Six Warriors

Fruitless Search - (Ethan)

The Phantom Lord became powerful and infamous meteorically quick, Gartham paid a tribute when Iron Fist was defeated, so the club also had some resources, some underworld contacts from the academy, access to information and rumors and yet, not even sign of any of the scrolls. Apparently good information had been passed on from Mike to Miguel and from Miguel to Ethan and now he and Fenrir were going to see if that rumor would actually help them.

Ethan had a magic card in his pocket that he supposed he would know what to do with it right away, according to Miguel, but now he was looking for the card in his pockets and there was no sign of them.

"Looking for this?" Fenrir asked with a smirk, holding the card between his fingers.

"How did…how did you do that?" Ethan asked, then took the card from Fenrir, "hey, I don't like this, don't hang around playing the little thief anymore, alright?"

"Hey, come on, man? It's just a trick."

"Don't do this anymore Fenrir, don't start with it" Ethan scolded and the two continued on their way, but Fenrir didn't take Ethan's words seriously. Sometimes that Fenrir trait irritated him, how he took nothing seriously, how sometimes he lacked responsibility.

"Oh no!" Fenrir suddenly wept.

"What's wrong, man?" Ethan asked.

"Her again, I smell her, she's getting closer."

"She who? What are you talking about?"

"From the most annoying girl in this place, Monique... Look, there, she's coming, see? And look who's with her, what the hell!"

In fact, after Fenrir pointed, Ethan saw Monique and she was walking side by side with Brandon Myrkem, one of the guys he and friends ironically dubbed "rebellious baddies." When he saw Fenrir, she smiled, while Brandon frowned.

"My, my" she said teasingly.

"Just ignore it," Fenrir whispered to Ethan, trying to pretend he hadn't seen Monique.

"I know you saw us boy."

"Serious?" Fenrir spoke sarcastically pretending to have seen the two of them just now, "Wow, what a pleasant surprise, my two biggest fans here and now! What sewer did you guys come out of now?"

"How funny you are."

"Want me to finish him?" Brandon asked taking two steps forward.

"Oh no, please." Monique said between giggles, "No violence for now."

"Hey look there, my fan is pissed off." Fenrir teased, and Ethan chuckled, "What's wrong, blondie? Still mad I didn't give you autographs and kisses the other day? Blondie, I'm telling you, this obsession of yours is going to hurt you."

"Well, go ahead with your silly jokes that only make your i***t friends laugh" Monique was still smiling, as if she was still superior there, "I was just hitting the final deals to approve Brandon's and his friends' club as officer. "

"Oh yes, radical. And what about the theme? Blondie, don't tell me you started a fan club for me!"

"The theme is... The Six Warriors."

Fenrir changed his expression, that bored look Ethan knew was him trying not to show any kind of irritation.

"So," he said scornfully, "one of our old club themes, right?"

“Wait, weirdo kiddo, are you just admitting that you actually tried to found that Phantom Lord g**g? That's interesting, but it's irrelevant now. I haven't quite explained Brandon and his friends' proposal yet, the dark side of the Six Warriors, I found an innovative, taboo-breaking theme."

"That's what makes me sure you're never going to be a good headmistress" Fenrir smirked "let yourself get carried away with anger, with revenge, hey, revenge is cool, but you mix personal matters with business. Use the power you has to try to hide your insecurity. Besides, when you impregnates a person, you never leaves his back. It's a pity, huh? Dominick and I say so."

"W-what are you talking about?" Monique's expression changed, her arrogant smiles faded and she began to blush.

"You know what I'm talking about" Fenrir smirked.

"Leave Dominick out of this!" She yelled, her face red, which Ethan couldn't tell if it was in anger or embarrassment. Several students were now looking at them, "he's going to wipe out your entire miserable team in the tournament, you'll see!"

"Oh yeah? What if I told you he's become our friend?" Fenrir was smiling triumphantly and very mischievously, Ethan wanted to ask him to stop.

"I say you're a liar! He would never hook up with people like you!"

"He spoke to us today." Fenrir continued to tease, looking down at his nails with a disdainful smile, "I don't know, huh? I think that Phantom Lord g**g might last a little longer, who knows?" Fenrir laughed.

"i***t!" She yelled, and Ethan wasn't sure if it was Fenrir or Dominick, that wasn't even there "i***t! IDIOOOOT!!!"

Everyone was looking at her, and even Brandon looked embarrassed. Fenrir was amused.

"Well, go on," he said, "it's cute the way you curse."

"Brandon and his team are going to finish all of you in the tournament! All of you! You're going to cry in front of the entire school!"

"Like you doing now?" Fenrir raised an eyebrow in a cynical smile.

Ethan thought she was surprised when he noticed tears starting to well up in the middle of her red face. She strode out, and Brandon gave Fenrir one last irritated look before walking away. The Black Wolf looked at his friend and giggled.

"That girl is an i***t" Fenrir said with a shrug "I'm fed up already."

"Fenrir, look, I need to talk to you," Ethan said, looking at his friend seriously and touching his shoulder, but they were interrupted.

