Hey, y'all sorry I kept ya waiting! Welcome back to Chapter 7 of Devils and Dragons! Sorry I didn't get this finished sooner. It's just a lot of IRL stuff was thrown at me that I was completely unprepared for and then I had a serious case of a loss of motivation. I'll try not to let this happen again. Now let's address some of the reviews:
(KenosDC1): Yeah he had a rough life. Though we will see more of Arran's magic considering the final part of this arc that we're jumping into now
(Raiden Tensho): He'll get some equipment later on. It'll help him with some intriguing spells especially his claws
(Neon Winter): I'll try not to disappoint!
(wolf354 zxc): Thank you! And it might be, I haven't really decided yet. You'll probably know once this arc is done
(E. T. 2000): It will be explained but probably later on cause it's kind of a sore topic for Arran
Now then with that officially out of the way on to Chapter 7!
Page 7: Rookie Trio's First Mission!
With Noelle finally convinced to join the Black Bulls the day had started anew. But for one certain magic knight rest and relaxation were not on his mind
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Arran was shot out of his bed at the sound of very loud yelling. He put on his clothes to see what the commotion was until Asta, apparently wiping the floor as he was running, ran right past him like a blur
"What the f-Asta?!" Arran jumped back in surprise as he looked down the hall. Asta didn't hear him and the boy wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon
The screaming kept going as Asta cleaned the dusty library, washed dirty laundry with a couple of nosebleeds, feeding Yami's beasts and nearly getting eaten in the process, and lastly the most dangerous task of them all: Waking up Captain Yami
Arran could hear Yami yell that he'll kill Asta as he walked into the dining hall for breakfast. All of the Black Bull members were there already, minus Asta since he was airing laundry
"Oh morning Arran!" Luck waved towards him with that same cheerful smile of his
"Morning guys. Asta why the heck were you screaming so early in the morning" Arran tiredly snapped towards him
"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you up. I was just doing chores" Asta said
"But you were supposed to do them with him so Yami may be a bit pissed at you," Finral said.
Arran slowly paled at the thought of Yami crushing his head like he did to Asta back at the entrance exams. 'Oh, crap...' Arran mentally cursed
Though he got rid of the thought and sat down next to the blonde maniac. Then one of Charmy's sheep cooks brought him a plate full of meat, meat, and more meat. Not what he expected for breakfast but ok-
"Thanks" He mumbled as he took a piece and ate it but then he realized something. "Wait a minute if me and Asta were assigned to do chores, what about Noelle?" Noelle perked up from her food at being mentioned. "Shouldn't she have been doing chores with Asta?"
"Chores? I'm not some housemaid Arran I'm royalty" Noelle stared at him offended that he suggested something like that
"But your still a new recruit!" Asta pointed out
"Well I've never done any type of cleaning in my life so why should I start now?" Noelle brushed off his remark
"Are you really bragging about being lazy?" Asta said. "We're on the same team here Noelle! Ever heard of team effort?"
"I. Am. Royalty!" Noelle growled back
"Yeah and you won't let us forget it" Asta rolled his eyes
"Silence you insect" Noelle snapped
"Oh, we're back to that?" Asta mockingly said before he then gasped from remembering something. "Hey, Magna quick question? What exactly does a Magic Knight's squad do?" He asked
"Huh?" Magna gasped before he stood up from his seat and walked over to Asta. "Are you seriously telling me..." Magna then grabbed Asta by the robe and got in his face, "You joined a Magic Knights squad without knowing what we do?! We protect the country and keep the people safe you idiot! It's the manliest job in the world!"
Asta then rapidly started saying sorry but Magna wasn't having it. The rest of the Black Bulls, minus Arran and Noelle, were just watching this like it was an everyday thing.
"Well those two are certainly chipper, aren't they," Finral said while Gordon mumbled something unintelligible again
Grey puffed out smoke again while Charmy was just munching away without a care in the world
"Uhhh..." Noelle looked at her squadmates unsure of what to do while Arran was just looking towards Asta and Magna with a sweatdrop. 'Sometimes I truly question what I got myself into...'He mentally sighed
"Jeez..." Magna said once he finally let go of Asta. "Can somebody tell him what a magic knight squad does!"
