------------------------------------------- G.U.A.R.D.I.A.N A Thrash's chronicle by ROMeo Thrash is a Role Playing Game (RPG) about videogame fighting games and anime martial arts created by Blackbird (AKA Ewen Cluney). G.U.A.R.D.I.A.N is the settig of my current Thrash's campaing and, in fact, this writing is the product of my current game which is being translated here in 90% original form. Also, this is my first attemp in writing a fic, so I really hope you like it and the flames don't go up too high. ------------------------------------------- Chapter 4: Old friends <8 AM> An old shack of sun-dryed bricks in the woods. Soka feels the warmth of the fire in front of her. As well as the warmth of her grandmother in the other side of the fire. From her she inherited the gift of magic, and since she was a little child, her grandmother have taught her how to cultivate that gift. From her she has learned to weave flame from her inner will, to control the winds to do her bidding, to summon Neptune's wrath and conjuring artic winds and ice. Today her grandmother has summoned her for a special reason. She feels the magnitude of the call, for the spirits have warned her in dreams from several nights ago. "How are you feeling today, my dear grandaughter?" "I haven't slept well in days grandmother, something's going to happen... I feel it, I know it from my dreams" Hearing that, the old gypsie released a satisfactory smile, with the calm and serenity that has distinguished her for decades. "I can see your sensitivity is increasing, my child. You have sensed this very moment coming". Waving a hand over the fire, it lowered its intensity to the old woman's desire. "I have summoned you here because today you will start your true training". "¿Training?" "Yes my dear. Today a friend of mine will come to pick you up for your journey of self-discovery to begin. She is an old disciple of mine" "¿Disciple?" "Yes my dear, she is an very good friend from a long time" "¿Have you seen Pooka grandma? I haven't seen him lately" "Pooka is waiting for you here. I needed to have a chat with him just before you arrived. It is in the back..." Abruptly, the old woman's words are interrupted by the prescence of a shadowy figure in the door's frame. Upon his aproaching, the old soul's expression turned somewhat serious without loosing a bit of its calm and serenity and, upon asking her grandaughter to wait in the back room, the shadowy figured stepped out of the shadows. A dark grey suit and black tie came from the darkness, as did the white skin and long, wavy, chestnut brown hair with two honney colored eyes on his face. Once illuminated by the light of the fire, the two figures started their conversation... ***************** In the back room, Soka found Pooka trembling in a corner, face filled with fear. When souka was five, the grandma gave her as a present a new friend, a creature of magic bound to keep her company and protect her until the gift was strong enough in her to defend herself. More than once, agents of lower planes tried to get to Soka when she was a little child taking advantage of the few moments the old woman wasn't able to protect her; nevertheless, even if of harmless apearance, Pooka's own elemental powers have been of great help in protecting Soka. Having found her little friend, she lifts the scared thing from the floor. "¿What's wrong Pooka?" "That man over there, he scares me" "¿You know him?" a question the scared creature answers, still trembling: "No, but his spirit is strong. He is like the grandma". Over the years, Soka has seen many people come to see her grandmother, and every single visitor has ackowledged the old woman's power to be the strongests they've ever met. Today, the old soul recieves a visit from another sorcerer... one as skilled and powerful as herself. A member of the Dragon Circle, he is part of a society consisting in the seven most powerful sorcerers in the world. And now, while Soka eavesdrops through the door, her grandmother and one of the seven most powerful sorcerers are having a discussion... "What are you here for?" "I'm here to prevent you from commiting the worst mistake of your life old woman..." "We have already discussed the topic. She's about to fulfill her destiny" "Oh don't come up with that again old woman. You can read the stars, you know what's coming! We need all the promising sorcerers we can, it is vital that you give up on your nonsenses so that girl can begin her true training under our guidance!" "In order to learn what? Your ignorance? ¿Greed? ¿Treachery?" "¿Don't you undestand old woman? Your vision is wrong! ¿Why are you so stubborn!? ¡This time you are WRONG! You..." "If you have finished what you came here to say, you can leave..." The old woman interrupted, and as a couple of endless seconds passed by, the sorcerer's expression turned into one of anger. A sudden uneasy feeling flooded the shack as the sorcerer's aura was exhudated from his body and permeated the place, red with anger. "Enough old woman! In the name of all that is sacred I won't let you the luxury of this nonsense! ¡I, Valguss, red Wyvern of the Dragon Circle would rather cut this child's life MYSELF that let her run away from her lineage-inherited obligations!" A malignant red gleam shined in the sorcerer's eyes as his right hand stretched in the back room's direction, his open palm revealing an ominous heraldic mark with the shape of a dragon, same that flashed red hot as a glowing ball of plasma generated from it and bolted towards the wall that isolated the back room from the one he and the old gypsie were in. Soka fell back on his bottom as the wall was blown by the explosion of the plasma ball. She could now see clearly the stranger, eyes burning with anger and right hand covered in flames. Scared, the young girl looked for help in her grandmother's eyes, eyes which only looked back at her with a serious expression. The fire in the rival sorcerer's hand started increasing in intensity once more when Soka summoned a wall of ice that erected just in time to absorb the impact of an incoming bolt of flame. In a matter of seconds, the yellow light projected trough the ice wall was growing in intensity, sign that their protection wouldn't last much longer. "Pooka! ¡Do something!" Soka yelled at her small familiar, which was only trembling in her ankle, too scared to even listen. Soka reinforced her wall as best as she could, even if she knew that would only be a temporal solution "brave familiar you are..." She grunted at the scared furball with face grabbing her ankles. Suddenly, Soka felt a magical intrusion in her creation, and just after that, she saw her ice wall growing and extending spontaneously... in fact, now she was completely protected from the fire attack, but now the ice covered completely the back room's walls and ceiling, and as the ice continued generating from thin air, it was obvious that the space inside started getting smaller. The ice continued growing, and in a matter of seconds the space inside the ice prison was reduced to two cubic meters... and little else. Soka was now really worried "Oh God, grandma ¿What do I do?" The answer was provided when her familiar opened its mouth as wide as to swallow a fist, a powerful fire stream was erupted from the familiar's mouth that kept the ice from growing. Soon the space inside was filled with steam and water, but Soka now had an idea. Grabbing her flame-throwing familiar, she crouched and pointed it foward, melting her way out. The shack now filled with steam, Soka's first thought was running the hell out, but her escape plan ended when she ran into Valguss, now right in front of her. The sorcerer raised his hand, still covered in flames as his eyes were fixed on the young aprentice. "Now you die" were Valguss last words before his flaming hand turned into a hideous flaming claw. Valgus was about to unleash his wrath on the you girl when the ceiling exploded without warning. When the explosion's ruckus ended, now everyone's attantion was in a femminine figure, half cloacked by the remaining steam, quickly escaping trough the big hole in the ceiling. While the steam was still cloacking her, the misterious intruder throwed a line, like already aquainted with someone in the audience: "Long time no see, Valguss..." ------------------------------------------- feedback and flames to azalin1@lycos.com Visit G.U.A.R.D.I.A.N's HQ at: http://g-u-a-r-d-i-a-n.net AND the Thrash's Official homepage can be found at: http://www.blackbird.nu/thrash/ CYA!