"Machop, Karate Chop!" Elfman commanded.
Machop's fingers folded and the hand glowed. With a harsh chop to the head, another soldier fell to the ground defeated. "Hm, there we go." Machop said.
Lisanna looked around them, seeing the many soldiers around with Pokémon having also been taken out by them. "Okay, I think that covers this area at least." She said. "See anything, Elfman?"
The older brother glanced around, him and Machop inspecting their work accomplished. "No, I think we're good for now. Should be in the clear for a little while."
Machop wiped a bead of sweat from his head. "And here when I was working up a sweat."
Rufflet was about to say something, but he was cut off when his eyes glared in the distance. He saw something.
"Huh, what is it, Rufflet?" Lisanna asked.
The little bird flapped in the air a bit more before squinting. His Keen Eye Ability was making him see two silhouettes heading their way, and they looked to be in a hurry. Instantly he grew alarmed. "I see more people coming!" he warned.
"Enemies?"
Elfman balled his fists and readied himself. "Can't take any chances. Lisanna, get behind me!"
The younger Strauss girl backed off with Rufflet while Machop and Elfman stepped forward. They readied for their next round of foes to run up to them, but as the two sets of feet darted alongside one another, he heard armor clanking, and familiar long hair was seen racing behind. As they drew close, Elfman and Lisanna git a better look, and their shock continued to surmount. For once, they could feel the tension ease when they saw the two faces.
"Look, I see someone up ahead!" a voice said.
A feminine figure gasped. "Elfman! Lisanna!"
The two people emerged, making Lisanna gasp back. "It's Nic! And Erza!" she squealed.
The four reconvened with one another, finally finding levity that at least someone was around.
"Are you all alright?" Erza asked.
Lisanna nodded. "Yeah, we're fine. Thanks." She sighed. "But thank goodness. We were beginning to worry we'd never find someone. This palace is like a big maze. Right, big brother Elf?"
Elfman crossed his arms. "Yeah, can't tell if we're running in circles or not." He then realized something. "How did you guys find us?"
Nic stepped forward in his Meadow Form. "I used my Meadow Form to get a lock on your energies. You guys were the closest signatures we could reach."
Lisanna sighed again. "Well it's a good thing you found us. We were starting to get worn out after all this fighting."
"Do you need a Heal Pulse?" Nic inquired.
Lisanna shook her head. "No, we're fine. We should really focus on finding the others before our own injuries." She determinedly said. "And those Spriggan…"
Nic glanced away. "I know what you mean…they're all around here. I can feel it…"
"We'll have to stay in a group for now. It's too risky if we diverge at the moment without a plan." Erza said. "Nic, who's the closest signature?"
Nic narrowed his eyes, his senses all over the place. With his power to sense even malevolence through nature, he detected massive signatures all over the place, and every one of them he could individualize. 'The Spriggan are scattered all over. Each of them has a strong pressure of evil. But…each one of them is around our allies…' He faced the hallway Elfman and Lisanna came from. "This way!" He led the way, with the others following behind his trek into darkness.
Unbeknownst, a pair of red eyes glowed.
Decker and Valeria glared up at the top of the tower with inquiry…and slight discomfort at the man that defied them. Behind them, Gajeel and Macbeth were equally as dumbfounded. Although enemies, they were sharing one thing in common, and that was Kevin was freaking them out.
"That's right. I, am a lady lover." He smirked sassily, cocking a brow at the lustful Valeria. She was unamused. "I was teleported away from the other bodacious babes, and I found myself near this place. Alone I was…and then I realized what I had that no one else had." With a snap of his fingers, a holographic screen appeared in front of him, compiled of a map and various names attached.
Gajeel's eyes widened. 'Hang on, is that…?'
'His magic?' Macbeth finished.
"That's right! Behold, Alvarez! My Search Magic!" With a snap of his fingers again, the names organized. One file opened, revealing Gajeel's face on it. "With this, there is no lady-er, I mean person alive, that I can't track. And it just so happens that…Gajeel Redfox, was my closest protec-I mean, ally!" he caught himself slipping a coupe times for his true intentions, but he persevered.
Decker glanced at Valeria, who had the same unamused expression. They looked back, ready to advance onto the Trainer.
Kevin shortened Gajeel's screen, making room to scroll down the analyzer on his holographic board to get a visual of his opponent's icon. "…mhm. Okay, I get it now." He read off the board. "Decker Veideleim and Valeria Crosphos, both age 28…" he announced. "…ou la la my kind I like."
Decker stopped in place, showing fundamental surprise over Kevin knowing who he and his associate were. But how? He didn't say anything.
"Decker, a master of a very rare magic known as Mute Magic. You are able to silence anything and everything at will. You can silence yourself to sneak up on people, or silence others so that they can't warn one another. You can even mute inanimate objects for your uses, like breaking through glass or silencing explosions and no one will know."
One again, Gajeel was shocked. 'So that's how he stopped me from talking! A magic that can mute anything…?' He felt a small tug on his wrist from behind. When he looked over his shoulder, his shock arose when he saw what looked like a small purple rodent-like creature nibbling at his ropes. ("What the?! Hey, what are you doing?!") he mutedly screamed. But Macbeth looked back showing surprise. Unlike Gajeel, he remained quiet and observed.
The purple rat looked at Gajeel and Macbeth, having big, gnawing teeth out. He looked over, sniffing the air as Drifloon and Noctowl were also distracted. The rat slowly turned back, looking dumbly before its eyes began to slowly drift apart. He commenced with nibbling.
Gajeel strained. ("Gnngh! Hey, what the hell are you doing you rat?!")
The rat continued nibbling, at least until Gajeel kept stirring. As gravel turned against him, the rat's ears twitched and looked over, seeing Noctowl glance back. He went stiff and stopped gnawing. He waited until Noctowl looked away and resumed his gnawing.
Macbeth was starting to see a pattern. 'This rodent…it couldn't be…' He looked back at Kevin as he kept talking.
"And you, Valeria. You were Decker's childhood neighbor and…oh, other things." His tone began to drop as he looked at her personality and interests. The flirty tone he had vanished into one of no care. "…well anyways, you use Sealing Magic to bind people together and nullify their magic. You both are proficient in using anti-magic tools that cut clean through ethernano-laced material, including skin. Nets, kunai, even inserting lacrima into rings and cleats to enhance speed and destructive power."
The rat finished gnawing through Gajeel's rope. The Iron Dragon looked shocked as he felt his hands go free. He remained shocked as the rat went over towards Macbeth and gnawed away. Macbeth glared at Gajeel knowing, telling him to stay quiet. He did as he slowly stood back up.
"So now, I ask you people…exactly what do you intend to do now that I figured you out?" Kevin hummed.
Decker and Valeria glared at one another, unamused. They looked back, snapping their fingers to signal Noctowl and Drifloon to ready and attack. Decker pulled out kunai, and Valeria requipped a staff.
"…I would've thought so…" Kevin paused. "Anywho…NOW!"
Decker and Valeria's eyes widened. Immediately they turned around and were blindsided as an iron column met Decker's armored arms, and invisible scythes met Valeria's staff. Both grunted as they were blown a few feet back. With Decker also momentarily off guard, his magic disappeared for a moment.
"Aron, Rock Tomb!"
The rat gnawed through the rope with one quick Bite, sniping Aron free. "About time!" He raised his head, making a gray outline around him as energy above manifested gray rocks in a ring. Without delay, he whipped his head forward, sending the rocks at Noctowl. The attack hit him as he turned around, making rocks burst and sent him to the ground with a thud.
Decker glared daggers at the folly created. He looked back at Kevin, who had a shrug. Then back at Gajeel and Macbeth, who were able to break free as his data was told. He should've cut him off when he had the chance. Now it was back to square one.
"Looks like that pervert's words were actually some use after all." Gajeel sneered. "Not bad, kid."
Aron faced the Pokémon, revealing himself to be a Rattata. "Thanks for the help." He noticed the Rattata was shuddering and cross-eyes. It made him unsound. "Uh, hey, I said thanks. Hello?"
"Y-you're very welcome!" the Rattata eagerly chuckled. "This…THISISSOCWAZY! HAHAHAHAHA! IWOVECWAZY! HAHA!"
Aron sweatdropped. "Uh…okay…?"
Macbeth stayed close to Gajeel as they faced their adversaries again. "Looks like we get a second chance after all."
"Yeah, so it seems." The Iron Dragon Slayer's eyes squinted. "But now we got a problem. These guys can shut us up so we can't give signals."
"Hmm, that is a problem. Perhaps a little plan in advance would suffice then?" Macbeth smirked.
"Don't get smart with me." Gajeel threatened. "Look, you try and keep that girl busy…I'll handle the ninja and his pet owl."
"And if he silences you?"
The Iron Dragon Slayer showed his fangs in a cheesy smirk. "Don't worry about it. Aron and I know what to do. Now go!" Turning his legs to iron columns, Gajeel roared as he closed the gap between him and Decker. The Mute Mage's immediate response was using his leg lacrima to propel him forward, driving his fist with lacrima in them to parry Gajeel's own fist.
Noctowl hooted as the battle commenced. He watched on before his attention dwelled towards the Rattata as it scurried away. He wanted to go after it, but found himself preoccupied when Aron was in his line of sight. "Heh…this time we're finishing things now, buddy." He sniped.
Seeing Decker and his Noctowl preoccupied, Valeria turned her attention towards Kevin. Seeing him on the tower above, she pointed her staff ahead, ordering Drifloon to advance slowly forward. Meanwhile, she reached into her pockets and recreated another lacrima kite. She hopped onto it, lifting herself and the massive transport with her as they sailed towards Kevin.
Seeing the woman fly towards him, Kevin smirked. "I always knew ladies were drawn to me…" He waited as Valeria showed her staff in front, Magic charged, making him pale. "…oh."
Valeria fired a magic blast at him. He swiftly ducked behind the balcony of the tower he was in. Dust and dirt splattered all over him, but he covered up narrowly. As the wave ceased, he poked his head up, seeing Valeria aiming another blast. He took leaps towards the door to the castle and quickly escaped as she fired again, blasting the entrance wide open.
Now it was Kevin who was finding himself discomforted, in more ways than one. He hurried down the spiral staircase as the wall over him kept bursting from various blasts of magic rom Valeria outside. With each close blast wave, he squealed and jumped, furthering his rapid descent.
Once he made it to the door at the base, he narrowly avoided a piece of debris. "Made it!" He opened the door, immediately finding himself at ground level with the others. He looked up, finding Valeria above with her staff present. "…oh, uh…maybe it's not too late to go back in-!" He was stopped from turning away when Drifloon's tendrils reached out above, using Constrict to bind him in place. "Oookay…it's too late." He looked up, seeing Valeria narrowing her eyes on him. He had to think of something, and fast. "Uh…eh…Rattata, Bite!"
From the shadows the Rattata from earlier came out cross-eyed and darting right for the human. "HAHAHA!" he cackled an unnerving laughter as he pounced for Drifloon, his glowing teeth signaling the attack as he chomped into Drifloon, immediately making her squeal and let go. "HAHAHA! CWAZY!" He laughed.
Kevin quickly picked up Rattata and tumble-rolled out of the way of Valeria's next magic blast. The spot where he was originally blew up, making her scoff beneath her breath.
Kevin looked up, letting go of Rattata in the process. "This chick's wild…man, if she wasn't taken I'd sooo be turned on." He awed.
Valeria swiped her arm, giving Drifloon a silent command. The creature floated in front and expanded her balloon sac some before spinning, summoning a Gust that swallowed up Kevin and his Rattata. Both veered away as they were immobile from the strong winds.
With them distracted, Valeria pointed her staff at the Search Mage. Knowing his magic wasn't around combat, she had the advantage. She charged up another blast, this one firing almost instantly. It closed in on him, but before it could, both the wind and the spell were distorted around them.
Kevin waited for the inevitable impact, but it never arrived. "What…?" he muttered.
Valeria turned around, glaring at the ground behind. A hand was seen sticking out, revealing Macbeth. "I didn't take your gesture in kind before…perhaps we can try that again I hope." He threatened.
Gajeel swung his arm, revealed to have morphed into an iron sword that parried Decker's kunai lodged between the knuckles. The two glared at one another in close-range, which Gajeel's eyes twitching at the ninja-cowboy's strength. He began to lose weight as the kunai were digging into the iron defense that Gajeel had going. In an effort to shorthand it, Gajeel swung his arm with all his might, knocking Decker away into doubling over and jumping into midair.
In midair, Decker shot the three kunai at Gajeel. He dodged away, making them stick into the ground. With a snap of his fingers, Decker made the three kunai spontaneously explode smoke, which was muted thanks to his magic. The smoke quickly expanded, swallowing Gajeel as he was forced to cover his nose. The Dragon Slayer immediately began to cough within the smokescreen provided, his iron lungs, while immune to decaying, was making it hard to breathe smoke.
'Crap! Not good.' He looked at his surroundings, seeing nothing but smoke surrounding him. 'I can't hear where he's coming from. And the smoke is blocking my smell. He's trying to cut off all my senses.'
Decker blindsided through the smokescreen, vanishing from one spot to another, much like a ninja. He was a shadow that moved behind Gajeel, then reappeared in front, on a knee with a kunai in hand. A moment's pause occurred and Gajeel's side suddenly bloomed with blood. A harsh gag resonated that he failed to suppress. Decker vanished again to keep Gajeel guessing.
Gajeel lurched as his side ache. 'Damnit! He got he!' he coughed again. He saw a swift blur from in front. His eyes traced it, from right to left. It came closer. He saw him.
BAM!