"My young boy Fenrir, don't be so hard on her" Said an old man appearing there.

"Alberich?" Fenrir asked. The old man shook his white head. As far as Ethan knew, this old man was the reason for all the disagreement between Monique and Fenrir.

"She's just a girl, confused in various feelings, and a huge responsibility has been imposed on her. The most famous school board in all of Khand, her family's name to watch over. Understand her, she's seeing the legacy of her family, Myrddin Academy, being infested by troubled students and she does her best to resolve this, while she is just a young girl."

"Where's the headmistress? Me, if she can't bear the responsibilities, just give it up, give it to someone else."

"It's not that easy, Fenrir, besides, only a Spellon can be lord of this castle and consequently director of this academy. It's complicated, but just try to understand her side."

"That wasn't the first time she's humiliated you like that. Why do you defend her so much?"

"I know a lot of Spellon family members, I've met a lot over the years, sometimes they can be confusing, but in the end they become great people, they just need a friendly shoulder to be there for them, being a noble is often... lonely. With that, I feel that girl almost like family."

"Tsk, you're nice, Alberich, but don't even try to make me like her."

"I won't try, but I hope it just comes naturally. See you later, young people."

...

Ethan and Fenrir were now in the Verdant Woods.

"Fenrir, what I wanted to talk to you about…" Ethan started, but his friend motioned for him to stop.

"I still wasn't sure, but I still feel like they're on our tail. Ethan, we're being followed." Fenrir then pulled a dart from his pocket and threw it against a tree, saying "whoever you are, get out of there!" The dart stuck into one of the trees and then Ethan saw some guys appearing from behind that same tree.

"You're really good to have noticed our presence, Black Wolf" said one of the guys, "that's it, your fame precedes you so we decided to follow you to see if you really are strong. The Night Wolf and the Bright Lion, mind first we just wanted a fight, but you guys seemed to be up to something, so we followed you. Too bad you found us, eh, eh."

"Who the hell are you?" Ethan asked the guys, who were four. Two of them came out from behind the tree, another two jumped off one of the branches.

"Special squad from the Delta Tramp club," said one of the guys, a guy with curly hair and a little chubby, "we're the Terror of the Dawn! Tremble before Dan Kelt, the Green Knife!" So he did some ridiculous fighting positions.

"I'm a sophisticated and a warrior gallant, I'm a hit with girls and with a beauty radiant," one of the guys stepped forward and held a rose close to his face, "I'm Loe Norda, the Pink Stick!" He was a fair-skinned boy with brown hair and stylish.

"Just experience the true horror in front of the one who speaks to you" another introduced himself, making awkward gestures, a kind of flashy presentation, "yes, tremble with fear in front of Maciel, the Blue Dagger!" He continued the gestures. He was a tall boy, with thick lips, short hair and brown skin.

"Don't run away when I introduce myself, for my mighty presence chases away even the bravest of heart" another guy stepped forward and made gestures like a ridiculous dance, "have the honor of meeting Jhomoor, The Yellow Switchblade!"

Colorful firecrackers exploded, one pink, one yellow, one blue and one green. Fenrir and Ethan didn't understand a damn thing. 

"They were silent" laughed the... Ethan forgot his name, but it was the guy holding the rose, "they must have been quite impressed."

"No wonder" agreed the other that Ethan didn't remember the name either, "after all, despite what we've heard about how terrible the Black Wolf was, he seems to be nothing but a paltry little boy."

"That's it," a third said, smirking, "followed closely by his goofy-looking friend and ridiculous pompadour."

"How is it?" Ethan asked irritably, "hey, did you really mention my hair, you trash?"

"Ethan, let's just go" Fenrir shrugged, on his face he had that usual bored look, "those idiots don't deserve our attention" Fenrir turned to follow his path but one of the guys did a lot of somersaults and jumps and then went inside in front of Fenrir's path.

"Do you think you'll get away like that, little-tiny Black Wolf?"

"Fenrir, looks like these losers really want to fight," Ethan said, frowning.

"Why?" Fenrir asked with a yawn, "Really guys, fighting is a lot of work. If you really want some kind of fight, how about...I don't know, a card game?"

"Try not to look so scared, you weaklings" laughed the one who got in Fenrir's path, "just suffer! THE GREEN KNIFE STRIKE!!" The boy seemed to move into combat positions and then magic seemed to glow in his right hand, soon after he advanced against Fenrir in a quick punch, the Black Wolf also moved.

"NIGHT WOLF CLAWS!!" Fenrir shouted, attacking with his claw-shaped blow that hit the opponent's body and made him spin in the air and fall weakly to the ground, already unconscious.

"He's kidding, right?" Ethan thought seeing the scene, "Has he really been defeated yet?"

"As expected from the Black Wolf," said the other seeing his friend unconscious, "he really defeated Dan Kelt with a quick attack and made it look like Dan was weak. But don't think you can intimidate me with that, Black Wolf, you won't be so lucky with me. PINK KICK STICK!!" The boy lunged with a magic-filled kick at Fenrir, who just dodged back and then lunged forward with a spinning kick that hit the enemy's temple, knocking him away until he hit a tree trunk. This other guy also fell backwards, unconscious with his eyes rolling dizzy and a grimace of pain and then some acorns fell on top of him.

