A brewing calamity

Eliza sat on the beach, with the sun starting set, wearing her training gear. A thin layer of sweat above her brow. Alexander, Constantine laid on the ground behind her, panting and wheezing, clinging to life to with each breath.

Their training gear was in tatters with shards of their armour scattered in the sand. Eliza took a shallow breath hearing a laboured grunt behind her. "That's enough for today. Go to the Healers."

Sakura knelt in the sand with blood trickling down her left forearm. "Not...yet..." She said defiantly. Eliza glanced over her shoulder. "Know when to quit. Your left arm is shattered. Honestly a miracle you aren't in shock."

"I'm...not...done...yet!" She yelled grabbing her dagger. Eliza rolled her eyes, forcing herself up with a groan. "I'm guessing you're seeing about six of me?" Sakura chuckled stumbling about struggling to keep her balance. "I only see double..."

"Congrats! You're about to faint. Come on go lay down like the idiots there. Building your Mana pool, till the same as your parents, takes years even with shortcuts. Now don't reject my offer." Eliza approached Sakura, ready to catch her.

Sakura lowered herself taking Sovereign stance one. Eliza stopped seeing her activate her Demon's Blood. She cocked her head intrigued. "Oh? Been getting some private lessons from Twig?" Sakura let out a deep long breath of cold smoke.

She glared up at Eliza, forcing the images to merge into one. 'Focus...Focus the Mana along its edge...direct everything along it...'

Eliza scratched her head. 'In hindsight, a technique that telegraphed and a wind up of even a few seconds, is a pretty abysmal.'

Eliza threw a wide arching slash with her dagger. It released a wave a metre long. Eliza looked at it impressed, before stepping to the side and effortlessly dodging it. "Alright, I'm impressed. Took Twig days to launch one-"

She stopped before leaping away, as Sakura appeared out of her shadow. Sakura collapsed face first in the sand. Eliza let out a sigh wiping her brow. "Almost had me there. I might have to start taking you three a bit more seriously."

"Alright, you all sit tight. Healer's are on the way." She said looking up to the sand bank seeing Adrianna watching along. "How'd they do!?" She said walking over. "Eh, Constantine's on a C, for a crappy effort. Alexander's on a D, for doing dick all."

"And her?" "B minus." "For barely passing?" Adrianna asked. Eliza showed her back with a tiny nick, trickling blood. "Starting to regret teaching Twig that technique." "Oh don't lie to me. You couldn't be more proud of him." "I'll admit that, when you admit you old as fuck." "We're at an impasse then."

The two sat in the sand watching the waves crash on the low tide. The sun painting the ocean a vibrant orange. "Any word on Petey?" "Nothing yet. Although I don't expect much to come from his endeavours."

"Don't think he'll be persuasive enough?" "You even known Peter to handle authority well?" Eliza leant back blowing a raspberry. "Peter Weaver, general of mankind, against...Convergence...Eugh...." "Don't believe it to be real?"

"We all saw what Twig's Demon Daddy said. We need an army, but I think Petey's choice of ally is ambitious." "If he succeeds in recruiting him to our side. We'll have an army." "Big IF. A very big one."

"We still have Zeke. He's doing quite well for himself." "Twig and his two girlfriends aren't what you would call soldiers. Being strong isn't enough. They have to stop being emotional."

A office woman sprinted over to them. "What's up with her?" Eliza asked. "News....from..." "Good god woman, you work at Chiron Academy, invest some hours into cardio." Eliza said.

"Weaver..." She wheezed keeling over and holding her side. "Helpful..." She handed Eliza a piece of paper. The two cocked an eyebrow at the piece of paper.

"Are you reading the same thing I am?" Eliza asked. "A Demon that deflowers a calla lilies, must return to save the shadows...." "What the fuck Petey?" Adrianna pinched between her brow. "Did he send any other message?"

She handed another letter. The two looked up at the woman with a confused look, before glancing back down at the letter. "Death, request the aid of the, Calamity queen?" "Seriously what the fuck!" Eliza exclaimed. "Why are we coding messages!?" "I don't know...Thank you for the messages."

