Titania and The Hunter
Chapter 9: The Shot Heard Around The World
Disclaimer: You know the drill
And in the second week, he brought the next chapter. Oh just kidding, but seriously, thank you guys for all of the support! Just so god damn awesome!
In the last few weeks since I started writing the last chapter, Shadow Rogue is actually Future Rogue. FR took out FL in front of Natsu and gang. Fairy Tail won! Sting goes out like a bitch! And Natsu gets his ass handed to him by the Shadow Of Light! And the dragons emerge! I'm excited for the next installment!
Hope things go my way because I have an idea for what I could do to make that segment more intriguing and surprising. Dan Dan Daaaaan!
Also, the next two chapters after this will probably be my favorite. We are going to see some serious development!
So here we gooooooooo!
#########Hunter########
A cloud of dust passed over the desert road. Small bugs and reptiles passed over the dirt path as they heard a rumble closing in. They dispersed as the sounds of a train blasting its whistle was echoed through the empty pass. The train ran over the rails as it headed to the next major city area on its map. And in the opposite direction, a magical 4-wheeler darted down the desert road.
The car moved up and down as it hit dirt clumps and holes in the ground. The two figures inside the vehicle bounced with the movement of the cart as one seemed to take it in stride while the other grew more agitated with every move. But the jokester at the wheel of the car with the SE plug on her arm just chuckled at the fun she was having, her modest chest bounced within her open front black suit.
"Ahahahahahaha, this so much fun! I need to do this more often!" She continued to jump with the car as she heard more grunts and unpleasant noises coming from a rough, very baritone voice. As she hit another bump, the voice in the carriage seemed to rage as he slid the view window out and looked at the brown-haired girl.
"For Fuck Sake Marika, Control Yourself!" The man with the shaggy black hair and long sideburns screamed as he found the hilt of the sword on his back blocking him from going out any further. "The Master can't keep taking your abuse just because you get wet from adrenaline! So calm down now!"
"Ahahaha, lighten up Uvo-kun. It's not every day we get to hit a road like this on our route and have such fun." She looked behind her shoulder at the burly man as she sent him a sly grin. "Besides, if we should blame anyone it should be the guy who carries around a sword as large as himself on his back. We can't spend all of our time indulging in your whole compensation fetish because it takes ten minutes to fit in your sword."
"That's it! Pull over! I'm going to teach you a lesson about respect little girl!" He started to comically grab her hair as she shrieked and bit his hand. The car swerved as their tantrum caused Marika to lose her concentration on the road. They were about to had a full out fight in this awkward position before a weary and aged voice grabbed both their attentions.
"Now now you two. There is no need for you to fight while we are traveling. Just calm down and take a deep breathe." As the words left his wrinkled lips, the two enraged soldiers seemed to calm down and resume what they were previously doing. The man with the snow white hair chuckled as he watched the two of them pout in anger. "Better?"
"Yes Matser/Jii-chan." He laughed and resumed looking out the window at the fleeting scenery. His black uniform covered by an old time government coat around his man in question had shoulder length long white hair that he had gained in his advanced age. A small rugged beard that had grown around his chin after a long time of keeping it unkempt. Down his face was a faded scar that began at the top of his forehead straight down the right side of his face until it reached his chin and could be seen going down his collar bone. The scar ran down his eye and made the focal muscle useless and murky.
"Now have two calmed down?" He saw Uvogin nod his head and through the window saw Marika nod hers. He smiled kindly and he chuckled at their behavior. "Good, I don't like to see you youngsters fight amongst yourselves. Marika! If you start to grow tired, warn us okay? Uvogin and I can take up after you."
"You kidding Jii-chan? I could keep this up all across Fiore!" She screamed a triumphant yell as she raised her arms above her head. "There's a reason so many people follow me you know!" The back of her uniform could be clearly seen with a green arrow sewn onto her left sleeve. On her back was the symbol of a flaming fist. General of the 3rd division.
"He picked you because you were so annoying he had to shut you up anyway he could." Uvogin readjusted himself and sat down with the blue arrow shown on his right sleeve. General of the 2nd division.
"Now now. No more arguing." His left arm emerged out of the coat and showed a deep red arrow put onto both sleeves. General of the 1st division. "We will never arrive at Mordreau-kun's base if you continue to squabble like this. Now, full speed ahead!"
"Yes sir!" Both companions yelled as Marika sent more magical power into the plug and sent the car speeding twice as fast. Of course, earning more complaining from Uvogin and the chagrin of their Master.
########Hunter########
Tohen looked up at the black cloaked figure of the blond stranger he had met only a moment ago. He was totally shocked at the event happening in front of him. No. No. Shocked is an understatement. Maybe flabbergasted? No that's stupid. Anyway, back to this fight.
All he could say was that he had never seen anything like this. He was told of the horrors of the independent mercenary guild and that most adults were terrified of this group. And that he should run as fast as he could in any direction he could if he met someone from that guild.
But this kid, not much older than him, was challenging a merciless group right before his eyes. He knew the blond boy had seen what those monsters had done and yet he still chose to fight. Where almost every adult and soldier peed themselves and ran screaming, this boy went and challenged them straight to their face. Was this guy brave? Was he stupid?
Was he strong?
"Hey, Tohen right?" The brunette boy suddenly realized that he was being addressed by the blond with the bats in his hands. "I'm going to need you to run as soon as you find an opening. While I fight, you need to grab you friends and family and take off any way you can, okay?"
"Wh-what are you talking about? You can't seriously be thinking of fighting these guys, can you?"
"Yep." Tohen would have face faulted if he already wasn't lying down on his side.
"Bu-but you'll die."
