Hey guys. I know it's been a while since I've uploaded anything. I decided to take some time off for the winter time. But now I'm back and am ready to start uploading again. One thing I'd like to cover before starting will be a new change of format coming up in a couple chapters. Rather than one chapter being solely about one pair, I'll be switching between the multiple different characters. I figured this would make sense since they'll be spending a lot of time together and would save time instead of starting a new chapter to begin the next team's perspective. Anyway that's something for you all to look forward to. Hope you all have a lovely day and please continue enjoying Soul Eater Type 2!
Chapter 10: A Major Announcement: The First Ever DWMA World Tournament?!
"Checkmate."
Krystal played her final move and placed her piece on the board, crushing Jarid at chess once again. With a sigh, her meister toppled over his queen with one finger, making a light tap.
"You never stood a chance, Jarid," Mifune said from his hospital bed. His daughter, Angela, was feeding him oatmeal with a spoon. She had short, brown hair and wore a black dress. She had a hat that resembled a chameleon's head, complete with bulbous eyes and long tongue. She was a witch, but luckily Mifune had raised her to be an ally to the DWMA. She actually taught a class about how different witches fight.
"Figures," Jarid replied. "That's what I get for having a genius as my partner."
Doctor Stein stepped into the room. His glasses glowed in the florescent lights, which always gave Krystal chills down her spine. His gray beard seemed to stand on end, as if it was filled with static.
He adjusted the glasses, then looked to Mifune. "How are you feeling?"
Mifune seemed to scowl at the sight of the Professor. "I'm fine."
"Tell me what happened the other night. I know it's been a while, and you suffered serious trauma, but I need to know what went on in that alley."
Mifune rubbed the back of his neck and turned his one good eye to Angela. "Could you take Jarid and Krystal back to the school? I would like to speak to the good doctor alone."
Angela nodded and led the students out to the roof of the hospital. The witch whistled and a long broom flew up to them. The three of them straddled it and took off into the air. Krystal looked off towards the morning horizon to see the expanse of Death City. Over the years, the town had grown exponentially, reaching nearly the size of New York City. It was hard to believe it used to be a small town surrounded by walls. Krystal could see the blue lights that divided each district, all lining up perfectly to formed the shape of Lord Death's mask.
"So I heard the new combat teacher starts today," Jarid said.
Angela nodded. "I've never met him, but I've heard he's an old friend of Lord Death and is a good teacher. An odd fellow, but good nonetheless."
They landed at the entrance. Max and Veronicka were sparring once again in the courtyard. When will he learn? Max will have to train a lot more if he wanted to beat her one day.
Just for kicks, Krystal yelled, "Hey, Veronicka!"
The swordswoman looked over. "Yes?" Without looking, she lifted Darcy and blocked another of Max's attacks.
"Your hair looks nice today!"
Krystal liked Veronicka. She was strong, smart, and confident. She made Krystal want to strive to get stronger for herself and Jarid's sake. It was her dream after all.
You're nothing without me.
Krystal shook the voice out of her head. She didn't need to linger on nightmares. The bell rang for first period. The weapons became human again and the seven headed inside. As soon as they stepped inside, the intercom clicked on and Lord Death's goofy voice rang out.
"Attention students," it said. "At this time, please make your way to the gymnasium for a special announcement. And please, no pranks this time. You know who you are."
Max yelled, "I'll lead us there!"
Aqiza grabbed the back of Max's collar and dragged him along as Jarid lead the way instead. Krystal admired her partner for being able to memorize the layout of this place. It got a little tiring always being late because of Max's poor leadership skills.
As they approached the gym doors, Krystal noticed two girls off to the side. One was knelt down against the wall, the other standing over her. The one sitting was Juniper Iseley, Krystal's personal rival. The girl standing over her was her partner, Louise.
"Hey guys," Krystal said. "You all go on ahead and get us some seats. I'll be there in a minute."
Jarid raised an eyebrow then nodded. "Don't take too long."
