Chapter 10 - Primal

Fairy Tail: Paths of the Soul

Amber felt the black tiger's warm breath on her face, turning her head away as it snarled at her. "Azmos!" The woman called, beckoning the beast to her side. It slowly stepped off of Amber and towards its master, who then glanced at the grey bird. "Riba." It took off instantly, soaring past the tiger to land on the woman's outstretched forearm. The tiger sat next to her on the ground as she brushed a long braid of hair off her shoulder, then glared back at Shelly, Amber, and Zeke. "I'll ask again; who are you?"

Amber rolled up to a sitting position, rubbing her shoulders from the sudden release in pressure. Shelly got up as well, wiping the blood from her head off on her skirt. "M-my name's Shelly." She scooped up Zeke and cradled him in her arms, then nodded back at Amber. "This is Amber and Zeke. What's your name?"

The woman ignored Shelly's question; instead asking another of her own. "What are you doing this deep in the swamp?"

"We were given a job from Aged Pelt." Shelly narrowed her eyes, growing suspicious of the woman's actions. A bolt of lightning streaked up into the sky from behind the trees, indicating that Axel was fighting nearby, however Shelly kept focused on their visitor. "We were supposed to find that boat over there, but a monster attacked us and we got separated from our friends."

"Go away." She ordered, turning her back to them. The bird, Riba, flew from her arm as she began walking away alongside the black tiger. "I don't know what monster you speak of, but that boat is mine."

"You're lying." Shelly retorted, causing the woman to stop in her tracks. Amber slowly pushed herself up to her feet, wondering how she could have come to such a conclusion. It took a moment, but it dawned on her that Shelly had seen through all of her pervious attempts to lie as well.

The woman half turned back to look at her, apparently growing more annoyed. "There is nothing for you here, so I suggest you leave now while you still can."

"That boat belongs to Aged Pelt." Shelly said flatly. "And I know it's connected to the monster because it's damaged the same way as the fishing boats from town where." Amber glanced back at the boat to see for herself it that was true, and sure enough she spotted a large hole in the underside near the front. She hadn't noticed it at first, becoming impressed that Shelly had while in their current situation.

Azmos turned back and growled at them, while the woman gave a long sigh. "Those fishermen where stealing Tobi's food. It’s only natural that he would defend his territory from a threat to his livelihood."

Amber and Shelly exchanged glances. "Tobi?" They asked in unison. Before the woman had a chance to answer, Axel came crashing out of the trees back where the girls has first immerged followed closely by the red scaled alligator that had chased them here.

Tree trunks snapped like twigs as it thrashed through the brush, sending splinters of wood in every direction in its pursuit of Axel. He dropped to the ground as the monster's jaws snapped closed, barely avoiding its deadly teeth, and rolled out of the way just as its massive body flopped down in the grass. One of the beast's two tails suddenly swung at him like a whip just before he could got back on his feet, sending him soaring through the air.

He rolled to a stop just a few feet from the others, sitting upright and rubbing the back of his head. "Dammit! This thing's pissing me off." He jumped to his feet as the beast began waddling after him, but stopped abruptly when he noticed the others. The first one he saw was Zeke, lying unconscious in Shelly's arms, and then the small stain of dried blood on the side of her face. "The hell happened to you guys?"

"Tobi, heel!" The woman interrupted, her eyes suddenly flashing a brilliant crimson. The red alligator's massive head swung in her direction, and it slithered into the water after getting a better look at her. "Now then, if you understand the danger you are in, I suggest that you all leave. Now!" As she spoke, a magic circle appeared on the ground below her and her appearance began to change. Her arms became clawed and grew a thick purple fur on her forearms and hands. The color of her hair darkened and her clothes warped into a pair of shorts and a hood. Her legs became beastly as well, and her eyes flashed a bright gold color.

Axel cracked his knuckles and stepped out in front of the others. "So you want a fight?" He challenged. "Good. I needed a workout."

