Here's the chapter! Enjoy!
Episode 3- Feathered Serpent
Fiore, Location Unknown
Gai sat across from a man with neatly combed dark hair, he was dressed in an expensive black suit with an intricate sapphire blue "J" pin attached to his lapel.
"Just for confirmation, you want us to steal the van Sage heirloom when it's in transit?" Gai asked, regarding the man seriously.
The man, Soren Juarez nodded. "The van Sage are fools, only keeping the heirloom for others to see even though they know the real value."
"I've heard the jewels in the heirloom are encoded with trade secrets, locations of mines that have never been dug and are rich with untouched gems, gold, and silver deep in the Earth," Gai said, remembering the information he'd heard about the heirloom.
Soren nodded, "I want it to further my business, it's been going to waste in their hands. From what I understand, the van Sage family has hired a group of mages from Nymph's Trove to take it back home. All you have to do is take it from them and I'll pay you and your team 900,000 Jewels. It shouldn't be hard for a team like yours to handle, after all, the mages in that guild are weak."
Gai considered the offer, it was rather generous, but he knew he couldn't let his guard down with Nymph's Trove, they weren't as weak as many believed. "We'll do it." He finally said, nodding.
Soren smiled, "Thank you for accepting the contract."
January 19, X791
Fiore, Poppy Valley, Nymph's Trove Guildhall
Calla sat impatiently in the guildhall, fingers rapidly drumming against the wooden table as she waited for Cassia and her team. Were they making her wait on purpose?! She glanced at the clock again and scoffed, realizing that there were still ten minutes before their scheduled meeting time. She shouldn't have been surprised, being just barely on time was one of Cassia's specialties, and her younger sister couldn't be early to save her life.
"This is the Guild Master's older daughter… should I say hi?"
Calla ignored the voice to her side, her golden eyes on the door.
"... but it looks like she wants to be left alone, maybe I shouldn't say anything. I've also heard she's a troublemaker," The voice continued to fret, sounding even more worried.
"But she's been gone a long time, maybe I should try and make her feel welcome, everyone else is avoiding her."
True. Calla neutrally looked around and saw that many of the mages were avoiding looking at her.
"Maybe, I should just move, she hasn't- " The voice cut off when Calla turned her head, lazily looking at the speaker, the end of her lip twitching up in amusement when the mage jumped in surprise.
"I already know you're here," Calla looked the mage up and down, "You're not being quiet."
The mage in question had pale skin, and a thin body, her salmon-colored hair gathered into a long ponytail that was held up by deep sea blue ribbons and she had large white eyes. She wore a white tank top that was tightened by elastic bands under a blue Taisho-style kimono with white accents that resembled snowflakes, the sleeves reaching down to her elbows. She also wore long, black stockings and a pair of high-heeled sandals, and on her hands, she had on black gauntlets, finishing it all off was a small black scarf that looped around her neck.
"Sorry," The mage blushed, looking anywhere but at Calla in embarrassment. "It's nice to meet you." She said, "I've heard a lot about you!"
"And who are you supposed to be?" Calla asked, raising a brow.
"I'm Yuuki! It's nice to meet you! Oh, wait… I already said that…" She held out her hand for Calla to shake. "I hope we can work well together."
Calla simply stared at the offered hand until it sunk back down to Yuuki's side. "Or-or maybe not? It's totally fine if you don't want to work together. I may have started with too much, can I start again?" She asked nervously.
Calla simply sighed and went back to drumming her fingers on the table, brow starting to twitch. Where the hell was her sister?! Her eyes went back to the clock, five more minutes until Cassia was supposed to get here, but Calla was finding it increasingly difficult to rein in her annoyance. Why the hell couldn't her sister get here early?! She felt her control on her patience start to slip, the wooden table starting to crack where her hand was as a bit of her magic leaked out.
"Oh…" Yuuki looked at Calla, noting her worsening mood before her eyes slowly traveled down to where the table was starting to splinter. "I guess you're not in the mood to talk, I'm sorry. I'll catch you later maybe!" She then hurried away from Calla.
Calla barely paid attention to Yuuki leaving, she was about ready to destroy the table, just for the heck of it when familiar laughter reached her ears and someone else sat across from her.
She glanced up, brows furrowing when she saw the woman; S-Class mage Cassandra Draculos, niece of one of the Ten Wizard Saints, Draculos Hyberion.
Cassandra looked about the same since she last saw her with her slender, rosy and smooth skin, long, straight lilac-colored hair with braids that framed her face, and blood-red eyes. Same pointed ears and pronounced canines, though Calla still had no idea where those features came from.