Krystal walked over to Juniper. Her rival was crying, her makeup running. She was actually a magical animal, a fox. Krystal had heard from her parents that some animals in the world had special powers and could actually take on the form of a human if they so desired. Juniper's orange hair came to two points on top to look like her fox ears. She wore a typical school uniform: a tight white button-up shirt, a red tie, a short skirt, and shoes with knee-high socks. When she noticed Krystal, she frowned even more.
"What do you want, Fang?" she snapped.
Krystal crossed her arms. "Why are you crying? I've never known you to get so upset over anything."
"I don't need you feeling sorry for me, so just go away!"
Instead, Krystal sat down beside Juniper.
"Let's put aside our differences for a few minutes. What's bothering you?"
Juniper sniffed and pouted. She gestured for Louise to explain. Her partner was a curly-haired tomboy who commonly wore a white tank-top with a chain design, cargo shorts, and sneakers.
"She saw Chad talking to some other girl and she instantly thinks he's cheating on her," Louise explained.
Chad Williams was Juniper's boyfriend. They were the stereotypical jock and cheerleader couple. With their rather snobbish attitudes, Krystal thought they were made for each other. But she hated to see anyone upset, even if it was this "princess."
Krystal put a hand on the fox's shoulder. "Look, as annoying as Chad can be, he doesn't seem the type to cheat. Jarid has a class with him. I can have him see what's up if you'd like."
Juniper looked up. "Would you really do that for me?"
Krystal smiled and nodded. She and Louise helped Juniper up and they wiped away her running mascara. After she was all fixed, they all entered the gym.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Jarid moved his backpack aside so Krystal could sit.
"What was that about?"
Before she could answer, she seemed to notice something on the gym floor. Immediately, her face reddened and she hid behind her hands. Jarid looked to see what it was, but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"Pipe down, maggots!" a man's voice boomed.
Jarid turned his attention to a man next to a podium in the center of the floor. He was fairly tall with long, graying red hair and a wrinkled face. He wore a black suit jacket over a white shirt, a cross-shaped tie, black pants, and shiny black shoes.
"Listen up!" the man yelled. "I'm your new P.E. teacher. And let me assure you, I've made it my personal mission to make this school year the worst of your lives!" Suddenly, his mood shifted entirely. "Except for one, of course. My little snow angel! Oh, where are you? Krystal? Krystal!"
Jarid looked at his partner with concern. "Do you… uh… know this guy?"
Krystal peeked out between her fingers. Her entire face was as red as her eyes. "He's my… grandfather…"
Suddenly, Mrs. Evans stormed from her seat and jump-kicked the man in the head so hard, he flew to the other side of the gym. Lord Death retrieved the microphone and patted it softly.
"Please pardon that interruption," he said. "That was Spirit Albarn, my former Death Scythe and a very good friend of mine. Mr. Albarn will be filling in for Mifune while he recovers in the hospital. But that is not the reason I called you all here today." Death looked to Soul sitting in the front row. "Would you like to do the honors, Soul?"
Krystal's dad looked like he'd just woken up. Of course, knowing him, he probably did. "Huh? Oh, sure." He took the mike and cleared his throat. "For years the different branches of the DWMA from all over the world have argued over which one is the best. Well Lord Death, myself, and other head members of the Academy have reached a solution to this conflict. In one month, the DWMA will be hosting a special fighting competition to decide once and for all which branch is the best. It will be called the First Annual DWMA World Fighting Tournament!"
Cheers rose up from the students. Soul held up a hand to calm them. "Now before that, our school must determine which students will represent us in the tournament. To do that, we will be holding a preliminary tourney next week. There are three brackets, each holding eight teams. The three teams that win each bracket will form one large group and become our representatives. Remember there are only twenty-four spots in the preliminaries. Headmaster Kid, Lord Death, Professor Stein and I will be responsible for choosing who competes. Only the top students at the academy will be permitted to fight.
Now what do I mean by top students? Grades aren't the only determining factor. Kishin hunting ability, number of souls collected, and partnership skill will be influencing our decisions as well. Also we will be looking for students we believe have potential to be great later on. So with all that in mind, this assembly is over. Make this week count if you want to be the best in the world!"
Lord Death flashed a peace sign. "Good luck, my young homies!"
