other creative writing The Spiritmaster's Fate: Chapter 1 - The Mask

[NyxAvatar69]

October 6th, 10:45 PM: Crown City Museum - Curator's Office

Two men sat alone in the curator's small office, deep in a talk about an artifact found several days ago. The room was big enough for a few shelves and the curator's desk, but not much else. While the talk had begun civil, things got bad due to the curator's refusal to cooperate. A man wearing a strange bird mask had the curator, Mr. Adam Houston, pinned down on his desk with a hand around his neck. The curator was struggling to break free, but the masked man's grip was far too strong.

"I've given you a friendly offer, Mr. Houston. I'm not suppose to get violent with you, but you leave me no choice. I ask you one final time. Give me the machine you have in your Alien Artifacts exhibit, and I'll leave," the masked man stated.

"I told you ten times already, Mr. Zex. The Faction of Light has already purchased that artifact from me. In fact, one of their agents is on their way here as we speak to collect it," Mr. Houston replied, trying to get some air in his lungs while he spoke. He only got a cold laugh from the masked man, but felt the grip on his neck loosen a bit.

"Faction of Light? Those pathetic weaklings? I'm not concerned with them in the slightest," Zex said, turning around and starting to walk towards the door. Mr. Houston sat up, getting some air in him and glancing around. He saw a chance to strike and decided to take it, grabbing a wooden cane he kept close by his desk and sneaking towards Zex. Once the curator got behind the masked man and prepared to swing, Zex turned around, thrusting eagle claws into Mr. Houston's neck.

"Did you honestly think a powerless human like you could pull a stunt off like that. My Eagle Claws aren't to be taken lightly, Mr. Houston," the masked man stated, ripping the claws out of the man's neck, watching as blood sprayed across a bit of the office. Mr. Houston fell to the floor, gasping for air and trying to stop the blood from flowing out of his neck in a way similar to a waterfall, spilling onto the carpet.

"Dark...Spiritmaster," the curator managed to say.  Zex put a foot on the curator, staring down at him.

"Now do you see, Mr. Houston? This is why I don't need to bother with the Faction of Fools. If you had given me the artifact, I wouldn't had to do this. It doesn't matter, anyway. I would've ended up killing you whether you gave me the artifact or not," Zex said, making his way over to the desk and taking the master keys from off the curator's desk.

"Say hello to the death dealer for me. Tell him that he'll be having a Faction of Light member joining you soon enough," Zex added while he walked out of the office, leaving the curator to die. The museum was a ghost town, making Zex's task of taking the artifact much easier. He began moving towards the exhibit where the artifact was being stored when he heard a crash up ahead and the sound of an alarm going off.

"An alarm? Don't tell me he-" Zex started to say, turning around and running back inside the curator's office to find he had used the last of his strength to break the emergency glass and sound the alarms to alert the police before he died.

"That damn curator!" Zex growled, running out of the office and making a run for the exhibit, hoping to get what he sought before anyone showed up. The alarms echoed through the halls of the museum while Zex rushed towards the exhibit. Once he got to the Artifacts of Space exhibit, his anger only grew with what he saw.

Parts of the crashed saucer from four years ago were in various glass cases all over the exhibit. Several pictures of odd beings with three eyes and four tentacles had been hung up on the walls, and in the center of the room was a broken open exhibit. Glass was scattered all over the floor, showing Zex that someone had broken into the exhibit. Zex took a look down at the floor, taking notice of a tag that read 'Mysterious Space Ring.'

"Looks like someone got the same idea..." Zex started to say as he heard approaching footsteps. He laughed and turned around to face the person, finding nobody but a teenage girl holding a doll. When he noticed the girl was wearing a white suit like a Faction of Light agent, he began to laugh even more.

"You're the Faction of Light agent they sent to retrieve the artifact? They must've thought this would be an easy retrieval job for a rookie. Why don't you go back home to mommy and daddy? It's past your bedtime, kid," Zex continued after he stopped laughing. He noticed the doll started moving on it's own once he finished insulting the girl, a curious look on his face behind the mask.

