In order to keep her takeover going after Rocko was defeated and forced to release all the hostages from his spell, Serenity has unleashed a dangerous spell known as Caliente. Once it activates, all of Amaryllis will be swallowed up by fire and be reduced to ashes. To make the matters worse, Velvet apparently is suffering from some sort of heart attack for some reason. It was quite unexpecting. Without knowing the location of the charges, or knowing how many of them there are, the only chance of stopping the spell from going off is to defeat Serenity. However, Phoenix Flame needs to find her first. Frank and Axel were looking for her until Skrull found them first. The two of them might have been in some trouble, but Tsubasa is getting in on the action as well.
"So, you want a piece of me as well?" Skrull taunted. "That's just fine. I know about you, Tsubasa. I know you were once part of that dark guild that we took on."
"Yes, but if I recall correctly, you weren't there." Tsubasa said. "A member of your guild was in need of your help, yet you and Serenity did nothing to help."
"Well, it's Yukina's own fault for being weak enough to get captured. Not to mention her daddy issues." Skrull said. "That would normally lead to a fun time, but this is fun, too! Severing Notes!" He played his guitar again and unleashed several music notes. Each of those notes would be like throwing stars or kunai, but Tsubasa was able to react to them by using his sword and deflecting each one of them.
"Wow! Look at him go!" Frank said.
"This guy has some moves!" Axel said.
"And I'm only getting started." Tsubasa said. He attempted to attack with his sword, but Skrull held up his guitar and was able to block it. Once Skrull pushed him off, he attempted smash his guitar against him. Tsubasa moved out of the way, but he noticed the blade cutting into the ground. "That's not for mere decoration! That's a real blade on his guitar!"
"That's right. That's why they call this baby an axe." Skrull said. He swung his axe again, but Tsubasa was able to jump back and avoided it again. "Between my sick music playing and this killer guitar, I'm probably the deadliest rocker around."
"So what? If we don't clap and cheer for your music, you'll kill us?" Axel joked.
"No, but I did say that nobody disses my music. So watch it." Skrull warned.
"It's a pity. You do have talent when it comes to magic, but you choose to waste it on something like this." Tsubasa claimed. "All this just for the approval of a woman that might not even show interest in you. How pitiful."
"Pitiful?! Oh, you are so going to pay for that one!" Skrull claimed. He started playing his music once again to unleashed a sonic blast, but Tsubasa was ready for it. He held up his sword and was able to slice right through it. "What the hell?! You sliced right through my music!"
"I might have been an enemy of Phoenix Flame once before, but it was this guild that helped me see the light." Tsubasa said. "It was Aster and his friends that helped me find the right path. I've been given a second chance because of this guild and I will not let it go to waste. The fact that you would endanger the innocent and attack your fellow guild members is proof enough to me that I can use my blade on you." Tsubasa attacked Skrull once again, but Skrull held up his guitar and was able to hold Tsubasa's sword back.
"You talk tough, but you don't have what it takes to beat me." Skrull said. "Your oversized metal toothpick can't even cut through my axe."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that. You might want to take a closer look." Tsubasa advised. Skrull didn't get it until he saw what Tsubasa really tried to do with that attack. He managed to slide his sword right under the strings of Skrull's guitar. Once that was done, Tsubasa pulled his sword against the strings until they all broke apart.
"My strings!" Skrull screamed as it felt like a piece of himself got caught. That guitar is his pride and joy and now Tsubasa just wrecked it. "Not cool! Do you know how long it takes me to get these properly tuned! Not to mention I'm going to have to get them replaced now!"
"That's the least of your worries right now." Tsubasa said. He kept the pressure on as he tried attacking Skrull again, but Skrull held up his guitar and was still able to block it.
"No! There's no way I'm going to lose to a newbie!" Skrull said.
"I may not have bene in Phoenix Flame for very long, but I already learned a lot from this guild." Tsubasa said. "One thing I learned is that what we can't do on our own, we can do when we work together!" That was when Frank and Axel made their move and got between Skrull and his weapon.
"Oh damn!" Skrull said. Both of them attacked together and smashed the forces of wind and sand against him. That knocked Skrull back and caused him to fall off his feet. "No! Serenity is counting on me!"
"You do know that girls only fall for the wannabe rockstars for a short time right." Axel said. "Then, they see what losers you guys are. So, you and this Serenity, I don't think so."
"Hey, man! Take that back!" Skrull complained.
"What do you say we give him a double-sided whammy?" Frank said.
"Love it." Axel claimed. The two of them charged right in and was going to deal the final blow. They both ran down the sides until they were both able to attack Skrull from both directions. When they got to Skrull, they both attack from both sides and attacked with cyclone-like attacks of wind and sand. It was like a windstorm and a sandstorm colliding against each other and Skrull was caught right in the middle of it. Between the force of the attack and Skrull finding it difficult to breathe in that mess, Skrull wasn't able to handle it. When the attack cleared away, Skrull dropped to the ground.
"Yeah!" Both said with them high-fiving.
"Most impressive. You two clearly work well together." Tsubasa said.
"Yeah, but you did help us out. Thanks." Frank said.
"Of course. I haven't been an official member of the guild myself for very long, but Phoenix Flame has already done so much for me." Tsubasa said with him placing his hand over his left pectoral major. That's where his guild emblem lies now. "That's why I'm glad I'm able to fight for them." Frank and Axel felt the same themselves. They're now proud members of Phoenix Flame, and it looks like they're fitting in quite nicely.
...
Aster
Meanwhile, Aster was searching around Amaryllis to try and find Serenity, but there's still no sign of her. As he ran through the streets, some runes appeared before him.
"Skrull vs. Tsubasa, Frank, and Axel. Skrull loses." Aster read. "The three of them worked together? That's great, but I thought I told them to stay at the guild or to stay apart because those enchantments could still be around. Something must have happened that forced their hand. I know Rocko undid his spell and freed everyone, but nothing I did got him to tell me where Serenity is hiding. I knew they were devoted to her, but I never realized HOW devoted the Tri Flame was to Serenity. I've got to find her before those three do something they're going to regret." Aster kept searching, but he wasn't the only one. Maru and Phatar were searching for Serenity as well, but Maru was hoping to talk to Serenity while Phatar wanted to settle a score. Time is running out. The Caliente will activate in less than a few hours. Even though there's only one member of the Tri Flame left now, it still won't be easy to find Serenity.
...
Yukina
While everyone else was trying to handle the situation, Yukina stayed behind at the guild to try and take care of the master. Master Velvet seems to be resting in the guild's infirmary right now, but Yukina is still rather worried. He might still be in pain. Velvet is taking deep breaths while he rested, and without being a doctor herself, there's so little she can do to help him.
"Try to hang in there, Master. It will all be okay." Yukina said. At least that's what she has to believe for his sake.
"Ser... Serenity..." Velvet mumbled.
"Don't worry about her right now." Yukina said. "You need to try and stay focus on resting and getting better." She tried to help make sure she did that, but she was getting worried herself. 'Master really is so kindhearted. He's the one suffering, but he's worried about his own daughter. I know he's upset with her, but I can tell he's worried about her like any father would be. Serenity, can't you understand what you're doing to him?'
...
Mary
Mary and Sandy were out on the streets themselves and were looking around. So far, it looked like they weren't having any luck themselves.
"No sign of her anywhere." Mary said. "Is there somewhere in town that has sentimental meaning to her?"
"If there is, I have no idea. It's not like Serenity really opened up to the rest of us, even the ones that have been in the guild for so long." Sandy said.
"What about Maru and the others? You think they might know?" Mary questioned. "Aster is a highly ranked wizard like Serenity, and hasn't Gin and Maru been around for a long time? They must know something about her that can help."
"I'm not sure." Sandy said. "Aster might be the same rank as her, but Gin's been in the guild longer than the rest of us. Even so, I doubt they know any better than I do. As for Maru, he's still hoping that he can reason with Serenity since he doesn't want to fight. He's still not convinced she would actually hurt anyone, but I think that's just wishful thinking on his part."
"Damn, and we're running out of time." Mary said. "Those charges could be hidden anywhere and Amaryllis is huge. Maybe we're going at this all wrong. Maybe we should focus more on getting the place evacuated. The Caliente is set to go off at three. Isn't there some sort of system we can use to alert everyone."
"Normally, we do have something in place for emergencies, but Serenity and the Tri Flame shut it all down. They'll only turn it back on once Master Velvet announces he's stepping down and naming Serenity his successor." Sandy claimed.
"Man, they seemed to have thought of everything." Mary said. "Serenity wants to be master so badly, but she's hiding like a coward and forcing everyone to fight rather than get her own hands dirty. To think she claims she's the strongest. Still, we have to try and do something to get the people out of here."
"I see what you're saying, but that might not be the best idea." Sandy said. "They'll probably think we're crazy or something. It won't be good for the guild."
"So what? They'll all die if we can't stop Serenity in time." Mary said.
"But even if we do convince them, it could cause a panic and there could be chaos." Sandy said.
"Well, you've got a point there. We've go to do something, but what?" Mary said as she tried to think. "There's got to be a way we can lure Serenity out in the open."
"I wouldn't bother if I were you." Mary and Sandy looked up a building and spotted Jake up there. "You're not worthy of facing Serenity."
"It's Jake!" Sandy said.
"I take it you're one of the newer members of the guild. I believe your name is Mary and you've only been in the guild for around a month." Jake said.
"Yeah, and you're one of Serenity's little lackies." Mary said. "What's wrong? Serenity too scared to do her own dirty work, and you think so little of yourself that you don't mind being her little drone?"
"I be careful if I were you, Mary." Sandy warned. "Jake is the leader of the Tri Flame, and probably the strongest of the three. He's not someone you want to take lightly."
"There's no need for Serenity to waste her time on weaklings. She should save her strength for someone who might actually give her a challenge." Jake claimed.
"What's with you and your buddies? You're in the same guild as the rest of us, and everyone else was rather nice when I joined." Mary said. "So, I don't understand why you and the rest of the Tri Flame would do something like this just for Serenity's sake."
"We might bare the same emblem, but that is all really our bond stands for." Jake claimed. "You know nothing of me and I know nothing of you, so how can there be any meaningful value when the bond is so little. Gin was saying the same thing as well, but I have my reasons. Serenity is the one that matters to me. Her enemies are my enemies."
"Did he say Gin?" Mary questioned.
"That's right. He's the one that defeated Gin." Sandy said. Mary was surprised to hear about that. If he was able to beat Gin, she now thinks Jake might be just as strong as Sandy said. "I don't think there's reasoning with him. The Tri Flame have devoted themselves to Serenity."
"If that's the case, I guess there really is no other choice." Mary said with her ready to fight.
"I hope you enjoyed your time in Phoenix Flame because when this is all over and Serenity takes the guild, your time in the guild will be over." Jake claimed. Jake is the leader of the Tri Flame, but it looks like it all falls on Mary to defeat him. What kind of power does Jake hold, and does Mary even have what it takes to defeat it?