User:Nextoy/Dissidia Alto/Twin Wanderers

Just when you think that things are all calming down they only kick up to be even more crazy. Next thing you know you’re dumped into some strange room with people all dressed funny and someone claiming to be a goddess asking you to save the world.

Life’s funny like that I suppose.

So now here I am, walking along this grassland wondering what it is that I’m even supposed to be doing. Sure these manikins are annoying, but they at least keep me from growing bored. I did notice that I don't seem to run out of bullets here, strangely enough. Or, at the very least, I don’t remember having this much ammo on me.

Still, can’t exactly say I’m unaccustomed to wandering like this. If anything, this place reminds me of my days as a ranger. Wandering about the wastelands in search of whatever outlaw hideout is stuck in some rocky crag or hole in the sand.

Actually, if what that goddess says is true, I’m just doing the same shit I did as a ranger. Only difference being that the bandits aren’t so keen on my wallet, and I don’t have to save up my money for gunpowder.

Honestly, I’m thinking of trying to make bullets using these crystal shards. I doubt anything would come of it, but it could be interesting to try out.

“Hey kid!” I hear someone call it. I turn to face the voice, and it’s coming from some muscular dude who seems to have forgotten his shirt and shoes. Weirdly, he’s carrying some anchor-lookin’ sword at his side.

“Yeah, you. What’re you doing wandering about like this?” He asked, sitting down and resting the sword beside him.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Well, some lady in a white dress told me to go mosey on through this place and scout the area. Something about a war, soldiers, and whatever else have you.” I answered, sitting down next to him. “Honestly it all sounds like a bunch of hogwash to me, but it’s always been my job to play peace keeper.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Guess that’s all started up again, then.” He replied, giving a hearty laugh. “Wonder if my cry baby of a son is back here again.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Familiar with this whole set up, then?” I asked, pulling out a cig and lighting it. I thought to offer it, but then again I don’t know how easy it is to find tobacco around here.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Yeah, not my first time running through the cycles. Honestly, I thought they ended a while ago, but I guess not.” He answered, casually waving away what little smoke ended up being blown towards him.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">That’s the funny thing about smoke. No matter where you stand, it always ends up in your face. Anyone else ever notice that? There can be not a single inch of wind blowing around, and it’ll still follow ya.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Got any info you wanna give to a drifter who just wandered in, then?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Yeah, train hard. Thankfully manikins are good for that, but you never know when something is gonna come after ya. For all you know I could have came here to pick a fight, after all.” He teased, cracking his knuckles and grinning wildly.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“I ain’t usually one fer fightin’, honestly. But hell, these things don’t really know when to quit. Act more like a pack o’ coyotes than people.” I brought up, noticing a few meandering around. Seems we caught the attention of one of them, but then something real odd happened.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">See, this one had some weird hairdo and robes that made him look like he was supposed to be some kinda king, and he threw out this orange ball. Didn’t move too fast, but it did start slowly walking towards us.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Then this guy gets up, picking up that big sword of his, and just stands there. Now I’m watching this whole thing go down, and wondering to myself <span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“What the hell is he doing?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Well he just backhands that big, orange ball and it starts floating slowly on back towards it’s summoner. Now the Manikin, being a Manikin, wasn’t too bright. So he just starts summoning these little balls and bits around himself like a minefield.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Then this big, orange ball of his taps him and explodes like a case of TNT. Next thing I know there are shards everywhere, my hat’s out of arm’s reach, and this guy’s sitting back down like it’s nothing.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">What’s worse is the first thing he says after all of this.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Like I said, you never know when something’s gonna come after ya.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The hell kind of a follow up is that? I’ve heard of nonchalant, but this is just crazy.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“No kidding.” Was all I could think to say in response. “How’d you do that, anyhow?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Simple, I’m the best. And when you’re the best, you don’t need to worry about things like that.” He responded. Can’t even really say “answered”, honestly.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Alright, jackass. Can you reflect a bullet?” I ask, teasingly whipping out my pocket pistol.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“I’d be down to trying.” He grinning, getting up. I did the same, and we both stepped a fair bit away from each other. Honestly I can’t believe he’s serious, but apparently he is.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Now I’m standing here like a jackass, gun ready to be drawn, and gonna shoot a guy I just met. All because his big ol’ ego had to get the better of him.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“The hell am I doing?” <span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Is the only thing I can think to myself.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Nonetheless I draw my pistol and fire like a pissed off rattler, and see it bounce off of the back of the guy’s hand and hit the dirt next to him.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Now I’m thinking to myself <span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“The hell is going on?” <span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">, and wondering if I should just bail here and now. Course then the musclehead decides to ask me:

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Is that all you got?” At this point I’m getting pretty annoyed at this guy’s ego, so I just casually reload before kicking a rock forward, firing at it. He backhands for the rock, despite it not going near him, and gets caught with the bullet in his shoulder.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Satisfied, amigo?” I asked, grinning as I reload my pea shooter.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Nah, now I’m just raring for a real fight!” It was at that point, while he was charging me, that I realized I had made a mistake. All cause I had to take part in this muscle head’s pissing contest, too.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">I saw his fist swing past me as I step just a touch out of the way, punching him in the side. He shrugs it off and headbutts me, following up with a jumping knee to my jaw.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Now I was in a fair bit of pain and seeing stars, but I swear for a half second I saw him shoot some kind of energy beam from his eyes. All I know is that I have this burning sensation from whatever he did and I was rolling along the ground.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Now I’m seeing this brute laughing as he just stands there, challenging me with his otherwise relaxed stance. While mama always taught me never to start a fight, pops made sure I knew how to end one.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">I get up and charge at him, landing my fist into his jaw and quickly follow up with my other under his chin; quickly stringing in an elbow across that same jaw and knocking him back with a shoulder tackle.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Weirdly, despite getting sent away from me, that didn’t seem to harm him much. In fact, now that I think of it, that headbutt he delivered barely left a mark on me. Course, maybe that’s just the adrenaline.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Now stay down, I ain’t here for an actual fight.” I order, aiming my pistol.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Man I need to upgrade this peashooter.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">He just casually gets up, begins to seemingly fly through the air, and immediately cancels this strange airdash of his with another one of those insane backhands to reflect my bullet before continuing his charge.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">I hop away from it, only to catch his toes poping me up into the air with him. Now what kind of insane combo he followed that up with doesn’t exactly register with me, as I’m fairly certain we aren’t supposed to have that kinda air time, but we were floating up there for some time.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Next thing I know this guy has me by the neck, dragging me into the dirt, and blasting me away with some kind of explosive originating from his palm. Doesn’t help that I ended up rolling across the dirt because of it.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“That’s all?” He asked, rolling his neck and shoulders. I wasn’t able to respond immediately, instead just coughing while getting up on my elbows.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“That’s a shame, I was hoping for a bit better. Guess these new warriors aren’t so tough after all.” He mused, walking off as he dragged that anchor of his in the dirt.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Now that I think about it, he never even used the damn thing on me.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Now who the hell are you to just come beating up people like that?” I asked, glaring up at him.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Call me Sin.” He answered, looking over his shoulder. “My brat of a kid should understand what that means, if you see him.” He assured while walking off.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">I certainly had more questions, but I figured laying on my back was probably a better move at the moment.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“He looks like that.” The man revealed, pointing to a manikin with some bubbly sword. One that was charging at me.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Course, a shot from my pistol, and it wasn’t a problem anymore.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Sin, huh? That’s not the kinda name you’re born with. That’s the name of a guilty man. I wonder what his crime is, and also what the hell he plans on doing here.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">It was then that a thought hit me. He was long gone, so I couldn’t say anything, but the Manikin he claimed to look like his kid wasn’t one that I was familiar with. In fact, most of these Manikins look mighty unfamiliar to me. Having seen a fair bunch of them, I’d say none of them look like my allies just yet, and we were told they would.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">How many lost souls have ended up here?

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">I’d ask the stars, but this night sky is as black as my morning cup of coffee.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt;"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:400;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">...Ah hell, this world doesn’t have coffee, does it?