The Paladin

Genesis - Chapter Three

Two months later rumors that Aries had appeared in a deadly way by killing everyone in the town where Matt first appeared in. The Brothers got there too late to save anyone, but they were able to damage the Warrior a bit. There was no clue where Aries was going next but the whole city was on alert. A Militia started to act as guards, and anyone with a gun carried it all over.

Matt, Tiff and Rose however did not. In fact one night Tiff took Matt to the fight club once she learned that Rose had set it up self-defense class. "I was hoping that you two would come over sooner!" She said when they walked in. "It is only a fight club down stairs, everything else is only for teaching how to fight from me!" She pointed to herself, being the best fighter. Well, the only real fighter left. Any weapon, any style, she knew how to use it or beat it. "Tiff, there is gear for you over there. Matt you get this." She handed him a sword and a weird armor piece.

He looked at the armor. "What is this?"

"Something that Tiffany made actually." Rose took it back, flipped it and pressed it on Matt's chest, hard. "She calls it Adapting Cell Armor, or just ACA."

When Rose let go of it, the whole thing came to life. It looked like mini hexagons crawling over his body until everything, but his head was covered. Then the hexagons became solid, forming a base layer of black armor. Then the ACA thickened and turned to a dull silver. He now looked like a knight without the clattering of metal.

Tiff walked out with a training outfit on, and she looked good. "The ACA conforms to a person by reading the body type, or personality and focuses protection on the weak points of said person's body. It would seem that it says you are not a fighter yet." Looking at Rose "He needs to be trained."

Matt then had a bad feeling about that last line, especially when Rose ponded her fist together and smiled.

Two hours later that feeling turned out to be true. Even with the ACA on, his whole body felt broken. Rose showed no mercy on him. Even so, he now knew a lot more about fighting with and without a sword. As all three left the club, Matt tried to recall a time where he did anything like this in his life but there were none. He never had friends before, not even with his coworkers. How was this possible? While he would never know, but he loved it. That night they sat around the bar, drank and told wild tales of their lives. Rose soon went up to bed leaving the two young adults alone. Matt smiled looking at his drink. "You know, I never thought life could be enjoyable."

Tiff nodded. "Me nether. Even though you told me my role in that game you talk about, I doubt that it would ever happen." Nodding to the kitchen "I just worked back there when I met Taylor five years ago when he went go looking for the Warriors with Clyde. When they came back, he was different every time." She looked upset. "He always said he loved me, but I never believed him. Maybe it was just a role he was supposed to fill... like in your game."

Matt nodded. He could only think that everyone was like they were in the game. Now he realized that he could no longer think like that. He had to accept that it was real and no longer just lines of code. The people had real feelings, real emotions, and real problems. Could it be that maybe he could be with her?

"We all have our roles to play Tiff, we just need to see them first." She looked at him. "While it may not be the roles we like, we are just pawns in the game of life." He looked at her with a stone-cold look.

She the smiled and laughed. "Where did you get that line of crap?"

"Fortune cookie." He laughed with her.

They walked upstairs together to Matt's door. He opened it and turned to say good night, but when their eyes met, they both leaned in for a kiss. They stayed there for a long time. When they parted, they both knew that they were meant for each other. Tiff looked down and slowly walked away. Matt could only look at her and smiled as he closed the door.