The True Masters (From the creators of Naruto Predestiny) - Page 10

**Avankiri** · 03-14-2008, 07:41 PM

Duo walked for what felt like hours. He turned this way and that, then heard it. "I've got to find shelter, and soon."

His eyes turned instantly to the source. Without realizing it, Sara switched out and ran, tackling Mat to the ground. "Mat-kun! Mat-kun! Is it really you, Mat-kun?"

**Ceraas** · 03-14-2008, 08:23 PM

Mat heard the sound of crunching snow before he felt himself being tackled into the ground. After realizing a person had tackled him, Mat heard Sara. "Sara-san? What are you doing out here?"

**Avankiri** · 03-14-2008, 09:04 PM

"I heard you talking, so I had to see if it was you...Duo and Loki and me have been traveling for a while. Come on, I'll show you!" She dragged him by the hand back to the cave and knelt to get inside.

**Poparteeb** · 03-14-2008, 09:06 PM

Loki walked out into the blizzard, flamethrower blazing. Soon a mile from the cave there was no snow, or not even water. It was pleasantly warm. And due to this, he saw two people lying on the ground, in an apparently intimate fashion, one on top of the other. Loki prepared to look away until he realised it was people he knew. Sprinting from the cave he came upon Sara and Mat who were running toward him at the same time.

"Ohayo minna!"

**Avankiri** · 03-14-2008, 09:10 PM

"Ohayo desu!" Sara called, before reverting back to Duo. He growled lightly and let go of Mat, walking inside. "Nice to see you again..." He walked into the cave and sat at the back by the flames, thinking.

**Ceraas** · 03-15-2008, 12:33 AM

Mat grinned at the sudden change of persona before turning to Loki. "Impressive little flamethrower you got there. However, I doubt your flamethrower can be quite as precise as I can be." Mat spoke casually before sitting down on a rock. "In the past few weeks, I've been hunting a few Masters.

One of them was a Sound Master. Nasty woman, she was. Had to stuff my ears full of lead to keep myself sane. Next one was an Air Master, and he and I just got along great. Burned down half a city before I figured it would be better to just shoot him."

Mat held up an old fashioned 9mm Beretta handgun. "It has it's charms, though I haven't a doubt Loki could cook something up a little more intimidating."

**Avankiri** · 03-15-2008, 12:51 AM

Duo seemed to pay them no attention. Inside his mind, a battle raged.

**Ceraas** · 03-15-2008, 02:00 AM

Mat looked over at Duo and frowned. He knew Duo was a little cold and withdrawn from everyone, but this seemed a little off. If he had traveled for a few weeks with another person, Loki of all people, he should have been a little more... Mat knew Duo would never likely warm up to anyone, but he felt himself tense his muscles, almost afraid that Duo would lash out at him.

**Poparteeb** · 03-15-2008, 02:20 AM

"You're right Mat, I could. Dunno if I want to use a Gatling now, or maybe an M-9 Grenade launcher. But I try the best I can."

Loki looked at Duo.

"You know, he hasn't changed that much. I guess its the presence of Atlas that's nagging him. I stopped being afraid of him long ago, since if he wanted, he would've torn out my throat with little remorse. But...

....we bring him sanity."

**Avankiri** · 03-15-2008, 02:41 AM

Inside Duo's mind, he and Sara were speaking to one another.

"But, but-"

"No buts. I'm afraid we need to keep moving..."

"You're just afraid that you'll...that you'll get attached!"

"Maybe I am! But I'm not gonna let fear stop me from destroying Atlas! It's because of Masters like him that I was created! The perfect killing machine! Without emotion! Without compassion! Without fear or hatred or discrimination!"

"Maybe you just need someone to give you back your sanity..."

"I don't know what I need. All I know is that, for me to live a normal life, Atlas must die...Otherwise..."

"Duo..."

"I don't want to see them die...Like the first five did...Except this time, it won't be me killing them..."

"You don't want to see them die? Who, Duo...Who?"

