In the pale blue light of the ice tower the wall shakes as snow falls to the floor in a dust. Just thrown into the wall with the doorway attached is one Adven Bok, a Drifter of the Treasure Hunter sort. The assailant who had just knocked Adven into the wall stood about seven steps away across the long, narrow room. Not to say it was narrow, but the length of the room was not the same as the width, and the height was the same as the length. That height easily being about three-and-a-half Adven's tall.
A chuckle sprang from the man with tan skin and an X shaped scar that had it's intersection of two scars just above the nose, between the two eyes. As Dal chuckled his long black hair that went just below the shoulders and looked unwashed vibrated and moved. "Give it up, Adven." The older man let his laughter die. "Just accept that you can never win against me, and thusly, never gain back your home by defeating me. There is another option."
Adven merely grit his teeth in anger. He ignored Dal's gravely-voiced words. "Adven!"
At the sound of Jet's voice Adven looked around and could not find his frival. "Jet?" It was then that the ceiling, made up of hardened snow, burst downward in a small portion. The gap between Adven and Dal was brightened by outer light as the snow dust calmed. Standing on a pile of broken hard snow was Jet Enduro.
Dal let out a pleased laugh. "More guests? I'm glad you could join us, Mr. Enduro." An idea hit the leader of the Devil's Hand. "I've been wasting my time fighting Adven alone. I don't have all the time in the world to waste on weaklings after all." Adven formed two fists in response. "I want the two of you to fight me together to make this faster and more of a challenge for me."
Jet looked to Adven. "Adven?"
Adven took no time to think due to his anger and annoyance. Normally Adven was a calm person, and in battle typically knew the gist of what he was doing, but at this point, he only saw right now, and he was angry at what he saw. "We accept!" The brunette man with the long green bandana under his bangs declared. He looked to Jet vehemently. "There is no way the two of us could lose, after all."
Jet nodded and drew his Aigert-Lahm B/V 2 from his side. Adven drew a sickle from behind his back. Dal raised a brow intrigued. "A weapon fight, then?" Dal stepped backward to the wall where he grabbed a five foot spear that garnished his ice walls. The only real decoration to the walls aside from one shelf of books. Adven and Jet were quick to charge their enemy, as Jet let loose multiple bullets, all of which deflected as Dal twirled his spear. Just as soon as the gunfire from Jet died out for him to reload Adven leapt forward, only to be blocked by Dal, who held his spear with one hand horizontally. Dal pushed back on Adven and then effectively hit Adven on the brow with the blunt end of the weapon. Adven, not one to give up, came back with a horizontal swing this time, but was instead hit over the head with the shaft of the spear. While Adven was on the floor recovering, Jet was sending another round of fire at Dal, who dodged the attacks easily.
As Jet swung his ARM at the man he is blocked like Adven before him. Adven is back in the fray soon enough, and when he attacks on a vertical strike, the shaft of Dal's weapon stops him again. This time Dal is able to knock Adven's weapon away before hitting Adven again with the blunt end, but this time in the stomach, causing pain to Adven before kicking him out of the way. Daisuke moves to aim his ARM, but it quickly tossed aside, to a position much too far away to do Jet any good. "My ARM!"
As Dal went in to attack, Jet blocked it with his boomerang that he quickly swung out in time. Whenever in a battle he used it like this it was like a huge sword with no hilt. It was made of the strongest materials. Dal continued to thrust his spearhead forward at Jet who blocked with his broad boomerang, that was until the fifth attack when it cracked in Jet's hands becoming three parts as well as smaller pebble sized pieces where the spear hit. "Oh no, did I break your toy?" Dal smugly said.
Jet was in shock. "How? That thing was made of ceramic composite and was a hybrid with some metals."
Dal took in a deep breath with a braggart's chest. "I am the strongest of the strong! Like something so pathetic could defeat me." He shifted his eyes to look at Jet with a smug smile. "I am not only part Elemental, I am also part demon! I was able to not only hit your boomerang with my spear, but I also heated it up and thus weakened it. It's easy for someone who can channel heat into this spear. Thus it wasn't mere spear attacks, but a super-heated fire spear attack. Do you see now? You can't rightfully win with such feeble attempts and weapons. You are weak!"
Jet was unsure on what to do, but quickly made up his mind seeing that Adven was not back up yet. "Lion's Rage Punch!" The blue astral lion faced punch was simply deflected into the wall by Dal, upon striking shattering it apart into pieces that scattered about the room.
"Wave of Despair!" Dal declared as a flame of purple swarmed his two enemies who blocked it with their arms. Nevertheless they are thrown to the snow-laden earth, but they get up, being that the attack was not strong.
