After much ado, here is Chapter 11. Sorry for the long wait and thank you for your patience.
After the small crowd that had given the teams their send off had vanished in the distance, all the teams descended into the ship and located their rooms. Each team had their own level in the ship. There were enough rooms for each member to have their own as well as rooms for any support staff that may have accompanied the team.
This particular ship was transporting the representatives from three regions; the Ordessian Empire, the Knights of the a Dragon Emperor from the Dracunia Empire, and the Rupture Division from the Principality of Rossvale. Because they had the most participants, so had the greatest need for space, the Ordessian Empire was given the uppermost deck, with the Dracunian representatives the next level. The Principality of Rossvale, due to their lack of status since their country was relatively young still, was given the lowermost level.
Kamito was assigned to spend the night in the ship's brig by the princess maidens crewing the ship to protect the purity of the girls on board. Even though his team tried to protest, Kamito agreed, seeing as he would only be confined three for a few hours while everyone slept. They were scheduled to arrive the following day around noon.
Team Dark Tides was currently meeting in one of the common rooms on their deck. While Fianna was setting up a barrier to ensure privacy, Velsaria served tea. Fianna and Claire each took two cubes of sugar while Velsaria added three to her own and Iseria's. Kamito opted to drink his without any sweetener. Velsaria stirred in milk and honey for Ellis.
"So the serious captain of the knights enjoys a child's drink?" Kamito teased lightly.
Ellis blushed slightly. "As a knight, I need the extra nutrients to keep in top form. And tea is so bitter." Ellis mumbled the last part.
Kamito felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking down his gaze was met with large pleading eyes. "Kamito, I want a milk tea."
"Of course, Est." Kamito chuckled placing his hand on her head.
"Kamito is too soft on Est." Fianna grumbled to Claire, who nodded in agreement.
From a messenger bag, Kamito produced a stack of large envelopes. Each envelope had a team name written on it, giving the girls a clue as to the contents.
Claire picked to the file closest to her and glanced through the material. Each page contained in depth information on each member of that team; name, physical description, parental lineage, contracted spirit and it's known abilities, ect. After glancing through several pages, Claire looked up slightly shaken. "Where did you get all this information?" She was shocked to even see favorite foods and grooming habits.
"I have a very highly skilled source that would prefer to remain anonymous, at least for the time being." Kamito informed the girls. "Most of the teams should not pose any problems. The teams to watch out for are; The Dragon Knights of Dracunia, Team Inferno from the Alphas Theocracy, Team Four Gods of the Quina Empire, Team Sacred Spirit Knights from the Holy Kingdom of Lugia and Team Shadow Stalkers from our own academy. The wild card is the Rupture Division from the Principality of Rossvale." Kamito indicated the files for the named teams.
After discussing the particulars of each team, and potential strategies, Kamito excused himself to get some fresh air up on the top deck. Iseria joined him on the railing as he gazed out at the horizon. He glanced at her and smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist before he returned his attention to the vista before them. "This is perfect. I wish that this moment could just last forever." Kamito confided in Iseria.
She smiled and laid her head on Kamito's shoulder. "Once we defeat the Darkness, we can make moments like this over and over."
"Will you stay with me forever?" Kamito asked quietly.
"Of course." Came her reply without hesitation.
Unbenounced to the couple, someone was watching them intently from the other side of the pilot house. A young woman with shoulder length black hair and matching eyes, wearing a very militaristic uniform and a beret on her head, was doing her best to not be sensed by her target. He had come out on the deck alone and stood peacefully, gazing out at the world around him as the ship continued on its journey. She was surprised to see the look in his eye as he gazed out, it was though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She had seen the same look in the eye of many seasoned warriors after years of battle. This didn't fit in with the profile that she had been provided by the intelligence branch of the Dracunian army. They painted him as a philandering playboy with no cares or worries other than the next maiden he would sully. Then she had shown up. Leonora recognized her as one of the male's contracted spirits, Atlantae, a water element spirit. She was not sure what Atlantae's abilities were, but just being water affiliated gave the spirit a slight advantage over her Nidhogg. Leonora stared in disbelief as Kamito lovingly wrapped an arm around the spirit's waist and the smile that they shared. She had seen that look shared between life partners, such as her parents. This was not the look of lust she expected, but rather a look of a man who had found his mate.
