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Fateful Greeting[]
Aether Cade walked out of Nidavellir. It had only been a month since the end of the civil war.
"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" asked Miriam, his mother.
"Of course," responded Aether "I'm nothing like my predecessors. I'm not afraid to look for help."
"Ok, well be careful on your trip." Miriam hugged Aether tightly then released.
"I'll be back in a few days." And at that, Aether left, onwards towards Onibus.
It wasn't long until he came upon a forest. He noticed a group of Dark Mages in a circle. Upon closer examination he saw a young woman standing in the middle. She looked calm and collected, like these men could never scare her.
"Excuse me!" he called. "Are you men bothering this girl?"
The men turned toward Aether, glaring at him. "What the hell do you want?" said one of the men.
"I just want to make sure you're not bothering this girl. If you are, I'll have to take you down."
"One guy? take us down?" said another guy.
"Let's smoke this a-hole down first. We'll deal with the broad later."
They charged at Aether, but before they got anywhere near him, a barrier of runes appeared around them.
"Anyone that steps into that enchantment can't escape, as long as they have violent intent."
"What the hell is this thing?"
"I can't get out!"
"Is this Jutsu Shiki!"
"Now then, for punishment: Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar!" he blasted the Mages with his breath attack, blowing them away.
"Thank you," said the young woman. "I could've handled them myself though. I already had a strategy laid out."
"Well you're welcome," responded Aether, going into a slight bow.
"I've heard of you," said the woman. "The Dragon of Lightning and Fire, Aether Cade. The current guild master of Dragon Gunfire; the guild that formerly only allowed Dragon Slayers to join."
"I guess my reputation proceeds me."
The woman held out her hand. "My name's Samarra Inari, guild master of Koma Inu."
Aether took her hand and began to shake, and as he did so he realized how beautiful this woman is. "Samarra Inari huh? Also known as Lady Komainu and the Flash Tactician. Perfect, you're just the woman I was looking for."
"Really, why would you want to see me?"
"I need your help."
Appearance of the Black Knight[]
Aether and Samarra walked into a restaurant in Onibus. Aether pulled out a chair for Samarra for her to sit down.
"Why how kind of you," she said.
"My mother raised me to be a gentlemen," answered Aether. "Although my grandfather raised me to be a warrior."
"What about your father?" asked Samarra.
"He disappeared after I was born. My parents never married. My mother wasn't allowed to marry anyone that wasn't a Dragon Slayer."
"I see..." said Samarra. A short silence followed. "So, I was rather impressed by your spells earlier. But I thought that Jutsu Shiki formulas required a lot of time to create?"
"They do," answered Aether. "It's simple really, I've just been there before."
"I see," said Samarra. "So you set up formulas everywhere you've been in order to gain a tactical advantage if you return. Very clever."
"Exactly."
"So, why did you want to meet with me again?"
Aether sighed. "Dragon Gunfire's hit a rough time. You must've heard of the civil war that we just suffered. Dragon Gunfire is weak, and we don't quite have enough time to wait for new members to join."
"Are you proposing an alliance?" asked Samarra.
"Yes," answered Aether. "What's your answer?"
Before she could, three men barged into the restaurant.
"Yo! What's going on here?" said a rambunctious young boy in sunglasses. He jumped on top of someone's table, startling the patrons.
"Jeez Alex, calm down," said a man with orange and black clothes on. "Get off those people's table."
"You're no fun Luke." he got off the table, following the instructions of his senior.
Luke sniffed the air. "This food smells terrible. I bet I could make something a million times better." He sniffed again. "Hold on, that smells familiar." He walked right over to Aether and Samarra's table. "Hey master, look at what we've got here."
A pale man with red eyes, and black armor walked over to the table.
"Hello Aether," he said.
"Jason," responded Aether.
"It's been a while."
"Yes it has."
"Hey are you on a date?" interjected Alex.
Aether blushed at that remark. "What...?" he said flustered.
"I didn't know that Mini Acnologia got flustered," said Jason.
Aether bolted out of his seat. "Don't call me that." The auras of the two Mages flared, Aether's blue and Jason's black.
"Sir," said Luke, "not here."
Their magic auras disappeared.
"Maybe later," said Jason, walking out of the restaurant.
"Man I really wanted to watch them throw down!" shouted Alex.
