdered. When I got home that night, I found that my home was in flames and everyone was dead. My sister, Azura was nowhere to be found. The chances of her being alive are slim, but I must still continue my search.
I take a long walk through the cold dark night, and realise I'm heading south, on Forest Street, which is the only road that crosses through Walking Forest. At the end of the road I see two boys knocked out on the floor, as I get closer, I see its Ken and Tatsuo.
I run to Ken first and wake him up. Then he shouts, "Where's Jen?" as he got up.
"I don't know… I just got here." I Reply
I then wake up Tatsuo, and he looks around for a while, and then says "Where's Jen?" I shrug my shoulders and shake my head. He then looks at Ken. "Ken, you're Phoenix, and this whole time it was you, who attacked me?"
"Yeah, it was me! I'll tell you about it later!" Ken replies.
I look at Ken and ask him "What happened?"
He says "My father killed my sister, as I watched."
I don't believe it. "Your father killed your sister?"
"Yeah, but I will have my vengeance!"
"I'm sorry, Ken. I mean Damn, this world is fucked up! My parents were just killed last night, and now I see this shit. My sister's missing, and I don't even know if she's still alive! Look, Ken, we need to work together, and end this fuckin' bullshit."
Tatsuo stands up, as he picks up an ice-like sword and walks closer to me and Ken and then says, "Jen may be still alive. I have her sword. This sword is no ordinary sword, it's a magical sword. If she died, then wouldn't this sword disappear?"
I look at Ken, and he gazes at the sword for a while. I take a look at the sword, and it looks like it's made from ice. "Can I see that?" I ask. I take the sword from his hands and find it surprisingly heavy. If it was ice, it would've been really light, but this is heavy. I take the sword and approach a tree, and strike it. To my surprise, the sword cuts through it smoothly, without getting stuck. I didn't cut the tree all the way, though, otherwise it would've fallen. After inspecting it, I return the sword back to Tatsuo. "OK, if she's still alive, we should look for her, first. But, if we do that, it would be too late to find your father, since I was told your father would be going to the Rock continent in two days. What do you say Ken, it's your call."
Ken replies "We find my sister, and then, we eliminate the Aoi Ishi clan. And then, we find whoever's responsible for your parents’ death."
Yeah, sounds good to me.
We start walking west, through the road on the left from Forest Street, and then we end up outside Tatsuo's house.
"We should rest here, for a while!" Tatsuo says.
"We don't have time, for rest. We should find her, first!" Ken replies in frustration.
"Ok, fine. I'm gonna rest until tomorrow, you two go on without me."
Ken and I nod and head east, back towards Forest Street, but pass it, as we continue through the road, straight ahead. We then turn right, heading south, an area I recognise.
"Ken, isn't your house nearby?" I ask.
"Yeah," He replied. "I just need something. And maybe find some clues on the whereabouts of my father."
"Yeah, good idea!"
We reach Ken's house and go inside. No one's home, so Ken goes to his room, while I sit in the living room and relax. He comes back out, dragging a big bag behind him.
"What's in the bag?" I ask.
"Jus' a few weapons and stuff."
He leaves the bag in the living room and goes to check other rooms for some clues, leading to his sister's whereabouts. Then he comes back and says, "Time to go!"
"Where are we going, now?"
"Back to Tatsuo's house."
We then go back to Tatsuo's house and ring his door. Tatsuo opens the door, as he yawns.
"Were you sleeping?" I ask.
"Yeah, what do you want?" He responds.
"We're staying here for the night, and then, tomorrow we find Jen!" Ken replies.
The next morning, we get up and quickly get ready and leave. Across the road from Tatsuo's house is a forest, called Walking Forest, where we start walking straight through, heading between north and north east, until we reach the north end of Forest Street. We're at the crossroad and turn right, heading east and continue going straight. Walking Forest was still on our right and until we reach the next junction. The forest ends here. A boy with short white spiky hair, similar to Ken's, is walking towards us in his school uniform. Ken knows who he is and talks to him.
"Kek, have you seen Jen anywhere?" He asks.
The boy walks passed us without stopping, saying, "I heard she's dead!" with a smile on his face. Ken clenches his fist, but doesn't say anything and stares at the ground. The boy stops walking, then turns around, to face Ken. "I feel sorry for you, Ken. I was assigned to eliminate you and then kill whoever witnessed it."
Ken looks at the boy, surprised. "W-why?" Ken stutters.
"Your father told me, you killed Jen! Now, he wants you dead!" The boy replies. He then turns around and walks off, as Ken drops to his knees and hits the ground with his fists.
Ken gets back up and looks at Tatsuo. "Tatsuo, let me see Jen's sword?" He asks. Tatsuo grabs the sword from behind and passes it to Ken. Ken observes it for a while and then returns it. "So, as long as this sword’s here, Jen is still alive?"
"Yeah!" Tatsuo replies. Tatsuo looks at the sword and the handle disappears, and then the sword drops to the floor. Then the rest of the sword slowly fades away, until there's nothing left.
