Orso Fiction 017

Orso Fiction 017-Rampaging (Part 2 of 2)
After what seemed like weeks, Nate Mercer put his fists up, preparing to battle.

“Where I’m from, we introduce ourselves before a fight.”, he said. “I’m Nate, of the Orso Family. Behind me are Kate, Eddie, Kristen, and Tori.”

“Call me Guerino.”, the giant man facing him said. “I’m one of the Seven Skulls.”

“We don’t even get to introduce ourselves?”, Tori asked the others, a little disappointed.

“Guys, we’ll use Attack Pattern C.”, Nate said to his team.

“When did we make up attack patterns?”, Kristen asked. “No one told me about any attack patterns.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s just making all this up as he goes along.”, Kate said, sounding bored.

“Who cares? It’s five of us.”, Eddie laughed. “This guy can’t possibly be champ enough to take us all on.”

“And…GO!”, Nate shouted. Dick instantly lunged into battle, charging at Guerino. The giant man caught the bull by his horns, and effortlessly tossed him over his shoulder. He almost had no time, while the bull blocked his vision, to catch Nate’s fist, as he lunged for him. First one fist, then the other. Guerino realized, somewhat surprised, that the man was far stronger than the bull. He was able to push Nate to the side in time to dodge the penguin the bear was throwing at him, and then the tiger leaping at him. He began to charge, but had to stop when the rabbit had launched itself up at him, and dodge. He looked down, and saw that the rabbit had dug a hole, and tunneled toward him, to better surprise him. That was five animals…where was the sixth? His eyes opened wide as he realized, but then he calmly swung his arm around to knock the cat, leaping at him from behind, aside.

“The old man told me you guys would be a lot tougher than this…”, Guerino said. “Am I fighting the wrong guys? You’re the Orso, right?”

“That’s us…”, Nate said, picking himself up. “Who’s this old man?”

“Meh, guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you about Osvaldo. He showed up in front of us, and told us he wanted to give us some help, to make us even bigger. So he did, he gave us some tremendous weaponry, equipment, all that good stuff. He asked him why, and he said he was gambling on us, and his brother was gambling on you guys…So he asked us to take you out.”

“And you’re going to fight us just for that?”, Kate asked.

“Well, yeah.”, Guerino said. “He took us out of the gutter and into being the most powerful gang in the southern United States. That’s kind of a big debt, I think.”

“Well, we can’t let you take us out. You know that.”, Eddie said, hands in his pockets.

“Of course not.”, Guerino chuckled. “But we don’t think you guys will be too much trouble, from what the old man told us about you. We’re not too scared of you East Coast folks. And of course, what with us working with those girls from up north, you’re kind of getting it from both sides…”

“Girls from up north…”, Kate mused. “You mean the Seven Roses?”

“Yeah, that was the name. Osvaldo gave them some weapons, too. Plus, the sister is directing them. They’ve teamed up, to beat the brother helping you.”

“I see…”, Kate said. “You’re awfully generous with information.”

“Eh.”, Guerino smiled, shrugging. “I’m a nice guy. Hey, tell me something. How are those two? The Commander, and the little girl who was with him?”

“I assume you mean Bradley, and Rachel?”, Kate asked. “They’re doing well. Bradley’s found himself with a lot more responsibility now, which means Rachel’s found herself keeping Bradley from breaking a lot more things.”

“Ah, alright. Good to hear it.”, Guerino said, laughing. “I had to wonder how they are. I met them when they attacked the Rairyu, see. The girl gave me quite a hit to the back. Quick one, she is. Not quite so tough as me, though.”

“Pretty bold claim.”, Tori said. “Tougher than our Thunder Officer?”

“Yeah…I had to hold back a LOT around those guys…I could have taken them all on my own…and that was BEFORE Osvaldo came to help us. I think I’d like to see her again, come to think of it. Cute girl, you know? I get the feeling she’d make something of herself.”

“Careful, now.”, Eddie said. “Zach doesn’t much appreciate it when someone besides himself makes comments like that about the girls in his family…”

“That would be your boss?”, Guerino asked. “Well, pity for him. Hey, what’s he going to do, once he comes back from this year long vacation of his, and finds no one left in your base?”

“That won’t happen.”, Kristen said. “He’s off training to prepare for a threat much bigger than you.”

“Bigger than us?”, Guerino asked, cocking his head. “Osvaldo didn’t mention that…He mentioned some training, but for something bigger than us…and it’s not the Roses, I’ll bet…Just what is this threat?”

