Chapter Two: Confrontation
Terra firma loomed ahead for the two teens as they approached the island where the witch was said to be hiding. A large black mass was at the edge of the beach, seemingly waiting for them to arrive.
"Spirit, we're almost there." Stein said charismatically. His weapon's wavelengths pulsed in preparation. Spirit was ready to sync with his partner's power, "Her shape shifting ability will be a hindrance, though, don't you think?"
"I don't really think so. You can always sense a witch's soul. It's too different from humans' souls to blend in perfectly."
"Except for soul protect."
"If she's using her powers she can't be using soul protect."
But he was wrong. Nowhere could they sense the witch they were hunting. The witch was blocking her waves from them and thus was most likely in a form they could not easily discern from others, meaning they would have trouble picking her out from her captives. The feeling of impending failure crept upon the meister as he approached his target, but the sensation was quickly cast aside, 'There's no way we'll fail. We're stronger than any pair in the history of the school. This witch won't know what hit her.'
Finally they touched ground. The black mass they'd seen was none other than the hostages she'd taken to slow them down. They stood guarding a large cave which seemed to go deep into the heart of the island. As they confronted the people in front of them, a whisper could be heard in the wind. It was faint, almost nothing, but it was there, 'You will not succeed,' it said. Spirit shuddered.
"Don't let her get to you, Spirit. We'll find her and make sure she pays for her crimes. I'll make you a death scythe before the hour is up." Stein said sheepishly.
"Let's go get her, partner." The sleek scythe was fluidly motioned through the air in an effort to clear a path to the cave. Stein maneuvered him with a mastery only the most experienced meisters exhibited. The captives came in droves, launching themselves towards the intruders in an effort to protect their controller as if they'd been loyal to her always. Spirit cut through them tens at a time, knocking them all away in a matter of minutes. His partner snickered as he leaned against him, "That wasn't so hard. Now all we need to do is find this witch."
Just as they started to enter the cave, a voice came over the speaker of his communicator, "Stein, Spirit, we have important news! You need to hear this!" It was the woman who had been in contact with them from the local branch.
Stein rolled his eyes and answered, "What is it? I thought I said we didn't need any help."
"The captives! They aren't what you think they are. Don't kill them."
"Too late for that, lady. You should've caught us sooner." Stein spat back. The whole lot was defeated and the necessary ones absorbed to complete the 99 Kishin soul collection required to complete Spirit's death scythe transformation, "All we need is the witch and I'll have created the first death scythe of my generation."
"You don't understand! It's not-" Stein shut off the radio. He'd heard enough of that woman's blabber. He was going to finish off this witch. He took Spirit from his resting position and ran into the cave, leaving the radio behind him, 'I should've known accepting help would only hold me back.'
The cavern was dark and musty. The only thing penetrating the pitch black was the sound of water dripping from the ceiling and down the walls. The floor was slimy and threatened to destabilize Stein if he didn't tread carefully. As the light from outside disappeared behind them, a faint light could be seen flickering ahead, ushering the boys towards it as if someone were calling for them with it. Stein moved forward, his only option if he wanted to stop this witch and reach his goal of creating the generation's first death scythe.
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
A group of Shibusen agents appeared outside the cave. The captives all lay either unconscious or dead from their encounter with Stein. Their leader, the woman who had just attempted to contact Stein, looked over the bodies with a look of unease. Lord Death had contacted her and told her the information she had tried to relay to the boys. Spirit and Stein's chances were slim to none now. Nothing they would do could help them, nor could Spirit become a death scythe at this point in time.
Just as the first shouts could be heard from the cave, the 'captives' forms began to change.
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
The light ahead turned out to be a campfire. A small girl sat next to it, shivering and crying for her parents as the boys reached her. The appearance of this girl threw Stein off, 'Where did she come from? This island is so remote and there wasn't any sign of anyone else here.' He approached her, doing his best not to move suddenly in the fear that she would panic. The child trembled and crouched tighter and closer to the wall she had been leaning against. The terror was drawn on her face very clearly. The little girl's tears flowed freely as her small body shrank against the cold stone.
Spirit shifted back to human form and approached the girl while Stein stayed behind him. He crept towards her slowly to avoid startling her any more than she already was.
"What are you doing here, little girl. There's a dangerous witch here. It's not safe for you to be in this cave right now."
The girl stared into the eyes of the weapon, calming down a little before opening her mouth to speak, "My mom and dad left me here so they could go get some food. They've been gone all day. I'm so scared of the dark. It's really wet in here, too. What about this witch? There's no one here but me."
"Who were all the people outside? Where did they come from? You must know if you've been in here this long."
"What people? I told you there's no one here but me."
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
Trisha, the woman heading the east Asia branch, looked on in shock as the captives' bodies changed before her eyes. The seemingly human shapes molded into rocks and water. The raging torrent lashed its way back to the ocean where it disappeared. The surprised woman quickly grabbed for her communicator to signal to the students inside the cave, "Stein! This is EAS, please respond."
After a moment of silence, the scraggly voice of Stein came back over the radio, "What is it?"
"Are you experiencing anything unusual down there yet? Any sign of the witch?"
"No. Spirit and I found a child, though. She's frightened and asking for her parents. She says there's no one on the island but her."
"I can vouche for that. Those captives weren't human."
"What do you mean?"
"They were ocean spirits the witch trapped in human disguises. You need to get out of there now! Leave the child and get back here."
"There's nothing to worry about. If there's no one here then what's the rush?" As soon as the words were out of the speaker, Trisha could tell that Stein was regretting his words and had already answered his own question. Nonetheless, she replied, "Don't forget your target witch is a shape-shifter. Her favorite form is that of young girls. You need to get o-"
It was then that the signal cut out. All that could be heard from the cave was the sound of metal clashing against rock before she ordered her people inside.
End
