So the past week has consisted of Accel training me in hand-to-hand combat. And occasionally showing off his superpowers, which I have to admit are pretty cool. Manipulating gravity has a lot of uses. For one thing, that Gatling gun of his is just as heavy as it looks, but in his hands, its the next best thing to weightless. That's why he (and only he) can carry it around and use it like that. He can reduce his own weight to increase his speed and give him cool acrobatic skills. He can also do the opposite, and plant his weight firmly in a single space to prevent himself from being moved. He can pull himself toward objects and vice-versa by cranking up the gravitational pull between himself and them. He can also reverse gravitational pulls, resulting in anti-gravity. A hate to admit it, but maybe he is slightly badass.
The other day, I asked him when I'd get my power. He said I wouldn't awaken it during training. I'd be in a real fight when it came to me.
Anyway, training's going fine. He's a tough mentor though. Keeps pushing me as far as I can go. Says I'll thank him for it someday. I've also learned some neat martial arts tricks. For one, I learned to kiai. Basically, that's when martial artist make those loud shouting noises when they attack. There's actually a point to all that. Well, several points, but what Accel explained to me is that shouting like that causing your muscles to tense up. Timing a kiai right while attacking or taking an attack can increase the damage you do or reduce the damage you would take. I've also been learning how to attack and block. Apparently, when you block or deflect a blow using your forearms, it's best to use your rotator muscles, which are the strongest forearm muscle. Also, when blocking an armed opponent while unarmed, it's important to never, EVER, block the weapon itself. You have to either block the arm holding it, or avoid it entirely.
So, other then the difficult training, we've also been moving I'm not saying where we are exactly, but we left LA. I guess it's a good idea not to stay in the same place too long. Accel says we'll be meeting a couple other Godsent soon. I'm kind of looking forward to it, but I'm worried they might be as eccentric as he is.
Monday, April 6, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
A Brief History Of The World
I woke up in the morning on the hotel bed. I got up, a little groggy, and realized I was hungry So, I went to the minifridge, which I had stocked with some cheap microwavable food, and opened it up. I was somewhat surprised to see that, amidst all the stuff I had brought, there was also two twelve packs of Diet Dr. Pepper cans. I just kind of stared at them for a while before recalling the events of the previous afternoon. Of course. Accel. How could I forget?
I looked around the hotel room and noticed he wasn't there. Shrugging, I grabbed a breakfast burrito, and after a bit of debate, one of his sodas to wash it down with. As far as I'm concerned, he still owes me for dragging me into this mess, so I figured it served him right to lose one of his precious Dr. Peppers.
I heated up my cheap breakfast, and started eating. I was only a few bites in when the door swung open, and Accel entered. He ignored me and opened up the fridge He just stared inside for a while, then turned to look at me, then he glanced at the open soda on the table next to me.
“Dude...,” he said.
“Hey,” I said. “You still owe me for all the crazy shit you decided to drag me into.”
He blinked a couple times, then started laughing.
“What's so funny?” I asked.
He shook his head a couple times before answering.
“Yeah,” he said. “I guess I do.”
He grabbed a soda then sat down at the foot of the hotel bed and started drinking. I decided that then was as good a time as any to try getting some answers out of him.
“So, what's the deal with those Fear things?” I asked.
He killed his soda and crushed the can.
“How much do you wanna know?” he asked.
“Everything,” I said. “What are they? How many are there? How long have they been around?”
He sighed, and got himself another soda. Then he drew a switchblade from his pocket and stabbed it into the can. He placed his mouth over the hole he had made and shotgunned the thing like a college student with a can of budweiser. Then he threw that can away and got another one. Geez. Addicted, much?
“The Fears are beings the embody the things people are afraid of,” he said. “They've been around for as long as mankind has been afraid of things. The Archangel, for example, is the Fear of what lies beyond The afterlife. There's about 29 others like him out there.”
“So 30 total?” I asked.
“Approximately,” he said “That's how many we're aware of. Anyway, they became pretty active about... it's 2015, right?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Right,” he said. “About five years ago.”
