Author's Note: I hope you liked the glossary, I had that all in my head and it took forever for me to sit down and find all the chapter references. Anyways, I hope you forgive me for posting that monstoristy and here's your real update! Oh and English is in italics.
The Story So Far: Our heroes have finally returned to Deimon! Right now they seek to close the melfin that was surely created on their football field. Malhavoc, due to blood loss and casting one too many spells, has managed to make himself completely delierious from magic loss.
Hidden
By: Bar-Ohki
Chapter 36: Grand General Elec of Vent
Komusubi led the others around to the football field. Oddly enough there was no longer a melfin present, instead a new person was there. This person was tall, a good six feet tall. Currently they were wearing full body armor that had been crafted out some black-looking metal. Upon their stubling over to the field the armored figure turned around and looked at them. It was hard to say what the gender was, but the person was pale skinned and purple eyed. They pulled off their helmet to reveal spiky black hair with random red streaks in it.
"E-eye!" Komusubi gasped. It was true, this guy did bare an insanely accurate resemblance to Malhavoc (if you over looked the purple eyes and height difference). He looked at the group and frowned slightly, clearly puzzled by something.
"Jero!" The unmistakably male voice called to the group. He then proceeded to make chattering noises in a language no one understood.
"Isn't that the language that Malhavoc was speaking earlier?" Mamori asked Musashi.
"I think so." Musashi answered truthfully. The man walked up to them quickly.
"Melhavic?" The man asked looking around with a heavily accented voice.
"He's back there and a little hysterical." Sena pointed behind them a little ways where Malhavoc was sitting on the ground making all sorts of strange chattering noises.
The man sighed walked over to Malhavoc and delivered a smooth chop into the back of Malhavoc's neck. Malhavoc simply fell over, limp and unconscious.
"Melhavic," the man began to explain, "erk foothar." He pointed to himself. "Mein Japaness big hit."
"…Your Japanese is atrocious." Zork observed. "Do you speak English then?"
"Anglish? Aye, I speak tiny some." The man answered in English. "Heavier English, much heavier." Big arm motions accompanied the words.
"His English is pretty bad too." Yukimitsu commented with a small sweat drop. "But it's a lot easier to understand than his Japanese."
"Melhavic is me parent." The man explained again, but this time in English.
"Who the hell are you then?" Hiruma demanded.
"Elec tof Vent." Elec answered simply.
"Wait! As in Grand General Elec of Vent?" Doburoku asked, amazed.
"I no get." Elec admitted. "Speaking spell, yes?"
"Oh!" Mamori blushed, having completely forgotten about that spell. It was a fairly simple spell that allowed the person who had it cast on them to understand the words of the mother tongue of the caster. Without any waiting, Mamori quickly cast the spell on Elec.
"Fucking manager, what are you fucking doing?" Hiruma asked, his nose wiggling.
"Much better." Elec commented in perfect Japanese.
"L-language!" Komusubi gasped.
"Oh, I asked her to cast a speaking spell on me so that I could hold a proper conversation with everyone present." Elec explained to Komusubi with a small smile. "I'll introduce myself a bit more properly this time, I am Grand General Elec of Vent, son of Malhavoc."
"You're Malhavoc's son?" Musashi blinked, it did explain the resemblance, but it just seemed weird.
"I'm one of four children." Elec added with a bemused smile. "My height came from my mother's side of the family."
"Enough of that!" Tsubasa intrupted any further conversation, "why are you here!?"
"My father went into the Upground three days ago and we lost all contact with him almost immediately, so my mother sent me up here to figure out what sort of trouble he had gotten himself into. On my way over to the Underground Underground station, I heard of the rumor that Lady Lotem went missing and that the Half-Fire Necromancer had managed to losen his shackles more than a little bit. I then when to see the King about these matters and he told me that my uncle had also been missing for several days then ordered me to go to the Upground and get to the bottom of everything. I was walking by when I found the melfin and decided to close it." Elec spoke quickly and with enough authority no one interrupted him.
"Why'd you knock Malhavoc-san out?" Sena asked.
"He's suffering from magic loss and needs rest." Elec answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He'll be up and at it again in about three Hand's Whiles."
"…How long is that?" Mamori asked Doburoku.
"About eight hours." Doburoku answered.
"That's right, you tell time with these 'hours' in the Upground." Elec muttered.
"Did you come alone?" Shin asked. He had been looking around for signs of other cursed people.
"Forest's Heart no!" Elec stared at Shin like he was the most ignorant person he had seen in his life. "I brought an entire Unit with me of course!"
"How many men is a Unit?" Tsubasa asked.
"50." Elec answered simply. "I sent them out scouting, we're going to rendez-vous over by the cloaked tower you human erected in another Hand's While."
