Log 15- The Wanderer of the Void
Of Magic and Machines- The Wanderer of the void
Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns
“Okay… So let me get this straight…… You were doing… an experiment?”
“Yes, to see if I can unfreeze an object or item while keeping it still perfectly intact.” Sparkler replied, sighing. She was currently speaking to Amy, who wanted to know how in Tartarus was the monster that was her father freed from his frozen prison below Canterlot. Her little test had a MAJOR backlash as it let loose the beast named Solomon Grundy.
“And you decided to use that frozen block of ice to do that?” Said Amelia, the female Diabolic Esper that was alongside the Crimson Avenger. She had only met the crimson avenger a few years ago, but out of the time she had been alive, she was thankful that Amy was involved in getting rid of her psychopathic brother.
“It was the only one we could find that could stay intact for transport. Any other block Twinkleshine and I found melted within minutes of finding it. We needed something for a stable experiment and we couldn’t do that with a melted ice cube.”
“Well, nice going dumbass. You just let loose the world’s deadliest criminal.”
“Hey, it didn’t come with a warning label. For all I know, it could’ve ended up like the other experiments. I didn’t expect for it to turn out like it did. If it weren’t for Faith and Nicko when they showed up, we would’ve been dead.”
The Rune slayer lifted his head up at the mentioning of his name, eyebrow raised. He was quite surprised to hear that, personally.
“To be fair if fight were to last any longer. Nicko would of been sucker punch when Faith got trip by one of Grundy’s attack, but then again there were some other outcomes that I could see that might have ended badly for the short guy.”
“Okay, one, my niece has some tricks up her sleeves. Two, I have Eris with me. Three, you don’t even know what I’m capable of.” Nicko retorted as he looked at Amelia. “Plus, my teacher taught me some new skills thanks to me having to snap him back to reality. Even though some parts I’m trying to personally figure out on my own.”
“Kid I’m 5,000 years old, do really think I haven’t heard someone who say something like that? Plus you been in stone for the past 7 years, a lot have changed during your slumber. Hell, Amy here can wipe out a half a country if she wanted to.”
“Right… Eris informed me. Also, there’s one thing I can do that you guys can’t.” Nicko said. To show, he used a fire rune to light his sword and when he stabbed it into the ground, four blades appeared from each side. To the Crimson Avenger’s surprise, this resembled one of her old skills when she was a Blazing heart. Which really surprised Amy, but not Amelia...
“ …… I’m not impressed.”
“You’re never impressed by anything Amelia.” Said Amy.
“What? You expect me to give him credit for something like that?”
The Rune Slayer sighed. “Well, I can’t impress everyone, Amelia. But, I do have something that would remind her of the old days before Eric shanked her.” Before she spoke, Nicko snapped his fingers to reveal another version of his fire runes, before it sizzled out on him.
“Never thought I’ll be seeing this twice in my lifetime.” Said Amy, eyeing the Sigil briefly before it disappeared.
“I’ve been trying to figure out a few things after Ryu told me about being able to learn the same kinds of tricks he could. But some things aren’t adding up and I still don’t know why.” Nicko replied, watching as Faith left so she could return back to Anson by Chariot. He then looked in the sky. “Oh boy… Sunbutt, six o’clock.”
“Ah dammit! Five bits says I’m gonna be blamed for this.”
“Well you do end up causing trouble for her, not to mention that one time when you wrecked half of Canterlot…..twice.” Said Amelia.
“Right… I’m going to check on Lyra and everypony and see how they’re recovering.” Nicko retorted, already moving over there before Amy said something.”
“Oh you short little bastard! When I get my hands on you I’m so gonna-.”
“Gonna do what? Just give me a death stare? Also, you’re on strike two for calling me short. One more and you basically gave me position to give you hell.” Nicko warned, turning around. The first pony he noticed was Moondancer, who was walking over to where he was and had a relieved look on his face.
“Oh my… The princess is here?”
“Give it a minute…” The Rune Slayer retorted.
“AMY!!!”
“F…M…L…” Amy turned her attention at Nicko before he left. “This isn’t over between us jackass..”
“Hey, niether of us actually started anything. Plus, let Lyra do the talking.” Nicko sighed, looking back at Moondancer. “You guys okay?”
“A little bit hurt, but okay for the most part.” The Unicorn replied, straightening herself. She kind of blushed a little after looking at Nicko in his normal Rune Slayer clothes. Eris, inside Nicko’s head, giggled.
“I think she likes you, Nicko.”
“Seriously, Eris?’ The Rune Slayer spoke mentally.
“Think of it… Her wanting to sit by you in the library… checking to make sure if you were okay… The blush on her face? Can you not see the signs?”