Decker elbowed Gajeel in the gut, again making shock run through him. Decker went to jump away, but something seized his wrist. He looked down, shocked to find Gajeel's grip as hard as iron. He looked back shocked, finding that Gajeel was clad in metallic scales.
("Heh, don't count me out just yet! Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!") With gusto might, Gajeel plunged his metallic scaled fist into Decker's face, flooring him instantly.
Nearby as the smoke was dispersing, Noctowl was squaring against Aron. The Steel/Rock-type let out a roar as he used another Rock Tomb, making gray rocks materialize overhead. He whipped his head up and sent them at Noctowl, who remained stationary. The owl instead had his eyes glow, making Confusion. The rocks were all surrounded by a blue outline instead of gray and were suddenly sent back towards Aron.
The little Pokémon had no choice but to duck and cover. He crouched as one rock flew over his head, but way more surged and hammered all around him, enveloping him in dust. As he opened his eyes, he saw that he was surrounded by his own Rock Tomb. Rather than taking damage, he was completely immobile. A very bad spot indeed.
Looking up, Noctowl was hovering above. The owl gave a hoot as it stared down with the red eyes glowing, showing his Hypnosis attack. Instantly Aron closed his eyes.
"No, not again…Headbutt!" He lurched upwards, ramming his head right into Noctowl's face. The impact sent a shock through Noctowl that sent him downwards into the ground hard. Aron landed on the top rock and looked down at the struggling owl.
"I'm not through yet!" He lifted his head, making his body have a white outline. Summoned around him were rocks from Rock Tomb and he whipped his head down, sending the rocks hurdling into Noctowl, making heavy grains of gravels dissipate into dust upon impact.
Through the dissipating dust, both Decker and his Noctowl slowly got back up, only for an iron fist and a Headbutt to cause them to wane away. This made Gajeel and Aron more determined than ever.
Macbeth swiped his arm, distorting the air to make another cyclone try and get the space around Valeria. She pulled out another lacrima and clutched it, sending another pulse wave out to cancel out Macbeth's attack. "Some piece of technology." He complimented. "Well now, it looks like there might be a way to get to her after all…"
Meanwhile, with Kevin and Rattata, they squared against the Drifloon as it had its tendrils up. Rattata looked cross-eyes at her with his body shuddering.
"Okay, you ready, Rattata?" he asked the hyperactive rat.
Rattata cackled a laughter as the battle begin. "R-ready as I'll be ever be! HA!"
The Drifloon attacked first. Her body glowed white with ripples going up to the puffy cloud. 'Focus Energy, huh? In that case, we need to hit it in one blow, too!' Kevin reached out, mimicking the effects. "Rattata, Focus Energy!"
As commanded, Rattata began shuddering more. All his power was charging up, with white energy flourishing everywhere to center into the head and vanish. "HAHAHA! FOCUS…FOCUS MAKES ME CWAZY! HAHAHAHA!"
Drifloon then went and hummed as she reached with her tendrils for her Constrict. "Rattata, Quick Attack to dodge!" Kevin commanded. Rattata's body outlined bright blue and he darted away from the tendrils. He speedily zigged and zagged, getting closer.
"HRAH~!" He dashed about, laughing at the adrenaline coursing through him. He suddenly tripped, rolling about and laughing. Drifloon managed to find an opening and reach her tendrils, constricting the fallen rat and holding him beneath her.
"Rattata!" Kevin exclaimed.
As the tendrils squeezed, Rattata was cross-eyed as he laughed. He laughed…and laughed, while the tendrils tightened. This very disposition was making Drifloon upset as she squeezed tighter, but Rattata laughed the pain off.
Swallowing a lump out of worry, he saw Macbeth was keeping Valeria occupied as she circled around him. He looked back, seeing the one shot available. 'I gotta end this before a command is given!' "Rattata, Bite!"
Rattata blinked. He kept laughing until he stopped. His head slowly craned over and looked at the tendril, awing at it. "Ohhh…YUMMY! HAHAHA!" His bucked tooth and snapped on it. The enemy Drifloon squealed in vivid pain as Rattata swung her around, moving his head around like a dog with a bound. He even growled like one. As if out of his species, he muffled laughed as he raced around the battlefield, giving no care as his enemy deflated in his toothy embrace.
Kevin sighed in relief. "Phew…that was clo-!" A pink rope tied around his waist, stopping him in his tracks. "Ooor maybe not! AAAHH~!" He was pulled skywards towards the kite, screaming for his life.
Rattata stopped his adrenaline and let go of Drifloon after nodding his head against the ground, looking to see his Trainer go up. He stared cross-eyed still. "…oh, look at him go. Ha."
Kevin was yanked all the way until he was pulled up towards Valeria. She undid the rope and clutched him by the neck. She held him at arms length as her magic staff was aimed in the other arm. Magical energy surged to fire at point-blank. She didn't seem pleased with him.
"No…" Macbeth grunted.
Nervous, Kevin tried to swallow a lump…although it was really more from being so close to her ample upper body. "Uh…ehehe…is this the part where I say my last words." He saw Valeria narrow her eyes. "Oh, uh, okay then…well if I could say one thing…it's this."
With a snap of his fingers, he made his Search Magic pop up between them. It showed a picture of Valeria in a modest purple bikini at the beach. The image of her summer weekend made the mage recoil with flushed cheeks.
"You got a hot bod. RATTATA, ATTACK!"
Rattata maniacally laughed as he was called. "CWAZY! HAHAHAHA!" He darted away from the defeated Drifloon over towards the building. With his energy and adrenaline, the rodent ran up and scurried towards the top. He reached a certain point until he took a leap and jumped onto Kevin's head and pounced onto Valeria with his goofy cross-eyed expression.
For once, Valeria let out a high-pitched, girlish squeal as she slowly fell back. Time slowed down for her as Rattata was laughing as he closed in on her. She lost her momentum and realized she was falling off her huge kite.
She started to plummet to an unfortunate spot. With Drifloon out of commission and Macbeth getting back to his feet, he swiped his arms as her eyes shrunk.
"Spiral Pain!"
Macbeth used his power to make a direct cyclone of distorted air course into her head on. She reached back for her lacrima in stock to nullify it in midair, but she was a second too shy. The attack swallowed her up, sending her driven into the side of the palace tower.
Kevin had to flinch at that act. He watched in shock as he and Rattata were on the kite and watched the dust clear. They saw Valeria fall to the ground, but Kevin gasped. "…oh what the heck?!" Despite every urge in his body, he tried maneuvering the kite so he could glide down. "C'mon…like this?!" He tilted down further, getting closer. He soared in time to nab Valeria in midflight. "YES-!"
BWHAM!
The kite crashed into the side of the building, just a few feet off the ground. Kevin and Rattata both groaned as they were lodged like paper, unlike several moments later they popped back to form and slumped to the ground. "Okay…ow." He groaned.
Macbeth walked other. "Are you alright?"
Kevin laid on the ground, holding up Valeria's unconscious hand. "Score one for me…yay…" he fell limp into unconsciousness next.
Macbeth sighed. At least that part was out of the way. He looked back towards the real battle, seeing Gajeel and Decker go at it. He knew that Decker would attack him instantly if he intervened. He watched quietly as Gajeel went on the attack from afar.
Decker dashed into the ironclad Gajeel, pulling his fist back and whipping out a knuckle guard knife. He closed the gap, and at the last second ducked. He pulled back and slashed for Gajeel's gut like before.
However, Gajeel caught his wrist at the last second, holding him in place. The Iron Dragon smirked. Decker muted a snort and pivoted, using his other arm with a lacrima dagger, which Gajeel caught with his other hand. Holding Decker, he quickly used this chance to knee him in the back, sending Decker doubling over. The ninja put a hand down as he was upside-down and pivoted, swinging in a spin as shuriken shot all over, piercing the ground and making another smoke eruption. He used this chance to get on his feet again and used his lacrima propulsion to jet into the smoke. He zipped and disappeared spontaneously, while he got to where Gajeel was supposed to be. To his shock, he wasn't where he was supposed to be. When he realized it, he looked up to see a silhouette above.
Unable to call out an attack, instead he shot Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs like many raining iron shards onto Decker. The range was so massive that he had to propel himself backwards again.
While he was in midflight, Gajeel sundered to the ground, causing an indent. He glared forward, waiting for Decker's initiative. 'Yeah that's right. Come get some…I gotcha figured out now.'
Decker snapped his fingers, getting Noctowl to stop his confrontation and move in front. The owl gave a hoot as his body glowed, giving off a rainbow shield via Reflect. The shield soon dissipated, leaving Decker to slip pass Noctowl and drive towards Gajeel.
As he closed the gap, Gajeel held his ground. He watched him vanish from one point to another as he charged. His eyes kept following. 'This guy's not teleporting. What that guy said is true. Those lacrima he's using are boosting his limbs. And that uses magic…I can't hear, but I can feel alright. Let's see…there!' Gajeel whipped around, using his forearm to block Decker's roundhouse kick. With the proximity, he smirked. 'Gotcha.' Hurrying, he seized Decker's leg, holding him long enough to get a punch into the main lacrima of his shinguard. As the shards shattered. Decker found himself shocked beyond belief. Gajeel threw him away, making him tumble across the ground.
Macbeth was seeing it with his own eyes. He was seeing Decker finally lose momentum. 'Seems Gajeel has figured him out. Very well then.' He resorted to looking at the those in Valeria's net. Without a sound, he refracted light to make himself invisible.
Gajeel charged again, with Decker pulling out a lacrima kunai. Gajeel furiously slashed at him, only to be parried. When all was said and done, Gajeel and Decker both backed off. The mage remained silent as Gajeel stepped backed, although Gajeel's arms morphed to original and had laces gashes through the metal. He grunted and waned. This was Decker's chance.
Once more, this time pulling out a katana he had saved, Decker activated it. He swiped it and charged with one leg pouncing him forward.
Gajeel opened and eye, seeing him incoming. He smirked. He looked over, where Aron was grunting from his injuries. He seized him.
"Whoa! What the?! Gajeel?!"
Gajeel let out a muted roar as he suddenly lobbed Aron at Decker. The little creature went wide-eyed as a forced Headbutt came to pass. Decker was caught surprised and held up his katana, using it to block. Aron hit the katana, although Reflect still popped up. The surprise was long enough to startle the ninja as Aron slumped down, shaking his head and looking up.
Decker looked up as well, and that's when he realized it. Gajeel's whole bottom was spinning like an iron drill, and closing in. The sickest part was he was getting no sound, meaning he wasn't warned. Silence. His folly.
("Dragon Slayer's Secret Art – Karma Demon: Iron Spiral!")
The Dragon Slayer's legs transformed into a giant iron drill that went down onto Decker. At the last second, Decker put his katana up to block the attack, even with Reflect activating again. However, he tried holding but Gajeel's spinning was making the katana suddenly crack. The pressurized force was making it crack further, and further, until it finally shattered. The drill came down on Decker, piercing and drilling him into the ground, this time creating exceptional sound as debris shattered.
As Decker recoiled in the ground, his mask got bloodied as time drastically slowed down. From the lack of pupils in his eyes, even he could see images of his childhood, and they weren't very pleasant ones. "What so want for dinner, sweetie?" And in his child voice ages ago as his mother was doing dishes, he'd respond. "Hm? Oh sorry, I didn't catch that. What?"
No matter what, Decker was always told the same thing. "What?" "What?!" "I wasn't paying attention, what was that you wanted?" Whether it was food, or something to do. Images of his mother and father were there. His mother would work. His father would do the same. The problem was they were too occupied with hobbies like scripting or talking to friends on Communication Lacrima whenever they spoke with Decker. That was the one thing he never got – full attention.
"I wanted pasta. I told you that!" he snapped.
"Sorry I didn't hear you!" his mother harshly defended.
"I said it loud and clear!"
Over and over again. No matter what…every day he was misunderstood. Nobody paid attention…not like Valeria. As he laid there, he looked over to find Valeria lying unconscious. She was the only woman who looked out for him; his neighbor; his only friend…his love. Together, they made a promise. If they weren't going to hear Decker to begin with…then no one will ever again. And that's the birth of his magic. One day, he had enough. Giving his parents the silent treatment. Then the next day. Then the next…and the next…and that evolved to his magic. And all that time, he ever knew Valeria was the only one who understood him, even when he chose not to speak.
He fell unconscious, laying in a crater silently.
Noctowl hooted in shock over their defeat. "Hey, over here!" Noctowl turned, only to receive Aron flung in his face next with a Headbutt. The impact went straight into his head, making the already weakened bird fall to the ground, defeated.
Gajeel undid his scaled, giving a sigh of relief. "Man…that guy was a pain in the ass." He looked over at Aron, who walked up to him. "Hey, you doing okay?" Aron suddenly lowered his head, tucking in and lunged into Gajeel's gut, making him gag from being too hurt already. "Gahh…damnit! What the hell…?" he gagged as he fell over.
Aron snuffed his head up. "That's for throwing me…twice!"
Gajeel gave him a look. "C'mon, man! I couldn't talk!"
"Could've warned me somehow!"
Gajeel whipped his head away, grunting hard as he sat up. "Hmph, well anyways, we got that guy done and over with…" he looked unsound. 'But the way I couldn't speak…I think I gotta find another way to talk to Aron about this…'
Macbeth reappeared beside Gajeel. "Are you well?"
Gajeel faced him. "Yeh, barely. How's it looking?"
Macbeth looked humbled. "As well as you can guess." He looked over, referring to the undone net with everyone stirring awake. "That net appeared to have anti-magic incense eroding from it. It made them all drowsy from being inside it too long. They should be fine now."
