A/N: And here we are again on ToTGs Tuesday! Chapter 10 is up! Oh, and just a heads up, we're nearly finished with the Introduction Arc! If all goes according to plan, there's just one more chapter after this one!
I don't own Fairy Tail!
I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 10: A Captain and the Knight of the East
July 17th, X793 - Midday
Grace and Mitsuko stood in the middle of one of Kitsune's Garden's training yards. While the area was rimmed with grace and simple shrubbery, which stood up like a rail to the open air hallways that a good portion of the guildhall comprised of, while the entirety of the field inside of that was comprised of sand that had a swirl pattern brushed into it. Although it was a rarity when the sand was actually properly brushed due to the mages often training in these gardens.
Sitting and standing in the open air hallways, watching the fight that was about to ensue, was George, Ruby and Leah on one far side, but on the other side opposite of them was Undine and Misaki, both of them having been passing by as Mitsuko and Grace entered the garden.
"Seems we have an audience," Grace huffed as she looked over at both sides of the garden.
"Miki-nee," Mitsuko whispered in slight shock, seeing Misaki watching her with stern eyes before Mitsuko turned her head back to look at Grace, the look in her own eyes hardening, "Grace-san, you know that I've been S-Class longer than you and that I was trained by my predecessor, the Eighth Guild Master, ever since I was young. So why do you want to do this?"
"Because I must be sure that you have enough strength for me to respect you," Grace answered tactfully, "You are not aged enough for me to respect you, so I must ascertain your strength in order to determine whether or not you are worthy of respect."
"You don't think I'm strong enough?" Miko asked, a cocky smirk crossing her face now that she knew why Grace wanted this, "I am the Fire Fox of the East, daughter of the Seventh Guild Master, Megumi Akagitsune, the Illusory Fox. I'm also the Ninth Guild Master, and as Kitsune's have nine tails, I'm going to become the strongest Guild Master of Kitsune's Garden yet. I'll surpass my predecessor, my mother, and even the fourth!" the woman declared as three fox tails made of fire erupted behind her, "Fire Fox Magic: Three Tails Aflame."
"I see… You certainly don't lack confidence," Grace smirked before holding her left arm out to her side, "Beast Summoning Magic: Baloth!" she announced a giant, seven foot, green skinned beast appeared, the monster sporting sharp claws and large horns atop its head, "Now, can you handle our double team?" she asked before she and Baloth quickly shot forward towards Mitsuko, the both of them swinging an arm down towards Mitsuko as the older girl exploded into the air above them with a burst of fire as she quickly performed a flip, twisting elegantly as fire covered her arms.
"Fire Fox Magic: Flaming Fury!" she announced as the fire shot forth from her arms down towards the duo in two waves of flames, Baloth quickly standing between Grace and the attack to protect its beloved master as Grace dove out from behind it.
"Come forth! Nala the Warcat!" Grace shouted as a large, black Sabertooth Tiger with red stripes appeared in a run, Grace grabbing onto her side, the Warcat running towards Mitsuko as she landed on the other side of the garden. Nala came to a quick stop a few yards away from Mitsuko, sending Grace flying towards the older girl as Miko quickly twisted around from her landing.
"Fire Fox Magic: Two Tails Vortex!" she announced as she swept her tails as she turned on her heels, sending forth a violent and scorching wave of fire that Grace could do nothing but fly through, the S-Class Mage emerging with several burns as she crashed on the ground, "I know you have stronger beasts, Grace," Miko huffed, "And you know that I'm still not using all nine tails."
"You know that I can't use the Elder Wyrm here in town," Grace retorted as she stood back up, Nala and Baloth walking up to her side, "But if you insist I have one more beast I can summon without destroying a good portion of the town. Come forth, Leatherback," she said as a large and thick beast that stood over ten feet appeared behind her, Nala walking in front of Grace so that she could ride on her back and quickly taking her behind Leatherback.
"Six Tails Aflame," Mitsuko muttered as three more tails ignited behind her, her hair starting to turn a fiery orange as the flames around her forearms intensified.