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
When Jarid and Krystal reached their classroom, Jarid found a folded note at his seat. On the top was a strange symbol that looked like a W and a D put together. Jarid unfolded the note and read it aloud to Krystal.
"'Meet us on the roof of the student apartments tonight at midnight. Bring your weapon.'"
Krystal frowned. "I have a name, you know. How rude."
"I'm sure they were in a hurry. The handwriting looks rushed."
"Are we gonna go?"
"Might as well. Don't want some poor sap waiting outside all night in the cold."
. . . . . . . . . . . .
The moon's laughter seemed kind of light-hearted that night. There was a chill in the air so Krystal rubbed her arms to try and warm herself. No one was around, besides her and Jarid. She wondered if this was a prank. Jarid was doing handstand pushups near the edge of the roof.
"Be careful! You'll fall if you're not!"
Jarid kept on. "I'll be fine. I actually do this all the time when you're not around."
"What?!"
"Gotcha."
Krystal sneered at him and turned her back. She immediately wished she hadn't though. Someone was standing on the building next to the apartments. They were staring directly at her. It was a very short figure with long arms and a large head with two… horns?
"What do you want?" Krystal growled. She immediately scolded herself for saying that. It made her sound too much like Juniper.
The short menace laughed, darkly. It said in a snake-like hiss, "Now, now, Krystalia, there's no need for the bad attitude."
Krystal only grew angrier at the sound of her full name. "Answer me!"
The figure stepped closer to the edge of its building to where Krystal could see it better, revealing a red-skinned, tuxedo-wearing, little devil. "I just wanted to check up on you. I heard you had expected a fight tonight and I can't have you dying before I can have the power I desire."
"No!" Krystal yelled. "I won't let you!"
The demon's voice suddenly came from directly behind Krystal's back. "Oh, please. As if you could stop me. You don't have the strength your father did, and it certainly doesn't look like you'll become the 'greatest Death Scythe' any time soon."
A tear ran down Krystal's cheek. "Shut up!"
"There is a way, however. Just give in to me. Let the darkness take hold. Allow the madness to rule over you. Then, and only then, will you get the strength you so desperately want."
Krystal summoned one of the blades in her arm and slashed behind her, and almost lobbed off Jarid's head in the process. Luckily, he had managed to catch the blade with his hand. A stream of blood ran across his palm. The little devil's laughter echoed in Krystal's mind.
She changed her arm back to normal. "I'm so sorry, Jarid! Are you okay?"
Jarid looked at the cut on his hand. "It's just a scratch. I'll be okay."
"Tell the truth."
"It hurts REALLY bad."
Krystal pulled the ribbon from her hair and wrapped it around his hand. "I'm really sorry…"
Jarid put his good hand on her shoulder. "Was it him?"
She nodded. She had told Jarid about the little devil's "attacks". They always left her feeling depressed and powerless. It was one reason she felt doubtful about becoming strong.
"Maybe we should just head back inside. You'll have a hard time fighting with that hand. Aqiza could help…"
"Now stop right there. I know you, and I know you want to see who's supposed to be here as much as I do. A little cut won't stop me."
Krystal nodded.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
They waited for another hour, the moon being especially creepy. Suddenly, the stop of footsteps appeared. Darcy walked out of the shadows in front of them. Jarid hear steps behind him as well. He looked back to see the orange-clad giant Nikolai standing there, his arms crossed. Jarid couldn't help but grin. Suddenly the symbol on the note made sense. It wasn't a W and a D. It was a V, a backwards N, and a D put together. As in Veronicka, Nik, and Darcy.
"I had a feeling it was you who called us out, Veronicka," he said loudly. "Where are you?"
A blur of yellow zoomed wildly around the roof. It flew passed Darcy, causing her to disappear in the dust. The blur hurried behind Jarid and Krystal, causing their clothes to whip around. Jarid felt it was safe to assume Nik wasn't there anymore. The golden flash screeched to a halt a few yards away. Veronicka stood confidently, her weapons in-hand.
"I grow tired of battling Maxwell all the time," the blonde said. "I want a real challenge, and the other students say you all could provide that."
