Hoshi no Guu (Star Piece Quest) (M)

[Guu]

Guu launched one of her fists into the crowd, puncturing a hole into their once perfect circle. Gildarts, not wanting to set the boat on fire with his magic, takes on the nearests opponents with his fists, knocking the lights out of the first guy in front of him. The mage swings for the next guy as Guu rockets another fist into the crowd, tossing a bunch a guys off the ship.


As Guu’s arm is extended, one of the civilians reached out and slapped something on her arm. It immediately latched on. The pink one retracted her arm to examined the device.


It was some sort gold bracelet with a red gem in the top. It faceted itself onto her wrist. She tried to push it off, it wouldn’t budge. She tried to shape her arm to wriggle free of it, but it just shaped with her. She tried to break off her arm, but the bracelet just slid down where her arm was still attached.


Because she could try anything else, she noticed the group was closing in, and while Gildarts managed to down four already, there’s only so much his fists could do. She reeled up to rocket another fist into the crowd.


But suddenly, her arm got all twisted like it was a rope. She looked up at her arm but her one of her eyes was now in her cheek and it was throwing off her vision something fierce.


She turned to her senses, but it didn’t help much as her feet gave. She couldn’t keep up straight as one started swirling in circles while the other one was flopping randomly. The crowd, despite knowing what was going on, couldn’t help but gasp and take a few steps back. Guu tried to cry for help, but her mouth was now obscured by her clothing as its dropped down to her belly.


Gildarts, noticing that the crowd has stopped advancing, looked towards his princess and was immediately stunned.


“What’s going on?” He asked in horror.


Guu could only point one of her eyes towards him.


Taking a chance, he scooped up the pink one and made a run for the life rafts on the other side of the boat. He swatted at anyone in his way, refusing to be captured while his leader was in trouble. Didn’t take much, the crowd pretty much parted, not wanting to be involved with whatever was happening anymore.


Gildarts jumped into the raft and lay guu down in one side of it. He manipulated the pulley system and dropped the boat into the river below, disconnecting and setting sail. With the rapid speed of the water, they were already fifty yards from the steam boat within minutes.


But before Gildarts can focus on his friend, he heard a faint whistle and a pungent smell. The boat was emanating a green gas. The mage started to cough violently. He considered jumping ship, but he looked over to Guu who was twitching violently.


“Guu!” He cried out before passing out.






“Cut!” Yelled a voice on an intercom. “I think we got it!”


From below deck, a man in writer’s pants, beret, and very very thin mustache climbed up the stairs. Members of the crowd part for him as he made his way to the front of the ship. A pair of sea otters pull the raft back to the boat so the new person can get a good look at their condition.


“Perfect! Outside the sequence breaking earlier, that went swimmingly!”


“But Mr. Director!” Cried a wormy little man next to him. “We’ve spent days learning our lines, how can we call that a success when we skipped over most of-”


“What’s important Wormy, is that we got the story back on track.” The director turns towards the crowd to speak to everyone in general. “Okay, someone tell those beavers to put in the dam, I want the water to be slowed before they wake. I also want plenty of mood lighting, there’s no point in setting this next scene at night if our heroes can’t see each other!”


He turned to look at Gildarts and Guu and smiles mischievously.


“Let’s make the magic happen!”

[Gildarts]

Drenched in the throes of combat, Gildarts was burdened with the quips from the Malefactor, none of them, save one, deserved his attention, Uh-oh, looks like the little girl is having a little difficulty, this observation was followed by a feminine snicker, and Gildarts swept his feet swiftly to his other side, and caught Guu, having some difficulty with her form. With some quick thinking, they’d evaded the ambush Gildarts was wheezing. Shapes were getting foggy and Guu seemed much taller. His eyelids fell and darkness came with it.

When Gildarts awoke, he was groggy, and Guu was looking much more mature, and banging her wrist against the side of the boat. Smog was everywhere, and there was no breeze, meaning they were dead in the water. The mage propped himself up with his silver hand, and eyed Guu’s actions with a little more focus, the bracelet just didn’t seem to be coming off, “Oh hi, you’re awake! Bout time. Here, see if you can get this off of me, one of them slipped it on and its enabling my shapeshifting abilities.”

The fog made anything beyond the boat difficult to see, and the murky air was stagnant, boiling the heat up in the space that they shared. In the water, which was still, traces of glowing flower petals speckled around the slightly rippling surface while fireflies danced in and out. Twilight fell darker and darker, but Gildarts was oblivious to it all. He leaned forward wrapping his hands around the two thin pieces of metal, and tugged, only to be met by an electrifying ZAP!

The magic bracelet crackled with the wizard’s magic and he was sent flying off the boat, as well as some of the fireflies that were buzzing in the air had fallen, shocked or hit with magnificent force of magic that swatted them to their deaths. Gildarts had landed pretty far out with a sploosh! and Guu had looked concerned for a moment, until his head bobbed above the water, good, he was still breathing. Then, her dark womanly eyes looked back at her wrist, with exaggerated annoyance, “Dang. It must be on good if even Gildarts can’t get it off.”

Gildarts splashed through the water and was weighed down by his cape, so he had to untie it and let it sink with the dark depths of water. Next, came the ‘how can I get into the canoe without tipping it over with Princess Guu inside’ which turned out to be rather comical. Guu sat on the opposite side of the canoe, while Gildarts, steel appendages and all, pulled himself atop the tipsy canoe. “Careful, it’s going to tip!” Guu exclaimed, and Gildarts’ organic hand slipped, causing him to crash ker-splat! right back into the water.

