Death Hunters 17: Decisions

    High above Aesperia, amidst the glowing clouds that make up the majority of the space of the universe known as Other World, the black and white portal of Cookie Clean appears, she of course stepping out of it. Her small chibi-wings expand, although still looking unreal, similar in fact to those belonging to the monster Mata-Go-Lucky. She looks down at Aesperia, the rolling darkness where night is, the massive borders, no sign of stars, a sun, or moon from this height at all. Its as though it were all a dream and the world below like some portal.

   “What are you doing?” comes an all too familiar man’s voice interrupting her train of thought.

    “I’m canceling our contract.” says Cookie Clean, “Sorry Mr. Thing Named Jim but I’m not going to follow your orders anymore.”

    “I see,” says the voice, the source now obvious as a tiny floating ball of a light, the start of a portal not fully opened, “Have you forgotten our deal? You bring me my precious buxom Betty and I life your curse.”

    “The curse you put on us.” says Cookie Clean, “Betty is too nice…I thought she would be some stuck up princess playing pirate but she’s nice. Her friends too. Besides I learned that there is another way to cure my curse other than depend on a devil like you.”

    She strokes the collar on her neck, “As nice as I am, as polite as I was trained to be, you’ve gone back on your promise too many times. I know my sister agrees too. We’re done. We’ll find our own way.”

     *insane laughter that can’t be written out in coherent words*

    “Oh really?” says Jim calming down, “Have you forgotten who your talking too? Or has that world tricked you too into thinking I can be beaten?”

    Cookie Clean smiles, “I…hadn’t thought of that, but I did learn you can’t enter this universe, and this universe has so many things to offer that might be able to help me.”

   She curtsies, “Good eye Mr. Thing Named Jim, I wont be making your acquaintance again.”

    “You can’t leave!” screams Jim, “I wont let you!”

   The portal opens, a swirling white light.

   “Feather Duster Smash: Sword!” yells Cookie Clean, a broadsword blade appearing from the feathers of her feather duster.

   A giant skeletal bird emerges, with a small black penguin on its back, the diminutive form is instantly recognizable as the demon Vol-Pinyo.

   “I knew you were going back on your contract.” he says, “I warned Jim, but he wouldn’t listen. Now I get the bonus of killing you and then finishing the job, consider this pay back for not going through with the plan.”

    He thinks back to his humiliation of being treated like a cat toy before.

    “You were supposed to strike from with-in their ranks while I confronted them!”

    “It wouldn’t have worked any way Mr. Penguin.”

   “My name is Vol-Pinyo!” he shouts while hopping up and down in a huff.

   “You didn’t see what I saw,” says Cookie Clean, “I was there when they defeated a monster much stronger than you or I, it would have been suicide.”

   “What?” says Vol-Pinyo, “Suicide to just grab the girl and teleport back to Jim’s base? You’re just making excuses, you made friends. Never send a crazy chick amongst other crazy chicks…and…do you really think that sword is going to do anything against me?”

    He holds his flippers together and summons a green ball of energy between them.

    Cookie Clean narrows her eyes, grabs her chocker and says, “Dark Alignment.”

   A shadow envelops her and melts away to reveal the skimpy costume and now large bat wings of Dark Cookie.

   “Well, well, well,” says Dark Cookie, “Little bird boy wants to fight huh? Let me guess Jimmy not happy over me leaving huh? You should stay in this universe too, unless you think that cartoon obsessed freak is actually going to let someone like you ever leave is employ.”

   “Necro Sphere!” screams Vol-Pinyo throwing his attack.

   *vip*

   Dark Cookie seems to vanish moving out of the way, the energy ball flying past her towards Aesperia.

   *wanwanwan*

   The sphere vanishes in a distortion behind her.

   Vol-Pinyo cocks his and his eyes widen.

   *wanwanwan*

   The distortion returns and is now the size of a house, from with in it a vessel emerges. A large red crystal with flat faces, shaped like a cut octagonal stone for a ring. Connected to it somehow are black structures resembling spider or crab legs made of wood with spikes on the dorsal sides of them.

    The vessel turns towards them.

    *p-choo*

    A red bolt fires from another direction and vaporizes the skeletal bird Vol-Pinyo was riding on, the source is a similar vessel to the first, except it only has two forward facing legs and the back end is a large wooden frame that looks like the fins of some race boat Another bolt fires from one of the spikes on its legs and whizzes past Vol-Pinyo, who promptly vanishes back into a portal.

   “Do not be alarmed,” comes a woman’s voice from the attacking vessel, “please come with us.”

    ******

    In the white room of the Thing Named Jim he stomps his feet as Vol-Pinyo emerges from the portal, “damn, damn, damn, damn-it all.”

   “Your minion is lucky,” comes a thunderous female voice from all around, drawing both Jim’s and Vol-Pinyo’s attention, “Those Chaos Flower ships use chaos energy for their weapons, one shot and your pet would have been killed.”

