Chapter Fourteen
Tabitha nodded, and they walked out of the arena. Laxus sat down on his bed. “I really hate to say this, but this is getting really boring.” He said.
“I know, but what can we do? We are stuck here.” She said.
Laxus sighed. “Is there anything to do in the room?” He asked.
Tabitha looked around the room. “All I see is wrecked armor and two beds.” She said.
Laxus groaned. He pulled his sword out of its sheathe, and flicked it at the bed’s shadow. Instead of cutting through the shadow and severing it, he stabbed it and brought it up, so the shadow was still attached to the bed.
The bed spit cleanly in half, along with its shadow, and the floor beneath it.
Laxus frowned. “How did I cut the floor if the only thing this can cut is shadows?” He said to himself.
“Maybe it depends on what you want to cut?” Tabitha asked.
Laxus shook his head. “No, I wanted to cut the spear the first time, but nothing happened. The only reason I figured out that my Serpent can cut shadows is it accidently cut part of its shadow.” He said.
“Try cutting the floor again.” She suggested.
Laxus shrugged, and slashed at the floor. This time, the sword slid right through it like butter. Laxus shook his head. “I’m confused. How does this thing work?” He asked.
“Why would I know?” She asked.
Laxus began raking the floor with his sword in his frustrationg. As his sword scratched along the wood, there was a loud metallic ping.
Laxus paused. He looked down at the floor where his sword was, and poked it again.
The ping sounded again, and Laxus felt around the area. His fingers found a loose piece of wood, and he pried it open. It was a large chest. Laxus slit the lock with his sword, and opened the chest.
His mouth fell open. Tabitha got off her bed, and came over to look. “Its filled with Victory Coins?” She asked.
Laxus nodded hesitantly. “I think someone stashed all their victory coins here.” He said.
Tabitha slowly poked some of the gold coins. “They look real” She noted.
Laxus stuck his arm in the chest. “Whoa, how deep is this thing?” He muttered.
He pushed his arm even further. When he was buried up to a shoulder, his eyes lit up. “It still has coins and my hand is up to my shoulder!” He said.
Tabitha grinned. “We should buy the whole arena with this.” She said.
Laxus chuckled. “I don’t think the arena is worth this much.” He said.
Tabitha shrugged, and glanced at the list on their door.
“This says we have ten more fights we have to execute perfectly before we can fight the Second Regiment Commander.” She said.
“I know. I just wish there was an easier way to get out of here.” He said.
Tabitha shrugged. “And so do I.” She said.
Laxus sat down next to the box of gold. “We won’t have any more fights today. Where should we go?” He asked.
Tabitha sat down next to Laxus. “Let’s see if we can do anything today. Get a few more Vcoins. Not that it really matters.” She snickered.
They headed out of the room, and began wandering the halls. “Where in the world are we?” Laxus asked.
Tabitha looked around. “A hallway.” She noted.
Laxus groaned. “More specific?” He asked
“A dark hallway.”
Laxus sighed, and took out his sword. “What are you doing?” Tabitha asked warily.
Laxus just grinned. He began pulled back, and began whipping the sword. It slashed through the wall in front of him. Slowly, he advanced through the walls; a shining wall of blades, destroying everything in his path.
Tabitha hesitantly followed Laxus. “Hey, Tabitha, I think you’re right! All I have to do is think about cutting through the walls and…” He slashed through another wall.
Tabitha grinned. “And this is how you decide to use it?” She asked.
Laxus shrugged, and continued making an extra hallway through the dark building. Suddenly, he ran out of walls, and the found themselves in Bensin’s shop. He sat at the desk, open mouthed as he watched Laxus slow down the Serpent. He just shook his head mutely.
“What in the seven hells are you doing?” He cried when he recovered.
Laxus grinned crazily. He threw a pile of Vcoins onto Bensin’s desk. “I need Serpent changed so it has round hinges, not these restricted ones.” He said.
Bensin shook his head. “No way in Hell. If I was to restore Serpent to its true form, you would either become nigh immortal in the beginner arena, or you would cut yourself into Laxus-sushi” He said.