"Go Miko!" Ruby cheered from sidelines, Leah cheering right after her.
"Show her whose boss, Miko!"
"She's excited for this fight isn't she?" Undine muttered so that only Misaki could hear her.
"Yeah… But even if she has to use all nine tails, she still has her trump card," Misaki replied, a small, neon blue Archive Magic interface floating in front of her left eye, analyzing and recording the battle as it happened, "Mitsuko-san is really strong. Strong enough to challenge Heidrich-dono and that Shady Priest, but I don't think she could beat either of them yet."
"High praise coming from you, considering how much you dislike her," Undine smirked as she turned her focus back to the battle unfolding in front of them.
"Fire Fox Magic: Eruption Cannon!" Mitsuko yelled as she charged towards the Leatherback, leaping up towards its torso over its arm as it tried to crush her, her fist impacting against it and releasing a powerful explosion of fire and knocking it over, only to reveal Baloth ready to ambush her, the beast swatting her down towards the ground with its clawed hand as Grace and Nala rushed towards Miko as she flew towards the earth. Grace quickly jumped off of Nala's back and landed a powerful kick to Miko's side before she hit the ground, sending her flying in another direction before bouncing off of the earth.
Grace landed on the ground before turning to look at Miko who was picking herself up, blood dripping down her side due to Baloth's attack, but when she turned around, she had a large smile on her face, "You're doing really good, Grace," she laughed before she pressed a flaming hand on her wound, her laughter being stopped by a hiss of pain as she burned her wound shut, "So I'll go ahead and show you all nine tails now. Nine Tails Aflame!" she shouted as yet three more tails ignited to life behind her, her hair now floating up behind her, embers smoldering off of it as if her hair was now made of fire, "I should warn you though. I'm way faster and stronger now, so don't think a surprise attack like that will work again," Miko warned as Leatherback stood back up, despite the massive damage it took earlier.
'Tch… Leatherback can't take another hit like that… And Baloth is still hurt from her first attack,' Grace thought to herself as she examined the damage done to the both of them, 'Even I've been hit, so the only one in good condition is Nala,' Grace sighed before looking over at Miko again, "If this was a fight to the death, I would lose if we were to continue. Fire Fox of the East, Mitsuko Akagitsune, I accept your status as the Ninth Guild Master and I respect your strength. You have my loyalty," Grace declared before dismissing her beasts.
Mitsuko's expression quickly turned to one of shock as her tails dissipated, her hair turning back to its normal shade of black, "Eh? Really!?"
"Yes," Grace answer tactfully, "You've proven your strength enough."
"Yosh! I win!" Miko cheered happily as a slow clap began echoing throughout the garden, the priest known as Cassius Dunstan appearing from the hallway near George, Ruby and Leah.
"Well done, Master Akagitsune," Cassius declared as he stepped into the garden.
"Cassius-san!?" Misaki and Mitsuko called out in shock upon seeing the man, the both of them running up to him before Leah ran up as well.
"It has been some time since I walked these halls," Cassius stated, a fond smile on his face.
"You know this man?" Grace asked as she eyed Cassius suspiciously.
"You don't know him?" Leah asked in slight shock, "He used to be an S-Class here until about twelve or eleven years ago! He left not long after I joined to go travel."
"That's right! Cassius Dunstan! The Knight of the East!" Mitsuko declared, thrusting an arm into the air.
"Why are you here, you shady priest?" Miki asked coldly, giving Cassius a hard stare.
"Is that any way to address your teacher?" Cassius responded in turn, Miki merely huffing and turning her head in response.
"So why are you here?" Mitsuko asked as Cassius turned back towards her.
"I cannot tell you in front of so many others," Cassius stated in a serious tone, "I will permit young Misaki and Mage Grace to be present, as well as your other two S-Class, but no more than them. It is a dire matter," he explained before lowering himself down to whisper in Mitsuko's ear, "It concerns the Third."
Mitsuko gasped at hearing that, her expression suddenly turning serious, "Miki-nee, Grace-san. Go find Lucas-kun and Emi-chan," she ordered.
