Here it is, folks! The chapter you've all been waiting for...
... right after these messages!
Saturn56: Why, yes it is. And what a good question! We must investigate this.
Eisenfaust: Thank you very much, I am very happy you liked it, I tried my hardest, spot on and that was the most expectable thing to come.
SS7x3: Heh, thanks. Yeah, I liked the Leanbox arc best but it's still only the shiniest of the three turds. As for your feeling, well, that's called Genre Savvy.
mastermind: Yeah, links that go beyond or fictionpress don't work on here. Sucks, I know. However, I did manage to figure out that the TMD was from Singularity and worked my way from there. I don't think I'll use it; it's too overpowered. Anyway, thank you and make sure to hold your bets unless you know me really well.
some guy: I don't know why you're bringing it up here but keep this in mind: it's not (completely) about what you do but rather how you do it. This fanfic, for instance, is just a retread of the first game but with myself (male, by the way) inserted into its all-female main cast. Sounds like a recipe for disaster but look where it is now.
Guest: Sounds like you're just doing Bioshock: Infinite again but with different characters and locales. Not a good idea; you need to mix it up. Yes, Bioshock: Infinite was just a retread of the original but it played with the original's ideas in new ways.
Okay, new rule: my review section is not a forum for discussing fanfic ideas. We do actually have a forum on this site right above the dropboxes for fanfic searching. Please take your ideas there. If there is no forum for such a thing, please make one.
Sorry for the interruption but we all know that hanging you by the edge of your seats is one of my favourite past times. Heh heh heh heh heh...
Chapter 28: Identity Fractured
It was mid-afternoon. The rays given off from the moderate sun lazily fell onto the grey rectangular quarried stones of Leanbox's main street. The subsequent light and warmth were felt by the two people that stood face to face, their hands raised in their own unique ways in preparation for combat. There was no noise to be heard from anywhere around the two adventurers; it was as if the two of them were in their own space to settle their differences in.
Jacob held his fists defensively in front of him and his left foot forward. He kept his gaze focused on IF, who pointed her leading left foot to her right and stretched her left arm out in front of her with her flat hand's palm facing the road. Her right arm was bent at her side, keeping her forearm and open hand across her torso. She was every bit as still as Jacob was. He waited for the optimal opportunity for assault, one where he could surprise her and deal as much damage as necessary without suffering any himself.
Surprisingly, IF attacked first. She dashed towards Jacob and stopped right in front of him before swinging her left forearm to his right side. He flipped up his right arm to block but winced as it was impacted heavily by steel. IF then side kicked him in his stomach with her heel, causing him to bend forward before she followed through by flipping backwards on the spot and kicking Jacob's chin with both feet kept together like glue. Jacob's back crashed into the ground while IF landed on both feet without flaw.
"Ugh..." Jacob groaned.
The Moderatist didn't pay him any mind and turned around to walk elsewhere. Her head didn't even twitch towards Jacob as her feet took her away from him and down the street, even after he had stopped groaning. She kept her eyes forward, content with the thought of having knocked Jacob out.
"You don't seriously think you've won yet, do you?"
Quickly, IF turned to see Jacob standing up once again. His right hand went over the disc at his side and he summoned a green bottle of Reflex as he kept his eyes locked into IF's shocked pair. "Thanks for not using the blades of your new weapons." He consumed the contents of the bottle, tilting his head up to get all of it down his throat. "Ah..." he sounded in pleasure as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve after he was done. The green bottle was then sent back into the disc. "Did you really think I'd go down that easily, though?"
The narrowed gaze of IF focused on him intently. "I was not expecting you to still be conscious, really."
"Neither was I," Jacob admitted while circling his right arm. "All that training is really paying off."
IF face softened. "You're... much stronger than I gave you credit for."
Jacob let out a small breath through his nose. "Thank you."