“Nicko?”
The Rune Slayer snapped back to reality upon hearing his name… again. “Oh sorry, Eris was talking inside my head. Sort of a Draconequus thing…”
“I understand… Hey, if it’s not any trouble…… Would you two like to go get some coffee?”
“And now she makes her move… Kinky.”
“Eris……” Nicko mentally stated before going back to his reply for Moondancer. “Sure. I could use a break from what’s going on around here. Especially with Amy and Amelia talking to Celestia.”
“Great! Follow me!!” She replied back, having the Rune Slayer follow her. Her friends, including Lyra and Amy, all stared in shock.
“ ……… What just happened?”
“I think…… Moondancer just got herself a coltfriend.” Lyra said. Before anypony could say anything else, Amy was the one to intervene.
“Did anypony see how exactly she did that?”
Meanwhile…
It was a very busy day at Starbuckers Coffee Shop, but despite what was going on, it was still able to accommodate anypony who was wanting some coffee or donuts. The owner, Donut Joe, was doing what he would normally do on a Saturday morning. He woke up, ran the shop, and then closed. The cycle was endless in a way… But none of that actually prepared him for something he didn’t expect.
The bell on the door to the shop rang and he heard the sounds of two individuals walk in. “Hello there, how can I-? Oh hello, Moondancer. It’s been awhile since I last saw you.”
“Hey Joe. I want you to meet my friend Nicko. We’re just getting some coffee and taking a chance to talk.”
“Well, it’s a good of time as any to do that.” He laughed a little as both of the guests sat themselves on the dining counter. “So, what can I get for you two-?”
Eris soon emerged from Nicko, sitting on the opposite side of Moondancer. “I think you meant three.”
“I don’t get paid enough for this,” The unicorn thought for a moment. “Right… Anyways, what could I get you?”
“Got any coffee with a hazelnut taste?” Nicko asked politely. “I’ve haven’t tasted any in a long time, so I just wanted to start with something easy.”
Donut Joe nodded. He then asked for the size that he wanted and the Rune Slayer just asked for a medium sized and if he could have some creamer with it. The Unicorn nodded, adding some Prench Vanilla creamer to it so it had a sweet aftertaste. Ironically, Eris and Moondancer asked for the same thing, making it a little bit easier for Joe to keep track of the orders that he received. After they got their drinks, Nicko was the first to speak after that. “So… Moondancer?”
“Yes, Nicko?”
“Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?” He then asked. She cringed a little. The question made her a bit uncomfortable, but after five minutes, she spoke.
“Well… There really isn’t much for me to know… I was born an orphan. I’ve been living at the school my entire life and had a lot of ups and downs. Sometimes, weird things happen that even sometimes I couldn’t understand at first.”
“Oh? Like what?”
“Well…” Moondancer sighed, taking a piece of paper and quill out and began to draw. “I can read and understand these. But I don’t know what exactly they are. Can you make any understanding of it?”
Nicko looked at the drawing, but then, his eyes widened. He couldn’t actually believe what he was seeing. But he needed further proof. Taking out his skill book, he cracked it open to the beginning. “Moondancer? Can I ask you something?”
“Yes?”
“Can you read this?” Nicko then told her, turning the book around. She adjusted her glasses and looked at the book. She soon nodded her head, surprising Nicko. This was completely unexpected. He had to take a few moments to take it in, finishing another swig of coffee before looking back at her.
“Well, this is truly amazing…” Nicko sighed. “Moondancer? When you were in the library earlier and met me, why were you there?”
“Well, I was originally researching about the Runic Sorcery that Starswirl the Bearded knew. What does that have to do with this?” The Unicorn asked, personally confused by what Nicko was saying and how it related to the original conversation.
“What you just read was runes.” Nicko told her. “Nopony else could read it, but you. Which means…… you are able to read and possibly do Rune Magic. You’re very lucky, Moondancer. Like, one in a million kind of lucky.” The revelation had Moondancer stare at Nicko in shock, but also made her feel very surprised. Despite already having a cutie mark, Moondancer always wanted to find a real purpose towards her studying and hard work. To where it felt like it would really pay off. Now, it felt like she had that chance.
As Nicko put away the book, the two of them continued to talk about each other’s past and also Eris and Nicko shared what life was like for being in stone for seven years. What was surprising was that both Nicko and Moondancer actually had some things in common. They liked to read in their spare time, they both came from orphanages, and they wanted to be able to expand upon what they already knew when it came to magic. Moondancer even liked it when Nicko told her about the time where he used Twilight’s Library card as a source of blackmail so she wouldn’t act crazy around him or his friends. She even began to wonder why she didn’t think of that when she had that party set up for Twilight all of those years ago. They even got the chance to talk to Donut Joe and have a good conversation about magic.