"Now you're ordering me around?" Miki huffed, crossing her arms before Cassius turned to look at Miki, as if giving her a silent message to obey this one time, "Fine," she sighed before she and Grace turned to go find the other two S-Class.
"The rest of you are dismissed to go about your daily business! Do not come to my office unless the matter is urgent!" Mitsuko ordered in a serious tone, shocking those present.
"Miko…" Leah muttered softly, her and Ruby being the most surprised at this sudden display of seriousness.
"Please," Miko added, insisting that she obey as Leah nodded in return.
"Right," Leah responded, "Ruby and I will try and tell people not to go to your office for now too," she stated before turning to run over to Ruby.
"Thank you," Miko replied softly before turning to look at Cassius again.
"It seems you are adapting well to the position," the priest observed, "I wonder if this is what it was like even after I left for your predecessor."
"It was something like this, but Gado was still around and Siobhan was about to retire from being S-Class," Miko sighed before walking past Cassius to lead him to her office.
"Was that when you took part in the exams?" Cassius asked as he began to follow the Guild Master, "When I left you were still a mere mage."
"Yeah, it was around that next winter," Miko answered as they walked back into the open air hallways, quickly turning into another one that led towards the office, "Cassius-san, I have a question."
"Ask."
"Why have you not returned to the guild? This is your first time even visiting since you returned."
"Because I became a Priest of Zentopia. It was only a matter of chance that I was stationed in Apricot Town."
"But we could use your help… I could use your help and besides… Miki-nee really looks up to you, you know…" Miko said softly as they stopped in front of her office, "She might not admit it, but I can tell! You're like a parent to her, like my predecessor is a parent to me. She took it pretty hard when you left too."
"Did she now? Misaki is usually busy rebelling against me and calling me names like 'Shady Priest'. I suppose she was the first to learn that I had come to be a priest in Apricot Town," Cassius recalled, "But I cannot return to the guild. My loyalties are elsewhere now, nor does my guild mark still exist."
"I see," Mitsuko mumbled in a disheartened manner before she turned to open the door, "Well come inside and we'll wait for the rest to arrive," she said as she walked inside, unaware of the sinister smile of Cassius' face.
"Of course, Master Akagitsune."
. : + : .
Leah and Ruby ran into public lounge of the Kitsune's Garden guild hall, a large room located in the center of the large complex that was filled with low-sitting tables and red cushions, as well as a few couches and chairs for those that preferred them. The room's flooring was largely covered with tatami mats, although the areas off to sides with couches and the like had stone floors with red rugs.
The two girls looked off to one corner, having heard the sound of two men laughing at the sight of Lucas getting dragged off by the ear by Misaki, who had simply told him, "Shut up and get moving!" before grabbing his ear, the two of them passing by Leah and Ruby on their way to Mitsuko's office.
The two girls looked over at the two men, recognizing them as Chris Somata and Derek Nightfall, the both of them enjoying some curry noodles for lunch while Lucas got dragged away from his own plate, the two of them now splitting what was left on it between the two of them.
"I suppose we'd be right in guessing that they won't go bug Miko before her meetings over," Leah mumbled, "But whatever... Hey you two! Don't go bugging Miko for a while! She's in a meeting!"
"All right!" Derek shouted back with a wave, Leah turning back to look at Ruby.
"C'mon," she said as Ruby nodded, the two of them quickly leaving to go elsewhere.
"Poor sap," Chris laughed as Misaki finished dragging Lucas out of the room, "He hardly even got to touch his food before she showed up."
Chris was a twenty-four year old man that stood at 5'8" with a slightly muscular, fit athletic build and a light tan, his dark green Kitsune's Garden guild mark on the upper left side of his left pectoral. His wolf-like eyes were an emerald green color while his messy, dark brown hair was spiked up with silver highlights running through parts of it. Chris wore a dark red, short sleeved shirt under a silver, sleeveless vest that had black stripes crossing it with a pair of light blue jeans, which were worn with a pair of black combat boots.
