Time to clash - truth about the elements

The clash between the mercenaries led by Azraq and Esco and the members of the Twins' gang has begun. Mercenaries were greater in number, but the members of Twin's gang had better qualifications, because this time it was necessary to have guns.

"Take cover!" Yelled a member of the Twins gang.

Flora, Fauna and Esco were approaching Azraq.

"I hope you don't think you three will have any better chance than those two..." Azraq said this with all confidence.

"You have nothing on me." He menacingly added.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Flora said, pulling her daggers out of their sheaths.

"Knives? Are you kidding me, what do I look like? A potato?" Azraq said jokingly.

Suddenly her daggers grew in temperature and reddened, Azraq carefree look switched with a concerned one.

"That could be troublesome..." Azraq mumbled.

"I didn't know you could use an element." Fauna was surprised.

"We all have our secrets." Flora winked at Fauna.

"And it seems your powers will be needed." Esco looked at Azraq, whose arm was still coated in ice.

"Hey, sir, what's your name?" Esco shouted.

"Azraq, Sheriff Azraq to you." Azraq responded.

Esco turned to the members of the Twins gang.

"Don't you dare shoot Ass-crack there, alright? This is between us..." Esco said seriously.

"Azraq!" Azraq shouted irritably.

"Like I said. Don't sweat it..." Esco chuckled.

Azraq also turned to mercenaries backing him up.

"The same goes for you too." Azraq said with death stare.

Mercenaries shuddered under his gaze. He turned hastily to Esco and the others who were approaching. Azraq slowly made his way towards them.

The main battle between the four was about to begin.

Esco, Flora, and Fauna began to pick up the pace. When they were almost close enough to feel the chill of Azraq's ice, Esco turned into a side alley.

"What?!" Flora exclaimed in a surprise.

"Don't worry, I have a plan." Esco held up his index finger.

"It's just you and me now..." Flora said.

"Is this any different from normal situations?" Fauna smirked.

"Pay attention when you come against me." Azraq appeared before Flora.

He reached an icy hand forward, but Flora blocked it. They both looked at the spot where their weapons clashed, Azraq's icy hand began to melt.

"As I thought, I'll have to take a different approach on her." Azraq thought for himself.

"Forgot about me?" Fauna said, hitting Azraq in the side with her boxer.

Azraq fell to his knees. His icy sword disappeared and his fists became cloaked in ice instead.

"You do pack a punch..." Azraq rubbed his side.

"But that's not enough." He added, standing up with incredible speed, hitting Fauna several times and sending her flying with the last blow aimed at her face.

"F-Fauna?" Flora said with disbelief in her voice.

"How dare you hit my sister like that!" She shouted furiously.

"Oh, she's your sister? Now that you mention it, I can see a resemblance." Azraq flicked his eyes from Flora to Fauna.

"And you'll end up like her too..." Azraq sprang towards her.

Flora grunted under the pressure Azraq put on her as they clashed their weapons. But the anger in her would not let her lose such a fight.

"Fauna, you okay?" Flora looked at Fauna for a brief moment.

"If you have time to chit-chat, I'm not putting out enough power." Azraq smiled devilishly and forced himself on Flora even more.

Her knees started to buckle a little. Flora gritted her teeth, still standing under his massive pressure.

"This is bad..." Flora thought to herself.

"If this keeps up, he'll be done with me in no time. Just if something would distract him even for a second." She thought again.

At that moment, Esco and a few other members of the Twins gang bypassed the mercenaries through the side alleys.

"Hit them hard!" Esco shouted and the rest of his team fired their weapons.

For a moment the mercenaries didn't know what was going on, but after a while they split into two groups, one pushing forward and the other protecting them from behind.

"Cover me!" Esco shouted as he jumped in, striking a karate pose in midair.

"What's going on back there?" Azraq turned his attention to the back rows for a moment.

"Now!" Flora thought, gathered what strength she had left, pushed Azraq away, and stabbed him in the back.

"Gotcha!" She shouted, her dagger becoming even hotter.

"Ouch, that's hot!" Azraq yelled.

He then immediately reached over his back, grabbed Flora, and threw her over his shoulder into the distance.

"This is bad, even if I take out at least one of them, I'll be weakened and the other one might take me down." Azraq muttered.

"Not counting my state..." He added.

Bruno slowly began to get up. When he did, he immediately rushed to Nazo.

"You okay, buddy?" Bruno asked worriedly.

"Yeah... Even though I took a good beating..." Nazo said in a weak voice.

"Look, we have allies here... and we seem to be winning." Bruno said.

"I was still conscious, you know? I was observing things..." Nazo said irritably.

"Whatever, let's get you up." Bruno helped Nazo up and led him to one of the houses.

"Bruno?" Nazo asked questioningly.

"Yes?" Bruno replied.

"Is it my imagination, or does Azraq not have his ice weapons anymore?" Nazo squinted his eyes at the sight of Azraq.

Bruno looked quickly at Azraq. And he couldn't believe his eyes.

"How so? Even the temperature isn't as low as it was before." Bruno wondered.

"Crap!" Azraq mumbled in rage.

"Hey, idiots! Back off, or you'll lay down your life here..." He shouted.

The mercenaries looked at each other in confusion.

"What's he saying?" Came from the crowd and many other questions.

"RUN or DIE HERE!" Azraq shouted.

Mercenaries scattered confusedly in all directions, especially further away from the town.

"So you're running away, huh?" Fauna said in a beaten voice.

"I'd rather run away than die here. And I think I've done more damage than all of you combined..." Azraq said.

"Until we meet again... losers." He added and disappeared into thin air.

"Did we win?" Esco asked while beating the remaining soldiers.

"How does it look? I'd say we're more like lost..." Fauna stood up and said.

"And stop hitting that guy and go help the others... Aren't you a doctor?" She added sharply.

"Pfft... who are you to order me around..." Esco said gruffly and went to check on the others.

Esco, with the help of Bruno and Fauna, gathered all the wounded in one place.

"Well, I think some of us are in a really bad shape..." Esco looked pityingly at Rosa.

"At least we didn't count more than ten dead." He added.

"So they'll be okay?" Bruno asked worriedly.

"Of course they will be... They're in the best hands." Esco chuckled.

"Although it will take a while..." He added quietly.

--- Perros and Koon ---

Perros woke up after some time.

"How long was I asleep?" Perros rubbed his eyes.

"About a day..." Koon said approximately.

"A DAY?" Perros said in surprise.

"How can you hold the wind for so---" Perros looked at Koon.

"Why don't you use your element?" He added confusedly.

"Element? We have a sail and a paddle." Koon pointed to those things.

"Ahem..." Perros held out his palm and tried to focus.

Perros closed his eyes, his muscles began to clench. Instead of a gust of wind from his palm, he quietly farted.

"That is YOUR element?" Koon jokingly said.

"Shut it..." Perros said embarrassed.

"So no elements? You can't use one... I can't use one either... but Rosa can use the wind, she's so fast thanks to that." Perros mused in confusion.

"I'd say she cannot, Rosa is just fast naturally..." Koon explained.

"So what was that boom with the elements?" Perros asked, annoyed but confused at the same time.

"There wasn't one... Must be the local flower, it causes various hallucinations. We all have immunity to it because we live here, but foreigners have to build it. And it seems you've finally gotten yours." Koon explained to him once more.

"Or perhaps the effect just ran out." He added.

"Okay... so no elements... but I hope someone's waiting for us at the end of our destination." Perros said.

"Yes." Koon yawned.

"Take the paddle, now it's my time to hit the hay..." Koon said and promptly fell asleep.

"Shoot..." Perros quickly grabbed the paddle before it fell into the water.

"I want to see the land..." He cried out tiredly.

Perros and Koon were slowly but surely getting closer. There were only a few hours of sailing left.