At the edge of the south-eastern border, smoke and ashes rose up from the crater in which the remains of the dragon Friedrich lay, along with its rider. The only sound to be heard was the still breathing of the Manticore, predatory eyes scanning the ground for survivors. There was no sign of movement, however, and the creature began to slowly turn away from the ruins . Grylmark smiled at the outcome. It had been a very short battle, but a necessary one. It could be potentially harmful for such people, children though they were, to continue to challenge him.
Now that the two girls were taken care of, he could concentrate on increasing the attack on the perimeter. Ungore and Srethis would be able to escape with his added support, and then -
"Stop right there!"
Grylmark frowned and turned back towards the guard tower. The white dragon was still lying defeated all the way below at ground level. There was no possibility that any of its riders could have survived the fall.
A solitary figure was hanging from a grapple hook at the side of the guard tower, her face battered and bruised by the impact. Fiercely, Tiana turned herself around as best as she could to face the old man from her precarious position. She had been lucky – with Cross Mirage out in her hand from trying to hit Grylmark with her shots, she had been able to fire a Grapple Hook out to latch onto the side of the building as Fried went down.
She tried not to think about Fried and Caro right now, or about the fact that there was no way for her to pull herself up from here. The gun in her other hand was pointed squarely at Grylmark as the old man gazed at her in wonder, floating dozens of metres above the ground. The Manticore growled deep in its throat and fixed its beastly gaze upon her, poised to attack.
"This is another surprise," Grylmark commented with interest. "What is your name, child?"
The sharpshooter fought to remain calm. A single thread was all that was preventing her from falling nearly a hundred metres to the ragged ground to her death. With Caro and Fried out of commission, she was on her own. There were no handholds or ledges on this side of the tower, and no way for her to climb up. She could disengage the grapple hook and try to hope that it caught onto somewhere else, but...
"Tiana Lanster," she said. "Sharpshooter of the Time-Space Administration."
I should have listened to Hayate-san. I should have come here with Subaru instead of Caro. I've always been at my best with Subaru...at least here we could have used Wing Road and -
Grylmark watched for her a few seconds more, his face expressionless.
"I shall remember your name, child," he said at last. "Think of it as a service for remembering my own." He raised his hands forth. "I will add it to the list of the deceased."
He wasn't going to be one of those opponents that left you alive when they saw you were defeated. If Tiana had hoped for that kind of response, those hopes were quickly dashed when she saw the Manticore come forward, a monstrous roar echoing from its maw as it reared upwards to tear her to pieces. No, he was going to finish her right here and now whilst he had the chance.
Think. If I stay here, I can't move and my bullets aren't going to have any effect on Grylmark. They probably won't hurt the Manticore much either. So I need to disengage the grapple hook quickly and hook it onto another part of the tower.
But if that didn't work...if she couldn't get it to catch on anything, then she was dead. There wasn't sufficient leverage for her to try to aim for the top of the tower either, so she couldn't get back to the roof.
What if...what if I try to hook it onto the Manticore itself? Just as it starts to attack?
No, that was impossible too. She had seen how fast the creature moved when Fried had been incapacitated, even considering its huge size. Tiana didn't think she could possibly move faster than the Manticore could. Maybe she could just hope that it missed? No...
Nanoha's face came into her head at that point, and Tiana stopped dead for a moment, remembering the words of every training session and mock battle that the Ace of Aces had taught her. Don't be reckless, Tia. Don't try to be a hero. Just remember what I've taught you.
Yes, but there was a difference in being reckless and taking a chance when the alternative was getting your brains dashed out on the ground below. Tiana racked her brains for another plan. What advantages did she have?...
Advantages? Yes. Size. The Manticore's nearly the size of this building. I must look like an ant to it. Maybe I can use that against it. If I'm small enough for it not to be able to hit me, then maybe I can dodge it and use the Grapple Hook onto its claws. And then...
Was she mad? Manoeuvring her way onto the Manticore? Wouldn't that just make her chances of survival worse? But if it was the only way out of her current predicament...
Abruptly, she felt the Manticore's breath on the back of her mind as it drew closer to her. She was out of time. Whatever she did, she had to act now. The Manticore was close, close enough to -
Tiana's heart caught in her throat as she realised that the Manticore was also close enough to ensure that, despite their relative sizes, it wasn't going to miss. Its claws were big enough to engulf the entire side of the building. Dodging it wasn't even an option anymore.
"Sayonara, Tiana Lanster," Grylmark said as the Manticore's claws descended towards her.
