Part 5b: The Lost Shroud Pt2 (Hard)

The Lost Shroud Part 2

Hard Quest

Requirement: Must have searched for the Elder Shroud.

Reward: 1,500 zeni and the artifact the Elder Shroud.

So, you've found the Prophet Alkiti's brother. He has gone mad during his long isolation. He simply will not tell you where he has hidden the Elder Shroud, not unless you do a favor for him first. He wants you to kill his brother. Well, that's not going to happen. But, perhaps a little subtle trickery might make him think his brother is dead. Or maybe you can find out what is causing his madness and stop it. Do what it takes to get the Elder Shroud.

Not everything can be explained in life. Hell, just look at me. Killed two demons, and now am back to life. How can you explain that? Am I powerful? No. Am I brilliant? I like to think so, but no. I'm simply resourceful. So how do you explain what's gone on in my life?

Simply put, I'm being toyed with and don't realize it. My plans are the plans of those pulling my strings. And where pieces fall into place is when I get that blasted Shroud. A simple piece of cloth running my entire life.
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Izon arrived at the town which was small, dusty, and all together unpleasant. It also stunk like rotten fish. A bad side effect of fish sitting in the sun. It nearly made him throw up. Many eyed him because of his unusual clothing and looks. They wore ragged clothing, where his was of high quality, of a style on Earth a few hundred years old. He would have to see hoow humans dress when he gets back to earth. He had funds to pull anyway.

They all appeared to be in poor health as well as poor spirits. This was typical in most desert cities for any civilization. Or at least for Earth he heard it was. Water was limited, food as well. The desert life was cruel but very easy to manipulate.

If he could get food and water going here regularly, he could easily make a fortune. But that wouldn't be easy and it would cost a fortune to do. Something else to add to his checklist of things to do.

Hica was small, but that only meant it would be that much easier to find the one he wanted. The local tavern was the best place for information, though he had never been to what passed as a tavern on Kanassa, so he wasn't sure. It was the best place to start though.

He walked the streets unsure as to what to look for, figuring it would stick out like a sore thumb, or at least he'd know it when he saw it. That was not the case. Then again, he wasn't sure if the tavern would even be open at this hour.

After an hour of searching, he pulled one guy off to the side. "Have you heard of Corvel?"

The one nodded. "I know that crazed psycho. He lives over the second dune to the west. Lives alone. Not many like him. Though watch yourself. He's been known to eat flesh."

Wonderful, a flesh eater. Oh well, at least he knew where he was. He left the stench and worm ridden fish man. Taking to the air in the direction the fish man pointed. It only took a few seconds when he saw a little hut buried in the sand. The door and part of the roof being the only thing showing. Very well hidden. Guess if he didn't want anyone to know where he was, it was perfect. Though useless since all of Hica knew.

He landed and walked up to the door. Knocking, there was no response. He tested the door knob and it was unlocked. Guess if you're feared, no one would dare steal anything. Walking in, he was struck by a stale odor. Smelled far worst than the inhabitants of Hica. He could barely contain his gag reflexes.. The room was much larger than he thought, but it smelled like someone hadn't washed in years. It was horrible. He continued to gag, but kept it down.

He entered and looked around. If the man wasn't in, he'd find he shroud himself. But there was so much crap, he didn't know where to start. So many tomes, scrolls, chests, and body parts. Who the hell was this guy?

Izon didn't see the attack coming. It was quick and silent. The blade was at his throat before he knew what happened. Izon tensed up a bit, but relaxed, only enough to keep himself from hurling everywhere from the smell of decay.

"whaiiiiii aaaaaah yuuuuuuuu heeeeeerrree?" The voice was smooth. The words seemed to flow into one another, but the breath was horrible and Izon did everything possible to keep himself from hurling.

"I'm here for an item. I take it you're Corvel?" Izon held what he could back.

"Sssss. Yessss aaaiiii aaam. Whaaaat aaaaah yuuuuuuuu aaaaaaaaftaaaaa?"

"I am here for the Elder Shroud. It seems you know the whereabouts. Where is it? I am willing to pay handsomely for it."

The knife was removed and for the first time Izon saw how decrepit this man had become. He walked by, hunched over like he was a hundred years old. He wore nothing but a simple loin cloth which looked like a diaper. Chunks of scales were missing, revealing a dry and rotted skin underneath where maggots seemed to thrive. His face was sagging, like it was read to fall off his bones. All in all, a very horrible ugly person to say the least.

"Aaaaai haaaaave noooo neeeeed for mooooney."

