originally posted in:The New Dojo
[b][u] Echoes of the past[/u][/b]
A woman slowly walks up to the doors of the dojo. Her slow pace and shallow breathing made her injuries obvious to any on lookers. She managed to make it to the gates before collapsing.
At this time Vince happened to be walking out of the building. He reacted quickly when he saw the collapsed woman and ran to check on her.
"Ma'am, are you...,"
he trailed off as he realized who she was. He checked for a pulse and found she was still alive, but fading.
"What are you doing here Altar. Why now?"
He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder.
"Let's get you patched up."
Suddenly a massive form emerged from the shadows.
"My master will not allow it. He requires her magic."
It was what appeared to be a massive suit of black armor. The only hint as to the being inside were two orange points.of light in the helmet.
Vince gently put Altar down and turned around, gripping his cane.
"Tell your master that her magic doesn't belong to him."
[spoiler]Open[/spoiler]
English
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"Maybe she fell unconscious before she could use it?"
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"It's not just that. That knight was only a sign of something bigger, I just wish I knew what."
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"Mayhaps it is something you would not expect? An old enemy, a friend that is against you?"
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"Heh, I have alot of those." Suddenly, Altar stirred. "Huh..." Vince went to her side. "Altar, it's me Vince. Are you alright?" "Vince...Hey...It's been awhile."
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[b]Kross fell silent, simply leaning against the wall as he watched what happened [/b]
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"Yeah. What are you doing here, why did you leave the city?" "It isn't safe there, Thaddeus has those phantom knights everywhere." "What!? But he's dead!" "I know we saw him die but I saw him in the city." Vince began pacing back and forth. "This is very bad."
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"Who the hell is Thaddeus? [b]Kross asked, stiffening slightly [/b]
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"A private investigator. Apparently he's now some kind of power hungry necromancer." "He controls the city. He even got the council to install him as Supreme Minister." "But, how is he not dead. I saw that Mana Worm eat him." "I don't know." Altar frowned slightly. "Just, he turned up, took over the city, and unleashed his phantom knights. I fled but was ambushed. That knight you fought was the last of five." Vince sat, his brow furrowed as he was in deep thought.
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"Phantom Knights? The thing we fought?"
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Altar looked at him. "Yes. Hordes of them roam the streets. Many of them larger and more powerful than that one. I could have slain it easily had those wolves not shown up." She glanced at her bandaged side.
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"So where did all this happen? What world?"
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"Paradiso. A class M planet in a far system with a predominantly tropical climate. The city is Yorkago. It's located in one of the planet's few temperate zones. I still have the exact coordinates somewhere." Vince said. "It's where I built an empire, and where it all fell apart."
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"Perhaps this is something to ask the guard about? '
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"This is something I have to do. If Thaddeus really is Ali e and has magic then it's my fault. I pushed him into the Mana vortex." Vince said, standing up. "Though backup would be nice if he really has an army."
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"What is this Mana Vortex?"
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"It's a magic based phenomenon that occurs on Paradiso every 100 years or so. How we found it and everything is a very long story."
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"So If you threw him in, it's entirely possible for him to escape. Only if you threw him in 100 years ago"
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"Well it was last year and it was more like I threw him over it. It kind of canceled gravity. And then a massive worm came out of the vortex and ate him. So the only thing I can think of is that he was somehow able to escape the worm and then he found magic somewhere and made it back to the city."
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"Quite the story.."
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"Yeah, I really should write a memoir or something."
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"Respectfully, it would be nothing compared to some others within the dojo."
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"Eh, that's probably true." At this point Altar had fallen asleep from the intense pain killers. "Well I should go get some things ready. I'll have to get revenge on Thaddeus again."
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"I'll watch her. If you need anything ask for Sensei Royal. He'll help you."
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"Thanks. When she wakes up send her my way. She's alot stronger than she looks." He exited [spoiler]end[/spoiler]