The Affinities

Ulrich raised a brow, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "It was never my intention to interfere," he said politely, though his tone belied his animosity. "I'm only here to make sure you take care of whatever skeletons you have hold up in your closet." He explained, shrugging nonchalantly. The flame ring didn't bug him, so he simply stood where he was, basking in the warmth. Nevertheless, the pressurized magic stored in his left hand still continued to grow, and small motes of crystals still continued to form. If things get too much for her, Ulrich thought. I'll be forced to step in.

 

Jo turned back to the phantom and growled, "Whether it be foolishness or bravery...it doesn't matter to me. I'm not doing anything to save myself or anyone else anymore. I just want Igneel to rest in peace. And you...aren't letting him." She stared at the skull of her old master and the crumbly voice emitting from it's charred jaw laughed, "Do not say I am not who I am." Rubbing her head, Jo rolled her eyes, "That's enough talk." Leaping from the ground, Jo slammed a flame covered fist into the whirlwind body. Her fire diminished immediately and Jo was tossed back into the cave wall with a thud. Sliding to her feet, Jo rubbed the back of her head and her shoulder, "That hurt..."

 

Keel was the next persons to arrive at the cave when he saw Ulrich behind a wall of flames. The next thing he saw was Jo being blowed into a wall by a gust of wind. Wind, I thought here would only be fire here.

 

Jellal came in almost immediately after Keel. He saw the gust of wind animating the dragon bones which blew Jo back against the wall. He could guess by the fact neither of the others were helping her that Jo had wanted to do this alone. His golden flames roared to life around the entirety of his body. He was ready to help her should she not be able to handle it.

 

Jo launched herself at the phantom over and over, repeatedly being knocked back into the wall until blood streamed down her neck in rivlets. Her vision wavered and her speech slurred, but her flames never died down. "I will go on...until I'm dead. You will not impersonate Igneel any longer! Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" The whirlwhind swallowed her whole and slammed it's wind body with her inside against the cave walls, releasing Jo in a shabby lump. Her fire went out and her silver eyes blurred, Is this...how I'll die? Without being able to avenge my own Master? Igneel...I've failed you...but...how?

 

Jellal decided it was time to step in. "Keel, Ulrich, let's go" He said as he sped toward the whirlwind. Seeing Jo knocked back time and again meant physical attacks weren't the best strategy. He shot a blast of fire at it in an attempt to get it's attention off Jo as he thought about how to defeat it.

 

Ulrich watched the small battle with some amusement, shaking his head at Jo and her faults. She was easy to read. When Jellal relinquished his order, he was slightly startled by their sudden appearance, so deep in thought was he as he analyzed the battle. Without a moments hesitation, however, Ulrich raised his left hand and sparkling dust began to accumulate around it. "Sorry, Jo," he began with a wry tone. "But perhaps you'll enjoy the show." Without much of a thought, he willed the sparkling dust to compress into a sphere. The glowing, circulating orb of "Stardust" compressed to a state of becoming a mystical crystal with a myriad of colors, the flames of his companions giving the special dust its luminescence. With a swing of his hand, the orb shifted its shape into a crystalline sword that sparkled with tiny pinpricks of quartz and various other minerals found in the cave's dwelling. A cloud of golden dust surrounded the weapon as Ulrich grasped it, its luminescent glow outlining the strange weapon as it hummed with magic.

It's still not enough, Ulrich thought as he weighed the blade. To those who weren't Earth wizards or witches, the weapon looked sturdy and stable, but Ulrich knew better. The weapon was brittle due to the open-air accumulation of the weapon; a cheap and easy way to create such a fine Earth-user weapon. Nevertheless, Ulrich coped with the loss of stability as he had other plans for the weapon. Still a good distance from the skull, Ulrich swung the starry-sword, relinquishing the cloud of dust that surrounded it. Compressed and blade-thin, the stardust soared through the air, seeking its target... the levitating, sentient skull.

 

Ariana was one of the last to arrive near Cave. Slowly she started to walk near the flames and summoned water. Quickly she threw the water on the fire and call out "What's going on in here!?"

 

As soon as Jo went down for the second time, Keel followed behind Jellal to fight in her stead. "Water Slicer!" Two orbs of water appear in his hand before shooting off as two blades at whatever they were fighting. "Well Jo decided to get into a fight without telling us." He said when Ariana showed up.

 

Jellal's flames were almost doused by the water Ariana shot at it, but he realized what was happening quick enough and made them burn far hotter and brighter than before. "Don't do that again!" He called out to her. He looked at the enemy then at his two allies not including Ariana. Just then a plan struck him. "I've got an idea. Ulrich, cover it with as much sand as you can possibly muster up. Keel, be ready to send a lot of water at it." He said.

