Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Add Reply
Years in the Making; The False City
Topic Started: Mar 30 2014, 08:52 PM (58 Views)
Dario Vess
Member Avatar

The three Tuffles entered the city of Rein without incident. “The good doctor was having second thoughts about our grand plans,” Brother Henri explained, referring to the body they’d passed while leaving Vaanz. He had done most of the talking since their meeting. “We can’t afford any mistakes to be made this far into Brother Mentik’s plan.”

A chill ran down Dario’s spine as he realized that Henri could easily have been the late doctor’s killer. What was he getting into, exactly? He thought back to his early days with Strange, when they first discovered that they shared a race. The little she had told him about her time working with the Alpha Collective’s Tuffles had not painted the others of their race in a positive light, and the zealous way Henri spoke was not helping to warm Dario up to his supposed brethren. Strange mentioned once that manipulation of emotions or thoughts while living with the Tuffle rebels was not uncommon. Dario made a conscious effort to focus on his own objective without paying much heed to Henri’s proud extrapolation regarding the master plan.

However, it was becoming clear that the Tuffles’ reclamation effort had been underway for a long time. Dario’s other escort, who introduced himself as Brother Jacques, tapped on one of the bricks in the narrow alley they’d turned into. In response, the ground in front of them opened up, a large camouflaged panel sliding back to reveal a tiled platform. It gave ever so slightly when Henri stepped onto it, and once all three of them were on, Jacques pushed in a different brick within reach. The simple elevator began its smooth, silent descent into the Tuffle underground.

“Ah, little brother,” Henri said with a smile as they continued traveling downward. “I forget myself. Do you have family here waiting for you? Are you expecting others?”

“Actually, I’m not sure. It’s been a while since I last saw my parents but I’m pretty sure they’re here.”

“Ah. Admittedly, it can be difficult to maintain contact between the overworld and here. We keep good records. I’m sure if they’re here, you can find them.”

“How would I go about looking them up?”

“We’ll take you to meet Brother Mentik. He will know.” Light spilled out from underneath them as they finally reached ground level. There were no walls to separate the lift from the rest of the underground city, not even a gate of any kind, and so Dario had nothing delaying or impeding his first glimpse of the Rein underground. The open space extended as far as he could see in all directions. Sprawling apartment complexes extended “across instead of up, providing housing for the Tuffles who would otherwise have to get by in the hostile and ignorant overworld.” Henri’s tour guide tone of voice intruded into Dario’s first impressions so subtly that Dario had to do a mental double take.

“It’s… impressive.” Dario silently berated himself for losing focus. The mind games would likely get worse once he was taken to meet the Tuffle leader, and he couldn’t afford to get sucked into their plans against the Saiyans. Henri was curiously vague about the plan despite his elaborate touting of all that Mentik had done as a leader, which Dario took to mean that he knew little of the actual details. Perhaps the source would be more forthcoming with specifics. “So uh, where do we find our fearless leader?”

“Brother Mentik is a busy man, as you can imagine. However, he tries his best to meet all the Tuffles that make their way home. Be patient. You’ll find your paren--”

“Mom?” Dario wasn’t listening, his attention completely on the woman who had just walked briskly past with her head down. She stopped short, looking up and locking eyes with him.

“Dario?”

[637/1800 600]
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Dario Vess
Member Avatar

[60000 (45000 + 15000) EXP \\ 300 Zenni]

Reward(s): 1.0x Base EXP Gain
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Fully Featured & Customizable Free Forums
« Previous Topic · New Vegeta · Next Topic »
Add Reply