Chapter 49: On the Edge of a Knife
Sync sighed in frustration as he finished giving the last of his instructions. Not that a single word had penetrated the thick skulled captain that stood before him. That much was obvious by the dumbfounded look on his stupid face. The way the idiot was staring at him you'd think he had a third eye or something.
"What are you staring at?!" Sync snapped scaring the captain out if his stupor.
"I-I'm sorry sir," the oracle knight stuttered. "It's just, without your mask, you really do bear resemblance to the Fon Master. Are the two of you related or something?"
"That's none of your concern!"
"Of course it isn't sir! Forgive my impudence! I'll get to work right away!" The man bolted from the room.
Sync turned around, leaning against his desk and cursing under his breath at the mass of stupidity he now had to deal with. His eyes landed on the golden mask that sat so innocently on the oak surface. The green haired God-General picked it up. What was the point?! Sync chucked the useless contraption across the room where it crashed into a shelf and sent several stacks of paper tumbling to the ground.
Rumours had already flown through Daath about Sync the Tempest and his supposed relation to the Fon Master. Curse that blasted Necromancer! He had obviously overestimated the man. Sync never thought he would do something as reckless as bring down the tunnels. He could have buried himself alive with that stunt. Of course with all the stupid luck that band of idiots had, no such thing happened, and Sync was cut off from the passage ring.
At the very least he had accomplished the mission Van had assigned him. He'd confirmed the shut down of the Sephiroth, and judging by the Sacred Flame's recent actions, they were setting everything up just beautifully. There was some small amount of satisfaction in letting the fools do the Commandant's work for him. But that satisfaction wasn't nearly worth dealing with all this crap. Daath was nothing but a nest festering with gossip and idiocy.
He would kill them all, every last one of them for humiliating him like that; for making him listen to all that good for nothing idealist crap they were spewing, and for having to deal with everyone staring at him like he'd grown a second head. They were going to pay. He was going to relish killing them all, up to and including that Score be damned Necromancer if it was the last thing he did.
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White cotton clouds sailed by the Albiore at amazing speeds, making them little more than white blurs while Anise and the others patiently looked on. It was almost enough to make the former Fon Master Guardian sick. Just focus on the big ones in the distance… If Anise had learned to appreciate anything over the course of this journey, it was solid ground beneath her feet. Well, that and Peony's taste in swimwear.
"Colonel, you have that look in your eye," Anise commented, looking for some kind of distraction.
"And what look might that be?" Jade inquired. "Certainly not the air sick look in your eye."
"I hate you," Anise grumbled.
"I think we have established that," the devious Colonel pointed out.
"Oh just spill it, what do you want to say?" the raven haired girl shouted in frustration. Seriously, she couldn't believe she missed him being a stick in the mud.
"She's got a point there," Asch spoke up. "We're all here and you're just dying for a way to bring something up."
"Yes well, you certainly don't leave much for the creative to work with," Jade answered slyly.
"That's kind of the point," Asch shot back, a smirk on his own face.
"Well, all joking aside, I'd like to go over our plans regarding the stabilization of the core before we reach Sheridan. I'm certain Iemon and Tamara will feel the need to go over it again, but you know how they are."
"Point taken," Guy agreed. "We don't really have much room to mess this up."
"Correction, we have zero margin for error," Jade pointed out. "The slightest mistake could cost all of us our lives. And I'm sure you're aware of the consequences for the rest of the world should we fail."
"Then we'll just have to take our time and make sure everything is done properly," Tear stated.
"I'm afraid it isn't that simple," Jade intervened. "We'll be working on somewhat of a time limit. A fonic barrier will be equipped to the Tartarus to protect us from the miasma and the severe pressure that is exerted by the planet's interior. That barrier, however, is subject to a great deal of pressure and can only last a maximum of 130 hours after it's activation upon departure from Sheridan."
"But the journey from Sheridan to Akzeriuth in the Tartarus has to be at least five days." Guy pointed out.
"Precisely," Jade agreed. "That leaves us ten hours to breach the core and get out."
"That's not a lot of time," Ion commented.
"No, it isn't. We'll have to escape in the Albiore which will possess a similar pressure neutralizing device. The Albiore's barrier, however will only last about three hours, so it will have to ride in the Tartarus' hold for the journey to the core."
"So we leave the Tartarus in the core and it will neutralize the vibrations?" Luke asked.
"That's right," Asch confirmed. "And that should solidify the mantle and keep the lands from sinking."
"It sounds simple enough," the younger redhead shrugged.
"Yeah," Asch said, rolling his eyes. "We just have to get in and get out without getting ourselves killed."
Clouds hung low over the small city as they approached, reflecting the ominous mood that had settled over everyone. Ginji prepared to set the Albiore down not far outside of Sheridan. Jade was unsure about how much progress had been made in his absence and there was a good chance the Albiore's hangar was still being used to build one of the devices they would be needing. Everyone hoped the Tartarus was ready to go; none of them fancied sitting around and dwelling on the state of world affairs or giving their nerves a chance to build up.
Everything was teetering on a razor's edge, and it was about to go horribly wrong.
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The chaos and the screaming could be heard long before the frantic group of travelers made it into the drowning city. Rain pummeled the citizens as they ran about, trying to find somewhere, anywhere, to escape to. Only a few dared to flee the city into the badlands. Though the chances they'd managed to escape death were slim, they would simply meet their fate at a different hand.
Oracle Knights had overtaken Sheridan. The downpour cleansed the silver armour of the blood stains that otherwise spattered across the mud and alongside the buildings. They had no discrimination, young and old, man and woman alike found their corpses lying in the streets. The craftsman were snatched, and brutally questioned before joining their families in the dark abyss known as death.
How dare they! Luke barely had time to process a thought before he found himself in the fray, blocking a spear as it raced towards a young girl's heart. He wouldn't- he refused to let this happen! Luke didn't care if it was a trap, he didn't give a damn what whoever was behind this wanted, he wasn't going to allow for them to hurt these people. He wanted, no, he had to protect them. No matter what, there would be no more deaths, no more cities would vanish from this world while there was something he could do about it.
Asch took up the fight behind his sibling. Damn it! What if it was some kind of trap? Two soldiers fell to his sword before he yanked Luke out of the path of a third. At this rate he was going to get himself killed!
'What the hell are you thinking?!' Asch demanded the frantic redhead.
'I can't- I won't let them die!'
'Luke, get a hold of yourself! You're all over the place. You won't do anyone any good if you die here.'
'I can't… I won't…'
It was no good, he wasn't getting through Luke's desperation. But why here? Why now? What was setting Luke off to the point that he couldn't even think straight? Was it the death? The eerie resemblance to the mining town that still haunted Luke's nightmares? Luke still couldn't let go, and in his ravaging mind, Sheridan and Akzeriuth were now one and the same. The people he felt he had to protect, only because he couldn't.
But Asch could understand Luke's feelings to some extent. The blood, the dead… just seeing the slaughter riled him. These were his people, his country, and even if they weren't; they hadn't done a thing! Who the hell had the right to pass this kind of judgment on them?!
"Damn it!" Asch's sword passed through the hole in another Oracle Knight's armour. This wasn't about the people of Sheridan, it never was. But that knowledge only confirmed exactly who was behind this, and who might be waiting for them deeper within Sheridan's core. "Where are Iemon and the others?"
"I don't see them in the immediate area," Natalia answered, loosing several arrows, only one of which penetrated her target. "But there are too many soldiers. We'll have to stop them before looking elsewhere in the city."
"By then they might be-"
"Don't say it!" Ginji cut Guy off, smashing an Oracle Knight over the head with a wrench he happened to be carrying with him. "Uncle Iemon, Aunt Tamara and everyone else are stronger than that. They won't give up that easily."
"Hey Jade," Guy whispered, falling back to defend the Colonel as he was casting. "What are the odds one of the God-Generals is here?"
Jade finished his arte and took out half a dozen soldiers. "Very good," the man replied sternly.
"We need to get out of here," Guy stated. "I doubt Sheridan was a way for them to vent their frustration."
"Indeed, it's very likely our project is the target," Jade agreed. "I didn't think Commandant Grants would sit back and watch."
"No, but I don't think any of us expected him to be this rash."
"It just shows how much of a threat this must be."
"Getting out of here is said than done though," Guy pointed out. "We can't exactly abandon all these people."
"Unfortunately, that's what they're counting on."
"Bastards!" Asch's sword came down on another Oracle Knight. The young monarch stopped to pull his dripping crimson hair out of his face. There was just no end to this! The Oracle Knights kept calling in reinforcements. They might be slowly draining the forces in the rest of the city, but that didn't mean a thing if they couldn't get to the Tartarus before the Oracle Knights managed to destroy it.