"What happened!" Ken Shouts.
"I don't know!" Tatsuo yells back. "Fuuuuuck!"
Part III: Ryoko Ryuuga
I arrive in Whirlpool, with my cousin, Alyssa in a small ship. Whirlpool is the name of the city in the Water continent. According to Alyssa, Whirlpool is the only city that does not affiliate with the Water continent, and it is south of Aquatides and West of Yuki. We're here to find someone that knows the whereabouts of an Aoi Ishi member. We anchor our ship by the docks and walk around the city. We then, take a small boat to get around some places, since it's built on water. Later, we enter a building and an old guy approaches us.
"You must be Alyssa, I am called Dastard." He says.
"Yeah, I’m Alyssa and this is Ryoko. I'm looking for Drago and Primo Bell - I was told that you’re able to help me."
"I'm sorry - we can't talk about this here. If you would like to follow me, I would tell you more than what you want to know."
We follow the old guy out and start walking around the city, until we reach the north end of the city, where there are fences at the edge and water down below.
"This whirlpool is in the centre of our city. It was built around it. This land was not naturally made; it was created by scientists, to prevent people finding out the truth about this whirlpool." Says the old guy.
"What's so great about this whirlpool?" I ask.
"This whirlpool takes you inside the earth. This is where our ancestors’ secret lies. If you want answers, you’re gonna have to trust me!" The old guy continues.
The old man then dives in to the whirlpool and Alyssa looks down, to see where the old man went.
"You must be crazy, if you're thinkin' of diving, Alyssa!"
"I have no choice, we should trust him. Let's stay close and dive in, and if anything goes wrong, just teleport us out of there!" Alyssa replied.
"Oh yeah, I haven't used that in a while." I smile and hold on to Alyssa, as we dive in to the water. The water feels different, it’s hard to explain, but It doesn't feel like we're in the water. It feels more like air and I can breathe in it, but I can't see in it.
The next thing I see is the sun, right in the middle of the sky and the old man, Dastard standing in front of Alyssa and I, and says, "Welcome to the planets core, or what I like to call, Paradise!"
"How do we get out of here?" Alyssa asks.
"There are many entrances and exits, and the closest exit is in Magmany, the country in the Rock continent."
"Yeah I know where it is." Says Alyssa.
"Good, let's walk and talk. I have brought you here to talk about our history, first. The secrets that they've hidden from us. Drago Bell's ancestor, Lilith Bell came to this planet 20000 years ago and called it 'Haven'. He ruled the world for hundreds of years until he was killed by his own bodyguard, Jin Giovanni. Then Arguno Duraguno killed Jin. This was like 18000 years ago. Arguno and Lilith were cousins, they had the same blood. Lilith had a huge family and also had kids. His first son, Linith conquered the Rock continent and became king of the whole continent. And so were his descendants. Arguno's first son, Bahtash conquered the Wind continent and became king, and his descendant is the king of Twistania, today. Arguno's second son, Arguno Jr. ruled the Fire continent. The third child was a girl named Parni. And she became queen of the Water continent and got married to one of the Kata family. Do you know who the king of Yukinawa is, now?"
"I think it’s Robin Kata" I say.
"That's right, their bloodline still exist to this day. The Kata family were Lilith's distant relatives, so they’re from the same bloodline. But the Bell family were the kings. Lilith's second child was a girl, and she married Arguno Jr.'s son, Haze Duraguno. And Haze was the one who founded Aoi Ishi, to keep an eye on things. Linith had four sons, and they didn't want to be king, they wanted to be assassins, so they joined Aoi Ishi. These people weren't allowed to marry anyone that doesn't come from their bloodline. They do this to maintain their bloodline at one hundred per cent. The queen of Genso Kiko is Nya Ronan, but her great great grandfather is William Kata, the man who rebelled against the king of Water and married a woman outside the bloodlines."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Alyssa asks.
"Why? Well it's because I'm old. And, I have many secrets, that I feel the need to tell the world."
"I see, but I don't have the time to listen to your babbling, I just need to know the location of Drago Bell."
"Very well, Drago and his wife, Primo are both retired as an assassin and decided it is time to become rulers of the world. Drago was last seen in the Fire continent, to become king of every country in that continent. His next destination would be the Water continent, and then the Rock. We are heading towards the Rock continent now, so if you wait for them there, you’ll surely run into them."
"OK, thanks!" Alyssa thanks him.
We stop walking in front of a huge hole. The old guy says if we jump down there, we'll end up in the Rock continent. I don't trust the old guy so I grab Alyssa and teleport us back to our ship.
"The guy said Drago would come here, to the Water continent first, straight after he becomes king of every country in the Fire continent. So we need to go to the palace of Yuki, which is more likely, he’ll go there, first." Says Alyssa.
