His World: 3rd Transmission
Written By Illuminet
Disclaimer: Characters from the Guilty Gear series are the rightful property of Arc System Works.
Note (Top): Really hard to convey the last scene in the story mode (pre credits anyway) to be touching or have many romantic hints trying to subtly make their way into the words of this story. Hopefully this was okay though. And really, where was Ramlethal officially, she just helps them figure out the Conclave's plan then gets put back in captivity? Seems rather harsh, and I'm sure Sin would have vouched for her change of character…though I get it, her role so early might have made things not so dramatic with Sol and Elphelt, so her part is still relatively minor. Anyway, this is similar to my second "His World" one shot as most of the lines are exactly from the game's story mode itself. Hope that's okay.
:xXx:
The silence was palpable with the tension. Illyria Castle, in one of the many War Rooms a conference was taking place. Things were looking rather bleak at the moment. Justice escaped, the Conclave survived, and now it was on to anticipating the next move they would make.
"I suspect that the first move will be to place her within a facility capable of reactivating her." Dr. Paradigm offered after speaking with Leo and Vernon. Leo had originally offered that they could try again, but Paradigm dissuaded him since the Conclave would be on to such a tactic now, and that there was only a slight change in the timing of their teleportation from the Backyard to the physical world would leave no quarter to do anything.
"Don't forget she'll need a whole lot of juice just to get powered up also." Sol mentioned, standing a few feet away from the others and observing them, though mainly keeping an eye on the now awakened Elphelt who was similarly separate from the others in the room as well. She was looking away, appearing rather sad.
"Frederick, are you feeling better?" Dr. Paradigm interjected. This made Sol's eye twitch irritably. He openly glared at Elphelt now.
"I'm not made of glass. If you hadn't stopped me, Justice would already be another big scrap heap within the Backyard!" The biting words brought Elphelt out of her stupor, but she dipped her head lower in shame.
"I-I'm sorry…" She uttered. Sin was there to protect her though, glaring back at Sol.
"Come on Old Man! Tone it down, El did save your life…again! Stop being a big jerk to her!" The young man said firmly. Sol grunted in annoyance.
"Tch…I wasn't sold on any of this bull until I saw Justice there in front of me." His eyes had been closed in thought. His mind briefly went to the one time when he had been prostrate at Justice's feet as he had been just recently. The first time they fought during the Crusades, when he was a Holy Knight of the Sacred Order. He wielded the first blade he called –Junkyard Dog-, the Mk-1 version as it was at that time. A mere slab of concrete that he slapped around Justice with it, but despite that, the weapon didn't crack any piece of armor. But Justice was stronger than him at that point in time and played him like a fiddle, and only his strength had impressed her enough to let him live. He swept those memories aside, for they didn't serve this situation.
"If they've found a way to revive her, reactivating her will require a shitload of energy and a facility capable of sustaining that energy for her. This much we can deduce." Sol was looking at the others now, seeing if anyone might have any other input. Leo had a hand to his chin in thought.
"Wait…doesn't this make things easy? We know that the facility must be within the maximum radius of their movement, so can't we narrow it down and get to them that way?" Leo spoke up. Dr. Paradigm sighed and shook his head.
"No, the amount of energy we're speaking of far exceeds anything possible that could be created in this era." Dr. Paradigm said. Sin's arms were crossed now and his brow was furrowed in thought.
"So how do they plan to reactivate Justice?" He asked the group, and the silence reigned once more. Everyone began to look to one another, hoping someone could think of something.
"No way it be that easy for them…they've got to be doing something…" Sin groaned. Elphelt's downcast face turned away from the group. She began to exit the room via the stairs, Sol the only one to be catching sight of her from his position.
"Where do you think you're going?" He asked, his gaze boring into her back. She didn't turn around to address him but did pause for a moment.
"I'm going to talk with Ram." She claimed.
"Will it work?" He questioned dourly. No one, not even Elphelt seem to be able to glean much from the older Valentine sister still in captivity.
"I'm not sure…but I have to try, otherwise this could actually be the end of the world!" This time she did turn to glance at him, her brows knit with worry. He closed his eyes, not wanting see the turmoil of emotions swirling in her eyes.
"The world, huh…and what exactly does this world mean to you?" He said in a low but curt tone. Now she glanced at him fully, eyes blinking with confusion.
"To…me?" She questioned. Sol wanted to have this conversation in private but time and circumstance didn't allow it. But he needed to know. Twice she saved him. Sure, he may have survived both cases but the fact still remained that she saved him anyway. Was it really out of the goodness of her heart, or an ulterior motive?
"You were just born. What the hell could you truly know about this world?" He pressed.
"Old Man, come on-!" Sin once again was trying to fend for her. Sol would have none of it. Not this time. Again, were it possible, he'd have dragged her away in private to have this conversation. But it was going to happen, and no one else but her would be able to placate him.
"Shut your mouth! You're not the one I'm asking, I asked her!" Sol stared Sin down, before his eyes went to Elphelt once more. She clasped her hands together, seeming in prayer.
"U-um…" She started to gather her thoughts. She then looked up to him fully, their eyes meeting.
"You're right, I might not be able to truly know much of this world…but…my world is Ram, and a-all of you…" Her eyes were conveying her own feelings. Soon they became downcast again.
"I don't want to lose that." She affirmed, looking to Sol again, but his own gaze betrayed nothing. She could not be sure if her words were reaching him.
"I mean…nobody's ever said I was their friend before!" Her gaze was still pleading for understanding. Sol closed his eyes, lost in thought for a moment. In other words, this was the world she wanted to fight for and Sol could relate to that. Frederick didn't want a world without Aria, and he wanted to resist it with all his might. Aria wanted her own world to end with Frederick seeing her off, that would have made her most happy and at peace. Sol himself fought and kept the world from harm on many occasions, though there were plenty of selfish motives that didn't factor others wellbeing much if at all. He sighed. There really was little else that could be done given the situation. Maybe Ramlethal would finally cave in.
"Good enough." Was all he said after a moment. He didn't see the appreciative smile Elphelt had. She left to speak with her older sister. Heavy silence reigned again with her departure. More theories and other small talk started occurring amongst the group again though. Ky had been watching some monitor footage of Justice's escape among other things. He gave a glance to Sol, who remained detached from the others. Sol was close enough to Ky to be within conversation range. The High King began to speak, venting his feelings on the situation as it was.
"Just what is the Conclave trying to instigate? The scars of the Crusades still haunt the people, it's clear to see if one looks at them. But we were steadily fixing things, thanks to Magic." He was fiddling with the locket around his neck. Sol remained silent.
"With it, we improved our conditions and expanded on them so that wars over resources became a thing of the past. Following one's dream was no longer an expense to another…" He glanced to Sol, who had his back turned. The older man sighed.
"Heh. I'm not sure what they're thinking either if that's what you're getting at. This world…it doesn't seem so bright to me though." Sol responded.
"What?" Ky questioned, fully turning towards Sol's frame.
"Good things are good…and bad shit's bad." Sol now spared a half glance towards the High King.
"Sure, things are stable now, and you get closer and closer to your endgame every day. You got people living nice lives, along with a cost on their freedom of choice." Sol quipped. Ky's eyes were narrowed.
"Then you advocate anarchy and chaos?" He questioned.
"That ain't it." Sol grumbled, turning away from Ky.
"Right now nobody works for anything: things just come like from a silver platter. People get conditioned from appreciating something to expecting that something. Deep down they eventually get scared of losing it." Sol continued, a small smirk on his lips.
"You think that's how we should live?" He questioned back to Ky. Ky's eyes closed momentary in thought before speaking again.
"Not all people have the strength to stand on their own." Ky mentioned, and Sol cast a glance at him.
"If only life was so simple…that the right way would be pointed out for each person. Yet even then, there would be those who would go against that and stray from the way, yet others would still struggle to walk such a path. Such is Human nature…" Ky looked to Sol's eyes.
"The truth is that there is no truly right path for all people. Each of us must find that path we are meant to walk…even when none exists for us. That's something I learned…from you. When I look at you Sol, I see a man who's afraid." Ky saw as Sol's eyes narrowed.
"How so?" Sol questioned in a low but threatening voice. Ky wasn't offended though. Few would ever dare to say that a man like Sol looked afraid.
"It's become very clear when I watched you caring for Sin. You work hard to keep others at arm's length." Ky said. He saw as Sol raised a clenched fist.
"…I got Gear blood coursing through these veins. There's always that little voice in the back of my head, whispering that I should just destroy all of this." He was glaring at his fist. Both knew all too well the power that could be generated from one strike of it.
"The only way I can get any closure is by hunting down That Man and beating some answers out of him. If he doesn't have those answers…then hell, maybe there's no good way to live." He lowered his arm to his side, fist unclenching.
"So that's why you close your heart off." Ky smiled now. It was rare that anyone could get Sol to open up about such things in his life.
"It's too late to protest though, given the relationship you have with Sin and myself." The High King said.
"Tch…thanks for reminding me of this hell I'm stuck in." Sol grumbled.
"Then let's change the topic…so tell me, Sol, if all this time I could have asked Dr. Paradigm about your real name being Frederick…" Ky was interrupted as one of the Guards came in and addressed him.
"Your Majesty!" The Guard exclaimed excitedly. Not only was Elphelt there, but Ramlethal as well. The smile on Elphelt's face gave it away that she had gotten through to her sister and had her cooperation. Leo wasn't liking this though.
"Ky, have you lost your…?! Ah, hell…yelling at you ain't solving anything anyway…" Leo growled and resigned from reprimanding Ky as he often wanted to. Ky stared and Ramlethal intently.
"Please go on." He urged the Valentine. She began to speak after a few tense moments.
"You already have your answer…rather, you've come very close. Justice isn't awake, but does require a vast amount of energy to stir and finally wake up." She reiterated. Sin was looking at her with a mixture of shock and awe.
"You're…going to talk to us now?" He queried. Ramlethal nodded softly. Sol shrugged in near disbelief.
"Heavy…so the dumbass and his touchy-feely bullshit actually worked…?" The Bounty Hunter pondered aloud but refocused.
"Tell us…where can they go to generate that much juice to power Justice up? We've got jack shit…maybe That Man's lab could do it…but…" He raised his hand to emphasize his point. Ramlethal gave a small shake of her head.
"We weren't planning to generate anything. Only use an already existing source. Think on it. What time is it now?" She questioned. Sol growled in annoyance.
"Little shit, enough of your riddle crap! What do you mean by…wait…" Sol's anger left him just as quickly as his eyes widened with a realization.
"They'll use…St. Elmo's Fire!" He uttered. The great phenomenon which aided in the Crusades. A lightning bolt so massive and deadly that it could vaporize even the hardened and empowered bodies of the Gears and aid in their demise. Everyone was looking at Sol now with disbelief.
"What?!" Leo questioned. Dr. Paradigm gasped as he realized soon after.
"My goodness! Yes, St. Elmo's Fire could definitely achieve such a level of power to reactivate Justice! How did I not realize it sooner…" He spoke up eagerly. Ky put a hand to his chin in thought.
"Interesting…but how could it be done?" The High King questioned. Dr. Paradigm adopted the same gesture of thought.
"Mmmm…well for sure an impressive facility would be required to refine that power into energy and feed it to Justice…" The floating Gear conceded and continued to stew the information in his head. Sin had been looking between his father and Dr. Paradigm with crossed arms as he took in the information they spoke of.
"You mean like Illyria Castle, right?" He mentioned. Dr. Paradigm looked at him with confusion.
"What?" He asked the eyepatch wearing youth.
"Well…isn't like a lightning rod or something? Not that I really got what that was all about but, still…" Sin shrugged. Both Ky and Sol realized that Sin was regurgitating the very information they had passed to the young man when he asked about St. Elmo's fire from the radio broadcast about the incident in Babylon that erased so many lives from existence. All the others in the room raised their arms up in surprise.
"That's it!" Ky exclaimed excitedly. There was some work to be done now for sure in order to defend against Justice's reawakening. Ky and Dr. Paradigm had worked quickly to devise the best possible strategy. Leo was sent with a retinue of the Illyrian army to spread the word in the streets to the people, making sure they evacuated immediately from the city. Leo was left to decide how to best handle the evacuation. The King decided to have the Human soldiers aid in the retreat of the citizens to wherever they could so long as it was nowhere in the city or castle areas. Leo had also decided to leave the Opuses on site.
Meanwhile, with the others…
"Now listen closely! This is the last chance we have! Remlethal has told us that the energy converging equipment is at the west section of the castle…therefore that's the most likely place Justice will reveal herself!" Dr. Paradigm explained. Sin pumped his fist in the air excitedly.
"Awesome! So we just smash that tower to bits! Good plan, I like it." The young half Gear smirked. Dr. Paradigm gave him a deadpan look.
"No, Sin, it's not that simple…" He rebuked. Sin looked at him confused, as Dr. Paradigm expected.
"Yes, we could destroy that tower, but then we would have no way of protecting the country from being razed to pieces by St. Elmo's destructive force." He explained. Sin grunted.
"Aw man…that's not good." He said. Ky stepped forward to speak.
"Then why not destroy the siphoning equipment the system has? Justice wouldn't be able to absorb anything that way, right?" The High King interjected. Dr. Paradigm shook his head.
"Unfortunately we would still face another problem then: Without dissipating the lightning we would be at risk of being terminated by the sheer force of St. Elmo's Fire." He told them. Both father and son were confused now what the doctor had in mind to stop the reawakening if nothing could be done to the equipment.
"Then what the hell can we do?!" Sin groaned. The doctor readjusted his glasses.
"I intend to forgo Justice's physical reactivation." He said. Ky stared in disbelief.
"What?!" He shouted. Dr. Paradigm held out his hand in passivity.
"Please, just hear me out your Majesty. Remember that it's Chronus's goal to reactivate Justice and then bind his soul to her body so that he's in control of her. Binding to a vessel like her also requires a vast amount of energy, meaning that he will want to achieve this goal simultaneously." He told them. Sol had been watching from the sidelines, but smirked at hearing that.
"Makes sense." Sol knew what Dr. Paradigm was getting at. He let the doctor continue speaking in order to explain it to Ky, Sin, and the others.
"Indeed. Therefore what I propose is this: Let us amplify the power of St. Elmo's Fire to such a degree that it will overload the system!" Both Paradigm and Sol grinned knowingly. Sin looked back and forth between them for a moment before straight up just asking.
"What does that mean?" He questioned while glancing at Sol. Sol held his fist in the air.
"It means we barbeque the Conclave!" He declared. Outside the city was quiet but the winds were strong, and heavy black clouds blotted the sky. The feint din of choppers could be heard all around as Local News was relaying the information that was passed to them by Ky himself to pacify the public: that he and an elite group had a plan to stop the Cradle. The group of this elite team had made their way to the West Tower. Sol looked to Dr. Paradigm.
"Listen Birdbrain…in order to amp up St. Elmo's Fire, you'll need some serious power, and I'm the one for that job and you know it!" Sol declared. Everyone stood before a huge organ looking contraption which was actually the generating equipment to gather and then dissipate St. Elmo's Fire. The doctor sighed.
"If only I had the luxury of utilizing two Sols. One to amplify the energy of St. Elmo's Fire, and one to actually remove Chronus from inside of Justice. You are more capable of the latter so that's going to be your role. In fact, you're the only one truly capable of it." Dr. Paradigm conceded. Sol nodded.
"So if that's a half of your plan, what's the other?" He asked. Dr. Paradigm stroked his beard.
"About that…" He trailed off.
"Huh?" Sol uttered. The doctor turned away from Sol to face somewhere else.
"I had hoped to meet again…but not under these circumstances." He spoke softly. The soft footsteps were familiar. Sol recognized the woman instantly. Dizzy, the daughter of Justice. The first Gear to ever be spared by Sol himself when he held her very life in his hands. During Baptisma XIII, to prevent her sublimation due to her Gear Cells, Ky had sacrificed the Thunder Seal of the Outrage Set in order to keep her physical body rooted though it meant her being trapped in ice eternally without a means of reversing the process. That was until Dr. Paradigm got to work to remedy the situation after the first Valentine's demise at Sol's hands. Ky had separated himself from the others and lead Dizzy to privacy. Sin had taken his leave shortly after. There was much catching up to do, though not a lot of time to do it.
"So she made it out okay…good." Sol said softly. Dr. Paradigm snickered.
"This from the Corrupted Flame himself? I dare say it almost sounds like you care." The floating Gear chuckled. Sol spared him a deadpan look.
"Maybe you rather I wring your neck…until your head just snaps clean off!" Sol cracked his knuckles audibly. Elphelt looked at the retreating figures with a fawning expression.
"Awww…a forbidden love…" She muttered softly and in contentment.
"Um…why is your nose bleeding…?" Ramlethal looked at her in confusion.
"Uh…no reason…" She sniffled, averting her gaze from the Kiske family when her sister addressed her. Dr. Paradigm had assigned posts for the group after the family reunion and Ky, Dizzy, and Sin returned from privacy.
"Good, it seems everyone is at their posts. I'll make this explanation quick since time is of the essence. As you know, Dizzy, Elphelt, Ramlethal and myself will be at control room in the basement under the tower and preparing the amplification procedure." He communicated to everyone via the magic communication phone.
"Frederick is already at the top of the tower to await Justice. The rest of those who can fight, remain between the entrance and the West Tower. We can be sure of resistance will be around there. If anyone attempts to obstruct us, eliminate them." He said in all seriousness.
"Understood!" Ky's voice responded over the set resolutely.
"Will do!" Leo said after.
"On it!" Sin announced last.
"Wait, what about El and Ram? Can't they fight with us?" Sin asked after a moment.
"No. In case things go awry, they are our insurance plan. Call them the last line of defense should our calculations be off the mark. Elphelt especially can provide some very unique insight." The doctor explained.
"I-I'll do my best!" Elphelt said close by Dr. Paradigm's head so Sin and the others not in the basement could hear her. Dr. Paradigm readjusted his glasses for the grave news to follow.
"Last but not least…keep in mind Illyria Castle isn't meant to withstand an amplified strike of St. Elmo's Fire. Because of that…there is a chance this operation may cause the entire castle to explode." A silence fell over everyone.
"Wait…what?!" Sin's voice shouted over the line.
"Just focus on succeeding! Good luck everyone!" Paradigm cut the connection after. Sol grunted.
"Heh…that would be too bad, eh…" He muttered to himself. He didn't have to wait long either, feeling the influx of energy before actually seeing it. A red fiery sphere penetrated the sky and little by little did the towering form of Justice revealed herself. Soon the aura from The Backyard faded and she stood there, nearly as tall as the tower itself. The pads of her shoulders bristled with magic energy before sending tendrils into the buildings structure in preparation to absorb the energy that would flow from St. Elmo's fire in a few minutes. It seemed a little too soon to Sol, but he waited, then heard the magical line open up again.
"Impossible…they are starting their operation sooner than I thought they would…but why?" Dr. Paradigm was questioning on the other side of the line. Sol gritted his teeth in annoyance. Justice was roaring now, as if rousing from a long slumber, but it was indeed too soon: St. Elmo's Fire hadn't come yet.
"They are siphoning energy already…but…no, that's what I failed to account for! Of course…they must have stored energy in a capacitor! Frederick…I apologize, I grossly miscalculated. Chronus must be planning to bind his soul to Justice before her awakening!" Dr. Paradigm realized. Sol stared at Justice, seeing the glow of the Gear emblem on her forehead become brighter and brighter.
"…figures…" Sol muttered. The two could hear Ky on the line.
"So our enemies have moved sooner then anticipated. Sin, Leo, and I are already here guarding the tower. I think it's best to stay the course of our own plan. Things haven't changed so drastically that we will need to alter anything, correct?" Ky questioned.
"I think Ky's got a point here. You've led us this far, doctor. Just stick to the plan." Leo agreed.
"Alright, I'll update you all of any changes…still, I'm surprised the Conclave didn't bring any reinforcement besides Justice…they must have anticipated our own countermeasure to an extent…hmmm…" Paradigm trailed off, and he cut off the connection as a result. Sol didn't like having to wait like this. Justice seemed so close he could spit on her if he so chose. The line came up again, but this time Leo was the one that initiated it.
"Doctor…you said that the Conclave was binding to Justice before her awakening right? Wouldn't that mean that their will and Justice's become one?" Leo questioned.
"Yes…that would be fair to say." Dr. Paradigm agreed.
"It makes sense, I suppose…oh no!" Ky had spoken up with the realization.
"Justice can control all Gears she wishes to through willpower alone right? Or more accurately, beings who have Gear cells engineered in them…" Ky's voice held grave concern. Dr. Paradigm realized where he was getting at too.
"Such as the Opus! Your majesty…how many of them are here? In the Capitol itself?" The floating Gear questioned.
"Nearly 1,200 in total…Opus cover 80% of the world…and Illyria was the first to have them." After saying that there was silence.
"Heavy…so that's how it is, huh? Why bring an army when one exists within the very walls of your enemy?" Sol said after a moment.
"Yes…the Opus were the Sanctus Populi's idea…How did I not realize this sooner…of course it all makes sense now. Justice alone would not be able to subjugate the entire world as it is…by having her will used, that remaining 80% of the world that have the Opuses would be overrun! And it starts here! Everyone! Man your stations, the enemy is going to be in control of the Opus, it has to be!" Dr. Paradigm exclaimed with fervor. He wasn't in those locations, but were he with Ky, Sin, and Leo he would have seen a mob of Opus soldiers coming. Sol was already eyeing the Opus that started to climb up the outer walls of the Tower to reach his own vantage point. They ascended faster and faster, in greater numbers. Sol regarded the swarm with narrowed eyes.
"Bring it on!" He snarled. He caught a glimpse of Ky, Sin, and Leo fighting a congregation of them but turned his focus towards his own immediate threat. Had his gaze dwelled longer he would have seen that Ramlethal and Elphelt had headed to aid the three, having disregarded Dr. Paradigm's words to stay down in the basement. Sol may have been alone, but his power surpassed the others. Even as droves swarmed him, the Junkyard Dog crushed the opposition. Some time while Sol was beating the Opus units down, the line came up again. It sounded as if Leo had grunted in pain.
"Leo, what's wrong?!" Ky's voice sounded soon after that, but Leo didn't respond to him.
"Damn…we've lost contact with Leo while in the fray. I'm backtracking to check on him!" He said.
"Elphelt is with King Leo, and Ramlethal is helping Sin also. They disregarded my orders to stay in the basement. They should be fine with those two helping them, so focus on your own mission!" Dr. Paradigm spoke to Ky. Sol still had some reservations about Ramlethal, but it was clear to see that Sin had a way with her, so he remained quiet and focused on his own opponents, who was a great multitude of Opus trying to swarm him. Sol didn't doubt that Chronus wanted him dealt with more than any of the others, since he was the biggest threat to Justice's awakening.
"I've taken care of any hostiles left in my area." Ky told the doctor.
"Should have known that was the case. Fine, go see if he's okay." The floating Gear responded. The connection was cut shortly after. Sol had finally dwindled down the number of Opuses to a scant few. In the time in between he wasn't made aware of the other circumstances going on, the most recent being Ky's near fatal assassination attempt by Axus of the Conclave. Ky had ended the man's life though while revealing a hidden power of his own. Dr. Paradigm opened a line to Sol.
"Frederick, prepare yourself. When I give the signal, you just tear Chronus apart, alright?!" The doctor said to him. Sol gave a sigh of relief.
"Be quick about it, bird!" Sol said after punching an Opus off the roof to smash into the ground far below.
"Three…two…one…Go!" The floating Gear counted down, and Sol smirked, catching sight of lightning streaks among the black clouds. The sky lit up as the massive bolt that was St. Elmo's Fire descended to wash over the tower. Electricity was pulsing back into the tendrils of Justice and she roared again. Dr. Paradigm had also signaled to Dizzy, who gave a blast of her Gamma Ray to amplify the energy of St. Elmo's Fire. The energy coursed into Justice rapidly and she gave a howl of pain.
"Finally!" Sol rushed off the tower, zipping towards Justice. Unknown to him, Libraria of the Conclave had switched places with Chronus and used Magic to teleport him just shy of safety. Sol evaded as Justice tried to crush him in her fist, his body narrowly escaping before she could get a grip. He ran down the length of her arm, leaping off and descending straight down her mouth as a fiery aura surrounded his body.
"Time to die again, Justice!" Sol reared the Junkyard Dog Mk. III in front of him. He was down her throat in record time, his aura destroying her from the inside out. When he saw the chamber and the figure he was sure to be Chronus, he generated a light so bright that it nearly blinded him as well. The chamber disintegrated in the bright pillar of flame burst free from Justice's back as she fell. Once the chaotic inferno ran out Sol was hovering at the center to survey the damage he wrought on Justice. Her entire back was blown away and she did not move. Sol kept his eyes steadily on her a moment longer. The tower soon collapsed in a heap before him.
"Well that sucks…" He muttered. Other parts of the Castle were similarly falling apart as Justice fell in a heap on the ground. The clouds began to disperse and Sol saw the sun peering over the horizon. He gazed at it and sighed, averting his eyes when the blinding light became too much. A wave of fatigue and relief swept over him for a brief moment, his muscles relaxed. He felt like he wanted to sleep for a little bit, feeling his body falling from the sky but not really caring. A fall wasn't going to kill him.
"OLD MAN!" Neither was Sin's yelling going to kill him either. That didn't mean it wasn't annoying at times. Sol wanted him to be quiet.
"Shut up!" He voiced as such as he was lying back down in the rubble of the castle, having landed conveniently behind Sin. The young half Gear turned and smiled broadly.
"Hey!" He greeted. Ky wasn't far away either.
"Sol!" He called out as well in relief. Sol noticed that Dr. Paradigm, Dizzy, and Remlethal were there as well.
"Mr. Badguy, are you okay?" Dizzy said in concern. Sol got up and dusted himself off.
"Tch…the whole family is annoyingly loud…" He muttered to himself.
"Thank goodness you made it too, Frederick!" Dr. Paradigm said, and then soon scanned the area.
"But…what of King Leo and Elphelt?" He pondered aloud. Sin also looked about at the wreckage.
"We should split up probably…" He spoke as he continued to look around. His eye caught the familiar clothing of Elphelt. She was nearly hidden by a fallen pillar. Sin's smile returned and he caught Ramlethal's hand in his own, much to the Valentine's surprise, though it showed only by the flush of her cheeks.
"Look Ram, El's okay!" He announced cheerily and pulled Ramlethal along to greet the other Valentine. Another part of rubble close by swayed and broke apart, revealing a knelt down Leo. His eyes retaining focus, he called out to Sin and Ramlethal.
"No, don't! Something's happened to her!" He warned them. Sin was understandably confused.
"Huh…?" Almost too fast for him to react, Elphelt used one of her pistols and shot it at Sin's direction, and he narrowly avoided the bullet thanks to Ramlethal pulling him out of the way. Ky's eyes narrowed.
"What are you doing?!" He demanded in an even tone. Leo was right. Something was definitely off about the younger Valentine. She had never attacked Sin ever before.
"El…what's the meaning of this?" Ramlethal stood protectively by Sin's side. Sol's grip of the hilt of his blade tightened. Had he been right about her after all? Had she really played them all for fools? She lowered her gun after a moment.
"With Justice's awakening, my mission is complete." Her voice was a devoid of emotion like Ramlethal's usually was.
"Heh…figures…" Sol grunted out but he was not amused. He looked into her eyes and saw the lack of emotion in their depths. Gone was that innocent seeming girl.
"El…come on, this is just some joke right…?" Sin looked at her desperately. He didn't want to believe it. Not after witnessing so many facets of the person he knew as Elphelt. Sol's face was deathly calm.
"She can't hear you…just drop it, Sin." He told his apprentice. There was an inner turmoil of his own though. He had actually lessened his guard for the girl. In all of his years of life, he should have known better. Now he was going to terminate both of the Valentines, as he should have from the get go. Sin was still not willing to believe though.
"What the hell, Old Man…I don't get what's happening now, but can't we fix this? She's not our enemy!" Sin insisted frantically.
"It's simple to grasp. I've completed my objective." Elphelt stated. Sin gritted his teeth in aggravation.
"Dammit El, stop screwing around! This isn't funny anymore!" He pleaded.
"This is no joke. I was originally tasked with monitoring Sol Badguy. To best achieve that, I needed to get close to you to stay close to him. This was to insure he didn't interfere with the plan." She explained.
"Oh yeah?" Sol said in a deadpan tone. He'd give her just enough time to explain herself before ending her existence, he decided.
"Yes. You couldn't be allowed to destroy Justice too early or completely. As she is now, she is still salvageable. Also, I was to ensure that you never woke up. Ever." The way she spoke those words caused Sol's eyes to narrow more. The Valentines were trying to keep Sol from being awoken into the Dragon? It was simple really. With Justice, you had someone with the Command Ability to harness the Opus and subjugate the World. With the Dragon, you just had an uncontrollable monster who would destroy everything on the World, period.
"Tch…of course." Sol said evenly, about to get his blade at the ready to take her down. Sin stared at the ground, fists clenched tightly at his sides.
"That's impossible. Then every conversation we've ever had…were those all lies then?" He asked, his mouth drawn in a frown.
"Not precisely. My own objective was kept hidden even from myself as to ensure I would not awaken too early." Elphelt explained. Ramlethal stepped in front of Sin, facing her sister.
"So now the truth comes out of you, El…then you weren't a defect as I had thought for so long…but you and Sin have shown me something that I thought I lacked. I won't let you hurt Sin or the others." She declared.
"I'll bring you to your senses. As a payment of my debt to you." Ramlethal summoned her two Lucifero held blades to her sides. Sin's hand was on her shoulder.
"Wait Ram, there has to be another way! I refuse to believe this…El, are you really saying that we don't mean anything to you? Nothing at all?!" Sin's voice fell on deaf ears. Sol shook his head. Sin was stubborn, he'd give him that much. But he noticed something in what Elphelt said next.
"Everything I've experienced has been r-recorded…a very important p-piece of the…puzzle…" There was a hint of distress in her voice, Sol was sure of it. Sin and the others realized it too.
"El…?" Sin spoke softly and hopefully. Sol continued to observe.
"But this is…only a…recording…record…record…" Her words were clipped, but the distress in each syllable seem to be showing through in her voice. Sol took another look between Elphelt and Sin, and then back to Elphelt again. Even Ramlethal started calling out to her.
"El…your emotions…" But Elphelt cut her off.
"How…can this be…good?!" She was talking to herself, the voice a lot like the regular Elphelt that they all knew. Her eyes closed sharply as she gasped in pain, contending with something only she could feel.
"Yes, El! Fight it! You can do this!" Sin was emboldened, calling out support thought Elphelt didn't seem to hear him. Sol brought up his empty fist.
'This fucking little bitch…so it's down to this, is it?' He was done observing. Lowering his fist, he took steady steps towards her struggling form. Now Sin was concerned.
"Old Man, don't!" He called to Sol, his eye growing fearful that Sol had enough of the bother and was just going to kill Elphelt and be done with her. Ramlethal also was about to attack him to defend Elphelt, but paused as he had gone well within range of attacking her but didn't, just staring her down. He suddenly brought his hand up and grabbed her roughly by the chin and made her look him straight in the eyes.
"GET BACK HERE!" He roared into her face, much to everyone's surprise.
"Huh?" Was the collective humming gasp of the others. Elphelt seemed to quiver.
"All the Valentines had emotions. Even I won't try and say they didn't." His voice was gruff as usual.
"So why don't YOU PROVE IT TO ME?!" His voice rose steadily as he snarled at her. She was going to get out of this Valentine funk and she was going to answer him. This is what he decided.
"I'm…I'm…" The pupils of her eyes dilated, as her eyes widened. She screamed in agony, a powerful force sending Sol back to skid on his feet to a halt, next to Ky. A few injuries, but nothing Sol couldn't contend with. Black energy spiked and swirled around her, and behind her on either side were two giant blades, though not anything like Ramlethal's own katana like ones. Rose motifs adorned the white surface at the center of the black blades which were more akin to distorted Crosses.
"Pointless. I cannot disobey a direct order." Now Elphelt's irises swirled with crimson, her face devoid of emotions.
"Elphelt Valentine. Eliminate all redundancies. Without exception." When she spoke those words, Sol remembered her saying the same thing whenever she awoke from her sleep. It must have been residue of her hidden program shining through at those moments of waking up. Black wings sprouted from the blades behind her, and her entire body was now bathed black, her hair becoming silver. Any injury she caused Sol was regenerated quickly and easily as he walked back up to stare at her hovering form.
"Let me ask you one more thing…is there ANY Elphelt left in there?" He gazed at her intently.
"In…? I have and always have been myself. All of my memories are still intact, so the apparent answer would be -Yes-." She responded indifferently.
"Good. Now bring her back." Sol demanded in a low but even tone.
"My behavior is in accordance with my will, and I am Elphelt. Therefore your demand is pointless: She is already here." Again her voice was calm and logical.
"I ain't talking about this thing. You've got her memories, but you're definitely something different." He said as if it were matter of fact. Now her crimson gaze seemed somewhat questioning.
"Are you suggesting that newer memories or experiences are somehow invalid? By that logic, no single person would remain the same individual from moment to moment. At the very least I can assure you that biologically speaking, I am the only Elphelt." She explained. Now Sol was becoming aggravated.
"Idiot…I already know that. If we're going by your logic, then no lines could be drawn anywhere…that there isn't any difference between Earth and Space." His eyes closed as his head turned away from facing her, annoyed that nothing he was saying seemed to be reaching her.
"Without a clear boundary, I see no problem with that worldview." She retorted evenly. Sol smirked.
"But there IS a line, just a hard one to draw. Just like there is a line in you too. One side is this thing that you are now. The other side is the person WE know as Elphelt." He could feel anger and confusion starting to well in her. He was hitting a nerve. When he opened his eyes again, she was right there, face to face with him.
"Your words poison my mind. Mother's orders prevent me from destroying you, but I must ask you to be quiet for a while." Now her eyes became aglow with power. Sol's expression remained solemn.
"…right." He quipped. She was out of his sight in a blur of motion. Now completely out of reach again, she raised her hand as crimson energy swirled around her. She summoned several black rifles in a ring formation around her. These rifles twirled about her, gaining momentum, before blasting a great volley of energy bullets to arc and rain down on Sol and the surrounding area. This forced Ky and the others back. Ramlethal considered flying up there to get within range to force Elphelt's power to shut down, because just as Elphelt could subdue Ramlethal's powers, so too could Ramlethal do the same after all. But Sin had grabbed her and pulled her bodily away. Ky kept a protective arm around Dizzy. Leo had narrowly escaped getting blasted himself as he regrouped with his allies.
"Old Man, get out of there!" Sin called to Sol.
"Sol, what are you doing…?" Ky called out as well. Sol remained still as a statue as the shots blared around him. As the blasts closed in on his location, Sol brought his arms up to protect himself from flying debris, biding his time as he kept keen eyes leveled on Elphelt's form in the sky.
"Now…" He mumbled, getting the timing of the spinning rifles around her. His body zipped up towards her at incredible speeds, his body bypassing the rifles as he got in range of her. She could only react with astonished eyes, and Sol was sure her mouth was agape if he could make it out among the black haze that was her current form. The strike from his weapon barely jolted her, but her wings were another matter. An explosion of fire had rend them to pieces. The light also blinded the others of the view of what had happened. Both Sol and Elphelt were back on the ground, kneeling before each other. It was Sol that rose up first.
"Old Man, is she…?" Sin had run up to Sol's side, looking at the downed Elphelt as her hand lay upon her other arm. Everyone's gaze turned to see Justice's body floating in the air in the distance, the aura of the Backyard surrounding her body.
"Justice is being teleported away…? But by who?" Dr. Paradigm questioned as the Herald of Destruction disappeared out of thin air.
"Ms. Elphelt said Justice was still salvageable…we let her get away, but…!" Ky noticed the a similar aura surrounding Elphelt, as did the others.
"El!" Sin gasped out. It was Sol that surprised the others most.
"No!" He uttered, his voice holding a hint of despair. His teeth clenched tightly together.
"Damn it!" He growled, his voice still holding an unfamiliar quality of sadness to the others. In a few steps he was in front of Elphelt as her body began to float in the air, the aura of the Backyard becoming denser around her frame. Bits of the rose petals from her bouquet that had been rattled loose swirled around her. He looked her, his mouth a firm line. Then he reeled his arm back. When his fist came flying forward, he was not surprised that she had a form of protection against him in the form of Absolute Defense: Felion. It was all rather too convenient. Regardless, his fist jolted the bubble of protection a little.
"There's no point in trying. This is Absolute Defense: Felion. There's no way for you to break through it." She chided him. Sol would have none of it.
"Shut up!" Again his fist slammed into the barrier and jarred her.
"Stop it!" She demanded, but Sol didn't relent. His fist continued to slam the barrier. Again and again.
"You should know better than anyone else. This is pointless!" She declared with logic. After all, it was no thanks to That Man that Sol was able to destroy the Absolute Defense: Felion of the Cradle before Justice had emerged. Sol just grunted and slammed his fist down again.
"Me? What the hell do I know? All I'm trying to do is hit one of those memories you've seem to have forgotten!" The force of his fist felt even stronger as he kept hammering at the barrier despite the futility.
"A memory…?" Her voice hinted her bemusement. She was rattled again by the power of his fist slamming against the barrier encasing her.
"Heh…you really know how to get on my nerves, don't you?" He was merciless in his punches. Even more power was put into those strikes because he could hear it in her voice. Her confusion shown that he was finally starting to get through to her.
"Nobody tells me something's impossible. When I tried to go to the Backyard after Justice, you stopped me. Now, I figured that was part of your plan." His fist rested against the barrier now, their eyes locked on each other. Elphelt fell silent, having no retort to try and deter Sol.
"But the reason you gave me…it boiled down about how people shouldn't be alone. If that's not a lie…" His fist reared back again.
"…then PROVE IT TO ME!" When his fist connected this time, sparks flew throughout the barrier and it shook violently, but remained steady. Elphelt's eyes, once cold and devoid of emotion, now shown with feeling. She looked at Sol carefully.
"Thank you." She told him, her voice like the original Elphelt that Sol had come to know. Her body glowed white, and soon after her body was back to normal. Her expression was kind and tender.
"I'd love nothing more than to do that…" She was smiling brightly. Inside Sol felt relief that his words had reached her. The others were also quite amazed by this. It was very unlike the Sol they were accustomed to seeing. Sure, he was still gruff around the edges, but he was showing an emotion of caring and concern for someone else, and it wasn't tied to simple revenge against That Man.
"El…you're really back now, right?" Sin dared to hope. Elphelt's expression became a little more solemn when he spoke to her.
"I'm sorry. But I…can't fight mother's will." She spoke with a tone of regret.
"Wha…? But El, you're…okay now, right? You CAN fight it. You already did!" Sin declared hopefully. Elphelt did not share this sediment.
"I really did love making friends with you. With all of you! I'll prove that I wasn't lying!" Her face became downcast, an electric aura surrounding her that began to get brighter and brighter.
"Oh shit…you're not planning on self-destructing…come on El, don't!" Sin backed away steadily as her body flashed even more dangerously. Sol, Sin, and Ramlethal remained rooted in their spots even though the others backed up warily.
"Sin!" Dizzy called out to her son, but Sin shook his head. He didn't want to back down. Elphelt's gaze fell to the ground.
"This is the only freedom I have left...I'm so sorry." Her body glowed even more fiercely. Sol gritted his teeth in annoyance. He wasn't often one to easily agree with Sin, but felt like his apprentice was right on this one.
"You fucking idiot!" He growled, fist slamming into Absolute Defense: Felion with more fervor. Elphelt seemed beyond hearing and reasoning by this point though.
"If this was how it was going to end…I wish I'd never been given emotions in the first place." Her eyes became glassy, tears starting to form.
"If this is all they lead to…why did I have to have feelings anyway?!" She began to sob, her aura growing white hot. Sol had stopped punching finally, looking at her. His eyebrows were knit close together, his lips parted to reveal his gritted teeth. In this moment he pondered this feeling of hopelessness swirling and coiling within him. He didn't need to ponder long on the feelings, his body was well familiar with these emotions even if it had been ages since the feelings had last emerged. These were the feelings that Frederick felt when he was about to lose Aria. A part of Sol wanted to reject these feelings as rubbish, obviously the side that made him the Gear. The cold and precise persona of the living weapon that only needed to be alive to destroy, not protect. Sol could not suppress these feelings though, not as easily as he usually could. Had Elphelt really had such an effect on him that he didn't want to lose her?
"I've heard enough." Ramlethal declared and raised her hand. With her power to negate her sister's own, Elphelt's aura fizzed out.
"Huh…?" Elphelt had forgotten that in the tense moment.
"Emotions are very important, and I understand that now. You and Sin have taught me that." Ramlethal said as Elphelt's body began to rise higher into the air. The Backyard would soon take her away. Sol's glance became downcast as he looked away from Elphelt. If anyone could see his face, there was the small expression of relief on his face. The others gathered closer again, watching as Elphelt continued to rise.
"Ram…" Elphelt spoke softly.
"Mother is mistaken. You and I are not tools. You are unique to me. To Sin and the others here you call friends." Ramlethal held her fist clasped over her heart.
"So I'm going to save you. I promise. So please, hold on!" Ramlethal's voice was full of feeling, her eyes mirroring her sister's with tears on the brink of shedding. Elphelt pressed her hands against the barrier that was now a prison just as much as it was protection. She was about to disappear into the Backyard.
"O-Okay! I will! As long as it takes!" She reassured her sister. Soon after she was gone. Sin's eye was hooded, a sad smile on his face. He was glad Elphelt would be okay thanks to Ramlethal's interference. He had totally forgotten about the power suppressing abilities that linked them together. After a long silence, Sol moved. He turned away from the others. Ky eyed him from curiously.
"Sol?" The High King was rather surprised by the events that transpired, especially with Sol's uncharacteristic actions moments before. Sol had been right about Elphelt all along, but spared her instead and tried to help her regain herself rather than kill her and be done with it. This was just so unlike him. Sol grunted in annoyance.
"Tch…bunch of touchy-feely bullshit." He uttered in his usual guttural tone. Now everyone's attention was to the Bounty Hunter.
"Wh-What…?!" Sin gaped. It was easy to leave it to Sol to kill a touching mood. Sol brought Junkyard Dog Mk. III up and leaned it across his shoulder and started to walk away.
"The hell are you standing around for? We've got to get her back." He gripped the hilt of the weapon tighter in his grasp.
"I'm not losing anybody else..." That was the decision Sol had made and would stick to. He had lost a lot of things in his long life. His life had once been branded with a life of muddled confusion after the Gear Conversion, then a single minded purpose of revenge, and now these other new emotions he would have to adapt to. Of a situation not even Frederick's knowledge could shed much but the most basic light on: to grudgingly accept he did have friends and family.
"But Sol…how will we know where to even begin the search?" Ky asked. Sol did pause in his stride, but spared a glance towards Dr. Paradigm.
"Bird…you better start talking. How did you enlist the help of…him? Or was he the one who asked to be enlisted in your plan to fuck up the Cradle?" Sol questioned. Dr. Paradigm shrugged.
"He was the one that came to me while I was devising strategies to take on the Cradle. He wrote the portion of my scenario where he used the Schwarzchild Radial Limit and your power to destroy Absolute Defense: Felion. That's why he was my…ah, trump card. Even then I was worried how you might react actually meeting him like that. As an Ally." The floating Gear explained. Sol's fist clenched tighter.
"I've got to track him down again, eh? Well, it's what I'm usually doing anyway." He said.
"Hey Old Man, we're going to help too of course. You're not alone in this remember?" Sin pumped his fist in the air.
"I agree that we have to save her. This makes us comrades then, Sol Badguy." Ramlethal concluded. Sol shrugged and then walked on again. That Man would be vital, because very few truly knew the intricacies of the Backyard like he did as far as Sol knew. This would perhaps mark the first time ever Sol would hunt down That Man without the intent to kill him. A new set of complexities in his world were starting to unfold. The one constant now was simple: Save Elphelt and spare her from her fate.
:FIN:
Note (Bottom): This will be the last of the "His World" one shots, but of course I'll be writing more Guilty Gear stories in the future I'm sure. Thank you for checking this one shot and have a great day!