Bantam Magenta and the Twilight Forest Written and Created by Vember Judgement 01: Encore at the Deviant Vamp "You can't continue with this charade of yours, little miss goody-goody...We’ll be found out sooner or later." Bantam closed her eyes tightly, biting her lower lip until it numbed. She could feel a trickle of blood begin to roll down her chin. In a panic, she quickly reached up and wiped it away. She then stared at the drying streak in her right palm, realizing it had been a very long time since she saw her own blood. "Yeah, that's right, keep that up, ignore me...I don't feel your pain little girl, so go ahead and hurt yourself all you want..." "Shut up!" Bantam screamed, her forceful young voice echoing down into the valley just beneath the cliff's edge. A coy laughter echoed through her head as the stagnant winds of the rotting city nearby irritated her nose. "Jump again, if you want. This will be what, the sixth pointless attempt??" "I told you to shut the Hell up!” Bantam pleaded, bashing the left side of her face numerous times. Every bruise that appeared after every powerful hit quickly disappeared and healed. The coy laughter suddenly rung louder in her ears. "This whole suicidal thing is getting boring. You can't kill or even severely hurt yourself, you can't kill me, so what's the point in all this?" Bantam sat silent for a moment, cursing all her unwanted invulnerabilities. Her knees began to buckle, feeling herself slowly tilt forward. "I'll find a way to get rid of you, I swear..." "Get rid of me? Honey baby, I am you, deep inside where you can't get to me. But don't worry, in fours years or so..." "That won't happen, I refuse it!", screamed out Bantam, falling to her knees, nearly slipping off the cliff's edge. She opened her eyes to the sickly purple sky and began to weep. Flecks of black mixed with the tears as they rolled down off her face. "I'll leave you alone for now, I've had my fill for one evening. Can’t have you crying unnecessarily now, can we?" With that, the voice inside her head disappeared, leaving Bantam a disheveled mess midway up Daylight Mound, her one and only refuge from the ill-tempered world. "Even if it takes my own death…I’ll kill you, I swear I will..." Just as Bantam decided to thrust herself off the cliff, she suddenly felt a slight nudge at her side and noticed Lieloe looking up at her, with a worried expression on her face. Lieloe has had the same look for the past week. "Don't look at me like that, Lieloe. Please don’t..." Bantam slowly rose back to her feet and composed herself. She brushed the dust from her stockings and proceeded to pick up Lieloe in her arms. She immediately closed her glowing red eyes and let out a feminine purr as Bantam stroked her back. One of the few things in the world that could sooth her uneasy miseries was her kitten's cute purring. Bantam stared at Lieloe in her hands a few more moments before looking out into the horizon. "We have a job to do, Lieloe. We shouldn't keep Emperor Tumult waiting..." Lieloe's eyes suddenly flashed a bright red, its light surrounding Bantam's body in an instant brightness. And in a sudden burst of energy, Bantam flew from atop Daylight Mound, headed in the direction of the Twilight Forest. ------------- "I don't believe you, Rumiko! How can you just quit the tour like that?" Kalandra tapped her left foot, as she likes to do when she was angry, crossing her arms and giving Rumiko a chilling stare. The person her fans mostly knew as Mistress Nanba ignored her longtime friend and partner, choosing to instead look up at the sickly red and purple sky. The time was about 9am in the morning, but the twilight hue surrounding the area made it seem more like it was sometime after 6pm. Kalandra threw her fists down, angry she was not being listened to. "Damn it, aren't you gonna say anything?" "I've made my decision, Kalandra, I'm sorry. I can no longer think of myself or this tour, no matter how popular or lucrative it may be. My life as a pop star is over." Kalandra, not wanting to take what she just heard, ran up to Rumiko, spun her away from the terrace balcony and stared deeply into her eyes. "You're willing to give up all your fame and fortune just to help our so called emperor save the world?" Rumiko stared back into Kalandra's eyes, not wanting to look away with her next statement. "It's not about willing, it's about wanting." Kalandra could see the seriousness of Rumiko's eyes, letting her go and taking a few steps back. What was once the most successful tour in Vampire history was now seriously compromised. "I'm sorry Kala, but I'm tired of being some pop singer when there's so much evil in the world...Becoming the king's new