Thievery Of The Sword

Chapter 4: War Cry

Written By Illuminet

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

:xXx:

"There's expected to be heavy resistance at the Stairway to Heaven. The Raiders will split into two groups. The main objective is to provide a distraction so the main body of the remaining forces can flank the building from the west side and surround it. Being that it has the most difficult terrain to move around, Old man Kliff heard from some scouts that the Gears have only lightly fortified it since it already provides a natural defense, so the Gears will likely not expect it. The two groups of Raiders will take the front and the back, and our forces will be a bit light since we want to come across as a foot patrol to their own patrol. We will get the bulk of the fighting for maybe about ten or so minutes before the main force gets over the mountain range and divides up, one to reinforce us while the other seeks out Justice on the premises." Sol explained the plan to his platoon. Inwardly he wasn't really fond of it, since it meant he would probably be one of the last ones in on seeing Justice physically face to face. Still, if the Order could apprehend Justice and lock her away, Sol could question her then too. Guess there was only one way to find out.

"So we are basically going to take the brunt of their forces for a bit and take them out with a pincer attack with the main force at their backs?" One Knight questioned. Sol nodded.

"Yeah. Their goal is to try and trap Justice and cut off any escape that they can. I've already divided the groups. My team will consist of the left side of the room. We will attack from the front, the right side will attack from the back. I don't care whose in charge, one of the vets can figure that out amongst themselves. There will be a buggy to move you all to the rear of the Gear Plant, and once at the point you'll go by foot. My team will be hoofing it from the Order HQ since we will have a much shorter distance to cover. We will leave in about 20 minutes, the other team will start moving to the buggy now for departure since you'll have a lot of ground to transverse. Any questions you take to the Scribe as usual. That's all, move out." Sol ordered before swiftly turning away. His sword was slung over his shoulder. While most of the Raiders carried a satchel of healing potions, Sol had a small pouch with only four vials. He was the strongest amongst his platoon, every Knight was aware of it. He hit the hardest and was hit the most but he kept moving like a tank through the opposition. Though most Knights disliked him as a whole, his own platoon held respect for him because they knew personally of his strength, and that he played no favoritism. He'd do his job, you just do yours, and if you couldn't then your dead or you better just shut up and get the fuck outta the way.

:xXx:

As Kliff had said in his brief, the Raiders would come off as just a random foot patrol getting too close to the Plant. It did at that. Sol and his Knights had already gotten ambushed by one of the Gears own foot patrol but had decimated them. A runner got free as planned and alerted a bigger force to swarm the patrol. Weapons clashed and sparked.

"Fuckers." Sol muttered. He twisted about at the head of his patrol, cutting down some patchy fur covered Gears with thick clubs of iron. Others followed, their weapons slammed into his sword, but they didn't expect him to bodily hurl them off balance before hacking them in two. The sound of death cries and grunting mingled with the slamming of weapons into one another. Sol blasted a large swath in the Gear's ranks with spiraling flame bursting free from the ground, charring all Gears it touched black. He let the rest of his Knights handle the small fry as one larger than average Gear came into his view. It had probably been a gorilla in it's former life, fists now covered in steel grates with barbed wire. It sent a fist at Sol, who hopped out of the way before swinging his sword forward. It guarded with it's other fist. It tried to counter, but Sol sailed under it's outstretched hand and aimed his pommel point blank to it's face. It's head exploded once fire sparked free from Sol's weapon and the Gear fell with s sickening thud.

"Just a punk..." He crushed some more Gears under the wide flat of his blade when they tried tackling him to the ground.

"Megadeth Gear!" A shout diverted Sol's attention for a split second and he saw just in time as a rock twice his size was sent flying at him. The Gears expected him to be crushed, staring in awe when he caught it, though there was quite a bit of effort on Sol's part as he went skidding back. Even his Knights were growing fearful, but Sol halted the boulder just shy of reaching them. A mighty growl erupted from Sol's throat as he tore the boulder off the ground and hurled it at the remaining Gears ground level. He glared at the top of the mountains where the rock covered Megadeth Gear growled in frustration. Sol grunted.

