Sinners [Job: Sir Leonard and Mythal Ragnos]

Era had gone through a lot in the past year and frankly, the fact that a new string of murders was popping up was just more depressing. After the assault on the city that had wiped out nearly ninety percent of the Rune Knights and several of its citizens, they had done their best to prepare different defensive strategies in case such an event occurred again. For the most part, they had done a fantastic job cleaning up the streets but every now and then, someone adapted to the system and was able to counter it. This new killer living in their midst was no different. While the Rune Knights were certainly capable of handling the case themselves, it did create a new opportunity. Since its reformation with Serilda in charge, the Knights were seeking a more distinguished and open relationship with the local guilds, opening allied pathways that had been lying blank for too long.

So when there was a chance to work with another guild on a job, the opportunity was seized. Mythal had been asked to oversee the investigation into the recent string, as they needed someone who could move through the civilians without an official uniform. There was also the fact that he had been regularly and consistently studying dark wizards and cultists, looking for links between the one that had bred him and others he’d heard about. No one wanted to say that the murders were tied to a rumored group of dark mages within the city but the whispers were enough to get his attention. He’d agreed and had been relieved to see that the other wizard that had taken the sign up had been from Fairy Tail. Though he didn’t recognize the name, he was happy to know he’d be working aside someone from his former guild.

He was just finishing up a few notes in a report when one of the official representatives from the Magic Council knocked on his door and entered. "General Ragnos, the wizard from Fairy Tail has arrived and is awaiting you down near the entryway. His name is Leo and I believe he is ready to begin your investigation,” the man was quick to the word and a bit snooty as well.

“On my way,” Mythal replied shortly, finishing his sentence and then closing the file. He quickly shuffled the documents away into his desk and locked it before he picked up his equipment and headed for the door. It was there that the representative remained, eager to get one last bit of information out.

"General Ragnos, this has already been relayed to Fairy Tail’s representative but the Council wishes to remind you that destruction to the properties of Era are strictly prohibited. Our city has suffered enough in the past twelve months,” the man said, as curtly as someone with a chip could.

“Thanks, I really needed the reminder as I was plannin’ on breakin’ a few city blocks while I hunted down the murderers,” the God Slayer said coolly, his tone unwavering and unimpressed. The Council goons had become more and more common with each passing day, looking over shoulders and reciting reminders from the councilors themselves. To say it was annoying was to put it mildly.

As he passed the representative, Lux materialized into existence next to Mythal, walking backwards and facing the blustered man. “I’m gonna give you a 5 for intimidation and a 2 for peppiness. Not great pal but I’m sure you can do better, keep working on it,” the Seal of Light called back to the representative, delighting in the look of shock on his face. People were still flabbergasted whenever the Lightbringer decided to make an entrance.

Mythal decided to pay the Seal no mind for the moment, focusing on the job at hand. He made his way down through the belly of the Rune Knight headquarters and across the walkway that led to the Council building. Finally he found himself walking out to daylight and into the main entryway. There stood a man, clad in a robe that covered his face. Mythal could remember the days when he walked around in the same manner, especially when the sun was out. He walked right up to the man. “Leo, right?” he asked as he came to a stop. “Mythal Ragnos from the Rune Knights. Glad to have someone from my former guild comin’ along. Have you been briefed?”

“And has anyone told you the dark and gloomy look is so last season?” Lux added, chuckling at his own joke.

Mythal waved him off. “Ignore this idiot, he’s just a pest.”

Leo wasn’t quite what Mythal was expecting but not in a bad light. He was older than most other Fairy Tail members but still had the look of someone who was used to daily adventuring. Even with the hood covering most of his face, he could see the gruffness in the bottom half of his face. Of course, Lux couldn’t help but remark about the state that Leo had arrived. The God Slayer shot the Seal a dark look, which went completely ignored. But it seemed that the Fairy Tail wizard took it in great stride, simply smiling and removing the hood from the top of his head and remarking about the day.

“Eesh, maybe you should have kept it on, gramps,” the Lightbringer said with a sharp inhale, trying his best not to laugh.

Mythal would give anything to have the ability to hit the Seal of Light right then. He’d gotten a lot mouthy lately. “I apologize about my idiot spirit. He lacks any ability to moderate his thoughts.” As Mythal listened to the man expressed his enjoyment to take part in the job, Mythal couldn’t help but notice the very formal approach he took to the Darkness King. He still wasn’t used to his own men calling him sir, let alone an entirely different wizard from his former guild. He held his tongue until Leo suggested they move along. “Yeah, let’s get to it. Don’t feel like ya gotta call me ‘sir’ or nothin’. Mythal is just fine. I’m really not formal at all,” the General explained easily, chuckling awkwardly. The more he was treated as an equal, the better.

