Clover Kingdom's Champion
"Number 513? No hands. Thank you this concludes the Magic Knights Entrance Exam." The announcer employee called out as nightfall came upon the city.
"Asta, Kali."
The duo of new recruits to the Black Bulls, turned around to greet Yuno as he was about to depart with his crew.
"You're Golden Dawn, and we're Black Bulls." Asta said. "The real battle starts now."
"Yeah, we'll see who-"
Yuno was stopped as Asta's stomach started to growl, and not in the hungry kind of way.
"Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man." Asta cried out, doing a dance. "That grilled violetsnake I ate earlier, is coming back with revenge." Asta exclaimed before he went running for the bathrooms.
"He ate a violetsnake?" Kali asked.
"Right before we made it to your tavern." Yuno stated.
"Great, now I gotta make a cleansing dish for his pallet so the remainder of what's obviously its poison, doesn't kill him." Kali sighed. "Take care Yuno, and be sure you don't overwork yourself."
"I should be saying that to you. You're a Magic Knight, and a tavern owner, I don't know how you're going to maintain both jobs." Yuno said.
"I'll manage somehow. Take care." Kali said, turning to go meet Asta at the bathrooms when he finished.
She was stopped however, when someone came up to her, and she blushed seeing him.
"A-Asura, hi." Kali greeted. "What can... what can I do for you?"
"For starters, you can turn around." Asura said.
"Um... okay." Kali said a bit confused as to why he'd ask that, but turned around anyways. A shiver went down her spine, when she felt his hand brush against her back when he moved her hair out of the way, before she froze up as he felt her hips. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She questioned, as she jumped away.
"My apologies. But I was just making sure of something. An' it looks like, you don't have one." Asura said.
"You mean a tail like yours?" Kali asked, calming down.
"So you noticed it wasn't actually part of my magic." Asura chuckled, turning to leave. "Come look for me at the Crimson Lions some time. I'll take you to this great place I've been hearing about for drinks. My way of an apology for invading your personal space like that."
Kali blushed at how polite he was being, before remembering what she was actually doing before she was interrupted by Asura. Heading for the bathrooms, Kali wanted to make sure Asta was okay, but stopped when she saw Sekke going in, with a dark look on his face. 'Dude, that's creepy, and gross.' Kali thought, following Sekke to make sure he didn't do anything. When she spotted him, she saw he created what looked like a very poisonous reptile out of bronze.
"You got lucky Asta, but with my poisonous lizard, your luck will run out, and you'll spend the rest of your life, either in that bathroom, or bedridden." Sekke exclaimed, before he was grabbed from behind, his Grimoire dropped to the ground, and the spell dispersing, as he was shoved headfirst into a toilet in the stall across from Asta's, before the rest of his body followed, and he was crammed into the sewage tank, with the toilet lid closing on top of him.
"There, now instead of trying to kill my brother, you'll probably spend the rest of your life dying from embarrassment, smelling like shit, or probably both." Kali said, going to wash her hands. "No one, messes with my little brother, and gets away with it, unless it's me. An' even then it's nothing so harmful." She smiled as she came out, greeted by Finral, Gordon, and Yami.
"Hey, where's your brother? We have to get a move on." Yami said. "An' what were you doing in there?"
"He ate a grilled violetsnake, that wasn't cured properly earlier, so now he's paying for it." Kali exclaimed. "As for the second question, I shoved the Green Praying Mantis's new recruit down one of the toilets because he was trying to kill Asta with a lethal poisonous spell."
"Oh man, he's gonna be smelling like shit for weeks." Yami laughed.
"Oh boy. That is so much better." Asta said, coming out of the bathroom. "Ah. Everything came out just fine. Bye-bye violetsnake."
"We don't need a backstory on your bathroom breaks Asta." Kali said, grossed out.
"Go on Finral." Yami said.
"Okay. Then maybe afterwards, this lovely lady and I can…"
"Did you not learn your lesson the last time idiot? She will kill you, if you try to flirt with her you dumbass, then who's gonna give me rides around town huh?" Yami asked. "Now open a damn portal back to the base."
