Ch 32: Wrath of the Betrayed Ninja

Saria escapes as Altera Veritas and Ala Morte clash, alerting Grey and Scott to Alexander's plight. Doing his best to hold his own, Alexander faces off against the former ninja.

            Meeting up with an escort of lower ranked Ala Morte assassins, Rend led Saria through the forest, heading back to the small airship hidden amongst the trees. Suddenly, rustling noises began creeping up from behind them, and Rend stopped to look back as she muttered, “Damn it Magus, you couldn’t even stall her long enough for us to get back to the airship?!” As an anomaly leaped through the trees at her, Rend kept hold of Saria with one hand as she turned and unleashed blades of nature energy from her claws to tear it apart just before it could sink its bladed arms into her. As the pieces of the anomaly’s body fell to the ground and began to disintegrate, Rend shouted, “Attack! I want every one of them annihilated! For the glory of Master Ferid!” 

Rushing into battle, the assassins of Ala Morte clashed with the anomalies that began to stream through the trees at them. Pulling Saria along forcibly, Rend said, “Hurry up!” As the two were about to flee the scene though, a beam of red lightning shot through the trees as Giselle in half demonfolk form fired recklessly at them. Missing Saria and Rend, the beam struck a nearby tree, the explosion’s sheer force knocking both of them off their feet. As Rend lay there in momentary shock, Saria struggled up, knowing this may be her only chance to escape. She quickly ran off into the forest, and as Rend came around to see her escaping, she shouted, “Damn it! Get your a*s back here!” 

As Rend got up to go after Saria, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps and leaped away just as Giselle swung with a crushing downward punch from her demonic arm, the punch instead smashing a crater into the soil of the forest. Panting, clearly having been injured during her encounter with Magus, Giselle looked up at Rend and growled, “Where is she?!” Looking in the direction Saria had ran off in and seeing that she was long gone, Rend rushed at Giselle and leaped up to strike as she shouted in frustration, “You stupid b***h!” Ripping her arm out from the ground, Giselle grabbed her out of the air and pinned her against a tree, repeating, “Where is the daughter of Alexander Bastille?!” Struggling in her grasp, Rend said, “She’s gone airhead! Because of you, she just escaped from both of us!”

            Rushing out of the forest back to the road leading up to the mansion, Scott and Grey arrived at the path just as Fenrip Pascal came running from the direction of town. Seeing them burst out of the trees in front of him, Fenrip ground to a halt and exclaimed, “Grey! What’s going on?! That floating structure just appeared in the sky, and it looked like it was firing some form of weapons in the direction of your home!” Turning to Grey with a curious look, Scott said, “Wait, did he just say YOUR home?!” Looking back and forth between the two of them, Grey exclaimed, “Sorry guys, but there isn’t time to explain! We’ve got to go help Saria and Alexander!” Suddenly bursting out of the treeline on the other side of the road, as Saria stepped out, she hunched over and panted. 

Greatly surprised, Grey walked over to her and called out, “Saria?! Where the hell did you come from?! I thought you were back at the house!” Practically jumping out of her skin, Saria nearly fell over in surprise. Regaining her balance and her composure, she said, “I was captured by someone named Rend... but I got away.” Walking over to her with a look of concern, Scott quickly said, “Are you alright?! Did they hurt you?!” Saria’s eyes went wide as she noticed him, and she whispered in disbelief, “It can’t be… Scott?” Flashing a grin, Scott raised his hand to wave briefly as he said, “Yeah, I’m back! Sorry if I worried you.” 

Concerned about the fact that Alexander wasn’t with her, Grey said, “It’s great he’s back Saria, but just what happened? Why isn’t Alexander with you?” Saria felt as though her heart stopped, and fighting back tears, Saria fearfully said, “I-I was scared… I-I couldn’t think, a-and I just…” Growing more and more concerned by her behavior, Grey said, “Is he in trouble?!” Breaking down, Saria hung her head in shame as she blurted out, “He got stabbed right next to me! He did everything to save me, while I was just as helpless as ever! Right now he might be…” His eyes wide in fear, Grey said, “Damn, I should have been…” Trailing off in mid sentence, Grey raised a hand before him and clenched it into a fist as he thought, “No, I can’t think like that right now! I need to focus on what’s important!” 

Deciding to get Saria to safety, Grey turned his attention back to her and asked, “You think you’ll be ok?” She simply nodded with a sniffle, and turning to Fenrip, Grey said, “They’re after Saria. Take her back to town and look after her for me.” Taken aback, Fenrip said, “But what about you?” Turning to go back for Alexander, Grey said, “You have to ask? There’s still a chance! I won’t leave him!” As Grey rushed off, Scott put a hand on Saria’s shoulder and said, “It’ll be alright Saria, just get outta here. I’m gonna go back him up!” 

Saria and Fenrip headed back to town, and following after Grey, Scott activated the phone in his gear’s armguard and made a call. Rend’s voice came over the phone, saying, “Yeah, what is it now?” Holding the receiver up to his mouth, which curled into a sinister grin, he said in Dr. Nova’s voice, “You’ve done a rather disappointing job, but there’s still a chance to redeem yourself. I just ran into the girl. She’s headed back to Loralu on the main road through the forest, with only a half elf villager as escort. Don’t slip up now!”

            As Grave got to his feet, Alexander took hold of his sword and pulled it from where he’d stabbed it into the ground as he said, “Well, now that I’ve partaken of this refreshing beverage, there’s something I’ve been wondering.” Placing a hand on his face and using EDE to repair his Sandstone Armor, as he removed his hand a moment later, Grave said, “I don’t care about your curiosity, but I’m guessing that won’t stop you from asking.” Putting the empty antidote bottle back into his pocket, Alexander grinned mischievously and said, “Quite perceptive of you! Now, just what is a ninja of the Scorpio clan doing assisting Altera Veritas? Don’t tell me you all have cast your lot in with him as well?” Laughing a little as he reached into his robes and pulled out weighted chains, Grave replied, “If they had, I wouldn’t have joined. I was thrown away by my clan. I no longer have ties with them.” 

Surprised to hear this, Alexander said, “You were cast out? I thought the Scorpio clan was very secretive. To let someone simply walk away would put all their secrets at risk, it just doesn’t seem like something they would do.” Seeming agitated by the subject, Grave shouted, “Of course they wouldn’t! They left me for dead!” Removing his hood and mask to reveal his black hair and reasonably young face, Grave said, “Most of the other members of Altera Veritas hold grudges for the mistreatment of those who are different. However, the Scorpio clan accepts all its members despite their birth. The half human blood that has been in my family’s veins since time immemorial has nothing to do with my hatred for this world. I was once known as Virgil Garon, the son of one of the strongest leaders the Scorpio clan had seen in generations. In comparison to my father though, I was weak and naïve.” 

His lip curling into a snarl from the anger brought about by the memories, Grave continued, “Pushed to train, to honor my father’s name, to honor the name of our clan… I just didn’t have what it took to satisfy my father’s expectations. I was a disgrace in his eyes, and finally he decided it was time to get rid of me. My first mission with my team, the group of trainees I had been taught to work together with, that I had developed friendship and camaraderie with, was a set up. My friends were slaughtered, and I was left to die...” 

Alexander could see the rage in his eyes as he continued, “My injuries should have killed me. For all I know, I may very well have died that day, as my spiritual powers awakened soon after. Still, my anger, the unrelenting fury in my soul was so strong that not even death itself could have erased it from this world! Betrayed by my clan, my only place in the world, and by my own father, the only person I ever looked up to! I vowed that I would see everything and everyone on this accursed world burn to ashes! That is when he appeared… Alastor Bastille…” 

As the villain took a stance and started to twirl his weighted chain, Alexander was on his guard as Grave continued, “He took this dull weapon that had been cast away and gave it a use. He granted me the power of a Revenant, and with it, I slew my father and stole the forbidden technique he had safeguarded, the Blackhand!” Leaping into the air and hurling the weighted chain at Alexander, Grave shouted, “My vow will be realized! I will bring death to all who oppose Altera Veritas until this worthless world that betrayed me is washed away forever!”

            Jumping back, Alexander avoided as the weight on the chain smashed into the ground. Landing safely, Alexander chanted, “Cesso, Susicivus Septimo Spiritus Ignis Quod Glacies!” Using magnetism to anchor the weight stuck in the ground, Grave used the same magnetic control to command the chain to hurl him down at Alexander as he formed his Anima Weapon, a black coffin. As Grave took hold of his spirit coffin with his free hand, Alexander dove to the side and narrowly avoided again as Grave slammed it into the ground where he had stood, the momentum with which the chain had tossed him giving the attack such crushing power that it smashed a small crater in the ground. 

Rolling to his feet, Alexander raised his sword and chanted, “Pluvia Eversio, Vultus Aqua!” Ripping his coffin out of the crater, Grave charged it with EDE and turned about, deflecting the arrows of piercing water that shot out from Alexander’s sword and hurling throwing knives at him in a single spinning motion. Using his sword to deflect the throwing weapons, Alexander stared in confusion as he noticed the knives had attached themselves to his sword, and was caught off guard as they exploded. Losing hold of his sword, the blast knocked him flat on his back. As Grave leaped up and brought his coffin down on him again, Alexander raised his rune covered hand and chanted, “Magistri Obex!” A barrier of red and blue layered rune circles appeared just in time to block Grave’s coffin, which slammed powerfully against it. 

Bouncing off the barrier, Grave landed on his feet and drew out more throwing weapons as he said, “Is this the best Gabriel the Immortal can do?!” As Grave hurled the knives at him, Alexander flipped backwards off the ground and onto his feet, the knives stabbing into the ground and exploding. Quickly Grave strapped his coffin to his back with chains and muttered, “Shadowstep!” Disappearing and reappearing within range of Alexander in the blink of an eye, Grave closed in to press the attack now that Alexander was unarmed, striking out with a punch to Alexander’s face, and then a kick to his stomach. Pulling his left fist back for a spirit energy charged punch, as Grave threw his punch, Alexander grabbed hold of his arm and fired a punch from his rune covered fist, shouting, “Signum Impetu!” 

His fist slamming into Grave’s chest, the enhanced punch cracked his armor and knocked the wind out of him. While Grave stood there stunned, Alexander grabbed hold of him with his other hand as well, picking him up and hurling him into the nearby fountain with all his strength. Crashing into the water with a splash, as Grave sat up he thought, “No, the water is ruining my armor!” Recalling his sword to his hand, as it appeared from thin air Alexander quickly hurled it through the air. It stabbed into the statue from which the water of the fountain poured, and Alexander chanted, “Iacio!” In a mighty explosion of icy power, the entire fountain was frozen solid, Grave trapped within the ice with a look of disbelief on his face. 

Staring at his frozen foe for a moment, Alexander recalled his sword to his hand again and chanted, “Adhevo Septum Flagrant Spiritus Ignis Quod Septum Gelidus Spiritus Glacies, Sol Quod Luna Unit Intra Meus Gladius, Ultima Magistri Ignis Gelu Acies.” Red runes appearing on one side of his sword’s blade, blue runes on the other, as his Master’s Frostfire Enchantment crackled around his blade, Alexander rested the blade on his shoulder and called out, “Are you going to come out and face me yourself Grave? I believe I’ve displayed that your substitutions won’t be enough to stop me.” He turned to look up at the roof of the mansion as he heard Grave’s laughter. Standing on the rooftop, his cloak flapping in the wind, Grave stared down at Alexander and said, “The stories were true. I hate to admit it, but you may be a worthy opponent…”

            Forming his spirit coffin, Grave hurled it over the edge of the roof. Tumbling through the air to land on its back a short distance in front of Alexander, the coffin door burst open and a seemingly endless geyser of sand spewed forth. Swept away by the sand as it quickly spread out into a sea of sand, Alexander was buried alive in the five feet of sand that soon covered half of the garden. Grave leaped over the side of the mansion, and as he landed gracefully, he raised a hand and willed Alexander back out, encased in a prison of compacted sand. Alexander struggled to free himself as Grave said, “My Sand Vice will not be so easily dealt with!” 

Smirking defiantly, Alexander suddenly said, “Magistri Zona!” Erupting from beneath Alexander, a blast of frostfire engulfed him and the Sand Vice. The sand crumbling upon being exposed to intense heat and cold, Alexander was freed and quickly slipped into a dark vortex as he chanted, “Magistri Manus, Pyramidis Silentii.” As the freezing flames died out, Grave saw that Alexander had disappeared. Expanding a magnetic field and searching for any disturbances in it, Grave called out, “You’re a sneaky one aren’t you? In some ways, your ability with the darkness is better than Alastor’s. You show almost no trace of fluctuating EDE upon using it, concealing your movements…” 

Whirling around as he sensed movement in his field behind him, Grave saw a dark vortex close near the mansion. Continuing to monitor the area, Grave strained his ears, saying, “What’s wrong? Not going to chant one of your little spells? My hearing is still better than a pure blooded human being’s. I’ll find you as soon as you do!” Once again detecting movement in his field, this time very close by, Grave turned around again to find Alexander’s sword stuck in the sand behind him, and staring at it strangely, he thought to himself, “What?”

            Standing atop the roof of the manor watching Grave’s confusion, as Alexander finished his chant, he dropped the cone of silence being generated through the runes on his hand using the Master’s Hand spell, seven swords of energy appearing in the air around him. Raising his hand at Grave, who was just about to pull the sword free from the sand, Alexander shouted, “Vis Ignis Gelu!” Looking in the direction of his voice to see the seven energy swords shoot down at him as they burned with frostfire, Grave raised his arms up and chains shot from his sleeves. As the chains wrapped around the swords, stopping them, Alexander chanted, “Additio Fulmen!” 

Becoming charged with electricity, voltage coursed out of the swords and into the chains, traveling down to Grave. Gritting his teeth as he was being electrocuted, Grave pulled on the chains and flung the swords away, but the moment he’d gotten rid of them, Alexander chanted, “Magistri Circuli, Vena Secundus Iacio!” Using the still active Master’s Hand incantation he’d activated with the cone of silence, Alexander channeled his spell through his runed hand, activating the trap circles he’d placed on the side of the mansion. Four red and blue rune circles forming on the mansion wall in front of Grave, a frostfire based Rain of Destruction spell erupted from each one, arrows of frostfire flying at Grave like a swarm. 

In irritation, Grave quickly withdrew his chains and raised a wall of sand before him, but imbued with a wind based Susicivus, the arrows began to drill their way through. Trying to maintain his sand barrier, Grave stepped back in uncertainty as he muttered, “They’re still coming through?!” Suddenly, Alexander’s voice said behind him, “Iacio.” In realization, Grave thought, “The sword!” Yet it was too late to stop it, as the sword stuck in the ground right behind him activated its delayed spell. His own sand bending to the power of Alexander’s spell, as it moved up Grave’s legs and hardened around them, he turned to see Alexander walk calmly towards him and retrieve his sword. 

Jumping away as Grave turned an arm back and summoned chains out of the sand to capture him, Alexander raised his sword as he poured Corrupted EDE into it and chanted, “Ut Aiunt De Solis Et Lunae!” Shooting from Alexander’s blade, a swirling storm of fire, ice, and darkness tore out at Grave and struck him dead on, carrying him into his own sand barrier and exploding. The blast detonated the arrows as well, and both Grave and his sand barrier disappeared in a chain of frostfire explosions.

            Watching the aftermath of his combined attacks, Alexander furrowed his brow and thought, “It seems I will have to use a more hands on approach. His armor is almost as impressive as Serius’ Basilisk Armor.” Struggling up, his Sandstone armor crumbling away from his body and blood running from wounds on his forehead and his right arm, Grave coughed a little and said, “It has been a long time since someone dared to actually harm me…” Leveling his sword at Grave challengingly, Alexander grinned as he said, “Yes, I’m quite daring, if I do say so myself.” Glaring at him, Grave said, “You just have a joke for everything, don’t you?!” Gathering EDE into his blade, Alexander said, “You’re the one who isn’t taking this seriously. What are you trying to prove by holding back?” 

With an unimpressed snort at the fact he'd realized, Grave said, “Oh, I’m just warming up. It’s been ages since I myself actually fought, and now that I know what you’re capable of…” Reaching up, Grave unhooked his hooded cloak. Taking it off, he cast it aside, and the cloak dropped to the ground like it had been made of extremely heavy material. Staring at it, Alexander thought, “A weighted cloak? Warming up indeed. Still, weren’t some of his weapons in there too…?” Gathering EDE, Grave said, “Do you know where my chains come from? One of my more unique spiritual abilities allows me to open a hole, a sort of gateway to the beyond, and through that hole I pull forth the chains of the damned. I’m skilled with them, and although they’re really not all that special on their own, I can also manipulate them through magnetism.” 

Distracted by Grave’s explanation, Alexander barely leaped away as chains shot out of the sand around him. Turning quickly, anticipating that Grave would Shadowstep behind him, Alexander swung his sword and shouted, “Signum Vulnus!” Upon striking, the power of frostfire increased the striking force of his blade. However Grave was unmoved by the power of the enhanced strike, and soon Alexander saw that his attack had not struck Grave, but a katana made from green spirit energy. Their blades struggling against each other, Grave said, “This is an ability I cannot transfer to my substitutions! I can form any weapons I need with nothing but EDE!” Grave pushed him back and both began to clash with quick and powerful strikes, and despite his own skill, Alexander struggled to keep up with Grave’s smaller weapon.

            Knocking Alexander staggering back with a powerful parry, Grave jumped up with a spirit charged jump kick, sending Alexander bouncing far across the sand. Changing the spirit energy of his katana into spirit knives, Grave quickly hurled them at Alexander, who recovered and flipped back to his feet to deflect them. Struck in the shoulder by one of the knives, as Alexander stopped to remove it with a slight grimace, a wave of sand rose up behind him. He glanced back only briefly as its shadow fell upon him, and then Alexander ran as he chanted, “Celeritate Ardentis!” Flames surrounding his feet as he ran, he left the sand wave in the dust with blazing speed and charged back at Grave. 

Charging his blade with EDE, Alexander swung his sword in Grave’s direction and launched a wave of frostfire at him. Merely raising his hand though, Grave summoned another sand wave up between Alexander and himself, blocking the frostfire wave while sending the new sand wave at Alexander as well. Skidding to a halt, Alexander stabbed his sword into the sand and chanted, “Validus Terra Obex!” As a shell of stone rose up around Alexander in defense, the sand waves crashed down, and then the sand suddenly lifted the shell of stone up into the air. As Grave raised a hand up and clenched it into a fist, the sand crushed its solid stone walls. Yet once again Alexander had used the power of the dark vortex, leaping out of it directly in front of Grave and swinging his blade.

            Sidestepping Alexander’s attack, Grave took hold of his spirit coffin as it suddenly shot out of the sand at his command. Swinging it about, he slammed the side of the coffin into Alexander’s face as he tried to strike out with his sword again, quickly hurling chains at him as he reeled from the impact. As they wrapped around Alexander’s sword arm, Grave exhibited great strength and swung him about briefly before he flung him into the air. Raising his coffin up, as the door of the coffin burst open, Grave shouted, “Wrath of Hades!” Shooting out of the open coffin, a barrage of ghostly green spirit bolts shot up at Alexander. 

Forming the wings of fire and ice granted by his Master’s Frostfire Enchantment, Alexander stabilized himself in the air and masterfully deflected the bolts by spinning his sword rapidly, chanting all the while, “Susicivus Septimo Spiritus Fulmen Quod…” Ceasing to spin the blade and deflecting the final bolt with a powerful swing, Alexander then took aim and finished, “Ignis Gelu!” Springing forth from the tip of his blade, two serpentine dragons, one of fire and one of ice, barreled down at Grave. Setting down his coffin, Grave opened the door of it and simply stepped inside. 

Each taking a side, the dragons opened their jaws to bite down on the coffin, but suddenly a pillar of sand erupted from beneath the coffin, consuming it and rising high into the sky. Then countless chains with small pieces of paper attached to their links shot out of the sides of the pillar and wrapped themselves around the dragon’s long bodies. Grave’s spirit coffin rising out of the top of the sand pillar, the door opened and he stepped out, having reformed his Sandstone Armor while within it. The dragons struggled to free themselves, but Grave merely said, “Pyre Seal.” With that, all the small pieces of paper attached to the chains glowed and exploded in fiery blasts, destroying the two dragons.

            Frustrated that his attack had been thwarted so easily, as he hovered in the air on his frostfire wings and stared down at Grave, Alexander thought, “This is proving more difficult than I’d thought… His background as a member of the Scorpio clan alone is nothing to laugh at.” Getting an idea, he thought, “If his Sandstone Armor is affected by water, then it seems safe to assume his sand itself is just as vulnerable.” Suddenly sinking into the pillar of sand, as Grave and his coffin disappeared again, Alexander prepared a delayed spell just in case, chanting, “Cesso, Septimo Spiritus Aqua.” The pillar squirming briefly, it suddenly rose up like a living creature, twisting through the air after Alexander. 

Flying evasively, Alexander wove through the skies as the sand pillar slithered through the air after him, and unable to shake it off his trail, he quickly began chanting, “Aqua Fervens Numen Es Detrahendum Purgare Malitiam…” Coming to a halt above the mansion, Alexander faced the serpentine sand pillar and put his faith in his assumption, raising his sword and finishing, “…Saeculi Huius!” Shooting from his sword, a mighty drill of pressurized water rushed out to meet the pillar, driving itself into the sand and soaking it with water. For a moment Alexander’s plan had bore the results he’d expected, the sand giving way to the drill and breaking apart, seeming to no longer be controllable by Grave’s powers. 

Yet as the sand fell away, a huge, spiraling coil of chains was revealed to be within it. With no time to escape, Alexander was caught as the spiral of chains uncoiled and surrounded him, quickly capturing him in their grasp and binding his whole body. Leaping out of the remains of the destroyed sand pillar and onto the roof of the mansion, the chains binding Alexander coming from the open door of his coffin, Grave looked up at him and triumphantly shouted, “Pyre Seal!” Seeing pieces of paper tied onto the chains that began to glow, Alexander could only brace himself and chant, “Tunica Aqua Custos!” A weak layer of watery protection running from his sword, up his arm, and over his body in the blink of an eye, it provided minimal protection as he was caught in countless explosions at point blank. 

Alexander dropped onto the mansion’s rooftop with a thud, still alive, but battered and bleeding. Grave reeled the chains in, dragging him along the roof, and as Alexander came to a halt before him, Grave looked down at him and said, “Stubborn to the end.” Managing a weak grin, Alexander quietly said, “You’re one to talk... You’ve already taken your revenge, yet you still stubbornly cling to your hatred... directing it at those who never wronged you at all.” Dragging Alexander to the edge of the roof, Grave said, “I’m not someone you can reason with Gabriel. I hate everything and everyone without any other reason than that they exist.” 

Seeing he still held his sword, Grave pulled it from his hand and tossed it over the edge of the roof. Letting him free of the chains, Grave picked Alexander up by the collar and held him over the edge, tall spikes forming out of the sand below as he added, “As far as I’m concerned, they can all burn in hell!” Seeing his sword below, having fallen so that it stabbed into the sand upright right in the middle of the spikes, Alexander simply grinned to himself. At that moment, Grey and Scott were rushing onto the scene, having had to dig a bit to clear a way through the sand blocking the entrance to the grounds. As they approached, Grave called out to them, “You’ve arrived just in time!” Looking up to see Alexander hanging in his grasp, defeated, Grey shouted, “Alexander!” Releasing Alexander, Grave let him plummet towards the spikes.