New cover image, woop-woop! Hehe, this was fun to write. I decided that if we're going to do this, might as well forget about holding myself back until Mor Ardain. There's a certain joy to randomly, yet specifically mashing random buttons in order to make an absolute controlled mess. What does that even mean? Well, you're going to have to read in order to find out. Anyway, let's go!
Super hero time!
Lilith: Travelling through the dimensions and time? That sounds so cool! But, everyone's dead...
Chrom: Wait, it's yo- actually, it seems you don't know about that yet.
Lilith: What!? You can't just start like that and suddenly stop!
Chrom: Kamen rider Zi-O, ready to take on any challenge!
L + C: Don't forget me! Now it's time!
"Well Iona, didn't expect to see ya in a state like this, but all's well that ends well." Vandham remarked, crouching down until he was vaguely around a normal size. It didn't mean he was anywhere close to Iona's size, but it was really the thought that counted. "So then, how's your Grandpa Cole farin' then?"
Iona's crestfallen face was enough to say a thousand words.
"Ah, not too good then. See, Cole is the friend I was talkin' about. Iona here is the one he's been lookin' after." Vandham explained as he rubbed the back of his head with a wince. It was never going to be an easy time hearing that one of your friends were going through a rough period and from what Lilith could tell at least, it wasn't exactly a short term issue. He was probably getting close to… well, no need to dwell on that. "Right then, how about we haul ya loot back to Grandpa Cole and we can escape before that soldier realises what's happened to him. I knew that rumours had been spreadin' around, but for even grunts like him to know about the Aegis…"
The great height of Fonsa Myma meant that there were a fair amount of stairs to scale, but it also meant that it was almost impossible to get pass nearly any area without being faced with some sort of shop or stall set up along the front half of the city. A painter was set up upon a ledge, carefully taking in every detail within his work while a restaurant tried its best to deal with the rowdy mercs that crowded its tables. Their destination however was almost at the top, a large building with open doors waiting for people to flood in.
"Is this… some kind of theatre?" Dromarch questioned, Vandham nodding proudly as the big man lead the way towards the entertainment building. They clearly weren't doing the best at the moment; the painting for the theatre's name was beginning to chip away and there were only two different shows being demonstrated on the aged posters, but there was no doubt love and care being put into its upkeep and from the general buzz around them, the people were happy with what they were getting.
"Yup, right in one. And if what I'm readin's right… they're right in the middle of a show." Vandham remarked as he peered at the poster. "Well? Care to take a peek? The man we're lookin for is the troupe leader, so he ain't goin to perform, but it's still a nice fun thing to watch."
"The Adventures of Addam… seems like an interesting watch." The tiger Blade mused, none present aware of how Pyra paused slightly at the mention of the name, her eyes widening by the smallest of fractions. Xander pushed up upon his glasses with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry about having to do this, but I don't think I'll be joining you. After all, I need to have a conversation with the mercenaries around here and maybe hit up the library; who knows how long that will take?" the brown haired boy explained, Vandham's dismissive wave causing him to break out into a big smile and give the giant of a man a salute before he moved higher up in the city.
"You know, I've never been to the theatre before. Closest I ever got was when the people back home decided to put on a show for the kids. Ended up being the villain though." Rex chuckled as he let his hands fall upon the back of his head with a goofy grin. Nia's only response was to roll her eyes.
"Course you would get excited over a play of all things. Not like I haven't heard the story already." The Gormotti commented as they began to walk in. "It's based on history innit? Kind of spoils the ending if you ask me."
"Let's be nice and quiet now. Looks like a packed hall to me." Vandham shushed as they got closer and closer to the darkened stage, slipping in through the doors with as little noise as one could possibly generate with a group of their size.
"And I saw at that time, that the powers of darkness had almost engulfed everything!" the stage was wonderfully constructed, detailed props and waving cloths forming the waves of the Sea as the masked actor went about his monologue. "People and Titans alike were drawn into the abyssal vortex! The apocalypse was upon us, the end was nigh! But then, despite the wounds that covered his body, the great Addam stood up!"
The figure that came out was a regal, golden armour clad man, a red bodysuit beneath with all sorts of jewels and stained plastics to add to its splendour. With a hand held high to the sky, the voice of a new inclusion with less confidence with the script began to call out to the heavens above.