"Wait, wait a minute!" Shelly urged, passing Zeke to Amber as he began to stir. "I recognize you, from the wanted posters back home." The woman grunted, but didn't say anything as Shelly continued. "Using magic to control animals... You're Nina Firart, aren't you?"

Axel clenched his fists again upon hearing this. "If you know who I am, then you should know how dangerous I can be." Nina responded with a sigh. "Dark mages aren't people you should cross."

"Neither are we!" Axel challenged, breaking into a sprint towards Nina.

"Axel don't!" Shelly reached out to stop him, but was too late to stop his charge.

Tobi burst out of the water half way between the two groups, bring Axel's rush to a sliding halt. He jumped back to avoid Tobi's jaws, and electricity arced from his hand. "Lightning Dragon's Fist!" He punched the end of Tobi's nose, stunning him for a moment, but before Axel could follow up the black tiger Azmos sprung over Tobi's back and landed on Axel’s shoulders.

He stumbled from the added weight, and again when Azmos jumped off and made a break for the others. Amber acted quickly, taping at her belt and calling. "Armeria! King's Shield!" Azmos leapt into the air as Amber's belt jumped to her arm as a shield, just in time to protect her and Shelly from the tiger's long claws.

Azmos landed in the grass with a roll, flipping back up to her feet almost instantly. Shelly spun on her heel and held up her book bag, using it to block Riba's long talons as he flew past.

The girls leaned on each other back to back, keeping an eye on the circling Azmos and Riba. Axel jumped back to his feet just in time to block a wide swing from Nina's clawed hands. While escaping damage, Axel was knocked back a few steps from the impact, enough time for Tobi to recover and snap at him again. He jumped back out of harm's way, however Riba used the opportunity to dive at him and leave a shallow gash in his shoulder with his talons. Axel winced in pain, and Nina followed up with an expertly placed kick to the stomach that knocked the young Dragon Slayer on his back.

Shelly watched as Axel scrambled upright, watching their four assailants surround them again. "Split up!" She ordered, making a break for the forest. Amber didn't have time to ask why before she vanished into the trees, or have time to think about it as Azmos and Riba tore after her.

"Wait Shelly!" Zeke called as he and Amber tried to follow. Axel and Nina clashed again, leaving Tobi free to intercept the others. He swung his head at Amber to stop her, though failed to stop Zeke who flew higher than he could reach.

His snout opened to attack, leaving Amber an opining to slip past. She jumped between Tobi's jaws, rolled through the grass, and sprinted into the forest after her teammates. All before Tobi's jaws snapped shut.

Tobi sluggishly turned to follow, but was stopped dead when Axel wrapped his arms around one of his forelegs. "Naw. You're stickin' with me!" He roared, bringing his knee up into Tobi's throat. The blow didn't have much of an effect, but Axel used the distraction to draw back his fist and call. "Lightning Dragon's Fist!" This time he hit Tobi just under one of his eyes, which sent the monster thrashing away and clawing at the point of impact with his leg.

He eventually regained his senses, pointing his snout in Axel's direction and emitting a low, beastly growl. Axel cracked his knuckles in response to Tobi's challenge, but after a quick look around he realised someone was missing. "Wait, where'd what's-here-name go?"

Amber ran as hard as she could, following the end of Zeke's tail as it vanished behind the trees. The constant twists and turns through the brush became somewhat disorienting, and Amber soon began to fear that she had headed in the wrong direction. Something suddenly wrapped around her midriff as she rounded another tree, pulling her behind it and to the ground. She instinctively threw off whatever it was and spun to point the bladed end of her shield at the perpetrator, only to find Shelly huddled down near the trees roots. "Hey, hey. It's me."

Amber knelt down next to her, keeping an eye out for the animals that had chased her into the forest. "What are you doing?" She whispered. "Why did you run off?"

"We couldn't fight them all together. If they ganged up on one of us we wouldn't stand a chance." She explained, peering out from behind the tree to keep lookout. "Two of them followed me, and Axel probably stayed back with that Tobi thing." She turned back to look at Amber, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "Geno is somewhere in here too. If we can find him we'd outnumber Nina and her animals."

