Revenge of the Muffin Man - Part 2 - [Job] [Arz/Yazuki]

As Zeno, Tito and Yazuki walked further towards the cherry blossom forest which was quite a beautiful sight to see, "Wow! It's so-" Zeno was about to say something just before he was cut off by Tito, "PRETTY!" Tito said as he continuously nodded. The three were back together for another mission like their old one. The gingerbread they had destroyed before, had a friend who was coincidentally, the Muffin Man. "So this guy want's to fight us because we killed his friend?" Zeno said as he clenched his fist and pumped it in the air.  

The three walked through the forest to find the muffin man but they had no luck, frustration began to seep out of Zeno as he wanted to quickly finish this job and eat some food. "Damn! This is taking too long" The crimson haired boy said as he ran in circles with a large pout on his face, "Zenoooooo, Be quiet!" Tito murmured out as he was sleeping on Zeno's head in peace while the crimson haired boy disrupted his peaceful sleep.

As the boy grew more impatient he saw little footprints on the ground, leading further and further into the forest. With no hesitation the pair ran off following the trails only to find the rest disappeared, which mean't they were lost and their trail was discontinued. A put grew on their faces as they ran in circles, "Ahhh!!!" Tito yelled as he continued running, "We're lost!!!!" Zeno continued to say as he began to cry while he ran, "How are we ever going to eat food again!?" He continued to say as he fell to the ground.

275/5000 words.

Yazuki watched as his kohai ran around in circles. The boy was impatient, but he had worked well in combat, so he dealt with the way the kid acted outside of combat. Besides, it was quite entertaining how he always bickered with his pet Exceed. He knew they were going in circles, but he hadn't cared. The forest was beautiful, and he wanted to enjoy it before they possibly destroyed such beauty. A small pain in his chest arose as he realized that they would definitely be destroying part of such a beauty of nature. When Zeno started to complain about food, Yazuki started laughing so hard that he fell over, rolling on the ground. They were fighting a man called the muffin man... Had Zeno not made the connection? The gingerbread man was made of food.... The muffin man probably had more of them waiting along with him.

"Zeno," he exclaimed, still laughing, "He is called the 'Muffin Man'. We killed a gingerbread man and the muffin man got mad. What is the gingerbread man made of? Food. We can eat them if he has more buddy, just try not to roast em so bad!"

Then it struck him. This was Zeno and himself he was thinking about. There would be more complaints on the way back from him saying this, because he knew everything would be ashes. This only reaffirmed what he said though. It was always fun to watch Zeno complain. The kid entertained him. He was glad that he was on a mission with such a comedic friend.

262/5000

Zeno was astonished when he found out he could eat the gingerbread people. He walked slowly inhaling all the air and attempting to smell where the gingerbread could be, the wind nipped at him making his crimson hair move to the sides, he got a scent. I may not be dragon slayer, but I can sniff out food from long distances too! He ran deeper into the beautiful forest of sakura blossoms causing the pair of friends he left behind to follow. He ran further and further into the forest, not stopping for one second to take a breather. The smell had gotten closer and closer so he continued even further into the forest only with one aim, to eat all the gingerbread.

His focus was only onto that one smell he had caught, well until he ran smack into a tree and forget the scent, "We're lost you bastard!" Tito yelled as he prayed for help, "My Bah!" Zeno begged for forgiveness as Tito continuously nodded. "Yazu! You should be able to catch the scent now." Zeno told his senpai as he copied Tito and continuously nodded, "What the Crap! That's my thing!" Tito yelled before smacking him on the head. The pair heard noises coming from not too far from where they were, as they ran towards the sounds, all Zeno could do was admire this beautiful forest that was before him, he had never seen something so pretty in all his life.

520/5000 words.

Yazuki noticed that Zeno was trying to mimic how he found them the first time and he found it cute. The boy ran off, leaving Tito and Yazuki behind.

"There he goes again. Always so quick to run off," the exceed had a blank expression on his face as he looked up at Yazuki with a sigh. "Should we go after him or wait until he runs into a tree again?" Tito definitely had a wicked sense of humor at times, and Yazuki laughed.

"We should definitely go after him, we don't want him to have all the fun." They sped off after the poor boy, the cat complaining at Zeno that they were lost after they caught up. A sudden wiff of gingerbread reached his nostrils, and Yazuki took off this time leaving them behind. They were close, turns out the kid could smell food for a distance. Yazuki was impressed. He came to a big open field in the area. There sat the muffin man with his cookie army, waiting for them this whole time.
"You finally came! Suffer the defeat by my beautiful children. Gingerbread men, ATTACK," the Muffin man yelled, as a wave of gingerbread men came charging at them.

466/5000

Zeno looked at the gingerbread and there were about nine of them, this was gonna be a walk in the park. With not even a second of hesitation, He charged at the gingerbread who easily dodged all of the attacks, These guys are really fast! He attempted to punch another but nothing was working. "Tito! Pick Me up!" He told Tito before he had picked him up, "Now drop me!" He said soon before being dropped, This isn't the same as the other gingerbread, these guys are really fast Soon before he hit the ground he had initiated his spell "Crimson Explosion!" causing an explosion to occur, allowing him to roast seven gingerbread, leaving Yazuki with two to kill.

639/5000 words

Yazuki Kicked in his aura, allowing him to go faster at the sight of the gingerbread men. He watched as Zeno set up a combo. He noticed how often he relied on his pet and frowned... What if one day that exceed wasn't around? The boy would be lost he thought. As he sped up he easily crushed the other 2 gingerbread men with quick and precise blows. Lightning had thankfully given him a knowledge of how to move in quick situations, and how to attack with precision. He took the first one out without hesitation, admiring Zeno's ability to take seven on his own. That kid will go far, he thought. He still had a lot to learn. Imagine if he could be taught lightning magic. He could use his destructive spells that much quicker. He shook his head and headed towards the second Gingerbread man as it ran by towards Zeno. Right before reaching the boy, the gingerbread man met his doom, being pelted by 3 blows in rapid succession. He looked up at Zeno and smiled.

"Not bad but you can do better kid. Show me what you are REALLY made of. Maybe i will teach you a few of my tricks in exchange." He looked at Zeno with a smirk, knowing the kid liked having Yazuki around. He even kind of looked up to Yazuki, often calling him senpai. He hoped his words would ignite a flame in the boy and get him pumped. He couldn't wait to see the look on his face.

724/5000

Zeno grinned as Yazuki said he would teach him some tricks, maybe he could up his game, and maybe even be able to match Yazuki in battle. Suddenly he got fired up and ran towards the muffin man, but he was stopped in his tracks by four cookie monsters, Uhhh? What the crap! He ran towards the cookie monsters and attempted to attack. But before he could harm the cookie monsters, they attempted to bite his arm, but he swiftly evaded with ease. "What the hell!?!? He tried to eat me! Shouldn't I be eating him!?" Zeno ran in circles as he was filled with confusion.

Zeno halted as the cookies began to attack him, though the attack were easily evaded, these cookies weren't to be underestimated. Eh? These guys are pretty strong.... though, I'm not to be underestimated! Zeno ran as far away as he could from Yazuki and unleashed his spell that would hurt Yazuki if he was too close, "Crimson Explosion!" He yelled unleashing many amounts of crimson flames as he looked up a bright smile appeared on his face. "Didn't want to take all the fun, Senpai! So I left them quite damaged for you to kill them!" He had a glare in his eyes as he anxiously waited for his best friend's remark on his skill, wanting to impress him so Yazuki would teach him some new tricks.

He watched as the battle between the strange cookie monsters and Yazuki was about to unfold, what would Yazuki do in this situation with a four on one fight. Though these monsters were pretty weak, Zeno left them for Yazuki so he could watch his friend battle them with his roaring demon lighting. Show me a sight I've never seen, Yazuki-Senpai! He thought as he anxiously watched with his trusty pal Tito sitting beside him.

947/5000

As Yazuki watched his young kohai go after the cookie monsters, the muffin man finally made a move. He looked directly at Yazuki, who had pulled out another charred stick to chew on about the size of a cigarrette as the muffin man started making strange gestures with his hands. Yazuki was ready for anything, but was surprised at what happened.

"Youa guy's are'a makin me sooooo mad!" He put his fist on his other open palm and started the spell. "Dough Make: Giant Bread Anvil!"

A Giant piece of bread the size of a magic car showed up above his head, and he barely had any time to react! Yazuki started laughing at this magic. The muffin man actually made these things? He looked over at his kohai. "You can have those to finish off. After all you are doing well, just keep up! I'm going to have fun with this joker! I mean, he makes pastries! How bad can this guy really be." He laughed as he started to charge the muffin man. This was going to either be interesting, or a complete joke. He couldn't quite tell.

As he ran, he gathered lightning in his mouth, preparing for his Rage. When he was just within range he started his attack. He released the lightning energy he had gathered in his mouth. yelling his signature attack as he did so. "Thunder Demon's RAGE."

The blast met the muffin man head on, burning him and causing him to stumble backwards, and all Yazuki could do is laugh. "Just handle those little cookies! Dont worry about keeping any hint of their survival. This guy will leave us enough food."

1003/5000
Boss damage: 40/1260 (first 3 phases)
(Forgot to make 7 in between waves, compensating)

Zeno was angered as Yazuki was soon interrupted by the angry Muffin man. So these puny thing's are left for me? No problem! He jumped as high as he could and repeated the same magic spell he did before unleashing even more crimson flames which allowed him to absolutely disintegrate the cookie monsters. Though before he could take a quick breather, he was quickly attacked by a long range attack by the Muffin Man, "Dough Make : Humongous Anvil!" The man yelled as a massive anvil appeared above Zeno but he was easily able to dodge it, who knows what might've happened if he didn't dodge.

He jumped on top of the anvil and then into the air before Tito caught him and flew at the muffin at high speeds. "Come at me with all you got! Filthy murderers!" The muffin man yelled as he attempted to punch Zeno, but was caught off guard when he dodged, and instead of Zeno punching the muffin man, he grabbed his face and initiated his spell, "Crimson Flame : Palm Explosion!" He cried as crimson flames burst from his hand and onto the muffin man's face, causing him to go flying into a Sakura blossom tree.

Zeno grinned as the muffin man slammed into the tree, "You didn't happen to underestimate us did you?" Zeno asked the man as Zeno and Tito stood next to Yazuki, they looked like a real team, and a strong one at that. "AHHHHHH! YOU DESERVE TO BE BAKED!" The muffin man yelled in pain at the loudest point his lungs could comprehend could do. "Smell's like it's your turn to get roasted in the oven!" Zeno yelled at the man as he took his fighting stance with his whole body engulfed in Crimson flames, I'm not gonna lose! He began to frown.