'Mate' That single word had the young Dragon Princess blushing and a warm feeling in her belly. Taking a little closer look at Kamito, a stray thought entered Leonora's mind. 'He looks to be physically fit to be a mate.' Quickly shaking her head to clear those thoughts, her cheeks felt as though they were on fire. 'I must not lose focus.'
Leonora was trying to figure out how to get Kamito alone when she noticed movement in the shadows. Suddenly several tendrils of darkness sprang from the shadows ensnaring the female spirit.
Kamito and Iseria were just about to head back below decks when Iseria screamed. Without notice, something wrapped around Iseria's arms and legs and yanked her away from Kamito.
"Kamito!" Iseria tried to reach for Kamito as she felt herself being pulled away.
"Iseria!" Kamito lunged for her hand, but she was pulled through a dark magic circle before he could catch her. "NO!" Kamito searched frantically for any signs of Iseria, but she was gone. Dropping to his knees, Kamito couldn't believe that she was gone.
Below deck, Est suddenly materialized and sprinted from the room leaving the girls looking at each other in shock.
"Zazaza. Fufufu, if it isn't the mighty Demon King." A mysterious voice came from the shadows that had just swallowed Iseria. Kamito spun around and saw several of the shadows weave themselves together to form a somewhat humanoid shape.
"Who are you and what did you do with Iseria?" Kamito demanded. He could tell that the form was not solid, so he refrained from lashing out physically.
Leonora had seen the shadows swallow the female spirit and was trying to grasp the significance of the name she heard Kamito call out. She had been told that his spirit's name was Atlantae, but he called out for Iseria. Did he mean the Iseria? She didn't have long to ponder on that as she could see a body forming in the shadows. She was too far away to hear what was being said, but she could tell that it was no friend of Kamito's.
"Don't worry about the Elemental Lord, she is quite safe. For now. How long depends on you." The voice relayed to Kamito.
"Who are you?" Kamito scowled.
"I think you know who I am. You slipped through my grasp the last time we met, but I did receive a nice consolation prize...a certain darkness spirit. Fufufu." The Darkness taunted. This time Kamito was not able to hold himself back from trying to attack the dark silhouette, just for his fist to faze straight through his intended target. "Temper, temper. My representative will be in contact. Meanwhile, I've arranged for a friend to pay you a little visit. Zazaza." The voice faded away as the shadows dispersed.
Kamito!" Est called out in worry as she burst above decks.
"She's gone, Est. The Darkness has taken Iseria." Kamito said sullenly.
"Ooooooooooo!" A loud moan was heard in the distance. Rushing over to the railing, Kamito and Est could see a very large spirit materializing above a hooded figure.
Leonora stood in shock. 'That's Death Gaze! What's it doing here, it should be sealed away back in Dracunia.' She thought in alarm.
The hooded figure shot Kamito a cheeky grin before descending into a magic circle and vanishing.
"I am not in the mood for this!" Kamito growled angrily. He lifted his left arm, palm out, braced with his right arm, he aimed at the approaching annihilation spirit. "Hado 88: Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raiho!" A massive bolt of blue lightning blasted from Kamito's outstretched arm, arcing it's way towards its target. The recoil from the blast was powerful enough to cause the airship to lurch violently in the opposite direction. Screams could be heard from below decks as elementalists and priestesses were thrown about in the turbulence. Leonora cried out as she was launched across the decking. Thinking quickly, she drew her sword and drove it into the wood as an anchor. When she scanned the skies, there was no trace to be found of the militarized spirit anywhere. Stray bits of electricity arced throughout the ship's rigging, causing her hair to stand on end.
"What power." Leonora whispered in admiration as her eyes started to glaze a smoky red shade. Her instincts were at odds within her. Part of her acknowledged his superiority while another part of her wanted to test his strength, and claim that strength as her own. She could feel herself trembling, but from fear or lust, she wasn't quite sure.
Quickly realizing the error in what he had done, Kamito was able to lead Est below decks before anyone made it topside, and as such, was able to avoid having to answer any potentially damaging questions for now. He knew that wouldn't last forever, but he would deal with that when the time came.
Kamito had just entered his assigned room, the brig, to try and figure out what his next move should be when he heard a familiar voice through his mental link. "Kamito…."
