Aboard the OFM Ship Aus'ruf, Dimensional Space
On board a far more conventional starship, activity was rampant.
From the ship's bridge, buzzing with activity as each bridge bunny ensured the vessel's safe trip through Dimensional Space, to the hangar bays, where several engineers and technicans fueled up and outfitted the Pelican dropships and single SR-103C. In the ship's armory, soldiers picked up their main form of combat; Storage Devices of every shape and size, mixed in with the occasional Armed and Intelligent Device, were pulled out of lockers and activated. Soldiers of the ship's ground unit became clad in black helmeted armor, while the air unit became clothed in Barrier Jackets resembling Navy Class A's.
Within this expansive locker room, various familiar faces could be seen among the grim, determined soldiers as they suited up for battle. Among these were two people from the briefing yesterday - Glen Schattenman and Emili Nailo. Their lockers were next to each other; no coincidence, as both were leaders of the Air Wing, and also because of their personal relationship.
"What do you think it'll be this time?" Emili asked Glen as she pulled two secondary Devices out of her locker, putting one on like a belt.
"The world we're going to has a high natural mana concentration," Glen answered as he grabbed a backup Storage Device - a pistol-shaped one - and strapped it to his side. "We could face quite a bit of opposition... and I sense something else as we get closer."
"Is it... one of them?" Emili asked as she lifted the other Device to her ear. "
Henshin," she whispered into it, attaching the Device to its partner on her waist, causing it to activate its programming and create a suit of armor specifically tailored for her; the Air Wing's so-called "Ghost Armor". Pulling the helmet off, she stared at Glen, who nodded.
"I believe so. He may be in control of this outbreak if he's succumbed enough to the corruption." He paused. "I... honestly don't know how strong he is... and somehow, that frightens me a little."
"Well, maybe this will boost your confidence," Emili said, smiling as she grabbed Glen by the collar and pulled him close for a deep kiss that never ceased in blowing his mind away and simultaneously clearing up both their worries. When they parted, both couldn't help but smile at each other. "Come back alive, okay?"
"You, too," Glen said. "Now go get with your Sentai."
"Of course!" Emili affirmed, putting her helmet back on and holding up a hand as she walked away. "Lance Flight, with me!"
"Sword Flight, gather up!" Glen shouted as he walked in the opposite direction.
In another part of the armory, Franz Jaeger put his own Armed Device,
Cobra, in its Rifle Form and slung it over his shoulder. As he turned and began to walk away from his locker, he paused and narrowed his eyes.
Standing in front of him, a small girl with a single long ponytail was gearing up in the same armor as Emili's. Before she could activate the Devices, though, she took one look at Franz and frowned, disgust evident on her face. Both soldiers stared at each other, seemingly unsure but at the same time resolute.
"...Naomi." Franz said to his sister.
"Jaeger," Naomi replied quickly, huffing and looking away. "What do you want?"
"I want to have my sister back," he answered.
"You don't have a sister." Naomi said, walking away. "I told you to leave me alone, already!" Franz watched the girl go and activate her armor, leaving him alone. Sighing with a mix of discomfort and emotional duress, he activated his own Jacket and held up a hand. "Alpha! Meet up!" Franz made a checklist in his head, remember that one of his Company's men would be staying on the ship to take care of Keroko.
In yet another part of the armory, a large metal door hissed open, allowing a single man to step through. Nothing betrayed his face, as he wore a olive green metal suit of amor that was both a mix of Barrier Jacket and more solid metals along with a similarly colored helmet with gold visor. He stood tall and silent, a hulking giant of a man that cause many near him to instinctively back up as he hefted his Storage Device up and rested it gently on his shoulder. This man, nearly as much a legend as Erick on board the ship, never ceased to amaze, even by his smallest actions.
But he wasn't into that kind of stuff. Glory was Franz's and Erick's territory. But the man known as Master Chief SPARTAN One-One-Seven still held onto a small bit of pride as he looked for his unit. "Bravo! Meet up!" he shouted through external speakers.
"You're not going to make them jump out of the Pelican again, are you?" An AI in his armor asked.
"Only if it's needed, Cortana," the Chief replied as he shut off the speakers.
"I was afraid you'd say that."
As soldiers gathered up in their respective areas, the double doors hissed open to the armory, allowing in the mythic man that was Erick von Long. The room quieted instantly as each soldier then instantly snapped to attention, giving the man a proper salute as he entered the room. As the doors hissed shut behind him, he returned the salute before saying, "At ease, y'all."
The soldiers assumed a Parade Rest stance as Erick began to brief them. "Y'all know the mission, so I won't go into details," he began. "However, I do expect y'all to operate to th' letter! No screw-ups! This world may not be important t' some of ya, but I know one girl whose kids live on this planet, and she'll be more pissed than a snake on a hot rock if ya let her kids get hurt! We'll operate as standard, and take out every las' bit o' that Infestation! Command has issued a protocol," he lifted one of his Devices and said something to it. "That protocol is 'Weapons Free'!"
Along the far back area of the armory, the rearmost wall flipped over, revealing rows of weapons; assault rifles, battle rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, the works. Several crates rose up out of the floor, each one filled with grenades, and several stacks came from the ceiling, each one filled with heavy weapons like rocket launchers and defoliant projectors. "Take yer pick!" Erick said. "Though I know y'all will pick the ones yer most comfortable with! Now get to it!"
Each soldier saluted again and made their way to the weapon rows, grabbing standard fare for their "anti-Spawn" ops; one M90 Shotgun and one M6D pistol with enough ammo for both and handfuls of grenades. There were some exceptions (Franz for example opted for an MA5C Assault Rifle as well), but this is what the group mostly carried. Likewise, the Air Wing mostly picked up the BR55 Battle Rifle or M7 SMG as their primary, with a weapon made on Earth as their sidearm - the M1911 .45 pistol. Naomi opted to be different, as her primary was an M4 Carbine, also from Earth.
Erick calmly walked over to a fourth area and pushed a button on the wall. A small section of the wall flipped over, revealing two six-shot revolvers. Picking the weapons up and strapping them on, he turned around and faced his men and women.
"All righ', Order!" He shouted. "Let's go kick some ass!"
-0-
"Yes, sir!"
But to Caro Ru Lushe, living peacefully on the same world that the OFM was fast approaching, life could not be any calmer. Life had seen little action in the past eight years, so the young summoner had devoted her life on the wildlife preservation to other tasks; namely, she had developed gardening as a hobby. Stereotypical to be sure, but Caro liked flowers, and had a nice garden outside her home. The world she lived on, though TSA controlled, had little in the way of actual TSA facilities in this region save for a relaxed outpost similar to a police station. It also had little in the way of civilization; the nearest house was some two or three kilometers away, and the aforementioned facility was a solid ten.
Wiping her hands of dirt and weeds, Caro stood up and adjusted her hat. Eight years had been very kind to her, giving the young girl a good figure and above-average thinking capacity. Her magic had developed little, but she was an A-rank mage now, and she was happy with that. Other than the occasional poacher, after all, they had little to worry about when it came to major threats. And as Caro walked back into her home, taking off her hat and letting her long pink hair spill about her shoulders, any major threats were light-years away it seemed.
Hanging her hat on a rack next to the entrance, she was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar girl with violet hair and red eyes relaxed on her couch, watching a video stream from Midchilda. "Ah, Lu-chan," she greeted. "I didn't hear you arrive."
Lutecia Alphino smiled and nodded. "Hello, Caro-chan. I came in through the back, I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all!"
Like Caro, Lutecia had developed similarly in the past eight years, enough to where people who didn't know them assumed that they were twins. Other than the difference in personality, the two did look quite similar, though when it came to magic they were worlds apart; the TSAB had never removed the seal they had placed on Lutecia, and so her magic was all but useless. Her Guardians, however, were still around. And Garyuu had developed a few tricks of his own.
Although still introverted, Lutecia had since developed a strong bond between herself, Caro, and Erio, and had become close enough to them that she felt comfortable expressing herself around them. It was evident from the smile on her face when Caro sat down next to her and the two started talking about recent events.
"I noticed that Erio-kun is missing," Lutecia mentioned.
"Yeah, he left a few days ago to visit the Air Wing that's training here," Caro said. "He wanted to participate in a few mock battles; well, that's what he told me."
"...maybe..." Lutecia couldn't resist the urge. "...maybe he just wanted to get out of under your iron grip. I understand that you can be a bit
rough with him."
"L-Lu-chan!" Caro balked, her eyes wide. It was rare for Lutecia to crack a joke, but when she did, it almost always caught one off guard. "Th-that! Ahh!" Caro blushed and covered her face with her hands. "Y-you shouldn't joke about stuff like that!"
Lutecia only returned a light giggle. "It still embarrasses you so much," she observed. "Even though it's no secret between us."
"Still..." Caro uncovered her face, though she was still blushing. "It's weird to talk about it."
"I suppose," Lutecia replied; she had no such reservations. "Let's change subjects, then."
"Yes, lets," Caro nodded. "You told me on the phone that your mother could use magic again?"
Lutecia nodded. "Yes, most of her magical potential has returned, though without a Device of some sort she cannot cast very effectively. Furthermore, she-"
A loud knock on the door interrupted the girls' conversation. Caro, confused at first, was slow to react before she shouted "C-coming!" and standing up, heading for the door. Lutecia narrowed her eyes, suspicious, and looked off to her side, nodding once. Garyuu, who had been hiding in Caro's blind spot, returned the nod and set down the book he had been reading, heading for the back door and deploying an arm-blade as he did.
Caro opened the door, revealing a man wearing stylish Knight Armor. "C-can I help you?"
"Yes, of course!" The man said, pushing a loose strand of his vibrant red hair away from his yellow eyes. "You certainly can, Misses Ru Lushe."
"...I seem to be at a disadvantage," Caro said, chuckling. "You seem to know me, but I don't know you."
"Well, you and your friend Mister Mondial are quite popular," the man replied, smiling none too kindly and causing Caro to go into a passive guard stance. Folding her hands behind her back, she activated her Boost Device. "As well as Miss Alphino and her mother."
"..." Lutecia was silent as the man locked gazes with her.
He has the same look as Scaglietti when he began to lose it. she thought to herself. To Caro, she said,
Watch it.
Don't worry about me, Lu-chan. Caro thought, never tearing her gaze from the man. "We're simply mages, sir... though Erio-kun is a Knight."
"Yes, that
is true, isn't it?" The man observed. "Well, no matter, for you see..." he grinned wildly. "You girls and boys have something I want. Or rather, something
we want." Caro didn't like where this conversation was going.
"...what is it I have? ...Who... are you?" She asked slowly, activating a single
Wing Shooter behind her back. She backed up a step as the man bowed.
"
Forgive us," The man said, his voice distorted and darker. "[b]Call us...
Omega. And we want... your Linker Core!" The man moved quickly, raising up and lunging for Caro. The young mage backed up a step and threw her
Wing Shooter in his face, causing him to clutch his cheek in pain and back up. Garyuu was waiting there, pulling the man back and putting an arm-blade on his neck.
"Move - you will not," Garyuu said. "You do - Kill you, I will."
"
Damn monster," The person known as "Omega" growled. "
It is not that easy to stop us."
Lutecia suddenly screamed, causing Caro to turn around in surprise. A giant slimy tentacle had came in through a window and wrapped itself around the girl's arms. As Lutecia struggled, the tentacle lifted into the air and began to apply pressure, threatening to snap the summoner's arms like twigs. "C-Caro! Help!"
[Wing Shooter, Mark 2] Kerykeion intoned. Caro lifted her hand into the air and began to focus multiple orbs of energy, hurling them into the tentacle and forcing it to drop Lutecia. Simultaneously, a scythe-arm was pressed against Garyuu's neck as a Hydralisk-form exited a portal seal, hissing with animalistic anger. Garyuu looked over his shoulder at the beast, then back at "Omega". Meanwhile, Caro and Lutecia ran through to the back door and got out of the house, with Caro donning her Barrier Jacket in the process.
Both female mages made it out, only to hear the sounds of screeching as several Infection Forms burst from the nearby woods, hissing at them and snapping their jaws. Caro and Lutecia backed up from them, but several Human Combat Forms were closing in from that side as well. With Garyuu locked in a stalemate, they had no other protection that was close by. "What do we do?" Caro wondered.
"No Voltaire?" Lutecia asked. Caro shook her head. "No, of course not; that would be too convenient. Anything else?"
"
Eto... I know!
Kerykeion!" The girl held her hand up. "Wrought Iron Summon! Alchemic Wings!"
A large magic symbol appeared below Caro as two large metal wings materialized on her back. Grabbing Lutecia by the waist, Caro lifted the both of them into the air as Infection Forms leaped at them, narrowly avoiding it. "Garyuu!" Lutecia shouted at her guardian. Garyuu nodded, breaking the stalemate by kneeing "Omega" in the back and crossing his arms together.
"Teleport - Dimension Step." It said. It rapidly blinked out of this dimension back to its home one, then back into his master's dimension, some ten meters away. Looking briefly at his opponents, Garyuu turned and leaped into the air, taking flight and easily catching up with Caro and Lutecia. Omega growled.
"
Chase them," he said to his Spawn. "
You may kill them, but do not infect them; we need the Linker Core relatively intact." The Hydralisk bowed its head in response and hissed twice, causing another portal to open up in the sky. From out of this portal came a flying beast resembling a cross between a bat and a dinosaur, flapping its two large wings rapidly as it gave chase to the girls and beast.
Shortly after, Omega himself took to the air, not bothering to suppress a grin as more portals opened up. He locked his sights on Caro and Lutecia, who sped away rapidly toward the TSA facility nearby. "
Too bad for them," he said to himself. "
That they don't know I already... dealt with... all of those people."
He was right; as Caro fed more energy to keeping her Alchemic Wings intact, her destination was the 10 kilometer distant TSA facility. "Do you think we'll make it?" Lutecia asked.
"I hope so," Caro answered. "We might have to walk some of the dis-"
Caro eyes suddenly widened as the flying creature fired a three-pointed glaive at her from some hundred meters. The glaived pierced Caro's Barrier Jacket like it wasn't there and broke through her skin easily, nearly tearing out the other side. Caro coughed up blood and dropped Lutecia before she herself dropped from the sky. Garyuu caught both girls and set them down on the ground, next to a cliff face, before turning about and flying off again, engaging the flying creature in air-to-air combat.
"
Caro!" Lutecia cried, kneeling next to the other girl as Caro's eyes became dull and vacant. "
Caro!" Slowly, Caro lifted up one hand and grasped Lutecia's with it, squeezing it tightly as she stared in the violet-haired girl's general direction. Lutecia tried to give Caro all the magic energy she could through Mana Transfer as
Kerykeion's auto-heal tried to seal up the wound and push out the glaive. Lutecia herself pushed Caro to her side and tried to pull out the embedded object, but only succeeded in cutting her hand open and causing
her to bleed at a dangerous rate as well.
A hiss made Lutecia look up; A Hydralisk had found them. Her eyes widened in surprise, all Lutecia could think to do was put her body over Caro's, in a final attempt to protect her "twin".
The creature raised its scythe-arm into the air. "Die..." it seemed to whisper.
The Hydralisk brought its arm down.
[Sonic Move.]
A flash of yellow lightning streaked through the air, slamming into the Hydralisk and throwing it back into the woods.
The lightning arced upward, then back down, hitting the ground next to Caro and Lutecia. The lightning morphed, turning human; a familiar young man with a white and red Barrier Jacket, wielding an equally familiar spear.
"Erio-kun..." Lutecia whispered. Erio Mondial kneeled down next to Caro as she shivered. "I don't think she'll-"
"She'll make it," Erio said without hesitation as he caressed the girl's face. "I know she will." He gave Caro a comforting smile, which seemed to warm the girl a little. "Her magic knows no bounds... so she'll be okay." Looking at Lutecia, he said. "Lu-chan, watch her."
"Erio..."
"I have vengeance to exact."
Erio stood up and turned about, facing the woods as a mob of Infection and Combat Forms poured forth, along with several Hydralisks. The being known as Omega landed in front of them, a smirk on his face. "Oh?" He mocked. "You against my minions?" To his confusion, Erio only shook his head.
"No," he answered. Jerking his head to the side, he said. "Us against you." From below the cliff face, a great white dragon flapped its wings, rising up in its full glory as its eyes glistened with elemental fire, staring at the people that hurt one of its masters. "Friedrich, let's go."
And Friedrich roared! A roar of primal fury that even caused Omega to shake in his boots! Erio coiled his muscles and leaped forward, charging Omega with spear tip pointing ahead, ready to gut the man where he stood. Pulling out a blade, Omega deflected the charge and redirected it to his side. As Friedrich breathed fire upon the Spawn, setting them and the very forest itself aflame, Erio turned around with an overhead slash. As blades met, sparks flew and a magical shockwave emitted, forcing a sphere of electric wind to hurtle from the warriors.
"
You think you can defeat me?" Omega asked as he pushed forward, forcing Erio back. The former Lightning Squad member paused in midair and fired a cartridge. Behind him, Friedrich landed, using its massive claws to toss about the Spawn like so many ragdolls, sporadically breathing lines of fire to keep them at bay. Above them, Garyuu finished off the flying form, piercing its brain with an arm-blade, before diving in to engage the opponents on the ground.
"No..." Erio said, giving a return smirk. "I
know I can." Twirling
Strada overhead once, Erio ignited the spear's jets and charged forward. Lightning coursed through the spear, converging into the tip and extending from it. Erio screamed at Omega, who simply lifted his sword, ready to deflect the attack. Erio twisted, flipped once, and hurled his spear at Omega. Omega blocked the attack easily, deflecting the weapon and knocking it to the ground.
When he looked up, he caught the attack of an electric fist dead-on in the chest, knocking him backward several yards. Before he could recover, Erio was above him; with a spin, he kicked Omega to the ground in a flash of lightning magic, and the impact created a small crater in the ground where he hit. Omega groaned in pain, cursing under his breath, and Erio charged magical energy and literally made Strada
leap to him; clutching the spear in both hands, he activated Mode Two, fired three cartridges, and charged the ground where Omega lay.
"
Not today, kid," Omega said, lifting his hands and putting up a Field Defense. The spear tip and field connected in a flash of energy, sending ripples of magic flying through the air. Erio grimaced and fired off two more cartridges, slowly forcing the spear tip in. "
Oh, think you can beat me? Ha!" Omega taunted. Grabbing his sword, Omega collapsed the field defense, grabbed
Strada by the shaft, and pulled it closer. Taking the spear in the gut, Omega came across with his blade, shattering the Barrier Jacket on Erio's right arm with extreme force. The hit blasted Erio off of Omega, sending him through the fire and flames and into a horde of Spawn.
Erio rolled, skidding to a stop on one hand and both feet. Glaring up through the fire as Omega stood up and slowly began walking toward Lutecia and Caro, Erio charged, ignoring the flames licking his Barrier Jacket. A tail lashed out from a Hydralisk as it burned in Freidrich's fire, hissing and firing its deadly spines. Erio leaped, grabbing the tail and using it as a pivot. Somersaulting in midair, Erio conjured a ball of lightning in his hands and brought it down on the Hydralisk's head, creating a large explosion that consumed both and many of the hissing Infection Forms that surrounded them.
Before the residual energy could clear up, Erio was already moving again. Like a bolt of lightning, he criss-crossed the sky and came down with a flying kick. The yellow-eyed mage was expecting it, however, and ducked at the last second. Grabbing Erio by the heel, he screamed in fury and forced the young knight to change directions; this time, he flung Erio straight into the ground. Erio gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, but refused to even stop for that.
Pushing down and leaping straight up before Omega could bring his sword around, Erio activated Sonic Move and flashed over to his spear. Picking it up while still under the spell's effects, he leaped toward Omega and slashed. Omega easily reacted, blocking the spear with his armor and thrusting with his sword. Erio in turn countered by grabbing the sword by the crossguard and pulling it past him, letting go of
Strada and giving Omega a swift right hook. Omega staggered, leaving himself open as Erio charged magic through to his fists.
"Shiden, Issen!" Erio called out, driving the attack home and blasting Omega upward into the sky. Omega recovered and returned with a charge, flying straight and true straight at Erio as he took to the air and began to focus his mana, once again causing his spear to leap up from the ground to him. The knight flew forward, firing off cartridges as he and Omega met in a bright yellow explosion that outshone the sun itself. From the explosion, Omega flew toward the ground, bounced along it for several feet, and came to a stop some fifty meters from Caro and Lutecia.
Slowly, Omega stood, clutching his bleeding head in pain. "
No good." He said. "
This vessel is too weak... but I will provide it with all the power it can handle. Young Knight, I grant you the power. Ye Shall Be As Gods."
Omega screamed in pain and rage to the sky, his yellow eyes focused on Erio as the knight formed a Belkan sigil under him. Screaming with power as he collected the magical energy into
Strada, firing off his remaining cartridges, Erio's mind was focused, and his target was ahead of him. Pointing the spear tip at Omega, Erio finished up the beginning of his spell, and as he collected the last of the mana in the area, he distinctly heard Freidrich roar in fury.
"This is it..." he said, his voice a growl. "My final attack. Do or die, now or never!
White! Lightning! Devastator!" And Erio charged forth, white lightning energy emitted from
Strada's tip like a vortex. The jets on the spear activated, further propelling Erio forward as he went faster than he ever had before. Omega, still clutching his head in pain, roared at Erio as he drew closer.
Omega lifted a hand in defiance. For the briefest moment, Erio could feel as his spear connected with that hand.
A bright white explosion filled the area, emitting from the point of contact and expanding in a forty-meter radius. Lutecia covered Caro from the debris that was kicked up by the explosion, bits of hot rock and dust and dirt that flew about. As Friedrich and Garyuu continued to hold off the Spawn, both being briefly looked back at the explosion before continuing their battle.
When the explosion faded...
Erio's stunned face looked down. Omega - or was it him? - had
Strada's spear tip held between two fingers. His hair was now white, his eyes, the color of the galaxy, as he smirked at Erio. "
It is over." he said simply. In a flash of energy, Omega disappeared and reappeared next to Erio, kicking him hard in the gut and sending him flying backward. A dozen tentacles popped up out of the ground and bound Erio in the sky as more Hydralisks appeared, aiming their spines at him. Even more of the Spawn tentacles shot up from every angle, binding Lutecia and Caro, then Garyuu and Friedrich and sending both of them to the ground.
The being that was Omega laughed. "
Most excellent." He rasped. Holding up a glowing hand, he looked at Lutecia as she struggled in the bind. "
Now, let me take that Linker Core of yours." Laughing maliciously, he began to walk slowly toward the summoner. "
Prepare for hell, little one."
Suddenly, Omega stopped and took a step back. As if on cue, small motes of dust kicked up from the ground. From the sky, bullets -
real bullets - rained down at Omega, twelve shots total. More bullets fell onto the Spawn, cutting apart the tentacles and forcing them to drop their captives, shredding the Infection and Combat Forms, and concaving the thick carapaces of the Hydralisks.
"
What-" Omega began, but before he could finish, a flash of red energy charged him. Instinctively raising his sword in defense, the red energy turned out to be the burning flame of Glen's sword, with said mage attached, his eyes filled with fury. Glen leaped back and landed next to Caro and Lutecia as forty other soldiers all landed behind him.
Erick reloaded his revolvers, his eyes fixed on Omega. "Well," he said. "Looks like we just arrived in th' nick of time! Now Franz, wha' does that make us?"
"Sir!" Franz answered. "Big damn heroes, sir!"
"Ain't we just?" Erick smirked. "Order, engage!"