Where Fairies Dwell

Darkness Rears its Ugly Head

Ren stood frozen in place, to him it felt like hours but in reality, it probably wasn't even a minute. In an instant Rita eliminated her three remaining allies leaving them with serious injuries, 'Why?' he thought to himself, 'Why would she do that to her own teammates?' "They were weak. They would've got in the way.", said Rita. Ren immediately broke out of his shock turning around to deliver a punch but before it could make contact roots sprung up from the ground and stopping his punch. Ren tried to break free, but his arm wouldn't budge. Suddenly Ren's arm was freed as another root hit him straight in the gut sending him flying. Rita couldn't help but smile at how strong she's become as more of the black ooze crept up her arms, "The archduke was right, this stuff is the stuff of legends."

Five hours before the exam started Rita met with the archduke in secret. "Have you made the necessary preparations for the exam." "Yes sir I put together a team of 8 people all highly capable who would do anything for you, and we have a plan for how to deal with our target." The archduke smirked before holding up a vial of poison, "I assume the plan is poisoning him with this poison you made, then chipping away at him until you can steal his fairy." Rita was shocked she kept that vial in her satchel, yet the archduke has it now. The archduke handed the poison back to her, "I assume you made this yourself correct." "Yes sir if not I would be disqualified instantly when the trial started." The archduke walked over to a locked cabinet, "No matter how good a team and plan you have it's always good to have an ace up your sleeve just in case. Remember your target is able to use five kinds of magic and was trained by Claire for a year." He pulled out a key and unlocked the cabinet immediately Rita and her fairy could fell a dark energy exploding out of it. The archduke returned with a different vile the contents of this one were completely black. "What is this stuff?", Rita asked. "Let's just say it's the stuff of legends. If you find that your plan has failed and your about to lose take the contents of this vial and you'll be able to turn the tables on him." Rita looked at it with intense curiosity, but her fairy only felt fear, "I don't think we should take use this Rita it's..." "Shut up!", Rita snapped. "Won't I get eliminated if I have this?" "They look for any magic signature different from your fairy's, this stuff however isn't magic so you'll be fine." Rita took a deep breath and grabbing the vial.

Ren was flying through the forest through branches until he crashed into giant tree stomping his momentum. "Ren can you move?", Noir asked. "Yeah, I just need to heal my wounds.", Ren's stomach had a large imprint on it from where she hit him, his stomach started to glow as the injury vanished. "Ren, we need to get out of here now!", fear was present in Noir's voice, "Whatever she did to herself it was pure evil." Suddenly a tree several meters away from them started to rot and a hole through the tree opened up. Out of the hole Rita walked towards them with ooze on her arms just growing and growing. "Ren come on we have to run!" Ren didn't respond he just stood his gaze fixed on Rita. "Noir if I said I wanted to stop her right here and now would you trust me enough to stick with me." Noir was shocked by what Ren said, "What are you talking about?!" Ren let out a deep breath, "I'm asking if I stay, and fight would you stick with me?" Noir couldn't believe what he was hearing but at the same time he knew that Ren wasn't reckless to fight if he knew he couldn't win. Taking a deep breath Noir responded as he started to glow, "Yes!"

Immediately Ren charged straight at Rita with a powerful punch ready, like before Rita blocked it with several roots. Acting fast ren froze the ground trapping her feet, he readied another punch with his hand full of electricity he landed a clean punch electrifying her. He then readied a blast of fire in his other hand straight at her. Enveloped in fire she grabbed Ren by his shirt then with her other arm wrapped in roots delivered a strong punch. Ren jumped back clutching his hands together, as two hills formed with her in between them, the hills quickly collided. In an instant she cut off her own feet in order to jump above the hills just as they collided. She landed in a sitting position on the hills as two new feet grew for her. She then jumped right at Ren pinning him to the ground. "You know you're pretty strong you know that. It's a shame but I have my orders and I can't disobey them." With one free arm Ren grabbed a rock turning it into a knife, he plunged the knife deep into her side. Rita's face became even more annoyed, she formed several pillars of rock behind her. "You know what just die." Every pillar came down towards Ren but just before they hit him a slash of dark energy came out of nowhere destroying the pillars. Rita, Ren, and Noir both looked in the direction it came from and out of the trees came a guy around Ren's age with white hair. "This doesn't concern you leave now, and I promise I won't come after you." The guy didn't say a word as he readied his hands for a fight. She let out a sigh, "Alright I'll deal with you next." Suddenly she felt something around her stomach looking down she saw a bunch of vines wrapped around her she was instantly sent flying of into the distance.

