Original Stories Fan Fiction / Fables/Fairytales Fan Fiction ❯ Hallow Sins ❯ home again ( Chapter 3 )

It's easy for me to understand why they call it a `dive'. stepping though the warp feels much like diving under water, pleasantly cool yet pressuring. And once it ends, you have a whole new world to explore, like when you find a new world when scuba diving. I tried it once, scuba diving, I love the water so it seemed natural, but this was about a hundred times better, especially since I couldn't scuba with my friends…

Anyone that looked up at the gate of warp f2717 would describe it like something out of a movie, the warp opened up and four silhouettes walked towards the raised platforms. As they became clearer, they could see Grant in his battle rugged armor on one side of the chest, holding his stained battle axe in the other hand. On his right, holding the other side of the chest was Brail. His camo vest and pants torn in some places, plus the hole where the arrow had hit, rifle held loosely in his main hand as he held the open chest in his other, letting the treasure catch the light of warp. Behind them with an athletic figure many girls would kill for hidden by a loose blue tee shirt and sport shorts, Mizu let the orc mace rest on her bare shoulders. Bringing up the rear not sporting any signs of damage, yet his crimson red robes where caked with dirt and grime, Key gave a silent thanks that they where back home.

“Welcome back,” came an almost robotic cheery voice from the counter in front of them. “I see you brought back the `loot', and it only took you six hours,” the reception girl smiled.

“What the fuck? Six hours?” Grant asked.

“Yes, time in the Planes does not flow the same as it does here, but don't worry, you will be paid for the full time you spent in the Plane,”

“Oh you'll be paying us more than that,” Grant growled, dropping his end of the chest, grabbing the hookmace, and slamming it on the deck with such a force the receptionist jumped in her seat.

“That seems to be a bit big for a goblin weapon…” she stated trying to recompose herself.

“This was no fuckin goblin, we faced off an ORC!” he screamed, scaring her even further.

“That's impossible, our scouts scanned the whole cave using magic, the life probes found no sign of orcs...” she whispered, Grant's maniacal face barley inches from her own.

“The room was rigged to trap any trespassers in with it, we found disruption runes just before where we met it, they must have hoodwinked the life probes,” Key explained before Grant decided to smash something.

“We did not!” the Knight turned around to shout at him.

“Yes we did, remember those `chicken scratches' you pulled me away from before we met it?” Key pressed.

“But that's highly irregular, I should get my supervisor on the phone,” she raised a hand to activate the headset in her ear.

“Can we just get paid first?” Brail called out annoyed.

“y-yes, of course,” she said franticly.

“And compensation for the orc,” Grant implied, his face bright with the prospect of more money.

“Yes,” she finally calmed herself down. “Also that was your trail run correct?”

The four nodded simultaneously. “That means you are now official employees of World Area Reconnaissance of Planes, so now you need cells” a panel opened in front of her, displaying several variations of cell phones. “These phones will be registered to you only, acting as your passkeys into W.A.R.P. facilities, they will also hold bank account info that we will transfer your paychecks to, they're also how you pay for things in W.A.R.P. malls like this one. They also have regular cell phone functions, plus you can call W.A.R.P. cells for free, other billing charges will automatically be deducted from your pay,” Key grabbed a pale Green Razor from the rack, Mizu opted for a blue LG Chocolate phone, Grant selected a black nokia and Brail a red sony. The receptionist noted their choices and entered the information into her PC, they had given their data before taking the dive so the phones where activated in seconds.

“Now you understand the parameters of your job as an Ex-Ven?” she asked.

“ya ya, we show up and take whatever dive the Center wants to give us, check out the place, bring back any loot and try not to get killed,” Grant said impatiently.

“And your Squad name?”

“Hallow Sins,” it was the name they had decided before hand.

“I'm Serival, your receptionist, you'll report to me when you want to dive, now for clearing an F-rank Plane, plus loot, weapon, and compensation for the orc, that comes to… $100,785 total, split four ways?”

They nodded eagerly.

