Story summary:
When an old temple is found, its origins are believed to be from the Magical world. But when its prisoners escape and run free, their jailors make their appearance. How will Ala Alba survive a war between two unknown species? Negima x AVP crossover. I would've said so in the summary, but I ran out of space. If you're prone to react negatively to character deaths, M-rated violence or simply dislike the idea, don't read any further. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
A/N: Yes, yes, I know… This belongs in the crossovers section, sue me. Or better yet, sue my crappy country for not allowing me access to it. This fic was in the crossovers section at first, but an error prevented it from staying there.
And, Chapter 3's up! My lord, I love this site. I've never been so active in years! Uh… Maybe I shouldn't have said that out loud… Anyhow, let get to the chapter! Enjoy!
CHAPTER 3
Infestation
Gandolfini sighed as he took another sip from his glass, pondering the happenings of the past day. The night sky loomed outside the windows, casting ominous shadows across the dimly lit room. Only five hours earlier, word had reached him of a terrorist attack at the Mahora Science building, and the mages were already looking into it. He, on the other hand, had much worse matters to deal with.
With a soft click, the lights came on as Takane entered the room, lower arms adorned with scratch marks of all shapes and sizes. She slowly glared at the glass of alcohol in his hand, and sat down across him. "I thought you said you'd never take to that again after the festival…" She said softly.
"Well, the situation calls for it." He sighed. "What happened?" He asked, motioning to her arms with his free hand.
"Mei." Takane answered. "She went into some kind of fit when I turned off the lights. Kept screaming something about monsters… She only fell asleep an hour after I turned the lights on again…" She glanced at his glass again. "What 'situation' were you referring to, if I may ask?"
"Is Mei asleep now?" Gandolfini asked, glancing into the flames cracking in the fireplace.
"Yes…" Takane answered with a look of confusion on her face. Gandolfini smiled lightly.
"Then let her rest for another hour or so. After that, you need to take both her and Nutmeg away from here. Take them to someone you think you can trust." He glanced around, and saw her confusion growing. "Harrington refuses to believe a word of what Mei told us." He sighed.
"I can understand that…" Takane mused. "Black creatures with long heads and acidic blood aren't charted in either world. But I don't see how-"
"Harrington needs something to tell his superiors about the missing mages." He cut her off, making her frown. "And Mei's story of black monsters that bleed acid isn't an option to him." He fell silent for a few seconds before continuing. "He desperately needs something that'll allow him to keep his job. Thus…" He paused, and gulped. "Thus he's told them that you three are in league."
"In league? In league on what, exactly?" Takane asked as she stood up angrily. Gandolfini merely stared into the fire again.
"He told the higher-ups that Mei and Nutmeg killed the mages on your command, and injured each other to make it look like they were all attacked." Gandolfini sighed again as took another large sip from his glass.
"But… But that's ludicrous! That's… That's…" Takane had no words to describe it. "It's preposterous!" She said after a short silence. Gandolfini sighed.
"That's not the worst part…" He said as he gazed into the fire again. "Come the morning…" He looked at her with a look of sorrow. "He's going to try all three of you for a death sentence."
The dean sighed as he held the mobile phone next to his ear, looking agitated. Around him, various students were dotted across his office, in deep conversation about the explosion five hours earlier. "I blame the science geeks." Asuna said as she crossed her arms. "They're always conducting weird experiments in there, it was only a matter of time before something blew up."
"How can scientists be responsible for what we found in the forest?" Mana spoke up from her corner. Her jacket was lazily hanging from one shoulder, and a few droplets of blood still clung to the shoulder area. "I doubt simple scientist could do all that…"
"Tatsumiya-san has a point…" Setsuna said from Konoka's side. "The men we found were almost torn apart. Their skulls were all hanging on a branch, some even had their spines on. No normal human is capable of that…"
"But then what were those blue explosions on the sides of the building?" Negi pondered aloud. "And what roared like that after it collapsed?"
"It's probably connected to the dead soldiers and missing students…" Evangeline yawned from her seat. "Students go missing, soldiers turn up dead and then a building explodes. There has to be some kind of connection."
"Hang on. What missing students?" Negi asked.
"Didn't you hear, sensei?" Mana asked. "The group who went into the forest to see what crashed there haven't returned." Negi glanced at the floor at hearing this. A sigh drew all the students' attention to the dean's desk.
"As you wish, Yukihiro-san." He said. "I'll inform your daughter to get ready." He said as he put the phone down. "That makes fifteen." He said as he sank back in his chair. "Fifteen families who insist on escorting their children off campus with armed guards." He groaned. "And they're only going to be here in a few hours… How did this happen?"
"Nobody knows, Konoe-sama." Setsuna said. "It just seemed to happen the minute we got there." The dean nodded at this when Shizuna entered the office. The dean silently scribbled a few names on the list, and handed it to her. "Go tell these girls their parents are coming to get them tomorrow." He said. "They are to start packing immediately, they'll be here in a few hours. It seems nothing is more important than these girls are to these people." She nodded without a word and left. Negi noticed a look of great worry on her face as she left. "There are quite a few injured students from the explosion, Negi-kun." The dean said sincerely. "She and the rest of the medical staff are working their fingers to the bone, but it's not enough. Emergency medical personnel and a few more healing mages are on their way here."
"Why can't I go help, Grandpa?" Konoka asked. "I'm also training!" She was interrupted as the phone rang again.
"This makes sixteen…" Konoemon sighed as he answered, sinking back into his chair.
"The parents sure are worried…" Negi mused. "Aren't armed escorts a little too much?"
"Whatever happened has caused quite a stir." Setsuna said. "It's got these girls' parents fearing for their children's lives. I think that the armed guards are their own ways of assuring themselves that they will be safe."
"The press are also partly to blame." Mana spoke. "Rumours of terrorist attacks and foreign invasions started going around about an hour after the building collapsed. It's likely that they heard those, and think armed forces will be able to keep such attacks away."
"But it couldn't have been a bomb!" Asuna persisted. "What bomb makes blue explosions?"
"We never said it was a bomb…" Negi sighed. "But whatever it was, it sure is dangerous… Especially judging by that roar we heard…"
The night silence shattered as a group of girls strolled down one of the roads, heading towards one of the cafés to get something to eat. "Jeez, such things should happen more often." One of them giggled. "The people were so distracted we could've gotten away with anything."
"Yeah! Even the teachers are worried, and they're not even on duty now…"
"Mind you, a lot of people did get hurt when that building fell… And then there was that freaky scream afterwards!"
"I'm pretty sure that was a roar, girl."
"Scream, roar, same diff. I don't care what it was it freaked m-" A loud thump behind them followed by a rustling sound caused them all to spin around. "Wait… Where's Ami?"
"Hey! Ami? This isn't funny!"
"Yeah, come on! Stop messing around!" Only silence answered them, and some of them started shaking slightly.
"You heard that story about the vampire before the festival? What if it's back?" One of them asked.
"That was in Sakura Lane."
"Unless it comes here too…" Two light taps on the tarmac behind them spin around, just in time to see a pair of bony hands wrap around one of the girls' ankles and pull her feet out from under her. Her scream went silent as she hit the concrete face first, and with one smooth motion, her body was pulled into the dark alley.
With several screams, the girls turned around and ran, one of them uttering a choking sound before being lifted off her feet, disappearing up the side of a building. Another went silent as something latched onto her face, causing her to stumble backwards and fall, but the last girl didn't worry anymore. She kept running straight with her eyes screwed shut, praying aloud.
With a loud thud she ran into something solid and fell to the ground, crying loudly. A strong hand closed around her shoulder and she felt herself being hoisted up into the air, yelling out in pain from sharp talons ripping into her flesh. She slowly opened her eyes, and gazed into two rows of sharp teeth, surrounded by four small tusks. Just as she opened her mouth to scream, the creature's mouth opened and another small mouth shot forwards, travelling right down her throat as the tusks locked around her head. Her throat burned as she felt several leathery objects force their way down, and her vision started swimming.
After five objects were forced down her throat, the small mouth quickly pulled out of her throat as the hand let her go. Glancing up again, she saw black dreadlocks swaying above her, and a muscular body leaned over her before her consciousness faded and the blackness took her.
"You sure, Seruhiko-sensei?" One of the girls asked. "It looks like you still have quite a lot to do here…" They asked as they glared at what remained of their activity for the festival.
"I told you, it's fine." He smiled as he gazed at the debris. "I'm not going to overdo it, anyhow. I plan on turning in early tonight as well." He quickly glanced at the girls when he heard no reply, and tensed at the expressions on their faces. All of them were deathly pale, shivering and matted with cold sweat. "Is everything all right, girls?" He asked as he stepped forwards, only for one of the girls to squeak and point behind him. That was when he felt the warm breath on his neck and he spun around just in time to dodge a small mouth attached to a pole shooting from a fanged mouth. He quickly jumped back and drew his small staff, surveying the attacker and gasping slightly when it stood on its hind legs, towering over him by at least four feet. The lights around them danced on its bony carapace, illuminating the blade on the tip of its ridged tail and reflecting off the dome covering the top of its oblong head, arching into a spiky, pronged crest about halfway back. The monster hissed again as it stepped forwards, drawing whimpers and squeaks from the girls as it bared its teeth again, hissing loudly.
Seruhiko slightly craned his head around. "Get out of here…" He growled, at first not getting a response. "GO!" He yelled at them, snapping them from their daze just as the monster advanced. It halted when it saw the girls stumbling over all the obstacles, as it reared its head and screeched, making Seruhiko cover his ears with his hands. The girls' screams easily broke through his makeshift covers, and when he turned around, he saw why.
Fifteen smaller creatures surrounded the girls, circling them on all fours, hissing as the lights danced on the domes, theirs covering their smaller, oblong heads all the way to the back. Each of them hissed, drawing their lip back to reveal their teeth, coated with spittle which flew in all directions as the sounds escaped through their gritted teeth. He quickly glanced back at the crested monster, which was now hardly five feet from him, and then back at the smaller monsters, circling the girls as they hissed and screeched. This is not good… He thought as he gritted his teeth and turned to face the leader.
"So you must be the boss…" He said softly. As if it understood, the creature hissed at him and its second mouth shot out again, so fast he hardly realised it moved until it snapped shut less than a centimetre from his forehead. He quickly doubled back a few steps, but stopped when one of the girls screamed. He spun around just in time to see one of the smaller creatures grab her by the shoulders and slam onto the ground, closing its hands around the underside and top of her face as it held her head up and opened its mouth.
A beam of gold struck the monster in its side, causing its blood to usher and spray in all directions. "Now!" He cried as the other creatures turned to face him. "Get out of here! Run, before…" His voice died out in his throat as the fallen girl continued to scream, and he began tremble in shock. "Oh… Dear God…"
The creature's blood was slowly eating away at the young girls face and flesh, causing her blood to boil and bubble as the acidic liquid ate deeper and deeper into her skin. His eyes widened as a whitish-yellow substance mixed with the blood as it ate clean through her eyes, and saw arcs of blood spray as it turned her throat into a half pipe of flesh and muscle. "My God…" He shivered as he watched her voice turn into a gurgle, and then fall silent as her hands, now eaten through to the bone, stopped clawing at the remnants of her face as they fell limply at her sides. "What… What have I - Gaaah!" He cried out as a sudden pain shot through his lower back, and he felt droplets of blood on his chin and cheeks. He slowly glanced down to see a blade protruding from his stomach, and he could see two ridges where the blade ended. With a grunt, he turned around and saw the creature's tail, leading all the way to his back.
It… It saw an opening… He thought to himself, spitting blood and screaming as the creature drove its tail further and further through his stomach, until a good six feet of its swayed in front of him. That sly devil took… advantage of my weakness and… He glanced back at the creature and into its open mouth as the smell of rotten flesh and blood hit his face, and he grunted his last sound just as its inner mouth shot forwards, and everything went black.
The remaining girls screamed and broke into tears when they saw the large monster punch a hole clean through their beloved sensei's head with its second mouth. With a few hisses, it swung its tail to the side, causing Seruhiko's corpse to fly off it and into one of the low walls as it advanced on them. With a loud screech, its kin descended on the girls in a cacophony of hisses, screeches and shrieks as the girls' terrified screams floated into the night sky, unheard.
"But there has to be a misunderstanding!" Ayaka Yukihiro pleaded as she stood with both hands on the dean's desk. "It was probably just an accident at the science building, there's no need for this!" The office was now devoid of any other people, as the former students had all returned to their dorms.
"I told your parents the same story." Konoemon sighed. "But they won't have it. They are sending a private helicopter to pick you up, and your mother is coming with them. It will arrive in an hour." He said as he looked at her teary face. "I am really sorry about this, Yukihiro-san. But judging by your parents' tone of voice, I think this will be your last hour at Mahora Academy." He looked at her sorrowfully as she began to cry.
"But… But all my friends are here…" She sobbed. "I've been here most of m-my life!"
"I understand your conflicts with this." He said softly. "But I too believe it is best if all the students, let alone the rich and powerful be escorted off campus. A shame that some parents lack that…"
"B-But what if I don't want to go?" Ayaka pleaded.
"I am sure can take a stand against this when your mother gets here." He smiled. "However, it is best that you pack nonetheless. You must be prepared in case your mother convinces you to go." He said sadly. "That will be all, Yukihiro-san." He said as he turned his attention to the flood of letters he got after the explosion. With tears still staining her cheeks, she turned and left without a word. However, the dean could swear he heard more sobs escape her as she walked down the hall.
Suddenly, the door burst open and Shizuna ran in with a fearful expression and tears in her eyes. "Headmaster…" She huffed. "Please… You must come quickly!"
"What happened?" He asked as he stood up, a stern expression on his face.
"It's Seruhiko, headmaster!" She panted. "He… He's been murdered!"
A loud cry escaped Satomi's mouth, resonating through the dimly lit room of the abandoned dorm as Matthew Corban quickly and efficiently shifted her broken leg back into position, grunting as he did so.
"Oh, shut up and suck it up." He growled as he called the medic in. "Always the brainiac scientists who turn to be the biggest pussies."
"Well, forgive me for not being used to broken limbs." She bit back. "I research for a living, I don't gun people down simply because I can…"
"And you're missing out because of that." He grinned, just as another soldier entered the small room.
"All perimeter defences have been set up, sir." The woman huffed. "We have mines, tripwire grenades and claymores spanning a three meter makeshift moat around this building, and all our patrols are kitted with both night vision and infrared imaging. We have MG nests on every corner of this dorm, and all our snipers are perched on the roof and in the windows. Sir, nothing is getting within half a mile of this building, Xenomorph or otherwise."
"Good." Corban nodded. "Still, I want the Browning M2's unpacked at the entranceways, with highbeams running on independent power supplies along with them." The soldier nodded. "I also want the order spread that each soldier is to chuck their suppressors and silencers, we need as much damage per shot as we can get. Now move it." He grunted as the woman saluted and walked off.
"Browning M2's…" Satomi chuckled. "You must be really scared of the Xenomorphs if you have fifty calibre machineguns in the doorway…" Corban punched her broken limb in response, making the medic flail his arms in panic as she screamed.
"That'll teach ya to mouth off to me…" He grunted as he took a seat at the foot of the table she was laying on. "Now," He said as he clamped a fist around the lumps on her leg where the bones were broken, and squeezed slightly, making the girl yelp. "You are going to tell me everything you found out about our hunter friends."
"Surely you can't thi- AAAAH!" She screamed again as Corban tightened his hold on her leg.
"I heard enough to know those fuckers are dangerous, and very hard to kill." He said as he drew a large revolver from his belt and placed it on her forehead, clicking the hammer in place as he did so. "As much as you won't like it, even you are expendable to us now. This is a last-man-standing scenario between us, the Xenos and whatever the fuck dismantled my men in the forest."
"You need me…" Satomi grinned. "I know the most about the Xenomorphs… About their hierarchy… Kill me now and you and all your men die…" Corban frowned, but smiled shortly after as he pulled the gun away and pointed at her crotch. "And you need this…" He growled, increasing the pressure behind the gun. "Without this there'll be nobody to 'continue your legacy'. And if I decide to leave you here, you'll make absolutely no breakthroughs 'cuz those hunters will skin you alive." He suddenly pulled the revolver away brought it level with her head, and pulled the trigger.
Her scream echoed through the entire building, along with a gunshot that made eve nthe walls of the abandoned dorm vibrate as it travelled. Outside, several of the soldiers pressed their hands to their ears.
She whimpered as she gazed to her left, to see almost an entire quarter of the flimsy table blasted away. Corban chuckled as he clicked the hammer into place again, and shoved to barrel against her forehead, singeing her skin with the red-hot tip as he did so. "Good old Smith 'n Wesson…" He chuckled. "Point five-hundred, enough to take most of the top of your body off." He grinned as he pulled the revolver away and pointed it at her crotch again. "Now talk… Or you'll see firsthand whether there's a God or not…"
"It's ridiculous." Asuna huffed as she, Negi, Konoka, Setsuna and Mana strolled down the corridors of the dorm building. "I mean, armed guards? Are they serious?"
"I heard Iinchou-san's parents are also coming to fetch her in an hour." Negi said. "Maybe we should go bid her farewell."
"You go ahead." Asuna huffed. "I'm not wasting my time like that…"
Mana abruptly stopped at the one window, ignoring Asuna's rant as she narrowed her eyes. "See something?" Setsuna asked from Konoka's side.
"I don't know…" She answered slowly. "I swear I saw something move out there… Somewhere there in the shadows." She said as she squinted through the windows as Setsuna and Konoka stood beside her. Two brief, eye-shaped flashes in one of the shadows made Konoka jump slightly, as Mana smirked. "I knew it…" She said as she turned to Setsuna and took her rifle out. "Go back to the dorm. I'm going to see what that was."
"Are you sure?" Setsuna asked, a bit wary.
"It's probably just another low-level demon." Mana said as she secured her pistols in their holsters. "It's nothing I can't handle." She smirked.
Unbeknownst to her, a hazy silhouette moved in the shadows outside, observing her through different shades of red as several glyphs and arrows singled out her weapons, calculating the threat they posed. With a satisfied growl, the figure leapt up onto one of the building, and waited.
Elsewhere, Project X suddenly stopped. It picked up several unique pheromones in the air, and it hissed loudly as it glanced to its right. In the distance, the windows of a small cottage burned brightly, like two eyes gazing straight at it. With a roar at its kin, several smaller creatures shot forwards, leaving the rest to drag all the young bodies towards the forest. Each small creature quickly darted to the small cottage, hissing softly as they ran at blinding speeds. Project X hissed contentedly, before turning back to the unconscious girl in its arm. It brought her face level with its own, and its tusks wrapped around her head as its inner mouth shot down her throat.
"Are you sure, Ayaka-san?" Negi asked as he helped her carry her bags to the place where her parents' helicopter would pick her up. "I doubt your parents wouldn't allow you to come back after all this is over."
"I know my parents by now, Negi-sensei." Ayaka sniffed as she tugged on one of the large cases. "If they believe I'm in danger there's no way I'm ever going near that place again, whether I like it or not…" She said.
"But that's unfair!" Konoka said. "Don't you get to decide that?"
"Not where I come from…" Ayaka sighed, just as a whirring noise reached their ears. The trio glanced up as the helicopter appeared on the horizon, coming closer with each second. "Well, I guess this is it." She sighed again as she turned to Negi. "Thank you, sensei, for making school fun again these past months." She smiled with tears in her eyes. "I'll really miss you…" She said as she pulled the boy into a hug, drawing a giggle from Konoka as said boy blushed profusely at the spot where he was caught in.
But suddenly the heiress perked up, a wary look on her face. "Hey guys…" She called to Negi and Ayaka as she pointed at the helicopter. "Wha… What's that?" She asked as she pointed at three red beams fixed on the helicopter, clearly visible in the night sky.
"I… I don't know…" Negi said as he squinted, watching the beams grow closer as the helicopter did.
"Wait…" Ayaka said, eyes suddenly wide. "Th-those look like…" No sooner had she trailed off, when a bright blue bolt fired from the source of the beams, blasting the tail of the helicopter clean off and causing it to careen out of control, spinning wildly in the air before another bolt struck the side, causing it to explode in a bright blaze. Ayaka's eyes widened again as she paled, seeing the helicopter fall to the ground. "Mother… No!" She cried as she dropped all her bags and sprinted to the place where the helicopter crashed.
"Iinchou-san!" Konoka called after her.
"Ayaka-san, wait!" Negi called, discarding the heavy case and glancing up only to find her gone already.
"Not good…" Konoka said. "Not good at all!"
Mana raised an eyebrow when she saw the explosion in the distance, and lowered her rifle. Must have been one of the escorts… She thought. So this demon is here to stir up trouble… She quickly steadied her rifle in front of her. But where is it? She scowled as she looked around, finger resting on the trigger of her rifle. It was here a few minutes ago… But where could it - She tensed when everything went deathly silent. Not good… She thought as she quickly surveyed her surroundings. This is never a good thing…
A loud clang above her made her look up just in time to see a barely visible silhouette descend on her, and she just barely raised her rifle above her head to black an attack. Two invisible blades effortlessly cut through the wood of the rifle, embedding themselves in the steel barrel. She quickly tossed the rifle aside and rolled forwards just as two more blades opened small cuts on her lower back, and she drew her pistols as she turned around and aimed at it, firing several shots.
She hit nothing.
What! Her eyes widened just as a bright blue light shot from nowhere, catching her unprepared and leaving her wide open. In a bid to block it, she tossed one of her pistols at the light, causing it to explode on impact just as the silhouette rushed forward again, and she saw its claws glint in the moonlight, even through its cloak.
She fired again, this time aiming more precisely, and grimaced when each of the bullets ricocheted off it with loud clangs as the figure rushed forward, undeterred. My spellbreaker bullets aren't working! She thought wildly as she hopped back, avoiding its claws again. Then… Then this can't be a demon… Crap! I'm not kitted for this! She ducked under one of the assailant's overhead swipes, and quickly tried to make some distance between them, failing miserably as the creature closed in with a great leap, landing before her. She hopped back again, but one of the blades opened a small cut on her cheek.
She ducked under another overhead swipe, but this time her assailant was ready, spinning on the spot and kicking her legs out from under her, before bringing its left fist down on her again. She quickly rolled to the side, but the attacker wasted no time in closing the distance again, delivering a crushing kick to her ribs, lifting her off the ground and sending flying into the wall, crashing against several pipes. She slumped as she slid down, falling over onto her side as the creature came near.
She saw its footprints appear in the sand, and looked up to see it raise its left arm, preparing to strike. Just a bit longer… She thought as the attacker pulled its arm back and uttered a few clicks. Come on… Come on! She desperately thought, staring at the outlines of the assailants head. Then, with a loud growl, it attacked, almost too fast for Mana to register. NOW! She quickly pushed forward and rolled to the left, hearing a loud clang as the claws parted the steel of the pipes, followed by the sounds of water spraying from the burst pipes. She glanced up to see the water enveloping the attacker's figure, rendering its cloak useless as the water streamed down its figure.
