Chapter 127 - Legacy of the Splicer
[Last City, Tower, Courtyard]
Nightfall had descended on Earth, a few night owl Guardians wandered the courtyard, milling about at the kiosks or venders open at this time, or sat and waited by the vaults for their teammates. Off to the right atop an overview balcony, Ceres crossed her arms as she discussed matters with the resident Wolf Splicer and Rayla. "So, he's been sighted on Mercury, Mars, and the Moon? Why?"
Rayla shook her head, hands raised slightly, "Not a clue, even after a whole month we've been chasing breadcrumbs, think he realizes we're onto him too, using those makeshift copies of Splicers to keep us busy," She patted the burnt holes in her breastplate. "Suffice to say, even we're stumped."
"His movements at erratic, tracking has been difficult, perhaps a new angle is needed," Tekres chittered. "You said you made contact with Judgement Scribe, yes?"
"You mean Variks?" The strawberry-blonde cocked her head, then nudged Ghost. "You think he can help us?"
"I don't see the harm in trying, I'll ask Zane tomorrow to look into it for us," Ghost then let out an exasperated sigh. "Honestly, between that no-good Splicer Priest still being alive, Aksis talking inside Azuru's head, and now this new Splicer with a modified version of SIVA, I don't think I can keep my head wrapped around it for much longer."
Ceres giggled, rubbing the top of his shell. "We'll manage, one piece at a time," Then she looked to the raven-whitette, "I know we haven't had time to chat, but hearing about your time in their world, it sounds like you've both found good people to be around."
"Yeah, even got a student too," Rayla chuckled, scratching her cheek bashfully. "Red's got some fire, he'd make a great Titan, trust me." Then her smile fell. "Speaking of, how's Bluey been, heard she's been getting lessons from Silvis?"
The mood dropped slightly at the mention of Yuki's well-being, they all were aware but none could broach the subject, not yet anyway. Ceres had been close to Yuki, seeing a bit of herself in the quirky teen that made the need to help Yuki intensify. "Honestly? I dunno, she's going through alot, and she's trying to distract herself, so for the time being, I think she's handling her turmoil well, but..."
"Her sleep pattern is all over the place, sometimes she wakes up and just sits around until morning, its been a big concern for us, Taka and Zane included," Ghost didn't look all the pleased either, knowing his own Guardian had gone through similar states in the past. They've both seen the signs and are willing to help when needed.
"Yuki's got a lot on her shoulders, between living up to the title of Archon, being part Eliksni too, not to mention back home, even I'd lose it," Rayla admitted while Tekres made a throaty growl. "Got something on your mind?"
"The title of Kell weighs over her, the burden invisible, subconscious, she deems her actions unworthy," Tekres toyed with his rifle, inspecting it for damage. "Losing to a Kell, and a false one at that, failure to her mate and close allies, it has scarred her mind."
"Shit..." Rayla tisked, looking to Solaire who glowed in the moonlight.
"I feel the damage may lead to her acting out irrationally, perhaps we should all keep a closer eye on her, just to be safe," Solaire suggested. "I'd hate to see the poor girl suffer more than what's healthy, we have all felt the burden of failure,"
"But she's taking it on all herself," Rayla finished with everyone nodding in agreement.
"Right, me and Ghost will keep tabs on her closely, let the others know when you see them," Ceres lifted a small smile. "And thank you for all your help, you two are really the keys to solving this case."
"Noted." Tekres nodded once off to the side, earning a playful jab from Rayla who wore a sly smirk.
"Dwah, he's all flustered at your praise~" He shoved his hand against her face.
"I am not,"
"You totally are, bet you're blushing under that respirator of yours," Rayla cooed further.
"I will cut you."
"No denial~"
Ghost, Solaire, and Ceres watched the exchange between the two, laughing a little at the antics of quite the odd pair of comrades.
The night light peered through the blinds of a small guest room where Yuki sat wide awake in her bed, staring up at the ceiling with a lost expression, a subtle line of dark rings under her eyelids, recounting her experiences in the world SIVA originated from. Her time spent training with the Kell of the Devils, and of their plans for departure to the Last City's outskirts...
