Thievery Of The Sword

Chapter 2: Long Chain and Big Blade

Written By Illuminet

Disclaimer: Characters from the Guilty Gear series are the rightful property of Arc System Works.

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Sol could make out the silhouette of the Order HQ building in the distance. He only had a couple of miles more to walk on up to reach it and one rolling hill to bypass. Not a difficult trip.

'Who the...? This smell is familiar...' Sol narrowed his eyes as he saw a man simply wander on through the small trek of wasteland Sol was making his way past to reach Order HQ. A tall lanky man with long blond hair greeted the Knight.

"Oh it's you Chief." His bandanna provided only minimal protection from the rain, his gaze squinting to make out Sol within the rain fall.

"Why are you here?" Sol muttered, apparently too low for the man to hear. He really just wanted to rest his head after his fight with Slayer, but it seems as if fate wanted to put a few annoying obstacles in his way. The British raised Axl Low was someone whom which Sol had only a passing friendship with. They had similar tastes in music and were occasional drinking buddies. Axl was also drinking buddies with Slayer, or so the man claimed once. They tended to run into each other in some of the weirdest of times, and usually not the most convenient of times either. Axl had an amused look on his face upon looking at Sol's wear.

"Uh, Chief...what's up with that uniform? It's a bit too dressy for you, ya know?" Axl, being a victim of rather constant time slipping had never seen Sol dressed up as a Knight before today or this time period.

"Spare me that shit, Low. I ain't got the time." Sol growled , beginning to walk again. Axl tailed him for a bit.

"Ah, come on Chief, you know I'm just messing around. Well...it still does look like your wearing a costume. You were never really one to wear so much flowing things or that much white." Axl mentioned, tapping his cane about his shoulder.

"I said to piss off Low. One annoying blond kid is enough for today. Two just means you'll end up lying in the gutter. I ain't in the mood for drinks or games." Sol's grip upon the crude leather bound handle of his blade tightened, eliciting a light squeak from the frayed hide. Axl had an annoying smirk on his face.

"How bout a match? I win, we go get some drinks, you win, I leave you be, Chief." Axl said. Sol moved his neck from side to side.

"Ah hell, so be it." And without warning Sol's heavy blade swung out, almost catching the Brit in the chest.

"Whoa, time out!" Axl's pole shot out with chains, pole ends forming sickles. His chained scythes were swung clumsily at first since Sol had altered his balance when he tried to evade the rough attack. Axl hopped back a decent amount, shooting his weapon out with the precision Sol was more used to seeing of him. Sol swerved to the side, closing in as he stepped in wide.

"Whoa!" Axl hadn't gauged how long Sol's reach was with the cleaver shaped blade as it pierced the ground and sending a blast of fire that almost blew the blond off his feet. He hopped up diagonally, coming overhead of Sol, his chain shot down for the back of the Knight's head. Sol was as slippery as a snake though, sliding past as a spear shaped flame almost caught Axl from his air time. Even as he fell to the ground and readied his attack, sending his chains whirling through the air at the Knight. Sol smacked the bladed ends away, coming forward for his offensive. Axl was quick to react, striking the blade with his steel sickles to halt the weapon. Axl then flung his bandanna at Sol's face, and his attack to the back almost succeeded had Sol not anticipated and kicked out to the rear, sending Axl tumbling.

"Sheessh...your real aggressive, Chief. More so than usual..." Axl mumbled, having to hop away as the ground erupted with mud and debris thanks to the massive swing Sol took with his blade, seeming intent on cutting Axl in half. Sol tossed the bandanna off himself, Axl barely grabbing hold of it before it met with the muddy ground.

"Your the one who wanted a little match. Don't blame me if you bite more than you can chew." Again the blade was sailing at the blonde, who had to pocket his bandanna for the time being. Axl manipulated his chain to bypass the weapon, the sickle catching Sol in the cheek to leave a decent gash on his face. Axl gritted his teeth, pretty sure Sol cracked some ribs as the blade met his side. The tradeoff of attacks wasn't worth it. Sol only pressed forward, his empty fist catching Axl in the face cleanly, sending a tooth flying. Axl was able to duck under a spear kick, tripping Sol up as he spun and kicked the Knight's stationary leg out from under him. His chains whistled in the air, as he tried to slam them against Sol's falling body. He met no luck, Sol rolling away once his upper back hit the deck. Axl had been surprised by the sudden lunge Sol had made once his feet touched the ground, a flame covered arm flying at Axl. Unable to react in time, Axl was soundly countered by a hit to the chest with enough force to send him sloshing along the muddy ground. Sol jammed his blade into the ground, the explosion sending Axl airborne so the Knight could chase him through the air.

"Couldn't just let things be in a time of war...annoying punk!" Sol had already jumped, spinning about as he slashed Axl across the chest with the sharp edges he implemented in the end of his uniform's coat. Axl kicked off his body to increase the space between the two of them, freeing himself of the remainder of the cutting edge of Sol's coat. Sol grunted, twisting to send his blade to smack into Axl's body with it's blunt side. Axl's body was covered in spiraling flames as he flew upward to repel the attack. Axl then descended at a sharp angle as flames converged upon his crossed arms, to chase after Sol's falling form. Once the Knight's feet hit the ground, his knees followed swiftly as he crouched. Sol slid under Axl mere inches from being impacted by what would have been a heavy strike to his cranium. Sol stuck his blade into the ground to turn him about and face his opponent. He avoided the extended chain Axl shot forward as he lowered his stance and focused. A sphere shaped burst of light surrounded him briefly. It took a bit more concentration than his usual lazy self would like, but focusing to use his action charge was quicker than standard charging. Especially against a long range opponent.

"Got ya!" Axl sent his chains flying low this time, bating Sol to jump and descend upon the blonde with his fist reared back. Axl twisted about, sending his other chained sickle spinning like a buzz saw about his body. Sol was caught in the side, the curved blade stabbing into his flesh right below the rib cage. Sol grunted. Axl tore a bigger cut into Sol as he ripped his sickle free of the falling Knight. Axl then shot his chain out from behind his back, the blade cutting across Sol's bicep and shoulder blade. Sol spun to avoid the rest of the cut, hitting the ground on his back. The Knight's feet reacted quickly as his foot sweep Axl's out from underneath him. Sol then lifted himself bodily up, flames cascading about his blade, slamming Axl in the face with the hand-guard of his crude weapon while flames exploded outward with an impressive light that rivaled the flash of lightning. Axl hadn't let it lying down though, shooting a flaming chain of his own to explode against Sol's chest. Both combatants went sailing through the air in opposite directions of each other at the same time.

"Ow..." Axl uttered out. Both he and Sol had fallen on their backs, clothing and skin charred decently by the flames they discharged from their weapons upon impact with one another. Axl's shirt had now sported a large opening in his right shoulder, freeing the right sleeve to dangle loosely on his arm. Sol had a decent size hole in the front of his uniform where the red front of his vest and white of his coat had been blasted free, one of the top large golden buttons having fallen into the muddy dirt a few feet away. The fall on his back snapped one of the leather straps looped to his belt, as well as ripping a larger hole to the formally small cut to the back of his uniform. The Knight was on his feet quickly, Axl up as well though with more pain and less grace.

"Well...looks like we got some company." Sol muttered. The fight was still far away from Order HQ to catch sight of and the hill hid them well from view of any Knights on guard duty. A few Gears, possibly stragglers of the morning train raid if the small superficial wounds on them were any indication, had shown up. A strange mix of reptile and avian looking Gears with a bit of protective scales, they had some spears while one had a decent sized battle axe. Sol saw there was seven in all. Not keen on attacking the HQ directly with their small numbers, chancing upon the two Human combatants seemed a much easier ordeal to handle. Though it would not be the case.

"Ah well, was fun fighting you for a bit Chief. Sorry it had to be during the Crusades of all times. I'll help ya out with what time I got left." Axl could feel the swell of energy surrounding him, knowing a portal was going to open up and soon. Clashing with Sol or other powerful opponents could trigger his time slip to activate faster, he just hoped it didn't lead to any possible time loops.

"What are you babbling about...?" Sol had been distracted as the Gears charged him and Axl. The Brit sent his chains whipping out to catch some about the legs to trip them up. One Gear fully fell, and one chained end smashed cleanly through it's eye socket, killing it instantly. The second one to come at Axl had had it's jugular ripped out by a precise cut to the throat. It soon died as well, leaving the Last Gear to approach Axl with caution. Meanwhile Sol growled as he stepped forward, swinging with enough force to break the tips of the spears of the first two Gears to charge him. He then shot forward with his hilt aimed outward, the pommel providing explosive suppressive fire upon them as Sol rushed through to crush their heads with his wide sword. Sol then rushed at the other two in his line of vision, one being the axe equipped Gear. The spear equipped Gear thrust forward and quickly retracted, trying to prevent Sol from closing it. After dodging a couple more swipes, Sol slid under and bridged the gap, catching the Gear by the neck with his empty fist. Sol head butted the Gear brutally as his limiter caught the taller figure right in the mouth. The Gear went flying back, killed upon catching it's head against the axe of the last Gear in the area.

'Low...where did he go off to?' Sol had missed the flash of light as Axl had been dropped into a portal after killing his third Gear by breaking it's neck. Sol's small slowdown made the last Gear swing bodily with it's battle axe. Sol hopped away before his was nearly cut in half. Then Sol rushed the Gear as it swung too hard and got the axe caught deeply into the soft ground. It freed the weapon, almost catching Sol with the upward swing, but the Knight was already leaping at his face, his empty fist crashing into the Gear's face to expose it's chest wide open for the killing blow. Sol drove his blade into the Gear's chest, silencing the Gear for the last time. Sol freed his bloody weapon and groaned in annoyance.

"Waste of time..." He muttered as he looked at all the fallen carcasses. To be forever controlled by Justice to become mindless and unfeeling puppets most of the time, they had been dealt a fate Sol was glad he had no part of being. Sometimes he wonders just how immune he is though, his sleep every now and again filled with images of attacking Humans no matter if ordinary Civilian or Knight. He wondered if it were a possible collective of thoughts that these mindless Gears who fought just because she ordered it so, not because they had a choice. Shaking his head to free himself of the troublesome thoughts, Sol made his way back towards Orders HQ. Four Knights were posted on duty, a Fireman team consisting of usually two close range combatants, one long range, and a long range supplemental and/or runner who would alert other Knights should a Gear disable the alarm alert security system.

"Evening, Sir Sol...whoa, what happened?" One of the guards was a part of Sol's Knight Raiders and knew of his leader's appearance on sight.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." Sol said tersely. Combined with fighting against Slayer and Axl, Sol was sure he looked fairly shitty at the moment.

"Right...well, some other Knights were looking for you. You missed the Promotion and Awards ceremony, where Sir Ky was presented with the Thunder Seal sword of the Outrage Set and ranked up to Major General. Not that you would care, knowing you. The other ones to try and locate you were some under Commander Kliff himself. I think he wants to see you." The Raider said. Sol nodded.

"Right." The Knight made his way where he knew he could find Kliff. With this Order HQ being a major tactical base and housing complex for the Knights, it's layout was meant to be very confusing to deter Gears from being able to navigate so easily should the outer walls be breached. The banners were color coded to allow Knights and only Knights to specifically navigate around. Sol already knew well how to get to Kliff's chambers. He'd only gotten a few halls in before he ended up running into none other than Ky Kiske himself.

"Sol..." Ky growled out. Sol took a quick look at Ky's waist, seeing the Thunder Seal sheathed away. Sol wasn't sure what it was, but seeing the Outrage up close gave him a pensive feeling. He wasn't sure why, but he was intimately knowledgeable about their creation and schematics. Much as he dreamed about possibly the thoughts of the very Gears he fought against, so too did he get vague images of blue prints and designs about the Outrage weapons, which as of current were considered property of the UN to some as well as national treasures in other areas around the world of which the UN held no physical claim to the weapons. Thunder Seal and another weapon, Fire Seal, were in direct jurisdiction of the Sacred Order of Holy Knights, meaning Kliff could pass them down to whomever without prior approval from the UN, hence why Ky now wielded the Thunder Seal only by verbal declaration to the UN when Kliff himself approved and saw fit to hand the very weapon to the young officer.