“What was with them before then?” I asked.
“They were sealed away,” Accel said. “Someone called Kaos was involved.”
“How'd they get free? I asked.
He became silent for a minute I realized he was uneasy about the topic. After a while, he sighed and started speaking.
“The first of us,” he said. “A Godsent. No one knows how or why he was created, but he was strong. The most powerful Godsent to ever exist. None of us no how, or why, but he set them free. They were weak at first, but after a hundred and fifty years, they regained their full strength, and were able to amass followers. And to balance the scales, we were created. New Godsent, created by a higher power none of us fully comprehend. Our sole purpose is to protect mankind from the Fears and their servants.”
He fell silent again, and after a little while, I decided to ask a question that was floating through my mind.
“That first Godsent,” I said. “The one who freed the Fears. What happened to him?”
Accel finished his soda and sighed.
“He's still out there,” he said. “He's our greatest enemy. A monster. A killer. The catalyst who started this insane war.”
“And what about us?” I asked. “What's our deal?”
“Well, there's quite a few of us out there,” Accel said. “Most of us are members of the Administration. We all have special powers, which are called God powers, and we all wield God Weapons.”
“You mean like that gun of yours?” I asked. “Where is that thing, anyway?”
Accel chuckled, and reached into his pocket. He withdrew a large bullet, and held it in his palm. Then, in a flash of light, it transformed into the giant Gatling Gun he had been wielding before.
“Whoa!” I gasped
“The Magical Gatling Gun!” he announced. “All God Weapons have a sealed state. Makes it easier to carry them around.”
Okay, I guess the Godsent business has some perks I can look forward to.
“So when do I get mine?” I asked.
“Yours will present itself when you discover your center,” Accel said.
“My center?” I asked.
“The soft, chewy filling within yourself,” Accel said. “The thing that makes you you.”
“Soft chewy filling?” I asked. “Really?”
“Shut up,” he said, going to get a soda. “Once you realize what it is, you'll get your weapon.”
“What's your center?” I asked.
He chuckled.
“I'm a badass!” he said, cheerfully.
“No, really?” I asked.
“I'm a badass,” he insisted.
“Fine, don't tell me,” I said. “So what about my God Power?”
“I'll help you awaken it,” he said, cracking open his newest soda. “But before you can learn to fight with your power, you have to learn to fight without it.”
“What?” I asked.
He took several swigs before elaborating.
“Finish your soda,” he said. “Then, we train.”
And thus began my rigorous training with a self-proclaimed badass.
I looked around the hotel room and noticed he wasn't there. Shrugging, I grabbed a breakfast burrito, and after a bit of debate, one of his sodas to wash it down with. As far as I'm concerned, he still owes me for dragging me into this mess, so I figured it served him right to lose one of his precious Dr. Peppers.
I heated up my cheap breakfast, and started eating. I was only a few bites in when the door swung open, and Accel entered. He ignored me and opened up the fridge He just stared inside for a while, then turned to look at me, then he glanced at the open soda on the table next to me.
“Dude...,” he said.
“Hey,” I said. “You still owe me for all the crazy shit you decided to drag me into.”
He blinked a couple times, then started laughing.
“What's so funny?” I asked.
He shook his head a couple times before answering.
“Yeah,” he said. “I guess I do.”
He grabbed a soda then sat down at the foot of the hotel bed and started drinking. I decided that then was as good a time as any to try getting some answers out of him.
“So, what's the deal with those Fear things?” I asked.
He killed his soda and crushed the can.
“How much do you wanna know?” he asked.
“Everything,” I said. “What are they? How many are there? How long have they been around?”
He sighed, and got himself another soda. Then he drew a switchblade from his pocket and stabbed it into the can. He placed his mouth over the hole he had made and shotgunned the thing like a college student with a can of budweiser. Then he threw that can away and got another one. Geez. Addicted, much?
“The Fears are beings the embody the things people are afraid of,” he said. “They've been around for as long as mankind has been afraid of things. The Archangel, for example, is the Fear of what lies beyond The afterlife. There's about 29 others like him out there.”
