Wakaba

[Forrest Village/Dwarf's Vault] Wakaba Chapter 1: The Rock and the Hard Place

Wakaba sat down at the bar table a twinkle in her eye almost as evil as the smile on her face. Her companion squirmed slightly. The silence was deafening for the man across from her, and she knew it.

"You had a proposition for me?" she asked flexing her fingers before resting them under her chin. This was her favorite position. It made her look intelligent and almost expectant. To her company, however, it was the smile that made him nervous. Not but yesterday they were enemies. He began to wonder if she were on something, or had a few before she got there.

"I thought we'd wait for the drinks to arrive. I ordered for the both of us," he replied hoping that a sake or two would calm his nerves. Wakaba only continued her wicked grin. He must have been desperate to call services upon someone who had tried to kill him the day before.

When the drinks did finally arrive Wakaba couldn't help but notice hers being malburry. Not exactly the lightest form of sake around.

"Why Jako-san how did you know my favorite drink?" she said in a more polite than sarcastic tone. She took a shot then began a series of taps on the table specially designed to annoy and shake up the foe. Though he was now more of an employer than opponent, she still thought it was deliriously funny to watch him go almost pale at her every move.

"Uh, y-yes I do."

"This would be?"

"I want you to steal something for me."

"I don't steal Jako-san."

"But you kill people isn't that like stealing lives?"

Wakaba thought for a moment.
"You drive a hard bargain Jako-san. What do I get out of this?"

"500,000 poch. That's all I have."

Wakaba thought some more.
"No." At that she got up to leave.

"Wait!" he called. She turned to him making her green hooded robe twirl behind her. "If you want more money I-I can get it."

"It's not the money I want Jako-san."

"The-then what do you want?"

Wakaba walked to him and got directly in his face.
"You're soul."

The mans eyes widened into a horrified expression. Wakaba began to laugh.

"A joke Jako-san. I only request you're services." She said slapping him on the shoulder.

"My-My services?" His throat cleared.

"If I do this job Jako-san you are in my debt."

"I-is that all?" He sounded relieved.

"Yes Jako-san. It is."
***
As soon as Wakaba was at her room in the Red fang Inn she immediately fell to her knees. She was so nervous her heart felt as if it would pound out of her chest. This was the delayed reaction to earlier's display. During a meeting, as Wakaba liked to call them, she was as cool as a breeze in December. After is when the human side kicked in.

"You'd think with the 7 years I've been doing this I'd get used to a few things." she mumbled to herself. After catching her breath, wrestling it to the ground, and forcing it back into her chest, she got up and changed into some night clothes.
***
After an hour of sleep she was immediately awakened by the sound of the wind flowing inside. She got up to close the window when she realized it wasn't even open.

"Wakaba?"

She twisted around a sword flying out of the buckle in her watch. She caught it with her left, and a shield popped out of the watch's face in her right.

"Who's there?"

"Wakaba?" the soft spoken voice gushed again.

Despite her good judgment the frightened young woman dropped her sword at what she saw. An almost vaporous figure in a long flowing gown drifted over her bed.

"Wakaba?" it hissed again.

"Who-Who're you?" Her voice creaked so loudly it made her cringe.

"Wakaba?"

"Is that all you can say?"

"Wakaba remember."
***
"Mommy!" a small girl shouted running to a busily cooking housewife. "I picked flowers mommy!" She held up a small bouquet of crinkled dandelions.

"Their beautiful dear." the woman said in a soft tone. "I'll go put them in some water."

"Ursula! Ursula! Their here! Hide Wakaba!" a man shouted. Before the little girl realized what was going on she was being shoved into a closet. Two uniformed men burst through a second after.

"Were here for the girl!" one shouted threatening the man with a sword to his neck.

"I don't know what you're talking about?"

At that his neck was sliced. Wakaba saw it all. They went for the mother next. Slash. Then they searched the house.
***
Wakaba found herself curled up into a ball tears streaming down her face.

"You sick twisted weirdo!" she yelled realizing it was the spirit that caused her to see this scene.

"Wakaba."

"If you say remember I'll kill you...again!"

"Wakaba." The spirits hand raised as she felt a warm light engulf her. A high pitched tone almost in song rang in her ears.
***
The next thing she knew she was sitting up startled in her bed. She looked to her watch. 2:06 am. Good she was about to wake up anyway. What a strange dream she just had. Wakaba got up and dressed herself. Then headed to the door.
***
"So this is the Dwarf's Vault." she said as she went inside. There was only one dwarf on guard. She could tell it was a weakling. Easy pickings.

Wakaba immediately caught her sword and jostle her shield. Before the guard could draw his own weapon she had him pinned to the floor. The guard passed out and she put her weapons away. Opening the trap door she jumped down and closed it behind her.

