Did everyone have a happy holiday season? Well Here is my late christmas gift for you, the next chapter! …Boy I'm cheap…Well have fun.
Review Below, Let me know! ^^
Water Dragon Slayer Arc
On a dark cloudy day, Asharu waited inside the entrance hall to Harbor Bay's Rune Knight Headquarters (Town Hall) with Shin and Shinra. A Receptionist was working at the front desk, having a pretty nice day as she hummed a tune. The two siblings were sitting n a bench while Asharu was looking at a painting hanging on the wall. It was a nice water color of a tulip.
"That's it?" Asharu asked tilting his head to the side. "Hmm...it seems to be missing something." He thought for a moment then got an idea. He took the drawing Epsil gave him for his birthday and pined it over the painting. "Much better!"
Shinra was twitching with anxiety. "I don't like this place." she muttered. "It's very... authoritarian."
Asharu glimpsed over at her. "Aufro-Tarian? What's that mean?"
"Authoritarian." Shinra repeated. "It means strong Authority presence."
"Sounds about right... I guess." Asharu said. "Thats when a bunch of dicks run the government right?"
As soon as Asharu said that, the doors opened from the Outside and Lt. Skyler walked in. "It means that a military force is in charge and their word is absolute. No exceptions."
"So I wasn't far off." Asharu replied. He jumped to sit on the receptionist desk, ruining her paper work and thus her day, to face his father. "So what took you so long Old Man?"
"Get off that desk, you're not a gorilla." Lt. Skyler scolded his son. "Stand up like a human being."
Asharu just glared at him. "Why don't you make me?"
Asharu and his father stared each other down until Lt. Skyler turned toward Shin and Shinra. "You two must be the Kaien siblings." he said to them.
Shin stood up at attention like a solider on inspection. "Uh-Yessir!" he said.
"Relax boy." Lt. Skyler said. "No need to freak out. You're here under our protection now, but I'm not going to restrict your movements."
"Um,...that's cool I guess." Shin said.
"I'd like to talk to you two a bit more before you go." Lt. Skyler said. "If you could just head into my office, I'll be there in a minute."
"Sure thing," Shin said. He tapped Shinra on the shoulder and they both got up and left the room.
"Can I get paid now old man?" Asharu asked.
Lt. Skyler looked back at him with a glare. "I'm not old!"
"You're over 35. You're old."
Lt. Skyler sighed and motioned for the receptionist. She got an Envelope full of the money from the Job and handed it to Asharu.
"It's all there." Lt. Skyler said. "Just as advertised."
"Cool." Asharu said putting the envelope in his coat pocket. "Now how about that Moon Armor?"
Lt. Skyler nodded and the Armor magically appeared in between the two of them. Its steel appeared thinner than that of the Sun Armor and it possessed the color scheme of black, white and dark blue. There were no sleeves on the armor and the helmet was a full helm with no openings in it and the design around the mouth of the helm looked like an aqualung.
"Oh this is perfect" Asharu said. "That means two down."
"You'll also need this." Lt. Skyler held out his hand and requipped a dark blue staff that curved at the top and formed a half-moon shape at the tip, which he tossed to Asharu and he caught it. "That is the Moon Armor's Écriture Scepter. Using that staff will allow you to use Écriture magic. When requipped with the Moon Armor, you'll be able to control the flow of water and even turn it to ice."
Asharu grasped the scepter and both it and the Moon Armor disappeared into Asharus pocket dimension. Asharu then got off the front desk and walked straight out the front door without so much as a 'thank you'.
As soon as Asharu stepped out, he saw a hoard of people just outside the office. They were just ordinary citizens and they seemed angry and ready to riot.
"... Old man, it's for you!" Asharu called.
Lt. Skyler came to the front and saw the hoard of people outside his door. "What's the problem?"
"TURN OUR WATER BACK ON!" Someone shouted.
"Our showers don't work, our toilets don't work!" Another person shouted.
"Even the fountains have run dry!"
Looking past the people, they noticed the main fountain in the square was completely dry.
"I can't even get fresh water out of my sink!"
"People! People, please calm down!" Lt. Skyler spoke. "We will fix this! It's probably an issue with the underground system!"
"Okay, good luck with that. I've got to get going." Asharu said, jumping into the crowd and disappearing between the people.
At the Lunar Knights guild hall, Mari Stark, Noble debutante, Scion, and Eldest daughter of the Noble Stark Family of the town of Rose Lake in the heart of Fiore, was sulking at the bar.
