A/N: Okay, like, OMG, FullMetalEdward has been CONSTANTLY bugging me about this fic dedicated to her...
FME: HAVE NOT!
Have too. So, this story is going to be updated at last! With her and her muses here as a reward for being my inspiration!
FME: WEE! 8D
Link: O.O AHHH! NOT HER!
Roy: Hey, chill out! We're here too!
Ed: Unfortunately...
Eliwood: Roy! You're here!
Roy: Hey, Dad! 8D (hugs him)
Aw, ain't life grand? Well, anyways, better start the chapter soon... Put down the chainsaw, FME.
FME: YAY! (throws it away, it almost lands on Ed) Chappie time! 8D
Dragon Blood: Chapter 1: Mysterious New Smasher
His opponent was knocked to the far side of the arena, recovering from the massive damage he had suffered. This was Roy's chance. He assumed the appropriate stance and felt the process begin. It started as a warm glow from within, building heat and size the more he thought and offered to it. His emotions swarmed into a hot ball of energy within his body that expanded to reach the metal fibers of his Sword of Seals. It too began to glow and heat up, but it did nothing to his gloved hands, grasping the hilt tightly. And with all this energy came power, and it all flooded into his blade, awaiting to be released. He did not know where this source of power came from, but used it all the same.
At last his target was close enough, just as the last bit of white-hot energy went into his sword. And with a roar, he released the power with an explosion that hit his opponent head on. The fires of rage and adrenaline erupted in front of Roy, none of the flames licking himself as if he was impervious to them. Not the same for its victim.
"HAHA! BOOYAH!"
Roy reveled in excitement as his opponent went flying into the Termina Great Bay sky, engulfed in flames as a result of his final devastating move. There came the satisfying blast from the side of the arena, and the Pherean whooped and hollered in triumph.
"This game's winner is... ROY!"
"Damn right!" he cheered as he was transported out of the bay. Seconds later, he stepped out of the transporter, and in the one next to him came out his good Alteanian friend Marth, giving him a smug grin.
"Haha! First time you actually fell for Flare Blade! You getting rusty or what?" the redhead laughed, getting a mix of a glare and a pout in response.
"Shut your face," Marth retorted lamely.
The two turned away from each other to meet their green-clothed Hylian friend who had been watching, giving Roy a thumbs-up. "Nice."
Roy grinned. "See, Marth, Link's a good sport!"
The glare returned, but was also joined by a sly grin. "Yeah, well, he wasn't the one that got hit by the most predictable move in the world."
Link laughed. "What's the matter, Marth, sour 'cause the half-dragon toasted you?"
Marth playfully punched the elf in the arm before all three broke into laughter. These three swordsmen were the type of good friends that could beat each other up, pick on each other, and then laugh about it later. A quarrel like this was the natural thing for them.
"Well, anyway," Roy was the first to recover, sheathing his sword. "Flare Blade isn't the most predictable move; Ganondork's Warlock Punch is."
Link nodded in agreement. "Too true. You can see that coming a mile away."
"Move out of the way, jokers!" There came a gruff voice along with a rude shove as Bowser pushed them aside to continue down the hallway towards the Foyer.
"Didn't see that coming."
"Hey!" Roy hollered, shaking a fist. "You could at least say please, jerk!"
"What was that all about?" Link asked, confused.
"Haven't you heard?" Peach spoke up as she passed by. "The new Smasher is arriving soon!"
"Huh?" Roy managed to get out before she walked away giddily.
"Oh, that's right!" Marth clarified. "That was today, wasn't it?"
"What?" Roy looked helplessly between his two knowing friends. "Hey, how come I didn't know about the new Smasher?"
"Cause you're always asleep during the morning announcements," Marth stated bluntly as they began their stroll towards the Foyer.
"How come no one ever tells me anything...?" Roy wailed like a young child, which was common, as he was the youngest of the three.
"You never asked," Link responded.
Roy pouted throughout the whole walk down the hallways, so there wasn't much more discussion between the three. Pretty soon they had reached the grand Foyer of the SSBM Mansion. The rest of the Smashers stood atop the black-and-white tiled floors, chattering endlessly in anticipation of the new Smasher's arrival.
"I wonder who he is?"
"I hope he's strong!"
"He'd better be! I need a challenge after all the rest of you!"
"Right, Falcon, 'cause we only keep beating the snot out of you."
"Grr..."
The three swordsmen glanced upon the buzz. "Typical," Link commented. "Anything out of the ordinary will get these people aroused."
Anime rivers of tears flowed down Roy's face. "Everyone knows things except for me..."
"Your fault for sleeping in late," Marth pointed out.
The crowd of Smashers remained abuzz for quite a while. That is, until there was the sound of the glass front doors opening. All Smashers turned towards the doorway to see the new Smasher step in slowly.
He was young, most likely in his late teens, but the grim expression on his face showed knowledge beyond his years. His skin was awfully pale, ears small and pointed. His silver hair reached his waist, a large amount of bangs concealing most of his face, only daring to show his mouth, a few face markings, and a deep red eye. The top of his head wore a flat purple hat with a crown of gold, embedded with a single red jewel and horns from a certain creature. He wore a purple, gold-trimmed tunic with long sleeves and large cuffs, framed by odd symbols. A dark blue cape dropped over his shoulders, and his belt buckle showed a symbol of what looked to be a hooked tail. Under the tunic were baggy red pants, ending at soft green shoes with large cuffs holding symbols that looked like claws. In his hand he carried a large staff, the top made of an odd-shaped bone with a red amulet of power embedded within. The staff itself was formed by what seemed to be vertebra, tied together with bark.
There was silence as the Smashers glanced at this new being in curiosity, trying to size up his strength. He looked to be a magic-user, face reflecting indifference. Yet as Roy looked at him, he sensed something else, something strange and dangerous about this magic-user that made the Pherean uneasy. No one else seemed to notice, so he kept it to himself.
At last, Mario stepped up to the new Smasher, a little bit intimidated by him, therefore nervous. "Er... Um, you're the new Smasher, am I right?"
The grim youth nodded, reaching into the folds of his tunic with his free hand to produce a small piece of paper. "I had received this letter shortly after the tryouts," he said in a stern, unemotional voice, handing the plumber the letter.
"Right." Mario glanced at the letter. "So, you're Vanuto, from the Flammorian Mountains, am I right?"
Once again, he nodded. "That is I."
"Great!" Mario grinned, outstretching a welcoming hand. "Welcome to Super Smash Brothers Melee, Vanuto."
But Vanuto ignored the offer, walking past Mario slowly as if he wanted none of the plumber's cheerfulness. His showing red eye shifted from Smasher to Smasher, piercing into their hearts and souls with that ember gaze. He seemed to be looking for someone, one with some sort of characteristic that stood out. But all these people were so diverse, the person he was seeking could've been any one of them!
The uneasy feeling never settled within Roy, but in fact his fear grew as his bright eyes of sapphire found themselves impossible to look away from that dark figure standing within five feet of him. His jaw tightened in tension as he found himself wishing that Vanuto wouldn't smite the whole lot of them with whatever horrid magic that was contained within that odd staff.
He heard a voice whisper beside him, and turned to glance at Link, who made sure his comments were kept quiet. "Freaky guy, huh?"
"Yeah," Roy felt himself respond. "Know him, by any chance?"
"No... He's got pointed ears, but they're not Hylian ears." True, they were only half the size of Link's large ears. "And I've never heard of the Flammorian Mountains."
"I have," Marth butted in, equally aware of the near-silence they needed to keep. "Not a lot of people live there. A really bare and secluded mountain range."
"Guess that explains his lack of a social image," Link stated. "Doesn't look like much of a friendly person."
Roy couldn't have agreed more. As his gaze turned back to the mage-in-question, he froze and his blood ran cold as he found Vanuto's gaze had landed on him. That scarlet eye fully trained on him as if he had found what he was looking for. Roy grimaced slightly, hoping he'd turn elsewhere as quickly as he did the others, but Vanuto did not look away. That one-eyed glimpse seemed to bore deep into his very soul as if trying to find something there that was within and inhabited no one else. Roy's deepest innards shuttered.
Thankfully, the trance was broken when Mario (who had been previously recovering from the youth's rudeness) cleared his throat quite loudly beside Vanuto, forcing him to turn away. The plumber grinned, ignoring the glare he received in return.
"Well, better get all that paperwork signed!" He grasped Vanuto's shoulder and ushered him towards a branching hallway. "The sooner we get that done, the better!"
Vanuto was most reluctant in leaving, eager to know more about that strange redhead, but he figured there would be time for that later. "Very well."
The Smashers cleared the way silently and watched as the two disappeared down the halls, heading for the office room. Once Vanuto was out of ear, they all broke off into their groups, chatting endlessly once more, now that they had gotten a good look at the new recruit.
"Wow, he looks tough!"
"Mean, too!"
"Pfft! He don't look like neither!"
"Yeah, watch, Falcon, he'll come right back and kick your ass with his magic."
"GRR!"
These groups of Smashers laughing at Captain Falcon's outburst began to leave for the next hour left of fighting before the arenas closed for the night. Pretty soon, the three swordsmen were the only ones left in the Foyer.
"...Wow..." Marth was the first to speak. "Was that guy weird or what...?"
"Yeah..." Link nodded in wholehearted agreement. "Wonder what's up with him... Hey, you alright, Roy?"
Roy's gaze was forced up at the question from his elfin friend, a truly scared look in his eyes. "Yeah... But that guy really creeps me out..."
The blonde and cobalt exchanged glances, taking this matter seriously instead of picking on their friend. Nothing usually scared Roy (and if it did, he never showed it), and the exchange between him and Vanuto didn't go unnoticed. He looked straight into the eye of the mage; something dreadful must've been behind it.
Knowing this, Marth frowned. "We'd better keep an extra eye on him, then."
A/N: So, how's that?
FME: That was GREAT! Hmm, red eyes? GASP! HE'S AN ISHVARLEN!
No, 'cause than he'd need dark skin.
FME: Oh, yeah! XD My bad!
Roy: Roy fears nothing!
Link: (holds up a spider)
Roy: EEK! (jumps into Ed's arms) Oh, hello, Ed.
Ed: T-T (drops him)
Okay, so Vanuto is MY original character, no using him without permission, got it? Oh, and I drew a pic of him, so if you wanna see it, email me, ok? And if you're scratching your head over the "cobalt" comment, that's my word for a blue-haired person. Who knows? Maybe others would use it and I'll have an effect on the world of fashion!
Eliwood: Yeah, you wish.
SILENCE! (baps him) Anyways, please review!