"You sent 50 men out scouting?" Hiruma's eyebrows shot up in mild surprise.
"I need information on the enemy's movements if I am to compose any strategies at all." Elec huffed. "Now, perhaps the lot of you would be so kind as to tell me who you are and why my father has decided to follow you around?"
"How do I know you aren't deciving us?" Zork demanded.
"I could ask the same question of you." Elec pointed out.
"The information won't be free." Hiruma took charge with a small smirk on his lips. "You'll have to share with us everything your men learn."
"That is a price I am willing to pay." Elec nodded. Doburoku launched off on his explaination as to who everyone was, why they were there, and a shortened version of everything Malhavoc had imparted to them before he was knocked out.
"So you came here to close the melfin and to find out why Half-Fire took an interest in this place?" Elec summaried at the end. He was given a few nods in response.
"…I think he was trying to get some information on you, Hiruma." Elec guessed after a little thinking.
"The fuck?" Hiruma muttered, not having been expecting that.
"…The Underground is a world of balanence. There is an equal amount of good and evil, of strong and weak, everything hangs in a purposeful balance. If a half-Incubus, half-elf is born, there must be a creature of the opposite to counterbalance that existence." Elec was quick to explain. "You are a half-Succubus, half-human, the exact opposite of our current adversary in almost everyway."
"Almost?" Monta blurted out.
"Well it would have been exact if Hiruma had been born female, but that's beside the point." Elec answered. It was becoming painfully obvious how confusing and oblique Malhavoc had been with every answer Elec gave. Elec did not withhold any information at any time if he felt committed to give it.
"…So I was fucking born to counter this fucker's existence?" Hiruma hissed, clearly annoyed.
"Maybe a bit more than that as well." Elec trailed off as if he was thinking outloud. "Time will tell us that."
"Why did you just start being cryptic?" Juumonji demanded, clearly annoyed by this.
"Because I am my father's son whether or not I deny it." Elec answered with a small, frusterated sigh. "We should hurry back before my men decide I am missing."
"What will they have to tell us?" Mamori asked as everyone got into the bus.
"The radius of the enemy's influence, just how broken the wards are, and a rough estimate as to how many slaves he's managed to gather at this time." Elec answered as he hauled himself and his father's limp body onto the bus.
"Useful." Hiruma grunted, sort of demonstrating an approval.
"Who is the leader amongst your group?" Elec asked as he sat down.
"…Hiruma." Was the general answer.
"Mm." Elec nodded and proceeded to jump when the bus started.
"Are you okay?" Musashi asked before he began to drive.
"What's this rumbling?" Elec asked, looking particularly freaked out. "Are we in a belly?"
"Huh?" Kuroki muttered. "It's just a bus."
"…Is this your first time in the Upground?" Zork asked.
"…Yes." Elec admitted, his pointy ears going flat with embarrassment.
"The bus isn't alive, it can't eat you." Mamori assured Elec.
"…If you say so lady mage." Elec sat down and proceeded to look extremely uncomfortable for the rest of the trip. When they arrived outside the Elder's Headquarters, Elec all but jumped off the bus only to puke once he got onto the sidewalk.
"…They don't have anything like busses in Vent." Doburoku pointed out. "The poor kid has car sickness."
"Wow." Taki muttered and everyone else nodded in agreement.
A short, curvy woman clad in purple spandex-like clothes appeared to have come off the wall and rushed over to the vomiting Elec's side. She had amazing pink hair that was long enough to be tied back into a braid. She said a few things in that chattery elfin language, only to get a blank stare from Elec when he was finished upheaving. Elec then spoke to her quietly about something for several minutes.
"…What should we do about him?" Togano pointed to the unconicous Malhavoc.
"I have this feeling we shouldn't touch him." Juumonji muttered.
"Huh?" Kuroki stared a little at his friend.
"Malhavoc is an expert assassin," Zork pointed out, "he's probably been trained in such a way that he'll attack things that move him even when he's unconscious and tired."
"Elec will take care of him." Doburoku assured the others and got off the bus. With contented nods, the Huh brothers followed them as did the rest of the group. By this time Elec had managed to stop puking and was now drinking a bit of liquid out of a leather gourd.
"My thanks, Kali." Elec nodded to the woman after he had dranken a bit.
The woman only chuckled.
"I am told," the woman spoke with a soft, accented voice, "that the lot of you are to know the nessiaries concerning Blake."
No cloud of magic came to chase after her.
"Huh?" Togano muttered.
"I carry with me protection against names." The woman explained with another light chuckle. "I am Kali Shadowchaser, well met."
"You speak Japanese." Musashi observed, slightly surprised.
"Actually I am speaking the language of Amatsu, which happens to be enough similar to this Japanese for me to have a conversation." Kali corrected them.
"So what do you know?" Hiruma demanded.
