A/N: Once again, later than intended but I actually have more written down for the next one this time, plus some scenes way in advance written. This one's a bit all over the place, but has things I wanted to introduce sooner rather than later. I also wanted to get this out soon, since it had taken so long. So, shorter than I wanted, but hopefully something you still enjoy, and the follow-up will 100% be much sooner.

Path to Hamstead, Bosco

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Awww…"

"It's only been like six hours, dude."

"Doctor Tsuchida did say that Hamstead was about half-a-day's travel."

"We're making rather good time, actually," the Thunder Dragon slayer said. Mikotsuhime's eyes looked back to the group as he spoke, vacant green eyes looking between the three recruits. "We should only be three or four hours out, now. Doctor, now may be an appropriate time to make camp."

"Mm," Tsuchida murmured a response. He pulled something out of his labcoat - a pocketwatch, it looked like. He took another moment to eye their surroundings and slowly nodded his head. "You're right, now would probably be best. All of you, take three hours to rest and recuperate."

From Kano's left, Seren bowed his upper body and let out an exhausted sigh. "Thank you! My legs are so tired, I don't know how you guys do it!"

The purple-haired boy did, however, feel a presence uncomfortably close to him. He looked up to be met with the red eyes of Silas - quite literally right in front of him. He recoiled, not expecting his closeness. In doing so, though, Seren's foot hit a rock, and the key-holding wizard stumbled and fell onto his back.

Kano stifled a laugh, while Silas' expression seemed to change slightly, his previous brooding posture replaced with one of concern.

"You know," Silas began. As he continued, though, Kano's attention was brought downward, towards the much shorter stature of Mikotsuhime - about 4'7, if Kano had to guess.

"Now would be an opportune time. We can walk about ten minutes out, that should be a safe distance."

"Sounds good to me," Kano nodded. The pair left the other two in Shia's care - and to Silas's rather disturbing start to a fun fact.

"A surprising amount of people die from simple tripping every year. Last month alone, I-"

Sometimes, Kano regretted the fact he had such good hearing. He didn't really want to think about how seventeen thousand people a year die from tripping, slipping and falling. Rather morbid - fortunately, he had something else to focus on. Poor Seren didn't. The two slayers continued their way forward. Exactly ten minutes away from the others, Miko stopped in his tracks, turning to face Kano fully. The Lightning Slayer returned the favor. "So, what now?"

"To begin with, a reminder: as you may recall, we Dragon Slayers are able to absorb our own element to refuel our magical power. To make that possible, we have an innate resistance to our element bordering on immunity. One specific other Slayer type can still hurt us with their magic, but those are by and large the exception. For us at least, a Lightning God Slayer's magic is unsafe for us to consume without serious side effects."

"Right, I remember Elexion talkin' about that a long time ago. Since we're both Dragon Slayers though, and your element is still electricity, in theory you can jumpstart my magic?"

"That is my working theory," the redhead confirmed. "We'll channel my magic through you, and hope it reawakens your own. It was the best idea I could come up with - I've never seen someone who shut themselves off from their magic as aggressively as you did."

Kano shrugged uncomfortably. It wasn't something he liked remembering. "Had to make sure I didn't give the hunters any leads once I shook them the first time. I was scared - and young."

"Indeed. You have my condolences." The Thunder Dragon Slayer bowed his head slightly and, after a moment's silence, motioned to a nearby rock. "Seat yourself here, please, and we may begin."

Kano shrugged off his white and yellow jacket, tossing it onto the ground nearby. Left in his black, sleeveless shirt, he sat himself down. He didn't feel Mikotsuhime behind him - but he felt his magic. Kano's world erupted in yellow as electricity surrounded him. At first, there was some pain.

Pain honestly didn't do it justice. It was agony - his nerves were on fire with the sudden feeling. Kano cried out at first, screaming.

"I know this must hurt, but you need to withstand it. You must persevere."

He tried. He swore, he tried. In reality, only a minute or two passed, but the pain dragged itself out. It began to feel like hours he was sat there, taking in millions of volts of concentrated electricity. He tried to stand from off his seat, only to stumble and fall onto the ground. He grit his teeth, fingers digging into the ground.

His mind raced - back then. To his father, and his murderers. He thought of Elexion, more clearly now than he ever had. His desire for Kano to survive, to live. And he couldn't truly live hiding who he was, could he? He'd been surviving all these years, yes, but it was in some slum, his only income being from fighting other people in his same predicament.

This was a chance to take his life back. Elexion would want him to take it. Kano wanted to take it, and he would. Then, something changed. He didn't feel the pain anymore. The lightning still surrounded his body, but it felt different.

It was like fireworks. Euphoric, even, as Miko's magic wrapped around his body. He felt something in himself change, like a dam broke. Rushing water crashed through desolate channels that hadn't seen it in years. It was like coming back into his draconic father's embrace.

A massive discharge of electricity shot out, lashing at the sky, past the treeline. Bolts flew everywhere, scorching and tearing up chunks of earth. Then, Miko's magic faded. Kano breathed heavily and stood, breathing deeply as he did. He was covered in sweat - it felt like he had just finished a rigorous exercise, but he also didn't feel fatigued.

In fact, he felt better than he had in years. Lightning danced across his body, but it wasn't like the unconscious sparks he conjured before. He urged them to fade, and they did. He thought of them enveloping his right hand, and they did. He extended a fist to his right, and a bolt of lightning shot out, charring the tree he targeted black. Then, he did the same on his left, with an identical result.

He had control.

"Oh, we are so back!"

Gani Village, Bosco

Amethyst Tyde cursed herself for underestimating her guildmates. She did, in fact, need to catch up. She didn't know how they moved so fast - sure, she could see Miethyor taking the train, but the others? Unlikely was an understatement. Thankfully, however, she finally caught up to them.

Gani Village sat right on the border to the country of Stella. They would need to pass through Stella, then Joya before finally reaching Desierto. It wouldn't exactly be a short trip, but it was the fastest route they could manage. A boat may have been faster, but considering she was the only member of this team that wasn't a Dragon Slayer, that wasn't exactly a palatable option.

As she entered the town's inn, she was greeted by a familiar sight. Maybe a bit too familiar.

"Ameeee~!"

"Oh dear…" Ame murmured as a familiar, caramel-colored arm wrapped itself around her shoulders. Two certain somethings pressed against her, and as they did the shadow wizard found herself sliding into her own shadow.

She appeared behind her assailant, an unamused look aimed at her. Now, some people might not mind a well-endowed, scantily clad 6'1 wizard embracing them like that. Ame, however, didn't count herself among them. She groaned before returning her guildmate's greeting. "Hello, Shanhara."

Shanhara was the only member of this mission that wasn't an S-Class wizard or higher in the guild. Miethyor was a long-standing S-Class wizard, one of the guild's first as a matter of fact. And despite being the youngest of them, Noelle's sheer destructive power and eccentricities landed her a spot in the Dragon Guard. Ame built a name for herself as the only wizard in Dragon's Den to be S-Class without having a Slayer-type magic - which left Shanhara's resume seem a bit lacking at first glance.

But one would be a fool to dismiss her simply because of that. She had her own skills - she was excellent with people, and her magic made her a no-brainer to bring along on the mission. If only she saved the flirting for someone that wasn't Ame.

"C'mon Ame~" the taller girl teased. Shanhara turned to face the shadow wizard, spikey, blood-red hair flowing as she did. Crimson eyes looked down at Ame.

Now that she wasn't being jumped and was looking directly at the woman, Amethyst could tell her taste in apparel hadn't changed. A beige tube top with black, red and green patterns along the edges, one that was tight. Likely intentional to bring gazes her way. An ankle-length skirt of the same color, with a large, white Scorpion stamped on the front and a slit that exposed her right leg. She also wore a pair of golden cuffs on her wrists, alongside orange and black bangles along her arms.

Well, she'd at least fit in with the locals. The only sign she was even a wizard was the yellow guild mark on her left breast.

"You know you missed me! We haven't seen each other in weeks, with you bein' all secretive!"

"Secretive's my thing, Shan," Ame waved her off exasperatedly. "Where are the others?"

"You're no fun!" Shanhara pouted. "Fine, Miethyor wanted to look at the local cemetery before we headed out. Noelle - there's apparently a monster outside the village, so-"

"She went to kill it, of course," Amethyst groaned. "Inconvenient, but Noelle will make herself known again eventually, and likely soon." Likely in the most exuberant way possible, Amethyst thought with a scoff. "In the meantime, I suppose I could do with taking a seat."

"Booze?" Shan asked with a janky grin.

"Not during a job."

"Oh, boo!"

"We can celebrate after, with Brayden in tow," she promised with a sigh. Shan opened her mouth to say something else, but quickly found a stray bandage wrapping itself around her mouth, courtesy of Ame's Urumi magic.

The Golden Keep, Desierto

Six figures sat around a throne, surrounded by treasure thrown around haphazardly.

