Chapter Three
Hero or Fool
"I don't like it. I can't believe you sent him out with her." Erza said to Ultear. Kagura stood off to the side, watching the windows to the small hotel room. Mira guarded the door. And Lucy sat on the couch with her head hung. She gripped her skirt as Ultear argued with Erza.
"I made the right choice! Who knows what would have happened if he didn't go with her!?" Ultear exclaimed. Erza grunted and pointed at the closed bedroom door.
"She wouldn't have been in danger if you would've just cast him out in the first place!" Erza retorted. Mira nodded in agreement.
"I say we leave him here. Let those crazy bastards find him." Mira chimed in. Ultear gave her a sidelong glare before returning her eyes to the fuming knight.
"I couldn't rightly leave him for dead! Would you have let him die that night? Would you have left him for dead on that road? It's not right. Doing nothing is just as bad as striking the killing blow yourself." Ultear argued. The room grew silent. Lucy shuddered in place and tears quietly fell from her eyes.
"I think…" Kagura started in a quiet tone. Eyes focused on her. She gulped and gripped the dagger on her hip. "I think Master is right. He's a danger… but he's a good person. We all know that. He never wanted to involve us or hurt us, we involved ourselves when we took on that bounty."
"True enough… Kagura does have a point. He… he did save Lucy from certain death, despite the risk to himself." Erza said calmly. Mira scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Seriously? What do you expect him to do? Save everyone with his big old sword? Quit defending him just because you want his sword." Mira snapped with a sarcastic tone. Erza and Kagura glared at Mira. Swords were about to be drawn when a knock came at the door. Mira sighed and checked the peephole. She nodded and opened the door to let a very curious and annoyed Minerva inside, followed by an equally curious Meredy.
"What's all the fuss about? Someone else all upset the fool got stabbed?" Minerva wondered as she entered. Mira closed and locked the door behind her as the pair made their way into the room.
"The sword sisters are defending him 'cause he's a big swordsman with a thick blade on him." Mira mocked and stuck her tongue out at Erza and Kagura. Minerva laughed and sat down on a plush recliner.
"Of course they are. But enough with the mocking and banter. What's important is what we do with the bastard, and what we know about him." Minerva said suggestively. The Mermaids all ceased their angry bouts and paid heed to their guildmate's words.
"What's that supposed to mean, Minerva?" Ultear asked, sitting across from her. The buxom sorceress smiled wickedly.
"Why, it means that there's more to this guy than he says. We've all noticed his magic power is far stronger than a normal Spatial Magic user's. But I think I know why." Minerva said and gestured to Meredy. The small girl held up a jar of charred soil. The women all stared in confusion at the object in question. Meredy sighed and opened the jar.
"We found this at the scene where Lucy and Ulysses attacked the assassins. As we know, Ulysses saved Lucy by taking the blade into himself and killing the assassin. But he was on the other side of the road when he intercepted the assassin's attack. His boot prints were next to the shack, and where he fell over. Nowhere between those two points did we see boot marks." Meredy explained as she laid the dirt out on the coffee table.
"But, this soil was around where Ulysses had been standing, just before intercepting the assassin. He… well, for lack of a better term, jumped. But he moved fast enough to both intercept the assassin, and stop him from hurting Lucy. How he moved that fast, is the question." Minerva elaborated. Meredy nodded and separated the topsoil from the undergrowth of the grassy dirt. Ultear leaned over the sample and suddenly reared back.
"My, it's hot…" Ultear commented and fanned her neck with her hand. Meredy nodded and poked the soil with a dry leaf. The leaf caught fire and she immediately put it out.
"Very hot. And radiating with an intense energy, as well as magic energy. Nothing like I've ever encountered before." Meredy said. The dirt seemed to slowly heat the whole room, and the table it was laying on started to turn black on top. Suddenly the door to the bedroom burst open to reveal a weary, tired, and wounded Ulysses with bandages tied around his bare torso.
"Get… that back in the jar." Ulysses said sternly to Meredy as he stared her in the eye. She complied and pushed the dirt back into the jar. He then waved her over. Meredy glanced at Ultear before walking over to the wounded swordsman. He swiped the jar from her hand and closed it. It suddenly heated up in his hand and the glass welded itself shut. He gently pushed past Meredy and walked over to one of the windows. Kagura opened it upon his indication and he threw the jar as far as he could out the window. He then meandered back towards the bedroom, retrieved his jacket, and slung it across the coffee table. It broke the table's legs and laid it on the floor with a loud bang. Minerva smiled coyly at him and gestured to his grey coat.
"So, what was all that for?" Minerva asked. Ulysses slowly walked back into the room and sat down on the couch next to Lucy. She stared at him in slight awe. Ulysses undid the bandages around his waist and looked at the spot where he was wounded. A scar was present but he had healed over completely. He took a deep breath.
"Fuck."
Ulysses knew he was metaphorically in deep shit. He had tripped, fallen, and was shat on by his own secrets. The cat was certainly out of the bag in a certain manner of speaking. He leaned back on the couch and relaxed for a few moments. All eyes in the room were on him. Ears were tuned to the sound of his breathing. He sighed.
"Well, are you gonna talk, dickhead?" Mira wondered angrily. Ulysses tiredly glanced at her and sighed.
"Maybe if you ask me nicely, sweetheart." Ulysses responded sarcastically. Mira grew annoyed and approached him with a fist raised. But Erza intervened, physically barring Mira from getting near him and he sighed.