"…You're that infamous half-Succubus." Kali observed quietly.
No one was really sure how to respond to that.
"I do not butt into another's fight, so have yourself little worry." Kali assured Hiruma. "This city is on the edge of Blake's influence. Every town between us and the mountain is under Blake's control. His first and most powerful minions are the ones that done white uniforms like that child's." Kali pointed at Sakuraba.
"We neutralized the curse in these two." Doburoku assured Kali quickly.
"Obviously, they wouldn't be unconscious otherwise." Kali rolled her eyes. "The curses Blake uses to keep his minons under control prevents them from falling unconscious no matter what the circumstances are."
"…So how do you free someone of the enemy's control?" Shin asked.
"You cut off the source." Kali answered.
"What she means is that you stop the enemy, the curse goes away." Elec answered.
"You sound like you deal with this kind of thing regularly." Doburoku observed.
"She's an assassin from Rune." Elec commented.
"I deal with this kind of thing almost at least once a year," Kali admitted, "usually on a much smaller scale of course."
"Damn, that fucker's got a lot of people under his control." Hiruma hissed, annoyed.
"Yes, but a majority of them are sitting around and doing nothing." Kali added. "Blake's mind is limited, he can get as many minions as he wants, but he doesn't have the mental capacity to give them all individual orders at once."
"Oh!" Mamori's eyes lit up slightly. "So as long as we avoid getting detected, we shouldn't have any issues getting to Mount Fuji."
"Exactly." Kali smiled. "Blake's control is extremely limited as well, of the minor minions anyways. They can only be given simple commands. The major minions are the ones we really have to worry about, since Blake can move them as he pleases."
"How many major minions does Blake have?" Elec asked.
"43." Shin answered.
"…Why do you know that?" Kali demanded.
"Shin-san is a member of the White Knights." Sena answered.
"White Knights?" Elec and Kali blinked.
"It's the name of my team, we have 46 people, well 47 if you count our coach." Shin answered.
"…I see." Kali nodded. "Well if the lot of you have found a way to neutralize the major minons then we shouldn't have much difficultly dealing with them should we encounter one."
"I am not doing that fucking thing again." Hiruma shook his head. "The fucker's magic makes me sick."
"Oh." Kali seemed to know enough about Hiruma's magic-eatting to figure out what that meant.
"Is there anything else, Kali?" Elec asked.
"…The wards are fairly intact, there's just a large crack in the place the Elders made." Kali announced. "But the rest of the wards are now strained and the flow of magic in and out of that crack is making it grow. We have a month at most before the entire thing completely collapses."
"Do you know the fate of Lotem?" Elec asked her.
"No." Kali admitted. "But we did sense some other presences inside the wards with Blake, Lotem could well be one of them."
"My thanks." Elec bowed his head slightly to her.
"Now what?" Monta asked.
"We plan an attack." Elec answered simply. "And wait for my father to wake up and my uncle to return."
"…We might as well go back inside the headquarters." Yukimitsu looked over the wall where the skyscraper was standing even if you could not see it.
"My men are out here and they probably don't want to go into that barrier." Elec protested slightly.
"Where are they?" Shin asked, looking around.
"Hidding from my father." Elec seemed a little ashamed of this.
"It's not unwise of them to fear your father." Kali pointed out with an amused snort.
"How are we going to get to Mount Fuji?" Yukimitsu asked. "It's a little far to just walk."
"…I don't think I can carry that many people with me…." Sena muttered.
"What if you were boosted by ten elfin mages?" Elec asked. "Do you think it possible if that were to happen?"
"Elfin mages!?" Sena squeaked.
"Oh please don't look that surprised, I'm an elf of Vent." Elec rolled his eyes. "Of course I'd have some elfin mages in my Unit."
"Who's in charge of this operation?" Kali asked Elec.
"Oh, Hiruma." Elec's words were casual.
"The hell?" Hiruma muttered, not having been expecting that answer.
"This is your land, your people, and your fight." Elec pointed out. "And you've been involved in this situation much longer than myself, I have no right to take your authority from you."
"Nor do I, nor does Malhavoc." Kali pointed out.
"A good general will recognize where his authority is needed." Elec continued. "Right now what you need is an advisor and knowledge of the enemy, these are things I can provide you with."
"Myself and Malhavoc can work as extra shields." Kali smiled. "And don't worry, I can convince that stubborn fool into doing it without complaint."
"Why would assassins be extra shields?" Juumonji was confused.
"It's very difficult to catch an assassin by surprise." Kali pointed out. "And we're awefully good at stabbing people fatally before they stab us."
"…Show me your plan, fucking general." Hiruma ordered Elec.
"With pleasure." Elec smiled and pulled out a roll of parchment.
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What the hell is Elec thinking? Please review!