As they left though, Moondancer had a question for Nicko. One that she wanted to tell him, but was very nervous. “Nicko? Can I tell you something? I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier… about me being able to understand Rune Magic… and I made up my mind on something.”
“You did? What is it?” Nicko asked, a little curious about what Moondancer was trying to tell him. That was, until she said her next sentence.
“I want you to be my teacher. You’re the only one who could help me understand this kind of magic.”
“Wait… You want to become my student?” Nicko asked. When he saw Moondancer nod her head, he sighed. “Wow… that’s the first time anyone actually told me that.” He thought it over for a few minutes and then looked at Eris, who he asked to change his outfit back to the one he wore before coming here. He still held his original sword and had the new one on his back, until he gave his old blade to Moondancer.
“Woah… I never thought this blade would be this… heavy.”
“Actually… That is now your blade.” Nicko corrected. “I’m accepting you becoming my student, but there are a few things to keep in mind. First, it’s not just focused on magic.” He pointed to the sword that he gave the Unicorn and then showed his own blade. “It’s focused on both Sorcery and Swordsmanship. You need to master both of them in order to get to the skill level I am at. Second, Eris and I are going to need to explain to you about the Displaced. It’ll be hard to understand at first, but I bet with somepony like you, you will catch on real quickly. Third, there is one other thing I need you to help me with when I’m not teaching you.”
“What’s that?” She asked, tilting her head to the side, confused.
“I need you to help teach my niece, Faith. She has only been in Equestria for a few days, but she has a LOT to learn in regards to being able to fight and protect herself. But this will only be when the time is right. I don’t want you to push yourself too hard. Because I see you more as just my student, but as a friend. And a very good one at that.”
“I… don’t know what to say…” Moondancer stammered. She let instinct take control as the unicorn placed the sword on her back. To the Rune Slayer’s surprise, Nicko was caught off guard by Moondancer tightly hugging him around the chest. “Thank you…” The Mare soon let go though, upon realizing that Eris was watching the two of them.
“Um… Would this technically make you my coltfriend? Or are you and Eris-?”
“Eris and I are… well… in a relationship. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t be part of it.” Nicko said, turning to the draconequus. “Isn’t that right?”
Eris snickered a little, looking at the Rune Slayer. “Sure I guess. The more, the merrier. Plus, there was never a law saying that you can’t have more than one marefriend.”
“Well, this is a bit of a learning experience for everyone.” The Rune Slayer sighed. “Come on, let's get going. Twilight is probably worried after hearing what happened back at the academy.”
Moondancer raised an eyebrow as the three of them continued to walk. “Wait… You live at Twilight’s castle?”
“Yeah… It’s better than trying to live in the snow.” Eris pointed out, using her chaos magic to create a scarf for both her and the Unicorn to keep them warm as the cold breeze began to pick up.
“...... Good point.” She replied. The Draconequus soon teleported them back to the Castle of Friendship, only to be surprised to hear an argument ensued between Amy and Twilight.
“I TOLD YOU, IT WASN’T MY FAULT!! NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES SUNBUTT SAYS SO!! SPARKLER WAS THE ONE WHO RELEASED HIM!!!”
“I DON’T CARE!! IT WAS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE HE DIDN’T GET OUT AND YOU MESSED UP!!”
“Okay… Let’s stay away from them.”
“Stay away from who?” Nicko soon turned around, only to see another familiar face.
“Oh… Hi, Jane.”
“Well if it isn’t Nicko. Finally out of your stone slumber huh?”
“I’ve been out of it for the past few days. You already met Faith, remember?” Nicko told her, recalling the celebration with Gremmy.
“Yes I remember her. So what are you doing here?”
“We just got back from Celestia’s school. Faith and I both tried to learn some things, only for a few surprises to happen.” Nicko told her, turning to Moondancer. “Moondancer, this is my friend Jane. Jane, this is Moondancer. She’s now my student and can actually read runes.”
“Not to mention Marefriend-.”
“Eris!!”
The Noblesses chuckled, looking back at the three of them. “Well, congratulations to you on both accounts.” She soon heard the constant yelling in the background where the throne room was and looked back at the Rune Slayer. “What did Amy get herself into now?”
“Well-.”
“I TOLD YOU, IT WAS SPARKLER’S FAULT THAT MY FATHER IS NOW OUT OF HIS PRISON AND ON THE LOOSE!!! ASK HER!! SHE TOLD AMELIA AND I THE SAME THING! Though, Faith was able to handle herself against him, BUT THAT’S NOT THE POINT!! SOLOMON GRUNDY IS OUT AGAIN AND WHO KNOWS WHERE THE F**KING HELL HE IS!!!”