"Ugh… I have the worst fuckin' headache…" Ulysses groaned and closed his eyes. In truth, he was in less pain than before he had closed his eyes. He simply did not want to withstand the prying and curious stares of the women around him.
"Aren't you going to explain what that little fiasco was about?" Minerva's condescending voice asked from across the room. Ulysses sighed and leaned as heavily into the couch as he could. There was no escaping the conundrum laid out before him. He sensed Lucy next to him and discerned how upset she was.
"Lucy…" Ulysses started. The room grew quiet once more. Lucy made a noise of surprise. "Sorry you got caught up like that. At least I kept them from hurting you."
Silence. Ulysses swore he heart heartbeats and pulses throughout the room. A small part of him wondered why so many of the Mermaids had gathered here, but he held off on that notion as Lucy's delicate hand touched his shoulder. He peeked out his right eye and saw her smiling at him.
"I'm just happy you're okay. I just wish-" Lucy started.
"No. Don't wish," Ulysses interrupted her. She was taken aback. "What more could you have done? Hell, I'm surprised you dragged my useless ass out of there and saved my life." He finished and patted Lucy on her head. He held his scarred wound. It still throbbed with the phantom pain of cold steel deep inside him. Lucy poked him in the side and he winced.
"Ah, the hell!?"
"Idiot. I said I would help you. You saved my life, and I saved yours. I think we're even." Lucy said haughtily and crossed her arms. Ulysses chuckled.
"Ha… Yeah. You did. Thank you… for your help. All of you. Even if you didn't do much traditional helping. My trail probably would've never gone cold if I hadn't landed in your stead." Ulysses said with a half-cocked grin. Some of the girls returned his sentiment with small smiles, while Minerva and Mira still glared heatedly at him as though he was about to be stabbed again.
"Enough of your charming, Mr. Secrets. Stop stalling and explain what you are. And what do you mean when you say your trail's gone cold?" Minerva said heatedly. Ulysses sighed and leveled his dead eyes at her. She flinched in disgust at him.
"Pft… buzzkill," Ulysses muttered. He cleared his throat and sat up a bit. "Well, it's as I said. My trail's gone cold. If I remember right, those assassins, their Order never sends more than four of those colored mask wearers. Two to hunt the target down, two for backup."
"Yes, Lucy mentioned you told her about the Order. Does that mean we don't need to worry about them for a while?" Ultear wondered. Ulysses nodded and patted his scar, which inevitably made him cringe in pain.
"Ow… Essentially, yes. I'm sure wind of their failure will eventually get back to the Order's leader, Mistress of Ishtar. Then more will eventually come. They know I'm in Fiore, where and with whom is their dilemma. So… for now… we can rest easy. Only thing is, my path north still won't be clear till the Hittites are driven out and I can slip past Assyrian diplomatic checkpoints." Ulysses explained. The girls all seemed to share his relief. Erza visibly relaxed, something he never expected to see from the stiff swordswoman.
"I did some asking around after you two left. The invading army from the Hittite Empire has the entirety of the northern border blocked, and they blockaded certain ports. And like you eluded to, the Assyrian Empire sent ambassadors and soldiers to Fiore in search of an 'enemy of the state'." Ultear stated. Ulysses sighed and rubbed the annoyed expression from his face.
"As I thought…"
"DAMMIT! Would you explain this mystery of your magic already?" Minerva yelled, startling everyone in the room. Ulysses narrowed his eyes at her and stood up.
"Wouldn't you like to fuckin' know, huh? You were just as eager to find out what my key opens, and now you want to know what kind of power I wield? Just what the hell are you playing at, Minerva?" Ulysses asked angrily. Minerva stood up and glared harshly at him.
"I've no notion of what you're trying to imply. I merely wish to ensure that we know how and why you're dangerous." Minerva said with venom dripping in her voice. Ulysses scowled.
"Bullshit has a foul odor. And you fuckin' reek. Listen, you know all you need to know, so stop asking questions you don't want the answer to." Ulysses retorted, his voice a guttural growl. Minerva scoffed at him and sat back down.
"Fine then. Don't tell us why that dirt was so dangerous you had to throw it out of the room. Seems like an exaggeration to me." Minerva deadpanned. Ulysses growled and stalked away. He picked up his coat and threw it on before violently opening the door to the room.
"You're all safe, that's all that matters. Don't concern yourselves with it. As long as you do as I say when the need arises, there's nothing to worry about." Ulysses said firmly. He then walked out of the hotel room and left the women to their own conclusions.
I swore. I swore I'd never expose anyone to that power ever again. It's a fucking curse. I have to do everything I can not to let my problems cause harm to befall those girls. They've helped me, albeit a bit inadvertently. I have to rid them of my plague before it gets worse. Ulysses exited out onto the street and stopped abruptly in the center of the sparsely populated town. He looked around and spotted the home of Dr. Fimblefinder, but aside from that he was, ultimately, lost. He turned around to see Ultear, Kagura, and Erza follow him out. They stopped when they spotted him standing in the street looking as though he were caught in a trap.
"Ulysses?"
"Uh… which way is Helios?"
Night. It was calm but noisy. Even through the thick walls of the Undercroft Ulysses could pick out individual crickets chirping in the night, and the scurrying of small creatures around the building. It had been less than a day since he had come back to the guildhall and began fixing up weapons again. And yet again his body resisted the need for rest. More he lacked the need for rest. It was both his gift and curse. Sometimes he wished for the blissful lull of sleep. Such as when a noisy Mermaid practiced her lines at the top of the Undercroft stairs. Ulysses checked the clock on the forge wall and it read four in the morning. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and draped the towel over his shoulder. Again he was shirtless due to the heat of the forge. His new scar was completely healed. Several other scars dotted and lined his torso, but many were from before he became cursed and bless with enhanced healing.
"H-Hi, Ulysses." Lucy's voice called from across the Undercroft. He turned to regard her small form hiding behind the frame of the staircase doorway. Ulysses chuckled and set down the axe he had been working on.
"Lucy, what brings you down here so early?" Ulysses wondered. He knew, of course, since she had been mumbling what she wanted to ask him for the past hour at the top of the stairs.
"Well uh, you weren't in your room so I figured you were down here. I-uh… had a question for you." Lucy said nervously as she walked out into the open. Ulysses crossed the gap and met her in the middle. He thanked the dank cellar for its cool air as the sweat on his back chilled.
"Let's hear it." Ulysses goaded. He noticed she was still carrying the dagger he gave her. It brought a smile to his face as Lucy bumbled with her words for a moment.
"Can, um… Will you teach me… sword fighting?" Lucy asked, nervously poking her fingers together. Ulysses grinned and summoned a sword into his hand. He handed it to her and Lucy looked between him and the sword in confusion.
"Sure. I'm gonna take a stab and say Erza and Kagura are too serious to be good teachers. Am I right?" Ulysses said. Lucy giggled at his pun and nodded.
"Exactly… so, um… what am I doing with this?" Lucy wondered. Ulysses poked the end of the sword and it slowly fell back and bonked Lucy on the head. It was duller than a wooden ball.
"Heavy, isn't it?" Ulysses questioned. Lucy pouted and nodded. "Exactly. So, before you learn anything at all, I want you to swing that thing at a dummy target until it feels light as a feather in your hand. Got it?"
"Uh… seriously?" Lucy wondered. She hefted the sword off her head and carefully rested it against the floor. Ulysses nodded with a cheeky but serious grin
"Yes. Swing until you're tired. Then rest, and then swing again. Don't worry about the sword. I've got a hundred of them. Dull practice swords, but they're heavy on purpose. Now then, I don't see you doing any swinging. Get to it!" Ulysses exclaimed and pushed Lucy off towards the training area of the Undercroft. She saluted and dragged the sword across the room.
"Yes sir! HYA!" Lucy yelled as she picked the sword up and whacked a training dummy across the head. Ulysses chuckled as the energy from her strike rebounded and she shuddered. But Lucy persisted and began thrashing the dummy like it would spill out money. Ulysses went back to the forge and picked up the axe he was working on. With a satisfied smile, he set to sharpening.
A few hours passed before Ulysses was bothered by more intruders in his forging dungeon. Erza and Kagura cautiously approached the forge and threw sidelong glances in Lucy's direction. The busty blond was still hammering on a dummy. Erza cleared her throat to gain Ulysses' attention as though he did not notice her. He raised a finger at her as he finished polishing a sword. After a few more passes of the cloth, he picked it up and slid it into a sheath. It was more than beautiful. A perfectly crafted broad sword with a flared pommel, upswept guard, and red leather handle. It was sheathed in a red leather scabbard. Wings were carved and formed into the metal of the guard and pommel. Ulysses turned around and walked up to Erza with the sword and handed it to her.
"Ulysses- Huh? Wow, this is a gorgeous sword…" Erza said, suddenly distracted by the weapon. Kagura glanced over her shoulder to eyeball the sword.
"Thanks. Took some effort to copy the style of your other swords, but I think I pulled it off. Give it a try when you get the chance." Ulysses said and continued off onto another project. Erza stopped examining the sword to stare in awe at him. She glanced down at the blade once more and then started stuttering.
"W-Wait, are you giving me this sword?" Erza wondered, completely in disbelief. Ulysses looked up from the knife in his hand and nodded.
"Yeah. Figured you might want one of my swords. You never ordered anything for yourself back when I had a shop. Just Kagura's dagger." Ulysses said and then continued to fiddle with the guard on the knife. The forge room was silent for a few moments before Erza let out a small squeal of joy.
"Kagura… I have a Hephaestus sword!" Erza exclaimed and the pair cheered before sharing a hug. Ulysses grinned as he fixed the knife. He glanced at the two as they hovered over the sword and examined it. But their joy was thoroughly murdered by the appearance of a rather angry Mira.
"What the hell are you two gawking at? Oh, did your boyfriend make you a sword? How sweet." Mira scorned as she approached. She shot a deathly glare at Ulysses as Erza turned into a red-faced, stammering mess.
"W-What!? B-B-Boyfriend!? N-No!" Erza stuttered. Mira snubbed her and turned her attention to the approaching Forge Master. Ulysses rammed the knife in his hand into a table and stepped between Erza and Mira.
"While I am many things, both despicable and respectable, I am not suited to being a boyfriend. So, Mirajane, what have you to whine about to me this time? Your absolute disgust and disdain for my existence? Or, maybe how my presence is an absolute affront to everything you believe in?" Ulysses wondered sarcastically. Mira's obviously annoyed attitude grew worse as he grew closer. Kagura took Erza away from the scene to calm her down.
"Both. And I want you out of here. Men have no place in Mermaid Heel. Erza is the same way, but you just had to go and bribe her, huh?" Mira wondered angrily. Ulysses glanced over at the utterly embarrassed and anxious Erza.