"What a dreadful morning." she complained to Clawdaw. "My water had shut off on me! After taking my morning bath, styling my hair, giving myself an expert facial, and a moisturizing pedicure...My water stopped flowing before my morning tea!" She slammed her fists down on the bar. "I AM FURIOUS!"
Clawdaw just sighed. "I wish I had your problems." he said.
"It's not just her problem." Kisha said coming up from the back. "I was just in a bathroom to wash my hands, sinks were dry. It's like that all over the city."
"How is that possible?" Clawdaw asked.
"Could the mountain springs run dry?" Mari asked.
"I wouldn't know, I've never been up to the springs." Kisha said. "But that is all the fresh water on the island."
Mari stood up. "I say we investigate! This travesty must end!...and fresh spring water sounds like it could just heavenly for my morning tea!"
"What do you mean we?" Kisha asked.
Mari put her arms around Kisha's shoulders like they were close friends. "Darling, I don't know the island one tenth as much as you do. I need you to guide me."
"Can't do it." Kisha said shaking Mari's arm off of her. "Gotta wait for Ash to get back, he's finally got the money from our job."
"We're just going to look." Mari suggested. "We'll be back before you know it. Do you want me to beg? I'll beg!...Please?"
Kisha kept a glare on her.
"That is how I beg." Mari stated.
"I'm actually interested in this." Clawdaw spoke up. "I'd like to go with you."
"Really Clawdaw?" Kisha asked.
"I have been stuck in this guild since you found me, I want to go out!" Clawdaw jumped on Kisha's head. "It's driving me stir crazy! I want to do something!"
"Alright alright." Kisha caved. "Let's go."
Mari and Clawdaw, the latter riding on Kisha's head, had left the city and into the forest that led up the mountain.
"Uggch, the forest?" Mari asked disgusted. "Why do we have to traverse this disgusting place?"
"It's a short cut." Kisha said. "We gotta go through one of the mines to get to the spring. This is the fastest way to it."
"A mine?!" Mari panicked. "With dirt and rocks and dirt and bats and dirt?!"
Kisha gave her a disapproving glare. "This was YOUR idea remember?"
"You didn't say anything about Mines?!"
Kisha kept going and a poor Mari followed. The Mountain cliffs began to peel upwards against the mountain, and created a narrow crevasse they had to slide through.
"Alright come on." Kisha said trying to slide into the crevasse.
"Oh good lord." Mari said. "This is no place for a lady."
"Come on." Kisha egged her on. She continued to go through the crevasse and almost made it to the other side as the rocks pressed against her front and back. Her leg didn't move forward and it seemed too tight to continue. "Uh oh..." she muttered. She tried moving back, but it somehow got tighter then it was before. "...Uh oh..."
"What 'uh oh'?" Clawdaw asked.
"...I'm stuck..." Kisha muttered.
"You're what?!" Mari called, still not following her. "I knew this was a bad idea!"
Kisha tried to glare back, but it was too tight for Mari to see it. She looked forward and saw that the pass opened up just a little bit ahead.
"...not again..."
(Flashback)
Years ago, a young kid Kisha, about 6 years old, was in the same spot, stuck again and couldn't go back.
"I knew this was a bad idea." Kisha cried. Tears were beginning to feel her eyes.
Asharu, about 6 years old, was already on the other side, peeking through the crevasse at her. "Are you just gonna give up?" he asked. "If the guards are chasing ya, they would pull you out and beat you to death."
Hearing that made Kisha cry more. "I wanna go home..."
Kisha was about to turn around when she saw Asharu's hand reach out to her.
"We're almost there." Asharu said. "Come on."
Kisha reached out, took his hand and he pulled her out. Some of her skin was scrapped against the rock, but she was free on the other side.
"See?" Asharu said. "You could do it."
Kisha just looked at him, she wanted to smile, but she just wiped her eyes of tears.
(End Flashback)
Kisha remembered she has done this before and willed her way forward. The rocks scratched against her skin and clothes as she got unstuck and made it to the other side.
Riiiip.
Mari on the other side of the crevasse awaiting word form Kisha. "Uh Kisha Darling?" she asked. "Is everything alright?"
"I'm fine." Kisha's voice came back at her. "But uh...I need you go back to the guild for me."
"Why?"
"...I need new clothes..."
Mari thought for a moment before realizing. "Oh my stars! How Degrading! Don't worry Kisha darling, I'll be right back!" She ran off in a hurry.
In the forest outside of Tjiun, Rosalina was by the river which flowed down from the mountains, through the town, and into the ocean. The rivers water level had fallen to the point where it was barely a stream and couldn't even make it to the town.
