Blood Calls To Blood
Chapter 1
The Jewel Seed flared out of hiding, sending a blue column shooting upwards into the sky. It was still early enough that no one was out on the streets to see the superfluous display of magic, but Fate didn't want to risk being seen. Anyone could look out their window from the tall skyscrapers and see the ruckus, and Fate had explicit instructions not to let herself get caught.
"Sealing Mode."
"Let's hurry and get this done, Bardiche."
"Affirmative."
Fate concentrated, blasting the Jewel Seed with a burst of yellow magic as Bardiche confirmed, "Sealing." The Jewel Seed pulsed threateningly, but finally subdued and faded into a dull blue diamond once again.
"Jewel Seed XXV," Fate murmured, absorbing the Jewel into Bardiche's core and flying away from the site before any curious folk showed up. "Hopefully, this is the one Onee-chan needs, right Bardiche?"
Good job, Fate! A warm voice praised her telepathically, making Fate smile slightly. I knew that you would do well on your own!
Thanks, Linith, Fate replied, blushing shyly. But knowing you're there looking out for me really helps.
Let's go home now, shall we?
About to agree, Fate suddenly jerked to a halt, hovering in mid-air. Something felt off—she could feel strong signs of approaching magic in the area. One was another Jewel Seed, but the other...an approaching teleport?
Linith?
It's not me! Linith warned, her mental voice rising in alarm. Run, Fate, it's probably the TSAB!
I can't! Fate spun around and flew back into the heart of the city, scanning the streets for signs of the rampant Jewel Seed. There's another one here! I have to get it!
A growl echoed in Fate's head, but she could feel Linith acquiescing, the familiar joining the search in the outskirts of the city. Quickly then—if Fate could find the Jewel before the TSAB officers arrived...She had to get it. There was no way she could let her mother and sister down. After months of searching on other worlds, her mother had finally tracked down a large number of Jewel Seeds on this planet. And Fate knew, even though Mother tried to hide it from her, that her kind mother didn't have much time left. Before her mother dies, Fate wanted to fulfill her last wish.
A rainbow cascade of light beamed down into the alley practically in front of Fate, making her dive and hide behind a building corner.
She was too late.
When the teleport light faded two TSAB cadets stood in the alley, looking around with well-trained interest. They didn't look much older than Fate herself, probably nine or ten at the most, so she doubted that they were full officers—although the boy's Barrier Jacket was black and mildly resembled the Enforcer uniforms that Linith had shown Fate when teaching her about the Time-Space Adminstration Bureau. The other mage was a girl, looking far more cheerful than her serious and frowning partner.
Fate couldn't help staring longer at the girl. It was foolish of her, to be so fascinated, but she couldn't stop herself.
Wow…her eyes…
"Admiral, we are at the location," the boy reported to his Device as the girl moved off a small distance, scanning the area around them visually and exchanging quiet words with her own device. "There are no signs of magic activity, although I'm detecting higher than normal trace levels of magic."
Fate shrunk deeper into the shadow.
"Officer Takamachi, did you pick up any Lost Logia signs?"
The female mage giggled, turning to her partner with a smile. "Why so formal, Officer Harlaown?"
The boy blustered, his face still impassively serious but his tone rose in response to the teasing. "We're on duty right now, and it's important that we show proper regard to procedures…"
Fate grinned at the mage's flustered state, and Takamachi laughed openly, smiling kindly at Harlaown to take the sting from her merriment.
"Sorry…" She cocked her ear, listening to her Device's report. "I didn't find the specific location, but I'm definitely detecting a Jewel Seed. It's in this area. There may have been another one, but I'm not sure—if there were two then the second one is definitely inactive. Um…I'm also picking up another trace of magic—should I ask Heart to scan further?"
Oh no.
Mother had told her, don't let yourself be identified.
"Thunder Rage."
Fate burst from hiding as Bardiche's impromptu bombardment attack knocked through the auto-guards of both mages, blowing both of them off balance. If she could subdue both of them she might have enough time to find and seal the second Jewel Seed and teleport away before they could follow her.
"Lightning Bind!" She shouted, and caught the blue-haired boy in her spell but the girl had dodged out of the way. Fate barely got Bardiche up in time to block a powered punch, deflecting it to the side and springing back to get distance and regroup.
"We are TSAB officers!" The mage cried as she raised her hands defensively, not aggressive but clearly wary.
"Photon Lancer."
The girl threw up a brilliantly coloured shield, but Bardiche hadn't been aiming for the TSAB officers—all the streetlights and the building lamps around them exploded, sending shards of glass and wires over them. The street went from dim to nearly pitch black in an instant, granting Fate precious anonymity. Harlaown yelped as hot sparks hit his face as he strained against the binds. Fate grimaced—it wasn't going to hold him for more than another minute.
"Thunder Smasher."
Bardiche, just enough strength to take them out! Fate fretted, dodging Takamachi's offensive attack with her own lightning reflexes. She didn't want to hurt anyone, just incapacitate them enough so that she could go find the Jewel Seed and seal it without interference. Without Linith to help her with a glamour spell to mask her appearance, she didn't dare drag on a fight, even if the darkness helped hide her identity. The female mage let out a yell as she was hit by Fate's attack squarely; the yellow beam sizzled, exploding with lightning as it struck Takamachi's shield and Barrier Jacket.
Harlaown's Device beeped, and Fate heard a commanding officer's frantic bellow, "Both of you, get out of there!"
"Bardiche—scan for the Jewel Seed!"
"Bardiche?" the girl exclaimed, and Fate took advantage of her surprise to knock the mage's legs out from under her with a backhand swing.
"You're the one after the Jewel Seeds!" the boy yelled, snapping free of her lightning binds at that instant. "Durandal, Blaze Cannon!"
"Wait!" Takamachi cried out but Harlaown had already sent his attack ripping towards Fate.
Fate back-flipped away from the beam, taking to the sky. Two against one…she needed help.
Linith! She called as she sent another Photon Lancer to distract Harlaown.
Precia wants us to retreat! She heard Linith's reply. You can't get caught by the TSAB!
But Alicia… Fate bit her lip, wavering.
She had hesitated too long.
"Defenser."
An armoured fist slammed into her auto-shield, sending Fate backwards from the force. The female mage's second blow broke through, but Fate had already swung Bardiche back, switching it to scythe form and slashing upwards with the yellow blade. Takamachi blocked it with a forearm and kicked, connecting with Fate's side. She grunted in pain, retreating—her Barrier Jacket wasn't as armoured as her opponents, so she had better get some distance between them. It was the first time she was outmatched in a melée that Fate could remember!
"Arc Saber!"
Takamachi dodged the spinning crescent, smiling with pride before yelping and scrambling as it whizzed back to target her again.
Now was her chance. Fate brought Bardiche up vertically in front of her, focusing hard on the coordinates. The teleportation circles blazed out from Bardiche's base, and Fate felt the sparkle of magic floating up around her.
"Not so fast!" Takamachi lifted her fist, the motion raising an enormous barrier around them all, the greenish-purple hue casting a sickly glow over the entire street and city. Fate's teleport spell fizzled out with the shift in dimension, leaving her trapped.
"Stop right there!" Harlaown added, brandishing his Device.
Fate vanished in a blaze of lightning speed.
She could hear them chasing her, but she had both of them beat in terms of speed. Keeping to the darkest shadows between buildings, Fate zipped through as many corners and rooms as she could find, looping back and zagging vertically up apartment faces before finally tucking herself underneath a building ledge and wrapping her black cape around her—and froze.
Old-fashioned trickery worked just as well as glamour sometimes. Takamachi flew by so close to Fate that she could have reached out with Bardiche and rapped the other girl on the shoulder as she soared by, peering about for signs of Fate. As Fate hoped, bureaucracy interrupted the two young mages' search before they began to use search magic.
"Takamachi!" The commanding officer's voice sounded from Harlaown's Device again. "I thought I told you two to get out of there!"
"I'm sorry Admiral!" Fate heard the female mage say. "But the suspect was casting a teleport rune, so I had to stop her!"
"This was supposed to be a Lost Logia investigation—neither of you are ready to face an unknown suspect on your own. I want you to lower the barrier and return to the ship immediately—"
"Admiral Harlaown," a fourth voice joined them, a woman's voice who sounded soft and assuring. Her tone was that of a calm instructor about to step in to take over for her students. Indeed, Fate saw the young girl-mage flinch dejectedly as if hearing the voice was a kind of reprimand. "I am inside the barrier, and I will assist in the search. We do have a chance of capturing the rogue mage—"
There was a third one! Fate quickly took to the air, keeping as much of herself shielded in her black cape as possible as she crept around the back of the building. From what she had overheard of the conversation, the third mage was the experienced one she had to look out for. She doubted that she could get around the cadet officers' teacher as easily. So she had to hide instead of knocking out the barrier herself, and that made Fate twitchy.
Linith! Fate called out mentally, floating under the deep shadow of the building ledge, Bardiche's yellow eye hidden under one of her black-gloved hands. Can you break the barrier?
I'm sorry Fate! Linith apologized, and Fate could feel her familiar working hard to try and counter the girl's barrier. I think I need the mages distracted, so that I can try to exploit the moment of opportunity and do a Barrier Break!
Fate winced, and peeked down again. The boy had flown off somewhere, but she could still see the female mage checking the area below in a grid pattern, her Barrier Jacket looking formidable. She didn't relish the odds of taking any of them on again if she could avoid it, especially the girl.
How much time do you need? She asked.
Five minutes!
Five minutes seemed like nothing at any other time, but in a fight it was an eternity. Better to hide and wait it out—
A warm and glowing blade pricked Fate's cheek, and she froze, seeing the golden halo from the magical blade flooding her field of vision.
"Surrender peacefully, and you will be given the right to a trial," that older female voice declared softly behind Fate, the hand holding the weapon steady and confident. Fate tensed, weighing her chances of catching her captor by surprise but the woman's next words dashed her hopes.
"I am an Enforcer, and I swear that you will have a chance to tell your story if you don't resist."
Fate bit her lip, hesitating. As if sensing her uncertainty, the mage added, her tone soothing and gentle,
"I swear to you on my good name as a TSAB Enforcer. My name is Fate—Fate Testarossa Harlaown."