“Done, each of you now have $ 25,195 in your bank account,” each phone chimed to confirm this. “I imagine you'd want a rest after a long dive like that, please feel free to take advantage of our facilities,” after nodding goodbye the four stepped off the ramp curving around either side of the desk, leading off into a small corridor, after opening the door at the end the four friends stepped out into Toronto's W.A.R.P. megamall. The lights and sounds where a refreshing sight after the cave, people milled about mostly in ordinary street clothes, but several had on the armor or robes of a Ex-Ven, walking around with their weapons for all to see; and why not? It wasn't like they could use them here, the 2027 advance automated security of this mall would dispatch drones at the first sign of trouble to instantly incapacitate the offender until law enforcement arrived. It was also effective at catching shoplifters and purse snatchers.

“Well, today we are working men…and woman” Key corrected after Mizu politely coughed.

“Money…” Colton stared at the figure on his new phone.

“Why don't we buy you some armor Key?” Brail pointed to a nearby Armor Shop.

“Because, to use magic I need full movement of my body, and I can't control my power properly if I'm wearing that stuff, that's why Mizu doesn't wear any either, besides, we're at our OI ratio as it is,”

“OI?” Grant pried himself away from his screen.

“Our organic to inorganic ratio, how much metal we can take though the warps”

“Fine, I don't know about you guys, but I want a new gun,” Brail complained.

“Hang on, I wanna head to the library to see if they have anything on this,” Key pulled out the book he found.

“Wait! When did you get that?...” Grant asked suspiciously.

“Found it in the caves,” Key replied simply.

Grant instinctively put a hand around his battle axe, but key stood unflinched, he knew that Grant would be stunned before he could even draw it. Brail already noticed the circular shape of nearby spider drones sliding on their rails to their position. Stun guns poised to fire.

“That could have been part of my pay!” Grant chooses to curse instead.

“Or it could allow me and Mizu to learn new spells; wouldn't that be better than money?” Key asked.

The drones retracted their guns and moved away on the confines of the ceiling rails, their sensors confirmed that Grants rage had passed. “Those better be some fucking good spells,” he hissed.

“How about we split?” Brail suggested. “We can head to Ally's while Key goes and does…whatever…”

“Fine…let's meet at the food court in an hour,” Grant nodded.

“I'll head with you Key,” Mizu piped up.

So the four friends split up, all oblivious to the deep brown eyes that watched them…

“Hey Key?” Mizu asked after a few minutes of silence. “How'd you know what those runes down in the cave were for?”

“Some of them are on Rouge's arm,” He replied, stepping out of the way of a mother with a stroller.

“So why didn't you warn us?”

“Two reasons; only about half of them I recognized, so I didn't think it was to cover up danger, I only realized it when Serival said the LPs never found an orc. Two; Grant would have plowed in there regardless of what I said,”

Mizu giggled at the truth of his words. “ya, nothing comes between Grant and his money,”

The two of them paused to watch a warp activate, this was an auxiliary warp built into a small half circle in the malls main walkway, Key judged from the fact no Ex-Vens where present that it was a return trip, the crowd that had gathered around watch as two silhouettes appeared. Immediately Key sensed trouble, W.A.R.P had set strict laws in light of the dangerous nature of the job, meaning Squads had to compose of at least three members. Things became clear as he noticed that one silhouettes was twice as wide as the other one, his hand already dialing 911 as they all saw one of the figures had three legs.

 

“Someone! Help!” one Ex-Ven cried out dragging his unconscious partner behind, the girl beside him just fell to the floor and wept.

“Mizu…” key began after getting off his phone, but the girl must have read his mind, sprinting though the crowd. She jumped up onto the armored shoulder of a knight and used it to take off, leaping over the counter onto the platform, analyzing the situation in the air. The injured party looked like someone had put him though a meat grinder, his body was bathed in blood, most of it his own. Looking at his armor remains she figured he was a Knight, but whatever armor wasn't ripped off him was imbedded in him like large chunks of shrapnel. His face was cut so many times it looked like it had been ripped off.

She landed in front of the two and slammed her palms into him with controlled force, healing power spiked into him, keeping him alive. It was all she could do…the injuries where too great for her knowledge to mend, so she had to make do with keeping his heart beating and resupplying his blood despite the heavy loss of the precious red substance.

