Mads and Amanda stood back to back in the centre of Nebras mist waiting for them to strike. They could hear Nebra laughing in the mist, toying with the pair, trying to get them on edge. Mads eyes watching and waiting for the Swordswoman while Amanda had her blades at the ready soaked in the poison from her skin.
"On your left!" Cried Mads, Amanda turned to her left and blocked a strike from the Swordswoman who immediately returned to the mist.
"This is ridiculous, we'll be stuck in this stalemate if something doesn't change soon." Remarked Amanda.
"I'm working on it. We just need to keep them focused on us right now. On your right!" Amanda blocked another attack.
"You know little bug." They could hear Nebra through the mist. "Your face looks awfully familiar. Tell me have we met?"
A scowl formed on Amanda's face. "No, you vicious witch. We haven't." she spat.
"And yet you hold such scorn for me. Though honestly that's quite common for most people these days. Well then why don't you tell me your name."
"Amanda, I need you to calm down she's just trying to rile you up. We need to stay focused on surviving this."
"She deserves to know the name that I'll carve into her chest." She spoke low. The fury evident on her face as she looked at Mads. "My name is Amanda Apoth. Daughter of Ilene Apoth. Remember her?"
"Can't say I can."
Tears started to form in Amada's eyes. "Amanda, look out!" The Swordswoman was coming from Amanda's left again but Amanda didn't see her coming, she was too distracted.
Luckily Mads wasn't. "Serpent Magic: Coiled Anaconda" The shape of an Anaconda came from her grimoire and coiled itself around the pair managing to block the strike.
"Thanks."
"Listen I'm practically pouring out Mana here so we can't afford to have you distracted right now. Listen whatever happened you can talk about it later right now we just need to survive this."
Amanda took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright. Just hold it for about ten seconds. She's coming my way."
Mads and Amanda linked arms and Mads swung Amanda at the Swordswoman. Amanda blocked the attack with one of the blades and tried to strike back. But she managed to evade and hide back into the mist. "Damnit. Almost had her."
"Don't worry I've almost got her."
Amanda looked at Mads with a confused look "What do you mean?"
Mads looked back with a sly grin. "You're about to find out."
Nebra was hidden within her mist enjoying her game. That was until she spotted something slithering on the ground right by her feet. "What the devil?" A snake lunged itself at Nebra.
Through the mist Amanda and Mads heard Nebra scream. They noticed the mist started to thin out with focus they could see a thrashing Nebra through the mist, but they were more focused on the figure coming at Amanda.
The Swordswoman attacked Amanda head on by thrusting both swords at her, Amanda caught the blades between each claw holding them in place. Mads jumped over Amanda and kicked the Swordswoman in the face sending her flying into a wall. "Wow. One hell of a kick."
"This form also enhances some physical abilities."
"Cool. Anyway, I'll go handle Nebra you can…"
"Wait."
The Swordswoman got up and stared daggers at the pair. What she did next was startling. The blades of her swords begun to detach from the hilt but was still connected by a small wire, the blade itself also begun to break apart into smaller pieces, all still connected by a small wire. "Holy crap. Blade whips, now that takes skill." Amanda remarked.
"Yeah." Said Mads. "Probably enough to kill us." The pair rushed at the Swordswoman who begun to flurry her whips and lashed out at the two, causing them to back off. "This isn't good."
"We need to get in arms range behind the blades then we might have a shot."
The Swordswoman sharp eye's glared right at the pair. "I'd like to see you try." The Swordswoman hadn't spoken before, her voice was smooth and clear like her blades.
"Wait you can talk?" Exclaimed Amanda.
"Only when mages like you start to get all high and mighty. You think you can get past my blades, I've been practicing fighting with swords since I was strong enough to hold a stick. Mages like you always having everything handed to you, even the weakest amongst you can use your magic to cheat your way through life, never knowing what it's like to scrounge in the dirt for your next meal." The Swordswoman looked over at Nebra who had since fallen unconscious with a snake wrapped around her neck. "That's why I decide to partner with that woman, a powerful mage fallen from grace, the only thing I find more entertaining than that are mages about to die at my swords."
