Accidentally screwed up on the chapter listing; counting the prologue, this is the actual chapter eight, not Stone Cold.
Section Thirteen
Chapter Eight: Rock and Roll
Planet Gardius – Hidden Room inside Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries – 2012 Hours
Dwight woke up, and immediately wished he hadn't, which would have brought back some rather mixed memories if his head didn't feel like a tiny truck had just run it over. He moved to rise, when, of course, his recollection of the last few moments came flooding back. He froze, and then looked up carefully.
His assailant was standing up against the bomb, their back to him. The sensation of danger the Logia gave off was now diminished, and the tubes connected to it hung limply, looking almost burned out. Oh, and neither of them had been vaporized; that was pretty important.
Maybe more pertinent was that this was the first actual look he'd gotten at the guy. And it just went to show, you couldn't judge a book by its cover. Although covered head to toe in a black combat suit dealie, he couldn't have been more than a tad over five feet. Other than that any features about him were concealed, save for one odd fashion choice: the left shoulder-pad on his outfit was painted the bloody red of a fresh wound. Bit of an ego, then, even if his voice didn't show it. Neither did the way he held his rifle, even one-handed (the left, not that it mattered much) It definitely wasn't an ordinary model: it was bulky, and had what seemed to be several other chambers along-side the main barrel.
He looked around briefly, and frowned. It increased his opinion of the new guy a little more, but he'd have preferred Gates being left nearby him, thank you very much. The sniper rifle sat against the wall, a good three feet away at least. Tentatively Dwight reached out, only to snatch his hand back when a bullet intersected the distance. "I'll give you some credit and assume you didn't actually think that would work," the soldier (he had to be something like that) spoke up deathly calm, "but please don't try to waste my time. I'm a bit busy here."
Dwight looked closer, and saw he was bent over slightly, aiming a blade protruding from his left glove at the bomb's surface carefully. The sniper tried to resist a sudden scramble for the door. "Are you crazy? You can't just go poking around that thing, even if it is inactive!"
The soldier turned their head, allowing him a brief glance at a bulky gas mask before they returned to probing. "I guess the feeling isn't mutual, then. Be quiet, please: like you said this will take some precision."
Resisting the urge to blow his top, he sat back down. No way could he make it to the door before a bullet did, and without his device the only real option he had was to hope the mystery man knew enough not to blow this whole block sky-high. Or at least whoever was pulling his strings.
Either way, he seemed to reach a consensus a moment later, stepping back slightly (still out of arm's reach, of course). He squeezed his hand, and the blade began to glow red-hot. Without a moment's hesitation it was plunged straight into the bomb's shell. Whatever material it was made of might as well have been paper to the blade, and a crackling circle was promptly carved into its surface. Pulling the blade out carefully, he grabbed hold of the hole he'd made, set one foot on the Logia as a brace, and pulled. After a moment, the hunk of the artifact slid free, exposing an inside of unearthly electronics.
Eying what he had picked up, the agent nodded, looking satisfied. He turned back to Dwight. "Alright, I'm done with what I came here to do. You should get back to your team – this wasn't the only Logia in the city tonight."
"What!?" Dwight cried, but rather than elaborate his new acquaintance tapped his suit on the bladed wrist. A blue flash of light engulfed the mystery man, and naturally when it was gone he was too, leaving the lieutenant feeling pretty damn useless. "Not like that's something new, or anything…" he thought for a second, and punched the floor hard.
0
Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Penthouse – 2012 Hours
"So, what's the plan here, exactly?" Alyssa asked. "They happen to have any classes on fighting whatever-the-hell-this-is back at the old school, Lackland?" The gargoyle took another quaking step forward.
Arturia didn't rise to it, but this was probably the only situation where she'd actually mind. "Unfortunately no, Captain. If it is a Lost Logia, there is only one thing we can know for sure, and that is that we know nothing about it."
"Swell. Well, I think I have a plan."
"Oh? And what is-" The knight's eyes widened as she blithely tossed out a small fireball at the statue. It sizzled out uselessly on its surface, and only really did one thing: make it turn toward the fire mage.
Alyssa quickly pointed to Quattro and Katie as the creature let out an angry growl. "I'll lure it away. You get those two out of here."
"But-"
"'scuse me, who's the captain here?" she interrupted, glaring. "It's not like I'm going to fight it alone; I can get to the others way faster than you can."
This made sense, of course – which was why the lieutenant was surprised to hear it coming from her. She opened her mouth to reply but Alyssa moved far quicker, stepping back out the window and falling into a dive. Roaring, the gargoyle pursued, unfurling its stone wings with a snap and gliding out, nearly bowling Arturia over as it did.
The knight watched as they faded into red and gray dots in the distance, and then turned back to the duty she had been assigned. Rather quickly, she couldn't help but note. "A former criminal though she is, I doubt Alyssa would so sympathetic to him alone." Her gaze shifted to the girl in the corner. "But of course, he is not alone tonight."
"Um, I hate to whine," Quattro interjected, staring at her, "but I think one of my ribs might be broken. Two, perhaps."
Arturia stared at him a moment. "Somehow, I doubt both of those." She also doubted that she had really been given the easier task.
0
Planet Gardius – Rooftop – 2012 Hours
"Hey Anton, you doing alright?"