Vanessa downed a glass of wine before speaking up, "Well uh we like safeguard the citizen's safety. That sort of thing" She said drunkenly before she downed another glass of wine. "And as a perfect bonus, you get to meet some wonderful gentleman while you're on guard duty"
"Oh ok," Asta sat down and said before Luck got in his face. "If you ask me it's all about beating up the bad guys!" Luck said enthusiastically before he threw mock punches again. "You get to beat all kinds of people up and no one will bat an eye towards it!"
"More than anything it's a marvelous job, one that makes my sister proud" Gauche spoke up once again holding a picture of his little sister, Marie. "See her? An absolute angel...I use my wages to buy her gifts" He said with a nosebleed. "Remember if you lay a finger on her, YOU DIE!" Gauche quickly threatened causing Asta, Noelle, and Arran to flinch with slight fear
"Uhh...ok?" Arran said unsurely before he turned to the spatial mage. "What about you Finral?"
"Saving women left and right, making all of them want you. What more could you ask for?" Finral responded
'Not the answer I was expecting...'Arran slightly cringed with Noelle while Asta just looked unsure of Finral's answer. The three of them then looked towards Gordon who was still mumbling very quietly so they couldn't hear what he was saying. This made all of them even more uncomfortable. Though a sudden wail from Charmy snapped them out of their stupor
"What's wrong Charmy?" Asta asked as the short girl was visibly trembling
"It's gone, it's gone, it's gone, it can't be" Charmy rapidly said before she whined even louder: "The food is all gone!"
Asta was surprised at this, Noelle just sighed from exasperation, while Arran just facepalmed
Charmy then brought her Grimoire out after another whine. "Cotton Creation Magic: Bring on the Sheep Cooks". At the activation of her spell three puffs of cotton floated up in the air before enlarging and taking the shape of fluffy sheep. Those sheep quickly got to work making a feast for Charmy. Needless to say, the three rookies were astonished by what Charmy just did
"Alright, that's more like it!" Charmy cheered. "the most important thing is that when being a Magic Knight you get to eat like crazy!" She said excitedly before she took a bite of some food
"Shuuuuu..." The three rookies heard this and turned around to see Grey standing behind them
"Grey?" Arran questioned. Grey didn't give any sort of vocal response. But he did hold up his Grimoire and cast a spell...that changed him into Asta?!
"What the-" Noelle slightly recoiled at there being two Astas now
"Uhhh how did he do that-" Arran said in disbelief but he got no answer
Grey, now posing as Asta, then put his hand on the real Asta's shoulder and said. "Well, it's just a good job y'know? I'm really looking forward to our first mission together"
"Uh...yeah," Asta said still surprised from how Grey just transformed into him. Then Grey transformed back into his normal form and walked away
The three rookies watched and once Grey was back in his seat Arran spoke up. "Ok so...did you guys get anything of what a Magic Knight is from all of that?"
"No...there are some serious weirdos in this squad..." Asta sighed
'What am I doing...they're insane. Those insect commoners seem to be the only normal people in this squad. Should I even be here?' Noelle mentally questioned
"How do you guys still not understand what a Magic Knight is?" Magna shouted as he was about to go throttle Asta again but then the door to the dining hall was suddenly kicked off its hinges, courtesy of Yami
At his arrival, all of the Black Bull members went silent and stopped fooling around
"Magna, we're going" Yami ordered
Magna nodded donning a serious expression on his face. "Yes Yami sir"
"What's going on now?" Arran asked
"There's a mission," Magna said
"Hold on I'll come too" Asta stood up but Magna quickly shot his request down
"No way. Can't bring a kid along. This is a grown-up mission. We'll be back. Bye" Magna said before leaving to join Yami
"Listen gang no breaking stuff while I'm gone," Yami said and smoked
"Kayyyyy~" Vanessa drunkenly waved. "Have fun~"
"Captain! Will you fight me when you get back?" Luck excitedly challenged as Gordon mumbled something quietly
"Come back soon you don't wanna miss dinner do ya?" Charmy said with a mouth full of food
"I don't know how much longer I can wait to see Marie" Gauche nosebleeds yet again
"I'd like to hit on-I mean get on a mission too," Finral said before he winked at Noelle making her look away in disgust
'Seriously what am I doing here?' Noelle thought
With that settled Yami and Magna left for their mission
'Captain Yami's leaving and he's taking Magna with him. And they looked so serious too' Asta thought
'They looked really serious...wonder what kind of mission they're taking on?' Arran thought
Hours after Yami and Magna left Asta and Arran found themselves in the beast's cage again. Arran narrowly avoided death from Yami since he had to go on a mission. Now that he's awake he has to help Asta with his chores
"There there beasties..." Arran slowly approached the cage with a meat slab in his hand. "Who's a good beastie?" He nervously said
"Hey be careful Arran..." Asta warned him from his place beside Noelle. "Or it might-"
One of the beasts then burst its head through the cage and chomped down on Arran.