"Boy, I ain't got time for you. Outta the way, I'm meeting with the old man." Sol said. Ky's piercing gaze narrowed.

"That's Commander Kliff to you, Sol! It would seem you also disregarded my orders to remain on the base and not wander outside the premises! I know he was looking for you so I won't hold you up, but you WILL get a fresh uniform before meeting with Commander Kliff, understood?"

"Right. Whatever you say boyscout." Sol droned, clearly going to disregard Ky's orders as he usually does. Ky knew it too, already giving up Sol as a lost cause as far as being a respectable Knight of the Order. Rather than any further reprimand, Ky passed one final glare at Sol and was on his way. He had to meet up and plan for the attack with the Gears and attempt to trap Justice in about a day in a half, preparation deadlines cut in half since the train raid indicated she was already aware to an extent of the Order's plan. He had no further time to waste on Sol as it was just beating a dead horse over and over again. He left Sol be to continue through further until he came upon the twin heavy doors of iron, guarded by two sentries. Upon noticing Sol, and sparing awkward glances at the state of his attire as other Knights did earlier, both seen unwilling to let him in. Of course since Kliff was looking for him anyway, they really had little option but to grant him passage.

"You finally show up. Commander Kliff was looking for you for the past couple of hours or so. Hurry it up!" They opened the iron doors for him, closing them again once he was past them.

"Would it kill Sir Sol to show more respect for the uniform he wears? For the very organization he represents and works for? If not for his power, he would just be some no name bounty hunter like he was before Commander Kliff brought him in." Sol could hear the two behind the door due to his heightened senses even as they spoke just above a whisper to one another.

"It's the only thing that allows him to stay in the Order. Without it, he's just another poor bastard." The other said. Sol smirked as he made his way down the lavish hall with armor of Knights of the Middle Ages that loomed about like guardian charms.

'Right. It is the only thing I got, no thanks to my own fucked up existence...huh, to think, one of the very things they all despise happens to masquerade in the same clothing as them...no matter the physical appearance...a wolf in sheep's clothing is still a wolf. But exactly who am I betraying? Or rather...who am I not betraying? Even myself?' Sol hated overly thinking about how he came to be, mainly since he never had complete answers in that regard. For a hundred and fifty years and counting since he had become aware of himself as a Gear, he had tried to unearth what he could regarding Gears. All he had learned was that there were many well kept dark secrets surrounding the creation and purpose of Gears. Justice becoming aware of her own identity and existence and deciding to bring war and genocide to her Human creators and beyond hadn't helped matters. She had Gears destroy anything, even if related to Gears themselves, seeming to find such information as trivial. Or perhaps there was a tactical side at play, and she wanted to leave no record to show any major flaws or weakness Gears may have. Of course it was just speculation though.

'Well, let's see what the old bastard wanted. Though I think I can guess...' Sol went to the end of the hall where it would open to the Commander's personal training grounds. All bases for Order HQ had such places for a Commander to utilize mainly in times of relative ease from the war, and even train other Knights to hone their skills in physical combat further or gain advice and tips or other aid from more experienced Knights.

"Oh, you've finally returned, Sol. Where were you at by chance? I don't recall scheduling you for patrol duty today." Kliff was there at the center of the stone tiled arena structure in the center of the room, seeming to have been possibly meditating or some such thing. A small table lay to his side with an empty cup of what had probably been tea. He didn't looked phased at Sol's worn attire. Of course Sol didn't really expect him to be.

"You were looking for me earlier. What do you want?" Sol's voice and tone were curt and to the point. It was merely a part of his natural being. Sullen and unrefined, yet possessing so much raw power that it gained notice of the Commander who had gained a near legendary repute in all his near eighty years of service to halt the Gear menace and try and lighten the burden of the Crusades. The bloody war had lasted for nearly a hundred years already, and Kliff had left a large mark in history for having fought Justice so far fifteen times to a stand still, both physically and tactically. Sol had respect for the grizzled warrior, a rare feat. Many a time when Sol looked at the steel colored eyes of Kliff, he would be reminded of figments of what might have been his Human life before the conversion. Of a silver haired youth with those same steel eyes being attacked by Gears as they came to imprint the beginning of what would become their eventual blood stained lineage upon the world's history.

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