Orso Fiction 040-The Primo's Weakness[]
“Osvaldo!”, Faustino screamed. “Where are you!? Where are my brothers!?”
---
Osvaldo scowled. The boy was getting noisy…but he didn’t want to stop watching his test subjects just yet. Osvaldo felt the ornate knife hidden within his robes. If the boy came close, he would silence him…
But for now, he would watch the one called Alphonso. His reaction to the darkness drug had been unusual, and he was interested in the boy’s progress…
---
Adrien Wagner, Primo Cloud Officer, watched the boy across from her closely, waiting for his posture to change. She remembered this as being the only Skull without something to say at their last meeting, but now, his silence was different. Before, it was distinctly…shyness. Adrien couldn’t help but smile realizing the similarities between the boy she had to fight and…the one from back then. But now…the boy was eerily silent. The silence felt angry, and yet painful.
“If you can hear me, don’t worry.”, Adrien said loudly. “I’m going to save you.”
Alphonso stood, silent.
---
“Adrien…”, Bradley murmured. “Be careful…something’s weird about that one…”
---
“Venus!”, Adrien called, releasing her Cloud Butterfly. The large purple insect danced around her, floating lightly through the air. “Are you ready?”
The butterfly, in a blatant display of anthropomorphism, nodded.
Wordlessly, and with no wasted motions, Alphonso withdrew a small black baton from his pocket, and ran Cloud Dying Will Flames through them. Slowly, the baton was tinted purple, and began to change shape, into a giant warhammer.
“Wow.”, Adrien murmured, whistling. “That’ll make a lot of noise… when we make you drop it in defeat. Venus, you know what to do.”
The butterfly flew straight up, almost out of view. Alphonso followed it with his eyes, expecting an attack from above, but quickly had to block Adrien, who had dashed at him; now wielding a rapier, with his hammer.
“You’re pretty fast, for having such a huge weapon…”, Adrien said with a smile. “Does that mean you’re strong?”
Alphonso said nothing.
---
Eddie Higgins paused to wipe the sweat from his brow, then immediately resumed typing. The sound of the door opening didn’t so much as surprise him.
“Finally.”, Eddie groaned. “Sit down.”
“You better watch your mouth with me, Eddie.”, Mary Reiter replied. “Now, why did you kick Thomas out, and call me in, and OH MY GOD…are you doing actual work?”
Eddie nodded, passing her a set of blueprints.
“We’re making this.”, he declared. She raised an eyebrow.
“Pretty cool…”, she murmured. “Can you do it?”
“I’ll have to.”, Eddie declared. “Every life in this base might depend on it.”
---
Adrien lunged at Alphonso, who swiftly blocked with his warhammer again. The girl leapt back, distancing herself, considering her options.
“Still not feeling like you’re going to switch back to normal, buddy?”, she asked, not expecting a response. Instead, Alphonso jumped at her, his giant warhammer crashing down on where Adrien would have been, were she not so quick on her feet. “Nope, guess not.”
Adrien lunged out once more, and Alphonso again responded with a simple movement of his hands, knocking Adrien’s rapier aside with his hammer. She dodged as he brought his hammer down once more, sending parts of the ground everywhere. He swung the hammer like a baseball bat, and Adrien was forced to jump back to avoid her bones being shattered by the weapon’s massive weight. She saw the opening, and leapt with her rapier, aiming at his chest. Alphonso didn’t move, and took the blade head-on. He planted his warhammer into the ground by sticking the massive shaft into the dirt, and grabbed Adrien by the hair. Adrien scowled.
“You shouldn’t have done that.”, she growled. “VENUS!”
Suddenly, a massive, thick, flood of purple Cloud Flames burst from above them, striking Alphonso, completely covering him. He loosened his grip on Adrien, who jumped back. She smiled, looking up at Venus, who was fluttering around a small, very low-hanging cloud-the source of the flames.
“Venus is covered in incredibly light scales, that she can release whenever she chooses, and grow back easily. She can use them as a poison, or a paralysis agent, a sleeping drug, all sorts of things…but I figured I’d need more for you. The scales can also catalyze freezing at a much warmer temperature than normal, so ice particles began to freeze to them, which is…exactly what a cloud is. And from clouds…come precipitation. In this case, flames. Flames carrying those super-cooling scales…which are now covering your body.”, Adrien explained. “This is ‘Queen’s Blizzard’.”
---
“Adrien’s weapon?”, Zach asked. “Just why do you want to know about that?”
“Oh…no reason…”, Amy Hirrlinger replied, giggling.
“You little devil.”, Zach sighed. “You trying to pick my brain, make me reveal some soft side of me that still has something for her, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”, she conceded. “But tell me, Zachtastic!”
Zach sighed.