Heck, Cassandra was even still dressed the same, still in a tight black dress with gold details and a wide neckline, that made for practical movement and that revealed her rather large chest. She also still wore the black witch's hat; though Calla did note that she didn't have her bat wings or armor on, so it meant Cassandra wasn't actively heading out for a mission at the moment.
"I heard rumors that you were back," Cassandra said, propping her chin up on her hand, "I couldn't believe it until I saw with my own eyes," She smiled slightly, "You look like you're doing well."
"You mean your bats told you," Calla eyed the older woman in annoyance. "Don't think I didn't see them from time to time. I don't appreciate you spying on me."
"Just wanted to make sure your lovely self was still alive." Cassandra shrugged. "With your attitude, I've been expecting them to report that you're in a ditch somewhere. Especially after what you did with Sabertooth."
Calla scoffed, "They picked a fight with me,"
"If you say so," Cassandra looked Calla over and sighed with regret. "It's too bad you have to go on a mission with Cassia. I was hoping we could quickly bring back Callandra."
"I'd rather go on a mission with you than that Crybaby." Calla scoffed, but it was probably the most honest thing she had said ever since she came back. Before she left, Cassandra and her had gone on many missions together, earning them the collective name of Callandra.
"Be nice," Cassandra scolded, "You didn't see Cassia after you left, she was a mess. The least you can do now is try to mend bridges."
Calla glanced at the clock again, "I'll be nice when she manages to be on time. She's late! They all are!" She threw up her hands in exasperation when she saw that it was past their meeting time. She knew Cassia had a tendency to be late, but all of them?! She didn't know about the dragon slayer, but she knew that Keziah was at least good at being early before she had left. Had Cassia somehow influenced her to be tardy too?
The dark viridian-haired woman was close to fuming when Cassandra's laughter broke into anger. "What's so funny?" She glared darkly at the older woman.
"It's just nice to see that your annoyance with people late hasn't changed." Cassandra smiled fondly. "It's also nice to see that your tendency to half-listen is also unchanged."
"What?" Calla blinked at her.
"Guess Keziah was right, you weren't listening." Cassandra still looked far too amused for Calla's liking. "She told me that if I saw you in the guildhall to let you know that you're supposed to meet at the town entrance."
"What?! There is no way-" Calla cut off when she recalled that Keziah did say to meet at Poppy Valley's entrance instead of the guild. Ugh.
She stood up abruptly, grabbed her bag, and stormed out of the guild, fuming. Now she was the one running late and if Keziah had a smug look on her face she'd punch it right off.
"Have fun! And remember to be nice! When you get back, we should go on a mission together!" Cassandra called mirth in her voice.
Calla flipped the older woman off before marching to the town's entrance, seeing that the rest of the group was waiting for her there.
Both Keziah and Cassia looked up at her approach, Cassia with a look of surprise and Keziah with an unimpressed frown.
"You're late. You're never-" Cassia tried to say but Calla ignored her, marching past with her head held high.
"She went to the wrong meet-up location," Keziah stated flatly, quickly following behind Calla but not trying to catch up.
"I did not. I'd rather be late than to have to see you guys before I had to." Calla defended herself harshly.
Cassia deflated at her words. Despite everything, she had been hoping that they could start fresh despite the rocky reunion the day before.
"Cheer up," Vere bumped her shoulder as he fell into step with her. "She just has to get to know you again."
"Yeah!" Ashe agreed, jumping onto her head, "You're sisters for life! Don't let this get you down!"
Cassia smiled at their encouragement, but she was still doubtful. Calla hadn't even looked at her when she spoke. How were they supposed to reconnect if Calla wouldn't even talk to her?
The trek to the van Sage family's summer home wasn't a long one, but it was definitely a tense and awkward one since Calla stayed silent, refusing to even participate in the talks the other four held. She just walked ahead, ignoring their chatter the best she could, her mind set on the task before them; the faster the job was done, the faster she could get away from Cassia and her sad eyes. Every time her sister had tried approaching her she harshly cut her off before walking faster, feeling the hurt look on her back like a dagger.
"She's gonna burn herself out if she keeps up at her pace," Vere remarked, watching Calla's back; there had been points in their walk that she had completely disappeared from sight. Ashe was now sitting on his head, tail lazily brushing against the side of his face every now and again.
