Chapter 1 - Fight Alone

Author's notes:
-Hey there, D.A.-chan here. Welcome to the first chapter of a lovely story inspired by a comic that I began quite a while ago, involving characters all inspired by my friends. Needless to say, I never finished it. This being the case, however, Brian, a friend on whom the main character, Dolosus, is based, was free to do what he pleased with the characters and story line. There will be a few references to my art work, which may be viewed in my gallery, but nothing important enough to confuse those who haven't seen the pictures.
That being said, I leave you for now. Enjoy :D




“Dolosus, awaken,” Demonic commanded.
Dolosus opened his eyes. He was having such a weird dream, something to do with being trapped in a painting. This was the fifth time this month he had it. It worried him a little, but he would have to ponder it later. His master was calling.
“Dolosus?”
“I’m coming,” he said, irritated. He didn’t like being woken up for missions. It wasn’t like he was the only assassin at Demonic’s disposal, but he was the best. He figured it had to be pretty vital since she only called him for the important and toughest tasks.
He got out of bed, dressed and left his room. It was a short walk from his room to hers. The doors along the walls led to the rooms of the other assassins. At the end of the hallway there was a pair of heavy oaken doors. He went through them into Demonic’s room. Her walls were completely covered with paintings and drawings of various things, from people to scenery to the elements. She was quite the artist. The colors and textures seemed to make them leap off the canvases.
Demonic sat in a throne like chair, draped in her green velvet robe. This month her hair color was light brown with a purpple streak in front. At her side was the giant paint brush she worked with. If she ever had to do battle, which was very rare, she’d use the magic brush to draw something and make it come to life. She could even draw in space, creating art out of nothingness. He knelt before her and awaited her orders.
“I have a new assignment for you,” she said.
Well, obviously, he thought. He looked up and saw her smile, menacingly. What is she planning?
She took out an envelope from her robes and threw it to him. He opened it and nearly dropped it once he saw the picture.
The face that stared back at him was of a pretty girl, slightly younger than himself. Her hair was blonde with red streaks. She had a fierce look on her face, like she was about to kill someone. She was holding a katana and around her neck was a necklace with a red “C.”
“Crimson?” he said, completely astounded.
“Yes,” Demonic nodded. “That ingenue is beginning to annoy me and pry into things that are none of her business. I want her taken out, and I thought it most fitting that you be the one to do it.”
Dolosus bit his bottom lip and a bead of sweat trailed down his face.
“What’s the matter? I would have thought that you’d be happy for a second chance. Especially since you failed me last time.”
“It wasn’t my fault. It was three against one!” Dolosus yelled.
“A loss is a loss. Now go, and don’t fail me this time. You’ll find pictures and descriptions of suitable transport spots in the area she was last seen in that envelope, courtesy of the Crows.”
The Crows were personal spies of Demonic. Not nearly as powerful as Dolosus, but just as important. He picked up the envelope and left the room. Back in his room he splashed water on his face as memories of his previous battle with Crimson flashed in his mind. Everything was going so perfectly. He had separated Crimson from the people she was with. She had no special powers, except for being an expert swordsman and an even better pest. Demonic only wanted her dead because she was asking too many questions about their above ground cover organization.
Dolosus toyed with her. She put up one hell of a fight, but he was stronger. Then, without realizing what had happened, he got attacked from behind. Crimson didn’t have powers, but her friends did. The man with the scarf around his eyes, Altojo, had fire conjuring and manipulation abilities. He was also a lot more muscular than Dolosus, and harder to cut. Dolosus thought he was blind and underestimated him, but Altojo somehow always knew where he was. Then there was another girl. What was her name, Hart? She had some kind of giant leaf that she used as a fan to literally blow Dolosus away. The three of them teamed up on him. He had no choice but to flee.
