Well, here the last section that is currently ready.
sections 5-7 will be out within 12-20 hours with any luck.
Again, C&C is welcome
Jazz
crf_jensenja@crf.cuis.edu
Chapter 7 Serendipity
"To find things pleasing without trying to find them."
-Serendipity
"It followed me home. Can I keep it?"
-Anonymous
...and through the wall, revealing a hidden entrance.
Picking himself up from the ground, Jazz crashed his head
into short ceiling. Going back down on one knee, Jazz blinked
out enough of the pain to see that he had discovered a secret
tunnel.
Not being able to see far into the tunnel, Jazz backed out
slowly, being careful of the ceiling. Marking the entrance with
two rolled scrolls as the door closed behind him, Jazz headed
back to the library entrance, making a mental list of what he
might need to do a little exploring.
Going back to his room, Jazz put on a different pair of
shoes. Jazz also put on a set of leather armor that princess
Sheila had insisted he wear at times of crisis. Pulling on the
leather tunic and strapping on the leather leg guards, Jazz
regarded his reflection with a nod. [Hmmm, I guess I do look
good in leather.] Grabbing his tool belt loaded with his twin
war hammers, pocketpliers, and other assorted stuff, Jazz headed
out, but not before grabbing a length of rope. Suddenly a voice
in the back of his mind erupted with the idea of telling someone
where he was going and possibly have someone with him.
As he closed the door, his eyes fell on another project he
had been working on. Reaching in and grabbing the device
gingerly, Jazz snuck down to the kitchen. Sneaking two pieces of
fruit, Jazz ventured back down to the library.
Selecting a small table, Jazz set up the device he had
grabbed from his room. Taking one of the mobile glows from the
wall holder near the door, he set the glow in the specialized
cradle in the device. He proceeded to fiddle with the other
parts of the device, achieving the desired effect. Namely, a
beam of light shine forth from the lens. [It may not be as
bright as a halogen bulb, but it should do the trick.] To free
up his hand, Jazz strapped the flashlight to his right forearm
with two leather thongs.
Doing one last equipment check, absentmindedly wishing for
his staff, Jazz pushed on the wall, opening the secret door once
again. Jazz jammed a small metal spike into one of the hinges to
prevent it from closing before proceeding on.
Walking half hunched over, Jazz opened up his other senses
since his vision didn't work well in the dim tunnel. Scents of
mildew and rot assaulted his nose while his ears picked up the
sounds of water dripping and a distant chittering. Holding his
homemade flashlight in one hand, Jazz walked further in
Suddenly, the tunnel widened out into moderately large area,
compared to the room he had in Metallicana. Off to one side, he
noticed a stairway leading down. [I hope I don't meet whatever
is making that sound.] he thought, as the chittering seemed to be
getting louder.
Jazz stepped over to the stairwell, shining his light down.
Unable to see anything, he cautiously stepped down the first few
steps. Stepping down the next few stairs, Jazz kept his left
hand on one of his war hammers, ready to draw it.
Hearing a soft *whomp* ahead of him, Jazz backed into a
battle stance while bringing the flashlight around. Suddenly a
large, matted fur creature leapt at him, crashing into his chest.
Staring into the gapping maw and red eyes of the creature, Jazz
felt the creature bite into his right forearm armor, destroying
the flashlight, and it's claws start to dig into his leather
tunic. Screaming, Jazz brought his left hand, armed with a
fished out war hammer, around, sending the creature flying into
the nearest wall.
Scrambling to his feet, Jazz hurried up the stairs into the
open area when the glow started picking up other red eyes further
down the stairs. Looking towards the tome library entrance, Jazz
could make out other low slung creatures advancing towards the
area. [Rats? Why does it have to be rats?] he thought.
[Not ordinary rats either. Sewer Rats.]
Looking back towards the stairs he saw at least twelve set
of red, almost glowing eyes staring back at him with more joining
every second. [DAMN!!!! I should have asked someone to come
with me. I'm powerless now and can't do a damned thing about
it.] he thought, seeing the rats begin to advance on him.
Backing up against a wall, Jazz drew out his other war
hammer, waiting for the rats to do something. [They're gonna
gang up on me. Tough, they will have to deal with me.] he
thought, tightening the grip on the handles of the war hammers.
"It's HAMMMERTIME!!!!!!" screamed Jazz, leaping up and
turning one rat into a messy goo with a twin hammer strike.
Time stood still for a moment as the rats reacted to one
their brothers falling. Rearing up, the rats attacked without
callous, trying to bring their prey down.
Holding the rats at bay as best as he could, Jazz screamed
mentally [HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!] as a rat tore into his left side,
just below his ribcage.
Geo had just finished another scan of the condensed staff
and started to write down his findings. [It seems to have a life
of it's own. I have sensed a being, almost female in thought
within the staff. How did Jazz do this?] thought Geo, as he
wrote in the scroll. Looking up, he noticed the staff had lifted
off the table and began to float about 12" off the table. He
also noticed a glow that seemed to increase greatly with each
passing minute.
"What the..." said Geo, cut off suddenly as the staff fly
from his study at a great speed.
Running after it, Geo pounded through several halls,
fortunately catching the attention of his daughter, Tia.
"Dad, what's going on?" she asked, having caught up with her
father.
"I think Jazz is in trouble. His staff took off on it's
own. Tia, get some help."
"Right." said Tia, turning off another hallway, knowing and
hoping who to find.
Jazz looked back at the rats who had retreated slightly.
Knowing they would fall on him one last time, hoping to overwhelm
him, Jazz got as ready as he could.
[Why did I go exploring on my own?] he asked of himself.
[Because you are stupid and should have known better.] he
replied
[Right...damn, what a way to go...]
Another part of his mind registered the pain flowing through
his neural network. A side gash that still leaked blood between
the fingers of his left hand, various claw gouges along his arms,
legs, and torso, a large claw gash in his right hand that had
caused him to drop his remaining war hammer, and a splitting
headache from having run into a low hanging stalactite. [What I
wouldn't give some magic about now.] Jazz thought wistfully,
knowing it would never happen.
Suddenly a bunch of startled squeaks erupted from the tunnel
back to the library broke Jazz from his revelry. Looking up,
Jazz saw his staff, glowing like a small corona, heading straight
at him. Grasping the staff with his sore right hand, Jazz felt a
slight wave of energy wash over him as the rats backed off even
further. Grasping the staff with his left hand, Jazz nodded,
looking at the rats with fire in his eyes, and snarled "Time to
make the donuts!"
Leaping high, Jazz brought his staff, glowing with green
flames, down, sweeping the rats, that survived, left and right,
effectively scattering them. Spinning the staff around in a
large arch, Jazz sent another three to the sewer in the sky.
Three fireballs erupted in the midst of several rats packs, not
that Jazz noticed.