"Doesn't look like he's going to have an easy time as an S-Class," Derek chuckled, "Looks like he's already getting worked to death."
Derek Nightfall was seventeen years old, standing at 5'7" with a lean swimmer's build and tan skin. His dark purple Kitsune's Garden guild mark was on his left shoulder while he had tattoo of a crescent moon on his wrist with tribal spirals wrapping around his wrist like a bracelet. His ovular eyes were violet in color while his jet black hair fell to the nape of his neck in the back while his bangs ended just above his eyes and were swept to the left. Derek wore a dark purple shirt under a black, sleeveless hoodie, while he also wore a pair of black jeans and black combat boots.
"Speaking of getting worked to death, I don't see your two kid brothers around anywhere," Chris mentioned as he looked around the room, "They'd usually be begging you for lunch by now."
"They'll probably be here to clean out my wallet any minute now…" Derek sighed, "It's their fault I'm usually broke to be honest."
"Well, they're growing boys and they got to eat," Chris laughed, "Although the amount they eat is a bit much."
"Yeah, well you haven't run into the Cindy girl for a while," Derek huffed, Chris choking on his food at the mere mention of the name Cindy.
"Damn that woman…" Chris grunted, "Always trying to force me to fix things I break."
"Well half of your reward usually goes to repairs anyways…"
"Like you're any better!"
"Getting hotheaded again, eh?" Derek chuckled.
"You're enjoying this," Chris huffed, only growing a bit more irritated from Derek's laugh, the older man simply sighing before going back to his food, "We'll see who's laughing when your kid brothers show up to clean out your wallet…"
. : + : .
"Achoo!" the loud sneeze of Cindy McCloud rang out through the area. The woman having been leading and organizing some of the preparations for the festival in Apricot Town.
Cindy McCloud, often called 'Cin', was a twenty-four year old woman who stood at about 5'6" with a light skin tone and a fit, athletic figure with an average sized bust. Her sky blue Ursine Rampart guild mark was located on her shoulder. She had bright, gold colored eyes that were cat-like in shape and she had dark red hair that fell to her back and was tied into a ponytail while a few strands of hair fell down over her left eye. Cindy was wearing a navy blue dress shirt under a dark purple vest that had gold lining around the edges of it with a pair of navy blue pants and black dress shoes. She was also had a black and white, rectangular container hanging from her neck on a necklace and she also had a silver rapier with a purple guard sitting in a sheath that was hanging from the left side of her waist.
"Hay fever?" she questioned before turning to look over at the people working, two of them being close friends of hers from the guild, Sonja Mastioff and Meera Fenix, "Everyone! It's about lunch time! So take a break!" she announced as everyone stopped what they were working on, beginning to disperse for now as Sonja and Meera walked up to her.
"Where shall we be going for lunch?" Sonja asked, "The café?"
Sonja Mastioff was a twenty year old woman who always seemed to have her blue eyes set into a glare. She stood at 5'8" with a slender and thin build with a flat chest, while her skin was fair, but her arms from her shoulders to her wrists were covered in a mosaic of floral tattoos. Her long and straight jet black hair was pulled into a low ponytail that ended a few inches away from brushing the ground, while her light green Ursine Rampart guild mark was found on the nape of her neck. She was wearing a sleeveless, black turtleneck with a pair of skinny black pants and black flats. Although to add some color to her outfit, Sonja also wore a short floral kimono as jacket, which had a white sash loosely wrapped around it at her waist, which she usually had a sword sheath hanging off of, while the sword sheath itself was wrapped in a long, red ribbon.
"The café would be a good choice for lunch," Cindy stated, "They do serve good tea. Any objections, Meera?"
"No," Meera answered bluntly, "They have a few good dishes with mushrooms in them, so it's acceptable."