“..........WHAT!?”
“Damn it, Amy!” Nicko shouted mentally. Jane then looked at Nicko, the expression on her face looking like an enraged warrior who wanted answers. What happened next caught him off guard as Jane soon grabbed the Rune Slayer by the collar and pinned him to the nearby wall.
“CARE TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU DIDN’T HAVE AMY MOP THE FLOOR WITH THAT POOR EXCUSE OF A MAN!?”
“Whoa whoa whoa!! Calm down!!” He croaked under the pressure of Jane’s hand that was close to his throat. “Ss-parkler… did an ice burner experiment… and unknowingly dethawed him.” He coughed a little, blood dripping down from his mouth from the sheer force of the Noblesses claw on his throat.
“So it was Sparkler that let him out?” Jane said as she let go of Nicko.
“Accidently. She wanted to find a ice figure that wouldn’t melt when being transported and that one was the only one that fit the bill apparently.”
“......Dumbass.”
“Yeah… Now can you please LET ME GO!”
“Yes… I would advise that you do that.” A new voice echoed as a tear in the void took form. From there, a new individual stepped out. One that no one could see his face, but can see one portion of it. In addition, his right hand had a pair of floating cubes that moved with his fingers and a series of locks around his chest.
“I would not rather have a talented young soul like him dying to your uncontrolled emotions, Noblesses.”
“Who the hell are you?” Jane asked as she charged at the mysterious being. With a flick of his hand though, he threw her into a wall, knocking down all the framed paintings that were hanging alongside it and destroying a few statues of Celestia and Artemis.
“A very unwise choice… For you to try and harm a being of the void.”
“Son of a b*tch that hurts!” Jane hollered as she tried to get back up on her feet. Pain coursed through her as Amy from the next door room heard the commotion and saw Jane in the situation she was in. Like with her mother, Amy tried to charge in. But this time, it was Nicko who stepped in between and smashed his fist into her face.
“Knock it off! All of you!! Whatever you try to do, it won’t work.”
“Then what the hell do you suggest we do then-?!”
“Stay out of this!” He snarled back. “His business seems to be with me. Therefore, I will talk to him. I have some questions for him anyways.”
“A wise choice, Rune Slayer.” He retorted. “I would like your friends to leave the room first before you ask me your questions. This is nothing of which they need to be concerned about.” They were hesitant at first, but with a bit of insistence from Nicko, they listened to him. When it was just the two of them, Nicko then turned back to the other figure and asked a question. “Okay, just who are you exactly?”
“I am Glave. Servant of Henir.”
“Henir?” Nicko asked.
Glave sighed. “He is the god of Time and Space. But many in this world have forgotten of his existence. He may be gone, but his presence lingers within me.”
“So you’re the keeper of time and space?”
“To be precise, yes… Now, to a more serious note… you’re a Displaced. I know of your kind, yes… But have you ever asked yourself… who displaced you?” The question made Nicko’s mind freeze. Slowly, he looked back at Glave. Stunned look on his face and a mixture of emotions in his head.
“Wait… Are you telling me you know who did it?”
“I’m not telling you that someone did it…… I’m telling you that I brought you here. I needed the strength of a young soul and descendant of your parents and you fit the bill. Your brother and friend I had come along in order to help you.”
“Why though?” Nicko asked. “I’m not mad at you. In fact, I’m thankful for you doing that, but why are you here now?”
“Because what happened in Canterlot was just the beginning of a much larger conflict that might occur. I want to make sure you are ready… And help you as well…” With the wave of a hand, Glave showed something else this time. “Are you aware of the weapons you wield and the gods that this world knows of?”
“Yes to weapons, but no to gods. Why do you ask?”
“Because you’ll need a stronger blade that is just as strong as the power inside you. That’s why I called upon the creator of all weapons… The god of the forge.” Glave soon opened a gateway using his powers, looking back at the Rune Slayer. “Before we go, I must remind you that where we are going is like what you know as the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. One day here is one year in there. Take this chance now to say goodbye to your friends for right now.”
Nicko nodded his head. He went into the room nearby where Anson, Eris and Moondancer were, briefly telling them that he needed to be somewhere for the time being. With that taken care of, Nicko returned to Glave and the two of them stepped through. On the other end of the door, both of them stepped out into a new domain. It took a moment, but then Glave spoke again.
“Welcome to the realm of time and space.”
“Holy crap… This looks… spectacular.”