Two minutes later, Jazz sagged up against one the walls,
clutching his open side. Looking up with nearly fog covered
eyes, Jazz whispered "Geo...dat you?"
"Yes." said Geo, looking at Jazz's wounds.
"Okay..." commented Jazz weakly, as unconsciousness assert
it's claim on him.
"Hurry. Get him back to him room." ordered Geo, catching
Jazz before he could hit the floor. Arshes and Tia each went to
different side of Jazz, taking him from Geo. Wrapping Jazz as
best he could with what bandages Geo had with him, Geo knew it
would take a lot more.
"I will meet you up at his room shortly." said Geo, heading
at full tilt to the church to get healing supplies.
Arshes and Tia slowly walked Jazz up to his room. "Tia, why
did he do this?"
"Arshes, I...I don't know. But I know one thing."
"What's that?"
"He won't do this ever again if I have anything to say about
this." said Tia, determinedly.
Arshes nodded in agreement, thinking [Now I know what
Darschu sees in her.] Looking at their cargo, concern etched
into her forehead hoping that he would be okay.
When they arrived at Jazz's room, they positioned him
carefully on his bed and waited for Geo to get there. Arriving
with a lot more bandages and several clay pots, Geo set up and
bandaged Jazz properly, applied healing salves and herbs.
Twenty minutes later, Geo sat back in a chair by the bed.
"He is bandaged up and beginning to heal. Now it is up to him if
he wants to live."
"How bad was it?" asked Arshes, looking at the bandaged,
sleeping form.
"I managed to flush most of the rats' poison from his system
but they worked him over pretty good."
"Why did he go into the tunnel with at least someone knowing
where he was going?" asked Tia, hoping her father had an answer.
"Probably his curiosity got the best of him." said Geo,
tiredly sitting in a chair near the bed.
Both ladies nodded, as the door eased open, revealing Gara.
"What did Jazz do now?" he asked quietly, entering the room.
"He went exploring by himself and ran into something that
didn't like it." said Tia, with a sigh.
Remembering something, Geo asked "Arshes, what did you do
with his staff?"
"I set it on the table by the door."
"Okay...I think it's best if we leave him to rest." said
Geo, climbing from the chair, heading for the door.
Arshes, being the last to leave, looked back at Jazz's
bandaged form, thinking that she would probably never understand
him.
Jazz looked around at the warped scenery, trying valiantly
to make sense. Hues of bright green, blue, and purples lit up
the sky in a repeating pattern. The landscape seemed to be made
up of laser outlined structures. [Where the heck am I?] Jazz
asked aloud.
"You are neither here nor there, you are..."
[Everywhere?] asked Jazz, interrupting the voice.
"Exactly." said the voice, with a slight chuckle, almost
getting perceptibly louder.
Noticing a cloaked figure approaching him, Jazz drew back
into a battle stance, asking [Who are you? What do you want?]
The cloaked figure drew back his hood, revealing a familiar
face to Jazz. His own, though a little older and a little more
mischievousness in his eyes. Jazz drew back.
"Don't be afraid. I'm you in about 800 years." said Jason,
this is how the entity with be called from here on out.
[8..8..800...you don't look much older than me.] sputtered
Jazz, in obvious shock.
Looking at his hand, Jason said "If I figured correctly, I
should look to be about 26 years old."
[How is that possible?] asked Jazz, staring at himself.
"You remember what happened to Twister?"
[Yeah...he got transformed by the Event...I believe that is
what he called it. It also slowed down his aging dramatically if
I read Twisted Path #3 correctly.]
"Yes. When you arrived in Metallicana, you were also
changed due to the wish granted by Skuld."
[So, it was real. Why is my aging reduced? What else about
me changed?]
"Yes, it was very much real. Jazz, you have a purpose to
fulfill. And no, I can't tell what because even I don't know
what it is. Your aging slows down dramatically with each
transition you make. Your healing abilities are increased as
well as your strength, toughness, agility, and power. You won't
ever be a dietian or Legion or Twister, but you are up there.
All I know is that we shall be called the Anime Traveler, or just
straight Traveler." said Jason, intercepting the next question.
[Okay...then. Which animes do I visit? And how am I
suppose to fulfill my destiny?]
"I can't tell you, but it will be several. Your staff is
the key." said Jason, showing Jazz a similar staff strapped into
a forearm holster.
[My staff?? How can that be?]
"When you...I mean I...ayi-yi-yi...when it was created,
somehow we gave it life, making it more powerful?"
[Okay...another question, do I...]
"Yes."
[Who?]
"I can't say." said Jason, with an evil grin.
[Great. I even play games with myself.] said a flustered
Jazz, throwing up his hands.
Chuckling aloud, Jason replied "I will tell you this. She
will be very special to you and you two together shall make an
unstoppable team."
[Okay, at least I finally find someone.]
Looking off into the sky, Jason sighed. [What is it?]
"Our time is almost up. But there is something else..."
[Damn. How will I know when it is my time to leave? And
what is that something else?]
"The staff will tell you. Jazz, remember. Just because you
may know what might happen and try to prevent some bad things
from happening, it doesn't mean that you will always succeed."
[What do you mean?]
"I did, and you will, come across an incident that...ends
with not so nice consequences."
[I didn't cause someone's death, did I?]
"No..." said Jazz, looking like he didn't want to talk about
it any further.
[Okay...but will I ever come back to Metallicana?]
"Yes, twice, for the wed...Oops, almost spilled the beans."
said Jason, his mood shifting.
[We...wed..wedding?] asked Jazz, beginning grin. [Whose?]
"Can't say. Though, you do play a large role in it." said
Jason, grinning evilly.
[Okay...tell me who the bride is? PLEASE!!!!!] begged Jazz.
"It is a triple wedding the first time, a single wedding the
second time, and you know her quite well, and even better by the
time of the last wedding."
[WHO IS IT!!!????!!!!]
"Can't say. The other two are Darschu and Tia."
[Okay...then the other two must be Gara and Arshes. It only
makes sense.] figured Jazz.
"Time will tell." said Jason, with an all knowing,
mischievous grin. "Be you later."
[Later...] said Jazz, as the world began to faze out.
"Oh yeah. Tell Priss, Skuld, AirRazor, and Arshes "hi" for
me. *pause* Oh, and Saku-chan says "hi"."
[Okay...hey wait. Priss is BGC! Skuld is OMG!! AirRazor??
AirRazor is Beast Wars!! Who in the blazes is Saku-chan??!!??]
"You shall see. Live long and prosper." said the voice once
again as the world faded to black completely.
Opening his eyes slowly, Jazz's view of the ceiling cleared
after a few moments. Slowly moving his head to right, he
squinted his eyes at the brightness of the candles. Looking back
to the left, Jazz saw evidence that someone else was in the room.
