Chapter 3 - For His Sake

Author's notes:
-This chapter is written as a switch back and forth between the current events, and a flashback to the first encounter between Dolosus and Crimson and her friends. The flashbacks are in italics.
-Pictures of all of the characters can be found in my gallery.
-This chapter was actually written by my dear friend, Brian, as was the first chapter. I wrote the second, and I'll be writing the next one as well. It's a whole back and forth type pattern. And now, enjoy :D




“Are you sure this is a good idea,” Kat asked.
“Of course. Look, the plan is simple. We go in, locate the file, grab it, and go,” Crimson replied.
“We’ll be in radio contact the entire time,” Altojo added.
Kat sighed and got out of the car. The three of them checked the mics in their ears to make sure everything was running smoothly. Then they walked into the office building. There were security guards in the lobby, but they weren’t worried. They were dressed up in business suites and dark glasses, and Kat had concealed her weapon in her briefcase. Crimson had been forced to leave her katana behind because she couldn’t risk setting off the metal detectors.
They traveled up the elevator to the thirtieth floor. Once there, they followed the corridors until they reached a door that was labeled “Archives.” Crimson looked around to make sure nobody else was there. Then, she took out the card key she had stolen and swiped it through the lock. The door swung open and they found themselves in a gigantic room. It was filled from floor to ceiling with wooden bookcases and file cabinets.
“That was easier than I thought,” Kat said once the door was closed.
“Alright,” Crimson sighed. “You guys know the plan. Altojo, stay here and guard the door. Kat, you take the western half of the room and I’ll search the eastern half. We have to find that file.”
They nodded and separated. Kat walked down a row of cabinets, scanning the labels for names she might recognize.
“Why can’t they go in alphabetical order? It would make things so much easier.”
“Excuse me?”
Kat opened her eyes. “What?”
“You said something about alphabetical order. We’re going in the order Demonic gave us,” the female crow said.
“Right, whatever,” Kat said.
She and a couple of other assassins were in a gymnasium that was decorated with targets and dummies and other obstacles. It was Demonic’s training hall. The assassins would train in here daily, each trying to best the others. Kat was sitting on the bench, waiting for her turn, in between two female assassins. One had red horns and a dragon-like tail with a flame on the end. The other had big yellow ears and a yellow tail with a black stripe. The female crow was standing on the sidelines with a clipboard, taking notes on each one’s technique.
“Lucky you,” she said smiling at her Kat. “You’re up.”
Kat was barely off the bench when the whispering started. Her presence and sudden enrollment as an assassin spread like wildfire. She was the first one ever to actually break in and survive. There had been other attempts before, but they all died, usually at the hand of Dolosus. Rumors and gossip spread about her like rabbits during mating season.
Once she took her spot on the starting point, a hush fell over the spectators. The crow got her pen ready. She nodded up to her brother in the booth. He pressed a button on the control panel and the starting bell rang. She bolted forward, jumped into the air and kicked off the head of the first dummy.
One down, nineteen to go.
She started toward the next one but stopped. The second dummy was surrounded by copies of itself.
Holograms, she chuckled.
She reached behind her, grabbed the stem of the gigantic leaf on her back, and swung. A blast of wind blew through the holograms and carried the real one away. It hit the wall and shattered to pieces. Secret panels opened on the wall and hundreds of shuriken, kunai, arrows, and so many other weapons shot out aimed right at her. She stood her ground and smiled again.
Too easy.
She spun around and became enveloped in a gale of wind. Then she swung the leaf and launched the gale at the weapons. They all flew in every direction possible, except toward Kat. She remained unscathed, but the target on the wall ended up with six kunai in it.
She grabbed a dagger off the ground and ran to the other targets. As she did, panels in the ceiling opened up and giant metal blocks came falling around her. She tried to blow them away like she did the weapons, but the blocks were too heavy. All she could do was run and dodge them. Twice she was almost crushed. All of sudden, walls erupted around her in a maze like fashion. She had to run through the labyrinth while trying not to be crushed.
A block landed in front of her. She turned around and ran in the other direction, but another block bared her path. She was trapped. When she looked up she saw another falling right above her. Instead of panicking like so many other assassins, she closed her eyes and focused her power and energy to her feet. Tiny, translucent wings erupted from her heels. At an amazing speed she jumped and launched herself into the air so high she could almost touch the ceiling. When she looked down, she saw the block had landed right where she had been standing.
At the peak of her height, she swung her leaf and blasted the five targets on the ceiling. When she landed, the ground beneath her crumbled away and she fell into a chasm. She placed the leaf under her and used it to hold herself aloft. As she flew over the chasm, she spotted a target on the bottom. She threw the dagger she had taken. It stuck in the center. She glided out of the chasm and landed on top of a dummy, crushing it. Then she turned and smacked another one with the leaf.
Eleven.