Selena, Violetta and Weaver stood in Mystara . He wore tight black cloths under his tunic. "Must we ask for that Demon's help?" Selena elbowed Violetta in the ribs. "We'll need all the help we can get. For now, stay put, I'll see what I can do about removing the seals." Weaver said.

Alexander and Constantine sat in their beds rubbing their heads. "Alright, take it easy, you two. Remember-" "Wounds are healed, but not our Mana." The two groaned in sync. The Healer nodded and left them.

"Can't believe we still couldn't even land a hit on her. I think she's lying about her age." "I think we need to come up with a strategy to holding her down." "Like what? You've seen her strength, even without her Demon's Blood, she could probably bench press a skyscraper."

"Holding her down isn't possible." Sakura said looking at her phone. "Got a suggestion for us?" Alexander asked. She bit on her thumb nail. "Who are you texting?" Constantine asked. "Is it Zeke!?" She nodded.

"Stop texting him! We don't need his help! We can beat her on our own!" "I'm not asking for him for help. Now calm down. I'm just letting him know where to go and what to bring for my party." Constantine frowned.

"Does he have to come?" "I'm hoping he comes a lot of times." She looked up and smiled at Constantine pouting. "I'm not comfortable with you two beign so close. I also don't want you sleeping with another man."

"Remind me again, how many other girls have you slept with?" "....eight....teen..." He said dropping his head. "Now I did that on special occasions. I feel it's only fair I get one for mine." "Fine, but I'm sure he'll never say yes, nor will his girlfriend." "We'll see about that."

Zeke stood in the newly furbished office of the Sovereign Champions. Fiona sat behind a large wooden desk with reinforced glass as a divider. The entrance and walkway were covered in sealing runes. The walls were covered in a new coat of fresh white paint.

The first door down the walkway belonged to Skye, adoring her new cosy office space. Further down was the waiting area in front of Raven. She sat behind her neon gaming rig acting as an office computer. To the right of her was Moon's office, the left Sunny's, and behind her was Zeke's office.

The seven of them stood outside their new office space, with Moon holding Zeke's hand tightly. She wore a proud and beaming smile. "Han! You're late! We're finally going to open." Moon pouted.

"Sorry! Sorry! Was getting the last thing to make this official for us." She said tying a long red ribbon in front of their office doors. "There! Now why don't you do the honours with your new hands Zeke?" The others took a step back.

Zeke, Moon and Sunny stood behind the ribbon with the others holding out their phones. "What are we cutting this with?" Zeke asked. "Use your weapons." Raven said. They shrugged taking their weapons out.

"Alright three! Two! One!" Han said excitedly. They cheered as the ribbon was severed into pieces by their weapons. "The Sovereign Champions new office is now officially open!" Zeke said. They let out a whoop coming together for a hug.

"Alright, can we please take a job!? I want to test if this charm actually works." Han said. "So you don't want to come with us to Sakura's birthday party at Bora-Bora island?" Zeke asked. "What kind of dumbass question is that!? Let's fucking GO!"

Adrianna and Eliza sat in her office. The two were slumped in their chairs, rubbing their heads. Adrianna slammed her head into the table. "Okay! We can solve this! We're not fucking stupid. The Demon-" "If you read that fucking clue out loud one more time!" Eliza snapped.

"Come on. We've been at this for two days. How are we nowhere closer to this solving this?" "I don't know. I give up. Petey can go suck a dick." "Elizabeth, this is serious." "Eugh, screw this." "Who are you calling?"

"Hello? Who is this?" Zeke said on speaker. "Zeke, it's us." Adrianna said. "Uhhhhh...." "Twig, sending you a riddle from Weaver. Use your brain on it, and let us know if you figure anything out." "Oo...ookay..."

The two waited in silence hearing Zeke read it out loud. "Now, we don't expect you to figure it out right aw-" "Can someone search a what a Calla Lilies looks like?" Zeke asked. "They're a black and white." Sunny said.

"Weaver's asking for me for to come back and help the Drow in their home." Adrianna and Eliza locked eyes. "...are...are you sure?" Eliza asked. "I'm the Demon that had sex with a Drow, and Mystara is completely encased in shadows."

The two face palmed at the realization, dropping their knees in defeat. "Did this just come in?" "Yep! Just came in." Eliza said. "Mmhmm! Fresh from the messenger." Adrianna added. "Out of curiosity, what do you make of the second message?" Eliza asked.