[How long have I been out?] he thought.
Lifting his head slightly, Jazz saw a familiar figure
standing by and looking out the window. Groaning slightly, Jazz
fell back into the bed, alerting the person at the window. [How
badly did those rats mess me up?]
Rushing to the side of the bed, Arshes said, concernedly,
"Jazz, you're awake. Rest now. I'll get Geo."
A few minutes past before Geo, Tia, and Arshes returned,
giving the Jazz the time he needed to survey the wounds. [Not
good.] he thought, not liking the damage.
Getting a drink of water from a cup offered by Tia, Jazz
washed the dryness from his throat. Getting into a sitting
position with a little help from Arshes, Jazz asked "What
happened?"
"You went exploring and got messed up." said Tia,
scoldingly.
"Okay..." said Jazz, with no small amount of regret.
"Jazz, you were unconscious for four days. Twice, we almost
lost you. Yesterday, your fever broke and we knew you would get
better. It would just be a matter of time till you woke up."
stated Geo.
"Four days?"
"Yes. Now why did you go into that tunnel in the first
place?" asked Tia, her voice rising in volume.
"I ...I don't know....I got curious. I didn't..."
"Didn't what?? Think?" asked Tia, her voice rising in
volume.
"Didn't want to bother anyone with it. I just wanted to do
something useful on my own."
"Okay. What did you learn from this?"
"Next time, bring the explosives and the projectile
weapons." said Jazz, attempting to lighten the mood.
"JAZZ!!!" yelled Tia.
"Sorry...don't ever do that again...hmm..let's see...what
else...have someone go with me the next time I decide to go
exploring?"
"Yes. Will you ever do this again?"
"No, ma'am." said Jazz, attempting a salute.
"Ayi-yi-yi." responded Tia, rolling her eyes.
"Hey. That's my line." said Jazz, noticing Arshes and Geo
with slight smiles on their faces.
"Tough. Now heal up and don't do it again."
"I won't. Thanks Tia."
"For what?" she asked, taken a little off guard.
"For the concern." whisper Jazz.
"Jazz, someone has to watch out for you."
"Funny." said Jazz, with a slight chuckle. "Next question:
Where's my staff?"
"It's on the table by the door." said Arshes, fetching the
object in question.
Looking at it thoughtfully, Jazz grasp it between both
hands, looking at the crystals there implanted. "Okay...Geo, I
believe you would prescribe rest for now."
"Yes." he said, ushering everyone from Jazz's room.
[If this staff is as powerful as I said it was...then
maybe...] he thought, looking deeply into a green crystal.
Suddenly a wave of green energy flowed into his arms and
into his body. Seeing another crystal start to dim, Jazz stopped
the energy flow. Doing a physical check, Jazz found that he been
mostly healed. [What the heck?] he thought just as a wave of
sleep over swept him.
Awaking the next morning to the sun beating on his face,
Jazz rubbed his eyes, finding that he still had the staff still
in his hand, the hard way. Staff in the eye...not pleasant.
Looking at the staff, Jazz noticed the crystal that had
started to dim the previous night start to get brighter the
longer it stayed in sunlight. [Solar powered magic?] he thought.
[The energy has to come from somewhere.]
Easing his way from the bed, Jazz hobbled over to the
vanity, looking into the mirror but not before placing the staff
on the window sill. Stretching and hearing several joints snap,
pop, but not crackle, Jazz washed himself up, getting ready for
the noon meal which his internal time clock said it was getting
close to. Selecting something lighter to where, Jazz decked
himself out in a pair of shorts, a billowy shirt, and his
customary sandals. Equipping a belt with his pouch and one war
hammer, Jazz walked over to the window and picked up his staff.
Looking at what he thought was the power meter crystal, he noted
that it seemed to be fully charged.
Slamming the staff home in it's forearm holster on his right
forearm, Jazz walked from his room right past a startled servant.
"Jazz, what are you doing up?" asked the servant.
"I am getting a little hungry and I believe it is just about
time for the lunch bell." said Jazz just as the quoted bell rang.
"I was told to keep you in your room and get whatever you
need." said the servant.
"I am perfectly able to fetch what I need. And right now, I
am hungry." said Jazz, starting to walk down the hallway to the
dining area.
"Jazz." tried the servant.
"You have tried to stop me but were unable. That's what you
will tell them. Now go." commanded Jazz.
"Yes." said the servant with a nod before running off to
tell Princess Sheila.
Getting down to the private dining area, Jazz was met with
stares of disbelief. Looking at them, Jazz asked "What?"
"Jazz, you shouldn't be out of bed." said Geo.
"Yes." echoed Tia and Gara.
"I'm fine. I just need some food to keep going. That's
all." said Jazz, suddenly feeling considerably weaker.
With a nod from Sheila, Gara was at Jazz's side, supporting
him. "Jazz, why did you do this?"
"I...I didn't want to be a strain on anyone..." rasped Jazz.
"Gara, take him back up to his room please." said Sheila.
[And tie him to his bed.] thought Tia, at the gall Jazz had
for trying what he had.
A little bit later, Jazz found himself back in his bed and
Darschu and Gara standing in the doorway to his room. Admitting
a servant with a tray full of food, Gara and Darschu watched in
amazement as Jazz devoured the food before the servant had even
cleared the doorway.
"Hungry?" asked Darschu.
"Yes...and still am." said Jazz, just as a tune, sung by a
certain giant carnivorous plant that went by the name of Audrey
II, entered his head causing him to grin.
"Darschu, I have a favor to ask of you."
"What is it?"
"Could you please go down to the tome library and get me a
few things?"
"Okay...as long as you promise to remain in bed."
"No problem there."
"What things will you need?"
"On the table by the door, you should find two pieces of
inked paper."
"Okay..." said Darschu, picking up the two slips of paper.
"One the first piece should be a list of books. The second
sheet should be a map of the library with the location of the
tomes. If you could fetch those, I would greatly appreciate it."
"Okay. Now sleep, or I'll tell Tia you went down to the
library to get these tomes yourself." replied Darschu with an
evil grin.
"10-4. Out like a light." said Jazz, falling into a mock
sleep to emphasize his point. Darschu and Gara closed the door
behind them, shaking their heads. Getting up and hobbling over
to the window, Jazz placed his staff firmly on the sill to let it
recharge. [Solar powered magic? How did I pull that off?] he
thought, climbing back into bed slowly.
After a short snooze, Jazz heard the door of his room ease
open, squeaking slightly. [Gotta hate being a light sleeper?] he
thought, keeping his eyes closed.
"Where to put these?" asked a definitely familiar,
definitely female voice asked near the door.
[Yes. Arshes! Should I?? YES!!!] asked Jazz, trying hard
to conceal his grin.
Hearing her clear off a spot on the vanity, Jazz kicked into
full acting mode, shifting in his sleep' to get her attention.