".......Mat-kun...Loki-san...even Jake-san...I'm afraid..."

"What are you afraid of, Duo?"

Duo, enraged at his own inner conflict, shouted aloud, "I'M AFRAID OF LOSING MY FAMILY!!!!"

Sara, pleased with her way of negotiating a person's true feelings, resided back into silence, holding the inner Duo quietly and soothing him.

**Ceraas** · 03-15-2008, 04:22 AM

Mat jumped with a start, hearing Duo's sudden outburst. He stared at the Master for a moment before he moved over and sat next to him. It was a futile gesture to Mat, but perhaps Duo would draw solice from it. 'Sometimes, it must really suck having two people in one head.' Mat thought with a touch of pity.

**Avankiri** · 03-15-2008, 04:30 AM

Duo could feel it. The warmth of another being. He could feel it, also, the fear the scientists must have felt when their child, their creation, destroyed them all instantly...When this was all over, Duo vowed, he would head off somewhere to relax and get away from all his troubles. He'd develop his personality, and stop being a tool.

Duo turned one eye to Mat, wondering what he could say. But then he realized it. Some things are better left unsaid...Duo reverted to Sara for the remainder of the night.

**Poparteeb** · 03-15-2008, 03:15 PM

Loki sighed. The guy really was getting to him. He had never really felt any emotion other than guilt. He had promised to himself to not willingly kill. But that probably had to change soon. Reclining on the mat, he closed his eyes and thought:

It's not us who will die that matters. It's a matter of Duo losing Sara that will be horrifying.

Rolling up, he said,

"I'm going out for a while."

With that, Loki walked outside. No snow. But the night was cold. It was dark. Loki tensed. And suddenly...

He felt it, another Master's presence."Verner zweihanders!" And he had his two monster swords. Spinning around, he saw her. Loki fell to his knees.

"Bacana! How did you survive? I killed you. I killed you with my own hands!"

"Poor Loki, you never really did understand did you? I am Atlas's and now I've come to retrieve Duo. I cannot die. That is my power. And....I CAN KILL YOU!"

Loki got up.

"So, that's how it is."

With no more words the two Masters sprang at each other.

(Oh and this is like 5 miles from the cave)

**Avankiri** · 03-15-2008, 04:29 PM

Duo's senses told him something was wrong, but he wasn't sure what. His body tensed as a result of the stimulus.

**Poparteeb** · 03-15-2008, 08:08 PM

They clashed back and forth, Loki swinging his monstrous swords with ease. However, the other Master was surprisingly fast, ducking and weaving, using only a rapier. They leapt into the air, fighting 30 feet above the ground, kendo, and freestyle, traditional swordcraft and monstrous German zweihander slashing.

Loki dropped down panting. "It seems that you've gotten better. I'll have to change."

He materialised a Strela 2 infrared homing missile launcher.

"I hope you are ready for this, Freiah!" He shot, reloaded, shot, reloaded, until the night was covered with rocket streaks and exploding warheads. Freiah landed, panting.

"You forgot about my friend."

Loki didn't have time to turn around until he was suddenly stabbed through the back. However, his body armour materialised just a fraction of a second after the stab and so it grazed.

Loki vaulted over the ground, over the second Master wielding a traditional Japanese longsword, along with what seemed like a daisho as well.

"Kso!" Loki whipped out two Desert Eagles and fired as rapidly as it would allow. Spent, he materialised two M60s, until they were spent, then grenades, RPGs, heavy machine guns. Then he fired off swords that he could materialise as fast as possible. However, it was not enough. Vaulting as far as possible, toward the high ledge, he took out his sniper rifle. His eye screen magnified, and found the head of the male master. He pulled the trigger.

When the smoke cleared, there was one body, that of the male. Freiah was nowhere to be seen. But Loki had a bad premonition.

The landscape was completely devastated, what had not been blown up were pockmarked with holes, devastation like a bomb explosion. It could almost have seemed as if an army had battled here.