Chapter 34: The Raid on Sablesummit

Name: Myla Fullbright

Age: 54

Birthday: 25 July

Personality: Brash, loud, battle hungry. Doesn't let her age get to her. Devoid of any notion of social hierarchy (in the sense that she treats everyone the same) and lacks manners. However, is a caring person, and a fan of tough love.

Strengths: Reflexes seasoned by many battles, incredible physical strength on par with Underwater Temple Vetto, doesn't seem to age

Weaknesses: Loud, sometimes doesn't use her head when battling, has no long range spells

Favourite things: Her nephew, training regimens with the Green Mantis squad, food

Lars woke up. He had gone back to the Coral Peacocks base after the whole interrogation thing to get a good night's rest. Our resident mind mage got out of his bed, having a nice long soak in the men's baths, throwing his robe on, adjusting his Mertens family cloak and slinging his Coral Peacocks robe over his shoulders. With a yawn, he walked down the stairs, not expecting the sight that beheld him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hold on a minute," Lars said. "Why are there so many Blue Rose knights here?"

"For the raid, silly!" Lucia said, appearing behind Lars, which gave him quite a spook.

"Ah…hello Lucia," Lars said. "So you're helping with the raid?"

"Yep!" the redhead smiled. "Captain Charlotte said she values my supportive abilities or something like that, so she gave me the go-ahead to go on this mission." A slight blush appeared on the card mage's cheeks, but she continued. "It's nice to see you again, Lars."

Lars smiled back. "You too, Lucia."

"So, this is who you're dating now?" Sharya, who had also come out of nowhere, asked with that confident grin on her face.

Sometimes I forget that girl is an assassin, Lars thought. "When did you get back, Sharya? I didn't see you- hold on, run that by me one more time?"

"I said," Sharya repeated slowly, a smirk on her face, "is this the girl you're dating?"

Lars blinked, looking from Sharya to Lucia with slight bewilderment, and quickly shook his head. "Wait, wait, dating? No, no, no," he stammered, his eyes widening a bit. "We're just friends—fellow knights!"

Lucia's blush deepened, and she quickly added, "Right! We're both just helping out with the raid. Definitely not dating." She glanced sideways at Lars, then awkwardly smoothed her cloak.

Sharya gave them a look of feigned innocence, shrugging, though her smirk said otherwise. "Sure, sure," she teased. "Just friends, I get it." With a wink, she turned to look around the gathering crowd, leaving the two knights looking slightly flustered in the middle of the room.

Desperate to shift the attention, Lucia motioned to a group of Blue Rose knights nearby. "Lars, let me introduce you to some of my squadmates," she said quickly, stepping over to the group. "They'll be helping out today, too."

Lars followed her as she introduced each knight, greeting them with a friendly nod.

"This is Dana," Lucia said, pointing to a petite, black-haired woman with a wry smile and large glasses. "She uses Lens Magic."

Dana gave Lars a polite nod. "Nice to meet you," she said smoothly. "Don't expect to actually see me during the raid—I like to keep my distance." Her eyes glimmered with mischief, and Lars grinned back.

Next, Lucia introduced a sturdier-looking woman with short braided hair, tanned skin and strong arms. "This is Maddy, who has Sandstone Magic."

Maddy shook Lars' hand with a firm grip, giving him an appraising look. "You'd better be useful on this raid," she said, her voice blunt but not unfriendly. "I've heard Coral Peacocks aren't exactly known for being reliable in combat."

"Oh, I'll try not to disappoint," Lars chuckled, though he felt a slight sting at her words. He moved on with Lucia, slightly unnerved by the next figure.

"And... this is Sol Marron," Lucia murmured, her smile fading slightly as they approached the knight, arms crossed and a fierce scowl on her face. Sol's gaze was fixed on Lars, her expression already cold and unimpressed.

"I've heard of her," Lars said.

