WolfGear Presents: Negima? The mage and the Gunslinger
Pairings: Negi X ku-Fei Kaede X OC
Chapter 46: Separation! Enter the Reverend.
I don't own Negima!
It all happened in a flash. Fate and his five Ministra magi Homura, Shirabe, Koyomi, Tamaki, Shiori, and a mysterious red haired swordsman clad in black jumped from there hiding place and attacked Negi's group. Though this time Negi was ready for them and managed to dodge the stone user's attack with ease, but that didn't mean it was over. Currently the two teams of Ministra Magi were engaging each other well Negi and Jack stared down with Fate and the black swordsman.
"Fate, these vermin are more powerful than you have spoken of," The swordsman growled behind his mask that covered the bottom half of his face. He didn't like this, he's been in this situation before if these people aren't stopped now, they'll become outrageously powerful, course that's what his master wanted, though he hated the thought of teaming up with such filth as this doll called Fate, but orders were orders.
"Forgive me lord Haze. I have underestimated how much they would grow in such a short time." Fate said through clenched teeth. Really no matter how much these piece of trash have grown they would be no match for the likes of him. He still didn't see you why the master brought in this man, so far he had done nothing, but critics their plan and efforts as if it was all a game to him. Then again perhaps it was just a game to see who would win.
"You two done talking or do you need a few more minutes, because frankly it's getting kind of boring down here." Jack taunted. Around him lay Fate's Ministra Magi. The girls with the help of him and Negi swiftly defeated the girls. Probably because they weren't expecting for everyone to be so powerful, but they wouldn't be so easy next time, that is if there was a next time.
Haze emotionlessly stared down at the cowboy. He hadn't expected them to beat Fate's little girl squad that quickly and with so little injury. There wasn't as much as a scratch on any of them. Perhaps this assignment wouldn't be so dull after all.
"You take care of the teleports." Haze ordered. "I shall deal with these vermin." He said drawing his claymore from the sheath on his back, and jumped down in front of the group. "I am Haze Highland, and shall be your opponent."
"Fine by me," Jack accepted the challenge materializing his own twin Katana swords out of thin air. Ah the benefits of training. "The rest of you go stop Fate. I got the scot." He declared. The others nodded in agreement and went to stop Fate, but unfortunately his Ministra girl regained consciousness, and engaged them again, this time though they were much more weary of their opponents.
Skill fully the two swordsmen circled each other, Haze's claymore had a longer reach over Jack's twin katanas and was heavier giving it more power, but Jack had speed and movability on his side, if he could dodge the claymore's powerful wide swings he could move in and get the kill.
"You know it's rude for you not to give you name to you opponent." Haze said. "Otherwise I wouldn't know what to put on your gravestone."
"Jack McCoy and don't worry Scotty I'll be sure to bury you on a nice hill." Jack shot back.
"An Irishman? This is a treat." Haze smirked and lashed out with his sword. The huge blade of cold steel cut cleanly threw the air, but just like Jack expected, it was slower than his own. Ducking under the attack he moved in, swords posed to run his opponent threw, but suddenly Haze pivoted on his toes to the side spinning his monstrous blade back into Jack's direction. With nothing else to do Jack crossed his swords and braced for impact!
"I woulda thought them there toothpicks you were swingin' would have broken right in half!" Haze exclaimed excited. It's been while since anyone has managed to stop his blade.
"Yeah well I'm full of surprises." Jack spat. His arms felt like there were going to turn to jelly after that one attack! How powerful is this guy Dammit! He makes him wish he would have kept Tsukuyomi alive!
Haze smiled through his mask. "That's good. I'll look forward to our next in accounted." He said and disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
"What was that about?" He wondered then looked at the ground beneath his feet a force teleportation circle under him and everyone else. "Oh hell. Negi what the hell happened I thought you had this covered!" Jack yelled at his friend. Seriously it's like he lives to make things more complicated, like that one time he spent hours trying to convince a human trafficker to release the girls they had been sent to rescue. One bullet from his gun was all it took and everyone went home safe.
"Sorry Jack." Negi said rubbing the back of his head, looks like he failed to stop the gate from being destroyed, and having his team scattered to the winds, but at least he didn't have a hole in his chest. Everything would be ok after all everyone could take care of themselves… Oh shit the twins! They may be stronger but they still would need someone with them! "Fuuka, Fumika grab hold of someone," He yelled, but it was too late they were too far away from everyone else and before they knew they were scattered across the vast world of magic.