Meera Fenix was the oldest member of the trio, being twenty-seven years old while standing at 5'7" with a lean build that had strong arms and legs, while she had an above average sized chest and curvy hips. Her fair skin contrasted with her chocolate brown hair, which was short, ending at the nape of her neck in the back, so that her lavender Ursine Rampart guild mark could be seen on the back of her neck, while she had two, long bangs framing her face that reached down to her collar bone. Her almond shaped eyes were a pale lavender while she had a silver hoop earring piercing the shell of each of her ears. Meera wore a black long sleeve fishnet top with a lavender spaghetti strap tank top underneath it, while she also wore a pair of tight, solid grey shorts that reached her mid-thigh. And on her feet was a pair of black gladiator sandals that reach up to her knees.
"Very well, Rachel's Place it is then," Cindy declared as the trio began walking.
"It's still rather impressive how you managed to organize them so well," Sonja stated after a few minutes of walking down the stone streets of Apricot Town, "Before you took charge, they likely wouldn't have finished before the festival. Keh… Lazy men."
"I suppose they just needed a kick in the pants from her," Meera added as Cindy let out a sigh.
"It really was a disaster, their plan. They just had things on a list that needed doing and were merely going down the list with no regard to the locations of where they were. Resulting in wasted time working on one side of town before going to other town and then back again," the woman explained, pinching the bridge of her nose, "They really didn't think it through at all."
"Well it's a good think Master recommended that you check up on the preparations for the festival then," Sonja stated, "It wouldn't do if our town didn't finish, but Sakura Village finished its preparations for the festival."
"That would be embarrassing, to say the least," Cindy huffed as Meera nodded in agreement, "Now then. How about we save the rest of the business talk for when after we've eaten?" Cindy suggested as they arrived at Rachel's Place.
. : + : .
Three men walked through the threshold into the Ursine Rampart guildhall, among them was Lieutenant Castor Thales, but he was merely following his orders to escort his Captain, a proud man named James Anderson that held an air of superiority about him, alongside another of his fellow Rune Knights, Javier LaCruz.
Castor glanced over Javier, the twenty-five year old man having a cigarette hanging out of his mouth as usual while a thin line of smoke rose up into the air from its tip. Javier stood at 5'10" with a swimmer's build, being slightly tall than Castor, while his light caramel skin shone with sweat from hot July summer's day. Javier's almond shaped, silver colored eyes held a serious look in them as usual, while his thin, dirty blond hair was tied off into a small ponytail that ended at his shoulder blades. Javier was wearing a long, red jacket that had a wide collar while its edges were trimmed with black and the cuffs of the sleeves were strapped. Under the jacket, he wore a well-fitted gray, button-up shirt that had its top button left undone while the Magic Council's signature ankh symbol was in the center of the front of the shirt in black. He also wore a pair of white dress pants that were held up by a simple, black leather belt while he also wore a pair of black dress shoes on his feet, although his hands were covered by a pair of fingerless, white gloves. Lastly, around his neck was a silver chain necklace that had an ankh pendant hanging off of it that had a small, white lachrima set into the center of the symbol.
"Do you have a problem, Castor?" Javier asked as he looked over at younger man, Castor's expression quickly turning sour.
"Put out that cigarette for one minute, will you?" Castor sighed, "I'm getting sick of the scent of chemical fueled smoke.
"No can do. Keeps the nerves steady," Javier replied, turning away from Castor to look back at Ursine Rampart guildhall.
"They'd probably be a lot steadier if you dropped the addiction. If you want to enjoy a smoke, that's fine, but do it in moderation, not like a hopeless addict," the Lieutenant scoffed before the Captain cleared his throat, coming to a stop and turning around to look at his two, bickering men.
The Captain, James Anderson, was a thirty-six year old man that stood at 6'1" with a lean and fit build that had long arms and legs, while his skin tone was fair. His black hair was neatly styled, his hair being cut halfway down his neck and around his ears, while his bangs were swept to the right so that they wouldn't fall into his sharp and cold, icy blue eyes, but still cover his entire forehead. The Captain wore a long, white military coat that was trimmed with navy blue while its wide collar was neatly folded down, and the signature ankh symbol of the Magic Council was found on the back of the coat in navy blue. Around the waist of the coat was black leather belt that was perfectly centered, keeping the coat closed while a white, saber sheath hung from the belt on his left hip, an elegant gold sword handle sticking out of the sheath for all to see. Under the coat, James wore a simple, skintight black shirt, and a pair of black slacks that were held up a different black leather belt than the one holding his saber, and his slacks were tucked into a pair of black leather boots.
