Common Worlds: Chapter 14
Crystal saw Alviss coming towards the lookout tower she was on. Fubuki, by her side, also watched the blue-haired figure running towards the laser behind them. They both knew very well what his destination was: the power core. Inside, the fairy named Belle was locked within several magical enchantments, her hidden power drained bit by bit to maintain the laser that reached the other world. Meanwhile, a similar beam was directed upon this laser from the other world, and the two energies drew each other together, albeit slowly.
Alviss had never met Fubuki before, but when he saw his snow-white hair and facial expression, he had a particular impression.
"You! Nil! Give me back Belle!" He pointed his finger at Fubuki.
Crystal laughed. "That's funny. Who were you talking to?"
Alviss opened his mouth to speak, but something crept up his spine. That's not Nil! That's the one from the other world! I have to be careful, these guys can use magic without ÄRMs! He took two steps closer to the tower before feeling a strange sensation that embraced his entire body. His magic power went on fire. What is this… space?
"He must have felt my territory," said Fubuki. "Everyone's first time is like this… except for maybe that Kurama person. For some reason, he never wavered in my presence. Should we approach this Alviss person?"
"You do it," said Crystal. "Nil told me to watch you fight. He said that I could 'learn something'. As if I am not perfect already."
Fubuki smiled. He jumped down the tower and landed in front of Alviss. "The gravity around here is pretty low, isn't it?"
Alviss gritted his teeth. "I didn't come to fight. Just give back Belle!"
"Belle? Ah, you mean the fairy. I cannot do that; the laser must be kept up for a month. As said by Nil, something remarkable should happen."
"You have no idea what will happen, do you?"
"I would prefer this to be just the way it is – a surprise," said Fubuki. "But those accessories on your body – are those ÄRMs? I've always wanted to see one in action."
Alviss took out a chain of sorts. "You want to see it? Fine! 13 Totem Poles!" Giant totem poles appeared in front of the two fighters, and they split apart into individual figures. "Get him!" Alviss directed his weapon at Fubuki.
However, Fubuki did not step away. Instead, he raised his left arm. "Is this the best that you can do?" One totem pole reached his hand, but he managed to block it. Also, the totem pole shattered to pieces.
"What?" Alviss ordered the totem poles to return.
"You attacked hastily without knowing what my power is. Because of this, you failed to reach me."
What did he do? Is it some sort of spell?
"Is it a spell? No. And no, I did not read your mind." Fubuki noticed the expression on Alviss' face. "I am called a psychic. What you have stepped into is my territory. In a psychic's territory, the psychic has complete manipulation of a random power chosen before the psychic acquires his/her powers. This is the element of surprise – you have no idea what a psychic can do. The only restriction is that the power only works within the territory. Mine is fairly simple." Fubuki found a tree and placed his right hand on it. Instantly, the tree disintegrated into a pile of shredded wood.
"A power that let's you break things to the touch?" asked Alviss. "That's convenient. But what if you don't notice the attack? It's clear that you can only focus your power on certain parts of your body. Otherwise, your clothes would have been torn off already."
"You really are a sharp one," said Fubuki. "Again, the only person who can calculate this fast is Kurama."
"13 Totem Poles!" Alviss released his totem poles again, but this time they did not detach from one another. "Go!"
One pole erupted from the ground and was aimed at Fubuki, but he smashed it with his fist. Another one sprouted behind him and knocked him on his back, while sending him into the air. Fubuki choked on his own blood.
"So as long as you don't register the contact, you cannot use your power," said Alviss. "I guess that's a psychic's weakness, then – knowledge about their ability."
On top of the tower, Crystal buried her face in her hands. This guy has no ÄRMs. No matter how tough he is, he will never get past Alviss. Oh well, maybe I should lend a hand… but I should watch this to the end.
Fubuki landed with a thud as dust gathered up on the ground. "Argh. Without an ÄRM, the only thing I can do is to defend…"
Crystal attempted to help Fubuki and jumped from the tower. However, she stopped to find a tall man dressed in a white shirt and jeans in front of him. This man held what seemed to be a sword of light; erratic energy sparked from the sword.
"I don't wanna hit a girl, but using people as energy is despicable! If I were you, I would release the fairy before I kick all of your asses!" he said.
"You… Kuwabara Kazuma!" said Fubuki.
Alviss looked up at him. "You're from the other world."
"Yeah, and this bitch was about to jump you before I came and saved you."
