After several tries Wilhelmina had finally figured out that she was in a land called Prussia. They were a tall folk with piercing blue eyes and friendly smiles. She rather enjoyed the sweets they sold on the streets of the city Salzburg. A shame she had to make so many torches the other day. It had been a couple months since their run in with that rogue Merihim, but neither she nor Tiamat had mentioned it at all.
Of Tiamat, Wilhelmina noticed that she conversed more. Not a whole lot more, but it was at least once a day that she heard Tiamat's voice. She enjoyed the change. They were far from having conversations, but in time that would come as well. For a terrible moment she wondered if she would become like Tiamat instead! So quiet and seemingly gloomy. She sagged her shoulders a little at the thought.
Today, as with almost every day, she found herself thinking over that day. Over and over she heard Merihim's words in her head. She still didn't quite get it. She couldn't tell just yet, but the Tomogara had been getting more active. When she started as a Flame Haze it was slow going as she got used to her powers. But then again, she thought, that's probably how it is for every Flame Haze.
She had met a Flame Haze again. Only the second since she set out. A famous one at that, she noted. She didn't recognize the name Khamsin, but the Absolute Pinnacle, Behemoth, was pretty well known. A very old King of Guze, to be sure!
Wilhelmina was disappointed in the meeting though. After meeting on the streets of a town, he had looked at her and said "Ah." and not a word from Behemoth. When he walked away she didn't know whether to be flattered or annoyed. Little brat, she thought acidly.
So now she was on foot again. Her pack hung off to one side, similar to those that couriers used. Salzburg was a fine city. Very modern, and full of people and life. She enjoyed it and basked in the presence of those nearby. She approached an intersection and stopped suddenly.
In her mind she felt the tiniest twang, as of a string being plucked ever so slightly. She had finally gotten used to those feelings. And with a slight smirk, she concentrated and reached out for the feeling. Inviting it, welcoming it, and searching it for hostility. She gasped suddenly at what she felt. Warmth and friendliness. A second later she figured it for a Flame Haze and looked to her left down the street she'd been walking.
"Tiamat, tell me if you know this Flame Haze."
"I do," Succinct.
"Lot's of help there, Tiamat," she replied dryly.
With a light step, she made way down the street.
"Hey! HEY! Over here!" a loud voice reached her, a hand sticking up from the crowd. Wilhelmina grinned. A normal hello. She almost forgot what it was like to get one. As the crowd parted she saw woman with long brown hair and a long dark robe with a ridiculously broad smile on her face wave her over. Wilhelmina almost took the moment to turn around and run away. The thought of some normal conversation actually scared her! But with a smile and a wave she approached her.
"Hi there, um, I'm the Manipula-,"
"No don't!" the woman interrupted suddenly. "Business can wait, just tell me your name."
"Um, err, uh, it's a, W-w-w-wilhelmina. it's a pleasure to meet you." She pointed to the frilly little ribbon at her waist. "This is Tiamat," she added awkwardly. Why was it so hard to be comfortable for her?
"Wilhelmina? Haha! That's a weird name you got there. And as for Tiamat, we've met before."
"Oh. Tiamat said something to that effect earlier."
"Did she? Well that's just like Tiamat. Took me over a year before I gave up on ever having a normal conversation with her."
"Really? It only took me about a week or so."
"Well since you're with Tiamat all the time its easier to get your hopes crushed. Faster too. Even when Alastor told me that she wouldn't say a word to me when we met I couldn't believe it. What kind of person doesn't talk? But I suppose a King of Guze doesn't count as a person. Not a normal person, anyway. But I remember I never heard her voice until the fifth time I met her. Very exhausting trying to talk to someone and yourself at the same time, you know!"
"WAIT!" Wilhelmina suddenly interjected before the girl could continue. "This is going a bit fast. You never told me your name or who you are!"
The woman laughed as she said "Oh I'm sorry! I always forget to do that." She lifted her hand displaying an intricately designed armlet with several chains clasped around her fingers. On her hand was a sparkling gem that burned with an bright internal flame. "This is Alastor, the Flame of Heaven." She gave the gem a flick with her finger and "Good to meet you." he said. "And I'm the Red-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter."
Momentarily speechless, Wilhelmina looked into the young woman's eyes. They were deep and black and seemed lifeless to her. But under their dark she felt power and wisdom. So it was with deference that she spoke with when she replied, "I am-,"
"Yes, I know who you are, Wilhelmina, you don't need to tell me twice." A slight pause. "Hey, are you hungry?"
"Uh, well, um, yea I suppose I can eat somethi-"
"Great! I know a place around here, so lets go!"
And with that she found herself being pulled by the arm down the streets. But the only thing she could think of saying to her was, "But you still haven't told me your name!"
"I don't have one," she said between bites of a danish. "I don't remember it, actually. Don't really need a name, though. Yours is weird enough!"
Wilhelmina smiled as she thought of that. Perhaps her name was weird. "Well what do I call you? It seems weird not having a name to call you by."
"Just call out to me! I'll know who you're talking to."
"Well I suppose that's true," she said almost sulkily.
"Name's aren't very necessary for a Flame Haze," said Alastor quite seriously. "What matters is our duty as a Flame Ha-mphm," the sentence was cut off as he was muffled by her hand. A smile worked her way onto Wilhelmina's face as the girl said, "Oh do be quiet Alastor, we've been over this hundred thousand times at least!"
The two girls giggled with each other companionably. Wilhelmina sighed, "You know, since I became a Flame Haze, I never had a real conversation like this with anyone. I didn't know how much I had missed talking to someone, and being relaxed around someone."
"I know what you mean. Alastor is my friend, but he doesn't understand girls very often," the other said. "So I guess that settles it, from now one you and I shall be friends forever!"
And they laughed heartily together as friends and drank their tea.
But as fate would have it, an overwhelmingly strong presence revealed itself causing Wilhelmina to gasp desperately for air. But without missing a heartbeat, the young girl raised her arm and suddenly a Fuzetsu stilled the café occupants around them. Wilhelmina was still coming to grips with the situation. A red glow filled the surroundings with a dim light, and when she looked, it was her friend fully powered and ready for battle. Her hair a startlingly bright red, her eyes burning with the energy that flowed inside her. And around her gently floating down from her hair was a gentle cascade of glowing hot ash like a light snowfall. She set her hand to her cape and pulled it open. All this within a handful of seconds.
Then she looked shocked and shouted to Wilhelmina, "Get out of the shop! Run!" Putting actions to words she grabbed her arm and began running out of the little shop. The Tomogara, for so it felt despite its uncanny strength, was yet to be seen, but several Rinne were already making their feast on a few humans nearby. With her head together, Wilhelmina sent long strands of her ribbon with a wave of her hand and dispatched them. The Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter smirked at her. She blushed at the woman's smile, but set out behind her as they made their way away from civilization.
They spoke as they ran. "There are several Rinne trailing us," Alastor was saying. "Possibly monitoring our positions and sending information to their controller. The feeling I get from this Tomogara is immense. Easily as powerful as an A-rank Tomogara, like Shiro." Wilhelmina flinched slightly at the name. But Alastor continued, saying, "I can't locate the source of this power, but we must be cautious. Tomogara are aggressive by nature, and it can usually overrides their ability to plan ahead."
"Isolate source and eliminate," Tiamat clarified.
Brushing aside red strands of her hair, the Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter pressed onward towards the edge of the city. Such a powerful Flame Haze! This Fuzetsu is huge!
But this Tomogara was smart, too. It knew they'd run for the safety of the humans, and was waiting for them when they reached one of the outlying farmsteads. Lucky she wasn't alone, or Wilhelmina would surly have died in that instant, for the Tomogara attacked them without so much as a word or warning. Only a push from her companion put her out of immediate danger. She reeled from the shove but managed to stay up on a knee and look at the other fighters.
The two of them had clashed blades. The Tomogara wielding a large sword, practically shoulder height, that glistened with blue flame. The Burning-Eyed Hunter had it stopped short with a rather odd looking weapon. It was split into three sections with a short chain connecting them and a blade at one end. She held the back end and middle in either hand, with her opponents weapon locked between them. The tableau held for a moment longer. The Tomogara wore dark red clothes and her face was covered by a large hood and a flowing red cape. And then they jumped away from each other.
Wilhelmina rose and readied herself, forming a pair of thin, agile blades in either hand. Her eyes kept close watch on the Tomogara. Tiamat whispered to her about more than visible watchfulness, but she couldn't get much more than the meaning of it. The Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter held her weapon lackadaisically in her hands, spinning the blade end above her head, now to her side, now in front of her, in an unpredictable pattern, smiling the whole time. Does she enjoy fighting? Wilhelmina thought hastily. I better not get in her way. I'll stay back and give support.
And at that moment she readied her weapons and began running a wide arc from where she was to behind and around her new friend. While she did this her partner shifted her weapon to her opposite hands and rushed at the Tomogara. The Tomogara held her sword in a one handed grip, and moved to a defensive stance.
Wilhelmina, true to her word, moved into support, moving up to flank the Tomogara searching for an opening. She saw the other woman leap a few feet into the air and the strength of the two blades making contact sent shockwaves into her head. But she was ready at that moment and rushed into the fray, thrusting with one blade while using the other to guard.
The Tomogara had seen it coming. With her free hand she pulled from a hidden sheath a short blade and blocked, immediately twisting her body, parrying both attacks and kicking out at Wilhelmina's head in one fluid motion. Boot made contact with bone, and Wilhelmina was sent tumbling backwards. In a spectacular combo, the Tomogara reversed her momentum and sent the short blade flying out at Wilhelmina, while using centrifugal force to launch a deadly attack on the Burning-Eyed Hunter. But both women were aware of this shift in tactics, and just as Wilhelmina knocked the short blade away, the Burning-Eyed Hunter had front rolled onto her knees, bringing her out of her enemy's range, the Tomogara's sword passed through her hair, crashing heavily into the ground.
The Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter made use of her staff's range and launched several aggressive attacks. But her enemy's defense was near perfect and no contact was made. She charged in close and tried catching her opponents weapon with her own, attempting to parry it and come up behind to her vulnerable spot. But the Tomogara was top class, and every attempt at creating an opening was countered, once she even received a kick to her leg as she was back flipping out of range of another of her opponents strikes.
After several unproductive attacks, the Burning-Eyed Hunter found herself backing away and kneeling next to a dazed Wilhelmina.
"Pickle," she said as she rested her tri-section staff around her neck. Wilhelmina looked up and saw the woman smiling quite broadly. She continued, "I think in this situation its best to retreat for a time. This Tomogara is obviously well skilled and at the moment I'm not up for giving it my all." Was this woman mad? Why wasn't she giving it her all? But before she could voice her thought, Alastor spoke up. "We must find a way to escape this battle. There is nothing more we can do here except distort the world by going all out in a place like this."
Now this was logic she could get behind. But how to escape a superior opponent? Wilhelmina rose to her feet in time to hear the Tomogara say, "Done talking?" the voice was cool and modulated.
"As a matter of fact, no!" was her reply. Her head still rang a bit from the kick she'd received. She gave her head a small shake. "Who are you?" she managed to say.
"Foolish," she cried and raised her sword. Blue flames dance up suddenly in all directions, the heat of which even Wilhelmina could feel. Her companion rose to her feet and, lifting her weapon, sent red flames into the air in a huge column, towering over the three combatants. She spun her staff in wide circles, flames flowing forth in all directions. "RUN!" she commanded suddenly, just as Wilhelmina would have joined the fight once more. The Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter engulfed the entire area in powerful flames. A blue glint could be seen as the Tomogara defended herself against the onslaught.
