DIFFERENT FONT STYLES USED:
"STORYLINE" "'SPECIAL SKILLS OR MOVES'" "SPEAKER" "SPEECH" "THOUGHT"
SCENE: HQ Rooftop
Bishop: Lazarus, if I am not wrong. I understand how you feel, about losing your--
Laz: No, you don't. Unlike me, you still have your skills.
Bishop: Fair enough. But you should know that you're the not only one in this boat. Others have been attacked and contaminated and had to be disabled.
Laz: Great, of course I'd be happy to know I'm the one you've deprived of what is basically their very identity as a metahuman.
Bishop: I'm trying to help you--
Laz: I know, and I get you were just doing what could only be done to save me but…
Bishop: Well, if you're interested, I have an offer you likely won't refuse.
Laz: (turns to look at him) What do you mean?
Bishop: I can't get you back your old skills, but if you're interested, I can give you new ones.
Laz's eyes widen in surprise.
SCENE: HQ Break Room
Tylen towers over Kyle, a hateful glare on his face. This runt had insulted not just him, but his whole team, he wasn't going to let it go so easily. He tightens his right hand's grip on the ridiculously large hammer and swings it down at Kyle. The white-haired for his own part, is unmoving, unyielding, throughout. An angry scowl on his own face as he watches the large red minotaur bring down his hammer on him.
Master Dann: (screaming) TYLEN!
Tylen swings…and cleanly cuts through the air.
Tylen: (surprised) Huh?
It isn't that he didn't expect a full 180˚ swing when knocking the Kyle away, but he didn't feel the impact of hitting anything on the way through. Infact, he doesn't anything from his wrist down at all. He raises his arm to look at it only to find his entire hand, halfway up his wrist gone.
Tylen: (shocked) WHAT?!
Kyle: (expression unchanged) Oh sorry, did you need this?
Kyle raises his own hand to show himself holding the hammer by the handle, Tylen's amputated fist still balled around it as well, Kyle carrying the weight of both one-handedly with seemingly no effort. Tylen backs away before dropping to his feet and screaming in pain as everyone else in the room is left shocked and horrified at the outcome.
Blake: (furious) Alright you as*hole, YOU'RE DEAD!
Blake launches himself at him, right reared back, Kyle drops Tylen's arm just as Blake reaches him, arm extended forward, bathing Kyle in a fiery explosion. Blake smirks at his handywork, letting out at slight chuckle as smoke billows from his hand. His smirk however, turns into a look of astonishment as the smoke around Kyle clears, revealing a completely unharmed boy. He dusts himself off to remove the cinder from his clothes and gives a slight cough to free the smoke from his lungs. He has multiple minor burns and burn marks on his clothes, but is otherwise, perfectly unharmed.
Kyle: (expression still never changing) My apologies, was that supposed to hurt me?
Blake: (taken aback) What? No way.
Blake moves to attack again, only for Kyle to reach out and grab him by the wrist, pushing his hand upwards as the explosion fries the air above, he then plants a hard palm with his other hand into the older male's chest, launching him straight into the wall at the back of the room, 3 metres away. A hole smashing halfway through the wall from the impact, Blake slides to the floor, sitting in a daze.
Winfred: Blake!
Winfred growls at Kyle before protruding a long, navy tendril-like tentacle with a sharp, pointed tip from her back and launches it at Kyle.
Kyle: (raises his hand) 'FORCE SHIELD'.
Three green energy shields appear in front of Kyle, three align one in front of the other, with each being atleast 3X the size of the one behind it. Each shield is octagonal in shape, greatly flattened, about 2-3cm in thickness. On each face, a four-point star with a thick outline surrounding it. The frontmost and largest one blocks the attack before bouncing the appendage off, the reflected damage resulting in a cut on her shoulder.
Winfred: (winces in pain, reflexively closing one eye) …!