    “Fuck you and fuck all other goddesses.” says Jim shaking his fist at the ceiling, “I’m not going to keep letting you steal my toys.”

   Vol-Pinyo’s eyes narrow at Jim’s unseeing back.

   ******

    Blackness, the sky is rolling darkness, the ground is a desert made of ebony stones, the only whiteness the numerous bleach white skulls scattered across the ground. A casual visitor would see these as the scattered remains of numerous victims, although in reality they are a type of mushroom native to this land.

    Robed figures float about this land; rivers are filled with strange creatures including skeletal fish. What must look closely to see life, such as small black lizards. However such close examination is nearly unheard of as one sees the many lines of ghosts from many worlds floating single file across pathways towards their ultimate destinations. This is the Land of the Dead, a world between worlds, a world that is a roadway between realities. The highest mountain in this land is not a mountain but a castle, in its highest peak from which only those who can fly may come and go the three figures of Adorable Death Bringer, Sickle, and Death Fisher bow before a massive black veil separating them from a throne upon which sits in still repose the giant goddess Namia.

    “My death hunters,” she says, “The test is complete, Hana Ichiro, your report interests me, this Xiang is truly a fascinating place indeed, who would have imagined any mortals would develop machinery like that found here in the Land of the Dead. Tandenmaru your report of Croix is equally interesting, although I must remind you to be a bit more careful next time, remember the beings of Aesperia all possess Necropathy, they can all see and hear you. Now Nya-Chan-Ko, I would say the towers you uncovered were equally fascinating, however you disappoint me. Your destructive rampage was completely uncalled for and unprofessional, you are a death hunter not a destroyer such outright open attacks on living beings and physical structures goes against our laws.”

   “But your majesty,” protests Nya-Chan-Ko, better known as the Adorable Death Bringer, “Both Sickle and Death Fisher destroyed things and had fights with people.”

    “There is a difference,” says Namia, “They at least attempted to remain hidden, and remain out of direct combat with mortals. What little they were forced to do was in self defense and the destruction was done second hand, not by direct assault. It is not an easy thing granted to do on a world where so many are magical and can interact with those of this world, however you made no effort to remain hidden, you went after those towers in broad day light, when the facility was occupied, and wantonly destroyed them, you forget that I was watching, your reports are only a formality, I saw your enjoyment in your actions.”

   “but,” protests Adorable Death Bringer, who falls silent as Namia lifts her skeletal hand, the black veil does nothing to hide her movements from sight, it is more for atmosphere than concealment.

   “Enough,” says Namia, “you are to return to the academy and continue your training, and retake your lessons on how to be a proper death hunter. It is clear to me your methods and mind have been polluted by that abominable being called The Thing Named Jim and working for others like him.”

     With a wave of Namia’s hand the Adorable Death Bringer vanishes, reappearing in another place surrounded by various types of death hunters, some in robes with scythes, skeletal ones, cute girls with broom sticks and pink kimonos, even people with swords and black kimonos amongst many others of many varying styles. The retraining and further advancement academy of death hunters, a combined school both for those who need or want to retrain or for those who wish to pursue higher ranks and greater power, A.D.B. knows she is here for the former and knows her instructors will know this as well, and before too long the other students will, for one as old and as powerful as her it is truly an embarrassment, her fellow students will be very young death hunters who know little more than how to send a soul to the other side or hack and slash at evil spirits.

    Back in the palace of Namia queen of the dead Death Fisher and Sickle await further instruction.

     “Now,” says Namia, “You two are to return to Aesperia, for now you are to continue general operations, nothing fancy, no conflict with the locals or going after any of these machines until further orders. You are free to go anywhere on the planet to pursue ghosts and evil spirits, except for one place, while I did tell Tandenmaru this I did not tell you Hana, you are both to avoid the northern reaches of the land the locals call Croix; while yes there is an area there more rich with evil spirits than
any other dealing with this area is beyond even you two at this time. In other words, typical operations, dismissed.”

    Namia waves her hand and Sickle and Death Fisher vanish and reappear in the forests of Ravashira on Aesperia.

    “typical operations?” muses Sickle, “in this place? Sounds like fun, you know what Death Fisher, I think I’m going to hire myself as an adventurer who specializes in hunting evil spirits.”

    “Uh, didn’t her majesty say not to mess with the locals?” asks Death Fisher.

    “No,” says Sickle, “she said no conflict with the locals, so no mercenary stuff or fighting people unless they attack us first, and no going after those Necro-energy machines. Besides I’m starting to like this world.”

    With out further explanation she leaps into the air and vanishes.

    Death Fisher just yawns, stretches his arms and pulls his capture crystal device from the air, “Busy, busy, busy, well old friend lets go find some place to sit back and let you do all the work. I tell you some people like to make this job too complicated if you ask me.”