The Struggling Musician
Chapter 6
The Struggling Musician
"Scrap-Ram! Is your plan ready?" Vile asked.
From a viewing screen, the general's face materializes from a pile of garbage in a far corner. Lurking in the shadows, he spots a lone man approaching down an empty road.
"The target is ready as planned. This man is what we need."
Scrap-Ram eyes on a lone man carrying a guitar on his back. His hair covers nearly his eyes while the wind breezes by. He makes his way towards Emerald village.
"Who is this man supposed to be?"
"I've been keeping my eye on this one for quite some time. His music will provide the energy we need to nourish our labyrinth. My mark is already planted."
A faint glint appears from the side of the man's guitar.
"He will be the eyes and ears we need, aha haha."
A moment not too later, the man stumbles upon Bamboo's restaurant.
The door slides open.
"Oh, we have a new customer." Bamboo jumped.
The man drops on the floor the moment he stepped inside.
"Oh my god? Are you okay?"
He goes to check his pulse. The man was barely mumbled as he tries to make out what he was saying.
"So hu…ngry!"
"Someone help this man to a table. I'll fix something nice up."
Auroa and Maigashi go to help the man to a table. A moment not too later, he was digging down on Bamboo's cooking. Plate after plate while the others watch.
"Dude, you guys are a lifesaver."
"So, who are you again?" Alistor asked.
The man continues to chow down on the food.
"The names Axe. Axe Winston, I'm a musician."
"So what brings you to this boring place? What's your story?" Maigashi wondered.
He finished his plate before answering.
"I use to be an Ace Guitarist. A rising star on tour way before these monster attacks started happening. But my skills began to falter somehow after my last few sessions. My band kicked me out, I lost my pad, dropped out from school, and my girlfriend even left. She took my car, and I lost everything, man."
"Your girlfriend? Who was she?"
"I wish to not talk about it…."
He grabs the next plate on the table.
"No, wait! You might not want to try that."
He reaches for the special dessert. Bamboo's plate of grass jelly. The others attempt to stop him, but it was too late. He quickly chomps it down in less than a few seconds. They stood speechless for a moment expecting the worse. "Dude! This stuff is Bodacious." A tiny teardrop ran down Bamboo's eye. "Whoah! You seriously can handle that stuff?" Alistor was astounded with disbelief. "Well, I'll eat anything," Axe replied. "Your cooking is excellent!" The bill suddenly rang up. "So, how is he gonna pay?" Bamboo quickly figures a solution. "Not to worry! Any person who is a fan of my cooking is a friend of ours. Especially for my grass jelly." He hands a work uniform to Axe. "What's this?" "You have nowhere to go, right?" Axe nods his head. "Since you're a musician, my restaurant could use some lovely music. You can even help out in the kitchen, and you're welcome to stay as long you want. He suddenly reaches out to hug Bamboo. "No way! Are you serious? Dude! Of course, I'll stay." "Then it's settled. You can start tomorrow morning." The very next morning, Axe plays, but the sound of his guitar sends a migraine through everyone else. Customers are seen covering their ears and leaving. Alistor falls over, breaking some plates. Bamboo came out from the kitchen. "What are you playing? You're scaring all the customers away." Bamboo wailed. He stops playing for the moment. "When you said your skills faltered, I didn't realize you were this bad." Auroa honestly admitted. "Was this the only guitar you ever used?" They took a moment to examine his guitar. Old and slightly rusted with a few loose ends. "This guitar holds a special place in me. Long story short, this was passed down to me." "So you have a family." "Not anymore; they passed away before their time even came. Since then, I have never stopped playing this guitar. I take it everywhere with me." "Well, for now, you can help clean up in the kitchen." Bamboo suggested. The party continued their shift. Axe helps Bamboo in the back kitchen, cleaning the dishes. A while later … Bamboo presents them with their next job. An old theatre under renovation. Alistor and the party look over the paper. "Hey, that's the old school theatre. What's left of it, I suppose?" "Don't tell me this is another cleanup job?" Maigashi showed distaste. "Since Axe can't play this guitar, maybe finding a new one might work. You four will salvage what you can at this place." "You think finding a new one will work?" Axe asked. Bamboo grabs the old guitar right from his hands. "I'll hold on to this for the time being. Any instrument you can salvage will reel us in some nice cash. So move out." And so the four of them moved on out. Alistor and his friends head to the old school theatre. Entering through the back door of what remains of the building. Through a dark hallway, Auroa reached out to find the lights. They entered the room, and from the flick of a switch, the lights came on. "Whoa, this place is totally trashed. Dudes, are you sure we can find something new? This looks like the aftermath