"Who cares? It's not like this job is going to be hard," Keziah sighed. At least she hoped it wouldn't be. This job gave her a bad feeling, even if there had been many recent attempts to steal the van Sage heirloom, the reward was just too big for an escort mission.
"Maybe if we feed her ice cream she'll cheer up," Ashe said happily, after all, ice cream always cheered him up. "Cassia, will you eat ice cream with me when we get back?!" He asked excitedly.
Cassia laughed softly, "Of course I will Ashe."
"Calla can come too," Ashe insisted, hoping to find a way for the sisters to talk, "She'll cheer right up." He said again.
"I doubt that," Keziah huffed, "Some people are just a Grouch, Ashe."
The trail they were on soon opened up to reveal a beautiful, sparkling blue lake, the sunlight glittering off the water. Sitting on the edge of the lake was a three-story mansion. The mansion almost glistened as much as the lake, made of white stone and marble, tall columns, floor-to-ceiling windows, large rich mahogany double doors trimmed in gold that pushed open the moment they neared, and lastly, rows of neatly trimmed rose bushes that they could see.
The double doors opened just as they arrived at the front and a beautiful woman with long silvery hair and green eyes exited the mansion, "Are you the mages who are escorting our family heirloom?" Her voice was smooth and soft, polite; the very image of a high-class family with the flowing purple dress and gleaming jewelry. The only thing that shook her image was the cerulean blue backpack that was slung over her shoulder.
Keziah stepped up and nodded. "We are. Are you Lady Ivy van Sage? You said that no one else would be coming? Just the heirloom?"
The woman nodded, a soft smile appearing on her face. "Yes. I'm glad you accepted this job. We've been so worried that our heirloom would be stolen, I just want it back home safely." Without a word, she reached into the backpack and pulled out a red velvet box that was encrusted in gleaming gems. The box looked like it could be the heirloom instead of just the container.
Damn rich people… Keziah thought silently when she looked down at the box. She looked closely when Ivy carefully opened the case to reveal a reddish-orange heart-shaped jewel encased by a polished bronze casing and surrounded by diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds; attached to it was a thick gold chain. It was probably the size of her fist and it was certainly beautiful but…
"That's what everyone is trying to steal?" Calla scoffed, suddenly at her shoulder, golden eyes set on the pendant. "It doesn't seem steal worthy to me."
"Calla!" Cassia looked at her sister appalled that she would speak so bluntly. "It's beautiful!"
Ivy chuckled, "It certainly is one of the most gaudy things this family owns, but its value doesn't come from all the gems in it. It's said that engraved inside the jewel are trade secrets many would kill for. I suppose the last part is finally coming true."
"I wouldn't be laughing at that," Vere muttered, watching as Ivy carefully closed the lid before slipping the case back into the blue bag. "Is that what we're carrying it in?" He asked surprised, he never thought the family would put something so valuable in something so tacky.
Once again Ivy nodded, "Yes. This bag has been enchanted to be extremely durable and to stay attached around the shoulders of whoever is carrying the bag. The person carrying the bag must also willingly offer the bag for it to exchange hands." She offered the bag to him, but Vere shook his head, shoving Keziah forward. "Hopefully, if you are attacked, our precautions will stop the heirloom from being stolen or broken."
Keziah shot him a glare before taking the bag, carefully slinging it over her shoulders. "Well, that's helpful." The normal backpack and coming out alone were probably another precaution. Some golden trunk or a large group to hand off the heirloom would be a tip-off that it was being moved today. Who knew if the house was being watched and bandits were just waiting to jump on them? Keziah reasoned internally. It was a smart move to make the giveaway seem like it wasn't a big deal.
"So we're delivering this to your home in Chrysanthemum?" Cassia asked, looking at the job request carefully.
"Yes, my son, Berry, and some servants have already gone ahead, they'll be the ones to receive you when you reach Chrysanthemum and the Heirloom is undamaged," Ivy explained. "Good luck and I hope you don't have any troubles along the way." With those words, she turned and left, the double doors slamming shut after her.
"Well that was anticlimactic," Calla scoffed, crossing her arms. "I was expecting some big fanfare from such a noble and rich family. "This heirloom doesn't even look that nice! And we're transporting it in a backpack! I knew you were wasting my time Keziah!"
"What are you blaming me for?!" The younger woman sighed and made sure the bag was secure before leading the way back onto the trail. "I didn't force you to come with us!"
"You could have argued with Mother for me not to come along!" Calla snapped.
"I did! Why the hell would I want a former S-Class, cranky, punk wanna-be idiot tagging along with me?!" Keziah shot back.