"Ah, y-yes sorry sir." Finral said, opening a portal.
"Kali, you never used to be that serious about rejecting a womanizer, what changed?" Asta asked.
"Well, there was an incident a couple weeks after I first opened up my Tavern, he pinned me down for his own pleasure." Kali asked. "It was right after a long day of dealing with the Purple Orcas and a busy day for the tavern, and I was exhausted from a hard day's work. I don't wanna get into it right now, so let's just head to the Black Bulls base."
"Portal's ready." Finral said, feeling sympathetic after hearing that story. 'I really shouldn't try and flirt with her.'
"About damn time. You three go first. Kali and I will be right behind you." Yami said.
As Finral, Gordon, and Asta went through the portal, Kali was stopped by Yami putting a hand on her shoulder.
"You doing okay? I know how you feel about retelling that story." Yami exclaimed.
"Which is why I didn't tell it, I'll be fine. I'm strong enough to tell my own stories." Kali said.
"You should talk about this with someone, you'll feel better about it." Yami said.
"I don't need to talk it out with anyone. I'll just make sure nothing like that ever happens again, while keeping to myself." Kali said, before going through the portal.
"That's what worries me." Yami sighed, walking through, and joining the others on the opposite side of it. "Welcome newbies, to the Black Bulls hideout." Yami exclaimed, directing them to the tower of buildings that looked like they were just a bunch of different buildings stacked upon each other.
"Whoa, this is so cool." Asta cheered. "The Black Bulls Hideout."
"Yep. Take it in you two, this is gonna be your new home from now until the end of your careers." Yami exclaimed.
Asta went running towards the building, only to be sent back by the front door exploding.
Kali sighed as she caught Asta, before he could land in the dirt. Spreading her magic through the air, Kali felt a familiar energy, one she felt that left the exams earlier than the others. With a smile, Kali took to the air, and went up to the higher levels of the hideout, where she found Noelle wearing a Black Bulls robe.
"So, I guess we did end up on the same Squad." Kali smiled, catching Noelle by surprise.
"Kali." Noelle said in shock.
Kali chuckled. "I promised you I'd help you learn control over your magic, and I always keep my word. So you interested to start early in the morning?"
"Yeah, I guess it wouldn't hurt to learn a thing or two about controlling my magic, from a commoner, who was in a similar situation as me." Noelle exclaimed.
"Okay first off, I know you're a royal and all, but we're on the same squad, so just call me Kali, and stop with the Commoner crap." Kali chuckled.
"Right, sorry." Noelle said, reciprocating the chuckle.
"HEY. TAVERN OWNER. GET DOWN HERE AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO THE OTHERS." Yami called out.
"That's my cue, we'll talk more in the morning." Kali smiled, taking to the air, and travelling down to the busted open front of the hideout, where the others members of the Black Bulls were kneeling in front of Yami, Finral, and Gordon. "Hey where's Asta? Oh there he is, being crushed by that big guy."
"Help me…" Asta pleaded.
"Quit fooling around and get your ass over here." Yami said.
"Okay, I'm just gonna pass out now." Asta said, before he blacked out.
A few minutes later, after Kali healed him up, Asta was standing between Yami and her, getting ready to introduce himself.
"My name is Asta, I'm from Hage Village, it's a pleasure to meet you all." Asta said.
"I'm Kali, also from Hage, and Asta's older sister." Kali said.
"Hage? You mean the village that's way out near the edge of the kingdom? That's way out there." The black and silver haired, punker boy said.
"The salt and pepper shaker who's talking, would be Magna Swing." Finral said. "He's a bit of a juvenile punk, but he's good people."
"Oh, so a little boy like you made it all the way from Hage, to a Magic Knight squad huh? Well, I should give you something as a congratulations." The magenta haired woman, in her underwear and Black Bulls robe, said as she got all close and personal with Asta.
"Hands off my brother Stripperella." Kali said, pulling Asta back.
"The booze head is Vanessa Enoteca. She's a drunk alcoholic, but she's good people." Finral introduced.
