Ch 6: The Bonfire on Library Island
Ornstein wasn't usually scared. Surprised, maybe. Shocked, perhaps under the right circumstances. But scared? No. And that was why what welcomed him in the morning scared the color straight out of his skin so quickly he looked statuesque. Sitting upon his mattress was an apparition, a phantom wearing the armor of Havel the Rock. It sat there, nearly transparent in the sun's feeble gleaming rays coming through his blinds, yet unmistakable. It said nothing, only turning to look at Ornstein, and vanished. Ornstein trembled. It took a full minute for the stalwart knight to regain his composure. He leapt out of bed and dressed himself as fast as possible, leaving his room at a fast walk. He kept his eyes on a swivel, and his stomach only crept deeper downwards as he saw more of the damned apparitions. He saw two in the alleyways wearing armor of the Balder knights. On a roof he saw another praising the sun in nothing but his loincloth, a very unwelcome sight indeed. His pace only quickened as he saw more and more among the edges of his periphery. He didn't even greet the students he passed. He prayed none of the phantoms had crossed over or invaded yet. He pushed the headmaster's doors open, echoing a loud noise as they swung against the wall. The headmaster looked up from his desk. "Ah, Ornstein. I was wondering when you'd show up." Ornstein came right up to the headmaster, pleasantries be damned at the moment.
"The phantoms. How long have they been appearing?" Konoemon's brow furrowed.
"As far as we know, reports have only been reported for the last two days. However, I fear we have underestimated the length of time these apparitions of yours have been present." Ornstein could feel the dread creeping up his vertebrae.
"What do you mean Konoemon?"
"...As you know, Mahora is not unfamiliar with the presence of ghosts on campus. However, it was only in the past two days we received a report of these phantoms directly attempting to harm people."
Ornstein cursed. "Tell me, was the phantom crimson?" Konoemon simply nodded. "Then we have less time than I'd hoped. If we don't find the bonfire and fast, Mahora will run with blood."
Shizuna, who up to that point kept quiet, tried to lighten up the mood a little.
"Y-You must be jesting, Ornstein-san-"
"I can assure you Ornstein is absolutely serious." Konoemon interrupted. The look in Ornstein's eyes was all he needed to know this was not one of the knight's overblown fears. "You know more about these phantoms and their nature than us Ornstein. Therefore, I'm letting you take charge of the situation." Ornstein nodded.
"A minor comfort headmaster, but I accept the title all the same." He began pacing around the room, thinking aloud as he compiled a series of priorities. "First we need to evacuate the campus of all nonessential individuals. That will give the Darkwraiths and other predatory phantoms less targets. Only the mystically aware and those capable of combating phantoms should stay. Everyone else, and I do mean
everyone else, must be sent off campus and remain so until further notice. I don't care what lie you have to spin Konoemon, I know you can do it with your level of influence. Next, I'll need you to gather any and every one experienced in fighting phantoms. We'll need to trace back the reports to their earliest location. That will be the likeliest place to search for their Bonfire." Ornstein said. Konoemon frowned. Ornstein paused, and his eyes went wide as he looked at the headmaster. "...You know where they're coming from, don't you?" The headmaster sighed.
"No, but I have a strong suspicion. You know about the underground portion of Library Island?"
"Of course. Is that where you think they are coming from?" Konoemon nodded.
"Some time ago, I followed Springfield and a group of his students beneath the island. During their escape, an arrow passed by my vision. However, when I looked to the origin point, I saw a specter with a peculiar bow and hat on. Before I could distinguish him, he vanished."
Ornstein sighed and sat in one of the overly soft cushioned chairs.
"Pharis. Pharis you ignorant idiot." He took a deep breath and regained his composure. "Regardless of how long this event has been going, this remains fact: we must find the Bonfire and destroy it before the Darkwraiths and Chaos turn this realm into a hellish land like mine." Konoemon grunted in agreement. He pulled some papers out of his desk and took a pen from his side. He started filing out forms in almost mechanical fashion. He handed one of the forms to Shizuna without even glancing her way.
"Miss Shizuna, alert the campus that a state of emergency has been declared. We're going with the story that an unknown terrorist organization has set bombs all across the campus. All students are to evacuate to the trains immediately and are forbidden from returning until the status of our campus has been deemed safe once again. Anyone found still on campus before the alert has been lifted will face immediate expulsion and every privilege revoked. I don't care if even Chao Lingshen and her team protest, make them leave by force if necessary. Understood?"
"Absolutely Headmaster. Consider it done." Shizuna said taking the form and exiting the room. Ornstein looked at Konoemon.
