Chapter 48 - Fight or Flight

Fairy Tail: Paths of the Soul

Amber began to back away as the bandits encircled them, holding an arm up to keep Shelly behind her. It was barely half a step before she felt the cold metal railing against her back, and beyond that a forty foot drop off the building.

"Now, now, now..." Django urged, gesturing for the bandits to stop their advance. "Let's not do anything hasty here. I believe we could come to an agreement, yes?" Amber didn't say anything, but had her hand rested on her belt ready to strike. Django didn't wait too long for an answer however, likely expecting Amber's response. "You two are tired yes? You must've have a very stressful night at the hands of my brother. It's a wonder you’re still in one piece."

Shelly peaked out from behind Amber's arm. "Is that supposed to make us feel better?" She was trying not to sound frightened, but the crack in her voice proved it a futile effort.

An amused smile crept across Django's face after finally getting a response. "Would you believe me if I said it was?" Some of the bandits chuckled, and Shelly sunk back behind Amber again. "But... I was never that prone to violence. A good discussion can always accomplish more than a mindless brawl, don't you think?" He took a step closer, stepping ahead of the line of bandits. "Take now for example. There are only two of you, and around a dozen of us. We may not all be mages, but exhausted as you are, I'd be willing to bet that the advantage would still be ours."

Amber's grip on her belt tightened, she'd have to make the first strike if...

"But, I have an alternative." Django interrupted her train of thought, mostly out of sheer disbelief. "If you two end this little escapade, maybe we can work out a bargain." Amber felt her shoulders droop, was this guy serious? "You surrender peacefully, and in return I can..." He paused a moment, and his eyes fell to Amber's bare, blistered feet. "Ensure no more harm comes to you."

A dead silence filled the air, even the wind died down for a moment. Amber glanced back over the side, seriously considering grabbing Shelly and making the jump. Even with Armeria slowing their decent, they'd hit the ground hard. Probably hard enough to break a bone.

She slowly turned back to their captors, and noticed that one of them had a rifle slung across his shoulders. He'd likely just shoot them in the back if they ran for it. "I don't believe you." She hissed.

"Oh... The orange eyed beauty bares her fangs." The bandits all had a good chuckle, and Django crossed his arms. "Listen... Amber, was it? I understand your position. I really do. But consider what fighting will get you. Beaten, battered, and probably unable to escape again: not likely something that'd improve your position." He paused a moment, looking for some form of response, but again didn't wait too long. "Now I understand that may be something you'd be willing to risk, sure. But I don't think it'd be very fair to make that choice for your friend... Shelly, correct?"

Clutching Amber's arm, Shelly's voice barely came out as a whisper. "Oh my god... He knows our names." Even after everything they'd been through that night, hearing this guy say her name seemed to freak her out the most. Amber wanted to say something, tell her it didn't matter, to not worry about it, anything. But in truth, she was beginning to lose her nerve as well.

A low rumble coursed through the building, making them both jump. The bandits all exchanged glances, then looked to the rooftop entrance when a low, muffled, but familiar growl emanated through the walls. "Oh dear..." Django was the first to recover and began scratching his chin. "That's right; you let the animal out of it's cage, didn't you?" He took a long, deep breath, followed by a sharp exhale, and gestured to the bandit standing closest to him. "All of you get that thing under control. Quickly, before he brings the whole damn building down on us."

There was a collective look of confusion. "How?"

"Same as last time." Django growled, sounding a little annoyed. "Outsmart him."

After nodding in response, the group surrounding the girls began to funnel down the staircase. A few remained however, including the one with the gun. "What about them?"

Chuckling, Django tossed his fedora aside and stretched his arms out in front of him. "Oh, I think they've made up their minds. For now..."

The remaining bandits also left, and the last one to leave turned off the floodlight before descending the staircase. Even darkened, the light of the full moon was enough to illuminate the rooftop. All the same, this was the chance Amber was waiting for. With just Django alone, she suddenly liked their odds a whole lot more.

