Chapter 141: Separated
Pierce Blastreyne spat out water and spluttered as he heaved himself above the surface. "Where am I?" he questioned, reaching out with his feet. The dirty water that he was submerged in was only waist deep, and he saw a shoreline only a few metres away.
He was about to wade towards it when he heard a splashing, and span to see another form struggling nearby. Instinct taking over, Pierce lunged for the other boy and picked him up, lifting his head above the water. As he did, he recognised Calvin "Cal" Jones' lithe frame, and carried the coughing boy over his shoulder to the shore, before laying him on his back. "Please don't need mouth-to-mouth," he flatly requested.
Cal spat out some mud, before rubbing his eyes and peering up at Pierce. "Not necessary. Also, gross," he flatly declared, sitting up. "Hey, uh . . what's with the sky?"
Frowning, Pierce looked up. And was surprised to find that there was no sky.
Not that this was new; his time on the Sempiternal Phoenix had acclimatised him to finding black voids in place of the sky. But this was different; a massive earthy roof was high above them, overgrown with glowing moss and fungi that provided almost as much illumination as the sun. Looking back at the muddy lake they had climbed out of, Pierce realised that, it was fed by a small waterfall that spewed from a crack in a rock face that joined the ground to the ceiling high above. "We're in some kind of massive cave," he realised.
"No way. We were on the Fowl Iris, in the middle of the ocean. There can't be any caves -" The blacksmith paused. "Are we under the ocean?" Cal burst out in shock.
"I think we should be happy that we're both still alive -" Pierce's words died in his throat and he peered back into the lake. "Where's everyone else?!" he exclaimed.
"They all got sucked into the different currents when the Fowl Iris broke apart. You heard what Sarph said, those currents are like a warp zone, they connect the entire planet like some kind of subaqueous superhighway. They could be anywhere," Cal recalled.
"Damnit," Pierce growled, before a thought struck him. He held out his hand, and with a flash of Requip Magic, his flute appeared. The Beast Tamer breathed a sigh of relief, he hadn't lost it. "Where are we, anyway?"
"Sorry, I'm not an expert on underwater caves," Cal sarcastically offered. "I knew that whole 'sail the Fowl Iris to a secret island underneath the Red Line' plan was a terrible idea,"
"We can hash that out with Kenzie next time we see her," Pierce pointed out, before pausing. "Of course, that presumes that they're all alive,"
"Let's assume they are," the blacksmith assured him. "That said, I don't think they're going to show up here," he pointed out. "If they were, they'd be here by now,"
"You're probably right," Frowning, Pierce looked around, and spotted a gap in the line of tree-sized mushrooms on a nearby hill. "I think that's a road over there," he pointed out.
"And roads mean people. There are people down here!" the blacksmith immediately realised.
"Or were," Pierce pointed out. "But, there's only one way to find out," he shrugged and started walking. After a moment, Cal followed him.
~St0rm C0m1ng~
It was a bit under an hour's walking until Pierce and Cal reached what looked to be a town. At first glance, there were several seedy-looking humans wandering around the streets, and many of the buildings were wooden and ramshackle. The entire place had a distinctive air of the Wild West.
"Told you we'd find people," Cal jeered, and Pierce conceded defeat.
As they entered the town, though, they attracted some curious glances; their clothes were, after all, still rather wet. And, looking around, there were some odd clothing trends; Pierce noticed that most of the clothes people were wearing seemed to be made from cotton and some strange, mycelial substance he didn't recognise, which made his blue denim T-shirt and orange leather jacket starkly out of place. Cal's cotton jacket was more acceptable to the locals, but his chainmail undershirt was definitely an eyebrow raiser.
"Hey, I think that's a bar," Cal pointed out, gesturing to a building with a large sign declaring it to be entitled 'The Unloaded Blaster'. "Can we go get something to eat?"
"I don't know. We have jewels and berries, but they might not accept those currencies down here," Pierce warned, and Cal shrugged, pulling out his purse and withdrawing a single berry. "It's gold. Gold is universal," he pointed out, striding ahead to enter the bar.
