StrikerS: Pursuit of Perfection 21
Vivio foamed at the mouth, her brush swishing across her teeth as she hummed happily. "Gualalalalagh. Pfft." She gargled and spat.
"Vivio, make sure to floss!" Vita's gruff voice called up the stairs.
"Uuuu…" Vivio pouted. "But Vivio hates flossing!"
"Don't make me come up there!"
"Hai…." She grunted discontentedly as a pair of blue boots with artemis wings floated over the house.
As she heard the girl finish up and pad off to bed, Vita turned on the viewscreen in the den, studying the guide carefully as it cycled through the 2000-plus channels Fate and Nanoha received. A slight bit of dust jumped in the fireplace, as if something had landed in the soot. "Hmm?" She got up quickly, extending Graf Eisen. Carefully she opened the hearth, studying the ash carefully. Not seeing anything, she stuck her head in and turned her face up. FLUP. She was hit by a wad of gray and black dust. Vita coughed hard as she pulled away from the hearth. "Eisen, analyze."
"Creosote." It said quickly as she went into the kitchen to wash off the gunk in the sink.
"It must be the autosweeper then." She coughed again. "I didn't think Nanoha even used her fireplace though."
From the pile of ash rose a glowing ball of light that scanned the area before moving on to the next. Vita rounded the corner again as it flew into the foyer. Not noticing, she sat down again, Eisen returning to its shrunken form. Upstairs, Vivio opened the door to her bedroom, finding a figure sitting on the windowsill, staring at the moon. The girl just stood there, watching him for a while. Then a little glowing light hovered past her and landed in the boy's open hand. He snuffed it out in his fist and his visor flashed across his eyes for a second before disappearing. "Sora-nii? Why are you in Vivio's room?" She rubbed her eyes as she walked up to him.
Soran smiled, turning and hopping off the sill. "I'm here to give you a gift, Vivio." He knelt down next to her. "You've been a really good girl lately, right?" She nodded. "Well then, what do you say we get you a new teddybear?"
"REALLY?!" She squeaked as she became fully awake.
Soran clamped his hand hard over her mouth. "Shh! The thing is it's past your bedtime, and Vita-nee might not like you going out this late."
"So… no bear for Vivio?" She looked forlorn.
Soran pouted. "Do you really want it that badly?"
"Unh!"
He winced, her response being louder than he would have liked. "Then let's go. We'll have to hurry, so Vita-nee doesn't notice you're gone." He grabbed her sweater off of the bedpost and handed it to her. "We'll make sure that when Nanoha and Fate come home tomorrow, you'll have the bestest bear ever to show them." When she was bundled up, he turned to the window and knelt down. "Hop on."
"Um… Sora-nii." He looked up to see the girl floating outside of the window. "Vivio knows how to fly."
"Oh… well… fantastic then." He hopped out the window and motioned for her to follow. His visor washed across his face and took readings as they reached the forest, a short drive away from her house. At that point, he put it in park and turned around. "You know what? I think I forgot something back there. Vivio, you stay here in the trees, and I'll be right back."
Vita clicked through the channels quickly, extremely bored. "News…, B-movie…, chick flick…, cooking…, sports highlights…, terran poker…, is there nothing on?" Then she switched to a channel which was re-airing Gundam 00 episode 1, right where a missile barrage took off an AnF's arm. "Technology blowing up. Perfect!"
The main character rushed forward, hiding behind what was left of some wreckage. 'There is no god in this world.' He thought in response to the Jihadists in the mobile suits' propaganda. Suddenly, the AnF that lost its arm cornered him and brought its machine cannon to bear. Then the head was pierced by a beam weapon from directly above, and the viewscreen itself was pierced by the same, a hole burned in the floor a foot in front of her.
Vita jumped up and extended Eisen, looking up to where the attack came from. From the hole in the roof, she saw him, staring back at her, his weapon smoldering at his side. "Kgh! SORAN!" She took a leap and her red armor coalesced on her on the way. She swung upwards, missing him by inches as he rose higher. "You traitor. I'll make you pay for what you did to everyone! Feel the wrath of Graf Eisen!"
The ID glistened in the night. "Tödliche Strafe."