He then dashed forward, his feet hammering along the ground like a stampede. He brought his arm back as he neared IF and, when she was within range, whipped it around as hard as he could. Not surprisingly, IF dodged under the clumsy and brutish haymaker with a roll. Right after Jacob regained his footing, he performed a back kick which hit IF's chin. Jacob turned around and got into his stance once more before IF recovered and fired a roundhouse kick at Jacob but he batted it away with his left arm, giving him a chance to snap it back to her currently lurching forehead. Jacob grabbed IF's shoulders and thrust his knee forward but IF twisted out of his grasp.
Jacob walked towards IF, delivering a cross or a hook with every step taken. IF stepped back in turn and blocked every single punch he threw even as their speed and force increased quickly. The male fired a cross that IF guided far with her right hand, leaving his right side vulnerable to her own left hook that elicited a grunt from him. IF whipped her forearm around to strike his head but, with a grunt, Jacob pressed forward and wrapped his arms around IF. He threw her to the left, keeping her off-balance long enough for him to grab IF's shoulders and successfully knee her in the stomach.
"Argh!" grunted IF as her arms wrapped around where his knee hit her. "Damn... it..."
While IF took her time to get her bearings, Jacob looked at his right hand. He looked at its open palm with soft eyes, flexing the fingers gently and subtly. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath before he clenched his hand into a tight fist. With a growl, he thrust it forward with tremendous force into IF's face. It pushed into her cheek until Jacob felt the lower part of IF's skull against the joints of his fingers. As it pushed on, his punch forced her face to turn until his arm could extend no more, by when IF's face was pushed away from Jacob's knuckles and her body flew back with it. Her body hit the ground and rolled over once.
With a grunt, IF pushed herself off the ground and onto all fours. Panting, she wiped one hand against her mouth and looked at it to see the fresh blood that painted its length. She turned her head to look at Jacob with gritted teeth before she stood up shakily. Once she had regained her balance, she slid off her oversized blue jacket and slid it into her disc.
"Okay..." she breathed as she cracked her knuckles, showing off her vambraces that reflected the sunlight with their steel frames, "... fun time's over..."
Jacob gulped.
Faster than the shriek of a bat, IF flashed in front of Jacob and smashed his side with her spinning forearm. As Jacob let out a howl of pain, the brunette whirled around and kicked Jacob in the gut, forcing him to bend over. IF lifted her leg high into the air and brought it down towards Jacob like an axe but he forced himself out of the way with a spin. During the spin, he extended his arm with the intent to strike IF with the back of his fist but she backstepped away. IF closed the distance again and attempted a low kick but Jacob countered with a low kick of his own. IF proceeded to step in and strike his chest with her elbow and knocked him back. She stepped in again but Jacob intercepted her with an elbow strike of his own that IF sidestepped before dropping down to sweep him out from under his feet, sending him crashing to the ground face first.
"Take this!" she shouted as she jumped to stomp on his jetpack-wearing back with both feet. However, the transport powered up and took Jacob away into the distance, leaving IF to pound the road. She grunted as the force she exerted was exerted against her ankles in turn. IF held herself back from cursing under her breath as Jacob returned. She rolled out of the way right before he rocketed through where her chest used to be feet first and she stood up hastily to look for him. She found him turning around to come right back at her. With a smirk, she lifted her leg high for when he'd fly at her and brought it down when she was certain he'd fly right into her axe kick. She was surprised when she missed as he landed to the side of her and struck her in the face with a hook to daze her before he kicked her to the side.
In time, she stopped seeing stars and looked around only to find Jacob floating in the air with his arms crossed. "Come on, now," he chided with a smirk. "I thought you were faster than that."
IF narrowed her eyes at him.
Away from all the fighting, Gust, Compa, Nisa and Neptune remained in the inn room. Compa was reading to one of the dogs while Gust listened in and Neptune and Nisa were on the console.
"No no no no no!" shouted Neptune as she dropped the controller and held her head. "How do you keep crushing me time and time again?!"
Nisa chuckled. "My dearest sister, you will never find anyone quite as devoted to improving their skills in fighting games as me. It also helps that you're rather inexperienced."