Laxus shrugged. “Why do you care?” He asked.
“Well, I am charged with keeping this arena interesting. If I don’t, I will be killed.” Bensin said.
Laxus shrugged. “Do it. It would make it interesting after all. Could you imagine how it would look to see me kill myself?” He asked.
Bensin chuckled. “I have imagined it quite a few times.” He said.
“But, I will have you know, If by some phenomenon you master the Black Serpent, you would be much too powerful for entertainment. You would be forced into the Hell’s Gate. It is the arena where the Lich and the other beings of hell meet with the corrupted souls in a twisted match of gambling. Master would put you and Tabitha into this for his gain. There would be no escape, unless you could beat the Devil himself. There is no way you can do that.” Bensin said.
“Just fix my Serpent.” Laxus said.
As Bensin began to shake his head again, Tabitha stepped forward. “Could you please do it?” She asked sweetly, and gave him a peck on his cheek.
Bensin looked completely flustered. “Well, maybe I could… Ah, not because of you or anything.” Bensin snatched up the Serpent and the Vcoins, and hurried into a back room.
Laxus looked at Tabitha and raised his eyebrows.
“What’s with that expression? Are you jealous?” Tabitha grinned.
Laxus looked just as flustered as Bensin had. “What? No, of course not! It’s not like you like him.” He said.
“Why does it matter if I like him?” Tabitha teased.
Laxus growled. “Oh, be quiet.” He snapped.
Tabitha shrugged, and they listened as a series of loud bangs echoed through the shop from the back door. After a while, Bensin emerged with the Serpent, now with extremely small looping rings connecting the blades, and the blades were now tinted slightly black.
Laxus frowned as he took it. “This is not what I had before.” He said.
Bensin nodded. “You told me to fix the Serpent and give it to you. You had a knockoff of the Serpent, the shadow cutting part is in the hilt. I replaced the Serpent’s real blades. Do not even bother asking me about its power, for even I do not know. Now get out of my shop, I never want to see you again! Go to the arena master and say you want a Progression challenge.” Bensin grabbed a white dagger from his wall, and hurled it at Tabitha.
Laxus tackled Tabitha out the door, and the dagger embedded itself in a wall above them. “Grumpy old goblin.” Laxus grumbled.
Tabitha stood on shaky legs, and used the dagger to pull herself up. “Thanks Laxus” She said.
“Anytime. Wait, no not any time. Next time, you try to get yourself out of the way, ok?” He asked.
Tabitha giggled, and hugged him. “What was that for?” Laxus asked when she let go.
“A thank you. We should go do what Bensin said. If we don’t get out of here soon, I’m worried we will be stuck here forever!” She said.
Laxus nodded. “Lets go.” He said.
Tabitha looked at the dagger in the wall again. She turned to leave with Laxus, but paused. She grabbed the dagger, and then ran after him. As they walked through the walls, Tabitha attempted to examine the dagger. “Blast, I wish I could use more of my power in here. I fell like this dagger might have some magic properties.” Tabitha said.
Just as
she spoke, a bright light lit up the hallway. “What the heck?” Laxus asked, and turned to Tabitha.
“It’s a rune dagger!” She breathed.
“It has several powerful magical properties. It seems to be leaned to light, but fire could also use it. This dagger is probably worth more than the chest of gold we have in our room!” She said.
Laxus looked closer at the dagger. “Really?” He asked.
Tabitha nodded. “Bensin probably forgot how powerful it was. We have to get out of here before he remembers. I don’t think a kiss will help us then.” She said.
Laxus nodded, and the two set off at a run. When they reached the arena, They were standing at the bottom row of the stands. This time, the stands were nearly filled. They looked down at the arena, and watched as two warriors fought back to back against a massive mob of monsters. “That’s awful!” Tabitha cried.
One of the warriors faltered, and took a cut across the arm. He dropped his shield. He grimly continued to fight without it. Laxus shook his head. “We can’t let this go on. Shall we test our new weapons?” He asked.
