Only the Strong May Fight

Everyone Freezes while staring at the girl who appeared out of nowhere.

A big smile that showed off her cute fangs, deep red hair that are tied into twin tails, brilliant golden eyes, a lovely slightly armoured dress that suited her perfectly and an adorable face that seemed unbelievably confident considering the circumstances she fell into.

Everyone was slightly entranced for a moment by Alicia, who was non the wiser to this.

Alicia looked at the four of them as they did not reply to her polite introduction.

"Heyyyyyyy, you are supposed to introduce yourselves after, you know? It's only polite…" Alicia says as she squints at them slightly irritated.

This broke Daichi's trance and he came back to his senses.

[What is going on here? We are out in the middle of a forest on the edge of the Great Kanoa Mountain Range… There should be no settlements of Humans here, just monsters…] Daichi thought to himself, but sees that the girl is getting increasingly angry at their lack of communication so decides to reply…

"Ah my apologies little miss, my name is Daichi Ito. This big guy next to me is Rock, he doesn't talk much so you will have to forgive him. And this lady here is…"

Daichi looked towards the white-haired woman, expecting to see her usual stone-faced appearance. However…

"so cute…" The woman seemed to still be in a trance with a slight blush on her pale white skin and a slight spark of want in her eyes. It was the most expression Daichi had seen from her since he had met her, so he was slightly taken aback.

"…This here is Yumiko Sato." Daichi said, finally finishing his introduction.

He looked back over to Alicia to see that she had her arms crossed and nodding with her eyes closed, visibly making an effort to remember the names. She then looks up at the Lizardman on the floor.

"And what's his name?" Alicia says, pointing at Kaal.

Kaal looked slightly surprised that this girl is asking of his name. The humans who attacked did not care or even know that they had names, this puzzled Kaal.

"It doesn't matter what his name is… he is a monster and they behave in the truest sense of the word, all creatures do apart from humans in this world." Daichi tells Alicia casually, however he sees some anger flare up in Alicia's eyes again as he says these words. It wasn't the childish tantrum anger that he felt coming from her before. No… this seemed like true anger.

Daichi had a feeling from the start that this girl was not a normal human girl, this sudden angry and dangerous aura emanating from her proves it. He puts his hand on his sheathed katana.

"What do you mean by that?" Alicia says, Yumiko was now out of her trance and readying her weapon, as was Rock.

But just as things were getting tense…

"DAICHI WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG!" Alistair approached the group, clearly in a bad mood.

The attention then turned to the young King as he stormed over…

"Have you not killed him yet… hmmm? Who is this…" The King notices Alicia standing opposite his three subordinates and starts to stroll towards her, completely oblivious to the danger radiating from her moments before.

"Hello there, what brings you all the way out here?" He flicks his wavy blonde hair back and says to Alicia, looking at her with rather lecherous eyes.

"Well I-"

"Not to worry I will take you away from this vile place. You shall come with me back to the palace, I am sure you will like it there…" He says, cutting her off before she could finish.

Alicia looked at him, not really knowing what to make of this man...

"Hehe I appreciate the thought, but that isn't what I am here for…" Alicia says while trying to walk around him and head towards Kaal. But as she does, his hand grabs her arm suddenly.

"Haaa I am afraid not. You see I am the King of this country, so you should be quite honoured that I am going to escort you back to my home. Now come along…" Alistair says as he tightens his grip on Alicia's arm and smiles.

Because Alicia was facing away from him while he was talking, he could not see the increasing rage in Alicia's bright golden eyes.

"My lord I don't think…" But Daichi could as he tries to inform his King of his suspicions. Though just as he tried…

"Alicia! Alicia!"

"My Lady! Where did you run off too?!"

The sound of two female voices echo through the forest that Alicia came from. This makes Alicia turn back towards the forest happily.

"VERA! IGNIS! OVER HERE!" Alicia shouts pulling her arm away from Alistair and cupping them over her mouth to make herself louder.

Not long after the two girls came bundling out of the forest very out of breath. Ignis scans the area and finds where Alicia is in the small crowd of people. When she finds her, Ignis' eyes turn show her incredible anger.