"Good. And the kid?"
They both faced Kevin as he laid unconscious on the ground, mere meters from Valeria. But as he snored, he turned in his slumber.
"ZZZZzzzzZZZ…mmmm, oh yeah…right there…aww yeah…Zzzzz…" he smirked maliciously. Whatever dream he was having, it made them want to rethink how to approach him.
"…looks fine to me." Gajeel feigned. "Let's wake the others and tie these yahoos up."
"Agreed."
In a random part of the palace, Mest reappeared. "…looks like no one's here." He realized. He looked to both directions, seeing how empty it was. 'Am I able to use Telepathy here now…?' He tried scrunching up for it, but no luck. 'It's no good. This palace must have a lacrima or something to keep enemy communication limited.'
Beside him, Ralts repeatedly banged his head against the wall.
"Ralts, let's try another spot. Ready?" he said.
Ralts stopped banging his head to face his master. He scooted over and used Teleport, vanishing to another part of the domain.
In the front of the palace, the humungous courtyard stretched so far that one could say it's forever until they reached the actual doors, yet there, in front of them, Pluto's planets orbited overhead as he stared down Jellal and Bellona, the two mages glaring at the Spriggan.
"The stars, they twinkle like an individual life force through our eyes." He said. "Yet they, like power, are unbound by man. This is the wish that our emperor perceives to be."
Jellal shot him a look. "You seem fairly poetic for someone so brash. You've certainly got a lot of nerve to abscond with our comrades like that."
"It was the emperor's orders. Whatever desired, it is our sworn duty as his shields to carry out our star's judgement."
"A rather ambiguous simile, wouldn't you say?" Bellona chimed in. "Not to be perceptive on your astrology, but don't stars also eventually expire?"
"So they do. But as long as our sun burns brightly, the planets that revolve around it will make sure that it never goes out."
Jellal stepped forward. "As a man of poetic courtesy, you seem to also understand. What you're doing is retribution on a faulted scale. Are the lives you take for this retribution that needless to you? If you, I can say I pity a man like you."
Pluto put his palms up to face each other. "Perceive as you will, but I govern this celestial that we live in. The name our galaxy is Alvarez, and aliens as you and your friends are but a virus that must be snuffed out."
Bellona slipped close to Jellal. "Jellal…"
"I know. It seems we have no choice then. If we're going to save our friends…we'll have to start here." He took a stance, readying himself. "Bellona!"
"I'm here!" The Nightmare Mage took a stance to attack.
The Spriggan meters away was slightly elated with their tenacity to challenge him. It was almost laughable it not for their arrogance. "I admire your willingness to change this land that is not yours. It takes a strong will to reach far high…" As his palms faced the other, the orbiting planets stopped and spread out. "Very well then, come!"
Gray and Juvia were in a deadlock as both their eyes were seething as coldly as possible. But as much as they tried, even Gray himself found his own body cold. Both and Juvia. And it wasn't just from the lack of shirt and just the girdle Juvia had on. Their opponent was Invel, and around them, frozen-solid soldiers encompassed for a clean display.
"So, you showed your face after all." Gray scowled. "Should've known you'd be hiding somewhere."
"On the contrary, Gray Fullbuster." Invel retorted. "Whoever said I was hiding? Simply because I was within my own home doesn't mean that I was hiding within my own walls. Rather, it's you and your allies who are meager trespassers." His eyes narrowed. "Am I wrong?"
Gray grunted. He knew in a way, Invel was right.
Juvia sapproached. "No, you have every right to be defending…but what you don't have a right of is how you're using Pokémon like this!"
"'Like this', you say?" Invel prodded his glasses up a little. "…yes, I suppose we can condone that, but let me ask you this: In what way are these Pokémon and humans alike any different?"
"What are you getting at?" Gray demanded.
When you think about it, aren't we all driven by a command? I am driven by our emperor's wishes, and yet Pokémon even of the strongest caliber submit themselves to a human. We humans work to survive. We take orders and use others every day…exactly how is Pokémon any different if they willingly submit?"
Juvia prodded again. "You're wrong! The reason because they listen to us is because we trust them! We try to look out for them, and they help us."
"Yeah, what she said." Gray said.
"Exactly my point." Invel said.
"Huh?" Gray gasped.
"You seek help from others because you know that you can never do everything alone. And it was this very ideology that was Acnologia's flaw, wasn't it?" His sunglasses shimmered with reflecting light. "We were designed and hand-picked by our previous Emperor Spriggan because he believed Acnologia could be taken down, and although it was accomplished, this world would be nothing if not for Pokémon and Nic Pularis. What I'm merely saying is, that we're doing this the same reason as you Fiorians. To defend ourselves better…does that sum it up for you?"
Gray's brow furrowed. In a way, he knew Invel was right to a degree he can understand. The incidents involving Pokémon left a milestone in Fiore's – no, Earthland's history. What was there to say to that?
Invel closed his eyes. "My case is set. I have lost faith due to our last convenient run-in, Gray Fullbuster…" his eyes opened again. "So now I shall show you the path that you have opened to me and our darkness, and I intend to give you a full demonstration in kind."
Gray tensed up. "Juvia, stay on your guard. You remember what this guy can do to you, right?"
She nodded. "Yes, I am." She remembered how it was his spell that forced the two now-lovers to face off against one another, and it was perhaps one of the gravest pains each had to endure. They still have the scars to prove it.
Invel raised an arm slowly. "But first, allow us some space."
"What are you-?!" Gray didn't get to finish before Invel threw his arm in a sideways chop. Immediately, it clanged against a frozen soldier beside him, and instead of thawing, the soldier shattered like glass. The shockwave from that chop went all around, breaking frozen soldiers and sending pieces and cold winds everywhere.
"GET DOWN!" Gray seized Juvia and hit the iced floor in time to avoid flying frozen limbs and chilled breezes pulsating everywhere. It became a turmoil of chilled frost that kept expanding throughout the chamber until everything finally settled. He looked down. "Juvia, you okay?"
She looked up. "Yes, I'm fine…but what was-!" she gasped in shock.
Gray looked forwards as well, his eyes widening at the graphic sight.
A cool wind shifted Invel's clothing as his rm remained swiped. All around him, the field was spread out into wide open areas across as far as the eye could see. Soldiers far away were still in one piece, but a little closer one could see scattered remained of soldier body part frozen down to the bone, literally. "The stage is now set." He said.
Juvia stammered back up, shock written on her face. "No way…did he just…"
"Just what the hell man?! Those were your soldiers! You seriously just went and killed them?!" Gray snapped.
"Mere numbers that can easily be replaced." Invel retorted. "You're forgetting, that in war there are lives lost. Or did you not realize this when your master Makarov passed?"
Gray's eyes narrowed and somberly glared. His words caused a very unpleasant picture of him and E.N.D squaring off again against Nic, and at the funeral he said nothing. His fists balled in growing anger. Juvia looked down to find her darling annoyed.
"Now then, for retribution, allow me to show you the cold truth of reality." Invel swiped his arm again, this time sending an intense cold wave that seared over the ground. It layered ice further as it closed in.
"Get behind me!" Gray moved in front, making frost from his magic. "Ice-Make: Shield!" he extended his arms out, summoning a shield of ice that blocked the frostbitten wind from directly hitting them.
Invel remained silent and observing, waiting to see what they will do.
"Juvia!" Gray exclaimed.
"Right!" Nodding in understanding, the rain woman concealed herself and raised her arms behind the shield.
A pillar of water shot up from their spot, gushing skywards with Invel's attention. He looked up, humming as he watched it go up so high until it had to arch down. It went at a steep angle towards him. "Not likely." He reached up, immediately freezing the water when mere feet from his head. It was nothing but a frozen archway all the way. "Sneak attacks won't work so easily, not when they can freeze.
The ice shimmered before it suddenly shattered in his face. Within the fragments, a pair of bare arms were seen. "Yeah, well guess what…"
Invel's eyes widened.
"That wasn't. This is!" Gray, having freed from the ice, passed Invel with a loud shout as he slashed. "Ice Bringer!" He passed Invel in a flash, revealing two blades of ice as he posed behind him. Nothing happened for a moment to Invel until finally moments later, ice erupted around him, shaking the earth briefly. Gray undid his ice blades and looked over his shoulder, seeing Invel trapped in his ice. He looked away, unamused. "Sorry, but we're not in the mood for your mind games like last time."
The ice shimmered before it suddenly burst into pieces, causing Gray to gasp. Juvia equally was shocked. Time slowed down for Gray as he looked back, seeing Invel standing there while glaring over the shoulder.
"And neither am I." he scorned.
Gray was too in shock before it was too late. Invel swiped his arm, sending a cold wave that sent Gray screaming across the ground far away.
"Gray!" Juvia screamed.
Gray grunted loudly as he was pushed along his back. The cold wave soon dissipated, and he doubled over onto his feet in a slide to a halt. He had frost over him, and as before, he was feeling chillier. 'Crap. This guy's feeling stronger…' He could feel his brow twitch from the small shivers going down his spine. 'His magic is seeping down into my skin so quick. He's not fooling around at all. Just like before.'
Juvia gritted her teeth. She had to work around Invel somehow. She reached out to attack next.
"Water Lock!"
She immediately trapped him in a bubble of water, which almost immediately froze afterwards. The fragments scattered at Invel's feet as he glared back at her. His seething cold stare was making her heart stop from cold…almost literally. Without warning, he faced Juvia next, reaching him palm out to shoot a jet of absolute zero at her.
"JUVIA! MOVE!" Gray shouted.
Juvia didn't have anywhere to run. In a last-ditch defense, she surrounded herself in a wall of water. The defense took in the blizzard aimed at her. In a bright flash, the whole dome was frozen solid, trapping the chilled rain woman inside.
"She won't escape unless she intends to have her body frozen solid." Invel noted. "Knowing that, I wouldn't give long before frostbite takes her…"
Gray roared as he attacked from behind in midair, holding a massive hammer of ice overhead. He brought it down, which Invel stopped without looking…and with just one hand. Gray tried to push further, but it wasn't working against Invel's sheer might.
"You're weaker than before…" He pressed up against the ice, immediately shattering it all. The pieces flourished like sparkles as he turned around to face Gray. "I'm surprised, honestly. And here I thought you would try and pry me of what I believed yet again with your darkness." He mocked.
Gray stepped back, a confused look crossing his face.
"Come, you know what I mean…exactly, how did you defeat me last time I wonder? Was it the darkness your Devil Slayer Magic had perhaps?" He jumped up and dodged a wave of ice Gray shot from below. The ice mounted into a giant slab that Invel easily landed on. "Even a sophisticate doesn't need a verbal reply. I can tell just from that look."
"What are you getting at?"
"…you're afraid, aren't you?" The comment made Gray's eyes shrink. "You're afraid of the darkness, as we all are. No one wants to accept it so easily, as I can understand." Once more, he jumped to avoid the slab of ice he was on from piercing him via Gray making a small layer beneath. Invel landed behind Gray, making him turn around. "I wasn't willing to accept it either. I believed that what we were was but light itself in sake of what the emperor desired…but now because of your power triumphing over the underworld, exactly what light is there now?"
Gray put his hands together, creating frost. "Are you still hung up on that?"
"Are you?" Once again, Invel's insight made Gray tense. "Rather than fight it, do as I have, and accept it…and give into it." He swiped his arm, making another intense wave of frosted cold pick Gray up and send him doubling over several times until he slid along the ice to a halt.
He gritted his teeth as his skin touched the cold ground. He shakily arose, but his mind was as fragile as glass. What Invel said was making him recall images of when he scarred Nic, when he accused him of falling to darkness that he must slay. He strained to stand. 'I gotta stop thinking about that. I gotta beat this guy again…for good. But the only way I did last time was…' His fists balled tighter. He was reminded well of Juvia when he thought she…'I gotta use my power again. If I try like last time, then maybe…' He clutched harder, but as he tried to surge his Devil Slayer powers, images of E.N.D, Nic, and Orion popped in his head, making him grunt. 'Damnit…why can't it just come out like before?' He looked back at Invel, his glare hardening as he held his fingers up to attack. His thoughts ran to something else in mind. 'Think…what did that Orion guy say…?'
Before he had time to think, Invel summoned another wave from the side, knocking Gray to the side. "You're distracted." He said.
On the icy ground, Gray winced as he opened an eye. He started to get back up, his breath frosting over. 'If I don't find out soon…this'll get bad quick!'
He and Invel glared, ice against ice once more.
In the dark halls of the palace, dim lighting made Sting and Orion discomforted as they squared off against the bandaged man. He gave off a menacing, bloody aura as he glared at them like a wild rabid animal. Even Orion, who was normally very quelled, found himself unnerved by this stare. The way he sighed showed heated breath waves expelling.
"You guys feel that…?" Sting asked unsoundly.
Lector swallowed a lump. "Uh…uh-huh."
"No doubt this is a Spriggan. You can feel his Magic Power from here." Orion said with fists up. As bizarre as it was, the way he looked was bloodthirsty. He should know. It was making him think back to himself years ago.
Sindge let out a raspy huff as he glared at them. "So, you're the fresh meat that wandered too far from home. You really thought it was bright coming here of all places?"
"Perhaps not." Orion countered. "But we're here for a reason."
"So I can sympathize. You came to give these creatures their freedom they deserve, didn't you?"
Sting stepped forward. "Yeah, that's right. Sorry about this, but if you're not gonna give us that request, then we're taking you down."
