‘Lock on’ flashed on the side of the crosshair, shortly before she pulled the trigger and a green flash of light smashed into the targets head, decapitating it.
She watched the target through the scope, as it still stood upright, only swaying back and forth a little from the impact of the magical bullet.
“Pretty good, Granscenic…” The man besides her said, still looking through his binoculars.
“…all targets clear. You’re getting better, looks like this eye of yours is no hindrance at all.”
“Thank you, Iskan-jichan!” Laguna gave the older man a smile. “But I hope I’m soon able to shoot other things than buckets on sticks.”
Iskan laughed as he stood up. “Don’t worry about that, on the next raid you will have plenty of real targets to shoot at.”
Laguna also stood up and sealed her rifle. She let her eyes wander around the run down training hall and felt proud that she didn’t missed a target once.
“Looks like you have visitor, Granscenic.” The man chuckled. “Well, I’m off. Come over anytime you think you need to hone your skills.” He waved her goodbye as he walked over to the first fallen target dummy.
Laguna waved at his back and turned around with a big smile.
“Laguna.” The man said smiling and nodded his gray brown haired head as a greeting.
Laguna jumped forward and hugged him. Vice laughed returned the hug with his remaining arm.
“Onii-chan, where have you been?” Laguna asked as she stepped backwards again. “You said you would over watch my shooting practice today.”
Vice scratched his head. “I’m sorry, Schach and Signum just didn’t wanted to let me go until the meeting was finished.”
“Oh…” Laguna looked down. “How is she…? Signum?”
A slightly painful expression showed on Vice’s face. “She is still at loss. But concentrating on other things helps her getting better. Agito and I try our best to cheer her up too. Damn… it’s already five years since…” he stopped his sentence.
Laguna nodded slightly. “I know, Onii-chan. Don’t worry.” She decided to change the topic. “Well? What about our next raid?”
Vice shrugged. “Well, nothing special. We decided that it would be best if we replenish our supplies. Especially food and medication, we are starting to run low on these.”
“Anything else?”
“Nothing much. Looks like the eastern base was nearly discovered and they had to seal two entrances, but they are fine now.”
“And anything from the Outer Fleet?”
“No… nothing since they had to destroy the inter-dimensional HQ.”
Vice and Laguna fell both silence.
“I see…” Laguna said after a while just to say something.
“Do you really want to go with the next raid?” Vice asked suddenly.
“Yes, of course.” His sister answered without hesitation. “The team needs good sniping support.”
Vice nodded slowly. “Yeah, of course.” He laid his hand on Laguna’s shoulder. “I’m just worried, that’s all.”
“Don’t worry, Onii-chan. I will come back.” Laguna said as she grabbed his hand with hers before she added; “I and Storm Raider, we both will come back.”
With a smile, Vice drew his hand back. “I know. While I don’t like the thought of you fighting in a war, I know that you’re nearly as good as I was, back then as I could still shoot.”
“Yeah, don’t worry. None of the Lost will get me.” Laguna said with a smile.
“It’s not the Lost I’m worried about.”
“And if I see one of the Dark Generals I will do as you said. I run like hell!”
Now Vice smiled. “Good girl. Oh, I nearly forgot. Schach wants to brief all the volunteers for the next raid up in the old water distribution facility.”
“Onii-chan! You should have told me earlier!” Laguna said with played anger.
“Sorry, sorry.” Vice chuckled.
“Any volunteers I know?” Laguna asked while packing her backpack.
“I think Harold Mully and Vivio Takamichi.”
Laguna froze mid movement for while after hearing Vivio’s name. Something that Vice couldn’t fail to notice.
“What? You don’t like Vivio-chan?”
Laguna shoulder her backpack and stood up. “No, that’s not it. I like Vivio. It’s just this stupid talk. You heard that she left her last patrol after she heard another one was attack by a Dark General, right? They say she started to take unnecessary risks and even endangers her teammates.”