"Oh, that's for me." Moon said. "They call me the Calamity Queen, I'm sort of their hero." 'The dumbass is figuring it out!?' Eliza mouthed to Adrianna. She shrugged in response. "If this is the case, would you two be okay with going over and helping?" Adrianna asked. "We can handle the other stuff and bookings."

"YES!YES!YES!" Han shouted through Zeke's phone. "Han public place!" Zeke scolded. "Uh, sure, but you have to make it for-" "Sir, it's time to switch off your mobile phone." A stewardess said politely. "Yeah give me 10 seconds. It's going to be-" "Sir, I need you to switch ofAHHHHHHHH DEMON!!"

Adrianna and Eliza jumped at the shriek. "...What was that?" Adrianna asked. "Sorry, stewardess wasn't taking no for an answer. Even though I was going to hang up in a few seconds!" 'He seem different?' Eliza mouthed. Adrianna nodded.

"Yeah, as I was trying to save. Make the booking for four people. Three Hunters one visitor." The two gave each other a confused look. "Twig...when could you afford a visitor charm?" "I'm not at liberty to discuss that information, per the agreement. Look, I gotta go before they get an air marshal, but four people. Bye!"

The two stood at a loss for words. "The fuck happened to Twig!? We left him for a like a month!" "I don't know...but let's find out." "Oh please don't call him." Eliza groaned. "Ah! Adrianna my muse! To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Jacaranda asked.

"I have someone I need you to look into." He let out an excited giggle. "Oh! Who has piqued your interest? Wait. Please don't tell me it's your droll son." "Hey! My son is...uh....um...." Eliza rolled her eyes. "His name is Zeke Chen, his real name might be redact-"

"Oh, I'm about to finish my article on his latest escapades, what would you like to know about him?" "...You're what?" Eliza asked. "You're already aware of him?" Adrianna asked. "Of course, after his battle with Kenji, every new piece of information I learnt about him, was titillating and wonderful."

"Um...what happened to him during...let's say...June 20th till now." "From his 18th birthday. Ah, this was fascinating and put him on the Contender list." Eliza threw her hands into the air in disbelief.

"He was spotted in Heaven, with Moon Kim and Sunny Shinsei. The three were in Heaven to return the missing daughter of Eren Linette. While there, he destroyed and freed the Black Hammer." "Of course he did, what else did he do?" Eliza asked.

"It seems while on his mission to return Eren's daughter, he liberated a section of Heaven being controlled by former World Ranker Gregory Barnes, by breaking his body then castrating him." "Twig did what!?" "This has been checked?"

"Adrianna, you hurt me. Of course I would fact check this. Over fifty different Hunters in the area were able to show me what he did." "How the hell did he get past his barriers?" Eliza asked.

"It appears he found some new weapons over there. Their new website now has an extensive list of their weapons and abilities. Take a look, not fond of their naming choices though, but children will be children."

Eliza looked over Adrianna's shoulder at their new website. "Zeke Chen...weapons...Echo Gloves?" Eliza said. "Mmm, very inventive, what he has listed under his magic capabilities follows the same vein." "Limit breaker? God, they really are kids." Eliza said.

"Indeed. However I've seen the destructive power he now holds. He's been set as a Contender and after today, it will be announced worldwide." "Why? What's happening today?" They asked puzzled. "The sole daughter of Kenji Serizawa is celebrating her birthday. Although I suspect they will run into trouble at their destination."

"Why...?" Eliza asked concerned. "A booking was made for the entire island resort under the name Serizawa. However the Calamity Sisters just tweeted that they're taking a much needed vacation at, can you guess where?" "Oh no..."

"Twig isn't dumb enough to pick a fight with the next top three World Rankers just to-oh who am I kidding. That idiot is going to start a fight. We're getting on a flight." "Thank you for the information." "Any time, oh please let me know if anything happens there."

The eight of them arrived at night. The other five glared at Zeke, Moon and Sunny, as they sauntered out. "What's wrong with you guys?" Zeke asked. "Really gonna ask that when you were clapping cheeks in first class?" Han barked.