Elaine: Winfred please, listen to Master Dann--
Ignoring her words, Winfred protrudes three more tentacles and launches them at Kyle. The same effect happens, with four more cuts on her body and clothes. Stumbling back a bit she protrudes another four tentacles and leaps into the air, launching all eight tentacles at Kyle. He dispels the shield and raises his hand higher to cast it again at an inclined angle, enough to block Winfred's latest attack. Yet again her tentacles are bounced off and her body is riddled with the cuts and slashes that were meant for Kyle. Winfred drops to the floor as he dispels his force shield again, only for Kyle to project five force shields around Winfred as he lowers his hand towards her, with four surrounding her and one above her, trapping her in a box.
Winfred: (panicking) What is this?! (tries to break out but just does more damage to herself, dropping to knees in pain and exhaustion) Hah!
For first time since the fight started, Kyle's expression changes, from a scornful scowl to a sadistic smirk. He slowly closes his hand making the box shrink around her, the older woman becoming more panicked at this. It stops after a while as Kyle casually walks over to her, his hands in his pockets. He phases through the wall of the box in front of him and grabs her by neck, strangling her with both hands as the others look alarmed.
Winfred: (terrified) …?!
Neil: (shocked) Kyle wait, that's too far!
Elaine: (horrified) Winfred!
Blake: (beads of horrified sweat dripping down his face) Hey, what are you playing at?!
Tylen: (seeing this he explodes in anger) YOU FIEND! (punches the shield with his good hand only to regret it afterwards) GAAAAHHH!!!
Master Dann: Alright, enough of this nonsense.
Master Dann's eyes and right-hand change. His sclerae turning amber-yellow as the irises vanish and his pupils become slits. His hand becomes a red-scaled five-fingered dragon claw and he sprouts matching dragon wings. He spreads his wings and zooms at Kyle's barrier at full speed.
Master Dann: 'PIERCING DRAGON CLAW'
He stabs the wall of the box with all his might plus the added momentum of his flight, and while it does inevitably result in reflected damaged, causing the old man to fly back with an injured arm, he is at least able to create a large crack on the wall. This seems to be enough as the moment the crack appears, Kyle is struck with suddenly jolt of pain throughout his mind, like he had been stabbed from within his own head, resulting in a splitting headache. Kyle releases Winfred in shock and dispels his shields to stumble backwards before falling on his rear, clutching his head in pain. Neil, Elaine and Blake run to their respective friends, with Elaine running to Winfred and Blake to Master Dann.
Neil: (to Kyle) Are you okay?
Unable to answer, Kyle just groans, still clutching his head.
Elaine: (to Winfred who has powered down) Are you alright?
Winfred: (coughs) I'm alright.
Elaine: Okay, wait here. (goes to check on Tylen)
Blake: (to Master Dann) Master, are you alright?
Master Dann: (groans clutching his broken arm) I'm fine, thank you. How are the others.
Tylen: (from his position) I'm good.
Elaine: (helps him sit up) No, you're not. None of you are. Blake, call the medical team immediately.
Blake: (nods) Right!
SCENE: HQ Recovery Room. (few minutes later)
The MT heal everyone's injuries. Kyle sits on his bed, Neil by his side as a medical worker places their hands on his head to treat his headaches.
Neil: How's your head?
Kyle: The migraines are mostly gone, lucky my shield only took little damage.
Neil: (sarcastic) And whose fault was it that it even took damage at all in the first place?
Kyle: Are you blind? They attacked me first.
Neil: Because you insulted them. Besides, even if, you went too far in that fight with the tentacle girl.
Kyle: (closes his eyes and leans back into the healer's touch) Spare me.
Neil sighs as Laz storms into the room.
Laz: There you two are.
Neil: (surprised) Laz?
Laz: Get up, we're leaving.
SCENE: La rose Mansion
The trio appear in another pink flash, Elaine having used her teleportation skill to transport them home. Laz looks around the destroyed interior of his home.
Laz: Welp, sure glad ma meré isn't here to see this. (turns to Kyle) Hey, you can help fix this right.
Kyle: Of course! (yawns) Course that's a morning problem. Hey can we crash here for the night?
Laz: Sure, I'm gonna check on Emilia.
Laz heads to his room to find Emilia and carries her to his bed, before grabbing the chair and sitting down. As he watches her sleep, his mind wanders back to his talk with Bishop.
SCENE: HQ Rooftop (flashback)
Laz: What do you mean "new skills".