of a wild concert." "We can assure you it's not. So now let's just get this over with." Behind the curtains, Scrap Ram lurks in the shadows. Vilevelious contacts from the other screen. "What is happening, general? Why can't I see anything on the screen? Where in blazes is that guitar you planted?" Vile demanded. "Look like we'll have to try something else for now. So a different monster will do for now." Alistor and the party continue to salvage anything they could find from the back of the theatre. Scouring through the piles of broken instruments. "A few broken harps, a piano, some violins. No guitars yet." Maigashi nods. "Just my luck…when I thought things were turning up. I'll never find anything new to play at this rate." Axe tossed a broken flute to the side. It rolls across the floor and into the corners as Scrap Ram grabs the object without notice. A monster begins forming in the back. "Base Face! You will deal with them. Now go and gather some energy!" Soon after, Axe finally stumbled upon an intact guitar. He begins to pull it out from the pile of junk. "I finally found one. Dudes! Come help me out." Auroa and Maigashi go to help. "Man, this one is stuck in tight. Hey, Alistor, get over here." With Alistor, they successfully pull it out. Axe held it right up on the air proudly. Unable to take his eyes off it. "Man, this one's a beauty." The guitar suddenly shatters in his hands. "What? Not cool, dude. Who did that?" They turn around to find a monster before their eyes. Axe immediately jumps back from the sight of it. "Ah! What is that thing?" The monster gets close to him. "Treat me like garbage, will ya. The names Base Face and my sound is gonna decimate your holes." The monster begins to pick Axe up from the shoulders. Scared out of his mind, he was barely able to fight back. "What are you doing? Can't you fight back?" Auroa wondered. "I'm a musician, not a fighter. This was not what I signed up for. Dudes! Help me out." Auroa blasts a gust of air at the monster. Maigashi pulls Axe out of the way as Base Face tries to fire a screeching sound at them. Auroa's wind pushed the attack back at the monster as it loses ground. Then, he suddenly sensed something in the air. "I feel another force at hand. Fall back!" A pile of junk drops in at the center as the four gained some distance. Then, finally, Scrap Ram materialized in front of them. "Base Face! A change of plans. Stop wasting time and get some energy." The monster begins to leave the scene as the four tries to chase after it. However, a wall of junk blocks their path. "Just who are you? Are you the third demon general?" Alistor asked. "You catch on very quick. Shellshock took you all so lightly; that was his biggest mistake." "What kind of monster are you supposed to be?" "I am composed of your everyday objects. From the trash, waste, and junk you humans take for granted. I am part of Aggerona's demolition division. The names Scrap Ram and I make monsters from your old trash." They stare down face to face with the new foe at hand. Maigashi attempts to fire some shots at the wall, but it had little effect. The holes on the wall quickly repaired themselves. "We can't let that monster escape outside. So what do we do?" Alistor asked. "Just leave this one to me." Auroa insisted. "Are you sure you'll be fine?" Auroa blasts a big hole in the wall. His wind leaves an opening held from his power as Axe and Maigashi runoff. "Just go and take care of that monster. My wind will hold this one-off. You could use the training anyway." As Alistor leaves, the hole closes. Auroa alone faces off with the general in the theatre. "You think you'll be able to hold me off? You won't even last a minute." "For some reason, this all feels familiar to me. Like I've already done this before." "You're just delusional." Auroa materializes a whip from his wind. "Let's not waste any more time. My wind has been dying to break something all day." And so, Auroa begins to clash with the general. Back outside, Base Face arrives at a park. The sound from the monster's flute draining the victims. Alistor and the other caught up to the monster's position. "Stop right there! We have you surrounded." Alistor pointed. "Ah! Just in time for my grand sonata. The sound of the century, and you'll have the honor at the front seat." "I don't think so." Alistor charged at the monster with his blade. Base Face effortlessly blasted him back with a wave of sound. He falls back flat on his face. Axe begins to cower behind Maigashi. "Do you always mindlessly charge at the foe?" Maigashi asked. "Well, we have to do something." "No plan or strategy whatsoever. Just great, at this rate, you won't last long." He continued to nag. "If you know better? Show me! You always worked side by side with Auroa, so how would I know any strategy?" "Have you ever used teamwork?" Maigashi asked. "Teamwork?" "Seriously? You never used teamwork? Do I have to explain the basics?" Maigashi lets of a sigh. "Uh dude, I think you should totally explain." Axe suggested. "We could use some tips right about now." "Sigh…fine. Just follow my lead." "We're listening." The