Zero No Tsukaima Fan Fiction ❯ Zero No Tsukaima Darkness Rising ❯ Answers in the Library ( Chapter 4 )

Answers in the Library

 

Seth wakes up in the middle of the night not entirely sure what day it is. As he sits up he carefully moves Rain's arm that was resting across his chest. Before he gets up he tests how well his arm is and is very pleased to see Zion's magic had completely healed him in a very short time. He stands up and throws a light coat on from inside his backpack.

“Geeze why did Saito and Louise have to get summoned by the queen........”

The camp is dead except for the sound of crickets and the cracking of the dying embers in the fire.

I guess now would be as good a time as any

Seth starts walking towards the academy as he passes by the great walls that protect the outer grounds he he finds himself face to face with a large sky dragon.

He dragon takes a sudden interest in him as he quietly tries to get the great beast back to sleep. He slowly starts to back away from the dragon, “Easy, I'm not here to do anything bad just go back to sleep.” To his great surprise the dragon seems to understand or perhaps just not care and lays its head back down in the grass and drifts back into sleep. Seth lets out a deep sigh.

“It's late...”

Seth jumps and stumbles away from the voice behind him and quickly turns, a suddenly bead of sweat on his brow. As he is quickly trying to get his composure back he notices that person is the light blue haired girl that Zion had been hanging out with so much lately.

“Oh thank god, its only you.” Seth keeps breathing heavily as he still hasn't gotten his wind back.”

With a quick inspection as he rising from his crouched down position Seth notices that she isn't wearing her cape just the skirt and collared white shirt with her large magic staff.

“What are you doing here?” Her sentence length is astounding considering how she normally talked.

“The library is opened again. Before I leave I'd like to do some quick research.” The sound of The Library seems to peak her interest as she turns and leads Seth to the girls bath room where the entrance is located. “Geeze no wonder people couldn't find it, what a crazy place to put the entrance.”

After a minute a small incantation the wall they are standing in front of opens and they begin to walk into the darkness of the tunnel.

It's bad enough I got caught but this girl seems to be very secretive, she's hardly said a thing

“So uh, I don't even know your name, my name is Seth.”

“Tabitha,”

“So you are a wind mage right?”

“Yes,”

grrrrrr....... “So you've been down here before?”

“Yes,”

grrrrrrrrrrrrr........ “So Zion seems to have take quite a shine to you.”

There is a slight hesitation in her step but beyond that just another simple, “Yes.”

“You are him seem to have grown rather chummy since we've arrived.”

“We read,”

“That's it?”

“That's it.....”

This doesn't seem to be getting me anywhere, maybe I shouldn't keep pushing the issue, we could use a wind mage with us though. Zion told me that he likes her, what could it hurt

“You two make a good couple, after all you are both into books.” This time Tabitha doesn't respond, his best guess is because it didn't end with a question. “Do you like him too?”

Tabitha stops and turns to Seth who almost walks into her, “Why do you keep asking me questions?”

“I'm sorry I just wanted to make conversation, it's what people do where I'm from to avoid awkward situations, I didn't mean to offend you.” Tabitha looks up at Seth and sees that he genuinely sorry.

“It's okay.”

She turns and keeps walking while Seth waits for her to get a decent distance from him.

Shit......

After a few more minutes they reach a large opening in a cave with a building in the middle.

“Is that it?”

“Yes, no magic use inside of it though, or it will close.” Seth nods and they continue into the building.

As they enter the building, though in a cave, is well lit just bright enough to be able to comfortably see.

“Tabitha, I didn't ask because it's none of my business but why did you help me?”

“Zion told me you where gonna do this and he asked me to help you.” She begins to look around looking at titles on the books.

All the books are well over a hundred years old and the deeper into the library the old they get. Tabitha and Seth both reach the farthest back part of the library and among all the books there are three tall wooden cases with glass tops in the middle of the room. Seth walks towards them as if draw by them` . He looks into the first case, a simple leather bound book is inside, the condition looks close to brand new. Tabitha goes and looks into the second case and finds a wand with a ceramic hand holding it. Seth continues to stare at the book inside the first case so Tabitha goes to the third case and before reaching it hears the sound of cracking glass under her feet. She bends down and picks up one of the shards and then looks at the third case, the inside of it is a hole.

“Seth,”

He seems to snap out of his stupor and walks over to her, “What is it?” He looks down at the broken case, “What the?”

Seth looks at Tabitha, “What do you think was in this case?”

“A sword,”

Seth looks at the case and there are indents around the hole in the shape of a sword guard and the hole itself seems to be about the perfect size to fit a sword. Seth reaches into the hole and feels the inside of it, the same material as the inside of a scarab.

