Post by voltage on Feb 2, 2010 22:20:46 GMT -5
Voltage was lying down just under a tree’s shadow. He and his friend, Souryaku, had just decided to take a small break from their travels. The sun was bright, the sky bright blue and without a cloud in sight, and the grass field moved like a green ocean. Sour dropped and relaxed on his back, and Voltage quickly fell asleep.
Leaves, twigs, and branches whipped at his face while Voltage chased his enemy. The friend turned fiend laughed and sped up, disappearing from sight. “Get back here!” Voltage cried, increasing his momentum. Eventually, Voltage and the traitorous figure were running up an active volcano. Yet, the quarry wasn’t scared, and jumped into a hole on the side of the mountain, with Voltage following suit.
Little did either of them know, a third person had been in the volcano long before those two had jumped in. A young girl, she had decided to use the volcano’s blistering heat and constant threat of death as a training ground. Her name: Nuwa Ibris. She had no idea of the coming battle.
Voltage had lost sight of his mission’s subject. He turned left and right through winding tunnels, yet found no hint, not even a small scent. So, he roamed the hot earthen halls. It wasn’t long before he stumbled upon a large chamber. He looked around for his prey, and saw a small figure. Mistaking it for his client, he yelled out to her. “You have done a crime to the contract of peace. Your punishment is death!” With that, he picked up a large boulder and hurled it, ignoring the burning heat that it drove into him.
Nuwa wasn’t scared, though. She had a defense against this meager attack. She closed her eyes and focused her energy. Two seconds later, a puff of brown mist came from nowhere. A fox had appeared, looking up curiously at his summoner. Nuwa withdrew fans from her robe, and stopped the rock in midair. She cut it in half and allowed them to fall, dropping a few dozen feet off the sides and splashing into the lava lake below.
Voltage wasn’t even impressed. After all, that action solidified his suspicion that this was the person he was chasing, given the fact that they were part of the Earth Insect Tribe. Feeling up for a fight, Voltage disappeared from his perch, moving faster than Nuwa’s eyes could follow. He reappeared behind her, with a handful of lightning extended towards her. Adding insult to soon-to-be injury, he activated his Lightning Eye ability, allowing him to see his opponent’s nervous system, greatly increasing his reaction rate towards her moves.
Nuwa barely had a second to react. Fear was starting to creep into her mind. After all, she had just come to practice meditating in harsh environments, and some sort of monster had just jumped in and attacked her! Nevertheless, she responded to Voltage’s attack. She activated her Aura Reader ability, giving her the capacity to see others’ auras. She grabbed her attacker’s arm and threw him over her shoulder. However, he flipped in midair and landed on his feet. Nuwa noted his eye ability. Comparably, his eye power was much more useful in the current situation than hers, giving her the sense that she wasn’t going to fare well already. Still, she met his challenge, and fought.
After a small brawl, Nuwa knew that she was outmatched. So, she withdrew and ran down a hall. Voltage, euphoric in the excitement of battle, chased her, only adding to his glee.
Nuwa ran down twisting tunnels, with Voltage not far behind. Yet, he was far enough behind to catch only glimpses of Nuwa as she went around corners. They hopped over cracks and dodged magma as the pursuit continued. Nuwa tried to stop Voltage by closing openings with her earth-influencing powers, but to no avail. Voltage merely smashed through them. She turned another corner and waited for her chaser.
Voltage unknowingly walked straight into a trap. As he turned the corner, he spotted Nuwa concentrating again. Before he could move, however, she opened her eyes and multi-colored mist filled the room. Soon after, it dissipated, revealing several more summoned foxes. Not skipping a beat, she told all of the spirit foxes to form the ‘Star Formation’, a particularly devastating attack. Instantly, a ball of wind formed in her hand. It began to glow blue and hum very loudly. The spirits poured their energy into the same ball, combining all elements into one. Nuwa said softly, “Elemental Repulse Shockwave.” Then, a mighty gust of wind blew at Voltage, bashing him straight through the wall behind him to, amazingly, an underground lake. However, Voltage made sure that Nuwa came with him.
