IdeasGuy

A Hard Knock Life: Sympathy for the Devil (ch. 5)

"Are you sure about this?" Jackie questioned as we neared Vik's place. "No shame in calling this off," he offered a way out, echoing the words that I had given to him not even an hour ago.

"I'm sure," I told him. "I just need to make some preparations first." An idea was cooking in the back of my head, refining itself into a proper plan rather than a desperate hope. I would need to get my hands on some supplies to know what was really feasible, but I had high hopes.

We entered Mis...

See No Evil: Therapy Session (ch. 31)

"Saint Vergil…" Two-Face began, a raspy quality in his voice as he looked around at the interior of the bar. "I've heard a great deal about you. The man who takes anyone in. Provides clean clothes, free food, and shelter… and asks nothing in return." His startling blue eyes bore a hole into mine, paying no mind to the ten LGs that were in the room. Each armed and their weapons trained on him and the five others.

My smile was fixed to my face as I saw another ten Two-Face goons appro...

See No Evil: Unexpected and Unwelcome (ch. 30)

I should have played more city builder games, I reflected as I looked out at the tunnel that was under construction by a few dozen men and women. More were helping out by bringing relevant materials to the workers. The whole system was based on how cities built tunnels -- people up front were doing the hard manual labor while others lagged behind to do the detail work. Behind them were people moving in.

Only it was a little different. Or very different. The cities didn't use an utterly ...

See No Evil: Price of Progress (ch. 29)

Pamela Isley was a beautiful woman. There was no way around it. A mane of vibrant red hair, and curves that belonged on the cover of a magazine. The fact that her skin was a light green didn't detract at all -- I usually wasn't into that, but she pulled the look off. What did detract from her natural beauty was the whole mass-murdering terrorist thing she had going. Admittedly, that pill was easier to swallow since I had already taken it once with Tifa, but the difference between Tifa and Poi...

Going Native: Desire for a Future (ch. 69)

Tears welled in my eyes… the first tears since… since I first used the Wrath State. When every emotion I could feel hit me hard -- heightened and unrestrained. Rage and sorrow in equal measures. I closed my eyes for a moment, letting Indigo remove the staff from my chest.

“Let yourself feel it, Prince Tarble. Weep for what you have done… then strive to make up for it. As all of us have,” Indigo sounded like she meant the words. I couldn’t imagine she had forgiven me for the ...

Going Native: Desire for Compassion (ch. 68)

The galaxy was on the defensive six months later. So much could change in so little time, I reflected as I leaned back into my chair while I examined the war fronts -- my empire had been the buffer between most of the galaxy and the Trade Organization, but that wasn't to say that we hadn't lost ground on other fronts. We had. But, with the pressure of the Reach gone, resources could be relocated and redistributed. I had begun my first punch back after a year of weathering blows.

In ever...

Going Native: Desire for Closure (ch. 67)

The announcement of my promotion could be felt throughout the galaxy. The Trade Organization, at least the armed forces division, seemed to let out a sigh of relief. They were practically overjoyed with the news. Some generals and fleet commanders, less so, but the soldiers and rank and file were largely glad. I hadn't expected that. Not really.

To the rest of the galaxy, the news was something to dread. I could hear the chatter about it from the TO's spies in the various enemy empires....

Power Corrupts: Next Step Forward (ch. 65)

"Mr. Jericho sure loves wandering into random caves," Lili remarked as we came to a stop while I cross-referenced my map. "That, and ruins."

"I'll stop wandering into caves and ruins when I stop finding stuff in them," I returned, moving my map to the side while I looked up at the mountain range. In the past month and a half, my map had filled itself out. Between following through with my deal with Azura, and getting things of interest, a fair bit was filled in. With the aid of the Mark...

Power Corrupts: Helping Hands (ch. 64)

"FUS RO!" I shouted and reality bent to my will. An invisible force spread out from my mouth, racing through the snow-filled air. Faster and larger than the previous FUS I had been capable of before. That much was proven by the outcropping I had shouted at the first time. What was leftover was struck by an unrelenting force and it gave way with explosive force. Like using a pressure hammer on a sugar cube.

My voice echoed from the Throat of the World, and I cou...

Power Corrupts: Small Delights (ch. 63)

"It's not what it looks like, Mr. Jericho," Lili hastily said, looking up at me with wide eyes as she practically lunged for the book. I easily kept it out of reach just by raising an arm. "Mr. Jericho is being really mean right now!" She shouted at me, able to make up the difference in height. She had less luck prying it from my grip and ended up dangling from my wrist for a few seconds when she leapt up to the book before I realized that she was probably right.

"Sorry," I told her, tr...

