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CYRUS
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“I want to be an Alter," Cyrus said.
“Want!?” The painter reappeared, his face full of disgust, like he'd just been insulted. “You want to be an Alter?”
“I want to be an Alter, and I want you to train me, too.” Cy doubled down on his grip.
“I don’t care what you want, boy.” They stared at each other. “The world doesn’t care what you want.”
“I will become an Alter, then. And you will train me.”
A flash of interest resonated in the man’s color-shifting eyes.
"It could go that way then, eh? But there is a price. Come tomorrow, prepared to offer it."
The painter disintegrated into dust, and Cy was left squeezing his own hand.
> [The Boy Who Would Be Alter — Quest Objective COMPLETED: Investigate the painter.]
>
> [The Boy Who Would Be Alter — Quest Objective COMPLETED: Find an alternative path to become an Alter.]
>
> [The Boy Who Would Be Alter — Quest Objective ADDED: Go the Hydromages Tryouts.]
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JULES
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“Did you steal that?” Jules asked Whiskers.
The cat hissed cautiously, careful not to shred the rolled up scrap paper held between its little fangs. “I would never stoop so low as thievery. I am merely—”
“Borrowing it?” Jules asked incredulously. You are insane. “From that guy? You trust him less than I do.”
“Curiosity killed the cat…”
“Shut up, Cy." I swear, you're about to see Wrath again. "You let your ego run wild back there. You’re being way too familiar with him.”
“Familiar, now there’s a funny word.”
Jules grabbed Cyrus' shirt collar. He wasn’t sure who’d throw the first punch. “Funny like how?”
“You know exactly how I mean it, Jules. I’ve seen your power, and Kat's gifted too, I'm sure. There’s nothing special about me, except that I was in the right place at the right time. You two have your own guides.” Cyrus gestured at the fox and cat. Unbelievable. “I need my own. Don’t act like I haven’t always told you I wanted to be an Alter.”
Jules released his friend. Fucking asshole. “It’s not some gift. Let’s save it for the basement.”
Jules and Katarina walked ahead of Cyrus back to the inn, and no one spoke. The last few days tried to kill me. One thing after the other. This wasn’t what I had in mind when I wanted to go on an adventure. He checked his Notifications.
> [Hot For Teacher — Quest Objective COMPLETED: Find the publisher in Aquilantis.]
>
> [Hot For Teacher — QUEST COMPLETED]
>
>
>
> [Paint It Black — Quest Objective COMPLETED: Investigate the painter.]
>
> [Paint It Black — Quest Objective COMPLETED: Discover if he is a secret Alter or not.]
>
> [Paint It Black — Quest Objective ADDED: Go to the Hydromage Tryouts.]
But still, I have come a long way in a short time, and we haven’t even started to Level Up. I don’t think I’d recognize myself from before that hunt, just three days ago now.
Yeah, Jules, Rukia thought. I looked at that banner in the plaza and didn't even recognize you!
Get out of my head, Rukia.
Jules still fumed as Katarina opened the doors to the inn. He stormed straight down to the basement without looking at her father. Pop and the rest followed their makeshift leader.
“I don’t like your face,” Pop said to Jules. He placed a hand on Katarina’s back. “Where have you been all day?”
“Cy,” Jules said, “do that thing you did back there, with your light.”
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This time, Cyrus invoked the Rune aloud.
> « Light »
Cyrus searched every inch of the basement, though Jules thought he looked a little reluctant to do so. He came back to the group and shook his head. Pop dragged over his popcorn machine from behind some crates.
“We fucked up today,” Jules said.
Pop calmly loaded some kernels into the machine and started it. When it didn't immediately run, Pop slammed a fist down onto a top corner. It started its task and carried on with a new dent in the metal frame. This man might choke me to death. Better to be thorough with him, we’ll need his insights. Jules relayed the day’s events in great detail. Pop listened to the story in its entirety without a word of protest. His face never budged; he might not even have blinked, he was so still.
“His offer was simple,” Jules said. “We can train with him, and learn from him, or we can go our separate ways—which is a load of crap."
“Sixteen-to-two."
What? “I appreciate that you’re mad, I am too, but please be more direct.”
“I kept her safe for sixteen years, and you ruined it in two days.”
Whiskers licked a paw. Rukia rested her head on Jules’ foot.
“Yes. I did. I am sorry to you,” Jules turned from Pop to Katarina, “and I am sorry to you. And Whiskers. It seems I’ve done that twice now. In a row, with my own parents."
“Ha!” Pop roared a short laugh and sat down. Didn’t expect that to soften him up. “You’re a tense lot. Say what you need to say to each other while I think.”
“Sorry, Kat.” Cyrus stepped forward. “But Jules and I need to have it out first. We go way back.” Cyrus rolled up his sleeves. Jules popped his neck.
"Uh huh," Katarina said. "Men."
Cy’s no match for my Hand-to-Hand, unless that steely resolve of his carries him past a broken bone or two. There’s no choice here, but we all still have to play out our parts. Just like Cy will make the first move—
Cyrus threw a jab and a cross. Jules dodged both. Cyrus lunged at him, and Jules allowed Cyrus to grip him around the waist. Jules shifted Cyrus’ head outside his body's line, wrapped him in a guillotine choke, and dropped to the floor.