Across the magic world the people looked up in awe as eleven bright lights flew across the sky. Many thought they were angels falling from the heavens, others thought they were signs of great disaster, and the rest didn't care. Two of these "Shooting Stars" fell in near the city of Atosia; only two people there took real interest, while the others just brushed it off.
"Ouch that hurt! Fuuka are you ok?" Fumika asked her sister. She received a tired nod.
"Yeah a little brushed, but nothing compared to what Rubi did you us." She shuttered, the horrifying training that the mercenary put them through was still fresh in their minds, but they were still thankful for it. "I think there's a town over there. Let's check it out and see where we are, and try to find out what happened to the others." Fuuka suggested. It seemed like the best thing to do, plus they didn't have any food or water on them. The only thing they had was the weapons Jack gave them, and some money that they tucked away in their shoes for safe keeping.
The two walked for half the day, and made it about half ways to the town, the hot desert climate was merciless, and forced them to take shelter in a rocky over hang. They planned to rest till dark and follow the lights to the town. It was a sound plan except they didn't know about the predators that lurk in the darkness.
A lone howl echoed through the night sending shivering down the girls' spines. "Fuuka I'm scared." Fumika cried. She has always been afraid of the dark, usually she could stand it when she was her sister, but the eerily sounds of the night were too much for her to handle.
"Don't worry Fumika. I once we get closer to town we won't have to worry about any animals attacking us." Fuuka tried to reassure her sister, but the truth was that she was just as scared as she was; oh how she wished Jack or Kaede was here. Her only comfort was the weight of the twin double barrel sawed off shot guns that hung from her hips. They were easy to shoot, just point and let the buck shot do the rest, though she would have be mindful of the firing range, shotgun aren't known for being long shots.
Suddenly a number of eyes glowed in the moonlight a pack of scorpion coyotes surrounded the two girls. They looked like normal Coyotes but within their claws was deadly venom that paralyzes victims rendering them helpless.
"Stay back!" Fuuka ordered. She already had her guns drawn, but she didn't know if she could force herself to pull the trigger. The coyotes drew closer and closer till finally one of the braver ones jumped from the pack and bore down on the girls, but its attack was stopped short by a loud bang! Fumika who had been frozen with fear, finally found her killer instinct, when her sister was in danger, and with skilled practice, drew her revolver and squeezed the trigger, dropping the animal dead.
Inspired by her sister's courage Fuuka took aim and let loose a thunderous barrage of lead. A number of the buck shots grazed or seriously wounded the coyotes, but they got the message. These two were not easy prey like they had thought, and now they ran with their tails between their legs towards their den.
Fuuka stood in shock she was live, no, they were live! They could survive on their own, they weren't just baggage, but this was not the time to celebrate. They still had a ways to go till they reached the town, but it was too dangerous to continue at night. So they set up camp again and took turns being look out. They would have to make to town tomorrow or else they would surely die of thirst.
Meanwhile in Atosia inside one of the local bounty hunter gild which was really a bar where they all met, an interesting conversation was taking place. The Bar was called lady luck, because of the fact that the dark king himself visited the place and left without taking a single life. The bartender believed luck was on his side that night and thus it how the place got its name. Today it was filled with bounty hunters looking for quick cash by listing to the wanted board that hung on the wall, and to this day the Dark king and queen's faces are still on that wall. Many of the younger folk make fun of it boasting and laughing at the old men's fear of the two.
"Hey old preacher is that the man you're so scared of?" One of the pardons yelled across the room to the shady figure in the back. "Well is it old man Cain?"
Cain looked up from his drink, both of his eyes were missing, but he was still able to see some with his mind's eye. He looked to the board and saw a bunch of new bounties offered by none other than the consul of magic itself. There were three males and a bunch of females, all with fairly high bounties. None of them though were of the king, the man who he had taken so much, but yet all he had done when he finally caught up with him was take his sight, and after all these years Cain was looking for a way to make amends to the evil he had done.
"What old man can't talk no more?" The pardon mocked. He had heard all the stories of Father Cain and his encounter with the dark king. He was one of the few men who survived a meeting with the dark king and lived. But he thought it was just a bunch of bull and what's with all the old folks still being so afraid of this guy he disappeared years ago, he had to be dead, or at least so old that he wouldn't be a threat anymore. Ah it would be great to collect that 900 trillion dollar bounty.
"Hey Rick stop teasing the old timer and get over here, we got real work to do." Tel Rick's boss said, five others gathered around the bulky man, together they formed the Blue bounty hunters gild. "Now listen the report says that those new bounties traveled in those steaks of light right?"