"I told you that I didn't book the tickets, I just did the RSVP. Also we weren't having..." The stewardess cleared her throat next to him. He went red. "Well the important thing is that you're all rich now, you coulda just paid for an upgrade." "You stay rich by getting free shit." "Then you can't complain."

A handsome man in a suit approached them. "Mr Chen?" "Yeah...?" "Miss Serizawa has arranged your transport. Please follow me, I will explain the itinerary on the way." "Oh cool, we got a chauffeur." He stopped looking at the other five.

"My car does not fit a party that large. If they wish to come, they must find their own transport." "Oh that's fine, give em the address." Zeke said. They looked at him annoyed. "See you guys there!" Zeke said with a smile.

"I missed it when he was a cuck." Han said. "I mean, shouldn't you be happy for him now that he's so confident?" Raven asked. "You okay to use your share, to pay for the cab?" "I was thinking we split it five ways?" "Yeah that's what I thought."

Everyone retired into their own personal huts with Zeke walking under the midnight moonlit. He wore a pair of shorts and a loose button up t-shirt. He took a seat at end of the pier staring at the perfect reflection on the gentle water.

"It's kinda weird to see you wearing clothing, that doesn't make you look like a hobo." Sakura said. Zeke turned around seeing her wearing a floral skirt and bikini top. "Came into some money and figured I should start dressing like someone who can afford things."

The two smiled sitting by next to each other. "Thanks for coming." "Thanks for the invite. I have to ask. Do I have to do anything? This is the first party I've been to, where I wasn't the plus one or designated driver."

Sakura snickered and leant on his shoulder. "I miss hanging out with you." "You guys are pretty close to graduating aren't you?" "We are, but it's not like we're gonna hang out like we did at the academy."

"We can always make time, I don't really intend to go through a lot of Rifts." "Really? What about if Moon or Sunny want to go through one." "By themselves, I'm not okay with it, but together? They're quite something."

"You're talking about them being in a fight right?" "Huh? Yep I meant in a fight." Sakura snickered with Zeke joining. "We could always work together, when you get your licence." "You really think they'd let me join?" "I'm sure if you dialled back the, wanting to fuck me jokes they would."

"But it's so much fun." She pouted. "Besides, if I'm working with you, it means Constantine will be as well." "I mean...you could always just...not bring him?" "I'd never hear the end of it." "How's he feel about me being here?"

"About the same, when you were at Chiron." "So filled with immense hatred." "Pretty much." "Well, this is gonna be a fun week. Granted a green Rift doesn't open up." "Thought you weren't opening your agency till after my birthday."

"Got some weird message from Weaver, asking us to help the Drows." "That sounds pretty serious, shouldn't you be on the first flight to a Rift?" "And miss seeing Constantine's reaction to your present?."

Sakura sat up. "Present? You know I'm rich right?" Zeke spun his head around exaggeratedly. "No! Really? I couldn't tell." Sakura laughed shoving Zeke. "Here. This is for you. Happy Birthday Sakura."

He handed her a small leather bound book with a small ribbon across it. "What is this?" "It's all the translations I have so far, of the Sovereign techniques. Feel free to change the names on some of them. Han felt it necessary to give them names."

"Demon Slash, Mana Step, Monarch's authority is a bit of tough one, but it took me forever to translate the fifth technique. Think it will be perfect for you." "Frost barrier?" "Yeah, the translation really boils down to 'make wall with element.'" "How does this one help me?"

"Here let me show you." Zeke let out a controlled breath holding his palm to the sky. His hair turned white and the frost that rippled out condensed and formed into an opaque ice barrier above them. It shattered instantly as Zeke returned to normal.

"I can't make it very far yet or super sturdy, but mix that with your power to climb into any shadow, and you'll have complete control." Sakura held the book to her chest. "I'll try and translate the rest, but the asshole didn't make it easy for me."

She kissed him on the cheek, startling Zeke. "Are you trying to get us both killed?" He said looking around. "Thank you Zeke. We should get some sleep, we got a big day tomorrow." "Do we? The driver just said the itinerary was, drinking and then I quote, whatever you feel like maaaan. In that exact way."

She smiled. "I had dad book out the entire island. You can do whatever activity you want for free and as many times as you want, with free drinks and food." "Christ! How rich is he!?" "You can ask him if you want to see him." "No thanks, dying once was enough."