NaNoWriMo Novel Teaser: Blades
[WP]There were eight swords, and each sword could control an element: earth, water, air, fire, light, darkness, life, and death. You somehow managed to find the Life and Death sword.
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"You've got to be kidding me," I said, sitting up. "How is that even possible?"
"Well, I might have twisted the truth there. Maverick did give me the sword, he just didn't know when or how he did,"
"How did the two of you cross paths?"
"It was at an auction. I was there with Connors; but we were both disguised. Apparently, the precious guardian of the sword was killed but luckily, he hid the sword amongst his belongings before his death. A huge gamble, I admit, but I guess the situation was that dire and it was all he could manage."
"Wow, that's...tough."
"Tell me about it. It was quite a closed auction, open to only family and one or two investors, one of which was Maverick. He didn't know who we were, but Connors had told me about him and pointed him out to me there too. During the auction he managed to outdo us for the marble statue of the constellation Aquarius. I really thought it was going to be in there, so it was a bummer..."
She had my full attention, but she just looked to make sure I was still awake.
"...well, there was another object there. The Water Sword. The auctioneer - the dead man's close friend - didn't know what it was, so he announced it as an expensive sword which his friend loved so dearly. I and Connors went for it immediately, and when we saw that Maverick really thought it was the real thing, we began topping all his calls by ten thousand dollars."
"What?! You guys surely didn't have that type of money!"
"Of course we didn't. The goal was to make Maverick think that we were getting payback for the marble statue, and it worked perfectly. We got the statue for 750,000 dollars, but we knew we weren't going to pay a dime."
"Smooth," I said, giving her a fist bump as we both laughed. "So how did it play out?"
"Maverick met us after the auction and asked us if we would be willing to swap our objects and prices paid as well. When we acted skeptical, saying that the sword looked like a real expensive relic which we could sell for twice the price, he offered to pay for the statue and the sword at the same time."
"Rich and stupid, huh?"
"He is a smart man, I must say, but at that moment, desperation had clouded his reasoning. He agreed to our terms, and after two weeks, payment was made and we both got our stuff. Just as Connors as I suspected, the real sword has hidden in a secret compartment inside the statue which could only be accessed by pressing on the right thumb of the water pourer. The previous guardian, Alan Garrick liked cryptic stuff like that, so it was obvious the other sword was a gimmick to throw off people like Maverick who knew nothing about him."
I was impressed. "Brilliant. Just...brilliant."
"I'm sure he was damn pissed off when he found out he got that. I wish we crossed paths again, just to see his reaction, but that wasn't to be, I guess. Until Connors died. I guess I'm cursed to lose everything in life."
"You have me." I said, looking at her.
"Aside from a reclusive loser who lived away from society, who are you?"
"Ouch," I said, grinning at her.
"Sorry, I just got emotionally carried away. I know all about you, based on the information we could get about you..."
"How did you know I was the next guardian?"
"When the time comes, the name and location of the next guardian are inscribed on the sword. Then the previous guardian begins to get visions and trances specific to the new guardian's current location and how to find them."
"You got all these from Connors?"
"Yes. He wanted to go get you himself. Well, he was the only one from the previous generation concerned about Maverick. The rest just wanted to get this all behind them."
"So you guys ran a background check?"
"Yes. Your life is almost as sad as mine. Dad in prison for life, A depressed mother who committed suicide on the night before your graduation, you've had it tough. So I understand that the swords may have chosen you since you have the mental fortitude to withstand physical and emotional strain, but what about the will to go on? To move forward?" she asked.
Her questions, her concern, all of that was genuine.
"I'm...not a person who likes to lose. Not anymore."
"Isn't that beautiful?" a strange voice said behind them. Turning, they met the gaze of a man with bandages around his neck and hands and a crooked smile on his lips. "Is this what guardians do with their time?"
Within a flash, Frost had her whip around his neck. "I'll ask you this once...who the hell are you?"
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@Leo_kitti, @Hanzell, @Gwenie, @gertu13 who do you think their mystery visitor is?
Bu bu bummmmm! There's the guardian of light!!! He made it to the safe houseee