"And I've heard of you," Sol replied icily, crossing her arms. "So, this is the so-called Coral Peacocks 'pretty boy,' huh?"

Lars blinked. "Pretty boy?" He could practically feel her disdain, prickling like static in the air.

"Oh, I know your type," Sol said, giving him a withering look. "The kind of man who talks up his power but spends more time looking in the mirror than on a battlefield."

Lars tilted his head, genuinely confused. "What? I don't do that…"

"Uh-huh," Sol interrupted, clearly unimpressed. "I don't need some vain 'Prince Charming' around here, pretending to 'help' while he waits on others to do the real work. Believe me, I've worked with men like you, all smiles and flash with no grit."

Lars opened his mouth to respond, his cheeks tinged pink. "That's not… entirely fair. I pull my weight in battles. My squad doesn't complain…"

"Oh, I'm sure they don't," Sol sneered, casting a pitiful glance at Lucia. "You're really okay working with this guy? I figured you'd have better taste than that."

Lucia frowned, stepping in front of Lars defensively. "Sol, he's here to help. He's a capable fighter."

"Fine," Sol replied, shrugging dismissively. "But if he messes up, don't say I didn't warn you. Men like him… never last when things get rough." She shot Lars one last look before turning to walk away, muttering something under her breath about "pretty boys" and "useless princes."

Lars, visibly baffled, gave Lucia a questioning look. "Do… I actually seem like that kind of person?"

Lucia shook her head with a sympathetic smile. "Not to me. But Sol's always had strong opinions about men, so… don't take it personally." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he felt a sense of relief.

"Thanks, Lucia," he said, offering a grateful smile.

She smiled back warmly, her hand lingering a moment before she pulled away. "No problem. Just, uh…show them Coral Peacocks can pull their weight."

Lars chuckled. "With you leading the way? I wouldn't miss it."

Lucia's cheeks reddened, but she nodded, holding her gaze steady.

"Now where is that Zoe Halcourt?" Lars said, cracking his knuckles, clearly ready to confront her.

"Right here, Lars," Zoe replied, a smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth as she leaned against the doorway. She seemed far too amused by Lars's storm of emotions. "You look a little riled up. Did I say something to upset you?"

Lars narrowed his eyes. "Don't play coy. You're always getting under my skin, stirring up things that aren't even true."

"Oh, so it's my fault?" Zoe raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. "I only told Sol what I've seen. It's not my problem if the truth rattles you."

"Truth?" Lars scoffed. "I've never once done half the things you suggested. You're just stirring the pot, Zoe."

Zoe chuckled, shrugging nonchalantly. "If you can't handle a little teasing, maybe you're the one who needs to toughen up."

But before Lars could say anything, the Captain of the Blue Rose Knights, Charlotte Roselei, and our favourite vain Vice-Captain Kirsch Vermillion, walked in. Behind them was Myla Fullbright, Vice-Captain of the Green Praying Mantises. Oda sweatdropped.

"Silence!" Kirsch said, and a carpet of cherry blossoms swept across the room. The whole room, unfazed by this display, kept talking.

"HE SAID SILENCE!" Myla yelled, and everyone fell silent.

"Now that we have your attention-" Charlotte started, but was cut off by Myla.

"-we can finally start the mission brief." Myla smiled, slamming her wooden staff on the ground for added effect. "As you all know, we're supposed to be taking down this one smuggling organisation that deals in very shady stuff."

Charlotte ignored the interruption and continued. "Our objective is to fight and arrest all of the low level smugglers, disrupt the operation, and retrieve the contraband."

"Me and my nephew Oda," Myla grinned, pulling Oda out from the gaggle of Magic Knights by the scruff of his neck, oblivious to his protests, "did some reconnaissance late last night! There are three main entrances/exits to Sablesummit, the name of the smugglers base. That's why we've decided to split you all up into three teams!"

"The first team," Charlotte said, "will be led by Kirsch. It will consist of him, Russell Vance, Lilian Fraser, Sharya Hansen and Yul Bishop."