Pierce shrugged and followed him. "If nothing else, we can get some information. Maybe find out where we are,"
The Unloaded Blaster proved to be only half full, with two tables occupied by uproarious patrons and a few loners seated at the bar. Pierce and Cal joined the bar, noticing with surprise that both bar and tables were made of metal, not wood, and the owner sidled over to them with a fake smile. "And what will you two kids have? I don't serve alcohol to minors," he immediately warned them, while gesturing to the menu. Squinting at the grungy board, Pierce immediately realised that the vast majority of drinks on the menu were alcoholic. "I'll try the . . AquaBeek Brew?" he frowned momentarily at the strange name. What's an AquaBeek?
"Same," Cal nodded, and added; "So we're a bit lost. Where exactly are we?"
The bartender cocked a surprised eyebrow. "You sure don't look like you're from around these parts," he nodded. "Well, this is Splinterback Cavern. That help?"
"Not really," Pierce took over, doing his best to sound authoritative. "And that is . . where?"
"The 99 Caverns. What, are you dense?" the bartender snorted.
"Hardly," the young blacksmith didn't look happy with the perceived insult, cutting over Pierce in turn. "We're from the surface, looking for a way to get back up there,"
The barkeep blinked. "Whaddya mean, surface? You talking about them water caverns?"
Pierce raised an eyebrow, but Cal wasn't done. "No. The up there. Where there's no cavern roof, just the endless blue sky, and the world is kept warm by a big ball of fire in the sky called the sun. Ringing any bells?" he scoffed. "Who's dense now?"
The bartender inched away. "Um, I think I'll go get your drinks now," he declared.
Cal just rolled his eyes, but paused as a shadow fell across him, and span in his stool to find a large man with blond hair and a shaggy beard looking over him. "Are you talking about the Burning World?" the man growled, eyeing the black-haired boy with displeasure.
"Well, I've never heard it called that, but I suppose so, yeah. What's it to you?" Cal challenged.
"Well, everyone knows that the Burning World is made up, is all. A cavern so big you can't see the roof, yeah right. Only an idiot would believe a place like that exists, and I ain't no idiot," the man scoffed.
Cal's jaw set, and he slammed a hand down on the table. A magic circle briefly materialised, and a steel bar shot out of the metal surface, clocking the man in the chin and sending him flying straight across the room. "No one calls my home a fairytale," the boy spat.
Pierce rolled his eyes and stood up, Requipping his flute. He had a feeling like he was going to need it.
All eyes watched as the man sailed across the room and hit the far wall on his rear. "Well. I suppose someone's looking for a fight," he declared, sidling back to his table and picking up two items; a bandolier filled with red capsules, each of which contained a small object that Pierce couldn't quite make out, and a strange-looking gun. "You sure you want to pick a fight with me, kid? You don't even have a blaster, let alone any slugs,"
Cal snorted. "Who needs a gun?" he folded his arms and stood, twitching his fingers in anticipation of the fight.
"You sure about this, Bull? There's no glory in beating up some little kid," one of the others from his table pointed out. "The kid just insulted me. I won't let that slide," the now identified Bull snorted, raising his gun and pulling one of the red capsules from his gun. "After all, what's the point of having these ghouls again if I don't use them?" he declared, sliding the capsule into his gun. As he did, Pierce got a closer look at the object contained inside - and it moved. He gasped.
That wasn't an object. It was some kind of small black animal with ugly skin, black eyes with glowing red pupils and phosphorescent horns. Pierce paled, and gritted his teeth. This man was shooting animals out of guns. Using lives as ammunition. In all his life, he'd never seen something so depraved.
Growling, Pierce brought his flute to his lips and quickly recited the tune to Summon Raya, his partner phoenix. The surprise of hearing music was enough to forestall Bull's trigger, and he and his cronies turned - just in time for a massive gout of flame to burst from Pierce's instrument, followed by a huge, graceful flaming bird. Raya shrieked with menace, spraying fire in every direction, only to bounce off the low ceiling and tumble towards the floor. Pierce hastily played the short sequence to recall her, and was about to summon one of his other beasts, one that would be more suited to the close quarters, when he realised that the patrons of the bar were backing towards the door in terror. "Is - is that an Infernus slug?" one of them spluttered, obviously terrified out of his wits.
