Dodge: Serial 116

Black Jackal makes his first appearance, and Losha is intent on meeting him.

Serial 116: Don’t Know Jack - I

June 28th, 48 S.D.         20:22        Kalon, Central Plains

    Viro Felkat Kalon was a particularly influential nobleman with considerable sway over domestic and military affairs. Though he belonged to no branch of government, he had a great deal of power in his clan. The hierarchy in Kalon was rather fluid among its people, granting persons such as himself a strong voice if the political conditions were ripe. Viro was also a very worried man that night, something he openly expressed to his friend and close confidant, Migal.

    “You have heard the stories as of late?” Viro asked. The two of them sat in a lavish living room at his sprawling hillside estate. Elevated land, given the flat features of the Central Plains, was highly prized, and only a few men like Viro could afford it.

    “Sa,” Migal replied. “They say someone has been going around trying to dig up information on your buddy, that Jackal guy.”

    “Every day for the past week, we keep getting reports of people going through mysterious interrogations. No one ever sees her face, and no one ever escapes her or expects her.”

    “Who is she anyway?” Migal wondered as he looked to the side, out pass the window, and onto the sloping grass.

    “I will be damned if I knew. Ksh. She claims to be a ghost. To her credit, she may well be a specter. Wherever there is an incident, no trace gets left behind.”

    “Se? Sounds just like these Zeroes we are involved with.”

    Viro shook his head negatively. “No, it sounds like an assassin! Whoever she is, she seems intent on finding Black Jackal. I do not want to lose my contact with the Zeroes, nor do I want to lose my life for getting mixed up in all of this.”

    “Well, you were the one that thought using the Zeroes against the Mepav would boost your standing. You were not wrong about that. Anyway, how do you not know this secret stalker simply wants to get a hold of the Zeroes herself for a job?”

    “Migal, anyone around here that wants to get in touch with the Zeroes comes through me. Black Jackal only deals with me. Anyone seeking out Black Jackal directly raises a dozen alarms.”

    “Sa, sa, I see your point,” Migal conceded. “But if you are so concerned about the Jackal’s life, and your own, why request the sudden meeting tonight?”

    “If you are so concerned about your own life, why did you come here as well?”

    “Ha! Indeed, why did I?” Migal laughed. “Well, if you had not doubled your soldiers and patrols, I probably would not be here actually. But Black Jackal never gets caught off-guard; he would never let anything happen, at least not while he is around. He is smart, too cunning to be trapped or anything. If there really is going to be imminent danger, he will never show up in the first place.”

    “Let us hope, if he does not show up, it is on the account that someone killed him on the way...” Viro sighed. So it was that the two of them waited while the evening passed. A full hour or so went by until finally word came from Viro’s staff; Jackal’s coach had been spotted on the approach. Viro took that as a positive sign; once his people formed an escort, his guest would be secure.

    “See?” Migal said, standing before a wide glass door that led to a large outdoor patio. “He made it here just fine. Who knows, I bet the Zeroes protect him anyway, unseen, from the shadows.”

    “Even so,” Viro mumbled. “This so-called ‘ghost’ is very disturbing. Whoever she is, she seems quite capable. She knows what she is doing. I can only hope she never finds Black Jackal, whatever it is she wants with him.”

    “You worry too much,” Migal said. “Did I not just tell you that Jackal would never step foot into any kind of bad situation? Come on, Viro, relax.”

    “I hope you are right, my friend...”

    And yet, in the distance, but a few hundred meters on adjacent hills, a certain someone peered at the pair through her binoculars. Lying prone in thick bushes, Losha slowly lowered the lenses, looking at the villa with narrowing eyes. She came up, kneeling, then manually spotted the lit carriage coming down the road, her target. Sa, she thought to herself, it was time to find some solid info on the Zeroes...



