The Dark Elf Karia gave the older Brigand woman a glance, nodding slowly. Inwardly she cringed. Mumsey wouldn’t take her daughters recent escapes with alcohol very kindly. At least, not until she understood the situation, but the War Mage doubted her friend would receive much pity from her mother.
Though she was reigning in her disappointment for the moment, Mumsey had a serious tick in her left eye. “Well, thank you, Karia... For a Dark Elf, you’re not all that bad...” She frowned. “But I must insist that all this drinking Julia’s been doing lately is not acceptable behavior!”
Moving towards the center of the room, Karia slide the blithering drunken form of Julia into a chair, before turning to Mumsey and shrugging, “Acceptable behavior or not, she has her reasons,” she stated coolly.
Mumsey grunted to that as she walked to the kitchen. She opened a pantry and sighed. God she was softening. She never kept these sorts of potions on hand before, considering it weak to use them, and that pain is just the body releasing weakness. But drunkeness was just... Barbaric.
Walking back into the living room, Mumsey stopped by Julia and opened the bottle. She cupped her daughter’s chin and poured the contents in her mouth; a little something to clear the alcohol from her system.
Karia debated for a moment whether she should leave or not. She never did like Mumsey, but that was just because of her rather harsh upbringing and the older woman’s tendency to bitch-slap people around who didn’t give her what she wanted. She spared the slumbering Julia a glance, before turning around and leaving. Julia was safe at home, despite Mumsey’s presence. She’d stop by later after the alcohol wore off.
Sighing, Mumsey knew it would take a few moments. Walking back to the kitchen she used the hand-pump to get a flow of water going form the underground reservoir. She took a nearby cleaning towel to wet it. Folding the towel into a rectangle, Mumsey brought it back and pressed it on Julia's forehead as a cold compress.
“I swear, Julia, you worry this old woman,” Mumsey said with a chuckle. Julia merely moaned in her sleep at the feel of the cold compress against her heated skin, she was still far too gone to do much of anything else at the moment.
Walking over to the couch, Mumsey sat down, and decided to wait this out.
In order to save time, and completely thrash the fourth wall, Julia began to awaken, groaning in agony, “Ow... My head...”
“The least you deserve for abusing your body with the local spirits,” Mumsey said with a slight grin.
“Eggh...” Julia moaned in agony at discovering her mother was in the room.
Shaking her head, Mumsey sighed. “Honestly Julia, you’ve become so withdrawn lately.”
Julia gave her mother a dark look, before turning and staring at the floor, not saying anything.
Sighing, Mumsey thought of something, anything to cheer the girl up. And then inspiration struck. “Well Julia, I think you’ll be proud to know that Teddy called me a ‘bitch’ right to my face. I never knew he had the balls to do it.”
Blinking her eyes, Julia looked at her mother. Theo had called Mumsey a bitch? Wait... “What was he doing here?”
Mumsey shrugged. “He dropped by a thick paper folder. Asked me to read the contents to you.”
“Where?” Julia snapped, irritably, before sighing and looking apologetic for using that tone of voice with her mother.
Shrugging off her daughter’s slightly bossy-tone, Mumsey pointed to the folder in the middle of the small table in the living room. “Right there.”
Julia jumped to her feet and moved towards the folder. She gave it a nervous dreadful look, before reaching out and touching it. She phased out of existence just like she expected she would. Pulling her hand back and eyeing the bundle, “Can you read it for me?”
Nodding her head, Mumsey couldn’t help but wonder about her daughter’s nervousness. Picking up the folder, Mumsey undid the tab to open the top flap. She pulled out the papers and began to read it over. She blinked her eyes once... Twice... Thrice...
“What kind of magical mumbo-jumbo is this?” Mumsey asked. “First party and second party... Municipal agreements... What in the world?”
“What is it?” Julia grimaced. She had an inkling, but was some what hoping it wouldn’t come to that just yet.
Mumsey shrugged. “Not sure but it says...” Mumsey read it over again to make sure she pronounced it reasonably. “The first part of Theodore P. Diggers and second part of Julia Brigand-Diggers stand ground for separation... Three years of forbearance and separation into accord... Nuptial agreements shall be hereby null and void in a court of law.”
Looking at her daughter, Mumsey could only ask, “What the nine hells does this...” Mumsey stopped as she noticed another piece of paper behind it. It was in Theo’s writing. Looking it over, she read it out-loud. “Julia and I are getting divorced, you heartless bitch.”