Mads stared at the woman, though what neither Amanda nor the Swordswoman could see was the tears she was trying to hold back. She couldn't stop the images flooding her mind of her small hut in the middle of nowhere, with crops that were either dead or dying, and her kind father that could smile through every hardship and was never afraid of snakes.
This woman was wrong, she'd seen horrors, she'd struggled, and she's seen the horrors of humanity.
"Dad why can't I come to town with you?"
"I'm sorry sweetheart things would just be easier if you stayed here. I can't do my work and keep an eye on you at the same time. Just keep the door locked and the blinds closed after I leave like always."
"DAD!"
She remembered the day her little house burned, the day her father bled more than ever, the day the bad men came to the house to take her away. Tears stinging hear eyes, unable to fight, no grimoire. Just the insane laughter of horrible men. "Get the girl. Animal based magic will fetch a decent on the slave market."
These men were going to take her. Her life was about to end, her father, with a stab wound through his gut still held on to his little girl for dear life. "Mads you have to run." she held on to him. "Mads listen to me if you don't run now, they'll take you. Please you have to go now."
Mads couldn't even hear him she was so scared, her life was about to be taken from her, as harsh as it was it was her life, a happy life with her father and it was all about to end. Until it happened.
A slash of what looked like utter blackness cut between Mads and the slavers, dust filled the air forcing the girl to close her eyes. When she opened them, she saw two figures, a large muscular man with an odd-looking sword and a ragged cloak on his shoulders and a beautiful blond woman cloaked in blue with a protruding belly.
"Magic Knights? What are they doing out here?" Said a slaver with a tremble.
Mads' father looked at the pair. "Magic Knights?"
"Can't believe these guys decided to attack while were on our last holiday before the baby comes."
"Wasn't looking like much of a holiday seeing as how you got us lost. You are seriously useless without that spatial mage of yours."
"It's not my fault the map was wrong."
"You were holding it upside down. The only good thing about it all is if we weren't lost, we wouldn't be here to help."
The large man turned and looked back at Mads. She saw his lazy eyes, stubble and cigarette in his mouth. "Charlotte, the guys back there is injured, think you can help."
"Trying to keep me out of the fighting again Yami?"
"Two birds with one stone. Sue me."
The woman came over and aided her father while the man attacked the group of slavers, driving them away.
Even with the save, and aid rebuilding the house, Mads father lost his ability to walk, as the years went by Mads was forced to take his workload, his fire magic wouldn't be any help growing crops, neither was her serpent magic, but no matter what he never lost his smile, Mads could never understand why. "Why wouldn't I smile when I have you in my life."
She thought about those words. "If it wasn't for those magic knights, I wouldn't be in his life anymore." It was at that moment, she decided to join the magic knights and give her father a better life truly free of worry and no longer scrounging on the ground.
"You're wrong." The Swordswoman looked at Mads. "I've known what it's like to suffer since I was a kid. So, have my friends." A brief flash of Colt went through her head. "But we didn't go around complaining and blaming others for our misfortune. We decided to pick ourselves off the ground and make something of ourselves, cause that's how winning is done!"
Mads launched herself at the Swordswoman.
"Listen here girl let me break things down for you Old Man Magna style." Mads was telling Magna about the mission with the Big Man. "You got a lot of power there's no denying that. But sometimes subtlety is a better answer for some problems, seeing as how you're a snake charmer that should work just fine. But here's a lesson you should always remember when you're in a jam in a fight." Mads leant in. "You gotta fight dirty,"
"I can't believe I'm gonna take Magna's advice. Amanda listen to me, I'm going to create an opening but after that I'm going to be absolutely useless, no mana and probably be unable to move. Ready?"
