Damia glanced down at Roxie upon hearing her request. "Sure, but let's give them a chance to surrender first. Kay?" Truthfully he didn't want to dive into too much fighting right away, especially since he was still hungry and hadn't had lunch yet. Though, it didn't seem like they were surrendering any time soon, as the woman put a key into this Gustav guys back and then retreated to a bag. The whole sight made the boy sigh and lower his head. Mostly because he would have to do more physical work then he had already done. "Fine. Let's kick there butts then," he said. He watched as the man jumped about, ready to give them all a kick from the air. His attention was taken away in an instant by the yell of Aina's magic. He stared at her for a second, but slowly, his eyes widened. "What in the..." He watched as she soon turned into a giant skeleton in-golfed in the purple flames. "Wow. I knew that being hungry can cause you to see things, but this is something else." The boy knew that it wasn't actually an illusion that he was seeing, but, never laying eyes on the girls magic before, he would have no other choice but to believe that the cute and innocent girl he knew could change into something as beastly as what he was laying his eyes on. "Very well," he said taking a few steps back. "How about you?" His eyes went towards Roxie. "Do you have any crazy things you can do that I don't know of?" This was almost like tagging her in. If it could be avoided he'd rather not have her miss out on the fun. That and, if he didn't have to use his trump card then that would also be nice. Besides, he didn't even know if he had enough energy to do it.
Roxie snorted at their opponentâs comment,
"Well you're not exactly young either you old hag!" Watching the old hag put a wind up piece in the back of one of her chair guys, all Roxie could do was wonder. With the purple circle of fire getting to the people could be dangerous. She didn't know what the fire could do to her. Seeing the chair guy run towards them with monster speed, before Roxie could even bring up her guitar like a bat to swing at the guy the strangest thing happened.
Her closest friend turned into a giant purple flamed skeleton. Roxie let out a yelp of surprise. She never knew Aina had this kind of magic and for the time being, until she got used to it, she'd be somewhat wary of it. The chair guy was thrown back at the old hag who was rummaging through her bag again.
"Since when could you do that Aina? But more importantly can we step out of this fire circle. There's no use in just standing in here and waiting for them to come to us, it takes longer to get this over and done with." Lowering her guitar Roxie had to lean back a bit to look up at her friend, then turning to Dami to address his earlier question.
âI couldnât possibly be able to do that you idiot! If I could do you really think Iâd be standing behind this wall of fire?â Aina looked down at them and gave the two or rather Roxie the go ahead to step out of the circle. Grinning from ear to ear it wouldnât be surprising if the remaining dark mages assumed Roxie was one of those kids who loved the sight of blood and guts.
Gustav was far too wound up to even be able to surrender. Winnyâs magic wasnât just a speed buff; it was a bona fide adrenaline rush. Gustav was in his zone and felt beyond confident, not feeling the slightest hint of intimidation from Ainaâs skeletal form. He quickly jumped to his feet again and ran straight back into the fray. Like a whirlwind of of legs, Gustav bypassed the skeletal defence; rushing the mages down at a speed that made him look like a blur.
Bringing up her guitar as she left the circle of fire. Roxie swung at the nearest person with all her might. The mage managed to jump back but not far enough as he still got hit by her guitar. He got hit in the leg but it wasnât enough to render him incapable of fighting but it did cause him to fall as he stepped back. Seeing him going down Roxie swung her guitar again but she had been so absorbed in this attack she barely had time to register the kicks to her person. Yelling out in surprise the first few kicks knocked the breath out of her. In the end Roxie managed to bend low bringing her arms up in defence as the last kick came in but by then most of the kicks came into contact and she fell backwards from the last one. Roxie knew she wasnât the most resilient of fighters but she was glad nothing was seriously broken.
Standing back up Roxie used her guitar as a cane of sorts. Her body felt sore all over but the damage hadnât settled in just yet. Opening her mouth Roxie winced in pain, bring one hand up to carefully wipe at her lips she pulled it away in pain to see a little bit of blood.