[Launch in 5...4...3..] he thought as the sound of boot
leather rubbing on the floor neared the bed. [2...1...Houston,
we have launch!] Jazz thought, hooking Arshes' arm as she laid a
hand on his shoulder.
"EEP!" cried Arshes, finding herself airborne and landing
softly on the bed, next to the supposed sleeper.
"Have a nice flight." said Jazz, into his pillow, laughing.
"Feeling better I take it." asked Arshes, looking at Jazz.
Lifting his head enough to look at her, Jazz said "Yes. I
just had to do it."
Starting to sit up, Arshes said, her tone half scolding half
something else, "Jazz, you should be resting."
"Yes ma'am. One more thing though..." said Jazz, flipping
over and sitting up.
"What?" asked Arshes, partially turning to face Jazz.
"HuggleGLOMP!!!!" declared Jazz, wrapping his arms around
Arshes, hugging her tight. Having seen this move performed on
AnimeMUCK, he wanted to see if it could be down in this reality.
Caught slightly off-guard, Arshes wrapped her arms around
him hesitantly, hugging him in return.
"Thanks." whispered Jazz in her ear.
"For what?"
"For everything. I owe you a lot."
"Darn right. Now rest." replied Arshes, ending the hug and
standing up.
"Right-o. See you later?"
"Yes. And much sooner if you try that crazy stunt you tried
earlier. This time I WILL have the ropes with me." said Arshes,
sounding very serious. Her smile betrayed the seriousness of the
statement.
"Yes, ma'am. G'Night." said Jazz, setting back down into
the bed with a slight sigh.
Closing the door behind her, Arshes could only shake her
head at what had just happened in Jazz's room.
Climbing from the bed, Jazz hobbled over to the vanity,
fetching the top third of the pile. Detouring past the window,
Jazz picked up his staff. [Looks like Defensor is once again at
full power.] he thought, naming the staff by name and getting
back into bed.
Pulling around his swing desk, Jazz started in on the texts
and doing a little work on his tank. [I'm still having trouble
with the power plant. Protoculture? Nope, doesn't exist.
Radium? Too hard to work with. Hmmm...crystal? Probably won't
be able to keep the power level up for too long.] thought Jazz
with slight despair. He had originally wanted to get with steam
power, but due to space limits, he was forced to dump it.
After an hour, Jazz fell into an uneasy slumber, staff
firmly held in his right hand.
Waking early the next morning, Jazz climbed from the bed and
stretched. Getting cleaned up, Jazz bedecked himself with a
loose, billowy shirt, a pair of green shorts, and his now
customary sandals. Tying his staff holder on his right forearm,
Jazz slammed the staff home. Grabbing a thin belt, Jazz loaded a
pouch with a few things, not like his usual belt, strapped the
pouch and belt about his waist. Looking at his reflection in the
vanity mirror, Jazz nodded and headed out the door, hoping a
servant hadn't been posted.
Luckily, none had. Jazz walked down the corridor and out to
the castle wall. Seeing the sun rise beginning to rise over the
horizon, Jazz started walking the castle wall perimeter, trying
to rebuild his stamina. Greeting each of the guards, almost all
by name, Jazz continued walking, ending up in the courtyard.
Pulling the staff from it's forearm housing, Jazz willed to
a much larger size and started going through some exercise
motions. Using it with skill, Jazz whirled, twirled, vaulted,
and other assorted things down with a staff. Stopping after a
short series of maneuvers, Jazz found he had fallen into the
routine that Jackie Chan had done in the Live Action City Hunter.
Jazz wrapped up as the morning breakfast bell rang.
Heading for the dining area, Jazz was once again met with
surprised faces. "What?" he asked, taking his usual seat and
wiping the sweat from his face with his napkin.
"Jazz..." tried Tia, getting ready to scold once again.
"Tia. Calm down. I'm completely healed. It's time I got
out of bed and started doing something." said Jazz, just as the
servants came with the breakfast trays.
"Jazz, I believe you asked for the private use of a forge a
short while ago?" asked Sheila as the meal wrapped up.
"Yes I did, m'lady. Hast thou found one that this lowly
servant might use?" asked Jazz, going old style English
humorously, or at least trying.
"Yes. My father agreed to let you have a small forge that
happens to relatively close to Talon's."
"Bonus. When might we go and see it?" asked Jazz, like a
kid about to get a new toy at Christmas.
"Now if you wish."
"Yes please!" replied Jazz enthusiastically, causing a round
of laughter with everyone present. Looking at everyone, Jazz
asked, striking a humorous pose, "What? Can't I get excited
about something?"
"No." said Tia, trying hard to hide her smile.
Chuckling, Jazz replied, trying to look like a whipped
beagle, "Okay..." This proved to garnish another round of
chuckles.
Shortly thereafter, Sheila led Jazz down to the forge that
would soon become his. Entering through a side door, Jazz
noticed that several workmen had already come through, repairing
some of the severest of damage.
Walking around slowly, Jazz did what he could to inspect it,
testing much of the mechanical stuff. Nodding approvingly, Jazz
said "I like it. With your permission, princess, I would like to
kick this thing into full gear."
"Granted. God luck."
"Thanks. I think I'll need it..." said Jazz, looking and
thinking of ways to improve it. "Oh yes, Princess, I have one
more favor to ask of you."
"Yes?" asked Sheila, looking back at Jazz.
"I was wondering if...I could start up a team here at the
forge?"
"Okay. Where would you be recruiting from?"
"That's the tough part. I would like to go through the
ranks of soldiers here to select three people to join me here."
"I...don't see a problem with it, just as long as the
commander of each soldier agrees with it."
"Okay."
"Well, if there is nothing else."
Shaking his head, Jazz said "Nope. Thank you very much,
Princess."
"Okay. Don't forget our session this afternoon."
"Yes, ma'am. See you then."
Sheila closed the door behind her as Jazz did another walk
around of the forge. Kicking his imagination into full gear, he
did a physical layout of the potential forge, liking it even
more. During his latest walk through, Jazz felt an unease creep
up on the back of his neck.
Hearing a whizzing sound, Jazz dodged to his left, just in
time to see an arrow embed itself in a timber. Getting to cover,
Jazz mentally cursed for only having his staff with him. Hearing
two *thwonks* near him, Jazz judged roughly where his assailant
was and dove to different cover near the forge itself.
Looking for something to hurl back, Jazz's eyes fell on the
billows, an anchored chain, and a load of ash in the hearth.
Striking up a battle plan and implementing it, Jazz kept his head
low as the arrows continued to hit right above his head.
Readying at best he could, Jazz kicked the billows, setting
up one effective smoke screen. Releasing the chain and screaming
like Tarzan, Jazz heard several arrows hit the chain. Jazz,
himself, had opted to stay behind and eased his way around behind
the archer.
