Name: Inki ? (Inki means blue.)
Class: Shogun
Eye color: Red orange
Hair color: Black
Blood type: A Positive
Birthday: Dormouse 17th
Age: 14
Hometown: She was raised in several different towns. Her favorite one is Etria
Notes: Inki is Pandora's second oldest daughter. Pandora adopted her, and cured her of a disease called the "Green Death". Inki gets ill easily, and she is lactose intolerant. She works as an assassin. She has killed many tyrants of the world,but has qualms about killing innocent people. Inki has three siblings that were also adopted. They are Rojo, Ace, and Suno. (They were put oldest to youngest.) Inki also wears a stern expression all of the time. Underneath her hard outside she's very sweet.
Height: 5'4" and 3/4
Pros: Very talented and agile. She is a master at using katanas and the art of Ninpo. She can be very kind when she feels like it. She also has an oddly funny sense of humor. She's also quite obedient .
Cons: She is very secretive, she can be indecisive, she plans to kill most of RAGNAROK, she isn't cooperative with certain other people, and she gets hurt and sick easily.
Hobbies: Training, going shopping, and talking to others.
So... I was playing around with buttons when I was typing this. And I found the traffic stats. I found out that... You people are up to date on this story. I was freaking out. I have people from Germany, Denmark, Slovenia, and Malaysia. And majority of you are American... But places don't matter.
I am seriously begging you people. Please review this story so it can become better! I know that the grammar sucks. (That's not all my fault...) I don't care what you put. Honestly! You can tell me anything that's wrong or right with this story. Character development, dialog, descriptions... Just tell me to do something. I don't know what's wrong until you tell me. And if you don't think that anything's wrong... Good for you!
(It would also be pretty decent if you told me your favorite characters. They could have their own chapter coming up!)
Chapter Thirteen: A Foul Exercise
"Since Hana caused us to get six new guild members, it would be best if we had them introduce themselves." Hanasaku spoke to the guild that was gathered up in the lobby. Their mentors were there too, but Haruka was nowhere to be seen. "Who wants to go first?" Hanasaku inquired.
Magnolia offered to go first, and the other five did not mind. She was doing her usual formal introductions. She looked around as she did so. She stared at the mentors and suddenly began to stutter. She did that until she saw Magnum. She stopped then.
"Brother?" She asked quietly.
Rai and Brac glared at him. "Whoops..." Magnum rubbed the back of his head. "I forgot to tell you that." He smiled at Meru. "Magnolia's my little sister."
"So, you were the runaway duke." Rai sighed. "What's with you people and running away from your lives?"
"Is that why you always looked sad when you trained me?" Meru was sitting next to Ryuu. He was not very comfortable in that spot. Everyone could tell by his expression. Magnum nodded. After they all spoke for a long while, Asuka went next to introduce herself.
"My name is Asuka Himeko, and I'm just a Hoplite." Asuka stated. Meru shrugged. Wasn't Himeko Dove's last name?
"Hey! That's my last name!" Dove cried out.
"Oh, it is?" Asuka asked, shocked.
"Yeah, I thought that all of my family members died because my aunt killed them!" Dove exclaimed. "How old are you?!"
"Sixteen..." Asuka seemed to be slightly alarmed. " Are you saying I'm your sister?"
"Yeah! I had three sisters and two brothers!"
"Today is just full of family reunions, huh?" Hanasaku was reading a book. "I wonder if we'll find any family here..." She spoke to Hana.
"Maybe. It would be rare though." Hana replied. After Hana finished her sentence, she saw that Ezra was watching them from behind. Ezra seemed to be really upset about something. Hana convinced herself to go talk to him. When she began to rise from her seat, Hanasaku gave her a glare of complete disapproval.
"Hana, it would be best if we avoided Gears until we find out the truth about Blue Sky." She held onto Hana's sleeve.
"Haven't you given me enough orders?" She asked. "I was the one who became allies with them. So, let me speak with him." Hana tried to hold back her anger. The rest of the guild was asking Dove weird questions. Hana figured that she would not miss much.
Ezra saw that Hana was coming toward him and peered down at the floor. "What do you want?" He asked solemnly.
"You don't look like yourself." Hana replied. "If we're allies, aren't we supposed to help each other?"
Ezra gave Hana a look. "I guess you aren't leaving until you find out what's wrong. Right?" Hana nodded. He took the words right out of her mouth. "Are you willing to believe me?" Hana nodded again. Ezra told her nearly everything in a shortened form. Hana stared at him, and then she blinked really hard.
"You can read minds?" She did not sound skeptical. She sounded more intrigued. She gasped and put her hands over her mouth. "That makes so much sense!"
"Oh." Ezra realized that he was smiling. "You really figured me out."
"Yeah, it would explain how you knew what Ryuu and I were going to say! And why you lied to us at the port!"
"You knew that I lied?"
"Well, yeah. I lie all the time. I can tell if someone else has lied."