"Well just you wait! I will get better and then I will crush you like an ant!"
"Didn't you say the same thing about dual wielding, Nep-Nep?" inquired Compa.
"Compa!" Neptune exclaimed with exaggerated indignation. "No need to say such blasphemous things!"
ArfArf, standing at Neptune's side, growled at the nurse. This invited the dog that Compa was reading to to growl back.
"Y-You don't need to be so mean to each other!" Compa cried out as she restrained her dog. "I didn't mean anything offensive by it..."
"S'okay, Compa," said Neptune as she placed her hand on the side of ArfArf's head and gently nudged the dog to look at her. "See, she's sorry."
ArfArf let out a spritely 'woof' and began panting.
Neptune giggled and held the toy to her chest. "Aw, you're so cute. So are the lot of you but you're the cutest."
The other fifteen dogs in the room let out a small whine. Compa petted the dog on her lap.
Just then, someone outside knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" asked Gust.
"Room service!" replied a middle-aged female voice. "I'm here with your meals!"
Compa blinked. "But we didn't order any..."
"Compa, it's free food!" argued the CPU. "Bring it in!"
A silhouette that looked like the inn's guide opened the door and strode into the room. With physics-defying grace and balance, four dishes rested on her arm, each topped with a unique meal and fitting utensils. "Here you all are. I hope you enjoy them," she said as she handed the plates out to the girls. Compa's was a bowl of chicken ramen with wooden chopsticks, Nisa's plate had a large steak sandwich divided into two triangles and Gust received a modest slice of carrot cake with vanilla icing.
Neptune received the grandest dish of all. Handed to her was a massive plate carrying a stack of extremely wide pancakes. Maple syrup had been poured in a cross over the top pancake and dribbled over the sides. The stack was topped by a scoop of vanilla ice cream surrounded by a bundle of strawberry slices and blueberries. Surrounding the bottom of the stack was a ring of flower-shaped candies, some with blue petals and some with red but all of them had yellow centres.
"This is amazing!" Neptune cried out in glee as she held her plate.
"Thank you very much!" said Compa as she stood up to lightly bow to the silhouette.
The maid giggled. "It's no problem. I hope you all enjoy your meals!" she said before she left the room and shut the door behind her.
Compa picked up some noodles with her chopsticks and lifted them to her mouth. She then dropped her chopsticks out of surprise as he looked at Neptune. "... Nep-Nep, did you just eat an entire pancake in one bite?"
"Mhm!" affirmed the cheerful goddess with filled cheeks. Maple syrup had coated the area around her mouth which maintained its smile even as Neptune chewed her food.
"... All in one bite? Even toppings?" Gust asked, completely bewildered.
Compa sighed. "That's Nep-Nep for you."
Nisa bit off half of one sandwich. "That'th my thithder for you."
"Thith ith nothig!" Neptune boasted before swallowing. "I could... I... could..." As Neptune attempted to finish her sentence, her eyes became unfocused and her balancing diminished to her rocking from side to side. Seconds passed before Neptune collapsed on the floor, dropping her plate and the rest of the pancakes on the floor.
"Nep-Nep?" Compa quickly put down her bowl and rushed to Neptune's side with Nisa and Gust. "Nep-Nep, what's wrong?"
Gust grabbed Neptune's face and titled it up to inspect it. Already, the CPU's skin was growing paler. "This is... poison..." the alchemist noted with hesitant disbelief.
"Wh-What? Poisoned?!" Compa shouted.
"Did IF already plan this out?!" Nisa asked with a clenched fist.
"G-Gust doesn't know... Get dogs into discs, we leave."
"Okay!" Already, the dogs had gathered around Compa and she put them in the disc one by one. "Okay everyone, it's going to be okay."
"I swear, IF will regret this day..." Nisa growled.
From the heroine's feet, ArfArf whimpered at Neptune.
Compa bent down and petted the dog. "It'll be okay, ArfArf..."
