"Sir?" the Third-Ranker said nervously again, looking desperate for the answer to his question.
This person keeps bothering me, asking me the same question over and over again, the white clothed man said in the dark room underground, the sewer waters pooling the whole room in its bacterial form. He continually interrupts my Uniting Process… damned underachiever, he thought, staring right at the person many yards away from him in the plaster-made room underneath the sewers, his hood veiling his identity. "Mijai," he began to tell the Third-Ranker. Third-Rankers were the least skilled people on the job he put everyone on. They were the dumbest, least talented, and most incompetent fools I've ever met, the cloaked man said. "I told you once, I'm telling you again," he told him again.
He paced through the dark bacterial waters, away from the Third-Ranker who was listening in the best effort he could, which wasn't much. "I am not 'using' Walter at the moment because the fact that I had learning a power recently and there is a five step process to absorbing or learning a new skill in the arts. There is absorbing, sealing, embracing, uniting, and calming. Once I finish these five, then I will be ready for a new one. Walter," he named the new person to the group, who had no idea what he was in store for. His thirst for power will drive him to his death, the white cloaked man thought.
Drops of sewer water dripped from the ceiling, giving a tiny drip drip every now and then in the conversation, when the Third-Ranker was thinking hard.
"Oh, okay," he said finally, understanding the concept.
"Leave," the white hooded being told the weak man promptly, impatient for his idiocy. The Third-Ranker put a hurt face on and returned to the shadows, obeying orders and going back to above the ground.
The cloaked man sighed. Why did he keep such idiots like him helping him? They didn't even deserve the power. They're such underachievers. They're so useless…
He began walking towards the end of the room and to the labyrinth-like corridors. As he wondered how Eruption was doing with the Shadow Half Spirit, he walked more into the shadows, thinking happy thoughts on when he tastes the feel of power again. After this sickening Uniting Process today and Calming process tomorrow, I'll finally get one step closer to getting rid of the damned Council…he thought mischievously. I'll finally get the taste of a Half-Spirit.
PoVS
At the scene, Eruption and I continued to give each other long stares, all the while with his volcanic armor growing throughout his own body and readiness pumping through mine. We continued to stare for another set of moments, the wind blowing softly sometimes at his read line of hair, and whistling coldly against my fluttering sweater.
"What's wrong?" I finally asked him, breaking the silence, the Minor still next to my body watching every aspect of the battle. "Can't attack 'cause you're scared?" I told him, knowing the answer all ready, trying to provoke him. I wanted to get this battle over with soon.
He scoffed in my face loudly, his voice turning a little shaky as volcanic rocks covered his throat and cheeks. "As if," he told me in a scratchy voice, rasping his words like an old record. As if on cue, he pulled back his huge, oversized arm and got ready to punch me.
I tried predicting his moves, dodging his punches with ducks and tilts. As I tilted my body backwards, dodging a direct hit that would've made contact, I let go of my hold on the Minor. He couldn't support himself, and shouldn't be in an area like this. I had to get him out.
As I pulled my body back to a normal stance from tilting backwards, I sent long and thick vines to save the Minor with broken bones, millions of them working at the same time, lifting him in the air and towards Jeremy-san so he could find out what to do about his condition.
As the Minor was taken away by the cooperative vines, being taken into the fog of ash and dust, watching us in the corners of his eyes, I continued to dodge the attacks Eruption was making desperately. How was I going to beat some guy in a volcanic armor? I thought. I didn't know. But I had to find out fast.
He attempted one more hit to my head, but I ducked backwards again, ducking really low this time. I was about to lose my balance until Eruption suddenly changed his attack's position, creating the false alarm he wanted for me to fall for, punching me in the face as I was trying to get my balance back together. I felt the hard rock pummel against my jaw, my body flying through the fogs and fogs of pollution and dust as I flew backward, trying to get my feet on the floor. I succeeded, dirt from the friction of my feet on the floor rising in the sky as I stopped moving and looked back into where Eruption should be.
Dust covered my sight greatly; it was the only thing I would see for miles. "Magnitude!" I heard the raspy voice of Eruption yell from within the smoke. In a matter of seconds I saw red glows approaching in the smoke, zooming from the clouds and into my range of sight, the ground in front of me breaking with lava surging through beneath the rocks. The attack shone brightly against the crags and pieces of the ruined floor, which lay in the lava like a debris in an ocean of glowing red. The attack stopped a few feet in front of me, and I felt lucky I wasn't hurt. But I had no idea what would happen next.
The smoke cleared and gave way for more smoke coming from the bubbling lava shining their bright glow in my face and eyes, providing some light in the dark area.
I got ready for whatever would come next, preparing for countering his attack with a couple of vines from behind me. The vines roared out of their places underground, spreading pebbles from their entrance hole around like flying ruins.
As the vines raced into the clouds blocking my sight, they cleared them away from each other, their gathering speed so high it was almost blinding. I could finally see where my attack was going. And I was right before. Eruption was coming towards us. My vines stretched toward him as he ran across the unstable ground covered in lava streams with ease, the brightness of the lava shining upon his volcanic arms and legs.
My first few vines tried to get him headfirst but he seemed to disappear out of sight and reappear right next to them. His speed was increasing, and I didn't know how to beat that. I had to try a different trick.
I sent my longest vine left towards him, curving its way into his range. It tied around his ankle, stopping his run towards me and carried him in the air like I made the vines do to me earlier. The vine's grasp made him dangle in the air, his right leg straight up helplessly in the volcanic air. Or so I thought.
In a matter of seconds, I heard hissing from his direction. The part of the vine that wrapped around his ankle was smoking steam into the air. Not good, I thought. Then the vine began to glow bright red just like the lava and melted away, the whole thing falling limply in the ground as the hold was released on Eruption, who landed back on the ground on his feet. He closed in for another set of physical attacks, and I blocked them all as best I could. I was happy I took basic fighting skill training when I was a kid. I'd never thought I'd have to use them, but this puts a whole new use to training as a kid.
Eruption gave me hard blows to the arms and chest, and I let my forearms block all of his tries successfully, which burned my skin on the inside from the hot, lava infested punches. Basically, I was kind of stationary on the ground while he tried to find multiple openings, but his tries all failed. He finally tried punching me the hardest in my ribs, but I blocked with my right forearm. I could feel the skin begin under my sweater sleeves hiss with the heat, melting as I forced back the energy from the punch.
As soon as I knocked his hand out of the way, I tried to take him by surprise, my whole body spinning on stance and making a counter kick to his chest, which was one of few parts uncovered by volcanic armor. My kick sent him flying along with wisps of dust, and the molten ground beneath him was about to impact on him headfirst until I had a better idea.
I sent more vines from separate sides of the rocky area that wasn't covered by any lava attacks yet. Millions came out, more than I expected. They all wrapped around his legs tightly together, and constricted his arms spread out, his body as well wrapped into the blanket of grey, thorny vines. I made the scene unexpectedly look like a crucifixion, my victim's head bowing.
Time to break through that armor, I thought, commanding more pressure on his rocky, unstable armor. As the vines wrapped around tighter like snakes, their roots set in far corners of the rocky plains, covered by the floating clouds of dust sneaking around the floor, his body seemed to glow red in unison, his head still bowed, his red hair uncovered by any armor, that streak going down like a dangling leaf on a tree during the fall.
Not good, I thought, trying to break through the armor faster. I wasn't making any progress. The vines' thorns were as sharp as blades, so how come they couldn't break through that thing he was hiding behind? His body continued to glow red like the lava below him, the vines surrounding his body like a coffin, and in a matter of seconds, the whole seen exploded with red sparks and heat. It made a loud explosion sound as sparks flew everywhere and fire was spread throughout the long-range area, the bright smoke and flames crawling closer to me.
Had my vines succeeded? I wondered as I tried to look into the calming smoke. The flames in the smoke were so big, it made the whole seen glow red everywhere. I couldn't see a thing. The light, hot air warmed my face as I tried to look for any opening in the smoke for me to find out what happened.
