Orso Fiction 052

Orso Fiction Chapter 052-The Shadow and the Queen (Part 2 of 3)
Taylor dashed at Sonia, slamming her staff against the small spear she held, as she moved to block with it.

“Trying to engage a poor old lady in such brutal combat…”, Sonia sighed. Immediately, she parried the staff strike, and lunged at Taylor with the spear. “Didn’t your parents teach you to respect your elders?!”

“I respect the ones that aren’t dirtbags.”, Taylor answered, deflecting the spear strike with a wave of her staff.

---

A jet-black pistol fell into Bradley’s hand. Across its barrel was an orange gem, with a white Roman numeral “I” across it, signifying his position as a Primo.

“Ooh, that’s right!”, Osvaldo…squealed? There’s not really a word for what Osvaldo did, upon seeing Bradley’s weapon, that wouldn’t sicken the reader, so we’re going to call it squealing like a small child seeing candy. “I WAS interested in dissecting one of those Cambio Forma Box Weapons. I’ve never seen technology like that…How did you get your hands on it?”

“The Boss made them for us.”, Bradley answered.

“That’s not weaponry a normal person would be able to design.”, Osvaldo growled. “It’s about ten years too far away from even me. How was he able to make them?”

“I’m done talking to you.”, Bradley growled, raising the gun. “Lo Ombro Pistolo. The Shadow Gun.”

Bradley pulled the trigger, and a bolt of orange flame shot out, scorching the seats between them, burning an empty space in the theater.

“There we go…”, Osvaldo smiled. “Now we have room to really fight…”

Bradley pointed the gun at Osvaldo, and the gun began to charge, glowing with a dull orange light. It fired once more, but Osvaldo was able to dodge it by jumping closer to the screen. He brandished his knife.

“I haven’t had to use this in a long time…”, he mused. “I hope I haven’t spent too much time with beakers and screwdrivers to remember how to use it…”

Bradley fired twice more, burning away more chairs, opening more space. Osvaldo grinned.

“More mobility won’t help you run from this…”, he murmured, preparing to slash. He cut the air, and a bizarre humming sound emanated from the blade. A burst of black and orange energy shot from the blade, flying at Bradley, who ducked. He turned, and saw that the black energy had cut the tops of every chair it had cut, perfectly. The room echoed with the sounds of the chair tops hitting the floor.

“How strange…”, Osvaldo murmured. “That attack used to come out pure orange…”

---

“How about it?”, Berenger asked. “Just let Adelina join the Orso Family. Responsibility for her will shift to them. That’ll save you one cell in that hell you call a workplace, and, more importantly, will let this innocent girl keep living free.”

“The Warden commanded me to pass judgment on the prisoner.”

“Then you have the power to judge her ‘not guilty’. You can tell the Warden I took responsibility for her.”

“The prisoner is dangerous, Berenger.”

“Yes…but I trust these children. They’ll be able to keep Adelina from losing control of herself again.”

“PLEASE!”, Rosangela shouted. “Please!...Don’t take Adel…”

“Will you really be responsible for tearing apart this little girl’s family?”, Berenger asked, his eyes narrowing.

“We must have a representative from the Orso Family formally agree to these terms.”

Berenger turned back to the assembled Orso.

“Well…which one of you wants to make the deal?”

But before he could even finish, Jess had stepped forward.

“I, Jessica Biemiller, the Primo Cloud Agent of the Orso Family, agree to accept Adelina…and her sisters, into the Orso Family, on behalf of my boss, Zachary Stimely.”

“And so it is done…”, Darklaw’s monotone echoed throughout the track, his face tilted toward the unconscious girl. The cuffs on her body snapped open, and shot back at him, seemingly merging into his black coat. “Adelina…You will be safe from our justice, so long as you belong to the Orso Family.”

Slowly, the air behind Darklaw began to turn black. He began to take a step backward into it, but Berenger took a step forward.

“Darklaw…I thank you.”

“I am not the one to be thanked. I operate only on the Warden’s justice…”

“Then thank the Warden for me.”

“I shall.”, Darklaw answered, stepping backward, fading into the darkness, which cleared as soon as he was invisible.

Rosangela began to cry, jumping at Berenger, wrapping her tiny arms around him.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”, she said between sobs. Berenger smiled and ruffled her hair.

“I’m not the one you need to thank.”, he said. He gestured to Jess. “She’s the one that saved your sister.”

