Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters.
-The Enchanter of Fairy Tail-
Chapter 3: The Ocean Calamity
Year: X752. 32 years till Canon begins.
Cobalt POV:
"We'll stop here for the night. Get a fire going and set up the tents." Commander Hugo ordered to his Platoon of Royal Knights. Since we had departed at the Royal Museum, it took us all an hour to make it to the base of the mountains to the east where the criminals had fled.
Since then we were forced to make the rest of the journey on foot and had been traversing the mountains for nearly three and a half hours now. Hugo had requested from the Magic Council that mages known as the Stroll Brothers could accompany us; one with Archive Magic and the other with a rare magic known as Impact Sense. Both of these mages were not meant for fighting, but they apparently excelled at tracking down escaped criminals. Even I was a little curious as to how they could synchronise their magic together.
The moon had risen by now, but clouds would occasionally drift by and covered up the moon, meaning Hugo, me and his men had to rely on a magic to illuminate our way through the darkness. Still, it wasn't completely dark. We had a bit of light if we squinted our eyes hard enough. I however, was too busy resting on a rock when Hugo said we could take a break.
'Finally a break. My legs are killing me after all of that walking.' I sighed in relief, twiddling my toes from inside my boots. Then I saw many Royal Knights setting up tents and lighting fires using their magic. 'Seems we'll be staying for a while.'
I noticed Commander Hugo conversing with the Stroll brothers with an archive diagram set up in the air. The three of them were looking at it, pointing to areas on it every now and again. I was curious about what they may be discussing and chose to go over and see.
"No, you are right Leo. That is quite concerning. Why would they just stop all of a sudden? To make matters stranger they are almost clear of the mountain range, all they have to do keep travelling for another hour and they will have reached the forest." Hugo muttered with concern, speaking to the archive mage, Leo.
"Well everyone gets tired eventually. They probably just need to take a nights rest the same as us. Then they'll get moving in a few hours time. I say we make sure we are all up early, and are ready to go after them!" Suggested the second Stroll brothers known as Alex, shrugging his shoulders as he said that.
"What's going on here? I hope I'm not interrupting anything important." I asked as I reached the three of them.
"Ah, Cobalt. I was just looking over Leo's archive maps to get an accurate idea of where the criminals have fled to." Hugo spoke as he turned to face me. I was confused as to how an archive mage could help them find the criminals all by himself.
"How so?"
Hugo proceeded to elaborate for me. "As I explained on the way up the Stroll brothers magic work well together when locating criminals. Leo is the archive mage and Alex is the impact sense mage. You see, Alex can use his magic on the ground to see if it has been disturbed even by the smallest thing. He can then send this information to Leo who will update his archive map allowing us to get a clear path of which way the criminals fled to." This thankfully, seemed to clear up my confusion.
"Ah, thank you for that information Hugo. So what exactly is going on here? It sounded like an issue from what I could hear." I replied back to the Commander.
"Well, I was looking at Leo's archive map to see the distance between us and the criminals, and I noticed that the criminals footprints have suddenly disappeared further ahead. At first I assumed they were stopping for a nights rest but I don't think that makes any sense." Hugo muttered to me, continuing to speak.
"This is because they are only an hour away from the forest ahead from where they are. Surely they would have noticed and would have kept going to take cover in the trees. I think something might have happened to them while they were heading to the forest. That's why I chose here to stop, so I can get a better of idea of what happened to them." Hugo said, scratching his chin with some thought.
"I see… Well if you ask me I think it's best to stop for a few hours here and be ready to move when the archive map updates." I suggested, also curious as to why the two criminals would stop all of a sudden. "We can't move in while we're exhausted."
"Yes, I was thinking the same thoughts Cobalt. Get a few hours rest and I'll notify you and the others if any anything comes up." Hugo turned to look at the moon, just as I began to make my way to my tent for the night. It was thankfully a tent for myself that had been put up by a Royal Knight.
As I prepared to tuck in for the night, I thought to myself before letting my tiredness get one over me.
'Well this quest has been going on for longer than I would have hoped. I can only pray I make it back to Magnolia in time.'
I grinned thinking of the days that would be following this. 'Don't worry Cade, in a few days time you'll be learning magic for the first time and I plan on being there to help you every step of the way.'
? Hours Later:
Unknown POV:
"I'm sorry young man but I'm afraid that your father will not be able to make it for your birthday."
"What? How will he not make it in time? He said he would make just in time!"
"It's… not like that I'm afraid. We were ambushed on that job and we got separated from each other. By the time I returned to where he was he was badly injured."
