Ahem, so here it is. What was meant to be a small story swelled into a huge document so forgive me for that. In any case, this fanfiction features three OCs, Axel, Tamaka and Oliver, all within the universe of DAFIGHT.
Don't stone me to death, I'm aware of the terrible writing. I hope you can get past that and enjoy this little(?) tale.
DAFIGHT - The Ramen Vigora
That night something came from the forest into Firefly. Something alive and malignant. A vine.
The vine was soon joined by others in its silent advance. Two… Four… Seven… - a collection of them weaved across the short grass, past a tree. They searched the place with exploring touches. They were after the scent of something just outside the doorstep of the Firefly pub, the most popular watering hole on the island.
They finally touched on the place just at the doorstep of the pub. They had found what they were looking for.
And then a voice floated across the landscape from the forest, haunting and intense.
"Rrr…."
Some larger body, the owner of the searching vines was coming.
"Rrrr…"
A glowing green flower face raised its head in the darkness.
"RAMEN!"
Upstairs, in Room 17, Axel woke with a start from his slumber.
"… Morning?"
There was a muffled creaking sound, like he was on a ship at sea. This was probably what had woken him up, everything seemed dark after all. Axel slid out of bed and walked up to the window.
He sighed as he saw the black window, "Still night time huh. Can never tell the time in this place."
But then the 'darkness' shifted, slid against itself.
Axel blinked and took a step back, "Um…"
He could see light spill through gaps in the shifting darkness. Axel looked up, paying closer attention to the sounds that reverberated throughout the room. It was clear that the entire pub was wrapped up by something big.
And then there was the crash from downstairs.
"Whoa!" He ran towards the door but it burst open before he could open it. These were his pets, X the bubble and Zero the phoenix. At their young age though they were pretty much orbs of water and fire respectively, punctuated by beady eyes. They now held worried expressions.
"Axel! Axel! Something is-"
"I know!" He hurried down the stairs barefoot, only bothering to grab his rapier.
He jumped down the ten plus stairs and landed on the ground floor of the pub. He was now in the main room, the lounge of the pub, and it was in the process of getting thrashed.
Multiple bands of green vines had burst through the door and were now streaming into the pub, overturning couches, tables and lamps. The smaller ones grew as they liked across the walls. The ethereal glow told Axel what it was immediately,
"Tsk. A vigora? All the way out here?"
The vigora was basically a creeping flower with eyes and a mouth. Leaves grew along their vines, and when threatened it could harden them to be as sharp as knives to cut through even armour. Of course, they preferred to stay in the forest, and their bioluminescence was best observed at night.
The pub was so dark anyways with it wrapping up the windows that Axel could see the glow well enough. The fact that it had managed to do that meant it was even bigger than it'd normally be.
Axel unsheathed his rapier and lunged forwards, slashing downwards on one of the offending vines. The long arm gave the perfect target to hit.
The rapier cleaved through the thick bough like it was nothing, and the vigora shrieked in pain as the length of vines fell down. The smaller vines also flinched.
"Oh oh." Axel realized his mistake.
On cue, more vines burst through the doors. One swept Axel away into the wall as it continued its dogged pursuit for something in the bar, where the kitchen was.
Axel got up groggily and followed its path there, dodging the vines and stepping around them to see what was going on.
He blinked and watched in silence as one by one the vines attacked the bar. As always the Firefly Pub had an endless array of drinks on its racks, and unless there was a bartender, it was all self-service. The vigora sure was helping itself now.
It didn't bother with opening the bottles, it simply punctured them one by one and tested them. Judging from the way it tossed them away it was not impressed with whatever it was finding.
Looking at how many vines were coming in, Axel nodded and admitted,
"Yeah, this is hopeless."
He had to deal with this outside.
More vines pressed against him, and Axel cleaved through them. He barely escaped the newly provoked outburst, dodging the wildly swinging vines as he made his way back upstairs.
Just when he reached the second floor he heard a startled shout,
"Oh!"
"Tamaka?" Axel shouted as he recognized the voice. He picked up the pace.
Just his luck that no one else was in the pub at the moment.
Tamaka was on the roof of the Firefly Pub. The roof wasn't designed for people to walk or sit on it, but it was used to do just that. Understandable since it had a gentle slope and some nice tiles. It was great to be on especially on a sunny day like this.
The elf had been doing just that, sitting down and enjoying the view when a vine went up to her and touched her leg. She closed her eyes and hummed with the dull wind that blew through her violet hair.
"Ah?"
With an explosion of wood a glowing flower head emerged from the pub and stared down at her. It growled at her, looking crazed.
"Oh!" Tamaka gave a gasp of surprise, "A vigora!" She exclaimed, pointing a finger at the vigora's face."
"Rrrr…"
"Ehe… Good morning?"
More vines came up along with the vigora. The pub was practically made of vines at this point.
Tamaka looked around, "Um… Please don't destroy the pub. It's a nice place and people could get hurt."
"Rrrrrr." the vigora brought its face closer, the green glow was almost blinding even in the sunlight,
"Rrrr?" Tama asked in return, her pointed ears flattening a little.
"RRRamen!" the vigora announced in a loud voice, punctuating its wishes with the thrashing of its vines.
"I want ramen! Give me ramen!"
"Eh? But I don't have any."
The immediately wrapped Tamaka in vines, carrying her off the roof.
"Eh?"
The vigora held Tamaka aloft.
"Give me ramen or else!"
"Are you hungry?"
"Yes! But only for ramen!"
"But I don't have any…"
"Then show me who does!"
"Eh… But I don't think anybody does. Maybe the kitchen? The kitchen always has everything"
"Rrrrr." the vigora growled at her, smashing the roof with its main vine limbs.
"Ehh… You seem more angry than hungry." She smiled, "Oh I know, I can sing you a song and you'll feel happy. I know how to sing."
"A song?" the vigora squinted suspiciously, seeming to forget its strange craving for a moment "Can you sing? Do you have good songs?"
"Yes!"
She cleared her throat and began singing a song for the vigora.
It was much like a lullaby, and sang by an elf, possibly magical. the vigora closed its eyes and bobbed its head around lazily. The vigora clearly enjoyed it, its originally thrashing vines relaxing and undulating in a more peaceful manner.
Axel came up through the roof access window. He opened it and jumped out, kicking away at vines that had accosted him from earlier. He held up his rapier,
"Tamaka? You okay?" He saw that she was singing, "Um, what's happening here?"
"She is singing me a nice song." the vigora hummed to the tune as well, seeming very much less agitated than before.
"Err… What?" Axel pointed his sword downwards.
Tamaka kept on singing and then paused for a moment,
"He was angry."
"Hungry." The vigora growled.
"And hungry. He's looking for ramen."
Axel blinked, "Ramen… Right."
"Oh! You like Ramen don't you Axel? You can tell him where to find it."
"Nova Town has a Ramen shop yeah." Axel rubbed his chin and his stomach growled, "Yeah I could go for some right now actually. After yesterday…" He sighed.
The Vigora looked excited, "Hop on then! Show me the way! " the vigora gently placed Tamaka onto one of its vines, letting her ride on it rather than be carried like that. It weaved a sort of birds nest out of its vines.
Axel glanced around at the pub. He noticed that the vines were pulling out of their assault. The pub would definitely be out of shape for a moment, but it was all in all no harm no foul really. Besides he was hungry.
"Let's go then." He jumped up to a vine and pointed,
"To Nova Town!"
"To Nova Town!" the vigora and Tamaka repeated joyously.
The vigora gathered up all its branches and weaved them into rudimentary four limbs. Amongst the writhing mass of other vines, it began to move them forwards and walk across the grass.
The heavy weight of its foot falls gave off loud thuds with every step it took as it headed towards Nova Town.
"Sing me another song nice elf person!" the vigora said happily.
Tamaka thought hard, "Um… How about this?" And began singing.
Axel simply sat with his legs crossed and a hand supporting his chin, seemingly quite bored with the extraordinary situation. But then again, stranger things had happened.
"Finally! We are here! Nova Town!"
Mostly the residents cleared the way quickly. The guards did not bother confronting it, hoping and guessing that it was friendly. They knew of the beings known as adventurers, and recognized Axel and Tamaka immediately for what they were. If there was anything to be done about this situation, it would be by them.
The vigora stepped over the wide iron gate with ease.
As always, Nova Town was a testament to how mixed the world of the island was, and strangely it all seemed to blend together well. Buildings ranged from artistically designed houses of wood and stone to high-rise buildings fit for any modern city. Even as the vigora made its way through the town other amazing things were happening. As expected of a place full of magic and creatures from all walks of life.
The district where the popular ramen shop was relatively quieter than the other parts of Nova Town. It wasn't the town square or anything, but it sure looked like it. No one really set up shop here, except that one ramen shop.
"Is that… Ramen?"
The vigora drooled as it saw the shop before it.
"Yeah that's – whoa."
The vigora didn't wait for their replies, reaching with a vine towards the ramen shop.
The poor girl who was managing the stand did not quite know how to take this visit from a gigantic glowing flower creature.
"W-welcome to The Ramen Shop! No matter what other people say our noodles are good! Please don't eat me I'm sorry for being a bad cook!"
She seemed to be more nervous about other things however.
Axel and Tamaka exchanged glances as the vigora ignored the girl's pleas and reached for the ramen.
"Finally…" the vigora cooed as it plunged its extension into the boiling pot of noodles. It paused, and then emptied the whole lot by sucking it through its vines.
Axel and Tamaka could see the vines bulge as the food made its passageway up along it. It had consumed enough servings enough for about 50 people.
"This is it!" It shouted, in rapture of the taste, "The thing I tasted last night outside that building! RAMEN!" the vigora laughed uproariously, it's eyes making crazy spirals. And that is never a good thing.
Axel felt a bit nervous.
"He couldn't be talking about…"
Tamaka was curious, "Hm?"
"Eh… I spilt some ramen outside the pub yesterday…" Tears came to his eyes as he remembered the memory, "My perfect take away ramen ruined… I was too depressed to come back here to take another and just fell asleep."
"Ah… I see… It must have been tough."
It seemed it was Axel's fault for this strange craving the vigora had.
Axel sighed, "Well, all's well that ends well. You ate all the ramen though, so I'm back to square one. They make it so good here."
The girl who managed the stand heard this and bowed, "Thank you."
"What?" The vigora paused as it twisted its flower-face towards Axel, "What do you mean it's finished?! You lie!"
Axel blinked, "Um yeah that's what happens when you eat that much. And besides, you have to pay. And I don't have anything on me right now."
"You lie! The ramen cannot be finished! Tell me it's not true!"
"Ouch." Tamaka flinched back her right hand that had been resting on the rims of her vine seat. The leaves there had turned sharp. She sucked her index finger as blood welled on it.
Axel tensed, "Oy.. .Calm down."
"Um… You didn't pay mister plant…" The girl said tentatively.
The vigora glanced at her, it's eyes spinning crazily.
"Humans… You… You have guts don't you?" It tilted its head curiously.
"Eh?"
"Not cool man. You have to pay." Axel said.
"Um…" Tamaka stood up. More of the leaves had turned sharp.
"Guts are stringy… Like noodles… Like Ramen… In a soup of blood…"
Teeth appeared across its mouth, "Then that means humans are ramen too!"
"Okay now." Axel stood up and unsheathed his sword, "I think it's time we put you to sleep."
"Shut up! Food should not talk! It's bad manners!"
It had kept a relatively compressed shape all this time, but now it suddenly exploded into action. By now it was clear it had doubled in size since its attack on the pub. Vines whipped out all across the square. One snatched the girl away cleanly from her shop.
She gave off a small startled scream as she was wrapped up and bound.
The few civilians who had been nearby were almost caught up in the attacking vines, a lot of them began to run. The vigora held the crying girl up.
"I knew it… You don't like my cooking right? That's why you'll eat me… Okay, I hope I'm tasty at least." She cried.
"Oy! You're worried about the wrong thing here!" Axel jumped from vine to vine and cleaved through the one holding the girl. He carried her to the ground, landing in a squat,
"Go hide somewhere!"
That was all he had to do before he was lashed on his back badly.
"Oh, I'll feel that for the day."
