The End of the Tournament
Legend of the Crimson Lucario
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.
Author Notes:
-- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.
xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.
'Poketalk'
(Character Thoughts)
Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine
Beta reader: Catsithx
Author Note: This first battle in this chapter was supposed to be part of Chapter 7, but I just couldn't seem to write it at the time.
xXx
Chapter 8: The end of the Tournament
It didn't take long for Hellstorm to see his next opponent. A male trainer walking beside a Gardevoir walked across the bridge leading to the Arena. Unlike other Gardevoir, this one wore a black dress rather then the normal white one that others of her kind had. The spike on her chest seemed to be smaller then most as well. A slight smile crossed her face as she met Hellstorm in the center of the ring.
"Perhaps you will prove a better opponent then my last." The words simply appeared in his head. Hellstorm looked his next opponent over and could already see several other differences that separated this one Gardevoir from others. Her arms were slightly larger then others suggesting increased muscle mass. Her eyes were slightly different...not normal. Looking at them gave Hellstorm the feeling that she was looking straight into him, seeing and learning everything about him. It wasn't like she was looking into his soul, but looking into his past searching for something. He had trained long and hard to keep psychic Pokemon out of his head before and he was never intimidated by others. But these eyes, they made his cautious not to let his mind open to her even for a second.
Hellstorm took a fighting stance as the King declared the start of the match. Hellstorm charged in, but before he was able to do anything, he was hit by a powerful force. It was as if he had just been hit by the full force of stamping Tauros. Hellstorm was flung back by the sudden attack and landed on his knees using one hand to try to keep himself balanced as she slid back across the arena. He looked to see the Gardevoir slowly walking toward him. She threw her arm out like she could use it to cut the stone pillar next to her. Her eyes flashed red as the top half of the pillar was cleanly cut off of the pillar. She pointed her hand at the now free piece of stone and it began to hover in place before she threw her hand toward Hellstorm. The stone flew like a cannonball toward Hellstorm.
Hellstorm jumped out of the way in time to see the stone hit the arena leaving a very large dent in the wall before the stone fell into the watery moat that surrounded the arena. He landed right behind the psychic type and went to deliver a Force Palm to his target only to have the Gardevoir grab his fist. Her eyes had a bright red glow to them as she held his fist in place.
'Interesting. Not many psychic Pokemon can use their abilities like you.' Hellstorm went to use his other fist to try the same attack he had just used, but the Gardevoir caught his other fist as well.
"My powers are far more effective then most." The words appeared in his thoughts, but Hellstorm knew that it was Gardevoir talking to him.
'I can see that.' Hellstorm responded. Before Hellstorm could do anything, the Gardevoir slammed her knee into Hellstorm's stomach sending him into the air a bit. However, since she still had a firm hold on Hellstorm's hands, she dragged him back down only to slam her knee into his face. She released Hellstorm as she moved back leaving Hellstorm to grab his now bloody snout.
Hellstorm quickly recovered. He was beginning to get the idea that he may not be able to defeat this foe with just his normal selection of attacks and may have to use some magic and possibly demon arts to defeat this foe. Hellstorm quickly charged back in with a pair of large crimson Aura Spheres ready to fire in a seconds notice. By using Agility, his speed increased and moved ever closer to his target.
The Gardevoir stood quite still considering the attack that was coming. She threw one of her hands forward sending a powerful Psychic Shockwave outward in the direction she had pointed. The pillar that been behind Hellstorm was quickly reduced to a pile of rubble with a minor explosion and the Gardevoir once again threw her fist toward Hellstorm. Once again he dodged the attack and the pillar behind him was no longer standing. Hellstorm launched both Aura Spheres at close range only to miss. The Gardevoir teleported behind Hellstorm and delivered a powerful kicked to the back of his head sending flying face first into a pillar. She threw hand out and whatever attack she had used to destroy the other stone pillars found its mark. It felt like a Snorlax had been dropped on Hellstorm; the total force of the attack sent him threw the pillar.
Hellstorm got up to see that the attacks that the Gardevoir had been using were starting to take a toll on both of them. Her breathing had changed; it was just slightly harder showing that the attacks she used took a lot of energy. She still stood up straight though and that meant that she still had a ways to go before she would be worn out.
Hellstorm on the other hand was quickly becoming annoyed. His continuous string of failed attacks would have an effect on if he was picked as a castle guard. He had to step it up to guarantee his position as a guard so that he would be given easy access to the castle. He got up as he prepared for another attack, only this one wouldn't be one of his natural choices. He had a few elite skills that had taken him a long time to master; perhaps it was time to use one. He charged in again using Agility to move in close.
The Gardevoir again began to fire off whatever she had been using littering the arena with more and more crumbled stone pillars. Finally, Hellstorm was close enough to use his Crater Fist. He brought his fist back and slammed it down into the ground before the Gardevoir who had just moved a few feet back to avoid the attack. Hellstorm fist hit the ground with a devastating force. Unable to support the attack, the ground fractured. The large stone chunk at the center of the attack dug into ground forcing other large chunks upward at odd angles. Several smaller stone chucks flew up as there was nowhere else for them to go. Hellstorm threw his fist into the stone chunks sending them flying like rockets toward the Gardevoir. One by one, the Gardevoir threw her own hands forward to counter each of the incoming projectiles. Each one broke apart as if it had been shattered on the inside.
Hellstorm stopped his rain of stone long enough to charge in toward his foe. Hellstorm came face to face with a smiling foe. Hellstorm wasted no time in using Force Palm again, but before he could finish the attack, the Gardevoir had placed her hand on his chest just under his chest spike. Just like before, the same powerful force of her psychic blast nailed Hellstorm sending flying back. He landed hard on one of the few remaining stone pillars that were still standing.
(She is really starting to tick me off.) Hellstorm thought as he got up with a hand on his chest. He got to his feet as he prepared for another attack. It took a lot of will power at this point to keep him from using his demon arts in front of the whole arena audience. The Gardevoir jumped onto what was once a stone pillar, the large mess of rocks that used to make the pillar stood behind her. Hellstorm failed to notice this as he charged in. He readied two more Aura Spheres as he ran. Behind the Gardevoir, the rocks were beginning to shake and stir as she prepared for her own attack. Hellstorm moved in quickly firing the first of his two projectiles and quickly summoned forth a replacement. The Gardevoir jumped back as Hellstorm jumped at her. She smiled again now that Hellstorm had fallen for her trap.
Hellstorm was in the air just above the pile of rocks when the whole lot of them shot upward. Like scraps of metal drawn to powerful magnet, the shards struck Hellstorm hard. If not for the fact that Hellstorm had quickly abandoned his Aura Spheres to use his Diamond Form defensive technique, he would have been done for. His body had a very thin and badly cracked layer of living rock on it. While he still felt most of the attack, the damage he took was minimal. Just as fast as it came to be, the layer of living rock crumbled off of Hellstorm unable to hold its shape after the attack that it had just suffered. Luckily, this layer of living was too thin for anyone other the Gardevoir to see as it was almost crystal clear.
Hellstorm sank down to one knee trying to recover from the attack and bait his foe into attack. The Gardevoir charged in this time taking the lead and Hellstorm thought he would finally be able to land a blow to this foe. He quickly threw his fist forward only to see the illusionary form of copy Gardevoir fade before. He had once again been played for a fool. He turned instantly, his prediction was that the real attack would come from behind, but instead, it came from above. The Gardevoir had teleported above Hellstorm. She came down hard landing on Hellstorm's head. The Gardevoir jumped off a badly beaten Hellstorm leaving him to just barely stand.
The King called the match as Hellstorm fell back to the ground. Hellstorm quickly cast a small healing spell that would at least get him back to the combatant's area. He walked slowly and crossed the bridge just as the next trainer was walking out with a Toxicroak by her side.
--
Imoen quickly ran over to help Hellstorm over to the bench.
'That must have hurt. I've never seen a Gardevoir fight like that like.' Imoen said as she set Hellstorm down on the bench and ran over to Hector's Potion bag whilst Hector came over to check on Hellstorm.
"That was a hard match." Hector said as he took a seat by Hellstorm. Ruby walked in a few seconds later.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't think you were going to fight against Nihlia's Pokemon. She was scheduled for the fourth round, but someone had to leave last night. I just found out." Ruby explained.
"I get what you mean about weird or strange Pokemon. What did she do to it to get it to fight like that?" Hellstorm asked.
