"You idiot, did you or did you not remember that they're powerful Wizards?" The eldest of them snapped. "We'd be lucky to get a few feet and live."
Kecleon processed everything up to that point. Just who were they talking about? They looked rather unsettled and a little intimidated just from thinking about them. 'I don't know what, but these guys sound like they have bad table manners.'
After a few minutes, the captain came out with a man with a dark red cape following from behind. Silence fell before them and all of their attention was addressed to the person with the red cape. Kecleon took note that all of the guards were trying to avoid eye contact and they were very well in deep discomfort. Kecleon was feeling very unsettled herself.
The man with the red cape went to the podium stand and smirked down at them. Aside from the red cape, he had spiked up red hair and eyes that matched his cape. He had what was on a set of gauntlets and shin armor. He looked to be in his late twenties and he had what seemed to be a set of scars on both of is cheeks. His attire was also something somewhat similar to those guys Nic and Kecleon fought back on the outskirts of Freesia.
Kecleon was wide eyed when she made the connection.
"Hello again you pathetic lazy bunch." He spoke with confidence. "As you are aware, we're having another collection tonight."
Kecleon definitely recalled seeing and witnessing something like this back in Freesia. She saw most of the guards clench their fists.
The man wagged his finger. "Ah, ah, ah, you all remember the agreement. We pick and you don't intervene and your families will be spared. Our little project takes time, a magic bomb takes a lot of magic you know, but don't worry, it's almost done."
Kecleon was even more wide eyed than before. 'This is so not appetizing. A magic bomb sounds worse than Nic after he eats corn!'
"As for those unfortunate souls that we swept two nights ago, they probably will have their Magic depleted in a few days. The ones from earlier this past three weeks are already in feeble states. Their cells are suiting to their frail and sickly bodies, I'm surprised they're not dead. But no matter, they will be soon enough." He then rolled his eyes. "Just make sure things go smoothly tomorrow or else…you can kiss your families goodbye."
Now the stakes have been raised. Kecleon had to get back to Nic and fast. Hopefully, things won't get any worse.
With the luck so far, it probably will.
With Nic and Erza
Nic chuckled once Erza had finished telling her story. "Natsu actually thought he found a dragon egg in the woods?"
The two were sitting at a table in a small diner they found, and to their convenience it served omelets and strawberry cheesecake much to their delight.
"He was pretty excited, I'll tell ya." She said. "We were all surprised it hatched into Happy and not a dragon. There's a picture back at the guild and we could show you when we get back."
"That must have been a crazy day." Nic said. "So what exactly happened to this Lisanna girl that Natsu was with?"
He almost instantly regretted asking that once he saw Erza express a despondent look. "Forget I ever asked that."
Erza shook her head. "No, it's alright…it's just something we never want to talk about. It brings bad memories, especially for Mira, Elfman, and Natsu…"
She then recounted the events that lead to an unfortunate fate for the Strauss siblings. They were on an S-Class mission and Elfman had undergone a Full-Body Take Over. Nic was fairly shocked to hear that Elfman was shy and Mira was a kickass beast that took on Erza back in the day. Unfortunately, the end result of all of that was Lisanna's death by the beastly Elfman.
"Nothing was ever the same after that." Erza said dispirited. "Elfman and Mira took it the worst."
Before he even realized it, the Multitype Mage had placed a comforting hand on hers on the table. He gave a comforting squeeze and she returned it. He felt guilty bringing up such a painful subject.
"I wish I could've met her." Nic said. "She sounded like a great person."
"She was." Erza said, she broke out a grin, thinking about Lisanna. "She was the sweetest girl you've ever met."
A few minutes later, a waitress brought them Erza's strawberry cheesecake, forcing them to (reluctantly) take their hands apart from each other. She cut a small part of her cheesecake and held it up to Nic.
"Open up." She said. Nic raised his eyebrows in confusion. "You said you've never tried it before, so here." She explained. Nic's face heated up a bit as he opened up his mouth and she fed him a piece of her cheesecake.
"So delicious." He reminiscent in the flavor for a bit before he turned to see her smile with content. She held up another piece to him. The two then shared the piece of dessert and talked about non-important stuff. It was nice to get to know the other more, even though they hanged out before, but that was under different circumstances. Regardless, it was still fun to know the other. It was the little details that they enjoyed, like how Nic's favorite color was violet and Erza has a like for sweet things.
Nic wasn't even aware that he was staring at her. Back at the guild, she was always so strict and uptight, not to mention demanding. She looked so relaxed. He liked hers eyes too. They looked so warm and so full of truth, he couldn't help but be drawn to them. Her hair reflected the ever burning fire that kept her strong and so full of care for her comrades. All in all she looked…
"Beautiful…" Nic murmured without even remotely thinking. He cursed at himself once he had caught up to what he had just said.
Erza, on the other hand, expertly hid her red face by pretending to look at the plants next to their table. Her heart had somehow began to race at what he said. She had been wondering why he was looking at her so intensely at that moment. Now the butterflies in her stomach were fluttering madly.
They didn't meet each other's eyes after that until Nic asked for the bill and left.
Nic cleared his throat. "Let's go and see those hot springs."
"Agreed." She said, unable to meet him directly.
The "couple" quickly headed towards their next destination.
With Kecleon
The swift creature was dashing invisibly throughout the city, looking for Nic. The red stripe was hardly noticeable since all it looked like was a blur. She couldn't help but see a woman pass by. She had recognized her from the Council, though she observed in her poke ball. What the hell was she doing here? Shouldn't she be at a Council meeting or something? Things were bad enough.
'Oh great. This potato salad has gone really bad.'
Meanwhile, Ultear was observing the townsfolk, with a rather small mischievous smile on her face. "Where are you, Nic?"
She looked all about as she went down the market area. She was set on that one person that interested her the most. Master Hades wanted a report on this young man as soon as she gets a notice of him. He could probably put a dent into their plans if left unchecked. If they weren't on opposite sides, he would've been a valuable asset. He would be a tough nut to crack since he's part of Fairy Tail; nevertheless, she could always…persuade him.
