4 posts in a row... I'm fairly sure I've done something that shouldn't really been done. That's what it feels like, anyway. The plot shall kick off now, and the point of the plot shall take it's shape. I'm putting this chapter into parts, so it'll be easier to manage, and so you guys'll get some more content with less waiting time.
So here's a quickly done part one. The next 3 parts shall be MUCH longer.
__________________________________________________ ______
Chapter 3
Magus for Hire
Part 1
__________________________________________________ ______
POV: Kouhei Takeda.
I stumbled through the rift, feeling my feet touch the ground once more.
My arm was still looped around my master's shoulder, as he hefted me up. I didn't know where we were, I still felt weak, dizzy like the last time I had done interdimensional travel. It felt like I had a hangover, of all things. It's not one of my best memories, but there was that one time where Gilgamesh had introduced me to the "wonders" of alcohol. A few bottles of booze later, and my father had "calmly" blown a fuse. That was the very first time I had experienced what my father called "cold rage". First thing he asked the man was the obvious; what was he thinking? Then we both had that moment when you realize something you should have realized before.
The era Gilgamesh came from had no such thing as a "legal drinking age". Felt like crap for hours.
I urge my feet into moving, using a hand to wipe away the drowsiness from my eyes. I turn my head in the general direction my master's head is in, a question running to the forefront of my mind. "Where are we?" I ask, moving my hand from my eyes and pressing it against my wound.
"Fuyuki City." I hear his gruff voice say to me.
"Again? Why?"
"Different dimension, boy. We're meeting up with one of my old friends. I know for a fact that she's willing to part with some of her secrets, and perhaps she'll teach you some of them. But I also need her to tend to you. She'll know a few procedures to speed up the healing process, and as soon as you're healed, we'll get some of that teaching I promised in." He explained, urging me to move a bit faster.
I nod to him, groaning a bit as the wound seemed to pulse in pain.
"Still not fully healed, huh? No matter. We'll be there soon."
I sighed, continuing to walk as I tried to ignore the pain. It was hard, since the drowsiness made me a little more sensitive. I know that Kirei Kotomine wasn't my father. But it still left a mark. If every universe could be strikingly similar but yet different... Was that the Kirei that could have been? Was that what my father could have ended up as? It was hard to even think of it. I sigh myself, speeding up my hobble. Emotional wounds left scars that took longer to go away then physical ones. But like physical ones...
There are some that don't go away at all.
__________________________________________________ ______
I still can barely see by the time we enter the city. I don't know who we're looking for, nor why I'm still standing here. The exact place I didn't know, but from the green shading I could blurringly see, I placed a bit of faith in an assumption that we were on the outskirts of Fuyuki. I see the figure of a building, and a door quickly comes up into my line of sight. I hear the creak of a doorknob, and my master ushers me in. It's dimmer in here, compared to the brightness of early afternoon.
Fatigue still plagues my chest, as I hear and see a figure come up to me.
"Fancy seeing you here. Is this your apprentice?" A voice, which seemed to belong to a woman, asked my master.
"Yes, he is. It's nice seeing you too. How's your sister?" My master's voice asks.
"Doing... Well." The other voice tentatively says with a hint of distaste. "So, what happened to him?"
"Wound to the clavicle. Can you help?"
"Get him to the table. I'll see what I can do."
My master urges me down what seems to be a hall, and into a room. He sits me down on what seems to be an operating table, and lies me down. I panic for a second, seriously unprepared for surgery. Why else would I be suddenly put on what seems to be an operating table? I feel my arms and legs being strapped down. I can't move. Drowsily, I turn my head to what seems to be my master.
"Get some rest Kouhei. It'll all be over soon."
And as I feel something slither into my neck, I can feel it all go black.
__________________________________________________ ______
I awaken in a bed, shirtless and still drowsy. What had happened? I remembered being knocked out by something, and now I'm here. I'm laying down in what seems to be an empty room, completely empty other than the bed that I lay on. Light reflected softly off the grey concrete walls, from a large window right beside my bed. I sit up, taking a look through the window.