Just as Compa reached to put ArfArf away, the door was slammed open with a cry of "Don't move!" The party's heads snapped to the door as six silhouettes, five wearing ranger caps and carrying sabres with spherical pommels at their sides and Yvoire, rushed into the room. One soldier quickly seized Compa, another seized Gust and two grabbed Nisa's arms. "You are all under arrest for treason!" Yvoire shouted.
"Arf arf arf arf arf!" ArfArf repeatedly barked at the silhouettes.
"What? B-But we haven't done anything!" Compa cried out.
"You..." Nisa snarled, struggling against those restraining her, "You bastard! I won't let you get away with this!"
"Arf arf arf arf arf!"
"Don't move!" shouted the soldier holding Nisa's right arm before kicking out her leg from underneath her, bringing her to kneel.
"Get away with what?" Yvoire replied. "You are the heretics who threaten our landmass!"
"You ordered IF to poison Neptune!" Nisa shouted.
A sudden stillness overtook Yvoire but any shock on his face couldn't be seen by the party. "... What are you babbling about?" he asked calmly. "If she did such a thing, it was of her own free will. Our Basilicom would never even dare make such a request."
Nisa didn't speak; she was at a loss for words.
"We did nothing! Let go!" yelled Gust.
"Arf arf arf arf arf!" barked ArfArf in protest, right at Yvoire's feet.
"Will somebody shut that dog up?" groaned one of the soldiers.
The Archbishop mightily kicked ArfArf into a wall, resulting in an audible crack that could be heard by everyone in the room.
"ArfArf!" Compa called out with tears in her eyes.
"Take them all away," Yvoire ordered, ignoring her. "Don't forget the purple-haired one, either."
"Yes sir," answered one of the soldiers before he picked up Neptune.
"Let go of Nep-Nep!" Compa wailed.
"Do not touch her!" demanded Nisa.
"You are all so loud..." the Archbishop complained. "Once you're all in the dungeon, this landmass may be able to sleep at night."
"Ahh!" Compa screamed as she was dragged towards the door.
"I said LET GO!" Nisa roared right before she ripped her right arm out of the soldier's grasp and elbowed him in the stomach. She then quickly stood up and rammed the other soldier holding her into the wall.
"Hey!" The soldiers dropped whoever they were holding and rushed to Nisa. The first one went to draw his sabre but Nisa jabbed him in the stomach before knocking him back into the air with an uppercut. The second soldier attacked Nisa with a horizontal slash but Nisa ducked to the floor and tripped him with a sweeping kick. The soldier she elbowed recovered and was about to break into a run towards the heroine before Compa smashed him in the side from behind with her syringe.
"Nisa, grab Neptune and run!" Compa commanded. "Take the window!"
"You're not getting away!" shouted Yvoire as he pulled a trident seemingly from out of nowhere and pulled back his arm, ready to stab before a shot of magic struck him in the side and knocked him into the wall.
"We hold them off! Go!" shouted Gust.
Nisa nodded. "Right! Follow after me!" While Gust and Compa fought off the soldiers and Yvoire, Nisa returned the damaged ArfArf into the disc and opened the window. Using all of her strength, she lifted up Neptune onto her back and jumped out the window. She grunted as the bones in her feet shook upon landing on the grass before she rested Neptune, getting more and more pale by the minute, against the wall. "I'll be back soon, sister... Gust and Compa need—"
Nisa almost fell forward as a loud 'BOOM' sounded through the area from her room. She regained her balance right as Compa landed behind her, followed shortly after by Gust. "What's going on?"
"No time! Pick up Neptune and run!" Gust commanded as she and Compa were already sprinting away as fast as they were able.
"Hey, wait for me!" Nisa shouted as she picked up her poisoned friend and ran after them.
After a short while, Nisa, Gust and Compa had stopped for a rest in an alleyway. The three of them rested with their backs against the dark stone walls stained with old graffiti, panting as their lungs normalised after the escape. The stale smells of garbage that clung to the pavement and the walls were disregarded by the drained party. Neptune was propped up next to Nisa, looking just as pale as before.
"I... think... we lost them..." said Compa.
"Ow..." whined Gust. "Feet hurt..."
Compa pulled out a bottle of reflex and gave it to Gust. The alchemist nodded and appreciatively took the bottle before drinking the liquid within.
Compa looked towards Neptune. Not once throughout the escape did she move even a sliver. "Gust... what's wrong with Nep-Nep...?"
Gust crawled over to the CPU and looked at her ghostly skin. "Definitely poison... Don't know what kind... Need reference books..."
The nurse then looked after at Nisa. Her panting was softer than Compa's or Gust's and her head was hung low. Her eyes were directed to the ground but there was nothing there worthy of attention. "Nisa... are you okay...?"
Nisa's eyes narrowed.
"Nisa..." Compa whispered.
"We..." the heroine began, unusually quiet, "We attacked... men of the law... civilians..."
"So? They attacked us..." argued Gust.
"We're not supposed to do this!" cried Nisa. "We're heroes! We go to dungeons, kill monsters and save the day! We—We don't fight police! We work to protect the land from evil!"
"They poison Neptune and arrest us for no reason! They are bad guys!"
"No!" Nisa's hands went to her head, the palms covering her eyes and the fingertips pressing on her skull as if to press something out. "We don't fight police... We're heroes... We're not... not..." The heroine gulped. "... We're not... villains..."
"Stop it," ordered Gust. "We go now."
"Go where?" Nisa took her hands off her head and looked at Gust, her mouth parted to show her teeth clenched together and her eyes strained to focus on the alchemist. "Where can we go? Who'll accept fugitives?"
"We are not down yet!" Gust protested. "We must find cure for Neptune!"
"From where?!" Nisa stood up and towered over the alchemist that didn't even flinch as she met the heroine's gaze. "We can't exactly go into a library, you know! One civilian call is all it takes to bring the guards down on us and into jail!"
"Stop!" Compa cried out, shocking the heroine and the alchemist from their antagonism and making them turn to the nurse, who regarded them with tear-filled eyes. "Please... stop it..." She let out a small hiccup. "I lost Nep-Nep... IF's gone, too... Please don't go..."
Gust and Nisa grimaced. Being the cause of Compa's tears filled them with painful regret that hurt them like thumb tacks poking their hearts. They didn't dare to meet the eyes of the other.
"... Find Jacob and IF," said Gust. "Need to regroup."
Nisa nodded. "I'll carry Neptune." The heroine turned around to the unconscious goddess and bent down to pick her up. Before she pushed her arms underneath her, she turned to Compa. "Hey... I'm sorry, I'm just... a bit wound right now."
Compa sniffed and nodded. "It's okay... I'm scared, too."
Nisa didn't answer. She picked up Neptune and followed Compa and Gust out of the alleyway.
IF rolled out of the way as Jacob flew by with another kick. She had been dodging Jacob's swooping attacks for minutes now and she hadn't managed to land a single hit on him, in no small part thanks to how he kept changing his attacks every time to keep himself from being predicted. She saw Jacob zoom towards her again and sighed before ducking under his flying roundhouse kick. She quickly stood up again and turned around to keep track of Jacob flying through the air. However, she didn't expect Jacob to not take off again and instead run towards her intending to catch her in a lariat. The brunette reflexively ducked under the attack and stepped in to strike Jacob's shoulder blade with a left hook. Jacob twisted around and batted the offending limb away with one fist and punched the front of IF's right shoulder with the other. He then pushed her away with a simple front kick.
Jacob exhaled through his nose and braced himself. IF rushed at him and Jacob proceeded to block her combo of a right hook, left knee and left elbow. She then fired a right jab that Jacob caught with his right hand that was being cushioned by his left hand. "IF, please at least tell me why you're doing this."
"No," IF answered as she pushed with her fist even more.
Jacob pushed back. "Why do you want to poison Neptune?"
"I don't!"
"Then why are we fighting?!"
"It's not your business!" IF wrought her fist out of Jacob's grasp and brought up her left leg. Jacob flipped his right arm down to counter her when she kicked but she never did. Catching him in her feint, IF snapped the leg back to her rear just as she extended her right fist towards Jacob's chest but she misjudged her reach and her punch barely dug into him. Jacob stepped in and flip up the back of his right fist onto IF's nose before hitting her stomach with a straight that preceded an explosive jab to the face.
As her head was turned away from Jacob, an almost inhuman snarl rose from her throat. She whipped her head back, showing her irises that were so small that they nearly vanished in the blinding white rage of her eyes that accompanied a cry that shocked Jacob to the bone. Without giving the male any time to acknowledge or counter the impending pain, the brunette fired a series of punches at Jacob's torso before seamlessly striking the same general area with three rapid side kicks. While Jacob was dazed, IF jumped in the air to deliver a reverse roundhouse kick to his head, knocking him away.
Jacob stopped himself from spinning away after a couple of rotations but IF was in his face again and she hit him with another side kick. As he doubled over, IF spun around and smashed the back of her right vambrace on the side of Jacob's head before spinning in the other direction to slam her left piece of armour on the front of Jacob's face, staining the steel frame with the blood she drew from his nose.
IF flipped up her right arm once more to hit Jacob's face once again but he caught the arm with his left hand. IF tried to pull the arm out but Jacob's grip was too strong. The Moderatist's breathing became somewhat ragged and uneven as Jacob's fingers constricted her vambrace and the tips of his fingers pressed with so much force that IF could feel them even through the armour. With a roar, he tossed the arm away and punched her hard in the face, sending her reeling. By the time her vision cleared up, Jacob was right in front of her and furiously punched her again, sending her sprawling against the stone road.
"Alright, fine," he growled. "If you're gonna be that way, I'm just going to beat the stuffing out of you."
IF coughed as she stood up once again but Jacob gave her no time to get into her stance; immediately, his punch came around like the swing of a hammer against her face, making her stumble back and forcing blood to fly out of her mouth and onto the setts. He then proceeded to punch her again but with the opposite fist, causing the same effect but spilling much less blood. Far from done, he repeated his first punch and no blood escaped her mouth as her head snapped back from the blow. Punching with the opposite arm again, IF was sent spinning back, stumbling over her steps with the shaken perception of a drunk.
"Hyah!" With a loud cry, Jacob wound up another punch and thrust it forward towards IF's skull with enough force to end the battle here and now. Hearing his shout, IF grit her teeth. Sorting through her battered senses and summoning all of her willpower, she directed her stumbling right, out of the way of Jacob's left fist. He threw himself off-balance, giving IF the perfect window to jump and latch herself onto his back. Stepping around, Jacob shook his back as much as he could as he reached around in order to grab the brunette. After taking in as much air as she could, she lifted herself up and threw her weight in the direction Jacob was facing. She flipped in front of him and landed on the ground then, using the inertia, tried to flip Jacob over. However, she only lifted him up an inch or so off the ground.
"Not good enough!" Jacob forced himself to the ground again and threw IF over his shoulder. The brunette rolled twice before she found footing and sprung upright just in time for Jacob to run over to her, duck under her jab and uppercut her into the air. IF let out a yelp of pain as her back crashed into the pavement, forcing whatever remaining air she had left out of her lungs. Jacob readied himself for IF to get back up but she had no strength for it. At the end of the battle, Jacob was the only one standing.
As the adrenaline simmered down, Jacob began to feel rather light headed and he could feel a sharp pain from his nose and many points on his body, including his right arm where IF's vambrace had first impacted it. He began to see double just as his balance seemed to abandon him in an instant, leaving him nearly tripping over his own feet. He stumbled over to what he faintly distinguished as a lamp post and leaned on it, panting heavily as his sight and hearing tried to settle once more. One of his hands went to his forehead to cradle the headache that he could feel coming on.