"YOU! I tell you not to run off ahead of us all the time! And what do you do?! You run off ahead of us yet again!" Ignis shouts furiously at Alicia, seemingly forgetting that she was out of breath from running down after her.

In response, Alicia gives an awkward smile while scratching her cheek.

"Hehe sorry guys, I'll try and do better next time." Alicia says with a less than hopeful statement.

"I… haaah, never mind…" Ignis says, beginning to continue her lecture but realising there is no use in it.

"We are just glad you are safe, my Lady." Vera says with a smile.

"Hehe thanks Vera now let's-" Alicia is just about to run over to join them, when an arm comes out in front of her.

"Do not get closer my Lady. These creatures are foul beings who will kill in a split second." Alistair is the culprit, he stares hatefully at Ignis and Vera in front of him due to spotting there animal characteristics.

"What? They won't hurt me they are my frie-"

"These creatures are clearly trying to trick you. Daichi, Rock, Yumiko dispose of these monsters." Alistair turns to his three subordinates and casually order the death of Vera and Ignis. The two prepare themselves to for a fight, Vera draws her two blades while Ignis grabs her sword and shield.

"So be it… Come on guys let's… Shit!" Daichi looks back at his King just as he goes to step forward to fight the Werewolf and Fox girls, but something catches his eye and he quickly moves towards Alistair.

"Daichi what are yo-urghh!" Daichi quickly draws his weapon, shoves Alistair out of the way and…

*CLANK*

"W-W-What are you doing?!"

Alistair looks up to see Daichi's sword blocking a very large scythe, the owner of said scythe is of course, Alicia.

Alicia looks down at Alistair with a stare full of disgust which makes Alistair shiver.

"Okay. You people have been pissing me off for a little while now. You talk about hating monsters and all that stuff and treat them terribly. So why are treating me so different?" Alicia says, her words said in a tone as cold as ice. But what she said shocked everyone.

"What do you mean? Are you saying you are…" Daichi says, casting suspicious eyes at the girl in front of him, holding a weapon that looked to big for her to wield.

"Huh? Didn't you know? I am a monster too." Alicia says as if it was obvious.

Just as she said so, a wind blows across the lake. Causing Alicia's hair to be blown around, revealing her two horns within her hairline.

"A-A MONSTER! FOUL BEAST TRIED TO ENTICE ME! DAICHI KILL IT!" Alistair screamed, with terror plastered across his face.

Just as he shouted so, Alicia jumps away from Daichi and towards Kaal who was still struggling to get up on his feet.

"What are you-" Just as Kaal was about to ask what was going on, Alicia put his arm on her shoulder and jumps back towards Ignis and Vera with him on her back.

"Okay Alicia, how do we handle this?" Ignis asks Alicia as she sets Kaal back down on the ground behind them.

"You guys are going to take this Lizard guy and head away from this place." Alicia says as she walks to the side of them.

"What!" Ignis turns and shouts towards Alicia with wide disbelieving eyes, Vera also had a concerned look on her face.

"My Lady, I would much prefer if I could stay and fight with you." (Vera)

"I understand you guys, but these guys are powerful. When that Daichi guy blocked my swing, did you see how fast he moved. I can't be fighting them while keeping an eye on you guys. Sorry, but you are just not strong enough to fight these guys yet." Alicia says honestly.

Vera looked down sadly, knowing that what Alicia said was probably true. She could tell the three people in front of them were very strong. Ignis meanwhile looked incredibly frustrated, she trained to get strong enough to fight by Alicia's side yet when the time came, she was still not strong enough to do so.

"I know that my Lady… But-" Vera was just about to try and convince Alicia to let them help in some way but…

"Fine Alicia, we'll do as you ask." Ignis says, trying her best to mask her discontent with herself.

Vera looks at her in shock, but Ignis carries on.

"I know you are just doing this to keep us safe. It sucks, I know we are not strong enough to help in anyway. But just so you know, next time this happens, there is no way that I am going to be to weak to help you. So, make sure you be careful until I can look after you! Okay?!" Ignis shouts with a face full of determination and slight embarrassment at the things she is saying.

Alicia was slightly taken aback by Ignis saying that she wanted to look after her and stares at her, admiring her conviction.

"Hehe okay, I look forward to when we can fight together Ignis." Alicia says with a smile and a slight blush. Alicia then turns to Vera…

"You too Vera, make sure you can join me and Ignis in our next fight! That's a decree from your Queen!" Alicia shouts and points at Vera.

"Haha of course my Lady. We shall meet at last night's camping place." Vera says happily.

The two then pick up Kaal and are just about to go back into the forest when…

"Not so fast…" Daichi jumps forward to slash at the three who were trying to leave.

*CLANK*

"I should say the same to you." Alicia manages to intercept Daichi and easily parries his strike before he back away again.

But Alicia quickly notices someone was missing from Daichi's group, Yumiko. Alicia listened out for any movements in the nearby area. Then she hears it, footsteps though she could see no one there.

[Hmmm interesting… She must have some sort of skill that cloaks her, making her invisible to the eye.]

"[Fireball]" Alicia sends a torrent of fireballs raining down on the area that she heard footsteps.

*BANG, BANG, BANG*

"Urghh… a tough one" When the fireballs strike the area she was in, Yumiko reveals herself as she dodges Alicia's area attack, getting slightly grazed for her efforts.

Alicia checks to see the position of Ignis, Vera and Kaal, which reveals that they are getting away rather quickly. They were both rather fast individuals from agile races, so it was not very surprising at the speed of their escape even while carrying Kaal.

Alicia smiled proudly at their progress in the last couple of months, then brings her attention fully back to the battle. She realises then that she has been surrounded by the three, while Alistair and his cohorts are stood some distance away screaming obscenity at Alicia.

"Right then, let's start getting serious ay?" Alicia says willing a wide grin starts to spread across her face.

"Yeah let's, I want to be heading back home soon so let's make this quick." Daichi says in a laid back voice, though his aura was very serious and screamed danger.

Daichi then draws his sword and takes a stance that made him look like he could make a move at any point.

"Now!" Daichi shouts and the three of them make their move.

"ARGHHHHH!" *BOOM*

Rock makes the first move, swinging his axe into the ground with what Alicia sensed was Earthen Magic coating it, which causes the earth to smash to pieces and blow up, sending Alicia into the air.

While Alicia is up in the air, she senses another element of magic. Enhancing her eyesight she looks at the source of the magic, Yumiko. Lightening Element mana seems to swirl round her as she infuses it with her arrow that she had drawn, before releasing it and sending it darting at Alicia.

"Oh wow! I haven't seen lightening element yet! Let's see how it does against this! [Flame Beam]" Alicia builds up a bunch of fire element mana in her flame resistant lungs and breaths out a massive flame beam that engulfs the arrow, causing it to melt and the lightening to then disperse.

"Tch… [Cloak]" Yumiko clicks her tongue as she sees this and tries to then hide with her cloak, to go for a surprise attack when she least expects it. At least that was Yumiko's plan as she goes to move, but she then feels a strong tug on her kimono.

"Hehe not getting away." Yumiko quickly turns in a panic, knowing that Alicia had caught her, and tries to fire off an arrow at her from close range.

"Urghhh!" (Yumiko)

But before she can do so the staff end of Alicia's scythe slams into her stomach, winding her and send her back some way.

"RAAARG!" Rock sees his opportunity to strike while Alicia was distracted with Yumiko and sends his giant axe crashing towards Alicia.

"[Body Strengthening]"

*BOOM*

"…" (Alicia)

"…Huh?" Rock looked dumbfounded, as he stared at the red headed girl in front of him who had just caught his axe.

"Hmmm not bad… Needs a little more work though!" Alicia says as she pulls Rock towards her by his axe, then spinning into a round house kick that connects with his face. Sending him spiralling into the watery embankment of the lake.

Alicia then looks up and spies the last one who has not really made a move yet. She stares curiously at him, trying to figure out why he has not attacked yet.

"Impressive, you have shown zero clear openings so far in this battle. Despite being so young… Well I suppose you might be very old under that appearance, monster." He says with both admiration and disgust, a strange combination.

