Chapter CCCXXVI: Ambushes and Warm Welcomes ~Kuza

"So...Gregorio grabbed you two because you charged at his group?" a white-skinned Yoshi asked Kuza and Drago as he lit up a cigarette.

Kuza nodded. "We were in a hurry and accidentally ran into them. They grabbed us and tied us up once they had us in the parking garage."

"Wouldn't put it past ‘em," the Yoshi remarked, taking a draw. He sat down on a counter in the room. It was a kitchen with decent lighting. Kuza sat at the table; Drago was off in another room somewhere. "So...what did you come here for, anyway?"

Kuza sat back. "To get off the other planet I was on."

"And why did you want to leave in the first place? Get in trouble with the law or something?"

"Nah. Just wasn't my kinda place."

The Yoshi looked at Kuza. He was a good bit suspicious of this 'Anjel'. The race name sounded phony...Anjel. This could easily be a trick. He would have to be on his guard. "Alright...why'd you pick here? You stick out like a sore thumb," he asked.

Kuza thought for a minute. He then replied, "When I got to the spaceport, the flight leaving soonest was going here."

The Yoshi chuckled. "Spontaneous, aren't you?"

Kuza nodded.

The Yoshi finished his cigarette and looked to the door. "Well, I think that's good. Once we're done with your friend we'll see what the boss wants us to do with you guys...he'll probably just let you go."

"Good," Kuza replied, giving his best business smile.

The Yoshi returned a smile and went to the door. As he opened it, the lights suddenly flickered off, and all other things in the room run by electricity conked out.

"Crap...somebody just cut the power," the Yoshi remarked. He looked back to Kuza. "Ok...you stay here...gotta go see the boss." Kuza nodded, and the Yoshi took off, leaving Kuza alone in the kitchen.

After waiting several seconds, Kuza got up. "About time," he remarked to himself, "I thought he'd never leave."

With that, he reached into his satchel, fishing around. He slipped his hand up into a secret pocket on the side and removed from that pocket a crystal ball the size of a tennis ball. He blew on it gently, and it began to glow, spreading bluish light over the room.

"Ok...time to find a way out of here...and maybe rescue Drago if he's on the way."

By now, the white Yoshi had made it to his comrades. All of them had their swords ready. "Any idea who it is?" the Yoshi asked, pulling out his sword.

"Some kinda woman with a really creepy laugh," another of the group replied. "It echoed through this place...no idea who would send a woman to kill us, though."

Another laugh suddenly echoed, this one with a strange allure to it. The group turned in its direction. A whip suddenly wrapped around one Yoshi’s neck and he disappeared silently into the darkness. The remaining Yoshies murmured and glanced around.

"Show yourself, woman!" one shouted.

"That's no way to greet a lady, boys," the assailant remarked.

"You're no lady...you're a cold-blooded killer!" another shouted.

"Now now...be nice to little ol' Fanah."

The origin of the previous comment was grabbed and had their throat slit by a long, thin dagger. The remaining members of the group went into a panic and slashed around madly. All their effort was in vain, however, as Fanah easily picked them all off with a slash of the jugular vein. She smirked and started off when a voice caught her attention.

"You...you're the one...who cut the power..." one of the Yoshies managed to get out.

Fanah smirked at him. "Yep...and you morons fell right into my trap.

"You..." the Yoshi trailed off, and his eyes closed. His breathing stopped.

Fanah went back on her way. Heh, lying to them just before they die...nothing funner. It would be nice to know who really did cut the power, though...

Kuza walked along the hallways, trying to find an exit. There were so many different forks...he wasn't sure if he'd ever find a way out. And the power being out didn't help...despite his light orb, the darkness made it so that he could only see a few feet in front of him. He could easily come close enough to someone for them to kill him and never know. One of his hands rested on the hilt of his liquid sword as he walked, the other holding the orb. I'll find a way out of here before long, I hope. Kuza turned another corner, and then saw a light not his own. It was pointing in his face, blinding him.

"Gyah!" he cried.

"Lord Kurazuna Tarsus Melchior Falchion VI?" the origin of the light firmly inquired. As Kuza's eyes pierced the light they identified a man dressed in a uniform which strongly resembled that of a SWAT officer.

"Kuza, you moron...not 'Kurazuna Blah Blah Blah'," Kuza snapped.

"You are under arrest, by order of the Guardian Janus organization," the man stated.

Kuza smirked. "You mean I'm under arrest by order of the Guardian Janus organization if you can stop me from getting away."

The man readied his rifle. "Use of force is authorized, Kuza. I highly recommend that you give up now."

Kuza suddenly slid over the ground and a throwing dagger struck the man plainly in the throat. Gagging, he fell, and Kuza stood.

"Simple enough," he chuckled to himself.

As if to spite him, several blasts of automatic fire headed his way. He leapt behind a corner quickly, as the bullets tore apart the wall he was standing in front of seconds earlier.

"Damnit, more of ‘em...guess they were tired of messing up the last few times."

As Kuza thought of how he was going to deal with the Guardian Janus troops closing in on him, a whip suddenly wrapped around his neck and jerked him backward. He gagged loudly as he was jerked back.

Fanah stood over him, smiling. "Gotcha. Hand over the ruby and you die without being vivisected."

Kuza groaned and tried to pull the whip off his neck.

"Don't bother," Fanah remarked at noticing Kuza's struggle, "you'll never be able to get it off."

Kuza glared at Fanah. No way out of this one, he thought to himself.

He prepared himself for the pain and torture he knew was coming when a rather obscure thought came to his mind.

Want to be teleported out of this mess?

Kuza blinked inwardly. Was his mind speaking to him? No...someone must be speaking to him through his mind.

Kuza decided to try thinking a reply back. Yeah, he thought.

It was then that a bright light enveloped him and he vanished.

Fanah's smile was replaced with an incredulous frown. "What? He teleported?! How is that possible?!"

Fanah stomped the ground as several streams of fire came her way. She looked up and screamed, "I'm gonna enjoy the hell out of killing every one of you!"

With that, she charged at the Guardian Janus soldiers, ready to tear them limb from limb in her rage.

As Kuza's body materialized, several of the Yoshies around glanced at him in surprise. Kuza opened his eyes and looked around. These were also Yoshies, but their skin colors were faded and their bodies were adorned with bright colors of paint.

More Yoshies...but these look a lot different, Kuza thought to himself.

One of the Yoshies suddenly cried, "It be another monster!"

Kuza looked at the Yoshi. Monster? he thought.

"Great...another uninvited guest. Markior's not here so I'm gonna have to take care of you myself!"

Kuza turned to see a maroon-skinned Yoshi with dreadlocks standing there. Beside him was a blue-skinned Yoshi with an orange underside and dragon wings, a tiny baby Yoshi in her arms.

"Hl'garng, tell them not to attack...I can tell this guy is stronger than anything you guys can handle, and I'm sure your lord wouldn't want any of you getting hurt or killed."

With that comment, the maroon-skinned Yoshi pulled out his two tonfer weapons and prepared for a fight.