She began to run to the next dummy, but tripped and fell. A rope had tied itself around her feet and was slowly pulling her back towards a jumble of buzz-saws. She launched a gust at the saws, but it didn’t do anything. It pulled her closer and closer. She closed her eyes and thought of what to do. The sound of the saws got closer and closer. She could imagine them ripping her to shreds. Inspiration struck her. She swung the leaf again, but instead of creating a gust, she made a small twister that flew towards the weapons on the ground. A sword, picked up by the wind, was led back to the rope. The rope was severed and sucked up by the saws.
She sprinted to the dummy and socked it in the face. Holding the leaf out behind her, she ran. A small whirlwind began forming in the concave of the leaf. When it had grown to its biggest, she stopped and swung. A bigger tornado burst forth, only this time it was still attached. Like a fishing rod, she controlled it and used it to tear up the rest of the dummies and targets in the room.
Nineteen.
There was one left. When she looked around, however, she couldn’t find it. Then, a panel in the floor opened. An enormous mecha rose out of the hole. Its left arm was a long sword, its right arm, a gun. On its back was the final target. It pointed the gun at her and fired. She held the leaf in front of her and used it as a shield until she could duck behind one of the blocks. The mech advanced.
She looked down at her heels. The wings were still there. She picked up a couple of kunai. Then, she swung the leaf again. Ribbons of pure wind flew out and started circling her foe. She jumped and cleared the block. Once in the air, it aimed its gun at her again. She quickly threw one of the kunai at it. The robot put away the gun and blocked the dagger with its sword arm.
Kat used this as a distraction. She hopped onto the leaf again and glided toward the wind ribbons. They had completely encircled the mecha and formed a dome of wind over it. Her leaf landed on one of the ribbons and she began riding it like a skateboard. It tried to shoot her down, but she was moving too fast. It became defensive, trying desperately hard not to let her see its back, but she had the advantage of being able to soar over it and glide in any direction she wanted. She skated all across the dome, throwing the kunai at it. Finally, one struck the target on the mech's back. It stopped moving.
A bell sounded and the now defeated contraption fell forward. She had cleared all twenty targets.
“Time!” the female crow yelled.
“6 minutes and 37 seconds,” her brother called.
“Well, well,” she said as she wrote it down. “Not bad for a beginner.”
The wind dome dissipated and Kat hopped off of the leaf. As she walked back, the others began chatting fiercely.
“Can I go now?” Kat asked.
“Don’t you want to stay and watch the others?” the crow asked. “Fine, go ahead. Pikari, you’re up!”
The girl with the yellow tail got up and stood on the starting point. She rubbed her gloves together and then separated them. As she did, a spark of electricity jumped between them.
Kat left the gym and walked back to her room. Once inside, she collapsed onto her bed and began gasping for air. She quickly unwrapped the tape and gauze from her legs. The mark was still showing on her ankles. The more she used the wings, the longer it took for the mark to disappear, and the more exhausted she became as it sucked her energy. She reached in her dresser and pulled out a bottle. She rubbed the special lotion on her ankles and wrapped them again. Then she fell into a deep sleep.
She was back in the room surrounded by file cabinets and bookcases. It had been almost four hours since the mission had begun. Finally she was getting somewhere. In front of her was the file they were looking for.
“I have located the document,” she said into the mic. Only static answered her. She called again, “Repeat, I have the file.” Still, no answer. That’s odd, she thought.
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air. It was Crimson. Kat grabbed the file and ran. On the run, she opened her briefcase and took out her leaf, then stuffed the file inside.
She found Crimson lying on the ground down a hallway between bookcases. A tall, thin man was standing over her, holding a scythe, getting ready to deliver one last decisive blow. Kat swung her leaf and sent him flying.
He landed some yards away. When he got back to his feet, he looked at Kat with utter shock and surprise. She sent another gust attack at him, but he swung his scythe and it left a streak behind it of unusual color and energy, almost like a dark emptiness. It was like he had a cut a hole in the very space itself. When the streak had disappeared, so had he.
“Look out behind you!” Crimson screamed.
Kat turned around and saw him standing directly behind her. He was already in mid-swing. The blade of the scythe was en route to her neck. There was no way she could dodge it.
Kat woke up. How long had she been asleep? Without a clock it was hard to tell. She was starving and needed food. She looked under her ankle wraps. The mark was gone. Breathing a sigh of relief, she wrapped them up again. She knew it was dangerous and berated herself for using it during a training session, yet she had to make an impression if she was going to get in Demonic’s good favor.
She left her room and headed for the cafeteria. The hallway was empty. The assassins spent most of their time in their rooms since they were not allowed to leave or go outside. As she turned a corner, she saw Dolosus walking in the opposite direction. He already had another scythe with him. From what she heard his old one had been thrown into one of his own wormholes by her sister a few weeks prior. It surprised her to hear this. Kitty wasn’t a fighter. She was more of a juvenile, immature, free spirit. How she got entangled with Dolosus and Crimson, Kat would never know.
Eventually, Dolosus saw her. He became tense, narrowed his eyes, and continued at a stern pace. When they passed, Kat felt her pulse quicken. She tried to avoid his gaze. They passed and a chill went down her spine. When she reached the cafeteria door, she brushed away her pink hair and quickly went in.