“You were an idiot in there. Are you trying to piss me off? Me? Wrath!?”
Cyrus wrenched a hand through and broke the choke. “I sacrificed my life for you. And now—egh—ugh—you’re trying to make me sacrifice my dream!?” Cyrus took the guard position and tried to separate Jules’ arm from his frame.
Jules held his posture. "You already failed your Quest."
"It went active again, you twat—"
“If you piss me off, Cy, who’s to say I won’t go berserk again?” Jules broke the guard and passed it to the side. His body weight crushed Cyrus into the floor.
“If you go berserk then who’s going to—ow!—save you, you asshat? Rukia and I both—”
"Thanks for including me!" Rukia stood on all fours and wagged her tail. Cy gasped for air from another of Jules’ chokes.
"—Proved we can’t do it."
"Aw, shucks. Nevermind." Rukia splooted down in defeat.
“You gave Kat away.” Jules rolled Cyrus around, took his back and loosely settled in a rear-naked choke.
“He already knew—I was working him.” Cyrus’ voice grew raspy and faint.
“No, Cy. He was working you.” Jules tightened his choke, slightly. How will you respond to a lose-lose situation, Cy? You better think it through.
“He wants you, not me. I have to work for it, unlike you—”
"OK, Cy—fuck you." Jules ratcheted in the choke all the way.
> [Pang! Hand-to-Hand increased to Level 11.]
Cyrus flailed around in a last-ditch effort to escape. He lasted much longer than Jules expected, which only further enraged Jules. Eventually Cyrus tapped out. Yellow and green fire erupted from Jules’ eyes, and he didn’t let go. Cyrus slapped a foot on the ground, another signal to end the fight. His opponent's movement slowed down until Rukia bit Jules’ hand, and he finally released his friend. Cyrus rolled out and grabbed his throat through a coughing fit. Slobber dripped from his lips onto the floor. Let him sit there in his defeat and embarrassment. Let him learn the consequences of failure.
Again, Pop’s gaze didn’t flinch. Katarina absently munched on some popcorn.
“You… You fucking asshole. I tapped—twice—”
“Do you think I care, Cy!? Do you think I’ll yield if you ask nicely, the next time I'm possessed? Kat—and her father—both say that she is Envy. I have always thought of myself as Jules first, Arcanic second, but now I’m starting to assume that I am Wrath—That I'm a Sin first, Jules second. Your head was too far up your own ass to see it, but I almost snapped, Cy."
"Yeah, I noticed—"
"No, back there, you idiot! I almost lost control when he had a blade to your throat."
Cyrus turned white. He blinked blankly, the anger gone from his face. Jules stood over him. Jules' eyes still emitted soft yellow flames with flickers of green. Cyrus looked away sheepishly, humiliated. Yeah, motherfucker. Good. Jules inhaled sharply through his nose, and the flames dissipated.
“You are right, Cy. You can’t stop me, Rukia can’t stop me, maybe Kat can, I hope we never find out. But you need to stop acting rogue, and focus on our mission, not yours, or someone will die. There’s no maybe here. Somebody. Will. Die. And it won't be the four of us."
Cyrus rubbed his neck.
"We aren’t children anymore. We don’t have that luxury, of waiting to enter adulthood at eighteen. I need you to put your ego aside and help me think about the big picture here, because Cy—” Jules extended a hand to Cyrus. “If you die, I don’t think I’ll ever come back.”
Cyrus wiped his nose. Take my hand, Cy. Please. “So this is a lecture.”
"I don't—Sure, Cy. Whatever. If that's what you need." Take. My. Hand.
Cyrus grabbed Jules’ hand, and together they lifted him up to his feet. “Don’t ever do that again.” Cyrus squeezed Jules' grip, then released him.
“Don’t make me have to.” Jules wiped Cyrus' snot off his own hand.
Pop cleared his throat. “So, what did you two lovebirds just accomplish?”
“We’re on the same page now. Jules is in favor of us staying to train.” I knew you’d find the silver lining.
“Yeah, see, that's where you lost me,” Katarina said. A lazy hand lifted another piece of popcorn to her mouth. She chewed it like a cow.
“Jules knows we have no option but to train. But he… He did need to show me, remind me, that we are in an extremely vulnerable situation, and I need my guard up and wits about me.”
“...And you learned all that by getting put to sleep?” She shoveled an entire fistful into her mouth.
“Pain can be a good teacher. He showed me how weak I am. How I can’t even handle him in this state, without Wrath. How the other day probably isn’t an isolated occurrence anymore. I guess he showed me my blind spots, when I was overcome by my obsession.”
“We’ve fought a lot over the years—”
“Sure you have,” Pop said. “Moving on. I have some questions, most important of which is what you will choose, Kat.”
“That depends on the rest of your questions.”
Pop grinned. “I raised a smart and beautiful lady, who—”
“Sure you have,” Jules said. “Moving on.” Katarina and Pop glared at him. Oh. She must have wanted to hear the rest of that.
“First,” Pop grunted, “why have Kat and Whiskers never seen this place before?”
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