Who does this cocky boy think he is? An almighty person who can easily defeat me? Well, I'll teach this a boy a thing or two about me that he'll only realize his mistake after he's dead. No one gets past Akira, not when I'm still alive and kicking. No one in this God forsaken world would dare get his or her hands on this potion. NO ONE! And that's a lesson that boy will never forget after I'm threw with him. And that's a promise!
Akira, also known as the medicine woman of the tribe, hated the arrogant brunette's presence right at that very moment. She wanted to zap him into ashes and throw it all into the air. Or maybe immobilize him with her staff, bring him into her tent, cut open his flesh and throw all his parts out while he can still feel it, plus hear his last cry of mercy until he's just a futile, mangled corpse.
Yes, that'll be satisfying. Torture him until his life has been extinguished. How nice. She could surely do that to him right now. But where's the challenge in that? Akira adored challenges. Besides, this bastard looks like a promising one. I guess I'll just have to follow the slow procedure of spewing my magic to this jackass.
Akira sneered. Let the games begin then.
She closed her eyes, held her staff firmly with both hands, and chanted some hazy words. Just then the red orb illuminated a lighter shade of red.
Ban squinted at the glow but remained perfectly still. He positioned himself for an attack; crouched at a low angle, his snakebite ever so ready, and all his spells of triggering Aesclepius to life were all set. He only waited for the witch to make the first move.
Without warning, the hag's eyes shot open and tendrils of red light were coming towards the Get Backer. Ban dodged it all with one swift move to the right, then to the left. He then ran toward the witch with great speed and was already behind her in a second. But the hag anticipated it. Just when he was about to strike her, she faced him and swung her staff in his direction. Ban too expected her move. He missed the whizzing beams by two centimeters.
Shit! This hag almost knows my every move. Don't tell me she can also read minds.
Obviously, he couldn't continue on evading the lights and hopefully notice a weak spot and strike her immediately. He thought of using his evil eye, but it was too early. He had to wait, but not too long, of course.
All of a sudden, a dragon-shaped fire was formed from her staff. Its red eyes glared Ban with intense hatred. It flung itself in the course of Ban. But Ban didn't move. The earth beneath his feet was churning and the air was hot. Really hot. But he still didn't flinch. It shortly engulfed him with its flaming mouth.
Confused, the old woman didn't let her guard down. But her fire dragon disappeared. Forming a shaped fire from her staff or aiming rays toward the target was immeasurably draining. She wanted to let go of her staff, but she knew better than that. After a second or two, she proved that her intuition was correct. The boy was soon behind her. He was about to hit her when rays of red light enveloped her; it was some sort of shield. She faced him once again and smiled. She raised her staff and chanted.
Ban abruptly retreated his hand, and vanished once again. He arrived just a few miles away from her.
The earth suddenly shook beneath him. When he finally gained his balance, the soil before him opened and a huge black form loomed above him. It too had red eyes and was flying toward him. But just when he was about to run, an excruciating pain seared his body. He cried out for it was unbearable. It felt like some creature was either going into his skin or out. He soon realized to his horror that the dark shape was some sort of distraction and the witch actually shot him with her strands of light. He felt like he was falling into perpetual shadows. It seemed endless, like walking down a road with no exact destination. Falling… falling… into the unknown.
The boy cried and fell. She supposed he was unconscious so she cautiously approached him. She turned him around to inspect him more closely. She was again correct. He was out cold. Akira smirked.
He wasn't so tough. In fact this was a piece of cake. She was about to order her men to bring him into her tent for "surgery" when Himiko Kudo appeared merely inches away from her, her vials ready, and was glaring at Akira with wild malevolence. But she wasn't alone. Beside her was a blonde with sparks enveloping him, a raven-haired man with an eagle on his right shoulder, and another was a woman with strings who was prepared for an attack. Behind them were sprawled bodies of her people.
She smiled and stood up.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Voodoo Child and her little companions. What you gonna do? Save your boyfriend? Well, honey, just to let ya know, he tried but failed. Now, doesn't that sound strange? I mean, wasn't he supposed to save you? And you think by trespassing into my territory with two guys and a lady would stop me?" With her free hand, Akira clutched her stomach and laughed so hard.
"How dare you call me a lady? I'll make you pay for what you said, you old hag!" Kazuki turned red with rage and was about to eject strings from his bell when Himiko stopped him.
"Please let me handle this. I feel like this is my responsibility from the beginning." Himiko smiled to her friends and was heading toward Akira when Ginji patted her on the shoulder.
"Please be careful, Himiko-san. We'll be here when you need us."
Himiko slightly grinned back at them and said, "I'll be fine." I hope.
By now, the witch was already chanting. Just when Himiko was getting ready for war, an intense pain ran through her body. She dropped her vials and was twisting with a painful sensation that filled her entire body.
The three were stunned and were about to run to her aid when they were unexpectedly frozen in place.
"What?" They exclaimed in unison.
"Now, this is what I've been waiting for my whole life—to bring out the curse that has been hidden in you for the past 16 years, Kudo Himiko."