“Do like my present?” Demonic asked, with a grin.
“Yes, it was very thoughtful,” Dolosus answered. “I was told you wanted to see me?”
“Don’t get snippy with me," she ordered, her tone instantly more stern, "and yes, I did want to speak with you. It has been a few weeks since your little ‘incident.’ I trust you have stopped licking your wounds and are ready to resume work?”
He gave a curt nod.
“Good, because I have another assignment for you.”
“That was fast.”
She smiled and threw an envelope at him. He picked it up and began rifling through its contents.
“It’s a bit different than what you are used to. You won’t be an assassin, you’ll be a spy.”
“A spy? But that’s the crows’ job.”
“I know, but I need them for something else, and your skills are best suited for this.”
“Who am I going to spy on?”
“Kat.”
“What?”
“She will be getting an assignment soon, her first one since she has been here. I need you to go and make sure she doesn’t screw it up.”
“So if she fails to kill the target you want me to get him.”
“Exactly, but don’t let her see you. That is imperative.”
“Understood.”

The scythe was about to slice her head off. Suddenly, a muscular man with a bandana around his eyes stopped it. He had grabbed a hold of the staff and was struggling to stop it from killing Kat. He let go with one of his hands and open palmed Dolosus in the chest. A ring of fire shot out and Dolosus went flying. He crashed against the top of a bookcase. Before he could fall off, he grabbed the shelf and volleyed himself on top of the case. He was surprised. Nobody hit him. There was even a singe mark in the shape of a hand on his shirt. He stood up and yelled down to them.
“Who the hell are you?”
“I am Altojo,” the man called back.
Then he summoned a fireball into his hand and threw it at Dolosus. He dodged and the flame hit the shelf instead in an explosion. The whole bookcase wobbled a little bit. That gave Dolosus an idea. He looked down at Kat and yelled, “Ugly dog!”
Her face grew redder than Altojo’s fire. She growled and swung the leaf, releasing a gigantic blast of wind. Dolosus smiled and cut another hole. The gust attack got sucked up. The exit to the hole appeared on the other side of the bookcase and the gale blew the whole case over.
Dolosus escaped through another hole. Altojo, Crimson, and Kat fled down the aisle as the case began to fall. The case hit the bookcase next to it and started a chain reaction that spread throughout the entire room. Bookcases and file cabinets fell left and right. Even Dolosus, who had appeared on top of another bookcase, had to jump to the next one over as it fell.
As the three on the ground below ran, Kat focused her power to her ankle and tiny translucent wings sprouted on her feet. She jumped and bounded from shelf to shelf until she landed next to Dolosus and launched another gust attack at him. He dodged it and jumped to the next case over. She followed him and kept throwing gusts at him. She chased him across the room, jumping from case to case to cabinet to cabinet, all of them falling as soon as they set foot on them. They reached to last file cabinet standing. It too got hit and began falling over. Kat used another gust attack and knew Dolosus had nowhere to go. He jumped from the cabinet and plummeted toward the ground. He swung his scythe and fell into the hole he had created.
He reappeared and found himself in front of Altojo. He thought he was going to hit him again, but all Altojo did was stand there. Dolosus stood completely still. Then he stuck out his tongue and flipped him off. Altojo didn’t do anything. It was like he didn’t even see Dolosus. That’s when it hit him.
He can’t see me. He’s got that bandana around his eyes. He’s blind.
Dolosus focused his energy and silently cut open another hole, small enough for the blade of his scythe to fit through. An exit hole appeared next to Altojo’s neck. He stuck the blade through positioned it in front of his neck.
Just because Crimson was my target doesn’t mean I can’t kill him too.
He got ready to slice his head off. Suddenly, a fist came through the air and punched Dolosus in the back of his head. He fell forward and his scythe blade fell out of the hole.