"Iseria? Where are you? Are you alright?" Kamito asked worriedly through the link.
"Kamito, I don't know where I am. I am in some sort of catacomb. It feels somewhat familiar, but I don't remember from where." Iseria responded calmly.
"Don't worry, I'll find you." Kamito swore. "Did the darkness do anything to you?"
"No, it seemed frustrated about something though. I felt it try and enter my mind before I awoke here, but it was not able to do so. Perhaps it's because of our bond?" Iseria reasoned.
"We'll figure that out later. How are you doing?" Kamito inquired now that he knew she had not been possessed by the darkness.
"I've been better." Iseria chuckled. "Don't worry about me now. Focus on what needs to be done, then come and find me."
Kamito sighed. He knew she was right, but despite that, it tore at him to not do something. Then an idea came to him. "Alright Iseria, I'll try. But let me know if anything changes." Kamito acquiesced.
"Of course. Kamito, I love you, please take care."
"I love you too, Iseria. Please stay safe." Kamito ended their conversation. Kamito had no sooner finished communicating with Iseria when a small group of girls entered his temporary quarters. Looking around quickly and discovering no one else around, Fianna quickly set up a barrier.
"Okay Kamito, spill it. What happened back there?" Claire demanded.
Fianna looked around and noticed someone missing. "Kamito, where's Iseria?"
"How in the world would he know where the Water Elemental Lord is….unless…" Claire trailed off as certain pieces fell into place in her mind.
"Unless what?" Ellis asked feeling somewhat lost.
"She was taken by the otherworldly darkness." Kamito answered Fianna's question.
"What does that mean?" Ellis asked. "And isn't your spirit's name Atlantae?"
"Atlantae is just a cover." Kamito admitted.
"Her true identity is Iseria Seaward, the Water Elemental Lord." Fianna finished for him.
"But why the deception? And how did you form a contract with an Elemental Lord to begin with." Claire asked as she was the first to recover from the revelation.
"After I rescued her from the otherworldly darkness, we agreed that the fewer individuals who knew our true identities the better."
"That explains the vast hidden energy I could feel from the two of you." Velsaria spoke up for the first time.
"What is this otherworldly darkness you keep mentioning?" Ellis asked.
"No one really knows what it is or where it came from, what we do know is that it has taken control of the Elemental Lords and is attempting to manifest itself on the physical world. Iseria was not able to remember much from her time under its influence, but did recall that it's presence felt like a manifestation of pure evil. It is able to draw power from negative feelings." Kamito relayed what he knew. "It is becoming stronger, and it is up to us to stop it."
"Someone's coming." Fianna warned Fitbit dispelling her barrier. Kamito nodded in acknowledgement.
"We'll talk later." Kamito told the girls. They all quickly and quietly left, each considering what they had learned. Almost immediately after they left, one of the princess maidens from the Divine Ritual Institute entered to see Kamito laying on his back on the bunk with Est sitting nearby on a chair.
"Please, young miss, do not get too close to that beast if you value your purity." The princess maiden stated with obvious contempt.
"I am Kamito's sword, my place is by his side. If he desired, I would serve as his sheath as well." Est stated in a flat tone.
The maiden gaped like a landed fish, unable to form a response before she rushed away blushing furiously.
Kamito sighed heavily. "I wonder what new rumors will come from that?"
"Did I say something wrong?" A tinge of worry in her voice.
"No Est, you didn't. Oh well, we'll worry about it later. For now, let's get some sleep." Kamito said, moving over to make some room on the tiny mattress. He watched as her clothes dematerialized leaving her just in her knee socks. "Est."
"Yes Kamito?"
"At least for tonight, please have on a nightgown. I'm going to have enough of a headache without having to explain why you are almost naked in my bed, so if you would please." Kamito rubbed his temples.
Est tilted her head to the side in thought for a moment before glowing in a bright light for a few moments. When the light dissipated Est was standing there in a white see through teddy with furry trim. Her pert a cup breasts were clearly visible through the ethereal material.
"Umm..Est, where did you get the idea for that outfit?" Kamito asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I saw it in Ellis's wardrobe. Do you not like it?" Est asked timidly.