pupil will give me the power to fight it..." Kalandra suddenly exploded in a rage. "Bullshit! You're just shacking up with him because you wanna be his woman! You seriously want me to believe you wish to save all those poor little humans, the stupid morons who in the past almost destroyed this world ten times over!?" Kalandra stood there for a few moments waiting for an answer that would not come. Angered even more, she turned around and heading back into the club. "Go on then, be his little whore for all I care! Just remember that I care about you more than he ever will! Bitch!" Kalandra choked back a few tears before leaving Rumiko all by herself in the cold. Or so she thought. Barely a second after Kalandra's departure, Rumiko could feel the presence of another. "Jeez...Damn rock stars and their temperamental ‘it’s all about me’ attitudes. Never changes, does it?" Seemingly coming out of nowhere was Gravedancer, who stood by the left edge of the terrace. He was busy polishing one of the many blades he was fond of carrying around. Gravedancer was the world's foremost hunter and assassin, who would kill anything and anyone for the right price. A popular rumor says he once had even killed his own father for an expensive and ancient bottle of whiskey. Rumiko had met the man on several occasions before, each of which chilled her to the bone. "Pft, nice to see you too..." Gravedancer said coyingly, knowing full well that Rumiko truly detests him. A fact that didn’t bother him one bit, slowly ogling every inch of her sexy body. Rumiko quickly covered herself up with her cape. "Keep your eyes off of me, scoundrel." "Hey, you’re the one who dresses so scantily. Besides, you should be used to your fans staring at your body, Miss Pop Idol. Heh, your ex fans I should say." "What is it you want? You’re not here to help Master Tumult, are you?" Rumiko said coldly, walking to the other end of the terrace. Gravedancer finished polishing his blade, before putting it back in one of the many sheaths hanging from his waist belt. He smiled, leaving against the terrace railing. "Why else would I even be here? Tumult called me up a few hours ago, saying he wanted to gather up battle experts for some covert operation or something. And as usual, he made it sound like it was the end of the world was coming. Pft, some emperor..." Rumiko never liked the callous way he spoke of Emperor Tumult. Then again, she wasn't surprised at his attitude. While he was the world's top killer, he is but a small spec of dust compared to her new master. "If you don't like Master Tumult, why do you always agree to come at his every beckoning?" Gravedancer stroked his chin and laughed. "Master Tumult, listen to you, sounding like a trained puppy…Listen, the only reason I came here is because he can afford my high rates. Him being my meal ticket off and on don't mean I gotta kiss his balls and call them gumdrops like you do." Rumiko ignored his vile remark and instead was surprised to hear Gravedancer was being paid for this particular mission. "You're being paid for your services...But I thought-" "Thought what? That I would be noble and help 'save the world' for free?" He chuckled for a few moments before heading for the door. "When Tumult rolls his old ass over here, tell him I'm downstairs, enjoying a nice drink at the bar." He blew a ragged kiss in Rumiko's direction before heading down in to the glowingly loud club. She ducks out of the way, as if the imaginary kiss would somehow infect her. "Bastard..." A sudden ill wind blew through her hair, bringing about an uncharacteristic shiver. An omen had just shown its head, one she didn't much like. Deciding to venture into the club after Gravedancer, Rumiko first stared up at the bright purple neon letters spelling out the club's name. The Deviant Vamp, the very first place she sang at over three hundred years ago. "Well big mouth, you've made the decision to quit all the glitz and glamour...Time to prove your worth." Rumiko told herself, staring out into the old human ruins of New York before going inside. ------------- Kalandra came down to the dressing room, staring at the grim faces of her bandmates. They all could see it on her face and knew very well that they were no longer touring with Mistress Nanba. They all stood in their dressing room sad as if their best friend had died. Bass player Pinkgirl approached her first. "So...She's really quitting the tour? After all we've been through?" she said, teary eyed as she usually is when sad. Kalandra refused to answer, instead walking over to the freshly chilled bottle of Blood Rum left for them. Her drummer Vesiros grabbed the bottle before Kalandra could take a swig of it. "Stop