“I’m glad you’re impressed. But we aren’t here to watch the stars. There are things I need to teach you and parts of your combat style that you need to adjust. Tides always turn and therefore, you need to be prepared. That is why I called upon Lord Dyntos, the god of the forge.” Glave then turned around, asking for Nicko to show his sword. He obliged, handing it to him and letting the Keeper of Time examine it.
“This is good quality craftsmanship, but I believe it can be improved… Say, have you considered enhancing it? I believe you can do it with the right token.”
Nicko raised an eyebrow. “You can use a token on it?” Glave nodded, before he spoke again. “Some tokens have other properties besides summoning a Displaced. It just depends on whose it is.”
“Can you tell which ones have those properties?” Nicko then asked.
“I can, but that means that I would need to see the tokens you do have.” The Keeper informed him. “Only by seeing them can I determine whether or not they have additional properties like I had previously said. It’s a gift that works with me since I only have one eye, but that eye can see many things.” Nicko, not knowing what he was talking about, sighed and began to take out the tokens he had acquired throughout his adventures.
The Dragon Tear from Ryu. The Hyperion Acquisition Beacon from Handsome Jack. The Tear of the Goddess from Bryce. The Dragon Soul from Neltharion. The Book that was titled “Toon World” from Maximillion Pegasus. The Holy Bone and Cherry Bomb from Amaterasu and Chibiterasu. The Hunters License from Gon. The Medallion from Sun Wukong. The Pin from Lance and lastly, the Fang of Loki. All of these tokens were pieces of the puzzle that were Nicko’s long journey. But, as Glave looked at them, one of them stood out the most to him.
“You have quite a collection, I must say.” The keeper told him, soon picking up Neltharion’s orb. “But this one here, is exactly what I think would work best for you.”
“Deathwing’s token?” Nicko asked, confused.
“Yes. This orb can do more than call upon your friend. It’ll also allow you to control the destructive elements of nature itself. An element that I believe Dyntos could put in your blade.”
“That’s Lord Dyntos to you there, timekeeper.” A new voice boomed throughout the room. “For someone of your position, I would think that you would show a little more respect. After all, you were placed in charge because of your own arrogance.”
The God of the forge lowered himself from a pedestal that was in the chamber and set himself down. Soon, he took a very long look at Nicko. Scratching his chin, he then asked a question. “So…… This is the kid you were telling me about?”
“Indeed I was Lord Dyntos.”
“He doesn’t look that ordinary for a displaced. Heck, this whippersnapper here reminds me a lot of that little angel that was here a few centuries ago.”
Nicko now just cocked an eyebrow, looking at the two of them. “Okay… can someone please explain to me something?”
“Of course…” Glave replied.
“I’m confused about the gods that you keep mentioning. I’m a little lost in translation about it.”
Dyntos sighed. “Boy, when Glave and I refer to gods, we mean the gods of other worlds that ponykind on your world have long forgotten or were never aware of. My position in power has had me meet a lot of people in the past, but not anymore. It’s rare to meet a strong soul such as yourself. It’s a little tricky to explain everything, but I promise that everything will be explained in due time.”
Nicko nodded his head, acknowledging the statement. “I’m honored to have the chance to meet you as well.” The Rune Slayer replied, causing Dyntos to crack a small smile.
“Lord Dyntos, I assume that you know why we’re here?”
“Of course.” The God replied, “But I believe that you should explain your reason why to the boy first so he knows.”
The keeper soon turned towards Nicko, taking a deep breath. “Yes… Nicko, are you aware of Tartarus?”
“The prison that locked away any big threats to Equestria? Yeah, I was informed of it. Especially when I was brought up to speed on the Tirek Incident.”
“Good, then this might make this easier… Back in Equestria’s past, before the time of Celestia and Artemis, there was a powerful Dark King that controlled a massive army of demons and almost brought the world to the brink of destruction. However, he was also the reason why Tartarus was first created. When Starswirl the Bearded was an apprentice, he challenged the King, but his power was too great for him to destroy. So, he was sealed away inside a powerful prison in which Tartarus was built around.”
“Who was he? Sombra?” Nicko asked, faintly remembering the name.
“No. He’s far worse. In fact, the essence of him was the reason why Sombra went mad and also the reason why the Esper you knew as Eric went insane as well. He uses his dark magic to grant the desires of the weak and corrupts them internally. Like a poison spreading through their body. The reason why he is sealed and had not broken out for over 1200 years is because of the three keys that were used to keep him inside his cell. He has been waiting patiently in order to be freed. Now though, he has begun his plan to do so.”
“How?”
“The hooded chaser you know as Arma. He’s being tricked by him. The king told him that he would help return him to his family if he did his bidding.”