“I wonder where it is now?”

“It is still near, the broken glass has no dust on it like the rest of the library.”

The echo of clapping surrounds Seth and Tabitha, “Well done.”

The owner of the voice drops down in front of Tabitha and looks her up and down.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Griffin, I came down here to get this sword, and now that I have it I'll be leaving, I bid you both a fond farewell.” He spins around and begins to walk away his heavy cloak flowing with his movements.

“Tabitha, please retrieve those other two things for me, if they are important enough for that guy to take I'd kinda like to know why.” She turns back to the cases and Seth quickly sprints off after Griffin. The longer he runs the more he begins to become worried as he hasn't caught up with Griffin in the least. Seth reaches the opening to the passageway and has to catch his breath but he sees the cloak just leaving the room.

“Shit he's toying with me!?” Seth sprints after him again this time catching him just on the steps exiting the building that houses the students, “Wait Griffin,”

The man stops and turns around, as he does Seth stops running and puts his hands behind his head to catch his breath quickly.

“Yes?”

“What do you want, why'd you take that sword.”

“So I could use it of course.” The man removes the hood of the cloak to reveal a teenager with short brown hair, “would there be any other questions for me?”

“Why is that sword so important?”

“It's special, would you like to see?”

“What...”

Before he has a chance to dodge Griffin swings the blade and the blunt side crashes into Seth's side slamming him against the brick wall of the building.

“See, special.”

As Griffin turns he is struck in the face and almost simultaneously hit in the back. Griffin falls to his knees and swings the sword this time blade out and it creates a blast of wind.

The blast pushes Seth's unconscious body more against the wall and also makes Griffin's unknown attack skid backwards against the wind.

Airo looks ahead at Griffin who to him is simply the man that may have just killed Seth. Airo charges at Griffin and jumps over a horizontal swing of the sword and connects with his fist as he flips over him. Griffin instead of swinging his sword does a back kick and catches Airo square in the jaw knocking him into the stone steps of the building. Airo gets up and jumps out of the way just as Griffin brings the blunt end of the blade down upon the steps smashing them into stone fragments. Airo runs in at Griffin and gets close enough that he can't use the sword and slams his fist into his stomach and follows the attack up with a knee to the gut. As Griffin falls he plants his hand and charges forward like a football player knocking Airo head over heels as his shoulders crash into Airo's lower legs.

“You are pretty fast.”

Airo kips up, “you haven't seen me being fast yet,” Airo's rune begins to glow and he seemingly disappears.

Griffin suddenly is struck from four different directions almost at the same time. He falls to the ground again and gets up almost as fast as he is put back down with a powerful strike into the center of his chest. Griffin stabs the blade in the ground and quickly pulls it out causing a tremor in the immediate area that sends Airo into the air.

Griffin quickly jumps up and brings the blunt end of the blade down onto Airo's gut launching him back down to the ground at suicidal speeds. Airo hits the ground so hard that his body bounces and continues to skid and crash against the ground for a few more yards.

Griffin lands on the ground and takes a moment to inspect his handy work. “Well I guess that's it then, time to be leaving.”

He turns around and is instantly forced against a wall he can't see his attackers face just his platinum hair.

Zion tightens the grip on the man's collar, “Why did you do this!?”

“I was just using my new sword.”

Zion spins and throws Griffin over his shoulder down back first to the ground.

“This will end here then!” Zion's left eye begins to glow and in a sudden desperation attack, Griffin swings his blade up catching Zion's face.

Zion spins around and falls to his knees holding his face as blood begins to seep out from under his hands.

Griffin gets up and looks mortified as Tabitha reaches the building opening and finds the three downed warriors. He quickly spins and runs away before Tabitha can finish he ice spear spell.

Tabitha puts down the two artifacts that she brought back from the library and runs over to Zion who is now standing again with blood running down the left side of his face.

“Zion are you okay?”

Zion turns to Tabitha a cut about an inch above his eyebrow running down over his eye and stopping in the middle of his cheek bleeding profusely, “Yeah, I think I'm okay, I can't open my eye though.”

Professor Colbert comes out of the building followed by Guiche and Kirche. He quickly looks over the situation and turns to Kirche, “go help that boy over by the wall, Guiche go and get that one over there.”

They both nod and head over to help Seth and Airo.

Colbert runs over to Tabitha and Zion, “Tabitha please go get these boys friends okay.”

Tabitha nods and runs towards the camp.

Zion turns to Colbert, “How did you know about Rain and Hina?”