“Damn!” he swore.
Altojo looked up and sent two streams of fire that encircled and trapped Dolosus. He then clapped his hands and the ring of fire exploded.
When the smoke cleared, they could see there was nothing left. Altojo smiled. All of a sudden Dolosus appeared, aiming a kick at his face. Altojo staggered back and spat out a little blood. He made another fireball and threw it at Dolosus who escaped through another hole. As soon as he reappeared, Altojo threw another fireball at him. Dolosus disappeared again and reappeared, only to dodge another fireball. Fire soared through the air, leaving a blazing trail behind them. At last Dolosus reappeared behind Crimson and swung his scythe. She tried to duck.
“Too slow,” he yelled.
A gust of wind knocked him off his feet. He landed on top of another file cabinet. He glared at all three of them.
“Sir, we’ll be landing soon.”
Dolosus woke up. He had fallen asleep on the plane. He waved the stewardess away and wiped the sleep from his eyes. Out the window of the plane he could a massive city below. It was the city of Otakon, Japan. Apparently, Kat’s target would be at a festival the city held every year. Dolosus had been to Japan many times, but never in this area. He couldn’t create a loophole to Otakon because he could not visualize where he would end up. The only option was to go by plane. Luckily, Demonic got him first class tickets.
He got off the plane and took a taxi to the hotel. He had been sent a day before Kat to get ready. That meant he could spend the rest of the day relaxing. He checked in under his alias, “Ian Brite”, and went up to the room to unpack and watch a movie.

Kat got off the plane. She grabbed her luggage and took a taxi to the hotel Demonic had made a reservation for. She checked in under her usual alias, “Katelyn Hart.” Then she went up a couple of floors and went into her room to unpack. As she did so, the envelope with the mission Demonic had given her fell out of her suitcase. She looked at the picture of the man she would have to kill the next day. It would be tough. Killing a bad guy in the heat of battle while he was trying to kill you was one thing. However, taking out someone she had never met before, who hadn’t done anything to her, who could have been the most innocent man in the world, was different. She felt a little guilty inside. It wasn’t something a little sightseeing and shopping couldn’t solve.

The next day, no taxis were running in the city. The streets were all packed with people dressed in the most unusual and outrageous outfits. The women dressed in slutty dresses, the men dressed in slutty dresses, the androgynous people dressed in sexy outfits. It was an entire festival celebrating manga and anime. A girl with pink hair holding a giant leaf fit in perfectly. Kat left the hotel. Dolosus left a few seconds later. He hid in shadows, behind dark glasses. He followed her through the crowd of people until the reached a park in the center of the city. The entire park was decorated with booths and tents that held weapons and comics and so many other souvenirs.
Kat walked by all of the booths. She wasn’t there to shop. She was there to kill. It was difficult, though, to find her target since everyone around her kept stopping her to admire the leaf. Several times she was asked what she was supposed to be. Several times she answered, “an assassin.”
Dolosus was having a similar problem. His scythe drew so much attention, but his cold, stern disposition usually kept them away. One guy, however, had the nerve to walk up to him and challenge to a battle. Dolosus was tempted to kill him, but he had to keep undercover.
Sometime around lunch Kat had made her way to the center stage. A man was standing on it, giving an overly passionate talk. He was her target. She turned from the stage and swiftly walked to the other end of the field. She made sure no one was watching, and then climbed one of the trees until she reached the topmost bough. The stage was far away, but she could still see her target.
Her heart began pounding. Her head began reeling. An image of Altojo flashed into her mind. She swallowed the lump in her throat, focused her energy, and swung the leaf.