"Well, I wasn't trying to bribe Erza, but I hoped it might make her less antagonized by the very sight of me. Though I don't suppose I can do much in your case. You're hatred runs deep. A lost cause." Ulysses said with a smirk. Mira's rage overloaded and she tried to punch him. He simply ducked the blow and flicked her on the forehead rather hard. Mira whined in annoyance.
"Ouch… you son of a…" Mira growled as her magic flared. Ulysses smirked wryly and shrugged.
"Hey now, you were asking for it." Ulysses chuckled. Mira nearly burst a blood vessel with rage and was about to attack him when Ultear appeared next to them.
"Whoa, settle down you two. I see that you won't be satisfied until you prove your point, Mira." Ultear said as she drew Mira away from her source of wrath. Ulysses waved as she was pulled away. His provoking actions did little to help.
"Why don't you get it!? He isn't supposed to be here, he humiliated not only me, but Lisanna, Erza, Kagura, Millianna, and Juvia! He needs to be put in his place and needs to leave!" Mira protested. Ultear sighed and turned to Ulysses who had simply returned to his work. As if nothing else seemed to matter. Which, to him, was exactly the case.
"Ulysses, can you pay attention for a moment?" Ultear called to him. He gave her a thumb up.
"I'm listening." He responded simply. Ultear sighed at his antics.
"Ugh… well, I suppose there's only one way to resolve this. What do you two say about having a duel? Winner gets to decide the loser's fate. Sound good?" Ultear suggested. Mira was filled with vengeful delight at the thought. Ulysses on the other hand, had continued his work for several moments before registering Ultear's proposition.
"Uh, cool. Sure." Ulysses said from behind the wall of the forge's fire pit. He stood up with a hunk of steel and dusted it off. He eyeballed it as if it were already finished.
"Perfect! If you lose, you have to leave Mermaid Heel and never come back! Understood?" Mira yelled, pointing at Ulysses. He nodded halfheartedly and continued looking over the piece of metal.
"Though… I might win. Never really know until you try… But if I do, you'll find out your fate afterward." Ulysses said and set the piece of steel down on a table. Mira, while annoyed by his lackluster response, agreed with a nod. Ulysses rounded the forge and shook hands with Mira. Ultear cheered with both excitement and a small notion of fear for Ulysses' life.
"Great… I'll set up the court and you two get ready. And, Ulysses…?" Ultear said as he began walking back into the forge.
"Yeah?"
"I do hope you know what you're doing."
Ulysses quietly stood against the wall in the back of the arena in the Undercroft. It stood adjacent to the training area and just a few steps from his forge room. He calmly flipped through a small notebook. It held the various names and numbers of weapons and armors he kept in his collection. As the women of Mermaid Heel finished gathering around the edge, and a drunk woman finished with the betting, a barrier was raised to encapsulate Ulysses and Mira. He checked the betting board and noted how there was one bet under his misspelled name. It read 'Uliddies' in sloppy chalk writing.
Really? Uliddies? Ah fuck it… better than Undies. Ulysses thought as he closed his book and it vanished in a flash of magic. Ultear stood on the edge of the arena with a small flag and a magic counter began counting down on the barrier screen. Thirty seconds.
"I hope you're ready to get your ass kicked! Takeover: Satan Soul!" Mira yelled, transforming into her demonic magic form. Ulysses was impressed with her abilities. Now that he had a moment to inspect it up close he found it even more impressive than when he faced her before.
Huh… that's actually very interesting… Shows a lot of cleavage though… and her stomach is exposed… And those boots cling to her thighs nicely. The tail is- Oh fuck no, I'm into it. Ulysses stopped staring at Mira's oddly attractive form and focused on himself. He gathered his magic and cast some spells.
"I've got a few little tricks. You might've seen this one before, though. ReQuip: Northern Ward!" Ulysses said and the reflective shield appeared on his left arm.
"That won't help you when I smash it!" Mira yelled, her voice changed by her demonic form. Ulysses ignored how that made him feel and focused again.
"ReQuip: Long Arm of Sparta!" Ulysses called and a large spear appeared in his free hand. Orange symbols glowed in the spearhead and it was set ablaze with hot fire. With that he was mostly ready for battle. He raised Northern Ward and rested the spear atop it. Mira smirked and floated into the air. For a few seconds the air, the sounds, and even his vision slowed to a halt.
And then the countdown expired.
"Take this you two-faced pervert!" Mira yelled as she charged headlong at Ulysses. He considered the thought of completely blocking her attack, but as Mira descended on him she threw a vicious punch. In their split-second confrontation, a blast of magic sent Mira careening into the barrier and Ulysses still stood strong with spear and shield in hand.
"You're pretty quick for someone who isn't using all of his power." Mira commented as she rubbed the bruise on her side. It was shaped like the broadside of Ulysses' spearhead. He sighed and watched Mira carefully.
I see. She isn't really offended by who I am. She doesn't think I'm to be trusted, which, I can't blame her for. Ulysses thought as Mira readied herself to attack again. Though Ulysses was confused when Mira simply floated up and started to circle him. He followed her around the arena and kept his magic-reflecting shield pointed at her.
"I'm not going to do it. Don't try to coax it out of me." Ulysses said. His eyes suddenly widened and he flattened out on the ground as Mira appeared behind him, intent on kicking him in the spine. When her attack missed Mira tried smashing Ulysses into the ground, an attempt which failed as Ulysses rolled out of the way and swung his spear at her. But his effort was also in vain, as it seemed Mira had already adjusted for his ability and simply caught the shaft of the spear and stopped it.
