Hello and welcome to chapter 21! I have good news and bad news. Good news, I'm feeling better. Bad news, school starts next week so its back to one chapter a week from now on. Anyway, on with what your all here for, the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own FOZ
Karin marched down the hallway, her wand raised and eyes scanning left and right. She had yet to encounter either Cattleya or Eleonore, which filled her with worry, but she had also yet to encounter any other assassins, meaning that either they had all been dealt with, or they had finished their mission and had left or were now stalking the halls of the manor, looking for the rest of their victims. As she rounded a corner, she stopped. There was an unconscious assassin lying on the floor. What she also noticed was an empty platform where she knew a suit of armour would normally be. She let out a sigh of relief That mean's at least Cattleya is safe, for now. Not wasting a second, she picked up her pace and went down the corridor in the direction she assumed Cattleya would have gone.
She then rounded a corner, and stopped dead in her tracks, a cold shiver running down her spine.
Lying in the hallway in front of her were the massacred bodies of some of her servants. Pools of blood everywhere, and stains all over the walls. Some simply had been stabbed through the heart, others had limbs missing and others... were too gruesome to describe. She turned from the scene and marched off, a cold fury building inside her. I have to find my children. now. As she rounded a corner, she nearly went head first into a suit of armour. The only thing stopping her from obliterating it was a voice she was overjoyed to hear.
"Mother!" Cattleya cried, rushing forwards to give her a hug. Karin returned the gesture, but then pushed Cattleya away when she saw her injuries.
"Cattleya are you alright?" She demanded. Her middle child nodded, a relieved smile on her face. "Oh mother, I've been looking all over for you. Have you managed to find Eleonore yet?"
Karin shook her head. "Not yet. We should check her rooms, hopefully she will still be there." She then looked at the suit of armour that was following Cattleya around. "I expect that back in it's place once this is all over, and you..." she turned to look at her daughter. "... Will be taking several days rest, and see a doctor." She said in a serious voice. Cattleya simply nodded, and Karin took off, the sounds of rattling steel signalling her daughters companionship.
They reached Eleonore's room with little difficulty, save having to deal with 3 more assassins and having to avoid area's where the servants had been brutally murdered. The door was in splinters, and there was several unconscious bodies lying next to it. Karin and Cattleya marched in, looked around, realised Eleonore wasn't there and then turned around and marched back out. "Where could she be?" Karin asked out loud. "Well maybe she's..." Cattleya trailed off as she saw what looked like a trail of drops of blood leading away from the room.
"Mother..." Karin turned to see Cattleya looking down at the floor. When she followed her line of sight, she simply frowned and felt anger. "It must be Eleonore. She must be wounded. Lets go." And without another word, Karin took off down the corridor.
Eleonore, I hope your alright.
(CUE APPROPRIATE MUSIC)
Hiato charged once more towards Edward, Derf raised high and ready to swing. He brought it down once he got close enough, causing Edward to raise Burncaliber to block. As their swords met, fire blared outwards from the contact from Derf. For a while, they were locked in a struggle, until Hiato managed to force Edward backwards, who quickly recovered and swung Burncaliber downwards, only for Hiato to dodge backwards. Hiato quickly gathered his flames in his hand and hurled them at Edwards face, who quickly dodged out the way before charging forwards.
Hiato blocked the attack and quickly summoned some flames to hit Edward at the sides, causing his strength to waver and allowing Hiato to push him back and land a blow on him, a cut across the shoulder. Not deep, but still a hit. Edward grunted. "Not bad, you possess some skill after all." He taunted. Hiato simply gripped Derf's hilt tighter, his familiar runes now glowing a faint light red instead of pure white. "Same to you." Was all he responded with. Edward then smirked. "Not going to attack? Of course you aren't. There's no way you can win, since one more hit from my sword will leave you incapable of moving."
Hiato just looked at him. He's not wrong. My wounds may not hurt, but if he hits me again with that sword, I doubt I'll be able to stand.
"Well then, I'll just have to beat you without getting hit then!" Hiato flared up his flames, before sending them in a wave towards Edward, who simply cut through them and charged at Hiato, sword raised. Hiato quickly dodged out of the way of the attack, before gathering power into his left hand. "Dragon fist!" He yelled before shooting forwards. The blow connected, hitting Edward in the shoulder and sent him flying into a nearby bush. He got up, swore, ripped off the rags that were once his clothes that were still on his left shoulder and then charged at Hiato again.