Second -plop! no, third time’s the charm. Gildarts entered the boat with his iconic shirtless, muscly chest wrapped in now wet white bandages, across his torso and over his shoulder. The Prime was tan and attractive, and only no just set his eyes on Guu, “Oi, did you... Get taller?” Guu was now much older, and her eyelashes had filled out gorgeously emphasizing the deep color of her irises.

“Yes, I’m glad you at least noticed now, it took you long enough,” Her girlish sass was still there, which was good, as Gildarts wouldn’t have believed it was the same woman -er- girl.

Glancing side to side, he posed the question, “So where are we, and what are we-” Gildarts was interrupted, by music that seemed to come from nowhere. It was music one might slow dance to, and while he could’ve had a partner right in front of him, this was hardly the time. Still, his muscles were rippling and dew was still rolling off of them. There was something in the air, making it heavy and hard to breathe. It was also effecting his body in the way that he began to get dizzy unless he was looking at Guu. She too found himself staring at Gildarts, who observed, “There’s something in the fog, its making me sick, do your best to cover your mouth while I try and push us out of this.”

Guu was still fiddling with the bracelet absentmindedly but sighed and complied to his wishes, taking a loose garment and covering her mouth. Gildarts charged up some magic, and released it into the water, causing a huge, dramatic splash. Water stayed around them in a perfect circular wall, hovering nicely in the air, before falling like a waterfall, and bringing down with it, a good amount of the fog. Now, they knew what direction to go in, and had some cleaner air to breathe.

The ferryboat seemed to have disappeared and the land was about a mile or two out. Gildarts seamlessly abandoned ship again, seeing how there were no oars, and began to push. Time moved along nicely, until the wooden boat began to unnecessarily creak. First, it was every few minutes or so, and Gildarts had been paddling for a while, next, though, the time increments shortened and the creaks became bumps in the raft, though there was nothing for the boat to run into. Guu alerted Gil, “There’s something underneath the ship,” but the mage was all too aware of it, for a green vine came out of the water and edged close to Guu’s hand, which was dangling over the edge, sulking slightly, due to the invisible chains that now bound her form.

Gildarts released some magic into the water, and they blasted off, like a rocket, or a skimming stone across the water. The burst was enough to get them far from whatever that green water-monster was, but the vine had broken off and still attached to Guu’s arm, it just wasn’t her lucky day for bracelets, now she had a slimy green one, and a gold one with a gem. The green one fell with a gentle splash into the water, and Gildarts and Guu had now rocketed toward land. It was nice, having a mage with crazy powers that almost matched Guu’s around. Their differences helped them get along better, until a crazy demon-parasite began to talk in your head again, and the other person could hear because of telepathic abilities...

Gildarts... The voice called ominously. Guu called back, “Oh, put a sock in it.”

They had breached land, and Gildarts pushed boat so that Guu could debark her raft with ease, meanwhile the mage’s legs were a little shaky as they adapted to solid land. He swept his hand over his damp hair to push it back, and his eyes fell on the town.

Basic houses everywhere, then, once you got past the outskirts, there were a few large buildings, probably hotels and other business establishments. Gildarts shook his legs, but his shorts had stuck to his legs and he was drenched, it probably wouldn’t dry for at least an hour or two, based on how humid and murky the air was. It was amazing, and superb how in the middle of no where, there were places like this, all made possible by Omnillium of course, and the magic that was this world, so it wasn’t hard for Gildarts to fathom, and yet... It still had that special charm that all of humanity, and other species had, a sense of community, a sense of friendship, a- “Hey, that guy’s stealing our boat!” Guu exclaimed, but neither primes did anything to stop it, and the kid took off with an oar in one hand, and pushed the boat into the water and was drifting along, much faster than Gildarts had even swam.

He remembered this town, and the people in it, were all conning them, it was all a show, and they were part of it, just to what extent, Gildarts and Guu would find out soon enough.

[Guu]

It was almost hard to believe, a wrist strap device that could lock you in one form. Though, honestly, she was surprised Gildarts was taking it so well. She liked to think that she kept her child facade quite well. This is, of course, was not true at all, she’s turned into her adult form many times in front of others, including her subjects. Despite being mortal for so long, she still thinks she’s way better at hiding things than she is.


‘Must be the fact that he’s kind of a natural dunce.’ Thought Guu, coming up any excuse to shrug off that train off its rails.


Being in her adult form all the time was a tad more distracting. She’d only taken this form for combat, so walking around a crowd was surprisingly not filled with views of people’s butts. She was tall enough to look Gildarts in the face without breaking a spine to look up that high or moving one of her eyes to peer through her hair. This was a novel concept to her, which of course, was a strange and disgusting feeling.


The pair walked their way through the tiny village, the buildings pristine and stereotypical like something off a film set on a really shitty period piece. She guessed the people behind all this figured they would be on to them at this point as they didn’t even bother to keep the styles consistent; a victorian era style house sat right next to a Starbucks to give an example.


After making Gildarts eat at the subway next to the Buddhist temple, the pair made their way to the biggest building in the entire village, a 30-story casino with reflective blue tinted windows. The words “Fortune Styles” embolden in big neon letters on top.