"Do you know the layout of Library Island?"
"Like the back of my gnarled old hand." Konoemon said without even a glance.
"Good. Because I'll need you to guide me down that treacherous labyrinth you call a library." Despite himself, Ornstein smiled. "Congratulations Konoemon. You've been drafted."
Break
Despite the urgency of the situation, it still took nearly five and a half hours for all the students to leave the grounds. But by the end of it, Mahora Academy was quieter than a desert plain. Only Evangeline, Chachamaru, and Tatsumiya remained behind. When Tatsumiya arrived in Konoemon's office however, Ornstein couldn't help but feel a little on edge from the girl's presence. He looked at Konoemon, a question in his eyes. Konoemon recognized the look.
"I hired Miss Tatsumiya as she has a history of dealing with phantoms, and given her expertise, I thought she could provide particular aid to our cause."
Ornstein just huffed before turning his gaze over to Mana.
"I don't know if I trust some mercenary as much as I would a fellow staff member. However," he said standing from his chair, "I can see from your eyes a warrior's spirit. If you have any semblance of a code of honor, then perhaps I will grant you the benefit of the doubt, demon."
Mana actually smiled.
"You're as sharp and cold as ever Sensei." She said with a hint of amusement. "But don't worry yourself. With the payment the headmaster offered, you can be assured of my loyalty." Ornstein still held his doubts but kept them to himself.
"So, Konoemon, I suppose we should get this over with." Konoemon nodded.
"The sooner we head for Library Island, the better. Miss Tatsumiya, I assume you've already prepared for this?"
Mana just pulled out a collection of pistols and two assault rifles from what appeared to be nowhere, and smiled. Konoemon just stared with a deadpan look.
"I'll take that as a yes. Are you ready, Ornstein?"
"Just hand me my armor and my spear and I will be."
Konoemon frowned for a moment, but relented.
"Very well. I will lead you to them. However I expect you to return them at the end of this venture, is that understood?"
"Do you think I need a reminder after what you did to me the last time I refused? I don't forget easily." He made his way to the door followed by Konoemon and Tatsumiya. Eventually they arrive deep beneath the World Tree, down to where it's very roots grow. There was a platform with an enormous crystal in the center, and Tatsumiya swore she saw someone inside the stone when Konoemon spoke up.
"Here is the key to the vault." He said handing Ornstein a blank white card. "Hold it in front of the western entrance, and you will receive what is yours."
Ornstein just took the card and made his way over to the entrance. He held the card aloft and a small magical beam shot out to read the card. A voice uttered an acceptance of the card, and the entrance shimmered to reveal a pod as tall as Ornstein himself. The pod slid open, and within it stood a glorious set of armor and a magnificent spear. Mana had always wondered what exactly her gym teacher's past had been, and from the way he caressed the armor like an old friend, she had a very vivid idea. From the way he undressed with a sense of ceremony despite the presence of others watching him, to the practiced and mechanical fashion he strapped each piece onto his body, it was like a second skin to him. The final piece was the helmet. A helm in the shape of a growling lion with a luscious red plumage at the top that seemed impractical. When he donned the helm, he looked like a knight straight out of a fantasy novel. He towered over her, and his silhouette was a mixture of smooth pointed tips and golden carvings in his armor. The tips on his breastplate shot upwards like twin points, and his fingers looked closer to claws beneath the plating and chainmail. He pulled the adjacent spear from its moorings, and Mana felt the smile beneath his helmet. He twirled the spear around without a shred of effort in his movements, lightning bolts dancing along the spear's length. When he had come face to face with Mana, he slammed his spear to the ground, sending sparks flying around the impact point. Mana looked up at the armored teacher.
"Scared, demon?" He said with a hint of arrogance. "My bolts were known to burn the skin of your chaotic kind."
Mana just looked at the spear and clicked her tongue, amused.
"I think someone is compensating for something." She said with a wicked smirk on her face turning back to the exit. Ornstein said nothing, but Mana could feel the steam from his cheeks without even looking.
Working with him is going to be a chore, she thought.
Break
With Konoemon staying behind to watch over the rest of the campus with the other faculty and acting as their telepathic guide, Tatsumiya and Ornstein took their first steps into Library Island. Although their presence rose and fell, Mana could tell the island was practically swarming with "phantoms" as Ornstein called them. She remembered what he had told her on their way over in brief: light blue and see through, can't hurt you. White and bright, allies in a fight. Red and black, kill ASAP. Ornstein stopped for a moment.
"Konoemon, we're inside already. The situation is worse than we thought. The island is swarming with phantoms. Most of them are harmless, but with this many popping in and out--"
--There's no telling how soon those so-called "Darkwraiths" of yours could start popping up.
