Volume III.5: Vermillion Blue
Chapter V: I Won't Let Them Hurt My Brother
Sunset
Location: Railyard One, East Vier-Galla
"So, it's already that time, huh?"
The sun eventually began to set on this day as well. The eastern train stations were all connected to the area on the other side of the mountain, which led outside Vier-Galla. Be it for military use or for public transportation, all sorts of people ventured to and from the city. As the night approached, Jin was preparing to depart from the city. He had not met up with Noel, nor did he plan to. There was something else taking his attention, and it led him to journey outside the city.
"Noel…" Jin said to himself. "I don't know how you got here, or what's pursuing you. But you're within Galla's protection. I can't be bothered to see you and waste time. But if you stay put, then perhaps I will the next time I arrive."
"Captain!"
Jin turned around, hearing somebody call out to him by his rank. Before he could reach the train, Crimson approached him, accompanied by two other soldiers.
"Second Lieutenant? Why are you here?" Jin questioned.
"I thought it would be best if I saw you off, sir," Crimson answered. "Warrant Officer Yumi is still at the prison, so she couldn't make it. Heaven knows she would've loved to."
"I see."
"But… sir?"
"What is it?"
"Are you sure that this is a good idea? I know that you have a goal in mind and everything, but judging by the response you gave the messenger, Noel Vermillion is really your little sister."
"She is. I thought that part should be clear by now."
"I know. I merely wanted to confirm. And since it's true, I don't understand why you wanted to confirm the woman's safety with your own two eyes. Not to mention… Yumi overheard her talking to her friends. Judging by what she reported, there's the possibility that whatever is out there that's after her life, may very well come for you as well. Are you sure that you're fit to deal with something like this on your own? Surrounded by guards or not, without the ability to fight yourself, excuse my tone, you may as well be a standing target. That's why you're a member of the intelligence division, isn't it? Because it involves less fighting."
Jin just scoffed. He didn't say it out loud, but he knew Crimson made a valid point. Thanks to his deal with Trinity Glassfille, Jin is still unable to properly fight to the level of somebody like Noel. There's no way he'd be able to keep up with the Demonic Androids should they come after him. All he could do was rely on Galla's forces. But if they can keep up with someone like Noel, are common soldiers really up to the task. Nonetheless, he said none of this out loud.
"You might be right," Jin said. "But we need to try and have a little more faith in the abilities of those under us. People like you and Yumi are who I'm trusting to protect Noel. If they come for me, then I won't just roll over and die, obviously. I'll deal with them, regardless of if I can swing my blade or not. Now if you're done, the train will be arriving shortly. I suggest that you return to protecting my little sister."
"Captain, I just…" Crimson sighed. "We'll do what we can for her, of course. But, I'm still worried about your safety."
"I've made it this far without the ability to fight, haven't I? You don't have any reason to spend your time worrying about me."
Crimson wanted to say something else, but held her tongue. She knew that Jin's mind was made up on this. Whatever it was he was after was of great concern. She doesn't fight him on it. The two watched as a train pulled into the station.
"Now if you'll excuse me," Jin said. "I have to go." Jin starts walking towards the train. Before he got far, he turned around to say one last thing to Crimson. "I need to take any lead I can and find out who is here from my world. Noel's already been confirmed. There's somebody else that I have to see with my own eyes."
"This person must be really important to you."
"She is. And that's why I have to go."
"I understand. I'll do all I can to keep Noel Vermillion here. Just… make sure that you stay safe as well, Captain Kisaragi."
Jin nodded before turning around and walking towards the train. Crimson stood and watched the captain prepare to leave Vier-Galla. However, she noticed something standing out. She couldn't quite make it out at first, due to it being hidden in her blind spot. At the same time, Jin sensed something coming from his left. By the time he turned, Yumi sprang out from hiding and charged into Jin, tackling him and pushing him back.
"Yumi?!" He said, startled.
"Warrant Officer?" Crimson questioned. "What the hell are-"
BOOM
Just as Yumi tackled Jin, the train that arrived suddenly exploded, much to Jin and Crimson's shock. The warrant officer used her body as a shield to prevent any flaming debris from hitting Jin. Luckily, no large pieces came close to them. Crimson and the other soldiers shielded themselves with their weapons while others were getting civilians away from the rail station. Jin and Yumi got back to their feet as several soldiers ran to investigate the burning train.
"Captain!" Yumi shouted. "Are you alright?"
"If it hadn't been for you, I might not be," Jin replied. "I wasn't expecting them to pull a stunt like that."
"How the hell were they able to plant a bomb in one of our trains?" Crimson asked. "That one hasn't left the city for a while, and yet they managed to rig it like that."
"How…" Yumi started to ask. "How did they… know which one to bomb?"
Crimson realized that she was right. "They must've managed to get information on the inside."
"That's not possible," Jin stated. "Everyone that knew about my departure is here, excluding the First Major."
"The First Major… there's no way. She wouldn't set something like this up!"
"It's not her, Crimson. The answer is… they don't know."
"Wha…?"
As if on cue, another explosion was heard in the distance, coming from the third station. Another one followed soon after, from the second station.
"They had time to set up explosives at all three rail stations…?" Crimson said in astonishment. "They couldn't have snuck past all of our forces so easily, could they?"
"I doubt this was an inside job." Jin walked over to the burning train, Crimson and Yumi accompanying him. "The three explosives went off at different times. If they were planned and planted, the timing between the explosions wouldn't have been so inconsistent. Not to mention, they struck Railyard Two last. Railyard Two is easier to walk to than Three, but why blow it up last?"
"You're right…" Crimson kneeled down and examined the debris. "Not to mention… there's no signs of an explosive attached to the train at all. From the looks of things, it's as if someone fired a missile at it. I'd bet the situation is the same at all the stations." The second lieutenant turns to the warrant officer. "But then… Yumi, how did you know?"
"Something… suspicious…" Yumi said. "It flew inside."
"Just as soon as the train arrived?"
Yumi nodded.
"Whoever's after me and Noel is confused as to where to find us, and they're guessing." Jin turns around and starts walking away, but stops the moment he steps away from the train. "And it looks like they just made a correct one."
Crimson and Yumi turned around and ran over to their Captain. Walking up to the rail station was S11-096, undoing her white cloak as she approached. Her spear ejected from off her shoulder and she caught it midair.
"Location of target has been determined," she stated. "Confirmed match. Otherworlder "Glacial Order" has been found."
"Glacial… who?" Yumi questioned.
"She can only mean me," Jin said. "You're the one who's been targeting Noel Vermillion then."
"By 'Noel Vermillion' are you referring to otherworlder 'Vermillion Blue?'"
"Call her whatever you like. I don't care." Jin raised his hand in the air, summoning Yukianesa. "Whoever sent you here, you should run back to them and hope that they'll save your own hide. What you've done is an offense to this kingdom. And the punishment for your terrorists actions will be death."
The white haired android pointed her spear towards the otherworlder, the tips opening up into a three barreled cannon, surprising Jin and the rest of the soldiers. Just before she could fire, a sword parried her weapon upward, causing the blast to go into the sky. The wielder behind that sabre was the First Major, Maya Winchester.
"I knew you looked suspicious when I saw you walking down the street," she said. "Oi, Captain! What in the bloody hell is going on?"
"We can talk about this later," Jin said, placing his hand on the hilt of his blade. "Apprehend this woman first."
Even though he said that, Jin wasn't able to do much. Even as he tried to draw his sword, Yukianesa refused to cooperate. The demonic android was taking note of this, something Yumi sensed as she jumped in front of Jin with her knives in hand. Crimson stepped in front of her, blocking Yumi with her cannon.
"Warrant Officer, go check on Noel Vermillion," Crimson ordered.
"But-"
"I told the Captain that I'd keep her safe too. And you're the only one of us who can get there the fastest. Now go! We'll make it out of this alive, I swear!"
Yumi hesitated at first, but nodded. The warrant officer disappeared from sight as the rabbit android broke free of the First Major's blade. The girl jumped over the android and beside Crimson and Jin, as the demonic android started arming herself. Other soldiers with shields stepped in front of them to shield the three commanders.
"So… does anyone actually have a plan for this?" Maya asked.
Evening
Location: Prison Complex in East Vier-Galla
As they weren't given permission to leave the prison, Noel, Lyrial, and Aguil had to remain there for the night. The pinkette wasn't happy with this at first, wanting to leave as soon as possible. Noel and Aguil were able to keep her from doing anything foolish and making an enemy of Galla's military force. The three found themselves spending the night in a jail cell, away from other prisoners. Crimson had this arranged once she was informed of Jin's statement regarding Noel. There's not a lot of special treatment they can give her, but they've managed to make her not feel like a complete prisoner.
The jail cell was the same size as normal ones, but just on a floor that was nearly empty. There were a few prisoners here and there, but not around Noel and the others. There was only a single bed, so Aguil and Lyrial both agreed that Noel could have it. There were also other standard utilities found in jail cells such as a sink and toilet.
The trio were fast asleep by the time evening came. Noel had her hands over her stomach and her cape laid across her. It wasn't much, but it made up for not having a blanket. However, even though she was asleep, the girl had a restless expression on her face as she lightly tossed and turned during the evening. The two siblings were cuddled together under a blanket, Lyrial laying on top of her brother while snoring softly.
During her slumber, Noel was dreaming. What exactly was her dream? Honestly, even she didn't know the answer to that. The blonde didn't fully comprehend what was going on inside of her own dream. The only thing in sight… was nothing. She appeared to be in a never-ending free fall inside of a black pit of nothingness. Even though she was dreaming, it felt like she was fully conscious. Her eyes slowly opened as she saw the endless void before her. Even after looking around, she still understood nothing. As there was nothing to understand.
"Where… am I…?" Noel asked herself. "What kind of place is this?"
Noel flipped around, straightening herself as she's now falling feet first. Suddenly, she didn't feel like she was falling anymore, but more like she was floating, slowly descending towards no specific destination. The blonde managed to make herself move around, wandering through the endless void.
"I was in a prison cell with Lyrial and Aguil and now… is this a dream…? But… it feels… as if it's not… Huh?" Looking above her, Noel saw a dim light in the distance. "Is that a light…? Is that the way out of here?"
Noel started moving towards the distant light, watching it slowly grow brighter and brighter the closer she got to it. She was unable to tell what was beyond the light, and couldn't be positive that it was a pathway out of the dark abyss. But still, what else could she do? Continue to endlessly descend? Seeing this as the one opportunity to escape, Noel took it. The light was now growing at a faster rate, and Noel started to realize something. While she was approaching the light, the light was approaching her. It shined brightly and massively, causing Noel to shield her face before it blinded her.
"Too bright… What is this…?" Emerging from the light, Noel saw a singular object heading her way. "Is something… somebody out there? Can they see me? What-"
Before she knew it, a sharp blade slid past her left cheek, leaving a small body scar as she started to fall back down into the abyss. Noel desperately tried to stop her, but to no avail. The light chased her, a threatening aura coming from what she originally saw as her last hope. Her eyes widened as she saw a myriad of crimson red swords emerge from the light, about to fly straight towards her. She knew now that this light was something that was about to kill her. The girl held her hands to the side and tried to summon Bolverk. However, the Nox Nyctores did not show. She had no means of defending herself in the face of this threat, and could only stare with fear in her eyes.
"Eliminating target."
Noel here a monotonic voice echo throughout the void, coming from the dangerous light. She had no time to question it, or even stop it, as the red blades shot out of the light immediately. The blonde watched as they came straight towards her, homing in on their target. Noel shut her eyes and covered her face, knowing that her fate was sealed and she couldn't stop this.
However…
CLANG
There was still someone who could.
After a few seconds passed, Noel began to slowly open her eyes, realizing that she wasn't dead, nor had she even been touched by those swords. The light faded. The dark faded. She saw that she was in a large room, sitting on a singular platform… extending out just at the edge of a cauldron that was below her.
As for her fated death, Noel saw that it had been prevented. She had been saved. The red swords were spinning in the air, having been battered away by the man standing in front of her. Her savior had white, spiky hair, and long red coat, and wielded a large sword. As she stared at him,she couldn't help but feel as if she should recognize him. It was almost like a sense of deja vu. She feels as if she knows this man. But no matter how hard she tried, her mind could only draw blanks when it came to Ragna the Bloodedge.
"Who's… Who is that…?"
Noel observed everything around her, and her memories slowly started to piece things together. She knew where she was. The zeroth area, the cauldron underneath the Thirteenth Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi. That much was certain. Why was she here? Who is this man that just saved her? Those were questions she was unable to answer. But she knew that this wasn't the place to search for answers when she noticed another figure right in front. From her silver hair that was in a ponytail, to her pale skin, Noel recognized who this girl was. The Thirteenth Boundary interface Prime Field Device. Nu.
"Wait… that's Nu!" Noel thought to herself. "I don't understand, why is Nu here? She should still be bedridden at the church. Lambda and I were watching over her so… how did she get here? Why is she trying to kill me?"
"Hey, are you even listening to me?"
Noel looked alarmed as she suddenly heard his voice. While she was lost in her own thoughts, she didn't realize that Ragna had been talking to her.
"W… What…?"
"I said, are you gonna get your ass to safety or not?" Ragna repeated his question, looking back at Noel. "If you're gonna sit somewhere and cry, do it where you won't get yourself killed."
Noel put her hands to her cheeks, feeling her tears. The blonde wasn't even aware that she had been crying this whole time. The white haired man looked annoyed at the girl's crying, but his attention wasn't taken for long as someone else called out his name.
"Ragna…" Nu suddenly spoke up, calling out towards the man. Suddenly her expression and tone changed. Instead of the robotic one that ordered Noel's death like a Demonic Android, she appeared to be… happy to see Ragna. "Yay~! It's Ragna! Ragna's such a bad person, leaving Nu here all by herself. It's always a one night stand with you, right?"
"I don't give a damn what you have to say," Ragna replied.
"Did you come here to kill me again, silly?"
"Killing is for people. You get broken."
"I don't understand…" Noel sat idly by, not moving an inch as she tried to process everything. "Why does this all feel so familiar? What's going on? Why's Nu saying these things, and… who's this Ragna…?"
"Oh Ragna~" the pale woman's tone made it sound like she was enjoying hearing those words from him. "Nu loves it when you talk dirty to her."
Ragna gritted his teeth.
"Nu hates everyone, you know. But not you. Ah! You weren't very nice last time we did it, now were you?" The girl recalled another time where she and Ragna had fought. "Shoving it deep inside of Nu without any warning. Out of the blue, you just surprised me with such a forceful insertion~!"
"Shut up…!"
"Ragna, you naughty boy. You went to town on Nu and you liked it, didn't you? Stabbing away at defenseless little Nu like that… Nu couldn't move or even speak. Nu was completely helpless, and at Ragna's mercy~"
"Don't say that!"
"And through it all… you were smiling…!"
Ragna clenched his fists angrily at all of Nu's words.
"But today's a whole different story, Ragna!" Nu continued. "See?" The Prime Field Device gestured to her body. "Now, Nu can talk and move, her body's ready for you! Oh…? What's the matter, Ragna? Did you like it better when Nu was your helpless little plaything?"
"Shut your mouth, you damn freak!" Ragna shouted. "All I'm here for is to destroy you, and that's it! Don't you dare talk to me like that… Saying all of those things with her face…! It pisses me off…! It's disgusting!"
Nu was actually quiet for a second before giggling, following up with an answer. "Is it? Ragna acts like this is disgusting, but the truth is that we're a lot alike. You want to destroy, Ragna. Destroy Nu, the world, even yourself. You just want to smash it all to itty-bitty pieces." The girl slightly tilts her head cutely. "What do you say? We could just become one… and destroy the world. And then… we'll be together forever. You've been so lonely… haven't you, Ragna? But don't worry. Those days are coming to an end very soon…"
No matter how he tried to hide it, everything Nu was saying was clearly having an effect on Ragna, as the man stood still and listened to every word that came out of her mouth. Everything she said felt as if it cut deep into his soul, causing an agony that no attack could ever cause him. It was as if Nu was right, as if every word she spoke was the truth and he was trying and failing to deny it all. Unfortunately, Ragna wouldn't have long to think. What would follow was a song and dance that had been repeated countless times. And Nu was ready to begin it again.
"Come here. Let's play~!" Nu held out her right hand as the eight blades hovering behind her pointed towards Ragna. One by one she shot them at the Grim Reaper. Ragna snapped out of it and started batting away the blades with his large sword. The man deflected three of the floating blades, the third one hitting the ground just in front of Noel, making her flinch. The blonde was about to stand up and move out of the way. Suddenly another blade hit her in the chest. Instead of impaling her, it knocked her into the wall behind Ragna, leaving her in pain and unable to move. That distracted Ragna for a split second, but he was able to react in time when Nu came at him with a flying kick, spinning around like she was a drill as her legs collided with his sword. Nu skillfully stopped spinning and maneuvered her leg behind Ragna, kicking him to the ground. She tried to slam her knees into his back, but he rolled out of the way just in time. Ragna quickly hopped back up to his feet and jumped away from Nu. spinning his sword behind him, the blade was powered up as seithr coursed through it. Nu looked at Ragna with a giggle, her eight swords floating to her side. Four glyphs spawned behind her as she prepared to use her Drive. Ragna didn't waste time going on the offensive, as the two clashed once again, like they always do.
The injured Noel started to stand up again, and saw the fight unfolding in front of her. She remembered how when she arrived, she had no power to summon Bolverk, and that she would be at Nu's mercy the longer she stayed here. But that didn't stop her from questioning what's going on? Why is Nu like this? Why is she fighting against Ragna? Who IS Ragna? Noel had many questions running through her head as she started looking for a way out of the zeroth area. Finding the way up, Noel made her way over there, paying no attention to the fight between Ragna and Nu.
"Oh? This is a surprise."
But she saw that she wasn't the only one here that's not fighting. As Noel was leaving the area, she ran into another familiar face as a man with green hair, and a jet black uniform of the NOL's intelligence department. She felt like this was somebody she should know as well. But just like Ragna, she was having a hard time bringing Hazama's, or Yuuki Terumi's, name to remembrance.
"Someone else is here…?" Noel said to herself, holding her head.
"What's this?" Hazama chuckled. "Are you feeling alright? Are the memories in your head all mixed up? Someone seems rather confused about the world around them, and what they're doing here."
"What I'm… What AM I doing here…? I don't understand. A moment ago, I was in another world, far away from Kagutsuchi. The next thing I know, I wake up here… But… This isn't a dream is it? I'm… really back in Kagutsuchi…?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. I don't think I'm capable of answering that." Hazama shrugs. "As far as I know, this could be an elaborate dream you've cooked up. I'm not even sure if I'm real. But perhaps I'm not. After all, you don't seem to remember me at all, do you?"
"S… Should I? You're the second person that I think I should know… First it was that Ragna guy, and now…"
"Ragna? Oho, so here, everything is still going the way it should be, just on schedule. Looks like I can help you after all."
"Huh?"
Hazama put his hand on Noel's shoulder. "I can tell that your mind is in shambles right now. You aren't able to determine reality from fiction, not able to figure out whether the life you lived moments ago was the truth, or if this is the truth. You can't remember who I am, who Ragna is, or even the role you were meant to play in this scenario. But…" the man adjusted his hat and kept walking. "It's not like I can make you remember. Just know this Noel Vermillion." He turned around and smiled at the confused girl. "There's a chance that if you don't figure out why you're here… this possibility will just keep repeating itself. And that wouldn't be very beneficial to me."
"Why I'm here…?"
Everything Hazama said had an effect on her. Noel didn't understand a thing about this. She should be in Vier-Galla with Lyrial and Aguil, but instead she's at the bottom of Kagutsuchi with Nu and two men she didn't know. She wanted to keep leaving. She wanted to keep running and leave, to see if she'll return to where she was. But the more she wanted to, the more she thought about everything Hazama told her. She had a role to play here, but she doesn't remember it. And the only way she knew how to find out was to see things through and stay in Kagutsuchi. The blonde turned around and ran back to where Ragna and Nu were fighting.
"You're… insane…"
However… The fight had already come to an end. And the victor was not Ragna, but Nu, despite the situation. The Murakumo unit the blade attached to her long ponytail and impaled both Ragna and herself as the two stood over the edge of the platform, the cauldron right below. The Grim Reaper dropped his sword, creating a loud noise as it hit the ground. Meanwhile, Hazama had been standing by long enough to see the fight's end. The look on his face wasn't a pleased one.
"Oh Ragna…" Nu let out a giggle as she hugged the man. "Now we'll be together. Forever. Doesn't this feel great? We're so connected right now… But it's not enough to satisfy Nu… Deeper… Nu wants it deeper~!"
The girl's hair blade thrusted into the two even further, splattering blood across Nu's face as she giggled.
"Like hell are we connected…!" Ragna exclaimed.
Nu only smiled. "Come on. It's time."
She slowly walked backward with her arms wrapped around Ragna. Not like he could just break away anyway, as her blade was still keeping the two together. The only thing he could do was walk forward with her as Nu prepared to throw the two of them into the cauldron. There wasn't anything he could do now. The only thing that awaited him was what happened when the two of them entered the cauldron. And at this point… Ragna stopped fighting it.
"You know what…?" He said to Nu. "I hated this world anyway. I'm in." Those words were enough to put a bright smile on Nu's face. "I don't know what type of catastrophe or armageddon bullshit you have planned… but mankind deserves all of it."
And on that note, Nu leaned backwards, taking Ragna with her. Their fates were sealed as they fell off of the platform and fell into the cauldron.
"RAGNA!"
The man suddenly snapped out of it as he heard a voice call out to him. He looked back, surprised to see Noel running towards him, extending out her hand to try and catch him. Something clicked inside of his head. He felt that he made the wrong choice going with Nu. He wanted to stop this, and the moment he saw a chance to live, he took it and reached out for Noel's hand. As for the blonde in question… she still didn't understand. She doesn't know why she needed to save him, or if this is the role she was meant to play. But she couldn't just stand there and let Ragna perish. In what almost seemed like a miracle, Noel caught Ragna's hand just as he and Nu fell off the platform. The Murakumo Unit looked in shock as her blade was forced out of herself and Ragna, leaving Nu to fall into the cauldron on her own. A blue light overtook Noel and Ragna's hand, and soon it blinded the girl. What happened to the two afterwards? That's another question that she could not answer.
Noel's eyes flew open the moment that light consumed her. She sat up in bed, looking distraught as she examined her surroundings. The blonde saw that she hadn't moved at all. She was still in the prison cell with Lyrial and Aguil, in Vier-Galla. Noel let out a relief sigh as she laid back down.
"It was all a dream…" she said. "It felt so real… But… who was that Ragna person…?"
Before she could finish her thoughts, Noel was taken by surprise as something came down from the ceiling. The blonde shrieked as Yumi came out of nowhere, landing on top of her bed. Instead of her uniform, the blue haired soldier was wearing a skin-tight black suit with dark grey plating around her body, had various assassin weapons attached to her person, and wore a red scarf wrapped around her neck.
"Ugh, can you keep it down…? Some of us are trying to sleep…?" Noel's shrieking also woke Lyrial and Aguil, the former being very grumpy until she realized what happened. "Wait what the hell!?"
Location: The Top of a Building Somewhere in East Vier-Galla
"Finally, it's about effin' time!"
On another rooftop away from the prison complex, Yuuki Terumi had been standing there. As his yellow long coat blew in the wind, he looked towards the prison while spinning a knife in his left hand.
"And here I thought that bitch would be hopeless," he said, talking about Noel. "Color me surprised. She figured out what to do even though she's missing her memories of ol' Raggy. I was so sure she'd screw this up." Throwing the knife in the air, he caught it and put it away. "I really hope this wasn't a waste of time, so let's hope you can actually gain something from making Noel Vermillion re-experience that."
"I'm afraid not. It appears that it wasn't enough," The voice of the Demonic Queen was echoing inside Terumi's head.
"You're shitting me, aren't you? After all that trouble, you're telling me you still can't use the bitch?"
"What I needed was to reawaken the memory of Ragna the Bloodedge within those from his world. If I could do that using her memories, seeing how important she is according to you, I could've easily unlocked the ability to manipulate any and every memory concerning him. However, that sequence wasn't enough. Something is preventing her from remembering him in the slightest."
"Wonderful. Just wonderful. Looks like my time's been wasted after all." Terumi turns around to face S4-213 and S11-413, who were standing behind him. "Looks like you ladies are up. One of you, go back up your friend while you're at it."
Both androids nodded before taking off into the city.
"If I want to use my abilities to turn those from Ragna's world into his enemies… Perhaps I need to invest time in finding another method to change their memories. Perhaps... another direct approach."
Location: Prison Complex in East Vier-Galla
Noel, Lyrial, and Aguil were all staring at Yumi, who came into their cell unannounced. They were surprised and worried at the sight of her, then noticed the worrisome look on the warrant officer's face. Noel started to sit up, prompting Yumi to get off the bed. Aguil and Lyrial both stood up, the latter fixing her camisole.
"You're…" Noel said. "Oh yeah, you were one of the soldiers I met the other day." The blonde took a moment to observe Yumi's current outfit. "But why are you dressed like an assassin?"
"Kind of revealing too, don't you think?" Lyrial asked. "That outfit is really putting your ass out there for display."
Yumi held her hands behind her, blushing. "I…" she started to speak up. "I need your help."
"Our help?" Aguil questioned.
"What's going on?" Noel asked.
"It's…" Yumi replied, opening the cell door. "The Captain needs help."
"The… Captain?" Noel suddenly remembered. "Wait, that's what you called Jin! What happened? Where is he?"
"In danger. Come with me." Yumi walked out of the cell, gesturing for the three to follow her. "Please, hurry. This is urgent. I will explain on the way… as best as possible."
The trio were confused as to what was going on, but the warrant officer seemed to be in need of their assistance. Yumi was trying to figure out what to say to let them know that the demonic androids were after Jin. However, she didn't know what the attacker was exactly, and she doesn't want to mention that she was eavesdropping on the trio in the showers. Noel, Lyrial, and Aguil stepped out of the cell, the latter closing the door behind them. Immediately, Yumi took off running towards the prison entrance, surprising the trio and making them chase after her.
"What the hell is this, a game of tag?" Lyrial questioned.
"She mentioned Noel's brother was in danger," Aguil replied. "That must be why she's in a hurry."
"Wait up!" Noel called out, making Yumi slowly down to their speed so she wouldn't have to yell. "What's going on? You can't just run off like that without an explanation."
"I'm sorry…" Yumi said. "I just…"
"You're concerned about my brother aren't you? What happened to him? We'll help you, but we need to know what's going on."
"Okay…" Yumi thought about what to say for a moment before speaking. "What were the Demons that attacked you?"
"We've been referring to them as Demonic Androids. Do you know something about them?"
"No."
"Oh. Then what about them/"
"Would they… go after the Captain?"
Noel realized that her worries from earlier have come to pass. "They… They would. It's not just me they're after. If they had the chance to, they'll try to kill Jin as well. Are they the ones who are attacking Jin right now?"
"Only one enemy has been confirmed. The other two are unknown."
The four ran out of the prison and into the streets, crowded with panicking civilians and soldiers. The trio was shocked to see the three sets of flames going up across Vier-Galla's rail station.
"What the hell happened while we were in jail?!" Lyrial exclaimed.
"The attacker did this," Yumi said. "Follow me."
Yumi weaved through the crowd like a ninja while Noel and the siblings had to fight their way through to keep up with her. The warrant officer didn't think to look back and see how far ahead she was until she made it out of the crowd. She noticed that the trio was still a little bit behind her. It took about half a minute for them to get out, but the three managed to catch up to the assassin, who immediately kept running. Yumi decided to stay within plain sight and run through the streets that weren't as crowded. There were plenty of people, but enough that Noel could still see her and have Lyrial and Aguil follow.
"This is getting us nowhere!" Lyrial exclaimed, flapping her wings. "It'll be a lot faster if we fly to our target!"
Lyrial grabbed Noel via a full nelson, surprising the girl as she took them both airborne. Aguil also flew up as well, intending to fly over and grab Yumi. The warrant officer looked back and saw them finding another method to avoid the crowd, prompting her to leap on a wall and towards Aguil so she could get in the air as well.
"Which way?" Aguil asked her as he caught the girl.
Yumi points towards Railyard One. "That way."
"Aguil, get down!" Lyrial shouted, flying towards the ground.
Aguil wasn't sure about his sister's actions until he experienced a premonition. He foresaw a large amount of gunfire going through the air, straight towards their flight path. A literal half second after this, his premonition came true. Bullets started flying through the air towards them, prompting Aguil to quickly fall out of the sky with Yumi in hand, avoiding the bullets. The four landed on the ground and quickly ran for cover. Peeping out her head, Noel saw S11-413 walking through the streets ahead of them, her chest opened to reveal her gatling guns.
"Don't bother hiding," the ginger said. "I have all of you on my sensors. You'll never escape. Get out here, Vermillion Blue! Die quietly, and I won't have to kill anybody else."
Lyrial summoned her bow while hiding behind a building. She pulled her bowstring back as magical arrows formed between her fingers, a total of three. Lyrial fired the arrows, and everyone watched as they curved the moment they came from behind the building, turning towards the demonic android. S11-413 opened fire with her gatling guns and was surprised to see Lyrial's arrows weave through the bullets on their own. She jumped into the air to avoid them, only for them to turn around and fly up, piercing her through the back. The ginger android grunted, landing on the ground on one knee. She looked up as the four stepped out of hiding, weapons armed and ready, and smiled smugly.
"Interesting," she said. "Looks like you people had a few more tricks up your sleeve." S11-413 pulls her purple spear from behind her and unfolds it, turning it towards Noel and the others while smirking. "Alright! Looks like I'll just have to kill everything in sight until Vermillion Blue is dead before my eyes!"
"Noel, Miss Soldier, please get out of here!" Aguil exclaimed. "Lyrial and I will deal with this one ourselves!"
"My name is Yumi," Yumi stated.
"Will you two be alright?" Noel asked. "Don't forget how powerful she is!"
"Ohh, you're right to fear me!" S11-413 said, her spear opening up and the head began to spin, charging a large amount of energy. "Try and run all you want, I'll just wipe you and the rest of this city off the face of Riverbrandt."
"Lyrial and I will be fine," Aguil said. "We're much stronger than we look."
"Yeah, don't worry about us, flatties," Lyrial said, giving a thumbs up, despite the disapproving looks at her insult. "Leave the two of us together, and we're undefeatable. She's going down."
Noel pouted at first, but smiled. Lyrial and Aguil seemed very sure of themselves, and were ready to face S11-413 head on. She nodded confidently as she and Yumi started to run off.
"Lyrial… Aguil…" Noel said. "Thank you both. I really feel you two girls care just as much as my friends from my world. We'll hurry to rescue Jin now!"
"Good luck!" Lyrial said.
"We won't be long," Aguil said.
Noel and Yumi took off running down an alleyway. S11-413 tried to aim towards them but was blocked by Lyrial and Aguil. The two siblings were waiting to see what the ginger android was going to do. Both of them held their weapons high, ready to fight for Noel's sake at any time.
…Suddenly, Aguil realized something.
"Wait, did Noel just call me a girl?"
-X-
As Noel and Yumi ran through an alleyway, the warrant officer stopped and forced Noel to as well, holding her two daggers close to her as she sensed danger. Walking up to them from the other end was S4-213, the blunette android armed with her arm blade and still wearing her cloak. Yumi held her daggers close, but Noel stepped up front and summoned Bolverk.
"Yumi, right?" Noel asked.
"Yes," Yumi answered.
"Go ahead of me. I'll make it to him, but both of us don't need to be held up. I'll deal with her for now, please go check on Jin."
"Are… you sure?"
"I promise, I'll make it. We'll all get out of this alive."
Yumi nodded. Though her orders were to keep Noel out of harm's way, she couldn't simply abandon Jin either. Seeing Noel reassuring her that she'd be alright also convinced Yumi that this was okay. The warrant officer took off and ran past the demonic android. S4-213 turned around and aimed her hand pistol, only to be halted as a blast from Bolverk exploded next to her, making her turn around to face Noel. Both girls lowered their weapons, as if they could sense that the other was going to the same. The blunette android was scanning Noel the entire time, and found something strange. It was as if Noel came in peace.
"No hostilities detected from Vermillion Blue," she said.
"I…" Noel responded. "I just want you to tell me what's going on first."
"I have been sent here to kill you."
"I know that! But why?!"
The blunette stared at Noel blankly. The blonde could tell that the demonic android had no intentions of just answering her. Noel stood there and thought for a moment, and then came up with an idea.
"Alright, I get it," she said. "You're here to kill me, right? And you're not going to stop until you've done so. I get that. But since we've established that I'm supposed to end up dead anyway… Can you at least explain to me what's going on?"
"Why?"
"Well, I just want to be informed before I die, that's all. And a dead woman couldn't possibly speak. So if you're going to kill me, at least let me ask a few questions first. You know, so I don't die wondering what I've done to deserve this." Noel even made Bolverk disappear just to keep up this facade for answers. "You still get to kill me in the end, so there's no reason to say no, right?"
S4-213 stood silent for a moment as she was processing Noel's request. Finally, she came to a conclusion. There was nothing that she'd lose judging by the way Noel put things. "Request still leads to the termination of Vermillion Blue," she said. "Acceptable. I will now permit Vermillion Blue to ask questions."
Noel let out a sigh of relief, glad that her plan worked. "Thank goodness."
"You may begin asking questions."
"Start with telling me who you are."
"I am a Demonic Android Unit, designed by the Demon Realm for multiple types of combat. My Series Number is Four. Unit Number, Two-One-Three. Designation, S4-213. The optional condename I have been programmed with is Lazuli."
"So your name is Lazuli… Then, what about your teammates? Are they all really Demonic Androids like you?"
"Affirmative. Their Series Number is Eleven. They are designated respectively as S11-096, and S11-413."
"Can't you specify who's who? And do they have names as well?"
"Negative. Question cannot be answered."
"So there's still some things that she can't tell me… Or maybe she doesn't have the information to do so…" Noel thought. "I might not be able to get everything I ask answered if that's the case. I'll just stick with the important stuff for now, and we'll see how far I can get." She started asking aloud. "Can you tell me why you want me dead?"
"My current owner has placed me as a part of their otherworlder elimination project."
"So it isn't because you want me dead, but someone else. Then who is that? Who's your owner?"
"Negative. Question cannot be answered."
"I should've known you'd say that. Then tell me everything you can concerning the project to eliminate otherworlders. It's not limited to just me and Jin, is it? Are there others? How many do you know of?"
"Please limit yourself to asking one question per answer."
"Oh, right. Then tell me whatever you can concerning the project, and why it involves me."
"The official name of the project is Operation: Uninvited Guests. As Vermillion Blue, your termination is a part of this operation. According to the data I have been given, you are classified as a 'Contaminant' or 'Otherworlder' within Riverbrandt. My owner is currently pursuing another otherworlder who was given the codename 'Grim Reaper' in my database. In order to prevent you from possibly meeting with Grim Reaper, Vermillion Blue is to be terminated."
"Grim Reaper…?" Noel couldn't help but feel that she should know who this person is. Her head felt like it was hurting for a split second, like something was trying to tell her she should know this Grim Reaper person.
"Have you concluded asking questions?" Lazuli asked.
"No…" Noel manages to pull herself together. "No, I haven't. You mentioned the title of this operation of yours is 'Uninvited Guests' right? This is implying that I'm not the only one here who you have to eliminate."
"Affirmative. Any remaining and important otherworlders have been designated for termination. However, my owner has stated that they cannot confirm nor deny the complete existence of all of these otherworlders throughout Riverbrandt. Furthermore, we do not possess information as to whether or not there are unknown otherworlders within Riverbrandt as well."
"Can you tell me about them? Who are they? I want to know if they're from my world too."
Lazuli took Noel's words as an opportunity to obtain more information about her future targets. "Multiple targets have been suspected and listed, each of them given a distinct codename, similar to Vermillion Blue. These codenames are as follows. Glacial Order, Crimson Phantasma, Armaments of Justice, Mad Dog, Sankaishin, Cyclopean Puppeteer, and Grim Reaper, who is not to be eliminated. According to my owner, Sankaishin is currently within our custody, and shall be spared from termination until further notice. This leaves me with six remaining suspects to hunt down and eliminate, yourself included, as Vermillion Blue. Is there any information that you have regarding the remaining otherworlders?"
Noel didn't respond immediately as she was trying to see if she could match codenames with the people that she knows. "So they know of a total of eight suspects," she thought. Glacial Order… that one has to be Jin, obviously. And the Grim Reaper one… Ah, I can't remember. Who is that? And the rest, the sound familiar. Wait… Armaments of Justice… Armaments of Justice…" Noel went wide eyed, realizing who this codename referred to. "Don't tell me…"
"Is there any information that you have regarding the suspects?" Lazuli asked again.
Noel didn't say a word and shook her head.
"Acknowledged. Have you concluded asking questions?"
Noel sighed and nodded. "I think I am. I don't think there's anything else that I need to ask about now."
"Acknowledged. I shall now proceed with your elimination."
Noel held her hands up to the side, summoning Bolverk. "Not after what I've learned. If she's here too, then…" Noel takes her signature stance and aims her guns at the demonic android. "Then I can't let you get to her, or to Jin!"
"Target deemed hostile."
Lazuli threw off her cloak, revealing her long, black dress with a cutout through the middle down just past her stomach. The black dress extended down to her knee in the front, cutaways presents to reveal her legs, and a black and while frilly section across the sides and back of the dress. She wore black socks covered with armored decorations wrapped around her legs and her arms. Suddenly, her body opened up as large gatling guns came from her thighs, rocket launchers on her legs and shoulder, and rifles on her hands. Her arm blades were still equipped as well.
"Engaging target."
Lazuli rushed at the alarmed Noel. The blonde however, wasted no time either as the two charged at one another.
BAM
"Huh?!"
However, before they could reach one another, someone crashed through the building to Noel's left, skidding on the ground until they stopped right in front of the blonde. The dust cleared up to reveal two people, both Crimson and Jin, standing in front of Noel.
"Shit…!" Crimson groaned, having used her body to shield Jin. "That woman packed a bigger punch than I thought she would. What the hell is she?"
"Most likely the same as this one," Jin answered, noticing Lazuli ahead of them. "I had a feeling that more than one of them would be around here."
"Jin!"
The man looked back, hearing his name being called out. Jin finally met face to face with Noel.
"Noel…"
The two didn't have time to catch up or anything as somebody else walked out of the recently created hole. S11-096 emerged, fully armed and warming up her weapons. Yumi suddenly flipped over a building and landed next to Jin, Noel, and Crimson, daggers in hand.
"It would appear that it has happened," S11-096 said. "Vermillion Blue and Glacial Order have met."
-X-
In the middle of the open streets, S11-413's appearance managed to clear out the crowds that were in the area, leaving only herself, Lyrial, and Aguil around. The Persuant siblings watched as the ginger android continued to charge up a large amount of energy in her spear. Neither of them were intimidated. They looked at each other and nodded before raising one of their hands to the of them were intimidated by the energy. They looked at each other and nodded. Aguil raised his right hand towards the sky, and Lyrial, her left. S11-413 didn't sense any hostile intentions coming from them, so she didn't interfere with her other weapons, and began focusing her entire output on charging up her weapon.
"I don't know, and I don't care what you two are up to," she said. "This spear's designed to fire energy blasts powerful enough to detonate the city and the mountainside it resides on! No little trick you come up with is going to be able to top that!"
Neither sibling said anything as their bodies became surrounded with a white glow, energy visibly pouring into their hands from the sky.
"Think we should be worried?" Lyrial asked her brother.
"Of course not," Aguil answered confidently. "It's the two of us. But you already know the answer to that, don't you?"
"When don't I know the answer?"
"Never. And that's the best part."
S11-413 aimed her spear at the siblings, preparing to fire her laser blast. Aguil and Lyrial brought their hands down together, and began to take a single step forward. Suddenly, the ginger android's sensors started going off, being alerted to the powerful energy coming from Aguil and Lyrial. She scoffed slightly and smirked, firing her laser spear in a large purple blast. It was different from her Whistling Arrow attack, as it remained a single, powerful beam. The Persuant siblings gritted their teeth, and let out a warcry as they each thrust their hand forward. A powerful beam of light was fired, colliding head on the ginger's attack. The demonic android looked smugly as she was increasing the output of her attack as she went on. However, that smug look suddenly turned to surprise as she realized; she wasn't making any progress in overpowering the two. Their blasts had reached a stagnant point, neither were being pushed back. The android knew that she was going all out with her output. That made her come to a conclusion. Lyrial and Aguil were holding back.
"You're kidding…" S11-413 said. "All data can only lead to the fact that you two are holding back against me! Bullshit! There's no way that a couple of kids can have the power to push back an eleventh series Demonic Android with ease!"
Lyrial and Aguil smirked. They thrust their hands power once more, the beam of light increasing energy. S11-413 watched in surprise, all of her warning sensors blaring as Lyrial and Aguil's attack completely overwhelmed her. The demonic android screamed as she tried to redirect her energy to stop the light beam, but felt herself being badly damaged with each passing second. Their attack didn't go past her and into the rest of the city, but instead focused on that one spot to provide maximum damage.
"Your brain's like this super high tech machine, right?" Lyrial asked. "Then how about you embed this into your memory."
"Lyrial and I…" Aguil said. "We are undefeatable when we work together. Especially when the night sky above shines so brightly. The stars above our heads… they would never forsake us."
"I get it now…!" S11-413 grunted. "That's what you two are capable of. I wasn't sensing hostilities because you were too busy drawing energy from the stars in the night sky, while I was gathering the energy around us. Heh! Well, you know what, I can't be too surprised!" She felt herself being consumed by the beam of light. "Lack of information on an opponent can lead to unexpected consequences! I'll just have to make up for that the next time we meet!" The ginger android pointed a finger at the Persuant siblings. "After I'm done killing the otherworlders, I'm gonna request to have you two added to my shit list!"
The attack ended in a bright explosion that surprisingly damaged very little around the city as if Aguil and Lyrial were focusing its effect on one place. When it ended, the siblings were surprised to see that their opponent was still alive. However, S11-413 was in shambles. A large portion of her outer frame was destroyed, and her left arm and left side of her face were missing. Sparks were all over her body as she suddenly went airborne, revealing wires and metallic pieces falling all over the ground. The demonic android laughed as she flew off further east, out of the city.
"Shit!" Lyrial exclaimed. "That bitch is still alive!"
"I don't think she'll be back for a long time though," Aguil replied. "But right now, we need to catch up with Noel."
-X-
With Noel, she, Jin, Crimson, and Yumi were all staring down the two remaining demonic androids, preparing to take them on with everything they've got.
"Noel," Jin said. "If you have anything to tell us about these two, that would be helpful."
"Well… Nothing that can help in a fight…" Noel responded.
"Commencing elimination of otherworlders." The Demonic Androids readied their melee weapons, swinging their multitude of guns and launchers behind them as they rushed the group of four.