Mythal led the way, with a snickering Lux trailing behind them. As he seemed keen on just sitting back and observing, the Darkness Slayer decided to utterly ignore him. Instead he turned his attention to Leo. “Sorry I called you Leo, I tend to give nicknames without even thinkin’ about it. Do you prefer Leonard or is Leo fine?” He had only realized shortly after that simply calling him Leo may have been disrespectful and wanted to quickly adjust that, in case he had offended. He did have an ability to occasionally say the wrong thing right from the start.

Once Leo had clarified which name he preferred, the Darkness King would keep it in mind for the future. With that out of the way, he refocused on the task at hand. “I’m not jumpin’ for joy to hear about these murders. After the attack on Era some months ago, the last thing these people need is more fear. I’d thought we’d rooted out the remainin’ agents from the dark guild that attacked. Maybe we did and this is some kind of imitator.” Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. And solving the crimes sooner rather than later would be better.

Mythal led them down into the city, blending in with the crowd easily. With the Darkness King lacking any significant uniform, he found it rather easy to blend in when he truly needed to. His moment of fame as a Rising Star had ended shortly after the attack on Era, as the Magic Council didn’t believe he needed the title along with General. That was fine by him; he was more than happy to simply be an agent working in the background. As they slid through the crowd, Mythal turned to Leo. “Most of the attacks were centered on the south side of the city,” he whispered to Leo, making sure to keep his voice low enough so that people passing by didn’t get startled. He nodded towards an alleyway and dipped down into it, freeing them from the cloying river of civilians.

Now a bit more comfortable, Mythal continued to walk ahead. “Normally I’d leave this kinda thing to one of my men but… the opportunity to work with Fairy Tail again caught my interest. That and most of the murders were inflicted by darkness magic. I have a… fair bit of understanding when it comes to that brand of magic.” Truthfully, it was his entire magical armory that was made up of darkness magic. That gave him a slight edge against the murderers, should they happen to find them during this investigation.

“So Leo… mind if I ask how long you’ve been with Fairy Tail? I don’t remember seein’ you anywhere durin’ my time there.”

Leo it was. Mythal had honestly just assumed that Leo was short for Leonard and had wanted to clarify which was the right name to call the man by. With Leo calling him Mythal, there were all set on what to call one another. And it seemed that Lux couldn’t help but comment on it. “Great. He’s Leo, you’re Mythal and I’m Lux. We all know one another’s name. Lights above, that shouldn’t have been so complicated,” the Lightbringer said with a groan, rolling his eyes.

The Darkness King decided to take a moment to actually address the Seal, as he had a sneaking suspicion what was irking him. “Not a fan of bein’ around darkness magic?”

“I deal with yours every waking day, I don’t need to be around more,” the Seal of Light retorted, clearly not amused.

“Could just do us all a favor and go back to your corner,” Mythal finished his conversation there, choosing to move ahead and go back to ignoring the Seal.

“Bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Keep talkin’, smart guy,” Lux grumbled but he didn’t diminish. No, he followed right after the pair, keeping a fair distance behind them. To most that saw Lux, he looked like a normal person most of the time. He certainly had an airiness about him but everything was in sorts. It was only when he chose to levitate or flash in and out of reality that people may be suspicious of him. His body naturally played with the light he so loved and created the illusion. It seemed to only be Mythal that could see through his complexion and see the spiritual form beneath.

It hadn’t used to be like that – he’d just looked like a spirit from the beginning. But over time, it seemed his connection to the world was refreshing itself and he was gaining some of his abilities back. It was a very concerning situation for the Darkness King. He much preferred his key to the Apocalypse running on safe mode and without magic. But that was a concern for another day; it was far more important they try to find the source of the vicious murders. And by the tone Leo took when he spoke of it, it seemed he felt the same way.

As they dipped down the alleyway and out of eyesight, Mythal offhandedly mentioned his former connection to Fairy Tail and the type of magic and, much to his surprise, Leo mentioned he had a fair bit of knowledge when it came to darkness magic as well. The God Slayer glanced back at him and a small smile wormed its way onto his face. “It seems they have.” In the end, he shouldn’t have been surprised. Fairy Tail’s methods often seemed unorthodox but the intent behind it was always punctual and poignant. The fact that a runaway vagabond like him had come all the way to General in the Rune Knights was evidence enough that the independent guild had a certain magic about itself.

And on that subject, Leo revealed quite a shocking truth that actually caused the God Slayer to stop walking. He had been around since the guild’s beginning – not just that but he had been the one to give the guild its famous – and sometimes infamous – name. Mythal stared at the man for a long moment, even as he continued on and briefly wrapped up the tale with some shady words, intending to hide the true meanings behind them. He waved at the man eagerly. “No, no it’s fine. Yer not inclined to share anymore than you want. Honestly I’m still… tryin’ to wrap my head around the fact that you basically started the guild,” the Darkness King said with a short laugh. “Well I guess the honor of the day goes to me.” One of the founders of Fairy Tail – this day was getting crazier by the minute.