"Now, keep in mind..." Django began rolling up his sleeves, like he was preparing for a boxing match rather than a fight to the finish. "I may have said I'm not prone to violence. But that does not mean I'm not afraid to draw blood. My offer still stands." Amber dropped her bag off her shoulder, as did Shelly, and the two of them stepped away from the railing. All the while, neither one said a word. Waiting a moment longer than he had before, Django eventually sighed. "So be it." A glow appeared between his fingers, which he drew back and tossed with lightning speed. "Ace High!"

Amber shoved Shelly out of the way as needle of light raced through the air, then hopped aside herself. The thing missed her by hand an inch, slicing opened the armpit of her shirt, then preceded to slice half way through the guardrail with a metallic clang.

The girls couldn't believe their eyes. Stuck almost three quarters through the metal railing was a playing card, emanating a wisp of smoke. "No way." Shelly gasped. "He just..."

"I told you. I'm the guild master here." Django called mockingly, pointing to a Bloody Smile emblem tattooed onto his forearm. "I may not be as intimidating as my brother, but my Card Magic is every bit as dangerous as that monster he likes to turn into." Shelly glanced at Amber, looking for any clue as to what they should do, but Amber's gaze was locked on the playing card Django had just thrown. "Now, hopefully you understand the stakes a bit better. You're worth much more to me alive and intact, so I'd rather not-."

"Armeria: Crimson Eye!" Amber spun back and waved her hand all at once, and a pair of blade rings flew from her waist. She couldn't wait, they needed to end this now.

His eyes widening in surprise, a pair of cards appeared in Django's hand. He sidestepped the first blade ring, which banked sideways to circle around for another attack. He deflected the second with a swing of his cards, which immediately flew back to Amber's hand.

She was on him in an instant, making an upwards slash with one of the ring's eight bladed tips. Django swung back, swatting Amber's weapon away with his cards. He flicked his other hand and another card sliced across Amber's right thigh just above her knee, drawing a thin line of blood. Django prepared for another attack, but the other blade ring flew between them, forcing him to back away.

Django took a moment to regain his balance, and Amber spun in Shelly's direction. "Fight!" She screamed at her. "Shelly, we need to fight! Now!"

She spun back and clashed with Django again. With both blade rings in hand, she swung downwards at him only for him to gracefully hop out of the way. He jabbed at her with another card and she dove backwards to avoid harm. Amber rolled a few times before getting back to her feet, but Django was already upon her by the time she looked up again.

He swung his foot into Amber's stomach, knocking the air from her lungs. Django raised an arm while Amber gasped for breath, unable to act. "Ace-."

"Solid Sctipt: Anvil!" Massive, metal letters flew at the dark mage. Django sliced through the first but was forced to retreat when the others crashed around him. Shelly ran to Amber's side, helping her back to her feet. "Are you ok?" She mumbled. Amber nodded her head, coughing to catch her breath again.

"Well now, isn't this interesting." Django began clapping, amused by this new development. "Throwing yourself into the fray to save your wounded friend." He spoke like this was all a game to him. "I must say Shelly. I had you pegged as the type who'd be to afraid to jump in like that. Bra-vo."

Amber put a hand on Shelly's shoulder, never taking her eyes off their opponent. "Don't listen to him." Shelly nodded, but couldn't seem to stop shaking.

"I want to make a bet with you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a full deck of cards, flicking them from one hand to the other. It wouldn't have been that intimidating had they not witnessed him slice through a metal railing only a moment ago. "l bet: you'll be back to crying in the corner long before this fight is over. And you'll be begging me not to kill your-."

Shelly slapped a hand on Amber's back. "Solid Script: Boost!" Amber felt a tingle all over, and suddenly felt a lot lighter. Her skin glowed a soft green color, and she was about to ask what she'd just done to her when Shelly said. "It's a support spell, you'll move twice as fast for a full minute."

Amber looked at her in surprise, but then grinned. "Keep your distance, I'll-."

"Fifty-six seconds!" She screamed. "Go Amber!"