"Says who?"
"Sa-says everyone!"
"If everyone tried fighting then maybe it would work?"
"What kind of shitty logic is that?!"
"Whatever kid! I'm going to take these guys down and then you will escape while you can." As he said that, all the members of Damnation seemed to burst into laughter except for Cron whose eyes were darkened as he looked at the ground.
"Ah Kid! You can't seriously be thinking you can take us!"
Naruto just widened his stance as he held the spiked weapons in front of him as a guard. "Watch me!"
He dashed forward as his boots lifted up the dirt with every step he took. He jumped in the air and flew straight at the members of the group. He landed in the middle of their group as almost all of the members were shocked at the speed and ferocity of the boy's action. He adjusted himself, aimed the bats at the twin sisters and swung them at their heads.
The girls barely dodged the boy's efforts as he continued his arc and tried to attack Milt and Cron. Milt jumped back and Cron rolled away as they tried to keep their distance from the new boy. The only option allowed for the boy now was to attack the head honcho of the group. As Naruto reached out to hit him even harder, he was met with some surprisingly powerful resistance.
Naruto looked up to see the sleeveless man was blocking his right attack with just the back of his fist. Naruto gritted his teeth before jumping back and diving at the man once again. Naruto started to make a flurry of fierce attacks that continued to impact against the man's hands as he halted the boy's attacks. Every chance he could, the man would try to slip in an attack of his own but was met with the boy blocking his attempt with a bat. The two of them continued this exchange as the other Damnation members all regained their bearings and watched the fight. Before long they all snickered and were preparing to blindside the advancing boy.
Tohen watched the fight in surprise and horror as the strange boy put up a fight against the menacing captain and his group of monsters. Before the boy lost himself in the spectacle, he remembered the mission he had and the importance of the opportunity he was given. He wiped the blood of his chin and stumbled before standing up on his feet. He turned his head to the faces of the stunned children and motioned for them to follow him. They all flinched and seemed to contemplate before nodding their heads and coming out of their hiding spots.
The captain parried a blow and sent Naruto stumbling for an instant. In that instant, the twin sisters appeared above him with slasher smiles aimed at the young boy. They kicked down and aimed at the boy as he back stepped and blocked their attacks with the bats. They started to jump over each other, mixing their kicks and punches together to confuse the young fighter. As Miryoku jumped over Naruto, he had to position himself to keep an eye on the descending girl and her attacking sister. But as the women fell, a strange magical sensation covered both her and her sister.
With a smirk, her body suddenly soared straight at the boy, getting an attack on the side of the stunned boy's head as he stumbled. As he tried to get his bearings back, Hanryoku kicked him in the face, sending him back a foot as he steadied himself and glared at the twins by each other's side.
While all of the fighters were distracted Tohen appeared by his father's side. He got the man's attention away from the fight as he gestured for them to make a move while they still could. The man was momentarily stunned from the fight to the need for an escape. He got his bearings as he agreed with his son as he issued all the other villagers to follow his lead.
Naruto was desperate as he continued to fight and parry the moves of the strange twin fighters, their weird magic landing a hit on him whenever he was concentrated on one of them. Milt jumped in behind him, gaining the boy's attention as the bespectacled man added his attacks into the flurry. The three members surrounded him in a triangle, cutting him off in all directions as every time he blocked two attacks one of them would slip in and contact.
Mordreau stood off to the side of the battle as he laughed like a maniac with his arms crossed over, Cron at his side still kneeling and absentminded. "Ha! That kid was just a little too cocky! Oh well. I love to see those three use their Magnet and Analysis together! I guess the young learn a little too late, huh Cron?" The older captain looked to his side to see the swordsman was still unresponsive. The captain had instantly understood what that meant as he had seen that look on his face before. "Oh, I should probably step back?" He stepped aside as the golden haired man finally stood back up.
"He... He took them... My bats... Those were mine... I kill with those..." He lifted his eyes with a cold, murderous glare aimed at the struggling blond boy. Slowly, a magical presence flared around him as his coat tails lifted and hardened. They started to twist around and change, forming imitation appendages. The coat tails made black and silver arms as they separated the coat and reached for the swords on his back. They pulled the swords off and lowered them to the ground, the swords gleaming in the sunlight.
"You little fucker. You little fucker!" All the members dispersed as Naruto was left there puzzled. He looked over to where he could sense a magic flare and saw the coated man with four black arms and his normal arms jerking around like he was ready to slice the boy to a pulp. "I'll cut you to pieces you little shit!"
Cron dashed forward and suddenly disarmed Naruto's left hand, taking back his bat from the boy's hand. The man started to swing around and attack Naruto with all five of his weapons at the same time. Naruto struggled but was able to parry all of the strikes with the other bat and his metal arm. As the strikes began to turn stronger, he put more power into his blocking and started to hold even ground with the insane blade user. The blocks caused sparks between metal and cracks in the sides of the blades the soldier was using.
As the fight continued, Cron felt some stress build on his Limbs when the boy started to match his speed and strikes. Even in this state of danger, he felt exhilarated that this little boy could actually match his ferocity. He watched as the boy's mismatched eyes looked at him with a cold and malevolent glare. The man actually smiled and wished for more, until...
"Move."
Cron instantly knew what that meant as he clicked his tongue in disappointment before jumping out of the way and leaving the blond boy open.
Naruto looked surprised as he watched the multi-armed man jump away before he looked back in front of him. A massive fist impacted straight to his chest as he reacted and tried to protect himself. He was lifted off his feet with wide eyes as he spat out blood. The huge fist stopped and the young Mage flew several meters back as his body skidded on the ground, unmoving. The captain of the Damnation squad pulled his fist back as he stood between all of his subordinates. His Mass magic dispersed from his hand as he looked between all of his men.