"We can do this!" Wilhelmina yelled over the crackling flames.
The Tomogara couldn't be seen anymore. Wilhelmina thought for a moment that perhaps she had been defeated. "FROM BELOW!" a voice she'd never heard shout before. Tiamat was frantic, "Jump away! Now! Now! NOW!" But it was too late, and the ground split with a terrible sound and the Tomogara appeared between the two Flame Haze. With an explosion of power, the Tomogara ringed herself with more blue flames, blocking off any help they could have lent each other. Rocking back on her feet, Wilhelmina nearly lost balance but managed to recover and move to defend herself. This time she formed for herself a sword and whip. The Tomogara's eye could be seen now. Dull black orbs that reflected no light or life. But their focus was on Wilhelmina and her pitiful excuse for a weapon. First Wilhelmina struck out with her whip but it was grabbed and yanked out of her hands. She had never really been good with close combat, but all her lessons had to come together now. She had no choice but to pull through this, or she might lose her life.
And for a few moments it seemed she would. The relentless attacks of the Tomogara were wearing her out. Had it only been five strikes of the enemy's sword? Five attempts and cutting her down? Again the red haze of battle made the seconds go on for ages. But suddenly, ringing clearly over the sounds of the fighting and flames came "Wilhelmina! Wilhelmina!" The voice had a worried and frantic tone. The Tomogara stopped suddenly and glanced over her shoulder. The blue wall of flames was momentarily holding up to the woman's attacks. Given a moment Wilhelmina yelled and launched a desperate attack, aiming for the Tomogara's head. But the Tomogara stuck her sword into the ground and with her bare hand stopped her in mid stride. Then she bent the sword, dissolving it, and while a shocked Wilhelmina tried to grasp the situation, the Tomogara stepped in and delivered four swift punches to her stomach and a knee to her chin. The last thing she was red and blue flames intertwining with each other in the distance.
Alastor, seeing through the chaos, knew clearly what was going to happen next. "Stop her now!" he commanded, and, "I know!" she responded angrily. She looked to the Tomogara standing over her friend and knew she wouldn't make it. As rage filled her she dropped her weapon and rushed to her friends side, hoping to get there and snatch her from danger. Since her flames had finally opened up the wall of blue flame, she had a straight line between her destination. Halfway there, she was blocked. Two dog-like Rinne that were hiding nearby stood in her way. A flurry of kicks and punches would destroy them, but it would take to much time. She attempted to charge through them, taking several blows in the process, but they tripped her up and she stumbled and scraped her knees as she went down.
The Tomogara grabbed her sword and dispelled it with a flash. A larger dog-Rinne had Wilhelmina locked in its jaws. The Tomogara faced the Flame Haze. "This I will take." she said blandly. "My master sends her regards."
The Burning-Eyed Hunter leaped to her feet. "NO!" she roared desperately and her fists burned. But her effort was too late. The Tomogara steeped back and vanished in a haze of black flame, or smoke.
Tiamat's voice came through faintly, "Goodbye, for now." Then silence.
The Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter had failed her friend, as she'd done so many times before. Why this time would be different she didn't know. Bad things always happened to her, or seemed to follow in her path. But she was never punished. Oh, no, only those she cared for were punished for her crimes. All her sins, all her actions, all would come around and take everything she had.
As the Fuzetsu unlocked, she wondered if that would ever change.
END CHAPTER 3
Author's Note: I'm long overdue for this chapter so let me start by apologizing. After some motivational speaking I got my act together and got to writing this segment. For those of you wondering, both Wilhelmina and the Burning-Eyed Hunter are the main characters of this story. I love diverging plots! Hehe. I don't know when the next chapter will be out, neither do I know how many chapters there will be. I'm shooting for a hundred, but that's because I'm a crazy guy. I'm also looking for a balance between the drama and the action in my writing. Its very hard to do. But anyway, thanks for the support(i.e. Kyoko for that kick-ass review!) and I'll see you next month! (hopefully sooner XD)