They both flew through the hole, with Nuwa landing on the shore and Voltage splashing into the middle of the lake. Voltage swam and pulled himself up, out, and on the water. He grabbed his left arm in pain, only to find out that he didn’t have one anymore. His jacket fell into the water and sank while his heart beat; he was losing a lot of blood fast. Two seconds later, three of his wolves attacked him, or, as a shining luminosity revealed, healed him. He immediately moved behind Nuwa, covered her in small scratches, grabbed one of her friends, and retreated back to the middle of the lake. There, he began constricting Nuwa’s animalistic friend in his powerful grip.
Nuwa didn’t have time to heal her wounds, nor was she able to go to Voltage and take her buddy back. Before she could come up with an idea, however, her body began to blink an orange color. She smiled, and then desummoned three of her foxes. She then started chanting.
“Guardians of the spirit realm, I ask for your blessings. Give me the power to protect myself and my comrades."
Revealing itself after a bright light, Nuwa had transformed into her Healing Maiden form. Her robe had turned from the pale blue to a green with a floral print and her hair changed from black to green. This form of hers allowed her healing abilities to be doubled in strength, but at the cost of halving her attack power. Then, she spoke to Voltage with newfound confidence. “Ok, it’s my turn to be aggressive.” With that, Nuwa inserted her finger into the water, then unleashed a bright light. The lake’s water not only enhanced but also transferred the light, making the entire lake shine like the sun! She quickly followed up with a wind imprisonment technique while Voltage was disorientated. However, she didn’t stop there. She forced him to the wall; made the wall form a sphere around him, slammed him against the wall several times, and launched him upwards.
Voltage wouldn’t allow Nuwa to gain any ground, figuratively or otherwise. He quickly created an electric chain and used it to pull himself and his combatant back into the lake. Then, using his powers, he let out a small shock, temporarily stunning Nuwa. Afterwards, he used her body as a springboard, launching him up and her down. As he left to ambush the woman outside, he sent more lightning into the lake.
Nuwa was knocked unconscious during the initial strike, making most of his electric attacks void. However, with some lucky magic, she was able to regain consciousness just as the lightning was closing in. Instantly, she righted herself and made a pillar of earth force her above the surface.
She wasn’t exactly happy about this fight. She, after all, had been training to be a defensive mage all of her life, and she feared hurting others. Yet, Voltage wasn’t allowing her any other option. Still, she wrestled with this contradiction within. After some persuasion from Kira, her most powerful fox spirit, Nuwa finally decided to stop holding back.
"My allies protect me. Let all of the energy in the universe fly and aid you in your struggles."
A bright light shined, and when it fell, Nuwa revealed yet another form. This one had the coloration of a holy white, going from her hair to the bottom of her beautiful gown. It was her most powerful form: Dreamprincess. She walked outside into the rain and flew herself to the top of the volcano. She increased the power of her aura, so much so that the mountain became unstable, causing hot lava and ash to billow out. Almost mockingly, she said, “Dodge this. Dance of the Dragon.” Immediately, twenty pillars of wind bashed into the mountain’s side, picking put rocks, lava, and various other debris. The wind then was sent into the forest below.
Voltage, who was still in the clouds, started to worry. His wolves were down in the greenery… did his enemy believe that he was down there with them? Suddenly, a strange power filled him, causing his fangs and claws to grow. With this increase, he summoned to him a giant sword made of lightning, and swung down from his high perch. He blocked the flow, and using some power now lost to him, he flung the lava back, made several other attacks close in on Nuwa, and chained her up with electric chains.
Nuwa started to glow blue. She unleashed a gust of wind, blowing Voltage away. She then concentrated, and, after finding the right current, dispersed Voltage’s energy bonds. She then made a series of hand motions, making the thrown lava settle back down to the volcano’s side. What Voltage didn’t know is that Nuwa had sent her fox Kira to fuse dark energy with the fires that now plagued the forest.
Voltage righted himself in midair as he fell. As he did, however, he noticed a small figure in scamper through the woods. Right after that, a wolf howled in the distance. He howled back in answer. He had finally realized that Nuwa was providing a distraction for Kira. He sent electricity into Nuwa’s nervous system, effectively paralyzing her. Then, he ventured into the forest to stop the Kira clones. But, it wasn’t long before Voltage saw his mistake and returned, sending an attack in replacement of a greeting.