“According to the wiki, this place started as a barbershop/fortune teller shop.” Guu muttered as she flipped through her phone. “This article was updated fifty days ago so at least some evidence that this building wasn’t exclusively built for us.”


Crowds moved in and out of the large building, the customers varying from finely dressed gentlemen with women at his arms and middle aged men who looked like they had lost everything. She pulled aside the mage to a secluded alley between a Clear Image and a Chinese gift shop.


“If we’re going in there, we’re at least looking the part.”


When the pair emerged an hour or so later they were two different people. Guu was wearing a red, sparkling blouse that barely reached halfway her ankle. She had her hair done in a way to voluptuously cover one eye. Her makeup was something straight out of a fashion magazine. The work on her lashes and liner almost hid the dull look in her eyes… almost.
Gildarts was in a full tux, a $100 bill peeking out from his front pocket that clearly had his own face printed on it. His top hat was adorned with a rose that complimented his flaming red hair, which was done up in some sort of gel. Clearly Guu didn’t think that mess would pull off the “rich with trophy wife look” on it’s own.


Dressed in their best, the pair walked into the casino, arm casually around the princess’ lower back. Her expression was blank as he did this, which made it unclear if her reaction was fuming rage or overwhelming indifference.


Inside was a circus of sin. Creatures of all shapes and sizes frequent the tables, the slot machines, the video poker, tossing dice and flipping cards, screaming for the big win that’ll set them for life. Many people were loafing around the loung, listening the the cabaret singers as they wallow in their empty wallets.


The crowd almost created a funnel for them as they transversed through the casino. It was uncertain how much was planned at this point. Guu’s blank face was hid her emotions, but boiling underneath was the uncertainty. Is this an act? How much of this is real? The fuck is going on?


The parting path in the crowd would lead them to a blackjack table nearl the back of the casino. The dealer was a finely dressed blonde woman wearing the same exact outfit and makeup as Guu. At her side was two almost naked bodyguards. As soon as she spotted our heroes, she waved an arm at the two men, who quickly left for a backroom. As soon as the pair was within earshot, she addressed them in an almost sultry voice.


“My my my, it’s a rare honor for a Princess and her official wizard to come visit my establishment.” She said as she pour herself a glass of wine. It’s unclear where she grabbed it from. “So what do I have the pleasure?”


Guu quickly reached into her mouth and pulled out the fake artifact. Several people winced at the sight of this, a few gasps were thrown around as well. The pink one dropped the fake shard on the table, the logo “Fortune Styles” imprinted on it’s surface.


“I believe you called for us.” She said, not hiding her contempt.


The woman gave them a knowing smirk, looking Guu directly in her eyes. Somehow, that look was familiar.


“Please have a seat, we’ll need to talk.”


Guu was reluctant to get seated, but Gildarts pulled out a chair for her. Not wanting to be rude to her mage, she took a seat. The fiery red head followed her actions soon after.


The woman giggled at the gesture. After a second, she extended a hand, palm facing the ceiling. Soon, a familiar ball of light appeared floating above it, one of rainbow colored substance. The couple immediately knew what this meant.


“Omnilium, it is an amazing substance!” She said, her face twisted further into a more devious emotion. She closed her palm around it, making the light disappeared as she lowered her arm. “Because of it, personal amenities were taken care of. When I started my hair styling business, I put all my earnings into expansion and well paid workers.”


She kicked back, resting her ankle on the blackjack table, crossing her legs as if expecting Glidarts to sneak a free show.


“It’s amazing how hard people are able to work when you pay them well enough. So much more loyal that way.”


“I don’t care how you did it.” Guu said sternly. “What’s your personal beef with me?”


The woman, upon hearing this, sat back down normally to continue looking Guu in the eye.


“Oh, it’s just good ol’ fashioned revenge.” She said, followed by a snooty chortle right out of an anime. “The city, the facade, it was all because I wanted you to know what it was like.”


“What do you mean?” Inquired the princess.


“What it felt like to not be in control of anything. Not certain what is actually reality what is just part of the act. I wanted you to feel the helplessness, and you will continue to feel it.” She stood up, her grin somehow twisting even farther into a malicious grin, a look so twisted that only someone with an unnatural control of their shape could manage it. “This is not the final boss. This is the part in the story where the master, fights the student.”


“Wait… no...” Suddenly, it hit Guu with a ton of bricks. The barber/fortune telling shop, the perverse nature of this woman, her comment about students and masters, it was almost kind of maddening she hadn’t pieced it together sooner. However, the biggest feeling she had was panic. If this was who she thought it was, then she and Gildarts were in far more danger than she originally thought.


The woman’s smile couldn’t curl some more, but he glare changed as if it had, one that knowing, as if somehow the dull look on Guu’s face gave away her thoughts.


“So you finally figured it out, sensei”


She cupped her hands at her side as she took a fighting pose. As she did, her body morphed. The beautiful 20-something blonde because an 80-year-old woman. Her pristine cheeks bunched up into wrinkles, her breasts began to sag in the cups of her red dress, and her golden straight hair became a giant black-haired afro.


“Daaaaaamaaaaaaaa!” She cried out. A pink ball of energy started to build inside her hands. People around started to scream at the sight of it. People rushed to clear out of the building, as if they were all warned what was coming.


“Haaaaaamaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” The energy starts to pulsate, just itching to break from her grasp. Guu leapt from her seat and pushed Gildarts and herself out of the old lady’s path.


“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” She pushed her hands forward, the beam firing ahead, pulling tables and slot machines from their foundations from the sheer force of it. The beam traveled clear across the building, punching a hole in the wall in the back.


As the dust began to settle, Guu found herself on top of Gildarts. Before the cliche could continue, the genuine threat that was Dama stands a few feet from them, that same twisted smile on her face.


“Combat begins!” She said with a laugh.

[Gildarts]

Guu posed tall and proud, yet also gawky and awkward. Seeing into people’s eyes was a change, though Gildarts seemed immensely oblivious to it, and her stumbling. His thoughts grew with the marrowy ridged lines of his face, smooth and polished and natural for the handsome looking man. Now, Guu was by his side, no longer a child, but appearing as a woman. Her skin glowed, her hair fluttered with the wind, and every step was well, not as graceful as someone who had gone to sleep in the body, however, it was hers all the same, and slowly she adjusted to the annoying differences that continuously twinge in her mind like thorns of a fresh rose.

Her extra girth punched the edge of her heel deep into the earth of the streets, a feeling the mage, albeit with only one organic foot, always felt when he stood tall. Those, the actors or villagers, whatever you wanted to call them, gawked at the two, just slightly, though it was concealed under their harshly controlled brow. Whatever their schemes, the scent of cigarettes and coffee was pungent in the air and delivered by the wind across the off-era town. Modern coffee had time traveled and was delivered from buildings at least a century late of its time, as for the Subway restaurant, Gildarts unknowingly broke a wall and then used it as a doorway, causing need for some new renovation to this very, very strange town.

Slots and time spun together, as the duo of Primes entered a casino, which Guu in her child’s form, may not have been allowed access to. The male donned the black disguise rather well, but Gildarts, though looking like a million bucks, rather slouched when his masculine muscles were contained by mere lines of fabric. Printed style wasn’t his thing, however, the pout caused by his attire change worked for him, as, he was glorious and handsome, and the women around the casino, wondered if it wasn’t (the appearance of) money that would make him happy, then at least, they’d have a chance... Until they’d seen the woman on his arm.

Red and glittering, the adult Guu, still a princess at heart, shined brighter than any of the flashing slots that beckoned brighter than most lighthouses to get customer’s attention, and give them a chance at winning millions. The two primes, appearing as a couple, seemed to have won millions, bought the entire casino, and still the money hadn’t been enough, as was the expression given by Gildarts’ pout and Guu’s nonchalantly laying eyes.

Stand tall, Prime, the malefactor’s serpentine voice slithered in his ear, Surprises are coming your way, also, you look damn good in a tux. I’ll make sure to wear one when I’m in control..

Aside from that minor interruption from his parasitic prisoner, tension grew in the untold lines of the room. The blonde woman seemed to become Guu’s worst nightmare before her very eyes. The transformation happened in a few more moments than a blink, but Gildarts saw the attractive broad triple her age, and then some, as well as shrink in size. A charge, then a blast echoed throughout the large room, steamrolling and obliterating slots, felted tables, and throwing cards and dice into the air with fiery chaos.

Pink. Everywhere. The ray of light had filled the room and the lights flickered to a dim low. Had the explosion hit, Gildarts wasn’t sure how much of him would still be left standing, reminded of his body, the Fairytail wizard quickly dug his heels into the ground, and Guu found herself standing right by his side. The man, of course, a gentleman, angled himself in front of her, just so, however, not demeaning her strength, but trusting himself as he pushed a dense looking wooden table at Dama. The table never reached. Dama looked at the male Guu had brought along with her and the old woman’s eyes gleamed with interest, “Ah-ahah-ahaha,” she was cackling as she announced her assessment, “Your friend here seems very strong, can’t fight on your own?”

The challenge was posted in the air, flamboyant and meant to illicit response, Gildarts felt his jaw clench, “Stop this, at once!” However it was at this challenge, when his opponent didn’t flinch, did the prime truly gauge the elderly woman’s strength. Her ebony skin rippled, but not with weakness, nor did her eyes glaze with fear. The woman thought she could take on these two rather strong primes probably for a good reason and Gildarts blinked in near disbelief, before bracing himself for the fall of another blow.

In a flash, she was in front of his face, after her coy smile had perched itself on her gums, did Gildarts feel the gust of wind fluff his hair and spread across his face. Her eyes were dark, and traced with a little bit of lunacy, “Oh, lookiee here, this one’s got a little something extra, I wonder what it would take to take it and make it mine... Heh, or Guu, why should I settle for such a small victory, when I can take the entire meatsuit of a man?”

Ha, I love it when the strong ones notice me, its very appetizing to know I could be free from this cell if you just so happened to die...

Gildarts opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced to a shocking blow to his forehead, one that rattled his ivory teeth and caused the man to shake off the force with a clenching of his organic fist. Lucky for the Prime, his skull was thick enough so he hadn’t been seeing stars, but the woman was gone before he could lay a hand on her. Guu had managed to strike a small blow, and Gildarts charged up his next attack, much like the ferryboat, the two stood side by side, ready and poised for the next battle, that determined the end to each of their stories.

