Shattered Bone

Chapter 2


Nothing but tension filled the air in the Bar. Akuji remained planted in his spot with the bone trident carefully gripped in his right hand. The Storm Brothers waited for Akuji to make a move, but he didn't even move toward either.

How could he?

If he went after one of them, the other would have a clean shot to attack. Akuji was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Akuji began to twirl the trident, causing the Brothers to react. Rai summoned a magic circle. The electrifying teal blue color sparkled like diamonds.

"STORM MAGIC: STORM RAY!"

A bright, blue beam of electricity shot at Akuji. Despite the spell coming after him, Akuji remained in place. The beam was wild and untamed, as if it wasn't trained to its highest caliber, ever remaining at a novice level. Akuji, in that split second before the attack landed, swung the trident with so much speed his arm would pop off his body. The trident glowed a cerulean shade as it sliced through the lightning-based spell with no effort.

Kai seeing that Akuji left his back unattended, lunged forward like a hopping frog. It should take Akuji a bit to turn and redirect his attention to Kai, so the second Storm Brother would utilize this chance and land a devastating blow that could render Akuji paralyzed enough for them to escape. It was a spur-of-a-moment plan, but they needed to escape the Bone Eater as fast as possible.

Akuji's ears picked up on Kai's movements, and a smile stretched as he knew this would happen. Akuji lodged the trident into the wooden floor, causing wood stumps to fly up. Akuji spun in place as the storm-based spell disappeared, allowing Akuji to carve his trident through the floor and focus on Kai, who was hit by pieces of wood.

The wood bombarded Kai's face and threw him off course. Akuji jumped into the air and twisted his body as he spun. He stopped as his boots kicked into Kai's jaw. The impact sent ripples throughout Kai's skin, sending him flying through the Bar wall.

Rai's eyes dulled with fear as he saw his Brother get handled without effort. All it took was a few shattered pieces of wood and a heel kick, and he was sent crashing out the Bar. Rai began to sweat as he felt his confidence take a nosedive. He was sure he and his Brother could finish off Akuji with no issues, but now that notion was fleeting, like the miracle of gods turning their hope to despair to antagonize their chosen one.

Rai silently gulped, and his breathing began to increase at the disparity of the situation. It didn't help that Akuji seemed to enjoy his pale face as he began twirling the trident between his hands as if trying to impress someone. This guy was nothing short of a menace who reveled in making his opponent suffer.

"Are you sweating? It's not even humid in here. It's quite cold."

Rai's lips seemed to dry as he smacked them against each other. His words never bothered to leave his lips as he thought of his Brother's safety.

"Oh! I get it. You can't do much without your Brother, right? I can get him if you want. I think he's unconscious, but I can wait for him to wake up so you both can fight me at once."

Akuji wanted nothing more than a decent, blood-pumping fight, yet even though he expressed a satisfied grin, he was far from it. The Storm Brothers were quite weak. He didn't even begin to sweat bullets. His blood was still cold with the lack of a heated battle. This felt more like a failed tango. One partner was excellent in footwork, while the other could barely handle the reigns.

Akuji's ears picked up the sound of crackling. The echoing silence died with the sound of electricity dancing in the background. Akuji stopped walking towards the hole he had created and craned his head to look over his shoulder. He could see Rai conjuring up his next spell, and from the output of magical energy Akuji was feeling, it seemed to be a risky but powerful move. Akuji couldn't shake off the feeling his instincts were signaling him. It acted like a danger sense. It was a cheat, but Akuji usually listened to his instincts as they aided him in battle.

"I didn't think you'd be a snot-nosed, arrogant brat. I'll have to end this in one shot, so my Brother and I can flee!"

Rai seemed determined to end this fight before it escalated even further. Akuji was here to kill the Storm Brothers, they owed a few people some money, and of course, they never paid their fees. They were once part of a Dark Guild, but they left recently after they raised a large sum of money to live easily for a few years. Of course, this was without paying their former Guild Master.

"Arrogant? I don't know why people use that word when I showed no signs of arrogance. I don't boast about my power every fucking minute. I let my skills do the talking. If this is your biggest spell, stop talking and strike me. Let's test your resolve right here, right now!" Akuji voiced with mild frustration. He wasn't ready to end this fight, but his patience was wearing thin, running only on his eagerness to test the spell Rai was charging up.

Akuji should take the logical course and flee. His instincts kept howling. He should not take this spell for granted. Akuji ignored his instincts and allowed Rai to finish charging. The spontaneous light of teal shaped into a ball of condensed energy, confusing Akuji.

"Is that-"

Akuji's eyes widened, and time slowed momentarily as Rai's attack exploded into a stronger beam than before. Akuji's entire body seemed to phase out of existence as the beam swallowed him like a finely made gourmet meal. The Bar suffered the most, as it exploded in the aftermath of Rai's destructive attack, and the explosion echoed throughout the area for a few miles.

After a few minutes, the dust that clouded the area was beginning to dissipate. The dust was thick, and nothing from within could be seen, only the slight visages of Rai's body. The dust finally cleared, and Rai could be seen breathing hard. The sounds were heavy and haunting, as if he hadn't inhaled air for days.

"I did it," Rai barely whispered. It was a faint tone as if he was dreaming. "I DID IT!" Rai shouted as he found his former voice of confidence.

"Now, to find Brother."

"Shit, did you get him?"

Rai turned around, and his Brother was seen rubbing his jaw, a blistering red mark was visible from the previous heel kick he had received. Rai felt his fear fade away like the night, and he approached his Brother. Rai wore a smirk on his face as he and Kai fist-bumped each other.

"The bastard was still young and inexperienced. He had no chance against that upgraded Storm Ray."

Kai felt his eyebrows scrunch together as his swift loss finally soaked in his mind. Akuji barely fought him. Only one attack rendered him useless. That caused his anger to stir like water reaching its boiling point, and the only thing that could cool Kai was if he killed Akuji himself, but his Brother did the deed for him.

"You alright, Brother?" Rai asked with worry, but his gaze was still stern as Akuji's presence lingered in his mind's crevices.

"Not exactly. Even for a Mercenary, Bone Eater shouldn't knock me out with one kick."

Rai thought the same thing too. They were mages, but even so, they trained their bodies to have a passive defense to lower damage, but Bone Eater seemed to erase that with one blow. All it took was one simple but extremely toxic kick to Kai's jaw to shatter their ego and confidence. However, Mercenaries weren't much in the end unless they were well-equipped. Akuji only had that magical snake with him that could create anything from Bone.

"MORGAN!"

That voice.

They thought he was dead!

The Storm Brother's confidence has yet again disappeared, this time completely. Their eyes went to the source of the voice, Akuji, who was standing there with blank eyes and a wide grin, looking like he was lipless. The sharp teeth on the ends of his lips were thin, overly sharp, and almost borderline inhumane. It resembled some magical beast's fang.

Morgan, Akuji's snake and partner-in-crime, spat out a weapon. This time, two oddly shaped daggers landed in Akuji's hands. They were shaped like a sickle but with a crescent moon style. The handle of the daggers had finger holes in it, allowing Akuji's fingers to slip in nicely.

The two Brothers prepared themselves, but Akuji was already approaching them. The ground beneath Akuji's boots cracked under the heavy lunge he did. Akuji became a blur to the Storm Brothers. He shouldn't display such speed unless he has some magic, Speed Magic, Lightning Magic, or Light Magic.

The Storm Brothers prepared their spells, hoping to flee this monster they came across, but the Dagger Heart Mercenary slashed the air, his right dagger planting itself in Kai's shoulders. The sound of flesh being cut was fresh in everyone's ears. Rai had no time to react before Akuji's left dagger dug into Rai's abdomen. The Brothers failed to realize that the daggers had an element embedded in them.

It was added with low-tier Poison Magic, just enough to cause the body to fall asleep. Rai and Kai couldn't believe what was happening but couldn't get a word out of Akuji as their bodies finally went limp. They tried to stay awake. They needed to stay awake! They knew they would open them once they closed their eyes, only to see the sight of a torture machine or worse.

"D-Damn you!"

"You can still talk?" Akuji said as he forcibly removed the daggers from the Storm Brothers' flesh. The feeling of the daggers being ripped out of them only added pain to their sad situation.

They lost.

To a kid, no less!

Akuji let the Storm Brothers' bodies fall lifelessly on the ground. The sounds of their body against the cracked ground reminded Akuji of his lackluster victory. It wasn't blood-pumping or thrilling at all! It was a spiritless battle. Seriously, the clients hyped these two up to be problems! They weren't anything special. Akuji might need to start demanding more money if these battles are boring. Even gambling is more challenging!

"Morgan."

"Yes?" The snake on Akuji's shoulder spoke softly. It was almost soothing, like being played by a great violinist. Morgan's voice always seemed to alleviate Akuji's irritation.

"Would it be better to hand these two over without a problem, or should I demand an increase in Jewel?"

Morgan shifted her emerald eyes to the fallen Storm Brothers, and a glint of mischief seemed to sparkle within her green orbs. She was a snake, after all. She had a reputation to uphold regarding that, but even she felt a bit moody after that boring dance!

"They're not worth the arguments. Just drop them off and head to Salamander," Morgan reasoned humorlessly, with her tone as flat as a table.

Akuji bitterly chuckled and gazed at his former opponents. Akuji forgot these two were only C-Class Mages. Akuji was only sitting at a good B-Class, but he'd be A-Class if he used his magic. Akuji pondered the possibility of these two being left alive, but betraying his client wasn't on his to-do list.

A job is a job!


Akuji sat in a middle of a forest. It was currently nighttime. The silence in the forest was subliminal to Akuji. His enhanced hearing could pick up on any bandits that would try to flank him. Akuji's eyes were fixated on the campfire he created. Morgan remained on his shoulders. She was currently enjoying the silence as well after such a loud day.

"You finally made it!"

"Your ears are something else, Akuji. I assume you have the Storm Brothers?"

Akuji and Morgan's eyes landed on the newcomer who creepily exited the treelines. They were dressed in a cloak that covered them from head to toe, only leaving their eyes visible. Dagger Heart was a different type of Mercenary Guild where they sent out agents to ensure their workers accomplished their tasks. It was to ensure that none of the workers were slacking off and doing their jobs or if they were trying to run off with anything that wasn't in the client's requests.

"They'll be knocked out until you hand them over to the clients," Akuji started, but before his Handler could speak, Akuji spoke again. "Next time, I'm raising the fees."

"Oh? Were they not strong enough?"

Akuji snickered, and his eyes shifted back to the campfire. "They were unamusing."

"That's a shame. Luckily for you, your next client wants Salamander."

Akuji furrowed his brow, and a slight, foreign sensation filled his veins. He didn't know why, but this Salamader fellow seemed reckless and stronger than average. He was a new mage, yet he built a reputation faster than Akuji in about six months. He was marked as a B-Class Mage right now, almost on the edges of A-Class if given time to bloom.

"Anything I should worry about?"

Akuji's Handler playfully scoffed. "That would be spoiling. All I can say is, the kid will be quite the foe."

Akuji felt his bones shiver in delight. The frigid cold air seemed to leak into his pores to keep him from bursting like a volcano toward Magnolia. Fairy Tail is a very prestigious guild nowadays with many achievements under its belt. Koros also informed Akuji that the Third Master, Makarov Dreyar, was a Wizard Saint, a title of honor, respect, and mastery.

Akuji wished to become a Wizard Saint because he felt this would prove to his father that his years of training and discipline weren't a waste of time. Akuji, at this time, was taking slow strides toward that goal. Akuji knows he will have to change his profession soon. He was merely exploiting Dagger Heart for income. After a sustainable amount is in his bank, he'll join one of the Light Guilds, as they call it.

"Do you know if Salamander is in Fairy Tail right now or if he's on a mission?" Akuji inquired, as curious as a cat.

"Salamander is on a mission right now. Would you like to know what it is?"

Akuji nodded, with the moon's light seemingly flickering with anticipation to the Handler's impending answer.

"Right, your target is on a mission to handle an outbreak of Blizzardverns. They're running amok in Mt. Hakobe, destroying the natural habit and causing the common inhabitants to go towards the mountain's base."

"I'm not going to ask how you know this, but as long as I don't have to run into Titania, I'm game," Akuji replied with a firm tone. Titania was someone he didn't wish to fight at his current level of power. Despite his overwhelming display against the Storm Brothers, Akuji feared Titania for many reasons.


END

AN: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for not focusing on dialogue for the story, etc., but things regarding the plot will take time to settle in. These next few chapters will mainly focus on Akuji's growth, weaknesses, etc. As you can see, I displayed a weakness in this chapter. He won't be the perfect character that makes no mistakes.

Guest: I plan on giving Akuji a decent amount of Bone Magic abilities. However, Bone is a very odd type of ability in any verse, and I feel Kimimaro's showcasing of that was standard. I will take his inspiration, but I will have my abilities. As well as Zenon from Black Clover, this is until later down the story as I don't want Akuji to seem overbearing. Naturally, I'm giving some characters a buff considering you have to juggle around the power creeping, etc.

The next chapter will be about Akuji and Natsu meeting. This should be quite interesting.