“Fine. But JUST YOU. Don’t go running around playing me like some sap.”
“You ARE some sap, though. And you know I’m going to tell everyone, anyway.”
“…Fine. Adrien’s weapon is a butterfly, that turns into a bow.”
“Go on.”
“Well, the butterfly... When I was a kid, I was really fond of them.”
“Like you were for Adrien!”, Amy exclaimed, pieces of the puzzle coming together for her.
“YES. Shut up.”, Zach growled. “Yes. When I was a kid, I liked butterflies…and Adrien. And, they symbolize beauty.”
“Which totally fits Adrien!”
Zach grabbed the girl’s hair, pulling straight up gently, making the girl yelp.
“The bow part is just as important. The bow stands for a few things. First is keeping her out of danger, keeping her away from the majority of combat.”
“Because you-Ah! Stop pulling!”
“Second, the bow is symbolic of grace, of not having to be involved in the melee of the rest of the battlefield.”
“Because you-Ow! Ow! Ow!”
“Third…the bow is my favorite weapon is the Zelda games, the one that really starts you off. In Ocarina of Time, the first dungeon you conquer as an adult has a bow as its prize. It’s like a rite of passage.”
There was a pause.
“You’re such a dork.”
“You’re…very lucky you’re-“
“So cute. Yeah, yeah. I know.”, Amy said, wresting free of his grasp, and running. “Talk to you later, Zactastic!”
Zach sighed.
“Blondes…”, he mused. “They really are going to be the death of me…”
---
The purple flames began to fade, revealing a gigantic block of ice, Alphonse sealed inside. Adrien smiled.
“Gotcha.”, she whispered.
“Almost.”
Adrien raised her sword to the ice block, preparing for a counterattack.
“Fear not.”, the voice in her head told her. “I am Alphonse. Say nothing.”
Adrien gulped, listening, waiting.
“From the beginning, the Darkness Box has not affected me. I was born with the power of illusions, and so I have made myself seem to be Osvaldo’s servant. He is watching us now, I am sure of it.”
A crack began to form within the ice. Adrien gripped her sword tighter.
“I know you must have trouble believing me…but I only meant to test you, to see…if you could help me. I need someone of your level of skill to help me defeat Osvaldo. I will break free of this ice. At that point, strike me with one great attack. I will pretend to lose, and we can move to help my brothers…If you trust me, smooth your hair.”
Instantly, the girl ran her hand over her head, determination in her eyes.
“Thank you.”
The ice exploded outward, and Alphonso burst out, his ring ignited with purple flames. He plunged it into the box in his chest, and began to glow purple. Slowly, his skin began to grey, and toughen as his feet began to grow rapidly, and a single massive horn formed from his nose.
“A rhino-man…Not the most handsome shape you could have taken.”, Adrien said.
“I will trust you to make this look convincing. Draw your weapon.”, she heard in her head.
“Cambio Forma.”, Adrien commanded, and Venus began to glow purple, and change shape, slowly turning into a long, purple bow. She pointed it at Alphonso. “This is Belle Frecce, the bow of the First Generation’s Cloud Officer. This is the end.”
As Alphonso began his charge, Adrien snapped her fingers, and slowly, ice began to creep over him.
“Venus got her scales on you, too. A target less massive, and that’d be enough to freeze them.”, Adrien explained, forming an arrow from Cloud Flames. She fired once, the bolt of Cloud Flames piercing his chest. He slowly began to fall to one knee, allowing himself one small smile as the illusion of his body having changed was slowly dropped.
---
“Damn…”, Osvaldo murmured. “What went wrong? Was his body not compatible? What a disappointment of an outlier…”
---
“T-t-thank you.”, Alphonse said with his own voice, not relying on the illusion of sound to convey his message. A cloud of smoke covered the area he was in, and a very realistic copy of Alphonse’s body appeared. “In c-case he looks again.”
“So…what exactly do you need my help with?”, Adrien asked.
“My brother Faustino.”, Alphonse said, once more using the illusionary voice. “He is still with Osvaldo. I fear for his safety, if we do not reach him quickly. But, perhaps first, comes the defeat of my other brothers. There are three left, Arduino, Guerino, and Baldovino.”
“I wouldn’t worry about them.”, Adrien said with a smile. “They’re in good hands. Megan, Rachel, and Matt will be able to handle things.
“Then we should go to your leader, and I can convey to him the location of the base.”
“I can just call him-“
“No. I…want to meet him. He is trusted by the chosen of Berenger, in his absence. I want to meet him.”
“Alright, fine. He’s not far away.”, Adrien said. “Oh, question. Why didn’t you just illusion yourself losing as soon as you decided I was able to help?”
“I…”, Alphonse began, beginning to blush slightly. “…enjoyed feeling your flames.”