"Don't you dare talk about Lucy that way, you masked freak! She'll beat you into next week!" the doll shouted.

"Belle, you don't have to shout. I know these types. They go around and threaten museum curators to get what they want, then murder them if they don't listen. I can sense it in his heart. He's not a normal person, either. He has Spiritmaster powers," the girl said. Zex smiled a bit, taking a step back.

'For a pathetic looking teenager, her senses are sharp. It doesn't matter, anyway. What I came here for is still somewhere in this museum. The thief couldn't have gotten too far, and I can always kill this one once I get the artifact,' Zex thought, taking another step back.

"Belle, he's up to something. Make sure he doesn't get away," Lucy said, knowing right away Zex was planning to flee. She set down the talking doll and let her do her work. Belle took a deep breath and stomped on the ground, making the shards of glass scattered all around Zex form a wall around the exit, preventing the masked man from escaping.

'A Spirit in the form of a doll. This one may prove to be a bit more annoying than I thought,' Zex thought, growling a bit when he heard a quiet laugh come from the Spiritmaster standing in front of him.

"Something wrong, masked man? Angry because you've run out of escape routes? Don't worry. I'll have one all set for you. A nice and lonely jail cell will suit you," Lucy questioned.

"It seems I underestimated you because of your age and gender. You may-"

"Hold on a minute! You underestimated me because I'm a girl!?" Lucy interrupted while Zex shook his head.

"There's a lot for you to learn if you wish to defeat me. Allow me to show you," Zex replied as he put his hand on his bird mask. In an instant, his current mask transformed into a black panther mask.

"Get ready, Lucy," Belle said while Lucy nodded in reply. The three stood in silence for a few moments, waiting to see who would make the first move. Lucy could see a dark aura all around Zex as they all stood around. She didn't understand why she could see it or what it was. A few moments passed, and Zex transformed into a black panther, making a dash towards the path Lucy had come from even though it was blocked.

"That path isn't going to help you. If you try to break through that wall, the glass will shred you apart before you even get out of the exhibit hall," Lucy stated, watching as Zex ran towards the wall of glass without stopping. He smashed straight through it and ran towards the exit without a scratch.

"Are you serious?!" Lucy and Belle questioned, watching Zex dash towards another exhibit of the museum. Lucy growled a bit and began running after him with Belle following behind her.

'How the heck did he do that? That wall of glass should've sliced him to pieces,' Lucy thought. While she was looking towards where had Zex run off to, a man stepped out of the shadows. He put a hand over Lucy's mouth and he pulled her into a different exhibit. Belle took notice and followed Lucy to wherever she had been taken.

October 6th, 11:13 PM: Crown City Museum - Dinosaur Exhibit

Lucy was struggling to break free from the grip of whoever had grabbed her while trying to get a look at his face. Due to how dark it was in the exhibit she was being brought through, she couldn't see anything around her.

"Please, do not worry. I simply want to be at a quiet place where the police won't investigate," the person whispered while he moved forward.

'A quiet place? Why, so you can try some kind of funny business with me? I don't swing that way, buddy,' Lucy immediately thought, struggling to break free.

"You must be wondering who I am. The most I can say right now is that we met before. You don't remember ever meeting me, though. There are important things that must need to be discussed, and I can't have anyone I can't trust finding me," the person continued, stopping for a moment to listen for any noise.

"This should be far enough," the person simply said, releasing his grip on Lucy, but getting a swift elbow to the chest right after he released her.

"Start talking! I want you to explain everything or I'll have you arrested for trying to have your sick way with a teenage girl," Lucy shouted. The person sighed and opening up the palm of his hand where a small ball of light appeared to brighten up the dark exhibit. The dinosaur exhibit was pretty small compared to the Artifacts of Space exhibit. While there were a few fossils and pictures from what Lucy could see, there wasn't much else around.

"My name is Malcolm Robins. I am simply a man searching for the truth," the person replied.

"Lucy Sears, Faction of Light member," Lucy responded, picking up Belle once she finally caught up.

"I'm guessing that is your Spirit, Belle," Malcolm noted.

"Yeah. Not sure how you know that, though. Anyway, what are these important things we need to discuss, and why did you have to drag me to this exhibit to talk to me?" Lucy answered.

"While there are some things I can't explain yet, the important matter at the moment is this..." Malcolm started to explain, taking a rusty ring with words carved on it out of his backpack.

"This is what that Dark Spiritmaster was after. This is the alien artifact you were assigned to retrieve from this museum," Malcolm continued.

"Wait a minute, that masked man was a Dark Spiritmaster?" Lucy quickly questioned, cutting Malcolm out.

"He was. A very powerful one as well. He must've consumed the soul of his Spirit a long time ago and adapted to its powers," Malcolm replied. Lucy didn't respond, her grip on Belle tightening as she remembered something from a past mission she had taken on.

"Lucy, are you feeling alright?" Belle asked, getting no response from her.

"He was after this ring for some reason. I came here to take it and destroy it before that man gets his hands on it," Malcolm continued, completely ignoring Lucy's silent state.

"Destroy it? Why would you want to destroy the ring, Mr. Malcolm?" Belle asked. Malcolm took a deep breath, almost like he was trying to think of something he should say. He was about to come up with a good lie, but turned around when he heard slow clapping coming from behind him.

"Well, look who made the job of finding the artifact thief that much easier. I owe you one, little doll. Following you was easier than killing the curator. Humans are so fragile," a familiar voice stated, hissing a bit like a snake. Stepping into the range of the light was Zex, wearing a snake mask with glowing green eyes.

"Damnit! He's here already! I thought we'd have more time," Malcolm growled a bit, taking a few steps back while he stuffed the ring into his backpack.

"'l'll make this simple since I'm in no mood for games right now. Give me the artifact or die," Zex demanded, his hissing voice echoing through the quiet exhibit. Malcolm didn't move at first, but after a few seconds, he shook his head and held his backpack, keeping the ball of light in his left hand to keep the room lit. Zex laughed a bit, looking up at Malcolm and extending his neck as if he were a snake, rushing right at Malcolm. While the masked man rushed for his prey, the mouth of the snake mask opened up, revealing two sharp yellow teeth.

"I'll take a nice bite out of your neck, then have a taste of that Faction of Light girl!" Zex shouted, opening up his mouth and getting ready to bite down on Malcolm's neck. Before he could land the killing blow he was aiming for, a glass wall stopped him dead in his tracks. He stopped his attack before his face smacked into the glass wall and got back while Lucy took a step forward.

"So, you murdered the curator? You killed an innocent man for a stupid metal ring?" Lucy questioned, standing between Zex and Malcolm with a glass wall blocking Zex's path. She took Belle in one hand and clenched her fist. Lucy put her free hand on the glass wall and pushed it at Zex. The wall flew at him with incredible speed, hitting Zex in the head. The force of the blow pushed him back and managed to break one of his teeth.

'So this is the extent of her own power. Maybe she's one of the selected ones I'm looking for,' Malcolm thought. Zex's extended head flew back a bit and hit the floor, nearly knocking over one of the exhibits.

"Belle, it's time. Let's teach this freaky Dark Spiritmaster a lesson," Lucy said, sounding extremely serious unlike how she was only a minute ago.

"It's time to merge? We haven't done that in so long," Belle chimed in, freeing herself from Lucy's grip and landing on the floor, transforming into a ball of light after her landing.

"No! I can't have that Spiritmaster merge with her Spirit. Now's the time! I'll kill her here and now!" Zex growled, spitting up a bit of blood and going in for the attack on Lucy. The ball of light floated up in the air a few feet, flying into Lucy and covering the girl with a strange white light. The mouth of the mask opened up, ready to tear open Lucy's neck, but Zex had been knocked away by a blinding light coming from Lucy. He ended up getting knocked head first into a wall, leaving a large hole in it.

