BWOMP!!! BWOMP!!! BWOMP!!! BWOMP!!!
Sirens blared throughout the compound. Steam hissed out of the broken pipes. & all the while, a man sat, stooped in a corner, frantically typing up a storm on his keypad.
“C’mon, c’mon! Just a little more & we’ll-“
SHHHHLING!!!
“Guess you weren’t fast enough” were the last words he ever heard as a sword plunged through his chest, never knowing the identity of his attacker as he slipped from this world into the next.
“…..Hmph.” In one fluid motion, she withdrew her blade, sending the corpse sprawling to the floor, taking care to crush the device it was holding underfoot as she departed. “Now to just make sure there aren’t any loose ends.” Sheathing her blade for the time being, she stepped back down the hallway she came from, littered with the now-motionless bodies of similar rebel scum.
“Sweetie, I know you’re on a roll & all, but isn’t it about time you got going?”
“…..Sigh. Yes, mom. I know.” Slipping out of her headset, Amaranth returned to reality, her mother waiting for her right outside the simulation zone. “Just wanted to get in some last-minute training.”
“Yes, I realize that, but you don’t wanna risk being late on your big day, now do you?” she replied, unable to resist ruffling her daughter’s hair as she swiftly gathered her things.
“Hehe. Fair enough, mom. Well, wish me luck!” With a wave & a smile, she scooped up her prized sword, Raijin, & headed out the door, hearing one last “Knock ‘em dead, kid!” from her dad in the other room before the door closed.
May 10th, 6572. One week before Emperor Day. A nice, gray sky covered with brown clouds & assorted smogs, & not a drop of rain in sight. Truly the ideal day for…
“Weeeeeeeeeelcome, ladies & gents, one & all, tooooooooooooooo…The Graaaaaaaaaaaand Tournament!!!!!” The announcer’s voice boomed throughout the stadium, the crowd of thousands upon thousands cheering & hanging on his every word (alongside the billions who were no doubt watching from home).
Breathe in…Breathe out…Breathe in…Breathe out…C’mon, Amaranth. You can do this. This is what you’ve been training your entire life for. It was the dream of pretty much every person on the planet to serve the Emperor directly in some way, even though the odds of that happening are basically zero for just about all of them. However, with the recent passing of the Emperor’s Hand, this Grand Tournament was organized as a means of finding the most skilled, cunning, & ruthless individual to serve as a replacement, & having come this far, all the way to the grand stage itself, Amaranth intended to win.
“…& now, on the other side, iiiintroduuuucing…Amaranth Valsing!!!!”
…Here we go… Stepping out into the arena was like entering an entirely different world, one where every pair of eyes was on her or her opponent, a man of similar age wielding a blade twice as long as hers. The two stared each other down, still & calm amidst the rising tensions…waiting……….
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!!!!!!!!
Instantly, the two rushed each other, blades clashing in the middle of the arena, neither side willing to back down. It was clear that this guy also had some skill within him. Nevertheless, she was determined to win…& she knew just how to do it.
HRRRRRAAGH!!! Using most of her strength, she pushed her opponent back, causing him to stagger for a brief second. He quickly righted himself, though, & went in for a stab, but in doing so, he left himself open to Amaranth’s upward slash. Having no other option, he quickly dodged out of the way…exactly as she expected. With lightning fast reflexes, she used the momentum from her swing to swap her grip, delivering a swift, backhanded strike directly to the back of his neck before he could react. Had Raijin not been sheathed, the blow would’ve beheaded him instantly. Instead, he collapsed onto the floor, completely winded, forced to concede as she pinned him under her boot.
…Hmph. Too easy she thought to herself as she strutted off the field, the crowd roaring in applause & cheering her name. & they would continue to, round after round, as she racked up victory after victory. She went up against all kinds of people from all walks of life with all different skillsets & arsenals…all of whom were no match to her superior swordsmanship.
Pretty soon, it was time for the finals. Her opponent, a man simply known as Clay, big, burly, & a rather well-known officer in the Emperor’s army, supposedly the one who was meant to succeed the previous Hand before this tournament was formed. Wielding his signature great sword, roughly twice as big & heavy as she was, & years of experience to boot, he would certainly be no pushover…especially as they were both very well acquainted with the other’s fighting styles, having watched each other climb the bracket thus far…
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!!!!!!!!