âOw! You friggin wind up dude youâre dead!â Shifting her grip on her guitar Roxie rushed at the guy who had kicked her and swung hard and fast. However considering him being wound up Roxie ended up just swinging into the air but she continued to swing her guitar, each time adjusting to maybe hit him.
âDammit will you stay still!?â Bringing it downwards Roxieâs guitar smashed into the ground but the guitar itself was unharmed. The same couldnât be said about the ground itself as it cracked a the smallest little crater was left behind. Pulling it back out she continued to attack the guy but made sure to wary of any attacks he sent her way.
Damia watched as Roxie left the circle of fire and went on to lay down a beating to one of the men who was still standing in front of her. He looked over to the leader, determining that if he could somehow get her to call her men off then the fighting would stop. He also took into note that seeing how things were, heâd also have to get his seemingly battle hungry friends to calm down as well. Reaching for his pocket for the ruby crystal inside, he flinched, feeling a sudden heat coming from it. âOw. What the,â he hissed. âRuby, stop being difficult.â
âSorry boss,â the red fire serpent said while it slithered out of his pocket and onto his shoulder. Curling itself around his neck, Ruby continued by saying, âCall me picky, but I donât want there to be another flame around while I work my mojo. Besides, donât you have other crystals to use. I remember us talking earlier about mastering them. Donât tell me you were planning on relying on me all this time?â
âWhat? No, you canât be serious. Now isnât the time to be amateur. I have to use what I know. Stop playing arou---â
The boys words were cut off by the sudden attack of kicks from one of the women's henchmen. One of the kicks landed on his face making him turn his head the other direction before flying in the air in a spiral. Hitting the ground a few feet from where he was standing, the only sound he could hear besides ringing was the sound of Ruby laughing at him. âHahaha. Well boss, what do you know? If only you reached for Emerald instead. Well, Iâma let you get at it. Let me know when this battle is over, âkay.â With its last words the serpent then retreated itself back to its crystal in the boys pocket.
Sucking on his teeth and spitting to make sure there was no blood in his mouth, Damia rose up, staggering a bit left and right, trying to get himself to stop seeing double. Once his vision was back to normal he looked around to make sure everyone else was okay. He quickly glanced over Aina, who was still looking kind of unapproachable and darted his eyes toward Roxie who was swinging her guitar in anger at the fast henchmen. Damia knew that there was no use trying to hit the guy with a direct attack seeing as he was moving too fast, but quickly thought that maybe instead of hitting him, they could get him to hit something else. It was a long shot, but Damia followed his red friends advice and pulled the sapphire crystal from his pocket, gripping it tightly in his hand as he punched the ground. With a slight whisper, he spoke the crystals name and water began oozing from his hand like an overcharged stream of sweat. He opened his hand this time to shove the crystal deep into the soaked soil. âSapphire waters. Water geyser.â
With his words said, water began springing up out of different areas of the ground, creating small geysers all around him and his friends. These geysers were meant to do two things. One, if someone were to crash into them at a high speed, it would probably be the equivalent of running into a tree,and two, it would make it easier to tell his attack pattern, for brushing up against the water would show his position before he made it to them. This would ultimately give them a few more moments to react to his speed. There was only one flaw in this plan. If Damia was making the geysers he wouldnât be able to be the one to subdue the guy once he was stopped by it. He had to rely on his two friends to be able to follow up with him, or risk wasting too much energy creating the small geysers.
Damiaâs plan worked perfectly, as Gustav was unable to stand still or even take a second to act on anything other but instinct. Forced to dodge the water sprouting from the ground, Gustavâs only choice to approach was through a corridor through the water; and so he did; heading straight down the path set out for him by the summoning mage.