"Shut up Alex," said Luke.
"Who were they?" said Samarra.
"The S-Class Mages of Black Void," answered Aether. "The Boy with the Demon Eyes: Alexander Doomkaiser; Dragon of Destruction: Luke Gandor; and their guild ace, Black Knight: Jason Gaebolg. They form the guild's strongest team, the Quasars."
"Black Void, I've never heard of them. Well besides seeing their names in the updates sent out by the Magic Council." said Samarra.
"They're a relatively new guild. Their guild only has former Dark Mages in it. Supposedly the Mages were released by the Magic Council in order to get rehabilitation by being in a guild."
"What guild names themselves Black Void if they want to come off as nonthreatening? Not very bright of them." said Samarra.
"I've got a bad feeling about them. I don't think rehabilitation is what their master actually has in mind."
Walter King[]
The two guild masters exited the restaurant, just in time to see a man fly in front of them.
"Get him!" yelled a man with red hair running towards them, followed by a woman and another man in white clothes.
"What's this?" asked Samarra.
"I don't know," answered Aether.
The man slowly got to his feet and dashed behind Aether and Samarra.
"Get out of the way!" yelled the man in white. "El Drago!" He blasted a wave of energy from his mouth towards the duo. Aether merely swiped his hand, blasting away the attack.
"No way!"
"My turn." Aether charged at blinding speeds, and sent the man in white flying away with one punch.
"Cane!" called the woman.
"He took out our big gun in one hit!"
"Don't give up yet, we can take him together."
Aether stepped forward. "Don't worry about these guys Samarra, I'll handle them myself."
"Well where's the fun in that?" she responded.
"These two aren't strong enough to give us any real challege. I'll let you take the next batch."
"Stop mocking us!" The other man's skin ignited in flames, and a Phoenix-like symbol appeared on his back. "The Blaze!" He pounced at Aether, who easily stopped his attack and ate the flames right off his body.
"Well that tasted good. My turn." He collected a condensed ball of magic into his palm. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Spiralling Sphere!" He drilled the man in the chest with it, sending him even farther then Cane.
The woman, shocked, erected a barrier in front of her. "Hah! Good luck getting through this barrier!"
Aether wasted no time. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar!" He blasted a beam of lightning and fire from his mouth, easily destroying the barrier and burning the woman with the attack.
"Hey!" called Cane, walking back over to them. "I'm not finished with you!" He began ripping off chunks of the ground and eating them.
"Is he some sort of Dragon Slayer too?" asked Samarra.
"No," answered Aether, "this magic is completely different."
"Alright, I'm ready now," said Cane. "Strength!" His muscles swelled in size, his shirt ripped off, and his irises disappeared. "You're going down, and after I beat you, I'll eat you and your little girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend," said Aether, once again flustered. He wasn't prepared for the punch that landed squarely on his face. Aether didn't budge an inch. "I should've been more prepared for that one." He began charging his magical energy in his cupped hands. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Electron Cannon!" he blasted Cane in the chest. Although he didn't fly, his skin was incredibly burnt. Cane dropped to his knees, his Strength deactivating, and he passed out.
"Thank you so much!" said the man standing behind the guild masters. "I thought I was a goner."
"And what was your name again?" asked Samarra.
"Oh I'm sorry, my name's Walter King."
"Well then Walter," said Aether, "why did you hide behind us when these guys were chasing you?" Aether's aura flared up, intimidating Walter. Aether wasn't mad at him. He was just curious.
"I knew that you two were powerful guild masters," answered Walter scared, "I figured that you could easily take them down. I'm sorry, but I couldn't afford to be killed by those ruffians."
"Why not?" asked Samarra.
"I have important information about the guild Black Void."
Witness Protection[]
"Fortunately for you I was already going to go back to Crocus," said Aether. "You didn't have to come along with me Samarra."
"Well someone has to watch your back." said Samarra, as she flashed a warm smile towards Aether.
"You know, I'm a very capable member of the Dark Mage Disposal Squad," said Walter. "If we get into a fight, I won't be useless."
"You sure acted like you were useless when you hid behind us before." said Samarra.
"Touché."
"So those mages that attacked you before," said Aether, "those were Black Void mages, right?"
