Famine

The knight and the horse were the same colour of the dust and advanced slowly toward the group. The Vassal looked calm and composed, giving off a frightening aura. His left arm was raised and he held a scale hanging from his hand. It was Famine.

“Guys, let’s kill his horse first, so he passes on the second stage” said Natsuo.

The other four nodded. Natsuo transformed his guitar into the scythe and leapt forward, aiming for the black horse.

Famine’s scales shifted and, suddenly, Natsuo’s left leg was cut below the knee.

The blood sprayed everywhere and the boy fell on the ground, shocked.

Seeing Natsuo in that condition, Gregory rushed toward the Vassal, enraged. He raised his club, but before he could do anything, the scales shifted again and he lost an entire leg.

Everyone was shocked. Tristan looked at his friends on the ground, losing rivers of blood, horrified. Beatrice put a hand in front of her mouth, frightened. Olive stared blankly at them, unable to process what was happening.

Natsuo put on a healing song and he and Gregory started to heal.

Tristan held his rod and pointed it to the Vassal with the intent of throwing ice flakes against him.

Before he could use his system, the scales shifted and he lost his arms with which he was holding the rod.

Beatrice shot a volley of arrows against the Vassal.

The knight’s scales shifted and he lost a leg, but all the arrows dodged him. The scales shifted again. Beatrice lost a leg, while Famine’s one regrew.

The girl stared terrified at her maimed leg from where the blood was gushing out.

Olive frowned, disturbed by that vision, and summoned an explosive vial.

The Vassal’s scales shifted and her arm were cut. The vial fell on the ground and exploded on her.

“Olive!” Natsuo yelled through gritted teeth.

She fell on the ground, wounded and burned everywhere, but, luckily, still alive.

Natsuo’s healing song was having effect and each of them was slowly recovering from the injuries.

Natsuo recalled Richard More’s words: “everything someone does in his presence has a price to pay”. Now that made sense: probably, Famine’s power was the equivalent exchange. If you walked, you had to pay the price for walking and you would lose a leg. Also, it seemed like he could exchange something for another thing, like with Beatrice’s attack: he lost a leg, in exchange all the arrows dodged him.

Beatrice also thought the same thing. An idea passed through her mind. Her system was the Sunlight System, she could control sunlight and use it to attack, perhaps there was something she could do.

She summoned a sunlight sphere and blinded the Vassal with it. If he couldn’t see, maybe he couldn’t judge their actions and they wouldn’t have to pay any price.

Gregory took the chance and used his system. Molten metal spinned around the black horse and transformed into thorns that pierced its stomach.

The horse was injured and the strategy seemed to work.

After an instant, Beatrice started coughing and spat blood. She felt a piercing pain inside.

Gregory lost both arms and his stomach opened, while the horse healed from his wounds.

“It’s useless…” said Tristan, turning pale. “We can’t do anything against him, we’re done for.”

Natsuo’s music kept on healing them, even if slowly because they suffered major damage.

The boy stared at the Vassal, who was towering over them, holding his scales with an indifferent attitude. Despite their attacks, he had kept on walking unbothered and now had reached them.

The five guys stayed still, fearing to get wounded again.

Famine scrutinized the five guys. He seemed puzzled to see that their wounds were regenerating.

Thanks to the silence that was around, he heard clearly the song that was playing on Natsuo’s speakers.

His body trembled at those sounds. Famine understood that the speakers were the source of it and the scales shifted. He waited for a moment, but nothing happened.

He was probably trying to get rid of the speakers in exchange for something, but it didn’t work.

Natsuo sniggered. “A silent creature like you can’t do nothing against our rock.”

The Vassal turned to him, more angrily than before. He was annoyed that the exchange didn’t work.

He shifted his scales, this time trying to make Natsuo pay the price for using his system, but nothing happened again.

Famine stared at his scale, disappointed.

“They might be broken, uh?” said Natsuo.

He got up and twirled his scythe.

The scales shifted and this time, Natsuo lost a leg again. Now he was sure about it: Famine’s power didn’t work against his music.

The others were punished for using their system, but he could freely use the Rockstar System without paying any price.

Natsuo smirked. Now that he found his weakness, Famine wasn’t that frightening anymore. His power was humbling, but against his rock, even he was helpless.

Natsuo put the volume up on the speakers and Famine got stunned.

“Now!” Natsuo exclaimed.

Tristan pointed his rod to the Vassal and threw ice stalactites against him. This time, nothing happened to him because Famine was stunned.

The stalactites hit the black horse, but a lot of them crashed on the armour and the attack didn’t kill it, but inflicted serious injuries.

As soon as the effect of the stun ended, Famine healed his horse and all of the five guys spat blood, suffering damage to internal organs.

An idea came to Natsuo’s mind. It was a bit suicidal, but it could work.

“Guys, I have an idea. Follow me!” he said.

He got up and jumped in the air. As expected, one of his legs fell on the ground, but he didn’t fall because he was in mid-air.

He ignored the pain and swung his scythe. A burst of sound waves were released against the Vassal, then the boy lost even his arms.

Now it was up to the others.