Rosangela jumped at Jess, hugging her as well.

“Thank you, Miss…Thank you so much.”

Jess smiled, patting her head. She looked to Berenger.

“So…can we have any answers, about that?”, she asked. “Like…who he was? And who you are?”

“That was Darklaw, one of the Justices of the Vindice. They’re the law of the mafia world. When a mafia member has proven themselves too dangerous to be allowed in this world, they make an appearance to lock them up. As for me, I am Berenger Ferraro, the man whose sons will craft the Arcoferro for you.”

“Then, on behalf of the entire family, I thank you. If I can ask a few more things…Why did that man feel so strange? I’ve never felt a presence so…empty, before.”

“I’m not sure how much liberty I have to discuss it, so all I’m going to tell you is that Darklaw sacrificed his capacity for emotions for…certain abilities, in the effort to become a better Justice. I’m sure you had guessed that Darklaw isn’t his real name, but a codename given to him after the operation was completed.”

“Father!”, Vincenzo croaked. Berenger turned and smiled, looking at his sons.

“Vincenzo…”, he murmured. “How are you feeling?”

The man worked his way into a sitting position.

“I…have it…”, he wheezed. “I found it…in the Arctic…I found what you wanted…Let me...get it…”

Berenger chuckled.

“Vincenzo, I didn’t want it for myself. That metal is for you. That’s why I sent you on that mission, so the temple would judge you worthy of crafting the Deiferro. I’m very proud of you.”

“Deiferro?”, Jess asked without thinking. Berenger turned to her.

“I sent my son to a temple deep within the Arctic. He completed a very sacred ritual, and passed the trials set in place since time immemorial. It’s a Ferraro tradition. He passed the test, and won a piece of Deiferro, a metal with power that rivals the Arcoferro.”

“This is all just too much…”, Jess murmured. Berenger chuckled.

“I apologize…Today has been a bit more chaotic than I had hoped…”

“Oh!”, Jess exclaimed. “Your sister! She’s fighting our Head Agent right now! And your brother is fighting our Commander! I can show you where they went!”

Berenger shook his head.

“I don’t have any reason to interfere in their battles…I have somewhere else I need to be. Tell Adelina, when she wakes up, that I apologize wholeheartedly, for my sister’s manipulation. And I thank you, for opening the door to these girls’ destinies.”

And like that, he had already vanished. The only sounds were the wind blowing, and Rosangela’s crying of joy.

---

Sonia leapt to the side, assuming a more defensive stance.

“I know you’re buying time for something!”, Taylor shouted, flying at her once again. “I won’t let you!”

She spun the staff in front of her, as it began to spit Sky Flames all around. It appeared as though she was holding a solid disk of fire. Suddenly, she jutted the head of the staff at Sonia, and the fire shot at her. Sonia barely sidestepped.

“Little girl, assuming you can win this fight with me quickly is like assuming you can walk through the end of the world with perfect hair. It won’t happen.”

“Thing is…what is she buying time for?”, Taylor thought. She smiled slightly, holding her staff out. “I’ll know soon.”

“Amber! Cambio Forma, to Modo Defesa!”

The staff quickly morphed once again. Taylor placed the still changing weapon on her head. When the orange light faded, Taylor wore a silver tiara, the orange gem directly in the center.

“Corona di Conocenza…The Crown of Knowledge. This will do it. Amber is the most intelligent, of all the Orso’s animals. Of all her powers…mind-reading is my favorite.”, Taylor murmured.

A burst of psychic energy shot from the crown, colliding with Sonia.

“Just a little probing, and I’ll know what she’s after…”, Taylor thought. Suddenly, a dark sensation ran through her body, forcing Amber to revert back to her animal form.

“Were you just trying to read my mind?”, Sonia asked, a little curious. “How delightful…I’ve met a few people who could do that…I’m not sure why it didn’t work for you…but regardless…It makes me want your animal even more…”

“You won’t get her.”, Taylor declared. “Amber, Cambio Forma, Modo Ofesa.”

Amber changed back into her staff form.

“Do you think that will be enough?”, Sonia sneered. She pulled an orange box from her sleeve, and her ring lit with orange flames. “This will be enough to counter that little toy…”

---

Bradley fired twice more, but Osvaldo moved surprisingly fast for his age, nimbly dodging both bursts of flame.

“I think I have you figured out, boy.”, Osvaldo sneered. Suddenly, he leapt at Bradley with his knife. “You rely on range!”