Shaking her head to get focused, Amber charged. Two steppes, and she'd crossed the almost twenty feet between them. She was light as a feather! She punched with her blade ring, feeling like she'd fly for miles. Django raised a hand in surprise, and stepped aside to let her pass bye. She tumbled a few meters past, not use to being able to move so well, and one of her rings flew from her hand. Django swatted it aside like he had the first time and tossed another card with his other hand. "Bust!" Amber dove aside, catching her returning blade ring and making another charge.

An explosion rocked the rooftop however, the card Django had thrown exploded. Amber clasped her ears and crashed to the ground, gritting her teeth as her ears painfully rang. Django's eyes flashed, and he raised his arm to make another toss.

"Solid Script: Flames!" Burning letters soared at Django, leaving him just enough time to dive out of the way. The fire still singed his hair, and he was no longer grinning when he looked back at Shelly.

Repositioning himself for another attack, he took the card he was about to throw at Amber and instead tossed it at Shelly. "Ace High!"

"Armeria!" Amber cried, tossing her blade rings. "King Shield!"

Shelly covered her face as the card flew at her. A metallic clang rang out as Django's attack collided with Armeria's shield form, saving her from harm. Django huffed, looking a little irritated. He opened his mouth to say something, but Amber dashed at him again, faster than lightning. "Two Pair!"

He slashed at Amber, who was already in the air. Two cards between his knuckles sliced across her side, and she winced in pain. All the same, Amber threw a strong right punch, augmented by her increased speed, that connected with Django's jaw.

The two mages went flying. Amber tumbled across the roof, while Django seemed to twirl in place a couple times before dropping onto his back. Shelly caught Amber before she hit the guard rail, her hand landing on a bloody spot on her shirt. "You got him!"

Their celebration was short lived however, Django sat upright after a moment and rubbed his jaw. "Damn..." He violently cracked his neck, pushing off his knees to his feet. "You two are giving me a lot more problems than I thought you would."

Amber got back up as well, readying for another round. Shelly stopped her though, grabbing her shoulder. "Twenty-Nine seconds." Amber nodded, grabbing her bladed shield out of the air. "Hold him off, I have an idea." With that, Amber charged. Shelly stayed behind again, looking at her hand, now coated with Amber's blood. "Solid Script: Paper." She had an idea, but no idea if it would work.

Django met Amber's charge with a wide slash of his cards. They bounced off Amber's shield, and she put all her weight into a tackle. Django was knocked back a step, and then skipped back a few more when Amber slashed at his neck with the bladed end of her shield. Making a quick retreat did him no good, Amber was right in his face every time he tried to get away. Django slashed with his cards again, and Amber ducked behind her shield. In the split second that he was out of her sight, Django sidestepped around her and made another quick slash with his other hand. He left a gash in her right shoulder, then hopped away before tossing two more cards at her.

These two didn't cut her, but they where close enough to slice two narrow holes in the stomach of her shirt. "Armeria: Syrin!" Changing tactics, Amber's shield transformed into a narrow, single edged sword. She stabbed at Django, aiming for his gut, but he back stepped and tossed another card at her.

Changing to the defensive, Amber readied to deflect his attack, only to be knocked onto her back when the thing hit her. She got up quick enough, but a new realization dawned on her; this guy really was powerful. That last attack hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Pict Magic: Cannon!" A bright flash distracted both combatants, stopping their next clash. Shelly stood behind a small, dark colored cannon, a look of surprise plain on her face. She'd used Amber's blood to draw a picture onto the paper she had conjured. "It worked..." She glanced at the dried blood on her hand, then quickly at Amber. "Cover your ears!"

She did just that, and the cannon fired. Quickly, Django lobbed his whole deck of cards at the ground before him and yelled. "Fold!" A wall of cards shot up just as the magic cannonball reached him, and he was shrouded in the ensuing explosion.

Not waiting for the outcome, Amber jumped to her feet and pressed the attack again. She could just make out the wall Django had summoned as the smoke began to clear, and dove around it to finish him off.

"Amber, stop!" Shelly cried. "You're out of time!"