Anton raised his head a little when his captain called, even if it wasn't physically. "A-Alyssa? Yeah, your spell's working wonders. Are you sure you're best at combat?"
She scoffed. "I'll put that down to delirium; can't stand kiss-asses. Don't worry, though, you'll be in the infirmary before you know it: just gotta take care of a little problem. Oh, actually you might want to put up a shield, or move, or something."
He blinked, wondering for a moment if he had heard that wrong. "Um, I can't really – SUGAR!"
The reason for this was a bit graver than usual. One moment he heard the rush of wings on the air, and the sound of something dropping very quickly, the next an entire section of the roof he was on became a crater. Fragments of concrete flew everywhere, and unfortunately, everywhere included where he was lying. Fortunately, Akashic was a bit quicker on the draw than him now, and an emerald barrier appeared with just enough power to stop them.
Adjusting his glasses and sending a quick thanks to his device, Anton watched as the dust cleared, exposing a sharp, ugly-looking stake impaled in the stonework. Anton made to edge a bit closer, when he noticed the barrier was still up. A second later he saw why: the stone slowly disintegrated to become a strange gray mist. Where it touched the undamaged parts of the building, they shimmered, slowly coating over with marble-white.
"Uh, Akashic…you should probably send that to Dr. Forrester."
"Already have, Young Master."
He nodded. "I should have known. Alyssa, are you still there?"
"Why the hell wouldn't I be?"
Alright, good point. "Well, uh – look, I think you should avoid what that thing is firing, okay?"
"Sooooo…" she slowly replied, "don't get hit by stuff? Yeah, that's some good advice, Anton."
The tone of her voice made him flush. "N-no, I mean that-"
Alyssa cut him off. "Look Anton, I appreciate the concern, but I've been doing this a bit longer than you have, okay? Just relax."
"B-but!" the wind mage sputtered, but his captain ignored him. He leaned back, frowning. "I'm here too…aren't I?"
0
Planet Gardius – Skies above the City – 2014 Hours
"Yeah, no way I'm letting that thing anywhere near you." Alyssa thought airily as the monster roared behind her. Even some collateral damage could probably do the kid in right now, not to mention a lot of the city. She weaved aside another of the stakes and watched as it demolished a sedan down below. "Definitely gonna need Jeanne for this; just have to hope there's not another of those War Armors around I guess." She smirked. "Then again, why would Quattro bother? For once his plans actually failed, how about that."
That thought cheered her up a bit, despite the current situation. Tossing a fireball out behind her, Alyssa grinned at the roar of outrage that came a second later. "Nice to have someone to fight you're not related to, heh heh."
She plunged into a dive, heading closer to the street. In the mean-time, she could try and keep anything too important from getting smashed. "Come on, you dumb statue! I've seen better works of art than you on alley walls!" Of course, this assumed the thing even counted as a work of art, and could even understand her, but she'd never let things like that stand in the way of a good insult. Either way the thing followed, the wind from its wings rattling the windows on either side.
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Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Penthouse – 2014 Hours
"Ah, yes, thank you very much."
Arturia stepped backward as she finished sitting Quattro down in the plush chair near the bed, as gently as was absolutely necessary. They were in the adjoining bedroom from the office, most likely for when the CEO was working late. Even with this in mind, though, it still made her room back home look like a mere hovel. The girl now lay on a bed large enough to fit four people comfortably.
She put her hand on Frangir's pommel, giving him a cold stare. "Quattro Angelo. What did you have planned tonight?"
He gave her such a look of confusion that she almost believed he was a mere innocent bystander. Almost. "Why, retiring to my quarters and getting some work done, of course. Then perhaps taking an…" Quattro winced, shifting a little in the chair, "…early evening."
The stare became a glare, but there was nothing more Arturia could do on that front by herself. Or felt like doing at that. "And what of her?" she nodded to Katie. "I don't think she is one of your secretaries."
The man's gaze flickered a tad as he glanced toward the lightning mage, but it was back to neutrality in an instant. "Of course not; she's a client I was discussing things with when that…thing attacked. Very dull, really. Probably far less interesting than what your captain is doing at the moment."
"I will be the judge of that." Arturia replied coolly. "If you say you are not involved in this, then something of yours must be of interest to the culprit."
He nodded slowly. "Yes, it's understandable that you think that. But come now, Miss Lackland-"
"Lieutenant Lackland."
"If you insist." Quattro smiled pleasantly. "I am a businessman, Lieutenant. If I don't do something that makes someone wish I were dead in a day, then it's because it's been an off day. I could gladly prepare a list of them for you – but I wonder if Miss Triad really has that much time." He waved to the magic circle around the chair. "And I certainly won't be going anywhere, thanks to your timely aid."
They both stared at each-other for a moment afterward, him smiling politely, her glaring haughtily. It only ended when she forced her gaze away. "Very well. But listen carefully: this is not over."
He shrugged. "Few things ever are."
That comment made her leave even quicker. Quattro leaned back in the chair, getting comfortable. "For someone sworn to the Saint Kaiser, she's a rather boorish woman."
"Perhaps it's just religion in general, Mister Quattro." Katie said, sitting up. Suddenly she didn't look so hurt. "Just look how angry she got over something so small."
The CEO lowered his head and let out a nasty snicker. "Why yes, she was, wasn't she? But it was really nothing compared to how all of them would feel if they knew our new friend is completely under my control as we speak. Making Section Thirteen think they had to save my life…satisfaction like that is more than worth a few scrapes, wouldn't you agree my dear?"
"You're a genius, Mr. Quattro."
"For some reason, Katie, hearing that from you never loses its charm."
0
Planet Gardius – Jeanne, Daniel and Otavi's location – 2016 Hours
"Dammit, that smarts…"
Jeanne looked down at the digger and snorted. "Maybe it'll teach you not to dig everywhere you go. How was I supposed to know you'd pop up right in front of me?"
Daniel shrugged despondently. "Hey, try digging underground and see if you can see where everybody is. Especially making sure she's following you." He jabbed a finger to Otavi, who was waking behind them. She shook a bit of dirt out of her hair.
"Can't say I've ever tried, since I tend to walk around like a normal person." Jeanne said, taking another drag. "Then again, maybe I'm the weird one."
He grumbled. "Aw, shaddup…what's up."
His captain didn't reply, her brow furrowed in irritation. "Alright, alright…will the two of you please SHUT UP!?" She didn't notice both Daniel and Otavi cringing away before she continued more privately. "Alyssa, Arturia, one of you start again. I don't really feel like flipping a coin."
"Okay, so – shut up Lackland, I'm the one who has it on my tail – that bomb we found? It was meant to power up what I'm being chased by right now: an ugly son-of-a statue. Looks pretty tough, but with all five of us together it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
The term 'famous last words' came to mind at that, but Jeanne ignored it. "Okay, thank you. How far away are you two?"
There was a brief pause where Alyssa grunted slightly, and then replied, "Uh, about…yeah, about two minutes. Maybe less if I speed up, but we're probably gonna want a barrier here."
Jeanne nodded. "Good thinking." Uncommon thinking from her, too. Maybe the kid was rubbing off…probably wishful thinking. "I'll handle that. You and Arturia better be ready to fight when you get here." She motioned to Daniel and Otavi. "You two: there's going to be a big target heading this way in a minute or so. Have anything in mind?"
Daniel slowly grinned. "I think we can come up with something, right Otavi?"
The demure girl nodded, bowing slightly. "It will not be a problem."
"Query: what task am I to perform, Captain Stromhold?"
Without skipping a beat, Jeanne turned to look the gadget drone up and down. "About time you showed up, GD. Yeah, just…do what you think will be most useful, alright?"
"Acknowledgement: very well, Captain. I will try to fulfill your expectations."
"For the city's sake, I hope everyone does." Water Squad's captain swept her gaze around the other mages (and non-maze), and as it did all of them felt the urge to salute. "Let's get started, people."
They did.
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Planet Gardius – Hidden Room underneath Rafflesia Industries – 2013 Hours
"Ace…come on, Ace, this is not the time to be unconscious. Well, not that any time is, but come on!"
A feeling of relief came over him as the kid finally stirred, cracking open his eyes a moment later. "H…huh? Is that you Dwight? You okay?"
Despite the situation, the sniper couldn't help but laugh. Ace look like he'd been beat with the ugly stick and then run over with the ugly truck, and he was asking him if he was alright. "Yeah, I'm fine more or less. What about you?" He gave the fighter an arm, gingerly helping him to a sitting position.
Once there, he took a look around the room and evidently didn't like what he saw. "Oh – it happened again, didn't it…"
No prizes for guessing what 'it' was. And no sense in lying about what happened. "Yeah, it did. Whatever 'it' was."
Ace looked down at his feet. "I…"
He looked up as Dwight put a firm hand on his shoulder. "Whatever it was, it doesn't matter right now. If you're still good to go, then we still have some work to do."
The clone stared at the hand for a moment like it was something completely alien. For a moment the lieutenant thought he might lapse back into the trance. But whatever that had been it wasn't coming back anytime soon, and the real Ace smiled. "You're right. Yes, giving up now would make my training pointless."
"That's the spirit." replied Dwight. That was what you supposed to say in these situations, right? He'd never really read the book on them. "You good to run?"
Ace stood up. "Run? You mean go all the way back down that hallway?"
"Well…yeah." said the lieutenant, scratching his head a bit. "How else are we gonna get back?"
His new friend's answer wasn't a spoken one. Instead, Ace stepped (a bit shakily) to one side, staring at the ceiling intently.
Dwight opened his mouth to ask what was up, but Ace spoke first. "Could you step back a bit, Dwight? I'll need some room for this."
It was probably pretty dumb of him, but hell, he'd been underestimating the kid a little until now, and look what happened. He took a few wide steps back.
"Okay." The strike artist took another, closer look, then pulled his fists back, both of them brimming with thunder. Before Dwight could shoot a word of objection (and believe you me, there were a few) he unleashed the attack, blowing a hole in the ceiling. The terran hit the deck and cupped his hands over his head as plaster rained down, for all the good that would do.
After a moment of failing to be crushed, Dwight gingerly raised his head. The room was almost the same as when he'd leaped down, save for a load of debris on the ground around Ace, and a slightly bigger than human-sized hole in the ceiling. He rose woozily to his feet and walked over, feeling wind coming from the hole. When he looked up, his mouth gaped open – the hole reached straight up to the top of the street. "How did…"
"I don't think whoever built this room meant for it to be here for very long." Ace explained calmly. "I noticed this part of the ceiling seemed weaker than the rest. You know, before."