However, Gustav wouldnât be the only worry the mages would have, as a rapidly growing shadow was cast over the battlefield. Should the mages look up past the geysers, they would see a giant cymbal-banging monkey grow ever larger, until itâs head was up and above the tops of the buildings outside of the park⊠It was Winnyâs magic, who had used Gustav to buy her time. The giant monkey stepped forward slowly, shaking the ground as it did. The giant toy separated itâs cymbals; before instantly mashing them together creating a shock wave that attacked both the ears and sent brute force down on everyone in the park; even Gustav and his fellow cronies. Only Winny shielded herself by standing at the back of her creation. The shockwave would even affect the excess water of the geysers; showering it down in the area. While it wouldnât do any damage, it would take out Ainaâs purple flare magic on both her circle and flaming skeleton.
Just as she missed again a geyser of water shot out of the ground. Jumping back and nearly falling from surprise Roxie quickly got out of the way of another geyser.
âWhat the hell?â Turning to figure out the source of all the water she saw Dami and realized it was him who had caused the geysers.
And he asked me if I had some crazy magic. Frowning Roxie remember the wind up guy and went in search of him. Unfortunately with all the water it was hard to pinpoint anyoneâs exact location. Then she saw a flash of movement and darted towards it. It seemed she was right as Gustov had to keep away from the water. It was also obvious who his target was,
âDami youâre a sitting duck!â Running quickly she intercepted Gustov and swung her guitar just as a shadow appeared over them.
Blue eyes widening in shock at the sight of a giant toy monkey holding cymbals, Roxie barely had time to prepare herself as the toy struck its cymbals together. Bringing her guitar down just in time she grabbed hold of Damiâs hand tugging him close to her behind her guitar. Although it wasnât very large it was pretty hardtop break considering how she used it but it managed to take the brunt of the shockwave. Her ear drums were a completely different matter. A loud ringing resounded in her ears but in a way Roxie was used to it thanks to her own magic. Of course she had never taken the brunt of her own attacks she could handle it a little better than the rest of them.
Standing on shaky feet, Roxie let go of Damiâs hand and saw that Aina had been knocked out by the shock wave. The wall of flame she had created not too long ago was snuffed out meaning their only possible defense was gone. Grinding her teeth Roxie realized sheâd have to use her requip. It took up a lot of energy but they had to get rid of that monkey before it smashed those cymbals together again.
âAh Dami Iâm gonna try using my blue guitar so in case that doesnât work make sure you get rid of that stupid monkey.â A grin found itself on her face at the idea of using it again even if she had no control on how much sound was produced. Playing a few strings on the purple guitar there was a flash of light as it changed to that of a blue one. Roxie released a sigh of relief, she hadnât actually thought sheâd be able to requip it but it worked.
Taking a step forwards Roxie took a deep breathe in and closed her eyes. Her hand poised to strike down on the cords of the guitar.
âDami you may want to cover your ears if it comes out how I want it too.â Blue eyes snapping open Roxieâs hand strung the cords and a massive wave of sound erupted from the blue guitar. The force of it nearly made Roxie fall but it hit whatever was in front of it with brute force almost equal to that produced by the monkey. The sound was deep, potentially bursting the eardrums for those who were too close to the small girl and it struck the monkey at its feet. Since it went outwards in a spiral some of it got to the monkeys main body but it was weaker as it went outwards.
Damia wasnât expecting a massive attack such as an overgrown monkey symbol sound attack. He was only able to cover his ears briefly before the aftershock of the soundwave popped them. It hurt a lot, but since he had his hands covered just in time he wasnât knocked out. Not only that, but he had to thank the small girl who was able to pull him away. Though his lips moved, no sound came out and once he saw the girl turn to him he couldnât register a single bit of what she was saying. On reaction he had reached in his hand for the ruby crystal in his pocket, only to have his fingers burned once more. It was apparent that no matter how bad the fight was going to get he wouldnât have any source of fire to rely on. He was honestly beginning to wonder how he was going to do anything against that large mass. He saw Roxie equip a different guitar in time to know when he had to cover his ears. Hoping that it would be enough to finish the large toy monkey off, he was of course disappointed that it was still standing.