Somewhere else…
In some weirdo location, of which was also concealed, three people stood and observed the progress they were making. There were multiple contraptions that had a single person within each one and being depleted of their Magic. The individual machines were hooked up to a really large machine that looked to be a lacrima.
"Almost there, just a little more." The man who visited the police had said.
Another one nodded in agreement. He had dark purple hair that spiked to the side. His attire was almost identical to the other one if not for the brighter colors for the dark purple-haired one. "This weapon will annihilate anything within a five mile radius. Wish we could've gotten more of it though."
The third one there was actually a man, it wasn't even human. It was a hulking hybrid of some sort of wolf and a human that was almost eight feet tall. Its neck had a collar and a multitude of jagged spikes. It had long claws and red, bloodlust eyes. If it weren't for the other two, it would go on a never ending killing spree.
"You could look for another buyer, but then I would have to gut you." A new and sinister voice said. The three turned around and looked at the figure who had stepped out of the shadows. He was a large figure with a black cloak and a large hood to hide his face in darkness.
The three got to one knee and bowed at their employer and Master. "F-forgive us, our mistake." The dark purple-haired one said nervously. It was clear that you do not want to offend him. His body radiated such dark energy that made him demand such respect.
"Change of plans." The cloaked man said. "Instead of kidnapping a few civilians per night, I've found a new target in mind to speed things up. She's been spotted in the vicinity."
"But sir, we have no chance."
Unseen by them, he grinned evilly. "At ease. I'll take care of that personally. Just be ready by tonight, and catch a few more while you're at it as a precaution."
The three bowed and began with preparations.
The cloaked man turned and chuckled. 'Hades is so predictable. He thinks he's the one calling the shots in the Balam Alliance. Little does he know that he has a few of his lackeys hired by me. Heh, he's no more than a pawn.'
He then turned to enter the shadows. 'Nic Pularis, I've been keeping an eye on you. Your power has been causing a ruckus lately, and that's been quite a bother. It won't matter. My demon masters can't be stopped.'
He then ventured into the shadows and vanished.
With Nic and Erza
Since the pair didn't exactly have on their swimwear, they couldn't go in the hot springs, but they passed by it just to get a feel of the atmosphere. They both looked at the hot spring place entrance and could feel the warmth from where they were standing.
"Wish we could go in, unfortunately we have work to do." Erza said. "Come along Nic." Erza turned and started to walk back to the inn and saw that Nic wasn't budging. "Nic?"
Nic was fixated. He had this odd feeling rising up from within, like some radar went off.
He recognized it. 'Don't tell me…' Nic recalled the feeling of this, and it indeed happened twice. He could feel some sort of pull from his Plates and he could sense the power coming from within the hot springs.
"Nic?" Erza's voice snapped him out of his epiphany and he shifted his gaze towards her. "Let's get moving."
Nic blinked a few times and shook his head to shake off the feeling. He would have to come back later and check them out.
They got back to the inn a short while later and they managed to get hold of the manager, of whom owned the inn as well.
They walked through the lobby and knocked on his set of double doors. He yelled for them to enter and they did. When they entered his room, it was decorate with a few potted plants here and there. A large square rug covered most of the ground and lead to his work desk.
The man was very well in his early fifties and had a thin black goatee and thin black hair. He had brown eyes and had on the standard suit but was red.
"Can I help you?" He said, somewhat annoyed. They could guess that it was because of the crisis at hand.
The two proceeded forward and nodded in greetings.
"Yes, we are here for the job request that you have wanted us to take care of." Nic said. Erza then held up the job request and was somewhat startled that his request was actually acknowledged.
He examined them and scrunched his face. "Heh, you don't look like Mages." Nic and Erza then transformed into their standard attire, with Erza in her Heart Kreuz Armor and Nic in his V-neck, jeans, and long sleeveless coat. The business man almost flinched at the sight and was officially convinced. "Very well. I am Eito, the one who has send that request. I suppose that since you are here now, we shall discuss the matter at hand."
The two nodded and they proceeded with the ordeal.
Eito cleared his throat. "Now then, where to begin…ah yes. It all began about three weeks ago. Business went on as usual, a copious amount of customers and lots of money. Unfortunately, that's when trouble began. One night, we had witnesses see a large monster take off with several people. It was moving so fast that hardly anyone has seen it. This has been going on for awhile, and people are getting scared to leave their homes at night. At first, it was strays on the streets, then we had reports of the beast actually breaking into places and stealing people there."
"Are you sure that it was the work of one beast?" Nic asked. "We could believe that the beast might be taking them to where his comrades are, so it's likely to believe that he has accomplices."
Eito drooped his head. "Yes, we do believe that is possible, but our town guards can't even do a thing about it. And they sit around like slobs, not doing their job."
Erza narrowed her eyes. "Were they always like this?"
Eito shook his head. "No, they were good people who never shirked their work. Ever since this incident arose, they were acting like something was holding them back. They even mysteriously implanted these strange lacrima in all of the inns as a precaution."
Nic almost skipped a heartbeat. He knew something was odd about that light purple lacrima in their bedroom. If the guards put them there to repel these guys, then why aren't they working? Maybe…
Nic stepped forward. "Hold on. You said the guards have been held back and they implanted those lacrima in inns right?"
"Yeah, why?"
Nic paused before speaking. "Isn't it likely to believe that they are somehow linked to the beast? Think about it, if the beast is targeting the people and they couldn't do nothing about it, it would be reasonable to say that the beast has threatened them to stay out of its way. And might I add where all of these kidnappings take place?"
Eito narrowed his eyes, processing this. "Hmm…yes, they could be threatened by the beast if possible, but we would need more proof to do so. And most kidnappings take place in the inns, why?"
Nic mentally snapped his fingers. He finally made the link. He looked and shook his head. "We just wanted to make sure that this inn wasn't the only target."
Eito nodded. "Very well. I leave you to your work. If you succeed, your reward will be quite handsome." The two then quickly transformed back into their fake attire and turned and left.
They made way towards their room and shut and locked the door behind them. After that, they finally transformed back into their own attire once more. They both sighed and looked about.
"Nic, what you said back there, what is it that you are saying?" Erza asked, very interested and confused. Nic almost immediately made way towards the bedroom, where the light purple lacrima was kept. Nic stopped right in front of it and Erza saw that Nic had an uneasy feeling. He slowly turned his head and looked dead serious, just like the time in Phantom Lord.
"Erza, let me try and put the pieces together." He then told Erza of his possible explanation. "If questionable if the guards in this town are in cahoots with the beast, but the real problem is these lacrima." Nic then motioned and looked down at the lacrima. "He said that these lacrima were implanted by the guards, and they were placed in all of the inns."
Erza was starting to shape his idea and interpret it, but still looked somewhat hazy. "Yeah, those lacrima could have something to do with it, but what do they have to do with this ordeal?"
"He said the beast targets inns right? And these lacrima are implanted in all of the inns…meaning…" Nic was about to say more when Erza finally got the idea and almost went wide eyed.
"Those lacrima might attract the beast instead of repel." She finished. Nic nodded.
"Yes. My guess is that at night, when the beast strikes, the lacrima might give off some sort of signal in response to Magic energy, or it might give off a scent if the beast acts like a wild animal. We'll have to see when night falls…"
The two then heard something outside, coming at them. They both rushed to the living room, where they looked out at the balcony window. They kept hearing Nic's name over and over until they saw Kecleon appear in a flash coming from outside.
"NIC!" She screamed. But she was put to a halt when she slammed into the balcony and stuck there. Nic and Erza both looked on in shock as Kecleon slid down the balcony window and slid onto the floor. "Stupid invisible doors!" she muttered.
Nic awkwardly made way and opened the balcony doors, allowing Kecleon to enter. When they opened, Kecleon lifted her head up and zoomed in in a rather panicking state. She zoomed about and hopped uncontrollably.
"CHEESEBURGER! TERRIBLE MEAT! MASHED POTATOES! NO GRAVY! HUMANITY WILL EXPIRE! BOMB! EVIL! HELP!" She yelled. Nic swiftly clenched Kecleon and turned her to look at him.
"Kecleon! Easy, just relax." Nic said. He looked at Kecleon, who was huffing a bit. "Take a deep breath." He said calmly. He breathed through his nose and out of his mouth very slowly Kecleon then did the same a few times and slumped back onto the floor.
Nic then crouched down to meet his deeply horrified friend. "Now, explain it nice and slow." He said comforting Kecleon.
Kecleon took one more deep breath and spoke. "Okay…the guards of this place have been threatened to stay of the mastermind's way. He steals people and is making a bomb to destroy this place."
Nic and Erza almost stepped back in deep shock.
Erza turned to Nic. "A Magic Bomb?"
"That sounds like it needs a lot of Magic to power if it's to destroy a place as big as this." Nic guessed. It was reasonable to believe that this bomb could do more damage if activated.
"Nic…" Kecleon continued. Nic then loked at the troubled stealthy and awkward thing. He could tell that this next set of bad news was even worse. "…Tartaros…they're back."
Nic was dead frozen. He could not believe it. His gaze sharpened and he gulped. "Oh no."
Erza saw the horrified expression that Kecleon and Nic shared. She heard about them facing Tartaros and this creature called The Nightmare, but never thought that bringing them up this time around would freak him out.
"Kecleon, what is it that Tartaros is doing?" Erza asked. "It's clear that they are behind this matter, but why is it that they want innocence again?" Nic then turned to Erza.
"It's all they want." Nic said. He then retold the story of how he went to Freesia awhile back and fought Tartaros. How he and Kecleon were in trouble and how he fought The Nightmare. After telling the tale, even Erza was slightly shaken up.
"Those poor souls." She said, thinking how Tartaros was stealing such innocent people all for the sake of Zeref and unleashing demons into the world.
"Yeah." Nic muttered. "We're going to stop them again, even if I have to put my life on the line, again."
Kecleon then remembered something. "Oh yeah! Nic." Nic then turned towards Kecleon and awaited what she said. She sounded calmer and a little more peppy this time, maybe it was good news. "That lady from the Magic Council is in town. I think she wants you."
Nic almost paled at remembering Ultear. "You've got to be kidding me." He grumbled.
Erza remembered Ultear all too well. She was the one who flirted about with Nic. She had to hold back a growl and focus.
"What is she doing here?" Erza asked, almost annoyed and demanding.
Kecleon shrugged. "Maybe or Nic's number?" She was then silenced by a glare from Erza.
"…" Nic was thinking. This matter had gotten far more complicated than it should've been. First Tartaros, and now Ultear, not to mention a Magic bomb to destroy town. "…we'll wait tonight. It's possible Ultear doesn't know we're here, so we should keep a low profile and hang here for the remaining time." Nic said, trying to regain whatever composure he could.
The two others nodded and they all hanged about as the sun was beginning to set.
Later, after Kecleon was returned, Nic laid on the king-sized bed and stared at the lacrima with deep distaste.
'A Magic bomb, Tartaros, and now Ultear. Just when things couldn't get worse, they do.' Nic was in deep thought and then the door to the bathroom opened. Nic could've sworn his face went red when he saw Erza step out, all wrapped up in a pink towel. Her long, wet, silky hair running down her back and overlapping the towel. Nic thought he was gonna pass out from exposure to such a gorgeous sight. To make himself decent, he turned away and shut his eyes.
Erza looked at him and saw he turned his back. "You okay?" She sounded as though she didn't care. It made sense, considering that she bathed with Natsu and Gray before, though Nic was always alone.
Nic turned his head, still with his eyes shut, trying to avoid seeing her. "Er…nothing."
Erza approached him and stood behind him. "Is it something I did?"
Nic groaned and had to face it. He took in a deep breath and turned to face Erza. He felt his face turn even redder with her in front of him now, but still had to say something. "No. It's just…I'm not used to seeing people without clothes, so this is all kind of awkward to me." He confessed, letting out a sigh.
Erza blinked, seeing the red on his face. She then thought as to how the butterflies were fluttering inside of her again and almost blushed herself. She smiled. "Very well. You can go and take your shower now." She then immediately turned and allowed Nic to rush into the bathroom. She kept smiling as she requiped into her pajamas and laid in bed, looking up at the ceiling. She stared into space and thought of today. The thought of Nic's act today made the butterflies flutter even more now. It even made her wonder if Nic was really acting for the most part.
As she was pondering this, she felt something odd. She got up and saw the sun had set and the lacrima was glowing. She was about to get a better examination of the lacrima, but she felt something foul go through the air.
"W-what is this…? My Magic…" She muttered. She then smelled something coming from the lacrima. It was…poisonous sort of speak. Erza quickly pieced that the lacrima poisoned her Magic and drained her will and she collapsed.
Nic immediately felt something strange happening as he was about to step into the shower and he changed back into his attire and burst out of the door. He turned his head and saw that Erza was lying, barely conscious on the floor.
"Holy freakin protozoa! Erza!" Nic rushed to her and got to her side. He saw that she was pale and he saw that she was gasping. He almost panicked, but then he smelled it to. It was foul and corrosive, and he sensed it from the glowing lacrima. He immediately got out and grabbed the lacrima. He could tell that this lacrima was poisoning her. He quickly smashed the lacrima and the smell was quickly dispelled. Still, the tainted feeling was dwelling about in Erza, and Nic was hatching a remedy.
With little time to waste, he shifted into his Toxic Plate Form and reached for one of her arms.
'I can't believe I'm about to do this.' Nic thought. He sighed and he softly bit into her arm. She winced in pain, but then she relaxed as Nic was sucking up not her blood, but the poison instead. Since he was in his Toxic Plate Form, he could take in any and all substances related to poison. After a good minute or so, the color was coming back to her face. Nic had managed to sap up the poison and she looked better. Erza moaned as she opened her eyes. She saw that she was lying on the floor, but she could hardly move.
"Thank god you're alright." Nic said, he sighed and took in a heap of breath.
Erza looked and saw the worried expression and then recalled what happened. She turned her head and saw Nic smashed the lacrima. She then turned towards him and let out a small smile.
"Thank you Nic." She said. Nic nodded and Erza continued. "That lacrima, it unleashed a powerful poison that poisoned my Magic."
Nic was startled. "So your Magic was being poisoned, but not your body?"
Erza took a few breaths before entering. "Yes, the poisoned Magic then circulates at a rapid pace. It felt horrible and I couldn't move. Why weren't you…?"
"Remember, I don't use Magic, I use the Plates." Nic answered. That explained it, since the lacrima only poisoned Magic, Nic was as clean as you could get.
Erza then tried getting up, but she was still fairly weakened. She winced as she tried to get up. Nic helped her onto the bed and had her lay down. Her Magic was a little low now thanks to the lacrima, but it should replenish in no time.
"Erza, are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah…I just need…to rest." She then closed her eyes and started drifting off. The tainted Magic in her system had to filter out, but it won't filter out in time for her to be safe from the beast. Then it hit Nic.
Nic had then realized something: The beast is attracted to tainted Magic. It made sense, considering Nic's assumption from earlier. This made Erza a target now. He had to do whatever it takes to keep her from harm's way.
"It's okay Erza, you rest up." Nic said quietly. "I'll take it from here."
An hour later…
Considering that Nic doesn't sleep on beds, he was on the floor and Erza was on the bed and was sleeping soundly, recovering. It was dark out and Nic should be expecting something to happen soon. When that happens, he'll swoop in and thrash him in the name of Erza.
He awaited in the shadows, still in his Toxic Plate Form, hopefully get the beast to follow him rather than her. If it were likely, the monster should be attracted to the poison, of which Nic's Toxic Plate Form had endless amounts of.
Nic was quiet and he heard something from the balcony. The wind stopped outside and everything all about was dead silent. Nic tensed up and bared his teeth as he felt the presence come closer.
He heard the door open that lead to the living room and the beast was about to enter the bedroom.
Nic clenched the floor and peeked over the bed and saw the door open. Nic almost shuddered when he saw a monstrous humanoid wolf appear. He lowered his head and watched as the heinous beast sniffed the air. It slowly proceeded and saw Erza, still unable to do much of anything with her senses weakened from the tainted lacrima.
The beast growled and snarled as it bared its long claws that had enough strength to slash through rock. He was about to reach for Erza to kidnap her.
'Okay.' Nic thought. 'It's show time!'
Okay, sorry if this chapter didn't feel quite right, but making an Original Arc takes some effort. I do think that I got a fair grasp on Erza's personality, and some development with Nic's, so that was something to be proud of, especially since I got them to bond a bit.
Their fake personas might make it look confusing, but then again, you don't know what to expect from Erza or Nic.
This will probably go for two more chapters, one if I decide to make it insanely long again. I'm on Spring Break now, but do not expect updates to quicken, because I have a few plans over Spring Break and so I'll work on this stuff at night mostly.
Just a side note: I've been playing Pokémon Alpha Sapphire a whole lot, and now I have some ideas shaping from that, but I still need time. I know I said I won't include much of anything from ORAS, but I'm making some exceptions in regards to a few undisclosed ideas in future chapters; for now, I'm proceeding as planned.
Please Favorite, Follow, & Review if you like this story and/or chapter up to this point.
Next Time: Stone Cold Brawl
Chapter 13 – Stone Cold Brawl
Hi guys. Got another chapter ready for ya.
AngelofDeath666: Thanks for being a huge fan, it makes me happy knowing you guys enjoy my story. I can't say much because I don't want to spoil some stuff, but I will say that the Tartaros fiend is an OC.
Alpha Dragonis: Yeah, sometimes I wonder about that myself. If it were considered to be written, then we would have to do some collaboration or something. That's as accurate as you can possibly get when it comes to that kind of description of FUN.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon nor Fairy Tail, they belong to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo, and Hiro Mashima. I do own the OC though.
On with the program.
FOREWARNING: Long chapter, get some snacks and popcorn while you still can!
To Recap:
Nic and Erza both go on a mission as a fake couple and entered Balsam Village, a spa town that is targeted for kidnapping; unfortunately, they didn't account for the kidnappers to be Tartaros. And Kecleon caught sight of Ultear, which brings worries to Nic. As night fell, a lacrima intoxicated Erza's Magic, weakening her and making her a target. That night, a beast makes his way into the inn and Nic is ready to ambush.
Chapter 13 – Stone Cold Brawl
Nic springs up and unleashes a Sludge on the humanoid wolf that was caught off guard. The wolf yelped as it stumbled back from the assault. Erza opened her eyes, but could only watch as the battle was going to begin. Nic moved around the bed and was in front of Erza, ready to protect her. The wolf monster finally came out of shock and snarled at Nic. It bared its long and jagged fangs that screamed for bloodshed. Its gaze heavily sharpened and it raised its claws in preparations to pounce and gut Nic like a fish.
Nic growled in a low tone and leaned forward and the two rammed into each other head on. Their bodies clashed and the wolf slashed with his left claw, but Nic evasively ducked and did an upward angle Poison Jab that send the heinous beast flying a few feet. Nic then jumped and was going to do a downwards Poison Jab, but the beast was not one to have slow reactions. It brought its legs up and kicked Nic in the chest and sending him back a few feet, unable to land the Poison Jab.
'Crap. There's no room to fight. Looks like I'm going to have to drag this brawl to the streets.' Nic thought. He dashed into the beast and the beast lunged at him. Nic aimed a bit lower and used Poison Jab again. The beast winced and had no room to bite down on Nic as he rammed him through the door like a professional football layer. They made way into the living room, where the beast regained its footing and shoved Nic away. It then roared as it lunged at high speed with a sharp right claw. Nic readied himself and counter with Cross Poison. The two assaults created a very small cloud of smoke and the humanoid wolf stumbled back. It snarled and it failed to smell Nic through the smoke that was in the air. It was hit from the side with a Sludge Bomb that caused it to be send flying and break the balcony glass slide door.
The menace gripped the balcony flooring to avoiding hitting the railing from behind. Nic could tell that this guy was no pushover, literally. Add the fact that it might have a keen sense of smell. He had little room to pull of this task.
"Smog!" Nic then opened his mouth and a thick, gray cloud covered everything and the wolf was startled as it was engulfed in it. It growled as it couldn't sniff out Nic, but more importantly couldn't sniff out his Magic, which is what it could really smell. Of course it had no idea that Nic didn't have Magic.
Nic used this ten second gap and tossed out a poke ball. The ball opened and summoned forth Arbok at the ready.
"Nic-ssssama, what isss it that you desssire me to do?" The Cobra Pokémon asked obediently.
"Quick! Go and protect Erza while I deal with this guy! Don't let anything happen to her!" Nic managed to get out just before the humanoid wolf rushed out of the now dispersed Smog and rammed Nic into a coffee table and breaking it.
"Assss you wish." Arbok then slithered with lightning reflexes to Erza's room and made sure to keep watch and protect her at all costs.
The beast was now towering over Nic who was still trying to get up. Nic turned his head to avoid an oncoming claw that was trying to pierce his skull. He shifted right and did a Sludge and it hit the beast's chest. It stumbled back and Nic sprung up and made a silver light sparkle in between his hands. It then morphed into a black garbage bag with a purple outline. "Gunk Shot!" He hurled the massive attack at the wolf and it howled as the attack exploded upon impact, damaging most of the furniture and cracking the walls. The wolf was send out of the room and smashed through the railing and fell downwards over the edge. Nic leaped a little before running and jumping off the edge and sailing downwards towards the monster. As he sailed, he was glowing and shifted into his Sky Plate Form. He then saw the beast fall and used its claws and griped onto the inn as it descended, creating damage and leaving a long trail of its own claw marks running down. It managed to slow down and saw Nic catching up to it. It pounced as soon as he was close and hopped onto Nic, making him roll about and lose balance in the air. Nic straightened out a bit, but now the beast was gripping onto Nic's shoulders and its claws were almost piercing his skin. He winced and grabbed the menace's arms. Nic then shoved him off and the beast fell a bit more. Fortunately for it, there was a house under it and it turned and landed on the tiled roofing without any harm.
The monster snarled and started to dash from rooftop to rooftop, destroying some roof tiling as its feet and claws did as such. Nic stayed high into the air and tried to get a good lock onto it. Unfortunately, he couldn't use ant long range moves because he was aware that people were under those roofs and he couldn't use moves like Air Cutter or Air Slash, otherwise he might hurt someone. He had no resort but to follow and lower his altitude. He shifted and aimed an angled Gust at the humanoid wolf. The attack managed to make it lose balance and force it to jump off the roofing and land on the streets with a thud as it landed on all fours. Nic then soared down and flapped as he now was standing battle distance from the beast.
Nic glared at it as it did the same, growling and snarling with feral eyes.
Meanwhile…
Ultear was walking about town at night, something that nobody had done in ages since the kidnapping incident. She was still keeping an eye out for any sign of Nic and if possible get him to go to her side. She was walking quite patiently and then she saw a humanoid wolf monster fall from one of the inns. She looked on in shock as she had saw Nic jump and shift into his Sky Plate Form.
"Peekaboo, Ultear's found you." She muttered with an amorous grin. She was about to go and watch Nic fight the beast, but then she felt a strong presence from behind. This kind of presence made her shiver somewhat and she turned slowly to see what could have caused her to shiver.
