Zatch Bell: Kolulu Story
By:CleruSonofShintetsu
[Chapter 12: Battle of the Dark Castle (Part 1)]
It has been two days since the prior incidents and Kiyo has managed to, with aid from Lori, Kolulu and Kanchome, track down Hyde and Eido who were chewing through some yellowtail fish.
Upon seeing them, Kiyo braced himself for the conversation and waved hello. The pair swallowed their food and got up, not only recognizing Kiyo but also Kolulu and Lori.
Hyde, now getting a closer look at Kolulu, found himself feeling...off, somehow, but he quickly collected himself after Eido started talking.
"Yo Kiyo! How's it going? I'm surprised you didn't bring the blondie with ya." he said with a grin.
Kolulu huffed and looked down with her eyes closed. "I...it's my fault...I burned his book in a freak accident of a battle that day." she said flat out.
"O-oh..." Hyde said in place of Eido who stared silently. Hyde blinked twice, and felt the urge to cheer her up. "W-well...don't feel too bad about it I guess, especially if you like...weren't being a jerk about it...?" he said with a shrug.
Kolulu looked up at him, opening her eyes and nodding. "R-right...I guess you can say it wasn't me to begin with..." she said, tapping her fingers.
Keeping the group on track, Kiyo hands Eido a calling card. "Read this, it will explain everything in quick succession, and try to pass this on to any other team you can find." he explained.
Eido takes the card and reads it out loud. "Attention any potential teams of Mamodo and Book Owner, the country of England is in great peril at the hands of ghost knights likely to be generated by the magic of another team. If allowed to fester, it will not only grow strong enough to cause major damage, but even become too powerful to contain and thus will lead to the burning of your books. Please meet me at this location at this time and date as written on the back."
He flips it over and reads the information accordingly, and then looks back at Kiyo. "You know what? I think it'll be fun! I'm kinda sick of these metal-headed freaks anyway! Let's rip em apart together why don't we?" he asked while punching his open palm in that determined and "ready-to-fight" manner.
Lori smiled in relief, crude as Eido's words were. "Yes, I think we'll be just fine with strong teammates like you two at our side! Do you also know any other teams by chance?" she asked.
Kanchome was busy watching birds fly by, wishing he had more to say on the matter. Hyde noticed this and asked, "Hey, do you have a Book Owner, or?"
Kanchome perked up and nodded eagerly. "My book is owned by the great Folgore! The world's greatest superstar!" he explained excitedly.
Eido heard this, and whistled, being impressed at how such a strange Mamodo snagged a partner like Folgore. "Daaaaaamn kiddo, good find! I can't wait to try you on for size in a battle, ain't that right Hyde?" he asked, looking down at his partner.
Hyde nodded, still taking brief glances at Kolulu every now and then. He wondered what was up with him right now...
Eido hopped on his board and motioned Hyde to follow him. "Come on, Hyde, we gotta find that team we met earlier, numbers make winners right?"
"So in other words we're getting stomped? Good motivational speech, Eido!" Hyde said like a smart-alec, hopping on the back of the board. He gave Kolulu one more look in the eye before Eido responded.
"Shaddap!" he said, before taking the spell book out and calling out, "JIKIR!", launching them into the sky as they flew off. They almost blew back the others who were there with them by accident, especially Kanchome.
"Well..." Kiyo started with a shrug, "I guess he's got that part covered. I already sent Tia the calling card after meeting her yesterday, so as long as Megumi gets it then we should be set if Eido's scouting mission goes successfully."
"We can only hope..." said Lori, looking up at the sky and thinking about the battle to come.
[Several Hours Later...]
The hour of truth arrives, and everyone meets some distance outside of the castle grounds. Kiyo, Lori and Kolulu were there first. Kanchome caught up with a big bag of candy for the ride. Hyde and Eido touched down as Djem and Yopopo followed suit.
Djem was the first to speak. "Make no mistake, I'm not here to play this game like the rest of you...it's a necessary evil that I HAVE to partake in, and I'll gladly go back to my blissful existence of not doing it once we've kicked this tyrant's big fat posterior, got it?" she proclaimed.
Eido whispered to Lori with an awkward expression on his face. "Juuuust pay her no mind...she's got a rough backstory, try to cut these two some slack." he explained, Lori nodding in genuine understanding.