In the deep distance of the large cloud, I saw a running figure in the flames and ash, his pace towards me. Crap! I thought. My attack didn't work. He came at me with lightning speed and starting attacking me crazily with punches and kicks, flying in the air above my head and behind me with a kind of roulette pattern in his impact blows. Half of his face was covered in volcanic rock, and the rest of his body except a bit of his back and stomach were covered too. Bits and pieces of the charcoal fell to the ground as he shifted his body continuously.
I didn't know how much long I could continue fighting like this, only blocking with my slowly melting skin in this hot dust and dirty clouds, the lightning traveling in the clouds above us giving their battle cry, wanting to participate too.
We continued pummeling each other with attacks until I found an opening and tried punching him in the chest, expecting him to go flying again, but nothing happened. He just got knocked back a little, maybe three centimeters. The volcanic armor spread through his chest absorbed the power I sent through with my punch, the hot streams of lava burning my fingers' skin. I had to immediately take my fist back since my fingers began smoking and hissing in sharp, infernal pain.
Seeming to be bigger and taller than me now, Eruption took my arm I had used to try and punch him with his oversized grip, and swung me wildly like a merry-go-round. As he continually held me in his grasp, swinging me, I felt my green sweater sleeve and the skin under it heat up and get burnt and start to smoke like they had been scalded with the hottest water in the world. He swung me faster and faster in a clockwise motion until he seemed tired of it and threw me away back into the field of broken grounds in the rivers of lava, making me high in the air above it all, throwing me away like I was some kind of toy. I was knocked out of the clouds of dust and looked at what seemed to be the glowing red patch and rocks down below.
As I felt myself fall back down with increasing speed, I felt all the stomach fluids in my body begin to rise to my throat, wanting to churn and hurl out. I swallowed it hard back down as I fell on my feet with a huge load of pressure, trying to balance myself on two unstable rocks floating in the lava underneath, my arm sore and hot and sweater sleeve burnt to an ash black.
I coughed out a cloud of ash and dust as I stood upon the glowing river, the light spilling upon my clothes and every aspect of my body, making me feel like I was on holy but dangerous grounds. I couldn't move as well as regular ground in this area, I knew because the lava bubbled and gurgled underneath; wanting something to touch and burn eagerly, like they were beckoning me to just put my foot in it.
Soon I found Eruption coming after me again, his whole body now covered in the volcanic rock. His face was painted with streams of glowing red, remodeled into a spiked up star shape to the sides, his eyes still green as seen from underneath his mask. He looked like some kind of wolf or lion standing on his two feet, even his nose turned into a snout like appearance. Was this guy still the same guy beneath his costume? Just what was going on with that stupid armor of his?
He continued with the same moves as always, roaring with every kick, yelling with every punch and crying with every flip in the air. I didn't want to move, scared of the fact that my foot might step into a pool of lava, and I wouldn't see it ever again if that happened. So I just stood there, blocking attacks the best I could, his upward and downward punches. He gave a really strong downwards punch, which I managed to block with both arms, but my body sinking slightly into the lava below, the bubbling reds jumping wildly and hungrily, melting holes into my jeans and burn marks onto my shoes.
As I felt the fist slowly being lifted off of my body, I tried to keep my balance the best I could on the two rocks. How would I get out of this place? I couldn't stay here forever. I tried to think of some kind of plan as he put in more dramatic punches, all of them being blocked. He didn't seem to care about his poor accuracy; he was just using me as a punch doll. If I kept this up, I was going to die, I thought, both my right and left arms burned and smoking wildly.
As I was slowly pummeled into the ground, ideas rained through my mind. I'm not going to give up on this now. If I couldn't beat him, then who could I beat? I gave a look in his eye, and he looked back at me with crazy, beastly eyes. My back bent and eyes closed to endure every blow he gave me, I continued to think. I had to defend that Minor. I had to save him and myself, and Jeremy. Or else what am I here for? I'm not going to let my life melt away like the rocks I was standing on. Was I about to join them, and melt away, forgotten in time, or will I actually show how strong I can be, and finally prove myself?