"WHAT?! Is he ok?" Please tell me he is!"
"I'm sorry young one… but it would be worse for me to lie to you like this."
"N-No please don't tell me…"
"I'm afraid that your father died of his injuries fighting those criminals he was sent out to track… I'm so sorry…"
"N-No... NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Cobalt POV:
I quickly opened my eyes after that horrendous nightmare. 'Did I just… dream that? no… NO! What am I doing dreaming about dying up here alone in the mountains and leaving my wife and son without me? I'm better than this, I'm not going to die alone out here dammit!' I thought in frustration. 'I've fought monsters, pirates, wizards and killers!'
I quickly left my tent to escape the rather claustrophobic situation of staying in that there. Thinking about it, that probably didn't help my sleep. As I left the tent I saw Commander Hugo sitting by the almost gone out fire and Leo and Alex talking with each other in the distance.
Realising that I was unlikely to get some sleep anytime soon, I decided to pass the time by conversing with Commander Hugo by the fire. I was sure it could help clear my head as well.
"Evening Hugo… or should I be saying good morning to you?" I spoke with thought as I approached him.
"Oh?" The Commander turned his head around to face me. "What are you doing up Cobalt? You did get some sleep like I recommended right?"
"Oh yes, I got some sleep. I just didn't expect the Knight in the tent next to me to be snoring that loudly." I lied taking a seat on a log next to the Commander. It was probably best not to tell him I was having nightmares just then. It would be rather discomforting to know that the strongest wizard with you was having nightmares. "You aren't getting any sleep then?"
"No. I must remain awake with Alex and Leo so we will know if the archive map updates itself - which it hasn't by the way." Hugo muttered, sounding annoyed as he threw a stick on the nearly dead fire.
"Tell me Cobalt. You said you use Water Magic on the way up here right? Could you elaborate on which kind for me? Is it regular water, water-make, water mould, water body?" Hugo asked curiously.
"You know it's quite interesting. The closest out of the four that you mentioned is regular water. But unlike most water wizards you'll meet in Fiore, I have quite the unique ability with water. Care for a demonstration?" I offered while smirking sheepishly.
Oh how I loved to showcase this ability to people for the first time.
Hugo nodded his head, him seeming very interested in what this would be. As I stood up I moved towards a set of nearby flowers, turning towards Hugo when I reached them.
I then held out my right arm in front of myself and began to focus. (I could do this in less than two seconds of course, but that would just be showing off.) Slowly the flowers around me began to slowly wither away as out from them came the water that had been extracted using my magic. I swirled the water in the air before using it to slice at a nearby trees branches cutting them clean off. The branches fell to the ground as Hugo sat there amazed.
"So… what do you think Hugo? They call me the Ocean Calamity for a reason you know." I asked, keeping my smirk.
Hugo seemed very impressed with what he saw. "Well I'll be dammed! That's got the be the best Water Magic I've ever seen! Exactly what was that form of Water Magic, and how did you do it?" Hugo asked, now interested.
"It's known as Water Extract. It's an incredibly rare and powerful water ability that allows the user to extract water from any nearby source that contains it. For example, almost all plants contain 90% of water inside of them." I began. "By using my magic I can extract said water and use it for… well anything that you could use water for I suppose. Whether it be for battle, for putting out a fire… or for drinking… But I haven't tested that one yet..." I admitted, chucking at the end. When I was younger, I almost tried that last possibility when I first gained the ability.
"I can certainly see how you became an S-Class wizard in Fairy Tail now that you demonstrated that ability of yours." Hugo complimented nodding his head in approval. "I would say that ability could make you a Wizard Saint with enough time and training."
I smiled, somewhat abashed by his praise. "Heh… a lot of people tend to say that. Even some people in my guild! Speaking of Wizard Saints, I did actually go up against a Wizard Saint once you know. It was my Master Makarov. I was doing decently well… until he turned into a giant and easily pummelled me to the ground."
"He did say that I still have a lot to learn, and would be looking forward to see how I continue to develop." I concluded, my back beginning to remember the horrible pain of being smashed to the ground, and then having rough back pains for the next two weeks after.
"Makarov you say?" Said Hugo with surprise while raising his eyebrow "He is the 9th ranked Wizard Saint right? How in the world did you get into a fight with him?"
"We erm… were both really drunk." I replied honestly, as I scratched my head in embarrassment.
"Oh." Hugo said a bit dumbfounded by the answer. He then chuckled a bit after hearing that. "I suppose guild wizards know how to have the best time after all…" There was a moment of silence between us, as the fire was nearly out now.
"There was one thing I was wondering Hugo, do you have any family back home?" I questioned with curiosity.
Commander Hugo seemed a bit surprised by my question but chose to answer "Yes I have a wife and son back at home, my son is called Arcadios and he's a few years younger than your son, him being two years old right now."
"Well I thi-"
"HEY! WE GOT SOMETHING BIG OVER HERE!" Yelled Leo as loud as he could towards Hugo and myself.
"What?!" Me and Hugo both yelled at the same time. Hugo stood instantly, as I heard many of the Royal Knights wake up from that outburst that Leo let out.
"What is it!? What have you both picked up over there!?" Hugo demanded, as both he and myself ran over towards the two brothers. Their faces were laced with concern.
"Well, while we were waiting for the criminals to move again, we both kept using our magic to keep track of the surrounding area in case something else would come up that we weren't expecting. But suddenly Leo's archive detected a huge spike of magic power coming from 20 minutes north of here!" Alex answered panicking. "It's huge!"
"Is it the stolen items?! Perhaps someone else stole them from the thieves and is now using them just over there." Hugo's voice was laced with fear at the idea of an unknown third party gaining the weapons.
"The magic we detected has a similar enough power to the stolen items, so it's most likely them!" Leo suggested. "What are your orders Sir?" Before Hugo could answer, I spoke up. I knew what the best course of action was here.
"Commander Hugo, I'll go check it out." I stated with a serious expression on my face.
"What! No, we need to stick together, that was the plan!" Hugo protested back. I only moved to rebut back.
"It would take too long to wake everyone up and get them moving. I'll be faster on my own, plus you need to stay here in case the two criminals do keep moving. If I'm not back by then, just keep following them. I'll catch up!" I said to them preparing to take off.
Hugo simply gritted his teeth at the idea. I could tell he was debating about it in his head. "You've already made up your mind haven't you? …All right, but please be careful." He ordered sternly.
"Leo can you give me an archive map of the area?" I requested, to the young archive mage.
"Of course! Here I'm sending it to you now." Leo placed his right index finger and middle finger to his forehead, and less than three seconds later an archive map of the area they were in appeared on my left arm.
"That map shows us where we are, where the criminals are and where that huge magic power we just detected was." Leo said pointing to the different markers on the map: A green one for the Knights, a red one for the criminals and an orange one for the unknown magic power detected. "Just follow that!"
"Alright, I'm heading off now. I'll be back before you know it!" I shouted as I ran off from the camp.
"Good luck Cobalt!"
17 Minutes Later:
As I ran through the hills that were ahead of me, I would occasionally look at the archive map to see if nothing out of place was occurring at the three areas. I also began to try and think of what the magic spike actually was.
The thieves were hours away from us and the magic spike that was detected. As such, I deemed it unreasonable for someone to steal the items then make their way into the mountains to try playing with them. It would make much more sense to run into the nearby forest and get away with them before using them.
As I was pondering this, I ran through some low tree branches that were in my way before emerging into a large clearing. According to the archive map I was sent, this was where the magic spike was coming from in the centre of this little clearing. 'Odd. This is a rather secluded area.'
Though it was not fully revealed due to it being the middle of the night right now, I could see a bed of flowers in the centre, some large boulders far to the left, and trees around the edge of the clearing. This all helped to isolate this area from the rest of the mountainous region. In the centre of the flower bed, I could see a large stump with some shiny objects lying on top of it. 'There!'
I quickly ran over to see if they were some of the stolen items from the museum. On top of the stump I saw the Zodiac Key, two of the Ancient Healing Lacrima and the Sword of Sealing. 'Some items are missing… I can worry about that after I get a hold of these ones.'
I quickly put these items in the pockets inside my Requip storage, and tied the sword to my waist. However, as I finished this, I noticed that there was another device in the centre of these items: A strange, small cube shaped device with strange markings all around it, the cube was also glowing and humming.
As I picked it up, I noticed that my archive map was beeping rapidly. It had been getting faster and faster as I got closer and closer to here.
It then dawned on me on what exactly this thing was and what its purpose was. 'Ah! Could it be that-' However I was quickly snapped out of my train of thought with what came next.
"Ah, there you are. It certainly took you long enough to arrive." Spoke an unfamiliar voice behind me.
I quickly turned myself around and moved myself into a fighting stance. Thankfully the moon helped me see my possible enemy.
She was average height and donned a helmet that covered almost her entire face showing only her blue eyes along with her mouth. From the side of the helmet two long green pieces of hair came out like wings. Finishing the helmet was a large purple jewel where the forehead was. She wore a very skin tight suit with her arms and shoulders covered by a long stripped jacket with sleeves almost covering her hands of which took the shape of talons. Her feet seemed to be almost bird like.
"Who are you?" I demanded in a very serious manner. I couldn't let my guard down around this women. She had been able to sneak up behind me after all. And that was not an easy feat. This only begged the question: Why hadn't she just attacked me then and there? Questions for later though, as I had to find out what this women was up to. She seemed to be a threat.
And there was something about her that was… evil. As in she seemed to radiate complete wickedness, something I had never sensed before in any other creature or person I had met.
"I'm honestly surprised that an S-Class Wizard such as yourself fell for such a basic trap like that. Now you are all alone. Out here, no one will hear your screams and know that you died. Everyone will believe that you will have simply disappeared." The raven like women stated in a pleasing tone, her ignoring my previous question.
"Listen to me well, whoever you are. I am going to give you one chance to surrender and come peacefully to face justice for your crimes of stealing artefacts from the Royal Crocus Museum." I commanded, not having blinked once since locking eyes on this women.
The Raven Lady chuckled to herself "It's such a shame. I never to get to play with many insects like you humans. So many die before I can fully relish the experience. Yet I can tell you are stronger than the flies that I often come across. I'm going to enjoy making you scream in agony." She finished with a sadistic smile forming on her face.
'What does she mean, play with humans?' I scoffed internally, not having flinched at the threat. Threats like these were common with many dark wizards. If you've met one, you've met them all. She was no different… or was she? There was definitely something off about her.
"You hoped to lure me out here to try and kill me." I spoke with my eyes narrowing. "It will not work."
After hearing this the Raven Lady just laughed in my face. "Oh yes! We hoped to kill you by luring you here, that much is correct… But aren't forgetting about your friends back at that camp you were just at? They are quite vulnerable without an S-Class Wizard to support them… wouldn't you say?" She finished with a suggestive manner.
"…! No! You haven't-!?" I then realised what that cube device was for. It was combing the magic energy of the items that were on the stump into one singular source. Said cube then activated, causing a magic spike that would be picked up by anything that could detect magic.
'Dammit! How long have they been watching us if they know that we had an archive mage with us?!' I seethed at the thought that I and the others had been played. I was lured out here to leave my allies defenceless. Well, not for long. I would deal with this… woman, and get back to see if they were ok or not. 'I can't waste any time here!'
"I gave you a chance to surrender peacefully. Perhaps then you might have lived to see another day. I will not be holding back during this battle." I stated sternly, narrowing my eyes at her as I got into my fighting stance.
"Excellent! Then it will be all the more satisfying to see you squirm and break before me knowing you tried your hardest to defeat me! Let me tell you this you human insect; I am Kyôka of the Tartaros guild and I am unlike any opponent you have faced before! I'll see you wishing for death before sunrise!" Her eyes widened and her sadistic smile only grow even more.
Kyôka leaped towards me with her sharp talons ready to slash me into pieces. I immediately narrowed my eyes at that move. 'She doesn't need to shout out her spells? She must be powerful then!' I thought, as I prepared to create some claws of my own to match her.
"Water Claws!" I yelled out, with very sharp claws made out of water forming around my own hands as I ran towards her preparing for the close encounter battle about to take place. We dashed forwards as we swiftly met in the middle. Kyôka and I began to clash with our claws and talons slashing at each other, with both of us trying to land a lethal hit on the other. I grimaced as I quickly realised that I was the one being pushed back here. Every successful parry and dodge that Kyôka performed in between my attacks only led to me losing more ground as she pushed me back more and more.
In a situation like this, you were often forced to swallow your pride and back out, before things could get any worse for you. That is what I aimed to do. Right when Kyôka finished a slash of her claws, I kicked her in the stomach sending her backwards with a grimace across her face. While thois would help to create more distance between us, I knew it wouldn't last for long, so I stayed alert. Of course, I was still surprised to see Kyôka extend out her arms, turning her talons into whips that lashed outwards trying to wrap themselves around me. "That wont work!" I yelled as I prepared to launch a counterattack.
"Water Slicer!" I boomed as a thick slice of water was launched out from my hand. It was sent speeding towards Kyôka, as her eyes widened with the fast and attack being performed so suddenly. She did her best to dodge out of the way, but her fingers were sliced off due to how long they were. She let out a screech of pain, but I was stunned to see her cut fingers grow back as if they were never cut in the first place.
"GAHH! You little pest! I'll make you regret that!" Kyôka challenged as she changed her regrown fingers back into her deadly whips. I readied to cast another attack, not wanting to waste the few seconds that lay in between her next attack. "I will take delight hearing you scre-"
"Water Bullets!" I interrupted Kyôka, holding out both my hands. I couldn't afford to lose the momentum I had gained. I extracted the water in the ground beneath me to send dozens upon dozens of sharp and deadly water bullets straight towards Kyôka. She responded by swiftly leaping into some nearby trees to take cover. "Having good agility won't save you here!"
"Scalding Rays of Water!" I cried towards her, holding out my hand towards the trees where Kyôka lay. I casted many rays of boiling water towards the trees. It was difficult to get a good look at Kyôka here, to see her next move. Would she dodge? Counterattack? The rays tore through the trees with little effort, however I didn't see Kyôka fall from the trees like I hoped for. "Dammit!"
'There's no way that got her.' I realised as I darted my eyes across the entire meadow. 'She was able to overpower me when we were in close proximity with each other. She must be hiding! But wher-' Just then, the moon illuminated a shadow of a speeding creature just above me. 'An attack from behind!' I grit my teeth and quickly made means to defend myself, spinning around as I cast a spell.
"Water Shield!" I called as I created a thick hexagonal shield of water that would protect me from harm. And just in time too, as seconds later, I felt a force crashing against the shield sending me a little off balance, almost causing me to trip over.
Kyôka had intended to pierce my backside by using her sharp claws. If I hadn't spun around, she would have killed me then and there. She had struck the shield at the last moment sending her flying back a few meters. "Tch, you are tenacious for a human…" I wasted no time with her words as I got ready to launch another attack.
"Water Hydro Cannon!" I shouted, as I quickly moved my hands in a rhythmic style, sucking out water from the nearby flowers before holding out my hands sending the water speeding towards Kyôka. Instead using her whips to try and slash away at the water, Kyôka acted to dodge. She stretched out her whips to grab a faraway tree, pulling herself towards it dodging the attack. She followed this up by swinging round the tree using her whips and launched herself towards me with her whips retracting back to their original shape and size.
'Does she plan to try and slash me with her talons?' I thought with haste, as I leapt back a good distance so I'd have more time to prepare. A wicked smile crossed Kyôka's face as she flew closer to me. As she got closer towards me, she transformed her talons into her razor sharp whips, of which she thrusted towards me. 'No, she went back to using her whips! She wants to try and ensnare me!' Unbeknownst to her, I wasn't all that worried. I had remembered that two days ago while I was on the train to Crocus, that it had rained quite heavily all across Fiore. That meant there was enough water in the soil to do this:
"Water Booster!" I shouted, as I used the water located in the ground beneath me to launch up into the air dodging the whips. Kyôka's face widened in shock as she flew right by where I was. She clearly hadn't been expecting that. Then right as Kyôka landed not too far away from where I had launched myself, I used my next move, positing my hands into the right stance.
"Water X-Scissor!" While up in the air, I slashed my hands in an X-formation while facing Kyôka. As I did so, two beams of water, shaped like a X shot out from where I had sliced my hands earlier, with them flying towards her. Before I had launched that attack, it looked like Kyôka planned to throw her whips upwards in an attempt to try and ensnare me, then throwing me down to the ground. But with my attack, she changed up her plan.
Kyôka quickly extended down whips and grabbed one of the boulders that was located to her left, sending it hurling towards the beams of water. 'She's planning to cancel out my attack!' As we both expected, the boulder and water attack met in the middle and cancelled each other out, thus causing a large cloud of stone dust to form.
I then landed safely on my feet, taking a quick look around. 'Dammit… can't see anything…' I muttered internally, as I tried to clear away some of the stone dust that surrounded me.
'I'll need to use an attack here!' I thought as I readied up an attack in my fist that could send away all this dust. I had been in a few situations like this before, and they NEVER ended well. It gave your opponent far too many chances to perform a sneak attack or a chance to escape. In this case, both were scenarios I could not let happen.
"Water Slicer!" I yelled as I sent several slices of water shooting out from around me, in all directions. They blew away the dust in the air as I frantically looked around in all directions. "There!" I was able to spot Kyôka to my left! It looked like she had tried to close the distance between us while the dust covered my field of view. Her tweet was gritted, and I saw her hold a hand to the side of her chest. One of my disks must have hit her. I wasted no time in trying to fire off another attack.
"Scalding Water Beam!" I moved my hands as I created a huge and hot beam of water that flew towards Kyôka. She tsked under her breath as she leapt away, but not fast enough, as the beam of water skidded past one of her arms, causing her to grunt out in pain.
"Meddlesome little vermin…!" She cursed under her breath as she swung out her whips which quickly ensnared me. I feared for the next few seconds, as I acted to escape this bind I was in. I used my strength to pull the whips forwards, stunning Kyôka as she was sent off balance a little, staggering forwards. I then slammed a foot down onto the ground as a small, powerful jet of scalding water struck her under the chin. "Aargh! Wh-Why you-!"
"I don't know what kind of magic you use, or why you keep referring to me a human, but you'll find that I'm a human who never knows to give up!" I used that stagnation from Kyôka to break free from the binds she held me in, before clutching her whips before she could retract them into her talons again. "I'll win this battle for my guild and for the Royal Knights!" I used my strength to throw the whips upwards, causing Kyôka to be flung upwards as a result. I held out my hands, ready to cast another attack…
…Only for Kyôka to extend her whips out even further as she flew upwards! "Argh, what?!" I used a flurry of water spells to attack the whips, but every time they were slashed or cut away, they simply grew back! I was put on the backfoot, as Kyôka now aimed her whips to wrap around my arms and legs, coiling around me like a serpent! "N-No!" I wrestled more, as her whips only tightened her grip more.
'D-Dammit!' I conceded as I let my strength go, deciding to save it. 'That bitch has got me all tied up!' I saw Kyôka land ahead of me, as she walked towards me. Her arms were still outstretched, as a few of the whips returned to her, while I was still in a tight bind. 'Ngh, this is bad!' I then felt myself be elevated from above the ground. Now I couldn't use the water beneath me as an attack.
"Now that you are tied up, let's see how long you can hold on for." Kyôka spoke, smiling thinly.
I rose an eyebrow as I tried to stretch my boots to touch the ground. "What the hell are you even talking about?"
Kyôka's smile grew into a wicked smirk. "How long can you hold on for until you lose all sense of will and self! before you break in front of me" Kyôka rose her free talons as they turned back into whips, before whipping them down across my chest. I thought that the pain here would result in a few grunts or winces.
I was not expecting the pain to feel like my limbs had been set on fire.
"GRAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed out in pure agony as the whip came down across my chest. Hot, searing pain rushed through my body as even my mind seemed to stand still for a moment. I had never felt pain like this before. What… was this…? It felt like my skin was being pealed off, and my raw flesh was being cooked; all in less than two seconds.
'What… What was that…?! I've never felt pain like that before in my life…!' I thought with a hushed breath, my mind beginning to come back online. 'I-Is it her magic…?'
'B-But I… haven't even sensed her cast a spell this entire time…'
'Ugh… gotta… get out of here before she does it again...' I struggled weakly, as I began to sweat due to the extreme pain I just felt, desperately trying to think of a way out. As I struggled, Kyôka only laughed coldly.
"Hahaha! It has been so long since I have gotten to torture human pests like you again. I'm going to be making the most of this experience before I kill you. Let me see your face. I want to see the look of agony and pain you hold as I begin to break you down!" Kyôka laughed enjoying the scream she just heard there, as she began to lift me up to face her.
As she did so, I did everything I could to try and weasel my way out of her binds. If I could just get a foot on the ground…! Kyôka rose my head, as I saw her sickening smirk grow wider and colder. 'I'm… so close…!' I thought as I tried to forcefully extend my foot down to the touch the ground. I was inches away!
"Now then, are you ready for some more torture? I can hardly wait myself!" Kyôka said, seemingly thrilled at the idea of how long she could continue this. Kyôka rose her whips to strike me across the face, and I wrestled with the binds she held me in. The whips were raised as it looked like they were about to strike me when suddenly-!
I slipped off one of my boots so that the top touched the ground. I narrowed my eyes as I used the remaining seconds to throw a lot of magic power into this next attack. "Water Geyser!"
Kyôka was struck from under her chin again as she lurched backwards, her whips falling from where they were about to strike me. "What!? How did you-!?"
I snarled as I wasted no time in using some more magic to strike at the coils that held me. Kyôka let out a growl of anger as more of her whips around me were shredded with magical water attacks. "Filthy little human! I will-!"