“That’s confidential.”, Nate said boldly. “Guys, I think…I’m starting to see clearly now. I’m sobering up, after all that rattlesnake venom…”

“Nate, you dumbass…Rattlesnake venom is actually completely safe to drink. It’s only deadly if it enters the bloodstream.”, Kate groaned.

“What? But…but I thought I was being so hardcore, by drinking it…”

“Well, If you had a cut in your digestive system, it would have killed the average person. But for someone invincible like you, if should just do nothing, not intoxicate you. No. You just placeboed yourself into a drunken rampage.”

“Oh…This is awkward.”, Nate said, after thinking for a bit. “In that case, I feel completely sober. Shall we?”

“Kick some ass? It’s about time.”, Tori said. “Alice, let’s do this!”

The Rain Rabbit nodded sharply, and began to bounce on its fluffy tail, far higher than made sense. Suddenly, it shot at Guerino, hitting him squarely in the chest, causing Rain Flames to splash all over him. He moved his hand to touch the point Alice hit him, but found that his arm moved far slower than it should have.

“Rain Flames, buddy. They’ll do that, slow you down. And you know what happens to slow things? They’re late. Late…for an very important date.”, Tori said triumphantly.

“That’s such a lame line, Tori…”, Eddie said, nudging her aside. “Eddie! Eddie! Let’s do it!”

The Cloud Penguin saluted in its penguin way, and leapt onto at the Cloud Bear, and clung to the top of its right forearm. The bear sped within punching range, and flung a series of very quick punches at the man, who was forced to take all their hits.

“With Bear-Eddie punching full-force, Penguin-Eddie directing the punches, and Me-Eddie providing the Dying Will Flames, we’re unstoppable.”, Eddie boasted. “This one’s called the Eddie Vulcan.”

“Talk about lame, that’s naming everything you do after yourself.”, Kristen said, sticking her tongue out at Eddie. “Hit him hard, Smiley!”

Smiley the Cloud Cat leapt at Guerino’s face, latching on with his claws. As he fumbled to get him off, Guerino noticed the cat beginning to glow purple. Suddenly, and with no more warning than that, the cat exploded into a fireball of Cloud Flames. Stumbling away from the explosion, Guerino maintained balance by leaning on the building. Smiley, no longer glowing, skidded across the pavement, then jumped into Kristen’s arms.

“A suicide bombing cat. I swear, Zach’s got an imagination on him…”, Kate said. “Shazam! Get to it.”

The giant tiger growled, and as Guerino readied himself, closely watching the animal, it slowly faded into indigo mist.

“Oh…shit.”, he mumbled. From his side, the big cat tackled him throwing him to the ground, after a moment of wrestling with it, he was able to throw it off and stand up. He looked to Nate, who was, inexplicably, wearing a cape, ablaze with Storm Flames. He waved the cape in front of Dick, who didn’t react at all. A little disappointed with the matador image being ruined, he kicked the bull lightly.

“That’s when you charge, buddy.”, he said, reminding the bull, who snuffed at him. “We’ll give it one more try.”

Nate threw the cape over Dick’s eyes, and pumped more energy into the cape, spreading it over Dick’s horns, so the flames extending several feet from the animal. Dick charged, and before Guerino could react, he felt the incredible impact and the explosion of flames pin him to the wall.

“Not such weaklings now, are we?”, Nate asked.

“Guerino!”, they heard a voice from behind them shout. “Shame on you, letting these no-rankers get such a beating on you!”

They all turned to see a much smaller man than Guerino, with blond hair and a nice shirt.

“Valerio…”, Guerino said. “I was just playing around.”

“Osvaldo didn’t give us our powers to play around. He gave them to us to erase these Orso.”

“You’re right, you’re right…Jeez, you’re really no fun, Val.”

“Guer, you have too MUCH fun, that’s your problem.”

“Well, why don’t you quit lecturing me, and help me fight these guys, huh?”

“I swear, you’re useless on your own…Fine.”, Valerio said, slipping a yellow ring with a skull and crossbones design on it onto his finger. “Let’s make this quick.”

Valerio, faster than any of their eyes could follow, knocked Nate, Kate, and Eddie down, coming to a stop next to Guerino, helping him up.

“Which ones do you want?”, Guerino asked.

“Any are fine. One’s the same as another, unless they’re ranked.”, Valerio said. “You didn’t use a single one of your weapons. Honestly, you’re such a dead weight.”

“You still like me, just a little bit.”, Guerino said, chuckling.

“Idiot.”, Valerio scoffed, and began to pull a Box from his pocket.

“I wouldn’t open that.”, a voice called from where Valerio had revealed himself.

“Who knows what could happen to you, like that.”, came another, a little bit away from that one.

Kristen and Tori looked around, to see the entire Primo Generation Varia surrounding them.