"Right. So, where to first?"
As the two made their way around corners and down staircase, Mana couldn't help but feel like they were being watched by the phantoms as they passed by. That, and the exorbitant amount of blood along the floor. She and human blood were quite familiar already, but she'd never seen so much without traces of a body. As they came to a juncture, Ornstein stopped.
"Tatsumiya, do you know what these bloodstains represent?"
"Can't say that I do." She answered.
"They're the last recorded moments of an Undead's life. If you pass a little of your soul through it you can use it…" He pressed his hand to one of the bloodstains and a phantom appeared running towards them before it fell over and seemed to be trampled by something huge before disappearing. "And hopefully use their last moments to not repeat their--MOVE!" He suddenly shouted and threw himself at Mana just as a massive chariot pulled by a huge two-headed horse with flaming eye sockets and nostrils stampeded through, rags wrapped around its entire bony body. It was harnessed in an iron bridle and whined with an unnatural keen in its voice. Behind the horse an armored driver with only skin and a skeletal outline whipped the horse to keep running as it deftly turned the corner, the rider cackling with a hoarse voice all the way until it vanished in the darkness. Ornstein shifted off of Mana before standing back up.
"What was
that?" Mana asked.
"I don't know. But whatever it is," Ornstein said brandishing his spear "It's blocking our way. It dies."
"Agreed." Mana said chambering a round into her assault rifle as the sound of hooves came closer and closer. When she saw the blue flames of the horse's eye sockets she jumped into the way to Ornstein's horror and fired right at the driver between the eyes. She smiled. And then her eyes went wide with shock. The horses didn't slow down. If anything, their whines and neighs grew more feral and chilling, running almost out of control as they stampeded towards her. It was only a second early before the horse came tumbling over itself, flipping the chariot over and almost crushing Mana until something stopped it. She opened her eyes to see Ornstein holding the chariot over his head before throwing it and letting gravity bring it crashing back to the ground. Mana looked between the bones of the horse and Ornstein. Ornstein just looked at Mana before he started making his way past the horses. He didn't even pause as his boot crushed the head of the driver. He looked back at her.
"Coming, demon?"
Mana just stood back up and made her way past the corpse of the horse, just giving it a last backward glance before moving on. As the path wound downward, shadows began to take the forms of other things, as well as echoes of sounds unnatural: the creaking of fire-charred armor; the hissing of four-legged reptiles with enormous false eyes that spewed poisonous gasses from their maws; and the knell of a bell somewhere distant, ringing as if to push the duo further down into the depths of the island. As they neared the entrance leading to one of the levels for the elevator, Ornstein stopped.
"You know we're being followed, right?"
"I realized it about three levels ago. You?"
"Four. But the better questions are, who and why?"
"Don't know." Mana said. "But I doubt it's to help us."
An arrow sailed past Mana's head as she finished, embedding itself inside a piece of the wooden wall surrounding the elevator doors.
"And I expect
that confirms our suspicions." Ornstein remarked, bolts arcing down his spear's shaft. Mana readied her rifle and activated her Demon's Eye, enhancing her perception of the ethereal apparitions. They numbered well into the tens, maybe even the hundreds. Their forms cast off a dark, crimson glow that was reflected in their eyes, a hunger that never subsided. She didn't wait for them to approach. She pulled the trigger, sending at least a dozen tumbling backwards as their ghostly heads were bored through by paranormally blessed bullets, sending the others into a charge.
"Ready, sensei?" Mana said. She could almost feel the arrogance from his presence.
"Always. Just make sure they don't touch
you, demon." With that Ornstein braced himself before the narrow hall as the tide of phantoms poured into sight. He fired off a bolt of lightning from his spear, blasting the first waves with a deadly current that caused them to fall as the rest came trampling and tripping over their fallen comrades. After a minute or so the tide broke through and Ornstein forced himself to fall back before any of those accursed wraiths could drain him of his soul. He moved as quickly as he could, but the onrush of enemies kept him from utilizing his shundo effectively, and Tatsumiya was occupied fending off her own group of attackers as well. However as the two were forced back to back, Ornstein started to ponder something.
"Something's wrong," He muttered. "Why do they not press forward? They're not focused on us." He finished as he elbowed another dark phantom in the face and stabbed it through the heart.
"You sure? They seem pretty focused to me." Mana replied as she shot another enemy through the head and one to her side. Ornstein just shook his head.
"Usually they'd be trampling over each other or killing each other just for a chance to kill one of us. We're not--The elevator!"