"O Architect! Gant me power!" and an outlandishly designed sword was pulled from behind his back, painted entirely gold with all sorts of star based imagery, Nia letting loose a scoff when she saw the bright purple handle they had used. Neither Lilith nor Kasandra cared though; they were far too immersed in the story. "Power to banish the dark! Power to illuminate the world!"
And thus did the action begin with an actor suspended upon wires like an angel from above, spreading her 'light' upon the world below to burn away the demons that threatened the peace of Alrest.
"But it came at a most terrible price. Three great continents sank beneath the sea of clouds forever." The narrator declared. The Aegis lay flat upon the ground, Addam slowly approaching with a reverent step as he fell to his knees, gently picking up the angelic figure.
"Servant of the Architect, by thy power, the world is saved." Addam intoned, turning to walk into the glowing light. "For the gift you have granted us, I am eternally grateful. I shall spread thy legend far and wide! May your name live on for eternity!"
And so the curtain fell as they walked into the distance, applause filling the theatre from all save Pyra. Rex spared a glance in her direction, eyes glossy as she wandered through her thoughts; it was probably best not to disturb her too greatly.
Fortunately, she came too fairly soon, blinking owlishly before rising from her seat as the others did, gathering out in the main hall. They started to make their way down towards the corridor where Vandham's friend was waiting, only Rex being held back when Nia decided to tug on his arm.
"Hey. Kind of awkward, right?" the cat girl remarked, face palming at the boy's clueless expression. "I mean the play idiot! It was about Pyra. Must've been pretty bizarre for her, eh?"
"I dunno… I guess?" Rex questioned, scratching the back of his head as Nia's eyes narrowed.
"Well maybe you should go and make it right."
"Make it right? How?"
"Figure it out yourself!" And Nia carried on forward, leaving Rex to muse with Gramps upon his back. He was about to question the Gormotti further, only to hear Pyra's steps approaching from behind.
"Er… so, um, the theatre…"
"Wasn't it incredible?" Pyra gushed with a sigh, Rex's response being the particularly articulate noise of 'Huh?' before the fire Blade continued. "Just how did they manage to make the cloth move like the clouds? It looked so cool, it was almost realistic!"
"Huh? Ah, yeah, the clouds were cool. They were so… cloudy!" Rex stumbled, trying his best to ignore the slight snickers that came from behind him. Luckily, a quick swat to the old titan's nose was enough to get him to shut, if just briefly. "Gramps, help me out. I don't know what to say in this sort of situation!"
"Hey old man, comin' in!" it was rather cramped when they all squished into the little office, the man Vandham so familiarly called to raising his head from where he was working upon a latest production. A thick robe covered his entire body, movements slow as he stood up from his chair to face the rest of them. While the majority of his body was covered, the taut face hidden beneath his hood exposed itself slightly, tan with brown hair and a dark scar running down the side of his left eye. "Crikey, still collectin' the junk, are ya?"
"Watch it you bruiser! Don't make fun of a man's hobbies!" the robed man snarked in retaliation, though despite the harsh face, it was clear how close the pair were.
"What? Some greeting for an old comrade!"
"Comrade?" Nia parroted, Vandham giving a proud nod in response.
"Yeah. I was a freelancer once, before I managed to get the firm going." He explained in a wistful tone, his visage full of happy memories. "Believe it or not, me and Cole here tore up a good few battlefields back in the day. Fun times."
"They sure were. 'Cept because of that bleeding heart of yours, we almost never got paid." Added Cole with the smallest of grins. Vandham's response was a massive grin, waving his huge hands around the room.
"Says the guy in a theatre troupe! Ain't exactly the kind of place to be raking in the dough, is it?"
"Hmph. Well, what can I do for you friend?"
"Cole, you're old, aren't ya?" Lilith doubted many people would've been able to get away with such a blunt remark, the tightening of Cole's face in restrained annoyance being a clear tell of that, but a combination of Vandham's personality and being simply lent itself to a lack of flair and excessiveness. "As in, old enough to know how you cross over to the World Tree… get to Elysium I mean."
"Elysium? Why would you want to go there?" the old man questioned, at least until his eyes fell over Pyra. His hands had to grip the table lest he end up falling over in his shock, widened eyes glued to the Core crystal shining upon her chest, even if it was missing a few pieces. "By the gods… So, the Aegis is back among us. Tell me, who is your driver now?"