Tabitha nodded. Together, they jumped down into the arena. Laxus drew Black Serpent, and whipped it above his head. He noticed it extended more than before.
As Laxus swung the Serpent around, he felt a presence enter his head. “Hello again, Laxus.” His shadow said.
“How can you talk to me? I thought you got blocked?” Laxus asked.
“I did. But, this sword is such a concentration of shadow power, I had to come.” The shadow said.
Laxus shrugged. “Why are you here?” He asked.
“To help you a little. I will teach you a little of the old techniques of this sword. Its previous successful owner happens to be part of me. Your ring can hold him…” The shadow said.
There was a slick sensation, and Laxus flicked the Serpent expertly. “Thanks” He said.
The sword whipped out, and like began to whip through monsters. It cut cleanly through their shadows and bodies, and Laxus felled hundreds at a time.
The monsters turned, and began to focus on Laxus. “Hey, monsters! The weather forecast came in! It calls for strong tornadoes, so you had best stay indoors!” He called.
The sword began to spin faster increasingly around him. Suddenly, the blades stretched, held together by strands of the shadows from the monsters shadows he had stolen. He began to spin with his sword, and he became a tornado of shadows and blades. The tornado swept through the field of monsters, decimating more than half of them. Slowly, he came to a stop.
He staggered. And planted Serpent into the ground. He fell to his knees beside it. “I’m dizzy…” He groaned.
Tabitha stepped up, and planted her dagger into the ground. Foucusing all of her energy into it, she dragged it upwards. The dagger left a trail of light behind it. When she had reached up to her head, she wedged the dagger into the trail of light, and pried it open. Light flooded from the gap, and washed over the monsters.
The monsters screamed as one. When the light had finally faded, there was nothing left of the monsters. Tabitha grinned weakly. “I totally knew that would work.” She said.
Laxus dragged himself upright, and sheathed his sword. He walked over to the two cowering warriors, and pulled them up. He then pulled Tabitha to her feet, and draped her arm over his shoulder.
“You all ok?” He asked.
The two warriors hesitantly nodded. “What…are you?” One of them asked.
Laxus grinned. “I’m La…” He started.
“Welcome, contestants!” The announcer roared.
They all craned their necks upwards. “The deadly duo, our two most promising Gladiators, Laxus and Tabitha!” The announcer roared.
The crowd cheered madly. “They have just done what only one other has; defeated the swarm!”
Again, the crowd cheered. “This team needs a name, don’t you think?” The announcer called.
“Deadly duo!”
“Yin and Yang!”
“White Shadows!”
Several other people in the crowd called out names for them to use. Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and a firework exploded over the arena.
Everyone turned towards the source. A small old man stood with a cane, and glanced across the crowd. “I believe I have a name for these two. When I watch them fight, it is like watching an orchestra, perfectly executed and in complete synchrony! I think we should call them “Two Symphonies!” The man said in a quiet voice.
There was a quiet lull.
“Symphonies!” Called a little voice.
Several others took up the chant. “Symphonies! Symphonies!”
The chant grew so loud; it felt as though the arena shook. “Very well! Thus, before us, stands Two Symphonies!” The announcer roared.
Laxus grinned at Tabitha. “Think that should get us into Hell’s gate, don’t you?” He asked.
Laxus looked up at the Announcer. “Hey, you! I request permission to enter Hell’s gate!” He called.
The crowd grew quiet waiting for the announcers response. “You wish to enter Hell’s Gate?” The announcer asked after a long pause.
Laxus looked to Tabitha. She nodded. “We do.” Laxus called back.
“Then so be it. You will fight for our master until you die; which you will, and your corpse will decorate his halls.” The announcer called.
“Bah, you can go stuff yourself.” Laxus called back.
“With broccoli. Those things are awful.” Tabitha followed.
There was a smattering of covered laughter from the audience. “Shut your trap! We will see who has the last laugh later; it is now my duty to send you to Hell’s Gate. Have a…spectacular trip.” He said.