Kiripu's liberation
Kiripu checked his mane in the mirror. Everything was intact. It seemed that it really was just someone's ideal of a joke. Snapping his fingers he called forth a small burst of magic and smiled. It seemed everything was truly back to normal. Fun was fun but next time he'd be the one pulling the prank on the stranger when they met again. Kiripu put on his armor. They would be expecting him at the meeting place soon and his little run in this morning would be a thing of the past. Even so he remembered how it all began...
Stay tuned to this station for the latest on the crusade of Admiral Riona to liberate the people of a world named Furatis by the inhabitants. The news cast ended with a view of the admiral directing her troops from the front line. Her hair was blowing and as artillery whizzed by. Kiripu's eyes the vid segment "Boy, she looks determined. Heeeey, I'm over here and in of need of liberation, helloooooo. Pretty admiral lady?!"
"You realizes that this is a just a broadcast recoding don't you?" asked his buddy Beever.
"Yeah I know but wouldn't it be something is she really did come here?" The new arrival at the end of the bar laughed but offered nothing else.
Kiripu sipped his neon blue drink. That guy at the end of the bar, there was something familiar about him but he wasn't sure what. Either way he wasn't about to let that spoil his night. He and Beever joked around for a few more minutes then started to talk about an old campaign they'd been on a few years back. As the night wore on the guy at the bar left and plans were made for later in the week. Yawning they decide to call it a night and Kiripu was soon in his home polishing up his armor. No sense waiting for the last minute like some many others did. Besides he took pride in his tools and made sure to take proper care of them.
The campaign had been an eventful and successful one. Kiripu invested his money on have his gun tuned up. It wasn't bad yet but about half way through the mission it started pulling to the left around 3 feet at a distance of 20 meters. He'd run into that stranger around town twice more since the night at bar and still didn't know who it was but was sure that they'd met before. He wasn't hurting anyone and didn't seem to really want anything he just hung out near the bar. He'd been seen doing a few odd jobs but no one knew who he was or what he was doing here. It had been almost a week since that night in the bar and Kiripu had almost forgotten about him until he saw him painting a local shop one his way back for the weapons store. The stranger had waved his hand without speaking with out even turning around he'd known someone was there. Kiripu felt sure that the stranger had known who as well.
It was a cloudy night a hair's breathe after 2am and Kiripu was lying awake in his bed. He'd been woken mere moments before by the feeling of a presence in his room. He wasn't sure exactly where they were but he knew they were close. His eyes were still closed but he had other senses that he used the probe the room around him. The intruder was silent Kiripu couldn't even hear his breath or heart beat. He knew who it was after all there was only one person he could think of. Who it had to be but they said nothing. They did nothing but wait in the shadows. Minutes passed and he wondered if the stranger would attack or speak or what.
"Be careful what you wish for..." the voice was odd and seemed to echo it's self. It was a whisper that was more of a suggestion of sound then actually speech. "Sometimes what we wish for is really the last thing we want" the presence seemed at first to fade then to intensify without coming any closer. "I know you're not sleep but that is fine. You are not the one I search for either."
Kiripu was out of the bed in less then a second and he faced the dark coroner where the presence was. Nothing was there. He was sure he'd felt someone there but now there was no one in the shadowed corner. The moon light filtered into the room as Kiripu watched a dark orb appeared in the corner under the moon light. It was small about the size of a marble and it was hovering at around eight feet 7 inches high.
Kiripu held his hand out over the orb not touching it. He didn't sense any malevolence force in the orb. In fact, he barely sensed any magic in the thing. So what was that it doing here in his room? What was this nonsense about wishing and being careful what you wished for? Suddenly the orb flashed expanding into nothing. Kiripu blinked rubbing his eyes. It had been so sudden he'd not had a moment to implement a defense. What had happened? He looked around felt around everything seems unchanged even so he didn't like it.
The rest of the night had passed slowly for Kiripu as he'd rechecked his gear. He was uneasy and he didn't like it. The armor checked out so his sword and gun. Still something wasn't right here so to put his mind at ease he decided he'd go for a walk. It seemed that the visitor had simply been there to mess with his mid but he still wondered why he'd bother to come at all. As he was walking past an alley he hears and familiar voice saying "...and I'll not rest until all the oppressed people of the galaxy are liberated from this injustice."
Kiripu smiled and chuckled. "I sure wish she'd come here and liberate me" he said. The block ended and he sighed. The sun would rise soon and he'd been walking for a few hours. He didn't know what he expected but he hadn't found it.
The sun had just started to rise as he passed by an alley near where he's heard the broadcast. Who ever had been listing had shut off the vidcast. "Be free of your burdens downtrodden soul!" Kiripu heard before his instincts had him lunge away from where he stood. Turning he saw a nightmare made flesh. She roughly resembled the Admiral but she was almost naked and wearing what looked liked some sort of lace exo suited. That was not the worst of it, where he had stood mere moments ago were several jagged leg like appendages were just shy of ripping into the street. They looked liked solid lighting flickering in the half light had shadow of the approaching dawn. "Do not worry, I shall liberate you form the burdens of this world."
Kiripu jumped back his hand reached for his gun only to realize he'd left it at home. "Liberate me?" he asked trying to figure out what this ghoul was going one about. And where were his powers? He could still feel them but he couldn't seem to actually access them. It was like he was bound with his own might holding him back. "Why would you want to do that?"
"Come on Kiripu, Didn't you say that you wanted to be liberated?" the ghoul asked her blades seeming to drip with a hunger for his blood.
The wish! Kiripu realized. That's was the person was talking about! "Thanks but I think I'll pass" Kiripu shouted and ran for his home and his weapons. The ghoul laughed fading into the light of day as the sun rose dismissing the dreams of the dark. In the shadows the stranger shook his head. It wasn't the person he was looking for but seemed have more sense that lost boy who would have stood around trying to fight and gotten killed with his powers seal inside of him. This Kiripu how ever seemed realize that this was more or less a joke at his expense and decided not to take it any further.
So very few people realized that voyaging becomes such drudgery after a while and when the goal is not in sight a diversion is often welcome. Kiripu was never truly in danger anyway. As strong as his powers are they were impossible to suppress completely even with the psyche impression orb that he'd left in his room was unequal to the task. The stranger turned and walked into the shadows of the fading night. He would rest in Erebus today and tomorrow the journey to find his missing lighter half would begin there games again.