"Oh, do me next please." An energetic boy with a bright smile on his face, pleaded.
"The ball of energy is Luck Voltia. He's a punch happy fighting nut, who loves to get into fights, and instigate them just for shits and giggles. Aside from that, he's good people." Finral exclaimed.
"Hey, do either of you like to fight? C'mon let's spar some time." Luck said, throwing some mock punches, Asta using his hand to block them.
"Uh, yeah sure." Asta said.
'Never gonna happen.' Kali thought to herself.
"The glutton over there is Charmy Pappitson. She might be small, but she can pack a mean wallop when it comes to fighting for her food. But she's good people." Finral explained.
"Nice to meet ya." Charmy said.
'Best not to let her anything about Kali's/my cooking.' Asta and Kali thought at the same time.
"The big guy is Grey. I don't know much about the guy but…"
"Girl." Kali said. "Grey isn't a guy, she's a girl. She's just using Illusion Magic to change her appearance. Most likely cause she's shy."
"What seriously? How can you tell?" Magna asked, looking at Grey, whose expression changed to a blanched one, showing Kali was right.
"Kali's sense of smell is stronger than any wild animals. She can sniff out a baked pop-potato from a mile away." Asta said. "Not even exaggerating."
"Alright that's enough out of you for one day Asta." Kali exclaimed, blushing as she hit him in the back of the head.
"Sorry." Asta whimpered holding his head as he crouched down.
"Anyways, like I was saying, I don't know much about Grey, but she's good people." Finral said as Grey blew out some smoke.
"Hey, you see her?" A young man, with lavender purple hair, and a bloody nose said, holding up a picture of a little girl. "You see this picture of my little sister?"
"Yeah?" Asta asked, nervously.
"She's an angel." Gauche said. "If you even lay a finger on her I'll kill you."
"Chill out Sister-Complex." Kali said, punching Gauche in the face, sending him flying into the bar. "We get it, hands off your sister. Same goes for you, incestuous-pedo, keep away from my brother."
"The sister lover is Gauche Adlai. He loves his sister a little too much, but he's good people." Finral exclaimed.
"Tch, doubt it." Kali scoffed.
"You both already know Gordon, he's quiet, but he's good people. Then there's me, Finral Roulacase, lady killer. An' finally, we have our powerful, and illustrious Captain of the Black Bulls, Yami."
'What no, he's good people?' Asta questioned.
"All right. Now that we've got introductions out of the way, I expect you all to give these two a good workout. Just try not to kill them all right?" Yami inquired.
"Wait what?" Asta asked.
"On second thought… Kali, you're exempted from initiations." Yami said. "Don't want you accidentally killing Magna."
"Wait, why's she exempt?" Magna asked.
"Let's just say, she went to to toe with Captain Fuegoleon's nephew, and Kali was more than capable of holding her own against him." Yami said.
"I'm not that powerful Captain Yami. I was barely holding my own against him, and I still lost." Kali said.
"Now you're just being modest. You're the only mage in the world, capable of wielding all four basic elements. Give yourself some credit." Yami said.
"Wait, I must still be drunk, she can do what now?" Vanessa questioned as the others jumped to their feet in surprise.
"Just as I said. Kali is powerful, she's able to wield all four base elements of magic. Water, earth, fire, and air." Yami explained. "By the way Kali, until the next mission, you're free to spend your time however you please. While Magna is baptising your brother, I'll show you to your room."
"All right." Kali said, following Yami. "Magna, don't hold anything back against my brother. He's stronger than he looks."
"Oh don't worry, I won't." Magna exclaimed, seemingly forgetting something, before it came back to him. "Wait hold on, I'm still needing answers as to how you're able to control all four basic elements of magic."
"Oh that's easy. I have no clue. Bye." Kali said, disappearing with Yami.
"C'mon, your room is pretty big, and you should probably get some sleep before tomorrow. You've got a lot of training to do for the other newbie in our ranks." Yami said.
~The Following Morning~
"Alright Noelle, you ready to get started on your training this morning?" Kali asked, standing in a forest clearing across from the royal capital.
"I think so. But what are we gonna be focusing on exactly?" Noelle asked.
"We're gonna be working on breaking the barriers your subconscious put up, in reaction to the fear you felt towards your older siblings." Kali said. "Before any magic work can be done, we need to focus on breaking through those barriers. Specifically, by having you do some manual labor."
"Manual labor?" Noelle asked. "But, royals don't do, manual labor."
"They do if they're wanting to break free of their past." Kali said.
"Please explain."
"Look Noelle. You're strong, I know that. I can sense an immense amount of latent power dormant within you, and it's within your control. Hell, if you didn't have those mental barriers preventing you from controlling your magic, then you'd be on par with Captain Yami, or even Wizard King Julius in terms of your raw magic strength. But the fear and pain of everything your siblings have done to hurt you in the past, the fear you feel towards them, is preventing you from believing in yourself and being the best you there can possibly be. So, in order to forget about what your siblings said, we're going to have you work hard, and build up some experience, to help you relax more, and be more confident in yourself." Kali explained.
"Okay, I get your plan, but how are we going to go about that?" Noelle asked.
"By having you waitressing at my tavern of course." Kali smiled.
"What?" Noelle asked.
"Trust me. The patrons there won't try anything, since they're mostly regulars and know that if they try anything, they're gonna feel pain. So relax, and have yourself a grand old time while working." Kali smiled. "Plus, you'll get to experience how we 'commoners' live every day when they're not a Magic Knight."
"I guess that could work." Noelle said.
"Perfect. Now we just need to get there." Kali smiled walking behind Noelle. "Hang on, and try not to scream."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Noelle questioned, before Kali flew straight into the air, with the royal held tightly in her arms by the waist. "Whoa, okay, we're really high up, and not even on a broom."
"Air magic, it allows me to fly without one." Kali smiled.
"That is cool and all but… hang on, I thought you were a fire mage?"
"Had you fooled didn't I?" Kali smiled. "I'm actually able to use all four base elements. That's my magic."
"That explains how you have so much magic energy." Noelle said. "An' why you had problems controlling it."
"Another thing, don't be surprised if Captain Yami comes by the tavern. He's actually my number 1 patron, and comes on a daily basis." Kali explained.
"Got it." Noelle said, as they rapidly neared the Capital, where the tavern was. "How fast are we flying anyway?"
"Mmm, I'd have to say, faster than your brother can tie his bangs in a braid." Kali said.
"That's not very fast. He takes hours to tie his bangs." Noelle exclaimed.
"Oh, well faster than Luck with his top speed spell I'd say then. Though I've never seen it myself." Kali exclaimed.
"That's still pretty fast." Noelle whistled as they landed in front of the tavern. "So what's gonna happen next?"
"Next, we get you fitted in some clothes you won't mind getting dirty. I'm assuming what you're currently wearing is made of high end quality silk right?" Kali asked, opening up her tavern's doors.
"Yeah that's right."
"Then you're gonna want to wear some clothes that are cheap, easy to clean, and can easily be replaced or fixed if damaged. I've got a few spare shirts and pants that I can tailor to your sizes." Kali said, grabbing one of the chalkboards and a piece of chalk off one of the tables, and handing it to Noelle. "The Tavern doesn't officially open for another couple hours, so write your sizes down for me, and I'll tailor them accordingly."
"Alright." Noelle said.
"Thankfully I didn't have my usual morning run in with the Purple Orcas." Kali smiled.
"Wait, what?"
"I'll explain it later. Right now, get to writing those sizes down."
~A Couple Hours after the Tavern's Opened~
"Hi, and welcome to the Silver Dragon Tavern. Please, right this way." Noelle said, directing the newest set of patrons to their table, with a cheerful smile on her face.
"Wow, she's so pretty."
"No kidding man."
Instead of her normal clothes, Noelle wore an icy blue blouse with an open laced neck, and a pair of tan pants, with some simple work boots that were her size. Thankfully she and Kali wore the same sized shoes, and so far, Noelle was actually enjoying herself working at the tavern. The patrons had given her plenty of compliments, been patient with her since it was her first day, and those that she waited on previously, left her a generous tip for her work. Not that she needed the money, but it felt nice to be appreciated for her efforts.
"Gotta say Kali, I'm a little confused about this training program you have the royal on." Yami said, drinking from his mug of ale. "What exactly is supposed to be happening with her working here?"
"She's learning how to relax, and be herself. She acts all high and mighty, but I know that's just a façade she puts on when her siblings are around. Problem is, she's dawned it so many times, it's become hard to take off." Kali said, putting another mug down in front of him. "Her lack of control with her magic, is due to the fear she has of her siblings taunting and bullying. The more she lets go of their hurtful words, the more control over her magic she'll have."
"I get it now. This isn't just training for her magic, this is also therapy for her trauma as a child." Yami said. "I see now why you refused Nozel entry to the Silver Dragon this morning."
"Glad you see it, but I have to ask." Kali said, before the view widened to show that Yami was sitting at a table with Captains Charlotte, Fuegoleon, William, and Jack. "Why is it you all chose to come to my tavern? Not that I'm complaining about the business, but there are ones that are closer to your bases right?"
"Well, after that impressive display of power you showed yesterday, you've piqued our interest in just what you do on a daily basis." William said.
"I agree. I had hoped you'd want to join my squad, but thems the cards." Jack exclaimed. "Plus Yami's always bragging about how good, you are at working the tavern on your own, we wanted to come see for ourselves. Not to mention he's always praising your cooking skills like they're the best in the world." That comment got Yami to do a spit take in his drink.
"Hey, I'm not always bragging about her." Yami said, his face flushed.
"Oh come now Yami. It's not nice to lie. You're always saying how proud you are of Kali for doing a good honest day's work, like a doting father, praising his daughter." Fuegoleon said with a laugh.
That actually got Kali to blush, as Yami was stammering to try and come up with an excuse for her, while steam was pouring from his ears.
"Okay, so I'll be right back with your orders. That's four Meat Lovers Skillets, and one Vegetarian Skillet." Kali said, before rushing back into the kitchen, leaving the five captains to talk amongst themselves, their topic being Yami's relationship with Kali.
"Be honest with us Yami." William began. "Is Kali your secret love child?"
"What? No of course not." Yami said.
"Then why do you treat her like she's your daughter?" Charlotte asked.
Yami was silent, thinking over his response, before he put his cigarette out in the ash tray.
"About, fifteen years back, I was on a personal mission. This was when I was just getting used to being a citizen of the Clover Kingdom." Yami exclaimed. "I was in the forest, gathering firewood for my campsite, when I stumbled across something strange. It was a crying infant, who'd been abandoned, while wearing this weird looking armor. She was all alone, crying, probably scared out of her mind. She couldn't have been more than six month old, and I couldn't just leave her there, it seemed like she hadn't been taken care of for quite a while. So I took her in, and made due with what I could. I was two years away from being able to get my Grimoire, but I was determined to make sure she grew up happy and with a bright future ahead of her."
"That was very noble of you Yami, but what does this have to do with Kali?" Fuegoleon asked.
"I'm getting to that part." Yami said. "Strangest part was though, she had a monkey tail. I couldn't explain it, but I knew with how unique she was, she'd have a lot of powerful people, gunning for her, just because of that tail of hers."
"A tail?" Fuegoleon questioned.
"Yep. An' because of that tail, I took care of her in secret, and man she had quite the appetite for an infant. She could drain three cows of their milk in one feeding." Yami chuckled. "No one in the village I was living in, knew about her, and I did the best I could to take care of her. Eventually though, something happened. The village was under attack by bandits, believing a meteor, with magic enhancing properties had landed somewhere near the village. I had zero clue as to what they were talking about, aside from the meteor that passed over us a couple weeks prior to me finding the child. When the bandits searched my place, they found the child, and believed her to have been affected by the enhancing properties they had been looking for, and that's why she had the tail. I fought back to keep them from taking her, but I was unable to actually prevent it. I was thirteen, and I didn't have my Grimoire, what was I supposed to do? Ever since then, I've been living with the guilt of failing to protect her. I even thought she was dead after I was unable to find her searching for a year. Then, six months ago, she comes into the capital, and opens up a tavern, called the Silver Dragon."
"Wait, are you saying that…" William asked.
"Yep, Kali was that child. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but I don't care. I'm just glad she's safe, and happy." Yami said. "She might have grown up, but I'd recognize that innocent face anywhere."
"Is that why you've changed these past six months?" Charlotte asked. "Your attitude is different. Could that be to the guilt you've been carrying, for all these years, finally being lifted from your shoulders?"
"That would be it, yes." Yami smiled. "Come to think of it, I guess I sort of did become her father, if only by unofficial adoption."
"Still, you took care of her as best you could. You even fought to protect her. That's impressive for a thirteen year old." Fuegoleon said. "If anything, you are her father. An' I bet somewhere deep down, she feels that connection with you."
"Probably. But she was too young to even remember me. I doubt she does." Yami laughed a bit, before Kali came back out.
"All right, sorry for the delay. Four Meat Lovers, and one Vegetarian for Captain Charlotte." Kali exclaimed.
"This looks great. I've been here before, but I've never had anything other than ale." Jack said.
"Same." Fuegoleon said.
"Well, you're in for a treat. Kali's cooking is to die for." Yami smiled.
"Kali, table three is needing another basket of cheesy bread sticks. Where are those again?" Noelle asked.
"I'll handle it." Kali said. "You five enjoy your meal, and I'll be back if you need anything else."
"We'll be sure to order some dessert to." Yami said.
"She makes desserts?" William asked.
"Oh yeah. Her cakes and other pastries are delicious. She's one magnificent chef. She can even make frozen dairy treats, like ice cream." Yami smiled.
"Well, I'll be sure to order one before we leave. I'm sure my little brother would like to come here sometime." Fuegoleon said with a smile. 'The fact that she had a tail... If what Yami says is true, then she's the same as Asura.'
"So, how's your new recruit doing Jack?" Yami asked.
"Oh terrible. The little shit, actually smells like shit, and no number of bath's can get rid of that stench. It's like someone shoved him in a toilet or something." Jack exclaimed.
'Buddy, you have no idea how right you are about that.' Yami thought with a smirk, before digging into his Meat Lovers. "Mmm, delicious as always."
A short while later, as things were slowing down, Kali was waving the Captains off as they'd had their fill, and Noelle was busy wiping down the bar counter, as Kali lead some new customers to their table. But as she sat them down, the bell over the door rang again, and she was surprised to find who was there.
"Asta, Yuno, what are you both doing here?" Kali inquired, seeing them in their respective Magic Knight Squad Robes.
"We came to continue our chat from yesterday. About Asura and how he's so similar to you, it's scary?" Asta exclaimed.
"Right. Listen my break is coming up, just let me make sure Noelle will be fine to do her work, and I'll meet up with you. There's a table in the back corner no one will disturb us at, so go ahead and take a seat there, while I finish up." Kali exclaimed.
"Wait, Noelle's here?" Asta asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"Isn't she like, royalty though? She doesn't need to work at a tavern, plus she's a Magic Knight like us." Asta inquired.
"This is to help her get out of her comfort zone, and to push through mental barriers she's put up to defend herself with." Kali said. "I don't have to explain it to you, so just go sit at your table."
"Alright, no need to bite my head off." Asta exclaimed.
After making sure everything would be all right, Asta and Yuno started talking with Kali about what might be going on.
"So, Asura has a tail, like the one you had, and he can use all four base elements just like you." Yuno said as Athena brought them drinks.
"It's strange, I know, but given what we saw yesterday, I'd say it's safe to assume we're not dealing with a curse of any kind." Asta said. "If he has a tail, just like yours, then there is a possibility that it wasn't part of a curse, it was part of your heritage and culture."
"Giant Ape monster and all." Kali sighed. "But that doesn't begin to explain what might be going on with who he is, or what he is. For that matter, who or what I am."
"We can get through this. We can figure this out. Kali I think the best place to start looking, would be the royal libraries we have access to as Magic Knights." Yuno said.
"If you're looking to do research, then might I suggest looking up how to not look like an idiot in front of all the Magic Knight Captains?"
The trio sitting at the table turned to see Asura standing there, with Noelle coming up from behind.
"I'm sorry Kali, he just pushed his way through once he saw you." Noelle said. "I tried to stop him but…"
"It's fine Noelle." Kali said. "I'll see you both later. We'll meet up at the library tomorrow when the tavern is closed."
"Sounds like a plan." Asta said.
"You're welcome to stay and order anything off the menu on the house, Asura you have to pay for your orders." Kali said, before walking off to get back to work.
"Ouch, she's in a sour mood." Asura said, taking a seat across from Asta and Yuno.
"Well, before you she'd never lost in a fight, so her pride's taken a major blow after your battle yesterday." Asta explained.
"Still, never pegged her as the type to lead two boys along. Guess it's fair since I've only known her for less than a day." Asura said.
"What are you talking about?" Yuno asked.
"You two. She's stringing you along as her personal toys, to ring you for everything you both got." Asura said. Asta and Yuno looked to one another, before they began laughing, which confused Asura. "What's so funny?"
"It's the fact you think Kali is stringing us along in a three way relationship." Asta said as he calmed down from his laughter. "We're not a threesome."
"We're siblings." Yuno said. "Asta, myself, and Kali all grew up together, and were in the same church. We're family."
"Oh, I feel like a dunce." Asura groaned. "I apologize. I made an assumption."
"It's fine. We figured something like that would happen eventually since we look nothing alike. Kali is actually six months older than the both of us." Asta explained.
"Hey, Noelle." Asura called to the waitress. "Get me three pints of your finest ale."
"Coming right up." Noelle said.
"She seems like she's enjoying herself here. Kali must have put a good word in for her with the owner of this place. I was actually kinda hoping I could take her here for drinks some time." Asura said, before he noticed Asta trying to hold in his laughter. "What?"
"Kali isn't just an employee of this tavern, she's the owner." Yuno said, as Asta just laughed.
"She… wow I am two for two on mess ups today." Asura said, as Noelle brought them their drinks. "So you get cut off from the royal funds or something?" He questioned Noelle. "I'm not asking to be mean, you're my cousin, so I'm just wanting to know what's going on, and why you're here."
"This is actually training for controlling my magic. I can act like myself, with no one to judge me for it. An' it's supposed to help me with breaking down my mental barriers I put up to shield myself from my siblings verbal and mental abuse." Noelle stated, walking off.
"That's strike three." Asta said taking one of the mugs. "You're really on a role today."
"Yeah." Asura groaned, hitting his forehead against the table. "So, what were you all talking about before I interrupted?"
"Well, before your rude comment about me…" Asta began.
"Sorry about that."
"We were actually talking about how your magic is just like Kali's." Yuno finished. "An' we were talking about doing some research on history if there was once a race of beings who could use all elements of magic with tails like yours."
"Well I don't see how Kali would be any help about that, she doesn't have a tail. I checked." Asura said, causing Asta and Yuno to spit-take into their mugs. "That came out wrong. I'm sorry, nothing lewd happened, I just examined where the tail would have been, while her clothes were still on."
"Be that as it may, she used to have a tail." Asta said, giving Asura a turn to spit-take into his cup. "She lost it in a fight six months ago against Chain Mage Revchi."
"One of his bladed chains sliced it clean off." Yuno added.
"So she actually used to have a tail?" Asura questioned, almost shouting.
"Keep your voice down." Asta said. "Look, we've been trying to keep it a secret, mainly because for almost eleven years, she's been hunted by the Purple Orcas so they could try and make a profit off her for, what we thought, were her unique magical abilities, and tail."
"Hold on, why weren't you hunted?" Yuno questioned. "You have the same abilities as Kali, so it doesn't make sense."
