Thanks again to Animefreak1145 and Sleeping Moon and everyone who reviews.
.
CHAPTER 21
.
The consummated mercenary foreigner took commanding position in the front line, raised her assault rifle as reference signal to prepare fire, aimed for the newly reformed Jabberwocky and stated shooting boldly, with the faceless faction following suit.
The terrible beast fell again, and started reforming once more. This repeated several times with the dragon regenerating faster and looking slightly smaller and more firm in its flesh and actions, after every single time it was taken down.
She couldnt allow herself to be distracted if she wanted to perform her best. Analyzing the situation to assess what was more effective, she noticed that the lullaby was indeed causing damage, while the roleholders at the other side of the fight could not She pondered "How" and "Why"- (Joker was right, I DO want to dissect this thing).- She considered what she knew of the Jabberwocky and what she knew about the basics and mechanics of Wonderland.- (It can´t be damaged by anything from this world. WHY?)- By mere logical correlation of data she came up with the answer.
… Because it is made from the bad feeling's mana in raw state. While things in this word use mana, but already processed, meaning way lesser energy... That's why! The things from my world DO have raw mana too... Mmhhh….
I get it! Basic science! Its a matter of energy! Like cancelling electric charges! A negative charge can eliminate a positive one of the same magnitude!
(e−) +( e+) = 0
(+1)+(-1)=0
Mater + Antimatter = BAM! PURE ANNIHILATION!
So whatever comes from, or possesses something from the raw mana of my world, can damage it by eliminating its energy! That includes foreigner´s mana directly and should be valid for its influence and effects too, because it imbues whatever it influences!
A small smugy smile crept in her lips as she turned up the sound amplifier of her collar even more, so she could be heard above the battle noises. She didn't know how long this could continue, but with luck, eventually they would succeed. They had to.
.
-Listen everyone! Your weapons have technology from my world, they DO hurt it! And you have MY support. So keep attacking, you ARE damaging it!
.
She took off her weapons bracelet and passed it to her allies from Diamond, beckoning her forces to share their weapons too, because the ones their allies had didn't have any foreign modification. She hadn´t use the blueprints in her hard drives for weapon production (she had copied entire national libraries to save the knowledge in places away from the nuclear blasts); that would have been too costly in time, and totally useless for someone that didn't expect to be around for long, but she had done slight modifications, if not to the weapons (steadiness reinforces, micro sewers in blades for mayor damage and biological risk, etc.), to the ammunition, like hollow point bullets, shrapnel fragmentation, "explosive" for "expansive", etc. And that was what was damaging the Jabberwocky.
Still, it wasn't enough. The Jabberwocky was already regenerating almost instantly.
So far, her faction had been fighting in two lines with two rows each. One row was for firearms, and the other one was for melee and close combat. The front line was facing the Jabberwocky; their front row was using the firearms to shoot it down while the second row defended the first one when it was needed, or changed positions when someone needed to reload. The rear line was pure melee and was facing the shadows that came out from the barrier, protecting the front line so that they could focus on the dragon. It looked frantic but it was organized, however, at the rate things were happening they would run out of ammunition soon, and then the front line would have to enter in melee combat; once that happened things would be harder. Not only would they have to fight close the Jabberwocky, they would get tired and their effectiveness would decrease. Aria knew this, and needed a way to cause more damage with less bullets, and only one thing came to her mind.
The foreigner jumped back to be in between the lines - Nora! Take main command, Balzac lead the left flank! Alhambra, be ready for the right! Biggs, Wedge! Cover me! Im gonna try the "Bard´s blessing" in full synch!
-LIKE HELL!– Alhambra opposed. When his boss had discovered that she could direct the energy to a specific target (clock), she had tried using her synchronizing ability to pinpoint the specific positions of the their clocks by electromagnetic resonance, then had tried to focus her intent to provide them with power, but It had been very erratic until she sang a march tune to guide her actions. It lasted less than a minute before she fell to the floor exhausted. Plus, she had to be completely focused, that left her utterly defenseless, and the range had been so little. Balzac had been the one to call it "Bards blessing" because it did give a boost on power to all receiving it, but it would be a blessing to manage to use it at all.
-We need to cause more damage to its HP! I can give everyone a boost with that. With Rolf´s improvements and synchronizing in prime mode I should have a lot more range!- She was looking at this like a videogame with the Jabberwocky as the ultimate boss fight, with a huge HP bar on it. If she gave a +1 bonus to everyone, then there would be dozens of +1 damage to the creature.
Taking out a couple pills, she swallowed them to keep up her energy. She activated her primary synch mode and the range was big enough to engulf the entire area, in which she knew exactly where every single clock was, noticing with amazement that the Jabberwocky didn't have one. She defiantly raised her closed first in the air as the gunpowder smoke swirled around the place mixed with dust, her gaze became indifferent with concentration, and with a strikingly operistic voice, she set the deep rhythm and notes of a tune in her mother tongue and began singing the hymn of the Latin-American union of nations, the song that united her family of countries back in her world. It was gloriously bellicose and unifying. Last time she had sang it, was during the transmission of her own funeral. That time she had said goodbye to her name, home and identity; she knew that she was not going back; neither dead or alive, so she sang that final goodbye to her world with all her heart and transmitted all her will to fight, making the melody a rousing battle cry that made her faction´s clocks pulse and resound, throwing them deeper into the frail. (AN: look out for the "Red Alert 3 Soviet March (soprano version) to understand how they felt")
The behemoth became aware of her actions and became eager, almost desperate to reach her.
With each note, all the wonderlanders around felt stronger and did more damage to the creature that doubled its efforts and attacks, damaged by the sound and angry for being unable to benefit from the power of a beating heart, while everyone around was getting it; The dragon was jealous.
From behind the barrier, the roleholders were fighting too; but while her forces were causing real damage, for them, the situation wasnt that good. No matter how much they cut, shoot, smashed or ripped, they were not doing anything more than distract and stall their enemy and they knew it. The only one causing some damage on their side was Alice.
Boris and Pierce had appeared from a window turned door just before the mortar blast hit Alice and Blood. They reached the ground floor when the barrier rose and the maddened mercenary fell to her knees in utter defeat and disheartening despair, the cat and mouse leaved the couple to help out Elliot, while Alice clung to his side, Blood couldn't help but feel an ounce of pleasure at Aria´s defeated form.
The turquoise eyed foreigner reacted very differently than her husband; she ran towards the barrier, but was deterred when jaws of darkness came out of it and formed a smaller copy of the frumius Jabberwocky. She tried to call out to Aria but it was useless; Aria had reached her already strained mental and emotional limit. Who knew how much and for how long she had kept everything bottled inside herself!? Alice knew how hard it was. She hadn't been able to help before, but she was going to do so now. She started shooting at the draconic copies that emerged from the moving wall of darkness, while Blood helped her aim again and the twins came to defended them both.
However, with every shoot Alice went more tired and weak; very soon she was drained, standing only thanks to Blood´s support, unable to keep using the winxy pistol.
-Hey foreigner! Lady A says sends this. Take them and youll regain energy. – From the barrier a kid appeared and extended his hand to give Alice a couple brown smelly pills.
-Huh!?- Alice was surprised; hadn´t she seen this kid with Aria? She took the pills from his hand, not sure if she should swallow them or not.
-What are those things? – Blood was understandably suspicious. A little before, Aria had been hell bend on killing Alice, and the fact that the science obsessed psycho had worked in his drugs business was no reassuring in the least. He had seen some effects of her "research". Although he had been unable to decipher her notes (written in another language), the effects of her brews could be quite disturbing.
-She calls them soldier pills and said they can give a foreigner an energy boost.– The kid vaguely said while looking around searching for something and crossing the barrier again after finding it, leaving a perplexed couple behind.
Alice examined the pills in her hand considering what to do. She was too tired, but Aria was probably even worse down there in the pit. She would have liked to become good friends with the extravagant girl, and she should have tried harder to do so. Alice couldnt help but think that all this was partly her fault for not be there for the other female. The least she could do was trust Aria and take the pills so that she could help fight the Jabberwocky and not be a hindrance for everyone this time.
Before Blood could stop her, Alice swallowed the pills. He was worried but also proud of her new found determination. Both girls were fighting the Jabberwocky with all they had in the ways they could with that will foreigners seemed to possess. He just wished it was enough, because Alice was barely holding up and Aria had barely managed to last till the end of that foreign hymn.
At an upper level of the patio´s corridors, Nightmare was trying to mentally attack the Jabberwocky or at least psychically distract it while Grey covered him from the shadow images. It was not his job to care for the foreigners but he had ended up doing so anyways out of fun and because of the game… yeah, the game. Making sure the game went on smoothly WAS part of his duties, but at this dire moment he wasn't sure if his decisions had been correct. He hadn't gotten so close to Aria not only because of her vagrant ways, but because it scared him that he had no control over her or of the consequences of the love that the game brought. It was painful to think of losing another game, and Arias would only continue without anyone winning. Without knowing her mind, fears and memories, he could not hide anything of her past that could hinder the game or ensure her happiness. It had also been a constant itch the sensation that her presence was different to Wonderland than Alice´s, as if Wonderland itself had found a loophole in its own rules and was playing a different game with the second foreigner, leaving aside its most important cards "the roleholders". The incubus considered breaking the rules when she disappeared into Diamond, but he knew that by doing so he would have forfeited his role and the right to court the foreigner. And game or not, he ended up wanting to get closer to her. If foreigners acknowledged even faceless as persons then he, an important card in this world, deserved to be treated better. He was worthy of a foreigner's attention, right? He wasn't a monster, was he? Well, he was a demon, but… foreigners didn't seem to care.
Grey had been skeptical of her actions. Since she started fighting back the Jabberwocky he had suspected that she was not fine. He was the same kind of scoundrel as her, there was not that much difference between an assassin and a mercenary, and he knew well that although they looked tough and fine outside they could be feeling terrible. He didn't know what she had seen, but judging by Nightmare´s teary and regretful reaction, it was pretty bad; but as long as she didn't give up there was still some hope left, or so he desperately wanted to believe. Of one thing he was sure, she may be fighting but she didn't care about her own survival.
Vivaldi was shooting the mock after images that attacked Gowland while he attacked the barrier. Unlike the other holders she was not hopeful or optimistic about Aria. She could barely sense her heart, its strength was resolute but faint. And unless she clung onto something her will would snuff. Foreigners needed a point of stability as women with their mercurial natures needed so too. Was hers those faceless? Was it her science? Or could it be a roleholders love as the game stated?
Pierce and Boris had come to backup Elliot. They had decided that if they couldn't get to her then they would give her a change to fight using her own cards, even if they didn't like that she acknowledged and cared for HER cards so much. How had she done it? Or rather… why had Wonderland allow it? Weren't the roleholders the only ones capable of caring and protecting a foreigner? Boris though her usage of weapons was cool, but not as impressive as how effectively she was commanding her cards. She was strong and powerful in her own right to use such unimportant beings and cause damage to a creature like the Jabberwocky. He wanted to get closer and know what other secrets she hid. You couldn't blame a cat for curiosity, but he would have to take into account the mouse´s words. Pierce had told him how she had actually spend time with him and done some "geeky" things, however he had been very conscious that she hadn't let anyone get close. But it was fine, that was another mystery to solve… if they survived this.
The roleholders observed what was happening in the arena with a bit (ok, a lot) of jealously (especially at how she was completely synchronized with the two faceless men that stood at her sides). The mercenary girl fought in perfect rhythm with the faceless that surrounded her, with precision only achieved after fighting or training together for a long time; as the bloody twins acknowledged , the group inside the barrier was as coordinated as a wolf pack, one distracting and others attacking at the perfect moment.
Ace and Julius were back to back against the dragon copies when a faceless child appeared from the barrier.
.
-Mr Monrey? -The kid asked with apprehension.
-Yes? - Julius turned to look at the kid while Ace faced the shadowy draconian masses. – What are you doing here? This is no place for a kid.
-Lady A told me to find Julius Monrey, "long blue hair and slightly feminine pretty boy" to give you this note and tell you that you ought to read it later if she´s not around. - Ace snickered and Julius grunted at how Aria had "accurately" described the clock master. –She also told me to tell you that she might try some weird stuff with time if things come to worse. Ok, I did it! I delivered the message! Bye.- And with that he ran away, crossing the barrier.
-Who was that? – Julius was worried, but if she had a plan that was good, right?
-Mmmhh…. Her squire? … I don't know "Lady" Aria sounds so knightly, and she is facing a dragon! – Ace grinned at how fun things had become.
.
The kings had reached the prime ministers and the dodo during a verbal spat between the bunnies; the Diamond residents noticed that the more foes were defeated, the more energy they regained, they were almost overwhelmed by the sensation in conjunction to the spell of her siren´s voice. The mana she had spoken about was being released as the beast was being progressively defeated.
Sydney was crossed about her, more so than before with her gloriously piercing singing voice and the way she had commanded those faceless. To top the incongruousness surrounding her, the insufferable white rabbit "had oh so readily" helped! Of course Peter´s attempt had been pathetic, even if using the dodo had been effective. He didn't own her any loyalty and it had nothing to do with the fact that she owned him in every possible way she desired, thus making him more valuable to her than the white rabbit, he simply was more capable than the albino bunny and he was going to prove it. No way was he going to lose against Peter White!
-Tell me White why did you act to help her? Everyone knows that you´d rather kill her –Sidney wanted to know that. And what was behind the foreigners relationship with Peter.
The white rabbit´s answer surprised the present –" I pity her. "- She had never known something pure like his love for Alice and she would never be able to. Even her most joyous moments had never been shared with anyone, and many could not even count as happy at all. Even the faceless noticed that her song was not one of joy but something that aroused you to crash and burn in the strife.
Even the roleholders noticed the filling, caressing sensation when they got near the barrier, or rather, near her, but the only one that knew what she was doing was Joker, but he was not fairing that well. One of him had received a big hit from one of the Jabberwocky´s copies when Aria screamed some order about a bard, he had recognized the song as one from her memories. That got him distracted by the overwhelming sensation of her being, with terrible results, but he had felt her determination too, trough the earrings that connected her to his role.
When the song ended Aria was panting and knew that she could not use that trick again. She needed to do something else, taking a small automatic syringe she pressed it to her neck even if she wasn't in condition to use drugs, but if she didn't, things would be even worse. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. But she didn't need to survive the fight, she just needed that her enemy did not. With renowned impulse by the chemicals in her system, she took out her electric baton to use it in one hand, and her armblade as main weapon in the other. With the coverage and tactics of her teams, she began attacking using the electric baton in one hand to cause shock and paralysis, and then hitting with her arm blade, then one member of her team provided cover so that she could get away from the beast´s hits and embattles while it was showered with attacks at the sides from the rest of the faceless. When she noticed a young but fast boy coming their way, she put some distance from her foe and let the partitura deal with it, while Armalite gave her back the golden key that he had used to open a path to the country Spades as she had told him to do. Damn, she was proud of the kid!
.
Flashback
.
She gave him a key, a couple pills, a note and her vial, getting close so that only he could hear she quietly said: -This key opens any path, put the spades key chain in the key and go to the painting behind the Jabberwocky. Then open a path to the origin place of the key chain, Spades country. If it does not work, put in it a few drops of the liquid in the vial. Also give the pills to Alice, the other foreigner and look for the clock master, Julius Monrey, he has long blue hair and is a slightly feminine pretty boy. He will probably be with the knave of hearts, a man in a red trench coat. Give him the note and tell him to read if after the battle if I'm not around anymore. Also tell him that I might try to mess with time. Then come back to me to give me back the key for plan B. Go!
.
End flashback
.
He had done what she ordered, and where the mural of the frozen lake was supposed to be, now a silvery liquid surface shone with the octarine color and texture of the potion held in the foreigner´s vial.
Aria had set up various gambits at the same time. One of them was that in case of the portal to spades opened, they could try to trap the Jabberwocky there. However at this point they had no way to drive the Jabberwocky to it, so she´d have to try another thing. Everyone was here for her, and damn, she was going to stand for everyone and do all she could. She tried her best to minimize casualties, but she was conscious that things were deteriorating fast and there was little else she could do. How many times have they defeated the Jabberwocky now? How many lives it still have left? She didn´t know, they had no more ammunition or extra weapons, the roleholders weren't harming it and Alice had succumbed to tiredness already. She was the only effective weapon they had and she would not be able to fight for long. But there was something she could still try… and she would go all the way with it. Aria Hadron Scherzi decided to go down properly for something worth it. That had always been her plan, wasn't it?
Running to the side of the behemoth, she put as much distance from everyone as she could. Extending her arm, she used the small golden "key of the way" in the air as if there was a door with a lock there, to open a path to her own past. If wonderland could bring a foreigner to the moment in time when they were most happy, then it could bring them to other points of their life, she just needed a way to open a path for it, and with this key she could. A strange translucent circle of light with the form of a round clock appeared in thin air and she jumped into the circling glowing clock, which hands moved backwards.(AN: If you have played Bayonetta, imagine when she enters the umbra world via a magic circle, if not, look youtube for the "bayonetta weapons trailer")
.
-Troublesome, despotic and forceful woman! –Being the one in charge of time in Wonderland, Julius felt what she was trying to do and it almost blew his mind. He had never considered something like that to be even possible and the consequences could be terrible. But she had warned him, and if she was willing to resort to this… then this was the darkest moment; he concentrated in using all his power to allow her to go on with her plan.
-Huh? She´s gonna try something? About time for OUR mercy to be amazing! :)- Ace got exited, until he saw Julius expression. It was not normal of Julius to lose composure, but seeing what happened next at the arena was worth losing one's composure.
.
From the other side of the clock Aria appeared. Everyone stopped for a few seconds looking at the oddity, even the Jabberwocky looked puzzled. She had come out of the other side of the clock looking a bit different, she looked younger, as young as Alice had been; her multiple shades of blond hair were tied in two big, rowdy and slightly curly pigtails and she was scandally dressed as a cheer leader. Her top showed her well-proportioned chest, her midriff was bare and her legs were clad with one knee sock high and the other falling over the combat boots that clashed horrible with the skimpy mini skirt but combined perfectly with her utility belt.
Ace actually wolf whistled before cutting down another shadow. – So you really like loli costumes Julius! XD - He remembered when Julius had suggested Aria to wear some of Alice´s old clothes instead of her tight black t-shirt and hot pant shorts; Aria had commented that those "Lolita dresses" seemed to have come out from a sexshop.
.
-Ups… wrong moment in time –She chirped, satisfied that it had worked although not exactly like she had planned. And before she had to explain that she had lost a bet that made her enter the cheerleader team of her school for a couple terms, she jumped through the time circle again and the hands in it moved forward.
This time what came out of the time portal was something big and mechanical.
A few roleholders recognized it from her further and almost last memories. It was several meters tall, reaching around 2 or 3 floors; Ace standing would barely reach what would be it´s knee point. It was heavy, it weighted various tons and with each move the ground shacked a bit. It was armored; even a well-placed bomb might not but to scratch it. It was armed, they could see many weapons they didn't knew about in all its frame. It had a tank's resilience and firepower, but with the infantry's ability to cross unstable terrain; deadly from close or long range. But… most dangerous of all… The armored "Mecha" with heavy weaponry, affectionately named "Soyakaze" was being controlled by Aria Hadron Scherzi.
It was a massive, hulking, mechanical beast, descendant and evolution of military exoskeletons. An armored body highly equipped with tactical systems and heavy weaponry. A destruction machine like they have never imagined, a culmination of technology for assault infantry, a mobile war (and political) statement.
Nightmare got a bad feeling, he could not difference between the machine and the person that he supposed was inside. He knew that she had acquired this when she was nearing her end, and by that moment in time there was little to none humanity left in her; now he got the feeling that it was too late again. Too late for her but in perfect time for all of them. With the power this machine exuded, he dared to think that the Jabberwocky would finally be destroyed, even if it destroyed her and all their hopes.
.
.
.
.
Im pretty sure no one expected the cheerleader thing or the mecha, right? XD
( If you want a better idea about the cheer-leading thing just google the game "lollipop chainsaw" and say with me and everyone there "WTF!?", just the outfit, however add combat boots, an utility belt and really bad attitude). Oh yeah ! If anyone is interested, the song I was listening when writing that was "How you like me now " from the game "Borderlands 2"
Everyone knows what a "mecha" is, but if you have doubt just google the word (I suggest you look out for the "titanfall" ogre and atlas game trailers). Also I know that perhaps I´m going very fast (you tell me if indeed I am) .
She is quite decided to give everything in this fight, and she is indeed worried, but getting emotional on the battlefield is a bad idea and she knows it.
Was the first part of the fight epic good?