"Take my Divine Punishment!" With a burst of speed she rose higher, hurling the hammerhead at his midsection. Soran tried to block with his mechanical arm. She smirked, knowing that not even the metal skeletal structure could survive a direct hit from Eisen. "Uah?!" She gasped when it did, hardly noticing his other palm pressed flat against it, summoning a Round Shield in such a way that it was invisible other than a thin pink line. His block disappeared from her vision when they were filled with Soran's heels. "Kouh!" She was knocked backwards, her lip bloody.
"My turn!" He pointed his shooting staff straight down, putting Vita between the house and himself.
"Arc Shooter." Four balls of energy began to orbit the staff's head.
"I suggest you block this, budaichou!" He let loose his payload.
"Kgh! Don't give me battle advice, you pathetic worm!" She pressed her hand against Eisen's head.
"Panzer Schild." Eisen spread a dark red magical triangle to defend against the attack.
The energy landed dead center in the middle of the shield. "Krgh." She fought against the force as the other three passed her, heading towards the house like meteors. "What? No!" The magical mortars slammed into the roof, plowing through it. The power released, blowing out all the windows and doors, sending a pink-haired woman flying out of the second story wall and onto the lawn. "Signum!" Out of the smoke billowing through the front door, Zaphila stumbled forward, carrying an unconscious Akito in his jaw before falling to the side. "Kgh!"
"Did you really think I wouldn't see through that trap?" Soran mocked. "There's no way you'd have been left alone to face me."
"I should have killed you from the very start." She hissed as she raised Eisen above her head. "I'll rectify that right now!"
"Meister, gefahr!" Eisen had seen something she hadn't. "Pherd." Vita's boots were surrounded by a whirlwind that sent them to the mortally wounded house below.
"Ah! The roof's about to… Vivio!" She kicked the door to her room hard. "Vivio! Vivio, open up! Hurry!" When she didn't answer, she grunted. "Vivio, get away from the door!" She swung hard, splintering the obstacle. She did it twice more, giving her enough room to climb through. The ceiling gave an ominous creak. "Vivio! Vivio where are you?!" She searched frantically as everything began shaking. "Come on, we've gotta go! Aaahhh!" Everything started to cave in on her.
"Should I mention that she's not in there?" Soran scratched his cheek.
The wreckage shifted and shifted again, a red and gold hexagonical structure expanding and pushing it all away. Underneath it was Vita, panting heavily. "What did you do to her?!" She raised her face to the light of the full moon, her pupils dilated so much that they were nearly invisible. "Where is she?!"
Soran smirked. "Who's to say?"
Her entire body was surrounded by ominous red energy. "I'LL KILL YOU!" She was instantly above him, her speed move drastically increased with her rage. Her giant mallet slammed into him before he could react.
"Active Guard." Soran's jacket covered itself in a glowing grid before he slammed into the dirt. After plowing through the earth for a couple of seconds, he flipped over, shoving Kiryu into the ground to slow himself to a stop.
"Graf Eisen, cartridge load!"
"Explosion."
Soran looked up to the source. "Aw crap." The burning red knight was holding a Gigantform Eisen with one hand, and a massive silver ball with the other.
"Komete Fliegen." Eisen spoke as Vita tossed the ball in the air, it instantly coating with the same burning energy.
"NOW YOU DIE!" Vita's rage boiled as her hammer impacted the flaming orb.
"Stonesser Form!" Kiryu and Garyu said simultaneously.
"ROUND SHIELD TRIPLE!" Soran's protection consolidated around the drill bit, and the two of them clashed. "RNGH… GAH!" The giant orb's momentum was enormous.
Vita flashed above him and swung the mallet again. "DIE!" Soran's shield shattered. "DIE! DIE! DIE!" With each word she slammed the silver gem harder, until the flaming energy dissipated. Eisen went to her side and shrank back to its normal size, ejecting two cartridges as she panted. "You lost." CRK. CRK. A crackling and straining sound emanated from the ball as a crack ran up it. "EH?!"
"Lightning…." The orb split completely in half, falling away from Soran. "BUSTER!"
The mass of yellow light consumed Vita and Eisen completely. "GUAUAUAUAUAAUAUAUAA!" She fell to the grass, twitching like mad. "Ku…so…." She turned to see Soran pick Kiryu and Garyu out of the orb's wreckage. "It… can't… end like this…."
"Titanium Yoke!" A gleaming silver whip shot from behind her.
"Unh?" Soran took a leap backwards just as the attack came, slicing apart what was left of the orb. "Kegh." Soran drew Garyu and blocked it before retreating out of range. "That's a new look for you. Festive."
Vita turned towards the source, slowly looking up to see a knight's dark purple trousers and platinum hip chain as his silver and flame-etched tail swished behind him. His vest matched his pants, and his fur and ears had turned a shade of light red, and his eyes gleamed a bright orange. "Za…phila…." Her eyes went wide seeing the translucent wings on his back. "Aki…to…." She forced herself to sit up.
"Rest for now, Vita. You still have a job to do, so conserve your energy." He stepped past her.
"We'll take him from here." Akito winked at her from inside him.
Zaphila's white magical triangle appeared in front of his left hand. "Titanium Yoke, weapon mode!" They both cried and the bright band of light formed up into a coiled whip in his hand.
"Well, Akito, I must admit you do live up to your function." Soran and Zaphila circled each other slowly. "Although I didn't think you two could Unison."
"We just hadn't had a reason to try." Akito sneered. "I can't believe I was inside you for any amount of time. Eugh."
"Enough with the chitchat." Zaphila grunted. "I want to see if you were actually paying attention during our sparring matches!" He unfurled the whip and snapped it forward.
"Hup!" Soran backflipped onto the cracked side of the half-orb. The glowing rope bit into the metal and ripped it away. "That's either really sharp or really dense." He flipped behind it quickly, exchanging Kiryu and Garyu for Rainbow and Barrage Zwei. "Inferno BUSTER!" At point blank range, he sent the burning energy into the metallic lump, and it went for Zaphila quickly as it softened into a glob of molten metal. He lifted the whip up and brought it back down again in one swift motion, the end connecting with the blob and drawing it into the ground. "Dense. Sharp would have cut through it but it still would have kept going straight."
"If this were training, I would be complimenting you on your deduction skills!" The platinum whip whirled for Soran again.
"Then maybe you can give me a few marks for strategic planning!" He double backflipped, gripping Barrage in the center. When he landed, he pressed his free palm against it while he held it level to the ground. Four balls of light floated up from behind the rocks, and he sent them off with a point of his staff.
Zaphila's fist glowed and he punched the ground, spreading the magic triangle under his feet. Gray spires of energy erupted from the ground, spearing the attack before it could intersect. The bullets auto destructed, sending up a cloud of smoke. The wolf's whip pierced the dust and wrapped around Soran's staff. "The Guardian Beast of Absolute Defense is not one to be defeated by parlor tricks!" He yanked back hard.
"Woah!" Soran lost his footing and was drawn into the forest of spines, only to emerge to receive Zaphila's fist in the stomach. "KoOF!" Before he could recover, Zaphila yanked the whip again, tossing him into the wrecked house.
"They are working very closely right now, Akito and Zaphila." Vita turned her head to notice Signum crawling up to her, her left leg severely broken. "That girl must be trying very hard."
"Signum… are you…." Vita stretched Eisen out to her. "Take some of my data."
She shook her head. "I'm already in repair mode, gathering data from the wreckage. Besides, you need it anyway." She sat next to her, closing her eyes, computer code swirling around her leg. "We can only hope that Zaphila will be able to last that long."
"Well with that last shot, the brat has to be hurting." A flash blinked from the house before a piece of it was vaporized by a stream of fire that consumed anything in its path. "Ah!"
Zaphila crouched down and switched to his beast form, galloping away from the danger before switching back, skidding to a halt. The flames were shut off when the mouth shut, the eyes on the weapon's face glowing brightly. Soran slowly stepped forward, amidst the flames, his visor over his eyes. He emerged from the shadow of the wreckage, his level two equipment catching the moon's light, as well as the blank anger on Soran's face.
"Tchey." Zaphila grunted. "Once more, Akito!"
"Ouh!" Their whip lashed out. Soran's left arm came to the front, and it bounced off the shiny armor. "Ueh? His armor was never that tough before!"
"But the rest of him is still squishy. Don't let up!" The whip continued to lash at him, Soran unable to close the gap between them as he dodged left and right. He fired a shot above with Barrage, but Zaphila just tilted his head out of the way or rolled as they continued their dance of combat.
"You're being a nuisance." Soran grunted as he slid behind the blown out garage door. It was instantly splintered by the Yoke before his weapons stopped glowing. "It's time you were put down." He sidestepped the next attack, grabbing the whip with his Dragon Grip. The maw glowed brightly before the section of rope exploded.
"Ah!" Vita gasped. "That's not Rainbow, that's Barrage!"
"Kgh!" Signum opened her eyes as her wound finished closing, instantly standing up.
"Bogenform."
"Duah!" Soran slammed his staff into the whip.
"Glacier."
"He swapped weapons under cover!" Zaphila dropped the whip as it began to crystallize. Soran dashed forward at nearly sonic speeds. "Unison Release!" Akito was sent tumbling out of his back as his colors returned to normal.
"Woaaa!" She righted herself just in time to see the impact as Soran's dragon fist landed in the wolfman's chest. "Zaphila!"
"Say hello to Barrage's Level Two function!" Soran lifted him off the ground as the maw glowed white hot. "Five Claws of the Revolution!" Zaphila was sent flying over the wreckage and into the pool house, completely wrecking it.
Akito and Vita were slackjawed in horror as they looked to the impact zone, before turning their hatred towards Soran. He turned towards the pixie, and she recoiled. "You're next."
"Echo, my diamond blade!"
"Sturm Falken." An arrow forged of pure energy whistled towards him.
He took a quick look at the attack as his staff head shone. "Cyclone." The arrow intersected the whirl of green air.
Soran faced Signum fully, so that the arrow would shoot straight between his eyes. "Your strongest attack right off the bat? You must be desperate, Signum-budaichou."
"Less desperate than you are cocky!" The weapon burrowed through the elemental shield.
"Umh!" Soran's mechanical arm snatched it out of the air and sent a bullet through it. "Really close that time, but still not enough." His vision was suddenly blocked by a crack spreading across his visor. The material shattered. "Egh?!"
Past the falling pieces came forward an enraged Signum, ready to cut him in half katana-style. "Your opponent is me!"
Soran quickly blocked with his dragon shield and immediately began to lose ground as the attack bounced off and she swung from a different angle. She continued to swing with all her might as they continued to clash, sword on shield, Levantine's blade sharper than ever. "Got you!" He reached for the sword with his dragon's fangs. Signum pulled her weapon away before the maw shut and thrust it forward. It pierced his jacket cape just as his fist slammed into her face.
"Gah! Toh! Ungh!" She rolled back until she managed to regain her stability. She brought her sword back to the front, noticing the inner edge was bloody.
Beyond the tip, Soran held his side, hissing. "Now all three of you have gotten one good hit in each. You're not getting another."
"Bekämpfung Form." His blades flashed. A pinstripe of light ran down Kiryu, splitting her in two. The handles disintegrated and reformed as they latched onto his knees and toes, spreading their beam energy between hinges.
"High Combat Form." Barrage said as he consumed Rainbow's key. He shortened and flattened into a rotating half shield that latched onto his left arm. Garyu extended an energy rope from himself to Barrage, and the blade's output instantly doubled.
Signum's brow lowered. "Akito." She lifted her fist up and the sprite pounded hers against it. "Unison in!" They instantly were consumed by a whirlwind of fire. The woman stepped through the flames, her colors changed and Akito's thin rainbow wings extending from her back. "Soran, it is said that when two enemies clash swords, they learn everything about each other. I have clashed with you many times and still I never detected your treachery. How do you explain this?"
"Maybe your senses aren't tuned enough?" Soran shrugged, a mocking look plastered on his face.
"Perhaps, but maybe it is because I never have truly faced you as an enemy. I am curious to hear what my Levantine has to say this time around!" She pointed at him with her sword, turning it so the moon shone against the edge. "I am Signum, Knight of the Wolkenritter, possessor of Levantine, the Diamond Blade! Soran Berkt, your treachery ends here!"
The gap between them closed quickly as they dashed towards their inevitable collision. Blade sparked against blade, each using their momentum to try to gain better ground. They both leapt back a step, preparing their next strike before taking it, countering each other as they tried to read and find openings. Barrage swiveled and he blocked her swing with his left arm before taking one of his own at her midsection. She hopped back, her back arching to keep her stomach from being clipped before slamming her blade down on his, sending it to the ground. She drew back and thrust the point forward. Soran dropped to the dirt to avoid his face getting speared and rolled out of the way as her momentum shifted downward. Her next swing was caught between his shield and sword as he raised them to block. He slid the blade up before she could react and slammed his mechanical hand into the ground as he turned, swinging his feet at her hard. Instead of attacking she was forced onto the defense, putting her weapon between the beam greaves and her vulnerable legs, lifting above the hilt as the tip dug into the ground. The greaves and sword intersected, dragging the tip out as they passed under her. She recovered and flipped the hilt in her hand as she landed, placing it in perfect position to counter Soran's blade before he could windmill it into her. They both smiled quickly before she took a leap into the air.
"Nachladen." Her ID said as it cocked a cartridge and it became covered in flames.
"Shiden Issen!" Levantine split into five parts connected by wire, which she swept towards him, sending four fireballs his way.
He stood up, bringing his deflection bar to the front to take the hits in succession. Signum's bladed snake followed, digging a swath into the ground as he skidded backwards. "Function change!" Garyu stopped emitting and twisted at the hilt. "KURAI!" He gripped it with both hands and swung it into the sky as it began to emit again, this time in an insanely long and thin blade of light.
Judging that they couldn't avoid it Signum blocked the attack, but the momentum from the focused contact point flung her to the rocks. Garyu stopped emitting energy again as Soran landed. Forcing herself up from the impact zone, Signum felt herself rise alone, her colors restored to normal as Akito fell from her shoulder. "Gomen… Signum."
"Nerai wa utz!" Soran's deflection bar opened on one end and sent a burst shot straight for her.
The energy burst impacted her straight in the chest before she could think. "Curse you, Soran." She whispered before she pitched forward, landing on her face.
All of his devices returned to standby, but he remained in Barrier Jacket. "Guess your sword didn't tell you anything different to avoid your current situation." He turned away to check on his other opponents.
"Not quite." She whispered as she lifted her face out of the dirt, struggling to rise. "He told me everything I needed."
"Oh?" He smirked. "And what did he say?"
She slowly looked at Vita, who nodded. "He said you talk too much!" Levantine lashed out and extended far beyond its normal range, wrapping its chain links around Soran before he could draw a weapon. "RNGH!" She leapt into the air, taking him with her. The pool house wreckage exploded as Zaphila joined them in the sky, shortly followed by Vita. Signum somersaulted in midair and used all her might to hurl him into the ground.
"GUAH!" He gasped as he took the impact, slamming deep into his own crater.
Vita dropped like a stone, twirling Eisen in her fingers before shoving the hilt into the ground an inch away from him. Eisen's neck extended as he gobbled down three cartridges. "Das Gefängnis der Magie." A dome of swirling red and black magic expanded from the ID until the entire crater was consumed, casting the world inside into darkness and red lighting.
Soran whipped around in panic as the dome closed up. "What the hell is this thing?!"
"This is my Magical Prison." Vita whispered from the shadows. "Where I dispose of the lowest of the low."
Outside, Zaphila landed on the dome and slammed his fist into the top. Giant gray spires exploded out of the ground and closed in on the top of the energy cell, locking up at his feet. "That will hold him long enough for sure."
"Egh!" Soran slammed his shoulder into the wall, and he was sent flying back with triple the force. "Duah!" Vita chuckled in the darkness. "I'm surprised you'd risk staying in here with me Vita." He grunted as he got up. "I could just fill this entire thing with energy and blow it out, taking you with it."
"But that kind of thing takes time, which you don't have, brat."
Soran found himself floating off the ground. "Wha? Hey… what's going… GUAAAAAHH!" A red crystal surrounded by green light erupted from his chest as his arms and legs were forced to spread wide. "What are you…."
A green and blue light expanded from his chest, a golden ring surrounding it. A female voice trembled. "And I promised myself I'd never use this technique again…."
"Sh-Shamal…." He snarled.