Yopopo was eagerly greeting both Kanchome and Kolulu, though he remained unable to say more than just his name. Kolulu giggled and introduced herself in kind, as did Kanchome (minus the giggling).
Kiyo looked up at the mass of knights patroling the outside of the castle, grimacing at the sight. "Goodness...there are so darn many of them! With four Mamodo and Book Owner teams, I just hope it's enough."
Lori pat his back and smiled sweetly. "Everything will be okay...besides, Kolulu and Tia seem like the perfect front runners to the battle ahead. Speaking of...Kolulu! Are you ready?" she asked.
"Lori...don't get me wrong, I...don't like this battle, I never will...but this could be the battle that finally sheds the last of my fear and anxiety about it. Maybe...if we can take down such a powerful force early, maybe I can finally be brave...!" Kolulu suggested, trying to overcome her clear anxiety with optimism. Luckily, this worked well enough, and she seemed to calm down.
Then, only two minutes later, Tia and Megumi rolled up to the scene in a jog.
"We're here, we're here!" yelled Megumi with a wave.
"Great, so we're all here and ready to roll, yeah?" Kiyo asked, performing one last headcount of everybody present. As he did this, Kory was looking out of a bush nearby, not wanting to miss out on this, yet suspecting he'd be simply brushed off and pushed out of the way.
"Alright everyone!" Kiyo began, pulling out his notebook and flipping through it. "This is the battle plan I've written up, please reserve all questions and dumb side gags for the end of the lesson, capiche?" he instructed, everyone nodding along.
"Okay..." he started, "first things first, we need to try approaching the castle from several angles. I want Hyde and Eido to be a mobile distraction, blasting the Ghost Knights with Jikir and acting like a common belligerent for them to chase down."
Eido chuckled, "Oh yeah...I like where this is going." he said, scratching his chin in curiosity.
Kiyo continued, "While you're busy doing that, I want to try getting Kanchome through the least heavily guarded part of the castle, which appears to be the back entrance, if local tour guides have taught me anyway. For the record, I mean they taught me about the back entrance."
Kanchome perked up, shaking nervously. As much as he wanted to ask a question, he knew to save it for later.
"Then, once most or preferably all of the ghost knights are busy dealing with Eido and Hyde, Kanchome will go around the back while Lori, Megumi and Djem's teams charge in from the front." Kiyo explained as he gestured as needed throughout it. "Once this happens, that will be Hyde and Eido's cue to reinforce us from the back entrance where Kanchome is headed once he's SURE the ghost knights are dealt with."
Djem rolled her eyes, "Right...so we're going in from the front then? You better not leave me out to dry, understood?"
Kolulu gave her a gentle smile and said, "Don't worry, I'll beat down anyone who tries." she said at the same time her evil half said so. She gasped and covered her mouth, shocked at what just occurred.
Djem's eyes widened, but anyone who heard, Djem included, brushed it off as they were too focused on the plan to register it.
Kiyo finished his battle plan with the following, "We will end this by taking down any of the Book Owners inside, burning their books and saving my father and anyone else who's trapped inside, any questions?" he asked. Kanchome's hand shot up instantly.
"Yes, Kanchome...?" he asked with a sweat drop.
"K-Kiyo! W-will I have to go alone...?" he asked with a whimper.
"Yes, yes you will...I wish you had your Book Owner with you, but uhh...try to be brave, okay?" he casually suggested.
Kory made his own mental note to follow Kanchome, both because he was already planning to go that way anyway, and because he would rather not go alone either.
Megumi puts a hand in the middle of the group. "Alright, all in favor of taking down the tyrant in the castle, put your hand in the circle!" she said with a cheery tone.
Everyone there, besides Kory (for obvious reasons) put their hand in and, on the count of three, swung their hands up and shouted "LET'S DO THIS!'
[Meanwhile, inside the castle...]
Zeno was drinking some earl gray tea, surprisingly enjoying it and all of it's flavorful glory. Dufort sipped his own cup of it, but showed zero emotion during it.
"I sense it...those cretins...the trash is here." he said, putting his cup down on a plate and rising from his chair.
"Steng, British Gentleman, get into position! I'll be at the top of the castle, awaiting the results of your triumph." he said, walking away with Dufort without another word.