Team A: Kirsch, Russell, Yul, Lilian, Sharya

"Make sure to follow my beautiful lead!" Kirsch said, flicking his hair.

"Shut up," everyone else said in unison.

"The second team will be led by me, and will consist of myself, Zoe Halcourt, Sol Marron, Dana Avery and Amaryllis Armstrong," Charlotte continued.

"Oh yeah! I get to be with Sis!" Sol celebrated.

"Call me Captain," Charlotte replied, coldly glancing at her.

Team B: Charlotte, Zoe, Sol, Dana, Amaryllis

"And the third team's led by me!" Myla exclaimed. "It's me, Oda, Maddy, Lars, and Lucia!"

"Please noooo…" Oda groaned.

Team C: Myla Fullbright, Oda Fullbright, Madeleine Davis, Lars Mertens, Lucia Moreau

"Looks like we're on a team, Lucia," Lars smiled. Lucia's heart fluttered seeing his warm grin, and she managed a small smile back. In reality, her head was entering overload.

We said we weren't dating, but I can't get that moment on the beach, or the look on his face, or anything about Lars out of my head! Have I… The Blue Rose Knight shook her head. Get it together, Lucia!

…

Sablesummit lay concealed within the rugged central terrain of the Clover Kingdom, blending almost seamlessly into the rocky landscape around it. Tall, fortified stone walls stood strong, weathered from years of reinforcement against intrusions. Positioned near the kingdom's central trade routes, it maintained an air of isolation while offering easy access to those who knew its paths. Various entrances hid among natural rock formations, allowing for controlled movement in and out, and the surrounding hills held well-camouflaged sentry posts.

"I've finished establishing the telepathic link between all members of Team C," Lars stated, pulling up his visor. "To put it simply, we can now communicate without having to actually speak. It means we give less away to enemies."

"Handy," Oda smiled.

Maddy shivered. "Feels like an invasion of privacy, but, if it helps us complete the mission… I don't mind."

"Enough talking, lads and lasses!" Myla ordered heartily. "The Prickly Queen has given us an objective, which admittedly, is a boring one, but it needs to be done. Our job is to retrieve the contraband while the other groups do the fighting, which is why we have Oda here!" She slapped her nephew on the back.

"What my aunt is saying is that I'm going to use my spatial magic to make a portal where we can take all the contraband," Oda said, wincing at his aunt's blow. "Our priority is to get all that contraband out of there, so don't go into any unnecessary fights."

"I ag-" Lucia said, then was cut off by the rest of the team.

"Boooring," Lars yawned.

"Pain is necessary to teach a lasting lesson to criminals," Madeleine said, her gaze intense as ever.

"How are we supposed to stop them if we don't beat them into submission first?" Myla smiled. She was the most enthused about beating them up, and therefore resolved to break from the group at her earliest convenience. "You guys have the go-ahead to enter that stronghold! Riot, break stuff up, and most of all, retrieve those illegal items!"

"Yes, Vice Captain Myla!"

Team B, meanwhile, was getting addressed by Charlotte, the so-called "Prickly Queen" pacing up and down as her squad and Amaryllis stood in a line. "Our main objective is to remove any resistance so that Team C have a clear path to the contraband. That is why I have assembled you women, as I judged you to have the highest attack power out of most of the mages there. Of course, my judgments may be incorrect…" She paused, turning to look at the group of mages behind her. "However, I have faith in you."

"Aw, Sis, you're the best!" Sol yelled, leaping towards her captain to hug her. However,

Charlotte sidestepped her hug, leaving her to faceplant into the ground, and replying coldly, "Call me Captain, Sol."

Amaryllis slightly sweatdropped at this display, but the other Blue Rose knights, acclimated to Sol's constant clinginess, didn't bat an eyebrow.

"Everyone else is in position. We move now," Charlotte said, striding towards the concealed entrance of Sablesummit.