Having not hit it's intended target, the archer stepped out
of the shadows, looking for the target. Seeing this, Jazz
steeled his nerves, hoping he had enough time. Running at full
tilt, Jazz bellowed and hit the archer with a hard body check,
knocking them to the ground.
Hearing a female cry, Jazz stumbled, falling on top of his
intended killer. Removing his would-be killer's cloth mask,
Jazz's eyes met Arshes' eyes. "Arshes, what are you doing?"
"You missed meeting us after Sheila showed you the forge.
So Gara and I decided to have a practice session in an area of
your choice."
"Right." said Gara, stepping into the light.
"I'm sorry." replied Jazz, climbing off Arshes and getting
back to his feet. Helping Arshes up, Jazz finished "I just got
excited and wanted to get to work on this."
"Okay. You have progressed well. Our work is almost done."
said Gara approvingly.
"Okay...but would be able to teach some of the advanced
techniques you both know. I never know when they might be
useful." asked Jazz.
Nodding each, the practice resumed inside the forge.
After the session, Jazz went for a walk around the barracks
looking for his recruits, finding two almost immediately. After
an hour of more searching, Jazz led his two would be charges to
meet the Princess, for her approval.
Seeing Jazz and two others enter her study, Sheila said
"Greetings Sir Jazz. I trust you have found your recruits."
"Aye m'lady. I have found two of the three I had hoped to
find. Princess, this is Sir Nobemaza, formerly of the Jade Bears
and Sir Chiyuki, formerly of the Gold Falcons."
Nodding, Sheila asked "Sir Jazz, what shall you call your
new regiment?"
Going speechless, Jazz looked at his two recruits, hoping
they might have a good name. Noticing a weapon that both
carried, namely a saber like edged weapon, Jazz thought
frantically [Should I?]
Seeing princess Sheila beginning to get a little impatient,
Jazz cleared his throat and said "We shall be called the Mounted
Armored Saber Knights, or M.A.S.K. for short." [Where did you
think I was gonna call the team?? Knight Sabers?? -author]
"Very good." nodded Sheila.
Excusing themselves, Jazz led his two new recruits down to
the forge. The day ended with the forge being almost up to full
operational capacity.
Before completely closing shop, Jazz worked on a few things,
knowing he would be going back into the library tunnel soon.
[With the accompaniment of someone else.] he thought, remembering
Tia's lecture.
The next morning, Jazz wrapped up a few "party favors" and
headed out to track down someone to go exploring with him.
Setting up his two charges to get the forge going, Jazz came
across Arshes first and asked her to join him.
"Jazz, what is it with you and tunnel exploring?" asked
Arshes with a grin.
[There's a couple other tunnels I'd like to explore.] said
Jazz mentally, his hentai said rearing it's head. Blushing
brightly, Jazz, surprised he would even think that, responded
"I...I...I just want to see where it leads. That's all. You
never did tell me where it lead to."
"That's because we wanted to you do the exploring yourself."
responded Arshes. "Though, we did manage to wipe out most of the
creatures that lurked there."
"Good. Let's go." said Jazz, turning towards the library.
"Okay...but won't we need a few things?" asked Arshes.
"Right. Meet me at the library in about ten minutes?"
Nodding, Jazz and Arshes split up, heading in different
directions.
Nine minutes later, Jazz waited for Arshes to show up.
Seeing her decked out with her spiked shoulder pads and other
armor, Jazz's headed tilted to one side, sighing softly.
Looking Jazz over, Arshes asked, indicating several small,
round objects on his belt beside his war hammers, "Jazz, what are
those things?"
"Something I hope I won't have to use. Shall we?"
Getting to the tunnel entrance, Jazz and Arshes worked their
way along the way with little trouble, light being provided by a
handy spell and Jazz's staff(fully charged).
Coming to the top of the stairs, it seemed that another pack
of rats had decided to colonize the tunnel. Backing off with a
fireball from Arshes, the rats skittered at the duo
threateningly.
Taking two objects from his belt, Jazz commanded, pulling a
pin from both, "Arshes, cover your ears!"
"Why?" she asked, as Jazz threw the two objects into the rat
pack, who didn't move away fast enough.
[5...4...3...2...1...] thought Jazz, covering his own ears
and dragging Arshes behind some cover.
BBBBBOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM rattled the tunnel, spreading
pieces of rats in all directions.
"Jazz, what the Anthrathrax's name were those?" asked
Arshes, her voice loud.
"Those, my dear lady, are called hand grenades. Crude but
very effective." replied Jazz, grinning.
"Okay..." said Arshes, taking a step away from Jazz.
"Arshes, relax. The pins are still in these." said Jazz,
indicating the ones left on his belt.
"Okay..." replied Arshes, still no believing that Jazz
actually had something so dangerous on his belt.
Easing their way down the stairs, the two intrepid explores
didn't come across any more creatures. "Probably scared off by
the first blast." theorized Jazz.
Walking along another corridor, Arshes and Jazz came
face-to-face with a LARGE door. Tapping it slightly, Jazz knew
it was solid, several inches thick, and made of metal.
"Okay...search the door." said Jazz, brandishing his staff
over the door and frame, looking for a switch of some sort.
Arshes started doing the same at the other side of the door.
Coming up with nothing, both rested a bit. "Jazz, what
about your grenades?"
"Nope...not enough power. That door is as thick as it is
big. I would need a LOT of gunpowder."
Sighing softly, Arshes replied "Okay..."
Looking at the door again, Jazz noticed a raised section at
about the midpoint of the door. Scrambling over to it, Jazz
found the molds for two sets of hand prints and small inscription
between the hand prints. Arshes settled down next to him and
asked "What'd you find?"
Bring his staff closer, Jazz said "Something...now to see if
this makes any sense..." Jazz read aloud.
When evil swells upon the land,
The two shall become one,
For this and this alone shall waken,
The Golden Knight of the Sun.
[Can anyone guess where I am going with this? -author]
"Doesn't make sense to me." said Arshes, looking at Jazz.
Jazz rolled back from his haunches to sit flat on the
ground. [My God...can it be...] he thought in disbelief.
Noticing his strange expression, Arshes asked "What is it?
What does the inscription mean?"
"If what is behind this door is what I think it is, there
may just be an end to this war sooner than hoped for."
"Why?"
"Well, only one way to see. Arshes, put your hands up
against those hand prints. I'll put my hands on these." said
Jazz, indicating each set of hand prints.
The door glowed briefly at the hand contact but nothing else
happened. "Okay...we aren't the ones in the rhyme."
"Do you have any idea who it might be then?"
"Maybe...but don't know for sure...oh well."
Noticing Arshes expression starting to turn glum, Jazz said
"But hey, we discovered something. Race ya back?"
