Disclaimer: I own nothing of Code Geass, nor of Guilty Gear, nor to a lesser extent, BlazBlue. I do own this story, and all the inspirations along with it. And of course, the brain where the ideas came from.
"A Gear?" Cecile Croomy repeated, mouth agape and hands poised over the keyboard in front of her. "Th-there was a Gear outbreak, Lloyd?"
"Indubitably, yes," replied the Earl of Pudding, his head poked into the laboratory's portable fridge to search for his favorite food, his namesake. "Blasted thing. Scared nearly all of the research staff over at New 'shino. Didn't get a glimpse, I wonder what level it is? Ah," he ejaculated, smiling when he finally procured the dish. He walked over to the mini-bar, reaching for the knives.
"Really? Did you send a report to the local defense force?" Cecile said, scrambling from the chair, wringing her hands.
"Er...no?" The two engineers looked at each other in silence. One with frank incredulity, the other blank. A glare crossed Cecile's face for but a second before she dashed for the video-comm, initiating the ars-connection to the Britannian local army.
"Well, I'd wager someone else reported it already, it was like what, ten minutes ago?" A growl seemed to escape from the woman. Having cut a slice, he placed the rest of the pudding inside the fridge. He then turned to pour himself heated tea. "Do you think the Prince will mind that his research post was attacked-?"
"Yes!" shouted Cecile. "Er, yes...this is Dr. Cecile Croomy from the Special..." The Earl shrugged.
Lloyd carried the tray, eyes squinted in thought towards one of the empty research terminals, knocking away the keyboard and placing his food on top. He continued to speak, rubbing a sugar packet on top of the mug of tea, "It's mighty inconvenient for that thing to blow up, and right on top of our own post too! It's a darn shame Order headquarters posted themselves on the Osaka sector. The army would make a case of us not requesting Knightmare guards, but who in the world expects a Gear outbreak right here in the middle of the Eleventh Sacred Preserve? Wait- huh... that's the second time this year. Strange." The Earl cocked his head, sipping his tea.
"...thank you, we appreciate your help." Cecile sighed, pushing the end button on the screen. She sat in thought for a while, before pushing another button to connect to a number on the mainland. In response to her superior's musings, Cecile remarked, "It is strange, come to think of it. There hasn't been an outbreak in five years, one wonders about the stability of the present Gears."
"Oh, those mysterious creatures. Such a scientific conundrum. Even ars cannot pierce the hide of their mystique." The Earl pressed a key on the terminal next to him, then pressed a few more to bring up something on the screen. "...Well, Cecile, the statistics do seem to be agreeing with your train of thought." He took a piece of the pudding. "The Order's statistical surveys worldwide show a marked increase – even if its barely 0.99% - in Gear activity since the last year. The world's greatest minds must be desperately at work to unravel the pattern here. Personally, I don't think there's any. Not when I have my Lancelot to perfect!" Lloyd chortled, stifling his laughter behind a draught of tea.
"...please extend our greetings to His Majesty. Thank you," For the second time, the comm screen blinked to nothingness, causing Cecile to slump back in her seat. "Gears, huh?" She stood, apparently to imitate what her superior had done, and walked over to the fridge. "I wish there were more data on them..."
"Hmn, yes, that was the subject of your graduation thesis, was it not, Cecile?" Lloyd asked through a mouthful of pudding. He gulped upon seeing the dangerous glint in the woman's face. "I apologize...hehe...Well, anyway. So far, three centuries of scientists', mathematicians' or ars-theorists' efforts have yielded little fruit, and I doubt we will unravel it as long as they exist. And unless they find a way to successfully dissect or preserve a Gear body, or create a successful analytical ars, or finally figure out how they're producing that much magical output without utilizing surrounding seithr, I'm afraid we can only focus on ways to suppress them. And that is what's more important to me." He placed a hand inside his breast-pocket to retrieve a data-device. He held it out for Cecile to take.
In answer to Cecile's quizzical look, the Earl replied, "The results of our unfortunate staff's research. That is the culmination of six months." He sighed, patting his mouth with the wipe-cloth. "And not nearly enough! Ffagh!" He slapped the cloth on the empty tray.
Cecile ignored the mild outburst, looking forlornly at the device in her palm. "Are those guys okay, I wonder?" Lloyd glanced at her, clucked his tongue, and scrupulously chose not to answer.
)()()()()()()()(
Nothing made sense anymore. To Kallen Kouzuki, that dangerously came close to an understatement.