"HEY WHAT THE HELL!" Arran yelled from within its jaws as Asta ran over to try and help him. "You could at least try and give us a hand here!" They both yelled towards Noelle who was standing against the wall with her arms crossed
"Do I look like I feed animals?" Noelle said nonchalantly, "You both are lucky that I even came down here. You should be thanking me"
"Not gonna happ-OW! LET GO OF ME ALREADY DAMN IT!" Arran yelled from within the beast's jaws as Asta kept trying to pry him out. It took a while but they eventually succeeded by the skin of their teeth. "Man, that was close..." Asta sighed in relief
"You're telling me..." Arran frowned as he was covered in slobber. "Damn it..."
"So vulgar..." Noelle insulted
"Yeah, this is what Arran's like when he's angry" Asta whispered to Noelle with comedically scared eyes. He and Yuno have seen Arran's anger first hand. It doesn't happen often cause he's normally stoic or quiet like Yuno. But when he does he becomes a vulgar verbal bomb that can explode at any second...it was either this or he expresses his anger with magic and we all know how that'll go-
"I can still hear you you know that?" Arran deadpanned at Asta
"Well you two are certainly strong for being able to pry those jaws off" Noelle admitted
"That's because we trained hard!" Asta said in Noelle's ear causing her to recoil a bit
"Yeah...but when Magna comes back I'm gonna kill him..." Arran grumbled
"KILL WHO EXACTLY?!" A loud boisterous voice shouted from deeper in the hallway as two people walked towards them from the shadows. These people were revealed to be Yami and Magna...completely naked now
"What the hell?!" Arran screamed as he turned away and covered his eyes. Noelle had a huge blush on her face and Asta was just plain shocked
The two men still had their Black Bull robes and Grimoires but other than that they were exposed pretty much everywhere else. And it didn't really help for Arran when Magna approached him and got in his face
"Come on say it to my face! Who are you gonna kill?" Magna exclaimed with a crazy glare
"I'll tell you when you get out of my face! Why are you guys naked anyway I thought you went on a mission?!" Arran screamed
"Yeah we did but now you need to listen up! It's time for YOUR first mission!" Magna announced getting the rookies attention
Later, all 5 of them were now meeting in the common room, Magna and Yami also have clothes on now thankfully.