Steng nodded and gave him an English salute. He turns around and whistles. "Baltro, gather the criminals for an announcement, NOW!"
Baltro does exactly as told and soon enough, every crook in the main hall stood at attention.
"Everyone! This is it, the day of reckoning! We win this battle and we win the world! Give the intruders your all and show 'em no mercy! Show them the true alpha dogs of this country and beat them into a bloody pulp, move move move!" he ordered, an excited cheer ringing out from the ramshackle army in the room.
Keitaro was in the room at the time, and his heart jumped. Knowing his son, it's likely he might be involved, and this worried him more than the violent thugs around him ever could. "Kiyo...if you somehow get involved in this...I beg you to be okay. Be safe, smart, and strong, my son."
British Gentleman and Kikuropu had already slinked out of the room and into another section of the castle, ready to pop up at any place and at any time.
Everyone moved into position once more...and the battle had finally begun at long last.
[Back outside the castle...]
Hyde and Eido were busy blasting away and luring out more ghost knights with various Jikir blasts at carefully close range. Kanchome was carefully inching towards the back entrance, while Kory made his move soon after, following Kanchome carefully.
Djem would take the initiative and call out the first spell in her book, "MIKER!"
Yopopo fired a blast of sound and music notes, breaking down the front gate with ease, revealing a unit of mace wielding ghost knights standing in wait for the group.
"Out of the way you no good metal freaks! MIKER!" Djem yelled in frustration, another blast pushing them all back and even causing a few to collapse entirely in pieces.
Megumi unleashed her own magic next, calling forth her own first spell. "SAISU!"
Tia unleashed a thin crescent of energy, hitting a ghost knight right between the slits in it's helmet and taking the helmet clean off. "Got one!" Tia said with a fist pump.
Then it was Kolulu's turn to fight, and much to Lori's chagrin, the two had no choice but to have Kolulu transform.
With a heavy heart, Lori unleashes the first spell of Kolulu's evil half...
"ZERUK!"
Kolulu jolted, starting to rapidly transform as she tore off her outer clothes and her body morphed to unleash her evil half. Pained grunting and growling turned into sadistic laughter, her muscles bulked out a bit and she even grew slightly taller. The others in the room were in various stages of fear and concern, mainly and especially Djem and Yopopo, shocked at seeing this for the first time.
Evil Kolulu poses with open arms. "Guess who, butt-holes!?" she greeted with a cackle. She darted forward and easily started to rip them all to shreds, raking through several of the knights and impaling others in various horrible ways. Why, if they weren't GHOST knights, she'd be a happy murderer right now.
When she was done, she grinned menacingly back at the group. "Come on, come on! There's a powerful force deeper in the castle, and I demand we face it already! Our destiny awaits, gyahahahahaaaa!" she said, leaping ahead as Lori sprinted after her.
Djem ran after them only when Kiyo and the others had already followed suit. "W-what...what...what even WAS that...!? That's what Eido warned us about...good heavens!" she uttered with fear.
As Evil Kolulu sped through the halls, she saw a squad of muscular criminals with various weapons like clubs, brass knuckles, and knives, guarding the first of the obstacle chambers.
They were taken aback by the small monster standing before them, but they still closed in to try and crush her. Lori caught up and held a hand out.
"Evil Kolulu, please restrain yourself! At least try not to hurt them too badly!" she begged, the Evil Kolulu rushing forth and slicing into every criminal with ease, leaving deadly but survivable gashes in every one.
"Alright alright...just stop whining, you're killing the mood." Evil Kolulu said, spitting on one of the fallen criminals as she entered the chamber.
Djem and Yopopo walked slightly ahead of Lori and Kolulu, with Kiyo, Megumi and Tia following close behind. They then found themselves locked inside as a metal gate shut behind them.
"Drat!" said Tia, turning around and glaring at the gate. "Whatever's in here, we need to get ready for it!"
Evil Kolulu grinned wickedly, but felt herself waning slightly. "You better cast a spell soon Lori...we're gonna need it!" she warned, pointing at the three gates ahead of them slowly opening, with an entire swarm of several ghost knights pooling out of the left and right entryways, while the center entryway...remained eerily quiet.