Dwight nodded. "Yeah."
"Anyway…" stepping closer to his superior, Ace extended a hand and seized hold of his arm, pulling him closer to the hole. "You'd better hold on now." He put an arm around the sniper's back. "Really."
He blinked. "Uh, what are you-"
Ace jumped.
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Planet Gardius – Lost Logia Ambush Site – 2017 Hours
Taking a long drag from her cigarette, Jeanne took a look at the preparations they'd made. They weren't masterful or expert, but in a couple minutes it was the best a squad like them could manage. Maybe it would work, but if not…hell, no-one had ever said they were Section Six. If they couldn't beat a fully charged Logia in a fight, then nobody high-up would really complain. "…shit, what crawled up my ass today?"
Anyway: Daniel had gone underground, of course, and set up some of his usual 'arrangements'. You wouldn't think earth magic could really hit someone in the air, but whoever had made those rules hadn't accounted for the pint-size archeologist, which was probably fine by him. Otavi was standing off to the side in an alleyway, bow at the tip of her violin. Occasionally part of a cord would sound from that direction. Her expression didn't betray it, but the girl was nervous. "One thing we have in common, at least." But she would play when she needed to, Jeanne knew that.
GD, meanwhile, didn't have any traps to lay, but that was only because the drone was a trap in himself. If the Logia had any bones to break, them winning would probably be a foregone conclusion, but he was still far better to have on their side than vice versa. She wondered if there'd ever been a Belkan with a mind like his…probably. And now the machine was lurking in the shadows somewhere, ready to see what the difference between old and new technology was.
And finally, there was she, herself and her. Checking Flashpoint's valves and gauges, Jeanne aimed the cannon down where Alyssa and her pursuer would be appearing in just a few moments. She didn't have any traps or tricks like the others, but shooting things? She could handle that juuuust fine. Water began building up at one of the hoses as the device shook.
"YO!" Alyssa announced as she peeled around the skyscraper at the far end of the street. The gargoyle was hot on her heels, snapping furiously at the fire mage's boots. "Hope you guys are ready; I think this thing is getting faster!"
"Had time to stretch after a few decades of napping?" Jeanne replied sardonically, chomping on the end of her death-stick. "Hope everyone's ready, because we don't have time for a rehearsal!" Tightening her hold on Flashpoint, she cried out, "Hydro – CANNON!"
The captain's feet slid backward gradually as water poured out of the cannon in a great stream. The strength of water could sometimes be deceptive, but there was nothing shocking about this spell's power. It might not have been the equal of certain famous ones, but that wouldn't stop it from pulverizing Alyssa if she were a second too slow at evading.
Naturally of course, she wasn't. "Suck it down, ya lawn ornament!"
And 'suck it' the Logia did. Jeanne's attack stopped its forward movement almost instantly, leaving it struggling against the water pressure. It didn't fall, but the moment of weakness was all Daniel needed. "Valley Spiker!" a muffled voice called from underneath her feet. Thin sections of the road exploded out from around them, sending some spikes of their own up toward the gargoyle. Some hit it in the chest and sides, panging off as its hide proved to be quite durable indeed. That wasn't the digger's main target, though: most of the spikes were aimed toward its marble wings. While they held the same durability, there was less thickness to go around, and after a few hits one of the projectiles pierced straight through; the creature was suddenly struggling to stay airborne.
"Finally!" A second later Alyssa appeared right in front of it, already swinging Bowie in a vicious downward arc. With a crack, the gargoyle was sent careening into the road, cutting off its roar of indignation when it hit. She grinned. "Running got old before I even started."
Growling, the gargoyle rose out of the small crater it had made, slowly preparing to take to the air despite the damaged wing. It wasn't to be. From the cracks it had made and the holes Daniel had created, ugly thorn-laden vines snaked forth, quickly spreading over the statue. Not content to merely ensnare it, the plants also curled into the cracks made in its body, tangling the Logia inside and out. As Jeanne watched, they twisted further, making the construct shudder even as it was held in place.
She turned to look at Otavi, who was watching with her usual serene expression, now a tad unnerving. Sure they weren't up against something that was technically human, but she had still never seen the violinist use such a brutal attack before. Then again, they didn't usually end up fighting things from her era, did they now?
But now it was the turn of someone who didn't much care about that either way. Leaping out of wherever he'd been hiding, GD raced up to the gargoyle, pulling back one claw as he did. Jeanne felt the familiar tingle of the AMF pass over her momentarily, before he plunged it straight into the statue's chest up to the wrist. It was a well calculated blow, of course, avoiding Otavi's vines and breaking through one of the cracks Daniel had made. The monstrous work of art tensed up, then drooped and went limp.
Being no fool, GD retracted his hand and did a few quick back-flips, just in case their foe was playing possum. Jeanne adjusted her grip on Flashpoint and sucked down more smoke, spending a tense few moments watching the enemy. Their caution paid off; the statue suddenly twitched, then reared up and roared out.
Jeanne was quick to react. "Otavi, GD, by me! Daniel, go deeper! Alyssa-"
"Got it."
