Chapter Thirteen—The Saint and the Devil (Part Two)
Spoiler for Scene I:
[Unknown Location] [March 10th, MC 081] [2222 hours]
Darkness.
Chaos swirled in the twilight, a shadow so deep there was no end. It was a sea of pure black, one that consumed all things in its endless hunger.
From within the heart of this primordial darkness emerged myriad entities so tiny as to be mere motes of dust if not for their constant twinkling and blinking in a mysterious light of their own possession. As each passed her by, there were brief flashes of images, fleeting pictures that moved and shifted. Try as she might, she could never discern who they were or what were they doing.
Never could, except for the ephemeral whistles of fairy-like sounds.
And only then she realized where she was—a deep, endless darkness, and she was somehow drifting within in. She gasped, shocked at the discovery. And she started to fall, fall down the long way into the gaping maw of the pitch-black abyss. Stranded unknowingly in the middle of nowhere, there was nothing she could hold on to stop her deathly plummet. She screamed, but no sound came out. There was no help at all, and she would die in this lonely, desolate place …
Somebody … anyone … save me!
As suddenly as it had begun, her plunge downward stopped. In the strange space, she floated as a fish would in water. Is this water? she thought. Against the better of her judgments, she reflexively took a deep breath, thinking that she would inhale liquid and start clawing her throat for air. But, it did not happen—she could breathe normally, as peculiar as the notion was to her. In the vacuum of this unknown plane of existence, it was a wonder that she could even breathe, let alone hear anything. Yet she did, all the while floating effortlessly in the still air. The darkness below and around her undulated like a restless sea, tossing and churning of its own accord. Fearing that it would become a high wave, she pulled herself higher, farther from the menacing depths. Strangely enough, the distance did not seem to change at all. She flew higher, straining all her might, but the waters below were always but meters away from her feet.
… Where am I?
In answer, the tiny fireflies of light that had sped past her soared out of the roiling waves in a brilliant burst of colors. As one, they winked around her, a rainbow of lights that dazzled and blinded. For a normal person, it was a fascinating sight to behold, as if one had swam in a sea of stars. But, not so for her, who screamed and clapped her hands to her ears as pain and agony began assaulting her in a rising crescendo.
Pain and agony that came in the form of sounds so all-encompassing it was overwhelming.
There were no particular words or specific terms that she could hear; in fact, she could barely want to listen at all. Her head pounded and her blood rushed as the aural wave continued all around her. The malevolent chorus combined and surged as one, attacking her with a relentless vigor. The drones of indiscernible voices, noises of things both familiar and alien, and the eruptions of unnatural sounds jarred her being and made her tremble violently in an unspeakable pain.
She doubled over in anguish, pressing her hands to her ears so hard the fingers were white and the nails dug deep into her skin, drawing tiny pearls of ruby blood. Even this physical pain could not negate the suffering she was going through, for these strange reverberations, as powerful as they were untouchable, thundered not only in her ears, but also stormed her mind in a fury unmatched. There was just so much for her to handle, so much that she wished she could die just to escape this unassailable hell …
No! Stop this!
And they did. The flitting fireflies suddenly dimmed and the noise vanished abruptly, diminishing into mere whispers barely audible. The pain remained for some time as a throbbing pulse at her temples before it, too, subsided. She could hardly believe herself, so sure that she had actually gone deaf or mad. Slowly, she pulled her trembling hands away from her sweat-drenched face, her hair tangled in a sticky mess. And then came a most unexpected sound—one that made her reflexively cringe slightly after the initial experience: the crash of some waves below her. Her eyes, still teary from the attack, could only see the inky blackness that seemed to shift invariably.
Wait … so is that really water down there? she thought after she overcame the shock. Wiping the sweat from her face (she had not even realized this when she was in so much pain) and tidying herself up a bit, she began to look around her again. Nothing was out of the ordinary in the enveloping darkness except for the tiny stars that still circled lazily around her. They seemed tamer and less lively than before, for some unknown reason.
Her eyes widened suddenly. Is it because I … just now? The realization sent her blood racing. But, where is this? What really happened just now? As if in answer, one of the stars suddenly lit up, glowing so brightly it startled her. As it floated in front of her, she could, through her squinted eyes, actually see something deep within the tiny entity—something that moved and changed.
Something that made a sound.
Thankfully, this was something far tolerable than what happened previously, and she could actually listen to the sound despite the strange inflections she attributed to the peculiar space she was in. Only then she realized what were the things that moved in the glittering star and what the sound was.
The ‘things’ were people, and the ‘sound’ was, in reality, words from a conversation. Of course, when they had all crashed down on her back then, it was not surprising for her to feel overwhelmed by the sounds that, when all the multitudes were joined together in a single wave, were like a hurricane unto a tiny sapling. That, and the fact that the torture she experienced had not been purely from the physical side, but rather most keenly in the mental aspect …
“… This isn’t good, she won’t make it unless we do something fast,” said a female voice, directly into her mind. The voice was familiar to her, but she could not make out the features of the speaker in the shimmering entity. It was as if a permanent veil enshrouded everything, making it a perpetual gray.
“What do you propose we do?” asked a male voice that sounded slightly strained and melancholic to her.
“I’m not sure,” admitted the female. “There’s nothing we can do to the origin of her ailment. Our best option right now is to seal her powers where they are and …” The voice trailed away, as if cut off by something. “… but it would probably be a dangerous gamble …”
There was a long pause such that she thought the conversation had ended, leaving her with multiple questions that need answering. And then … “Do it,” replied the male grimly. “If that’s the only way to save her, then I suppose we have no choice. I hope this will go well, A—” Again, the speaker was terminated so abruptly it seemed almost deliberate.
Or was it?
There was no time to contemplate the question as the mysterious star suddenly rose up into the air and, before she could grab it, sped up in a sparkling spiral. She watched it growing smaller and smaller until it was but a single dot of light in the shadowy horizon, much like what she saw when they first emerged from the darkness, and disappear into the maws of the black sky. Strangely, something within her seemed to resonate deeply with the loss, as if it was a piece of memory truly important to her.
… Memory?
“Do you still remember, my child?” another voice started speaking suddenly, arising from yet another star that glowed brightly behind her. “Do you remember the stories of our ancestors … and the Burdens they bear?”
“Yes, Mother,” said the tiny voice of a girl. Something snapped inside her when she recognized who the speaker was: it was she herself, from a long time ago, talking to her kind, beautiful mother. She recognized this scene, but could not remember when had it happened. Everything was so blurry … like the gray veil obscuring the faces of the two persons. “To be born into a clan of Seers, one bears the three heaviest Burdens a man could ever imagine. First is the Burden of Permanent Sin, for the Seer’s transgression into the secret realm of the gods and attempting to divine the mysteries of the cosmos. A Seer, once awakened to his or her power, can never touch the realm of eternal peace in the afterlife. The second is the Burden of Nocent Fortune, for even as a Seer sees the future and changes the paths that the commoners, the kings, or even the world walks, the Seer cannot see his or her own and will never be able to escape from the destinies already set for them by the heavens. And these destinies, as divine punishment, are the cruelest and most painful for any man to venture. The third and the last is the Burden of Impetuous Death, but … no one really explained this to me.”
“That is quite enough, my daughter,” said the mother in a small voice. Letting out a deep sigh, she continued, “You are right. Seers are tasked in guiding the world, yet they are no more than pawns to heaven’s will. Our power of foresight is both wondrous and dreadful in its own light. Such had been, have been, and will always be the destiny of the Seers. For endless cycles of the world, no Seer has ever been able to escape from this cruel path laid down for them from birth. Not even me …”
“Then, Mother, will you too …?” the girl asked in a startled voice.
“Worry not, my child. Death is an inevitable part of life. The end of one’s journey is merely the beginning for another,” the mother replied calmly. “But … but, you, my daughter, are different. You are a Seer and yet you are not. You represent the first generation of what the Seers of old have long hoped to be: possessing the latent powers of foresight, different though they may be, but bear not the three original Burdens. That is why you are different, my daughter. That is why you are special.”
“Special?” the little one asked.
“Indeed,” came her reply. “You will be the one to forge a new path for the Seers, my child. You will make a new history for us and our ancestors who were tainted by our powers. No longer will you be bound by the weak will of our people, and never again will you be the tool for the greedy and the rich. You will be free!”
