Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewing so far! A few things I should mention: I have not read any of the manga past StrikerS, e.g. ViVid, Force etc. so any new techniques or spells that the characters learn in those, I haven't used or anything. Just going from the setting not long after StrikerS finishes.
Also, I always thought those "ability limiters" were a bit pointless in StrikerS, so I've just decided to leave them out completely here. I'm not mentioning them at all, so basically there's nothing stopping Nanoha and co from going straight to Starlight Breaker if they want to.
Anyway here's the chapter.
The glass was the first thing that Hayate saw when she regained unconsciousness. She had never seen it this close up before. And by "close up", she meant embedded in her very skin. With a howl, she swept Reinforce around in a fluid circle – apparently the transition through the portal had allowed her to retain her mage's protective clothing – and blew away every particle of glass around her.
Unfortunately, Rein was caught up in the blast too. Hayate quickly reversed the spell to bring the unison device back towards her. Now, if only...
Where are we this time? There's glass everywhere and it's as if a bomb went off in here. If that portal took us even further back in time, if that's even possible, then this is going to be really, really -
Her gaze faltered when she recognised the computer screen at the end of the room. The remains of her very familiar desk. Posters and leaflets for Special Operations peeling off the walls, only just hanging on by a thread. A sad pile of smashed-up wood in the corner which must have originally been Rein's mini-desk and chair that Hayate had got for her.
She slowly picked up a very large and colourful poster that was lying on the floor. It was her joke poster about Nanoha and Fate getting married. It was ripped savagely down the middle, splitting the couple's smiling faces completely. Even it was just an accident, the sight of it unnerved Hayate and she quickly turned it over again.
The good news is that we're back in my office. Hopefully, back in the right time.
"All right," Hayate sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "What in the world happened whilst we were gone? First person to tell me gets a free orange." She tapped her communicator impatiently, hearing nothing but crackling and static coming out of it. "Hello? Shari? Nanoha? Anyone?"
"This is bad," Rein murmured. "I can't get through to any of the higher-ups on my frequency either. Hayate, you've got more access than me – try contacting one of the directors in the Saint Church, like Carim or - "
The screech in their ears was enough to almost burst their eardrums. Both girls clamped their hands over the sides of their heads and ripped the communicators off quickly. The interference from the other end must have been overwhelming.
"Hayate!" Chrono's familiar voice blared at them as they held the communicators at arm's length from their ear. "What do you think you are doing?!"
The short-haired mage stood very still for a moment, letting the ringing in her ears fade away. "Chrono-kun?" she said angrily. "What do you mean, what am I doing? You're the one who just turned me deaf in one ear for the rest of my life!"
"Don't play that kind of game with me, Hayate." The aggression in his note was unlike anything she'd ever heard before, taking her completely unawares. "Internal transmissions from Special Operations show that you've completely throttled the defence network of the Bureau! We're open to attack from all borders!"
"What?!" Hayate shouted. "How could - "
The gravity of the situation was only just starting to press in on her. Being kidnapped and removed from this time period completely. Returning to find that all hell had broken loose and that the TSA was defenceless. Whoever was behind this had been planning this very carefully from the beginning. And the only reason to want her, Hayate, out of the way, would be so that someone could use her own access codes to bypass top security and -
"Chrono-kun," she said, "whoever's responsible for this used my access into the Bureau network. They must have - " It suddenly occurred to her what Chrono was yelling at her about. "Wait, you think I did this?"
"Security verified it," the Bureau Admiral said through gritted teeth. "Communications were blocked down to your office and the lower floors were hours and I've finally got through. And the last I heard, Nanoha and Fate went down to try and talk to you. Where are they, Hayate?"
"Wait just a second here," Hayate said patiently, pinching the bridge of her nose softly. "I didn't do this. I didn't break through the top security of the TSA and blow up my own office and - " She glanced outside into the shattered corridor and gulped. " - and kill security guards and...Chrono, I don't know who you saw on the cameras, but that wasn't me!" An imposter. Pretending to be me for the purpose of driving the Bureau into utter chaos. "Don't you realise that?"
"Of course I do," Chrono said stiffly. "But how do I know it wasn't you when we saw you hacking into the systems just an hour ago?" His voice deepened with suspicion. "If there was an imposter...I could be speaking to them right now. If you're who you say you are, Hayate, where have you been all this time?"
Hayate exchanged glances with Rein. The unison device shook her head sadly.
"Travelling through time?" she tried weakly, then gave up on telling that part of the story. "Listen, Chrono, we probably don't have any time to explain. Rein can tell you about it later."
"Rein's there?" The Bureau Admiral sounded a little more respectful now. "Then..."
"Yes! If you would just listen to me for a second." Hayate threw up her arms, cursing the stubbornness of all males in her vicinity. "I was kidnapped and taken away from here, and that's when the imposter must have attacked!" She was gathering speed, getting more excited now. "I followed a girl through a time portal. It sounds impossible, I know, but - "
She stopped dead in mid-sentence, realising that she had overlooked one vital thing. Quickly, Hayate dropped the communicator, bringing her staff up defensively, eyes darting around the room, across shattered windows and smashed-up wood. She had been so relieved to actually get back to her own time that she had forgotten something very important.
If we followed that girl through the portal, then she must have come out before we did, so -
A black shape shot past her in a flash, whipping blades across the front of her body. Hayate felt blood seep across her front, staggering backwards in surprise more than anything else.
"Accelerated Time Destruction," Exoria chanted, and released the blaze of charging black energy straight into the wall next to Hayate.
The straight column of cement and plaster was annihilated in an instant as the spell collided into it. Not destroyed or ripped apart, as you might expect – but simply removed from the scene, as if it had vanished into another one of those portals that the robed girl had conjured up. Exoria flung a look of dark hatred at Hayate, then leapt through the wide opening and disappeared.
What the - ?
Quickly, she grabbed up the communicator again, scrabbling amongst the glass for a moment painfully before she found it again. "Chrono!" she yelled into it. "I'm found one of the people who might be responsible for what's going on. I'm going after them."
"Hayate, I don't know what you're even - "
"Neither do I. I need you to fill me in what's going on with the rest of the Bureau right now." Hayate propelled herself towards the gap in the wall, floating in mid-air to focus on her rapidly disappearing quarry in the distance. She's trying to escape. And seeing as she's not using one of her time portals...then maybe she's weakening. "I'll listen to you and chase her at the same time. Don't act so surprised," she added as she soared towards the north, Rein floating alongside her. "It's called multi-tasking."
The gigantic deformed mutant at the walls of the vaults let out an ear-splitting roar and cleaved the air in front of it with its talons. Cracks appeared along the thick cemented fortifications as smashing blows ripped into the side of the doors. They would not hold for much longer against such force.
Tiana and Subaru ascended the steps on either side of the monster, leading up to the roof. There was no sign of anyone controlling the creature. If it broke into the vaults completely, then...that was the part that didn't make sense. The Lost Logia within would be vulnerable to its attacks. If it was allowed to progress any further after that, then most likely the monster would destroy all of the Lost Logia entirely. There was no point in such a senseless act, since many of the Lost Logia might well be activated in the process and create additional problems. Subaru couldn't understand why anyone would go to so much trouble – unless Erio was right and all this was just a decoy.
"Wing Road!"
The path before her led right around the side of the creature's skull. A perfect fighting position to minimize damage to yourself. But because the monster was so huge, the two of them had been forced to climb a considerable distance up above the ground just to be able to take a shot at it. A fall from this height would be fatal.
"There's no still sign of the summoner anywhere," Tiana said, bringing her weapon up to eye-level. "They must be in concealment, directing the attacks against the vault. In which case..."
Subaru nodded. "Let's deal with what's in front of us." Mach Caliber came to life in her fist with a flurry of energy. "If we don't take out that thing in the next five minutes, this whole place will be rubble."
Screams echoed from below as the mutant crushed more Bureua soldiers under its hooves, its great mane descending as it started to bite into the walls with two rows of metallic teeth, glistening under the falling sun. The other mages defending the vaults were desperately casting spells against the monster, but they weren't doing much good. Binds were snapped away uselessly and no cage spell was large enough to hold it.
Whatever they did here, they were on their own.
"Variable Barrett!" Tiana commanded, as Cross Mirage brought their formidable opponent into sight along its laser-scope. A widening circle of energy formed at the end of the barrel, growing larger as the orange-haired mage concentrated the energy.
"Drive Ignition!" Subaru shouted, taking off across the Wing Road directly at the fearsome mutant. Her cyborg arm rotated at high-speed, ready to drill through the monster's outer defenses when they hit -
"Shoot!"
The creature raised its head towards them, mighty jaws wet with drool, when the two forwards' attacks struck it simultaneously. Subaru's metal fist slammed into the side of its jaw, drilling through flesh and bone, whilst Tiana's concentrated fire caught it right between the eyes. The mutant twisted in agony, roaring to the skies and scything the air with claws that could flatten a whole squadron with one blow.