Nuwa managed to dodge these attacks, and used the soot as a smokescreen. She communicated with Kira, saying to start the next phase. Then, she jumped to the other side of the mountain to attract Voltage’s attention.
While Nuwa kept Voltage’s interest, Kira kept busy. He began drawing strange circles in the ground while his clones fought Voltage’s wolves. After he was done, he ran to Nuwa’s position to start the third phase.
Voltage wasn’t exactly happy about his enemy hopping everywhere around him. Using an unknown source of energy far surpassing anything he ever had and will be able to have, he jumped high into the air, created a staff, and slammed it into the ground, sending out a shockwave going out for a mile. This attack destroyed all of the Kira clones and rendering Kira himself comatose. This attack, while powerful, completely drained Voltage’s electrical energy. Nevertheless, he again moved faster than the eye could perceive, reappearing behind Nuwa, slamming the butt of his staff into the center of her back. However, Nuwa wouldn’t allow him to win. She spun around and grabbed his staff, saying, “Petal Dance”. A flurry of white petals surrounded Voltage, cutting him.
While Voltage was preoccupied, Nuwa peered at Kira’s body, limp and unable to move. But, the body disappeared with a puff of dark smoke. The real Kira walked up to Nuwa, sly with pride. Neither of them were to be beaten so easily. Kira fused with Nuwa like all the others, and, with a series of motions, powers, and drawings, the circles that the clones made glowed brightly, and a giant stone dome made itself apparent. Afterwards, Nuwa added a little of her energy in order to make said dome unbreakable.
Voltage was drained, cut, and wheezing. One of his wolves walked up to him worried, only for him to cut it down and take its energy. Afterwhich, Voltage began to speak to his opponent. “I have walked the plane of existence for one hundred years, yet I have never faced an opponent like you. What is your name?” Nuwa faced him and replied, “My name is Nuwa” Voltage laughed and said, “Nuwa? That certainly is a unique name.” He crouched down in a battle position and continued. “You can call me Voltage.” He then did his usual disappearing act and sent a lightning bolt at Nuwa’s back.
She deflected it, though, and retreated to the desecrated forest. There wasn’t much cover, but there was enough. Puffing and panting, she thought as hard as she could to try and figure out a way to regain some of her lost energy. Then, she got an idea. If she could make some holes in her stone dome, she could use the wind’s power to gain energy again. She did just that, but before she could get anything important, her form suddenly broke, forcing her back into her original body with all of her spirit foxes. Horrified, she once more thought to find a solution. Then, she remembered the underground lake. That was also a good way to heal. They all cut their auras down to try to hide themselves, then quietly moved towards their destination.
Voltage sniffed the air, noting the new air flowing in. He immediately told his wolves to plug them up. He himself went towards Nuwa.
It didn’t take him long to find her. After all, unbeknownst to her, Voltage couldn’t read others’ auras; he tracked using sight, smell, and hearing. There was no light thanks to the dome, so Voltage made and electric current run through his hand to make a light. “Well, you sure are easy to track. You didn’t even try to hide yourself!” He walked away a short distance laughing. “You may be a great spellcaster, but you still smell, just like any other human. At least you tried to quietly… but even still, they’re like drumbeats to me.” With that said, he shot several lightning bolts at the cavern. “While my wolves are patching up those holes you made, I made a cave-in so you can’t get into that lake.” He smiled and said," You have earned my respect. This is the most fun I have had in decades!" Then, he noticed a pond. He shot an electric chain into the water and caught a fish. He cooked it by shooting electricity into it until it was a golden-brown and offered it to Nuwa. "You must be hungry after a fight like that." Still, he kept his guard up; this human had a habit of surprising her opponents.
Nuwa was tired and hungry, yes, but she wasn’t so sure about taking it from someone like Voltage. Still, her stomach ruled over her mind, and she took it. Kira glared at Voltage, signaling a warning. Nuwa, meanwhile, cut the fish into seven pieces so that all of her foxes may eat, and ate they did. Nuwa, despite all of the action, remembered her manners, and ate in a more ladylike way. She peered up to Voltage, and saw that his aura had calmed down, but she wasn’t entirely convinced. "So why did you attack me in the first place? I didn't do you any harm. Well, before the battle anyway." Nuwa said as she chuckled a little.
Voltage returned to the pond. ”Well, I was chasing after an enemy of the Lightning Wolf Tribe." He grabbed a fish and started to eat it without giving it the merciful grip of death. While his mouth was full he said. "I thought you were the enemy I was chasing." Notably, Nuwa’s manners were far superior than Voltage’s, but neither noticed. When he was done, he chopped a tree into firewood, and made a campfire. He sat down and looked at Nuwa. "What about you? Why would a human actually go into a volcano?" He lay down on his back and said, "Oh, and don’t worry, the fish is fine. I have no need to poison you, I have won this fight." He then smiled to show his sincerity.
Nuwa laughed a little. She couldn’t believe that Voltage had said he won! She was always taught that a battle is never won until one side loses hope; she may be tired, but her spirit was as strong as ever. Still, she ignored his comment and finished the fish in her hand. “So… you’re part of the Lightning Wolf Tribe?” She said. Kira was still growling at Voltage, ready to fight at any moment.
“Yes,” Voltage replied, “I am Voltage, Prince of the Lightning Wolf Tribe.” He then noticed Kira growling at him. He couldn’t help but laugh and say to it “Feeling froggy? Then jump.” He turned back to Nuwa and added, “By the way, you owe me a new jacket, Nuwa.”
Nuwa pattered Kira, and he walked away to rest. She sat down in front of the fire and the other foxes promptly sat around her, cuddling her. Coyly, Nuwa cried out, "Stop it guys. You are smothering me!" She looked at Voltage again and looked into his eyes. His eyes were very strong… it was like he was confident that he could do anything. Nuwa was very interested in what this prince was like. "So, Voltage, can you give me a description of this enemy that attacked your village? Perhaps I could help you find him?
Voltage smiled as Kira walked away. He thought to himself, Stupid fox creature. Did he really think he would win? Just then, a wolf came up, growling at Nuwa. Voltage signaled she was a friend. The wolf decided to stand next to Nuwa. At that time, Voltage noticed Nuwa’s question. "Hmm? Oh, no, thank you. This does not concern you. This is a matter between him and us."
Voltage stood up, and spotted a four-leaf clover, humble in a patch of grass. He picked it and handed it to Nuwa. “Maybe this will help you win next time.” He looked up and repeated once more, “This battle has been the best one I have had in decades. I thank you for that. But now it is time to leave...” He laughed and continued, “But, I believe you need to get rid of this dome, correct?”
“Correct.” Nuwa replied. With a series of hand signals, the dome burst into sand, falling like pixie dust. Nuwa’s foxes shook the dust off while Voltage was having a little more difficulty. Nuwa graciously used her wind magic and blew off all the dust. She herself still had some in her hair, but decided to leave it in. It looked good as glitter. "Well, I guess I'll take my leave now. It was nice talking with you and it was a fun battling with you." She began walking away but then looked over her shoulder and whispered, "Thank you for the clover". She fused with her Himiko spirit and used her special ability Mistform. The wind slowly blew the mist away as Nuwa disappeared from Voltage's sight. Before the mist faded completely, she said one last thing to him.
"Till we meet again, my friend.”
Another voice, much different than Nuwa’s, echoed throughout the entire realm.
“Wake up!”
Voltage was confused. He looked around the source; he looked up at the black sky, down at the ground, and all around him, seeing no one or nothing. Again, the voice spoke, saying the same thing. “Waaaaaaaake uuuuuupppp!”
Suddenly, Voltage wasn’t at the volcano anymore, he was at the base of a tree, looking up at ruffling leaves. Sour was looking down at him, shaking his head. “You fell asleep, man. Come on, there’s a village not far from here, I wanna check it out.” With that, he began moving towards the gate. Voltage stood up and stared at the sky, reminiscing in his dream. Those last words echoed in his mind.
“Till we meet again, my friend.”
It has been five years since that battle, and Voltage hasn’t seen any hint of Nuwa since. Voltage couldn’t help but wonder if something bad had happened to her since then…
“Hey, Voltage! C’mon, boy!” Sour began whistling like he was summoning a mutt. Voltage grew annoyed, instantly forgetting his thoughts. He began walking towards Sour, saying, “I wonder if you can keep making those noises if your head is rolling on the ground, Sour.”
