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"If it isn't Claire Rouge. What's with all the cans? Your taste in food is as pitiful as your chest." Rinslet said haughtily, thrusting her much larger chest out.
" you." Claire was visibly shaking and several cans exploded due to boiling.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Rinslet teased.
"Hmph! It's fitting that your family crest is of a dog, with you chasing after my slave spirit like a dog in heat." Claire spat in anger, crossing her arms over her chest.
"The Laurenfrost crest features the proud and fierce White Wolf, my Fenrir is not just some dog." Rinslet retorted.
"But you didn't deny chasing after Kamito like a dog in heat." Claire taunted.
Kamito had to stifle a chuckle. 'She has you there.'
"Hwah! Y. …." Rinslet's face lit up like a beacon. The temperature around the shack dropped dramatically as a cold wind swirled around the blonde.
Raising her hand in the air, Rinslet chanted "Oh freezing beast with ice teeth, merciless hunter of the forest! Now is the time to abide the contract of blood, hasten to my side as commanded!
Snow formed in the swirling air until Rinslet was no longer visible. The wind then died down and standing next Rinslet was a massive white wolf. Frost spread across the ground near his paws.
"This is a proper contract spirit, much better than your little pussy cat. She would end up just being a snack for my Fenrir here." Rinslet laughed brushing her hair up with one hand.
"Scarlet might be small, but she is more than a match for your little ice mutt." Claire responded angrily.
"Guardian of the crimson blaze, Keeper of the undying hearth! Now is the time to abide by our blood contract, come forth and do my bidding!"
The ground around Claire's feet darkened as the emanating from her increased. Scarlet, Claire's hellcat contract spirit, appeared in a flash of flame and immediately leapt on top of the shack to gain the high ground.
Ellis had been carrying a wrapped bundle when she encountered Kamito's contract spirit, Atlantae if she remembered correctly. Ellis could tell but the way she held herself that the spirit wasirritated about something.
"You're Kazehaya Kamito's spirit, right?" Ellis inquired.
"Yes, what of it?" Iseria answered gruffly. She was not in the mood for small talk, especially this girl.
"We were not formally introduced earlier; I am Ellis Fahrengart, captain of the Syphlid Knights." Ellis introduced herself, curtsying politely.
"I am Atlantae, and I already know who you are." Courtesy dictated that manners should be greeted with manners, but Ellis could still feel an underlying anger directed at her.
"Is there something troubling you, miss Atlantae?" Ellis asked.
"Yes, the lodging you provided for Kamito and myself is less than adequate." Iseria stated bluntly.
"Wait, you are sharing a residence with a male? Such indecency for him to force you to stay with him. I was right not trust that man." Ellis said indignantly. Ellis almost tripped when Iseria started laughing.
"You think he is forcing me to stay in a room with him?" Iseria chuckled.
"He must, men are just perverted pigs that want to defile young women." Ellis nodded, convinced of her facts.
"Fufufu, even if Kamito was as you describe, he could not force me to do anything. I stay with him because I desire to do so. He is a kind hearted gentleman who would gladly forego his own comfort and well-being for others. I have told him that it is unbefitting for a person of his station, but I guess that is one of the main reasons I choose to contract with him. You do him a disservice every time you speak poorly of him." Iseria disliked it when someone discriminated against Kamito just because of his gender, she knew how much pain and suffering that our boy had endured.
The two females started walking toward the hut again. Ellis considered Iseria's words, and came to the conclusion that she had been treating him unfairly, but it had only been a day. She would have to keep an eye on him to see how his actions would speak for him. Iseria noticed the package that Ellis was carrying and inquired about it. "What do you have in that bundle there?" The smell of home cooked food wafted from under the cloth.
Ellis froze for a moment. "Err..well.."
****Flashback-Earlier that day****
Kamito and Ellis had just left the cluster of dorm buildings while on their tour of the campus.
