WolfGear Presents: Negima? The mage and the Gunslinger
Pairings: Negi X ku-Fei Kaede X OC
Chapter 51: Round up!
I don't own Negima!
"Take your pick the one that tries to eat cha is the one for ya!" Ray McCoy
Negi stared out across the dense forest from one of the many cliffs that dotted the land, in his hand he held a simple rope meant to lasso the dragons that lived in the trees. This want not what he expected when Ray, Jack's uncle, told him to go round up the dragons, he didn't think that meant literally throwing a rope around their neck and then trying to break them by riding on their backs! But he guessed he shouldn't have expected anything different from a family of cowboys.
He shook his head, standing here wouldn't get him any closer to getting a dragon. With a little wind magic Negi launched him in to the air and descended into the forest, it was time to show these things what he was made of!
Two hours later, he was beaten, bruised and demoralized. Every dragon he tried to rope either flew away or grabbed the rope with its mouth and tossed him into a tree! Some even tried to urinate on him!
"How in the bloody hell does Jack do this?" Negi moaned, while leaning against a tree. Surely there had to be at least one dragon he could rope! As if to answer his prayers a baby fire dragon waltzed out of the bushes and sat directly across from the wizard.
"Well, I did ask for one I could rope," He said to himself, "Should have said something worth riding though." Negi twirled the rope above his head, rotating it at least three times, before throwing it over the dragons head!
"Yes! I did it!" The wizard exclaimed happy. The baby dragon looked confused at the thing around its neck and with it little, but yet sharp claws cut the rope and walked up to neck and lit him on fire with its breath and flew away.
"Haaa, hot! Hot! HOT!" Negi screamed as he rolled on the ground, the stop, drop and roll lesson from school have finally paid off. When the flames were finally snuffed out, Negi picked up the remains of his rope and began the three hours walk back to the ranch. How could things get any worse, he wondered?
(Thunder rumbles)
"Just great," He said angrily just as the rain started to fall from the sky, and lightning flashed across the sky. "Now I can't even fly!"
Back at the ranch, where everyone else was nice and cozy inside the house, the girls (A.K.A the twins) had gathered everyone in the living room for a nice game of cards. Which met they were trying to swindle everyone out of their money and other valuables. So far they were doing great of collecting from Kataro, Konoka, and Setsuna, but they found a challenge in Ray and Sayo. The two were a devastating force in this game of poker. Ray's stonily poker face and Sayo's dead expression, made them hard to read.
Everyone was having a good time, even Ray who normally shied away from such things. Not even the storm clouds above could deter them.
"You guys think Negi going to be ok out there?" Konoka asked exchanging two of her cards, a five and an eight; she received two fours, a four of kind.
Ray shrugged as he drew three cards, "Told him the only way to bond with a dragon is to tame one." A king, a queen, and a Jack, lucky him.
Suddenly a loud roar echoed through the air, a very familiar roar! Ray dropped his cards to the table and rushed out on to the porch. Death, his father's dragon, was out of her pen, was more she was preparing to take off!
"What the hell are you doing?" Ray yelled running across the muddy ground trying to stop the dragon. It was too stormy for her to fly; she was going to get herself killed!
But Death ignored him, firmly digging all four of her massive claws into the earth, and through the use of her powerful leg muscles launched herself into the air and straight into the storm, leaving Ray standing in the rain wondering what had gotten into the old dragon.
The rain pounded on her scaly skin, her instincts screamed for her to return to the safety of the stables, but Death ignored them, the only thing she heard was the faint voice whispering to her saying, Get the boy, he is the only one who can help him, please one last time fly again… it was maddening, that voice filled with such sad emotion, she could not bear to listen to it drag on like this, she would find the red haired boy, and she would test him, but he would have to survive.
Meanwhile Negi struggled through the now muddy forest floor. The rain had made the once soft dirt into a slick and sticky nightmare! Already he has lost one of his shoes to the treacherous earth, and things were only getting worse, the next leg of his journey went right through a steep passage way, dirty water streamed from the side of the cliff, the chance of a landside were high, but it was the only way out of this valley.
He placed a foot on the path, it was slick just like he knew it would be, maybe he could fly to the other side; it was much too dangerous to walk. A clap of thunder roared in the sky, and dozens of lightning bolts filled the sky. Oh how he wished he could be an elemental eater like Jack, but sadly he wasn't and having infinity for lightning doesn't mean you're immune to it.