Kiyo stared into the ominous opening, wondering why nothing was coming out. He whispers to Lori, "Keep an eye on that open doorway...I think something big will probably come through there, be it a cannon ball or some super strong ghost knight..." he suggested, though his nerdy side questioned his former claim considering how old the castle was.
Lori nodded, and prepared to cast another spell. "Here goes nothing...!" she said, bracing for combat.
The ghost knights begin running into position an attempt to surround the group. Lori and Djem would cast their own projectile spells, Zerusen and Miker, blowing away a fair few of the knights. Unfortunately for them, there were more in spite of that, and two of them respectively charged in, swords raised.
Evil Kolulu caught a sword in her bare hand and snapped it in half with an evil grin, but Yopopo, who caught a sword in his palms, was struggling. Another Saisu from Tia and Megumi would fly in and hit the wrist of the ghost knight that was trying to slice into Yopopo, and the sword is dropped harmlessly away from it's intended target.
The knights line up and prepare to charge the group, and Megumi motions for the others to get behind her.
"Alright," Megumi started, "I'll use a shield spell, Kolulu and Yopopo will jump out at their flanks and blast them apart with their heaviest spells, ready?" she asked, Lori and Djem nodding in agreement.
Kiyo blinked in surprise at how she came up with that strategy, feeling slightly pinched in the ego that he couldn't suggest it himself. Still, he was glad he wasn't the only decent strategist there.
The ghost knights charged in, shields raised, and Megumi yelled out, "MA SEISHIELD!", to which Tia summoned a large circular shield to intercept the majority of the knights in the center of the line.
Lori and Djem cast their spells once more with vigor; Zerusen and Miker! These spells knocked down the now close-up ghost knights and created an opening.
Lori takes the initiative and casts one more spell for good measure, "ZERUK!"
Evil Kolulu tenses up and cackles wildly, charging in and ripping away at the ghost knights, shredding the centuries old armor and even tearing into...flowers?
When she realized she tore into something organic, she took a flower head that one of her claws impaled right off the blade, examining it in confusion.
"Hey Lori, do you recognize this pansy breed of flower?" she asked, nonchalantly tossing it over her head and back at Lori, who caught it and examined it.
Kiyo recognized the flower, and began to rummage around the other ghost knights. Eventually, he gathered the few undestroyed flowers that were left and put two and two together.
He then said aloud, "I got it! I think I know the secret to these so-called ghost knights!"
Kiyo rose to his feet and held the flower up as the doors around them slowly opened back up. "They seem to be what's been controlling the knights, and may possibly have some effect on other objects if my hypothesis proves correct." he explained.
Djem sighed, "Why did it have to be a half-decent looking flower? I actually like that one...shame a bunch are dyin' for nothing in those dirty old suits of armor." she asked disappointedly.
Evil Kolulu shrugged, "I dunno, who cares? Let's just move already before this spell wears off and my sissy side passes out for the twelfth time now." she said, speedwalking into the next chamber.
Lori gawked and tried to protest, but she bit her tongue and frustratedly followed suit. The rest follow soon after, and so they end their time in the first chamber.
[Meanwhile, elsewhere in the castle...]
Baltro's mech's eyes lit up brightly as he announced to both Steng and the thieves in the room. "Alert, Steng! They appear to have broken through the first chamber, filled with our biggest and best knights!"
This got the criminals looking at each other in mild surprise, but also excitement. Steng smirked after finishing a sip of his wine.
"No worries Baltro, it's just one chamber, and it was the most basic one. There's no way they'll be alive by the time they reach the fourth or fifth chambers, and if they do make it out?" he started, holding one of the captive women uncomfortably close to him with a squeeze of her waist. "...Then let's just say they'll be bloody and raw enough for neither of us to be required in their demise."
Baltro nodded from within his mech. "Yes, you would be correct, Lord Steng."
[Meanwhile, at the back end of the castle...]
Kanchome, along with Kory following close behind him, was looking for a way into the dungeon of the complex, barely avoiding criminal patrols in the area, his heart racing. He overheard two of them talking about something...
"Hey Brucie, you ever wonder if that Folgore guy would make a good bandit? He's got the spunk for it eh?" he asked.
Kanchome was shocked to hear this, but was moreso relieved that Folgore was okay, and he knew he'd never become a bandit like the rest of those crooks.
Kory stayed hidden to the best of his abilities, but he began to hear something, something strange, in fact...breathing? It was heavy, murky, and almost bestial, and he gulped at what it could possibly be.