Pierce cocked an eyebrow, looking at his flute. He didn't know what an 'Infernus slug' was, but the idea that Raya was one seemed to terrify them. "Yes. She is," he lied, nodding.
"So the hell what?" Bull spat, raising his blaster again. "So he has an Infernus. He's not the Shane. It's ten to two, we can take them,"
The 'Shane'. Pierce noted the way he said that word. What did that mean?
Cor clapped his hands together, before slamming them onto a nearby table. "Metalmake: Electromagnet!" he commanded, and an intricate metal pillar erupted from the table, wires coiled around it and glowing with electricity. The magic-powered magnet pulsed and activated, sucking in every scrap of metal not nailed down. Pierce looked down to see the metal aglets on his boots being pulled towards the lantern-like construct. Luckily, it was the only metal on his person.
The enemies, on the other hand, were far more susceptible to the magnet. Five of the strange guns were pulled out of the gang's hands and suckered to the magnet, along with several belt buckles, a pair of goggles and Bull's bandolier, as well as the bandolier of one of his friends.
"What . . the hell was that?" one of those who had not drawn his blaster and thus had kept it on his person gasped, before turning and bolting. Several of his friends cleared out alongside him, leaving Bull standing alone.
Pierce glanced at Cal and reached for Bull's blaster, and the boy obligingly deactivated the magnet, allowing Pierce to pull the blaster off and level it at its former owner. "I think it's time for you to go," Of course, Pierce would never have pulled the trigger. But the bulky man didn't know that - and the bluff worked, and Bull sped out through the door.
The Beast Tamer requipped his flute, and inspected the blaster, as well as pulling Bull's bandolier away from the magic magnet. "Hey there, little guy," he whispered to the small creature inside, trying to project compassion. "Don't worry. You're safe now,"
In response, the 'ghoul' - that was what Bull had called it, if memory served - screamed at the top of its lungs, a single word; "DIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!" and started frantically bashing at the glass container, bloodlust in its little red eyes.
Pierce recoiled and stared in confusion. He had never had any kind of creature react to him in such a way. He picked up Bull's bandolier, finding all bar one of the red capsules to contain a similar, but different variety of black, red-eyed tiny monster, all of whom started screaming at the top of their tiny lungs. "Shoot me! Shoot me!" "Destroy!" "RAAAAARGH!"
"What are they saying?" Cal questioned, noticing Pierce's worried reaction.
"They're all so . . . mad. Like . ." Pierce was left at a loss for words, until another voice piped up. "Those guys do not speak for me,"
Pierce turned in surprise to see the other bandolier that the magnet had stolen, and saw that it was full of capsules too - but these were blue, and carried a far greater variety of colouration in the four little creatures they bore. "Over here!" a black one called, and Pierce recoiled, seeing the only black 'slug' among the blue-capsuled ones, but then noticed that it did not share the same red eyes as the 'ghouls'. He peered down at it, and two large, white eyes with wide black pupils blinked up at him, crowned by a row of blue dots and two short antennae. "Wait, can you understand me?"
"Yes, I can talk to animals. It's magic. Can you hold a conversation?" Pierce evenly replied, since they were asking obvious questions.
"Do I look like a ghoul?" the black slug huffed.
"You kinda do," one of the others, a blue one with yellow patterns that looked like electricity replied.
Pierce chuckled. "What are your names?"
"I'm a Negashade," the black one declared. "Flatulorhinkus," the third one down chimed in. "I'm a Taserling, and down there is a Hop Rock. But he doesn't talk much," the blue one explained, and Pierce cast a glance at the grey and yellow Hop Rock, who seemed to be asleep.
"So, what's the deal with this 'ghoul' business?" Pierce asked, and all four of the slugs looked sorrowful. "Most slingers don't care about us. We're just ammunition to them," Flatulorhinkus, a dark purple slug with a cream-coloured underbelly, groused, looking spiteful.
"And anything that makes us perform better when they shoot us is fair play," the electric slug hissed. "So a few years ago, this bastard named Thaddeus Blakk invented . . . a procedure. We don't know the details -"
"Wouldn't want to," the black one growled.
"But it, almost, sucks out a slug's soul," Taserling, who was obviously the most chatty, continued, looking ill. "It makes them stronger to be sure, but they lose . . everything,"
Pierce glanced back at the bandolier full of ghouls. "I see," he gulped. "That's . . despicable,"
"Are you gonna take us now?" the black Negashade questioned.
Pierce shrugged, looking at the four slugs. "Depends. Do you want to come with me?"
"No way. I'm out. I'll die before I get slung again," Flatulorhinkus snorted.
"I'm in! I love being slung!" the blue one declared.
"It is fun," Negashade hummed in agreement.
"Wait. 'Slung'? You mean, being shot out of these blasters? You like that?" Pierce questioned in surprise.
"Sure! It's awesome!" Taserling cheered.
"You've never seen a slug velocimorph, have you?" the black slug questioned.
". . Assume I'm new around here," Pierce nodded.
"Well, trust me. Next time you're in a fight, put me in that blaster and give it a try!" the Taserling cheered.
"Well, here," Fumbling with the bandolier, Pierce released the Flatulorhinkus, and the slug immediately leapt out, hitting the ground. "Later, losers," he hissed.
Pierce pressed the release for Hop Rock, and the silent slug regarded him thoughtfully, before shaking its head. "Alright," Somewhat reluctantly, Pierce picked up the stolen bandolier, before eyeing the five blasters. After a second's consideration, he picked up the one he liked the most, a blaster that was sleek but reinforced, painted a fiery yellow, with a long, sturdy barrel and a rounded device built into the handle that was glowing red. A logo and model name was engraved into the handle; 'Engarde Megasheen X'. Pierce noticed with distaste that it was loaded with a red tube that matched that of a Ghoul slinger, and flicked it out, leaving an open space. Humming thoughtfully, he snatched up Negashade's barrel and loaded it into the blaster. "I still don't see why it's necessary to use you guys as living bullets,"
"Trust me, you will," Taserling grinned as Pierce regarded the bandolier inquisitively, before shouldering it. Maybe he could get it attached to a satchel or something; he'd been wondering if he needed a bag.
Cal picked out one of his own. "Sweet. A souvenir,"
"Um," Pierce and Cal turned to see the bartender regarding them with two cups. "Your drinks,"
~St0rm C0m1ng~
Meanwhile, one of the goons that had just been kicked from the bar by Pierce and Cal ran down the road in terror. But he was brought stumbling to a halt when he ran headfirst into the head of a white mechanical wolf. With a crash, he hit the dirt track on his ass and looked up in terror at the four figures who loomed over him. "There's a - crazy - guy with - a flute - and -"
The man riding the wolf dismounted, and helped him to his feet. "Whoa, slow down. What did you see?"
The goon took a deep breath, nervously feeling the empty space where his blaster usually hung. "There was a blond weirdo, who was talking about that old fairytale, the Burning World, with his really shouty friend who had a giant magnet and stole my blaster. A-and the weirdo scared off John Bull with some kind of blowgun blaster that -" The goon froze, before staring at the man helping him in realisation. "And he had an Infernus slug!"
"An Infernus slug?" the young man, with black hair and a blue/white shirt that had an orange star printed on it, questioned in surprise. "Well, gang," Eli Shane declared, turning to eye his friends. "I think we might need to meet this weirdo,"
~St0rm C0m1ng~
"Help!" Artorias shouted with what little breath was in his lungs. The Blood Wizard had surfaced in the middle of the ocean, having barely managed to survive the currents. He would be somewhat doomed if not for the nearby vessel that was slowly sailing away from him.
It might be too early to say that he was not doomed, actually.
There was no response from the ship, and the Phoenix shouted again. "HELP!" Pain spiked in his vocal chords. There was a reason the soft-spoken boy didn't shout much.
And then, his salvation came; a red-and-white life preserver came flying from the ship like a frisbee, landing a few feet away and resting on the surface of the water. Frantically, he paddled towards the life-ring and snatched it, clinging to it for dear life.