“Well damn…… Hang on a second.” Nicko spoke again upon realizing something. “You keep telling me about this king, but you never said who he actually was. Can you at least tell me that?”
Glave himself sighed. “His name…… is Ran. To prepare you for him, you need your weapon to be strong enough in order to slay demons. Therefore, that’s where Lord Dyntos comes in.”
“That’s right, Sonny.” He exclaimed. “In order for you to get a stronger blade from me, you need to prove your mettle by passing a couple of trials. The catch is that each trial is different and you can’t use the sword that you’re holding now or the tokens you have on you. You need to use a different weapon and I have quite a selection for you to pick from.” With a snap, two huge weapon racks appeared from either side of the God of the Forge, having Nicko look as a wide selections of weapons for him to choose from. Out of all of them though, he needed to look for something that fitted him personally. It couldn’t be too heavy, nor too light. Plus, he needed to feel comfortable while fighting with it. Taking his time, he examined one of them, picking it up from the grip and holding it carefully.
“That one is known as Immortal Order.” Dyntos told him. “Most of the designs that I make for the weapons are based off of experiences that I see from people’s memories. They make quite interesting blueprints if you ask me.” It seemed impressive. However, Nicko could tell that it wasn’t his kind of weapon. The grip was weird and the blade itself wasn’t the normal length he was use to. In Elsword, his class would use Greatswords. This blade would more likely be used by Leo if he was around.
Placing the weapon back, he now turned to the Forge god and asked him a question. “Do you have any long swords by chance, Lord Dyntos?”
“Ask and you shall receive.” Dyntos replied, snapping his finger again as a bunch of weapons that were on the rack before had dissipated, leaving only a few of them left that met the specifications that Nicko asked for. Now though, Nicko found a possible contender.
“Hmm…… Even weight… strong grip… sharp edge…”
“Made of Saronite as well.” Dyntos added on. “Well, would you this be your final choice?”
“Hmm……” Nicko thought to himself, holding the weapon and going through the normal attacks he would go with. “Yeah. I’ll stick with this one. Does it have a name?”
“Actually, it does not. You can give it one if you wish.” He offered.
“Nah. I’ll wait til after the trials. A weapons name should be earned, not given.” Nicko told the Forge god, looking back at Glave. “Alright, I’m ready.”
The room around him began to change as a new domain began to take shape. But in the instance of it all, Glave continued to speak. “Your first trial will focus on your primary skills as a Rune Slayer. Swordsmanship and Sorcery. You must use both of those skills in order to overcome both of your opponents.”
Nicko was calm at first, but then, he realized a segment of Glave’s sentence that made no sense to him. “Wait… both?”
That’s when two surges of energy bursted into the room. The first one being pure fire and the second one being blood red magic. Nicko saw this before, but in this circumstance, what he was seeing was impossible.
There were two Amy’s. One of them a Blazing Heart. The other a Crimson Avenger. And both of them were trying to kill him.
“Okay, WHAT THE HELL!? This isn’t possible!”
“I know that, Sonny. But who said that these are actually your friend?” Dyntos voice echoed the room as he spoke.
“Wait a second… You made them?”
“They might be forgeries, but they’re close enough to the real thing. Now, less talking and more fighting, you dunce!” At the moment Nicko snapped back to reality, he had to immediately parry and counter the Sword of the Blazing Heart as she attacked first. The other one, who Nicko referred to as “Bloody Amy” came in next and used her blood magic to try and cripple the Rune Slayer. However, Nicko dodged at the last second and rolled away from the two of them. When he tried to use his magic, some things weren’t working the way he wanted it too and this almost lead to him getting his shoulder cleaved.
In that instance though, He remembered something from Ryu, looking back at when he told them that he could only teach him three ability.
[Movement] is the augmentation of your actions using the skills and spells that you already know. [Chain] is the ability to link spells to strengthen the next sequence or combine them to create something new. Last is [Variant], the ability to recreate spells of others through observation and theory.
[Variant] was the one that he tried to learn and understand on his own, but it wasn’t working for him. He needed something for him to work, but it just wasn’t working for him.
Then, he saw Bloody Amy cast Brutal Cutter, an attack that let the magic of the wielder wrap their weapon in a brutal glow. It was almost like when he saw Ryu conjure a [Mind Sword] during his training all those years ago. The burning need to combat her weapon and to use the skill best fit for the situation caused his magic to be channeled around him. He didn’t care if Rune Slayers weren’t able to do it, but he ignored the consequences. He let his strength take hold, channeling the magic that he was trying to conjure as he let it rip right through him.
“ARMAGEDDON BLADE!!!”