[Guu]

As Gildarts charged his attack, waiting for any indication of the old lady, Guu leapt up in the air and popped her arm out to reveal a small gatling gun. Slowly it whirred into motion as it rapidly fired into the room’s surroundings. She spun around in mid air, firing rounds in all directions, hoping that at least one of them would hit.

After almost a minute, she could feel the weapon overheating, so she stopped her assault on the room in general, Gun almost red with heat. In the distance, all she could hear was the echoing laughter of what has become her greatest foe.

Guu sighed heavily, she popped her arm back on and floated down to the ground.

“Whatever she does, don’t let her split us up!” Yelled Guu as she stood side by side with her ally a mere seconds before Dama planted a fist into her face. The sheer force concave Guu’s rubbery skin to the point the fist would have touched her brain stem from the front. Pink lightning flashed from the impact of the hit, spreading in a short distance. The princess was sent flying into the wall across the room.

What Dama had failed to notice was that Gildarts had been building energy, his magic had been compiling into his fist and was glowing and pulsating. Seeing the moment, he launched it as the woman, hitting smack in the side and launching her into a slot machine.

The woman lay limp, but only for just a moment. Eventually, she shakes herself, slowly sliding and slithering to her feet. She took big breaths and she gave off deep, visceral laughs.

As soon as her face was in view, the mage could spot a line of blood visibly oozing from her mouth. She ran a tongue across it, smearing across her lips. Grinned wickedly.

“My, aren’t we strong little one.” She said, giving Gildarts a look that would send normal men screaming. It was a cross between rage filled and lust, and even the mage couldn’t tell if she wanted to fuck him or fuck him up. “Let’s see how flexible your are!”

The words weren’t helping with the confusion.

Meanwhile in the wall on the other side of the room, Guu groggily returned to the world of the conscious, she could feel the warmth of her own blood on her forehead. She reached up to rub her forehead when she noticed something peculiar. Surging from her hand was the same pink energy that had been coming from Dama’s strikes.

She looked up at the old woman and the mage and the pair were exchanging strikes. One of her punches barely missed his head, moving at a force that would have killed a normal person.

For some reason Guu decided to send a message.

She climbed to her feet, clasping her hands into a ball by her side.

“Daaaaamaaaaaa...” Called out Guu, as she focused. A ball of pink light formed in her palms. She couldn’t explain the sensation, it almost felt like matter, like a squishy water balloon in her hands but made of light.

“Haaaaamaaaaaa...” She could feel the ball grow in power. It was an odd sensation, like that spotty feeling when you are getting your blood taken. Who knew being a super saiyan would elicit such feelings?

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!” The beam of pink energy shot between the two, forcing them to jump out of the way. It traveled across the lobby of the casino and punched a hole in the wall on the other side.

Guu caught up to the mage, who only gave her a puzzled look.

“When did you learn how to do that?”

“Just now.”

But before she could elaborate, she felt a punch from nowhere which sent her tumbling into Gildart’s arms. She looks around, but the culprit was no where to be seen.

“She’s playing hide and seek now, be careful!”

[Gildarts]

It was a waltz. Gildarts moved left and Guu sprinted to flank the enemy. Gildarts never saw much grace in slamming someone’s fist into another body, however, there often was a flow to every battle he had been in. As a veteran and master of battle, he could adapt to any flow, however absurd or indistinct it was. In such an abstract world as the Omniverse, it was much more difficult to be incisive when sizing up your enemy. Never, or nearly never, did an enemy’s pose match its practice. Gildarts for example, didn’t appear to have a strange parasite in his brain, yet here he was, and it spoke in his ear during the battle with that slithering tone of hers, wearing down on his psyche.

Gildarts, you’re getting weaker, just give up now, let me take over, I can win this, you know I can. With me as your conductor I will set the stage aflame. What’s that? It has been too long, ever since you discovered your magic, you’ve had to be careful, your childhood HA oh that’s right, you never had one, forced to run far away from any form of civilization until you could control the ‘earthquakes’ and natural disasters you would cause. Well Prime, I’ve never had the fear of killing, all life is finite, even here. One day you die and suddenly you don’t come back, that’s Omni’s promissssee. Ending these tw- one very powerful enemy is mine. Let me take over?

The creature already knew the answer, Gildarts hadn’t gotten this far by being weak or letting other people fight his battles, no, his stubbornness and diligence always carried him through to the end, good or bad. Plus, he smiled at this thought, he already had a partner. And they had the best reason to want to win: Everything was on the line.

A punch sent directly into Gildarts’ lower lumbar knocked him to the ground and caused a flinching wince to correlate on his face. He stooped over, caught himself on his good knee, and then stood again, closing his eyes and sensing the tension of the room. As they shut out the light and he welcomed the blackness of his eyelids, the sounds of the casino surged. Clattering booze glasses, broken machines pouring out money and regular ones chiming with sounds that were meant to catch your attention and imply you would win millions if you put a quarter in. A few of the lingering bystanders were either loitering to watch, or were scattering out the entrances of the casino (and a few out of the new hole in the wall)!

Gildarts closed his eyes and began to focus, two could play at this game, and there would be only one to prevail. With focus crunching the layers of skin together between his brows, the Prime’s auburn hair began to rise as power crackled with static at the ends of his hair. His eyes were narrowed slits, however he had not graduated his power outwardly enough to shake the room, as the roof would surely fall in on them. “Guu, if you can, focus and see if you can sense where she’ll pop up next,” his lips curved into a half smile, “I’ll get the lights.”

