Mystic_clown
2nd October 2006, 01:14 AM
Have you ever felt that your life sucks?
Have you ever felt that things just never go your way after one bad day?
Well, cry me a river, build me a bridge and get over it!
You think your life sucks? Try living in the Central Shadow Realm. Depending on what you are, your life can suck from the beginning of your existence! Being treated like dirt and having to bend over backwards for people you secretly want to kick them where it hurts…
…well, unless the person in question’s a machine or a rock. That would just hurt.
But anyway, being lower class is bad enough, but being lower class in a place like this, now that sucks.
Now, the only way for someone like that to make his life worthwhile, is to do something that’ll most likely get you killed.
But hey, who wants to liver forever right?
[SIZE=7]
Shadow Realm: Neo
Prologue: Another Day
All was dark and silent in the cave. Well, almost silent. The sound of quiet footsteps echoed on the stone walls as a cloaked figure moved through the darkness. The figure’s eyes roamed the enormous chamber, searching for something. A small smirk appeared on his lips as he found it.
“Bingo.”
He pulled the hood of his cloak back as he strode quickly, yet quietly over to the wall. His face was a little pale, with blazing green eyes and pale blonde hair, which cascaded down his back. Underneath his cloak, it could be seen that he was wearing green armour, a brown undershirt and brown gloves and pants. A long sword hung by his side.
He was Neo the magic swordsman, or at least, one of many.
His race, like a number of others, had a pretty interesting story. The original Neo was just a magic swordsman who gave himself a name. Due to a great amount of skill he showed in the first Dragon War, his entire race became known as Neo the Magic Swordsman. Of course, this was a mouthful so everyone just called them Neo. This happened to a number of races, such as the Harpies Brother (only one was really their brother, and he was in government), Doma Angel of Silence, the list goes on. For some reason or another, the whole race got stuck with the name of the original.
He, like all Neo’s didn’t go by that name however. They altered their name one way or another to set them apart. His original number was N022. So, after switching some numbers to letters, Neo gave himself the name Nozz. It was an odd name, but he always felt comfortable with it.
There was also another thing that set Nozz apart from the other Neos. While a few joined the police force and the army, most remained as drifters, a lot like the original.
Nozz wasn’t a drifter though. He was a criminal. Becoming a criminal was the only way low level monsters such as him were going to get any respect in the Central Shadow Realm. Just ask the Dark Scorpions.
Right now, Nozz was in the second of the three caves, three caves before the Iron Door. Each cave had its own guardian, and these guys were not to be messed with.
The first was an Ultimate Obedient Fiend. Legend has it that Exodia dragged this fiend out of Dark World, slapped some chains on it and ordered it to guard the cave. Nozz couldn’t help but respect Exodia because of this. You’ve got to respect a monster that can drag a monster like that out of its home and turn it into a guard dog.
The second was the fearsome Gate Guardian. The three deities, Sanga of the Thunder, Kazejin and Suijin all merged into this giant and swore loyalty to Exodia. Nozz often wondered why they did this. Sure, the Gate Guardians one of the scariest things on two legs, but the deities were pretty powerful separate. Now they’re stuck with each other forever.
The third was Airknight Parshath. Now, compared to the Ultimate Obedient Fiend and Gate Guardian, he doesn’t seem like much. Except Exodia gave this guy the legendary sword Excalibur, making him a force to be reckoned with. Still, Nozz always felt something like a Perfect Ultimate Great Moth would have done just as well, except those guys take almost forever to breed.
However, guarding the door wasn’t the only thing these caves were for. Many of the richest monsters in the Shadow Realm saw fit to store their most valuable possessions here. These caves seemed safer then any bank. After all, who’d be stupid enough to try and steal stuff being guarded by these guys?
Well apparently, Nozz was.
He had gotten past the first cave easy enough. Sure, the Ultimate Obedient Fiend was a fearsome beast, but it had to sleep once in a while. Nozz simply camped outside the cave until it took a nap (he was out there for three days). Now all he had to do was grab as much stuff as he could carry and get out of there, all while avoiding the guardian of this cave (no points for guessing who that is).