"Perhaps I should find a place to wait out the storm?" There had to be an overhang or cave somewhere around here, this was a valley full of dragons after all. Wait this is a valley… Jack once told him about a valley that floods every time it storms like this. Negi looked down; the water was as high as his ankles, and rising.
"Ok new plan," If he couldn't fly, he could still try out one of his new techniques that he developed. Summoning tiny whirlwinds under his feet, Negi floated less than an inch of the ground. This technique he called Wind Walker it allowed him to travel at high speeds using the wind. He would be low enough to the ground to avoid the lightning, and he wouldn't be a human lightning rod, like he would be if he tried any of his lightning spells.
Here we go! Negi shot off like a bullet out of a gun, skipping across the sloppy mud, like a skater over ice. Water splashed in his wake causing the already unstable ground to fall causing a landslide! But that didn't matter anymore; Negi was swiftly tearing up the earth like a surfer in the ocean, even going so far to perform some ticks, such as the 360 and forward back flips.
There's the exit! Up head about two hundred feet was a narrow passage. He would have to speed it up if he was going to make it through in time! Another blast of wind exploded beneath his feet, everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. By only a second, Negi cleared the passage way, just as a wall of earth sealed it shut.
"That was a close one." The wizard said relieved, he was that close to seeing how earth worm look at the world. Now it he just had to cross this section of the valley, which thankfully was made from granite rock and had a good natural draining system, making it immune to the storms alternate effects.
Negi quickly scanned the area, just because it seemed save it didn't always mean it was, like the time in sheng Hai, you would have never know a simple ice cream vender could be such a dangerous enemy when you didn't have any money.
The landscape was simple, the walls of the stone valley curved around in a complete circle, with an opening on either side (one now) and a large stone pillar in the center. Nothing would be able to ambush him without him seeing it.
He took a step forward, but when he tried to move the other he found that he couldn't. "What in the bloody hell is it now?" A stone or more precisely a stone hand had grabbed hold of his ankle, then another one, and then another, all over the valley floor they appeared, followed, by arms, then a head, a head of Earth dragons!
Now he knew why this place was so protected from the elements it was home to a clan of lesser earth dragons, and right now they looked hungry.
"Sorry chaps, but I'm not on the menu." Negi said blasting the scaly clawed hand away with a wind arrow. Several more claws reached out trying to grab the wizard and pull him under, he decided then that some higher ground was in order, and leaped to the stone tower in the center of the valley, there Negi had a bird's eye view of the valley's stone floor.
Negi smirked; this was the perfect time to try out some of his new techniques. He straightened his right arm, his palm flat, and using a mixture of Ki and magic formed a sphere of wind the size of a soft ball, this technique was Force palm a high compact blast of air with the stopping power of a battleship.
"Alright, take this!" Negi fired at the group of claws ahead of him, the blast cut through the earth forming a crater the size of a bus! Quickly he turned to the right firing another blast destroying another group, and then another and another till finally the whole valley was covered with holes.
"That should to it," He said competently, there was no way those dragons would bother him anymore.
Up above the worse of the storm was clearing, meaning it was save enough to fly. Negi was able to take off when a gaint stone claw wrapped around him! How stupid of me, he angrily thought, of course one would hide inside the pillar! And this one was a true earth dragon, not a lesser one like the others.
Negi was in a bad spot, wrapped in the grip of earth dragon was not the position one could escape from easy. Larger attack spells at this range would kill the dragon and him, but smaller spells wouldn't do anything but give the beast an irritating itch.
The Earth dragon, ruler of this valley stared blankly at the small figure in his hand, this tiny thing had killed all of its brethren. Now it would be the one to kill, with a simple motion if its claw it would squash this insect.
He felt the dragons grip grow tighter; he guessed this was it, killed by a wild earth dragon. What a way to go for the son of the Thousand Master. Negi starred up at the sky and waited for the single, but painful moment of his death, then he saw something, a white speck in the grey sky, and it was getting bigger!
Death barreled down towards the ground, the voice in her head screaming for her to save the boy, drove her faster. The white dragon peered down at her opponent, an earth dragon, and big one too, but form its distorted scales it was infected with some disease, and looked like it hadn't bothered to keep its self in shape, only to rely on the lesser dragons under it for food, and protection, it would be a easy kill.
Death's fangs pieced the earth dragon's scales, making the brown beast howl in pain as red blood seeped through the wounds and into her mouth making the wind dragon gag from the fowl taste! She swore this one would pay for making her taste its rotten blood. The pale Dragon folded her wings; the small yet deadly claws that formed at the middle converged to form a spear tip. Swiftly Death lashed out with her wings stabbing rapidly into the earth dragon, puncturing its thick skin easy.