She felt death closing in on her as the other gun in her hand fired, fired at the underside of the claws rushing to rip her limb from limb. Bullets slammed into the tough flesh and punctured tiny holes in the skin which were like pinpricks to the monster. The Manticore kept coming, and the sky went dark around Tiana -
An explosion of rosary magical energy shot upwards towards the sky between Tiana and the claws coming to end her life. It came from the ground below. For a moment the Manticore ignored it and came through the magic field quickly, but then the rosary glow expanded and grew as more and more power was fed into it. The claws were forced back as the Manticore roared in frustration at this new interference.
Bewildered, Tiana could only flatten herself against the side of the building as the energy shot up into the clouds and began to take form. What was thi-
"Dragon Mount Summon," came Caro's voice from far below, in a crippled ruin on the ground as the magic field roared into a frenzy around her, "VOLTAIRE!"
The world was a roar in Tiana's ears as blazing walls of fire shot up across the circumference of the magic circle before her. She drew back from the flames as best as she could, but the heat was almost overpowering. The Manticore's eyes narrowed as it struggled to force its way through the barrier, hissing angrily as the inferno kept it at bay.
And then Voltaire, the Black Fire Dragon, emerged out of the raging firestorm to block the Manticore's path. The blackness of its skin across the length of its body was marred only by the crimson markings which ran up its upper torso, ending at the tips of its shoulders and just below its jaw. Its size was truly colossal, reaching up almost as tall as the Manticore itself, and twin cannons of magical energy charged in each of its shoulders. Four wings in total spread out across its back, all as black as night itself, extending fully as the summoning fire began to die down.
Twin horns rose on each side of its head, and Voltaire's eyes burned with an inner fire as it turned towards the enemy. The Manticore roared as it sighted the dragon, the inferno all but extinguished as Caro finished the summoning, and charged.
Voltaire's eyes narrowed as it caught the Manticore's claws within its own powerful fists, its muscles rippling as it blocked the monster's attack. Then the Black Fire Dragon let loose with two powerful blasts from its shoulder cannons, blowing its opponent backward several metres. The Manticore screamed and crawled on all fours to its feet, steeling itself.
Numbly, Tiana caught sight of Grylmark's expression at this new development. He looked panicky, at a loss at what to do. Evidently he had not expected things to happen like this.
Caro was screaming something from the ground, maybe incantations to aid Voltaire, but they were lost as the dragon reached down and seized the wounded Manticore in both hands by the throat and waist, lifted it high above its head and then smashed it into the ground. The ground shuddered and was cracked asunder by the impact, bones crunching behind the attack.
Shattered, the Manticore struggled to regain its footing. A stream of dragonfire ensued from its opponent's mouth, burning its flesh black as it clawed at empty air. Livid, the sounds it made were rattled and choked within its throat. It flapped its wings desperately to gain altitude, perhaps to escape.
Beside it, Grylmark's face was chalk-white, as if the pounding that the creature was taking was also affecting him. His body seemed to fizzle and crackle like a hologram, until it as if he was no longer there at all. Electric sparks shot around his face and hair, until he looked truly dazed.
This is my chance, Tiana thought, and released the grapple hook entirely.
She shot out Cross Mirage a second time as she fell, catching onto Voltaire's shoulder. She only hoped the dragon didn't throw her off. At this altitude, Grylmark was within range. The old man looked drained, no longer as confident as he had five minutes ago.
Tiana used the grapple hook to pull her onto the dragon's shoulder herself, and brought both guns up. She fired, fired again and again, her shots striking true through Grylmark's chest and arms. He looked too weak to teleport away or dodge, the bullets hitting him as his body shuddered with each hit. His clothes were soaked red as his eyes turned empty...and he began to fall.
Quickly, Tiana fired the Grapple Hook out once again onto Voltaire's wings. She had to get off the dragon quickly before its battle with the Manticore threw her off. The Black Fire Dragon was beginning to leave the ground now, ready to deliver the finishing blow, and Tiana managed to get the Grapple Hook around its left ankle.
She felt the tension at the end of the line paralyse her with its force for a moment, and then released it for the last time, falling the rest of the way to the ground by about a metre. She rolled as she hit the ground, tucking her knees in to absorb the damage and protecting her head as Nanoha had taught her.
This is why I need to learn how to fly, Tiana thought darkly as pain shot across her arms and legs, bringing Cross Mirage up and trying to see where Grylmark was.
Above her, Voltaire had gained the peak of its altitude. It brought its fists together, the knuckles of its black claws clenching and hardening together. Then it shot down in a vicious nose-dive towards the fallen Manticore, hitting the creature's chest with a double taloned punch. There was a crack as several bones of its ribcage broke under the attack, and forcing the Manticore's body even harder into the ground.
Tiana whirled around as Grylmark's body hit the ground with a crunch.
He shuddered and changed as his weathered eyes searched desperately, and as the sharpshooter looked on, the old man's body began to grow younger, more youthful. His years rapidly began to decrease. His hair turned a pleasant copper, his arms became more powerful and those of an able-bodied man, the crook of his shoulders disappeared completely...
Yet he kept going even after that. He became shorter, smaller, his face becoming rounder and somewhat gentler. Grylmark gasped for breath as the change finally slowed to a stop, climbing out onto the reddened soil.
It was as if his entire body had gone back in time. What Tiana was looking at was a young boy, not any older than Erio. A Grylmark in his very early youth.
Still panting, the young Grylmark staggered forward and murmured an incantation, not even looking at Tiana. Before she could do anything, the air had swallowed him up again. There wasn't a doorway or a portal of any kind – his body simply flickered and disappeared.
Moments later, the shattered body of the Manticore also vanished.
Exhausted, Tiana collapsed on the ground in front of her as Cross Mirage returned to Standby Mode. She'd survived. She hadn't managed to capture Grylmark, but she had beaten him and survived. And the new information she'd gotten from Grylmark was exactly what Nanoha needed to know about as soon as possible. That is, as soon as her body felt like moving again.
Vita and Signum raced across the path leading north from the hospital, following the faint trace of magic that Ungore had left in its wake. The trail was deserted and strangely empty of any Bureau soldiers or guards who would usually be here; that would explain why they hadn't managed to catch up to their opponents yet. Srethis was adept at stealth and infiltration, of course, and would probably be able to deal with any such obstructions. And they had both seen how fast Ungore could go.
Unable to transform anymore, Vita was struggling to keep up with the taller Velka Knight, but refused to show that the weakness was affecting her. Even Signum couldn't take Ungore and Srethis in by herself; Vita needed to be here. Still, she felt tense that any moment now the pink-haired mage would tell her that she would be better off helping Shamal back in the hospital.
My first day out of hospital, and what happens? I accidentally help one of our enemies, get attacked by an alien who blows up half the hospital, and now I can't transform or fight. This is not going to be one of those better days.
To tell the truth, Vita could barely detect Ungore's trail of magic at all. She felt like she was just following Signum. Days taken sick on such a ridiculous illness had dampened her normal reflexes when she could have been training to regain her strength. It frustrated her to no end, but at least she was still out here where the action was.
Abruptly, Signum came to a halt as they reached a wide clearing normally used for training new recruits entering the TSA. Again, it was mostly deserted.
"The trail stops here," the Velka Knight said, frowning. "They've got to be around here somewhere. Keep a lookout, Vita."
They both scanned the area thoroughly from their present position. No, there was no sign of any life at all as far as either of them could see. It was like their opponents had simply vanished into thin air. Yet Vita had a feeling that that wasn't the case. Ungore had come to rescue Srethis – stepped out of a portal into the ward where the lizard was being kept. If they were able to exit the same way, then why had they not escaped back in the hospital, instead of fighting to gain time?
"If they're still here," Vita said in a low voice, "we're going to need some back-up. I don't have my communicator on me in these moronic hospital clothes. You need to send word to Hayate-san."
Signum nodded. "If I know Hayate-san at all, she'll have sent someone to help already." Nevertheless, she reached up to open channels to the control room, whilst keeping her eyes peeled. If she could just -
"Vita! You're alive!"
The cry came from a lone figure across the field, rushing towards them. For a moment the Velka Knights froze, and then saw with added confusion that it was Hayate herself. Surprised, the two of them quickly made haste to meet up with her. There was no doubt about it – it was the former leader of Riot Force 6, in full military uniform. She seemed a little winded but was otherwise all right.
"Hayate-san?" Signum said, surprised to see the short-haired mage so far out from the inner departments. "You...you came out all the way here?"
"Of course," Hayate replied with a smile. "We saw what's going on. Reinforcements are already on their way to back you and Vita up. There is nothing more for you to worry about. Go back to the hospital and leave the rest to us – we won't let those two escape."
The two Velka Knights exchanged glances. Something was very strange about the way Hayate had just turned up out of the blue, especially in the way that she was speaking. And she had arrived greeting Vita...not Signum. As if she only knew who Vita was. There was something very wrong here.
"Hayate-san?" Vita said worriedly. "Is everything all right?"
Honest blue eyes gazed into her own, forcing her doubts away. "Vita," Hayate said gently, "everything is fine. All you need to do is go back to the hospital and stay out of the way. You will both be safer there."