that, we're going on in a few minutes! You can't be drunk!" he screamed, tossing the bottle back in its cooler. Kalandra looked at the both of them before starting to cry. Pinkgirl quickly held her. "It's not right...It isn't..." Kalandra cried into Pinkgirl's shoulder. Vesiros walked over and rubbed Kalandra's back. "I'm sorry you feel bad, Kala, but the show's gotta go on, you know? Can't punish the fans by not having any show at all." Kalandra knew he was right, but couldn’t help but continue to cry. Vesiros and Pinkgirl's eyes met, knowing full well how much Kalandra loved Rumiko. Unfortunately, she was always infatuated with Emperor Tumult, and was never once interested in being with another woman. Despite those facts, Kalandra tried her best to be as close to her as possible. But with Rumiko's recent decisions, she knew she had no chance. "We go on in ten minutes, Kala..." Pinkgirl said lightly, taking a quick glance on at the nearest clock. Kalandra left her embrace and wiped her tears away. "No, you're right...Time to kick this club right in the ass!" Kalandra screamed, hiding her sorrow behind a happy sneer of rebellion. She stormed out of the room and headed for the stage, leaving Pinkgirl and Vesiros behind dumbfounded. "That was a speedy recovery, don't you think?" Pinkgirl asked, completely lost, as she always is in these situations. ------------- Sitting at the bar was proving to be a very bad idea, as Rumiko could feel all the angry eyes of every patron in the room. The hundreds that had arrived to see her headline with Girl Attack obviously got wind of her quitting and wasn’t too pleased. The air grew so hostile, Rumiko hoped that she didn't have to soon physically protect herself. Keeping her cool, she sat against the bar and stared out onto the stage, where the curtains where still down. She began to wonder how Kalandra was doing. "Forget that chick, she's just angry because you want Tumult and not her!" Gravedancer shouted, an air of drunkenness in his voice. So powerful a warrior and unable to hold his liquor. "Drink your drink and leave me be..." Rumiko shouted, crossing her arms in disgust. Gravedancer just sat and drank, smiling as stupidly as he could. "Like that old human expression, you made your bed, now die in it..." "That's 'make your bed and lie in it, dolt." She turned her nose up and away at Gravedancer and headed towards the front door, wanting to get some more fresh air. He stared back Rumiko and sneered. "Dumb, self-righteous broad…Nice set of yumyums though.” Just as Gravedancer was about to take another drink, a statuesque and scantily clad woman in a cowboy hat sat down at the stool beside him. With her serious demeanor and giant gun hanging on her back, Gravedancer could tell she was a fellow mercenary. And a very sexy one at that. He was a bit bothered with the fact that he didn't recognize her though. He had always made it a habit to know all the other hired guns that were out in the world, since they were competition and all. "Hey babe, new to the scene? I never seen one as sexy as you, let me tell ya!" chuckled Gravedancer, trying to hide his drunkenness with a false suave tone. The woman didn't look his way, but did reach over and grab the bottle he was drinking from. With still a good amount of liquor still in it, the woman tilted her head back and drank the entire thing. Gravedancer began to laugh. "Oh Hells yeah! You are one fine broad! You really know how to knock it back!" he screamed, hoping up in his chair in approval. The woman smiled and put the empty bottle back on the counter, adjusting the fancy shades she wore over her eyes. "My energy cells were in need of the alcohol fuel contained in these drinks," the woman said in a very sensuous tone. But Gravedancer didn't much like the sound of her voice, detecting a hint of electronic falseness in it. "Aw dammit, I got fooled again...You one of those ThunderKiss-model androids, aren't ya?" he asked in a disappointed tone. The woman smiled a bit, as a small flash of white energy illuminated from behind her shades. Gravedancer hated these droids with a fierceness, as they were slowly becoming the choice of those in need of mercenary services. But despite the hate, he still couldn't keep his eyes off her voluptuous breasts. “ThunderKiss model #64 to be precise, newly built and battle ready. I take it by the way you are looking at me you thought I was a real woman then?" "Well yeah, I mean you have such a dynamite body...For a damn droid I mean.” ThunderKiss flashed an approving smile. The smile waned when his focus switched to the large gun on her back. "This is known as a Sunspot Cannon...The specs of this gun are classified by the Guild of