    The man known as Black Jackal was a tall, lanky fellow in his early 30s. He stepped out of his carriage slowly, digging his hands into his pockets as he looked up at the sky. He only had one good eye to see. His left was covered with a gold-plated patch; it was fitted over his head by small, metal chains, like those found on necklaces. Engraved in the center was the sharp angular head of a jackal. True to his name, he dressed quite blackly. As he stared upward, he tugged his loose jacket closer to himself.

    “Shrieks, more of this weather?” he asked aloud. Above them, to the west, lightning surged through the clouds, dancing across darkened outlines. Seconds later, the faint boom and rumble rolled over the plains and up the hills. The wind kicked up and blew a smattering of raindrops over them.

    “Ver Jackal,” one of Viro’s escorts said. “Ver Felkat awaits you.”

    “Sa, sa. I know the way. The usual spot, ya?” The Jackal smiled to himself as he strolled through the front doors. He was very familiar with Viro’s place, having been here over a dozen times in the past year alone. The staff recognized both his face and his status, so he was regularly greeted with deference from others while he casually shifted down the halls. Soon enough, the Jackal found himself in the same old den where he and Viro did their business.

    “Sa!” the Jackal said with a brief wave and a grin.

    “Ah, Black Jackal, thank you for coming on such short notice,” Viro said as he glanced up at him. The Jackal went over to a seat opposite of Viro and Migal and sat down. Immediately, he kicked back, throwing his feet onto a nearby ottoman and spreading his arms behind himself on the couch’s wide back.

    “Hah! Well, it is not like I had anything else to do,” he said.

    “This here is my good friend, Migal. You can trust him; he has been involved with several of our other plots against Mepav, however, I believe this is the first time you two have met.”

    “A pleasure, Ver Jackal,” Migal nodded.

    “The same,” the Jackal smiled. “So, Viro, what will it be today? You know, the Zeroes have not said ‘no’ to any of your requests. Why not go big? About time, ya? Go at Mepav’s head, or heart or whatever. You should have no doubts about what they can do.”

    “Unfortunately, we need to switch focus,” Viro frowned.

    “Switch focus? Like fresh blood, ya?”

    “Not exactly,” Viro explained. “I would have thought you would be aware of this by now, but it seems a rather unsavory individual has taken a profound interest in you.”

    “Huh,” the Jackal said. “Would not be the first time...”

    “You do not seem especially surprised...”

    “Nope. Not at all,” the Jackal shrugged. “People are always looking for yours truly. There are a lot of folks that want me in all the wrong ways. What can I say? You know the types of deals I make. All part of the job. Now, what can you tell me about this person nosing about?”

    “Evidently, a woman has been going around Kalon, gathering all sorts of tidbits pertaining to you and the Zeroes.”

    “Ooo! A woman!” the Jackal whistled. “Sounds like she is pretty interested in me.”

    “In all the wrong ways, Jackal...”

    “Ksh!” Viro’s guest said, jerking his head. “I swear Viro, you worry too much. No need to piss your pants. No one is gonna get me. No one is gonna get you either.”

    The storm approached ever closer, thundering nearer by the minute. The roof began to whisper with gentle pitter-patter, yet soon its spoke of steady rainfall. Rushing through the hills, a gust or two occasionally swept over the villa.

    “This person, this ‘ghost’ as she claims to be, she is different. She is not a thug; she is a professional. Over a dozen people have vanished in the night, handled a bit until they crack and leak information, then they get released in the morning. No one sees her face; they just hear her voice. To have this suddenly develop over the course of a single week... Can you not see why this all gets me so antsy?”

    The Jackal rubbed the back of his neck as he looked up at the ceiling. “I mean, ya. I get where you are coming from. But just relax. I have handled tough customers and dire situations aplenty. Notice how I am still breathing today? That does not come from just being lucky, my friend,” he grinned sharply.

    “Do you have protection from the Zeroes? Do they at least watch out for you?”

    “Viro, you know I am not at liberty to say such things. But I do not need them behind my back; I got myself covered no matter what. Anyway, you said there was a job for them? I mean, you did call me for that, ya? What will it be, pal?”

