Squire hit the ground rolling across it as the body of the Dragon exploded into a hail of black dust being swept away from the wind.
Davi collapsed down to his knees blood dripping down his wounds as he rested his hand on the ground. His red and black eye faded away leaving the milky white orb behind. "I'm not really sure how but... It would seem like we somehow won." He chuckled.
Squire let out a hiss of pain blood dripping down her finger nails from using the Blade Of Cutting Light. She quickly sheathed it once more letting out several heavy breaths. Despite not having taken anywhere near the amount of damage Davi had she was exhausted, another down side to wielding such a mighty weapon.
"...How many."
"What?" Davi asked.
"How many of those things exist..."
Davi was silent for a moment as he seemed to think the question over. "Honestly... I'm not to sure... Back in the day they were rare... Rarer then rare. There was barely any of them. Now though. Now hundreds of Marked ones are running around and thousands of Dragons. When a Dragon kills enough people it evolves. But if they kill a Marked they evolve faster. It used to be that there were only a handful of Dragons, and only a dozen or so Marked, but now thats changed. And Marked are... Well its true we can take hits but when it comes down to it we're still just human like, even if our humanity has faded with our curses. A skilled Dragon could take us down and eat us. Not only that but... That Dragon mentioned a level three... I had no idea things like that even existed. If a level two is that strong then what the hell would a level three be like..."He slowly stood up and turned away from her grabbing at his jacket and taking it off. Once it was off he raised the back of his shirt up. "Though I think its only fair I tell you. Thanks to this they'll know I'm coming." He hummed.
On his lower back was what looked like a red tattoo of a lion. It was small but stood out on his pale skin.
"This is my Mark. The Mark of Wrath. The thing I gained for defeating the group known as Dragon Dwellers, and it was activated when Oliver Lot, placed a curse upon me, cursing me with life."
"...I see..." Squire slowly stood up her legs wobbling as she used her sheathed blade like some kind of walking stick and made her way over to the glaive Davi had thrown to her. She picked it up and made her way over to him holding her hand out. "Well. It would seem like even though I tried to save you, you went and saved me. As such I'm still in debt."
Davi eyed her hand up as the butterfly floated in and landed on her head once more. Something she still didn't seem to notice.
"Are you Okay?" Squire asked.
"I'm fine. Mostly..."
"Mostly? Come to think of it... That Dragon... He stabbed you through the heart and yet you're still kicking. Is that part of the curse of life or a Marked thing in general?" She asked.
"A bit of both honestly." Davi hummed placing a hand over his heart. The hole was gone. "Marked are durable. We can be killed though. Damage us to much and we die. Cut off our head and we die. Taking out our brain isn't the only solution just the easiest. Thanks to my Curse of Life I'm harder than most people to put down. Most Marked can survive a stab to the heart though. Any more damage and we'd still drop dead... I mentioned my eye. All us Marked have one of these. We can use it to cast minor illusions without saying a spells name. More like we inject our mana into someone else. Each Markeds eye also can do something based off our curse. Someone with the Death curse would harmed a love one if they looked at them for example. My eye can process things, and plan things out, at lightning fast speeds. And if I can see it and react to it I will. My body will move on it's own. Basically just think of my eye as something that can spot things and see things in slow motion."
"I think I get it... But wait. If you wanted to die so bad why would you turn it on?"
"It does it by itself. It also stops me from ripping it out. The Curse itself will stop me. The eye then helps the curse make me dodge. It's annoying honestly. Impossible to throw my life away."
"O... Oh... Still... That's..."
"So... What now?" Davi asked not taking her hand.
Squire frowned dropped her hand as she folded her arms. "Well... As I promised. I'll take you to Camelot, the Nation next to Avalon. But first we must return back to my Guild hall. I need to speak with some people and gather my things."
"The Guild hall... You mean for Phoenix Flight?"
"Yes. What else would I mean?"
"...I see... It's been a while since I've been there..." Davi hummed sitting up slowly. "I wonder whats changed and on the new members... I wonder if... 'He'll' be there..."
"Who?"
"...A man named Tori Kaen. Heard of him?"
Squire shook her head. "Sorry. Never heard of that name. I know everyone in the Guild. Or at least I thought I did. But you showed up so who knows."
"Very well." He got up to his feet and began stretching. "Lets alert the Wandering Coin of Khinn and the other one so they can heal them up and we'll be off."
"Oh. I don't think you'll have to worry about that." A voice announced making Davi and Squire turn. Sitting on the roof tops was a strange man in a black business like suit with a red tie and everything. He wore a metal peacock like helmet and had on a large buster sword on his back. He slid off of the roof landing on the ground as he began to clap his hands. "That fight was wonderful. I had been watching it you know." He hummed.
"Who is..." Squire began but was stopped when Davi jumped in front of her.
"Thats one of the Seven Sins." Davi announced. "Judging by that mask he's Pride..."
"Seven... Sins? Are they Dragons also?" Squire asked slowly.
Davi shook his head. "No. These guys aren't Dragons. They're humans. Humans who have sold out their own kind. They work with the Count of the New World and control lesser Dragons like level ones. Like a Marked, they've been branded. Unlike a Marked they haven't been cursed instead being given a blessing by a Devil. A Blessing of one of the seven sins. If he's Pride then he holds the Sin of Pride. I don't know what sort of powers his Blessing gives..."
"So... This Blessing is like my Grace then..." Squire mused. "Some humans are born blessed by the Gods and gain a thing known as a Grace. Its a form of magic that can't be learned. A person must be born with it. My Grace allows me to use five elemental magic types instead of just one. These Blessings. Along with the powers of a Dragon. They sound almost like Graces."
"I guess in a way you can say that." Pride announced. "After all when it comes to a curse and a grace is it really so black and white? After all many would kill for the Curse of Life. The power to force your body to its limits to keep you fighting and living. The perfect power for a warrior. And yet for you its the worst thing. And you girl. One born with a Grace as powerful as that." He slowly reached up to his great sword pulling it off his back. The sword was massive. Far bigger than even he was. "I do hope you two will play with me."
"We're pretty banged up..." Davi sighed raising his left arm up as it shifted into his first sword Long-Caliber. "You have to agree its a big unfair attacking us like this right?"
"Oh. Is that so?"
"How much mana do you have left..." Davi asked slowly.
Squire was silent closing her eyes. "Enough for at least one more Row level spell..."
"Okay... I'm going to need you to cast something that can make cover."
Pride eyed them up. They were both whispering to each other and several meters away so he was unable to actually hear what it was that they were discussing now.
Squire nodded her head a smirk on her lips. "Row Fire Ball!" Squire raised her hand up firing out a ball of flames at Pride who raised his sword up. The spell slammed into the metal blade and bounced into the ground blowing up a gust of steam. "So you have a magical item like my glaive. Items don't need an incantation for their magic to work but are limited by the fact they have a single spell that they can cast. In this case your sword has spell reflect. Any spell that hits it bounces off." Squire announced proudly.
"Correct." Pride nodded. "Spells simply don't work on me with my sword."
"Then its a good thing I'm using a physical attack." Davi yelled leaping out of smoke cloud his red eye glaring at Pride.
Pride swung up with his sword and split Davi in half!
The form of Davi faded into nothingness making Pride's eyes go wide. "An illusion?" With Prides sword still in the air from his swing, Davi took that as his moment to strike as he leapt out of the smoke again and landed on the blade.
"My eye can place low level illusions on people through eye contact." Davi smirked. "They're weak and barley work most people seeing through it but for someone as Prideful as you, you'd never even check to see if it was an illusion or not." He jumped off of the greatsword and at Pride swinging his arm down. "Now! You're done!" He yelled slicing his sword out and cutting through Prides neck. His blade went all the way through in one strike. And... So did Davi. As he fell he phased through Pride's body. He didn't hit Pride. His blade never did. Pride made the attack go through him.
"You're the real one." Pride said turning around and swinging his sword.
"Shit!" Davi raised his arm up but it simply didn't matter. With a single swing Pride sliced Davi's left arm clean off sending the limb flying into the air as Davi's eyes went wide.
"Davi!" Squire yelled in horror.
"Maybe if you had been at full power the two of you could have at least made me have some fun." Pride mused slamming the blunt end of his massive sword down on Davi's head. The blade weighed so much that the force of the attack split Davi's skull open his eyes rolling into the back of his head as blood flowed down his skull and his legs actually sank into the ground. He slumped over not moving. "And now the other one."
"W... What the hell." Squire fell back feeling her legs shake as her eyes were wide and she stared at Pride who turned to look at her. "T... This can't be real. Its not fair. First Shelly... Then that level two... And now... Can't I have break." She chuckled her head hurting now as her brain tried to process everything.
Pride began to slowly walk towards her raising his sword up-
"Thats enough."
"That voice..." Pride turned letting out a growl as a split in the sky appeared and a man in armor made of bones stepped out. "Knight of Bones... One of the four knights who are said to lead to the end of the world... Also the most wanted man in the Kingdom of Avalon..."
The Knight in armor forged of bones didn't say anything as he walked over to Khinn and placed a green gel which began to come undone and heal the downed man. He then did the same to Venara. "Their wounds will heal now. They'll wake up in a few moments." He stated humming as he walked over to Davi and picked the boy up placing him over his shoulder.
"What the hell do you think you're doing-"
"Shut up." The knights words made Pride go silent. The Knight of bone swung his sword opening a rift and tossing Davi in. "You girl." He hummed turning to look at Squire. "You come to."
"W... What?" Squire asked but before she could finish he once again swung his sword a rift appearing under her and dropping her down with a yell.
Pride folded his arms once they were alone. "You aren't supposed to interfere."
"The girl is needed. I saw it. She will be the one to tame the fox of flames and bring about the start of peace between the humans and the dragons. A girl with a kind heart."
"So you saved the girl. Now what of the boy Bone head... Or are you becoming soft?"
The Knight didn't respond as he turned and swung his sword once more. "...I will not tweak Fates choices any longer. Next time you see them you may do with them as you wish. But for now. Be gone."
"Wait-" The rift slammed into Pride as he was teleported away and stood back in his office in his base. "God damn it." He yelled slamming his sword into his desk.
Davi stood in a black void, his right eye yellow, and his hair back to being black. He stared around with wide arms before grabbing a great sword that seemed to appear out of the ground. All around him hands began to rise up. All of them metal like.
"Hello!" Davi screamed as loud as he could. "Can anyone hear me! Is anyone still alive! Please! Please yell out. Any of you!"
The hands began to rise up forming a mountain of arms as they stacked up on one another forming themselves into a hill.
A figure began to pull himself out of the hill...
"Oliver!" Davi yelled with wide eyes when he saw the figure.
"Davi. Please don't let me die, I don't want to die. Not again." The boy sobbed out tears going down his face. From the hill many Dragons began to pull themselves out all walking towards the black haired boy slowly as his yellow eyes glowed and the image of a skeleton made of his aura morphed around him.
Davi took off running towards the hill full sprint as he slashed out with his sword ripping through the horde. "Out of my way! I'm going to save my Dragon!" Davi screamed with rage filling him as his eyes never left the body of Oliver and he cut his way forward more and more. "I'll save you!" He yelled jumping up the hill and crashing down in front of Oliver as he collapsed breathing heavily.
"Davi." Oliver stared down with wide eyes a smile forming on his face as he reached out. Davi looked up and began to reach up for the hand. "You saved me-" Blood sprayed out of Olivers mouth as his hand fell slack before it reached Davi. From behind him the Count of the New World stood, the egg shaped man giving a smile as he had reached into Oliver and literally stabbed his hand through the boys heart ripping it out.