"Handle things down here, I'm going ahead!" Sol claimed after pointing to one of the veteran Knights under his charge. He only got sight of the slight nod from the Knight before he started tearing up towards the Mountain. The Megadeth Gear tossed another boulder toward his Knights, but Sol took an impressive leap and smacked it out of the air with his sword. It's trajectory was tossed towards some other grounded Gears.

"Come on, you fuck!" Sol yelled out. The Megadeth Gear now had Sol in it's sight and roared, sending a hail of sharp stones from it's enormous maw. Sol kept his weapon up, pushing through the many projectiles coming his way. He swung his blade upon seeing the Megadeth Gear catch it's breath. It tried to swipe Sol's head off, but he had simply hopped over it. His blade cut into the stone armor that made up most of the Megadeth Gear's skin. He was able to make a decent strike to the Megadeth Gear's forearm, sending rocks and blood flying. The Megadeth Gear howled in pain, but it soon became an ear splitting roar that disoriented Sol.

"Shit..." He groaned out, the ringing in his ears making him lose balance. Only superb reflexes came to his aid as he twisted out of being crushed under one giant foot. He took a glancing blow from one of it's elbows which cut a decent hole in the front of his vest, retaliating with a vicious swing that sent it's head reeling back as it tried to take a bite out of him. Sol hopped into it's face, cutting at the neck where an opening had presented itself. Before the massive Gear could regain it's senses,Sol twisted and slammed a flame covered foot into the same exact spot, crushing the left side of it's throat. It's breathing came out haggardly, but it didn't let up, claws raking the ground as it sent a shower of rocks towards Sol. His sword protected from the brunt of the attack, though his arms got a few gashes and the coat ends were filled with decent sized holes where rocks cut through the tough fabric. Sol noticed it rearing it's head back, going to try and disorient him with another roar.

"Not this time!" Sol twisted and thrust his blade with enough force to pierce the thick plate of it's chest. He opened the wound further as he viciously twisted his crude weapon to open it up. The Megadeth Gear sagged downward, it's healing ability not kicking in fast enough from the damage sustained. Sol came forward and crushed it's head under his blade when the massive Gear tried to get up fully again. It died before it hit the ground.

"Sir Sol!" His Knights called out to him. Sol's attention was diverted towards the massive army of Gears starting to make their way towards the small platoon. Sol grumbled in annoyance. Luckily though, the Cavalry had arrived. Kliff and Ky led from the front, taking on the Gears at the back who had not even expected the Order's tactic.

"Guess we held out long enough." Sol muttered, aiming his sword towards The Gear army. His Knights followed him as they went to fight and regroup with the main force.

:xXx:

The Stairways To Heaven...

Sol, Ky, and Kliff were the only ones left from the decent sized unit of Knights they had extracted from the main force. Each was covered in grime and blood, their uniforms marred with several holes and cuts from the long ascent. None got a decent breather until now, and luckily they hadn't run into any further Gears. There were still a long way from the top however. The basement to the facility was accessible only through the sewers since almost all of what had been a part of the original outer stairways and where the main entrance had been located had collapsed some fifty years ago, barring more direct access. The floors were actually more like connected platforms with open areas on all sides, only a thin and rusted guard rail as a safety to prevent someone from falling over. They had met heavy resistance but had made their way to and along the cavernous basement, killing off many of the awake Gears and Gears still in stasis.

"We destroyed all the Gear containment cells thus far, so their should be little to no more reinforcements. The battle is going well, Commander Kliff. I think this may be the day we finally can apprehend Justice!" Ky's eyes showed his intensity to reach the top as soon as possible. The actions mirrored Sol's thoughts, though his face was as stoic as ever.