"Nevertheless, we should hurry. Belle's energy is sapped as we speak."
Kuwabara spat on the ground. "You go ahead. I've gotta take care of these two."
Fubuki got up and shook his shoulders. "He's all yours, Crystal. I'm done." He took out a mobile phone and dialed a number. "Yuu. Get me out of here, fast."
"You're not going anywhere!" Kuwabara leaped at Fubuki, but his legs were constricted by a strange liquid that solidified around his joints. "What the hell is this?" exclaimed Kuwabara.
A purple door opened up under Fubuki's feet. "Have fun, Crystal. It was nice meeting you."
"Shut up! You can't admit getting your ass kicked?" shouted Crystal.
Fubuki gave a quick smile and fell into the open door.
Meanwhile, Kuwabara kept smashing the strange liquid. "Is this… could it be… plastic?" Crystal smacked her own face. How dumb can you get?
"No! It's glass! You're a glass manipulator!" Shouted Kuwabara.
"That's right," said Crystal. "This is the simplest form of my Nature ÄRM. But here's a different version: Stained Glass Tiger!" Crystal took out a small chain with a glass tiger head on the tip. It flashed and materialized a blob of glass that looked strikingly similar to a tiger; its color was bright and resembled stained glass windows.
"He's as real as a tiger gets, if not even stronger," said Crystal.
"That's nothing for me! Jigen-tou!" Kuwabara changed the shape of his sword into a more refined figure.
Hmm? Thought Crystal. His magic power changed its wavelength, and it skyrocketed…
Kuwabara sliced into the tiger before it could attack him. A sizzling sound filled the air, and the space around the tiger seemed distorted. Glass fragments attempted to rejoin their original body.
"Stained Glass guardians can regenerate! There's no way you can defeat it!" said Crystal. But what she saw was definitely not what she expected: the glass pieces flew back to the body, but the distorted space caused them to bounce off into random directions. "What?"
"Ha! My Jigen-tou cuts whole dimensions! I've fought with a giant cat before, and I know exactly what it does!"
"It doesn't matter! Fragments of the tiger can form miniature Stained Glass Tigers!"
The fragments flew toward each other, but failed to cohere. Instead, the glass melted into liquid.
"I've covered up every angle!" exclaimed Kuwabara. "A man doesn't make the same mistake twice!"
"A man doesn't look like you…" grumbled Crystal.
"What was that?" Kuwabara became irritated. "Now that the cat is gone, you can tell me about this place, and these weapons you guys use," he said.
Damn, I only carried two ÄRMs with me, thought Crystal. If only Nil didn't tell us to refrain from killing... then again, Kazuki kept his box because he got the demolition job. Why don't I get the good jobs?
"Sorry. I've gotta run. Have fun with your first victory in MÄR-Heaven! My name is Crystal. Remember that."
"Hey!" shouted Kuwabara. "We're still fighting!"
Stained Glass Tiger returned to its accessory form. "I don't have any more ÄRMs left with me that I can fight with. Andarta!" Crystal's middle finger ring glowed purple, and she vanished from Kuwabara's sight.
"Damn!" Kuwabara turned to the laser, which began to diminish. "I wonder how that Alviss guy's doing?" He ran to the laser building.
Alviss held a small figure in his hands. He was in a large room with a crystal in the center, pointing to an opening in the ceiling. The laser had stopped. Belle the fairy lay quietly asleep.
Kuwabara panted as he approached Alviss. "So… she's okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks for your help," said Alviss.
"No problem," said Kuwabara. "I have to save my own world, too, you know."
"Well, this is MÄR-Heaven. Enjoy your stay before you help your own world. But I advise you not to get too comfortable."
"Yeah. I'm Kuwabara Kazuma. You're Alviss, right?"
"That's correct. I'm going to take Belle to Lestava to allow her to recover."
"Hey, I have this feeling…" Kuwabara trembled. "This is all too easy. It can't just all end here."
"But of course."
Both Alviss and Kuwabara turned around to see where the ominous voice came from. A white-haired man stood in front of them, holding a red jewel in his hands. "You've made it all the way here. That's not bad at all."
"You! Fubuki!" shouted Kuwabara.
"No, Kuwabara. That's Nil," said Alviss. "The one who started all of this."
"Alviss, you make me sound like a bad person."
"As if you're not. What's that you're holding?"
"Crystal didn't tell you guys? I'm not surprised. Well, this is going to get the laser up and running again."