 

Ulrich smiled as Ariana showed up turning to her as he immediately went on the move. "Yo," he greeted her, already running forward to follow up on his previous attack. Jellal's idea was simple, yet interesting. Glass, he thought. "Gotcha," he said with little seriousness. As he ran forward, he imbued the sword with magic, allowing it to dig into the earth beneath his feet and channel it to the minerals below, causing them to pressurize. Normal dirt wouldn't do. He would need a lot of quartz. And so, he pressurized the minerals below to form sand from normal earth. Normally, it would take eons for it to be possible, and even still, the best they would get would be gravel. But, Ulrich was an Earth wizard, the manipulator of all its contents! He concentrated the magic in his blade and made as much sand as he was able without depleting his supply of magic. "I hope you enjoy building sand castles," he told the skull, already swinging the crystallized sword upwards. Roaring from the long streak his blade made was a geyser of sand, and the earth he didn't rip apart yet began to be torn asunder. The rock and dirt of the cave floor began to shift and break apart as sand tore its way upwards. Ulrich slid to a stop and cocked the sword back as if he were to do a high-thrust. The sand stopped its destruction immediately and formed a large tentacle, he thrust forward immediately, following up fast behind his stardust strike.

If it deflects my strikes with wind magic, he thought. It would still be trapped by the floating particles... if I have enough magic, it would be game over. If more of us appear, the chances of us winning would increase dramatically. In the end... we have this. Ulrich, a well-to-do chess player, already measured out the playing field. However, he knew that if this thing was a powerful wind-user, they may never defeat it. Good luck... he added pessimistically, trying to suppress a sad smile.

 

"Sorry!"Ariana called waiting to be able to be of some use to the group.

 

As the sand particles surrounded the phantom, Jellal shot a continuous burst of incredibly hot golden flames. Fire users were unaffected by their own flames, but the other two in the cave must have been sweating quite a bit. After a minute or two of submerging the sand in the intense fire, he let up and called over to Keel. "Now! Drench it!"

 

"Water Cane!" Keel shoutsed as another orb of water charged in his hand and launchesd a stream of water towards
the sand.

 

Jo's old memories flickered before her as if it were real. Igneel may not have liked caves but he stayed here when Jo asked him to and at night. "Igneel...Igneel! Look, look!" the young version of her as a phantom before her eyes held up a flickering flame and Igneel mearly snorted, extinguishing it and placed a giant claw on her head. His own silent way of praising and scolding her.

The phantom's wind body extended, deflecting the sand Ulrich tossed at it and the water. Quickening it's speed, it put out the fire from Jellal by pure intensity of mph. Jo shoved herself to her feet and drew a pistol on her advancing friends, "Don't..." The phantom hurled a jagged rock towards Ariana and Jo's feet pushed her in the way. The rock struck Jo's back hard and yet the silver haired girl kept a calm expression. "Yes...that's right Jellal... I shouldn't have come alone. I forgot what it meant to work in a team... Maybe...that's what Igneel meant by that I was born to die this way." She turned a harsh, red-eyed glare on the phantom and smirked, "Will you all follow my lead? I don't think your plan is going to work... Igneel was my Master...and we don't like imposters." She felt incredibly tired but the thought of someone else doing her dirty work...she didn't want to burden them... She needed to light it up.

 

"You do seem to know more about him than us, you got it." Keel replied.

 

Ulrich watched silently as the phantom dispersed their attack, but he didn't fret. Not until Jo drew a gun on them, distracting him from the enemy. Before he could say anything, before he could come up with a witty retort, Ulrich saw a rock fly past him, racing towards Ariana. Jo beat him to the punch. Before he could do anything, Jo intercepted the rock to defend her only "true" friend. He sighed with relief, but a new worry boiled in his stomach. Is she alright? He asked himself, anger and rage now rising. But Jo didn't fall, she didn't even wince. Tough girl. Ulrich mentally remarked, a gentle smile forming on his face. When she admitted humility, Ulrich turned around and shrugged. "Only if you can do me a favor," he said with a wicked smile. He formed a new globe of sand. "You go on a date with me, as way of apologizing for your rudeness." He jested.

Ulrich turned to Jellal. "Say, you wanna try something cool?" He asked him. "I doubt I have much power left, but could you do me a favor and light the torch?" Ulrich went on, showing him the globe of sand. "Besides, I'm in a flashy mood." He laughed, turning his gaze back to the phantom. "After this, however, it's your all's game. I'll just watch and enjoy the party."

 

"JO!!!" shouted Ariana as the older girl protected her from the rock. "Jo? Jo are you alright!? Jo!" called Ariana in pure fear and saddness

 

Jo gave Ariana a thumbs up and winked, "I'm okay." She shook her head at Ulrich's request, "Get serious...but if it will suffice as my apology, I'll do whatever I can." She still would need Jellal...probably her biggest problem at the moment to agree. The Phantom wasn't going to wait forever. "Vale Magister, ut alarum perpetuum implevit *** ventus et calorem diva semper vobis tutum iter domum." Softly spoken, Jo said her final goodbyes and glared up at the hovering skull. "Keel, Ariana, can you get me up there? Ulrich, if you don't wish to participate that's fine... Jellal...mind you, I'll need a lot of fire...just everywhere." Determined Jo thought, Fire is the source of our power, Master...and with it...I will lay you to rest.

 

Jellal looked at Ulrich and the pile of sand he wanted him to immolate. "You got it. Both of you. Just tell me what to do and it's done." He said as he shot a raging hot blast at the sand and then started to spread it around the cave as Jo had instructed.