    Viro leaned back and crossed his legs before speaking. “I want the Zeroes to eliminate this woman.”

    “Whoa. This is seriously freaking you out,” Black Jackal laughed. “Well, whatever. This is your request. Heh, nice to know some people actually do care about me.”

    “I do not like how all of this smells,” Viro grimaced. “It feels like a major problem. I will not let it progress any further.”

    “Suit yourself, Viro. I just pass along jobs to our friends behind the scenes. Not my place to judge those requests. But, in the meantime, until this ‘problem’ is taken care of, I would highly recommend that you take it easy. I mean, look at me, the actual target, not fretting nothing. Least you can do is turn your stress down a notch, ya?”

    Viro grumbled for a bit as the weather outside intensified. “I suppose you are right. Just as long as the Zeroes take care of this soon.”

    “Ksh! It is not like she is here tonight, right now,” the Jackal laughed.

    At that very moment, as electric lines etched along the skies, they saw something out of the corner of their eyes, out the glass doors leading to the patio. A flash blinded the very air for a moment, but on a passing glance, it looked like something had fallen from the upper level and onto the hills below.

    “Did something just fall?” Viro asked.

    “The storm is pretty nasty. Maybe something loose blew away,” the Jackal said, dismissing it with a wave of his hand.

    “I do not know... It... it kind of looked like a person,” Migal said. Suddenly, above them, a man screamed as he tumbled from the roof and rolled down the hillside.

    “Shrieks!” Viro exclaimed, standing up all at once as cold panic seeped into his veins.

    “Viro! That was one of yours,” Migal pointed.

    “Must be some heavy winds out there,” the Jackal said, almost disinterested.

    “Do not be daft, Jackal!” Viro hissed. “Can you not see? It is her! Oh shrieks, it is her! Migal, stay away from those doors! Let the men on patrol take care of things out there. I am sure those two are fine.”

    Suddenly, overhead, they heard a series of thudding footsteps, a commotion of quick action followed by someone yelling before a violent crash silenced all. Soon, shouting erupted across the villa as the guards called to one another, raising a state of alert. Bursting into the room, a drenched soldier with a lantern in hand hastily addressed Viro and his guests.

    “Ver Felkat, everyone. We have a situation. An intruder has entered the premises. Please, follow us to the safety room!”

    “You must be shitting me,” Black Jackal laughed as he stood up. “Well, guess this is the real thing.”

    “Do not be fools, you two,” Viro chastised as he leaped up and away. “Be quick about all of this.”

    Hurriedly, they were directed down the hall, closely protected by at least six others before they made their way downstairs to a vault-like area. Meanwhile, throughout Viro’s villa, the struggle against this uninvited assailant continued. As a lot of four soldiers dashed outside, stepping onto the patio, they looked wildly about, searching high and low.

    “Field Lead. I cannot see anything in this rain. Where are they?”

    “Shut up and keep those eyes open!” their commander growled. “They are here somewhere. They have to be.”

    They all turned left and right, hoping to catch sight of something, anything. One of them gazed over the railing, finding the unconscious body of their colleagues on the slopes.

    “Shrieks! There they are, two of ours on the ground!” he exclaimed and waved. The three others moved to see as well. As they all stared in one direction, a black figure slipped down from the roof behind them. The sound of their landing caused the soldiers to whip around. In an instant, they now stood before Losha. Having ditched her cloak and hat, she was sopping wet from exposure. Even so, she launched herself into battle without the slightest delay.

    Lunging forward, she threw one of them backwards with a shove. That soldier toppled into the Field Lead as they both collapsed. Reacting to the turn of events, a guard to her right thrust his arm at her; the incoming punch, however, never connected. Losha sidestepped and blocked it. Rapidly she kicked one of his legs, weakening his stability before she grabbed and slammed him face-first onto the patio’s wooden floor. As she finished with one, another attacked from the opposite side. He came at her with no real plan though, and his defenses were wide open. Losha took but one step then unleashed a barrage of consecutive palm strikes, from high to low. Each one forced the man backwards. At last, she spun around close, elbowing him swiftly across his cheek. The blow reeled him a bit before he collapsed entirely.