Vampire Hunters." "A G.O.V.H. secret weapon, huh? Nice to see those pussies finally getting their act together…Listen, maybe you could show me how it works, huh?" ThunderKiss 64 smiled again. As they shared smiles, Girl Attack came on the stage to a roar of cheers. "Aw yeah, time for the god damned entertainment!" Gravedancer screamed, getting up off the stool and clapping. ThunderKiss ignored the cheering and requested another drink. "If you think that is interesting, wait until you see what will be coming next," she whispered to herself before drinking down another bottle. ------------- "Yeah! Mistress Nanba might have left you to the dust, but we won't ever, 'cause we're...Girl Attack!!!" screamed Kalandra into her floating microphone sphere, as the ruckus crowd grew even more louder. She did her very best to keep back the tears that wanted to fall, replacing the sadness with unbridled fury. She thrust her left fist in the air again and again, wanting the crowd to do the same. Like lemmings, they did just that. "Wow Kala, you really got them going!" screamed Pinkgirl. Kalandra covered the mic. "We're gonna have to be at the top of our game if we plan to carry the rest of this tour, right?" she screamed back. Pinkgirl shrugged her shoulders before placing her fingers on the base strings. Kalandra looked back out into the crowd and screamed. "Yeah! This first song if for all you bastard sons of Father Dracula everywhere, we fuck'n love you! It's called...Bloody Peche!" The crowd began to scream and mosh maniacally, as that was one of their most popular songs. Vesiros began a drum solo, as the lights, ash, and smoke began to stream off stage. Just as they all began to perform, Kalandra took another look out in the crowd and suddenly froze. Pinkgirl and Vesiros had already begun their parts of the song, but she just continued to stare out fearfully. Pinkgirl walked over to Kalandra, still playing her holographic bass. "Kala, you gonna play this set or not, what the Hell?" Kalandra dropped her guitar and pointed to someone standing in the middle of the crowd. A very large woman in fancy sunglasses and a cowboy hat stood in the middle of the crowd, pointing a very large gun in their direction. The crowd around her were too hyped up to even notice. Pinkgirl stopped playing and fell to her knees. "I guess she doesn't like our music..." Pinkgirl whimpered as the front nozzle of the woman's gun began to light up, ready to fire. ------------- Rumiko flew about ten feet from the front door as the Deviant Vamp exploded in a searing ball of orange fire. She quickly recovered and landed on her feet several yards away, only to look back and find hundreds of people jumping out of the rubble, on fire and screaming out in pain. She then noticed a very large figure in the rubble, who was walking out with barely a scratch on her and not burning at all. A woman in fancy sunglasses and a cowboy hat, who wielded a large gun in her hands, its nozzle emitting smoke. Rumiko quickly tore off her cloak and prepared herself for battle. "You! Why have you done such a thing?" she screamed, a light purple aura covering her fingers. The woman fully stepped out of the rubble, unapologetically stepping on a few corpses along the way. "Just business, vampire, of which has yet to be fully completed..." The woman was about to aim her gun, when a figure jumped from the rubble and pushed her to the ground. He then pulled out a very large blade and cut the woman's gun in half before it hit the ground. "Rumiko, get outta here, this is a ThunderKiss Android, it'll kill you!" screamed Gravedancer, tossing the blade he just used in favor of his favorite butterfly swords. He charged forward intending to cut ThunderKiss 64, only to have both his swords shatter against her face. She then spun around and kicked him in the gut, sending him back into the rubble. The thought that Kalandra and the rest of Girl Attack were in the explosion suddenly hit Rumiko, who immediately felt like crying. But instead of sadness, a raging fire came forth, and she found herself running toward the ThunderKiss android, poised to strike. "How dare you!” she screamed, her hands exploding in a searing purple flame. ThunderKiss smiled as Rumiko buried two palm strikes into her abdomen. While the strikes would have killed any normal human or vampire, it barely left a dent. Rumiko stood back, surprised such a powerful technique taught to her by Tumult himself didn’t work. ThunderKiss smiled before reaching over and flicking a finger against Rumiko’s chest. She suddenly flew backward several yards, hitting the side of an abandoned building violently. “Sorry poptart, my NNA skin is too tough for those delicate