A step away, there was a half-empty beer glass sitting at one of the slot machines, he picked it up, and precisely tossed it in a very straight line across the room, it fell at the end of its journey about a foot, before slamming directly into the switches with an absolutely sparkling smash. Most of the lights overhead dimmed and went out, but the slot machines were still very bright. Guu happened to be standing in front of one, and Gildarts lightly grabbed her arm and pulled her to his side with every intention of staying close.

“That’s not very nice, to test an old woman’s eyesight... I’m going to have to make you pay for straining my eyes,” Dama said, her voice shifting from one side of the room to the other while Gildarts found a particularly adequate shadow to find his next plan. Both Guu and Gildarts were hiding now, making it more difficult for Dama to find them, but eventually, one would find the other.

There was no speaking between the pair, only an exchange of a glance that could be caught by the flash of the whites of their eyes. “There!” Guu told him with her eyes, but a punch was thrown straight into the Prime’s cheek.

“Found you,” Dama chittered, “Too slow. You don’t have much going for you other than that fine physique, do you?”

Guu caught another glimpse of their foe and her arm extended like an elastic band straight in front of her, Dama was knocked to the ground, however receded to the shadows once more. “She’s fast,” Guu spoke and dragged Gildarts to a new location with better shadows and ushered him to crouch down as though it were a better situation for hiding.

The Fairytail mage wasn’t sure what would happen if the pair was separated, so he did his best to heed Guu’s warning, though now it seemed like they were the one’s hiding and Dama was doing the seeking, the tension made the hair on his neck stand on end, while Guu seemed to be focusing on pinpointing Dama’s next move.

Guu’s hand suddenly gripped Gildarts’ organic forearm tightly, her eyes had widened and she whispered, “She’s... Changing.”

Changing? Gildarts thought before suddenly a huge power began emanating across the room. Gildarts felt waves of energy rippling in the air.

“Our chances of winning just...” Guu spoke quietly and Gildarts took it as his turn to power up as well.

Ha, you're a fool if you think you can stand a chance now, the voice of his other enemy, the Malefactor, surged in his mind, Gildarts it is unwise to wait until your last desperate moment to agree to let me take over, I can unleash so much more power onto this being, and it looks like she's going to be stronger than ever, you already weren't even a match, you were playing footsies in the dark! Come on, I'm all you've got, and you'd be gambling with this your partner's life if you thought any differently. I'll win for you. Take my offer and set me free.

“There’s two of us, and only one of her. We just have to hit her with everything we’ve got.” Gildarts announced and then seemed to go full DBZ, aura forming around his figure and the ground dented at his touch. It would surely call the attention of their foe, stealth and suppression or not. But Gildarts and Guu had to be ready for the monster that was coming next.

Dama’s ultimate form had arrived.

[Guu]

Dama’s eyes shifted into a piercing red glow. Guu could no longer see her eyes, but her piercing gaze was apparent; it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She bent down on all fours, her spine twisting and curving to accommodate her new stance. She digs her fingers into the ground, the stone flooring giving way to her touch like clay. She tilts her head back, sending a roar into the ceiling that shakes the foundations of the casino.

Almost like lightning, the creature shot across the room, easily clawing marks into the floor in her wake, teeth out, ready to pierce their way into a pink-haired skull.

Guu threw herself out of the way, just narrowly escaping the clasp of her maw. It instead lands on a nearby slot machine which easily shreds at the sheer force of her bite as if it was made of souffle. She violently coughs as metal parts and gambling chip fly out of her mouth, violently expelling at the horrid taste of greed.

Guu took a moment to take solace behind an overturned blackjack table. She knew this monster, she created this monster she knew how simple its mind was when Dama transforms into this state. If only she could use that to her advantage. Her mind raced, trying to think of a way out, but she could feel the bony scaly claw of fear creeping it’s way in her formally immortal mind.

Gildarts had finished charging up, his body had become a shadow against a veil of white light, only his piercing red eyes persisted in the darkness. Monster Dama had finally gotten every last scrap of the slot machine out of her mouth, and she turned her rage filled gaze towards the mage. To her primitive mind, he was just another man, another man to be conquered under her will.

She stretched her teeth out, launching herself forward at the man with full intent of slaying him where he stood. In a flash, he disappeared out of the way, her misdirected attack raking marks in the floor, scooping bits of stone into her mouth. He appeared behind her, ready to strike again but almost instantaneously she shot around to slash at him. He barely got out of the way, the sheer force of the swing sent air pressure his way, enough to notify him that if had landed, he may have been downed in just that one strike.

It was enough for him to tactically retreat. He ran backwards hoping to play defensively with the monster, but she suddenly darted forward, keeping good pace with the mage, flinging her outstretched teeth every which way forcing him to leap from side to side. Even at max speed in his most powerful form, the creature was keeping up with him.

Suddenly, she leapt into the air her gaze firmly on his head. She flew up ten feet until she was primed right above him, and then she flew down, mouth wide open, razor sharp teeth ready to bite his head off.