Vice scratched his head. “Yeah, but the patrol came back without any losses, even if they had to hide from one of the Generals for some time.” He shook his head. “Remember that Vivio has a pretty hard time. Her mother was killed, her aunt became the very Dark General that hunted her just the day before yesterday, her godmother disappeared without a trace and her best friend is off planet with the same Outer Fleet we lost contact with quite a while ago.” He let out a sigh.
“You don’t have to tell me that.” Laguna said slightly offended and looked to the side. “I’m not a child you know.”
Vice bursted out in laughter.
“What now!?”
“Ah, nothing… sorry, just remembered something. Shouldn’t you go to the briefing or something? Otherwise they’ll go without you.” Vice still chuckled.
“Onii-chan you are strange sometimes…” Laguna shrugged. “Ah, well. I’m going now. Take care, Onii-chan!” with these words she turned and ran through the next door.
“Take care…” Vice said silently.
“And there she goes.” Iskan‘s voice let Vice spin around in surprise.
“Iskan! You startled me! Don’t sneak up on me like that.”
“Let an old man have his hobbies. How about it, Vice? Want to try your luck on the firing range?”
Vice lifted his hand in refuse. “No thanks, maybe another time.” He said sadly.
===========
The black tower of the old Armed Forces HQ in Midchilda Capital was one of the few buildings that was able to withstand the assault on Midchilda. While the upper floors where no longer existent. The lower floors to the middle had little to no damage at all. But even with the upper floors gone, the old Armed Forces HQ was still an impressive building that rose into the dark sky of Midchilda.
On the now topmost floor, the Dark Lord of the Shadow, Carnage, kicked an office chair out of the way, before he continued walking impatiently back and forth. The chair slithered to the edge of the platform and tumbled, now that no wall could stop it, down to the deep ground below.
“Looks like we run out of chairs…” a voice said with an amused undertone.
Carnage snarled at the speaker. “Cut your freaking sarcasm, Iru!”
Ireul, the Dark Lord of the Vortex, who was sitting on a chair of the same kind of the one that just went down a moment ago shrugged and gave Carnage a bored look from his purple glowing eyes. “Just wanted to say that your impatience don’t help either.”
“She’s late!” Carnage shouted, turned around and boxed a nearby piece of wall.
“Erm… you are listening to me?” Ireul waved at Carnage.
“Yeah, I heard you…” Carnage stopped and tried to calm down. “But can you tell me what the hell she’s taking so long?”
“Depends on who you mean;” Ireul answered with a wicked smile. “Neltharion or Hel?”
“Tch… would be surprising if the latter one would show up. Good thing she is still occupied with hunting the Fleet.”
“Well… at least the first one is here now.” Ireul pointed to the sky and Carnages red glowing eyes followed upwards.
With grace, the Dark Lady of the Black Aspect, floated down on her ethereal dragon like wings and landed softly on her feet.
“I’m back!” she announced, folding her wings behind her back and turning to the other Dark Generals. “How are... Whoa!”
Bringing up her axe like Device, Neltharion stopped Carnages claws with its shaft just in time. “Nel-chan! Where have you been!?” he hissed.
“Hot-headed like always I see.” She said, pressing against the attack.
“Don’t give me that crap!” Carnage was pressing harder. “This time you’re gonna get it”
Netharion’s eyes widened a bit and then she chuckled. “Wait! Don’t tell me you are still pissed about the day before yesterday!”
“Pretty much, yes!” He answered, his eyes burning with fury. “You think you can make a fool out of me!? ‘Raid’ my ass! By the time I’ve got there everything was over!”
Ireul cleared his throat and tried to gain their attention, without success.
The Dark Lady of the Black Aspect also pressed harder now. “Then maybe you should be faster next time! Not everyone is slowpoke as you!”
“Err… Guys?” Ireul tried again.
“I swear!” Carnage growled. “If you wouldn’t be my little sister, I would rip you to shreds!”
Neltharion showed Carnage a big grin and mocked. “If you can fly high enough you are welcome to try, Carn-niichan!”
“Guys!” Ireul shouted.
“What!?” both Generals asked and turned to their youngest sibling at the same time.
Ireul had jumped from his chair and was now nervously stepping from one foot to another. The other Dark Generals were staring shocked at the place beside him, where a dark figure was standing.
”I see you are very lively today.” he said.
Neltharion now seemed to watch the sky, while Carnage found something interesting at his feet only he could see.
”This senseless fighting between to two of you is meaningless. Carnage.” the Dark Lord of the Shadow raised his head a bit and looked at his master. ”Your sister is right; it was not her fault that the raid was over before you could approach the enemy. But that is not all you are angry with, isn’t it?”
Carnage nodded. “I should have fought Vivio…” he began slowly. “I found her first! Nel had no right to …” he stopped as he felt the gaze of his master, even if his face was completely covert by the mirror mask.
”Neltharion was right to stop you. You would have broken her body and this is something I cannot allow.”
“Yes, father…” Carnage lowered his eyes again.
”And you Neltharion. You know of the short temper of your brother and yet you tease him at every possible moment. But that aside, you haven’t tested the girl as I had instructed.”
Neltharion was twitching her wings in uneasiness. “I tried, but she was not willing to fight and used a diversion to escape. I looked for her and the patrol she was with, but they are sneaky little bastards.”
“There is no need to worry then. Her time will come.”
“So… what we are going to do next?” Carnage asked and raised his head again.
“Maybe we should call Hel over here so she can help.” Ireul suggested and smiled as Carnage and Neltharion gave each other a worried look. They could fight as much as they want, but their similar reaction showed Ireul again that they where family too.
"This won’t be necessary." the Master from the Great Beyond said. "Hel will return as soon she destroyed the Fleet and this so called ‘Last Admiral’ that is commanding it."
“Chrono-kun is sneaky too” Neltharion said. “I don’t know many Commanders that are able to evade us with a whole fleet for so long.”
“I’m honestly glad he is. As long he can occupy Hel-neesama he can command his fleet as long as he wishes.” Carnage shrugged.
“Yeah. I like Onee-sama, but I must admit; she’s nuts.” Neltharion chuckled.
"Then we have nothing more to say. The both of you will return to your duties."
“Yes father.” both Neltharion and Carnage said and bowed. Then Neltharion spread her wings and shot herself into the air and Carnage teleported away using the shadows he commanded.
Ireul watched Neltharion fly away and couldn’t help to feel left out.
”You don’t have to worry, my son."
Ireul turned and watched his face in the reflection of the mirror mask. “I know father. It’s just that it’s been a while since I was able to hunt with the others. Somehow I feel lonely…” He paused a moment. “Well I guess the others would laugh if they hear me talking like this.”
”Maybe they would… But don’t think of you as weak just because you feel the way you do. You know how you became one of my children.”
“Yes. I was weak and unable to protect anything when I was still Shamsel Nagisa. You came and showed me how pathetic I was, but you didn’t shun me for my weakness, instead you gave me the power to protect my new siblings.” Ireul looked at his hands.
”It was your wish to become stronger that made me show you the truth. You are a protector, in your heart burns the righteous fury that will destroy anyone who wishes to do us harm. But in the same time your heart still knows kindness. I won’t lie to you; it is this kindness that may hurt you the most. But at the same time it makes you stronger and valuable. As your oldest Sister; Hel, the Dark Lady of the Nocturnal Glacier, found and freed me, I was not completely by my senses. Confused I took too much of her essence. Now her heart is as cold as the abyss she freed me from.
Carnage lusts for battle and blood and he is too easily distracted from things that are more important.
Neltharion is the same. While she don’t seem that way, I can sense clearly that the proud and madness of her Aspect slumbers in her soul.
You can succeed where your siblings can not. Remember this. Your time will come…”
And with these words he vanished, like he never was there in the first place. Ireul starred at the spot he vanished for a moment and then looked down to the ruins of Midchilda capital. “Yes father…”