"Divine Buster!" the blue-haired mage screamed, releasing the spell into the creature's open mouth at point-blank range.
The recoil from the energy blast was tremendous, exploding forth in all directions as Subaru quickly reversed the direction of her blades and shot back across the Wing Road to avoid the explosion. Blinded by Tiana's attack and fatally wounded as Subaru's spell penetrated through the back of its throat in one go, the mutant staggered backwards and whipped its deadly tail in a full circle, gashing anyone who got too close.
Breathing heavily from the exertion, Subaru landed back on her feet next to Tiana, who was trying to cool her gun off. The monster was crawling away from the vaults, wildly slashing out as it tried to strike out at its unseen enemy.
"What is that thing?" Tiana said thoughtfully, reaching out with Cross Mirage to finish the beast off before it did any more damage.
"A manticore," came a soft pale voice from out of the voice around them, full of warmth and an unhealthy amount of solitude.
The unexpected answer startled the two forwards, and they raised their weapons defensively in front of them at once, combing the area for any sign of life. The lack of any presence whatsoever was unnerving. Tiana prided herself on being the best out of them all in detecting an opponent trying to creep up on you, whether they were invisible or not. Yet even she could not detect the slightest sign of life around them...
"Who's there?" Subaru shouted, keeping the Divine Buster charged up in her left hand in case she needed it. "Show yourself!"
A reluctant sigh came out of the haze around them, and then the lonely figure of a tall old man appeared in the air before them. Shrewd grey-white hair covered his matt of a face, from which small tired eyes peered at them from within; eyes which also were bright with fervour. He wore plain white clothes from head to toe, and appeared to be unarmed.
He was also floating in mid-air about a metre above the roof before them. Tiana narrowed her eyes suspiciously: her senses were still telling her that nobody was standing before her.
Convinced, she fired directly at the old man without a word. The energy bullet struck him and continued its trajectory through him as the image of the man shuddered and vanished away into the air.
"An illusion?" Subaru whispered.
A moment later, the old man re-appeared again, only this time he was walking side-by-side across the edge of the roof. The white clothes were replaced by garments of deep indigo.
"You mustn't do that, child," he said with a warm smile parting his cracked lips. "It is not the greatest of courtesies."
"Divine Buster!"
The pent-up energy held quivering in Subaru's fist was released all at once again. Once again, the illusion vanished again as the spell shot right through it, only to re-appear at a different angle, again with slightly differently-coloured clothes.
"Or that," the old man cautioned, holding up a finger warningly. "Is this any way to treat your elders?" He smiled again without malice. "But I respect your own skills, children. You did well in pushing away my Manticore."
"You're the summoner," Tiana said hotly, her hands tightening around Cross Mirage. "All the beasts attacking the vault are creatures you summoned!"
The old man clapped his hands merrily. "Of course. But now they will all go home." He put his hand to his ear mockingly. "Hear that, children? The sound of sil- ah, almost silence. But you will notice that my creations will no longer trouble you."
He was right. Where there had been the roars of terrible monsters besieging the walls of the vault and battling against Bureau mages only a minute ago, there was now silence except for the cries of the wounded below. Even the giant mutant that Tiana and Subaru had defeated – the Manticore, as this man called it – seemed to have disappeared completely.
Subaru stepped forward purposely towards the apparition. "Who are you?" she said quietly, ready to strike at the first sign of any threat. "Why are you doing this?"
The old man chuckled. "My name is Grylmark. Grylmark the Third, if you please." He sighed. "But alas, children, I fear that you will forget me in time. The living drift away like leaves in the wind."
The image of Grylmark flickered momentarily and began to fade away.
"Stop!" the blue-haired mage cried, rushing forward towards the edge of the roof towards the old man. "You're under arrest under the authority of the Time-Space Administration Bu- "
The old man's eyes twinkled and he smiled. "I have no time for your petty games. My part in this is complete. The decoy has succeeded. Goodbye, children...it was a pleasure talking to you."
In the next instant, the image had disappeared completely. The summoner had escaped, along with the monsters that he had brought with him. With his departure, the air seemed strangely empty. The two of them felt a chill wrap around their bones, and quickly transformed back into their usual uniforms, letting their devices slip back into their original forms.
Summoner and illusionist in one, Tiana thought to herself as they stood there strangely on the roof with the wind blowing about their hair. Or there was another illusionist helping him. That was why I couldn't detect him at all. There's someone out there who's better at illusion magic than I am.
The attack on the vault had ceased completely, just like Grylmark had promised. The walls still stood firm, though they had taken a severe beating from the blows of the Manticore. But the effects and consequences that issued as a result would be felt for a long time to come. Quickly, Tiana and Subaru hurried back down the steps to see to the wounded. There were people who still needed their help.
With every step, it felt like the ground was scorched beneath her feet. Calm and bitter winds blew her hair across her eyes, eyes that burned crimson with deep emotion. Her heart was tight against her chest, boiling within a fiery torrent as her muscles clenched in preparation.
Fate raised Bardiche in Zanber Mode up high onto her shoulders. When she chose to, she could slice that slimy lizard in half. Her mind was still numb with shock, lost in an ocean in which she was drowning without anyone to save her. Falling away into darkness, and screaming one person's name: Nanoha. The only reason her body hadn't given up on her already was because of the closeness of her personal connection to Bardiche. Bardiche knew what she wanted.
I'll save her just like she saved me, once before. Nanoha, I'll bring you back. Back to me and Vivio. We're all waiting to see you again.
"Fate-san?" Caro called out from above, seated astride Fried. "What do you want us to do? Isn't this creature one of the attackers?"
Nothing, Fate's inner voice whispered, I'll take care of this.
But then she remembered who was right there in front of her, along with the monster who had taken away her light in the world. The two children she had brought up herself with all the love and affection she had possessed. Erio and Caro. The love that her own mother had never given her had been the love she had passed onto them.
Her mind snapped back out of its reverie. Nanoha. No. Reason. Recklessness. Remember where you stand. The three of us have the creature surrounded. If we work together, then we should be able to -
Nanoha.
Fate's hands trembled as she lowered Bardiche to the ground, although she didn't relax her grip on the hilt. Stay in control. Don't lose it. Vivio may be your daughter now, but the first real children you ever had are watching you right now. Do as you've always done.
But not before she could know the answers to the most critical questions of all.
"What happened to Nanoha?" she breathed, the words choking in her throat. "What did you do to her?"
Srethis cocked its scaly head over to one side and tested its one good wing. It worked expertly, but one wing would not allow it to get off the ground. Especially not at maximum speed. One mage in front of it and two mages at its back. On a dragon, no less. The reptile did not like these kinds of odds one little bit; everything had been going so well. Why, it had almost thought that it would survive...
"Srethis told you," it said staticly, hunching into a cat-like position. "The Nanoha you saw died in the past. Now she is no more."
Erio and Caro stared wide-eyed at the reptile in astonishment.
"I-in the past?" Erio said, shocked. "But...Nanoha can't be dead..." The red-haired boy shook his head adamantly. "Fate-san, what is that creature talking about? Nanoha was with you, wasn't she?"
It took everything she had to bottle in the rush of emotions inside her right then. Her teeth bit hard into her bottom lip, a trickle of blood dripping down her chin. Fate shut her eyes tightly, feeling tears form at the edges, refusing to let them show.
"Srethis does not know how to lie," the reptile hissed. There was no sign of the malicious smile from before, as if it had given up on that tactic. Instead, its emerald eyes narrowed. "And Srethis is not responsible for her death. That...was the act of an entity in the past."
Fate's eyes sprang open instantly. "Who?" she snapped. "Who did this?" She lifted Bardiche into the air in a single instant, and whipped it out at arms-length so that it was inches away from Srethis' throat. "Answer me!"
The reptile laughed softly, a deep growl in its throat. "Kill me," it said with an definite sadness to its voice. "It will make things much easier for Srethis in the long run."
"Fate-san!" Cario cried in alarm.
Srethis' eyes blazed, and one of its scaled arms shot down straight onto the end of Bardiche at its throat. Its entire body contracted, and with a single snap of that wrist it hurtled itself into the air as Fate swung her weapon towards it furiously. The reptile struck out with its other wrist in mid-somersault and hit the flat of the blade, halting Fate's attack and deflecting the blow. Then it kicked off from the Zanber with one powerful leg, propelling itself directly at the blonde Enforcer.
Startled at this sudden display of acrobatics, Fate switched Bardiche to her other hand and slammed her silver-plated gauntlet up in an hard uppercut, whirling in a spinning kick to lash out with her weapon in a wide circle. Srethis took the punch in the palm of its talons, backing away to recuperate, but the sudden Zanber slash cut into one of its shins.
With angry hiss, the reptile dropped to one knee, eyes burning. Fate relaxed her hold on Bardiche at last.
