Highschool DxD: Adventure Of Black Flash

by DarkDracul1252

Nawin Makasha, a boy, changed after a dark event occurred in the past that left him scarred. He and his family moved to Japan to start a new life, but when Nawin joined Kuoh Academy, things began to change for him when he is thrust into the world of supernatural by force. Past will come back and haunt, Evil will rain down, Bonds will be severed. Will Nawin and his friends be ready?

127. Treacherous Journey, The Swamp Of Wraith

Sorry for the slight delay! I got caught up with some stuff.

I hope everyone enjoy the latest chapter! ^.^

A deafening sound breaks out at a grassy hill followed by a tremor. "Gaahhhhh!" a scream comes from the sky and a body comes crashing down the earth. Puff of dust erupts around the large crater and a body climbs out and emerges from the smoke to show Issei. "Uhhh," he groans, rubbing his head before looking forward to seeing eight giants they are battling.

Erza backflips a couple of times and lands beside the Hyoudou. "Put some effort into it" she advice and kicks her feet off the ground, blasting herself forward with the broadsword pointing forward. The sword pierces through the giant's stomach, causing it to roar out in pain and reach its hand down to grab the Scarlet. Erza pulls the sword back and swings it up, cleaving off the giant's hand like it was butter. The dismembered hand drops to the ground and the creature roar, stumbling back and gripping its arm.

Issei turns to the right to spot a giant dashing toward him, flailing its arms around in a hasty manner. "Alright," he stands up and takes a step forward before breaking into a sprint. Issei extends his right arm to the side, and the boosted gear forms into life. "Maximum effort!" he shouts with a wide grin plastered on his face and jumps to the right to dodge a fist aimed down. Issei plant his feet on the earth and swings the boosted gear forward "Boost Times Ten!" he exclaims as the gauntlet connects to the creature's stomach.

Instantly, the giant is sent blasting backward by the force of the punch, sending it bouncing away until crashing into a large stone. Issei pumps his hand in the air and points to the left "You see that Nawin?!" he questions, turning his head to only see the Makasha sited on a pile of two knocked out giants laid on the ground. "Spectacular strength there, Issei" Nawin comments and offers a slow clap which serves to annoy the Hyoudou.

Another giant comes from behind the Hyoudou, and Nawin was about to warn, but halts. Issei snaps around and jumps, swinging a vicious uppercut that knocks the giant flat to the ground in a whiplashing manner. A smirk forms on the Makasha's face when seeing this while Issei turns around to look at him, wearing a smirk as well.

Jellal thrust his right hand forward at the incoming giant, an explosive but nonlethal golden blast shoots from the palm and connects to the giant's whole body. Sending the creature blasting away and bouncing on the earth, rolling down the hill comedically, before it plummets into a large pond. Erza slide under the giant then jumps up to send a pummel of her sword to the back of the giant's neck, instantly knocking it down to the ground.

Erza snap to the right and glare harshly at the two remaining giants. Meeting the glare, the two giants immediately turns around and starts hastily retreating from the battle. Erza sheathes the sword back and smirk. "Scary" Jellal state, stopping beside "Got a problem with that?" "Nope… Not a problem" "Good."

Issei turns around to see Bork standing beside their horses, completely ignoring the battle and just focuses on petting the animals. "I get that he doesn't enjoy fighting but not even a little help?" he questions, dispelling the boosted gear "It wasn't like we needed the help," Nawin state "He's right," Erza nod "We can't force Bork to fight… If he wants to join in then it has to be on his own admission."

The group makes the way back to their horses and the Troll. "Friends finish?" Bork ask, turning to them "Yes, we are done," Issei answers with a grin "Friends very strong! Which is good," "Why is that?" Erza questions, crossing her arms "Because journey to stone is not easy," Bork state, shaking his head "Very hard journey with dangerous enemies! Bork not want friends die. It is sad."

Jellal offers a reassure smile "Don't worry about us, Bork," he starts "All of us are formidable fighters and we have each other's to look after our backs. So, we should be fine," "Bork is happy to hear," the Troll nod "But still, Friends should be careful."

Erza's eyes narrow when hearing these signs, clearly the Troll is worried about something. 'So far our journey has been standard. Coupled by giants, mad wolves, and small bandits. Our path has been just a straight to the west on the main open road with occasionally dense forest where most attacks occurred.' "Are we heading somewhere dangerous, Bork?" she questions and receive a slow nod "Yesh, Erza is correct… To get to stone, we must go through Specbok Marsh."

"Specbok Marsh?" Issei repeats, tilting his head "What's that place?" he asks, turning to the bounty hunters "Let's just say it is not an ideal place to visit," Jellal state, grimacing "It's a murky swamp that is filled with evil spirits such as Wraiths. I have read countless of reports of people that are foolish enough to go near there and even entering it just disappears and never to be heard from again. At night horrifying shrieks would erupt there and terrified the villagers that lives near there" Erza informs.

"There would be a village near such a dangerous place?" Issei questions "Why don't they leave?!" "And go where exactly, Issei?" Erza fires back and receive no answers "She's right," Nawin joins "They don't have much choice but to deal with it… Don't forget, devils out here are different compare to the devils that lives in Vesarima, Issei. They don't have unlimited supplies and gold," "Yeah… I understand."

Nawin turns to Erza "Has there ever been a report of Wraiths attacking the villagers?" "There has, but fortunately it is rare," "The village has a curfew that forces everyone back to their home as night falls. They hired a Spirit Hunter once for help and he was able to give them advice to stop these Wraiths from causing trouble," Jellal explains "What did he do?" Issei ask "After all the villagers return to their home as night comes, they would sprinkle salt under the doors and windows to stop the Wraiths from entering," Erza answers.