Hiato managed to block the attack, before pushing Edward backwards and going on the full offence, slashing at him from all directions to keep him from launching a counter-attack. On the sidelines, Louise was standing on tired legs, she had sprinted to get Derf and then sprinted back. Combined with the toll of casting all those spells, she was extremely weakened and the idea of sitting down was getting better every second. However, she refused to try and rest while Hiato was in the middle of an intense fight, as if he needed her at any moment, she should be alert.
Edward managed to parry a blow and swung upwards. Hiato was barely able to dodge the blow, and quickly flapped his wings to gain some distance. However Edward wouldn't give him any chance to recover, and launched his own, almost frenzied, assault. Unfortunately unlike when Hiato was doing it, he couldn't risk letting a single blow land, whereas Hiato had managed to land a few hits on Edward. He was struggling to dodge the rapid sword swings and thrusts at point blank range, and cursed when the sword grazed his cheek, barely leaving a mark.
Dammit, too close. He kept dodging and dodging, looking for an opening. As Edward was making a sideways swing, Hiato saw it. He quickly swung Derf sideways, parrying the blow, and then elbowed the dragon slayer in the gut before punching him in the face, sending him flying. He landed and was quickly on his feet again, before smirking.
"Not bad dragon boy, you actually caught me off guard there. I'm impressed at how you're managing to stay alive and avoid my sword, but not for much longer." He pointed Burncaliber at Hiato. "This ends now, and once your out of the way, very little will be standing between Arthur and controlling this world."
"Controlling the world? Is that what he wants?" Hiato asked. Edward laughed. "Of course, and once he finds a way back to our world, his royal majesty George the third will rule TWO worlds!" He said, his face having an evil look to it.
"Your wrong." Hiato said. "He doesn't rule the whole of Eurthina, what of the Straconia Empire? And the kingdom of the east?"
Edward scoffed. "Those are hardly worth being called kingdoms or empires." Now it was Hiato's turn to scoff.
"Oh yeah? What about the War of the west? Or the war of the North? Both of those nearly crushed the king you serve and he har-"
"SILENCE! I will not have you speak of his majesty in such a way!" Edward charged forwards, sword raised and anger burning in his eyes. Hiato smirked. Gotcha He thought to himself as he dodged the swing, and then ducked as another swing was made towards him. He kept ducking and dodging the swings, and parried the ones that he couldn't. Sensing his chance, he parried a blow and struck Edward across the chest with Derf, cutting through the armour he had but not dealing the fatal blow he had hoped. Unfortunately, this gave Edward the chance he needed, and he brought Burncaliber around and slashed Hiato once more across the chest.
Hiato staggered backwards, blood pouring from his fresh wound. Louise gasped, and started to try and gather her magic in order to hit Edward with an explosion spell. Derf had cut through Edwards armour and cut his chest, but the wound wasn't deep enough to be life threatening. Unfortunately, Hiato's wound was worse, as pain exploded all around his body, and he fell onto one knee, struggling to keep himself steady. Edward swaggered forwards, believing victory was at long last achieved. Louise quickly gathered all her energy and yelled "EXPLOSION!" which simply staggered Edward, unlike before where it blasted him off his feet.
"Sorry girl, but that won't work any more." He then charged Louise and planted a fist in her gut, causing her to gasp in pain and wrap her arms around her stomach from the pain. Edward then kicked her in the side, sending her into a nearby bench. He had an evil smirk on his face. "I was told to kill you, but I guess I can have some... fun with you first. But I need to kill your little 'familiar' first, so just watch while I do. That'll make what's going to come all the more... pleasant." He grinned darkly at Louise, who shrunk back in fear. He then turned and took his time walking towards Hiato.
N-No... I can't lose... Not now... I have to beat him... He looked up at the man approaching him slowly, who's mere walk was taunting him. I-I-I... I HAVE TO... I made a promise that I would avenge my parent's deaths... and I'm not going to break... that... promise!