"I suppose I shall start really going all out now-" (Daichi)

"I am going to stop you right there. If you start really getting into this fight, then I will just get more excited and then I will never want to leave. But I promised I would be careful this time, so I'ma just have to blow you away completely. [Humanoid Transformation] deactivate]" Alicia then explodes into a cloud of smoke, though her other form quickly begins to make itself clear…

"No way…" Daichi unintentionally mutters as Alicia's Dragon form begin to take shape.

"HAHA! Try taking me on now!" Alicia shouts arrogantly.

[Shit, if I'm going to be taking on a Dragon I need to be a lot more prepared] He thinks to himself, slightly worried for the first time.

Daichi looks around at his companions. Yumiko was still catching her breath while holding her stomach after the powerful strike she received. Rock on the other hand was completely unconscious, thankfully facing upwards in the shallow part of the lake embankment. Alistair on the other hand…

"A-A DRAGON! MARVELOUS! FANTASTIC! DAICHI KILL IT! WE NEED ITS BLOOD!" Alistair screamed like a maniac once he saw Alicia in this form, his eyes wide and crazed.

"Oh shut it!" (Alicia)

However, his crazy shouting attracted the attention of Alicia, who at this point really hated him…

"You can be the first to go!" Alicia shouted as she swung her razor-sharp claws in Alistair's direction.

"Uwahhh! NO, SAVE ME!" He screamed as he fell back onto his butt with tears forming in his eyes.

*CLANK*

"Damn it! Yumiko, grab Rock we are getting out of here!" Daichi just managed to get in between them both in time and block Alicia's claw.

Yumiko did as Daichi asked and ran over to Rock picking him up out of the water and putting him on her back. She was strong despite how she looked and managed to lift him and begin heading towards the forest.

Daichi then manages to shove away Alicia, sending her a couple of paces back.

"I can't defeat you but lets see how you deal with this! [Wind Blade]" Daichi coats his blade in Wind Element mana and swings it towards Alicia, the mana then comes off his blade and towards Alicia while keeping the sharp blade form.

Alicia swings her claws at the wind mana and manages to block it but…

"Distracted!" Daichi appears at her side in an instant and swings his blade down into her leg making a cut in her tough skin.

"Urghhhhh! AHHHH!" Alicia grunts in pain, but then screams as she sends her tail crashing into Daichi who gets battered by it and sent into the direction of forest where his friends escaped to. Alicia then checks where Alistair and his followers are, but they had also escaped into the forest.

"…Well I suppose that is that then." She says, then checks out the cut on her leg. It was quite deep but had already begun to heal up.

She waited a little bit longer in her Dragon form too see if Daichi would come back, though he did not. Once the cut had healed, then she changed back into her humanoid form.

Alicia had no energy left so she could not maintain her [Spirit Armour] and Ignis and Vera had all of the luggage and clothes they were carrying. It meant that she was stuck in the nude until her mana returned or she found Ignis and Vera.

Alicia checked her leg, and sure enough the cut looks like it is going to scar.

"Haah, I got careless. Mother probably won't be very happy... Well no point in thinking about it now. I need to go meet Ignis and Vera." She said to herself and set off on her way back up to the mountain range.

---

Meanwhile…

"Daichi! Why didn't you kill that thing before it attacked us!" Alistair shouted at Daichi as he arrived back at their encampment. They used it the previous night, before they attacked the Lizard people.

Yumiko and Rock were also there, which made Daichi relieved.

"Sorry King Alistair, but it took all I had to put a little scratch on the Dragon let alone kill it." Daichi said while rubbing the back of his head.

"No excuses! We could ha-… Wait... did you say you scratched it?" Alistair said, his mood seemingly making a complete U-turn in seconds.

"Yeah I did. See? Blood…" Daichi lifted up his blade and showed it to the King.

"hahaha...HAHAHAHAH!" Alistair began to laugh wildly.

"Yes! This is it! Baron Cacao! Get me a flask from one of the bags!" Alistair shouted excitedly, while the noble he ordered brought back a flask.

They then took Daichi's sword and wiped the blood into the container that Baron Cacao brought. Alistair then throwed Daichi's blade back at him and stared intensely at the container.

"Hihihi… this is it… now I can summon even more…"

Daichi had a bad feeling as he stared at the King.

[Nothing good can come of this…]