Several electrical crackles echoed from where it was standing as several blue lines danced and wriggled across the silhouette, and within seconds the cloak started dissipating, revealing something that made Mana tremble slightly at the fearsome sight before her.
Her eyes locked with the visor over its own, taking in the details of its mask, arching over its wide forehead, dotted with glyphs and runes of various shapes and sizes, the most notable being a large T-shaped marking that looked slightly uneven and the intimidating fangs mounted in its hollow cheeks. She traced its dreadlocks down to its broad shoulders - taking note of the gun-like contraption mounted there - and continued surveying its armour, decorating its muscular body in many places, also covered in runes similar to those on its helm. She backed away at seeing the black talons on its fingers and the long, jagged blade protruding from its gauntlets as it stepped closer, breathing heavily. Wha… What the hell is this thing! She thought as she aimed again, this time at the areas of its body covered by a mesh-like contraption, unshielded by armour. With a flick of its wrist, its blades extended even longer as it roared at her, bulling its arms back, parallel with the ground, before charging at her with murderous intent.
Several gunshots in the air made Setsuna whip around in front of the door of her dorm room. A couple more followed, and she frowned. I knew I should've gone along! She mentally chided as she rushed down the hall. It seems there's more than one demon… And judging from the sounds, it's more than she can handle…
"Your tea, master." Chachamaru bowed slight as she set the cup down in front of Evangeline, who was deep in thought. The small girl hardly realised that Chachamaru was there. "Master?" She called again, drawing the girl from her thoughts. "You seem troubled."
"It's nothing…" Eva said softly as she took a sip from the tea. "I'm just trying to piece this all together…" She sighed.
"Piece what together, Master?"
"All that's happening." She said, oblivious to the shadows moving outside in the window. "First a helicopter is shot down, then the science building collapses, and now we have a dead teacher and several missing students." She frowned. "I can't see how this all ties together."
"Could it be connected to the ten disturbances in the barrier you felt, master?"
"I doubt it… I lost track of them the minute they entered. They could've been migrating birds, for all I know now…" She angrily gulped down the tea before continuing. "Maybe I'll get all this tomorrow, after I've slept a while. Chachamaru, close the curtains. I'm going to bed." She said as she stood up.
"Yes, master." The gynoid replied as she walked to the window. A sudden movement outside caused her to freeze, and survey the dark grounds outside. She quickly scanned for anything outside, and when she found nothing, shrugged it off.
"What's wrong?" Eva asked from the top of the stairs.
"Nothing, master." Chachamaru answered, looking up at her. "I thought I saw something move outside, but my scans confirmed there is nothing." Eva nodded, and Chachamaru turned back to the window - and stared into a gaping mouth, baring fangs and uttering a loud screech before smashing through the window, seizing her by the throat.
Evangeline rushed back just in time to see the black creature thrown back through the window, just as several more jumped in and scurried along the walls and ceiling, as three of them remained behind to keep Chachamaru busy. Evangeline quickly counted eleven of the creatures, before wincing as five more broke through another window, and four more broke her door down. Great… A demon attack… Just what I need now. However, she paused at seeing the creatures' bony bodies, and the domes covering their oblong head, as well as the sharp tips of their tails. Wait… These aren't demons… A screech pulled her from her thoughts as one of the monsters leapt at her, to which she responded with a powerful kick to its chest. She winced as the creature's tail lashed out, opening a long, albeit shallow cut on her leg. My barrier! How can these things - In an instant, the creatures had her surrounded, each hissing threateningly as even more attempted to assault Chachamaru. One already lay dead by her side, and another was effortlessly tossed over her head as she fought, several gashes already decorating her clothing. Eva looked back at her assailants, counting nineteen overall. Six of them clung to the roof, two more on the stairway with a couple behind her. "You're quite fast…" She mocked as she got into a stance, each creature hissing and screeching as they stalked around her. Several loud taps behind her made her smirk, and she spun around, planting a roundhouse kick to one creature's jaw as her palm struck another in the chest, sending both of them falling to the floor as three more attacked. The first's attack was easily dodged, and Eva quickly sent the second one flying into the third with a well-placed kick, before feeling five talons shred the flesh on her shoulder. With a grunt, the first creature collided with the wall after Eva landed another well-placed punch on it. "Surely this isn't all you… you 'things' have, is it?" She laughed as four more attacked, one leaping from the ceiling, only to find a foot crashing into its mouth, sending it crashing to the floor below. "Come on!" She cried with a smirk.
Chachamaru killed a third creature by snapping its neck, tossing its corpse aside as she turned to the remaining sixteen. One reared to attack, but a fist attached to a cable slammed into its face, knocking it back out the door as two more attacked. Chachamaru caught them by their throats and waited for their mouths to open. She had a large hole in her shoulder to prove she had learned what these creatures' second mouth does, and just when her victims opened their, she quickly twisted their heads to face each other, causing them to open holes in each other's throat. With two more dead, she tossed them aside as well and turned to the remaining monsters.
Evangeline laughed as she kicked one of the creatures into another's path, causing it to be impaled on the tip of its friend's sharp tail. "This is rather fun…" She muttered, just before one of the remaining fifteen landed another lucky hit on her side, ripping cloth and flesh with its claws. "I still don't know how you pull that off…" She muttered, backhanding the creature away from her, down the stairs where it landed in its head with a sickening crunch, which caused her to grin. "Anyone else?" Another creature quickly lunged at her, to which she smiled as she dodged its attack, catching by the tail and spinning it around the creature's neck. She used her new shield to knock away two more attackers before using it to block another one's second mouth. With a dark chuckle, she threw the body away just before its blood could touch her. Numerous holes covered the floor as a testament to what these monsters' blood could do, and she didn't want to be caught in that.