"Salt?" Issei ask "Salt is actually a very handy source," Nawin state "It's pure and can absorb negative energy, which is something most Wraith has. I'm sure you've seen it in movies or books that salt can protect you from ghosts or vampires, even doing harm to creatures such as werewolves by burning their skins and temporarily halt their regeneration ability," "You sure know a lot," Erza state, placing a hand on her hip, smirking "My godfather made me study all kinds of books every time I'm with him," Nawin replies.

"So how far is the village?" Issei question, turning to Erza "I don't know where it exactly is, but I do know the name. It's called Mirstone," she informs then turn to the Troll "Bork, how far is it?" "We get closer, yesh!" he answers, energetically "How many hours exactly, buddy?" Issei questions "H-hours? What hours?" Bork tilt his head in confusion "Yeah, Trolls aren't exactly the brightest creatures," Jellal state, chuckling.

"Is it not possible to go around the swamp?" Nawin questions "Can't be done because the village is in a ravine. And forget about flying because the ravine there is dangerous with many flying creatures hiding in caves. Us flying over the swamp will attract every creature possible in the ravine along with the Wraiths," Erza state and turn to the Troll "Also, Bork here can't fly, so it's completely out of the table," "True, and I don't want us to be in that kind of danger," Nawin state, dismissing the plan on flying.

Nawin perks when sensing two magic signatures heading towards them. "You sensed that?" he questions and gets a nod from the three "Bandits" Jellal state, turning forward, readying for an attack. "I got an idea to deal with them without getting messy and bothersome" Issei inserts, making everyone turn to him to see a grin on his face "Really?" Erza ask, intrigue while Nawin gets a bad feeling about this.

Issei nod and turn to Nawin and Jellal "You two! Play like you both are injured" "What?" both replies, confuse by the sudden request. Erza hears the bandits getting closer and turn to the boys, glaring "Do as he said" she hisses and with a glance at each other, both Nawin and Jellal slumps down, grabbing their stomach, grimacing.

Issei takes Nawin's arm and wrap around his shoulder to support him up while Erza does the same to Jellal. "Bork, stay calm" Issei informs the Troll and gets a thump up "Bork will do." The two bandits come up from the hills with horses, both holding crossbow with poison arrows, judging by the faint color of green in the tips.

"Don't move!" the right one shouts while the left one has the crossbow aimed at Bork, which Nawin secretly keeps an eye on, ready to drop the act if need be. "Really, we just got out of a battle with the Giants, shows some sympathy!" Issei begs, doing his best acting "I don't give a fuck!" the bandits retorts, sharply "Give us all your fucking gold!" the other one demands "You are scum!" Erza shouts in a desperate girly tone, which almost made Jellal lose it, but he bites his tongue to stop a chuckle from escaping.

"Your friends aren't looking so well" the right one state, smirking in malice and points the crossbow at Nawin "Give us your gold or we'll finish what the giants couldn't!" "Fine!" Erza spat and takes the pouch from Jellal, then slowly start walking but trips forward until Issei comes and catch her. "Hurry up!" the bandit shouts, pointing the crossbow at them "Fine…" Issei and Erza start walking forward and when they were in just the right position, both glance at each other and smirk. "Here!" they shout and throws both Nawin and Jellal forward, sending them spinning in the air before smashing at the bandits in vicious speed that knocks all four of them over the horses and plummets to the ground.

Issei and Erza watch the bandit's horses quickly sprint away. They turn and see all the four men laid on the ground. The Bandits were knocked out while Nawin and Jellal just stayed there, blankly staring at the sky. "I hate them…" Nawin comments "Yeah, I'm with you" Jellal slowly nod and blinks when seeing Erza stopping next to him, smirking in amusement "Here," she offers a hand which the other shake his head before taking it and is pull back up.

"Hehehe, you alright there?" Issei chuckles, standing above the prone Makasha, receiving a blank stare in return "Don't be so grumpy, bro! I was just having fun" he comments and offers a hand. Nawin sighs then takes the hand "I'll give it to you, Issei" he said and is pulled up "Your plan worked" "Can't let you, Erza, and Jellal only be the ones with the plans."

The group jumps back on their horses and turn to the Troll. "Alright, Bork," Erza starts "We can continue on with the journey," "We're heading to Mirstone. Might as well learn more about Specbok Marsh before entering it," Nawin suggest. "Don't worry!" Bork exclaims, ponding his fist to his chest "Bork is best guide! He shall take you to Mirstone!"

Kuoh: Spiral Mall

In a small restaurant that's located in the mall. A restaurant well known for serving delicious Asian cuisines. It's bustling with customers that are having an early lunch. Waiters and waitresses shuffling around to either serve the food or taking orders. Sited among the tables are Yao, Akeno, Lucy, and Asia. "... Dad is sure taking a while" Lucy state, taking a drink of water "It's the weekends so the line to the tickets must be quite hectic" Asia inserts, listening to an audiobook via an iPod and earphones. Yao blinks and turn to the front of the table where Akeno is sited, seeing the girl is silently sulking while clutching her phone, staring at it with steady anger.

Lucy and Asia notice this and turn to the older girl "What's got you sulking?" the oldest of the blonde asks, and the response she gets is Akeno turning the phone to them, showing a video clip. Lucy and Yao are flabbergasted when seeing a video of Nawin and Hana singing in a Karaoke room. "Ahahahaha," the two bursts out laughing while Asia tilts her head in confusion. Akeno pouts "Misako posted this on the group chat this morning" she utters.

Yao composes herself, smiling joyfully when seeing how fun her son is having in the video, a thing she always wants for him. "That's awesome! It's been so long since Big bro sings and from the look of it he still got it" Lucy state, taking the phone from Akeno to examine the video closer. "Oh! Let me listen to Onii-chan's singing" Asia leans near the phone.