"Are you all alright?" He watched as the entire team looked over themselves for injuries. The twins and Milt all touched some small bruises on their arms and legs from where the boy had matched their blows. Cron lowered his arms and gazed at the cracked and dull edges of his blade. Mordreau sighed and scratched his neck, "I know you all wanted to play with the kid a little longer but we have work to do." The man looked over to the vest wearing member of his squad.
"Go check him out will ya? He's probably broken but he might still be breathing. See if he's got anything on him worth taking."
"Ugh, yes sir."
"Oh and grab my bat too!"
"Yeah! Yeah!" Milt grumbled as he walked over to the still form of the unmoving boy. He bent down and started to search through the boy's cloak and pockets. He grabbed the boy's limp metal arm and waved it around, seeing that it was fused to the shoulder of the stranger. He raised an eyebrow as he realized that he found nothing on the boy he could take. Just as he was about to return back to the group, he felt a vibration in his vest pocket.
"Oh what is it now?" He reached inside and pulled out the device he had used earlier to check the adults for potential. He received some weird readings before he started to fiddle with some settings. When he had finished, he looked at the results with a confused expression. Then his eyes started to widen, before he was actually stuttering and trying to find words. He stumbled to stand up on his feet as he turned and looked toward his teammates, actually losing his agitated attitude and looking at them with excitement.
"Captain! Captain! I found it!"
Mordreau and his team looked towards the brains of their operation as he jumped up and down. "The damn thing found him! We got one of the-"
Just as Milt was about to finish his sentence, he was back-fisted from behind so hard he was sent head first straight into the ground. Damnation looked on in shock as the previously believed dead boy stood behind where Milt once stood, his right fist held out and panting mildly. He looked down at the unconscious man at his feet before looking back up at the group. He lifted his left hand and showed everyone a slim, crushed metal plate on a stick.
"I got lucky that I put this thing in your way." He looked toward Mordreau as he tossed the ruined weapon to his side. "If I was even a second late I probably wouldn't have gotten back up." He looked down at the vest wearing man and smirked to himself. 'Glad to know my chakra could knock a guy out if I hit him right.' He didn't plan to use his chakra in this fight but he could tell he was going to have a tough battle just from the sparring he had with these guys. Especially the captain, if that last hit told him anything. He laughed and started to message his right hand.
"Does that sting?"
The large middle-aged man lifted up his right hand and saw that his knuckles were bleeding; the spikes from the bat had broken off and were stuck in his fingers. He clicked his tongue and glared at the boy coldly as he started plucking out the metal pieces. Cron at his side had seemed even angrier.
"You little bastard! That was my bat you used!"
"Whatever you freak! If you've got such a boner for weapons make sure your enemy can't take them from you so easily!"
Cron flinched before he actually started to froth at the mouth, barely being held back by the twins holding onto his arms. Mordreau raised his hand in front of him and stopped any advances he could take. "Do you really still think you can fight? We just showed you that we could take you down in a matter of seconds? And you still want to try?"
"Oh, was I really fighting? Or was I just grabbing your attention?" The captain questioned his words before realizing what he said and turning around to see an empty village. He cursed when he realized that the boy was actually toying with them to let the hostages escape. He glared at him while Naruto laughed and stretched out his hands.
"Now that the civilians are gone, the adults get to play, huh?" He Requip his swords into his hands and held them in a defensive stance, showing a devilish smile and gleam in his eyes.
"Let's go!"
########Hunter########
"~Oh, I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves! Everybody's nerves! Everybody's nerves! I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves and this is how it goes~!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Shut up! Shut up!" The large man started to bash his head against the view window as he glared at the peppy woman as she sung her irritating vocals. "If you say that god damn verse one more time ill cut you to pieces!"
"Oh yeah, I'd like to see you try~." She continued to sing as she drove through the green area. She looked around at the change in scenery as the desert was lost and switched for the plains they were currently traveling in.
"Damn it woman! Do you think the Master likes to hear you prattle on with these annoying songs? Master tell her to know her place!" He got no reply. "Master?"
"Hmmm hmm hm hm hm hmm hm hmmm hm hmmmm hmmm, hmmmm hm hmmmmm hm hmmmmm- I'm sorry Uvogin what did you say?"
"Master don't hum the song! You'll encourage her!" As the large man started to argue with the elderly man as he just chuckled and waved him off, the vehicle was brought to a sudden stop. The two men looked at each other without saying anything as Uvogin pushed the window and looked outside. "Woman, what did you do?"
"I think we hit a little snag." She unhooked the plug from her arm as she jumped to the ground, looking at the menacing men in front of them. Uvogin exited out of the car and walked over to the woman as she tiredly looked at the gang of bandits. "Okay, who are you?"
"We are the guys who own this mountain, sweetie." The man and woman looked around as dozens of men all came out from behind the trees, leering at them. "And you just trespassed on our territory. So you should probably just leave all you belonging and go. Before my men start to get hungry." They started to close in on the two of them as they all drooled and crept closer. The man and woman did not show fear as Uvogin unhooked his massive sword from his back and the woman cracked her knuckles.
"Race you?"
"You're on."
########Hunter########
Mordreau watched the scene with a stoic glare. He had fought so many people through his many years of living. He had killed soldiers and bandits, mages and civilians, and everyone in between. People who could match him in strength, others that were so insignificant he could swat them away like flies.
The only man he had ever met that completely outclassed him was the old bastard that converted him into this so-called guild. Even the members of his team couldn't beat him unless they all attacked him at the same time.