Dolosus had lost sight of her. He kept cursing to himself. He decided to stay within sight of the target. If Kat did not kill him, he would have to do it himself.
All of a sudden, a gust of wind ripped through the tents and booths. People began screaming. Dolosus turned around and saw a twister coming toward the booths. It smashed into a weapons booth and sped toward the stage as a cyclone of sharp metal.
Looks like she didn’t chicken out. A little bit theatrical, though.
He looked to the stage to make sure the target had not gotten out of the way. There, standing in between the target and the twister, was a little girl. She had big, blonde hair tied up in pigtails with huge, blue ribbons. She was yelling at him. Dolosus got worried. Her back was to the cyclone so she didn’t see it coming. If she didn’t move, it would hit and kill her instead. Unnecessary casualties would be problematic. He ran toward her. He wasn’t sure if he would make it in time. The sound of scratching and clanging metal grew deafening as it approached. He jumped and grabbed her. The twister soared inches above them. One of the shuriken nicked his shoulders. There was a crash, another scream, and the sound of wood breaking. Before the ceiling could cave in, he cut a hole and threw himself and the girl into it.
They came out behind one of the tents. Dolosus stood the girl up and looked her in the eye.
“What the heck is wrong with you? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
She slapped him across the face. “Thanks a lot! Now, because of you, I’ll never kill him. Crap!”
She turned and ran. He was dumbstruck. Why would she want to kill Kat’s target? She was so young, so naive looking. Before he could chase after her, the tent next to him burst into flames. Out came running a girl with red horns and a tail with a flame on the end. Dolosus recognized her as Derenard, one of the other assassins. She was more like Demonic’s private arsonist. He chased her until he caught her by the collar and stared her in the eye.
“What are you doing here?” he snarled.
There was fear in her eyes. “I-I was sent by D-Demonic.”
“What? Why? Did she tell you to spy on me?”
“No! She only told me to wait for a gust of wind and then set fire to the booths and tents. Please don’t tell her I told you. She said it was imperative that you didn’t see me.”
She told her to wait for the wind?

Dolosus was getting annoyed. Killing somebody usually didn’t take this long. He would have to stop messing around and finish them. Kat whispered something to Altojo. He nodded and clapped his hands together. A wall of fire stretched the width of the room. Kat stood behind it and swung her leaf again. The windstorm carried the flames across the room, destroying everything in its path.
Dolosus looked around him. The tents and booths were going up in flames just like the bookcases and the file cabinets had. The wind was carrying the flame towards the city.
So that’s why Derenard’s here. Demonic wants her to burn down the place. And wind spreads fire. That’s why Kat was sent here. Their powers were working together without the two of them even realizing it. Demonic had played them like pawns. But why?


There was a huge explosion as the wall of fire hit the back wall. The entire room was up in flames. Before they could see if Dolosus had been caught in the blaze, another explosion was heard from the opposite wall. Guards came pouring through the hole, shooting at them. The three of them ran to the hole in the wall Altojo’s blast had made. They got onto Kat’s leaf and soared from the thirtieth floor to safety.
Kat shook the daydream from her head. She needed her mind to stop wandering so she could finish the paperwork she had to fill out about her mission. She couldn’t remember how many weapons were sticking out of the guy’s chest when they found him. She made a guess and put down her pencil.
She walked over to her dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer. She pushed aside the clothes. There, lying next to the bottle of lotion was a picture of Altojo. She stared at it and sighed.
Soon I’ll find out where you are, and I will save you.
She took out the picture. Underneath was the file she had found that fateful day in Demonic’s archives. It was a shame she never got a chance to show Altojo. The trio had agreed to all look through it together.

“Enter,” Demonic said. The two crows came into her room and closed the door behind them. “Ah! How did it go?”
“Very well,” the male said as he handed her some papers and pictures.
“You were right. He’s in Guatemala,” the female said.
“Of course I was right. The question is why he is there?” Demonic said. She looked down at the stack of papers. There was a picture lying on top of them. It was a side shot of Altojo.


Owari

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment