They're Clanging Mad (Job: Summer/Elyx)

The sound of dead grass and twigs snapped under boots with each step taken while traversing the Lycan Woods in the infamous area known as The cursed lands. There wasn't much in the way of flora variety but there were plenty of trees alive,dying or plain old dead and while it was his first time in this specific piece of land but this wasn't the first Kite had been in the Cursed lands but despite multiple visits to the area he wasn't exactly happy to be here. While being a demon slayer made things slightly easier for him to deal with pests it also made him a bit of a target since the entities that dwelled on this land were essentially prey for him had he ever chose to go on a offensive rampage against them. While that wasn't in his nature they wouldn't exactly have that knowledge so the demon slayer couldn't help but be on a edge a bit. Every ten yards or so Kite would look around as if his head were on a swivel making sure to keep his surroundings revealed to him. ”This is just my luck, I'm in this place again and I have no idea what I'm getting myself into.“ he would say bitterly as he remembered the events that took place earlier in the day that had set him on this quest.

It was morning, several hours before Kite found himself in the Lycan Woods and Kite had just arrived in the guild’s main hall. There weren't a lot of members in the guild hall at the time, most had either been up already and headed out for the day, some were still out on other assignments and a handful were most likely still sleeping. Once upon a time Kite would have been the latter and been sleeping but as his time in the guild continued to increase he found himself getting up earlier to perform his own morning rituals of training. His methods for training varied from body conditioning through calisthenics or magically by either meditating or working spells to exercise his magic container. Today he did neither one and did something he rarely did; he went for a run. His boots clicked as he walked over to the main bar and took a seat on a stool and waited for the clerk to attend to him but instead of asking what his order was she has something different to speak to him about. “Where have you been Master? I was looking all over for you.” Kite’s left eyebrow raised in question ”I told you don't call… oh never mind. What's so urgent that you has to hunt me down?“ he asked her genuinely curious now. “You have a letter from the Magic Council. It was stamped as urgent.” Turning the letter over so the back of the envelope was facing him he dug his finger into the corner of the letter and slid his finger across letting it tear the paper and give the demon slayer access to the contents. “Attention all legal guilds, we have reports of suspicious activity in the Lycan Woods. More than a dozen eye witness accounts of metallic monsters sightings flooded out mailboxes this morning. We urge that the legal guilds send a member to investigate and take care of any situation if there is one.” He folded the letter and slid it back into the opened slot in the envelope and looked around. ”Might be a good idea to send Ryo on the job.“ he said out loud to himself, “Ryo hasn't returned from his most recent job yet.” The clerk said to him which caught his attention. ”what about that Blad fellow.“ he suggested he hasn't been around lately. Could also be on a job.” Kite hummed, ”Maybe I can give this to Kiersa.“ “She has also been out lately.” Kite began to let the defeat sink in. ”huh...I see. Guess I will take it then.” he said getting up from his seat and headed for the door that lead to the staircase that would take him to the upper floor where his room was. Kite grabbed his Rose saber and strapped it to his back letting the bones wrap around his torso making a scabbard for the blade. He took ahold of his broadsword from the weapon rack pulling the trigger it retracted collapsing to its inactive mode and he secured it to the small of his back so it was parallel to the ground. Taking a deep gulp he grabbed the teleportation lacrima and activated it, letting a flash of light swallow him as well as transporting him out of his room and into the woods where he started walking bringing the story to the present.

He didn't stop scanning the woods as he walked constantly searching for any sign of mechanical life but luckily he didn't see or hear anything mechanical. However he did hear the sounds of voices speaking in the distance just ahead of him. His eyes would widen as he discovered Elyx, a man who knew as Izayuki’s husband. He was given an invitation but didn't go due to personal issues he was having at the time. However the female he had never seen before, she was a pretty girl surrounded by the scent of gun powder. He approached looking past them at the door way. ”Isn't that something. Mechanical creatures nowhere in sight but I bet they are in there.“ he said to himself before looking at the female dressed in green. ”You guys going in?“



”“

Kite stood just ahead of the two other mages that had been standing in front of the gate upon his approach to it so he could take a better look at the gate. It was a huge arced structure composed of some sort of metallic materials and gears which kept turning and in turn making others turn. The energy that sustained the gate seemingly was generated by the turning of the gears and steam which could be seen being expelled out of the numerous vents lining the sides of some pipes as well as the large pipe sprouting out from the very top of the gate. It was a piece of technology for sure, anyone could clearly see that detail but there was something magical about it, a presence of a powerful source of magic  which kept the gate’s portal open. Kite kept scanning the portal over not really interacting with the other two mages, Elyx he knew through Izayuki, his friend and Elyx’s wife but the girl he didn’t know and at the moment he wasn’t worried about introductions at the moment, the could come once the situation was properly  assessed.  His question regarding if they were ready was answered by the female mage in a polite manner. Kite turned his head at the girl and gave a smile, ”Good, I’ve got the feeling that there is a fight waiting for us on the other side of this portal, we are in their territory so we will have to be ready for anything.“ he said to her and it was true. This wouldn't be the first time he went through a gate like this and entered another realm, and the last time he had he was thrust in battle almost immediately. However he wasn't about to let that stop him from entered and started his approach but before he crossed the threshold he stopped and looked back at the girl who took the time to introduce herself and in such a happy manner that she clapped and tilted her head with her tongue sticking out in such a playful manner. Kite put his hands on his hips and leans forward a bit ”Hi Summer the name’s Kite It is good to meet you.“ he said to her flashing a cheesy grin before standing up straight and turning to walk through the gate.

There was a small ripple as he passes through and exited onto the other side of the gate and entered an area, likes of which he had never seen before. The sky was clear and full of stars with not a cloud in the sky. The grass was an azure color that matched the shade of his flames. Littered throughout the area were trees much like the ones on the Lycan woods but were ivory white with blues leaves like the grass. He waited for the others to join before speaking, ”this place, it feels different.“ he inhaled to smell the area ”yeah it smells more natural than any place I've been back home.“ Shortly after they had come through the gate and took a few steps and the group would be greeted by a girl, however she wasn't physically there and her body was completely distorted, like someone on the other side of a fuzzy tv or a reflection in a pool of water with ripples through the picture. “Welcome wizards to the garden of Eden, a world of true beauty and wonder.” Kite looked at the girl ”Who are you?“ he would ask curious to what the girl was. There was no trace her her aura so she wasn’t a ghost strictly speaking but her answer made things much more cryptic, “ Who I am isn’t important, what is important is that this world you see before you is in danger and so is your realm beyond that portal.” Kite’s eyes narrowed and he grew more tense, ”In danger from what?“ He said to her in a demanding tone to which she was ready to answer. “From the…” but she didn’t get a chance to truly say what was the cause of the danger she instead hovered behind the group and pointed to where she was standing. “From that” and before them was a small army of chickens but not just any ordinary chickens but mechanical ones, ten in total and all looking for a fight. One would leap into the air to start the attack at them. Out of instinct Kite pulled his sword that was hooked to the small of his back and let it extend out into his broadsword and swung with a reversed handed slash at the chicken just knocking it away. ”Summer right? Time to fight get ready.“

”“

The chicken that he had struck with his sword and been sent flying backwards from the force of the blow landing behind the flock that came towards them. Kite kept an eye on the chicken while Summer went in to mount her own offense, and saw the chicken he smacked away get up as if nothing had happened to it despite a nicely formed dent on its metallic breast plating, ”Seriously? That didn't phase it?“ he said exasperated now fully understanding the sort of opponent he will be forced to deal with. “These chickens aren't natural born chickens, they are made of metal and gears. Void of all feeling and life.” Kite looked back at the girl with an eyebrow cocked, ”Oh? Is there anything else you wanna share about those things?“ The girl despite the dire situation gave a chuckle before answering, “Can't this wait when there isn't an army of killer chickens trying to kill us?!” Kite’s face turned blank from the question and sighed letting his body bathe in his signature blue flames while he turned to face the oncoming horde, ”Fine we will do this the boring way.“ he said to her and raised his hand up with the flames still burning bright. The flames formed into a circle in front of him making a perfect ring of flames with a clear lense of heat in the center, that is where the flames creating the ring started to flow to creating twelve pockets of fire each floating in the heat, ”Flame Demon’s bursting inferno.” each pocket exploded with twelve fiery projectiles rained down on the mechanical chickens striking seven while missing five, which continued their charge toward them. ”Ah is that how it’s going to be?“ he asked rhetorically to the birds that could obviously not respond but ran at him as if they were real but Kite had already thought of how to handle these attackers. ”Flame Demon’s Flame Away.“ he said as he pushed his hand forward unleashing a wave of blue flames to wash over the birds catching them in the flames pushing them back and already had the next two moves planned in his mind. First he put his hands together and collected his flames in the space between them to mold his fire into a sphere. As the sphere began to grow, Kite lifted his hands with the sphere into the air until it grew to maximum size but instead of tossing it he changed tactics. He jumped until the air and slammed the massive sphere down into the group of birds. ”Flame Demon’s Inferno destroyer.“ the explosion soon followed but before the smoke could even start to clear Kite had his next spell chosen, the flames gathered around his mouth but soon a small ball of blue fire formed in front of his face at his mouth, ”Flame Demon’s raging inferno” and he fired a wide stream of fire engulfing the birds entirely in the blaze. Confident that the birds were fully cooked Kite approached the two girls from the small crater that was created by his attacks and smirked at Summer, ”Sorry I hogged all the fun. Next round of killer chickens belong to you.
“ he said to her with a small fist pump in the air.

His attention now fell to the girl who had greeted them upon their arrival. Kite’s arms crossed over his chest and he spoke to her, ”There. Chickens are all gone. How about you spill the beans about what's going on here.“ he waited for the girl to speak up. “Alright. This world is home to me and my people, we are peaceful and humble people that don't ask for any trouble. This gate was ours to guard and protect, in fact your world probably has something similar to where you can enter other worlds. Anyway about a week ago is when everything happened. Hills in the west of our home these mechanical beings entered our world through a gate similar to this, one that they had opened on their side. They entered and captured, killed or injured many and now have opened the gate to your world. They haven't initiated the invasion to your world but once they are done with their conquest here your world will be next unless…” Kite knew what she was about to say and decided to speak and complete her statement, ”Unless they are stopped here.“ he would shake his head and let out a sigh, ”This is definitely more than what the council must have expected.“ he turned his gaze out into the west imagining the forces that must be waiting for them in the moments to come. ”So it's going to be the two of us against this mechanical army. Do you have any suggestions on what we should do?“ he faced summer once more and posed another question, ”We either deal with this now and help best we can or we head back to inform the council and possibly leave this world to perish.“ he already knew what he wanted to do but he would leave the final choice to his comrade on this mission.

”“