"I don't know, but then again, she never really tells anyone." Ruby took a seat as she put her hands on Hellstorm.
xXx
The next few days passed quickly. Hellstorm worked extra fast during his next three matches to try to insure his place among the new castle guards.
His fourth match was against a Raticate. The large rat Pokemon was dealt with quickly via a few point blank Aura Spheres.
Hellstorm's fifth match took a minute longer but he dealt with the opposing Nuzleaf with a Suplex finish.
As for his sixth match, there was little chance of him losing against the Luxio that was his foe considering how easy it was predict its attacks.
Finally came day seven of the tournament. Hellstorm was last on the list of fights for the day and by the time he had came out into the arena, the sun was already beginning to set.
The mages had used their spells to light up the arena for the last fight of the tournament as Hellstorm walked out alone to the arena for the last time. His opponent was already there waiting for him as he entered the ring. A tall man stood by the gate with a Delibird by his side. The small red and white bird Pokemon had the sack it carried resting over its left shoulder as it prepared for battle.
Hellstorm met his foe in the center of the arena. 'Interesting.' The bird barely stood up three feet looking up to Hellstorm.
'What's interesting?' Hellstorm asked.
'You, very strange one. Yes strange indeed.' The bird tilted its head from one side to the other as the King stood.
"Begin." The king shouted and before Hellstorm could even move, the Delibird had already jumped at him with his sack in one hand.
Hellstorm jumped back as the sack was just about to hit him. The Delibird seemed to have planned this as he brought the sack down, he loosened his grip and the bag opened. 'Presents for everyone.' The bird shouted as several very small glowing orbs flew out and hit ground rolling all over the arena. Each one was a possible bomb. Hellstorm quickly realized the strategy of releasing so many presents at once. The bird wasn't as dumb as his voice suggested.
Hellstorm jumped back again once he touched ground landing near the edge of the arena. The bird landed shortly after Hellstorm did and raised his foot back before slamming it into one of the presents at his feet. The small orb flew like a rocket at Hellstorm as he raised his arms to shield his face. The orb hit hard, but the detonation of the present caught Hellstorm by surprise. He was expecting a fair sized blast, but got a full blown bomb instead.
The explosion sent Hellstorm flying back out of the cloud of smoke the bomb had created. He quickly flipped himself over so he could land on his feet. Upon landing, he almost fell back into the moat of water. Less then a second after landing, another present kicked through the still clearing smoke from the first one. It flew just as fast as the first one and Hellstorm was lucky to have landed where he did. He slid back into the water as the second present flew over his head and into the arena wall.
He resurfaced to see the Delibird high up in the charging an Ice Beam. 'You freeeeeeze' The bird let loose its Ice Beam giving Hellstorm only a few seconds to get out of the water. He was fast but not fast enough. The water froze as he climbed out, but his left foot was still in the water locking him in place.
The Delibird landed a few meters from him and pulled out another present.
'Damn bird.' Hellstorm shouted as he threw his fist into the ice to free himself as the Delibird threw its gift at Hellstorm. The present hit Hellstorm in the side before once again detonating. Smoke covered the area as Hellstorm was once again tossed around like a rag doll. Hellstorm looked at the Delibird's trainer who was smiling with a smug look on his face.
Seeing a break in Hellstorm concentration, the Delibird charged back into battle. Opening his sack, the Delibird pulled out another one of its famed presents and threw it at Hellstorm as he landed hard on the newly formed ring of ice around the arena. Hellstorm countered with an Aura Sphere at the last second as he got back up. All the presents in the middle of the arena went off at once shaking the arena as the Delibird moved in ever closer to Hellstorm. Shaken by the blast, his hearing was impaired by the ringing from the sudden blast and his sight was gone from the amount of smoke in the arena.
Despite this, Hellstorm smiled. With the entire arena covered as it was in smoke, no one would see his next move. Using the Demon Art: Sixth Sense, Hellstorm caught the Delibird as it tried to club him with its bag. "Demon Art: Blazing Fist." Hellstorm whispered under his breath as his right arm lit up like a volcano. Hellstorm slammed his now fiery fist into the bird sending it flying to the other end of the arena, but not before it dropped a few more of its presents at Hellstorm's feet. He sensed them a little too late as they detonated sending him air borne only half conscious. The Delibird landed hard, but was still far from down.
'You downed.' The bird screeched as it threw one last present hoping to end the match now. The present hit Hellstorm, but it did not blow up with a bang. Instead, it blew up with a bright light restoring Hellstorm's health. 'Uh oh.' The bird knew its present backfired and ran for cover. With Hellstorm once again in fighting shape, he unleashed a storm of Aura Spheres onto the field as he descended after being thrown up so high from the last bomb. Rather then go for power, Hellstorm went for numbers as he fired a seemingly endless stream of non-stop Aura Spheres far smaller then most. He landed hard rolling to absorb as much damage as possible.
The Delibird tried to counter using Ice beam. It fired Beam after beam at Hellstorm who was now harder to hit then before. That last present did more then just restore him to fighting condition, it completely restored his health.
'Fall already.' The Delibird shouted as it closed in. It threw another present which Hellstorm countered with an Aura Sphere creating another violent explosion. The Delibird used the smoke created from the blast to close in on Hellstorm who was still under the effects of his Sixth Sense ability and saw him coming. The Delibird already had its bag open as it closed it. Hellstorm threw his fist only to realize that the Delibird already had a present in its hand.
Hellstorm's fist connects with the Delibird's and the present went off, but not alone. 'Big boomer.' The Delibird cried out in horror saw the he had left his bag wide open as he charged in. Several other presents had already fallen out of the Delibird's bag. The resulting explosion threw them both into opposite walls of the arena. The Delibird was knocked out instantly, but Hellstorm managed to stand long enough to be called the victor before he fell over unconscious.
xXx
Hellstorm awoke the next day in Ruby's room. He had been resting on the guest there with Ruby by his side.
"You're up." Ruby closed her book as she saw movement.
"Where's that damn bird at?" Hellstorm asked holding his head, which was throbbing rather badly.
"That was one destructive battle. I'm surprised you recovered so quickly even with my magic." Ruby informed him. "As for that Delibird, it woke up this morning with a broken wing and several scars."
"That bird needs to be more careful with those presents of his." Hellstorm stated as he slowly go to inspect the damage to his body himself. There were a few scars and bruises, but nothing was broken. Aside for the headache was suffering, he was in decent condition.
"So, how do you feel?" Rudy asked standing next to him.
"Aside from my head, I appear to be fine." Hellstorm looked out the window to see that the sun was high in the sky.
"My father wishes to speak to you. Whenever you are ready, we can go see him." Ruby placed her hand on Hellstorm's head giving off a light blue glow as the throbbing Hellstorm's head went down.
"I thank you. Since I am up and my headache has subsided, let us go see your father." Hellstorm let Ruby lead the way to her Father's private study. The room had several swords that lined the room. Below each one was the name of a previous king and above each blade was portrait to match. The room was far larger then the study at Ruby's manor as mostly empty. "Father?" Ruby called out only to have her father and another person jumped out with swords in hand. The two of them were sparring.
"One second pleases. I just need to finish this." Mark called out. Both of the dueling men were wielding rapiers as they each tried to strike the other.
Mark lunged forward at his sparring partner, the tip of his sword slicing the belt of his foe. With his belt cut, his pants fell and he tripped backwards.
"Good match, but now you owe me a new belt." The man got up and dusted himself off. "So this is Ruby. It's been years since I last saw you." He bowed down, his long golden hair hung past his shoulders. As he stood back up, his green eyes took sight of Hellstorm. "I am impressed by the beast here. He fought valiantly on his own."
"I am no beast. I can clearly think for myself." Hellstorm objected.
"Well, I must me be going. I'll leave the rest of you alone to talk." With that the man left.
"Who was that father?" Ruby asked as the man left holding his pants up.
"That was Emperor Kassad, Ruler of the Falstar Empire. We were once rival knights." Mark explained. "Now then, onto more important matters. Varwaz, I believe you need some recognition after the battles you have fought." The king set down his blade on a desk and took a seat by the desk. "Sir Gallahad does not trust my wife's decision in making you a castle guard. I myself think that one with your skills would be a great addition to our ranks except for the fact that you seemed a bit reckless. For that reason, I have decided not to post you as a castle guard. I would however like to employ in a different manor." Hellstorm knew at this point that his chances of grabbing the orb he felt in the castle were greatly reduced.