"Hit me." Said Amanda getting ready to charge.
"Oh shit I hate this spell, this is going to hurt. Here goes nothing." Mads charged at the Swordswoman who was preparing to attack the girl until she started to cartwheel. "Serpent Magic: Lamia." In almost an instant Mads' legs turned into a long thick snakes' tail and came crashing down at the Swordswoman who managed to evade the attack but was blinded by the dust and debris from the crash and didn't see Amanda lunging at her.
The Swordswoman retracted her whips and went on a desperate defence from Amandas assault. Amanda kept slashing with deadly precision trying to get in a decent blow, but the Swordswoman managed to slip under an attack and jump away. She stood over an immobile Mads whose legs returned to normal but wouldn't move. The Swordswoman pointed one of her swords at Mads. "Yield magic bitch or your friend dies."
Amanda raised her arms and dropped her blades. "Okay, okay take it easy."
"C'mon you really think I'm gong to actually spare her. Like I said mages are so arrogant and naive you always…" The swordswoman couldn't say anything, she was struggling to get out another word, she then dropped her swords and fell to her knees and stared at Amanda with confusion.
"Yeah lady you really shouldn't monologue if you want to kill someone, especially if you just had close combat with someone and ended up with three small scratches from blades that were coated in a paralytic toxin. Adrenaline covered up the slight pain." The Swordswoman fell to the ground completely paralysed. Amanda quickly ran to Mads' side. "Hey you okay?"
"No, Lamia messes with my legs so I can't walk for a bit. Her."
"She'll be like that for hours the paralytic numbs her muscles but she's still breathing. We'll get out of here and take her for info, as per our mission."
The room suddenly filled with mist. "You little tramps aren't going anywhere." Nebra was back up. "That magicless bitch was useless, and those blasted snakes were just disgusting." Both were exhausted from the fight. Mads couldn't move and Amanda wouldn't leave her side. "I'm going to torment your very minds and nerves until you…"
Nebra couldn't finish her sentence. The mist disappeared and was replaced by a cold, heavy pressure. "What is that. mana." Asked Mads.
"Not just mana, there's a lot of rage in there too and it's not coming from Nebra." Amanda saw their opponent was on her knees struggling to breath from the pressure.
"Then who is it."
Mads question was answered by footsteps coming from the darkness in the tunnel. "Hello sister."
0
Brox was moving the stones in order to intercept the short spears, but Baily was able to shift the winds to keep the spears moving, best Brox could do was make sure they don't get hit. Dealing with the pain in his shoulder, he looked over to Tak who trying not to freak out.
"Tak if you have anything of a plan you need to do it now."
"And what exactly am I supposed to do?"
"At this point anything. I'm focused on the defence right now, I need you to work on offence or at least disarming. Knowing your magic, you should be good at that at least." Tak took a deep breath. Brox was right about that, his magic unnerved people, something very useful in a fight.
"I'll try something. Bug Magic: Buzzing Swarm." Suddenly a massive swarm of flies swarmed from his grimoire and started flying towards Baily through the rocks.
"Well that's creepy." Said Baily. "Oh well, let's take care of that." Before the flies made it through the rocks Baily increased the wind current blowing the bugs back at Tak and Brox. "ya know, there's something familiar about that kid." Baily said to his companion. "Reminds me of a magic knight I met years ago when I was still new to this."
Tak and Brox couldn't hear over the swarm, luckily Tak dispelled it before it lowered Brox's guard. "Okay Tak, we're Green Praying Mantis' we know that bugs can do a lot more than just buzz about. God knows En could make mushrooms do a lot more than sprout."
Tak knew he was right. When he visited home he would show him and the rest of the large family all the kinds of things he could do with his magic and it never failed to bring a smile to their faces, even young Tak who could just barely remember his face.
"Okay then, let's try this. Bug Magic: Creepy Crawlies." Seemingly nothing happened but then Baily felt something tickle his leg.
