The Guild Ranking Ceremony Trial One (Pt.3)

Lightning Cloak crackled around me searing the grass that was surrounding me.

Lightning Cloak was a new spell of mine that coats my body in an aura of lightning, it allows me to constantly move at Bolt Rush speeds and imbues every one of my strikes with lightning equivalent to Light Show.

When I first learned it, I could only keep it up for about thirty seconds. But now I can do so for a whopping five minutes.

"Very nice, perhaps this will be a good fight after all." Sieg said as he clapped his hands together.

"Not for you it won't be!" I shouted before I immediately close our distance.

While it's true my speed could never match Nosora's, it was more than enough to take Sieg by surprise.

Or so I thought. Right in front of Sieg was a floating rune preventing me getting closer.

"I forgot to tell you; I don't need to write my runes on a surface. Thin air will suffice." He said before his runic barrier exploded. This time though I refused to move and instead punched into the dust created by his explosion.

But my fist simply hit air as Sieg retreated further.

"I knew you were a long-distance fighter! It doesn't matter how many runes and traps you've prepared in preparation. All I need to do, is surprise you! I'd like to see you try and write your intricate runes while I'm punching you in the brain case!" I shouted as I dashed around to flank Sieg.

"Bravo, you're correct. However, this place is completely surrounded in runes, and only I know where they are. Not to mention, any possible strategy you've thought up, I have already thought up a counter for." Sieg said as I stepped on a runic mine sending me flying away from the flag.

Any strategy I made he already knew is what he said. Which gave me an idea.

"If you already know my strategy, then I guess need to stop using it." I said with a laugh before I purposely stepped on every mine.

Sure, it hurt, every explosion of Ether sent pain throughout my whole body.

But at least I knew that he wouldn't have any damn traps waiting for me.

"Hmm. Perhaps I should've made those mines a little more potent, I was trying not to permanently harm anyone you see." Sieg said as he turned his stiletto into an elegant paintbrush.

Once again The announcer's voice boomed across the arena. 

"Whoa whoa whoa!!! Azure Ursine has captured Draconum Familia's flag creating a three-way tie between Kin-Of-Bestia, Specialty Maid, And Azure Ursine! But wait? Wasn't that kid a member of Golden Chariot? What happened to him?" 

"Not looking good for you, is it?" Sieg teased. "You could really use my flag huh-"

Before he could finish, I planted my fist into Sieg's face with everything I had.

"Sorry, can't afford to wait!" I said hasty before I immediately went for the flag, yet my feet wouldn't move, I felt as a thick coat of paint formed a Rune on my back.

"The paint from my brush is actually made of my ether, and while most Runists or Runies, have a difficult time controlling their Ether. I have absolute control over mine." Sieg said with a smile.

Yet it was short lived as Nosora swept the flag from it's base while shadowy dark tendrils held Sieg in place.

"Tok ou ong nuff!" I exclaimed without function in my lips or tongue.

"You know I don't do quick casting, besides, you kinda deserved it." Shade said translating my gibberish, as he held Sieg back.

"For the record. It was his idea to wait so long." Nosora said defensively as he prodded my face.

My mission was a success! At least it looked that way.

Suddenly the sky turned black. Not like a storm though with darkened clouds, it was pitch black. The sky began to fall around us in a dome cutting off all light.

"I knew it, Lunastray wouldn't have simply run, they were getting him." Sieg said as he broke from his shadow binds. "I'm afraid we must part ways. Keep the flag, you guys earned it."

Sieg waved his paintbrush instantly creating a rune that teleported us away.

"No way. He was holding back the whole time?" Shade said in disbelief.

"Well, I'll be damned to hell and back!!! Draconum Familia has captured Golden Chariot's Flag!!! They have entered they four-way tie now! How unexpected!!!" Cion shouted as we returned to our flag via Sieg's rune.

********

"Hear that Ibu? We're gonna when this." I yelled to my former guildmate as he circles us like a predator.

"That is if you can beat me. Okami Lupin; Beta of Draconum Familia, sage, adept in wind magic and conjuring bronze leaves which she controls with intense precision. Aceil Roun; Eta of Draconum Familia, mage, adept in body enhancing magic and martial fighting. And of course, there's you, Kenki Asuma former Epsilon of Azure Ursine, Runie, I don't need to explain you." Ibu said as he swiftly took Lunastray's flag from Aceil without him even noticing.

"What the? You wannabe ninja little-" Aceil roared before being interrupted by a barrage of kunai which he once again blocked with his Tanabo.

"I'm not at all in danger fighting in the woods. Okami's magic could cause a tree to fall and harm one of you, Aceil may be strong, but he cannot hurt what he can't see. And of course, there's you, plenty of surface to place a rune. I wonder what you'll do." Ibu continues to taunt as he circles us, weaving between the trees, agilely leaving us mere glimpses of him.

'He's right, it's up to me, I can use Rune of Clairvoyance and find him. Then I can send Aceil after him.'

"Well, Kenki? What now?" Aceil asked anxiously.

"Now I show him just how precise my leaves are!" Okami shouted with fury as she conjured forth a swarm, of bronze leaves.

Yet when I activated my Rune, he was out of range meaning we were too late.

"Don't bother Okami, he's already gone. Let's regroup, with the point we got we'll at least be in the game." I said bitterly, as I grit my teeth. "Don't worry though, I have a feeling we'll be seeing him again."

********

"Azure Ursine shows their tenacity and strength by capturing Lunastray's flag putting them above the rest in second place! But wait. Almost immediately after having their flag captured by Draconum Familia, Golden Chariot has had their flag captured yet again by Lunastray. At this point in the game the scores are pretty much settled! But who knows, maybe they'll surprise us again!" Cion shouted as his face pressed against the commentator's box like a certain maniacal boy I know.

Returning to our forested flag base I bore witness to Jex getting a well-earned scolding via Nosora.

"Wow Jex, how impressive, aren't you supposed to be one of our strongest. If you could keep your eyes off my girlfriend this wouldn't happen." He exclaimed in anger.

"Oh, that's what this is about? Don't worry pal, I'm not going after your girl, you know that. Lilac loves you I'm just being a douche. Now Kenki on the other hand..." Jex replied with a wink directed at me.

I knew that with the short time we had remaining, it would be impossible to capture another flag, so instead I would study where we went wrong and make sure we don't make the same mistake twice.

"Who took our flag?" I asked Lilac as Jex was too busy attempting to defend himself from Nosora's wrath.

"It was a little boy who was a giant pervert. He was with The Golden Chariot, but it seems like someone from your old guild got him before he could capture our flag." Lilac explained with a blush as she watched Nosora come unglued. "He's so defensive..."

'Little pervert boy... That sounds like Chiba from Azure Ursine. But she said he was Golden Chariot. Why would a member of Azure Ursine pretend to be from the Golden Chariot?'

As I thought on the subject, I remembered our encounter with Ibu, it felt odd that he would remain close to us for long enough to taunt us. Throughout the whole exchange it felt like he was testing us.

"What are you up to Azure Ursine?"

"Uh, guys. Where's Robius?" Shade asked nonchalantly as we noticed he was nowhere to be seen.

********

'It's not right, something isn't right' I thought as I navigated back to the Golden Chariot's base through the thick jungle, Lightning Cloak was expended for the day, so I had to use Bolt Dash, but I was still making decent speed.

What I saw before the flag of The Golden Chariot shocked me to my core.

In the tall grass lied the limp body of Sieg Torrikkusatu lying face down. A small dagger was implanted in his back. It's pommel was decorated with a large crescent smile and it's blade was coiled in a way no Orochi Islander smith would dream to be capable of.

I rushed to his side seeking to aid him, a moment ago he was my enemy. But our whole fight he was holding back on me, and then that black dome appeared, and he suddenly teleported us away. I couldn't shake the feeling I was responsible for his state.

"Robius was it?" He said weakly. "Brave of you to come back. Tell you what, as a reward, take my flag. Make sure Lunastray doesn't get it, and do hurry up, you're running out of time."

"What's up with Lunastray? Did they do this? And that dagger, I've never seen anything like it." I said in a flurry of questions as Sieg sat up dagger and all.

"Just go, Master Frost will explain everything to you when he sees fit. You've got ten minutes to capture the flag. Don't waste them."

I wanted to help the man who may have saved my life. But I knew I couldn't do anything; I wasn't a doctor or a healing sage. All I could do was oblige his request.

"This is truly incredible! Draconum Familia has captured The Golden Chariot's flag yet again! With just seconds to spare! May wanna have somebody check on the Exorcist's nephew though. Sieg is not looking too great. However! The First trial of the Guild Ranking Ceremony has concluded! The results are... Take it away Mr. Jiroki."

"The Golden Chariot; first place, three points. Azure Ursine and Draconum Familia; second place, two points. Kin-of-Bestia, Specialty Maid and Lunastray; third and last place with one point each." Mr. Jiroki said with a businessman voice.

********

Meanwhile Frost stared at the screens in shock as his body quaked.

"Master? Are you alright?" Kukiri asked in concern, as she and Master Tuma were all who accompanied Nikolos. 

"Can't deny it anymore Frost, they're here. I don't know why, but they are. And you know what that means." Master Tuma said mournfully.

The box's doors burst open as a wave of Ether flushed the room like a tsunami.

"Good enough for you!?" Kiris asked in a raised voice as he stormed at Niko with an aura like the sun pouring off of him.

"Kiris, I didn't-"

"Know!? Don't feed me that bullshit! I told you! I warned you! But no, you thought you could just wait!" Kiris shouted, interrupting Nikolos, as he threw the coiled dagger once imbedded in Sieg, between Niko's legs. "Guess where this was! In the back of my guildmate! Do I have to spell it out for you!? Nikolos Frost, you stubborn son of a bitch! The Smilers are here, and they're just as eff'd up as they were in Merkia"

"Uh, should I be hearing this?" Kukiri said out of place.