I yelled as I broke free from the remaining whips, throwing my hands onto the ground. "I've had enough of you and your insane preaching! Scalding Water Geyser!" I shouted out, as a huge geyser of boiling water burst out of the ground right underneath Kyôka, sending her flying up into the air, as I took a second to sigh with relief. At times like these, I was glad I learned how to extract water using my feet. It wasn't something I done everyday but it did have its uses.
From what I just saw, Kyôka didn't see that attack coming. The last few seconds led her into a false sense of security, causing her guard to lower. As such, that attack must have dealt some good damage to her. Not to mention the water that hit her was boiling as well. But that fact that she had dropped her guard meant that she had been very confident as she held me.
That confirmed to me that this was not the first time she had done this to someone. '…What kind of monster is this lady? She's hiding her magic somehow, and I can't even figure out what it is. Take-Over Magic? Keratin Magic? Whip Magic? Whatever she uses, I need to find a way to immobilise her. I can't keep wasting any more time here!'
'But how can I end this…?' I thought with a grimace, trying to figure out what I could do here. '…! Ah, could that work?' I glanced down at my waist, as I felt a plan come together in my mind. It could work, but I'd need to be quick.
"Water Booster!" I uttered once again, launching myself up into the air. This time, I used much more water located in the ground to propel myself upwards so that I would pass Kyôka in the air. She was still rather shocked by what had previously happened to her. A consequence of underestimating your opponent. Making sure to not waste this moment, I looked down at Kyôka and aimed my next attack at her.
"Water Nebula!" I yelled, raising a hand as two separate columns of water appeared above me. I spun each of them around each other, before they came together, striking Kyôka right in her chest! This attack sent her plummeting towards the ground at a fast speed.
'Now's my chance!' I reached into my cloak and began to power up my secret weapon which I had hid in my cloak before the battle had begun.
The Sword of Sealing.
When Kyôka would slam into the ground, I would quickly power up the sword using my own magic, and quickly strip Kyôka of her magic (whatever that was) leaving her defeated. "It's over Kyôka! This will finish you off!"
Kyôka slammed into the ground forming a crater where she fell. I swiftly landed next to her and drew the Sword of Sealing from my cloak and pressed it against her chest. The sword began to glow as my ethernano slowly started to sink into it, powering it up. I could have stabbed her then and there. I had decided after that torture she gave me, that she DID deserve to be killed for she had done.
But it was not my decision to make. I was unsure how many had been slaughtered by this wretch, so judgement would come from the Magic Council. And ever since that day… I had been rather hesitant towards killing another. I shook off my previous thoughts as the blade was pressed to Kyôka's stomach.
"I'm sealing your magic away Kyôka, you'll never use it to hurt anyone ever again." I stated glaring at her. To my horror, she gazed up at me, smiling thinly. "Tch! After this you'll be coming with me back to Crocus, where you will face judgement for any and all crimes you have caus-"
*shing…*
"Ah-!"
I was unable to finish that sentence as Kyôka extended her talons one last time. But she didn't aim for my chest, or my face. No, this time she aimed to slice right through my right arm that held the sword. "G-Gah-"
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I screamed in agony falling on my knees. Kyôka had sliced my arm right under the elbow, leaving a stump in its place. My cut arm fell to the ground, as my entire body felt like it had been dipped into acid.
"IT… HURTS… AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The Pain… the pain… THE PAIN!
I-It was unbearable! Even the pain I faced earlier with Kyôka's whip was nothing in comparison to this. What was left of my arm now felt like it was on fire. But the pain spread throughout the rest of my body. It felt like dozens of burning pins struck my body, lighting each limb on fire. I actually felt like I was going to die by the pain alone!
I had grabbed my cut arm, holding it tightly to try and stop the bleeding as best I could. Yet this was ineffective - blood only kept gushing out and spraying my left hand. "Ah… ah… n-no…"
"B-But how…could you… The Sword… It should… have… sealed… your magic…" I struggled to get the words out of my mouth as I just couldn't stop myself from screaming and breathing quickly.
"There it is! YES, YES! The pain and anguish I was waiting for to come out of your mouth!" Kyôka stood up now looming over me as I was still struggling to stop screaming. "You were to fool to underestimate me, did I not say before this battle begun that I would be unlike any opponent you have ever faced before?" Kyôka snarked at me.
"What… the… hell… are… you?" I cried weakly, slowly raising my head to look up at her. Her eyes were wide with a sadistic pleasure. It was as if she took particular pleasure in this.