"I wanted to make sure you knew which buildings were the dorms so you could not try and claim ignorance later." Ellis glared at Kamito in accusation.
Kamito sighed "How many times do I have to tell you, I don't have any plans on trying anything perverted." Kamito paused for a moment. "Unless you are hoping I would try something with you." Kamito couldn't resist teasing her a bit.
"Hwa?!" Ellis flushed bright red and started sputtering incoherent denials. Kamito chuckled lightly as he watched her reaction.
"You really are quite cute when you get flustered." Kamito casually remarked, putting his hands behind his head as they walked.
" ? Quit saying such nonsense so casually." Ellis's blush intensified.
They stopped at the cafeteria and Ellis saw Kamito wince when he saw the prices. He purchased an anpan and a coffee while Ellis only got a milk tea with honey. They found a bench to sit on to enjoy a short break. Kamito had finally gotten used to all the stares that he was receiving and decided to tune out the whispers for now.
Ellis sat with perfect posture as she slowly sipped at her drink whereas Kamito was slouched back comfortably, looking at the clear blue sky. Sitting up, Kamito retrieved his bread and broke off a piece which he offered to Ellis. She looked at him suspiciously but accepted the bread with a muttered "thank you."
Even though she was taking dainty lady like bites, Ellis still ended up with a small spot of bean paste on her cheek. Kamito smiled and pulled out his handkerchief. Feeling him touch her cheek, Ellis leapt to her feet and drew her sword, pointing it threateningly at his chest. Kamito continued to sit on the bench without any signs of concern.
"I do believe that would set a bad precedent for the captain of the knights to have a messy face." Kamito smiled. Ellis glared at him for a moment longer, her cheeks dusted a light shade of red, before she sheathed her sword. Standing and stretching, Kamito asked "You said you enjoy cooking?"
Ellis nodded "Yes, it is a bit of a hobby of mine. One day I will be married, so I am practicing now so that I can satisfy my future husband's needs."
Kamito wanted to tease her about her wording, but decided that would be too cruel for such an honest answer. "Really? If the time ever presents itself, I would not mind sampling some of your offerings."
"Yes, I guess if the time presents...wait, no! My cooking is to be enjoyed by my future husband, not by the likes of you." Ellis turned away in a huff.
"That's too bad, I consider myself to have quite a good palate." Kamito frowned for a moment. He sighed and continued to follow Ellis on the tour, walking with his hands behind his head.
***Later that day***
"Captain!" Ellis looked up from the book she was studying to see who called her. Two girls were approaching her desk wearing light armor similar to her own.
"Rakka, Reisha, what can I do for you?" Ellis asked her subordinates.
"Did you hear about Raven Class?" Rakka giggled. She had short black hair and deep purple eyes.
Ellis sighed and put her head I'm her hand "Not even here for a full day and he is already causing trouble. Tell me, what did that man do?"
The two girls stared blankly at their captain for a moment. "What?" Ellis asked impatiently.
"Well, thing is, he wasn't the cause of the disturbance." Rakka started. Ellis crossed her arms over her chest waiting for the story to continue.
"It was that flat chested firebrand, Claire Rouge, and the Ice Demon, Rinslet Laurenfrost, who started arguing over the ownership of the male elementalist, what's his name again?" Reisha touched her cheek with her finger, trying to remember. Reisha had long braided hair the color of a fine tea and green eyes.
"Kazehaya Kamito." Ellis supplied.
"Yeah, that's him. Is he really as hot as the rumors say?" Reisha asked.
Ellis blushed and looked away, mumbling something unintelligible. Giving her head a quick shake, Ellis asked "What else happened?
"You know that clumsy, wanna be maid that Rinslet keeps around?" Ellis nodded. "She tripped on the top step while coming to her master's side."
"What a clutz." Reisha giggled. She quickly stopped when Ellis shot her a warning glare.
"Kamito was able save her though. He was able to catch her and put her back on the top step." Rakka finished.