"Why are you sulking about this, Akeno?" Yao ask, turning to the girl "Because I didn't get to see it live…" she replies, earning a giggle from everyone at the table. "Hehe, Onii-chan can really sing!" Asia state brightly, enjoying the sound of her brother's voice "He's really good" Lucy state and returns the phone. Akeno takes the device and stare at the video, watching that big and genuine smile on Nawin's face as he sings. She can see he was truly happy and was having a great time, which makes a smile form on her own face, but deep down she can't help but feel a bit sad that she couldn't be the person to give him that smile. Instead it's Hana along with the rest of the girls.

"Don't be so down, Akeno," Yao grasp the young girl's hand, giving a soft squeeze "Be happy that he is happy in the video. You can't always be the one to give him happiness… It's selfish of you to think that way," she states, surprising the Himejima. "… Yeah," Akeno slowly nod, a faint smile form on her lip "You're right, that is quite selfish of me. But, I'm still a bit sad that I didn't get to see him sing in person," she admits in embarrass. "Well, your birthday is coming up" Lucy assert "Perhaps you can request him to sing there" "Ooh, that's a good idea!" Asia inserts, excited to hear her brother sing "Yeah," Akeno smile "That sounds like a lovely idea, Lucy." "There we go," Yao claps her hands and grin "You got something to look forward to next week, Akeno."

"Guh" Jonathan slumps down on the chair next to his wife, grunting in exhaustion "It's an utter chaos up there" "Why? It can't be just because it's the weekend" Yao question "The movie we are seeing has quite the hype behind it, so lots of people here today are watching it" "Ah, I see." "Also," Jonathan's expression turns puzzled, rubbing his chin with his right hand "Weirdly enough I could have sworn I saw a man masturbating near a store at the second floor" he states, causing Yao, Akeno, and Lucy to freeze then slowly turns to him, looking stupefied by this sudden comment. Fortunately, Asia was too occupied with listening to the audiobook to catch what her father just said.

"W-what?" Yao asks, knowing her husband tends to bring out a weird and out of nowhere comment in odd time, but this is in a whole other level. "Exactly what did you see?" Akeno asks, "I mean I wasn't looking thoroughly of course, but I saw him standing in front of a sports shop. He had his knees bent forward and shook both his arms up and down vigorously… Looked very inappropriate and garnered lots of attention," Jonathan reply, grimacing.

Lucy shakes her head, finally coming to a conclusion "Oh, Dad!" she exclaims, grinning "That's probably a shake weight exercise" "A shake what?" Jonathan replies never heard such a thing "It's a form of dumbbells that required both hands to hold it and moves it up and down for a certain amount of time to build muscle and burn calories" Lucy explain "It can look awkward if you look at it in certain… Angels and that's why people don't like to use it in public gym."

Yao sends a look to her daughter "You sure know a lot," "It's one of the exercise equipment I used, so I'm aware of it" Lucy reply and smirk "At least when girls use it it's normal looking." Akeno turns to the father "The man didn't have his pants down, did he?" "No…" "Yep," she giggles "Lucy is probably right about it being a shake weight. The man was probably excited with his latest purchased and begin using it away" "Pretty ballsy of him" Yao state, chuckling.

Jonathan shakes his head and decide to sit up properly, grabbing the menu "Anyway…" he starts, letting out a cough to move on to the next subject "Let's start ordering, we have an hour before the movie starts" "Alright," the girls grin and picks up menu while Asia scooch closer to Akeno for explanation on the selective dishes.

Lucy blinks when seeing some green color in her eyesight, causing her to look up and gasp in shock when seeing Hana, Akame, Kokoro, and Elise exiting the store that is across the restaurant they are in. Akeno blinks "Something wrong?" she asks and turns "Wait!" Lucy reaches out to grab the Himejima's shoulder, drawing the girl's attention back to her. Akeno wears a look of confusion, then her eyes narrow in suspicious "Is there something you are hiding, Lucy?" she asks, and the blonde had to come up with an answer quick "No, it's just I was wondering if you can help me with clothes shopping after the cinema" Lucy replies in such smooth and convincing fashion without stutter, her expression showing severe to add in the act.

Akeno blinks while Yao and Jonathan take a sneaky glance behind to see the four girls already left the viewing range, allowing them to exhale in relief, mentally. A smile spread across Akeno's face when hearing the young girl want to spend time with her. "Sounds delightful, I wouldn't mind helping you with clothes shopping" "Great!" Lucy replies with an exciting grin, also glad to get to spend time with the Himejima. After that everyone returns to the menu to decide what they wanted to eat.

Elsewhere

"Ahhhh!" Hana screams in frustration, hands gripping her head "I don't know what to get her!" she shouts and from the sideline is Akame, who is sighing at the Hydra's tantrum. "It will all be fine, Hana" Elise, like a kind-hearted and supportive person she is, comes to her friend's aid, petting her on the shoulder "I'm sure we will find something!" "Oh, I just love your optimistic attitude there, Elise" Hana reply, taking her hands away from her head and smile at the Princess.

Kokoro stop beside Akame, sighing "Looks like this shop doesn't sell anything good" she states "Thought as much… I'm starting to contemplate just buying clothes for her" the Knight reply "Not a bad idea, but let's head to another store before we fall on the backup plan" "Fine, let's leave now… I'm starting to get tired of that woman openly glaring at us." Kokoro raises an eyebrow and glances back to see a beautiful blonde teenager girl glaring at them with envy "Huh, probably because we are taking the customer's attention away from her."

The group heads to the exit which means passing by the counter. "Leaving without buying anything? Good riddance" the girl couldn't help but spat out, rudely. Hana and Elise were already out of the store while Akame and Kokoro were about to leave and heard the comment. Akame decided to do nothing but she perks when seeing the Matashi halt and turns around to face the blonde. "I actually bought something. Here, it's for you" Kokoro brings forward her right hand that's clench into a fist then brings the other hand beside it and start making a twisting motion, like spinning a lever.