Leaves, twigs, and branches whipped at his face while Voltage chased his enemy. The friend turned fiend laughed and sped up, disappearing from sight. “Get back here!” Voltage cried, increasing his momentum. Eventually, Voltage and the traitorous figure were running up an active volcano. Yet, the quarry wasn’t scared, and jumped into a hole on the side of the mountain, with Voltage following suit.
Little did either of them know, a third person had been in the volcano long before those two had jumped in. A young girl, she had decided to use the volcano’s blistering heat and constant threat of death as a training ground. Her name: Nuwa Ibris. She had no idea of the coming battle.
Voltage had lost sight of his mission’s subject. He turned left and right through winding tunnels, yet found no hint, not even a small scent. So, he roamed the hot earthen halls. It wasn’t long before he stumbled upon a large chamber. He looked around for his prey, and saw a small figure. Mistaking it for his client, he yelled out to her. “You have done a crime to the contract of peace. Your punishment is death!” With that, he picked up a large boulder and hurled it, ignoring the burning heat that it drove into him.
Nuwa wasn’t scared, though. She had a defense against this meager attack. She closed her eyes and focused her energy. Two seconds later, a puff of brown mist came from nowhere. A fox had appeared, looking up curiously at his summoner. Nuwa withdrew fans from her robe, and stopped the rock in midair. She cut it in half and allowed them to fall, dropping a few dozen feet off the sides and splashing into the lava lake below.
Voltage wasn’t even impressed. After all, that action solidified his suspicion that this was the person he was chasing, given the fact that they were part of the Earth Insect Tribe. Feeling up for a fight, Voltage disappeared from his perch, moving faster than Nuwa’s eyes could follow. He reappeared behind her, with a handful of lightning extended towards her. Adding insult to soon-to-be injury, he activated his Lightning Eye ability, allowing him to see his opponent’s nervous system, greatly increasing his reaction rate towards her moves.
Nuwa barely had a second to react. Fear was starting to creep into her mind. After all, she had just come to practice meditating in harsh environments, and some sort of monster had just jumped in and attacked her! Nevertheless, she responded to Voltage’s attack. She activated her Aura Reader ability, giving her the capacity to see others’ auras. She grabbed her attacker’s arm and threw him over her shoulder. However, he flipped in midair and landed on his feet. Nuwa noted his eye ability. Comparably, his eye power was much more useful in the current situation than hers, giving her the sense that she wasn’t going to fare well already. Still, she met his challenge, and fought.
After a small brawl, Nuwa knew that she was outmatched. So, she withdrew and ran down a hall. Voltage, euphoric in the excitement of battle, chased her, only adding to his glee.
Nuwa ran down twisting tunnels, with Voltage not far behind. Yet, he was far enough behind to catch only glimpses of Nuwa as she went around corners. They hopped over cracks and dodged magma as the pursuit continued. Nuwa tried to stop Voltage by closing openings with her earth-influencing powers, but to no avail. Voltage merely smashed through them. She turned another corner and waited for her chaser.
Voltage unknowingly walked straight into a trap. As he turned the corner, he spotted Nuwa concentrating again. Before he could move, however, she opened her eyes and multi-colored mist filled the room. Soon after, it dissipated, revealing several more summoned foxes. Not skipping a beat, she told all of the spirit foxes to form the ‘Star Formation’, a particularly devastating attack. Instantly, a ball of wind formed in her hand. It began to glow blue and hum very loudly. The spirits poured their energy into the same ball, combining all elements into one. Nuwa said softly, “Elemental Repulse Shockwave.” Then, a mighty gust of wind blew at Voltage, bashing him straight through the wall behind him to, amazingly, an underground lake. However, Voltage made sure that Nuwa came with him.
They both flew through the hole, with Nuwa landing on the shore and Voltage splashing into the middle of the lake. Voltage swam and pulled himself up, out, and on the water. He grabbed his left arm in pain, only to find out that he didn’t have one anymore. His jacket fell into the water and sank while his heart beat; he was losing a lot of blood fast. Two seconds later, three of his wolves attacked him, or, as a shining luminosity revealed, healed him. He immediately moved behind Nuwa, covered her in small scratches, grabbed one of her friends, and retreated back to the middle of the lake. There, he began constricting Nuwa’s animalistic friend in his powerful grip.