Ezra turned away for a second. "You act just like her..." He spoke about Hana with a very quiet voice. "Thank you for talking to me." Ezra walked away. Hana looked back at her guild. Maki was introducing himself right then. Hana sat down next to Hanasaku, and watched Maki.
Maki didn't say much more than he did when he was on the boat. And during his entire introduction he kept on glaring at Ryuu. Next, Miki introduced herself, and after she went Ace and Inki introduced themselves.
It was three thirty seven when Hanasaku left to go request a letter of marque. She came back at three fifty six with a rolled up scroll and a small paper. She handed the scroll to Ryuu, and placed the letter in Hana's hand.
"Since I'm still sick, Ryuu can deal with the mission that we have to take in order to proceed into the second stratum. Hana, I want him to get there with ease. So, you can explore that floor up until you get to the boss's room. I gave you the letter of marque."
Ryuu unraveled the scroll and read it to himself. "We have to kill a catfish?" Ryuu asked.
"Yes. I say that you should train before you go up and fight it." Hanasaku began to walk to her room. "And Hana, I recommend that you buy some knew equipment. I heard that the enemies were strong on the last floor."
Hana nodded. "Okay. Are you sure? Before you didn't let me go to the firm."
Hanasaku walked back over to Hana. "Take this with you. I found it while we were looking for you yesterday." She gave Hana a tiny sheet of paper.
"A coupon? Why would I need this?"
"Oh, you'll see." Hanasaku held her head. "Pick a party to take with you." Hanasaku finally left.
Ezra walked into his room to see all of Gears waiting for him. Zero was eating gum, Mei Ling was sitting on Ezra's bed, Himi was using anti-bacterial spray, Kogageru was staring directly at Ezra for once. They all seemed to be around Isi's side. Isis seemed to be in a very deep stupor.
"Hi, Ezra." Kogageru spoke first.
"What are you fools doing in here?"
"You should not be calling us fools, fool!" Mei Ling shouted. "How come you didn't tell us?" She asked.
"You found out that quickly?"
"Yeah, we've known you for ten years ,Ezra. We also grown used to seeing Isi's 'Oh,no. I Killed Something' face. " Himi sprayed a gust of a the spray at Ezra's boots.
"I remember that time when she killed that ant, and began to cry. But now she's moved on to real people, and still cries over them." Zero blew a bubble.
"We have to do something about her, Ezra." Himi said.
"No, you don't understand. They were the couple that killed her parents." Ezra responded. "She's also talking to Hanami."
"Oh, the ones that killed her parents?" Zero crossed her legs.
"Then they deserved it." Everyone in Gears except for Ezra and Isis spoke in unison.
Ezra shook his head. "Mere humans do not get to choose whether another dies or not."
"Well, Isis isn't human, now is she?" Himi remarked.
Ezra shrugged. "I don't think what she did was right."
"Yeah, she should have given me the bodies." Mei Ling added. "What did she do to them anyway?" She murmured to herself.
"Ew, no!" Himi screeched.
Kogageru's facial expression darkened. "I don't think that she is talking to Hanami, Ezra." His ear twitched. "Her voice... It's different."
Ezra gave Kogageru a blank gaze. "Koga, did you eat breakfast yet? Your thoughts are very jumbled right now."
"No, I didn't. Maybe that's what wrong... And Ezra... Don't read my mind."
"Ezra, could we please bring Isis to the labyrinth!" Zero begged. "I know that you said that she had to stay here, but she's really useful."
"Fine. We have to go talk to the Oracle of Stars anyway."
"Ooh... She's here?" Himi asked. "Maybe I'll ask her if we conquer this labyrinth!"
"Please don't. We'll figure that out ourselves."
"So, Isis... How did it feel?" Isis heard her mother's voice in her head.
"It was..." She felt a wide smirk on her face. "Wonderful..." Isi was in a realm of thought. This place was where spirits roamed. It was a private place where humans could sometimes contact the dead. "I knew everything." Isis clenched her fists. "H-how could I feel that way again?"
"Feed on more humans, Isis. It's the only way..."
Isis's face saddened. "I don't want to commit murder again mother... Ezra will not be pleased. I'm am doing this for him. So, what's the point if doesn't like it?"
Persephone sighed. "Then you can either be a coward and feed off the dead bodies of novices, or you could hear me out."
"What is it?" Isis looked a bit hopeful. "I hope it doesn't involve eating more people. The taste reminds me of chicken."
"Ohohoho... This does not involve humans at all..." Persephone smiled. "I think you could manage to eat a more divine creature now..."
"What do you mean by that?"
"If you devoured a god, you will be able to feel that way forever."
"A god?!" Isis screeched. "I can't do that ,mother! They developed the very world I live in! And I only really know Ezra!
"Did I ever tell you about the tale of the Orange Goddess? Hanami Zeus Zaki...?"
"No..."
"She was a very berserk woman actually. She claimed that she ruled over everything in this world. That was her only reason for trying to conquer the labyrinth. She wanted to prove to everyone that this world was hers. I thought that her ways were corrupt. So, I attempted to stop her. All that did was make her have her granddaughter, Hanasaki, and her friend Marin kill my son." Isis stopped her mother there.