Slowly, the middle finger from the right-hand raises, signaling it straight to the blonde. Akame crack a smirk at this while the blonde looks livid and is about to retort "You don't like it?" Kokoro cuts in, smirking "Fine, I'll take it back" she shrugs, returning her hands in the jean's pockets and exits the store with Akame.

Underworld

In a dark land where the sky is covered by dense and gloomy clouds that block the sun from casting any light over. In the center of the gray rocky soil shows a vast and deep ravine that when looked from afar is an ominous sight that would force many travelers to turn around and abandoned journeying on.

Bork and the group are currently slowly deciding down a slope. The horses had to be set free for the group to continue because of the rocky terrain they are heading. The slope is quite wet from the rain that happened earlier and filled with rocks and roots. "This suck" Issei grunts, slowly and carefully walking down, his once brown boots are now covered in gray mud. He was forced to put his crimson coat back in the pocket dimension, not wanting to dirty it.

Nawin also does the same to his signature black jacket and is now only wearing a gray shirt. He as well isn't overly fond of this slope they are forced to walk down. Erza and Jellal are doing fine since they are used to this kind of rough travel and wore thick traveling boots that are fitted for this kind of terrain. "Worry not, Issei," Bork said, still walking in front of them and due to his size, he isn't facing many problems with the slope "It will be over soon" "Glad to hear that," Issei sigh in relief, gripping the roots to stop himself from sliding down.

Issei slowly descends and grab another root only to have it rip out of the earth. "Gahhhhh!" everyone turns and see the screaming Hyoudou sliding past them and is speeding down in rapid speed. Everyone sees Issei heading toward a large tree stuck on the slope. He quickly pushes his legs on the earth and jumps, passing over the tree to only find himself coming fast down to the solid earth "Ooh come oooon!" Issei brings his arms forward, bracing for impact.

Erza and Jellal hear something rattling and turns to see Nawin has summoned a chain. He spins the chain before throwing it forward like a lasso. The chain wraps around the Hyoudou's midsection and stops him just a few inches away from the earth. Issei gasp when feeling air knock out of his lungs for a few seconds by the chain. He squeaks when seeing his face is just mere inches away from the ground, he sweats a bit when thinking just how painful that crash would have been, looking at the firm stone ground.

Issei turns around and gives the group a sheepish smile, causing them to shake their head and sigh. "Nawin save Issei, very good. Issei funny so not good if he dies" Bork comments which garner chuckles out of the three "Yeah, can't have him dying on us" Jellal state. When seeing Issei is back on his feet, Nawin dispels the chain and continue carefully descending the slope.

"Eugk!" Issei sticks his tongue out in disgust, looking at his clothes that are now covered in the dirty mud; also, little cuts can be seen on his arms. "Today is just isn't your day, aye" Erza comments, stopping in front "You can wash up when we reach Mirstone" Jellal state and turns to Bork "Are we near there?" "Yesh, not far at all." Nawin is the last to reach the ground and swipe his right arm to get rid of the mud "Let's quickly move on then before Issei start contracting some weird diseases" "Don't even joke about that!" the Hyoudou exclaims, shivering at the possibility.

Bork leads the group through the rocky and narrow passage. The devils can't help but feel like eyes are watching them from the shadows and small holes on the ravine's walls. It's clear to them that this place is dangerous and not a place where you want to be during the night. With this being the case, everyone was on their guard, ready for anything to jump out of the shadows.

Ten minutes of unnerving and silent walking, the group finally spot a small village in the distance at the end of the passage. When emerging out of the passage, Bork points forward "There Mirstone is!" "Good job, buddy!" Issei stops beside and gives a friendly smack on the back to the Troll "You are a great tour guide!" "Thank kou!" Bork smile and return the gesture by smacking his large hand on the Hyoudou's back, sending him crashing face-first onto the ground.

"Ahahaha!" Jellal burst out laughing at the sight while Erza and Nawin chuckle. Issei groans and slowly raise up, then looks at the Troll "Was that intentional?" "No, Bork sees Issei do it, and Bork returns it… Is that ok?" the Troll ask in genuine confusion. "Don't worry, Bork" Erza speak up "What you did was fine, it's just Issei is a bit frail that's all" "Frail!?" Issei yells, turning to the Scarlet "How dare you!"

Nawin ignores the bickering to focus on examining the village in the distance. Mirstone is smaller than Clayborg which makes sense considering instead of the population of near thousands, from judging about how many houses there is here the population is in the middles or low hundreds. Also, the construction of the building and homes aren't as furnish and sturdy as Clayborg. Here, some houses are made of stones and old woods that looks like it can be blown away by a small storm.

Seeing this, it's clear that the people who live here are hideously poor. Being stuck in the middle of nowhere adds more difficulty in their lives. 'And they must worry about these Wraiths that appear at night…' Nawin thinks, can't help but feel sympathy to the people.

After taking a moment to catch their breath, the group continues onwards. When reaching the entrance of the village, they halt and look around to see that not many people are currently outside. Erza walk towards an old man and tap him in the shoulder to gain attention "Yes?" he turns around, wearing a tired expression "Hello, I was wondering where we can find the mayor of Mirstone?" she questions and points back to her companions "We have traveled far to get here, and our journey takes us to Specbok Marsh."

The man turns and the expression on his face change to fear when spotting the Troll. Seeing the man looking at him, Bork smile and gives a wave "Hello, my name ish Bork!" "Ahhhahhh! Monster!" the man screams out and starts quickly backing away to only trip on a rock and drop himself on the ground. The other villagers turn, and they scream in fright when seeing the Troll "Ahhhhh!" "Please spare us!" "I don't want to die! "Why must we be cursed!" many shouts out and hurry indoors to either their houses or the closest building.