Her eye widening, the papers dropped from Mumsey’s numb fingers.
Julia winced, but said nothing. She knew this was coming, and she didn't like it.
Sighing, Mumsey shook her head as she bent down to scoop up the papers. She honestly didn’t see this one coming. It was strange to Mumsey. She got what she wanted. Her beautiful, precious, deserving daughter was finally out of the clutches of the wimpy, weak-willed wuss of a mage...
...So why wasn’t she happy?
Sighing once more, Mumsey placed the papers down on the table carefully. There were other papers, but she didn’t feel like reading them yet.
“I... With this curse, I decided... to...” Julia hiccuped, before sighing, “To divorce him... So he can get on with his life...” She explained pathetically.
Nodding her head at Julia’s words, Mumsey walked over to her daughter slowly. She enveloped the redhead in a tight hug. “You always were too caring a woman.”
Julia returned the hug as best she could, fighting back her bodies demand for tears.
Sighing, Mumsey patted the back of Julia’s head with her larger hand. She could feel her daughter trembling in her grasp. “Shhh... It’s all right, Julia... There’s rarely a time for tears... But this is one of those times it’s okay...”
The damn broke. She squeezed her eyes shut, a torrent of tears falling from her eyes as she sobbed loudly. “It’s not fair! Why did this happen to me! Why!?”
“I don’t know, Julia,” Mumsey whispered softly as she held Julia, and let her daughter weep. “I honestly don’t know.”
Julia stayed like that for awhile, the track of tears refusing to ebb in intensity. Every time she looked to get control again, she simply broke down. Finally, after a long time, she sniffled once and pushed away from her mothers. She gave the papers a long glance, but said nothing.
However as Julia was looking towards the papers, it was then she noticed a figure that had been standing there silently. He had finally returned home after a perilous campaign, which had gained more land rights for Jade’s Ninja Clan, and all he wanted to do now was just be with his family...
...But at seeing THIS...
His hand instinctually went down to his katana hilt, grasping at it tightly. “Julia, dear...” A voice could be heard. “What happened?”
Though she frowned slightly, Julia couldn’t help but sniffed as she wiped away some of the remaining tears, “I’m divorcing Theo. This curse...” She trailed off. It was hard enough explaining it to Mumsey.
Tsunami nodded. “You don't have to explain again. I did hear everything. I just needed to hear that to confirm it...”
And with that, Tsunami turned away. He walked out of the house and seemingly disappeared.
(------)
With his head hanging low, Theo sighed as he hanged out in the local Tavern of Tessa. It was times like this he HATED Aura Magic. He just wanted to get plastered and yet his body kept clearing the alcohol form his system faster than he could take it in!
“Maybe being a hippy happy clown mage wouldn’t be so bad,” Theo grumbled irritably.
Theo sighed as he drowned another ale. With the contents gone, he slammed the mug down upon the counter-top. Grumbling, he reached into a pocket of his mage-suit and pulled out a gold coin and placed it on the counter. “Keep the change,” Theo said as he stood up and left.
Walking down the street, people would move about to give him way. He looked like a puppy that had been kicked and the aura of depression that exhausted off of him just seemed to repel people with ease.
He couldn’t believe how much his life had spiraled out of control... “Ever since dad lost control of that spell...” Shaking his head, Theo sighed. He lost his father, his wife, his marriage... True, he was losing that psycho-bitch of a barbarian mother-in-law, but it was little consolation for the fact he had already lost so much that meant everything to him.
Sighing at the continuous stares and avoidance he got from people on the streets, Theo decided to make his way back to the Conclave building of Tessa through the back-alleys. He didn’t want people staring at him. He didn’t want pity.
Theo was almost on the other side of two buildings when a figure suddenly appeared in front of him from seemingly out of thin-air.
“We’ve got a lot to discuss... BOY...” A voice in Theo’s head hissed in anger and disgust.
Looking wary, Theo stepped back and realized it was his ex-father-in-law. He had rarely met the man, but from what he knew he didn’t disrespect the marriage between himself and Julia... At least, not verbally like Mumsey always did. “Hello, Tsunami,” Theo grunted a greeting. “Please, I don’t feel like talking right now.”
Theo tried to move around Tsunami, but the elder ninja-master moved with him, blocking his path. “Well, wouldn’t you know it? Neither do I.”
Before Theo could say anything else, Tsunami punched him in the gut, HARD! The aura mage stumbled back in shock and pain.
Looking at Tsunami, Theo saw as two ninjas garbed in black suddenly appeared, blocking his path forward.
Stepping back, Theo was intending to go back... But then THREE more ninjas appeared, blocking that exit. Theo was trapped between six ninjas, one being a Weaponsmaster. And to top it off, all had metal weapons.
Walking forward slowly, Tsunami had a nasty snarl on his face. “You broke my daughter’s heart,” Tsunami snarled again. “You made her cry. A strong woman like her, you hurt her worse than any opponent ever has.”
Gulping, Theo eyed the sword that Tsunami was unsheathing. He only had time to form two words as all the ninjas started closing in on him. “Oh” and “shit”.
(------)
Meanwhile, two Edge Guard happened to be walking along the streets of Tessa. Members of the Northern Edge Guard to be precise. One happened to be a male jagwere, the other a werepanthress.
Pantha yawned, stretching her tired muscles as she walked with her friend, “Ahhh... Slow night.” She grumbled.
As he walked beside the werepanthress Marcus nodded his head slowly, his armor clanking here and then with each step. “Too bad I can’t make it a quiet one,” He said with a grin.
Looking at her fellow guard, Pantha smirked, “What’s the deal with that get up anyway?” She had an amused thought of his wife, Aeila, being responsible for it, but she wasn’t too sure about that. The guy tended to be a ditz.
“Er, this is regulation Paladin equipment for a member of the Edge Guard,” Marcus said seriously. He smirked a little. “Besides, little Garfield’s eyes seemingly light up when he sees me where this. I think it makes him proud of his father.”
Smiled sadly at that, Pantha mumbled, “Yeah. I bet he is.”
Marcus winced a little at his stupidity. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. You know Aeila and I will help you with Thropan.” He managed to smile a little. “And with Aeila on medical leave with her pregnancy, she’ll be able to spend more time watching both Thropan and Garfield.”
Pantha winced then. She didn’t like having to rely on her friends when it came to her son. Still... Ever since her husband was killed in that horrible hunting accident they had been a lifesaver. Damn that stubborn man. She told him not to moon the owl-bears, they looked mad!
And so the two walked along, a thought hit the jagwere, “Hey, Pantha,” He started, “After this is over, you want to head to the local tavern for a late dinner? I heard they’re serving roast bog-thresher tonight. They’re good eating.”
Pantha was about to respond, until a flash of steel out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She stopped suddenly, tensing in preparation.
At Pantha’s halt, Marcus blinked his eyes, his ears straining to find anything that would make Pantha stop. “Fight. Sounds like five... Maybe up to seven people.”
Nodding her head, Pantha pulled her bow free, “There!” she hissed pointing towards the alleyway.
(------)
Now a bruised and bloody mess, Theo groaned as two ninjas picked him up by either arm. Damn those ninjas and their Dwarven steel, that stuff was hell on his healing abilities. Using what little energy he had left, he looked up to see Tsunami lifting his katana.
“And now it ends,” Tsunami ‘said’, raising his sword high.
Theo winced. This was it. “And here I thought it was going to be the mother-in-law that would do me in,” Theo thought ironically.
However, before Tsunami could bring his sword down, he raised his other hand quickly and caught an arrow. The arrow-head scant millimeters from his chest.
Pantha didn’t need to see anymore. In lightning fast succession, she aimed and fired a hail of arrows. Two arrows slammed into the arms of the Ninjas holding the man still, others traveling high, one arrow going for Tsunami’s as the others dodged quickly
Before Tsunami could bring his sword down, he raised his other hand quickly and caught an arrow. The arrow head scant millimeters from his chest. He watched as the two ninjas holding Theo dropped him as to attend their arms, dropping Blondie unceremoniously. Tsunami looked over to the two werecats. He broke the arrow in his hand.
“Freeze! This is the Edge Guard!” Pantha snarled, pulling out one of her special arrows should they decide to run.
“In the name of the Northern Edge Guard, lower your weapons!” Marcus said seriously. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!”
Theo turned his head. The Edge Guard? He was saved!
Looking over at the two werecats, Tsunami snapped his fingers. The three uninjured Ninjas placed their weapons back into their clothing and pulled out another set of the same type of weapons. Only made from a far shinier metal.
Marcus winced as he realized what it was. “Silver.”
Pantha didn’t take the ‘snapping’ of the fingers lightly. She let loose with her arrow, the slender bolt passing three feet in front of her, before exploding into a large mass of sticky white substance, Paralytic Web spell.
However, the spell only caught one person.
Theo...
The two injured Ninjas...
And four tree logs...
Theo groaned as he lay hanging upside-down on a glowing etheral-green web.
Looking about, Pantha growled, “Ninja clan!” She hissed, recognition dawning on her at the log trick that had been pulled. Oh, were they ever going to get in trouble for this!
“Especially when one is a Weaponsmaster,” Came a male voice from inside Pantha’s head as a male hand closed about the wood of her bow and snapped it in two.
Marcus groaned and unsheathed his sword...
...Only to have it shattered in two by the swing of a silver katana. He felt the flat of a silver blade against his throat, and the sizzle of flesh was excruciating. “Move and you’re dead,” came a voice from a ninja holding Marcus hostage.
Seeing The Ninja hold Marcus hostage, Pantha wasn’t nearly so calm about it. Back stepping to avoid one of the Ninjas converging on her, she dropped her bow and threw her hands out, the sound of something shifting just under the sleeves of her suit was heard, before a pair of crossbows appeared in her hands. She fired one off a ‘FLARE’ Arrow into the sky - To give the other members of the Guard in the city the signal for help.
Tsunami looked over at the mini crossbow the werepanthress has suddenly pulled out. “Resourceful.” Tsunami stared the werepanthress down. “You think your comrades can help you?’
Pantha sneered, “Who says I was signaling them Tsunami? There’s more than enough mages nearby, and they won’t take kindly to you attacking one of their own.” She tossed down one of her empty crossbows, whipping out her bowie knife in the nick of time to deflect a stab for her chest.
Tsunami frowned. He stood back and threw numerous shurikens at the web, dispelling it. Two of the ninjas went over to pick up their fallen comrades. Sheathing his katana, Tsunami snapped his fingers twice, and the five ninjas with him faded back into the darkness.
Marcus gasped and was breathing heavily as he felt his neck. Oh man, that was gonna leave a scar if he didn't get special silver treatment ointment on it soon.
Gasping, Theo looked up as Tsunami walked over to him.
Pantha spared her partner a glance, before looking at the mage who had nearly become shish-cabob before they showed up. She was tense, ready for any kind of action the Weaponsmaster would try against the mage.
Tsunami then kicked the downed mage in the abdomen hard! Hard enough to cause Theo to vomit a bit of blood. “I see you again boy, you'll wish you were never born.” He then turned to look at the two Edge Guard members. “You get in my way again, and I’ll make sure you wake up with a second smile. You can’t stay awake forever.”
“Neither can you,” Pantha growled.
With that, Tsunami stood firm, with his index and middle finger extended, Tsunami moved his hand in a circular motion. Moving his hand to the center of his chest, Tsunami disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.
With Tsunami gone, Marcus let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. “Weaponsmaster Tsunami Brigand... Shit, he’s scarier than the rumors said.”
Pantha wasn’t willing to let her guard down just yet. That would just be begging for trouble. She moved slowly towards the mage, kneeling down over him, “Are you alright?”
“I will be when I’m dead,” Theo groaned, all too serious.
Looking at the mage, Pantha frowned. Whatever this guy had done to piss off Tsunami must have been bad, so bad the guy was all but willing to just die and end it all. That surprised her frankly, and she felt a tad bit of anger swell in her belly at that. Throwing a life away, even if it is yours, angered her like nothing else.
Marcus helped the guy to his feet. “Easy now, we'll get you to a Healer's clinic. Hopefully there'll be one open at this time.”
Pantha helped the mage to his feet, before picking him up in a fireman’s carry. Being a werepanthress has its advantages. “Let’s go, Marcus.”
“Enough,” Theo groaned. “I’ve got to get home... I’m got to get to... Gina... And...”
Theo didn't make it two steps with Pantha before his boy gave out and unconsciousness claimed him.
Rolling her eyes, Pantha snorted, but didn’t say anything else as she carried the unconscious mage away. Perfect ending to an otherwise horrible event.
Itching at his neck, Marcus sighed as he looked at his broken sword. “Man, Aeila is going to bite my head off for this.”
Read the comments on this episode
See other episodes by Red Priest of the 17th Order
(Posted Wed, 18 Feb 2004 23:32)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.