Orso Fiction 039

Orso Fiction Chapter 039-Genius VS Genius
Laura looked to Severo, paying close attention to his blackened eyes.

“What a sad creature you are.”, she said, a little more solemnly than usual. “For multiple reasons, really.”

Severo said nothing.

“First, you six had to sacrifice your willpower to be able to fight us. Second, your methods are incredibly self-destructive. Any victory you gain here will be Pyrrhic.”

Severo said nothing. Laura ignited her ring with indigo Mist Flames and injected them into her box. A large turtle, feet burning with Mist Flames, was released. She stepped onto the creature’s back.

“Third…you’re fighting ME.”, Laura said. “Some would argue that’s the worst part of your luck.”

---

Osvaldo held his forehead in his hand, raising an eyebrow.

“What a confident child…”, he murmured. “I’m no simpleton, I won’t say that Placido’s loss was just a fluke…but Severo is stronger than Placido was. I only wish I had been allowed more time to gather data on the Varia…if only I knew which ones were strongest…”

---

“Apparently, this one’s kind of like their leader.”, Laura said. “He’s not a chump, Metis.”

The turtle croaked in understanding.

---

Eddie Higgins closed the door to the Ferraros’ lab, and paused to think. He smirked. He had just had an idea.

---

Laura tapped Metis’ shell twice with the toe of her boot.

“Fire.”, she said, kindly, but firmly. Metis shrunk her head into her shell. Soon after, a blast of Mist Flames shot from the shell’s inside, at Severo. The boy didn’t flinch, and pulled a black baton from his belt. He ran Mist Flames through it, and it changed into a tall shield. He held it up, blocking the fireball. Laura smirked.

“A shield…that’s funny…”, she murmured. “Metis. Why don’t we test that shield’s quality...give him a full five-star stream.”

Metis croaked once again, and shrunk into her shell again. A rumbling was audible from inside the animal’s protective layer, and she began to spin, as Laura jumped off. Suddenly, five streams of Mist Flames shot from each. Laura, who jumped into a tree branch, watched from above as the indigo fire spread across the battlefield. Severo stood still, letting his shield absorb the fire that came at him. Laura smiled.

“Got ya now…Or, maybe that’s not so impressive, if you’re all zombieish…”, she muttered. She lifted her hand, and snapped her fingers. Slowly, the indigo flames began to clump together, taking solid form. Before Severo stood three perfect copies of Laura.

“Let me share something with you.”, Laura called, wondering if Severo could hear her.

---

“Perhaps I’m going about this wrong…”, Osvaldo mused. “If the darkness has to suppress the subject’s personality, it’s more thinly spread…If I let Severo’s personality leak through…I may be able to boost the rest of his attributes…Yes, all things in moderation…a personality tainted by darkness is more malicious than an unfeeling being…Yes. Perfect…”

---

“Out of the three Primo Mists…I’m probably the worst at making illusions. Katie is about twice as good as me at it, and Sabra blows us both out of the water.”, Laura continued. “So why do you think I’m ranked up with them?”

Severo jumped at the Laura in the tree, now holding his shield in an offensive position. He slashed at her with it, but it passed through her smiling face effortlessly, and she faded into indigo smoke. Suddenly, Laura was behind him, her hand on his back.

“Because I’m the smart one.”, she said, grinning. “Too bad for you I was hiding down there all along.”

Suddenly, Laura felt a disturbance behind her, and she quickly sidestepped. She looked to her side, and saw Severo, slicing where she had been with his bladed shield. The Severo she had “outmaneuvered” faded into indigo smoke. The one that had just attacked turned to look at her, pinned against the tree’s trunk.

“The smart one, you say?”, he said, almost monotone. “I know how that feels. My IQ is two hundred and fifty.”

“T-Two fifty? Is that even possible?”, Laura thought hastily, slightly shaken.

“I was tested remotely by our childhood benefactor. Perhaps you need reference…Albert Einstein was estimated to have an IQ of 160. Issac Newton was estimated to have an IQ of 190. The child prodigy Kim Ung-yong has an IQ of 210. All of them pale in comparison to me. So, how comfortable are you, now? Knowing that a battle between Mist-types can be called a battle of minds…Are you beginning to fear me? Knowing that you cannot hope to rival my intelligence? You remind of a tiny rabbit who steps into what appears to be a puddle, only to drown.”