Pyra only had to look at Rex for the briefest of moments.
"You? But you're so young…" Cole breathed out, the salvager shuffling slightly when the man's gaze fell upon his body. Fortunately for him, Vandham wouldn't let Cole delay his answer for too long.
"Well old man? Do you know the way or not?" the mercenary leader prompted, the robed man folding his arms with a gentle hum.
"I dare say that if you've trekked all the way to see me in a place like this, you've already tried getting there yourselves?" Cole questioned, their faces saying all that needed to be said. "Of course you wouldn't have made it. No one can get to the World tree while there's a thing like that guarding over it. No one's going to get past a monstrosity like that. But, a long time ago, there was a man who went up the tree… and met the Architect up there too. I'd bet anything that he has an idea of how you could get up there again. Try asking him."
"Who was it?" Rex asked, only for the man to briefly clam up, a dark look entering his eyes, even for the briefest of moments. "Please, you have to tell me! We need to get to Elysium at all costs!"
"I suppose I must. But first, I would like a chat with them…" the man gently rose his finger to point at both Pyra and Lilith, Lilith's head tilting in confusion for a brief moment. "Please, come into here for me…"
"First, I must apologise for you having to see that play. I hope it didn't stir up any painful memories…" the man remarked as they entered the smaller office, Pyra quick to shake her head with a reassuring smile.
"No, not at all… In fact, I feel like it's brought back some… good memories." The fire Blade explained, squirming in place. It didn't take genius to see through her lies; trying to do that to someone who pretended on a daily basis and someone who had used all sorts of excuses was simply stupid.
"Heh, I guess you tried your best. You're not very convincing." Cole chuckled, before his face became a little bit more solemn. "I'm sorry. I really am. I just wanted people to know about that time. Show people how we all were back in those days, really get it across to them… Will you be using it again? Those powers? I wonder whether the world could handle it happening one more time…"
"I know that. If there was any way to avoid using them ever again, I would take that chance in a heartbeat." The Blade admitted with hands to her chest in thought. "At least, that's what I want… whether that's going to happen is another thing…"
"Um, should I really be here?" Lilith questioned, Cole's eyebrow rising beneath the shadow of his hood as he turned to the little girl.
"You would ask that Magdalene? I would've thought you of all people would recognise me." The man chuckled, only to pause slightly when he caught the girl's look of confusion. He moved his eyes over to Pyra, a sad smile adorning her own face. "So you really aren't Magdalene? Yet the faces, so similar…"
"I had thought so briefly at first, but then the more I looked at her, the clearer it became that they weren't the same, despite the looks. This is Lilith." The Aegis explained, Lilith simply looking confusedly between the pair as Cole shook his head.
"I see, how foolish of me to think she would be the same after so many years… even I ended up following the natural corridors of time." The robed man stated with a sweet smile directed at the small girl. Stepping forward cautiously towards Lilith, the girl blinked owlishly as the hand rested upon her head, allowing her a good view of the scarred face beneath the cowl. "You simply reminded me of someone else I knew such a long time ago…"
"Minoth…" Why did Pyra use that name? It seemed to be one that Cole was familiar with giving the small smile that appeared on his face, but why? That was when the sudden thought rammed itself into her brain, almost like a foreign presence that held no reason for being there. It wasn't human at all, barely even mechanical; it was almost as if some alien creation had decided to take place within her brain and intrude upon her thoughts.
BL0-if4cnb3-ADE DESIGN-0B"YUBiub7B"UB-0ATION RECOGNISE-28VbvHGCVh-iD. PROCE-fewfnwkf cvwkjc-SSING…
MINOTH RECOG0-wevfBJHGY-NISED. DA-BUB7y8hg7ybYUGV-TALO-UBJUB Y-G DETE-G&*VT&UB^&-CTED. PROCESSIN-4302u309U*(U!*(YH&89ih-G…
E-E-e-r-r-dD-ff-RROR. DA-wfgn-oiw3g-nvek-TA-IUBNYUV-LOG CO-o-o-o-LL-wfg12-ECTION PR-rR-R-R-OC-E12R23RT-ESS INTE-WEIFNWEI234-RRUPT-2351-ED. ACC-53G487URVN-ESS UN-n-n-N-AVAIL-BUBVYUuvy tyvCY gyv-ABLE.