Sindge exerted another animalistic snarl. "Is that so…?" his eyes shrunk, fixating on his foes. A very grim look showed, giving deep definition to his whole face. It was nerve-wrecking. "Well then, if you really want to fight, I guarantee that blood will be spilled."
Sting and Orion braced themselves for battle. Light shimmered in one arm, while darkness shrouded the other. Despite this sickening feeling in their gut, they had to remind themselves why they were here. For Sting, it was to help preserve the Pokémon and stop Alvarez' revenge. For Orion, it was to guide those willing to find peace. He found his peace, and now he at least had a reason to live, no matter who or what he has to take on.
Seeing both set, Sindge craned his neck. "I see…" a wicked smirk crossed his face. "Then what are we waiting for?" Without a second to spare, he charged with immensely fast movements, surprising them. He closed in while pulling out a dagger. He reappeared in midair right between the two, a dark, hungry look showing as he readied to stab.
Sting grunted as he saw the position the dagger was aimed. It was for him. At the last second, he jumped out of the way with Orion, narrowly evading the stab. While he recoiled, he was shocked when he saw Sindge suddenly glare over to him. The mage reached out in his direction, sending two knives hidden inside his sleeve at him. 'He's fast!' He leaned to the side, narrowly avoiding the knives that impaled the wall. When he looked back, he saw Sindge was midair with a long knife. 'Too fast!'
"Sting, watch out!" Lector warned.
Sindge brought the knife down, but a dark blow from the side swooped in.
"Dark Devil's Cowling!"
Orion's fist collided with Sindge's face, driving him off to the side. He doubled over and slid along the ground, glaring at Orion. He stopped, soon getting back up to stare at the Devil Slayer.
"Woah, thanks for that." Sting thanked.
Orion faced Sindge. "Don't mention it. Just focus!"
"Right!" Sting darted forward, sprinting with great might. "Then let's try this! White Drive!" Using his powers, he expelled a powerful light that outlined his body. It made him faster against Sindge. 'If I'm gonna hammer this guy, I'm gonna have to be faster than what he is now!'
Sindge grunted at Sting's enhancement. Sting closed the gap with a punch that Sindge sidestepped from. Time slowed down again for a moment as Sindge pulled out another dagger, and Sting faced him. The two met, with Sting sweep kicking the dagger out of his hand and clanking against the floor. He rebound and pivoted to unleash a light infused uppercut that Sindge evaded by craning his neck up. The Spriggan glared at him and seized his arm, holding Sting in place.
"Nice try!" Sindge opened his mouth to that a bite, but rather than flesh, he met a foot to the face, catered by Sting midair kicking. With Sindge letting go, he doubled over onto his feet again as Sindge met the floor.
"Sorry pal, but you'll have to do better than that if you wanna get through me." Sting scolded.
Sindge laid there, seething a bloody leer. "Noted." He whipped his legs up, with the soles of his feet exhausting secret knives he had hidden in them. He flipped forward, plucking them out of midair and swung down on Sting, who veered away to allow Orion to advance on the frontlines.
The Devil Slayer closed in, a dark-coated fist pulled back while Sindge noted that and veered away. He dodged Orion's first and second punches, and continued to evade. Sting used this chance to jump overhead, getting behind Sindge and coat his fists, too. He pivoted and drove his fist in. Sindge noted both attackers heading his way, punching from either side. With his head down, he used his opposite arms to grab both punches, stopping them cold.
Sting realized he couldn't move. "What?"
'He stopped our attacks. With just his bare hands alone.' Orion awed.
"Your attacks are fruitful, but still…" He swung his body, sending each flying into opposite walls with gruesome crashes. "FUTILE!"
The shock both felt from that swing left them to gag blood. Sting's body went limp while Orion's sturdier physique made him grunt.
"Sting!" Lector panicked.
Sting grunted in pain as he come around, while Sindge's silhouette beamed at him with red eyes. "You're a cocky little one, I can say that much about you." He slouched a few steps ahead. "But make no mistake, the people that I've taken were even more arrogant than you. What do you think that says about you?"
Sindge's words were making Sting stammer. He quickly focused on the battle. He sprung for Sindge again, only to end up being caught by his bare hand in his face. Sting muffled screams as Sindge's grip was like iron.
"I'm only gonna say this once for you and your friend, just because I don't want to make this any less inconvenient for my sake. Keep your distance if you value your lives."
Sindge spoke, but behind, Orion had already recovered and pulled a dark-coated fist back. He let out a roar as he reeled forward, but Sindge looked back and saw it at last second. With lightning-fast reflexes, he pulled out another knife, twirled it, and used it to block Orion's fist. The gloved fist met the knife, causing a stalemate. Orion tried pushing, as did Sindge, but they weren't getting anywhere. They reciprocated the harsh glares the other had.
The deeper Orion stared, the more he saw red in Sindge's eyes. Red from the blood that he could see in his soul. He could see and feel it, the bad habit that became a profession for the corrupted mage. It was hell, much like he used to be.
"Quit your staring. It's disturbing!" Sindge slashed again, this time wearing Orion away. While he was turned away, Sting grabbed Sindge's arm and managed to flip over it like a springboard, finally loosened and right above. "Wha-?!" He was met with a harsh axe kick of light to the head, flooring him instantly.
Overhead, Sting smirked. "Forget something?"
On the ground, the bandaged man gritted his teeth.
Sting landed on all fours and slid to a stop. Orion landed beside him, stepping back while Sting took the initiative. The Dragon Slayer growled as light gathered in his maw. "Alright pal…you really want distance? We'll give you distance!"
Beside him, Orion pulled his fist back, enflaming it in darkness. At the same time, Sting opened wide as Orion pulled forward with all his might.
"White Dragon's Roar!"
"Dark Devil's Fist Driver!"
An intense beam of light coursed across the ground, alongside a dark beam in the shape of a fist. The two attacks were so close to another as they roared across the ground that they spiraled. The cyclone of light and dark went into Sindge as he stared wide-eyed at the incoming wave. Everything for him went white as an immense explosion caused pulsing shockwave to spread. Gusts ripped open cracks within the wall. They ripped the flooring up to where Sting and Orion stood up, seething into the smoke cloud.
"Aw yeah! That's the way!" Lector cheered from behind. "Wait a go, guys! That was awesome!"
Sting grinned forward, deactivating his spell that enhanced him. "Yeah, guess that should do it."
Orion glared forward, seething dark daggers himself. The smoke began to dissipate, revealing a barrage of silhouettes standing up.
Sting narrowed his eyes. "Hm, what the…?"
As the smoke dissipated, the silhouette of Sindge showed. "That was a close one." He admitted. "You almost got me there…almost."
Sting and Orion's eyes shrunk at the sight. They couldn't believe what they saw.
Lined up in front of Sindge, there were dozens of soldiers who had paled faces and dead looks on them. They were all the soldiers from before, and they shielded the attack with arms out, leaving Sindge unscathed with his sword up.
Sting's eyes shuddered. "No way…but I thought those guys were…"
"But that's impossible…" Lector muttered.
Sindge smirked maliciously at his prey. He lowered his sword, allowing all the men to fall over abruptly dead yet again. "That was smart of you heeding my advice like that. Not a lot of people aren't easy to hear." He complimented as he stepped over one of the corpses. "It's guys like you that the world needs. Those who actually are aware of what others say than listen to themselves. That itself is self-destruction, and I intend to exploit that out of you…" his bloody eyes glowed weakly, sending another chill down their spines and back away.
Orion was the only one who held his ground, he stared at Sindge grimly as he analyzed him licking hi own lips. 'Those soldiers were already half-dead from before. But from that rush of blood we saw, there's no way they're alive. Unless…' His eyes widened, a small hitch in his breath showing.
"Judging by that look on your face that you figured it out." Sindge smirked. "Bravo. Not a lot of people realize it that fast. I use Blood Control Magic. With it, I can consume as much blood from anything I need to gain power. I can even mold it into a weapon if I have to." His eyes narrowed. "As long as that same blood is in my system as well…" He lifted his sword again, causing the men around him to limply wobble up like zombies. "I can use your body as puppets as I see fit! Just one drop is all I need, so tell me now, you really think you're safe from me?!"
Lector shrieked in shock. "This guy's a freaking lunatic!"
"Crap! What the heck? He's using others' corpses to fight?" Sting exasperated. "That's just sick!"
"Maybe so, but the world itself and what people do to themselves is sick. That's just the truth." Sindge's eyes dilated. "I am 'Blood Loco' Sindge, and you'll remember that as long as I hold a knife to your throat. Now, get 'em!" He swiped his sword, using his magic to maneuver the dead soldiers to charge at them.
Sting adjusted himself. "Looks like we've got no choice now."
"So it seems." Orion readied. He readied to fight the incoming wave of corpses, but his attention lied beyond them and towards Sindge. The way his eyes looked spelled hunger and blood, a very familiar feeling he also once had. 'Those eyes…I can deeply reciprocate. Blood Loco Sindge, I understand that pain, as I too wanted blood from another for what he did…'
Orion fumbled onto his bottom again painfully. His face had a bruise on it from a blow from Demora.
"C'mon, is that the best you can do?" he threateningly questioned. "How do you expect to defend against wild animals with that power?"
Orion shakily got back up, though he found it hard. "I'm trying…!" He was instantly blown off the crisp foliage floor of the forest by Demora's heavy gauntlet clashing against it with thunderous force.
"THEN TRY HARDER!" he roared.
Orion screamed and thudded on his side. For the umpteenth time, he hit the forest floor with pain. He strained really hard this time to sit back up.
"You know I don't take pleasure in this. This is for your own good, I hope you understand that."
Orion used a tree sit up on for support. He glared at Demora as his Devil Slayer mark on his right arm was glowing, spreading a thicker virus around him. "Really?" he panted. "I don't think so…" He strained back to his feet, glaring down the demon with half his face with the black virus. "Why else would you try and beat me senseless like this, huh?" he coughed. "This is some kind of sick joke to you, right? Why else would you keep me around? You can just leave me to die, but you insisted on making me learn all these stupid survivalist techniques. Where's the fundamentals in that, huh?"
Demora gave a long sigh to his foster son. "You still don't get it, do you?"
"Tell me now!" Orion charged into him with his fist ignited in the dark energy. "DEMORA~!" He closed the gap between them, making a full impact with his fist into him. Instantaneously, a Dark Devil's Fist Driver ignited, swallowing everything in front of Orion in a voluminous blast across the forest.
Orion exasperated an exhausted breath as his eyes were covered by his bangs. When he glanced up, his right side was spreading a little more with each raspy breath. The blast wave he realized was stopped bare-handed by Demora, single-handedly very calmly.
"Why won't you just tell me…why didn't you kill me then?" he pleaded. Demora threw him off to the side, making him floor in pain.
"I saved you. You may think this is suffering, but I don't expect you to get quite yet what I'm proving to you." He said. "Believe what you want now, but now you can hunt, can't you. That's what I could offer that they couldn't."
Orion laid in pain on the ground. The virus he had on his body began to recede from the lack of magic he had now. He rolled onto his stomach and looked at the ground, wincing in his own frustration.
Demora sighed again as he walked over to a nearby plant. He plucked a leaf from a nearby aloe. He knelt down and peeled it. The juice fell onto Orion's face as he sat up and looked away with a grunt.
"Look, Orion…believe what you want for now, but one day, you'll see what it means to want to be free from suffering. To understand what I want to feel, too." He saw that he wasn't answering him, instead the virus from his marker was beginning to slowly grow again. He chose to give up for now and walked off. "My patience is running thin, son. Soon I'm gonna get tired of all this…then you'll know the hard way what I mean."
Orion was left alone, but he watched Demora's back as he went to rest. Someday, he knew it too that he was going to kill him. He wanted to so bad, so that he could be free. 'I swear, Demora…you really call this love? What does a demon know other than suffering?'
Demora's face was concealed in his darkness he gave off as he walked away.
'Demora…thank you. For opening my eyes during that time.' Orion roared aloud as he charged with Sting, pulling a dark-coated fist back. 'I didn't then, but I do now. You did save me…from suffering that those people endured. You gave me a chance at finding real peace, and now I am living as how I can now, thanks to you.' He pulled his fist forward, swirling dark energy unleashed in a harsh blow. "Find your peace in death!"
Everything went to black and purple as his attack swallowed everything.
Saying they were at a loss for words would be an understatement. They were left more than shocked to say, though to say their shock outweighed their rising disgust would be a stretch. Thank goodness Wendy and Erik didn't eat well during their flight, because either wouldn't be eating well later this recent news.
Aniya was heavily breathing as she glared daggers at Lia, who was smirking nonchalantly, despite the history afflicting the former. She was seeing borderline red after confronting the lamia that took her sister away.
"She…what?" Wendy gasped.
"My goodness…" Kinana muttered.
Erik glared ahead, narrowing his eyes at the scene. 'So that's what I heard after all. I thought something was messed up about her.'
Aniya was borderline hyperventilating as she balled her foists. Lia was seeing this anger and decided to mingle with it a little. "Oh dear, what's with the face? You look like you're about to scream."
"YOU ATE MY SISTER!" Aniya horrifically snapped.
Lia blinked. "…wow, you actually did. But did you have to actually shout? I have ears you know."
"I know! But you…" Aniya trailed off, her visors continuing to shield her pain-filled eyes. "You…you, monster. You took my sister…she was the only family I had…and you swallowed her like she was lunch. You make me sick."
"Your sister, huh?" She put an index finger to her chin and looked up. "Sister, sister…let's see…" She thought hard for a moment, but she only drew up a blank with a stupid look. She shrugged. "Sorry, can you be a little specific? I mean I do eat quite a few people that look alike, but-"
"Tabatha." Aniya snapped. "…that's her name. That was 10 years ago." Her eyes squinted fiercely. "In Bermuda."
Lia hummed again with the same finger to her chin. "Bermuda. Now let's see…" She pointed a finger to her forehead. When it touched, there was a rainbow shine as an illusionary wave projected out around them.
Wendy looked at the settings change, growing shocked. "Memory Magic?"
"She must be displaying her memories." Carla figured.
The setting around them fixed. They were standing still in a small town within lush mountains at night. Lames enveloped houses as Aniya stared in vivid horror. Lia tilted her head. "Now let's see, does this look accurate?"
They all fell silent, while many screamed pass them.
It was a recruitment raid. It wasn't something Alvarez did often. They were a still growing nation that prospered, but they needed more men and firepower to support their absent emperor and his Spriggan. To support this, they spread far and wide, even as far as the far southwestern region of harsh humidity. This was Aniya's home, and she and her sister were also targeted.
"Come over here!" a soldier grabbed a smaller Aniya as she struggled. The young girl squealed frantically as the soldier yanked her harder. "Come on now, don't make it any harder than it has to!"
He was suddenly slammed hard by a powerful plasma whip to the helmet. It dented in so hard it broke his cranium. He fell over with a thud, leaving Aniya to turn back with shock. "Sister!" she gasped.
Tabatha, elder sister of Aniya. He had a darker shade of pink hair than her sister that flowed down her back to her shoulder blades, with the bangs separating down the middle. She had pink lipstick and green eyes. She had on tight black leggings and had slick brown sandals that accommodated her green tank top that showed much of her well-endowed bust. She looked to be around her mid-teens and her plasma whip-like magic went back to her slender arms.
"Tabatha!" Aniya hurried over and hugged her sister's waist. The elder sister knelt down and had a hand on Aniya's head.
"Are you okay, sis?" she asked. Aniya nodded. "Good." She looked around, frowning at the grim sight. Flames engulfed houses, and people everywhere were being forced into carriages to transport them to the city. It was sickening to watch.
"Sissy, look out!" Aniya squealed.
Soldiers advanced onto her quickly. They rushed her, only for her to turn her arm into plasma and do a full circle, whipping and lashing everyone away.
"Aniya, get in the bushes!" she said. "They won't find you there!"
Aniya gasped. "But, what about you, sissy?"
"Don't worry." She whipped another guy. "I'll be right behind you." She lashed at another one. "These guys are no trouble. They're nothing I can't handle." She looked over, winking at her sister. "Okay? Now hide, and no matter what, don't come down until I say, so okay?"
Aniya was worried, but as her sister whipped more guys, she had to obey. Though scared, she scurried off, getting towards the nearest hiding spot she could find.
Watching her sister go, Tabatha smirked. She looked forward at the many soldiers ready to attack. "Okay, who's next?!" she challenged.
Soldiers readied to take the girl in, but a shadow slithered from behind. "My, my. What do we have here? A delicious Magic Power I smell?" Tabatha and the soldiers turned in shock. Before them was a younger Lia, who looked a little older than Tabatha. She slipped pass the soldiers and smiled curtly at the resisting mage.
"Miss Lia, ma'am!" a soldier squealed. "But, I thought you came to supervise?"
"I did, but I got bored." She looked at Tabatha, her eyes narrowing on her. "And this one looks like she wants some fun…leave her to me, okay?"
Tabatha readied herself. The other men didn't argue out of fear and hurried off to find more resources and manpower for the empire. This left Tabatha and Lia alone, just as the two wanted.
"Well now, look at you. You sure got spunk going against soldiers just doing their jobs you know." The lamia chimed. "Now isn't that just a poor, poor image-maker."
Tabatha fiercely glared. "What do you know. Those guys came here burning down our home."
Lia shrugged. "Well to be fair, you heard about the active volcano 50 miles from here, right? Said it was erupting, so is you ask me, they're saving you. So you're saying you want to die?"
"That's funny coming from a snake." She barked. "Why should I believe anything you say?"
"Mmm, well…" She sat her face in her hand. "That is a good question. Why should you? Well…you could go along with it, or…" she licked her lips seductively. "We can have an alternative."
Tabatha narrowed her eyes as she activated her plasma arms. They wiggled in the air frantically. "I don't know what you're thinking about all this, but I'm not going anywhere with people who think taking memories away is considered saving!" She lashed her plasma arm, sending the whip at Lia.
Lia smirked casually. She suddenly teleported away, vanishing before the whip could tap her. Tabatha gasped in shock before Lia reappeared behind her, close to her ear. "Mmm, you sure about that? There's always persuasion~."
Tabatha suddenly turned, lashing horizontally. Once again Lia vanished. Tabatha looked around, wondering where she would end up. She sensed something above, and she went wide-eyed before a magical force erupted in her place. She squealed loudly as she slammed on her back with a thud.
From the dust cloud ahead, Lia slithered out with a smirk. "My, you sure play hard to get."
Tabatha sat up. She lashed her two plasma arms, but this time, instead of making Lia burn, Lia's own skin had a hot sensation that caused the plasma whips to sizzle and recoil to Tabatha's sides. She yelped as her slender arms ached with stem on them. "What…that was hot!" she grunted.
Lia smirked. "You thought I was hot? Aw, how flattering from a girl like you." She whipped her tail forward, snaring it around her and coiling around Tabatha. The girl struggled as her limbs were constricted tight, and Lia used this chance to ger close and cup her face with a seductive smirk. "But you know…I can make this even hotter if you let me?" she chimed.
Tabatha strained to break free, but she found it hard to move. "Gnnngh…let me go you…freak…!" she gagged when Lia used her tail and got a small coil around the neck.
"Aww, how mean." She cooed. "Here, I see your stressed. What do you say we work something out…" She stared at Tabatha, her eyes making multiple lights that were a hypnotic pattern.
Tabatha grunted and tried to break off, but to no avail. She opened an eye, finding an odd light rippling in front of her. Strangely, the longer she looked, the more tranced she got. Her one eye began to copy the pattern, with the other eyes eventually opening and copying the spell.
"That's it, just relax." She cooed. "I'm not here to hurt you. You can trust me…"
Tabatha's stubborn mind was waning dramatically as she looked into the eyes. She was waning and drowning in the odd sleepy sensation she had and felt her strength fade. With what strength she had, she muttered weakly. "…Ani…ya…help…" The next instance, her mind finally gave in, fully under the spell. She smiled dumbly at Lia as the seductive lamia smirked at her coiled prey.
She snickered some as her hypnotic eyes continued. "There…we're all relaxed. Now then, since you were so kind as to meet me, why don't we get to know each other more?" She licked her lips again. "What did they call you?"
"…Ta…batha…" she mumbled.
"Tabatha. Mmm, tasty. Well I'm glad I got to meet you, little lady. Now then, why don't you relax…" She hoisted herself a little higher, hovering above her. They locked eyes as Lia slipped her tongue over Tabatha's face like a snake would and got her scent. It was peachy. "Let's take you somewhere 'fun'. Ready?" Tabatha dumbly nodded. "Good…"
The lamia hovered high over and slowly opened her mouth. The maw began to widen more, enough to almost be 150 degrees. She let out a hot breath as she lowered onto Tabatha, the smiling female staring hypnotically into an esophagus as everything went dark.
…
"Sissy's been gone for awhile now…is she okay?" Hiding in underbrush, the little Aniya scavenged around in silence. She made sure to stay quiet as she hovered behind bushes and underbrush.
"Over here!"
"I think Miss Lia needs help!"
She heard two soldiers nearby. Instantly she ducked in the underbrush again and waited until they passed. She slowly poked her head out, hearing calls just a few meters away.
"Miss Lia, are you alright?" a soldier asked.
"Mmmm, yes. I'm netter than alright." She hummed as she laid on a stretcher. Soldiers carried her along a very longboard, but the lamia had something different. She looked sleepy, but more importantly, there was a rather large, human-shaped bulge in her snake-like lower half. The bulge even wiggled a bit and made her sigh. "This trip was…satisfying."
"We'll take you back to Alvarez, ma'am. All soldiers, fall back!" With the command, the soldiers left. They walked off, carrying with them the carriages of people to relocate, and a stretcher for the full Lia.
Once they were gone, Aniya emerged from the bushes. She watched them take off, her eyes on the snake woman. She looked confused before she looked down. To her horror and shock, she found a pair of sandals all too familiar to her. She picked them up, looking at them before staring ahead at the bulge in Lia's belly. She then heard something even from ear distance.
"Tabatha…such a delicious name." the lamia hummed.
Aniya's eyes shrunk. Time slowed down as the sandals fell from her hands to the floor. "TABATHA~!"
The vision faded, reverting everyone back to the present. Lia snapped her fingers with a smile. "Oh yeah! Now I remember!" she chuckled. "Man, I was still a rookie back when I joined, but they made me come along. Man, what a nice little trip that was! Haha!"
However, unlike her, the others were looking horrified. Aniya was seething ferociously, while Wendy, and everybody else looked like they've seen a ghost. No words could be spoken to make sense of what they were feeling right now. Disgust was one thing for certain. Wendy and Carla were speechless.
"She…she really did eat…" Kinana trailed off.
Erik clutched his fist. "Okay, I know I'm cool with snakes and all…but even I know that's messed up right there." He admitted.
"Aniya…" Wendy faced Aniya, who was shaking in her heels. She was trembling so hard it looked like she was gonna pass out.
Aniya couldn't say anything. She was at a loss for even how to speak. She watched the day her sister was taken from her, again, and Lia was treating it so fondly. Her shoulders shuddered madly to boot. "How…how could you…?" she whimpered.
"Mm, beg your pardon?" Lia hummed.
"How could you…treat it so fondly?" Aniya venomously snarled. Tears kept going down her face, even as she looked up. "That was my sister…a human being…and you treated her like dinner. You're such a sick animal!"
Lia looked honestly offended. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get personal or anything." She defended. "It's not easy to remember every meal. Besides, I only eat once every 2 weeks to a month. So I can only eat so much."
"THAT'S NOT THE SAME!" Aniya snapped. She sulked over, shuddering madly in anger. "You ate my sister…you took her…and you eat more people…how can you be so cruel? How do you sleep at night even?"
Lia sighed. She crossed her arms beneath her ample buxom. "Look, don't get all dramatic. We lamia have to eat something. We're carnivorous, we have to eat humans. It's just survival." She softly grinned. "If it makes you feel better, your sister isn't totally gone."
Aniya gasped and looked up. "She's not?"
"Nope. You see, when a lamia digests something with magic in it, we not only get stronger, but accumulate their magic as well. So I now have your sister's power, among others...so you see? She's not all gone."
Aniya shuddered. "No…"
"So she hypnotizes people in order to swallow them, then gains access to all their magic?" Erik surmised.
Lia winked. "That's right." She pondered upwards again. "Now let's see. If I at maybe 12 to 24 times a year, and multiply that by 29, let's see…hmmm…" She closed her eyes, using a blank space in her head as many mathematical equations showed. It showed she ate someone with numbering magic. She snapped her finger. "Oh! That means I ate about 500 mages altogether. Simple!"
Wendy put her hands to her mouth, shock filtering through her. "No way…"
"You're saying that…she has powers of over 500 mages?" Carla exasperated. "That's inconceivable. Then is that how we sense so much magic coming from her?"
Aniya slowly picked up her weapon again, getting back up. "For 10 years, I've been waiting to find out where you were…" she snarled. "I hated snakes because of what you did…I'm not taking this a second longer!" She aimed her weapon at Lia. "You ready? Because you just had your last meal! I'm gonna avenge Tabatha if it's the last thing I do!"
Lia chuckled. "Aw, that's so cute, trying to avenge someone you loved." Her normal sultry smirk began to grow sinister. "You wanna know a secret? I've met people like you who wanted to get revenge on me, and you know what happened? They all ended up the same…" She licked her lips, implying what she meant. "Now then, since we finally got that out of the way, it's been a few weeks, and I'm starving. So…which one of you should I try first, hm? How about~…you!" She pointed at Wendy. She instantly slithered to advance. She was fast. "Come to me, sweetheart!"
Wendy balled her fists. "Not gonna happen!" She summoned whirlwinds around her arms, swiping her arms to expel a wind that managed to stop Lia in her tracks. With her withdrawn, this allowed Erik to get close and seep poison in his arm.
"Heh, try and eat after THIS!" He punched the snake girl in her snake-like belly, making a powerful force that repulsed her.
"Yes! That affected her!" Kinana chimed.
"Owowowow…" Lia whined, clutching her sensitive belly. "Man, that really stung." She glared back at Erik, her canine teeth baring venomously. "Grrr…so, you fight with poison, huh? I never found that stuff tasty. I tastes like raw lemon acid, and let me tell you, I don't do that!"
"Heh, well that's what you get. Now try this you bitch! HRAH!" Aniya fired another magic blast at her in rapid succession. They all closed in, but they all got so close until one of Lia's magics made them deflect everywhere else. They all erupted in the air around her, and the lamia smiled through the voluminous eruption.
Erik grunted. "She's a slippery one."
Lia smugly smirked and extended her arms down. Her usage of another magic made her mold all the explosive fire and push it downwards towards them. A massive fire wall closed in one them, allowing Wendy to take in a deep breath.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
A tornado expanded from her mouth, creating a turbulence that managed to nullify the explosion heading their way. However, something was wrong. Lia wasn't in the air.
"She vanished!" Aniya Carla gasped.
"Where do you think she's gone?" Wendy looked around with Carla, both trying to sense where she was at.