Luke pulled his sword from another soldier, there were just too many. But if he could hold their attention, get them all to attack him, maybe the citizens would be spared. At the least it would give them a chance to run. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught the younger redhead's attention. Snipers! Damn them all, using the rain as a cover. Wait there was another one aim-"Asch, look out!" Luke frantically called his voice drowned out by the continuously falling sheets of water. He wasn't going to make it! A pair of soldiers kept him from running to his sibling's defence. The Oracle Knight notched an arrow.
"Natalia!" Luke screamed at the Princess who was standing closer.
Luke? Natalia's eyes quickly flew up the building across from her cousin. No! Natalia pulled her bowstring taut and without even taking a second to aim, sent an arrow at the sniper. Her target plummeted from his perch, but not before he'd managed to fire his shot.
"Asch!"
The arrow splintered in midair, twin daggers reducing it to nothing more than twigs and a misshapen piece of metal. The head of pink hair swung around, her knives finding the neck of the nearest soldier and crippling him.
"Noir?!" The young bandit pulled her wet hair out of her face as the older redhead whirled around.
"The Dark Wings?!" Anise exclaimed noticing the other two men that had also joined in the scuffle nearby. "What's going on here?"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Asch continued, impervious to his companion's varying reactions.
"Now really, honey." Noir ran her finger seductively up Asch's chin before slipping around him and stabbing an attacking Oracle Knight. "Is that any way to thank us after we just saved your life?"
"H-H-Honey?" Natalia stuttered. What did that Noir woman think she was doing?! That was her fiancée! And in the middle of a battle no less! Did she have no shame?
"Careful there, sweetheart," one of the men from the Dark Wings commented as he helped the fuming princess fend off a pair of soldiers. "You keep that up and you're going to shoot one of your friends."
"And who are you?" the Princess demanded.
"York or the Dark Wings, at your service," he replied with a quick bow. "But proper introductions will have to wait, I'm afraid." He smiled at the Princess who nodded in acknowledgement. She had no idea what in Yulia's name was going on, but Asch seemed okay fighting alongside them…and she trusted his judgment.
"Noir, you haven't answered me, what are you doing here?" Asch demanded.
"Oh, come on sweetie. Don't be like that," Noir replied in her usual singsong tone. Some things never changed, even in the heat of battle.
"Yeah boss," the third man replied. "We heard somethin' nasty was going down here and we thought you might be in trouble."
Woah, hold up a second! Boss? Anise nearly tumbled head first from Tokunaga as she, and her thoughts, screeched to a stop.
"Urushi!" Asch snapped.
"Oops, sorry boss."
"What's this?" Jade's eyes were alight with amusement. "Engaging in some illegal activities on the side?"
"Come on, no way Asch is behind the Dark Wings," Anise argued. "…Right?"
"Maybe not in charge, but I bet they're pretty good at finding out all that information Asch has been getting," Guy pointed out, rolling his eyes at Jade. His sense of humour sure picked weird times to kick in.
"Can we not talk about this right now?" Asch yelled in frustration as his blade met with another Oracle Knight. Asch threw all his irritation into his next few attacks, though it did little to make him feel better. Fighting off half of Daath was bad enough, this was the last he wanted to explain right now. There were fewer Oracle Knights, but even with only a handful of soldiers left, the citizens had no ability to resist them.
"I'm impressed," Anise commented to the pink-haired bandit as the two of them simultaneously took out an opponent. "I didn't think you guys could fight."
"Sweetie, we'd be some pretty pathetic bandits if we couldn't."
"Noir," Asch called out. "Can the three of you handle the rest of the soldiers? We have something else we have to take care of."
"You mean, someone else," Noir guessed.
"I need you to protect the citizens of the city."
"Of course, we'd be happy to," The young bandit answered with a wink. "For a bonus."
Asch rolled his eyes, a small grin tugging at his lips.
"You go take care of what you have to, honey," Noir told him. "We'll take care of things here."
"I'm counting on you."
"Don't you always?"
"Then don't let me down, and don't get yourselves killed."
"You sure don't make things easy. It's a good thing you're such a cutie."
"Thanks Noir," Asch finished, running off after the others into a nearby alley.
"Well." Noir turned to the dozen Oracle Knights remaining before them. "Looks like he's going to make us earn our pay this time."
"Yeah," Urushi replied. "But we're the Dark Wings, and we never back out on a job, even if it means breakin' the boss' rules."
"Not that I fancy dying in a place like this," York commented.
"It's nothing personal," Noir taunted the soldiers. "But you're not laying one finger on the people here." The bandit's pink eyes met her opponents' sending a few of them back a step. Narrowed and ablaze with a determination that no rain or soldier could put out, York and Urushi could only pity the fools before them that would try.
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The streets beyond the central square where they had left the Dark Wings were bare. Well, bare of any kind of life that was. Evidence of the people who hadn't escaped the assault lay along the road in the form of bloodstained corpses. Damn them all! Even the children? Asch cursed under his breath. There was no excuse for just a pointless massacre, not by any stretch of the imagination. Van was going to answer for all of this, and he was going to pay for what he'd done to all these people.
What who had done?
A tiny voice in the back of Asch's mind prodded his conscience. Perhaps Van was the one with the twisted logic of what it meant to save the world, but who was it that led him to this place? It was them. They had undertaken a project to neutralize the core's vibrations; they had enlisted the help of Sheridan's researchers. It was him who painted the small industrial city with a giant target, and loosed a hell bent lunatic on them. He knew. He knew Van wouldn't just sit back and watch, that his former instructor wouldn't let them proceed unchallenged. It was such a stupid oversight! And now… the people of Sheridan had paid the price.
This massacre was all his fault.
Something was bothering Asch. Guy quickly noted the increasing level of recklessness with which the redhead met the soldiers they came across. That wasn't like him at all. Everyone was bothered by what had become of Sheridan in their absence, but at this rate Asch was going to end up as bad as Luke.
The blond's best friend wasn't fairing very well, and everyone had a spare eye on him. Nothing anyone was saying seemed to be getting through to Luke and his mental state was shaky at best. But really could any of them blame him? If anything, it was probably their fault he was like that to begin with. Akzeriuth had bothered him to be sure, but it was how they treated him afterwards that had left the scar. That unforgettable and implacable need to protect, had been born that day when they had all abandoned him, attacked him, and forsaken him just for trying his hardest, and for failing to save Akzeriuth. That was a wound, that even time it seemed, wouldn't heal.
"G-Guy! Natalia! Tear!" The three trailing members of the group all stopped to see who had called to them.
"Noelle!" Guy hurried over to the blonde pilot followed by the rest of the group. Noelle looked nervously around her before running up to them from the small alleyway in which she was hiding.
"Noelle, you're alright!" Ginji ran up and took his trembling sister into his arms.
"W-What's going on here? I just walked into Sheridan and the next thing I know I'm being attacked by a bunch of Oracle Knights. They were killing everyone!"
"But you managed to escape, that's what's important," Guy tried to comfort the shaken young pilot.
"Yeah but… what about everyone else? Uncle Iemon and the others?" Noelle asked.
"We're on our way to check on them now," Tear explained. "You should come with us. You shouldn't be alone, and there isn't anywhere to hide that's guarantied to be safe." Noelle nodded in agreement as she detached herself from her brother's support.
"Here, Noelle, take this," Guy spoke up once they'd started walking again. The young pilot looked over to see her companion offering her a small dagger. Though she'd managed to shake off her initial hesitation, she wasn't ready for…
"I know you don't know how to fight, but you should at least have something to defend yourself with."
"Thank you," Noelle answered, hesitantly accepting the blond's gift.
"Don't worry, if anything happens, I'll protect you," Guy stated nobly.
Noelle couldn't resist a giggle at his antics. "That's a bit archaic, don't you think?"
"You really think so?"
"A little," Noelle answered, finding a great deal of amusement in Guy's disappointment. She smiled at the realization that Guy's joking around had easily settled her nerves. "Hey, Guy," she spoke up. "Thank you."
"Noelle, watch it!" Guy snatched the girl by the shoulders and yanked her back. An arrow stuck itself into the ground where she had been standing. The young pilot looked up in time to see one of Natalia's arrows strike the sniper and send him plummeting from the roof.
"Are you okay?" Guy asked, his hands still firmly on her shoulders.
"I- I'm fine," Noelle managed, still a little shaken by her close encounter.
"Are the two of you alright?" Natalia inquired. "I apologize; I should have been keeping a sharper eye out for snipers."
"No we're fine," Guy provided. An awkward silence fell over everyone and the blond couldn't for the life of him figure out why everyone was staring at him. Then it suddenly dawned on him exactly where his hands were.
"Gyah!" Guy practically screamed and flew back from the female pilot looking to the world as if he was ready to cut off his own limbs. Guy cowered behind Luke, trembling harder than the Albiore's engine. He had actually- oh it was stupid, he was saving her life! But he still couldn't shake the feeling of utter repulsion he felt and his heart sure as hell wasn't slowing down any.
Luke didn't find any of the amusement that had washed over the others and the mirth they shared didn't seem to register with him at all. He seemed almost detached; worn, perhaps, by the constant rush of emotions that he had been going through. But whatever the reason, it really concerned Guy; not to mention giving him a much needed focus to get his mind off of what he had just done. He let out another shudder.
"Wow, I'm impressed, Anise commented. "You actually willingly touched a girl. Does that mean you're cured of your phobia?" Anise slyly approached the young servant in question.
"I don't think he's cured quite yet," Tear commented when Anise's attempts sent him backing into a corner.
"Well then why did you grab Noelle?" Anise inquired.
"S-She was in trouble," Guy managed. "I just wasn't thinking about it at the time. I was more focused on saving her life than.."
"Than the fact she was female," Natalia finished.
"And to think we needed a sniper to figure that out," Anise commented.
"Well with snipers present, we can deduce who it is we're likely dealing with," Jade spoke up in attempts to get back to the matter at hand. He could appreciate everyone wanted a distraction, but they couldn't afford to waste time.
"Well, all the squads have snipers," Tear pointed out. "But there's a good chance that Major Legretta is here."
"Yeah, but who else?" Anise wondered.
"Who else?" Natalia asked, a confused tone in her voice.
"Yeah," Anise replied. "There are way more knights here than any one squad would ever dispatch at a time. There's got to be at least two squads here."
"That means we're likely dealing with at least two God-Generals," Jade pointed out. "We'd best hurry along."
Everyone quickly continued forward, a cloud of concern hanging heavily over them like the rain that still pounded down on them. Taking a leaf from Noelle's book, they ducked in and out of alleyways to avoid further confrontations with any Oracle Knights. The inner city streets were completely devoid of life, so there wasn't any purpose to engaging in pointless conflict. Asch only hoped that the citizens had barred themselves inside their homes and not that they were all among the corpses that littered the ground.
"It's just a door and a bunch of old geezers! What's taking so long?"
Everyone crowded against the wall of the alley, Tear and Asch up at the front managed to peak around the corner.
"We're sorry ma'am!" One of the oracle knights replied. "It seems like they've barricaded the door with something, we're having trouble getting in."
"Our orders were to open that hangar and destroy whatever is inside! If Van gets back here and you don't have that door open you are going to be in more trouble than you even want to imagine."
"Ma'am!"
"Major Cantabile…" Tear mumbled.
"I'm more concerned about what she said about Van," Asch spoke up. "If he's here…"
"We could be in some serious trouble," Guy finished. "But I'm worried about Iemon and the gang. They're probably in that hangar, and it's only a matter of time before they get inside."
"As much as I hate to do this, it doesn't look like we have much choice," Jade mused. "We'll have to split up. We don't have the time to deal with Cantabile and find Commandant Grants."
"I'll stay here and help deal with Cantabile," Natalia offered.
"Then I'll stay too," Asch spoke up.
"No," Jade argued. "You are probably one of the things Van is after."
"Isn't that all the more reason for him to stay?" Tear inquired.
"No, Van will simply kill whoever goes after him and come after Asch. If Asch goes after the Van, then he may hesitate as he has before to try and avoid doing anything that would set Asch against him," the Colonel explained.
"He's way too late for that," Asch spat.
"Ahh, but he doesn't believe that," Jade pointed out.
"Don't worry Asch." Guy placed a comforting hand on the redhead's shoulder. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on Natalia."
"I'll stay and help with the rescue mission too!" Anise offered, her voice far more cheerful than she was probably feeling.
"Alright then," Jade surmised. "Natalia, Guy and Anise will remain and rescue the people trapped in the warehouse. Ginji, Noelle, if you'd assist them as best you can and keep an eye on Ion."
"Of course!" Ginji agreed.
"Meanwhile, Asch, Luke, Tear and I will try and find Commandant Grants and find out exactly what he intends to accomplish with a mess such as this one."
"Be careful, there's no telling what he'll do," Natalia said, her eyes fixed on her fiancée. "Especially after what Sync said in Mt. Roneal… please."
"I know, I will."
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Spinoza was pelted by the water that ran off the roofs as he ducked into an alley. He continued to run, knowing full well such a trivial move would do nothing to shake off his pursuer. This was utterly atrocious. He'd always known that Van was twisted, but this bordered on sheer lunacy! The speed at which the forces had overtaken the city…why they hadn't even had the chance to get the innocent out of the line of fire, much less mount some kind of resistance. And with the war there was scarcely a soldier to be found.
Not that every soldier in the Kimlascan army would have kept Van at bay. He should have known better than to flee to Sheridan, to so openly oppose him. If he hadn't then maybe all these innocent people wouldn't have died. Spinoza could only pray they'd forgive this foolish old man for wanting to do some good with what he had left of his wretched life.
"How long do you intend to keep running?" Van mocked as he caught Spinoza's collar and threw him forward. The researcher crashed into the stone wall of the old warehouse and fell to the ground.
"How long to you intend to keep up this senseless butchering?"
"This is all your doing, for trying to hide in this place. I warned you of the consequences. You knew what would happen if you didn't cooperate with me."
"You didn't have to kill all the others. If you are after my life, then take it, but leave them out of it," Spinoza argued.
"I'm afraid that isn't possible at this point," Van replied far too calmly, raising his sword. "They're all involved, and they will all pay the price for your deeds."
"You monster…"
"It's not too late, you know. You can still change your mind. Your past accomplishments won't be overlooked, and I can offer you far more than those who hold your leash."
"I'd rather die," Spinoza spat.
"That can be arranged as well," Van's sword swung down.
"No it won't!" Luke's sword intercepted his teacher's and the redhead had to draw on every bit of his strength simply not to be crushed by the weight of Van's weapon.
"Van!" Asch charged the Commandant, forcing him to withdraw his sword from Luke and Spinoza. Van easily parried Asch's strike, but the opening was all Luke needed to get Spinoza out of the line of fire.
"We meet again," Van threw Asch back. The Commandant didn't seem in the least bit surprised at their intervention, if anything, he had been planning on it all along. The elder redhead stumbled backwards several paces before regaining his balance. "Do you have an answer for me?"
"Answer?" Asch's voice rose above the steady sound of the rain against rooftops. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I told you, didn't I? The next time we meet that wouldn't have any more time to reconsider. Will you help me save this world?"
Asch stared down his former teacher, his emerald eyes ablaze. Every fiber of his being wanted to take Van's ridiculous idea of salvation and shove it right back down his throat but Jade's words from earlier still hung over him.
As long as Van didn't know for sure, he'd hesitate to kill the others in fear of turning Asch against him.
Asch was the first one to charge, his sword cleanly meeting Van's as it used to when they would spar. Then, just like in those days, Van shifted his weight, throwing Asch off balance, and retaliating with a strike of his own. Asch blocked the second hit, and it took a considerable amount of effort to throw it off. This was no game, and Van was playing for keeps.
"Is that a no?" Van inquired, wasting no time in striking out at Luke who attempted to catch the Commandant off guard. "Surely you've realized the truth by now."
"Van ,what are you doing here? Why did you kill all these people?!" Tear yelled as a battle quickly developed in front of her.
"It was necessary," her brother replied. His eyes meeting hers for a brief moment before he returned to the battle. Tear swallowed the lump in her throat. She couldn't have seen what she thought she just saw. It was her imagination getting the better of her. No! She couldn't let her emotions get the better of her now! Everyone was going to need her help in this fight. Though it had barely been for a second, she couldn't shake the hurt look in Van's eyes from her mind. She didn't want to fight him either! Why did it have to come down to this? Why couldn't they find a path to follow together?
"What do you need me for so badly?" Asch demanded.
"I need you because you're you. No one else can fill the spot in this world that you hold."
"You mean in your twisted replica world!"
"Is a world of replicas really so twisted? You don't seem to share that opinion about this thing!" Van swung around and sent Luke skidding down the street.
"And what do you hope to accomplish with this replica world?" Jade asked, his artes doing little to slow the Commandant. At best they forced him to dodge or would impede an attack, disadvantages that he easily made up for with his superior skills. It made Jade uneasy, he knew that Commandant Grants was supposed to be talented, but his level of skill far surpassed anything that the Necromancer had anticipated. Asch had the right strategy. If Van had a mind to, they'd be dead in less than a minute.
"I will create a world free of the taint from Yulia's Score," Van explained. "People of this world are consumed by it, and they sit back destroying their own lives for it. No one has any ambition, any desire to accomplish anything, because they simply follow the Score. People of this world have forgotten how to dream."
"You're wrong, people will always desire a better future!" Luke protested.
"Did those who sent you to Akzeriuth desire a better future? They forsook the futures of all those people, they'd have thrown Asch's life away had I not intervened. In the end, the Score still dominates them all."
"But that doesn't mean that you can give up hope on this world!" Tear cried out, trying her best to stay focused on keeping Asch and Luke's injuries in check.
"This world has long since dug its own grave," Van stated. "The Score has seen to that."
"So you will destroy this world and create a new world of replicas that know nothing of the Score?" Jade surmised.
"That's correct," Van confirmed. "Harsh diseases demand harsher treatments."
"But your plan has a fatal flaw," Jade pointed out. "Replicas have always been unstable entities, and very few of them survive indefinitely. The Seventh Fonons that compose their beings are attracted to the Seventh Fonons in the Planet Storm. Like fonons attract like; your world will never survive."
"That is where you're wrong. Asch has the power to fix all that."
"What the hell do you mean?" the redhead in question asked, his growing fury giving him no advantage in the battle he was fighting. Van was just toying with him; was he still really that weak? Who could he protect like this?!
"The answer is simple. Destroy Lorelei, and the Seventh Fonons in the Planet Storm will all eventually vanish. Without the Seventh Fonon, the Score can no longer be read and the replicas will all survive."
"So you want to use Asch to destroy Lorelei?!" Luke asked incredulously.
"More specifically, he intends to use Asch's hyperresonance," Jade clarified.
"Indeed," Van's blade met his eldest student's. "This is the last time I will ask you, Asch. Will you help me bring about a future for this planet?"
"Not on your life," Asch spat, jumping back as his former instructor forced his way through the redhead's defence. Now the real battle would start.
"Then in that case you're better off dead."
"I don't think so!" Three well placed arrows halted Van's assault and forced him back several paces. Guy flew in, taking advantage of the temporary opening to force Van back and put some space between him and the twins.
"Are you guys alright?" Anise asked, taking a place beside Luke.
"So far," Luke answered. "How did things go back at the hangar?"
"We managed to get them to retreat for now," Natalia provided. "However…"
"What happened?" Jade demanded.
"Those blasted buffoons!" Iemon's voice rose above Natalia's. "Class I has gone too far this time! They've practically ruined everything! Why if I ever see those low life conniving rats again I'll be prying our plans out of their cold dead fingers!"
"What did they do?" Luke asked.
"It seems Class I has been working with Van. They took advantage of the chaos to steal the plans to the Albiore and many of our other projects. But that doesn't matter right now, you have to get the Tartarus and go," Tamara intervened. "Now!"
"In case you haven't noticed, we're a bit busy at the moment," Tear provided, doing her utmost to keep her attention on the battle in front of her. Anise, Guy and Asch were doing their best to keep Van occupied but they were quickly failing, and it was taking all of Tear's focus to stay on top of their injuries.
"No, we have to go now!" Ginji repeated. "The people from Class I are trying to sabotage the mission by activating the fonic barrier. Our clock is already ticking."
"Damn it!" Asch yelled, blocking his instructor's strike. They didn't have the time for this! And Asch highly doubted Van was going to call it a day because they had to go.
"It seems we'll have to finish this another day," Jade commented, setting off a wind based arte that forced the Commandant out of the fray.
"You're not going anywhere."
"Shit, Legretta!" Asch cursed, barely getting out of her bullet's path in time. A dozen Oracle Knights quickly joined her, blocking their escape route.
"I've waited for this day," Legretta said, a malicious smile dawning her face as her guns pointed straight at Asch's head.
"Go!" Iemon yelled. Legretta's bullets shot up at the clouds as Iemon shoved her aside. "You have to complete this mission."
"We've all put our hearts and souls into this project," Tamara agreed. The old woman grabbed a long metal bar from the ground and was using it to try and keep the Oracle Knights from completely blocking the road.
"What are you guy's doing?!" Luke yelled. "Get out of here! Take shelter!"
"Boy, don't underestimate the elderly!" Tamara yelled back, two knights fell unconscious at the hands of her makeshift weapon. "If this mission fails now everything will go to waste. We won't let our hopes and dreams die here!"
"Watch your delusions die." Legretta raised her gun again.
"You'll never destroy us, or our world!" Iemon charged Legretta again, aiming for her wrists in a desperate attempt to divert her fire. The blonde God-General jumped pack and shot the man where he stood.
"Uncle Iemon, no!" Noelle shrieked.
"Why you-" Tamara turned but she hadn't gotten halfway around before the second bullet was planted in her skull.
Ginji grabbed his sister and forced her into his arms. Though she may not have seen it, her shrieks and sobs told him she knew what had happened none the less.
No… Luke watched on in horror, the reality of what had happened not quite sinking in. How... how could they? The bodies of their friends still lay blood-soaked in the mud, hounding that horrible truth known as reality. Why did they have to die? They had only been trying to help. They had only wanted to help everyone...
Damn it all to hell! Guy parried one of Van's blows, one that had come dangerously close for his liking; but his attention just wasn't on the man in front of him, no matter how much he knew it should be. The blond retaliated with several rapid strikes, doing more to vent some of that pent up anger than to gain any sort of offensive advantage...and he wasn't the only one. In fact, Jade and Tear looked to be the only ones who'd managed to stay unaffected, at least on the outside. But none of them were going to escape this one unscathed... Guy could feel it as he matched blows with his former friend. How dare he do this to all these innocent people! Didn't he see he was doing the exact same thing that had been done to Hod! Even the women and children!
"Colonel! We're gonna have to move," Anise yelled back as she engaged Legretta. Natalia and Luke were occupying the rest of the Oracle Knights while everyone else was focused on Van.
"Ginji, Noelle, are you going to be okay?" Natalia asked.
Ginji nodded, tears still running from his sapphire eyes. Noelle still had her face buried into his chest and her shoulder shook as she sobbed. "We won't give up now; we have to see their dream through until the end," Ginji finally said with all the determination he could muster.
"Asch!" Jade called, after listening for their pilot's response. He was grateful Ginji had such a solid head on his shoulders. However, not everyone, it seemed, was quite so strong of spirit. Asch had become unusually avid on the offence since Class M had been struck down. None-the-less now wasn't the time for Asch to be letting his emotions get in the way. The window of opportunity was closing, and the entire world would be lost if they were to miss it.
"Not now!" Asch yelled back.
"We need to retreat now, while there's still an opening. Don't let their sacrifice be for nothing."
Van jumped back, separating himself from his opponents. None of them posed any kind of concern to him, but with Cantabile out of the running and Legretta engaged, the chances of their escape weren't out of the realm of possibility. And that couldn't be allowed. Today was the day. Either they joined him in his new world, or they could die.
"Retreat now, and I will slaughter every person in this city," Van threatened, his tone of voice was such that there was no doubt he would. A small grin of satisfaction curled across his lips when they all stopped retreating. They wouldn't leave; they were all too soft. Didn't they see that to save the world there would have to be sacrifice? Until they accepted that, they would never be able to stop him.
"You'll do no such thing," a voice came from behind the Commandant.
White Knights and Kimlascan soldiers swarmed into Sheridan. Many hurried to other parts of the city, but several of them placed themselves between Legretta and the group, forcing Luke, Natalia and Anise back and out of the fight. A dozen of the White Knights lined themselves up, forming a barrier between Van and his opponents.
"Father?!" Luke called. He couldn't believe his eyes. What in all of Auldrant was their father doing here?
"What are you doing here?" Asch demanded.
"Luke, Asch, you two get out of here. Now." Duke Fabre said sternly.
"No," Asch protested. "This isn't your fight!"
"But Father-" Luke began simultaneously with Asch.
"Silence! Both of you! You both have a job to do and you are to go do it!"
"Come on you two," Guy grabbed Luke's arm. "He's right, we have to go."
"But what about Sheridan-"
"Nothing will happen to this city," Duke Fabre stated. Luke looked back at his father, unable to come up with the words to protest. He knew their father was right, but he couldn't help but worry. These people were involved because of them, to run away and abandon them just didn't seem right. But time wasn't on their side. He would have to trust what his father said, that everything would be okay.
"Heh, nothing will happen to this city?" Van's eyes narrowed on the man before him. Asch and his replica had gotten away, taking their entire band with them. But they weren't going to get far as long as he had something to say about it. He would make them regret their choice to run. "We'll see about that."
"Yes," the Duke replied, his voice dangerously calm as he drew his sword. "We shall."