"How can this drought affect all four settlements?" she asked herself. "Each have there own water source. Is it possible that all of them dried up."
Rosalina looked up at the dark clouds in the sky. The looming darkness was foreshadowing rain, but the skies have been dry all day. She took a closer look at the water, the stream trickles seemed to be flowing in reverse and flowing back up the mountain.
"That's really strange." She said looking back at the mountain. "Lets see where you are going."
"This is all I could find Darling." Mari said. "Gawds it is atrocious!"
"It's fine Mari." Kisha replied. "It'll have to do." She had discarded her tank top, which had been ripped open in the front by the rocks, and was now wearing in oversize white t-shirt, which fell past her knees, covering her skirt, and in bright colorful letters the worlds 'PARTY GIRL' were showing off on the front. "Where did you find this?"
"It was in Angel's guild locker." Mari answered.
"She would wear something like that." Clawdaw said.
"Whatever..." Kisha mumbled.
"At least tuck it into your skirt." Mari said already head on that messing with the shirt. "It looks like your wearing nothing over your maiden hood."
Kisha knocked her hands away. "Forget about it! It's no big deal!" she said. "We're almost there lets get going."
They walked for a while until they eventually arrived at the location of one of the Diamond Mines. It was a large complex, with railway carts half full with diamonds. The equipment was laying about in a messy area. It's as if the workers just left in the middle of the shift.
"Where are the workers?" Kisha wondered.
"I don't know." Mari replied. "Maybe it's a union thing."
"Well, at least there's no one here to stop us." Clawdaw said.
"Sure." Kisha said. "By the way, when are you going to get off my head?"
"I don't want to, your hair is soft." Clawdaw answered before purring like a cat.
"That sounds so perverted." Mari said.
They walked into the mine and about ten meters in, the walls began to glisten with countless diamonds just sprouting from the walls.
"Wow..." Mari said with the diamonds' sparkles reflecting in her eyes. "There's enough diamonds here to fill up a girl's wardrobe." She then imagined herself wearing a dress made entirely of diamonds while also wearing diamond earrings, a diamond necklace, diamond bracelets, a diamond tiara and a diamond fur coat. "Oh, I look so beautiful!"
"All that getup would just be tacky." Kisha stated.
"You know nothing about the beauty of diamonds!" Mari exclaimed.
"Maybe it's a noble thing." Clawdaw said.
BAM!
The sound of a steel collision made the girls jump. The echo vibrated through the cave shaking them to the spine.
"I-is someone else here?" Kisha wondered.
"M-m-maybe we should turn around." Mari suggested. "It could be demon from the Book of Zeref!"
Kisha and Clawdaw gave Mari a disapproving glare. "Or," Clawdaw suggested. "It could be that you are out of your mind!"
"I heard they found one out in cave on Galuna Island!" Mari complained waving her arms back and forth. "It's not that far fetched!"
"It's probably just the Rune Knight's investigating the spring." Kisha suggested. "Let's go."
Kisha continued on down the mine where the sound originated. Mari was hesitant to keep following, but she moved her shaking feet forward one step at a time. Once they went deeper into the mines, they began to see pipes built along the walls. They followed the pipes for a while and came across a huge open chamber with a sapphire glow being reflected of the diamonds. The mine tracks go around the room, lined with crates and barrels, and descended on an incline and below them was a pool of pure blue water.
"Is this the spring?" Mari asked.
"Yeah it is." Kisha stated. "Seems fine by the look of things."
"Check again." Clawdaw said. The tiny crab pointed to the wall below them and at a line the wall coloring was darker then the rest of the wall above it. "That's the water line. Water should be up to that level. As you can see it has dropped drastically."
Kisha followed the wall down the the water, and noticed that the pipes were out of the water, unable to pull any water through. Then her eyes reached the water level and noticed 5 people standing around there.
"Get down." Kisha whispered pushing Mari's head down as both girls when prone. "There are people down there."
Below the girls, 3 hooded apprentices of the Black Fang were accompanying Elstin Vaas who sat on a large rock, legs crossed, watching Mist Antwerp drink up all the water through a long loopy straw.
"Keep going." Vaas spoke up. "Just a little more to go. Then we head to the reserves at the crossroads fortress."
Mist put the loopy straw down and turned to Vaas. "You're a disgusting human being!" she snapped.
"And you are an abomination." Vaas countered. "I know the truth about your kind. Infusing yourselves with Lacrima to give yourselves powerful magic while real wizards have to work hard for the gifts we have."