Izon was happy on the inside hearing that, though he kept his business face. As long as he could get away with getting it for nothing, he would make a profit. "Then what is it you'd like?"

"Aaaaai wiiissssh toooo eeeemmmploy yuuuuuuuuuu." Izon was confused. He doesn't work for anyone. But he listened to what the creature had to say. "Aaaaaiiii haaave aaaaa sssssssmaaaaall prrrroooobleeeeemmmm. Mmmmmaaaiiii brooootherrrr haaaaassssss deeeecaaaaaideeeeed toooo taaaaaaaake leeeegaaaaal aaaactiooooonnnn. Aaaaaaaiiii waaaaant hiiiiimmmmm deeeeed."

A hit huh? Izon was sure he could get that done. Though of course he couldn't do it. It'd add more of a bounty on his head and ruin his reputation and hurt some of his other plans. So this wasn't going to come free. Shame.

"Very well. I will do as you say. In exchange for the shroud."

"Yyyeeeessssss." He turned and grinned a rotted toothy grin. The man was blind, his eyes completely fogged over. "Deeeeeeealllll."

Izon left in a hurry, he wanted out of that place and away from that man. Or rather, thing. He's lost his mind as well as his body. How he has survived he did not know. But either way, he had to hire someone to do his dirty work. And here was a good as any place to recruit. These people were looking desperate. Maybe he'd be gone longer than he thought.

He stayed out for a bit, looking over the town. He'd have to make several deals as he wasn't sure who was able to fight or not. Watching the town at night though showed there were several who were desperate enough.

He went down, finding a group of thugs. Once they saw him, they puffed up their chests and began to stride over to him. Izon simply waited for them to arrive, putting on a smile.

"What you smilin about rich man," said one.

"Want money?"

They looked at one another and laughed. Then what appeared to be the leader spoke. "Yes of course. You got any?"

"I do. But to get it, you have to do a job for me."

One of the others walked up, looking him up and down. "What makes you think we want to work for it."

Izon grinned. "Either way, you'll have to work for it. Just either you do an easy job for say 10,000 zeni, or you take the harder route and risk losing your lives."

They laughed and the one who spoke last sent a punch towards Izon's face which connected, but Izon didn't budge. There was a sickening crack as the man's hand crumbled. He let out a shrilly cry as he held his hand. His palm faced the man's face and out came several streams of energy that pounded at his body.

His body exploded into several pieces, spraying the purple blood every where.

"The deal is no eight thousand. Do you want to continue to try your hand at taking the money from me?"

The others froze in fear. Only those in the monastery knew how to control ki like that. The leader nodded. "Deal. What's the job?"

"I need a man named Prophet Alkiti. He's somewhere in Iritho. I want his head. Got it? You do it by tomorrow and I'll raise the reward to 12,000. Got it?"

They nodded and took off, fear in their minds. If they did this, Izon would hire them as muscle. Of course they'd need more power. They were useless if they couldn't beat him. He wondered if he could recruit at one of the monasteries. But there was no reason to wait around any longer. They'd be gone several hours. At worst, a day.

After they left, he took a walk around the town. Taking in the sites. Well, more like plotting excellent real estate. He would need a building to store food and other merchandise as well as cycle the water.

There was a large mining plant at the far end that would be good but would take a lot of work. There wasn't much else unless he bulldozed some places, but that would only turn the people against him. For now, he needed their support or he would miserably fail.

Not seeing much else, he headed off towards the mining plant to get a better look at it. Windows were broken, doors off their hinges. Old machinery that just sat there, rusted and collecting dust. Creatures of various sizes and shapes called this place home.

The place was massive though. More than enough space, and with the economy of this city, he could get this for cheap. The mining equipment could be easily used for moving water. Or maybe he'll find use for it somewhere else. Like a gold mine, or something useful.

He headed up the stairs towards an office. He walked in and saw the office was massive. Probably where they processed orders and what not. He'd have this place all to himself while he built another room for the rest. Yes, it had an excellent view of the floor and everything. It was a prime spot. And he could see anyone coming before they got there. He'd have to put in mirrored windows for privacy.

He could envision the office. A massive desk with a leather chair. A few rare artifacts. Of course he'd only be here when he needed to be. And when he visited, he wanted to make sure it was in comfort. He needed to feel important, and to feel important, one would have to look important.

That was the rules of business. No one respected a boss who looks like them. They'd wonder when they were going to lose their jobs. No, when he walked in, he'd want them to feel humbled. He wanted them to envy him. It would drive them. Sure, he'd eventually have to make examples of them like he did to Analit. But like the gang that was now doing his bidding, they'd fall in line and never question him again.

They would beg for his approval. Important men of the universe would flock to his mansion seeking to be in his good graces so they could benefit from his friendship. Of course the was a few years down the road, but he'd be there eventually. He was already dead, meaning he had more than enough time.

Till then, he'd have to work with what he got. The clothier is certainly a decent step, since implementing that, it has skyrocketed. With the advertisement, he's been able to turn the place around, though Tithin was still a problem. He wondered daily on how he would rectify that one. How he could get to him to make him lose all hope. He knew he was plotting, maybe one day he will know what he was plotting.

Once he knew that, he'd allow him to strike, then watch at the futility of his efforts. Yeah, a guy like him would only crumble under constant failure. He'd need to make sure he was watched at all hours. At least until he could come up with something to monitor them without them knowing.

Oh how the ideas flowed into his mind. Plans, plots. Intrigue was his forte. He'd make a great spy if he didn't have the desire of money. But greed controlled him. Greed was in his soul and nothing was ever enough. But he had patience.

Leaving the office, he let his mind wander about the future until he was back in Hica and that terrible smell. The fish people had an annoying ability that allowed them to read thoughts. Thankfully the smell was the only thing that rattled around in his brain.

He went to a nearby building where they would land and flew up, landing on the roof. He removed his human formed and stretched out his wings. He loved being in human form, but he was always so uncomfortable. He stretched out his wings. They creaked and cracked as they stretched out which hadn't been done in days.

Sitting against a wall, the wings folded around him and he dozed off until they got back. There he had wonderful dreams of power and money. There he waited for his future to begin.

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The Hica gang hopped onto their shuttle and shot off toward Iritho. It'd take them six hours to get there, but they were determined to get back in time. Cira was the one piloting the craft. He lost his best friend against the beast. "Analit, I am sorry. We should've taken the deal. No one not of our race has ever shown up weak. Even the bottom of the barrel type warriors were powerful warriors.

All four of them left were terrified of this man that hired them. They were wondering if they should just high tail it out of there. But the money was too good to pass up.

"Come on Cira, we've gotta just run." Miceh was the wise one usually. He got them out of much trouble.

"Think of the money!" That was Volik. The greedy one.

The other that never speaks due to being stabbed in his throat and survived was known as Muscles. He was a big man, an awesome warrior. Used to be part of the monastery. Was booted out after killing one of the prophets.

Volik and Miceh argued over what they should do. This of course was angering Cira. "Silence! We're doing this. We could use the money. Though I agree, we need to be careful. This man that hired us, something isn't right about him. But this is our chance to finally make the money instead of living off a hundred zeni here and there."

The others silenced themselves and the rest of the trip was like that. Silent like they were going to their deaths. That was likely.

They arrived in Iritho, and landed the shuttle. From here on out, they'd need to travel on foot. Morning had come which meant people were out and about. They had to be careful. They get caught, they were pretty well finished.

They moved through the streets, sticking to side streets and alley ways. They weren't sure how they were going to kill the man, but maybe they could. They went to one of several monasteries. Keeping an eye out, they waited, looking for their target.

They toured the place, but found nothing. They spent hours searching. Fourth temple they found him. An elderly man. Not a warrior to their delight, but a scholar. Unfortunately, around him were warriors. A battle that would not be easy to pull off for sure.

They had to wait till he was alone. Alone before they could take him out and return with the man's head as proof. Why the hell the man wanted him dead, they weren't sure. But he was willing to pay handsomely for it.

The day drug on and soon he was alone. Heading off to do a few errands. The crew split up to surround him. Cira was determined to end this job now. They all met up about a mile from where they split up. He had gone into a store and they were all ready. Destroying the store would be the easy route, though they would also have to dig through the rubble for the man's body.

Thankfully they didn't have to wait long. The man was leaving the store. They it was on. Brilliant colors of green, blue and yellow energy escaped the hands of the thugs, aimed at their target. The man was caught off guard as the energy pierced his body. Dropping him to the ground immediately.

There was a scream as a few people witnessed the attack. The Hica gang grabbed the body and took off quickly back towards their ship. Running between buildings. Sticking to the shadows and hiding out.

They reached their ship and tossed the body in there then took off to their haven. If the man they had was important in the least, someone would be looking for them.

Cira punched the shuttle to full throttle and they shot through the sky, back towards Hica and their pay day. They were thankful it was an easy job. They just hoped the man that hired them was trustworthy. Generally people like him weren't.

Izon watched the sky. Waiting, sipping at a cup of the worst coffee he had ever tasted. Iritho coffee was delicious. Hica coffee was terrible. Heavily watered down. He kicked back on the roof of a building, relaxing. He had found a servant for a mere fifty zeni that was willing to do anything to serve him. So he was being used as a chair.

A speck from afar that was growing caught his eye. It was the shuttle. They had returned. Was it successful? Or did he have a fight ahead of him, he wasn't sure. He'd rather pay them then have to fight though.

He stood up and snapped his fingers for his servant to follow him. He floated down to the street below while his servant scrambled down a pipe. Then they met up with the shuttle.

The shuttle landed and to his delight, they brought out the body of Alkiti. "Good work good work."

Cira walked up. "Money, now."

Izon nodded. "Very well." He pulled out the promised money and handed it over to him. "What say you work for me? There'll be plenty more money to be had."

Cira looked at him, and then the others. They all shrugged. No one knew what to expect. So far their employer had kept his word and their job was extremely easy. "What would our job be?"

Izon grinned. "You'd be my strong men. Protection against those who would seek to end my life. Or similar hits like this in case they come up again. Or simply men that I can rely on to get a job done. Basically you'll be my special group I call on if I need something done. So what say you?"

They talked amongst themselves, and Cira returned. "Very well. We'll do it."

"Good good. Now, I must get this body to my client. I shall return." Izon grabbed the body and took flight, out towards the hut where the creepy man awaited his return.

He arrived and didn't bother knocking. He walked in and found the man to be enjoying what appeared to be a raw strip of meat. "Aaaah! Weeeelcome, weeeeeelcome. Youuuuu reeeeeturrrrrrrnnnnned raaaaatherrrrrr quiiiiiickly. I'mmmm immmmpresssssed. Nowww, leeet ussss seeeeee if thissss issss maaai brotherrrrr."

Izon set the corpse down, lacking any kind of grace. Corvel looked over the body. "Yessss, yessss! Thissss isss hiiim! Annnd your payyyyment." Corvel vanished into a back room and returned a moment later with a bundle of cloth. "Heeere iiiit isssssss."

Izon took the package and opened it up, revealing a cloak. It was black with a midnight blue interrior. He threw it on and felt more energized. "I must thank you."

"Aaaai thaaaank youuuuuu." Corvel vanished again, allowing Izon to take his leave unnoticed.

The less dealings he had with the man, the better. He knew he would be trouble. He could see it in his eyes. Hell, you couldn't trust a man with rotting flesh. He left to where his men rested. And now he even had a shuttle to get around. His building of his empire is starting. It will take time and patience, but he will get it.

Now he had to return to earth. He was one to hide money around for just in case. He knew the world had changed, but he hoped he'd be able to find the money again. It was off to Earth. His past was there, as well as his future.

"We go to Earth", he said to them. The acknowledged. They all introduced one another. "Miceh, Volik. I want you to stay here and watch over Iora and his son. Make sure they continue to work and let me know if anything changes. I'm hoping I don't have to do much to keep them working, but who knows."

Volik didn't like being left out, but nodded, knowing full well not to take on Ian. Yes, Izon had introduced himself as Ian Lancaster as well as Izon. Ian was going to remain his business name. But he would go around as Izon. A name that would be feared among many.

Ian was feeling good about his immediate future. He would continue to make money on Kanassa, and then hopefully build up a thriving business on Earth. Humans were all the same anyway. They wanted to spend money on useless crap.

One last thing he had to do here though. "Cira, get the four of us tickets to Earth. I've got me a trade route to build."

Izon spent the next week, negotiating with workers, Iora, and a few others in both Hica and Iritho. Soon he had a constant trade route going at a low cost as well. Iora was taking charge of that while his son ran the shop, showing a couple apprentices the trade. Izon still did not trust him, but he had nothing else. Besides, he had muscle here in case he decided he wasn't going to work.

Soon Tithin was gonna be more trouble than he was worth. But he was training his replacements, so it didn't much matter.

His empire was secure on kanassa by the time he was ready to go to Earth. Soon he'd be back though to build up more. In the mean time, he was nearing the end of his immediate funds and had to get more.
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Yellow eyes watched from a far. A place not in the known universe. A place that was hidden from all prying eyes. Only one man, if you call him that, resided there. A pocket in a dimension that was devoid of all life. Mostly because of what he himself had done.

He looked through a glass ball at what Izon, the demon slayer was doing. Since the fall of the two demons, he had taken a great interest in Izon. Or rather Ian Lancaster. One thing the man who watched him knew that Ian didn't, was that Ian was in line for something that he wasn't prepared for and this man would give him that.

Hands made of shadow and smoke gripped the ball. Something was coming for sure and he was excited to have Ian be a player in it. A heartless soul that seeks only greed.

"Ian Lancaster. You took my name. But I don't mind. The people will tremble beneath that name. The name Izon will rise again and all will bow before the name. I shall rule the demon world and let this fake Izon rule the mortal realm. Our fates are bound to one another Ian Lancaster. Your fate is mine and mine is yours. As you gain in power, as do I, and soon my prison will be nothing, then I shall meet with you and we shall work with one another to meet one another's goals."

"I want that worm dead Izon."

"In time my dear Liore." The great Izon, a demon that was once feared looked over at the chained up Korig. Wounds covered his body from Liore's fun. Izon could only team up with one in death, and with what Korig had pulled, he was a fool. He couldn't be seen with one such as him.

"My dear Korig, unfortunately, you must be here alone. There is no room in our plan for you. You are stuck. But don't blame me or Liore. You were arrogant. Blame yourself. You allowed Ian to take the power from Liore. You allowed him to take your power. You allowed him to bind his fate to mine. You allowed him to take my name. Now he rises, building himself up. Though it is unsure as to what lies in front of him. We can only wait till we are powerful enough to break free from the prison in which you two have put me in."
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The ship landed, the doors hissing open to those wishing to board. Kanassans weren't the type to travel, so the ship was very infrequent, but lots of room was provided. A beautiful young human woman stood at the entrance as they boarded.

"Good day sir. Welcome to Earth Express. Please take a seat anywhere."

Izon nodded. "Lovely to meet you," he looked at the name tag, "Yume. A beautiful Eastern name." Yume blushed. "It has been some time since I've been to Earth. Perhaps we could, talk over drinks while we're on our way?"

Yume nodded. "It would be my honor sir."

Izon sat down in a chair and kicked his feet up on a table as his men picked their own chairs. His servant kept close. Izon called him fish as the man couldn't tell him his name. He wasn't sure why, but it seemed the man didn't learn how to talk.

Moments later, the ship took off towards Earth. Izon had a lovely time with Yume, and he had learned a lot. I would definitely be an interesting time on Earth. Capsule Corp. The galaxy's largest corporation. Then the Planet Trade Organization. Two massive monstrosities. He was looking forward to it.
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Corvel placed the head of his brother on a pike and watched as the eyes opened. "Ah my brother. I figured it was you who sent the goons to kill me."

Corvel grinned. "Brother, all goes according to plan. A man named Ian or Izon as he preferred came to get the shroud. It seemed as though it was a good time to get the plan in motion."

Alkiti let out a sigh. "You can't simply go get my body?"

A raspy laughed escaped Corvel's mouth. "My brother. I had no control over that aspect. Besides, by this point they probably burnt your body."

"You're right. So then, where are we at in the plan?"

Corvel grabbed a map from the wall. "For every person he kills, it raises another one that will serve us. Right now it's catching up. We have a dozen or so dead warriors on the way. I can sense them. A human, namekian, saiyan, changeling a half dozen xeno, a kai, and it's gonna take more energy, but a demon. Soon we'll have an army worthy of us. With your brilliance in tactical warfare, and my sorcery, we will be unstoppable."

"Not a bad start. But we gotta get him to kill more quicker. Especially to bring demons to our world."

"Yes yes yes brother. That plan is already in motion as well. As we speak, others are going after that cloak. And if they kill him, then Ian's energy will feed the others. Or if he wins, he will raise another warrior. Either way, it's a win win. That shroud is a powerful artifact."

"And why didn't you destroy Hica while wearing that cloak?"

"Because, it also begins to drain the energy of the one who wears it. It will eventually consume him and he'll be worthless."

The head of Alkiti grinned. "By the way brother. Would it be possible to get me a body? This pike I'm on is rather uncomfortable."

"No can do brother. My energies are working to get our army. I will get something that will be a bit more comfortable, but in the mean time, you'll have to make due with that."

Sighing, Alkiti agreed. "So be it. I will deal."

"You'll have to. Anyway, I've got other stuff to do. I will be leaving. Gotta get Hica ready to receive our army."

Corvel left, leaving the head of his brother behind in the house that was buried by the sands. Maybe it should've been completely buried. The desert didn't seem to like the brothers, though it seemed there was nothing it could do.
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Oh Earth here I come. It's been a few centuries. Oh how I miss thee. The running water. The sound of steel on steel. The sound of people busy at work, growing the industries of life. I truly miss that sound. And soon I will be able to hear it.

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