"They're not enemies to be underestimated, Jhomoor" said the guy of whatever squad, "let's attack the Bright Lion together, ok?"

"Okay. On three!"

They counted to three and charged at Ethan at the same time.

"BLUE DAGGER PUNCH!!"

"YELLOW SWITCHBLADE CHOPP!!"

Ethan opened his arms and just cast his magic:

"SPARKLING WALL!!"

The two attackers crashed into Ethan's wall of light being counterattacked with the magic it contained, they were just thrown back, their blows didn't even scratch Ethan's defense and when she passed, the boy realized they were already unconscious.

"Was that…was some kind of a joke?" Ethan asked with a grimace seeing the challengers unconscious.

"I wish the tournament guys were that easy." Fenrir shrugged.

...

In a certain tree in that extensive forest, there was a marking, Ethan knew how to identify only by a map given to him by Miguel. The chosen one of light looked for some kind of marking and it was so thin it could go unnoticed by anyone, it was a place wide enough to fit just one card. The card Ethan had. The boy placed the object inside the tree's entrance and she opened a strange door in its trunk, a magical door that glowed inside like a tunnel that would lead to some strange place.

"That's a very small door," Ethan said looking at the opening.

"Indeed." Fenrir nodded.

"I couldn't make it through. Like, I think only a kid would make it through."

"Indeed." Fenrir nodded.

"Or maybe someone with a small, thin body, who knows."

"Indeed." Fenrir nodded.

Ethan shot a suggestive look at Fenrir, who grimaced.

"Right, you want MY PERSON to get in there, regardless of the dangers there might be in there, okay, I get it."

"Is the only way."

Fenrir prepared to go inside when Ethan took his shoulder.

"I must be careful, I know," Fenrir said without taking his eyes off the entrance.

"That's it. And I still haven't given up on telling you what I had to say, despite being interrupted twice."

Fenrir said nothing and continued on his way.

About ten minutes later he returned, carrying a bundle of reddish wool.

"Traps…there were some traps in there," he said, "my luck is that I brought my kit of…trap deactivation things. Yeah, picklocks, I don't know, I guess that's what it's called."

"What you got there?"

"Alright, I'm fine yeah, thanks for asking." Fenrir then handed the package to Ethan.

"It's a book?" Ethan said after unwrapping the package, it was a small notebook with a leather cover and locked.

"It's more like a diary" Fenrir noted, "very tightly locked. Yes, I tried to open it with my picklocks and I'll tell you what happened, they were destroyed and my hands almost went too." Fenrir showed what appeared to be some burn wounds on his fingers, "lucky I figured it out in time, or else... anyway, it's a magic lock, only a special key would open it. I think there must be some very strange secrets in this diary. I don't know, are you going to see the guy took his friend's girlfriend? Or if it was a girl, she cheated on her fiance? Wow!" Fenrir made a startled face and then went back to his usual bored expression, "That's really... boring! Did I really go through all that for a stupid diary?"

"Miguel should know what to make of this. Let's go back to our base and take care of those wounds of yours. Oh, and Fenrir...I was bothered by that scene earlier."

"What are you talking about? Those clowns from Squad Dawn or whatever? Yes, I was too, I mean, it was kind of ridiculous and comical, but I was still embarrassed by others..."

"No. With Monique."

"What you mean?"

"I mean," Ethan touched Fenrir's shoulder gently, "first of all, you should never make fun of a girl's feelings, no matter who she is or whoever the person she's likes is, got it?"

Fenrir raised an eyebrow, as if he doubted they were having this conversation.

"Second," Ethan continued, "you must always avoid making a lady cry, avoid that at all costs, after all, you are a gentleman, right? No matter who the lady is, avoid making her cry."

"What are you talking about? I'm to blame now? She's annoying."

"No matter how annoying she is, she's a girl and girls can't be treated that way you understand? By the way, she's a pretty girl after all, which makes things worse. Never make a pretty girl cry."

Fenrir started to want to laugh, but Ethan scolded him;

"Hey, I'm serious okay? You were really mean to her back there, and I think you should apologize."

"This is a joke, right?"

"No. You have to apologize, I mean it. Look, you said yourself you're tired of this silly intrigue, right? Why don't you try to be more friendly?"

"Yeah, it turns out if I try to apologize to her, she's going to want to overdo it and she's going to want me to…I don't know her apologize on my knees or something. Never ok?"

"Think again, do you really want her as an enemy? She's quite influential and I've seen that our enemies are allying with her. And as far as I'm concerned, if she asks you to get down on your knees, it'll be lucky for you. Lots of boys they would want to be in your place, as far as I know. Besides, Fenrir, few things are more dangerous than a pissed-off girl, you're just a boy, but I tell you this is a lesson you should take in life."

Fenrir frowned, and from what it seemed to Ethan, he didn't like that advice at all. Ethan didn't like being annoying, but this was necessary.