But this little kid was actually holding his own against the subordinates of his team. Mind you he was bruised and bleeding a little, and one of his swords was broken leaving only a short stretch of metal on a hilt. He just watched as the blond boy took in as many deep breathes as he could as he readied himself to fight again.
The captain didn't actually advance on the fighting, leaving it for the sadistic twins and the crazed swordsman. But the twins were both panting, blood going down their chins and a black eye for both of them. For Cron, two of his three weapons were broken and one of his of his extra limbs was cut off. And Mordreau knew what that meant as far as his endurance went. So he just looked on and watched as the fight continued.
Naruto kept his form and breath steady as he looked at the enemies. He kept the broken katana in his left hand and fiddle with the broad sword in his right. He winced when he felt some of his bruised ribs ache when he tried to take a deep breath. He knew that his chakra wouldn't be able to bring much of an advantage in this battle as it did with the other man. So he had to rely on his magic to help him win this battle. But his concern wasn't with the twins or swordsman but with the large captain who just watched as he fought. The whiskered boy knew that the man was going to be more trouble than these three so he had to conserve magic.
So what was he going to do? He didn't he have any help. Didn't have any other means of escape. And was running out of time before he was going to be a fish in a barrel. What did Rob-jichan tell him to do in situations like this? Use his head? Okay, what did he know? The twins came towards each other like magnets when he was between them. The guy could use his magic to make fake limbs and control them like they were his own. So how was he going to...
...
He smirked. Oh, that would work.
"Man, what's with you guys. I thought you were intimidating but wow I was wrong." He laughed as loud as he could as he egged the people on as they all looked at him in hate. "I fought lizards that do more damage then you guys."
"Don't let him get to you. He's just trying to anger you-"
"It works!" The twins both ran forward, pulling knives from their cleavage and holding them in between their fingers. Naruto jumped back and started to slash at the women, his sword overpowering their knives and throwing them off their feet. The women started to attack desperately as Naruto continued to toy with them, effortlessly parrying their attacks and dodging their throws. He flashed a grin that just pissed off the girls.
"That's it! Kill him!" Hanryoku jumped off of Miryoku's back as Naruto watched her arc over him. Miryoku locked his arms in place and kept him close to her chest, facing him as she watched her sister land a few feet back. Hanryoku held out her knives and the twins surged their Magnet magic, causing the light-haired sister to lift up and pull towards the two of them, aiming to skewer the blond Mage in the back.
"What now you brat?!"
Naruto looked to Miryoku and smirked as he moved his hand and cut her in the leg with his blade. She screamed and lost her focus, letting the boy cut her arms with the broken blade. Her grasp was lost as Naruto was let free and she stumbled back. Naruto then Requip his broken sword and grabbed her face with his left hand. He turned around and watched as Hanryoku soared towards them, unable to stop as the boy put her sister's head in the way of her flight.
*Bam*
The sisters' heads collided as their skulls rung and they were both stunned, forgetting their previous pincer tactic in its entirety.
"Miryoku-chan, that hurts."
"Shut up Hanryoku-chan!" The sister then both saw from the corner of their eyes that Naruto had shifted to their side, holding his hand out to keep the two of them in place. He smirked as he twisted and lifted them up before aiming for the ground. Their head contacted with each other and cracked the ground beneath them as they passed out from the pain.
Naruto lifted his hand off and showed that the girls' eyes had gone white and they were bleeding from their noses. He shook his hand and summoned his Kusanagi back in its broken condition. He looked over to the two remaining members of the group. He smirked as he lifted two fingers off the hilt.
"Two to go."
Cron looked at the cheeky boy with an even glare before he held his blades out in front of him. He walked forward before then running forward with all of his weapons at the ready and the bat grasped in both hands. Both of them started to slash at each other with full power, aiming to cut them to shreds.
"I'm going to cut you in half. Then quarters. Then sixteenths and then smaller and smaller. And feed 'em to a pig and watch as it shits you out." The sparks from their exchange covered their eyes as the sound of metal clashing against metal rang out through their ears.
"Okay. That's interesting and all. But let me ask you something?" The final cross ended up in a stalemate, Excalibur holding three of the swords up as his gauntlet arm pushed down the bat and blocked the last sword with his elbow. They both were inches away from each other as Naruto looked at the mad man with a slight smirk on his face. "Your magic can let you make arms and stuff, right?"
The man raised an eyebrow at the question as he slowly nodded his head. "And you can feel and control them like they were your own arms? And when I cut one of them off, your overall strength went way down. And I can speak from personal experience that losing an arm can be a killer. So...what happens when I do this?" He tensed his arms and unlocked them both, leaving the golden-haired man open for a second. He pulled back the sharp broken hilt and swung up; cutting off the fabric of two of his arms and making the man clench his teeth in pain.
As the swords dropped to the ground and the fabric fell with them, the man stumbled slightly before grasping the bat as hard as he could. He used most of his magic to form the arms and make them follow his instructions when he wanted them to. So he had to have a sense of feeling to make the arms react how he wanted. So if they were cut, let alone cut off, it hurt like hell.
Cron felt his vision go hazy and unclear as he tried to focus on his enemy. He lifted his head and prepared the last arm on his back to cleave the boy's scalp off. When his eyes grew clearer, he saw the blond boy with his right elbow coming towards him.
His head turned and he spun around once when the elbow impacted his jaw, shattering it on the left side. He stumbled again as the last coat tail fluttered and dropped the sword, returning to its lifeless form. He fell to his knees and his eyes turned to the back of his head, before falling on his face.