“I called an ambulance; it should be on its way,” Key climbed up onto the warp platform. This snapped the receptionist out of her blood daze and immediately dialed the same number.

“What happened?” Key inquired to the teen that carried the injured, he couldn't tell his position from his simple street clothes but the crying girl was dressed in mage robes.

“I-it happened too fast…th-that thing!” the Girl screamed out, quickly Key knelt down beside her, putting an arm around her shoulder for comfort. “shh…it's going to be fine, my friend here's a medic and she will do everything she can to help,”

“Thank you,” the teen said. Key knew it wasn't directed at him, almost anyone who was found with the MaGNA of a healer applied at the hospitals. The pay between that and an Ex-ven was like comparing a puddle to an ocean. Only Mizu's love for her friends and adventure, combined with being two years under the 18 age limit, kept her at their side.

“I'm almost out,” Mizu muttered, she felt the dreaded feeling of exhaustion in her heart, telling her that the reserves of power within her where almost dry. She had spent too much of her energies with the dive today and never got a chance to recharge.

“Then ration, only use enough to keep him from slipping on, nothing more” Key advised. Mizu had an eye and a mind for analyzing a situation, but her execution fell below those abilities.

“But…” she argued.

“It's either he suffers or dies,” Key said calmly.

The girl's tears started with renewed force now, and both Key and the simple teen had to stop her from dashing over to interrupt Mizu's work.

“It's ok, the ambulance with be here soon,” Key assured her. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“We…just (sob) finished up, about to head back ya'know?” She wiped her tears on her sleeves. “When…we felt, it was like a cold front just moved in…so cold,” She shivered. Mizu restrained herself from putting in more power than necessary.

“We turned around…it looked like a man, but it had no face,” She clung to Key tightly. “it was like he was dressed in a black body suit, with a head piece…you know…it covered his whole head too…so he had like…no face” Key nodded, none of the Creeps he had studied covered anything like that. “Jime…” she indicated the boy lying in his own blood. “…stepped in front of it, thinking it was a Creep, that's when…his armor exploded!”

“Exploded?” Key asked.

“More like it imploded…” the other teen supplied.

“Then we saw blood issuing from his face,” she finished…calmer.

“And that black Creep…it didn't move at all?”

“No…it just stood there, while he…he…”

 

“Magic?” Mizu suggested afterwards. The medics came just after she ran dry; they were both now sitting on a bench, discussing what had happened.

“Magic requires hand signs or an incantation, according to them, it did nether…it didn't even have a mouth…” Key's chin resting on his palm.

“That poor guy…” Mizu mused.

“You did what you could,” key reminded her.

“Do you know what Plane they were at?”

“The venom swamps, the Center wanted some samples of moss”

They stopped talking because at that time a medic approached them, easily recognizable by the starch white robe he was wearing, with Toronto's hospital insignia stitched on his back. “Are you Mizu Yuki? Keeffernius Gunseitan'i?” Mizu nodded at her name while Key cringed at his, he hated being called by his real name.

“How is he?” Mizu asked.

“Thanks to you he'll live,” they both breathed a sigh of relief. “His chest was almost crushed and he's lost more blood then should be humanly possible, but nothing vital was harmed, however…his chest was affected, he won't be lifting anything heavy and wearing battle armor is out of the question, guess that means his days as an Ex-ven are over,” Key nodded in solemn agreement. The only choice for those wanting to be Ex-vens who didn't show any kind of MaGNA was to take the role of knight and fight the enemy directly, no magic, and now no way to wield a weapon…

“What about being a gunner?” Mizu asked. “I mean, Brail said some of them are pretty light, or he could use shurikens (small throwing stars),”

“Even gunners have certain MaGNA strands, he went though treatment with us remember?” Key didn't know who was worse sometimes, Grant's `my way or the highway' attitude or Mizu's stubborn nature. come to think of it they were both stubborn.

“But he can still be a gunner?” she pressed on him.

Key sighed, she was right. “Maybe, and that's only if his Squad's going to accept him as a…” Key searched for the right words to avoid sounding like Grant. “…handicapped gunner, no one else will,”

“Still, there is hope!” she smiled. “Wonder how they're doing in Ally's anyways?...”