"So there are more of you then?" A voice echoed from above them, and the girls both looked up to see Nina crouched on one of the lower branches in the tree they were hiding next too. "Good to know."

She leapt from her perch and dove at them claws first, falling between Amber and Shelly when they separated to get out of the way. Nina swung her arms through the ground, sending a cascade of dirt at the both of them to stop any sort of counter attack, then spun as Shelly as she stumbled over the tree roots. Amber used her shield to protect herself from the rain of earth, then tossed it to Shelly with a flick of her arm. "King's Guard!" The shield flew past Nina and stopped in mid-air just in time to protect Shelly from her claws, stopping the woman dead in her tracks. Unimpressed, Nina grunted and spun away from Shelly to focus on Amber, now weaponless. "Armeria, Syren!" Before Shelly had realised what happened, Armeria's shield form disassembled and flowed past the charging Nina, reshaping into a single edged sword in Amber's hands on command.

Nina slowed a little, weary of Amber's new weapon, and instead opted for a more tactical approach. She kicked off a nearby tree and flipped over Amber's head, using the momentum to swing her claws at Amber's back. Amber in turn brought her sword up with unexpected speed, catching Nina's claws and allowing them to harmlessly slide aside before spinning around to attack. Nina was quicker still, flipping back and springing off her hands to get away.

Amber repositioned her sword for another clash as Nina came to a crouched landing. She slowly rose to her feet, but winced when she tried to take a step forward. She glanced down to investigate, finding a small hairline cut on the inner side of her leg accompanied by a trickle of blood. After another grunt, she raised her hands to attack again but was cut off when Shelly called. "Duck Amber! Solid Script – Smoke!"

Amber fell to the ground, not waiting for an explanation, and a plume of thick grey smoke washed overhead. Nina disappeared into the cloud and Amber swung her sword upwards as she rose to her feet, unleashing a razor thin blade of air at the spot Nina had been standing. "Tempest Blade!"

Shelly's smokescreen was divided in half by Amber's attack, however Nina was nowhere to be found. Amber quickly looked around, weary of a surprise attack, searching for any trace of their opponent. A branch rustling was all the warning she needed, she spun just in time to point her sword in the direction Nina approached.

Nina slid a little, trying to stop her charge, and tucked into a roll to avoid Amber's sword once again. She landed on one knee and quickly spun back with a sweeping kick to Amber's stomach before she could follow up.

Amber stumbled back, slightly winded by Nina's blow, when she heard Shelly call. "Solid Script: Volts!" A volley of letters composed of electricity zoomed past Amber and towards Nina, who cartwheeled out of the line of fire just in time. Loud pops sounded off as the letters made contact with the trees, and finally one on Nina's shoulder just as she stood upright again. Amber suddenly clasped her hands over her ears and shut her eyes, dropping her sword in the process. Shelly instantly remembered what Amber had told her that morning and realised her mistake. "Oh-no. Amber I-."

She raced to her friend's side only to be intercepted half way there by Nina. If she was curious as to what was going on, she hid it well as she focused on a new target. Her large bear like hands closed around Shelly's shoulders, pinning her tiny arms to her sides, and she threw her up against one of the nearby trees.

Shelly gasped from the impact, and began franticly thrashing to get loose. Nina had lifted her off the ground, making much of her efforts futile, and began painfully squeezing her against the tree. Breathing became difficult, even as she kicked off Nina's shoulders in an attempt to get free.

"You should have listened the first time." She murmured.

Nina's ears perked up to the sound of a twig snap behind her, and she jumped aside just in time to avoid another swing of Amber's sword. Shelly slid down the tree as Nina rolled to a stop, coughing for air as Amber stepped up to defend them both once again. Nina watched them for a moment, then suddenly grasped at her hip as a small cut made itself visible with a line of blood. Her blood ran through her claws, then she leapt up the nearest tree and disappeared without a word.

Amber waited for another attack, bit this time there was nothing. No hint as to Nina's whereabouts presented itself, and hearing Shelly gasp for air made her change priorities. "Shelly? Are you ok?" She asked, kneeling down next to her.

"Uh-huh." She moaned, still trying to catch her breath.

Amber sighed with relief, then looked over her shoulder again to look for Nina. There was still no sign of her, but Amber still didn't feel safe staying in one place for too long. Amber's sword transformed back into a belt around her waist and she pulled Shelly to her feet. "Come on, we need to get out of here." Shelly nodded silently, still short of breath, and followed her through the trees.

The girls trudged blindly through the forest, keeping a sharp eye out for Nina or her pets. A few minutes passed, and eventually they were both out of breath. Luckily, a cluster of trees provided the perfect place to rest for the moment. Shelly was the first to sit down, clutching one of her shoulders and moaning from the pain.

Amber sat next to her, unsure if there was anything she could do to help. "Is it bad?" Shelly silently shook her head, obviously trying her best not to look as bad as she felt. "Can I help with anything?" She asked again.

"I'm fine." Shelly rolled her shoulder a few times, trying to show that she was alright. "I'm sorry though. I forgot that you don't like loud stuff." She hung her head apologetically, apparently more concerned for Amber than she was for herself.

"O-oh, yeah. Don't worry about it." Amber was surprised. Given the circumstances, she'd expect someone in Shelly's position to yell at her for tripping up like she had, knowing Nina could have probably done much worse than she did. "I'm glad you're ok though." She said with a smile.

"Thanks." Shelly smiled back, resting her hands on her lap to relax a bit. She slowly looked up at the sky and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to ease the pain in her shoulders. "You looked really cool back there." She said abruptly.

Amber blushed. "You... You think so?"

"Yeah." Shelly nodded. "You fought Nina off a bunch of times. You weren't afraid. It was awesome." Amber blushed again, not use to getting praised like this. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?" She added quickly.

Amber took longer to answer this time. "My Dad." She said slowly.

Shelly leaned back again, too tired to push for more answers. The sky in the distance suddenly lit up with lightning, signing that the others were still fighting somewhere on the island. She slowly got to her feet, hung her book bag over her shoulder, and offered Amber a hand. "Come on, we should go look for the guys."

Amber nodded, taking her hand and getting up as well. Just as the pair of them stepped out of hiding, one of the bushes ruffled suddenly, giving the two of them just enough time to step back as something small rolled out at their feet.

It took a second for them to figure out what it was, but when they did Shelly when rigid and her face turned pale. "Spider!" She cried, spinning around and hiding behind Amber's back. Amber grabbed for her belt, ready to attack, but the creatures lack of a response to them made her think twice. It seemed to be resting on its side and all eight of its spindly legs where curled up under the abdomen. Shelly backed away as Amber crept closer to investigate. "Don't touch it." She urged, sinking against another tree.

Amber proceeded on, growing more confident with each step. A part of her wanted to just turn and run, but something still compelled her to see for herself. "I think its ok." She whispered over her shoulder. It appeared beaten, and looked like it could spring to life at any moment, but Amber's suspicions where confirmed when she rolled it over with a stick. "It's dead."

Something hit the ground with a dull thud behind them, causing Shelly to scream in surprise. She stumbled forwards into Amber, and the two of them spun together to see Geno standing next to the tree Shelly had hid under. "So that’s where you guys went?" He smirked.

Both the girls gave a sigh of relief, having expected something much worse, but Shelly immediately stomped towards him and shoved him away. "Geno, don't do that! You scared the daylights out of us."

Amber snickered, remembering that Shelly was the only one who screamed, however her eyes soon fell to something in Geno's hand. He took a step back when Shelly pushed him, and Amber saw that it was a broadsword; or part of one at least. The blade had been broken off, leaving only a jagged foot of cutting edge left. More curiously, between the hilt and the blade sat a giant green eye. It seemed glazed over, but the way Geno was holding it made it look like it was glaring right at her. "What's that?" She asked timidly.