'If she really is here, then...there are so many familiar sights in here too...it's fucking giving me a damn headache. The memories are vague, but I know...I had been running through these very rooms, seeking a way out. An escape...' Sol's thoughts had been interrupted as Kliff words reached him.

"Both of you be careful...Justice is a fierce opponent. Very few things can truly harm her. A weapon of the Outrage set is one of the few that have the power to pierce her thick armor, and even then the damage is still small at best." Kliff advised of them. Ky was the only one with an Outrage weapon. Kliff's experience against Justice in the past was as much a weapon as the mighty Dragon Slayer. Sol wasn't sure how he stacked up in Gear terms when compared with Justice, but he'd be damned if he missed this chance to meet the Messiah of the Gears.

"Sheesh...seven basement floors...at least we can see the exit to go up." Sol said as he was the first to see the main door leading up to solid ground rather than the mess of platforms that made up the basement area. He stopped abruptly however.

"Huh? Why did you stop?" Ky asked him. He knew Sol's senses were keener than most, and as they were still deep in enemy territory, they had only each other to depend on.

"Shhh..." Sol held a hand for them to be silent. His eyes moved about the dark corridor, head slowly turning around.

'Someone's here...someone strong...' Sol brought his blade up, barely blocking a large iron sickle. His foot shot out to intercept the foot of his assailant. Sol's empty fist came blasting forward to try and knock the person's head off.

'Shit...a Humanoid Gear...' Was Sol's passing though as his fist was deflected by the twisting iron scythe that was in the hands of a wiry and paled skinned Gear garbed in all black just about. Sol had gotten a small glance at the emblem marked on his chest before it was hidden under the black leather that fell back upon his chest in their small but escalating tussle as they deflected one another of their attacks. Sol did a back flip to put some space between the two of them. Sol's eyes narrowed, as did the Gear's. Sol recognized his face. He had seen it once, on a picture in one of Kliff's office on a base in Germany.

"Your...Tesu! My son!" Kliff's face had gone ashen upon seeing the pale man whose face remained stoic.

"Tesu...? You are mistaken, Human. I am Testament. The right hand of almighty Justice, who shall purge all the Humans of this disfigured world." The scythe was twirled about expertly, the blade now skyward. The glowing eyes of Testament became brighter, a ghost of a smirk on his face.

"No...you are my son. Adopted yes, but still, our bond was what made us true family. Tesu...please step down." Kliff spoke up, starting to move towards the Gear. The Dragon Slayer was held defensively, for deep down, Kliff knew that there was likely little to no chance he could talk Testament into doing otherwise. The conversion left Testament at the control of Justice and it was likely his son was truly gone.

"You...you are the commander of the Knights...your face..." Testament's became more vacant, seeming to recall something as he looked at Kliff. The Gear shook his head, ridding himself of his own creeping thoughts of familiarity. His scythe swung forward fiercely, and Kliff took action as well by slamming his blade against the Gear's.

"I'm sorry...if this is how it must be...I must do at least one thing right.." Kliff stubbornly growled.

"Ky! Sol! Go further, I will be with you again soon!" The grizzled warrior demanded. Testament laughed.

"That won't happen! You filth will all meet your end by my scythe!" Testament summoned crimson constructs that tore through the ground by Sol and Ky's feet. The two evaded by hopping out of the way of their gaping maws. Ky twisted around, hacking their jaws apart with the Thunder Seal.

"Hurry and go!" Kliff warned, cutting a deep swath into the ground with the massive Dragon Slayer. Sol and Ky's route would now be impeded to reach the old commander. Testament had many tricks however, summoning centipede like creatures that bridged the gap with their bodies. The cut jagged paths in the ground, ready to get to the two Knights. Ky was able to cut one in half as it jumped up and tried to drill a hole in his chest. The other one played mean jab is it tore through the ground in a circular fashion, making Sol trip as the ground gave way. He caught the side of the hole to remain on the level of ground still available to him, but it was for naught when the centipede drilled through the ground in an attempt to pierce through Sol's throat. He guarded against the attack but it caused him to let go of the ledge.