I see a small grass courtyard, framed by what seems to be a two floored apartment building with balconies and walkways. And from what I can see, It's all empty, the grey sheen of concrete spanning over it all. No one's here. I remembered my master taking me here, and that other figure, that feminine voice. I turn my head, spotting my belongings resting in a corner.
I give a stretch, and then I notice the state of my chest.
A long thin X seems to cross over the initial scar over my collarbone, completely straight and even, done with what seems to be careful precision. I really had gone through surgery. Perhaps the damage done to my insides was worse than I thought. I push myself from my bed, and begin walking towards my belongings. I pull on a shirt, strap my bag to my back, and then make for the door.
I stepped into the hall, still as bleakly grey as the room I was in. My steps still have a stumble to them, so I stay close to the wall for balance. My steps take me towards the stairs, and I quickly descend. I hear the noise of something clinking throughout the halls, so I try to get closer to the sounds. My master and his apparent friend should be around here somewhere, exactly where, I don't know.
I ended up close to a door, hearing the noises come at full blast. What was once a clinking was now a full on hammering. The aged wooden door creaks open as I turn the knob, and I enter the room. The hammering falls silent.
"Hello?" I call out, taking in my surroundings.
It seems to be a workshop, tools blanketing the whole of one wall, strange materials covering the next. An operating table sits in the center of the dim room, a few small windows near the ceiling being the only sources of light. I walk over to the table, brushing my fingers on the cold metal. This seems to be some magus' workshop. It hurts to admit it, but it's far better in quality than mine. Mine's a shed. A shed.
This is industrial strength metal, covered in powerful and almost unnoticeable runes, and obviously costs more than everything in my shed. Including the shed. Yes, I feel very jealous. VERY jealous. I rub my jealousy away, putting it aside. I put my bag on the ground, so I can lean over and observe the table.
"You like?"
I freeze, as arms wrap around my neck. The smell of cigarette smoke and tobacco reaches my nose, and I try to ignore it as I turn my head. I look into red eyes, that blink at me. A fair, feminine face is what I see, a cigarette hanging from her lips. A hand reaches up from around me to brush away red hair, which is done up in a ponytail behind her head. She's about as tall as I am, resting her head on my shoulder. Which isn't the only thing which is resting up against me.
My face turns as red as her hair, as I pull myself away.
A grin laces her face at the sight of mine. "Having fun there, Takeda Kouhei?"
I frown, placing distance between us by going to the other side of the table.
"Aw, don't be like that."
"Who are you, anyway?" I ask the woman, taking her image in. She's dressed in a white shirt with long sleeves, and long black pants.
"You shouldn't be asking a question like that to a person in her own workshop, you know."
I take another look around, still extremely impressed/a bit jealous. "This is all yours?" I breathe.
"All of it. Every single little thing. And for now to the next week, it's also yours."
I gape at her, my jaw hanging low.
"Your master seems to think you can benefit from what I have to teach you, and I do owe him a few favors. So I'll be teaching you a few things this week, and so we'll be working in here." She explained, sitting up on the table and taking a puff of her cigarette.
"... So you're my temporary master for the week."
"Pretty much." She sighed. "Now, let's start over, shall we?"
"... Okay." I say, blinking. She waves her hand, urging me to sit up on the table. I comply, still keeping my eyes firmly locked with hers.
"So..." She gestures for a name.
I'm starting to feel a bit silly. I hold out my hand with a sigh, and she takes it. "Kouhei Takeda. Nice to meet you." We shake.
"Didn't you ever hear that you put your last name first in an introduction?" She asks wryly, smirking.
"Force of habit." I smirk back.
"I like that about you, Kouhei Takeda." She takes another puff of her cigarette, and then as soon as she takes it out, she gives a soft smile. She fishes a pack of cigarettes from a pocket, opens it, and offers me one by flicking a single one out with her finger. I decline, pushing it in with a finger of my own. She pouts, putting the pack away. Our eyes lock again, this time, instead of hesitation, we have a friendly acknowledgement of each other. She shakes my hand with finality, then takes yet another puff of her cigarette, rolling it in her fingers.
"Aozaki Touko. Nice to meet you too."
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by nununu