"Are you sure?" Mira asked arrogantly. Ulysses cursed silently and his spear vanished in a flash of magic. He changed his fighting style in an instant; Northern Ward went securely onto his back on a harness and he summoned an arming sword in each hand. Mira smiled as his defense was now low and his attack much higher.
"I might be." Ulysses answered as he charged. Mira accepted his challenge and met him in head-on combat. Mira parried and dodged his sword blows while throwing attacks of her own. Ulysses simply dodged her attacks. His agility was more than a match for her power and speed. Eventually, the two were locked in a battle of strength as Mira's scaly hands held his swords fast and Ulysses struggled to release himself. But a smirk came on his face as he released his swords and Mira lost her balance. He spun and delivered a powerful kick to her stomach that sent her into the barrier. His swords vanished from her hands. Mira recovered quickly as he re-summoned his swords and charged. Ulysses ducked under her claws and twisted to deliver a sword blow, but his blade met air and he felt the unmistakable flow of magic gathering behind him. Mira purposefully struck the shield on his back with a magic-infused punch. The shield reflected the magic, but Ulysses was sent sprawling into the barrier.
"You're good for someone who isn't even as fast as Erza. I guess in a regular sword duel you'd win, but Erza would kick your ass with her armors and magic weapons." Mira said with a cocky grin as Ulysses coughed and dragged himself back to his feet. He wiped some spit from his mouth and chuckled. Then he rushed Mira. She grinned and flew to meet him in the middle but Ulysses had a plan. He slid under her flying form and used his swords to parry a powerful swipe from her tail. It effectively knocked him further away where he then released a sword and summoned another weapon.
"ReQuip: Long Arm of Sparta!" Ulysses yelled and hurled the spear at Mira with all his might. It blasted forward with a golden magic aura. It was so fast Mira barely had time to raise her guard. The spear struck true and an explosion of magic followed. The spear returned to Ulysses' hand and he stood on guard as the dust cleared. He smiled at the results his attack bore. Mira was a bit bruised and battered from the attack but was still standing. But that was only the effect from the initial attack.
"Ha, that was nothing… eh!?" Mira exclaimed as she found herself unable to move. She looked down and saw two ghastly and golden lions holding her down by her legs with their maws digging into her. She grunted in pain as their grip tightened.
"I can use magic weapons too. Not that well, but well enough. The Long Arm of Sparta comes with two effects; an unstoppable speed of attack and a secondary effect of pinning your target. But I think you'll like this one better. It only has one function." Ulysses explained as his weapons vanished and he built up power.
"ReQuip: Olympian Thunder!" Ulysses shouted as he summoned a sword in the shape of a lightning bolt and it began charging power. Mira grew worried as the grip the lion's had on her only continued to grow stronger as she fought it. She tried blasting the lions away but only managed to defeat one before Ulysses had charged his attack.
"How's this for magic? Olympian Thunder: Wrath of the Heavens!" Ulysses leaped into the air and brought the large sword down on Mira. The attack connected. Lightning and thunder erupted from the epicenter and rocked the whole arena. The explosion of lightning magic kicked up a smoke cloud and nearly nullified the barrier. When the dust cleared Ulysses was standing over Mira who was smashed into the ground, paralyzed, and had reverted her form. He breathed heavily as his weapons and shield vanished in a flash of magic. He felt some relief as the duel was certainly over.
Fuck… I didn't think that'd work. She nearly escaped Leonidas's Lions… Shit! I ought to help her out of that. She's paralyzed. Ulysses stooped down and pulled Mira out of the crushed ground as the barrier fell and he heard yells and some cheers. Mira stared at him through her paralysis as Ulysses lifted her into a bridal carry and met Wendy and Ultear as they rushed onto the field.
"Is she okay!?" Ultear asked worriedly as she looked Mira over. Ulysses took a breath and nodded slowly.
"Yeah, yes! She's okay… Just a bit banged up and paralyzed. I honestly… Honestly didn't want to hurt her too bad." Ulysses answered as he crouched down to let Wendy examine Mira. Ultear breathed a sigh of relief and patted Ulysses on the shoulder.
"She's endured worse, believe me. You didn't do anything Erza hasn't done tenfold." Ultear explained with a comforting grin. Ulysses nodded solemnly and watched closely as Mira's paralysis was lifted by Wendy's magic.
"Ah, got it! Think you can walk, Mirajane?" Wendy asked as Mira regained her motion. Mira nodded slowly and began wiggling. Ulysses tried to let her down but she stumbled on wobbly legs and he caught her before she fell over. Mira stared into Ulysses eyes as he slowly picked her back up.
"Whoa, you okay? Maybe you should rest for a bit." Ulysses suggested as he easily hefted Mira into his arms again.
"Yes, I agree. You might still have some lingering effects from being paralyzed. Ulysses, would you mind taking her to the infirmary with me?" Wendy asked. Ulysses nodded and started following Wendy towards the staircase. They passed the very shocked and upset populace of Mermaid Heel while Lucy collected a huge pile of money from them. Ulysses grinned as he now knew who bet on him.
Isn't that something…?
Ulysses slowly laid Mira down on a bed Wendy prepared and his muscles relaxed with the weight off of them. He relaxed on the seat next to the bed as Wendy began using her magic on Mira again. Ulysses sighed as he looked over the damage he caused. An image entered his mind. A vaporized skeleton laying on blackened marble haunted his mind's eye before he shook the image away with violent intensity.
Gods… a traumatic flashback just from that? Ugh… Ulysses stood up and rubbed his eyes. Instead of focusing on Mira he focused on Erza and Kagura as they entered the room. Erza dragged Ulysses coat behind her and tried throwing it to him but it simply flopped a foot in front of her on the floor.
