Black Feather: Episode XXXXV
"One of No Words"
Laevaentteinn Rebel Base Infirmary
7:57 p.m., 03/23
"Let's go." Lucifer emerged from the infirmary with a cold, piercing, stolid visage, wiping Garnet's blood from the blade and sheathing it. He tossed the blood stained kerchief in a nearby trash container.
"What!? Aren't you gonna stay here with Garnet?" Lucifer stopped, his back to Qastor.
"Who said I needed to?" Qastor, having no reply ready at the moment, was silenced. "This is our one and only chance to strike Sphere where it hurts the most..." Lucifer started again and emphatically announced, "It's heart!!"
"Why do you hate Sphere so much!? What drives you to do these things!?"
"That's none of your damned business..." His voice was quietly truculent. "You've signed the mission contract. Are you going to back out now, Raven?" Qastor was stuck in two places of opinion. But, his obligation as a Raven left him with no other choice. Until the mission is done, he is under the authority of his client. He must do what they tell him to, otherwise, it would damage his record and possibly have his license suspended. His fists clenched.
"It's not like I have a choice, do I!?" Qastor punched the wall and immediately sunk down on the bench, hunched over with his hands gripping his head. Some part of him didn't want to be a Raven anymore. He thought... "I could always give up being a Raven and not have to deal with these decisions again. But, if I do, where will I go? What will I do!? If I'm not a Raven, then what am I...? Nothing...? That's right... Nothing... No one... A nobody..."
_____________________________
Lucifer coldly marched his way to the hangar. A conflagration of an overwhelming, and somewhat evil determination burned in his glaring eyes. For the first time in many years, he opened his bad left eye, which boasted a ferocious crimson iris. His lacquer scabbard scraped and tapped at the floor. There was a fearful aura about him as he made his way to the hangar. Those who walked by conspicuously avoided him, for now, his presence awakened a primordial fear in those below him.
"I have the power..." He thought... "...to take out Sphere with my bare hands... The menacing power of Omnis they shall soon regret to witness!!"
He tossed the door open and looked up at Grenadier. His awesome willpower caused Grenadier to go into Omnis mode right in front of him. Its six grenade launchers spread themselves out in a slight crescent, slicing and gashing any metallic obstacle in its path. Lucifer smiled a wide, destructive grin. He obsequiously sprinted for the cockpit.
He planned on attacking Sphere's headquarters himself.
_____________________________
Mission: Destroy Flying Citadel
Operation Name: Nightmare
Client: Laevaentteinn Rebel Faction
Advance: 0c
Reward: 130,000c
Requesting Figure: Lucifer
Opponent: Sphere
Enemy Forces: Unknown
Time: 8:13 p.m.
Theatre of Operations: Jormungand Landing
"Where's Lucifer?" Rose looked about the passenger cabin. He was nowhere to be seen. She'd been searching around the plane for half an hour, but her efforts were in vain.
"He's not coming with us." Qastor had a grave expression on his face. Iris felt tense sitting next to him, but understood that something had happened betwixt him and Lucifer.
"Does that mean that we..." Rose pointed at herself. "...have to do it alone?" Qastor turned to the window to his left. Illuminated by moonlight, Apocrypha, Sphere's floating headquarters, was an uprooted city. Piercing skyscrapers bundled themselves on the 'surface,' while subterranean facilities were closely knit underground.' Contrasting against the blue moonshine, explosions and shrapnels obscured the city.
"No... Lucifer's helping." Qastor sounded confident. "Don't forget, there are bombers behind us. All we have to do is weaken their defenses and occupy them until the bombers arrive. When the time comes, we are to protect the bombers at all costs."
The PA blipped, signaling the Ravens to board their ACs. Rose caught up with the two after watching in astonishment at Lucifer's war potential.
_____________________________
The trio landed one by one near the edge of the city. Sections of the city were in ruins, littered with smoldering debris from buildings and AC/MT components. Lucifer was busy dealing with enemy forces deep inside the citadel. The trio proceeded forward, and dispersed when a triad of corporate ACs leapt from square holes in the ground.
"Each of us, take one on!" Qastor charged in, as did the rest, but stopped when Lucifer entered the scene. He fired six grenades in one second directly towards Rose. She ducked immediately, and felt the trepidation of the ground as an enemy AC behind her fell victim to Lucifer's wrath. A swarm of MTs and ACs alike came out of hiding from the still-standing skyscrapers. They all plunged right down, when...
"Arrggh!!" Qastor braced himself as the multitude of MTs and ACs above him erupted into a stratus of conflagrations. A symphony sounded as MT and AC limbs and parts rained down upon the group, clamoring against the metallic and cement pavement. In a swift wind, the cloud of fire and thick smoke was whisked away, swallowed by moonlight. The fallen debris of their enemies rolled along the ground, off the edge of the city, and became flotsam of the night air. Longinus, Lucifer's Omnis AC, stood still... facing 'him'... or rather, 'both.'
...Floating effortlessly...
...With its back...
...To the enormous moon...
...Was Ark Omnis...
...In it, Rey Vyn...
...But, under him...
...The AC...
...From the crater...
"Qastor, my young Nevermore..." Rey Vyn's rasping, malicious voice flared up anger within Qastor. His dual laserblades, once drawn, withdrew and cooled down as Ark Omnis' arms folded in a disturbingly humane fashion. "I believe you left a dear friend of yours behind..."
Qastor's eyes widened.
"Malirant!!"
"One of No Words"
Laevaentteinn Rebel Base Infirmary
7:57 p.m., 03/23
"Let's go." Lucifer emerged from the infirmary with a cold, piercing, stolid visage, wiping Garnet's blood from the blade and sheathing it. He tossed the blood stained kerchief in a nearby trash container.
"What!? Aren't you gonna stay here with Garnet?" Lucifer stopped, his back to Qastor.
"Who said I needed to?" Qastor, having no reply ready at the moment, was silenced. "This is our one and only chance to strike Sphere where it hurts the most..." Lucifer started again and emphatically announced, "It's heart!!"
"Why do you hate Sphere so much!? What drives you to do these things!?"
"That's none of your damned business..." His voice was quietly truculent. "You've signed the mission contract. Are you going to back out now, Raven?" Qastor was stuck in two places of opinion. But, his obligation as a Raven left him with no other choice. Until the mission is done, he is under the authority of his client. He must do what they tell him to, otherwise, it would damage his record and possibly have his license suspended. His fists clenched.
"It's not like I have a choice, do I!?" Qastor punched the wall and immediately sunk down on the bench, hunched over with his hands gripping his head. Some part of him didn't want to be a Raven anymore. He thought... "I could always give up being a Raven and not have to deal with these decisions again. But, if I do, where will I go? What will I do!? If I'm not a Raven, then what am I...? Nothing...? That's right... Nothing... No one... A nobody..."
_____________________________
Lucifer coldly marched his way to the hangar. A conflagration of an overwhelming, and somewhat evil determination burned in his glaring eyes. For the first time in many years, he opened his bad left eye, which boasted a ferocious crimson iris. His lacquer scabbard scraped and tapped at the floor. There was a fearful aura about him as he made his way to the hangar. Those who walked by conspicuously avoided him, for now, his presence awakened a primordial fear in those below him.
"I have the power..." He thought... "...to take out Sphere with my bare hands... The menacing power of Omnis they shall soon regret to witness!!"
He tossed the door open and looked up at Grenadier. His awesome willpower caused Grenadier to go into Omnis mode right in front of him. Its six grenade launchers spread themselves out in a slight crescent, slicing and gashing any metallic obstacle in its path. Lucifer smiled a wide, destructive grin. He obsequiously sprinted for the cockpit.
He planned on attacking Sphere's headquarters himself.
_____________________________
Mission: Destroy Flying Citadel
Operation Name: Nightmare
Client: Laevaentteinn Rebel Faction
Advance: 0c
Reward: 130,000c
Requesting Figure: Lucifer
Opponent: Sphere
Enemy Forces: Unknown
Time: 8:13 p.m.
Theatre of Operations: Jormungand Landing
"Where's Lucifer?" Rose looked about the passenger cabin. He was nowhere to be seen. She'd been searching around the plane for half an hour, but her efforts were in vain.
"He's not coming with us." Qastor had a grave expression on his face. Iris felt tense sitting next to him, but understood that something had happened betwixt him and Lucifer.
"Does that mean that we..." Rose pointed at herself. "...have to do it alone?" Qastor turned to the window to his left. Illuminated by moonlight, Apocrypha, Sphere's floating headquarters, was an uprooted city. Piercing skyscrapers bundled themselves on the 'surface,' while subterranean facilities were closely knit underground.' Contrasting against the blue moonshine, explosions and shrapnels obscured the city.
"No... Lucifer's helping." Qastor sounded confident. "Don't forget, there are bombers behind us. All we have to do is weaken their defenses and occupy them until the bombers arrive. When the time comes, we are to protect the bombers at all costs."
The PA blipped, signaling the Ravens to board their ACs. Rose caught up with the two after watching in astonishment at Lucifer's war potential.
_____________________________
The trio landed one by one near the edge of the city. Sections of the city were in ruins, littered with smoldering debris from buildings and AC/MT components. Lucifer was busy dealing with enemy forces deep inside the citadel. The trio proceeded forward, and dispersed when a triad of corporate ACs leapt from square holes in the ground.
"Each of us, take one on!" Qastor charged in, as did the rest, but stopped when Lucifer entered the scene. He fired six grenades in one second directly towards Rose. She ducked immediately, and felt the trepidation of the ground as an enemy AC behind her fell victim to Lucifer's wrath. A swarm of MTs and ACs alike came out of hiding from the still-standing skyscrapers. They all plunged right down, when...
"Arrggh!!" Qastor braced himself as the multitude of MTs and ACs above him erupted into a stratus of conflagrations. A symphony sounded as MT and AC limbs and parts rained down upon the group, clamoring against the metallic and cement pavement. In a swift wind, the cloud of fire and thick smoke was whisked away, swallowed by moonlight. The fallen debris of their enemies rolled along the ground, off the edge of the city, and became flotsam of the night air. Longinus, Lucifer's Omnis AC, stood still... facing 'him'... or rather, 'both.'
...Floating effortlessly...
...With its back...
...To the enormous moon...
...Was Ark Omnis...
...In it, Rey Vyn...
...But, under him...
...The AC...
...From the crater...
"Qastor, my young Nevermore..." Rey Vyn's rasping, malicious voice flared up anger within Qastor. His dual laserblades, once drawn, withdrew and cooled down as Ark Omnis' arms folded in a disturbingly humane fashion. "I believe you left a dear friend of yours behind..."
Qastor's eyes widened.
"Malirant!!"