The waiting game [B-rank Mission]

[Nines]

So that happened, Nines thought to himself as he was back in Oak town. The old man Reyes had requested him in person this time. He was pretty certain something was after him now. After that night the two of them went through the woodsea things did nothing but get worse. Now there were actual animals attacking people on the road there. It was this weeks trip back to the tiny village, and he wanted Nines to be there to help him through it. Like last time.

Nines hoped something wrong happened this time, last time was dull, uneventful. Felt like years went by rather than days. It was a drag really, having to do this again if nothing happened. Nines was really hoping for some entertainment when they said he needed to go to oak town for the next bit of his re-processing. They didn't have all the paperwork in Era yet. He accepted the mans job request, and waited for him in the designated waiting spot. He wouldn't be here until it was almost dark. However waiting was currently his damned Council job, so waiting it was. They moved the library back to Era so he didn't even have books to read. He kicked his feet around as they dangled off the bench.

”Word Count”:

[Nines]

“Alright Nines lets get this trip back over with.” The man said throwing his chest back in the back of the wagon. “Hopefully we’ll get back before dawn and I can still make breakfast”


Nines nodded staring into the woods, something seemed different than before. He looked at the angle of the Moon, the light shining from its surface just barely penetrated the woodsea’s branches. Nines reached into his pouch and pulled out a Lacrima he didn't use often. A timepeice Lacrima, it told the time of day, no matter where you were. It was before midnight, they had gotten here early. However it would take them several hours to make the trip back, and Nines was pretty certain this time would be more eventful. He mentally prepared himself for whatever he could fight on the trip back. After loading the rest of the stuff back on the wagon they set off. Nines walking again, in order to get to threats before hand.


The man's paranoia was instantaneous. He jumped to the sides from time to time, and looked around on the spot. His jitters were no help to Nines, every time the man thought he saw something he would jump, which would catch Nines attention. This darkness was the perfect cover for something in these woods.. Nines himself caught a glimpse of a few shadows. His nerves were itching for something to happen, his eyes and mind playing tricks on him. Nines rubbed his eyes with his right hand. Then the fog started rolling in. That didn't help things any really.


The wind howled through the Night, causing a noise that Nines couldn't pull himself to ignore. The branches would rustle due to the wind itself, causing him to mistake it for movement. The trees themselves looked alive, their gnarled bark making faces that laughed at him, their branches reaching for him. The woods could sense the two mens fear, and they thrived off it. The branches themselves turning sinister due to the paranoia running through the air. The two men traveled like this for what seemed like hours. The silence between them thickening drawing their fear out. Then a reprieve came, a new sound. There were lots like it, the soft thump of a paw in dirt. Nines could hear twelve such sounds. Three quadrupeds.


As he came to that realization a dog burst out of the woods and latched onto his defending arm. The gauntlet took it like a champ, and Nines drew his knife and rammed it into the dogs throat without a second thought. It was good his muscle memory and combat reflexes were better than his brain was at times, because he honestly freaked out a little there. He cursed inwardly at himself, how did he miss the three of them getting this close to him. He could see their wild eyes, growling as they waited for a chance to strike. Blood spilled around Nines hand as he withdrew the knife from the dead dog and let it drop.


Wolves waited for a moment of weakness to strike. Nines grinned as he charged one of the two wild animals. The other darted around him, then lunged towards his achilles tendon intending to take him down. Its teeth bit down around armor, and it realized its error too late. Nines reached down and around and landed on the dog, a growling whimper came from its lungs before it too got a knife into it. The third wolf took two steps back, its companions dead, it knew it could no longer win this fight, it barked at Nines and turned and fled back into the woods. Nines withdrew his knife from its prey, and skinned the two dead wolves, using the chest the man had emptied back in town to store the meal they would provide for others at a later date. This killed a few minutes on their trip, and it wasn't long before the two went back on their way. The silence again taking its place between them.