Naruto panted heavily as he held himself up on his knees. Some sweat dripped from his chin as he shook his head to focus himself. He looked up to see that the captain of the little squad had left from his position and was walking over to him, taking off his sleeveless uniform as his boots kicked up the dirt. He tossed it to the side and flexed his massive arms as every step he took cracked the ground.
"One last chance kid. You're gonna die either way but I'll give you a choice. I could make this all happen in an instant or it will be slow and excruciating? Your choice."
"Whatever the choice is" aimed the tip of his blade at the man as he cracked his knuckles. "That makes you wish you never met me."
The man actually chuckled at the boy's undeserved confidence. He tensed his legs and smiled at the young man. "Here I come!"
########Hunter########
"Okay, so I cut up about 36 of them." The man said as he walked besides his younger female teammate over the piles of dismembered body parts and unmoving corpses. "You?"
"Ha! 38! I win!" She bragged as she wiped the blood off her knuckles and hands. She jumped over the bodies in victory before doing a little dance that irked her fellow guild mate. "Since I win, you buy the next set of beers when we go into the pub in Seven, got it?" As the two of them were about to reach the car to leave, a stirring and voice alerted them to a survivor in the mess of blood and limbs.
"Wa-wait! Wait!" The leader of the group, the man who had first threatened the three travelers when they first arrived. The man stumbled out of the pile of his men, covered in blood and holding on tightly to his separated right arm. "Yo-you people! I know you people! You monsters!"
"Monsters is a bit of a harsh term to use. Don't you think Uvo-kun?"
"Don't try to be cute kid it doesn't work for you."
"You!" The man let go of his severally bleeding wound and pointed at the young, brown haired woman. "You are 'Marika the Disassembler'! You killed an entire platoon of Rune Knights with just your bare hands. You put the living pieces of the men on spikes for the entire world to see and laughed as they promised to hang you from the tallest tower in Fiore!"
"Oh yeah, man I had some great times back then. Used to kill for food and live in the trees and shit. But hey, more civilized now. Now, I just do it for fun."
"And you! You're 'War Blade Uvogin'!" He pointed to the large, black-haired swordsman as he yawned in absolute boredom. "You murdered hundreds in the Cabria war on the front lines. Working as a soldier for hire for anyone who paid you enough. You could kill anyone with your swords in an instant."
"Yeah well Acceleration magic will do that when you use it right."
"You two were some of the most wanted criminals in all of Fiore for what you di-*cough**cough*" the bandits coughed out a large amount of blood as he fell to his knees. He looked up at them as if he was trying to tell them something. "Wh-why are you here?"
"Well we joined Damnation because we were asked to. Jii-chan found us wherever we were held up and gave us an offer. Now we owe him everything. Followers, respect, the strength to put the old us to shame."
"Yeah. The Master came up to me while I was searching through a guild I had cut up. Told me that if I followed him, I would have over 200 men loyally following my side and never a dull day to be had. And" Uvo laughed as he hefted his sword off his back again. "He was right. Hey Marika you got more than me so I'll be taking this guy, okay?"
"Bu-but don't you see who you are following?!" The man stumbled back as he fell to his rear, trying to escape from the intimidating man with the massive cleaver. "Th-that monster-that Demon!" Uvogin stopped his trek towards the injured man as he and Marika both looked at him. "Do you know who that man is? That so called 'Master' you are following? The things he has done?"
"You really should watch your words man."
"That-that 'thing' that all of you are so keen on following, it's not human!" The man said with a tone of pure hate and disdain as he looked at the two Generals of the army like guild. "Everybody looked up to him; saw him as an idol and hero to the people of the royal city. Before he went crazy and killed all of those innocent people. He destroyed an entire town because he was chasing some kind of shadow. And he escaped the custody of the entire armed forces of the Royal Palace guard and Rune Knights. And he gathered up depraved and crazy people, just like him, and told them to kill because they could."
"Seriously, stop talking!"
"And now he goes around the country, around the world, killing people! Looking for something that never existed! And you follow that like he is some kind of messiah! He thinks this is justice but he is just some old loon who can't even understand what is happening in the world anymore! You think that is someone you can trust in! You think you can trust the 'Tyrant Devil Alexander Sorrento'!"
"It depends on how you gain their trust." A soft, elderly voice said from the inside of the vehicle. The door opened and a pair of combat boots came out of it, following with the form of a man at least over eighty. He closed the door and walked over to them, showing that he was tall, probably 6-feet. He long white hair came down to his shoulders as he came to a stop on front of the injured man. A man who looked at the old elder with so much uncontrolled fear and horror that just the only thing keeping him from soling himself was the situation he was in.
"I come to weary, broken children. Boys and girls. And I tell them that this world has been unkind to them. A world where they have been mistreated and abandoned, a world with no justice in it except the one they can make for themselves. And I tell them they can embrace that justice with their own hands. As long as they can trust me to help them find a new life." He smiled kindly at the injured man as he seemed to try and crawl away as fast as he could with one working arm.
"And...about that whole 'shadow' thing...it's just a bit of an unresolved issue I've had for almost half a century now. I just want them to check out anyone they meet and send back word if they have met that certain someone." He walked over to the crying man as he lifted him up by his good arm and dusted him off. "Of course it is still a bit of a sensitive subject and I don't like to be reminded of it." He smiled at the man, which looked grim and evil from the way his voice was so cold and kind, and the scar down his face only worsened it. "But even my old age has softened my anger. So I'll give you until the count of five."
He turned around and slowly walked back to the 4-wheeler. The bandit took the chance as he ran for dear life, ignoring his limp arm as he ran on the corpses of his followers.
"5..."
The man desperately jumped over everybody in his way and the rough any clear paths.
"4..."