“Does the mouthiness come with the brainpower, or is that unrelated?”, Laura snarked. “I don’t care how smart you are. I’ll win. Simple as that.”

“Does confidence come with stupidity, or is that unrelated?”, Severo countered.

“I thought you guys were silent, because of that darkness Osvaldo put in you.”, Laura said. “What changed?”

“It seems I have permission to think on my own again.”, Severo said. “Which is nice. I was getting bored of the unending thoughts of hatred and despair Osvaldo’s drug forced on me.”

“So…if you’re thinking again, can we just sit down, and discuss this?”, Laura asked hopefully. “I’m sure we can figure something out, especially now that you see how Osvaldo doesn’t care about you…”

“It’s so strange…”, Severo began. “I know all this…but I find myself…not caring. Nothing matters to me now, but the battle. I am being used. I am being mistreated. I am being abused. But I know all this. And I do not care about anything but ripping you apart.”

“He’s got you bad, then.”, Laura said sadly.

“I disagree. My body is reacting strangely…the more violent thoughts I think, the more pleasure I receive. I wonder how he did it…Ah, but I’ll have to think about that later. I have a slaughter to attend to.”

“Oh…yeah, you’re losing it.”, Laura murmured. “This should be no fun. But…he is listening to me…maybe I CAN reason with him…”

“I know what you’re thinking.”, Severo said smoothly. “And it won’t work. I am becoming a machine…a very intelligent machine. I won’t be swayed so easily.”

“Think about what you want.”, Laura said, deciding she had nothing to lose. “Does someone as intelligent as you want to be a pawn?”

“All men are pawns.”, Severo said bitterly. “Enough of this.”

The Mist Skull leapt at Laura, who began to expel indigo smoke in every direction, stepping backwards, into the tree. Her form slowly merged with the wood. Suddenly, the branch Severo was standing on began to quiver, and hands of wood emerged, grabbing his feet. He smirked, and the entire tree burst into flames. In the blink of an eye, geysers all around the tree erupted, and the fire was extinguished, but at the snap of Severo’s fingers, the water from the geysers froze instantly, and a hoard of insects emerged from the ground, flying at the tree, biting at it, devouring it. A hoard of birds rained from the sky, attacking the bugs. The birds began to whirl around in a circle, fully enveloping a space next to Severo. Suddenly, the birds scattered, to reveal Laura, holding a sword. She sliced at Severo, who suddenly had a sword of his own, and blocked it. They leapt down from the tree.

When they had landed, Laura’s sword was a giant blade, as long and wide as a man, and Severo’s was an incredibly long and thin katana. They clashed with these weapons, sparks flying around them. When they broke, Laura’s sword was replaced with a pair of daggers, and Severo’s with a giant axe. They clashed again, and broke again, both of their weapons enveloped in indigo smoke and flames.

“I’m sure you see this is a waste of time.”, Severo said coldly.

“I never said I was great at this.”, Laura admitted, a little disappointed. “But I’m not done yet.”

Suddenly, Laura held a set of pistols that she shot at Severo, who scowled, and blocked the bullets with a wave of the shotgun he now held. He fired once at her, and she grinned.

“Gotcha.”, she murmured, holding up a shield of her own, this one grey, with a turtle-shell pattern. In the center was an indigo gem, with a white “I” overtop it. “So much for genius.”

The bullets bounced off the shield, accelerating on their return path, shooting straight through Severo, leaving six very bloody holes in his clothing. Slowly, the area around them began to crack apart, slowly shattering, revealed that nothing had changed. There were no geysers, no birds, and no ice. They both stood on the same branch they had been.

