Um…hello everybody! *Nervous laughing* I welcome you…to…uh…
Old Man: "As much as this situation might be embarrassing you, I suggest deeply that you stay honest and don't try to talk around this matter. Please trust me in this, some things are regrettable in the past, so just tell us."
Alright, fine…but only because you were nice enough to not be mad at me.
Old Man: *Smiles* "Well, all is forgiven in the past. Now, may you be so kind and tell your readers what troubles you?"
Okay…Ladies and Gentlemen, I screwed up…AGAIN. And NO, it has NOTHING to do with the Chapters themselves or any content involving them, but I made a mistake with the ratings. As I was reading through the Chapters for spelling errors and such I thought to myself: "Why did I turn this into an 'M-rated' fanfiction again?" Well, that was simple to answer: Ta avoid future complains.
But when I was trying to find my fanfiction again this morning, I realized that it wasn't showing up. And well…I did a beginner's mistake. Because the standard search rating of fanfictions is 'T' I may have caused my many people to miss my own writing since to that time it was set to 'M'.
SO yeah…the TL:DR version goes like this: I changed the rating, caused the story to disappear for many readers from the search-algorithm and had to change it back so that it shows up again. And since it's now fixed, no problems left everybody… (Besides the few grammatical errors that I haven't found yet personally.)
Old Man: *Chuckles* "See, that wasn't so bad now, was it?"
Yeah. Alright, but now we need to go with the schedule again, so if you may…
Old Man: "Oh, sure thing." *Limps slowly to the audience*
Uhm, do you maybe want some painkillers for your leg? Or something else?
Old Man: *Waves his hand* "Now, now. That won't be necessary, but I appreciate it nonetheless. Now…" *Clears throat* "Dear MrFiretank is only in the possession of the rights for 'Daylight's End' and any OC that he may have in it. Will that be everything?"
Yes, thank you. Now, I hereby welcome you to the next chapter of 'Daylight's End'!
Roll the next Chapter!
…
CHAPTER 10 – BREEZE AGAINST A STORM
You had to only to take a single look at our odds to realize that this will be a devastating fight…
On one hand there was me (with an already bandaged wound on the right calf) with my magic ready and possessing close to none actual battle experience. Before me was a wall of what could easily be the strongest force of Loeyur lined in a defensive position. 3 of our own men were still knocked out cold, Marko being one of them. And another one of us had a nasty gash on his chest…and the fight hasn't even started yet.
On the other hand there were presumably 2 of the strongest members of 'Full Blood' standing before our path, with heavily terrifying weapons on them and are able to expertly cast both Lightning and Wind Magic offensively…
We needed a wonder to win this one.
Sietta wasn't sure how to handle this situation correctly. Part of her unit had already taken damage and they didn't even have as much of a fighting chance as them. Their lone mage almost got a panic attack and her men had been partially scared by the display of actual magic. There wasn't many options available, so the chief of the group decided to try buying some time for them.
Thus she took two steps forward with her trident still pointed ahead. Sietta tried to keep her stare at the two azure-blue eyes, but it was like they didn't even acknowledged her attempt of bravery.
'That is not good. I need to distract them, or else Jessie will get torn to pieces by these two!' Did she have a real plan at the moment? No, so she did the one thing she was known for…using her voice.
"Well, what exactly do you two blokes want with Jessica?" The girl before her raised a non-existing eyebrow at the term used by her. But her…brother (?) spoke up regardless.
"That is none of your concern Miss." ...and with the forbidden word spoken she was already clutching her trident's pole a few degrees tighter, while the sound of her partners gasping filled the air. She tried to hold in her temper as best as she could, but spoke with her teeth already gritting in her jaw.
"And why is that so?" If it wasn't for the anger in her body that was building up she would have tried to stall this further, but that plan slowly got thrown out of the window.
"As we said, that is not your matter Miss." …And they've done it.
(For more Intensity, play from 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable OST – Diamond is Unbreakable –Stand Activated-')
Okay, I knew that anime logic applied here, and I knew that being angry could give you a huge boost to one's own strength. But what Sietta was probably feeling right now set her into a fit of unholy rage!
But what also was fearsome about it was that she was literally emitting a red aura around her while her eyes shadowed over! Also, her ponytails started floating all of a sudden! The chief was no mage, but levitating things was possible as well without any of that!?
"OH NO! Everyone get back from the chief! She is having a tantrum again!" Ulm must have had his experience done already, because he was slowly backing away from the redhead…as was the entire rest of the village-watchers.