hands of yours.” Gravedancer and Rumiko both took a step back after hearing what the android said. Neo Nekurio Alloy was a powerful synthetic metal blessed with the ability to withstand all forms of Nekuriochi, the inner spirit of vampires. A banned metal throughout most parts of the world except amongst the dwindling population of humans, who used it to protect themselves. This was the first time to their knowledge of an android built with it. “What ‘business’ brings you to murder innocent vampires? WHAT?” screamed Rumiko, slowly rising to her feet and clutching at her left arm. Although horribly dislocated, Rumiko could feel her body quickly setting it back in place. ThunderKiss 64 rubbed her abdomen of any leftover soot and began to laugh. “My master told me to come and eliminate any who would prevent him from executing his plans. We know you and the bald merc are associated with the vampire emperor. We know he plans an attack against my master’s home. I was sent to make sure none of you even try.” ThunderKiss suddenly ran forward, burying a fierce punch into Rumiko’s stomach. She fell at her feet, crying out in pain. ThunderKiss then reached down and picked her up by the throat. Her seven-foot frame made Rumiko look like a mere child. “Well then, you have two choices, vampire. You can tell me what the emperor knows of my master’s plans and die quickly…Or you stay silent and die very, very slowly. Which will it be?” Rumiko did her best to free from the android’s grasp, but it was fruitless. With her Nekuriochi disabled, she was no stronger than an average human. ThunderKiss began to squeeze even tighter, figuring Rumiko would say nothing. The bones in Rumiko’s throat began to break when a powerful wind blew through the area. ThunderKiss let Rumiko go and spun around, feeling the presence of another. Taking off her sunglasses, she found a small figure in a horribly stitched red cloak standing by the Deviant Vamp’s rubble. The small figure was gently stroking the back of a small black kitten. “Stop hurting Mistress Nanba, unless you want to lose those arms, android.” The kitten jumped out of the figure’s hands, hissing at ThunderKiss. The figure then tore off the cloak, revealing a very determined young girl with magenta colored hair and the clothing of a werewolf hunter. “How sweet, a little vampire girl. Goodbye.” ThunderKiss ran forward and threw a speeding punch towards the girl’s head. The girl stood her ground. Rumiko tried to call out to the girl, but the broken bones in her throat had yet to heal. ThunderKiss leapt up into the air, looking to drive her punch right through the girl’s face. “This is what you get for interrupting my business!” ThunderKiss screamed, about to land the punch. The girl then brought up one of her arms, showing off a spiked bracelet. A tiny thin nozzle appeared from one of the spikes, pointed up at ThunderKiss. “Astral Comet.” A bright magenta light began to appear from the nozzle. In a sudden flash of light, a giant beam of energy burst from the tiny nozzle, hitting ThunderKiss point-blank in the chest. The beam continued to stream out, sending the surprised android up into the air. The girl continued to fire the beam, knocking the android into a nearby rotting skyscraper. ThunderKiss crashed into it, as the beam cut the building in half. The beam then ceased firing, the thin nozzle going back into the spike. “By the sacred blood of Father Dracula…What power…” Rumiko whispered, as the bones in her throat fully healed. The girl watched the rotten skyscraper collapse down before walking over to Rumiko, helping her back on her feet. Rumiko stared down at the girl and her strange kitten. “Who are you anyway? I’ve never seen such power in the hands of any vampire other than Tumult, let alone a child…” Rumiko asked, trying to convince herself of what she saw. The girl slightly smiled before blushing and looking away. “Most people call me Magenta, because of my hair…But you can call me Bantam if you want.” An explosion in the nearby rubble of the sky scraper caused them both to look in its direction. ThunderKiss suddenly rushed out of it and began to head in their direction, her body crackling with electricity. Despite missing both her arms and most of her head from Bantam’s blast, ThunderKiss was still fully functional and still up for battle. Bantam and Rumiko stood fast, preparing for battle. ThunderKiss was about to jump onto the both of them, when a thin purple beam of energy blasted down from above, severing ThunderKiss’ head from her body. Bantam and Rumiko stared up in the direction of the energy and found Emperor Tumult standing on top of a nearby building. His long trenchcoat blew in the stagnant