"I had an older brother?"
"Yes, you HAD one. Hanami also destroyed half of the third floor in order to stop me, but her efforts were futile. We had a brief respite... And twenty years later she sent those assassins to kill me. And they succeeded. As you can see."
Isis filled up with wrath. "Hanami, had you killed?" She asked a rhetorical question. "How...? Why? She's so close to Ezra!"
"Hanami had a daughter with another god... And you know the rest..." Persephone couldn't hold back her laughter. "If you want to fully avenge me... You'll have to kill one of the only things that Hanami has left on this earth... Hana Venus Zaki."
"No... I am not that powerful yet... I will kill more people... And I will eat the novices who die in that labyrinth... And when the time is right... I'll make Hana wish that she was never born!"
"Stupid shopkeeper." Hana was walking to the Labyrinth with Meru, Bare, Dove, and Aoimi. "Why did she have to kick us out?"
"Hana, you threatened to kill her... I would have kicked you out." Meru scowled.
"She's a hag of a skinflint! Those prices were just unfair. And we have to pay for forging! You don't have to pay for forging in Tharsis!" Hana complained.
"Who's prepared to die thanks to our cheap equipment?!" Dove asked.
"Me..." Aoimi sighed. "At least I have this club..." Aoimi held her new spiked club close to her. "I forged it with poison."
"Lucky you." Bare fanned herself with her hat. "It's so hot today..."
"It's ninety degrees and it's still winter." Meru looked around. "Once we get in the labyrinth the Yggdrasil will give us lots of shade."
"You're right." Dove bounded in front of Meru. "Let's hurry up!"
"Oh, it took you long enough..." Haruka sat in a room that she rented. "I thought that you wouldn't come, Ezra."
"We're here now. What do you want?" Zero walked in first. She was chewing on her gum loudly.
"RAGNAROK is going to fight that fish... The Narmer..." Haruka started. "I have no worries about the group that is going to fight it. But Hana is not going to fight it. It would be hard to tell if she's ready to go onto the second stratum."
"You want us to test them. That's fine." Ezra read her mind.
"That's not it. You'll have to fight Hana's group. It'll be like a training exercise."
"That's one foul exercise... We are the strongest guild in this town." Zero boasted while smacking on her gum as loud as ever.
"Do you accept?"
"We'll do it. I'm excited to see what Hana can do anyway." Ezra answered with a smile.
"I could expect nothing less from one of my finest students..." Haruka pranced over to her knapsack and pulled out a clear orb. She she chanted something and it began to glow. It did so until a sharp picture of Hana and her comrades popped up. "They have just gotten permission to pass they should not be far from the entrance." Haruka muttered a few words to herself before she spoke again. "Oh, and... Be sure to bring Isis with you."
Ezra nodded. "She should be done talking to Hanami by now." Ezra turned toward the door. "Sensei, would you like to speak to Hanami?"
"No. Not currently. I will speak to her later."
"Fine."
"That's one big deer..." Bare stared at it. They group of five had just gotten permission to pass the man. They found out that his name was Kujura , and that the name Narmer meant "raging catfish" in ancient tongue. The man had also given them medicine and called it a parting gift. He threw it to them and it just so happened to hit Hana in her head.
Right then, they were observing a large blue deer that was in front of them. It had a beautiful golden mane. There were also swirls of a lighter blue color on it. They couldn't take their eyes of it's glistening horns.
"Let's kill it!" Aoimi shouted out. "I've always wanted to kill a Furyhorn! I heard that the meat was divine!"
"Isn't it a Ragelope?" Bare inquired.
"It doesn't matter. We aren't supposed to face that thing. It looks way stronger than any of us!" Meru cried out. "I can't die until I marry Ryuu!"
"It seems like your going to be immortal." Hana commented back.
"Fine, you have a point... But shouldn't we avoid this thing, Hana?"
"No. I want deer meat." Hana replied.
"I don't. I am a vegetarian!" Dove screeched. "I would be a vegan if I didn't wear my precious leather boots!"
"I'll give you something special on the way back." Aoimi tried to persuade her.
"Can I flip up your shirt and look at Carlos and Pablo?" Dove asked while groping the air in front of her.
"I told you." Hana nudged Aoimi.
"NO." Aoimi almost yelled.
"Fine, fine. I want tofu for dinner."
"That's better." Hana nodded. "But now let's think of a way to kill this thing."
"A guard order would be a necessity for this battle. And we should make Dove defend if she's not healing others." Meru examined the beast. "And this thing looks as if it is weak to fire or volt. It's mane covers up to much for it to be weak to ice."