"You're planning to move from the Cosmodrome?" Yuki asked while watching Skiffs being packed with the Devils' belongings, many worked tirelessly around the clock to ship their home elsewhere.
Yuki addressed Silvis while Ceres helped out the Eliksni with Zane shadowing her, leaving Yuki to speak with the imposing Kell alone, "|Yes, with our allies in the City established, this place will soon become uninhabitable for a few years, the SIVA outbreak has forced us to relocate|,"
|I'm sorry|
"|Aksis need not apologize, what's done is done|," Silvis, expecting what Yuki would say, saw the girl's mouth close. "|Curious, why did you come here with the Guardians?|."
"Well, I just... look at me?" Yuki stood back, rolling up her sleeves to reveal her scales, subtle as they are, and the ones located on her cheeks, even down the sides of her neck, not to mention her eyes and pupils. "Ever since I completed my merge with Siva, the nanomachines retained slithers of his DNA, so now I'm a hybrid between human and Eliksni, memories included, but... I want to learn more," She balled up her fists against her jacket, bowing her head slightly. "I want first-hand experience while I have the chance... if you can please teach me, I'd be grateful!"
Silvis considered the proposal, eyes wandering to where a few of her younger Dregs watched in fascination as Zane showed off his tricks with the Light, dazzling them with his performance while Rika laughed. Then she eyed this strange hybrid of pure chance ending up in their world. "|Very well, I shall teach you our ways, and better yet, improve your talents as a Splicer|," The news shocked Yuki from her bow, looking up with surprise.
"J-just like that?" She clamped shut when Silvis stared at her. "W-what I mean is, why go that far? I mean, you're a Kell, I don't want to pull you away from your duties and-" A claw tapped her head, Silvis gently silencing the girl's worries.
"|A Kell knows to aid their own, no task too big or too small|," She motioned to the Lair once. "|You will learn from the Guardians, and when you are given time, from myself|,"
Silvis is the oldest Splicer left of the Devils | If there's anything I cannot teach you | She will certainly provide
"Siva says you're the best at everything Splicer related, so... thank you, I'll talk to Ceres about organizing days I can come here so you can work your own duties around that," Silvis went to object but saw the playful smile on the bluette's face, waving a finger. "'No task too big or too small', that extends to them as much as me,"
Silvis, simply let out a sound similar to a chuckle, accepting the girl's fair use of her own words.
Yuki raised her hand to the ceiling, so far, her training had gone well, with both Silvis' hands-on training, and Siva's mental advice, she had started to understand, mechanically, how to tinker, sure, she had alot of work to do but overall, she felt the improvements would be worth the sweat. Ceres helped her with combat training, without enhancements she wanted to be fully prepared for any conflicts where SIVA was off the table.
Lowering her hand she curled up and tried to go to sleep again, tucking her right hand beside her head on the pillow, staring at the beautiful ring until she fell back asleep...
Yuki's face twisted with resolve, and her left arm swung down and through the collarbone, digging deep into Kovik's husk. "Hyraaaaaaaaaah!" Screaming bloody murder, she put all her remaining strength down onto the blade, digging deeper toward the core. Kovik seized up, unable to move his arms due to the close proximity to Yuki, not to mention his tendrils were hard to produce, leaving him with only two.
Her blade dug further, and Kovik started to panic, attempting to wrench his tendrils from her hand and leg. He shifted back once, and gasped. The more he struggled, the harder it was to pry them loose. "Graaaaah!" Kovik's own animalistic howl echoed in Yuki's ears, but she held on.
Whiplashes of red circled the pair locked in a screaming match, the cutlass drawing closer to Kovik's core. He was panicking, Yuki was only a few inches from its edge by now. "GET! YOUR HANDS! OFF MEEEEEE!" With a roar, Kovik's own attack swept forward, severing his right arm, and both tendrils from various angles.
Stomping once, he slammed his left foot against her abdomen, tossing Yuki toward her friends, blade clattering next to her. Slowly, Yuki clawed at the ground, her arms shaking as she tried to force even a mere nanite from her body. "SIVA... Perfected... One Percent!" She demanded but there wasn't a spark to be seen, nor the familiar tingling in her bones, the heat traveling down her muscles.