"Right," his men responded.
"Right, now two of those lights landed outside the city, so the next set of stranger that matched any of them on the board we simply capture and cash in."
"But boss what's if it one of the girls do we do… well you know."
"Of course it wouldn't be any fun if we didn't, and all them girl sure do look cute." Tel said licking his lips; oh this was going to be the easiest job ever.
Meanwhile in the back corner another man was listening to the bounty hunters conversation. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a silver cross which glowed jade green. "Huh," the man grunted. "Looks like I might have to get involved after all."
It was now morning. Fuuka and Fumika finally enter the town with not trouble from anymore wild animals, but soon they were about to face a different kind of animal.
As they walked down the middle of Main Street looking for a place to eat a man with a blindfold over his eyes appeared beside them. "You girls should hurry up and leave this town and head north to the mountains."
Instantly they're hand went for their guns, but they held off on drawing them, it would be wise to hear this man out if he was a friend, if he wasn't then he wouldn't mind a bullet in the toe.
"Why should we leave?" Fuuka asked keeping her voice down, well Fumika scanned the streets for trouble. Rubi said the best way to find out who was the enemy was to feel for their intent.
"There's a bounty on your heads, and your friends as well some of the local hunters are already searching for you. One of them is named Tel. He has connects to a military base located near here, he is a coward and will surely call them in if they haven't arrived already." Cain said. This was it, this is how he would make amends, he would help these girls escape even if it cost it his life.
"Well, well, well I knew would find them Cain. That mind's eye of your is really handy to have when looking for strangers." Tel said mockingly. He knew the old priest would try to help them, and with his friends from the Mage Knights unit here there was no one who could stop him! "Now why down you be smart and hand them over. I might even let you go around with them before we turn them in for the reward." He said licking his lips, sending shivers of fear down the girls' spines and making Cain spit in disgust. How could he have been such a fool!
"No! I'll not let you lay a finger on these girls!" Cain declared activating a holy barrier, but because of his age, and the weight of his sins, it was a pitiful barrier that would only last one attack.
Tel laughed; really this old fool was going to refuse him? Who did he think was in charge of this town? "You think your some kind of hero of Justice now? Please the only law around here is me and besides after what you did do you think your be sent to that happy place in the clouds?"
"No, I don't expect to be welcomed into the heavens after what I done, but I will make sure I take you heathens with me!" Cain declared.
"I'm bored. Captain please finish this relic off once and for all." Tel ordered the head of the knight unit who complied grinningly.
"Yes, sir," He said drawing his lance, and charged forward hitting the Priest shield at full force. His lance pierced the invisible wall, the point stopping just one centimeter away from the priest's face. It looked like Cain might be able to pull it off when suddenly the rest of the unit charged forth and broke down the barrier, running the priest threw at least a dozen times.
Tears fell from the old man's sightless eyes. He had failed, but before the darkness consumed him he caught sight of a gunslinger in black. It's been years but he still recognized the child he had once tried to kill. "A Ray of hope, I see what you mean now." With that Cain the priest pasted away.
"Crazy old fool that what you get for interfering with the law!" The captain declared. "Do you people see we are the law, and you will all obey or be killed!"
"Law? I don't see any law here." A voice said. The knights turned, walking slowly down the street was a man looking around 58, his hair had longed turned white, his most distinctive feature was his crocked nose, and hard eyes that seemed to look right through you.
"Who the hell are you?" Tel demanded. "If your here for their bounties, their mine! That's the rule first come first serve."
The man scoffed. "I am not bound by the rules of man. I am a representative of a higher law, God's law!"
The men laughed. "God's law? Really and what is that God has made you?"
"Young fools," He scoffed. "I'm his judge, his jury, and his executioner. I'm Ray McCoy."
Immediately the laughter stopped. Did he just say Ray McCoy, the Reverend, the bringer of wrath, the man who rivaled Jack Rakan with ease?
"Get him!" the captain ordered. His men charged… into a slaughter. The first man to reach Ray found his arms painfully removed from this body and shoved back into his mouth, the second and third men had their nuts blown off by his rusty quick shooters, the rest of the twelve man unit were quickly gunned down in a matter of seconds.
Tel fell to the ground and began crawling away from the gunslinger. "I'm sorry I'll change my ways I'll-
The hot barrel of Ray's gun pressed against his forehead. "Too late son, you're going to hell." Than he fired scattering his brains all over the street, and as if he didn't just kill over a dozen men, he approached the two girls and said, "You're coming with me."