 

“Achoo!” Brail sneezed. Alerting the store clerk to their presence, a young boy no older then he was. The clerk gasped at the sight of them, quickly turned to the PC at his side, entered some information and laughed. “I don't believe it! You guys actually did it! Right here, Grant Avarice, Knight, and Brail Sharpeye, Gunner!”

“I don't recall telling you we were planning to become Ex-vens, Kangus,” Grant started undoing the straps that held the worn pieces of armor in place.

“no, but Key did,”

“Key's a Mage dumbass, what would he want in an arms shop?”

Before he could answer Brail slapped the D-Launcher on the bullet proof glass counter. “This thing you sold me is. A. Piece. Of. SHIT!”

Kangus jumped back, startled. “hey, hey, I can only sell the good stuff to Ex-vens,”

Brail just stared at him, the response too obvious to state. At this Kangus smiled. “come around back, there's somethin I wanna show ya,” opening a door in the counter for Brail to step though, Kangus lead him though a door in the back, Brail could see it was some kind of shooting gallery, with plexbroad cutouts of goblins, liz-buds and an orc at the far end.

“Here you go,” Kangus handed him the weapon. “The KB-01 Force,” the first thing that struck Brail was the weight, it was a stocky gun, about two feet long from stock to nubby barrel, it weighted about two pounds in his hand, almost like a toy. Kangus popped a clip under the gun, about three inches in front of the trigger, and pushed a handle on the side, loading it.

“Single action?!...” Brail moaned.

“They haven't developed automatic guns that work though the warp, not unless you want every shot to jam, but this will revolutionize the mobile gunner role, try it, one hand,”

Brail shrugged, pointed at a nearby target, pulled, and almost dropped the gun when he saw the goblin disappear in a flurry of fragments. “Holy shit! A shotgun?”

“ya,” Kangus said smiling. “and no kickback to it, combine that with the compact size it makes fighting ambushes a lot easier ” next he handed Brail a old style revolver handgun. “but it works better with this, the KB-01 Lance”

“they're both 01?”

“ya, they're meant to be used as a set,” despite being half the length of Force, it was about twice as heavy, mostly due to the second barrel stacked on top that Brail was looking though. “That's not the sights,” Kangus laughed.

“Then what's it for?”

“Just try it first,”

Brail fired at a liz-bud about thirty feet away the shot came out of the six o'clock chamber, making it easy to fire, piercing its scaled head right between its yellow eyes. He noticed a pump under it at the very front, he pulled back on it and it snapped forwards on its own.

“That makes it quicker to fire multiple shots; this is a very good mid range weapon. You notice the little indentations on either side of it? That's to reload the Force when you got one in each hand”

“but I need two hand to use this,” Brail held up the handgun.

“Try sliding it against your pants,” Brail did, the pump caught easily on the material, pulling another round in. “it's a revolver, but with 10 shots, they're on these little `cakes',” Kangus held up a little pallet with 10 bullets sticking on it.

“now for the good part, hold up both,” Brail complied, impatiently. “Twist your wrist with the Lance about ninety degrees, now line them up so that the Forces barrel and second barrel of the Lance…”

Brail figured out the rest, put them together, like plugging a cable into an Advance LCD TV, then righting his wrist so that the Lance turned back ninety degrees. He now had one single gun, handle and trigger in each hand.

“…and that is KB-01 Longshot, try it,”

Spinning around, Brail took his hand on the further trigger off, noting that it was still quite light, he wouldn't be pulling any headshots like that, but reloading or chucking shurikens wouldn't be an issue. He pulled back to reload the chamber, noting it was a little slower now, by the time he'd done a one-eighty his hand was back on the second trigger, sighted, and fired, this time really feeling some kickback, but the orc at the far end of the hall now sported a single bullet hole in it.

“how did i…wasn't this thing loaded with shotgun shells?”

“they're called gevar shells, they can instantly change property depending on what kind of metal they rub against when heated, when they go through the second barrel, they change from a shotgun shell into a sniper bullet, three in one, prefect for the mobile gunner, the Lance doesn't lose its firing capabilities in this form, so you can belt a few with that before hitting home with the longshot”

“And a scope?”