1250/5000

MP : 90%

Boss Damage : 100/1260 (First 3 phases)

Yazuki watched as his counterpart got a blow in, and watched their exchange of blows. He closed his eyes, clearing his head for a moment as they bickered. Now? No not quite yet. Zeno hadn't seen his full potential yet, so it was best to burn this man and slow him down first. He was sure that once the muffin man was burned adquately, this battle would be done in no time. He would activate force after that moment, and when the appropriate time was at hand, just at Nightken had explained to him. He stood in a relaxed stance with his eyes closed until the bickering was done, and then Lunged at the muffin man, opening his eyes and grinning almost an evil grin. As he oriented his assault towards the muffin, he extrended his right arm, causing 4 bolts of lightning shot from his right hand as he rushed forward towards the muffin man. They all made impact, causing electrical burns on the muffin man. He cloaked his hands in a ball of lightning, speaking to the muffin man just before he reached him.

"Lightning makes no sound until it strikes, old man. Here comes the Storm!" With that, he connected his signature attack, pelting the man against the tree again, not giving him time to do his slow magic. the man was on the ropes at the moment, and he had no real escape. Yazuki knew now was a perfect chance to really let loose. He gathered lightning in his mouth again, this time aiming to where he couldn't escape. Quickly and effortlessly, he let forth an amazing blast of lightning from his mouth, yelling as he did so.
Thunder Demon's RAGE!" He put more of himself into this blast, sure of his success. Sure enough, the muffin man, along with severall trees behind him, all got hit by an intense amount of Lightning, decimating some of the trees in its path, leaving only charrcoaled wood from the lightning. His grin only seemed to widen and get more sinister as the blow hit.
"There is no escaping this storm!" He looked at the muffin man as he got back up a little ways away.
1370/5000 word count
255/1260 HP boss
backed by prophecy on cooldown
20% Damage buff to attacks
90% speed increase
35% debuff to enemy (capped)

Zeno trembled in excitement as he watched his friend blast the enemy with a ray of lightning. Nice! But I'm not gonna be left out! He grinned before he ran towards the muffin man who had just barely got up, using the tree to push himself up. "AHHHHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" The muffin man yelled as he anger seeped out of him, "Dough Make : Bread Rush!" He continued to say as huge bread began to fall on everyone, but it was no point as Zeno let out a burst of crimson flames which completely disintegrated all of the bread that was falling on them, "You can do better than that, can't you?" Zeno grinned as he walked slowly to the muffin man but then suddenly sped up as he initiated a spell, "Crimson Flame : Charge!" He ran very fast and swiftly towards the muffin man with no intent to have mercy. 

As he ran to the muffin man he dodged many punches, but was caught off guard when his best friend was attacked by bread causing him to get hit by the muffin man, which caused him to fall back, though he didn't care about being punched. He quickly went to check his best friend "Are you okay, Tito?" He asked giving off a selfless vibe, "Yeah, I was able to dodge it. Sorry I made you get hit." Tito told Zeno as he looked down in disgrace, Zeno just patted his head and walked away, "Don't worry, he's nothing compared to our old master anyway." He halted a few ways away from the muffin man and then continued to punch the ground and made it crack which distracted the muffin man, Now! He quickly initiated his spell, "Crimson Flame : Arrows!" He cried as six arrows made of crimson flames flew to the target allowing all of them hit due to him being distracted.

1565/5000

315/1260 Boss health

Mp : 75% 

Arrows each do 1/2 D rank damage.
25% Speed buff

Yazuki took the Muffin man's attack at Zeno personally. Something snapped in him that could not be explained. He cared about that kid like a little brother and this asshole had really pissed him off. He cloaked his fist in an orb of lightning, slamming it hard into the muffin man, ensuring his fist hit hard as it could to match the blow.

"You DON'T," he was yelling at the top of his lungs. His anger could be heard through it. He held nothing back as the rage fueled him. He punched the man again hard, this time on the back as he was bent over. "TOUCH MY KOHAI!"

With his anger reaching a new boiling point, he scowled at the man, and prepared for an onslaught. He raised his arms and yelled at Zeno, "Get back, this isnt gonna get pretty."

"THUNDER DEMON EXPLOSIVE WINGS!" He cried at the top of his lungs. exloding a large radius around him with Lightning, causing a loud boom of thunder. He gathered the lightning in his mouth to amp up another rage, Loosing it directly on the muffin man, who seemed to be able to take quite a bit of damage as he shouted, "THUNDER DEMON'S RAGE!"

For good measure, he let loose one more major attack, releasing two bolts of of lightning from either hand, screaming, "THUNDER DEMON FORKED LIGHTNING!"

He stood over the muffin man as the smoke and dust settled. The muffin man got up, and still seemed to have a lot of energy to him. Yazuki stood there, slightly shocked, then he grinned an evil grin.

"You have more energy than i would have thought," Yazuki stated, still pissed.

"I have doughy skin, its part of being a baker, but it also makes it easier to last longer," the muffin man said huffing. The burns had taken good effect, the man was moving almost half as slow, and his strength of blow on Zeno hadn't been that hard. "I will end both of you here and now!" the muffin man shouted.

60% Mana

1715/5000 words
558/1260 boss
Speed buff 125%
Damage buff 35%

Zeno watched as Yazuki beat the shit out of the muffin man, Wow he was amazing! But it still pisses me off! How I am not yet as strong as him! I need to get stronger! Anger seeped out of Zeno, he admired Yazuki, but he wants to be stronger, no he needs to be. A silver aura soon encompassed him as a veins began to become visible on his forehead. "Crimson Flame : Iron Fist!" He cried with all his might engulfing his hands with crimson flames. 

