[Sector 2, Western Wastelands] [February 14th, MC 081] [1814 hours]
Four warriors stood facing one, the latter wrapped in a cloak of darkness. His words earlier rang like the peal of a large gong despite his voice being solemn and quiet, and they reverberated in the winds.
“It is not possible … because I was the one … who killed her …” the Templar had said.
There was pain, agony, the insurmountable volume of grief and remorse. Yet, present also were the bittersweet memories of togetherness, of laughter and mirth. Though none of them could understand it, they could somehow surmise that there was, cleverly hidden behind the veil of hurt and torment, the gentle feeling of close mutuality, of love. They did not know why and how they came to the conclusion, but perhaps it was because he spoke with such affection, his voice a painful throb, and his poignant expression.
An eerie wind howled, bringing tales of destruction and death. Silence reigned in the dread atmosphere, tense and rigid.
“We’re sorry. We didn’t know it is painful memory for you,” Signum said afterwards, her voice clear and sonorous. There was sympathy within her, but she could not let emotions intervene. They would weaken her resolve, her determination. She, too, had a promise she intend to keep. “Regardless, how can we trust you on what you said? There is no evidence save for your words alone.”
// Score: Tenchi Hou Take / Composer: Kawai Kenji / Anime: Fate/Stay Night //
Grandia gave an unexpected form of reply: he laughed, a cold, emotionless laughter. His shoulders shook, almost imperceptible in the ruddy light. “True, how can you trust me just because I said so? We’re still enemies, after all.” He looked up at them, his ruby eyes hard and dangerous. “You don’t have any choice, however. You either believe it or you try to find out the truth yourself.”
He raised his hand holding the gleaming golden sword, and held it horizontally in front of his face just beneath his eyes. He had his battle stance ready. “I have told you what needs to be told. Night approaches, and I dislike staying any longer than necessary.”
The four officers prepared themselves as well. “So do we,” Signum said.
Laevateinn flickered in her hands. “Come, then, Grandia Estrediel Paladien.”
“On guard, Knight Signum …” he said slowly. Then, he shot forward like a bullet, his sword blazing as if on golden fire.
He’s faster than before! Signum was shocked. She raised her sword just in time to parry Grandia’s slash, and the momentum threw both combatants backwards. Without breaking sweat, the Templar launched a series of thrusts, forcing Signum to leap backward to avoid being wounded. Grandia lunged forward, giving a low swipe in a wide arc with his sword aimed to mutilate Signum’s legs. Fortunately, Signum saw that coming and made a reversal in mid-air before stabbing
Laevateinn into the ground. It avoided her from landing and be at the receiving end of the sword-swipe, but the contact between the swords threw her off-balance.
“
Laevateinn!” Signum commanded sternly.
<Schlangenform.> the Device answered, ejecting one cartridge from its magazine. Signum then swung as hard as she could, releasing her sword’s chain-link to attack. The deadly whip lashed forward like a thrashing serpent, lacerating the dried earth viciously. Grandia, who had wanted to charge forward, was stopped in his track. He calmly raised
Helios to his left shoulder to block, and the metallic shards of the whip screeched near his left ear as they skidded across to his back. His cloak was shredded, but he paid no heed. Quickly, he dug his heels into the ground and launched himself into the air.
As
Laevateinn reformed itself, Signum followed Grandia up into the sky. She could see that Grandia was readying for another attack: his sword was enveloped in bright golden flames. Sensing the attack, her Device automatically discharged another cartridge. Immediately, the entire length of her blade was also consumed in fire. Grandia leaned downward, and then propelled himself like a catapult.
“
Shiden Issen (Purple Lightning Flash)!” Signum cried.
“
Αστραλ Ηελιωσ—Βλαδε ωφ Αρεσ (Astral Helios—Blade of Ares)!” roared Grandia.
Their clash produced such a brilliant conflagration it was as if a miniature sun had formed from the dusts of the wastelands. The loud explosion rattled the ground, and sparks and embers flew in countless numbers. A thick cloud of white smoke encompassed the area where the two warriors had crossed their swords.
Moments later, Signum emerged out from one side of the cover, thin ribbons of smoke trailing after her. There was no sign of her opponent, however, and her battle-instinct perked up. Faintly, she could hear something being uttered: “
Αστραλ Ηελιωσ—Αφωλλω’ Φιρεστωρμ (Astral Helios—Apollo’s Firestorm).”
The smoke cloud swirled and hissed as it was disturbed from within. Like a shell of egg, it burst in multiple places as a rain of fiery spheres, each as large as half the size of a soccer ball, flew in her direction. Quickly, Signum fell back on the air, but they were fast and seemed to be mentally controlled. Left with no choice but to block the attack, she raised one hand. “
Panzer Schild!” she said, and a pink triangular shield sprang into being.
The fireballs slammed against the shield relentlessly, throwing their weight to smash against her defense. Signum did not yield and continued to deter their attacks. Very suddenly, she saw a shadow to her side, moving fast towards her with deadly intent.
Pinned on one side by the energy bolts, only her sword-hand was free. Instinctively, Signum swung
Laevateinn at the shadow, attempting to cut his advance. Instead of stopping, Grandia sidestepped the attack nimbly like a dragonfly on water …
Golden sword in hand, he sped in a circle for Signum’s exposed back, and slashed
Helios as hard as he could …
And Signum could not turn in time to block the lethal blow …
* * * * *
A blast of razor winds swept through the area, engulfing it in a lethal storm of air-blades that sliced and tore through the stones of the ruins. The ancient structures crumbled within the radius of the attack even as voluminous clouds of dust and debris choked the air, stirred by the raging winds. One rocky pillar was carved cleanly in the middle, and the upper half slid down with a resounding crash.
From within the chaos, someone shot out in desperation, her device grasped tightly in her gloved hands, her twin ponytails snapping like whips. Numerous small wounds decorated Teana like obscene tattoos of blood, and her
Barrier Jacket was damaged in many places. She landed, back first, with an unceremonious thump, and the force of the expulsion threw her rolling sideways on the dried earth.
Teana groaned, tasting blood and dust in her mouth. Slowly, she rose from her prone position, using both trembling hands for support. Her knees were weak, yet she forced them to obey her through sheer willpower. She spat the blood out, coughing a little, and then wiped it with the back of one hand. Teana was shivering; it had been a very close experience. If she was not quick on thinking back then …
“Lanster!” a voice called after her. It was Gabriel, who looked pale and concerned. “Are you all right?” he asked urgently.
Teana took a moment to compose herself, drawing in deep breaths to calm her hammering chest. “I’ve been better, but I’m all right,” she said weakly.
Gabriel turned to look at the destruction. “What power that little girl possess …” They suddenly realized that the table had not turned in their favor at all, despite the initial success.
There was laughter then, a cold amusement that emanated from the heart of the decimated ruins. The veiling dust was thick, but they could make out just the shadowy blur of a person emerging from the wreck. The cloudy grains of powdered earth parted away as she approached, almost as if they were afraid of the Templar. Vestrell was wrapped in her cloak, unhurt, and her emerald eyes burned with excitement. Blood from the earlier wound trickled from the side of her mouth, and she wiped it away contemptuously.
“She’s still dangerous,” Teana whispered. Gabriel merely nodded, ready for the Templar’s attack.
Vestrell gave them a cat-like smirk. “That was good thinking, lieutenant.” She glanced backward for a moment to observe the destruction she wrought, then turned to regard the two officers again. “I never thought you’d be able to evade that attack. You’re better than I thought.”
“Heh, thanks for the compliment, but I want to keep my life a little longer,” Teana replied, returning a sarcastic grin.
“Not like you can do all the time, sister. You’re being lucky, that’s all. It doesn’t come twice when you meet me,” Vestrell said coolly. “Launching your attack that was originally intended for me at the ground to propel yourself out from the range of
my attack is a sleek move, I grant you that much. It avoided your certain death, but I see that the damage is still done,” she continued nastily.
It was a bitter pill to swallow, but Teana knew that the Templar was right. It was merely luck that Gabriel had managed to warn her of the immediate danger above her that she could blast herself out from that hellish. It was merely luck that she had not cast
Starlight Breaker back then that she had a chance to still live now. Had both been absent, there was no telling whether she would still walk among the living.
“Perhaps,” Teana admitted. “Still, how did you know that I was concealed there?”
“I didn’t,” Vestrell replied, her expression sly. “It was just a guess, and I gather it hit the jackpot straight away.”
“You mean …” Teana said.
“I mean just that,” Vestrell cut her off, laughing. “I didn’t know that you were actually hiding there. What I did know is that the two of you chased after me right after I burst through from the laboratory. You went missing shortly after that, and the guy next to you could not have reached me until you interfered with those homing bullets. Nifty tricks, but insufficient.”
She walked slowly forward, eyes glinting. “In any case, when … who’s his name again … oh, right, Lieutenant Sunstrider … when he fought with me, I knew that you were hiding in the wastelands, but I didn’t know exactly where. There are only a number of places where you can conceal yourself, and the ruins make—I’m sorry, I mean,
made—perfect hiding spots for snipers in this open area. It wasn’t anything concrete, but my suspicions were there.”
“So, how did you know I’m going to attack? Tracking magical energy disturbances?” Teana pressed.
“Only partly correct, my dear,” Vestrell said. Then, she smiled wickedly. “Oh, I know what you’re doing right now. You want to know everything about us so that you can formulate a plan to turn the tables around. Be assured that it’s a terribly difficult task to do so,” she said confidently. “Regardless, your question just now.
I wasn’t the one who detected your attack; it was
this,” she continued, tapping at her Titan with one finger lightly.
“Your claws?” Gabriel said disbelievingly. “How is that possible?”
“I guess as much that you won’t believe it, but that’s really the truth that you’ll ever get,” Vestrell said, clearly enjoying their tirade and egging them further. “The Titans—our equipment—can react to magic in the general vicinity, producing very faint vibrations when a spell is being cast. While they don’t pinpoint the exact location of the caster, the nature of the spell or its strength, it does tell us that someone is readying some sort of spell. I merely reacted to this vibration and my instinct.”
“Then, it was pretty much a lucky guess on your side?” Teana said.
“Pretty much. We Templars trained in the presence of your form of magic almost every day before we become the real warriors, and these vibrations are now so natural we don’t notice them ourselves. It becomes almost part of our instinct,” Vestrell replied. She seemed confident enough in her abilities that she bent down to pick up a small pebble from the ground only to toss it negligently away, ignoring them as potential threat. “Long-range attacks could work well against us, but we are not exactly passive and singular in our thoughts. You
may get a hit only if we have no idea where the attack is really coming from, or the form of attack is not as what we expected.”
“Such as this?” Teana challenged suddenly.
“What do you m—?” Vestrell turned to look at her, and her eyes widened. Teana and Gabriel looked as if they were enveloped in a bubble of water, appearing liquid and phantasmal to her sight. Their legs vanished into thin air, then their bodies, and finally their faces. Where they once stood, only transparent air remained.
“Surprised?” came a disembodied voice to her far left. It was Teana, and it seemed that she was retreating farther.
“A little,” Vestrell admitted. She inched forward slowly. “So, you’d like to get a clean shot at me while remaining invisible? Or perhaps the other lieutenant would chance a sneak attack when I was distracted to look for you?”
“Arresting you is our priority,” Gabriel spoke. His voice came roughly from Vestrell’s northeast, slightly nearer, judging from the loudness of his tone. “Anything to achieve that means will be done.”
“Of course, that’s what you’re all here for, aren’t you?” Vestrell replied calmly. There was an odd smile on her lips, almost feline in nature. “Only that, I don’t think the two of you can.”
“Your pride will be your fall, then,” Teana said. From Vestrell’s position, it seemed as if Teana had taken into air, though not very high up.
Vestrell laughed, an unexpected expression for one who was about to be attacked from nowhere. “The two of you haven’t noticed, have you?”
“What have we not noticed?” Gabriel said, his voice sounding sharp.
“That I am known as the Hunter of the Claw,” Vestrell supplied. Her catlike eyes glittered wildly. “That my sight is not limited just to my own two eyes, that the very air is my ally but
your nemesis!”
“What are you ta—?” Teana was about to finish her question when she finally noticed why the Templar was so sure of her skill. Unbeknownst to them, she had had a small hexagonal crystal in her hands, and the sparkle within the gem had dimmed rapidly. A strong current surrounded her, untamed and feral.
“
Lord of Thieves, phantom winds, at mine bidding wilt ye ravage the flesh of the living. Gorge thyself in their blood, rip asunder the skies with their cries!” Vestrell chanted in one breath.
Crap! Immediately, Teana began to pull higher into the sky.
“
Αστραλ Ρηεια—Ηερμεσ’ Γαλεσ (Astral Rheia—Hermes’s Gales)!” With a great yell, Vestrell flung her arms outward violently, discharging the spell to her surroundings.
It manifested as a distortion in the night, something furious and livid that spread so fast it was like an unseen doom. It flowed faster than even Teana could climb or Gabriel could evade, a great wave of turbulence in the sky. When it struck, it was so encompassing, so vast, that Teana and Gabriel seemed to be drowned in the air. What they felt attacked them was indescribable; it was as if they were stabbed by countless spears, slashed by innumerable blades, pierced by limitless needles that were invisible to the eyes.
While the spell lacked strength, it possessed monstrous number and unfathomable speed. Their
Barrier Jackets dampened much of the spell, but they were still damaged. The spell lacerated them, tearing and gashing open bloody wounds. Teana fared worse than Gabriel in the ordeal; in addition to her previous wounds, she looked now as if she had taken a dive in a sea of razors. Blood dripped from her cuts, blown into fine mists by the forceful wind. Despite crossing both arms forward to block most of the frontal damage, the excruciating pain caused Teana to cry in pure agony, and she lost her concentration, breaking the
Optic Hide spell she had on Gabriel and herself.
Weakened, Teana fell down, the pain numbing her senses. She saw a shadow lunging at her from the ground, a bright gleam of metal that ended with viciously sharp talons, and glittering, malevolent emerald eyes. A triumphant laughter rang near her ears, growing louder with each passing second.
Instinctively, she raised her hands again, trying to block the expected attack, though whether she would survive the Templar’s assault was another matter entirely …
* * * * *
The golden sword arced in a fatal motion, aimed for the exposed back of the pink-haired Wolkenritter. Yet, to Grandia’s observation, Signum’s green eyes reflected no fear of death, and he did not like it at all.
“
Shippuujinrai (Lightning Speed).” A voice suddenly spoke, and something bright shot into the space between the blade and Signum’s back in an instant. A triangular Belkan shield burst into being, and Grandia’s sword slammed forcefully onto the defensive spell.
“Wha—?” Grandia was shocked at the sudden turn of event.
It was Tesla, her jade eyes narrowed. In her right hand, her Device Gungnir crackled with electricity at its point.
Damn! Grandia quickly disengaged and pulled back.
<Blitzschlag (Lightning Stroke).> the Device intoned.
The energy leapt out from the glaive in five concentrated bursts of lightning, extremely fast and accurate. Grandia managed to stop three of them with his own magic bolts, but two struck him directly on the stomach. A sizzling sound could be heard as they burnt through his vest, leaving a smoking trail. Grandia groaned in agony, reeling for some distance from the pain before regaining his footing in the air. He clutched the wound with one hand, feeling the last of the energy fizzling in tiny electrical sparks, and gritted his teeth. He looked up to see that the other three officers had gathered in the air, standing next to Signum.
“So, that’s why you weren’t showing any sign of distress when I nearly cleaved your back, eh?” Grandia said.
“I do not fear death, Grandia. None of us do. It is natural to die, part of the grand cycle of life, even moreso in battles such as this,” Signum replied calmly. “Besides, though I sympathize with your cause, I cannot allow you to wreck havoc with the Lost Logia. Be it intentional or not, we’ll have to take you and your allies into custody. I trust my comrades to watch my back, just as you your fellow Templars.”
“Well said, Knight Signum,” Grandia remarked, his voice having a slight hint of derision. “Knight Tesla certainly did a very good job analyzing my moves and intercepting my attack.” He looked at the four, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “But, I do wonder if you can keep that up all the time.”
“Oh?” Tesla responded. “Don’t worry, I won’t be doing that any longer.” She pointed Gungnir at him. “This time, I’ll take part in the battle together with Signum.”
“As do we,” said Reinforce Zwei and Agito at the same time.
“Trying to overpower me through sheer numbers, eh?” Grandia retorted. “We’ll see how you get what you want.” He flourished
Helios stiffly.
“Then, get ready!” Signum said, and she led the charge towards him.
It was like watching a display of breathtaking pyrotechnics. Lines of bright white and red showered in earnest as pink and blue rays shimmered like aurora. Among them was a deep ruby spark that seemed to be surrounded by those crushing waves of attack, the dimmest mote of light compared to the others, but it resisted being snuffed out. A brilliant blast of fire emanated from the ruby spark, scattering the others.
Signum slammed
Laevateinn against Grandia’s sword, pressing her weight against the warrior to push him backwards. Gritting his teeth, Grandia resisted from yielding. Then, a faint vibration in his sword warned him that someone was casting a spell.
<Kugelblitz (Ball Lightning).> Grandia heard the spell being uttered from behind him. With a great roar, he pushed Signum back with all his might. Signum backed away, and immediately shifted her position. Turning around as quickly as he could, Grandia launched his counter, firing several waves of flame at the Knight of the Sky’s attack. Fire and lightning exploded in a dazzling flash of sparks. Grandia still raised a shield in front of him, and as expected, some of Tesla’s bolts, which were much stronger than the first version, punched through. They crashed into the shield brutally, and the force threw Grandia several feet back.
An ominous feeling filled him as he felt the vibration again, yet he saw no one near him or heard an incantation being muttered. A white sigil suddenly appeared beneath him, and he could feel a magical chill. “
Frieren Fesseln (Frozen Shackles)!” a small voice cried, and from the sigil erupted an immobilizing blast of cold air that immediately encased his lower body in ice several inches thick. And on top of that, he saw several large fireballs descending towards him.
Grandia could take it no longer. Anyone who barred his way to his goal would be decimated at all costs. “ENOUGH!” he roared. A powerful wave of fiery energy exploded outwards from his body, destroying the icy prison and snuffing out the fireballs in the process. His attitude change took the four officers by surprise. Panting heavily from the exertion and the prolonged battle, Grandia’s face was drenched in sweat and dirt. Still, his ruby eyes were indignant with a furious flame of desperate determination.
“Stop resisting and surrender now, Grandia, you cannot escape from us. Tell your fellow Templars to do the same,” Signum ordered, her sword pointed at him.
Grandia grinned, then gave a hollow laughter. “How naïve. I won’t repeat myself,” he said in a quiet voice. “Besides,” he continued, and for the first time, revealed a beautiful crystal of multivariate colors on his hand, “it isn’t going to be a certainty that you’ll be able to capture me today.” When he finished speaking, the jewel darkened immediately, and his sword burst into flame of a most unusual color. Instead of the typical crimson, orange, or gold, the flame wreathing
Helios now was the color of deep azure. Slowly, he began to trace a circle in the air with his sword.
“Is that …” Signum said, recognizing the move.
Completing the circle, Grandia uttered: “
Αστραλ Ηελιωσ—Ατηενα’ Δραγων: Φιναλ Ραμπαγε (Astral Helios—Athena’s Dragon: Final Rampage).”
And emerging from halo of blue fire was not what they had encountered before. It was a single serpentine dragon of pure azure flames that was much larger and faster than the five that rushed at Signum and Tesla in the Verlast Forest. Intense heat seared the air as it stormed after the warriors, who scattered quickly. With an agility belying its size, it turned around and rushed at Tesla, who was forced to evade using her movement-enhancing spell; her shield would not be sufficient to tank that entire dragon.
Like liquid fire, it then veered swiftly for Signum, who flew slightly higher to avoid being crushed. With a loud battle-cry, she struck the dragon’s flaming back with her sword. The blade dug in and made a trench, but did not seem to cause any damage. In fact, the ‘wound’ resealed itself. A blast of heat from her back warned her that the dragon had reversed its position, its huge maw gaping. Quickly, she flew away, and saw the dragon’s head plunged into its body. Yet, instead of disappearing, it formed at the other end, and again, it searched hungrily for its prey.
“It’s no use trying to cut it open,” Grandia said suddenly. His breath was short after using the high-level technique, yet there was a triumphant smile on his lips. “That dragon is pure elemental fire, ordinary weapons and spells would not destroy it. It can only be overpowered by an attack of much greater strength than it is, or when it finishes consuming its own energy. The first, of course, is your only option, Knight Signum. I’ll have my leave now, if you don’t mind, while you take a time taming the dragon.”
“No, you won’t!” Signum said, moving forward to intercept him. But, the dragon lunged after her, overshadowing her chase, and the vice-captain was forced to raise a shield. The crash threw her back some ways, and she cursed at the monstrous strength of the dragon.
“Signum!” Tesla cried suddenly. “We can destroy this!”
Signum looked at her comrade, and immediately she understood. She launched herself upwards to where Tesla, Reinforce Zwei, and Agito were gathered. Together, Signum and Tesla cried, “Unison In!”
“Unison … what?” Grandia turned around to find something startling occurring. In between the embers of blue fire from the dragon, he saw a transformation taking place in the officers’ appearance. He could only see their faces, but it was a phenomenon he had not expected to occur. The rich pink of Signum’s hair receded into what appeared as pale cream, and her green eyes changed into soft lavender. For Tesla, her eyes became a ravishing electric-blue while her shoulder-length hair became softer in tone.
And then, there was the cry of two spells being unleashed …
“
Hiryu Issen (Flying Dragon Flash)!”
“
Shuurai (Lightning Strike)!”