Mistakes of the Great Beings
37. Of knowledge and Saurians
Ami and Gravitas had spent the next two hours in the library, teaching the Saurian of Gravity to do mathematical operations. At the beginning, it wasn't hard. Much to Ami's delight, once Gravitas learned to add and subtract two-digit numbers, she easily expanded that knowledge up to five-digit ones. Ami decided not to test that knowledge further, since it was pretty obvious Gravitas could do that with practically any number, especially since humans write the intermediate results of their calculations, not do them all in their heads.
Multiplication went a bit harder. In a way, it was the same as addition, but Gravitas couldn't possibly add all those numbers without making a mistake. That could work with one-digit numbers, but with two-digit it was already hard, and nearly impossible with three-digit. But nevertheless, Gravitas managed to catch the drift, and soon mastered multiplication.
Division struck her as hard, however.
Gravitas knew it was just turning multiplying around, but for some reason, it was just harder. Adding, subtracting and multiplying, she could couple those to situations in her past life. If you had one prey and another prey, you got two preys, for example. But if you have one prey and divide it in five, how much prey do you have? That was hard. Of course they had to divide food before. But not like this. If the pieces weren't all equally sized, that was no problem. Here, it had to be exact. Precise. There was one outcome and one outcome only. Gravitas didn't mind simplicity like this, not usually at least. Certainty was good. But here, it was more than simplicity. It was an iron hard rule that could never be broken, or else the solution was simply wrong. And she felt this limitation far more than with the other operations.
The Saurian girl let out a low hiss. "Just why is it so hard?"
Ami put a hand on her guest's shoulder and said in a calming and soothing voice: "It's alright, Gravitas. You can't expect yourself to immediately understand everything. That's simply impossible. And you have already made incredibly good progress today."
"But from what you told me, I understand that this is basic!" Ami's student replied, looking frustrated and a bit sad. "If I have this much trouble with the basics… It will take so long before I can understand those more complex, prettier symbols…" The Saurian of Gravity sighed and looked positively unhappy. She was happy that she had learned so much already today, but she wanted to be able to do more, felt that she should be able to do more.
Ami smiled at her student again. "It's alright, really. Even if it takes long, I'm sure you'll master everything in the end. You've learned to do three operations within just two hours, and that's a lot for someone who hasn't even heard of Maths, believe me." Ami stood up from her chair. "Maybe you just need to rest and let the knowledge sink in a bit. You know, sometimes when you constantly think about a problem, then think of something completely different, you're later struck with a sudden solution. Happens to humans all the time." Ami looked at her watch. "Hmm, it's almost dinner time. Let's pick some books for you to study at home, and go eat something."
Gravitas looked up from her mathematical problem and studied Ami's face. It had a friendly and inviting smile. Ami wasn't angry at her for not getting this dividing at all. The Saurian of Gravity took a deep breath and closed the book and notebook, and gave her host a curt nod.
"Very well," she said. "Show me what books I should take with me, and let's go."
Ami put the notebook and pen back into her purse, and replied: "Before taking the books home, we need to check them in at the counter near the exit." She paused, and then continued explaining: "We can't borrow books without permission just like that, you see. People working here keep track of who borrowed which book and for how long. That way, if someone doesn't return it on time, they can remind him or her that the term is near, or even make them pay money for each day of delay." While saying so, Ami moved along the stands, picked a couple more Maths textbooks and a small book on calligraphy. Gravitas needed to learn normal writing as well. "Hmm, these should be enough for a while, at least, for Maths and writing." Ami turned to her guest. "Any other subject you'd like to study? Biology? History? Geography?"
"Is there nothing about… Gravity in nature?" Gravitas asked quietly.
Ami smiled. "That would be Physics. But, well… To learn that as we humans do you need to understand at least one more field of Maths – equations. Exact sciences don't stand alone, they're connected to each other through Mathematics. So studying gravity will have to wait, I'm afraid."
Gravitas looked disappointed, but caught herself quickly and nodded once more. "If you say so. Then I would like to read about history."
"Alright." Ami picked two more books from one of the shelves. "These contain a short retelling of human history. If you find yourself interested in a particular time period, we can later get more detailed books on that." She turned to her guest again. "Now, let's go."
The silver-haired girl prepared to follow her host, albeit with some reluctance, out of the magnificent library, when she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and tensed visibly. A low growl escaped her throat and she glanced around, sniffing the air.
"Ami," she began urgently and seriously. "I think there's…"
Before she could finish her sentence, a sound of something shattering followed by screams could be heard from behind the bookshelves in the distance, near the entrance of the library. Gravitas snarled and fury welled up inside of her. With a quick move of her hand, she summoned her new shield – which Ignika had made for her when they were waiting for Crast in the park – to it and readied herself for battle.
"An invasion…" she growled. "I can smell at least five different Saurians."
"Damn it…" Ami cursed quietly. Normally she wasn't the one for cussing, but in this situation it was all she could say. They had spent a great time studying, got the best textbooks to teach Gravitas further, and now the invaders ruin everything. Ami, with a doomed expression on her face, put her purse on the floor and text books above it. If luck was on her side, she'd get those back by the end of it. Which, considering her previous battles, might not be the case. She sighed and nodded at Gravitas.
"Mercury Crystal Power! Make up!"
A flash of light later and Sailor Mercury stood besides her symbiosis partner. Gravitas gave her an approving look, and began to make her way stealthily to the invaders, using the many bookshelves as cover. As she did so, she whispered to Mercury besides her:
"Just do it like we did with Jutlin. I handle close range, you back me up. And please, promise me to not make a speech. Let's just shred them for ruining my day and be done with it."
Mercury looked at Gravitas with mixed feelings. "But… But it's a tradition… I don't know for sure, but it's been a part of our battles as Senshi... Well, forever!" She said, her voice a bit shaky.
Gravitas just gave her a long, hard stare.
The Senshi frowned and looked at the ground as she realized how stupid and pathetic this phrase sounded, even to a primitive, albeit a very smart Saurian. She sighed and said:
"You're right… I'll try to keep silent. Let's go."
Satisfied with that, Gravitas continued on until they arrived in the entrance hall, where five Saurians were wreaking havoc. Windows had already been shattered, stands with folders knocked over and people were screaming and trying to get away in panic and terror. Gravitas gave the group of invaders that had ruined her day a quick look so she could figure out her powers, and once she had done so she informed her ally of them.
"From left to right, we have Lightning, Fire, Power Scream, Plasma and Vacuum to deal with…" the Saurian of Gravity whispered. "All of them destructive. We need to get them out of the library, or else they could damage the books."
Ami bit her lip and nodded. "Lead the way then. In the Senshi group I'm the tactician, but you know them better and think faster. Who should I beware the most? Who should I try to take out first?"
"They're all dangerous in their own way," Gravitas replied, thinking quickly. "But Power Scream has the ability to bring down this entire building with one usage of his powers. He needs to go down first. And fast."
"Understood." Ami nodded, and was just about to go, when… She frowned and looked her guest. "You go first, otherwise I'm in speech-mode."
Gravitas wanted to say something, but her keen senses picked up something and she threw herself and Ami to the floor just in time, for a stream of lightning shot through the air where they had stood just a moment before and destroyed a bookshelf instead, blasting it to pieces and setting it on fire. The two warriors climbed to their feet to face the source of the attack: the Saurian of Lightning, holding his lance firmly in his hands, its tip aimed at them.
"I thought I heard and smelled something…" he hissed slowly. A look of disdain appeared on his face. "It's the sister of the accursed child and one of those Sailor Senshi we were warned about."
"The orders were clear: kill them on sight," said the Saurian of Plasma, as he crossed his two short swords and fired a beam of plasma at Sailor Mercury and Gravitas. The Saurians of Lightning, Fire and Vacuum quickly joined in with blasts of their own powers. Ami and Gravitas evaded the attacks easily enough, and the powerful beams just did material damage, burning books and shelves and reducing them to smoking pieces.
Gravitas saw the damage done to the books, and she slowly turned to look from the destroyed treasure of knowledge to the ignorant members of her species that had destroyed them. The look on her face was all the more frightening by the complete lack of emotion in it. She merely stared at them, and for a moment the attackers halted, unnerved by the stare they were getting.
"You. Destroyed. The. Books," Gravitas said quietly, her voice so chilling and dangerously soft that it made the Saurians' and Ami's blood freeze. Uncontrolled fury suddenly exploded in Gravitas chest and her face was a demonic visage of terror and wrath. "You. Destroyed. The. BOOKS!"
The Saurian of Gravity triggered her powers then, and lifted up destroyed shelves, pieces of glass and debris until they formed a massive, impenetrable wall, which she threw at her opponents with uncontrolled strength and rage. Though they tried to destroy the attack with their powers, the invaders were blown back, some through the already broken windows and some through solid wall, to the outside. Gravitas, still seething, merely tightened her grip on her razor-edged shield and followed them without a word to the outside.
Ami was shocked no less than her enemies to see Gravitas explode like that. All those emotions… Just how long has she kept those bottled up? But the Senshi had to quickly come to her senses, because the sooner she did it, the more advantage over her opponents they would have. She hurried through the huge hole that was once the wall, activating her visor in process, and pausing to glance at Gravitas. Despite the clear order not to rush into combat, Ami run ahead of Gravitas and quickly scanned the area. Her enemies still haven't quite recovered from the blow dealt by the Saurian of Gravity, so Ami proceeded to carry out the first task given to her:
"Shine Aqua Illusion!" She sent the attack towards the Saurian of Power Scream in order to freeze him.
The attack hit and began to freeze its target, but the sudden cold made the Saurian of Power scream snap back to attention, and without wasting a second he tipped back his head and let out an ear-splitting scream that shattered the ice and cracked much of the road and walls of the library.
Ami, while clutching her ears because of the Saurian's attack, thought: "Damn it! Too slow, too much distance, too much power loss…" She clutched her temples, trying to lessen the headache and think straight. "If I were closer, it would have worked. But close combat… To get that close I need…"
The Senshi of Mercury got an idea. "That's it. I need to tell Gravitas. If she can detect the Saurians by their gravity fields, I'll Sharbon Spray everything and use the mist to sneak up to them…"
She started frantically looking around to see what Gravitas was doing, as well as an opportunity to get close to her and talk.
Gravitas was still in a state of unstoppable fury, and she struck out mercilessly. She, too, had set her eyes on the Saurian of Power Scream. He had damaged the sacred Library again. He'd have to go first. Dodging a few blasts of plasma and fire, she increased the gravity around the Saurian of Plasma and Fire, crushing them into the concrete, before rushing towards the Power Scream one. She was on him in an instant, her razor-edged shield lashing out to slice him to death. He blocked her strike with his broadsword and prepared to unleash another scream, but Gravitas wouldn't have any of it.
"Shut. Up," she growled, after which she send him crashing down to the ground with her powers. The silver-haired girl's weapon came next, and with one strike ended her opponent's life. She turned to seek her next target, when suddenly she had trouble breathing. The air around her head was being sucked away quickly, and she knew instantly that the Vacuum Saurian was attacking her. Worse, as the air vanished, so did its pressure and her head threatened to explode because of the lack of said pressure.
Gravitas struggled to keep her body together by increasing gravitational pull on herself, and a struggle for superiority began that she wasn't sure she could win. The lack of air was getting to her. She frantically looked out for Ami, her friend and partner, hoping to get help from her, but to her great dismay the Saurians of Electricity and Fire had engaged her in combat, and were blasting her with their powers. Even worse, Gravitas noticed the Saurian of Plasma she had crushed into the ground a moments before getting to his feet and aiming his weapon at her, ready to melt her to a puddle of gory filth.
Ami dodged the blast of Lightning and effectively countered the Fire Saurian with her Mercury Aqua Rhapsody, all while trying to increase the distance between them as much as possible. As she saw what position Gravitas was in, however, she realized that she had to take action. The plan was already formed in her head, and even though it was very risky and could fail almost at any point, it was worth a shot.
"Sharbon Spray Freezing!" Ami attacked with all the might she could summon.
Immediately the battlefield was covered with fog so thick that one barely could see further than one's arm length. Moreover, the fog had small crystals of ice floating in the air among the water droplets, and since ice doesn't have a smell, Ami hoped it would obscure the Saurians' sense of smell as well as their vision. But Mercury didn't stop to investigate the matter. She had to stop Vacuum from killing Gravitas. Ami, thanks to her visor, had no trouble seeing through the fog and rushed towards the stunned opponent.
"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Ami attacked at the maximally close distance she dared to come.
The attack struck home, and the Saurian of Vacuum couldn't react in time because of the fog. Mercury's Shine Aqua Illusion froze him solid, resulting in Gravitas getting air again. The Saurian of Gravity fell to her knees, gasping for breath and coughing, but she quickly regained herself and climbed back to her feet. Her first course of action was to smash the frozen Saurian into many pieces, after which she gave her host a grateful look.
"Thank you."
Sailor Mercury smiled. "Don't mention it. I know you would've done the same for me." She looked around. "This icy fog gives us advantages, such as stealth, and should block some of the Saurian senses… Not to mention they have lower endurance to cold 'cause they're reptiles. However, can you orientate yourself in this fog?" She tapped her visor. "I can see through it."
Gravitas looked around. Her vision was useless, as was her sense of smell, but she had her powers. The silver-haired, aloof girl reached out with her senses to feel where the forces of Gravity impacted on solid matter. Then it was only a case of picking up the places where the field of collision moved. Movement in the gravitational field meant something was moving in it. Something alive. Something like a Saurian.
"I can feel them," she said. Gravitas raised her shield and increased gravity all throughout the fog until it was many times that of earth's normal gravity. Groans could be heard as the three remaining Saurians were crushed to the ground and pinned there by Gravitas' powers. "And I can hear them. But you will have to be my eyes."
"Alright," Ami nodded. From what it seemed, Gravitas had some kind of a plan. "Tell me what to do."
"I cannot destroy them with just my powers. Saurians have great resistance to the powers of our race. I would have to increase gravity far beyond what I can tolerate to end this fight…" Gravitas explained hurriedly. She had to be quick, because blasts of fire, plasma and electricity seared through the fog. Even when pinned down and in pain, the invaders could still use their powers, making them dangerous still. "So I need to get in close. You fire a blast of your powers in the direction of our foes, and I'll follow it."
"Understood." Ami observed the battle area. The closest one to them was the Saurian of Plasma. And since she was required just to direct Gravitas, she didn't go for the freezing.
"Mercury Aqua Mirage!" The water blast flew towards the intended target.
Gravitas reacted instantly, decreasing the pull of gravity on herself so she could move faster. When she was close enough to see her target, Gravitas jumped high in the air thanks to decreased gravity, then increased it to the highest point she could stand to speed up her fall. She fell, shield first, on the Saurian's back, crushing his spine and ending his life. She felt no pity or sadness. They had destroyed the thing she loved most besides her family and Ami. They deserved no mercy.
"Mercury, next, now!" she barked, knowing their was no time to lose before the Saurians had adapted enough to the gravity pinning them down to get up again. Sailor Mercury quickly obeyed and repeated the process from before, and Gravitas once again sped after the water blast. This time, her foe was indeed already getting up, but the sudden appearance of the Saurian of Gravity through the fog startled him long enough for Gravitas to lash out with the edge of her shield and cut through his life.
Gravitas turned to head for her next opponent, only to discover to her horror that the final Saurian, the Saurian of Fire, had already shaken off the gravity she had crushed him with, and had now leapt at sailor Mercury, his clawed hands ablaze. All Gravitas could do was shout a warning.
"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Ami used the spell to freeze some of the fog around her into a solid barrier, which was seconds later shattered by the Saurian, but it still gave Ami a chance to dodge. As she tried to increase the distance between the Fire Saurian and herself, she just kept creating ice walls, all while rapidly trying to think up a strategy.
"Fire and Water are elements that cancel each other out… Competing in sheer power will lead to nothing… But this fog, this cold – this is my realm. How to use it to my advantage? How?"
If only she had better control over her powers… Sharbon Spray was an area-effect spell, it couldn't be controlled or focused… Or could it?
"I've got to try…"
Just then, the Fire Saurian broke through the last wall and charged straight at her, his hands ablaze. Ami conjured up the most powerful Shine Aqua Illusion she could possibly get, encasing the Saurian in a sphere of ice. But she knew it won't be enough, and the Saurian would break free. So she tried her best to carry out the plan that formed in her mind.
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"
As the beautiful notes filled the battlefield and powerful torrents of water started forming, Ami directed them in seemingly random directions. In reality, she was cleaning the battlefield of the fog, gathering it with her only fully controllable spell. The ice particles in the air, the tiny droplets of water – she made all of those gather within her torrents, making them more powerful, as well as more deadly. If water and sand can cut metal, then water and ice can definitely cut some Saurian flesh. And a small wound was all Ami needed.
The ice sphere exploded, the Fire Saurian looking ready for murder, but Mercury gave him no time to carry out the intent. She immediately sent all the torrents with all her might at the Saurian, washing him back several meters and leaving a lot of deep cuts and wounds on his body. With the final chord of the Rhapsody, Sailor Mercury leaped right next to her foe, dug her fingers into one of the chest wounds, and with a Shining Aqua Illusion, froze his blood.
The Saurian fell to the ground without a sound.
The battle was over, and Sailor Mercury had killed her first sentient being. The fog had vanished when she had collected it in her attack, and only now the damage became fully visible. Saurian bodies and blood littered the street before the library, cracks and tears in the surface of the road. The library's front wall looked ready to collapse, and all its windows were broken and shattered. But Gravitas and Sailor Mercury were victorious, and that was all that mattered.
The Saurian of Gravity walked over to her host and friend, dismissing her shield as she did so. She had a hint of pride in her eyes. "Well done," she said simply, indicating at the Saurian of Fire.
Mercury looked at her hand, still covered in blood, and felt her knees suddenly grow weak. She fell down on her knees and would have collapsed completely if it weren't for Gravitas catching her. The Saurian of Gravity sat down and held the Senshi in her arms, a confused look evident on her face. A flash of light, and Ami Mizuno was back.
Ami buried her face in Gravitas' chest and cried.
"Why do you cry?" Gravitas wondered, not understanding it at all. "You have defeated your foe. We avenged the books. You did not get hurt this time. Why are you crying?"
"I-I-I… Gravitas…" Ami sobbed. "I-it was the first t-time I killed a sentient living being… I've only killed mindless youma before…" Her next words were like screams, only said in a low, quiet tone. "I didn't have time to think! All I could do was act on an impulse! And… That I killed it… That I'm capable of murder… It's…" Ami couldn't finish her sentence and continued crying.
Gravitas shook her head, uncertain of what to do or say. She knew Ami needed some comfort, that was obvious, but the Saurian of Gravity knew she wasn't really the right person for that. So she simply tried to say the truth and hoped that Ami, rational as she was, would feel better because of that. "It was them or us," the Saurian of Gravity explained. "Either you killed him or he killed you. I know it may be painful to hear this and accept it, but it is the truth. He wouldn't have wept had he killed you. He would have been satisfied."
Ami sobbed: "I know that. It doesn't make things easier one bit…"
Gravitas hissed softly in frustration. The centuries old Saurian couldn't, after all those years of battle, understand this, to her great regret. She hated seeing Ami sad, because she liked the girl and ever since the symbiosis was extremely connected to her. But she didn't know what to do or say. It was in that moment that fate intervened. She didn't have to say anything, because the sound of sirens coming closer could be heard, and Gravitas snarled.
"What is that awful noise?" she spat.
Ami gasped and quickly came to her senses, her guilt and shame temporary pushed back by the new danger. She sat up and said: "Oh no… The police… And ambulances…"
Gravitas frowned. "What are those?"
Ami got to her feet and replied: "Doesn't matter. What matters now is that we must not be caught or seen by the humans who will arrive now." She looked in the direction of the library.
"I wonder if my purse and the books we picked survived…" Ami thought.
As if she had guessed Ami's thoughts, Gravitas took her hand and said: "Let's go. I don't want to lose all we studied either."
Thankfully, the books and the purse were safe, hidden from destruction by a fallen bookcase. Just as they gathered their possessions, Gravitas could smell more humans coming their way. Not to attract any attention, the Saurian girl just grabbed Ami and used her power of Gravity to exit through a hole in the roof left by one on the enemies' attacks.
Next chapter: Of childhood and Saurians!
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