The bandit tripped but then started to claw at the ground as he got back to his feet.
"3..."
Uvogin holstered his massive sword to his back as Marika out her hands in her pockets, following the old man back to the car.
"2..."
Several rings of silver air started to appear around Sorrento's arms as he stepped over some rubble in his way.
"1..."
The rings gathered around his index finger and more and more appeared as a ringing noises echoed around him. He stood in front of his car and turned around, pointing his finger at the retreating man's back like a gun.
"Sonic Shock."
A loud bang burst out as his hand was sent back. All of the rubbed and clutter between the man and Sorrento was blown away or pushed back as the magic homed in on the dying bandit. It reached the man as a slight scream could be heard before an enormous bang rang out, causing Uvogin and Marika to flinch at the sonic boom. A huge dome of energy exploded out from where the man once stood as all of the plants, trees, bushes and bodies were blasted back. The loud ringing and air pressure continued for several seconds before it went quiet. Nothing standing there was left as a cloud of dust spread over the bodies.
"M-man Jii-chan, your Shock is just a great as I remember."
"Yes, I have to keep in my best shape." Marika was heading for the front before his hand grabbed her shoulder, causing her to look over at his face. "I'll drive."
She stayed silent before slowly nodding her head and joining Uvogin in the back. The old man latched the plug to his arm as he took hold of the wheel. "We'll be there in an hour, so stay focused."
The car took off as they passed through a cloud of red mist. A dust trail was all that was left from where the car once was in the center of a field of grass and bodies.
########Hunter########
Naruto was sent flying through the remains of a broken wall. He rolled several times before lifting his dust covered head and coughing, some blood dropping down to the dirt beneath him. He looked back up to see Mordreau standing above him, already with a smirk on his face and his fist held up high, full of his Mass to crush the kid's head.
He brought his fist down as Naruto dove to his side, narrowly dodging having his body squashed like a bug while his cloak folded on his back. He jumped back to his feet and pulled his swords to his side, jumping up and aiming for the man's face. The captain leaned back, leaving Naruto in midair as he tried to turn around again and get another hit. He was met with a knee strike to the back as the blond boy gasped in pain and clenched his teeth.
He jumped back and started to stab his sword at the man's chest, only to receive some light laughter as he pushed the blade aside with the palm of his hand. Naruto felt anxious and scared as he was toyed with like a little boy being bullied by his older brother. He felt weak and powerless, like all of his effort and training was for nothing when he met this man who was so overwhelming. He felt like...
Like he was back in the dark cage, watching the masked men walk by as he laid there on the ground.
Like that little boy who tried to hide his fear and loneliness as he kept a brave face for all of his friends in the slave cell.
He felt useless. And that terrified him.
When his last swing went too far, Mordreau laughed and punched the boy in the chest when he was wide open. Naruto felt his ribs creak as he was sent flying into a harder, sturdier wall. His back impacted and he gasped for air, slowly sliding down the wall as his feet met the ground. The exhausted boy looked up as the barely damaged tower of a man walked in front of him, only a few feet away.
"So...still think you can win?"
"Yeah...*huff**huff* just need to catch my breath." Naruto looked up at the man as he shook his head and put his hands on his hips. "Wha-what's so funny?"
"I used to be like you kid. Thinking I could come from some rich family and save the world. Could solve all of my problems with a can do attitude and some special skills. But the world doesn't work like that. You don't have friends you can rely on. You don't have the strength to win against the strong people. And you don't always come out of impossible situations for the better. That's how the world works." He straightened up as he wiped some dirt from his brow. "Let me tell you about what you are facing. A group of over 600 well trained, extremely coordinated mages that could make you cry in a second. Lead by my General, a fighting crazed she-male who gets her tits off when she kills people. A lump of muscle that has killed so many people he could start a market selling their body parts. And a man who is so powerful he was once considered to join the Ten Wizard Saints. That is Damnation!"
Naruto continued to take deep breathes as he looked at the man's feet instead of his face. Just as Mordreau thought he had destroyed the boy's resolve, he started to laugh. "Hehehe, you don't think I understand that? That I really just saw the world from some diamond glass and everything would be good? No. Let me tell you what I know."
He lifted himself up and looked at the man with a strong fire burning in his blue and brown eyes. "I know that there are people like you in this world. Guys who are so damn twisted and demented that they think they can do just about anything to weaker people because they are stronger. That they have privilege and status! I've lived my whole life having to listen to the words of people like you! And I'm not going to anymore!"
"All of us? All over the country? The world? What? Are you going to hunt us down?"
"That's right! I will hunt down every single one of you and make you wish you never joined that fucking Damnation!
He smiled as he continued to look at the stoic male leader. "I have friends I can rely on. I'll gain the strength to win any battle I'm in. And I'll push through and defeat any impossible challenge in my way. First off..." He held Excalibur at arm's length as he pointed it at the man in front of him, "I'm going to cut you with this blade."
Mordreau shook his head and started to crack the knuckles of his right hand. "Okay, let me tell you how this is actually going to happen. I'm going to crush both that sword and your chest with this fist. And then, I'll watch you bleed out as you try to say something through your pierced lungs."
"Well, we'll see." Naruto urged the man to come at him as he started to bounce on his feet. Mordreau ran forward and reeled his fist back, aiming for the boy's chest. Naruto stretched his right arm out and let the tip of Excalibur touch his knuckles. As his arm started to be pushed back from the overwhelming strength, Naruto moved over and put the end of the blade's hilt on the wall. Mordreau had no time to react as the hilt of the blade was reinforced by the wall and the sword was pierced through his fist.