"Oh. So close." The Count said laughing as it began to chuckle.
"Oliver!"
Oliver slumped down into the ground and began to sink into the floor. "W... Why didn't... Why didn't you save me Davi? W... Why the hell didn't you save any of us? Y... You pathetic failure. Just kill yourself." He managed to gasp out before the floor swallowed him up.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Davi slammed his sword into the ground over and over again creating sparks as he tried his best to bash into the floor.
"Oh poor thing!" The Count laughed leaning closer to Davi. "Here. Let me help you die. Eat him."
Before Davi could move hundreds of hands began to grab him from all directions as many mouths formed. He screamed in utter pain as they pulled him in all directions. And in a bloody display he was pulled apart being ripped down to bloody chunks...
And with that...
A White haired, Red eyed Davi, opened his eyes, as the dream ended, and he found himself staring up at a strange sky.
"Oh. That dream again huh?"
Several Hours Later...
Squires eyes opened slowly as she stared up at the sky above her...
It was a plain pitch black sky. A twisting void. As she looked around she found she stood on a plain white metal floor that seemed to go on for miles. In all directions was the floor and the void, and that was it.
"Weird right. I thought so to." Davi's voice made her jump when she heard it. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it."
Squire spun around finding Davi and the man in the bone armor. Davi was resting on a bench his jacket and shirt off. His left arm was held out showing it off fully. She took note of it. From the elbow down it was that strange black flesh like thing with the many eyes, and the hand on the palm. But from the shoulder it was instead a metal limb. Mechanical like. The Knight of Bone stood next to Davi several tools in hand as he stabbed at the flesh part and tapped at the metal part. Davi seemed to take notice of her eyes as he spoke. "My entire arm was torn off. The entire arm is actually mechanical in nature. Like a robot arm. The Enforcer Stones, morphed into my arm and from the elbow down molded over it and formed flesh. Under all of this is the mechanical robotic limb."
"W... What is he doing to it?" Squire asked her eyes flickering to the man in the bone armor.
"I'm checking on it." The man in the armor stated in his deep tone. "If the arm goes wrong it could take Davi over and turn him into a Dragon like form."
"A... And your arm is fine? It was cut off?"
"Oh yeah. My left arm is sliced off a lot." Davi shrugged. "I never really notice it anymore."
"Its his brain I'm more worried about." The Knight of Bones hummed. "His skull was cracked and shattered and his brain was no doubt infected but he's refusing to tell me if he's noticed any changes..."
"I'm fine. Just a bit of brain damage. A bit of brain damage. A bit of-"
"Davi."
"I told you I'm fine. My damage was only brained a little."
"Uh..."
"I'm more worried about that last guy... He was tough for three reasons... First my attacks phased through him. Reason B, his strength was so strong... And Fourth he wasn't even trying... We'll need to find a way to deal with guys like that on our adventure Squire."
"O... Oh..." Squire shook her head before she gripped down on her sword. "Look. I agreed I'd help you get to Camelot though you still haven't told me why you need to go there but... This got to be to much to fast. How do you know this man? Why has the Guild Captain never talked about you? Why aren't you in our Guild anymore? Why do you need to go to Camelot? How did you lose your arm? What the hell is going on? I'm sorry but... I need answers now. All these things piled on quickly. Who the hell are you..."
"Just some idiots looking to get their wish granted." Davi said letting out a faint chuckle as a look began to form in his eyes. "Be it saving loved ones, or wanting to put out a fire. Either way you look at it we're just Davi and Tori. And... And Oliver... We're just Davi, Tori, and Oliver..."
"What?"
Davi let out a small sigh before leaning forward and giving a shark tooth smile. "I'm not shocked you want answers... In that case... It all started... About ten years ago..."