"Surrender now and nobody will hurt you," she said, the lethal anger from just a minute ago completely evaporated within her. Her emotions were back under control again. The calmness was returning to her at last, the colour coming back into her face. "You are under arrest for the impersonation and instigation of several attacks upon high-ranking TSA officials. If you do not have anything to say in your defence, you will be escorted to the Bureau interrogation cells for investigation into your actions against - "
Srethis' right claw scythed against her cheek all of a sudden. One moment the creature had been lying wounded and defeated on the ground in front of her; the next moment it was up in the air again, slashing at her mercilessly. Dazed, Fate brought up Bardiche to defend herself. Damn it. My opponent's attacking too fast for me to get a clear hit in. And Erio and Caro are probably afraid that if they use Fried to attack with Beast Flare, then they might hit me. I just need to get a spell in to get my bearings. If I wasn't so distracted about Nanoha...
The thought sparked her determination. Bardiche slashed to the side in a feint, allowing her other hand to curve round to the right and grasp Srethis off the ground by the throat. She lifted the reptile as it struggled and smashed its head into the ground.
Woozily, the creature shook itself slightly, barely hurt at all, and leaped up again. But Fate hadn't been trying to hurt it. She had bought the time she needed.
"Plasma Smasher!"
The destructive energy expelled from her palm hit Srethis at point-blank range and sent it flying backwards several metres. The reptile staggered to its feet, smoke rising off its flesh, the scales burned white-hot.
Then it started running back at her again, claws curling around towards her face again. Startled at its resilience, Fate changed back to Assault Form, whipping Bardiche around to parry.
The attack never came; it was a feint. Instead, a sharp kick whacked across the side of her ear, narrowly missing her eye, and in the next moment Srethis had kicked off from the shaft of her weapon, rocketing in the other direction...towards Erio and Caro.
But the forwards were already moving in action, guiding Fried down towards Srethis as the reptile attacked in desperation. There was no time for Beast Flare, not at this range -
"Boost Up.Strike Power!" Caro chanted, as the glow of her magic deepened around Erio and his own weapon.
The red-headed boy stood up high on the dragon, raising Strada in preparation, now that his attack power had been accentuated.
Srethis hissed angrily at the two children barring its way to freedom. As Fried dived low towards it, the reptile slashed one foot down, stepping across the dragon's face to sprint across, claws extended in anticipation. Caro's eyes widened in fear as it swooped down towards her, the girl backing away as she tried to cast another spell -
Erio sprang forward, the lance in his hands pulsating from magic fire.
"Purple Lightning Flash!" he cried, and struck in a curved arc which impaled the reptile from front to back. Srethis's body jerked as blood spurted out from its midriff and mouth, clawing at the weapon. It choked as its lungs filled up with blood, gasping and twitching.
Appalled, Erio whipped Strada forward so that Srethis' body slid off and onto the ground about a metre below them. The reptile turned as the impact hit it hard, feeling bones shatter. It clutched at its wound, struggling to get to its feet. The Bureua mages around it looked on in complete astonishment as Srethis placed one hand to its stomach, a white pulsing light glowing within its talons, sealing away the bleeding...
Restoration magic? Fate thought, stepping forward with Bardiche raised high, charging up the spell she had been preparing whilst Erio and Caro had been fighting the reptile. After all that damage it took, it's all going to be for nothing? I've got to end this now.
Bardiche was in Assault Form, blazing to the sky in golden colours. It had been some time since Fate had used this spell. Not since the Book of Darkness incident. Of course, she had other similar spells now, but Hayate was the one who specialised in wide-area magic, and now...
She felt the power grow within her, escalating to its peak. Before her, Srethis panted as it struggled to heal its wounds, its eyes widening as it saw the scale of the power being summoned down upon it. Its reptilian eyes darted here and there, searching for an exit, still gasping for breath.
Fate closed her eyes and initiated the spell, unleashing its fury.
"PLASMA ZANBER BREA - "
"Wait!" Srethis cried unexpectedly, collapsing on the soiled ground.
Fate paused in mid-spell, looking down upon her opponent disapprovingly. The energy surged within Bardiche, waiting to be released. Waiting to rain down and finish this once and for all.
"Srethis surrenders," the reptile panted, barely able to move from the stomach wound. "Srethis outnumbered, admits defeat." It groaned as it turned over, slumping over to one side. "Have pity on Srethis?"
Grylmark didn't come out quite as I wanted to portray him to be...sigh.
And Srethis was initially supposed to be modelled after the Khajit races from the Elder Scroll games. But somehow he ended up sounding like Gollum. i don't know really.