It was locked away. |SIVA has been sealed | There's nothing I can... | I'm... sorry| His words broke her heart.
"I..." The final nail was struck flush into the coffin. Kovik towered above all, his greatest enemy crushed to her knees. "...I give up..." The words croaked from her lips.
"What was that? I'm sure everyone else would like to hear," Kovik pressed.
"I give up!" She screamed, bowing her head shamefully.
The world was a dark blur, everything black and white as a light cast onto Katsuki, blood dripping from his wounds as he stared down at Yuki. "Tch, you really are pathetic, Mute," She raised her head, unable to breathe a word as he watched her with scorn in his eyes. "You can't do a damn thing right," He turned his back on her, leaving for the dark world. "Get lost, nobody wants you around!"
"W-wait!" He was gone as she stumbled onto her hands and knees, coughing as another figure approached, Shoto, his face was blank, he didn't even give her a look, staring straight through her. "Shoto...?"
"Without SIVA, what can you do?" He asked, not expecting an answer. "NARA's far stronger, that much is obvious, you shouldn't have fought, but you did, and Siva paid the price, because of you."
"But I... have to, Kovik... I have to defeat him, me and Siva-" His hand rose to stop her.
"You're selfish, Yuki, you push everyone away so that you can confront him alone, and people get hurt trying to catch you," He left in another direction, his foots steps growing faint. "Your selfishness is why Halimaka became the person he is, and others may die as a result."
"Shoto!" She tried to reach him but he too was gone. Now, only one light remained, one that made her heart sink into her hollow stomach. He was battered and looked close to death. His arms were torn and bloodied even with Blackwhip acting as a brace for the time, his legs were shredded too, blood caked the cuts in his trousers while blood, cuts, and dirt marred his face. His eyes held not a shred of sympathy. "... I... zuku..."
"We were supposed to fight together, right?" He asked her, looking down at his worn body. "But instead, you just threw yourself straight at death again while berating me for doing the same, how hypocritical is that?"
"I-I didn't... I didn't want anyone else to get hurt," Yuki gulped, eyes shaking at how... unwanted she was in his eyes, like the sight of her made him sick.
"But people did get hurt, many died, and you dragged Akio, Hana, Velk, Rayla, Solaire, and Tekres with you, some of the strongest allies we have are gone!" Izuku yelled back at her.
"I had to keep him from spreading his army across Japan, what choice did I have!?" Yuki screamed back but his presence only made her feel so small.
"You did it because you thought you could finally have your revenge, you didn't care as much for the people you were trying to protect, all of it was dwarfed by the idea of Kovik dying by your hands," He closed his tired eyes, turning away. "Sorry, Yuki, but a person who fights for only themselves could never be a hero,"
"D-Don't go... please..." Despite her wishes, her begging, not a muscle in her body could shift, watching the distance between them grow. "Izuku! Please!" She cried, his silhouette vanishing into the void.
"No!" Yuki shot up, her body shivering from a cold sweat as her heart pounded in her chest.
It was a nightmare | You are safe | It was only your worst thoughts taunting you
"But it's true, I... I did only care about beating him," Yuki muttered, staring down at her lap. "...I... just wanted it to be over, and because of me, we lost our connection to SIVA,"
We both were driven to end this curse | Kovik has done so much harm | I groomed him into the monster he became
Yuki brought her right hand to her chest, closing it by her heart tightly with a few stray tears, "Izuku..." She had to go back, no matter what it takes, she would go back, and together, Kovik would fall.
Yuki didn't feel like sleeping again that night.
[Russia, Plaguelands, Foundry 113]
The seafront wind was cold, climbing over the derelict structures of the foundry that housed a sight Yuki had only witnessed once through memories, now, her feet pressed into the snow as Silvis, alongside Ceres and Zane, traversed toward the dead sphere separated from Exodus White, one of the colony ships, fashioned into the massive red Servitor that overlooked the grounds of a battle long since past. They were back at the entrance to the Devil Splicers lair.