As he started back up walking, they were only a short passageway from the site of the first murder. Most of the carnage had been cleaned up but there were still traces of evidence from the formal investigation. He slowed to a halt and kneeled down gently, looking over the pavement. “The first victim was found here, laying out on the ground with a mark on his torso,” Mythal explained, pointing over the ground. What was odd was the strange sensation he was picking up with his dark senses. He could feel the movements in the buildings all around them, as people passed over and through shadowed areas. But there was also a… presence right where they were. It felt like it was directly in the spot they were standing as well as before them. A magic comprised of intense, powerful darkness.

He expanded his sense a bit more, focusing more energy into them. As he did so, he began to get a clearer reading on it. It was definitely some kind of dark magic but it wasn’t right where they were. It was right below them. Someone had cast a kind of dampening magic within the sewers beneath to block their escape and, most likely, their other movements. The Rune Knights still weren’t up to the large numbers they used to have so launching an investigation into the sewers probably fell to the bottom of their list. That and there was no sewer hole nearby… or was there?

He frowned as he walked over to the middle of the road. “That’s odd…” He said to Leo. “Most of these streets have manholes at ev’ry junction. But there ain’t one here.”

“Of course there is,” Lux interjected before Leo could get a word in, stepping between the two and waving them back. He bent down and blew on the ground, causing it to shimmer and break apart. Slowly the world shattered and revealed the manhole beneath it, hidden under an illusory spell. “You’re dealing with a pretty talent illusionist. But he ain’t got nothing on what I can do.”

Mythal glanced at Lux briefly before he reached down and pried the cover off, tossing it back into the alleyway they had come through. “Hope those boots are thick,” Mythal quipped to Leo with a small grin before he leapt down and into the sewers.

Leo turned away from Mythal and checked over on the opposite, expanding the search area. Honestly, it was the best option for them both, as it would cover more ground while still keeping them within earshot. Luckily Mythal’s senses were heavily attuned to darkness magic and once he had a scent for it, he could follow it easily. There was just the matter of finding the first step to begin their trek. The missing manhole cover had been enough of a clue and Lux’s intervention proved to be the means of breaking through the trick. Had it been left up to Mythal, he probably would have just punched the area to test if there was some kind of cloaking spell. The Seal’s method resulted in less destruction, ironically.

Mythal and Lux turned their attentions to Leo, as he mused aloud on the deceptive method. Indeed, in trying to cover their escape, they actually made their means a lot more obvious. Though the Darkness King did have to wonder why the Rune Knights that had investigated this spot had missed that fact in the first place. If he recalled correctly from the report, the first victim had still been alive when he was found. Perhaps they were so focused on trying to save him that they didn’t stop to truly investigate. “If they really wanted to throw you off, they should have tried to cloak all of the manholes. But considering Mythal here was about five seconds away from stomping on the ground like an ape, maybe it wasn’t that bad of a spell in the first place,” Lux quipped, grinning.

The Rune Knight ignored the comment in lieu of lifting the cover off and revealing the dark tunnels below. With no other choice, he led the dive down, plummeting several yards into the deep before his feet found liquid and then quickly surface below that. He carefully landed with as much care as he could but there was no disguising the splash as he hit the grimy water. Leo followed right after him, landing in the running stream right beside him. Lux simply evaporated up on the surface and reappeared down in the sewer, taking care to materialize on the dry side path next to the water. “Phew, you two are gonna need a bath after this,” he said, mockingly wafting his hand in front of his nose.

Indeed, it was quite dark in the tunnels and not just because of the limited lighting. The darkness magic had been embedded into the ceiling and allowed to simply filter down, creating an almost pitch-black screen before their eyes. Simply light crystals hung on the walls on several different junctions, barely illuminating the passageway through the underbelly of the city. Yet for Mythal, he could see perfectly through. This level of darkness magic wasn’t stronger than his senses and his gaze could pierce it without hinder. But much like Leo experienced, Mythal’s own Midian monk master’s words came spiraling into his ear, advising him to feel the fluctuations in the air rather than relying simply on his eyesight.

A fair point but when he could have both – and provide his partner the same opportunity – he wasn’t going to waste it. He tossed the idea over in his head a few times before he finally decided to simply do what he could. Leo was one of the founders of Fairy Tail – no doubt he had seen all sorts of things, including Slayers. Mythal let out of a calm breath before he inhaled again, the sound of it deep and sharp through his nostrils. And suddenly the haze of darkness began to clear as it was pulled towards the God Slayer, absorbed through his clothes and directly into his body. The hard wall of smog began to thin out as he continually brought in as much of the magical essence as he could. Then as he filled his lungs to the brim, he opened his eyes once more and found a much clearer hallway.