"No, it's not that. It suits you well, it just may not be appropriate for tonight." 'To think the serious captain wears such a thing.' Kamito had to shake his head to get rid of the images there.
Est nodded and glowed again, this time ending up in a black lacy one piece with cutouts for the breasts and crotch.
"Let me guess, Fianna, right?" Kamito face palmed. Est nodded. "I'm almost afraid to ask you to try again."
This time when the light faded, Kamito almost had to grab his nose to prevent a nosebleed. Est was wearing a studded leather underbust corset, crotchless white lace thong with black garters.
"Wh-where did you see that?" Kamito asked, afraid of the answer.
"In Velsaria's belongings." Est answered.
Realising that only left Claire, and not wanting to go there, Kamito grabbed one of his shirts and gave it to her to wear. It hung off her very provocatively, but at least she was covered.
At breakfast the next morning, Kamito just poked at his food, not really feeling any desire to eat. He had woken up with Est wrapped around an arm, but he still felt lost without Iseria. Looking at the cute sleeping face of Est, Kamito sworn never to allow anything to happen to her. He had failed to protect Restia in the True Sanctuary. He had failed to protect Iseria on the voyage to Ragna Ys. He would sooner die than fail Est, and as soon as he rescued both Restia and Iseria from the darkness, he would never allow harm to befall them ever again.
The airship arrived at the dock just after noon. After loading their luggage into a waiting carriages, the teams and their guests were transported to their accommodations. Kamito ended up wedged in between Fianna and Velsaria with Est in her sword form resting against his leg. The road to the old castle that would be their home with the duration of the blade dance was less than smooth, with multiple instances of brushed body parts when the carriage would hit a particularly hard bump, although Kamito was certain that at least Fianna was exaggerating the movements to brush her breasts against Kamito's arm more. Her quiet moans at the moments of contact only served to cement his suspicions.
The ride was conducted mostly in silence, with only a small amount of idle chatter about the upcoming ball. Kamito felt some of the hair on the back of his neck stand on end with some of the looks he was receiving from the girls. He honestly would have prefered to skip the ball, but knew that he couldn't for a couple of reasons. First and foremost was the opportunity to meet with the representative of the darkness and discover its demands. He also knew that as a representative of the Arieshia Spirit Academy, and by extension, the Ordessian Empire, Kamito knew that it would be expected of him to make an appearance.
They were greeted at the old castle by a group of younger maidens from the Divine Research Institute, who gathered the luggage belonging to all the female blade dancers much to Kamito's amusement. They glared at him when he raised a eyebrow in their direction. "A male should be at least capable enough to carry his own bags." One maiden spat with venom in her voice.
Kamito almost asked her if that meant that the female participants were less capable, but settled with just smiling, which just further infuriated the maidens.
"You seem to be popular with the Divine Ritual maidens, Kamito." Velsaria joked.
"Must be my charming personality." Kamito shrugged nonchalantly.
"Kamito, you're free to share my room if they don't have one for you." Fianna teased invitingly, a slight blush dusting her cheeks.
"Wh-wh-what are you saying offering such a thing?" Claire stammered, kicking herself for not thinking of it first.
"Of course the lewd beast has his own room befitting his station. Who knows what he would do to any poor maiden that had to share a room with him." The maiden showing them their rooms stated.
'This is getting ridiculous.' Kamito groaned in his head.
"Kamito's lewd reputation precedes him." Est stated from Kamito's side.
"Not you too, Est." Kamito face palmed.
"But Kamito is lewd." Est looked up at Kamito.
"What did you do to her, Kamito?" Claire growled, summoning flametongue.
"Despicable male." Velsaria huffed.
"Being lewd with your spirit with me around? So mean, Kamito." Fianna accidentally spoke aloud.
Everyone just stared at Fianna, who at least had the decency to blush sheepishly. "Hehe, did I say that outloud?"
"Kamito!" Misty called out in a sing song voice breaking the awkward atmosphere. She ran up and grabbed Kamito's arm. "Hey Kamito, I heard that they have a wonderful spring not too far from here that is great for purification. Your team should definitely join us, it would be a great opportunity to cleanse ourselves before the ball tonight." Misty said excitedly.
Fianna grinned mischievously as she grabbed Kamito's other arm, placing it between her breasts. "That sounds like a great idea." She looked at Kamito with puppy dog eyes. "Please, Kamito, won't you come swim with us?"