After traveling down a series of steps she found herself at a locked door and six waist high blue buttons.

"Great now what?" she said aloud.
Push the buttons you idiot.

Wakaba twirled around, her weapons already ready to kill.
"Who said that?"
I did.
"Who?"
The rune.
She looked at her hand. A glow shone in its palm.
Yeah that's right. I did. The glow pulsated to match the voice.
"How?"
Well I was human at one time. It sounded offended.
"Sorry I asked."
Now push a freaking button.
"I was getting there."

It was an hour before she figured out the right combination and could proceed through some more stairways. Afterward she found herself standing at a huge gap between her and another door.

"Grunt."

Wakaba's weapons flew out.

"Grunt." said the giant deranged Cyclops. Drool oozing from his mouth, his huge red eye gazing at her hungrily. Smiling Wakaba lunged for him. He dodged. In fact every move she made he evaded. She used her sword, a whip, and fifteen stars. Each one missed and he destroyed the weapons.

"It's no use." she panted. "He can see everything I do."
Why don't you just use spark?
"What?"
Y'know spark. Blind him.
"I can do that?"
You can't. I can.
"Well then do it already!" she ducked the laser beam that almost sliced off her head.
You've got to rhyme first.
"What! Why?"
I like poetry.
"No way!"
If you don't rhyme I won't do it.
"All right fine." Wakaba ran back and forth to make a harder target.
Say 'Oh true nature rune show me you're power' first.
"Oh true nature rune show me you're power. Uh, as you can see were in a bind. Use you're magic and make him go blind!"
That's more like it. White sparks flew from her hand now straight into the Cyclops' eye. It let out a cry and covered it with both hands. Wakaba threw a spear at his heart.
The bigger they are.

"The harder they fall." she finished. It did, making a dead bridge over the gap. Carefully Wakaba crossed it.

Once inside the vault she was appalled by all the different types of paper.

"Which one is it?" she wondered aloud to herself. Finally she found the one with the picture of the giant mirror. "This must be it."
Ya think?

"Oh shut up."

She walked outside...the body was gone.
Now what?

"Relax. I've got an escape talisman." It jumped out of her swiss-army watch and she caught it with her left hand. "Escape!"

In an instant she was above the trap door. The guard was still out cold.

"Pathetic. Y'know you'd think the dwarves could get better guards," Wakaba sneered.
Uh.

"Oh what now?" Two swords at her throat answered that one. "Aw c'mon guys." She jumped up kicking both where God graced them at there birth. As they hunched down she smashed their head's together.

Running Wakaba was met by more guards, but that didn't stop her. No, she was already at her heels to the enchanted forest.
***
Five minutes in the enchanted forest and she was already lost. If she hadn't used her last reverse spell talisman to get through it the first time...

"How'd you get here?" asked an elf his bow and arrow pointed at her. Wakaba raised her arms in the air.

"I'm running from dwarves. I stole something from their vault. I'm heavily armed but I'm not gonna hurt you because I'm desperate," she said the whole time thinking to herself "that wasn't 'I'm just a poor lost passerby'."

To her relief the elf laughed.

"I'll get ya outta here. First I want 4,999 poch."

"Why not ask for the cool 5,000?"

"I don't wanna sound greedy."

She threw him her money pouch.

"I've only got 4,000 in there. In my bra I've got over 1,000."

"Why don't you give me that too." Reluctantly she did. What was wrong with her?

Luckily he went through with the bargain. After she was in the village the elf tossed her 1 poch.

"So you're not broke."

"If I had more I'd buy another reverse spell talisman."

"Don't worry. I've got one. Nice doing business with you," at that he disappeared back into the woods.

"Elves. They treat humans like we were scum and their no better."
They live a lot longer.
"Oh shut up."
***
Once she delivered the plans she walked to her room. She couldn't sleep though. She still didn't know how on earth she was going to pay for the room now. After a while her thoughts traveled back to the forest scene.

"Why on earth did I tell him all that?"
Because you can't lie.
"What! But I've got to lie! That's part of my job!"
Not anymore.
"I don't understand?"
Your job now is to keep the stars of destiny alive to fulfill their prophecies.
"Hey! That's not on my resume! I'm an assassin! Wait, stars of destiny?"
I'll explain later. I need to sleep.
"Since when do runes sleep?"
Look, I'm part of you now. If you need sleep; I need sleep. If you're hungry; I'm hungry.
"What if I'm..."
I don't even want to think about it! Go to sleep.

And to think, she gets hear this kinda stuff for the rest of her living days. Maybe she'll get lucky and die an early painful death.