“That’s how you absorb darkness? No wonder your soul is filthy,” Lux commented with a scoff. With a simple wave of his hand, almost in boredom, he sent light energy into the crystals, increasing their illumination threefold.

Mythal turned to Leo briefly. “Darkness Slayer,” he explained in few words. “Comes in handy every so often.”

“Yeah at pissing people off!” Lux said, his voice louder than normal. Mythal turned back to face the front to see exactly what had the Seal so worked up. Slowly from the several pathways that splintered off their main route, shadows began to pull out and into the main tunnel. Cloaked figures, clad in robes as black as night, removed themselves from their hiding places and took a stance in the way of the hunting wizards. He quickly took a headcount of fourteen of them, shuffling in and forming two lines, with the centers standing in the water before them.

“I’m Mythal Ragnos of the Rune Knights. This is my partner.” He opted not to tell whoever these people were Leo’s name or guild. He’d rather not put the man in danger, though he was sure Leo was more than capable of handling himself. Better safe than sorry. “The magic used here in these sewers was found on the scenes of murders. You will tell me if you are responsible and surrender yourself into me and my partner’s custody.” To punctuate his statement, Mythal reached over behind himself and pulled Curse from its resting place, unfolding the sword to its full length.

The crowd didn’t answer. At least, they didn’t answer his demands. Instead, there was a low murmuring coming from each one of them that seemed to connect in one continuous chant. They were speaking some kind of language he couldn’t understand but as they continued on the same loop, their voices got louder and were filled with more energy.

“Don’t think your little pep talk did the trick, Mythal,” Lux said, leaning against the wall and looking between the two parties.

“Get ready. I don’t think they’re about to give themselves up,” the Darkness King spoke softly to Leo. And almost as if they were triggered by that response, the mages burst into action, hands thrusting out from underneath their robes and taking aim at the two wizards.

At this point, Mythal was used to fighting groups of people compared to one on one. It was an odd circumstance that he never truly sought out but always wound up in the middle of. It was truly made even more ironic by the fact that Mythal’s monk training was usually best suited for fighting one or small groups. It wasn’t to say that he hadn’t been trained to fight larger groups but he seemed to always avoid them when he was younger that the Midian teachers never went out of their way to teach him anything extra. And yet, he had proven such a quick learner that he had inevitably learned some group fighting. He really shouldn’t have expected anything less considering his occupation. The world was filled with dark wizards teaming together to cause carnage. Rarely did one find a solo artist bent on being a singular calamity, though it did happen every so often.

Still, fighting in a tight corridor like this was going to be tough for close combat. He prided himself on being able to weave through fighting easily, avoiding attacks and landing hits where he could. But narrow spaces made it harder to get around people. The benefit, of course, was that they couldn’t exactly surround them either. Yet they had taken up position at the end of the sewer path, essentially putting Leo and Mythal right in a killing pit. He wasn’t worried yet – in fact, he was quite calm. He had a lot of methods of getting them out of combat or disorienting the group before they could attack but… he was curious. He could feel a surge of magic rising in his counterpart and, despite the situation, he was wondering exactly what was Leo’s magic. As an originator of a guild, he was sure to have some impressive abilities.

So he chose not to engage as the cultists brought their hands up, already figuring that his partner was going to make a move. He didn’t even have time to answer the man’s question before they were inevitably about to be under assault. And yet the attacks didn’t come – there was a quick wave from the Fairy Tail wizard, followed by the sound of something soaring swiftly through the air and concluded with one of the cultists in the water, blood already seeping out from his wounds into the sewer water. If he didn’t die from blood loss, the infections he would get from the slop would surely do him in. The God Slayer’s eyes snapped to the wounded man and then to the other cultists, who had balked at the attack and now could only stare in surprise.

Leo reacted again, bringing forth another weapon that cleaved a man’s arm clean off. The impact drove him into the stone floor, his screams of agony echoing down the passageway. It was brutal, that much was true – but certainly Mythal and Leo would have suffered a similar fate had they been inept. Though he didn’t take pride in killing anyone, he also knew that Fairy Tail operated with slightly less… moral rules than perhaps the Rune Knights did. And even then, these cultists weren’t giving them much of a choice – between them or the two wizards investigating, Mythal would do whatever it took to survive. Luckily, Leo had shown them the brunt of his power and then, in a show of perfect intimidation, he brought forth three weapons from subpockets and let them hover just above him. Each one was meticulously crafted and impressively differed from the others, showing that he was not merely a sword or blade user. He was a weaponsmith, a ReQuip user above all else. And his ability to command the weapons was impressive, to say the least. He calculated their chances pretty evenly and then offered them a choice – talk now or find out exactly what they were up against.

