Chapter 95: The Electrian Revolutionary
Headmaster Atsphuria's College of Practical Education.
To Tyria, that place was home. Well, so was Phoenix's Eye. But it had been the College first.
It had taken barely a day for Aluze to fly from Hargeon to the port of Lyceum. Of course, Lync didn't stop there; they made directly for their College.
"I hope nothing much has changed," Alice commented.
"Well, that kind of depends," Lync pointed out.
"On what Alvarez has done," Tyria agreed.
Nine years ago, three years before they were all thrust into the future, the Alvarez Empire had invaded Electria. The three of them, together with their fellows in the College, had aided in the resistance movement; helping the surviving Colleges - which were Electria's answer to Fiore's Wizard Guilds - maintain connection with each other and operate an underground continuation of Electrian culture. Hindered in no small part by the forces of the Alvarez Empire.
However, Tyria, as the personal assistant to Headmaster Gabriel Atsphuria - the man who had, in her eyes, replaced the father who had abandoned her when the war began - had been given a different mission. The surviving leaders of Electria, including Headmaster Atsphuria, had compiled a collection of the essence of their country; their most valuable treasures, complete and accurate records of their country's history, and, perhaps most importantly to Alvarez, the blueprints to their most dangerous technologies. All of this was loaded into a single vessel, known as the Electrian Compendium . . and the Compendium was given to Tyria.
She had taken it to Fiore, and hidden it in a forest in the middle of nowhere. For a time, the young girl had become a bandit to get by; calling herself the Shellshocker. But after a fated meeting with Pierce and Boomer, she had joined the Phoenix's Eye Guild. At first, it was just a way to make ends meet without breaking the law, but over time, the guild had become just as much of a home as the College had ever been. Then her old friends Lync and Alice had been sent to aid her after a fiasco in which she had been kidnapped . . twice . . but that was another story.
Tyria's stomach rumbled. She had been trapped in Aluze's cramped holding bay all day, with no opportunity for privacy. She had plenty of scraps of technology in her pockets, but no chance to eat them without one of her friends noticing. And that would lead to problematic questions. Though, hopefully, those questions would be answered soon . . that was, after all, the real reason she wanted to talk to Professor Atsphuria. When it began, she didn't want to burden him with her problems; he was, after all, orchestrating a war. But, after what the Caladrius had told her, she felt she had no choice . . and in the massive mess of events that she'd been caught up in ever since the S-Class Trials, she hadn't had an opportunity until now.
But soon she would, as Aluze began to descend. "We'll be breaching the containment bubble any minute now," Lync reported, and the two girls crowded around the monitors linked to the Bakugan's six eyes. There was a hiss, and suddenly, they could see.
Tyria gasped, taking in the state of her beloved College.
The sports grounds had been shredded, and were seemingly overgrowing with plants, which she immediately recognised as a plantation. They were growing their own food. That wasn't good. Scattered throughout the grounds were a series of bomb craters. They'd been attacked. Oh no.
But the worst part? The entire left side of the U-shaped main structure of the Collage had been reduced to rubble. The Electrian gasped, eyeing the piles of debris that marked where some of her favourite classrooms and workshops had been located. "Oh no . ." she murmured, swallowing nervously.
"There's smoke," Alice muttered, and Tyria blinked, taking another look. Sure enough, a chimney on the surviving right side of the college had just emitted a puff of black steam. "Someone's got a fire going. There have to be people in there,"
"I'm bringing her down," Lync declared, settling Aluze into the chipped and broken front square. With a pneumatic hiss, the bay door swung open.
Running at full tilt, Tyria leapt into open air, swerving around the Bakugan and making for the front doors. Her feet running on autopilot, she traced the worn route to Gabriel Atsphuria's personal office, and in minutes, her growling stomach forgotten, she had halted outside the ornate doors that led into the study.
Hesitantly, she knocked.
"Come in," a familiar voice echoed through the doors, and, suddenly, Tyria was ten years old again, entering this room for the first time, before the war had even began.
Haltingly, she pushed the doors open.
Headmaster Gabriel Atsphuria started, his eyes going wide, as he took in the sight of the young lady. He spluttered, confused, before finally choking out, "Tyria?"