…

These were not ordinary sentries but strange, magical creatures known as Bramble Fiends—twisted, humanoid forms made of dense, thorny vines. Standing guard at scattered intervals around Sablesummit, the fiends moved in eerie silence, their leafy faces devoid of any recognizable features except for a pair of faintly glowing eyes. They were sensitive to the slightest movements, responding to the faintest rustle or whisper with unnerving precision.

"Alright, so what's the plan here?" Sharya asked, crossing her arms as she observed one of the creatures creeping nearby.

Russell grinned. "We could just burn 'em all down. Problem solved, right?"

"Sure, if you want to alert the whole compound!" Lilian retorted, rolling her eyes. "Those things look like they'd go up in flames in seconds, but we need subtlety here. And we don't even have a flame user."

"...Good point, babe. I'm just a bit used to having Elijah around, you know?" Russell said.

Yul frowned, studying the creatures from afar. "Maybe we could get around them without fighting. They seem focused on certain areas, like they're marking boundaries."

Kirsch huffed, flicking his hair. "I'd rather not soil my magic with thorny brutes, but they might prove immune to traditional spells anyway. I say we use them to our advantage—confuse them, send them scattering."

"Or we could use brute force," Sharya suggested with a smirk. "If we each take one down quickly, they won't have time to alert anyone. Quick and clean."

"Like a true assassin," Yul smiled.

The team exchanged looks, each clearly holding onto their own idea. Finally, Russell shrugged, nodding to the others. "Alright, everyone try their own way. Whoever handles them best, we'll follow. Sounds good?"

With reluctant nods, the team moved into position, ready to test each approach.

Sharya moved first, with deadly precision, darting through the trees like a bird (at least, that's how it seemed to Yul). She went behind one tree, and soon, multiple Sharya's appeared, each one moving with intent. They converged in different positions around the Bramble Fiend.

"Upon further assessment," Sharya whispered to herself, "it has a weak spot. It's neck." Sharya smiled. "It's an even bigger target than a human's, so this should be easy

The Sharya's rushed at the Bramble Fiend, stabbing it in multiple weak points around it. Dark energy began to leak out of the Bramble Fiend, and it roared, sending a burst of vines at each clone, which dissipated each one. The real Sharya, meanwhile, leapt back acrobatically, doing multiple flips as she put some distance between her and the beast.

"Enough showboating!" Yul yelled, the thrill of the battle rushing through his veins. He came out from his hiding place in the shadows, guns blazing, fists swinging. "Steel Magic: Vis Ferri!"

He launched a barrage of steel infused fists at the monster, which lost its balance, falling onto its back.

"When did you become so educated?" Sharya laughed. "Vis Ferri?"

"I took inspiration from Lady Mereoleona," Yul smiled back. "And just because I like fighting doesn't mean I'm-"

The Bramble Fiend launched a thorny vine at Yul, who dived and rolled out of the way, dusting himself off. "You see Sharya," he began, "there are no complicated gestures required to dodge."

"Focus on the mission," Sharya replied cheekily, readying her fan dagger. She launched it at the monster, raising her hands in preparation to cast her spell. "Clone Magic: Dagger Squall!"

The mana imbued daggers multiplied immensely, piercing the monster at its front. "If you can't hit your target, cover all bases," she smirked.

"Prism Magic: Prismatic Flare!" Lilian yelled. The beam of refracted light blasted through the monster, and it gave a final groan of agony before collapsing into a pile of dead vines. "You guys are not taking this seriously," the Prism Magic user huffed, brushing a stray lock of (newly plaited) blond hair behind her ears.

"Excuse me if I just want to enjoy the thrill of battle," Yul muttered to himself.

"You guys go meet up with Team B. Me, Russell and Kirsch will take over from here," Lilian ordered. The two nodded and sped off towards the first entrance.

"Weed Magic: Choking Thorns!" Another barrage of thorny vines blocked their way into the stronghold, this time cast by a magic user, who jumped down from his perch on the roof.