"I heard he moved so fast that no-one saw him even move." Reisha added.
"Is that so? I think I'll have to look into what really happened." Ellis commented. 'Perhaps I was too quick to judge him.'
****End Flashback****
"I thought I would take Kamito some food. I didn't think he would have had time to get to the academy town yet." Ellis answered, a blush forming on her cheeks as her voice raised in pitch as she spoke.
"Hmm...I see." Iseria nodded. "That was very kind of you." Iseria's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "How about I go ahead and take that for you? No sense of you making the trip all the way out here when I am already heading that way." Iseria was still irritated at the disrespect this girl had shown since they had arrived, and she would be damned if she allowed these princess maidens to chase after Kamito's heart.
"Err..um..It's no bother, I was going on patrol anyway." Ellis gripped the bundle tighter in her hand.
Iseria was about to argue again when they heard a loud commotion up ahead in the direction of the shack.
...Now is the time to abide the contract of blood! Hasten to my side as commanded!
A noticeable drop in temperature could be felt by the two females. "..!..A spirit summoning? Here on campus?" Ellis wondered aloud in concern.
Iseria closed her eyes, searching her memories for this familiar energy. Her eyes popped open as it came to her 'That's the contacted spirit for the Laurenfrost family, Fenrir. Not good, she could possibly recognize me.'
Guardian of the crimson blaze, Keeper out the undying hearth!
Temporarily forgetting their quarrel, Ellis and Iseria broke into a sprint. Iseria was the first to arrive, getting there just in time to see the hellcat, Scarlet, appear from a ball of flame and leap into the roof of the structure. Kamito, who had been leaning against the door frame watching impassively, jumped to the roof and grabbed Scarlet by the scruff of the neck before the building could catch fire.
"Hey! What are you doing?! Drop Scarlet now!" Claire cried out seeing Kamito holding her contract spirit as arms length away from himself.
Scarlet hissed and swiped claws of fire at the male elementalist. When that failed, she increased the temperature of her flaming fur, burning Kamito's hand.
"Shit!" Kamito released the angry spirit and shook his burnt hand. Scarlet scurried over to Claire and leapt onto her shoulder, glaring at Kamito.
"What is going on here?!" Demanded an enraged Iseria. Everyone turned to see the blue haired beauty walking toward them, her hair fluttering behind her, with at least a dozen glowing blue orbs floating around her.
"Well damn, I had better stop her before she hurts these girls." Kamito walked past Claire and Rinslet cutting Iseria off. 'Calm down, it's not worth it.' Iseria glared at him a moment before taking a few calming breaths.
Claire looked at the angry spirit with trepidation. She remembered how her flametongue had been neutralized by the water spirit. 'This is why I need a more powerful spirit, if I cannot win here against them, I have no hope of winning the blade dance.'
Rinslet did not recognise the spirit that was approaching them from the direction of the school. Leaning to Carol who had come to get master's side, she asked "Do you know who she is? She seems familiar, but I just can't place her."
Carol shook her head "No milady, I have never seen her likeness before."
Rinslet was just about to ask the newcomer who she was when she heard whimpering behind her. Fenrir had his head low and his tail tucked firmly between his legs and he was noticeably shaking in fear. Rinslet had never seen Fenrir act in such a manner before.
"Why am I not surprised to see you two causing trouble?" Ellis glared at Claire and Rinslet.
"This does not concern the knights. I just came to check up on my slave spirit when I discovered this blonde poacher trying to steal him away from me." Claire claimed crossing her arms over her small chest.
"I merely came to offer Kamito the honor of serving the Laurenfrost family, but this washboard interrupted our negotiations." Rinslet flipped her hand through her platinum locks.
"Capitan!" "Captain Ellis." A pair of female voices called out coming down the path.
"Reisha, Rakka." Ellis nodded in greeting to her subordinates.
"We heard that there was a disturbance down here from some of the spirits and we came to investigate." Rakka explained.