As the words left his mouth a one of the dark phantoms smashed a club that more resembled a huge claw right into the elevator's controls and followed up as it smashed the metal doors inward. As if by instinct the crowd began to close in faster on the duo, shrinking their available space body by body.
"We're running out of room sensei!" Mana said between shots. "Any bright ideas?"
"Just--nff!--one! Brace yourself!" At that instant, Ornstein channeled his power of lightning into the shape of a stake and slammed it straight into the ground. The floor shook and trembled as it collapsed beneath everyone.
Break
Mana fell. She did not know how long or far, but eventually she saw earth rushing towards her. She didn't have time to find a foothold to launch from, so she called on her latent powers. Batlike wings sprouted from her lower back, creating a gust of wind as they flapped to slow her descent. She landed as a speck of dust would from a hundred foot fall, light and with nary a noise. She looked around, her only source of light being the open hole in the "ceiling". From above she could make out the silhouettes of the remaining phantoms, looking down on her like angels from heaven seeing a cursed animal. Mana gave them no such humor, and fired a round into one of the onlooker's heads, sending their lifeless form dispersing into light as it fell. The other phantoms stepped back, frightened by her marksmanship. With no point in staying in one spot, Mana began moving further into the darkness. Further and further into the darkness she walked, until eventually she came across a flickering light. Upon approach it was a torch that somehow still burned even in this deep darkness. She took it and continued walking, the halls of bookshelves almost looming over her like watchful sentries. As she made her way deeper downwards, plumes of torchlight began to illuminate the halls below her. It reminded her of a time before Mahora, a time when war was an old friend to her, a time of death. As memories began to surface, the halls seemed to conjure memory into reality. From the darkness Mana heard the sound of a crying woman. Mana drew her pistol out as the sound amplified, growing ever closer. As she heard the sounds of skin slithering against the ground, her grip became unnaturally tighter. At long last, the source of the weeping was illuminated: a large, serpentine creature emerged from the darkness, half-hobbling and half-slithering along the floor. It had no arms and a hood-like mass of octopus tentacles reaching out in the air, like it was trying to feel its way out with the sucker ridden tendrils. The closest it had for teeth was a single long needle-like protrusion extending out from what seemed a mass of flesh. Yet this thing, this abominable, slithering mass of tendrils, was crying like a mourning woman, its body shuddering with tears impossible to shed. The thing's movements froze Mana to the spot, her mind overflowing with a tidal wave of emotions and memories, typified by the only word she could utter:
"...Mother?"
It was barely beyond a whisper, but the vast darkness made it echo so loud the creature turned straight in Mana's direction. The oily tentacles reached out with a painful slowness, like a blind woman reaching out to touch another human being, hoping, praying, they had found another to grasp in their world of darkness. And then, like Icarus himself, a stray tendril brushed too close to the open flame, and the creature recoiled with an inhuman shriek that shook Mana free from her mental trance. The creature lurched in close to Mana, and wrapped its tendrils around her body. But Mana retaliated, and began firing straight into the horrific monstrosity's head, causing howls of such human nature that another would have thought their very spine had frozen with the chill of a furious blizzard at the act. Yet Mana held firm. She remembered--nay, she forced herself to remember--that her mother was dead. Dead by her own hands, in an act of mercy that was her first murder. And that no matter how desperately she wanted, her mother's blood would never wash off her hands.