"Jeez. It was like that when we first encountered you. What's in this coat?" Erza asked as she lifted it up. Ulysses walked over and plucked it from her hands like it weighed nothing. He threw it on and sighed.
"Excluding ten knives? Lead." Ulysses answered. The girls shared a look of disbelief. Erza poked his arm on the coat and retracted her finger with a shocked visage.
"There is something thick under the wool. Why is your coat lined with lead?" Erza asked. Ulysses knew he should try to answer semi-honestly and did so to an extent.
"Well, it acts like a big training weight. It weighs about one hundred and fifty pounds. So I tend to move faster when I take it off." Ulysses explained as he dusted his coat off and checked for all his knives.
"That's right… you did remove your coat when you fought us. I thought you just didn't want to ruin it." Kagura said. She too had poked at him and felt the weighty metal under the wool of his coat. She suddenly blushed and removed her hand when she saw Ulysses watching her. Confused but still engaged Ulysses ignored her behavior.
"Yeah. It made it easier to move but I don't usually need to remove it," Ulysses said. "But, that aside, did you come up here to see Mira?"
"Not particularly," Erza said which earned her a glare from Mira. "Like Master said, she's endured worse. We actually wanted to know if you could go on a quest with us." Ulysses sighed and rolled some of the soreness out of his shoulders.
"I suppose… That was part of the deal with Ultear… Alright, when're we off?" Ulysses asked. Kagura handed him a flyer with a very urgent notice written haphazardly on it.
"Right away. It's an emergency quest of sorts. We were going to ask right before someone interrupted and challenged you." Kagura said with a tone of annoyance. She also received a fiery glare from the bedridden woman. Ulysses glanced between the three girls and resisted his urge to sigh.
"Off we go then, out of here. Fuckin' hooray…" Ulysses grumbled and ushered the swordswomen out. He was about to close the door when he heard his name whispered on the air.
"Ulysses…"
"Hmm?" He peered back inside to see Mira sitting up with a groggy look in her eyes. She stared him down. He stared back without a sense of doom and loathing accompanying her gaze. She suddenly cracked a small smile and gave him a thumb up.
"You're not so bad… I guess. Certainly caught me off guard. Sorry I accused you of being a pervert…" Mira trailed off, barely audible. But Ulysses could hear her words. His ears always helped him but sometimes let him hear things he'd wished never to hear again. But Mira's whispers were a welcome surprise. Ulysses blushed and broke eye contact.
"Sure… Well, feel better." Ulysses said and tried to leave again. But he was thwarted once more.
"Wait," Mira called. Ulysses peeked in once more and Mira's cheeks were dusted with pink. He groaned internally. "What do you plan to do with me, like we agreed?"
"Heh…" Ulysses chuckled. "You'll find out when I get back. Later!" He shut the door before Mira could protest and she was commanded by Wendy to settle down. Ulysses grinned as he turned to descend the stairs after Erza and Kagura. They awaited him at the doors to the guildhall.
"What's that smile for?" Erza asked.
"Ah, nothing. I just like having fun sometimes."
Ulysses summoned a pair of arming swords onto his hips as they approached an almost abandoned town. If not for the speared-through corpses hanging from the gate entrance, Ulysses would have assumed the town truly was abandoned. But in his experience, marauders tended to mark their territory in rather brutal and extravagant manners. Erza and Kagura turned their eyes from the dead and focused on the town before them. Ulysses could tell it bothered them. Death. If he had to guess, at some point during the chaos of survival and pursuit of freedom, he became relatively numb to death in some instances. Others, not so much. It was never the death that bothered him, it was when he was the cause of death that did.
"Don't pay attention to that right now. But that right there… it means these bastards will kill us without a second thought." Ulysses advised as they passed under the gates. The girls heeded his words but found little comfort it them.
"When the flyer said bandits had moved in… I didn't expect this…" Kagura said, repulsion palpable in her tone. Ulysses sighed silently.
"War does… inexplicable things to the people affected by it. Sometimes those who refrained from killing will kill without discretion. Sometimes those who have never lied will turn into pathological liars. Sometimes… it turns men into silent monsters." Ulysses said quietly as they made their way up the main drag of the town. The scent of blood and death hung heavy in the air, and the pairs of eyes poking out through broken windows and cracked doors were few and far-between. They approached the mayor's mansion to find a large group of marauders feasting and partying out front. Their revelry ceased upon noticing Ulysses, Erza, and Kagura.
"Well, well, well, look here Mr. Mayor," a large man said as he stood up from a recliner chair. He picked up what was his footrest and pointed the poor man at the Mermaids and Ulysses. The mayor's eyes lit up upon seeing them. "Some poor sod has come bearing gifts!"
"No, no! Those are the wizards I hired! Wizards! Please save my town!" the mayor pleaded, waving around in the marauder's grasp. The man growled and dropped the mayor on the ground.
"You rat! We've treated you so well and this is how you repay us!?" the marauder yelled. The mayor yelped and scurried away from the man, only to be caught by the other ill-folk that surrounded the square.
"I'm sorry Mr. Badscythe but you killed my people!" the mayor yelled. Badscythe approached the mayor and drew a large, curved blade off his back. He leveled it with the mayor's neck and growled.
"Hey," attention was drawn to Ulysses as he approached the group. Two of the bandits tried to stop him but were immediately decapitated. Badscythe and the other bandits took a step back from Ulysses. "You move that sword another inch and I'll kill you where you stand."