We reach the palace, but it's crowded with people around it. It looks like there's a special event here. I see the queen, in the palaces balcony, but where's the king? I teleport myself near the queen, without anyone realising I'm there. One woman just walks past me and doesn't notice me. They must be stupid or something, maybe brainwashed. I then walk right behind the queen, as she sits on the throne looking at the crowd. There's one woman on her right and another, on her left. They're both wearing armours and holding a staff. The queen is talking to someone but I can't see who she's talking to.
"Yes, I'm prepared for your arrival. Soon the whole world will be yours!" She says and then laughs for a while.
I get bored and start to walk around in the building and explore for anything interesting. There are a lot of things here I've never seen before, I wonder what they are? I walk in to some room and I see a man on the floor, bleeding. I rush towards him and find that he's not human. His skin's green and his face are like a reptile, but he wears clothes like we do, so I grab him and teleport us to Alyssa's ship, and then I go look for Alyssa and bring her back to the ship.
"Look at this," I show her the lizard man, lying on the bed. "He's hurt, can you help him?"
"I'll try my best! Where'd you find him?"
"I found him in the palace. I sneaked in and found him lying on the floor, so I brought him here."
"I see - then don't let him out of here alive! I will treat his wounds, but he must be locked in here, until I find out who he is."
"Yeah, OK!"
A few hours later, the lizard man wakes up, with his hands tied behind his back. If only Alyssa was here, she went out a while ago, but I hope she comes back soon.
"Who are you?" I ask.
"I am the King of the Water Continent."
"You're a king? But you're a lizard."
The lizard man, morphs in to a human.
"My name is Robin Kata; we all disguise ourselves as humans, so we don't scare anyone around us."
"I see - I'm Ryoko. Do you know anyone by the name of Drago?"
"Yes, he's on his way here right now, or maybe he's here already. He plans on becoming king of this country, but I refused his offer. Why do you know who he is?
"My cousin's looking for him; she plans on killing him, after she finds him."
"Oh, I see. Well, if you want to maintain peace in this country, I advise you to kill the queen, before you kill Drago."
"Why...? If we kill the queen first, wouldn't Drago run away?"
"Maybe, but he wouldn't have control over this country. But, it has to be done before the announcement."
"What if we kill Drago, before the announcement? Wouldn’t that stop him from becoming king?"
"Yeah, but you’re forgetting about Primo. She would become queen, and rule from the shadows. So you must kill the queen first, so I'll still be king and refuse Drago and Primo to be the next monarch's."
"Oh, I get it now. I'll tell Alyssa 'bout this." I say as I teleport to where Alyssa is, and then teleport her back to the ship and tell her about the plan.
"Alright, I'll do it." Says Alyssa, and looks at Robin. "But you have to tell me where I can find Primo!"
"Primo never shows herself. She's always hiding in the shadows and sending other people to do her work." Robin replies.
"Ok then. Ryoko, I need you to do something for me."
"What is it?" I ask.
"It might be dangerous, but it's your next assignment. I want you to teleport to the queen location, and make sure no one sees you, and then teleport her here and tie her up.” She says. “Can you do that?"
"Yeah!" I say and then teleport myself to the queens palace. I crouch behind her throne and look around for anyone nearby, then as I touch the throne, I teleport back to the ship with the queen sitting on her throne. And then I grab the ropes and tie her hands and legs to the throne.
I look around the ship for Alyssa, but she isn't here.
"She went out." Says Robin. "She said she'll be back after she takes care of some business."
"Oh god!" I mumble. "Don't tell me she went after Drago!"
"I'm afraid so!" He replies.
I start feeling a little dizzy and see visions of Tatsuo, fighting a group of six ninjas’ and almost dying. I must let Alyssa know about this; Tatsuo might really be in danger.
Part IV: Tatsuo Hyugo
After I split up with Ken and Gin, a while ago, I remained in Walking Forest, and sat on the bench, thinking of a plan. If I find the man who killed Jen, I'll find the one who killed my father. I think they said his name's Ace. He should be at the Rock continent by now, according to Gin. But, I wouldn't know where, since it's a big continent. I need to find Gin and ask him, so I start walking south, through Walking Forest, and then spot a wary character. She looks like Jen, but it can’t be. Is it Jen? She's wearing the same clothes as Jen did, before she died, but has silver hair and Jen had bright pink hair. I shout "Jen!" Just to see if it's her. She turns around and pins me with her red eyes, from a distance. The next second she's right in front of me. I realise she isn't Jen, and feel a shiver down my spine. I can't move, and I can't say another word. It's like I got caught in her hypnotic spell.
"I am not Jen" She says. "I am Layla, and I'm looking for a man named Ace! Do you know where I can find him?"
I try my best to speak, so I can reply, but nothings coming out my mouth, so I just nod instead.
"Where?" She shouts.
"I'm not... Sure, but... I heard he'll be in the Rock continent soon, or he's already there!" I reply, as I struggle
"Where is this 'Rock continent' that you speak of?"