“So 30 total?” I asked.
“Approximately,” he said “That's how many we're aware of. Anyway, they became pretty active about... it's 2015, right?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Right,” he said. “About five years ago.”
“What was with them before then?” I asked.
“They were sealed away,” Accel said. “Someone called Kaos was involved.”
“How'd they get free? I asked.
He became silent for a minute I realized he was uneasy about the topic. After a while, he sighed and started speaking.
“The first of us,” he said. “A Godsent. No one knows how or why he was created, but he was strong. The most powerful Godsent to ever exist. None of us no how, or why, but he set them free. They were weak at first, but after a hundred and fifty years, they regained their full strength, and were able to amass followers. And to balance the scales, we were created. New Godsent, created by a higher power none of us fully comprehend. Our sole purpose is to protect mankind from the Fears and their servants.”
He fell silent again, and after a little while, I decided to ask a question that was floating through my mind.
“That first Godsent,” I said. “The one who freed the Fears. What happened to him?”
Accel finished his soda and sighed.
“He's still out there,” he said. “He's our greatest enemy. A monster. A killer. The catalyst who started this insane war.”
“And what about us?” I asked. “What's our deal?”
“Well, there's quite a few of us out there,” Accel said. “Most of us are members of the Administration. We all have special powers, which are called God powers, and we all wield God Weapons.”
“You mean like that gun of yours?” I asked. “Where is that thing, anyway?”
Accel chuckled, and reached into his pocket. He withdrew a large bullet, and held it in his palm. Then, in a flash of light, it transformed into the giant Gatling Gun he had been wielding before.
“Whoa!” I gasped
“The Magical Gatling Gun!” he announced. “All God Weapons have a sealed state. Makes it easier to carry them around.”
Okay, I guess the Godsent business has some perks I can look forward to.
“So when do I get mine?” I asked.
“Yours will present itself when you discover your center,” Accel said.
“My center?” I asked.
“The soft, chewy filling within yourself,” Accel said. “The thing that makes you you.”
“Soft chewy filling?” I asked. “Really?”
“Shut up,” he said, going to get a soda. “Once you realize what it is, you'll get your weapon.”
“What's your center?” I asked.
He chuckled.
“I'm a badass!” he said, cheerfully.
“No, really?” I asked.
“I'm a badass,” he insisted.
“Fine, don't tell me,” I said. “So what about my God Power?”
“I'll help you awaken it,” he said, cracking open his newest soda. “But before you can learn to fight with your power, you have to learn to fight without it.”
“What?” I asked.
He took several swigs before elaborating.
“Finish your soda,” he said. “Then, we train.”
And thus began my rigorous training with a self-proclaimed badass.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Call Me Dark Jewel
It's a nickname I came up with in highschool. I figured it was a good idea to start using it now, as Accel said giving out my real name is a bad idea.
I'll start at the beginning. I received an invitation in the mail to attend a convention in LA. I'm a resident of the UK, so normally I wouldn't have traveled that far for something like that. I don't have so much money that I can travel wherever I damn well please. Except that there was a plane ticket and five hundred dollars US cash enclosed, so I figured I might as well. Free trip to the States? Sure.
So I boarded the plane and arrived at the con. It wasn't a big event like Comic Con, but it wasn't bad. I got to see some bands playing decent music, they had great food there, and there was some nice cosplay. Anyway, the weirdness started when I was approached by a man. He had long brown hair, matching eyes, and wore a black vest.
"Hey," he said. "Glad you made it."
"Have we met?" I asked him.
"Yes and no," he said. "It's a little complicated. I'm Accel. I sent you the invite."
"Oh, hey," I said. "I'm-"
He suddenly clapped a hand over my mouth, silencing me.
"No real names," he said. "Not here."
His eyes darted around the convention, landing on a large number of people.
"Can't be trusted," he whispered.
I forced his hand away.
"Dude, what the hell!?" I said.
"Just use nicknames," he said.
"All right," I said, a little creeped out. "I guess I'll go with Dark Jewel."
"I know," he said. "I called you here for a reason. But before I start explaining things you won't believe, I need you to do something for me."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
He drew a handful of coins out of his pocket and handed them to me.
"Just do me a quick favor," he said. "Head across the street. There's a soda machine outside a store there. Get me a Diet Dr. Pepper."
"Don't they sell soda here?" I asked skeptically.
"Just trust me, dude," he said.
"Will they let me back in if I leave the convention?" I asked.
"They will, but you won't want to," he said.
I raised an eyebrow.
"And what's to stop me from walking off with your money once I leave here?" I asked.
He cracked a grin at me.
"You wouldn't do that," he said.
He was right. Granted, I would be tempted, but I wouldn't have done something that dickish.
So, I walked out across the street and got his stupid soda. When I turned around, I saw about a dozen people standing in the street facing me. They didn't look friendly, and they all had this weird symbol on their clothing. It kind of looked like a pair of hourglasses. They began approaching me. I saw one of them draw a knife, and I panicked. I started running. They gave chase.
I got a few blocks before the fatigue started setting in. I couldn't keep going. The fire in my muscles was too much. I lost my footing and hit the ground. I rolled over to get a look at my pursuers. They were almost upon me. I remember thinking that I was finished. Dead.
That's when a spray of bullets hit the ground by their feet. They stopped in their tracks and looked behind me. I looked as well. Accel was standing there, wielding a mother fucking Gatling gun. I seemed to be a modified one, with a pistol grip, instead of being mounted on a turret, but it still should have been impossible for him to carry so effortlessly.
He raised his left hand, the one that wasn't holding an absurdly large firearm, and a black light enveloped it. The men chasing me suddenly collapse, and seemed to be struggling against their own weight. Accel approached me calmly.
"Ever read Ender's Game?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said.
"Good," he said, gesturing to a nearby building. "See that wall over there?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Good," he replied, picking me up off the ground like I was a rag doll. "It's a floor now."
He let go of me, and without warning, I began falling toward the building. I hit it with little impact, and got to my feet. Except now I was standing on the wall. Accel landing there next to me a moment later.
"Get moving!" he said, and started running up the wall.
I cleared my head. It was just a matter of perceptions. I just had to get into the mindset. Yeah, all this was fucking crazy as hell, but I found it surprisingly easy to run up the wall as if it were a floor.
We both reached the roof, and gravity seemed to return to normal once we got there.
"How... the fuck... did you do... that?" I panted.
"Long story short, I can control gravity," he said. "But we don't have time for full explanations right now."
"Why not?" I asked, but I suddenly felt a huge presence.
I looked to see another figure standing on the roof with us. A tall man, NBA height, was standing there, wearing a gas mask and a hoody. A pair of giant, jet black bird wings were growing from his back. His aura was terrifying. I had never been in the presence of something like this before.
"We have company," Accel said.
The man charged at us. Accel pushed me aside dodged the man's assault. Accel punched the man in the chest, with so much force he was thrown across the roof. Accel opened fire with his gun. The bullets didn't seem to have much effect on the man, but they seemed to keep him away from us.
Suddenly, another man joined the fight. He was wielding a claymore. He swung it at the gas mask guy, and although the sword didn't manage to cut into his flesh at all, it did knock him over. Then anotther identical claymore wielding man showed up. And another. It got really confusing really fast, and I had trouble keeping tack of the fight. More of the claymore guys would appear, and sometimes they'd disappear. But Gas Mask was one hell of a fight, and managed to hold his own against all of them.
Eventually, one of the claymore wielders broke away from the fight and made it over to me and Accel. His sword vanished, becoming a very nice hat, which he put on his head.
"Take my hands!" he said.
Both Accel and I grabbed his hands, and next thing I knew, we were all lying on the ground at a harbor.
"Where are we?" I asked.
The guy in the hat checked a weird looking watch around his wrist.
"The Los Angeles Waterfront," he said. "2 hours after the fight with the Archangel."
"Just like Anansi said," Accel said.
