Orso Fiction 010

Orso Fiction 010-Unholy Gifts
“It’s them…”, Amy murmured.

Zach was unable to speak, his eyes fixed on Zeke’s smiling face on the screen.

“Haven’t they had enough?”, Maggie asked. “We beat them once already.”

“Should we go out there and see what they want?”, Charlie asked, growling a bit.

“If it’s a fight, we’ll knock them back to wherever they’re from.”, Stacie said, determined.

“We can’t be too reckless, guys.”, Katie said quietly. “This won’t be like last time.”

“Well, waiting for them here won’t do anything.”, Trevor said, beginning to walk out. “Let’s bring the fight to them.”

The other Guardians followed him, except Zach, who couldn’t move. Trevor rolled his eyes and ran back to Zach’s side.

“Zach! This is no time to freeze up! You remember what he did last time, right? If we don’t stop him now, everyone will be at risk!”, he shouted. “If you don’t fight now, the family is finished! Face your fear!”

Zach blinked, as though awakened from a deep sleep, then smiled.

“Thanks, Trev. I needed that. Alright, let’s go!”

---

Outside the base, the Apostles of the Sky stood, waiting for the Guardians. Trevor had tried to force the other members to stay inside, and out of harm’s way, but he agreed to let them outside if they stayed far back.

“Oh, Zachy! You came! That’s so good…I was hoping you would…”, Zeke purred. “I know we said one year, but I just missed you so much…Besides, Miriam told you we’d be making this surprise visit, didn’t she?”

“I don’t remember that…”, Amy said quietly.

“She told me.”, Alex Carroll said loudly. “She told me she’d tell me a secret about the Apostles if I beat her. I beat her, and she didn’t say anything. Or so I thought. But, I remembered that as she was falling, she was holding up three fingers, while pointing to Micaiah, the Sun. I took that to mean “three days”, being “three suns”. And when Zeke said ‘You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?’, I thought I had heard Zach say that before. I looked it up. It’s a line from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, a game where Link has three days before the moon falls to crush his world. Looking back, it’s so clear to me…I just…I didn’t say anything…”

“Don’t worry about it.”, Adam Podskalny said. “Those seven will be able to take it from here.”

“Yes…She did spoil the surprise, didn’t she?”, Zeke laughed. “We had to punish her for that little bit of recklessness.”

Miriam averted her eyes, grasping her side, as if it was in great pain.

“Now, Zachy, let me be frank. Last time we chatted, I…humiliated you. Is that the right word? Because I reduced you to a worthless lump? Right after I revealed just how terrible at everything you do you really are? Yes, I think ‘humiliated’ is good. But my Guardians took exception to how I treated them. Making them lose, and all. They wanted a chance to prove how deadly they are. And we decided there’s no opponent to prove that against like your top members, right?”, Zeke smiled. “So. Seven fights. We won’t even kill you…maybe. If you’re good. If you win, we’ll vanish from your lives forever. If you lose...we’ll be back in…is it three hundred and sixty two days? I believe so. Just a little show and tell, you understand. To prove why you don’t belong at the top of the world like you seem to think you do. If you decline…well, you know my USUAL punishment.”

“We’ll accept.”, Amy said with a lack of fear. “We’ll kick your butts to the moon if we have to.”

“Cute…”, Zeke said. “This one’s just as cute as your Cloud Guardian, Zachy. Maybe I’ll let her survive the massacre at the end of the year, maybe even bring her with us as a prize…Of course, I won’t treat her as nicely as you do. What is she to you, your left hand man? Well, with us, she’d be more like a who-“

“SHUT UP!”, Zach shouted, flying at Zeke, who blocked his fists effortlessly.

“Go, Apostles! Let’s show them the gifts Hell itself surrendered to us!”, Zeke screamed in ecstacy, and they scattered. The Guardians that matched their element followed them.

---

“The Primo Orso Thunder Guardian…”, Isaac said with a malicious smile. “My name is Isaac. I can’t wait to go wild…”

“You’re a bunch of freaks, you know that?”, Charlie asked. “You interrupted the Second Thunder’s fight.”

“Second? Oh, you think the Orso will live long enough to pass onto a second generation…That’s precious. No, Orso. We’re going to break you into little pieces.”

“Don’t be so sure.”, Charlie said, opening his box, releasing a Thunder Mosquito, the size of his forearm. “Jupiter! This is serious! Cambio Forma!”

The mosquito began to glow green, and slowly changed shape into a set of nunchuks, with blades at the end.

