F.E III (Freeze The World Iceman)

Rakuyō: F.E 3 𓇢

Arizona III

Freeze the World: Iceman

The hue of the room turns blue as moonlight reflects off the shards floating in the air. Lucy stands across from Soluna, lifting a finger as the tip glows an ice blue.

"So tell me, Demon, how would you like to croak today by the hand of Lucy Ducy? Freeze to death? Implode your organs? Maybe chop your head off like you did poor James?"

Soluna flicks her wrist as vines grow from her skin, wrapping around her arm. "You sure like to talk a lot, don't you?"

Lucy cackles. "Oh yes, the sound of my own voice does delight me so! Say, if you're tired of hearing it, let me put you to rest so you'll be free!"

"Tch…" Soluna sucks her teeth. Smokey flies in front of Soluna. "I won't let you speak to Soluna like that! Who do you think you're talking to!" he yells.

Lucy's face contorts into disgust. "Now what is this thing I'm looking at?! A ghost of sorts? Get it out of my sight." He raises his finger, pointing at Smokey. An ice-blue beam shoots from the tip of it, aiming for Smokey.

"Smokey-" Soluna stutters, moving to grab him. "No! I'm tired of you always protecting me! It's my turn!" Smokey spreads his arms, creating a black barrier around him and Soluna. The beam of ice breaks apart on impact with it.

"Wha-" Soluna hums, looking around, seeing nothing but darkness. The barrier quickly lowers as Smokey floats above Soluna.

"You've almost died countless times tonight because of me… and I refuse to keep being a burden to you!"

Smokey's claws sharpen. "I'll take this guy down!" He thrusts his arms in front of him.

Lucy chuckles. "Oh please, what will a creature like you do to me? Look how small you are, it reminds me of a child in a way."

"Let Lucy handle the real demon here-" before he could finish his sentence, a pulse of darkness shoots from Smokey's palms. "EUGH!" Lucy grunts as the pulse engulfs him, launching him backwards. He flies back out of the saloon, rolling in the dirt roads.

Nya, floating behind the two, whistles, placing her hand on her forehead as if she's sightseeing. "Wooo, nice shot there, little guy. Really got 'em there!"

Soluna's expression softens, looking up at Smokey. He's actually fighting…

Smokey rushes, flying outside to where Lucy landed. "Wait!" Soluna shouts, running after him. In the corner of her eye she spots her gun on the ground, half broken.

She reaches her arm out, shooting a branch at it. The branch wraps around the handle, flying back to Soluna. She looks down at the gun as the barrel, cracked, falls apart.

One more shot is all this has left, I have to make it count… She continues to rush outside, placing it in the side of her skirt.

Shards of ice surround Lucy as he lays on the ground. "Dirty! Filthy! Cretin!" he shouts, sitting up.

Smokey aims his palms towards Lucy once more, another dark pulse beginning to form. Lucy snaps his head upward, his hair and cape beginning to flutter as the ice shards around him rise. "LET THE MOON BE OUR SPOTLIGHT!"

The sound of ice chiming whispers through the air. "ICEMAN!" Lucy shouts, raising his arm.

"FREEZE THE WORLD!" Ice erupts from the ground in front of Lucy, a silhouette of a man the same height as him. The statue slides back, crashing into Lucy.

The sound of ice breaking apart radiates as the shards around him scatter, cold air and frost vapor exploding across the area.

Smokey stops charging his burst as the vapor engulfs him. He crosses his arms as frost spreads across them. "Eugh!" he grunts as the pressure pushes him back.

The vapor disperses around Lucy. He steps forward, spreading his arms, crossing his legs, his body glistening, reflecting moonlight just like his shards, icicles covering his cape.

"How splendid this is!" he grins. "I shine like the star Lucy's always meant to be!" He looks upward to Smokey, regaining himself.

He reaches out his palm. "And now for the finale, for our little friend here."

A grin widens on his face. "PEH-PA-PA-PAA," he screams as a blue aura shines around him.

"FREEZE!" The beam forms in his palm. Before he can fire it, a vine whips him across the face.

"AHHG!" he shrieks as the air cracks from the whiplash. Particles of ice fly off him.

He stumbles to the side, holding the side of his face as his cheek turns red. "ERRRG!" he growls, whirling to Soluna. "HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT LUCY'S PERFORMANCE!"

"Oh shut up and get over yourself! You want the truth? You're a terrible performer!" Soluna says, pointing her vines towards him.

"You said what?-" Lucy scowls, his eyes twitching as the ice around his body begins to crack.

"You called Lucy terrible?! What do you know about performing art! Filthy saloon girl!"

The particles start to gleam bright. "FINE! SINCE YOU WANT TO BE SO RUDE!" he bellows as frost vapor starts to spiral around him.

He slouches forward, baring his teeth. The shards of ice around him start gleaming a white light. He thrusts his arms forward. "BEGONE!" he screams as the shards shoot at Soluna.

"Erg!" Soluna grunts, sprouting vines from her arms. They start to wrap around her like an extra layer of skin, but before they could finish, one of the shards lodges into the middle of her chest. "AUGH!" she shrieks, blood erupting from her mouth.

She stumbles back, gasping, the other shards still firing. She pushes through the pain, bringing her arms up before her, slamming them together. The vines expand, combining together into a wall.

The shards land against the wall, breaking into pieces on impact. Soluna huffs as the wall falls apart, blood spraying from her wound, a chill radiating through her body.

"Ugh…" she grunts, falling to the ground, her limbs stiffening as her chest tightens.

What is going- before she could finish her thought, the sound of ice creaking radiates in her ear, crystals spreading from her wound, mixing with her blood.

Lucy watches from where he stands. "DON'T YOU FEEL IT! YOU FEEL THE CHILLS OF LUCY'S GRAND ACT! IT GIVES YOU GOOSEBUMPS, DOESN'T IT!"

Soluna huffs on the ground, her body twitching as the crystals spread across her chest, blood leaking out of her mouth.

"NO!" Smokey screams, rushing towards Lucy. "I'LL KILL YOU!" he bellows, aiming his claws towards Lucy.

Lucy scoffs, jumping back, and flicks his cape. "LET'S DANCE THEN, CRETIN!" Smokey whips his arms towards Lucy's chest as he's still in motion from jumping back.

Icicles grow from his chest too, before Smokey can strike. "ERG!" Lucy growls as Smokey's claws tear through them, particles and debris scattering across the air.

Lucy lands on the ground, sliding backwards. He swipes his cape as the icicles on it start to shoot towards Smokey.

Smokey swings his claws frantically at the incoming icicles. "DIE, DIE, DIE!" he roars, slashing through them, the sound of ice crunching radiating through the air. Lucy's eyes widen. "What is this!?"

Smokey presses his claws together, aiming them at Lucy, another pulse of darkness forming from the tips of them. The pulse bursts, shooting at Lucy. "DAMN IT!" Lucy shouts, still sliding back. He whips his arm forward, charging a beam of blue light, and blasts it toward the pulse just before it can engulf him.

BOOM! An explosion of vapor and dark energy spreads through the area, the windows of the surrounding houses bursting open, screaming and shouting from inside.

"NRGG!" Lucy shrieks, launching into the air, his body flipping over. A blur of black smoke appears above him as Smokey emerges from it.

He rakes his claws downward at Lucy's torso as Lucy continues to flip upside down.

Lucy's eyes burst open. "ICEMAN: BE SO COLD!" A statue of ice instantly sprouts from Lucy's body, his glow disappearing as the coat of ice he was covering himself with returns to a humanoid form.

The statue moves on its own, firing its fist up at Smokey. As Smokey dives down with his claws, both of them clash, the forces of the blows colliding, pushing Lucy downward. "UGH!" he grunts, crashing to the ground.

Debris and dirt surround him as he lays face-first, his hair sticking to his face. He claws at the ground, dragging himself forward. "Lucy… Ducy will not be defeated here!"

"He will be the Host!" He forces himself to face forward. (Remember why you fight, Lucius.) The voice returns in his head.

Lucy looks up at his Iceman fighting Smokey mid-air. "Why Lucy fights… yes, my desire for the world to know the splendor of Lucy Ducy!"

He forces himself to stand. Grandmother, watch me from the Heavens! Watch this final performance! I'll make our dream real! I'll win the wish!

Shards of ice start to grow around him as the chiming grows louder.

Back in the air, the Iceman statue roundhouse kicks Smokey in the torso. "Erk!" he shrieks, launching towards the ground. On impact he bounces, skidding across the dirt.

He plants his claws into the dirt, looking up at Lucy standing with shards around him. "Wha-" Smokey mutters to himself.

"ICEMAN, RETURN TO YOUR MASTER!" Lucy bellows as the statue lands on the ground, sliding backwards. Lucy spreads his arms out, and in that moment the two crash into each other once more.

Vapor bursts from him as he steps out of it, back in his coat of ice. "This is the closing night, you two die now!" Lucy shouts.

Smokey brings himself to float. "I won't let you touch Soley! Not even lay one finger on her! You're the one dying tonight, you hear!"

Back where Soluna lays, the ice continues to spread across her upper body, her eyes starting to lose color, her breathing slowing.

Footsteps appear next to her. Soluna tilts her head up a bit to see Nya standing above her. Nya sighs. "So this is it? This is how you're dying? I expected more out of you, to be honest."

She rubs the back of her head. "But what can I expect out of mortals, you all die the same way anyway. But I do have a warning for you before you croak."

"Eh?..." Soluna hums weakly. Nya huffs. "If your little friend there dies, he won't exist anymore, since he's technically already dead. So since he's essentially a ghost walking, his soul will be destroyed if Theater Kid manages to kill him."

Soluna's eyes burst wide. No! she thinks to herself, forcing herself to move her arm. She grabs the gun that she stuffed in her waistband.

"N-Nya…" she calls out weakly. "Hm?" Nya hums, looking down at Soluna. "What is it?"

"Throw me… throw me towards them," Soluna musters.

Nya snorts. "Throw you? Are you sure you want that? You seem to be in pretty bad shape already. But hey, if you wish. I'm not really helping anyone win by doing this."

"Do it! Please, hurry!" Soluna says, louder. Nya rolls her eyes. She plants her foot under Soluna's back, flicking her upward. "Erg!" Soluna grunts as she falls over Nya's shoulder.

"You ready?" Nya asks, tightening her grip on Soluna's back. "Yes! Do it now!" Soluna says back.

Nya twirls around, gaining momentum. "Ciaooo!" she sings, launching Soluna with a smile.

Back at the battle, the chimes grow louder as Smokey flies towards Lucy. Lucy points his finger towards Smokey. "This'll riddle you like a block of cheese, go to hell!" Lucy bellows.

"SMOKEY!" Soluna screams from behind Smokey. Smokey freezes midair, turning to face the sight of Soluna flying towards him.

"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" she roars, holding her gun out, aiming it at Lucy. "OK!" Smokey shouts, panicking. He quickly sinks himself into the darkness.

"What is this!?" Lucy screams, watching Soluna launch towards him. Soluna squeezes the trigger as a pink aura coats the gun.

BANG! A flash of pink and white light covers the area. Lucy covers his eyes. "AUGH!" he screams.

The force of the shot brings the gun into pieces, scraps of metal digging into Soluna's hands and arms, and she gets blown back by the force.

A wooden bullet rockets towards Lucy, and by the time he covers his vision, it has already struck him in the torso. "AUGH!" he screams as the bullet spins, digging into the surface of his coat.

The pain of the heat sears through his body. Soluna, still mid-air, looks at Lucy. She reaches her arm out as her eyes start to glow pink.

Arrivederci! Whatever afterlife there is, I'll see you there! She crushes her palm into a fist. The bullet on Lucy's coat starts to grow as thorns grow on the surface.

It then instantly grows into a wooden trunk, impaling Lucy through the chest. "EUGH!" Lucy screams as a gushing sound radiates from him.

Blood leaks through his mouth as the coat of ice breaks apart. "G-grandmother…" he mutters.

"Forgive m-me…" his final words before everything around him loses color and freezes. He no longer feels any pain. "What?" he whispers, stumbling forward, his silver hair turning back to brown, his pale skin returning to ivory.

Nya appears in front of him with her notebook already open. "Lucius Darrien? That was your name?" she says, looking at the page.

"You!?" Lucius shouts. "Who are you! I've just been watching you stand there watching my performance!"

Nya scoffs. "Cut the theatrics, pal, you already lost. Your play is O-V-E-R, done."

"What are you talking about?!" Lucius says, clenching his fist. "It's not done until I become host! Look at her behind you, she's frozen in place!"

"That means… I've gained the ability to freeze time itself, right!?" He chuckles to himself.

"Yes! This is the only way to explain this! Iceman has reached a new level!"

Nya pinches her forehead. "How about you look behind you." Lucius grunts, turning his head. He gasps at the sight of his own body impaled by a trunk. "No… no…."

"NO! THIS CAN'T BE! I'M- I'M."

"Dead, yes, yes you are. Oh, mi stelle…" Nya says, shaking her head. Lucius starts to tremble as a tear falls from his eye. "This can't be real! I was supposed to make my grandmother's dream a reality! I promised her before she died!"

He whirls back to Nya. "I can't bear to face her again knowing I failed her! I need to get the wish!"

"So you chose a shortcut to reach your dreams instead of actually working on it?" Nya asks. "You knew the risk entering this game, didn't you? If you were prepared to kill, don't you think others would be prepared to kill you as well?"

"I-" Lucius stutters. Nya smirks. "I've seen countless like you over my eons, some better, some worse, but you all shared the same trait."

"Thinking the world revolved around you."

Lucius sniffles. "Shut up… shut up! I refuse to go to hell!" Nya hums, looking at her notebook. "Hell?"

"Yeah, it seems you got it right, that is your destination. Hey, how did you know?"

"Wha-" Lucius stutters. "No, I didn't actually mean Hell!" Nya shrugs. "Sorry, I don't make the rules, amico." She raises her palm as her eyes and hair flicker a crimson light, a red portal opening behind her.

The color leaves Lucius's face as black arms reach out from the portal. "STOP! STOP, PLEASE!"

"GRANDMOTHER! HELP! HELP ME, PLEASE!" he screams, running back. The arms latch onto him, chills running through his soul. "AHHHUG!" he screams in terror as the arms drag him into the portal.

Nya closes her eyes, grinning. "Addio, performer, your act was excellent, give 'em a show down there!"

Lucy's scream echoes through the portal before it closes. Nya stretches her arms up as time resumes once more.

Lucy's corpse grows limp as blood spills across the tree trunk. Nya turns to Soluna, who's skidding across the ground. She flips her notebook to another page. "Shocking, she's not dead yet? She's a tough one."

Smokey rises from the shadows. "SOLEY!" he shouts, rushing towards her. She lays on the ground, unconscious, as the ice around her body breaks apart.

Smokey places his head on her chest. A small, faint beat pulses. "She's still alive! Oh, thank God!"

The sound of horse hooves slapping across the ground approaches them. Smokey and Nya both turn to the east, to where the sound comes from.

Nya whistles. "You guys can't get a break, can you, haha!" Smokey grabs Soluna's body. "It's the sheriffs! We have to go!"

"Sheriffs?" Nya repeats, narrowing her eyes. "So these are people who enforce law in your world?"

Smokey drags Soluna into the shadows, ignoring Nya's question. "I guess that's a yes? Rude…"

She turns into red mist, following Smokey.

The sheriffs arrive, looking around at the ice shards, the pool of blood, and the tree trunk impaling Lucy.

"Now what in all hell happened here…"

Two of them check the saloon. "Hey, there's another body in here, he's missing his head, damn, it looks like a massacre."

One last horse appears; he wears an all-red cowboy suit with orange streaks adorned across it, his hair long and ginger, covering his back. His red cowboy hat has a ruby gleaming in the center, overlaying a black strap.

"Deputy Blaze, what are your thoughts on this?" one of the officers asks.

Blaze looks over at Lucy's body. So this guy was another contestant, hm? Must have been, look how he's dressed.

So the Demon of the West is a contestant, that's the only person I can think of who can do this much damage in such a short time. First the four murders near the meteorite, now this.

"All y'all listen here," Blaze calls out. "You better get your rest tonight, 'cuz at dawn we're going head hunting!"

"And once we find her, attack her without mercy! Only I will land the killing shot, understand!?"

My instincts are telling me she's the host, and my gut is telling me it's exactly the daughter of the missionary who's the Demon of the West.

When he returns, we'll just have to tell him why his saloon and daughter are both destroyed.

He tilts his head up, ash steaming from his mouth, and blows it into the air. "I need to cool down now, I'm getting excited! Heh!"

The hunt starts at the crack of dawn. Smokey and Soluna will need to find a way to recover before they're caught by this new contestant. The games continue.

Rakuyō: Frontier Escapade 3 END (X)