Nuwa didn’t have time to heal her wounds, nor was she able to go to Voltage and take her buddy back. Before she could come up with an idea, however, her body began to blink an orange color. She smiled, and then desummoned three of her foxes. She then started chanting.
“Guardians of the spirit realm, I ask for your blessings. Give me the power to protect myself and my comrades."
Revealing itself after a bright light, Nuwa had transformed into her Healing Maiden form. Her robe had turned from the pale blue to a green with a floral print and her hair changed from black to green. This form of hers allowed her healing abilities to be doubled in strength, but at the cost of halving her attack power. Then, she spoke to Voltage with newfound confidence. “Ok, it’s my turn to be aggressive.” With that, Nuwa inserted her finger into the water, then unleashed a bright light. The lake’s water not only enhanced but also transferred the light, making the entire lake shine like the sun! She quickly followed up with a wind imprisonment technique while Voltage was disorientated. However, she didn’t stop there. She forced him to the wall; made the wall form a sphere around him, slammed him against the wall several times, and launched him upwards.
Voltage wouldn’t allow Nuwa to gain any ground, figuratively or otherwise. He quickly created an electric chain and used it to pull himself and his combatant back into the lake. Then, using his powers, he let out a small shock, temporarily stunning Nuwa. Afterwards, he used her body as a springboard, launching him up and her down. As he left to ambush the woman outside, he sent more lightning into the lake.
Nuwa was knocked unconscious during the initial strike, making most of his electric attacks void. However, with some lucky magic, she was able to regain consciousness just as the lightning was closing in. Instantly, she righted herself and made a pillar of earth force her above the surface.
She wasn’t exactly happy about this fight. She, after all, had been training to be a defensive mage all of her life, and she feared hurting others. Yet, Voltage wasn’t allowing her any other option. Still, she wrestled with this contradiction within. After some persuasion from Kira, her most powerful fox spirit, Nuwa finally decided to stop holding back.
"My allies protect me. Let all of the energy in the universe fly and aid you in your struggles."
A bright light shined, and when it fell, Nuwa revealed yet another form. This one had the coloration of a holy white, going from her hair to the bottom of her beautiful gown. It was her most powerful form: Dreamprincess. She walked outside into the rain and flew herself to the top of the volcano. She increased the power of her aura, so much so that the mountain became unstable, causing hot lava and ash to billow out. Almost mockingly, she said, “Dodge this. Dance of the Dragon.” Immediately, twenty pillars of wind bashed into the mountain’s side, picking put rocks, lava, and various other debris. The wind then was sent into the forest below.
Voltage, who was still in the clouds, started to worry. His wolves were down in the greenery… did his enemy believe that he was down there with them? Suddenly, a strange power filled him, causing his fangs and claws to grow. With this increase, he summoned to him a giant sword made of lightning, and swung down from his high perch. He blocked the flow, and using some power now lost to him, he flung the lava back, made several other attacks close in on Nuwa, and chained her up with electric chains.
Nuwa started to glow blue. She unleashed a gust of wind, blowing Voltage away. She then concentrated, and, after finding the right current, dispersed Voltage’s energy bonds. She then made a series of hand motions, making the thrown lava settle back down to the volcano’s side. What Voltage didn’t know is that Nuwa had sent her fox Kira to fuse dark energy with the fires that now plagued the forest.
Voltage righted himself in midair as he fell. As he did, however, he noticed a small figure in scamper through the woods. Right after that, a wolf howled in the distance. He howled back in answer. He had finally realized that Nuwa was providing a distraction for Kira. He sent electricity into Nuwa’s nervous system, effectively paralyzing her. Then, he ventured into the forest to stop the Kira clones. But, it wasn’t long before Voltage saw his mistake and returned, sending an attack in replacement of a greeting.
Nuwa managed to dodge these attacks, and used the soot as a smokescreen. She communicated with Kira, saying to start the next phase. Then, she jumped to the other side of the mountain to attract Voltage’s attention.