He rushed towards the muffin man with anger seeping out of him, "Crimson Flame : Explosion!" He screamed as he punched the man releasing crimson flames. Soon after the muffin man was hit with full power, Zeno continued his relentless assault, attacking him with two punches which pelted him into the tree again but this time he broke straight through it and slammed on the ground. How was that, Senpai? He grinned at Yazuki with his bright infectious smile, "You bastard! How dare you!" The muffin man had barely gotten up, "Dough Make : Dough Snakes!" Suddenly many four snakes made of dough slithered towards Zeno and Yazuki, two for both of them. One was strangling their necks while the other was restraining their wrists, with no even a second of hesitation, Zeno began to eat the snakes on his wrist while he was being strangled, Shit! I gotta eat this snake fast! he began to bite rapidly.

1808/5000

Boss : 742/1260

Mp : 65%

Silver chaotica + Heavy Damage = 15
Iron fist = 8 damage buff
Rage = 10
Melee damage + heavy damage = 15
Crimson Flame : Explosion does 60 damage, plus + rage + Iron fist + Chaotica but only 10 = 88
The two punches each do 48 damage due to buffs.
dealing 184 damage.

Yazuki watched as his student pushed the man through the tree, grinning from ear to ear. Now, now was the perfect time he thought. Just then the muffin man had started his spell, making snakes of dough that started to strangle him. Now. Now WAS the perfect time. He looked over at his student as a second snake wrapped aorund his arms, trying to tie them together, but with lightning reflexes he grabbed it and started eating it faster than it could wrap. It was only half effective as he had still gotten wrapped around the neck. He utilized his electric blow, cloaking his hand in lightning again. The lightning singed the rest of the snake from being able to wrap anymore and he started heavily stomping on the remains.

He started heavily punching the Snake around his neck when he looked up to see the muffin man... running away? 'Oh no this doesn't sit well with me you bastard,' he thought. He started his aura back up, lightning cloaking him once more. He was ready.

"AaaaaaAAAAAAAAHHHHH," he screamed, the tattoos upon his torso twisted and started covering most of his body and making his eyes go black. The tribals grew across his torso, up his chest and around his arms, two tribals almost looking like demon horns across grew from the top of his brow along his hair line. He had pushed himself into Demon Force, Sending lightning spiratically in all directions and some of it hitting part of the dough snake making it loosen its grip on his neck.

At that moment the muffin man turned around and started getting ready to cast his spell. He froze in hesitation at the change Yazuki had undertook as Yazuki threw the snake his way. He continued his spell. "Dough Make: Week old Biscuit Barrage!" about 10 hard as rock biscuits flew toward Yazuki. Yazuki activated his shield blocking the entire spell and started walking towards the muffin man. He gathered lightning in his mouth as he walked. The snake started back towards him fast, having finally landed Next to the muffin man. He let loose the lightning he had gathered into a Rage that was far more powerful than his normal as he ran at them to get optimal distance. His new found Force ability had worked as he was told it would after all. "Thunder Demon's Rage!"

Within no time he reached the muffin man, who he was completely caught off guard. He landed next to him and gathered lightning in his mouth again and released a second wave at him "Thunder Demon's Bent RAGE!" When the muffin man landed he kicked him away from him a small distance, utilizing his next ability. He charged his foot up with lightning as the muffin man quickly tried to stand back up, only to have a blinding speed kick hit his face. "Thunder Demon Volt KICK!"

The sheer force and direction of his kick sent the muffin man to in front of Zeno. He looked at his kohai, a sterness in his eyes, and a fiery the likes the kid have never seen. He wanted the kid to see what he was capable of, and he was about to see it all. "Just give up Muffin Man. Go back home and leave."

2266/5000 words
927/1860 (new total hp til beat)
Force/Clinging Lightning 85% buff
Speed buff: 150%
50% MP

Zeno saw the look Yazuki had gave him with shining blue eyes, with no hesitation he glared back with his big gold orbs. "Crimson Explosion!" He cried sending the muffin man straight into another tree which broke as he continued to break through three more trees that snapped like twigs. Amazed at his senpai's feats, he would not fail to impress him, not now, not ever. He scanned through the forest find him, but found no trail, he had been hiding. Zeno couldn't stop now, after all his senpai was watching, he let out another burst of crimson flames which could be seen from meters away, which completely devoured most of the surrounding forest as it was used to help hide the muffin man. Now that he had destroyed most of the forest, he was able to scan through the forest and easily find him, with not even a second of hesitation, he charged towards the muffin man, connecting three mighty blows which roared throughout the forest, causing birds to fly away from the current scene. Notice me! Teach Me! Show me how to fight! Yazuki-Senpai!!! He began to relentlessly throw three more heavy punches at the muffin man who could not move due to Yazuki's lightning.

Soon the dough snake that resided on his neck was completely disintegrated, he gasped for air as he had relentlessly attacked with nothing mind other than to win. "I can still go!" Zeno roared a mightily as he looked at the muffin man intently, There's no way I can lose to you! Because I have friends! Friends who I will fight for! Veins began to become even more visible on his forehead as his fists were clenched to the tightest it could be, he was gritting his teeth so hard that you could hear the sound from a mile away, he looked up and all the man could see were his furrowed brows and anger seeping out of him. His friends, they were all watching he needed to succeed, not for anyone else, but for himself, so he could grow as a person and as a mage. He also really wanted make his old man proud, Don't worry dad, I can do it! He walked slowly towards the muffin man encompassed by an aura even scarier than silver chaotica, he had the intent to kill, and that would be making a bad choice. Someone needed to stop him, and they need to stop him now!

2218/5000

Mp : 30%

Boss : 1303/1860

Crimson Explosion dealed 88 damage due to last post buffs.
The 6 punches each deal 48 damage. 48 + 48 + 48 + 48 + 48 + 48 + 88 = 376 damage, ouch.

Yazuki had his eyes met, then he watched the kid start in on the muffin man, completely going into a blind rage. Zeno blew up the rest of the battle area's trees as he tried to find the muffin man after he sent the man flying through a tree. He slowly started to follow the boy, fully grasping his abilities and allowing himself a calm before the storm. Then he noticed the whole mood around the kid change. This wasn't something he had ever felt before. He knew he could end the muffin man himself at this moment. He couldn't defend against the onslaught of a Demon Force Thunder Slayer. He stood there and spoke in the most stern voice he had ever used. The man fell to the ground, singed from the lightning, unconscious for the moment, possibly even beyond repair. He went over and took a seat next to Zeno, still not knowing how to turn of Force.

"ZENO," he bellowed as loud as he could to break the boys' rage as he stood next to him and pushed him back. "He is mine. Don't soil your hands. That isn't what I want for you. CALM YOURSELF." His new demonic form commanded more attention than his previous gorgeous young man look. He was menacing. As he touched the boy, his clinging lightning hit him, causing a burn on the shoulder he had pushed back and stunning him. Yazuki flinched for a moment. The muffin man took this opportunity to hit him at this moment with a spell. The muffin man took a fist and a flat palm together and began to cast. "Dough Make: Week old Biscuit Barrage!"

Yazuki was hit by 5 of the biscuits, causing him a momentary backstep, but only fueled the flame in his heart. "There is no calm before THIS storm!" he shouted as he started to gather lightning in his mouth, cloaking his fist at the same time in an orb of lightning he charged at the muffin man, hitting him square in the jaw with the spell, sending him back a few feet. He took his foot and cloaked it with lightning again. "Thunder Demon VOLT KICK!" he shouted as he hit the muffin man again. Arriving he raised his arms to the sky, lightning crackling from his demonic form. "Thunder Demon Explosive Wings!"

The muffin man fell back, stunned and all but paralyzed as Yazuki continued his onslaught, pelting the man in the stomach with a blow before releasing the lightning from his mouth at the man directly onto him, enveloping him entirely in lightning as he shouted, "Thunder Demon's RAGE!"

He would end this, protecting his kohai's innocence. He only planned to knock out this man, not kill him. He didn't know if he could though, as his rage was building inside of him. He had no clue how to stop this surge of anger the man before him had caused. He looked back at his kohai and saw he was still stunned. He hadn't planned on that happening, but it worked. It would keep him at bay for the moment and hopefully bring him to his senses. He let one more spell loose, a lightning bolt from each hand as he yelled, "THUNDER DEMON FORKED LIGHTNING!" He didn't stop his hands from pelting forward from the spell however, hitting the man square in the chest with both palms with all the force he could muster.



2843/5000 word count (social hour begins)
Boss KO 150 hp left (will wake up and finish him then)

Zeno watched, unable to move his body as Yazuki continued his onslaught against the muffin man, thanks to him he broke out of the rage that encompassed his body, the one that would kill, when that aura resurfaced he became the exact opposite of Zeno. Protecting his innocence? Someone in particular had done the exact same thing.

It was a dark and cloudy while the rain poured so hard that it hurt, Zeno was training in forest as a kid aiming to master his magic. He had so much potential, just like his dad use to say, before he left to do THAT. While he would train in the huge forest with many vicious and fierce animals, his mom would reside in the cabin not too far away from the forest, she would encourage him to become a strong mage, but looking like a gentleman was always the number one rule, it was all fun and games for them, until that fateful day where Zeno's life would change for the worse. On the same dark and cloudy day, he decided to go home, and rest for the day, though little did he know his mother was being harassed by some useless scum who had nothing better to do with their hopeless lives, all he remembers was a scream from the cabin and running as fast he could towards it, he kicked open the door to see his mother on the ground being harassed and beat up, "M-Mom!" Zeno yelled as he ran towards his mum, who was also a powerful mage, but was beaten up due to her being sick at the time. Rage began to seep out of Zeno as a demonic aura encompassed him, he began to beat the lowlifes down to the ground, with the intent to kill. "No! Stop! Don't Lose Your Innocence! I will protect it!" His mum cried as tears began to slowly fall down her face, making his aura vanish, the lowlifes soon ran out of the house, leaving a son and a beat up mom. His mother moved her arm up to reveal a gunshot next to her heart, "Son, I love you! Become a strong mage, make your dad proud, you will probably encounter him on your journey. Just know that you are a strong person and you always will be... I...Love you.... My Little Shining Star.." She finished speaking as her voice faded and she became a lifeless body in the hands of her ten year old son. Tears rapidly dropped from Zeno's eyes non-stop "Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.


Zeno suddenly broke out of the stun with ease and charged towards Yazuki, "Don't you dare protect my Innocence! First protect your own!" He yelled at Yazuki with passion before throwing a might punch which roared through the forest causing all animals to run the opposite direction from the scene, after being hit by the vicious punch, Yazuki was pelted into the tree knocked out, soon to wake up. Hopefully he recognized Zeno did it for the right reason. 