Despite the savagery they had witnessed, the dark wizards turned to one another, apparently finding resolve in their numbers. They formed up, ignoring their fallen comrades and raised their arms up once more. This time Mythal reached out carefully, putting his arm in front of Leo in a silent gesture of asking him to wait. Then he took a single step forward, putting himself at least three or four feet in front of the Fairy Tail wizard. He didn’t want any chance of the magic getting by him. As the cultists cast their spells, streams of darkness magic came spewing at them. The beams wrapped together, forming a spiraling blast that nearly filled the entirety of the tunnel. Yet Mythal simply raised his hand, holding it palm out. As the magic came crashing in towards him, the beams struggled to keep their form as the connection between their forms and Mythal’s ability creased together. The head of the combined attacked dipped down and was instantly absorbed into Mythal’s body, disappearing within the confines of his flesh.

By the time the spell was over, the cultists were standing there in utter shock. Mythal shook his hand out and sneered, his mouth opening and shutting in disgust. “Gross…” he muttered, the flavor of the darkness now reaching his taste buds. Before any of the cultists could think to cast another spell, the God Slayer’s hand pushed itself out once more. Portals of darkness appeared on the walls, the ceiling and underneath the dark wizards, the Darkness King connecting fully to the junctions of Kingdom Darkness. Smoky tendrils of darkness shot out from the portals and whipped all around, smacking the wizards about the place. Some were pierced through their limbs and sent flying against the hard surfaces of the sewers. Others were battered around like fish falling prey to an octopus. Once Mythal pulled his hand back and closed off the portals, most of the cultists had suffered quite the beating.

“God,” he said aloud, turning back to Leo. “God Slayer. It’s a long story.” And one not suited for the likes of the sewers. With Leo having shaken them and Mythal having battered them, it was safe to say the first group of cultists were handled. The Darkness King walked through the water towards the group, ignoring the screams and groans of agony from the wounded or dying.

“Geez, showoff much? You two done measuring sizes?” Lux said whilst rolling his eyes, not bothering to move from his leaning position.

Mythal looked through the group for the one dark wizard that seemed the least injured. Finding one who apparently only had a broken leg, the Darkness Slayer stepped up onto the stone walkway and hoisted the man up. In one swift movement, he had the dark wizard pinned to the wall, his legs hanging limply below him. “I believe my partner asked a question,” he said calmly, seeming almost annoyed. “Are you goin’ to tell us what we know? Because I left most of you alive – can’t say my partner will do the same if I let ‘em at it again.”

The combination seemed to do the trick. “O-Our archmagi ordered the bloodletting. We needed it to…”

Mythal waited a moment before he shoved the man harder against the wall. “Go on.”

“T-To worship our Dark Savior!” The man exclaimed.

Dark Savior? Mythal’s brow furrowed in silent thought. Faera had been called a lot of ‘dark’ things but he couldn’t recall savior. Then again, he had never met anyone that was part of the Sons of Faera so perhaps they called her something different. What were the chances of them finally coming up for air, after this many years? Gren had said that they had suffered heavily after the Rune Knight assault, over thirty years ago. But operating out of Era and worshipping a dark figure was still concerning. “Where is he?”

“D-Deeper in the sewer. Follow the symbols.”[/color] The man weakly pointed towards the rounded pathway nearby. There was, in fact, a small dark branding on the crest of the curvature. Clever. Mythal brought his arm back and delivered a knock out punch to the man he had been holding, rendering him unconscious.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small communicating device, tapping a few buttons on it. “I’ve alerted the Knights about this group and will come to escort them outside. We should proceed. I’ve got a bad feelin’ about this,” he remarked to Leo, gesturing towards the tunnel.

“Dark Savior, huh? This might get interesting after all,” Lux said with a shrug, glancing at Leo before following after him.

Mythal didn’t want to assume that this job would be easy, based on the fact that darkness magic was the prevalent weapon. Whenever something seemed easy, it rarely ever was. In fact, most times it found a way to turn around and bite him right in the ass. That was why he always assumed the worst before he figured the best; made it much easier to handle anything coming forward. That’s why the mention of a dark savior of some kind was troubling but not completely earth-shattering.

He was actively working in the Rune Knight organization now, was operating as a General within their ranks. His journey and eventual election to that position had been only in a short span between when he and Seri had escaped Kingdom Darkness. They had basically reduced Archimedes to a worthless peon, bringing low one of Faera’s archangels. Such an act was bound to ruffle the Goddess’ feathers and no doubt she would be planning some kind of revenge. Perhaps she would go out of her way to resurrect the Sons of Faera. And maybe they were causing issues here for the sole purpose of drawing him out. If that was the case, coming on this job could very well be a trap. In less experienced hands, it could spell trouble.