The earth dragon let out of mournful howl, its grip loosened dropping Negi to the ground, its strength faded, body, mind and soul exhausted as it fell to its knees. The pale white dragon raised it wing, he barely see the blade of wind form along his killers wing, one slash and his world when dark.
Negi stared in shock as the earth dragons massive head was removed from the rest of its body. The display of power by the white dragon was amazing! It fought as if it were human, that last attack was definitely Wind Blade a basic wind spell, but amplified by the white dragon's extreme power. But the question still remained would his savoir, became his next attacker?
Man and beast stared into the others eyes, suddenly Death turned away and offered Negi its neck. This was the sigh Ray told him about, this meant a dragon wished to test your valor, and if you pasted. That dragon would become you stead.
"You want me to get on?" Negi asked the dragon. Death gave a reassuring nod, and allowed the small wizard to mount her, but before the Negi could get comfortable, she rocketed of into the sky, Negi screaming bloody murder as they gained altitude. He should have known this would happen, he thought griping the dragon's neck as hard as he could. His arms barely able to keep a grip on the white dragon sharp scales, already dozens of tiny cuts marred his skin, and from the feel of things it was only going to get worse as they began twist and turn, barreling through the clouds, diving straight towards the ground only to pull up at the last second! It was clear to him that his dragon was doing everything it can to kill him; it even flew upside down with his head only inches away from the ground!
She had to admire this boys spirit, Death thought as she once again flew into the clouds barrel rolling and performing every maneuver she knew to try and shake the boy off of her back, but he just wouldn't let go! It reminded her of her first master. One more thing to do, let's see if this human is ready for it!
Turning her wings upward, Death began to gain even more altitude, flying higher than the clouds, and even further beyond that, to where the air chilled to temperate that rivaled the artic, the atmosphere of the planet.
Negi resisted the urge to rub his hands together for doing so would mean death. He knew what the dragon was trying to do, it was a test to see who could stand the cold the longest, and he was determined to win!
Slowly, Death's eyes began to close, the air was too thin for her and the boy had yet to fall, black spots appeared in her vision, this was it. Her wings stopped moving, her cold blooded nature had frozen her body, and they began to fall.
The wind rushed through his hair, the rushing blur of the clouds told Negi that they were falling and fast! From what he could tell the dragon had rendered itself unconscious, and if he didn't do something soon they would both be nothing but splats of red on the ground.
Think Negi, think! What is that you do when something needs a just start? Lightning flashed in the distance, giving the wizard the answer he needed. Give it a shock, of course!
Negi charged his body with lightning, and sent into the dragon, nothing so serve just something to help boast the dragon to its senses. The dragon's eye bolted open; they were only a few hundred feet to the ground! The dragon spread its wings wide, slowing them down, but they were still going too fast, so Negi shoot of extra-large Force Palm, creating a shock wave to help lessen their speed. It worked. Death was safety able to land them on a high tree, using her clawed feet to wrap around to the trunk for a secure grip.
Nicely done boy, you have passed my test. Negi heard in his head, he looked around franticly trying to see who had spoken.
"Who said that?" Suddenly the dragon's whip like tail snapped and whapped him upside the head. "Was that you speaking?" He asked.
Death nodded her head. Yes, now if you don't want to get hit again you will bestow me with a new name for it is your right. She said anguished. She didn't want to give up her old master's name for her, but this is the way it was done.
"Why don't you just tell me you old name and will go by that?" Negi suggested, but the dragon shook its head.
You must name me or our contract will be invalid, now choose! The dragon said dangerously. Oh and if is something stupid I'll tear your head off!
Negi sweat dropped. Who knew dragons were so hot tempered. But now he must choose a name for his new friend. What to pick and more over was this a boy or girl dragon? He didn't really have time to check when they were flying around.
"Excuse me, but could you be so kind to tell me you gender?" Negi asked timidly. The dragon looked at him angry, and turned away in a huff. He could swear he saw red on the dragon's cheeks like it was blushing, or maybe that was left over blood from the earth dragon it killed not too long ago.
Negi thought hard this was a matter of life and death. Ok, I just need to pick a name that would fit either a male or female. Um… Fir, no, how about Kaze? It did use wind, but it didn't feel right. How about Shiki?