He suddenly fell to the ground peering at the sky while he scanned and tried count as many stars he could see, after all he always did love a shining star, because he was one like his mom always called him one, he wondered what she meant by 'Say the words Shining Star Come Forth! and he will come, use it wisely.' Maybe it had something to do with his dad, he wouldn't know. But right now what he needs to do is become stronger, stronger so that their would be a day were he could stand in equal footing with his dad. "Yazuki, don't the stars look beautiful, am I a Shining Star?" Zeno asked as he put his arm on top his eyes to hide the tears that had managed to seep through the gaps. Maybe Yazuki can teach me, what I have to do, to advance my magic power. More tears began to fall as he moved his arm away from his eyes, too see the beautiful view of the shining stars again. Tch! I'm an idiot! I shouldn't be here crying, I should have a smile, so mom doesn't have to worry. He began to smile as the tears stopped but there was still one drop left that dropped on to the ground and soon after a fierce wind blew past them, You can do it my Shining Star. He heard a gentle voice whisper in the wind, it was his mom.

And with that the tears dried up and a bright infectious smile appeared on his face, I always knew you were there, Mom. He stood up and offered his hand to Yazuki so he could help him up.

3016/5000

Boss : 150 Hp left.

As Yazuki had continued his onslaught of the muffin man, he barely heard what Zeno had said before he got pelted into a tree, and dazed for a moment. Zeno had tried to protect him, he got that, but the boy had irritated him by what he did. As the boy spoke of the stars he looked up, looking at the pale moon that was but a cresent and the stars. He looked up at the blackness that engulfed the small lights that so often people used to navigate, then back at Zeno. He was... crying? Clearly something was wrong. The poor boy tried to hide them, and eventually stopped. Did this have anything to do with him protecting the boy's innocence? He could only speculate at the moment, but he was sure that this was the case. As Zeno offered him a hand, he spoke to the boy in a stern voice.

"Protecting myself is never an issue. You need to watch it, though. One of these times, you are gonna hit me and I will hit back. Got it? That wasn't a smart move. You have skill kid, but I can still outpace you. I have no problems teaching you but you need to calm that rage of yours down. There is no need to kill that man." He looked over at the muffin man, who was still breathing. He actually owed this kid a thank you, as he had let his rage get out of hand too, but he didn't want him to think that he was weak. He was his senpai, and he would always protect his little kohai, even if he some day outpaced him. He got up on his own accord, ignoring the hand and walking over to the muffin man.

"Lightning is a potent element Zeno. Fire is as well. Fire has destructive capabilities that are powerful when used right. Lightning has the speed to make up for a little loss in power. Put them both together..." He looked at Zeno, his demonic tattoos still across his body. "You could be one hell of an offensive caster."

He looked over at Tito. "Thank you for not getting hurt. I would have felt bad. I owe you a fish when we get back to town." He smiled down at the little exceed.

"So what do you say Zeno," he said looking back up at his kohai. "Do you want to learn how to harness the destructive capabilities and speed that comes with lightning?"

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Zeno peered at Yazuki until he finally understood the man. Train with... Yazuki? He stared harder as a huge smile encased half of his face, "Please take me as your student!" He yelled gracefully as he bowed down to show respect to the man who would soon help him improve his magic. The crimson haired mage slowly turned his head to see the knocked out muffin man who probably wouldn't get up for a while, "Uhhhh, What are we gonna do about this freak?" He said, pointing to the unconscious man with a plain comedic face. 


Zeno took his attention off the unconscious man and placed it on Yazuki, "So, Yazuki! When do we start training? I can't wait!" He exclaimed as he patted his friends back. 

Tito, after hearing what Yazuki had said went crazy with joy, "YESSSSS!" He yelled with joy as he stomped around in circles like a hunger crazy food addict who hadn't eaten for a week. He halted as a serious expression encased his face, "I also want to be trained!" He yelled with joy as he flew onto Zeno's head, falling asleep straight away. 

The crimson haired mage walked towards the muffin man, giving him a slight nudge with his foot to see if he was alive, "Hello? Are you dead?" He asked the unconscious body of the muffin man who had his fists clenched tightly. Zeno's attention was taken away from the muffin man as he saw how much damage they had done to the forest, there were huge craters everywhere, broken trees surrounding them, even the animals had escaped from the destruction that was caused. He sighed at how much they had wrecked the place, It was pretty before, but now half of it is destroyed. He shook his head. "Well, we better leave quick, before we get into a lot of trouble!" Tito shivered at the thought of the magic council, but calmed down as Zeno patted his head gently, causing him to instantly fall back to sleep on his head. I'm glad you were okay, Tito. He smiled at his pal who was deep in a sleep.

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The magic council... Yazuki looked around and wondered how deep in the forest they had gone. He knew Fairy Tail was known for drawing the Rune Knights out, but he hadn't given it a second thought. They were in a forest. He looked around and noticed that a good 100 meters of the forest had been completely destroyed and even more of it charred. He let out a deep sigh.

"To be honest, I don't know the way out. If the Rune Knights come at least we know where to go," he laughed, knowing he could out run them. The question was whether Zeno could or not, and he didn't want to risk it. He walked back over to the muffin man. An idea occured to him, but he dismissed it after the thought. There is no way a baker would be held responsible for this destruction, he was sure of it. Slowly he started to examine the area. Nothing of interest was to be found, but he wanted to be sure that the man didn't have anything near by. He turned back to Zeno and Tito.

"Well, I mean, we could always head back out, but what do we do with dough boy, sir bread anvil over there? We can't just leave him can we?" He walked back over and kicked the man a few times as he lay there, not too pleasantly, trying to wake him up. "Wake up you!"