"You want us to go back to the hospital," Signum said slowly, irritation muddying her tone.
"Yes. Quickly," the short-haired mage said with the faintest air of impatience. "The situation is under control. We just need you to go back and stay out of this."
For a moment, the taller Velka Knight locked her gaze with that of her superior, reading every inch of her face for the barest sign of suspicion. Not a single muscle twitched or moved out of line. Instead, Hayate just gazed back innocently as if her scrutiny were the most natural thing in the world. Signum took a half-step forward, staring her down, watching for the barest hair out of place. But nothing revealed itself. It was Hayate.
"Very well," Signum said carefully. "Then we will both go back to the hospital, by your orders, Hayate-san."
"Excellent," Hayate replied, her face betraying nothing.
The two Velka Knights turned around as if to head back the way they came. Vita glanced nervously to where Hayate was standing, unsure of what exactly was going on. Why would Hayate come all the way here just to...?
"Keep your eyes on her," Signum said sharply under her breath, so that only the red-haired girl could hear. "I'm just going to check something."
Calmly, the swordswoman opened the channels on her communicator to link into the main control room, and listened for a few seconds. A buzz of activity sounded on the other end, of orders being carried out across the compound, Shari's recognisable voice issuing reports on the current situation surrounding the TSA, and...one other very familiar voice.
Satisfied, Signum turned around again with a brief smile.
"Hayate-san," she said, "you are Hayate-san, aren't you?"
The former leader of Riot Force 6 raised an eyebrow and smiled good-naturedly. "Of course. Why do you ask?"
"Because," Signum said testily, "my communicator link says that there is another Hayate-san in the control room."
The Hayate in front of them seemed totally unabashed upon hearing this, taking it in her stride. "Then obviously they are an imposter. You should not be deceived so easily."
"True." The Velka Knight tightened her hand around Laevatein's hilt. "And what would you say, Hayate-san, if I were to ask you about yourself?"
"Myself?" the short-haired mage frowned. "Why, Srethis could not tell you about itself, when Srethis is Hayate-san who - "
She clamped her hands over her mouth as Signum swung her sword forward to attack the reptile, human skin darkening and turning green even as she moved. There was a rush of air and Laevatein's blade clashed against hard steel as Ungore darted to shield the creature, shifting its disfigured arm to force the Velka Knight off balance. Hissing to itself, Srethis backed away, Hayate's features disappearing completely as it writhed behind its companion.
Quickly, Vita moved out of the way as Signum and Ungore fought furiously, their blades whirling in a maze of colour. The alien was attempting to gain the upper hand with one of its explosive spells, but Signum was no longer giving it the chance, pressing forward with renewed vigour and keeping all Ungore's attention on protecting its guard. Even with one arm, the alien was doing a good job at keeping itself protected at all sides.
I can't transform, so I can't help Signum right now, Vita thought. And until reinforcements arrive...there's probably one thing I can do.
Hoping that Srethis was too weak to do her much damage in its crippled state, she skirted around Ungore's side and tackled the reptile to the ground. Srethis' eyes widened in surprise and it aimed a savage kick at her head which she managed to avoid. A claw whipped up towards her face, but there was energy behind it and Vita caught the fist in her hand. She moved her other hand to the side and chopped at Srethis with the side of it, felling the creature.
Ungore's eyes darted to the lizard as it went down, giving Signum the opening she needed. Her sword blazing with fire upon its length, she thrust Laevatein forward towards Ungore's chest. Desperately, the alien threw its arm up to cast a protection spell as Signum came through the ward and threw Ungore off its feet completely.
Got you, Vita thought triumphantly, coming forward.
And then the tables turned as a bellowing mass of black energy surged out of the clearing behind them, and a powerful vortex emerged out of the air towards their opponents...a portal in time itself, reaching out towards Srethis and Ungore as they slowly came to their feet, recognising the source...
A dark-haired girl in long black robes stepped out of the portal, brushing her clothes off as she flung a distasteful look at the reptile and the alien struggling towards the gateway.
"Exoria," Ungore spat, clutching its chest where Signum had grazed it. "I didn't need any help."
Hate flashed in the girl's eyes at the creature's response. It was clear from her expression that she was not here of her own free will.
"I want you to know that the only reason I'm doing this," she said vehemently, "is so that you don't get any false illusions about you being better than me. You have no skill as a Time Mage, Ungore."
"Save it," the alien retorted as it stalked towards the portal, its features beginning to thin out and disappear. "Let's just get out of here."
Signum started to run forward with a yell, but it was too late – Ungore had already gone through the portal. Their only new lead was gone. Which meant that they needed to stop Srethis going through at all costs – or at least try to capture this new enemy, this girl who had appeared so suddenly to save her companions. But her fight with Ungore had carried her too far away from where the portal was right now – she might not be able to get there in time...
"Vita, you're closer to Srethis!" she shouted. "Stop that lizard from going through at all costs! I'll try to take the girl!"
The red-haired mage ran forward and tackled Srethis from behind as the creature limped towards the gateway. It hissed and spat, trying to throw Vita off, rising to its feet with the Velka Knight clinging to its back. The lizard strained to reach the portal, one step at a time, painstakingly slowly as Vita struggled to wrench it back.
On the other side, Exoria narrowed her eyes as Signum charged at her, cleaving the air before her. She leaped backwards with ease and disappeared through the gateway.
Without her magic to support it any longer, the portal began to rapidly close before them.
Srethis shrieked in dismay and forced its way through with all the energy it could muster, Vita still trying to pull it back. With one powerful thrust of its muscles, the lizard slipped through the portal...bringing Vita through with it. A split second later, the portal had close completely, leaving behind nothing but the emptiness of the shrill wind.
"Vita!" Signum cried, her weapon dropping from her hands as she grasped at nothingness. The portal had closed up completely, taking their enemies away...and Vita with them...
Vita.
Wherever their opponents had gone to, Vita had been taken away with them. Unable to transform. Defenceless. Alone. Signum didn't want to think about what was going to happen to her. They'd lost Srethis, they'd failed to capture Ungore, and now...and now they'd lost Vita. In a way, Signum felt like she was responsible. She had told Vita to take care of Srethis, and now both of them were lost.
If Signum's gut instinct was anything to trust herself by, then it was saying right now that considering the kind of opponents that Ungore and Srethis were...they would probably waste no time in killing Vita when they found her.
Swallowing, she opened up her communicator, bracing herself to give Hayate the bad news. There had to be a way to resolve this. There had to be.
Nanoha walked shakily across the corridor, pacing her steps carefully. She felt drained and dazed as Fate supported her arm. The arm that held Oguba. Somehow, it didn't feel entirely healthy to grip the Lost Logia against her naked flesh, contract or not. The longer she held it, the more it felt like it was just sucking the strength out of her...
Raging Heart in her right hand was what helped sustain her, along with Fate. Her beautiful Fate. The two of them shone so bright in her mind, helping her move on. Fate had offered to hold Oguba for herself, but fear had almost paralysed Nanoha's mind at the thought. As if she knew it might be lethal to do such for a thing. No, she had a contract with Oguba. She had to be the one to carry it.
Mariel. I need to speak to Mariel. And quickly, before Oguba cripples me for much longer.
"That thing is dangerous," Fate had said, as Nanoha's weakness had been all too visible from the moment they had left the laboratories. "Was it worth going through so much for it?"
Nanoha shrugged. "Jewel Seeds are dangerous. Touching them could create monsters. But it is Oguba's power that saps my strength. I won't have to touch it for much longer."
And so it was, that they eventually found Mariel at the corner just outside the control room, on her way back from meeting with Hayate to discuss their strategy after the sudden disappearance of Grylmark's illusions at the perimeter. Mariel's eyes widened in shock when she caught sight of the pair of them, and even more so when she saw what Nanoha was holding. She stood rooted to the spot as the brunette mage caught hold of her hand and pushed Raging Heart against her palm.
"Mariel," she gasped, at the last of her strength. "I want you to complete Raging Heart's maintenance with Oguba's parts."
She dropped the Lost Logia against the engineer's gloved hand, making sure that it didn't touch her skin, and collapsed against the wall as Fate quickly propped her up. But it was fine. Nanoha knew her strength would return soon enough.
"N-nanoha-san?" Mariel stammered, staring at the Lost Logia as if it were a new living organism delivered into her care. "How...how could...Oguba? But that's..."
"It's a long story," Nanoha said tiredly. "Mariel...please. Finish Raging Heart's requests and install Oguba's parts into it. That's all it needs to be fully operable again."
Mariel looked like she was still trying to recover from the shock of holding the Lost Logia. "But...but even if this is Oguba, I don't know anything about it! I wouldn't know where to begin! How could I dismantle such an artifact and - "
"Trust in Raging Heart," the Ace of Aces murmured in reply, her consciousness gradually fading as she sagged in Fate's soft arms. "As long as you have Oguba, Raging Heart will guide you."
Her chin fell onto her chest as she blacked out from the exhaustion, her last sensation that of Fate cradling her, arms tightly around her waist. It was not an unpleasant experience. When she awoke, she knew everything would be all right again.