The two of you stand in tense silence for near a minute (well you stand, he sits) as you continue to stare at the door leading to Master Jose. It is only then that your brain actually catches up to your ears.
I love this! I'm actually starting to like phantom lord! I'm now imagining Jose simply being the kind of guy who loves appearing creepy to unnerve people, but he's actually a big softy!
I mean, the guy loves fishing!
And if we join and we gain Jose's trust, even if he gets angry at fairy tail we could maybe convince him to change his plan from a war to some kind of tournament/competition.
Maybe we could have the magical games happen sooner.
I told my friend about this quest, and now this happened...
I am the shaft of my broom
Wood is my body and chlorine is my blood
I have cleaned over a thousand hallways
Unaware of grime,
Nor aware of dust.
Withstood pain to scrub floors, waiting for one's arrival.
I have no regrets. This is the only path.
My whole life was Unlimited Broom Works.
Hmm, I was gonna automatically choose the card game challenge one, because I was thinking it would be in character for her stubbornness but? I'm not actually sure? I don't think she's done anything to showcase a temper so far (if I'm remembering right, at least) and I don't know if a bit of wounded pride would be enough to commit her to it, so I'm gonna deliberate a little more. All the choices are pretty interesting!
My natural instinct is to go and talk to Juvia, because I like her. But Agnes going up and asking Aria (I had to look up this guy's name because I forgot and it's literally just air, lol) if he's alright would be pretty hilarious. The rock man is probably that Sol guy right? Bleh, I thought he was annoying, so probably not that choice. The card game could also be fun, getting competitive in a card game with the guy. However, since it's so early in the game, I feel like it also might be a little character establishing, and give us that bit of a temper trait I was thinking about earlier.
Going to the bar could be cool, usually bar tenders have great gossip, which could be fun and or useful! Also, food! On the other hand, I'm really curious about those paintings.
HMMMM. I think I'm gonna cast my vote towards
[x][Hangout] This little… Join the card game and beat his butt!
Looks like I'm going for this one after all! I really wanna get to know this guy a bit more!
[X][Hangout] This little… Join the card game and beat his butt!
008: A Vision of the Past
- - - - -
You stand there, eyebrow twitching as the boy goes back to facing the other three people at his table. The amused glances that they all shoot you don't help either. This little...
Stomping around the table, you pull out the only empty seat (which just so happens to be right next to the boy) and sit down heavily.
His only response is quirking an eyebrow at you. "You wanna join? Do you even know how to play?"
[ 1d100 = 6 ] #Do you know how to play
DC 10: Fail!
You grit your teeth. While you vaguely remember the rules of the game, you hadn't played it for a long time. "I'll figure it out as I go."
"Yeah right!" he laughs. "...But don't worry!"
He then gestures flamboyantly to himself, snapping his fingers and causing small blue flames coming to life around him as he poses in his seat. "The magnificent Totomaru will teach you! That's right! Totomaru the Infinite Blaze himself!" He turns his head and coughs. "No autographs please."
You open your mouth to respond, but pause as Totomaru is lightly cuffed over the back of the head by the man sitting next to him. Totomaru lets out a squawk of surprise and glares at the man, who just stares passively back.
"...Have you forgotten about what Master Jose said about the theatrics?" the man says.
Rubbing the back of his head, Totomaru pouts. "...Not until after seven PM."
"That's right. So knock it off." says the man, before he turns to you. Somewhere between thirty and forty years old, the salt-and-pepper haired man is built like a brick house. And even though he's wearing a bright orange floral shirt, the fact that its sleeves are partially rolled up allows you to see hints of some cool looking tattoos on heavily muscled arms. He gives a curt nod. "Hello. Name's Edward, though everyone calls me Ed."
"Agnes. It's nice to meet you!" you say with a small curtsy.
Ed nods once again, before gesturing at the two other people at the table. "The bloke who's trying to pull an extra Plus Four out of his pocket is called-."
"Dax! Nice to meetcha!" The aforementioned cheater butts in with an extravagant flourish, giving you a careless wink as he discreetly slips the card back into his pocket. Then looking over at Ed through a pair of wire spectacles, the lanky green-haired man smiles ruefully and clicks his tongue. "Thought I finally got one over you, Ed," he says.
Ed grunts noncommittally in response, "...And the girl who is currently showing everyone her entire hand is Jackie."
The last person at the table, a black-haired woman wearing a simple yellow blouse, eeps in surprise. She then quickly jerks her cards up, hiding them from view, but not before you had already gotten a good look at all of them. Her ice-blue eyes meet yours as she gives you a sheepish smile. "Heya."
"Hi," you automatically respond.
Totomaru then claps his hands together, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "SO! You wanted to join the game, right?"
"Hmhm." you hum in agreement, taking off your satchel and hanging it on the back of your chair.
The boy seems to inflate with (unearned) pride, "Then I-"
"Dax'll show her the ropes. She can watch him for cheating at the same time," says Ed, cutting off whatever Totomaru was about to say.
Dax snorts at the jab, his devil-may-care grin never seeming to leave his face. He then motions you to scoot your chair over to him, which you do. He discreetly shows you his hand, before starting to quietly explain the rules of the game. The two of you pointedly ignore Totomaru glaring at you from across the table.
- - - - -
[ 1d100 - 10(Rusty) = 47 ] #Playing the game (Agnes)
[ 1d100 + 30(Expert) = 91 ] #Playing the game (Dax)
[ 1d100 = 1 ] #Playing the game (Totomaru)
[ 1d100 + 15(Experienced) = 79 ] #Playing the game (Ed)
[ 1d100 = 58 ] #Playing the game (Jackie)
"Please..." he whispers, barely holding together as he is. "Have mercy..."
You stare at him. The half-dead corpse of a boy stares back, utterly broken by the harsh reality of the world. But even then, even after his will and soul have been crushed to dust countless times, he still hopes. You can still see it. Deep within his dead eyes and broken heart lies the smallest fire. It's almost snuffed out, but the embers still exist, ready to be rekindled.
He was waiting. Waiting for someone to show him that even after the darkest of nights, the sun would always dawn upon a bright new day. For someone to show him that even with how deeply entrenched the rot of evil is, there are always good people willing to stand and fight for what is right. To just reach out a hand of friendship.
But your heart is made of harsh ice. You are a cruel monster, a heartless evil. You know and accept that. You watch as the flickering light in the boy's eyes fades away as you carefully place the card on the pile. "...Draw Four. With the other Fours before me, that makes it a plus sixteen."
Totomaru lets out a pitiful groan and slumps over in his seat, resting his head on the table. You try not to cackle as Dax adds sixteen more cards to Totomaru's already massive hand of eighteen. From the beginning, you knew you weren't going to win, Dax and Ed were way too good (and lucky) at playing, and Jackie wasn't that bad either.
So the objective shifted. You didn't have to win. Totomaru just had to lose.
The boy in question looks up to glare at his hand, before shifting his scowl to you. You give cheery smile back. This was fun!
- - - - -
Multiple games had passed, and you were having the time of your life. Jackie is just about to reach for the deck (thank god, she only had one card!) when the door to the guild opens.
A hush falls across the room as a tall man fills the entrance, his body wreathed in shadows from the sunlight at his back. Even with Totomaru's previous reassurance, you can't help but gulp at the sight of the imposing figure. This was one of the people considered to be one of the world's strongest after all. A monster among monsters, you were about to come face to face with a man who had killed one of the great S-Rank titans without any backup whatsoever!
The air seems to grow a few degrees colder as who could only be Master Jose Porla of Phantom Lord, the Undying Army of One himself, steps into the room.
Below a thin, perfectly groomed mustache, a slight smirk rests on the man's sharp face, his eyebrows pulled down into a permanent glare. The man looks like a Sunday morning cartoon villain!
...But nonetheless, any fear you had of the man vanishes at the sight of him in goofy-looking fishing overalls and an oversized straw hat. Carrying a folded fishing rod in one hand, Master Jose slowly shifts his calm gaze across the entire room.
He then makes a pose and lifts the beautiful multicolored fish he had been holding with his other hand into the air. "I did it." he proclaims softly, a tinge of pride being heard in the deep baritone of his voice.
There is a second of silence. Then, the room explodes into noise. A chorus of "Great job boss!"s and "Wow!"s and even a wolf whistle from Totomaru fills the air.
You awkwardly clap as well, not wanting to be left out. Leaning over to Totomaru, you whisper "...Did what exactly?"
The boy grins at you. "The master only caught one of the rarest fish in the region! He's been hunting this thing since forever!"
Your uneasy smile then shifts into something a bit more natural. In spite of his appearance and reputation, this master seemed a bit more easy-going than the previous one!
- - - - -
You wait as Master Jose slowly parades the fish around the entire room, telling anyone who would listen (and even those who wouldn't) about the dangerous, exciting and amazing journey he went on in order to catch it.
Eventually the excitement starts to peter down, and after saying goodbye to your new friends, you approach the master of Phantom Lord. He is handing off the fish to who you assume to be the guild's main cook as you draw near, and you politely cough in order to get his attention.
"Hm?" says the man, glancing over to where you are standing. "I don't recall seeing your face around here before…" His small smirk fades into a thin line. "What do you want?"
You decided to ignore the somewhat rude greeting. "Oh! My name is Agnes! Madame Monique had sent me to deliver this to you!" you say, pulling out the package and presenting it to Master Jose.
The slight smile slowly returns to Master Jose's face. "Ah! I've been waiting for this! Come, come. Let us talk in my office."
Still with the package in hand, you are ushered up the stairs to the trapdoor in the ceiling. Master Jose fumbles around for some keys, eventually finding them with a satisfied hum. He opens the trapdoor, climbing up through the entrance and gesturing for you to follow.
The place is dark and cramped, with a massive dark oak desk (absolutely covered in papers and other odds and ends) taking up most of the space. Whatever room is remaining is taken up by all sorts of interesting objects. A small bookshelf holds musty tomes that seem to radiate power. Next to that sits a tiny safe, absolutely covered in unreadable runes that glow ever-so-slightly. And on top of the safe lies a necklace that you could swear you've read about in some history books.
Before you can continue your examination of the room, Master Jose gestures for you to sit in one of the poofy red chairs that sit in front of the desk, before going around to sit behind it.
As you make yourself comfortable in the amazingly bouncy chair, Master Jose speaks. "I must confess. I expected this package to take a considerably longer time to arrive."
You scrunch up your nose in confusion. "Why?"
Master Jose sighs. "You must understand. Madame Monique, while a wonderful person, does not take the time to judge a person's character beyond whether they are 'good' or 'bad.'"
"So? Isn't that a good thing?"
"Not when she hands off a delivery to someone prone to lapses in attention, or someone too scared to meet the dreaded master of Phantom Lord, or a hundred other things that always cause my deliveries to be late."
You go to speak, but Master Jose just steamrolls over you, a slight edge of hysteria entering his calm voice. "Why is it always me? Why? Did you know I once got a package two years late? Two. Years. I mean, how."
You let him have this. It seems like he could do with getting it out of his system. So you patiently listen as the Undying Army of One rants to you about his packages always being late.
Eventually he runs out of steam, but not after an in depth review of how literally all of his packages have been late for some reason or another. It's honestly quite impressing!
You have to suppress giggles when Master Jose seems to realize that he is basically whining to a child. "Ahem." he coughs. "...Returning back onto topic. I thank you for your delivery. Do note that Phantom Lord always welcomes efficient workers such as yourself."
It takes a second for you to understand what Master Jose is implying."Oh! Thank you very much! I'll be sure to keep that in consideration!" you say.
"...I just have one question before any of that. Before you could even think to join this guild."
You gulp.
Master Jose pauses for a brief moment, letting the anticipation build. You lean forward in your chair as he whispers "Do you truly wish to be a Lord over your Phantom?"
Your brain stops in its tracks. "...I'm sorry? What?"
The guildmaster looks off to the side and sighs, muttering "This is what I get for trying to be dramatic." He then turns his head back to you and says "The name of our guild. Phantom Lord. Did you not wonder why that name is that name?"
You nervously chuckle. "...No."
A long pause, before Master Jose starts up like nothing had ever happened. He lifts his hand, Ethernano clumping together to form a small image on his palm. It is of a crying spirit. A phantom.
"A phantom is a ghost. A specter of the past, present and future. Real or not, you can think of it as the total sum of all that we fear and hate in the world. From the fear of the dark to the hatred of a monstrous parent to the existential dread of death itself, phantoms come in all shapes and sizes."
"I-I don't," you whisper. "I don't have one though."
The guildmaster smiles sadly, crushing the image in his fist. "Everyone has a phantom. It's just that wizards have stronger ones than most."
You quiet down at this, your voice trapped in your throat. As your vision blurs a bit, and as you grit your teeth to keep from shaking, Master Jose continues, his voice becoming more and more fervent as he speaks.
"To be a part of this guild is to promise to conquer those fears and that hate. To be a Lord over those things that once terrified you. To face those things that you wish to never face, and grow all the stronger for it. It will be difficult. It will hurt. You will hurt. But I can promise that the end would be worth it."
Your face feels wet. You reach up with shaking hands to rub at your eyes. You're crying. Why were you crying?
A sharp lance of pain drives through your brain. You are here, yet you are not. You are there, yet you are not. A memory floods into your mind, despite your desperate attempts to lock it away forever. Clear as day, you can see it. It is…
[][Phantom] ...Calling your name. Waiting for you. Asking for you. Searching for you. Killing for you.
[][Phantom] ...A pinprick of infinite light. The absence of noise. The end of everything you loved.
[][Phantom] ...A place of Death. Where nothing but evil lives. Evil… and the bones of the abandoned.
[][Phantom] ...A monster of ash and dust, its hands stained crimson, eyes of pale gold glowing softly in the dark.
[][Phantom] ...Beautiful. You wanted it. Everyone did. Everyone died.
You barely suppress a scream, biting down on your cheek as hard as possible. But even then, you can't stop your shivering limbs, nor your teary eyes. Master Jose quiets down at the sound of your sniffling, continuing in a much more gentle voice. "It doesn't have to be now. It doesn't have to be any time soon. And you would have friends and family to support you along the entire way. But none of that changes the fact that you and you alone would have to make the first step."
The room fills with silence, your quiet sniffles the only thing breaking the stillness. A hand appears in front of you, holding a large handkerchief initialed J.P. You take it with a thankful nod. You had to get away.
After you have somewhat recovered your composure, you give the guildmaster a small (fake) smile. "I… I'll think about it." You had to run away.
You quickly get up and open the trapdoor, ignoring Master Jose's calls for you to wait as you leave. Again.
Doing your best to put on a calm mask, you nod goodbye to your new friends before leaving. Fast.
- - - - -
Every good hero(ine) needs a bit of horrific trauma in their life!
Also god this chapter just wouldn't work for a good while. And then I had a flash of inspiration and wrote the whole thing in like 2 hours.
Originally the card game was gonna be poker, but then I realized that the antics of UNO would be way more fun.
[X][Phantom] ...Calling your name. Waiting for you. Asking for you. Searching for you. Killing for you.
[X][Phantom] ...Beautiful. You wanted it. Everyone did. Everyone died.
These two interest me the most, and I'm pretty sure we have approval voting. The first sounds like some sort of Yandere, and the last, well. Provides a good sense of mystery, as well as has some ominous undertones.
Poor Totomaru, now i understand why he wanted to play with someone new.
[X][Phantom] ...A monster of ash and dust, its hands stained crimson, eyes of pale gold glowing softly in the dark.
Neatly fits with our love for Cleaning. All the blood and ash and dust. If it killed someone when she was child that could be her real motivation for picking her magic and starting journey.
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