The guy walked over to Ren and stretched out an arm to him, "You good to move." Ren accepted his hand and got to his feet, "Who are you?" "The name's Xander, you?" "Ren" Ren took a moment to catch his breath then continued, "Why'd you help me back there?" "I saw you guys fighting from a tree line I saw the way she fights, the way she moves it's inhuman. I can't explain it but something told me if I don't get rid of her now, she'll kill everyone here." A loud boom could be heard from where Rita was sent flying Ren and Xander got ready for another encounter. She charged straight towards Ren delivering a punch which Ren blocked, Xander then fired a blast of darkness at her. The blast sent her back several feet as Ren gave a strong right hook to her stomach causing her to move back ever more until she reached a tree. Rita then put her hand to the tree it started to move as dozens of branches stretched out at both of them. Ren dodged the branches that came down at him as Xander blasted them away. Suddenly the branches withered and rotted away and soon the tree followed. Wasting no time Xander concentrated darkness into his hands and released several dark spheres towards her. They quickly surrounded her suddenly one of the balls collided with another ball causing a chain reaction of explosions around Rita. As the smoke cleared Rita was kneeling on the ground in pain. Ren and Xander used this chance to go in delivering a barrage of punches one after another.

Through the barrages of punches all Rita could think of was that she was about to fail, that she was about to be eliminated. The archduke who counted on her does not take kindly to failures, her family, her status, her future she was about to lose it all. In this feeling of hopelessness, she let out a demonic-like screech forcing Ren and Xander to back up. She felt a splitting headache as the black ooze crept up more and more of her body until it completely enveloped her. Without saying a word or acknowledging Ren or Xander she pressed her hand to the ground trees started to grow old and wither, grass became dry and straw like, and the flowers turned to ash. She suddenly got to her feet as plants started to grow out of her arms, they started to grow bigger and bigger blooming in the process. The flowers began to glow and in an instant beams of pure energy came shooting straight at Ren. Ren barely dodged as the beam pierced through a nearby rock. Ren and Xander looked in shock at the power she suddenly had. Xander readied another attack but found Rita was right in front of him a wicked smile present on her face. She grabbed him by his shirt then slammed him into the ground before punching him repeatedly. She suddenly stopped and focused on Ren. He tried to move but out of her sides emerged several black vines that immediately ensnared Ren and Noir, they tried to struggle but nothing happened, Ren tried to burn the vines but they would not burn. Rita aimed the flowers on her arms at Ren as they began to power up. A large beam shot out from her flowers aimed directly at Ren 'It was over!' Ren thought 'We failed.' Ren closed his eyes keeping them shut for what felting like forever waiting for her final attack but it never came instead all he heard was a groan of pain. Ren opened his eyes and saw Rita hunched over on the ground clutching her stomach. The vines holding Ren and Noir started to wither away as they fell to the ground. Rita started clutching her stomach even tighter as she started to gag on something. Suddenly she started vomiting black ooze as she returned to normal with her skin is noticeably paler. She collapsed into the dead grass barely moving as a white circle enveloped her. Rita disappeared from trial ground now being eliminated.

Ren was left stunned by what happened a moment later and he would have lost. He then heard groans of pain, then remembered Xander. He walked over to Xander who was still on the ground, "Hey you alright?" "Yeah, I just need to learn how to not feel pain." They both chuckled at this. "You know you could eliminate me right now, have one less issue to worry about later." Noir chimed in, "Heh after that beating you took, I don't think you'll be an issue to anyone for a while." Xander's coat pocket started to rustle and out of it came a purple glowing fairy, "Oh please like you two are one to talk one second later and you two would've been done for." Xander chuckled, "Don't be like that Luna we're no better." Xander then noticed Ren focusing magic into his hands and applied it to Xander's injuries. "What are you doing?" "I'm repaying my debt you should be able to move in a minute." Xander's injuries started to fade and before long he was able to move again. "Thanks." Xander stretched out his hand for Ren's to shake, "Hopefully I'll see you at the end of test." Ren shook his hand, "Likewise." The two both left walking in opposite directions of one another a with feeling of comradery between.