Eastern Cross

This is joint-written. Ambree's just starting to realize the seriousness of what she's getting into.

Glide stopped at a crossroads, glancing down each of the three paths. “Déjà vu.” He snickered. “Which way should we go? North, South or East?”

“Shall we flip a three sided rock?” Niqi asked, rolling her eyes. She turned to Ambree. “Where would you like to go?”

“I don’t know. East,” Ambree replied on a whim.

Glide nodded, continuing down the east path. “Off to see the selkies. This should be interesting.”

Niqi smirked. “We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz…”

Glide stopped, paw on his katana. “You’re gonna get it, I swear...”

“I had to,” Niqi snickered. She pondered for a moment. “What do you think the selkies’ reaction is going to be to the law being broken?”

Glide shrugged. “I’m more interested in how the king’s gonna react when he finds out we’re there. I don’t wanna get into another fistfight.”

“You got into a fight with the king?” Ambree asked.

“He called me a whelp.” Glide growled, narrowing his eyes. “So I hit him. Then he hit me back, and we ended up brawling for, like, twenty minutes.”

Ambree laughed. “You sure have been around.” She turned to Niqi. “What about you, though? I haven’t heard much about you.”

Niqi shrugged. “I haven’t been alive…existing…as long as he has. I’m only twenty six. Grew up on Earth, met Glide on one of the rare occasions he was actually there…Thanks to him, I was off the planet when it was destroyed. I was exploring with him for a while, and then we came here and joined the Crusaders. It was pretty lucky that they discovered I had a supernatural power, although who I was with definitely played a part.”

“What’s your supernatural ability, then?” Ambree asked.

“I’m a channeler, but not in the way you would expect. If I defeat someone, I can harness any abilities they might have had. Currently, I haven’t defeated anyone. Unless…hold on a minute…” Niqi stopped walking and closed her eyes. She concentrated for many moments… Suddenly, a black spike shot from her paw into the ground. “Holy s**t, what the hell was that?”

“Ranryuu, the orchid dragon attack.” Glide smirked. “Nice, I didn’t think that demon you took out was high enough in rank to use that.”

Niqi grinned. “It works!” she yelled. She concentrated again, aiming away from the path they were on. Another spike shot from her paw. “That is absolutely incredible.”

“Don’t just keep shooting ’em off.” Glide laughed. “You’ll need to save your strength, in case something bad happens.”

“You’re probably right. But seriously, it actually works. I never quite believed it before.”

“I feel incredibly small,” Ambree complained, laughing.

Niqi grinned. “Don’t worry. I feel like that too around some of the elite Crusaders.”

“Like me; I’m the guy they’re all compared to.” Glide said. “So, are we gonna stop at the Eastern Cross, or did you gals wanna continue past it?”

“I’m fine either way,” Ambree replied.

“No preference.” Niqi shrugged slightly. “You know, I’m starting to think that making these decisions about destinations is beginning to be a hassle.”

“You’re both useless.” Glide snickered, approaching the wall that surrounded the Eastern Cross. “Well, if we’re going in, we’ll need to lose any weapons we have.”

“Do we get them back?” Niqi asked.

“When we leave.” Glide replied, shrugging. “But you never know what might happen while we’re in there.”

“Well, I can’t lose the black spikes, and you can’t lose Shetani, so I think we’re set in any case.” Niqi pulled her hunting knife out of one of her boots. It was engraved with pictures of wolves. She undid the strap keeping her katana at her side. “All I got.” She turned to Ambree.

“I got nothing. I’m not particularly a fighter,” Ambree said.

Glide unsheathed his katana, handing it to the guard at the gate. “I’ll be keeping the sheath. If you have a problem, well, that’s too damn bad.”

Niqi handed her katana and knife over to the guard wordlessly.

“Nothing,” Ambree said, and then tried to pass through.

The guard caught her arm. “Excuse me, miss, but are you…human?” he asked.

Glide walked back over to the guard, grinning and patting him on the shoulder. “You’re doin’ a great job, pal, but it’s time for you to go to sleep.”

The guard suddenly went limp, collapsing against the wall.

Glide smirked. “Vulcan nerve hold.”

Niqi smiled. “You have to teach me that trick sometime.”

Ambree hesitantly moved within the Eastern Cross. “I’m so glad you guys showed up before I decided to hop the wall.”

“You probably would’ve been eaten alive out here without us.” Glide said, pushing open the door to the Eastern Cross’ tavern and heading inside.