The muffin man was still out cold. He wasnt responding to nearly anything that Yazuki did. Yazuki slapped him in the face 3 times as hard as he could to wake him up, but to no avail. "Should we just leave him? I am sure he will wake up eventually."

He stopped for a minute, pausing and listening. There was the sound of something coming. No, many things coming. He looked up at Tito and Zeno. Zeno had called it after all. They must have made a loud ruckus will all of their lightning and fire explosions that alerted someone near by. Damn, the Rune Knights were fast. What were they worried about the forest for anyways? Yazuki pointed in the direction of the sound.

"Someone is coming from that way and by the sound of it, a lot of someones. We can leave him here and let him take the rap, and hope for the best. The destruction can be a distraction as we slip away. You ready for this? We are gonna have to be stealthy and quick. TITO WAKE UP! We need you to get us out of here buddy. Fly us a little ways away."

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Tito instantly woke up, and proceeded to pick up Zeno and Yazuki, "Why the hell are we running away?!?" He yelled as struggled to hold Zeno, "You've been eating too much Zeno!" He told Zeno with an angered tone of voice, "Hey! I was hungry!" He replied as his smile changed to a noticeable pout. Zeno scanned through the beautiful forest, with a wind nipping at the trees making thousands of sakura leaves to flow with the wind. 

He gestured to Tito signalling for him to stop and land on the ground, still in the forest. Zeno began to examine the area, peering for any Rune Knights, he was quite stealthy when he wanted to be. He stopped for a minute, pausing and listening for any sounds that would occur, "All Clear!" He sighed as he stood up, changing back to his old loud self. He decided to sit down on one of the beautiful cherry blossom trees, relaxing as he heard loud sounds, the Rune Knights must have suspected the muffin man for destroying the forest and took him into to custody. "I guess we should head back to the guild." Tito told them as he got up, "One problem. I think we're lost!" Zeno replied in his usual loud tone of voice.

Tito rubbed his chin as he thought about a way out of this maze of a forest, though it was pretty, it wasn't helping them. It would also be bad if they ran into the Rune Knights again, "Aha! I'll fly up in the sky and will lead you to the exit!" Tito yelled with glee as he had thought of a decent idea, though he wasn't the strongest fighter, Tito was pretty good at making strategic plans, but he hasn't used one of his strategic plans in a while. They went along with Tito's plan, and sure enough, they were out of the forest within ten minutes. Before they continued to walk, Zeno turned around and admired the beauty of the cherry blossom forest. "I wonder if the cherry blossom leaves taste good." He said as Tito instantly face palmed, I can't believe I'm partners with this idiot. He chuckled as flew alongside the two as they continued their walk down the pathway.

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Tito had made a very wonderful plan, and Yazuki was very much impressed with the progress. They were out of the forest soon enough, with the two seeming not to really pay much attention to the fact the Rune Knights were still behind them. They were lost inside the forest for sure, but it sounded like they were heading their way.

"We aren't out of the ballpark yet!" he stated as he grabbed Zeno and started running along the treeline. "You had to mention them didn't you? I swear these guys must come at the mention of their name!"

He ran in a blaze of speed, looking towards the forest to see some of them coming through the clearing. They had the muffin main in cuffs, kicking and screaming. A smile crossed his face as he looked at the site, quickly ducking them into a small patch of trees that he felt could hide them long enough. "Climb up." He gestured to Tito and Zeno. "I have to hear what he is saying, I will be right up there with ya."

His force had finally fallen off, he noticed, as he chest was once again bare of tattoos. He tried listening in intently for a few moments, but couldn't quite hear what he was rambling about. He moved slightly closer while keeping stealth in mind. After he was close enough, he finally heard what he was saying.

"You don't understand! They killed mah cookies! They killed my creations! I didn't destroy the forest I swear! I am just an innocent baker! I will not stand for this! Free me! The real criminals are on the loose! Why won't you believe me!"

Yazuki had to cover his mouth as he realized that indeed the Rune Knights were taking the muffin man in for the destruction. He thought it hilarious as the man could only make bread anvils at best, he would be the one to go down for the pure destruction caused. That had him wondering though, what were these guys doing in a forest of all things? Did someone tip them off? Was the forest protected by the Magic Council? Why were they here? He pondered for a moment then went and climbed up to Zeno and Tito.

"Looks like we are clear, but what are the Rune Knights doing here of all places? This is just a Forest, nothing more. It's not like its some sort of town or anything. Do you think someone told them we were here?"

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Zeno shrugged to Yazuki's question as he went on about how he didn't get to eat the muffin man's cookies, after all that was one of the main reasons he had come to the mission. They watched as the muffin man struggled as the Rune Knights dragged him into the magic-powered truck, the car soon enough drove away with the muffin man in custody, leaving the three partners to be undiscovered. Zeno flashed a devious smirk, "So we escaped the Rune Knights, hmmmm?" A dark aura encased him, but soon dispersed as Tito straight up slapped him in the face. "Let's just go home and eat!" Tito scolded the boy as he grumpily walked in front.

Zeno, along with his partners, made their way to a local town. They all attempted to scan through the town, though they couldn't find any restaurants that would fit their budget, which in their case, wasn't very high. A pout began to grow on their faces, but was soon changed to a smile when a scent of some nicely cooked meat arrived, without a second of hesitation the two bolted towards the smell, that they hoped would fill their empty stomachs, "We're Coming! Meat!" Zeno yelled as he continued to follow the scent which lead down the street where the markets and houses were. 