"I'm sorry," I said. "Who are you? Who's the Archangel?"
"The Gas Mask guy," Accel said.
"But, how can it be two hours after that?" I asked. "You were just fighting him 10 seconds ago!"
"Time travel," the new guy said.
"Oh, that makes perfect sense\," I said. "Oh, wait, no it doesn't! What the hell is going on!?"
"That thing you just saw is one of the Fears," Accel said. "Beings of evil who torment humanity. Those guys chasing you were his followers, the Timberwolves."
"You knew they'd attack me!" I said, coming to a realization.
"Yeah," he said. "Time travel."
"Allow me to properly introduce myself," the new guy said. "I'm Fiendscale, leader of the administration.. Time traveling is my gift. My power."
"Are you serious?" I asked. "You time travel, and he controls gravity?"
"We're Godsent," Accel said. "We exist to combat Fears."
"Okay," I said. "Let's just pretend all this makes sense. So why were the Timberwhatevers attacking me?"
"You're one of us," Fiendscale said. "A Godsent."
"Wait, what!?" I said.
"Yeah," Accel said.
Fiendsclae sighed.
"Listen, as much as I hate to leave Accel alone, I have other things I need to do," he said. "Just... stick with Accel. It's his job to train you now. And please try to keep him out of trouble..."
With that, Fiendscale vanished. Accel and I returned to my hotel room, and now I'm writing this post. And that's how I got dragged into the insane world of magic powers and eldritch baddies.
I'll start at the beginning. I received an invitation in the mail to attend a convention in LA. I'm a resident of the UK, so normally I wouldn't have traveled that far for something like that. I don't have so much money that I can travel wherever I damn well please. Except that there was a plane ticket and five hundred dollars US cash enclosed, so I figured I might as well. Free trip to the States? Sure.
So I boarded the plane and arrived at the con. It wasn't a big event like Comic Con, but it wasn't bad. I got to see some bands playing decent music, they had great food there, and there was some nice cosplay. Anyway, the weirdness started when I was approached by a man. He had long brown hair, matching eyes, and wore a black vest.
"Hey," he said. "Glad you made it."
"Have we met?" I asked him.
"Yes and no," he said. "It's a little complicated. I'm Accel. I sent you the invite."
"Oh, hey," I said. "I'm-"
He suddenly clapped a hand over my mouth, silencing me.
"No real names," he said. "Not here."
His eyes darted around the convention, landing on a large number of people.
"Can't be trusted," he whispered.
I forced his hand away.
"Dude, what the hell!?" I said.
"Just use nicknames," he said.
"All right," I said, a little creeped out. "I guess I'll go with Dark Jewel."
"I know," he said. "I called you here for a reason. But before I start explaining things you won't believe, I need you to do something for me."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
He drew a handful of coins out of his pocket and handed them to me.
"Just do me a quick favor," he said. "Head across the street. There's a soda machine outside a store there. Get me a Diet Dr. Pepper."
"Don't they sell soda here?" I asked skeptically.
"Just trust me, dude," he said.
"Will they let me back in if I leave the convention?" I asked.
"They will, but you won't want to," he said.
I raised an eyebrow.
"And what's to stop me from walking off with your money once I leave here?" I asked.
He cracked a grin at me.
"You wouldn't do that," he said.
He was right. Granted, I would be tempted, but I wouldn't have done something that dickish.
So, I walked out across the street and got his stupid soda. When I turned around, I saw about a dozen people standing in the street facing me. They didn't look friendly, and they all had this weird symbol on their clothing. It kind of looked like a pair of hourglasses. They began approaching me. I saw one of them draw a knife, and I panicked. I started running. They gave chase.
I got a few blocks before the fatigue started setting in. I couldn't keep going. The fire in my muscles was too much. I lost my footing and hit the ground. I rolled over to get a look at my pursuers. They were almost upon me. I remember thinking that I was finished. Dead.
That's when a spray of bullets hit the ground by their feet. They stopped in their tracks and looked behind me. I looked as well. Accel was standing there, wielding a mother fucking Gatling gun. I seemed to be a modified one, with a pistol grip, instead of being mounted on a turret, but it still should have been impossible for him to carry so effortlessly.
