Episode 46 Out in the Middle of Nowhere and In the Middle of it All!

Ryuu stares into the blank, yellow eyes of Lord Fyx standing in front of him. Fyx’s deadly, blank eyes glare forward into Ryuu’s. The Avenger falls to the ground behind Fyx with a loud clatter.

“Shuriken,” Fyx whispers softly, his voice now a hiss yet somehow more menacing than ever before. “So you’ve decided to show up after all.”

Shuriken stares at Fyx mercilessly, his dark eyes strangely blank and murderous. Shuriken suddenly summons another two Avenger in both hands, and lunges himself after Fyx.

“Heh,” Fyx mutters softly as he turns to face Shuriken, “Now things get interesting.”

Arai sighs as he nibbles on a cookie absentmindedly. He gazes far off into the distant, empty plains far ahead as the three of them, he, Kunai, and Ivy, stand on the outskirts of Omega Sector.

“So it’s just down to the three of us now…” Arai mutters. “I certainly hope Ryuu and Shuriken make it back safely and in a timely manner.”

“No kidding,” Kunai mutters, as a soft breeze blows by and ruffles their hair and the grass at their feet. ‘And with Ivy like this…it’s more like two of us rather than three.’

Kunai turns to stare at Ivy, who has retreated once again into one of her silent phases. ‘I just don’t get it…why is she like this? Why is she herself one moment, and quiet like this the next?’

“We should probably take into consideration what Ayame said outside Eos Tower,” Arai mutters suddenly, causing Kunai to look up in alarm. “You know, how we should try giving Ivy a Hybrid seal so she can return to normal again.”

“Yeah,” Kunai murmurs, “But even so, she still won’t be cured. We’ve got to find a cure for her somehow.”

“Yes,” Arai answers, “But all we can do is just address things one at a time. We don’t have the luxury of knowing where to look for a cure. It’s really too bad that I don’t know how to write a Hybrid seal, or I’d make one here. We’ll have to wait for Ryuu to come back to do it…”

Kunai turns to glance at Ivy, who is remaining silent, staring far off into the distant hills. ‘Dammit, Ivy…why did it have to be like this.’

“So where to now, Arai?” Kunai asks, turning back to Arai once more.

Arai shrugs as he finishes the cookie. He dusts his hands clean in the air and sighs. “Well, Ryuu and I were discussing where to go now that we’ve finally finished off the three Triplicates.”

“We’re going to the Rift World, right?” Kunai asks, glancing worriedly at Arai.

“Well yes, but as you might have noticed, we can’t just magically teleport there, Kunai,” Arai answers. “I don’t know how well your knowledge on this matter is, but there are doors all over the world that act as pathways in and out of worlds separate from ours, such as the Doors of Dimension scattered about Victoria Island, for example.”

“I see,” Kunai mutters. “So what you’re saying is, we’ve got to look for the place that acts as the doorway between our world and the Rift World, right? But how do we know where to find it?”

“It’s easy,” Arai replies with a smile, “The doorway into the Rift World lies just past these hills and plains lying in front of us. The place we’re looking for is a small town called Gamma Precinct, naturally heavily controlled territory by the Myougun. That’s where their third and final base lies, Atelier.”

“So we’re going to head to Gamma Precinct?” Kunai asks perplexedly. “I see. And then when we get there, we’ll be able to go to the Rift World?”

“Well, not quite, Kunai,” Arai replies, “the Myougun are not to be underestimated. They made it so that only when you carry a specific scroll can you enter the Rift World. But not to worry. We know exactly where the scrolls are located—inside a sealed room in the center of Gamma Precinct. However, the only way we’d be able to access those scrolls is to get the key to it, which, I’m informed, is in Atelier.”

“Basically…” Kunai mutters dully, “You’re saying we’ve gotta break into Atelier now. Geez, the Myougun always make things so complicated for us.”

“Yes,” Arai replies grimly, “And it won’t exactly be a walk in the park, either. The Myougun have their base Atelier heavily guarded, and with only just the three of us right now, it’ll be quite a difficult operation. But not impossible, though, so you have nothing to worry about for now, Kunai.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Kunai mutters. “But even if you put a smile on your face, the fact remains is that we’re missing Ryuu and Shuriken, and with Ivy like this and unable to defend herself, it’s just you and me. Any way I see it, we’re at a disadvantage.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic, Kunai,” Arai replies cheerfully, “You don’t know till you try.”

Lord Fyx raises his Fairfrozen and deflects both Avengers as Shuriken hurls them at him. The Avengers land on the ground, sticking into it with their pointed sides.

