02-05-2016, 12:56 AM
Stoneford Mine had never been much, but for some, it was all they had. For Elias Coalman, it had been an oasis; his home, and now, he despised the forsaken mine. Before the slaughter, he had resided in a dusty old wooden shack, near the center of their dustbowl for a town.
The loss of his kin and his closest friends by the hands of cannibals had driven the old man to the brink. That fateful evening, everything had been taken from him, and, to top it off, the miner’s supposed savior, King Gilgamesh, had only offered false promises through the mouthpiece of some snotty nosed kid.
Coalman had returned to his once beloved home, now turned dreaded ghost town, and whatever his initial intentions were, they had been cast to the wayside in favor of breaking his 15 years of sobriety. With more than enough alcohol to drown a sailor, the old miner was camped out on his rigidity old front porch.
“The arrogance!” the old miner exclaimed between mouthfuls of whiskey. “I should have known they was all liars!”
“Damned primes, can’t trust any of them!” he snorted, burped, and hiccupped all at once, followed by a grimace on his face, and a hand to his chest.
“Careful old man.” the voice of Sasuke Uchiha gave Elias Coalman such a start, he spilled his drink all down the front of his favorite t-shirt.
“I vowed to find you justice,” the ninja spoke, hoped the ledge, and stood before the inebriated miner, “…and so I will. An Uchiha always keeps his word.”
“The King’s Hand!” startled, the miner exclaimed in a panic, “Oh no, I didn’t mean that.” abashed Coalman behind a red face.
“Yes. Yes, you did.” Sasuke chuckled to himself for a moment, “I do not blame you, elder. The loss of your loved ones, the rage you must feel.”
“I do.” Elias agreed, standing from his porch seat, “I hate them.” He was solemn and for a moment, for those words, he was sober.
“Good. May it keep you vigilant.” the ninja approved, speaking from his own, obvious personal experience, “Now, if you could show me around, and answer any questions I may have for you, we may find your family’s killers by nightfall.”
“Yes, my lord hand!” the miner replied with enthusiasm, in fact, he was so eager to begin, he tripped, stumbled, and fell upon his giant stockade of liquor. Wailing howls of agony and glass shattering followed quickly after.
The shinobi closed his eyes and shook his head, I don’t have time for this! he thought. Immediately, Sasuke abandoned the notion that Elias Coalman would be of any help and began searching the grounds himself, looking for anything that would lead him to Deathchew.
It didn’t take long for the prime to find what he was looking for. Baron Deathchew appeared to command a sizable force, that, or someone else’s giant army had left their tracks all over the place.
It was just what he needed. Maybe this won’t take long, the shinobi thought. However, before he could pursue this hot new lead, the ground beneath his very feet suddenly gave out from under him, and the ninja vanished from sight!
“Damned devil’s juice," Elias swore as he stirred from under a mass of liquor bottles, "I swear I ain’t know how it got there!" he said even though he had been drinking when Sasuke arrived. "I don’t touch the stuff anymore.” declared the drunken miner, as he found his feet, only to find no one listening, “King Hand Sasuke?”
“Please save me.”
Sasuke’s eyes closed as the words resonated within him. A reoccurring theme as of late, Arnold Hammond, Elias Coalman and now this Teucer had all called on the ninja’s favor. Please help me. Just three little words, but they carried such weight. Their very utterance seemed to derail the shinobi’s path to vengeance.
“I can’t.” the ninja began with his palm up and his best foot forward, “You don’t understand. There are already too many who rely on me.”
For the first time in a while, the shinobi’s face betrayed him, giving insight to a myriad of conflicted emotions, before finally settling on regret, “Listen, I just don’t have any more hero left to give you.”
Suddenly, the ninja looked around at his surroundings, realizing for the first time, that the room was crowded, and he was not alone. Whatever he was going to do, he was going to need to do it fast.
“I’m sorry, really I am,” the ninja began as he focused his attention back on the spirit, “but you are going to have to return me.” Sasuke’s feet found themselves in a familiar stance, one for combat.
“I’m not asking. I have people still left to avenge!”
The loss of his kin and his closest friends by the hands of cannibals had driven the old man to the brink. That fateful evening, everything had been taken from him, and, to top it off, the miner’s supposed savior, King Gilgamesh, had only offered false promises through the mouthpiece of some snotty nosed kid.
Coalman had returned to his once beloved home, now turned dreaded ghost town, and whatever his initial intentions were, they had been cast to the wayside in favor of breaking his 15 years of sobriety. With more than enough alcohol to drown a sailor, the old miner was camped out on his rigidity old front porch.
“The arrogance!” the old miner exclaimed between mouthfuls of whiskey. “I should have known they was all liars!”
“Damned primes, can’t trust any of them!” he snorted, burped, and hiccupped all at once, followed by a grimace on his face, and a hand to his chest.
“Careful old man.” the voice of Sasuke Uchiha gave Elias Coalman such a start, he spilled his drink all down the front of his favorite t-shirt.
“I vowed to find you justice,” the ninja spoke, hoped the ledge, and stood before the inebriated miner, “…and so I will. An Uchiha always keeps his word.”
“The King’s Hand!” startled, the miner exclaimed in a panic, “Oh no, I didn’t mean that.” abashed Coalman behind a red face.
“Yes. Yes, you did.” Sasuke chuckled to himself for a moment, “I do not blame you, elder. The loss of your loved ones, the rage you must feel.”
“I do.” Elias agreed, standing from his porch seat, “I hate them.” He was solemn and for a moment, for those words, he was sober.
“Good. May it keep you vigilant.” the ninja approved, speaking from his own, obvious personal experience, “Now, if you could show me around, and answer any questions I may have for you, we may find your family’s killers by nightfall.”
“Yes, my lord hand!” the miner replied with enthusiasm, in fact, he was so eager to begin, he tripped, stumbled, and fell upon his giant stockade of liquor. Wailing howls of agony and glass shattering followed quickly after.
The shinobi closed his eyes and shook his head, I don’t have time for this! he thought. Immediately, Sasuke abandoned the notion that Elias Coalman would be of any help and began searching the grounds himself, looking for anything that would lead him to Deathchew.
It didn’t take long for the prime to find what he was looking for. Baron Deathchew appeared to command a sizable force, that, or someone else’s giant army had left their tracks all over the place.
It was just what he needed. Maybe this won’t take long, the shinobi thought. However, before he could pursue this hot new lead, the ground beneath his very feet suddenly gave out from under him, and the ninja vanished from sight!
“Damned devil’s juice," Elias swore as he stirred from under a mass of liquor bottles, "I swear I ain’t know how it got there!" he said even though he had been drinking when Sasuke arrived. "I don’t touch the stuff anymore.” declared the drunken miner, as he found his feet, only to find no one listening, “King Hand Sasuke?”
***
“Please save me.”
Sasuke’s eyes closed as the words resonated within him. A reoccurring theme as of late, Arnold Hammond, Elias Coalman and now this Teucer had all called on the ninja’s favor. Please help me. Just three little words, but they carried such weight. Their very utterance seemed to derail the shinobi’s path to vengeance.
“I can’t.” the ninja began with his palm up and his best foot forward, “You don’t understand. There are already too many who rely on me.”
For the first time in a while, the shinobi’s face betrayed him, giving insight to a myriad of conflicted emotions, before finally settling on regret, “Listen, I just don’t have any more hero left to give you.”
Suddenly, the ninja looked around at his surroundings, realizing for the first time, that the room was crowded, and he was not alone. Whatever he was going to do, he was going to need to do it fast.
“I’m sorry, really I am,” the ninja began as he focused his attention back on the spirit, “but you are going to have to return me.” Sasuke’s feet found themselves in a familiar stance, one for combat.
“I’m not asking. I have people still left to avenge!”
Dante's Abyss 2015
GRAND CHAMPION
![[Image: Sasuke_DA_zpsb4vizgxd.png]](http://www.cytokineindustries.com/chevereto/images/2018/02/07/Sasuke_DA_zpsb4vizgxd.png)
Mark Twain Wrote:"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."