Chapter 18
"Second game, first match! Commence!" Pozun declared.
"So you're the one." Fugi chuckled. "The princess of Lestava. The one called Snow."
"You got it! Anything wrong with that?!" Snow refused to let him intimidate her.
"From what I heard about your escape attempts, I thought you'd be a fragile little thing… but no. It's an honor to be permitted… to fight a princess." He lifted his left arm, showing his bracelet ÄRM. "I won't hold back." The wind started to swirl around him. "Nature ÄRM – 'Windalv'. I am Fugi, the wind wielder! Nice to meet you." He swung his arms in downward arcs. "Wind cutter!" Two slicing arcs of air shot towards Snow.
Snow nimbly jumped out of the way, then activated her own ÄRM. "Nature ÄRM – Frozen Earth!" Numerous chunks of ice hurtled towards Fugi.
"Tornado!" A tornado sprang up in front of Fugi, deflecting the ice.
Nanashi whistled. "Snow's pretty good!"
"An ice warrior." Dorothy commented. "Apparently, when Sol first met her, she'd encased herself in ice."
"Hmm…" Nanashi looked thoughtful. "I'm fighting to avenge Luberia." Snow sprinted to a position downwind of Fugi, hindering his Wind Cutter attacks. "She… is the princess of a kingdom that holds together all of MÄR Heaven." She moved upwind to the power of the wind behind her own attacks. "She's still young… but she knows how much her victory matters."
Dorothy nodded. "You're right. We should all… stand behind her." She then laughed at Fugi's reaction as he realized that Snow was right in his face.
Snow giggled and started swinging. Fugi scrambled to block her blows.
"What do you sense… Loco?" Maira asked his diminutive companion.
"I sense a strong will. She seems like an entirely different person from the one Ian and I were pursuing. Back then, all she could do was run… She was like a child. If I had to guess what brought about this change… it was her presence. Solara's."
"But on this desert field, she's at a disadvantage. Fugi is a wind weaver! His possible attacks are countless!"
Snow and Fugi sprang apart.
"Snow… I know the War Games start tomorrow… Are you sure you want to participate?" Sol looked at her. "You could get killed."
Snow looked down. "I know… but… I have to…" she looked up at Sol, who nodded in understanding.
Snow glared at Fugi. I'll do whatever it takes to protect my people!
Fugi laughed. "I've had fun princess, but I think it's time to end this! Wind Cutter!" He launched two wind cutters down at the ground in front of Snow. Sand erupted into the air, creating a wall.
Snow stared. I won't be able… to see his attack!
Fugi emerged from the sand in front of her. "It's time for your nap… Princess Snow." He punched her in the stomach hard enough to throw her back.
"Fine. Never forget your lessons… and never surrender to your fears. The instant you do, you've lost." Snow nodded.
"Yuki-chan…" The Guardian Snowman appeared and caught Snow in its outstretched arm.
"H-how?!" Fugi was shocked.
Snow giggled. "You hesitated to make a smart comment. That gave me time to brace for the blow! How to take a hit was one of the first things Sol taught me!"
"Nngh." Fugi then laughed to cover up his embarrassment. "Impressive, Snow! But the next strike will be the last!" He held out his ÄRM. "Nature ÄRM – Windalv! Tornado. Tornado! Tornado! Tornado!" Four tornados rose around him.
"A forest of tornados! If Snow gets caught in that…!" Nanashi exclaimed.
"She won't be able to escape." Maira's gruesome grin was audible, despite being hidden by his mask. "Fugi wants this over."
Dorothy covered her mouth to hide her snicker. Poor Alviss. That hen of a dog is probably making him crazy with its whining.
Fugi gave a slight bow. "Seriously, it's an honor to fight you. But – the greatest honor will be beating you, Snow! Quadruple Tornado!" He sent the four swirling towers of wind towards Snow… who smiled, much to Fugi's confusion.
The four tornados crashed together where Snow stood.
"Snow!" Nanashi cried. Dorothy took a step forward.