As Mordreau clenched his teeth in pain, Naruto dove to the left side of the man and cut his face with the broken Kusanagi. He rolled on the ground and jumped back to his feet, looking at the back of the man he had injured. The captain slowly turned around and pulled back his fist, the blade through his forearm and the hilt at his knuckles. He looked over at the boy, a long gash across his face with blood pooling down the lower half.
"You should have just died kid!" He ran forward with the strength of a charging bull as Naruto flipped over the man's charge, cutting a shallow cut through his shoulder. As the man continued to try and grab the agile boy, Naruto stayed on the man's right side and continued to slash at his open side. After a few minutes of close calls, Mordreau was breathing heavily from the loss of blood, buildup of pain and wounds.
He growled like an beast as he pulled the sword from his right arm, blood spurting out if his open wound like a fountain. He was unable to even use his right arm anymore but pulled the blade as far as he could and threw it at the boy. In retaliation, the boy gathered some Armor and tossed the broken blade at the other one, knocking it off course. But from a blind spot, the larger man came up to him and grabbed his shoulder, locking his right arm underneath and leaving him unable to hit the man.
"What now you little shit?! What do you do now!" Naruto just looked at the man evenly as he seemed to lose his mind at the idea of losing to him. He gathered up some magic into his right hand, enough that it started to glow with a faint white glow. He pointed to the man's chin, pondering a simple question.
Yeah. That was less than a second of space.
"Flying Gauntlet!"
The Damnation squad captain widened his eyes as he saw a ball of magical power close in on his chin. Desperate, he sent a fair amount of his remaining magic towards his chin and increased its durability with his Mass to keep him safe. He felt the impact similar to a brick hit his jaw, making his eyes go blurry and his head reel. The powerful ranged attack ended as he felt the magic blast come to a stop, his chin bruised and slightly bleeding. But nothing else. He actually chuckled, a slight sting going through his skull from the fresh pain. "Nice try kid. But it's o-"
He looked down to see the boy staring directly at his chest. With his left arm, covered in metal, chambered to his side in a fist. And a flare of his magic power building up in his fist. Before the older man could even react for a defense, the boy's fist had already impacted into his stomach.
"HA!"
Mordreau was lifted off his feet as the sounds of a loud thud rang through his ears. His eyes were swimming in his skull as he puked up his lunch and then some blood. His feet met ground again as he tried to take in some deep breathes, only wheezing in return. He lifted his left arm, aiming to crush the boy's head within his grip. But only met with a fading light.
The man fell onto the boy's shoulder, slowly leaning off his side and landing with a loud thud at the boy's side. Naruto stood there silently, taking in a deep breath before wiping some of his blood off his mouth and from his forehead. He looked up at the darkening sky as silence ran though his ears. He looked over his shoulder at the members of the independent guild he had defeated. Then down at the unconscious form of the man that he had barely won against. He realized that he had defeated all of them and let it wash over him. Before pulling his head back and screaming at the top of his lungs, his arms raised over his head.
"Yeeeeeaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
He leaned backwards and landed on his back. He lay in the dirt and took as many breaths as he could as he enjoyed his victory. He looked around at the battlefield of his first fight; all of the homes were reduced to rubble and dirt. Well, he was told that Fairy Tail members always made a mess. At least he fit the criteria.
Naruto sat back up as he winced from all the bruises and damage. His breath felt ragged and his chest was felt bruised from all of the collective hits he had received. But then laughed that at least he came out on top. He hefted himself on his knees and stood back up in the remains of the town and the bodies of his beaten foes.
He looked through the house that Saeko and Tohen had hidden him in. He pushed through some of the broken debris and piled rubble. He arrived at his make-shift sack of rations and food and found that it had been completely crushed. Naruto clicked his tongue and threw the ruined stuff on the ground as he looked towards the road he came in from.
He looked up at the sky as the sun was at least an hour away from setting. He didn't have any food or water, and there was definitely not going to be a cart coming by to take him to the next town any time soon. So he took the last option he had besides waiting.
He ran down the road. Towards the next town on his list that lead to Magnolia. Ignoring his aching limbs and bruised ribs, he was running on pure adrenaline. Excited that he had defeated a group of people that no one else thought he could. And now he was on his way to his new home. He smiled and laughed and he cheered as loud as he could. Running down the darkened path to the next stop home.
########Hunter########
"So you were ambushed and defeated by an unknown boy from out of nowhere? And you don't know his name or intentions? All you can identify him with is; Blond hair, Heterochromic eyes, whisker-like scar on his face and a metal prosthetic for his left arm. Great. Fucking perfect!" The brown-haired general of the squad shrieked as she came close to pulling out her hair. From a few feet away was her fellow General and Master, watching her discipline her followers. All of the members sitting in front of her, tending to their wounds and bruises.
"General. Please. Let us explain-"
"Let me explain it to you Mordreau! You fucked up! All of you lost to a little kid who probably still wets the fucking bed! Ah, I'm never going to live this down!"
"I won't let you!"
"Fuck you Uvo!"
Mordreau watched as he commanding officer had a heated argument with her fellow general. He tended to the multiple gashes along his right side, making it difficult to breathe. He also twitched every time he did, looking down at the massive black bruise centered on his chest. He looked between all of his team members as they all looked towards him as well, contemplating.
"Um, I-I have-"
"What? Speak up!"
Milt reached into his vest and pulled out the device he used earlier. "I was analyzing the boy we confronted earlier from any signals or statistics he was giving off." All three of the generals looked at him quietly as he fiddled with the device. "And, well, sir..." He looked up towards them as he held the device for them to see.