“What a silly weapon.”, Isaac said with a slight smile. “You might just cut yourself up without me lifting a finger…”

“Not a chance. Jupiter controls the blades, and keeps me from cutting myself.”, Charlie said.

“Oh? Well then…I will lift a finger to cut you to ribbons, then.”

---

“The Primo Orso Rain Guardian.”, Sarah said. “You’ve done a lot to help build Zach up to this point, haven’t you?”

“I…I guess so.”, Stacie replied.

“Ah…then I wish it was my job to tear him down…My name is Sarah.”

“Neptune!”, Stacie called, opening her box to release her Rain Wolf. “Let’s shut her up! Cambio Forma!”

The wolf howled as it turned blue and transformed into an eku, which fell into Stacie’s hands.

“Something like that…You really want to fight with that?”

“This is the weapon Zach gave me. I’ll fight with it until my last breath.”

“Well…then I’ll spare you the misery of holding something so ridiculous for much longer. ”

---

“The Primo Orso Sun Guardian…”, Micaiah said. “Are you afraid?”

“Apollo! Cambio Forma!”, Maggie shouted, releasing her Sun Hawk into the sky. It returned to her hand as an ornate, very long, knife. “Scared of you? Please. You should know your place.”

“Do you really have such faith in your family? Look at how badly we thrashed your boss last time.”

“Zach is…Zach will be able to stop Zeke. I have faith in him.”

“Faith? How weak of you. Zeke will slaughter Zach as soon as he feels like it.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.”

“I’ll show you what to put your faith in. My name is Micaiah. That little toy you’re holding won’t do anything against me.”

---

Isn’t this turning out fun?”, Zeke asked. “Our Thunders, Rains, and Suns are making such good friends…Ooh, I have an idea! Why don’t we just watch? I mean…we already know I can kill you in a heartbeat. It’s not even worth you trying.”

“I’m not just going to-“

“Yes you are.”, Zeke said, his eyes flashing orange. Zach hit the floor instantly. “Oh, and like I said, I passed those defense mechanisms onto my men. So now…I can prove to you, over and over, that the Apostles are infinitely stronger than the Orso Family. Keep a close eye on them…They might start using them any second now.”

---

“Charlie…So you’re the oldest one, aren’t you?”, Isaac asked. “Shouldn’t you be taking a lot more responsibility? You’re disappointing.”

“Did you just come here to trash-talk me?”, Charlie asked.

“I’m only pointing out facts. How a flake like you made it to Thunder Guardian puzzles me. You’re easily the least dependable member of the Guardians…”

“What’s that?”, Charlie said, getting angry. “I think you should back down…”

“You’re the only member of the Primo Guardians who ever tried to quit.”, Isaac said with a laugh. “The Thunder Guardian is supposed to be the steadfast protector of the family. So what happens when that protector leaves, huh? The whole thing is…vulnerable“

Isaac sped behind Charlie, and moved his hand to pierce Charlie’s back. Charlie spun behind to defend himself, and caught Isaac’s hand with the chain of his nunchuks.

“That part of my life is over.”, Charlie growled. “I’m stronger now.”

“Whatever.”, Isaac said. “All I know is…once a coward, always a coward. You’re flimsy, and I’m going to break your back in a single hit.”

---

“So, how long has this farce been going on?”, Sarah asked.

“Farce?”, Stacie replied.

“Of always being so mature. You’ve been acting like an adult for ages. Who do you think you are, the team’s mom? You know what you are inside, Stacie…Just the same scared girl all of you Orso trash are.”

“I…grew up fast because I had to.”, Stacie said, unnerved.

“Not well enough.”, Sarah said, smiling. “Zach calls you his Rain Guardian? You’re miserable at it. The Rain is the one who restores balance after something’s happened…but you’re the one who brings all the problems to the family. You’re not just bad at it, you’re doing the total opposite.”

“I…I…Shut up!”, Stacie said, swinging her eku at Sarah. Sarah jumped, and landed on the paddle, squatting.

“You’re so full of openings. You’re like…a tiny blanket. For all its value, It doesn’t cover all it needs to, and so you stretch it. But eventually, that blanket begins to tear, under the stress. That’s you. Your time to tear is right now.”

---

Maggie took a defensive stance with her knife, not ready to jump into Micaiah’s reach without knowing what she could do. Micaiah cackled.

“Are you what passes for a Sun Guardian, these days? You’re so timid…you’re not taking a single step toward me! The Sun Guardian is supposed to incinerate the obstacles of the family with their own body, instantly. Is the best you can do snapping your boss into reality when he’s failing worse than usual?”, Micaiah asked.