Niqi followed Glide inside, Ambree right behind her. “You know that I’m broke on Seisen money,” Niqi said.

“No worries.” Glide said, fishing his wallet out of his pocket. “I’ve still got those fifty Drakes. It should be enough for a couple of drinks and some information.”

“Sweet,” Niqi replied, holding her paws in a cup for some money. She made puppy eyes, but the effect was somewhat dimmed by the glowing yellow irises.

Glide hit Niqi in the head with his wallet. “Cards, girl. Money in this ’verse is all on cards. I can’t just shill out Drakes unless you have a card, too.”

Niqi sighed. “Okay, fine. Buy me a drink?” She glanced at Ambree. “And her too, if they don’t get too pissy about her being underage?”

Glide nodded, taking a seat at the bar and giving the barkeeper a nod. “I was planning to. What do you gals want?”

Niqi sat down and thought for a moment. “They got Shiraz? I miss that stuff, but I haven’t seen it anywhere but Earth.”

Ambree sat down as well, but she remained quiet.

Glide glanced at the bartender. “Yo, you heard the girl. And get me a Blood Yume.” He looked to Ambree as the bartender scrambled to get the drinks. “What about you?”

“Um…whatever Niqi’s having. I don’t know much about drinks,” Ambree responded, figuring that Glide’s would be too strong for her.

The bartender set the drinks down, staring at Glide as the Varixian lifted his; Blood Yume were the hardest drinks in the Eastern Cross. Glide downed the drink in one gulp, the bartender fainting. “I’ve had better.”

Niqi sipped at the Shiraz, smiling. “Tastes like home,” she declared.

Ambree sniffed her drink and took a small sip of it. “Tastes sorta fruity to me,” she said.

Niqi laughed.

“Well, Niqi’s at home around fruits.” Glide snickered. “Why do you think she hangs around me?”

“That was lamer than one of my dad’s jokes,” Niqi responded, laughing anyway.

Ambree smirked, taking another small sip.

“Hey, I just downed a Blood Yume in one gulp; I’m entitled to at least one lame joke.” Glide muttered, slamming his glass down on the bar. “Hey, a*****e! Wake up and get me another!”

Niqi took a large drink from her glass. “Can’t exactly blame him for fainting. He doesn’t know you’re undead.”

“What can I say?” Glide grinned. “I like to f**k with the bartenders like Loki likes to f**k with the clergy.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but from what I’ve seen, you like to f**k with everyone,” Niqi replied, smirking.

Glide shrugged. “I can’t help it if I know a lot of guys that love the c**k.”

Ambree nearly choked on the sip she was taking.

Niqi glanced at Ambree and laughed. “You’ll get used to it.”

“If you’re lucky, it won’t take longer than a year.” Glide added.

“A year?” Ambree asked, a bit startled. Were they really expecting her to stay with them that long?

Niqi caught her drift. “Once you’ve been on enough insane adventures with us, you probably won’t want to leave. Even if Glide sometimes makes disgusting comments only a gay could come up with.”

“It’s not because I’m gay.” Glide huffed. “It’s because I’m sick in the head.”

Niqi shrugged, glancing over the counter. The bartender was still out cold. “Hey!” she shouted at him. There was no response. She took Ambree’s Shiraz, which she was no longer sipping at, and dumped it onto the bartender.

The bartender woke up with a start.

“Get him that Blood Yume he asked for,” Niqi ordered, jerking her head towards Glide.

“And hurry it up!” Glide growled. “If people keep me waiting for too long, I get mad. And when I get mad, I get stabby.”

Niqi glanced at Glide. “You mentioned information as well as drinks. What was the information you were going to buy, anyway?”

“I heard there was a demon in the area.” Glide replied, taking his Blood Yume from the bartender and downing it. “A really powerful one. I need to find out where it is, so I can kill it.”

“That ought to be fun to watch,” Niqi commented. “How, exactly, do you lure a demon out of the Eastern Cross, anyway? And why don’t they get killed before you can get to them if they’re here?”

Glide shrugged. “The ones that are here are powerful, like I said. They masquerade as selkies. You just need to know what to look for.”

“So where do you plan to get the information from?” Niqi asked, glancing around the room. “It’s not like any regular selkie here would know, if the demons are disguised as selkies themselves.”

“There’s a guy I know around here.” Glide said. “He knows everything that goes on.”