"I detected a foreign element of power in the child's system. The one you told us to look for in all of the potential people we meet. He was positive." Uvo and Mari looked at him in surprise as Sorrento pushed past them and walked to the younger man, causing him to cower in fear. He grabbed the device out of the man's hand and checked the system settings, making sure the lacrima device he invented was functioning properly.
"They're alive. They're still here. Those shadows. Hashirama's shadows are still in Fiore!" He almost shrieked like a child before calming himself and turning around, grabbing the man's collar and lifting him up. "Which way did he go?"
"Wh-what are you-"
"Where!"
"I don't know!" He tossed Milt to the side like a useless animal and screamed in frustration. He continued to have his panic attack while Mordreau seemed to finally realize something. That he didn't have to take orders from fools like these. He looked over to Cron as the man nodded and grasped the blade in his hand. The gold colored man jumped up and swung, aiming for Marika's exposed neck as he head flew off her shoulders.
Uvo and Sorrento looked over at the members of the 19th Squad as their comrade's head landed in their Master's arms. "That's it old man! We can't follow this crap anymore. From now on, we are taking control of this guild."
Alex looked as all the injured members stood back up, ignoring their wounds. He continued to toss the severed head in his hands as he just looked at them blandly. "I was provoked on my way here by some poor bandits. And now, I find out that the people I have been so obsessed with for decades now have just escaped from between my fingers. You really shouldn't provoke me."
"Sorry old man! But end of the line!" Cron held the sword over his head as he descended towards the old man. But just as he was a few inches from cutting him, he felt a strange sensation pass through his body. The remaining chunks of the man's body fell apart and dispersed as the blood was kept from touching the old man by his second General's sword. Uvo wiped the blood from his blade as he made sure there was nothing left of the man he cut.
"Wha-what the-" he turned to the resident analyst of their team. "Milt! What was that?" The man with glasses used his magic to check his surroundings and the remains of his teammate at their feet.
"Th-that was a sword cut! Uvo cut him to pi-" before he could finish his explanation, a hand pierced his chest and grabbed his heart. As the rest of their team watched in horror as a disembodied hand pulled out the man heart and crushed it in front of him. As he fell on his face dead, a female voice laughed from Sorrento's position. He held the head in front of him and showed the group the still moving head of Marika.
"Hahaha, that's so funny. You guys are a riot! You thought I wouldn't use my Break-Apart magic and dodge that!" Her headless body stood back up and dusted itself off, its right hand missing before it came back and attached to her right arm. Sorrento walked forward and tossed the head back to the body as he glared at Mordreau with anger and hate the younger gentleman had never felt in his whole life.
"This was a bad decision you made today Mordreau. And now, you will be punished."
The Mass man panicked and charged up his fist, ready to break the old man's body apart. When his right fist was coming close, Sorrento lazily threw up his left hand to intercept him. A shockwave occurred and the man's arm was broken and twisted in an inhuman fashion. Ignoring the pain, he tried again with his other fist. This time, Sorrento met him fist to fist and the resulting power struggle was so overwhelming, Mordreau's Humerus physically popped out his shoulder blade. Before he could react, Alex gather some shock waves into his fingers and aimed at the man's knee caps, blowing them apart into a bloody mess.
He was ready to continue, using even his broken body parts to try a beat the man to death. But then, he felt an invisible pressure strike down on him like a waterfall of ice. His breathing stopped and he started to sweat profusely. He felt so cold and so weak compared to this extension of the Master's will that he couldn't even try to fight back. The pressure began to take its toll on the twins as well as they fell to their knees, crying in fear about what was happening. Sorrento kept his cold gaze on the bleeding man as his magical pressure caused the ground and wood to splinter and blood to spurt out of of the former captain's open wounds.
As the captain of the squad fell to the devastated knees, covered in blood and unresponsive to the pain, he watched as a demon walked in front of him, looking down on him like he was an insect. "This is your punishment boy. For betraying my trust and the trust of your family. Learn from your mistakes as you burn in hell fire." A large ball of cascading shock waves and magic pressure appeared in his hand, rumbling as he brought it close to the unmoving man's head. It faded into his skull as Sorrento placed his hand on the top of his head.
"Shocker Bomb"
A large bang was heard as Mordreau's head exploded in a shower of blood and bone. Blood squirted out of his new apeture as the body twitched and fell to his feet. Sorrento just looked towards the ground, uncaring of the blood covering his face. He looked towards the twins as they were so scared they couldn't even move. He shook his head and walked away, deciding to keep them for further questioning.
"So, what now Jii-chan? Should we catch that shadow while we still can?"
"Yes Master, this maybe your only chance to do so?"
Sorrento shook his head and chuckled at their worry for his safe being. "Don't worry. I'll meet up with him when the time comes. I've been blessed with the gift of finding the shadow when the light had faded from other's eyes. Besides" he looked up at the sky. "We could still use him for that other plan we have in stock so there is no rush. Just leave him be and we will find him soon enough."
The two generals shrugged and headed for the car, each of them grabbing one of the twins for questioning as Sorrento continued to look up at the stars, laughing to himself. The gears of fate were moving in his favor after so long. As his time for retribution was close.
Oh, so close.
########Hunter########
Done
Alright! Second chapter in April! And you didn't think I could!
Are you psyched? Are ya? Because I can't wait to write the next chapter.
Also, off topic, does anyone here watch Oreimo? I started watching it again and I actually forgot how funny it was. Especially when you realize that the people playing Gray, Wendy and Kagura are playing Kyousuke, Manami and Ayase respectively. Ha! Imagine Gray being a pervert while Wendy try's to be the voice of reason and Kagura threatens people with sharp weapons...
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Anyway...
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Next Chapter: In The Heart of The Grimoire