Erza and the others are in shock and modify to see just how terrified the villagers are by the sight of Bork. "W-wait!" Erza calls out to the old man, seeing him getting up to his feet, but her word falls in deaf ears as he hurriedly runs toward a tavern and shuts the door behind, the sound of it locking clinks.

"Did Bork do something bad?" the Troll ask in sadness, his expression turn sorrow "No, Buddy" Issei gives a smile, petting the Troll on his arm "You did nothing wrong… It's just—" "These people have been living in fear for a long timer with the Wraiths" Nawin inserts and turn to the Troll, offering a reassure smile "It's not your fault at all, Bork" he states. A smile reappears on Brok's face "I see, thank kou for explaining."

"This isn't going to be easy then" Jellal state, scratching his head "We are going to have to find the village leader ourselves." Erza nod and turns around "There's no way around it, so" she shifts to the Makasha "Nawin, you come with me, and we'll go question the villagers to find out where their Mayor is." "Alright" Nawin replies with no complaints, walking forward to the center of the village. "Issei and Jellal, you guys stay here with Bork, and don't enter the village… We don't need any more panic" "Understood" Jellal reply while Issei nods. Erza turns around and jogs forward to catch up with the Makasha.

Walking side by side, Erza glance at her companion "What are your thoughts about this" "I don't like it… These people are absolutely terrified and left scarred, Erza" "Yeah…" The two continue walking until they spot the biggest building in the entire village. The two-storey building is made of hardwood and stone, giving it the sturdiest looking building in the village. "I bet that the Mayor is there" Nawin state "Seems like a building fit for the title… Let's go" "Mhm-mm."

"So, Bork" Issei turns to the Troll sited in front of him, moving his feet around like a child "Where are you from?" "Bork came from a mountain, not any mountain… A terrifying and big mountain." Sited on the fence, Jellal listen to the conversation and joins in "You mean the Clork Mountain?" "Yesh, that mountain!" "Gezz, what's with all these locations and their weird names?" Issei shakes his head, sighing.

Jellal chuckles "I bet it would be the same thing for us if you explain all of the place's name in your world, Issei" "Yeah, I guess you are right… Different tastes" "Exactly" "Place tasty?" Bork tilts his head "Issei eat places? Like village? You aren't big enough to do that" "N-no, Bork" Issei sweatdrops and hangs his head down, deciding not to bother explaining and just let it be.

"So, we aren't like resting before entering the Specbok Marsh?" Issei question, turning to Jellal "No, Erza along with Nawin would like to finish this quickly, so we'll probably be leaving as soon as they get the information needed… We'll make time to get you cleaned up though" he replies, looking at the dirtied clothes on the Hyoudou. "Huh… I was hoping we get to rest and be prepared for this." Jellal raise an eyebrow when seeing Issei shiver, fear shows in his brown eyes for a second "Issei… Are you afraid of ghost?" "N-no!" the other immediately retort in defense "I ain't afraid of no g-ghost!"

Jellal sweatdrops when listening to the stutters, clearly his companion has a fear of ghost. "Why Issei scare of ghosts?" Bork question "Ghost is like puny spirits! Nothing to fear of em" Bork then smash his fists together "Do a bit punchy, and they die!" "Not exactly that easy, Bork" Jellal state "It not?" "You can't kill ghosts with only brute force, gotta use magic or brew a special oil to allow physical objects to harm them."

"Damn, I didn't know that" Issei speaks, even more nervous about entering the Marsh. "You don't have to worry" Jellal state with a reassure smile "Sacred Gears can harm spirits such as Wraiths with no problem, so you'll be fine" "Oh thank Satan" Iseei grip his chest and exhales in relief. "The problem is" Jellal turn to Bork "You, Bork… We'll need to brew some Spector Oil for you. I know you don't want to fight, but it's only for precaution, alright?" "Bork understand" the Troll nod "Brew oil for Bork, please" "No problem, buddy" Jellal gives a thump up before turning to Issei "You stay with him while I go fetch the ingredients, alright?" "Sure."

"Guh!" a young girl squeak in fear when hearing a knock on the front door. She quickly hides underneath the front desk; her legs press against the chest, and her arms wrap around it. The girl is no older than eighteen. She has long orange hair that is tied into a single ponytail with a black ribbon. Her complexion is very pale, and her face contains small freckles around. Her shining green eyes are currently close with glasses worn over it.

"Hello?" a feminine voice speaks from the outside, something the girl underneath the desk did not expect. "Huh?" she leaves the desk and peeks up to see the door remain closed. Taking a look at the windows, she sees no monster or destruction outside. The knock continues, and this time a male voice speaks "There's no monster out here if you are wondering. It's just a misunderstanding" he states and judging by the tone used, the girl can tell the person on the other side of the door isn't lying.

Knowing no attack or any monster is roaming outside, the girl slowly returns to her feet and wearily make way toward the door. With shaky hands, she turns the lock then grasp the handle and pulls it down. The door opens, and the girl peeks to see Nawin and Erza standing there, both wore an annoy expression on their face by waiting this long to be allowed entrance.

"W-who are you?" the girl asks, still keeping the door only half open "Erza Scarlet," Erza tap her chest then gesture to her companion "Nawin Makasha. We are here to speak with the Mayor" she asserts, straightforwardly. "Why?" "Because we want to learn more about this Specbok Marsh phenomenon" Nawin inserts, surprising the girl.

She stares at both Erza and Nawin like they are insane about wanting to learn about that cursed place. "A-are you here to help us?" she asks in hopeful tone "We're not, we are here just to learn more about the Marsh since we have to pass it to continue on our journey" "Oh…" Erza and Nawin note the disappointment in the girl's voice and the helpless expression fallen on her face. Erza looks away while Nawin eyes lower ever slightly in sadness, seeing just how severe the people here have with the evil specters from the Marsh.