"It wasn't just my recklessness. That Delibird used an unnatural number of those presents." Hellstorm informed the king. "I understand however, that I must also take some blame in that battle."
"I wish to have you serve as an Escort Guard for Empire Kassad on his return trip to the harbor. Still, there is other good news." The king went on. "You and Lord Nihlia's Gardevoir have tied for first place."
"I see." Hellstorm bowed his head in respect.
"The normal prize for the beast side of the Tournament was to be a large bag of gold and a sword. Seeing that you have no trainer however, I suppose I will have to give you something else." The king pulled out a small chest. "Therefore, I am giving you your pick of an item from this chest of gemstones. I'll then which ever gemstone you pick built into a collar for you to wear." Mark opened the chest and as luck would have, a large fiery red orb lay on the top of the pile of gemstones in the chest.
Hellstorm reached out to grab the orb and felt a great warmth emit form the orb. "If I may, I would like this orb."
"Then it is yours. I'll have one of my greatest jewel crafters begin work on a collar for it this evening." Hellstorm bowed his head again out of respect.
"Father, I have a question concerning Varwaz. He has asked to return to my estate. He wishes to serve as one of my staff." Ruby asked once Hellstorm had taken the orb.
"If he wishes to serve you, then I see nothing wrong with that. As luck would have it, Empire Kassad wishes to visit the Trade City of Sectoria and set sail from there. I believe he said something about a weapon smith there." Mark told them.
"A weapon smith? The only weapon smith in Sectoria is Eric Welthlight and he is there because I asked to move there." Ruby was slightly shocked. "I did not know that he was that well known."
"The Welthlight family has long been smiths of various kinds. I believe that they originally came from the Falstar Empire a few generations ago. I thought that their last child had died many years ago. Perhaps I was mistaken." The king informed his daughter. "There is not much more concerning Varwaz. You are free to leave whenever you are ready. As for you my daughter, there are a few things that we need to discuss."
"I thank you greatly for this gem." Hellstorm bowed with the orb in hand. This was not the way he had hoped on collecting it, but at least it was now his and even better, it was a gift.
"What is it you need of my father?" Ruby took a seat as Hellstorm left the room closing the door behind.
Hellstorm left the study and low and behold, Sir Gallahad seemed to be waiting for him. "I think we need to have a talk."
"I've nothing to say to you." Hellstorm turned to leave but Gallahad grabbed his arm.
"I think you do, traitorous beast. I've got wind that others have called you Hellstorm." Gallahad smiled.
"Where did you hear this?" Hellstorm asked jerking his arm free.
"Come, let us discuss this elsewhere. Unless you want others to hear us." Gallahad started down a hallway with a reluctant Hellstorm following him.
xXx
Gallahad lead Hellstorm down a series of halls where he finally stopped in front of a large door that lead to small courtyard. Hellstorm followed Gallahad into the courtyard.
"Alright, now that we are alone, let's talk." Gallahad had his knife drawn, but unlike his other knife like the one that he had during his first meeting with Hellstorm, this knife was covered with various runes.
"How about you talk and I'll listen for starters." Hellstorm needed to know how much Gallahad knew.
"I know a few things. For instance, I know that you claim to be the legend Hellstorm. I know that you placed a spell on Ruby. I also know that were intending to steal something from the treasury." Gallahad kept his knife ready to use at all times.
"You accuse me of many things. Can you prove anything?" Hellstorm asked.
"I've been spying on you for a while. I have everything I need to see to your death. But before I can do that, I need you to undo whatever spell you've put on my wife to be Ruby." Gallahad paced slowly around Hellstorm.
"I've cast no spell on her. She is the one who searched for me." Hellstorm told Gallahad.
"Then why has she defended you. I know she has a kindness toward you things, but to insult me as she did. That is not like her. She wouldn't dare to risk losing me." Gallahad continued to circle Hellstorm.
"This obsession you have is going to be the death you. Ruby is under no spell, not mine or any others." Hellstorm began to grow impatient with the questioning Gallahad was giving.
"Watch your tongue lest I tear it out." Gallahad snapped.
"Tell me, would you like to meet the real Hellstorm." Hellstorm asked.
"So, now you admit to taking his name for your own purpose." Gallahad thought he was finally getting somewhere.
"Varwaz?" Ruby called off in the distance.
"We'll finish this later." Gallahad pocketed his knife as Ruby entered the small courtyard.
"No, we finish this now. I'll not have you hounding me endlessly just because your obsession with a heart that will never be yours. Either we settle this here or I'll show you what I am next time you decide to draw arms against me." Hellstorm voice was raised slightly showing his anger.
"What's going on here?" Ruby asked a worried look on her face.
"You will inform this knight to leave me be. He keeps constant watch over me, threatens me with crimes I have not committed, and then draws an enchanted knife on me trying to force me to admit to things that his obsession has created." Hellstorm knew that if he did not settle this now, there would be more problems in the future.
"How dare you. Listen to me, my princess. He has threatened me and makes up lies. I told you not to trust him." Gallahad shouted.
"Both of you will calm down." Ruby was not amused.
"Forgive me." Hellstorm lowered his head slightly.
"Now then, Gallahad why did I find the two of you here? I thought I was clear when I told you to leave Varwaz be." Ruby stood between them.
"He has made claims that he is Hellstorm. He has poisoned your mind. Please, I beg of you. Let me slay this thing and break the spell he has placed over you. He is an evil creature that means you harm." Gallahad pleaded for Ruby to trust him.
"I see no evil here, Gallahad. I trust Varwaz and his word. You will leave him be." Ruby went to reach for Hellstorm's arm.
"He has cursed your mind beyond reason. I'll have to deal with this myself." Gallahad once again drew his knife and lunged at Hellstorm. Hellstorm turned; his blue fur went red as his aura began to show. He threw a single open paw into Gallahad's chest sending him back as another guard approached. Hellstorm changed back before the second guard could see his crimson fur.
The second guard drew his weapon, but Ruby held out her hand.
"Gallahad made the first move. Varwaz had every right to defend himself." Ruby turned to face Gallahad. "And to think my father suggested that I marry you. I'll do no such thing. You attack my guests because you feel threatened by them. I'll be sure to tell my father of these actions and see to it that you do not remain a knight for long."
Ruby walked off with Hellstorm at her side leaving a very angry Gallahad to plot his revenge.
xXx
The rest of the day passed without fault. Ruby started packing early once she got wind of Prince Kassad's plans to leave early.
On the dawn of the third day after Hellstorm had finished the tournament, Prince Kassad was ready to leave.
The large carriage stood ready to take Hellstorm, Ruby, Akara, Victor, and Justin back to Sectoria with their special guest Empire Kassad. Hector had said that he would meet Hellstorm and Ruby at the manor in two weeks time, as they would rather walk.
The trip proved to back to Sectoria proved just as quite as the trip to the castle. Hellstorm had very little to say, but Kassad and Ruby had talked about many things. After five days of traveling, the group arrived back in Sectoria. The carriage was a welcome sight to the town guards as they cleared the gate for the carriage to get through. It did not take much longer after that for them to reach the manor. Hellstorm followed the King's commands and served as the Emperor's body guard as he went to visit Eric Welthlight. Kassad handed Eric a drawing of a sword he had with him and after leaving a large sum of gold, he set off for the docks. Hellstorm was finally relieved of his duty and returned to the manor.
--
As night came down, Ruby had an idea.
"Hellstorm, I would like take you out to the local tavern. I know how much and how hard you have worked to get here. I propose that tonight we take it easy and celebrate how far you have come." Ruby had already gotten dressed wearing a dress similar to the one she had worn to greet her parents, only this one was not as fancy. She wore a green pirate style dress.
"I do not see the point in such things, but if you wish, then I shall go." Hellstorm did not get the idea about celebrating before a job was done as in his time, one rarely ever celebrated anything other then the birth of pack member.
"I must say, this is not what I'm used to. It is very comfortable though." Akara walked in with a dress similar to Ruby's.
"I think a day of fun will do us all good." Ruby told Hellstorm as they headed back down to the Trade City.