"But it was only a couple of Raven Class misfits." Reisha continued.
Claire and Rinslet bristled at the two girls' tones. Kamito was curious how Ellis would handle the situation. From dealing with her earlier in the day, Kamito had come to the realization that, although she was a little quick jumping to conclusions, Ellis was honorable and took pride in her position as the captain of the Syphlid Knights and truly sought to preserve the peace and harmony at the academy. And what could cause more discord at an all girl school than admitting a male into their population.
"It should not be surprising to find the Ice Demon, Rinslet Laurenfrost, causing trouble. The Laurenfrost name might be big, but that doesn't change the fact that they are just a bunch of backwoods nobles." Rakka sneered.
"Who are you calling a backwoods noble?" Rinslet growled out, willing Fenrir to change into his long bow waffe form.
"And don't forget about the Calamity Queen's little sister, she should be sitting in a cage with the rest of her family." Reisha quipped snidely.
"What did you just say? Do not consider yourself worthy of even speaking of my sister." the air around Claire started to rotate into a heat vortex under her anger.
"That's enough!" a blast of wind had all the girls grabbing at the hems of their skirts in an attempt to keep their modesty. Looking for the source of the wind, everyone turned toward Ellis who had one hand in the air and the other securely holding her skirt in place.
'That was quite effective.' Kamito smirked.
"You two!" Ellis indicated Rakka and Reisha. "No matter their specific circumstances, the students at this academy are of noble birth and will be treated with due respect."
"Yes Captain!" Both knights responded, snapping to attention.
"And you two." Ellis directed her attention towards Claire and Rinslet. "Materializing your elemental spirit in a personal dispute is strictly prohibited. I will be filing an official report with your homeroom teacher, she will inform you of your punishment."
"Now, you two come with me and I will take care of your punishment myself." Rakka and Reisha both gulped and wondered what their captain would make them do.
Kamito was impressed with Ellis' handling of the situation, but he believed that she could have stepped in earlier to prevent the current tension for forming to begin with.
"Are you running away?" Claire asked angrily causing Ellis to freeze in her tracks. "I guess the knights are all talk and no action. Ellis Fahrengart, I, Claire Rouge, challenge you to a duel."
"What did you just say?" Ellis hissed.
"I guess they are deaf as well." Rinslet added.
"Milady, please calm down." Carol pleaded.
"I am calm Carol. I cannot just sit by idly while the Laurenfrost name is slandered." Rinslet gave Carol a look that said 'stay out of this'.
"Let me spell it out for you then." Claire smiled coldly. "We challenge the three of you to a blade dance."
"That would be three on two, hardly a fair and honorable fight. We decline." Ellis stated firmly. She could not tolerate insults to the knights, but to fight an uneven fight was an even larger dishonor.
"It will be three on three. Kamito will obviously fight with us against you." Claire stated matter of factly.
"Oh really? And who says that I have any intention of fighting alongside you?" Kamito asked crossing his arms.
"Of course your place is at your master's side in battle." Claire replied irritably.
"I refuse, I have not and never will be your slave. If not for me, you would be dead right now." There was a hard edge to Kamito's voice that none of them had heard before. Claire took an involuntary step back as she's looked on in fear. The air was becoming oppressive as Kamito's irritation grew. The plant life near his feet began to wither and die. Iseria placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. When he looked at her, she shook her head. Understanding that this was not the time or place, Kamito forced himself to calm down.
"Kazehaya Kamito, I would like to challenge you to a duel." Ellis stepped in front of the young man and placed her hands on her hips.
Kamito looked into her eyes for a moment before she looked away blushing slightly. Shrugging, Kamito agreed "Sure, sounds interesting."
"Then meet me at the Astral Gate at two in the morning." Ellis informed him and turned to leave. "You two, with me." She led Rakka and Reisha down the path, forgetting that she had brought food for Kamito.
