Entropy Through Order: Case Files of the Order of Freelance Mages
Third Order: Sorairo Days
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Final Arc, Part Two: The Liberation of Belzac
The Previous Night, 0250 Hours Gauf Standard Time
A city is large, bright, and well lit. There are people moving, constantly about, constantly awake, some more alert than others. Police forces patrol the city streets in their vehicles, or stand at street corners, or made undercover bets with their own lives, constantly looking around, ever suspicious.
So one has to wonder how we do it, Franz mused as he ducked into an alleyway. Despite the vigilance and the looks, no one noticed the shadows as they bounded through the city. Some of them were on the rooftops, almost flying in their grace as they leaped buildings, and others were on the ground, mere illusions of the night, it seemed, as they made their way through the alleyways.
How does a twenty-two man group effortlessly make it through the city to our target, sitting dead in the middle of it?
Quit spamming everyone's thoughts, neesan. Naomi chided as she and Emili hopped from rooftop to rooftop, along with nine other souls.
We've done it before, right?
Not on this level. Erick admitted as he and Bravo squad stopped just short of an alleyway exit.
Not through a city. He peered around both sides of the road and waited until any vehicles disappeared. When all that was remaining was a single pedestrian, he raised a hand and waved it forward. In a single-file line, ten black-jacketed soldiers marched in a low-profile walk, each one quickly and quietly sliding into the next alleyway.
And not with this much on th' line...
If we mess up, it's over. Glen said as Erick himself popped out of the alleyway. Walking down the sidewalk as a pedestrian, he passed by the only stunned witness and tipped his hat as he walked by, acting for all intents unassuming in his Western getup.
We must take the utmost caution in doing this right.
Easy for you to say. Franz groaned as twelve shadows jumped to another rooftop seventy feet above him.
With all due respect, sir, this is a warship. The air mages never paused, unlike the Assault Platoon below, and each mage was either running or leaping through the air in concert, following their lead.
And a big one, at that... am I the only one concerned that we've faced no opposition, seen an enemy mage, or heard a peep from the ship?
Quit thinking stuff like that. Emili sighed. Far below, Erick hummed to himself as he walked into an alleyway and grabbing onto the nearest escape ladder. With little effort, he hoisted himself up and began climbing the ladder.
Thinking stuff like that is what causes missions to fail, Franz.
Ugh, I know that. Franz answered as Beta Squad dispersed from his Alpha squad, taking separate paths to the warship that loomed in the night sky, despite being solidly on the ground.
Don't talk to me like I'm a kid, Emili. I'm older than you. He gave a hand signal and led his soldiers out of an alleyway and on the sidewalk, run-marching for a good five blocks before diving into another alleyway.
Says the hotblood. Glen mused. A dozen blocks away, Erick made his own time, quietly and effortlessly going between the ground and roof and the ground again, constantly moving forward despite petty obstacles like buildings or thirty story drops to the ground.
There's more at stake than just the mission, Franz. You have a sister, and moreover, we have our guest...
Oh, please don't think of me as someone to be protected. Fate said quietly as she and Emili switched positions mid-leap, occuring at the same moment as Alpha and Beta squads reunited.
I am quite capable of taking care of myself, guys... and I want to help in this misison, the best I can.
They don't doubt yer skill, Fate', Erick said. From his vantage point, he could barely make out the OFM Air Force as it went across buildings.
They doubt yer tactics. Until ya prove yerself in a figh', that you c'n kill, you'll be seen as a hind'rance than help. Nothin' against ya, mind, just how it is.
She'll do fine. Franz encouraged as the air forces briefly touched the ground, in a wide avenue between buildings. As one foot touched the ground, that same foot was propelling the mage upward again.
She's an Enforcer after all! The twelve mages "landed" sideways on a skyscraper wall and began to run up the side of the building.
And we know she's one of the best-
That's enough, please. Fate interrupted, slightly embarrassed.
Don't praise me when you haven't seen what I can do. I would like to prove myself.
She had a point. Glen agreed as the mages stopped on the roof of the skyscraper.
Deeds are far stronger than words, Franz. Through deeds we can represent our words and give them meaning. This mission will solidify the trust we have in and give us the ability to depend on Enforcer Harlown. The twelve mages started at the ship before them.
I understand that. Franz mumbled as the Assault Platoon stopped their advance just short of the landing area of the ship.
Good thinkin', too. Erick mused as he stood on a building overlooking a makeshift ramp to the airlock.
Looks like we got guards... not a lotta them, just four. Who wants ta handle this?
I will. Leena said.
I gotta open the door anyway. From the rooftop, one shadow ran forward and leaped through the air before going into a steep dive.
Sorry I didn't ask for permission, Nailo-tai. Can I make up for it later~?
No, no, and no. Emili sighed.
Just get it done, Leena.
I won't let you down, Nailo-tai~.
Emili rubbed her temples. "Damn that woman..."
"She's not so bad," Glen observed as he watched the woman land on her feet and casually make her way to the "front door", as it were.
"Of course not to you, you're male," Emili replied.
Meanwhlie, Leena walked slowly up to the ramp of the airlock. She made it a point to sway her hips just so, to look at the guards in a specific way, that as she walked up to the ramp and cocked her head to the side just so and give them that one kind of smile, their guard was... well, lessened.
"Ma'am, you're not allowed here," one of them said, keeping his staff to his side and not even making an attempt to look serious. "We'll have to ask you to leave..."
"Oh, but I just got here~" Leena cooed as she slyly walked up next to one of the men and bumped him. "Whaddya say we get out of here? I know a bar not far from here..." She leaned up against the man, one hand on his shoulder and another on his stomach, giving him a killer smile.
"W-we're on duty," answered the obviously flustered man. "L-look, how about tomorrow?"
"Oh? Tomorrow?" Leena said, disappointed. "I'm afraid we won't see each other tomorrow~"
"Why's that?"
The perplexed look on the man's face quickly turned into one of pain and surprise as he lurched forward suddenly, accompanied by a weird sound. The other three men, who had by then migrated to stand next to each other, stared in confusion.
"Because you'll be dead," Leena whispered into the dying soldier's ear. "
Zettai, Staff Form, please,"
[Yes, ma'am.]
Leena gracefully turned the man to face his back toward his allies, staring him in the eyes with a twisted smile as she faced the other three. She watched with a smirk as the men realized that their friend had been run through with a shortsword - one that was rapidly becoming a staff while still embedded in his body.
[Spike Burst.]
Before they could react, the Staff fired off a burst of magenta rays at them, piercing them in multiple places and giving them the impression of a porcupine before they retracted back into the gem, dropping them like puppets cut from their strings.
Leena frowned at the still-dying man leaning on her. Disgusted by the heavy amounts of blood, she pulled back on the staff and pushed against him with her foot, eventually dislodging the guard from her staff and discarding him like a rotten tomato. "How digusting..." she muttered to herself.
It's done, now! You may come while I open the door!
You're so freaky sometimes. Emili complained as she followed Glen off the side of the building.
She sure is. Psycho mused.
I bet it was hot.
You are one disgusting fuck, you know that? One of the Bravo Squad men spat.
It's what makes Psycho a psycho, I guess. Franz thought, wincing at the bad pun.
Meanwhile, Leena walked up to the airlock and knelt, looking for a certain area. Thanks to modern advances in technology, and to prevent people from breaking in because of situations such as these, any and all access panels were so seamlessly integrated into the armor itself that it was hard to see the cracks where the panel lay - only an engineer or someone such as Leena could find it. It took her little time as she found the panel, pulled out a tool, and quickly pried it open.
Attaching her Device to the access panel through a wireless connection, she quickly began to crack the code. Years of experience had taught her how to break into anywhere (useful, she decided, should she choose to become a
full-time thief), and so as she quickly hacked into and broke the code, a triumphant smile etched across her face.
All open, just like-
By Guiness, don't say it!