"Guess who found you." The cloaked man had said. Ultear turned and frowned with distaste.
"And what might you be doing here?" She asked. She could tell that this guy was bad news all over. She sensed a very potent Magic from within this guy. 'What is he?'
The cloaked being extended his arm out and stretched out his fingers. Ultear was awaiting for his attack so she could easily fight back with her Arc of Time Magic, but before she knew it she was trapped in some weird sphere.
"What the? What is this?" She was startled and when she tried getting out, her hands started to distort upon touching the sphere. She was wide eye and was forced to recoil, turning her hands back to normal. "What is this?!"
The man chuckled. "Oh, do you not enjoy my Spacial Curse? It's rather special now that you've witnessed it firsthand." He said with a sinister smirk. "I can make the space around the area distort or act upon my will, also…" He snapped his fingers and the area around Ultear was beginning to distort and imploded, causing small explosions from inside the sphere that incapacitated her. He enjoyed to hear her scream and yelp as the explosions from within the sphere kept going for fifteen seconds. Afterwards, he smirked even more devilishly when he saw her unconscious.
"Now, I'll just be borrowing you for awhile." He then used his powers to transport her while still in the sphere and returned to the shadows, having not paid any heed nor mind to the battle that Nic partook in.
With Nic
"Time for the real fight." Nic said. He shifted into his Flame Plate Form and the beast clenched the ground, making the cement on the street make claw marks. Another brief silence fell, and then narrowed his eyes.
At that instance, the monster lunged at Nic. Nic leaped forward and used Fire Punch to intercept its claw. The two contenders skid back and Nic regained his footing just a bit faster than it did and lunged at it with Flame Charge. He cloaked himself in flames and dashed head on into the beast's gut, making it howl as it flew back several feet and tumble. It soon jumped and landed on its two legs and started dashing on all fours towards Nic, giving it more force.
"Fire Pledge!" Nic slammed his right fist down onto the ground and a straight row of fire pillars shot up from the ground. The menacing monster moved to its left and avoided the oncoming fire pillars. It then lunged and was now coming down on Nic. Nic wasted no time in using Flame Wheel to drive himself forward and avoid the monster from coming down on him. The beast had left a crater from where it landed. It turned its head and was struck by the wheel of fire, making it skid to its side. It turned and growled.
Nic could see that the beast was running out of breath, not to mention the multitude of assaults that he landed on it, but it's not like it's gonna take this lying down. It got up on two legs and snarled before it opened its mouth wide.
'What the…?' Nic wondered what it was doing, but then saw that the inside of its mouth was glowing and as soon as it leaned forward, it unleashed a rippling purple sonic howl coming at him, almost making the ground shatter and seeing its radius expand upon reaching maximum distance. '…oh crud.'
Nic was hit dead on as the force of the sonic howl made him soar back and smash into the side of a building. He was left in a crater of the building and the tiling from nearby houses were pretty much shattered. The next thing he saw was the monster dashing at him, this time making sure that it won't miss.
Nic used Flame Burst as soon as the beast was close enough and intercepted its claw. The flame exploded and the wolf leaped back. Nic used this to his advantage and dislodged himself and used Flame Charge again. It lunged at it and combined the attack with a Blaze Kick. The result was a huge leg of fire swinging in a swift arc upon lightning fast impact and making the beast howl as the forceful flaming attack made it soar to its right and crash through three light posts, two benched, and skid and tumbled until it finally stopped by barely gripping to the street.
The monster let out a huge heap of breath as it was getting tired. Its mouth was glowing and it unleashed a more potent sonic howl that rippled a created a shattering trail that Nic was unable to dodge. Nic screamed as he spiraled into the air and was flying about from the sheer force behind that howl. He was sailing through air as though he was a projectile that was launched by a catapult.
Nic then saw that he was about to land into the waters of the hot springs. "This is gonna hurt." He muttered and then was a human cannonball and splashed into the hot springs, creating a geyser that went twenty feet up from his splash. Nic even crashed into the bottom of the hot springs and winced as the air was coming out of him fast. He quickly came up for air and gasped as he reached oxygen again. He coughed up some water and shook his head from the dizziness he had accumulated. "Dang, that was harsh. Guess he was all bark and no bite, literally." Nic grabbed his back as he now felt the force taking its toll and making him feel somewhat tired. "Dammit. I need to-!" He then stood straight up as he then received some sort of strange signal from before.
This was similar and he had recognized it from when he passed by the hot springs earlier. There was no question about it.
A Plate was here.
Nic had to find it, and fast. He probably had a minute at most before that wolf monster comes and finds him. With its sense of smell, there would be no freebies for him if it were hide and seek. He used his Plates and quickly detected the whereabouts of the Plate. This one felt…strong. He could feel a stone cold feeling dwelling from one of the tiles from the hot springs. He could sense it coming from his left and somewhere in the water. He shifted into his Splash Plate in a split second and put his head under the hot water. He could visibly see something glowing from a hundred meters. He swam through the hot water and the Plates inside were going nuts. He then got close enough and saw the Plate engraved into the tilling of the hot springs. He blinked as he got a closer look.
The Stone Plate. It made sense since it was engraved in a stony bottom, not to mention that it could withstand various temperatures. Nic saw the glowing Plate and his body was glowing. He then touched it with just a single finger and then the whole underwater was shining.
With Arbok and Erza
Erza was trying her best not to move, but she kept tossing and turning in worry. She wanted to help in Nic's fight, but her condition said otherwise and there was no way she could do so now. She could only lay in bed and hope for the best as her Magic reserves recover. The odds were that she had at least a couple of hours as long as she restrains her movements.
"Nic." She muttered. She was tempted to help, but she was halted by Arbok.
"Hey, sssstay down." Arbok insisted, still a tad snobbish. "Nic sssspecccifically sssaid for me to watch over you. Recover."
Erza looked up at Arbok, who was in front of the door entrance and looking at her. Erza laid on her side and helplessly closed her eyes.