Unexpectedly, the girl started sobbed. “But, Mother, I’m scared …”
“Fear not,” she soothed her daughter. “Your powers, small as they are now, will protect you. Even in the darkest corner of the world, you can always find protection in them. However, even I cannot fathom what will happen when your ability reaches maturity, for yours is an entirely different phenomenon. But, it is exactly this that you can find comfort in their presence—no one will be able to make you beholden to them unless you yourself submit willingly. Of course, none may be able to, except for one …”
“Who is the one?” she questioned in a trembling voice.
“The unseen one, the untouchable, they who dwell in the high thrones of the heaven,” her mother said. “To them, you are a violation of the contract between the Seers and their ancient oath, an aberration that should not exist.” Her voice became sad and solemn. “For this, I am truly sorry, my daughter. It is I who decided to break this cycle, yet you will be the one to bear the sins of my doing. This defiance brings about a great misfortune that will surely befall you. But worry not … for I will always be there to protect you.”
“… Mother? Are you crying?”
“Crying? No, I’m not … it’s probably just sand in my eyes …”
The girl gasped. “This … This is blood! You’re injured! Your eyes … they’re bleeding!” she cried in alarm.
There was a short pause before the mother said: “So, it’s finally begun, eh? … No, my child, this is no mere injury. This is the third and the last Burden that was never explained to you—the Burden of Impetuous Death. When a Seer attempts to change the course of someone or something to a magnitude that defies the allowed boundary of interference such that it may have a wide-ranging influence on the world, the heaven punishes the Seer by afflicting a lethal damage that cannot be prevented by any means, not even by the most powerful magic in the world. This is their justice, their retribution, that the Seers must live by. Fortunately, you don’t have to suffer this, my daughter.”
“But … why?” she wailed.
“I do not know why these Burdens exist for us Seers that are harmless in most aspect, but I suppose our dabble into the cosmic secrets must be paid with something of an equivalent value, and that means our lives. However, I am willing to suffer this cruel fate because I love you, my daughter. Even in my death, even as I struggle in the depths of damnation, I will always protect you …”
“No! I don’t want this! I want you, Mother!”
“There are no words to express how sorry I am, my daughter, but even if you hate me for my selfishness, I will love you always. With my power as the last Seer of the clan, I’ve diverted most of the harm that would’ve eventually come your way. The protection I wove around you when you were born will shield you from the dangers that lie in the future. The symbol of Lahst of the Rebirth, the eternal bird of the White Goddess Elreana, you bear is proof of this. But even I am not able to stand in heaven’s way forever. When the time comes, remember yourself, my daughter. You are a child that stands equal among God and Devil …”
“What does that mean?”
“When that time comes, you will be given your very first, and also your very last, choice to make. At that moment, fate shall reserve its capricious tamper and destiny shall relinquish its whimsical hold on you. Choose well, my daughter, for your choice is the crux of all that will be: whether you become a redeemer, or the harbinger of destruction for a world …” Her voice grew so faint it was difficult to hear.
“No! Mother, no!” cried the girl frantically.
“Farewell, my daughter … I have done all that I could. My deepest and only regret is that I wasn’t able to save your sister—”
Tears rolled down her cheeks in silence as the star dimmed and flew up, leaving a fading trail of the anguished cry of the child—her younger self—before it disappeared. There was so much sorrow, so much pain that she had endured in her life, but nothing could compare to the sadness she had at that time. Her heart was ripped into a thousand pieces when her kind, benevolent mother passed away, leaving her alone in the merciless world. And perhaps it was that helplessness, that loneliness that eventually made her into …
As if connected to her inner turmoil, the miniature stars that circled around her lazily began to spin faster and more frantic. Their lights throbbed and pulsed almost with a life of their own. And then … “This is no good,” said a gruff voice. “The others cannot survive one, let alone multiple inclusions of these magic sources.”
“They were but weak specimens,” answered another, his voice rather nasal. “For the attainment of our goal, everything is dispensable. Our spies are reporting movements among the nobles of the kingdom especially now that the Queen is exiled. The Conclave isn’t resting until they gain control of the throne. Already, rumors of assassination are rife and the bastard Prince is making those idiot councilmen dancing to his fingers as a puppeteer would his marionettes. He’s intimidating the Royals to do as he wishes. It won’t be long before he sets his sight on the Hierocracy. Needless to say, we do not and cannot mix with those bloodthirsty nobles. To this end, there’s only one conclusion in sight.”
“A war!” gasped the other.
“Precisely,” replied the nasal-voiced man. “It will take some time, several years perhaps, because the Prince is wary of the vast power wielded by the Church. But, the combined might of the Conclave and the Royals would be sufficient enough to crush us if they deign to unleash the full brunt of their force on us. The elite mages of the Conclave—the Council—are nothing to trifle with. We have the Astral Templars now as peacekeepers, but even they would eventually have to face them in combat. And if they fall, we have nothing else to rely on but ourselves. That’s why it’s imperative that we gain headway of the Conclave with this project.”
“But … she is just a child. It seems so cruel!”
“Ah, compassion is something we cannot spare this time,” said the man. “If everything fails, the fates of those associated with us will be even more horrible than anything imaginable.”
“Still …”
“You are a kind man, Fleming, and I can see why the Queen has taken you in much confidence. But kindness cannot prevail against the madness of the Prince and his cohort. The Goddess Elreana loves life, but even She understands the rules of nature and becomes the fearsome Warrior-Maiden of the Moon to protect those dear to Her. You must understand.”
There was a short pause before the one called Fleming replied. “Yes … yes, I understand. Then I will pray for the Goddess to grant us Her boon and enlightenment so that this war can be averted.”
“Pray, then, if you must, and I wish the same as you for the sake of our future. I hope that these children will never have to suffer the pain of the war, for their awakening is indeed cruel even if it was necessary. May the love of the Goddess bless these Princesses with joy …”
“Princesses, huh? They who will bear the legacy of the Child-Goddess Aisha, the young princess of ancient times that was also known as the greatest sorceress ever alive …”
The conversation from before ended abruptly as the sound of explosions rocked the strange world. She could see nothing of what was happening, but the din and chaos was loud enough that it made her feel like she was in the middle of a battlefield.
“Run, our Princess! We will hold them back!” shouted a man. She thought his voice sounded familiar. Of course, isn’t he the one who …
“Halt, Templars, and surrender to the grace of the Prince!” the harsh command of the pursuers sounded.
“Go, our Princess, the ship will take you somewhere safe. Do not worry about us; these puny mages are no match for us. We’re the elite Templars, after all,” said a woman whose voice was like the sound of murmuring stream. Again, the eerie familiarity clicked in her mind, and she felt her heart stop a beat. This cannot be …
“Yup! We’ll kick their rears so hard they will regret ever challenging us. We won’t lose when we manifest our Essences!”
“We’ll meet you after we’re done here, our Princess. Goddess willing, it will not take us long at all. This, we promise.” The voice of this lady was clear yet somber. It was very familiar, very close even, as if the certainty of her cognizance was standing at the precipice of recollection, but it soon fell into a deep, dark void, lost and forgotten. The melancholy of her words struck something in the back of her mind—she was sure she was supposed to recognize who she was, but the memory escaped her.
… Or perhaps it was she who was escaping from the memory?
“And you know the Templars do not break their promise. Take this ring, our Princess, as the symbol of our words.”
“Ah, is that ring …?” The image of the ring, vague though it was, was burnished bright into her mind. She could never forget it. How could she, when she actually possessed it, and when it was but ruined after that accident? No, it would be a grave sin for her to forget …
“Yes, it is the same ring as the one I have … my engagement ring to …”
“But to give away something so important …”
“… is proof of our promise. We will definitely meet again, our Princess.”
But their next words were eclipsed by something of an unbelievable magnitude. There was a bloodcurdling scream such that it sent chills down her spine. But, deep down inside, she knew her shivering was not because of fear. Rather, it was because of something far more terrifying. The memory had been locked away for so long, buried in the innermost part of her mind, that she thought it would never resurface. Yet, it did, and it scared her.
For she recognized whose heartrending scream it was.
No …
Propelled by an unseen force, the stars around her swirled so fast that they became ribbons of light. A thin, high-pitched hum began to resonate, growing louder and louder, filling her ears with its nerve-wracking keen. Stray stars flung themselves from the pool of light, disappearing into the restless clouds of darkness surrounding her. The frenetic dance of light was as incredible as it was dizzying. In the deafening noise of explosions that followed, the dome of light shattered as if struck by a massive bolt of power. Brilliant shards of the stars were blasted off into the void of the world until the soothing warmth of light all but vanished and only she alone remained in the ashen desolation.
But, there, in the distant, was always, always this shroud of darkness deeper than the twilight of this world, a blot of abyssal shadow against the black, restless sky. And the shroud, ever so slowly, shifted, exposing the pure white within, just like the shell of an egg peeling to reveal the pale content of its hidden treasure.
And the pure white was to be the face of an angel, with smiling lips so red it was almost blood, a nose as perfect as china, and eyes as deep and mysterious as sardonyx.
She was to be an angel until she unfurled the wings of black feathers that embraced her so lovingly it was almost painful.
Until she gazed at her with those somber eyes, drawing her into their infinite depths, and wept fire.
Fire that burned at her body, her mind, and her soul …
NOOOO!
* * * * *
She jolted awake, her face and body drenched in sweat. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps, as if she had ran hundreds of miles in her sleep. But she had not, still in her silk nightgown and on the bed, in the room she recognized so well. The sheet was wet and crumpled, and so was her hair.
Weakly, she brushed away the vagrant strands that stuck to her face like cobweb. Only then did she notice that her hands were trembling badly. She gripped her hand with the other and forced herself to calm down. It took some effort, but she finally did.
… But, what was that really just now?
* * * * *
Unbeknownst to her, another person in another place awoke at the same time she did, in a sweat-drenched and trembling body just like her, asking the same exact question.
Spoiler for Scene II:
[Unknown Location] [March 11th, MC 081] [0923 hours]
The atmosphere in the room was tense as the four Templars stood in silence, deep in their own thoughts.
When Grandia and Trystahn came back from their meeting with the person who gave them their mission yesterday and told the other two Templars about it, an argument had broken out between Sharazad and Grandia, the former who adamantly refused to follow with the plan even after her brother had explained their situation. The Sage of the Harp stood with her own stance, saying what a fool they had been to acquiesce with the provost’s crazed idea. Trystahn did not say anything, torn between agreeing with his lover or his leader; similarly, Vestrell took a neutral stand by saying she would go with the majority consensus. Since neither sibling could come to an agreement that day, Trystahn suggested that all of them took some time to consider the mission and what they would do, independent of one another.
And the four of them separated for one whole day, never speaking or seeing one another until this morning, the day when they would decide on their options.
“So?” The ice of silence between them cracked like thunder when Grandia uttered the question in his most solemn, coldest voice they had ever heard. His demeanor radiated no warmth either. Already garbed in his battle gear, the hilt of the golden sword Helios gleaming bright at his waist, he appeared prepared to move on with the plan regardless of their answer.
There was no immediate response. However, from the looks on Trystahn and Vestrell’s expressions, as their guilty eyes shifted furtively in Sharazad’s direction, it was clear what their decision was. Now, all that remained was the reply of one of the most crucial members in their ranks, for even as they were all skilled warriors in their own rights, none of them possessed the ability to wield elemental powers to the degree that she could. Her presence was one that could truly turn the tide of battle in their favor.
Then, she finally spoke: “I will go.” The words, however, felt as if a sharp dagger had just sliced through the air. Matching her brother in asperity and seriousness, Sharazad stood with all the imperiousness a queen could have possibly mustered, her eyes cast disdainfully in another direction as she said her agreement. Her contempt to the entire plan was unmistakable that perhaps only out of sheer desperation or honor of their promise made her decide otherwise. Even then, her expression was one of pain and sorrow, forced into this decision she did not desire by the circumstances of their situation.
“Sharazad …” muttered Trystahn softly, feeling her anguish.
“Very well then,” Grandia said, his tone frostily crisp. Though not immediately noticeable, his rigid expression did soften somewhat, relieved to have his sister by their side in the forthcoming battle. “Come along now, we have a long way to go,” he continued, turning around. Vestrell leapt down from the couch she was sitting on and followed while Trystahn picked up his mace and pulled his cloak over it with his good hand.
“Wait,” Sharazad interrupted sharply.
All three froze in their track, surprise on their faces as they wondered whether Sharazad had changed her mind on the issue in so short a time. “What is it?” Grandia asked, his voice edgy. “Do you want to renege on your words, Sharazad?” The glint of animosity in his eyes, even towards his own sister, was apparent when he thought she was going to betray that hope he carried when she agreed to go with them.
Sharazad calmly shook her head, the azure locks of her hair trailing softly. “No such thing, brother,” she said softly even as she gazed coolly into her brother’s eyes. “As much as I detest on this plan we’re to embark on, I have given my words that I would follow all of you in honor of the oath we made to seek the one goal we have in this life, even if it meant certain death.”
Grandia relaxed slightly at her assurance. “Then, what is the interruption about?”
“We will move along with what destiny had lain for us, but I do not want us to go unprepared this time,” she said. “Our foes will definitely be waiting for us, and though we may be better in certain aspects, the mages we’ve faced so far are not amateurs, either. If we’re going to meet them, we’ll do it … as what we’ve done since the times of old.”
“Since the times of—wait, you don’t mean …?” Trystahn said, his eyes widening in disbelief. Both Grandia and Vestrell, too, caught the hint and were similarly incredulous.
“But … we haven’t used them for so long!” Vestrell argued. “And you know what horrible things would come out of them!”
“I know,” Sharazad said. Her voice was tremulous. “But, we’ve already come so far, and at this critical juncture, we couldn’t just rely on our strength alone to succeed. We are but four. Against the mages, we will surely be outnumbered. If we choose to go this path of destruction only to meet Death, then our effort would have been in vain. I don’t want everything to end before we achieve our goal. At least, not without trying all the available options.”
“… Then, I assume you would not go unless we agree to this?” Grandia asked coolly.
Sharazad brushed a vagrant lock of hair back and smiled. “We are indeed as close as siblings can get, brother.” Raising her sea-blue eyes to meet theirs, she said, “In fact, I have even taken the liberty to bring the Templar’s Raiment and Astral Essence from their protected vaults.”
Spoiler for Scene III:
[Laboratory 55, Gavana Falls] [March 11th, MC 081] [1614 hours]
“Do you two have some time?”
Kratos and Gabriel paused in their discussion to see who had called them, though the unmistakable familiarity of the voice already told them who the person was. Leona was standing at the entranceway, patiently waiting for their answer.
“Of course, Milady,” Kratos answered, nodding. The holo-screen he was working on flickered as if in protest when Kratos halted the ongoing process with a command. Gabriel did likewise.
Leona, her face a little paler than usual, smiled lightly as she walked slowly in, the automatic door closing behind her. “Still working on the defenses of the laboratory?” she asked, looking at the screens.
On Griffith’s order, the forward squads and most auxiliary members had all moved from Escutcheon to the facility the day before so that they could work on strengthening the laboratory’s security. Most of the groundwork had been done by Aurion and Tesla, leaving only particular systems for the backup team to fill in. Kratos and Gabriel had offered to help (and partly because Kratos thought it would be prudent for his Wide Computer Array to be linked up to the main surveillance system, in case something cropped up), so the two of them had been working on it since this morning.
“Yup,” Gabriel said a little coldly. “It should be done soon, but Kratos’s WCA still needs a little time. The Cherubs are in the process of linking up with the system.”
“I see …” Leona muttered distantly.
“What brings you here, Milady?” Kratos asked, his gaze never leaving her. Her pale countenance concerned him when he first saw her enter, but he did not ask.
Leona sighed. “Relax, you two. There’s no one here except for the three of us. We can drop the pretense for the time being.”
“Pretense?” Gabriel replied, his tone sharp. “It’s probably very easy for you to say, Tyriel, but for us, it’s torture!”
“Gabriel!” Kratos said sternly. “Watch what you’re saying.”
“No, he was right, Kratos,” Leona said calmly. “I was, after all, the one who asked for the impossible. However, I make no apologies for doing so. You all agreed to do it voluntarily.”
“We did,” Gabriel growled. “But, it doesn’t mean we should like it.”
Leona gave a small smile. “Ever the temperamental one, eh, Gabriel …”
Since the night she had revealed her past, the once warm atmosphere shared between the four of them had deteriorated into almost arctic cold. But, when Nanoha had raised the concern to her, the azure-eyed captain had brought them together again, at the same place, to ask not for a reconciliation, but rather for a favor: that whenever they are in the company of others, they would act as if there was no significant change to their relationship and that they were still able to work with one another. After much protest, Kratos, Gabriel, and Xeno had finally relented, though it was fueled in part by their hope of a renewed connection between them and her.
Leona, however, did not change in her stance.
She maintained her distance from them, artfully presenting herself as being congenial with them in the presence of others, but mostly disconnecting from the group when there was no longer any need to do so. The rapid and frequent changes in behavior confused them. At the same time, it also scared them. There were moments when they thought that Leona had returned to her normal self, only to discover later that she had no intention of doing so. There were also times, like now, when she appeared remote, but showed concern for them. The Leona they knew was getting farther and farther out of their grasp, and the frustration and anger and pain were flooding to the point where it became almost unbearable.
But bear it they did, even if it was difficult to keep up at certain points. To outsiders, they would have appeared to be conversing quite normally most of the time, but the observant ones could possibly see the awkwardness present in the stiffness of their behavior, skillfully hidden in the tiniest motions. For silver-haired Kratos, there was now always the small, uncomfortable twitch whenever he called Leona ‘Milady’ in front of the others that was not present before. For Xeno and Gabriel, there were particular nuances that were missed for people who were not close to them, the latter sometimes close to being unable to control his anger at the veneer they had to put up. Only Leona almost effortlessly kept them from failing.
And that was what pained them the most, for it showed them just how much Leona had endured before as she masqueraded to others before her revelation to them. It was an agony, a torture for her as well as for them that they could not bring themselves to hate her, even if she wanted them to.
If there was any chance … any hope of ever retrieving the time they had together before again …
“In any case, I came here to ask if you have any information for the inevitable encounter with the enemy that you’d like to know beforehand?” Leona asked.
“Not particularly,” Kratos said. “I’ll most likely be at the back, watching their movement, but in case of engagement, I know what to do. My hunch is telling me that the Templars won’t be foolish enough to just charge through with only the four of them, so I expect them to have reinforcements ready.”
“Those summoning spells, eh?” Gabriel chipped in. “Yeah, those would be nasty if they dropped in on us by surprise, but the defensive squads under you and Shamal-san should be able to fend them off. The Templars would probably be a handful to handle. The green-haired girl—what was her name again? Vestrell Floriene? She was especially wild.”
Kratos grinned in a fashion not unlike Xeno after hearing that. “Ah, you mean the one who gave you a beating of your life? Interesting adjective you use there.”
“Totally unrelated,” Gabriel scowled. “But, seriously, she was aggressive, like a predator in the jungle. If you’re not prepared, she’ll skin you alive. Still, after watching the video her fight with me, Lanster, and Tyr—I mean, Milady, I think I should be able to take her on without much trouble.” He looked slightly sheepish at the awkward change in his address of Leona, but the captain did not seem to notice.
Instead, she said, “Do not be too confident of yourself, Gabriel. What you’ve seen so far may not be all there is to them. In fact, now that I think about it, they’re still far from displaying their full abilities …” Leona trailed off, lost in thought.
“Huh?” Gabriel asked, perplexed. “What do you mean?”
She did not answer immediately, but her expression was grim. Then, she looked confused herself. “I … I can’t say for sure how or what, but the Templars are not as simple as you thought them to be. Trained from young to manipulate forces that are like unto magic itself, their abilities are enhanced the closer they are to the heart of the natural environment. And in places where such intimacy is not possible, they possess some means to help them level the playing field in their favor.”
“You mean, like the wastelands in Sector 2?” Kratos said. “But, those are all recorded in the post-mission data compiled by Rein-san. Except for their peculiar weapons, there was nothing of note that improved their combat prowess. That, however, does not mean that they are to be underestimated.”
Leona became silent for a moment. She then shook her head. “I … I don’t know, then. It’s just … something that I suddenly thought of.”
Kratos eyed her critically, concern written on his face. “By ‘suddenly’, you did mean several sleepless nights, didn’t you?” Gabriel started at the mention, quickly aware of what he had initially missed when he saw the captain came in.
Leona looked at him, surprised. “What … H-how did you …?”
“You may have tried to hide away from us for our own good, Milady,” Kratos said softly, his eyes gentle. “But the fact remains that we’ve known each other long enough to realize when something is afflicting anyone of us. You are no more different than that.”
“Kratos …” Leona began, lost for words. Then she smiled, a mysterious yet infinitely delicate smile that they recognize of her. A smile that they now know to embody both pain and joy, suffering and bliss. “Perhaps so, Kratos, perhaps that was meant to be. When I first broke through the shell of my former self, back when I first reintegrated into the folds of society, I’ve always wondered what a bond between humans can be. I imagined it to be sweet as honey, bitter as tears, the gray between the divide of life and death. But with it also come the realization that sometimes bonds can also bring agony and sadness even as it brings happiness and comfort.”
She looked away from them, trembling slightly. “Truth is … I never really wanted to break the chains of our relationship with my own hands,” she continued, her words surprising both men. “The moments we’ve shared together … the tears and laughter … the memories of those times remain embedded in my mind, replaying over and over when I shied away from all of you. It haunted my waking hours, it disturbed my dreams. And I’m very sure that this, too, happened to you all.”
“Milady …”
“But …” Leona turned around, and they saw those azure eyes of hers sparkling with a deep sorrow. “But … please, please also understand why I have to do this.” She gave a long sigh, her pale countenance making her look even more fragile than ever. “Even as I remember the times we’ve been through, there are also memories that I do not remember having. Fragments. Pieces of my past that became jumbled and tangled in this feeble mind of mine, appearing unbidden from the depths of those swirling pool of recollections. They are undoubtedly part of me, but I cannot recall when had I experienced them. But, all the same, they always seem to reflect a dark foreboding, an inexplicable ill will. It appears ready to jump out from my mind, manifesting in a horrifying shadow of myself that even I am fearful of. The pit of my stomach churns with an unknown horror whenever I think about it. The brief vision of it brings an unspeakable terror I cannot explain. That is why I want all of you to stay away from me until I sort this out.”
“But, it’s just a dream, right?” Gabriel said. “There’s no need to be—”
Leona shook her head, cutting him off. “If it were a dream, then there is nothing that I should run away from. The feeling, the intensity, it had all felt so … real, so visceral. The heat of destruction in the … premonition, if it was even appropriate to call it so, was all but as vivid as day. It’s the same when I became suddenly familiar with the skills used by the Templar called Vestrell Floriene in Sector 2. It’s also the same when I had a sudden insight now that they have yet to bear the full force of their abilities on us. Granted, even if I was the one who discovered the identity of these intruders when we first encountered them, the connection cannot be merely coincidental. And I fear the truth that we seek may be worse than we actually thought.”
“What do you mean?” Kratos asked.
“My knowledge of the Templars stems from an ancient line of warriors dedicated to the protection of their sacred priestesses, one whom they believed to be the divine vessel of their goddess. They were born mages, but gave up their magical ability for the discipline dictated by their patron deity,” Leona explained. “In a sense, they believed that everything should flow with nature, and magic of any kind, particularly those augmented by devices and technology, was a twisted reflection of the natural order. Thus, part of their trainings was aimed at countering those who they deemed were dangerous to their faith.”
“This is pretty much similar to these Templars, yeah,” Gabriel said, nodding.
“But, that is itself the problem!” Leona replied. “Because that line of warriors is supposed to be dead. Extinct.”
The statement astounded them. “You don’t mean—but, that’s impossible!”
“Which is why it’s been such a strange enigma to me,” Leona admitted glumly. “As much as it’s impossible, the fact that they are here right now, with all the same traits and qualities as the Templars I knew, means that something has happened in between that we’re not aware of. And since my other memories have begun to resurface unbidden, the connection is getting blurry and at the same time unmistakable. I’m not entirely sure about this, but my part in the puzzle could only be one thing …”
“And what is that?”
Leona became silent. “That I am the—”
[Attention all staff.] interrupted an officer through the intercom. [This laboratory has been placed under heavy security for safety reasons. Until further notice, all staff except those notified by the administration are to return to their residences for the time being. We apologize for the abruptness of the situation, but this is an order from the Ground Forces’ Headquarters. I repeat, all staff except those notified by the administration are to return to their residences until further notice. That is all, and thank you.]
“The civilians are now moving out, huh?” Gabriel muttered. “Anyway, what was it that you were saying, Milady?”
She looked at them both for a brief moment, then said, “No, nothing. In any case, I think we’ll eventually get to the bottom of this. Now that the premise is being emptied out, there should be more space to work with. The Cherubs will still take some time to complete the uplink, so I suppose I should go now and get to work, too.”
As Leona walked towards the exit, Kratos suddenly stopped her. “Wait, Milady!”
“What is it?”
The silver-haired man took some time to compose his thoughts. “Your words just now … were they the truth?”
There was a brief pause before Leona replied. “Yes, they were,” she said, glancing at them. At this, both men seemed to brighten up. As she continued to walk towards the entryway, she added, “… But, it doesn’t mean that it should return to the way it was.”
Her words stung like sharpened ice.
She stopped at the automatic door that had slid open. Turning her face around for the most fleeting moment, Leona said, “I’m sorry, Gabriel, Kratos, but thank you so much …”
Her words hung in the air like softest velvet, drifting on the draughts that flowed into the room. As the door closed, leaving the two men alone, all they could remember of that parting was only one thing.
Her eyes, those melancholic blue eyes, were the saddest they had ever seen, as if they were grieving for a great, incomparable loss.
But they reflected not the great loss that was her unto them. Rather, her sorrow was the passing of these good, honest companions from her life.
For should what she think about the truth was correct, then she would eventually no longer be the person they would have known as Leona Aurora Seraphina Tyriel.
They would come to know her instead as the Herald of Destruction, prophesized in the Ancient Belkan poem divined by Knight Carim.
She would be the one they call the Princess.
P/S: This is just a quarter of the done-and-ready chapter (which is split into about five parts), but I think I should just drop a mini-nuke instead of blasting the thread apart with multiple posts. I'll post the rest some time later, or when the chapter is over (~80% right now).
P/S: Yes, the time of foreshadowing is reaching its climax. When this chapter is done, I suppose it'll answer a ton of questions and also introducing new ones.
P/S: Also linking the >>main link post<< which has been updated to the latest version if somebody was wondering whether I had posted any in between. =3
Location: Pennsylvania. It's sort of like a real state.
Age: 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by Heinekochan
The studio had already matched power for power before hence they had to think of something different. But I think the studio should have put in more effort in trying to be different. I agree with Onii-sama that this anti-magiclink trend is getting rather tired and undermines the notion that magic is the way of the future.
They don't need to be that different. There's nothing wrong with the villains being roughly the same level of ability as the heroes. If they want to use AMF or whatever as their excuse rather than just matching power for power (which admittedly gets unbelievable after awhile), go right ahead. I'm just saying that fight scenes are generally more interesting if it seems like either combatant could legitimately come out on top, so an effort should be made to make new villains roughly in the same ballpark as the heroes, however it has to be done. The Curbstomp Battle has its place, but it gets old very quickly.
(I'm actually hopeful, because right now they seem to be doing this for Force by making the new villains super-over-powered, then powering up the main cast. I'm just hoping that this actually brings things into some kind of balance, and doesn't just make the scales tip in the opposite direction.)
I just finished reading Saga's Saga () last week so it is still fresh in mind. It does not seem to gel with the latest chapter I could find (or it is just buried so deep where the Sun don't shine)...
It's not supposed to, this chapter kinda jumps into Book III of Saga's Saga when all I published is Book I.
It partly an experimental writing ( since I'm shifting mainly to 3rd person writing now, so I need feedbacks ) and partly compelled by a need to publish something. I don't exactly make for a sight if I have 50k of words in my notebook and none of those 50k words even make up a single proper cohesive chapter... yet.
The whole part with Saga 'having feelings' for Hayate and stuff did come out of nowhere for those without the know of my plot bunnies who's freezing to death for being kept in cold storage.
My next piece hopefully covers something less... so far away.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Keroko
Frankly, any sequel to A's not focused on a new cast has always been a lose/lose situation. New bad guy is more powerful than the main cast? "OMFG Nanoha is teh most powerful new enemie is mary sue this sux RAAAAAAAAAGE!" New enemy uses a way to work around the main casts power? "OMFG How fake cheaters they can't win without haxcheats RAAAAAAAAAAAGE!"
That's one thing Vivid did right: Keep the universe, make the old cast cameo's, and focus on the huge new not nearly as overhyped cast you introduced in StrikerS.
Then again, even that got the "it doesn't have enough old cast RAAAAAAAAAAGE!" so I guess any sequel to A's would have been labeled a failure.
Villains who are legitimately stronger than Nanoha and co. or equal enough for a mano-o-mano at their peak all got a downgrade or plot-induced AIDs. Zest, Reinforce, Wolkenritter, Precia, of sorts.
It makes one wonder why Tsuzuki even bothered to establish the fact that there are equals to Nanoha and co. even within the same TSAB structure ( just older and less talented, perhaps ) when the actual showcase of the series finds ways to not employ quality talent, but rather cast-weakening devices.
__________________
Night~and~Gale: ~ The Final Mythology of the Man who Defied Destiny.
The sleeping lion shall awaken beyond the depths of time, crossing ten billion lights, come to Terra.
i gotta ask though, is this in the same continuum as the Riders in OCT?
Spoiler for if yes...:
If yes... Then you've hit a snag.
The details of the Rider Projects are kept under wraps, even though the DeLiner and ZECT projects are the mascots of the success of the Masked Rider Project as a whole. Project DenLiner may know of the Riders that Project ZECT is working on, but they probably don't know of the details of the Project itself, as well as ZECT's Rider System. Vice versa for ZECT.
Projects IXA and Kiva too, are kept secret. IXA as an Ancient Belkan prototype for an Intelligent Device and it's working mechanisms continue to be a mystery; and Kiva's owner ensures that details of the Rider system is not disclosed to anyone but herself, and its developer is MIA.
The Kanzaki Project too, which produces the summoning-style Riders, was thought to be dissolved after the facility was destroyed, and the fact that the project is still going on in the shadows wasn't known even to other projects and Division 66 until Ryuki himself knocked at their doorsteps.
Project SmartBrain too, is wholly unknown, as it was thought to be destroyed, and all other information available is of no use.
Kuuga, Agito and Hibiki notwithstanding since none of us have worked on it yet(last i heard, esta was working on kuuga and maybe agito too), what we've built on the Riders so far suggests you'd probably need a lot of red tape to muscle the information out of every project to get the data to emulate the systems.
If it's not in the same continuum, which is my suspicion, since the profile suggests parallel universes with different Riders in each PU rather than "everything exists in the same universe on different worlds" that we're on, then I've got pretty much nothing much to comment on.
The only thing i DO have something to comment on the rest of the specifics of your system though... was the lack of adaptation and blatant use of copypasta.exe from wiki.
I've taken alot of time to remake my old characters, everything is going out of the window now. I need recreate everything- New Organizations would have to be created... The concept of the Destroyers would have to be tossed out, cause everyone and their trap friends have an evil limey mastermind and a Freelance psychopath behind the scenes, no point adding more. Especially with how the recent FORCE manga is going, mass killing of innocents just to look badass is not in style anymore. I'm also taking some lessons from Toaruverse to spice up magic in Nanohaverse... Needless to say, that's alot of stuff to do.
But one step at a time...
Spoiler for Jeno's new Profile:
Spoiler for pic:
Name: Jeno=Unknown Gender: Male Race: Undead Age: Appears 18 Title: "Inferious Villain" Role: "Boss Character" Group: "Nephilim" Height: 175 Weight: 70 Magic Style: Anti-Belkan Magic Colour: Navy Blue
Character Quote:
"While we're at it, let me show you what it means to be a real villain."
Personality:
Perennially smooth, calm and collected, Jeno knows how to dress the part. His signautre don't-mess-with-me altitude is what his enemy remember him for. Luckly, he's a real chameleon, be it in a fight or a conversation, he is able to convincingly switch his role at the drop of a hat. While not afraid of a fight, he tries to avoid going overboard if he can help it, the last thing he needs is an all out man hunt with his name on it. But sometimes an operation requires alittle flair, when that happens Jeno is more than happy to pull out all the stops.
Very little is known about Jeno's history before being an 'undead', but one thing's certain; He always get himself into girl troubles. Be it kidnapping the local princess, rescuing persecuted witches, breaking up a pair of starcross lovers, or simply fighting a female computer avatar that has gone rogue and wants to start a global killing spree, he'll always find himself in the middle of it.
Outside of field work, Jeno is also responsible for managing the other Nephilim Mages.
Fighting Style:
Jeno is a high speed melee type fighter, prefering to overwhelm the enemy with lightning fast slashes and stabs. He doesn't use many projectile attacks, but he did program his Device to fire magic bolts at incoming enemy projectiles. This is a calculated risk move to maintain his momentum in a fight.
His device [Albireo] is a sword device that Jeno uses. Abit more fanciful than a regular long sword, it was named after the fifth brightest star in the constellation Cygnus. Compared to an average Intelligent Device, [Albireo] has been upgraded with a wide variety of sensors and processing hardware capable of avance multi tasking and calculations. Few people realize that the Albireo star is actually made of two separate stars instead of one. Likewise, [Albireo] is actually made of two swords, one of which is hidden in the Device's subspace.
Magic Style:
Jeno uses a special customized formula design to counter the magicial arrays of the Belkan type magic. But unlike true anti-magic this formula is only effective against Belkan, but on the plus side, it doesn't negate your own magic. Aside from the following Character-specific spells, Jeno can also use the offensive magic taught to all Nephilims.
1. Rare Skill - [Grim Sight]: A powerful ability that allows the user to see the negative emotions of his target, like Fear/Anger/Greed/Violence/Lust etc. Using this ability he can foresee most lies and attacks against him. However, this ability doesn't work if the target himself/herself is a twisted enough individual that he/she doesn't perceive the thought to be evil.
2. Specialize Magic - [Sword of the Destroyer]: By lining up both Albireo swords together, Jeno creates a giant 30m Beam sword similiar to Fate's Jet Zamber. Jeno is able to swing this sword around as easily as his normal weapon and to disengage and reengage it without any trouble. Reverse engineering the spell allows Jeno to create energy blade that he can fire around.
3. Elemental Affinity - [Radiation]: Another special function of Albiero, Jeno can convert magic energy into different forms of radiations. However, due to it's dangerous nature, Jeno still have much difficulty controlling it's power.
Spoiler for Mid Air battle skit:
Albireo:"Two hostiles detected, you should be able to see them in three seconds."
Which he did.
Jeno: "Oh crap."
He only had a split second to react.
Nanoha: "Excelion Buster!!!"
Fate: "Trident Smasher!!!"
Jeno flew out of the their arc of fire, at those speeds the sudden G-Forces alone would had blacked out a lesser being. Powerful stream of pink and yellow had narrowly turned Jeno into breakfast toast. It didn't seem like the new company were in the mood for talking, not like he was convince he could talk them out of saving hundreds of lives for the advancement of the native race.
The beautiful sunset beach resort was now a speck on the horizon. Five miles behind him was a large state-of-the-art-for-their-kind cruise ship, in about seven minutes time, a very large, very powerful storm would hit them. The engineers and crewmen of the vessel have never experience anything like it before, they are fatally underequipped.
Alot of people will die.
No, no he had nothing to do with it. Just an unfortunate natural disaster. Sure, those things happen all the time, but what are you going to do? The Boss said this one was different and wanted TSAB out of the way less they're tempted to do sometime stupid. So he had to convince the TSAB patrol that they have bigger fish to dry elsewhere, by beating the crap out of most of the Native Criminal Cartels and local Warlords into behaving. Once the TSAB realize that nothing bad was going to happen that concerns them, they would move on to another planet.
At least, that was the plan.
Albireo:"You orders?"
Jeno: "I was hoping it wouldn't come down to this... I'll leave you with defense?"
Albireo: "As you wish."
Fighting two people at the same time is never ideal, but there are ways to even the odds. It never hurts to be faster than they are, but more important is to always maintain visual contact with them. Normally, one should try to push them into a corner and fight them both face to face, but since Jeno is in the middle of the open ocean, he can throw that plan out of window.
Nanoha fired several pink bolts at him, Albireo intercepted them with a few projectiles of his own. In a high speed mid-air clash like this one, the key is momentum, to always keep moving. Blocking would just break his momentum and risk the change of being boxed in, especially in a 2 v 1. While Dodging would help maintain some of the momentum, it's all too easy to be led into another trap. What Jeno finds to be the ideal solution is to intercept the projectiles with his own. It's still comes with it's own risks, but it allows him to keep the momentum and remain in control.
Nanoha continues to fire her projectiles while Fate circles around to strike him from behind. Jeno leaves the pink bolts to Albireo while he focus on Fate, whenever she breaks off, he quickly chases after her, always keeping her with three metres distance. He figured that as long as her friend is within her arc of fire, Nanoha isn't crazy enough to use her bigger spells... Until he pushes her over the egde. Fate herself isn't making this any easy for him- it seems she has alot of experience fighting people with swords.
In a 2 v 1 fight, it would be better if you were fighting amateurs instead of pros that have years of experience working together.
Albireo:"Heads up."
While he was concentrating on surviving Fate, Nanoha stuck up behind him, pump a few rounds into her Device, which had taken a spear-like form, and shot like a rocket towards him.
Raising Heart:"Axel Charge System (ACS) Mode"
The resulting explosion rocked the ocean below him. By now the cruise ship would have entered the storm and probably wouldn't be able to hear it through the thunder.
When the smoke cleared the results were surprising. A Second Alberio manifested in his left hand which he use to deflect the Charge attack just enough to deviate it off course from blowing him up.
Albireo:"Demon Fang"
A powerful wide arc of energy surge from the [Albireo Main] that forces Fate to back off from the blade lock. Jeno then brought both his swords together and swung at Nanoha.
Albireo:"Fierce Demon Fang"
Jeno decide to switch tactics; He was going to go after Nanoha. The idea was not to defeat them, but to keep them here as long as he could, until it was too late. Because Fate's fight style was close combat similar to himself, he doesn't have to worry about her getting out of range from him.
It's never easy when you're two-timing girls. But Jeno has a little trick up his sleeves, the rare skill known to few as [Grim Sight]. This ability allows him to see the bad thoughts of people, stuff like lying, anger, fear, violence, greed, envy and lust are all as clear as day to him. With this ability, he's always one step ahead of their moves.
So long as he keeps them angry enough at him.
Jeno slash out at the beams fired by Nanoha, deflecting while dodging at the same time. Though occasionally he took a few hits from Fate. He needs to keep them interested in him, if he becomes too good at evading their attacks, they would just dump him. By giving them some freebee, he keeps them just interested enough hold on to their attention, while trying not to die at the same time, he fired back a few beams of his own to keep up the dance.
I've been out of the game for too long so alot of my concepts might not work in Nanohaverse anymore, don't hesistate to point out any technical corrections that needs to be made. I've also realized that putting some of those concepts from brain to paper might not transit as smoothly as I thought. I'll be more than happy to clarify any questions.
P.S - I'll add details on the (two) new organizations later on.
EDIT:
Here's the list of attack spells that all my OCs have access to, sort of a general lists of what they all have been taught. Most of these spells are pretty straightforward with hardly any advance calculations involved.
Spoiler for Move list:
Heavy Stab - Sonic Thrust: A fast and powerful stab attack. Heavy Slash - Greed Sever: A wide and powerful slash attack. Heavy Impact - Siege Impulse: An explosive close range attack.
Multiple Stab - Scintillanting Stream: A blinding fast barrage of stabs. Multiple Slash - Ravaging Swarm: A furious rapid volley of slashes. Multiple Slash - Diabolic Edge: Spinning a sharp weapon, turning it into a buzzsaw.
Range Stab -Rising Force: A stream of energy release from a stab motion. Range Slash -Demon Fang: A circular shape energy attack release from a slash motion. Range Slash -Spark Fury: A vectical slam that shoots out a wave of energy.
Multiple shot -Temper: A platform that fires multiple shots. Heavy shot -Vendetta: A single powerful shot. Cannonball -Heart Breaker: A very powerful concentration of energy in a form of a ball. Cannon Beam -Defiance: A very powerful beam of energy. Vectical Cannon -Indignation: An extremely powerful bombardment spell that requires a long charge up time.
EDIT(2):
Spoiler for Management:
The organization known as [Management] is a huge Private Security Company that operates outside of TSAB territories, their personnel come from all corners of the dimensions. Officially, they're works covers everything from bodyguards, to guns for hire in small private wars. Occasionally they would eliminate a local warlord or criminal cartel to gain control over the area, or to remove them from attracting too much attention from the TSAB. [Management] tries to avoid/minimize conflicts with the TSAB as it would be too costly to go to war with such a large organization like themselves.
Jeno is working for a group called the [Nephilim], who are in turn under the control of [Management] and serve as part of their most elite unit.
Soldiers under [Nephilims] are not exactly human. They are dead mages whos bodies have been reanimated back to life using powerful nanotechnology, technically they didn't come back from the dead as the nanomachines are now the ones in control. If a Nephilim becomes unable to function properly, the Nanomachines can leave the body to find another host. However, to find one that is compatible to the individual set of machines is very difficult, one could be searching for years before an acceptable host is found. The Nanomachines are able to cast magic via the host's Linker Core.
[Nephilim] does many things for [Management]. but they are mostly responsible for Anti-belkan combat.
I'm thinking of an idea for a new type of mage. If we are led to believe that an average mage is below 'B' rank according to the TSAB, than wouldn't it be a good idea to equip them with guns? They could still cast defensive spells or speed/strength boost, but their firepower could be subsitute with guns. And since devices are well known to be able to change forms, we could have a device switch between rifle/shotgun/sniper with easy.
I can imagine that even B-rank mages are proficient at least in creating useful shooting spells to be useful at range. And with only special cases like Runessa being allowed to carry firearms, don't think that particular plan to arm B-rank and lower mages with guns would work
------
Speaking of firearms and guns...
In 2007, I created these two devices for my OC's Remington Smith and Colt Wesson, codename Linebackers:
And their combined buster form Linebacker X
Since then I've long felt the device design to be overly simplistic, not to mention poorly designed. As part of my Perfect Grade rebuild project, here are the new and updated redesigns for the Linebacker devices:
Spoiler for Size:
And the combined Linebacker X
I think I'mma take the Blizzard route of "it's done when it's done" on my character and device profiles...
__________________
Against all the evil that hell can conjure, all wickedness that mankind can produce... We will send unto them, only you.
Regards Runessa, note that she's on Orussia at the time, which is wild, lawless, and from the general impressions I've been getting, Iraq before the Anbar Awakening. As such, a limited relaxing of Bureau rules for pragmatic reasons mihgt be tolerated there, but not on Mid.
Which in mamott's various writings doesn't stop the criminal underworld from getting guns...
That reminds me - I need to do Tempy & Leo's devices in pimp my gun asap...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Heinekochan
Destroyer of Worlds, DECADE
I'll second what Trapnyan said. Riders are sorta half-half here: in mainline OCT there's the various rider projects. Then in the OFM/Belkarangers verse there's riders as the show from Japan, of which certain charecters...
Regards Runessa, note that she's on Orussia at the time, which is wild, lawless, and from the general impressions I've been getting, Iraq before the Anbar Awakening. As such, a limited relaxing of Bureau rules for pragmatic reasons mihgt be tolerated there, but not on Mid.
Well, Runessa is Orussian, which probably explains where she got the gun from in the first place, but she was picked up by "an NGO" as a war orphan at age 9, so she hasn't been there in a while. At the time of SSX, she was assigned to Faurus, where (naturally enough) the Mariage incidents began.
Projectile guns? Considering how rare they are even as of MC0079, I think not.
No, I mean hypothetically speaking, if you can get an assault rifle/shotgun/sub-machine into the hands of a mage, would it be an improvement?
Quote:
Originally Posted by LoweGear
I can imagine that even B-rank mages are proficient at least in creating useful shooting spells to be useful at range. And with only special cases like Runessa being allowed to carry firearms, don't think that particular plan to arm B-rank and lower mages with guns would work
Put aside the TSAB and their laws first.
Put aside all the high-level mages.
For what they've shown us to be an average mage in the Nanohaverse, would firearms help improve their offensive capabilities? Or have magic completely render conventional weapons inrelevant? AMF non-withstanding.
Let me rephrase then, considering the TSAB isn't being slaughtered even though they operate on war-torn worlds that use regular weaponry, I don't think regular weapons would improve a B-rank mage's effectiveness.
I was under the impression this was mostly because they stayed OUT of the fighting. Certainly they were not beating down this war. In fact, the SSX booklet basically says flat out they aren't involved on Orussia, by listing it as an example of a world that refuses help or refuses management.
Either that, or "conventional weaponry" is just like those on the Gadgets or those wonderful "guns" and "howitzers" with massive audible delays between firing and impact, thus erasing one of the biggest advantages of conventional weapons as we know them, and giving them a chance?
Well, it's just that I don't see why we have to separate gun-users from mages. TSAB laws aside, why wouldn't a mage want to use a firearm?
Anyway...
Spoiler for The New Girl:
She sat down right beside him and ordered a drink.
Lilith: "I thought I would find you here."
Jeno: "Lilith."
A beautiful girl with dark scarlet-brown hair, deep red eyes with an equally red gothic dress and a sly look on her face.
Lilith: "Spica's at the back by the way, at the rate she's going, we'll have a famine on our hands."
Jeno: "I see... She does like to eat..."
Lilith: "Don't make it sound like it has nothing to do with you, I had them put her bill on your tab."
Jeno: "...Erm, thanks?"
Lilith: "You're welcome."
Lilith's relationship with Jeno is anything but simple and involves some complicating marriage issues... The gist of the story is that he was her benefactor and now she's working along side him. But sometimes he doesn't bring her with him to certain missions because of their nature, he didn't want her or Spica to be expose to the type of evil that came with working for [Management].
Jeno: "So you were looking for me?"
Lilith: "Both of us actually, Spica told me you like to come here after a bad job."
Jeno: "Heh, so you've heard."
Lilith looked disinterested.
Jeno: "There was this job, I'm suppose to prevent the Bureau from intervening a disaster. I didn't everything I could to persuade them to leave the planet..."
Lilith: "But they didn't."
Jeno: "Two girls, both of them pretty high-level."
Lilith: "Girls again?!"
Lilith sighed while Jeno smiled cheekily.
Jeno: "Sorry."
Lilith: "Let me guess, they were fat, ugly and smelled bad?"
Jeno: "Yes, absolutely."
Lilith rolled her eyes.
Jeno: "They tried really hard to stop me. They did everything they could to try and save those people, but in the end they didn't make it."
Jeno smiled weakly into his glass.
Jeno: "She called me a monster. One of the girls..."
Lilith: "Was she wrong?"
Jeno: "No, she wasn't."
Lilith: "Were you wrong? To let those people die?"
Jeno: "I don't know... Years from now people will probably remember that incident. They will learn from their mistakes. Technology would evolve to make things safer for everyone so that nothing like that would ever happen again."
Lilith: "Is that what you tell yourself, or was it[Management]?"
Jeno: "Doesn't matter. I believe in those words, otherwise I wouldn't have done what I did."
Lilith: "Then you have made your peace, so what is the problem? Don't tell me you've grown a conscience?"
Jeno smirked.
Jeno: "Nephilims aren't human, Lilith. We have nanomachines to erase those emotions... We're like demons."
Lilith remain silent, she knows that Jeno have more to say.
Jeno: "It's just that... The look on her face... When she called me a monster... Sometimes this job is just so difficult..."
He could have his nanomachines inside of his body crush those feelings so that he won't be bothered by them. But Jeno is purposefully letting himself suffer. He needed a reminder of that feeling. Nephilims aren't human, but they used to be. There is something inside of Jeno, something human that he had held onto even through his death. Some part of him that he wasn't ready to let go yet, no matter what that little demon inside of him says.
Jeno: "I have no illusions about my actions. I let a thousand people die because of something that is supposedly for the greater good. No normal, healthy people can accept it or see my point. But that's fine, I don't want the world to see me, cause I don't think that they'll understand."
Jeno looked away in embarrassment.
Jeno: "But I just want you to know who I am."
Lilith was completely caught off guard by his words. She then rested her head on his shoulder.
Lilith: "It's not your fault, stupid."
Jeno: "Huh?"
Lilith: "Those girls couldn't save them, they weren't strong enough to prove you wrong. That is not something you have to punish yourself over."
Jeno: "Maybe..."
It wasn't exactly words of comfort, but Lilith was never good with them so she decided to change the subject.
Lilith: "Tell me something, what if it were me or Spica on that ship? Who will you save?"
Jeno had no hesistation to that question.
Jeno: "I would definitely save the both of you."
Lilith: "Haha, you sound like a pathetic cheesy hero."
Jeno: "Hehe, my apologies. But it's true."
Lilith: "Greedy... No hero can have two women and keep them."
Jeno: "Then it's a good thing that I'm a evil Villain then."
Well, it's just that I don't see why we have to separate gun-users from mages. TSAB laws aside, why wouldn't a mage want to use a firearm?
Having appropriately poked Keroko, one must point out for sake of fairness that it is not impossible for mages to counter conventional small-arms (with tactical-technical characteristics similar to what we have now), even B-rankers. Clever and cautious use of mobile cover (shields) and movement may help them get into range, and further in a civil war environment, we may presume that probable engagement ranges are short due to the terrain and the low level of marksmanship, which would neutralize one of the biggest advantages of the gun and potentially allow a magical round's steerable properties to come into play.
For all that, if we are assuming firearms with tactical-technical characteristics at least comparable to ours, I see no reason why a mage with a military attitude won't want one as an attack option. He may, given TSAB morality, be reluctant to use a weapon with only a kill setting and there's a problem that the typical gun and ammo cannot be concealed into a neat card form. But that's about the end of it.
Well, it's just that I don't see why we have to separate gun-users from mages. TSAB laws aside, why wouldn't a mage want to use a firearm?
You're preaching to the choir here man in my crossover stuff the goverment mages end up clad in half a ton of energy shielded power armor and toting plasma cannons, Gauss rifles, and missile launchers.
Having magic is good, having tech is good, having magic and tech is even better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by arkhangelsk
I was under the impression this was mostly because they stayed OUT of the fighting. Certainly they were not beating down this war. In fact, the SSX booklet basically says flat out they aren't involved on Orussia, by listing it as an example of a world that refuses help or refuses management.
Either that, or "conventional weaponry" is just like those on the Gadgets or those wonderful "guns" and "howitzers" with massive audible delays between firing and impact, thus erasing one of the biggest advantages of conventional weapons as we know them, and giving them a chance?
That was my thought as well they certainly seemed to be doing nothing to acutally stop the violence, I suppose one could argue this is just apathy, but fear of significant casualties could also be a factor. Actually if it would be some kind of stomp with minimal risk them NOT getting involved makes them look like uncaring assholes.
Given that big point knives can slice right through a barrier jacket and mages DON'T as a matter of course have shields on at all times guns would sure as hell be a serious threat. You can't see bullets and rarely even know that the one that gets you is coming. As I've said before if guns weren't dangerous why ban them? I mean we don't exactly ban people from keeping polearms and catapults today.
Quote:
Originally Posted by arkhangelsk
Having appropriately poked Keroko, one must point out for sake of fairness that it is not impossible for mages to counter conventional small-arms (with tactical-technical characteristics similar to what we have now), even B-rankers. Clever and cautious use of mobile cover (shields) and movement may help them get into range, and further in a civil war environment, we may presume that probable engagement ranges are short due to the terrain and the low level of marksmanship, which would neutralize one of the biggest advantages of the gun and potentially allow a magical round's steerable properties to come into play.
Indeed mages, even fairly weak ones, could counter people with guns and close combat would be where there largest advantages would be, but it's not like there would be no threat to them or something IMO. Really magic would help immensely if used in conjunction with a good tactics being able to raise a barrier and just run across an area under fire between cover alone would be insanely useful.
Quote:
For all that, if we are assuming firearms with tactical-technical characteristics at least comparable to ours, I see no reason why a mage with a military attitude won't want one as an attack option. He may, given TSAB morality, be reluctant to use a weapon with only a kill setting and there's a problem that the typical gun and ammo cannot be concealed into a neat card form. But that's about the end of it.
A gun would be useful if for no other reason then as an option to force another magic user to defend without expending any magical energy yourself. We've seen over and over that a barrier jacket alone is a fairly feeble defense and that they must use active protection spells to tank significant damage and those spells by all indications impair mobility and suck energy.
Having appropriately poked Keroko, one must point out for sake of fairness that it is not impossible for mages to counter conventional small-arms (with tactical-technical characteristics similar to what we have now), even B-rankers. Clever and cautious use of mobile cover (shields) and movement may help them get into range, and further in a civil war environment, we may presume that probable engagement ranges are short due to the terrain and the low level of marksmanship, which would neutralize one of the biggest advantages of the gun and potentially allow a magical round's steerable properties to come into play.
For all that, if we are assuming firearms with tactical-technical characteristics at least comparable to ours, I see no reason why a mage with a military attitude won't want one as an attack option. He may, given TSAB morality, be reluctant to use a weapon with only a kill setting and there's a problem that the typical gun and ammo cannot be concealed into a neat card form. But that's about the end of it.
Actually for that last bit, We already have devices transforming into all shapes and sizes with technology far more complex than any firearms. Why not a device-firearm? We have have it transform into different types of weapon rifle/shotgun/sniper.
Chapter Thirteen—The Saint and the Devil (Part Two)
Leona has a twin? Or was that Carym? @.@
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nightengale
ONORE PF!
Hehe. =^w^=
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Originally Posted by Nightengale
It's not supposed to, this chapter kinda jumps into Book III of Saga's Saga when all I published is Book I.
It partly an experimental writing ( since I'm shifting mainly to 3rd person writing now, so I need feedbacks ) and partly compelled by a need to publish something. I don't exactly make for a sight if I have 50k of words in my notebook and none of those 50k words even make up a single proper cohesive chapter... yet.
The whole part with Saga 'having feelings' for Hayate and stuff did come out of nowhere for those without the know of my plot bunnies who's freezing to death for being kept in cold storage.
My next piece hopefully covers something less... so far away.
Looking forward to it! Nyaa!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nya~n
i gotta ask though, is this in the same continuum as the Riders in OCT?
Spoiler for if yes...:
If yes... Then you've hit a snag.
The details of the Rider Projects are kept under wraps, even though the DeLiner and ZECT projects are the mascots of the success of the Masked Rider Project as a whole. Project DenLiner may know of the Riders that Project ZECT is working on, but they probably don't know of the details of the Project itself, as well as ZECT's Rider System. Vice versa for ZECT.
Projects IXA and Kiva too, are kept secret. IXA as an Ancient Belkan prototype for an Intelligent Device and it's working mechanisms continue to be a mystery; and Kiva's owner ensures that details of the Rider system is not disclosed to anyone but herself, and its developer is MIA.
The Kanzaki Project too, which produces the summoning-style Riders, was thought to be dissolved after the facility was destroyed, and the fact that the project is still going on in the shadows wasn't known even to other projects and Division 66 until Ryuki himself knocked at their doorsteps.
Project SmartBrain too, is wholly unknown, as it was thought to be destroyed, and all other information available is of no use.
Kuuga, Agito and Hibiki notwithstanding since none of us have worked on it yet(last i heard, esta was working on kuuga and maybe agito too), what we've built on the Riders so far suggests you'd probably need a lot of red tape to muscle the information out of every project to get the data to emulate the systems.
If it's not in the same continuum, which is my suspicion, since the profile suggests parallel universes with different Riders in each PU rather than "everything exists in the same universe on different worlds" that we're on, then I've got pretty much nothing much to comment on.
It is not the same continuum. It is a parallel one, as you've suspected, where the Riders originated in different dimensions as well as a number of other differences, like in the original Kamen Rider Decade. During the story, Kaprisa has the ability to move from dimension to dimension using the Decade spaceship like the Administration spacecraft in Nanoha World. The story also hinges on a bit of cross-continuum travel as the Liners are involved and there is mention of both a young Nanoha and an older one. There is an explanation for that, but I would rather cover that within the story.
Thanks for the comments. The summary of potential pitfalls was very helpful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen
Somehow, everybody's coming back, even Nighty
I've taken alot of time to remake my old characters, everything is going out of the window now. I need recreate everything- New Organizations would have to be created... The concept of the Destroyers would have to be tossed out, cause everyone and their trap friends have an evil limey mastermind and a Freelance psychopath behind the scenes, no point adding more. Especially with how the recent FORCE manga is going, mass killing of innocents just to look badass is not in style anymore. I'm also taking some lessons from Toaruverse to spice up magic in Nanohaverse... Needless to say, that's alot of stuff to do.
But one step at a time...
I like your dialogue. You've given a lot of thought for Jeno I can tell. But... what's Toaruverse? Another parallel continuum?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen
I'm thinking of an idea for a new type of mage. If we are led to believe that an average mage is below 'B' rank according to the TSAB, than wouldn't it be a good idea to equip them with guns? They could still cast defensive spells or speed/strength boost, but their firepower could be subsitute with guns. And since devices are well known to be able to change forms, we could have a device switch between rifle/shotgun/sniper with easy.
I would be against that. I believe projectile conventional weapons are very outclassed by energy weapons, unless it is a railgun. The cyborgs were using energy weapons after all...
You could arm your character with an EM rifle to enhance the damage done by a projectile, but I do not see enough reason to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LoweGear
Speaking of firearms and guns...
In 2007, I created these two devices for my OC's Remington Smith and Colt Wesson, codename Linebackers:
I think I'mma take the Blizzard route of "it's done when it's done" on my character and device profiles...
Wow nice work! I think I saw some plastic guns like that at a stall in COSFEST last weekend.
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Originally Posted by Wild Goose
I'll second what Trapnyan said. Riders are sorta half-half here: in mainline OCT there's the various rider projects. Then in the OFM/Belkarangers verse there's riders as the show from Japan, of which certain charecters...
2010-07-07, 09:59
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