"Man, being back here gives me the creeps," Zane shivered, then nudged Yuki's shoulder. "How's my old armour working for you? Too tight in some places? Maybe a better paintjob?"
Due to Yuki's loss of SIVA, she had no real armour to speak of, so instead, Zane offered one of his old sets he kept for emergencies. The Mythos Hack 4.1. A pair of leather boots with trousers tucked in, a utility belt and a vest tunic with various straps over the torso, same could be said for the gauntlets, and a helmet with a rectangular visor that stuck out slightly under a hood with a cape that fluttered down to Yuki's knees at an angle with the symbol for the Hunter Vanguard on the back. All of it was camo, various blacks, whites, and greys shimmering in the gloomy daylight.
"I-It's fine, thank you for having Banshee modify it for me," Yuki couldn't begin to repay Zane's kindness, it was honestly amazing how open he was to just outright giving people this things. Though Ceres did say he tends to hoard alot of useless items in his vault but Yuki wasn't complaining.
"Ah, no biggie, now!" Zane pointed straight ahead at the various crates, shipping containers, and platforms suspended around the area toward the large colony sphere. "Let's find that so-and-so Archpriest!" He patted his hips.
"We won't have to look far..." Ceres pointed toward the largest platform facing the entrance to the Lair. Yuki was completely silent, trudging through the snow as she climbed up the platforms that led across to where He was laid to rest. The wind caught her hood, pulling it down as she stared at what lay under a small coating of snow, the large pyramid jutting from his back, the spider-like limbs splayed out in all directions.
"Vosik the Archpriest, he helped to orchestrate the events of the SIVA Crisis, and, in turn, led to the deaths of many Eliksni that didn't agree with his master's new way of life," Zane recounted with a solemn tone.
Yuki brushed her hand over the snow, seeing it fall away to reveal those dead, spider eyes staring back into her eye, instinctively, her hand brushed against her stomach, a small shiver running down her spine as the wind howled above. Closing her eye, she pushed back that memory in favour of keeping her hand pressed to the head of Vosik. She couldn't feel anything, just dead, cold metal. SIVA had long since died in this world.
"Why did you bring me here?" Yuki turned to Silvis for answers, none that Siva could provide either, himself mulling over the past.
Silvis stared at the deceased Vosik, clutching her shrapnel launcher tightly. "|The duty of Splicers is to advance our race, to aid in quelling the strife and pain shared my ones kin, to benefit only ourselves would lead to constant mistakes covered with little lies that plague our judgement|," She motioned to the corpse at their feet. "|Vosik drugged himself on desire for strength, to please his master. Your lesson today is simple, A balance between want and need to see the flow of technology|."
"'The flow of technology'?" Yuki repeated, not quite sure what that meant as Siva spoke up.
It is a concept among Splicers | Those with a true understanding of technology | Can see technology as if it were alive, breathing
That was an entirely new concept to the girl, she knew Splicers were by far the smartest when it came to innovating technology but to see it as if it were alive? Did that mean she would be able to see technology move and feel just like her nanomachines? The concept was just that, a theory without backing, or not enough to be considered truth.
"I guess I'll find out someday," Yuki replied, earning an approving nod from the Kell.
"I heard Variks talk about some Splicers becoming in tune with their augments, like that mercenary Morbin hates, Taniks," Zane waved off to the side.
"Are you okay, Yuki?" Ceres perked up, noting how strange she had been around Vosik's corpse.
"I'm over it... Kovik used an imperfect copy of Vosik's memories to bring him to life in my world, and... well, he did alot of terrible things..." Yuki rubbed her biceps to stem her flood of bad memories. "He was a fractured mess, his personality was in shambles before I put him down,"
"Huh, you beat him on your own?" Zane chuckled, nudging Ceres' hip with his own. "Next time we have a Raid operation, let's bring her,"
"Zane..." Ceres was about to berate but Yuki snickered, looking away from her past.
"I'd be honoured," Yuki did a little bow, to which Zane copied with a giggle.
"Sweet~! Rika, add 'Hybrid Hero' to the roster later," The two fist-bumped, much to Ceres' determent but she smiled nonetheless beneath her helmet, making a small noise of content while Silvis eyed her student curiously.