"Please come in then" she utters, opening the door all the way to allow entrance. Erza and Nawin enter and follows the girl up the stairs to the second floor. The hallway was eerily quiet which could be because the people are still staying silent because of the sudden announcement of a monster in their village. The girl stops in front of a room with two large wooden doors "He is in here" she states, turning around to face them and gives a quick bow in respect before walking away.

After taking a few steps, she halts and turns to look up at the Makasha. Hesitantly, she reaches for his arm, firmly gripping it to gain attention. Nawin turns and stares at the girl to see a small, tiny hope shows on her green eyes "C-can you help us?" she begs, tears threatening to drip down from her eyes. Nawin expression softens and slowly, he opens his mouth "We'll try" are the words that come out, and even with that it was enough for small hope to appear in the girl's eyes to grow. A small smile form on her face as she nods "T-thank you" she releases his hands and resumes walking toward the stair, wiping her tears with the shirt's sleeves.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Nawin" Erza advise, glancing at him "I don't break my promises, Erza" he counters and turn to look at her "I'm making a personal mission to stop the Wraiths from terrorizing these people… With or without your help" "Do as you wish. Just know the reason why I'm here is that I'm doing this favor for you and only you. These people's problem doesn't involve me unless there is a noticeboard here with a contract" "I understand."

Erza returns to the door, and instead of knocking, she pushes them open. Both enter and hear a gasp under the table that's rattling ever slightly by the person underneath, possibly via them shaking in fear. Nawin steps forward "Mayor, we aren't here to hurt you, and that call earlier was a false alarm. You and the village are safe; I can assure you" he states and waits for the person to reveal themselves.

A minute past and a fat, old man emerge from the side of the desk. He stood roughly five feet tall and had a wrinkled face to show his age. Short white hair that matches with the long white mustache. His eyes are dark brown that confers tiredness with dark bags underneath, showing that he hasn't slept for a while. The man is dress in a plain white button shirt, rough looking brown pants that have holes and cuts on them then finish off with a brown boot that has dirty stains on it.

Looking at this, Nawin and Erza can say that this village is poorer and in worse shape than they ordinarily thought. Seeing their Mayor is presented like this. "W-who are you two?" he asks, stopping in front of the desk, arms crossed behind his back and the expression on his face change to serious even though both knew he was intimidated inside. "You won't have to worry about us" Erza starts, her expression softens "My name is Erza Scarlet, and my friend here is Nawin Makasha… We wanted to talk to you." "We rarely get any outsiders coming here…" the Mayor informs, regretfully "These lands are perilous you see" "We've seen it, but we aren't ordinary travelers" Nawin state, making the Mayor look up at him "We are here for information on Specbok Marsh" "W-what?! Why would you ask such a thing about that evil place!"

Nawin decides to go straight to the point "I am looking for a special item, and the journey to it leads us through the Specbok Marsh. We've heard all these grave stories about it and judging by the state of your village… It seems to hold true. There's no other way for us to get through then to go past the March, so we want to learn more about it before proceeding into such a treacherous place." "Y-you are insane! This item can't be worth your life?!" "To protect the person, I love and see her smile in happiness is worth putting my life at risk" Nawin retorts strongly, surprising both Erza and the old man.

"Also, I have taken upon myself to add another mission… And it's to stop these Wraiths from causing your village any more trouble, Mayor" Nawin informs "Y-you will?" the old man stutter, a smile breaking onto his face "I can't ignore when people are in need of help… That's just who I am" Nawin state.

Knowing that the people in front of him are willing to help his village and people. The Mayor smile and his tired eyes quickly show more life, glowing in hope. "Please, take a seat then" he gestures to the two chairs placed in front of the desk "I'll answer any of your questions" he states before turning around to head to his chair placed behind the desk.

Erza and Nawin didn't hesitate to take a seat on the chairs; their tired legs can finally take a break after the brutal journey to get here. "First off," the Mayor muster a warm smile at the two "Welcome to Mirstone! My name is Kald Norts. The Mayor of Mirstone" "Sad that your village is not exactly as welcoming as that smile of yours, Kald" Erza state and sees that smile quickly fades, replaced with a grim one.

"It can't be helped…" Kald rests his arms on the table, hands clenched together for a place for his forehead to rest, staring at the wooden table "Even with the advice the Spirit Hunters left us, by adding salt in our doorsteps and windows to keep the Wraiths away… It still doesn't stop their horrifying screeches at night that terrifies the adults and leave the children in crying mess. This has been going on for so long, but we were able to push through it, but now we are at our breaking point." Kald looks up, staring at Erza and Nawin "The people are at their breaking point… Last week a man couldn't take it anymore and killed his own family. His wife and daughter strangled to death before hanging himself to death."

The story utterly freezes Erza and Nawin in their seat, the expression of shock and horror befalls on their face. "D-did this man ever had any mental problems?" Erza manages to question, finding hard to believe a normal man would snap and do such a thing "No… Lim was his name, and he was always a good person. He was a hardworking man and truly loves his family. I am still at a shock to think he could do such a thing, but I guess he did it well hiding his troubles because I never could detect anything wrong with him when we last ran into each other. I guess he just… snapped" Kald reply, grimacing.

Hearing this give more motivation for the Makasha to get rid of these Wraiths. "Tell me" Nawin starts "What exactly is the story of the Specbok Marsh? How did the Wraiths come to claimed that place as their own?" "It wasn't always like this, correct?" Erza adds "Yes… You are most certainly right" Kald nod.

The Mayor looks out the windows to see his assistant informing the people that it's safe to come out. He looks at his people's expression, the adult's tired face, the children's miserable eyes that would break any person's heart. "This place used to be normal. Families smiling and children laughing. A community that helped each other to strive for a better future. But, that was two years ago… For two years we had to endure this nightmare" Kald clench his hands tightly, gritting his teeth in anguish.