Quickly, he reached for the emerald crystal in his pocket and ran to a place that he considered the middle of Roxie and Aina. âEmerald Shield!!!â he yelled, mainly on accident because of his deafened ears. Though, the same result came from the matter and out of the crystal poured a green light that created a slight dome around them for protection. He knew that it wouldnât be enough to hold off a direct attack for long. If something big were to hit it one too many times he would not only be out of energy from having it forced open, but he may even lose consciousness, leaving the small girl to fight for herself.
âHey you,â he once again yelled due to the dampness of his hearing, âHow come you just attacked liked that, knowing your own men would be hit? What kind of thing is that for a mage to do?!â Along with the emerald barrier, his words might have bought him enough time with conversation, which in turn would buy Roxie enough time to attack again. Once that happened he could lower the barrier and think about what to do whether the attack landed or not.
âOh them, they donât mind!â Winny shouted back, a little louder than needed as Roxieâs attack had left a ringing in the womanâs ears as well. âThey would gladly sacrifice their bodies for the woman they love⊠Past their rough exterior they can be quite the gentlemen.â She laughed haughtily, âBut you understand that, donât you? Fighting to protect your little girlfriend⊠Itâs how all you men are like. Though⊠I have to pull your tastes into question, Fairy Tail mage, arenât these girls too young for you to date?â Winny taunted, âWhy donât you come over here, and devote yourself to a woman who doesnât wet herself instead?â
She knew that Gustav, between being juggled by sound waves and the strain her magic put on his body was down for the count now. Her monkey had taken a big hit, but it wasnât down for the count yet⊠And it wasnât like it was her only toy. From the bag sheâd gotten the monkey from, Winny pulled a small but colorful box she put another her wind-up keys in and began spinning it; gradually making it grow in size as she didâŠ
Huffing as if she had just ran a marathon, Roxie was disappointed that her attack didnât take down the giant monkey. Unlike the others her ears were more or less unaffected by her own attack but they still rang, albeit not as loudly as before, from the monkeyâs attack. Leaning forwards on her knees, she let the go of the guitar to place her hands on her thighs. Thankfully the guitar had a strap but the guitar itself was a bit heavier than her usual one. Then Dami ran out in front of her and where Aina lay unconscious. The words Emerald Shield poured out his mouth as a loud yell. The very phrase made the girl snicker,
âThat the best you got Dami.â She was thankful she didnât have to yell out her attacks. Itâd be rather pointless if you gave away your next move, besides with her fighting style she normally just swung her guitar.
Wiping away the little bits of sweat that had begun to form on her skin Roxie straightened up at the sight of a green light.
âOh so then it wasnât just some lame attack phrase.â Looking around she wondered how long the shield would even last. It could very well come crashing down if the monkey decided to just step on them. Listening to Dami as he questioned the old hags morals it was pointless to even say anything. From the looks of things Roxie guessed Dami was trying to give her time for her next attack. Frowning Roxie yelled just loud enough for Dami to hear her clearly,
âIâll ty one more time but after that Iâm done Dami.â Regardless of whether or not he registered what she said Roxie took that same stance as before. Still breathing a bit heavily Roxie concentrated for the next attack. However it was ruined by the taunting words of the old hag. Clutching the neck of the guitar harder Roxie trembled in anger and it was obvious to anyone close by that the old hagâs words had hit a nerve. Bring her arm upwards Roxie slammed her fingers against the chords her own words intertwined with the harsh sound from her guitar.
âI AM NOT HIS GIRLFRIEND YOU OLD HAG!â It seemed the power behind this one was less than the attack before but this time it was a lot more concentrated.
Like a beam of solid sound the attack went right through the monkey. Although its power was lessened slightly it continued on forwards and right for the old hag. As a result her requip returned to its original purple guitar. Breathing much harder than before Roxie stood on shaky legs and fell to her knees. Throwing the guitar so that it was now slung around her back Roxie put her hands out to keep from falling face first into the ground. Roxie managed to lift her head up high enough to see the result done by her attack. The monkey finally came crashing down but she wasnât sure about the old hag.
âDid I get her?â focusing her attention on Dami before her arms gave out and she fell to her side.