Suddenly, Guu’s body rams right into Dama sending them both into a nearby wall. They were in the women’s restroom, the old lady’s head went right through a toilet spilling water everywhere. As the monster slowly gets her head straight from being rammed through a wall, the princess quickly grabbed on onto the monster’s head with one hand and shoved her arm into her mouth. She quickly used the teeth as a saw to cut into the form enforcing device that was strapped onto her wrist. A second after cutting the device loose, Dama bit down on her arm, severing it at half way from the elbow.

Guu was able to activate her disassemble ability quick enough to take no damage from it, but she already motioned to swallow the arm. The princess leapt off her and quickly took control the of the arm remotely.

Dama suddenly began to cough violently, which suddenly switched to her full on choking. Guu’s arm had inflated like a balloon, blocking her air ways. She was kneeling on the floor, facing down against the unsympathetic tiles as she gasped for air. In an act of desperation, she reached into her throat, shoving her own arm deep into her mouth and yanked at the protruding limb. Her own teeth cut into the flesh of her arm as she pulled on Guu’s dismembered limb. The pink one, noticing a chance to get her arm back, turned it into a flock of tiny birds that took flight out of her maw. By the time the pink one’s arm had returned to her, she was well out of the old lady’s sight once again.

After catching her breath, Dama howled as she thrashed her fists into the ground, sending bits of bathroom tiles everywhere. Meanwhile, Guu took off towards Gildarts. With the device off, she had defaulted back into her child form. She gave a single glance over to her partner who returned it with his glowing red eyes. She gave him a single nod. No more nonsense, no more shipping, it was time for a couple to kick some ass. Suddenly, she was engulfed in shadows.

The monster made her way out of the bathroom, clawing out through the hole she made in the wall earlier. Peering around, she gave the air a mighty snort. But before she could even process those smells a big black tentacle stretched around her and yanked her through.

Guu’s skin had went black and semi transparent, her muscles and organs showing through. Her eyes were glowing red, now matching the eyes of her partner’s. Five other tentacles wave around in the air a bit before swoopingin to wrap snugly around the mad grandma.

Dama laughed, it was deep and guttural, almost like a chortle crossed with a dog's bark. With little effort, she powered out of guu’s grasp with a simple flex of her muscles, flinging her tentacles back at her.

She refocused back at Guu, launching forward with her fangs out. This time, Gildarts came in from the left, Kicking hard against her skull, throwing her into a tumble on the floor. She leapt back on her feet, but one of Guu’s tentacles wrapped around her ankle and sent her for another tumble when she attempted to charge at Gildarts.

Guu flew up in the air above the old lady as Gildarts stepped over. Winding up his leg, he gave her a swift kick to the stomach that sends her flying into the air towards a waiting enigma. She did a downwards kick launching Dama back into the ground with enough impact to leave a crater.

Dama didn’t bother climbing back to her feet. Without looking up, she launched a fist at Gildarts with a stretchy punch. It was so unexpected that it hit him dead on and knocked him over. Then she took to the air, suddenly landing on top of the princess causing both to fall to the floor. Dama pressed down on her body, pinning her to the floor.

Guu barely ducked out of the way as her maw clasped down where her face would have been. her tentacles wrap around Dama, trying to pull her off her body while she desperately shifted her head to dodge each life ending bite.

Unfortunately, she got unlucky.

The crazy lady’s teeth sunk into the princess’s shoulder. Taking off a huge chunk of flesh.

The sharp, oozing pain was enough to bring back her senses. Suddenly, the weariness that had been building in her head this entire fight took it’s toll, the aches of her body from the previous hits joined in with the pain of her shoulder like a choir, she couldn’t hold on anymore. Her tentacles receded back into her form as her skin slowly faded into a natural color. Dama pulled back, her mouth red with her greatest foe’s blood and tissue. She gave yet another laugh at Guu’s expense before moving in for yet another bite.

But once again, a solid kick to Dama’s gut sent her flying through the air. Gildarts wasn’t ready to let his teammate die, he stood behind the monster and his cherished guild leader. Dama, surprised took off out of sight.

The man knelt down before Guu, pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it on the princess’ wound,

He shot back up prepared for Dama’s next attack, but was surprised to see she still wasn’t around anymore. He scanned the room, puzzled, concerned she might be going for yet another stealth strike, but nothing came of it. Not even a sound.

But he could smell something. It smelt like burning.

Smoke. The room was filling with smoke.

Dama suddenly appeared in front of him, which sent Gildarts back in a surprised battle stance.

“Take her if you want, I don’t care. I think the message was sent.” She smiled while winking at the redheaded mage. “Goodbye lover boy!”

With that, she flew up through the glass ceiling, shattering it, launching glass all over the place. It cleared up a lot of the smoke, but the fire made itself known. It was spreading up the walls as if they were intentionally made of gasoline.

Gildarts scooped up Guu into his arms and ran for the front doors, the fire literally chasing them down the carpet the whole way. With a swift kick the front doors swung open and he dashed out the building where a the flooring behind him quickly set ablaze. The mage kept running, he ran until he was clear of the casino, clear of the town. When all that was around him was grass and forest, he let Guu down. And powered down his form.

He quickly checked Guu’s wound and found that she had patched the wound over with some of her excess skin, another bonus of malleability. Guu was unresponsive, but clearly alive. He sighed, and turn around. The spot they stopped at had a fairly good view of the casino. The fire had already spread to the outer walls, the entire building was covered in dancing lights the lit the evening sky.

With this brief moment, he had a moment to reflect, but this was a moment that his other companion was anticipating.