The only ones who didn't back off on sight were me, Yorc and Trecht (who now had a wooden sledgehammer as his weapon of choice). While we tried to think up of any way to get this situation back into control, Sietta spoke up.
"Yorc." Her own voice was laced in pure acid…and could have melted steel on the spot. The 2nd-in-command simply nodded before walking tense to her side, while Sietta readied her trident…but not before slamming the weapon's flat side on the ground and CAUSING CRACKS TO APPEAR, WHAT!?
'HOW MUCH STRONGER DID SHE JUST GET FROM THAT ANGER!?' They simply prepared themselves, before looking (or rather glaring) at the enemy male on our path.
"Jessica." I jerked up when she spoke to me with such rage in her voice, which LUCKILY wasn't directed at me. As I stood up she turned her head slightly towards me, but her facial features were still covered for me. "You and Trecht take on the girl."
She then turned her eyes again to the unfortunate Lightning Mage and pointed her weapon straight at him. "That Nimrod is MINE. Got it?" 'I knew that a stare could kill to an extent, but he must feel like he's grilled from the inside!'
"K-Kay!" I'm not sure why I moved so fast or listened to her command, but I guess she was in full 'leader'-mode by now. Trecht placed himself a step further than me but had his hammer slightly angled to the right, so that he'd deflect any attacks that would come my way.
"Do you seriously want to fight us back…even after what you saw?" The girl didn't move an inch, but there a slight movement in her posture when Sietta started raging. Her brother seemed to have reacted even more as the grip around his giant sword got tighter.
"Well, what do you think? Can't just let the kid down now, eh?" The reply came from Trecht, but everyone could tell that he was on edge. Heck, every single one of us was close to freaking out (expect our red-head who was currently focusing of ripping that guy into shreds), but…something was slightly off about this situation.
Before I had the mini panic attack, I wasn't thinking straight. But now, my mind just realized that if the pair had witnessed our defensive measures, then they could have attacked any time…
…Are they…trying to avoid fighting us maybe?
The blond guy sighed with a tired expression on his face (although a slight bit of fear was in there somewhere) before lifting that menacing sword and then turning to his sister. "Matsuri." Said person just turned her head and stared confused at him.
"Yeah?" 'It seems like they express themselves normally between each other.' They both readied their weapons as if they understood each other without any words left.
"Only 'Raijin' and 'Shinatobe'. No offensive magic if unnecessary." They then took their stances as they analyzed us. My Holder Magic might give them a surprise, but they'll still be able to openly attack us if we don't figure out-
"ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY THAT I'M A WIMP OR WHAT!?" –how they fight and- WHY DID YOU JUST RUSH IN SIETTA!?
As unorthodox as this attack was, it still managed to surprise Fujimaru as he wasn't expecting this straight rush from Sietta (and Yorc!?). Unfortunately, he just managed to block both of their attacks without any trouble! 'Talking about strong!'
"Grrr…Matsuri, take care of the other two. I'll hold them back." While he was holding that giant sword before him as a shield, Sietta started to stab at him over and over again. Yet every strike was blocked by his 'Raijin'.
"RAH! DON'T! HIDE! AWAY! YOU! STUPID! COWARD! FIGHT ME!" Giving her current mental condition…she seemed to have lost it, but that gave her enough strength to go toe-to-toe with the first mage.
(For more Intensity, switch to 'Fairy Tail OST – Against Magic' [Extended])
"Eyes up ahead, Jess~." Oh, right! There was still Matsuri left, who was pointing her dual-rapier at me. She seemed playfully smirk at me as-
"Did you just call me 'Jess'?" 'What is up with her!? She goes from stoic to happy-sappy in less than an instant!'
She even stared wide-eyed at me like a small child would when they were clueless of something. "Jessica is your name, right? So, 'Jess' wouldn't be so bad as a nickname, would it?" She even smirked now… she was toying with me, right!?
"Well, anyhow! Jess, Jessica, it doesn't matter! Let's just give our best and show me what you're capable of, what do you say?" The rapier's tips were again pointed before her…what did she call her weapon again? 'Shinatobe'? Hold on, that stands for 'Wind Goddess'…and 'Raijin' was another translation for 'Thunder God'! *Gulp* '…This won't go well…'
"Hey, kid." Trecht, who was still beside me was looking at me and my frozen posture while we was- smirking as well!?