"And how did it come to be?" Nawin questions "How did Specbok Marsh turned into a home for evil spirits?" "I honestly don't know" Kald answers, rubbing his forehead in frustration "We've once sent one of our workers out to search for a bounty hunter that is brave enough to enter the Marsh… We did find one to scout into the Marsh, and he never returned" he states grimly. "The Spirit Hunter advice no one to ever enter the Marsh because they sensed just the overwhelming dark mana from there. Saying going in there is a death sentence… That even a skilled Spirit Hunter would not survive" Kald looks up "That's when we start given up hope… Knowing there's nothing we can do to stop this."

Erza grabs her chin, closing her eyes to think for a minute. "You are saying this phenomenon just appeared one night?" "Yes," the Mayor nods, grimacing "I remember it clear as day. On that night a Wraith floated into our village and sucked a woman's soul out. H-her body turned pale as bones and her eyes turn white as milk. The Wraith dropped her ragdoll corpse to the ground and retreated into the Marsh. Ever since then more appeared at night until we called the Spirit Hunter and found a way to stop the murders."

Listening all of this carefully, Nawin opens his eyes "It's clear that something happened to that Marsh to make it become what it is today. It could be that Specbok Marsh has some grueling history that you don't know of," "Or it could be a work of a Witch… Perhaps even a Necromancer that has decided to make the Marsh their home" Erza adds and Nawin nod at the possibility. He returns to the Mayor "The only way for us to figure this phenomenal out and stand a chance to stop it is to enter the Marsh" "W-will you two be ok?" he asks with great concern.

Nawin offers a reassuring smile "We have three more friends waiting in front of your village and trust me, all of five of us are capable people" he states in encouragement. He knows that their reputations won't do good in a place like this since the people here most definitely never heard of them with being so disconnected to the world. The Mayor smile, finding comfort in the Makasha's strong and confident words "Very well… We are at our breaking point," he suddenly bows his head down at the two "Please, Mr. Nawin and Ms. Erza… You and your group are our only hope left!"

At the corner of his eyes, Nawin spot Erza looking away briefly with a look of regret on her face. He knows that she won't be helping because of the rules that befall on her and Jellal. If they were to do this, only He and Issei would truly be the ones to solve this mystery while Erza and Jellal remain here. "Mayor Kald," Nawin speaks "Yes?" "Do you still have a contract for the Specbok Marsh situation?" Nawin asks, surprising Kald while Erza snaps her eyes to the Makasha and sees him giving her a wink.

Kald nods "Yes, I think I have the old thing in the drawers somewhere" he states and leans to the right, opening the desk's draws and start searching. "I took it off the noticeboard after the bounty hunter that tried to complete the contract failed… I just gave up hope" Kald state grimly then pulls out an old paper out of the drawer and place it on the desk. The contract looks like it seen better days with cuts and stains covered the now brown paper.

Erza takes the contract and read through it until reaching below where the rewards are written. "A hundred gold?" she speaks, a bit surprised by the amount "Y-yes, it's the most we can offer" Kald utters regretfully. Erza looks at the old man, seeing him gripping his hands tightly in nervous. She turns to Nawin to see him smiling at her, calmly waiting for her answer.

Erza places the contract down and turns to the Mayor "Make it forty gold, then my partner and I will join Nawin in this quest" she said, surprising both males in the room. "R-really? You would do for less. Oh, thank you!" Kald stutters, tears of happiness drips down his eyes, and he gives another bow in gratitude. Erza glance at Nawin and gives him a smile and a wink, causing the other to chuckle and nod in thanks.

After done with the meeting at the Mayor's office, Nawin and Erza exit the building and proceeds to make their way back to Bork and the rest. "Thanks…" Erza utters "No problem, I know you wanted to help them" Nawin reply, staring up at the cloudy sky "And now you can," "Were you aware all along of this idea?" she asks and turns to spot a small smirk on the Makasha's face. Erza's eyebrow twitches in anger and sends a quick right jab at Nawin's side "Ouch, Hey!" "That's what you get for making me go through that! Did you know how shitty it felt to hear all those stories and think in my mind that I couldn't help them!" Erza shouts, berating the Makasha.

Nawin rubs his hip "I wanted to see your reaction, Erza" he reveals, surprising the Scarlet-haired girl. Erza watches Nawin turns to her, wearing a warm smile "And after seeing it… I can confidently tell that you are a good person who holds a heart in wanting to help the innocents or people in need. Not just some bounty hunter that only cares about gold and self-reputation."

Erza is caught off-guard by this reveal, but a genuine smile soon forms on her lip "So, you were testing me?" "I had to… I am not about to enter a dangerous place with people I don't fully trust watching my back. Even though we were on a mission before, Erza. Back then I had the backup of Rias, Akeno, Yuuto, and the rest. But now it's different… I only have Issei, so I needed to know if I can fully trust you and Jellal." Nawin turns to look at her and smirk "Even though deep-down I know I could trust you guys. I'm not about to put mine and Issei's life endanger at only my gut's feeling… Even putting to terms that it is usually right" he quickly adds in the last part which causes Erza to giggle. She opens her eyes and smiles "I am honestly glad you told me this, Nawin" she replies, "Because now I can also confidently say that I trust you. You came upfront and told me the truth about your intentions" "You can't build trust by hiding or lying" "Very true."

As the two continue walking through the village. They watch the people are now back outside and continue on their daily duties. 'It is such an opposite compare to Clayborg…' Nawin notes, watching the people's gloomy and depress expression 'No smile or vibrant attitude that gives off a wonderful welcoming feeling. Here… It is just sad and misery.'

When Nawin and Erza reach the entrance of the village. They see Issei and Bork having an arm-wrestling match with Jellal acting as judge. Nawin raise an eyebrow while Erza smirk in amusement, watching the two laid on the ground like a child, their elbow rest on the earth since there's no table around. Especially a big of a table to fit Bork's arm.