"Okay." said Arshes, taking off back towards the library.
Halfway up the stairs, a glint of light caught Jazz's eye.
[What is this?] he thought taking a peak inside a small side
tunnel. Jazz shivered lightly as a wave of something washed over
him, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and
urging him to enter. "Arshes, I found something!" Jazz yelled up
the stairs to the retreating form of Arshes.
Waiting for Arshes to return, the two entered the tunnel,
walking halfway hunched over due to the short ceiling.
The tunnel suddenly opened up into a wide area of many
pools, glistening with light. After much "oooo"ing and
"aahhh"ing, Jazz and Arshes came to stand at the center of the
pool haven. "Any idea what this is?" asked Jazz quietly.
"No idea..." whispered Arshes in turn.
Looking into a pool, Jazz noticed a small black dot at the
bottom of the pool. Jazz just suddenly knew he had to find out
what the dot was and to get it. Stripping off most of his outer
wear much to Arshes' concern, Jazz dove into the pool.
The moment he did, a tingling sensation rippled through his
body as the cold water washed over him. [Can anybody tell where
I might be going with this? -author] Feeling slightly different,
Jazz swam down further, hitting a pocket of warm water. Jazz
pushed the renewed tingling sensation from his mind, as he swam
closer to the black dot. Grabbing the black sphere, Jazz
realized he was short on breath and launched from the bottom,
following the warm water to the surface.
Climbing from the pool, Jazz inspected the sphere that
happened to be about the size of a 12" softball. Hefting in his
hands, he noted that it didn't weigh a lot and was indeed black.
Not space black, or gloss/matte black, but of my god that's
black. The type of black that you might loose small object and
pocket change in. (Sorry...I had to...UF saga has been a big
influence. -author) But it also seemed to have a shine to it.
"Jazz, what is that?" asked Arshes, looking at the black
sphere.
"I don't know....hey wait, this pool was warm." said Jazz,
his mind finally clicking.
"Yeah so?"
"It should have been bitter cold. I wonder." said Jazz,
looking back at the pool. "That, and what's feeding these pools?
These walls are solid."
Handing the sphere to Arshes, who looked at it intently,
Jazz dove back into the pool, a strange tingling washing over him
again. Another realization hit him as he opened his eyes once
again under water. [Little salt and sulfur content. Hmm...]
Noticing a pulsing glow to his left, Jazz continued further down.
Coming to the bottom, Jazz noticed several patches of
glowing red on the floor of the pool. Entering a jet of hot
water, Jazz once again felt a strange tingling sensation. [What
the heck is that?] he thought, his brow furrowing.
Noting he was getting low on breath, Jazz kicked to the
surface, breaking the pool surface easily. "Jazz, what'd you
find?" asked Arshes, seeing the would be explorer.
"Something of interest."
"Really." said Arshes, starting to take off her extra gear,
looking like she wanted to go swimming.
"Arshes, STOP!!!" commanded Jazz.
"What? Why?" asked Arshes, looking at the bobbing Jazz.
"There's something strange with this water. I...don't want
to risk something bad happening to you." said Jazz.
"Okay.." replied a disheartened Arshes.
"Arshes, please don't. I...care about you too much to let
something happen."
Arshes seemed to perk up slightly. "Do you want your
staff?"
"No....but see if you can get a reading from the pool with
it. Something strange is going on here and I want to know what
it is. Thanks."
Taking Jazz's staff, Arshes cast a scanning spell over the
pool as Jazz dove back under the water surface after fetching his
gloves. Getting some strange results, Arshes knew that Jazz had
probably been right in stopping her.
Meanwhile on the bottom of the pool, Jazz dig into the
gravelly bottom, revealing five large(about the size of a 16"
softball, though flat), star shaped crystals, radiating a LOT of
heat. [Okay...] he thought, picking each up carefully.
Surfacing quickly, Jazz set the crystals on the side of the
pool. Climbing from the pool, Ashes giggled at the sight of the
thoroughly soaked Jazz. Something close to a drowned rat if you
picture it. "Arshes, could you please turn around?" asked Jazz.
"Why?"
"Arshes."
"Okay. I'll be outside." replied Arshes, walking out the
entrance of the side corridor.
Sighing, Jazz stripped off his soaked clothing ringing it
out. Looking at the "fire" crystals, Jazz had an idea. (Two
guesses what it was? -author) Picking up one the crystals with a
gloved right hand, he did a little impromptu ironing, drying his
clothes slightly.
After a few minutes, Jazz got redressed. Looking around one
last time, he noticed something else. [Man, I have got to
improve my perception proficiency.] he thought with a chuckle.
Walking along the wall, he came upon a murel set into the rock.
A murel made entirely of colored rock and crystals. Looking at
it closely, Jazz could make out winged and tailed figures, in
flight, helping some land-based shapes against another force.
Willing his staff to put out a little more light, Jazz stepped
involuntarily at the sight of Anthrathrax brought to life with
crystal and stone. [What the heck? Gargoyles and humans tried to
stop Anthrathrax?? I guess they didn't succeed.] thought Jazz
with slight regret.
Walking further along the wall, Jazz saw more images of war,
but also images of peace. The last stone murel depicted a sad
event in most people's lives. A funeral. The people seemed to
be grieving at the loss of a special gargoyle, or at least that
was how the coffin looked. Lowering his eyes in despair and
sadness, Jazz noticed small trickles of water streaming from the
masterpiece. The weird part of it was the water trickles co-
incided with a pool in the picture. Having his curiosity get the
best of him, Jazz tried to dig into the wall beneath the portrait
but found hard bedrock. Jazz searched his belt for a digging
tool, finding a possible solution.
Taking the edge of his boomerang, Jazz dug into the wall,
finding a small entombed area from which the water streamed.
Seeing several glistening objects at the bottom of the small
pool, Jazz reached in and pulled out three cylindrical, blue
crystals. [What the heck?] he thought as the crystals suddenly
started spewing forth water.
Setting the crystals down at the side of a pool, Jazz
reached back in and pulled out two more. Seeing more inside,
Jazz opted to leave those behind to fuel the pools.
Having five crystals that spewed water like there was no
tomorrow and five fire crystals that seemed to be getting hotter
with each passing minute, Jazz shouted "YES!!!!!" as an option
made itself available. [Serendipity at work.] he thought, seeing
Arshes come running.
"What's wrong?" she asked concernedly.
"Nothing. Things are starting to go right for a change."
Getting a questioning gaze from Arshes, Jazz continued "I
now have the means to make something a possibility."
Getting another, stronger questioning glance from her, Jazz
said, grinning mischievously, "M'lady, thou shall soon see what
an engineer can truly do."
Shaking her head, Arshes once again thought she would never
understand the moist looking man before her.
Chuckling, Jazz asked "Should we get going? It should be
just about time for lunch."
Nodding, both headed back up the stairs and out through the
library. Getting to the dining area, the impatient faces of Tia,
Geo, Darschu, Sheila, and Gara met the duo.
"Uh-oh." mumbled Jazz, realizing he was once again in
trouble for being late.
"Jazz..." started Tia.
"I can explain." rushed Jazz.
"Please explain." said Sheila.
"Arshes and I went exploring that tunnel and stairwell I
found earlier."
"Okay..." said Tia, impatiently.
"Well, we found out where it led, but got sidetracked on the
way back." Setting the black sphere, five fire crystals on
dishware, and five water crystals in empty glasses on the table,
Jazz said "We found these." The water crystals instantly filled
the glasses they were in but not one drop more. The fire
crystals gave off a great deal of physical heat.
"Jazz, what are these?" asked Geo.
"I don't know." said Jazz, feeling lucky. Drinking from a
glass that held a water crystal, Jazz set the glass back down to
have it be refilled by the crystal.
Looking at everyone's amazed expression, Jazz attempted "Am
I at least partially forgiven? I DID take Arshes with me."
Getting a slight nod from everyone who still stared somewhat
at the crystals, Jazz sat down at the table waiting for lunch to
be served.
After lunch, Jazz opted to keep the water crystals in the
glasses he had put them in and the fire crystals on the heat
resistant dishware. Getting back up to his room after the final
trip, Jazz set the crystals on the vanity while he held onto the
black sphere. [What are you?] he thought, caressing it.
Hearing a throat clear itself at his door, Jazz looked up to
see Arshes. "If you are done caressing that egg, you have a
session with Tia and Sheila shortly."
Blushing brightly, Jazz mumbled, while setting the sphere on
one of the pillows on his bed, "Oh yeah...almost forgot."
Remembering something else, Jazz said "Arshes, remind me
tomorrow morning to go see the Aurica, the head cook, about
getting some of the rat repellent she uses."
"Why not see her now?"
"I believe she is off getting supplies and didn't want to be
bothered today."
"Okay, now hurry up or Tia will really let into you."
"Don't remind me." said Jazz with a chuckle.
Meeting Arshes out in the hallway, Jazz closed the door to
his room, but not before his eyes passed one more time over the
sphere. [Could it be??] he asked himself Naa. Never happen.
I'd have to work with Washu on that.'
That night, Jazz reworked the design for the tank once last
time, he hoped. [Steam Power!!! Arr Arr Arr Arr!] Jazz tim
taylor-ed. Working with Nobemaza and Chiyuki, Jazz laid out the
basic design and estimated the construction time. [I really need
a forth person here.] thought Jazz for the thousandth, climbing
into his bed tiredly.
After his session with Gara and Arshes, Jazz fiddled with a
few things in the forge before remembering something he had to do
this morning. Getting cleaned up hastily, Jazz beelined it
towards the kitchen. Nobemaza and Chiyuki were going full tilt
on the forge, already hammering out several parts of the future
tank. Getting to the kitchen, Jazz didn't see Aurica anywhere
and sent a servant to go get her for him.
While Jazz waited around for the cook, he noticed that one
of the kitchen drudges was having some trouble with a rotisserie
mechanism. As he approached, he saw that she had begun to fix it
so it would work again. "What I wouldn't give for some tools
now?" he heard her mumble.
Another drudge came by and said, scoldingly, "Ann, you know
the Aurica doesn't like you messing with stuff here. Wait for a
blacksmith to make you a new one."
"Why? This one just needs a little tightening." said Ann,
trying to tighten the bolts with the edge of a spoon.
Hearing a throat clear behind her and seeing something off
to her left, Ann turned to see a set of tools being offered by an
average looking individual. "Can I help you?" she asked,
slightly afraid.
"Not really, but I may be able to help you. Here. You
needed some tools, and I have a few tools to offer."
"What?"
"You said that you wished you had the proper tools to fix
this properly." said Jazz, gesturing to the rotisserie.
Taking the tools hesitantly, Ann kept a weary eye on the
stranger as she fixed the rotisserie so that it worked properly
once again. Offering the tools back to the man, the man said,
with a smile, "Keep them. You might need them again."
"Thank you, m'lord." said Ann.
"No problem. Well, gotta go talk to the head cook." said
the stranger, walking over to Aurica.
Ann watched the exchange between with some amusement, as the
stranger seemed to have been caught off guard. Suddenly, Ann
found herself under the scrutiny of the two talkers. Quickly,
Ann diverted her attention to fixing the rotisserie.
Looking up, Ann noticed the stranger had left and still
pondered who he was. Shrugging, Ann returned to her work.
After doing the clean up of lunch, Auric made the
announcement that all the drudges had the rest of the day off.
Ann, as well as the others, gave up a cheer...until she saw the
stranger enter the kitchen and put on an apron and begin to cook.
After handing a small packet of tools to the drudge named
"Ann", Jazz walked over to Aurica, the head cook for Metallicana.
"Greetings, Lady Aurica. I was wondering if I could use some of
the rodent repellent you use here."
"And what do I get in return? That stuff isn't easy to come
by." asked Aurica, attempting to barter.
"Fine. What do you want?"
"Hmmm..."
"Well...I am a decent blacksmith now. I can cook and clean.
I do a little bit of everything."
"You can cook?" asked Aurica, scrutinizing the young man
before her, almost challengingly.
"You don't think I can cook? That sounds like a challenge.
Name the day and meal you want me to cook and how many you want
me to cook for."
"Okay. Tonight's supper. Everyone within the castle."
"But...but..." said Jazz, caught off-guard.
"No cook, no rat repellent." said Aurica, thinking he was
about to bow out.
Stiffening his upper lip, Jazz said "Fine. I want the
kitchen cleared after lunch is cleaned up. I will most likely
need the aid of a few kitchen drudges to run errands for me."
"Fine. Also, the meal must be tasteful and well received."
"Okay..." said Jazz, trying to come up with an idea on what
to serve. "One more thing."
"Yes?"
"If I do a REALLY good job, I want the kitchen drudge known
as "Ann" to be reassigned down at my forge." said Jazz, sticking
his right hand out, towards Aurica.
"Okay." said Aurica, shaking Jazz's hand. [At least now
that trouble maker will be out of my hair...if he wins...but I
doubt he will...]
"Fine. I shall return after lunch." said Jazz, leaving the
kitchen, deep in thought, trying to come up with a menu.
That night, Aurica wandered about the ranks of soldiers to
see how Jazz had done. She hadn't even gotten through the first
rank when sounds of "Good job.", "Tasted great.", and the like
assaulted her ears. Her hopes of actually having beaten the
young man took a mean nosedive as the same thing was echoed by
each group of soldiers she visited.
