Chapter 30: Under Fire
Jill's aim now was to head back for the command center and start planning. She could guess CROSS would barge through her door soon enough so she would rather act now in case something was coming. 'The only uncertainty in all of this is how much time we have.' She thought. 'We had less time than I thought with Vivian. Who knows how soon the nations are going to act on this?'
"God, huh? Funny, I never once called myself that." As she was making her way through the trees, Jill froze at a voice that was a painful kind of familiar to her. She turned, and fury surged through her as she saw Embryo leaning against a tree. "However, I suppose it would be appropiate, in the sense that I am a creator."
With a growl, Jill drew her pistol and fired, only for the shot only made Embryo's form to briefly phase out and then hit the tree behind him.
"Embryo!" Jill hissed. Embryo's face didn't change from a calm smile.
"You're beautiful when you're angry, Alektra. Or should I call you Commander Jill now?" Embryo's attention shifted, his smile adjusting as he looked off to the horizon as a ring carried through the air. "And here it comes."
Jill followed his gaze, spotting that a number of Mana windows had opened across the island. 'Already?! How quickly did they plan these moves out?' she thought.
"This is the International Rescue Fleet of the Norma Management Board." The woman on the screen said. Jill turned back to Embryo, only to find the man was gone as she growled and ran off. "Normas, thank you for your work in fighting the DRAGONs. We will hereby begin your rescue. We have plenty of water, clothing, and warm food. Please abandon your weapons and prepare for evacuation."
The fleet from Misurugi making its way to Arzenal was headed by the royal battleship Murakumo, with none other than Holy Emperor Julio I himself seated at its helm, an eager smile on his face as it and the surrounding vessels approached the distant island.
"Let's go to our final reunion, Angelise." He mused, running a thumb across the scar on his cheek.
"You're planning on them not believing the rescue message, aren't you?" Riza asked, Julio chuckling.
"I'd expect nothing less from them." The young emperor stated. He waved his hand, opening a Mana call to Cipher. "Cipher, you and your men remain on standby for now. We'll let the ground troops gauge their defenses first. If they get a chance to deploy their Para-mails, then you may act."
"As you wish." Cipher responded. "I would also advise watching for the dissidents. They may arrive with their own forces in an attempt to aid Arzenal."
"Of course. All the better for us if they wind up doing so." Cutting the line, Julio chuckled as he leaned back in his seat. "I do hope this will be an enjoyable show."
The call for a rescue was met with nothing but suspicious looks from most of the Norma. Only Momoka looked elated at the prospect of such a thing as she grabbed Ange by the arm.
"Lady Angelise, it's a rescue!" The maid said. "They're here toe save us!"
"I wouldn't bet on that." Alain said. "It's definitely just a ruse to get our guards down."
"But if it's a ruse then what are they planning to do?" Naomi asked.
"Invade." Salia said. "This isn't a rescue… it's an extermination." The sound of hydraulics carried across the air as off in the distance, anti-air platforms rose up and shifted to a ready position.
"Run, now!" Jasmine yelled. With Alain leading the way, everyone raced for cover inside of the base as missiles fired from the fleet began exploding overhead. 'CROSS and Tusk had better hurry it up!' Alain thought. 'And if that guy shows up… will we be able to take him down? Or will things end up like Farbanti again? No… no way. I won't let something like that happen twice!'
Within the cockpit of the Siegfried, Cipher patiently waited. As he expected, the spoiled princeling was handling the matter with all the subtlety of a drunken bull. 'Though I doubt Master Embryo will be pleased if he takes it too far.' The masked man thought. 'I can only hope the Norma have learned enough from their battles with the DRAGONs to handle their home turf being invaded.'
Looking around the hangar of the carrier through his active view screens, he took in the other Para-mails around his machine. By all accounts, they were seemingly normal Glaives, the same as the standard Arzenal unit. Though rather than a gunmetal grey, they were colored in a dark blue and yellow, denoting them as soldiers of Galia's army. Cipher himself didn't care much for the men within the machines as they were just little more than cannon fodder. But the Glaives were unique in that like Siegfried, they were mounted with a control scheme that allowed them to be used with Mana rather than analog systems.