A Hard Knock Life: Bitter Sweet Symphony (ch. 6)

Oni Lee lunged for me, and it was only dumb luck that saved me. I backed up, trying to avoid the swipe that would have cut me in half, and stepped on the soldering tool that Bakuda had dropped when I entered. My feet were swept out from underneath me, saving my life, but the tip of his mantis blades still dragged across the flesh of my chest, starting at my sternum and ending at my collar bone near my shoulder.

My back hit the ground with a thud, the air knocked out of my lungs -- I bar...

A Hard Knock Life: Sympathy for the Devil (ch. 5)

"Are you sure about this?" Jackie questioned as we neared Vik's place. "No shame in calling this off," he offered a way out, echoing the words that I had given to him not even an hour ago.

"I'm sure," I told him. "I just need to make some preparations first." An idea was cooking in the back of my head, refining itself into a proper plan rather than a desperate hope. I would need to get my hands on some supplies to know what was really feasible, but I had high hopes.

We entered Mis...

A Hard Knock Life: I Can't Help Myself (ch. 4)

“The No-Tell Motel,” Jackie read the sign as we walked towards the hotel. It was a short building compared to those that surrounded it, but it didn’t need to be tall. The name of the place flashed neon pink. “If there was a place to lay low at, then this would be it.”

I glanced at Jackie, eyeing how he took out his pistol. He had other options with what we looted at Lock’s place, but I guess he was just more familiar with what he had. “You know this place?” I asked, look...

See No Evil: Unexpected and Unwelcome (ch. 30)

I should have played more city builder games, I reflected as I looked out at the tunnel that was under construction by a few dozen men and women. More were helping out by bringing relevant materials to the workers. The whole system was based on how cities built tunnels -- people up front were doing the hard manual labor while others lagged behind to do the detail work. Behind them were people moving in.

Only it was a little different. Or very different. The cities didn't use an utterly ...

See No Evil: Price of Progress (ch. 29)

Pamela Isley was a beautiful woman. There was no way around it. A mane of vibrant red hair, and curves that belonged on the cover of a magazine. The fact that her skin was a light green didn't detract at all -- I usually wasn't into that, but she pulled the look off. What did detract from her natural beauty was the whole mass-murdering terrorist thing she had going. Admittedly, that pill was easier to swallow since I had already taken it once with Tifa, but the difference between Tifa and Poi...

See No Evil: Moving Up (ch. 28)

"You look the part, kid," Mr. Cobblepot informed me when I stepped into his office. He sat at the head of a long table, similar to the one that had been there when I stumbled here, shot a few times, but with drugs and money. "Never thought you'd get rid of that travesty of a haircut," he remarked, prompting me to reach up to make sure that the gel on my hair was still in place.

He was right though. My cheap, ill-fitted suit had been replaced with a tailored one. A wine-red dress shirt, ...

Going Native: Desire for Compassion (ch. 68)

The galaxy was on the defensive six months later. So much could change in so little time, I reflected as I leaned back into my chair while I examined the war fronts -- my empire had been the buffer between most of the galaxy and the Trade Organization, but that wasn't to say that we hadn't lost ground on other fronts. We had. But, with the pressure of the Reach gone, resources could be relocated and redistributed. I had begun my first punch back after a year of weathering blows.

In ever...

Going Native: Desire for Closure (ch. 67)

The announcement of my promotion could be felt throughout the galaxy. The Trade Organization, at least the armed forces division, seemed to let out a sigh of relief. They were practically overjoyed with the news. Some generals and fleet commanders, less so, but the soldiers and rank and file were largely glad. I hadn't expected that. Not really.

To the rest of the galaxy, the news was something to dread. I could hear the chatter about it from the TO's spies in the various enemy empires....

Going Native: Desire for an Ending (ch. 66)

"The Warworld has been spotted, Lord Frieza," Ada'la heard someone relay, and a hint of tension eased out of her with the news. The message that Prince Tarble had sent out had reached everyone -- that the Warworld and its owner, Mongul, had attacked Thanagar. Just as the following news of Thanagar's theft had reached them. In the three days since Ada'la arrived, things had gotten rather… tense.

"Oh? I'd like to see it," Lord Frieza mused, lazily flicking his tail back and forth as it ...

Power Corrupts: Helping Hands (ch. 64)

"FUS RO!" I shouted and reality bent to my will. An invisible force spread out from my mouth, racing through the snow-filled air. Faster and larger than the previous FUS I had been capable of before. That much was proven by the outcropping I had shouted at the first time. What was leftover was struck by an unrelenting force and it gave way with explosive force. Like using a pressure hammer on a sugar cube.

My voice echoed from the Throat of the World, and I cou...