On the ship, the boy who had thrown the instrument of salvation pulled on it, reeling it in with the utmost of haste. Soon, Artorias had been pulled right near the ship, and he looked up at it in relief. It was fairly nondescript, but quite large, with four masts. The most notable feature was a long, green oriental dragon figurehead that wrapped around the side of the ship and whose tail protruded from the stern. He couldn't see the flag. Was it a pirate ship? It didn't really matter. He had faith in his ability to overpower any random pirates.
And soon he was clambering over the railing and onto the deck, where he landed in a soggy mess. "Th-thank you," he mumbled before even seeing his rescuers.
"Hey, you alright?" An arm in a black sleeve took his hand, and Artorias let the stranger lift him to his feet, taking in the man's appearance as he did. He looked to be only a couple of years older than him, with shaggy blonde hair, wearing a black suit and top hat with goggles around it, and a gap-toothed grin.
"Yes," the soft-spoken wizard confirmed. Footsteps sounded to his right, and he turned, seeing the back of a tall man with black hair.
"You should thank our boss. He's the one that pulled you up," the blond admitted. "Dragon's not much of a people person, though. So just come with me,"
"Dragon?" Artorias questioned.
"That's his name. I know, not exactly normal, but it suits him. As for me, you can call me Sabo," the suited boy declared, watching the Phoenix's face closely for a reaction. He looked almost disappointed that there was none.
"I'm sorry, do you expect me to know you? I'm not from around here," Artorias admitted.
For some reason, Sabo found this incredibly amusing, and he chuckled. "Is that so? Well, I've introduced myself. How about you tell me who you are?"
"My name is Artorias. I'm an S-Class wizard from the Phoenix's Eye guild in Fiore. Me and my team came out here for a job, with a group of pirates our guild is allied with. Do you know the Black Eye Pirates? I assume that you're pirates too, you don't seem like a Marine,"
"Black Eye Pirates. Can't say I've heard of them," Sabo shrugged. "And us? Pirates? Close, but not quite,"
"What does that mean?" Artorias questioned.
"How about I introduce myself properly? I am Sabo, Chief -" But before Sabo could finish his sentence, Artorias felt a grip on his shoulder like iron, and he was spun around to see the man from before, Dragon, glowering at him. Seeing his face clearly, the redhead noted his matted, spiky black hair, tanned complexion, and a pattern of ruby-shaped tattoos around his left eye. "Artorias?" he parroted, looking fierce.
Artorias was unperturbed. "Yes,"
"Put him in the cell below decks," Dragon commanded.
"What?" both Artorias and Sabo questioned. "But why?" the latter frowned.
"Because he might be here to kill a close friend of ours. And until I'm satisfied that he isn't, he stays in the cell," the commander explained.
"I'm not here to kill anyone," Artorias frowned, but felt Sabo take his wrist. "Maybe not, but Dragon's in charge around here and he doesn't give orders like that without a reason," he declared, gently but firmly pulling Artorias towards a hatch in the middle of the Deck. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him. We're only a couple of days away from Baltigo, anyway, so you shouldn't have a long wait," Sabo assured him.
Deciding it was best to go along with it - meeting Dragon had forced Artorias to revise his earlier assessment that he could defeat anyone on the ship - the Blood Wizard only had two questions as Sabo guided him to the cell. "What's Baltigo?"
"Our base of operations," the boy evenly replied.
Artorias nodded. So the ship was part of a faction, and they were returning to the faction's headquarters when they picked him up. But the faction was obviously not affiliated with the World Government. Were they part of a large pirate fleet? But 'Baltigo' sounded familiar . . "Might you finish introducing yourself properly?" he requested.
"Oh - sure!" Sabo beamed, turning in front of the cage and sweeping his hat off. "My name is Sabo. And I am Chief of Staff to the Revolutionary Army!"
And suddenly it all fell into place. He'd read about it before. The Revolutionary Army, the most wanted criminals in the world. Rumoured to be based on a mysterious island called Baltigo, that no one who wasn't a Revolutionary could find. The group had one purpose and one purpose only; to overthrow the World Government and bring about a global revolution.
