Worldbreaker (Rita's B-Ranked Exam)

(OOC Thanks for the great post and for giving me this exam Heero, sorry I was unable to respond sooner.)


Rita wasn't to sure herself why Heero had brought her of all people with him to undergo such and important task. There were people in that guild that were far more capable and likely to succeed in recovering the hammer... He could of drug anyone else along, Ebony, Leonard, Simon, and others names who were higher than her own. Hopefully Rita would figure out why Heero picked her instead, but now she had to focus on the task at hand.

Worldbreaker, the treasure of an entire nation had gone missing. The massive forge still burned meaning the culprit was still within the Ca-Elum islands with the hammer... 

Rita stared intently into the flames which danced in the reflection of her eyes. There was no way she could refuse to bring something lost back home without going against herself, Even if it didn't concern her. The mage wished deep down that more people were willing to do the same. --It angered her that there were people who were so quick to give up and ones who weren't even willing to try. She didn't care if these people insulted her own country, Rita had to punch Heero in the arm regarding what he said about this being none of Fiore's concern, not saying anything to him or giving him a glance. "Were going to bring Worldbreaker back." She declared her eyes drifting away from the forge and to the Master Smith. 

The Fairy un-tensed her shoulders, crossing her arms. She huffed a sigh, a comedic cloud of air passing her lips. "How about a bet, Heero." She said dragging his attention, turning to look up at him with a devious sharpness in her sapphire eyes. "I bet I can find that hammer before you can and If I win..." She smirked. Imagining of something that Heero absolutely couldn't live with...

 "If I win you've gotta go on a gluten free diet for two weeks!" She proclaimed. Rita knew how Heero was about food. A diet would absolutely kill him. If Rita was to find the hammer first... The Dragon Slayer would not be allowed to touch anything containing traces of wheat, rye, barley or similar additives. Rita chuckled to herself as if she had already won "This means you would have to manage without beer, breads, cakes, candies, cookies, crackers, gravies, sea food, seasonings, salad dressings, soups,---" Rita went on listing various foods for what seemed for hours, leaving only the blandest of options to choose from. "Annnnd sauces- ...Including soy sauce..." She concluded devilishly before considering what would happen if she lost. 

"And I guess If I loose I could---" She blinked,Trying to think of something just as fair as taking food away from Heero... Leading Rita to only one option. "---If you win... I'll have to model for Sorcerer Magazine regularly, including bikini season. Eh...Seeing as you were such a big fan of my last photo shoot I'm pretty sure this makes the bet fair." She murmured extending her hand to seal the deal. She tried to keep a sane face, dying inside with what she had set herself up for. Eck---She didn't want to be on magazine covers, especially in a revealing swimsuit!

If Heero was to accept the bet. Rita would be the first to act, instantly pulling out a small black spray can and holding it to his face. "This is where our bet begins." She murmured dully with a twitch of her eye. The mage pressed her index finger down on the dispenser, spraying a generous amount of her moron suppressor (pepper spray) into Heero's eyes, blinding him while she made a break for it, zooming down the red carpet and out of the iron castle.

The bladed castle dissapeared further and further into the background, soon cascaded by a thin layer of clouds and mist. Rita dashed towards the city which waiting for her at the bottom of the staircases which descended the massive hill where the steel structure sat. the mage almost tripped over her feet a couple of times, anxious to get down the steps before Heero could recover and catch up to her. After making a bet like that Rita absolutely had to win this, she wasn't about to let herself become a cover girl for some magazine... The village at the bottom of the mountain got slightly closer with each step. It seemed like she would make it down there no problem... All until she misjudged the next stair, falling forwards. It seemed everything went in slow motion as she fell. Her arms flailing, and facial expression lit up with surprised as for her fall the sound made once her head crashed into the step could only be described as a loud and hollow thud. Gravity threw the mage forward, sending her flying down the rest of the hundred or so steps left until she face planted into the pavement at the bottom of the staircase. 
 
She let out an agonizing grunt, the noise absorbed by the surface which she had landed into. Clad in bruises and scrapes, Rita clambered to her feet, recovering abnormally quickly. Only seconds later did she realize that she had drawn the attention of a crowd. Local men, woman, and children alike stared at her in silence. She was in what appeared to be a city, Ca-Elum's main settlement to be exact. Homes, markets, businesses, and other buildings appeared to be constructed from blocks of shimmering silvery stones, certainly a rare and pricey substance. Each structure bore metallic accents including: porches, steps, and railings. The roofs, shingled with refined and gleaming plates of iron, were balanced on top of decorative silvery rock arches. Strung from rooftops and threaded over top of the reflective onyx brick roads were glowing crimson colored paper lanterns, printed with various different emblems. 

Rita blinked and let out a nervous laughter, rushing to dust herself off... The villagers attention eventually faded off of her as they resumed their chores. Unsure what to do now,  Rita watched as men hauled in carts packed heavy with various minerals fresh from the mines and traded with whomever would make use of them, blacksmiths who forged various weapons and armors to sell, merchants who could craft gear and tools, and other smitheries that could make use of the minerals. Gold minerals would go towards advancing and refining their nations technology. Irons went towards tools, weaponry, and armors while silvers were crafted into decorative items and forged into various gadgets along with other miscellaneous minerals.

As for the winged furball who had flown after Rita, he had long forgotten his objective to look out for the mage. Garfield had found himself being pet, brushed, and fawned over by a crowd of young and attractive oriental woman who believed the cat was the most adorable thing that had ever seen.

(OOC: Thanks Heero but I should be good without Garfield! I've got this, went ahead and distracted em for the time being. Go ahead and steal him back if you wish to use him when you post later on.)

After her trip Rita had gone and headed off deeper into the city, taking time to speak with everyone and anyone she could get a hold of. She asked about the hammer and hoped that someone she would come across knew something... Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. 

Anyone she asked had no idea what could of happened and where the hammer could of been taken. At this point the mage was desperate for leads...She was getting absolutely no where. Blacksmiths, farmers, merchants, children, none knew which direction to point her. Minutes were passing far to quick for Rita's liking... An hour had slipped by and she still had no idea where to head. She couldn't just search aimlessly there were hundreds of islands the culprit could of taken the hammer, that could take her days to find them and she didn't have that much time...She wasn't just racing anyone, she was up against Heero.


Rita gradually made her way by the town docks on the outermost part of the city. Her attention was on the ocean and the many isles floating in the distance. A burning orange sphere of flame was sinking behind the horizon, Shades of yellow orange light bled off into the sea from it. The sky burned with glowed with the color of golden emeralds and fiery blues, the sea reflecting the light of the sky in a unison of color.

Worldbreaker could be anywhere out there... She had no idea where to start... Maybe Rita had taken on to harsh of a task this time?... The mage sighed and her eyelashes lowered as if with sadness, her sapphire pools sunk to the ground as if she had been defeated.

A quiet set of creaking footsteps traversed across the wooden dock and behind the mage. Feeling a presence, she whirled around and took a defensive stance. Rita didn't see anyone at first and assumed she was just imagining things all until she felt a quiet tug on her long skirt. She quickly glanced down and met the gaze of a child who seemed to be no older than nine. The girls hair was on the darker side and pulled over her shoulder into a long thin braid

"Your the one who's gonna bring Worldbreaker back?...Aren't cha?" She wondered with a tilt of her head, her braid readjusting and sliding off of her shoulder.

Rita froze for a moment... This child reminded her allot of herself when she was young... It wasn't the girls appearance or the way she spoke her words...It was the desperation in her voice. Worldreaker and the well being of this kid's nation was at stake and all she could do was sit and hope for her heroes to carry out their jobs. Rita had been in a similar situation once before. However, her hero never came. They gave up and Rita was the one who suffered because of it...

Leaving a child in the dark to fend for themselves was unforgivable in the Shadow mages eyes. No one in need deserved to be denied help, no matter who they were... "O-Of course I am. Like I would give up right off the bat like this anyway?!" She stammered, sounding unconvinced in herself.

"Well, if that's the case mighta I saw the person your after, Miss."

(OOC: Been busy with life stuff. Sorry I haven't been posting. I've gotta work on getting this exam done!)

Before Rita could respond the girl began talking as if she knew The Fairy wanted answers. "I watched them get away the night it happened I didn't get a good look at em but some one was causing a commotion, The the guards after em and everything. They got to the docks and hopped in one of the boats with the hammer and took off." She explained, eyeing the guild mark on Rita's neck. "I live in that house just over there, My family owns this dock. We manufacture boats which run on magic energy via self energy plug. The bad guy took off in one of them so hes gotta be a mage of some sort, and judging by how quick that boat took off they are strong too."

"D-Did you see which direction they went?" The girl nodded in response to the mage, pointing towards the east. "I remember seeing them take off that way." she stated. "I'll loan you one of the boats, but only if you promise to bring the hammer back." Rita paused as if with hesitation. She did not want to make a promise she couldn't keep, especially a promise with a kid. Rita didn't plan on letting Ca-Elum down any time soon. The mage cleared her throat, calling a confident tone. "Of course, I find lost things for people all the time." She grinned brightly.

The girl smiled back and nodded. She grabbed onto Rita's hand, leading her down one of the docks. At the end of the dock sat what appeared to be a speed boat. Rita blinked at it oddly. The boat seemed to be a little bit different from other vehicles. It didn't have a steering wheel, or breaks, or gas, or any other switches and mechanics you would normally see in a boat.

Rita blinked and wondered if the girl saw this too. She had a race to win and couldn't waste time examining a vehicle. Rita swept the lack of widgets aside and hoped into the boat, balancing herself as it wobbled on the surface of the water. "When your ready put that S-E plug around your wrist, Miss" She said pointing to a velcro wrist strap with a cable connected the side of the boat. 

Maybe this thing was easier to use than she originally thought, the device seemed rather simple in Rita's eyes. She must of gotten confused over nothing...Yeah. This should be a piece of cake, nothing she couldn't handle! "I was born ready." She insisted with a grin, tightening the item around her wrist, still standing upright in the vehicle."---Woah w-wait!-" "?!" Before the child could explain how to operate the boat or warn of the creatures in the east sea the boat took off at max speed, a torrent of water barreling behind it.

Rita flew to the back of the boat as it darted off, smacking her head against the back rim as she was thrown to the floor. How was she to know that the boat would just take off like that, She had never operated a normal vehicle of any sort let alone one powered by magic... The brunette forced herself up onto her knees and then to her feet feet, Latching her arms over the boat's side to keep herself upright against the force. "How do I slow this thing down?!" she growled to herself between gritted teeth, struggling to stay standing against the speed of the boat. Now wasn't the time to be thick-skulled. The boat was zooming on the wrong course and Rita needed to turn it around east.

This thing was powered by a self energy plug...  So that meant she was giving off to much magic right?-- Heck if she knew.  Regardless, The mage didn't know how to lower her magic levels, was that even possible...  Then, Rita recalled one of those cold rainy days in the outskirts of Onibus where her father had taken her and Isoko (sister) out to chaperon their training.  Back then Rita never had control over her power---It was always either to much for her to handle or she couldn't generate any at all.

 It was her old man who had shown her how it was done. According to him, Rita's magic was one that was powered by her own emotions and strengthened by her feelings, apparently allot of peoples magic operated this way. Even after being taught this The mage never ever won a spar against Isoko--- Well maybe... in the very end but that didn't count in Rita's eyes. 

Anyway, back to the boat. Rita's feelings were getting the best of her; The mage was too anxious and stressed about this whole thing inside. She knew very well would happen if Heero beat her-- Her mindset was in the wrong place to be controlling this boat, She needed to be change her thinking and so she did...  thoughts of what she would do once she got back to the guild filled her head, Thoughts of what she would do after she beat Heero and recovered  the treasure of an entire country of course!

 The boat's speed gradually fell, still cutting across the waters quite fast but with more control. A sigh of relief left her lips. Rita let go of the side of the vehicle and got back onto her feet safely, moving back to the front of the vehicle. She tightened the S-E plug around her wrist and held onto the windshield with the same arm, careful not to let the bouncing of the boat throw her off again. Despite not having a wheel, The mage managed to turn the boat in the right direction, East where the Ca-Elum girl had directed her.

Light slowly fading from the horizon, Dusk gradually fell over the lands and sea of Ca-Elum.  The moon and starlight lit up the midnight blue waters like a sleek, rippling , marble floor. Silhouettes of forested and mountainous islands floated in every direction. Dark streams of smoke ascended into the silver and onyx sky from from burning volcanoes, the quiet echo of their rumbling. The distant sound was accompanied by the quiet humming of the boat flying against the water.

It was not an over statement to say that the lands of Ca-Elum were gorgeous at night. Lanterns and lights which lit up island's towns and cities resembled swarms of fireflies, bright and beautiful.  Rita put her hands to her hips and looked over the land, sea scented wind whipping her hair back as the boat progressed quickly.  A gentle smile curved her lips, Droplets of water sprayed against her skin, cold against the rush of wind.  This, this is what freedom felt like. It was a shame that this sensation had been kept away from Rita for such a long time…
 
Something did not sit right with her.  The sea, it had gotten to quiet for her liking.  Something was missing here, were the seas always this peaceful anywhere on Earthland?  The brunette heard a quiet rumbling beneath the surface of the water followed by the gradual upset of the waves around her.  Something was coming.
 
It was then that a ginormous finned tail thrashed out from beneath water. And with a single aggressive movement, the boat was smashed apart; its pieces and Rita were violently sent flying. In the process she was hit in the head by a large piece of debris. It had failed to knock her out but managed daze her, scrambling her senses.  The mage, limp like a rag doll, fell towards the water without the slightest idea of what hit her.
 
Rita broke the surface of the water back first, gradually descending into the sea.  Weakly, she gasped as if to find oxygen but only water filled her lungs, remnants of her air escaping her lips in the forum of air bubbles, floating towards the exterior where they bursted.  She half opened her eyes, taking a last look at the moonlight, blurred and unclear from beneath the surface, before sinking deeper in both her daze and the ocean, her world falling darker and darker.
 
Now was no time for the mage to rest... In the dark and murky areas of the water nearby a gill-clad predator closed in.

 

Standing over her was a familiar looking adult; His hair was light blonde and somewhat long, a strand obscuring one of his dust grey eyes slightly. He had a curious or rather dumb look on his face, delivering another poke to the girl’s cheek.
“Up an at em~” He teased.

“Huh?  --D-Dad?  What happened?  Where is Isoko?...”

“Ha your sister beat the hell outta ya, her and Akari went to over to see your aunt and your mother’s at the market. We kinda ran out of bandages...again.”

Rita, nine years old, sat up from her spot on the sofa, massaging her forehead which was laced with bandages.“N-Normal parents wouldn't let their kids beat each other up like this ya know, moron…” The kid murmured.

“Eyy, Y-You’re the one who wanted to toughen up in the first place aren't ya?!”

“Eh---Well. Y-Yeah! That doesn't mean you should toss your kids into a field an let em beat the pulp outta each other!”

The two, caught in another bickering match were now forehead to forehead growling back at one another comically, the veins at their heads pulsing.  With a loud thud the front door kicked open, interrupting the two's fit.  The woman in the doorway was hefting a grocery bag in hand. Her hair, dark brown and wavy, was pulled back; the expression on her face was cheerful, too cheerful for comfort. While her eyes, set behind a pair of rimless glasses, were dark blue and glimmering like gems, sapphires.  “Aii, Guess who’s back!~ …Ah and you two are going at it again, my my.” Her tone was light and sweet. By the way she handled herself, there was no doubt that she was somewhat happy, but the father and daughter, felt a fearful sensation in their spines, leaving the two shuttering where they sat.

‘POW’

In a second Rita and her dad were both face down into the floor, their heads steaming.  “Ayy, what was that for you crazy woman?!” Rita barked, bolting to her feet.  “Y-Yeah what the offspring said, Allea!” shooting up behind her.

Allea pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest coldly, opening her mouth to speak “You guys are annoying when you bicker with one another like that; I broke it off before I was going to get a headache. I’m pretty sure none of you want to deal with me when I’m grumpy.” She explained narrowing her eyes back at them “Riiight?~” Comically, The two sweatdropped.

 Without further a due, Allea dug out a new roll of cotton bandages from the grocery bag which now sat on the floor. She sat down next to Rita with them and gradually removed the old ones from her head without a word. 

“S-So what happened though that request you and dad are supposed to be going on today?...” Rita asked her mother while she damped a rag with rubbing alcohol.“We decided to wait until next week to go; it sounded like an easy task so we are putting it off for a little bit… All we have to do is steal something from a couple of baddies, should be a piece of cake.” Allea explained, gently cleaning Rita's cut, The girl cringing painfully through the process.  Sitting across the too on the floor was Roi,who Rita looked to as if intrigued. Roi smiled, Rita had always been curious about thes types of things.“Ha from what I’ve heard there brewing up something dangerous. Our job is to take it, run like hell, and throw that sucker somewhere no one will find it.” He began proudly, taking a breath to continue.“I hear that it’s some kinda--“ Allea exchanged a scolding look with him, as if asking him to stop before he explained to much. “Eh—on second though how ‘bout we talk about it after it's dealt with and were sure, M’kay?” All Rita could do was merely tilt her head in confusion.

Back then Rita knew that she should have done something—  anything to stop them from going on that job…  Soon enough her memories were invaded by static, the pictures behind the noise were changing but became to blurry to clearly decipher…then the familiar sound of someone biting into an apple hit the air shortly followed by a long and moist crackling …A moment passed, and then another, and the sound of a single gunshot rang out.

---

Air, Rita needed air.  There was no oxygen left in her lungs, water had filled them up instead.  Awake and confused, She had yet to return to the surface, a place which felt miles away now.  Regardless of how deep she had sank, she couldn't quit now... What would come of that? Only death knew.  The mage battled back her confusion and pumped what was left of her strength into long strides, pulling herself back to the surface. She struggled, the water in her lungs weighing her down but she was getting closer. --Yes! Again, she could see the glimmer of moonlight just above.

With a deep inhale, she broke through the face of the water; gagging and coughing up what could easily have been gallons of water. Taking a minute to refill her lungs with air, she quickly glanced about. Sweeping her now damp bangs from of her face, She tried her best to recall what happened but it was all a blur…  Rita looked around more closely only to find that her boat was in pieces... So much for borrowing…

“Well…That happened...” She murmured to herself with a sigh, shaking off the memories that had come back to her.  Something quickly caught her eye. An island not far from where she swam; There riding against the sand of its shoreline was a speed boat. It was not the one she had came here in, hers was in pieces. Then it came to her, "They got to the docks and hopped in one of the boats with the hammer and took off." --That's right... The hammer and its captor were on that island for sure!!! A grin crept up Rita's face accompanied by a determined expression. Anxious to beat Heero, she swam as quickly as she could to the island.

(OOC: Haha sorry this post mainly consisted of Flashbacks, at least ya know how the girls parents were like. This will come up again, believe me. ^.^"....Again-- Sorry this is taking me so long)

Finally, Dry land.  Rita sat down in the sand on her hands and knees, gagging up even more water.  “I-I’m glad that that's over...” she murmured to herself as she climbed back up to her feet.  The girl held her hand to her head and examined the land she now stood on, glancing back to the sea for a moment. Rita turned back to the abandoned boat, bobbing at the shoreline.  She scratched at her head wondering what had happened to the thing that had destroyed her own…. Perhaps it swam away? There was no way to tell for certain. Regardless, she still had a job to do.  There was no way she was losing a bet like that, and frankly she didn’t care If Heero shook on it for sure. That guys totally was going to accept once evaluating the price that Rita would be paying and he knew it!

Quickly, she scanned the beach for clues or anything that was out of the ordinary until; from the boat she spotted a trail of footprints, yet to be completely washed away by the tide.  Her eyes slowly followed the path until they disappeared into a large gathering of trees…  She knew what this meant, another night stroll in some spooky forest… Every other one of those went great. Releasing a sigh, Rita took a breath and followed into the forest, continuing her pursuit.

(OOC: again, I'm taking so long, T^T S-Sorry. I'm making some posts shorter and low quality for the sake of getting to the fun part. >.< 7/10 posts btw)

How long had she been walking around in this damned forest?  Hours?  Rita, once fuming with motivation to continue, was now miserably creeping through the dense, dark forest. All Rita could do was wait for herself run into something, other than a tree…or well anything that wanted to kill her. Crawling around the mass of branches, she attempted not to get any more twigs caught in her caramel hair, failing horribly of course.

Growling with frustration, She locked onto the path ahead of her with tired eyes; dark circles had formed beneath them. The night had fallen and what moonlight that had lit up the land had been obscured by the heavy mass of leaves and sticks above her, leaving the forest pitch black... You would think that you were walking around with your eyes closed.  Although, for Rita, Seeing where she was going was not a problem at the slightest thanks to her innate ability which allowed her to see relatively clear in the dark… Even without a speck of light. 

However…... Without light Rita was powerless. A reminder; Her power came from shadows after all, not simply darkness. Rita would need a light source before being able to cast...  Then, she steeped around another shrub and as if on cue; through the trees she met a warm light, greeted with the sound of a cracking of a fire. "?"

In the center of a small clearing was a lone campfire. Rita blinked about, no one insight. Then, She gradually approached the burning mass, curiously looking down at the dancing flames and taking in its heat, still cold dripping wet from being thrown into the ocean earlier… The thief was here for sure, somewhere…

Rita heard a quick rustling come from the mass of vegetation behind her. Startled, she whirled around away from the fire to face the forest, the source of the sound. Nothing was there. an eerie pause occurred, the silence lasting a few moments… It was then that a shadow began to gradually cast itself over her, the person behind the girl easily taller. Alarmed by the dark presence, She cautiously turned, gradually facing them and meeting a familiar dark gaze. She froze and her heart panged with panic. “You’re…”

(OOC: One more post! >:D)

  The stranger looked to be in his thirties.  He was slim and tall, although not lanky.  His frame bore a long black coat, the same color as his hair, done messily.  His eyes were also dark, cold, and narrow just like Rita remembered them being; defined lines resting beneath them showing fatige

Rita quickly slid back, a small amount of dust kicking up beneath her as her feet glided across the ground.  “Nyx.” She stammered with surprise, her eyes on the adult, calmly remaining where he stood. What appeared to be a small sledge hammer rested against his shoulder and brushing the base of his neck, a crescent tattoo appeared to be branded into his skin where it touched; the interior of the shape was weaved with a rune like pattern.



 
“It’s been a while, kid.” He murmured.  Rita stared back intently through a bitter gaze, the fire behind him brightly lighting up in the reflections of her eyes.  She kept silent, contemplating and praying that the figure in front of her was an illusion.  And gradually, the focus panned past her neck just as a gust caught her hair, clearly revealing the side where her crescent shaped scar rested.  It was clear that these two had history.  That was important but not as much as the task at hand. Why was he here… and more importantly what did this scum have Worldbreaker?... What was he trying to accomplish.
 
“How are your sisters?” Nyx smirked. Rita’s face fixed into a rage kissed visage, as if he had just slapped her. Her eyes narrowed venomously and a dark aura ignited aggressively beneath the mage, shadowy ribbons of smoke swimming through the air around her. An array of the shadowy steam traveled to her hands and quickly began taking shape. Now, between her tightly clenched hands hung two short swords. There was a sudden hiatus—
 
A loud clank hit the air, Rita’s makeshift blades scraping against the stem of the hammer. “Oh I must have forgotten about that, did I hit a nerve?” He sneered, looking down at her tauntingly through there clashed hilts. Rita only grew more irate. She quickly slid back again and spun her blades at him another time.  With a sharp clatter they snapped and hit the ground in pieces, shattered by the force of another collision. “Perhaps you should have used a sturdier blade.” He paused, a grim silence filling the air. “The one that you slaughtered Mei with would have held up better, don’t you think?” He examined her darkly, scanning the struggled look on the brunettes face.
 
 That’s right.  Rita killed this man’s own daughter; it was the least she could do after everything him and that witch of his, Seiygo, had done…  Her parents were killed; Akari who had nothing to do with it was slaughtered, while Isoko had been possessed by the monster standing in front of her.  As if that wasn’t enough for a child to begin with, Rita was abducted, ripped from her life before and thrown into a world of humiliation, corruption, abuse, and violence which she never bothered to bring up. 
 
“What stubborn and ignorant thing. Without a doubt, you take after your father.”
 
Rita recalled the event- and the sound of a single gunshot erupted in her head. Expression unseen, she kicked off of the ground and threw herself right at him, knocking him to the dirt. She clasped her hands around his throat, struggling against Nyx in an attempt to choke him, forcing his head towards the pit flames, its light dancing in her eyes dark and menacingly as she stared back aggressively, digging her hands further around his throat. He looked up at her with a troubled visage, slowly being suffocated as heat began to sear the surface of his skin, unable to breathe.

“--?!” And right before her eyes, Nyx’s body decomposed into a vapor like substance, disbursing and slipping through Rita’s hands. She blinked, shocked as the steam escaped in the air.  Mist Form… A spell which animated similar to her Shadow Form… It allowed the user to break down into their element and the reconstruct themselves in the position they pleased. Isoko had taught her all about it… Mist Form was her spell after all… The Fairy quickly forced the thought of her sister back. Nyx had just vanished and she needed to get her guard up- fast.

 
Her eyes caught the movement of a shadow behind her. She whirled back up to her feet in time to see him swinging the hammer right at her.  Her eyes pulsed wide before she squinted them shut protectively, taking a quick step back.  She crossed her arms; shielding her head and vitals. The hammer connected full force with her fore arm. Rita however stayed grounded, earth splintering beneath The mage as a gust of wind rushed back behind her. The ground seemed to take most of the force.  Well, along with her arm...

She heard a quick crack on impact as crushing sensation throbbed up her forearm. Christ, that hurt—It really really hurt… dammit... But Rita wasn't much of a screamer.  She felt it showed weakness and even defeat in these situations, and so she held one back.

 The mage quickly pulled back, cradling her arm, without a doubt she had broken something. She cringed, her scowl deepening.  She conjured a dark colored magic around her arm with her other, taking the form of a brace over her injury. Her gaze shot back in his direction and a scowl etched into her features as she thought back to that spell. He must have absorbed her sister's magic… Nyx was able to do that after all. The one thing that got her was that he was only able to absorb spells from mages who were dead, this meant one thing. she’s actually dead… she had thought and even hoped that maybe Isoko had found a way to survive. Regarding what Rita was seeing, she was wrong… “How dare you use her magic like that! It was hers--- and you went and took it from her corpse?!” She yelled. He stared back unblinkingly, as if looking into the marrow of her thoughts. “You’re the one who threw her into that trench. You are ignorant if you expected her to make it out of a plunge like that let alone that I wouldn't find her and harvest her magic. I’m sure she wouldn't have minded it. This way she can aid me in carrying out her vengeance.  After all it was her own little sister who left her there to rot.” He took a breath, continuing, while Rita remained frozen in her tracks. "Who wouldn't want revenge after that; what you did was really quite horrible.  a bit of a long fall down for her you know… I found the poor thing an hour or so later, lying in a puddle of her own blood, neck snapped and her head smashed wide open.” He tormented dully. Slowly pacing around her in patient predatory circles. And the girl growled, gritting her teeth like a trapped animal who bore its fangs; attempting to look stronger than they actually were. 

Thief magic, it certainly made him something to be reckoned with… It allowed Nyx to absorb remaining traces of magic from any mages corpse.  In exchange he gained a spell or two, even abilities…  It was an understatement to call this magic a sin… because every soul he had ever absorbed magic from was also absorbed, disconnected from heaven--- or whatever they called it... Regardless every mage who was unfortunate to be killed or discovered dead by him never got where they were going and that single fact only enraged her more.

“What is driving you? Perhaps you crave revenge. Or maybe your fighting for the sake of carrying out your duty as a member of your guild, desperate to retrieve this thing.” Nyx examined glancing down at the item in his grasp. “Both ya could say... That and I refuse to let you get away with whatever else you’re plotting." She paused, pondering as her eyes scraped over the supposed Worldbreaker "What I don’t understand is why you would come all the way out here to steal this country’s means of defense against the others. It has nothing to do with anything you were working at before--” Rita stammered coldly as he paced in yet another circle. “You're right... We are just planning ahead, you know how she is about these things.”  Nyx explained, twirling the artifact in his hands while the girl glared back with eyes sharp like sapphire daggers.
 
Tension was only growing between the two, it was obvious that none of them weren't getting out of Ca-Elum unscratched. But, either way there had to be a winner. Nyx, who had gotten confident and was taunting more then he should of or Rita who was about ready to kill someone, unable to put a cap on her emotions.

(OOC: My apologies for the wait, wasn't sure how long you would be away, friend! I've completed the first 10 posts of my exam, and found The Worldbreaker and it's captor time for the fight!!! Finally! Really looking forward to your post Heero-Senpai <3 <3 <3 ^..^" 1.5k is allot for me to weed through at 2:00 in the morning, sorry If I mess up anywhere or confuse... <.>" Whoops.)

Rita blinked down at her hhalf-glanced to Heero as he spectated, turning back to Nyx.
Nyx seemed to grimace, staring back at the artifact on the ground which had been knocked from his hand. “You’re right, Dragon Slayer. She is just a girl.” He began, regaining composure.  “Accept your defeat quickly, Rita, I don’t have time to play around.”  “Not so fast-- You know I hate being underestimated. I’m gonna be the one to beat the shit outta you this time.” She insisted darkly, her hands balling up into fists.

There was no doubt that this face off was personal, each of them had a reason to hate one another with all of their heart.

The coat clad magician glanced at Heero then back at the girl and the tattoo branded on the opposite side of her throat from the scar. A chuckle left his lips. Rita, staring observantly at his night colored jacket as she disregarded the sound, thoughts running behind her eyes.
“So… You ended up in a legal guild?   That’s ridiculous what made you think you belong in a place like that.” He stated with a curve to his lip “What would you know you don’t even belong on this planet!” she growled back. This guy never knew when to shut his mouth one of the more minor things she hated about him.  She glared him down

A green colored magic circle appeared beneath her feet, slowly spinning and emitting a blinding aura.  “-?!” The mage quickly realized that the magic did not belong to her, nor Heero. She threw herself out of the way as an explosion ignited from the circle.  Rushing back to her feet, Rita made an effort to run as yet another circle spawned below her and then another, a trail of explosions searing behind her, unable to lock on or keep up with the speed she ran.  She almost lost her footing and feel forward with the force of the blasts as she moved--- almost that is.  After running Rita in circles for a minute or two the barrage of explosions stopped, as if realizing that Rita was too quick to be caught in their blast. A smoke and dirt conjured in to the air by the explosions began to settle. Dashing, the mage slid across the ground, kicking up more dust from the earth in her wake.

 Mid-slide, She opened a hand and aimed it in Nyx’s direction once he was in her sights again. “Shadow Make: Crushing Net!” A plum colored magic circle spun flat against the surface of her palm, black ropes quickly ripping out of the surface and weaving together as the net flew at him. Nyx merely swept an arm and threw at Rita the three bright objects appearing in his hand “Light Make: Boomerangs.”   One, two, three cuts erupted accosts her skin as the projectiles flew at her.  Rita’s body flinched with the contact; a scolding hot sensation seared through the shadows body.

 Her wounds steamed slightly as if she had been burned. Rita couldn't let a coupe cuts stop her, She had to toughen up... This was the only chance she would get to finally get even. Who knows how many more years Nyx would disappear if she let him get away. The mage narrowed her irises in his direction, a wink kicking up which wavered both his coat and Rita's mass of hair. “You don’t know when to quit.” he murmured, casting another green circle, this one above her.  Rita had not the chance to evade this time.  Her magic was pressurized within her body until quite literally burst, igniting another green explosion.  She was thrown forward this time, skidding against the ground in a short series of tumbles and flips. Rita’s frame came to a halt, more tattered and filthy then moments ago. 

(OOC: next post will come soon, then your turn Heero. Been busy sorry for the wait.)

Out came a cough and her body moved, the sky dragons light still gleaming over her body subtlety. “-You’re right, I don’t.” was all she had to say back, lying against the ground; she planted a palm into the earth, digging her nails into the soil. The mage's spell casting circle appeared beneath her hand. The shadow half gazed at Nyx, her face resting halfway in the ground and partially obscured by uncut blades of grass.

"Shadow Make: Spikes."  She murmured.  Across the battleground, the points ripped through the shadows at his feet and pierced his arms and his abdomen, missing his vitals by mere inches…  Not that Rita had chosen to spare him, she just hadn't perfected her aim quite yet. However, she had no intentions of missing again. Nyx released a short choked cough, flinching as dark spots began to emerge through his clothes where the spires had run him through. With a swift movement the spikes retracted back into the darkness from where they had come.  Expression unseen she fanned her arm again quickly and released another array of spikes into his sides; tearing through his abdomen.  He struggled a cough, gagging up crimson which dripped and soaked into the earth. Spikes pulling back for a final time he struggled to keep his balance, holding a wound with one hand, conjuring a golden magic circle in another.

Appearing in his hands came a magical rifle, trying to steady his sights at her her. Then, a loud boom emitted from the weapon

Rita had smirked from her place in the grass, a sharp grin creeping up her features. Black matter crept up through the shadow her body casted against the ground. Bleeding up into Rita's body the dark matter progressed until it seemed that she had been absorbed into the ground by the shadow, vanishing before she could be hit by the bullet.

Now, a ripple came from Nyx’s own shadow which had panned out in front of him. A hand engulfed in a menacing darkness dug its way out of the earth and pulled the rest of its body up in its wake. Rita gave made a narrow and distasteful visage, standing before him. Nyx pointed the barrel of the gun to her heart but was hesitant to pull the trigger. -She would beat him too it.

Rita yanked the rifle away, bashing him to the ground by the weapons stock. It was then that she flipped the weapon in her hands and pressed the barrel up against his throat. There was a hiatus. He stayed silent as if to maintain pride and Rita, who had vowed her vengeance long ago, dug the piece of metal work into his neck…

“Sayōnara, Nyx.”


A hollow boom filled the air, and the noise from the gunfire seemed to echo throughout the lands of Ca-Elum.

A pale hand, which had been holding onto the barrel of the weapon in an attempt to fight back, slid to the ground. Fingers curling in for a final time, it rested in a growing puddle of crimson with a subtle twitch.  The mage stared unblinkingly at the crescent  tattoo which coiled around the side of his neck, watching as the blood from the gash in his throat spilled over the mark. The shadow remained still, standing over him.  And she listened; there was choke and a sputtering… and then silence. The noise which ended the brief the soundlessness was the clatter of a riffle hitting the ground.

 Without a word or gesture, She moved towards the body. Rita tore the coat from corpse, throwing the thing up around her and over her shoulders.  She didn't want to get anymore blood on it, It wasn't Nyx's coat to begin with anyway... Rita stayed quiet, The once comforting scent of gunpowder and coffee grounds obscured by the copper like smell of blood. While the one soft and comfortable fabric was now tattered and worn out. That bastard had no right to wear this on his back, as if her dad had been game and he the hunter.
 
 The mages work wasn’t done yet… Rita reached out and swept the hammer off of the ground and into her own blood caked palms. The mage aimed and hefted the hammer over her head, gazing down. Even in death… Nyx still stared back with certain coldness, once sharp irises clouded. All the frustration and agony came out of her in the form of a cry as she swung down at him. The sound released when the hammer connected into his head was too graphic to describe…. Rita crumpled to the ground, soaking her knees in the stream of red paint as Worldbreaker slipped from her grasp, landing in front of her with a splash of scarlet.

From the bashed mass which was once his cranium came a sudden white flash. Followed by the action, an eruption of glowing silvery spheres escaped from the mess the hammer had created. Both the coat, now draped over her, and her hair rippled against the wind kicked up by the path of light ripping into the air. The mass of auras seemed to cluster together as they made their escape, illuminating the once dark forest and then the sky.

 The riffle which had done the job lay in the red puddle too. Then, it glimmered and dissipated into wisp of its own. He was gone--- Finally he was gone, and now heaven existed for the souls that had been caught by Nyx's mind.  Rita seemed to waver and lean back from her position gradually, until she connected with the ground back-first.  She batted her lashes slowly, gazing up as the swarm of spheres ceased, and the final few left her sight, as if absorbed by the stars. 
 
Rita had just killed a man but she could only taste satisfaction… It’s sweetness masking over any other sensation she may have been feeling at the moment as did the warmth of her relief.  How long had she been craving this moment... 'M-Ma, Dad, Isoko, Akari, Meiyo, Everyone… you can go now.' she whispered shakily. She masked her eyes, resting her forearm against her face. Blood trickled between the crevasses of her fingers as her hand clenched into a fist. She gritted her teeth with grimace and felt warm streams of beginning to run down the side of her face.

Rita found herself pulled back to her feet and her arm slung around Heero’s shoulder. She felt like she could stand on her own, as always, and tugged away from him. In an instant, she was grabbed and forced into an embrace. The mage blinked with surprise, flushing what water was left out of her eyes. And then he told her something she needed to hear, that it was over.  But it wasn’t over; this was only the beginning of what could be a war. It was any day now she could be drug back to that place only to be killed.  How much had she changed in the course of two years?... She was once frightful, a shy nervous and sweet thing. Now, Well, she had just killed someone… and it was all their fault.

He stepped away from her for a moment, and followed by the clattering of armor came several Ca-Elum smiths.


“It’s not that I can’t drive it’s that the aquatic life isn’t very friendly here,” She growled back darkly. Rita listened as they admired the bloody mess she had made of Nyx. Her expression only went sourer… Rita knew he deserved this… He deserved to spend the rest of eternity in hell for what he’d done but him… She did hat she needed to do but It was certainly nothing that to be proud of.  Rita’s logic never failed to confuse her… You kill people who kill people because killing people is wrong…

Rita sweat dropped, watching as Heero took off into the water. She sighed; there was no changing his mind now. Instead Rita took the trip back with the blacksmiths. She was silent the entire ride, reaching over the boat in an attempt to scrub the red stains from her skin; her hands, her face, shoulders, knees. She did her best to wipe down Worldbreaker too. After all, nothing was clean after going through a guy’s head like that….

---

Rita stepped back into the Master Smith’s hall where the mission had begun. Behind her came a trail of muddy red brown boot prints, frankly she didn’t care. “Ayy.” She called the attention of everyone in the hall, struggling to heave the item in her hands for it was extremely heavy. Honestly, she had no idea how she had been able to lift this over her head in the first place. “I’ve got your damn hammer.” She said dully, not caring about how she represented herself or her guild to Ca-Elum, she just saved this entire country.. Only Rita could of imagined what would happen if he got away with Worldbreaker... hopefully, with the loss of Nyx, they would fall back and abandon this plan… Dragging the thing a little further down the aisle, she dropped it at her feet; A loud thud echoed through the hall with the action.

The Master Smith stared longingly at the hammer, sending one of his subordinates to retrieve it from the ground and return it to him. The Master Smith took the thing back into his hands as a silence befell the hall. “Rita Stebern, Knowing your guild I knew you would be back.” he began, gripping the sledgehammer tightly by its hilt, as if not to let go of it again

“Don’t mention it, guess this means my job is done.” She said, beginning to turn away
“We are in your debt, Fairy Tail. Please take this.” Rita caught a pouch in her hand seeming to be filled with tokens, coins or gems of some sort, perhaps Ca-Elum currency. Judging by its weight and the fact that she had practically saved their entire nation she guessed that it was a lot. She grinned subtlety; the mage muttered something to her, inaudible

With a single effortless flick of her arm she tossed the pouch back.“I said it was nothing.” She stated, slowly turning towards the exit. No one protested dared protest, the hall falling silent. Instead they watched after the mage as she disappeared from the lacrimas light of the hall; as if that of a shadow.

-COMPLETE-