Nanoha FanFiction Discussion

[Seraph42]

Originally Posted by Evangelion Xgouki

DIVIDED DESTINY
Two People, Two Paths

Spoiler for Divided Destiny, pt. 16:

With driving assignments decided, the group was ushered into the awaiting modified Evac Transports in the Vehicle Factory. The four Scout operators had their own transport due to consolidate all the equipment needed to store the data they hoped to retrieve from Eden's Advance Labs. The remaining workers were split between the last two to operate the new Microwave Lynxes. Inside she found the vehicle gutted with operation consoles set up on either side. Each console consisted of three monitors and a console with steering wheel and other necessary controls to operate the Lynxes.

"Alright, listen up," came the voice of the mission head through the speakers in the transport since he has taken up station in the other vehicle. "The consoles in front of you have been set up to replicate the set up in the cabs of the Lynxes. They are the same standard used in other vehicles except with an additional section for weapon operation."

Glancing to the right-hand side of her console, Nanoha noticed the addition mentioned. A joystick with trigger and several button on its base was mounted next to the steering wheel set up.

"All Lynxes have been installed with recognition software with the profiles of the two known Eden weapons in them. Should your Lynx enter firing range of one of them, it will automatically engage the target leaving you free to concentrate on driving. However, should the software fail, the turret can be manually operated by engaging the 'Manual' button and using the joystick to move the turret and trigger to fire. In both modes a targeting cursor on your screen will indicate where the turret is directed. When it changes to red it indicates it has locked onto a target and will remain focused on that target until it is destroyed or canceled. All vehicles are currently set to follow us. They will be brought under your control when we near Eden. Until then, familiarize yourself with your console."

The speakers went dead with an audible click. leaving the four of them. With a shrug each picked a console and sat down to inspect it. Nanoha looked over hers and noted the close resemblance to the controls in a ConVec or Cargo Truck. Thankfully whoever had designed the set up also installed the adjustment components functional. Having done it numerous times, it took Nanoha only a few minutes to get the control to where she liked them. What she did note was that the chairs were a bit more comfortable than what she usually sat in to drive.

She then turned her attention to the foreign weapon control. Part of her didn't want to have anything to do with it while another wanted to do whatever she could to find answers. An LCD display between the steering wheel and joystick contained trivial bits about the Lynx it was connected to like power, weapon power, reserve fuel levels, and estimated integrity. The three screens were active, displaying a panoramic view of what was in front of the vehicle as it sped along with the convoy. From her guess the three cameras looked mounted just behind the protective window of the cab. The rust-looking New Terra dust was kicked up as they drove forward, blowing over the front of her Lynx.

For the next few hours the four talked amongst themselves. The topic thankfully left their current situation and became more casual with the usual small talk and complaints about work. A slight jerk of the vehicle alerted its occupants that they had arrived at their destination. Nanoha look a glance outside one of the windows and noticed it was past dusk already. That would mean they would be going in at night.

"For safety reasons we have stopped a few miles short of the Eden. The rest of the distance shall be covered by the recon vehicles. It will also give you an opportunity to get used to operating the Lynx."

Sitting at her console, Nanoha noticed the display on the LCD screen changed to read 'Manual' indicating that the Lynx was now under her control. She took a breath and gripped the vehicle. The headlights illuminated the ground in front her as she eased on the accelerator to get a feel for it. On the screen the ground slowly passed by as she picked up speed. While it was no different than driving any other vehicle, it lacked the vibrations of the uneven ground, the sound of rocks bouncing off the metal hull. She probably shouldn't complain since the remote operation would keep her safe should her Lynx get damaged or destroyed but it just didn't feel complete to her.

The recon party drove on for another hour in the darkness, the only illumination being from their own lights and the single moon above. Each display did have a topographical map on it to indicate their position as well as the other vehicles. Soon they saw the lights of their former home coming up upon them. It was time for the mission to start.

"Your maps have four Advance Labs marked on them that we believe are intact enough to collect data from as well as our planned route to reach each one. However, that route can change depending on what resistance we encounter so stay alert. Remember, the Scouts must be kept safe. Without them we have no mission."

With that they sped off into the colony. The four Scouts took center in the haphazard formation, reducing their speeds to match that of the slower Lynxes. As they had been told, the colony was still powered which lit up the entire area and gave them a much longer sight range than just their headlights. However, that could also mean the rogue units could also see them, depending on how good their sensors were. Nanoha watched the structures as she drove by. Many were familiar to her from when she lived here and others were foreign, obviously created after the colony split.

Incoming enemy units.

The computer announcement surprised the girl, making her go stiff for a moment. They had been spotted which meant they were going to engage in combat. She was going to have to fight, even if it was by remote control. A trio of dots appeared on her map, indicating the location of the Eden Lynxes. The Scouts stopped and followed behind the Microwave Lynxes as they turned to engage the threat. A red beam of light shot from one of the enemy Lynxes impacted the ground, barely missing one of them. She spun her wheel to the right, taking her Lynx around the side of the three Lynxes. The firing cursor jumped to her left screen and turned red. Next thing she knew the targeted Lynx rocked as a large scorch mark appeared on its armor.

She had fired. While she had not pulled the trigger, she had still indirectly fired at an Eden unit. Her Microwave Lynx continued to circle the three other Lynxes and fire. The others drove erratically, hoping to dodge the oncoming fire. Then one of the trio had its side blown wide open and fell on its side. Plymouth had claimed its first 'kill.' The remaining two were quickly dispatched by the greater number of Plymouth units. With the last threat done, they paused for a moment to let the situation sink in.

"Let's get going people. We have to get the data before the labs degrade any further."

The commanding voice broke them out of their trances. Hands on their wheel, they resumed their trek to the first lab. They would encounter four more Lynxes on the way which were quickly destroyed. In the distance they could make out the familiar shape of an Advance Lab.

Enemy Guard Post detected.

A quick look to the left showed a large laser turret mounted in the ground next to the Advance Lab. While not mobile like the Lynxes they fought so far it looked stronger and more armored.

Incoming enemy units.

Four red dots appeared on the map, approaching from their right.

A) Engage the Guard Post first
B) Engage the enemy Lynxes first
C) Change to Fate's PoV

Please post your choices BOLD and in DarkOrange

Previous Installments
-Intro
-Chapter 01
-Chapter 02
-Chapter 03
-Chapter 04
-Chapter 05
-Chapter 06
-Chapter 07
-Chapter 08
-Chapter 09
-Chapter 10
-Chapter 11
-Chapter 12
-Chapter 13
-Chapter 14
-Chapter 15

B please

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Okay, I need to ask you guys something. I was thinking over chapter one of my fic, and for some reason this little detail has been bugging the heck out of me all day.

Originally I planned to have Nanoha be fifteen when she meets up with Fate, Yuuno, and Hayate again, to keep true to the timeskip in A's. However, lately I've been wondering if maybe I should push her age up to seventeen, since that seems to be a common age for her in AU fics and fics focused on her pre-StrikerS anyway.

I'm not totally sure. Fifteen would be easier to write in accordance to canon, I think, but seventeen seems really popular by fanfiction standards. What do you guys have to say?

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

I'm wondering how canon affects this story? By which I mean, Nanoha's had a very different life between the end of A's and the start of your story than canon Nanoha did. By definition that's going to affect the course of her life, what she's done in her career, the kind of bonds she formed with her friends, the kind of growing-up she did. It may very well affect the course of other people's lives as well (Fate's especially--given how emotionally dependent she was on Nanoha at that age, having Nanoha not be the always-strong Ace and having to cope with serious life-changing problems of her own is going to inevitably affect what Fate did, though probably tightening her family bonds with Lindy, Chrono, etc.).

So unless you're going to bring in elements of the StrikerS plot which occur at a certain time based on the actions of third parties unconcerned with Nanoha (i.e. Jail's not likely to change his schedule just because one girl lost her ability to cast magic) and you feel really uncomfortable with changing that, then anything that happened in-series after you insert your major changes is irrelevant.

Therefore, what you should do is consider what your plotline requires. Is there a scene where Nanoha or one of the main cast needs to be driving a car? Better make them sixteen or older. Is it important that they NOT be worried about college entrance exams (or TSAB career-path examinations?)? Make them younger. My preference as a reader is that the story be as consistent and internally logical as possible, so if you're asking for reader votes, I'd have to go with "whatever best suits your story and your personal tastes." Sounds corny, I know, but there it is.

Unless, of course, I'm commenting about the wrong fic entirely.

Agree

Originally Posted by Laith

Spoiler for The wolf and the Girl pt3:

“That you did what!?” Both Hayate and her companion asked surprised. It was not surprising that Nanoha escaped once in a while from her home, which was actually an orphanage, to watch the stars. It was one of few things that the girl liked. “Why did you do that? Did Vita hit you? Subaru was molesting you again? Did Chrono-”

“Nothing like that,” Nanoha interrupted her questioning. “I was tired of it. Besides I was going to be kicked out in,” the girl stopped and started to count with her fingers, “two years. So I decided to leave now. But I didn’t know where to go, so I decided to come here and ask if you could give me a roof where to sleep for today… Can I do that?” Nanoha said the last part while he looked with sad puppy eyes.

As Hayate opened her mouth to say something, to scold the girl most likely, her companion quickly said. “Well be glad Nanoha.”

“Thank you Alicia!” the girl shouted with excitement as she hugged the blonde. Knowing that Hayate was mad at her harsh decision, she decided to hug the girl back. It was going to be a long night and she might enjoy the last piece of calm.

---

In the forest, far away from the house of the cute witch Hayate, lived a woman. This woman, who had the same features as Hayate’s companion Alicia, was a witch too. But contrary to the other witch, who used her magic to entertain the kids in the village or help the villagers with their abnormal and frequent problems with spirits, she used her magic for purposes which many could consider dark.

“…we add a little bit of cat´s eyes, to see the unseen, and done. Now we just let it rest until the moon is red and done,” the woman stopped reading. The book she had, titled “The yes and nots on magic” was opened right in the page where a recipe showed how to see the dead. “But this thing takes a month, three weeks at least.” The woman slammed the book hard. “Mou, why magic has to be so hard?” The woman sighed as she leaned in the tree behind her.

As she opened the book again to read another recipe, this time to breathe underwater, an orange wolf walked to her. Instead of being scared, as any normal person would be, she just looked from her book and smiled. “Arf you are back!” the woman petted the wolf as the wolf licked her head. “How was your hunt? Caught something tasty?” The wolf just wagged its tail happy at the motion.

The woman stopped the petting as she saw something. “What´s this?” she pulled out a long brown hair from the wolf´s mouth. “You ate a girl?” As the wolf shook its head, the woman examined the large hair. “This is…” the woman quickly stood up and entered her house. Instead of being a normal house in the forest, as Hayate’s one was, hers was a tree. Or rather her house was shaped like a tree.

She quickly searched in her library a book. As she pulled the book she was searching a little noise on her door was heard. She quickly opened the door and the wolf entered quickly. “Sorry Arf I guess I got a little carried away,” The wolf just nodded and entered to the library with the woman. She quickly opened the book and scanned through the pages. Just as she was getting frustrated, she found what she was searching for. “I see, so the owner of this little hair is a dream seeker. I need to meet this girl. Arf,” the wolf, who had laid down on the floor, moved its head to the woman. “Do you know where she went?”

The wolf nodded and pointed to a portrait. The persons in the portrait were none other than Alicia and Hayate. “I guess I need to pay a visit to my sister. But first, can you call Tiana, Arf?”the wolf nodded and left the library.

And... ironic i make an update of wolves.

Yes and now Im hoping for several curses flying between the two witches

Originally Posted by Satashi

It's a tie, but B was ahead when I wrote this so tacobell it is :P

Laith Cameo this time :P

Spoiler for Pornstar!Vivio pt. 12:

~**~

Vivio opened her car door and got out, reaching behind her seat to get the bag of consumables from a fast food joint along the way. 'Hope she likes tacos...' She jogged briefly to get out of the cold weather and went inside the store, getting greeted at once by Syn who wasn't even looking at her. The blue haired girl was stocking a shelf full of different styles of shirts and arranging them in order. Vivio walked up behind her and reached forward, grabbing Syn's bra strap and pulling back lightly before letting go, making it snap back into place with a loud pop. The girl yelled and turned around, one hand reaching out to grab the person's neck but stopped short when she saw who it was.

"Vivio! For the love of-" She trailed off and turned around angrily. "I was going to hit you!"

"Wow, bad day?"

"Horrible." Syn shoved a shirt onto the shelf and growled. "One thing after another."

Vivio felt bad that she had played the prank and lifted up her bag to show the peace offering. "I brought you some lunch?"

Syn turned and looked at the bag and gave a soft sigh. "Thank you. Really, I was going to work through my lunch because I can't afford anything."

"If you need to borrow some-"

"No." A shaking of the head. "I don't like borrowing money. Besides, you said you were tight as well."

"I did another job, I just got paid." She followed Syn behind the counter and into a break area for employees. "Is it okay if I'm back here?"

"Yes, I think. Saharet-san is nice. Now...What goodies did you bring me?" Syn eagerly opened the bag and started taking things out. "You get enough?"

"Hungry." Vivio snatched what she wanted and opened it. "Eat all you want."

Syn shoved the food into her face and and chewed a few times to savor the taste. "Mmm, I love these. I'd much rather get junk food than spend a thousand-some yen to get something from a sit-down restaurant."

"They're good sometimes." Vivio mused. "But generally I like fast-food. I can cook so my lunches are generally not healthy."

"How do you stay in shape?" Syn licked her fingers after seeing that they were shafted on napkins.

Vivio laughed. "I go to a gym for aerobics, the place I work for pays for it. Twice a week, Tuesday and Friday nights. Besides that, I like to jog. It's nice to just listen to music and run. One of my mothers was a really big fan of morning jogs so I followed."

"I want to see something you've starred in." Syn took a long drink from her straw.

"I really feel embarrassed about people I know watching..."

"Mou, at least tell me what they were? You never talk about your job." Before Vivio could reply a new person walked into the break room.

"Syn, I thought you were going to work- oh hello." Saharet looked at Vivio. "you're Syn's girlfriend, right?"

"Yes," Syn answered.
"We're just dating," Vivio answered at the same time, kicking Syn lightly under the table. "I'm sorry to come back here un-announced."

"It's fine." Saharet waved it off, the chains on her jeans jiggling from the motion. "Anyway, Syn can you work late tonight? Laith had to cancel his shift."

Syn looked positively sick at the thought but nodded anyway. "Sure, be glad to."

"Thanks," Saha waved at them and left.

When the coast was clear, the girl face-palmed. "Great. I just want to scream."

"Why is your day so bad?"

Leaning back in her chair, Syn took another long drink. "It'd take forever to tell you, but mainly it's just idiots. You would not believe how many stupid people come in here... move things around, make a mess, and I have to straighten it all back up only to have it moved again."

"I'm sorry to hear that... tell you what, how about you come over tonight? I'll... give you a massage."

"You know how to massage?"

"Not really, no." Vivio laughed. "But sometimes I really feel like I could use one after a long day so I thought I'd offer... what do you say?"

"Do my feet too?"

Vivio laughed at the odd request. "Sure, I'll rub your feet."

"That would be great after standing all day. When will you be home?"

"I need to deposit my check after I leave here, then I'm heading home, so whenever."

"Okay then." Syn looked at the clock. "Well, I need to get back to work."

Vivio started gathering their trash and looked around for a wastebin to toss it in, being spared the trouble when Syn took it to toss across the room into the trashcan. "I'll see you later then."


Syn spoke out as Vivio turned. "No kiss?"

The blond looked behind herself and stuck out her tongue. "You wouldn't want a kiss until I brush my teeth."

Syn laughed. "Silly, I don't mind taco breath."

Vivio grinned like a cat. " I'll give you a kiss tonight, if you behave yourself."

"I always behave!"

Vivio walked to the door of the store with Syn in tow. "You tell everyone I'm your girlfriend."

"I want you to be."

"Maybe I would be, if you asked." Vivio waved and closed the door before Syn could reply.

Great as always but Im still waiting for Syn to find out Vivio's job

also..

@Satashi: After Watching Ep. 2 of Rosario + Vampire Capu2 (go watch it if you haven't seen it) I've now got an Image of Fate and Tiana duking it out Fate Kicking and Tiana wielding giant bludgeoning weapons (with spikes)
When are you going to Update Vampire!Fate?

Please

[markesellus]

Originally Posted by Laith

Spoiler for The wolf and the Girl pt3:

“That you did what!?” Both Hayate and her companion asked surprised. It was not surprising that Nanoha escaped once in a while from her home, which was actually an orphanage, to watch the stars. It was one of few things that the girl liked. “Why did you do that? Did Vita hit you? Subaru was molesting you again? Did Chrono-”

“Nothing like that,” Nanoha interrupted her questioning. “I was tired of it. Besides I was going to be kicked out in,” the girl stopped and started to count with her fingers, “two years. So I decided to leave now. But I didn’t know where to go, so I decided to come here and ask if you could give me a roof where to sleep for today… Can I do that?” Nanoha said the last part while he looked with sad puppy eyes.

As Hayate opened her mouth to say something, to scold the girl most likely, her companion quickly said. “Well be glad Nanoha.”

“Thank you Alicia!” the girl shouted with excitement as she hugged the blonde. Knowing that Hayate was mad at her harsh decision, she decided to hug the girl back. It was going to be a long night and she might enjoy the last piece of calm.

---

In the forest, far away from the house of the cute witch Hayate, lived a woman. This woman, who had the same features as Hayate’s companion Alicia, was a witch too. But contrary to the other witch, who used her magic to entertain the kids in the village or help the villagers with their abnormal and frequent problems with spirits, she used her magic for purposes which many could consider dark.

“…we add a little bit of cat´s eyes, to see the unseen, and done. Now we just let it rest until the moon is red and done,” the woman stopped reading. The book she had, titled “The yes and nots on magic” was opened right in the page where a recipe showed how to see the dead. “But this thing takes a month, three weeks at least.” The woman slammed the book hard. “Mou, why magic has to be so hard?” The woman sighed as she leaned in the tree behind her.

As she opened the book again to read another recipe, this time to breathe underwater, an orange wolf walked to her. Instead of being scared, as any normal person would be, she just looked from her book and smiled. “Arf you are back!” the woman petted the wolf as the wolf licked her head. “How was your hunt? Caught something tasty?” The wolf just wagged its tail happy at the motion.

The woman stopped the petting as she saw something. “What´s this?” she pulled out a long brown hair from the wolf´s mouth. “You ate a girl?” As the wolf shook its head, the woman examined the large hair. “This is…” the woman quickly stood up and entered her house. Instead of being a normal house in the forest, as Hayate’s one was, hers was a tree. Or rather her house was shaped like a tree.

She quickly searched in her library a book. As she pulled the book she was searching a little noise on her door was heard. She quickly opened the door and the wolf entered quickly. “Sorry Arf I guess I got a little carried away,” The wolf just nodded and entered to the library with the woman. She quickly opened the book and scanned through the pages. Just as she was getting frustrated, she found what she was searching for. “I see, so the owner of this little hair is a dream seeker. I need to meet this girl. Arf,” the wolf, who had laid down on the floor, moved its head to the woman. “Do you know where she went?”

The wolf nodded and pointed to a portrait. The persons in the portrait were none other than Alicia and Hayate. “I guess I need to pay a visit to my sister. But first, can you call Tiana, Arf?”the wolf nodded and left the library.

And... ironic i make an update of wolves.

Nice we get some Fate action. Though what does she want with Nanoha? And what happened to Zafira after his disappearance?

Originally Posted by XenahortCharybdis

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And after my last little outing, here's another segment, a little more active than the last one.

Here goes nothing again!

@wanwan1203: And yes, this is the continuation.
@markesellus: And no, it isn't Hayate, but she'll have her turn...

The ZENITH Project

Spoiler for Second Segment:

A green sigil insinuated itself into the ground, as a green mist floating around, hugging the ground as it spiraled around its caster.

“Miasma Lance!”

Cecile Arkham, Lt, 2nd Class, hefted the extra weapon as needles attached themselves to the fast-sprouting conglomerate of a spear, preparing to launch it at her opponent.

Or more accurately, her personal tactical combat instructor and respected senior, Ashcroft Ravenholm, who seemed to be enjoying his old job of being her sparring opponent.

And a most frustrating role play it had turned out to be. Despite being 2 ranks above him, and told she was “pretty damn young for an Lt”, she had completely failed to get so much as a graze on him; on the contrary, she had already been given much more than she was giving.

Her instructor, looking pretty youthful himself at a strapping 23 years of age, was pretty much all over his advantage, grinning like a Cheshire cat and standing in a rather casual position, teasing her in a friendly sort of way. Not that he could be underestimated, though, Cecile had learned over their time together that under that veneer of mild and lazy mannerisms lay a monster in the realm of tactical intelligence: content simply to hold her off, waiting for his moment to strike a fatal blow.

On one hand, she was ruing the fact that she had literally begged for this chance to take him on again, and that she had dared, foolishly, to entertain the mere fantasy that he would go slightly easier on her after her departure to another unit in the SI. Not to mention that she had somehow failed to notice his barely disguised glee at another opportunity to wipe the floor with her in the training centre. Again.

‘But on the other this is a good chance to prove the Investigator known as the “Wraith Serpent” wrong for once. He only needs one hit to win, as always…but I’m not going to let sempai have that chance. Not this time.’

“Hyaaah!” She threw the lance, and immediately ignited a Flash Move, blazing after her lance and gathering three basic magic projectiles around her free wrist. “We’ll see how you take this!”

“Just like anything else in life, of course.” Ashcroft smirked. “Just roll with the punches.”

Surprisingly, he did not flinch in the face of the heavily lethal spear. Instead, he raised his left hand, and simply caught the weapon in mid air as it sloughed armor off his gloves like dead skin. He let his left leg slide almost ninety degrees to negate its impact, before flicking himself over her head in a well timed jump, just when she had swung her Armed Device, Lesale at him, effectively dodging both spears simultaneously.

[Haemos Viper. Priority, Low.] She spun around, bringing Lesale along with her in a backhand swing, arming it with a watered-down Haemos Viper mid-swing, but ended up waving her blade in empty air as Ashcroft hunkered down, before swinging a single magically enforced combat boot at her torso, forcing her to perform an awkward block with her free left hand to stop herself from being pulverized by the impact of his strike and her momentum combined.

Rising to his feet once more, Ashcroft stood at ease a double-layered sigil inscribed itself into the ground, signaling his acknowledgement of the second round of their bout, which his student had initiated with her assault.

His limbs moved in unison, as one body, sliding slowly into a combat pose, all four limbs glowing eerily with purplish-grey tendrils of energy: the defining trait of his personal non-incanted spell, the Gauntlet Dream. The sigil dissipated into mere wisps as the glow waxed, and then steadied.

“I would advise you to get serious already, because at this rate, I’ll have you pinned on the ground in another 5 minutes, my little Cecile.”

‘“this’ll only take me 5 minutes” he says…damn it, he’s always so confident!’

“You haven’t changed at all, sempai…”

Ashcroft didn’t move at all, or even react to the usage of the term which would usually have his hair standing on end in annoyance. “Unlike you, naturally. I see you have, and for the worse. I see the mean tactical skill of the TSAB has been dropping in general.”

Almost imperceptibly, Ashcroft’s lips began to move in the words of a tongue unknown to Cecile.

“αρχαίο σιδηρουργείο της ιερής φλόγας, Σας, καλώ!…”

‘He’s incanting something?...That’s not common for him at all. Still-’ She snapped her own train of thought in favor of action, as Ashcroft began the next round with a side-ward strafe in mid-air.

“I’m not gonna let you do that!!!” Dashing towards him from the left, she released a pair of Miasma Needles to the right, sending the two homing darts flitting towards Ashcroft, who seemed content just to continue chanting will dodging her shots.

“γίνετε το σφυρί μου και το αμόνι μου…” raising a hand in the air as the words seemed to flow from his mouth like flowing water, Ashcroft punched both needles aside with blinding speed, pulverizing them into sparkling shards before turning around to face Cecile as she came crashing into view.

“Enshroud!” [Asphyxiate!] A sick green smog of poison blasted outwards around her. Cecile gritted her teeth, and braked on the spot, before kicking out at him with a catridge purge, sending the deadly cloud rolling towards him.

Ashcroft’s eyes widened, his first surprised look of the whole fight so far. “What’s this-”

‘If you can’t see me, you don’t know where to cast your illusions even if you can use them…’ Another pair of cartridges clanked onto the ground, spitting forth hissing exhaust as she launched a wave of Needles, bursting forth from their shooting circle like raven feathers, arcing towards him from above, just as he burst the cloud with his own purge, very much unharmed, save for a green tint to his normally hoar-frost-white blazer.

Ruffled, but not shaken yet, his voice persisted in brazen, self-assured defiance of her efforts. “Ο εσείς ουρανοί και η γη…”

Drawing two crystal blades from his twin device, he dropped to the ground, and flicked himself into mid air with a left-slant, slashing 3 needles, and kicking 2 aside, before dodging the last one with a shimmy, racing with his student for the initiative of the next engagement.

Sweat beaded down Cecile’s face as she considered the situation briefly. ‘I still haven’t prevented him from incanting, I’m simply slowing him down. For now I’m still detecting his illusions okay with Abyssal Mist with a few exceptions, but if he gets close enough to use his Nightmares rather than just Chaos or Order, then I’m in for it.’

The Investigator’s eyes narrowed, energy crackling around the blades and down his forearm, and with a swift swash from both arms, he hurled the 3 foot swords like pikes at her. [Ghost Runner.]

Cecile braced herself for the combined attack. This was often the point of time when Ashcroft would get rough, and usually knock her down in a short time. But that was in the past. “Not this time.”

Spinning Lesale in front of her person like a barrier, she parried both blades, even as she noticed a pair of Ashcrofts emerging from behind the original one, and ran at her as he arrived earlier, swinging his fist at her right fist, which was pivotal in her usage of her device.

Shifting her footing, she pierced the onrushing foe with her spear, as a magic knife materialized in his hand, and drove home into her arm even as he dissipated into nothingness. Pain lanced through her arm as crimson blood spurted from the raw, livid wound, and she jerked back on reflex, even as the rest of the foes closed in on her. Nothing was certain anymore at these close-to point blank ranges, where Ashcroft’s Nightmares could be used.

‘No, wait…that is an illusion…I’ve – not – given – up – YET!!!!’ She screamed at herself in the recesses of her mind, quelling the spark of panic in her guts, and recalling her years of training, she coolly sidestepped the second illusion and cutting him to pieces with a flick of her wrists, as needles tore through the once-corporeal phantasm. Spinning around, she formed another greenish-sigil about herself, and sprang forward, closing the distance between them in a fraction of a second, bringing her immolated spear to bear on the last Ashcroft.

[Corruption Wave.]

Ashcroft did not blanch, and instead went down on one bent knee, blocking the full blooded blow with a two-handed catch. Cecile groaned. This is gonna suck…

Shifting all of the Gauntlet Dream into his 4 limbs, he caught the pole-arm in a death grip and threw Cecile into the ground, before escaping the dust cloud of his own making, uttering the final stanza to the ominous sounding canticle. “Στα χέρια μου θα είστε ως Θεός, Λόρδος των θαυμάτων, της πυρκαγιάς και του ξίφους!”

So he finished it. Nothing she could do about it now.

[Pandemic Wave, Stack on previous.] Her whole body blazing with cankered purple and green flames, she fired 2 lines of venomous flames after her opponent, spitting the ground with ravaging, poisonous burns as it came.

Ashcroft was duly impressed by her reactions, and it showed.

“Very good, indeed. I take back my words; perhaps time away from me has raised the bar a little more than I thought-” Ashcroft ground to a halt, and seemed to become one with the back wall of the sparring room, as his Twilight Cowl rendered her spear and its pathogenic wave of toxins useless against him.

Coming out of that almost hazardously magic-hungry ethereal form as he continued his movement, he dodged a torso-level backhanded sweep with a sliding tackle, before catching the spear with his right hand, stopping it short. “-But, I can still match 2 spells of mine against 3 of yours, so you’ve got a ways to go in terms of tactical skill, and utility in using your deck of cards. After all, we aren’t playing no-trump down here...”

Cecile growled at the sardonic undertones of his comment about her infamously reckless, and in his not-very honest view tactless style, and forced both her hands into action, wresting her spear from her opponent’s grasp, before bringing it to torso level, parrying an otherwise deadly kick from him. Falling back several meters, she noted with some displeasure that they were back to square one again.

‘I’m definitely going to get more earfuls from him about reading the battle again at this rate. He probably isn’t at his limit of thought yet…’

It wasn’t altogether wrong. Despite what she had previously (and now evidently erroneously) thought to be a major improvement in her knowledge of battle tactics, Ashcroft still seemed to be reading her every move like a book, while he was a sealed book with the keys locked up inside the book: completely unreadable and unpredictable.

Now as they squared off again, she took a closer look at her former teacher. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry to start another round of the brawl, despite the fact that the sands of time were rapidly sinking around his self-given 5 minute deadline for victory. Instead, he simply seemed to be content with recharging and regulating the flow of the Gauntlet Dream, the glassy verdant glow of its energy waves playing havoc with her view of his limbs.

“Hallo, what have we here, sleeping beauty? Short attention span acting up again, I see.” Ashcroft’s voice rang out clearly behind her, sending her whole body on alert as she spun around to face the oncoming-

-nothing?

‘There’s no one…Wait-?!’ A familiar feeling of dread crept up her spine. Too little, too late though, as a thin gauntlet shot out in a nerve-strike, crippling her left forearm. She closed her eyes, and did a back flip from a standing position, feeling her pole-axe meet resistance for a moment, and then swing free with an ominous cracking sound. Opening her eyes once more, she was just in time to see Ashcroft standing just a stone’s throw away from her, supporting his smoking right gauntlet with his left, which was brutally nicked with a jagged scar, evidence of her wild, but nevertheless accurate strike.

“Well done, you minimized the damage well. Ready for another go at experimenting with your reflex speeds?”

She ignored that one.

[Black Immolation.] Lesale was suddenly wrapped in a veil of spinning black flames, the fiery tendrils licking upwards all the way to cover her entire right shoulder like burning chains, a brimstone shield. 4 cartridges, discharged in wildly rapid succession, hit the dirt. “Wanna-” She rose up into the air in mid-flight, preparing a direct assault, “-Bet on it?”

“Definitely. I suppose this will be the last round of attacks? Just as well.” He pointed to the crystal on the left of him. “Engima-”

Right in front of her eyes, his figure wavered, like a mirage, and disappeared completely into nothingness. Cecile’s eyes narrowed as she attempted to decipher the implications of the sudden maneuver. ‘Complete disappearance of body as well as magical signature…This really kicks surety to the curb. Ash has improved his own abilities a lot too.’

The floor below her suddenly gave way as Ashcroft burst out amid the shattered debris, revealing a tunnel he had dug underground. In his balled fist he held a bauble of stabilized energy, its dancing swords of light juxtaposed against the folds of what counted as his battle armor, and spinning his torso to the right, prepared for a strike at the airborne mage.

‘Impossible, I heard nothing and saw nothing. Still, no chances taken.’ She leveled Lesale in his path, preparing to shoot him at point blank. The needle round fired, sending 5 pikes of energy straight at the onrushing figure.

But for a reason beyond comprehension, Ashcroft still streamed in towards her, towards the three energy spears that would spell instant defeat for him, and-

-he dodged them with a flick of his head, the 3 shots screaming behind him.

‘No matter! This is my win!’

“Envelop!” lifting the spear in the air, she launched the spear, its deadly point aiming straight for his heart, and mentally commanded the shots back in a phalanx-esque formation to draw a bead on him; a magical pincer maneuver. There was nowhere to run now, and no ordinary barrier could block that.

She shielded her eyes against the huge explosion and the consequent blaze that consumed the area, retreating from the sheer heat of the conflagration, before dropping onto one knee, panting heavily as sweat glistened all over her, recovering gradually from the debilitating effects of the spell’s magical and physical drain.

[Phantom Ripper.]

A burst of energy blasted the flames away, revealing to a mortified Cecile the silhouette of Ashcroft, still standing, and relatively unharmed save for some burns on his coat, where the enhanced fabric had been seared away in charred shreds. He held up a smoking right glove, source of the latest spell, and also a Belkan Shield, held up against the 2 crystals that made up his device.

Within them, its edge half entrapped within those cracked but unbroken surfaces which it had pierced in its cankered fury, was Lesale. Forgetting the situation, Cecile found her mouth almost agape with shock. “You used your Devices as shields?”

Ashcroft nodded matter-of-factly.

“Indeed. It’s called victory by partial loss. I tank the hit, and by extension deprive you of your ability to use magic, and-” He snapped his fingers, and crystal blades burst forth from the still pristine facets of his twin Device, criss-crossing themselves around Lesale, rendering it unmovable. “-most critically, your main weapon.”

“GEH!!!” She got up and attempted to retrieve her weapon, but it was futile: She had used up too much energy. She crashed to the ground.

Ashcroft looked torn between a lecture and a laugh, but in the end he did neither: he sighed and shook his head. “Ah, well, hotheads will be hotheads. Still, I will have you know that I have won this round.”

“Enigma, Colossus, Delay Spell, activate.”

[Euoe.]

“And…THIS, by the way, is what the incantation earlier was for.”

‘What on earth is that-’

The earth turned into a yawning maw under her as oily black ripples seemed to metamorphose what was once the surface she was standing on into a deadly whirlpool sigils of the arcane woven into its tapestry of death, binding her with tendrils of viscous liquid, caressing her within its dark bosom.

Ashcroft’s trump card: Acheron, Chains of the Nightmare.

Victorious through strategy once again, he landed lightly in front of Cecile, and gave her his hand, amid the now dissipating, retreating extensions of his spell, a sea of binds parting before their master. Weakly, grudgingly, she took his hand, the defeated taking the magnanimous hand offered; or more accurately now, a teacher picking his student up from the ground after a lesson learnt.

“This match ends here. I’m not changing our current head-to-head combat result status, on the basis of our pre-agreed mercy rule.” Cecile rolled her eyes sardonically, already anticipating his next line. “I reckon seven to nada in my favor is already quite enough…”

“…Although…”

“Although what?” A sudden flash of thought disturbed her. ‘Don’t tell me its…’

A cheeky smile crossed his lips as he savored the other thing that as the victor of the match

“…The debrief starts now.”

‘Oh damn, I knew it-’ Cecile groaned in despair. “Not those again, you go on for ages and ages EVERY OTHER TIME…Can’t I have a break this time?!”

But Ashcroft would have none of it, and simply floated a finger in front of her face rather imperiously, with the air of a strict schoolmaster, or an angered disciplinarian. “Now, I have 3 good reasons why you should just sit down and listen up good to whatever I have to say. Firstly, you lost, so it’s my right to give you a lecture, even not considering that I was your teacher and in many ways still remain as such, since our relationship was never officially dissolved by mutual agreement or otherwise. Secondly, although I will have to concede that you have improved tremendously over our time apart, this improvement, like all improvements brings with it its own new strengths, possibilities and also errors, and all the more I should be helping you to analyze them, since your test is next week.”

He took in a deep breath after the torrent of words, and brought forth his last, and most forcefully forwarded point. “Thirdly, and lastly, I purposely limited myself to a 5 minute battle so that I would have time to do this, eat lunch and then rush off for my next appointment, which although may not happen at all, could possibly take up the rest of my damn day, not counting the time taken to complete the task itself, so this is a concession from me. You should be appreciative.”

“Any more questions?”

Cecile threw up her hands. If there was ever a time to capitulate, it was now.

It's a bit shorter than the last one, since I can't hold action very long...Comments on how to improve would be most appreciated

And as I said before, Character Guides will come out later...

Spoiler for Ehem! Ehem!:

Commander!Hayate~!

Xena, away.

Another OC, I can't wait for the information on them. Geez, Ashcroft is BA! Though it would have been funny if Cecile actually won, it would be a low blow on his ego. I wonder what that appointment is to take all day?

[NorthernFallout]

Originally Posted by XenahortCharybdis

Hahaha. Sounds like him, even though I thought Caro and Voltaire had a more PriestessXDragonGod relationship if anything...

Still, it's FIERY.

Poetic AX much?

To be honest, though, it still needs a little improvement...I could only feel his kingliness part of the time.

For one important thing, "That does not mean" isn't exactly very fitting someone of his stature...and so on. In short: it's mostly the tone. He doesn't sound very great, or not as great and majestic as he's supposed to be.

If you might want a bit more comments, I'll reserve that for a PM!

That won't be necessary. That was one of those late-night-ideas-I-don't-care-about-projects.

[Evil Rick]

Originally Posted by Satashi

It's a tie, but B was ahead when I wrote this so tacobell it is :P

Laith Cameo this time :P

Spoiler for Pornstar!Vivio pt. 12:

~**~

Vivio opened her car door and got out, reaching behind her seat to get the bag of consumables from a fast food joint along the way. 'Hope she likes tacos...' She jogged briefly to get out of the cold weather and went inside the store, getting greeted at once by Syn who wasn't even looking at her. The blue haired girl was stocking a shelf full of different styles of shirts and arranging them in order. Vivio walked up behind her and reached forward, grabbing Syn's bra strap and pulling back lightly before letting go, making it snap back into place with a loud pop. The girl yelled and turned around, one hand reaching out to grab the person's neck but stopped short when she saw who it was.

"Vivio! For the love of-" She trailed off and turned around angrily. "I was going to hit you!"

"Wow, bad day?"

"Horrible." Syn shoved a shirt onto the shelf and growled. "One thing after another."

Vivio felt bad that she had played the prank and lifted up her bag to show the peace offering. "I brought you some lunch?"

Syn turned and looked at the bag and gave a soft sigh. "Thank you. Really, I was going to work through my lunch because I can't afford anything."

"If you need to borrow some-"

"No." A shaking of the head. "I don't like borrowing money. Besides, you said you were tight as well."

"I did another job, I just got paid." She followed Syn behind the counter and into a break area for employees. "Is it okay if I'm back here?"

"Yes, I think. Saharet-san is nice. Now...What goodies did you bring me?" Syn eagerly opened the bag and started taking things out. "You get enough?"

"Hungry." Vivio snatched what she wanted and opened it. "Eat all you want."

Syn shoved the food into her face and and chewed a few times to savor the taste. "Mmm, I love these. I'd much rather get junk food than spend a thousand-some yen to get something from a sit-down restaurant."

"They're good sometimes." Vivio mused. "But generally I like fast-food. I can cook so my lunches are generally not healthy."

"How do you stay in shape?" Syn licked her fingers after seeing that they were shafted on napkins.

Vivio laughed. "I go to a gym for aerobics, the place I work for pays for it. Twice a week, Tuesday and Friday nights. Besides that, I like to jog. It's nice to just listen to music and run. One of my mothers was a really big fan of morning jogs so I followed."

"I want to see something you've starred in." Syn took a long drink from her straw.

"I really feel embarrassed about people I know watching..."

"Mou, at least tell me what they were? You never talk about your job." Before Vivio could reply a new person walked into the break room.

"Syn, I thought you were going to work- oh hello." Saharet looked at Vivio. "you're Syn's girlfriend, right?"

"Yes," Syn answered.
"We're just dating," Vivio answered at the same time, kicking Syn lightly under the table. "I'm sorry to come back here un-announced."

"It's fine." Saharet waved it off, the chains on her jeans jiggling from the motion. "Anyway, Syn can you work late tonight? Laith had to cancel his shift."

Syn looked positively sick at the thought but nodded anyway. "Sure, be glad to."

"Thanks," Saha waved at them and left.

When the coast was clear, the girl face-palmed. "Great. I just want to scream."

"Why is your day so bad?"

Leaning back in her chair, Syn took another long drink. "It'd take forever to tell you, but mainly it's just idiots. You would not believe how many stupid people come in here... move things around, make a mess, and I have to straighten it all back up only to have it moved again."

"I'm sorry to hear that... tell you what, how about you come over tonight? I'll... give you a massage."

"You know how to massage?"

"Not really, no." Vivio laughed. "But sometimes I really feel like I could use one after a long day so I thought I'd offer... what do you say?"

"Do my feet too?"

Vivio laughed at the odd request. "Sure, I'll rub your feet."

"That would be great after standing all day. When will you be home?"

"I need to deposit my check after I leave here, then I'm heading home, so whenever."

"Okay then." Syn looked at the clock. "Well, I need to get back to work."

Vivio started gathering their trash and looked around for a wastebin to toss it in, being spared the trouble when Syn took it to toss across the room into the trashcan. "I'll see you later then."

Syn spoke out as Vivio turned. "No kiss?"

The blond looked behind herself and stuck out her tongue. "You wouldn't want a kiss until I brush my teeth."

Syn laughed. "Silly, I don't mind taco breath."

Vivio grinned like a cat. " I'll give you a kiss tonight, if you behave yourself."

"I always behave!"

Vivio walked to the door of the store with Syn in tow. "You tell everyone I'm your girlfriend."

"I want you to be."

"Maybe I would be, if you asked." Vivio waved and closed the door before Syn could reply.

"... If you asked..." That line is a clasic!
Massage... can't wait!!! XD XP
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX



Het yaw ot Dorlw Awr Itav...

[DezoPenguin]

Just another little something. This one was going to be the VMOT! segment for "How Reputations Are Made"--I figured that a long omake would go well with a shorter story for balancing's sake...but it goes better here.

You know, Vivio would definitely have problems if someone said to her, "You should be more like your mother!"

Spoiler for Do As Your Mother Would Do:

The truck hurtled through the streets at a ridiculous pace, scattering pedestrians.

"Vivio, you've got to stop it before it gets within the administrative office's grid!" General Hayate's voice was urgent but under control. "If that AMF gets triggered, it'll fry every computer system in HQ, including the backups."

"But...but I don't know any long-range shooting magics to stop it!" protested the twelve-year-old.

"You're the only mage with a chance to do anything before it gets in range. Pretend you're Fate-mama and get creative!"

Get creative? Vivio thought. What can I do to stop a truck like this without shooting it?

"Parsifal!" she commanded her device as she flew ahead of the truck and dropped to the street a block in front of it.

"Panzer Modus." it answered obediently, and Vivio's Barrier Jacket switched from lightly-armored Valkyrie Mode back to its standard armor mode. The truck barreled onwards, its robotic drivers uncaring of the figure in its path.

"Load cartridge," Vivio ordered. Parsifal locked and ejected two spent shells, enhancing the power of the magic to come. The triangular rune of Belkan magic formed beneath the girl's feet.

"Eisenschild."

The hurtling vehicle hit her barrier at eighty miles per hour, four tons of metal slamming into the child's magical defenses.

It didn't stand a chance.

Unfortunately, Vivio hadn't quite calculated what the head-on collision would do to the truck.

Or to its cargo of outlawed munitions.

Luckily the evacuation order had cleared the two buildings on either side of the road, or else there might have been casualties in the inferno.

"Um..." Vivio reported. "I...stopped it."

Hayate observed the obliterated truck, the massive crater in the street, and the structural damage to the adjoining buildings, then dropped her head to her desk with a clunk.

"Vivio..."

"Yes, General Hayate?"

"Wrong mama!"

[BPHaru]

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

Just another little something. This one was going to be the VMOT! segment for "How Reputations Are Made"--I figured that a long omake would go well with a shorter story for balancing's sake...but it goes better here.

You know, Vivio would definitely have problems if someone said to her, "You should be more like your mother!"

Spoiler for Do As Your Mother Would Do:

The truck hurtled through the streets at a ridiculous pace, scattering pedestrians.

"Vivio, you've got to stop it before it gets within the administrative office's grid!" General Hayate's voice was urgent but under control. "If that AMF gets triggered, it'll fry every computer system in HQ, including the backups."

"But...but I don't know any long-range shooting magics to stop it!" protested the twelve-year-old.

"You're the only mage with a chance to do anything before it gets in range. Pretend you're Fate-mama and get creative!"

Get creative? Vivio thought. What can I do to stop a trick like this without shooting it?

"Parsifal!" she commanded her device as she flew ahead of the truck and dropped to the street a block in front of it.

"Panzer Modus." it answered obediently, and Vivio's Barrier Jacket switched from lightly-armored Valkyrie Mode back to its standard armor mode. The truck barreled onwards, its robotic drivers uncaring of the figure in its path.

"Load cartridge," Vivio ordered. Parsifal locked and ejected two spent shells, enhancing the power of the magic to come. The triangular rune of Belkan magic formed beneath the girl's feet.

"Eisenschild."

The hurtling vehicle hit her barrier at eighty miles per hour, four tons of metal slamming into the child's magical defenses.

It didn't stand a chance.

Unfortunately, Vivio hadn't quite calculated what the head-on collision would do to the truck.

Or to its cargo of outlawed munitions.

Luckily the evacuation order had cleared the two buildings on either side of the road, or else there might have been casualties in the inferno.

"Um..." Vivio reported. "I...stopped it."

Hayate observed the obliterated truck, the massive crater in the street, and the structural damage to the adjoining buildings, then dropped her head to her desk with a clunk.

"Vivio..."

"Yes, General Hayate?"

"Wrong mama!"

LOL

You should post it for "How Reputations Are Made" too, don't let people miss this

Cuídense y sigan sorniendo

[TerranReaper]

Spoiler for Chapter 9:

Chapter 9: Evacuation

At 10 a.m., the rescue group left Cranagan to rescue those that were trapped at TSAB HQ. Subaru leaned out the window of the building as she watched the group left. Now she was stuck with military units from another planet. The soldiers and marines passed their time by playing cards and sleeping. Vice came up behind her and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Worried about Teana or are you just bored?” he asked. “A bit of both. Vice, how did you survive the mutant attack?”

“I was in at the east side of the city, having dinner at a café when the mutants attacked. I hid in a nearby building, sniping any mutant that came by the area. Almost ran out of ammunition when those Terran sharpshooters helped out,” said Vice. Subaru said nothing and looked out the window again. Ginga…she was helping the Capital Defense Force frontlines. Was she alright?

“Well Subaru, I dunno where these people come from but they certainly are professionals. I’m just grateful they helped out. I think I better get some rest. I have to recover my helicopter later.”

Vice left the room Subaru was in. On the streets below, armored personnel carriers scoured the city, searching for survivors. In a dark sewer not far from Cranagan, Jake and his comrades were planning for the next attack. “The Terrans were well-prepared than I expected. However, that doesn’t deter us. The surviving civilians and military personnel are holed up in this building outside of the city,” Jake said. He continued. “They are tired and weak and this is the best chance to strike. No doubt the Terrans will be looking for them so we must beat them to it. Infect as many as you can and prepare for an ambush.”

Vita’s conscious heard everything. She felt powerless as she struggled to bring her words to her mouth but all she heard was growls and gabbles. The other mutants around her were no different from her current looks. Rotten, unkempt and disgusting, that is what Vita prefers to call them…or her current self. “If only I could kill myself and break free from this humiliation,” she thought. Her hair was a mess and her suit was torn. She looked like someone who hasn’t slept for years…or just woke up from the dead.

Jake led some mutants towards the HQ at top speed. Mutant Vita followed behind as well, grabbing a missile launcher. Above ground, the volunteer rescuers ran fast as well but the mages could fly so they were faster than the Terrans. “I swear that I need to see a psychiatrist. Either I’m dreaming or those people are flying,” one of the marines said, shaking his head. “C’mon, quit slacking and keep up. You can see your psychiatrist later,” Johannes answered.

“Think they could give us a ride?”

“Dream on, maggot.”

The mages touched down on the grounds outside of HQ. The building looked intact but the ground they were on was smeared with blood, goo and littered with bodies of mages, civilians, and mutants alike. “Looks like we missed one hell of a party,” Signum said. She stabbed the body of a mutant with her sword, making sure it was dead. “Well, this is one party you wouldn’t want to attend, not when you’re getting turned into rotten yahoos,” Nanoha joked. They proceeded into the building and began searching. The insides of the buildings were in a bad condition. Most furniture was overturned and more bodies littered the floor. Some paths were blocked by rubble so they had to walk around it. “This doesn’t look promising. If I wasn’t before, I have a bad feeling now,” Hayate said softly. She was about to open a door to a room when it opened and a woman came out. “Save…me,” she pleaded. Then a bullet shot through her heart and killed her. Behind her was a pistol-wielding mutant.

Hayate cursed and stabbed the mutant with the tip of her weapon. The mutant fired a shot at her and hit her face. It only scrapped her cheek and bleed. She punched the mutant and sent it flying into a live wire, electrocuting it.

“Darn, my cheek hurts.”

Nanoha came up to Hayate and examined it. “It’ll be okay. Here, take this piece of cloth and cover your wound,” said Nanoha as she handed Hayate a piece of white cloth. Just then, Signum called out, saying she found survivors. Just when the two were about to enter the room Signum was in, an explosion knocked them back into a hall. Rubble covered the entrance and out from the dust and debris came a mutant larger than any normal one. It held a gigantic sword that was taller than Nanoha. “Ah, Nanoha and Hayate, I was expecting you. You’re arrival could not have been timelier,” said the mutant. “How do you know our names?” asked Hayate. “I know because I work with you…or what the true controller of this body has done. I bet you wanna know my name, isn’t that right?” the mutant asked in a mocking tone.

“Someone who works with me…nope, I can’t remember anyone as ugly as you working for me and certainly no one in TSAB is as ugly as you,” Hayate said. The mutant roared with anger and swung his sword at Nanoha and Hayate but they dodge rolled and avoided the slash. “Fine, than you shall not get any answers from me. Taste cold steel!”

Johannes and the others arrived later and entered the building. “Okay, everyone spread out and search. If you encounter any trouble, ping the COM. Now spread out,” Johannes commanded. The marines and soldiers spread out to different directions. Teana searched the west wing or the building. It was empty save for a few mutants. She entered the sanitation room where the sanitation tank was. It led to the sewers and it stank to the heavens. As she looked around, a gurgling noise from the tank caught her attention. Just as she looked into the darkness of the tank, a tentacle came out and grabbed her. She dropped Cross Mirage. “Aieee! Someone help me!” she yelled. The tentacle trashed her about and slammed her into a wall, breaking her ribs. Just then, Sergeant Lopez burst in and shot the tentacle. It writhed in pain and lashed out at Lopez. He leapt aside and continued shooting.

“Hang in there, missy, I’ll get you down!”

“Give me my weapon! It’s on the floor!”

Lopez turned his head and saw two handguns not far from his position. He made a dash for the weapon but another tentacle grabbed him. He had a sword though. Using it, he sliced the tentacle and freed himself. Lopez grabbed the handguns and threw it towards Teana. She grabbed it, produced a blade from Cross Mirage and sliced the tentacle, freeing herself too. The tentacles retracted back into the hole. Teana coughed up blood as she was hurt internally.

“You okay? Should I get you a medic?” asked Lopez.

“I’m cool…just a bit hurt.”

Lopez paused for a while and shook his head. “You’re not very good at lying, aren’t you?”

“No, sir.”

“Well, at least you’re safe. Whatever that thing was, it’s not a normal mutant. Several of those things appeared in Earth’s waterways before and they pose a very dangerous threat,” Lopez said. “So what exactly are those?” asked Teana. “Not sure. Some say the virus could mutate the host into something further such as that thing we encountered. It’s only a hypothesis because no one has seen the whole of it before. Every time we send someone to check, they never return or they found nothing.”

Then, they heard sounds coming from the hole again. There was a growl followed by scampering. “Mutants. They love stink holes don’t they. Well, Santa’s got a present for ‘em,” Lopez said with a cruel smile. He took out a fire bomb, lit it and threw it into the hole. Since waste and excretions produced highly flammable methane, when the bomb exploded, the gas exploded and it became a raging firestorm in the sewer.

“C’mon, at least that’ll stop them.” Lopez patted Teana’s back and beckoned her to move. Hayate and Nanoha were having a hard time fighting the giant mutant. Its sword was wide enough to reach from one end of the hall to the other end and their Round Shields weren’t useful. Every time the mutant slashed, their guards would break. “Not good, this monster is too strong. We need help,” Hayate said. Nanoha tried to look for a way to reach the entrance but the mutant was blocking it. “Then that leaves us me no choice. Guard me as long as you can, Hayate! Axel Shooter!”

She fired several magic missiles and guided them to the mutant’s back while Hayate did her best to guard Nanoha from the slashes. Some missed as the mutant turned suddenly but the others hit it and it fell forward. The mutant got up again and slashed. Hayate got sliced at the stomach while Nanoha got hit into a wall. “My name is Alto, one of your staff members and subordinate of Shari. Don’t you recognize me,” he mocked.

“Hey punk, I recognize you as someone who would soon be sleeping in the graves!” Nanoha saw that it was Johannes and a number of soldiers. The mutant roared and dashed but Johannes fired a weapon that clearly wasn’t an assault rifle. The projectile punctured through the mutant and even through the wall! The soldiers fired their weapons until the mutant fell dead in a pool of blood.

“Get the wounded out of here. Our objective is now complete.” That was what Nanoha last heard before she blacked out. When she came to, she found herself lying on a bed with a familiar face over her. “Welcome back, Nanoha,” Fate greeted with a smile. Nanoha smiled back and got up. Around her were Johannes, Shamal and Teana. “I must thank you all for saving me and other survivors in the HQ. Any longer and we might have been paste,” Shamal said. Johannes smiled and nodded. “Indeed and Signum has agreed to give us blood samples. Now we might have a chance to get us a cure. Anyway, here is another problem.”

He sat on a chair and puffed on a cigarette.

“My men have encountered tentacled mutants in waterways and I fear that it maybe a mutation gone wrong. Also, I suspect that mutants are hiding in the sewers. If we are to strike the mutants, we have to strike this tentacle mutant first. This isn’t milk run so don’t expect simple tasks.”

“So what are you implying?” asked Fate.

“All I’m implying is that if we are to strike the mutant and it’s leader, we must strike this monster first.”

And this won’t be easy I can assure you that. Johannes need a weapon strong enough to damage this monster.

Which should be his weapon of choice?
A)Assault Rifle
B)Missile Launcher
C)Sniper Rifle
D)Railgun

[DezoPenguin]

Originally Posted by TerranReaper

Spoiler for Chapter 9:

Chapter 9: Evacuation

At 10 a.m., the rescue group left Cranagan to rescue those that were trapped at TSAB HQ. Subaru leaned out the window of the building as she watched the group left. Now she was stuck with military units from another planet. The soldiers and marines passed their time by playing cards and sleeping. Vice came up behind her and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Worried about Teana or are you just bored?” he asked. “A bit of both. Vice, how did you survive the mutant attack?”

“I was in at the east side of the city, having dinner at a café when the mutants attacked. I hid in a nearby building, sniping any mutant that came by the area. Almost ran out of ammunition when those Terran sharpshooters helped out,” said Vice. Subaru said nothing and looked out the window again. Ginga…she was helping the Capital Defense Force frontlines. Was she alright?

“Well Subaru, I dunno where these people come from but they certainly are professionals. I’m just grateful they helped out. I think I better get some rest. I have to recover my helicopter later.”

Vice left the room Subaru was in. On the streets below, armored personnel carriers scoured the city, searching for survivors. In a dark sewer not far from Cranagan, Jake and his comrades were planning for the next attack. “The Terrans were well-prepared than I expected. However, that doesn’t deter us. The surviving civilians and military personnel are holed up in this building outside of the city,” Jake said. He continued. “They are tired and weak and this is the best chance to strike. No doubt the Terrans will be looking for them so we must beat them to it. Infect as many as you can and prepare for an ambush.”

Vita’s conscious heard everything. She felt powerless as she struggled to bring her words to her mouth but all she heard was growls and gabbles. The other mutants around her were no different from her current looks. Rotten, unkempt and disgusting, that is what Vita prefers to call them…or her current self. “If only I could kill myself and break free from this humiliation,” she thought. Her hair was a mess and her suit was torn. She looked like someone who hasn’t slept for years…or just woke up from the dead.

Jake led some mutants towards the HQ at top speed. Mutant Vita followed behind as well, grabbing a missile launcher. Above ground, the volunteer rescuers ran fast as well but the mages could fly so they were faster than the Terrans. “I swear that I need to see a psychiatrist. Either I’m dreaming or those people are flying,” one of the marines said, shaking his head. “C’mon, quit slacking and keep up. You can see your psychiatrist later,” Johannes answered.

“Think they could give us a ride?”

“Dream on, maggot.”

The mages touched down on the grounds outside of HQ. The building looked intact but the ground they were on was smeared with blood, goo and littered with bodies of mages, civilians, and mutants alike. “Looks like we missed one hell of a party,” Signum said. She stabbed the body of a mutant with her sword, making sure it was dead. “Well, this is one party you wouldn’t want to attend, not when you’re getting turned into rotten yahoos,” Nanoha joked. They proceeded into the building and began searching. The insides of the buildings were in a bad condition. Most furniture was overturned and more bodies littered the floor. Some paths were blocked by rubble so they had to walk around it. “This doesn’t look promising. If I wasn’t before, I have a bad feeling now,” Hayate said softly. She was about to open a door to a room when it opened and a woman came out. “Save…me,” she pleaded. Then a bullet shot through her heart and killed her. Behind her was a pistol-wielding mutant.

Hayate cursed and stabbed the mutant with the tip of her weapon. The mutant fired a shot at her and hit her face. It only scrapped her cheek and bleed. She punched the mutant and sent it flying into a live wire, electrocuting it.

“Darn, my cheek hurts.”

Nanoha came up to Hayate and examined it. “It’ll be okay. Here, take this piece of cloth and cover your wound,” said Nanoha as she handed Hayate a piece of white cloth. Just then, Signum called out, saying she found survivors. Just when the two were about to enter the room Signum was in, an explosion knocked them back into a hall. Rubble covered the entrance and out from the dust and debris came a mutant larger than any normal one. It held a gigantic sword that was taller than Nanoha. “Ah, Nanoha and Hayate, I was expecting you. You’re arrival could not have been timelier,” said the mutant. “How do you know our names?” asked Hayate. “I know because I work with you…or what the true controller of this body has done. I bet you wanna know my name, isn’t that right?” the mutant asked in a mocking tone.

“Someone who works with me…nope, I can’t remember anyone as ugly as you working for me and certainly no one in TSAB is as ugly as you,” Hayate said. The mutant roared with anger and swung his sword at Nanoha and Hayate but they dodge rolled and avoided the slash. “Fine, than you shall not get any answers from me. Taste cold steel!”

Johannes and the others arrived later and entered the building. “Okay, everyone spread out and search. If you encounter any trouble, ping the COM. Now spread out,” Johannes commanded. The marines and soldiers spread out to different directions. Teana searched the west wing or the building. It was empty save for a few mutants. She entered the sanitation room where the sanitation tank was. It led to the sewers and it stank to the heavens. As she looked around, a gurgling noise from the tank caught her attention. Just as she looked into the darkness of the tank, a tentacle came out and grabbed her. She dropped Cross Mirage. “Aieee! Someone help me!” she yelled. The tentacle trashed her about and slammed her into a wall, breaking her ribs. Just then, Sergeant Lopez burst in and shot the tentacle. It writhed in pain and lashed out at Lopez. He leapt aside and continued shooting.

“Hang in there, missy, I’ll get you down!”

“Give me my weapon! It’s on the floor!”

Lopez turned his head and saw two handguns not far from his position. He made a dash for the weapon but another tentacle grabbed him. He had a sword though. Using it, he sliced the tentacle and freed himself. Lopez grabbed the handguns and threw it towards Teana. She grabbed it, produced a blade from Cross Mirage and sliced the tentacle, freeing herself too. The tentacles retracted back into the hole. Teana coughed up blood as she was hurt internally.

“You okay? Should I get you a medic?” asked Lopez.

“I’m cool…just a bit hurt.”

Lopez paused for a while and shook his head. “You’re not very good at lying, aren’t you?”

“No, sir.”

“Well, at least you’re safe. Whatever that thing was, it’s not a normal mutant. Several of those things appeared in Earth’s waterways before and they pose a very dangerous threat,” Lopez said. “So what exactly are those?” asked Teana. “Not sure. Some say the virus could mutate the host into something further such as that thing we encountered. It’s only a hypothesis because no one has seen the whole of it before. Every time we send someone to check, they never return or they found nothing.”

Then, they heard sounds coming from the hole again. There was a growl followed by scampering. “Mutants. They love stink holes don’t they. Well, Santa’s got a present for ‘em,” Lopez said with a cruel smile. He took out a fire bomb, lit it and threw it into the hole. Since waste and excretions produced highly flammable methane, when the bomb exploded, the gas exploded and it became a raging firestorm in the sewer.

“C’mon, at least that’ll stop them.” Lopez patted Teana’s back and beckoned her to move. Hayate and Nanoha were having a hard time fighting the giant mutant. Its sword was wide enough to reach from one end of the hall to the other end and their Round Shields weren’t useful. Every time the mutant slashed, their guards would break. “Not good, this monster is too strong. We need help,” Hayate said. Nanoha tried to look for a way to reach the entrance but the mutant was blocking it. “Then that leaves us me no choice. Guard me as long as you can, Hayate! Axel Shooter!”

She fired several magic missiles and guided them to the mutant’s back while Hayate did her best to guard Nanoha from the slashes. Some missed as the mutant turned suddenly but the others hit it and it fell forward. The mutant got up again and slashed. Hayate got sliced at the stomach while Nanoha got hit into a wall. “My name is Alto, one of your staff members and subordinate of Shari. Don’t you recognize me,” he mocked.

“Hey punk, I recognize you as someone who would soon be sleeping in the graves!” Nanoha saw that it was Johannes and a number of soldiers. The mutant roared and dashed but Johannes fired a weapon that clearly wasn’t an assault rifle. The projectile punctured through the mutant and even through the wall! The soldiers fired their weapons until the mutant fell dead in a pool of blood.

“Get the wounded out of here. Our objective is now complete.” That was what Nanoha last heard before she blacked out. When she came to, she found herself lying on a bed with a familiar face over her. “Welcome back, Nanoha,” Fate greeted with a smile. Nanoha smiled back and got up. Around her were Johannes, Shamal and Teana. “I must thank you all for saving me and other survivors in the HQ. Any longer and we might have been paste,” Shamal said. Johannes smiled and nodded. “Indeed and Signum has agreed to give us blood samples. Now we might have a chance to get us a cure. Anyway, here is another problem.”

He sat on a chair and puffed on a cigarette.

“My men have encountered tentacled mutants in waterways and I fear that it maybe a mutation gone wrong. Also, I suspect that mutants are hiding in the sewers. If we are to strike the mutants, we have to strike this tentacle mutant first. This isn’t milk run so don’t expect simple tasks.”

“So what are you implying?” asked Fate.

“All I’m implying is that if we are to strike the mutant and it’s leader, we must strike this monster first.”

And this won’t be easy I can assure you that. Johannes need a weapon strong enough to damage this monster.

Which should be his weapon of choice?
A)Assault Rifle
B)Missile Launcher
C)Sniper Rifle
D)Railgun

It would be a bit easier to follow if no more than one character had dialogue per paragraph...but that aside, if Johannes is going to be fighting monsters in a sewer, let's go with B. Explosions in contained areas with possibly unstable ceilings and possible gas leaks so clearly fit MGLN.

[markesellus]

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

Just another little something. This one was going to be the VMOT! segment for "How Reputations Are Made"--I figured that a long omake would go well with a shorter story for balancing's sake...but it goes better here.

You know, Vivio would definitely have problems if someone said to her, "You should be more like your mother!"

Spoiler for Do As Your Mother Would Do:

The truck hurtled through the streets at a ridiculous pace, scattering pedestrians.

"Vivio, you've got to stop it before it gets within the administrative office's grid!" General Hayate's voice was urgent but under control. "If that AMF gets triggered, it'll fry every computer system in HQ, including the backups."

"But...but I don't know any long-range shooting magics to stop it!" protested the twelve-year-old.

"You're the only mage with a chance to do anything before it gets in range. Pretend you're Fate-mama and get creative!"

Get creative? Vivio thought. What can I do to stop a truck like this without shooting it?

"Parsifal!" she commanded her device as she flew ahead of the truck and dropped to the street a block in front of it.

"Panzer Modus." it answered obediently, and Vivio's Barrier Jacket switched from lightly-armored Valkyrie Mode back to its standard armor mode. The truck barreled onwards, its robotic drivers uncaring of the figure in its path.

"Load cartridge," Vivio ordered. Parsifal locked and ejected two spent shells, enhancing the power of the magic to come. The triangular rune of Belkan magic formed beneath the girl's feet.

"Eisenschild."

The hurtling vehicle hit her barrier at eighty miles per hour, four tons of metal slamming into the child's magical defenses.

It didn't stand a chance.

Unfortunately, Vivio hadn't quite calculated what the head-on collision would do to the truck.

Or to its cargo of outlawed munitions.

Luckily the evacuation order had cleared the two buildings on either side of the road, or else there might have been casualties in the inferno.

"Um..." Vivio reported. "I...stopped it."

Hayate observed the obliterated truck, the massive crater in the street, and the structural damage to the adjoining buildings, then dropped her head to her desk with a clunk.

"Vivio..."

"Yes, General Hayate?"

"Wrong mama!"

Lol, that was gold. Especially the last line, no wonder she only mentioned Fate.

Originally Posted by TerranReaper

Spoiler for Chapter 9:

Chapter 9: Evacuation

At 10 a.m., the rescue group left Cranagan to rescue those that were trapped at TSAB HQ. Subaru leaned out the window of the building as she watched the group left. Now she was stuck with military units from another planet. The soldiers and marines passed their time by playing cards and sleeping. Vice came up behind her and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Worried about Teana or are you just bored?” he asked. “A bit of both. Vice, how did you survive the mutant attack?”

“I was in at the east side of the city, having dinner at a café when the mutants attacked. I hid in a nearby building, sniping any mutant that came by the area. Almost ran out of ammunition when those Terran sharpshooters helped out,” said Vice. Subaru said nothing and looked out the window again. Ginga…she was helping the Capital Defense Force frontlines. Was she alright?

“Well Subaru, I dunno where these people come from but they certainly are professionals. I’m just grateful they helped out. I think I better get some rest. I have to recover my helicopter later.”

Vice left the room Subaru was in. On the streets below, armored personnel carriers scoured the city, searching for survivors. In a dark sewer not far from Cranagan, Jake and his comrades were planning for the next attack. “The Terrans were well-prepared than I expected. However, that doesn’t deter us. The surviving civilians and military personnel are holed up in this building outside of the city,” Jake said. He continued. “They are tired and weak and this is the best chance to strike. No doubt the Terrans will be looking for them so we must beat them to it. Infect as many as you can and prepare for an ambush.”

Vita’s conscious heard everything. She felt powerless as she struggled to bring her words to her mouth but all she heard was growls and gabbles. The other mutants around her were no different from her current looks. Rotten, unkempt and disgusting, that is what Vita prefers to call them…or her current self. “If only I could kill myself and break free from this humiliation,” she thought. Her hair was a mess and her suit was torn. She looked like someone who hasn’t slept for years…or just woke up from the dead.

Jake led some mutants towards the HQ at top speed. Mutant Vita followed behind as well, grabbing a missile launcher. Above ground, the volunteer rescuers ran fast as well but the mages could fly so they were faster than the Terrans. “I swear that I need to see a psychiatrist. Either I’m dreaming or those people are flying,” one of the marines said, shaking his head. “C’mon, quit slacking and keep up. You can see your psychiatrist later,” Johannes answered.

“Think they could give us a ride?”

“Dream on, maggot.”

The mages touched down on the grounds outside of HQ. The building looked intact but the ground they were on was smeared with blood, goo and littered with bodies of mages, civilians, and mutants alike. “Looks like we missed one hell of a party,” Signum said. She stabbed the body of a mutant with her sword, making sure it was dead. “Well, this is one party you wouldn’t want to attend, not when you’re getting turned into rotten yahoos,” Nanoha joked. They proceeded into the building and began searching. The insides of the buildings were in a bad condition. Most furniture was overturned and more bodies littered the floor. Some paths were blocked by rubble so they had to walk around it. “This doesn’t look promising. If I wasn’t before, I have a bad feeling now,” Hayate said softly. She was about to open a door to a room when it opened and a woman came out. “Save…me,” she pleaded. Then a bullet shot through her heart and killed her. Behind her was a pistol-wielding mutant.

Hayate cursed and stabbed the mutant with the tip of her weapon. The mutant fired a shot at her and hit her face. It only scrapped her cheek and bleed. She punched the mutant and sent it flying into a live wire, electrocuting it.

“Darn, my cheek hurts.”

Nanoha came up to Hayate and examined it. “It’ll be okay. Here, take this piece of cloth and cover your wound,” said Nanoha as she handed Hayate a piece of white cloth. Just then, Signum called out, saying she found survivors. Just when the two were about to enter the room Signum was in, an explosion knocked them back into a hall. Rubble covered the entrance and out from the dust and debris came a mutant larger than any normal one. It held a gigantic sword that was taller than Nanoha. “Ah, Nanoha and Hayate, I was expecting you. You’re arrival could not have been timelier,” said the mutant. “How do you know our names?” asked Hayate. “I know because I work with you…or what the true controller of this body has done. I bet you wanna know my name, isn’t that right?” the mutant asked in a mocking tone.

“Someone who works with me…nope, I can’t remember anyone as ugly as you working for me and certainly no one in TSAB is as ugly as you,” Hayate said. The mutant roared with anger and swung his sword at Nanoha and Hayate but they dodge rolled and avoided the slash. “Fine, than you shall not get any answers from me. Taste cold steel!”

Johannes and the others arrived later and entered the building. “Okay, everyone spread out and search. If you encounter any trouble, ping the COM. Now spread out,” Johannes commanded. The marines and soldiers spread out to different directions. Teana searched the west wing or the building. It was empty save for a few mutants. She entered the sanitation room where the sanitation tank was. It led to the sewers and it stank to the heavens. As she looked around, a gurgling noise from the tank caught her attention. Just as she looked into the darkness of the tank, a tentacle came out and grabbed her. She dropped Cross Mirage. “Aieee! Someone help me!” she yelled. The tentacle trashed her about and slammed her into a wall, breaking her ribs. Just then, Sergeant Lopez burst in and shot the tentacle. It writhed in pain and lashed out at Lopez. He leapt aside and continued shooting.

“Hang in there, missy, I’ll get you down!”

“Give me my weapon! It’s on the floor!”

Lopez turned his head and saw two handguns not far from his position. He made a dash for the weapon but another tentacle grabbed him. He had a sword though. Using it, he sliced the tentacle and freed himself. Lopez grabbed the handguns and threw it towards Teana. She grabbed it, produced a blade from Cross Mirage and sliced the tentacle, freeing herself too. The tentacles retracted back into the hole. Teana coughed up blood as she was hurt internally.

“You okay? Should I get you a medic?” asked Lopez.

“I’m cool…just a bit hurt.”

Lopez paused for a while and shook his head. “You’re not very good at lying, aren’t you?”

“No, sir.”

“Well, at least you’re safe. Whatever that thing was, it’s not a normal mutant. Several of those things appeared in Earth’s waterways before and they pose a very dangerous threat,” Lopez said. “So what exactly are those?” asked Teana. “Not sure. Some say the virus could mutate the host into something further such as that thing we encountered. It’s only a hypothesis because no one has seen the whole of it before. Every time we send someone to check, they never return or they found nothing.”

Then, they heard sounds coming from the hole again. There was a growl followed by scampering. “Mutants. They love stink holes don’t they. Well, Santa’s got a present for ‘em,” Lopez said with a cruel smile. He took out a fire bomb, lit it and threw it into the hole. Since waste and excretions produced highly flammable methane, when the bomb exploded, the gas exploded and it became a raging firestorm in the sewer.

“C’mon, at least that’ll stop them.” Lopez patted Teana’s back and beckoned her to move. Hayate and Nanoha were having a hard time fighting the giant mutant. Its sword was wide enough to reach from one end of the hall to the other end and their Round Shields weren’t useful. Every time the mutant slashed, their guards would break. “Not good, this monster is too strong. We need help,” Hayate said. Nanoha tried to look for a way to reach the entrance but the mutant was blocking it. “Then that leaves us me no choice. Guard me as long as you can, Hayate! Axel Shooter!”

She fired several magic missiles and guided them to the mutant’s back while Hayate did her best to guard Nanoha from the slashes. Some missed as the mutant turned suddenly but the others hit it and it fell forward. The mutant got up again and slashed. Hayate got sliced at the stomach while Nanoha got hit into a wall. “My name is Alto, one of your staff members and subordinate of Shari. Don’t you recognize me,” he mocked.

“Hey punk, I recognize you as someone who would soon be sleeping in the graves!” Nanoha saw that it was Johannes and a number of soldiers. The mutant roared and dashed but Johannes fired a weapon that clearly wasn’t an assault rifle. The projectile punctured through the mutant and even through the wall! The soldiers fired their weapons until the mutant fell dead in a pool of blood.

“Get the wounded out of here. Our objective is now complete.” That was what Nanoha last heard before she blacked out. When she came to, she found herself lying on a bed with a familiar face over her. “Welcome back, Nanoha,” Fate greeted with a smile. Nanoha smiled back and got up. Around her were Johannes, Shamal and Teana. “I must thank you all for saving me and other survivors in the HQ. Any longer and we might have been paste,” Shamal said. Johannes smiled and nodded. “Indeed and Signum has agreed to give us blood samples. Now we might have a chance to get us a cure. Anyway, here is another problem.”

He sat on a chair and puffed on a cigarette.

“My men have encountered tentacled mutants in waterways and I fear that it maybe a mutation gone wrong. Also, I suspect that mutants are hiding in the sewers. If we are to strike the mutants, we have to strike this tentacle mutant first. This isn’t milk run so don’t expect simple tasks.”

“So what are you implying?” asked Fate.

“All I’m implying is that if we are to strike the mutant and it’s leader, we must strike this monster first.”

And this won’t be easy I can assure you that. Johannes need a weapon strong enough to damage this monster.

Which should be his weapon of choice?
A)Assault Rifle
B)Missile Launcher
C)Sniper Rifle
D)Railgun

Wow they killed Alto, does that mean the Terrans are going to try and kill Vita when they have the chance? Probably, but I doubt Nanoha and Co. are going to let that happen. Hmm, missiles sound big, explosive, and powerful... B

[Comartemis]

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

Just another little something. This one was going to be the VMOT! segment for "How Reputations Are Made"--I figured that a long omake would go well with a shorter story for balancing's sake...but it goes better here.

You know, Vivio would definitely have problems if someone said to her, "You should be more like your mother!"

Spoiler for Do As Your Mother Would Do:

The truck hurtled through the streets at a ridiculous pace, scattering pedestrians.

"Vivio, you've got to stop it before it gets within the administrative office's grid!" General Hayate's voice was urgent but under control. "If that AMF gets triggered, it'll fry every computer system in HQ, including the backups."

"But...but I don't know any long-range shooting magics to stop it!" protested the twelve-year-old.

"You're the only mage with a chance to do anything before it gets in range. Pretend you're Fate-mama and get creative!"

Get creative? Vivio thought. What can I do to stop a truck like this without shooting it?

"Parsifal!" she commanded her device as she flew ahead of the truck and dropped to the street a block in front of it.

"Panzer Modus." it answered obediently, and Vivio's Barrier Jacket switched from lightly-armored Valkyrie Mode back to its standard armor mode. The truck barreled onwards, its robotic drivers uncaring of the figure in its path.

"Load cartridge," Vivio ordered. Parsifal locked and ejected two spent shells, enhancing the power of the magic to come. The triangular rune of Belkan magic formed beneath the girl's feet.

"Eisenschild."

The hurtling vehicle hit her barrier at eighty miles per hour, four tons of metal slamming into the child's magical defenses.

It didn't stand a chance.

Unfortunately, Vivio hadn't quite calculated what the head-on collision would do to the truck.

Or to its cargo of outlawed munitions.

Luckily the evacuation order had cleared the two buildings on either side of the road, or else there might have been casualties in the inferno.

"Um..." Vivio reported. "I...stopped it."

Hayate observed the obliterated truck, the massive crater in the street, and the structural damage to the adjoining buildings, then dropped her head to her desk with a clunk.

"Vivio..."

"Yes, General Hayate?"

"Wrong mama!"

Heh.

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

I'm wondering how canon affects this story? By which I mean, Nanoha's had a very different life between the end of A's and the start of your story than canon Nanoha did. By definition that's going to affect the course of her life, what she's done in her career, the kind of bonds she formed with her friends, the kind of growing-up she did. It may very well affect the course of other people's lives as well (Fate's especially--given how emotionally dependent she was on Nanoha at that age, having Nanoha not be the always-strong Ace and having to cope with serious life-changing problems of her own is going to inevitably affect what Fate did, though probably tightening her family bonds with Lindy, Chrono, etc.).

So unless you're going to bring in elements of the StrikerS plot which occur at a certain time based on the actions of third parties unconcerned with Nanoha (i.e. Jail's not likely to change his schedule just because one girl lost her ability to cast magic) and you feel really uncomfortable with changing that, then anything that happened in-series after you insert your major changes is irrelevant.

Therefore, what you should do is consider what your plotline requires. Is there a scene where Nanoha or one of the main cast needs to be driving a car? Better make them sixteen or older. Is it important that they NOT be worried about college entrance exams (or TSAB career-path examinations?)? Make them younger. My preference as a reader is that the story be as consistent and internally logical as possible, so if you're asking for reader votes, I'd have to go with "whatever best suits your story and your personal tastes." Sounds corny, I know, but there it is.

Unless, of course, I'm commenting about the wrong fic entirely.

Well, I know in chapter one Nanoha is riding a motorcycle with one of her friends holding on to her for dear life, though there are plenty of cases in anime/manga where characters that are fifteen or older somehow own motorcycles, so I don't think that qualifies a major shift in her age for her to own and operate one. However, I know the epilogue opens up with the introduction into StrikerS, which is why I want to stick as close to canon as I can while still keeping it AU.

...

That made no sense, right?

I guess my idea here is not so much that the story is a drastic change for Nanoha as a character and her fate, but more of a different series of events that happened to her between A's and StrikerS after her injury. That was my thought process while I was mapping out the basics of the plot, and it's something that I really want to stay true to.

So, in a nutshell, that's why I originally wanted her to be fifteen.

(I realize there's still the plothole of who saved Subaru while Nanoha was off shooting a gun, but I digress.)

[DezoPenguin]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Well, I know in chapter one Nanoha is riding a motorcycle with one of her friends holding on to her for dear life, though there are plenty of cases in anime/manga where characters that are fifteen or older somehow own motorcycles, so I don't think that qualifies a major shift in her age for her to own and operate one. However, I know the epilogue opens up with the introduction into StrikerS, which is why I want to stick as close to canon as I can while still keeping it AU.

...

That made no sense, right?

I guess my idea here is not so much that the story is a drastic change for Nanoha as a character and her fate, but more of a different series of events that happened to her between A's and StrikerS after her injury. That was my thought process while I was mapping out the basics of the plot, and it's something that I really want to stay true to.

So, in a nutshell, that's why I originally wanted her to be fifteen.

(I realize there's still the plothole of who saved Subaru while Nanoha was off shooting a gun, but I digress.)

Multiple plotholes, actually--since Subaru's entire character is based off the concept of how she's trying to be like her hero Nanoha (including how she ends up in disaster-relief work to save people just like she was saved). In addition, the downpowered Nanoha wouldn't be an air-combat instructor, and she probably wouldn't assume the role of captain of the Stars team in RF6...though that's debatable depending on whether her combat ability is so impaired by the power limit that she can't make it up with competence (this Nanoha's relationship with Tia, on the other hand, suddenly opens up entirely new doors of interest; if a Nanoha with barely any magical capacity can function as an effective Center and team leader it certainly opens up new ground in dealing with Tia's inferiority complex). None of this, though, has any relevance to your story unless you want to lay any groundwork for StrikerS in it.

That being said, if you want her to be fifteen, then make her be fifteen. Tell the story you want to tell. That's pretty much what everyone, including me, has been saying.

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by DezoPenguin

Multiple plotholes, actually--since Subaru's entire character is based off the concept of how she's trying to be like her hero Nanoha (including how she ends up in disaster-relief work to save people just like she was saved). In addition, the downpowered Nanoha wouldn't be an air-combat instructor, and she probably wouldn't assume the role of captain of the Stars team in RF6...though that's debatable depending on whether her combat ability is so impaired by the power limit that she can't make it up with competence (this Nanoha's relationship with Tia, on the other hand, suddenly opens up entirely new doors of interest; if a Nanoha with barely any magical capacity can function as an effective Center and team leader it certainly opens up new ground in dealing with Tia's inferiority complex). None of this, though, has any relevance to your story unless you want to lay any groundwork for StrikerS in it.

That being said, if you want her to be fifteen, then make her be fifteen. Tell the story you want to tell. That's pretty much what everyone, including me, has been saying.

Well, actually, at the end of the story...

Erm, well. I won't give anything away... if you want to know exactly what I have in mind, PM me, please?

And, on another note, I completed the first chapter of Bless the Broken Road... HUZZAH! This chapter also included two characters from Triangle Heart, Kuon and Alisa Bannings. My characterization for them is mainly by ear, since I have no access to them in the games...

Spoiler for Bless the Broken Road: Collision Course:

Chapter 1: Collision Course

“What’s that?”

Nanoha’s curious tone barely stirred Elise as she shrugged her jacket off and tied it carelessly around her waist, briskly brushing loose strands of golden hair out of her eyes before she turned to look at the girl she considered a little sister. The recently turned twelve-year-old was staring at the gun laying on the table; she’d seen Elise’s two pistols before numerous times and was actually quite familiar with handling them, as she often cleaned them herself when Elise was too busy to do it. This gun appeared to be a different model. She extended her hand briefly as though to touch it, hesitated, and retracted her hand back to her chest.

Amused despite herself, Elise crossed the room in easy strides and sat next to the younger girl, pistols in hand. She set her own pair down beside the model she’d left on the table, leaning back against the couch. “Do you know what type of gun this is, Nanoha?”
“It looks kind of like your two.” The brunette’s voice was uncertain, and she timidly stroked the barrel with her fingertips, entranced. “But it’s not quite the same.”
“Good girl. Most people can’t tell the difference just by looking. Listen carefully; I don’t intend to repeat myself, since Fiasse and I had to pull some strings to get this for you.”
“For… me? Onee-sama, why is it for me?”

Ignoring Nanoha’s question, Elise reached down to retrieve one of her beloved pistols, testing the weight in her hand. “My two friends here are 9mm Beretta 92FS models. Very reliable, the grip is customizable, and the magazine isn’t something to sneeze at. I originally intended to get you one of your own, but it didn’t quite fit what I had in mind for you.”
“But… couldn’t I just have one of yours?”
“That’s a question for another day. Now, then…”

Carefully, Elise set the pistol back down onto the table and brushed them aside before reaching for the model Nanoha didn’t recognize; she lofted it in her hand for a moment, eyes narrow, before she held it out to Nanoha. The twelve-year-old gaped at her. “Onee-sama…?”
“Nanoha, meet your new best friend, the Beretta 90Two. This boy here is very similar to my own 92FS. It’s highly customizable and the magazine load is high, so you won’t need to worry about running out of bullets in a crunch.” She lightly tapped the front of the gun, where Nanoha could see a place that was evidently meant to serve as a means of attaching something to the front of the gun. “And this is what convinced me to get you this model. This little attachment here allows you to place something like a flashlight on the gun, if you need it.” Her eyes gleamed. “Or, in your case, a little circular object like your beloved Raising Heart.”

Nanoha’s eyes widened. Timidly she took the gun, turning it over gently in her hands. Elise watched her silently for a moment before looking away.

“Fiasse told me you can’t handle magic the way you used to, but you’re still capable of small amounts, right? So I figured you can’t use Raising Heart in its full form because that would take up too much magic. But on the other hand, if you wanted to channel, say, a small amount into a bullet, you could click in Raising Heart and use it as a medium much like you’ve always done.” She shrugged. “No one said you had to completely give up magic, just that you had to find another way of fighting. That’s what I thought, anyway.”

For a long moment Nanoha gazed at the gun; she swallowed and gently stroked the barrel with her fingers before looking at Elise. “You… want to teach me?”
“The model is similar to what I have, so it wouldn’t be hard for me.” Elise shrugged. “If you want to give it a try, then I’ll help you.”

It seemed too good to be true; Nanoha was half tempted to pinch herself to see if it was all just a dream. She smiled and wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. “Ne, Onee-sama…”
“Hmm?”
“Please… can you teach me?”

Elise glanced briefly at Nanoha, her eyes meeting the younger girl’s evenly; apparently seeing what she needed to, she smiled briefly and draped her arm along Nanoha’s shoulder, giving the girl a gentle squeeze as Nanoha giggled.

“Since you asked so nicely.”

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“Nanoha. Hey, Nanoha. Nanoha. Na-no-ha…”

The soft singsong voice did little to stir the teenager from her slumber; the cold nose gently nudging her cheek only barely stirred her into reluctant semi-wakefulness. Groaning miserably, Nanoha turned onto her side, hooking her arm around the small, sandy-colored fox in the process and pulling her along; the little creature squealed in protest as she was pulled tight against the fifteen-year-old, almost smothered by her weight. “Ack! Nanoha! Wake up! C’mon, you promised Elise you’d go shopping for groceries today!”
“Ngh… too early, Kuon… Lemme sleep a little longer…”
“… Having trouble breathing here…”

All Kuon got in response was a tired murmur, Nanoha pulling her closer despite her complaints; the fox sighed and closed her eyes, shaking her head before chuckling. “If Elise asks, I tried to wake you up nicely.” With that, her body was encased in a gentle golden glow. The next instant Nanoha shrieked and scooted back, falling off her bed with a loud thud as she realized the small, furry body she’d been cuddling only a moment before had definitely become human in appearance, shape, and feel. With a grin, Kuon sat up in the bed, light blue eyes gleaming with humor as her tail swished merrily from side to side and her ears twitched playfully. “Mou, Kuon!” Nanoha whined as the fox-girl began to laugh. “I’ve told you not to do that!!”
“Then start waking up when I tell you to! And you’d better hurry… you promised Elise you’d get the groceries this week, and Alisa’s coming soon.”

Nanoha groaned miserably and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, muttering mutinously under her breath. She knew Kuon wasn’t to blame; she had promised Elise she’d go shopping this week, and today happened to be Saturday, and she was off from school for the weekend. And, to be fair, Elise had agreed to let Alisa come along. Noticing her companion’s mood, Kuon’s dark brown-tipped ears twitched sympathetically, and her tail curled around her. “You had another nightmare again, didn’t you?”
“Ngheheheh…” Standing, Nanoha took a moment to stretch, grunting softly in satisfaction as something cracked. “Kind of. I didn’t want to bother Onee-sama with it, and I was able to fall back asleep when you came in.”
“You cuddle me like a toy.” Despite her light tone, Kuon frowned. “But Nanoha, you know Elise doesn’t mind. You used to sneak into bed with her all the time when you were younger.”
“I know, but I’m fifteen now. It’s silly to be scared by bad memories at my age.”

The fox familiar’s frown deepened and she resisted the urge to remind Nanoha that she was still young, only a teenager; she could lean on others for a little bit longer. Knowing the girl wouldn’t listen, she sighed and kept the words to herself, reverting back to her small fox form. As she sprang down from the bed, the bell around her neck jingled softly, and she padded over briefly to lick Nanoha’s fingers when she offered her hand. Smiling slightly, Nanoha scratched Kuon behind her ears, giggling as the small fox purred in pleasure.

“… Y’know, you still have to go.”

Nanoha groaned and dropped her forehead to Kuon’s.

“I was hoping you’d forget about that…”

Kuon smiled softly and leaned up, licking Nanoha’s nose.

“C’mon. Alisa’s already here.”

There was a moment of silence as Nanoha gently ran her fingers through Kuon’s fur, stroking the little fox in a gesture that had become as instinctive to her as breathing. As the sandy fur parted under her fingers the fifteen-year-old caught glimpses of small scars, long since healed, hidden by fur and unnoticeable to those who didn’t know the small familiar well to know how she’d gotten them. She smiled briefly and closed her eyes, rubbing Kuon’s head as the fox closed her eyes in pleasure.

“Ne, Kuon, you’re one to scold me about cuddling and nightmares when you used to sneak in with me after you first came to live here because of bad memories…”

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The little fox that lay in the basket had been bandaged, but it was obvious that it did little to ease her pain; blood soaked through the white, and her breathing was shallow and ragged, her small body trembling as she fought for life. Feeling tears rise, Nanoha swallowed and gently stroked the creature’s head, reassured when she opened her eyes and gazed wearily at her; shifting a little, the fox gently licked her fingertips. Nanoha choked as the memory of a small ferret doing the same thing flashed through her mind’s eye, and she nearly wept then and there.

“She was attacked by stray dogs, I think.” Elise’s voice was soft as she spoke to Fiasse, watching the scene quietly. “I would have walked right by her, but Nanoha heard her crying.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, frowning even as she ached for the little beast. “If she makes it through the night, it’ll be a miracle.”

Fiasse said nothing, anguish clearly written on her face; Nanoha turned to the older women, a desperate, pleading look in her eyes.

“Let me give her my magic! If I do that, she’ll become my familiar and she won’t die. Fate-chan told me she did the same to Arf-san! If I do that, then… then…”
“Nanoha.”

Moving quickly, Elise knelt down and pulled the smaller girl into a tight embrace, and Nanoha buried her face into her guardian’s shoulder as her slim body shook with sobs. Soothingly Elise stroked her hair, and Fiasse could only look on in silent helplessness.

The three of them knew Nanoha couldn’t do it. She didn’t have enough strength left to handle the amount of magic it took to properly maintain a familiar; even if she tried, she would either lose all control over her magic completely or die. The risk was too great; Fiasse knew it, even as her heart shattered into a thousand pieces for the young girl who cried into Elise’s shoulder. She narrowed her eyes and gripped Sweet Song tightly.

She stepped easily past the pair, attracting Nanoha’s attention immediately. “Fiasse-chan?” the girl asked, but Elise held fast to her and she didn’t try to approach her. Fiasse knelt over the little fox, pulling Sweet Song over her head and cradling it in her palm. “Sweet Song, can you do it?”
The cross flashed in the light; the masculine voice filled the room, sounding slightly insulted. “I can do whatever it is you wish, ma’am.”
Fiasse smiled. “That’s my boy.”

Sweet Song flashed again and glowed gold; a gold circle formed beneath Fiasse, and she looked briefly at Nanoha as the magic circle formed a miniature copy of itself in her hand, smiling reassuringly at the young girl.

“You can’t make her your familiar, Nanoha, but I can make her mine. Don’t worry. I won’t let her die.”

With that, she lifted Sweet Song to her lips and kissed it.

“Let’s go, Sweet Song.”
“Yes, ma’am.”

The room was bathed in a warm, soothing golden glow.

They named the little fox Kuon, and it was decided that she would live with Elise and Nanoha and help Fiasse out when she needed her most.

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Alisa Bannings had lived a very simple, very calm life. Her parents had died when she’d been young, only two years old, in a car crash that she couldn’t remember, and she’d since been raised by her grandparents. She had a vicious temper and a sharp tongue, but also a very bad habit of holding her feelings in until her breaking point. Her friend Nanoha had once noted that she seemed to be a mixture of “Arisa-chan” and “Suzuka-chan”, whoever they were. The mansion she lived in was at all times quiet, calm, and orderly. At times, it made her want to scream.

Safe to say, the small house owned by Elise McGaren and her friend of four years, Nanoha Takamachi, was the complete and total opposite of everything she knew.

There was a loud crash and a yelp from upstairs that made Alisa look up the stairs with wide eyes; sitting across the table from her, Elise calmly lifted her cup to her lips and drank deeply, wordlessly thanking the man who had invented coffee. “Um… should we help her?”
“No, leave them be.” Elise didn’t set her cup down, figuring she’d need the shot of caffeine again in a few minutes. “It’s their morning routine.”

There was a moment of silence; the door opened, and Kuon streaked down the stairs, tail waving merrily. Nanoha shouted something down to Elise in Japanese, the words going too fast for Alisa to even try piecing them together, and she could only watch dumbly as Elise effortlessly switched from English to Japanese, responding to whatever Nanoha had said. Nanoha called down one last time before closing her door, and Elise sighed, swallowing another mouthful of coffee as Kuon settled in her lap, curling into a ball. “She’ll be down in a few minutes, Alisa.”

The girl nodded uncertainly, deciding it would be best to keep quiet. After four years she knew bits and pieces of Japanese, but she was still woefully behind in understanding the conversations Elise and Nanoha had. The only word she’d understood when Nanoha had first shouted down was “Onee-sama”, which, according to Nanoha, was a more respectful way of saying “big sister”.

“Alisa-chan!”

Alisa looked up, and a natural smile curved her lips as she stood, opening her arms. “Nanoha,” she said, and laughed as the brunette tackled her in a good morning hug. “Silly, you just saw me yesterday.”
“I know, but it still feels like forever.” Nanoha pulled back, eyes glowing. “You’re ready to go then, Alisa-chan?”
Alisa saluted, making Nanoha laugh. “Whenever you’re ready, ma’am!”

Nanoha laughed again before turning to Elise. “Ne, Onee-sama…”

Knowing what the younger girl was going to ask for, Elise set down her cup and shifted over slightly, careful not to disturb Kuon; her fingers closed on the keys, and she tossed them to Nanoha, who caught them in one hand before retrieving her coffee again. “Don’t forget,” she reminded her younger sister. “Target shooting today as soon as you get back.”
“I know, I know! Hey, do you think I could try…?”
“Just remember your limit.”
“Thanks, Onee-sama!”

Nanoha leaned over quickly and whispered something into Alisa’s ear that Elise didn’t catch; the pair giggled before hurrying out, Alisa waving a quick farewell to Elise before she disappeared after Nanoha. Elise stared after the pair for a moment before shaking her head, smiling as she took another long drink from her cup as Kuon snuggled, absently running her fingers through the fox familiar’s fur.

“And my mornings used to be so quiet,” she mused, and realized she didn’t miss those days at all.

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If this was the closest thing Nanoha could ever get to flying, she’d die a happy, happy woman.

The wind whipped through her hair as the motorcycle roared down the street, the long stretch of pavement deserted due to the day and the early hour. She grinned and tightened her grip on the handlebars. “Holding on back there?”

From behind, Alisa nodded and tightened her grip on Nanoha’s waist, her eyes firmly squeezed shut. Unlike her friend, she had no desire to feel the wind, no urge to race as fast as she could; indeed, she figured she’d die on the motorcycle one of these days, clinging tightly to her friend. But Nanoha loved it, for whatever reason, so she endured it.

She yelped as Nanoha pressed down on the gas, urging the motorcycle faster.

“AH! Nanoha! Too fast! Way too fast!!”
“Sorry, can’t hear you!”

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“This is amazing, Onee-sama!”

Nanoha’s laugh of delight made Elise smile as she leaned forward, the speed of the motorcycle blurring the surroundings around them as the pair raced down the street, zipping easily through traffic like a bullet. Nanoha squealed and clung tightly to the blonde woman, eyes wide open despite the speed. She didn’t want to miss anything. While riding the motorcycle wasn’t exactly the same as flying, the feeling was still similar, and she had missed the sensation terribly.

Elise owned a car and was quite capable of driving it; but at this moment she preferred her motorcycle, if only to feel the wind and to hear and see Nanoha’s joyful reaction to it. The girl was still learning her way around England, and it was hard to coax a laugh or a smile out of her. Elise had a limited knowledge of her magical capabilities prior to her injury, but she figured anyone would be depressed by the loss of their strength and speed.

“Nanoha.” She lifted her voice to be heard over the wind, and the younger girl perked up at hearing her name. “How about we make a deal?”
“Um… okay.” Nanoha blinked in confusion. “About what?”
“You aren’t old enough to drive this yourself yet, so until you are, whenever you want to fly, just tell me and we’ll go out for a ride. When you are old enough, you’re free to take this out whenever you feel the urge. Deal?”

Nanoha grinned and tightened her grip on Elise’s waist, closing her eyes.

“Deal!”

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For a long moment Fiasse stared at the old, worn brown leather journal on her desk. Gently she pulled it closer, studying the cover with quiet eyes. Her fingers carefully traced the name that had been emblazed into the leather in gold, shining dimly in the faded light of her room.

Property of Tiore Crystera

The book was old and worn; the pages were bent at the edges and torn from years of being written in and turned. Fiasse stared at the old book and felt an ache in her chest.

She’d gotten another warning today; as of late she’d started beating Iria to her mailbox, so as not to worry the older woman. This wasn’t her first warning received, and she doubted it would be her last until the person got what they wanted. The letter lay on the desk, opened but abandoned.

Give me Tiore Crystera’s journal. It contains the secret of the Forgotten Song. If you do not give it to me by choice, I shall soon take it from you by force.

There was no name signed.

Fiasse shuddered and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes and tilting her head back with a groan of misery. How did this person know about the Forgotten Song of her family?

“Is something troubling you, ma’am?”

Sweet Song’s voice, mirroring the voice of her beloved father long dead, made Fiasse smile bitterly, and she laughed hollowly. “It seems that way.”

She had no choice. With Miyuki and Kyouya coming to England, she had to tell Elise about these warning letters.

“She’ll probably scold me,” the young Headmistress murmured, and she opened her eyes, sitting up straight as Iria walked in. “Iria? What is it?”
“You have a video message, Fiasse, from… well, they’re called the Time-Space Administration Bureau…”

The blood drained from Fiasse’s face.

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“Stop squirming around so much, Miyuki. You’re just making it worse.”

With a groan of suffering Miyuki sank down into her seat, desperately wishing she had something to do with her hands. “I can’t help it!” she whined. “You know how much I hate flying!”
“True.” Kyouya sighed and went back to reading his magazine, not even sparing his sister a glance. “But we’ve done it so many times before, I thought you’d be over it by now.”
“Mou…”

Miyuki pouted for a moment, staring blankly ahead of her without seeing anything; the next instant she brightened up considerably and straightened, looking over at her brother hopefully. “Ne, Kyou-chan…”
Kyouya smirked. “I’m not holding your hand.”

Miyuki whimpered pitifully and sank back down.

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Fate T. Harlaown stared at her brother as if he’d completely lost his mind. Beside her, her longtime friend Yagami Hayate was doing the same thing. After a moment the red-eyed blonde spoke slowly, as if to a young child. “You want us to go to Earth?”
“Yes.” Chrono nodded and glanced briefly at Lindy, settled next to him. “A mission has come up, and we believe your skills would be helpful.”

At her side, Hayate made a soft humming sound as if accepting what had been said; Fate wasn’t as willing to give up without a fight. She frowned and leaned forward, resting her clasped hands on her knees. “Onii-chan, I haven’t been to Earth in four years. You and Mom both insisted that I come to Mid-Childa.”
“I know.” Chrono sighed; he’d expected Fate to be against the idea. “And we had our reasons for that. But we need you to come back.”
“But—“
“It wouldn’t be just you, either. I’ll be there, as well as Yuuno-kun and Hayate-chan, and Mom. You won’t be alone.”
“Why haven’t you called Yuuno-kun in, anyway?” Hayate chimed in, frowning. “Shouldn’t he know about this too?”
“He was already informed and is willing to go.” Chrono leaned back. “We’re just waiting on you, Fate.”

Realizing her position, Fate grimaced and crossed her arms, frowning. “No fair,” she murmured. “Putting me in this position…”

Her grumblings ceased immediately as Lindy gently touched her shoulder; the younger girl looked at her adopted mother uncertainly. Lindy studied her daughter’s eyes for a moment, and her gaze softened.

“I know you don’t want to go back,” she murmured, and her tone was gentle. “But it’s one mission, Fate, and we need your strength and firepower. After this, you don’t have to return if you don’t want to. I know Earth has bad memories for you.”

That was an understatement. Still, Fate found herself wavering as she looked at Lindy, even as memories of a brown-haired girl with kind blue eyes flashed through her mind, a girl who had mysteriously vanished after being her most precious person for two years…

The blonde enforcer shook her head, and the memories evaporated like mist.

“Only for you, Mom.” Fate sighed and closed her eyes, and felt Lindy gently stroke her hair. “Only for you, and nothing else.”

Lindy felt a familiar stabbing pain in her chest.

“I know, Fate.”

Originally I didn't have the flashback of Kuon being found by Nanoha and becoming Fiasse's familiar, but I figured I could just put it in and save myself from questions about how Nanoha was capable of supporting a familiar.

Feel free to rip into this however you see fit. Chapter 2 will be out soon, hopefully.

[markesellus]

All right BtBR! ()

I liked the chapter, I liked Kuon interaction with Nanoha a lot. The idea of Nanoha with a motorcycle appeals to me a lot. Its sounds so bad ass. And it is a good way to feel like you're flying. As for the characterization of Alisa (Arisa? meh ), I'm a little confused. Wouldn't she know Japanese because she went to school with Nanoha and Suzuka there? or is this another AU factor? She seems a little OoC compared to how she is in MGLN and A's. Anyways, this mission to Earth sounds interesting for Fate and Co. I look forward to seeing Kyouya and Miyuki, as well as some action with Tiore Crystera’s journal and the secret of the Forgotten Song.

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by markesellus

All right BtBR! ()

I liked the chapter, I liked Kuon interaction with Nanoha a lot. The idea of Nanoha with a motorcycle appeals to me a lot. Its sounds so bad ass. And it is a good way to feel like you're flying. As for the characterization of Alisa (Arisa? meh ), I'm a little confused. Wouldn't she know Japanese because she went to school with Nanoha and Suzuka there? or is this another AU factor? She seems a little OoC compared to how she is in MGLN and A's. Anyways, this mission to Earth sounds interesting for Fate and Co. I look forward to seeing Kyouya and Miyuki, as well as some action with Tiore Crystera’s journal and the secret of the Forgotten Song.

On Alisa:

She never appears in MGLN or A's; she's Triangle Heart only, though Arisa was based off her. In the original game she was a ghost who hated the world but still befriended Nanoha... in this story she's Nanoha's closest friend in England, so her knowledge of Japanese is limited.

I had fun with the Miyuki/Kyouya bit. XD

[RadiantBeam]

I know I'm double-posting, and I apologize... but it's for a good reason! I have something new for you guys, especially for all of you from chat...

A Lutecia/Vivio one-shot! Post StrikerS, Vivio is 13 and Lutecia is 17. They might be OOC, but I'm not sure. I think they're good.

Spoiler for Never Been Kissed:

Never Been Kissed

“… You want me to what?”

Thirteen-year-old Vivio Takamachi resisted the urge to groan as her longtime friend and companion Lutecia Alphine stared at her as if she’d completely lost her mind. When the seventeen-year-old continued to look at her this way, Vivio felt her face heat and looked away. “Kiss me,” she repeated. “You know, on the lips. Like in movies and the way Fate-mama and Nanoha-mama do all the time when they don’t think I’m watching.”

Lutecia blinked several times and frowned; for some reason, she was having a difficult time piecing together Vivio’s request. She shook her head and rubbed the back of her neck, wondering why the thought of kissing her longtime friend made her feel so awkward and uncertain of herself. During this time, Vivio had managed to get her blush under control and was looking at the older girl pleadingly. “Please, Cia?” she asked, her eyes resembling those of a kicked puppy.

Lutecia stared.

Blinked and stared some more.

Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea, after all…

Gah! No! Bad Lutecia, don’t think that!

“Um… not that I’m not… flattered… but why me, Vi?” Lutecia frowned, leaning back and bracing herself on her hands; she sat facing the younger girl, shaded by a tree in her backyard. “I mean, you have your cousins. They’re the same age as you, aren’t they?”

Vivio was already shaking her head. “That’s just it,” she said. “They’ve never been kissed before. They don’t know how to do it right.”
“… What, and I do?”
“You don’t?”

She had her there; Lutecia flushed crimson as she recalled that she wasn’t exactly inexperienced when it came to kissing. She’d had several relationships so far, though none of them had been serious or lasting in any particular aspect. Oh yes, she certainly knew how to kiss. She figured Vivio didn’t have a problem kissing another girl because of her mothers, but still…

“Okay, last question.” Lutecia coughed and straightened up as Vivio’s eyes lit up hopefully. “Why me?”

There was a moment of silence as Vivio sought an answer that would be suitable for her friend; for the second time that day she blushed and looked away, twirling strands of grass in her fingers. “We’ve been friends a long time, right, Cia?”
“Seven years, yes.”
“And I guess… well… I thought…” Vivio took a deep breath and looked timidly at Lutecia as her blush intensified. “I thought, since you’re my best friend, if anyone was going to give me my first kiss, it would be you.”

Lutecia stared.

Crap.

She couldn’t deny that.

Especially when Vivio looked so cute, with her face bright red and a lopsided, nervous smile on her face and…

Well, it’s just one kiss.

She exhaled in a long whoosh of air and rubbed her hands together, brushing loose strands of purple hair out of her eyes. “Close your eyes,” she ordered.
Vivio’s eyes lit up again. “You’ll do it?”
“Just close your eyes.”

The thirteen-year-old nodded quickly and straightened up, doing as Lutecia had told her to. After a moment of internal war, Lutecia gently cupped Vivio’s chin and leaned in, pressing their lips together as she closed her eyes.

As soon as Vivio felt the gentle warmth of Lutecia’s mouth against hers, she felt herself check out for the day. It was a chaste kiss, a mere brushing of skin; but it felt so warm, and soft, and right in a way that couldn’t be put into words. Without thinking Vivio leaned in closer, unconsciously seeking more. Uncertain of what she was doing but bold, she timidly opened her mouth and brushed her tongue against Lutecia’s lips, requesting entrance.

There was a moment; then Lutecia sighed, and she opened to the younger girl. In this field Lutecia was, unarguably, more experienced than her younger friend, but Vivio was determined to keep up with her. Dimly Lutecia realized she’d gone farther than she’d intended, but she didn’t particularly care, and Vivio certainly wasn’t fighting her.

After a few minutes, the two girls parted, gasping slightly for breath and flushed. Vivio timidly touched her lips with her hand before a dopey grin broke out on her face. “What now?” Lutecia asked, not sure whether she should smile or be ashamed of herself.

Vivio laughed and threw herself at the older girl, knocking her over as her arms wound around her waist. “Ne, Cia, wanna be my girlfriend?” The younger girl giggled happily, looking warmly up into her friend’s burgundy eyes. “’Cause that’s the best kiss I’ve ever gotten!”
“It was your first kiss, dummy.” Despite herself Lutecia smiled, her arm sliding around Vivio and pulling her closer. “I’m sure you’ll get kissed by plenty of people who are better than me.”

Vivo rested her cheek against Lutecia’s shoulder and decided to keep quiet about the fact that she only intended to be kissed by Lutecia. She nuzzled into the older girl’s neck, still smiling. “We should do that again sometime.”

Lutecia closed her eyes and smiled quietly, wordlessly agreeing with her friend.

The End

I might try putting it on FF.net... just to see the reviews I'd get.

[DezoPenguin]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

And, on another note, I completed the first chapter of Bless the Broken Road... HUZZAH! This chapter also included two characters from Triangle Heart, Kuon and Alisa Bannings. My characterization for them is mainly by ear, since I have no access to them in the games...

Spoiler for Bless the Broken Road: Collision Course:

Chapter 1: Collision Course

“What’s that?”

Nanoha’s curious tone barely stirred Elise as she shrugged her jacket off and tied it carelessly around her waist, briskly brushing loose strands of golden hair out of her eyes before she turned to look at the girl she considered a little sister. The recently turned twelve-year-old was staring at the gun laying on the table; she’d seen Elise’s two pistols before numerous times and was actually quite familiar with handling them, as she often cleaned them herself when Elise was too busy to do it. This gun appeared to be a different model. She extended her hand briefly as though to touch it, hesitated, and retracted her hand back to her chest.

Amused despite herself, Elise crossed the room in easy strides and sat next to the younger girl, pistols in hand. She set her own pair down beside the model she’d left on the table, leaning back against the couch. “Do you know what type of gun this is, Nanoha?”
“It looks kind of like your two.” The brunette’s voice was uncertain, and she timidly stroked the barrel with her fingertips, entranced. “But it’s not quite the same.”
“Good girl. Most people can’t tell the difference just by looking. Listen carefully; I don’t intend to repeat myself, since Fiasse and I had to pull some strings to get this for you.”
“For… me? Onee-sama, why is it for me?”

Ignoring Nanoha’s question, Elise reached down to retrieve one of her beloved pistols, testing the weight in her hand. “My two friends here are 9mm Beretta 92FS models. Very reliable, the grip is customizable, and the magazine isn’t something to sneeze at. I originally intended to get you one of your own, but it didn’t quite fit what I had in mind for you.”
“But… couldn’t I just have one of yours?”
“That’s a question for another day. Now, then…”

Carefully, Elise set the pistol back down onto the table and brushed them aside before reaching for the model Nanoha didn’t recognize; she lofted it in her hand for a moment, eyes narrow, before she held it out to Nanoha. The twelve-year-old gaped at her. “Onee-sama…?”
“Nanoha, meet your new best friend, the Beretta 90Two. This boy here is very similar to my own 92FS. It’s highly customizable and the magazine load is high, so you won’t need to worry about running out of bullets in a crunch.” She lightly tapped the front of the gun, where Nanoha could see a place that was evidently meant to serve as a means of attaching something to the front of the gun. “And this is what convinced me to get you this model. This little attachment here allows you to place something like a flashlight on the gun, if you need it.” Her eyes gleamed. “Or, in your case, a little circular object like your beloved Raising Heart.”

Nanoha’s eyes widened. Timidly she took the gun, turning it over gently in her hands. Elise watched her silently for a moment before looking away.

“Fiasse told me you can’t handle magic the way you used to, but you’re still capable of small amounts, right? So I figured you can’t use Raising Heart in its full form because that would take up too much magic. But on the other hand, if you wanted to channel, say, a small amount into a bullet, you could click in Raising Heart and use it as a medium much like you’ve always done.” She shrugged. “No one said you had to completely give up magic, just that you had to find another way of fighting. That’s what I thought, anyway.”

For a long moment Nanoha gazed at the gun; she swallowed and gently stroked the barrel with her fingers before looking at Elise. “You… want to teach me?”
“The model is similar to what I have, so it wouldn’t be hard for me.” Elise shrugged. “If you want to give it a try, then I’ll help you.”

It seemed too good to be true; Nanoha was half tempted to pinch herself to see if it was all just a dream. She smiled and wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. “Ne, Onee-sama…”
“Hmm?”
“Please… can you teach me?”

Elise glanced briefly at Nanoha, her eyes meeting the younger girl’s evenly; apparently seeing what she needed to, she smiled briefly and draped her arm along Nanoha’s shoulder, giving the girl a gentle squeeze as Nanoha giggled.

“Since you asked so nicely.”

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“Nanoha. Hey, Nanoha. Nanoha. Na-no-ha…”

The soft singsong voice did little to stir the teenager from her slumber; the cold nose gently nudging her cheek only barely stirred her into reluctant semi-wakefulness. Groaning miserably, Nanoha turned onto her side, hooking her arm around the small, sandy-colored fox in the process and pulling her along; the little creature squealed in protest as she was pulled tight against the fifteen-year-old, almost smothered by her weight. “Ack! Nanoha! Wake up! C’mon, you promised Elise you’d go shopping for groceries today!”
“Ngh… too early, Kuon… Lemme sleep a little longer…”
“… Having trouble breathing here…”

All Kuon got in response was a tired murmur, Nanoha pulling her closer despite her complaints; the fox sighed and closed her eyes, shaking her head before chuckling. “If Elise asks, I tried to wake you up nicely.” With that, her body was encased in a gentle golden glow. The next instant Nanoha shrieked and scooted back, falling off her bed with a loud thud as she realized the small, furry body she’d been cuddling only a moment before had definitely become human in appearance, shape, and feel. With a grin, Kuon sat up in the bed, light blue eyes gleaming with humor as her tail swished merrily from side to side and her ears twitched playfully. “Mou, Kuon!” Nanoha whined as the fox-girl began to laugh. “I’ve told you not to do that!!”
“Then start waking up when I tell you to! And you’d better hurry… you promised Elise you’d get the groceries this week, and Alisa’s coming soon.”

Nanoha groaned miserably and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, muttering mutinously under her breath. She knew Kuon wasn’t to blame; she had promised Elise she’d go shopping this week, and today happened to be Saturday, and she was off from school for the weekend. And, to be fair, Elise had agreed to let Alisa come along. Noticing her companion’s mood, Kuon’s dark brown-tipped ears twitched sympathetically, and her tail curled around her. “You had another nightmare again, didn’t you?”
“Ngheheheh…” Standing, Nanoha took a moment to stretch, grunting softly in satisfaction as something cracked. “Kind of. I didn’t want to bother Onee-sama with it, and I was able to fall back asleep when you came in.”
“You cuddle me like a toy.” Despite her light tone, Kuon frowned. “But Nanoha, you know Elise doesn’t mind. You used to sneak into bed with her all the time when you were younger.”
“I know, but I’m fifteen now. It’s silly to be scared by bad memories at my age.”

The fox familiar’s frown deepened and she resisted the urge to remind Nanoha that she was still young, only a teenager; she could lean on others for a little bit longer. Knowing the girl wouldn’t listen, she sighed and kept the words to herself, reverting back to her small fox form. As she sprang down from the bed, the bell around her neck jingled softly, and she padded over briefly to lick Nanoha’s fingers when she offered her hand. Smiling slightly, Nanoha scratched Kuon behind her ears, giggling as the small fox purred in pleasure.

“… Y’know, you still have to go.”

Nanoha groaned and dropped her forehead to Kuon’s.

“I was hoping you’d forget about that…”

Kuon smiled softly and leaned up, licking Nanoha’s nose.

“C’mon. Alisa’s already here.”

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Alisa Bannings had lived a very simple, very calm life. Her parents had died when she’d been young, only two years old, in a car crash that she couldn’t remember, and she’d since been raised by her grandparents. She had a vicious temper and a sharp tongue, but also a very bad habit of holding her feelings in until her breaking point. Her friend Nanoha had once noted that she seemed to be a mixture of “Arisa-chan” and “Suzuka-chan”, whoever they were. The mansion she lived in was at all times quiet, calm, and orderly. At times, it made her want to scream.

Safe to say, the small house owned by Elise McGaren and her friend of four years, Nanoha Takamachi, was the complete and total opposite of everything she knew.

There was a loud crash and a yelp from upstairs that made Alisa look up the stairs with wide eyes; sitting across the table from her, Elise calmly lifted her cup to her lips and drank deeply, wordlessly thanking the man who had invented coffee. “Um… should we help her?”
“No, leave them be.” Elise didn’t set her cup down, figuring she’d need the shot of caffeine again in a few minutes. “It’s their morning routine.”

There was a moment of silence; the door opened, and Kuon streaked down the stairs, tail waving merrily. Nanoha shouted something down to Elise in Japanese, the words going too fast for Alisa to even try piecing them together, and she could only watch dumbly as Elise effortlessly switched from English to Japanese, responding to whatever Nanoha had said. Nanoha called down one last time before closing her door, and Elise sighed, swallowing another mouthful of coffee as Kuon settled in her lap, curling into a ball. “She’ll be down in a few minutes, Alisa.”

The girl nodded uncertainly, deciding it would be best to keep quiet. After four years she knew bits and pieces of Japanese, but she was still woefully behind in understanding the conversations Elise and Nanoha had. The only word she’d understood when Nanoha had first shouted down was “Onee-sama”, which, according to Nanoha, was a more respectful way of saying “big sister”.

“Alisa-chan!”

Alisa looked up, and a natural smile curved her lips as she stood, opening her arms. “Nanoha,” she said, and laughed as the brunette tackled her in a good morning hug. “Silly, you just saw me yesterday.”
“I know, but it still feels like forever.” Nanoha pulled back, eyes glowing. “You’re ready to go then, Alisa-chan?”
Alisa saluted, making Nanoha laugh. “Whenever you’re ready, ma’am!”

Nanoha laughed again before turning to Elise. “Ne, Onee-sama…”

Knowing what the younger girl was going to ask for, Elise set down her cup and shifted over slightly, careful not to disturb Kuon; her fingers closed on the keys, and she tossed them to Nanoha, who caught them in one hand before retrieving her coffee again. “Don’t forget,” she reminded her younger sister. “Target shooting today as soon as you get back.”
“I know, I know! Hey, do you think I could try…?”
“Just remember your limit.”
“Thanks, Onee-sama!”

Nanoha leaned over quickly and whispered something into Alisa’s ear that Elise didn’t catch; the pair giggled before hurrying out, Alisa waving a quick farewell to Elise before she disappeared after Nanoha. Elise stared after the pair for a moment before shaking her head, smiling as she took another long drink from her cup as Kuon snuggled, absently running her fingers through the fox familiar’s fur.

“And my mornings used to be so quiet,” she mused, and realized she didn’t miss those days at all.

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If this was the closest thing Nanoha could ever get to flying, she’d die a happy, happy woman.

The wind whipped through her hair as the motorcycle roared down the street, the long stretch of pavement deserted due to the day and the early hour. She grinned and tightened her grip on the handlebars. “Holding on back there?”

From behind, Alisa nodded and tightened her grip on Nanoha’s waist, her eyes firmly squeezed shut. Unlike her friend, she had no desire to feel the wind, no urge to race as fast as she could; indeed, she figured she’d die on the motorcycle one of these days, clinging tightly to her friend. But Nanoha loved it, for whatever reason, so she endured it.

She yelped as Nanoha pressed down on the gas, urging the motorcycle faster.

“AH! Nanoha! Too fast! Way too fast!!”
“Sorry, can’t hear you!”

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“This is amazing, Onee-sama!”

Nanoha’s laugh of delight made Elise smile as she leaned forward, the speed of the motorcycle blurring the surroundings around them as the pair raced down the street, zipping easily through traffic like a bullet. Nanoha squealed and clung tightly to the blonde woman, eyes wide open despite the speed. She didn’t want to miss anything. While riding the motorcycle wasn’t exactly the same as flying, the feeling was still similar, and she had missed the sensation terribly.

Elise owned a car and was quite capable of driving it; but at this moment she preferred her motorcycle, if only to feel the wind and to hear and see Nanoha’s joyful reaction to it. The girl was still learning her way around England, and it was hard to coax a laugh or a smile out of her. Elise had a limited knowledge of her magical capabilities prior to her injury, but she figured anyone would be depressed by the loss of their strength and speed.

“Nanoha.” She lifted her voice to be heard over the wind, and the younger girl perked up at hearing her name. “How about we make a deal?”
“Um… okay.” Nanoha blinked in confusion. “About what?”
“You aren’t old enough to drive this yourself yet, so until you are, whenever you want to fly, just tell me and we’ll go out for a ride. When you are old enough, you’re free to take this out whenever you feel the urge. Deal?”

Nanoha grinned and tightened her grip on Elise’s waist, closing her eyes.

“Deal!”

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For a long moment Fiasse stared at the old, worn brown leather journal on her desk. Gently she pulled it closer, studying the cover with quiet eyes. Her fingers carefully traced the name that had been emblazed into the leather in gold, shining dimly in the faded light of her room.

Property of Tiore Crystera

The book was old and worn; the pages were bent at the edges and torn from years of being written in and turned. Fiasse stared at the old book and felt an ache in her chest.

She’d gotten another warning today; as of late she’d started beating Iria to her mailbox, so as not to worry the older woman. This wasn’t her first warning received, and she doubted it would be her last until the person got what they wanted. The letter lay on the desk, opened but abandoned.

Give me Tiore Crystera’s journal. It contains the secret of the Forgotten Song. If you do not give it to me by choice, I shall soon take it from you by force.

There was no name signed.

Fiasse shuddered and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes and tilting her head back with a groan of misery. How did this person know about the Forgotten Song of her family?

“Is something troubling you, ma’am?”

Sweet Song’s voice, mirroring the voice of her beloved father long dead, made Fiasse smile bitterly, and she laughed hollowly. “It seems that way.”

She had no choice. With Miyuki and Kyouya coming to England, she had to tell Elise about these warning letters.

“She’ll probably scold me,” the young Headmistress murmured, and she opened her eyes, sitting up straight as Iria walked in. “Iria? What is it?”
“You have a video message, Fiasse, from… well, they’re called the Time-Space Administration Bureau…”

The blood drained from Fiasse’s face.

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“Stop squirming around so much, Miyuki. You’re just making it worse.”

With a groan of suffering Miyuki sank down into her seat, desperately wishing she had something to do with her hands. “I can’t help it!” she whined. “You know how much I hate flying!”
“True.” Kyouya sighed and went back to reading his magazine, not even sparing his sister a glance. “But we’ve done it so many times before, I thought you’d be over it by now.”
“Mou…”

Miyuki pouted for a moment, staring blankly ahead of her without seeing anything; the next instant she brightened up considerably and straightened, looking over at her brother hopefully. “Ne, Kyou-chan…”
Kyouya smirked. “I’m not holding your hand.”

Miyuki whimpered pitifully and sank back down.

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Fate T. Harlaown stared at her brother as if he’d completely lost his mind. Beside her, her longtime friend Yagami Hayate was doing the same thing. After a moment the red-eyed blonde spoke slowly, as if to a young child. “You want us to go to Earth?”
“Yes.” Chrono nodded and glanced briefly at Lindy, settled next to him. “A mission has come up, and we believe your skills would be helpful.”

At her side, Hayate made a soft humming sound as if accepting what had been said; Fate wasn’t as willing to give up without a fight. She frowned and leaned forward, resting her clasped hands on her knees. “Onii-chan, I haven’t been to Earth in four years. You and Mom both insisted that I come to Mid-Childa.”
“I know.” Chrono sighed; he’d expected Fate to be against the idea. “And we had our reasons for that. But we need you to come back.”
“But—“
“It wouldn’t be just you, either. I’ll be there, as well as Yuuno-kun and Hayate-chan, and Mom. You won’t be alone.”
“Why haven’t you called Yuuno-kun in, anyway?” Hayate chimed in, frowning. “Shouldn’t he know about this too?”
“He was already informed and is willing to go.” Chrono leaned back. “We’re just waiting on you, Fate.”

Realizing her position, Fate grimaced and crossed her arms, frowning. “No fair,” she murmured. “Putting me in this position…”

Her grumblings ceased immediately as Lindy gently touched her shoulder; the younger girl looked at her adopted mother uncertainly. Lindy studied her daughter’s eyes for a moment, and her gaze softened.

“I know you don’t want to go back,” she murmured, and her tone was gentle. “But it’s one mission, Fate, and we need your strength and firepower. After this, you don’t have to return if you don’t want to. I know Earth has bad memories for you.”

That was an understatement. Still, Fate found herself wavering as she looked at Lindy, even as memories of a brown-haired girl with kind blue eyes flashed through her mind, a girl who had mysteriously vanished after being her most precious person for two years…

The blonde enforcer shook her head, and the memories evaporated like mist.

“Only for you, Mom.” Fate sighed and closed her eyes, and felt Lindy gently stroke her hair. “Only for you, and nothing else.”

Lindy felt a familiar stabbing pain in her chest.

“I know, Fate.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

The little fox that lay in the basket had been bandaged, but it was obvious that it did little to ease her pain; blood soaked through the white, and her breathing was shallow and ragged, her small body trembling as she fought for life. Feeling tears rise, Nanoha swallowed and gently stroked the creature’s head, reassured when she opened her eyes and gazed wearily at her; shifting a little, the fox gently licked her fingertips. Nanoha choked as the memory of a small ferret doing the same thing flashed through her mind’s eye, and she nearly wept then and there.

“She was attacked by stray dogs, I think.” Elise’s voice was soft as she spoke to Fiasse, watching the scene quietly. “I would have walked right by her, but Nanoha heard her crying.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, frowning even as she ached for the little beast. “If she makes it through the night, it’ll be a miracle.”

Fiasse said nothing, anguish clearly written on her face; Nanoha turned to the older women, a desperate, pleading look in her eyes.

“Let me give her my magic! If I do that, she’ll become my familiar and she won’t die. Fate-chan told me she did the same to Arf-san! If I do that, then… then…”
“Nanoha.”

Moving quickly, Elise knelt down and pulled the smaller girl into a tight embrace, and Nanoha buried her face into her guardian’s shoulder as her slim body shook with sobs. Soothingly Elise stroked her hair, and Fiasse could only look on in silent helplessness.

The three of them knew Nanoha couldn’t do it. She didn’t have enough strength left to handle the amount of magic it took to properly maintain a familiar; even if she tried, she would either lose all control over her magic completely or die. The risk was too great; Fiasse knew it, even as her heart shattered into a thousand pieces for the young girl who cried into Elise’s shoulder. She narrowed her eyes and gripped Sweet Song tightly.

She stepped easily past the pair, attracting Nanoha’s attention immediately. “Fiasse-chan?” the girl asked, but Elise held fast to her and she didn’t try to approach her. Fiasse knelt over the little fox, pulling Sweet Song over her head and cradling it in her palm. “Sweet Song, can you do it?”
The cross flashed in the light; the masculine voice filled the room, sounding slightly insulted. “I can do whatever it is you wish, ma’am.”
Fiasse smiled. “That’s my boy.”

Sweet Song flashed again and glowed gold; a gold circle formed beneath Fiasse, and she looked briefly at Nanoha as the magic circle formed a miniature copy of itself in her hand, smiling reassuringly at the young girl.

“You can’t make her your familiar, Nanoha, but I can make her mine. Don’t worry. I won’t let her die.”

With that, she lifted Sweet Song to her lips and kissed it.

“Let’s go, Sweet Song.”
“Yes, ma’am.”

The room was bathed in a warm, soothing golden glow.

They named the little fox Kuon, and it was decided that she would live with Elise and Nanoha and help Fiasse out when she needed her most.

Originally I didn't have the flashback of Kuon being found by Nanoha and becoming Fiasse's familiar, but I figured I could just put it in and save myself from questions about how Nanoha was capable of supporting a familiar.

Feel free to rip into this however you see fit. Chapter 2 will be out soon, hopefully.

Many happy smiles. It does what prologues are supposed to do: introduce the setting and characters (particularly useful--I've nothing but the slightest casual knowledge of Triangle Heart 3 so I have nothing to go by, so I'm glad to get some background here so I know what I'm doing), start to assemble the pieces, and introduce conflicts to come. One possible criticism is that there's very little introduced of the true "plot" beyond the threatening message and the ominous TSAB mission, but the truth is that that isn't the "hook" for drawing in readers in this prologue, but the AU Nanoha--the instant you put a gun in Nanoha's hand, that becomes the attention-grabbing teaser, and it works.

The flashback with Kuon works, though I'm not sure if it works where it is; that is, it's a strongly emotional scene showing both Nanoha's kindness and worry for others (actually nice--it helps to show that her fundamental spirit hasn't been destroyed by what happened to her--that this isn't a "Dark Nanoha" story despite her gunslinging) and the foundations of her relationship with Kuon, but you've just added it on as a scene where it would work better as an insert or flashback either following Kuon's introduction or at some point where the tie between the two of them is relevant to the storyline.

(nb: Why do I keep wanting to call Kuon, "Kyon"? )

Obviously, I'm also interested in what caused the Nanoha/Fate split, why Fate was so hurt by it, and what'll happen between them in the future. Thus in this prologue you've defined three separate conflicts or subplots (blast it, I know there should be a word for what I mean but I don't know it...this is what I get for being a finance major and only needing two semesters of literature as an undergrad): a character-development storyline concerning the altered Nanoha, how she's changed, how she deals with the new herself; the plot storyline concerning the journal and the TSAB mission; and the relationship (whether friendship or romance) concerning Nanoha and Fate (and, by extension, Nanoha and her old TSAB friends and her family). That's a lot of ground to cover, so I'm hoping this story proves to be quite a long one to let it play out properly.

Anyway, good work. You've got me hooked, which is the purpose of a first chapter.

[markesellus]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

On Alisa:

She never appears in MGLN or A's; she's Triangle Heart only, though Arisa was based off her. In the original game she was a ghost who hated the world but still befriended Nanoha... in this story she's Nanoha's closest friend in England, so her knowledge of Japanese is limited.

I had fun with the Miyuki/Kyouya bit. XD

Oh I get it. Makes sense to me now. Miyuki is pretty funny, I love how Kyouya has to keep her in check sometimes. Looking forward to the next chapter.

@Thread: Are we allowed to post a fanfic about Triangle Heart? I mean it might have things about Nanoha or Fate, but mostly centered around Kyouya and Miyuki (no not Kyoudai-ai ). Or does that not count as Nanoha Fanfiction? <--- I probably won't get around to writing this, but it's still a question.

[Evil Rick]

The Swamp

Spoiler for Chapter 21:

Botan Jungle

"I have a sister?! Were... were is she?! Tell me were is she!!!"

Leviathan only respond shooting a spring of water in direction to Vita, the mage jumped to evade the hit who throw down a tree

"From were did he pull out that water?!" Vita asked to herself, she didn't senced anykind of Magical escence on that guy, wathever he was, he wasn't a mage

"Whi is my sister?! What do you know?! Answer me?!!!" Vita demanded to the misterious warrior, Leviathan laughed and just called more water around his hands to shoot it against Vita once more, the red mage sumoned a shield to stop the attack, the presure of the Water was so strong, that Vita along with the shiled was launched against a rock

Wet and now angry, Vita sumoned her projectiles with shape of Silver balls and launched them against Leviathan, the warrioir rised a wall of water who blocked the impact

"Hah! Hah! Is that the best you can do Vita? I hope that your sister will be a better match for my power"

"You... you know were is she? Tell me, please! If I had a sister you must tell me were is she!"

"Are you begging to me? How pitifull" Leviathan pulled out some kind of spear with a sharp in each side, with a quick move, he charged against Vita, who blocked the impact with Graff Eissen

"You... you don't understeand... you don't know how does it feel... pass so many time without know if you have family, if you have been always alone... you must tell me..."

"DIE!" Leviathan sumoned a torrential spring that smshed Vita against the big head statue of rock

Shacking, Vita standed up

"Fine... If you don't tell me... then I'll get the answer by any means, Graff Eissen!"

[Load Cartridge]

"Let's do this!!!"

[Explotion]

Graff Eissen turned into rocket form, Vita started to spin and when she got full speed, she charged against Leviathan, the misterious warrior remained static while Vita was aproaching at full speed

"Hah! Fool!" Leviathan yelled, Vita suddenly saw herself in the middle of a big water bubble who was suurrounding her, she inmediatly stoped and tried to fly out, but the bubble got closed and Vita was now trapped inside a buuble full of water, she was drowing, no matter how much she swimed, she couldn't get out of the bubble

Outside, Leviathan keeped his hand rised, like pushing all the water against Vita "This is it... I got her" He said

Vita needed to do something, she could feel how her lungs were been crushed, she tough and tough and finally, come up with something

Inside the bubble the mage launched Graff Eissen out of the water prision in direction to Leviathan

"WHAT?!"

[Explotion!]

The device turned into rocket and charged like a missile against Leviathan who was busy tring to keep Vita inside the bubble, the hammer impacted Leviathan who was launched against the statue

The bubble crushed and Falled releasing Vita from her prision

Vita took a deep breath and then standed up and walked first to grab Graff Eissen and then in direction to Leviathan

Before Vita could reach his falled foe, Leviathan sumoned a puddle of water beneath him and disappeared through it not before yelling a warning to Vita

"This is not over Vita! The Master Light will be mine and I will have my revenge!" The water puddle disapeared along with Leviathan

Vita couldn't help but fall over her knees, tired, wet and in dispair, she just cried, cried with all her strenght, she had to, she had to get all this out

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Silver City, Main Plaza, cafe

"Right... my first plan didn't worked out very well, but there is no problem Karil, we'll get inside that edifice" Vivio drunked her cofe, pretending to not be worried about how to get inside Long Enterprises

"Yes, and I think I know how we can do it" Karil added

"Really?"

"Yes Vi, did you see that fat guy over there?" Karil pointed at an obece fat guy who was eating a hamburger in a table at the bottom of the place

"Yes, what's up with him?"

"He is one of the cleanence personal, he has acces to the main edifice from the back door, he is the one who cleans the floors 47 to 83 of the edifice, he is our key inside"

"Wha...?! How do you know that?!" Vivio asked more than shocked, Karil pulled out a paper from her jacket

"I stealed his timetable hwen he get inside this cafe"

Vivio remained silent for a second, she then couldn't help but laugh

"Karil, you'r awesome"

"Heh, thankyou Vi" Karil nooded with a cherefull smile, Vivio found this expresion on her friends face so lovelly and atractive, there was something speciall on Karil, something who atracted Vivio to her

"But... how are we gonna make that guy take us inside the edifice?" Vivio asked

"Don't worry Vi, I have a solution for that"

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Botan Jungle

Vita keeped walking following the map, tring to forget her encounter with Leviathan

"He was ling... he was ling..." She repeated that to herself several times

"I don't have a sister... he invented that to confuse me... to get advantage... I am a defensive program of the thome of the night sky... I have no rteal family... I have no... no sister"

Vita keeped walking until she arrived to some kind of swamp, in the map there was pointed some kind of gree lake, probably refering to the swamp... she was in the right way to find that temple, but she then heared a strange noise

It was coming from the middle of the swamp, like hits and screams, she aproached silently to the source of the sound, finally, she spoted something

A buch of invaders, like the ones who attacket the village, they were surrounding a guy, a male figure with black hair, blue and yellow cloths blanding a long staff and a sword, they were tring to kill that guy, but he was striking them down with ease

"I'm not a mere bandit!" He said while piercing through one with his staff

"I have been chased for people far more dangerous than you!" He said again, cuting the head of another enemy with his sword

Vita was looking the battle hiding behind a tree, the warrior was taking down the enemies as if they were flyes, the invaders couldn't even make a stand, this guy moved to quickly, Vita was meerly able to watch his strikes

In less than a few seconds, all invaders were on the floor, dead or unconcius, it was hard to diferenciate, one of the beated invaders was tring to stand up, the misterious warrior jumped and conected a final death stroke to the invader with his staff

Vita was so surprised, this guy wasn't a mage either but he fough with such a skill, it was jus amasing, Vita was so surprised that she sliped with the wet ground and called the atention of the warrior who inmediatly spoted her

He walked in direction to her, Vita inmediatly standed up and rised Graff Eissen ready to fight thus guy, but by her surprise, he was the one who stoped the confrontation

"Hold your hand mage, I'm not your enemy! This was just a... missunderstanding"

"You fgough without mercy, Why should I trust in your word?" Vita asked, still with Graff Eissen in her hands

"You don't have to belive me, these guys though that I was a bandit and they payed their mistake with their lives, I didn't came here to fight anyone"

"Hmmm.... who are you?" Vita asked pulling down her hammer

"My name is Kai" The guy responded "But you can call me, Kai the Reaper"

Renders

Spoiler for Leviathan:

Spoiler for Kai the Reaper:

The render of Karil is ready, jus need to color it

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Well, well, I posted another riddle some post ago and noone has been able to resolve it, uh?

[ghazghkull]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

I know I'm double-posting, and I apologize... but it's for a good reason! I have something new for you guys, especially for all of you from chat...

A Lutecia/Vivio one-shot! Post StrikerS, Vivio is 13 and Lutecia is 17. They might be OOC, but I'm not sure. I think they're good.

Spoiler for Never Been Kissed:

*snip*

I might try putting it on FF.net... just to see the reviews I'd get.

I like it. I honestly like it. It's a new and different angle on possible pairings :3

Run with it maybe another entry or two, and see where it takes you. It couldn't hurt right?

Edit: OH SWEET!!

PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII CURAAAAIIIIIIIIMU DESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!