winds, as did his long scarf-covered hair. “Master Tumult!” Rumiko gushed, clasping her hands together. Bantam herself had never met the noble emperor before, but had no problem coming to his beckoning. In the blink of an eye, Tumult floated down and stood over ThunderKiss’ head, which still surprisingly functioned. “Why if it isn’t Emperor Tumult…” ThunderKiss laughed, staring up at Tumult with her one good eye. Tumult just stared down with cold purple eyes. “Toussaint must be desperate in fulfilling his plans to have sent such a contraption to preempt my dark gathering…” Tumult said, his deep voice echoing out. ThunderKiss laughed, her good eye flashing. A sudden pink laser shot out from it, slicing a thin gash across Tumult’s left cheek. The wound immediately closed up. “Lord Toussaint will stop at nothing to destroy this filthy world you rule over! Do you think we are afraid of you?” ThunderKiss screamed out. Tumult suddenly raised his large armor plated boot and stomped down hard onto ThunderKiss’ head, smashing it to bits. The stomp was so powerful that a huge crater formed around the blow, it’s force causing the area to shake. “Who said any of you had to be?” Tumult answered, walking away from the crater. Rumiko quickly ran up and wanted to hug him. But knowing that would be out of place, she instead stopped in front of him and bowed. Tumult nodded in approval and then took notice of Bantam standing a few feet away. “Who is the child?” he asked, intrigued. Rumiko smiled. “That is Bantam Magenta, Master Tumult! She saved me from being destroyed by the android!” Rumiko said enthusiastically. Bantam stood there blushing, finding Tumult to be as handsome as she had heard. Tumult narrowed his eyes while giving Bantam the ‘once over’. “You’re the famous star of the Society of Lycanthrope Assassins, huh? Pretty impressive I must say," she said, giving Bantam a thumb’s up. A rustling in the Deviant Vamp’s rubble caused them all to look over, finding Gravedancer sitting in it, drinking from a flask of liquor. “So, great Emperor Tumult, just what the Hell was all this shit all about anyway?” he said with disdain, taking another swig from his flask. Tumult began to walk away from Rumiko and Bantam. “I called you all here because your services will be needed to its utmost. A madman by the name of Toussaint Arghast has put together a series of plans in the destruction of the entire world.” “Oooo, so scary, is that all? So some wackadoo wants the world destroyed, he wouldn’t be any different from any other wackjob out there. You’re so powerful, why don’t you just go to where he lives and low the piss outta him?” Gravedancer bellowed, angered that his liquor had run dry. “If it were that simple, I’d have done it already. No, this situation requires a more delicate approach. Bantam here can explain.” Bantam stood strait upon hearing her name, although she had no idea what Tumult meant. He walked over and bent down in front of her. Rumiko was deeply surprised to see the emperor act such a way, having never seen him bow before anyone. “Could you be a dear and tell them how many werewolves are currently roaming the planet?” Tumult asked, staring deep into her bright blue eyes. Bantam suddenly looked away, afraid there would be something in them he could detect… “S.O.L.A. estimates have the lycanthropes as the most dominant species in the world, outnumbering vampires two to one and humans ninety to one.” “Thank you.” Tumult said, rising back to his feet. Gravedancer stumbled out of the rubble, shaking his flask at Tumult. “Big freaking deal, everybody knows there are millions of those buggers running around. But what the Hell does that have to do with everything?” Tumult gave a cold stare over at him. “Imagine what would happen if all those creatures went berserk. If every singe one of them attacked life as we know it. Imagine if some maniac had the ability to drive them to commit genocide on us all.” “Every single non lycanthrope in the world would be killed if that happened!” Bantam said shockingly. Gravedancer shrugged his shoulders. “First off, those dumb beasts for the most part are peaceful, they’d never all go nuts at the same time. Second, no one could ever have the power to do such a thing.” Tumult shook his head and pointed out towards the Twilight Forest. “Toussaint Arghast has somehow achieved such a terrible power. He is currently in his fortress right now building up the strength to enact his holocaust upon the world. Unless we can prevent him from doing so in the next few hours…” Rumiko and Gravedancer grew silent, hearing the seriousness of his tone. Bantam in the meantime began to wonder what exactly she had gotten herself into. End of 01