He shook his head and came back to the present. After calming down, he put his glasses back on and grabbed some warmer clothing. The picture the Crows gave him suggested it would be cold. After putting on his favorite jacket, he took his scythe down from the wall. Closing his eyes, he focused his power, swung his weapon and tore a hole in the universe. One of his favorite features of the scythe, besides its ease in taking people’s heads off, was its ability to create wormholes in space. He took a breath and jumped in.
Almost instantly he came out of the exit. The hole closed behind him. He took a look around and saw that he was behind a tree in a park next to a playground. The air was so crisp and clean and cool. The sun was setting but the sky was covered by gray clouds. There were no sunset colors. Dolosus walked about. He saw about a quarter of a mile away, a bridge fording a river. Crossing the bridge was Crimson. She had on regular blue jeans, red boots with a matching top, and black gloves. She must have been planning on battling with someone because she had her katana with her.
Perfect, Dolosus thought. He could have easily cut a hole behind her head and took her head off, but he had a score to settle. He wanted to beat her. He slashed another hole that opened exactly eight feet from her on the bridge.
“Well, well, what a lovely surprise,” he said. Crimson stopped dead in her tracks. “Crimson, how nice to see you. How have you been these days? Better than last time we met, I trust?”
“Enough. Last time was a fluke,” she said, turning around, “This time, we settle it.”
“Okay then, I’ll get serious.”
He got a tighter grip on his scythe. She placed her hand on the pommel of her katana. They stood starring each other down.
Dolosus sighed, “How long are you just going to stand around for?”
“I was seeing what I faced,” she retorted, “sizing up one’s opponent is part of basic combat. However, I look at you and I don’t see much worth sizing up.”
“Now, Crimson,” He smirked, “You shouldn’t judge anyone by appearance.”
“Well,” she said pulling on her blade, “I suppose I’ll make the first MOVE!”
She ripped the sword from its sheath in such a fast manner that Dolosus almost didn’t react. He stepped back and received only a tear in his sweater.
“I’m impressed. You’re faster than you were last time!” he said.
“You flatter me,” she replied.
“Now it’s my turn!”
He swung his scythe at her head. She ducked and thrust her sword at him. He jumped. The blade pierced only air, and balancing on it on one hand was Dolosus.
He stuck his tongue out at her and hopped off the blade. When he landed he started swinging his scythe wildly and charged at Crimson. She backed up and dodged all his slashes. Finally, when she found an opening, she lashed at him. Rather than dodge, he swung the scythe and blocked her katana with the staff. They were in a deadlock and stared fiercely into each other’s eyes.
“Why do you insist on trying to kill me?” she growled.
“Let’s just say I can’t bear not to be around you,” he snarled.
“I’d like to shove this blade in your mouth.”
He smirked. Then he shifted his weight and pushed on the staff so it smacked her upside the head and she went down. He held his scythe over his head and sliced downward. She rolled to the side and the blade plowed into the ground. She got up and slugged him in the face. He staggered back, a little confused. When his wits came back to him, he saw her charge at him, katana at the read. He swung. The two blades me and clashed again and again, their metal sound ringing in the air. At one point Dolosus side-stepped on of her lunges and backhanded her across the face. Then he swung his scythe, missed her torso, but tore a long gash in her arm.
She staggered back, out of breath, and grabbed her arm. It had been a while since someone had cut her that badly. He gave her another smirk. He got ready for another assault, but felt something poke him in the back. When he looked behind him he saw a young girl prodding him with a dagger. She had on a white oversized t-shirt and black capri’s with no shoes. She also wore a baseball cap and a belt.
“Can I help you?” Dolosus asked.
“No, I’m fine,” she replied and went back to jabbing him. He grabbed her hand and tried to throw her to the ground, but she maneuvered out of it, did a back flip, and kicked him in the face. He staggered back, completely shocked.
Rubbing his cheek, he asked, “Who are you?”
She smiled, did another flip, and landed gracefully on the rail of the bridge. She took off her cap and brushed away her long, dark hair. Two furry triangular ears poked through. She undid her belt and a long tail came out. A ribbon, as shockingly blue as her eyes, was tied to the end.