“I…don’t know if that’s sweet or creepy.”, Adrien said bluntly. Then she giggled. “Just like back then…”
“Back then?”, Alphonso asked over his illusions.
“Oh, just old stories. Our boss, back when he was a kid...oh, I shouldn’t be telling you about that.”
“Why? What is your boss like?”
Adrien smiled.
“Where could I ever begin…”, she wondered.
---
“Hey. You.”, the girl asked in the lunchroom. Zach looked up, Mike Fornaro at his side.
“Do you like Adrien?”, she asked bluntly. Zach began to stammer.
“Um-duh-Yeah-A little.”, he replied, instantly hiding his face behind the taco he had previously been enjoying. It now tasted like ash. “Why do you ask?”
“No reason. She just thought you did.”
“She…thought I did? No…extra motivation, there? No…requited-ness?”
The girl laughed.
“No.”
---
“Dude, he’s dead silent.”, Trevor whispered after seats had been changed around. Mike silently heaved with laughter.
“It’s so great.”, he agreed. “He’s so embarrassed, just sitting next to her…”
“He feels like anything he says can and will be used to make her hate him.”, Trevor said, his smile growing. “We shouldn’t be enjoying this.”
“And yet we are. And yet we are.”, Mike replied sagely.
---
Zach bit down on the air, eyes closed, fists balled, as she walked away. He had missed his chance. That ten-second window he had planned to ask…he had messed up. He had felt fear, and it ruined his entire plan.
---
“Um…It might be a little creepy…”, Zach began. “But would you sign my yearbook?”
Adrien smiled, taking it from him. She began to write something, and closed it as she handed it back, so he couldn’t read it right there
When he had returned to his table, Trevor and Mike jumped to read over his shoulders.
‘If you had asked, I would have said yes. You have good patience! -Adrien Wagner’
As the two on his sides began to snicker, Zach smiled. For some reason, he knew that in his darkest times, this memory would be a source of comfort. It was…proof…that even the lowest on the social food chain might have a chance in the big scary world that was romance.
---
“I’m sorry about that. These past, what has it been, six years?”, Zach said. “I really shouldn’t have let it drag on that long.”
“It’s fine, Zach.”, Adrien said, a smile on her face. “I’m really not as weirded out by you as you seem to think I am.”
Trevor, a ways behind them, groaned. He was so LOUD, making this supposedly private apology for being such a weirdass…But, Christ, at least he was talking to her.
---
“Awwww!”, Adrien moaned, two years later. “But you and Allie-”
“It’s not a big deal.”, Zach said, half-truthfully.
“Oh, Stime…I’m sorry!”, Adrien said. Zach sighed.
“Ridiculous…But, thanks, Adrien.”
“Hmm? What’d I do?”
“You’re…here for me.”, Zach said with a grin. “I’m really glad I have you around, to poke, and prod, around my love life. You’re kind of the standard; that I have to judge all girls against, you know that?”
“It’s what I’m here for.”, Adrien said with a smile. “Oh, hey, have you finished writing your book yet?”
“Haha, not yet…and your character hasn’t appeared yet, either. And she won’t for a while.”
“What did you call her, again?”
“Neirda.”, Zach answered. “She’s the final boss of a coming of age story. Defeating her is what lets the heroes get on with growing up.”
“Yeah, yeah. Did you write me a hot boyfriend?”
Zach sighed. Blondes. They would be the death of him.
---
“I see.”, Alphonso’s voice murmured in Adrien’s brain. “So this is Zach Stimely. He is…not what I expected.”
“Were you expecting some fearless leader, dueling scars on his face, a bad attitude, and maybe an eyepatch?”
“I didn’t mean to be offensive…It’s just that…he reminds me of Faustino.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes…A kind of…gentle strength, runs through them, it seems.”
---
“Hey, we’ve got a new kid.”, someone had begun to say, and the rumor had spread. The kids’ expectations were fulfilled when their teacher walked in with a new boy, one with pleasant face and a nicer shirt than most of the kids had ever seen, where they grew up. Around his neck was a thin chain, though most of it was hidden under his shirt.
“I hear his parents died, and he had to move in with an aunt down here.”, another kid had said. Alphonso stayed quietly in the back, barely looking up at the newcomer. It didn’t matter who he was.
“You can pick wherever you like, to sit.”, the teacher told him, and he smiled and nodded, passing all the empty seats, slightly offending all the girls next to them, until he came to the one in the back, next to Alphonso. The class instantly began to whisper in that way that is supposed to be quiet, and never is.
“Hey!”, Faustino said brightly, sticking his hand out. “I’m Faustino.”
Alphonso simply stared at the hand, dumbstruck. Before he could think of a response, the moment had passed, and Faustino awkwardly put his hand back.