He raised his left hand, the one that wasn't holding an absurdly large firearm, and a black light enveloped it. The men chasing me suddenly collapse, and seemed to be struggling against their own weight. Accel approached me calmly.
"Ever read Ender's Game?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said.
"Good," he said, gesturing to a nearby building. "See that wall over there?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Good," he replied, picking me up off the ground like I was a rag doll. "It's a floor now."
He let go of me, and without warning, I began falling toward the building. I hit it with little impact, and got to my feet. Except now I was standing on the wall. Accel landing there next to me a moment later.
"Get moving!" he said, and started running up the wall.
I cleared my head. It was just a matter of perceptions. I just had to get into the mindset. Yeah, all this was fucking crazy as hell, but I found it surprisingly easy to run up the wall as if it were a floor.
We both reached the roof, and gravity seemed to return to normal once we got there.
"How... the fuck... did you do... that?" I panted.
"Long story short, I can control gravity," he said. "But we don't have time for full explanations right now."
"Why not?" I asked, but I suddenly felt a huge presence.
I looked to see another figure standing on the roof with us. A tall man, NBA height, was standing there, wearing a gas mask and a hoody. A pair of giant, jet black bird wings were growing from his back. His aura was terrifying. I had never been in the presence of something like this before.
"We have company," Accel said.
The man charged at us. Accel pushed me aside dodged the man's assault. Accel punched the man in the chest, with so much force he was thrown across the roof. Accel opened fire with his gun. The bullets didn't seem to have much effect on the man, but they seemed to keep him away from us.
Suddenly, another man joined the fight. He was wielding a claymore. He swung it at the gas mask guy, and although the sword didn't manage to cut into his flesh at all, it did knock him over. Then anotther identical claymore wielding man showed up. And another. It got really confusing really fast, and I had trouble keeping tack of the fight. More of the claymore guys would appear, and sometimes they'd disappear. But Gas Mask was one hell of a fight, and managed to hold his own against all of them.
Eventually, one of the claymore wielders broke away from the fight and made it over to me and Accel. His sword vanished, becoming a very nice hat, which he put on his head.
"Take my hands!" he said.
Both Accel and I grabbed his hands, and next thing I knew, we were all lying on the ground at a harbor.
"Where are we?" I asked.
The guy in the hat checked a weird looking watch around his wrist.
"The Los Angeles Waterfront," he said. "2 hours after the fight with the Archangel."
"Just like Anansi said," Accel said.
"I'm sorry," I said. "Who are you? Who's the Archangel?"
"The Gas Mask guy," Accel said.
"But, how can it be two hours after that?" I asked. "You were just fighting him 10 seconds ago!"
"Time travel," the new guy said.
"Oh, that makes perfect sense\," I said. "Oh, wait, no it doesn't! What the hell is going on!?"
"That thing you just saw is one of the Fears," Accel said. "Beings of evil who torment humanity. Those guys chasing you were his followers, the Timberwolves."
"You knew they'd attack me!" I said, coming to a realization.
"Yeah," he said. "Time travel."
"Allow me to properly introduce myself," the new guy said. "I'm Fiendscale, leader of the administration.. Time traveling is my gift. My power."
"Are you serious?" I asked. "You time travel, and he controls gravity?"
"We're Godsent," Accel said. "We exist to combat Fears."
"Okay," I said. "Let's just pretend all this makes sense. So why were the Timberwhatevers attacking me?"
"You're one of us," Fiendscale said. "A Godsent."
"Wait, what!?" I said.
"Yeah," Accel said.
Fiendsclae sighed.
"Listen, as much as I hate to leave Accel alone, I have other things I need to do," he said. "Just... stick with Accel. It's his job to train you now. And please try to keep him out of trouble..."
With that, Fiendscale vanished. Accel and I returned to my hotel room, and now I'm writing this post. And that's how I got dragged into the insane world of magic powers and eldritch baddies.
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