Nozz grinned at the rare magic and trap cubes laid everywhere. Money was easy to come by for the rich and powerful, but cubes like these are a real rarity. Pulling a small bag from his cloak, he began grabbing them and stuffing them into his bag.
“Hmm, Mystical Wok, that’s a nice one. Ooh, Monster Reborn. That’ll bring in a fair bit. Fairy Meteor Crush, Rope of Life…hey, Rare Metalmorph. I’ve been looking for this one.”
He suppressed a chuckle of glee as his hands glided over the treasure trove of rare magic and trap cubes, picking up the ones he knew would fetch a nice price on the black market.
It was then something occurred to him.
Where’s the Gate Guardian? I mean, here I am, pinching some of the best magic ad trap cubes money can by, and that overgrown totem’s nowhere to be seen.
As if answering to his thoughts, a deep growl emitted from behind him. Nozz’s blood ran cold.
Curse my damn brain!
Nozz slowly turned to see a pair of glowing golden eyes just inches from his face.
The Gate Guardian was standing right behind him, and bending down so it was eye level to Nozz.
The magic swordsman grinned nervously.
“Hi,” he said, hoping that by trying to make friends with it, it wouldn’t stomp him into the dirt.
It didn’t work.
The mammoth monster rose to its full height, shaking the cave with a explosive bellow as electricity charged in its arms. Nozz’s eyes diluted out of fear before diving to the side, just narrowly avoiding the Gate Guardian’s burst of thunder.
Drawing his sword, Nozz dashed to get behind the massive beast. Judging by its size, Nozz figured it would be a bit slow to turn out.
Once again, Nozz was wrong.
The mid section of the Gate Guardian, which used to be Kazejin, swivelled around to face Nozz. Nozz’s eyes widened as the monster’s second mouth took a massive breath in, sucking almost everything in the chamber towards it. Nozz was forced to jam his sword into the floor to prevent being suck it.
The sucking stopped, and Nozz smirked.
“Nice try,” he chuckled. He spoke to soon.
The Gate Guardian’s second mouth let out a heavy blast of wind, sending the unfortunate blonde slamming into the wall. It took Nozz a good few seconds to regain his sense, just into time to see the Gate Guardian pulling back a massive fist.
Nozz yelped out in fright and jumped as the massive fist crunched into the wall. Nozz landed gracefully on the giants arm and, sword in hand, charged up its arm towards what he thought might be its head.
He brought his sword down with a clang…and nothing happened.
“Oh…right,” Nozz muttered sheepishly, “metal body…”
You idiot! What made you think you could take that thing on!? Just look at the size of that damn thing!
Growling in anger, the Gate Guardian grabbed hold of the spell caster, throwing him hard into the wall. Nozz regained his senses to see the eyes on the monster’s lower section, which used to be Suijin glow a bright blue. He didn’t get a chance to stop the blast of water it fired from its third mouth.
He couldn’t breath. The pressure of the blast kept him stuck against the wall. He could feel the whole chamber filling with water. He felt as if the pressure was going to crush him.
It didn’t.
Surprisingly enough, the torrent of water died down, just was the water level just reached above his stomach.
“What the…?” Nozz was confused. He had heard that the Gate Guardian’s Typhoon Assault attack could rip flesh from bone. Guess those legends were false after all. He looked up at the Gate Guardian.
Or maybe it just wanted to prolong Nozz’s suffering. It was pretty clear judging by the electricity charging in the monster’s arms.
It didn’t want to drown him, it wanted to fry him.
Nozz cried out in fright as he spun around, trying to clamber up the stone wall, which was difficult considering all the water that was holding him down. He looked back to see the Gate Guardian ready to electrify the water. With one last burst of effort, Nozz pulled himself out of the water, just as electricity coursed through it. He curled himself up as close as he can, feeling the sting of the electrified water just inches from him. If he let go, or he lowered any part of himself a few inches, he was as good as dead.
He could feel his grip slipping. He couldn’t let go! Not after all he went through!
He couldn’t hold on, the ledge he grabbed onto slipped free…
And he landed harmlessly in the water.
Oh thank the gods! Slifer, Ra, Obelisk, I love you all!!
The Gate Guardian’s attack had subsided seconds before hitting the water.
Getting to his feet, he began scrambling to get behind the giant monster a second time, which was difficult with all the water in the way…unless you were a fish, see serpent or aqua monster. Unfortunately, Nozz was none of those things. He did notice however that the Gate Guardian was having trouble moving as well.
Of course! The guardian’s legs are of a water elemental! The dope shocked himself!
He chuckled as he slowly made his way around the mammoth guardian, who was trying to over come the slightly paralysis in its legs. It didn’t take a genius to know that Nozz was outmatched, so he was doing the only smart thing.
Get the hell out of there before Gate Guardian.
As he struggled to the entrance, he suddenly began to find it a lot easier to move. Almost as if the water was vanishing.
He looked down and realized it was.
The Gate Guardian was sucking all the water back into itself, along with a huge mouthful of air. Nozz could also see electricity being charged around the metal plate just above its eyes.
Nozz paled. This was the attack people dreaded. Where the Gate Guardian combines all of its elements together.
The Tempest Attack.
The Gate Guardian fired. A powerful blast of wind, water and lightning, all aimed directly at Nozz. Nozz managed to dive out of the way, but not before the sheer force of the attack sent the blonde flying into a wall. The Magic Swordsman was knocked three ways to unconsciousness.
Nozz regained his senses to see the Gate Guardian looming over him, ready to deliver one last punch. Nozz frantically searched through his cape for the trap and magic cubes he brought along with him, hoping for something he could use. Any good thief brings trap and magic cubes with them. Doing otherwise is just plain stupid.
The Gate Guardian bellowed and Nozz grabbed a random cube and activated it.
Nozz closed his eyes. The Gate Guardian swung…
…and hit the wall just above Nozz.
Nozz opened his eyes to see a green glow surrounding the Gate Guardian, and that it was no floating off the ground. Nozz noticed the same glow around him and he too was floating. He looked at the cube in his hand.
Zero Gravity. Nozz could kiss the thing right now.
He couldn’t help but laugh as the Gate Guardian swung its arms in vein to try and reach Nozz. Only, it had floated to far away to reach him. Turning himself around, Nozz pulled himself along the all to the entrance of the cave.
Finally reaching it, he looked back at the Gate Guardian, who had finally given up and was just floating there, glaring at him.
“Maybe next time big guy,” Nozz laugh to he pulled himself through the entrance. He gave a small sigh of relief, now he could rest.
He grunted in pain however when he landed face first on the hard floor.
The Zero Gravity cube had worn off.
His eyes widened as he heard the enraged bellow of the Gate Guardian, and with renewed energy, shot to his feet and ran like Necros himself was after him.
The Ultimate Obedient Fiend was a bit confused to wake up to see a low level monster running out of his cave like a fairy out of Dark World.
Finally slowing down and coming to a stop, Nozz panted heavily for a moment before bursting into laughter. He had done it! He had outwitted two of the most dangerous monsters in the Central Shadow Realm! Him! A low level monster! He could kiss himself if it was possible.
Calming down, he sat on the ground and began looking through his bag, admiring the spoils of his little escapade.
“Aah,” he sighed, “No dog food for Nozz tonight.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Nozz spotted something move. He heard a sound like a stone being kicked. He was being watched!
Nozz shot to his feet and drew his sword. At the same time, yelps of fright came from behind a large rock.
“Don’t hurt us!”
“It’s only us!”
“We mean no harm!”
Nozz rolled his eyes as three forms fells from behind the rock.
They were, by pretty much everyone’s opinion, ugly. One had yellow skin, an ugly smile on his face and eyes on the end of long stalks.