"Well I guess it's the end, dragon boy." Edward said, raising Burncaliber high above his head "But alas, all good things must come to an end. I'd like to have more fun, but I've grown tired of you so I'll make this quick. Any last words?" He mocked. Hiato didn't respond, and Edward sighed. "Oh what a shame, I thought you'd at least insult me one last time before you die. Goodbye Hiato, say hello to your parents for me." He said. But before he could swing Burncaliber downwards, he was blasted backwards several feet. When he managed to stand up, his eyes went wide. Louise, who was watching from the bench, felt a spark of hope ignite in her heart.
(Cue Dragon Slayer theme from fairy tail (I DONT CARE IF IT'S IRONIC, ITS A BLOOD AWESOME PIECE OF MUSIC))
Hiato was in the middle of a circle of fire, and managed to push himself to his feet. Edward was gaping at him. "I-Impossible... you shouldn't be able to stand!" He yelled. Hiato looked at him, his face a mask of determination and and anger, yet pain was written across his features as well.
"For Louise... my friends... my parents... I... I... I... AM NOT GOING TO LOSE TO SOMEONE LIKE YOU!" Hiato roared, his fire blaring up in intensity. Edward blinked, in total shock. Impossible... after this many hits he shouldn't be able to move let alone stand! His thoughts were interrupted when Hiato, gripping Derf firmly in one hand, charged at him. He quickly brought Burncaliber up to block the strike, but when their swords collided, he was knocked backwards from the force behind it. He managed to gain steady footing, and flinched when he saw the look on Hiato's face. It was a mix of anger, determination and pain.
Edward grunted, before hurling himself at Hiato, swinging Burncaliber in a wide arc. "TIME TO DIE THEN!" He yelled. Hiato roared before charging him as well, their swords colliding and sending Edward flying backwards again. This time Hiato chased afterwards and landed several hits onto him, each which hurt more due to the fire that was engulfing Derf. Hiato's assault was relentless, and Edward barely managed to block a blow and give himself some temporary relief. Hiato then roared, his head tilted back and his flames blaring up, before he lowered his head to face Edward. "BOOSTED DRAGON!" He roared, his power surging massively. Edward readied Burncaliber before roaring himself and charging at Hiato swinging towards him. His face turned into a grin when he saw Hiato would be unable to block the blow with Derf, but then Hiato did something that shocked Edward and Louise.
He grabbed Burncaliber in his left hand. When he did however, his entire body flashed, he flinched, and almost seemed to change colour for a brief second, but only Edward saw what colour it was and his face turned to one of abject terror because of it, and he mouthed "impossible". Louise couldn't see it because of the flames. "W-What are you!?" Edward demanded, his voice filled with fear. Hiato just looked at him. "I am Hiato Higurashi, and I AM A DRAGONOID!" Hiato yanked Burncaliber off to the left and snapped it in half with his hand. before he brought Derf up in a vertical slash across Edward's body, followed by a massive amount of his fire power. The blow cut deep, and the resulting fire incinerated Edward's body, leaving nothing but Burncaliber behind. Edward's final thoughts were I-I failed... the prophecy... I-Its...
(Kill the music)
Louise slowly got up, clutching her side, and slowly walked over to Hiato, who had now let go of Burncaliber. He was motionless, standing with Derf still in his hand. "Hiato?" She called out to him. He didn't respond. Instead he started shaking before he collapsed and let out an inhuman screech of pain, which forced Louise to put her hands over her ears. He was writhing in pain and clutching his hand, and Louise could do nothing but simply look on in horror as her familiar was screaming and writhing in pain. After 30 agonizing seconds, Hiato passed out, his body returning to normal human state.
Louise quickly rushed over and knelt beside him. "Is he going to be alright?" She asked the voice.
"He'll be fine, don't worry. What he just did was... impressive." Louise was confused by the tone of voice, it sounded like the one a parent would have when admiring their children. "But he took a serious wound from that sword AND grabbed it, are you sure he'll be OK?"
"Oh positive, although that's only the physical aspect of course. Mentally... I regret to inform you I've diagnosed him with a possible case of "bloody stupid", since that last bit was just that, bloody stupid." The voice said, its voice serious. Louise just looked at the unconscious form of her familiar. "Oh, and It'll take a month for his wounds to heal completely." It added in.
Louise blinked. "A month!?" She asked. "How could injuries take that long to heal?" She said out loud by accident.
"They were caused by a dragon slayer weapon, meaning that they, on top of being about 10 times more painful, heal a lot slower than normal injuries, and can't be healed by dragonic regeneration."