Bishop: We have been working on a new device, capable of granting new skills to a person. Through our tests and research, we've developed a machine that can implant artificial minergy into the human body, granting a whole new arsenal of skills.
Laz: Artificial skills? Thanks, but no thanks. I may be upset about becoming skill-less, but I'm not yet desperate enough to be your lab rat.
Bishop: I'm not gonna force you to accept, this all your choice and yours alone.
Laz: You said a while ago that there were others just like me, why ask me specifically? Is there something special about me? Or are you just testing the waters, asking all us skill-less victims to see who'd bite?
Bishop: (chuckles) No, just you. You could say that you're indeed special Lazarus La rose.
(flashback ends)
Bishop: (memory) Just give it some thought.
Laz: Hmm. Artificially implanted skills. Does such technology even exist? Something like that cannot be stable, there'd likely be some drawback. But…do I really want to be powerless for the rest of my life? The rest of my life, DAMN! Without minergy, I'll… (grits his teeth in frustration) …Goddammit.
(the next morning)
Kyle assesses all the damage to the house and draws the blueprints on where to fix.
Kyle: (laying them on the meeting room table) Alright. We've got multiple wrecked furniture, holes all over the floor with one in the ceiling, a smashed bedroom door and broken doorway.
Neil: (baffled) Did you just draw these in five seconds?
They hear footsteps and turn to see an exhausted looking Laz being helped down the stairs by a concerned Emilia. Dark circles under his eyes, perfectly showcasing his depression.
Kyle: (sympathetic) Couldn't sleep?
Laz: (downcast) Didn't even try. Was up all night trying to use my skills.
Neil: (equally sympathetic) And…?
Laz: (sighs in defeat) They're really gone.
Kyle: Sorry Laz. I wish I could tell you I know how you feel but I don't.
Neil: This is our fault, we shouldn't have trusted those people--
Laz: No, it's not. You didn't have a choice. If you hadn't, I 'd be dead by now. What's the point of having any skills if you're not alive to use them? How about the repairs to my house?
Kyle: (managing a smile) Just need to get the tools and materials and it's all done. (gives a thumbs-up)
Laz: That's good. Let's eat first.
Emilia: I'll prepare breakfast Mast--
Laz: No, that's okay. You've pushed yourself enough, let's just eat out.
SCENE: 24/7 Breakfast
All four were at the family restaurant owned by the aunt of one of their friends. It wasn't particularly big, nor was it small. It served only breakfast foods, bagels, cereal, pancakes, the likes, morning, afternoon and evening, hence the name. Despite that, it was still a thriving and successful business. The four sit at a booth, Kyle and Neil sitting in one three-person seat, while Laz and his maid sit in the order across from them. Kyle taps the small iPad-like screen attached to the tables face to order.
Kyle: (typing in the order) Okay, that's one plate of berry-mix pancakes with sliced bananas and a hot mango cappuccino, Neil…?
Neil: Some French toast and scrambled ptero-eggs.
Emilia: Bacon and chicken eggs with some coffee.
Kyle: (typing in everyone's orders) With coffee…what about you Laz?
Laz: (sighs dejectedly) I'm feeling very hungry this morning anymore. (gets up to leave) Emilia, call the studio and tell them to cancel all my plans. Enjoy your breakfast.
Emilia: (begins to get up as well…) Master Laz-- (…only to be stopped by Neil, grabbing her arm from across the table)
Neil: Leave him Emilia, he needs to be alone right now.
All three sigh in dejection themselves as Kyle taps the 'Order' button.
SCENE: The park
Laz walks into the park, his hands in his pockets as he keeps mulling over his situation, he looks up in the sky and sighs as a large dragon flies by, his hands in his pockets. Not paying attention as he bumps into a little redhead girl with hazel eyes, whom looked about half his age and was about the same in terms of height. The basket of apples she carried falling to the ground.
Girl: (timidly) S-Sorry.
Laz: (confused) Hmm? Why is she apologizing now? (extends his hand to help her) You okay?
Girl: (surprised, takes his hand) T-Thank you.
Laz nods before kneeling down help gather up her apples. The sound of grumbling erupts from the girl's stomach. She clutches her midsection in embarrassment
Laz: (still kneeling to be eye-level with her, he chuckles) Hungry? (she nods) Why not just eat the apples?