"Cease and desist at once," the Captain ordered, giving off an air of superiority that the two men couldn't help but submit to.
"Sir!" they both replied, straightening up as they did so.
"Now then," James huffed as he turned back around, "It's time for our meeting with the Guild Master," he stated as he opened up the large wooden doors into the guildhall proper, the three men stepping into the grand foyer to see two men waiting for them, Cole Fizen and Kotto Remfeld.
"Captain James Anderson of the Fourth Custody Enforcement Unit of the Rune Knights, I presume," Cole called out, "We've been expecting you."
"Bah… What'd we do this time? Did Artur wreck half of the town or somethin'?" Kotto grunted.
"You're mistaken," the Captain responded curtly, "My meeting today has little to do with your guild."
"Eh?" Kotto gawked, "Then why in blazes…"
"Kotto!" they heard Boris call out from the balcony above them, "My apologies, Captain. Kotto has a poor history with military organizations."
"It is no bother," the Captain replied as he watched Boris descend the stairs, Castor huffing in disgust while Javier narrowed his eyes.
"Shall we continue this in my office?" Boris asked as he reached the bottom step, the older man towering above everyone else in the foyer.
"Please. I merely brought these two as escorts, not to partake in the actual meeting," James answered as Boris nodded.
"Cole. Kotto. Wait here with our two guests while I meet with the Captain in my office. Make sure to let the others know not to disturb us until our meeting is through," Boris instructed as he turned to walk back up the stairs, James following him, leaving the four men left in a heavy silence.
"Please, take a seat," Boris requested as they stepped into his office, the large man walking behind his desk and sitting down in his chair.
Boris' office was a large, trapezoidal room, his office growing narrower with the wall the entrance was on being wider than the opposite wall, which was covered with a large and colorful, stain glass window that depicted a battle between a bear and a fox. The diagonal walls, while made of stone, were covered in two large, dark wood bookshelves that were filled to the brim with several volumes of encyclopedias and history books of different sizes and colors, while the stone floor was mostly covered by a blue rug, which was trimmed with silver. In the middle of his office was a large, wooden desk that had an equally large, leather chair capable of holding Boris with ease, while on the other side of the desk were two normal sized leather chairs that had a small end table sat in between them.
Boris watched the Captain as he took a seat in one of the chairs, the man crossing one of his legs over the other as he clasped in hands in his lap, his back perfectly straight and not even leaning into the back of the chair.
"So then, what did you wish to speak about?" Boris asked, "Why is your unit even stationed here?"
"To answer your first question," James began, "There are two matters which I wish to discuss with you. Rest easy, neither of which involve punishing your guild or anything of the sort. The first matter is that we are here on an investigation. Tell me, have you heard of a legal guild named Scarlet Umbra?"
"Scarlet Umbra?" Boris repeated, recognizing the name, "Yes, they are led by a man named Jerek Valerius. Scarlet Umbra is in the same Guild League as our own guild, so I've met the man a few times."
"Good, that saves me a few different explanations," the Captain stated, "Anyways, I assume you are familiar with just how close to the line that guild is to being classified as a Dark Guild."
"They're more like a gang than anything else, really. Their sense of camaraderie is amazing though. But what does Scarlet Umbra have to do with Apricot Town?"
"We have reasons to believe that a member has taken an illegal mission in this town. So we are to ascertain the truth behind that intel," James answered.
"And catch them in the act if you can. Giving you proper reasons to declare them a Dark Guild, correct?" Boris huffed, a look of disgust on his face.
"Well, you're not wrong," the Captain replied with a smirk, "Although I'm willing to investigate thoroughly enough to call it an isolated case, and merely punish the participant, or participants, that are involved with the mission. I can be reasonable."
"Hmph… That's more than most would do at least," Boris grunted, "Now what would that have to do with my guild?"