"Would healing magic work?" Louise asked.
"I don't know. Maybe, just give it a shot. I'm sure the worst that can happen is he explodes." The voice said seriously. "Surely you can't expect me to take you seriously on that?" Louise asked, disbelief in her voice.
"I am being serious. Well except for the exploding part. And don't call me Shirley. I do have a name." For some reason, that gave Louise Deja vu.
"Oh? What is it then?" Louise asked.
"Unconscious familiar now, my name later. Deal?" The voice said.
Louise nodded "Deal." She put her arms around Hiato, but found she couldn't lift him. "Dammit he's too heavy, I can't carry him." That was when she saw his left hand. It looked burned, and horrible maimed.
"Wait until help arrives, is what I reckon."
"What if someone comes and attacks us?"
"Don't worry, they wont. Just keep an eye on him. He should wake up soon... hopefully." The voice said before fading away. Louise looked around. She then remembered something, and her attention snapped to the house.
Mother... Cattleya... Eleonore... I hope you're OK... She thought, and then looked down at Hiato once more, worry etched into her face.
Karin and Cattleya had followed the trail for a bit, worry growing with each step. Eventually they found the trail going into a room with its door ajar. The two rushed in, and gasped at the sight. Eleonore was sitting in a chair facing the door, her face pale and her hair in a mess. She raised her wand when the two women rushed in, but then lowered it and smiled weakly when she saw it was Karin and Cattleya. "M-mother... Cattleya.." She said weakly. The two rushed over to her and knelt down beside her.
"What happened?" Her mother asked, her tone soft but her eyes hard.
"T-they charged into my room without warning and attacked. One managed to get me..." She revealed a wound on her side, which was wrapped in her sleeve which was completely soaked with blood. "I managed to beat them back, but I was wounded. I would have stayed but instead I decided to try and find you." She winced as she moved.
Cattleya shook her head. "You should have stayed in your room Eleonore. We would have found you sooner that way and you wouldn't have pushed yourself so hard, just look at the state your in." She said softly. Eleonore shook her head. "No... I needed to find you and make sure you were safe... it is the responsibility of the older-" She blinked. "Louise!" She said quickly. "Louise could be in danger! We need to go fond her!" Eleonore started trying to get out the chair, only to be stopped by Karin.
"No Eleonore, I will go look for Louise. You will stay here with Cattleya, is that clear?" She said in a tone that offered no argument. Eleonore looked at her mother before nodding weakly. Cattleya started to tend to Eleonore's injuries. Karin, confident that all was well, began making her way to the door. "I won't be long, I promise. I'll be back as soon as I can. Cattleya, leave your armour to guard the door." Her middle child nodded, and the armour took up position outside the door, scanning the hallway for enemies.
"M-Mother..." Eleonore started. Karin stopped and turned around to look at her oldest daughter. "Yes?" She asked.
"T-The servants... they were..."
"I know dear. Now please, try to rest. You'll need it."
Eleonore nodded weakly, before passing out.
Louise breathed a sigh of relief when her mother came running from the Manor with 2 guards who looked like they'd seen better days. "Louise!" She called out, quickly making her way to her youngest daughter. She stopped when she saw the unconscious form of Hiato. "Don't worry, he just passed out from his fight." Louise said, although her tone said otherwise.
"We need to get him into the house then." Karin simply said, which elected a surprised look from Louise, which she quickly hid.
"O-Okay!" Louise said. "But be careful, he is a bit heavy."
The one guard, who had brown greasy hair and blue eyes, chuckled. He was wearing standard armour, which was battered and bruised and had blood on it. "Don't worry miss, I can handle it." The guard walked forwards and picked up Hiato, carrying him in his arms. "Where to?" He asked Karin.
"A room that has a bed and isn't destroyed. Preferably near the entrance." The guard nodded before walking off. Karin then looked at Louise. "Are you alright?" She asked.
Before Louise could answer, she passed out from exhaustion.
And that's the chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it and the fighting and stuff. Anyway, like I said, schools starting up this week so back to one chapter a week from now, sorry guys I wish I could do more but school is (unfortunately) more important. To all of you going back to school, I wish you the best for it, and all of you who aren't in the best place right now, I hope things will work out ok for you. Anyway, thanks for reading, please leave a review telling me what you think, and I will see you... in the next chapter...
buh bye!