Break
The darkness of the deeper levels of Library Island gave a great level of comfort to the likes of rats and insects. One such rodent happened upon a still, almost catatonic body wearing some ornate armor. The rat, curious, scurried up the length of the body and began sniffing around the top of the thing. Perhaps its whiskers had tickled the creature, as it stirred and groaned as it returned to the world and sent the curious rodent scampering off in a rush. Ornstein shook his head to clear the noise from his thoughts and looked around. Darkness in every direction except up, where a few rays of light cast down upon him from above. Seeing he could not hope to make the jump back up, and deciding he was best off not facing hordes of dark phantoms, he began his trek into the darkness. Soon the only light was that cast by his miracles, and only the sounds of distant dripping water and the crunch of his armored boots remained around him. He avoided the booby traps easily as he was versed in spotting the signs of switches and triggers from traversing Sen's Fortress in the Age of Fire. As he descended deeper and deeper into the levels of the Island, it occurred to him that he had not tried to contact the headmaster in some time. But when he tried, nothing came. No voice, no laugh, nothing. Something was jamming the link. More likely, someone. Ornstein listened to the sounds around him, trying to locate anything unusual. The scurrying of rats, the buzzing of insects, the sound of his own breath. Nothing seemed out of place. Then, like a flash of light, he saw it. A bright blue arrow flashed past his view, and instinct took over, making the knight dive for cover. A soul arrow. One of the sorceries crafted by Seath in his time as a duke before madness took him. Ornstein forced himself to calm down. His enemy had just given away their location, but his own miracles gave away his. He cut off his miracle and was enveloped in darkness. All he had was sound and his other senses to rely on. Footsteps echoed in the distance. South by southwest. When he heard the footsteps end, he channeled his powers and fired a bolt at his best guess of his enemy's location. For a brief few seconds, the explosion illuminated the surrounding area. Papers and manuscripts fluttered in the air as a figure leapt away from the blast, though it landed with an audible clap of feet. Another patter of footsteps and a counter arrow shot through the air, forcing to make Ornstein leap off the staircase he'd been on to a lower level. The clanking of his armor however made him much easier to locate, and his assailant took advantage as they fired off a homing soulmass sorcery, sending five small soul arrows in pursuit. They didn't track like Evangeline's magical arrows, but they made up for it with more power in each attack. The blasts sent Ornstein into a freefall until he came impacting down on the ground after what had felt an eternity. He bit down the urge to groan from his body, and forced himself upright. The assailant revealed themselves again, this time with a more powerful version of a soul arrow, revealing its face. Ornstein recognized the six-eyed mask of Seath's channelers, and suppressed the urge to groan even more. This wasn't going to be a short fight. The channeler fired its arrow and Ornstein countered with a bolt of his own, canceling the arrow and the bolt and sending the room back into darkness. Ornstein moved himself behind what he assumed was a bookshelf before the thunderous heaving of his breath began. He fought the urge to curse on top of his breathing. Of course it had to be a channeler, the blasted shamans were an annoyance to deal with whenever they came invading the palace when going after Princess Gwynevere. That damned teleportation magic of theirs had caused him and Smough no shortage of headaches back in Anor Londo, and their magic proficiency was nothing to scoff at, especially in his current situation. From where he stood, he was at a disadvantage. He had only a few miracles that could track the channeler assuming he didn't teleport, and his armor made far too much noise. He could only think of one word to describe his situation.
Crap.
Break
Silence. Oppressive, interminable silence reigned. The creature was dead, and its oily clear blood coated Mana's hands. One hand gripped her smouldering pistol with a vice grip, the other was covered in the mad thing's blood, evidence of the struggle. Mana stared at the creature, her breath almost visible by the flame's flickering light as it lay at her feet. She shuddered, forcing herself to be steeled, despite how wet her cheeks felt. She forced herself to wipe the blood from her hands, almost breaking the skin off. The jacket was so wet from the blood, she could not bear the sight of it and left it to burn as she forced herself to continue walking. She couldn't stop. She dared not look back, lest she break into endless tears and pained sobs at the experience of having to live through her first kill all over again.
Break
The darkness of the halls within Library Island housed a battle between two distinctly different beings. One was a being of miracles, light, a knight devoted to his code and his duty. The other was a being of sorcery, magics conjured from the soul who served a mad duke in his endless search for true immortality. However they could only fight through the senses beyond their sight, one conjuring arrows borne of the soul, the other channeling his inner power to use the very lightning as his weapons. Soul and lightning flashed across the darkness as the two enemies clashed from a distance, a pair of snipers trying to locate the other before they were discovered. Ornstein cursed as another arrow just missed him and scaled the walls of the shelves to the top. Even though he had the advantage of sensing the channeler's soul, he required more time to fire his bolts, while the channeler could fire off an arrow and kill him before he finished his attack. Not to mention the channeler's incessant teleportation made it difficult to keep track of him, as it was like his soul vanished before popping back in some spot different from the last. Add on the fact that Ornstein could tell his armor made him an easier target, as it clanked and creaked with each movement, almost killing him twice within 30 seconds of each instance. He landed on the top of a bookshelf and opened his senses to locate the channeler once more. Apparently the channeler had followed him and was now on the shelf just to his right, and from the way the soul was flaring…
"Oh no." Was all he got to say before a great soul arrow pierced his shoulder and sent him flying backwards before colliding and nearly tipping another shelf over with his impact as he slid down to the floor. Ornstein couldn't help but curse beneath his breath. Now he had a wound and he was at a disadvantage if he tried to heal as it would reveal his position. He forced himself back up, his armor causing more noise as he stood up. He almost wanted to curse his armor as well. The damned thing made far too much noise, and it was at the moment a disadvantage more than an asset. If only he hadn't been so attached to it maybe he could…
That's it! He thought.