"I am Kyôka, an Etherious Demon from the books of Zeref. We do not use magic like you disgusting humans. We instead use powerful Curses as our method of fighting." Kyôka addressed confidently. "As for our goal, there is only one purpose for us to fulfil: To return to Lord Zeref."
I struggled to believe what I was hearing right now. She was… a Demon? From the books of Zeref? I had heard that the Dark Wizard Zeref had written books while he was still alive, but what the hell was a Demon?! 'This… This is madness! Insanity! This… can't be happening, not now! Not when Cade will… ugh!' I felt my arm twist with some pain as I kept trying to think about what Kyôka said.
What was it she said she possessed… a… Curse power? Was that what made me feel so much pain when losing my arm just there? And the fact that I couldn't trace her magic… It all made sense now…
Then there was their goal, to return to Zeref… but Zeref was dead! He had been for hundreds of years! Were they?…
'No…! Th-They aren't going to try and resurrect Zeref, are they?!
This was bad. Really bad. I needed to get out of here and find my way back to Hugo. Then they can send some soldiers to alert the Magic Council about this. I gave a hiss of pain under my breath. That was easier said than done of course…
'I've never had to retreat from a fight before… I never thought my first time would be under these sorts of conditions.'
Thankfully, while Kyôka had been monologging about her entire life story, the pain in my arm had begun to die down somewhat, to the point where I at least didn't need to hold it to try and suppress the pain. I had a plan on how to escape, but I only had one shot at it.
'This should get her far away enough from me to get back to Hugo and and the others.' I thought weakly, as I began to focus up my magic. 'I only got one shot at it.'
"To return… to Zeref huh?" I muttered, with Kyôka looking down at me with curiosity. "Well then… why don't you throw yourself off the nearest cliff, so you can join him in hell!" I yelled at her, now having looked up at her with a vengeful expression.
Kyôka looked livid at his statement "Why you-! Pathetic insect, see how you like this!" Kyôka raised her talons ready to cut off my other arm. "I look forward to hearing your screams after this dosage of pain!"
'Gotcha…' That anger inside of her was all I needed as it provided the perfect distraction. Kyôka hadn't been paying attention to what I was doing with my hands. I had stuck them right into the grass and began to charge up the spell that would get rid of Kyôka. Hopefully for good.
However, I had to do one last thing before casting the spell. Right before Kyôka slashed my arm off, I kicked her right in the stomach, which sent her off balance as she didn't expect it. Then she immediately tripped over a small rock behind her. All this resulted in Kyôka falling at an angle. "You think that you've won this? That you're close to whatever insane goal you want to accomplish? That couldn't be further from the truth! I won't let you destroy the hopes of people alive!"
"NOW, Water Booster!" Right as Kyôka was angled just right, my Water Booster sent her soaring into the air like a speeding bullet. I had thrown heaps of magic into this, so I expected her to fly far, far away for now. Kyôka went flying backwards far away from where I was, becoming smaller and smaller as she flew.
Kyôka could only watch in horror as she was sent flying off into the distance with me having escaped her.
"WH-WHAT THE!?" She yelled as she flew off. "YOU MISERABLE HUMAN! WHEN I FIND YOU, I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU SUFFER BY MY HANDS! YOU WILL LOSE EVERYTHING YOU CARE ABOUT!"
When I couldn't see her in the far distance, I breathed a sigh of relief, taking a moment to calm myself. It didint take long afterwards until I punched the ground with my left hand.
'DAMMIT! If I had known she wasn't a regular wizard, I wouldn't have used the sword and just stabbed her when I had the chance!' I seethed in anger. '…I should have… I should have… ARGH!'
I shook my head away from my failures. I couldn't stop thinking about what ifs at a time like this. Acting quickly, I ripped a part of my cloak off, and bandaged my now right stump. 'That should help… At least until I get better medical support.' I grunted before standing back up.
I then looked at my left arm to see the archive map to find out which direction the camp where the soldiers were at was. According to the map it was directly behind me. 'Hang in there guys. I'm coming!' I thought as I began to run back to the camp.
As I was running back however, one big thought kept repeating itself in my mind.
'We shouldn't have underestimated them.'
Well there you have it. That's the first actual fight in this story. Cobalt got pretty roughed up in this fight as he really had no idea what he was going up against. Do let me know what you thought by leaving a review!
Now I know some of you may be wondering why I've included Demons this early in the story, surely they would just grow old and die right? Well… we don't actually know that answer. But I think Zeref or Mard Gear would have made it to where certain Demons just wouldn't age, as they would need them alive for as long as they could after all.
Anyway that's all from me, I'll see you in the next chapter!