The tornados began to dissipate. Fugi giggled, breathlessly. "Was she blown in the distance… or buried under the sand? In any case, Snow - !" He choked on his sentence in shock. "What the - !"
Four Snowmen were clustered together. As the tornados finished dispersing, they leaned back, revealing Snow standing in the middle of them.
"Thanks, Snowmen!" Snow said as they disappeared.
"Guardian ÄRM Snowman? Of course! They surrounded her and blocked the tornados!" Dorothy commended her ingenuity.
"All… right… tee!" Snow stretched some, then charged at Fugi. "This is the end! Bye bye, Fugi!"
"Huh?!" Fugi jerked back, unsure what to do, since he had used most of his energy in that last attack.
"Once more, Yuki-chan!" Snowman dropped from the sky and landed heavily on Fugi's back.
Fugi choked on his scream of pain. But she's such a… little girl! He passed out.
"The winner – Snow! Of MÄR!" Pozun announced.
Snow happily skipped back over to Nanashi and Dorothy.
"Her use of the guardian was deft." Maira admitted grudging respect.
"She's no mere princess. I'm quite surprised." Loco commented. "I want to go next. If that suits you, Maira."
"By all means. I feel sorry for whoever faces you." Maira snickered. "Which one… will be the sacrificial lamb?"
As Loco stepped forward, Nanashi spoke up. "Me next. This is the match for me…" Dorothy glanced at him. "'Cuz I love girls!"
Dorothy looked disgusted. "What is wrong with you?!" Snow just looked confused.
"Let us begin… the second match." Pozun said as Nanashi stepped forward. "MÄR – Nanashi! vs. Chess Piece – Rook – Loco!"
Maira giggled. "If this unfortunate Nanashi… leaps to any conclusions based on Loco's appearance, he's in for a nasty shock."
"Second battle! Second match! Begin!" Pozun declared.
Nanashi casually crossed his arms. "I'm ready." He said with a lazy, cocky grin. "Come at me from wherever you want, little lady! Really, please. Ladies first."
Snow's jaw dropped. Dorothy smacked her forehead. Pozun blinked. Maira laughed. Loco's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You've just underestimated Loco. That makes her angry." She removed the large box from her back and thumped it on the ground. "She'll settle you with one strike."
Nanashi snickered. "What's that? Did you bring your toys?!"
Snow pinched the bridge of her nose. "If he survives this, Sol's going to kick his ass." She muttered to Dorothy, who snorted as Loco dug through her bag.
"Hmm… Let's try this." Loco pulled a small necklace ÄRM out. "One of the seven cursed instruments – Neg-Zero! Movement freeze!"
Nanashi squeaked in a rather unmanly fashion. "Wh… What…? My body… won't move!"
Dorothy gasped in horror. "That woman… is a Darkness ÄRM wielder!" Snow blanched.
Loco lifted the box and held it open. "The Cursed Straw Doll." A large straw mannequin emerged from the container. A chain was wrapped around it, with a silver skull dangling from the left arm. She then pulled six other items out, embedding four of them in the sand at the feet of voodoo doll. She held up the other two. "Spike and Hammer."
Nanashi actually seemed nervous now, sweating. "W-wait! What are you going to do?!"
"Ladies first, yes?" She placed the spike against the left shoulder of the doll and hit it with the hammer. The spike sank halfway into the doll. Nanashi squealed as pain erupted in his left shoulder.
"D-dorothy…" Snow was worried. "Are they all…?"
"Yes. They're all Darkness ÄRMs, alright. Cursing ÄRMs. Meaning every time the wielder uses it… she brings some kind of punishment on herself!"
Loco glanced at the two girls. "These ÄRMs don't punish Loco. Their side effect lowers the wielders age, so… every time I use them, I get younger. I don't look 32… do I?!" She turned and slammed a second spike into the right shoulder of the doll. Nanashi gritted his teeth against the pain. "Impressive. Most people die of shock after just two spikes. There are still three to go… Let's see how many you can take."