"How could I have let this happen to me? How could I have been so off guard?" Erza asked out loud and Arbok took note of her being troubled. Arbok slowly slithered forward a few feet and looked at Erza with a very slight concern.
"Look red head, thessse thingsss happen. You can only hope for the better. It'sss not your fault. No one knew, jussst sssleep. You should never doubt Nic-ssssama. He never failsss to sssurprise usss all." Arbok said with slight wisdom. Arbok didn't sound at all snobbish when he said this; in fact, he sounded he was respecting her slightly. Erza looked off into space and thought about it. It was true, Nic never failed to amaze her, and even now, he was doing so by fighting the beast. Erza took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Arbok rolled his eyes and resumed his post.
With Nic
The humanoid wolf slashed its mighty claws and shattered the walls that covered the hot springs. It pounced right through and turned its head to find where Nic was. It snarled as it picked up on his scent once more, he's nearby.
It didn't get to react fast enough when it saw a rock being thrown at it. The rock crashed into its abdomen, making it fall back and skid a few inches. It got up and saw Nic approaching from behind a large rock.
Nic's Stone Plate attire was comprised with an obsidian colored T-shirt with his sunglasses hanging on by the collar, though the casing was an amphibolite color. His pants were jeans that was colored granite. His shoes were rock climbing shoes that were light brown with dark brown laces and black obsidian soles. His sleeveless coat was an igneous gabbro coloring and texture that didn't remotely bother him. There was rock imprints, such as sedimentary sandstone with iron oxide bands running from the bottom to the back of his thighs. He also sported some gloves that had a gabbro coloring to it.
He cracked his knuckles and glared at the beast, of whom was snarling once more. "I'm gonna rock your world." Nic couldn't help but deadpan a pun into the fight. The beast had no sense of humor as it lunged at Nic, but he was more than ready.
Nic ducked once the beast tried to slash at him and he leaped back as it tried a downward swipe. "Rock Polish!" Light blue energy then sparked around Nic's entire body, increasing his Speed by a rather large margin. The monster paid no heed as it pounced again, but was shocked to see Nic dodge in a moment's notice. "Stone Edge!" Nic rams a fist into the earth and the earth rumbled slightly as a large glowing light blue stone pillar to rush from below and ram the beast in its gut. The monster howled as the force behind the stone-like blow made it smash through the hot spring walls again, forcing the battle back out into the streets.
Nic leaped out of the shattered wall and stood affirm. "Rock Blast!" The front of his jacket then started to glow silver, and he unleashes a straight barrage of silver energy waves in the shape of his sleeveless coat, meaning there were two coming at the beast that were two rectangles, then proceeded by another row and another. The wolf monster lunged and slashed straight through and cut through the Rock Blast. The individual silver energy waves were cut down and the beast made way to attack Nic. The Multitype Mage expertly spun towards his left as the beast slashed with its right arm. Nic jumped and leaned back to avoid yet another claw trying to pierce him by the form of a jab. He managed to do so and grabbed its claws. Nic held on tight with his Stone Plate gloves and the beast struggled to break free, but to no avail. Nic summoned up as much strength as he could and threw and slammed the monster overhead and into the pavement behind him.
The monster had some trouble as it could not muster up much strength, and Nic backed away and stood affirm, ready to unleash another attack.
"Rock Slide!" Nic's body glows white and multiple white rings appear in the sky. Large, gray rocks then fall through the ripples and come crashing down on the beast. The earth quaked for a bit and the dust cleared out after a few seconds. The beast was shown to have been defeated, with a majority of its body incapacitated from being under the rocks.
Nic huffed a bit and reverted back to himself. The monster was unconscious and it looked as though he won't be able to get up as long as those rock kept it in place. Nic turned and looked back at the inn Erza was at. "Okay, I think I'll come back for poochie later. Right now, I have to get back to Erza. Nic then began running and dashed back to the hotel.
As Nic dashed away from the scene, the dark red Mage that was hired by Tartaros walked out from the shadows and stepped in front of the incapacitated wolf monster, having to watch that entire scene.
He frowned at the sight of the defeated beast. It was truly a setback for him and for the plan in general. "I've never seen this guy go down before." He muttered. "I'm going to have to bring him back and alert the others about this." He then pulled out a long sword that was double pronged and touched every rock individually. Every time he did, the rocks from the Rock Slide shrunk down to the size of his fist. In no time, the wolf was free, but it was still barely conscious as it growled.
He then turned back towards the direction from where Nic was. He stared out and saw Nic was out of sight. "This might be a problem."
With Nic
Nic scaled up the inn in his Sky Plate Form and flapped onto the balcony, he shifted back into himself and peeked inside. He looked about and saw that the furniture was still just the way it was when he was brawling with the beast. He sighed and walked right in through the shattered doorway. He turned and saw Arbok at the bedroom entrance, following Nic's orders exactly.
He walked up to Arbok. "Was everything okay?" Nic asked. He was slightly concerned if anyone tried to enter during his brawl, of which he was satisfied when Arbok shook his head.
"Nic-sssama, no intrudersss appeared. She isssss laying in bed asss we ssspeak." Arbok reported. Nic peered over and saw Erza sleeping quite soundly under the covers. Nic took a breath of relief and looked up at Arbok.
"Alright, thanks a lot pal. You did a fine job. Return." Nic said. Arbok obediently bowed in respect and returned back into his poke ball, having done his part.
Nic walked over and was looking down at Erza. He was glad nothing happened to her. She was sleeping ever so soundly now and looked so adorable.
Nic smiled seeing Erza look so sound when she was sleeping like this. He turned his head and looked up at the ceiling, now worrying more on the matter at hand. He instantly frowned when the thought of the wolf came.
'What was that thing?' Nic thought. 'Was it apart of Tartaros?' These thoughts consumed Nic's mind and he was getting somewhat anxious to strike at Tartaros. However, he a more primary concern, which was watch over Erza while she recovered. It shouldn't be long now, give or take maybe another hour until her Magic is go to go again. It was midnight right now, so they could only afford a few hours to recover. Nic had to because of his brawl. He walked on over towards a wall and slumped back down and laid on the floor, being more suitable for him.