“I’m sure you’re smart enough to figure out what just happened, but I usually never have to show this skill off, and I LOVE explaining it.”, Laura began. “But you tried casting an illusion over me the second we got on that tree branch, but I saw through that fast enough. So I set up some countermeasures. Out of everyone in the family, I’m the best at defending against illusions. It’s a talent that infuriates Sabra. And it was just my intelligence and rational mind that let me see through your illusion. But didn’t I tell you I’m not much good at illusions? Didn’t you wonder how I was keeping up with you?”

“Oh my…”, Severo growled. “That damnable turtle…”

“Don’t interrupt me.”, Laura shot at him. “But yes. Metis here is the ultimate compliment to my abilities. Her Cambio Forma, Saggezzo Scudo, is able to duplicate any flames and return them defensively. Metis lets me…pretend…to be an illusionist as good as my opponent. And isn’t that what the mist is all about? ‘Creating something from nothing’-“

“Silence!”, Severo shouted, lunging at her with his shield. “How dare you…You stomp on my natural gift…my ability…my GENIUS!”

“Chill out.”, Laura said with a smirk. “This is my power. This is the power Zach gave me.”

“This Zach…He is not worthy…He is not the one I am fighting! Fight me with your own power, you filthy, dishonorable bitch!”

“You’re losing your cool…”, Laura thought. “Perfect.”

“See, I don’t know what your policy is in the Seven Skulls, but the Orso have a code we stick to. We support each other. No matter what the circumstance. Right now, you’re not fighting Laura Wise. You’re fighting a girl backed by the entire Orso Family. Every single one of their souls is here with me, willing me on. I fight for them, and they fight for me.”, she said.

“Absurdity…”, Severo growled. “All this talk of friendship and bonds is making my head hurt. I will end this now.”

“Think about it, Mr. Genius.”, Laura said. “Aren’t you fighting for someone’s sake? Aren’t you fighting for the other Skulls?”

The Mist Skull’s eyes widened as he gasped.

“Silence!”, he shouted, lunging at her with his shield as memories flowed back to him.

---

“You’ll need to do better than that.”, Severo said with a satisfied smirk. The other six sat across from him, multiple chessboards lined up next to each other on the table between them. On Severo’s side of the table stood six players’ worth of captured pieces, and on the board was a king painted orange, in checkmate by a queen and two knights painted indigo. Baldovino yawned.

“Fi-nally. Sorry about that, guys. He’s just too good, even for all of us at once.”, he said.

“Baldovino, we may want to find a replacement for you. Like a small child. Or a monkey.”, Placido said slowly. “It took you four turns to lose. I suppose we should congratulate you. That’s longer than last time we did this.”

“Whaaatever. I don’t like chess.”, Baldovino said, standing up. “Imma go eat. Who’s with me?”

Guerino stood next to him, stretching.

“I’ll come. I at least took three of his pawns.”, he said, teasing the smaller boy, who snarled at him.

“You think you’re funny, Guer?”, Baldovino asked. “I was just, you know…clearing the field. Making it easier for Faustino to concentrate. That’s all.”

“So you say.”, Arduino said, standing. “I am a little hungry, now that you mention it.”

“Same with me.”, Placido said. He bowed his head to Severo as the others began to move to the kitchen. “Congratulations.”

Alphonso stood silently as Placido joined them, and began to walk in the opposite direction, toward the door leading outside. Faustino smiled at Severo.

“Thanks for the game, Sev.”, he said cheerfully. “I’d ask for another round, but I know I can’t beat you on my own.”

“I could try to balance the field.”, Severo offered. “Play without rooks. And bishops. And half my pawns.”

Faustino shook his head.

“It’s so much fun when all of us play at once. Even Baldovino enjoys it, you know.”, he said. “I’ll help you put the pieces in the box.”

They began to place in the pieces into the felt-lined box, each piece in its place. Faustino stopped right before he put the last orange pawn in the box, and held it to the light.

“Do you ever think about what piece you would be?”, he asked. Severo raised an eyebrow.

“Sometimes. Do you?”, he replied.

“Yeah…but…I’m just a pawn. Not very important, and plus, pawns can only move one space at a time…”

“Don’t be stupid.”, Severo said, snatching the pawn from his hand. “You’re the king,”

“You’re just being nice.”, Faustino said.