"What was that?! You're asking for a face full of rock, you Reject!"
Cassia and Vere exchanged looks of worry as they trailed behind their teammates.
"They're really going at it…" Vere said, a sweat drop appearing on his head, nervous laughter escaping him. "Were they like this before?" He asked, glancing at Cassia.
Cassia sighed, looking at the two arguing women; it was a similar scene but at the same time it wasn't… four years ago when they argued, she was fairly certain they wouldn't try to kill each other… now she wasn't so sure.
"They've always had a competitive side with each other, especially since Calla beat Keziah when they were both put up for the S-Class opening before the attack four years ago. I guess that competitive streak is back just…" Cassia trailed off, looking for the right word.
"Worse? Deadly? Toxic?" Vere supplied, a small smile tugging on his lips as he gazed down at her. "All of the above? Ow!" He stumbled as a large chunk of rock sailed through the air and hit him on the head.
"Don't gossip about people! I hear you!" Calla snapped, glaring at him as she threw another rock at him.
This time, he dodged with a yelp, stormy gray eyes wide at her actions.
"Don't attack your guildmates!" Cassia snapped back, anger flashing in her green eyes as she glared back at her sister. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"You being near me is what-" Calla started to say but Keziah cut her off.
"Shut up," Keziah ordered, green eyes intense as she looked around them, from the rocky trail they were on to the thick green trees.
Calla clenched her jaw shut, surprisingly doing as Keziah ordered, but from the way she was looking around, she must have sensed that something wasn't quite right either.
"What is- Ah!" Ashe started to question when he ducked down, narrowly avoiding three steel-made arrows to his furry head.
"Darn, I was hoping you'd keep arguing..." A male voice floated from the trees and Keziah and Calla's eyes snapped to their right where a man with short, spiky white hair, fair skin, and bright crystal blue eyes appeared. He was dressed in a tan tunic, blue cargo jacket, black pants, and brown boots. In his hands, he held a black compound bow aimed at them, another set of arrows ready to be set free.
"Oh well," The teenager shrugged as he sent another volley of arrows at them, when they all dodged he smirked "Isobel!"
The ground under their feet exploded at his call, not giving them a chance to react and causing the mages to dodge into the trees to avoid the large eruption of earth.
Keziah soared through the air, landing on a thick branch and glanced around, the trail was completely destroyed and she couldn't see any of her guildmates anywhere. "Hired guns sure don't wait, huh?" She glanced to the side just as the white-haired teen charged her, a pair of daggers in his hand.
She leaned back, allowing herself to fall off the branch as the teen neared her, she kicked out, landing a solid hit against the teen's jaw and sending him crashing the other way. She flipped through the air, landing softly on the ground beneath her; bending back a second later to avoid a thin, jagged blade as it swung just inches above her face.
"Are sneak attacks all you guys can do?" She asked, grabbing the arm attached to the sword and throwing him over her shoulder without looking back.
The assailant let out a surprised grunt, but nimbly landed on his feet before facing her. Her eyes opened in shock when she saw it was the man who interfered with her mission a few days ago. "You."
"Me." He sighed, looking at her through orange-tinted lenses, his brows were furrowed and he looked annoyed that he had run into her again.
The teen got up before the man could respond and charged at her again, but before he could reach her, Calla kicked him back into the trees, her legs coated in a thin layer of diamond. She landed beside Keziah, and when she saw the man, her eyes widened and she paled slightly.
"You." For the first time since she got back, she didn't sound cranky or hostile, she sounded genuinely surprised and it was refreshing to hear.
The man also looked surprised, "... I never would have guessed you were associates," He murmured, looking between them.
"You know him?" Keziah questioned, was this guy more trouble Calla had brought back for the guild? She wouldn't be surprised if he was.
Calla suddenly smirked at her, the sudden smugness causing her to blink. "You could say I got to know him very well for a whole night. It's a shame he didn't stay till morning."
Keziah sighed at her words, exasperation filling her. "Of course, you'd sleep with a hired gun. You have no shame!"
"You're just jealous that he's hot and I get more action than you," Calla said, clearly trying to get a rise out of Keziah despite the threat in front of them.
"What?" Keziah glared at her., completely falling for her bait while the man just stared at them in disbelief.
"Are they idiots?" He muttered to himself.
"Where did that come from? I'll have you know-" She cut off when small bombs were suddenly thrown through the air, the lights blinking rapidly before they all exploded.
"Ice Dragon's Frosted Dome!"