She glanced back at the remaining monsters, which seemed to be readying themselves to attack all at once. However, an ear-piercing screech echoed from the distance, and the creatures quickly dispersed, leaving Evangeline and Chachamaru with a confused look.
CRASH!
Eva jumped as another ridged tail broke clean through the wall and embedded itself in Chachamaru's chest, before pulling back, dragging the gynoid along with it. With a loud crash, her body broke a hole in the wall as another ear-piercing screech reverberated through the small cottage. With a huff, Evangeline jumped down, running to the hole in the wall with a frown on her face. "Don't you idiots know when to qui…" Her voice died out when she saw what stood before her.
Another black creature towered over her and the rest of the monsters, standing at least a full person's length higher than she does, as it twirled its tail around Chachamaru's body, while the gynoid struggled to loosen her from the vice-like coil. The moon danced off the large creature's crest, which stood tall and jagged above its head as it hissed. With another frown, Eva leapt forward and planted a roundhouse kick in the creature's gut, followed by a palm strike to its chest, both which resulted in nothing more than a loud thunk as the creature gazed at her for a second, hissing once as it turned back to Chachamaru, undeterred by her attacks.
"Okay…" Evangeline said softly as she realised her attacks did nothing. "This… might be a slight problem…"
Mana grinded her teeth as the armoured assailant kicked her in the stomach again, aiming another swipe at her face, which she just barely dodged before stumbling to her knees. Two deep gashes stretched from her shoulder to the middle of her back, very close to her spine and narrowly missing her shoulder blades. Several nicks and cuts decorated her body, and her other pistol lay discarded, twisted into a small steel wreck from her attacker's assaults.
Coughing up a bit of blood, she quickly rushed forwards on all fours in an attempt to get away, but her attacker was on her again, grabbing her by the hair and hoisting her up into the air, leaving her legs dangling. It gazed at her face, tilting its head to side, seemingly revelling in the fact that it defeated her. Several black spots decorated its muscular body where Mana's bullets had hit it, and a trickle of green blood dripped from a cut on its arm, which she had put there with a fragment of the pipe it smashed. Just then, it flicked its right wrist, and those blades extended too as it tossed her into the wall, dazing her as it stalked over to its fallen prey.
Evangeline growled as the large creature slapped her aside again, gritting her teeth as yet another of her attacks went unnoticed by the beast. "Why won't you die!" She growled as she attacked again, resulting in the same loud thunk and another backhand to her face. "I'll show you…" She said, spotting a section of the creature's tail resting on the ground. With a dark smirk, she brought her foot down on the creature's tail, causing it to screech and drop Chachamaru as its tail retracted.
"Can you fight?" Eva called to her, dodging the creature's tail and gasping in surprise when she found this one's was longer that the rest.
"Yes, master." Chachamaru replied, getting up and taking up a stance despite the sparks flying from her stomach area.
"Good." Eva smirked as she ran over to her. "Because I have a plan to get through that thing's hide. But we'll need those lasers behind your eyes." She said.
"I will, master." The gynoid replied. "What is your plan?"
The creature hissed agitatedly as the small girl whispered something into the gynoid's ear, and without a second thought it charged at them, encouraged by the shrieks of its kin at it made a beeline straight for Eva. The girl smirked as one of its hands shot out, and she lifted her arms just in time for the hand to close around her midsection and raise her into the air as her hands came to rest on the creature's hand, looking down.
With a hiss, it opened its mouth and Eva grinned. Played perfectly… She gazed at the creature's second mouth, and just as she would but her plan into motion, the creature stopped, making her frown. "What are you doing!" She cried at it. "I'm right here, vulnerable! Use that second mouth of yours and get it over with!" The monster snarled angrily and tossed her back, flexing its talons as it circled her. Dammit! It's not falling for it… She mentally seethed as she got up. "Well… I don't like this… But I guess it's necessary…" She leapt at the monster, aiming a kick at its midsection, and braced herself when she saw it lash out at her.
She bit back a yelp as the talons tore at her high. She hopped back and attacked again, taking another blow to her chest as she was tossed aside. As she got up, she saw the creature's tail snaking at her, and with a smirk she slapped it to the side. But a loud squelch caused her eyes to widen as she felt a warm fluid drip down her side. She glanced down and saw that creature's tail had somehow curved back at her after she knocked it away, and was now lodged in her side. Damn… Its tail is much longer… She winced as it lifted her into the sky, while she clutched and tugged at the tail. This was not part of my plan! She glanced up and her eyes widened as she looked into the creatures open mouth just as its inner jaw shot out - and she smirked.
With one quick motion she knocked the small mouth to the side wrapped both her hands around it. But this still fits with said plan! "Chachamaru, NOW!" She called, grinning evilly as the two red beams shot from the gynoid's eyes, eating through the soft flesh and muscle in an instant. With an ear piercing screech of agony, the creature fell back as its tail dislodged from Eva's side, and the small girl dropped onto her feet holding the creature's second mouth in her hand. "Now, phase two!" She called as Chachamaru's lasers focused on the tip of the monster's dome, heating it up and causing puffs of smoke to rise into the sky.
"Master, I detect that my laser will not last long enough to burn through that dome in my current state." Chachamaru said as more sparks flew from her torso.
"That's fine…" Eva smirked, gazing at the tip of the creature's dome, now glowing red. "Stop on my mark…" She said softly, watching the creature writhe in agony. "NOW!" She yelled as she charged forwards just as Chachamaru's lasers shut down. With an evil laugh she leapt into the sky, bearing down on the creature.