“No. Tell anyone I said this, and I’ll murder you, but you’re our center. A king can only move one space at a time, too…but without him, the army falls apart.”

“Alright…then what does that make you?”

“A knight.”, Severo said simply. “The piece that doesn’t operate on simple straight lines. There’s great beauty to the strategy one can put together with the knight.”

“I was never able to use them well.”, Faustino said, then laughed a bit. “But then, I’m not much good at the game.”

“Will you shut up?”, Severo asked, annoyed. “For someone so respectable, you hold no respect for yourself. It’s infuriating.”

“Haha…Sorry…”, Faustino chuckled sheepishly.

“And stop apologizing.”

“Sorry.”

---

Severo’s shield stopped in mid-slash, and he put a hand on his head, as if trying to kill the thought. He took a step back, stunned.

“What was that…are you planting these in my mind?!”, he shouted. Laura smirked.

“Maybe I am.”, she teased. “Looks like I woke you up, just a little bit.”

“I…am the knight…”, Severo murmured.

“And you’re fighting for the wrong king, aren’t you?”, Laura asked.

“I…won’t bend to you so easily.”, Severo wheezed. He tore at his shirt, exposing the indigo box embedded in his chest. He plunged his lit ring into it, and he began to glow indigo, his body slowly morphing. Veiny wings burst from his shoulders, and fur began to cover his body. His teeth began to sharpen, and his eyes became beady.

“A bat, huh.”, Laura murmured. “That’s pretty ugly.”

Severo opened his mouth and began to screech, Mist Flames visible on the inaudible sound waves he emitted. Laura held Saggezzo Scudo up, and the sound returned to Severo, who took flight, dodging the wave.

“What a waste. A power like that, and it’s no good against me.”, Laura smirked. Then she heard it.

A terrible screeching hit her from behind, and she fell to her knees.

“Sound waves…that reflect off the ground…Everything I didn’t reflect…bounced back to me…”, she murmured, feeling her mind slip from her.

She woke surrounded by complete darkness, floating in the air, suspended by nothing.

“An illusion…”, she murmured. “But just knowing that won’t get me out of it, if it’s this thick.”

“I have you trapped now.”, Severo’s voice came from all around her. “You have lost.”

---

“Laura’s weapon?”, Zach asked, walking with Jess Biemiller. “Well, just like yours, it’s symbolic. It’s a turtle that becomes a shield. It’s kind of a representation of how Laura defends my sanity.”

“She’s not very good at it, I see.”, Jess quipped.

“Why you…you and Adrien. You two are lucky you’re so cute.”, Zach groaned. “Otherwise, I’d never put up with your nonsense.”

---

Eddie Higgins began fiddling with dials. Thomas Haden raised an eyebrow, not expecting the intrusion.

“Do you…need something?”, he asked. Eddie shook his head.

“You won’t be able to help me do this.”, Eddie said, absorbed in his work. “Actually, yes. Go get Mary Reiter. She’ll be able to help. And hurry!”

Thomas raised an eyebrow, then walked off, mumbling obscenities for having been kicked out of his workplace.

---

The sound of thousands of bat wings flapping surrounded Laura, drowning out her thoughts.

“Not bad. But Sabra’s done worse.”, Laura snarked. “Don’t think for a second you’ll be able to stop me…with a lie this blatant.”

Slowly, the air around her began to clear, clearing the darkness.

“Maybe I didn’t mention this…but Saggezzo Scudo has one more trick…Illusion breaking. Any kind of psychic influence, or Mist Flame construction, it will break apart if I will it.”

The entire blackness cracked apart slowly.

“Sorry, bud. This is a fight you could never win. All your intelligence, all your pessimism, all your hopelessness, couldn’t stop me. I’m an Officer of the Orso Family. I’m a professional.”

---

“Here.”, Laura said, throwing the stack of papers on the desk. Zach raised an eyebrow.

“What’s this?”, he asked, picking it up. His eyes widened when he began reading.

“Like it?”, she asked.

“YES.”, he gasped. “This is amazing…”

“Nice to see your story in print, isn’t it?”, she asked, feeling very superior. “Oh, and with none of your goddamn punctuation errors. Which were EVERYWHERE. Where did you learn to write, the monkey cage at the zoo?”

“This is aweeesome!”, Zach shouted. “It’s totally awesome, Laura!”

---

“I hate Knoton.”, Laura said over IM.

“But he’s so lovable.”, Zach protested. “He’s like…an emo version of me. With wind powers. He’s awesome.”

“No. He’s an emo douchebag. He’s so WHINY!”

“But…so huggable?”, Zach asked.

“No.”

“Awww…”

---

“I’ve totally decided what I’ll be doing with Jairdan.”, Zach announced. “He won’t be the sadistic ass I thought he would be. I didn’t really like that version of him, to be honest. From now on, Jairdan is the lighthearted member. Not as pure as Mortimer, but not outright villainous like Paytah anymore.”

“Good to hear. I thought he was kind of one dimensional as he was.”, Laura said, after a moment of thought. “Will his powers stay the same?”

“Ooh, good thinking as always, editor-in-chief. Being able to control ‘pain’ as a concept isn’t a very heroic skill…but maybe he was aiming to be a doctor with it. Yeah! And the entire Arcana organization is really a group with originally noble intentions, until Musoke took over!”

“Awesome, awesome…”, Laura asked. “And I really liked the League Of Legitimate Craft And Trade from this chapter.”

“Haha, isn’t it awesome?”, Zach asked eagerly. “I gotta thank you for all the ideas for the gear the heroes got there. The moonstone, the bag of holding, the paralysis potion, I’m lucky I had you here to help with those.”

“No big deal.”, Laura said with a grin. “You’re just lucky I’m around to keep you from breaking your own continuity. Like an amateur.”

---

“I’m here to keep Zach’s organization, as much as his story, in order. I’m the planner. I’m the organizer. Right now, you’re in the way of my plan. And I’m getting rid of you.”, Laura said. “Last trick I’ll reveal to you…illusion copying. This is a nice one, too…I think I’ll keep it.”

Laura held her shield to Severo, and a black beam shot from it, striking the bat-man. He fell to the ground, shrieking. Laura stood over him as he slowly reverted, spending all his energy fighting the demons in his mind.

“Mission accomplished.”, Laura said, dusting off her uniform. “Bunch of low-budget thugs.”

Suddenly, the box over Severo’s heart began to pulsate, slowly pushing its way out. Laura sighed.

“And now he’s going to slow me down even worse. All the best laid plans…slowed down by idiots.”

Suddenly, she heard Bradley’s voice from her phone.

“Guys, fun fact. Hayley just told me that when these guys lose, their Darkness Box tries to remove itself. The Box is connected to the heart…so that’s messy. Zach will have our heads if we let these guys die. So…can any of you do heart surgery?”

Laura sighed.

“The work is never done.”, she murmured. “Looks like I’ll be spoiling one more of my tricks.”

She put her hand over Severo’s head, and Mist Flames began to run over him. Slowly, the box began to recede.

“It’s such a drain…”, Laura murmured softly, out of breath. “But I can trick your body. I can keep you alive. This won’t last forever, though…we need a doctor…”

---

Hayley tried to bandage Placido's wound, now bleeding heavily, pulsing as the box pushed itself out further with every second. Tears came to her eyes as she watched Placido slip deeper into death's grasp.

"I...I can't help you...", she choked.

"Allow me.", a deep voice from behind her commanded calmly. Hayley spun her head, stunned that someone had gotten so close without her noticing, but by the time she had turned, the man was gone. She turned back to see him kneeling on Placido's other side, feeling the wound calmly, slowly.

"Who are you?", Hayley asked, not sure if she should trust the man. He rose his head to meet her eyes, and Hayley got a good look at him. He was very tan, with long black hair tied into a ponytail. He wore simple, black attire, with a long katana hanging from his belt. A patch covered his right eye. He was tall and thin, but very muscular. He seemed older than he looked, and radiated experience, as though he had more war stories than could ever be told.

"You can trust me, Hayley Madeira. I am a friend. To both the Orso and my misguided charges. My name is Berenger Ferraro."

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