Victor accompanied them as they walked to the local tavern, which seemed to be full tonight as what appeared to be gang of pirates had docked for a days rest. All the locals recognized Ruby instantly and a table in the far corner was quickly vacated. Many people waved at Ruby as she made her way to the table with her guests. Not even a few seconds after they took a seat, a waitress had come to serve them.
"I assume you'll be wanted you're usual, Ruby?" the young lady asked.
"That would be nice. I'll be paying for my parties' drinks tonight as well." Ruby said as she took a seat on of the five stools that surrounded the table.
"Very well. What would the lot of you like tonight?" The waitress passed out a list of drinks for them to choose from. "I recommend the Evermoon Brew if you looking for a sweet drink without much of kick and I'd recommend the Dragon's Eye Ale if you're looking for something strong."
"I'll try the Dragon's Eye Ale please." Akara said as she took a seat.
"I'll go with Evermoon." Hellstorm said.
"Oh. You've taught another one to speak have you? How many more have you picked up?" the waitress asked.
"Varwaz learned from another and is my new body guard." Ruby informed the waitress.
"I'll take my usual." Victor said in his plain as always voice.
"I'll be back in a few with your drinks." The waitress turned and walked off returning shortly after.
"Here we are. One Evermoon for the Lucario. A Dragon's Eye for the lovely lady. A bottle of Western Golden for the man. Finally, I have a Winter's Grasp Wine for the princess." The waitress turned again to leave.
"Tonight, we celebrate you're hard work in obtaining another of the Elemental Orbs." Ruby stated as the drinks came out. She raised her glass to Hellstorm and the others joined in except Hellstorm who let merely held his drink on the table.
Victor and Akara offered their praise in their own way. Victor bowed his head raising his glass high while Akara wished for the best of luck. All of them took a drink of their selected brands.
It took a while, but after a cup and half of Evermoon, Hellstorm had loosened up some and was actually smiling as the topic of talk changed and continued to shift from one thing to another. They lot of them talked about many things including, but not limited to family, friends, current events, and past achievements. Hellstorm was still careful not to say too much about himself, but was certainly more open then he was before.
Time went on as Ruby had ordered a fourth round of drinks for the rest of her party while she began to drink her third. Out of them, the only one who was truly intoxicated at this time was Akara. She decided that this drink was her last as she finished it. Hellstorm was beginning to laugh a little when Akara had decided to head back to the manor while there was still light out.
An hour later, Ruby had decided that it was time to go she had second where she stumbled from getting, but it passed quickly. Victor showed no signs that he had been drinking at all as he got up and walked over to the counter counting out some coins as he walked over to the bartender.
Hellstorm walked beside Ruby as they made their way to exit passing a table of pirates. The caption, a large well-built man and had a long beard got up and blocked her path some. "Such a lovely young lass we have here." He took off his hat and set his down next to him on the table.
"Ah, she is a keeper caption." One of his crewmen sounded as she stood in front of them.
"May I get through here please?" Ruby asked as she went to side step him.
"Might I know the name of the lovely lady who has caught me eye?" He asked.
"I am Ruby." Ruby told him holding a hand over her chest as her greeting.
"Might I offer ya to spend the night on me ship. I promise ya a time like no other." He suggested.
"I'm afraid not. I have some things to do at my manor." Ruby quickly lied to him.
"Maybe you didn't catch my drift. That wasn't a question, sweet cheeks." The caption reached out grab Ruby.
Everyone in the bar either looked away or kept their eyes peeled for was coming. All of the locals knew that Ruby was one who could take care of herself and was never to be called by such rude names much less try to grab her. They knew that she would teach people some manners if she had had a few drinks. Of course, no one had bothered to tell the pirates this.
Ruby surprised Hellstorm and the pirates by grabbing hold of the caption's wrist and pulling him down. She hopped over his shoulder and bent his arm backwards. "That's no way to talk to a princess." Ruby said as she made him kneel down. He went for his sword, but Ruby twisted his arm back and kicked him to the floor. The rest of his crew went to get up until Victor stood in the way, holding a rather large mace in his hand. The pirates saw how big he was and quickly returned to their seats as Ruby began to walk out of the room.
Hellstorm could hear some more rather rude comments from the caption and chanted a quick spell. The small barrel of wine that was resting on a shelf high up on the wall began to shift some and finally toppled onto the caption as he took his seat who then began to shout. Ruby turned to see what had happened. The caption threw the barrel off of his head as he quickly made for the second door to the tavern that lead towards the docks.
Once out of the tavern, Ruby looked to Hellstorm. "Did you do that?"
Hellstorm just shrugged a bit pointing his head off away from Ruby a bit. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Well, I guess you do have a slight sense of humor. Although it would have been better if you hadn't spilled my favorite drink on them." Ruby laughed some as Hellstorm shrugged again.
Once they group of now three went to turn on the road that lead up to Ruby's manor, they were attacked.
A single arrow flew past Hellstorm's head as he stopped dead. He turned just in time to see a large scythe weapon coming for him. An image of the demon that had slain Hellstorm's pack flashed into his head striking him with a sudden surge of fear. Victor had intercepted the attack with the mace he had.
In a instant he saw the terrible images of his clan being slaughtered play out once again before him. As he one true friend and love being cut down before his eyes. Suddenly the fear was replaced with anger. "You killed my pack. Now I'm going to slaughter you the same way dealt with the others. Demon Art: Severed Soul." Hellstorm aura flared up as the light blue phantom image of Hellstorm flew from his body.
"So I have found you at last little pup. My arrow left its mark last time merely taking your blood. This time, it shall be your life." The demon before them wielded a dark scythe in one hand and a demonic bow in the other. It's empty eyes glared at Hellstorm. Standing well over six feet, the demon dwarfed him as he moved in for his attack. Unrestricted by any rules or morals, Hellstorm charged in fast as a powerful flame erupted from his hands. The flaming fists spell he had cast was far more powerful then it should have been, but with the Fire Orb in his possession, all of his fire based magics would be far more powerful.
Hellstorm thrust his arm clean through the demon's chest, a rage unlike any other he had felt before led his attack.
"What is this? How are you so strong?" The demon jumped back the large hole in his chest let out a large stream of black blood.
"You helped that thing slay my pack. I'll send your soul to the deepest pits of hell." Hellstorm shouted. It was lucky that Ruby's manor was as far away from the town as it was or someone was bound to pick up on the battle.
Hellstorm charged in fast, his fur the deepest shade of crimson it had ever been. The demon brought down his scythe only to see how powerful Hellstorm's rage had become. His burning fist plowed throw the handle of the weapon sparks flew everywhere. Grabbing the now severed blade, Hellstorm spun around to gather the force he needed. The severed scythe blade cleaved right thrown the demon's left arm dropping the bow to the ground.
"What manner of creature are you?" The demon turned to flee holding the stump of arm. Hellstorm looked over the broken weapon he held and threw it hard. The blade curved and removed both of the legs the demon ran on sending it flying to the ground. Hellstorm walked over to the helpless demon. His aura burned like blood and even burned the demon as Hellstorm put a foot on his chest to hold him down.
"Be sure to reserve a spot in hell for you leader. I'll be sending him to join to you as fast as I can." Hellstorm's aura gathered into his hand.
"I'll be sure to tell that vampire bitch of yours what you've become, you monster." The demon shouted, as it knew its time was up. Theses had an unexpected result on Hellstorm. The same phantom image of Hellstorm that had flown out of Hellstorm was quickly forced back into him. His blood red aura that blazed around him calmed to light blue and seemed to act more as mist then fire.
"Sora." Hellstorm stepped back some. The demon saw a chance to kill Hellstorm with his back turned and drew a knife. It never got a chance to attack though as Victor brought his mace down hard on its head upon seeing it draw the dagger.
Darkness rose up out of the ground and wrapped around the demon pulling it and its weapons into whatever awaited it on the other side. The only clues of the demon being slaughtered where it was were the bloodstains that littered the area.
"Hellstorm, are you alright?" Ruby charged over to him.
"What have I become?" Hellstorm looked at his hands as the last flames from his burning fists spell died off. The demon's blood still clung to the to his fur. Memories of Sora filled his head. She had often said that she liked him for his kindness ,his helpfulness. She had liked him for his lack of killing.
"Hellstorm?" Ruby walked over to him seeing the look of confusion, sadness, and other mixed emotions on his face. Hellstorm slowly sunk to the ground. What if the demon was right and he had become a monster.