Amaranth rushed in, confident & composed as Clay effortlessly slammed his sword down ahead of him. Trying to intercept it would snap her own weapon in half like one of the hundreds of bones it had already crushed today, leaving her with no choice but to leap out of its way. Would that it were all there was to it, but thanks to both its heft & some tech wizardry, the blade had the ability to send shockwaves throughout the ground, kicking up dirt & sand & knocking her slightly off balance despite knowing it was coming. Taking advantage of her moment of weakness, he activated another feature of his trusty sword, detaching the massive blade portion & drawing out a smaller, much nimbler weapon. She was only barely able to correct herself in time to dodge his next strike, but the tip still managed to snag her leg, leaving a large cut in its wake. Thankfully, it wasn’t deep enough to slow her down, yet she still berated herself for being so careless.
C’mon. Get it together…Deep breaths……….Okay. Let’s do this. With a plan in mind, she rushed forward again, Clay once again slamming his recombined great sword down on top of her. She leapt up out of the way, deftly landing right on its blunt edge, using the force of her weight & the jump to drive it further into the ground.
“Crafty one, eh?” Drawing his other blade as she landed, he readied himself for her next attack. Though the impact had kicked up enough dust to obscure her, he could still hear her just fine, & the sound of a swift whoosh told him all he needed. He swung with all his might, successfully knocking her sword away…only realizing a second later that it was only her sword that he’d hit…one second too late.
“Yep” Shooting through her shroud of debris, she delivered a strong kick right to his face, dazing him enough to loosen his grip. Taking full advantage of the situation, she wrested his blade away & before he could recover, slammed the broad side into his head, knocking him (& possibly several teeth) out instantly.
…I…I really did it…..I-I won! Striding over to pick up her own blade, she could hardly believe it herself, but the booming applause & blaring celebration music quickly convinced her otherwise. Finally, her lifetime of hard work had paid off, her dream within her grasp at long last.
“SILENCE!!!!!”
The familiar voice reverberated throughout the stadium, every other noise following its command instantly, turning the once lively arena into a ghost town. The only sound that remained was the clapping of footsteps…his footsteps.
“Amaranth Valsing, was it?” The Emperor, 123rd to bear the title & sole ruler of Earth. To say she was intimidated was an understatement considering she’d never even seen him outside of televisions, & now here he was, standing right in front of her, ready to induct her into his ranks. All she could muster up was a nervous nod.
“Well, it would seem that you’re the victor in today’s proceedings, & I must say, your performance was quite…”
Here it comes…
“…inadequate.”
“………………..E-Excuse me?” The smile immediately vanished from her face as her brain struggled to try & process what she’d just heard.
“You heard me. Sure, you may have won, but you clearly lack the guts to have taken this life-or-death competition seriously. I simply cannot have a Hand who willing holds themselves back in the face of danger.”
“B-But, Your Majesty…” What he said was completely true. Every other match involved significantly more bloodshed while Raijin never even left its sheath. She never expected that she’d have to explain such a decision, though…& to the most powerful person on the planet, no less… “I-I-“
“You what?” Her mind was a scrambled mess as his icy gaze pierced her soul. This situation might’ve just turned into a life-or-death one of its own…
C-C’mon, Amaranth. Y-You can do this. Just…d-deep breaths…..Deep breaths……….Whew…Okay. Having regained her composure, she once again felt ready to take on the world…Now all she hoped was that this feeling would last long enough…
“Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, such violence seems pointless to me in this kind of setting. Clearly every competitor here is very skilled, & seeing such talent be snuffed out feels like a waste. Surely they can be put to better use than just more corpses for your graveyards. Besides, why would I show my true skills on a live broadcast, where everyone & anyone could see? Wouldn’t be very Hand-like of me to just die immediately thanks to your enemies already knowing all of my secrets, now would it?”
“…..Hmmm…..” The next minute felt like hours, her smug face perfectly masking the terror she still felt inside, the deathly silence only making it worse…
“……….Hmph. Fine. Very well. You’ve made your point.”
“…..Y-You mean I-“
“No. Now come with me.” With that, he held out his hand. Hesitant to take it at first, she grabbed on, not quite sure what was going on. He led her offstage & activated his personal teleportation unit, whisking the two of them away to who knows where.
“This is my personal business room. Don’t touch anything while you’re here.” The place where they’d “landed” definitely had a private study sort of vibe, with bookshelves, doodads, & unfamiliar tech littered about, surrounding a fancy desk & computer. It took her a second to comprehend where exactly she was now – inside the Emperor’s estate.
“…..Whoa…..”
“Yes, yes, it’s all very impressive. Now let’s talk business.” He promptly took a seat at his desk as he spoke.
“…Business?...About me becoming your Hand?”
“Not quite. See, much as I hate to admit it, you’ve made some adequate enough points. Be that as it may, I still don’t think you have what it takes to hold that title.”
“B-But, Your Majesty, I-“
“Which is why I’ve decided to give you a chance.”
…A chance?
“……….What would you have me do, Your Majesty?”
“Right to the point, I see…..Well, given that all of my most skilled men are assisting with Emperor Day preparations, I don’t exactly have anyone else who can handle this rather…sudden situation at Plant Omega. You’ve heard of the place, correct?”
“Yes, of course I have, Your Majesty.” Plant Omega, the largest, most efficient power plant on the globe. You’d be hard-pressed to find a person alive who hasn’t heard about it & the fusion sciences that made it such a powerhouse.
“Good. Well, as of this morning, we’ve lost contact with the personnel that work there, & a vast majority of its power is being diverted to something else. I need someone to get in there, find out what’s going on, & restore order by any means necessary.”
“& so you want me to be that someone?”
“Exactly. & if you come back alive, then perhaps I’ll reconsider my stance about making you Hand…So what do you say?” Honestly, it sounded like a great deal. Her thousands of simulator training hours prepared her for exactly this type of situation, the chance to serve the man she dreamed of serving since she was a child. It was everything she could’ve ever hoped for.
“…..How do I get there?”
-Mira-
“……….Uuuugh, come on already! How much more does this stupid thing need?!
…..5%.....Well, I guess that’s not that-“
CRAAAAASH!!!!!!!!!
“…..The heck was-
……….No…..No no no no no!!!”
Slam!!!
“Damn it!!! It’s so damn close!! Why did they have to show up now?!! Uuuuaaaauuugh!!!!!
…..Sigh It’s okay, it’s okay. I just have to stall them.
I’ve come too far to fail. Even if it costs me my life, I swear I’ll see this through.”
-Amaranth-
“…So this is the place, huh?...Looks even more menacing in person, that’s for sure.” On the other side of the world (thanks to the Emperor’s teleportation tech), Amaranth stood, gazing up at Plant Omega in awe. Of course, nothing seemed out-of-the-ordinary at first glance, but looks could be deceiving, as they say.
“Hnnnnnngh!!!…..Yeah, figured that wouldn’t work.” Every obvious entrance was locked down tight, as evidenced by her attempt to pry the large, metallic front doors open. Unfortunately, any other clear means of entry seemed inoperable/too overt, thus leading her to try a…different approach…
SCHHHHWING!!!!!
CRAAAAASH!!!!!!!!! With one strike from Raijin, she cut through the door like butter, making a nice opening for her to slip in through…& for something else to slip out of.
Wh-What the?? As soon as she “opened” the door, gas began pouring out. Not wanting to find out what exactly it was the hard way, she leapt back, suddenly glad she always came prepared as she rifled through her pockets.
Where is it… PerS in hand, she switched it to eject mode & dumped her belongings out. Wallet…Healing pen…..Aha! There! She quickly snatched up her portable gas mask & stuck it over her mouth, nose & eye shields sprouting up afterwards as per design. Now ready to enter the belly of the beast, she sucked all her stuff back into her Personal Storage & headed on in.
For a place that was up & running just fine yesterday, the inside made it seem like it had been abandoned for years. No lights, no life, nothing but the swirling mists of gas. Swiftly & quietly, she made her way through the dark hallways, occasionally stumbling across the bodies of workers. Fortunately for them, they were all still breathing, meaning the gas was most likely some sort of knockout gas. There were much more pressing matters to attend to, however, so she left them behind & carried on towards her destination. Having studied the building’s internal layout before arriving, she had a pretty good idea where the intruders would be based on what they were doing, & after a few short minutes of surprisingly little resistance, she arrived, right outside the main control room.
SHHHHWISH!!!!! Not bothering to check if the door was actually locked, she sliced it off its hinges & stepped inside. Unlike the rest of the place, most of the lights & monitors in here were still operating. Besides that, what immediately stood out to her was a figure, standing hunched over a desk at the other side of the room.
“…Hehe…Hehehe…Eeeahahahahahaaa!!! So, you’ve finally caught up to me! Guess I shouldn’t be that surprised, really. Things just can’t ever go smoothly when you want them to, can they?” Based on their tone of voice, at least, the person appeared to be female, but it was hard to make out much else that would more accurately identify her, especially with her back turned.
“Hmph. I’m not here to play your games, so I suggest you stop what you’re doing here & put things back to normal. Maybe I’ll consider making your death a painless one if you do.”
“…Heh. You dogs are all the same. Always so bloodthirsty, never once bothering to question what’s truly normal or abnormal, just mindless drones for a heartless tyrant. Y’know, perhaps you should consider-“
I don’t have time for this.
SLAAASH!!!! Fed up with this mysterious woman’s monologue, she quickly closed the gap between them & swung her sword, intending to cleave her in two.
“Feisty one, aren’t we?” Rather than hitting flesh & bone, Raijin instead was stopped mid-swing. In the few seconds it took for Amaranth to reach her, the woman turned, her face mostly covered by a similar-yet-different-looking gas mask, her hands adorned with a pair of hi-tech gauntlets that definitely weren’t there before. Thanks to them, she was able to create a force field capable of blocking the strike. “Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt people when they’re speaking?”
Aggravated, Amaranth pressed on, attacking from all manner of different angles trying to break through, but every time, her opponent was ready with her shield. To make matters worse, she was also well-versed in hand-to-hand combat, letting loose with a flurry of weighty punches & slashes from what looked like daggers of light conjured from her palms. Nothing she couldn’t parry, of course, but the fact that she was being pushed back was…surprising…..Thankfully, if her training had taught her anything in particular, it was how to read your opponent.
“HRRRAAAGH!!!” Through her constant barrage of blows, one thing was abundantly clear – her shield was just that. A shield, flat & relatively straight. She once more swung down towards her assailant’s skull, her strike blocked yet again…exactly as planned. Unable to move her hands without risking being cleaved in two, the woman was forced to take a swift, strong knee to her abdomen, strong enough to send her stumbling back into a nearby support pillar. Amaranth wanted nothing more than to end things there, but unfortunately, there were more pressing matters to attend to, namely the strange, sphere-like object sitting on the table where the woman had initially been standing. With the slew of wires coming out of it & connecting it to the building’s computers, it was almost certainly what was draining the plant’s power supply/production, & not knowing whether it was some kind of bomb (or worse) meant it had to be stopped first & foremost.
“NOOOOOO!!!!!” Regaining her composure, the sight of Amaranth rushing towards the device caused an uncharacteristic yell to escape the woman’s lips as she reached out to try & stop her. Suddenly, from within said hand, electricity sparked, & a bright, orange ball quickly began to form, another function of her gauntlets. Partly on accident & partly out of desperation, she launched the plasma shot straight at her target.
She didn’t have time to react.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” The blast hit her squarely in the back, setting her ablaze & sending her crumpling to the floor, screaming louder than she ever thought possible, in more pain than she’d ever felt in her entire life. Contained primarily to her back, all she could see was the flickering shadows cast by the flames, but she could certainly feel what was happening, the searing heat, the sizzling of her skin boiling, the blood bubbling & running down her back…
……….N-No… She wasn’t done yet. Not even close. Even if she was flayed alive, just a walking mesh of bones, she wasn’t about to give up so easily. After all, she had a job to do. With all the strength she could muster, she pulled herself up next to the table…
Only to feel something tug at the back of her collar.
Seconds later, she was flying through the air, the woman having grabbed the back of her neck & chucked her away, her annoying gloves no doubt providing her with the power & protection to do so. Thankfully, the following impact with the floor was enough to almost completely extinguish the inferno on her back, but did nothing to dispel the pain roaring through her entire body, the aches in all her muscles, the fact that she was reduced to just a smoldering pile of flesh on the other side of the room…
………………..N-N-Not...y-yet….. Every fiber of her being told her to stop as she used every ounce of strength left to prop herself up with her sword. Every cell in her body burned with torment as she struggled onto her feet…but they also burned with something else, something much, much more intense - rage.