"Plant Magic: Briar Wall!"
A dome of ice and thick, intertwining briars wove together, protecting the two female mages from the explosion. When the smoke cleared, Cassia and Vere were suddenly standing beside them, twin looks of annoyance on their faces.
"Thanks…" Keziah said, giving her teammates a sheepish look.
Calla huffed, looking back to the mercenary and the teen, they had been joined by two women. "I didn't need you to shield me."
"Hey! Some thanks would be nice!" Vere snapped, finally getting frustrated with her attitude.
In response, Calla decked him, causing him to stumble, clutching his head while Ashe panicked, asking if he was okay.
"What did we say about hitting teammates?!" Keziah snapped, looking ready to attack Calla instead.
"Come on! Don't fight!" Cassia pushed the two older women away from each other, trying desperately to get their attention back on their enemies who were watching them with amusement. "The enemy is right in front of us! If you're going to fight anyone, fight them!"
At that Keziah and Calla stopped arguing and turned back to see the guys and the two women.
One was older with warm brown skin, thick wavy dark brown hair in a ponytail, and brown eyes. She was dressed in a black shirt, dark magenta cargo jacket and tan pants. The other woman was around Cassia's age with fair skin, black hair in a ponytail, and cornflower blue eyes. She wore a red shirt, dark purple cargo jacket and black pants with matching boots. Looking at the group, they definitely all had some form of uniform.
The four opposite them looked ready to fight, the man's three members charging at them with just one nod from their leader. "Miquel, Isobel, Rayleigh."
"I'll take care of you when they're gone," Calla muttered, giving Keziah a brief glare before launching herself at the group, coating her fist with a thin layer of diamond.
The black-haired woman met her head on, blocking her diamond-covered first with her own, a purplish aura enveloping her arms and legs before she sent Calla flying back into the trees.
"Calla!" Cassia called worriedly before creating a shield of thorns around herself as small explosions rippled through the air around her. She glared at the dark-skinned woman who gave her a cheerful smile before she threw another handful of bombs at her.
"Not bad," Vere smirked, blocking a steel blade with his ice-covered arm when the teen attacked him. "I've been waiting for a rumble." He grinned before his battle led him in a different direction and away from Keziah, the white-haired boy following his movements.
Keziah looked around, eyes widening when she noticed that they had all been separated before looking back to the man. "Nice strategy, Take-Over: Akuma," magic enveloped her body, changing it. When the magic dissipated her skin had deepened into a golden tan, her hair turning into bright orange flames, and her eyes glowing orange-gold; a sword made out of flames forming in her hand. "Who would have thought you'd separate us that fast?"
The man smirked, "It's not like you're trying to stick together," He disappeared from her sight before reappearing behind her, jagged and thin sword clashing with her own when she turned and parried his attack.
"I'm curious," Keziah said, meeting his eyes before wandering to the emblem on his coat sleeve, it looked like a winged snake... which meant... "What's your name?" She pushed him away and swung her sword, flames exploding from it as she slashed at him.
He jumped away from her, "Gai Alexandros of Feathered Serpent." He said plainly. "What's yours?"
Keziah nodded, she had thought so. He wasn't any hired gun, but the leader of a small, but well-known mercenary guild... of course, Calla would somehow end up sleeping with him.
"Keziah Blaire," She smirked, charging at him.
"Ice Dragon's Roar!" A blizzard-like blast blew from Vere's mouth as he aimed it at Miquel.
"Steel-make shield," He made a shield in response while creating dozens of steel-made arrows around. "Steel-male Arrow barrage," he pelted Vere with the arrows, grinning when he saw that a few of them had grazed the older man's arms. "Steel-make: Polearm," He lashed out with the made weapon, the steel clashing with Vere's ice-covered fist.
He pulled back and swung down, hoping to get a hit against Vere's head, but the blonde dodged, flipping onto his hands and kicking out with his foot, catching the polearm and sending it flying from Miquel's hands and leaving him exposed.
"Ice Dragon's Claws," Vere lashed out with his fingers bent, clawing at Miquel, frost forming on parts of the teen's jacket and trees behind him when he barely dodged in time.
"Shit, shit, shit," The teen panicked a bit as he tried to wipe the ice away.
"Ice Dragon's Frosted Wings," Vere twisted his body and arms around, creating two twisting columns of icy hurricane-like blasts.
"Steel Magic: Barricade," Miquel slapped his hands together before slamming them onto the ground, creating a thick steel wall that blocked Vere's attack, but before Vere's attack fully dissipated Miquel was already changing the form of his wall, "Steel-make: Chains," The barricade morphed into dozens of thick chains, wrapping around Vere's limbs.