"Like I said, it's time for your first mission. We're putting you guys out in the field" Magna smirked confidently
"Our first mission…" Asta mumbled
"Here we go…" Noelle said
"So what's the mission, sir?" Arran asked
"I assume it's something befitting royalty such as myself," Noelle said arrogantly
"Yeah, it's a real honor. You're going to Saussy Village for some Boar Hunting" Magna revealed
"Boar hunting?" Noelle repeated, almost offended
"Boar hunting? That's it?" Arran questioned. "From the way you put it, I thought it'd be a bigger mission like we're taking down some bandits or something"
"Well…boar hunting sounds like a terrible mission" Noelle admitted
"No, it's not you take that back!" Magna said
"Well, I can bring down a boar with my bare hands easily!" Asta raised a fist confidently
"No, you can't don't even try!" Magna said
"Now you're making it sound like these boars are monsters or something" Arran deadpanned
"That's cause they are! Those things are pure evil, have beady eyes, huge tusks, and they charge for no reason" Magna complained
Yami took a bit of a smoke before speaking. "We lost to the chief of Saussy village and we gotta pay the price"
The rookie trio's eyes widened in surprise. "You two lost a fight to the chief?" Arran said quite loudly in disbelief
"Yeah the two of you losing in a fight just doesn't seem possible!" Asta added
"Just how powerful was this man?" Noelle asked with a hint of disbelief in her voice
"We lost at poker" Yami simply answered
"At poker?" The rookie trio replied with surprise
"He literally stripped of us everything" Yami laughed
"He even won a half a year's wages" Magna boasted, even though that is most definitely not something to boast about
'Really?', 'They can't be serious', 'Why would you gloat about that?' Those were the thoughts that ran through the rookie trio's heads in this conversation.
"That's not all. We also promised to do one thing he requested of us" Yami added. "That turned out to be getting rid of some boar"
"There's a herd of them outside of the village rampaging through fields and causing lots of trouble" Magna informed.
Asta then raised his hand. "Hey, I have a question. Can you explain what this has to do with us?" Asta asked
"Yes, exactly. You were the ones who lost so you should be taking up this mission not us" Noelle said
"Well it's not really surprising," Arran admitted, causing them all to look towards them. He was kinda nervous from how he suddenly attracted everyone's attention but he kept talking anyway. "I mean don't get me wrong I'm not exactly happy that you're dumping your debt to Saussy onto us but…if I'm being honest this is probably the best mission we're gonna get so far" He explained turning towards Asta and Noelle. "The three of us are still rookies. We're not ready to deal with high-level missions like taking down bandits or criminals. So boar hunting is the best we can get so far"
"You're a quick learner kid. At least you understand" Yami complimented before shooting a quick glare at Asta and Noelle for their complaints, making them stiffen up in fear
"And besides do you seriously expect captain Yami to clean up his own messes?" Magna boisterously questioned. "Yami doesn't deal with these things. That's what he's got us for"
'Fair point' The three rookies all mentally agreed
"Now then I can tell that Arran doesn't mind going on this mission. But as for you two" Yami then stood up and brought back his sharp glare, full of killer intent, aiming it right at Asta and Noelle while he exhaled smoke. "Either you go with him or you die. Your choice!"
"We'll go!" Asta and Noelle quickly answered in fear. Arran just sweatdropped at their quick turnaround 'I mean if I had to go alone I was gonna be fine with that…'
Once Asta and Noelle agreed, Yami walked out of the base leaving just Magna and the three rookies. Speaking of rookies, Asta then looked at his fists with a determined excited smile. "Ok, so what if it's boar hunting? It's still our first mission! I'm getting pumped now!" Asta excitedly said before he yelled "YEAH" to pump himself up
"I mean…how bad could boar hunting be? I'm kinda curious now" Arran rubbed the back of his head
Noelle however did not share their excitement and looked off to the side. "I still don't see why he'd be sending me for this?"
"Oh come on do you ever do anything but complain?!" Magna exclaimed in annoyance
"Actually that wasn't meant to be a complaint…" Noelle said before she turned away with an embarrassed blush. "It's just…"
"You're wondering whether you should go on this mission because you're afraid you may hurt one of us since you can't control your magic?" Arran guessed making Noelle turn towards him in surprise
"How did you?" Noelle questioned
"I have the same thoughts. But that's why you should go on this mission. Heck, I could end up losing control as well due to this mission. But I'm still going because if I don't try to improve I'll never improve at all. So going on missions is a slow but simple start at controlling your magic. Because it's never too late to try and improve." Arran sagely advised
"Arran, when did you turn into a teacher?" Asta said surprised at how wise he was at this moment
"I didn't, it's just something mom told me back when I asked if I could ever be able to control my magic. I just remembered what she said and reworded it" Arran rubbed his head a bit embarrassed.