âIâm not small either stupid old lady.â she mumbled quietly as her eyes closed from exhaustion.
Damia looked as the woman's lips moved, squinting more and more as they did. Not only was she far away, but with his current hearing, if it werenât for her body language he wouldnât have been able to make out what she was trying to relay to him. Though, looking at his friend and hearing her yell of anger, he decided to spare himself the confused reaction and smiled blushing slightly to himself. Like planned he lowered the shield and watched as the death monkey crumbled. Though by the looks of it, she had more than just a giant toy monkey in that bag of hers.
âGeez boss, if only you practiced with the other crystals more, or, dare I say went on the hunt for other ones youâd have a bigger pallet right now,â the crystal serpents taunts echoed through his mind.
âI get it Ruby. So do me a favor and shut your mouth. Iâm thinking.â
Luckily he was finally done yelling, for from the outside one would think he was just talking to himself. Unluckily, Roxie seemed to be pooped out and Aina was still a no go to rely on.
âYou of noble stature. Use my power.â
Damia reached in his pocket wondering if Ruby had changed its mind, but once his fingers was tazed with heat there was a slight hiss followed by him sucking his forefinger. âRuby, if youâre going to tease me, Iâd rather not have you do it now.â
âI havenât said anything since you told me to be quiet. Anyway. Why not use this guy next to me? The one glowing out of your pocket.â
Glancing down, a blue light did happen to glow at the young mans pocket. Reaching his hand in and retracting it, he saw that it was the sapphire crystal, though he didnât know exactly what to do with it. It had been his mom that gave Ruby a physical form and he himself knew nothing about hatching a sleeping crystal. Though at the current moment it seemed like the only thing he really had going for him.
âUse me to help the people you care about. Use me for a noble task and I shall be the winter that freezes your enemies.â
The words sounded all good and everything, but without knowing what steps to take next, the quite amateur crystal mage ignored his opponent for a split second, holding the blue crystal in his hand. The more he stared at it the colder it got.
As the beam of sound tore through the monkey's leg, fluffy filling squirted out like a fountain; making it almost look as if it snowed. The monkey was brought to it's knees; slowly tumbling over forward. It was easy to predict where it would land, but it would force the mages to move outside of their geysers defenses. The giant stuffed toy's descent was slowed by them, but they cut through it's body; spreading more wool all around and piercing holes in through the monkey.
Winny who had been sheltering behind it was hit with the leftovers of the wave of sound. Unable to prepare herself, she tumbled over and fell flat on her behind. "Ouch, why you little-" Winny wanted to yell, but she couldn't even hear her own voice. "My ears! What did you do to my ears!â Winny cried, as blood seeped from them. The concentrated sound attack had done some serious damage to the womanâs hearing. âYou are dead, you little crybaby!"
Winny put a wind-up toy to her own arm, and literally wound herself up over Damiaâs and Roxieâs attack. Like Gustav before her, Winnyâs movements sped up dramatically! Veins showed from her arm and on her forehead, but she didnât use her newfound speed for a direct attack like the ex-chair; she used it to amplify her own casting speed! The box, as well as several other toys shortly after, grew to massive sizes. A giant caterpillar, drumming bunny and the box stood before the Fairy Tail mages within mere moments⊠Although it was evident this spell took a large toll on Winnyâs stamina; as her breath had sped up just as much as her movements and the little she was wearing quickly drenched in her transpiration.