"Alright, finish this up quick" Nawin speaks, catching their attention "We got some stuff to discuss." Issei turns to look at the Makasha, and that gives Bork an opening to slam the Hyoudou's arm to the ground. "Wahhh!" with so much strength behind the Troll's arm, Issei is sent spiraling away in the air before crashing face-first onto the ground a few meters away. Bork sits up and laughs "Ahahaha, Bork told Issei that he is puny!" he exclaims, watching the Hyoudou slowly gets up from the ground, grunting before snapping forward and glares at him "That's not fair! I lost concentration" "Then no loss concentration" Bork retort naturally.

"He ain't wrong" Jellal state, watching Issei stump his way back to them "Yeah, yeah" he response is a grunt before turning forward to look at Erza and Nawin. "So, you guys talked to the Mayor?" "We did, and there's quite a bit to talk about so listen closely" Erza informs, leaning back on the fence and crossing her arms. For the next five minutes, she spends explaining everything of what the Mayor Kald told her to Issei, Jellal, and Bork, who is only pays half attention since he was instead focused on a small red bird flying above them.

"Wow," Issei grimaces "Sounds like this swamp is more dangerous than we anticipated" "Yeah… Are you sure about doing this, Nawin?" Jellal turns to the Makasha "With you guys having my back," Nawin looks at everyone "Yeah, I'm sure and I ain't about to give up on finding this gemstone" he states, causing everyone to smile at his words. "Nawin strong man!" Bork exclaims "Not like puny Issei" "What was that!" Issei snap his head at the Troll, glaring "Do you want to go?!" he shouts, thrusting the right arm forward "No, Bork afraid he may hurt Issei… Not good if Issei hurt before entering Specbok." "He speaks reasonably" Jellal notes and Issei's glare redirect towards him "Are you saying I can't beat him?!" "I'm not saying that, but what I'm saying is that you shouldn't underestimate Trolls. They are quite a powerful race" "Mhm," Issei crosses his arms above his chest and puff his cheeks "Whatever."

Jellal chuckles and turns to see both Erza and Nawin looking up. "Hmm?" he blinks and follows to spot the small red bird that's still hovering above them, flying in circles. "What's wrong with the bird?" Issei asks, joining the rest at staring the flying animal "That isn't a normal bird…" Jellal slowly states, eyes narrow. Erza reaches behind to a pouch strapped on the belt and pulls out a dagger. She throws it up toward the bird. When the dagger hit its target, the bird explodes in a whiff of red smoke and daggers speed through the air, landing dozens of meters away.

"We were spied" Nawin state and looks down to the rest "And I bet it's by that Boss of the bandits" "No doubt," Erza looks across the village where the Marsh lies "We should head out now" "I agree," Jellal nods "The longer we stay here, the higher risk we put these people in." Issei takes a deep breath, trying to push through his fears "Let's move then." "Before you say that," Erza points out "Shouldn't you head to a bathroom and clean up?" she questions, looking at the muddy clothes on the Hyoudou. "Damn, that's right!" Issei quickly dashes in the village in search of a bathroom "Wait a minute while I wash up and change!" he shouts while the rest of the group just shake their head.

After the Hyoudou return with spare new clothes on, the group decides to walk around the village to head to the Marsh since having Bork walking through the place would cause unnecessary attention and spook the people by being near contact with the giant creature. As the group gains distance toward the swamp, they begin to witness its large and ominous appearance.

Tall, thick trees. Muddy and wet ground. Dark colored grass. Smog oozing out from the swamp. Crows' caws erupting in the depts of the swamp. The group stop when getting the full view of the swamp that they will have to enter inevitably. Issei shivers when feeling the raw evil intent seeping out from the swamp "It's like the swamp wants us not to come any closer" he utters "Yeah… I get that feeling too" Jellal joins, his expression bears seriousness.

"Bork," Issei calls out "Yesh?" "How exactly did you get through that place without you know… Dying?" the questions quickly catch the other's attention. "Yeah?" Erza claps her hand on her hip, staring at the Troll "I never asked you that" "Bork never had problem going through Specbok!" he informs, shaking his head "Bork stroll through it with no trouble beside dealing with those annoying Godun. They always try to hurt Bork!"

"Hmm," Nawin thinks for a minute of a reason why the Wraiths that inhabit the swamp doesn't attack Bork. "It could be that they didn't sense any danger from Bork" he states, staring at the Troll "Either because of his pacifist persona radiating or because he is just a creature" "That could be the reason" Erza insert, nodding "Plus, Wraiths aren't ever known for stealing lifeforce from creatures such as Trolls… They steal from only people that being Devils, Fallen Angels, Angels, and Humans."

Jellal turns to the swamp "That means when Bork enters this time with us following…" "It will be a completely different story" Issei finish, silently gulping. Nawin glance at the swamp and his eyes widen instantly by what he is seeing. Her long and darkest shade of violet hair. Her glowing purple eyes are staring at him with warmth and love. She gives that beautiful smile that wants him to sprint towards her. Nawin watch her turn around and enters the dangerous swamp, causing him to lift his right arm forward and about to scream for her to stop.

Before he got a chance a hand claps down his shoulder, snapping him back and turn to see Issei wearing a concern expression. "You ok?" he questions, seeing the stunned look on the Makasha's face "You look spooked." Nawin brings his right hand to his face "Yeah… I'm fine" he whispers before removing the hand to look at Issei "Just tired," "Yeah, I get you, but we got to keep moving, or the bandits will start catching up."

Erza grips her sword tightly while Jellal clenches his hands, both staring sharply at the swamp. Issei releases the Makasha's shoulder and rests his right hand on his chest; his expression turns keen. Nawin takes a deep breath and softly exhales, his eyes snap open and gone are the brown color instead, it is now glowing red. "Bork," he calls, making the Troll turn "Yesh?" "Lead the way."

Next Chapter: Past Haunts, A Bloody Night