"Yes," answered Walter. "Cane Hannibal: the Maneater, Hayley Barker, and Thomas Manor. They're the strongest non-S-Class Mages in Black Void, but you took them down like they were nothing."
"Speaking of your fight," started Samarra, "you seemed to freeze up when that big guy called me your girlfriend." she said with a giggle.
Aether became flustered again. "I don't know, I've never been in a romantic relationship before. I guess I got kind of defensive." His voice was shaky and nervous. Aether was always a calm and collected individual, but he didn't know what was making him act in such a way. He looked at Samarra again, she flashed a smile, and Aether immediately turned away, his heart beating a mile a minute. "What's wrong with me?"
So about Black Void," said Samarra, "what information do you have about them?"
"You see I was sent into the guild by the Magic Council to spy on Black Void," said Walter. "We wanted to make sure they were staying up to code. Unfortunately I had only been there a week before I received my first assassination job request. I tried to stay hidden, gaining mounds of information by recording their illegal exchanges via a recording lacrima. Today however, my cover was blown, and I was forced to flee to Crocus to turn in what I found."
"That sounds tough," said Samarra. "No wonder you wanted our help."
Suddenly, Aether felt a change in the magic in the area. He held out his arm, motioning for them to stop. "Someone else is here."
Suddenly two men jumped out of the bushes. "Destruction Dragon's Roar!" yelled one of the men! blasting a cascade of explosions at his enemies. Aether jumped in front of Samarra and Walter and inhaled, devouring the explosion.
"You should know better than to open up with a fire based attack," said Aether, recognizing his adversaries.
"It's Luke and Alex!" yelled Walter.
"Looks like Black Void decided to send their best," said Samarra.
"Of course," said another voice. Jason Gaebolg calmly walked up to them. "Our master wants that spy dead. And I'm sure that he's told you two of his escapades, so we'll have to kill you too."
"I'd like to see you try," said Aether, his aura flaring up. "I'll handle Jason. I'm sure the two of you can handle the other two."
"I don't care who you are there's no way you can stand up to Black Void's elite," said Jason.
"Let's just see about that." Aether transformed into lightning and fire and tackled Jason, forcing him out of the area, and leaving Samarra and Walter to deal with Alex and Luke.
S-Class Level Battle[]
"It was a foolish decision having the one who can easily nullify my attacks fight another opponent," said Luke. "Jason may be our strongest Mage, but I'm no pushover either." Luke and Alex's magical auras flared up, orange and red respectively.
"I think I'm pretty strong too," Alex said, removing his sunglasses and revealing his red eyes with black sclera. "The Lunar Eclipse Eyes make everyone feel fear."
"Don't look into his eyes!" called Walter as he shielded them. Samarra did the same. Using this as an opening Luke attacked.
"You're mine now!"
Using her High Speed, Samarra quickly darted backwards, avoiding his attack. She then rocketed forward and with a lightning imbued kick, sent him reeling backwards. "Do those eyes have any weaknesses?"
"The fear is negated by reflective lenses," answered Walter, "but I don't have any sunglasses."
Samarra cracked a smile. "I've got the next best thing." She erected a barrier over her eyes, and opened them. To her pleasure, the Lunar Eclipse Eyes did not affect her in the slightest.
"What the hell?" said Alex. "How come she's not afraid?"
"It's some kind of Barrier Magic," answered Luke, "although this is a usage I've never seen before."
"That doesn't matter, my eyes do more than just cause fear. You don't become an S-Class Mage of Black Void on fear alone. Eclipse Beam!" He blasted a scarlet beam from his eyes. Before the beam made contact, Samarra created another barrier in front of her body, blocking the attack. She then created a barrier in front of Walter's eyes, shielding them from the Lunar Eclipse Eyes as well.
"Can you handle the boy by yourself?" Samarra asked Walter.
"Well with his magic negated I shouldn't have any problem now."
"Great, I'll handle the Dragon Slayer."
"You don't really think you can take me on do you?" said Alex.
"The weakness I showed before was merely a ploy. I'm a lot stronger than you think."
"Eclipse Beam!" Alex shot another burst of his scarlet beams from his eyes, but this time Walter was the one to block it.