Though she heard her, it was too late to stop now. She slashed blindly, hoping Django was somewhere in her path. No such luck, she fell through the other side of the smoke without incident. A shadow appeared in the corner of her eye, and she turned for another attack. Suddenly she felt heavy, really heavy. The glow faded from her skin, and it instantly became much harder to swing her sword. "Dammit, not now!" She screamed.

The next thing she felt was a slash across her right ankle accompanied by a warm splash of blood, causing her to stumble. A card flew from the smoke, slicing across her collarbone.

Amber collapsed, unable to fight through the pain of the assault. Her blood dripped onto the cold metal roof from the numerous cuts all over her body. Django stepped out of the smoke, the wall of cards collecting themselves neatly into his hand. "Well..." He huffed, adjusting his tie. Blood trickled down his face from a gash in his forehead, but that appeared to be the only wound on him. "Looks like you're out of juice, Amber. I guess the game's come to an end."

Amber gritted her teeth, determined to keep fighting. "Armeria-." Django kicked her in the stomach before she could say any more, sending her tumbling across the roof once again.

"Amber!" Shelly cried, rushing to her side.

"It's time we divide and conquer, I think." Django grinned slightly, tossing a card at Shelly. "Bluff." Shelly had just enough time to see the card coming before it expelled a massive cloud of smoke an inch from her face. She stumbled out a moment later, choking and holding her hands over her mouth. Four more cards appeared in Django's hand, and he tossed them straight up into the air. "Four of a kind!"

The cards circled overhead for a moment, then turned sharply downward and jabbed into the roof around Shelly's feet. She opened her eyes to see them land, followed by a red flash that cut the floor out from under her. "Ahh!" She barely had time to make a noise before falling into the darkness below.

"Shelly!" Amber cried, jumping to her feet and reaching out to her. Shelly was gone before she was even upright, but she had to help her. She had to do something.

A glint of light flashed across her vision, leaving a deep gash across the back of her hand straight through her Blazing Soul guild mark. She turned slightly, clutching her arm to her chest, when three more cards shot into the flat of her back.

Each one hit her like a cannonball, sending a shockwave of pain through her whole body. She didn't cry out through; the shock wouldn't let her. She dropped to her knees, unable to move, unable to think. Unable to fight.

"Well now. Looks like the games changed, hasn't it?" Amber looked over her shoulder to see Django approaching. She couldn't believe after all of that, he only had one wound on him. "Your odds don't look so good without Shelly to back you up, do they?"

"Screw you!" She yelled back.

"Oh my, still so hostile." Django chuckled. Amber tried to get up, but her body wouldn't listen to her. It was all she could do to keep from falling over. Her efforts however, made Django smile. "Wow, you're still trying; even after all that. Do you really think you can still fight your way out of this?"

Amber managed to spun around, but it took almost all of her energy. Armeria flew back and reassembled between them, holding her arms out to block his way. "I won't let you capture us again."

"Well aren't you the faithful little servant." Still chuckling, Django gestured to the rest of the rooftop. Every inch of it held evidence of their fight, something he seemed impressed by. "But unfortunately, I can't just let you go for being a good sport. Bad for business when you run back here with the Magic Council in tow." He rested his hands on his hips, and stepped closer. "So, it seems we've reached a bit of an impasse; you and me."

Still glairing at him, Amber gave a pained chuckle. "You still want me to surrender?"

Django laughed as well. "That would be nice, but we both know your answer to that already." Amber snorted, which Django returned with a smile. "I've got a new idea though. Something I think will work out for both of us. Why don't you..." He pointed at her with both hands, then to himself. "Work for me."

Amber's jaw almost hit the floor. Did he really just say that?

"Now now, I know what you're thinking." He said in an annoyingly smug tone. "But Django, we've just spent the last few minutes trying to kill each other. Why the hell would I ever work for you?" Watching him have both sides of the conversation by himself, Amber's shock was slowly replaced by irritation. "Well, I'm glad you asked. But... I wasn't trying to kill you. If I where, I could've used one of my bomb spells in that last attack. Blasted you into pulp in half a second. Or just put a bit more power into it and sliced right through you."