"In you go," Sabo declared, gesturing to the cell, and Artorias wordlessly stepped in. Chief of Staff. That meant Sabo had to be an important figure in the Revolutionary Army. Which meant he was a lot more powerful than he looked. Possibly more powerful than Artorias was. He called Dragon 'boss'. Which meant that Dragon was the reclusive leader of the world's most wanted faction of criminals . . going quietly had been a very good idea.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure that Dragon comes along to talk to you soon, and that you get food and water. See you in a bit!" Sabo cheerfully waved and closed the door.
~St0rm C0m1ng~
"Oi,"
Hare stirred, twitching a bit.
"Hey, lady. Wake up," The voice was unfamiliar and rough. Also, it was poking her in the chest.
Her eyelids fluttered, and Hare mumbled incoherently. The words "Mum," and "Screw off," were mixed in there.
"I'm not your mother," the voice dismissively informed her, and it was that that induced Hare to sit upright and open her eyes. Blearily, she focused on the dark-haired, very male face in front of her, and nodded. "Well, thank Ankhseram for that,"
The man quirked an eyebrow. "Who?"
Hare blinked, considering the question. "Beats me, some god. It's just a saying. Sarph would probably know," she mused, before looking around. "Where is Sarph anyway? Actually, where is everyone?" She was alone with the man who had woken her, who was being backed up by a small group of similar-looking people. All were dressed in the same russet brown jacket, with the same insignia - two silver wings on a shield - on their chests. Uniforms. "Who the hell are you? Where am I?" They were in the middle of some plains.
Wait, plains? The last thing she remembered was being on the Fowl Iris - the pirate ship belonging to Kenzie Black, captain of the Black Eye Pirates, the pirate division of Phoenix's Eye. The ship had been dragged into underwater currents and torn apart, sucking the full complement of the crew into the depths. So how the flying fuck had she gotten here? . . The man was talking. He might know.
"I am Captain Levi Ackermann, of the Scout Regiment. We're several clicks away from Wall Rose, in Titan territory. Same question, who are you and where did you come from?"
"Hare Kransux, member of the Phoenix's Eye guild. And, I know that means a lot to you, but I have no idea what Titan territory or Wall Rose is. And does that mean you're in some kind of army?"
"What's a Phoenix's Eye guild?" Levi seemed equally confused. "Maybe you're concussed, you took a hit," he mused.
"I did?"
"We were patrolling in the region, when one of the the geysers in this area erupted. Normally that wouldn't be too unusual, except you came out of it. I do not know how that is possible," Levi admitted.
Hare frowned. "Well, the last thing I remember, the ship my friends and I were on was breaking apart . . we were underwater, and the currents were pulling us all in different directions. And I used a Water Breathing buff on myself, then I blacked out . . holy crap, where am I?"
"Friends? So there are more than just you?" Levi checked.
"Yeah. Wouldn't be much of a guild if it were just me, would it?" Hare snippily retorted.
"But that's not possible," one of the men behind Levi spoke up.
"What the hell do you mean, it's not possible?"
"Well, it's just, us humans living behind Wall Rose and Wall Sheena, we're the only humans left in the world. Everyone knows that,"
Hare paused for a second, waiting for someone to call the idiot out. To tell her it was a joke in poor taste. But everyone was just looking at her, taking the statement seriously.
". . . Bullshit!"
A/N
A/N
New story! Welcome, everyone, to The Perfect Storm!
It's not looking very perfect right now, mind. What's going on? Where is everybody? Why has Team Pierce been separated all over the world? You'll just have to wait and see. Hehe.
Can anyone guess which franchises Pierce, Cal, Artorias and Hare have ended up in? If you can't, I'll tell you next chapter. I think Phoenix's Eye officially counts as a Mega Crossover fit now.
Next time, though, we're gonna check in on Boomer and Tyria. Welcome to the Rath arc, everyone. It's gonna be a hell of a ride. Peace!
EDIT: Apparently I got the name of 'Wall Cena' wrong and it's actually 'Wall Sheena'. Whoops. Fixed it now!