Kamito felt a tugging at his sleeve. "I want to play in the water with Kamito too." Est pleaded. Kamito did his best to not roll his eyes, but knew he was out voted when he saw the other girls trying to look uninterested in his answer.
"Fine, but only for a little while." Kamito relented.
"Yahoo!" Misty and Fianna cheered together. Misty quickly ran off to inform her team while the girls on Kamito's team disappeared into their room dragging Est with them to get changed into their bathing suits. Kamito shook his head and sighed. Some Demon King he was, being so easily manipulated by the young ladies. He really should work on that. He opened the door to his assigned room and discovered it was little more than a broom closet with a small bed and a vanity being the only furniture that was provided, let alone would fit in there.
'Maybe they would respect me more if I razed this castle.' Kamito contemplated briefly. He had no desire to actually become the Demon King, but if it would grant him the power to protect those he cared about, then he would embrace those powers. But that didn't mean he needed to allow himself to be controlled by those powers.
Kamito arrived at the natural spring to a very alluring sight; two teams of girls were currently splashing about in their swimwear. It looked far more like just a group of girls playing and having fun rather than a sacred cleansing to appease the spirits. The swimwear varied greatly from girl to girl. From Team Dark Tides: Fianna was barely clad with just a strip of black cloth to cover her ample chest and a black bikini bottom held up with yellow string. Claire was wearing a bright red two piece that did its best to emphasize her meager bust. Ellis was wearing a sporty one piece in navy blue with a teal stripe crossing from her left shoulder to her right hip. Velsaria's outfit was a very striking black bikini with silver trim.
Team Shadow Stalkers were not any more conservative. Misty was the stand out with a top that looked like sea shells tied together with twine and white bikini bottoms. Arianna was far more conservative with a yellow tankini and matching boyshort style bottoms. Haruka was surprisingly bold in a outfit that appeared to be a strip of heavy cloth tied around her chest and a loin cloth. Kristina wore a black suit that looked like a two piece that connected in the front with a silver ring. And Jacqueline had on a one piece that had no shoulder straps and with a hole on each side. It faded from red at the bottom to orange at the top.
The girls were laughing and splashing around as a few water spirits played amongst them. Kamito smile and chuckled as one water spirit playfully charged at Fianna and crashed into her, completely soaking her. At first she pouted as everyone laughed at her reaction, but was soon joining them in laughter. 'Iseria would love this." Kamito smiled before his mood soured again at the thought of her not by his side.
Not wanting to disturb their fun, Kamito left before he was noticed. Est, though, knew he was nearby through their connection. She could also feel the turmoil in his soul, so she discreetly left the others to follow him. She caught up with him in a clearing. He was crouched over a circle that was split in four. He had just finished starting symbols into each quadrant and was now standing up.
"Heart of the South, Eye of the North,Finger of the West, Foot of the East, Arrive with the wind and depart with the rain. Bakudo 58: Kakushitsuijaku!" A glowing sphere shot into the air from the circle and rocketed away quickly. Numbers began to appear in the circle. Est looked at Kamito curiously. "It's a tracking spell, it'll tell us where Iseria is." Kamito explained. It tore at his heart when she nodded her understanding with a sad look.
He gently cupped her chin and lifted her face to look at him. He gave her a light kiss on the lips. "Est, you are precious to me, just like Iseria is. If anything were to happen to you, I would do everything in my power to return you to my side. I need to know where Iseria is, and this will tell me."
Est blushed and looked at the numbers in the circle. They had stopped changing, indicating that the spell had found its target. Seeing the numbers that told where Iseria was, Est had a sudden flashback of a massive war in a now deserted city. "Megidoa." Est whispered.
"What was that, Est? Do you know where this is?" Kamito asked, not quite hearing what she said.
Est nodded. "It is the abandoned city of Megidoa. It was the site of the largest battle of the spirit war where Ren Ashdoll made her last stand before being defeated by the other Elemental Lords and their armies." Est relayed.
Kamito considered this carefully. "If she is being held there, then that must be the location for the final round of the blade dance. I could see why the Otherworldly Darkness would choose that location to contain Iseria. It believes that once it defeats me, it will be able to repossess Iseria and complete whatever plans it has."