The two slowly inch their way past the two crooks, scanning the room for any entryway into the dungeon they could find. They were effectively pacing around in the dark, literally in some cases were it not for the torches on the walls.
As the two finally started to approach what looked to be an unlocked door to the dungeon below, Kory hears the breathing once again, and reaches a hand out to Kanchome with a yell. "OI MATE LOOK OUT-"
He was too late, and a spell was already being cast from the shadows. "AMURUK!" the posh voice called out, an arm stretching out and decking Kanchome in the side of the head from an open alley-like pathway in the castle walls, sending him tumbling across the room and alerting the two criminals from before.
Out from the shadows walked two people, a short-ish image of a quintessential British Gentleman, and a giant stocky cyclops with a paper covering his one eye.
Kory whimpered out in fear, stepping back and blue in the face.
"You know, it's uncouth of little boys to run around castle halls that they have no business being in. Then again, that applies to everyone uninvited to such an estate, doesn't it?" the British Gentleman said plainly.
Kory screamed and ran back, grabbing Kanchome and practically dragging him down the halls in fear.
British Gentleman clicked his fingers. "You lot, grab and bag those brats and throw them in the dungeon, I have business elsewhere in case the castle is breached by more miscreants. Chop chop, gentlemen!" he ordered, slinking back into the shadows with Kikuropu in tow.
[On the castle's top floor, as the sun was beginning to set...]
Zeno and Dufort were looking out at the sunset from the castle parapet. Dufort was focusing in on the energies of the battle that raged throughout the castle, eyes closed as he sat in one of the chairs at the table.
"It appears the malcontents are making progress...from several angles. Also, the last of the outside ghost knights are being thoroughly dealt with by that one pair. Are you positive you can take on that many at once in such a confined space without being crushed yourself, Zeno?" he asked, not so much of genuine doubt, but to hear his response.
"Dufort, I could take on twice as many and still win, their numbers mean nothing to me." Zeno started, glancing back at him. "Besides...I want you to focus on that wild shift in power earlier, did you notice anything off about it?" he asked.
Dufort nodded slowly. "Yes...what was once an energy as warm as daylight has become as cold as night...a transformation if you will."
"Very good, that means this Mamodo is one of those weaklings that are so pathetic that my father had to manhandle them into joining. Got some royal guards to hold them down, wasted his precious magic generating an entire personality, and voila! A fresh new crutch for the weakling to bow down to!" he explained, waving a hand dismissively.
Dufort decided to comment on this, "If a Mamodo needs an alternate personality just to get by in the battle, is it truly their own effort? What if one wins such a battle? Will they be ready to rule the Mamodo world?" he questioned, sipping tea and looking out at the ever-setting sun.
Zeno laid his cheek in his hand and leaned over. "Well, there was...one...old king, who was quite benevolent in spite of his clan of origin. He could transform into a bestial version of his native species, which itself is already akin to an animal itself. In spite of that, he overcame that flaw and claimed the throne." he explained, before adding a catch to it.
"However...he was a rather stagnant king, not doing much of anything better than the past kings, and how appropriate that my father was the one to end the cycle by claiming the throne in place of that ancient trash." he finished, though not exactly beaming with pride at his father by any means.
A knock at the door interrupted the conversation, Zeno looking back and saying, "You may enter, and make it snappy, weakling!"
Through the door, British Gentleman entered with a dandy bow. "I have news for you, my lord...we've captured two small children trying to sneak through. I figure it would be interesting to explain that one had a duck bill, or at least something close to it. Might he be another Mamodo such as yourself?" he asked.
Zeno blinked, ironically not having registered that Kanchome's aura was a Mamodo's. Hiding the fact that he somehow didn't catch Kanchome's energy, he scoffed and said, eyes closed, "Oh...well, it must have been a really really REALLY weak Mamodo then...don't touch their spell book if they brought it."
British Gentlemen nodded with a grin, "Worry not my lord, I made sure his book was spared for such a moment! I'll be off if you'll allow me to, I can still ambush those miscreants like it's nothing!"
Zeno dismissed him, British Gentlemen leaves the room with a tip of the hat, and he turned around, looking back at the setting sun, glad to know that things were finally getting more interesting for him.