"I know that this situation looks dire, but we got our opponent in front of us while the others deal with her sibling." Matsuri had a smirk on her face as he said that… "Since this'll be a fight of mage versus mage, you'll need to calm down and focus on her now, okay? Plus, it'd be a shame to ignore someone who challenged you openly, now wouldn't it?" 'I swear to god Trecht, if we weren't in a life-or-death situation right now, I'd whack you on the forehead!'
"C'mon Jess, the farmer is right! Don't want to left me hanging here now, right?" And how is it that the girl is treating me like I'm her best friend!? 'WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER PERSONALITY!?' First she threatened us, then she injured me, and now she talks to me like nothing ever happened!
"Well, you might want to answer soon, or else we can stay here until midnight. Also, 'farmer'? Please, I'm higher than that, so just call me by my name, alright?" Are they having a small-talk in the middle of the field!? '…You know what, my brain can't take this anymore. I give normal reasoning up for now.'
"Whatever floats your boat, Trechty~!" And just like that the brewer had a confused and even disgusted look on his face that said everything about his opinion to that. Seeing as we couldn't waste much more time, I prepared my own sword and angled my left foot by 90 degrees. Well, everyone who knew what magical abilities I possessed would know of my plan. 'Which angle would work against her the best, I wonder…I'll just have to try and hit her with a surprise attack.'
"Hm. Seems like you finally calmed down Jess~! Good, so now we can properly fight. For a good battle!" The girl's voice took a challenging side-tone as she shifted slightly to a…pose?
"Likewise." And with that one word spoken I had my channeling completed to stand directly before her. While I had spoken before I already angled my blade sideways to prepare for a vertical slash. The moment I appeared before her she went eyes-wide and wasn't reacting!
'This is my chance!' Now just hit the strike and-HUH!?
Trecht wasn't sure what to make out of this situation. While he talking to Jessica to calm her down, that girl…Matsuri actually helped him out. If it wasn't for a bystander, they wouldn't have realized that weird glint in her eyes. But she actually agreed to help him without any words as she gazed at him.
When Jessica readied herself, he instantly recognized her stance. It took him a while to figure it out but he learned that the girl had a tendency to shift the leg she used her own magic for. He also learned what both of her boots would be able to do in the terms of Holder Magic. 'So far she could teleport a short distance or unleash a heavy attack consisting out of kicks…but will that be enough?'
But then there was also the current timing of the situation. Jessica did manage to ambush Matsuri and was already preparing to swipe at her. But then…
(For more Intensity, switch to 'Bloodborne OST – Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos (Phase 1)' [Extended])
"Wind Magic: Monsoon's Blessing!" Just inches away from her torso she…just dodged and stood now besides a dumbfounded mage who had as much of an idea of what is going on than him.
'Crap! I need to assist her or she'll get stomped into the dust!' He ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the enemy while she went for a stabbing motion aimed at Jessica's upper arm. The sick part though…she was grinning while she was going for her.
"Would you like some help, kid!?" He swung down at the Wind Magic user and expected to dodge her, but instead she still swung forward. Just as the stab was close to hitting her he nailed his swing on Matsuri's forehead…or so he thought.
Instead of injuring her and possibly dealing brain damage, she simply shifted in the same close-call fashion than before. It was like her body was moving away from their weapons and moved along them before they hit. 'Whatever this is, it could end very badly when the fights drags on.'
Their enemy stepped a few feet away while snickering behind her hand. She then shifted away and…'Hold on. Since when was that aura around her?'
"Seems like you noticed it, huh Trechty~?" He tried to hide his inner disgust about the brewer's new nickname while keeping his defensive stance.
"W-what? WHAT WAS THAT!?" Jessica who finally snapped out of her shock was shouting at the Wind Mage user, and judging from her expression this would get close to another breakdown… 'Dang it, and just when I got her out of the one before…'
"Hm? What do you mean, Jess? You're a mage, right? So you should know what that was! But, alright~…I'll just show it to you again so you'll understand, okay?" Trecht had to admit, for being a mage for a pretty evil Dark Guild, that girl was surprisingly nice…but why was she doing all of this? Boredom? Taunting? Or is there something else?
"Watch closely, Jess~! I'll only explain it once, anything afterwards stays that way! Wind Magic: Monsoon's Blessing!" Once she called this out, a light blue magic circle appeared under Matsuri, and seconds after it there was a current of wind flowing over her skin. 'It looks like a second layer of skin, but see-through and transparent.' Trecht gritted his teeth in inner frustration, because what this was would make their lives much more difficult.