"Iron Rock Wall!" A wall of earth erected itself in front of him, blocking the attack. "There's a reason they call me the Element King. Plus Fire Magic: Lava Stream!" The rock wall melted to a river of magma that barreled straight for Alex and Luke. Alex sidestepped, but Luke flew, seemingly growing a pair of feathery white wings from his back in order to stay airborne.
"Is that the best you got?" asked Luke.
"No," answered Walter, "but I'm not actually your opponent."
Without him having the time to react, Samarra was already above Luke. She kicked him the back of the head, using her High Speed and Lightning Magic, sending him crashing into the ground.
"Luke!" Alex called out.
"I'm your opponent, keep your eyes on me! Fire Magic Plus Water Magic: Steam Fist!" His fist was surrounded in a cloud of boiling hot vapor.
"Yeah I didn't forget about you. Carbyne!" Shadows wrapped around his arm, turning it completely black. He easily blocked Walter's attack with it. "Thanks for getting in close. Shadow Snare: Black Sarcophagus!" Shadow tendrils wrapped around Walter's body, beginning to encase him.
Before the shadows covered Walter's face however, a sword cut through the shadow connected to Alex's arm. Samarra then horizontally cut Alex across the chest with another slice. He dropped to the ground, a small gash on his stomach.
"Alex!" called out Luke. "You'll pay for that." His wings glowed and he rocketed downwards at the two. "Destruction Dragon's Bomb Fist!"
Both Walter and Samarra managed to easily dodge his attack, but before they could get too far away, Luke's aura flared up. "Destruction Dragon's Minefield!" Both Walter and Samarra landed on the ground, and due to Luke filling it with his magical energy, it set off a large chain of explosions. Luke landed on the ground, his wings folding in on themselves. "And that's that." Suddenly Luke was cut on the side by a lightning infused sword. Samarra had defended herself with her barriers. Walter then leaped at Luke, having covered his body in earth to soften the blow, jumped at him as well. He unsheathed a white wooden sword.
"Take this! Laevantein!" The sword glowed a dull orange and he cut Luke across the chest, but not deeply. He collapsed to the ground defeated. Suddenly an orange bipedal cat ran in front of Luke. "Don't hurt him!" He yelled. "Or else I'll show you what for!"
"It's an Exceed," said Walter.
Samarra flashed a smile. "Don't worry, we won't touch him again." The cat began to cry over his defeated friend.
Aether vs Jason[]
Aether and Jason continued trading blows, Aether with his plasma, Jason with his darkness. They continued trading blows, neither of them had an advantage, eventually jumping away from each other.
"Your reputation precedes you Aether Cade," said Jason. "Most would be lying dead on the ground by now."
"Well, I'm not most people," responded Aether. "We can end this right now. Neither of us have to get hurt. You can just let us walk away."
"You're so certain of your victory," scoffed Jason. "Last time I checked, we're even."
"As I am now, yes. But I have yet to show you my true power." Aether's aura became more vibrant, his skin becoming covered in scales, his hair became blue. He had entered Dragon Force. "Last chance. Walk away."
Jason didn't hesitate. He pointed a finger gun at Aether. "Black Bullet: Grenade Launcher." He fired a large blast of Darkness Magic from his fingers, creating a large explosion. "You think that changing your hair is enough to beat me. The smoke cleared, and Aether was still standing, unscathed, and surrounded by a swirling aura of plasma.
"My turn." He flew towards Jason at alarming speeds, decking him in the face, and causing him to fly backwards. He grabbed his face, burned from the punch. Aether was already attacking again, aiming for another punch. Jason barely managed to avoid the attack by jumping backwards, causing Aether to slam his fist into the ground, and melt the earth below. Aether immediately pulled his fist out of the ground and charged Jason, dealing a powerful blow to his gut. Jason, more angry than in pain, grabbed Aether's arm, the heat burning his hands, and threw him away. He then charged, collecting a powerful surge of Darkness Magic in his hand. "Black Dwarf Star!" he shouted as he slammed the sphere into Aether's head. He didn't budge, as the entire spell was incinerated before contact. "You should've given up." He grabbed Jason's arm, and threw him high above him. "Plasma Dragon's Roar!" He blasted Jason, tearing off his armor, and severely burning him. Jason fell to the ground, severely burned, and defeated. "I'm sorry, but you should've taken my offer." He wrapped Jason in plants, designed to heal burns. "Just be lucky that I didn't use the King's Roar."