Ruby helped Hellstorm up and walked him back to her manor.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.
Author Notes:
-- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.
xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.
'Poketalk'
(Character Thoughts)
Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine
Beta reader: Catsithx
Author Note: This first battle in this chapter was supposed to be part of Chapter 7, but I just couldn't seem to write it at the time.
xXx
Chapter 8: The end of the Tournament
It didn't take long for Hellstorm to see his next opponent. A male trainer walking beside a Gardevoir walked across the bridge leading to the Arena. Unlike other Gardevoir, this one wore a black dress rather then the normal white one that others of her kind had. The spike on her chest seemed to be smaller then most as well. A slight smile crossed her face as she met Hellstorm in the center of the ring.
"Perhaps you will prove a better opponent then my last." The words simply appeared in his head. Hellstorm looked his next opponent over and could already see several other differences that separated this one Gardevoir from others. Her arms were slightly larger then others suggesting increased muscle mass. Her eyes were slightly different...not normal. Looking at them gave Hellstorm the feeling that she was looking straight into him, seeing and learning everything about him. It wasn't like she was looking into his soul, but looking into his past searching for something. He had trained long and hard to keep psychic Pokemon out of his head before and he was never intimidated by others. But these eyes, they made his cautious not to let his mind open to her even for a second.
Hellstorm took a fighting stance as the King declared the start of the match. Hellstorm charged in, but before he was able to do anything, he was hit by a powerful force. It was as if he had just been hit by the full force of stamping Tauros. Hellstorm was flung back by the sudden attack and landed on his knees using one hand to try to keep himself balanced as she slid back across the arena. He looked to see the Gardevoir slowly walking toward him. She threw her arm out like she could use it to cut the stone pillar next to her. Her eyes flashed red as the top half of the pillar was cleanly cut off of the pillar. She pointed her hand at the now free piece of stone and it began to hover in place before she threw her hand toward Hellstorm. The stone flew like a cannonball toward Hellstorm.
Hellstorm jumped out of the way in time to see the stone hit the arena leaving a very large dent in the wall before the stone fell into the watery moat that surrounded the arena. He landed right behind the psychic type and went to deliver a Force Palm to his target only to have the Gardevoir grab his fist. Her eyes had a bright red glow to them as she held his fist in place.
'Interesting. Not many psychic Pokemon can use their abilities like you.' Hellstorm went to use his other fist to try the same attack he had just used, but the Gardevoir caught his other fist as well.
"My powers are far more effective then most." The words appeared in his thoughts, but Hellstorm knew that it was Gardevoir talking to him.
'I can see that.' Hellstorm responded. Before Hellstorm could do anything, the Gardevoir slammed her knee into Hellstorm's stomach sending him into the air a bit. However, since she still had a firm hold on Hellstorm's hands, she dragged him back down only to slam her knee into his face. She released Hellstorm as she moved back leaving Hellstorm to grab his now bloody snout.
Hellstorm quickly recovered. He was beginning to get the idea that he may not be able to defeat this foe with just his normal selection of attacks and may have to use some magic and possibly demon arts to defeat this foe. Hellstorm quickly charged back in with a pair of large crimson Aura Spheres ready to fire in a seconds notice. By using Agility, his speed increased and moved ever closer to his target.
The Gardevoir stood quite still considering the attack that was coming. She threw one of her hands forward sending a powerful Psychic Shockwave outward in the direction she had pointed. The pillar that been behind Hellstorm was quickly reduced to a pile of rubble with a minor explosion and the Gardevoir once again threw her fist toward Hellstorm. Once again he dodged the attack and the pillar behind him was no longer standing. Hellstorm launched both Aura Spheres at close range only to miss. The Gardevoir teleported behind Hellstorm and delivered a powerful kicked to the back of his head sending flying face first into a pillar. She threw hand out and whatever attack she had used to destroy the other stone pillars found its mark. It felt like a Snorlax had been dropped on Hellstorm; the total force of the attack sent him threw the pillar.
Hellstorm got up to see that the attacks that the Gardevoir had been using were starting to take a toll on both of them. Her breathing had changed; it was just slightly harder showing that the attacks she used took a lot of energy. She still stood up straight though and that meant that she still had a ways to go before she would be worn out.
Hellstorm on the other hand was quickly becoming annoyed. His continuous string of failed attacks would have an effect on if he was picked as a castle guard. He had to step it up to guarantee his position as a guard so that he would be given easy access to the castle. He got up as he prepared for another attack, only this one wouldn't be one of his natural choices. He had a few elite skills that had taken him a long time to master; perhaps it was time to use one. He charged in again using Agility to move in close.
The Gardevoir again began to fire off whatever she had been using littering the arena with more and more crumbled stone pillars. Finally, Hellstorm was close enough to use his Crater Fist. He brought his fist back and slammed it down into the ground before the Gardevoir who had just moved a few feet back to avoid the attack. Hellstorm fist hit the ground with a devastating force. Unable to support the attack, the ground fractured. The large stone chunk at the center of the attack dug into ground forcing other large chunks upward at odd angles. Several smaller stone chucks flew up as there was nowhere else for them to go. Hellstorm threw his fist into the stone chunks sending them flying like rockets toward the Gardevoir. One by one, the Gardevoir threw her own hands forward to counter each of the incoming projectiles. Each one broke apart as if it had been shattered on the inside.
Hellstorm stopped his rain of stone long enough to charge in toward his foe. Hellstorm came face to face with a smiling foe. Hellstorm wasted no time in using Force Palm again, but before he could finish the attack, the Gardevoir had placed her hand on his chest just under his chest spike. Just like before, the same powerful force of her psychic blast nailed Hellstorm sending flying back. He landed hard on one of the few remaining stone pillars that were still standing.
(She is really starting to tick me off.) Hellstorm thought as he got up with a hand on his chest. He got to his feet as he prepared for another attack. It took a lot of will power at this point to keep him from using his demon arts in front of the whole arena audience. The Gardevoir jumped onto what was once a stone pillar, the large mess of rocks that used to make the pillar stood behind her. Hellstorm failed to notice this as he charged in. He readied two more Aura Spheres as he ran. Behind the Gardevoir, the rocks were beginning to shake and stir as she prepared for her own attack. Hellstorm moved in quickly firing the first of his two projectiles and quickly summoned forth a replacement. The Gardevoir jumped back as Hellstorm jumped at her. She smiled again now that Hellstorm had fallen for her trap.
Hellstorm was in the air just above the pile of rocks when the whole lot of them shot upward. Like scraps of metal drawn to powerful magnet, the shards struck Hellstorm hard. If not for the fact that Hellstorm had quickly abandoned his Aura Spheres to use his Diamond Form defensive technique, he would have been done for. His body had a very thin and badly cracked layer of living rock on it. While he still felt most of the attack, the damage he took was minimal. Just as fast as it came to be, the layer of living rock crumbled off of Hellstorm unable to hold its shape after the attack that it had just suffered. Luckily, this layer of living was too thin for anyone other the Gardevoir to see as it was almost crystal clear.
Hellstorm sank down to one knee trying to recover from the attack and bait his foe into attack. The Gardevoir charged in this time taking the lead and Hellstorm thought he would finally be able to land a blow to this foe. He quickly threw his fist forward only to see the illusionary form of copy Gardevoir fade before. He had once again been played for a fool. He turned instantly, his prediction was that the real attack would come from behind, but instead, it came from above. The Gardevoir had teleported above Hellstorm. She came down hard landing on Hellstorm's head. The Gardevoir jumped off a badly beaten Hellstorm leaving him to just barely stand.
The King called the match as Hellstorm fell back to the ground. Hellstorm quickly cast a small healing spell that would at least get him back to the combatant's area. He walked slowly and crossed the bridge just as the next trainer was walking out with a Toxicroak by her side.
--
Imoen quickly ran over to help Hellstorm over to the bench.
'That must have hurt. I've never seen a Gardevoir fight like that like.' Imoen said as she set Hellstorm down on the bench and ran over to Hector's Potion bag whilst Hector came over to check on Hellstorm.
"That was a hard match." Hector said as he took a seat by Hellstorm. Ruby walked in a few seconds later.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't think you were going to fight against Nihlia's Pokemon. She was scheduled for the fourth round, but someone had to leave last night. I just found out." Ruby explained.
"I get what you mean about weird or strange Pokemon. What did she do to it to get it to fight like that?" Hellstorm asked.