"It's simple really," the younger man began to explain, "I merely have six Rune Knights, including the two men with me today, under my command here. I would like to put in a formal request for your aid in the investigation. The Magic Council is willing to pay, if necessary."
"So long as you swear to try and prove it an isolated case, Ursine Rampart will comply with your request and accepts your payment, provided it is an acceptable amount that can be split equally among the members of the guild."
"That is quite the large amount of money, for it to be considered an acceptable amount. You're quite shrewd, you know," James stated with a scowl, "But nevertheless, if that is what it takes to secure your aid, I will contact my superiors in the Magic Council, as I understand that is no small matter for one legal guild to aid in an investigation against another one."
"I'm glad you understand my situation," Boris sighed, "Now then, what was the second matter you wished to discuss?"
"It has to do with your second question, really. My unit has been given a secondary objective as well. To investigate the guild hosted by Sakura Village, Kitsune's Garden," the Rune Knight declared, a look of shock crossing Boris' face, "As you know, it is a guild with a checkered past at best. It has been plagued by a quick succession of Guild Masters ever since their Fourth Guild Master stepped down. The Fifth and Sixth's time leading combined only equals a scant ten years before they disappeared. Then the Seventh was hospitalized due to a tragic accident. And now the Eighth has stepped down and disappeared without a trace, leaving the daughter of the Seventh as their successor as the Ninth. Why would such a powerful mage just suddenly vanish? Not even telling their own student where they disappeared to? And not only that, but an S-Class who had disappeared not long after the Eighth came to power, reappeared three years ago, but we are unable to question him due to the Church of Zentopia's protection. So I want to be up front with this: Do you know where the Eighth has disappeared to? If you claim to not know, but in actuality you are keeping this matter a secret, you will be punished. I cannot make it clearer than that."
Boris' expression quickly turned dark, "I do not know where my rival has disappeared to. Kitsune's Garden's matters are their own, they'd never share their secrets with their rival guild, or any other guild for that matter. But what I do know, is that if you are investigating whether or not Kitsune's Garden is following in the footsteps of their Third Guild Master, Hotaka Ayumu, then you are wasting your time. My rival would never follow in the footsteps of that man!" Boris declared in an angry and offended tone, slamming his hand on the desk in front of him.
"I see. Very well. We shall continue with both of our investigations regardless though," James responded, not even flinching in the face of Boris' anger, "My men and I are operating out of the Town Hall for future reference. So if you have something you wish to report, you can find me in my office there," he stated as he stood up, "One final thing before we adjourn this meeting. My Lieutenant, Castor Thales, reported that he caught three vandals from Kitsune's Garden putting up more graffiti yesterday here in Apricot Town, but he let them off with a warning. Now then, good day to you," the Captain said with a bow before turning around, seeing himself out of the office, leaving Boris directing his hard stare at the door as it shut behind the Captain.
A/N: That first and last scenes just kinda wrote themselves to be honest. I started and then they just sort of popped into existence. Poof! Like magic. So sorry if the other two scenes seemed short in comparison.
Credits:
Chris Somata- frozenwolf94
Derek Nightfall- Zades
Cindy "Cin" McCloud- frozenwolf94
Sonja Mastioff- Ogrespi
Meera Fenix- XLil MEkoX
Captain James Anderson- Dreadburner94
Javier LaCruz- ThePrinceOfLight
The winner of last chapter's event was The Imposter! The correct answer being Kameron Parker! A name you'll find often in MyDearWatson's story, Thunder Stone! Certain characters love his writing while one specific character refers to it as 'crap literature'.
You'll notice something different this week, there are three questions to be answered this time! Reason is, the next arc will be starting soon, so I'd like finish planning things out. So while you can answer all three questions, and potentially get them all right (keep in mind that you only need to get one that hasn't already been answered right to win), you will only be able to decide on one fight like the last 7 people to win. Of course like normal, I will be sending a PM to the three winners.
I'm probably making it sound more complicated than I need to, short version is, there are three questions, so there'll be three winners. Each get to pick one fight.