"You asshole!" Sol went to a free fall, but was at least able to kill the centipede by swiftly using his free arm to grasp around it's head and crush it in his fist.

"SOL!" He could hear Ky's voice echo off the walls but it was no use, Sol was falling down the sides of seven basement floors. Ky may have not held pleasant memories of Sol, but even he could respect at least the power Sol possessed. Grumbling to himself for not having been more attentive and fleeing from Testament sooner to pursue Justice, Ky stood up once more, sparing one further glance to Kliff before making his way up towards the first floor of the building. Meanwhile, Sol had fallen to about the third basement floor before deciding he needed to make his way up the easiest way he could. Loosening the straps that bound the slab of metal to his forehead, Sol removed it an unleashed a large amount of his Gear nature, his form becoming engulfed in darkness as two large wings and a tail sprouted from his back and punctured his clothing.

"Here goes...!" Sol's massive claws caught hold of the side of the basement walls, then busted straight through stone, rock and dirt. He burst free of the ground and ascended like a blur, not stopping until he flew all the way up to the lowest hanging batch of stairs that still made up the outer area of the Stairway. How far he went he wasn't sure, but he halted the transformation as best he could before succumbing fully to his Gear nature by clamping his limiter back upon his head. His body hit the stairs at an odd angle and he groaned before taking deep breaths to steady his nerves as they gained normal Human levels once more. His strength was fast approaching tolerable levels again thanks to his Gear side. Sol fastened the belts of his limiter about his head before standing up slowly. His wide blade slid off his back, but he caught it before it could fall off completely to the ground several stories below. Sol peered over the edge of the stairs, glad for the wide radius the Knights had to remain away from the large structure so that none would be able to get any kind of good view of him from their location. He would be able to maintain his secret as a Gear.

"It's gonna rain again, eh? Great, just my luck." Sol muttered, smelling it in the air. Deciding not to dwell on it he started to rush up the stairs, hoping to reach the top.

'Wait for me Justice. I'll beat you down!' Sol's speed picked up, skipping steps with his long strides. The rain began to come down, though it was but a drizzle for now. Sol's large blade didn't slow him down in the slightest. The winding stairway had to be tread more carefully the higher Sol climbed, due to the state and ware of the building as a whole. Still, Sol made his way up to the top with ease. It was only when he neared it did his pace slow. He was not winded hardly at all, he merely wanted to be careful of any sneak attacks.

'Just one more set of stairs...' Sol saw a a branching point that lead even higher. The other part had fallen completely off.

"Must have once been an area to monitor and repair solar panels and the like back when this was the Tower of Babel." Sol pondered aloud. He made his way up all the way to the next floor. The rain was coming down much harder, but Sol was unfazed by it. Up further he saw floating crystal like formations among vaguely human like statues that looked like they belonged in the Roman Colosseum.

They were Gears that had died from lack of nutrients. Many were animals though quite distorted from the conversion, and thus probably predated his own birth when the Gear Conversion was first tested on animals. He may have been the Prototype, but that was for humanoid Gears, that would eventually spawn such beings like Justice and Testament. He saw a glint of something shiny on the other side of the open floor he came upon. His eyes also made out the flow of red hair. It sent him on edge, eyes narrowed and guarded. He rushed closer to ensure his eyes were not playing tricks on him, and surely they did not. Her back was to him.

"...I've finally found you!" Sol's grip on his large sword became even tighter. Justice turned her head to peer at the one who would come here to meet her. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't in awe of she who was made to become the first Commander Gear to ever be created thus far. The one Gear who could control all others of her own free will from when she had gained self awareness several years ago. The Messiah of Gears was who he now stood before, in all her shining glory. The Herald of Destruction. Type-01, Justice.

:ToBeContinued: