Tickets Please [R / NDE / Hard]

[Deleted]

Name: Tickets Please

Participants: Hadrian and Rin

Location: Unspecified Europe

Difficulty Level: Hard

Setting: NDE

Plotline: A peculiar case has come to UE’s attention. A girl and her brothers appeared before them, begging for their help. Their request was to help them reach their home in Europe, so that they could deliver an item of great power to its final resting place. The Tear of Amaterasu, said to amplify and strengthen any and all powers that coursed through it, has come under the attention of more than just UE. The Vandenreich, having been the original party that the family had asked for help, failed to retrieve the stone the first time so is now sending Hadrian to retreive it. The Seireitei, having discovered the stone themselves in their archives and sensors, sends the recently returned Rin to collect it. It’s on Luke to protect the stone, and Hadrian and Rin to take it by any means necessary

Estimated Enemy Strength: Class 3-1

Estimated Time Until Completion: 3 Pages

Starts: Now

Special Conditions: I’ll probably pull something out of my ass

[Deleted]

It was called the Tear of Amaterasu. A jewel red like blood, interior thick like cream, that was said to have fallen from the sun itself. The legend surrounding the stone said that, during a great era of peace between two clans, that Amaterasu herself wept this tear that fell to our planet. The stone, when discovered by mortals, created a period of bloodshed and battle. The two families, once allies and friends, became blood-feuded and battled for the stone for decades. It possessed great power, after all. Power enough to shape the course of history if it fell into the wrong hands.

It seemed, though, that the stone had fallen into the right hands. There was no documentation about this stone in human history. It was one of those things that such a select few people knew about that word of it never got out. However, imagine everyone’s surprise when the very possessor of the stone turned up on the door step of Uzaki Enterprises asking for their help. A young girl, couldn’t be in her twenties yet, showed up one day with two escorts.

The interview revealed that her name was Abella Hysi, and the two men with her were her brothers, and that she was in possession of something called the Tear of Amaterasu. She had come asking for Uzaki Enterprises help with delivering the jewel to her homeland, so that she could use it to right a great wrong. While she refused to elaborate on the details of what she meant, UE decided to assist her, at the very least, keep an eye on her. But with everyone so busy with their own work and looking into the Hollow attacks on the government leaders, there wasn’t many of their strongest that they could send. Well, good thing Luke was just sitting around.

The train roared across the tracks as it raced through the countryside. Three days on the rails and, finally, it felt like they were almost there. That’s how Luke felt about the situation at least. Standing in one of the compartment halls, with a cup of coffee in hand, he was content to watch the passing countryside through the window. Though it might be hard to see considering that it was night. Lifting the mug to his lips and taking a drink, the Bount let out a grumble as he rubbed the bridge of his nose between his eyes. ”You’re still up? Even you need some sleep too, you know.” a voice spoke, interrupting the silence and earning the Bount’s attention.

Standing in the hall, having emerged from one of the bedrooms of the train, was one of the two other Uzaki’s employees that Luke had with him. ”Someone’s got to stand watch, Don.” Luke replied with a smirk and shrug, noticing the kids pajamas. ”Lightning bolts?” He teased, turning towards his younger coworker. Don blinked, flushing with embarrassment as he began scratching his messy blonde hair. ”Shut up, they were a gift from my mom.” he replied, pushing back Luke as he did so. ”Where’re you going anyways?” Luke asked. ”I gotta pee. Why you wanna watch?” Don shot back with a cocky smirk, prompting Luke to just shake his head.

Luke wasn’t too excited about bringing a kid not even eighteen yet on this mission, but it was a situation essentially forced on him. He wasn’t allowed to simply go alone. Don was a Senior Employee, but even then he was still just a kid. ”I like him. He’s someone who knows humor.” Luke suddenly heard Jager say in his head. ”Dirty jokes and farts are the only things you find funny.” Windstarke retorted as Luke took another sip of his drink. He was rather happy Windstarke dealt with Jager so he didn’t have to.

Few minutes later Don would re-emerge from the bathroom, yawning and rubbing his eyes sleepily. ”Go back to sleep. It’ll be daylight in a few hours and I want you at your best.” Luke advised, shifting his head back to Dons room. ”Bah. I can barely sleep anyways. Not like anything’s happened this whole stupid trip.” he complained, causing Luke to frown. Don had a point. Nobody had tried to come for the jewel during these three days.

Looking back out the window, Luke grew quiet for a moment. ”I know. Which means if anyone’s going to try and get the tear then they’ll make their moves tomorrow. It’ll be their last chance. So go. Get some sleep.” Luke ordered once more, and despite Don’s protesting he went back to his room. Frowning down at his cup, Luke thought back to what had transpired earlier today when he had sat down with Abella Hysi and had a talk with her.

Crossing one leg atop the other, Luke had made himself comfortable in the seat across from Abella and her two brothers. Those two occupied themselves by giving look weary glares, whitest Abella kept her gaze locked to the traveling countryside. Opening his mouth to speak, Luke was cut off rather quickly ”You’re wondering what you’re protecting is, aren’t you?” the raven haired woman asked, turning her green eyes to Luke who, closed his mouth and shrugged. ”I suppose I like being informed about what I’m doing. Or what I’m risking mine and others lives other.” Luke confessed with a smirk.

Abella’s gaze remained locked on the Bount, as if she were silently studying him, before sighing. ”That’s fair. I gave my word that I would explain everything, did I not? Logan, get it.” she ordered, prompting a sound and word of protest from her brother named Logan. After a few moments he relented, before walking off and returning a few moments later with a box. Oddly enough, the box had three locks on it. Blinking, Luke watched with interest as each of the siblings removed a key hidden on their persons and, one by one, unlocked the box. Opening it, Luke blinked with surprise at what was inside.

It was sparkling. Despite the lowlight interior, the jewel was actually sparkling both inside and out. The air around it was sparkling as well. How? Luke didn’t know. The stone that was a deep red, as if blood, locked his gaze as he looked at it. It had been adorned into a necklace, with various other gems and stones making the rest of the apparel, and thus looked almost ceremonial in a way. Quickly as she opened it, Abella closed it. ”You felt it’s call, didn’t you?” she asked.

Blinking, Luke didn’t even realize his right hand had been slowly reaching out for it. He looked surprised, quickly pulling his hand back and shaking his head. ”What was that? My head went blank all of a sudden.”[/colo] he expressed. Abella through his gaze downwards at the box, placing her hand atop it and gently rubbed it as she began to speak once more. ”It compels though with power to take it up. That compulsion, combined with the strength it brings, has been what has caused it to be responsible for so much killing.” Abella explained, her rubbing of the box stopped.

”This stone amplifies and magnifies the power of whoever uses it. Any power that passes through it is strengthened tens of times over. Even the weakest can use this stone to bring about ruin.” Abella explained, though Luke didn’t really understand. Did the stone make people stronger? Or was it, like, a multiplier for something that goes through it? ”Troublesome little thing.” Luke commented softly, rubbing his forehead once more.

”Yes, it is.” Abella agreed, before lifting her gaze to look at Luke. ”Mr. Clyburn, I am sorry but, right now, this is all I can tell you. But I showed you the jewel because we trust you. We had to be careful with who we went to, because, as you know, we are being pursued.” Abella expressed, causing Luke to frown. He remembered them explaining who it was they went to first. The people that, when they turned on the family to take the stone, resulted in the third brothers death. They had asked for help from the Vandenreich and now the Quincies wanted the stone for themselves.

This was the trains last stop. A station before it would keep going and they would reach the last station where they would get off. The destination that Abella and her brothers sought to go wouldn’t be far from the station, they said, but how much truth they were telling was hard to tell. Standing outside the train, with his back against the train, Luke watched as people disembarked the train. Wasn’t many people to begin with on this train, and it didn’t look like anyone else was getting on. ”Oooooooy! Mr. Clyburn!” Luke heard Don yell, arms filled with bags. Looks like he had been buying snacks from the store. ”He’ll get fat if he eats nothing but junk food.” the good mother Windstarke said, though Luke ignored him.

The train had eight compartments, counting the conductors head or whatever of the train. Pushing off the train and walking a bit on the platform, the bag on his back rattled a little as what he had in there shifted a bit. He spotted Abella and her brothers, all together like usual, making their way from whatever the hell they went to do back onto the platform to board the train once again. Guess even they got cramped legs from sitting on the train for so long. Still. Luke couldn’t shake a very bad feeling he was having. If anyone was going to try and take the stone...then this was their last chance. Luke was, at least, hoping that nobody knew where they, or the stone, was.