"I did no such thing!" Mist defended. "I was raised by-"
"You can't fool me." Vaas said. "Those old legends are just myth." He then took a sharp rock and pressed the tip against his own cheek. A wound opened up on Mist's cheek and blood slowly dripped down. "Now back to work before I leave a permanent scar on your pretty face."
Mist wiped the blood off, picked up the loopy straw and continued to drink the water. Kisha, Mari, and Clawdaw peeked up to catch a look at them.
"The Black Fang." Kisha whispered. "Why do they want to drain the water?"
"I want to know if that girl is drinking all of it herself." Clawdaw muttered.
"We need to get help." Mari suggested.
"We can't just leave that girl." Kisha said. "We have to help her."
"We're kinda out numbered 2 to 5 here." Mari reminded her. "I don't think it'll work out for us."
"I got an Idea." Clawdaw said.
After a hour past, the spring had been completely dried up and Mist sighed with exasperation.
"Very good." Vaas told her. "You've been so cooperative through all this I might actually let you leave the island when we're done."
"And Anne?" Mist asked.
"Anne will be fine." Vaas told her. "Now come on."
The Black Fang Apprentices push mist forward to one of the tunnels leading out when a bright light flashed against the wall and the Shadow of a monster appeared.
"FOOOOLS! HOW DAAAARE YOU DRAIN MY HOME!"
The apprentices freaked out at the shadow monster. Vaas just looked up at the light. "The hell?" He wondered with no concerned.
"I AM GOJIRA! SPIRT OF DIAMONTE! DEMON FROM THE BOOK OF ZEREF! YOU FOOLS HAVE ANGERED ME BY DRAINING MY WATER! I CURSE YOOOOOOOUUU!"
Vaas looked around and saw that the light was originating from the top of the spiral incline. "Watch the girl." he told the apprentices, still cowering, as he began to ascend the incline.
"I CURSE YOUR FAMILYS! I CURSE YOU CHILDERN-AND YOUR CHILDERNS CHILDERN! BUT I AM NOT WITHOUT MERCY! RETURN MY WATER OR FEEL THE WRATH OF THE DARK MAGE ZEREF!"
Vaas made it to the top of the incline and discovered the terrifying Demon was none other then Clawdaw, using a large mining flashlight and a megaphone.
"FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo...ools..." Clawdaw's illusion was dispelled once he noticed Vaas caught him. He quickly pointed to Vaas and with authority stated "NO AUTOGRAPHS!"
"Is this some kind of joke?" Vaas asked. "Well it looks like I'm having crab legs for dinner."
Two barrels conveniently placed behind Vaas, tops popped off allowing Kisha and Mari to attack him from behind.
"Ring Magic: Twister!" Kisha called out. Kisha used her ring to create a storm around Vaas. Clawdaw managed to scurry away so he wasn't caught up in it.
"Drone Magic: Stun!" Mari condensed her Magic to create a light sphere with an eye on it. The Sphere floated around the twister and released a static discharge to stun Vaas.
The twister died down and Vaas, with static sparking on his skin, stood up and turned to the girls, still in there barrels. "Was that supposed to do something?"
"...Oh dear." Mari said. Vaas kicked the side of her barrel, knocking it over, banging into Kisha's barrel, knocking it over, and causing both of them to roll down the incline.
"Woooaawoooawoooawoooa!"
"Stoooaaaooooaaoop thiiis thiiieeeiiing!"
The Barrels crashed at the end of the incline and broke apart. Kisha and Mari laid there dizzy from the spinning. The Apprentices moved forward to take them captive.
"Don't touch them!" Vaas shouted from above, causing the apprentices to back off. "Girl, I want you too finish them off!"
Mist looked away. "Do it yourself." she said.
Vaas gritted his teeth, then took his own head and smashed it against the stone wall. Mist grabbed her head as the pain stung her. Blood trickled down between her eyes. Vaas looked back, with the exact same injury on his face. "Do it before I decide to break your Neck!"
Clawdaw peeked his head down as Vaas seemed to forget about him and began climbing back down the incline.
Mist clapped her hands together and swung around like she was swinging a Home run. "WATER DRAGON SPOUT!"
A Waterspout rose up from underneath Kisha and Mari and reached all the way to the ceiling. It began spinning them around in the airless tempest.
Clawdaw looked down in terror. "No way...a Water Dragon Slayer?"
Vaas smirked with delight. The Blood from his self inflicted injury reached his lips and he licked it away. "Good now drown them!" he ordered.
Mist looked up at both girls swirling in the waterspout gasping for air. "I'm sorry..." she murmured.
(To be continued...)