I returned my thoughts to the battle scene, were I was continually blocking and enduring all attacks like I have been doing for what seemed like the last half hour. Time to make a change, I realized. As I blocked another attack, I found an opening and gathered up my confidence. This one is going to hurt. I'm going to make it hurt. I sent my punch hard against his chest, hearing the charcoal break and bits falling off, the hot stream not there to burn my hand off, a flash of light glowing between my fist and his chest. In a matter of seconds there was a large explosion right between my attack and him that seemed to come from that light I made when my attack made contact, the explosion pushing me back to solid ground up north, and him far back south.
Dust caked my clothes as I struggled to keep my stand steady, wiping the blood from my bottom lip off with my left sleeve, since my left arm was easiest to move now. I heard a low growl as Eruption was knocked back south, and I hoped he hadn't gotten to the Minor and Jeremy. The growl continued to grow and soon there was another loud explosion with raging reds and tints of brown.
I looked forward and saw strong winds coming in my direction, blowing more dust in my face and clothes. The breath got caught in my throat as I saw a raging burst of red lava that broke the ground coming closer to me. The loud and blazing lava was headed straight for me, the huge lava source bursting from where Eruption had been knocked away. I couldn't escape it, I thought. I won't survive! I put my arms to protect myself, knowing that it wouldn't work, and closed my eyes. In only a matter of seconds did I feel the heat begin to surround me and take over my body.
I suddenly began to feel the heat drain away farther from me, and a humming noise given off around me. I heard the crashing of flames and lava, but it wasn't against my skin. It was something else around me. But what? I reopened my eyes slowly, scared of what I might see.
But that was just it. I didn't see anything, Only pitch blackness around me, like I was taken into another part of the world with shadowy surroundings. I felt grateful I wasn't burnt to a crisp. Well, at least not completely. I felt the air grasp around my forearms, meaning that my sleeves were completely burned off. Soon, I was taken out of the world of blackness, the blanket that covered me lifting from the front of me, and uncovering, diminishing to the back.
As the blanket began to lift I could see my surroundings once again. Sparks were flying all around from fire and more lava was under the ground, still viciously bubbling. In the far distance I saw Eruption's silhouette painted on the few clouds of dust surrounding the scene, which was glowing bright with lava streams painted all over the place. Smoke was rising from Eruption's place, and low moans and growls came from his direction, too.
I looked around to see if anything had caused that blanket of black that protected me from the flaming burst. Had I done it myself without realizing it? Was that also another one of my powers?
Soon, I saw that a few yards behind me, and a few feet away from where the lava bursting attack ended, I saw Jeremy, kneeling in front of the Minor's laying body. The fellow Minor was looking straight at me from his place on the ground, giving me a knowing look. So it was him, I realized. But what was he doing here?
"Hey, didn't I leave you guys back there?" I said, pointing to the other side with my sleeves burnt off up to my bicep part, my jeans ashy and dirty with holes in them caused by lava, and my shoes all dusted up and ashy as well. "How did you get over here?" I asked Jeremy.
"This guy can do more than you think," he said, referring to the Minor laying on the ground, who was still giving me a knowing look in his half-closed eyes.
Amazing, I thought. He could still perform skills under his condition? He had some heart, I tell you. "Thanks," I told him, turning back to Eruption's direction, giving him a kind smile for the moment. Even though I wasn't looking at him, I could've sensed that he was trying hard to smile back, and he knew that I knew it, too.
"What's the matter with you!? Why won't you fucking die?! Are you screwing with me or some shit like that?!" I heard Eruption shout at me with a angry, raspy, and demonic voice, his body still smoking from his extreme volcanic attack and his silhouette still painted on the smoke he was giving off far away.
I didn't get offended by his curse comments. I just smirked at his angriness. In a way, I realized that I looked down on him. I don't know why though, he could've easily killed me by now if it hadn't been for Jeremy and that guy over there. I'd have to get his name later. What he did was really kind. I'd have to pay him back.