Bradley slammed his gun into the knife, blocking it perfectly.

“You’re wrong.”, Bradley said quietly. “But if the battle’s moved closer to me…Uranus! Cambio Forma, Modo Defesa!”

As Bradley quickly stepped away, the gun began to glow orange, and shot at his legs, covering them. When the light faded, Bradley was wearing a set of greaves, the orange gem at the top.

“Gambali di Rinvigorimento.”, Bradley murmured. Osvaldo slashed at him once more, but Bradley kicked high, and blocked the knife. “From now on, I’m going to be fighting at a whole new level.”

“Interesting…Show me.”, Osvaldo laughed. “Show me what a boy like you calls a new level of power!”

Bradley shoved the knife away with his leg, and cartwheeled at Osvaldo, beating him with his armored legs ferociously. He pushed off the ground with his hands, and slammed a single leg across Osvaldo’s face, too fast for him to counter. Osvaldo went flying, landing against a chair.

“Uranus is the most powerful Box Animal in the entire family. He is the symbol of the absolute trust Zach has in me. I’m the only one…I’m the only one he trusted with this much power!”

Bradley shot at Osvaldo, jutting his leg out, striking him in the chest with his toes. Osvaldo gasped for breath.

“Just who do you think you’re fighting, little boy!?”

“I don’t care who you are, or why you’re fighting. All I know is that if someone tries to break the Orso Family, THEY ANSWER TO ME!”

He kicked once more, kicking Osvaldo through the chair. He skidded across the concrete floor, trying to work himself into a sitting position.

“That’s it…You’ve done it now…”, Osvaldo growled. “I’m going to crush your family! Starting with you!”

With a flick of his wrist, the man removed his vest, revealing a chest, covered in ancient writing, and an orange box over his heart.

“You don’t realize…just how deep this world goes…”, Osvaldo murmured. The writing ignited in orange and black flames. “You think that one trick qualifies you to fight on the same level as someone like me! The Ferraro Family has existed since the beginning of the mafia world! We were the armorers of the founders of the underworld themselves! Centuries of experience are my weapons! Potesta potesta est! These are the words I live by! For the pursuit of power, I will sacrifice everything in this world!”

“You’re pathetic.”, Bradley said quietly. “You’ve caused pain to these boys. You’ve turned them against their will. You’ve attacked a noble group for your own gain. You’ve created an abomination…not that dark liquid…but yourself. You’ve become a monster.”

“I am a GOD.”, Osvaldo corrected, as the writing began to writhe, as though alive. “Do you see these markings?! They are as ancient as the mafia world itself! The story goes that a righteous man once met the devil on his journeys, and found him unkillable! He demanded the secret to his power, with his dying breaths, and the devil inscribed these symbols into his chest! The man spent the rest of his life with the most exceptional levels of power imaginable! That man was the Thunder Guardian of the Peccato Family, one of the original Elite Eight! He smote his enemies with his invincible strength!”

“And what was the catch?”

“Curious? Want me to inscribe a set for you? Well, I’ll tell you…These runes gave him incredible strength, but he slowly began to lose control of his sanity...He was driven to the point of battling the Sun Guardian of that very family, his best friend! He was able to maintain his mind long enough to beg for death…and he received it.”

“And you received those markings yourself.”

“You make it sound so simple. I don’t believe that the man met the devil. That’s foolish. I believe he met an extraordinary magician with no morals…I studied these runes for many years, a task of epic proportions, because the Peccato Family locked away all details of them! I finally discovered their secrets, and inscribed them into my own body, using the same magic that dark man did! This is the ancient language of the darkness...It is a force that even the Vindice fear! I have mastered only this...the first of the dark spells…But once…once I achieve immortality…I will have all the time in the world to master them all!”

“Just what are these spells?”

“I can’t tell you that. The Vendice might consider that a secret you’re not privy to. Like I said, this world is much bigger than you think. You’re a kitten, who thinks himself king.”

“I’m not the king.”, Bradley said, as Uranus returned to his gun form. “I am the king’s shadow. I will always be at his side, ready to strike when he cannot. Do you know why my weapons are the greaves and the pistol?”

“I didn’t take the time to ponder it.”