Kangus tossed him one that matched the gun; Brail attached it then took off the Lance piece.

“Shotgun with a scope…who would have thought it? How much?”

“let's see…this is a prototype weapon, not in store catalog, so I'll let you have it, scope and 300 rounds for `both' guns for $20,000, if you give me your old gun,” Brail only thought it over for a minute before walking out with gun in hand, The funds already transferred to the store. Meeting Grant, his armor fixed up, they were about to walk out when Kangus called after them. “Oh and when you see Key tell him I may call in his favor real soon,”

 

“Excuse me miss.” Key politely called from behind the old women, she stopped tapping on the glass sliding doors long enough to turn around. “This library is for Ex-vens only, sorry,”

“Oh goodness, could you please tell me a good place to find books?” she croaked out.

“Yes, just take that elevator there up one floor; a Chapters should be on your right when you get out,”

“Thank you, god bless,” she slowly walked off.

“So how can we get in here?” Mizu asked, the doors opening automatically for her, inside was a cozy yet vast lounge, long desks and arm chairs dotted around it, with a fireplace on the far wall.

“Our cells act as passes remember?” Key replied, walking purposefully over to the closest desk. Mizu sat across from him. he reached out and grabbed what looked like a computer screen, the size of a book yet considerably thinner, only about two inches thick. The e-book came to life in his hands, logging onto the library's WARP database. With practiced ease he typed his instructions onto the multiple-touch screen. Meanwhile Mizu turned on the `surface' computer table, grabbed a stylus from the bin, and used it to navigate to a drawing program, doodling while Key checked references with the book they found.

“ok,” he said after a while, tapping an instruction on the e-book, beaming its contents to the table computer and showing Mizu the file he had been reading. “According to the data, the book contains He-Archaic level words,”

She nodded excitedly. “that's one level up from To-Archaic right?”

“ya, that means more effective spells, I found words for fire and wind in here,”

“And me?” she leaned in closer. Parts of the copy text from the book Key found were highlighted. “krite..hu…secuterdea? Cleanse…the…?” she couldn't understand the last word.

“it's He-Archaic for blood, this'll help with your general healing technique right?”

“yeah… for stab wounds, but if it's a slash then I need to clot the blood, otherwise it'll leak out when I close it,”

Key nodded even though he didn't understand her. Healing required a good knowledge of biology, something Key managed a `C' in after Mizu tutored him. he scanned the book for any words mentioning `clot'. “Nothing on that, but memorize these, they could come in handy,”

“Strength, agility…more buffs?” buff was slang for healing spells that boosted physical attributes, a good part of Grant's never-ending stamina came from Mizu's buffs.

“ya, you do know the mechanics behind that right?”

“Yes Key,” she rolled her eyes. “in order to use magic you need to `tell' it what to do, and word in arcane languages have a better effect then normal words, with the words you give your magic direction to manipulate whatever the words mean, I didn't forget,”

“and you remember that there are different levels of words? Each one with a higher effectiveness then the last?” he joked, that was the first lesson drilled into their heads when they learned how to use their magic, and the one Mizu had to write out a thousand times BY HAND when she boasted she knew `super-Archaic' level language.

“ya ya, so what did you learn?” she tried to change the subject.

“Something odd…” he reached to grab the book, only to find it gone. “What the?...”

“Better hold onto your stuff, Key-wee,” a dark chocolate voice softly cooed behind them. As if stepping from thin air, a girl of 15 stood, book in hand. Her jacket, hanging around her throat by the single done up button like a cape, also faded into view as her stealth genes withdrew, leaving her standing in tight white shorts and a halter top, both contrasting against her dark coco skin nicely. “You might lose it,”

“What are you doing here Rouge?” Key focused all his willpower on not letting his eyes drop below her face, a feat made more difficult by her short height, putting him at a very feminine chest level. Mizu noticed that every other pair of male eyes in the room made no such commitment; they didn't get out much…

“Can't a gal come say hi to her friends?” she asked sweetly.

“Not if she's in an Ex-ven library without a cell phone pass,” Mizu commented with a hidden anger.

“Me and Arcill'll be Ex-vens soon, why don't you come and watch our simulation today? You get to see our new squad mates,”

`Must not have been hard with a body like that…' Key thought.