Aniya glared in silence, her anger still intense. 'She's not getting away this time! That snake!' Her visors began to glow. They suddenly moved to an inferred camera. Everything began to look thermal through her vision. She looked around and saw a slender blur off to the side. "I GOT YOU!" She requipped a medium-sized rifle in her hand. She used it to shoot a straight bolt of magical energy at the cloaked Lia.
The invisible Lia saw the bolt, and she slammed her tail on the ground. The ground suddenly erupted a dust wall, which absorbed the attack to contract briefly before expelling dust everywhere, shrouding everyone again.
"A smokescreen!" Aniya coughed. "Shit! This snake woman *cough*!"
Wendy opened an eye and swiped an arm. She screamed as she summoned more wind to quickly dissipated the dust, only to reveal Lia in midair right over her.
"Come to mama!" she hissed.
"Wendy!" Carla warned.
Wendy was too in shock as Lia was coming down onto her. She drew so close, until something grabbed her from behind and snatched her from her spot. "Carla!"
Using her wings and grabbing her, Carla flew around with Wendy carried. "Wendy, are you alright?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine!" She looked back down, seeing Li shake her head from that uneven plunge. "But she's very strong."
"We'll have to give it our best shot. You ready?"
"Yeah!"
Wendy hold on as Carla ascended. The Sky Dragon and her Exceed ascended higher and screamed at the top of their lungs. They continued climbing higher and higher, and as they did, a sparkling aura enveloped Wendy as her hair and eyes turned pink. A tailwind picked up as her Dragon Force made them go so high that the palace was so tiny to them.
Once they got a lock, Wendy glared down. "Okay Carla, now!"
Carla let go of Wendy and the girl was allowed free mobility. With her Sky Dragon powers, she pushed against the wind and became a high-speed comet that soared down at Lia.
The lamia looked up, seeing Wendy incoming. "Oh, look at that." She wickedly smirked. "Okay then-!"
As she fell, Wendy suddenly disappeared.
"What?!"
Behind, Wendy reappeared. She punched Lia in the back as she turned around, sending the lamia in a whirlwind across the courtyard into the fountain. The pieces exploded everywhere, surprising everyone with her power.
Aniya looked at Wendy, shock written all over her face. 'How did she do that? Did her magic just get stronger?'
Wendy glared forward, her pink hair shifting as her Dragon Force surged. She watched the dust dissipate, revealing the lamia stirring in the rubble with her hair silky wet.
"Nnnngh…what…power." She mumbled. "So that's the power of a Dragon Slayer…it's so…" her eyes dilated, her pain rushing to her head making veins seethe around her hypnotic eyes of lust. "Tasty!"
"Get her now, Wendy!" Carla shouted.
"Right!" Wendy suddenly vanished, showing her enhanced speed as she appeared behind the lamia.
Aniya's eyes narrowed as she aimed upfront. "You won't get away! For my sister!" She charged up her cannon, shooting a projectile blast at the lamia.
Wendy closed the gap by shooting with all her might. She roared as she stuck her leg out, attempting to kick the girl. With all her might, the projectile and the kick struck at the same time, creating an eruption of wind and energy that swallowed Lia.
'Let's see her take on that.' Wendy thought. Through the winds, her eyes suddenly widened. She felt something inside her leg that surged. In her system, she felt an intense snap, making her pain receptors flare up and try and suppress a scream.
"Wendy?!" Carla gasped, seeing what happened. She along with everybody else was shocked at what they were seeing.
Wendy was in pain as she tried to recoil her leg, but a sultry voice hummed. "I must say, you got spunk. I like that." The winds dissipated. It revealed Lia, her forearm up with the front part shimmering like a mirror. Behind, her other palm was out, sizzling from bouncing the projectile from behind. Lia had a pained look, but otherwise smirked.
"She reflected the damage back?" Kinana exasperated.
"That was too close. You almost had me there. But still…" She undid her magic and seized the pained Wendy, pinning her by the neck into the ground. "Not good enough!"
Wendy gagged again. She didn't realize how physically strong Lia was as the wind was knocked right out of her. With her leg shot and her body in shock, she found herself paralyzed and looking with one eye at Lia.
The girl began to show her hypnotic stare into her prey. "Now, just relax…and all that pain will go away…"
Carla soared downwards. "Leave her alone!"
Lia growled angrily at the incoming cat. "Don't mess with my lunch!" She smacked Carla with her tail, sending her flying.
"Carla!" Wendy gagged.
The Exceed went fumbling across the ground, doubling over until she stopped on her side. She laid in pain, clutching her rib cage as where that was her stricken point.
Aniya looked shocked, but she realized what she was doing. This was her chance. She readjusted and aimed at Lia as she faced Wendy and began hypnotizing her. "Now I got you." She pulled the trigger again, making another projectile blast shoot across the ground at Lia.
The lamia glanced over, her visible seductive look now plastered with annoyance. She teleported away, leaving the blast to swallow up Wendy in a terrifying shout.
"Wendy!" Kinana gasped.
The smoke cleared, revealing the Sky Dragon Slayer flung through the air. Her body glowed, deactivating from Dragon Force as she doubled over onto her stomach. She laid there, balling her fists as she groaned.
Aniya grunted annoyingly. "Gngh! Damnit! Stupid snake got away-!" She was cut up when a shadow teleported behind her. Her body immediately stiffened.
"Oh, how shameful." The lamia chimed. "You know you should really treat your friends better than that." She didn't allow Aniya time to attack before her tail swung. Aniya scowled as she fell over next, losing hold and her weapon requipping away.
"No. Aniya…" Carla grunted.
Lia approached the fallen girl with her face as a shadow from the sun overhead. "You know, you and your sister have a lot in common. You're both pretty big risk takers, aren't do. I'm not sure if risk is appetizing…but I guess we'll find out, won't we?"
Aniya twitched as her body was in shock still. "No…"
Lia went to attack, but she was struck behind again by a double poisonous slash. It made her gag as it revealed Erik, smirking. "Forgot something?!"
"Erik!" Kinana happily chimed. She, Carla, and Wendy all looked relieved.
The Poison Dragon Slayer landed in front of Aniya, blocking Lia off and squaring against him. The Requip Mage looked up, giving him a pained stink eye. "You…what do you think you're doing?" she growled. "I don't need you, snake lover. Get away!"
Erik didn't bother looking at her. "Pipe down. You really wanna die that bad?" his comment made her go quiet. "Look we get it, you hate snakes. That's the moral." He looked back at her. "But don't think that's the only thing that matters. We're here for our reasons too, and as a pain in the ass it is, I'd rather keep my ears to myself than have some chick have my hearing." He smirked at Lia. "So, you wanna go?"
"You…" Aniya glared holes into Erik's back. "Stupid snake-loving bastard."
Lia looked down at Erik, her disposition souring. "Oh look, a male." She groaned. "You know, as sexy as men are to play with, they don't taste that sweet."
"Heh, well who said I was sweet to begin with?" His hands lit up in poison. "I'm a Poison Dragon Slayer after all. I'm anything but sweet!"
'Erik…' Kinana watched Erik step up to the plate now. She saw how brave he saw going up against another snake. And she was here, and she hasn't done anything. With her hand balled to her chest, she knew she had to help somehow. "…Erik, hang on!" she hurried over.
"Cubellios?" Erik questioned.
Lia saw the woman coming to help, her eyelids going halfway. "Another guest?" she sighed. "Well, this might be interesting after all. Oh sweeties~!" She snapped her fingers, beckoning out loud.
As Kinana hurried over, she was stopped when two serpentine creatures slipped pass her and halted her path. She gasped in shock as her path was cut off by two snakes. One was a purple snake with a yellow underside and rattle for a tail. And the other was larger. It was a scrunched by dark blue serpent with red fangs and a sword-like tail.
"My goodness!" Kinana was met with a hiss from the Ekans and the Seviper she faced. They both were looking at her determinedly.
"Hissss! You won't go further, human." The Ekans warned.
The Seviper gave a menacing hiss back. "Sssay your prayersss…" the snake snarled.
Wendy perked up. "Pokémon?!" More pain shot through her leg, making her grounded again. "Gnnngh…Kinana!"
Aniya looked at the two snake that arrived. She was staring at them as her body was shuddering on the ground. 'M-m-more…more snakes?!' She looked at Ekans. It looked too small, but she could see it opening its toothless maw. It looked like it could swallow her. A flash of Tabatha showed in her mind. She closed her eyes, choosing to look away.
Erik saw Kinana in trouble, looking back at Lia as she hissed at him. Without any provocation she swiftly slammed her tail into him. At the last second, he jumped to dodge the tail slam. In midair, he shot a leer at Lia, who gave him the same kind of stare back. Her arms suddenly became plasma whips. While Aniya's eyes shrunk at the attack.
"I heard that coming a mile away!" Erik barreled to the side to avoid the lash. She lashed again, but he leaned back and flipped onto his feet. Once he landed, he looked up, meeting Lia in the eyes again.
She gave a retorting hiss before she thrust her palm at him. Using Gravity Magic, she pushed him into the air. She slithered skywards towards him, but as she closed in, Erik had his one eye opened and smirking.
"Poison Dragon's Spiral Jaw!"
Landing a poisonous kick on her head, ripples of poison expelled everywhere. She hollered as she slumped to the ground with a pained thud. She opened an eye and watched Erik from above. "Heh, you're sturdier than I thought if you're not decaying from my poison." He mocked.
Lia smirked. "Don't sell a lamia's anti-toxins too short!" She swiped her arm, sending a wave of wind at Erik that pushed him further upwards.
Already high up, he found his momentum. "Gotcha!" He put his fingers down and created a dark orb. "Poison Dragon's Scales!" Volleys of scales descended like rain down onto Lia. They bombarded her and the area she was on, causing dust to dissipate.
Within the smokescreen, she grunted as her vision was momentarily blocked. "That little…!" She saw a glint inside the haze, causing her to vanish out of place as a yellow projectile wave shot clean through the attack. She appeared out of the dust wave, glaring.
With the wave ceasing, the figment inside revealed herself to be Aniya. She glared daggers as she cocked her magical projectile again. "Missed." She sniped. "But next time you're dead." Erik landed beside her. "And you…stay out of my way. She's all mine." She huffed with puffed cheeks.
Erik's only response was a smirk at their foe. "Here we go again."
Lia's expression soured as her bangs' shadow hovered over her eyes. "This is really making me work for my appetite. This is going to fill me up for a long while…" Her senses also picked up from the sides, noting and teleporting in time to avoid Wendy and Carla's kicks from behind.
They jetted themselves right beside Erik, all of them rebounding to stop Lia once and for all.
"Wendy, how's your leg?" Carla asked.
Wendy tried to hide the pain, though her leg was severely bruised. "…don't worry. I'm fine." She watched Lia teleport near them again. "But we gotta be careful. Her magic's totally unpredictable right now."
Lia's smirk widened. "How brave. Then let's have some more fun!" She lifted her arms, this time summoning a ring of rainbow fire that swirled around them. They all looked around, realizing they were trapped. Meanwhile Lia licked her lips.
Kinana gasped frantically as she landed, only to jump again when Seviper slashed her Poison Tail on the ground again. The attack caused a dust cloud that separated her and Seviper. Without much room, a long row of Poison Sting from the side went at her. Once again she had to evade out of the way. She found herself cornered as the smoke cleared, showing Seviper and Ekans side by side.
The Snake Pokémon rattled her tail to intimidate her. Seviper bared fangs to show her ferocity.
"You're very determined, aren't you?" Kinana challenged.
"Yesss. Our Massster insssissstsss that we do our besssst." Ekans chimed in. "And that'sss what we're doing."
"Against your own will?" Kinana's inquiry was met with Seviper slashing another Poison Tail at her. She backed further away, and away further to avoid Ekan's Bite that would've gotten her ankle. That last attack made her trip over, now at elevation with Seviper and Ekans.
She looked up with an eye open. As she winced, Arbok opened her maw and red energy bloomed inside. She exerted a high-pitched shriek, revealing soundwaves that enveloped Kinana, via Screech. She had to cover her ears to keep them from splitting open.
"Ssssurender." Ekans sneered. "Or we'll make sure massster hasss you nexxxt."
Kinana tried frantically to come up with something, but her mind raced to one thought. 'Erik.'
Wendy pivoted on her one good leg, creating a powerful spritz of wind that dissipated the rainbow fire surrounding them. The embers themselves twinkled as she and the others found Lia already within arm's length of the Dragon Slayer. Immediately her snake tail found its way to coiling around Wendy's neck, pulling her in.
Lia held Wendy close as her eyes began to show hypnotic spirals again. "C'mon, this is getting a little tiring, isn't it?" she cooed.
Aniya screamed aloud as she aimed her requipped bazooka. From it, she fired a powerful electrical net at Lia. It got the lamia just as she was looking, causing her to squeal as the netting sent a shock through her body.
Wendy was freed, staggering some as Aniya advanced. "She won't get out of that! That netting nullifies any magic from whoever's inside! No way she's getting away now."
Lia's eyes inside the netting opened. She heard Aniya's claim. With her nails and bare hands, the lamia let out a growl as she mustered her strength to struggle out of the netting.
Aniya aimed another requipped cannon at her. "Now…die you stupid snake!" A torrential blast of fire shot from the opening. It unleashed a blaze that enveloped the net, along with Lia.
The entire net was lit, with char and embers roaring with the lamia's muffled anguish.
As the flames enveloped in front of her, Aniya's glare behind her visors was deep. The orange reflected off the lenses. It reminded her of her burnt down village where she and her sister lived peacefully. Her brows furrowed as she hung her head. "Sister…I miss you…"
"Look out!" Carla warned.
Aniya gasped before the net fire suddenly erupted. An expanding dome of force-like magic sent charred net pieces and fire everywhere. It closed in on her. Wendy quickly came to her aid and swiped her arm, making the embers and char net dissipate.
"Are you okay?" Wendy asked.
Aniya looked shocked. "You…I thought I told you guys to stay out of this!"
"Sorry." She apologized, but glared forward. "But we need all the help we can get."
"But…she took something from me."
"Save it. We already know ya squirt." Erik said. "Besides, she looks like she's wearing down already." True to form, what he said was true. Lia looked like she's used up a lot of her stamina already. She had bags under her eyes; she was hot, sweaty, and looked like her cravings were making her crash. "I say we wrap this up! This lamia's got cold feet!" He pulled his arm back, igniting poison in it. Besides them, Wendy had whirlwinds, and Carla prepped herself despite the rib injury.
Aniya looked peeved as she aimed her bazooka again. "Fine, be my guests…but I'm having this last laugh first!"
With all of them against her, Lia's anger was rising. She sulked back up, panting weakly as her eyes seethed at Aniya and Erik especially. The latter's taste and smell was repulsive. With shrunken eyes, she growled. Above, gravity intensified, immediately flooring Aniya and everyone hard.
"GAH!" Aniya planted on the side of her face. Her visors cracked from the force from the side. She struggled, but no was she getting up.
"She's…using gravity again." Wendy strained.
"That's right~, and one more thing…" She swished her finger like a hand. Above Erik, gravity intensified so hard it felt like he was getting crushed. The Poison Dragon Slayer screamed out in vivid pain.
"No!" Wendy shouted.
Erik's pained cries were rather weak, but even they could be heard through Kinana's covered ears. It was like Seviper's attack wasn't fazing her. 'Erik…he's in trouble!' She looked over, seeing with her own eyes Erik unable to stand from intense force driving him into the ground. 'No…'
Kinana's mind had a painful flash again. She recalled a vision of a giant purple snake with Erik at her center. She could see another with an enemy Arbok against her. It took her a long time to realize what those were, until Fairy Tail came back, when her magic was discovered. She realized who she was, and who was her friend…and she wasn't going to lose him again, not to another snake.
The look in her green eyes started to mold. They started to exhibit slits. 'Erik…I can hear your voice of anguish. It hurts…' She looked back at Ekans and Seviper, seeing the attack finally ending. Seeing two serpents made her slowly stand on her feet. 'It took me forever to realize…but I know now. Erik…your voice…is my strength!' Kinana's glare began to sharpen. The year's worth of magic she tried mastering finally came to fruition as a purple aura enveloped her body. Her venomous glare made Seviper and Ekans gawk for a moment. They both blinked, before they finally saw Kinana's face concealed in darkness and glaring eyes of a snake. "GRRRRRGH!" she venomously snarled.
The serpent recoiled in shock and slight fear as they shadow a shadow slowly rise over them, hissing.
Erik and the others were caught under gravity at a compressed point. Nobody could move. They all strained as Lia slowly maneuvered over, humming mischievously as she slithered over towards Erik first. "Now, just what do I do with you?" she questioned the downed Dragon Slayer.
Erik glared up with his one eyes. She was giving hypnotic rays, making him close his eye again.
"Aw, what's wrong? Not a fan? I thought girls like me turned on a lot of guys…then again, guys were a bit hard to break down. If I'm being honest, out of everyone here, I think you have the most disgusting magic." She reached down, her tail snaking and holding Erik above the heavy ground with one coil over the neck. "The blue-haired girl smells delicious, and that pinky there isn't half-bad…but you, I hate poison. It's so…distasteful." She tightened her hold on Erik's neck, attempting to run him dry of asphyxiation before he could do anything.
Wendy tried to move, but even she was having trouble. They all were watching in horror as Lia was doing things the hard way. Erik gagged as blood was starting to spray once. Panic was in the air.
"Now, let's rid of this foul air…time for a feast." She dropped him, allowing her gravity to surge again.
As he laid on his back, he opened his eye again, gritting his teeth as Lia raised her tail. She was gonna slam him and he couldn't move. As he saw death, many images flashed in his mind, more specifically his allies. 'Guys…my Cubellios…!'
"HRAAH!" Lia went to slam her tail with gravity's force, but something harsh bit into her bit. Her eyes shrunk.
Everyone watching was wide-eyed as well. They couldn't believe it. Aniya especially was petrified.
Lia was stiff for a moment before she was suddenly thrown off to the side. She squealed as she thudded against the ground. She bounced several times, bowling into Seviper and Ekans and sending all three into a whirl in the cement. As they laid there, Lia groaned as she tried to get up. "Owww…hey who's the wise-!" Her eyes widened, her heart beating profusely at the sight before her.
Something purple hissed. It made Erik's eyes shrink as well. It even made Aniya's heart pulsate. "…no…"
Something longer than Lia, a giant purple snake with a milky white underside, craned its head and opened its fanged maw. It let out an impressive but shrilling hiss of challenge at the lamia. The opponent immediately got up, her slithering body mimicking the snake's movements.
As the two circled, others were beginning to realize something. "Is that…Kinana?!" Wendy gasped. The giant snake let out a bloodcurdling hiss ahead.
"When did she learn to do that?" Carla gasped.
Erik was at a loss for words. His one eye couldn't be blind yet, right? The Poison Dragon was staring as Kinana – or Cubellios – had finally returned to her other state. She let out a hiss again, moving in front of them to defend. 'It's really you…Cubellios.' He saw the snake glance back at him, flicking her tongue once. He fell silent with a smile as he saw her fight.
Kinana exhibited another shrilled roar at Lia. The two circled a little more, until finally the lamia snarled. "Hmph! That smell…how unappetizing!"
She started her attack. Using her hands, she fired a thick blast of darkness at Kinana. The giant snake immediately ducked, avoiding the attack that sailed and wrecked another part of the garden afar. With her ducking, Lia went for a lunge at her, but Kinana moved to the side at the last second. She opened her maw and bit hard into the snake-like lower body of the lamia, picking her up and sending her flying into a nearby pillar. The pillar snapped clean in two, with Lia plummeting on the other side.
From the dust and debris, a pair of devil-like wings expanded and flapped. Lia flew up and sneered as she ascended. "Well, you certainly are strong…but try this!" She flapped the same set of wings, sending crescents of darkness grazing across the ground at Kinana.
The serpent looked up and slithered around the attack as it went on. Parts of the palace gardens again were destroyed by the explosive attack.
Lia lifted her arm up and used an invisible force to lift Kinana into the air. Gravity worked against her as she was immobile, allowing Lia the flap and swoop in after her.
"Alright, how's about a little-!"
A harsh smack to the face struck Lia, causing her to double over in the air. She caught herself and shook her head. Once the haze cleared, she now saw a pair of wings that made her own eyes shrunk. Now it was Kinana who was able to fly.
"You little…" Lia smirked maliciously. Despite her annoyance, she could feel adrenaline work through her. "Alright then…come get some, snakey!" Using more of the magic she digested in the past, her fingernails sharpened and elongated to grizzly nails. She sailed after Kinana, attempting to slash again. Kinana maneuvered and dodged. Lia followed in pursuit against her and Kinana kept serpentine through the air until she got behind Lia. She went to bite her again, but Lia dodged back and continued to glide.
Both serpent woman slithered over everyone's heads, all of them fixated with shock and mild surprise. However, Aniya's eyes were hazy.
Lia and Kinana next slashed and bit. Nails and fangs collided and the two threw each other into the ground. They sundered painfully and made the ground shudder.
As everyone tried to cover up, some were pulling away. But those like Ekans and Seviper knew they had to do something. Slithering on over, they rushed towards the dust cloud, only for Lia's tail to swat them back to the ground painfully.
The lamia arose, her face concealed in darkness. "You…you're starting annoy me~!"
Kinana emerged from the dust, giving a loud snarl as she ascended right back into the air. She and Lia glared daggers before the lamia decided to shoot vines from her fingers. Kinana this time slithered around into a spiral towards her. She opened her mouth to try and bite her. Lia maneuvered out of the way, making Kinana ascend again. The lamia glared and decided to hitch a ride. She held onto Kinana's tail, yanking her back down to the ground.
The snake laid there, slightly distraught while the lamia immediately body slammed her. She used her weight to keep Kinana at ground level, yet the snake slithered in spirals to pry her off. Round and around they went, and she held on. Kinana hissed annoyingly and sunk her fangs harshly into Lia's side. Now it was the lamia who was clung onto.
Kinana spiraled high until she whipped her head down, sending the lamia to the ground. She observed from a weak height as Lia sat back up, looking peeved. "You're making me sick…" She exhibited a cough. Though immune to poison affects, the actual venom was still numbing. "You really are ruining my appetite!"
She lunged again, but Kinana whipped out a trick. She opened her maw, unleashing a blast of pure poison at Lia to push her back. The attack was heavily intense as Lia covered up. Parts of her skin were already patched of decay. Viruses were weak, but she glared back. With a violent shout, she pushed back the magic with sheer wind. The wind made the cloud surround Kinana, keeping her vision blocked.
"How do you like that, huh?!" The poisonous cloud was thick, and Lia readied another attack, but suddenly she heard the sounds of slurping. "What…?"
Inside the poisonous cloud, a pair of blue eyes were seen. They were dull, but he smirked as streams of poison entered his gullet. "You're not the only one who eats magic, too."
Lia's eyes widened. "What?!"
"Poison Dragon's Fang Crush!"
The poison cloud immediately dissipated, revealing four fangs of poison reaching back to Erik. Lia leaned back to avoid the attack and looked at Erik. Though battered, he mounted Kinana with a malicious smirk as poison streamed from his entire body. "Just like old times." He mused. "Thanks, Cubellios."
Kinana hissed and looked up at Erik. He looked down sympathetically.
"You infuriating little…fine! Be that way! I got a few tricks of my own, too ya know." Lia suddenly glowed. She suddenly multiplied, illusions of herself spreading everywhere across the garden. "Can you try and take us all on?" they all called in unison.
Erik smirked. He could hear. "I know the answer. Cubellios!"
The snake hissed. The two went into battle flying like a dynamic duo.
Along the sidelines, Wendy and Carla were at a loss for words. "This whole time…I never realized that Kinana was really…"
"Yeah, I know." Wendy finished. They watched as Kinana swerved through the air, dodging wood-like crescents from below. While at the same time, Erik was using his Poison Dragon's Scales to smoke out the clones leading to the real one, which was behind a pillar. "She was with us the whole time."
"What a small world we live in."
"Yeah…" Wendy looked over, seeing Aniya. "Aniya…?"
Aniya was looking up with wide eyes. As explosions of poison rained through the sky, her pupils were shrinking and expanding, partially from slight delusions. So many thoughts rushed into her head she watched Erik and Kinana descend, with a bite and slash combo that Lia evaded by teleporting behind. Kinana's tail swatted, sending her flying and hit the ground again. In her mind, it was starting to go too quick for her.
"Aniya…you okay?" Wendy's voice was hard to make out, but the way she didn't respond was unnerving.
Blood pressure arose as her heart raced. Her glance went from Lia to Erika and Kinana. Three snake people; not just any snake – two giant snakes, big enough to swallow someone…someone like her sister. Her mind pulsed with another image of that night when Lia was towed away with a full belly. Her breathing began to grow heavily to where she was sweating.
One heartbeat. Then another. The background around her was nothing but constant thumping that was her own heart. Her dilating eyes were only seething red as she glanced around. It was like she was a wild animal. She looked at Ekans and Seviper. Her blood spike surged. She pooled at Erik and Kinana, again spiking. Then she looked at the one responsible for all this…Lia. The lamia that made her this way. Her beating heart served to increase.
Wendy noticed Aniya's body shaking. The grip she had on her weapon was so tight it looked like it was going to break. "Uh, Aniya?!"
"Aniya! Snap out of it!" Carla cried out. "Aniya!"
All those shouts of her names distorted in her mind. The echoes soon edited, sounding like her sister's shouts for her name.
All at once, it finally snapped. When she saw Lia and Kinana's mouths open for each other, her mental psyche shattered like glass.
'Aniya.' Tabatha's words echoed. Pools of tears streamed down her cheeks.
"HRRAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Aniya's screams of anguish roared as loud as a shrilling banshee. Out of sheer adrenaline and anger for the creatures she loathed, she cocked her magic rifle and began to spout gunfire like crazy.
"Aniya!"
"What are you doing?!"
"SNAKES EVERYWHERE!" she violently roared. She aimed at Wendy and Carla. They hurriedly dodged. "DIE! YOU STUPID MONSTER! DIEDIEDIE!"
Seviper and Ekans heard magical bullets, but they were too slow. A gust of wind blew in front of them, revealing Wendy as she used her magic to create a wind barrier that redirected the bullets elsewhere.
Blinded by her own revenge, the snake hater screamed at the top of her lungs as she fired at the three battling afar. Erik looked over with Lia, both startled at the bullets heading in their direction.
"Cubellios! Move!" he warned. The giant snake hissed and began to serpentine for cover. Lia, however, used her magic and started having shots phase right through her like a ghost.
Aniya was screaming out of fear and anxiety. It wasn't stopping. Wherever she saw, she could only see people who are okay with snakes, or are snakes. Neither was okay. "DIE, ALL OF YOU! SNAKES ARE EVIL! YOU'RE EVIL! HRAAAHH!"
Still covering her nonstop rage, Wendy kept up the wind wall. "Carla, what do we do?!"
"I don't know Wendy! She's acting out of bloodlust! We can't control her!"
The bullets sprayed nonstop, they were targeted especially around Lia. The bullets poked holes in the ground. In the pillars. They were going to nowhere yet everywhere. They weren't stopping. And they weren't going to until they were all dead.
Erik hid behind a pillar with Kinana as bullets passed him. "The chick's gone blank! She's not thinking rationally!" Beside him, Kinana hissed out of worry.
Lia looked over, surprised by Aniya's nonstop bullet attack. "My goodness, dear."
"HRAAAAHHH!" Aniya cried viciously as her attacks blasted everything in front. With Lia the only one in sight, she focused fire on her. "DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE! Why don't you just…DIIIIE~?!"
Lia looked back at Erik and Kinana. She saw that they were completely incapacitated. Despite the slight decay from the poison that was making her drowsy, she knew one remedy that would fix that – a meal. She looked at Aniya, seeing the perfect opening. Still enveloped in her magic to keep her phased, a small snap of her fingers made a small earth wave split open to expel geysers of dust that rushed at Aniya's feet. The spout hit its mark, stopping her for a moment.
"Aniya!" Wendy gasped.
Lia darkly smirked. She undid the phasing and went slithering across the ground at Aniya. "Let's get you some space!" The lamia swiped her arms around, creating a steel dome that had conjoined points reach the top. Immediately it sealed Lia and Aniya off from the others.
"Oh no!" Wendy rushed up, looking up at the metallic dome with shock. "Aniya!" she called her name out, but all she got were echoes in return.
Erik and Kinana slowly emerged, both looking up with shock. "…the hell just happened? That chick just snapped like a twig."
"…I think the trauma finally made her vulnerable." Carla solemnly said. "I think the pressure of all these snakes around made everything just let out."
Wendy frowned. "Oh no…"
Kinana looked down at Erik. She gave him an urging hiss. "Hngh? What?" He was nudged by Kinana. "Hey!" he was pushed forward towards the dome. "Gnnngh…seriously? Ugh. Man, this is a drag…" He glared up. "I know I'm gonna regret this…Poison Dragon's Roar!" He unleashed an intense blast of poison from his mouth, gushing it against the metal dome's glossy outside. The poison kept gushing, until finally he let up. It showed that the poison only left a very small spot sizzling. It hardly did anything. "You gotta be joking! Metal?!"
Wendy crossed her arms. "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Whirlwinds expelled from her crossed arms. They surged into one part of the dome, but they didn't do anything. "It didn't work?"
"I'm afraid not." Carla said. "It's going to take a lot more than just poison and wind to break through this mess."
"Yeah, well that isn't good." Erik said. Beside him, Kinana was returning to her normal state. "I can hear gunfire inside. She's not doing so hot."
"Now human again, Kinana looked at the dome with worry. "Well, there has to be something we can do…"
"If we don't act soon, I'm afraid we'll be too late." Carla muttered. "She might…"
"Don't say that!" Wendy snapped. "There has to be a way! That roar managed to rust up a spot. Maybe some more will do the trick?"
"Don't bet on it, squirt." Erik said. "My Poison Dragon Slayer Magic can decompose, but it doesn't get that far in an area. Only where it strikes. And against surfaces like these aren't that effective, you know?"
"That's true. This isn't good." Carla looked down, narrowing her eyes. 'There has to be a way to get through there. We only have a few minutes. We can try to find a way over…but if we try going physically, Wendy's leg might do in again.'
"Well there has to be some way." Wendy muttered. 'But…what would Natsu and Gajeel do? Gajeel would eat his way through, and Natsu would go through it no problem. But my magic can hardly scratch the surface. Erik's poison is barely corroding…if only…!' Her eyes suddenly opened, shock running through her body. 'Wait-!'
Erik looked at Wendy, hearing her thoughts loud and clear. "What the…?" Hearing her plan, he showed shocked. "Wait, you serious?"
"What is it?" Kinana wondered.
Erik looked hesitant to answer. "This kid thinks combining our two elements might work."
Carla's eyes widened. "Wait…you're saying…like when Natsu and Gajeel ate elements not their own?"
Wendy nodded. "Yeah."
"Wendy, I think you got knocked down too hard. In no way am I allowing you to ingest poison from him! Especially when it can kill you!"
"But Natsu and Gajeel did." Wendy glared forward. "Maybe I can, too."
Kinana approached nervously. "Wendy, what's going on? Where's this coming from all of a sudden?"
"I think the cat's right. You hit your head in one too many places." Erik said. "Don't get me wrong though, that's not the first crazy thing I've heard in my life, but are you sure?"
Wendy looked down, unsure. "Honestly, I don't know…I think with my Healing Magic I might be able to neutralize it inside of me, but…"
"Then that's enough for us to not let that happen!" Carla exasperated. "Wendy, we have to be rational about this. If we use your enhancement spells, we can-!"
"Carla we're out of time!"
Carla fell silent. They all did.
"I know it's risky, and maybe it won't work…" Her fists balled. "But we can't stop to think at a time like this. You have to take a chance, even against impossible odds…" She glanced at her. "Remember?"
Carla's eyes widened. Her mind flashed back to when she and Wendy went to thwart FACE a long time ago. Wendy has grown so much that she took down the most bloodthirsty of Tartaros, Ezel. Even her haircut after was deep signifying of her resolve. '…Wendy…' Carla thought humbly.
Wendy smiled. "I can do this, Carla. I'm a Dragon Slayer. Trust me."
Carla closed her eyes, giving a grave sigh. "Guess Natsu's stubbornness has got you, hasn't it, Wendy?" she hummed. "…well, only if you're sure."
Wendy nodded. "I am. Thanks." She turned and faced Erik, arms spread out beside her. "Okay, Erik, I'm ready!"
Erik's brow furrowed. "I swear, your guilds crazy, Cubellios."
Kinana chimed a chuckle. "It tends to happen in the best of us. Just look at Natsu and Gray."
Erik smirked. "So I've noticed. Okay kid…" His fists were coated in poison again. "Don't say I didn't warn ya!"
Kinana and Carla swallowed gulps together. They clutched their fists together and hoped for the best.
Erik let loose a loud shout as his fist drove spiraling venom towards Wendy. The Sky Dragon held her ground as her mouth was open, the venom spiraling in…
"HRRAAAHH!"
Nonstop, bullet by bullet, the magical attacks were being launched from Aniya's weapon in hand into Lia, but she stood still as the bullets bounced off her skin, like it was made of rubber.
"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DIE?!" Aniya screamed fearfully. "You snake! Why?1 Why are you still here?!"
Lia's only response was a meager smirk.
"STOCK MOCKING ME~!" She fired one more huge magical bullet. With it so huge, it traveled slower. This allowed Lia to trace it and instead mold her arms into all too familiar plasma whips that swatted the bullet away. It crashed into the ground beside her, exploding to mush.
Aniya was taken back by this. She went to attack, but with lightning quick reflexes, Lia lashed at her, knocking her weapon out of her hands. She looked back, horrified.
"You're letting your anger get the best of you." The lamia chimed. "It doesn't look good on you. It most certainly didn't for her."
Aniya's eyes dilated. She angrily requipped another blaster, but like before, Lia knocked it out of her just as fast. Momentarily startled, Lia smirked to taunt her. Aniya requipped again. "STOP IT!" Her weapon was shot out again. "STOP IT!" Again, Lia knocked it out with ease. Over and over, nonstop, Aniya backed away as Lia used plasma whips to continuously beat every last weapon she requipped. Cannons. Rifles. Pistols. Missiles. Net launchers. Every snake-trapping tool need to bait her. No matter what, Aniya was losing it. She couldn't believe her enemy would her magic. Her sister's magic. She couldn't be anymore insulted than she was now. It was insulting to Tabatha as well.
One last time, Aniya turned with another requip, but Lia smacked with incredulous force with just her tail alone. The new weapon shattered like glass, and with it, Aniya fumbled over, her visors falling off her face. They shattered, much like glass next.
The girl laid there, battered, whimpering, and broken down to despairing pieces. Lia moved in, a somber frown on her face as she saw Aniya struggling as streaming tears went down her face.
"…this…this isn't fair…" she sniffled. Tears dripped down to the ground. "Tabatha…Tabatha…"
Lia stared at her opponent's woe with pity. In a way, she could understand what she feels. She may not have had siblings, but she knew from past experience with mages see's eaten that they all share a familiar pain of losing something important. She, too, was craving something. Aniya, craving for the comfort she didn't get all these years. Lia, craving to survive and go on instinct. By no means was it fair to either side. Not in a war like this.
"I hate you…I hate you so much…" Aniya mumbled to the ground. "Just…just die…like she did…" She gritted her teeth, silent tears plopping one by one to the ground.
The sight was getting too pitiful for Lia. She had to end this, and fast. After all, enemies wait outside. She can't take chances. She carefully moved her tail around Aniya's body, snaring her in coils as the girl cried helplessly. Going in circles until completely constricted up to the neck. Aniya's teary face looked at Lia's morose expression.
"…you really miss your sister, don't you?" she asked pitifully.
Aniya looked sadly with a nod. "…more than anything."
"Then perhaps you would like to see her?"
"But…she's gone."
"No, she's still here. She's with me. All you have to do…is just look, okay?"
Aniya knew this was wrong. Every fiber knew this was a trap. Still, something in her heart reached out for its ache. It was a crude fate to come, and yet temptation and need was leaving Aniya to wane. Her teary eyes misted further as she stared at Lia's comforting face. "…okay." She nodded.
Lia smirked. "There's a good girl." Immediately with her prey's will hampered, she started her hypnotic eyes once more. Aniya's eyes immediately started to reflect that same coloration. Her eyes copied her own, the girl's whimpers and struggles calming with every muscle in her body.
The hypnosis was sinking in. Aniya could actually see it. As she looked at Lia, she started to see the figment of what was her sister. Their smiles were so alike, it made her so happy. "…Tabatha…" she happily groaned.
"That's right, your sister Tabatha…" Lia cupped Aniya's face and held her in her coils. She hovered above and smirked. "Just keep thinking about her, and you'll see her…just relax…"
Aniya's closed her hypnotized eyes. She gave in and embraced the reunion she wanted so badly. Lia lowered her head, opening her maw wide and expanding. Her hot breath touched Aniya's face as she inched closer into the incoming darkness…
CRACK!
Lia glanced over. "Ah?"
Another crack somewhere showed. She closed her maw and recoiled away as she saw cracks form on the dome everywhere surrounding her. She looked up, seeing parts of it slowly crack.
She held her hand out, seeing something fall that she caught. When she looked at it, she realized how brown and rusty it was. 'Corrosion?' Another crack nearby caught her attention. She looked at it with shock. She saw brown spots show on the insides and beginning to spread like a virus. Her eyes slowly narrowed at the bad feeling she was getting.
SWOOSH!
Outside, she could hear a loud wind hum. It sounded harsh, and it was growing. The more the wind surged, the more it howled. It was a bloodcurdling kind of howl, and even from inside, her nose wrinkled with an all too familiar smell. 'That smell…it couldn't be…' she looked down at her hypnotized prey. 'I gotta hurry before…'
Suddenly the brown spots on the side gave in. The metal dome finally started to piece away, revealing a cyclone that quickly tore apart the corroded metal. Lia covered up to defend herself, but at the cost of losing hold of Aniya. The hypnotized girl slumped to fumbled halts to the side.
"No!" Lia reached for her, but a white blur brushed first, getting her. In her shock, she stared with er back turned as purple winds surrounded her. She smelled a very powerful magic, and it was so good, but the taste of it through the air was making her sick. The longer she processed, the more pieces of metal turned brown, picked up and thrown to various parts of parts unknown.
A silhouette stood behind her, sending a chill down her spine. Lia, slowly turned around, her eyes widening as nervousness got the best of her.
Carla reappeared behind the purple cyclone with Erik and Kinana, holding Aniya in her arms. They all looked forward, seeing a pair of vermilion eyes staring before her. "She really did it…" the Exceed smiled.
Lia's lips parted, her shock too great to handle. "No way…how did she…?"
Purple winds surged around a teen's body. The teen's fists were balled as her skin was the same tone, if not slightly paler. Her hair had also changed color, like Dragon Force. It was now a silky-smooth vermilion, and all around her body, with winds surging, poisonous streams sizzled out, making winds purple. Her vermilion glare was like venom that was exhaled into the winds. It made it hard for Lia to breath.
"The kid's done it." Erik chimed.
Kinana nodded. "She has…"
Wendy's vermilion eyes seethed into the lamia, her strength untouchable. This was Wendy Marvel – Poison Sky Dragon Mode. And she was ready to end this distasteful fight once and for all.
Phew! 3 days, and in overdrive! Man! I went WAY too far with Wendy's part of the fight. I really made it that long, and I'm so sorry about that, but I felt I had to get as deep as possible with this leg of the battles waged. I should be able to make the last part next chapter. I'm hoping no more than maybe 4K, that way I can get the major parts also done next chapter without exhausting near 30K again. But now Natsu has Lightning Flame Dragon Mode, Gajeel with Iron Shadow Dragon Mode, and now I decided to get original with Wendy and give Erik's Poison Dragon Slayer a mix. Behold, Poison Sky Dragon Mode!
I also thought I'd use this chance to give Kinana some time to shine. We haven't seen much of her, but I wanted her and Erik to show how close they were and how badass she can still be as a snake.
Okay, so maybe next chapter will take a while. Maybe a week perhaps? There's a lot of good stuff I gotta plan starting tomorrow. Hope you guys stick around for more!
