Tag Archives: BigBad

Champions of Battle: The Very Best – Opportunity #20

Brisa sat there for a few moments, paralyzed by fear.  Jaquan and his crew took their seats around the table.  None of them said a word.  Jaquan made it a point to sit just to the left of Brisa.  They waited in silence giving Brisa time to think.  Within a few minutes the servers brought food serving Brisa first.

Still, it took a little time for the truth to sink in: Catlin’s friends were the BigBad Crew.  Brisa thought back to their earlier conversations.  Each time Catlin giggled was a reaction to knowing this secret.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”  Brisa was still wearing the mask.  There was thin black cloth covering her eyes along with a painting of a mantis designed to hide were she was looking.  However, it was quite obvious that she was talking to Catlin.

“The first time we met, wasn’t under the best of circumstances,” was Catlin’s calm response.

“What do you mean?  You knocked on my cabin door.”

Neely was sitting to the right of Catlin.  He mumbled something to her.  Catlin whispered a barely loud enough for Brisa to hear, “I dropped it a few minutes ago.  We have to wait for her.”

After a time, she gathered her wits just enough to look them all in the eyes.  Almost all the BigBad Crew was there: Jaquan, Neely, and Liana still in her mech suit.  Even Justice was there.  Brisa wasn’t sure if he was an official member of the crew.  However, he had been with them since the championship victory party.  The only one missing was…

OH NO!

Catlin sat across the table from Brisa with a bored look.  Brisa had missed it all this time.  Catlin’s eyes were different than before.  Not red in black, not glowing, or spouting black flame, they were normal.  Still, there was no mistaking it.  Catlin had attacked her at the shuttle port.  The one she had the most reason to fear had just become her close friend in the last few hours.

Brisa’s thoughts of safety were nothing but illusionary smoke.  Catlin had tracked her down easily.  Within the first few minutes of the flight Catlin was knocking on her door.  Like a fool she opened the door embracing the enemy with open arms.

How did Catlin disguise herself so well?  She must have used something, perhaps an enchantment to hide herself.  She was never malicious and could have attacked at any time.  Instead, they had what Brisa thought was the most wonderful time.  Still Catlin used a trick to get close to her.  If she was truly repentant, she would have apologized at the beginning.

“I apologize for my reaction to you earlier,” Catlin said, “I thought for sure you were a spy.  I was looking for a good time to tell you but it never came.”

“We all apologize for our actions before,” Jaquan spoke up, “but now, let’s eat.”

Brisa was so full of conflicting emotions: ultimate deception by an enemy that had become a best friend; a lady that had given her so much to prove that she wasn’t what she had to be?  Brisa said as she got up from the table, “I’m sorry.  I can’t do this.”  She walked away from the table, back towards her cabin.  She half expected to be pulled back to the table and forced to sit.  Since she was not she assumed she was free to go.  Under the mask a tear left her eye.

Catlin stood almost grabbing at Brisa with her Kin-Po Talents but thought against it.  Instead she called, “We’re planning to leave for Bear Gate at hour seventeen.”

Brisa paused at the information then kept walking.  She was welcomed to join them but unsure if she wanted to.

“So,” Liana said, her mask altering her voice to that of a machine’s, “What do we do now?”

Jaquan simply answered, “We eat.”

#1 – Opportunity #19 – Opportunity #21

Champions of Battle: The Very Best – Opportunity #19

Brisa spent most of the hour in the shuttle’s various shops looking at other items.  She had no idea there was so many amazing things there; bags, parachutes, weapons, and armor.  There were tons of shops filled with whatever a traveler would want.

The fear of discovery had faded completely.  She had just spent a few hours with Catlin without any hint of being discovered by Jaquan or his entourage.  The chances that she would have to worry about the BigBad Crew were small as long as she stayed in crowds.

She saw her past mistake clearly now.  On the platform, she was quite suspicious.  She was standing behind a pillar peeking at Jaquan’s crew and taking notes.  If she were a passerby she wouldn’t trust someone behaving that way.  Someone in BigBad must have seen her at some point.  In the shops minding her own business, she should be safe from discovery.

Thanks to Catlin, she had the confidence to truly enjoy the flight.  She really was on a grand adventure.  She had met an incredibly clever and helpful traveler.  She was going to experience a completely different culture.  Who knows where this road will take her?  If she gets too uptight during the journey, she may miss something truly important.

Brisa headed to the food court were Catlin was waiting with a cart full of weapons and armor.  She seemed slightly, different.  Her eyes were slightly wilder than before.  She had a huge grin on her face and was bouncing slightly in her seat.  She smiled even more seeing Brisa and waved her over to the seat.  “Sit, sit, sit you’re gonna love this,” Catlin started.

Brisa didn’t know exactly what to think.  Catlin seemed a little strange suddenly but she was a fan.  Perhaps fans act like that?  Maybe?  Catlin had genuinely helped her a lot in the last few hours and for free.  Maybe she was just excited to show Brisa how helpful she could be.

“I put a strength enchant on your maul,” Catlin continued, “It should be a lot easier to lift now.  Also,” she added without taking a breath, “it won’t look suspicious because everyone with big heavy weapons adds strength to them.”

Brisa lifted her maul.  It was indeed much lighter but, everything else was too.  She lifted a plate from the table.  It seemed weightless!

“That’s right,” Catlin noted, “It works on anything.  As long as you have the maul with you, you benefit from the enchantment.”  Catlin pointed at a spot on the maul.  Brisa turned the maul around and looked at that point.  There was a Hanja there that she had not seen before.  It was possibly responsible for the strength enchant.

“I changed the color of your armor,” Catlin said as Brisa admired the Hanja, “It’s more of the same color but it still doesn’t match completely so you still won’t stand out too much.  I added a few special things too,” Catlin was talking a little faster than before.  Brisa began wondering how she kept breathing out for so long.  That didn’t stop Catlin from talking though, “Put it on later and I can help you practice with it.”

“This is what I wanted to show you.”  Catlin was singing now and talking much slower.  She was obviously very excited as she shoved Brisa’s sheathed daggers into Brisa’s face.

Brisa sat down her maul and took them.  The first thing she noticed was that they were much, much heavier than before.  Catlin was grinning again, obviously excited that Brisa noticed the difference.  Brisa sat one of them on the table.  Catlin’s eyes widened as Brisa began to draw out the dagger.

Even after the dagger was clearly out of the sheath, it felt as though it was stuck inside somehow.  Brisa kept drawing until the hilt was a full two centimeters away from the sheath.  The weight of the dagger disagreed with her eyes.  She had to test the illusion by poking beyond the blade with her finger.  Sure enough, her finger hit an invisible blade.

Catlin just kept grinning.

The blade didn’t stay invisible for long.  Black “smoke” seemed to radiate from the visible dagger blade filling the invisible blade.  Before long, Brisa noticed she was holding a two centimeter pitch black machete.  No, it was darker than pitch black.  No light that went into the area of the blade escaped, no reflections, no designs, nothing, just a blade of no light.  Then she realized that her other “dagger” was still on the table.  She had two of them!

“They’re better than enchanted blades,” Catlin sang, “They’re blades of enchantment.  Do you like them?”

Brisa’s look of amazement was all the answer she could give for a few seconds.  She finally muttered a positive response.

“Great, go put on your gear.  I’ll order some food.  My friends should be here soon.”

Brisa stuck the tip of the machete into the sheath and pushed.  The enchantment blade obeyed and disappeared as she sheathed her “dagger.”  Still amazed, she took the gear and went to her cabin.

——-

Returning from her cabin, Brisa looks much more the warrior: she walked easier; her armor was properly enchanted and colored; and her many dangerous weapons are properly equipped.  The youthful inexperienced face was gone, hidden under the frightening veil.

As she reaches the table, Catlin says teasing, “I wouldn’t want to meet you in a dark alley.”

“Yep,” Brisa responds while taking her seat, “I know I can’t fight worth anything but I do feel pretty tough in this.”

“Oh, my friends are here too,” Catlin says while looking behind Brisa.

Brisa turns around to see Jaquan and his crew standing right behind her.  The fear hit her immediately but there was nowhere she could go.  She was caught.  Whatever punishment they had for her, she would have to accept.

Before she can say anything Jaquan speaks up, “So Catlin, is this my new body guard?”

#1 – Opportunity #18 – Opportunity #20

Champions of Battle: The Very Best – Opportunity #15

Brisa and Catlin talked for well over thirty minutes.  Catlin was very entertaining, nice, and clever.  She was apparently a world traveler.  She had gone everywhere, at least to every major city.  Traveling was one of Brisa’s dreams.  Catlin had apparently done it for a long time.

Brisa named city after city, Catlin told her about one after another.  With Catlin’s storytelling, Brisa was captivated learning about those exotic places.  The stories never got boring.  Catlin described the peoples, buildings, and food in such detail.  Brisa felt that she had there.  One day she would go, but that was for another day.

“Why are you going to West Drop?” Catlin asked.  She then stared at Brisa waiting for the answer.  The question broke into the flow of conversation.  If Catlin’s voice wasn’t so cheerful and high pitched, she would have seemed suddenly aggressive.  However, up to this point, they only talked about Catlin’s travels.  It was only fair they talk about Brisa for a while.

“I’m on assignment,” Brisa said.  She was honest but slightly hesitant to tell everything to someone she had just met.

“Assignment,” Catlin asked intrigued.  She paused slightly then continued as though she may have stumbled onto some secret plot, “what kind?”  Having already been told about Brisa being a reporter, she came up with the best answer before Brisa could say anything, “You’re following Jaquan aren’t you?”

“Well, not anymore exactly,” Brisa said in a defeated tone, “they’ve caught me.  It was horrible!”  Then Brisa told Catlin about the tragic event.  Afterwards she said, “They told me to get lost and I’m going to do just that.”

“I’m sorry,” Catlin said genuine sadness.

“It’s alright, there’s nothing you could do.  It took some ‘encouragement’ from my boss to get me on this shuttle.”  Brisa felt relieved being able to share her worries with someone, even a stranger.  It was nice to have someone concerned about her wellbeing.  “After the next reporter comes from headquarters I can go home.  It shouldn’t take that long.”

“Are you sure you want to stay in West Drop,” Catlin asked concerned again.  “If you’re going to hang around a place like that for any amount of time, you don’t want to stand out at all,” she said reading Brisa’s confusion, “Locals in a lawless town can get a bit restless.  They won’t want to be seen by someone that looks out of place.”

Brisa remembered what she read about West Drop.  The city would have strong warriors.  Warriors that would stay there probably have committed dishonorable acts other places.  They would commit crimes anywhere they could get away with it, even West Drop.  With her inability to fight, she would be unable to stop them in the slightest.

Catlin took a long look at Brisa.  The look of youth and inexperience was apparent on Brisa’s face.  That alone would make her a brilliant target.  “You’ll need a hood,” Catlin said.  “You’ll need some clothes too.  We can get those from the shuttle shop.”

Brisa was relieved to get the help she just realized she needed but there was another problem, “If I leave the cabin, one of Jaquan’s crew will see me.”

“Don’t worry about BigBad,” Catlin said waving off Brisa’s worries, “I’ve learned about Jaquan.  He’s the type to relax in the front to avoid unwanted attention.  Besides, this shuttle is huge.  There’s no chance you’ll be found.”

“Really?”

“Well, almost no chance.”

#1 – Opportunity #14