Remember, humans are squishy and vulnerable. That doesn't mean they can't do anything alone like Noire and Blanc like to pretend, but it means there are things they just can't do period. Just keep it in mind, kay? They are humans because they have limit and we are gods because we don't, at least not in any comparable way.

-Neptune

A few days passed uneventfully, though Tekken soon joined IF's workouts in the morning. It was merely a slight shift to accomodate them having company while they exercised; IF did not even mind it.

What she noticed, however, was the incredible regimen her fellow Maker loaded onto herself. IF's own regimen was brutal to an outside observer, but Tekken did easily twice as much of every single segment. She did not complain about it in the slightest, but rather appeared to be more content when they moved toward noon; they would then do some exercises separately, shower, and grab lunch together before getting to work.

At the end of the first week, IF could not help but ask as they left the gym: "Are you really okay doing that many reps? I'd be an aching mess."

Much to her surprise, Tekken actually giggled about it. The sound lasted a long moment and made IF wonder; she did not have to guess for long, seeing that the older woman's expression changed to a mixture of content and sheepishness. "Well, it is. But I actually feel good like this."

"Okay, uh..." Unfortunately, she could not really put the statement. It made Tekken's good mood flake off a little, replaced by a slightly pink tinge of her cheeks.

"Let me clarify: I feel really good." With the emphasis she put on the word, as well as her slowly darkening blush, IF put two and two together.

"Oh." She did not blame herself for having failed to understand at first, but the subject matter had spread a decidedly uncomfortable silence over them. Moments passed where neither spoke, the two women quietly walking.

Then Tekken sighed and spoke up again: "I still hurt like normal when I started working out, but... at some point, it started feeling good instead. Maybe I've always been a masochist, I don't know. But it's really nice to work my body until I'm aching all over. I don't really mind talking about it, but I guess you'd rather not." IF nodded quietly, thankful for Tekken's attentiveness; her fellow Maker made a drawn-out 'hmm' as she thought, then poked her shoulder for attention. "Actually, when did you start working out? I've been at it since I was fourteen, well, like this at least. I did sports before that point."

IF eyed the Leanboxian in surprise, wondering what might have happened at fourteen for her to decide she wanted to break her own body. Maybe she would ask about that later.

First of all, she thought back and answered the question: "I have been working out since about as long as I can remember. I started a few months before I turned six." IF raised an eyebrow when she saw Tekken gawk. "What? Little me decided that I would be a Maker, so I worked as hard as I could to make it happen."

"Aww, that's so cute to imagine!" This made IF swat her friend's shoulder, who laughed it off. "I mean it, and it's impressive too! You always wanted this very thing, and you made it come true. I don't think I ever even considered where I would be before Lady Vert approached me." Tekken's soft voice had gained a thoughtful note as she mused. "I, well, I was under Bungie's wing for a little while after joining the Guild, but I mostly did the exercises for myself."

That was news to her; she heard that Bungie and Tekken got along well, but not that they had a teacher-student relationship. Especially considering the student's affliction. "What about your phobia?"

IF's question made Tekken stop and fidget; she looked around to make sure no one was around before sighing. "That's how he noticed me, really. Uh... I kind of decked him back then."

A beat.

IF remained quiet, waiting for Tekken to break her sheepish silence, which she did a moment later: "It was an accident, more or less. He didn't know and scared me and I just, just punched him with all I had. He actually engaged his Awakening on reflex and only got a nasty bruise, but I broke my hand. After that, he told me there was a lot of potential in someone who can hit as hard as I did, and started coaching me from afar after I made my A-rank. Then I got my own Awakening and, well, here I am."

A slightly awkward silence spread between them when Tekken finished, IF being unsure how to respond and her colleague sheepish as she recalled the events.

Seconds passed before the brunette simply decided to get moving again. "Why did you punch so hard you broke your hand?" It felt innocious enough to ask about that instead of anything else in the recounting; Tekken quickly fell into step by her side, answering without much hesitation.

"It is, um, not really something I control, you know? I just get so scared that my fight reflex kicks in; I lost the flight part, or never had it, no idea. Either way, uh, I just end up punching with all I have." As if on cue, the male attendant walking their way quickly stepped over to the wall on their left while Tekken switched positions with IF to be on the right-side wall. She still offered him a small nod and received a quick bow in turn, then he was past them. "But I got at least better at holding it back. At this point, it only happens if a man touches me, and I can even shake hands with someone I know well."

The older Maker appeared genuinely happy as she told IF about it, who could not even imagine what it would be like. Then again, she rarely did more than shake hands with men she met; Leanbox had a somewhat huggy culture though, an embrace being a usually well-received greeting. "What about children?"

Tekken quickly shook her head, expression visibly distressed. "I am not going to risk that in the first place; I'm not going near any child on principle unless I have to."

"Makes sense."

IF left it at that and decided that she dug enough in Tekken's past. They had work to do.

. .

. .

An hour later, four Makers stood in the vast grassland that was Leanbox. The pasture went far toward the horizon, sometimes interrupted by a handful of trees. Revay sat behind them, covering the entirety of their field of view in its direction. Like any gamindustrian city, it was vast; vaster still than most, seeing that the Leanboxians tended to large herds of livestock and needed the space so those critters could walk and graze.

IF checked her phone to find a message from Neptune, the purplette teasing her about being in town but not telling her where. She just rolled her eyes and texted back to greet Noire and Blanc, to which she received shocked emojis.

She could almost imagine the pouty face her friend would likely make in these moments, but focussed on what was ahead.

"Five Dolphins and a Whale in the sky," Cave noted impassively as her binoculars slowly wandered over the area. "Three King Crabs, another Dolphin on the ground. Spread out. Main body is mostly Dogoos; confirmed colours: blue, red, yellow. Boxbirds, Wolves, Pixelvaders, all in small quantities; perhaps a few dozen in total, spread into smaller groups. No Bits."

While the redhead gave them an overview, the other Makers were keeping an eye on their position so a sneaking monster could not catch her unaware; the four of them were situated on the cliffside connected to Revay. It granted them the high ground and a good view onto the work cut out for them.

All these monsters had wandered in to fill the gaps left by the previous week's work; be it the sounds of battle or the free space, or something else which drew them near, it made their task appear unending. Yet IF knew that this meant cities further inland were no longer in danger of being attacked.

The horde did not move as one yet, though they knew it was just a matter of time. Cave fell quiet once she had nothing more to report, leaving an eery silence hanging above them for a moment. IF broke it with a sigh as she beheld the mass of Dogoos. "At least they don't randomly eat whatever ground they are on, or Lady Vert would have to do overtime."

No one laughed, not even IF. The brunette sighed again and formed a roof over her eyes with one hand so she could focus without direct sunlight shining into them. "The air force is ready, right?"

"Yup." Tekken answered without hesitation, being the one they dedicated to staying in contact with their allies for the day. "All ready. Do you want to get the airborne monsters first?"

IF made a vague noise as she thought. "It sounds like a good idea on paper, you know? There are only a handful, even if they are Dolphins."

"I agree," Cave supplied without so much as looking at them, her binoculars still directed at the monsters, "attempting to attack the King Crabs or small monsters first would only lead to Giant Dogoos. Only 5pb. has the fine control and efficiency to make a difference there, and we need her for ranged combat already."

The idol nodded, hands folded behind her back as she walked up next to IF. "It's probably the best we can do right now. I don't want to fight that many while there are Dolphins above us."

"Think you can get them from here?"

5pb. squinted upward at the distant specks in the sky, which were five kilometres away; Cave supplied the numbers a moment later. The blunette mulled it over for a moment, then nodded to IF. "I will need a little more juice, but I think I can get them. Tek, tell our birdies to get ready for launch; their signal is the Dolphins up high exploding."

"Kay."

Tekken immediately began to relay 5pb.'s words while IF stepped back and softly tapped Cave's shoulder with her boot. "Anything else you found?"

"One pretty dense cluster of Dogoos toward the center; those might form into a bigger one. Otherwise, another King Crab hidden below a hundred or so Dogoos. I missed it on my first pass."

IF gave a slow nod, though Cave did not see it; the numbers were ridiculous, as was befitting of a situation that required the Makers, but they had the advantage and the initiative. Both would be gone if those creatures decided to charge Revay, the city lying merely a few dozen kilometres away.

"No Ancient Dragons, no Turtles. That's surprisingly tame," she mused quietly, then bowed her head toward Tekken and 5pb. as they stared at her. "Yeah, I'll buy you a drink if I just jinxed it."

"The first time I'd be happy not to have a drink on someone else's tab," the idol quipped before taking Cave's binoculars. "I'll take that and get a better read on the airborne monsters." She sat down while the redhead stood and brushed herself off, though being covered in dust and a little dirt did not seem to bother her too much.

While their mage began to prepare for her assault, the other three quickly figured out who would do what after the bombing run. Tekken would fight the King Crabs they found and make quick work of them while IF exterminated the remaining Dogoos. Cave, in the meantime, would team up with 5pb. and back up the other two in case something unexpected happened. Two in front, two in the back.

The stoic redhead drew steel that appeared curved like a scissor blade and nodded quietly; Tekken threw a few punches in the air while IF made a last check of her equipment. She was basically on pest control duty, but it did not bother her too much.

Then 5pb. began to shimmer; one, two, four, six, seven orbs slowly floated out of her palms, gleaming blue as all raw magic did. Within however, the other three could see lightning bolts going this way and that, searching for a way out. "Ready to launch," the blunette told them calmly; most of her attention was on maintaining seven separate spheres.

"Then go," Tekken told her; she and IF both stepped toward the cliffside and readied themselves to jump down.

5pb. merely nodded in response and put the binoculars back before her eyes; the spheres under her control zipped off; a minute passed, then two. They could not actually see the projectiles anymore, but their colleague remained focussed on the distant monsters.

Then those same monsters vanished in a bright explosion, the crackle of electricity inaudible at the distance. Silvery particles exploded into the sky, alerting the monsters below; 5pb. simply handed the binoculars back to Cave and took a deep breath, wiping a bit of sweat off her face. "Wow. My sister makes this look so easy."

None of them commented and they were not expected to; everyone listened and soon, the air exploded as the air force moved in. Escorts veered away when the sky was confirmed as clear, allowing their bombers a free run on the fields below. No less than five wings dropped their cargo above the alerted but unsuspecting monsters, creating a carpet of flame that engulfed vast areas.

"Did they seriously use napalm?" IF could not help but ask, but the others shrugged at her.

"It's not like the marks stay longer than a day or two," Tekken told her before pointing at the flames filled with silver. "There are some stragglers, let's drive them into the fire. Good hunting!" And with that, she jumped.

IF simply muttered while following her friend down the cliffside. Air rushed past her at blinding speed, but she had no fear even as the ground quickly closed in on her.

Moments before impact, she engaged her Awakening; instead of covering herself with the protective shroud however, IF pushed it outward to form a small pillar which absorbed her momentum without much trouble. It pushed a nearly cylindrical hole into the ground though, a metre deep.

Pushing herself upward with the energy, IF cancelled it moments before she landed on the soft earth, feet first and unharmed. Tekken had landed a few metres to her side and just made to dart forward; the inferno appeared a lot more intimidating when seen from the same height, but she dashed toward the flames anyway.

Her target was a Giant Dogoo that hopped away from the spreading flames. It did not live for long, seeing that IF's own fire quickly took care of it.

Tekken, meanwhile, picked up a King Crab's partly molten form that made its way out of the firestorm before throwing it back inside. The monster screeched all the way, its impact inaudible over the crackling and roaring of the flames.

Macabre light played over the Makers as they worked, more or less methodically erasing any monster not yet caught within the inferno. The few that made it out of there were quickly disposed of or thrown back in, depending on their kind and who came upon them first. Bolts of lightning curved around the two, adding the scent of ozone to the smoke that never touched them; 5pb. kept a solid grasp on the air currents to ensure none of them would end up poisoned.

IF knew that this would not be enough to kill all the monsters, seeing that they could only cover a small part of the blaze; survivors in other areas were likely to escape. Yet this was better than having to fight them all, greatly easing the burden on them. Some agents from the Guild would track any large monsters for them to hunt down later, the small fry could be cleaned out some other time.

It was the first time IF had ever seen napalm in use; she called in bombing runs or armoured vehicles a fair number of times since becoming a Maker, but this had an entirely different feeling to it. She needed to stay aware of her surroundings lest the flames encircle her.

Yet the young Maker's blood boiled and her body moved with the same speed and skill she always held. She was not afraid. Had she seen the small shape waddling out of the flames however, her feelings may have been different.

A pair of Giant Dogoos chased Tekken in her direction, the slime monsters deformed by the heat while napalm burned in places on their gelatinous bodies; the Makers passed by each other and IF quickly took care of her friend's pursuers before turning.

Only to see Tekken attempt to grab another small creature, and receive a slap to the arm that sent her flying with an audible crunch.

The other woman screamed in pain and engaged her Awakening, crashing through several trees before her flight was stopped by a large rock. IF's eyes widened, but stayed on the creature she had missed so far. Its features edged themselves into her mind.

Light blue it was, small like a Dogoo, but obviously more solid. It took the shape of a seahorse with two pairs of wings, as well as a gleaming yellow stone on its forehead.

IF grew cold, her body moving on instinct as she burned another Dogoo leaping for her side out of existence.

A Clione.

"What happened?!"

5pb.'s horrified voice broke the momentary trance and IF's thoughts returned; the monster slowly hobbled toward her, more curious than hostile. Behind it roared the flames, though they did not seem to bother it in the slightest. Green glimmers returned a small patch of black skin to its light blue tone.

With no other monsters nearby, IF quickly delivered a response while stepping back from the creature. "Tek is down, go and recover her. I'll manage." She would not. "And don't come closer." Though she wanted to have friends around.

Another step back. IF's heel caught on a stone and she tripped, falling over backward; this time, the young woman did not manage to catch her fall and landed square on her back. A wolf charged in on the prey it assumed immobilised, only to be speared through by a blue spike; the aura quickly retrated back into IF, whose eyes never really strayed from the Clione; it was watching her now, unmoving, while confused questions came in from 5pb. still.

For an insanity-filled moment, she considered playing dead in the hopes of losing its interest. But then it might go after her friends.

So instead, IF felt for her phone while trying not to move too fast; she managed to keep the Clione standing in wonder for another two seconds before it hobbled forward again. IF scrambled to her feet by that point, fingers going for speed-dial three, Neptune. The monster began hopping now, forcing IF to retreat faster; her body was drenched in sweat, both from the flames and the presence of death.

She let the phone ring seven times before ending the call, making a dismissive sound. Figures. Then, almost desperately, IF pressed speed-dial one, Nepgear.

Her call was picked up with a friendly hello immediately, but IF had no time for niceties: "Nepgear," she barked into her phone, "I don't care how, but call Nep. I need her with me in the field and I need her now. There's a Clione just a few metres in front of me."

"What!?" That was 5pb., still listening to her. Nepgear did not even answer, she ended the call immediately to contact Neptune, who had her regular phone turned off while being with her fellow CPUs.

"Just like I said, so stay away. How is Tek?" IF had to walk faster now, yet did not dare turn around to run. Cliones were not lumbering behemoths, but fast.

"Bad," Cave told her curtly. "Her left arm is shattered and will require surgery at least. Maybe she will lose it entirely. She passed out from the pain. I can not tell if she has any internal injuries."

"Still better than being dead," IF countered. "If that thing hit her in the face..." she did not finish the sentence; she did not need to, they all knew.

Silence descended, underlined by the steadily crackling flames spreading around.

IF knew that she was not up to facing this creature; Cliones were small like Dogoos but sturdy enough to weaken even Awakening-boosted blows. While it was possible to kill them, they also possessed powerful healing magic that made anything but a single decisive strike meaningless. In addition, they hit so hard that no human could protect themself from their strength.

In short, these were monsters men was not meant to fight. They were in the realm of the gods.

And she had to face one on her own. Her time was up; the creature made faster leaps to reach her, stubby arms spread out as if to hug IF. Instincts screamed and she ducked below its leap, quickly punching the monster upward with a literal spike of her Awakening.

The Clione went flying and a lightning bold sizzled past IF, shocking a Wolf mid-jump. It sailed right past her but did not disperse.

IF cast a single glance back to find 5pb. standing in the distance, her blue hair and dark garb setting her apart from the green of the grass and the red of the encroaching flames.

Then she turned her attention back to the Clione, which only now reached the apex of its ascent. The creature's arms were spread as if in joy, eyes lying on IF with clear intent to reach her. IF moved as it fell, ignoring the wet slap of its impact.

She tried to think, but no thoughts came. Nepgear would do something, she only had to hold out. Running was no option, she could not let this thing drop off the radar. She could only stall for time.

So stalling she did as best as she could, constantly retreating from the inferno; the Clione continued to leap her way in a manner almost playful, wanting merely to embrace the new person without realising that doing so would kill her.

Various magical projectiles impacted around them, picking off stragglers that attempted to jump at the focussed Maker. 5pb. told her that Cave fell back with Tekken in a short lull, but kept quiet otherwise.

IF could not tell how much time passed; she weaved around the clumsy attempts to reach her, staying far enough away not to receive a sudden slap. Yet she knew she could not keep this up forever, her Awakening being used only sparingly and where absolutely necessary. She would tire eventually. Monsters did not tire.

She rolled and leaped, leaned back and sidestepped, did everything she could think of. Her muscles did not falter under the strain as the fire slowly spread, second by second passing. It felt like hours to her.

Yet somehow, she managed. Her whole body ached from the fast exertions, but it had not faltered or even taken harm under the strain. When the land began to glow and the flames faded in an instant, IF knew she made it.

That one moment cost her dearly; a single moment in which her focus wavered, her muscles relaxed, and she noticed the Clione too late. It once again flew right at her.

IF made to dodge, to sidestep the creature as she had done so often. She pulsed her Awakening and managed to move almost fast enough. The Clione was about to sail past, almost appearing confused as it had so many times before.

Then its stubby arm lashed out so fast she hardly saw it, effortlessly breaking through the aura and slamming against her retreating arm. IF felt the force almost tear it off, only the ingrained strength of her Awakening keeping it there. Her enhanced mind went through the cracks one by one, until her bone finally broke in three, the middle part almost ground to dust.

IF was not sent flying; she tumbled through the air instead, landing two metres from where she stood before. The impact drove the air out of her lungs while the soft earth beneath her was torn apart.

Pins and needles surged through her left arm, accompanied by a burning pain that kept surging back and forth. She could not even scream, merely groan as even so much as twitching that arm sent another red-hot spike through it.

Even with all the adrenaline coursing through her, the pain almost overwhelmed IF. But her mind held, forced the pain away so she could focus.

Pushing her right hand off the ground, she quickly got back to her feet. Then a streak of light sailed past her and impacted the turning Clione, revealing itself to have been a blade as long as IF was tall. The black and purple weapon pierced through her adversary while she felt the presence of four CPUs numb her pain a little further. They were up above, then right next to her. IF blinked.

All four. Much the same as in their civilian forms except for Neptune, the Planeptunian and Lastationite armed with two blades, Green Heart with a spear that matched her battle dress in colour, and White Heart with a vicious axe that matched her own bodysuit.

Black and white particles filled the air, fused with it, as Blanc and Noire put out the flames. Neptune and Vert made to fight, no, end the Clione in a flurry of stabs and slashes that it could not heal against.

IF numbly examined her own arm, then looked away when she saw the bone sticking out halfway. It did not even look like an arm anymore. She shuddered and slowly walked away, keeping herself steady. She needed to sit down.

Then a pair of arms pulled her into a desperate embrace. "You're okay!" 5pb. appeared more happy than IF had ever seen her, holding her tightly for a few long moments until IF took a sharp breath. The blunette got her first good look at her friend's injury when she let go, having approached her from the unseen side. Her eyes widened while IF shrugged weakly.

"Not as good as I'd like, but yeah." She felt woozy, but shook it off.

Meanwhile, 5pb. was staring at IF's horrible wound, unable to look away. At least until Purple Heart and Green Heart approached them; each CPU took her respective Maker's hand and pulled them aside. "Tell me what happened," Vert instructed.

Meanwhile, Neptune eyed IF's arm with a critical eye and pained expression. "Too late again," she muttered to herself, though IF might as well have imagined it with how secure the next words were: "I need to right your bone before I can heal it. You will need to see a doctor either way. We have this in hand, Isa. It's okay to sleep for now."

IF blink at her owlishly, needing a moment to understand. Then she sighed and leaned forward, against her warm and safe friend. "Alright. Sorry for ruining your day off."

And with that, she let go; with her will no longer focussed on keeping her awake, the young woman was out like a light. She sagged against Neptune, who caught her as gently as she could.

The goddess herself sighed as well, though not out of exhaustion. Green Heart and 5pb. were still busy, as were the two currently mopping up the remaining monsters nearby. With no one watching, she allowed herself to stroke Isabelle's head lovingly.

The Makers had more lost than won today, but they fared better than most others even of their own exclusive group would have.