"I'm the nephew of the Crimson Lion's Captain. I doubt anyone would be crazy enough to even think about hunting me down for my magic, and face the consequences for it." Asura explained. "But let me be clear. It's not just my uncle people would fear pissing off, it's my mother who holds their fear in an iron vice. But there have been rumors of the Purple Orcas leader being corrupt, and doing shady not to mention illegal business deals. But human trafficking, that's definitely something he'd try to keep under the table, and out of the knowledge of the other Captains, and the Wizard King himself."
"Revchi was actually one of the first to try and capture her, when he was still a member of the Purple Orcas." Yuno exclaimed. "Ever since then, she'd been living on the run, coming back to Hage every now and then to check in on us, and even became a bounty hunter to be able to support herself."
"Damn, that had to have been a rough life." Asura said, grabbing the mini chalk board and putting in his order number.
"It was, but she's always kept a smile on her face. Letting us know she's all right, and that she was safe." Asta said, putting his order number in next.
"Though there were times when we were concerned about her. The vest she wears covers the scars that cover her body." Yuno said, putting his order number in.
"That's the type of life bounty hunting leads to." Asura said. "But still, she shouldn't have been targeted like that by the Purple Orcas, or any Magic Knight Squad, unless she did something so bad it'd have put the entire kingdom in danger. I'll be sure to let my Uncle know of this, and he'll notify the Wizard King. In the meantime, I'll lend you this." He exclaimed, pulling a journal out from behind his Grimoire in its pouch and sliding it to Asta and Yuno. "You three aren't the only ones curious about the tails and multiple elemental magic users. I've been doing research whenever I can, and this is all I've compiled on the subject so far. There's a lot I can't translate, it's in a language I haven't seen before, but maybe your sister would have better luck with it."
"Why are you giving this to us?" Asta asked.
"Before I met your sister, I was losing hope, I thought I might have been cursed because of the tail, and what it does to me when I look at the full moon. I've learned to control it, but I still don't like taking that form, because I won't revert back unless my tail is cut off, or the full moon is out of sight." Asura explained. "I was losing hope that I was the only one of my kind, but after I met Kali, I knew there was more like me out there, I doubted it a bit when I saw she didn't have a tail, but that doubt left when you told me it was cut off. So I wanna work on this mystery together, and figure out where Kali and I come from."
"But, aren't you a royal?" Yuno asked.
"I'm a royal, but not by blood. I was adopted by the Vermilion branch of the royal family, and was named the son of the eldest Vermilion Siblings, because she was the one who found me, and she was the one who taught me everything I know about fire magic."
"Speaking of… when Kali tried to get a Grimoire six months ago, one didn't come to her. So how did one come to you?" Yuno asked.
"From one four leaf to another, it's because I mainly use my fire magic than any other elemental attribute." Asura said before looking at Asta. "The Grimoires you and your sister have come from certain legends of old. I can't remember which legends exactly, but they're five leaf clover Grimoire's, and that's more of a rarity than the four leaf."
"How much of a rarity?"
"It makes people who got chosen by the four leaf, look like a field of flowers everyone can see spanning for miles." Asura said. "It's most likely that Kali didn't get a Grimoire from the tower, because she uses all elements of her magic equally, thus strengthening them equally."
"That makes some sense of logic." Yuno said as their orders came out.
"Alright, another basket of cheesy bread sticks?" Noelle asked, putting their orders down.
"I think we're good with what we have actually. Thanks Noelle." Asura said. "Actually, could we get refills on our drinks?"
"Sure thing. Just be sure to leave a nice tip for your rudeness earlier." Noelle said, walking off with the empty mugs.
"Noelle is really in her element when working at a tavern." Asura said. "It's nice to see her happy like this. I can't remember the last time that happened."
"Let's focus more on that later." Yuno suggested.
"Right." Asura agreed. "So, first I'm gonna need the details on how Kali first came into your lives at the church."
Asta and Yuno looked to one another, then back to Asura, agreeing to put everything out on the table.
"Almost eleven years ago, it was a cold and snowy night, and there was trouble in town with one particularly bad man, who was too greedy for his own good." Asta began.
A/N: Please leave a review. No flames please.