"Now that's some manly advice" Magna approved before turning towards Noelle. "And besides it's not like we're going to send wet behind the ear newbies alone. I'll be around to keep an eye on you three"
"Wait seriously?" Arran was surprised at this
"Wow! You're a manly man Magna!" Asta praised
"Ah enough of that Rasta, I'm blushin'" Magna smirked at the flattery
Noelle was silent. Though Magna did promise to accompany them, she was truly speechless at the advice Arran gave her. 'He really does understand.' She grew a quick smile on her face while no one was looking before he brought back her cold facade and turned towards them. "Alright fine then. If you insist I suppose I will be willing to accompany you three" She crossed her arms indignantly
Arran smiled and nodded at her choice. "Glad to have you onboard Noelle"
"Hey wait a minute why are you always looking down on us?" Magna exclaimed
"It isn't that I choose to look down on you. You just always happen to be below me so what else can I do?" Noelle replied arrogantly
"What kind of logic is that?!" Magna yelled
A few minutes later Asta, Arran, Noelle, and Magna were standing in the common room still. But now Finral was standing in front of them. "Do your thing. Use your spatial thingy and take us to Saussy village" Magna explained
"Saussy village?' Finral said. "Hmmm no can do"
"Come on it's not like I'm asking a lot" Magna approached Finral but the spatial mage put a hand up in front of his face to stop him
"Now now. I can go to distant places but only if I've marked them with my magic power beforehand" Finral explained.
"Eh?" Magna still wasn't getting it
"Basically what that means is: You want to go to a place I've never been to? Sorry, can't do that" Finral said before turning to Noelle and giving her another flirty wink. With that business taken care of, Finral walked off
"Ughh well that was a waste of time" Magna grumbled. "Fine we'll have to go on broom then"
Asta immediately raised his hand at the mention of a broom. "Uhh, Magna sir?"
"Yeah what is it?" Magna said
"I…can't fly on a broom" Asta informed. Noelle then raised her hand as well. "Um…"
"Yeah what is it?" Magna said again
"What he said" Noelle answered. These responses were making Magna a little ticked off. Finally, Arran raised his hand. "Uhhh…"
"Let me guess…you can't fly on a broom either?" Magna asked in an annoyed tone
"Yup," Arran said leaving Magna a growling ticked-off mess. "ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!"
Magna then grabbed Asta by the cloak and started shaking him. "HOW CAN YOU BE SO INCOMPETENT THAT YOU CAN'T MANAGE SOMETHING THAT DAMN SIMPLE!" He scolded while Arran looked at those two with a slightly scared, but still mostly stoic, expression while Noelle just watched as if Asta getting scolded by Magna was an everyday occurrence
"But I don't have any magic power remember?" Asta said with a laugh once Magna stopped shaking him.
"Why do you look so proud about that?' Magna questioned in disbelief
"Since I can't control my magic power flying a broom is simply out of the question for me," Noelle said
"What she said" Arran quickly spoke up
"And why are you two being so arrogant and cool?" Magna growled a bit before he finally let Asta go. "FIIIINE" Magna loudly groaned as he walked away from them. "Guess we'll have to ride together". Magna then turned his head back towards the three of them sporting a proud smirk. "Ready to meet my baby?"
"Your baby?" Asta, Arran, and Noelle simultaneously questioned
"Here it is!" Magna revealed his custom broom once they were all outside
The body of the broom had been replaced with a bull skeleton, with a sunglasses wearing skull as its headpiece. It still kept the bristles of a broom at the end but now it also had a pole in the back which was fluttering a flag with the black bulls insignia on it
"Introducing CRAZY CYCLONE!" Magna dubbed his unique punk like broom which got various reactions from the rookie trio
"Woah…so cool!" Asta admired with stars in his eyes
"...what?" Was all Arran said with a blank face while Noelle didn't say anything at all
"I know right?" Awesome isn't it!" Magna laughed crazily proudly
"Yeah way awesome!" Asta agreed
"I don't have an opinion on it…" Arran said simply
"Well I do. Try lame" Noelle said
"Excuse me? Are you two so blind that you can't recognize true beauty when you see it!" Magna replied to them
"Well I never said it was lame or anything I just don't have an opinion on it" Arran shrugged
"It's lame" Noelle repeated bluntly.