With a loud crack! the second mouth broke through the creature's dome, causing its blood to pool out of the wound as Eva jumped back with a victorious smirk. The creature tossed its head back, screeching as its blood flew everywhere while its kin flew into chaos, fleeing the scene and attacking each other while doing so. "And don't come back!" Eva called after their fleeing forms as the colossal creature uttered its last shriek before falling to the ground, lifeless.
Eva winced as the pain from her wounds caught up to her, but she grinned nonetheless as she gazed upon the creature's dead body. "That thing's head will make a nice display ornament…" She mused as Chachamaru drew near.
"Master, the dean is waiting at the hospital as we speak. We should report this to him at once, and they can tend to your wounds there as well."
"I don't need a hospital's help." Eva huffed. "But we should inform the old man about this. Something like this could definitely be tied to Seruhiko's death and the missing students…"
"Tatsumiya-san!" A call from behind them made the armoured humanoid growl angrily, and whip its head in the direction of the voice, lowering Mana to her knees again as it gazed at the intruder. Mana's eyes widened when she saw Setsuna running at them, holding Yuunagi at the ready.
"No…" She muttered. "What are you doing! Get out of here, this thing is too strong!" Mana barked at her, ignoring the menacing growl it sent at her. With a determined look, Setsuna placed her hand on the hilt of her blade.
"Shinmei-Ryuu Secret tech- Wait…" Her eyes widened when she saw the humanoids calm posture. Of course! If I attack it, I may hit Tatsumiya-san… She glowered at the attacker before unsheathing her blade, and charging at it. "Let her go, demon!"
"It's not a demon!" Mana barked again. "Just get out of here!"
Setsuna charged forth undeterred, aiming an attack at the assailant's exposed belly, ignoring its calmness. "Now you die!" She angrily called.
THWACK!
All her muscles seized up as something sharp hit her in her back, and she felt herself abruptly stop. Her heart automatically began beating faster, and her vision immediately started to swim. A poisoned dart! She thought as she desperately tried to force her body to move, despite the burning sensation overtaking her. But without a sound… Not even… a shot… How! She slowly felt her limbs start to move to her command, ignoring the pain it was causing her as she turned around, seeing a hazy silhouette a few feet from her. How couldn't I… sense it… She mentally groaned, slowly holding her blade out before her, as the figure approached. The crackling sounds its cloak made when it dissipated reverberated in her ears, and she found herself feeling nauseous. Wh-what kind of… poison is this! She yelped as she swayed on her legs, before looking up at the silhouette.
Now visible, Setsuna saw that this one was similar to Mana's attacker, seeing the resemblance in its dreadlocks, type of mask and armour. This one was even more armoured, though, but its armour pieces seemed less bulky than its counterpart's did. She could make out two long tusks on its mask, beside what looked like part of a skull. A spiky hide was attached to the rim of the mask, with an indefinite amount of runes and glyphs etched into it. Setsuna gulped audibly when she saw three lines of red blood running down the creature's mask, and when she looked down at the pendant hanging around its neck, she gasped loudly…
Oh no… Is… Is that an intestine? She started shaking as the humanoid stalked over to her, holding out its right palm. Even through the cold sweat dripping into her eyes and the blurry vision the poison brought on, she could definitely make out red blood - human blood - covering the cestus that equipped its hand. I… I can't move…
"What are you doing!" Mana cried. "Move! Get away from it!" A sharp shard appeared in one of the holes on the underside of its gauntlet, and before either girl could realise it, a large net shot out from it, picking Setsuna up off the ground and propelling her backwards until she impacted with the ground, resulting in a sickening squelch as the steel dart was driven deeper into her back. Struggling against the net, Setsuna could make out the tusked warrior standing before her as it reached to something on its back. It withdrew a short, sharp stick and held it horizontally before it. With a squeeze of its hand, two sharp blades shot out one each tip as the stick extended into a long spear. She tried to cry out, to yell obscenities at the attacker as it raised the spear and pointed it at her, but she was too weak and in too much pain. She saw the other one grab Mana by the hair and lift her into the air again, which only fuelled her attempts to get out of the net. Her limbs did not comply, however, as most of her body was going numb. The tusked warrior uttered a loud series of clicks, and pulled the spear back.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The warrior lowered it spear as several red glyphs appeared on its left gauntlets, flashing and beeping loudly. It planted its spear in the ground and flipped open the console mounted on its wrist, and both Mana and Setsuna gasped when a large hologram of Mahora appeared, with a red, blinking triangle focusing on one point. The warrior hastily typed into the console, resulting in several changes to the hologram, until it stopped, focusing on a convoy of luxury cars streaming into Mahora. Through the hologram, several guns were visible within the cars.
The escorts… No! Setsuna kicked against the net with her left leg, which she could still slightly feel, and groaned in anguish as she felt the net cut into the sole of her shoe. The warrior quickly flipped the console shut, and turned to its companion. With a loud growl and a jerk of its head, both of them disappeared, leaving only hazy outlines as Mana was dropped to the ground, landing on her stomach with a loud thud as the two silhouettes ran off.
Setsuna found her consciousness fading, as she saw Mana hover over her, clutching her wound while speaking to her, though she could not hear. She could hear nothing, and as her vision finally melted into a chaotic scene of mixed colours, everything went black.
The doors to the hospital burst open as Negi, Konoka and Asuna rushed in, gasping at the site of all the blood-covered students around them. Several nurses, as well as Shizuna and Nitta, were all rushing around, helping those in need. Negi quickly noticed Takamichi standing by as a nurse worked on Evangeline's cuts, much to her chagrin. He quickly rushed over, and the stressed look on Takamichi's face became evident. "W-What's going on?" Negi panted as he reached them. "Are you all right, master?" He asked Eva. "What happened?" He asked as he turned to Takamichi.
"We don't know yet." He sighed. "Mahora is under attack, Seruhiko was killed earlier, and large portions of the people on Mahora have disappeared. There have been sightings of armed men running around campus, but these students are telling a different story."
"What kind of story?" Konoka asked.