Fyx suddenly widens his eyes in sheer surprise as another two Avengers plant themselves straight into his back. He turns around and sees a shadow form of Shuriken standing behind him, its hands still raised in the air.

Fyx stares in shock as blood drips out from his mouth. “I see…” he mutters hoarsely, “While you distracted me with the head on attack, you used Copycat and had your shadow sneak up on me from behind using the exact same move… Impressive!”

Shuriken smirks, laughing to himself. “What do you expect? Me to play childish teatime games with you? You killed my family, I am simply showing you my thanks for it.”

“You are quite the stubborn one,” Fyx laughs, “I regret not killing you now. It’s a shame you never considered working for me…you would’ve been quite the apprentice.”

“Don’t make me laugh,” Shuriken smirks, “I’d never take an order from you.”

“Really?” Fyx sneers, “Well then, it’s time then that I show you death!”

Ryuu raises his sword, watching it burst into flames. He wipes dust off his face, and faces Fyx from behind. “Fyx! Where do you think you’re going?! In case you’ve forgotten, you’re fighting me as well!”

“Tch,” Fyx mutters, “You are quite the nuisance, Ryuu. I shall kill you later.” Fyx suddenly waves his staff, and the five blood red pupils in his right eye glow menacingly.

Suddenly many icicles rise from the ground around Ryuu, creating an icy cage towering over and around him. The icicles arch and intertwine over him as well, forming a sealed roof. Suddenly electricity erupts from the base of each icicle, engulfing the cage so that it is brimming with electrical energy.

Ryuu growls. He pounds the icy bars of his cage angrily. “Let me out, you bastard! I’m not done with you yet! Come and fight me, you coward!”

Fyx turns and ignores Ryuu, turning back to face Shuriken as he prepares to strike. Suddenly Shuriken lunges forward, and with several quick hand movements, builds a strong, thick web of silk and surrounds Fyx with it, imprisoning him in the unbreakable threads.

Fyx stands perfectly still, unable to move in his spider web bonds. He then sneers as Shuriken smirks triumphantly at him. “So naïve,” Fyx whispers. He suddenly transforms into a complete pool of shadow, and lands on the ground with a loud splash.

The shadowy pool of fibrous material slides forward several inches, out of the boundaries of the spider web. It then rises into the air, reshaping itself into Lord Fyx.

Fyx stares at the shock expression on Shuriken’s face with glee. “I can assume you did not know I could do that?”

“Not at all…” Shuriken mutters.

“I am a Paradox, Shuriken,” Fyx sneers. “It is the power of the Paradox. How often do these pathetic humans underestimate the power of shadows.”

“Do not tell me what I don’t need to hear!” Shuriken growls angrily. He takes off his Casters abruptly, and releases Phoebe from inside the claw.

Fyx stares on interestedly as he does this. “I see…so you keep a Paradox inside that claw of yours, eh? Tch, what does it matter…it is no match for me!”

Fyx continues to stare coldly at Shuriken. He raises a finger to his right eye, where his five blood red pupils shine in the yellow of his eyes. “Shuriken…with these five pupils, I constructed the perfect Hybrid Paradox. I am a Dragon Knight unrivaled in skill. Who can stand against a Dragon Knight who can wield the elements Fire, Poison, Ice, and Lightning all at once? No one.”

“You monster,” Shuriken mutters. He suddenly charges at Fyx.

Fyx sneers back and throws himself and his spear forward, as his Fairfrozen glows with a bright red flame. It collides with Shuriken, who fuses himself with Phoebe just in time, using the shadow to block the blow.

Shuriken flips and lands on his feet, sliding several inches backwards. He digs the heels of his feet deeper into the ground, staring at Fyx with hatred blazing in his eyes. Phoebe retreats again, revealing Shuriken’s pale skin underneath.

“Interesting skill…” Fyx mutters to himself, “He can fuse himself with his own Paradox, essentially giving him some of the benefits of a Paradox as well…interesting kid indeed.”

“You won’t get very far with that weak defense though,” Fyx says out loud to Shuriken, as he charges again with his spear, this time with it glowing a bright yellow. “Fairfrozen: Lightning!”

Shuriken lunges himself forward to meet Fyx head on as well, fusing with Phoebe again as he sprints forward, so that his skin is completely covered in Phoebe’s dark skin. Shuriken quickly summons an Avenger in his right hand, and meets Fyx head on with it.

He brings the shuriken crashing to meet Fyx’s Fairfrozen, and they both struggle for a moment, pushing their own weapons into the other’s.

Suddenly there is a loud crack, and Fyx throws his Fairfrozen forward, sending Shuriken’s Avenger flying into the ground beside them, cracking it in half.

Shuriken immediately reacts, flipping into the air backwards to avoid a fatal blow from Fyx. He then digs deep to his sides, where his Tobis lay hidden. ‘Damn…I’m running out of Tobis fast. I’ll have to finish this as quick as possible!’

Shuriken quickly summons another Copycat clone, and the two of them surround Fyx, each summoning two Avengers for either hand.

Then both Shuriken and his clone immediately run straight towards Fyx from both sides, launching all four Avengers total simultaneously. However, Fyx grins as they approach. “That won’t work on me twice!”

“Try and stop me!” Shuriken growls.

However, Fyx simply waves his Fairfrozen, creating a thin green bubble around himself. The Avengers bounce into Fyx from all sides, but merely bounce right off and land on the ground, with holes burned into them.

Shuriken gazes at the scene in awe. “He can use Poison as a shield and as a weapon?” He glares at Fyx, who is staring at him disturbingly. ‘This is going to be an interesting fight indeed…’

Kunai drops to the floor as he, Arai, and Ivy are already sprinting through the midst of a large, wide, open grassy plain field. Ahead of them lies a mountainous cluster of dry, bare hills, concealing the edge of the horizon in front.

“What’s the matter?” Arai asks, stopping in his sprint and bending over Kunai.

Kunai holds up his arms, which remain bruised and battered from the curse of the third Triplicate. “My arms and my legs…I…c-can’t move them any longer!”

Arai sighs as he inspects both Kunai’s arms and legs. “The trouble is, right after we defeated the Triplicate we ran right into Lord Fyx, so we haven’t had much time to do much. We still need to make Ivy a Hybrid seal and cure your own wounds.”

Arai shakes his head, smiling optimistically. “Not to mention treat everyone else’s injuries.” Kunai looks up at Arai perplexedly, but Arai merely answers his look by drawing back some of the hair near his forehead, revealing a blackened, yet still bloody wound.

“Well, we don’t have much supplies, and I’m not particularly good at treating injuries, but let’s try to get you fixed up enough to walk, Kunai,” Arai continues suddenly. He reaches into his bags and draws out of it a roll of bandages.

Arai proceeds to tightly wrap the white bandages around Kunai’s arms and legs. Kunai gasps in pain as Arai does this. “Arai! Dammit…my bruises, they hurt…”

“Stop struggling, Kunai,” Arai warns. “You were pretty close to being completely wrapped in the Triplicate’s cocoon, as I hear.” Arai finally finishes wrapping the bandages around Kunai’s arms and legs, and then raises his Dark Ritual over him.

“I’ll put a slight freezing spell over it to harden up your worn down limbs and to dull the pain,” Arai replies. He waves his staff lightly, creating a thin icy, protective layer of coating over Kunai’s bandages.

“There,” Arai says. “That should do it for now.”

Kunai gingerly stands up, and stumbles slightly as he does so. He moves his both his arms and legs awkwardly, adjusting to the renewed use of them. He turns to Arai. “How much further to Gamma Precinct?”

“It’s past these hills,” Arai replies, “It’s going to be quite a long journey still to go, I’m afraid.”

“No kidding,” Kunai replies, “It looks like we’re out in the middle of nowhere.”

“Kunai, Ivy,” Arai says suddenly, “You two stick close together and stay right behind me. Since I’m the only one of us most capable of fighting, it looks like I’ll have to do most of the fighting for now. Kunai, since you have the best eyes, keep a close watch behind us for any enemy ambushes.”

“Right,” Kunai replies.

Shuriken throws himself after Fyx, quickly forming yet another Avenger in his right hand, while concealing three Tobis in his left behind the Avenger.

He launches the Avenger, which Fyx quickly deflects with the Poison Bubble. Shuriken then sends the other three Tobis flying straight at Fyx, just as the bubble retracts.

Fyx takes all three direct hits, but Shuriken gasps in fear and surprise as he realizes that the wounds are quickly repairing themselves with the same shadowy, fibrous material as the Paradoxes.

“Heh, you’re quite the fool, Shuriken!” Fyx mutters, as the bubble of poison quickly reshapes itself, surrounding himself at Shuriken. “One breath of this poison and you’re dead in two minutes’ time!”

Shuriken’s eyes widen as the bubble surrounds him. He quickly draws out Phoebe again, and surrounds himself with Phoebe’s dark aura.

He then creates another Avenger and bursts out of the bubble, landing on the floor in a crumpled heap. He pants heavily as Fyx approaches him with a smirk on his face.

Shuriken reaches for his side again. ‘Dammit…I’ve only got enough stars for three more Avengers…I’ve gotta defeat this guy in three hits! But…my body…I…can’t move!’

Fyx raises his Fairfrozen and prepares to strike as he towers over Shuriken. Fyx smirks to himself as his eyes blaze with a fiery lust for blood. “So long, Shuriken…” he hisses.

“You know who’s the real fool here, Fyx?” Ryuu’s voice suddenly mutters directly behind him.

Fyx’s eyes widen as he hears Ryuu behind him. “You,” Ryuu mutters softly in Fyx’s ear. He then draws his sword and stabs Fyx directly in the back.

Fyx gasps in surprise and chokes out a fresh stream of blood from his mouth. Suddenly he forms another Poison Bubble, and throws Ryuu into the air with it.

Ryuu gasps in surprise as the bubble surrounds Fyx, and he accidentally breathes in some of the poison mist. Ryuu lands on the ground roughly, choking and coughing loudly.

Fyx turns to Ryuu again, sneering haughtily once again. He looks up at the cage Ryuu had been imprisoned in, and notices that Ryuu had shattered not one, but two of the icicles to break free. “Impressive strength…” he mutters.

However, Fyx turns and stares up at a large digital clock stamped onto a nearby tower in Omega Sector. Fyx sneers as the clock reads exactly 11:52:00. “Even a little droplet of my poison will kill you, Ryuu. Say goodbye, why don’t you? You’ve only two minutes left to live!”

Ryuu gasps inaudibly to himself, staring up at Fyx with hatred. However, his face remains resolute as he stands up and raises his sword, bracing to continue the fight.

Fyx looks up in surprise at the resolution on Ryuu’s face. “Eh? So stubborn that you’ll fight to the very end, eh? Tch, you don’t know when to give up.”

“What makes you so confident that I’m going to die in two minutes?” Ryuu smirks. “To be perfectly honest, it is perfectly plausible for me to live past the next two minutes.”

“How can you say that when you’re about to die? Have you deluded yourself that much? Heh, heh…” Fyx laughs, as Ryuu gazes back calmly and confidently.

Ryuu shrugs. “I don’t know. But poisons can fail, you know. Or maybe I didn’t even breathe in any of the poison. I can’t tell. Neither of us can.”

“Antidote?” Fyx mutters to himself.

Ryuu looks up, sneering at Fyx. He laughs softly. “No antidote,” Ryuu replies, taking off his jacket and revealing the insides of it. “I’ve got no such potion to relieve me of my poisonous woes, Fyx.”

“Humph,” Fyx growls, “It doesn’t matter. You will die within these next two minutes. If you’re so confident you won’t die, then we can just wait here and see.”

Ryuu laughs as he turns his head to look up at the clock on the tower: 11:53:26. “Only about half a minute left for me,” Ryuu says out loud, “Oh I sincerely hope that this poison doesn’t kill me. Maybe I should pray to the GM Gods to let me live!”

“Tch, foolish to the very end,” Fyx mutters.

“All right, NOW, Shuriken!” Ryuu shouts suddenly. Fyx turns both ways in surprise at Ryuu’s sudden outburst. Shuriken rushes at Fyx from behind, bearing his signature Avenger in attack mode.

Meanwhile, Ryuu attacks from the other end, his sword glowing brightly red and yellow. Both Shuriken and Ryuu make contact on Fyx at once, forcing a huge, devastating explosion of power to erupt through the air.

Shuriken feels his Avenger go straight through Fyx as he shrieks out loud in pain. Meanwhile, Ryuu latches onto both of Fyx’s arms and growls as his sword erupts in an explosion of fire and smoke, with electricity running in swift currents throughout the blast.

“EXPLOSION!” Ryuu cries, while Shuriken shouts, “AVENGER!” at the same time.

Behind Ryuu, the clock suddenly reads 11:54:02.

As the smoke and debris from the blast clears, both Shuriken and Ryuu land on either side of Fyx, having created an enormous crater in the ground centered around Fyx.

Suddenly a light breeze blows by, wiping all the smoke away from the field, and reveals Fyx still standing, though limply. Ryuu gasps in surprise as he sees Fyx still-standing figure. “I don’t believe it!”

Fyx begins laughing maniacally as his human skin and flesh fall to the freshly unearthed dirt on the ground from the crater. Suddenly the skin slowly cracks, starting at his legs, revealing a shadowy, swirling, dark skin underneath.

Next Time: Episode 47 Atelier: Seek and Destroy

Arai: Okay! We’re finally in Gamma Precinct!

Kunai: We’ve gotta head to Atelier now to get that key for the scrolls!

Ryuu: This Fyx…what is he?!

Episode 47 Atelier: Seek and Destroy coming soon!