Her eyes brimmed with tears as she recognised the man who meant so much to her, and, abandoning all decorum, Tyria leapt forwards, jumped clear over his desk and hugged him, crying "Headmaster!"
Carefully, Gabriel returned the embrace, feeling her to make sure that she was real. "I - I don't understand," he murmured to her.
"It's a long story," she replied. "I've missed you so much,"
"You look so young - where have you been? I heard that there was some kind of accident and you'd all been killed,"
"Wrong," And Tyria launched into a brief recap of everything that had happened during the S-Class Trials, as well as their issues in Alfheim, the long boat ride home, and the subsequent fight against the Neo Oracion Och that had delayed her return even more. While she talked, Lync and Alice caught up, but hung back, recognising this as a moment just for the two Electrians.
". . Phoenix's Eye has their own pirate division?" Headmaster Atsphuria questioned in disbelief.
Tyria laughed weakly and cuffed him in irritation. "As if that's the most unbelievable thing about all that," she snorted.
"I suppose time travel would explain things," Headmaster Atsphuria accepted. "Well, I'm just glad that you're alright," he smiled at his surrogate daughter.
"What's been happening over here, though?" Tyria questioned. "The College is in shambles,"
"The College was destroyed," the elderly wizard sighed. "At least, that's what Alvarez thinks,"
Alice blinked. "What does that mean?" she frowned.
"About a year after you all vanished, we were found out. The Alvarez Empire launched an all-out assault against us, spearheaded by a member of the Spriggan 13," Their Headmaster turned world-weary eyes on them. "The sheer, unbelievable power that woman possessed . . I couldn't fight it. The entire College couldn't fight it. I doubt that every wizard in Electria, all working together, could fight it,"
"The Spriggan 13?" Lync questioned.
"They're the personal guard of Emperor Spriggan, the leader of the Alvarez Empire," Alice explained. "But still . . our entire College was wiped out by one woman? Who was she?"
"To this day, I don't know. All I know is, she wields the power of a dragon," Headmaster Atsphuria sighed. "Whoever she was, she single-handedly doomed the resistance in Electria. It was all some of us could do to escape with our lives,"
"But then why are you still here?" Tyria asked, concerned.
"We're hiding in plain sight," the wizened man explained. "Alvarez thinks we're all dead, and that this place is a ruin. They're not wrong on that count, mind. I'm sure you saw the left wing on your way in," he chuckled. "Any time someone comes by, we get into the tunnel networks and hide until they're gone. But I suppose you all must have come by air, whereas our wards are only on the ground," He grimaced. "That's something we'll have to fix," Lync nodded agreement.
Alice blinked, suddenly realising something. "Hold on a second," she frowned. "Lync, you didn't do anything to hide Aluze on our way in. If Alvarez is in charge, their people will have seen us come here,"
"Yeah. So?" Lync shrugged.
"They're sure to have Aluze on record after what happened with Lord Rolfe several years ago. They'll know that he belongs to you, and that you're a colleague of Tyria's," Alice thought curiously. "And they're probably still after the Compendium, too,"
"Great Scott, the Compendium!" Atsphuria suddenly exclaimed. "Yes. Them not having the Compendium is the only thing stopping their conquest of Electria from being complete! Dear god, Tyria. If they think for even a second that you might be here, they'll be sending people to investigate and to capture you,"
"Oh, no," the bluenette gulped.
The man frowned. "Lync, Alice. Go around the grounds, find as many people as you can and warn them what's coming. Tyria, come with me. You're their target, I need to get you somewhere safe,"
"That's fine. There's something I need to talk to you about as well," Tyria declared, shooting him a conflicted look.
Atsphuria returned it with a quizzical raised eyebrow as their friends left the room. "How about we walk and talk?" he suggested, leaving his desk and making for the double doors.
Tyria joined him, and, as they moved through the arch, she questioned; "Why didn't you tell me about my parents?"
Gabriel nodded. "So you figured it out, did you?" he nodded, understanding. "I thought you would sooner or later,"
"Actually, the Divine Caladrius told me," Tyria clarified. Seeing her father figure's inquisitively raised eyebrow, she clarified, "Demigod offspring of Isis, goddess of nature,"
"And you got along?" Gabriel chuckled in surprise.
Tyria was not amused, and just glared.
"You're right," he nodded, his face losing its levity. "I suppose it's time for you to come and meet your forebear,"
The Electrian blinked in surprise. "What - right now? But what about the College?" she frowned.
Gabriel shook his head as they reached a door. "Even if they are coming, it will take them a few hours, probably a day or two to get organised and come here. We have plenty of time," With that, he swung open the door and revealed a hole dug into the ground, with a ladder leading downwards.
Tyria started. ". . I thought you were joking about the tunnels,"
Headmaster Atsphuria chuckled. "Well, this is an underground resistance," he pointed out. "Please, after you,"
-[CoT]-
They had to have been walking through the tunnel for hours, but time passed as though it were coated with grease for Tyria. Her very being was brimming with anticipation. After all, in a manner of speaking, she'd been waiting for this for six years.
They passed through dusty, cobweb-encrusted passageways, breaking down multiple barricades and passing several warning signs. "Your grandfather doesn't like to be disturbed much," Gabriel explained after the first of the signs which read 'ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE'.
"I can see that," Tyria agreed. Though, more than the warning signs or the obvious indicators of neglect, what concerned her was the fact that, for the last couple of kilometres, the tunnel had been sloping downwards, and slowly getting hotter.
But, finally, they arrived in a large antechamber. Every surface was suddenly made of metal that felt hot to the touch, all riveted together. Opposite the room from their entrance was a massive set of double doors made of some strange black metal. "We're here," Headmaster Atsphuria stated, spotting a button on the side of the door. "There. Press that," he commanded.
"Okay," Tyria nodded, stepping forwards and pressing the proffered button.
There was a pneumatic hiss, and, slowly, the massive doors started to swing open. As soon as they parted, though, an earthshaking noise of metal on metal shook the room. The girl shivered, discontent. "What was that?" she demanded of Gabriel, who smiled. "Ah. He's working,"
Soon, the doors had parted enough that they could pass through. Slowly, trepidantly, Tyria advanced, Professor Atsphuria trailing behind her. As they did, the crashing noise echoed through the room again, and then again, building a constant rhythm.
And, at last, they emerged into a cavernous room. Tyria gasped as she beheld it. Everything was made of bronzed, scorched metal. Every surface bristled with all manner of technologies, modern and archaic alike, and often blended together in unearthly ways. Fluorescent lights hung from the ceiling, but the primary source of illumination was a warm orange light that shone through grates in the floor. Taking a second to glance down, the girl stiffened, realising that, inches below her feet, were rivers of red-hot lava.
But, dominating everything in the massive chamber, was a vast, muscled Electrian man, who stood at surely twenty feet tall, with frizzy yellow hair cascading down his naked back. His back was turned, and he had a large hammer in his hand, and was slamming it down repeatedly on an equally large anvil. This was, no doubt, the source of the crashing sound they kept hearing.
"Ahem!" Gabriel shouted, straining his throat to make himself heard over the noise of the anvil.
The giant man drew back his arm once again, paused, before turning his head and staring at the door. Large, wide, orange eyes immediately found them, set in a face almost completely covered by a massive moustache that flowed into his beard.
Tyria froze, immediately feeling, in her core, the sheer overwhelming power that this being, who she was hesitant to even call a man, exuded. She quailed, trying to fight the instinct to flee as he stomped his way across the room to stand before them, looking down inquisitively.
Headmaster Gabriel Atsphuria stepped back respectfully, and stated, "Tyria Zechtian, I'd like to introduce you to Hephaestus, the god of the forge,"
Tyria blinked, slowly processing this. She was standing in front of a god. One of the founding forces that had created the world as all of humanity knew it. Being with the Divine Caladrius had not prepared her for this.
Hephaestus' lips twitched beneath his beard as a large, bushy eyebrow shifted upwards.
And, suddenly, his beard split in a massive, toothy smile. The hammer he still clutched fell to the ground, and he raised his tree-like arms, scooping Tyria up in his meaty hands and suddenly clutching her to his shoulder. The unfortunate girl gasped, the wind knocked out of her, and Hephaestus beamed, shouting; "I finally get to meet my granddaughter!"
Tyria' eyes went wide at this admission. "Hold on. You're my . . whuh?" she blinked, shocked, trying to look at the massive man.
Hephaestus blinked, quickly setting her back down and peering at her in confusion. "You don't know?" he frowned, before fixing his eyes on Headmaster Atsphuria. "Gabriel! You were only supposed to bring her here once she found out for herself!"
"She did, though!" the wizened man assured him. "She met another demigod, who explained that she had divine blood! She just didn't know the source!"
Hephaestus blinked. "Oh," Suddenly, he sat down with a thump and leant against a nearby cauldron. "Well then. I suppose it's my fault for not being specific enough. Oh well, the beans are spilt now,"
"Neither of you are making any sense!" Tyria cut through the conversation, looking between the two males in confusion. "What do you mean, you're my grandfather? Why weren't you supposed to tell me?" she demanded of each of them.
Hephaestus smiled down at her, and patted a spot on his knee. "Sit down, and I'll explain everything," he assured her.
Tyria defiantly remained standing and folded her arms.
The god shrugged. "Suit yourself. Now, when a god falls in love with a human woman, he takes on a form more suited to her, before going to bed, taking his trousers off and -"
"I know where babies come from," the Electrian interrupted.
"Oh. Well, that saves time, then," Hephaestus smiled. "It was from such a union that your father, Kellan Zechtian, was born," he explained. "This was something like sixty years ago, mind. Eventually he found a woman of his own, and made you with her. That's how you came to be," he smiled.
"That doesn't explain anything!" Tyria snapped, confused and annoyed. "Wh-" She stuttered, so full of questions that she had no idea where to begin. "What about the war?" she finally decided. "Have you just been hiding down here for the last ten years? Why didn't you help us fight Alvarez?" she demanded.
The light in Hephaestus' eyes dimmed, and he shook his head. "I can't," he admitted with a sigh.
Tyria blinked. "Well, why not?" she questioned.
"Because gods are forbidden from personally interfering in the matters of mortals," the forge god explained. "I can't directly support your kind in a war. The most I can do is lend my power to select individuals and allow them to fight on my behalf. Your friend Gabriel is one of those whom I have empowered in such a way," he explained. "Unfortunately . . it wasn't enough. And now there's nothing I can do for Electria!" In a sudden fit of rage, the god span and punched a nearby table. The force of the blow destroyed one of the legs, and the table collapsed, spilling its contents all over the floor. Hephaestus sighed. "I'll clean that up later," he grumbled.
"Oh," Tyria nodded, digesting this. "I see. But . ." After a second's consideration, she sat in the spot that Hephaestus had indicated before, and the bearded man looked down at the bluenette. "I'm sorry," he rumbled. "I know this must be a lot for you to take in," he explained.
"Well, sort of. But at the same time, it kind of makes sense," Tyria admitted, looking back at Headmaster Atsphuria as a thought struck her. "Hey. Headmaster? This is why you chose me to take the Electrian Compendium to Fiore, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is," Gabriel Atsphuria nodded, confirming her suspicions. "I told you that the Electrian Compendium contained our most sacred texts and valuable artefacts, true and accurate records of our history, and our most dangerous technologies. But what I never told you was that the most dangerous technology of all, the one thing that, above all else, Alvarez must never possess," he took a breath, "was the girl who had inherited the power of the machine god,"
"Heh," Tyria nodded. "So I, myself, am part of the Electrian Compendium, huh?" she nodded, digesting this. "I'm a demigod," she spoke the words aloud for the first time, looking at herself with new eyes. She had known ever since the Caladrius had told her that she sensed divinity inside her, but now, hearing the words aloud, in the presence of her godly grandparent, it fully sunk in.
"And I am a grandfather," Hephaestus sounded positively jubilant about this fact.
"Hey," Tyria paused as something occurred to her. "Where is my father? Your son? What happened to him?"
The dark, disconsolate look entered her grandparent's eyes once again. "As a god, I'm forbidden from entering into the affairs of mortals. A half-god like Kellan Zechtian, though, has no such restrictions. Ten years ago, after he entrusted you to Gabriel here, he was on the front lines of the war. I was down here, watching as he gave everything he could to protect his people, and . ." He clenched his fist in unadulterated fury, tempered only by the presence of his granddaughter.
"You don't need to say it. I can guess," Tyria sighed.
"If it helps, they never found his body. He might be out there somewhere," Gabriel interjected. Grandfather and granddaughter alike cast him an identical irritated glare. Neither wanted to cling to a false hope for even a second. "Nevermind," the elderly man nodded.
"You never told me why you weren't just upfront about my heritage," the Electrian asked, peering up at her grandfather. "I'm seventeen, twenty-three if you count the time travel. Why am I only finding out about this now?"
"Because you would have gotten overconfident," Hephaestus gravely told her. "Imagine how things would have been if everyone knew about your divine blood all your life. You'd have become dependent on your powers and the status they bring. You could easily have fallen prey to hubris, and failed to respect the people around you because they aren't on your level. The best case scenario, if that had come to pass, would be that you got yourself killed trying to defeat someone stronger than you. On the other hand, you could have become some manner of mad queen and tried to take over the world. Either way, I didn't want it on my conscience, so I ensured that it wouldn't happen," he solemnly explained, before smiling again. "And look how you turned out. A strong young woman, surrounded by friends and allies that she knows she can trust. I couldn't have asked for better. No, keeping your true powers secret was for the best, and I hope you agree with me,"
Tyria nodded. "I suppose you have a point," she admitted. But mention of her friends brought her to remember why she had come back to Electria in the first place, and she picked herself up. "But . . this isn't why I came here," Tyria admitted, standing up.
Hephaestus tilted his head in curiosity. "What do you mean by that?"
"In two and a half months, my guild and I are going to enter a massive tournament. I came back so that I could train to unlock the true nature of my abilities," she explained, and the god nodded. "The Grand Magic Games, yes. I suspected as much,"
"I understand now, and I know why you withheld my powers . . but if I'm going to help my friends win, I need every advantage," the Electrian explained.
A smile emerged through the frizzy yellow beard. "Well. You really have grown into a remarkable young woman. If you'd asked me that for your own sake, I'd have said you weren't ready yet. But to help your friends? How can I refuse a request like that?" With that, the god stood and turned, starting to stride towards the back of his workshop. "Come with me, both of you!" he commanded. Obligingly, the two humans followed.
Soon, Hephaestus had reached what looked like a high-tech cupboard, coloured black and blue. "When I heard that you had been born, I knew this day would eventually come. So I prepared," Tyria found herself scooped up and lifted by the giant man, and raised to the level of the metal containment unit, brought before what she immediately recognised as the shape of a human hand. "I built it to respond only to a touch that was both mortal and divine," he explained.
Obligingly, Tyria raised her right hand and pressed it against the print.
There was a whir of machinery inside, and suddenly the entire cupboard slid open, a platform extending with safety railings folding out of it. Hephaestus set Tyria down on the platform, and the demigod looked into the space within nervously. "Go on," he encouraged her.
Hesitantly, Tyria advanced, walking into the crevasse.
As soon as she entered, panels shot open in the walls of the room she found herself in, and a surge of liquid, molten metal sprayed out of them, dropping into troughs and lighting up the room with a warm, red glow.
Something shone from a pedestal in the centre and, carefully, Tyria approached, shielding her eyes from the golden glow.
Resting on a raised dais was a gear, the size of her hand, with fine, sharp teeth, made of black metal with flecks of gold speckled into it.
At once, she knew what she had to do. Carefully, reverentially, the Phoenix scooped up the piece of technology with both hands and bit into it.
It was the best thing she'd ever tasted; warm, almost melting in her mouth, incredibly sweet and yet fizzing with energy. Excited, she took another bite, and another, and finally had swallowed the whole thing. As she did, a strange warmth spread through her body.
Suddenly, her TechType magic's HUD, that was almost always projected over her vision, popped up and autonomously opened the menu that she used to regulate her Gear Changes. She gasped as a yellow light emblazoned a new option amidst her second, third and infinite gears. Slowly, Tyria smiled, feeling new power course through her body. When she got back to Fiore, the Grand Magic Games wouldn't know what had hit them.
Slowly, still revelling in the new power that was coursing through her body - though she supposed she had always had it, just never before been able to use it - Tyria emerged, into the waiting gazes of Hephaestus and Headmaster Atsphuria.
"So, how does it feel to be a fully realised demigod?" her grandfather asked, delight sparkling in his eyes.
"A little intoxicating, to be honest," Tyria admitted, spreading her fingers and looking at them with curiosity. "This is going to take some getting used to . . but I've still got two months until I have to go back to Fiore," She looked up at the mighty God. "Hephaestus . . please, will you teach me to use this ability properly?" she nervously requested.
The god beamed. "Of course. But only if you call me 'grandpa'!" he grinned.
"I hate to interrupt, but I'd rather like to be getting back to my college," Headmaster Atsphuria interjected.
Tyria blinked. The collage! Lync and Alice! And Laurel, and Kay too! How could she have forgotten? "Right! Yeah, we need to go make sure Alvarez doesn't discover them!" she agreed, before turning to her grandfather. "Um . . sorry, but we might have to postpone the training until tomorrow,"
Hephaestus just nodded in approval. "Of course, of course. Go, help your friends. I'm not going anywhere," he smiled down at her.
"Great!" Tyria grinned looking st her mentor. "Let's move!"
-[CoT]-
The sun was just setting on Atsphuria's College when the two of them returned. However, instead of emerging into daylight, Atsphuria lead her down a different passage, and soon they found themselves in an underground room, where Alice, along with her old friend Laurel, were crammed into a safe room along with the paltry dozen or so remaining students of the College.
"Tyria!" Alice exclaimed, beaming at her friend. "Where have you been?"
"Long story. Where's Lync?" Tyria asked, not seeing their Brawler friend.
"Outside, keeping watch," the orangette explained. "Alvarez's patrols are on their way. They'll be here in about an hour,"
"They usually stay for a coupl'a days, then leave," Laurel explained.
"I don't think it will be the same this time," Headmaster Atsphuria gravely explained. "If they think that Tyria's here, they'll stop at nothing to capture her. They might even set up a permanent detachment here, just in case she resurfaces,"
"What?" Tyria gasped. "But - then . ."
"We'd lose the College. For real this time," Alice nodded gravely.
"What will we do, Headmaster?" one of the other students asked.
Gabriel seemed to struggle with himself for a moment. He breathed in deeply, gaunt lines appearing in his face, and his eyes steeled. "We lost the College a long time ago. There's nothing we can do about that,"
"Headmaster, what are ya saying?" Laurel asked, worried.
"It's time to leave," Headmaster Gabriel Atsphuria resolved.
Everyone exchanged glances. Many of the students were reluctant. But in their hearts they all knew the time had come.
"Even if we do need to escape, how can we?" Laurel asked. "They're sure to be watching all the ports. And there's a big dif between flying in and flying out,"
Alice had the solution. "My grandfather's warp gate! The one the Brawlers used to use to get to Vestroia years ago!"
"That hunk of junk?" Lync had somewhat sore memories of the machine in question. "Didn't Shadow Prove destroy it?"
"The original one, yes," Alice confirmed. "But if I remember correctly, the College has a prototype in storage. He left it here for safe keeping. If we dig it out and get it working, we could set the coordinates for Magnolia. I'm sure Phoenix's Eye would be more than happy to let all of us stay there,"
"Considering that membership's at an all-time low, I'm sure Master will be thrilled," Tyria assured them.
"Then it's settled. Everyone, out! We're going to fix that portal!" the Headmaster shouted, leading his students out of the room. Tyria and Alice eagerly trotted at his side as they returned to the ladder.
-[CoT]-
It didn't take long to find the disassembled prototype. It had been buried in a shed at the back of the College, amidst various other machines and technologies. With Alice's understanding of her grandfather's mechanics and Gabriel's power, they quickly reassembled the parts, and soon they were staring up at the makeshift portal; a massive capsule, surrounded by machinery and control units on all sides.
"Think it'll work?" Tyria asked Alice, who hummed thoughtfully. "Well, maybe. I know how it's supposed to work, and I think that this is right. But . . well . ." She trailed off.
"You don't know that it'll work," Tyria surmised, and Alice nodded.
"Well, I don't see we got much choice, eh?" Laurel shrugged, moving over to them. "Chillax, girl. It'll be fine,"
"It'll work because it has to, huh?" Alice dryly chuckled. "I suppose that I've heard worse philosophies,"
Fang-shaped blue lenses covering his eyes. Menacing, spiky blond hair.
Suddenly Alice frowned, rubbing her forehead. "What's wrong?" the bluenette asked.
"Nothing. Just heard from Masquerade again. He's checked all my calculations, and he says it'll work," the orangette nodded, smiling.
"Well, that's a relief," Tyria smiled.
"I'd better go grab my things. If we're really not coming back, I've got some stuff I don't want left behind," Laurel explained, and the other two girls nodded as the Electrian jogged away.
For a moment, everything was peaceful.
And then Lync appeared, looking panicked. "Guys! Guys! Alvarez is here!" he shouted.
Tyria clenched her teeth; she knew that getting away without being noticed would be too good to be true. "Damnit!"
"The three of us need to distract them," Alice resolved.
"I agree," Headmaster Atsphuria nodded gravely. "If they think you three are the only ones here, they'll be less likely to call for backup than if they see all of us,"
"I should stay here, though, to monitor the portal," Alice ascertained. 'And I'm not good at fighting like you two,' the words hung in the air, unsaid but obvious.
"Alright," Tyria grinned despite herself. She knew that Alvarez attacking the College was a bad thing objectively speaking . . . but, really, she couldn't ask for a better opportunity to try out her new abilities. "Let's go!" Without another word, she ran back towards the half-destroyed College, Lync soon hot on her heels. The Electrian rounded the intact right wing, trainers slapping against the grass and stone underfoot, and approached the central courtyard. Already, she could see, just beyond the magical veil that kept Atsphuria's College hidden from Alvarez, a platoon of soldiers advancing on the main gates.
"Lync, do me a favour," Tyria asked, a thrill of adrenaline running through her body.
"Sure, name it," the Vestal agreed.
"Don't join in unless it looks like I'm in trouble. I've got some new stuff to try out, and I don't want you caught in the crossfire," the Electrian explained.
Lync quirked an eyebrow but nodded. "Uh . . if you say so,"
"There they are! Men, form up!" Tyria looked back at the guards to see that they had entered the main courtyard, and were drawing their weapons. Grinning, she strode forwards.
"Tyria Zechtian! You are under arrest for war crimes against the Alvarez Empire! Surrender peacefully and you will not be harmed!" the commander shouted at her as she slowly approached.
"Sorry, but I've got other plans. So I'll give you one chance to turn around and leave before things get ugly!" Tyria retorted, clenching her fists.
In response, the soldiers simply raised their weapons.
"Well, can't say you didn't ask for it," the Phoenix shrugged philosophically, before reaching into the air and turning an imaginary dial. "I am the lock, and my command; the key. The gears of the universe shall defend my heart and soul," As she spoke, her eyes flashed blue. "I now undo the limiter, and pronounce myself the ruler of progress," Black energy crackled around her body, and a massive black gear rose out of the ground with her in the centre. "Gear Change!"
A pillar of fizzing black energy shot from the ground around her, with streaks of blue arcing into the heavens, and lifting Tyria off the ground by a couple of feet. Her hair wrested itself free of its typical ponytail, spiking upwards and turning into silver spikes in the same manner as her Mark II form, crackling with black electricity like pylons. Her «Sunrise Cloak» was thrown away as steel chest armour formed around her shoulders, and short black blades materialised, attached to her corset. Finally, a laurel wreath made of black metal manifested above her head, before settling amidst her hair like a crown. "Machine Generation!"
The pillar of divine magic came crashing down as the black gear folded in towards her, leaving a scorched outline on the ground. As the energy dispersed, Tyria remained, her eyes glowing white against skin that seemed to be darker by comparison.
The Alvarez soldiers quailed in shock. "Um . . attack!" the squad leader nervously commanded.
The demigoddess let her feet touch the ground, perfectly poised, with arms spread wide. The power surging through her was incredible. She hadn't felt like this since the one time she had used TechType Mark Infinity. In her field of vision, Tyria saw blue highlights targeting each of the dozen assailants and pinpointing the perfect place to strike to hit them all simultaneously. She smiled, knowing what to do.
And suddenly she blitzed forwards, black gears emerging from her body and spreading into massive wings. Lifting into the air, Tyria reached upwards and invoked; "Machine God's Hammer!" Her dark-skinned arm suddenly transformed into metal, opening and elongating until there was a massive hammer, made of black and blue metal, in place of her right hand. Without further ado, she flexed her wings, before flying downwards and bringing her weapon back for a massive blow.
When it hit, a huge black shockwave erupted from the ground, battering the soldiers and knocking them in every direction.
Her spell reverted, and the demigod strode towards the semi-conscious captain. Seeing their attacker approach, he could not scramble backwards and stammer; "W-what are you?"
Tyria smiled, revealing shiny white teeth. "I'm your worst nightmare. I'm the woman with Machine magic made to kill gods. I'm the Electrian Revolutionary,"
"K-kill . . gods?" the captain whispered in horror, realising how outclassed he was.
"Run," the demigod suggested.
Scrambling to his feet and dropping his weapon, the captain turned tail and fled. The rest of his unit was right behind him.
Nodding to herself, Tyria returned to Lync, who was staring in amazement. "That was so cool," he murmured.
"It'll be cooler if we can get everyone home through the portal," she pointed out as her hair softened and returned to normal. She grabbed her coat, too; no sense in leaving it behind.
"Yeah. Let's do that," Lync agreed, realising that explanations would have to come later.
-[CoT]-
And, soon, the remains of the College were packed into the central chamber. The portal, for safety purposes, was created inside a hermetically sealed chamber. Otherwise it would destabilise and possibly destroy everything within three square miles.
"Alright," Alice frowned, eyeing the large doors, waiting to close so that the portal could open. Suddenly, she came to a realisation, looking at the control panel, and at the waiting students. "Oh . ."
"Someone has to stay behind and operate the portal," Tyria surmised.
"I'll do it. I'm the most experienced," the Darkus Brawler immediately declared.
"No. It ought to be me," Headmaster Atsphuria shook his head. "I've devoted my life to protecting my students. I'm not going to let any of you make a sacrifice in my stead,"
"All of you, stop it!" Tyria interrupted. "I can't leave anyway! I've gotta go back and train with my grandfather, remember?"
"Wait, what? You have a grandfather?" Lynn blinked.
Alice irritatedly elbowed him. "Of course she does. Everyone has a grandfather," She rolled her eyes, quietly reflecting that Lync could be so dense sometimes.
"Well - yeah - but I've never heard anything about Tyria's family before!" Lync spluttered. "Where'd this grandfather come from? Why are you training with him, and not us? We came here to train too!"
"It's a kind of training that only I can do," Tyria shrugged helplessly.
"Don't worry," Headmaster Atsphuria assured the two Brawlers. "If it's training you want, I can provide when we're safely in Fiore,"
Alice and Lync exchanged nervous glances. "I guess it's the best option," the Vestal admitted, reluctant.
Alice looked back at Tyria, before suddenly hugging her. "Be safe, okay?" she commanded.
As they let go, Tyria nodded, and her blue eyes flashed. "Don't worry. I can handle myself,"
A/N
A/N
Woo-hoo! I have been building up to this reveal for almost sixty chapters! Man, I can't believe this story lasted thus long!
Oh, also. After reading this chapter, please go ahead and pop over to the Filler Episodes before you read the next chapter! It directly ties in with the Filler that's been posted at the same time as this chapter!
Remember, I still want questions for the Q/A, and I feel like this chapter gave people a lot of material for questions. Don't disappoint me. Peace!