Girl: (looking down sadly) I can't.
Laz: (rubs the back of his neck nervously) Oh right, they did just fall on the floor--
Girl: No, it's not that, it's just… (trails off)
Laz stares at her for a while, eyes widening in realization.
Laz: Oh.
He reaches into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulls out a glass credit card.
Laz: How 'bout I buy you some.
Girl: R-Really? (he nods)
In this timeline, people only pay with credit cards or mobile transfers, even to hawkers as physical currency no longer existed anywhere in the solar system. So, the girl pulls out a small silver metal cuboid box akin to a POS device to make the purchase. Having paid for four apples, Laz takes one and gives her the others, she smiles gratefully as she takes a bite, having been hungry since the previous day.
Girl: Thank You.
Laz: (nods…) No problem. (…and walks away)
As Laz walks, munching on the apple, he keeps thinking about his situation. He sits on a bench thinking if he should accept Bishop's offer, he didn't fully trust Bishop or Enforcement, but he hated being powerless, it didn't help that he wasn't the only that was either. That was another thing that irked him, if he wasn't the only victim, why was he the only one he made this offer too? Was there something special about him?
Bishop: (memory) You could say that you're indeed special Lazarus La rose.
Laz: (sighs) Special? Yeah right. The only thing special about was my skills, now that their gone, I'm just weak, pathetic…useless. It took me years to get as strong as I was with my own skills, now I have to just get used to new ones? (sighs again)
Laz brings a card out of his jacket, a black business card with Bishop's info written in glossy gold:
Professor Jacob Cunnycut
Meta-biologist
Chemical Engineer
Mechatronic Engineer
Special Skills Expert
Consultant
Negotiator
XXX-XXXX-XXX
As he looks down at the card, mulling over hard on his decision, he suddenly hears a girl's cheerful voice call out to him.
Mavy: (smiling cheerfully) Hey Laz? Good morning.
Laz: (half-heartedly) Oh Mavy, morning.
Mavy: Woah! What's with deadpan response? It's different from your usual upbeat joy-for-life attitude.
Laz: Oh sorry, I hadn't noticed.
Mavy is a pretty young teen girl of about a year below Laz. She has honey skin with a cherry complexion, medium-length strawberry-blonde hair tied up into pigtails at top of her head and brown eyes. She's a head shorter than Laz and has a bit of a petite stature, but Laz knows, having seen firsthand, that she's far stronger than she looks. Her casual attire looks much like a typical hipster outfit, consisting of a black tank top under a dark-silver wide-neck sweater, a size or two too big as it goes down past her waist to her laps. The sleeves also go past her hands and the left side of the neckline slips down her shoulder, exposing the left tank-top strap. The sweater having the design of three balloons on the front, a pink, heart-shaped one, a green ring-shaped one and a blue normal-shaped one. Her outfit includes pink jeans, black sandals, red-framed glasses, rose-gold stud earrings and a white and pale-blue beanie with cat-ear-like protrusions on the top that completely hides her twin tails.
Noticing something is bothering him, she sits down beside him.
Mavy: What's wrong?
Laz: What makes you think anything's wrong?
Mavy: You don't have your usual cocky smile that you always do, for one thing
Laz: (manages a small smile) Hah! Yeah, I guess can't get anything past you. (sighs) What would you do if you lost something important to you, and you got chance to replace it but, doing so could come at a great risk.?
Mavy: (cocks her head to side confused) What do you mean? Did you lose something? (he nods) What?
Laz: Just answer the question.
Mavy: Well, in my opinion, it depends on how important the thing you lost is, if it's extremely important, you'd get it back no matter the risk. But why this question now? Worrying about risks isn't like you, it's never been the first thing you do before doing something you've already put your mind to. In fact, it's usually the one thing you don't do.
Laz: (chuckling softly) Yeah, huh? Definitely not like me. 'course, I'm not felling very like me anymore.
Mavy: What's wrong Laz? What's really wrong? I can tell something's bothering you.
Laz: If I tell her, she'll definitely try to get involved. That's what I about like her, she's always ready to drop everything for a friend. She really is a great friend. (smiling weakly) It's cool Mavy, really. No need to worry your head, but I appreciate the concern.
Mavy: Where are you going?
Laz: To think some more. No matter the risks huh? That's just because you're not the one lost your skills, huh, considering your skills it'd be ironic if-- (walks off)
Laz turns to see Mavy holding hand by the wrist, she had left her sit on the bench to follow him.
Laz: Really Mavy, I'm fine.
He lightly yanks his hand free and continues on his way out of the park, leaving a still concerned and already invested Mavy behind. As he walks he kept on thinking about what Mavy had said and about Bishop's offer. Of course, he didn't want to remain powerless, but he didn't trust Bishop or the organization, he didn't know anything about them, hell, until last night, he didn't even know the existed. But losing his minergy was a bigger problem than just no longer having superpowers, something everyone knew so well it wasn't even funny.
He didn't know what to do, refusing the offer meant being powerless forever, but accepting meant being indebted to them for who knows how long? Not to mention that since his first test subject, the machine is likely prototypical, meaning the chances of success are even at best, but the risks just got higher. If anything went wrong then the life he lost all his strength and skills just to keep would gone just like that, and it'll all be for nothing. He looks up at the sky, his hands in his pockets.
Laz: (sighs) What to do?
SCENE: La rose Mansion
After a while, Laz finally makes it back to his house, which was already under reconstruction and was already half-finished. There were groups of workers all wearing full-body suits that completely concealed their appearances, top to bottom, working together to repair the mansion as Kyle gave orders.
Laz: Wow! Looks like you're almost done.
Kyle: We are. How you holding up?
Laz: (shrugs) Eh, I managed to clear my head a bit. How long have you at this?
Kyle: About half an hour.
Laz: Yup, a master builder alright. Where's Neil and Emilia?
Kyle: Neil went home, Emilia's gone to run some errands. Oh, that reminds me. (walks over to a table and picks up a small nylon bag containing a take-out plate of food and a bottle of iced tea) You still haven't eaten anything right? Here's a meal 24/7 B to go. (hands it to him) You're usual: buttered scones and apple bread toast with coconut-mango iced tea.
Laz: (smiles gratefully) Thanks mate. Hey can I talk to you about something?
Kyle: Sure son. (to the workers) Take five.
As the workers take their break, Laz and Kyle head to his room to converse in secret. Once inside, they sit on his bed, Laz eating as they converse.
Kyle: So, what knew in town? You know, besides the obvious, Enforcement thing?
Laz: Actually, it's about that.
Kyle: (intrigued) Oh?
Laz tells him everything. All about Bishop's offer, the artificial minergy, the fact that he was the only one offered this.
Kyle: (whistles) Man, what a bother. So, they've been doing this for only God knows how long, and couldn't make a machine to restore one's skills, but they can build one to give them completely new and different ones? (Laz shrugs, Kyle sighs) I don't this people Laz, but I think you should do it.
Laz: (surprised) Really?
Kyle: Like I said, I don't trust them. But, do we really have choice? I mean you know just as well as anyone what being without minergy at all means in the long run. Also, I'd help you myself but I don't know anything about this, they do, it's their specialty it seems. I don't even know how their able to disable someone.
Laz: (sighs) I've being thinking of accepting to, it's just that--
Kyle: You're afraid of something worst happening?
Laz: Is it that obvious? Chances of success are 50/50 at best. There's just so much that could go wrong for "will it or will it not work?" the most I can actually hope for if it fails is that I just have get used to being powerless forever.
Kyle: Well, I always say that even a 1% chance is still a chance. But it's entirely your decision. I made the choice of trusting them for you last time because you couldn't, you can now, and stick to whatever you choose. (smiles encouragingly)
Laz: (smiles back gratefully) Thanks mate.
After a while, Kyle leaves to continue repairs, left all alone, Laz once again mulls over his thoughts.
Laz: Kyle and Mavy both say I should do it, I think I should but… (grits his teeth and roughly scratches his head) Gah! I can't believe I'm stuck here contemplating heaven and earth all because some no-good terrorist group tried to forcefully scout me. I hate this!
SCENE: Somewhere on the road.