âDie!â She shrieked at the top of her lungs, even if she didnât hear any sound come out of her own mouth. Her toys didnât need any encouragement, though, the caterpillar was a heavy tank on wheels that would simply try to charge into the fray; smashing through the monkey if it had to (but would be purposely avoiding the geysers). The drumming bunny; rather than making soundwave attacks like itâs simian brethren, beat itâs instrument to inspire the fallen dark mages to raise like zombies (they didnât seem to have even a tenth of their previous speed and strength) whereas the box⊠Simply stood there being huge⊠But as the wind up key in it kept on spinning, soft musical notes came from itâŠ
While screams of their enemy were nice to hear, having experienced the pain of a sound wave for himself, Damia couldnât help but wonder what exactly he was going to do at this very moment. It would have just been easier if he could just use the magic that he was used to, but the whole thing with contract mages was that their magic could decide not to work for them at a moments notice, just as Ruby was currently deciding to do. Though, he did have an idea of what type of magic he could get his hands on. On the other hand, he still didnât know how to make a pact with a crystal that wasnât hatched yet and was left staring back and forth nervously between his hand and the next attack the enemy mage was concocting. Soon, his eyes became stuck on the drumming bunning and the seemingly possessed mages. Though they moved slow, it didnât necessarily mean that they werenât a threat.
âHey boss, could you hurry up the whole pact making thing. Iâd at least like to have one of my brothers risen with me before you die. Hehehe. Iâm just kidding, though, if you donât make the pact you may end up dead, so maybe itâs not a joke. Ah well.â The snakes hissing voice spoke to him, but gave him no hints on how to exactly make the pact he was so wanting him to do.
âYou know if you told me how to make the pact it would be easier than just taunting me.â The boyâs words didnât seem to need a response from his red friend, but did seem to peak the interest of the cold one in his hand.
âPromise me that my power will only be used for noble purposes and my power shall be yours,â the deep voice of the sapphire crystal called.
âUm. Sure yeah. I donât think Iâll be needing to use magic for bad causes anyways. So yeah, I promise.â
âThen the contract is filled and by your will, I shall freeze all who oppose us.â
Damia didnât know what that meant exactly, but he decided not to care about it, seeing as it was holding him back. âSapphire,â he called out the spells indication. âFreeze.â Unlike the geysers, this power didnât seem to come from him, but from the crystal itself, which had melted out of his hand in a current of water, only to form in itâs true self, the
Sapphire wolf. In its glory it looked like a wolf covered in ice, but still retained the look of the crystal in which it was named after. The wolf pointed its nose towards the sky, howling at it as if it was trying to call forth something. Though the next thing that happened wasnât expected by the boy as his body had suddenly went numb. It had appeared that the crystal beast had taken all of its masters magical power and then some, summoning a blizzard with formed from a white void and cast itself down on the area like an ice storm. Not only could the boy not move, but he also couldnât stop the attack from affecting him or his friends. In a matter of seconds, his body was slowly covered by the thick snow until the wolf had decided to stop howling.
âSapphire, stop. Heâs not strong enough to survive if you go all out. Youâll use all his magic,â the Ruby serpent hissed at his crystal brethren. The snowstorm died down and the wolf stopped his howl, leaving the area in a winter wonderland of sorts. Damia, shivering at the cold, fell backwards losing consciousness, not by the snow, but by the drain the storm caused on his body.
âHmm. My apologies, noble one. I didnât take into fact how much power you had left. Itâs a good thing I only called forth snow. Otherwise you and your kin would be frozen.â The wolf nuzzled the boys hand, slowly melting back to its original crystal form.
âI hope you didnât kill the boss Sapphy. Iâd hate to be stuck in a dead mans pocket.â
Luckily for the Ruby serpent, the crystal mage had only fell asleep due the loss of energy, though how long he would be in his rested state was for no one to really know.
Snow alone, however, wasnât going to stop the caterpillar tank from moving, much less her other toys. Even if Winny was freezing in what she could barely call an outfit, a change of weather wasnât going to knock her out. Although it did seem to make her⊠Chill.
She released the magic on all but the drumming bunny, causing the caterpillar and box to shrink back to her normal sizes so Winny could preserve her magic. The drumming bunny shrunk as well, but only to half Winnyâs own length. Itâs drums werenât powerful enough to force the entirety of knocked out dark mages to march, but three of them dug out Aina, Roxie and Damia.
âI know someone far better to torture you.â Winny hissed, willing to give that task to Boreas or Cind as she, under the support of an animated, but unconscious Gustav, lead the march back to the manor, while Winny pulled her guildâs coat around her, getting away from the cold before she would be undercooled...