A little later…
Erza tossed and turned about a few minutes and groaned. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself to get up and going about. Her Magic was fully filtered and she looked up at the ceiling. She wondered what happened while she was resting, besides the brawl that Nic partook in. She sat up and looked about the room. She didn't any signs of danger, or Nic. She then looked and saw that Nic was sleeping on the floor, a more suitable place according to him. Erza looked over and saw Nic looking somewhat sound. Could he really enjoy sleeping like this?
Just as Erza was getting up and requipped into her Heart Kreuz Armor, Nic flashed open his eyes and slowly got up. He looked over and saw Erza coming his way.
"It's good to see you're back up to speed." Nic muttered, still tired from his sleep.
Erza nodded. "Yes, and now we should proceed with the mission as soon as we can." It was around one or two at night, so they only had a few hours to stop the madness. They both stretched a bit and walked into the living room, where Erza saw the damage that Nic had done, though this was to be expected.
Nic shifted into his Sky Plate Form and turned around, looking over his shoulder back at Erza. "Hop on."
Erza was a little confused. What was Nic doing?
"Are you coming or what?" Nic then gestured for Erza to climb onto his back, of which she did. She slowly crawled on and Nic unintentionally took in her strawberry scent. 'She smells so nice…'
Nic mentally punched himself to reprimand his slight distraction. As much as he would love to take in more of her strawberriness, they had a job to do. He turned around and darted for the wrecked balcony. He then jumped and flew off the balcony, enabling flight with ease. He soared through the air and looked down, Erza doing the same thing.
"See anything?" Nic asked.
"No. No signs of the enemy." She answered. No signs was right. Nic went wide eyed when he saw that the wolf from before was gone from the spot where he incapacitated it. Nic soared over the spot and quietly groaned as he passed over the spot.
'Dammit. Where'd it-!" He and Erza both then caught a glimpse of something moving along the street alleys. It looked like a man with dark purple hair, but that's all they saw. They saw him also saw him carrying some pudgy man that looked familiar to Nic.
Erza and Nic both almost flinched in shock when they'd recognized the unconscious man that was being dragged off by some tail.
"Joseph." They both said in unison. They all then saw the man then shapeshift his hand into some scaly reptilian hand and shoved a huge dumpster out of the way. A large hole was under said dumpster that was concealing it.
They both then saw the man dive into the hole, with Joseph and his scaly hand grabbed the bottom of the dumpster and moved it back over the hole to cover it.
As soon as the coast was clear for them, they both descended, with Nic slowly landing on the ground and Erza jumping off him. He shifted into himself and they both quietly and cautiously approached the site. When they were both in front of the dumpster, Nic and Erza both looked around it. They knew what they saw, and they knew how to get there.
There was no question that that hole led to the hideout where the kidnapped individuals were being held. Nic got to one side of the dumpster and used whatever muscle he could to move it. It was heavier than he had hoped it would be. Nic gritted his teeth and his veins popped out as he summoned up his strength and completely flipped the entire dumpster! Erza looked on with a shocked comical expression as she had witnessed Nic doing such a thing. And here she thought Natsu had destructive strength. Go figure.
Nic then peered down the hole and looked at Erza. "You coming? Tartaros is in for a rude welcoming for what they've done." Nic said. He said it in a cool manner, not to sound evil or reckless. He then hopped into the hole and Erza soon followed. The hole was rather dark, even though it was ten feet downwards.
Nic wanted to shed some light, so he got out his phone and used the flashlight function. He and Erza then slowly proceeded and venture down the now lightened up tunnel.
They continued onwards for a god five minutes, feeling the magical presence increase within every step. This ominous Magic was escalating very fast after they've been walking for ten minutes.
"Do you feel that?" Erza asked Nic.
Nic narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. It's strong."
They then saw something up ahead, four hundred meters out. They saw a small pink light from up ahead. Light at the end of the tunnel. Nic turned off his phone and the two began to pick up their pace into a small run.
They then made it to the end and they finally made it out of the long, mile long tunnel. There, they almost froze in place as they saw the site of people in cells, contraptions hooked up to a large dark pink lacrima, and saw a few people hooked up inside the contraptions and having their Magic sapped into the lacrima, one of them being Joseph.
They were both speechless.
"What is this?" Nic muttered. They both then felt a strong magical presence coming from both their sides. This was strong, very strong.
They both got stiff and Erza turned to her right and Nic turned to his left to see their oncoming foes. The dark purple-haired member proceeded from Nic's end, and the dark red member proceeded from Erza's end. They could both tell that these two were no ordinary Wizards.
"This, you saplings, is what you would call our HQ." The dark red one explained.
"Now, Seazer, let's not be rude. They're our guests of honor." The dark purple-haired one told his pal with a smirk. This wasn't a friendly smirk at all.
"Ah yes, I believe we can arrange something for these two, especially the fine gentleman who brutally wounded our little friend." Seazer explained.
Nic turned to look at Seazer. "So you were watching me?"
Seazer smirked ever so evilly. "Exactly. He won't be up for awhile, but once we get the Magic sucked up from you soon enough, you'll be his special dessert." Nic narrowed his eyes in distaste for these guys and how they were simply toying with them for now.
Sounds like these guys need to learn that my powers aren't for evilness.' Nic thought.
Erza summoned forth a sword and pointed it towards Seazer. "Enough formalities. Tell me why you have kidnapped the innocent?" She demanded. Her answer came in the form of a slight chuckle from Seazer.
He then gestured over to his acquaintance. "Hybren, may you have the honors of explaining to our confused guests here what they will partake in?"
Hybren chuckled and crossed his arms. "Very well. You two will have the explicit honor of having your Magic depleted and finish creating this bomb so that those who do not know or worship Lord Zeref will do so in Hell."
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