Festival Special Question
For how long was the Eighth Guild Master in charge of Kitsune's Garden?
Festival Special Question #2
Which Ursine Rampart Guild Master remodled part of the guildhall into a pub? And which part of the guildhall did the pub used to be?
Festival Special Question #3
Rocks are great, rocks are fun. What were the names of the two rocks greeted by a certain man?
As usual, the past winners, GhostOfOnyx, bored kid 48, MyDearWatson, StormRider2.0, WaterDragonMaverick, Meteorthunder3 and The Imposter, cannot win another event until I start planning the Autumn Fight Festival.
And still accepting Side OCs and Villain OCs. Feel free to PM me any questions you might have! I do have to say, regarding Rune Knights, that I've only received men, so I'd like to see a female Rune Knight too!
Review time!
The Imposter- Congratulations again on getting the answer right for the last question. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
MyDearWatson- Yeah, what Guild Master actually enjoys doing their paperwork? Has there ever been such a Guild Master before? I don't know if there has actually… But yeah, I don't think many people expected Finch to be the sort of character she turned out to be since she's a healer. And yeah, Artur's had his heart stop before, so he's really lucky that his magic works so long as there is residual magic power in his body, regardless of whether or not it's actually alive, so you got to be sure to really finish him off if you try to kill him. But yeah, he feels really guilty about the whole thing, even though he shouldn't.
ThePrinceOfLight- Yeah, Finch and Edel together is pretty entertaining since Finch is the kind of person that hates things resembling authority, but Edel's too rough around the edges to let Finch have her way, plus she knows how to push Finch's buttons the right way to get her to do what she wants. And yeah, once again Xander reaps the consequences of just being around Issac and Yoshi, this time via bucket to the face.
WaterDragonMaverick- Eh, Miko wasn't upset with the idea of a spar at all, once she learned the reason, she was raring to go herself. But yeah, Artur's got a history of surviving when everyone else died, so I guess you could say he has survivor's guilt. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
SaiyaStyles- I'm not sure why last chapter would feel different really, eh, yeah, it might be because you were tired or something. But Miko does have more experience, having been S-Class for nearly ten years, although I won't deny that Grace is probably the physically strongest out of all of the current members of the guild.
GhostOfOnyx- Happy to hear that you enjoyed last chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one as well!
Sakura-Fiction- I meant to PM you to tell you that you did get it right, but The Imposter got it right first, but hey! You've got three chances to win this time around! But yeah, grumpy is one way to describe Finch, and I guess fun is too. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
FrozenBlast13- I guess George does have a Chiron vibe to him, he's certainly one of the candidates for smartest character right now. Anyways, I hope the fight lived up to your expectations and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
StormRider2.0- Yeah, Mitsuko hadn't shown her serious side yet, although as you might've noticed, Miko can be serious when necessary, but yeah, not only was Miko taught by the Eighth, but she and Miki are the daughters of the Seventh as well, so running a guild is in her blood I suppose. And perverts never learn, so of course Issac and Yoshi will continue to drag Xander to… see the sights if you know what I mean.
Pokemon Ranger-Trainer- I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one as well! I particularly enjoyed writing this chapter.
Origm2012- Well, regarding the Guild Masters, as you might've picked up, the Seventh's reign was cut short by a tragic incident, otherwise she would still be Master, while the Eighth left to go traveling for reasons I can't tell you. But really, Kitsune mages are typically known for being fickle, but some characters find that shady like you do, as you might've noticed. But anyways, I'm happy to hear that you've enjoyed the past few chapters and I hope you enjoyed this one as well!
frozenwolf94- Well, I hope you enjoyed the fight between Grace and Miko, and I hope you enjoyed the rest of the chapter as well too!
All right! As usual, I'd like to thank everybody for their submissions and I hope that I've portrayed everybody's characters well thus far. If you're character for the guild hasn't shown up yet, they'll most likely be in the next chapter if everything goes according to plan!
I'll have the next chapter up next Tuesday as well!
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to leave a review!
Your host,
Dreadburner94.