Stronger Than Fire
By: Aviantei
Chapter Seventeen
Contrary to the belief of his former classmates, Renzo wasn't part of the team responsible for the bombing on the Patiti Headquarters, but he was headed in that direction. The explosion had understandably set off a panic in the streets, and everyone who had been all but a handful of minutes ago enjoying the festival stalls were running in the opposite direction, creating an upstream effect of trying to get to where Emília was leading them. She didn't care in the slightest, swiftly dodging around any civilian in her way, the blonde flash of her hair rippling through the air like a ribbon, the beads on her hairstick occasionally glinting in the light of the sun that managed to break through the haze of gray clouds above.
Renzo used those two indicators as his beacons, pushing ahead so as not to get separated from her. He thought he was handling the unfortunate terrain pretty well, but Emília's experience far outclassed his own. She made navigating through the gaps in the people like dancing. Renzo just tried not to appear too conspicuous as he went.
That priority became all the more important as the all-too familiar figures of True Cross exorcists came onto the scene and started directing traffic. Though he wasn't in his Illuminati uniform, Renzo felt too exposed—his dye job was more than enough of an identifying factor. He didn't know how far Mephisto had spread the information that he was acting as a double agent, but his classmates knew, and if they happened to see him…
Emília doesn't suspect me so far, but I don't know how much that will hold up in front of everyone else.
He didn't have the breath to waste on a sigh, especially as Emília took a sharp turn into a gap between festival stalls to dodge out of the way of a few more True Cross members. Renzo did the same as soon as he could, his path luckily connecting with the same one Emília ended up on. Most of the festival workers seemed to have evacuated already, so it didn't take much effort to catch up with Emília's stride.
"I thought it was our job to observe," he said, trying not to make the effort it took him to breathe too obvious. Sitting around and getting poked and prodded by the Lucassens, while beneficial to sorting out some of the issues with his contract, wasn't exactly the best routine for keeping his body in fighting fit shape. "Isn't it going to be a pain in the ass to stay out of it if we run right into the action?"
Emília didn't so much as look at him, her bright green eyes locked dead ahead on the path before them. "While you're half right, we can't do a whole lot of observing if we're nowhere near our target. Sure, it'd be nice to kick back and watch everything unfold from on high, but we've got bigger priorities." Her mouth curled up into an almost cruel smirk. "It's our job to check in on our Leader's youngest brothers. Sorry not sorry, but I left it out because I knew you'd panic if I told you straight up front."
The Leader's youngest brothers.
The Okumura twins.
Renzo felt all sorts of conflicting feelings stirring up in him, surprisingly stronger than when he realized he'd be in another situation where he might put Izumo in danger. He kept up his usual smile, though, and pushed a laugh out through the sensation of cotton balls dancing along his tongue. "Do you really think so little of me, Emília-chan?"
Her lips quirked up in the faintest traces of a smile. "Do you want the honest answer to that, Kid?"
"Come on! If we're dating, you can at least—"
"Look alive, Renzo, dear!"
Renzo spluttered at the referral, and it was halfway tripping over his own feet that saved him from the swipe of a glinting blade almost colliding with his head. When he backed up and righted himself, there were two figures in True Cross exorcist coats. One of them was wielding the short sword that had almost struck him, while the other was chanting an incantation with a summoning circle in hand. Judging by the lack of any other weapons, they were primarily a Tamer and Aria combo, while their partner had a couple of firearms hooked to their waist as well.
"Attacking civilians?" Renzo asked, keeping up his usual smile. "That's not very considerate during a crisis."
"You can't fool us," said the Knight-Dragoon, their offensive stance not wavering in the slightest. "Only Illuminati members would be heading in the opposite direction of an evacuation. We don't intend to let you pass."
"Cute that you say that like you have a choice in the matter," Emília said, not so much as flinching as the Tamer finished their summoning incantation and the bright orange furred shape of an Orthrus prowled onto the battlefield. Renzo tucked his hand inside his jacket, ready to assemble his k'rik, but Emília shook her head. "Don't bother, dear. While it's charming that you want to help, I'm more than enough to handle a couple of bottom feeders on my own."
The tone of her voice was sweet, but Renzo knew better than to argue. He shuffled back a bit further, watching as Emília flicked her hair to the side while the True Cross exorcists wavered between expressing their offense at the dismissal or maintaining a focus on professionalism in a crisis. "Do you think that you have time to taunt us?"
"Absolutely. Do you think you have the time to respond?"
Emília had moved in a flash, and it was only through familiarity with the sound of her beads clinking that Renzo was able to find her, in the air above the True Cross exorcists. The Tamer reacted first, shouting a command at its Orthrus, who launched after its new target. Emília twisted, assembling a staff in her hands as she dodged out of the way of the demon's claws. The exorcists had a decent amount of coordination, as the Knight-Dragoon had already started shooting off several rounds from their firearm. Emília quickly chanted an incantation, bringing out a shield that knocked aside the incoming attacks and the familiar aside before raising her weapon to strike down at the exorcists.
They both dodged, but Emília didn't let up, aiming for the Knight-Dragoon. They swiftly traded out their gun for focusing on handling their blade. Emília met the blows with her staff, easily countering whatever came into range and also slipping out of the way of the Orthrus as it joined the fray. Renzo considered summoning Yamantaka to help, but he could only see himself getting in the way.
Yeah, she's way out of my league.
She was also way out of the league of her two opponents, neither of which could get a decent hit in aside from a few occasional scrapes. On the other hand, Emília was steadily wearing down the Knight-Dragoon, not giving them any opportunity to use the full range of their skills. Thanks to a nasty hit that made the exorcists' knee crumple, even without the sound of a nasty break, Emília knocked the sword from their hands and wasted no time in striking a blow to the back of their neck that sent the True Cross exorcist to the ground in seconds.
The Tamer shouted what sounded like a blend between a name and a curse before commanding their familiar to charge forward in an attack. Emília ducked down—not just to dodge, but to swipe a firearm off of the fallen exorcist's belt. She had it loaded in a few seconds, letting out a rapid-fire chant that added a glowing blue light to the air, accompanying the sound of fired ammunition. The Orthrus snarled as it took several wounds in the flank, blood flecking across the ground and the festival stall that the demon crashed into as it stumbled.
Emília tossed the gun aside like it were a piece of litter before making her own charge, staff in hand. The Tamer-Aria was attempting to make a fresh chant, and Renzo vaguely recognized the incantation as one to grant a boost in power—likely aimed at their familiar. Emília was far faster than the exorcist's mouth, though, her staff swinging forward and a wicked flash of silver slicing indicating the hidden blades included in the mechanism, one of which had drawn a vibrant bead of blood from a wound on her opponent's throat.
"You don't have much combat experience do ya?" she asked, her voice as cheerful as her everyday interactions in the Intelligence Division. "Since you're not retaliating, you've only got the two meisters, too, and both of them rely on your voice." She pressed her weapon closer. "Be a real shame for your exorcism career if I tore out that throat of yours, huh?"
Pure fear resonated in the exorcist's eyes, and they, too, joined their fallen companion on the ground.
Renzo swallowed, the chaos happening nearby enough to make the sound less than audible. Emília trotted over to the fallen Knight-Dragoon, pricking their exposed neck with the blade connected to her staff as well, and Renzo noticed a shimmer that was more than metal. "Did you just…poison them?"
"Not quite. Renzo, dear, who's been providing you with sleeping pills for the past few months?" Oh. Emília didn't even look up as she closed the blades on her staff with a few quick movements, and then the whole thing disappeared back into her jackets like it had never been there in the first place. "You get the nice version. This stuff is powerful enough to knock these suckers out for quite a long time. Too bad I don't get to collect data on the results, though." She shrugged, though a thoughtful frown tugged at her lips. "Still, the Knights of the True Cross are gonna be in trouble if they keep this up."
"Keep what up?" Renzo looked back to the unconscious exorcists, trying to see whatever it was that Emília noticed. As far as he could tell, though, they were just some unlucky people who'd ended up on the wrong end of one of Emília's moods.
"These two have the indicators of being Intermediate Second Class, but they honestly still fight like a couple of people who've freshly graduated up from being Exwires. They don't have half the ability it takes to wear that title."
Considering that Renzo hadn't even advanced past Exwire himself before defecting, he wasn't sure he had room to judge on that front. "Are you sure it's not just because you're way stronger than they are?"
Emília flashed him a smile that still had a predatory glint behind it. "Always the flatterer, huh? And I mean, you're partway right. Even if they earned that promotion, I'd still be able to take them down. But it doesn't change the fact that the Order's expediting promotions to get more people on the battlefield thanks to everything we're stirring up. It's honestly a foolish move, but I'm not gonna complain if it makes our jobs easier." She stretched her arms above her head. "Well, whatever. We don't have time to waste on small fry like this. Let's get going, m'dear."
"R-right." Though he wanted to comment on how fluidly she'd incorporated the pet name into her speech, Renzo knew it wouldn't do any good in the moment. Besides, he'd seen how quickly Emília could shift her entire personality for the sake of work—she hadn't slipped up once while in disguise. Adjusting to such a small referral wouldn't be anything to her.
It still made his face start to warm up a bit, though.
Emília's sharp eyes automatically noticed, and half a giggle slipped out of her lips, making her look her age for once. "Y'know, if you do a good job on this mission, I might just be convinced to go on a nice date with you when we get back."
Even if she was just using his embarrassment against him, Renzo snapped up to attention. "Yes, ma'am! Didn't you say we needed to be headed towards where O—the Okumura twins are? We shouldn't waste time just standing around here, then!"
Emília's smirk was indicator enough what he was dancing in the palm of her hand, but he didn't care. "Look at you so motivated for work. Wonder what else I can do to encourage some good performance out of you?" Renzo only had halfway processed the words before Emília slapped him on the back and took off running once more. "You're not gonna get anything if you don't keep up, dearest!"
The familiar thrum of excitement working its way through his veins, Renzo grinned and followed in his boss's wake. "Oh trust me, Emília-chan. I'm gonna hold you to that promise of yours!"
"That, I imagine, would be him."
The building shook once more, and something in the structural integrity had busted enough that Ryuji could feel the floor starting to tilt to the side beneath his very feet. He had to give some credit to the assembled exorcists—there had only been half a moment of panic before commanders started shouting out orders, and everyone began readying themselves for the upcoming battle, be it with weapons or settling into communication positions.
Okumura-sensei was one of them, deftly undoing the top straps on the holsters of his guns for easy access to the weapons without even needing to look. "That means that we should already be on the ground," he said, a familiar harsh edge of commandment and stress edging into his voice. "Like we discussed before, you'll all be in charge of helping civilians evacuate. Operate in your set pairs. Avoid combat at all costs—if fighting is necessary, focus on defense and keeping any noncombatants safe. If you're in real trouble, send the emergency signal and wait for help. There's no time to waste. Let's move."
Where they'd been somewhat hesitant before, the cram school class all responded with a resounding Yes, just as a fresh tremor rocked the building. Ryuji tried not to think of the damage that would happen if the whole thing collapsed, but he couldn't forget the sight of so many people out on the streets below, so many more in danger than there had been in Kyoto during the release of the Impure King.
What the hell does the Illuminati think is so worth it that they'd put so many people at risk?
"Nii-chan! Let's do Oona-Oona. As much as you can!"
Moriyama reacted first, her greenman familiar growing in size. Soon after was the sound of shattering glass—Nii had busted straight through the closest window with the expanse of tree branches and roots erupting from his body, and there was still more to come. More calls of Tamer incantations joined the air, and soon several other familiars were doing similar things, until there was a whole network of summoned plants, rock, ice, and more supporting the lopsided building.
Not so much as budging from where he was lounging as a dog, Mephisto still managed to look smug. "Not bad at all," he said, voice somewhat muffled from his form. "You should all be able to handle this situation well enough for Exwires."
Ryuji couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing some important piece of the puzzle, but there wasn't any time to worry about that sort of thing. Okumura-sensei chose to ignore their Headmaster's commentary and turned to the group of students. "Moriyama-san, it would be best if you stayed in the area to maintain this structure." Looking all the more fragile next to her familiar's increased size, Moriyama nodded. "Izumo-san, you'll stay with her, then. Everyone else, follow me. We'll split up once we get to the evacuation area."
Everyone spoke in the affirmative, and they headed off, sticking to their pairs. Rin looked ready to fight, his hands twitching every so often to the grip of the Koma sword, while Konekomaru took longer strides to keep up with the group. Silent but present, Takara kept pace with Ryuji, the two the last ones remaining as assigned partners.
With the building tipping over, the elevators were thoroughly out of commission, and taking the lopsided stairs gave Ryuji plenty of time to think. In terms of combat practicality, their teams made some sense—even if they weren't supposed to be there to fight. Even so, Ryuji couldn't help but feel as if the plan had been to keep him and Konekomaru separated, given the circumstances.
Dammit, Ryuji thought, his hands clenched into fists, if Shima's here, I really am going to kick his ass.
And with that thought in mind, their group reached the ground floor, then rushed out the doors and into the chaos waiting outdoors.
Admiration was a tricky thing to handle.
Admiration didn't have to be part of love or even liking someone. It could stand on its own, be a part of a larger mosaic of feelings. Admiring someone's work, but hating their personality. Looking up to how someone performed, but not wanting anything else to do with them. In some cases, admiration blended with jealousy, an attempt at denial of one's feelings, of not wanting to admit what you lacked in comparison to another.
In his life, there hadn't been many people he genuinely admired. In fact, he didn't think he admired anyone at all. Sure, there were people he was supposed to look up to—but the fact that it was a requirement for than a choice soured him off the idea, made it more impossible to handle.
Bon?
Takezo?
Forced feelings by necessity, really. Part of the intricate mask he'd built for himself. But if nothing else, he'd at least done enough that he was certain he knew his true feelings on the matter. If nothing else, he could convince himself of that, regardless of if it were true or not.
But genuine admiration? What sort of feeling was that?
He wasn't sure, but, while watching her, he thought, perhaps, he might have an idea of the type of person he wanted to strive to be.
[Author's Notes]
My outline for the first part of this chapter was "Renzo's like 'shit my girlfriend is cool.'"
We're finally at a section where I can write out action sequences. I personally find it a lot of fun to establish someone's power set and see them go wild with it, so I had a lot of fun writing out some combat. Hopefully I get to keep that energy up as we move through this arc and forward. If nothing else, I want to play around with all the fun things that Kato-sensei has established.
Next time, we'll deal with our lovely main pair split up for a bit, so expect to see that in more in chapter eighteen. Please look forward to it!
-Avi
[01.20.2020]