“My name is Kitty,” she announced, “and I don’t like the way you’ve been beating her up. It’s not nice.”
Dolosus glared at Crimson. “So this is how it’s going to be? Every time we fight, you’re going to wait for someone to come to your rescue?”
“I never met her before in my life,” Crimson yelled. “Look, just get out of here. This guy is dangerous.”
“I can take care of myself,” Kitty grinned.
“Enough!” Dolosus shouted. He looked at Kitty, “I’ll take care of you later. Right now I have some unfinished business.” He darted towards Crimson, scythe at the ready. She got ready to parry him, but Kitty jumped in between them with amazing speed and launched a double kick at Dolosus. He dodged the first, but caught the second full in the chest and flew backwards and landed on his back. When he opened his eyes he saw Kitty up in the air, about to land on him, He rolled out of the way and narrowly avoided being hit by her tail.
She grinned at him, then she looked over at Crimson and said, “You know, while I’m distracting him, you could be sneaking up behind him and stabbing him in the back.”
Crimson shook herself and ran towards Dolosus, ready to kill him. Kitty did the same. He watched the two of them come from both sides.
He sighed, “How bothersome.” Then he focused his power, cut another hole and escaped. The two girls collided with each other.
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot. His scythe can create wormholes in the universe that teleport him anywhere he wants,” Crimson groaned, rubbing her head.
Kitty’s ears perked up. “Look out!” she screamed and pushed Crimson aside. His scythe came down right where she had been. The hole above them sealed itself. Kitty ran towards him and thrust her dagger. He sidestepped out of the way and turned to parry a blow from Crimson. The battle raged on like this for sometime. One person attacked, one defended, and the other prepared to attack next.
At one point, Crimson got close enough that the tip of her blade made contact with him, he swung the scythe behind him and literally fell into the hold he made. He appeared at the other end of the bridge. Kitty popped the dagger between her teeth, got on all fours, and ran after him. She launched a fist at his face, a leg at his chest, and a tail at his feet. He knew he could not dodge all three, so he let the tail side sweep him. He fell down on the ground, kicked his legs up and launched Kitty into the air. She landed on her feet some distance away.
“I’ve had enough of this,” Dolosus said. He focused all the power he had left and cut open another hole. Immediately the air around them started to get sucked in. He, Crimson and Kitty all grabbed onto the railing of the bridge to avoid being sucked in.
“What did you do?” Kitty screamed.
“I cut a hole that is directly linked to a black hole in the universe. It’ll suck the two of you in and crush you to a mere molecule.”
“I’m getting annoyed at these holes.” Her tail shot out and wrapped around the scythe, “Give me that scythe.”
“No, it’s mine!”
“I said give it to me!”
“No!”
Crimson, struck with inspiration, threw her katana at the hand Dolosus was using to hold onto his weapon. He had a choice now to either lose his arm or lose his scythe.
He let go of the scythe and pulled his arm back as Crimson’s sword went by. Kitty then thre it at the hole. Together, their weapons were sucked up. As the hole sealed itself, they all fell onto the ground and tried to catch their breath. Dolosus recovered faster, but knew that without his weapon he could never hope to win against both of them. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a smoke bomb. Giving them one last glare, he smashed it on the ground and disappeared into the smokescreen.


Dolosus finally made it as far from the bridge as he could. He was in a graveyeard when he collapsed on the ground from sheer exhaustion. The battle played over and over again in his head. What did I do wrong? No, I didn’t do anything, it was Kitty. Damn her. If she hadn’t shown up I would have killed Crimson. This is just like the last time. How come every time the two of us fight, someone comes to her aid? Where does she get all this help?
He pondered his question deeply. He decided to sit, leaning his back against a tombstone. It looked neglected, as if it marked the spot of someone forgotten. It was covered by weeds and vines and moss. However, some kind soul must have stopped to remember the name of the person who lay there because there were flowers. Dolosus picked up the bouquet and smelled the sweet scent.
The people who help, he thought, they’re more than just allies. They’re her friends. So how come none of my friends help me when I’m in trouble? Where are they? He looked around, half expecting one of the other assassins to pop out from behind a tombstone and offer him a ride home. Nobody came. It was the first time he ever felt this way. The feeling was like sadness combined with weakness. It was terribly upsetting, almost enough to make him cry.
I’m alone.


The night wore on. Dolosus came to when he heard a gate slam shut. Someone was entering the graveyard. One of the first rules of being Demonic’s assassin was to note let civilians see you. He crept over to the fence and climbed out.
He felt naked without his scythe. He had no way of getting home. His only choice was to find a phone and call somebody for a ride. As he walked down the sidewalk of an empty road, it began to snow. He stopped and looked up at the sky. The snow seemed to fall like stars all around him.
Dolosus liked the snow. It embodied a sense of purity and cleanliness. He took off his glasses and held out his hand. A flake landed on his skin and melted. He stared at his empty hand while the other flurries drifted past his eyes. He turned back to look at the dirt he had trodden through. Already the snow was packing and covering his footsteps. He smiled, put his glasses back on, and continued on his way.
After a while the snow stopped and the sun began to rise. Dolosus heard voices coming from beyond a corner. He peeked around the wall and saw a tree growing half-way down the sidewalk. Sitting in its branches were two evil looking creatures. Humanoid in shape, except for small black wings growing from their shoulders, pointed ears, and tiny fangs in their mouths. The girl had black hair with red-pink highlights, a red-pink plaid skirt, big black boots, a white and black striped sock on her left leg, and a painted slash on her left eye. The boy had black hair with blue highlights, faded blue jeans, no shoes, a white and black striped sock on his right leg, and a painted slash on his right eye. They both wore a black shirt with an upside down cross. Dolosus didn’t know if running into the Crows was a bad thing or a good thing, yet he had to get home somehow, so he approached with caution.
“It’s flipping cold out,” the boy said, “I hate Demonic for sending us here.”
“Yeah, but who are we to tell her were to send us?” the girl said.
“I’m hungry.”
“You wanna go kill a worm so we can eat?”
“Well, well, imagine meeting you two here,” Dolosus announced as he got closer.
They were startled by him. So much so that the boy almost fell out of the tree. The girl stood up on the branch and got ready to attack. When she saw it was him, she smiled.
“What a pleasure it is to see you again, Dolo-kun.”
“You know I hate being called that.”
“Yeah, but what are you going to do about it?” the boy taunted as he climbed back onto the branch, “Dolo-kun, Dolo-kun!”
“So did you kill Crimson like Demonic ordered?” The girl asked. He didn’t answer here. Instead he just looked down at the ground. She inspected him more closely and finally asked, “Where’s your scythe?”
“Yeah, you never go anywhere without it,” the boy chimed in.
Dolosus remained silent. He didn’t know what to say.
“Dolosus, where is your scythe?” she asked him, more sternly this time.
“Forget him, let’s go eat.” The boy whined.
“You did kill her, right?”
“Of course he did. Dolosus always gets his target. Come on, I’m hungry.”
Dolosus sighed, “I lost my scythe during the battle. Whether I killed her or not is not for the two of you to know. That is between me and Demonic.”
The boy looked at him curiously. The girl narrowed her eyes.
“She’s not going to be happy about you losing your scythe,” the boy said.
“Especially if you failed to kill her this time,” the girl added on.
“I know,” Dolosus answered.
The Crows looked at each other, “Alright, wait here,” the boy said, “We’ll see if we can get you a transport back to headquarters.”
“I hope for your sake that you got her,” the girl said. The two of them jumped off of their branches and flew into the night sky. When they were out of earshot of him, they began whispering to each other.
“He doesn’t seem to worried about what Demonic will do to him,” the boy assumed.
“what do you think she’ll do to him? Erase him like she did the other failures?” the girl wondered.
“It all depends on whether or not he killed her. And what about his scythe?”
“That’s okay. She can always make another one. After all, she did create him.”


Owari.

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