One of them was using a bone as a toothpick, picking out bits of meat from between her teeth. Once she was sure her teeth were meat-free, she took a bite out of the bone. Her blood-red eyes glanced over as one of her fellows spoke.

"The boy refuses to break," a brown-haired woman grumbled. Half of her body was pitch black, covered in deep tattoos - a side effect of her magic, or so she said.

The first girl finished her bone snack, brushing a hand through stark white hair. A man covered from head to toe in plate armor spoke up next to her. "Lady Rivera's not exaggerating. He's held up to everything we've hit him with and hasn't said a thing. Haven't been able to get a peak into his mind, either. He always blocks us out."

The snacking girl grinned. "It's kind of exciting, honestly. When're you gonna let me carve a piece?"

A seventh individual, whom this Lady Rivera had been briefing, was sat in the room's throne, leaned back idly but his gaze fixed on the woman. Silver eyes closed for a moment in deep thought before nodding. "Xanthos, accompany Miss Vane to our charge - make sure she doesn't get too excited."

The most disinterested of the bunch mumbled an affirmative and pushed himself off the pillar he was leaned against. Dark blue eyes met silver, then turned to red. "Fine. Let's go, Casca. Don't cut him up too much, we need him alive, 'member?"

The white-haired girl sighed, though her expression was still one of a sort of sadistic glee. The half a bone that remained in her hand shifted into something akin to a blade, and she followed her blue-eyed escort. "Fiiiine, I'll keep him in one piece~"

The figure sat in his throne watched the two depart before he leaned forward in his seat. The shadows shifted, giving one a much more clear view of his dark complexion and the five o'clock shadow he was sporting. The buzzcut he sported was nothing special, but the mark of a Sphinx on his bare chest was. Like the treasure that surrounded them, it was a vibrant gold in color - and identical to the marks sported by his companions.

"While they entertain our guest, Lady Rivera… Please, take Kord and Beryl out to the city. They can resume their patrols, while you have some water rations to give out to our more… cooperative denizens."

The tattooed brunette approached the silver-eyed man, placing a kiss on his lips. "Of course, my pharaoh. And our monthly tax?"

The pharaoh grinned as their lips parted. "Callum can handle the tax collection, can't you, Callum?"

A resolute "yes, pharaoh" quickly followed, and the armored man exited the room.

"Now go, my love. We'll have time to ourselves later."

"Of course, Viran."

Back on the path to Hamstead...

"Facts are like weapons," Silas finished his impromptu, morbid mini-lecture. He closed his eyes and sagely raised a single finger. "Arm yourself with them to ensure your safety."

The broody boy was certainly passionate, Seren had to admit. A peculiar "fun" fact to know, and the purple-haired boy wouldn't tell him it just made him a wee bit anxious, but he supposed there was some measure of truth in it. Because holy shit, seventeen thousand people a year is a lot. Perhaps he and you, the reader, should watch where you step. Don't become a statistic.

As he mulled that grim reality over, his attention was ripped from it at Doctor Tsuchida's voice. "It appears that Kano's made some progress."

"Oh?" Seren asked. "How do you f- oh. Nevermind."

The literal bolt of lightning off in the distance, coming from the ground, made it abundantly clear just how Mikotsuhime and Kano's efforts were going. "Good for him!"

"Fascinating how Slayer magic works," Silas mused, more to himself than anyone else. "Breathing life into something thought dead."

"Indeed," Shia agreed, the white-haired physician adjusting his glasses as he did so. "Keep in mind, his magic is likely to be unstable given how long it's been. He may not be ready for the fight ahead, least of all if he has to race here."

"What do you mean?" SIlas tilted his head to the side. "Why would he have to run back?"

"Right, I forget Kano is the only one of you with enhanced senses. Consider this your first test - I'll ensure neither of you die, but do try to be careful all the same."

"Die? Die from what?" Seren asked, reaching for one of his keyes.

"That's for you to anticipate," Shia replied. He turned and made his way to the treeline towards where Miko and Kano went. He turned back to them then, crossing his arms.

"Right then, just the two of us until the others get back…" Seren muttered, and turned to Silas. "What do you do? I know I saw you using some kind of mist stuff earlier."

"Fog magic is my specialty," he confirmed. "I'm not exactly a close-quarters fighter. You?"

"Me neither, but I know who is." With Kano gone, that left them without someone to play frontline. Then again, he was kind of just assuming that's what Kano did. Seren's hand drifted from the Jade key on his belt to, instead, a silver one. He held it out before him.

"Open!"