"I... Don't... Know..."
Why do I struggle to speak? Then, as the girl turns around, I'm back to normal, and able to move freely. Then I say, "I'm heading to the Rock continent myself, so I'll see you there, if you get there." The girl turns back around and I struggle to move once again, and drop to my knees.
"If I see you again, I'll kill you!"
"How do you know Ace, anyway?" I ask hesitantly.
"I do not. But soon he will be erased, like the memories I once had!" She says, as she turns around and then disappears.
I continue my search for Ken and Gin, to find out about Ace's location, but I give up and head south west, back to my house and go inside. Then, as I go in the living room, Ken and Gin are already there relaxing.
"Yo, Tatsuo!" Gin shouts.
"Hey, I was just looking for you guys." I respond. "I'm going to the Rock continent to find Ace, but I don't know where to look; can you help me?"
"He's in Goldania, the kingdom of gold. He's attending some ceremony there. If you're going, we're coming with you." Gin replies.
Goldania is south west of the Rock continent. If I can focus hard enough and pinpoint the location, I can teleport myself there. But if I take these two with me, it'll slow me down.
"What do you want with my father?" Ken asks. “It will be I, who kills him!”
"No, I won’t kill him, just need to get some information; a member of Aoi Ishi killed my father, and I don't know who. But your father might have a clue." I reply.
"I see... My father won't answer to you, even if it kills him. You can try talkin' to him, but remember, I'm the one who gets to kill him!" Ken says, as he gets up from his seat.
"Good luck getting to him, before someone tries does." I say.
Gin quickly gets up from his seat and says, "OK, before we go, we'll need a disguise, so they won't recognise us, so easily."
"Yeah, OK. That's not a bad idea. We'll create a disguise on our way there!" I say, then take out my map of the world and ask him, "Where’s the Kingdom of Gold?" He points at the north east coast of Goldania. Now I just need to focus really hard and close my eyes. A few minutes later, I feel the energy flowing through my body, so I grab Ken and Gin by the arm and teleport to the north east of Goldania.
"WOAH! What happened?" Says Gin.
"What did you do, Tatsuo?" Ken asks, as he looks confused.
"It's teleportation, the quickest way to get around. I don't know exactly where we are, but we're somewhere in Goldania."
"I didn't know you could teleport. That was really unexpected. You know, you should give us a warning, like a heads up, next time. No more surprises." Says Gin.
"Whatever, let’s go!" I say, and walk on.
We start walking south west, until we reach a city. The people of this city look careless, even when we ask them a question, they don't respond.
"They look like zombies!" I mumble.
"They must be brainwashed!" Says Gin. "We can stay here and work on our gear, for free! They're brainwashed, so they won't mind, and they don't know we're here!"
We find an abandoned building and run inside, and look around. Every room has tables and chairs, like in schools. We stay in one of the rooms on the top floor, and close the doors, and then Gin places three masks on the table. One mask is a bird shape, one dragon shape and one cat shape.
"OK, pick one mask, you like." He says. "They’ll be our new identity."
Identity, huh? I'm more like a dragon, so I pick up the dragon shaped mask.
"OK Tatsuo, your new name's Blazing Dragon! Ken, you're already the Phoenix, so you can take the bird mask and I got the cheetah. I'll be... Lightning Cheetah!" Gin adds.
"Lightning Cheetah? Blazin' Dragon? Where the hell did you get these names from, Damn?" I say. "I'll wear the mask, but don't call me, Blazing Dragon."
"OK, fine. You'll need a suit though, to go with your mask."
"Whatever, man. I just need to get to him, before someone else does." Says Ken.
Gin moves to another table and works on creating a costume. A few hours later, he hands me a red costume and tells me to put it on. Ken is wearing an orange jacket and blue jeans as his costume, and Gin is wearing a yellow T-shirt with black dots and a matching quarter-lengths bottom. His mask looks exactly like a cheetah, and Ken's mask is orange with a yellow beak.
"OK, let's get the fuck out o' here!" Says Gin.
Then Ken manipulates fire behind him in the form of bird wings, and then dives out the window, and flies off, as Gin and I take the stairs down and out the door.
Part V: Alyssa Hyugo
After what Ryoko told me about her vision, she teleported us to Magmany, in search for Tatsuo. Ryoko mentioned a castle in her vision, which she described, similar to the one in Goldania, so we headed there, first.
"We're almost there, Ryoko." I say. "I can see the castle."
"Amazing! It's so beautiful." She says, admiring the castle.
"Can you teleport us inside?" I ask.
"Sure! I'd love to see how it looks inside!"
I grab Ryoko's hand and prepare for teleportation.
"Hold on!" She says. "My chi is too weak, I can't teleport!"
"It's alright, Ryoko. Maybe it's best if we walk it there?"
As we walk, we see six ninjas riding a horse and surround us, as one of them says, "Welcome to my hell! We are Doog Sixes, and we will show you true terror mixes!" And they hold out their sword. I ready my sword, and then I quickly and efficiently cut them up, before they knew what hit them.