Amber shuddered at the thought, still feeling the throbbing sting of the cards jutting out of her back. It was a little hard to believe that he'd gone easy on them, but if even one of the cards in her back had exploded... "So?" She shook her head, trying to shake the picture of that outcome from her mind. "I'll never work for you."

"You will, because Shelly's somewhere in this building right now" He said, tapping his foot on the roof. "So is my brother Oran, and I know you remember him." Amber caught a gasp in her throat, glancing at the hole in the roof. "Now understand, she is valuable to me. We could sell her off, make a small fortune; business as usual. But that'd be the end of it." Amber barely heard him, too worried about Shelly to pay him much mind. "You, on the other hand, are valuable in a very different kind of way."

Finally catching what he was saying, Amber glanced back at him. "I'm what?"

Her reaction must have amused him, because Django began to chuckle. "You're quick on your feet, resourceful, that familiar of yours gives you lock picking skills that some of my guys can only dream about. And..." He paused a moment, pointing to the gash on his head. "You're not afraid to draw blood. With a skill set like that, it'd be a waste just to sell you off to some old pervert, don't you think?" Amber was speechless, how could he know all that about her? Django had an answer already, like he'd read her mind. "Don't look so surprised. This is a prison, I've got security camera's everywhere."

Through everything, Amber found herself staring at the hole in the roof. Maybe she could make a deal with him; that seemed to be his thing. "Let Shelly go." Armeria turned to look at her, and Amber finally tore her eyes away from the diamond shaped hole she'd fallen through. "Geno too. Then-."

"No." Django cut her off. "She's going to stay here as a hostage. Give you a good reason not to run to the cops the first time you get outside these walls." Amber grunted, about to instantly refuse when Django added. "I ain't naive though. You'd never agree to just leave her alone with a bunch of bad guys; who knows what we'd do to her, right? But I can solve that problem very easily." He dug into his back pocket and produced a small key, dangling on a chain in front of Amber's face. "Solitary cell, I have the only key. Nobody get's out, or in, without me knowing about it. Not even my brother." He stuffed the key back into his pocket, and knelt down next to Amber. "I'll even let you visit her when you aren't busy, she'll be like your own little pet. What do you say?"

He extended a handshake, like what he'd just proposed wasn't totally insane. Amber half raised a hand, but stopped. She wasn't about to accept this, was she? Just give up and let him hold Shelly's life over her head? "I say..." She looked at her familiar one last time, then took Django's arm. "Armeria!"

The tiny imp transformed into a sword in Amber's hand. Django tried to pull back, but Amber had a firm grip on his wrist. She slashed across the back of his arm, splitting his Bloody Smile emblem clean in two. Feeling a strange sense of vindication as her whole body ached, Amber drove the tip of her sword into Django's shoulder.

"Dammit!" He shoved her away, tossing another card that sliced across her cheek. She hit the ground and gasped as the cards in her back ripped free from her skin. "Bust!" Armeria turned from a sword into a shield, jumping into the air to protect Amber.

An explosion rang through the empty buildings, painfully defining Amber. She looked back to see broken metal fragments littering the rooftop, remnants of her familiar. "Armeria!" She cried.

Django slapped her across the face, making the cut on her cheek sting all the more. He raised an arm with another card, but stopped just short of finishing her off. "Fuck... You are making it real difficult not to kill you right now!" He angrily tossed the card into the roof, having nothing else to take his anger out on. He clutched at his bleeding forearm, taking a few deep breaths to regain his composure. "Fine." He huffed. "You made your choice; back to your cell it is. Maybe rotting in there for a few weeks will make you a little more reasonable." He took a step towards her, reaching for her neck, and she felt her blood turn to ice. "Then again, maybe you’ll do better as somebody's slave anyway."

"Lightning Dragon's Bolt!" The two of them turned to a bright flash at the edge of the building, and Django was blasted across the roof when a bolt of electricity hit him in the chest. Amber shut her eyes and covered her ears, her head pounding from the noise. Her mouth hung open when she looked back however, almost unable to believe what she was seeing.

It was Axel

Next Chapter – Lightning Strikes Twice