But having Leo there actually assured the God Slayer. Someone who had helped bring Fairy Tail into existence surely had gone through several variations of danger over the years. He was wizened and formidable in his own right, given his control over his weapons. Whatever was awaiting them, they would surely be ready for it. But he wanted to cover some ground before they ran in without knowledge. As much as Mythal hated talking about his past, it felt necessary for them to prepare.

After he had alerted the Rune Knights, he looked over to Leo as he spoke of how they should proceed. He could sense a dark presence deeper in the sewers and now that Mythal was standing there and focusing up, he could feel it too. A stench of death and darkness that burned his nostrils with its pungent air. He nodded to the door and took the lead, leading their party deeper into the sewers and into whatever awaited them ahead. “I don’t like to assume things,” he said softly, so only Leo and Lux could hear. “But in case my gut’s right on the money, I may have a… connection with these people.”

He turned enough to look at Leo as he continued. “I’m technically the byproduct of two different worlds. I was born to a cultist mother, who was offerin’ me as a vessel. The uh… Sons of Faera as they were called, wanted me to be the body their goddess inhabited. Yeah, I know I’m a man, it’s weird. The Rune Knights some thirty years ago managed to stop them and wipe out most of them but… recently I’ve had to deal with some minions that are allied to the goddess. It ain’t beyond the possibility that these guys could, you know, be involved with them or could even be new Sons. They may be here because of me.” It wasn’t an easy thing to admit nor did it make him happy but he had to face the possibility all the same.

“Oh so all this death is your fault. Gee, and I didn’t think we had anything in common at all,” Lux remarked, chuckling.

Mythal chose to ignore him. “If they’re causin’ issues in Era, they’re pro’lly tryin’ to draw me out. But… I dunno, it seems odd that they would attack with darkness, given that I use the same thing…” He mused on that for a moment before he shook his head,  burying the thought. “I don’t normally bring this kinda stuff up but if we’re walkin’ into somethin’ more than we expected, I would rather you know… just in case.” He trusted Leo with the information, as he seemed as earnest and driven as any other wizard Mythal had met. In a way, he kind of reminded the Darkness King of Serilda, with similar dispositions and honorable backgrounds. It settled a lot of Mythal’s inner concerns with working with other people, which had slowly but surely been depressing as he continued on his current path.

As they reached the end of the first tunnel, Mythal paused near the entryway to peek around the corner. With no one in sight and no movement pinging his senses, he drew them around the corner and continued forward. Farther down the path, there was the distinct sound of chanting coming from a chamber just beyond their current tunnel. He glanced back at Leo and gave him a firm nod, silently telling him to be as quiet as possible. Lux beyond the pair just rolled his eyes. Slowly they entered the end of the tunnel, creeping to the very edge of it. The next room was a large cylindrical chamber, that ran vertically rather than horizontally. Above there was a grate that led to the surface, a thin stream of light barely bursting through the iron bars. A winding pathway ran down from their tunnel to the bottom of the cylinder, ending on the watery bottom of this new sewer. It was larger than one would expect and the reason that so many dark wizards could fit. There, standing in the watery basin, was several wizards in robes. Twelve in total stood on the edge nearest them, gathered in an odd pattern and chanting together.

Standing on the other side was clearly the archmage. His robes were adorned with bloody ribbons, soaked in past victim’s gore. An intricate, runic design circled the edge of his hood, barely glinting in the dim light of the tunnel. He led the chant, holding a book between his hands as he read from it.

They’d found their cult. Mythal glanced back to confirm the knowledge with Leo when he noticed something behind him. Or rather, he noticed something missing from behind them. Lux was nowhere to be seen. He usually disappeared when nothing interesting was happening but given where they were and what was happening, it was hard to believe that-

“Heyo Monks of Ever-Chanting!” The sharp, cocky voice of the Seal sent chills down Mythal’s spine. He was speaking at full volume and as he whipped around, he saw the Lightbringer materializing out of the air between the archmage and rest of his flock. The chants ended immediately, all the hoods lifting just enough to look at the intruder to their practice. “If you all could just take a solid minute to answer a question or two, I’ll let you get back to practicing for the talent show.”

One of the regular mages rushed forward at Lux, a reddish glow emanating from his hand. He stretched out, looking to plunge his magic-cloaked hand into Lux’s chest… but found his fist going through the ethereal being. He fell into the water, splashing loudly and surprisingly. But Lux bent down and grabbed him by the base of his neck, clearly capable of touching despite the reverse lacking. He lifted the man up in front of him, easily holding him above the waterline without issue. He squeezed, causing the dark wizard to gasp and shake terribly. “Now see, that wasn’t darkness magic. Even if it was, it still wouldn’t have hit me. But what was that… death magic?” He asked, tasting the air for quick moment. “Death and darkness – could you be anymore typical? I mean by God, I haven’t been around for a straight millennia and still you idiots can’t help but steer right into the stereotype. I suppose you can’t help it; you are all filthy, stupid humans after all. Anyways.” With that, he twisted his wrist and snapped the dark wizard’s neck. The man gasped once more and then went limp in the Seal’s grip. Not completely satisfied, Lux brought the body back and grabbed it with both hands, bringing it down over his knee as the dead wizard’s spine snapped once more. The Lightbringer took a moment to break every single bone he could, staring right at the silent archmage with a wicked grin as he did it.