And then, suddenly a boy drops from the sky, with fiery wings on his back and a bird mask on his face.
"I saw what you just did, who are you?" He says.
Then two more boys, also wearing masks, come running towards us. One of them is wearing a red dragon mask and the other is wearing a cheetah mask.
"Wait!" Says the boy in a red dragon mask. "I know them!"
"You know us? But… who are you?" Ryoko mumbles.
"I can't tell you my real name, not now. So just call me Blazing Dragon, for now!" He says. "And he's Lightning Cheetah and he is little Phoenix!"
"Where have we met?" Ryoko asks.
"I’m not sure about you, but I met Alyssa in Genso Kiko. If you know who I am, don't say my name! We're after someone, but they know who we are and what we look like, so we disguised ourselves."
"Oh I get it! We'll leave you to it, good luck!" Says Ryoko.
"Wait, why are you guys here?" He asks.
"We're looking for our cousin, he may be in trouble!" I say.
"He maybe the same person you're after!" Says Ryoko.
The boy with the bird mask, leaps into the sky and flies off. And the boy with the cheetah mask walks off.
"No, that's impossible; I know who your cousin is!" Says the boy. "I got to go now, Alyssa, see you soon."
The boy in the dragon mask walks off the same direction his friends went, and I turn to face Ryoko and whisper, "He might be Tatsuo, what do you think?"
"Yeah, I guess!" She replied.
"We'll follow him, just in case!"
"Yeah!"
So we walk towards the castle that they're heading to, and keep a good distance as we follow. But as I walk, it gets foggy and we lose sight of them. Then I see a shadowy figure of a female person. Then as she gets closer, I can see it’s a person in a white top and a long white skirt. My mind must be playing tricks; her face resembles Yuki, an old friend, who died three years ago, at this very spot. Then I see a small force of soldiers, running towards us, as Yuki's figure fades away. I quickly turn around, grab Ryoko and run the other way, but it's no use; we're already surrounded by soldiers.
"Prepare yourself, Ryoko!" I say.
"We can take 'em, right?" Ryoko responds.
"Sure, give it your all!"
"Drop your weapons and place both hands on the ground!" One of the soldiers shouts. "If you do not comply, we use extreme force. We are The Enlightened Warriors, drop your weapons and you will be unharmed!"
"Extreme force, it is!" I say, as I swing my blade at one of them. Then another one hits my arm, and then kicks me in the stomach. I drop to the floor and look at Ryoko and scream, "Ruuuun!" But it's too late, they've already pinned her down. "Ryokooo!" I scream. Then one of them walks up to me, and whacks me on the head with the back of his sword.
I later regain consciousness in an isolated room, locked in chains. I try to break free, but it's too strong and I give up, as I scream. "Aaaaaahhhh!" Then I hear Ryoko’s voice from the other side of the wall.
"Alyssa... Is that you?"
"Ryoko?"
"Yeah!"
"Where are we?" I ask.
"We've been captured by a group of soldiers, commanded by Crane. Do you know her?"
"No, I’m not sure! We should think about getting out of here, got any ideas?"
"No, nothing!"
"Can you teleport?"
"I'll try...!” She says “No, I can't!"
"Shit!"
Then, I hear a loud metal noise, and then my door opens. I see a figure of a woman, but can't tell who it is.
"Hello, Alyssa!" She says. "Long time!"
"Who are you?"
"It's only been three years, Alyssa! And you've already forgotten about me!"
She takes a few steps forward, into the light. She looks just like Yuki, but it can't be...
"You didn't think, I was dead, did you?" She adds. "Oh, you did? How disappointing, Alyssa!"
"Yuki? Is it really you?" I ask.
"Yes, I am called Crane now, but you can still call me Yuki!"
"Why have you brought us here?"
"Well, I wanted you to join my force, The Enlightened Warriors!"
"What if I refuse?"
"Then I'll jus' take your young cousin, instead, and leave you locked in here, for eternity."
"Let me go, Yuki! You don't want to do this!"
"I have the most powerful force in the world! There isn’t anything I can’t do!"
"Aaah! Let me go!" I hear Ryoko shout.
"Ryoko!” I shout. “What are you doing to her?"
"We're taking her with us, unless you’d rather join us?" Says Yuki.
"If I go with you, what will you do with Ryoko?"
"We'll let her go, of course!"
"Ryoko, when you get out of here, find Tatsuo!" I shout, hoping Ryoko heard me.
"Okay!" She replies.
"Alright, I'll go with you!" I say, as I look at Yuki.
"An excellent decision, Alyssa! I’ve always wanted you in my squad, and now I have you. How delighting!" She says, as she turns around and walks off.
Then two guys walk in and take the chains off, and then drag me by the arm, out of there and into a cage.
Part VI: Ken Duraguno
As I fly through the sky, I see six ninjas surrounding two girls, but then these six ninjas dropped to the floor in seconds. Did these girls take them all out? If they are strong, then they may know where my father is. I drop down, in front of them, to ask a few questions.
"I saw what you just did, who are you?"
"Wait!" Tatsuo shouts, as he runs close. "I know them!"
Then, Tatsuo and his friends talk for a while, so I leap into the sky and fly towards the castle, where I hope my father is. I look back and see Ken walking off, but Tatsuo still remains. I really can't wait, any longer. I head to the castle, I’ll meet them there. I approach the window on the top floor of the castle and look back, Tatsuo and Gin are nearby. The window’s already open, so I sneak in. I'm in some huge empty room, so I walk out the door, and into the hall way. I try opening every door, but they're all locked, but the one at the very end of the hallway. As I go through the door, it closes behind me and then the lights cut out.
"Hello, Ken!" I hear a voice. "I didn't expect to see you, so soon!"
The lights come back, and I can see a man sitting on the throne, at the very end of the room. It's him! It's my father!
"Are you sure you are ready to face me, now? Your friends will be here soon. They'll come running through that door on your left."
I look to my left and look at the door, and then I look at him and notice there's another door behind him.
"Is this a trap, you lured us in?" I shout.
"No, I wasn't trying to lure you here. I was trying to lure Tatsuo here. You see, Tatsuo didn't come here to help you avenge your sister. He came here for his own agenda. And the door behind me is something he's really after. Now, if he cared about Jen, he'd stay here and fight me, along your side, but you and I both know, he'll be passing the door behind me."
"Yeah? Well, I already told him I didn't need his help, and I already know why he's here."
As I shout, Gin and Tatsuo burst through the door on my left, just like he said.
"Wait, Ken! I need to ask him a few questions!" Tatsuo Shouts.
"Your answer lies beyond this door, Tatsuo!" My father says, as he points his finger to the door behind him. "The one who killed your father is waiting! This is your only chance to find out who killed your father! But only you may pass, Tatsuo. The others must stay and fight me."
"It may be a trap, Tatsuo!" Says Gin. "Be careful!"
Tatsuo proceeds with caution, and passes the door. My father stands up from his seat and takes out his sword, and I do the same. He appears behind me in an instant and tries to strike me, but I jumped out the way. Gin takes out his sword and runs towards my father, and I follow. Father runs back as he says, "You aren't ready yet, my son. You are too weak!" He then swings his sword, which collides with Gin's sword, knocking it off his hands, and follows by a forward kick to the chest. Gin flies back and falls against the wall.
"GIIIN!" I shout.
Then I run towards my father, with my sword on my right hand. But he kicks my right hand, which made me spin and face the other direction. And then he grabs me from behind and drops my sword on the floor. "You did good, son." He says and knees me on my back and then kicks my leg, so I drop to the floor.
"Aaaagh!" I scream. I think my legs broken. He broke my leg! I can't... Get back up!
Then I hear a window smash. I look around and I see a girl standing by the broken window. She must've just came through. But how, We're on the top floor?
She looks a lot like Jen... Is that Jen?
Part VII: Amnesia
Ace....? Who's Ace...? Where am I...? I jump out of bed and look at the dried blood on my white knitted sweater, which dripped down to my skirt. "What happened?" I ask myself. Then I hear someone coming in the room, so I get up and grab the person by the neck. It's a young girl, around the same age as me. "Who are you?" I ask.
"I'm a friend, my name's Maya."
"Friend...?"
"Yeah, you've got a short term memory loss."
"Do you know who I am?
"You're Je... Laya Kyuketsuki and you were attacked by Ace."
"Ace... Ace... Where can I find him?"
"I'm not too sure, but he has an underground lair, southeast from here, past Walking Forest, there is another forest. There should be a building there, and inside, is a passage to the underground."
After what I heard, I release her neck and leave the room. I run outside and feel that I know where I am, like I've been here before. I head southeast until I reach the forest. I read the sign, which says, "Welcome to Walking Forest!" So now I know I'm heading the right direction.
I hear someone shout, "Jen!" and look to see who it is, it's a boy and he's looking straight at me. So I go closer and appear right in front of him, in less than a second. I realise he's shaking in fear and can't move.
"I am not Jen" I say. "I am Layla, and I'm looking for a man named Ace! Do you know where I can find him?"
He tries to speak, but instead he jus nods his head. I need to ask where he is, so I shout, "Where?"
"I'm not... Sure," He stutters. "but... I heard he'll be in the Rock continent soon, or he's already there!"
"Where is this 'Rock continent' that you speak of?"
"I... Don't... Know..." I can tell he's struggling to speak, because of me, so I turn around and walk off. But then, he says, "I'm heading to the Rock continent myself, so I'll see you there, if you get there."
I turn back around and he drops to his knees.
"If I see you again, I'll kill you!" I say, intimidatingly.
"How do you know Ace?" He asks.
"I do not. But soon he will be erased, like the memories I once had!" I say, and then turn around and return back to Maya's house.
I try to open the door, but it's locked, so I break through and locate Maya in the living room.
"Hey!" She shouts.
"I need to get to the Rock continent. Do you know the fastest way to get there?" I ask.
"Yeah, I know a way!" She replies. "But you'll have to wait 'til tomorrow. You should get some rest!"
"I can't wait 'til tomorrow! I can't even sleep like this; my head fuckin' hurts!"
"Laya, jus' lie down and close your eyes. Everything will be alright." She says calmly, so I do as she says and go to bed.
The next day, Maya tells me that I once was a human, and now I'm what they call a Damphyr. which is half vampire. And also, in order to stay focused, I need to meditate once in a while, otherwise my mind would go crazy and attack people for no reason. Or I might turn into a monster.
"Where did you say you wanted to go?" Maya asks.
"To the Rock Continent!" I reply.
"What part of the continent?"
"I do not know!"
"Aight, let's go to the Magmany kingdom first, then we'll try the next closest kingdom."
Maya holds out her hand and I grab it. Then she closes her eyes and tells me to do it too. Then she says I can open them. I open my eyes and we're outside, with a huge tower in front of us.
"Let's go inside!" She says, as I follow her inside.
There are many guards everywhere, and stopped us from going any further.
"Can we speak to the king, it's urgent." Says Maya, to the guards.
"Very well. Right this way!" Says one of the guards and leads us to the king. "Your majesty, these young ladies say they have an urgent matter to discuss!" He says to the king.
"And what might that be?" The king replies.
"We are after a group called Aoi Ishi, have you heard of them?" Says Maya.
"Of course I have, they are our allies."
"Then do you know where they might be?"
"Why do you seek them?"
"They're assassinating kings, to become kings themselves. You should be careful, you're their next target."
"I see... Then I know of Ace's location. Go to Goldania Palace, there be a fight... between the son of Rinji and the strongest Aoi Ishi member. You must go help him, he has no chance of survival!"
"Thank you for your information, we appreciate it!"
Just when we were about to leave, the king stops us.
"Wait! The fastest way to get there, is by flight. My men will take you there. These giant birds fly at 300 miles per hour, so you'll be there in ten minutes or less."
There are two giant birds, and a rider on top. Maya hops on top of one, and I hop on top of the other one. And then, in a flash, we reach Goldania Palace. We're outside the top floor window, and Maya's by the window further to the right.
"Ace is in this room," Says the rider. "and The other one is in the next room. If you want to face Ace, you may dive through the window or you may save the kid in the other room, your choice."
"Ace is my target, I can't let him escape. Maya will handle the kid in the next room." I say and cover my head and smash through the window.
I see a man standing with a sword in his right hand. He must be Ace. I look around and see two boys lying on the floor and badly injured. Ace looks at me and says, "Well if it isn't Jen, back from the dead!"
"Jen?" I ask myself. "What do you mean?"
"Jen?" The boy on the floor shouts. "Is that you, Jen?"
"Why does everyone keep calling me Jen? No, I am Laya!"
"You're Laya, huh? Who told you that?" Ace asks.
Then and charge towards Ace, with my sword and swing it at him, but he counters, by striking it and kicking me back.
"Your real name's Jen Duraguno. I am your father. Do you remember me?" He adds.
"No, what do you mean?"
"I killed you, Jen! And then Maya brought you back to life, by turning you into a Damphyr! Am I right?"
Is that true? I don't know!
Then my head starts to ache, and then all at once, my memories come back. I remember now! I am Jen, and he's my father! And that's Ken, over there on the floor.
"Now I know why I must kill you! Ace, you are no longer my FATHER!"
"Is that so, then let me tell you something, Jen!" He says. "Before I killed you, Maya Joined Kiniro no Star and her mission was to kill you."
"What?"
"But I knew from the start, she wouldn't kill you, instead she went to protect you. If it weren't for me, you would've been dead. When I stabbed you, I knew Maya would turn you into a vampire, making you stronger and more aggressive than you were before."
"So you planned this, all along!"
"Exactly, I didn't want you to be weak, I did this for your own good!"
"Shut up! I didn't want to be a vampire, I wanted to be my old self! You will pay for what you have done to me, Ace! I'll never forgive you!"
"Very well, then. I'll see you, once you've calmed down. Take care of Ken, he's badly injured."
"Fuck you!" I say, as Ace disappears. "Dammit!!"
I then pick up Ken and carry him on my left shoulder, then I pick up the other boy and carry him on my right shoulder, and then jump out the window I came in. The giant bird's still there, and I tell the rider to take us to the ground.
Part VIII: Awaited Destiny
As Ken flies in through the castle window, on the top floor, Gin and I rush in through the main entrance.
"Hold on... If this is where Ace is, then where are the guards?" Says Gin.
"That's what I was thinking. This may be a trap, so keep your eyes open." I say.
We run to the top floor and open the first door we see. The rooms quite dark but I can see Ken, straight ahead and Ace on our left, sitting on a chair.
"Wait, Ken! I need to ask him a few questions!" I Shout.
"Your answer lies beyond this door, behind me!" Says Ace. "The one who killed your father is waiting! This is your only chance to find out who it really was! But only you may pass, Tatsuo. The others must stay and fight me."
"It may be a trap, Tatsuo! Be careful!"
I nod my head and walk passed Ace and go through the door behind him. The room is pitch-black, I can't see anything. I hold on to my sword firmly, in its scabbard. Then I hear a familiar woman's voice.
"Is that you, Tatsuo?"
Then a light shines on me, and I go blind for a few seconds. And then I hear her again.
"Won't you take off that ridiculous mask?"
"Who are you?" I ask.
"If you take off that mask, I'll tell you."
I slowly take off my mask and throw it to the side.
"You've gotten more handsome, since the last time I saw you. You sure have grown, Tatsuo. I missed you!"
"Who are you?"
The light that's shining on me goes off, then lights up the whole room. I see a woman standing in front of me, a familiar face. Is that... I can't be...
"Is that… you, Dayanara?" I ask.
"I'm sorry, Tatsuo, I didn't have a choice!"
"It was you? You killed my father?"
"Yes, it was me, I killed your father!" She replied.
"But, my father loved you. You were like a mother, to me!"
"I'm sorry, Tatsuo! I loved you like a son, but you shall share the same fate as your father!"
Dayanara holds a two feet long spear, consists of a wooden shaft and a sixty centimetre curved sword attached to the end. The spear looks heavy, but she moves around like its light. I take out my sword and run towards her, with Anger. But she stops me by clashing my sword with her spear.
"You are too weak!" She says. "Let me warn you, if you beat me, there’ll be others after you, especially Yamigakami."
"Shut up!" I shout. "You killed my father!"
Dayanara forward kicks me on the chest, and I fall back.
"You need to listen, Tatsuo!" She continues. "There are many more formidable Adversaries, after you! The most powerful force, Yamigakami is among them. If you want to survive, then I suggest you train more, before you make contact." Then, she swings her spear slow towards me, but I jump out the way.
"Shut up!" I shout, again. "I want to know, why’d you kill my father?"
"Nothing personal, I was assigned to kill your father and take you to Aoi Ishi, but since they lost interest in you, I was told to forget about you!"
"So none of that love was real?" I cry. "I will never forgive you, Dayanara! My hatred for you runs deep, it will never run dry."
I run towards her again, and she swings her spear slowly, again with one hand and I see an opening. I take that chance and strike my blade through her stomach.
"But... But how could you..." She mumbles
"This is for my father!" I shout.
I take my sword out of her stomach, and she stumbles back with a smile on her face. She says something quietly, but I'm not sure I heard correctly. She then drops to the floor and closes her eyes, with a smile still on her face. I drop to my knees and cry. Then, suddenly a girl smashes through the window and rolls on the ground. “You’re Jen’s friend, right?” She says as she stands up.
"Uh-huh!" I nod.
"I'm Maya, what's your name?"
"Tatsuo! How do you know about Jen?"
"She's my best friend, but she’s lost her memories!"
"What do you mean?"
"I'll tell you later. Right now, we need to get out of here."
"But my friends are still fighting!"
"Don't worry about that, now. It's being taken care of!"
The girl takes me to the window she jumped in from and jumps out, onto a giant bird and we fly around for a while. Later, we reach the ground, where Gin and Ken are waiting, and they look badly injured. The girl that looks like Jen, is there too. Did she get to fight Ace, I wonder.
"Hey, did you get to fight Ace?" I ask her
"No, he got away!" She replies. "Remember when I told you my name?!"
"Layla, Right?"
"Oh yeah, that's right! I told you my name's Layla, but it's actually Laya!"
"Oh, then why'd you say Layla?"
"Well, I just got up from an amnesia, so when I heard my name for the first time, I thought I heard Layla!"
"Oh, I see!"
"But, Laya ain't my real name, either!"
"Then what is it?"
"It's Jen."
"Did you say, Jen?" I ask surprisingly.
"Uh-huh!" She nods.
"So you got your memory back, huh?" Maya asks.
"Uh-huh!" Jen nods.
I approach Jen and give her a hug and say, "I'm glad you’re still alive, Jen!"
To Be Continued…
7 Warriors
Two years have passed since Alyssa was taken by the Enlightened Warriors. Alyssa told me to find Tatsuo, but his whereabouts were unknown. I even went to his house, but there were no signs or clues, to his whereabouts. So then I returned home, to my mum and furthered my training with her, since she used to be an elite ninja warrior for the Ryuuga Clan. And now, that I've gotten stronger, I'm gonna find you, Alyssa!
Assassinating Kings: Seven Warriors – Coming Soon!