Here she was, waiting her turn as patiently as any other aspirants for syncing, after which then she would be done for the day, returning once more to a home she wished so much could be blown up by stray ars. It was a melancholic pain that haunted the young, red-haired woman, as she watched that stuck-up Lamperouge emerge from the white test Knightmare.
It would've been her turn inside, but the instructors had to calibrate something for some reason. Kallen sighed. Her thoughts were a mess. She wasn't sure she could even sync; there were so many things flitting through her mind.
Like that letter she'd received over a month ago. There'd been no followup, but the threat borne by that single, innocent-looking blue envelope seemed to follow her everytime her glance brushed against it in her bedroom.
Or the fact that "that woman" was becoming more and more obnoxious, spending every sleeping hour of the night gallivanting in the pleasure districts of this misbegotten "sacred preserve" – what a joke!
Kallen gritted her teeth. A commotion to her left caught her attention, and an unamused eyebrow lifted to see a gaggle of students in the crowd put their cellphones to their ears and talk. She grimaced at the hint of ars-casting that filled the air, she looked- ah, there, those two "idols" were at it again. She wondered what in hell's name a duel between those two would serve, other than to instigate childish prattling and tittering among the girls in her class... She'd been unamused and made her feelings known to the fanboys who'd dared make a club of her.
She smirked, perhaps for the first time on that day. Oh yes, that had been quite a satisfying experience. Those fearful faces, the broken bones, the torn flesh... Then she caught herself holding that thought, and she inwardly flinched, banishing that alien, stupid thought to the back of her mind. She wasn't like that! No, she wasn't like that at all! The envelope. Damn those guys!
She largely ignored the duel happening in front of them, as far as she was concerned, those two could wag their swords as much as they wanted, like proud little boys with their wooden sticks. Kallen sniffed, crossing her arms in front of her, as if a cold air had settled on her body. A childish bout, with no relation to her.
The young woman looked at the Knightmare, standing patient among the gaggle of instructors and technicaians surrounding it. Lines of tubing had been inserted into it from a black, rectangular box to the side, and ars runes glittered about its frame like butterflies. Kallen blinked, recalling how she had once broken the foot of a test Knightmare when she'd just been first year, all young and innocent of mind, unknown to the sheer inanity of her world at present. That had been the first time she had been seen to have a smattering of Ki powers, part her legacy as one of the "last Japanese". Now that was being a bit melodramatic. There were quite a number of her people left, scattered in their desolate homeland, serving as knights, mages, or simple men and women, even if they were close, almost coddling scrutiny as "Elevens".
A headache seemed to come over her then, a burning pain that assaulted the sides of her head. She lifted a hand to her face, looking down and bearing it, aware of the constant buzzing that now resounded like angry, insistent bees in her ears. What the hell is this?
There, that feeling! Is it-?
Oh shit!
Her head shot up, casting her frantic glance all around the Field, finally zeroing in on a spot beyond some trees in the distance. Her eyes narrowed, hoping against hope that she wouldn't have to encounter another, right here, in the only place she felt safe from those...
Alas, nothing really made sense anymore, as the unearthly wail of a Gear shattered the lazy peace of an Academy afternoon. Kallen bared her teeth in an uncharacteristic gritting.
She watched as that Kururugi started to dash away from the screaming, panick-struck crowd, right in the direction of the roar, a dinky sword in hand. She licked her dry lips, hands clasped and trembling in front of her as she fought to take a step forward.
"Everyone, please make your way as quickly as possible within the inner shields of the Academy, maintain a modicum of order, please! Attention: there is a current Gear situation, please make..." The magnified voice of the big-breasted president of the student council droned beyond her hearing as she began to walk in the same direction as Kururugi, her feet strangely drawn to the danger that lurked beyond the trees.
"Kouzuki? Kouzuki!"
She blinked, her misty vision of the trees suddenly taken up by a pair of angry, frozen orbs of amethyst. Kallen gulped, hearing as if through a far distance some words being spoken to her as something tugged at her clothes from behind. She was vindicated to find her voice was still there.
"...Go...I have to go...kill...er-"
"This is no time to be a fucking hero, Kouzuki!"
"You're one to talk, Lulu."
"I've got no time for that right now, Milly! Take her inside now!"
"All right, alright, let's go, Ms. Kouzuki. Let's leave it to the heroes who can't even wait for the real knights to come!" She heard a sound that sounded something between a snort and a growl, before she shook her head and really looked at the conceited Lelouch Lamperouge who was still scowling in front of her. "Why can't I go and help, huh? Is it because I'm a girl?"