While Nuwa kept Voltage’s interest, Kira kept busy. He began drawing strange circles in the ground while his clones fought Voltage’s wolves. After he was done, he ran to Nuwa’s position to start the third phase.
Voltage wasn’t exactly happy about his enemy hopping everywhere around him. Using an unknown source of energy far surpassing anything he ever had and will be able to have, he jumped high into the air, created a staff, and slammed it into the ground, sending out a shockwave going out for a mile. This attack destroyed all of the Kira clones and rendering Kira himself comatose. This attack, while powerful, completely drained Voltage’s electrical energy. Nevertheless, he again moved faster than the eye could perceive, reappearing behind Nuwa, slamming the butt of his staff into the center of her back. However, Nuwa wouldn’t allow him to win. She spun around and grabbed his staff, saying, “Petal Dance”. A flurry of white petals surrounded Voltage, cutting him.
While Voltage was preoccupied, Nuwa peered at Kira’s body, limp and unable to move. But, the body disappeared with a puff of dark smoke. The real Kira walked up to Nuwa, sly with pride. Neither of them were to be beaten so easily. Kira fused with Nuwa like all the others, and, with a series of motions, powers, and drawings, the circles that the clones made glowed brightly, and a giant stone dome made itself apparent. Afterwards, Nuwa added a little of her energy in order to make said dome unbreakable.
Voltage was drained, cut, and wheezing. One of his wolves walked up to him worried, only for him to cut it down and take its energy. Afterwhich, Voltage began to speak to his opponent. “I have walked the plane of existence for one hundred years, yet I have never faced an opponent like you. What is your name?” Nuwa faced him and replied, “My name is Nuwa” Voltage laughed and said, “Nuwa? That certainly is a unique name.” He crouched down in a battle position and continued. “You can call me Voltage.” He then did his usual disappearing act and sent a lightning bolt at Nuwa’s back.
She deflected it, though, and retreated to the desecrated forest. There wasn’t much cover, but there was enough. Puffing and panting, she thought as hard as she could to try and figure out a way to regain some of her lost energy. Then, she got an idea. If she could make some holes in her stone dome, she could use the wind’s power to gain energy again. She did just that, but before she could get anything important, her form suddenly broke, forcing her back into her original body with all of her spirit foxes. Horrified, she once more thought to find a solution. Then, she remembered the underground lake. That was also a good way to heal. They all cut their auras down to try to hide themselves, then quietly moved towards their destination.
Voltage sniffed the air, noting the new air flowing in. He immediately told his wolves to plug them up. He himself went towards Nuwa.
It didn’t take him long to find her. After all, unbeknownst to her, Voltage couldn’t read others’ auras; he tracked using sight, smell, and hearing. There was no light thanks to the dome, so Voltage made and electric current run through his hand to make a light. “Well, you sure are easy to track. You didn’t even try to hide yourself!” He walked away a short distance laughing. “You may be a great spellcaster, but you still smell, just like any other human. At least you tried to quietly… but even still, they’re like drumbeats to me.” With that said, he shot several lightning bolts at the cavern. “While my wolves are patching up those holes you made, I made a cave-in so you can’t get into that lake.” He smiled and said," You have earned my respect. This is the most fun I have had in decades!" Then, he noticed a pond. He shot an electric chain into the water and caught a fish. He cooked it by shooting electricity into it until it was a golden-brown and offered it to Nuwa. "You must be hungry after a fight like that." Still, he kept his guard up; this human had a habit of surprising her opponents.
Nuwa was tired and hungry, yes, but she wasn’t so sure about taking it from someone like Voltage. Still, her stomach ruled over her mind, and she took it. Kira glared at Voltage, signaling a warning. Nuwa, meanwhile, cut the fish into seven pieces so that all of her foxes may eat, and ate they did. Nuwa, despite all of the action, remembered her manners, and ate in a more ladylike way. She peered up to Voltage, and saw that his aura had calmed down, but she wasn’t entirely convinced. "So why did you attack me in the first place? I didn't do you any harm. Well, before the battle anyway." Nuwa said as she chuckled a little.