He looked down and saw all forms of bugs crawling up his legs as well as Savage. "YAAAAH." Baily and Savage started jumping and batting at their legs trying to swat the bugs off their legs.
With their guard down Brox took the opportunity and dropped the boulders and began to float. Gravity Magic: Heavy Weight." Brox's fist was surrounded in a dark aura as he lunged and threw a punch at Baily blocked it but was still thrown to the end of the tunnel but before he hit the wall he stopped and just floated in the air.
"My turn." Baily whispered. He then flew and tackled Brox and the pair flew through the tunnel trying to get the upper hand in the fight leaving Tak alone with Savage. "Let's leave these two to get acquainted."
"Brox!" Tak turned around and saw Savage standing there staring at him holding a spear in each hand. He then charged at the panicking Tak. "Bug Magic: Slaters Shield." Tak rolled into a little ball with the armour plating of a slater bug protecting him from Savages onslaught of attacks.
Savage kept bashing at the armour hoping to break through. Getting more and more frustrated Savage then kicked Tak which rolled down the opposite direction of Brox. Savage kept yelling incoherently at Tak who refused to relent. Inside the armour Tak kept panicking barley keeping it together.
"Captain Sekke. Is it true that you only accepted me onto your squad because of my brother?"
Sekke turned around to look at his new recruit. "A little bit yeah."
Tak looked down discouraged. "Oh."
"You have a similar spirit to En that reminds me of him, I'd be an idiot to deny a place her to one of the greatest members the mantis squad has ever seen."
Tak looked up at his grinning captain. "Really?"
"Really. You just need to find your way of bringing that spirit out. You got to be like your insects. Don't forget even the tiny ant can lift five thousand times its own weight."
Tak was brought back to the present with Savage still beating his armour. He remembered that conversation like it happened five minuets ago, and wasn't the last time he's heard it, his family, Brox, other mantis members and even surprisingly the former Captain Jack the Ripper.
Tak couldn't figure out how so many people could have so much faith in him, he was just a little nobody with creepy bug magic.
Even an ant can lift five thousand times his own weight.
Taks eyes widened, it took months, but he finally understood the captain's words. He took a deep breath, he tried to remember all of his spells in his grimoire until he remembered a spell that could actually help. "Bug Magic: Human Centipede."
Savage watched as Tak unfurled and burrowed into the ground leaving Savage alone in the cavern. He wandered around alone his spears still in his hands until a giant centipede emerged from the ground and coiled itself around his body and gripping him with its pointy legs. Savage looked up and saw the upper half of Taks body at the end of the centipede.
Tak reached around Savages back and removed all his spears and threw them out of reach as he continued to hold him, but Savage was beginning to break through brute force. As they were struggling Savage kept moving about the cavern trying to break Taks hold on him. It became a battle of wills, Tak was hoping to hold him long enough for Brox to come back while Savage continued to try and break his hold.
Tak could feel his body being torn from the pressure, he couldn't hold on anymore. He let go of savage, his spell faded, and he fell to the ground. Savage looked down at Tak with a wild look in his eyes and a spear in his hand. Savage raised the spear into the air. Tak closed his eyes expecting the worse, he heard a rush of wind and flinched when he heard a thump.
He was still alive. Tak was about to open his eyes. "Keep them closed for now Tak. You're not ready for this."
"Captain?"
After a few moments Sekke told him he could open them again and Savage was no where to be found, though Tak noticed a freshly made mound of dirt, and he also noticed a thin hole in the wall the size of the captain's sword. Tak let it be, he was just glad to be alive. Sekke looked at the young Mantis. "Tak that was exemplary but where are the others."
"You mean this guy?" Sekke turned around and saw Baily with Brox at his feet covered in slash wounds. "Put up one heck of a fi… hey wait I know you." Baily said looking at Sekke.
Sekke stared daggers at Baily.
"Goodbye Sekke. Get him out of here Running Mushroom."