“My boss has suffered an illness that rendered his legs useless. He gave me these greaves as a sign that he would protect me from this world, and its horrors. That he would put me, and the whole family, before himself. He gave me the gun…so that I could strike the enemies of the family with all the force he fears holding himself. My boss…is a great man…but he’s too trusting. I don’t know if I’m ready to hold this power myself…But what I do know is that you can’t be allowed to hold it…or any other power. You’ve fallen to darkness. And I am the light that will burn away the shadows in your soul. Until nothing remains.”

Osvaldo ignited his ring, pushing it into the box on his chest.

“Come, boy. I will show you a shadow your puny flames cannot light.”

---

Sonia pushed her ring into the orange box she held. With a burst of flame, a single orange rose emerged.

“Did you know?”, Sonia asked. “Animals are not the only life that a Box can hold. My brother has mastered the creation of plant-based Box Weapons. Don’t think of them as inferior…in the hands of a tactical genius such as myself…they are most deadly.”

She threw the rose at Taylor, as though its stem was the blade of a knife. Taylor easily dodged, but the flower stuck in the ground, still burning.

“As if one rose was all that my brother would give me.”, Sonia laughed. “The Rosa Ciela Box is a never-ending supply of orange roses, the symbol of pride!”

She opened the box again, and three more roses emerged. Taylor sidestepped as Sonia threw them, until they formed a straight line. Sonia retrieved one more rose, and drew it like a knife, alongside her spear. She jumped at Taylor, forcing her to deviate from her straight path. When Taylor had broken from her pattern, she threw the rose at her, sticking it into the ground, forming a 90 degree angle with the line so far.

“She’s very accurate…”, Taylor thought. “And she’s strong enough to get some real power behind them. They look sharp enough to hurt, but there has to be something else to them. Some trick…If only I could read her mind!”

“I see it!”, Sonia cackled. “You’re beginning to fear me! You don’t know my power, and you fear it! Such is the nature of man!”

“You talk like you’re so superior.”, Taylor scowled, dodging more roses.

“I am.”, Sonia sneered. “I am far beyond humankind. When my brother and I rule this world, though his military might, and my brilliance, we will usher in a new era of perfection. A golden age!”

“Sounds like fool’s gold.”, Taylor said. “You’d make a terrible queen.”

“What makes us so different, child? What makes you think you have the right to doubt my ability?”

“I would make a better queen than you. A queen draws her power from the people, to protect the people. You…you would be a tyrant. A queen that draws her power from the people, against the people.”

“And you would be so much better?”

“I’m not perfect.”, Taylor admitted. “I’m still not sure why Zach made me his Head Agent. All I know is this. I’ll fight for his dream, a world of brotherly peace, until my last drop of blood runs out.”

“Then I’ll use you to water my roses, and crush your childish dreams!”

Taylor looked down and saw that Sonia had, as they had talked, almost completed a 5 by 5 square of roses. She moved to leap out, but Sonia’s box opened once more, and a thorny vine shot out, constricting her waist.

“It’s not polite…to make an old woman come catch you, when she wants you to stay still… Now…be good…”, Sonia murmured, as she plucked a rose from the vine. “While I complete the Brain Death Blossom…This technique takes so much energy to use…it would just be rude to make me do it twice…So be a dear, and don’t escape.”

Sonia dropped the last rose into place, and all sixteen flowers began to burn even brighter. Each began emitting an orange powder, that stayed within the bounds of the square they formed, as though an invisible wall held it in.

“This powder will slowly pacify you, and once you are no more...I will end your life”, Sonia smiled. “I will create a world of these flowers…and pacify the world. Know, as you pass into the afterlife, that I will create a peaceful world in your stead.”

“That’s not peace.”, Taylor said, trying to keep from breathing. “Not when its forced on the people.”

“Postesta potesta est, as my brother says.”, Sonia smiled wider, her teeth showing now. “This is reality, little girl. Now…slip into the cold embrace of oblivion.”

---

Osvaldo laughed in an emotion only those who have fallen to the dark can understand as the power ran through his veins. His increasingly large body began to blacken, and fur began to shoot from it. His teeth sharpened, and his eyes burst into a whole new level of perception. He felt all his senses enhanced tenfold. His nails grew into claws as his neck erupted into a giant black mane. Before Bradley stood a giant, black, bipedal lion, the runes glowing even brighter on his chest now. Waves of malice nearly pushed Bradley backward.

“I AM THE KING!”, Osvaldo roared. “There is not enough room in these wild lands for two lions. Come at me! Show me your claws, kitten!”

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