Jarid laughed. "Okay, first off, that's not Max's name. Secondly, sure. It sounds like fun. Let's do it."
Jarid held out his good hand and Krystal took it. She glowed with a blue light and transformed into her scythe form. Jarid had tried the one-handed scythe style before, but he found it was difficult to handle.
"Ladies first," Jarid insisted.
The faintest glimmer of a smile pulled at Veronicka's mouth. The swordswoman dashed up, quick as lightning and delivered a harsh downward strike. Jarid arced the scythe around to block, sending sparks flying. He quickly broke the locked weapons and swung his blade towards his foe. She growled and sped away in a blur. Veronicka began to run in a circle around Jarid and began to close in at certain points to slash at him. Luckily Jarid could still see her well enough to block her strikes.
Veronicka back flipped away and pointed her sword at Jarid. "It's time to show you how a real knight does battle!"
Jarid blinked, immediately wishing he hadn't. Veronicka was gone. He quickly looked around for her, but to no avail. Suddenly, a sharp cut appeared across Jarid's arm. Then across his leg. The cuts kept forming over and over, catching Jarid off guard because he couldn't even see his attacker.
"She's too fast!" Krystal yelled. "We can't fight her like this!"
"I have an idea," Jarid said. "Follow my lead."
Jarid hesitantly grabbed his scythe with his other hand, wincing at the pain, but bearing with it. He closed his eyes and tried to shut out the pain from his cuts. He could feel his Soul Wavelength flowing through his fingertips, channeling through Krystal, and into the open air around him. If he focused hard enough, he could see the courtyard in his mind. He focused even harder and could barely make out the shape of Veronicka running around if he could just predict her next few movements…
"There!"
Jarid twirled his weapon like a baton and quickly parried Veronicka's attack, catching her completely by surprise. He decided to take this opportunity to strike. Jarid went on the offensive and delivered a blow to Veronicka's midsection with the butt of his scythe, sending her flying into the air. He then leaped up, caught her in the arc of the scythe, spun a quick 360, and launched her back towards the ground. Just before she touched the ground though, Jarid caught a quick glimpse of an orange light. There was a loud BOOM and a cloud of dust erupted from the ground. Jarid landed perfectly on his feet.
For a few moments, nothing happened.
"Hey, Blondie! You alright?" Jarid hollered.
Still nothing.
"Veronicka?" Krystal said.
Before he could blink, Jarid found himself being lifted into the air. Nik grip kept growing tighter around Jarid's throat. He felt Krystal slip from his finger and heard the metal CLANG as she hit the ground. Shadows began to fog Jarid's vision. Everything kept growing farther and farther away…
"Nikolai, that's ENOUGH!"
The giant looked behind him. Veronicka stood beside Darcy, barely scathed at all. Nik reluctantly released his grip on Jarid, dropping him on the ground.
"You are lucky, little man," Nik spat. "If I had not manage to catch Lady Veronicka before she hit ground, I would snap you like twig."
Veronicka bowed, earnestly. "I do apologize. Nik gets a little… carried away when it comes to my safety."
Krystal changed back into her human form and helped Jarid to his feet. He smiled at the swordswoman. "No problem, Blondie. It's nice that you have such loyal partners. I'm sure Krystal would have done the same for me. Right, Krystal?"
His weapon shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe. If I was in the mood."
"Oh thanks! Glad to know I can count on you!"
Everyone started laughing, except for Nik of course who just stood silently with his arms crossed. Jarid felt closer to Veronicka now that they had crossed blades. Sometimes a meeting of fists was better than a handshake.
"Well that was certainly entertaining."
A shadowy figure crawled out of the door that led to the roof. As the man grew closer, Jarid recognized the screw lodged in their head.
"What brings you here, Professor Stein?" he asked.
The doctor gave the screw in his head a turn. "My alarm system went off in the middle of the night. I come up here and what do I find? A late night brawl between a bunch of kids."
"Relax, Professor," Krystal said. "It was just training for the tournament."
"I figured as much. Now if you all wouldn't mind, please follow me back to my lab. There's something we need to discuss."