This skill… was not one that a Rune Slayer could use. Nor an Infinity Sword. But it was one that could be only acquired by those who took on the last branch of Elsword’s class tree. The Lord Knight. It was a class that solely reflected on swordsmanship and was also said to reflect the user's “dark side” because of the ferocity they showed on the battlefield. How Nicko himself was able to successfully pull off the skill was even a mystery to him. But, it gave him a major advantage in fighting against the two clones of Amy he was up against.
However, with a lot of his skills like Phoenix Talon, this one had a time limit. And that was twenty seconds. Within those twenty seconds though, he was able to weaken the defenses of the Blazing Heart version of Amy and destroy the other one after shattering her Claymore. What he focused on now though was trying to best her. And to do that, he thought the best way to fight fire… was with fire.
Since this version of his friend fought with pure fire, Nicko decided to use the element to his advantage as he fought against his opponent by having fire form around his blade as he slashed and swiped at her from all angles when he broke her defenses. He even used fire around his feet, putting a literal definition on the phrase “Trailblazer”.
As Nicko broke the Blazing Heart and watched it turn to dust, Glave then spoke again. “Well done… I never thought you would catch on quickly. But… I wonder… How were you able to use the skill of a Lord Knight just then?”
“Well…… It felt like I needed to have something to combat my opponents and match the enchantments that they used, so yeah… First time that my teacher’s training got me that far.”
“That being Ryu correct…… Now that makes sense…”
Nicko at that moment, raised an eyebrow. “What makes sense?”
“How you did it… Ryu told you about how he acquired his spells, but he never told you what was required in order to do so.”
“Required?” he asked, not knowing what he meant.
“In that moment, you said you needed to have something to combat them. That need was the key. The desire to take a skill from someone and something and make it yours. That, my friend, is the requirement you need…”
“So… I need [Greed]?”
“To put it specifically yes. But, it doesn’t mean that you need to use it all the time. Try using your skills in other various methods. Lord Dyntos was impressed with your previous performance. So he increased the difficulty of the next trial.”
“Great…” Nicko’s sarcastically replied.“What’s next?”
“I’m only choosing to hear you by your words and not your tone, sonny.” Dyntos’ voice echoed throughout the room. “Now, with the next challenge, it’s going to be you against a massive battalion of demons. Survive and I might let your Chaotic friend join you on the last trial.”
“Eris? Well alright, I’m a little more convinced now!” Nicko grinned, holding his blade firmly as massive shadows began to spawn around him. He recognized these kinds of demons before since they were the same kind as the ones on Elsword. They were mostly shadows from the continent of Hamel and also referred to as “Shadow Port” demons because they lingered around major shipping industries and were known to meddle with the weather so they could sink ships.
The first few monsters that appeared were Voiders, Chargers, and Walkers. Voiders resembled snakes and could use magic bolts to not only hurt a target, but heal themselves. Chargers were heavy brutes that charged in head first and had a very mighty grip that would take some time to break out of. Lastly, Walkers were the main enemies that had moderate attack power, but could swarm in groups. Seeing the first few opponents now, Nicko prepared a plan of attack in regards to dealing with each of these foes.
Step 1: Avoid the Chargers and save them for last. Start by going for the Voiders because attacking them can disrupt the channeling of their magic.
Step 2: Quickly defeat the walkers. If they land an attack, it might attract the attention of the Chargers.
Step 3: Destroy the Chargers and don’t let them grab you. If they do, they’ll immobilize you for a brief period of time.
Using his plan, the Rune Slayer hacked through each of the opponents one by one as the first wave of opponents turned into shadows. However, when wave 2 got started, a few shots of arcane energy almost struck from afar as he looked at his attackers.
“Well sh*t… Snipers.” The warrior had to roll out of the way out of the oncoming blasts from the fourth demon type that he could now see. Snipers, as in their name, could fire long range piercing bolts of magic and do massive damage if they aren’t dealt with immediately. Now, there were two of them along with a huge Charger that was going towards the Rune Slayer. Out of instinct though, Nicko kicked the demon in the midsection and used it’s massive size as the perfect cover to block incoming fire as he threw the Charger at the first Sniper and took out the second one using Luna Blade.
For the next ten minutes or so, more enemies continued to spawn in various different ways, making it an endurance contest between them and the Swordsman. However, whatever he was put up against, Nicko destroyed with ease. By the time the demons stopped spawning though, he saw what appeared to be a ring on the ground.
“Hmm, I’ll just keep this just in case.” He told himself, placing the piece of jewelry in his pocket.