"Okay then, let's go!" Hana charged toward it. Bare shot three bullets at the deer at almost the same time. Meru then proceeded to say somethings that made the girls want to protect themselves more. Dove did nothing more than defend herself from damage. Hana began to charge her voltage spells. Aoimi did some wolf howling battle cry. The deer didn't do anything for sometime. Until it roared back at Aoimi. And for a deer, it was loud. It thundered through the labyrinth. Aoimi suddenly began to laugh just as loudly, Bare began to bark, and Meru began singing a song she did not know the words to.
"What the...?" Hana stared at them. "What are they doing?"
"They're baffled! They won't listen to us anymore!" Bare shot Dove in her arm, and began to twirl around in circles while chanting "Lalala". "Oww! It just so happened to get our offense! This is just great!" Dove whined.
"Because Ryuu always liked Hana instead! I'm going to kill her 'till she's dead!" Meru sang out. Hana dodged her attack.
"Wow, you look absolutely scrumptious." Aoimi was rubbing her club. "I really want to eat you, but would society accept us after that?" Aoimi shrugged. "What do you mean, 'I don't know'?" Aoimi's face got a little red. "How dare you!" She slapped her spiked club, and got a spike lodged in her hand. She screamed. "You... Romantic devil!"
Hana jumped up to the deer's height and used Volt Star. It wriggled around some before it used that muddle roar in front of Hana. Hana fell over. She thought that the fall really hurt, but something inside of her wanted to laugh. Dove came over to her aid. Hana thought that she looked like such a hairless pear. She was such a bag of dirty laundry. Hana giggled after thinking that.
"Era ouy yako?!" Hana heard her say. She cackled. That wasn't right... Why did Dove have five pigtails all of a sudden? Hana pondered.
"Whhhaaattt?" Hana laughed until she fell again. "Vous parlez à l'envers!" Hana spoke in French. "Vous êtes tellement stupide!"
Dove shook Hana. "Stop speaking French!" Dove shook Hana violently. "I told you that you would regret learning French from Haruka!" Dove turned around when she felt a liquid drip on her shoulder. Meru was drooling on her. Dove tried to walk forward , but banged into Bare.
"Bad kitty!" Bare shot Dove once again. "I will feed you to the banana now!"
"What? Guys, stop!" Dove pleaded. Meru jumped on Dove's back and bit her. "Oh my goodness! I would refresh you ,but I have to keep healing myself! So, stop attacking me!"
"Ce qui était que vous sac sale du linge et des poires glabres?!" Hana screeched while she was still speaking fluent French.
"Oh, don't you dare!" Hana hit Dove with her expensive yaoi manga in a book cover. It gave Dove a paper cut. "Can I read that later, Hana?"
"Non, vous pervertissent poire. Jamais!" Hana backed away, and caressed her manga. She looked at Aoimi with her club, and frowned. "Aoimi?" Hana pointed at her. "Cela est forgé avec du poison ..." Hana mumbled to Dove.
Dove thought for a second. she heard Hana say poison and Aoimi... She was talking about Aoimi and her club! Dove saw that Aoimi was about to put it in her mouth. That would poison her for sure.
"Don't eat it ,Aoimi!" Aoimi stopped after hearing Dove's words.
"Society is already judging us. Then there is no difference!" Aoimi licked her club as if it were a lollipop. She had a few cuts on her tongue afterwards. She blinked very hard, and pulled the club away from her mouth. "What did I just do?" Aoimi sounded scared. "My tongue hurts..." She turned the same color as her hair. " Think I'm gonna hurl." Aoimi covered her mouth, ran to a bush, and vomited so hard, she fainted. At least the poison mad her less confused. The deer kicked Bare in her face. Dove looked at the conditions she was in, and decided to flee from that battle. She didn't eat meat anyway.
Dove ran past the deer and found a small field that was next to a door with a moon shape on it. Her allies still seemed to be dazed out some. So, she kicked Aoimi in her face, and Aoimi gasped and woke up from her slumber. When Aoimi finally woke up, Hana, Bare, and Meru rose too.
"Qu'est-il arrivé?" Hana asked. She cleared her throat. "I-I mean... What happened?" Hana held her head. "That was really weird..."
Meru looked at Hana. "Pretend that you didn't hear anything I sang out there." She dictated.
"Okay, fine."
"I was barking... And I called Meru a banana... That's all I can remember..." Bare looked at her hands. "Well, Meru is bananas." Bare joked.
"We barely made it out of that one!" Aoimi added. "I licked my club for crying out loud! That entire experience was like taking crack mixed with weed!" Aoimi pulled out a canteen and began to chug it.
"Let's get going." Hana trotted forward.
They entered a hall where there were three doors lined up in front of them. Aoimi suggested that the went to the door on their upper right because she felt like that was the door to proceed without fighting anymore deer. But that was what she thought. They encountered a bear , and found some medication in a stream next to the bear. They ran into a purple demon fish, and a purple snake of some sort. They viewed some of the waterfalls they walked by and stopped afterwards.
"Okay, no more fighting deer." Bare looked at the one that near them. "There are two of them. Be on your guard."
Aoimi attempted to take a step forward, but Hana put her arm in the way. "Wait. They are moving in a pattern. If you were to go now, you would end up licking you club again."
"It tasted like caramel." Aoimi muttered. The five annoying girls waited until they felt the presences of the deer cross each other. They ran for it after that. Hana's plan worked so well that they didn't have to worry about the deer catching them. And that was a lot to say since there were mud patches everywhere. They ran across a bridge and stopped to rest quickly. While they were resting, they felt a familiar aura.
"I feel like Gears is nearby." Aoimi pulled out a fruit salad and began to scoop it all down her throat.
"Me too." Hana looked around. "They are southwest." Hana stated. She looked back at Aoimi. "Aren't you going to save any of that for later?"
Aoimi handed the bowl to Meru. "I saved all of your relatives for you." Meru seemed confused by Aoimi's comment. That was until Meru looked into the bowl. There were only banana slices left.
"I don't like bananas." She refused politely.
"Fine. More for me!" Aoimi ate the remaining fruit. "Sho, Hama. Are we gonna shee Gears?" Aoimi spoke as she gobbled the rest of her food.
"Yeah. They shouldn't be that far."
"Even though Hanasaku said not to?" Bare eyed Hana.
"What do you think?" Hana asked.
"Hana wants all the boys, doesn't she?" Aoimi joked as she gestured for everyone to get going again.
"What? No." Hana crossed her arms.
"First, you have Ryuu wrapped around your finger. Then, you get Agata to ask you out. Now, you want to get super buddy- buddy with Ezra!" Aoimi put her arm around Hana's small shoulders.
"And she was acting all cutesy around that Kujura guy too." Bare added with a smile.
"No. I know I have Ryuu wrapped around my finger, but that's it!" Hana yelled back.
"Sure." Meru laughed. "You guys are the best."
"We know." The remaining four girls spoke at the same time. They approached a door and froze. They felt something they had never felt before.
"Gears is beyond here..." Hana whispered.
"Are they really this powerful?" Bare murmured to herself.
"Okay. Why are we talking like they're the bosses of the floor?" Pulled out green tea flavored pocky and munched on the end of one of the sticks.
"Their auras don't feel as gentle as they used to. It probably means that they are either distressed or... They've come here for another reason." Aoimi glared at Hana. "You know, Blue Sky died around the time they finished the Narmer." She spoke to Hana.
Hana furrowed her brow. She felt so close to Ezra when they had spoken earlier. He wouldn't try to do anything to them after that... Would he? Hana pushed the doors open. And just as they thought, Gears sat there waiting for them. They had their weapons out, but they didn't look very serious. Himi was chopping down tree branches while she was on them. Zero was playing with a yo-yo, Isis was napping on Ezra's shoulder. Ezra was grinning at RAGNAROK as they entered. Kogageru was trying to tell Himi to chop the branches while she wasn't on them, and Mei Ling was eating rice and curry with some fish.
"Hi, Hana!" Ezra greeted her. "I guess you found us."
Hana grew a ridiculously large smirk. "I told you so, Aoimi." She whispered. "They are completely harmless."
"Actually..." Ezra trailed off. "Your master, Haruka... She wanted me to gauge your strength." Ezra stood up.
"W-what's that supposed to mean?" Hana asked a question, but she already knew the answer.
"It means they aren't completely harmless." Aoimi said with a smug look.
It was a very serious moment. Isis even woke up due to the tension. Zero dropped her yo-yo and picked up her sword, And Kogageru stopped his yelling. Himi and Mei Ling ruined part of the moment. Himi lost her grip and fell out of the tree she was in, and Mei Ling wouldn't stop eating her curry.
"It would be a little unfair if we fought with six against five. So, Mei Ling won't be joining our little 'exercise'. " Ezra stated.
"You're going to fight us without a Monk? What a stupid choice." Bare insulted them.
"If we're talking about Gears, a Monk is not their most valued player." Hana mumbled again.
"Then what who is?" Aoimi asked.
"Isis is. Isi and Ezra."
Ezra turned to his side and helped Himi up. "And now, you may begin, RAGNAROK."
Marin sighed as she went to open her front door. She hoped that nothing else would make her day worse. She opened it to see that Kise was sitting on the floor. Kise had the specimen book on her lap. It appeared as if she had just closed it.
"Do you write reports on everything, Marin?" Kise stood up.
"Maybe." Marin took the book back. "The senator and the princess want me to write reports on you. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
Kise lightened up slightly. "But do they really want you to write reports on Kujura too?"
Marin glowered at the book. "How far did you get in that book?"
"I got to the report on the Guild-master." Kise shook her head. "Is his sword really making him go crazy?" Kise suddenly began to talk about Kujura again. "Why haven't you told him?"
Marin fell silent. "It's a family tradition. I'd hate to get in the way of it." Marin walked closer to Kise. "And that means you can't tell him either." Kise hesitated before she nodded.
"C-can I have a hug?" Kise put her arms out.
"What? Why?"
"Because... I really like seeing you!" Kise hugged Marin anyway. Marin hugged her back. Kise stopped after a while and left Marin's house. After Kise left, Marin realized that there was a presence in the room. She turned toward one of her red sofas, and saw the one and only Red Knight lounging on it. She seemed to be a little injured.
"Well, well, well. I didn't expect for you to be such a sweetheart." Elizabeth clapped her hands.
"Why are you in here?" Marin asked her. "And what happened to you?"
"I tried to stop Pandora's gimmicks. I didn't try hard enough." Elizabeth replied. "I figured that I could just stay here for a time."
"What about Victor, and how did you get healed so quickly?"
Elizabeth looked at Marin's ceiling. "I told Victor about Pandora's doing. And he wants her assassinated. He is going back to Jotunheim, and he said that I could kill her. He knew I could not do it alone... So, he called another loyal servant to help me." Marin looked around and saw a white haired woman on her chandelier. The woman hopped down. She had red eyes and her arms were wrapped in bandages.
"Obi?" Marin became shocked. "You died nearly eleven years ago."
"No, she didn't." Elizabeth rose from the sofa. "She barely survived. And was saved by Victor and I. In return, she swore her loyalty to us."
"I see." Marin looked down. "She was the one who healed your wounds...?"
"Yes, I did." Obi's voice was loud and stern.
Marin looked back and forth. "Your son, Ryuunosuke, he's here in Armoroad."
Obi tensed up. "I faked my death for a reason. That child is cursed, and want nothing to do with him." Obi twirled some of her long white hair. "It would be best if he didn't find out about me. "
Elizabeth walked to Marin's side. "And since we're speaking about lost children..." Elizabeth pulled out a picture of a small blonde child. "I'm Kise's mother."
"That would explain why it seems as if she has multiple personalities." Marin said. "Anymore secrets you want to tell me?"
"It's no wonder why they call you 'The Woman Who Basks in Secrets'... " Obi spoke.
"I'm honestly a little jealous of you, Marin. Kise sees you as her mother." Elizabeth admitted.
"We didn't come here to become your friends Marin. We want to know if you want to kill Pandora." Elizabeth held out her hand. "You want to make a deal?"
Marin stared at Elizabeth's hand. "I will subdue her, but I will not kill her."
"Good enough..." Elizabeth shook Marin's hand.
"And we would like to use your extremely large house as our living quarters." Obi added.
"Just don't leave the house unless it's about Pandora." Marin mumbled. "Even if it is about Pandora, leave through the window."
"Okay." Elizabeth and Obi complied.
Haruka sat in her room in front of the crystal ball she had brought out. This had to be interesting. Both of her finest pupils fighting against each other... That was if they didn't include Hinata. She looked at the image of Gears and RAGNAROK. She sighed quietly. Rai walked in the room.
"Haruka, aren't you going to train Hanasaku?" She was eying the orb Haruka had.
"She can wait. She's very experienced. Her level has already risen above Hana's."
"She does level up quickly. I would have to say Luna levels up the fastest. She's already approaching level twenty." Rai sat down next to Haruka. "Are you watching Hana's progress?"
"Yes."
Rai looked at the orb. "Aoimi's there. Can I watch?"
"Sure." Haruka touched the orb and the image of the guilds became even clearer than before, and their voices could be heard. It was as if they were there.
The first turn of the battle was pretty boring. Such was the case for most battles. First turns were mainly used to prepare for the next turn. Hana and Aoimi charged, Meru used a Guard Order on the front line, Bare used Eagle eye on Himi, and Dove defended herself. Ezra charged, Isis used Attack Order, Zero used Wolf Howl, Kogageru defended himself, and Himi pretended to curl up and die.
"Gears just removed all of RAGNAROK's buffs. How did they even know which buffs they were going to use?" Rai said.
"If RAGNAROK wants to win that battle, they'll have to take Isi down first." Haruka gazed into the orb.
"Well, do they win?" Rai inquired. "You're the oracle here."
"That would ruin the fun."
Meru put a hand out in front of her,and Bare placed her hand on top of hers. The entire party was suddenly engulfed in a orange light that eventually vanished. Isis frowned.
"You have Guard Tactic? I'm surprised that you could even master a limit skill." Isis giggled. "I guess that it's all part of the plan." Isi right hand began to glow as she muttered illegible words. A golden ball flew in Meru's direction. "Ad Nihilo." Isis stated with an expression that didn't seem right on her face. The ball hit Meru in her stomach and she bounced a few feet away.
"Aw, man. I can tell that my buffs are gone..." Meru got up slowly.
"Ad Nihilo is Latin for 'To Nothing'." Kogageru opened a bottle of Volt Mist.
Bare shot at Ezra three times in a row, and he retaliated with a fireball that nearly killed Bare. Dove healed the front line afterwards. Zero swung her sword in front of everyone, and Himi hit Dove with her rake. Hana surprisingly used ice instead of voltage and she aimed for Isis. Isis dodged it by stepping to her side. Aoimi hit Zero in her arms with her club, and managed to sprain Zero's wrist.
"We're losing by a landslide ,Hana." Aoimi stated the obvious.
Hana narrowed her eyes. "Well, you managed to bind Zero's arms; so she can't do that with her sword anymore..." Hana pointed to Isis. "She should be our first priority. She can predict our movements. Aoimi and Meru... You deal with her, and take Zero down too. Dove go after Himi. I'll go after Kogageru, and Bare can take on Ezra."
"Ahem, Ezra almost killed me a second ago. How am I supposed to take him down?" Bare glared at him.
Hana stood still for a second. "I made this for you." She pulled out a fancy looking rapier. "Ryuu made it actually..."
Bare snatched it from her. "I can use Hanging with this thing!"
"Good. Bind Ezra's head, and go for Isis next."
Bare was lucky enough to move before everyone else, and she almost managed to hit Ezra's head. She still managed to hit his shoulder. Hana used more ice spells on Kogageru , and avoided each one of them. Even though he was as blind as a bat. He moved his hands in a strange way and whistled loudly. When he finished doing that spoke in a low voice.
"Show yourself, Plague God." A huge elephant came out of the bushes.
"An elephant?" Aoimi asked. "That's so funny!" She held her club close to her face. "Where did we leave off?"
"No, no, no!" Dove looked around. Everyone was baffled again. "Not again!"
"Nous allons tous mourir!" Hana cried out.
Dove looked back at Gears. They had started laughing at RAGNAROK. They were all laughing except for Isis. She stared at them, perplexed. Dove realized it then. Isis could not predict baffled people! If she could find a way to control them, she could defeat Isis at the very least.
"Hey, Meru!"
"Mary, had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb. Mary had a little lamb; its heart as black as coal~!" Dove listened to Meru's song with a perturbed expression. That song did not go that way.
"And when she went to bed that night, bed that night, bed that night... It took her forsaken soul!" Dove pointed at Isis as she said forsaken soul. She had made the ending up, but she hoped that it would make Meru attack Isis. Meru's eyes widened.
"Mary~!" She gasped. She ran toward Isis and tackled her.
"Ezra!" Isis screeched very loudly. The rest of Gears turned and face them.
"What the? How could we get taken off guard so quickly?" Zero muttered.
"I thought that Plague God baffled all of them!" Kogageru muttered as he pulled out his spear. "It seems like we'll have to knock out this one." He was talking about Dove.
"Aoimi! Zero wants to ruin your relationship with your club!" Dove yelled to Aoimi.
"No way! Never!" Aoimi hit Zero in her face with her club. Zero turned a bit green and scrambled to the nearest bush. Everyone could hear her vomiting. "No loves you like I love you, club!" Aoimi exclaimed. And she finally put the mace in her mouth. After that she collapsed and passed out.
"Ezra, how are we losing to a bunch of baffled kids?!" Himi interrogated.
"Isis can't predict their movements as easily." Ezra fixed the hat he was wearing. "Don't worry, we won't lose. Isis is still conscious." He whispered. "And Koga, dismiss that elephant."
"I'm on it." Kogageru answered. He stomped his foot and clapped twice, and the elephant dashed away from that place. Kogageru looked at where the elephant once was, and saw that Bare was smiling at him.
"Somebody hasn't been a grateful blueberry!" She punched him in his face and he went unconscious.
Rai and Haruka were making disgusted faces at the battle. "They're winning because of Dove?" Haruka blurted out. "Hana should have taken the lead!"
"No! Aoimi should have!" Rai shouted back.
"So you do like her!" Haruka shouted out.
"Of course I do!" Rai covered her mouth.
"Somebody's a hypocrite..." Haruka beamed.
"Be quiet!"
Himi crossed her arms and stared at Ezra with a very dissatisfied expression. Ezra looked down because he was somewhat ashamed. Isis was still on the floor with Meru hugging her.
"Welp, it looks like it's my turn!" Dove began to sprint to Ezra and Himi. Ezra used an ice spell, but Dove jumped to the side. Dove ran past Ezra and stopped at Himi's side. Himi whacked Dove with her rake and Dove stumbled slightly. She got back up, and proceeded to lick Himi's face. Himi turned red ,and screamed at the top of her lungs. She yelled at Ezra and ran out of the room.
Ezra grimaced. His guild was the arguably the strongest guild in Armoroad's history. He couldn't lose to baffled novices. Could he? While he was thinking he felt a sharp pain in his side. He swiftly looked down at his side. Hana was biting him. He tensed up. He heard a banging noise and saw that Isis had gotten Meru off of her. Meru began to sing another song.
Ezra glimpsed at Isi before he nodded. It was about time that they used their limit skill. Ezra clasped his hand together, and Isis did the same. Dove noticed that they were preparing for something and looked at Hana.
"If they were to defeat Hana... It wouldn't make much of a difference... But I can't just let my baffled comrade get hit." Dove looked at Meru. "I don't care if she gets hurt. She deserves it."
Meru glared at her. "Hey!" She wasn't baffled anymore. "I can hear, you know!"