Deciding to forego the supposed purification ritual, Kamito went for a walk with Est by his side. They ended up back at the old castle. Est, tired from maintaining her human form reverted to her resting sword stage and Kamito placed her gently in her scabbard hanging from the end of the bed frame. Still feeling restless, Kamito changed back into normal clothes and attached Est's sheath to his belt and strolled aimlessly through the corridors. Closing his eyes, he could sense the magic about the place. Not the spirit magic of the blade dance contestants, but old magic, the magic that had been used in the construction of the castle many ages ago. Placing his hand on an exposed section of stone wall, Kamito suddenly had a vision. He could see a group of six people gathered in a central courtyard. Four men and two women, with one of them being Iseria. There was an old man in golden robes holding a staff, a large red-headed man with a huge bushy beard with a stein in his hand laughing boisterously while slapping the back of the male next to him. He was clad in a suit of armor that had a green patina to it, which matched his piercing green eyes hidden below a mop of black hair. Iseria was sitting in the shade chatting quietly with a young blonde haired boy. Standing with her back to a wall seemingly not paying attention was a woman that looked slightly older than all but the old man with the staff.
"These must be the Elemental Lords, but when is this from?" Kamito wondered aloud.
"This is from a time before the spirit wars." Kamito could hear Est's voice through the vision. "A time before the otherworldly darkness drove the Elemental Lords to madness. Please, Kamito, save the Lords and restore true peace to the worlds."
"Est?" Kamito asked confused. He had never heard Est sound so passionate about something. Turning to look in the direction of her voice, Kamito was surprised by what he saw. He could tell it was Est, but she appeared much older. She was as tall as he was, her long silver hair cascading down her back, a white summer dress reaching down to her knees, her legs bare for the first time he had ever seen. He could see that she had modest sized breasts, and a mirthful look in her eyes. "I.I don't understand."
"Kamito" The older Est smiled gently. "Free my true self and I will slay all that stands in your way."
Kamito found himself standing alone in the corridor, Est still in her resting form on his hip. "What the hell was that?" Kamito questioned out loud. Looking out a window, Kamito could see that the hour was getting late, and as much as he detested going to the ball, he knew he should go get ready to make an appearance. "Well, let's get this over with." He sighed before returning to his room. He could hear the girls conversing in their room as he passed by.
"Kamito!" Kamito cringed at the sound of Fianna's voice. "Where have you been? We were all expecting you down at the lake, and then Est vanished. We were so worried about you." Fianna grabbed Kamito's arm and placed it between her breasts while giving him puppy dog eyes.
Kamito sighed and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "Listen Fianna, I have a lot going on in my head right now. I took a walk to try and clear my mind, sorry to worry you girls." Kamito apologised.
Fianna looked in his eyes and could see he was telling the truth, but something else was there too. "Okay, I'll forgive you this time, but if you need someone to talk to, don't hesitate to come see me. I'm sure I can take you mind off whatever is bothering you." Fianna offered, blushing lightly at her own boldness.
Kamito didn't miss the hidden intention in her words. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." He responded before turning to and entering his room as Fianna returned to hers.
Kamito was checking his appearance in the mirror after getting changed when he saw Est appear behind him dressed for the ball. She was wearing a silver gown that matched her hair and appeared to sparkle in the light. Kamito felt his mouth go dry. "Wow, Est. That dress really suits you." Kamito complimented. Est shyly looked away with a light blush. The dress was cut perfectly for her small frame, able to emphasize her modest curves. Kamito had a quick flashback to the image of how she looked in his vision and resolved to redouble his efforts to unlock her true self. The version of her lost to time.
Kamito turned back to his image in the mirror. He sighed in annoyance. Greyworth, knowing that he did not have any formal clothes, had packed a fitted suit for him. It consisted of black slacks and a black over coat, a silver waistcoat that matched Est's dress, a red sash that held the scabbard for a dress sword. With a deep sigh, Kamito resigned himself to the evening. "Ready, Est?" Kamito offered his arm. Est looked at him curiously until he guided her hand to his elbow. Together they left their room for the ball.
Sorry for the delay on this. It took much longer than expected to get it to where I liked it. I knew where I wanted it to go, but getting there was a bumpy road. Next chapter will be the ball. Thank you for your patience.