Asta and Magna were stunned to silence at their answers. "Just get on the fricking broom…"
Though that quickly proved to be a mistake cause Magna soon realized that his broom was not meant for 4. It was very cramped.
"This was not a good idea…" Arran groaned
Noelle didn't say anything in response. No she was too busy blushing like a madwoman due to being sandwiched between Arran and Asta. 'Keep calm just stay calm stay calm stay calm' She repeated in her mind in order to calm herself down
"Yeah let's go! Take us up, Magna!" Asta yelled with stars in his eyes as he probably had the freest space out of everyone due to being in the back.
"Magna why haven't we moved yet?" Arran questioned, he was slowly getting irritated
"You can't do it can you?" Noelle accused with a smaller blush. Though before they could ask more questions they were interrupted by Magna letting out a loud yell. "A man never goes back on his word!"
Magna then released his magic into the handles of Crazy Cyclone before the tail-end was lit on fire. "Let's do this thing…FLY!" At that command, Crazy Cyclone shot forward with intense speed, probably faster than Magna intended to go
"Wooooo!" Asta ended up yelling in excitement while Noelle was yelling in distress and Arran was just staying silent.
Disaster was quickly avoided soon after since Magna nearly crashed the Cyclone into a tree but they were able to fly upwards in time. Now they were high in the sky as Noelle took a breath of relief. 'That was scary…' She couldn't help but admit mentally
"See Crazy Cyclone does just fine even with Four riders!" Magna reassured them which didn't work on Noelle since Magna's flying was…shaky to say the least
It was so bad then Noelle had to cling to Arran's shoulders. "You ok?"
"Yeah I'm fine" Noelle replied bluntly like it was no big deal until the two of them shook. "Careful! Are you sure you've actually flown this thing before?" She called towards Magna
"What are you talking about it's perfectly fine!" Magna yelled
"Can this thing go any faster?" Arran asked curiously
"Can it really?!" Asta said in excitement while Noelle replied with "Have you two lost your minds?!"
"Oh you bet it can. Watch this" Magna's Cyclone then just got another burst of speed that caused Noelle to yell out in distress again
"Yeah Magna, this is amazing! I've never felt like this before! It's like we're one with the wind!" Asta went on and on in exhilaration
"Rasta, are you trying to die! Hold on!" Magna warned the boy snapping him out of his stupor
"Oh right! Sorry" Asta then reached over and held on to Noelle's hips but that only earned an unwanted reaction from her
"Hey! Watch where you put your hands, insect!" Noelle flusteredly screamed before she elbowed Asta, knocking him off of the broom
"Hey watch it!" Arran yelled nearly falling off due to Noelle's sudden movement
"Just what the hell are you guys doing back there?!" Magna yelled as Asta plummeted down to the earthland below. The Crazy Cyclone caught him by the robe before he could crash into the lake but the poor boy looked scared for his life
This was going to be one long broom ride…
Not far from Saussy Village a spatial portal, similar to Finral's, opened up in a nearby forest. 4 men and 1 girl, 3 of the men wore hoods over their heads, walked out of the portal before the only un-hooded man took a look at his pocket watch. Upon closer inspection he has grey hair slanted backward and a long scar slanted down across his face all the way to his left cheek. The only woman there was hooded as well but her attire was similar to the boys. The only difference was her uniform jacket was purple and 4 circles were glowing through her hood, almost like eyes.
"Right on schedule," The Grey-haired man said to himself before he noticed a deceased group of boar being devoured while wrapped up in white ropes
He turned to the culprit, the only woman in the group. "Thank you for that" He replied genuinely to which girl smiled through her hood with a happy laugh, though if she meant to sound pleasant she failed miserably cause it only sounded creepy. Soon the Grey-haired man and his group walked through the squeals of dying boar before they reached a cliff overlooking Saussy Village
"So it's here…the magic stone" The woman giggled in excitement. "In such a rotten rundown village as well.."
