Fortuna Academy Ch.05 – Tamashii Roda & Ryuuga Yoshida vs Karin Ringwalker

Ryuuga and the others narrowed their eyes at the approaching statues. The sound of rhythmic stomping noises caused by the statues' footsteps echoed through the room. The statues lunged at the group raising its weapons into the air.

Hiruma shot one of the statues with a powerful mana blast that caused the armor to be knocked back.  He took that chance to rush toward the statue, blades protruding from his guns. He leapt over the statue, delivering a series of fast slashes. The statue was instantly torn apart.

Van punched one of the statues with a mana-charged fist, sending it flying against the wall. Jin dodged the statue's strike and struck it from above as he leapt over it and struck it from behind as he landed.

"Raimahou" His halberd began to get surrounded by lightning.

"Dengen Saji Taihou!"  As Jin chanted those words, a bolt of lightning shot out of his spear and struck the statue, reducing it to rubble.

Yumi skillfully evaded a statue's sword strike and before the statue could sense it, it was surrounded by chains with spell tags on them. With a snap of her finger, the tags exploded along with the statue.

Ryuuga didn't move one inch as the statue came closer to him, weapon raised in the air. The statue swung it's axe down on Ryuuga, but the silver-haired Ryuujin caught the statue's wrist with one arm. "Too weak…" He muttered. Ryuuga the ripped the statue's arm off and sliced it in half with his sword. "That was supposed to trap us? What a joke."

"Well, let's move on." Van said illuminating the room. There's a door there we can use.

"This doesn't make any sense…" Jin muttered.

"What was that, Jin?" Yumi asked.

"This building was abandoned, right? Why would it have traps?" Jin replied. Ryuuga remembered the book he was reading at the building's library. "…My end is near, and I've decided to leave my most precious relics upon a chamber deep within this building,.."". "I was reading something earlier…" Ryuuga said getting everyone's attention. "Something about precious relics being guarded in this building."

"Hang on, where did you read that?" Hiruma asked.

"At the library we fell in."

"Did it say something else about the building?" Van asked.

"I was about to find out until Hiruma interrupted me." Ryuuga replied abruptly.

"Why didn't you tell me that sooner?" Hiruma asked. "Better than that, why didn't you take that book with you?"

"It'd hinder me." Ryuuga answered calmly. "But the important thing is, we might just have found an important clue about what's going on with this place."

"And that would be?" Yumi asked.

"I think someone used to live here before…Someone really powerful…I think those "relics" might have something to do with what's going on here." Ryuuga explained

"How so?" Jin asked.

"I think we need to go further inside and find out." Ryuuga told them.

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Back at the dorms…

Shiori was prancing around the dorm halls while heading to her room. "Honestly…" Shiori heard a female voice saying in a repressing tone coming from an open room door. She peeked through the opening to see Luna tending to Crow's bruises. "Stop getting in trouble you idiot..."  "Right, right." Crow replied. Shiori giggled as low as she could."Oh those two…"

"What are you doing?" Said a male voice from behind her, startling the black-haired celeste. She turned her head back to see Edward looking at her with an eyebrow raised. "What's wrong?"

"You scared me! Don't sneak on me like that." Shiori said pouting. Edward laughed. "W-what's so funny?"

"Your reaction was kinda cute." Edward replied. Shiori blushed. "Oh, stop. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I was going to ask Ryuuga about tomorrow's schedule, but he wasn't in his room. Neither were Yumi and Jin. What about you? Why are you still with your uniform?" Edward asked.

"Oh, I just got back from the Student Council building, actually. Alice was getting tired and we still had a lot of paperwork to do, so I told her she could go home and I could handle it."

"You did it all by yourself?" Edward asked surprised. "Isn't that a lot of work for one person? I mean, are you feeling ok? You shouldn't be overdoing yourself like this." Shiori giggled.

"You don't have to worry about me, Edward." Shiori said grinning. "But thanks." She said hugging him.

"Um…sure…" Edward said nervously. Shiori let go of him. "Well, be seeing you." Shiori said walking away. Edward followed her. "I'll walk you to your room."

"You don't need to-"

"It's no problem, really." Edward said smiling at her.

"Um…ok." Shiori replied rather nervously. "T-thanks."

As they walked through the halls towards Shiori's room, they ran into Alice, who had a rather apprehensive expression in her face. "Oh, Shiori. Hello." The blonde elf greeted in a melancholic tone. " You don't seem to be ok, what's wrong?" Shiori asked worried. Alice sighed. "Well, you know that building where students got hurt recently, right?"

"What about it?"

"Well, Hiruma went to check it and he hasn't come back yet…I'm worried…" Alice said.
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"Interesting..." Tamshii said as he heard the whole conversation. After pondering for a while, he vanished with a card of hearts.
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"I see…Well, If it's Hiruma, I'm sure he can do it." Shiori said reassuringly. "I mean, he wouldn't be the Disciplinary Committee boss for no reason."

"I-I suppose so." Alice replied.

"But hey, look sharp! Hiruma wouldn't like to know you're sad! Just think positive!" Shiori answered.

"A-all right. Thanks Shiori."

"Anytime" Shiori smiled.

"Well, if you excuse me, I'll be returning to my room. A good night to both of you." Alice said before she made her way to her room. The two students waved at the Blonde elf. Edward turned his head to Shiori.

"You're really good at cheering people up." He complimented.

"Thanks." Shiori said happily.

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Back at the building…

The 5 students were still investigating the abandoned building. As then ventured further into it, fight more enchanted statues and wolves along the way, they were currently standing in front of a set of double doors. Ryuuga sensed something powerful behind that door. "I believe the reason this mansion is weird is just behind this door. Whatever is on the other side of this…is really powerful. Be prepared everyone." Ryuuga said pushing the door open. They found themselves on a spacious, yet empty room with black and white floor tiles. On the other side of the room was a short staircase that led to a table with one torch on each side.

The doors suddenly were closed shut. Jin tried to open it, to no avail. "It's not opening! Yu, try using one of your cards." Jin told the black-haired girl. Yumi tried to unlock it when…

"Look out!" Van said pushing Jin and Yumi. A purple fireball struck Van, sending him flying. He collided with the wall before plummeting to the ground. "Van!"Yumi shouted running to his direction. Van writhed in pain, burn marks on the spot where he got hit. More fireballs soared towards the group, but Yumi was faster.

"Suimahou! Suijinheki!" She chanted, surrounding the group with an water wall. "Sweet job, Yu!" Jin praised. The torches in the end of the room flared up, revealing a blonde woman with purple eyes dressed in purple robes outlined in red. Her bangs curled up in a spiral on both sides.

"Well, looks like I have some uninvited company..." The woman said cackling evily."Who are you!?" Ryuuga asked in a noticeably angry tone. "If you must know, I am Karin Ringwalker. A Dark Sorceress."

"What's your business in this place!?" Ryuuga questioned once again.

"I suppose I could tell you...But what's the point of telling you this on your final moments?" Karin told Ryuuga and her hands became covered in purple flames.

"Yumi!" Ryuuga called.

"Hai!" She responded.

"You can take care of Van's wounds, right?" He asked.

"I can do this!" She said confidently.

"Good. Hiruma, Jin, cover Yumi and Van. I'll deal with Karin." Ryuuga said.

"Hey, hey, I thought I was this party's leader." Hiruma said chuckling.

"Don't think I forgot about you four! It's feast time, my puppies!" Karin said summoning a magic circle that summoned more wolves.

"A continuous summoning circle, huh?" Hiruma smirked blasting some of the wolves away. Hiruma and Jin were fending them off while covering Yumi as she tended to Van's injuries.

"Don't worry, we got this!" Jin told Ryuuga. The ryuujin smirked. He gazed intimidatingly at the Dark Sorceress.

"Don't think you'll survive this..." Ryuuga said before getting into battle position.

"Fine! If you're so intent on hurrying to your grave, I'll be more than glad to show you the way!" Karin said angrily clapping her hands together, surrounding Ryuuga with fireballs. Clenching her right hand, the projectiles closed in on Ryuuga, causing a purple energy explosion upon impact. From the smoke, a sword with a black hilt and a dragon wing-shaped guard went sailing towards Karin. She dodged it and the sword carved itself on the wall behind her. A foot slammed hard on her face, sending the dark sorceress flying across the room. She backfliped, landing on the floor, avoiding colision with the cold ground. Ryuuga yanked his sword out of the wall and glared at Karin menacingly. He rushed at her and swiftly swung his sword in a horizontal swipe, but a magical barrier deflected to blow and knocked Ryuuga back. He got on his feet before he hit the ground. Before he could react, however, Karin already sent a barrage of fireballs to strike him. A giant card of clubs appeared in front of him, blocking the fireballs. A card of hearts soon followed, Tamashii Roda emerging from it.

"Tamashii-sensei." Ryuuga said slightly surprised.Tamashii turned his gaze to Van's injured body. "Sounds like you've gotten yourselves in some big trouble." As the green-haired teacher said that, "So…you're the one behind the weird stuff going with this building?" Tamashii questioned. The woman cackled. "Well, if it isn't the Shuffle Striker itself."The woman answered.

"So…I assume you're after the relics Lord Dragan left in this place before he left this world, correct?" Tamashii asked. "Are you related with the attacks on students lately?" Tamashii said getting into attacking stance.

"Dragan...?" Ryuuga thought "I see….this is his home, huh?"

"I couldn't afford to have any…obstacles while looking for the relics. So I sent my puppies to drive them away."

"I'd be right to say that you're not going to let us go easily, correct?" Tamashii asked.

"You catch up quick, as expected."

"Sorry, to say, but your plan ends right here." Tamashii told her.

"You-" Karin growled.

"I can handle this. You should help your friends." Tamashii told Ryuuga.

"They'll be fine. Jin fought stronger things that those beasts. And besides, She hurt one of my companions. Don't think I'll just sit back and watch you take all the fight for yourself." Ryuuga said resting his sword on his shoulder.

"You trust your friends that much, huh?" Tamashii asked. "Well, we can make this quicker if we work together."

"I was just thinking the same thing." Ryuuga replied back with a smirk. Karin grunted.
"Come fools. I'll show you how terrifying a dark sorceress can be." Karin said in a challenging tone.

As Karin chanted a few words, fireballs were shot towards Ryuuga and Tamashii. They both dodged the fireballs as they ran towards Karin. Ryuuga spread his wings and rushed at Karin swinging his sword at her. The slash was blocked by a magic, mandala-esque barrier that was protecting Karin. The barrier knocked Ryuuga back. "The heck…"

"A multi-layered, high-density barrier. You've come prepared." Tamashii remarked."But, you're not the one with tricks up your sleeve." Tamashii said surrounding his fist with mana. He seemed to stay still for one moment before suddenly appearing in front of Karin, fist ready to attack.

"Magic Fist – Barrier Shattering Hammer"

Roda tried to punch Karin, but the barrier protected her once more, but the force of the impact began to crack the barrier,before shatthering it completely, Roda's fist connecting with Karin's stomach.

"Now!" As Tamashii shouted that, Ryuuga attacked the stunned Karin with consecutive sword blows before grabbing her by the collar of the robe and throwing her in the air. He pointed his sword at her.

"Vanish..."

And in a swift movement, he unleashed a fierce barrage of sword strikes on the blonde woman before gripping her face and swooping towards the floor, slamming her on the ground.

"Clean hit!" Jin shouted pumping his fist.

"That was for Van." He said coldly. "Now get up. I'm not done with you yet."

"Rrgh…Don't fool with me." Karin said angrily getting up. "You will pay for this!" She shouted, a dark aura surrounding her body.  She clasped her hands together and around a dozen of dark fireballs formed around her.  She swiped her arm in front of her and the fireballs chased Ryuuga and Tamashii.  They couldn't get to Karin if they focused on dodging. "You won't get us with just this." Tamashii taunted. Karin smirked evilly. "Maybe not you, but definitely them." She said, targeting her fireballs at Hiruma and Jin, who were still protecting Yumi and Van from Karin's minions. Jin was caught off guard by the fireballs.

"Shi-"But the fireballs were soon deflected by Ryuuga's sword. "Don't let your guard down!" Hiruma said blasting more wolves away. "Understood!" Jin said.

"We can't keep going on like this. We have to find a way the dispel the summoning seal."Hiruma said. "Way ahead of you." Tamashii said pulling a card with a red circle and a slash across the circle pictured on it. "Go." He said as he threw the card at the circle.

"Card Magic #7 – Seal Dispel!"

A current of electricity ran through the summoning circle, dissipating it. "No!" Karin yelled. She was about to chant another spell,was struck by a storm of cards, bevore she could recover, Tamashii caught her with one arm wrapped around her neck and his other hand grasping her wrist. "It's all over. Your summoning circle is gone and it's 5 on one. The odds are against you." Tamashii told the dark sorceress. "You have one last chance to surrender." Karin chuckled and smirked. Tamashii felt the killing intent and stepped away from Karin. She released a burst of lightning around her, but Roda avoided it before it could touch him. "I'd sooner die than surrender to the likes of you. " Karin said pulling a smoke bomb for her robes. "Mark my words, I shall return, and when that day comes…I'll come for all of you!" She threw the bomb and disappeared in thin air, leaving only a evil laughter in the atmosphere. "She got away…" Yumi said cursing. "It's no problem." Tamashii said. "Huh? But, what if she comes back?" Yumi asked. Jin began to look around. "We'll be prepared for when that happens." Jin began to look around.

"Huh? Where did Ryuuga go? He was just here before Karin ran away."

"Hiruma isn't here either." Yumi added.
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Karin ran as fast as she could through the woods trying to make her escape. "That was a grave miscalculation. I didn't think the Shuffle Striker would appear. Keh, It doesn't matter…As long as I can return, it's only a matter of time before I get my hands on Dragan's relics."

"I don't think so…"

"Wha-" Before Karin could know what was going on, the fatal blow was already dealt. A large wound opened on her throat, blood spurting out of it. "Gh…grgh…." Karin placed both hands on her neck in a desperate attempt to stop the blood from flowing, and before life left her body, she could see Ryuuga standing in front of her, blood dripping from his blade.

"I told you." He muttered eerily. "You wouldn't make out of this alive." With her last breath, Karin tried to take Ryuuga out with one of her spells, but she was shot twice in the back, knocking her down for good. Ryuuga looked at where the shots came from to see Hiruma walking towards him.

"So…It's over, huh?" Hiruma asked. Ryuuga nodded. "Things should get back to normal now."

"Heh."
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Ryuuga, his friends and Tamashii were currently standing in front of the building's entrance. Hiruma was currently carrying Van's unconscious body. "I believe you owe us a explanation to what's going here, Tamashii-sensei." Ryuuga said demanding.  "Well, let me begin from the very start. You all know about the battle that took place some years ago against the Warlock of Darkness, Gandalf, correct?" Tamashii asked the 5 students. "Yes. The one where principal Kyoraku fought, right?"  Hiruma asked. "That's correct. But principal Kyoraku was not alone. He was accompanied by two other powerful warriors. One of them would be Jinpachi Yoshida."

Ryuuga raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Gramps?" .

"And the other one is lord Dragan Murdock, the person who used to live in this place. He, along with Kyoraku, founded this academy a long time ago. Dragan made this place his home, and when he passed out, he left the two relics he used in the war somewhere in this mansion. To avoid people from wandering around this place, we've been keeping this information a secret from most of the students."

"Why is that? To protect the relics?" Yumi asked.

"Well, that's one of the reasons. The other one is that this mansion is filled with traps."

"Traps? But I thought Karin was gone. She said herself that she was the one behind the weird stuff going with this place." Yumi said.

"Well, she was only behind those wolves attacking the students that wandered around here. There are still a lot of traps around here designed to guard the relics. You don't think all that power would be left unguarded, do you?" Tamashii explained

"I suppose you're right…" Jin replied.

"Well, that's that. We all should be going home now. Especially since we have a injured one with us." Tamashii said gazing at Van. "How are his injuries?" Ryuuga asked.
"Well, I managed to treat most of them. He may still feel some pain when he wakes up, but that can be fixed with some more rest." Yumi told Ryuuga. "That's a relief."

Tamashii picked Van's body off Hiruma's back. "I'll take him back to his room." Tamashii said. "Thanks for your help today, you guys." Tamashii told them before pulling a card of hearts from his sleeve. "It was nice to fight alongside you, Ryuuga."

"Pleasure was mine." Ryuuga said back. "Well, be seeing you."  The green haired man said one last time before disappearing with his card of hearts. Hiruma turned to Ryuuga and his friends.

" Well, it was great working with you guys tonight. You really showed to be a great addition to the group." Hiruma said extending his hand to Ryuuga. Both students shook hands. "It was fun. Dangerous, but fun." Jin told Hiruma. He smirked. "I'm looking forward to our next meeting as the Disciplinary Committee. Of course, our next meeting as friends as well."
"So are we!" Yumi replied.

"Well, see you guys tomorrow." Hiruma said before leaving for the dorms.

"Shall we go home as well?" Ryuuga asked his friends.

"We have classes tomorrow, don't we? We should get as much sleep as possible."

"As you wish,sweetheart." Jin told Yumi.

The three then made they way back to the dorms.
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"You've changed a lot, you know that?" Yumi told Ryuuga as they entered the students' dorms. "How so?"

"Well, back when we were kids, you used to be a lot more…untrusting. I mean, you only hung out with Me, Jin and….her." Ryuuga seemed a bit fazed by the mention of "her". "You seemed to really get along with everyone we met so far. Edward,Shiori,Alice,Hiruma and Van. I'm really proud of you." Yumi said smiling at the Ryuujin.

"Thanks."

"Well, I hope everything goes well with you in these years we'll be staying here. We'll be here to help you of course. That's what friends are for, right?" Jin told Ryuuga. Ryuuga smirked. "Yumi, Jin. Come here for a sec."  Ryuuga asked both of them. They did as he told. "What is it?"They asked, not expecting Ryuuga to do what he did next. He hugged both of them. "R-ryuu-"

"Thanks for everything." Ryuuga muttered, letting go of them. "That's all I wanted to say. Good night." The ryuujin finished before making his way to his room. Yumi and Jin were surprised to say the least. "D…did he just…?"

"I believe he did."
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