"I guess you will be wanting to join my team then." Claire assumed. "If you get down on your kn…"
"Not likely. She challenged me alone after declining your challenge, so I don't see why your involvement is necessary." Kamito interrupted.
"You stupid jerk!" Claire cried, running back in the direction of the dorms.
"Claire!" Rinslet shot Kamito a dirty look before chasing after the redhead.
Carol looked pleadingly at Kamito, but he just shook his head. "It was something that had to be said. She needs to learn she can't always have things her way. I will not sacrifice my pride to appease her sense of entitlement."
"She may not seem it to you, but the Lady Claire is a very sweet girl inside, but she has had a very rough time since the incident four years ago." Carol tried to defend.
"I'm sorry, but that does not excuse her behavior. She is not the only person to have a difficult life. This experience will be difficult for her, but it is an important lesson for her to learn." Kamito closed his eyes and turned away from the maid. Carol nodded sadly and left to follow her master.
Iseria moved to stand beside Kamito, who put an arm around her shoulders. She could see how much out pained him to talk to Claire like he had. "She may not know it now, and she may never realize it, but you did her a huge favor saying what you did. The world is an uncaring place." Iseria hugged Kamito and kissed his cheek.
Turning to the small shack Ellis had constructed, Kamito walked inside "You coming? It's really not that bad inside."
Iseria turned to leave "Well, if you really want to stay here, that's fine, but I came to tell you that Greyworth granted us room in the dorms for visiting elementalists." She tried to hide her smile when she saw Kamito's surprised reaction.
"What did that cost to get her to agree to that?" Kamito inquired.
"You'll find out later." Iseria smiled sweetly at Kamito. Kamito looked back at the shack and wondered if it was worth the trouble the nicer room would bring. But then again, not going would be troublesome in its own right, so why not be comfortable.
Kamito grabbed the soup and his sandwich before exiting the shack for the last time.
"So why did you accept Ellis's challenge?" Iseria inquired as they walked toward their new home.
Kamito shrugged "I could feel her determination and she has not tried to claim ownership over me. Besides, I'm curious as to how strong the captain of the guard is."
"Hmm.." Iseria nodded "So, what's your plan?"
"I'm just trying to test her strength, so, if you don't mind, I'm going ask you to sit this one out. Even holding back as much as possible, the fight would be over far too quickly if we fight together." Kamito answered easily.
Iseria smiled "Have you tried summoning the demon slayer yet?" Iseria silently agreed with Kamito about her role in the duel.
"Hehe, with everything going on today, I kind of forgot." Kamito said scratching the back of his head. He raised his right hand into the air and infused the seal with divine power, but before he could even start reciting the summoning incantation, severe pain radiated from the seal breaking his concentration.
Muttering a few curses, Kamito gripped his right hand. "I guess she is being a bit stubborn." Iseria commented.
"Really, you think so?" Kamito hissed between clenched teeth.
"Give her time, she just needs to get to know you first." Iseria giggled. They arrived at the visitors dorms about the same time Ellis came around on her patrol.
"Where do you think you're going? I told you that the dorms are off limits to males." Ellis stepped between them and the entrance.
"Headmistress Greyworth has granted us use of one of the suites in the dorm for the visiting elementalists. She seemed rather put out with the news of our treatment by the Syphlid Knights." Iseria stated with an accusatory glare.
"You were so dissatisfied with the home I built for you that you sent your spirit to talk to the headmistress?" Ellis leveled her own glare on Kamito.
"Not at all, but when offered civilized comforts, I would be a fool not to accept." Kamito replied calmly.
Ellis looked at the both of them scowling "Fine, but know this, I will be keeping my eye on you. Don't think I have forgotten about our duel either. You better be there on time."
"It's a date." Kamito replied with a mischievous smile.
"A d. ! , that would be improper." Ellis blushed furiously scurrying away quickly.
"That wasn't very nice." Iseria hit Kamito in the arm.
"What?" Kamito smiled innocently.
"Getting her worked up like that, you should be ashamed of yourself." Iseria frowned. She always hated it when Kamito teased other females.
In the three years since they met, they had traveled across the kingdoms searching for clues about Restia. Some nights, Iseria would stay up wondering if Kamito would spend as much time and energy searching for her if she vanished. She knew it was impractical to have such feelings, but being around him had awakened something within her that she didn't quite understand.
Iseria unlocked the door to their suite of rooms. Inside there were two bedrooms on opposite sides of a common sitting room, a bathroom with water closet, and a small kitchenette. Seeing the decor, Iseria could not stifle the giggle that left her lips.
"God I really hate that woman. That's it, I'm going back to Ellis's shack." Kamito turned to leave but Iseria grabbed his arm to stop him.
"Come on, it's not that bad." Iseria continued to laugh. It was a room dedicated to Ren Ashbell. There were paintings of her in battle poses along with others of her in different dresses. Above the fireplace was a replica of the Vorpal Sword that she was known for. Everywhere they looked had images of Restia's spirit brand that was covered by the glove on his left hand.
Kamito wished he could just throw everything in the fireplace and torch it, but this was a special guest room, so he would just have live with it. Looking around again, Kamito sighs "The least they could have done was give me a portion of the royalties they made off this junk."
There was plenty of time before he was supposed to meet Ellis, so he decided to eat the soup that Rinslet had brought him. He retrieved a fire spirit crystal from the pantry and activated it with a small amount of divine power. After the soup was sufficiently reheated, Kamito offered to split it and the sandwich he had made earlier with Iseria, who graciously accepted.
"This is quite good." Kamito complimented the soup.
"Yes, truly befitting the House of Laurenfrost." Iseria concurred. Kamito raised an eyebrow I'm silent question. Iseria sighed "I am well acquainted with the Laurenfrost family. I believe it was four years ago, a young princess maiden was performing a kagura dance in my honor when the otherworldly darkness invaded her soul. To prevent the darkness from establishing a foothold in this world, I sealed get and the darkness in never melting ice. Rinslet bears a striking resemblance to the maiden that I imprisoned."
"I see. We have traversed near Laurenfrost lands before coming here, why choose now to mention it?" Kamito asked. "Can you undo the curse?"
"I can dispel the ice, but I do not have the ability to remove the darkness." Iseria admitted. "Though it is said that the Sacred Sword of Suleiman has the ability remove curses. That is a part of the reason I wanted you to contract with her."
"I see." Kamito sat back rubbing his chin. "That would be a very handy ability." Kamito considered that situation for a few moments. "Okay, after the blade dance in two months, we will travel to the Laurenfrost territory and see if we can't free the young maiden. Now then, what information did Greyworth share?"
Iseria was quiet for a few moments."She was able to confirm our suspicions, the otherworldly darkness is gathering strength. Because your wish three years ago was unable to be fulfilled, the other Lords could not release any of the excess energy. That, along with losing my stabilizing presence, is why they require teams of five this year." Iseria paused and Kamito could tell it was not good news. "She also informed me of happenings in the Alphas' territory. It seems there was a coup d'etat, and the former hierarchy was overthrown."
"Who lead the coup?" Kamito set down his soup spoon, suddenly no longer hungry.
"Rajihal's daughter, Sjora Kahn." Iseria answered solemnly.
"Damn, the witch of the theocracy. At least we could negotiate with Rajihal. What do we know about Sjora? Is she someone we can sway to our side?" Kamito mused.
"That would not be wise, she is even more hard line than her father was. You would have to reveal your true self to her to gain her support, but that would also gain condemnation from the rest of the world." Iseria dissuaded.
"That's true." Kamito leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin in thought. "We should wait and see what her next move is then."
"I agree, and that was Greyworth's opinion as well." Iseria voiced.