After a moment or two, he could walk with confidence again but the sights and sounds of the world around him were still quite hazy. That didn't deter him, though; he never deviated as he staggered towards the exhausted IF, who remained lying on the ground as her chest rose and fell slightly with each breath she took. She looked at him with tired eyes and he saw her wish for him to not approach her. That also failed to deter him.
"Well, IF..." Jacob panted as he kneeled down next to the brunette and took her disc, "... you put up a good fight... but I won..."
IF said nothing, only regarding him with the same fatigued gaze.
"Sorry..." He reached into her disc and took out the vial of poison. He inspected it for a moment before putting it in his own disc. "But... I can't let you... kill Neptune..." he stated before returning her disc to her. With a grunt, he stood up again.
When he was standing straight, Jacob then recoiled back with a gasp as he was double-kicked in the stomach by IF, who then rolled back to stand up on her own. She shook her shoulders to loosen her body and glared at him.
"What... the hell...?" Jacob grunted as he held his stomach.
IF grinned as she breathed in and out with coarse patterns. "I'm not going down that easily..." she puffed. "I just needed a bit of rest..."
"Damn it..." Jacob cursed. With a sudden snarl, he punched his right hand into his left fist as he summoned his remaining energy. "Alright... I'm still raring to go!"
"Bring it!" IF shouted back.
Jacob stomped forward, ready to dash towards his adversary, right before something cut him off in front of his face and made him jump back in shock. "The hell?"
IF followed with her eyes the flying object that was shaped like a disc as it whizzed back by Jacob's head again and headed for the roof of a nearby building. It was snatched out of the air by the person it was flying to; a very familiar small girl with a very unfamiliar harsh gaze directed at Jacob. Her seriousness contrasted a bit oddly with the indifference of the dragon that coiled around her and rested on her shoulder. The frisbee, with a thick red edge and the design of the reflective side of a disc, then disappeared into the girl's hammerspace. "I don't appreciate it when bullies mess with my wifeys!" Red exclaimed as she crossed her arms.
Jacob narrowed his eyes at her. "Who are you...?" he asked.
IF looked from Red to Jacob. "You don't know...?" she muttered too quietly for him to hear.
Grinning, Red made a peace sign with her left hand and thrust it at Jacob. "R-E-D! Righteous Excellent Destroyer or Reaching Eternal Destiny, it'll always be Red who saves the damsels in distress and beats up the baddies!"
"Wait, hold on!" Jacob cried out. "She wanted to poison my best friend! All I wanted was the poison to stop her from—"
"I won't listen to your lies, you evil man!" Red shouted as she threw another frisbee at him, making him dodge by flying into a nearby alleyway.
"God damn it..." Jacob fished out his gauntlets from his disc and slid them onto his arms. He flexed his fingers, feeling the power course through his limbs, and smirked. He flew up high into the air and found Red watching him. He flew down to the red-haired girl. "Look, I'm not attacking her for no reason. She was going to—"
"Shut your pie hole!" Red interrupted right before launching at and to either side of him three yo-yos of all things, each of which as wide as the height of Jacob's combined head and torso, had red edges and yellow and black sides. Jacob flew up instantly out of the way of the three toys spinning along the roof.
"Damn it, listen to— argh!" Jacob was cut off by a small marble that was shot into his shoulder from Red's suddenly extended right arm. He drooped from the air as his concentration was shaken.
"Taste the power of pachinko!" Red fired another small metal ball at him by drawing back her right arm and snapping her left arm crossed his arms to generate his three meter barrier that the marble then bounced of but Red fired more marbles without being discouraged. Her movements, which reminded Jacob of how he fired his force orbs, became more exaggerated with each shot until her left arm snapped back so quickly that she spun and landed on her backside from the dizziness.
Feeling safe if confused, Jacob lowered his shield. "... Is that it?" he asked in disbelief.
"No!" shouted Red as she shot up and fired another marble at Jacob that he blocked with his shield that he generated as soon as he asked his question. "Damn it, stop cheating!"
"You are shooting me with marbles! I am allowed to exercise self-defence!" Jacob yelled in defence.
"The only attacks a bad guy is allowed to block are the ones that poison, paralyse, one-hit KO you or do anything similar!"
"I am not a bad guy!"
"You're beating up a defenceless maiden!"
"She wants to kill my best friend!"
"Who is definitely your partner in crime!"
"No she is not! Damn it, stop attacking me!"
"Unable to comply!" Red concluded the argument by spinning another massive yo-yo towards Jacob that he dodged by moving to the right, albeit barely given his exhaustion.
"Cut that out!" Jacob called.
"Never!" Red replied as she threw another yo-yo that he dodged.
Frowning, Jacob held his hands out in front of him and built up energy in his gauntlets.
He paused. He said before 'all I wanted was the poison'. He had it in his disc right now. He had what he came for. Despite this, he was still here, fighting for something he already obtained. There was no other reason for him to be here.
His face softened. The energy he built up in his gauntlets faded away like the anger from his expression. He turned to look at IF. "Come back to the inn when you're ready." He turned around to fly away.
"Wait, no!" IF cried out. "Don't go! Get back here!"
Her plea went ignored. Jacob flew over the buildings faster than IF could ever run even if she was completely fresh. She jogged after him anyway before he was out of sight. After a second of not seeing him, she feel to her knees and hands. She hammered her fist on the gravel, fighting back tears.
"Hey, you okay there, Iffy?" Red called out in concern before she arrived and bent down at her side. "You know, you're pretty hot without your coat."
Panting, IF turned her head to look at her red-haired heroine.
Red flinched as she saw her mangled face. "Holy moly, he really did a number on you." Red reached into her hammerspace and pulled out a green bottle that she handed to Red. "Here."
"O-Oh..." IF took the bottle offered to her and uncorked it. She took another deep breath before exhaling prior to drinking the potion like she was parched. "Thank you..."
Red grinned and placed her hand on IF's shoulder. "It's just what I do for my wifeys! Say, who was that jerk?"
The brunette turned her gaze to the ground again. She had just fought a bloody battle with a party member. He won and took something important to her. To her right stood a complete stranger, absolutely oblivious to the confrontation and the reasons behind it. "He... was no one important."
"Aw, really? What'd you want him back for?"
IF bristled. "It's none of your business." IF felt Red's hand flinched away. After she heard her own voice echo in her head, she felt a small pain in her chest. "N-No, I'm sorry..." the Moderatist apologised. "It's just personal..."
"Hm..." The dragon girl pursed her lips. "Well, I won't pry if it's private. Can you stand?"
Breathing in through her nose, IF pressed herself up from the road. Red helped her as she got on her trembling legs and let go when her balance was restored. "Thanks..." IF muttered.
"It's no biggie. I know you're gonna tell me your secret when I get my charisma high enough so I can wait."
IF turned to look at the girl, grinning proudly as she held the ends of her detached sleeves to each palm with their respective ring and middle fingers. "... What?"
"You're my wifey. I need to build up my charisma with you so we can get married."
"Oh, that..." IF held a hand to her forehead. "Sorry, I'm just a bit tired right now."
"You're lucky that's all you are," Red commented as she inspected IF's body again, paying attention to the various bruises. "Hey, if you're cool with it, you wanna stay with me?"
"Oh, n-" Before she gave her answer, she recalled the brutal battle she had just been in. Her right hand went to rub her left bicep. "... Actually, yeah. I could use a place to stay."
"Yahoo!" cheered Red. "Come on, follow me! It's this way!"
As Red pulled the brunette down the road, IF looked at the sky behind her again. Once more, she saw nothing.
I wonder if this level of violence means the fic needs to be boosted to M? I hope not. Then again, Arfoire's stabbing went okay in Chapter 6 and I've encountered no problems there. I'll just leave this as it is until I'm told it needs to be changed.
Also, I bet none of you saw that coming.