By the time he was done, he twisted the body around into essentially what could be called a pretzel. Satisfied, he tossed it over his shoulder and into the crowd of dark wizards behind him, knocking several of them over with its weight. “Now,” Lux said, brushing his hands off. “You with the special robe, I’m assuming you’re the head honcho”

“I am Archmage Rhask, that is correct. And what are you, disgusting creature of light?” The head of the coven spoke slowly and carefully, his deep bass practically reverberating off the walls.

“Fantastic. What’s your little group called? They connected to Faera at all?”

The archmage’s head cocked slightly before a low rumble escaped his throat. “Our god will crush Faera underneath his heel and drink her life blood until the end of days. Do not compare us to those mongrels that follow a whelp of a divine.

Lux nodded, amused. “Good, that’s great to hear.” Then he turned, cupping his hand to his mouth and looking right up to where Mythal and Leo were. “Hear that guys? No connection to Faera. Just a piddly-ass group of nobodies. Though he’s talking some good game against her – I’m kinda pulling for him.” The Lightbringer laughed heartedly, as the rest of the dark wizards looked amongst themselves and then upwards, to the position that had clearly been given away by Lux’s intervention.

There was something to be said about having a spirit that didn’t obey orders. Lux had always been juvenile, uncaring and overall a pain in the ass but he rarely had done anything that had put Mythal – or anyone else – in direct danger. It had been Victoria that had proven to be the more dangerous member of the two Seals. But apparently that just meant that the Lightbringer was waiting for a solid moment to strike and interrupting an investigation seemed the best means of doing just that. Mythal couldn’t contain his absolute fury as he listened to the Seal chat idly with the cult members just below them, his teeth grinding against one another. They had been outed utterly and completely, even as Lux directed his words up to them and brought the attentions of everyone in the room.

No other option then. Both Mythal and Leo had the same tactic in mind. Both of them came surging over the edge, the Darkness King pulling his sword from his back and unfolding it to full form. Magic surged through the sharp metal edge as he swung it down, unleashing a blast that exploded when it hit the ground. Several of the cultists were knocked back from the impact, giving the Darkness Slayer plenty of room to land and continue moving. His senses sharpened to a fine line around the room, giving him a wide array of understanding on what was occurring around him. Leo unleashed the full might of his armory it seemed, pulling out weapons as easily as if they were stored on his own body. He was an impressive force to be reckoned with, even if he was quick to judge and execute. But in where they were now, they didn’t have much time to think about sparing anyone.

Spirals of death magic came surging towards Mythal from several cultists, tendrils of lethal energy that sought him out. Mythal shot his free hand out to the side and then across in front of him, summoning a wall of darkness that ate up the attacks easily. The barrier opened in the form of a wide circle, allowing Mythal to dash through it, much to the perplexed enemies in front of him. His sword swung from side to side, carving flesh and cloth together in quick strikes that brought half of his enemies to their knees. A sickle, made up of death magic, came swinging down towards his head and he managed to turn his blade around just in time to catch it. The man under the hood was grinning, apparently pleased that he thought he had Mythal stuck. With a quick flick of a switch, the sword jutted out and rolled down, opening up a small pocket with a tube sticking out. As the cultist blinked at it, he couldn’t comprehend the blast that erupted from the muzzle and sent him flying into the back wall.

The sword clicked back into place as Mythal’s hands began to glow. He turned to the side and rammed his fist into another cultist, feeling his ribs crack from the strength of the blow. A follow up punch to the back of his head flattened the man to the ground, knocking him out instantly. He glanced over at Leo, who had been put on the defensive after quickly dispatching of nearly half of their numbers. With a grunt, Mythal jerked his hand across his body and brought out a pillar of darkness from the wall. It erupted across the length of the tube and crashed into the last couple of cultists as they threw spells at the Fairy Tail wizard, slamming them all into the wall. With their combined efforts, they’d taken the regular members down and left the Archmage staring with almost a bored expression.