The second was a lot more muscular, with green skin, one big eye in the middle of his face and an annoying grin with his tongue hanging out.
The third was black, with a little pot belly and a big now. He eyes were small on his face and like the other two, his mouth naturally revealed his teeth.
What these three had in common was the disturbing red Speedos they wore.
They were probably the lowest form of monster in the whole Shadow Realm.
The Ojamas.
It wasn’t a surprise that no one liked them. They looked weird, they smelled bad and they never shut up. Even Kuriboh’s were treated better then these guys (at least some weird minded monsters liked them as pets). These guys were the low of the low.
Nozz sighed in annoyance as he sheathed his sword.
“What are you three doing here?” he asked, annoyed.
The three looked down at their feet sheepishly.
“Well, we wanted to see you in action…” the yellow Ojama began.
“…and we knew you wouldn’t let us come with you…” the green one continued.
“…so we kinda followed you here,” the black finished.
The three yelped out in pain as Nozz gave each a punch to the head.
“What do I keep telling you idiots?” Nozz snarled, “You guys cant even fight off a Kuriboh, let alone take on any of the guys I run into in my job! I keep telling you guys to stay back at the hideout with the others! I don’t want to keep looking over my shoulder to see if you’re ok, even though I know I shouldn’t even bother.”
“But you do, so it shows that you care,” the Ojama yellow said. Nozz resisted the urge to strangle the little thing right there and then. Even though he refused to admit it, he did care about the little guys. They were like family to him. He took a deep breath to calm down.
“Anyway,” he said slowly, “You guys didn’t get in my way, and we did get some good stuff, so I’m willing to let it slide.” The three Ojamas smiled.
“Here,” Nozz tossed the bag over to the Ojama Black, who fell on his rear end catching it.
“since you’re here, you may as well carry it,” Nozz said as he turned and began walking, “Let’s go home.”
The three Ojamas nodded as they followed their friend, carrying the bag between them.
Coming up next: Nozz sells the spoils and gets a little information that’ll change his life. Stick around for chapter 1, “Big Plans”
Have you ever felt that things just never go your way after one bad day?
Well, cry me a river, build me a bridge and get over it!
You think your life sucks? Try living in the Central Shadow Realm. Depending on what you are, your life can suck from the beginning of your existence! Being treated like dirt and having to bend over backwards for people you secretly want to kick them where it hurts…
…well, unless the person in question’s a machine or a rock. That would just hurt.
But anyway, being lower class is bad enough, but being lower class in a place like this, now that sucks.
Now, the only way for someone like that to make his life worthwhile, is to do something that’ll most likely get you killed.
But hey, who wants to liver forever right?
[SIZE=7]
Shadow Realm: Neo
Prologue: Another Day
All was dark and silent in the cave. Well, almost silent. The sound of quiet footsteps echoed on the stone walls as a cloaked figure moved through the darkness. The figure’s eyes roamed the enormous chamber, searching for something. A small smirk appeared on his lips as he found it.
“Bingo.”
He pulled the hood of his cloak back as he strode quickly, yet quietly over to the wall. His face was a little pale, with blazing green eyes and pale blonde hair, which cascaded down his back. Underneath his cloak, it could be seen that he was wearing green armour, a brown undershirt and brown gloves and pants. A long sword hung by his side.
He was Neo the magic swordsman, or at least, one of many.
His race, like a number of others, had a pretty interesting story. The original Neo was just a magic swordsman who gave himself a name. Due to a great amount of skill he showed in the first Dragon War, his entire race became known as Neo the Magic Swordsman. Of course, this was a mouthful so everyone just called them Neo. This happened to a number of races, such as the Harpies Brother (only one was really their brother, and he was in government), Doma Angel of Silence, the list goes on. For some reason or another, the whole race got stuck with the name of the original.
He, like all Neo’s didn’t go by that name however. They altered their name one way or another to set them apart. His original number was N022. So, after switching some numbers to letters, Neo gave himself the name Nozz. It was an odd name, but he always felt comfortable with it.