The roar echoed out as the gargoyle rose further, releasing a blinding white glow around itself. As she shielded her eyes, Jeanne heard Otavi let out a cry of pain from behind. She didn't have to wait long to see why: with a few nasty cracks, the once thick vines fell to the ground, now lifeless and gray. Some even crumbled to dust entirely. Even the ground around it was affected. As this all happened, the wounds Section Thirteen had given it quickly mended.
The creature wasn't content to wait for them to process what had just happened, rising up on its heels to spit a flurry of the stake from before upward at Alyssa.
After checking on Otavi briefly – the girl was swaying, but Daniel had quickly resurfaced to steady her – Jeanne prepared Flashpoint for another shot, glancing upward as she did. She gaped: whatever went through the other squad captain's head was often beyond her, but she was pretty sure even Alyssa wouldn't fly toward the thing in this situation. Or had been, anyway.
"Triad, what the HELL are-"
"I saw how to take it out for good!" Alyssa cried back, ducking and weaving in-between the stakes. "Just before it healed, its eyes flashed for a sec! The weak point's gotta be in there! That's why it's firing at me, because I noticed!"
Jeanne spat out her cigarette, aiming the hose upward. "And you didn't think to, uh, actually say something about it!? That thing can-"
"I know what I'm doing, okay? Will you all just-"
Alyssa's forward movement was halted in one bloody moment as one stone spear moved just a tad too fast, or she moved just a tad too slow. Either way, the end result was the same: one of the missiles broke through her barrier jacket, impaling her straight in the right shoulder. Red blossomed there that had nothing to do with the outfit's color.
Ignoring it, the fiery woman quickly switched Bowie to her other hand, drawing the device back as it ignited. "Too bad it doesn't matter, you stone creep! CRIMSON STORM!"
The gargoyle's expression couldn't change of course, but somehow it gave off the impression it wouldn't now anyway as it stared at the oncoming column of flame. Its eyes flashed, more openly now that its secret was out.
In just a moment, Alyssa's expression of triumph was replaced with fear, as one of her strongest spells was petrified all but instantly. The almost mocking sculpture the fire had become hung in the air a moment, then crumbled to pieces on the concrete.
With its path clear, the statue made to spread its wings and go after the wounded girl once more. It grunted as a shorter burst courtesy of Jeanne smashed it in the face, halting it a moment even if the damage was repaired in the very same. At the very least it didn't seem good at keeping track of multiple targets; thank goodness for small favors. Quickly she motioned for the other captain to get behind her. Ordinarily Alyssa would have only done so reluctantly, but the expression on her face said that wasn't so now.
Reforming the barrier around their numbers, Jeanne cast a glance backward at her as she landed. As bad as the wound had looked going in, it was worse closer up. The fire mage's jacket had protected her to some extent, but a section of her flesh was now sheer stone. Moving it seriously had to be out of the question now. Even Alyssa couldn't ignore that…entirely. "Alright, just hurry up and heal me, and I'll-"
The key in situations like this was to put yourself in the other person's shoes. You wouldn't want a fresh cigarette in your eye, now would you? "Yeah, funny thing, I never learned how to treat getting turned to stone. Live and learn, huh?" She squeezed off another shot, this time aiming for one of the gargoyle's legs as it charged the barrier of water. It stumbled, and found itself pulled partway into the street. Jeanne nodded her thanks to Daniel, pickaxe still vibrating in the ground.
"Flashpoint, looks like it's the hard way now," she said to her own partner, "you wouldn't happen to have noticed a weak point in this thing?"
"Unknown as of yet, sir. Logia's frame appears to resist any scanning attempts, possibly due to its regenerative factor. No hard data yet exists to back up Captain Triad's claim."
Captain Stromhold pursed her lips. It wasn't smart, but it was tough, and wouldn't just buzz off like everyone else they'd fought tonight. And more importantly, there was no way it was made to feel the exhaustion they all were at the moment. If they couldn't finish it off quick, it would just pick them off one by one.
Case in point – giving up on trying to free itself quickly, the artifact looked up, glaring as its eyes took on their basilisk's glow once more. It was probably too much to hope water was more resistant to that than fire, wasn't it?
Before she could make some necessary maneuvers (and probably get another chunk taken out of her doing so) however, a certain black, steel hand on a wire flew out to almost slap the creature across its face. The light went astray, hardening a street-lamp some yards away. Jeanne and the gargoyle both glanced over at GD, who had apparently moved to flank the latter at some point. His AMF defenses probably offered even less protection than their own, but he rarely relied on it anyway. And you could always trust he knew more or less what he was doing, unlike-
She put out a hand to stop Alyssa coming forward. "Don't. You really think you can help him with your arm like that?"
Eyes blazing, the other mage smacked the hand away – with her own wounded one. She winced.
"Statement: Captain Stromhold is correct, Captain Triad. You have fought enough tonight. Provided none of us panic, this enemy is not unbeatable."
"But with Ace and Dwight gone and Anton-"
"Repetition: provided none of us panic, Captain."
His tone silenced her.
But now the creature had broken its leg free of the road, and was putting it to good use charging right at the robot. He didn't move, holding his ground until it was close enough to gore him with its horns. And then still didn't move. That turned out to be quite unnecessary.
For once, Arturia said nothing toward GD, attention fully locked on the beast in front of her – and the sword now extending from its head, still shaking from the dive she had just executed. Even this failed to stun it for more than a moment, however, and it laid two crushingly strong hands upon Frangir, trying to wrest the blade out of itself. The knightess held on gamely, but now instead of forcing her device inward she was grappling to keep it in place.
She didn't have to say a word or look in his direction before the gadget drone moved, vaulting onto her shoulders with lightning speed. With as close as they were, hopping across was a simple matter, and for the second time that night GD found himself grappling something twice his size.
Not for terribly long, however. Almost before he even touched the marble surface, the sergeant reached down, grasped hold of one of the artifact's horns with both hands, and pulled.
Doing that an ordinary limb would probably be grounds for a brutality hearing, but in this case the ornamental bone held out for almost five seconds before it snapped off halfway down. GD hopped off immediately after, a wise decision, as the gargoyle went wild. Flailing wildly, it clutched at the wound and let out an ear-piercing roar. Arturia was almost sent flying from its chaotic movements, but held on grimly as Frangir began to shine brightly. "Lucidus-" the armed device said with noticeable satisfaction. Mages and knights weren't the only ones who romanticized about olden times.
The lieutenant gave her own smile, which was as dignified as it was fleeting, replaced by the calm gaze of a Saint Knight. "Gladius!"
Without even a short distance to travel before it reached her foe, the blade of light soared forth, almost seeming to break it in two before it was carried clear across the road in the corona of light, smashing into a small shop at the other end.
Lowering her weapon, Arturia let out a heavy sigh, briefly looking at the destruction her spell had caused, before something disturbing caught her eye instead. "What in the Kaiser's name?"
It was ordinary for devices, like any other weapon, to become chipped and lose their shine with extended use. But even a hundred battles would not do something like this: where the clawed hands had touched it, the silver shine of Frangir's had become dulled and gray. Arturia ran a cautious finger down its length, frowning at the rocky surface she felt. "Frangir, are you alright?"
The sword spoke, but haltingly and full of static, as though from far away. "S…ic."
While this was going on, Jeanne was staring at the cloud of smoke with deep suspicion. Carefully she aimed Flashpoint and fired a glob of water into the wrecked building. A moment later it came flying back to shatter on the ground at her feet. "Not dead, then. What a surprise." she sniffed. "Arturia, you still good to fight?"
"I believe so," she called back, although sounding unsure, "but not up close. The powers it has seem to be able to come from its hands, as well."
"Terrific." Jeanne said, shaking her head. It wouldn't really affect anyone else present at the moment, but one thing they didn't need was more wrinkles. "Well, look alive – our break just ended."
Out of the vanishing dust came the gargoyle, still smoking from Arturia's spell. Its wounds were mending before their eyes, particularly where she had first stabbed it to begin with. For just a moment the Riot Force members glimpsed an ugly red beneath its eyes, and then they were whole again.
Behind her, Alyssa nodded ferociously. "There, see, what did I tell-"
"Shut up and stay down." she called over her shoulder (in a sense), preparing another shot from Flashpoint. If it healed that fast, they'd just have to burn through again and smash the jewel or whatever it was. It might not end up being the power source at all, but it was better than trying to dismantle the whole thing. And she certainly didn't mean burn metaphorically, oh no. Jeanne reached for the valve that controlled her device's heat settings.
She'd expected the gargoyle, when it charged again, to go straight for Arturia. The knight had overshadowed her, that was for certain, not to mention hurting it more than anyone else so far. But whatever passed for the thing's brain decided that no, she was still the bigger fish here. How flattering.
It came quickly, propelling itself forward with a quick wing-flap. That took it into the air, and if there was one way for this thing to be more dangerous, falling on you was sure a good pick. What did it weigh, a ton? Maybe two?
Water wouldn't stop that momentum, and she had a certain load to worry about at the moment. But water wasn't the only thing she had available. She turned the valve quickly – in the opposite direction.
That turned out to unnecessary, fortunately; Jeanne would prefer to avoid showing her hand if it wasn't necessary, even against this kind of foe. There came a thwip! noise from over her shoulder, and the flight of something rustled her cheek before it buried itself straight into the logia's eye: a brown lump she first mistook for some kind of arrow. But no – it was a large, ugly seed.
Not stopping to wonder who had sent it, even if she already knew the answer, Captain Stromhold dove to the left, dragging Alyssa with her as she did. The statue hit the ground where she had stood, clutching at its stricken organ. The one responsible was naturally, Otavi, standing next to a flat, pointed bud on a long stalk. It slid back into the ground, almost snake-like.
Nodding her thanks again to the musician, Jeanne re-aimed Flashpoint, not bothering with the heat settings this time. She squeezed the cannon's trigger twice, and a pair of rock-hard bubbles sent the thing reeling. It rose back up, glaring with its one good eye – then tensed, and dove aside just fast enough to avoid a massive a jagged spike that shot up from the asphalt—
"Gotcha!" –and run right into a certain pint-sized digger, who exploded out from the road, pick-axe in one hand, a vibrating stake in the other. Gripping the former with what muscle he had, he swung the point down at between its eyes.
Letting out a roar that practically drove the sho – height-challenged mage straight back, the gargoyle snatched Lithic's blade out of the air with both hands, practically giving Daniel whiplash in the process. It growled into his face, preparing to make it dirtier than a thousand excursions underground could. Over the whistle of air rushing past his face, he forced out, "Rumble Pick!"
With a quick jolt, the device began to vibrate rapidly, sliding back and forth in the small space between the monster's claws. With that short a distance, its movement became quick and momentum-filled enough to jar it free from the grip. As the statue fell back, Daniel drove the stake forward – straight toward its right arm. Not prepared for that, it couldn't help but watch as the pointed end pierced straight into the white shoulder, sliding in to about half of its length.
Of course, this would be a waste if that was all he intended to do. Always go for broke, push the envelope; that was how the big names got famous. And it worked more often than it didn't in battle, too: the ugly bastard swiped at him as he touched the ground and leaped back up, but if there was anyone better at getting out of tight squeezes on this team, he'd like to meet them. The still shaking tool struck the stake in a downward hit, making a loud crack
Three sounds happened afterward. The localized blast of the stake detonating, driven further into the logia's body just before; a disturbing mix between stone breaking and bone; and finally a roar of pure pain, worse than anything else the thing had uttered so far. Landing again and hopping backward quick (it was important not to push it too far, after all), he watched the shards of its arm clatter to the ground, big and small. The stump that was left offered them all a closer look into the inner body, and it wasn't pretty – the blood-red inner rock pulsed like an irritated vein.
It was a grave wound, but it now resulted in two things: the gargoyle becoming very, very angry, and focusing all of its attention onto Daniel. Neither of these were particularly desirable things, but together…they were really horrible. With no chance to get back underground as the thing charged forward – reminding him, or at least his upper thigh, of a certain encounter with a Flame Hippo on Easter – he scrambled backward like a beetle about to get stomped on. "H-hey, come on, Arturia shot you right in the head, all I did was your arm!"
It stomped down, rattling the ground enough to knock him right over. The monster reared up above him, eyes blood-shot as it snarled, before drawing its head back. A bubble and arrow of light hit it from behind, but weren't enough to make it stumble. The white glow appeared in its mouth now, and two guesses where it would go. "Aw, dammit…!"
A series of rapid footsteps came from behind, approaching quickly before they leaped. For a second Daniel thought it was GD, but he probably wouldn't thud on the ground if he could help it, would he?
Either way, before the gargoyle could unleash its petrification, a crackling fist sent its head reeling the other way, even breaking off two of the ornamental teeth. It was still on its feet, however…until another cracking blow to the stomach dropped it fully, at least for the moment.
"Are you alright, Mr. Trail?" Ace asked, pulling Daniel back up in a quick tug, and saluting to both Captains (the archeologist, meanwhile, grumbled about how he hadn't needed help that much). "I'm not too late, am I? I came as fast as I could."
Alyssa spoke first, interrupting Jeanne. "What, by running?"
He nodded. "That's right. Me and—" spinning, the strike artist gave the statue a roundhouse kick before it could get back up completely, "—Dwight."
"No, hah…you ran. I kinda got, hah, dragged."
"I was wondering where the hell you were, Dwight." Jeanne said, looking around. "What's your position?"
One important thing to note in the next moment, as a rifle shot went straight over her head from behind by about one inch, was that Jeanne did not jump. At all. That would just be silly for her, wouldn't it? "Right here." the sniper said cheerily.
He watched as the bullet hit home, a clean shot straight in the gargoyle's kneecap. Even as the stone began to quickly mend (a feather in their caps; it knew they were all a threat now), it teetered dangerously on the wounded limb. Eying the wound carefully, Dwight prepared for another shot, but he'd been spotted. The Notre Dame reject covered itself with a slew of shots directed at his rooftop. None of them hit as he rolled to the side, but firing another was out of the question – for now. "We heard the gist of things on the way. If you distract it, I can nail the head with one shot."
Jeanne nodded slowly. "Alright then; everyone, get the thing's attention however you can. Shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
"And don't worry," Alyssa said, getting up and favoring her injured side, "Dwight has to make this shot: it's the only way he's getting out of a Stromhold chew-out, right?" She grinned.
The other captain scowled, but didn't shove her back down.
The first person to attack, unsurprisingly, was Arturia, charging in from the right with Frangir back in his sword mode. So long as she was careful, it would be fine, especially with others attacking alongside her. Although of course, striking from the back did not feel right for her in any case. Meanwhile, Ace charged forward from his position, ready to counter the creature's stone fists with his own.
Indecision must have been unfamiliar for a being like this, but it showed on its stone face well enough. As Arturia made a stab toward its stone neck it retreated back a step, bringing up the still-reforming arm to block. As the blade pierced there, it yanked hard, trying to separate the two. Despite the wounds they had given it, the logia was still quite strong; she nearly stumbled at the pull.
But she would not have attacked if she were doing so alone. Before the creature could attack with the remaining hand, it flinched as Ace struck it in the sternum (or at least whatever counted for it in this case). The young man brought his fist back a second time, but it lashed out quick, smashing down on his shoulder with its unbroken claw. Ace's knees shook as the attack bent him nearly double. It was only then that Arturia, close as she was, noticed the sweat running down his forehead, and the fatigue present in his eyes. The corporal was far more tired than he let on.
"I'm fine." he grunted, noticing that she had. "It would be worse if you got hurt than me, right?" He narrowed his eyes, and tensed up, even as the gargoyle hit him again. "So this doesn't – MATTER!"
With both hands, he ducked, and seized hold of the enemy's entire arm. The vicious tug he gave was enough to drag even it forward, right into Ace's knee as he drove it up in a crushing strike. The stone on its chest cracked, and only worsened when two more rock-hard punches were added alongside. A moment later, a large gash was created alongside it courtesy of Arturia's blade, stretching near the injured leg.
A clicking noise and an ominous hiss came from behind the two, and the Lieutenant dove to her left, tackling Ace over as she did so. Over their heads roared twin blasts of fire and water, heating up and cooling off the logia's armor in almost the same instant. It let out a groan which was only matched by the sound of the stone slowly but surely losing its integrity. Some of the petrification magic was fired in response, but there was no way it could stop the entire barrage.
Gradually it was forced backward, against the front wall of a small business. Only when it crunched into the wall did the attacks cease.
At least, those attacks. Thudding out from the wall came four spikes, pinning the gargoyle's limbs there like a preserved specimen. It roared, flapping its great wings, but it was caught – for the moment, at least.
The spikes flinched forward, slamming its head back up against the wall, where something else was sprouting: another vine, but this time with a bud that seemed too razor-sharp to be anything organic. As it approached the back of the logia's skull, it began to spin…
"Holy crap, what did this thing do to Otavi? Burn her house down?" Alyssa thought over the hideous sound that came afterward. It was all Daniel could do to keep the creature still as it thrashed. With surgeon-like precision, the plant slowly drilled through the stone, until it was embedded firmly inside. Then with a vicious rip, it tore free, sending shards of the head scattering everywhere. Otavi watched calmly, her hands white where they gripped her instrument.
With that, the supposed core was revealed; an angry red jewel, spiked at the edges and nestled in a hollow cavity. Just as quick as they glimpsed it, however, the stone began to grow back.
"Dwight, if you miss this shot-"
"No need to talk about things that aren't gonna happen, Jeanne." Dwight said with icy calm, looking down the path of his shot. This one was a bit larger than normal; Gates began to shake up and down slightly, harming the odds – for a novice, anyway. But Mrs. Jacobs didn't raise novices.
His device beeped. "Target locked, sir."
He nodded. "Should have stayed in the ground, big guy."
But just before he could squeeze the trigger, the gargoyle, as if hearing the taunt, let out a roar of pure defiance. Raising its head, it fired a slew of the stakes at the rooftop, directly at Dwight's position. Grimly, he made to fire anyway.
"DWIGHT!" Jeanne cried up as the missiles hit too fast for anyone to deflect them, kicking up a cloud of dust. Hopefully the ordinary kind.
A moment of silence came, long enough for the logia to let out a roar of victory—
That was silenced as a bullet of energy shot out, passing through the distance perfectly and only stopping once it had pierced the ugly jewel.
In fact, all noise from the monster ceased instantaneously, like a computer having its cord plugged. Quite accurate, actually. As the squad watched, the jewel shattered without fanfare, and the statue it powered toppled. Slowly, from head to toe, it began to melt away into dust. Afterward, wind picked up, and a moment later it might as well not have been there at all.
A second later, Daniel voiced the thoughts of probably everyone nearby. "Frickin' finally."
0
Planet Gardius – Angelo Corporation Penthouse – 2032 Hours
"…hm. Would it be a bit facetious to ask how that saying about not making them like they used to got started in the first place, Katie?"
It was important when the boss was talking like this and asking questions like that to think carefully about what you said. Even if he didn't sound it, Quattro was upset, and she'd be a poor employee indeed if she made that worse, hm? "I wouldn't say so at all, Mister Quattro. If a designer can't live up to your expectations, then whatever the era, that's their own fault."
The CEO nodded slowly. "Yes, that's about what I thought, as well." Calmly, he shut off the connection - then, just as calmly, slammed his hand down on the desk, splintering the wood. "Exactly what I thought."
0
Planet Gardius – Rooftop – 2032 Hours
"Hey, Ant-"
"Alyssa!" Anton cried over her, lifting his head even if she wasn't anywhere around. "Are you alright? What happened!? Did-"
His captain cut him off by, somehow, clapping through the link. "Okay, just calm down. I get that it's only your second mission, but chill."
The rookie blinked. "Ch-chill!? What the he-" A sudden wave of dizziness overcame him, part from the asthma, part everything he'd gone through, and he fell backward. "I was worried…" he murmured.
"Heh. Thanks." Alyssa replied, sounding a bit more amused than happy. "But I'm, ugh, mostly okay. How about you?"
"I'm…" The dizziness wasn't going away. "Feeling sleepy…"
She snickered. "Nobody's stopping you, man. Like my old man always said: 'Going to bed where ya like is one thing that's always free'."
He was tired enough to laugh back at something like that. "Ha ha…yeah, that's…true…"
His eyes slowly drifted shut, and for Anton Langlsey, the night was over.
To be continued…
The next day, Section Thirteen takes a well deserved respite from any serious incidents, allowing the members to cool off the way they usually do. How do they do this? And for that matter, whatever happened to the person Dwight encountered, and the group they're working for? Come and see in Day Off.