"Are you alright?" Lilith opened her eyes to the concerned look of both Mino-Cole and Pyra, the grey haired girl rubbing her forehead with her hand before a giant smile appeared on her face.
"Don't worry about me, I'm just fine. I'm sorry if I made you think I was someone else. Someone who had…" Gone to the next plain. Passed away. Entered the next life. Any other euphemism that stood for the death of a loved one. There was simply no way of putting that lightly, but at least the thief's words were understood.
"That's not it. Something tells me she lives on. A girl like that doesn't just keel over after all." The man wistfully answered, the wrinkles seemingly disappearing from his face for the briefest of times. "Maybe once you've done with your little mission with the Aegis, You might return here and I'll tell you the full story. Now, you need to find that man, and you'll ne-!"
Cole suddenly broke out into coughs, both girls rushing over to his aid before they were promptly waved off, the man grabbing a hold of the chair before him to stabilise himself.
"Grandpa!" the others burst into the room at the man's coughs, Iona leading the charge as the blue haired child rushed over to her caretaker.
"I'm fine…" Cole dismissed before having to amend his words when a second coughing spree erupted from him. Vandham could only stand back and watch his friend suffer; for all the might and wisdom the burly giant had, it was no use for someone as ill as Cole at the moment. "I'll be fine in a second… Seriously, just wait a moment…"
"Nah, we'd better call it a day here old man. Ya managed to get everything you wanted to say to these two?" Vandham suggested, the coughing man pausing to briefly nod. His bad health wouldn't let him do much otherwise. "We'll get back to ya tomorrow if your body'll let ya."
"You better… there's something I… want to give you…" the man warned, Vandham giving a positive response before he addressed the rest of the group.
"Now come on you lot! I know a good place where we can rest up. Leave these two to help Cole get a bit more comfortable." The mercenary leader declared, marching out of the doorway first, followed by the rest of them. Lilith gave a small sad wave to Iona as she went through the door, the blue haired girl returning it weakly as she ran over the cupboard, the last thing Lilith noting before she was too far being the numerous medicines that filled the shelves to the brim.
They would only be able to rest for a part of the night however, for a rapid banging at their doors brought them out at the early hours of the morning, a ragged Cole standing in the corridor panting deeply.
"Iona! She's gone… it must've been them!" the old man scowled, a cough forcing the men by his side to grab a hold of his arms lest he end up falling to the ground. "After you went… Malos and another came to visit. Didn't catch his name, but blue armour and red glasses. Ain't the kind of man… you could easily mistake."
"Akhos… but what could he want with a child like Iona?" Nia questioned, her fist subconsciously tightening. "Wait, Pyra… she's been missing since this morning. You don't think…?"
"She might've possibly known about Iona's disappearance?" Dromarch finished in her steed, a steely expression to the tiger's eyes. "One has to wonder how such a thing is possible unless she managed to awaken earlier than we expect. Needless to say, such an act is incredibly dangerous of her. We must find out where they've gone."
"I know where… it could be the Olethro Ruins." Cole added. "It is where Addam original led his resistance group from, five hundred years ago. It is even the place where the Aegis first woke up. Malos must be trying to lure her back there. I'm sure of it! It's at the top of… the Great Stairway!"
"Hey fella! Take care of the old man for us!" Vandham barked out to the man beside Cole, receiving a rapid nod as he ushered the robed man back towards the direction of the playhouse. "And we're heading for the Olethro Ruins! I know the way!"
The dash was on. No doubt a group of their size was attracting its fair share of attention, considering how early it was added on to their expressions, but there wasn't any time to worry about such trivial things. The Holy Gate of Fontana, a typically imposing and regal gateway towards a historical landmark, now only served as the goal towards Pyra and Iona's position, not a single person complaining about the tremendous amounts of stairs that led up to the position.
"So lame. How long are you planning on staying in that form?" Pyra didn't speak at first as she stared down the armoured figure before her. Save for the black armour protecting his body, the man didn't look to be a threat at all; his tone was teasing, his stance was casual and he had yet to take a hold of his Blade's weapon. Said reptilian monster was eagerly waiting at the side, inhumane hands wrapping around a handle in anticipation.
"That's none of your concern, I am who I am! Where's Iona?" the Aegis spat out in return. Her clear distaste for the man did little to change his attitude towards her, carelessly pointing to the stands behind her.