…..N-Not…..yet!!!
Click!
Pulling down on Raijin’s cross-guard, its true power was released. In an instant, it split right down the center, opening like the mouth of a vicious gator, its teeth crackling with electricity. Squeezing the grip caused even more energy to generate, & she squeezed with enough force to snap a metal pipe.
PiiiiiEEEW!!! Like a railgun, the built-up energy shot out of the blade, straight towards…her…
“Come on, hurry up al-Gasp!!” Turning just in time to see the beam coming at her, it was a miracle the woman was able to react…& yet she still wasn’t fast enough.
CRAAAACKSH!!! Despite being quick enough to put up a force field, she was only able to do so with one hand, & while the blast was successfully blocked, the force was too much for only one gauntlet to handle. It overloaded, shattering to pieces…& amidst the wreckage…
“HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Like a bullet, Amaranth shot forward, closing the gap within milliseconds. With the force of a raging lion, her murderous eyes full of hate, she swung. Once again, her attack was blocked, but with only one glove & a strike twice as strong to contend with, it was clear she wouldn’t last. She tried her best, tried her absolute hardest to keep the sword at bay, even as bolts of lightning spewed everywhere from both it & her remaining gauntlet…but her best wasn’t good enough.
CRAAAAAACKSHHHH!!! Much like the other one, the gauntlet crumbled, sending Raijin slamming into the ground with enough force to crack it, narrowly missing its mark. Sparks filled the air on impact as Amaranth shifted her grip…stepped forward…
& slashed upward.
“AAAAAUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAHHHHGHCKHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!” A nice, clean cut from her stomach to the base of her neck, not all the way through, but deep enough to be fatal. Even her gas mask was hit, splitting in two & splatting into the pool of blood rapidly forming on the floor. Nevertheless, she continued to prop herself up with the table behind her, though it was clear that her strength was fading fast. Blade now soaked in crimson, Amaranth readied Raijin for the finishing blow.
…..Beep Beep Beep Beep
“……….H-Heh…..”
Clack!! Before the final blow could hit, a blinding flash of light engulfed the room, forcing Amaranth to step back. When she regained her vision, her prey was gone, a white void in her place, the sphere at its center, now split in two, hovering & glowing.
“GET BACK HERE!!!!!” This was no longer just about doing her job. Pushing her forward was a deep, burning desire for revenge against this villain who dared hurt her so severely, who dared make a complete fool of her, who dared warp away before she could become a stain on her boots. Not thinking, not even hesitating, she leapt into the void, at the time completely unaware of just how life-changing a decision that was.
As she went through, a familiar sense of weightlessness engulfed her, similar to that felt when teleporting. However, this one didn’t stop after a few seconds, & it was at that moment she realized that she wasn’t floating; she was falling. Down & down into the abyss she dropped as images flashed before her eyes like a movie being played at 500x speed. Still reeling from her burns & her head now throbbing, she closed her eyes & begged for this to be over…
& just as suddenly as it began, after what felt like an eternity, it stopped. No impact, no explosions, no nothing. Just the ground materializing beneath her, gravity washing back over her. She laid there for a moment, trying to recollect herself & her senses before she opened her eyes.
Blue sky. While clouds. The sun readying itself to duck behind the horizon. A view unlike any she’d ever seen before.
“…W-What the…” Shocked by this unfamiliar scenery, she pulled herself up out of the grass she was laying in…only to discover one that shocked her even more. She found herself on top of a hill, on the edge of a tranquil forest, overlooking a lush, green meadow, & in the distance, a city, perfectly illuminated by the setting sun.
“…..Whoa…..” Never in her life had she seen a sight so indescribably beautiful, nor did she realize such a sight was even possible.
“…S-Surprised? HAUGCK COUHGKH” Not too far away, the woman from before laid, still bleeding out & coughing up bile & blood, the grass around her reddening as a result.
“W-Welcome to 2064 -
COUAHHGH HAUKHCK HOUAHGPH
- th-the year the world went to shit.”