"See this wind over my own body? This is the Wind Magic spell 'Monsoon's Blessing'. As long as this strong but normally unnoticeable current is here, I do not only notice any form of attack that comes my way, but it also moves my body for me and dodges them! Not even hostile waves of magic could hit me like this~!" And gone was his confidence. Jessica also seemed to be questioning her past choices, judging from her drained face and slightly shaking hands.
…Oh no…this…this way really, REALLY bad…
"Huh? Ey, come on Jess~! Lighten up, alright? Surely you can counter something like this!" If I understood her right, then 'Wind Magic: Monsoon's Blessing' was a more utilizable version of the spell 'Storm Mail'. Should my mind remember the fight of Natsu against Erigor right, then he used his own Fire Dragon Slayer Magic to disperse his spell. But I only have my two spells and my sword on hand…
"Jessica…just…just concentrate, alright? You have a sharp mind, don't forget that. If we can stall this long enough then you could maybe come up with something, right?" Oh Trecht…I wasn't sure about that myself…
My situation couldn't get any worse at this point…right now I had to somehow bypass a skin-like barrier that negates ALL physical attacks and augmented her dodging capabilities by an absurd amount…
"Come on Jessie...don't panic now…we need to do this, remember?" I can't backstab her…I can't attack her from the sides or from below…
"Just think…about all the people in Loeyur that count on us!" She had no blind spot…She couldn't get hit by any physical attacks…and she could freely attack us back…
"Jess? You ok there…you, uh…look a little pale." And I had…no way to disperse of it…no tactic to bypass it…and no chance of winning as long as it was active…
"Jessica, calm down already!" I…I…how…
"JESSICA!" / "Whoa, Jess!" And suddenly everything turned black.
...'Oh young child...'
Sietta hadn't regained her posture yet, but she was now able to passively manage her anger towards that "scum". 'How…dares he to call me a Lady?' Yorc, who was trying to get a slash of his own in, was suffering from small cuts on his skin due to Fujimaru's sword blocking all strikes and him pulling away not fast enough.
Mind you, that guy was tough as nails, seeing as he fought off both of them at the same time with little effort. But what truly made this a challenge was the fact that he still was a mage and hadn't actively used spells yet…when they were able to land a few small scratches against his hand, he jumped back for a second to ram the upper part of his sword into the earth while focusing, and…lo-and-behold…
"Lightning Magic: Electrical Sakuretsu!" With a neon-yellow magic circle under his feet there were now sparks emitting from his skin. Fujimaru didn't look much different than before besides that fact, but the two trained fighters knew that underestimating this could very well cost them their lives.
"This is my own spell, 'Electrical Sakuretsu'. While this spell stays active, the current in my body will flow into your own when it touches either you, your weapons or anything else related. So I suggest that you surrender now and leave the mage with us. Or else I'll be forced to seriously injure you from now on.
Right now their own chances were slim. Fujimaru had not only abnormal strength that must have been somehow related to his Lightning Magic, but he was also able to counter all of their dual-rush attacks…and because of this they started to slightly waver in their determination.
"Surrender yourself, you punk! Like I will-"
"JESSICA!"
All 3 participants turned towards Trecht's cry and saw…their only mage passed out…on the floor. Trecht, who was slightly panting stood now defensively before her and their opponent, Matsuri was…frowning?
'What…what did she do to her?' Her mind suddenly became clouded with thoughts...How did the girl just drop down all of a sudden? How did it happen? And was she…still…
'No, now is not the time to think like this. Remember what Yorcin taught you…' The chief resumed on focusing towards her own enemy…who still looked at his sister's face. He looked distraught, like this was bothering him. 'Yeah, right…as if a mage from a Dark Guild would care about that.'
"Yorc! Go over to Trecht and help him out. Squad 1, arrange a defensive line for Jessica and protect her and the others! Squad 2, mend anyone of us should they get injured and treat them, pronto!"
"Yes, chief!" She rapidly barked out her orders, but was still focusing on the problem at hand. Her opponent was back into the fight and held his sword stable again. Instead of attacking however, he rose his voice again.
