Halo Rising: chapter 3

Chapter 3:

“We need to get clearance from the current Gate Keeper to clear the city when its time, into the fortified citadel..” Lenna pointed towards the large towers that carved hard, granite notches into the skyline. “But until then,” she added, “We need to find Millor...”

***

“Have they arrived?!”

The young man heaved himself over the attendants desk of the Hotel Verdmont and scoured the sign-in books.

“No, Lord Millor, they haven’t....not yet..” The small, nervous man said, trying his best to pull the information from the man’s hands.

“Have mercy, brother! Give the man his books back!”

Millor turned to see his brother—his twin brother—standing at the base of the steps. His expression was smug, and slightly indifferent, but he always somehow looked like this.

“You, John, need to stay out of affairs that don’t concern you.” he huffed. His brother just laughed.

“Learned some big words, have we?”

“Will you—!” he was cut off as he watched two young men enter the room, assisted by a young woman.

“Lenna!!” Millor shouted, running up to the girl, “I knew you’d come...”

He watched his brother frown deeply.

“...I’m glad to see you as well, Miss Lenna...But I didn’t expect you so late in the game.”

“I apologize.” She smirked at him. John rolled his eyes.

William and David stood back, watching the three of them interact until William spoke up.

“Who are these men?” He asked, stroking through his somewhat long, fiery locks.

“These,” Lenna spoke, her eyes flickering dangerously towards the opal blaze, “are your trainers. They will train you for this week until the demon attack while I get allowance from the Keeper for a sudden exodus if need be.”

The five of them sat down in the dining area, secluded in a more private section.

David and William sat across from Millor and John, while Lenna sat at the head.

“Hn,” John said suddenly, once the table was comfortable, “...So the angel summoner hasn’t reached his full power yet...” he put his chin on the tops of his hands underneath. “I thought you were going to take care of that...” He pointed his gaze at William who smirked.

“No, no—we don’t have enough time for that.” He spoke slowly.

“Besides,” added Lenna, “You know exactly what to do...”

David frowned, as did William at this remark.

“What in hell does that mean?” David cursed.

Millor exchanged looks at his brother who waved a hand at him, “All in time.”

***

“These bastards don’t want to tell me anything!”

David leaped into his bed, beside William’s who was reading calmly. His white panther sat asleep at the foot of his bed.

“There is a reason...” William said cooly, “They will tell you, and I, soon enough.”

The darkness outside there shaded windows seemed to get darker as the night came in across the spirit realm.

“They had better.”

***

“Wake up, ladies!”

Millor stomped into their room with his hands beating onto a sturdy, copper pot. Its sound clashed around the room until both boys were awake.

“What the hell?!!” David yelled, leaping out of his bed, then tripping over his shoes.

William sat up, still half asleep—his ears filled with cotton.

“I saw this coming...” he drowsed, getting slowly out of the bed. Arlen still lied asleep at the foot of the bed, only sparing an occasional twinge of its ear or tail.

After taking showers, they got dressed in uniform proper to the spirit realm, wearing kickers and lazy slack shirts to work in.

“We’ll have breakfast after we train,” smiled Millor. His brother laughed as there faces dropped.

“Damn you..” scowled David. William and Arlen stared hard at the twins.

“OK, then—lets divide into groups...” John spoke; he pointed to David, “You, come with me. Millor, train William.”

***

John took David out of the hotel, towards a large courtyard behind an old cathedral that had been ruined eons ago.

“You want to learn about who you are, do you not?” He laughed. David’s hands fisted at his sides.

“Why not...?” He said, bitting his tongue, curbing his inpatients.

“Well, then—I’ll tell you...”

...It only took a moment for John to be upon David. His wrist caught painfully in the other mans grasp.

“Have you ever played the game ‘mercy’?”

He snatched David’s arms over his head, then with a sharp kick, turned him around—his arms tangling un-naturally over his head until John started to bring them down slowly over David’s head.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

“Do something about it...” John smiled.

David could feel his arms starting to flex where there were no joints. His body was caving in backwards, his spine bending.

He tried, and failed to bring his hands up as they bent lower. His throat was burning from the pain of the screaming pouring from his throat.

‘I wont break, John...’

A voice echoed out from David’s lips. He could feel his mouth curling into a smile...

“Is that you, Marcus?” John spoke, his posture stilled.

The man smiled wider, “It is.”

“Glad to have you back...” He tightened his grip onto his arms. “The boy wanted to know about his past...” John added, “...I thought this would be the best way...”

“Oh, but of course. I do love this game.” the reincarnation spoke.

He tried to lift his arms, but the clasp on them was so tight, “...I see, then...”

David lifted his legs from underneath him, his body flexing over John’s head, until his arms were free of his grip and the other man was left holding nothing.

Marcus smirked, “Now what?”

John crossed his arms about his chest, his hands seemingly empty, until they were filled with two, long curved blades that launched from his sleeves.

“Catch.”

The blades ran over the cobble stone with such force, dirt clouds ran up from there passing. The ground cut into pieces.

David clenched his hand tightly around the piece of metal—blood streaming from the cut. He let the other blade pass just above his shoulder—cutting his shirt at the hem of the sleeve.

...suddenly the blade spun dangerously around David’s fingers. His eyes now clear and focused on the one shot needed to end this foolishness, because this was not the proper way to train....

He sprinted towards John putting the blade in-between his teeth; John launched himself forward with the same energy until they met in the middle, there hands clasped together.

David pulled his head back and rammed it against John’s forehead. He was stunned for a split second as the reincarnation spun the blade in his teeth, the point the only thing sticking out from between his lips.

John moved out of the way as David pushed his head forward, trying to stab his eyes out—unfortunately he wasn’t quick enough for one cut around the base of his neck.

“Dammit!” John yelled as the grip on his hands tightened, his knuckles cracking. David’s eyes gleamed as he spit the blade out above them and pushed John out of the way, catching it in his index and middle fingers.

“That’s close combat for you.” Marcus laughed from David’s lips. He started to back-flip out of the way of one blade shooting just past his ear.

David frowned deeply as the twin started to approach, blades popping up from between each of his fisted fingers.

“I’ll scratch your eyes out...”

John threw one blade at David who caught it in his mouth, another in his free hand—now holding three.

The other man sprinted towards David with such speed he couldn’t follow fast enough and was elbowed in the ribs. He brought his free hand up to scar David’s cheek and almost up to his eyes.

David lept to the side, holding his face tightly. The blades were covered in something that made his face seem like it was on fire.

And that was enough.