The class eventually resumed, Alphonso never once looking up at Faustino. When the final bell rang, the kids rose, packing their bags as fast as possible. Faustino took his time, drinking in his surroundings. He was interrupted by a tall boy with brown, curly hair, walking past him, stopping at Edmondo’s desk, motioning with his head a message that was undeniably “I’ll see you outside”. The boy walked out, with a brief, introductory, not unfriendly nod to Faustino.
Faustino began to slow his pace packing his books even further, as he watched Alphonso dutifully follow the other boy out the door.
---
“Show me.”, the boy with the curly hair commanded, when the two were in an area outside no teachers even visited. Alphonso hesitated. “Show me, or I’ll make it even worse this time.”
The shy boy began to lift his shirt, revealing many large, nasty, bruises.
“Yeah, that’s right.”, the boy said, smiling a bit more than a decent human being might. “I’m getting pretty strong, huh?”
Alphonso simply nodded.
“Hey, how about you say something this time? It’s no fun if all I can hear is me hitting you, you know that?”
“O-o-okay…”, Alphonso whispered. The boy growled quietly.
“How about you fight back, you stuttery fag?”, he asked, raising a fist. Alphonso didn’t flinch, already used to the feeling of the boy’s blows.
“Stop it.”, Faustino demanded. The bully spun his head to see the new student leaning against the building’s corner.
“What’s a new kid care about this guy?”, the bully snorted. “He’s a waste of space. He’s an orphan. The state keeps him in here. No one loves this kid.”
“That’s awful by itself.”, Faustino said firmly, beginning to walk toward him. “You don’t need to make it any worse.”
“What, don’t tell me you’re going to stick up for him, are you?”, the bully asked, surprised.
“Of course I am. That’s the right thing to do.”
“So you’re going to fight me?”, the bully asked, beginning to laugh. The difference in strength was clear from the beginning, as the bully had reached puberty early, and already had much of the muscle he would put on in his adolescence.
“No. I don’t like fighting.”
“So…what I’m hearing is…You want me to stop beating up this piece of shit, and…start on you?”
“If that’s what you need to do to leave him alone.”, Faustino said, determination clear in his eye.
“Made my day, that.”, the bully said with a smile, throwing a punch at Faustino’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He continued with one to the chest, sending him reeling. Two more to the stomach made Faustino’s insides feel as if they were burning, and then the bully kicked him in the knee, knocking him down. “How’s all that feel? Worth it?”
Faustino said nothing to him, but looked over at the shy boy from earlier.
“Go on. Get out of here.”, he said with an easy smile. Enraged by the smile, he pushed the boy all the way to the ground, and began to beat his face with his fists.
“How’s that feel, huh!?”, he shouted, again and again, until he seemingly could not move his arms anymore. Slowly, he reached for the necklace Faustino wore, yanking it off of his neck. At the end was a fang. He growled.
“Wimp you are, and you wear some big tooth. What a loser.”, the bully said, gripping the tooth tightly. Without warning, he threw it into the lake next to the school. Faustino couldn’t see, from the way the bully was pushing him down, but he knew it was sinking to the bottom.
“That’ll teach you to mess with the order around here.”, the bully said. “I’m the top dog around here, you got that? I’m the toughest guy in this school. What I say goes. My name is Baldovino. Don’t forget it, new kid.”
---
Faustino sighed, after the bully had left. That was new. He began to work his way to his feet. He looked to the lake…he didn’t let any emotion show as it had been thrown away, but…No. The important thing was to not give the bully any satisfaction. He turned to see that Alphonso still hadn’t left.
“I thought I told you to get out of here.”, Faustino said with a chuckle.
“W-w-why d-did you-“
“Like I said. It was the right thing to do.”, Faustino said. “What guy wouldn’t…stick up for a friend?”
“A f-f-friend?”
“You’re not gonna tell me now that you don’t like me, are you?”, Faustino laughed. Slowly, a smile came to Alphonso’s face.
“That’s much better.”, Faustino said happily. “Now…I never actually got your name.”
“Alphonso.”, the shy boy said, slowly, cautiously, holding his hand out. Faustino took it and shook.
“Nice to meet you.”, he said, as the shy boy helped him up.
---
“Gentle strength…”, Adrien thought. “So that’s ‘the strength to protect’ that Zach is always going on about...”
“I owe Faustino my life, even more than the others. That’s why I swore that I would become his right hand man. His struggles would become my struggles. His dreams would be become my dreams.”, Alphonso said softly through his illusions.
---
The wind had begun to pick up, blowing the small girl’s hair around. She coughed weakly, but continued on her path. Her tiny feet made tiny prints in the snow that was beginning to fall. She knew she could not turn back now.
“Adel…”, Rosangela murmured to the howling winds. “I am coming…”