Geno looked slightly confused. "What's what?" He soon followed Amber's eyes down to his weapon, which he then held up to display. "Oh, this. Remember back on the train when I said my magic's kind of the same as your familiar?" Amber nodded slightly. "Well, this is how. Meet Agrus." After a moment, Geno's weapon began to ooze blood, then melted into a bloody mass that flowed from his hand into a small wound on his bicep, disappearing without a trace. "Cool, huh?"

"Hey guys, we're under attack here." Shelly cut in, somewhat impatiently. "Geno, have you seen anyone else in here? Other than the two of us and Axel?"

"Not since we all split up." He glanced past Shelly to Amber, still crouching next to the dead arachnid, and began scratching his head. "Been so busy fighting these things that I haven't noticed anyone else."

"Yeah, well-." Shelly huffed and crossed her arms, but her face went pail again as she realised what Geno had said. "Wait, things? As in more than one?"

"Yeah. By my count I've killed 'round a dozen or so. I think we landed on some sort of nest or something." He strolled up to Amber and helped her to her feet as he explained. Shelly shuttered nervously, glancing around for any more giant spiders, while Geno kicked the dead one away into the bush. "That gator thing followed us in here too. I'm starting to think finding this boat is more trouble than it’s worth."

"We found the boat." Amber corrected, trying to keep the subject away from the spiders. "It's beached on this island, but someone attacked us so we lost track of where."

"Someone attacked you?" Geno repeated in disbelief. "Why? What'd you guys do?"

Shelly shot him an annoyed look and opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly went pail and backed against the tree behind her. She raised her arm and pointed into the brush, and the others turned just in time to hear a familiar stamping sound approach. Another spider appeared through the brush not ten feet away, this one almost twice as big as the first they had encountered.

Its eight black eyes fixated on them, almost curiously so, as Geno and Amber readied for a fight. "I told you, that boat belongs to me." A familiar voice echoed from beside them, and Nina marched up from behind the spider a moment later. She appeared human again, giving them all the same contemptible look she had before. The large arachnid turned to watch her, intrigued by this new arrival, while she flicked her long hair off of her shoulder and glared at it. "You, obey me." She ordered, her eyes flashing red again.

The spider suddenly went rigid, and its eyes turned the same red color as Nina's for a moment before fading back to their usual black hue. It spun back at the others, mandibles snapping open and hissing at them. "S-spa, spi...:"" Shelly stuttered, slowly sinking around the tree to get away. "Spider!"

She spun away from the creature and broke into a sprint, prompting the spider to charge after her. Geno flew forwards to intercept it, planting one hand on its head and another on its forelegs to keep the beast at bay. "Azmos, after her." On Nina’s order and the black tiger leapt from the bushes, kicked of the spider's abdomen, and disappeared after Shelly.

"Shelly!" Amber called, rolling out of the way of Geno and the spider's tussle. She pushed off her knees into a sprint, but only made it a few steps before Nina's large grey bird flew from the branches to attack again. She spun out of the way in time to avoid its talons, however looked up to see Nina leering down at her.

"I told you to get lost." She spat, holding out an arm for her bird to rest on. "Take your friends and go, before anything bad happens to you."

Amber rolled back to her feet, undaunted by Nina's threats, "Armeria! Crimson Eyes!" In an instant, her belt broke away and transformed into a pair of ornamented blade rings. Each had a set of eight diamond shaped blades spaced evenly around the outside, and a pair of cross shaped handles on the inside of the rings that Amber took hold of.

Nina groaned as Amber brandished her new weapons. "Riba, hunt down the smaller one." She ordered, sending her bird off after Shelly. Amber took a step forwards to give chase, but Nina stepped up to block her path. "I'm getting tired of repeating myself. Take over: Panther Soul!" Nina transformed again, regaining her clawed hands and athletic appearance she has assumed when they first met. "I won't go easy on you."

Next chapter – Beast Slayer