Adven looked to Jet with a strong expression worn on his face. A determined one. "I think it's time to end this, Jet."
Jet nodded. "Positive!"
"Negative!" Adven began as his hands went to a 12'o'clock position.
"Cannon!" The two said at the same moment, each with their respective hand gestures.
"Fire!" Jet declared with Adven following after him with a "Blast!"
The two emotion-driven attacks came for their enemy and hit dead-on. The two attacks, being opposites, negate one another, but the waste from such a process causes an explosion regardless. This causes the room to have so much snow thrown in the air it is tough for either of the two young man to see if their enemy survived. "Rainbow Cannon, Go!" Suddenly from the snow that blocked their sight like a heavy fog came a multi-colored attack made up of a swirl of positive and negative energy that did not negate itself out since they remained separate.
Caught unaware by the attack, Adven is flung into the wall with a powerful stop when he hits the rock-hard snow. With all the wind knocked out of him, Adven slowly slides to a defeat on the snow. "Adven!" Jet watched, and he knew Adven was out of the fight. He slowly looked back to Dal who gave a laugh.
"Now it looks like it's just you and me, Jet Enduro."
Jet's eyes shot open vehemently with a bite. "I will win this! I will get Adven's deed no matter what." He said in order to alleviate a fear that stood inside him now that went unsung.
"Rainbow Cannon, Go!"
"Lion's Shield!" Hitting the ground with his right fist that was the 'Lion' to his 'Lion's Rage' he is protected by a shield that fades as soon as the shock wave of him hitting the ground is done.
Dal snapped his fingers in annoyance. "Well, then…what was that?"
"Like I said," Jet defiantly begun, "I will win."
"Fine! Then have a taste of my strongest attack! Bio Laser!" A green beam of light that was small and thin flung Jet into the nearest wall with a thump. After a few seconds, the seriously battered Jet still remains standing, as if now running on a second battery. "So you lived?"
"Positive Cannon Fire!" The blast was deflected by Dal with a wave. Jet had not too much energy of his own so any Lion's Rage tactic was out of the picture since that drew on his own energy and stamina.
"Pathetic." Dal muttered. "It's time to end this. Prepare yourself. Bio…"
Jet squeezed his eyes shut as he went over his options. He couldn't stop it since he could not use a Lion's Shield, and he would not be fast enough to move. Time was moving slowly, but his mind was moving fast. Jet knew it was a desperate option of a fool, but he was going to go with his gut on this one. He placed his hands on the Raven's Wing that was slung over his back. His hands on the hilt he came out with a desperate battle cry that he wholly believed in. "I have to protect Adven's dream! His house! And myself!" He draws it from it's sheathe as Dal stops his motion in order to see what Jet's foolish final move would be. "I have someone to protect!" Whether he noticed it or not, Jet's hold on the sword loosened as it became heavier. It's form leaving that of the battered, dull, and rusty katana and forming that of a broad and long zanbato with a long circular hilt. The sword being over his height in the end. In all of this he just kept on with his horizontal swing at Dal who, not like Jet, noticed the transformation of the weapon and was preparing to counter. "Raven's Wing!" Jet ferociously cried as he swung the blade completely.
While he never touched Dal with the blade, the sword seemed to produce a wave of wind, as if it were really a Raven's Wing of the same size. The clashing of winds caused it to look like a faltering tornado of gray and white wind. The attack moved Dal with high-speed winds, while the wind also became so sharp it was eating away at parts of his clothing, leaving behind slices. Finally the surge of wind that is the attack flings Dal into the wall behind him shattering it almost completely while imbedding the strong warrior. The attack only lasted for about ten seconds, but to Dal it was a lifetime, and when he fell to the snow afterwards due to gravity he hit hard. "Damn it!" He cursed as he then when to stand, but was far too weak, and in the end collapsed to the ground.
Jet merely stood there with his determined face as if he knew it would happen, but he hadn't. He was not in shock at all. It could have been possible that when he did swing it, he felt what would happen, and that was why he didn't go in for a direct hit with the blade. It seemed that only when he felt so strongly about winning and protecting Adven's dream did he obtain some form of Nirvana in him. When he shouted the name of the weapon, the attack was produced. He certainly had more questions, and now he had more.
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The Maxwell Gang, plus Adven, sat with what wounds they had, as they relaxed from the battles. Jet was staring at the rusty katana that is the Raven's Wing, having returned from it's zanbato form. Adven meanwhile, was looking over the deed to his home with a near-tear in his eyes. Not like he would ever, being that he was a man.
"I suppose…I should thank you, I guess, for helping me out guys." Adven shakily started.
