The Demon Children

Chapter 13: And So They Fought

AAHHHH!" Laina screamed as she took another step. It was only her third, but each movement was excruciating under Bluenote's gravity.

Rustyrose watched with a smirk. The girl had really come a long ways since they picked her up only a few weeks earlier. Her magic power, strength, and agility were all dramatically increased.

Bluenote was surprised that this girl had come so far in such a short time. Perhaps, as Rustyrose had said, pain was indeed the best teacher. He could sense that her magic power had nearly tripled since she began training with them a few weeks earlier.

Just then Ivan came in. "We've got a clue on one of the Fairy Tail mages… he took a job north of Crocus. It shouldn't be hard to ambush him on the way back to town if we hurry."

"How powerful?"

"It's just the old guy named Macao with his kid Romeo. They shouldn't be too hard to handle."

"Alright, you take Kain and go then. We'll continue Laina's training here."

Ivan nodded and departed.

In the Fairy Tail guild, a small, black creature laughed evilly as he watched the request board, looking for the dark guild's next targets.

~~~Natsu and Mira~~~

Mirajane felt as though she'd been flying toward her opponent forever, yet the distance between them had barely closed.

She dodged again, feeling the air from a blade that just missed her head. Then she dodged forward, avoiding a strike that would've split her in half if it hit. Damn these things are annoying…

She looked over to Natsu, who seemed to be faring better despite being the other mage's main target. Perhaps it was because of his amazing fighting instincts. But he was somehow managing to dodge all the blades while making quick progress toward the mage.

Suddenly the mage's voice pounded in her ears again, each reverberation causing excruciating pain.

"Hourglass of Pain!"

A giant hourglass appeared around Natsu, and he was buried up to his neck in a metallic sort of sand. But as Mira looked, the metal sand seemed to be moving.

"Hah! I've already shown your metal is no- AAAAHHH!"

"That is etherium, the most heat-resistant metal in Earthland," the mage said ."And every time you speak, move, or try to use magic, they'll start ripping your skin off your body till you stop. In other words, it's certain, painful, death."

Mira redoubled her efforts, trying to get closer. "How dare you do that to Natsu!" She screamed.

As for you, my flies should be enough to take care of you…"

Suddenly she was surrounded by a swarm of metallic bits. They tore at her clothing, cutting deep gashes in her arms and sides. She used her strongest dark energy blasts, but they just kept coming back, tearing away at her little by little.

She could also feel her magic power draining faster, and her eyes widened.

"I see you're feeling the other effects of my swarm…" The voice boomed. "Soon you won't have enough magic power left to maintain your fighting form."