There was also another thing that set Nozz apart from the other Neos. While a few joined the police force and the army, most remained as drifters, a lot like the original.
Nozz wasn’t a drifter though. He was a criminal. Becoming a criminal was the only way low level monsters such as him were going to get any respect in the Central Shadow Realm. Just ask the Dark Scorpions.
Right now, Nozz was in the second of the three caves, three caves before the Iron Door. Each cave had its own guardian, and these guys were not to be messed with.
The first was an Ultimate Obedient Fiend. Legend has it that Exodia dragged this fiend out of Dark World, slapped some chains on it and ordered it to guard the cave. Nozz couldn’t help but respect Exodia because of this. You’ve got to respect a monster that can drag a monster like that out of its home and turn it into a guard dog.
The second was the fearsome Gate Guardian. The three deities, Sanga of the Thunder, Kazejin and Suijin all merged into this giant and swore loyalty to Exodia. Nozz often wondered why they did this. Sure, the Gate Guardians one of the scariest things on two legs, but the deities were pretty powerful separate. Now they’re stuck with each other forever.
The third was Airknight Parshath. Now, compared to the Ultimate Obedient Fiend and Gate Guardian, he doesn’t seem like much. Except Exodia gave this guy the legendary sword Excalibur, making him a force to be reckoned with. Still, Nozz always felt something like a Perfect Ultimate Great Moth would have done just as well, except those guys take almost forever to breed.
However, guarding the door wasn’t the only thing these caves were for. Many of the richest monsters in the Shadow Realm saw fit to store their most valuable possessions here. These caves seemed safer then any bank. After all, who’d be stupid enough to try and steal stuff being guarded by these guys?
Well apparently, Nozz was.
He had gotten past the first cave easy enough. Sure, the Ultimate Obedient Fiend was a fearsome beast, but it had to sleep once in a while. Nozz simply camped outside the cave until it took a nap (he was out there for three days). Now all he had to do was grab as much stuff as he could carry and get out of there, all while avoiding the guardian of this cave (no points for guessing who that is).
Nozz grinned at the rare magic and trap cubes laid everywhere. Money was easy to come by for the rich and powerful, but cubes like these are a real rarity. Pulling a small bag from his cloak, he began grabbing them and stuffing them into his bag.
“Hmm, Mystical Wok, that’s a nice one. Ooh, Monster Reborn. That’ll bring in a fair bit. Fairy Meteor Crush, Rope of Life…hey, Rare Metalmorph. I’ve been looking for this one.”
He suppressed a chuckle of glee as his hands glided over the treasure trove of rare magic and trap cubes, picking up the ones he knew would fetch a nice price on the black market.
It was then something occurred to him.
Where’s the Gate Guardian? I mean, here I am, pinching some of the best magic ad trap cubes money can by, and that overgrown totem’s nowhere to be seen.
As if answering to his thoughts, a deep growl emitted from behind him. Nozz’s blood ran cold.
Curse my damn brain!
Nozz slowly turned to see a pair of glowing golden eyes just inches from his face.
The Gate Guardian was standing right behind him, and bending down so it was eye level to Nozz.
The magic swordsman grinned nervously.
“Hi,” he said, hoping that by trying to make friends with it, it wouldn’t stomp him into the dirt.
It didn’t work.
The mammoth monster rose to its full height, shaking the cave with a explosive bellow as electricity charged in its arms. Nozz’s eyes diluted out of fear before diving to the side, just narrowly avoiding the Gate Guardian’s burst of thunder.
Drawing his sword, Nozz dashed to get behind the massive beast. Judging by its size, Nozz figured it would be a bit slow to turn out.
Once again, Nozz was wrong.
The mid section of the Gate Guardian, which used to be Kazejin, swivelled around to face Nozz. Nozz’s eyes widened as the monster’s second mouth took a massive breath in, sucking almost everything in the chamber towards it. Nozz was forced to jam his sword into the floor to prevent being suck it.