"Ulysses!" Erza exclaimed and tried to approach him. But, surprisingly, Kagura held her back a moment.
"Erza… we have to be careful." Kagura said, reminding her adopted sister. Erza, still angered by Ulysses' actions, submitted to the wisdom he gave them. They watched on as Badscythe held steady and his men began drawing their weapons.
"Ha! Like I'm afraid of one asshole and his entourage of whore-" Badscythe was cut off as a sword pierced his throat and he dropped dead on the spot. Ulysses lowered his hand, now one sword short, and his eyes were narrow with anger.
"Just because you didn't move doesn't mean you can call my companions whores, you sack of shit…" Ulysses growled. His voice carried both malice and an icy disposition. The marauders stumbled and gasped in shock as Ulysses re-summoned the sword he threw and whipped the blood off of it. Silence pervaded for a moment before someone yelled.
"HE KILLED THE BOSS! GET HIM!" one of the marauders yelled. They all suddenly burst into action and charged Ulysses who was more than ready for them. He started dodging and parrying, slashing and stabbing, doing his best not to land too many fatal wounds. Soon enough he was supported as some of the bandits were slammed into the ground.
"Gravity Change!" Kagura shouted and charged the group she had downed. Ulysses suddenly ducked as a flurry of swords came flying over his head. He turned to regard Erza as she cast a spell.
"ReQuip: Heaven's Wheel!" Erza yelled as she changed into another armor with a multitude of swords at her disposal. Impressed but also oppressed, Ulysses dodged some of his foes and watched as they were cut down by Erza's swords. The pair of swordswomen seemed to have the situation under control without his help. But the sudden appearance of a few more bandits from beyond the mayor's mansion warranted a response from him.
"I'll get their reinforcements!" Ulysses shouted and dashed off around the fight to meet the group of reinforcements. He surprised them with his sudden speed and appearance and managed to cut down several of them before he met resistance.
"Rock-Law, get him!" one of the bandits yelled before Ulysses could slice his throat. But as the man fell before him, the stone and earth around him rose up to attack. Ulysses leaped out of the way and located the man controlling the magical earth. A green-haired man with large hands was hunched over the ground. His fingers were digging into the stonework.
"You can't run, little man." Rock-Law said as the ground burst open and a huge mouth of sharp stone rocketed from the fissure. Ulysses landed next to a building that was ripped asunder as he dodged the wizard's attack. He heard screams as the town's survivors cleared out of the buildings and ran from the fight. The ground continued to break and rip as Ulysses tried to flank the mage. His fight took him towards Kagura and Erza, both of whom easily avoided Rock-Law's attacks with their magic.
"Oh, lucky you two. I'm stuck on the ground! Kick his ass before he bites mine off!" Ulysses yelled as more sharp stones tried to bite and snatch him. Erza and Kagura heeded his words and rushed Rock-Law. But the sudden appearance of another mage surprised all three of them.
"Jam-Dam, kill the girls. I want the little boy." Rock-Law said as a very flamboyant man appeared from seemingly nowhere. He wore a sparkly blue suit and had an orange pompadour.
"Gladly, Rock, but with Badscythe dead I'm in charge now." Jam-Dam said with a smile. Ulysses watched with horror as Kagura's gravity magic stopped letting her float and she plummeted to the ground. Erza suddenly fell as well and changed back into her normal armor.
Fuck me sideways! An earth-magic user and a mage who can cancel other magic? Ulysses thought as he felt his spatial magic become disconnected. He dodged another attack from Rock-Law but realized he was being herded into a trap. Ulysses cursed silently as a dome of stone and dirt encapsulated him in darkness.
"FUCK! HEY! ERZA, KAGURA!" Ulysses yelled. He heard the yells and cries of struggle from both girls. But Ulysses was not only trapped. He was unleashed. He started glowing and letting off a dim light. Enough for him to make out the walls of his prison. They were slowly closing in on him. Ulysses rammed his swords into the ground out of anger.
"FUCK!" He yelled. The dome grew smaller as the sounds of struggle outside grew weaker and less apparent. Ulysses glowed brighter. It colored the dome in a greenish-yellow tinge.
Gods-dammit! I can't let them die out there! Their magic is jammed… but so is mine… and now I'm uncorked… wait… No! I can't use it! It's too dangerous! But… Ulysses heard a scream. One that sickened him to the core. He raged against the walls of his prison, but they retaliated and slammed him against the ground. He boiled in both rage and pure heat. The ground under him heated up. And as his anger built up, he felt part of his magic reconnect. But he could not summon any weapons. No, his other magic was connected. It seemed that Jam-Dam failed to realize Ulysses was more than just a ReQuip user.
"I can't…" Ulysses mumbled. Another bone chilling scream sounded. And another. He felt the ground rumble and shake. Screams. His mind flashed through horrid images of charged, boiled, mangled, and crushed bodies. The glow he emitted became brighter.
"I can't!"
Screaming.
"I CAN'T!"
More screams.
Ulysses screamed.
Erza blocked another hit from Jam-Dam while Kagura did her best to dodge Rock-Law. Without their magic, the girls were nearly powerless against the men. Despite both of them being wounded, they held their own. Kagura rolled to dodge an attack, only to fall victim to another. She screamed as a pair of rock jaws grabbed her.
"KAGURA!" Erza yelled, clashing swords with Jam-Dam. He smiled and threw another knife into Erza's exposed leg. She screamed and drop to her knees. Their adversaries chuckled, their minds confident they would win this fight. Erza glared at them until she was knocked down by an explosion. An explosion that leveled the dome and the mansion next to it. From the dust of the explosion came Ulysses, glowing brightly with a white aura, and his face was twisted with wrath and urgency.