Meanwhile in the private dining area of Princess Sheila, the
regulars came in to see the unusual site of Jazz wearing an
apron. "Jazz, why are you wearing that apron?" asked Tia.
"That, M'lady, will be answered shortly. Now please take
your seats so that supper maybe served." Gara and Darschu
practically dove for their seats. Arshes gave Jazz a strange
look as she sat down. [What does he have in mind?] she thought.
Dishing up a bowl of soup and serving each person, Jazz
asked, seeing that no one touch it, "What's wrong?"
"Jazz, what is this?" asked Geo, pointing at his bowl of
soup.
"It's an old family recipe. It's good. Trust me." said
Jazz. The soup in question consisted of a golden colored base
with chunks of carrot and celery. But what was putting everyone
off, was the fact that it had good sized, puffy looking,
off-white pieces floating in the broth.
"When have we heard this before?" said Darschu, poking at an
off-white mass in his bowl.
"What? Is everyone afraid to try something new?"
Not wanting to be called a coward, Gara took up his spoon
and tried a chunk of a puffy piece in his soup. "It's good." he
said, chewing and finding the soup decent.
Needing no further prompting, everyone dug in. "I'm glad
you like it but save room, the main course is still coming." said
Jazz, seeing Darschu and Gara finish off their bowlfuls and were
looking ready to ask for seconds.
After everyone finished, Jazz uncovered three circular pans.
Setting a pan between Geo and Tia, Sheila and Gara, Arshes and
Darschu, Jazz said "The main course is served."
"Jazz, what is..."
Shaking his head in disbelief, Jazz replied "It's called a
pizza, where I come from. It is a dish best eaten in the company
of friends, which we all here are."
Selecting a piece, Jazz eased it onto his plate and began to
chow down. Following his example, each person selected a piece
and tried it experimentally. Gara and Darschu fell right into
eating it right away. [I thought I liked pizza. Best not let
those two near a pizza joint.] thought Jazz as the pizzas closest
to the two disappeared rapidly.
As soon as the pans were cleared, Jazz served up another
round. "I came prepared." he responded to the looks of Gara's
and Darschu's faces when the empty pans disappeared. Jazz also
noticed Tia roll her eyes at Darschu's consumption. [Must have a
high eye-rolling proficiency.] Jazz thought, remembering a
sniglet from Otaku Rising.
After fifteen minutes of noshing, Jazz announced "Time for
dessert."
"Dessert?" asked an uncertain Sheila, who was beginning to
feel REALLY full.
"Yes." said Jazz, grinning evilly and lifting the lid from a
finally tray. Everyone saw circular, golden brown objects,
peppered with large black spots.
"Jazz, what are those?" asked Arshes, having see something
similar out in the wild, mainly crawling around a large pieces of
carrion.
"These are called "chocolate chip cookies." Enjoy." said
Jazz, snaking one for himself while passing the tray to Geo.
Taking the first step, Jazz chomped down on the cookie. Finding
the cookies slightly harder than usual, Jazz thought, with a
chuckle, [Well, that's what I get for trying to cook with a wood
burner. Oh well. But it does look like a won me a bet.]
After everyone finished, Jazz asked "So, how was it?"
"Okay." nodded Gara.
"It was good." said Sheila, looking extremely full.
Everyone else agreed with that sentiment. "Thanks. You
have just won me a bet."
"Bet?" asked Geo.
"Yeah. Aurica bet me that I couldn't cook period, let alone
for everyone in Metallicana. I guess I proved her wrong."
"You cooked this?" asked Tia in disbelief.
"Yeah. Don't believe me??"
"Before, no. Now, yes." said Geo.
"Good. I hope I only have to do it once. Aurica now owes
me some rat repellent and one kitchen drudge."
"Kitchen drudge?" asked Arshes.
"And what do have in mind for the kitchen drudge?" asked
Darschu, grinning hentai-ishly.
"Nothing of that sort. Just a future member of my M.A.S.K.
team." said Jazz.
"She will be the fourth person?" asked Sheila having met the
previous two members a short while ago.
"Yes. She has skills greater that an ordinary drudge should
and I would like a chance to develop them a little further."
"I bet that's not the only thing he'd like to develop."
whispered Darschu, to no one in particular.
"DARSCHU!!!" exclaimed Arshes and Tia at the same time,
standing up and looking at the smirking wizard. Before either
could go on, a golden brown disc flew between the two to hit
Darschu on the forehead, the projectile breaking into crumbs upon
impact.
"Darschu, don't. I already have another target." said Jazz
coolly. Everyone else turned to look at Jazz, as he continued
with a slightly mischievous smile "And these cookies make good
throwing projectiles too."
Wiping off the cookie crumbs, Darschu said, grinning
mischievously, "Jazz, you have to sleep sometime."
"Oh, I'm so scary. Makes me shiver with fright." said Jazz
sarcastically, shaking.
Darschu fumed, as the servants began to clean up the dishes
and food scrapes. Jazz headed for the kitchen to collect on a
certain bet after excusing himself.
Find Aurica right away, Jazz said "Hello. I believe you owe
me a few things."
"Yeah. Here." said Aurica, begrudgingly and pointing to two
large buckets of rat repellent. Turning towards the dish area,
Aurica shouted "Ann, come here now."
Seeing her approach, Ann bowed and asked timidly "What is
it, m'lady?"
"You no longer belong here. Go with him." said Aurica,
pointing to Jazz.
"Why? What did I do?" asked Ann in fright.
"Nothing. Though you do deserve a better working
environment." said Jazz, cutting Aurica off. "I need and want
you to work with me in my forge. Your talents would be very
useful and appreciated."
A light of happiness entered her eyes as a dream seemed to
be coming true. Bowing to Aurica, Jazz and Ann headed back to
his forge. Getting back there, Sir Nobemaza asked "Sir Jazz, did
you eat supper?"
Jazz said, the ends of his mouth turning up in a small
smile, "Yeah. What did you think?"
"It was GOOD!!!" said Nobemaza and Chiyuki excitedly in
unison. Jazz couldn't help but think of Hans and Franz from SNL
when thinking of those two.
"That's good. At least I know I can still cook." said Jazz
with a chuckle.
"You cooked that feast?" asked Chiyuki in disbelief.
"Why does everyone think I can't cook? Yes, I did cook it
and Ann here can verify it."
"Yes, he did." replied Ann quietly.
"Ann, I want you to meet Nobemaza and Chiyuki. They will be
your teammates. Princess Sheila has formed us into our own team.
Now we just have to live up to what she hopes. Nobemaza, ease
her into things. Chiyuki, I want you to introduce her to what
this team is about. I have a few things I need to take care of."
"Okay, boss." both said, saluting.
"Ayi-yi-yi...will you both relax. I run an informal ship
around here, so lighten up." said Jazz, taking the two buckets of
rat repellent over to the tome library.