And Cipher knew well enough some of these men were eagerly waiting for their chance to fight against the Norma pilots. 'Though if they can match their experience, I'll be a bit surprised.' The man's attention turned when the ship-wide PA buzzed.
"Emperor Julio the First to all ships!" The call he had been expecting the entire time. "The Norma have rejected our offer of rescue. This is a clear act of treason against us – against humanity! We cannot turn a blind eye to this! All units, attack!"
"Let the show begin." Cipher said.
Dission had been anxious about things ever since Tusk had gotten to him with the information he'd gotten the other night. The older man knew well enough this would lead to nothing short of an attack on Arzenal itself. And after that, CROSS would be next on their list. Rather than let them get in the first shot, however, Dission had ordered the Kestrel and any other CROSS ships in the area to begin making their way to Arzenal as quickly as they could.
"I only hope we make it in time." Dission muttered aloud, knitting his hands as he leaned forward in the commander's chair as nothing but dark blue of the undersea spread before the Kestrel. "Chopper!"
"Aye sir?" The younger man turned as Dission called to him, leaning up from the control center below.
"Get your boys in Garuda ready to go." Dission said. "All that practice you boys have had is about to be put to the test. They ready?"
"They'd better be." Chopper replied. "You wanna join us up there, or are me and the other teams going to be showing off to the Norma on our lonesome?"
"Much as I would like to I need to order this ship instead." Dission said, giving a chuckle. "Be sure to get into contact with Leon as soon as possible. His hands must be full about now."
"Right away Boss!" Chopper saluted and started off. "You heard the man! Huxian, High Roller, Shamrock, let's get moving! Pilot teams, let's get ready so we can show the ladies at Arzenal how CROSS does it!"
Chopper's order to the other members of the crew was met with enthused cheers. 'Hold out for as long as you can, Leon, Alain.' Dission prayed. 'It'll only be a while before we make it there. I will not allow the events of ten years ago to repeat themselves.'
The skies above Arzenal were now darkened by the trails of missiles and explosions from those intercepted by the anti-air defenses. Some of them made it through however and the island itself rocked from the bombardment. And cresting right above the water as the battle began was Tusk's Air Runner, the young man cursing as he watched the missiles fly by.
"Shit, I was late!" Tusk's jaw tensed as he looked forward, balls of flame erupting along the island's surface. "Make it in time, Dission, everyone. Ange, Alain, hold out for as long as you can."
It definitely didn't help the Norma that they were still battered from the battle before hand. But now that the island now being under direct assault from the human forces, any morale left was on the verge of running out. Deep in the base's interior, the halls were lined with residents seeking safety from the opening barrage to safety as the island continued to be rocked by missile fire.
Alain tapped a foot impatiently as he looked at the shaking ceiling. Ersha had split off from the main group to head to the primary class to help watch after the younger ones, while Leon had joined them in getting away from the main barrage. But, until they knew how safe it was there was no getting to the hangar or their Para-mails.
"They're really attacking us?" Rosalie muttered.
"The rescue really was a lie." Chris grumbled.
"I doubt we could have expected anything less." Leon stated, checking the ammo he had for his pistol. "I wish we had information about the force they sent here. The biggest weakness in battle is always a lack of information."
"Maybe I can help." Alain suggested as he pulled his terminal from his belt. "Wyvern, any idea of what's happening out there?"
"My long range scanners detect a number of warships and carriers off to the northern end of Arzenal's waters." Wyvern replied. "We can likely expect ground forces to enter the base, and potential air forces to intercept the Para-mails."
"Intercept them with what is the question." Alain muttered when the PA suddenly buzzed.
"Everyone, the enemy are humans." Jill said over the intercom. "They have no intention of helping us Norma. They intend to gather us up like possessions and make us fight elsewhere. Those who want that, surrender. But if you want to resist, then follow me. Arzenal command hereby rejects human administration. We will not begin our rebellion… Operation Libertus."
"So she's decided to start it all again on her own huh?" Leon said. "Dammit Alektra…"
"Those who wish to join us should take arms and gather at the lowest level of Arzenal. That is all."
"The lowest level… so she means Aurora." Alain said, eyes turning to him. "She's probably already down by it."
Jill lowered the radio receiver as she finished her message. She'd long since given it by the time she and the operators had gotten to the elevator descending to Arzenal's lowest levels. She'd been hoping for more time to prepare this, but desperate times called for desperate measures. So now she could only bet on the determination of her soldiers and their willingness to fight back.
"What will you three do?" She said, looking between the operators.
"We'll fight with you, Commander." Pamela said, Hikaru and Olivier nodding.
"Good." Jill nodded and lifted a small communicator. Now it was time to secure the most important weapon in their arsenal. "Salia, I have a mission for you."
"I understand." Salia's jaw clenched as she looked over her shoulder to Ange. 'If those are her orders… then fine.' She thought, her glare on the blonde girl. 'If I can't fulfill that desire for Alektra, I'll make sure she does, even if it's by force.'
"Rebellion? Is this like that thing we were told about?" Rosalie asked, looking at Hilda as the red head drew into her pouch and clipped on her earpiece.
"It's either die following the Commander's orders or be killed by humans, I suppose." Hilda said. "Hilda here. Awaiting orders." Hilda's reply made the other two girls flinch. "I despise humans. It's a good time to fight back, don't you think?"
"I guess I don't need to ask if you're okay with this." Alain mused, Hilda flashing him a smirk. "It isn't going to be the same as fighting DRAGONs though. Well, kind of. They'll be out to kill us just as much as they are."
"Not my problem." Hilda said. "I'll shoot them dead all the same."
"I'll fight too!" Naomi said, Rosalie and Chris snapping around. "They're right about this. It doesn't matter if we're fighting humans or DRAGONs. An enemy is an enemy. I didn't crawl out of the grave to be sent back to it on my knees."
"The second wave of enemies is approaching." Jill said. "Use the Para-mail to engage them."
"Yes, ma'am." Hilda and Naomi answered.
"Hilda, Naomi, Alain, I'm going too." They turned to see Ersha, multiple kids clustered around her, and a rifle slung to her front. "We have to protect the things that are precious to us. I'll fight to do that same as you."
"Are you all insane?!" Chris objected. "There's no way we can survive defying the humans!"
"Won't know until we try." Hilda said. "Right, Ange…" Hilda turned to where Ange had been, now seeing nothing. "Where'd she go this time?!"
"I know I'm kind of an outsider, but…" Leon said. "Wouldn't it be better to go down fighting anyway?"
"And these people… they're why…" Chris paused, her hands bunching up. "If I fight them… would I get the chance to avenge my parents?"
"Chris." Rosalie murmured.
"Whether or not you want to fight them is up to you." Alain told them both. "Doing it for whatever reason is fine. Even revenge. But I'm going to fight them to protect what matters to me and earn our freedom. If I gotta burn down the world to do it, part of me is fine with that too."
"Well then what are we waiting for?" Hilda tapped Alain on the chest with a fist. "Lead the way, Trigger. Like everyone says, stick with Trigger and you'll make it, right? Following you won't be so bad."
"So that's the saying eh?" Leon hummed, Alain looking to the side. "It's a nice one. Alright then. You all get to the hangar. I'm going to find Jill and try and get into contact with my guys! If CROSS is on their way, then we'll have a cavalry incoming before long!"
"Got it." Alain nodded, turning and head off first. "Everyone move out! Let's show those humans how the Norma fight!"
With the assault underway, Mei and the Armorers were in high gear to get Para-mails that would ready for deployment.
"Villkiss is our highest priority!" Mei ordered, said machine already being rolled back along Salia's Arquebus and Vivian's Razor. "Ready ammo later! Take it to the emergency elevator!" From an adjacent corridor, Alain and those who'd decided to fight along with him came running out.
"Mei, we ready to go?" Hilda asked.
"Yeah." Mei said. "Ready when you are."
"We'll be going too." Already present with the lead Para-mails was a group of the other surviving pilots. The one who'd spoken was a young woman with middling light purple hair in a dark teal pilot suit. "I, Tanya, and the others with me are ready to sortie with you, Captain Hilda, Captain Alain."
"Not used to seeing you talk so formally." Alain smirked, Tanya flushing as the others chuckled. "But glad to have you all aboard! The more the merrier!"
"Sounds alright to me. Garm Squadron, mount up!" Hilda ordered.
As the riders were heading to their machines, Salia was leading Ange down the stairwell with her rifle at the blonde's back. Alain spotted them as he was climbing onto Wyvern, and his hand tensed on the frame. 'Dammit Jill, don't go taking Ange out of this fight! We need every person in the air we can get!' he thought. 'If she can use Villkiss at its full potential then she's our best shot. What is she thinking?!'
"Are we really going to fight humans?" Rosalie murmured, doubt still on her face.
"It'll be fine." Naomi said, tapping the orange-haired girl on the arm as she passed. "If anything it might be a bit easier than fighting DRAGONs."
"Uhm… so then what are those?" Chris pointed up past the openings in the ceiling of the hangar.
Alain followed Chris's line of sight and cursed under his breath. Hovering right above Arzenal was a swarm of disc shaped drones. Before their eyes, a rim of blades extended from both faces before they were launched spinning towards the base. Steel ripped through concrete as the drones began ripping their way through the structures around them before an explosion blasted down from the upper hangar, sending everyone diving for cover. When the dust cleared, the runway was now blocked off by a large pile of rubble.
"What the hell was that?!" Hilda grumbled, gritting her teeth when she saw the blockage. "Dammit!"
"C-Captain!" Tanya's voice came over the comms.
"What's going on out there?" Alain asked.
No sooner had Tanya and her team launched than their Para-mails had been surrounded by the drones. The things didn't even waste a moment in swarming around the Para-mails as they opened fire at them.
"The unidentified drones are everywhere!" Tanya shouted, sweeping her rifle around and taking down what she could.
'H-Help me!" A yell from off their group made Tanya turn. More of the machines were swarming around the Para-mail belonging to Ilma, and rather than dive in, the discs retracted their blades and began latching onto the Para-mail with lines of wire began dragging her machine off.
"Irma! They took Irma!" Tanya shouted.
"Took?!" Alain shouted. As he was about to drop into Wyvern, the lights suddenly went out. "Oh you have got to be kidding! Dammit, Wyvern can we get out there?!"
"Clearing the rubble is necessary for the other Para-mails to launch." The AI replied. "And I believe my beam weaponry will make that task easier."
"That doesn't quite answer it." Alain said. "We also have to worry about those drones."
"I can say I have an idea." Wyvern said, Alain looking at the cockpit's screen with a raised brow. "And while reckless, it may give us the space we need."
"Alright big guy. What's your plan?"
The moment the power went dark in the base, Leon knew what was coming next. 'They infiltrated already, dammit all! But why? Why send in troops when they can just shell the island until it's dust?' He made sure to take it carefully as he moved through the halls. He'd find the elevator when he could, and if he had to contest with NMB soldiers on the way, so be it. He'd also make sure any Norma he found would be able to make their way out. That was the least he could do for them for now. 'You better get here soon Dission!' Leon pressed himself to a wall as he neared an intersection and heard chattering. He looked around, and what should he see but a group of soldiers with several staff Norma before them on the ground. One of them was browsing through a Mana window, and Leon caught the mugshots of various pilots on it.
"No matches." The soldier said. "What should we do with them?"
"Priority one is Angelise." Another man said. "Priority two is Villkiss. Priorities three and four are the boy and his Para-mail. Priority five are Mail riders. Sterilize everything else."
"Not on my watch." Leon muttered.
Racking his rifle, Leon pulled a smoke grenade he'd lifted from the equipment stocks and sent it rolling into the passageway. As smoke started to fill the hall and the soldiers began fanning their guns looking for the source, he dashed out and started firing. A few bursts was all it took from Leon to put the four men down.
"You girls alright?" He asked once the last enemy was neutralized.
"Y-Yes!" one croaked out through her coughs.
"Good. Grab their guns and ammo!" He barked. "These won't be all of them! You need to make your way to the service elevator and evac like the Commander ordered! If you see any other of these men on the way, don't hesitate at all to take them down! It's you or them!"
"W-Why are you helping us?" One of the girls asked.
"Later." Leon clarified. "For now, just save yourselves. Jill said you've done incursion drills yeah? Well, time to put all of that to the test!"
"Enemies are inside of Arzenal! Their objective is to eliminate all personnel. All units, retreat! Able-bodied people, take up any arms you can and retaliate!"
As the alert from the comms rang through the base, Ersha turned back to the halls. She looked back for a moment to the others, gripping her gun tighter before running off.
"Ersha! Where are you going?!" Hilda called.
"I'm sorry, I'll be right back!" Ersha dashed into the dark halls. 'She's going to find the kids.' Alain cursed to himself as Ersha vanished into the dark.
"All units on deck." Jill broadcast. 'Is she already at the Aurora?' Alain thought. "The enemy's main objective is the Villkiss. Bringing it to the lowest underground level is your top priority."
"Maintenance crew at the ready!" Mei shouted. "We'll bring Villkiss down manually!"
"Yes ma'am!"
However, the Armorer who ran over to the control panel didn't even get to reach them before a bullet smashed right through her helmet. Alain cursed as he dropped into the cockpit as soldiers began rappelling into the hangar to open fire. Bullets pinged off the Para-mails armors, now better used as cover than being moved into.
"Damn it all to hell!" Alain yelled. "So hey, Wyvern, about that idea of yours?!"
"My suggestion is that we shoot the rubble." Wyvern said, Alain gasping. "There is no better option. The beam rifle is a precision weapon after all, and it will break through the rubble with ease. Also, the frame has VTOL functions, so we should be able to get off the ground."
"That's just freaking reckless." Alain snickered as a smirk split his face. "But it's my kind of reckless! Hilda!"
"What?!" Hilda shouted as she ducked behind her Glaive while she and the others in the bay traded gunfire with the solders.
"I'm gonna blast these rocks out of the way. Get ready for another blast!"
"Are you nuts?!"
"Kind of!"
"Agh, dammit, fine!" Hilda shook her head as she ducked back away from another burst of fire. Rosalie's Glaive got pinged, and one of its back cannons went up.
"Ah come on, that was brand new!" Rosalie snapped, moving across to her machine for a better vantage. "Oh it is on now!"
"Make it quick Alain!" Hilda yelled.
"It's over." Chris muttered. "If it's like this… we're going to die."
"Don't go quitting on me now." Hilda snapped. "Didn't you talk about getting revenge for your parents back there? How are you planning to do that if you just up and die right here?!"
"Now isn't the time for you to be acting like a Captain!" Chris snapped.
"Yeah yeah." Hilda's eyes widened when she caught a soldier moving to flank them. She dove in front of Chris as the man fired, pain flaring across her shoulder as a bullet grazed her. "Bastard!" She whipped her arm around and opened fire at full auto, the spray of bullets sending the man over the edge.
"Why?" Chris muttered.
"Nobody's allowed to die." Hilda said. "That's what Garm Squadron is about, right? And if you won't listen to me, then keep living for Rosalie and Alain. They'd hate it if you died. So would I."
"I don't mean to interrupt…" Naomi said as she ducked away. "But now isn't really the time for a heart-to-heart!"
"Yeah yeah." Hilda replied, earning an amused sigh from Naomi. "Hey, Alain! You gonna do the thing now or what?!"
"Already on it!" Alain snickered as Wyvern whirred to life, his fingers rolling across the controls as the targeting locked onto the rubble. "Fire in the hole!"
Leon's progress through the halls had ultimately brought him to the medical wing. He'd passed a few groups of bodies, and he cursed the soldiers he took down for each one. 'I know it's impossible to save everyone. But damn this all to hell!' Rounding a corner, he found himself on the fortunate end of a flank, spraying his rifle as he charged the backs of the men further down the hall. Under assault from both sides at once, the soldiers tried to raise a Mana shield against their ambusher, only for Maggy to take advantage of their gap in defense.
"About damn time!" she called as Leon waded through the bodies, the medical officer shouldering her own rifle. "Where the hell have you been this whole time?"
"Finding who I could and getting them to head below." Leon said. He looked past Maggy, spotting Emma huddled on the ground, mumbling to herself as her eyes stared blankly at the bullet-riddled officer's beret in her hand. "What happened to her?"
"Got shot at like the rest of us." Maggy answered. "Guess they see her as expendable as all of us. The hell are they after besides Villkiss?"
"Ange, Alain, Wyvern, and pilots." Leon said. "Let's get moving before more of them get here."
"Let me get Vivian!" Maggy ducked back into the main room, only to find herself facing a group of soldiers that had come in through the window and were surrounding the comatose Vivian. "Get away from her!" Before either Leon or Maggy could act, the new group opened fire and forced them back into the hall, giving the enemy the time they needed to get a line around Vivian.
"There's nothing we can do for her." Leon pointed out as he pulled out a communicator. He just hoped the person he was calling was close enough to lend a hand.
As the combat within the base was happening, the forced escort of Ange was making good progress. Jasmine had joined Salia along the way and was lugging a knocked-out Momoka over her shoulder. Ange meanwhile was shooting an infuriated look back and forth between the other two Norma the entire time.
"Villkiss is still on the maintenance deck." Salia said, pulling her hand away from her earpiece. "I'll be back up as soon as I deliver Ange."
"You sure you want to do this?" Ange asked. "Is it really the time to be running away?"
"I told you, I have a mission." Salia said. "You and Villkiss must escape unharmed. It's probably going to be… my last mission."
"To think you'd risk your friends' lives for that."
"What else can I do?"
"You're just like her." Ange stopped and turned to Salia. "Pitiful and drunk on ideals of duty and honor. At least when Alain talks about it, he means it. Do you think he'd approve of what you're doing? It must be awful to get killed for people like you. No wonder he's so willing to work with that Leon guy."
"Shut up!" Salia's hand flew forward and struck Ange across the face, hard. "What do you know?! Do you even get it?! How important, privileged, and special you are?!"
"No." Ange spat. "I don't care either."
"Then Lady Angelise, could you please hold your breath?" Momoka suddenly spoke up. From within her apron, Momoka oulled out a couple of pepper shakers and rolled off of Jasmine's shoulders, a cloud of black powder filling the corridor as she threw them against the wall. Ange covered her mouth and darted off with Momoka as Jasmine and Salia were left sneezing and blinded. "I'm so glad I kept those on me so I could cook whenever I wanted!"
"You've gotten pretty bold!" Ange said, Momoka chuckling even as she and Ange began sneezing themselves.
"You must be rubbing off on me a bit, Lady Angelise."
Since the battle had started, Jill and the operators had long since made it to the Aurora deep beneath Arzenal. The massive ship remained docked but everything within was up and running, the operator trio at their new stations while Jill manned the primary line for it. Jill was grimacing a bit now as her line to Salia was suddenly filled with sneezing.
"What happened?" Jill asked.
"Ange got away." Salia coughed
"Capture her immediately."
"Commander, there's a message for you from the outside!" Olivier said. "It's frequency 153."
"Patch it through." Jill said. 'About time he got here.'
"It's been a long time, Alektra." Tusk said. "Is Ange safe?"
"She just ran off." Jill said. Tusk sighed. "Will you assist in capturing her?" Tusk sighed and Jill prepared to snap at him before he answered.
"I'll find her."
"Make sure you do." She ordered as she set down the communicator. 'And now the only variable left is CROSS. I don't doubt for a second they're on their way here. The question is… just what will they be bringing with them?'
Tusk had just mounted his Air Runner when his communicator pinged. However, instead of Jill barking at him to drag Ange back by any means necessary, it was a man's voice.
"Tusk! Come in!" Leon called. "Where are you?!"
"I just arrived outside the rear beach entrance." He answered.
"Good. Listen, I need you to hurry up to the top level. The soldiers are after the pilots for some reason, and they've just grabbed one from the medbay."
"I can't, I have to find Ange." Tusk protested as he rose into the air and began climbing the cliff face.
"From what I've seen, the Princess can take care of herself. Whatever Embryo's planning, those pilots are part of it. Everyone he takes is a win for him." Tusk clicked his tongue and rubbed his head. Leon had a point, but technically Jill was his Commanding Officer. If he diverted from her orders, there was no telling how she might act.
"Okay." He relented. "Just keep an eye out for Ange while you're at it."
"I'll tie her up and leave her with a big bow on her head for you if I do." Leon promised.
Ersha hated that she had chosen to run off while the rest of her squad had to fight in the hangar. But, if enemies had made it inside of the base then she had to be sure of it before she joined up with them again. She'd already gunned down a few soldiers prowling the halls, and she ducked behind a corner as two more began firing at her. Edging out, Ersha aimed and took one down, ducking back when his comrade returned fire.
"Please be safe." She quietly begged. "Just hold on for a little while longer." Taking a breath, Ersha shot out and took down the remaining man, sprinting down the hall as she prayed for the children to be safe once she found them.
Making their way up through the base had brought Ange and Momoka to the upper end of the cafeteria. Since Villkiss hadn't been moved, Ange's plan was to get to it and take off. But first she had to get her gear, meaning their first goal was to make it to the lockers.
"We should be able to get there through here." Momoka said, generating a bit of Mana to give them some light. And the two girls froze at what that light revealed to them.
All around the cafeteria, bodies lay twisted and charred to nothing but husks. Momoka brought a hand up as she gasped, and Ange felt her blood run cold as it brought back images of the burning DRAGONs before her body clenched up and she vomited again.
"Lady Angelis! Stay here, I'll go get some water!" Momoka ran off behind the counters of the cafeteria, leaving Ange to try and steady herself as she looked over the carnage. 'What the hell? Is this what the humans will do to us? Why?'
"You only realize what matters once it's lost to you." Someone commented. Ange snapped around and was greeted by a tall, blonde man striding down the stairs. His green eyes looked over the bodies with a disappointed glint to them as his lips twisted into a frown. "This idea has remained true through all ages. Such a heinous act. I don't recall permitting this. No, rather, it was your brother who ordered this massacre."
"What?!" Ange snapped.
"You'll find him fourteen kilometers away due north-northeast." The man said. "He's come to make mincemeat out of you. These girls were, in effect, collateral damage."
Before Ange could demand any further answers, a gunshot and a scream cut through the air. 'Momoka!' Ange realized. She ran off without a thought, finding two men standing over Momoka as she held up a Mana shield. The girl was clutching her right shoulder, what was left of her uniform's sleeve caked in blood. Ange drew her pistol and fired twice, the first shot nailing one man in the head and the other in the shoulder, sending him to the floor.
"You did this?!" She demanded. "Under my brother's orders?!"
"You're… Angelise." The soldier lifted his arm to try and fire, Ange shooting his hand and sending the gun to the floor. Fury was burning in the girl's chest as she glared at the man. "Wait, please! I was just following the Emperor's or-" but the man didn't have the time to finish before Ange emptied her clip, continuing to pull the trigger even after it hit empty.
"Lady Angelise!" Momoka cried as she threw her arms around her mistress. "Please stop! It's okay! We're fine now!"
Slowly, Ange calmed down and she looked over her shoulder. The man had suddenly vanished as quickly as he appeared. But, Ange didn't have the time for that now. 'My brother is out there, and now I know where he is.'
"I have to go." Ange decided. 'I won't do it for Jill or this damn Libertus thing. But I'm not going to let this one go. Human or DRAGON, I don't care anymore. I just want people to stop fucking around with my life!'