"MOTHERFUCKER!" Ulysses screamed as he crashed into Jam-Dam, knocking the man down while simultaneously running him through with a sword. As the magic-jamming wizard fell, Erza felt her magic return and she shifted into her Purgatory Armor. With the massive mace, she shattered the stone holding Kagura and slammed it into Rock-Law, who was frozen in shock and surprise.
"I… I thought… you were a ReQuip mage…" Jam-Dam mumbled weakly to Ulysses as the sword was pulled from his chest. The powerful aura surrounding Ulysses that whipped his hair and coat around died down. He breathed heavily as he dug the heel of his boot into Jam-Dam's wound. The man screamed.
"You thought wrong and died for it." Ulysses responded as the last of the man's life left him. Erza helped a wounded but alive Kagura up and they joined Ulysses by Jam-Dam's corpse. Ulysses' swords vanished and he stepped away from the body. Erza glanced back at the dome that had entrapped him. Pieces of stone were lodged in near-by buildings that had not been leveled by the explosion. Kagura was equally curious as to what could have possibly leveled an entire block of the town. Ulysses did not face them. Neither did he speak another word. He merely summoned a large medical pack and tossed it to them.
"Ulysses-" Erza stopped as Ulysses simply walked away to examine the rubble he seemingly created. She watched as he began digging through parts of the destroyed building and stone with his bare hands. While she was confused, Erza focused her attention on Kagura and the medical supplies Ulysses gave them. Erza sat down with Kagura and began rummaging through the bag.
"Erza… are you okay?" Kagura asked as she examined Erza's wounds. They shared a look and began giggling.
"I should be asking you the same thing." Erza said with a smile. Kagura nodded and smiled back. They took out bandages and alcohol and began tending to their wounds. All the while Ulysses still rummaged through the rubble. The surviving townsfolk, including the mayor, began making their way out into the streets to examine the damage to their town. Two young women rushed to Erza and Kagura's aid.
"Oh my! You two are hurt pretty bad! Here, let us help." One of the women said as she and her friend began helping the Mermaids dress their wounds.
"My sister and I are the town doctors. We'll get you patched up!" the other woman said with a bright smile. The townspeople began gathering around and sharing hugs, cheers, and sighs of celebration and relief. They came and started thanking Erza and Kagura. The mayor also approached with weary eyes and a tired limp to his step.
"My, am I ever so grateful you two showed up when you did… Ah, wait, there was a man with you, wasn't there?" The mayor wondered. Erza nodded and pointed at Ulysses who continued to dig through the rubble of the mayor's house.
"Yes, there he is. Thank him. He helped us more than we could help ourselves…" Erza said, the image of Ulysses bursting with power still fresh in her mind.
"I thought Mermaid Heel was a women-only guild?" one of the doctors said as she bandaged Erza's arm. Kagura shared a nervous glance with Erza.
"Um…"
"It's an experiment. Joint operation of sorts… Don't worry about it. I'm not in their guild." Ulysses suddenly answered from afar. He turned to face them with his glowing eyes. Erza swore she saw a sense of relief in his eyes. But his visage scared her. Kagura physically shuddered when she locked eyes with him.
"Oh… well in that case… I guess it was good you came along, young man." The mayor said with a smile. Ulysses approached and sat down on a hill of rubble. He fell silent again and the townsfolk left him to his own devices. Erza found herself worrying about him.
Kagura winced as alcohol was applied to her leg wound. She looked at where she had been trapped not minutes ago and then to the man who sat on the rubble pile. She found herself wondering about him.
How did he do that? All I saw was a blast and then he appeared. Kagura thought. She had seen him scrounging through the rubble, almost by instinct, and the dead look on his face despite the relief in his eyes. Did his eyes glow?
I hope he's okay… He must've used that power he doesn't talk about. Ulysses… Kagura thought. And it was as though he heard her thoughts. Ulysses' ear twitched and he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She could see remorse in his gaze.
Ulysses…
Ulysses looked back down at the ground. His torment did not cease with the knowledge that there were no innocent casualties. No, it pervaded, clawed, and became an unrelenting scream of agony in his mind. It ripped and writhed as a violent serpent of evil. Memories of chaos, death, destruction plagued his mind's eye. Just as they did before he unleashed his power to break free. A storm of horror and guilt that clouded and pained his whole being. He had sworn. He had made an oath. Yet he was consistently breaking that oath. As though he had not a shred of honor left. Someone said something to him. He did not hear them.
"Ulysses." Erza's voice broke his stupor. Ulysses slowly looked up into her deep brown eyes. She gave him a small smile and rested a hand on his shoulder. Kagura stood next to her with a similar smile.
"Thank you. I'm not sure if we would have managed without you." Erza said. Ulysses felt a small weight lift itself from his heart. Kagura nodded and gently took one of his hands.
"Yes, thank you. And Ulysses…" Kagura trailed off. Ulysses glanced at her and felt his heart skip and beat strong again as she smiled at him. Her grip on his hand was comforting. "We're here for you, if anything is bothering you. Truly."
"Huh…" Ulysses said, bowing his head. He slowly gripped Kagura's hand as he hid his tears. He inhaled deeply.
"T-Thanks…"
What secrets lie in wait for the future? What kind of devastating power is stored within our protagonist?
Find out next time! Thanks guys.
See you next time with Bonds.