'This power. This is a Spiritmaster's transformation. It's been quite a while since I've last seen one of these. The merging of Spirit and Spiritmaster. The two forms become one. What kind of powers do Lucy and Belle even have together?' Malcolm thought, trying to get a good look at what was going on without being blinded by the light.

Lucy's eyes were closed when the light faded away, revealing her new form. She was in a white dress and carrying around a parasol that had a reflective surface like a mirror. Her brunette hair had become a bit longer, and the color of her eyes had changed to brown. While she was the same person, Malcolm could feel that something was different about Lucy now.

"Good evening, Mr. Malcolm," Lucy said with a small smile. Malcolm was confused, wondering why she sounded so different. Her actions were nothing like how she was moments ago, and he had thought that she wasn't up to whatever it was she was up to in such a state. A loud roar broke the moments of silence as Zex emerged from the hole in the wall with his head and neck back to normal. Dark energy radiated from his body, invisible to the naked eye, but now in plain sight around him.

"You humans are starting to piss me off! Give me the artifact! Now!" Zex ordered, slashing open a bigger hole in the wall with bear-like claws. Part of his snake mask was broken and was replaced with a bear mask, revealing a part of his face. Yet, the dark aura around him made it impossible to see the segment of his face His anger only grew when he heard a quiet giggle from Lucy.

"Welcome back, Mr. Dark Spiritmaster. I see you're well," Lucy greeted as if Zex was a friend instead of a crazy guy trying to kill her and steal an alien artifact.

"Now you're trying to mock me, aren't you? Aren't you?!" Zex questioned, the hole he was standing in growing bigger from his angry shouting alone. Lucy wasn't fazed by the masked man's rage at all. She kept the same smile on her face, waiting for Zex to make his first move.

Zex let out a roar of anger and charged at Lucy, moving a lot slower than he was when he was wearing the snake mask. He raised his claws as he got closer, but Lucy already knew what he was up to.

"Belle, Copy Ability seven," Lucy quietly said to her parasol.

"Copy Ability?" Malcolm asked, watching as the reflection of a different Spiritmaster appeared in Lucy's mirror parasol. Lucy closed her parasol and aimed at the masked man, firing off a blast of wind at the masked man. He smirked, touching his mask while he ran. The mask changed back to the bird mask he wore when he killed the curator, but the broken piece of the mask stood the same.

"You're such a fool, Spiritmaster!" Zex shouted as large black wings erupted from his back. He flapped his wings to repel Lucy's attack, blowing her back a bit as a result.

"It seems Mr. Dark Spiritmaster has more surprises up his sleeve than I had thought," Lucy stated while she stood back up, watching Zex's movements. Malcolm watched the two stare each other down, knowing he should help Lucy, but he had to keep a low profile. He thought it over and crushed the ball of light in his hand to brighten up the entire room before he ran into the fray, making another orb of light as he ran.

"Rushing in like a fool, I see. How easy," Zex commented, spreading his wings and firing out razor sharp feathers from his wings. Malcolm stopped in his tracks, using the orb of light he had in his hand and making a large shield to protect himself. A few stray feathers landed some small cuts on him. Malcolm bit his lip while Zex took this chance to make a move. Zex charged towards Malcolm, aiming to steal the man's backpack, but a blast of wind from Lucy's parasol pushed him away. While Zex was a good distance away, Malcolm prepared another ball of light.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dark Spiritmaster, but I won't allow you to take that artifact," Lucy said, firing off another blast of wind, "and I don't intend to let you get away with taking it." she added. Zex didn't say anything, opening his wings again. He began firing off more feathers, this time at Lucy. She used her mirror parasol to block the feathers to give Malcolm a chance to go on the offensive. He snuck up behind Zex while he was distracted with Lucy, but Zex was a step ahead and smacked Malcolm aside with one of his wings, causing the artifact to drop out of his backpack.