"Find it" The Grey-haired man ordered. "Yes Sir!" The cloaked men then disappeared into water
When the cloaked men were gone Heath turned to see the now dead group of boar, wrapped in the white strings
"Did you have fun?" Heath addressed the cloaked girl.
"No master Heath. They were simple Boar, not enough to satisfy me" The girl then turned towards the village looking down at it with eyes full of bloodlust. "Me and my family…we need to taste human flesh…!"
Heath then patted her head. "And you will," He said to her before turning back towards the village. "In the mist…they shall be lost"
Back with the Black Bulls, once they had landed the Boar Hunting mission was officially underway. Though for one Magic Knight it wasn't going well. For probably the fifth time today, Asta was once again launched into the air by a group of boar just flying over Anti Bird before landing back in the forest
Though once he landed he was quick to run away as a giant boar gave chase. "Well I found the boar it's huge! That's not a regular boar though! It's using magic and everything!". Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough as the giant boar launched Asta up in the air once again.
Arran was standing over the corpse of a boar he accidentally killed while Magna was resting against a tree and Noelle hasn't even tried to hunt for boar yet. "Hey Magna, were these boars always able to use magic?" He asked curiously
"Yup. Some of the boars have naturally adapted to magic" Magna explained
"Huh…the more you know," Arran said to himself
"Magna, Arran…don't you think we should help him?" Noelle said with a bit of uncertainty
"Yeah, we probably should…" Arran hopped off the boar he was standing on. "You coming Magna?"
"Nope. I'm not doing anything until I've rested up a little. You know how much work it was to fly you three out here. Took a lot of magic and muscle" Magna answered
"I just asked a yes or no question…" Arran muttered irritated as all three of them heard Asta being launched into the air for the seventh time now
"Ah, it'll be alright. Lil' Rasta's a sturdy guy" Magna said
"Yes but…" Noelle said
"If you two are so worried then go help him I ain't gonna stop ya" Magna admitted
"Well, I'm going" Arran admitted before he turned to Noelle. "What about you?"
Noelle still seemed unsure about the whole thing but she nodded in agreement anyway
The two then approached the giant boar that had been continuously chasing Asta around the forest.
"You take your shot. I need to build up magic first" Arran whispered to her as he stepped back to charge and focus his magic.
Noelle nodded and held out her hand. Her Grimoire opened up and soon a sphere of water formed in front of her hand. "Here we go…" Noelle then launched the ball right at the boar…which then changed course and hit Asta
"Why me?" Asta whined. And the attack only served to make the boar angrier
"Ok let me try…" Arran said, now fully charged. His Grimoire opened radiating destructive power as his mouth glowed brightly with Flame magic. "Dragonic Flame Magic: Infernal Roar!" Arran then blasted a huge stream of fire straight from his mouth at the boar. Though, unlike the roar he used against Luck, this one was bigger, chaotic, and…off target.
"Holy crap!" Asta jumped out of the way to avoid the roar as the attack incinerated the boar's hind but other than that it completely missed
"Uhhh…" Arran didn't know what to say. He was speechless for a minute as were Noelle, Asta, and the Giant Boar. "...oops?" Arran admitted. The Giant Boar then turned its attention to him with a snarl.
"That's enough!" Asta then jumped into the air pulling his Greatsword out of his Grimoire. With a mighty yell Asta slashed the boar across its snout. "Gotcha now!" Asta then swung his Greatsword upwards knocking the boar off its feet and knocking it unconscious
"Finally…finished him off" Asta panted tiredly, shaking slightly from exhaustion
"You got him!" Magna approached with surprise in his voice. "Not bad runt but the fun's not over yet" He pointed in a sing song voice before Asta looked to his right and his eyes widened in comical fear
Three more boars roughly the same size as the one he had just slain were standing next to him.
"Bring it on!" Asta challenged despite being scared
An hour later Asta was now walking with the group, showing another great feat of strength as he carried three large boar, compared to Magna and Arran only carrying one.