“I…I…I’m not afraid of you!”

“And you’re not even honest. Oh, my, Zach DOES make a terrible boss, if he let YOU be a Guardian. Has he done ANYTHING right?”

“Of course he has! He…he might be a little bit…eccentric...but he is an excellent boss! He’s like a brother to every member. His dream is to create a world of peace using that spirit of brotherhood...I believe in him.”

“You believe in him? Sorry, dear…But a dream like that isn’t going to fly. Power’s what matters. We have it, and you don’t. Now, should I illustrate to you, in great detail, why Zach is destined to fail, with or without you alongside him? You’re too naïve, dear. I’m going to bring you into the light.”

---

“Oh, those kids…They’re just so good at banter…”, Zeke said, humming a bit to himself. “They really do want a total victory, crushing their bodies, minds, and spirits…”

“Zeke…Just what do you want out of us?”, Zach asked, growing enraged.

“What do I want? Well…to prove a point, really. Call it silly, but look at this setup…Two teams of seven…Perfectly alike, genetically…The only thing that differs between us is our mindsets…Where you cling to your allies, we see strength in the power of the darkness in the human heart, to draw out the inner monster within all of us…That’s what I want to prove. Over one year, you’ve failed to stop us once. You’re failing to stop us now. And you will all die on the third time we meet. Demons against bears. Devils versus Orsos…Do you understand now, Zachy? We will prove to you how inferior you are, so you can improve, only for us to swallow you into the depths of absolute despair. Our darkness is the only absolute power in this world. Oh, look, the other six are starting their banter…”

---

“The Orso’s Primo Storm Guardian…”, Miriam said. “The left hand man of the boss…”

“That’s right.”, Amy said. “And you’re the same for Zeke. But I don’t want to talk to you. You’ve already caused my friend too many problems. I’m making you leave forever.”

“Me? Leave forever? Oh, Amy…You’re not even close to being done with us…”, Miriam sneered, still holding her side.

“Why do you work for Zeke, if he’s so cruel to you?”, Amy asked.

“Because Zeke is strong. Zach may lead his pack of weaklings through his fool dreams, but Zeke rules through absolute power. Whatever side he stands on will be the one that marches to victory over the skulls of everyone else. What can Zach’s weak bonds do in the face of a force like that? And what can you do, against a Storm like me?”

“I’ll show you.”, Amy said, opening her box with Storm Flames. “Mars! No mercy time! Cambio Forma!”

A pterodactyl, wings flaming, emerged from the box. It flew behind Amy, then sped toward her, glowing red and changing shape into his lance form. She caught it in her left hand, and charged at Miriam.

“So that’s the caliber of weapon of one of the top three members of the Orso…”, Miriam said with a smile, dodging it. “It’s nice and all, but it’s nothing compared to what I can do…You know what I’ve realized? For all Zach’s pride in you, you’re not a very good Storm Guardian at all.”

“Is that right?”, Amy asked, swinging Mars at Miriam, who blocked with her hand.

“Oh yeah. The Storm is supposed to be the persistent force that never ends, until the battle is over, but you took that too far. You run out of control, dear. What good is Zach’s left hand man if he has to reach for you? You’re a danger to your own family. It might be considered a favor to them if you died here…”

“I…I make a perfect Storm Guardian! I’m always there for Zach, and for the family!”

“But you push yourself to the point of breaking. You expose all your weaknesses. And I’m about to prey on every single one of them.”

---

“The Primo Orso Mist Guardian…”, Hannah mused. “I’ve been wanting to see how well our minds stack up…”

“All that comes down to is mindsets of good versus evil, doesn’t it?”, Katie asked. “If you’re clones of us, like you say you are.”

“That’s about right.”, Hannah said. “But…I don’t think you could tolerate a day in my mind…”

“You’re babbling.”, Katie said opening her Mist box, releasing a snow leopard. “Diana! Cambio Forma!”

The leopard jumped into the air, glowing indigo, and landed in Katie’s hands as a bazooka, muzzle resembling a leopard’s jaws. She fired once, but Hannah easily jumped away from the shell of Mist Flames.

“What a showy weapon…Does that really fit your element?”

“It fits perfectly.”, Katie said, launching another shot, which Hannah again dodged easily.

“I wouldn’t put it past you to have the worst weapon to match you of any of the Guardians”, Hannah said, smiling. “After all…look at how awful a Mist Guardian you are. The Mist should be the deceitful element, that protects the family though intellect, but you, Katie, you don’t speak your mind at all. How are you supposed to defend them, if they don’t think they can count on you?”