“I know what you’re thinking. ‘Could you have done better?’ ‘Could have we succeeded if I had handled things differently?’” Said Malefactor, Gildarts could almost visualize her smirk in his head. “This is the weakness of man. We both know, who would have done better here. Just remember that.”


By the next morning, the building was reduced to ash. With the fires dying down and the sun finally coming up, the mage collected Guu and headed down to pick through the remains. The little one was still healing, but he didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone while he rummaged around.

Fifteen minutes into his search, he shook her awake.

“Guu! Guu Wake up!”

“What?” Said the pink enigma, groggy from the wake up call.

“Look!”

She opened her eyes, and as her vision came into focus, she saw a safe, big enough for even Guu to easily fit in.

“Maybe she left the Star Piece in there? I mean, she never used it in our fight, and she didn’t go to retrieve it afterwards. It’s a possibility.”

Guu sighed, she almost forgot about the star piece, she wanted to forget it at this point. After everything, she couldn’t bring herself to believe that it would be as simple as cracking a safe, but it was worth a try at least.

“Put me down next to it.” She said, wearily.

Plopping down, she honed her senses. She couldn’t feel into the safe, probably similar technology to the lab in the ninja village, but she could feel the locking mechanism. A very typical combination lock, nothing too special. It was unusual the technology inside was more advanced than the technology protecting it. Then again, this is Dama, not really known as the most sane.

She turned the nob until she could feel something click within the device, then she continued, going one by one through the numbers, until she could feel a heavier click than the others. Chancing it, she grabbed the handle.

And it opened.

At first, when that glimmer of yellow hit her eyes, Guu didn’t want to believe it. It could be another fake, it could just some random decoration, it could be whatever was in the box in Pulp Fiction. She didn’t want to believe that it would be so easy to be just sitting inside a safe. But as the door swung open, she began to see its form. A yellow, diamond-shaped object, just sitting all alone. She could almost feel the power radiating from it.

She reached a noodle like arm inside the metal box and shifted a few fingers to touch it. Even from a few inches away she could feel the familiar sensation of omnilium trickling down her arm. The shard was warm to the touch.

She lifted it up and brought it close to her face. The cut of the stone almost seemed manufactured, and yet so clean that the craftsman must have been more than a master.

Guu lifted the shard up to Gildarts face.

“It’s-it’s the real thing.” She could feel her social face pop up, but she didn’t care, her emotions were insatiable. “It’s actually real!”

She tried to pick up Gildarts to spin him around in the air, but his half metallic body caused the princess to stumble back a bit before giving up.

“Uh, Gildarts, can you do that thing where you pick me up and you spin around while we laugh gleefully? I can’t do it to you.”

“Oh, sure!”

The mage picked up Guu and spun around in a circle, the princess laughing gleefully before wincing in a pain from her battle wounds.

“Let’s go see the ninjas!” Guu said excitedly as Gildarts took a big step forward, but the princess stopped him. "Let's let our wounds heal first, of course."

It took almost a day to make it back to the city. Guu used her vita compass-esque senses to know the general direction, as they flew most of the way on summoned griffons. The sight of civilization appearing in the horizon, almost gave Guu chills. Felt like almost a lifetime.

It felt almost nostalgic, being lead up the steps to Tsunade’s office once again, the view of the city spreading for miles from outside the tree. The princess tapped the mage’s shoulder, gaining his attention.

“Thank you, for coming with me on this journey.”

“It was my honor.” He said, humbly.

Guu pulled the piece from her stomach before entering the ninja leader’s office.


Tsunade was sitting attentively at her desk, giving Guu her full attention.

“I assume that’s the star piece in your hand there?”

Guu stepped forward and placed the piece in front of the woman. She picked it up and inspected it closely, it almost resonated in her hands.

“It’s definitely the real deal.” She said with a smile. “Great job! Now we can trust it’s in good hands.”

“So what are you going to do with it?” Asked Guu.

She placed it back on the desk and pushed it back in her direction.

“I’ll let you hold on to it.”

Guu cocked an eyebrow.

“After all the trouble you went to get it for us, you’ve proven yourself trustworthy. Go on take it!”

Guu stretched an arm and picked up the piece.

“As head kage of Mokugakure, I name you, Guu, the protector of the yellow shard.” She said formally, before dropping a knowing smirk. “I trust you can protect it.”

“Thank you.” Guu said politely, with a bow.

“For now, I release you. Come visit sometime, we can talk politics then, but I bet you want to get home more than anything.”

“That is definite.” Said Guu wearily, the thought of Ambrosia lingering on her mind.

“I’ll have some ninja accompany you, just to ensure your safety. Farewell, Princess.”

She turned for the door, Gildarts followed after. As soon as they were out of sight, Guu stuffed the star piece back in her stomach.


She didn’t put much thought into the Ninja that would be accompanying the two of them, so it was to her surprise when she saw three very familiar faces. A girl in a bunny outfit, a perfectly fixed up cybernetic moogle, and a watermelon in a shape of a girl.

“Bani? Pitchin? Melani?” Said the princess, almost in disbelief.

“You didn’t think you’d go back to Ambrosia without us!” Said the bunny girl.

“I did originally come from there, so yeah...” Said Pitchen.

Melanie simply nodded.

Guu stretched out her arms and pulled them all into a hug.

“Yeah, let’s go home.”