The sucking stopped, and Nozz smirked.
“Nice try,” he chuckled. He spoke to soon.
The Gate Guardian’s second mouth let out a heavy blast of wind, sending the unfortunate blonde slamming into the wall. It took Nozz a good few seconds to regain his sense, just into time to see the Gate Guardian pulling back a massive fist.
Nozz yelped out in fright and jumped as the massive fist crunched into the wall. Nozz landed gracefully on the giants arm and, sword in hand, charged up its arm towards what he thought might be its head.
He brought his sword down with a clang…and nothing happened.
“Oh…right,” Nozz muttered sheepishly, “metal body…”
You idiot! What made you think you could take that thing on!? Just look at the size of that damn thing!
Growling in anger, the Gate Guardian grabbed hold of the spell caster, throwing him hard into the wall. Nozz regained his senses to see the eyes on the monster’s lower section, which used to be Suijin glow a bright blue. He didn’t get a chance to stop the blast of water it fired from its third mouth.
He couldn’t breath. The pressure of the blast kept him stuck against the wall. He could feel the whole chamber filling with water. He felt as if the pressure was going to crush him.
It didn’t.
Surprisingly enough, the torrent of water died down, just was the water level just reached above his stomach.
“What the…?” Nozz was confused. He had heard that the Gate Guardian’s Typhoon Assault attack could rip flesh from bone. Guess those legends were false after all. He looked up at the Gate Guardian.
Or maybe it just wanted to prolong Nozz’s suffering. It was pretty clear judging by the electricity charging in the monster’s arms.
It didn’t want to drown him, it wanted to fry him.
Nozz cried out in fright as he spun around, trying to clamber up the stone wall, which was difficult considering all the water that was holding him down. He looked back to see the Gate Guardian ready to electrify the water. With one last burst of effort, Nozz pulled himself out of the water, just as electricity coursed through it. He curled himself up as close as he can, feeling the sting of the electrified water just inches from him. If he let go, or he lowered any part of himself a few inches, he was as good as dead.
He could feel his grip slipping. He couldn’t let go! Not after all he went through!
He couldn’t hold on, the ledge he grabbed onto slipped free…
And he landed harmlessly in the water.
Oh thank the gods! Slifer, Ra, Obelisk, I love you all!!
The Gate Guardian’s attack had subsided seconds before hitting the water.
Getting to his feet, he began scrambling to get behind the giant monster a second time, which was difficult with all the water in the way…unless you were a fish, see serpent or aqua monster. Unfortunately, Nozz was none of those things. He did notice however that the Gate Guardian was having trouble moving as well.
Of course! The guardian’s legs are of a water elemental! The dope shocked himself!
He chuckled as he slowly made his way around the mammoth guardian, who was trying to over come the slightly paralysis in its legs. It didn’t take a genius to know that Nozz was outmatched, so he was doing the only smart thing.
Get the hell out of there before Gate Guardian.
As he struggled to the entrance, he suddenly began to find it a lot easier to move. Almost as if the water was vanishing.
He looked down and realized it was.
The Gate Guardian was sucking all the water back into itself, along with a huge mouthful of air. Nozz could also see electricity being charged around the metal plate just above its eyes.
Nozz paled. This was the attack people dreaded. Where the Gate Guardian combines all of its elements together.
The Tempest Attack.
The Gate Guardian fired. A powerful blast of wind, water and lightning, all aimed directly at Nozz. Nozz managed to dive out of the way, but not before the sheer force of the attack sent the blonde flying into a wall. The Magic Swordsman was knocked three ways to unconsciousness.
Nozz regained his senses to see the Gate Guardian looming over him, ready to deliver one last punch. Nozz frantically searched through his cape for the trap and magic cubes he brought along with him, hoping for something he could use. Any good thief brings trap and magic cubes with them. Doing otherwise is just plain stupid.
The Gate Guardian bellowed and Nozz grabbed a random cube and activated it.
Nozz closed his eyes. The Gate Guardian swung…
…and hit the wall just above Nozz.