“Why do you always know someone, wherever we go? I swear, you’ve been around too long,” Niqi muttered.

Glide shrugged, standing up. “I just need to be kept in the loop with these kinds of things.”

Niqi finished her Shiraz and stood up as well. “Which way?”

“This way, for starters.” Glide smirked, heading for the door. “Just follow me.”

Niqi nodded once, falling in line behind Glide.

Ambree got out of her seat and rushed to catch up with them.

Glide opened the door, stepping out into the street and immediately heading for a small building near the north wall. He had time to knock thrice on the door before getting an answer.

“‘I will give you those things you thought unreal’...” A voice spoke from behind the door.

“‘The sun, the moon, the stars, all bear my seal’.” Glide responded, the door opening.

“Well, that’s one way to make sure only certain people get in,” Niqi commented.

“It’s not hard to figure out the password if you’ve heard it.” Glide said, stepping inside and greeting the dark-haired selkie within with a nod. “We’re here for-”

“I know.” the selkie cut him off. “Information. I got what you need, but it’s gonna cost you. Fifty Drakes.”

“S**t,” Niqi hissed. “Maybe we shouldn’t have stopped for a drink.”

“Stop trying to stiff me, dude.” Glide growled, grabbing the selkie by his tail. “I’ll give you twenty.”

“Let go of my tail!” The selkie snapped. “I’ll take the twenty, you cheapskate.”

Glide nodded, letting the selkie go and fishing out his wallet.

“Seems like nothing’s a problem when you’ve got him around,” Ambree commented.

“None of the rules apply,” Niqi replied.

“On second thought,” Glide murmured, slipping his wallet back into his pocket, “how about you tell me what you know, and I’ll decide what it’s worth afterwards?”

“Now who’s stiffing who?” The selkie scowled. “Demon King’s been working his dark magic more than usual lately. It’s getting harder to tell demon from selkie.”

“I keep hearing about that Demon King, but he never shows up anywhere,” Niqi said.

“Gensuma is the self-proclaimed ruler of the demons.” Glide replied. “They tend to reluctantly take his orders, if only because he’s the most powerful demon above.”

“Glad that’s been clarified.” Niqi turned to the selkie in the doorway. “Now, where the hell is the demon in the area?”

“There’s two.” The selkie responded. “The demon princes.”

Glide, shockingly, became quite pale. “Hebimaru and Hebitatsu...?”

“Yeah, that’s them.” The selkie nodded.

Niqi noticed Glide’s expression. She nudged him. “Glide? I don’t like it when you, of all people, get scared.”

“I’m not...” Glide muttered. “I’m... just fine.”

“They’ve got weaknesses, just like everything else.” The selkie said. “Now, are you going to pay me or what?”

Niqi looked at the selkie, and then grabbed him by the front of his shirt. “Not just yet. You still haven’t told us where they are.”

“Back off.” The selkie snarled. “They’re right under your nose. The bartender is Hebimaru. And that guard at the front gate is Hebitatsu.”

Niqi’s paw fell limply to her side. “Excuse me?” she asked, dumbfounded.

“You heard me.” The selkie said. “Now pay up.”

Glide reached into his pocket again, pulling out his wallet. “Fine. You’ve served your purpose.”

“Why do you think they’re posing as selkies, anyway?” Ambree asked.

Niqi looked down. She’d forgotten about Ambree. Ambree…that could be a problem. She waited until Glide had paid the selkie, and then grabbed Glide’s and Ambree’s arms. “Come on, let’s walk,” she said casually. When they were on a somewhat secluded side street, she continued. “Ambree, we need to toughen you up or send you home.”

Glide seemed to be back to his old self. “What do you think? Training session?”

Ambree stared off into space. She’d been in a state of shock pretty much the entire day, but it was finally wearing off. She tried to think. She was in this new world…did she want to stay here or go back? “I…I think that…” She remembered the caged feeling she felt from inside the wall. She decided, in that moment, that she never wanted to feel that again. She looked up at Glide and Niqi, smiling. “Yes. Train me.”

Reviews

[KEi]

-just started reading-
LOL@the Wizard of Oz.
roflmao@Glide being called a whelp.

-midread-
also, rolflmao@Glide: "Niqi's at home around fruits, why do you think she hangs around me?"

-finished-

:D
Why is it that, even though it's not predominantly comedy, this entire thing makes me grin?
It's fab.
Fab. Fab.


Spiffing, as it were.