"They keep muttering about black monsters and black snakes and dragons and demons… I don't know anymore." He sighed.
"I was attacked by those things as well." Eva spoke up with a frown. "About thirty-five of them, as well as a leader. A leader which is now lying dead in front of my cottage, mind you."
"We'll be going around there later to retrieve its corpse." Takamichi said. "But for now we must focus on helping these people."
"Oh no…" Negi sighed. "And Ayaka-san is missing too…"
"Ayaka? What do you -" The doors suddenly burst open again, as a bloodied Mana entered supporting the body of an unconscious Setsuna.
"Set-chan!" Konoka called worriedly as she rushed over, followed closely by Negi, Asuna and Takamichi.
"Help her…" Mana panted as Takamichi took hold of Setsuna and placed her on a stretcher that was brought over. "She was… poisoned…" Mana panted as she sat down, clutching the wound on her back.
"Poisoned?" Eva mused from her seat. "Hmm… This sounds interesting…"
"Tatsumiya-san, what happened?" Negi worriedly asked, to which Mana smirked.
"Get the dean, sensei…" She panted. "You're not going to believe a word of this…"
Konoemon tugged at his beard, a worried expression plastered on his face as he listened to Evangeline and Mana's tales, visibly paling at hearing some parts.
"So on Evangeline's side, we have black, snake-like creatures that can walk on every surface and are extremely fast, and are even able to surpass her barrier. You say you killed one of their leaders?" He asked Eva, who only nodded. "Hmm… And you say their blood is similar to acid?" Eva nodded again. "Not good… Not good at all…" He turned to Mana, who was sitting with her hand over the bandage covering her wound. "And your story is different?"
"Much, headmaster." Mana nodded. "The creatures Setsuna and I fought were more advanced than what Evangeline described. They were very muscular, up to the point of resisting my bullets and only receiving bruises from them, and they were both armoured. They wore tribal masks with different designs, and they had technology that surpasses ours by years."
"Like?" The dean inquired, taking a seat.
"They had a cloaking device that outscores anything we've come up with. It renders them nearly invisible, and they can easily attack without disabling it. They also had a large net built into their gauntlets, as well as a very advanced holographic device, all technology humans are striving to create now." The dean frowned.
"But I doubt that is the worst part, isn't it?"
"Yes, headmaster." Mana nodded. "Apart from being very ferocious fighters, making use of blades sharp enough to cut through my pistols…" She inhaled before continuing. "I suspect they also had access to plasma weaponry."
"Plasma!" The dean asked; a shocked expression on his face. "Why… That's years from now's technology! How can they have access to it now?"
"I don't know." Mana sighed. "I just think that's what they used to shoot down whatever crashed into the forest earlier." The dean sighed as he slumped back into his seat.
"You say Yukihiro Ayaka is missing as well?"
"Yes, headmaster." Negi answered sadly. "Her mother's helicopter was shot down and she ran off in hurry to find out of her mother survived." The headmaster sighed.
"I think it is safe to assume that both of these creatures are residing on Mahora now… And judging by the numbers Evangeline spoke of, I think it is also safe to assume that these black snakes are responsible for all the disappearances…" A look of realisation appeared on his face. "That is why the armed men are here…" He sighed, before glancing up at the people in the room.
"We need to find every possible survivor before one of those two races can…" He said sternly. "Right now, Mahora is at war with two groups which we know nothing about, and we cannot leave anyone behind for them to find." Each person in the room nodded. "Split up and cover the campus as far as possible. Direct any survivors to Library Island, I will have a team of mages barricade it for your arrival. We'll reside there and call for aid from the magical world as soon as everyone is rounded up." He glanced at them. "As young as you are, these things are not human. So if you encounter them…" He glanced at everyone.
"Kill them if possible."
Project X hungrily glared at the convoy approaching it, hissing at the sight of all the people. Behind it, hundreds of its kin hissed and screeched softly as each car rolled towards its ranks. Several of the crested creatures screeched as more people were dragged into the forest behind them, each with a spider-like appendage stuck to their face or sporting a very swollen belly. X glanced at the cars, picking up hostility in the pheromones in the air as it drew its lips back in a hiss.
Elsewhere, Tusk was sitting on his haunches in a tree, all nine of his brothers waiting patiently behind them, moonlight filtering through their invisible bodies as they observed the convoy. Several armed men sat with their weapons in hand, safeguarding the innocent passengers from harm. He slowly played with two white feathers he had attained from his former victim, and growled in anticipation for their next encounter.
Several explosions caused the cars to stop as the guards quickly got out and armed themselves, gaping at the spires of blue flame rising before them. X grew jittery as it saw all the humans ripe for harvesting, flexing its claws and hissing impatiently. Tusk calmly stood up, and with a flick of his wrists, his blades extended as his brothers followed suit, growling in anticipation.
Between all the screams, yells and chaos between the convoy, X and Tusk glared at their victims. And with a loud roar from both, the two species attacked, descending on the humans without mercy.
A/N: Aaand we're done! Whoop-dee-doo! Finally got Chapter 3 up and running. Sorry if there are a ton of spelling errors, my spellchecker went haywire so I switched it off.
Now, to clear something up in case you were wondering, the Alien leader Eva and Chacha fought was not a queen. It was what's called a Praetorian, a young queen/defender of the current queen. Has a very, very long tail, the ability to control smaller Aliens and a bulletproof carapace. And yes, I know Tusk got the jump on Setsuna way too easily. But it was a stealth attack. Go check Predator 1, their nailguns don't make a sound when fired… And them nails fly freakin' fast! Tusk and the other Pred here are both my own concepts of the Black Super Predators from the upcoming Predators film. I don't own them. So don't sue!
Anyhow, thanks for reading through this. I'll be sure to be super happy once I see the results in the story traffic section.
Stay sic!
-Slipkn0T- out.