“Anyways, tell Brail I said hi,” she faded out of sight, being blotted out like an ink stain on a page. Two more Ex-vens entered the room, hearing a flapping noise at the time.

“Rogues can get away with anything,” Key commented dryly.

“Especially with double Ds like those…” Mizu muttered, struggling to keep her breathing normal.

“Is that jealousy I hear?” Key laughed, earning an angry glare and a stylus mark on the forehead. “Anyways, what time is it?”

“6:20”

“Better head up to meet Grant `n' Brail,”

The two of them found themselves seated at one of their favorite food joints, Dive Stop boasts it has everything the Ex-ven needs, and so far they haven't failed to deliver. Inspired by an RPG tavern, it had its own teen bar, with advance LCD TVs featuring reports on new, WARP discoveries and Ex-ven leader boards. They could order a quick snack or have a waitress deliver a meal to their booth, anyone could walk in but the place offered 10% discounts on all menu items for Ex-vens, plus with the phones they could deduct pay for the services instantly, allowing them to leave on a moment's notice. Key sat in the far corner of a booth with an empty plate, the cinnamon rolls already devoured. Both now in normal street clothes, Key with a black shirt and blue jeans, Mizu in a light blue shirt and brown shorts

“You eat so much and I never see you gain weight,” Mizu was hunched over, picked at her sushi.

“It's in my genes, and you are in a very superficial mood today,” Key playfully rebuked, causally reclined as much as the booth seats would let him.

“I'm just making sure your healthy, the last thing we need is our mage getting obese,” Mizu said defensively.

“Why bother, he never fights anyways,” Grant growled, sitting himself down beside Key, a plate of nachos already in hand. Out of his armor and into his trademark fur vest and leather shoes that screamed riches. Brail sat beside Mizu with a slice of pizza, still in his camo outfit. “How was the magic study?”

“Couple of interesting things, I'll try them out at home today and tell ya,” Key answered.

“I thought your parents didn't want you practicing magic in the house, or anywhere in their general vicinity?” Brail pointed out.

“True, doesn't mean I can't draw up new concepts and techniques, by the way, Rouge says hi,”

Mizu muttered something under her breath.

“What does that whore want now,” Grant groaned.

“She and Arcill plan to take the qualifying sim,” Mizu explained.

Grant almost snorted into his nachos. “With who? You need at least three to make a squad, and I can't imagine who'd want to join those fags, speaking of fags, Kangus has a message for you Key, that `favor' is coming up soon, what the hell have you been up to?”

“He gave me the beginner text for our first Dive,” Key scrambled quickly, yawning.

Grant eyed him suspiciously, but decided to let it pass, for now. “now about those two, why are they suddenly trying to become Ex-vens?”

“Well you did tell them they couldn't join our trial Dive, quite cruelly too, you called Arcill a cripple” Key put in, Grant punched him in the arm, slamming him into the wall.

“When I want squishy's opinion I'll ask for squishy's opinion,” he said without looking.

“You are so mean Grant,” Mizu accused.

“Why? Because it's so easy being evil…” he asked, on the verge of singing his answer in his favorite song.

“Grant, we don't need to hear that song again,” Key complained, earning another punch in the arm.

“What did I say about squishy's opinion? In the Planes I consider your input, but here you are my minion, now go make me a sandwich!” he joked, earning laughs form everyone, including Key.

“I'm done,” Brail said suddenly, pushing his plate away, it, as well as Grant's plate was taken by a passing waitress.

“god the manager of this place is a fuckin perv,” the waitresses here obeyed a dress code of work uniform, consisting of a sort of pink French maid outfit, complete with little head bonnets, shoes and stockings, the effect was responsible for more than half of its consumers. The Dive Stop was a real RPG tavern alright, right down to the sexy waitresses. “He a friend of yours Key?”

“why do you always associate me with that kind of people,” Key dramatically hung his head.

“well you did grab Mizu's rack…”

“we were in a pool, we were thirteen, we were playing marco-polo,”

“ok forget this, lets head to the sim,” Grant stood up.

“I thought you didn't want to go there?” Mizu asked.

“I never said that,” he smiled evilly.