Emilia is in the servants' car, been driving by the driver on their way home, when she suddenly sees something going on outside.
Emilia: Hmm? Miguel, stop the car.
SCENE: La rose Mansion. (some time later)
Laz: (walking around the mansion) It sure has been awhile, Emilia should have back by now. How many errands could one person run in one day? Kyle and his crew already left half-an-hour ago. I better go look for her.
After walking for a while, Laz suddenly hears a familiar voice and dashes towards it to find the Emilia and Miguel with the girl he met earlier. The girl is being attacked by a group of men, Emilia has her hands wrapped around the girl, both crouched down as Miguel stands between them and the thugs, a scared look on his face.
Thug 1: (laughs evilly) What are gonna do old fart? Think you can take us on?
Thug 2: (grinning wickedly) Go on! We'll give you the first shot.
Timidly, Miguel extends his hand and fires a wave of force energy at them, which they casually dodge. The men laughed harder at this.
Thug 3: Is that all you got, old man? My grandma, she's a thousand years old and she's faster than that.
Thug 2: You fools messed with the wrong guys. Now you're gonna be sorry.
Girl: (yells) Get…get away.
They laugh more
Thug 1: What happens if we don't?
Laz: (from behind) You can spend the next few weeks, lamenting about your missing teeth.
Thugs: Huh?
Both parties turn to see Laz stalk up towards them, his hand on the handle of his blade, ready to pull. His face scrunched into a hateful glare.
Emilia: (surprised) M-Master Lazarus!
Miguel: (startled) Young Master?
Thug 1: Huh? Who's this clown? Also, wanna play superhero kid?
Thug 4: Wait, I've seen his face before. That's Lazarus La rose, the famous actor kid.
Thug 1: Is that right? (grinning evilly) Well, it looks like we've got ourselves a lucky break, boys, I bet your mummy gonna pay a lot of moolah to see you back, safe and sound. (extends his hand out to grab…) Now be a good little boy and--
Laz suddenly swings his sword out its holster, striking the thug in the face as a result. The man stumbles backwards in pain and shock.
Thug 1: (clutches his face in pain) Ugh! (his subordinates rush to catch him)
Thug 2: Boss! Are you okay?
Thug 1: (screams) GET that asshole!
They charge straight at Laz all at once.
Emilia: (terrified, screams) MASTER LAZARUS!
Laz: Miguel, keep them safe.
One thug charges at him with a punch, Laz backsteps and raises his sword hand high with tip of the blade pointing upwards, before slapping the man's fist upwards with his other hand just as he reaches him, catching him off-guard. He then swings his sword back down onto his head, slamming hard enough to incapacitate, the man falls to ground unconscious. The next one grits his teeth at Laz and charges red-hot energy balls enveloped in fire in his hands before launching them at him, only for Laz to deflect them both with his sword. He then rushes to the guy before he can charge another two and drops to the ground, sliding to his feet, tripping him. He then delivers a foot straight to the man's jaw on the way down, defeating him too.
Thug 1: Gah! What the heck? Why's he so strong?
Emilia: I can believe how strong Master Lazarus is. I've never seen him fight before, and of course the one time I do, he's skill-less. But, even without skills, he's still…
The third thug turns his arms into large crab-claws and lunges at Laz, he grabs the blade of Laz's sword and tries to crush it, but it doesn't yield. Laz pries his sword free and leaps into the air, raising it high for another downward swing, thinking he was about to use the move as before, the thug raises his claws to protect his head., this turns out to be a trick however, as Laz lands back down and delivers a swift and painful kick between his thighs, before swinging down the sword. All were down except the leader, who was looking scared now.
Laz: (smirking cockily) What's the matter? Getting scared old man?
Thug 1: (growls furiously) YOU WISH!
He materializes and metal bat in his hand, before charging at Laz. He swings it down but Laz blocks it with his own weapon, the force of the attack nearly making him lose his balance.
Laz: …
The guy raises his club and swings it back down again, only for Laz to parry it by maneuvering his sword to have the club slide down it to the ground.
Laz: You lose.
Laz swings the blade in front of the man just as he recoils in an attempt to dodge, but power of the swing alone sends him airborne like it's nothing and he crashes onto the sidewalk on the other side of the road. Laz sighs in relief, having won.