"She has already started making those steps, but her mind remains foggy," There was much room for growth, but for now, Silvis had already grown sick of this barren wasteland. She was glad the Vanguard would quarantine the area soon, nothing good would come from this place.
[Earth, Last City, Tower Walk]
Again, Yuki charged to Ceres' right, striking with a sharp twist of her hips, her fist was pushed aside by the nimble Titan, a fist closing in to retaliate. Yuki blocked with her forearm, using Ceres' waist to vault up and bring her foot across Ceres' chest. The young woman fell into a roll, hopping to her feet to block with both forearms, grabbing Yuki's wrist and dragging her straight into her knuckle. The bluette stumbled back, panting while Ceres barely broke a sweat.
"Alright, I think we can call it for today," Ceres lowered her guard, grabbing a towel from a bench to wipe down her face, tossing a fresh one to Yuki who stared back emotionlessly. "Your reaction time's improving, and you're using your opponent's body against them, nice kick with the prosthetic too," Ceres commended but paused when Yuki looked lost in a daydream. Ghost appeared next to her, sharing her look of concern. "Hey, you okay Yuki?"
"Ah? Sorry, spaced out, what did you say?" She rubbed her neck, blinking a few times.
"We were wondering if you were okay, you've been spacing out alot recently," Ghost replied, scanning her. "Hm... you're fatigued, and there's rings under your eyes-"
"I'm alright, don't worry about it," Okay, that was a little concerning. Yuki brushed off her well-being, sighing into the towel before facing the world beyond the railing beside her, the mountain range in the distance. "Zane said he'd take me to visit the House of Devils tomorrow, Silvis wants to teach me the inner workings of a Skiff, should be fun, never really been inside a Skiff before."
"Yuki," Ceres spoke up, "You know, distracting yourself is good, it keeps your mind on what's important, but... you're running yourself ragged, you've been staring into space so much it could affect your training on both fronts."
"I said I'm fine, really, you..." That look in Yuki's eye. Ceres had seen it before on several occasions. 'I just want to be left alone', 'I'm a burden to everyone', 'I'm a failure'. Those words screamed in her head on a loop. Yuki smiled but it was forced, and her remaining eye closed to hide her emotions well. "...don't need to worry about me."
"'If I had remained vigilant, I could have saved Harrow without him having to die for someone like me, I was weak, if I was stronger, smarter, he would still be here,'" Oh how the words rolled off her tongue like lead. Ceres kept her eyes pinned to that bluish-red orb. "'I can't lose people who put their trust in me, if Zane or Morbin died I don't think I could live with myself', that right there drowned me for days, it was the first time I saw a Guardian die their final death, all because of me,"
"But that-" Yuki was cut off by that kindred smile on the woman's face.
"I've learned to accept it wasn't my doing, cause and effect weren't in my hands, but don't you see? You're doing it too, you're blaming yourself for something out of your control," Ceres pointed out, approaching Yuki to rub her shoulder gingerly. "What happened that day was out of your control, but-"
"I had the same power as him, the exact same and I lost because I wanted him dead!" Yuki screamed back, startling the pair when Yuki pulled away. "That's all I cared about, deep down that's all that flooded my head! I didn't consider those around me until I was already out of power! Don't you get it!? My selfishness led to this! It's all my fault and I can't change that now!" She threw her arm to the world beyond. "That Baron is out there, somewhere, and I'm stuck waiting and waiting while Izuku and the others suffer for my inability to work as a team and defeat Kovik right there and then! Endeavor was right... I... I just shut everything out..." She shook her head at the ground before running past Ceres in a flash.
She stared at the young girl as she ran for the dormitories without a second thought. Ceres let out a breath, feeling a warm hand catch her own. "I thought I could reach her, guess I'm as good as this emotional talk as you were," She smiled sadly as Zane tossed the useless cloaking device into the pond, it wasn't good anyway. "How do you do it? You make it so easy,"
"Because I've been kicking myself about the Vault of Glass longer than I let you kick yourself about Harrow and the others, I knew where you were coming from with your frustrations, but Yuki isn't actively shutting herself away, instead, she running herself down to the bone as you said, Siva's probably aware too but can't reason with her, like Ghost to you," He felt sorry for Ceres, that look in her eyes screamed she wanted to help Yuki but lacked the solution.