"No, but-"
"Then let me go, frost-butt," she moved to extricate her wrist from his hands. How did she not feel his touch? "In case you forgot, I've always got you beat in the sync tests!"
"This is a life-or-death situation, and I don't believe you grasp-" Lelouch blew a long breath, before finally letting her hand go. She watched him fix the President's eyes with a glare. "Whatever happens, Milly, take care of everyone." Then he ran, following his friend into the cacophony that was happening in the woods. She made to move, deftly dodging the stunned president's grasp, before she had a cold feeling on her wrist.
She looked down, eyes widening, to see ice form around her wrist. That fucker! She moved her hand over it to dispel it, before the other too was engulfed by the still-growing mini-glacier. "The hell you can do that to me, you-" She made to move her feet to dislodge the ice, but belatedly remembered the nature of his ars, causing her to be bound, hand-hand-and-foot, by ice. Losing her balance, she fell to the earth, face as furiously red as her trussed-up hair.
"Those two...really are idiots," remarked a despondent Milly as she cast a mobility ars on Kallen's body, causing it to levitate a few inches above the ground. "Well, let's not have their 'sacrifice' be for nothing, Ms. Kouzuki. Up we go." She once again tried to free herself from the ice, but found that the bastard's ars was as rigid as his personality. But- no, I can't give up so quickly! Not this time, Lelouch! She tried and tried again.
)()()()()()()()(
Lelouch's pursuit of his fearless, heedless friend was helped by an ars he cast when he was free of that damn girl: a small exertion of seithr, conversion to his favored element, forming a suitable shape. It looked like a small surf-board, jagged around the edges, and he commanded it to a space in front of him. He was still a far ways off from the trees, and he quickly buried the open grass in front of him with a blanket of snow.
He got on his construct, testing his weight on it for a fraction of a second, before commanding it skate him across the field to where his friend was preemptively engaging the monster.
The Poster Boy could really be a handful, Lelouch thought. Before Milly or anyone could react to the alarm that sounded from within the academy, Suzaku had taken one of the instructor's practice swords, before running towards the trees with all the power the Ki in his legs could give him.
It was not like Lelouch did not know inklings of the extent to which Suzaku would push himself for the sake of his "goal". Whatever had happened had utterly given the boy a single-minded obsession with destroying Gears. This one in Ashford would not be his first kill, even as a mere aspirant. He shook his head. Best not to reminisce during a combat situation. His next thought was to check up on Nunnally, but-
Lelouch moved with cold purpose after passing through the trees. Damn all Gears should something happen to Nunnally now. Please be safe... So praying, he activated all defensive ars, one to provide a quick, but weak shield of ice to prevent a stray projectile from hurting him, another, more complex one which would encase the target Gear inside an illusion of its worst fears should he be assaulted by "life-threatening" ars. It was shadow magic, true, he knew he had precedent here.
The sounds of battle weren't foreign to him, and he followed it to where he saw the uniform of his friend flash briefly before him before disappearing, followed by the form of a monstrous appendage crashing through the tree, before quickly withdrawing with a flash.
"Suzaku!" he shouted, ducking through the trunks as cautiously as he could. "What level is it?" Suzaku had terminated Gears, true, but they had been low- or first-level, only having weak magical potential and mostly holding just superhuman physical attributes. Dangerous, nonetheless, but not as much as a high-level, which had single-handedly decimated an Order base in Kyushu.
Suzaku's quick answer came as if from a far away place, coming in bursts of chatter followed by an angry roar and the crash of trees being felled and the sizzling of his friend's lightning magic. "It's- low-level- but- tough as hell- can't dent it- not yet, anyway-"
Lelouch peeked out from his cover to watch his friend's skirmish. The monstrous thing caught his attention first, a grotesque, misshapen mass that seemed vaguely humanoid, but was just as tall as a Knightmare with too-large, bloated arms ending in claw-tipped hands, an upper body which was just as big and broad, and legs which shouldn't have been able to support all that mass. Its hide was black scored with blotches of sickly green and the emerald haze seemed to follow its every movements, a hint to its identity as a Gear. All Gears emitted the same with varying hues of colors and was a tell-tale sign that the creature was not just any magical one but a Gear. Finally, a disgusting, ugly face revealed itself from the bloated mass of its body, it didn't seem to have a separate head at all. Its great stature belied its ability, even as big as it was, it was still as fast on its feet as Suzaku, who Lelouch saw was using every ounce of his Ki-given speed to dodge the creature's quick, brutal swipes with its hands.
As for his friend, Suzaku still held the iron determination in his face, jaw set and eyes alight with a fury he had rarely seen before. This was a Suzaku who would kill, no matter the cost. Lelouch narrowed his eyes before he ducked back into his cover, forming up a scenario in his mind. He took a deep breath, seeing the creature in his mind's eye, debating alternatives, and choosing from the right outcome.
A crash alerted him to another tree being felled by the creature's rampage. Lelouch rubbed his fingers in a fit of nervous anticipation, but after closing his eyes briefly, his mouth thinned and began reciting the words to his chosen ars.
With a brief exertion of seithr, a small buzzsaw made entirely of ice appeared in midair in front of him, its shape broken and refined as the skirmish raged on behind Lelouch. The youth took loud, steady breaths, concentrating on the shape, the sharpness, and above all, its physical power. Lelouch had seen, in his mind's eye that the monster's power came solely from, came solely from its hands, no hint of ars, but brute strength, a power that could overcome his friend's, in time, for Gears were inexhaustible, relentless, and it eventually Suzaku would fall...
Trusting his instinct to guide him, Lelouch swiftly emerged from cover, pointing his finger at the Gear which had fortunately turned its back to him, its arms stretched quite fortuitously.
"Suzaku, watch out!"
With the sound of keening glass, the saw shot out with the speed of a cannonball, spinning furiously through the air to embed itself against into the creature's shoulder (or what he thought would be its shoulder). The Gear yeowled, in what Lelouch hoped was one in utter pain as the ice bore itself into the hide, exposing blood and gore and marrow.
Suzaku, seeing his friend's handiwork, did not miss the opportunity, and using gravity as an aid, leaped up from the branch to dive his lightning-wreathed sword into the junction of its arm.
The would-be knight stared into the ugly, misshapen features of its face as it bared its mouth at him, breathing out a foul, putrefying odor that hooked its way inside his nose. Suzaku pushed on relentlessly, ignoring the bits of the creature that flew at his clothes, at his face, and with his own battle cry, followed the sword through. The ice saw spun through to dissipate behind him, and the creature's bloated arm fell lifelessly to the ground.
The youth took the chance to disengage, retreating into the upper canopy of the trees and watching the Gear carefully. On the other side of the field, crouched beneath a bush, Lelouch did the same, evaluating the effect of his first phase.
The Gear lumbered in place, for once docile in action. It stared down at the stump of its arm, in which the bleeding had been quickly halted through the massive regenerative capability of its species. What happened next elicited a groan from the youth as he began casting another ars.
Suzaku watched as the creature stooped to pick up its lost arm, before holding it up to the stump. He watched, horrified, as the skin seemed to meld together bizarrely like clay, and after a few moments, the fingers of the severed arm began to flex. He then saw that Lelouch lost no time in pressing their attack.
A medium-sized cerulean ars circle appeared below the creature, and quickly long, sharp, fine stalagmites of ice shot out to impale the creature's hide below the waist, holding the creature from all sides of the circle in place. The Gear, noticing, all but moved and some of the ice shattered. But just as quickly, more shot out to take its place, keeping the creature within the circle.
Now the creature seemed annoyed, growling as it used its arms to break the rapidly reappearing ice. Yet another circle appeared outside the other, producing a fine mist that started to materialize ice on the Gear's hide itself.
Temporary sealing using ice as a physical medium, Suzaku saw. What was needed then was a way to distract the creature before it would exert its best to leap out of the circle. Summoning the little fire ars he knew, the youth threw a fireball at the creature's head, causing it to look up at him in fury. Suzaku locked eyes with it fearlessly, while the creature was slowly and inexorably immobilized within sheets upon sheets of ice. Its last look of rage was frozen behind a transparent veil as Lelouch's final glacier crashed over the Gear. The circles below it stopped revolving, seeming to solidify into solid circles of ice.
For a few moments, all was still as the two would-be heroes watched the Gear cautiously. Then, Suzaku was the first to relax as he leaped and pirouetted over the creature's head to land a ways from Lelouch, who was rubbing his hand vigorously.
"At first I didn't want you to come...but then I didn't expect for the creature to need to be temporarily stopped using a seal." Suzaku said, wiping the perspiration from his face. He let the lightning ars placed on the borrowed sword fade. He noted that the other boy's eyes were still fixed on the Gear. "Quick thinking as usual, Lelouch. I-"
"Suzaku. Be ready."