...okay~
Behind her, the shadows of twenty-two armed soldiers materialized. Erick led the procession and was the first inside.
Alrigh', you know what ta do. Glen, Harlown.
Right behind you, sir... Fate?
Glen paused and turned around to see Fate staring at the dead men around her.
Oi, you okay?
...G-gomen... Fate shook her head and walked up to Glen, nodding.
I was just distracted.
You gonna be alright? Emili asked as she joined up with the Chief and Ivanovich.
Yeah... I think so...
"Don' faint now," Erick drawled, leaning up against the door. "I'd hate ta carry ya back... well, I could leave that ta Glen."
"Not funny," Glen mumbled, turning around and walking back up the ramp. He didn't see Fate's face turn bright red.
"S-sir, I'm taken!" she said. Erick ignored her, chuckling to himself as he and Glen walked back into the ship. Fate stared after them with an indignant look on her face before sighing to herself. "Only them..." she muttered before running up to chase them.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
As expected, the OFM's grand entrance into the
Exeter was shortly met with red lights and alarms everywhere. As the three teams split up to head for their respective waypoints, Franz got the sinking suspicion that things would go worse than normal. As he looked over his shoulder and watched Naomi disappear down a corridor with Beta Squad and Lance Flight, he worried for his sister.
"I hope she's alright..." he whispered to himself, drawing
Cortana and running ahead of his unit. "I'll lead! Everyone, follow me! Psycho, to the center of the formation!" Wordlessly, the rest of the Alphas complied with the order, forcing Psycho to the center of a three-point formation, with Franz acting as point ahead of it. As they ran, he opened up his Device's cartridge loader and chambered a round, fired it, and chambered another one before firing it as well. The resulting magical energy allowed him to form three salvos of javelin-shaped energy bolts around him. Maintaining his concentration on them while simultaneously leading the team, he spurred forth, ready to gun down any opponents.
In another part of the ship, Bravo Squad and Lance Flight had barely cleared two rooms with little resistance before some actual armed mages came to intercept them. Before the first one had a chance to lift his staff and fire, the Chief was on him, using his enhanced power to snap one of his opponent's arms like a twig, grab him by the face with the other hand, and smash him violently against the wall, dropping him instantly. Bolts of magical energy sailed at him, impacting against his Barrier Armor like water against a cliff face. He gazed through his visor at the two who shot at him before coiling his muscles and leaping forward, catching both of them by the neck and smashing their heads together. The two mages dropped like ragdolls.
"Nice job, Chief," Ivanovich smirked as he walked by, casually lifting his rifle to down a mage that was running for help.
"Yes, sir," Master Chief replied, unholstering his weapon and walking forward cautiously.
Closer to the bridge, the group consisting of Fate, Glen, and Erick steadily moved up. Little resistance had been encountered that they couldn't kill with their ranged spells - Glen hadn't even deployed his sword the whole encounter, and
Bardiche was quiet in Staff Form. Glen flew silently above Erick, taking the occasional glance at Fate, who seemed to be holding up well, on the outside. On the inside, she was as cold as steel, trying not to think about the fact that every time she cast
Photon Lancer, she had it set to "kill". A flash of something caught her eye, but Erick was already on it, not pausing as he fired off three shots against a wall, which rebounded along another wall, then another, and, as they ran past the hallway the shots went down, witnessed as the magic bullets pierced the unlucky three men who had been waiting to intercept.
"As usual..." Glen sighed.
"I'm just that good," Erick smirked. Glen had to resist rolling his eyes.
On the other side of the ship, Franz cut loose with a salvo of
Lightning Javelins, nailing a mage to a wall before the spell shards detonated, spreading blood and magic energy everywhere. Behind him, the sounds of magical gunfire filled the air as his Squad went from advancing to a tactical withdrawl of sorts. They were still moving toward their destination, but enemy forces on both sides had forced the group to slow down.
"We don't have time for this!" Franz glowered, waving a hand over his sword. The blade took on a shine as he lifted it to face incoming energy projectiles. With all the grace of an experienced warrior, he deflected each shot easily, constantly moving forward. The mages he was facing stepped backward at an equal rate that he stepped forward... and their group was getting larger. "I need some help here!" he shouted to his team.
"On it, sir!" One of the helmeted soldiers said. In one movement, he turned 180 degrees to face past Franz, changing his Device into something that resembled a rocket launcher. The OFM mage kneeled, aimed, and fired a giant bolt of explosive energy that surged past Franz and hurtled into the group of rogue mages, killing those near the impact zone and scattering the rest... as others took their place, even farther away.
"Damnit, we're getting nowhere fast!" Franz shouted as
Cortana switched to Rifle Form. He dropped to one knee and loaded another cartridge. Stabilization rings popped up in front of the barrel as he aimed down the hallway simultaneously with a magic circle appearing underneath him. Franz loaded another cartridge as the rifle began to process energy from the cartridges and his Linker Core. "
Divine... Buster!
A yellow beam of energy burst from the tip of the rifle, cut through the remaining opponent mages, and continued travelling down the corridor before slamming into a distant wall. Franz stood up and pulled back the slide, loaded another cartridge and fired it. Then he faltered slightly.
"Didn't wanna do that," he muttered to himself. Looking back at his men, he said. "Right, I need to recover for a minute. Let's go."
Sir, how are things?
On the other side of the ship, Glen watched as Erick charged forth faster than he and Fate, charged up one of his fists with a
Jet Magnum, and, with a scream fueled by power, surged at the door ahead of him and punched it with all his might. The resulting impact blew the door out of place and clear backwards, taking out whatever unfortunate soul was behind it and impacting against the viewport glass of the bridge.
Erick drew both revolver Devices and stepped onto the bridge, Fate and Glen in tow. His narrowed eyes looked around, staring at the terrified crew, many of them with their hands shaking, a couple of them nervously holding staffs.
Looks like they're not th' type ta fight up close. He mused to himself.
"These people aren't fighters," Fate said to Erick. "We should give them the chance to surrender. As an Enforcer, I have that right, sir." She expected Erick to imply; she had, after all, heard good things about the man from her mother, and knew from experience he was a kind individual. But as Erick turned and gave her a melancholy look, she wasn't so sure. "...Erick?"
Erick opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly widened his eyes. Lurching toward Fate suddenly, he grabbed her by the shoulder and forced to to the ground, opening fire into the hallway behind her. "Damnit, th' Enforcers!" He shouted.
Glen moved insantly, going from rest to flying in the blink of an eye. Flying back down the hallway, he saw two men, both of which wielding weapons that clearly weren't TSAB-standard.
Two-Sword and Zweihander. Glen thought as he held a necklace to his side. "
Phoenix! Set up!"
[Jawohl!] The sword replied, flaring brightly with fire. The flames licked at Glen's armored hand as they expanded and grew before dispersing in a burst, leaving Glen with a longsword clutched in his hands. With a low growl, he twirled around once with the air and used his momentum to slash at Zweihander, who had raised his giant sword-shaped Device to block.
Fate, I need some help!
S-sorry! Fate answered, standing up and looking at Erick before raising
Bardiche. "Let's go."
[Yes, sir.]
As Fate turned and began to fly down the hallway. Erick watched them go before turning back around and staring at the bridge crew, still shaking in their boots. He sighed to himself and walked toward them.
Ten seconds later, there was a lurch as the
Exeter lifted off for the first time in over a month.
"Damnit, already?!" Emili shouted as she fired off a burst of
Ice Missiles at a group of mages down a hall. Her back was to the Chief as the two continually fired down the end of the corridor they were facing. Somewhere along the line, the two had become separated from the rest of their unit, and only the fact that their objective - the cargo hangar - was not too far away (with directions on the ceiling to boot) made things a lot easier. "How many decks to we have to go down, Chief?"
"About six more," John answered as he casually lifted his rifle and fired a 3-round burst of green magical energy at a retreating mage. "We're out of range of our allies. Should I just activate the AMF?"
"Nah, this is fun," Emili joked as she formed an
Ice Lance and fired it down a hall as they passed by it, impaling a mage to the wall. "Man, I didn't know that Navy mages were pussies."
"In here," the Master Chief said, pressing a panel next to him and revealing a staircase - the guy used when the ship's lift system is inoperable. "We'll take the stairs down."
"Alright!" Emili answered as she blocked three more energy bolts, slowly backing into the staircase. "Come on, Chief!" The SPARTAN nodded as he fired off another 3-round burst and backed into the staircase, shutting it as he passed through the threshold.
Meanwhile, Fate found herself limited. Without a giant open space, she couldn't use Zamber Form very well, unless she wanted to be bouncing into walls constantly with it. Assault Form was proving to be a hassle as well.
Well, at least the guy with the big sword is having the same problems.
Glen charged past Fate, shoulder-rushing Two-Sword just as the rogue Enforcer caught him in the side with a burst of energy. The impacts sent both mages sailing past their allies. Both mages recovered insantly, using their blades as brakes to stop their flight and pivots to stand back upright. Fate and Zweihander both raised their hands at each other.
Plasma Lancers formed around the Enforcer and fired at her opponent, who raised his massive blade to block it before retaliating with a similar attack. Fate blocked the attack with ease.
"I need to do something else... there's got to be someth..." Fate looked at Glen as he came around with an overhead slash at Two-Sword, who blocked with both blades. As magical energy surged from them, Fate got her idea. "
Bardiche, scan and assess
Phoenix!"
[Yes, sir!] A yellow, translucent beam of energy ejected from the scythe's "eye" and connected with
Phoenix for but a second before disappearing.
[Processing information. Switching to Zamber Form.] The Intelligent Device quickly set itself up into Zamber Form, but did not extend the blade as usual. Instead, it changed from there, altering the positions of the crossguard and vents to a more slender form, shortening the blade and altering the shape of the crossguard to be heavy on one side. It then extended a blade of yellow energy.
[Riot Zamber] The Device announced. Fate stared at the blade, longer than a shortsword but shorter than a longsword, and nodded. Holding the blade in a fighting stance, charged Zweihander and clashed blades with him. The massive sword of Zweihander quickly proved a hinderance in the confined space while the two locked, as he couldn't lift his sword above a certain point lest he hit the ceiling.
Glen and Two-Sword began a pursuit game as the latter retreated to a more open position; the Bridge behind Glen. Glen managed to grab hold of his leg as he flew by, but he was simply dragged into the bridge. As soon as they entered, Glen found among the dead bodies that Erick had retreated, presumably to persue the Captain, which left them no distraction for their fight.
"Clearly, you're the smart one of the group," Glen said to his opponent as he began to form two
Fire Missiles above his left shoulder. "Moving to an area where you have the presumed advantage." Two-Sword said nothing, only smirking as he formed two counterpart energy bolts. Both mages thrust an arm forward, sending the bolts at each other and detonating them, forming a burst of energy and smoke.
Fate quickly gained the upper-hand against Zweihander as they unlocked their blades from each other. She got under his defense and cut into his Barrier Jacket. The rogue Enforcer stood no chance, his weapon far too large and the range too close for defensive or ranged spells, and so he was left at the mercy of the smaller and deadlier Enforcer. She leaped into the air and did a spin-kick, forcing the blade loose from Zweihander's grasp. When she landed, she charged forth, punching the ex-Enforcer in the gut and pushing him up against the wall. Grabbing him by the throat, she held the man up off the floor with sheer strength and pointed her Riot Zamber inches from his face.
Erick had seen the Captain on a viewfeed, retreating to another part of the ship. Erick had anticipated this, of course, and easily kept pursuit, catching the Captain his in field of view and holding it as the two went between decks and rooms, eventually ending up in a large room that resembled a courtyard in the sky. As he burst into the room, the Captain leaped and rolled, summoning a staff and pointing it at the door. With a shout, he fired a massive energy blast into the corridor, sending plumes of debris into the air as the walls were opened a little.
He didn't expect it when Erick burst through, holding up a magical shield in front of him with one hand and firing with
Maverick in the other. Panicked but maintaining his composure, the Captain retreated, firing off shots by the dozens and forcing Erick on the defensive. The Gunslinger used
Burst Jump to quickly move around, from the floor to the ceiling and back again, dodging the blasts of energy and firing off a few of his own. The low-powered blasts bounced off the Captain's
Protection field, while he summoned the energy bolts outside the field.
"Nice concentration," Erick muttered to himself. "Well, see if ya can block
this!" Erick formed a blue bolt of energy in his left hand - a Proton Bolt - and used his Burst Jump to slam into the Protection field. The Captain grinned at Erick's futile attempt until he realized that Erick was
pushing through the Protection field. As if it wasn't there, Erick pushed through before the Captain could cancel the field and back away, releasing the bolt at point-blank range.
Before the smoke cleared on the bridge, Glen and Two-Sword charged each other again. Glen's flurry of slashes managed to keep up with Two-Sword as their violent fight took place suspended in midair. Two-Sword managed the upper hand by suddenly roundhouse kicking Glen, sending the Knight flying into a computer terminal. Glen was slow to recover, and before he could stand up, Two-Sword was coming down on him, both blades held up high.
"Why are you doing this?" Fate asked Zweihander.
"Why else? Power!" Zweihander responded, grinning at her. "You should join us. Between me and you, we could take over this planet."
"You're a disgrace to the Enforcers," Fate growled, tightening her grip. "I'll see to it that you're locked up for a long time."
"Locked up?" Spat the rogue. "Do you even know who you're working with? Even if you spare me, their leader will kill me."
"That's a lie," Fate said, defiant.
"Is it? Go look in the Bridge."
Glen screamed as his armor was pierced through by Two-Sword, one in each shoulder. The ex-Enforcer grinned and twisted the blades before yanking them out. He backed up a few steps, almost as if daring Glen to try and fight. The Knight, unable to use his arms for the pain, managed somehow to stand up. His lifeblood poured from his entry and exit wounds as he glared at Two-Sword.
"Surrender," he taunted.
"Go to Hell," Glen spat. "In fact, let me take you there myself!
Phoenix!"
[Jawohl!] The sword on the ground spoke, rising into the air under its own power. The cartridge loader of the blade fired once, and from it two
Fire Lashes ejected from the pommel and snaked their way to Glen's fingers. Glen's fingers twitched, and the sword responded, sending another lash toward the somewhat shocked Two-Sword.
"Such control!" he exclaimed as he sliced the lashes apart.
"You haven't seen the half of it," Glen growled as the lashes moved from his fingertips, piercing his shoulders through the wound and coagulating the blood insantly.
Phoenix lifted on one of the lashes while the other flared out and became a
Blazing Wing. Glen's ruined arms swung loosely as he ran forward, the sword twisting violently in his lash's grasp.
Fate noticed none of this as she stared at the dead bodies on the floor. Her eyes, wide in shock, could barely comprehend what she was seeing as her mind tried to rationalize the seemingly-senseless violence that had been perpetrated in this very room. Behind her, Zweihander was forming a giant blast of energy in his hands.
Erick and the Captain stood still. Both had their weapons pointed at each other, their faces grim.
Sidearm's barrel was underneath the Captain's chin while the man's staff was next to Erick's gut.
Sir, we've secured the cargo hangar. Emili reported.
Bomb planted, on our way to the cargo hangar. Franz intoned.
... Feedback telepathy. From who, Erick was uncertain, but usually this foretold bad things.
Glen? he muttered.
Ya' there, buddy?
Not now. A black voice answered him. Glen's, and...
...Son of a bitch. Erick thought.
Glen watched impassively as his lashed sword struck at the rogue Enforcer. A part of him registered Fate's existence, but didn't really notice it at first.
Fate, meanwhile, was still in shock. The bodies, the blood, all of it... as an Enforcer, she had never, ever,
killed. She brought people in for justice. But this... this was...
"Gruesome, ain't it?" a voice said behind her. As Fate turned around, the last thing she saw was a flash of white energy. At point-blank, the bombardment spell shredded her Barrier Jacket and sent her flying into the viewing glass at the far end of the bridge, right past Glen, who immediately took notice as she went screaming by. He watched as Fate smashed hard enough against the glass to crack it, then fall to the floor.
"...Fate..." he whispered.
Flashes of imagery flashed in Glen's head. Images, collected memories, of Fate. Visits, friendships, and sometimes the occasional argument. They hadn't known each other for too long, but somehow in two years the two had become close. Sure, there was her core group of friends, but in Glen's own twisted mind he really, desperately, wanted a part of her to be with him. He had allowed her to touch his heart inadvertently, and now, seeing her broken form...
"...Fate... no..."
Part of Glen knew she wasn't did.
But something else saw this as a release.
The words erupted from his mouth before he could stop them.
"Adam, release."
[Yes, Ollin.] Phoenix said in clear Mid. The sword snapped back to Glen's open palm. Ignoring any physical protests, Glen lifted the sword.
[Releasing Limiters. System Id Unlock. Passcode: I Am A Monument To All Your Sins.]
Glen's head fell. The ex-Enforcers, confused, wisely chose this moment to discretely slip out the door. Unfortunately for them, the Fire Lash emitting from Glen's ruined shoulder wrapped around their waists and lifted them high into the air before they could make it out the door. The mages retaliated by firing energy blasts at Glen's body. The blasts were to no effect, however, as a
Panzergeist enveloped the Knight as his body rapidly transformed.
The armor grew hot and tightened, becoming form-fitting. Glen's hair rapidly shifted red, as did his eyes. Looking up, the mages noticed that Glen wasn't Glen anymore.
"Murder and pain you have sewn," Glen growled to Zweihander.
"So with murder I dethrone." He lifted a hand.
"Meteor Storm." Bolts of flaming energy burst from Glen's open palm, slamming into one of the rogue Enforcers and incinerating him utterly, not even giving him a chance to scream.
As Two-Sword dropped his weapons and began to beg for mercy, Glen pulled him closer with his lash, across the floor and past the dead bodies, until he hoisted the rogue up to eye level.
"Please... please, spare me!" he begged, almost screaming.
"The Demon of Razgriz," Glen said as he watched the heat from his excess mana begin to blister and boil the rogue's skin.
"Grants no mercy to you." Glen lifted a hand and touched the rogue's Barrier Jacket, watching as it boiled through the magical material easily until his hand pressed against the man's flesh. Ignoring the screams of pain, Glen continued pushing through, burning the man alive until his hand passed through the rogue's chest, heart, and back. With a cry of pain/anger,he threw the man as violently as he could against the back of the bridge wall. The messy results rained down on the bridge as Glen's own power shook the space-bound ship.
"NO! Go... away!" Glen shouted.
"You need me." His own voice replied.
"I do not!"
"More than you'll ever know." Id smiled, looking back at Fate.
"We will protect the girl. It's what you want."
With that, Id stood and left the Bridge. The heat radiating his body melted the metal below his feet.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"...has been recovered. All men and women are accounted for." A voice was saying. "Yes, we found Captain Schattenman at the end of the trail. No, he's unconscious. The burns will take time to heal, as usual. We suspect he will have to lay out of the next mission."
"Wh... where am I?"
"Ah, you're awake, good."
Fate looked up, dazed and confused, and sat up. She was laying on the floor of a Pelican dropship, next to a couple other wounded. Looking up, she saw Franz's concerned face. "Welcome back to reality, Fate-san."
"How long was I out?" Fate asked, blinking, before suddenly standing up. "The mission! What about- ohh..." The Enforcer suddenly felt woozy and dizzy and leaned forward, using Franz as a prop. Fortunately, the OFM mage was too tired to be embarrassed.
"About ten minutes," he answered. "We found you unconscious on the bridge shortly after we found Glen. Both of you are pretty beat up... Glen moreso..."
"What happened to him?"
"Oh, uh, don't worry about it," Franz evaded the question. "Hey, you wanna watch the
Exeter explode?"
"Uh, sure..." Fate let Franz lead her to the front of the Pelican. Emili, the pilot, turned the dropship around as it traveled to the waiting
Aus'ruf, to face the XV-class ship. Fate stared at the ship as it quickly left the planet's airspace. Just as it was about to pass the planet's moon, it suddenly crackled with energy along its hull before exploding violently in a flash of blues and oranges. "...was there a section of it missing?"
"Uh... yeah..." Franz admitted. "A large hole was blasted out of it during a..."
"A firefight," Emili offered. "Don't worry about it, Fate-san. Please, it's better if you don't."
"I... okay..."
They were silent the rest of the trip.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
5 Days Later
Midchilda
"Nanoha-chan!"
"Ah, Fate-chan!"
Both magical girls met each other in something akin to a glomp, not having seen each other for quite a while.
"It's been so long, how did you arrange this?" Nanoha asked. The two had somehow managed the same off day, and had decided to take a trip to Cranagan City.
"Eh, well, some friends helped me out," Fate said, smiling. "Some good friends of ours."
"...Erick-san?" Nanoha asked. Fate nodded. "How?"
"Well..." Fate looked up at the sky. "I went on a mission with them!"
"...
really? What happened?
Tell me tell me!"
"
Mou... stop acting like a child and I will."
TSAB Medical Facilities
Glen lay in a bed, sighing, staring at the ceiling. Next to him, Emili sat silently, reading a book. There was a sense of peace, so to say... as much as there can be with a Tsundere in the room. Both mages looked at each other, looking desperate to break the silence, before again sighing and looking away at each other.
"Hey, Emili..." Glen said. "...we made it, right?"
"Yeah... but... I didn't expect Id to show up."
"Who does?" Glen asked. Looking at her, he said. "Emili... at least I didn't hurt you... and we're all still alive."
"...yeah, that's true." Emili said. "...but still, I almost lost you."
"You won't." Glen sighed. "I love you. I'm not gonna leave you."
"...I know.
In a bar, somewhere.
"But I don't drink!" Aurion protested as Erick tried to force his companion to take a shot of whiskey.
"Come on, you might like it!" Erick pushed, nearly shoving the glass up Aurion's nose.
"Remind me next time to not come with you," Aurion sighed, pushing the offending glass away. "Damn it, Erick, act like a man."
"I am a man! A drinkin' man!" Erick grinned, downed the shot of whiskey, then shouted a victory cry while holding the glass in the air.
Aus'ruf
"So how about it, neesan?" Naomi asked. "Let's go visit the planet while we're still here! Pleeease?"
"...fine, whatever," Franz sighed. "But only, only,
only if we can go to that one place. You know..."
"Oh, whatever, fine." Naomi huffed. "If it'll get you to come with me."
Franz grinned and began walking to change clothes. He missed Naomi's blush.
On another part of the ship, the Master Chief sat by himself, cleaning his armor. Relaxed, he wiped his brow and continued working.
Another long, eventful mission...
Belzac
The remains of a ship, the
Exeter, were still falling on the planet. One object in particular fell next to a child. Picking it up, the child examined the object - it was something like a computer terminal. In fact, upon closer inspection, the child saw that it was indeed such a thing!
"Ed! Come back into the house, it's dinner time!" A woman in the distance shouted.
Ed sighed. "Yes, mother. Come on, Ein." Ed and her dog began walking back home.
~
Owari
2008-01-17, 07:39
Author
I'm looking forward to Kotomi's arc though I don't think it'll be as good. 
*is not incoherent due to fatigue*
Because I have something to do with SRW:
