The Sanctuary level Honkai beast reared back, shield brought forward as it took careful aim with its lance. Realising the danger, Mei dashed to one side, spacetime distortion activating as the lance descended. With those long drawn out seconds the Valkyrja used the precious time to avoid the strike.
The time dilation ended, the lance slamming into the ground, shattering and upending stone. Debris scattered everywhere as the beast drew its lance back. Dropping into a low stance, one hand on the ground, Mei sized up her opponent and their surroundings. Rural countryside. Flat plains of greenery and road. Fields for farming. A scattering of outbuildings near the main property. And a nearly three-metre-tall eldritch looking humanoid knight. Mei's battlesuit HUD had designated the Honkai beast: Templar.
'Facing this monster will be quite the challenge. All my training only counts for so much when compared against true battlefield experience.'
Mei's squad had been on less than a dozen official missions. Mostly it had been cleanup and civilian rescue operations whilst higher ranked Valkyrja went and did the bulk of the fighting. Kiana had been active and pushing for them to go more on-field combat experience. Bronya took the more cautious approach. It was left to Mei to bridge the gap between the two. Not that the Major had much sympathy for the squad.
"You're still far too new to face down the Honkai directly," Himeko-sensei had explained.
'Well it's a bit late for thinking like that now'
There was nowhere for Mei to hide, no cover or obstacles to give her an advantage. Just her, the open farmland and the Honkai. Running a finger down her lightning soul katana, Mei sized up her opponent and considered the best course of action. She could retreat and attempt to find the rest of her squad. This choice however had two dangerous consequences. One: she would be exposing her back to the enemy during the retreat. Two: the Honkai beast could choose to disengage and instead hunt down any fleeing civilians in the area. If, however, Mei chose to stay, she would be facing off against an opponent far beyond her skills to safely defend against, let alone attempt to fight back against.
[You should have called on me to survive this fight]
Gritting her teeth, Mei chose the path of the warrior, much as her father would have approved. Pushing off against the ground, Mei sprinted toward her enemy. The beasts strike had torn up the terrain, littering the area with debris and loose soil. It was all Mei needed. Eyes watching her cautiously, she anticipated the next thrust just the Honkai beast wound up. Feinting to one side, Mei narrowly slipped past the lance as it struck downward, dashing up a projecting hunk of stone. At the tip Mei kicked off hard, flying toward her foe. The beasts shield was a sudden obstruction. Crashing into the unyielding object, Mei scrabbled desperately for purchase. Her fingers latched into the lip of the shield. The beast swung its bulwark back and forth, trying to shake the Valkyrja loose. Mei somehow maintained her grip. Drawing the shield inward, the beast angled its lance to scrape the nuisance off. Eyes taking in everything, Mei ran through all the possibilities she had at her disposal. She could let go and drop beneath the beast, ready to sprint between its legs. Another response was to deflect the strike. The angle of the blow would make that easy.
A third possibility rose up. One that Mei immediately settled on. As lance scrapped across the shield Mei hauled herself upward with her free hand. Landing adroitly atop the shield, Mei crouched and looked for where the joint of the beast's arm met the shield. Spying her target, she gripped the shield hard before diving off, legs kicking hard against the inner surface as she fell. Using the added momentum Mei pulled her blade across her chest and swung with all her might. Weapon meeting silicon flesh, Mei cut straight through, severing shield from Templar's arm. Landing in a tuck roll, Mei tumbled twice over before coming to her feet and immediately bringing her blade against her back.
Having anticipated the beast's reaction, Mei caught the long sweep of the lance as the beast spun around. Even with her incredible reaction speed Mei was still sent tumbling forward. Using the momentum, she rolled forward once before coming up on three limbs and sprinting forward. With no need to look over her shoulder, Mei sensed the next blow and sidestepped it, lance plunging into the earth beside her. Turning on quick heel Mei jogged backward and sized up her opponent.
'I can see why Sanctuary level Honkai beasts are so feared. I've dismembered it and the creature is still doing everything it can to kill me.'
A shadow loomed from above. With no time to spare a glance, Mei realised she had been flanked. Another Templar Honkai beast descended from the sky. This one was built much as the other injured beast, skin a dull grey, highlights in darker tones and glowing magenta. Unlike the original one, in place of a shield it had a sword larger than the Valkyrja. Mei tried to activate her spacetime distortion. A readout appeared in her HUD.
Insufficient Honkai energy in reserve. Recharge incomplete
The new beast landed with a dull thud, dust sent fluttering as it hovered just above the ground. Drawing back lance and sword, the beast prepared to finish off Mei.
"Mei-senpai!"
Though her body was too slow to respond, Mei still managed to look toward the voice. Kiana stood atop an outbuilding. Already she was summoning her grungnir cannon from Imaginary Space. As the cannon coalesced into being Bonya floated up next to her. Bronya lifted an arm and gestured toward the two Honkai beast before clenching her fist. Project Bunny 19C imitated its master. A point of roiling darkness appeared, dust and leaves lifting off the ground, everything nearby drawn in toward the gravity singularity. Neither beast could fight against the intense gravitational forces. Once the beasts were clear of Mei, Kiana took aim with her cannon. Electricity crackled over the temporary frame. Eyeballing her target, Kiana braced herself and pulled the trigger. A brilliant flare of energy leapt from the cannon, the linear arc accelerating forward and punching through both beasts. Structural integrity compromised beyond repair, both beasts collapsed into a heap, bodies quickly disintegrating into flaky chunks of magenta Honkai energy that swirled into nothing.
Sweat beading her face, Mei planted her blade in the dirt and took a moment to compose herself. Kiana tossed the cannon to one side, its form disappearing back into Imaginary Space as she jumped off the building and ran to Mei. Bronya followed behind, floating down more cautiously.
"Mei-senpai!" Kiana called again.
The always energetic girl crashed into Mei. Burying her face in Mei's ample chest, Kiana let out a happy giggle and squeezed her tightly.
"You're okay, you're okay!" she declared.
Untangling her arms, Kiana pulled back a little and looked to the woman she adored. Gold eyes stared back at Mei, pupils surrounded by a marks like a vertical cross. Mei's breath caught in her throat. She flinched, hand rushing to her blade, heart an irregular pulse.
"The Bronya asks what is wrong, Mei-senpai?" Bronya asked in her always cool tone.
Mei pointed to Kiana's clear blue eyes. The answer died on her lips. The fear was forgotten, Mei uncertain why she had been afraid, the memory gone.
"It's nothing," Mei answered. "Anyway, why are you here? I thought you were meeting with Himeko-sensei."
"Himeko said we'd waited too long for you to catch up," Kiana explained. "She sent us out to find you whilst she met up with the other Valkyrja squads."
Mei took a deep breath and centred herself.
"Thank you both. What were Himeko-sensei's orders after rendezvousing with me?"
"Head toward the centre of the disturbance," Bronya answered. "Kill any zombies or beasts we come across."
Bronya made a gesture, Project Bunny 19C imitating the motion and extending an arm forward. Projected from the limb was a holographic display of the area. The farm where the three stood was marked out with various combat symbols. Other locations where the Honkai had been fought were quickly marked out. In the centre of the disturbance was a small woodland.
"The other squads are finishing their mop-up operations," Bronya explained calmly. "Once we have done the same Himeko-sensei has ordered us to begin a search of the forested area."
"Have any civilians been located?" Mei asked
"Nyet."
"Anything else?"
"Uh-uh," Kiana said with a shake of her head.
Mei tapped her chin thoughtfully. She didn't like where her mind was going. Only Honkai beasts in the area. Not a single civilian. Or zombie. No-one had been evacuated to any nearby shelters. That left only a handful of options.
Steeling herself, Mei walked toward the nearest large structure. A shed for housing farming vehicles and large-scale equipment. Kiana and Bronya followed close behind. They followed the lead of the nominal squad leader with question. Mei tested the door. It was unlocked. She pulled it open and stepped inside, taking a moment for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. The building was raw structural metal. Light streamed down from skylights built into the tall metal roof. Vehicles stood untouched. Harvesters. Tractors. Trucks with trailers. All ready to go and yet untouched.
"What are you looking for, Mei-senpai?"
"An answer to an uncomfortable question. One I wish to be wrong about."
It was the truck that caught Mei's eye. She cautiously approached, katana held to one side, eyes scanning the shadowy area. Both doors to the truck were open.
"Bronya, can you pick up any Honkai energy?" Mei asked.
The diminutive girl tapped a few commands into a virtual keyboard. The ever-present mech hovering protectively behind her began scanning the area, the visor on its head shimmering faintly.
"The Bronya detects trace readings within the structure. It matches the unidentified low-level ambience within the area. The Bronya also detects a Honkai energy spike from the forest," Bronya confirmed.
Confident in her theory, Mei walked over to the truck and pulled the driver's side door open. The keys still hung in the ignition. Kiana walked up behind and peered around Mei.
"They just left the truck here huh? That's dumb."
"Every last civilian immediately stopped what they were doing," Mei surmised, "and were called to the forest. The question is what sort of power can do that?"
"Why didn't they just become zombies? That's what the Honkai does."
"We cannot assume that the Honkai is to blame for this."
Mei gripped the hilt of her katana tightly.
"There are many things that can twist and change people's minds. Call out to them and make them do things they didn't otherwise think possible."
"The Bronya thinks that the Honkai are here as a symptom, not a cause."
Kiana scratched her head.
"Huh?"
"The Honkai are drawn to powerful sources of Honkai energy. If improperly shielded. The Bronya believes that something within the forest released a large pulse of Honkai energy. The residual energy drew the Honkai here. They are not the cause."
Bronya's silver eyes carefully scrutinised Mei.
"The Bronya is not the only one that holds this theory."
"We shouldn't keep Himeko-sensei waiting," Mei ordered.
The three Valkyrja left the building, closing the door behind them and leaving the strange tableau just as they had found it.
The tall conifers blotted out the sun, bamboo and broadleaf reaching up toward the light in the few gaps that could be found. It made for hard trekking, with no easy forest paths to follow or even terrain. Bronya was at an advantage as she glided over the obstructing roots and undergrowth. Mei and Kiana were forced instead to negotiate their way through. Neither were foolish enough to cut a direct path. The noise of them using their weaponry would be a giveaway. Kiana was agile enough to maintain a decent pace, dashing through the gaps between elderly trees. Mei on the other hand was in her element. On silent feet she moved through the forest. The shadows, the flora, the undulating earth, it was an environment in which a shinobi thrived. Mei had elected to scout ahead of the two. Every twenty or so metres she would stop and give her squad members a chance to catch up.
Using the calm moment, Mei scanned her surroundings. There were signs of recent passage. Brutish and crude. People clambering on hand and foot. Forcing their way through. Kicking over log, twig and small shrub. Very direct. The paths the people had cut through the forest were simple and one-minded. They deviated from their apparent destination as little as could be managed.
'A siren call to the masses. At least we now know where all the missing civilians went. The question now is why and what was their ultimate fate.'
Something else teased at Mei's senses. An uncomfortable tickling that refused to fade. As they'd approached Himeko's last know coordinates the sensation had only increased. Like a buzz of numbness around the fingers. A static tickle of painless electricity. Mei knew what it was. She just wished she didn't.
The scrabble of boots on rocky soil broke Mei's train of thought.
"How far, Mei-senpai?" Kiana asked.
Without needing confirmation Mei gestured north of their location. Her eyes were fixed on their goal.
"A little over two-hundred metres."
"The Bronya is impressed by your accuracy."
Mei clenched a hand over her heart.
"We need to go."
Mei gave no chance for further questions. Already she was moving through the underbrush. Silence cloaked her form. The shadows gave nothing away. But to Mei the forest was alive with warnings. No bird calls. The absence of insects. The faint smell of burnt wood and the metallic tang of blood. And overlaying all of that was a smell, a taste, a tactile shiver, an audible hiss all its own.
'Honkai'
Mei came to a halt before a strange edifice. The object was similar to a spire one might see springing forth from a grand old church. It stood perhaps two metres tall, the rest of it lost beneath the forest floor. What made it stand out was the means of construction. Neither metal nor stone nor glass. A material wholly its own. Blue-black in hue and with a matte finish. Thin strips of azure light pulsed along its surface, giving an appearance similar to that of an arcane circuit board.
"Whoa! What is that?" Kiana exclaimed as she arrived.
"Idiotka. If we knew then we would not have been sent here."
"Hey! I think it's a good question. Besides this isn't where Himeko and the others are. We're still ages from them"
Bronya gestured toward the freshly disturbed earth.
"The Bronya believes this structure appeared only recently. Topographic maps of the area indicate no such structure on any surveys. The soil has been disturbed and moved away as though the structure pushed it's way out of the earth."
"So do we think this thing is behind the missing people?"
"The Bronya thinks a better question is where are the other Valkyrja squads?"
The answer was in the wind. The distant din of combat.
"We head toward—"
Mei's words were interrupted by a low moan. Several pale corpses ambled out from behind the trees. They were dressed in everyday clothes, people that worked on the land or manual labour. Their faces showed no sign of emotion or awareness, gaunt bodies streaked with crimson veins. But their limbs still held vitality. Movements that were focused and directed. The animate corpses had come to kill the latest interlopers.
Two rushed forward, growling loudly as their they sprinted across the disturbed earth. A second later the pair were obliterated, multiple missiles launched from Project Bunny 19C finding their target. Kiana and Mei took a defensive formation around Bronya, giving their long-range ally the chance to pick off as many as possible before they were swarmed. Barrage after barrage of missiles were launched, crashing into the animate corpses and decimating them.
It seemed to matter not. With as many as Bronya cut down, more sprinted out from the gloom between trees. In moments they were upon the squad. Drawing up her pistols, Kiana dashed forward and into the fray. Mei had not time to admire her colleagues combat skills. Three zombies rushed in from the shadows. Timing her movement, Mei rolled to one side, narrowly ducking under swinging arms and lashing out with her blade. Knees were severed from calves. Spinning in heel Mei stood before dropping into a crouch, beheading each of the zombies in a broad slash. Their bodies began to flake away, turning to ash that was caught in the wind.
Another zombie appeared. This one was different. Unlike the others she wore what looked like combat armour, black form-fitting carapace, face partially hidden behind a visor. The zombie held a hand out to one side. The air buzzed, odd fractals shimmering, a smudge coalescing into a discernible shape. With a final crackle a broadsword was drawn from Imaginary Space. The entire experience left Mei with unpleasant goose bumps.
[You need to recall how to draw on that power too]
The Zombie was upon Mei in barely a heartbeat. With broad powerful strokes it sent the Valkyrja on the defensive. Rolling, ducking and parrying as best she could, Mei held her own. Shifting to an overhead chop, the zombie swung the blade straight down, blade slamming into the dirt and sending it flying everywhere. The impact alone sent Mei stumbling. In the confusion the zombie burst through the cloud of debris, Kiana it's new target. Bronya tried to take aim. Several zombies charged her, forcing Project Bunny 19C to go on the defensive, the heavy shield knocking back their strikes. Kiana was surrounded, zombies on all sides and doing their best to claw their way through the woman's defences. She spun in a tight circle, knocking aside strikes with her pistols, gun kata on full display. Pistol rounds slammed through the relentless undead.
The zombie with the broadsword was nearly upon Kiana. Mei weighed up her options. Slamming the katana into its scabbard, Mei called out across the battlefield.
"Kiana, DUCK!"
Without hesitation Kiana dropped into a low crouch. Hand gripping hilt tightly, Mei focused for a moment and directed the Honkai energy she had bubbling within her. That energy she directed through her blade, focusing the power into a coherent, tangible force. And tickling at the edge of her consciousness was the awareness that more power waited. If she would only stretch forth her hand it could be put to use. That awareness Mei slammed the door upon. She knew the cost of such power. She never wanted to go back there. What she controlled right now. That was enough. Barely enough.
"Amaterasu."
Calling out the activation word, Mei drew the blade in one clean flourish. Coruscating energy leapt from the Katana as it was drawn. At the speed of sound, the energy wave rolled outward. Everything in its path was cut down. The zombies were sliced in two, bodies flaking and falling apart. Mei took a slow breath. She sheathed her blade with a distinct flourish. Bronya's missile launcher boomed twice, shredding the last of the zombies around her.
"Mei-senpai!"
Kiana sprinted over to Mei. Arms spread wide, she swept the woman up in a tight embrace.
"Thank-you! You were amazing!"
"Ki-ki-Kiana-chan. We're on the battlefield."
Kiana untangled herself and took a half-step back. The shield of Project Bunny 19C interposed between the two semi-flirting girls.
"The Bronya does not approve. The Bronya believes Idiotka must be more professional."
Kiana shrugged.
"As a Kaslana I know just how dangerous the Honkai are. I also know you should be happy when you can."
An electronic chirp interrupted the exchange. Everyone put a hand to their earpiece.
"Where have you been?" Himeko-Sensei's voice crackled.
"I'm sorry, Major," Mei replied, "We ran into zombies surrounding an unknown artefact and were delayed."
"Artefact?"
"It appears to have bored out of the earth."
"This might be what Theresa was rambling about. Hold your position and wait for backup."
"Yes, Major."