“Its not like you where trying very hard to hide form us.” Colbert leads Zion into back to the main building with Guiche carrying Airo on his back and Kirche using her salamander familiar Scorch to carry Seth.

Zion's vision is completely blurred from the blood that has gotten into both of his eyes so he can't tell where he is being lead but the next thing he knows he is sitting down on a table and Colbert is dabbing a rag around his cut so he can better inspect it.

“How bad is it?”

Colbert face is serious, “it is better than I originally thought the cut seems to have just barely missed your eye ball but you'll have a scar for the rest of your life, I just hope it isn't infected.”

A sudden gaging sound emits from Seth and he turns over on his side and throws up, a majority of it being blood..

“Kirche, Guiche go wake the head master, this might be beyond my skill.”

“Yes,” Kirche quickly exits the room and runs off out of sight.

Another painful gag followed by the sound of Seth throwing up, through cause he manages a “What the hell,” and puts his head back down.

“You there stop moving around so much I think you might have an internal injury so you need to hold as still as you can.”

“It hurts to breathe.....”

“You'll be okay just try to stay awake and conserve your energy.

The door opens up, “thank goodness you are hear the one on the floor seems to have internal injuries and I haven't even had time to check the other boy yet.

“.............”

Colbert looks up and Rain, Tabitha, and Hina are in the door way, “I'm sorry but you'll have to wait outside there is only so much room in here.

Rain and Hina both exit the room very calmly and Tabitha closes it behind them.

As Tabitha turns from closing the door she looks at Rain and Hina who are both sitting on the floor against the wall holding each other crying. Tabitha kneels down in front of them and embraces them both.

Colbert gives Zion a damp rag, “Keep this over your eye and apply a little bit of pressure.” Colbert quickly turns to Airo who is still unconscious and almost immediately notices that his knee is dislocated as well as his right shoulder from the arm.

As Colbert sets Airo's arm back into place the headmaster finally arrives, “Ah, thank goodness you are here, that boy on the ground needs your help as soon as you can.

With a flick of his wrist his trusty wand was in his hand and a bright blue aura surrounds Seth's body and lifts him until he is straight up and levitating over the floor. Old man Osmond makes a crossing motion with his wand that seems to affect Seth as he lets out a pain filled noise that quickly escalates into a loud scream.

In the hall the sound makes Rain begin to shake as she begins to cry even harder than before making Tabitha and Hina hold onto her tighter.

Inside the room the blue aura is now flowing all over the room and has begun to wrap around Airo and Zion. The aura lifts them slightly as well and Seth seems to have passed back out from whatever is happening.

Colbert turns to Osmond and finds that he is in fact deep in a meditative state while standing.

The light suddenly dies and Seth falls to the floor slumped over while Zion lands back on his feet and Airo gently rests on the table.

Osmond opens his eyes and falls back into a chair and starts taking deep heavy breathes, “That probably wouldn't have been so hard on me if I'd quit smoking.

Seth takes in a deep coughing gasp as if he hasn't breathed air before in his entire life. “What hack, happened?!”

Colbert smiles, “Our headmaster just healed all of you at one time.”

Zion turns around and looks at Seth then puts his hand up to his eye, “it closed?”

Colbert looks at his eye and finds nothing wrong with it, “other than the scar there is no sign of damage to you at all,” he turns back to Seth, “you and your other friend should have no visible signs because you had internal injuries.”

Seth can't believe how cheery someone can be when they say the words 'internal injuries.'

The door opens and old Osmond and Professor Colbert exit first and start walking down the hall. Seth is the first person to walk out of the room, “Hey Rain, I think I'm gonna need a new shirt this one is completely destroyed in the spot I got hit....” Before he can say anything else he is slammed against the wall behind him and he slips and falls with his crying attacker.

His voice lowers to a whisper, “Rain.....”

She is still crying as she wraps her arms around him calling him the worst of names under her breath.

The only thing he can say is her name again as he rests his head against her and holds her.

Hina runs into the room after Zion exits and finds Airo pleasantly sleeping on a table his shirt covered in holes from his collision with the ground and the sword strike.

Zion looks back into the room as Hina runs past and then over to Rain and Seth slumpded over on the floor Rain a crying mess and Seth........just a mess. Zion then looks over at Tabitha who's facing the wall as she doesn't want to show her face. Zion walks across the hall and drapes his arms over her and rests his cheek on top of her head. She turns around and her face is all red and lines of water left by tears are still present on her cheeks.

“Baka........”

Some ten miles away Griffin is sitting on a rock staring at his newly acquired sword that is resting against a tree a few feet away.

“What happened.......”