    The remaining two regained themselves, but only just in time to come against her. She advanced two paces, whirling around to deliver a reverse hook kick straight to one’s forehead. In short order, he blacked out after the heel of her boot collided with him. Left alone now, the Field Lead drew his short sword and pounced at Losha. Aiming to cut her with a downward slash, he raised the blade behind his head. His steel raced at her, descending with lethal speed. Even so, Losha caught him by the wrist.

    “Grrrhh!” the officer snarled, frustrated that he could not overcome her. How was she stronger than he was? He could not ponder for long. In a further display of her might, Losha grappled him at his waist as well, then completely heaved him off the ground. With a slight twist, she chucked him through the patio’s railing with a crunch, letting him sail down into the hills.

    In addition to the previous ones on the roof, her current total was seven KOs. Not bad for using only martial techniques, in her opinion. Ever cautious, she chose to mask her seras frequency, just in case the Zeroes were watching in the proximity. It would have proved troublesome if they began to recognize her frequency, not yet anyway, not until she could fight them directly. Unfortunately, that also meant serialization would be minimal while she was in the villa. She figured it didn’t matter at any rate; her fists fought just as well as her soul did. Losha marched into the den then turned to the door leading to the rest of the house. Beyond that, she could sense more soldiers moving her way. An idea fast formed in her mind as they zeroed in.

    Outside the den, the men filed down the hall, leveling their pistols upright. Before breaking in, they paused for a second, exchanging silent hand gestures. A moment later, however, they edged up to the door. The first one opened it and entered; the others went behind him after a bit. However, as soon as the lead man stepped inside, he felt himself falling. Crouching close to the door, off to the side, Losha yanked her leg underneath and behind his, causing him to stumble. Before her first victim hit the floor, she spun up and confronted the others. At least four guns were aimed at her, but crowded in a line, only the most immediate of them could actually shoot.

    Moving like a blur, she snatched the nearest gun and jerked the guard’s arm straight up. He fired several shots into the ceiling as the two wrestled. With an explosion of power, however, Losha charged forward, all at once pushing the men backwards into the hall and up against the wall. Her ferocity stunned them and broke their stances, giving her just enough time to properly grab the soldier in front of her. With another display of prowess, she hurled him over her shoulder, backwards into the den, landing right on top of the one she’d earlier tripped; both were soon out cold.

    Only a trio remained. They staggered to stand, but by then, Losha had already begun her assault. She flew to one on her right and planted a side kick across his face, breaking his nose in the process with an audible crack. Wasting no moment, she grabbed a small vase from a little table and flung it as she pivoted hastily. The piece shattered as it hit one of the guards in their shooting hand. In pain, as blood seeped from his wounded fingers, he dropped to his knees, letting go of the weapon to nurse himself.

    The final soldier in the area managed to raise his gun at her. He had a clear shot at Losha; all he needed to do was pull the trigger. Unfortunately, he was still much too slow compared to Losha’s reflexes. Springing forward, she pummeled her knuckles deep into his stomach. The punch actually drove him far away. Staggering backwards, he crashed into a mirror, sprinkling glass around him as he slid down. Before he could sink to the floor, Losha grabbed him by his uniform, lifting him off the ground.

    “I already know where they are,” she said, referring to Viro and Black Jackal. “However, I am giving you and your friends one warning. Leave. Now.”

    Sensing motion behind her, Losha swiped the gun out of the soldier’s hand as she dropped him. Rotating on her heel, she pitched the pistol down the hall. At that same time, the guard with the battered hand was kneeling, clumsily pointing his firearm at her with his offhand. Right as he’d primed his weapon, Losha’s projectile struck him squarely between the eyes. As he crumpled over, a single shot went off randomly, piercing a painting on a wall. The picture fell lamely onto the rug as its fixture was ruined.