His brown hair was slicked back with unhealthy amounts of hair gel, and his eyes sparkled with mischief, the same shade of hazel as Theresa's. He wore black gloves and a plain white long-sleeved shirt, with a black sleeveless jacket above it. His trousers, slim as they were, were slightly ripped around the knee areas, and he wore black boots, clearly made for travel over long distances.

"You see, he knows the value of presentation, and a good entrance," Sharya remarked to Yul.

"Charmed to make your acquaintance, Coral Peacocks," the strange magic user began. "I'm Artemis. Artemis Day."

"Day?" Sharya questioned herself, but then gasped in realisation. "But then that means…"

"Yes, yes, I do have a familial relation to Theresa Day," he said, waving his hand in dismissal. "It doesn't matter. I cut off my relationship with that girl a long time ago. Being related to a magic knight would have hurt my reputation in the underground."

A sadistic smirk crept up his face. "I can't have you stopping our operation, because a commoner like me needs the money, so I'm gonna have to kill you… nice and slow. Weed Magic: Choking Thorns!"

"Cherry Blossom Magic: Crimson Requiem!"

"Dust Magic: Blinding Slash!"

Cherry blossoms and condensed dust whizzed through the air, breaking the vines apart and nullifying the attack. The two perpetrators, Russell and Kirsch, leapt down (well, Russell leapt down. Kirsch descended gracefully and "beautifully").

"Sorry we're late, guys," Russell said. "The remaining 4 sentries decided to double team us,"

"My apologies," Artemis smirked. "I just detected the most powerful mana signatures over there, so decided to focus all my efforts on those."

"I'm flattered," Russell smirked. "Well, looks like we have to fight you-"

Kirsch raised a hand to silence his squadmate. "I wish to have the honour of using my beautiful magic to beat this man. After all," he said, readying his Cherry Blossom Magic. "I haven't had a good fight in what seems like years. It's a waste of my beauty in battle!"

A/N: Yes Kirsch, you haven't.

Russell protested. "What are we supposed to do then?"

"Go in and help the others clear the smugglers out. This is a direct order from your Vice Captain."

The dust mage sighed, and sheathed his rapier, reluctantly obliging. "Let's go, everyone!"

Artemis raised a hand to create another spell. "You will not proceed, my friends! Weed Magic-"

"Cherry Blossom Magic: Magic Cherry Blossom Blizzard," the Vice Captain said coldly, sending a multitude of sakura petals to engulf the battlefield in his beauty. Artemis coughed.

"What the hell is this?" Artemis muttered to himself.

"Do you know what I hate about weeds?" Kirsch's voice echoed, his voice commanding and his once arrogant expression replaced by a hardened one.

"Pray tell," Artemis said, casting his next spell to clear some of the cherry blossoms. "Weed Magic: Weed Vortex!" A large weed appendage appeared and began spinning with intensity, clearing out most of the cherry blossoms, yet still, they kept coming.

Kirsch perched elegantly atop a tree, surveying the scene below. As he descended, floating down to land softly on a bed of cherry blossoms, his fists clenched in frustration.

"They destroy perfectly beautiful plants," he lamented, eyes narrowing at the glorified weed in front of him (Artemis). "It's precisely why I've always held common gardeners in such high regard. They have the patience to nurture what's lovely and uproot the ugly."

"Such waffle!" Artemis yelled, raising his hand to cast Choking Thorns again.

But when Kirsch locked eyes with him, he stopped, and a cold sweat began to run down his brow. Why… am I sweating? Why is this guy scaring me?

"Let me remind you who I am," Kirsch said, keeping his gold eyes fixed on the weed mage. "My name is Kirsch Vermillion. Vice-Captain (putting particular emphasis on the word) of the Coral Peacocks. And I swear on my status that I will defeat you with my beautiful magic!"

Artemis gulped.

A/N: My boy Kirsch needs some screentime