The elder mans paranoia had become a lot less visible now that he realised Nines could take care of them. He was trying to remain calm, and this took a lot of work on his part. Nines could respect that of the man. Conquering your fears was an important lesson in life. Nines himself once had to do that, but that was a flashback for a later time. Now Nines was content with walking through the foggy woods with nothing but his ears to guide him. He was sick of seeing shadows flicker between the trees, and his mind imagining them to be out to get him. He audibly sighed as they continued. There was a grunt noise to his side and he stopped. The wagon however didn't, Nines wanted it that way. The wheels squeaked to a halt not a moment later and the man called out for him “Nines!?”
“Behind you, be quiet, i’ll catch up in a mom-” Nines didn't finish before a snort, and a squeal happened. Then came a large thumping noise, boar, from the sound of the thumps a big one too. Heading straight towards him. Nines bent his knees leaned forwards a bit and summoned his armor around him. A boar’s charge was strong, the impact was to disorientate, knock you on your ass so the beast could gouge you with its tusks. Nine times out of ten they were built like battering rams so it was a clever strategy. The boar hit Nines, as Nines grabbed its tusks, his stance diverting the force of the impact into the ground, his knees absorbing the shock. Nines looked the boar in the eye, before heaving and throwing the creature to the side. It landed and rolled snorting as it hit the ground. Nines had his blade drawn and was upon it before it could react, using its own strategy against it. The kicks of the creature, battered his armor relentlessly but were no where near as strong without a running start. The beast was a one trick pony, and that was its downfall.

Word Count:

[Nines]

“Well that was eventful” Nines said standing up after it was dead. “Should be enough boar there to feed a family for about a week, if they eat alot.” He chuckled. He was sick of the silence ruling these woods. He turned and started to walk towards the wagon. Before he stopped as the man pointed behind him. Nines raised an eyebrow and turned around to see a woman before him. It was impossible to call the creature before him anything but beautiful. Her skin was dark, her hair was platinum blonde. Her hand was tightened around a Scythe, its grip both calm and relaxed. Scars wrapped around those fair hands, her purple dress matched her violet eyes, and she wore no shoes and touched no earth. Behind her were a pair of wings, small enough to look more like bones, but definitely belonging to her. A tail curled around her leg, its arrow point ending below her knee. She was an otherworldly grace, unnatural, however she felt like she belonged here. The air around her however was sickening, her face cold. Nines knew just looking into her eyes that he wasn’t going to talk his way out of this encounter, so he left his knife out. It was going to be a hard fight, that was for certain. She had more range, and definitely more power.


“Reyes, do me a favor, get in the wagon and stay down” Nines told the man, who hurriedly did as he was told. Something was off here, she could be a demon, but Nines doubted it. Where did she come from, why was she here. More importantly, why was she rotating her scythe like an enemy towards them. The quick weapon flicked through the air around her, through both her hands nimble fingers. Nines looked around, there had to be a logical explanation. Was she a witch of these woods? What exactly was going on here. The swing came towards Nines, and he back pedaled quickly, it wasn't long that he realized this was the best option as the blade’s edge wasn't the actual end of the scythe. The thin darkness wrapping around the blade cut the air just as well as the weapon did.


“You did rather well with my little pets!” Came a voice in the fog. Male voice, which meant there was a mage behind this. Which mean that she was most likely a slave of some sort of magic. Nines sheathed his knife, and dodged out of the way of the scythe again. “But now my little Alisette is going to KILL YOU” Came the voice. Her face seemed to twitch when the word little was spoken and she swung the scythe faster this time. She did have some kind of emotions, which meant she wasn't a conjuration. She was an actual being, taken advantage of like this. Nines thought back to what he was trained about Celestial Wizards, they always needed a key, and they always had Spirits, spirits had personality.

The source was the mage, the conduit was his key.
Using this information Nines formulated a plan as he dodged the next scythe swing.

Word Count:

[Sponsored content]