As they walked, and she appeared on his shoulder Feitan gave her a glance. He kept walking in his new giant form, but he listened intently to what she had said. He suddenly started to laugh aloud bellowing sound. Shaking his head, he held up a massive finger and shook it “Well, you have given me some of your views allow me to tell you mine. Where you are born is insignificant. It is what you do with your life that makes your life matter in the long run. Now, your problem is you forget yourself, and what you are. You see humans may not evolve like traditional animals. However, they are still animals and are therefore subjected to the rules of nature. The absolute rule of nature is Survival of the fittest. This can be brawn or brains. It matters not, but what is inescapable is that the strong have every right to prey upon the weak. I am first and foremost a part of nature. Simple as that. It is my right, my duty, and the sign of my status as a predator that I prey upon the weak and kill them. I don’t need to eat them thankfully; human tastes lousy. However, I am well within my rights as a human to kill them. This is something you would’ve already known should you have lived in Sin. It is kill or be killed there and protecting others is almost a guaranteed way of getting yourself killed.” This last few sentences seemed to be said in a distant voice, and Feitan’s eyes were miles away reliving some past event that consumed his mind.
Presently, he shook his head and smirked “As for magic. You’re wrong. Magic was always here, it wasn’t until the Demons, and the Angels started teaching mortals how to use it that they discovered it. Magic has no principles, it is a living breathing thing. It is unruleable, and can’t be regulated like those foolish wizards like to believe. Magic’s only limits are the limits of the one using it. Normal humans scared of the clearly advanced evolution of their race have tried to put limits upon those who should be ruling them. They still see themselves as the same, when they are not. Those without magic are the lesser stage of evolution and should be either slaves or corpses. That is the way evolution works, what has come and is new replaces what was, and what is old. Now the laws of physics and nature were already here, no humans founded them. Humans only observe them, categorize them, and try to overcome them in the best way they can. Even so, those laws are still all powerful. After all, if a meteor came from the sky and crushed your Hargeon city that would be the laws of nature dictating what was going to happen. It is only in Humans however that you find a driving need to overcome something. Animals find a way to coexist with those rules and thrive all the same. Humans are inherently different and that is in large part due to the demonic influence in their construction. However, those are Secrets I am not allowed to share.” He said before looking forward again “Your last reason about being bored is all the reason you need, and it justifies your choice to me completely. I fully enjoy anyone who would do anything to relieve their boredom.”
Orthrus looked to Ikuchi and walked silently by his master’s side. He understood all the words, but the deeper meaning wasn’t important to him. He was saved by this being and brought up to be an anchor for Feitan’s madness, and yet it seemed that his madness was being fully controlled while interacting with this woman whom Feitan must view as his equal or his better.
Glancing at Kaori at her calling of him he raised his brow “Yes?” Hearing her question, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head to look at her “Pain is a proof that we live. A painful death is the proof that you had a life worthy of living, that you didn’t go through life as cattle, or as a sheep. I give painful death to those I kill because to do any less would be a grave insult to them and the life they lived. However, if I can tell that they are cattle, or sheep the death is quick and much less painful. They aren’t worthy of the dynasty that pain attests.” He started to walk again and slowly his whole aura changed as his eyes and tone took on the hint of madness that threatened to consume him “Besides, have you not heard the beautiful music that screams make? It is like the finest symphony. There are so many sounds, so many stories, and so much…. life in a scream. I wonder what my screams sound like…it has been so long since I heard them, and I have changed so much since the last time I really screamed. I hope someday I will find my death screaming and filled with the sweet agony that is my life. It isn’t much of a life, but I hope it was worthy of tremendous amounts of pain.” He said his voice sing-song in nature. A sudden thought struck him, and he looked at her in confusion “I didn’t know you considered us to be enemies. Well, I’m sorry to say that I don’t return the connection. The attack on your Hargeon was just a job for me. I owe a debt to the lady of serpents and the Poison Dragon. I was simply making good on that debt. It was purely business. Had you not attacked me, I would not have attacked you. Even so, I am sorry to say that I can’t return the emotions you have for me. At least, not yet anyway.”
They arrived at this next camp to find that there was indeed something to it. The dead giveaway that they had found what they were looking for. The cannonball was a bit of a shock, but it wasn’t aimed directly at him so there was no real cause for concern. Instead, it was aimed at Kaori, and he didn’t bother with it. Yet, she told him that he would be able to handle the pirate. This made him smile and he charged into the camp headed straight for the man who had just summoned up a cannon to launch a 20 lbs cannonball right at Feitan. The demon soul wizard was quick to dive to the side crushing a healthy portion of the forest. Orthrus rushed forward towards the location of the cannonball finding the target in question. Blackstache the pirate looked as stupid as his name, and this only made Feitan more determined to kill him. The twin-headed hound was ready and found his target. His right head snapped open and a bolt of lightning shot out towards the pirate who was standing there waiting for someone to make an attack. He turned just in time to see the bolt of lightning come straight towards him. The pirate did the best to avoid the attack, but the fact that he was near so much metal like his cannons, so it was impossible to avoid it. The bolt struck the cannon and bounced between it and one other. Before it was finally attracted to Blackstache and struck him.
The light and sparks that traveled around the cannons were the perfect signal for Feitan and his skill. Slowly he summoned his aura up around him and let it break off to form into four separate equally vicious looking Aura Wolves. These wolves were several different colors and seemed to be made of very different things. The six wolves were made up entirely of aura they were roughly the size of Orthrus and only two of them were the same. One took on the appearance of being made of living flames, another was made of bursting fireballs that could only be accurately described as ‘explosions’ the other two were made of a strange purple goopy substance that dripped off their bodies. All in all, they were interesting to say the least. They slowly advanced towards Blackstache ready to attack him. In his attempt to get away he summoned up a pair of cannons that started to firebombs and barrels of rum at the wolves. All four of them had their instructions and knew their jobs. Ducking, dodging, and doing their best to avoid them. The first one to reach Blackstache was one of the twin wolves made of the purple goop. No sooner had he arrived at his target than he sank his fangs into it and exploded. Everything in a ten-meter radius was covered in this purple goop-like slime and started to glow with a very strange color.
The pirate captain looked to the goop on his body and groaned “What is this filth?!” he roared out turning to fire a cannon at Feitan who was slowly focusing his hands to glow with flames. Then he shaped the flame slowly into a single existence. This took his eyes off the second goop wolf that came and sank fangs into the man exploding at once doubling the coating that its twin had splattered on everything.
Feitan smirked and licked his lips finally ready “It is called Slag, and it helps what I want to do to you.” He said in a bellow taking his stance and sending the flames forward. They took on the shape of a large serpentine-like dragon. Surging forward at Feitan’s directions it made its way through the sky heading off towards the pirate. Blackstache snarled as he summoned up another pair of cannons using them to fire 20 lbs cannonballs at the dragon made of flames. He was seeking to destroy it before it could hit him, and he did indeed cause holes to appear inside of it. However, what he didn’t know was that Feitan was far enough out of range that the attack wouldn’t hit him. However, the size of the dragon was indeed intimidating just as Feitan had intended.
This attack was only meant as an opening for Feitan’s wolves and Orthrus to close in. They didn’t waste this opening either as the wolves were able to close the distance. The two of them sank their fangs into Blackstache’s legs and exploded in unison. A ball of explosive fury and massive flames they consumed as much as was possible. The slag that was covering the pirate captain made the flames and the explosion more effective. After all, it was the point of slag to enhance the effects and damage of all elemental weapons, spells, and other such elemental works. Blackstache screamed in pain as he rolled on the ground trying to get the fire that was on him off. The fire and this stop drop and roll act was the perfect opening for Orthrus to close the distance and with his second head he sprayed a cone of lightning out at the man zapping him with its full power. Yet, this wasn’t the last that Orthrus was going to do and slowly his mouths became aglow with a green light before the hound charged at the only now regaining his footing. Pulling up a cannon he shot a smaller nine-pound cannon at Orthrus. It slammed into the hound full force in the chest sending him flying backward.
Feitan snarled angrily dropping the flames entirely from his body and attack. Instead, he focused his power into his left hand letting it glow with a brilliant white light. He found his target and aimed straight for the worm who would dare to injure his beloved pet. Sending his left hand forward in an open palm thrust towards Blackstache. From his hand came a beam of demon slaying light that slammed full force into the pirate sending him flying through his base. Yet, there was a very normal to Feitan alone consequence of this ability of his. In a roar of flames, his form reverted to normal and he stood looking very normal as far as he went. Yet, there was an air of weakness about him that he didn’t have before. Still, he didn’t let this stop him and instead he held up his right hand towards the sky.
As soon as he did so he was struck by a thunderbolt which gave his wrists a pair of metal bracers. His cloak transformed into a scarf, and he was now standing as the demon Overlord Laharl. Holding out his two hands his power focused and then shot out towards the pirate. He was struck by one of the blasts, but he also managed to use his cannon make magic to summon up a handheld cannon and fire at Feitan with a mushroom. The impact sent Feitan staggering back as did his attack against Blackstache. The pair stood for a moment and glared death at each other before Feitan’s scarf reached over to grab his blade Tessaiga. His hand however shot out and sent a sphere of wave magic flying to slam into Blackstache once more even as the pirate had been summoning up another cannon.
Holding his left hand into the air a rune circle shot up into the sky tearing open a rift between this world and Laharl’s Netherworld. From it emerged a ray of dark energy that zapped Feitan covering him in the power of Dark Meteor. With this newfound power, he shot forward flying towards Blackstache with all the speed he could muster. The scarf passed along Tessaiga to Feitan’s actual hands and he closed with Blackstache bringing his blade down to slash into the pirate as hard as he could, and the scarves formed into two great fists slamming into the man from both sides. This seemed to Drop the man to the ground and Feitan wasn’t done there. He grabbed the pirate in both of his scarf fists lifting him up and pulling him in either direction his arms in one fist and legs in the other pulling in either direction. This held the man tightly and he screamed as he was stretched so painfully. Feitan’s eyes were swirls of madness as he spoke “You hurt my pet, you dared to damage your better. You have to die, and I will enjoy your death rattles!” The screaming continued until Finally Feitan brought his blade up and slashed through the waist of the pirate and cut the man in half. Dropping the two halves he moved to search them soon finding the map that Blackstache had which would lead Feitan and Kaori to the treasure.
With this done he flew slowly over to Orthrus who was nursing his wound as best he could, the bone-like armor that was just a natural part of his body was cracked in many places, and he looked up at Feitan worriedly. The mad man gently placed a hand on both of the hounds’ heads. The battle was done now all that was needed was to find the treasure and for that he had to wait for Kaori to finish her dirty work.
WC: 2,545/7,882