"What the-?!" Vere looked shocked, trying to pull himself free but the chains only tightened further, pulling him down to the ground.
"Vere!" Ashe cried out in alarm, he was clinging to a tree branch and watching the battle from above.
Miquel laughed, "What? Have you never seen someone change their maker-magic before?" He walked closer to Vere, planning to use him as leverage to get the heirloom when he noticed the older man's smirk. "Ice Dragon's Absolute Freeze," He breathed in before exhaling, icy mist escaping from his body and freezing everything around him, including the chains. Once the chains were fully frozen over Vere stood up and ripped the chains off him.
"Nice try bud," Vere laughed, looking at the teen, "But you'll need a few more years before you can tie me down," He launched himself at the shocked mercenary, ice enveloping his limbs, "Ice Dragon's Impact,"
"Petal darts," Cassia threw her darts at Isobel, the older woman nimbly dodged them, grabbing a handful of rocks on the ground and throwing them at Cassia. The viridian-haired girl blinked in surprise, jumping last minute as the rocks exploded.
"So, everything she touches becomes a bomb?" She muttered to herself. She didn't think she had ever seen that before. As she jumped back, her foot caught a tripwire, and knives launched down from where she had been standing; they would have impaled her if she hadn't created her shield.
"When the hell did you have time to set a trap?!" Cassia demanded, "Plant Magic: Piranha Plant," She threw reddish seeds with green spots into the ground, and a second later a plant with crackling red petals and sharp teeth formed, its roots sharp and grasping. "Attack." She said, pointing at Isobel.
The plant growled and lunged at Isobel, its thick vines grasping to get a hold of her. Cassia watched as she formed a vine whip into her hand, thick, sharp thorns glistening against the green whip. "Thorn shot," She lashed her whip out twice, shooting the blade-like thorns at Isobel's exposed back as she tried to dodge the piranha plant.
"Tsk," Isobel scowled, "Firebomber," She threw a bomb into the plant's mouth, sending leafy plant guts everywhere, but as she did, some of Cassia's thorns cut into her back.
She grimaced but threw her hand out, surrounding Cassia with mini green orbs, "Firefly." The orbs exploded around her, throwing her to the ground.
Isobel landed on the ground in front of her, wincing as she felt the thorns shift in her back, "Trap Magic: Trap wire," Thin wires sprung from the trees and tied around Cassia's arms, pulling her up.
Cassia pulled on her arms before frowning at Isobel who slowly stood up. "I'm sorry, but you're in the way of our mission," She shook her head softly, the tone she used motherly despite everything.
"That's funny," Cassia grinned, "I was going to tell you the same thing," she was dangling in the air due to the wires, but she bent her leg before kicking out, swinging her leg wildly around before crossing them. "Plant Magic: Wild vines," Vines burst out from the ground under Isobel's feet wrapping around her ankle and swinging her through the air before letting go.
"I don't need my hands for my magic to work," Cassia said triumphantly, her vines cutting her free from the wires, "Plant Magic: Sunflower Blast," A large sunflower sprouted from behind her, its stigma glowing brightly before releasing a blast of light from the center.
"Bomb magic: Paper birds," Isobel reached into her pouch and threw a dozen small paper birds through the air, the birds coming alive the second they left her hand; they flew and intercepted the blast, creating a thick cloud of smoke that surrounded the area.
"Damn! You're more durable than you look," Calla muttered, punching Rayleigh across the jaw.
The black-haired woman simply took it before twisting on her toes and kicking Calla in the stomach, sending her skidding back. "Why thank you." The woman smiled.
"It's not a compliment!" Calla snapped, "From what I can see you absorb the energy of an attack, turn it into your own, and send it back. Seems a bit like it's cheating."
"I don't think so, but you can call it that if you want." Rayleigh smiled; her hands coated with purple energy. She planted her feet before repeatedly punching out, "Knuckle Barrage," purple energy in the form of fists blasted through the air.
"Diamond-make: Hawk," Calla countered with a dozen of diamond-hawks, she then ran forward, throwing herself at Rayleigh in the hopes of knocking her out. "Diamond Smasher," She created a set of diamond-made brass knuckles around her hands.
Rayleigh countered, striking out with her magic-infused punch, "Power Buster," She formed energy gauntlets around her hands and met Calla's strike, causing the ground under them to crack when neither wavered.