Ezra charged for some reason. Dove pondered about it, and she wondered why his limit skill did not activate yet.
"Hellfire." Isis and Ezra spoke in unison. After they spoke, flames spewed from the ground, and Meru fainted from heat exhaustion, and Dove passed out due to the carbon monoxide. Ezra was surprised to see that Hana had survived a fire attack. He looked at her, and she backed away from him. She did not look confused anymore.
"How did she withstand that attack?" Isis murmured. "It should have been impossible for someone weak to fire to survive that..."
Hana grew a wide smirk. "I have a limit skill too, you know." She flipped her hair. "Unlike any of the buff skills or the attack skill,it is undetectable. It's called being indomitable." Hana spoke pridefully. "I used it in the beginning of the battle. When you were preparing for the second turn."
"Just because you made it past that attack doesn't mean that you have passed this test." Isis pulled out her rapier. "You only have a one percent chance of making it."
Hana's hair began to float. "Oh, really?" The air around her began to crackle, and Ezra and Isis could feel static electricity emitting from her. "I think that Volt Mist has worn off by now." There was an yellow ball of voltage in her left hand. She threw it at Ezra, but he evaded it. There was a thunderous noise. Ezra looked around and noticed that the ball of energy had badly burned his arm. And he fell to his knees. He wouldn't be able to fight in a condition like that. Isis gawked at Hana.
"How dare you..." She hissed. She lunged for Hana and managed to cut her arm. Hana was thrown off guard by that. Isis took advantage of that and tripped her. Hana then fell on her behind, and Isis pointed her sword at her neck. "It seems like this is checkmate, Hana." Isi had a feeling built up inside of her. She wanted to kill Hana right then. But she knew that she couldn't do so in front of Ezra. She covered up her feelings with a fake complement. "Congratulations, Hana. Your strong enough to go to the next stratum..."
Hana looked up at Isis. "Really?" Hana sounded a bit surprised. She had a small piece of relief mixed in as well.
"Your guild contains unique thinkers. You have more than enough strength to venture forward."
Hana moved Isi's rapier away from her neck. "We should heal everyone now." Hana took a deep breath.
"Mei Ling." Isis called out to the Monk. "Please tend to everyone's wounds."
Mei Ling frowned. "Fine, I have lost my appetite anyway. That was disappointing." She put down her plate of food and began to heal the members of RAGNAROK and Gears.
Haruka and Rai looked at each other with shocked faces. "That erratic burst of power..." Haruka whispered.
"Is she unsealing her power in the same fashion her mother did?" Rai uttered. "Minus the eye bleeding thing her mom did. That was terrifying."
"Actually, I am the one who unsealed it for her." A familiar voice spoke.
"Hanami... I thought that you would be near." Haruka crossed her arms. "It's been a long time since was have talked, teacher. Why are you unsealing her powers?"
"The sooner they are unleashed... The better. And her eyes won't bleed like mine did."
"Thank the gods for that." Rai jeered. "I'm leaving." She left.
"Anyway, Haruka... I hope that you'll train Hana the same way I trained you." The woman vanished.
"I'll try." Haruka said to no one.
Gears and RAGNAROK walked to the campsite together. They found Himi cradling herself in one of the corners of the room. Hana didn't enter the room with them. She had stopped to speak to guild Murotsumi's leader. The rest of RAGNAROK was waiting for her to come back. They opened a passage way that Gears had shown them too. Mei Ling wouldn't stop glaring at Dove. Dove asked her why, and she got the response she did not want to hear.
"You... Are wanted in my home country." Mei Ling stated. "You are worth two million en."
"What~? No way. My guild members wouldn't let me get arrested. Right guys?" Dove asked.
"She deserves it." Meru glared at her.
"I want half the profits." Aoimi added.
"She licked my face!" Himi yelped. Bare nodded in agreement.
"Okay then..." Ezra pulled out some Ariadne Thread. He grabbed Dove's arm. "We'll be back soon."
"No! Wait! You jerks!" Dove vanished with Gears.
Hana walked in. "Hey, where did Gears go?"
"They arrested Dove." Aoimi dished it out.
Hana grew a dumbfounded look on her face. "Well..."
"She deserves it." The four girls spoke at the same time.
Once they warped back to the Aman's Inn, Hana began to speak in a low voice. "Guild Murotsumi wants us to help them defeat the Narmer,and they said they would help us fight it."
"Ooh, that's cool. I guess you couldn't resist that Agata kid's smile, huh?" Aoimi twirled around.
"Stop saying that!"
Long chapters. Woohoo.
Next Time: Ryuu figures out that he might not be the nicest person in RAGNAROK. And he sees that not all of his new guildmates like him. And Brac is making them do a training exercise together. Maybe Ryuunosuke will find no escape from this challenge! Find out in chapter fourteen, "Torture! I mean Training..."!
P.S.: Is it bad that I made this chapter just so I could disappoint you people a little? RAGNAROK and Gears have no real reason to fight. YET.