"I don't know, but then again, she never really tells anyone." Ruby took a seat as she put her hands on Hellstorm.
xXx
The next few days passed quickly. Hellstorm worked extra fast during his next three matches to try to insure his place among the new castle guards.
His fourth match was against a Raticate. The large rat Pokemon was dealt with quickly via a few point blank Aura Spheres.
Hellstorm's fifth match took a minute longer but he dealt with the opposing Nuzleaf with a Suplex finish.
As for his sixth match, there was little chance of him losing against the Luxio that was his foe considering how easy it was predict its attacks.
Finally came day seven of the tournament. Hellstorm was last on the list of fights for the day and by the time he had came out into the arena, the sun was already beginning to set.
The mages had used their spells to light up the arena for the last fight of the tournament as Hellstorm walked out alone to the arena for the last time. His opponent was already there waiting for him as he entered the ring. A tall man stood by the gate with a Delibird by his side. The small red and white bird Pokemon had the sack it carried resting over its left shoulder as it prepared for battle.
Hellstorm met his foe in the center of the arena. 'Interesting.' The bird barely stood up three feet looking up to Hellstorm.
'What's interesting?' Hellstorm asked.
'You, very strange one. Yes strange indeed.' The bird tilted its head from one side to the other as the King stood.
"Begin." The king shouted and before Hellstorm could even move, the Delibird had already jumped at him with his sack in one hand.
Hellstorm jumped back as the sack was just about to hit him. The Delibird seemed to have planned this as he brought the sack down, he loosened his grip and the bag opened. 'Presents for everyone.' The bird shouted as several very small glowing orbs flew out and hit ground rolling all over the arena. Each one was a possible bomb. Hellstorm quickly realized the strategy of releasing so many presents at once. The bird wasn't as dumb as his voice suggested.
Hellstorm jumped back again once he touched ground landing near the edge of the arena. The bird landed shortly after Hellstorm did and raised his foot back before slamming it into one of the presents at his feet. The small orb flew like a rocket at Hellstorm as he raised his arms to shield his face. The orb hit hard, but the detonation of the present caught Hellstorm by surprise. He was expecting a fair sized blast, but got a full blown bomb instead.
The explosion sent Hellstorm flying back out of the cloud of smoke the bomb had created. He quickly flipped himself over so he could land on his feet. Upon landing, he almost fell back into the moat of water. Less then a second after landing, another present kicked through the still clearing smoke from the first one. It flew just as fast as the first one and Hellstorm was lucky to have landed where he did. He slid back into the water as the second present flew over his head and into the arena wall.
He resurfaced to see the Delibird high up in the charging an Ice Beam. 'You freeeeeeze' The bird let loose its Ice Beam giving Hellstorm only a few seconds to get out of the water. He was fast but not fast enough. The water froze as he climbed out, but his left foot was still in the water locking him in place.
The Delibird landed a few meters from him and pulled out another present.
'Damn bird.' Hellstorm shouted as he threw his fist into the ice to free himself as the Delibird threw its gift at Hellstorm. The present hit Hellstorm in the side before once again detonating. Smoke covered the area as Hellstorm was once again tossed around like a rag doll. Hellstorm looked at the Delibird's trainer who was smiling with a smug look on his face.
Seeing a break in Hellstorm concentration, the Delibird charged back into battle. Opening his sack, the Delibird pulled out another one of its famed presents and threw it at Hellstorm as he landed hard on the newly formed ring of ice around the arena. Hellstorm countered with an Aura Sphere at the last second as he got back up. All the presents in the middle of the arena went off at once shaking the arena as the Delibird moved in ever closer to Hellstorm. Shaken by the blast, his hearing was impaired by the ringing from the sudden blast and his sight was gone from the amount of smoke in the arena.
Despite this, Hellstorm smiled. With the entire arena covered as it was in smoke, no one would see his next move. Using the Demon Art: Sixth Sense, Hellstorm caught the Delibird as it tried to club him with its bag. "Demon Art: Blazing Fist." Hellstorm whispered under his breath as his right arm lit up like a volcano. Hellstorm slammed his now fiery fist into the bird sending it flying to the other end of the arena, but not before it dropped a few more of its presents at Hellstorm's feet. He sensed them a little too late as they detonated sending him air borne only half conscious. The Delibird landed hard, but was still far from down.
'You downed.' The bird screeched as it threw one last present hoping to end the match now. The present hit Hellstorm, but it did not blow up with a bang. Instead, it blew up with a bright light restoring Hellstorm's health. 'Uh oh.' The bird knew its present backfired and ran for cover. With Hellstorm once again in fighting shape, he unleashed a storm of Aura Spheres onto the field as he descended after being thrown up so high from the last bomb. Rather then go for power, Hellstorm went for numbers as he fired a seemingly endless stream of non-stop Aura Spheres far smaller then most. He landed hard rolling to absorb as much damage as possible.
The Delibird tried to counter using Ice beam. It fired Beam after beam at Hellstorm who was now harder to hit then before. That last present did more then just restore him to fighting condition, it completely restored his health.
'Fall already.' The Delibird shouted as it closed in. It threw another present which Hellstorm countered with an Aura Sphere creating another violent explosion. The Delibird used the smoke created from the blast to close in on Hellstorm who was still under the effects of his Sixth Sense ability and saw him coming. The Delibird already had its bag open as it closed it. Hellstorm threw his fist only to realize that the Delibird already had a present in its hand.
Hellstorm's fist connects with the Delibird's and the present went off, but not alone. 'Big boomer.' The Delibird cried out in horror saw the he had left his bag wide open as he charged in. Several other presents had already fallen out of the Delibird's bag. The resulting explosion threw them both into opposite walls of the arena. The Delibird was knocked out instantly, but Hellstorm managed to stand long enough to be called the victor before he fell over unconscious.
xXx
Hellstorm awoke the next day in Ruby's room. He had been resting on the guest there with Ruby by his side.
"You're up." Ruby closed her book as she saw movement.
"Where's that damn bird at?" Hellstorm asked holding his head, which was throbbing rather badly.
"That was one destructive battle. I'm surprised you recovered so quickly even with my magic." Ruby informed him. "As for that Delibird, it woke up this morning with a broken wing and several scars."
"That bird needs to be more careful with those presents of his." Hellstorm stated as he slowly go to inspect the damage to his body himself. There were a few scars and bruises, but nothing was broken. Aside for the headache was suffering, he was in decent condition.
"So, how do you feel?" Rudy asked standing next to him.
"Aside from my head, I appear to be fine." Hellstorm looked out the window to see that the sun was high in the sky.
"My father wishes to speak to you. Whenever you are ready, we can go see him." Ruby placed her hand on Hellstorm's head giving off a light blue glow as the throbbing Hellstorm's head went down.
"I thank you. Since I am up and my headache has subsided, let us go see your father." Hellstorm let Ruby lead the way to her Father's private study. The room had several swords that lined the room. Below each one was the name of a previous king and above each blade was portrait to match. The room was far larger then the study at Ruby's manor as mostly empty. "Father?" Ruby called out only to have her father and another person jumped out with swords in hand. The two of them were sparring.
"One second pleases. I just need to finish this." Mark called out. Both of the dueling men were wielding rapiers as they each tried to strike the other.
Mark lunged forward at his sparring partner, the tip of his sword slicing the belt of his foe. With his belt cut, his pants fell and he tripped backwards.
"Good match, but now you owe me a new belt." The man got up and dusted himself off. "So this is Ruby. It's been years since I last saw you." He bowed down, his long golden hair hung past his shoulders. As he stood back up, his green eyes took sight of Hellstorm. "I am impressed by the beast here. He fought valiantly on his own."
"I am no beast. I can clearly think for myself." Hellstorm objected.
"Well, I must me be going. I'll leave the rest of you alone to talk." With that the man left.
"Who was that father?" Ruby asked as the man left holding his pants up.
"That was Emperor Kassad, Ruler of the Falstar Empire. We were once rival knights." Mark explained. "Now then, onto more important matters. Varwaz, I believe you need some recognition after the battles you have fought." The king set down his blade on a desk and took a seat by the desk. "Sir Gallahad does not trust my wife's decision in making you a castle guard. I myself think that one with your skills would be a great addition to our ranks except for the fact that you seemed a bit reckless. For that reason, I have decided not to post you as a castle guard. I would however like to employ in a different manor." Hellstorm knew at this point that his chances of grabbing the orb he felt in the castle were greatly reduced.