Suzaku's battle sense, which had been muted after the creature was sealed, flared up again, and he quickly re-infused lightning magic into the sword as he turned to face the Gear, listening as the sounds of cracking ice began.
He noted Lelouch falling back behind him, thanking his friend for that attempt, though it failed, and hoping for another, better plan. He kept his eyes locked on the creature's back as he went into his stance. The cracks snaking up and down the glacier multiplied, and then some more, before it shattered into many luminescent pieces.
While they were in the air, the pieces were ordered by Lelouch to assault the creature, and so the different, spiky parts impaled themselves feebly on the Gear's hide. The newly freed Gear ignored that as it started to charge at his friend, who readied himself without charging. This is a gross miscalculation. I hate Gears. To be as unpredictable as this – quite formidable creatures. Before he could execute another phase in his plan though, halting the cantrip he had been in the process of beginning, he paused, eyes widening disbelievingly. What kind of power is that?
He felt it, a great drawing of seithr, sucking in most of the particles in the air. Lelouch could feel the seithr dissipating, like water hurtling through a drain. What was-? He looked quickly at his friend, after realizing something. In three seconds, the creature would reach Suzaku.
Three... He dispelled the protective ars on him, but instead of reducing it to seithr, he held its effects on hand, for a second.
Two... He thrust out his arm towards Suzaku, sending the ars over to him instead.
One...A protective shield of ice immediately appeared, not enough to defend against whatever it was, of course, but enough for his purpose.
The sudden appearance of the ice startled Suzaku, forcing him to disengage in the brief moment of unbalancing instead of meeting the Gear's charge straight on. He quickly saw that it bore the marks of Lelouch's ars, but what was his friend thinking? Glancing around, he sensed strong ars being sent in his direction, and only then did he understand.
Crashing through the trees, a loose, unstable glob of fire ars flew, before crashing into the side of the Gear with enough impact to create a huge explosion, knocking back both boys from the shockwave generated. Suzaku was first on his feet, glancing around warily, while Lelouch looked in the direction of the ars' source. The latter was already sure what that was, from what he'd felt when the ars had been charging.
"Suzaku!" He shouted. "We've got to distract it! Start up your own seal, hurry!"
After the flames had subsided, the Gear's figure emerged, alive, but not unharmed. Several flames lingered on its burnt body, with its damaged left arm all but obliterated from the elbow downward, with numerous open sores having appeared all over its body. It grunted weakly, waving its arms around impotently. Several circles immediately materialized below it, one cerulean and the other violet-blue causing shards of ice and columns of electricity to erupt, enraging the Gear further.
At the outskirts of the trees stood a white Knightmare. Inside was Kallen Kouzuki, who ignored all the voices that surrounded her: the protestations, the threats of dismissal, all the yelling. She grinned despite the pain that now racked her body; all the effort of concentrating on that single ars had been enormously taxing. She glanced at the sync rate beside the display screen in front of her, relishing it, before she prepared another spell. The Gear had stayed immobile in her sights, and that was just fine to this student-aspirant.
Outside, the Knightmare's engines began sucking in seithr again, fueling the sakuradite that empowered the user within. A bright red circle appeared in front, whirling dangerously, before a big, round ball of fire began to charge at its very center. Inside, Kallen's world shook and her body heated up to dangerous levels, enough to cause her to become giddy with it as she held the ars a little bit longer, looking at her crosshairs to confirm, before launching it.
The fireball shot forward, perfect in form and shape now, fueled by the tenacity of its caster. Behind it, the Knightmare seemed to deactivate, Kallen Kouzuki toppled, her remaining consciousness used to see if she'd been on target.
"Lelouch!" Suzaku barely had time to cancel his seal before dashing sideward, grabbing his friend by the arm and making a forward jump as far and high as he could without looking back. The heat that licked at his back was an indication of how close they had been, and of how powerful the ars was.
Behind him, Lelouch adjusted his glasses in shock as he watched the Gear being literally obliterated into ash as the fireball exploded outward in angry, fiery tide, consuming a whole copse of trees and leaving nothing but barren, burning ground in its wake.
The rest of the Academy would look at the leftover crater in shock and awe for days to come, even long after the Gear's scant remains had disintegrated naturally a day after its blazing demise.
AN: A broken ankle can do wonders with productivity.
Merlin out.