Kamito stood up and stretched. "Well, it's about time. Care to join me?" he gave an exaggerated bow and held out his hand. Iseria giggled and accepted his hand as she stood up from her chair. It was times like this that made her heart speed up.
"Yes, let's go." Iseria looked away so Kamito would not see the blush dusting her cheeks.
"Where are we going milady?" Carol asked following after Rinslet.
"We're going to go watch the fight between Kamito and that Ellis from the knights. I want to see what he is really capable of if just the mere presence of his contracted spirit can frighten my Fenrir." Rinslet answered honestly..
Ellis was walking quietly with Rakka and Reisha while deep in thought. Kazehaya Kamito was as enigma. She had challenged him so she could see if his blade would reveal some of his secrets.
They arrived at the Astral Gate but didn't see anyone else around. "Think he will show?"Rakka asked.
"Such little faith, I'm hurt." A voice sounded behind the girls.
"Kyah!" "Gyah!" "Eep!" the three knights squealed cutely as they spun around. Leaning up against a pillar with his hands in his pockets was a smiling Kamito. Standing next to him was Atlantae with an exasperated looked on her face.
Ellis was about to start the incantation to transport them to Astral Zero when the sounds of footsteps could be heard coming down the path. Kamito had an amused smirk as he could recognize Rinslet's divine power signature, and since the other presence was that of a non-elementalist, he had to assume that Carol was with her.
"See Carol, I told you I would get us here in time." Rinslet told her maid.
"Yes, milady only got lost twice this time." Carol giggled.
"Carol!" Rinslet looked away blushing.
"Why are you here Ice Demon Rinslet Laurenfrost?" Ellis asked impatiently.
"Is it against school rules to want to watch a duel?" Rinslet asked indignantly. Ellis raised an eyebrow at that.
"What milady really wants to say is Mr Kazehaya has piqued her interest and she wants to see how he handles himself." Carol spoke from behind Rinslet's back.
"Carol! Don't say such things!" thud thud thud. Rinslet cried out while hitting her balled up fists on the giggling maid's back.
"You don't have be so formal with me, Carol, call me Kamito." Kamito addressed the young maid.
"Okay Mr Kamito." Carol said hesitantly, blushing slightly.
"That's better, I guess." Kamito sighed.
Ellis recited the incantation to activate the gate and the group of teens were transported to the world of spirits, Astral Zero. Kamito looked around noticing that they were in what looked like an amphitheater. Taking a deep breath, her tested the air and did a few warm up stretches. "This should do nicely."
"Shouldn't you ready your contact spirit?" Ellis asked confused when she saw Atlantae moving to sit with the others that were going to spectate.
"I'm just going to observe for now." the female spirit stated. "I will join in if necessary."
"Do you think so lightly of me to think you can win without the use of your spirit?" Ellis glared daggers at Kamito.
"Not at all, if I thought that little about you, I would not have accepted the duel." Kamito responded honestly. "Atlantae is extremely powerful, but she is very draining, so I generally only resort to using her if I have to."
"You will regret not taking this seriously." Ellis exclaimed. "Taste the power of the wind. Simorgh!"
The winds in the arena picked up and formed a swirl of dust causing Kamito to cover his eyes momentarily. When he was able to see again, he was surprised to see a large hawk flying in a circle above the amphitheater. 'So, that is her contract spirit, huh? Not bad.' Kamito observed. The hawk dove at Kamito who just ducked under the grasping talons followed by sidestepping the next attack. Simorgh screeched in frustration. The spirit tried to surprise Kamito by launching blades of wind at him from its wings.
Kamito grunted loudly when one of the wind blades hit him full on. He was knocked across the arena floor disappearing in a dust cloud formed by the other wind blades striking the ground around him. Ellis smirked in satisfaction thinking that Kamito was finished. Rinslet and Carol looked on in worry as Rakka and Reisha cheered for their captain. Iseria looked on impassively, already knowing the outcome of this battle.