"Do it, Shamal! It's the only way!" Vita stepped into the light.
On the outside of the dome, the woman shivered, staring at the gem through the portal. "To take another life again…. But if it's what will stop you, Soran… then I'll be taking your Linker Core." She slowly reached into the portal.
Her hand emerged on the other end, slowly reaching for the essence of his life force. "Kgh!" Soran strained his limbs, unable to move them, his linker core unable to communicate responses to them. Soran squeezed his eyes shut tight. "This… isn't… over!" His eyes opened and his left arm began to move, grabbing her wrist in its grip.
"Eh?!" Shamal gasped as it squeezed down. Crack. "HRAAAAAHH!" She felt the bone snap, and she instantly knew which it was that he had broken.
"Shamal!" Vita gasped, grinding her teeth. "His arm has a separate power source. He's bypassed the Linker Core to control it!"
"Now… that you've got… your hand in the door,… why don't you… come… join us?!" He ripped his arm back hard, lifting Shamal off her feet and sending her through the portal before her device closed it.
When it closed, the Core returned to his body. Regaining movement, he lifted Shamal up by the broken arm and sent a heavy kick to her midsection, sending her crashing into Vita. "Engh. Dah." They bounced and toppled over each other as they rolled.
"NOW I'M ANGRY!" Soran shot forward, plowing his fist into the first soft flesh he felt.
"Rggh… GAH!" The rib broke in her chest in slow motion, feeling the separation of every cell before she was blown into the magical wall, the recoil sending her straight back.
Soran plucked her out of the air and slammed her into the ground. "You son of a bi-AGH!" Vita spoke before Soran's boot intersected her cheek.
The teen jumped back, spreading a magical triangle that glowed white hot, casting light throughout the dome. Shamal and Vita both looked up from their wounds to see Soran's enraged face surrounded by the three elemental orbs, larger than they'd ever seen before. "ELEMENTS OF DESTRUCTION, COMBINE!" His shooting staff extended into the air and merged.
"Egh." Vita pushed herself up. "Soran, don't! There's nowhere for the energy to go! You'll turn this place into a blast furnace!"
He stared at her with his pupils dialated, hatred dominating his face. "COMBINE WITH THE BREATH OF LIFE AND FORM TRUE CHAOS!"
"Element Crusher." The swirling green wind encapsulated the three clashing elements, focusing them and forcing them to mix in ways they weren't meant to.
"He's been blinded by rage." Shamal could only watch in horror. "This may be the end."
He lowered the staff to bear across the dome. Unexpectedly, he rushed forward. "HuuuaaaAAAAHHH!" When he crossed paths with the still-planted Eisen, he skidded to a halt and leapt up.
"Ah!" Vita gulped. "Shamal, get away from the walls!" They both rushed as fast as their wounded selves could to the center.
The orb of chaos came to within an inch of the ceiling. "BREAKEEEEEEERRRRRRR!" At point-blank range, the blast coursed down the shield, sending waves from the sides, sweeping up the two Wolkenritter on the inside. The power of the attack shook the dome, inside and out.
Outside, as Signum and Zaphila floated above, waiting for word that Soran was defeated, the spires surrounding the shell rattled. "Hmm?" Zaphila looked down as the reinforcements began to crack and buckle. "Not good. Signum, it's coming down!"
"That's impossible. As long as Vita is alive and doesn't cancel the shield…." The tip of one of the spires cracked off, sliding back to the ground before disintegrating.
The shell cracked at the top, before the entire thing burst apart into shards of magic that rained down on the wounded Wolkenritter inside. "EEEEEERRRRRR!" Soran's voice echoed as both of the Wolkenritter on the outside were caught in the blast. The energy tapered off, Zaphila and Signum falling to the ground, where the others were groaning, desperately trying to get up. "Dark Trinity weapons, full limiter release. Maximum power."
Vita grunted, flipping over. "C-caster…."
Her hawkish eye centered in on Soran, his staff in Gillium Form. "Load Shell 5."
"Loading 5." Barrage closed the hatch and brought the bullet to the barrel. The black wings immediately spread from the staff.
"Pagua sunfa. Pagua sunfa. Pagua sunfa. Pagua sunfa. Pagua sunfa." The chant began as everyone raised their heads, his silhouette housed in the moon, the black light shining in the barrel as he continued. The wings curled upwards, encapsulating the ethereal light. "Pagua sunfa. Pagua sunfa. Pagua sunfa." He gripped the handle and pointed it directly down. "Gravity Well! Pagua sun FAIRE!" The encapsulated orb shot with a ripple of air, down into the crust.
Everything was quiet, the look of fear on all of the Wolkenritter. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Those faces were replaced with those of pain as they were pressed into the ground harder. A clear dome with a black, whispy outline had encapsulated them, and inside, the gravity was steadily increased until it was ten times its normal. What energy they had left to rise was sucked out of them as they strained to keep themselves from being crushed by their own weight. Vita opened an eye, getting a look at Soran as she cringed. Even through the 10 G's, she raised her hand to the sky. "Vi…vi…o…."
"I told you, she's safe. Give up and pass out already." Soran crossed his arms.
"Huu… huu…" A breath was panting at his same altitude.
"Umgh!" Soran whirled around, wide eyed, to find the girl floating there, her hand trying to dig into her chest to her heart.
"Sora-nii… did this…." She swallowed hard, tears falling from her eyes. "Mama's house… Vivio's friends… aahh." A dark blue jacket phased in and out of their dimension.
"Egh!" He put all his remaining energy into his wings. "Vivio! Don't do it! If you do, I'll have to stop you!"
"Aaahhh… aahhh…." Vivio brought her fingers to her skull, gripping it tightly, her heterochromic eyes trembling in confusion and fear. "He's not Sora-nii…."
"Vivio! Vivio, snap out of it!" He reached for her as she started to pull on her hair. "Damn it!" His hand closed into a fist.
"He's…!" The barrier jacket appeared on her just as he slammed his fist into her stomach. "Kouh!" Her eyes glassed and she lost control of her energies, the barrier jacket also disappearing. She slid off his fist and she fell. "Mr. Meanie…."
"Whoopsy." Soran caught her by the scruff of her neck, and they landed softly amongst the defeated Wolkenritter. Still holding her, he checked his watch, which was blinking with a dark blue light. He smiled and opened an audio transmission to Tea. "Nanoha-san. Oh, Nanoha-san."
Nanoha's eyes shot open. "Soran… Soran!"
"Guess where I am, Nanoha-san." She could almost hear the smirk on his face. He picked up the girl and whispered in her ear. "Hey now Vivio… Mama's listening. Say what you want to." He roused her just gently enough to keep her half asleep.
"Ah… mah…." Fate's crying stopped immediately as she heard the voice, she stood up, blowing her chair back so hard it made a dent in the van. "Mama… save us… Mama."
"Vivio…." Fate gulped. "No! Not Vivio too!"
Nanoha's body went down. "Mama… Vita-nee… Sig-nee… Zaphi… Shami… they…."
Her shoulders trembled, her fingers clenching tightly into fists. And with a huge burst of strength, she reared. "SOOOOORRRRAAAAAAAAAAAN!"
The scream roused Vita in a flash, her eyes wide and panicked as Soran switched to a video feed. "Don't worry, she'll just have a bruise later." He showed her the sleeping girl before he dropped her with a thud. "Oooh… make that two bruises."
The bridge of Nanoha's nose wrinkled tightly as she shook with rage. "I will hunt you down… I swear to you I will hunt you down and repay you for everything you've done!"
"That's funny, because that's the motto I've been living on for half my life." He leaned closer to the screen. "How does it feel?"
"Soran!" Fate landed next to her.
"Oh, you're there too, Fate-daichou?"
"Don't daichou me! What are you going to do with them?!"
"They'll be coming with me, that's all. I always wanted a… captive… audience to see the final round." He sputtered. "Captive… get it?!"
"HUUUUAAAAAHHHH!" A cry came from behind him that stunned all three, as Vita came at him in one final hurrah. "Rakketen Mi-." SPLOCH!
"VITA-CHAN!" The women both screamed.
She looked at Soran's sword, rent through her, blood dripping down the blade. The redhead turned to the video and shook her head, tears rolling down her cheek as she mouthed. "I'm sorry." She collapsed and the video was cut.