The more powerful any one Monster, the more important speed becomes; pure strength, while it has its merit and importance, is not enough to combat anything stronger than yourself. That is why no one but some CPUs uses heavy armour.

For what good is a shield when a single strike tears it, and the person behind it, apart?

-Maker From

IF strode into the lounge exactly two minutes before her shift began, just as usual. This day however, she immediately noticed the difference.

Not only was Falcom around, currently engaged in a lively chat with RED, they also had another new arrival sitting a bit to the side and listening. Greyish hair framed a soft-looking face, her red eyes quickly finding IF's as all attention went to the youngest Maker.

Maker Tekken, renowned martial artist and allegedly the physically strongest human in the world. She was clad in blue jeans and a white shirt, appearing surprisingly normal between the much more colourful Makers.

After a quiet moment of taking each other in, IF raised a hand in greeting. "Morning, how is everyone? And where is Steamax?" She only just noticed the android's absence.

The others greeted her in turn as she slumped into the chair next to Tekken, who had a soft smile over being acted with casually. She shrugged lightly, but RED volunteered the information: "He was called in to clean up along the eastern border last night. Won't be back for a while, either."

The other three nodded understandingly, then Tekken turned to adress IF benignly: "I'm glad to see that you're such a friendly girl, IF." She held out a hand for the younger woman to shake, who took it without hesitation. Tekken's grip was strong and they smiled at each other as they shook.

This was the first time IF had heard Tekken speak, and it was strangely endearing to listen to her. Much in difference to her obviously muscular frame, her voice was soft and almost weak in its sound. What she said in the end, though... "Good to see you're not hyper like half of everyone I meet these days."

RED pouted, and Tekken chuckled again; IF almost admitted to herself that she was a little smitten with the dichotomy between her obvious strength and her soft behaviour. However, such trains of thought were put aside because she had more important things to think about. Such as, for example, why Falcom was smirking like that.

"Heh, figured you two would get along," the redhead told her in response to her raised eyebrow. "You both have something sweet to yourselves."

Now she blushed, and could see Tekken become a little red as well from the corner of her eye. IF forced the heat from her cheeks and rolled her eyes at Falcom. Before she could deny it however, RED chimed in cheerfully: "Yep, you're both totally cute! But complimenting each other can wait at least until we're in the field and at work. We have a busy day ahead of us, ladies."

IF knew that already. This day, they would be cleaning up the plains around Nicos. Some Dolphins were flying around, several Turtles had been sighted deeper into Virtua Forest, and a few Phoenixes somehow managed to hide around the hills north of the capital. Larger numbers of weak monsters were sighted around the big ones as well, but the latters' presence made it too risky for the Guild to deploy.

Thinking, IF got up and pressed a button on the wall; the lights dimmed immediately and a holographic display appeared atop the table. Its default state was Nicos itself, so she did not have to change anything.

Even though neither Falcom nor Tekken said anything, she could see them follow everything with an almost childlike curiousity. They had similar displays in her school, so this was not particularly new to IF. She once again noticed how out there some planeptunian innovations had to appear to people from other nations.

The keyboard that unfolded itself from the wall was quickly left to RED, who entered the latest positions of the monsters they knew about, and coloured areas where more were suspected to be.

"Okay," IF started with a sigh, "I think we can all see that there are more places to check than we have people today." The others nodded, with IF doing her best to ignore the weird feeling of taking charge while being the youngest in the room.

RED took over from there. "Hm, and we're all melee fighters; putting everyone next to each other would be bad, we'd get in each other's way. Groups of two should work, or having one group that is spaced out."

IF had the faint suspicion that this had to do with her again, but she could not argue the point even if it was true; her magic, though powerful, could not be used with allies even close to the enemy. She sat back down next to Tekken, who was eyeing the different enemies thoughtfully. Falcom's eyes were mostly on IF, who studied the map and tried to find advantageous positions in the three-dimensional layout.

"Hmm." The redhead tapped a finger on the table, casting glances around before pointing at the largest confirmed group, a mixture of Turtles and Dolphins. "How about we go as one team for those, then split up into pairs for the rest?" She looked at everyone again, but found no protest. "Wonderful, then we will do that. What can you do, IF?"

The brunette shrugged in response, knowing that she was supposed to give her allies a proper rundown of her abilities. "I use twin katars. Aside from that, my pistol will do nothing to monsters of that size. My SP is pretty high, but I can't use magic with you nearby without hurting you."

She already considered what to tell them exactly, and found this being the important details. Both Tekken and Falcom nodded understandingly. "Bother," The leanboxian mumbled mostly to herself, "so many flying enemies and we only have whatever guns the army has to support us." She had her eyes on the map. Falcom heaved a sigh at that and IF shared the sentiment. Flying enemies were difficult to fight when one was groundbound themselves.

"Actually, how are we going to go about those? Can we lure them close enough for the city defenses to pick them off?" IF received thoughtful expressions for her proposal, though it was not one she liked herself. Testing Nicos' defenses like this remained a bad idea. "The only other thing I can think of is to throw someone up if the monsters don't come down to us."

Almost immediately, three voices called out "Not it". IF sat there dumbfounded while her colleagues began to consider this idea as well. With her as the one thrown.

She rolled her eyes while RED giggled about the turn of events, wondering why she did not expect that reaction. Her fellow planeptunian got a hold of herself and made some adjustments to add a row of hovertanks to the map. "The first armoured division will also be present and mop up smaller monsters once we take care of the larger ones."

"Oh, I like that. Having tanks is great." Falcom smiled at them after imparting her wisdom, not that IF could argue the point. Then however, the lastationite's face lit up. "Wait, your tanks can fly, right?" She did not even wait for them to respond: "In that case, we can ride those up to the flying monsters!"

A beat.

"I like the idea," Tekken offered benignly. "So we ask the tank crews if they can give us a ride, and if they refuse, we throw IF."

"Hey!" Unfortunately, her call only led to a bout of laughter.

The youngest of the group decided to endure their mirth and waited for everyone to calm down. Once they were done laughing, Tekken took charge: "That part aside, is it alright if you and I work together when we split up?"

IF's first thought to that question was that she would be quite happy to work with the leanboxian. She stopped herself from actually saying that, though. "Sure."

While IF tried to make herself believe she had no preferences either way, which would be even worse to actually say, the other two Makers quickly voiced their agreement. Were IF more versed in human interaction, she would have been able to gather information from the way the redheads were throwing glances at each other.

After that point, the team quickly hammered out how to proceed from their starting point, going over each confirmed group one by one while the Guild's drones kept searching the uncertain areas. A plan was formed, they went over it a second time to make sure everyone memorised it, and they got up to get going.

As they all got to their feet, IF noted by herself that Falcom stood a little taller than she did; Tekken was about the same height as the brunette as well. Neither of them were small women. Also of note, she realised while following the others to the hangar, was that Tekken wore no shoes. Her feet were bare, yet she moved with nary a sound on the plasteel floor.

IF shook her head and turned her attention back to the task at hand; they had work to do and a designated pilot to bring them there. He gave them a crisp salute from the pilot's seat, then turned back around. "Anytime you're ready." They had already forwarded the plan, so no questions needed to be asked.

The four quickly got themselves seated in their designated pairs, with IF opposite to RED. She shied away from Tekken when their legs touched, trying not to be obvious about it. Unfortunately, the curious look Falcom threw her way told the brunette that she failed in that endeavor.

"We're ready," RED chirped at the pilot, who grunted and started the engine. Their flight was rather short, but not all that quiet. Falcom made conversation as they went, though Tekken remained suspiciously quiet.

Looking at her, IF found the martial artist making herself small in her seat; she cast fearful glances toward the pilot once in a while, squirming further onto IF's seat. The space the younger woman had opened between them was slowly closed once more.

IF had not much of an idea what this was about; she did not spend that much time reading up on her colleagues. There were some notes about Tekken being uncomfortable around men, but neither an explanation nor a description of its severity.

And as she found out now, the matter was quite severe.

After a moment of thinking, IF tapped the leanboxian's shoulder and noted how she stiffened before turning her head. "Do you mind if we switch? I'd like to look out the window." Tekken blinked at her, but quickly nodded her agreement.

They were in steady flight at the moment, so unbuckling their seatbelts and switching their places went without much trouble. Falcom gave IF a searching look by the time she sat down again, to which the brunette shrugged in their colleague's direction. A moment passed, then the lastationite smiled and nodded before turning her attention back to RED, who also wore a smile. IF, meanwhile, cast a look out of the window she could see from this place. Whatever this had been, it was taken care of for now.

In the end, she decided to bring up something she forgot earlier to pass the time: "So, I read that you two are using just a sword and martial arts respectively. Anything else I should know?"

Her fellow Makers turned her way again, RED falling silent to accomodate her; this was not a trivial question after all.

Falcom sheepishly scratched her cheek. "Uh, well, not for me. I have no magic and I don't carry a gun. Don't worry about getting in my way or me getting in yours." She did not appear too bothered by the fact she had no ranged measures whatsoever, but IF understood that. She heard that the sword goddess could have the force of her swings carry even through still air without losing much power.

"Nothing ranged from me," Tekken took over thoughtfully. "Kind of." She opened her palm and had a few spark flicker from it. "I have some SP, but not all that much. And, um, I kind of focussed my magic into augmenting my martial arts, so I'm not good at using it separated from my body."

IF nodded slowly, considering the idea. It was an interesting way to go at the matter in her opinion; she lacked the fine control to do it herself, but figured a few interesting ways to make use of it. In fact, she realised, her own healing magic had a quite similar role, keeping her in the fight for longer than she normally could have been. "I see. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

They both nodded and made to go back to what they were doing, but then they could feel a few light tremors going through their ride. Alert, IF immediately looked out the window... to find a Dolphin nearby, having averted its course under machinegun fire. They could not even hear anything through the soundproofed armour, only feel the light rattling from the weaponry being fired.

IF had not even realised there were gunners on this glider.

Before she could actually do anything, the vehicle's plasma cannon came to life, its projectile impacting the Dolphin's face. The monster recoiled and turned to flee. Then, as it brought some distance between itself and the glider, a larger sphere of plasma from Nicos' border defenses engulfed it.

By the time their windows brightened again, there was no Dolphin left.

"Almost there, you should get ready. Do you want me to sweep down or are you jumping?" The pilot did not even turn to look at them, being focussed on his controls.

Falcom noticed IF's puzzled look and snorted quietly, then called out to the man: "We will go in low today." He just grunted in acknowledgement while everyone unbuckled and did some stretches to warm up. The redhead gave their youngest member a smile and pointed downward. "If you use your Awakening and or magic right, you can just jump out and land safely. I can give you some pointers later."

"Oh, thanks." That was quite nice of her; IF wondered why Neptune had not mentioned this before, or why she did not think of it, but gave up on it soon after as they dove for the ground.

All four Makers had handholds to keep themselves steady until they were near the ground; once there, the doors opened. "Here we are," their pilot shouted, "call me when you're done!" And he had to shout; the moment the doors began to open, the hammering of machineguns and sizzling of plasma became prominent. Smaller monsters were trying to run for their glider and had to be cut down, with the larger ones receiving plasma to their faces.

IF slipped in front and swiped her hand around, a wave of wind throwing all of the attackers back. The guns fell silent and her fellow Makers were in the gap almost immediately. Falcom sliced apart the more solid monsters, with Tekken darting around and killing them by applying precise punches and kicks to their vital areas.

The impressive one was RED, though; IF had seen Ryuki take flight before, yet she still could not help but pause when the snake-like dragon unfolded his thin, long wings. There were four of them, golden like the dragon himself; they produced a loud buzz with the speed of their beats, the tamed monster shooting through the sky. His owner, smiling, immediately darted into the fray as well to dance with both her dragon and the other Makers. With the grace she displayed while her daggers sliced throats and bisected limbs, it really could be called a dance.

IF joined them a moment later and focussed on the Dogoos, the small horde of monsters quickly wiped out against all four of them. They exchanged nods.

Tekken then pointed at where their next opponents were, a group of three Turtles in their colourful shells and plant overgrowth. Something within IF lurched at their sight, almost forgotten memories reminding her of a day long past. She took a deep breath and ignored the feeling, distracting herself by eyeing the half dozen Dolphins circling the Turtles.

"So... how about we use the Turtles as stepping stones to get the Dolphins?" They were close enough to make this possible, and the others quickly agreed. IF sighed and got into position. "Then don't mind if I do."

And she charged, adding a boost from her Awakening to her legs and her mind. The world slowed down as she practically flew over the uneven ground, never once losing her footing. The Turtles, slow even to a normal human, appeared like statues. Dolphins flew in slow motion, barely even having turned their heads to follow her.

Right behind her was the stamping of feet, but she could not afford to look back. IF simply assumed that the other women were right behind her, propelled by their Awakening just like she was.

They reached the first Turtle and jumped, making the six metres up onto its shell easily. From there, IF picked one Dolphin at random and turned to the side; in the instant before she leaped, she could see Tekken prepare to do the same from the corner of her eye.

Then she was off the monster's back and in the air, boosting her Awakening again to turn and align herself; IF's strong muscles allowed her to pull herself around even without a surface to brace herself against.

The airborne monster, unable to turn her way in time, involuntarily presented its neck to her assault. An invitation that IF took, landing blade-first against her enemy's side; it cut into the strong flesh to the hilt, almost breaking her hand had she not pulled it down. IF quickly extended her Awakening through the weapon, cutting right through the Dolphin's head and severing it.

The monster died with a low wail, the moment between its end and the body's dispersing into particles enough for IF to push off of it and return to the Turtle's back.

In the split-second before her landing, she noted that her fellow Makers were going about as fast. Falcom had one Dolphin bisected much like herself, RED just managed to dig her daggers into hers, Tekken's opponent no longer possessed a head... and Ryuki had begun tearing into the fifth Dolphin's head with his maw.

Stepping back onto the Turtle's shell, she immediately reoriented herself and rushed for her next target. This one had oriented itself and was facing her, so IF grabbed for its snout to pull herself up.

She failed to see the icicles Ryuki's Dolphin shot out on time, and was thrown aside by the force of them. Her skin tore, but the shroud's quick activation prevented further damage. IF flew a few metres and quickly flicked backward to bleed off momentum.

A few specks of her own blood dropped to the ground before her healing magic took care of the wound.

The Turtles turned her way while more Dolphins died, the one she had chosen being the last; Falcom moved too fast for IF to make it there in time though, so she turned her attention to the groundbound monsters.

She charged again, but the creature's head quickly retreated into its shell at her approach. IF's eyes narrowed and she made to turn, but then Tekken motioned for her to stay on-course.

There was no time to wonder, no time to hesitate; IF kept going while her fellow Maker landed on the Turtle's shell. Tekken's Awakening pulsed and the leanboxian smashed her fist into its back; the shell cracked and broke, a shockwave of the impact uprooting plants and sending dry earth flying.

The monster's head reemerged, propelled outward by the shock and unexpected pain. A moment later, IF's katar pierced it right in the center, easily sliding through the weaker armour.

She made sure to make it sink in, then pulled it out with the same motion that she swung her other blade into the monster's neck; the Turtle began to groan as it died, but she paid little attention to it.

Turning, IF found the second one being bisected by Falcom, whose Awakening was focussed on her sword to make it reach so much further.

Tekken was already on the third one, making for its back, but IF held back this time so RED could repeat the trick used on the first in her stead. Ryuki just managed to finish tearing his Dolphin's face off and roared as it died; he did sound like a proper Ancient Dragon, despite his small frame suggesting otherwise.

This fight had lasted a handful of seconds; the four women were sweating by the time it was over, though neither of them appeared winded yet. They exchanged high fives and then continued to exterminate the smaller monsters around them. It did not take long and they soon came to stand together, catching their breath.

With the focus of combat fading, IF found herself wondering how this would have gone with just herself; Falcom's control over her Awakening was much better, which allowed to translate a sharp enough blade. The younger Maker could not hope to pierce a Turtle's shell as she was, and neither could she break it like Tekken did. RED excelled in her swiftness and dexterity, too.

"You alright, IF? I saw you got hit by something." Falcom's concerned look almost made her feel bad for worrying the older woman. She shook her head and pointed at the few traces of blood on her belly, the skin in-between whole. "I got my Awakening up before it did much, and I've got healing magic for the rest."

"Ah, that's good to hear." Falcom chuckled and pointed her thumb toward their next target. "We should get going, there is still a lot to do."

RED quickly twirled next to her, ready to go while Tekken bobbed her head benignly. "Sure, take care of yourself." She then motioned for IF to lead the way; even though she was younger, the brunette knew this area quite a bit better after all.

The remainder of the day continued in this vein, though it was just the two of them; IF found Tekken to be someone easy to work with. They complemented each other quite well, too: where IF had an edge in speed and the higher cutting power, her colleague brought pure physical strength to the table. Any armour that IF would have faltered against, Tekken cracked with apparent ease.

There were enough monsters and ground to cover that night had fallen by the time their sweep around Nicos was done.

As the four sat in their glider however, Falcom and RED were distracted from their own thoughts by a soft giggle. Turning their attention to Tekken, they found IF asleep and leaning on the leanboxian's shoulder.

Falcom smiled as well, realising that there was a limit to this young woman as well. The redhead wiped her forehead with a handkerchief and leaned forward to take a closer look. "She really only looks her age when asleep. Never thought I would see someone like her."

"Same," Tekken gave back quietly as she shifted around to make her colleague more comfortable. "She is definitely a cut above the rest." IF did not wake, breathing softly.

The sight prompted a fond smile from Falcom as well, though it quickly turned into a mischievous smirk. The redhead fished her phone out of a pocket and held it up; Tekken, picking up on her intentions, offered a tired smile and leaned her head closer to IF. Once she made a V-sign, the device produced a snapping sound and Falcom nodded. "Great, thanks."

Only for RED to take the phone out of her hand and study it. Her eyes were on the other women as well, stern this time. "She will not be happy with you if this spreads."

"I know, I know. Just keeping this for ourselves. You want it, too?"

In response, the dancer merely pulled out her own phone while handing Falcom's back, who snorted at the sight and quickly sent it. "Either way," RED said while studying the picture with a smile, "I think my Lady has chosen well."

The other two readily agreed with that. IF was still a little slow and not as experienced with her Awakening, but that would follow in time.

"She is cute like that," Tekken mused with another glance at the sleeping woman; she could read the question out of RED's smirk before it was even asked. "Yes, I might be a little interested. I think."

The leanboxian did not sound secure about the matter. Sighing inwardly, Falcom simply leaned over and squeezed her shoulder. "I know you're not good with relationships and stuff, but a casual date might be good for you both. Just go and ask her tomorrow, we have a weekend coming up after all."

"She is eighteen."

"And you're twenty-two, what does it matter? The gap is not that big." Falcom stopped when RED put a hand on her shoulder; the redhead sighed. "Sorry, I'm getting carried away. Just... at least think about it."

That, Tekken would do.