"Not bad," Calla smirked, eyes dark, she had wanted to go after the man, thinking he'd be more of a challenge but this girl had gotten in her way, at least she was holding her own against her.
"Same to you," Rayleigh said, they broke apart before charging at each other again.
The two were on par with each other when one landed a punch, the other would immediately retaliate with a kick, or block completely. Neither gained the upper hand for long, their strikes bruising and drawing blood.
Calla twisted around Rayleigh, hooking her arm under the other girl's shoulder, and throwing her through the air, catching her off guard. "Diamond-make: Weapon's Barrage." She created spears, swords, arrows, maces, and any weapon she could think of to create and threw them all at Rayleigh.
"Energy Magic: Cyclone," Rayleigh spun through the air, creating a cyclone of energy around her, creating a temporary shield that threw the diamond-made weapons off course before she blasted the cyclone towards Calla.
Calla slammed her hands down onto the ground, creating a thin, jagged diamond wall that cut through the cyclone in half and caused it to break sideways, destroying the area around them.
"Diamond-make: Basilisk," A large basilisk formed around Calla, hissing menacingly before launching itself at the woman, fangs gleaming.
"Energy sword," Rayleigh created a sword out of purple energy, twisting out of the basilisk's way and cutting down its side as she fell, surprising Calla by how easily she cut through her diamond.
"Diamond-make: Battle Axe," Calla met her in the air, her axe clashing with Rayleigh's sword repeatedly; each of them parrying the other's blow. She swung the large axe, aiming for Rayleigh's head, but the black-haired woman ducked, causing it to whizz on by.
Rayleigh used the chance to duck low and swing up, aiming for Calla's exposed stomach.
"Not a chance, Diamond Stomper," Calla let go of the axe, coating her leg with a layer of diamond before she kicked down, landing a solid kick against Rayleigh's chest and sending her skidding back against a tree.
"That one kinda hurt," Rayleigh stood up slowly, the area where she was hit glowing as a purple aura consumed her body, healing the damage she took.
Calla's eyes widened again before she smirked. "Sure, you want to heal yourself? It'll just give me a chance to throttle you some more."
"You can try if you aren't tired," Rayleigh smiled back before launching herself at Calla and punching her before she could react.
"Judgement of the Executioner," Gai jumped away from Keziah, he was now wearing form-fitting, metallic, midnight blue and black body armor, a rifle in his hands as he repeatedly fired at Keziah.
The mage was still in her Take-Over: Akuma form as she dodged, she swung her sword, sending a burst of flames at him. "Burning Crescent," She slashed through the air in an arch, flames engulfing where he stood only a moment ago.
"Just give me the heirloom," He grabbed for the bag but Keziah ducked out of his reach, thrusting the point of her flame sword in his face, "Burn," smiling when she almost burned him.
"That was close," he said, landing a few feet away from her. "You almost burned my face. I'm sure your teammate would have been disappointed." He said all this with such a straight face, with no sense of smugness or making it seem like it was a joke; just straight fact.
"Good." She pointed her sword at him, "Nothing would give me better pleasure than to ruin a face that Boor likes." She stabbed the tip of her sword into the ground, growling when he disappeared a moment before the pillar of flames exploded from out of the ground.
She bent backward just in time to avoid a curved blade to the face, suddenly finding him under her, a chain wrapped around his hand. She flipped out of the way, letting out a surprised gasp when he threw the other end of the chain at her, wrapping it around her wrist before yanking her back.
Before she could right herself, he grabbed onto the blue backpack and tried to yank it off her shoulders, eyes widening slightly when the bag didn't budge.
Keziah bit back a whimper as her shoulders were yanked harshly back... enchanted to stay on the person was right... but she didn't think it would hurt if someone tried to pull it off. "Get the hell off," She swung her sword at him, causing him to block with the bladed end of his chain, but he still held on.
"Just give me the heirloom," He growled, grunting when she kicked back, landing a solid blow against his stomach, he fell back, dragging her down with him since the guy just wouldn't let go.
"Not gonna happen!" she twisted out of his grip, making sure there was distance between them.
Gai sighed as he stood up, his blade and chain being enveloped by dark blue magical energy and replaced by a pair of gold and silver pistols. "Unrelenting Judgement," He fired shot after shot at Keziah and even though she dodged or parried the bullets he just kept firing until he overwhelmed her, the bullets trailed after her, eventually hitting her in the back and throwing her to the ground.