"There it is. Well, it's been fun toying with you," Zex said, flying off towards the artifact, watching as it was pulled away when he got close to it by a thorny vine. The artifact was caught by Lucy, who was holding a thorn-like whip in her hand instead of the parasol she had before.

"You humans only wish to continue pissing me off, don't you?" Zex questioned, turning to face Lucy.

"You know, I find your powers very interesting, Mr. Dark Spiritmaster. So interesting, I decided to copy them for myself. I hope you don't mind," Lucy said, completely ignoring Zex's words. She took a deep breath, opening her eyes after a few moments and smirking.

"Let's see how you feel going against your own powers," Lucy added, pointing at the masked man before trying to make wings come out of her back, but nothing happened. She tried to soar like a bird, but like before, nothing had happened. Zex took the chance to go for the attack while Lucy was distracted, tackling her and grabbing the artifact once it fell to the floor.

"You're still as pathetic as I thought you'd be. Even at the end of our little game, I still win. This is why gaining the power of a Dark Spiritmaster by consuming my Spirit's soul is the best way to get strong," Zex stated while he put a foot on Lucy's stomach to keep her restrained. With his free hand, Zex prepared to finish Lucy off the same way he killed the museum's curator.

"You've pissed me off for the last time. I'll end you here and now. Let your death be a reminder that you will never be stronger than me," Zex continued. Before Zex could land the final blow, Malcolm had gotten back on his feet and made his way over with a bow and an arrow made of light.

"Do you think you've won? I would call this checkmate, Dark Spiritmaster," Malcolm interrupted, walking a bit closer to Zex, ready to fire the arrow if the man made any sudden moves. Lucy glanced over at Malcolm, a bit shocked when she saw the weapon he had in his hands.

'Wait a second. That Spiritmaster power belongs to one of the Faction of Light's commanders. How can he use it?' Lucy thought.

"Give the alien artifact back right now and step away from the girl," Malcolm ordered, aiming the arrow for Zex's chest. The masked man laughed a bit, looking at the artifact he finally held in his hand.

"If you want the artifact, have it!" Zex shouted, throwing the ring at Malcolm, hitting him in the chest and following up with a smack with one of his wings. The impact of the strike from the artifact and Zex's wing knocked Malcolm across the room into a wall. He released the arrow upon hitting the wall, sending it flying straight into the head of the T-Rex fossil. The fossil broke apart after the arrow exploded upon contact with the fossil's head, scattering pieces all over the room.

In the confusion, Zex touched his mask to change it to his panther mask, changing his form into a panther once again. He jumped off of Lucy and grabbed the alien artifact with his mouth before he made his escape from the scene. Lucy stood up tried to give chase, but she knew she stood no chance without Malcolm. She instead helped Malcolm and out out of the exhibit as bones fell all over the floor. As the two made their way back towards the main hall, Malcolm clenched his fists. Before the two could reach the main hall, a series of lights turned on and blinded the two.

"Stop right there!" a voice called out. Several police officers stepped forward with guns trained on Lucy and Malcolm while a man holding a megaphone and a flashlight approached the two.

"You two are coming with us. You've got some explaining to do," the man said.

October 6th, 1:50 AM: Crown City Park

The police arrived on the scene in the time Lucy and Malcolm were dealing with the masked man. The curator's body was dealt with and the two Spiritmasters were taken down to the station and questioned about the battle in the museum. The entire museum was closed down for the police investigation and a warrant for Zex's arrest was made. Once the questioning was over and the two were sent away, Lucy and Malcolm headed to the Crown City Park, which was also the site of an incident in the past. Lucy and Belle were sitting on a park bench while they waited for Malcolm, who had left to go get something to drink.

"That fight really took a lot out of me," Lucy said with a sigh.

"You used a lot of your energy in that fight, Lucy. That guy was really strong," Belle replied while Lucy slowly looked up at the sky.

"That masked man is out of our league. Malcolm, too. He used a weapon I thought only Commander Goodman could use," Lucy went on, remembering when Malcolm had managed to make the bow of light during the encounter.