"What about yourself? Why are you facing me alone?" Sietta didn't really know why she ordered everyone way from herself. Maybe her anger controlled her still. Heck, even her own pride could be the problem…but no. The redhead probably knew why…
"As if it wasn't obvious you jerk! That girl there is our friend. We care for her as much as possible, and when she can't carry her own weight, then we'll make sure that we assist her…as for me facing you alone…" She readied her Trident again (which had already one of its three tips broken from the sword's sheer striking force. Her face had a determined glare on this time, as she looked towards the Lightning Magic user.
"…I still have a score to settle with you. And do you want to know why?" She charged at him once more, which seemed to have confused Fujimaru since his 'Electrical Sakuretsu' was still up. 'Is she trying to get herself injured?'
But instead of poking him head-on she used the flat end of her trident to swing at his torso…and actually managed to land a hit. 'Because nobody...'
He could bring his sword up before Sietta charged another strike, but still stared slightly wide-eyed at the enraged chief. He had to pull away though as her strikes became quicker.
She readied herself once more while having the glare still up…but now, a small smile joined her façade as she took a step forward. "Nobody ever calls me a Lady!"
(For more Intensity, switch to 'Brandon Fiechter – Dark Whispers')
It was dark…
So, so dark.
I was standing alone this nothingness, and tried to wrap my wind about what just happened…I was supposed to fight that other mage, and a single spell was enough to let me fall into a second panic attack. Then I…fainted.
I am alone here.
It's cold here…
I looked down at myself in shame, and tried to think of what I could have done. Should I have kept fighting on? Would I have died if I did so? Were the others alive out there, or had they have enough and fled?
It was so cold…
So cold…and alone.
My mind was so occupied among this…black void that I flinched when…something was standing before me. It was a silhouette. A tall silhouette that at least 3 times bigger than me and looked…deformed?
I feel…so lonely…
"So…you finally heeded my call, young one." Its voice was pretty clean, like that of a grandfather speaking on a calm morning day. He didn't have any visible eyes from the dark presence of its form, but it still looked like he…or she was looking at me.
Are those…his emotions…?
"What are thou striving for…what is your wish, young one?" I wasn't sure if I could answer his…hers…its question correctly, but I wasn't clear about that myself. So I spoke the first thing that currently came to my mind.
But why…wasn't he sad…but happy?
"I was supposed to help the people I met…I wanted to fight for them so they could finally be free…I wanted to have an adventure of my own…but I wasn't ready yet." My eyes trailed down into the cold abyss under the, as I saw the darkness…moving…shifting or something close to that. "I failed."
Why is he…not sad?
"…I cannot give you what you strife for, young one." The tall shadow seemed to move a few steps away, but at its place there was a dim light eliminating the darkness.
He is…calm…
"But there is a way for you to achieve it…over my past I was learning from it…I fulfilled my own dreams with it…and even when I perished to the beasts, which are now part of me…I was still led onto the path of its light in the end."
His heart…feels…completed?
The light was slowly replaced with…something…I couldn't quite make it out from the darkness. I was able to see the sword I was given by Hana that I was already fond of. It was old, yes…but it already helped me to pull through this journey so far.
Is he…moving on?
And then it shifted, as its form became unnoticeable from the void and slowly started to shift. But the more it became visible, the more light filled my void. A green…almost dark-green glee filled the air, and it radiated from the spot before mine and the silhouette's.
"…My time may have passed…" Now there form got more noticeable. It was…a sword…that emitted this eerie light… "But…"
Wait…
…Sword…Light…Moonlight…?
…!
The sword had been copied from a certain memory we found in your records, but I won't elaborate too much on it.
This…this was…
"Now may my true mentor help you on your way. This…"
No…freaking…way…
"…Is your guiding moonlight."
(Stop playing 'Brandon Fiechter – Dark Whispers' if you've played it)
(To be continued…)
(Fire Me): AAAHHHH! It's happening, were finally revealing the mystery around her sword. I might be a bit too skeptic about this, but I don't think everyone played the game of Jessica's memories that this was referred to. HOWEVER, don't expect this to be like the original (should you know of it already), because…no wait, spoilers people! I don't do them!
Well, this was a fun Chapter to write-
Jessica: "I fainted."
Everybody else: "And we witnessed that."
And you tried to fight a pro mage with…what, two mediocre spells that turned out useless in less than 2 minutes? Also, your 13 years old, it's not like you fought in Vietnam or such…
Matsuri: "What is 'Vietnam'? Is it beautiful there~?"
'G': "Don't ask, trust me…you don't want to know."
Well anyways, may all of you have a good night /day and as such…
The Sir's out!