Loco hammered the third spike into the right side of the chest. Nanashi bit his tongue in an effort to not scream. He needed to destroy that scarecrow, but to that he needed to move.
"Nanashi! Give up! You're going to die!" Snow cried.
Nanashi couldn't decide if he was insulted or flattered. He chose to be flattered by Snow's concern. However it was unneeded. "I… will surrender… but only if…" at this he grinned, "Dorothy takes off her clothes!"
"Like hell!" Dorothy fumed.
"Heh…" he kept his grin despite the pain. "Then…" he took a deep breath and started forcing his arms to move. "I'll hang in…" Sweat poured down his face as his arms inched out of their crossed position. "a little while longer."
Loco's eyes widened as she watched Nanashi start to move despite the restriction of Neg-Zero. Then a tinkle met her ears as Nanashi wrenched his arms apart. Looking down she saw that the chains on the Neg-Zero ÄRM had crumbled. He broke through Neg-Zero… on pure will power?! Unbelievable!
She quickly spun and drove in "Spike four!" Looking back, not only was Nanashi still standing, he was activating an ÄRM! Impossible! "Spike five!"
CRACK!
The lightning bolt struck the Straw Doll, setting it ablaze. Loco shivered, wide-eyed, and nervously looked over at Nanashi.
Nanashi smiled, tilting his head back slightly to reveal his left eye under his headband. He was breathing hard. "I have no desire to strike you, girlie… but I will electrocute that bitch Peta. So for today… this is… enough." He collapsed to the sand, unconscious.
"Winner – Chess – Loco!" Pozun announced.
Loco dropped to her knees. I struck the fifth spike… and he's still alive… He shouldn't have been able to move… but he still counterattacked… She stumbled to her feet and wandered back over to her comrades. He could have struck me… but he didn't… Officially, I won… but really… I lost…
"You did well, Loco." Maira stated. "Next, I… shall produce MÄR's first death."
Dorothy raised her eyebrows. "You certainly talk big, don't you? Don't you know who I am?" She sounded mildly curious.
"I know not who you are. Nor do I care to know… one who is on her way to her death." Maira sneered.
"Me…? Die?" Dorothy blinked… then burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard, she started choking, which led to coughing. She then took a couple of deep breaths and with a blank expression said, "That wasn't very funny."
Snow and Nanashi, who had woken up, glanced at each other, confused.
"Final match, second battle! MÄR – Dorothy! vs. Chess Piece – Rook – Maira! Begin!" Pozun announced.
"So this is Dorothy! This is the first time I've seen her fight!" Nanashi said.
"Me too." Snow replied.
"Maira will be fine… right?" Fugi asked Loco.
"Most likely. There's just one thing troubling me…" Loco frowned. "I can't shake the feeling… that I've seen that woman before…"
Dorothy raised her right hand. "First… some reconnaissance! Ring Armor!" The ring on her index finger disappeared as a suit of rather flimsy looking armor appeared. It charged at Maira.
"An ÄRM that anyone might wield…? You take me too lightly!" Maira sounded offended.
The armor stopped halfway to Maira. As Snow expressed surprise in the background, Dorothy calmly watched as a blue slime encased the armors feet and moved up its body. "What a coincidence. I too am a Guardian ÄRM wielder." A tall, amorphous shape, composed of the same blue slime enveloping the Ring Armor, rose out of the sand. I possessed a single, large, red irised eye. "My guardian – 'Vaqua'!" The Ring Armor was completely engulfed and began to crack. "Whatever it envelopes… it destroys!" The Ring Armor reverted to its ring shape and crumbled.
"Well. That's a pretty rare ÄRM you've got there. I want it." Dorothy commented with a smirk.
Maira giggled manically. "You may have it… if you are able to defeat me! Vaqua, attack!" The blue sludge surged towards Dorothy.
"Guardian Burikin!" The huge stone golem that once guarded Babbo, emerged from the bracelet on Dorothy's left wrist. The ground shook as it landed. Vaqua drew up short.