"It wasn't just my recklessness. That Delibird used an unnatural number of those presents." Hellstorm informed the king. "I understand however, that I must also take some blame in that battle."
"I wish to have you serve as an Escort Guard for Empire Kassad on his return trip to the harbor. Still, there is other good news." The king went on. "You and Lord Nihlia's Gardevoir have tied for first place."
"I see." Hellstorm bowed his head in respect.
"The normal prize for the beast side of the Tournament was to be a large bag of gold and a sword. Seeing that you have no trainer however, I suppose I will have to give you something else." The king pulled out a small chest. "Therefore, I am giving you your pick of an item from this chest of gemstones. I'll then which ever gemstone you pick built into a collar for you to wear." Mark opened the chest and as luck would have, a large fiery red orb lay on the top of the pile of gemstones in the chest.
Hellstorm reached out to grab the orb and felt a great warmth emit form the orb. "If I may, I would like this orb."
"Then it is yours. I'll have one of my greatest jewel crafters begin work on a collar for it this evening." Hellstorm bowed his head again out of respect.
"Father, I have a question concerning Varwaz. He has asked to return to my estate. He wishes to serve as one of my staff." Ruby asked once Hellstorm had taken the orb.
"If he wishes to serve you, then I see nothing wrong with that. As luck would have it, Empire Kassad wishes to visit the Trade City of Sectoria and set sail from there. I believe he said something about a weapon smith there." Mark told them.
"A weapon smith? The only weapon smith in Sectoria is Eric Welthlight and he is there because I asked to move there." Ruby was slightly shocked. "I did not know that he was that well known."
"The Welthlight family has long been smiths of various kinds. I believe that they originally came from the Falstar Empire a few generations ago. I thought that their last child had died many years ago. Perhaps I was mistaken." The king informed his daughter. "There is not much more concerning Varwaz. You are free to leave whenever you are ready. As for you my daughter, there are a few things that we need to discuss."
"I thank you greatly for this gem." Hellstorm bowed with the orb in hand. This was not the way he had hoped on collecting it, but at least it was now his and even better, it was a gift.
"What is it you need of my father?" Ruby took a seat as Hellstorm left the room closing the door behind.
Hellstorm left the study and low and behold, Sir Gallahad seemed to be waiting for him. "I think we need to have a talk."
"I've nothing to say to you." Hellstorm turned to leave but Gallahad grabbed his arm.
"I think you do, traitorous beast. I've got wind that others have called you Hellstorm." Gallahad smiled.
"Where did you hear this?" Hellstorm asked jerking his arm free.
"Come, let us discuss this elsewhere. Unless you want others to hear us." Gallahad started down a hallway with a reluctant Hellstorm following him.
xXx
Gallahad lead Hellstorm down a series of halls where he finally stopped in front of a large door that lead to small courtyard. Hellstorm followed Gallahad into the courtyard.
"Alright, now that we are alone, let's talk." Gallahad had his knife drawn, but unlike his other knife like the one that he had during his first meeting with Hellstorm, this knife was covered with various runes.
"How about you talk and I'll listen for starters." Hellstorm needed to know how much Gallahad knew.
"I know a few things. For instance, I know that you claim to be the legend Hellstorm. I know that you placed a spell on Ruby. I also know that were intending to steal something from the treasury." Gallahad kept his knife ready to use at all times.
"You accuse me of many things. Can you prove anything?" Hellstorm asked.
"I've been spying on you for a while. I have everything I need to see to your death. But before I can do that, I need you to undo whatever spell you've put on my wife to be Ruby." Gallahad paced slowly around Hellstorm.
"I've cast no spell on her. She is the one who searched for me." Hellstorm told Gallahad.
"Then why has she defended you. I know she has a kindness toward you things, but to insult me as she did. That is not like her. She wouldn't dare to risk losing me." Gallahad continued to circle Hellstorm.
"This obsession you have is going to be the death you. Ruby is under no spell, not mine or any others." Hellstorm began to grow impatient with the questioning Gallahad was giving.
"Watch your tongue lest I tear it out." Gallahad snapped.
"Tell me, would you like to meet the real Hellstorm." Hellstorm asked.
"So, now you admit to taking his name for your own purpose." Gallahad thought he was finally getting somewhere.
"Varwaz?" Ruby called off in the distance.
"We'll finish this later." Gallahad pocketed his knife as Ruby entered the small courtyard.
"No, we finish this now. I'll not have you hounding me endlessly just because your obsession with a heart that will never be yours. Either we settle this here or I'll show you what I am next time you decide to draw arms against me." Hellstorm voice was raised slightly showing his anger.
"What's going on here?" Ruby asked a worried look on her face.
"You will inform this knight to leave me be. He keeps constant watch over me, threatens me with crimes I have not committed, and then draws an enchanted knife on me trying to force me to admit to things that his obsession has created." Hellstorm knew that if he did not settle this now, there would be more problems in the future.
"How dare you. Listen to me, my princess. He has threatened me and makes up lies. I told you not to trust him." Gallahad shouted.
"Both of you will calm down." Ruby was not amused.
"Forgive me." Hellstorm lowered his head slightly.
"Now then, Gallahad why did I find the two of you here? I thought I was clear when I told you to leave Varwaz be." Ruby stood between them.
"He has made claims that he is Hellstorm. He has poisoned your mind. Please, I beg of you. Let me slay this thing and break the spell he has placed over you. He is an evil creature that means you harm." Gallahad pleaded for Ruby to trust him.
"I see no evil here, Gallahad. I trust Varwaz and his word. You will leave him be." Ruby went to reach for Hellstorm's arm.
"He has cursed your mind beyond reason. I'll have to deal with this myself." Gallahad once again drew his knife and lunged at Hellstorm. Hellstorm turned; his blue fur went red as his aura began to show. He threw a single open paw into Gallahad's chest sending him back as another guard approached. Hellstorm changed back before the second guard could see his crimson fur.
The second guard drew his weapon, but Ruby held out her hand.
"Gallahad made the first move. Varwaz had every right to defend himself." Ruby turned to face Gallahad. "And to think my father suggested that I marry you. I'll do no such thing. You attack my guests because you feel threatened by them. I'll be sure to tell my father of these actions and see to it that you do not remain a knight for long."
Ruby walked off with Hellstorm at her side leaving a very angry Gallahad to plot his revenge.
xXx
The rest of the day passed without fault. Ruby started packing early once she got wind of Prince Kassad's plans to leave early.
On the dawn of the third day after Hellstorm had finished the tournament, Prince Kassad was ready to leave.
The large carriage stood ready to take Hellstorm, Ruby, Akara, Victor, and Justin back to Sectoria with their special guest Empire Kassad. Hector had said that he would meet Hellstorm and Ruby at the manor in two weeks time, as they would rather walk.
The trip proved to back to Sectoria proved just as quite as the trip to the castle. Hellstorm had very little to say, but Kassad and Ruby had talked about many things. After five days of traveling, the group arrived back in Sectoria. The carriage was a welcome sight to the town guards as they cleared the gate for the carriage to get through. It did not take much longer after that for them to reach the manor. Hellstorm followed the King's commands and served as the Emperor's body guard as he went to visit Eric Welthlight. Kassad handed Eric a drawing of a sword he had with him and after leaving a large sum of gold, he set off for the docks. Hellstorm was finally relieved of his duty and returned to the manor.
--
As night came down, Ruby had an idea.
"Hellstorm, I would like take you out to the local tavern. I know how much and how hard you have worked to get here. I propose that tonight we take it easy and celebrate how far you have come." Ruby had already gotten dressed wearing a dress similar to the one she had worn to greet her parents, only this one was not as fancy. She wore a green pirate style dress.
"I do not see the point in such things, but if you wish, then I shall go." Hellstorm did not get the idea about celebrating before a job was done as in his time, one rarely ever celebrated anything other then the birth of pack member.
"I must say, this is not what I'm used to. It is very comfortable though." Akara walked in with a dress similar to Ruby's.
"I think a day of fun will do us all good." Ruby told Hellstorm as they headed back down to the Trade City.