“Well done. You’ve made it this far, whippersnapper. But you still have one more trial to go. As promised though, your friend Eris can join you.” Within seconds, the Draconequus that was mentioned soon ended up crashing on top of Nicko. Looking like something tried to pile up on top of him.
“Oh… Hi there, Nicky.”
“Oww… Back… Hurts…”
“Oh sorry. One question though… where the heck are we?”
“I don’t really think I have time to explain. Just look inside my head and you’ll probably find what you’re looking for.” Nicko’s suggestion was followed up by a smile from Eris as she soon disappeared into him. “Okay, Lord Dyntos. I remember you saying that there are three trials and I already passed two. What do I need to do now?”
“Simple… You need to win this next fight… But, there may be a surprise in store on who you are fighting.” Dyntos told him, ending his reply with a small laugh as two pillars of blue fire erupted from the center of the room, It was from there though that Nicko saw two figures step out, but couldn’t tell who they were because of the fact that the area had dramatically decreased the lighting.
“Okay this is just crazy! Eris, Can you make any sense of this at all?”
“My guess is, judging from the recent memories I saw, that these two might be creations from that old geezer, Dyntos”
“It’s also the most incorrect,” Dyntos interjected, startling the two of them since they were talking to each other mentally. “I just simply invited these two in order to test you. They wanted to move back to Equestria again along with the rest of their family and seeing that I’m testing you, I thought it would be a nice way to shake things up for you, Sonny.” It was during then that Nicko not only had to deflect projectiles from his opponents, but block incoming attacks from some… familiar weaponry. Two Gunblades and a pair of claws.
“Okay, that’s it. I’m not fighting in the dark like this.” Nicko growled, channeling fire in his hands as he concentrated his power. “PHOENIX TALON”
The rising phoenix that burst forth from him soon lit up the entire room. Half of it was now covered in blue fire while the other half being red. It was only then though that both of his attackers stopped, the shorter one taking off their hood to look at him. Going as far as to actually talk as well, trying to tell her companion to stop his next attack.
“Oh my god… Luke stop!! That’s Nicko!!!”
The name soon rang through Nicko’s head like a gong as he stood his ground, blocking the incoming sword. What he saw though shortly afterwards caused him to drop his guard.
“M-mom?! Dad!!? What are you two doing here?!”
“Like I told you, Sonny. I invited them. I told them that they were needed to help someone with passing an important trial and they agreed to come. The only thing that they didn’t know was that the person doing the trial… was you. Call it a surprise.”
“You have a twisted sense of humor, you know that?” Nicko shot back.
“I have been told that before, yes. Though, I don’t think they explained why.” All this got was a facepalm from Nicko as he looked back at his parents and gave them a nice warm hug. He had not seen them in so long that it felt like tears were going to flow from his eyes. Soon though, the emotional moment was put on hold as both Glave and the Forge God soon appeared in front of the three of them.
“Congratulations, Nicko. You passed…”
“Wait… I thought the third trial was suppose to be me beating both of my parents?”
“Yes, but that wasn’t actually the real test. The real test was to see how good you can restrain yourself in situations like these.” Glave told him. With a finger, he lifted the blade that Dyntos had prepared for him and gave it to him. “As a reward, you’re allowed to keep both the sword you’re holding now and this one. In addition, you can summon the blade you wish to use by calling upon it’s name. We will let you choose the name’s you wish to give them though.”
“I actually already had an idea in mind…” Nicko said as he held both swords briefly. Holding his original one, he then looked at Dyntos. “This one should be called Rovaniik while the other one should be named Ebalon.”
“A wise choice for both of them. In addition, Ebalon will be enhanced with the strength from your willpower. Use them well.” The Forge god told him, having the blades fade away. “You are free to go. However, your parents will need to stay. For them to be brought up to speed on current events.”
Nicko was unsure about what the Forge God had told him, but soon, his parents gave him a brief nod of approval, saying that they’ll be back as soon as possible. For now, he went back through the gateway back to where he had came through originally, just in time to see Faith and Moondancer waiting for them. Looking at both of them, he soon smiled. Specifically though, what he said to Moondancer gave the mare quite a shock.
“Well, why don’t we begin with teaching you the basics of my magic? You are my student after all.” Moondancer herself smiled as they all kept each other company, helping the Unicorn learn the most rare and strongest of magic. One single spell at a time.
End Log 15
Stats
Page generated in 0.087 seconds
Total duration
870 users online
475,442 hits today, 2,244,100 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
"The Wanderer Of The Void," huh?
I don't recall publishing Frost's story. Frost, hue.
6308760 That's technically what Glave is
I'm glad you included Dyntos. Despite him having a small part in Kid Icarus Uprising he's one of my favorite characters in the game!
8403710
Glad you like it