Blade of Mycelium
Pairings!
Bdubs and Etho (Scythe)
Scar and Grian (Garrote Wire)
Pearl and Gem (Mace)
Scott and Cleo/Martyn (Swords)
Ren and Doc (Machine Gun)
Big B and Mumbo (Throwing Knife)
Joel (Fan) and Lizzie (Scissors)
Tango (Flamethrower) and Jimmy (Wood Staff)
Skizz (Warhammer) and Impulse (Gun)
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Prologue:
“I hate this blummin’ scavenger hunt! I mean, what kind scavenger hunt has an ‘albino rat’s heart’ on the list?! This is so stupid!” While a student in a pressed maroon suit held down a squirming rat, two figures watched from the mouth of the alley way, sizing up the boy as he raised a pair of very orante scissors to the rat’s head. “Lizzie, what do I do?”
“I don’t know! You’re the one who took anatomy! Maybe start my cutting off it’s head though, it doesn’t seem happy with you, and I heard a lot of these city rats have rabies.” The two figures heard a second, female, voice in the alleyway, but they couldn’t see anyone else standing by the boy.
“You think he’s on the phone or something?” The taller of the two asked, having to restrain his laughter as the boy nearly gagged at his own attempt to kill the squirming rat.
“Probably, but we’ll be done before he can call anyone.” The second said. “Seems rich, he should tide us over nicely for the next few weeks, maybe a month if we’re lucky.”
“Lizzie I can’t do this!” The boy whined, holding the pair of scissors as far away from the rat as humanly possible.
“Well I could try to get it, but I doubt cutting a heart out with a fan would be as clean as it would be with a pair of scissors. It would be messy, the blood would get all up in your folds and you’ll probably be in direct contact with it’s flesh…” The female voice was cut off by the boy groaning once again, which only seemed to make her laugh. “You know, for someone who claimed to be a bad boy in middle school you are awfully squemish, did you know what?” She taunted.
“Shut up!” He brought down the scissors and snipped the rat’s neck. It took an excruciatingly long time, as the boy gagged and looked away as the rat’s neck made a popping and grinding sound as the blades brushed around bone.
“Good job Joel! You the first part’s over!” The girl applauded.
“Oh it’s blood is all over my hands, oh I’m gonna be sick.” As the boy laid the scissors on the floor and sat the rat’s decapitates body down he tried his best to whipe off as much blood as possible on his jacket and button up.
“You doin’ okay there buddy?” The boy spun around with his still slightly bloody hand pressed over his mouth and he came face to face with a man who seemed much older than him, despite being the same age (not that Joel exactly knew that at the time). He was short, maybe the same height as Joel, maybe a bit taller, he couldn’t tell from where he was kneeled down on the floor, with short brown hair and a few speckles of matching facial hair. His eyes were golden in color, but that wasn’t even the weirdest thing about him, as he walked with a massive warhammer slung over one of his shoulders. Joel went to reach for the scissors, but when the man glared at him he second guessed himself.
“Just fine.” Joel lied, swallowing back bile that had been building up in his throat. The man scoffed at him, which only served to piss Joel off. “Can I help you sir?”
“Sir! Did you hear that Impy? He called you sir!” A voice echoed in the alleyeay, and Joel recognized it’s almost etherial quality as the voice of a shapeshifted scythe.
“Yeah, I heard Skizz.” The man laughed, “You seem like a polite kid, hows abour you empty your pockets for us, and we’ll let you go, easy peasy.” He grinned.
“Lizzie are you hearing this shit?” Joel asked, any bought of sickness quickly replaced by annoyance. “This guy think’s he’s tough shit, I think we should teach him a lesson.”
“Maybe this will sway your mind.” Impulse grinned and in the blink of an eye he and Skizz had switched places. A tall man with dark hair and blue eyes, wearing a suit jacket and shirt with the sleeves ripped off, was standing infront of Joel, holding a gun, pointing it straight at him.
“Nice magic trick,” Joel scoffed, “Was that supposed to be scary?” He picked up the scissors and stood up without any worry, “I think it’s our turn, let’s show ‘em Lizzie!” Skizz pulled the trigger but before the bullet could strike Joel, a pink haired girl in a similar maroon suit was standing in his place, holding an intrucutly patterned folding fan. The bullet deflected off the fan with ease and the girl laughed.
“How?! How did you do that?!” Skizz shouted, now scrambling backwards in what seemed to be a combination of shock and fear. Lizzie looked at the fan and the two shared a look that their assailants couldn’t make out.
“What do you mean, how did you do that? You just did it?” Lizzie pointed out. She moved to step towards Skizz, but he and Impulse swapped again, and Impulse swung Skizz, hitting the stone ground just short of Lizzie. “Watch it!”
“Have you two never seen other scythes before?” Joel asked. Lizzie tossed the fan into the air and he shifted back, landing on the floor next to her. Impulse’s eyes darted between the duo that was noe standing infront of him.
“I don’t know what the hell you are but from what I know, you two aren’t scythes.” Impulse pointed out. “Scythes are those long stick things right? With the hooked blade?”
“Well obviously not, ‘death scythe’ is the term for someone who can shapeshift between human and weapon forms, there are hundreds of us, how the hell have you two never seen any before when you live so close to Death Meister Academy?” Joel asked. Impulse went pale.
“Death Meister Academy? What kind of hellhole is that?” Skizz asked from his still shapeshifted form.
“A place where meisters, those are people who weild the scythes, and the scythes themselves train up to fight against demons and witches who try to eat people.” Lizzie said as Skizz shifted back into his human form, now sitting next to Impluse against one of the alleyway walls.
“There are demons that eat people running around?” He asked, “And nobody told us?!” Joel and Lizzie shared another look. “That feels like that should have been announced publicly or something. That’s crazy irresponsible of you meister people!” He snapped.
“Have you ever set foot in a school?” Joel asked.
“Joel!” Lizzie snapped, slapping the back of his head.
“What?! I was just askin a blummin’ question!” He shouted back. Lizzie rolled her eyes at him once again.
“That’s insensitive!” She snapped back.
“I mean I went to school up to… third grade I think? And Skizz stopped somewhere mid-second grade. We’ve been out on these streets since then, but it’s not like we’re stupid. We can read and write and all that jazz.” Impulse explained.
“... Give us a moment will you?” Lizzie asked as she grabbed Joel’s shoulder, leading him to the mouth of the alleyway.
“Try anything and we’ll send tte demons after you!” Joel threatened as he was led away, which lead to Lizzie pincing his ear and procedding to drag him out of the allyway. “Ow! What was that for? I’m sorry alright? I just didn’t want them shooting us in the back or anything!” He protested.
“I think we have to take them back to the academy with us.” Lizzie whispered when she was sure that the two of them were out of the earshot of Impulse and Skizz. Joel gasped but Lizzie cut him off before he could protest again. “Mr. Death has a record of all scythes in the city because that’s typically something noted at birth, and I’ve never heard of these guys before! It can’t be safe to leave them out here, they threatened us and we were able to fight back, but who knows how many other people they’ve gone after?”
“This is a stupid idea.” Joel muttered.
“Are you saying we should leave them here?” Lizzie asked.
“No,” Joel groaned, “But this is gonna mess up that bloody scavenger hunt that you wanted to do so badly.”
“You were never gonna cut up that rat anayway.”
“I was too!” Joel protested.
“Sure, now let’s get going.”
~~Back At The Academy~~
“Joel close your mouth, you’re going to catch flies!” Death laughed as he passed a pair of maroon suits to Impulse and Skizz. “My name is Kith, but most people call me Death, I’m excited to get to know both of you Impulse and Skizz!”
“You heard the part where they said that they dropped out in elementary school right?” Joel asked, warning him an elbow to the ribs from Lizzie. “Augh!”
“I don’t see what that has to do with it.” Death shrugged, “Besides, Impulse and Skizz here remind me of my own death scythes, and I’m curious to see how they grow.”
“These two remind you of Miss Patty and Miss Liz?” Joel asked, this time just barely doging Lizzie’s jabs at him.
“Indeed, they were street thugs too at one point. My father gave them a chance and they turned out to be some of the best scythes in the buisness, it’s only right for me to do the same for these two here.” Death explained. “Now, would you two mind showing Impulse and Skizz around? I have a feeling that they would be intrested in the practice duels.”
“You’ve got to be kidding…” Lizzie didn’t miss that time.
“We would love to.” Lizzie said, bowing to Death. The quartet left the room, some happier than others, and Lizzie began leading the unexpected new students to the platform where practice duels were being held. It held a arena with walls a few stones tall that seperated the fighters from any onlookers. Lizzie found them and empty spot against the wall just as a new set of contrstants entered the area.
“That’s Etho!” Joel said, practically throwing himself over the wall to see the scythe walking unaccompanied into the arena. “He’s fighting on his own, he doesn’t stand a bloody chance!” His eyes turned to the other side of the arena and they landed on the blonde duo that was standing there, the taller of the two waving eagerly to Joel. “I resind that.”
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Chapter 1, The Previous Day:
Jimmy’s going to be kicked out, and he knows it. Any scythe without a meister pair is automatically kicked out, and with the abundance of weapons the school had, Jimmy knew his chances of being picked were already slim, but they were made even worse by the fact he was utterly useless. With a plethora of guns and swords, who the hell would pick a stupid bow staff of all things? One person had made that mistake already, and he dumped Jimmy the first chance he got. No one in their right mind would choose him.
“Ugh! This is a damn pain.” Jimmy looked up a a shorter blonde slid onto the bench across from him. He was shocked by the fact anyone would even choose to come near him after practially the whole school had seen Scott denounce his partnership with Jimmy for Cleo. “All these damn weapons are making it so hard to find a meister!”
“You’ve got that right.” Jimmy laughed pesimistically. “When you can have any weapon you could ever want why wouldn’t you pick a flawless partner?” The blonde laughed.
“Right?! Gods you’re weapon form is even a little bit out of the norm and it’s like your thrown to the dogs.” He sighed and looked up at Jimmy, allowing the taller blonde to see that his eyes were vibrant red. “Venting probably isn’t the best of introductions huh? I’m Tango, Tango Tek.” He held out his hand and Jimmy shook it.
“Jimmy,” He saw Tango flinch, “Yeah, that Jimmy.”
“Dude, I’m so sorry for what happened to you.” Tango said, pressing his hands over his mouth, Jimmy just shrugged.
“It was bound to happen, I’m a bad partner. I’m a weapon but I’m a pretty useless one at that.” Jimmy explained.
“You shouldn’t say that kinda stuff about yourself.” Tango frowned and Jimmy almost felt bad. “Besides I know what it’s like to be passed up because of your form. Bet you can’t guess what I am.” He taunted as he leaned onto the table.
“Are you a bow staff too?” Jimmy asked.
“I’m a flamethrower.” Tango explained.
“Dude!” Jilmy could hardly contain his excitement, slamming his palms down on the table and standing up, pushing awat from the bench he was sitting on. “That is so cool! Why would anyone pass that up?” He asked.
“It’s impractical, I can do a lot of damage, but I’m clunky and a lot of people don’t want to deal with that.” Tango stared off into space for a moment before turning back to Jimmy. “You know a lot of weapons have decided to form these little dual-weilding pair type things so they don’t get kicked out of the academy, we should do that!”
“You and me? No way!” Jimmy insisted, “Like the meisters you practially have your pick of partners, you should find someone better.” Tango rolled his eyes at Jimmy’s protests.
“You open to using a flamethrower?” Tango asked.
“Of course I would be but…” Tango cut him off.
“Then it’s settled, I’m gonna be your partner.” Tango declared as he grabbed Jimmy’s hand. Jimmy just stared in shock. “Come on! Let’s go offically apply!”
“What?! Uh… Tango?!”
~~The Next Day~~
“Oh my god you can’t be serious.” Jimmy groaned as Tango held up a flyer for the practice duels.
“Dead serious.” Tango nodded eagerly.
“I don’t know how to use a flamethrower Tango!” Jimmy began to protest, but Tango just nodded at him.
“I know, which is why I’m going to be fighting with my favorite bow staff.” The shorter explained as he elbowed Jimmy lightly in the ribs.
“But we could do way better if I…” Tango covered Jimmy’s mouth with his hand and just smiled.
“I don’t care, I wanted to be your teammate and there is no way I’m gonna let you have all the fun.” Tango explained, “Now we should probably go get ready, our first opponent is a bit of a doozy!”
“Who is it?”
“Etho Slab.”
“WHAT?!”