Power Corrupts: Small Delights (ch. 63)

"It's not what it looks like, Mr. Jericho," Lili hastily said, looking up at me with wide eyes as she practically lunged for the book. I easily kept it out of reach just by raising an arm. "Mr. Jericho is being really mean right now!" She shouted at me, able to make up the difference in height. She had less luck prying it from my grip and ended up dangling from my wrist for a few seconds when she leapt up to the book before I realized that she was probably right.

"Sorry," I told her, tr...

Power Corrupts: Balance (ch. 62)

Balance was a difficult thing to achieve, I thought as I sat at the peak of the Throat of the World. It was simple to imagine -- someone walking across a tightrope, or a pen balanced on an edge. Or a small bubble being at the center of a leveler. Balance was a very simple thing to find but achieving it was far more difficult. After all, what did it mean to be balanced?

In an internal way, finding balance was more difficult. There were synonyms for it -- being at peace, or being in contr...

A Hard Knock Life: Sympathy For The Devil (ch. 5)

"Are you sure about this?" Jackie questioned as we neared Vik's place. "No shame in calling this off," he offered a way out, echoing the words that I had given to him not even an hour ago.

"I'm sure," I told him. "I just need to make some preparations first." An idea was cooking in the back of my head, refining itself into a proper plan rather than a desperate hope. I would need to get my hands on some supplies to know what was really feasible, but I had high hopes.

We entered Mis...

A Hard Knock Life: I Can't Help Myself (ch. 4)

“The No-Tell Motel,” Jackie read the sign as we walked towards the hotel. It was a short building compared to those that surrounded it, but it didn’t need to be tall. The name of the place flashed neon pink. “If there was a place to lay low at, then this would be it.”

I glanced at Jackie, eyeing how he took out his pistol. He had other options with what we looted at Lock’s place, but I guess he was just more familiar with what he had. “You know this place?” I asked, look...

A Hard Knock Life: The Boys of Summer (ch. 3)

I had watched Lock die. My friend. I watched him die trying to save my life. There had been no dramatic farewell. There was no moment where time seemed to slow down or anything like that. Just one moment where I realized that I was dead, and the next when I realized I was going to live, because Lock hadn't hesitated. He just… moved. There was no momentary bliss that I had managed to forget that fact. The moment consciousness returned to me, the thought slammed into me like a brick.

"F...

See No Evil: The Price of Progress (ch. 29)

Pamela Isley was a beautiful woman. There was no way around it. A mane of vibrant red hair, and curves that belonged on the cover of a magazine. The fact that her skin was a light green didn't detract at all -- I usually wasn't into that, but she pulled the look off. What did detract from her natural beauty was the whole mass-murdering terrorist thing she had going. Admittedly, that pill was easier to swallow since I had already taken it once with Tifa, but the difference between Tifa and Poi...

See No Evil: Moving Up (ch. 28)

"You look the part, kid," Mr. Cobblepot informed me when I stepped into his office. He sat at the head of a long table, similar to the one that had been there when I stumbled here, shot a few times, but with drugs and money. "Never thought you'd get rid of that travesty of a haircut," he remarked, prompting me to reach up to make sure that the gel on my hair was still in place.

He was right though. My cheap, ill-fitted suit had been replaced with a tailored one. A wine-red dress shirt, ...

See No Evil: Goes Unpunished (ch. 27)

"So, just to be clear -- this is one of those things you're going to do anyway, and you're just telling me so I'll be in the loop, right?" Vergil questioned, leaning against the bar counter at Staircase while sitting in a seat. There was another cup of coffee in his hand -- it was becoming increasingly rare to see him without one. Only now he made them so strong they could be used as motor oil.

Tifa offered a smile, "Pretty much!" She confirmed, glad to see he got it. Their relationship...

Going Native: Desire for Closure (ch. 67)

The announcement of my promotion could be felt throughout the galaxy. The Trade Organization, at least the armed forces division, seemed to let out a sigh of relief. They were practically overjoyed with the news. Some generals and fleet commanders, less so, but the soldiers and rank and file were largely glad. I hadn't expected that. Not really.

To the rest of the galaxy, the news was something to dread. I could hear the chatter about it from the TO's spies in the various enemy empires....

Going Native: Desire for an Ending (ch. 66)

"The Warworld has been spotted, Lord Frieza," Ada'la heard someone relay, and a hint of tension eased out of her with the news. The message that Prince Tarble had sent out had reached everyone -- that the Warworld and its owner, Mongul, had attacked Thanagar. Just as the following news of Thanagar's theft had reached them. In the three days since Ada'la arrived, things had gotten rather… tense.

"Oh? I'd like to see it," Lord Frieza mused, lazily flicking his tail back and forth as it ...