Virginia nodded enthusiastically. "It was no problem! We are always happy to help our friends, or rivals, or whatever you are to us."
"If I hadn't helped I would never have learned the potential of my Raven's Wing." Jet merely said, and that was the closest to a 'You're welcome' Adven was going to get.
Emilia sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't have given up on it."
"Me too." Adven sighed. He picked his head up. "I feel indebted to you guys, so…in order to repay you I will join you and help out as best I can." Adven, said, being the man of chivery he sort of is at times. If you are helped, you must repay by helping. A common unofficial law among some people. "Besides…it's not like I'll be doing anything else, and definitely not around here." Ah…the ulterior motive as well. He needs a ride.
Virginia nodded. "That's great! You'll make a fine addition I'm sure!" She hesitated. "I suppose you will have to sleep on the bridge in a sleeping bag though and keep your stuff in a storage closet."
"That's fine with me." Adven replied.
"I suppose this means things will liven up around here." Clive commented.
It was not until morning when Virginia placed pancakes down for the group that this statement came to light. It was as they were going for seconds when Adven and Jet's fork stabbed the same three pancakes. The two immediately looked from their forks to the other's eyes.
"This one is mine." Adven persuaded through his teeth.
Jet scoffed. "I don't think so."
A moment passes before the two start fighting over it sending pancakes, plates, butter, and syrup all over the place as the remainder of the Maxwell Gang stepped back. "Maybe too lively." Clive said with regret.
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From now on all AN notes will be bold. Makes it easier to tell what's story and what's not, eh? Anyway, now that you have read this story arc, I will tell you the background info that I had no time to include as well as having no place to interject it, mainly because the situation never came up. Here's how it goes…
Nobuo: Our big bad guy for NDS, but he is not alone, he has Carole, and then he hires on aid; i.e. Blaze, Isamu, and John from our earlier chapters. We also know that Emilia was once hired by him long ago, but that has no relevance to now, and will never be brought up, but let's just say that her father is an enemy of Nobuo, which isn't ever going to be known to Carole, who has her own reasons for doing all she does. Anyway, back to the matter at hand, the Devil's Hand is a group of bandits, Drifters, etc. They are formed around Dal, of course, but do you know who recently hired Dal, knowing Dal does have an old connection with Adven? Right, Nobuo. Why would Nobuo hire Dal? In order for Dal to go and acquire the deed to the home of Adven Bok, which was still up for grabs following the death of Adven's unnamed father that I never came up with a name for and is too minor of a character to give a name for. Any suggestion for Adven's late father? I should note that Adven has never had a good relationship with his father, and his father is not someone we should like. So, give me a suggestion for Mr. Bok's name because I think I will eventually need one later on.
Anyway, Nobuo hires Dal and the Devil's Hand, and Dal accepts because Nobuo is stronger than him. Nobuo tends to hire those who are stronger or similar in strength to his opponents, and now that includes the Maxwell Gang as well as Gaea. Regardless, Nobuo's plan is simple: Get Adven to come to Blue Crane, Adven is too weak to win back his deed so Dal would offer him a deal, join the Devil's Crane in defeating Jet and the Maxwell Gang and he would get it back. Nobuo is ever-present in Filgaia, and tends to know the gist of what's going on, so of course he would be interested in the affairs of the Maxwell Gang, and was aware that Adven and Jet were rivals of sort. How do you keep back Jet and the gang so that you can get your business done? Throw Adven at them. Unfortunately, as we now see, Jet got to Adven first and won him over to his side, which while is not what Nobuo was planning, still will not terribly interfere with his plans.
There, and now you know. A lot of information to take in that is canon, but is never officially declared or known, and now you know it. Real interesting isn't it? If you like this explanation tell me, and then I'll also explain how the Raven's Wing works next chapter, with no spoilers, but will only tell of what we've seen here and in Malebolge, as well as hinting a bit at what's to come of the unwritten Book 15. It also will help clarify that the Raven's Wing is nothing like the Inu-Yasha weapon, the Tetsuaiga, which I'm sure you've been thinking. The truth is, I wrote up the Raven's Wing before seeing Inu-Yasha. It wasn't a real original idea after all. Anyway, so long until next time. ; p
Can you tell I've been drinking two cups of tea by the way while taking antihistamines? I think I noticed it once I got halfway through the second paragraph. Either way, the explanation was true, and I may even adopt it for the up-and-coming Nomadic Diga: SAND DX Edition that I hope will be my final take on this story. As soon as people review me and it becomes popular I'm sure I will stop rewriting it. Though, it has become clearer how the story will go. If you couldn't tell here, I started NDS not knowing where it was going. That's why there are many plot holes and contradictions. Maybe not so much here, but in the original.