“Is twelve to two the way you really want to fight?”, Rachel asked. Guerino began laughing.

“There you are!”, he shouted, coughing up a little blood. “The girl with the serval. I bet you don’t remember me at all!”

“Not in the slightest.”, Rachel admitted.

“Well, maybe you remember the gang that ended the night you visited…The Rairyu? Remember them?”

“You…were part of the Rairyu?”

“Part of? No way, dear. Just faking. Just trying to get close to you folks.”

“Closer to us?”

“That’s right, love. The seven of us came so far east just so we’d be sure to see you all fall. And how lucky…you know, we were just talking about you. I actually never got your name. I’m Guerino.”

“I’m…Rachel…”

“Gah…Idiot…”, Valerio said. “This is why you never get anything done on time.”

“Oh, hush, I’ve met my opposite number. So, anyway, Rachel, it was good seeing you doing so well, but I hate to say, we need to get rid of all of you.”

“Bradley, can we just attack them now?”, Megan asked loudly. “These two are pissing me off.”

“Oh, look, Val! It’s their Sun Officer! She’d be yours!”, Guerino said, nudging his companion.

“Idiot…Yes, I suppose she would be.”, Valerio said. “You, the loud one. We’ll fight soon enough, don’t worry about that. Worry about the outcome.”

“And why should I do something like that?”, Megan asked.

“Because…of this.”, Valerio said, igniting his ring with Sun Flames as he unbuttoned his shirt with one hand. He opened it to reveal a box, implanted over his heart. “This weapon is unlike anything you could ever prepare for.”

He inserted the ring into the box, and gritted his teeth as his body began to glow an incredible yellow. As it faded, the Varia saw that his skin had been covered, in places, with feathers. His mouth was twisted and hardened, resembling a beak. His eyes has grown, and wings of Sun Flames had emerged from his shoulders. He grabbed Guerino, and shot into the sky.

“Orso Family! We will meet you at Piney Run Park in six days. Whoever you want to meet us first, have there. Once we’re done with them, we’ll work our way to your base and obliterate it.”, Valerio shouted.

“And you! Rachel!”, Guerino shouted down at the girl. “I hope you don’t stand me up, then! I want you to be the first one I meet!”

The Varia was silent as the two flew off into the night.

“Well…”, Adrien said. “People that turn part animal. That’s new.”

“We’ve got our work cut out for us.”, Hayley said.

“Hey, who is that, guys?”, Matt asked, pointing to the man Nate killed earlier that night.

“Oh, he was…a rapist.”, Nate said, trying to make his horrible error less awful. “He was…going to rape me. I killed him from behind, sneakily, in self-defense.”

He didn’t realize it, of course, but he was right. The man was wanted by the police for his terrible, terrible crimes against men Nate’s age.

“Well, regardless…”, Laura said. “We should get back, and talk to the Ferraro brothers about what those weapons could have been.”

“Good idea…”, Rachel said, looking up at the sky and shuddering a bit.

---

“You’re not strong enough yet, Stacie!”, Mrs. Dorwart said, blocking Stacie’s punch effortlessly. “That Apostle will have a field day with you if your strength is only at this level.”

Stacie panted a bit, out of breath, and threw a volley of punches, all of which Mrs. Dorwart blocked easily.

“But I’ll get you there…”, she said. “I’ll be able to beat a century’s worth of training into a year for you.”

---

“Chica, all your weaknesses are exposed!”, Mrs. Sotir said, striking Amy, throwing her back several feet. The girl got up and brushed herself off.

“Mrs. Sotir, are you at least going to tell us what we’re training FOR? You mentioned a great superpower, but it really just seems like you’re beating me up for the fun of it.”, Amy said.

“Well, I suppose…I suppose I can tell you what the final result will be.”

---

“That’s nowhere near enough, Thunderthighs.”, Mr. Delise said sternly. “Your soul is nowhere near as hot as it should be.”

“Soul heat this, soul heat that…”, Trevor panted. “What are you trying to teach me, anyway?”

“You really want to know?”, Mr. Delise asked. “Well, then I’ll tell you. Do you know the story, of how the mafia world started?”

“I don’t need a story, I need an explanation.”, Trevor said, averting his eyes.

“You want the short and clean version, huh? Well, then here it is. I’m going to beat into you the secret power of the first Cloud Guardian of the Devino Family, the family that united the mafia world. When I’m done with you, you’ll have that legendary power only the strongest can use; one of the seven Points of Perfection. But it won’t come easy. I’m going to put you through hell, Trevor. I have to cram a century’s worth of learning into you in one year. Are you ready?”

--

Next -->