"Maybe Mr. Goodman taught him how to use it?" Belle asked.

"I don't think so. Malcolm doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would know a Faction of Light commander. Speaking of which, Belle, how come I couldn't use that masked man's power when I copied it?" Lucy answered.

"Well, this is only your seventh copied power. I wasn't thinking a case like this would ever come up, but when you copy someone's powers and try to use them, you're at that power's mercy. If you need to chant a magic spell like the original user has to or something along those lines, then I'll be positive," Belle explained, sounding a bit unsure herself.

"A restriction, huh?" Lucy asked, trying to think about what kind of restriction the masked man would have on his powers. Malcolm arrived while Lucy was thinking about the whole thing with a couple of water bottles in his hands.

"I'm sorry I'm late. Most of the stores around here are closed at this hour. Here, this one is for you. I assumed your Spirit did not want one since she doesn't need water," Malcolm said, handing one of the water bottles to Lucy. While Lucy opened up the water and took a sip, Malcolm sat down on the bench next to Belle.

"Dark times are coming, Lucy," Malcolm began.

"Dark times? What do you mean, Mr. Malcolm?" Belle asked.

"That ring the masked man stole from us. It's a part of something that will lead to the end of our race as we know it," Malcolm continued. Upon hearing this, Lucy spit up a bit of her water and stood up.

"The end of our race?! You can't be serious!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I am serious. It's our world's fate. However, fate is not absolute," Malcolm tried to say.

"Sure, for normal people like the police. For Spiritmasters like us, our fates are sealed the moment we're born," Lucy interrupted. A small laugh came from Malcolm while he dug through his backpack.

"You remind me of when I was your age. It was a simpler time. A good friend of mine thought the same way you did. Trust me when I tell you fate can be changed, even for a Spiritmaster like you," Malcolm went on. He pulled an envelope out of his backpack and handed it to Lucy. She opened up the small envelope and pulled out a single ticket.

"What's this for?" Lucy asked.

"Lucy Seers, I have a special request for you. The ticket in your hand right now is a round-trip ticket to a small town in the mountains. A few days from today, a person's life will be in danger. I want you to go there and save them," Malcolm began to explain.

"Why do you want me to do this? If you know someone is going to be attacked in that town in a few days, why don't you go yourself?" Lucy questioned. Malcolm froze up upon hearing Lucy's question.

"I can't show my face in that town. I can't give you the details, but I can never go back there ever again. I figure you're a reliable young lady, so I can trust you with this mission. You won't be alone. I've contacted an associate of mine to aid you in this request," Malcolm answered as he dug through his backpack for something else.

"Alright. Can I ask you one more question? Is this person you want me to save someone important to you?" Lucy asked. Once again, Malcolm stopped what he was doing to ponder on Lucy's question.

"At a time, yes. You could say this person is someone dear to my heart. Now, if you'll excuse me, I should be going. It's rather late and I must find a place to stay for tonight," Malcolm replied while he closed his backpack and stood up.

"Oh, alright. It was nice to meet you, Malcolm," Lucy said.

"The feeling is mutual. Don't worry, though. We will meet again. When we do, I would like to discuss something with you. For now, I bid you farewell," Malcolm replied before he picked up his backpack and started walking away, leaving Lucy and Belle alone in the park. While Lucy watched Malcolm leave, Belle hopped off the bench and pulled on Lucy's pant leg a bit.

"Lucy, we should hurry home too. Your parents will get worried," Belle pointed out.

"You're right. Come on, let's go!" Lucy said, picking up Belle and running off in the opposite direction of Malcolm. Once he was out of the park, Malcolm stopped and pulled a bright red notebook and a pen from his jacket pocket.

"Lucy Seers, a young girl who can generate glass walls from nothing and even copy the abilities of her foes. She seems capable for her age. If she met him, maybe he might open up more," Malcolm said to himself as he wrote details down on an empty page of his notebook.

"The one who doesn't follow the path of light, but instead slogs through darkness blindly. I hope he is well," Malcolm added.