Ellis was watching as the dust settled and was stunned to see Kamito standing with only a tear in his shirt. 'He took that hit straight on, there is no way he should be standing.'
Kamito looked down at the rip in his shirt "That was a good attack, you really have potential." Kamito stated while removing his ruined shirt as he still had on an undershirt. His hands became encased in light as he willed his power into them. In each hand a short sword appeared, these were not elemental waffe, but were a product of spirit magic called weapon works.
Seeing the swords appear, Ellis knew she needed to summon her waffe to defend herself. "Evil winds, pierce through my sworn enemy's heart, become a demonic spear and lodge within my hand!" Simorgh vanished in a scattering of light particles and a shaft of light appeared in Ellis' hand. The light coalesced into a large spear with delicate patterns engraved on the handle. There were two smaller blades projecting from the base of the large main blade forming a trident of sorts. Reflected in the red moonlight, Kamito could see a vortex of winds emanating from the blades of the spear. "This is my elemental waffe: Ray Hawk."
"Beautiful." Kamito said quietly.
"Yes, I do believe that it is a lovely weapon." Ellis agreed.
"The waffe is too, but I was refering to you." Kamito admitted honestly. He could feel killing intent coming from the group of spectators. Looking their direction, Kamito could see everyone scooting away from Iseria, whose hair was starting to levitate from the power she was releasing. "Calm down Iseria, I was just making an observation. You are always beautiful in my eyes." Kamito attempted to calm down the irritated Elemental Lord.
"Hmph!" Iseria looked away and pouted. Kamito knew he would have to make it up to her later.
"Bea..beautiful? shouldn't be so casual with a maiden's heart. You must really be the Demon King of the night." Ellis blushed and swept some of her hair behind her ear. Kamito readied his stance and Ellis, taking note of this, adjusted her grip on her waffe. "Evil winds,go and rampage!" Ellis swung her Ray Hawk, launching several wind blades at Kamito. Kamito pushed more of his divine power into the swords and quickly cut through the wind blades, destroying his manifested swords in the process. Before Ellis could register what he had just done, Kamito used thunderclap to instantly close the distance between them, and charged his fist with divine power and punched her in the solar plexus, effectively knocking her out.
Kamito gently caught Ellis before she could fall to the ground and carefully carried her over to the waiting group of girls. Suddenly he stiffened up. There was a small twinge of pain from his left hand. This was the first time since he was separated from her that he had felt anything from the seal. The other thing he was aware of was the mass of demonic spirit energy he could feel heading their way. Turning to look, one of the walls on the opposite side of the amphitheater exploded. Debris from the damaged wall rained down on the group. They all stared in disbelief as a large dark shape materialized in the dust cloud. Ellis started to stir in Kamito's arms, so he set her on a step.
Ellis looked around dazed for a few moments before she regained her bearings. Seeing the shadow in the dust cloud, Ellis gasped "A demon spirit, here?"
From the dust cloud a large for emerged. It was all black in color, standing around seven foot tall. It's deformed shape was rather grotesque with one arm bulging with muscle and the other withered and shrunken. Lacking a neck, the demon's head rested firmly on its shoulders. It's eyes were blood red and glowing slightly and a mouth full of teeth that would make a shark envious. Roaring loudly, it picked up a boulder and hurled it at the group of young elementalists, missing by mere meters.
Kamito moved to stand between the girls and the demon spirit with Iseria by his side. "You ready to do this?" Iseria nodded.
"Mistress of the tempest seas, protector of waters near and far! Now is the time to abide the contact made in blood, become my blades to purify the world!"
A.N:
So concludes chapter three. How horrible is it of me to stop right there? Thank you everybody for reading. I know that I have been kind of focusing on Ellis, but next chapter will have Claire attempting to win Glasya-Labolas. We will also see the introduction of Est and of course we will see Iseria's waffe. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Comments are always welcome. Have a great day. Peace.