"En! No!"
"Yeah." Said Sekke as he drew his swords. "You look strikingly familiar yourself. My swords have always wanted to meet you."
0
Colt sat up. He could swear he heard a voice coming from Lionel. He leaned in rocking the body. "Lionel?" He whispered.
"WHAT?" Suddenly a small fist burst out of Lionel's chest.
"WHAAAAAAAA." Colt jumped back screaming as a midget with a fuzzy red beard and hair but no moustache. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?"
The small man looked right at Colt with very angry eyes. "Who do you think. I'm Lionel. The real Lionel."
Real. That word rung in Colts head. His mind went back to every time he asked someone about Lionel. 'he's okay once you get to know the real him.' 'get to know the real him' 'the REAL him.' "Ooooh."
"Shut up. Captain said it just once then suddenly the entire Order is saying it. Last thing I need right now is a little punk like you making it too." Lionel kicked Colt in the shin leaving him hopping as he walked to his opponents who were battling Desmond.
"Bone Magic: Marrow Massacre." Desmond leapt into the air at his two opponents as spikes made of bone started to launch out of his body and fire at his opponents.
The pair moved around the room to evade the projectiles. "Guess it's time for me to make my move while my buddy Desmond keeps them on the move. This open room works so much better for the two of us rather than a cramped tunnel. Hey kid, you should go help your girlfriend and take out crystal girl over there."
"Wait are you sure those guys just threw you through a wall. Sara's got her fight, let me help you with some extra numbers."
"So, you think there's strength in numbers? Well kid, that's all the more reason you should help her, because numbers is exactly how I fight." Lionel pulled out his grimoire. "Puppet Magic: Gatling Scorpion." In almost an instant Lionel stood atop a giant wooden scorpion with strings attached to his hands, though the scorpion's claws and tip of the tail were replaced with mechanisms that were groups of long pipes arranged in a circle. "Hey Desmond, better move before you get full of holes. Kid help your friend she's about to face a little problem."
Colt looked over to Sara, she was still holding her own against the Diamond Lady but the problem was that the Axe Man was back up and heading right at her with a feral look in his eye's. "Crap" Colt launched himself with Feather Touch and headed right to her.
Desmond jumped high in the air and landed next to Lionel. "Nimble little brats I'll give them that. Alright Lionel let her rip."
"Aw yeah. Here we go Gatling Scorpion!" the pipes on the scorpion suddenly came alive and started spinning whilst firing small bullets at the enemy.
"Iron Magic: Great Iron Wall." Suddenly an iron wall appeared from the ground, blocking the bullets. The other figure who was much larger pulled out a giant hammer with a similar design to the Axe Mans. Fire spewed out from the back as the hammer hit the back of the wall sending it flying towards Lionel and Desmond the pair jumped out of the way with the war smashing into the Scorpion.
"You jerks, took me months to make that, fine then if you want to play it like that then. Puppet Magic: Bladed Triplets." Lionel summoned three humanoid puppets each covered in knives and blades.
"Bone Magic: Skeletal Stingers." A pair Bones started to grow out of Desmonds shoulder blades with a resemblance to scorpion stingers. Desmond rushed at the pair while Lionel sent his puppets at the pair.
"Iron Magic: Bladed armour." The Servants iron started to coat his body in iron blades and charged at Lionel who intercepted the mage with the puppets.
The other Servant pulled out his hammer and rushed at Desmond who defended himself with his stingers.
Sara was still dealing with the Diamond Lady, during the fight she even grew small spikes on her knuckles and shoulders for extra damage and she could tell she was winning. "C'mon, is that all you got Diamond bitch." In her confidence Sara didn't notice the Axeman running towards her from behind.
He raised his axe ready to decapitate her, but he didn't notice Colt flying in kicking him in the face sending him flying again into the wall headfirst finally knocking him out. Colt landed next to her facing the Diamond lady. "Got your back."