Nozz opened his eyes to see a green glow surrounding the Gate Guardian, and that it was no floating off the ground. Nozz noticed the same glow around him and he too was floating. He looked at the cube in his hand.
Zero Gravity. Nozz could kiss the thing right now.
He couldn’t help but laugh as the Gate Guardian swung its arms in vein to try and reach Nozz. Only, it had floated to far away to reach him. Turning himself around, Nozz pulled himself along the all to the entrance of the cave.
Finally reaching it, he looked back at the Gate Guardian, who had finally given up and was just floating there, glaring at him.
“Maybe next time big guy,” Nozz laugh to he pulled himself through the entrance. He gave a small sigh of relief, now he could rest.
He grunted in pain however when he landed face first on the hard floor.
The Zero Gravity cube had worn off.
His eyes widened as he heard the enraged bellow of the Gate Guardian, and with renewed energy, shot to his feet and ran like Necros himself was after him.
The Ultimate Obedient Fiend was a bit confused to wake up to see a low level monster running out of his cave like a fairy out of Dark World.
Finally slowing down and coming to a stop, Nozz panted heavily for a moment before bursting into laughter. He had done it! He had outwitted two of the most dangerous monsters in the Central Shadow Realm! Him! A low level monster! He could kiss himself if it was possible.
Calming down, he sat on the ground and began looking through his bag, admiring the spoils of his little escapade.
“Aah,” he sighed, “No dog food for Nozz tonight.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Nozz spotted something move. He heard a sound like a stone being kicked. He was being watched!
Nozz shot to his feet and drew his sword. At the same time, yelps of fright came from behind a large rock.
“Don’t hurt us!”
“It’s only us!”
“We mean no harm!”
Nozz rolled his eyes as three forms fells from behind the rock.
They were, by pretty much everyone’s opinion, ugly. One had yellow skin, an ugly smile on his face and eyes on the end of long stalks.
The second was a lot more muscular, with green skin, one big eye in the middle of his face and an annoying grin with his tongue hanging out.
The third was black, with a little pot belly and a big now. He eyes were small on his face and like the other two, his mouth naturally revealed his teeth.
What these three had in common was the disturbing red Speedos they wore.
They were probably the lowest form of monster in the whole Shadow Realm.
The Ojamas.
It wasn’t a surprise that no one liked them. They looked weird, they smelled bad and they never shut up. Even Kuriboh’s were treated better then these guys (at least some weird minded monsters liked them as pets). These guys were the low of the low.
Nozz sighed in annoyance as he sheathed his sword.
“What are you three doing here?” he asked, annoyed.
The three looked down at their feet sheepishly.
“Well, we wanted to see you in action…” the yellow Ojama began.
“…and we knew you wouldn’t let us come with you…” the green one continued.
“…so we kinda followed you here,” the black finished.
The three yelped out in pain as Nozz gave each a punch to the head.
“What do I keep telling you idiots?” Nozz snarled, “You guys cant even fight off a Kuriboh, let alone take on any of the guys I run into in my job! I keep telling you guys to stay back at the hideout with the others! I don’t want to keep looking over my shoulder to see if you’re ok, even though I know I shouldn’t even bother.”
“But you do, so it shows that you care,” the Ojama yellow said. Nozz resisted the urge to strangle the little thing right there and then. Even though he refused to admit it, he did care about the little guys. They were like family to him. He took a deep breath to calm down.
“Anyway,” he said slowly, “You guys didn’t get in my way, and we did get some good stuff, so I’m willing to let it slide.” The three Ojamas smiled.
“Here,” Nozz tossed the bag over to the Ojama Black, who fell on his rear end catching it.
“since you’re here, you may as well carry it,” Nozz said as he turned and began walking, “Let’s go home.”
The three Ojamas nodded as they followed their friend, carrying the bag between them.
Coming up next: Nozz sells the spoils and gets a little information that’ll change his life. Stick around for chapter 1, “Big Plans”