Before she could react Gai was over her, pinning her down and holding a black dagger to her throat. Her eyes widened, she hadn't even seen him move, the guy was freakishly fast. "Give it to me."
"No." She snapped, "Burn," Flames burst from her body, engulfing him. Instead of pulling away, he tightened his grip on her, eyes narrowing behind his glasses.
"That won't work fast enough on me," He murmured to her as her flames worked to get through his body armor, he could feel the heat, but the material stopped him from getting burned.
Keziah gritted her teeth, pulling her head back to slam it against him when something caught her eye. "Huh?" She looked past Gai's shoulders to see a bright magic circle over them. The magic circle flashed and a circular barrier started to stretch from it, encompassing all of the mages and trapping them.
"What the!?" Gai looked up, stunned and Keziah took her chance, slamming her foot against Gai's chest and sending him stumbling off her. She hopped to her feet, the point of her sword resting against his chest.
"Release the barrier magic," She ordered.
"It's not my doing," Gai said, looking around, shoulders tense.
"As if I'd-" Keziah cut off when dozens of projectiles crashed into the ground around them, covering her eyes from the debris that exploded all around her. When the dust settled, her eyes widened when she saw they were surrounded by men dressed entirely in black, an intricate blue "J" carved into their masks.
Gai stepped in front of her, body stiff, his hand tightening on the dagger, "What's the meaning of this?" He demanded, voice cold enough to freeze an ocean. It sent chills down her spine.
One of the men stepped forward, the only thing setting him apart was the red mask he wore. "Gai Alexandros of Feathered Serpent, we will no longer be needing your services. We can retrieve the van Sage heirloom ourselves."
Gai growled, "This isn't part of our contract."
"Consider this a termination of your deal with Lord Soren." The man said as they all armed up, pointing their weapons at them.
Keziah took in the scene, letting out a low whistle. When Gai glared at her she laughed, "Too bad for you, but I'm sure you get stabbed in the back all the time with your line of work!" She twirled her sword in her hand before slashing at the group to her left, "Akuma's Vortex," She released a cyclone-like blast from her sword, clearing her way before she took off running. "Good luck!" She called over her shoulder before she disappeared into the trees.
"Wait!" He called after her, watching her disappear. He sighed when she vanished, switching his dagger for his pistols, eyes burning with anger as he looked at all the men who surrounded him. "I'll make you traitors pay."
Keziah sprinted through the trees, the sound of gunshots echoing through the air as she ran. She had released her Take-Over form the moment she was out of sight. Part of her felt guilty for leaving Gai alone, but she justified it by remembering he was a mercenary... really, it's what he deserved for even accepting his mission.
She looked around her, hoping to find her teammates, she needed to find them, get past the barrier, and finish the mission... and maybe leave Calla behind.
She heard running footsteps behind her and glanced back, stumbling when she saw Gai only a few feet behind her. "What the..." She readied herself to do another take-over when he caught up to her, glaring at her in frustration.
"Sorry?" She asked, uncertain. Maybe it was bad that she ditched him to deal with those men alone, but he looked completely fine, so no harm was done in her opinion.
Gai huffed, pulling a miniature communication lacrima out of his jacket and holding it to his mouth. "This is Gai, the situations changed, regroup and bring the Nymph's Trove mages with you."
"Excuse me?" She demanded, she was about to run the other way when he grabbed onto her, dragging her along with him. "Hey!"
"We're in a similar situation, it makes sense to work together instead of on our own." Gai reasoned, looking at her. "If the contract is broken, I do not need the heirloom."
She scoffed, pulling her hand out of his grip, "As if I'd believe that..." But, if his group members were going to bring her teammates along... it would save her time in finding them, so she'd tag along with him for now.
"Hey! Keziah, is that you?!" Vere's voice suddenly crackled over Gai's communicator. "Should we go with them?!"
Keziah snatched the communicator from Gai, ignoring his annoyed look. "We'll regroup too so it can't be helped. Be careful." Don't trust them. She added silently.
"I don't want to follow this chick! I have no reason to listen to them or you!" Calla's voice interrupted next.
"Then don't. I wouldn't mind if you got captured!" Keziah snapped back.
"Why you-" Keziah didn't hear the rest of what Calla said, clicking off the communicator and throwing it back at Gai with a tired sigh.
She just knew this job was going to be more trouble than it was worth.
Hi! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! It was longer than I expected, sorry the fights were short. As always, let me know what you think in the reviews.
OC's Created by:
Yuuki Nanaten was created by Bluestar076
Cassandra Draculos was created by SoImAWriterSoWhat