That's a fine name. The dragon now called Shiki said startling the wizard; he didn't know she could read his thoughts too. By the way I'm a female just so you now. Shiki said flying east.
"Wait we need to go back to the ranch that's the other way!" Negi told the dragon, but she ignored him.
I know that, but there is someone you must meet first.
They flew for over an hour, the landscape shifting from dense forest to the vast plains. In the distance Negi could see another ranch. This one though was falling apart. The barn looked it would fall any moment; the roof of the house had caved in long ago, making a home for all kinds of creatures.
Shiki landed in the middle of the decrypted yard, and helped Negi dismount with her wing. Go to the hill behind the barn. Shiki said mentally to the wizard. It is the reason we are here, though I don't know why.
"Do you dragons always give such vague answers?" Negi asked, but received no answer, just the bored gaze Shiki's big black eyes as she stared at a butterfly as she once again ignoring him.
Curious Negi decides to pass through the barn; inside he saw that a good portion of the hardwood walls were scorched black, tools from another era littered the walls, the old hand held tools that a carpenter or a farmer would use to build and repair things back in the early 1900's. Other than some long handled scythes used for harvesting and some lengths of rope were all that remained. Negi was surprised how many of these tools remained after such a long time; you would think they would have been plundered ages ago.
Exiting the back door of the barn, Negi began to make his way up the steep hill. The grass was scorched heavily by what looked to be lightning strikes, giving the gloomy landscape and even gloomier look. The top of the hill though was brilliant, a tall oak tree stood firmly at the top, a bed of red flower that he could name formed a perfect circle around the tree, and at the base was a simple grave stone with the name Abi Malone McCoy craved into the stone.
"Abi McCoy… this is Jack's mom!" Negi cried in surprise, in all the places for Shiki to take him, why on earth here? Suddenly a bright blue light shined out of nowhere, forcing the wizard to cover his eyes with his arms less he go blind. When the light finally dies down he heard a voice speak out to him.
"So you're Negi?" The voice said curiously. "I honesty never would have thought you and my boy would get along so well, but then again I thought the same of your fathers. Guess my woman's intuition isn't that good." Negi got the impression of someone shrugging. "So you are going to stop looking at you skin or what? It's rude not to make eye contact… at least where I come from."
Slowly Negi removed his arms form his face. The specter he saw was familiar, yet a stranger, the face was the same as Rubi's, but everything else was slightly different. This woman's hair was much longer then Rubi's and woven into three breads, two that fell from the side of her face and down to her belly, which was exposed with a number of flame tattoos that ran across her stomach, and one more bread that ran down the length of her back. Also her skin was slightly more than then Rubi's giving her a look that one would confuse with a Native American half breed. Other than that he doubts he would be able to tell the difference between Abi and Rubi.
"So your Jack's mom?" Negi asked again. He was having a little trouble processing this, maybe it was because of the short skirt and t shirt that barely covered the woman's bust. From what Jack had told him his mother was a modest dresser.
Abi frowned at the wizard. "Don't you start doubting me boy, if you saw what your mother was like in her younger days you wouldn't have any room to talk," She snapped. She always hated it when people compare her to princess Arika. Oh the things she could tell people about their perfect little princess.
"Anyways," Abi said getting back on topic. "I need you to do me a favor."
"Really and what's that?"
"I need you to save my son's life." Abi said darkly. This really got the wizards attention now.
Negi gasped. "Jack's in trouble?" He couldn't believe it, Jack may have had some tough times, but there was never a fight that he couldn't walk away from. But it had to be serious if his best friend's mother was calling him from the dead.
Abi nodded. "That's right. That's why I had that dragon over that go and find you. You need to win that race; the soul flask is the only thing that can help Jack."
"Why what's wrong with him?"
"There is no time to explain. My time is short and you must return to your friends, but before you go, break open my gravestone and inside is something that will aid you in your fight." Abi said as she fades away.
Negi stared at the stop where the ghost had been. He didn't know what is was that he saw, but he knew it was important to heed the words of the departed, and so he smashed the gravestone into pieces with no hesitation, just as Jack would have, and pulled from the rumble a simple stone tomahawk that radiated with power.
"I will keep my promise. You can rest easy I won't let my friends be harmed." He vowed. The Tomahawk pulsed, Negi had the feeling it was pleased. Swiftly Negi ran down the hill and mounted Shiki, before she even had a chance to notice him.
"Come on we got work to do!" He spurred the dragon, and before he knew it they were in the air west bound. Don't worry Jack I'm coming to help!