Chapter 4: New Trouble

Topaz thinks that he just had to raise a flag like that. Just had to. He groans to himself as he rushes through the halls of Signal, gunshots and maniacal laughter sounding from behind him.

????: "Here kitty, kitty, kitty. We know you're out there. We just want to talk to you, and not kidnap you and use you for our entertainment or anything like that."

*Thud*

????: "You idiot. No one will ever come out after that."

Running with renewed vigor after that exchange, you round the corner, and throw open the door to Tai's class.

Topaz: "Tai! People are attacking the school."

Tai: "What! Where?"

Showing Tai the direction he had run from and seeing three figures wearing black armor, holding heavy rifles, walking towards Topaz at a moderate pace. The three figures aim their weapons towards him, so Tai drags him back around the corner and back into the classroom. Pushing the desks in front of the door and getting into the corner away from the line of sight of the door, Tai and Topaz begin discussing what to do next.

*Thud Thud Thud*

????: "Come on kitty, open up the door. Unless you want that blonde girlfriend of yours to get hurt."

Tai and Topaz flinch at that comment. Tai stands up to rush at the door, but Topaz grabs his arm, shakes his head and slowly makes his way to the door.

Topaz: "Okay, okay. I'll come out, but only if you swear no-one else will be hurt if I do."

????: "Sure, we promise. You're the one we want after all."

Clearing out the way to the door, Topaz opens the door with his hands up. One of the intruders grabs his hands yanks them behind his back and ties them together. Feeling a sharp pain in his neck, the world begins to spin, then goes black.

Waking up after an unknown amount of time with a massive headache. Topaz looks around, and finds himself in an unknown room. He notices how the windows are barred off, and the door itself is nowhere to be found. Out of the corner of his eye, Topaz sees a note on the end-table to his right. He grabs the note and opens it to reveal its contents.

{Hello there Topaz, and welcome to your new home. Now, you may be wondering how we know who you are, or where exactly you are, but none of that matters. All that should matter to you now, is that you listen to everything we say, as if your life depends on it, because it does. You will remain in that room until we allow you to leave, when you do leave, you will follow the one who lets you out without a word. Your new life will be filled with fighting, and earning us money. So, do us a favor, and try not to die}

Topaz misses his family, and hopes that they are well through this whole ordeal, but he knows that there is nothing he can do against this group for now. He will just have to bide his time and grow strong enough to do something about it. There it is again, not being strong enough. Topaz wasn't strong enough for whatever happened before he met the Xiao Long/Rose family, and he wasn't strong enough to stop this incident from happening. Topaz knows he must become stronger so nothing like this will happen again.

[3 days later]

It has been three days since Topaz woke up in this place. Three days with no interactions to whoever is holding him there. Food and water are pushed through a little slot that opens when they want it to, but other than that, there has been no change with the room.

*Hiss*

Hearing an odd hissing sound, Topaz looks up and sees a section of the wall sliding open. In walks a gruff and angry looking man. He looks at Topaz with disgust, and motions for Topaz to follow him. Following after the man, Topaz finds himself in a white hallway with no discernible features. After walking for a few minutes, the man turns to the wall and places his hand on a black box. The wall suddenly slides open and the man walks in and tells Topaz to follow. Topaz walks into the room. The walls are covered in bookshelves and towards the back of the room there stands a lone desk with a gentleman in a white suit sitting behind it. The man has white hair and a white mustache. He looks at Topaz with disgust in his eyes, then turns to the man who led Topaz in here.

????: "Is this really the one we will be using? He's nothing but a filthy animal."

????: "Yes, Mr. Schnee. We've been informed that this individual has immense fighting potential, and with the proper training will be unbeatable."

Mr. Schnee: "Well if that's the case, he'd better start making me money quickly, or its both of your heads."

????: "Yes sir."

Schnee? That name sounds familiar, why is it so familiar? Wait, isn't that the name of that big dust company Tai always mentions when he and Ruby get into the whole weapon thing? Who would have thought that a corporate big shot would have such a dark secret?

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It has been two weeks since the meeting with Mr. Schnee, and so far, it has been nothing but training from dusk until dawn. But today is different, today Topaz has been told that he is fighting someone. He doesn't know who he will be fighting, but he knows that he has to win. Topaz's handler shows up and tells Topaz to follow him. Topaz learned that his name is Mike, and that he isn't such a bad guy if you can get past his gruff exterior. He is a tough trainer, but he won't let Topaz push himself too far, and if he does, Mike is quick on getting Topaz to stop. Mike is now leading Topaz to the arena for the fight. He randomly stops and turns to Topaz.

Mike: "Okay kid, it's time for your first fight with us. Keep calm and composed and I know you will do just fine. These fights aren't always to the death, but you should always fight as if they are."

Patting Topaz's shoulder, Mike gives Topaz a reassuring smile, and then gently shoves him into the room to wait for the fight to begin. The door closes behind him and he is left in a dark room surrounded by weapons. One in particular catches his eyes. An ax with a handle about a foot and a half long with blades on both sides. Grabbing hold of the handle and giving it a few test swings, Topaz can't help but be surprised by how comfortable it feels in his hands. Taking a deep breathe to calm himself, he quietly wait until the door opens for the fight.

Muffled Announcer Voice: "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming for tonight's entertainment. Tonight, we have something a little different in store for you. Coming from the west gate, we have tonight's challenger. Representing the Mistral Dust Company, we have the undefeated Markus."

The announcer gives a moment's pause to let the crowd cheer and build up suspense.

Muffled Announcer Voice: "And coming from the east gate, representing the Schnee Dust Company, we have a new fighter to our ranks, put your hands together for Topaz."

As soon as Topaz's name is announced, the door opens and reveals a small arena surrounded by seats filled with societies wealthiest. The air reeks of blood and expensive perfume, and standing across from Topaz stands an older boy with a cocky grin on his face.

Markus: "Well, well, well. Looks like it'll be another win for me today. No way an animal can beat the likes of me. Well cat, let's see what you've got."