Laz: (turns to the others) You OK?
Emilia: Yes, thank you.
Miguel: Thank you Young Master.
Girl: T-Thank you.
Laz: Mind telling me what happened here?
Girl: I-I was heading home after selling the apples, when they came out of nowhere and tried to steal my cash box. (holds out the payment device from earlier)
Emilia: We noticed what was happening and went to help but… (looks down shamefully) I guess we were just too weak to do anything, and ended up burdening you--
Laz: Incorrect. You jumped in to help someone in need when you saw them, I don't think you're weak at all.
Emilia: R-Really?
Miguel: B-But…we were unable to defend ourselves. I'm a man and I needed a kid to save me.
Laz: First of all, say that again and you're fired. Second of all, it doesn't matter if you can or cannot defend yourself, what does matter is that you at least try. A wise master once told me 'Being weak isn't the inability to defend yourself, but the inability to even try'. After all, you never know what could happen unless you…try. (eyes widen in thought)
Kyle: Truer words have never been spoken.
Everyone turns to see Kyle tying up the thugs, the girl hides behind Emilia as he walks up to them.
Laz: Kyle? Why are you back. Didn't you leave?
Kyle: I came back to get something I forgot, but then I saw the fight, nice job son. (raises his fist for a fist bump, which Laz reciprocates) Don't worry about those clowns, I've already called the police. (notices Laz looking at his sword with a solemn expression) You OK son?
Laz: (pulls Kyle aside) Yeah, I was just thinking. Just now I basically told not avoid something just because they were scared of what they didn't even know, but I've been doing just that this whole time.
Kyle: You're talking about Bishop's offer.
Laz: Yeah! I think I've made my decision.
Kyle: Really?
Laz: (smirks proudly) Yup! Come what may, I'll keep pushing forward. I'm Lazarus La rose, I never falter and I'll never die, no matter what. That's something I need help to remember.
Kyle: (smiles encouragingly) OK! No matter what happens I've always got your back. (gives a thumbs-up)
Laz: (smiles gratefully) Thanks. (turns back to the others) Emilia, Miguel go home. (back to Kyle) Kyle, can you take the girl home?
Kyle: (nods) Sure thing.
Emilia: But Master Lazarus, where're--?
Laz: I need to head somewhere quick, I'll be back too night. (walks away)
Kyle: (walks over to the girl) Hey there, I'm Kyle. What's your name?
Girl: (timidly) C-Cynthia.
SCENE: Somewhere on the road
Laz walks and brings the card out of his pocket, before looking up in the sky, his free hand in his pocket as he sighs.
SCENE: Enforcement Branch Office
Bishop and Laz stand face-to-face in front of the building as they converse.
Bishop: So, what's your decision.
Laz: (breathes in deeply and breathes back out, determined) I'll do it, I want the artificial skills.
Bishop: (pleased) Excellent Choice.
The SCENE fades to black as the CHAPTER ends.
STORY CONTINUES IN CHAPTER: 3 (FAUX SKILLS)
Stat Bonus:
Emilia's stats:
Skill(s): Ox Horns
Level: 1.3
Str: 23 Mob: 15 Int: 10 Atk: 10 Def: 10 Rcy: 10
Miguel's stats:
Skill(s): Force Wave
Level: 2.3
Str: 15 Mob: 20 Int: 35 Atk: 30 Def: 20 Rcy: 15
Thug 3's stats:
Skill(s): Missiles
Level: 2.5
Str: 30 Mob: 30 Int: 20 Atk: 50 Def: 10 Rcy: 10
Thug 4's stats:
Skill(s): Attack Boost
Level: 2.6
Str: 32 Mob: 41 Int: 20 Atk: 40 Def: 10 Rcy:10
Thug 2's stats:
Skill(s): Crabshift
Level: 3.2
Str: 45 Mob: 30 Int: 25 Atk: 45 Def: 29 Rcy: 15
Thug 1's stats:
Skill(s): Summon: Clubs
Level: 3.3
Str: 46 Mob: 30 Int: 26 Atk: 45 Def: 26 Rcy: 15