"Akhos is the meanest son of a bitch I know." Iona was unconscious on the hard rock, Akhso poking at her cheek with his sword just light enough in order to draw blood without too many consequences. After the amount of times he had done so, it was as if someone had splattered red paint across the left hand side of her face.
"I still think we should've sent them a finger or something." The blue clad driver lamented, standing from his position. "But I suppose you know best."
"You know what we're after, don't you?" the black haired man asked, Pyra losing the previous fire she had to her.
"Jin… is he on your side too?" came her simple answer.
"I exist for his benefit. That's all I'm going to say." The reptilian Blade handed over the swrd handle in his hand to his driver, the golden glow of maximum affinity spreading between them as ether formed a wicked looking edge on the sword. "Let's end this, right here, right now."
A single wave of energy from the sword was enough to shatter Pyra's shield, the redhead barely able to raise another before a subsequent blast returned it to the energy it came from. It was all felt by Rex as the group rushed up the Grand Stairway, a grunt of pain leaving him as he grasped his shoulder tightly.
"Pyra's fighting alone, we have to help her!" the salvager declared as his speed increased even beyond what he was doing before, the pain of his partner now the fuel to his feet that sent him further upwards than the others could hope to keep up with.
"I won't use that power! That means I won't let you use it either!" Pyra roared as her core glowed with the fires of hell itself, forming a sun from its depths to bring light to the whole area. Not even an attack of that ferocity was enough to make her opponent give way however, only seconds after being launched forward resulting in a single swipe of a sword eradicating it as if it were nothing more than a gentle breeze.
"You can't beat me like that. Do you even know who you're dealing with?" the man tutted, only to have to hurriedly bring up his weapon in defence as Rex swung down hard from him, his leap bringing the salvager incredibly high into the air to embolden his attack.
"Vandham, take Iona! We'll take on these guys!" Rex ordered, the bulky man caring little for the fact that a kid barely half his age was bossing him around. By the time he and Roc were able to take the blue haired waif of a child away from the main fighting area, the combat had already begun.
"So this is Malos? His power… it's incredible!" Lilith gasped as she was sent flying back from only one of the man's strikes, Beary letting Ursula down to the ground so he could rush over and catch his driver. Even with Kasandra pumping all of the ether she could to her, the shield hammer in her hand barely seemed to do anything beyond simply annoy the enemy. With Tora and Nia focusing their attention on Akhos, it left it up to Rex and herself to try and deal with the threat. "It's like nothing I do can hurt him!"
"Come on kid, I know you're in there! Wake up already!" Malos screamed out as he rushed down the thief, who was barely able to keep up with his speed as the hammer flared out its defensive barrier. Only moments of the assault was needed before the weapon was smacked out of her hand, Kasandra grabbing on to it in mid-air and using the weapon for a blast of darkness that was easily deflected by the reptilian Blade. Fortunately, Rex slipping in to distract Malos allowed Lilith to take on Beary's claws for a second weapon, barely bringing them up in time to join Rex in a deadlock against Malos. "I swear, you should be embarrassed by how weak you are right now!"
"What are you talking about!?" Lilith cried out in frustration as she threw her claws upwards, Beary forming to land upon Malos' body in a flurry of frozen swipes, Pyra joining in with a wave of fire. It was all deflected by the man's speed, his Blade only having to step in for a few small attacks before the polar bear was forced to return to its weaponised form. "I'm awake you dummy!"
"Malos, she isn't her! Stop treating Lilith as if she is!" Pyra warned, throwing her hands forward as Rex rushed towards Malos, the flames spawned by the Aegis' sword growing in intensity as it collided with the weapon in Malos' hand.
"Don't be a fool." Came the basic reply, streaks of wind forcing Rex and Lilith back into the defensive. "All she needs is a bit of a push, just like you. Maybe I'll get you to use your powers at the same time! Akhos!"
"As much as I've been having fun in this hackneyed tale, I guess it is a good place to begin the final act. Obrona?" Akhos' Blade let out a giggle as she launched upwards into the sky, her wings leaving a dark crimson residue as she escalated higher and higher. Just as she reached the apex of her flight, Obrona let her wings flare out, a pulsating wave of red covering their vision.
"Tora's turn!" the Nopon wasn't able to hear Pyra's warning fast enough, his shield releasing its drill function as Tora charged forward. With a smirk on his face however, Akhos did something that to most normal men, would be considered completely suicidal at best.
He grabbed onto the revolving section of the drill.
And forced it to stop.
In a blink, whatever golden ether flowed between all drivers and their Blades save for Akhos and Malos suddenly disappeared, no matter how hard the Blades tried to restore the connection. The fact that most of Tora's inventions were heavily reliant upon ether to utilise their numerous functions meant he was left as a weak target for Akhos to hold.
"You see, Blades have to draw their power from the atmospheric ether energy surrounding them." Akhos explained, pushing back his glasses. "That power is then sent to the core crystal, where it manifests in whatever form best suits the Blade. That then leads to the question… what if we break the flow!?"
"Damn it, the power's draining out of my weapons!" Nia cursed as she tried to help Tora, even managing to land a successful hit upon Akhos, only for the driver to barely flinch. By the time she tried to strike again, the lack of ether flowing o them meant that the edges were losing their sharpness, the energy sustaining them dissipating without addition power to structure them.
"Poppi not feel good Masterpon…" the robot added, Poppi trying her best to repeated brute force the connection, only to be blasted away along with the others when Malos and Akhos struck forth.
"Why won't you guys leave Pyra alone?" Rex called out, the last one standing as the others rushed to their feet, Akhos merely chucking as he gave a small shrug.
"I would've thought it would be obvious by now. We want the power of the Aegis for ourselves!" came the reply, along with a swing of dual swords that had Rex reeling back. "After all, it's Jin's desire to erase all of humankind from the world!"
"What?" Nia shot forward to defend Rex as quickly as possible, getting Akhos into a steady rhythm of blocking her rings as she growled. "Did Jin really say something like that? 'Destroy all of mankind?'"
"My my, I would've thought that you of all people would be able to understand that." Akhos remarked as Nia was forced back into a stumble, her guard left completely open. "You know what humans can truly be like."
"Xander, get over there!"
"Understood boss! Dromarch!"
BYAKKO!
"Poppi!"
HANA! JS!
FUSION MATCH!
BOND UP!
FUSION BLADE: MECHONIS SAVAGE!
Covered in steel armour with a variety of gears decorating it over white fur, Xander shoved Nia to the side as Roc and Vandham formed a protective barrier before Akhos. Not that it did much to stop the monologue from continuing.
"You've seen all the ships, weapons, soldiers, all poised to invade Mor Ardain. Doesn't that make you want to laugh?" Akhos reasoned with a smirk upon his face. "Every corner of the world has been defiled by such vermin."
"Not that it's anything new. Nothing has changed in over five hundred years, have they?" Malos continued, fending off Rex and Lilith with even less trouble thanks to their weakened forms. "No wonder father abandoned them."
"No, the only thing that hasn't changed is you." Pyra's words were deathly quiet compared to the dull roar of combat, yet there wasn't a single soul there who couldn't hear them. "Father didn't want us to wipe out innocent life!"
"Why did he make us then? That's what we're for, to descend upon the world and eliminate these pests." It would've been terrifying if Malos had grown more insane with each passing word, perhaps cackling with fury as the dark energy consumed him and shot up into the sky. It would've been terrifying if there had been some monstrous scream of sorts, the power corrupting his form to explain why he was spouting such dangerous nonsense. Instead, Lilith saw something that frightened her even more than that.
Malos was completely calm. This was entirely himself, no wicked force corrupting his being, no puppet master behind his back forcing him to act in the way he did. No, this was something he considered perfectly normal, just as one would happily accept the sky being blue.
"Playtime's over. Akhos, finish this." Pyra's shield absorbed much of the blow, yet both she and Rex were sent hurtling into the walls behind them. With the assistance of Poppi's jets, Tora tried to ram forward, only to be blown aside and left to watch over his artificial Blade's unmoving body. Dromarch was deeply sliced while trying to protect his driver, Obrona appearing behind Nia to send her in the same direction. With Beary being used by Lilith, Ursula was left defenceless to Malos' assault, Kasandra unable to do much even when she wore her mask, the object falling off her for the first time as the dark Blade was sent flying into Lilith.
"Raging slash!" Xander had a pair of circular shields attached to his forearms, water swirling around their edges as he tried to cut open Akhos, only to be dodged with little effort and smacked away by a pair of swords charged with electricity. Only Vandham was left standing, a single order to roc having the avian launch a flurry of his feathers towards the pair. "I tried to get here as soon as I could. Never expect to be met with someone as strong as this though!"
"An attack from the outside?" Malos cursed. If they weren't within the field, there was no way for Obrona's negative effects to touch Vandham. Leaving him perfectly capable of connecting with Roc's ether supply. "Come on Xander, back on ya feet! Would've thought your fancy tools could do something more than that!"
"Don't think this little peashooter's going to save you." Akhos warned, casually batting away the feathers as they came down upon him.
"Ya bloody idiot! You think I don't know that!?" Vandham called out, leaping from the safety of outside the field as Xander moved up beside him, wiping the blood from his lip. "Are ya ready you lot!? Here's another lesson for ya! Somethin' else ya can do with a Blade!"
And with zero hesitation, he plunged the sharpened edges of his dual scythes directly into his stomach.
"He's channeling the ether from his weapon into his body!"
"Akhos right? Ain't nothin' ya can do to stop this ether flow! Nothin' at all!" with a single wave of his hand, Vandham was able to send forth a burst of wind, strong enough to shatter Obrona's shield while Xander met Malos' fist with his own shield.
"Let me show you just what my technology can do! Jet Maelstrom!" Xander promised, a giant wave of water forming into a biting mouth as it headed in Malos' direction, the dark energy surrounding him managed to hold it off at first, requiring considerable effort before Malos could disperse it. In the meantime, his Blade tried to tackle the two of them, only to be met by Roc's foot and a disapproving look.
"Move it! Take Pyra and scram kid!" Vandham ordered as he continued his defence, his words becoming weaker thanks to the scythes stuck into him. Rex didn't even have the strength to stand, weakly raising his hand.
"I can't… I can't just leaver you here…"
"Rex! Don't go dying on me now, you hear? You gotta make it hero!" Vandham desperately begged, his attacks becoming less and less effective by the second. "Live, live for her! Ya got to make it to Elysium!"
"I won't allow it!" the scythes were brutally ripped from Vandham's stomach, leaving the two gaping wounds to pour out blood as some escaped Vandham's mouth. Xander was pushed back to his leader's side, with one last strike silencing whatever words were left upon his lips.
Lilith watched with open eyes as Vandham's body fell, Xander unable to move fast enough to defend him from the lethal strike. It was clear in his eyes the torture that he felt at having failed Vandham, at having to watch the man he appreciated so much fall lifeless at his feet. If he had been moments faster…
Unknown to them all, a mask once rattling fell silent.
"So long kid!" Rex was his next target, the death of Vandham leaving him completely defenceless as Pyra called out his name, he didn't seem to move no matter how much Pyra tried to urge him to, the sword just about to reach his neck when a surge of golden light filled the area, all concentrated upon the crystals present upon Pyra's body. Malos paused at the maelstrom of light, Pyra growing feint as her body disappeared into motes of light back into her core, only for the light to completely reform into an entirely new being.
Where the fire Blade once stood, a blonde Blade clad in white and green took her place, piercing amber eyes opening with anger. The sword in Rex's hand suddenly folded up into its inactive state, only to evolve into a double edged broadsword of white, the energy that formed its edge even stronger than before.
"Y-you can't rewrite the act like this! This is madness!" Akhos yelled in frustration. The man dashed forward, the new form of Pyra sparing him only a glance before Malos shouted out his warning. Too late however, for Akhos was hit by a beam of pure light from above, several more trying ti eviscerate him. The one that finally did almost bring him down served to shatter half of the ruins, the rubble falling into the Cloud Sea.
"Who… is she?" Lilith muttered, standing to her feet with all of strength. Merely looking upon her and Malos were causing her head to pound wildly, not even grabbing it causing the pain to dissipate. Why, why, whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy-
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INITIATING ASSIMILATION.
And that seems like a lovely place to end it for now. Tell me,what did you think of that? I know there was a review asking about whether Vandham would be able to survive and I did think about that, but I believe it would be better for this to happen. it's an important plot point for their development after all and it results in things like this happening. NAturally, all the weird text does mean something, if you get rid of the junk. want to try?
Super hero time! See you next time!