He turned to bring his guard up, but three vines whipped him up into the air. They would have flung him away into the sky but he held on with his left hand, ignoring the bite of the now sharpened leaves. They sliced his arm.
"Tamaka! Are you okay?" Axel called through grit teeth.
Tamaka gave a startled shout and jumped over an assaulting vine. She had her bow out but the violence of the outburst was too much for her. She finally gained some semblance of balance though and aimed an arrow.
"Don't make me do this!" She pleaded with the crazed vigora, but it was too long gone now.
"Ramen! Human ramen! Silence my food!"
"Damn - Tamaka!" Axel put his rapier in his mouth and began climbing up the crazily swinging vine.
Now the vines were so stretched out that it was starting to get the civilians. Axel saw one poor man on a nearby roof backing away from the monster scene that had unfurled before him, and he had just been out to take a smoke break on a roof. A vine caught him in the side and sent him flying off into the distance. He gave off a girlish scream and then was silent.
"Tamaka! We've got to put him down!"
"R-right!" Tamaka fired an arrow at the vigora's head, but it caught it and retaliated simply by removing the footing Tamaka was walking on once and for all. She fell.
"Tamaka!" Axel was high enough now. He let go and jumped from vine to vine, putting his rapier back in his hand. But the vigora simply stopped supporting him wherever he stepped and let him fall, helpless to only clutch at the sharp vines.
Tamaka reached for the sky. In the next moment she would hit the ground, but that wasn't the worst of it. A sphere of darkness threatened to engulf her. The vigora intended to squeeze her into a cocoon and shred her with its leaves.
She closed her eyes, one moment away from this fate and then she was no longer falling.
"Okay, what's happening here?"
She opened her eyes at the familiar voice and saw a familiar face.
Tamaka smiled happily, "Oliver!"
The blonde-haired man named Oliver looked down at the vigora with bewilderment. He had just teleported her to safety.
"Is it… calling for ramen?" He frowned.
"Ah… Yes…" Tamaka hugged Oliver by the side, "Axel says we should…"
Oliver nodded, understanding. "Before they're any human casualties sure. It has to be done. Be careful. We need to take it-" Oliver ducked, pulling Tamaka down with him, narrowly missing being sliced by a lashing vine. "-out."
"Enough games you ramen addict!" Axel shouted from within the bowels of the vigora. A pillar of flame burst forth and Axel jumped up into the air from the newly opened hole. He stepped off a vine and landed on the opposite roof. He swung his rapier around, a tongue of flame still on it.
The vigora growled,
"I will eat you three first! Especially the one who sings!"
Axel's expression darkened at that, and he held his rapier vertically in front of his face. It charged up with more flame. "Let's incinerate it!"
"Right! Tamaka try to aim for its head."
Oliver opened his trench coat and held a rod like device. His TAMWD. A high tech science wand of sorts that could fire any elemental attack he wished. And what better element for incineration than fire?
He keyed a button aimed and fired. There was a pause as it whined and manufactured the energy, and then two flashes were punctuated by two explosions of fire appearing on the vigora's body. Coupled with a gush of flame from Alex's sword, this only seemed to serve to infuriate it more.
The vigora raised itself higher than even the tall buildings, uncoiling itself majestically.
Its vines were now a whirlwind. Any innocent bystander down there would've been reduced to shreds. The buildings were gouged through and the vigora's flower face glowed ominously. Small streaks of light seemed to be attracted to its face.
"It's charging an attack isn't it." Axel sighed as he rubbed the back of his head.
"You think?!" Oliver hopped out of the way of a striking vine. Tamaka shot off a number of arrows at the vigora. They sliced through and through, but like the fire it was mostly superficial damage. It had grown too big to be affected by the usual attacks.
"Can't let that happen then!" Axel jumped off the building.
It was much like launching ones' self onto a propeller. He held his rapier downwards. Spinning vines cut themselves on it and he came close enough to snag another vine. He pulled himself up. He was one more pull to get a good shot at the Vigora's head, and then he'd have it.
Except he didn't have it. It had him.
"Oh oh."
Axel was caught. the vigora grinned at him as it cocooned him from his feet to his neck in vines. He couldn't move anything below his neck.
"Uh…"
"Axel!" X and Zero shouted, hovering around him worriedly. "We'll get you out of there!"
For all their good intentions though, they couldn't do much to deter the intense grip of the vines. Axel grit his teeth as the leaves cut into his shoulders and side.
"Never mind me, pester the vigora."
"R-right!" X and Zero did just that. The vigora didn't respond much, but it definitely loosened its grip on Axel a bit, and any sort of relief was welcome.
"Axel!" Tamaka aimed her bow at Axel, seeking to get a shot in to free him. Oliver followed suit, but Axel shook his head,
"This is your chance! Take it out already! I'm hungry!"
Oliver frowned. "Hey! Worry about yourself a little!"
"It's charging a freaking laser beam man, take care of it while it's still a light-hearted story!"
"Always with the fourth-wall comments." Oliver mumbled. He charged up his TAMWD and held it to his side. He put a hand on Tamaka's shoulder
"Tamaka, fire an arrow at its head, I'll boost it."
"Yes."
She didn't delay. Her bow already drawn, X and Zero helping to make the already clear glowing target more clearer, she aimed and fired.
Oliver pressed a button and the steel tipped monstrosity that could bore through three inches of a wall, was coated in a blue fire.
The vigora finally finished charging its power, and aimed its face at Axel, determined to start making good on its promise.
"Ramen…" It said. It's face was now a green sun.
And now it was only a quarter of a green sun. The flaming arrow scored its mark and obliterated its face, leaving only its hungry smiling mouth visible.
There was a pause, and the vigora's errant vines still danced around a moment, but then finally it became flaccid and crumpled on the spot.
It sounded like the world's largest rope settling on the floor after being cut off from a high mountain peak. That was the only sound for a moment, and when it was all over the nearby roofs and the entire square was covered in vines and some rising dust and smoke.
The end result was a glowing green garden of vines. The glow dissipated soon enough, and as strange as it looked it was quite a peaceful scene in the end.
"Its… dead…" Tamaka said sadly. Oliver stowed away his weapon in his coat, pulling her close,
"You saved a lot of people."
"Yeah…"
"Let's get out of here." He said.
"Um, what about Axel?"
"He'll be okay." Oliver said, "Ready?"
Tamaka nodded, wanting to be out of there. Somehow it felt like it was night time again, even though the sun was out over head.
The next moment they weren't there anymore.
There were one or two curious onlookers, but the wizards of clerics made it their objective to tend to any of the wounded and cordon off the area.
Only one serious injury was reported, but thankfully no casualties were counted. They wouldn't get to removing the vines until the next day though, so the piece of modern art that was the vine garden would be there for a while. The next day The Nova Town Star would report of the terrifying attack of the ramen vigora.
The ramen girl was in shock, hiding behind her shop that was miraculously still standing.
Then she saw the vines moving.
"Eh?" It was still alive!
She watched in terror as a mass of vines rose up, and started moving towards her. It was much like a swamp monster than anything. Had it survived by splitting itself off into this smaller form? Any moment now its green flower face would emerge and then it'd attack her screaming for ramen…
She pressed back against her cutlery, almost knocking it over, "Noo… I'm sorry. I'm sorry please don't eat me! I'll make good ramen I promise!"
"…R…" it finally spoke.
She closed her eyes, shutting them against tears.
"Really?" The excited voice said, "I thought they were all finished!"
"Eh?" She opened them again and saw the person sitting on the stool. The vines still covered him like a cloak, but he didn't seem to mind them, he had his hands clasped together in a business-like manner,
"Ramen please. Surprise me! So long as it's something meaty!" Axel smiled.
"Eh…" The girl was bewildered for a while.
The moment of silence was punctuated by Axel's growling stomach…
"Please…" He said with a strained expression. "I'm starving. Ramen."
"Ah, okay." She got to work immediately, getting some pots ready.
Soon enough a steaming bowl of Tonkotsu ramen was ready for Axel.
He clasped his hands together and started eating, the girl watched nervously.
"I hope you like it."
He nodded, refusing to pause to reply as he enjoyed his meal.
It was an excellent ramen.