Disclaimer:

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha is the creative property of Seven Arcs, whom created this wonderful anime/manga series. Anything not attributed to Seven Arcs belongs to their respective owners, such as other series, references, and vice-versa. This story is written purely just for fun, guys; please for God's sake, don't sue me! I'm just a college student with too much free time on his hands! On the other hand, any specific author created characters I created for this fic (despite how unoriginal they may be at times) are mine. So without further ado, let's get on with the show!

The Surgeon General's Warning:

Read at your own risk.

Mahou Shounen Enforcer Chrono!

Before Lyrical

Entry 1.11:

The Royal Rumble

A Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha AU fanfic by James "Ray" Edwards

The veil of evening descended with the setting sun, and the stars came out in full force. It would be a misunderstand to say that I was not excited by the prospect of the glorious visage of The Coliseum drawing nearer with every step I took. In fact, I wanted to go running ahead of everyone else to take in the sights and the sounds, for I had never gone to an event so honestly, well, festive. My time at The Coliseum that night was also the first time I had ever been to anything resembling a professional level "sporting event" (I admit I am quite fond of pod racing on Tatooine: barbarism, cheating, and all).

You can imagine my disappointment upon encountering "Event Security" for the first time...

"Halt! Who goes there?" roared a grossly amplified brazen voice, bordering on foppish, out from the arched entrance way.

Naturally, we all stopped just a few scant strides away: myself and Ryuune bewildered, and trying to ascertain where the voice had come from before us. Alas, due to the unique architecture of the stadium our efforts were wholly futile, as the "guard's" voice reverberated along the passageways and in-and-out of the barred entrances, the lined the exterior of the structure. He was close by for certain, his voice audible over the music and the cheers within, and must have had a line of sight to see us coming, but where could he be waiting for us?

Nagi was the only one unaffected by the order, his duffle bag slung across his shoulders, without a care in the world. His expression was that of someone who knew that some snob (lesser than himself) was about to get his just desserts, and he could not wait to laugh, "Oh, we know who we are, but do you know who we are, my Hapan friend?"

"What?! Who...? No. That voice! Could it be?"

"Come on out, Io Bebe!" drawled Nagi with a devilish sneer.

We were rewarded an instant later by a girlish shriek, accompanied by a terrifying piggish squeal that frankly made the hairs on my neck stand on end. The space before us became distorted and twisted, a visible spatial phenomenon of energy and color, as if it were quarreling with itself. Then, suddenly the "veil" dropped and a truly effeminate scream graced our ears, as a criminally beautiful, well, boy thudded unceremoniously on the pavement at our feet.

Long blonde hair, glittering blue eyes, and decked in a white leotard, a tutu with a ridiculous swan head creeping out from underneath the skirt like some mocking phallic symbol, and matching ballerina shoes: I would have sworn the "He" was a female, if it were not for my good memory. I recalled the incident of the night where I involved myself with Ryuune Zoldark, and here I am face to face with the many of her problems for the first time. ...no wonder that poor Chiss fellow blushed; what a "beautiful" Hapan.

"'Urr 'urr 'urr! Youse alwayz good fer a laugh, ya uselezz Pretty!" snorted a guttural voice in a most peculiar accent, the owner of which soon stepped into the light himself.

Io sobbed hysterically like some suffering, overacted heroine in a "bad" HoloNet soap opera, "Y-You! You brute! You didn't have to kick me. You could've broken something important!"

I do not know whether it would be an insult (or a complement) to call him a brute: it was the first time in my life I ever met a Gamorrean. I did not even know Mystra even blessed their race with the gift of magic as well!

"'Urr 'urr 'urr! Piglet thankz youse kindly, Pretty. Bestest word youse can say ta da stompiest, Dakka-iest, smartest Bart da eva' live! W'o da baus? I iz da Baus! A regulaz Gentlebein', yea'?"

Piglet (I assume that was his name) was a model example of his people. Tall, a touch squat, and a very stocky muscular build; his blue utilities was bursting at the seams trying to contain his impressive bulk. He looked as if he could haul an entire regiment's worth of field rations by himself, and would be proud to do so. Naturally, he possessed the distinctive dark green skin shared by many Gamorrean males. His snout was thick and proud, golden yellow irises peered out from a close set of eyes beneath a heavy hairless brow, and a pair of horns grew out from his scalp, joining the proud tusks jutting forth out of his mouth.

I could not gauge how old he was as he had already reached his adult height, though considering he did not possess a rather healthy paunch, like most older males did, he must have been fairly young. Nevertheless, Piglet towered over us, and I could not help but feel my age.

"He talks! Burning balls of gas and rocket fuel! He talks!" Ryuune gaped, clearly more surprised by the talking Gamorrean than the sudden appearance of her hated foe.

"Itz a magick-sumfink spell, da gift from Piglet'z Big Masta! Dat'z why I don't need no stinkin' tranzlator ta talk right like a normal 'Umie."

"Ah, Piglet, dependable Piglet! so good to see you."

"Wot da zog!" Piglet exclaimed in surprising, noticing the pale boy's presence, "Itz da Little Masta Nagi! Wot're youse doin' 'ere? Come ta check up on, Pretty? O', O'! I knowz. I knowz! Youse 'ere fer da Royal Rumble? Da betz fer da first round 're closed already, but Piglet can pass Da Word fer ya; dat Piglet can!"

Nagi waved off the eager fellow, though he was evidently enjoying the Gamorrean's fawning attentions to please him.

"Not today, my good Piglet. My friends and I are here on business. I trust, my private box seats are available as usual?"

"O', O'! Yes, yes! Piglet gotz it! Masta Nagi, right diz way! Piglet will take youse d'ere personally, a great honor, yea'!"

I never knew how important individual Nagi Dai Artai was in the underworld of Atlas until now, and for him to receive this manner of preferential treatment, bordering worship, was irrefutable proof of his prestige and accomplishments. He was no ordinary "information broker". The term "Godfather" seemed much more appropriate for one such as he.

Of course, I wished for us to be on our way, but now that her initial shock was over, Ryuune was suddenly aware of Io Bebe's presence.

"Wait... What's this flaming mixed-up fruit frakker doing here?"

Fortunately, the beautiful Hapan was too caught up in his private misery to care that one of the person's he had wronged on previous occasions was well within arm's reach of him. That is to say, he was in the kill radius for opened can of "Deluxe Pain and Suffering Vanilla Fire", which I assure you hurts quite a bit, even with padded protective gear.

"Hnn?" Nagi glanced over his shoulder to see the Corellian girl pointing a quivering middle finger to the "ballerina." He considered the scene for a moment, as if he were seeing something mysterious and bizarre, a most thoughtful knitting of his brow. "Oh...oh! Him! ...I forgot about him."

"What!? How the hell do you forget a snobby prissy little chubba like him? You just talked to him a second ago!"

Piglet snorted in a derision, "'Ey, 'ey, 'ey! Little Masta Nagi iz a-very, very impor-tant Baus! He got no time fer little grotz like dat. Pretty, made da mis-take of messin' wit' da wrong Baus! 'Urr, 'Urr, 'Urr!"

I assume the "'urr's" was the Gamorrean's way of laughing or chuckling.

"Do not concern yourself with a bottom feeder like Io, mi'lady. I assure you the fop has been punished quite severely for trespassing on grounds he had no business in. Though if it pleases you, feel free to give him a good thump."

"What do you mean he's been punished?"

"Well, well, fu fu fu, it pays to have friends and contacts in places low and high. My clientele did not appreciate such a scandalous, embarrassing, and flippant queen running around spreading his osik everywhere like he, ahem, owned the school. So, they contacted me...I pulled a few strings...hush-hush work, yes?...passed Da Word...and here we have the result."

Ryuune blinked, her expression stricken as if she had been struck.

Nagi smiled, "The Fools is the best there is. Now, shall we go? The first match should be about ready to start, if my ears do not deceive me."

The tempo of the music and the cheers from the crowd was becoming more rambunctious and upbeat, evidence that something was about to begin. We all shared a meaningful look, though the Corellian girl wore more of a scowl, and of we went, much to the joy of Piglet, who was quite pleased to do his self-appointed job. He hummed a jaunty tune, something along the lines of "'Ere we go! 'ere we go! Off we go! 'ere we come!" that could actually work for a marching ditty.

Off we were, but not without a price, as I glanced over to see Ryuune pull down her cover in an effort to hide the grotesque snarl splitting across her face:

"...that bastard...he'll pay for this...I'll make him pay for stealing...my revenge."

Oh dear...

The Coliseum was originally meant to seat roughly fifty-thousand spectators, according to Piglet, but due to circumstances, the underground organizers had reconfigured the structure over the years to cater to a little over two-thousand. The excess space was afforded to four gigantic projection screens in the stands, so that the crowds could watch the action from angles they could not observe from their seats. Also, more space had been added to the arena floor, allowing for more combatants to participate at once, and more elaborate pre-fabricated combat zones.

Keeping with tradition and the stadium's architectural philosophy, seating was afforded at premium prices and/or influence: VIPs sat right in the front row in private box seats, which would be attended to regularly by complimentary staff. The tiers behind them were set aside for everyone else in no particular order, though typically, the ones who sat closer to the front had more credits or influence to spare than the fellows in the back. It was a "laughable", yet real example of class warfare at work, and tonight the stands were packed to the brim.

"Enjoy da show, Little Masta!" hollered the Gamorrean as he left, "Piglet'll go pass Da Word ta sum-gretchin' ta get ya food an' drink."

The hatch closed shut, drowning out much of the noise from the outside, and effectively creating a private cinema for us in the booth. The interior was tastefully decorated: the walls being padded with leather upholstery, and lounge-style seats were arrayed in a neat row facing the panoramic viewing window (from which we commanded an amazing vantage) at our disposal, each fitted with a small flipping table. A quintet of speakers, arranged to provide surround sound, hummed a soothing classical opera number, while heating and cooling came through a central duct in the ceiling next to the lights; compared to the other students outside at the mercy of wooden benches and the weather, we were decidedly well off.

"Are the accommodations to your liking, mi'lord and mi'lady?" Nagi asked us, graciously. "Please, by all means! Make yourselves at home. I would change the ambience, but as the match is about to start..."

Suddenly, a squawk of noise came over the speakers, cutting him off prematurely, as it belted out an electronic synth mixed with drums, a melody of some manner that perked my ears. Outside, we could see the crowd rouse itself up in a synchronized frenzy, standing up and down together, like a wave, as the illumination stadium lights dimmed. A phantasmagoria of pyrotechnics and holographic shapes lit up in the air, the programming on the gigantic projection screens cycling to display a countdown timer, as the arena floor shuddered, appearing to crack and splinter from streams of pure white light forcing its way out.

The cheers and the music grew louder and louder, peaking at an astounding climax. In a flash, all was revealed: gone the sandy flat plane of the arena floor, and its place was a sunken pit, roughly three stories deep, populated by austere, sand-blasted and rounded off structures and streets. It was as if someone had taken a snapshot of an urban desert city, for example the infamous Mos Eisley from Tatooine, and recreated one of its section right here in an area a little larger than a gridiron football field. The "battlefield" was asymmetrical, and perhaps a little confusing, as there was no real reason as to how the buildings and streets were arranged, making the twin "temples" at opposing ends of the "town" the only viable points of reference.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" hailed a bombastic masculine announcer over the stadium sound system, "It's the moment you've been paid good credits for, the first blooding of the night to kick off our Royal Rumble!"

They were the tallest structures at five stories in height, colored red and blue, and commanded an impressive view over the smoothed rooftops, which incidentally were also where the "fighters" stood.

"In the red base, standing gracefully tall in scarlet, her three sizes are CLASSIFIED, and a woman never tattle-tales her best secrets: the femme fatale, Rank Twenty-Seven - Audrey Vion and Coiler II!"

True to form, she wore the color of scarlet, and quite saucily too, standing with her hip cocked, as she leaned against her shear black coiled "quarterstaff" with a white "control orb" just above its handle. Obviously, she was an older student too, as she had her own Barrier Jacket. The base body was the standard Bureau design that consisted of utility-style trousers, a cassock-like greatcoat with spike-like mana compressors on the shoulders, and armored gloves The additions she added were a set of "hard" armor components, stylized and faintly feminine with sloping angles, that covered her torso and legs, and a full helmet bearing a cruel X-faced visor. The look gave her the impression of a "holy knight" from the days of yore.

Notably, her cuirass also displayed visible heat sinks and cooling vents, while her greaves sported an array of thruster ports, and more curiously, a pair of wing-like independent "satellites" units that hovered in place behind her. One bristled with "spikes" that appeared an overgrown compressor while its sister was wrought with glowing cylinders dotting its hull and a large exhaust. I imagine, the latter was likely a mana capacitor, a "battery" if you will to store up mana, as your own Magical Circuits can only use a fraction of the mana available in the environment, capped by the number of circuits you possess. Incidentally, the amount of mana you can store is limited by the number of circuits as well: hence, the need for mana capacitors, depending upon what you are trying to achieve.

"In the blue base, the would-be champ in silver, immovable as a mountain, and his love for you is like a full metal jacket sabot to your heart: the heartstopper, Rank Twenty-Two - Gabe Glow and Bruiser Knight!"

He, too, was an upperclassman, favoring the same knightly appearance as his colleague, though he seemed to be a little short of a being a walking human fortress. He wore heavy Gothic-style "plate armor" from head to toe, a Barrier Jacket that clearly emphasized defense over mobility, with sloping planes and fluted curves designed to deflect projectiles and disguise exhaust ports and vents. Mana compressor spikes adorned the shoulder pauldrons and the backs of armored calves. His great helm bore decorative wings on the side to soften the harsh contrast of the cross-shaped visor and its menacing glowing "eye" at its center that tracked along its visible planes of view.

Much like the knights, Gabe armed himself with a shield and "lance": the former sporting added armor plating, and heat sinks. The latter was a greatly exaggerated quarterstaff fitted with a series of emitters along its killing length, and thruster ports at its butt, while the yellow-hued control orb was nestled just behind the handle.

"That's funny," Ryuune mumbled aloud, catching my attention, "how come that guy's Device isn't just a lance, plain and simple? It's obvious he means it to be one, so why make a staff into a wannabe lance?"

Come to think of it... That is a good question.

Nagi, naturally, was happy to explain for both of us, "'Tis a matter of tradition, mi'lady! The staff is a symbol of a wizard or witch's authority and power for in ancient times, they were the keepers of the peace and the arbitrators of justice. Of course, this is not without scientific basis as modern studies indicate the staff or any other construct in line with its design is an inherently superior conductor of magic."

And how the devil did he know that?

"Romantics also note that the staff, unlike the sword or the gun, is not a weapon, a tool for murder; it is only through our expressed desires does it kill. The staff is a companion, it is a symbol of your office, and it without a doubt is an artifact that has performed many wonders throughout the ebb and flow of time."

"O-kay, but that still doesn't answer my question, Professor Doofus."

"Ah, patience, my dearest. Patience!" grinned the pale prince, reveling in the seething glare the Corellian girl shot him. Honestly, I wonder if he is the type that likes to play with fire? "And here it comes: do you know of The Belkan War? It is a very old, ancient war from generations ago, so long ago that it should hardly matter, yet it is inexplicably one of the most pivotal eras for all magickind. Be grateful to our ancestors for their hard fought victory, or otherwise we would be speaking Belkan, thinking in Belkan, and learning Belkan magick instead."

Ryuune's hard glare spluttered into an exasperated stare, "Do I look like I'd care? What's the difference, anyway? And what does this have to do with the staff taboo?"

"Swords, axes, spears, hammers, and all manner of weaponry did the forms of the debased Belkan Devices take. It was quite the bloody culture shock for the Mid-Childans, whom had used wands, tomes, and staves for generations until the Belkan crusaders showed up, intent on conquering our lands for the taking. And who triumphed in the end? Amazingly, The Mid-Childans did, and ever since then, it has become custom that all true Devices, presently Storage Devices and Intelligent Devices, will not assume the blasphemous forms of murderous weapons by default."

So that's the story...and where did he learn that from? I am certain we have not even covered such a topic in my classes yet.

"Ironically, it is also from this same climatic conflict that the ancestors of modern Weapon Devices were born, inspired by the Belkan crusaders who had come to conquer this world, and they too left their mark on history. Of course, with the passage of time, enforcement of such traditions have --- relaxed. Nowadays, it is simply in bad taste to design a true Device in any other form, when the staff-styled construct is the most effective-"

KRAK-THOOM!

Apparently, the fight had kicked off with a flashy bang, more than loud enough to send us rolling out of our seats for cover, and cut Nagi's lecture short. It was an instinctive reflex, you see. Even without the speakers, we could hear the crackle of secondary explosions and the shatter of debris. It was eerily quiet, as if not a soul were lift alive, not even the music was playing anymore.

Then, all of a sudden, the screams went up in a hysteria of cheering, and the "techno" music came roaring back with a vengeance.

"Astral! The Tesla Cracker!" laughed the announcer over the PA. "Thank technosorcery for the paling or you poor sods on the east end would be toasty shavit. Woooo! Now, that's how you start a fight!"

Apparently, what he meant by the "paling" was the transparent, yet visibly undulating dome of "force" that had erected around the perimeter of the arena floor, mercifully separating us from the action. The barrier itself appeared to be selectively permeable, as the dark smoke in the vicinity of where the "blue base" used to be filtered out freely upwards, but as to its exact origin I did not know. In fact, I did not know such an advanced defensive force field-type spell existed until now.

Audrey Vion had not moved from her vantage at all, well, except to level her still crackling coiled quarterstaff at her foe's direction some moments ago. Wisps of vapor were visibly streaming out of the radiator vents, which appeared to be quite-hot judging by their red-hot exterior, while her satellite units were working in high gear. The supply unit's capacitors were all red, as a flood of glowing "excess" particles rapidly exited out the back in a steady stream, giving the impression of a wing unfurled. On the opposite end, the power unit was buzzing with a pitched hiss, as a nimbus of faintly glimmering particles, different from the excess being funneled out, were vacuumed in post-haste.

She did not have long to tarry: an electric pitched whine pierced the din, as a trio of golden bolts the size of a 120mm shell burst through the smoke and flame. In almost a blur of motion, she leapt aside, seemingly detecting the attack just moments prior, as the familiar Mid-Childa magic circle lit ablaze at her feet for an instant. White wings of focused magical energy phased into existence, sprouting out from her legs, and a with a swift flap, propelling her out of harm's way.

Behind her, the stage of the temple exploded ablaze with a trio of fireballs, while Audrey escaped into the streets, her winged legs allowing her to hover and jet along, much like a conventional repulsor lift craft. However, her troubles were just beginning.

"Uh-oh! Miss Vion better watch out; Gabe-a-Glow is fishing for her!" joked the "ring side" announcer, as the video on the big screens divided, revealing a new object of interest.

It was the Bruiser Knight's "lance", floating along impossibly so in mid-air, using occasional jets of "flame" from the thrusters in its pommel to maneuver for a better angle. I had never seen anything like it; I did not even know such a thing was possible; how had he figured out to make his Device remotely operable? How intriguing; the tactical applications for such a function was nearly limitless.

As for Audrey, she was in for a nasty surprise. Making a beeline towards Gabe's last known position, using the buildings for cover as much as possible to break his possible line of sight, she seemed to be intent on making contact with him. Why she would want to engage in close-quarters fighting with him, I would not know, though likely it was only because she wanted to be sure she "got him" good.

The lance crackled for an instant before barking madly, hurling golden bolts in rapid succession. They were smaller than the "cannon shells" from earlier, but they were no less deadly as they exploded on contact, with a blast radius of at least a meter. An ordinary being would have been reduced to gory chunks and detritus, but the scarlet mage was much more fortunate. Though late, her apparent threat warning "system" alerted her to the attack, causing her swivel about as she continued to glide along, and raised a "textbook" Round Shield to defend herself.

Flying shrapnel, flame, flash, and smoke pilfered the street. There was not much room to dodge at all, direct hits against the magical shield sending Audrey almost flying, but she maintained her balance admirably, as her eyes no doubt roved for a quicker exit or an opportunity to return fire. An intersection was coming up fast behind her, and she probably could shake off the "lance drone"...

Suddenly, just as she reached the mouth, there was a thunderclap. Impossible, but we could not deny the reality ringing in her tortured ears, as displaced air exploded outwards in a blast before rushing in to fill the vacuum; the shockwave floored the scarlet mage on the spot, giving her an undignified face full of sand and dust. As for us, we caught a gleam of silver descending on her, through the haze, and it was ill-omen indeed.

Audrey never knew what hit her. She was just stirring up to her knees, shaking out the "kinks" if you will, when a set of silver "mandibles" close around her throat and wrenched her into the air. Panicked, she dropped her "teslastaff", a big mistake, as her satellites hovered helplessly, powerless to help her. The Bruiser Knight flailed her about, smashing her into the sand and the side buildings, which left visible splintering impact craters from the punishing force; his Barrier Jacket boasting some manner of strength enhancement, I assumed.

Fwh-WHACK!

Gabe shattered a wall, his opponent's struggle growing noticeably weaker, hanging all but limp on the "mandible's" of his shield, as clumps of brick and clay crumpled into a pile. The glowing monoeye on his visor considered her balefully for a moment, before a small magic circle enveloped his free hand, depositing for the lack of a better term a "magic grenade". It was a sphere of condensed magical energies that swirled within its "shell", and an unspoken command from him sent it pulsating, an indicator that it was armed and ready to detonate.

The crowd went wild at the brutality, goading him to "Stick her! stick her! stick her!" for they had anticipated his intentions already.

"Hey, isn't that going to kill her?" Ryuune asked aloud, a touch concerned by what was about to happen.

Nagi laughed, "That is possible, but not a certainty, I assure you. After all, they are both fighting with Limiters. In fact, I am amazed they have been able to accomplish so much, considering how inefficient magic transfer and the like becomes with Limiters in effect. Of course, the Archmagus's wizardry does not affect Weapon Devices as much, thanks to their inherent simplicity, but complex constructs such as those two Storage Devices take a rather unforgiveable performance hit. Their stamina is to be applauded!"

But much like combat, even events here in this coliseum are not set in stone. The X-visor blazed blood red, and in an explosion of vitality, Audrey leveraged herself up on Gabe Glow's outstretched shield arm and struck him with a violent whipping kick to his face. The surprise attack shook him, a mental reflex I imagine causing his shield's "mandibles" to let go of her, as he staggered back wildly, despite the formidable protection of his Barrier Jacket.

Her righteous rage combined with her heightened state easily allowed for the scarlet mage to exploit the opening presented before her. She lunged in, wrenching his armored hand that still clutched onto the pulsating magic sphere, and shoved it forcefully back into its owner's torso. The result was obvious as a white flash fixed itself between the two an instant before a fiery explosion engulfed them both, flinging them apart.

"Oh, I bet that oughta hurt, Ladies and Gents! Don't try that number at home!"

The first to emerge in the wake of the firestorm was the scarlet mage, up-ending unceremoniously head over heels in the opposite direction with her rear in the air. A laughable position to be sure, but with her heightened state, she displayed no sign of pain and rose to her feet. Miraculously, her satellites had survived the blast unharmed, some form of innate programming telling them to stay well out of harm's way. The same could not be said for her Barrier Jacket: singed and sooty, much of the soft weave had been charred black and some portions were still burning, and the cracked hard armor was not much better, having taken the brunt of the damage to shield her vitals.

It was amazing she was even standing!

A sudden gust dispersed the black smoke, revealing a rather riled up Bruiser Knight, judging by the brilliant smoldering monoeye on his cross-shaped visor. His full armored Barrier Jacket was molten red, most of the blast being directed at his person, with numerous cracks on the cuirass, a sign that it had been on the verge of being penetrated. How he had dispersed the smoke was obvious by the blazing golden energy blades that fanned out from the emitters along his "lancestaff", transforming it into a "powered" greatsword.

"So much for the spear-thingy," I heard Ryuune mumble, dryly.

The two mages took maybe a hairbreadth to gauge each other, before Audrey charged in, intent on recovering her teslastaff a ways down the street behind her foe. Her pitched battle cry was amplified to unholy volume by her Barrier Jacket; her voice, a still immature soprano, hinting at her youth, was audible to us for the first time. The banshee-like scream clearly stunned Gabe, catching him off guard, for he staggered back in agony that broke his battle stance. It was exactly the opening the scarlet mage needed, darting past him, before he could wave his huge weapon about in wild defensive paths, cleaving the air with ominous ionizing hums.

With him out of the way, Audrey reached out for her discarded teslastaff, laying in the sand packed street, as if calling for it, and it crackled, levitating itself off the ground, before returning itself to her side. It was an impressive feat, though if it was possible to operate the weapon(s) of a Device remotely, why not summon them back at will too? Suffice to say, she took the weapon in stride, immune to the violent field of electricity encasing it, twirling her teslastaff overhead to build momentum, with practiced ease, as she spun about to bring it screaming upon the silver-clad mage.

Fortunately for the Bruiser Knight, the girl had misjudged her footing on the sand packed street, stumbling a touch on her forefoot, which altered the course of her blow just enough to miss his head. In a flash, the thunderclap of electricity exploded across his shoulder and throughout his armored body, the volts causing involuntary jerks and spasms that sent him ambling forwards. An ordinary being would have been "cooked" or rendered "sufficiently" incapacitated for certain, but like his opponent, Gabe had a solution for "the weak body" too.

Tolerances breached, the monoeye on the cross-shaped visor blazed bright gold, and with unnerving vitality and celerity, he stepped and pivoted about, dragging the powered greatsword in a broad arc. The weapon cut straight through the side of a home like a hot knife through butter, an unstoppable glowing blade of gold that soon bisected Audrey's teslastaff in twain, as she leapt back. Glittering shards of glass fell to the ground from sand kicked up into the air by the sword's tremendous wake and soon transformed by its intense heat.

I had a strong suspicion at this point that both fighters were "hyped up" on combat stimulants. The dire situations they had just weaseled their way out of would have required a much more explosive, electrifying, or superhuman solution, to my limited imagination at the time. I strongly doubt the two had the iron will or the extreme conditioning that would fall into the latter category, so the drugs were the only answer.

Thanks to them though, Gabe Glow's victory was assured. Shocked by the loss of her weapon, Audrey almost did not notice the thrown powered greatsword hurtling through the air to take her head off. Of course, she dropped like a rock, avoiding a rather unpleasant death, only to have a silver boot "greet" her face, slamming into her visor with a wicked crunch. A chorus of "Ooohs" instantly erupted from the hollering of the spectators, as she was lifted into the air by the force of the kick, head over heels.

Her torment, however, had just begun. The Bruiser Knight lived up to his name, and snatched her out of the air by the midriff with his shield's "mandibles" strangling the wind out of her guts, as they bit straight through the armor. She convulsed visibly in a sudden shock of pain, but had little time to consider, for a silver armored fist, engulfed within a humming golden force field of mana, slammed into her cracked helmet, the vicious impact whipping her head back. Not once, not twice...

KRAK! KRAK! KRAK!

Again and again, he pummeled her, and the crowd went wild at the untempered violence.

"Tsk, tsk, such a shame to lose to such a brute," Nagi commiserated with an empathetic wince, "She should have disengaged and fought him at a distance, before the battle degenerated into a brawl. Tsk, tsk!"

Finally, the helmet could take no more punishment and it shattered like glass to a roaring approval. The girl beneath was unmasked: short brown hair in a boyish cut, matted with slick crimson, her nose broken and bleeding, and the skin swollen and bruised from her brown to her jaw, splotched yellow and purple. She coughed, a spray of blood, spitting out a stray tooth in the mix of spittle and mucus; her eyes fluttering nonsensically. Audrey Vion had been beaten senseless into submission.

Lo, did the paling drop, signifying the end of the "fight".

"K-O! K-O! It is over, Ladies and Gents! The Fight is over!" cried the announcer, as the sound of a bell being rung repeatedly permeated over the noise of a victory fanfare. "The Bruiser Knight lives up to his name! The odds Seven-to-Three, with Fifteen-Thousand Credits in the money pot! Some folks are going home happy tonight! Can I get a howl for Gabe Glow?"

And sure enough, "paramedics" (at least I assume they were, dressed in white with red caduceus on their caps) appeared on the arena floor as the "battle stage" evaporated away into particles of mana, showering up like snow. Gone was all trace of the conflict that had transpired here moments ago, reinforcing the mentality that this spectacle was all for the sake of --- entertainment, "good clean fun", and nobody gets hurt, "too badly".

"They call that a fight? Frak, that was a brawl, not a fight," Ryuune scoffed with displeasure. "If this is how mages get ugly, then I'm sorry, we really ain't all that we're cocked up to be. I expected a little more magic, a little more brains than that... And what did we get? Some kra-tahk!, lots more fzt-chiu!, and then a beat down, straight up, until the other laserbrained glitbiter's Barrier Jacket went down."

I gave her skeptical look, which she did not notice thankfully, as she continued on her triade, much to Nagi's amusement. In a manner, I had expected the fight to turn out exactly as it did: in one on one confrontations, particularly between mages of Officer-level, it boils down to a "duel". Any real tactical maneuvers and such become impossible, as both opponents will operate on the most basic primal fighting instinct when face to face, that is, to neutralize the threat by any means necessary or disengage as soon as possible. Factor in the copious amounts of protection afforded by a thoughtfully designed Barrier Jacket, and you are in for a long haul "slugfest" until the other shoe drops.

Hence, my earlier description of Gabe Glow as a walking human battle tank is not far off the mark at all, when it concerns Modern Mid-Childa mages at least. It takes a lot to bring one of us down, even the noncommissioned enlisted men and women with their standardized Devices. Though from what I learned, there are primarily three things to consider when engineering one's Barrier Jacket: Power, Defense, and Mobility. These are the fundamental traits, which are understandably capped by your input / output of mana from your Magic Circuits.

Of course, there are ways to get around that theoretical limit, as I would come to learn, eventually...

"Nagi," I spoke for the first time, since we had arrived. He immediately perked up at my behest, though my attention was on the arena floor where Audrey Vion was being hauled away on a stretcher. I could not help but memorize the scene, for it was soon flashed away leaving an empty arena, and the festivities continued on without pause. My thought, you see, that could be me in a few months time, if not worse...

"How can this Nagi serve thee, mi'lord?"

"When is SEES supposed to arrive?"

He smiled at me.

"Hm? Oh...them."

Suddenly, there was a terrible quake, as if the entire coliseum had just shook. The stadium floodlights flickered and died, followed by the projection screens fizzling out, and down went the music too, replaced by white noise. Then, there was a deathly silence.

"They were already here."

To be continued...

Author's Notes:

Well, there you have it. Here is to a happy new year and Entry 1.11 in all of its glory. Thoughts, feelings, questions: hey, fire away, fellas. For today's episode, lots of stuff happened, though I imagine pretty much everyone's attention was on the fight. I hope I managed to capture the details, the atmosphere, and such pretty well.

Now, I bet everyone was expecting a lot more "Spell Slinging" and "Yell the Attack Name", but this is not your classical Mage Battle. The latter was actually happening, but since they are wearing helmets, you can't hear the attack names, plus it's not always smart to announce your attack to the other guy. These kids are trained to be soldiers, and as such, they will do their damned best "to close with, and destroy the enemy, through fire and manuever" using their superior firepower, mobility, and defense afforded by Magic.

"Spell Slinging", on the other hand, is much more common among older and vastly more powerful Mid-Childa Mages, who use the older "versions" of the Mid-Childa system. Among modern Mid-Childa Mages, only accomplished Defensive-types can pull off the said feat because their defense is so absolute they can afford to stand still and just blow you away. Binds have no affect on them; the only sure-fire way to hurt them is to use a combination of Curse-type and Siege / Bombardment level spells. Of course, you can also find "Spell Slingers" among wild mages and Contract Mages "out there" who do not go by the Mid-Childa system.

Now, this is just mage combat at the 2-D level; once you factor in the skills from Flight School, Space School, and even further down the line at other specialist schools in combat-specific professions, things get a lot more crazy. Having more people to move around in the fight helps too; then, you can get super tactical. Teleport troops in here, rain air mobile artillery over there, orbital bombardment... Yeah.

Anyways, I hope this episode was worth the wait and enjoyable to you all, even if Chrono was spectating the whole thing. Trust me, once we get to "fight" in his shoes, things will be a lot more interesting. After all, being in the thick of the "fight" yourself, instead of watching it is a whole lot more exciting.

Oh yeah, time for a small advertising service announcement thingie here: if y'all get bored in between waiting for new episodes, be it anime, manga, or fanfiction and whatnot, but you're dying for a fresh/unique AU fic go read Kara no Kyokai: The Borderline to Emptiness by Tempest Dynasty in the Naruto section. He just got chappie 20 out as of this posting. I guarantee, he is the only fella who has the guts to fuse Magical Lyrical Nanoha with Naruto and the infamous Warhammer 40K gothic-scifi military tabletop game series. Give it a shot; you won't regret it.

Thank you all for tuning in and remember, I always encourage each and everyone of you to feel free to comment, review, and/or discuss the story. Your comments can really make a difference, I assure you, and if you're up to it, feel free to ring me up on AIM, or even send me an e-mail (although you really don't need to boost my ego too often). You know how to get in touch with the maestro here.

Tsudzuku!