The pair gasped for air as they finally arrived in front of a large building with ancient writing all over it to make it look more authentic. You could tell it was a restaurant by the scent that was unleashing from it, and the signs that showed which foods were cheaper. There were a lot of stairs that lead to the building, the pair slowly walked up most of the steps before they got restless and decided to bolt up the stairs. Unfortunately, Zeno tripped on the last step, causing him to fall flat on his face right in front of the restaurant, "Shut Up!" He yelled at Tito who let out a long hearty laugh that was non-stop. 

Soon after Zeno beat the shit out of Tito, they entered the restaurant seeing beautifully set tables, with nice tablecloths. Not too mention the interior design which was quite amazing, along with a crystal chandelier at the top which topped it off. Suddenly Zeno's expression became a glum one as he pouted and his eyes changed to puppy dog eyes of innocence, "I don't think we can afford this place." He said as tears comically dropped down the sides of his face.

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Yazuki watched as the two ran off, not really paying much attention. His pocket started to shake, making him jump as he grabbed his iLac. He looked at the contact information. It was... the flower girl. Guilt burdened him as he realised he had ignored her for a while now, and she had asked him to call her every once in a great while, yet he never called her past the first time when he was in Neutral Grounds. He answered it, slowly bringing it up to his ear and answering with a question.

"Hello?" he asked, acting as if he didn't know who it was.

"Hey, you haven't called in a while. I got worried about you. Is everything alright? You haven't been calling me much and you haven't been around the Buccaneer's Boot lately. Something happened didn't it?" She had a worry in her voice that he could tell was sincere and he felt horrible. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he wasn't interested in her at the moment, so he did what he had to and just kept the conversation going.

"Maggie!" he explaimed. "I'm sorry sweetheart! It has been a long month. So much going on and so many jobs that I have lost track, I am sorry. I hope you can forgive me." He was being sincere, but not fully truthful. It had been a fun month, slowly starting to get to know his guildies and going on missions. He had no clue how he would tell her eventually that he didn't want a relationship, but he didn't want to break the sweet girl's heart. Maybe going on a date with her would be a good way to let her down easy...

"It's perfectly ok, love. Just try and remember me so I am not so worried ok? I have a gift for you for Valentine's Day, so you should come see me soon, okay? Maybe we could go on a date and spend the day together, no?" She had nailed it on the head. Something was kind of attractive by how well she actually knew him, but she wasn't designed for the rugged life he lead. He had smiled at her comment, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came.

"That sounds wonderful, I will head that way soon, I promise. We have some things to discuss. Anyways, I have to go sweetheart i am working a job right now," he lied. He felt slightly bad, but he hadn't actually stopped and rested yet. As he walked by a building, he caught a whiff of meat that smelled delicious and his mouth watered. "I will talk to you later, hun." he finished.

"It's ok I will talk to you later, sweetheart. Goodbye,"she stated.

"Goodbye," Yazuki stated as he turned off his iLac. He looked at his phone for a minute. Maybe he should give her a chance... He looked up the stairs of the restaurant, slowly walking up the stairs in deep thought. He didn't know what to do. As he reached the top, he looked at Zeno and Tito, then approached a waiter.

"Seats for 3, my tab," he stated. He would treat Zeno to a good meal before they started training. It was only right. He had been impressed by his little kohai and he wanted to show him that he truly appreciated him. "My little treat." He smiled over at Tito and Zeno. He hoped they appreciated how often his flipped the bill for them.

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Zeno and Tito began to tear up as Yazuki made his generous offer, "Y-Yazuki-Senpai!" They both exclaimed as tears comically fell down the sides of their faces. They examined the sheet where all the food they could order was enlisted, Hmmm, I'm feeling like meat! He signaled to the waiter who had come in an instant with a pleasant greeting. "I would like anything that has meat! What are you getting Tito?" He asked being greedy with his food as always, "Fish and Meat." Tito told the waiter as you could see his eyes looking like shining stars.

Within a few minutes the restaurant had served the food, On Zeno's plate was some refreshing meat that had such a nice scent that he had to gobble it up straight away, not too mention he had ten plates of delicious, luxurious meat left, and he would have no problem eating it. Tito had been served a nicely grilled fish with lemon on the sides, and some nice hot chips to top it off. Next to Tito's plate was also a nice big piece of meat exactly like Zeno's, the scent was unbeatable. With no hesitation, they ate all the food in within ten minutes, leaving Yazuki in the dust, probably the most surprised he would ever be.

They waited as Yazuki ate his food, they boys had not even an ounce of patience, they wanted to hurry to the guild and tell them what fun they had on this weird job, but it was one of the best jobs they had ever been on, and they couldn't wait to tell the story to all his fellow guild mates at home. "You need help there, Yazuki?" Zeno inquired as he drooled at the thought of Yazuki's food, good thing Yazuki didn't buy curry, Zeno hated curry. After their delicious meal, while Yazuki was still eating, the pair ran off into the restaurant kitchen, eating all the delicious food there. They even ate the ones that were mean't for the customers, what idiots.

After eating basically everything in the restaurants kitchen, the head chef of the place caught them and kicked them straight out of the place, along with Yazuki, who probably didn't even get to finish his food. "Sorry Yazuki-Senpai!" The pair bowed at Yazuki for forgiveness, for not allowing him to finish his food. "If it makes you feel any better, I took this delicious bread, here take it." Zeno told Yazuki, handing him a nicely made bread which had quite a nice scent, but it was noting compared to the meat's luxurious scent. 

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