    “I hate guns,” Losha moaned angrily to herself before turning around.

    This last soldier, unlike the others, was simply dazed rather than completely knocked out. Still, his head lolled as if its weight titled. Unsteadily, his vision swam to and fro, aimless. He could hear himself, but almost as if with an echo. In all the chaos, the lamps within that section of the hallway had been destroyed; everything could only be seen darkly. Even so, somehow the man’s eyes locked upon Losha.

    “Wh-who are you?!” he gulped, spontaneously possessed by a great fear of her. Losha had been walking away, but she stopped to answer him.

    “Me? Who am I? You should have asked what I am.” As she spoke, lightning flashed across the whole villa, casting her shadow longly. “I am nobody, not anymore. I am what remains of a warrior, the phantom of an old fighter. And I am not here anymore.”

    Another bolt pierced the storm, causing the soldier to wince as the sudden brightness lit the hallway. Indeed, as soon as he opened his eyes, Losha was gone.

Author's Note

15 years ago, Losha Holvate Sventa fought to bring peace between Sventa and Henron. Though calm has been established between these two major clans, the larger situation has not been resolved. Time has passed, but the Central Plains are still a violent place, seething with anger and hatred. All it takes is a simple scratch, and everything will come rushing to the top. From the shadows, one underground group aims to do just that using the strength of serialization. Now an abandoned hero, Losha must once more rise to save these lands from the destructive power of the art. Yet as the actions of her past confront the Wolf, can she find the will to stand against the one behind it all, her very own son?

The next installment comes March 30, 2016. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

======

* There is a shameless pun right here -> "**Elevated** land, given the flat features of the Central Plains, was **highly** prized". :P

* Black Jackal makes a living doing all sorts of seedy deals. Here, he is introduced as a sort of laid back person that doesn't worry about much. Although he finds himself in danger, he doesn't express any sort of concern. As he says, he's been in tight situations before, so Losha's intrusion doesn't faze him. The Zeroes may be protecting him, or he may simply believe that he's capable of handling it himself (as he claims in this serial). His name comes from both the animals found out west in the Zevano Badlands and is slightly a pun based on the card game Black Jack. As we'll later see, he's a man that likes to take his chances.

* In the previous serial the "symbol of the devil" referred to the jackal as an animal. Outside the world of Dodge, this can be taken as the symbol of Anubis, but inside the world of Dodge, jackals in the Zevano Badlands are known to attack and kill ranchers, travelers, and livestock. They're one of the most active predators in that region, and certainly are associated with death among Gandian ranchers and various nomadic tribes that live there.

* Losha exhibits a lot of physical strength in this serial. She's strong enough to overpower several trained soldier even without relying on serialization. She's fit but not buff or beefy by any means. Over time, as serialists grow, the seras of their souls begins to affect their bodies more and more. The process of regenesis (halted aging) and accelerated healing are all by-products. The body also reacts by increasing its potential in areas such as reflexes. In the case of muscle strength, Losha can actually force her body to do more work than it would ordinary be able to handle. The stress and damage is quickly healed. A consequence of this, however, is that her accelerated healing factor makes it difficult to actually retain increases in muscle mass. The healing process tries to normalize her body to its previous condition, like a reversion.

* Losha is fighting hand-to-hand because she is cloaking her seras frequency (suppressing any seras leaking away from her soul). If she serializes, her frequency would be known to any others who can detect it. She does not know if the Zeroes are nearby, cloaking themselves as well, hence her fighting style in this serial. She wants to find out more about the Zeroes before tackling them with her full powers. She also provides little clues about her identity, claiming to be a "ghost". She never says that she is the Wolf because 1) that's an identity she discarded a decade ago, and 2) it would give away who she is.

======

Any feedback is welcome. Just writing because I like it. Always wanted to make a weekly series, so I'm doing it.