“Zach knows he can count on me for anything.”, Katie said defiantly.

“So he says. You know, I think I’ll just go ahead…and show you the fate of the Orso. I’m about to bring every nightmare you’ve ever feared to life.”

---

“The Primo Orso Cloud Guardian…”, Malachi said haughtily. “The right hand man of the First Boss…”

“That’s right.”, Trevor said. “And you were Malachi, right? You should leave before I break you.”

“Break me? Your overconfidence is your weakness…Well, one of them.”, Malachi laughed. “No, no…I’m going to end you, trash.”

“I’d like to see you try. Pluto! Cambio Forma!”, Trevor growled, releasing his Cloud Otter. The small animal growled once, and jumped into the air, glowing purple, returning to Trevor’s hand as a sword. “If you’re going to run, do it now. Before you make me too angry.”

“Oh, you’re such a joke…”, Malachi laughed. “Do you think that weapon fits someone like you? The sword is deeply symbolic, I see…Traditional school of thought involving weaponry claims that lances hold strength over swords, that swords hold strength over axes, and that axes hold strength over lances. Zach took that into consideration, I see. You, he, and his left hand each have one of those weapons…He wanted to solidify that the three of you fighting together would be able to overcome everything, by covering the others’ weaknesses. It’s like throwing rock, paper, and scissors at the same time. But…can you be relied on to be the scissors, there? I get the feeling you’re only around this family because Zach’s here…and that you only stay around Zach out of some weird sense of duty.”

“You want to start making sense, or will I be cutting up a lunatic?”

“All I’m saying is…I don’t think you make a good right hand man at all. I think Zach’s been fooled. He’s just a hindrance to you, isn’t he? You’d be able to fly free without him. The Cloud is supposed to be the aloof member that supports from a distance, but if Zach wasn’t there…would you ever support this family at all?”

“I…I…Of course!”, Trevor sputtered. “And Zach…Zach might be too trusting, and too willing to make everyone like everyone else, but he can count on me. We’d both walk to hell and stay there for the other’s sake. I’m his friend. And right now, you seven are pissing him…and by extension, me…off.”

“Your anger won’t get you far.”, Malachi sneered. “It’s nowhere near deep enough to scratch me. Come, right hand of the First Boss. Let me rip your very soul from your body.”

---

“Oh…Zachy…Watch closely…As the six people you hold dearest…find themselves reduced to nothingness before us. Each one of our powers reflects a certain aspect of your Guardians. Every one of them has a distinct power over you, don’t they? Their opposite numbers…have a talent…a twisted version of their skills, you could say…”

---

Charlie prepared for another swing with his nunchuks, but Isaac caught them in his hand. His eyes suddenly flashed green, and Charlie felt his knees buckle. His arms weakened, and he dropped his weapon, Gemello Sciame. He fell to his knees, urging himself, uselessly, to stand up.

“Charlie Steiger…My Unholy Gift is domain over the body.”, Isaac gloated. “You, who can pull from Zach his raw emotions best, can now feel nothing but those emotions, as your control over your body slips from your ever-weakening fingers, crushed by the darkness in you.”

---

Stacie swung the eku, Mare Fine at Hannah once more, but she sidestepped, and stepped on it, planting it into the ground. He eyes flashed blue, and Stacie felt, suddenly, less in control and confident. She dropped her weapon, and backed off.

“Stacie Bosely…My Unholy Gift is control of strengths.”, Sarah said calmly. “You, who can take Zach’s raw potential and shape it into a strength, will now be subject to all your strengths being ripped from your body, leaving you with no real talents…You’ll be average, at best. Miserable, at worst. I’m sure you noticed that the raw power of your weapon is gone now. It’s just like any flimsy wooden paddle. And you? Just like any flimsy little girl.”

---

Maggie swung her knife, Angela Spada, once. She had artificially enhanced its length with Sun Flames, making it resemble a yellow lightsaber. The Apostle lifted an arm coated in Sun flames to block it. Her eyes flashed yellow, and Maggie opened her eyes wide, stumbling away. She fell to the ground.

“Maggie McClary…My Unholy Gift is domain over the heart.”, Micaiah sneered. “You, who can pull from Zach matters of the heart the best, will now suffer as your own heart begins to doubt your cause. No matter how pure your intent, when my eyes catch you, you will be unable to trust anything or anyone, paralyzed by the sensation of doubt in everything you’ve ever known. Right now, I’m sure, my words are taking root. I would be surprised…if you even believed in the family anymore…The deepest, darkest doubts in your heart are running rampant, controlling all you do, now.”