monster begins to give chase as they followed his lead. Then, Maigashi begins to sarcastically explain the basics of teamwork. "All levels of good teamwork rests on four foundational elements. The goal, roles, process, and relationship. High performance pays out for those who execute these successfully." Base Face sends a wave of sound at them. The other two moved out of harm's way as Maigashi blocks the brunt of the attack. Smoke was in the air. "A goal is what we're trying to accomplish together." The smoke clears away. Maigashi fires a couple shots from his arrows bringing the monster's attention towards him. "The Role! Who does what and how we adapt. Who keeps the offense, plays defense, or even be the fool?" Base Face continues to fire away as he makes a run for it. "Process is how we roll and conduct things together." Axe got behind, grabbing the monster by surprise. Base Face tries to shake him, but he kept a tight grip in a piggyback position. "Dude! This better work. I don't feel comfortable doing this." "And last but not least, communication. How we influence our skills… And get the job done!" Maigashi turns around and throws a lightning dagger, piercing the monster's front. Axe loses his grasp on the demon as Alistor went in for the finishing blow. "Now finish him!" Axe quickly stumbled, crawling away from the monster as Alistor got close. Base Face desperately fires another sound wave. "Now jump!" Maigashi commanded. He makes a leap in the air avoiding the attack. Then, making a quick dash, his blade slashed through Base Face causing sparks to burst out. The monster's body begins cracking up. Struggling to hold itself together, it grabs hold of him. "What? Let go of me." Alistor struggled. "My sonata! It is not done yet." Base Face attempts to fire him from close blank range, but Axe suddenly intervenes, taking the shot behind. Base Face loses his hold on Alistor as Maigashi pulled them both back. "Axe, are you okay?" He is on the floor, barely able to budge. "Dude…remind me to not do that ever again." Relief was through both their eyes. They both got up to face the monster once more. "We have to finish this monster right here and now. So what do we do?" "A combination attack might just be enough," Maigashi suggested. Base Face continues to taunt them as they both charged right in. The monster fires a sound wave in the middle, but they both break away to avoid the attack. "Thunder!" "Star Breaker!" Lightning and energy impale Base Face from both sides. "My sonata!" Base Face shatters, reverting back to the original form it once was. Unfortunately, a broken flute was left on the ground pavement. They immediately go check back on Axe. "Dude, is it finally over?" He got right back up. "Are you sure you'll be fine? Thanks for saving me, by the way." "Nah! No problem, I'll be okay. Just my back will be sore for the next few days." The sound of a storm breezed by. Small debris of scraps drops on the park not far from the theatre. "It's coming back from the theatre. Let's go check back up on Auroa." From a distance, they witness the theatre tearing apart. The ceiling completely ripped open as Auroa damages one of Scrap Ram's core with his whip. The general begins to fall back as his pieces are swept away from the vortex. "It seems Base Face has been totaled. You have quite a bit more power than I anticipated. For now, I take my leave." Scrap Ram sinks beneath the ground, vanishing before his very eyes. Alistor and the party caught up with Auroa. "He got away this time." They took the time to check what was left of the building. Then, salvaging what Axe could, Maigashi loaded the instruments in Bamboo's car. Arriving back at the restaurant, Bamboo greets them with a nice meal. "Is this really for us? Dude, thanks." "A reward for a day of work." They begin helping themselves with the food. "Oh, and here's your guitar." He hands the guitar back to Axe. All nice and brand new. "Dude! You actually fixed it up. Awesome!" "Well, I never knew you could fix things, Bamboo," Alistor commented. Bamboo was flattered for a moment till Axe begins to play once again. The sound of his guitar still hurts their ears. "Huh? That's strange…it still sounds the same. I wonder why." They continue to examine the guitar on the table. But, again, nothing was out of the ordinary to Axe. "Well, beats me. I did what I can." Bamboo shrugged. "Tomorrow is a brand new day, so eat up and get a good night's sleep." As they enjoyed their feast, Vilevelious watches from the other end from Axe's guitar. Scrap Ram is seen reporting back at the lair. "Today was not as expected. Axe's guitar is not ready and still requires time to collect enough energy to take form. Once at its peak, our greatest monster will be ready." "In the meantime, you better devise something else to feed the labyrinth. Now go! Don't come back till you have something new." The general takes leave. "Alistor…you foolish boy. You don't think I know. It's just a matter of time before the truth slips out." The scene ends with the emperor focusing on Alistor through the viewing globe. He evilly laughs all alone in the room.