Opening song: "Almost Easy" by: Avenged Sevenfold
The entire city is on full alert. Especially where Asuka and I just came from. Firetrucks and police cars are out in force. I keep us out of the layer of light that separates the city, and the darkness. As long as we are above that, no one below can see us.
A massive soundwave from my left rips through the atmosphere. Asuka and I jerk our heads in the direction the noise came from. The skyscraper in the middle of the city rattles as a massive fireball bursts through the top floor. All the window panes five stories below shatter, and the concrete foundation splits in two as the building titters back and forth.
"Oh no…This is bad…" I say as I try to push the worst thoughts to the back of my mind.
"What's happening over there!?" Asuka asks.
"I don't know, but we got to find the others and get out now!"
That right there was the North's main headquarters and bank. A huge portion of every council member's life's savings was in that building. There is absolutely no way something like this is going to get brushed off or swept under the rug. If we don't hurry, we'll be the ones that receive the blame, and everyone that was on the council's payroll will be after us.
Asuka points below us, "Hikage and Homura are in trouble!" I look down and see Homura and Hikage being chased by some shinobi as well as some hunters.
Hikage leaps across a huge gap between the sky scrapers and continues onward. Homura makes her jump. The moment her feet hit the rooftop, her weight shifts forward and breaks her stride. She staggers around and attempts to regain her speed, but a hunter lands on top of her and tackles her down to the ground. Homura tries to throw him off, but he pins her down.
"Homura!" Asuka yells.
Homura desperately tries to fight him off, but she's laying on her stomach and he's got one of her hands pin down. He places a hand on the back of her head and slams it into the roof as he rips Homura's cloth mask off.
"Hey! It's that Homura bitch!"
several crossbow bolts strike the man directly in the side of the head and completely exit the other side of his skull. He falls off Homura as Hikage takes up a position behind a heating unit and lays down a blanket of arrows. Homura remains on her belly and crawls underneath the barrage of bolts.
Hikage braces her crossbow up against the side of the heating unit and reaches out while keeping pressure on those trying to close in. Homura grabs Hikage's hand, and she drags her behind the heating unit. The pan of Hikage's crossbow stops rotating, and the arch doesn't reset itself. The both of them take off running again while Hikage removes the pan and loads a new one.
Hikage takes the lead again while Homura follows. As they approach the next jump, someone steps out and swings a wooden board. The piece of wood connects with Hikage's chest and shatters. Her legs are swept out from underneath her, and she hits the ground hard.
"Oh Kansai rattlesnake, the price your head will fetch!" A shinobi states as he throws the block of wood down.
"Get away from her!" Homura yells as she leaps forward and shoulder checks the man.
The shinobi returns to his feet while Homura flips forward, places her feet on the building's ledge and launches herself back. All three blades shred the man's chest open. Red follows Homura's hands as she pulls the weapons out.
Asuka and I land on the roof Homura is on. Between us are several shinobi and hunters. I grab both my revolver and lever action pistol and place my back up against Asuka's.
"Keep us covered." I say.
I kneel down and Asuka rolls over the top of me. She deflects an incoming attack from a hunter while my knee hits the ground. I pull both triggers and blast a hunter and shinobi coming directly at us.
We turn around and press up against each other. Asuka wraps her arms around me and places the spine of her katana across my back. The incoming blow pushes me into her as I rest my arms on her shoulders and shoot two more attackers.
Asuka kicks the shinobi behind me back. I spin my guns around toward me, rest them on my shoulder and fire without looking. The sound of hellshot shredding though armor, flesh and bone rings in my ears.
"It's not a fight without us!" Lawrence yells from above. Massive clouds of green smoke blast out the fronts of his revolvers, and the round projectiles of tempered yoma bone keep our attackers at bay.
I cross my left arm under my right and blindly shoot two hunters trying to ambush me. Yuyaki and Lawrence leap off a nearby sky crane at the same time and shoot two men trying to run away. I observe the roof and check for any more threats. As of now, that's all of them. For now.
"No surprise you didn't listen to me!" Lawrence says as he replaces the cylinders in his revolvers and grabs his shotgun.
"You couldn't find your ass with both hands without me!" Homura snaps back.
As they argue, I top off the ammo in all my revolver and pistol, "So what are we going to do now?"
"What we do best, fight." Hikage replies as she picks up a rolling block pistol, and a bandolier of ammo from a dead hunter.
"We need to get to that nature trail." Yuyaki states.
"I suggest me, Hikage and Alan lead the way since we have the most firepower. Yuyaki can watch over Asuka and Homura while we do most of the fighting." Lawrence says.
"How come I don't get to do any fighting?" Homura snaps.
"Most of the northern shinobi and hunters use modified guns and projectile based arms rather than your traditional means of weaponry. Lawrence, Alan and Hikage have superior firepower, so it would be unwise to engage unless you had something that can outclass what the north is using." Yuyaki replies as she breaks both her double-barreled shotguns open.
"Besides, you couldn't pull the hammer back on a toy pistol." Lawrence snickers.
"Fuck you Lawrence." Homura growls as she punches him in the chest as hard as she can.
"I recommend getting there now though. With what happened at the Council building, it won't be long until the entire city is on lockdown." Yuyaki adds.
"Let's get to it." Hikage says.
Lawrence and I take the lead while Hikage follows closely behind us. Yuyaki brings up the back while Asuka and Homura stick behind Hikage. We hop onto the sky crane and run across to the next building. Lawrence slides down the ladder while I jump off, flap my wings once and land on the roof.
I pull up my rifle and keep the area covered as everyone catches up. "Lawrence, do you know what the hell is going on?"
"Yeah, some asshole blew the Council's chamber up."
"Was it Fubuki?"
"That pale looking bitch? No, but she was there. There was this guy named Shokudo or something. He was the one that masterminded the theft of that stone you've been chasing, and Fubuki was helping him. Something about horsemen and how they can't kill Kagura until they get rid of Morabis."
"What were you doing there?" I ask.
"Yuyaki and I seen something suspicious happening around the building and decided to check it out. Nothing to worry about." Lawrence reacts with a snappy response.
Something about his answer concerns me, but as of now, I'm not going to push it since Homura and them are around. Not saying that Lawrence wouldn't go as far as blowing up a building full of money, but his response seems off. I am positive he is telling the truth about Fubuki being there, but the fact he seems moved is strange.
What exactly happened? Also, what did he mean about Kagura and Morabis? A thought crosses my mind, and I remember what Makaria said before I went to that dungeon, "You carry the mark of Horseman Morabis." Before she could finish, Makaria cut herself off. What is the significance of that, and how is it connected?
Asuka climbs down the ladder and quickly puts something behind her back. Almost like she's trying to hide it from me.
"Asuka?"
"Yes Alan?"
"What's that?" I ask as I point to a wooden stock sticking out from behind her back.
"My sheathe."
I walk over and Asuka constantly tries to face me. I reach around and act like I'm going for the gun. My hand slips underneath her skirt, and I give her butt a firm squeeze. Asuka squeals and tries to pull her skirt back down. A rifle from a hunter I killed earlier drops from behind her back as well as a couple bandoliers of ammo.
"You're not ready."
"Oh come on!"
"If you want to use a gun, here." I say as I try to hand her my revolver.
"Alan, I need to learn how to use something bigger!"
"Asuka, we don't have time! Now if you bring the rifle, and promise to keep it put away, then I'll teach you how to use it!"
"Fair enough." Asuka states as she takes my revolver and picks the rifle back up.
I cover my mouth with an open hand and direct it towards Asuka, "But only if you let me squeeze that ass again."
"Shut up Alan!" Asuka shouts as she punches me in the arm.
Judging by the looks, it's one of those old Spencer Carbines. Well this isn't going to be easy. It's not hard to use one once you figure out the complex nature of the gun, but explaining it to someone who has never shot anything bigger than my big magnum is going to be difficult.
Asuka slings the gun over her shoulder and keeps my revolver at the ready as we progress onward. The docks Yuyaki were talking about are just across the next street. Down below, I can see a sign pointing in the direction of the nature trail, and it looks like it leads into the wasteland if one were to go off course. However, there isn't much activity on this side of the city, and I don't know if that's good or bad.
"Lawrence?"
"What is it Alan?"
"If something happens, we should meet up."
"Our old house?" Lawrence asks.
"What's left of it anyway."
"Good idea."
"Oh Frambosta. It's been so long since I've been there." Hikage states.
I do a quick check and make sure I got Oktitohbi's stone. Hikage hops up on my shoulders as I pick Asuka up in my arms. Lawrence examines the air and looks for the best place to cast his spell since it's going to have to hold three people rather than two.
"Got to find a place that can support Homura's bubble butt." Lawrence says aloud as he acts like he's in deep thought.
"Just cast the spell!" Homura shouts.
"Well would you look at that, I found it the moment you stopped talking!"
Homura sighs as he crosses his arms and jumps over the edge, "Summa nulla (absolute zero)."
An icy fluid blasts out of Lawrence's hand and freezes all the snow in the atmosphere the moment his boots touch the chilly looking catwalk. Yuyaki hops up on the edge of the building and lands right beside Lawrence.
"Need some help jumbo rack?" Lawrence asks as he holds out his hand.
"I swear to God, I'm going to knock your ass out before the night is over." Homura states as she hops up by herself. The moment her feet touches the ice, she nearly slips over the edge. Yuyaki and Lawrence both grab her by the collar of her shirt and stand her up. Homura skids around and tries to regain her balance.
"Am I going to have to carry you?"
"No! I'm fine!" Homura snaps back as she finally levels herself out.
"Good. Oh, and by the way, you're it!"
Lawrence squeezes Homura's left breast and takes off running across the catwalk. Yuyaki leaps over Lawrence and takes the lead. "Lawrence! You son of a bitch!" Homura yells as she skates across the ice and attempts to catch up.
"Do they always fight like this?" I ask as I sprout my wings.
"It's normally worse when they're alone." Hikage replies.
Hikage and Asuka tighten their grip around me as I slowly lean over the edge of the building. Gravity grabs a hold of my body and causes me to fall. I flap my wings and rapidly ascend above the icy catwalk. The collapse is getting dangerously close to them, but they aren't far from reaching the other side.
Yuyaki hops over the wall and lands on top of the abandoned roof of a dock. Lawrence does a cartwheel and a backflip at the edge of the bridge and lands right next to Yuyaki. "Come on slowpoke! We don't have all night!"
Homura gives a faint smile that both radiates anger and happiness at the same time. Although we are in a pretty bad predicament, it's actually kind of funny watching Lawrence aggravate Homura. He's the only person I know that can piss someone off and make them smile at the same time. Homura slides down onto her knees and skids across the ice. I know for a fact she's trying to one up Lawrence.
A shiny glint hits me in the eye, and my attention turns toward the direction of the flash. Down on street level is someone looking up at Homura. The joy I was feeling bleeds away as fear grabs a hold of me. The scope runs along the entire side of the barrel and nearly extends past the end.
"HOMURA!"
She comes to a stop and looks back at me. Fire jets out the end of the rifle's muzzle. A haze of smokeless powder launches the bullet forward and strikes the ice right behind Homura. Chunks of icicle hit her across the face, and she loses her balance. Homura rolls back over the edge of the bridge. Out of reflex, she reaches up and grabs what's left of the ice.
"Big and Tan!" Lawrence yells from the dock rooftop. He tries to hop back across but Yuyaki stops him.
This is a trap. I knew it. I just knew it the moment I seen this part of town. Of course this would be the first place Gallow-glasshole would setup. The breech on Ange's rifle slips up and ejects the spent cartridge. She pulls one out of her belt and loads it into the barrel. Just like I imagined, Ange has someone watching that wall. The moment someone steps over, they're going to get their skull cracked.
Homura desperately tries to climb back up but she can't grip the ice. Ange takes aim again. This time, I know it's aimed at Homura's head. I pull out my rifle as Hikage rests her crossbow on my shoulder.
Hikage pulls the trigger, and the drawstring launches and resets itself. The bolt whizzes through the air and strikes Ange's scope. The sudden shock causes her to flinch and she fires a blind shot up into the air. Homura yelps as the only thing she has to hold onto breaks.
Her body violently twists in the air as she lands on top of a truck roof. The soft metal bends under her weight and snaps as she disappears in what appears to be a truck full of fish. I land directly behind the truck and put Asuka and Hikage down.
Homura is laying on top of a busted crate of ice. Her eyes are closed and blood is softly running out of her mouth. I can see her breathing though because her chest is moving. So she isn't dead.
I hop up into the back of the truck and wade through the broken wood and ice. Even though there are no fish in this thing, it reeks of the ocean. Ange may have destroyed this poor bastard's truck, but at least it wasn't loaded with product.
"Homura!" I yell as I shake her.
She coughs up a small mist of blood and her eyes slowly open. Even though she's alive, she's not going to be any use. She tries to sit up on her own but falls back down on the bed of bloody ice and fish stained wood.
Hikage opens fire from one side of the truck before swapping sides and firing from the other. I scoop Homura up and cradle her close to my body to keep it stabilized. Just in case she's broke something or is suffering from an injury I can't see.
"Is she going to be alright!?" Asuka asks.
"She'll live." I reply as I pull out my rifle.
I don't know where Ange is, but the rest of her squad and several shinobi are all ducking behind the engine block of nearby cars. The only one that I have seen was that Sebastian, but I haven't seen any of the others.
Hikage quickly hops back behind the truck and shifts back behind a nearby car. Asuka escorts me down the street while Hikage keeps us covered. She lets out a sigh of frustration as she pops the pan off her crossbow and seats another one.
Ange's group moves up and lays down some more fire to try and keep us suppressed. I flip the selector switch to Semi Auto and fire back with one arm. The stockless weapon digs into my shoulder and causes my aim to hop all over the place. Lawrence and Yuyaki are hopping rooftops and providing overwatch while we try to find some place to hide.
"What we doing Alan!?" Hikage asks.
"I need time to think!" I reply as the four of us take cover in an alleyway. Hikage runs out of ammo again. I hand her my rifle, and she flips the selector into full auto and fires in bursts to try and conserve ammo.
Lawrence and Yuyaki drop down from the rooftop into the alleyway with us. I brace Homura up against the brick wall and join Hikage. She steps back from the wall and gives me enough space to get between her and the building. I brace my lever action pistol and fire back at our pursuers.
The bolt of my rifle slams back and locks. I hand Hikage a full magazine as she drops the empty one. She loads the new magazine and slaps the side of the rifle. The bolt flies forward, and picks up a new round. Hikage braces back up against the wall and continues firing in small bursts.
"Are you okay!?"
"Of course I'm not dumbass! Do I look like I'm okay!?" Homura groans at Lawrence as he tries to figure out what's wrong with her.
Lawrence throws Homura over his shoulders while Yuyaki keeps watch over the rooftops and back entrance into the alley. With the way things are turning out, it would be best if we split in two. One can draw everyone off while the other uses the nature trail to escape.
"Lawrence, you need to get everyone out of here."
"And what about you?"
I hold up Oktitohbi's stone and give a reassuring face that I can make it out if I am the one that stays behind. In reality, it won't be that hard once I find a good place to summon him. These people we are dealing with aren't necessarily the best. With what I've witnessed from the few short moments of battle, Sebastian is the only one that's pushing up. Everyone else is kind of hanging back.
"You're going to need these. For a diversion." Yuyaki states as she reaches into her side satchel and pulls out a bundle of pipe bombs that have been taped together.
For a brief second, I can see the glimmer of what appears to be a stack of money within her bag. Although I have questions, there is no time to ponder. I grab the bundle of bombs and climb up the side of the building. Asuka follows me up to the top. There's no point in arguing with her because it's just going to be the same outcome. I tell her no and she doesn't listen.
I light the fuse and throw it at Ange's group. The tape comes undone the moment it hits the concrete, and all the bombs scatter over the street.
"BOMB!" Someone yells.
Everyone rushes back and tries to get to a safe distance as one of the pipes explode. A concoction of gas, gunpowder and homemade shrapnel paints the sidewalks and street in a blanket of dirty fire. Vapors emit from the burning plastic and cause thick black smoke to pop up from where the bombs explode. The smoke doesn't cover the entire area, but it does provide enough concealment to safely get across the street.
Yuyaki leads the way while Lawrence carries Homura. Hikage brings up the rear and fires through the black patches to discourage anyone from rushing through. They get across the street and everyone except Hikage takes off into a dead sprint.
She turns around and urges us to come along. I make a gesture that she has to keep moving. Hikage waves us goodbye and quietly says, "See y'all at the house."
She turns her back and catches up with Lawrence. If anything, they are the ones that need to be careful. Asuka and I can get away pretty easy since we have Oktitohbi. Just as long as we get to the edge of the city.
"What do we do now?" Asuka asks as we jump to the next rooftop and drop down into an alleyway.
"Flying and the rooftops are out of the question because that's what they are expecting us to do. Stick to the streets."
Asuka and I use the alleyways and move as carefully as we can. Since she's here with me, I can't get reckless. Asuka isn't a regenerator. Nor can she get shot and shrug it off. She takes a bullet to the head, or a knife to the femoral, then she's done, and that concerns me. I really wish she would have went with Hikage and them because at least they had a better chance of escape then trying to sneak and evade through an already alerted city.
But I have faith in Asuka. She's smart, and she knows what to do if something happens. At least, that's what I keep telling myself to try and qualm the misplaced sense of hope within me. Asuka has no experience with a situation like this, and if she did, it was within a controlled environment where the worst thing that could happen to her was receiving a piece of paper with a failing grade.
And as for Asuka's thoughts? She's probably thinking the same exact thing. Things could go from fine to fucked up the next corner we come around, and the only thing she has to put her faith in is this idiot right here.
"Hey Alan?"
"Yes?"
"You seem to be stressing out, but I want you to know that I believe in you." Asuka states as she reaches out and grabs a hold of my gauntlet.
"Thank you."
Even though Asuka's comment gives me some reassurance, it isn't enough. Then when I dwell on it, it only stresses me out more because now I know she has faith in me. That day Gekko and Senko savagely beat her comes back to my mind. Asuka had faith I would save her. Immense guilt fills my heart because instead of being a man about it, I arrogantly fucked around when she needed me the most.
The street is clear. I take a deep breath, grab Asuka's hand and charge behind a nearby vehicle. So far, so good. Asuka watches the back as we slide alongside of the overcast shadow of the truck. The sound of a charging handle chambering a round erupts ahead. My mind skips as I shove Asuka down behind me. Glimmering red strands wave in the wind, and Ange steps out from a behind the car parked up ahead.
I grab ahold of the truck's driver side door and pull. Metal hinges and sears break off as the aluminum frame bends at a critical angle. With a swift yank, the door comes off. I spin it around and ram it into the ground where the window is off to my left side.
Ange holds up a sub machine gun and opens fire with one hand. The rounds completely punch though the door and strike me all over the body. A couple manage to punch my armor and get stuck in my chest, but most of them feel like they have lost most of their velocity as they puncture the door. Asuka tries to crawl right behind me.
"Take the horse and get out of here!" I yell as Ange finally runs out of ammo.
She drops the sub machine gun, spins around and pulls out the rifle she had earlier. Ange crouches to one knee and pulls the trigger. A massive round hits the car door right in the middle. The force cracks the entire frame in half, and my back hits the ground. This throbbing, nonstop pain ripples through my entire chest, and my lungs feel like they are being crushed. That was a divine bullet.
I know it because I can feel my blood conglomerating around it as it cauterizing my insides. Adrenaline and my blood fuels my desire to hit back. I use the momentum of the round to roll myself back up to my feet. As Ange reloads another round, I tear the door in half and jump towards her.
The truck doors rattle my arms as Ange spins violently through the air. Bullets from her bandolier scatter all over the street as her rifle slides up under a nearby car. I bring the door around and attempt to smash her with it. She lifts her legs and catches it with her boots. Ange bends her knees and flexes. The shift in direction causes me to stagger as she grabs a shard of glass and rams it into my calf muscle. I spin around and round house kick her in the face.
Ange falls back down, but she retreats and grabs a nearby parking meter. I'm not going to give her any chance of drawing that sword of hers. If she's going to fight, she's going to fight on equal terms. The sidewalk crumbles as the meter pulls up a wad of concrete. Ange deflects an incoming jab and swings the meter overhead. I hold up my other arm and block the attack.
The both of us sidestep and swing at one another whenever we find the opportunity. Ange swings low and connects with my leg. The piece of glass in my calf breaks and my whole body shuts off temporarily. I collapse to the ground and cover my body with the car doors.
The weight of the incoming blow breaks the rest of the window out as Ange repeatedly strikes the door. Each hit causes my arms to bounce back less and less. That divine bullet is preventing me from regenerating, and I'm really starting to feel the fatigue as a result.
The concrete encasing the meter busts and chunks of rock splatter us both in the face. Ange grabs her face the same time I do. She's off balance, but I can't trip her up because my dominant leg has been disabled. The small amount of sight that does return to my blurry eyes is someone standing behind Ange.
PAC!
Blood spatters out of Ange's stomach and she completely loses balance. I swing my right arm up, and smack Ange off. Asuka grabs Ange by her red hair and shoves her towards a nearby building. Asuka folds her arms in and pushes Ange through the giant glass window pane. Her body skids across the polished floor, and comes to a stop at the register.
"Come on Alan! Let's go!" Asuka states.
I try to work my good leg under me, but my body prevents me from standing all the way up. Asuka throws Oktitohbi's stone down and wraps one of my arms around her neck. Crippling pain saps the last of my energy as she helps me sit up on the horse. Asuka climbs up and grabs a hold of the reins.
"Where is your mask!?"
"What?" Asuka asks as she pats her face. She desperately looks around and tries to find it.
"Looking for this?" Ange giggles as she twirls the red bandana around her finger.
Asuka gasps and sits there shocked. I spur Oktitohbi's three times with my good leg, and he breaks into a full gallop.
"Neither of you can hide! No matter where you run!" Ange's fading voice yells at us.
"Don't listen to her. Just get us to that tree line!" I say.
Asuka nods her head and leads us through a back exit of the city. Oktitohbi weaves back and forth and hops over a fallen log as we finally reach the wasteland.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I'm fine." I grunt as I push my finger into the wound where the divine bullet hit me. The other bullets, and the glass can wait until we find a safe place for the night.
I let out a firm groan as the jacket comes out of my intestine. Blood, acid, and flesh that is suffering from necrosis have formed completely around the bullet head.
I drop the bullet whole into one of Oktitohbi's side satchels and try to relax. Even though there is no thought that can bring me peace. Ange knows, and soon, everyone in the north is going to know. Asuka and I are going to receive the blame for blowing up that building.
"There's a place we can stay for the night. It's about two hours away." I state.
"How are you holding up?" Asuka asks.
"I've survived worse shit than this." I reply.
I can't form anymore words in my mouth right now. Sorrow and fear fill my heart and slowly travels up to my mind. The friction and weight of my failure breaks me down, and all I can think of is the inevitable truth that waits for both me and Asuka.
She beat me. Fubuki beat me. It doesn't matter how many times our fights ended in stalemates. It doesn't matter how many times we trash talked each other and came up with witty comments. At the end of the day, that woman beat me.
She made me forsake the promise I made Yumi. She turned Olvieria and my father against me. Fubuki even drew me up here because she knew Asuka couldn't resist following me here, and now Asuka's going to be just as wanted as me and the others. I wrap my arms around Asuka and press myself up against her as tightly as I can.
"What's wrong Alan?"
"I'm worried about you…"
"There's no need to worry about me. It's me that should be worried about you." She reaches around with one of her hands and pats my face. "Don't worry Alan. Tomorrow, we'll head back to Hanzo Academy and come up with a plan."
"That we will…" I half heartedly state…
Ending Song: "Point of No Return" by: Starset