Sara punched the Diamond Lady again sending her back staggering. "Never asked you to."
The Diamond Lady got back up and rushed the pair with a frustrated scream until she found herself wrapped in Colts strings removing her diamond skin, the last thing she saw before everything went dark, was a shiny fist coming at her face.
"Sorry for helping." Colt said sarcastically.
"Oh will you quit playing the victim, we get it, You were ostracised by nobles and always kept at arm's length. Let me tell you something, the day of the exam, when you knocked that loser flat on his ass, was the first time in a long time you started to act like yourself. Before then you spent a lot of time whining and complaining and started blaming everyone else for your problems."
"Big talk from someone who did actually ditch me for the noble lifestyle."
"You idiot. I didn't ditch you. It was my…"
Suddenly a giant flew across the space between them and hit the wall and fell upon the Axeman. "Would you two shut up and focus." The pair turned around and saw Desmond standing on top of the Hammer-Man clearly unconscious.
Sara looked back at Colt. "Later." The pair went to aid Lionel until they noticed that his opponent was sealed in a casket.
"Puppet Sealing Magic: Closet Puppet Prison." Wooden pieces flew out of his grimoire sealing the other three. "Now that that's taken care of, let's go find the others."
"I'm afraid that your troubles aren't quite over yet." The group heard a voice along with booming footsteps of heavy armour from the entrance of the cavern. "I can sense that the Mace of Leviathan is in this room. In fact, it's in that crevice at the other end of the cavern." A large armoured man walked out of the shadows. "And if you're in my way you're going to have to die."
Lionel stepped forward opened his grimoire and summoned the triplets placing them in front of him. "Are you one of the Servants of the Perfect Cast?"
The armoured man stopped in his tracks. "I am the Perfect Cast." Then in the blink of an eye the armoured man was in front of Lionel and his puppets. "And you are nothing." He punched through the puppets shattering them to splinters then the punched hit Lionel and sent him flying. He disappeared again and appeared in front of Desmond with his leg in the air and brought his foot down on Desmonds head smashing his face into the ground.
The armoured man then appeared again in front of the small opening that Colt threw the Axeman into earlier and went inside. Colt and Sara attended to Desmond and Lionel who were both unconscious. "Sara we got to get these guys out of here."
"Yeah there is no way we can take this guy. Did you see how fast he was."
"That's not what I was worried about. I sensed his magic, I don't know what it was but it's like mine, I don't think it's thievery but I think he's capable for multiple attributes."
The pair made it to the entrance to the cavern with the unconscious pair. "Leaving so soon?" the armoured man came out of the crevice hold a large pitch-black spiked mace. "I was hoping to test out my new mace. But the problem is I like shooting people that run from me." A plate on his wrist detached from his armour and revealed a long barrel like the ones on Lionel's scorpion but thicker. He pointed the barrel at the pair, it started to glow. "I guess this is payback for Wayne, even if he was a worthless loser."
The barrel let loose a large blast of light. Colt grabbed Sara covered her and held her tight. He knew his strings couldn't absorb that and Sara couldn't take it. There was no way they could survive this. But then he felt a slight breeze come from the entrance.
"Anti-magic: Demon Scale Shield: Black Fortress."
Suddenly everything went pitch black Colt looked around and couldn't see a thing but could still feel Sara in his arms. After a few seconds the darkness faded away. Colt looked behind him and saw a large figure in a black coat with the Black Bulls emblem on the back as well as an antibird nested in a pointy haircut. "Captain Asta? What are you doing here?"
"Well rookie, a little birdie told me that someone was throwing a party and I thought I could crash it."
Hey folks, sorry for the long delay lot of new stuff in my life. I hope that an extended chapter and a quick look at the lives of former captains make up for it. Next chapter should be up sooner I've had that chapter wisping in my head for months just had to break through some writer's block to do it, I'm looking forward to writing the skills of the captains, until then, enjoy.