Voltage returned to the pond. ”Well, I was chasing after an enemy of the Lightning Wolf Tribe." He grabbed a fish and started to eat it without giving it the merciful grip of death. While his mouth was full he said. "I thought you were the enemy I was chasing." Notably, Nuwa’s manners were far superior than Voltage’s, but neither noticed. When he was done, he chopped a tree into firewood, and made a campfire. He sat down and looked at Nuwa. "What about you? Why would a human actually go into a volcano?" He lay down on his back and said, "Oh, and don’t worry, the fish is fine. I have no need to poison you, I have won this fight." He then smiled to show his sincerity.
Nuwa laughed a little. She couldn’t believe that Voltage had said he won! She was always taught that a battle is never won until one side loses hope; she may be tired, but her spirit was as strong as ever. Still, she ignored his comment and finished the fish in her hand. “So… you’re part of the Lightning Wolf Tribe?” She said. Kira was still growling at Voltage, ready to fight at any moment.
“Yes,” Voltage replied, “I am Voltage, Prince of the Lightning Wolf Tribe.” He then noticed Kira growling at him. He couldn’t help but laugh and say to it “Feeling froggy? Then jump.” He turned back to Nuwa and added, “By the way, you owe me a new jacket, Nuwa.”
Nuwa pattered Kira, and he walked away to rest. She sat down in front of the fire and the other foxes promptly sat around her, cuddling her. Coyly, Nuwa cried out, "Stop it guys. You are smothering me!" She looked at Voltage again and looked into his eyes. His eyes were very strong… it was like he was confident that he could do anything. Nuwa was very interested in what this prince was like. "So, Voltage, can you give me a description of this enemy that attacked your village? Perhaps I could help you find him?
Voltage smiled as Kira walked away. He thought to himself, Stupid fox creature. Did he really think he would win? Just then, a wolf came up, growling at Nuwa. Voltage signaled she was a friend. The wolf decided to stand next to Nuwa. At that time, Voltage noticed Nuwa’s question. "Hmm? Oh, no, thank you. This does not concern you. This is a matter between him and us."
Voltage stood up, and spotted a four-leaf clover, humble in a patch of grass. He picked it and handed it to Nuwa. “Maybe this will help you win next time.” He looked up and repeated once more, “This battle has been the best one I have had in decades. I thank you for that. But now it is time to leave...” He laughed and continued, “But, I believe you need to get rid of this dome, correct?”
“Correct.” Nuwa replied. With a series of hand signals, the dome burst into sand, falling like pixie dust. Nuwa’s foxes shook the dust off while Voltage was having a little more difficulty. Nuwa graciously used her wind magic and blew off all the dust. She herself still had some in her hair, but decided to leave it in. It looked good as glitter. "Well, I guess I'll take my leave now. It was nice talking with you and it was a fun battling with you." She began walking away but then looked over her shoulder and whispered, "Thank you for the clover". She fused with her Himiko spirit and used her special ability Mistform. The wind slowly blew the mist away as Nuwa disappeared from Voltage's sight. Before the mist faded completely, she said one last thing to him.
"Till we meet again, my friend.”
Another voice, much different than Nuwa’s, echoed throughout the entire realm.
“Wake up!”
Voltage was confused. He looked around the source; he looked up at the black sky, down at the ground, and all around him, seeing no one or nothing. Again, the voice spoke, saying the same thing. “Waaaaaaaake uuuuuupppp!”
Suddenly, Voltage wasn’t at the volcano anymore, he was at the base of a tree, looking up at ruffling leaves. Sour was looking down at him, shaking his head. “You fell asleep, man. Come on, there’s a village not far from here, I wanna check it out.” With that, he began moving towards the gate. Voltage stood up and stared at the sky, reminiscing in his dream. Those last words echoed in his mind.
“Till we meet again, my friend.”
It has been five years since that battle, and Voltage hasn’t seen any hint of Nuwa since. Voltage couldn’t help but wonder if something bad had happened to her since then…
“Hey, Voltage! C’mon, boy!” Sour began whistling like he was summoning a mutt. Voltage grew annoyed, instantly forgetting his thoughts. He began walking towards Sour, saying, “I wonder if you can keep making those noises if your head is rolling on the ground, Sour.”