The channeler listened for any sounds of movement, a sound that betrayed the enemy's position. Yet all he heard were the sounds of creaking armor and footsteps not far from where the enemy had fallen. Preparing another arrow the channeler teleported when it heard a sound like an electrical charge building up. It teleported above the location it guessed the enemy was, and jumped down, plunging its trident staff straight down into what it suspected was its enemy's chest. It waited for the charge to subside, and when it did, it listened for its' enemy's dying chokes. But the strangeness was, there were no chokes, only the sound of scraping metal as it tried to dislodge its trident, it was stuck. Then, from the edge of its peripheral vision, a light began to glow. The channeler looked to its side, and its eyes widened. A miracle only the gods and their servants could perform was being wielded by its opponent, his face now illuminated by the lightning bolt in his hand. It looked back at the armor. That's all it was: armor discarded to be set as a trap by the enemy. It looked back in horror and for an instant, recognized its enemy before being engulfed by the power of the lightning and was obliterated. Ornstein took a moment to recover from the miracle. He hadn't summoned such a weapon in a while, and it was more exhausting than he remembered. He decided to set some time apart from his day to get back up to snuff after he was finished on this accursed island. Removing the trident from his armor, Ornstein donned it once again and restarted his trek through the darkness, casting light miracles despite the inherent danger in attracting attention.
Break
Mana didn't know how long or far she traveled, but eventually she had found another light source gleaming it's way up from the floor, and followed it downwards until she reached the very hidden level of Library Island. She summoned one of her assault rifles and began her descent to the floor. Despite being underground, the upper echelons of the level seemed to almost shine with a bright, lustrous glow. Sand coated statues lined the beach, and each seemed dead to the world despite the Headmaster saying they were vessels through which he and the other teachers could transfer their power to animate the golems. Shelves of books half sunken in the beach dotted along the shoreline, providing several spots of cover for her or any hiding enemies. However given her Demon Eye hadn't spotted any phantoms, she kept moving. That was when she heard footsteps against the sand. Wasting no time, she ducked behind one of the shelves and readied her pistol as silently as possible. Time seemed to crawl as the sound grew louder and louder, each step almost like a roar of thunder echoed in Mana's heart. As the sound felt on top of her, she revealed herself with the gun pointed and fired. Her aim was just off enough to miss Ornstein's head by a few inches, but the knight's instincts took control in the split second between thought and action as he grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the ground, spear-tip only a few centimeters above her chest. The duo looked at each other for a moment, their heavy breathing the only sounds they heard. For an instant, Mana felt a twinge of genuine fear as she looked into her teacher's eyes: cold, ruthless, and burning with a furnace of hateful fear. He looked at her not as a human in that instant, but as something so different, so alien and revolting to him, that his entire being seemed hell-bent on plunging the spear through her body and burying it until she was left with a permanent hole in her body. And then he blinked. His grip loosened, and the spear lifted away from her body. Mana coughed a bit but other than a tight grip around her windpipe, she had no significant wounds.
"Next time, demon, be very certain of who your enemies are." Ornstein's words floated into Mana's ears like a ghostly whisper, but she didn't ignore them. If that fury of his was directed at her again, she might not get the chance to unleash her full power and retaliate. Instead, she decided to focus back on why they were there.
"Have you found the target?" She asked. Ornstein shook his head, obviously frustrated.
"Nay, and I fear the longer we are unsuccessful, the worse the chances we will undo the damage done already. Come." He said curtly, walking away as he began heading off.
Mana followed, but for some reason Ornstein kept his eyes on the statues lining the beach.
"These structures are far more numerous than I expected. I thought the headmaster said they had only a handful of--" His voice trailed off. Mana sensed something move. Something big.
"Oh damn me to the Catacombs! Run!" Ornstein took off in a sprint with Mana close behind. She wanted to ask why they were running when the answer provided itself: The statues were moving, and they had no link back to the headmaster. These weren't the golems the headmaster had used before.
"I should've recognized them as soon as I set eyes upon them! Dammit!" Ornstein cursed as their gap began to close as the stone warriors awoke faster and faster. However as their gap closed, something began to unveil itself before them: in the distance, surrounded by seated phantoms and rings of Undead, was the ghostly orange glow of a bonfire.
"There!" Ornstein pointed. Mana readied her assault rifle. But their progress was stopped when one of the stone knights swung their sword into the ground ahead of them, blocking their path. Ornstein cleaved through the sword with a swing of his spear, but the time used had given the next wave of stone-born warriors time to bar the way. One of the lumbering guardians drew back its massive stone sword, thrusting it forward as Mana approached. However she used the warrior's momentum to her advantage and rolled under the blade and through its spread legs, firing at a pair of Undead in front of her as she closed in on the Bonfire. Ornstein cleaved the towering knight in half, forcing his way through the stone guardians, but his speed was hampered as something seized his leg from beneath the sand. A phantom surged out from beneath the ground and swiped at Ornstein, only to be blocked by the knight's spear.
"Destroy the Bonfire! Leave nothing behind!" He shouted as his enemies began to crowd around him. Mana just acknowledged him with a bullet to another Undead's head as she stomped down on it to finish the job. Unfortunately, these Undead weren't taking a damn hint. They just kept coming, wave after almost endless wave of phantoms and Undead came, with swords and spears and shields and arrows and clubs, they surrounded her. Mana fought for every inch, but she made that inch count, and with each successive bullet, every weapon dodged, she could see the glow of her objective ever closer. And then, a stray arrow buried itself in her thigh, halting her movement. The horde of Undead phantoms swarmed her in that moment, piling onto her like a great swarm of insects upon a dead carcass as they scavenged its rotting flesh. Ornstein could only watch in a mix of shock and horror as the Undead trampled over themselves after Mana. And then, in a flash of light, something broke out of the pile like a demonic butterfly breaking free of its cocoon. It was Mana, only with chalk-white hair and bat-like wings protruding from her back. And an aura of demonic power exuding from every fiber of her being.
"By the Lords," Was all Ornstein could utter as the middle-schooler unleashed a fiery hail of bullets upon the Undead, reloading her signature pistols at inhuman speeds. She dove straight into the crowd and dispatched ten Phantoms simultaneously before rushing through the crowd and reached the Bonfire, surrounded by Undead. Without hesitation she stomped the skeletal remains the glowing Bonfire sword was buried into, and pulled the sword free from its moorings before snapping it apart and finally, just to make sure, dropped a single grenade down before shooting into the sky above and watching the Undead fly as the explosive destroyed anything that remained of the Bonfire. All at once the swarm began to fade, the Phantoms disappeared, and the stone knights vanished like illusions of the mind faded into oblivion. Ornstein stood up and raised his spear, pointed at the demonic silhouette of Mana as she floated down and touched upon the sandy earth. Mana said nothing, just turning to face the knight. For one moment, the half-demon looked at the knight as a possible enemy. And then a voice rang in their minds.
---Stein! Ornstein respond! Dang it I don't care if you scream just say--
"Konoemon?"
You hear me?! Sweet mercy you've been making me make wrinkles upon my wrinkles you daft knight! We haven't been able to reach you for the past 12 hours!
"What of the Phantoms? Any news?"
They're disappearing by the volumes. It's like they all are just, going away. You accomplished your mission, I take it?
"Affirmative. Though Tatsumiya has...transformed, for lack of a more appropriate term."
"I am not your enemy, Sensei. This is simply my appearance when I unleash my full demonic power." Mana explained as her hair returned to its raven black shade and her wings dispersed like fading faeries.
"Forgive me if I am not so trusting, demon." Ornstein countered.
Ornstein, stand down. Tatsumiya is our ally, and I can assure you, she has total command over her demonic side. Besides, you've accomplished your job. Come on up.
Ornstein didn't loosen his stance. He stayed, trained on Mana.
Ornstein, stand down. That's an order.
The knight growled. "As you wish, Headmaster." He bit down on the last word like a hard strip of beef jerky as he lowered his spear. Mana walked past the simmering knight with nary a second glance. As the two returned to the surface, they were met with a crowd of teachers and advisors welcoming their success. As the knight and the mercenary walked through the throng of allies, Ornstein saw Konoemon standing at the edge of the crowd. He made his way to the old wizard and looked at him.
"Something troubling you, Ornstein?"
The knight simply nodded.
"I don't know how or why a Bonfire manifested upon your world, but they do not light by themselves. Someone had to kindle its fire."
Konoemon frowned.
"You have suspicions it was one of the children."
It was not a question. Konoemon had known Ornstein well enough to figure out how the knight's mind operated. Ornstein just huffed.
"Nothing seems to get by you Konoemon. The question remains, who? And why?"
Konoemon looked at Library Island.
"Perhaps we'll never know. But if you want my advice, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. We've closed the gate, and for the time being, that is what matters."
Ornstein looked up to the sky, the sun shining gloriously through its cloudy cover.
"Maybe you are right mortal. Maybe you are right."
Approximately 2 weeks ago
"Best to set up a clothesline for them to dry de-gozaru." Kaede said as she began to extract a length of wire from her sleeve.
"Ah, right!" Negi agreed. "Everyone! Try to find a spot with some good constant lighting!"
"Un!" Everyone save Yue replied, who had her forehead buried in of the Library's many tomes. As the group dispersed, Makie made her way along the sandy shoreline with Ku Fei.
"You know, I never expected it, but we're actually learning a lot more than usual. I wonder if it's because of Negi-sensei's enthusiasm?" Makie said as she put a pondering finger to her lips.
"Un!" Ku Fei nodded. "I thought we done for, but Negi-sensei imbue us with passion like learning from ancient Martial Arts Master-aru." She said with a double fistpump. Makie just giggled at her companion's display. Ku Fei might be the Baka Yellow Ranger, but there was a good reason she was Baka Yellow. You never underestimate the fighting prowess of Ku Fei. The two continued making their way down the beach searching for the best source of consistent light when they passed by a patch of sand and they heard a voice, distant and faint, yet somehow clear in their ears.
"Oh? Well isn't this a rare sight indeed. A pair of foreign maidens, are ye?"
The two spun around and saw a man wearing chainmail with a sword and a plate shield on his back, sitting upon the sandy ground. Even though he seemed to not be interested in them, Ku took up a defensive stance and planted herself between the man and Makie. The man just laughed.
"Oh please," The man said waving a dismissive hand.
"I don't see a reason why I should care about killing you two. You're probably just here for the same purpose as the rest."
"W-Wait. There are other people besides us?" Makie asked hesitantly.
"Oh, of course!" The man said with a humourless chuckle.
"Why, this place is simply mad...Legendary heroes popping up left and right...they're making me feel quite inadequate to be honest!" He finished shaking his head. Ku's eyebrow quirked.
"Heroes? As in, strong fighters-aru?" She asked with a hint of intrigue.
"What? You haven't met them already?" The man said with a healthy dose of skepticism.
"You didn't see that apprentice of sorcery Griggs with Big Hat Logan, kissing the old wizard's boots for another lesson?" The warrior asked with a cynical chuckle at his words. Ku didn't understand why he was laughing, but the way he mentioned sorcery made Makie look at the man like he'd grown a second head.
"Sorcery? You mean, like magic? But everybody knows magic isn't real." For a brief moment the warrior ceased his sullen attitude entirely and looked at Makie like she'd grown three heads.
"Magic? Not real? Are you daft lass? Of course it is. If it weren't I wouldn't be Undead, and the world wouldn't be the mess it is. Or are you so Hollowed that you've forgotten even that?"
The girls were confused.
"Hollow?" They said. They were Baka Pink and Baka Yellow, but calling them hollow-headed seemed a bit much from a stranger.
"Wait a moment. Are you saying...you two aren't Undead? Or bear the curse?"
"What curse?" Ku said asking the obvious question. The warrior looked suspicious.
"Oh, you two are quite the odd pair, aren't you?" He said with a healthy dose of unsettling curiosity. The two girls suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Ku moved into a fighting stance while Makie began to back away. The warrior stood slowly, like he hadn't moved from his spot in a long, long time. His armor clinked as the chainmail along his body.
"You know, I almost hope you kill me. It's a foolish thing, but maybe I might yet die and find peace. But hope is a foolish thing, wouldn't you agree?" He mused as he drew his sword and shield. Ku's face tightened into a focused, narrow glare.
"Makie. Keep out of this."
Makie silently nodded and began to back away when she tripped over something in the sand and fell. She scrambled to get back up and away when she saw something impossible: A twisted replica of a sword, rusted and its blade spiraling down the blade's length, consumed in an ethereal orange aura, almost like a flame. The warrior stopped.
"Oh dear. Well, now you've done it lass. Seems I was right not to have my hopes too high." The warrior sheathed his sword and went back to his sitting spot.
"If I were you two I'd make myself scarce. Undead are sure to be showing up soon, now that you've lit that Bonfire."
"Undead? Bonfire?" Makie said as she stood back up. The warrior nodded.
"Oh yes, nasty things they are. And to them, you look mighty appetizing, hehehe…" He chuckled at his humor. Ku just looked confused, but from what the warrior was saying, she decided it was best to leave. She took Makie by the hand.
"Come on Makie-san. Let's get out of here-aru."
"O-Okay," Makie reluctantly agreed as she was lead on by Ku. However her eyes lingered on the orange aura, the 'Bonfire', as the warrior called it, with a sense of nostalgia weighing in her stomach, like the flame was a part of her very soul being left behind. The following days were hectic, dangerous, and even wacky at some points, but that image of the Bonfire never left Makie's mind, no matter how hard she tried. And even when she was forced to leave the campus, she felt like some part of her had died while she was away.
