[ The Saint's Cradle / October 1, 0078 12:55 ]
Her head still spinning, Teana picked herself off the floor and pushed ahead. Her Barrier Jacket took most of the blast but it was now tattered to shreds, and she didn't have time to mend it. Glancing over her shoulder, she found Shamal's Area Search hovering at a mockingly slow pace after her. She had to lose it fast, before the Belkan Knight gathered mana for another attack.
A memory came to her in a flash, and she quickly rattled off a few contingency spells, dismissing Cross Mirage's left gun. When she looked up again, she found herself before a sealed door—the last turn she took led to a dead end. She turned around slowly. The glowing celadon orb danced in the air a few steps behind her. She peered at it expectantly, and then it happened.
A chilling sensation spread across her chest, as if its insides were suddenly exposed to the outside air. Looking down, she saw a small portal open just under her breasts, pushing aside the remains of her Barrier Jacket. A slender hand wearing a pair of rings emerged from the portal, holding a tiny object emanating bright orange light.
My Linker Core, Teana thought almost calmly. How strange, I can barely feel it being gone.
Raising her free hand towards the portal, she placed it on its edge and uttered:
"Commence nullification of data link."
Shamal's hand jerked back—but not fast enough. The portal had already collapsed on her elbow. An agonizing scream echoed through the empty corridors, as the ball of celadon light fizzled out of existence. Even without her Area Searches, Teana knew where to look for her opponent.
She found Knight Shamal leaning on a wall at an empty corridor intersection, nursing her mangled right arm. Blood was still dripping onto the front of her dress, leaving ugly brown stains. Her hand looked like a steamroller drove over it.
"Well played, Tea," Shamal smiled, although tears of pain stood in the corners of her eyes. "I really didn't expect that."
Teana swallowed, forcing herself to look away from the minced flesh and protruding shards of bone.
"Shamal-san… please, come with me," she leveled Cross Mirage at her. "I don't want to hurt you anymore, and your arm… we must get you to a doctor."
"Oh, don't worry, I am a doctor myself." Shamal left hand covered the right one with green light. It helped a little. "More pressingly, how are you going to shoot me without your Linker Core?"
"My gun is modified to fire Orussian live ammo. I don't need mana to pull the trigger."
Shamal stared into her eyes for a moment and smiled again:
"You are bluffing. But I will come with you. It's not like I can fight anymore, either."
She took a step away from the wall and reeled almost immediately, so Teana rushed to support her. Up close, she suddenly realized that Shamal's skin had become translucent, with veins and vertebrae clearly visible through the flesh of her neck. Her face was gaunt, almost skeletal.
Before she could say anything, a portion of the wall next to them collapsed. As the dust settled, Teana saw Subaru emerge from the hole, carrying a large body on her back—Zafira's.
"Tea! I heard a scream, what…" Subaru gasped as she spotted Shamal's ghastly figure. "Shamal-san! What's happening to you?"
"Only what was to be expected," the serene smile looked particularly eerie on a half-skull face. "Is Zafira dead?"
"What? No! I just knocked him out."
"Oh, good, then we shall both see this through the end."
Subaru and Teana exchanged glances.
"We must get to the reactor core and help Fate-san," Subaru said.
"Can you contact her?"
"I tried but the communications are jammed. I can't contact Gin-nee, either."
"Then we're on our own. Shamal-san, please lean on me and help us find the way."
The knight silently nodded in agreement.