Victor accompanied them as they walked to the local tavern, which seemed to be full tonight as what appeared to be gang of pirates had docked for a days rest. All the locals recognized Ruby instantly and a table in the far corner was quickly vacated. Many people waved at Ruby as she made her way to the table with her guests. Not even a few seconds after they took a seat, a waitress had come to serve them.
"I assume you'll be wanted you're usual, Ruby?" the young lady asked.
"That would be nice. I'll be paying for my parties' drinks tonight as well." Ruby said as she took a seat on of the five stools that surrounded the table.
"Very well. What would the lot of you like tonight?" The waitress passed out a list of drinks for them to choose from. "I recommend the Evermoon Brew if you looking for a sweet drink without much of kick and I'd recommend the Dragon's Eye Ale if you're looking for something strong."
"I'll try the Dragon's Eye Ale please." Akara said as she took a seat.
"I'll go with Evermoon." Hellstorm said.
"Oh. You've taught another one to speak have you? How many more have you picked up?" the waitress asked.
"Varwaz learned from another and is my new body guard." Ruby informed the waitress.
"I'll take my usual." Victor said in his plain as always voice.
"I'll be back in a few with your drinks." The waitress turned and walked off returning shortly after.
"Here we are. One Evermoon for the Lucario. A Dragon's Eye for the lovely lady. A bottle of Western Golden for the man. Finally, I have a Winter's Grasp Wine for the princess." The waitress turned again to leave.
"Tonight, we celebrate you're hard work in obtaining another of the Elemental Orbs." Ruby stated as the drinks came out. She raised her glass to Hellstorm and the others joined in except Hellstorm who let merely held his drink on the table.
Victor and Akara offered their praise in their own way. Victor bowed his head raising his glass high while Akara wished for the best of luck. All of them took a drink of their selected brands.
It took a while, but after a cup and half of Evermoon, Hellstorm had loosened up some and was actually smiling as the topic of talk changed and continued to shift from one thing to another. They lot of them talked about many things including, but not limited to family, friends, current events, and past achievements. Hellstorm was still careful not to say too much about himself, but was certainly more open then he was before.
Time went on as Ruby had ordered a fourth round of drinks for the rest of her party while she began to drink her third. Out of them, the only one who was truly intoxicated at this time was Akara. She decided that this drink was her last as she finished it. Hellstorm was beginning to laugh a little when Akara had decided to head back to the manor while there was still light out.
An hour later, Ruby had decided that it was time to go she had second where she stumbled from getting, but it passed quickly. Victor showed no signs that he had been drinking at all as he got up and walked over to the counter counting out some coins as he walked over to the bartender.
Hellstorm walked beside Ruby as they made their way to exit passing a table of pirates. The caption, a large well-built man and had a long beard got up and blocked her path some. "Such a lovely young lass we have here." He took off his hat and set his down next to him on the table.
"Ah, she is a keeper caption." One of his crewmen sounded as she stood in front of them.
"May I get through here please?" Ruby asked as she went to side step him.
"Might I know the name of the lovely lady who has caught me eye?" He asked.
"I am Ruby." Ruby told him holding a hand over her chest as her greeting.
"Might I offer ya to spend the night on me ship. I promise ya a time like no other." He suggested.
"I'm afraid not. I have some things to do at my manor." Ruby quickly lied to him.
"Maybe you didn't catch my drift. That wasn't a question, sweet cheeks." The caption reached out grab Ruby.
Everyone in the bar either looked away or kept their eyes peeled for was coming. All of the locals knew that Ruby was one who could take care of herself and was never to be called by such rude names much less try to grab her. They knew that she would teach people some manners if she had had a few drinks. Of course, no one had bothered to tell the pirates this.
Ruby surprised Hellstorm and the pirates by grabbing hold of the caption's wrist and pulling him down. She hopped over his shoulder and bent his arm backwards. "That's no way to talk to a princess." Ruby said as she made him kneel down. He went for his sword, but Ruby twisted his arm back and kicked him to the floor. The rest of his crew went to get up until Victor stood in the way, holding a rather large mace in his hand. The pirates saw how big he was and quickly returned to their seats as Ruby began to walk out of the room.
Hellstorm could hear some more rather rude comments from the caption and chanted a quick spell. The small barrel of wine that was resting on a shelf high up on the wall began to shift some and finally toppled onto the caption as he took his seat who then began to shout. Ruby turned to see what had happened. The caption threw the barrel off of his head as he quickly made for the second door to the tavern that lead towards the docks.
Once out of the tavern, Ruby looked to Hellstorm. "Did you do that?"
Hellstorm just shrugged a bit pointing his head off away from Ruby a bit. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Well, I guess you do have a slight sense of humor. Although it would have been better if you hadn't spilled my favorite drink on them." Ruby laughed some as Hellstorm shrugged again.
Once they group of now three went to turn on the road that lead up to Ruby's manor, they were attacked.
A single arrow flew past Hellstorm's head as he stopped dead. He turned just in time to see a large scythe weapon coming for him. An image of the demon that had slain Hellstorm's pack flashed into his head striking him with a sudden surge of fear. Victor had intercepted the attack with the mace he had.
In a instant he saw the terrible images of his clan being slaughtered play out once again before him. As he one true friend and love being cut down before his eyes. Suddenly the fear was replaced with anger. "You killed my pack. Now I'm going to slaughter you the same way dealt with the others. Demon Art: Severed Soul." Hellstorm aura flared up as the light blue phantom image of Hellstorm flew from his body.
"So I have found you at last little pup. My arrow left its mark last time merely taking your blood. This time, it shall be your life." The demon before them wielded a dark scythe in one hand and a demonic bow in the other. It's empty eyes glared at Hellstorm. Standing well over six feet, the demon dwarfed him as he moved in for his attack. Unrestricted by any rules or morals, Hellstorm charged in fast as a powerful flame erupted from his hands. The flaming fists spell he had cast was far more powerful then it should have been, but with the Fire Orb in his possession, all of his fire based magics would be far more powerful.
Hellstorm thrust his arm clean through the demon's chest, a rage unlike any other he had felt before led his attack.
"What is this? How are you so strong?" The demon jumped back the large hole in his chest let out a large stream of black blood.
"You helped that thing slay my pack. I'll send your soul to the deepest pits of hell." Hellstorm shouted. It was lucky that Ruby's manor was as far away from the town as it was or someone was bound to pick up on the battle.
Hellstorm charged in fast, his fur the deepest shade of crimson it had ever been. The demon brought down his scythe only to see how powerful Hellstorm's rage had become. His burning fist plowed throw the handle of the weapon sparks flew everywhere. Grabbing the now severed blade, Hellstorm spun around to gather the force he needed. The severed scythe blade cleaved right thrown the demon's left arm dropping the bow to the ground.
"What manner of creature are you?" The demon turned to flee holding the stump of arm. Hellstorm looked over the broken weapon he held and threw it hard. The blade curved and removed both of the legs the demon ran on sending it flying to the ground. Hellstorm walked over to the helpless demon. His aura burned like blood and even burned the demon as Hellstorm put a foot on his chest to hold him down.
"Be sure to reserve a spot in hell for you leader. I'll be sending him to join to you as fast as I can." Hellstorm's aura gathered into his hand.
"I'll be sure to tell that vampire bitch of yours what you've become, you monster." The demon shouted, as it knew its time was up. Theses had an unexpected result on Hellstorm. The same phantom image of Hellstorm that had flown out of Hellstorm was quickly forced back into him. His blood red aura that blazed around him calmed to light blue and seemed to act more as mist then fire.
"Sora." Hellstorm stepped back some. The demon saw a chance to kill Hellstorm with his back turned and drew a knife. It never got a chance to attack though as Victor brought his mace down hard on its head upon seeing it draw the dagger.
Darkness rose up out of the ground and wrapped around the demon pulling it and its weapons into whatever awaited it on the other side. The only clues of the demon being slaughtered where it was were the bloodstains that littered the area.
"Hellstorm, are you alright?" Ruby charged over to him.
"What have I become?" Hellstorm looked at his hands as the last flames from his burning fists spell died off. The demon's blood still clung to the to his fur. Memories of Sora filled his head. She had often said that she liked him for his kindness ,his helpfulness. She had liked him for his lack of killing.
"Hellstorm?" Ruby walked over to him seeing the look of confusion, sadness, and other mixed emotions on his face. Hellstorm slowly sunk to the ground. What if the demon was right and he had become a monster.
Ruby helped Hellstorm up and walked him back to her manor.