We've got to end this now, I thought. I focused my botanical energy and prepared for more vines to come shooting out. "Don't worry," I told the guy lying on the floor, his eyes half opened, weak and heavy. "We'll get you to a doctor soon," I told him, looking back at him, my stare hinted with neon green from the energy I was giving off. He didn't say anything back. He just smiled.
I turned back to Eruption's direction. "This time, you lose!" I told him, the energy pouring out of me like a raging fire, the kind of raging fire Eruption used when he tried to kill me. I let the millions; maybe even billions this time of vines explode out of the holes in the ground with a drilling sound, tying Eruption's position down. The numerous vines wrapped around him and held him down to the floor, covering every aspect of his body in a circular bind except his head, the links of vines connecting from every direction possible, even from where I was.
I ran towards him now, balancing on the unstable rocks in the lava river with ease this time, running with amazing speed. I jumped as I was a few feet nearing him, and charged energy in my foot. If I wanted to hurt him, I had to use that kind of attack, I realized.
As I succeeded my drop kick, my leg colliding with his own body, I felt the pressure rate around us suddenly come down strongly. The pieces of rock on the ground smashed hard into the lava, cracking into bits due to the sudden and strange pressure. My body remained stationary in the air in the position I had made contact with my attack on him in.
Eruption let out loud growls and painful moans as light flashed and fluttered from in between my foot and his body, the vines holding him back so he wouldn't fly away. High above us, the clouds continued to roar with lightning, producing no tears or sympathy for Eruption or me. The ash and dust clouds surrounding us became thinner and thinner, clearing the pathway for us and allowing more sight.
Soon my attack was over, and I jumped back to a wide rock on the surface of the lava pool. This time, it was Eruption who was hurting, his body smoking from the intense light given from my kick.
Now, I was going to use another trick to make sure he stays in as weak condition as possible so he doesn't come after us again. I hadn't really learned it, but I knew I could use it. Plus, I needed more energy for myself.
Slowly, I put energy into my feet, forcing down roots and vines into the floor. I felt my stance become stable and stuck into the floor as I tried hard to connect the vines to the roots of the vines underground that were still wrapped around Eruption. I knew that this skill could be used for water, but what if…?
I found the roots I were looking for and began the process. Slowly but steadily, I began absorbing whatever energy Eruption had left in his body, the grayish green vines glowing with energy currents flowing through them and back into the ground from Eruption's monstrous position. I felt the energy go straight into my feet, my breath return to me, my heart rate return to normal, and the energy to do much more I could do normally spread throughout my body.
Soon during the absorption, the armor around Eruption began cracking and falling apart, the large pieces of the volcanic rock falling off and the streams of lava refusing to flow any longer, dying out. Once all of his armor was out, the vines crawled back into their holes since there was no more energy to take out. His human, if you could call it that, form was lying on the floor, turned face-up and his back against the rocks that lay softly in the sea of lava he had created himself. His eyes closed, and his state unconscious.
As I felt the vines I implanted into the ground return into my feet and condense back into energy, I began walking back to Jeremy and the Minor.
"You okay, Jeremy-san?" I asked him, picking up the Minor in both my arms which were charred with hot ash and burnt with bubbling lava, just like my clothes, and began carrying his body with my newfound energy.
"Am I okay? The question is, are you okay?" he asked me as if I was crazy. He didn't show it, but I knew that he was impressed that I used Ingrain in a whole different way than he had ever seen it. I could tell with the look in his eyes as we continued to strike conversations.
"Yeah, I'm okay," I told him, looking at the Minor's face, which was blank with his eyes closed, his state of mind unconscious. I could feel the blood coming out of his body slowly and steadily from the damage Eruption had done to him. He needed a doctor.
As if reading my mind, Jeremy said, "Let's go to Hanayuki Town. That's the nearest hospital from here."
I agreed and we began to walk down the road that lead to Hanayuki Town. I knew we'd be there soon. I've been there before, and it's not far. This road will lead us straight to it. It was a great place, but I could think of a better place to be. Right here with Jeremy, all ready forgetting what had happened three minutes before.