"Now that's what I call good hunting," Magna said
"Another display of your freakish strength," Noelle said nonchalantly
"Please a few of these things is nothing child's play" Asta rushed
"They don't look like child's play" Arran admitted. "These things are pretty heavy"
"So how are you able to carry them?" Noelle asked
Arran shrugged at the question. "Eh I had a lot of practice carrying entire tree trunks" He admitted
"You two are something else. Well if this doesn't please Seihi I dunno what will. Oh yeah, a big piggy party tonight!" Magna exclaimed
"So wait…this chief of Saussy Village, Seihi. Do you know him?" Noelle asked
"Yeah! Me and the chief go way back!" Magna smiled. "Rayaka Village is practically neighbors with Saussy Village. I used to get into all kinds of trouble when I was a kid"
'Suuuure' Arran thought, not believing it at all
'Yeah used to…' Asta thought
'And that's changed how?' Noelle thought as well
"When I got my Grimoire all the power got to my head. I ran into Saussy Village all cocky thinking I could take it down. Boy did Seihi prove me wrong" Magna laughed
"Seihi beat you?" Arran asked
"Yup. Ever since then I would challenge him over and over hoping to defeat him one day. Every time he defeated me I always learned something new about being a true man" Magna smirked
'So that's where he got his manly shtick from. Seihi practically beat it into him' Arran thought with a sweatdrop
"He sounds strong," Noelle said
"Yeah he sounds like a great guy" Asta strained
"Yeah, he totally is. I found out that when Seihi was younger he had enough power to try out for the Magic Knights. As a matter of fact, he was the one who suggested I take the entrance exam in the first place" Magna smiled. "No question it's all thanks to him that I am who I am today. Obviously, I passed the exam and when I did no one was happier than Seihi
"Wow he really is a great guy" Arran smiled
"I know part of the reason he probably came to the capital was to earn some riches to help the village out…but I think another reason was that he wanted to see me again," Magna said. "Of course, he still robbed me of everything I had. But I'll never forget that he was the one who taught me to be a real man. I respect him more than anyone except for Yam-" Magna suddenly stopped
"Huh?" Noelle looked at him in confusion
"Something wrong Magna?" Asta asked
"The hell's going on?" Magna dropped his boar and ran off
"Hey, Magna wait!" Arran quickly dropped his boar and ran after him with Noelle. Asta quickly dropped the three boars he was carrying and ran after them. When they caught up to Magna they ended up on a cliff overlooking Saussy Village. Well what you could see any way out of the misty dome covering it
"The whole village…" Magna said in surprise
"It's covered in mist" Noelle finished
"They've got some pretty weird weather around here huh?" Asta said
"It's isn't weather you idiot" Noelle insulted
"So it's magic…but why would there be magic mist covering the village?" Arran said until they all heard weird icky crawling hissing sounds coming from the village
"W-what are those sounds?" Noelle stuttered in disgust and slight fear. Their thoughts were interrupted again by another sound. But this one wasn't crawling, hissing, or disgust either.
No…it was one of fear. A loud scream had come from the village
When that scream was heard Magna's eyes widened and he immediately turned towards the three rookies. "Rasta, No-No, Ranran! We need to get to the village now!"
Back inside the village, the girl with the purple hood perked up at the feeling of four incoming magic sources. "Oooh…Magic Knights so far out of their element…" The girl looked down at her hand and held up a severed ear. Unsettlingly, then an abnormally sized Tarantula crawled up from her back and devoured the ear chirping happily.
"Try as you like…you will not stop us…my family will make you into food…" The girl then walked back towards her allies. "And Master Heath will finish this on schedule…"
And Cliffhanger! We're getting to the end of our first arc as the situation has already become dire! And yes if you're wondering, the purple hood girl is an OC I had in mind for a while. Her name will be revealed in the next chapter, though with the clues I've given I'd like to see you guys try and guess what type of magic she has. And I promise the next chapter won't take as long as this one did to release.
Now then with all that said and done leave a Follow, Favorite, or Review if you enjoyed the Chapter. And be sure to stay tuned because when we come back the Mission has escalated as Magna and the Rookie Trio are faced with enemies worse than Revchi and Magic Boars. Will Arran, Asta, and Noelle overcome the odds and protect Saussy Village, or will they be eaten alive?
Until then Blueheartz out