"Ah. That is even larger than Solara's Gargoyle. That would be difficult to envelope, indeed. However…" Maira snickered as Burikin punched holes in Vaqua that quickly sealed back up. "Vaqua is an amoeba. It will not sustain… any damage."
Dorothy smiled serenely, much to the confusion of those watching. Then she narrowed her eyes. Such a small change, yet her expression now looked viciously sinister.
Loco, shuddered as recognition dumped over her like a bucket of ice water. Those eyes! They look… so similar… No. It's not possible. It's not possible!
Up in Lestava Castle, the queen watched the battle with Phantom. "If this one is the woman I know so well… If this is Dorothy…" she chuckled darkly. "Then that black robe… is outmatched."
"Burikin – return!" Burikin disappeared from the field.
"Oh? Do you surrender?" Maira queried gleefully. "Now… you will be enveloped. And you will die! You will be MÄR's first casualty and the game will be over!" He sounded way to excited
Dorothy ignored him. "Dimension ÄRM – Zipper." A zipper as tall as Dorothy herself appeared in the air next to her. The zipper slowly opened, revealing a portal that swirled with the deep red of fresh blood and deepest black. Maira, confused, hesitated.
Dorothy stuck her arm into the portal. "Eenie meenie minie mu – which ÄRM will be the death of you?" She chirped as she shifted her arm around, clearly searching for something. "Hmm… not this one… not this one either… Ooo! Yup! This one is just right."
She pulled her arm out and the zipper closed and vanished. In Dorothy's hand was a chain about as long as her forearm. There was a simplified dogs head at the end.
Maira was intrigued. "Oh? And what sort of ÄRM would this be? Is it weapon? A guardian? No matter what…" Maira giggled. "You will be devoured by Vaqua! Vaqua – envelope!" The gelatinous blob surged forward.
Dorothy smiled benignly. "Come on out – 'Toto'!"
The air in front of Dorothy cracked. As it crumbled to reveal a hole that Vaqua slid into. Vaqua disappeared into the hole and a crunching sound could be heard from within. All but Dorothy were alarmed.
Suddenly, a belch emerged from the hole, followed by a spit as the busted pieces of the Vaqua ÄRM shot out. "V… Vaqua…? My Vaqua…?!" Maira was in shock.
"So, Toto… how was it?" Dorothy chirped.
In response, a huge paw emerged from the hole. It was followed by a massive wolf, with three tails. "Actually, it was awfully gooey… and it tasted terrible." Its shoulder was level with the top of Dorothy's head.
Dorothy glared at him. "The ÄRM … you broke it!" She smacked his shoulder repeatedly, calling him a stupid dog.
"Ow! Ow! I'm sorry, master! I thought I was supposed to eat it!"
Dorothy pursed her lips. "Well… I guess I didn't really need it. Such a nasty thing…!"
Maira jerked and borderline shrieked. "'Eat'?! It ate Vaqua?!"
Dorothy gave him a dead eyed smile. "Guardian ÄRM, Raindog. I call him Toto. One of my faves. Quite an appetite though.
Recognizing his defenseless position Maira yelped, "I… I surrender! I don't have any more ÄRMs!"
"Victor-"
"Wait." Dorothy cut Pozun off. "I won't let this end just yet." Maira froze in terror. "Sorry. 'Fraid I'm not nice like the others. Just so you remember you fought the witch Dorothy." She stuck out her tongue cutely, then said, "Toto… eat him."
Maira didn't get a chance to scream, let alone run. In one leap, Toto cleared the distance between them and slammed his jaws shut on Maira's head.
Snow cringed. "That's… horrible… She didn't have to kill him!"
"You're wrong, Snow. This is war. Tomorrow, it could be you who's killed." Nanashi gravely stated.
"But his didn't have any more ÄRMs - !"
"Do you think he would have cared if Dorothy didn't? He threatened to kill her several times and at one point indicated that he would ignore a surrender, just as she did. This 'game' is no game. And I suspect that's what Dorothy is trying to tell us."
Dorothy pet Toto's nose and recalled him. "Oh my… that's the first Chess casualty, isn't it?"