As Mythal looked around quickly, he holstered his sword back into its sleeve. The sound of hands smacking together brought his attention to Lux, who was approaching from the corner of the room. “Woo! That was an explosively good time!” the Lightbringer said as he grinned and nodded. “The way you two came flying over that edge. And Leo, my man, the way you froze that one guy and then smashed him to pieces! Oh! I’m going to take a piece home for a keepsake after that beautiful piece of choreography. And Mythal…”

“Shut yer goddamn mouth,” the Darkness King hissed at the Seal, shooting him a dark glare. There was much more than anger in his stare, enough so that Lux actually stopped midstride and sentence. With the everflapping lips of the Seal temporarily shut, Mythal glanced over at Leo. “You alright?” he asked him, his sharp tone much more calm and collected with the Fairy Tail wizard. Once Leo confirmed his status, Mythal would finally turn to face the Archmage, still standing and waiting for their collective attentions. “Mythal Ragnos of the Rune Knights. Yer under arrest for the murders of three citizens of Era.”

A chuckled bubbled out from the Archmage’s mouth. “Am I now? Seems like the Rune Knights are far more lethal than we first assumed,” he explained slowly, extending his arms out to the dead cultists around them.

“Oh, my bad. Should we have aimed for legs while your people tried to take our heads off?” the Darkness Slayer snapped back, unmoved. “Your people gave us no choice. You have one and only one. Surrender now.”

Rhask thought about it for a moment – or he at least made it look like he considered it. “An interesting option. How about this counter?” And as he finished speaking, he wrapped his hands together into fists and slammed them in front of him, knuckles cracking against knuckles. “Death-Make: Remnants.” The bodies all around the room began to jerk wildly. Even the cultists that had been left alive began to twist and crack, as if some kind of force was pulling on their very souls. And indeed, specters made of purple and black magic rose up from their forms, dropping the limp pieces of meat back onto the ground. “Death-Make: Ravagers.” The ground right before Rhask began to warp and twist, the concrete breaking from below. Two forms clawed their way out from the ground; dire wolves that had been near completely degraded, only leaving decayed pieces of flesh hanging from their bones. The Archmage grinned. “Attack!”

Rhask was more than ready to fight; either to defeat them or die trying. It was bold but not unexpected – one didn’t become a cult leader by generally being a coward. The Death Make magic was concerning though; the darkness was easy to counter and absorb for the Darkness King but death magic would be entirely different. It didn’t matter though; he and Leo would do whatever was needed to take the madman down.

Mythal leapt right into the fray along with Leo, the pair of wizards rushing in to attack the archmage. Leo unfurled magic power that shook the very tunnels they were in and with it, destroyed the remnants in one swift blow. All that was left was the archmage and the duo assaulted him from all sides; Mythal wielding his sword and Leo wielding his. The moved in tandem, swinging and countering and blocking against anything that came their way. At one point, Rhask managed to duck a strike and land a kick to the Rune Knight, knocking him back against the far wall. At the same time, he was able to get the advantage on Leo, striking him with his scythe and nearly impaling the Fairy Tail wizard to the ground.

But with the emergence of Leo’s Rainbow Sword, he was able to get back on the defense and, more importantly, back on his feet. With the momentary breath before the next battle began, Rhask formed yet another spell that unraveled a hellish looking Wyvern, coursing with death magic. Mythal glanced at it and then to Leo, who was asking if he was ready. “More like ready for this to be over,” he said with a grumble. He stretched out his own magics and reached beyond the realm of Earthland and the world of light. Deep through the limited crevices in the fabric of reality, the Darkness King tore a hole open to the world prophesized to be his kingdom. And from it he drew forth a terrible calamity; a tornado of wayward souls that had been cast into the lands of Kingdom Darkness. The twister was truly an amalgamation of separate spirits; black creatures with unfeeling yellow eyes. But together, they formed a terrible storm of darkness and danger.

Mythal directed them up into the wyvern, the spiral overtaking the death-made creature and swallowing it up. Its eerie cries were drowned out by the rushing wind and bodies of the twister, as hundreds of black claws tore at its body. The spiral spun back around quickly and, before the archmage could utter even the first syllable of another spell, sucked him up into the spinning mass. Around and around he was thrown, knocked from side to side and beaten back and forth like a coin in a funnel. As the tornado dove back into the portal from whence it came, it left a battered, broken but breathing Rhask on the ground where the door seeped to a close.

Mythal let out a shaky breath, the brunt of his magic used up to open the path as well as control the mass of spirits. He folded his weapon back up onto his waistband and carefully walked over to the archmage. Pulling loose the cuffs he had come with, he turned the cult leader over and shackled him, dragging him to his feet and tossing him over his shoulder. “That was far more work than it needed to be,” Mythal said with a sigh, glancing over at Lux. But the Lightbringer had departed in the mass of confusion and battle, probably watching from somewhere beyond sight. The Darkness Slayer looked back to Leo. “Time to put in the report. Care to come back the way we came and help me round up the rest of those bastards?”