---

Amy lunged with her lance, La Braccia Sinistra Lancia. Miriam caught it with both hands and grinned, her eyes flashing red. Amy’s eyes opened wide, and she stumbled to the side.

“Amy Hirrlinger…My Unholy Gift is control of weaknesses.”, Miriam giggled. “You, who can pull from Zach his weakest features, and help him develop them, will now be subject to every weakness in your life being telegraphed to the world. So long as you draw breath with my eyes on you, you will be as vulnerable as a mouse before…a pterodactyl…”

---

Katie began using her bazooka, Felino Ultimo: Ruggito Lancio, as a melee weapon, swinging its wide barrel, but Hannah easily ducked under it, and jumped up directly in Katie’s face, eyes flashing indigo. Katie’s eyes lost focus, and she began to stumble around.

“Katie Stewart…My Unholy Gift is domain over the mind.”, Hannah said knowingly. “You, can pull from Zach matters of the mind the best, will now suffer as you lose control of your mind, acting on your dark instincts…I wouldn’t be surprised if the first thing you did upon seeing Zach was kill him on the spot, so long as my eyes are on you…”

---

Trevor began an elegant, practiced series of slashes with his blade, Lo Braccio Destro Sciabolo, at Malachi, who hurriedly dodged. With the speed and power of Trevor’s swings, it was difficult for him to dodge, but he eventually found an opening to jump back, his eyes flashing purple. Suddenly, Trevor dropped his sword, eyes gazing blankly at Malachi.

“Trevor Etheridge…My Unholy Gift is the strongest of them all…domain of the soul.”, Malachi said, restraining from laughter. “You, who can pull from Zach his drive to fight, and all the best of him, will now…fight him yourself, as you remain a puppet of the Apostles until the end of time.”

Trevor slowly nodded, and picked up his sword. As Zach watched, horrified, Trevor dashed at him from several hundred feet away, prepared to slice him open. He hurriedly grabbed his box, opening it, to release his Sky Polar Bear.

“Minerva!” He choked. “Cambio Forma, Modo Ofesa! Ascia de Primo!”

The bear began to glow orange, shedding a tear at what she was about to have to do, and transformed into her axe form.

“Oh, Zachy…You’re not going to have ANY fun in this fight, are you? Well…let me fix that…”, Zeke laughed. His eyes flashed orange, and Zach’s eyes flashed back, as if in response. His expression changed from one of fear to one of loathing. He changed his stance from defensive to offensive, and growled, prepared to fight.

“Hahahahahaha! Zachy boy…This is my Unholy Gift…The REAL strongest of them all…My domain is HATE! So long as I hold this power over you, your weakness will be transformed into pure, unadulterated, HATRED! Now, FIGHT! Fight your right hand!”, he screamed in glee.

Zach began to dash at Trevor, prepared to bring his axe down on his best friend…

Suddenly, a hand caught his arm, just as another caught Trevor’s. Zach felt his sanity restored, slightly, and Trevor felt more in control of himself. They looked at who was stopping their rampage…

“Thunderthighs…”, Mr. Delise said quietly. “You really should be more careful at who you’re attacking.”

“Zach.”, Mr. Cockley said, shaking his head. “You let this boy’s power sway you to this? You really do need a little more practice…”

At Amy’s side stood Miss Sotir. At Maggie’s side stood Miss Adelmann. At Charlie’s side was Miss Perouty. At Stacie’s side was Mrs. Dorwart. At Katie’s side was Mr. McHugh.

“So…these are the Arcobaleno I heard about…”, Zeke murmured. “The seven strongest teachers, at the side of the Orso Family, serving as tutors to the Guardians. I didn’t expect you to make an appearance like this…I suppose this means the family really is drawing its last breaths…Well, no matter. Apostles! I think we’ve demonstrated enough, haven’t we? Let’s return…”

The other Apostles vanished, reappearing next to Zeke, who smirked.

“Oh, and Zachy…”, he began. “We’ll say that battle between your right hand and you was postponed…until next time. We’ll see you soon…”

The seven vanished into the night. Zach fell to his knees, holding back tears.

“How…how am I supposed to stop them?!”, he shouted up to the sky. Cockley put a hand on his shoulder.

“You get stronger.”, he said simply. “I’ll make that happen. Come with me.”

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