Ceres perked up when he kissed her cheek, rubbing the back of her palm with his thumb. "Leave it to me, Boss, I'll get through to her," Rika then appeared. "Both of us,"
The Titan smiled fondly at her lover, capturing his lips for a few seconds, pulling away to see how he still wore a stupid smile whenever that happened. "I'll entrust Yuki's health to you then, for all her friends' sakes too."
With a sharp salute, and Rika spinning her shell determinedly, they got to work on breaking through Yuki's shell, with the added encouragement of the kiss fuelling Zane for the rest of the afternoon.
She was trying to help | Ceres is correct | You are destroying yourself-
"Siva, not now," Yuki huffed, pacing around her room as she pulled at her hair. Yuki was certain she covered it well, it was obvious Akio and Hana saw through it but they never brought it up. But now Ceres was aware? And for how long? "Dammit...!" Her fist slammed her desk, falling back into the seat with her head on the desk. "..."
"This seat taken?" Startled, Yuki swung around to find Zane sitting at the edge of her bed, giving her a pleasant wave. "Hello~"
Her glare returned, facing the window again. "Go away, Zane."
"Ouch, I thought Chrome Dome was the only one who disliked my presence-"
"WOULD YOU LEAVE!?" She thundered, her metal fist leave a crack in her desk as her breath seethed through her teeth. Zane didn't even budge, he shrugged, looking around her room.
"I-zuku Mi-dor-iya... I feel I butcher that, he's your boyfriend, yeah?" He prattled on but bringing up Izuku's name immediately siphoned the anger out of her features. "Judging by the promise ring, I'd say you're tied at the hip,"
"...yeah, he's... everything to me," Yuki admitted solemnly, head hovering close to the desk. "And I failed to help him, I left him... and, and I don't know what to do, I'm just... so scared," She pinched the bridge of her nose, tears welling up in her eyes.
Rika appeared at Zane's shoulder. "Well then, what do you think he'd say to you right now?" She pushed.
"Probably something dorky, but sweet," Her lips curled up slightly, rubbing the ring tenderly. "About holding onto my beliefs and that there's always a solution no matter what, and that he has complete faith in me," Yuki chuckled slightly, "Knowing him, he's doing something really stupid right now, probably making Kovik pull the wires from his head,"
"Hahaha, I like the sound of him, determined, if not a little reckless like someone else I know," He grinned at Yuki, leaning back on his hands. "About time I see a real smile from you again, but you know, your friends here are doing all they can to see to it you all go back as ready as you'll ever be, but they can't do that if their leader's beating herself up."
Yuki fell back into her depressed state, so Zane glanced between her and Rika, the ghost nodded once and flashing brightly, expanding her shell into fragments as the room filled with various images of Zane with other Guardians. From Ceres and Morbin, to his sister and a girl who was Ceres' roommate, Taka. But the older images were of several people with Zane looking timid among them.
"Who... what is all this?" Yuki wondered, tapping one of the images as it flickered.
"My old fireteam, Caelus, before they perished in the Vault of Glass, leaving me as the sole survivor by sheer luck," Zane's tone didn't waver but his eyes reflected sorrow among the joy. "They took a naïve Guardian over an experienced one down into that Vex Underworld, by that process, I became the Worst One by almost every Guardian, and I accepted that,"
Yuki stared at him with remorse but the words didn't come out, this isn't what Zane was trying to tell her. "Why... show me this?"
He looked to one of him and his mentor, Summer. Her honeycomb hair fell down her back softly and two blue eyes, her arms were over the shoulders of Dimitri and Zane, laughing in the picture as Zane's face was a little red with embarrassment while Dimitri winked. "I drowned myself in grief for months, even after meeting Ceres and forming a team with her and Morbin, I... still never came to terms with what happened, I blamed myself for their deaths over and over until it consumed me," He motioned for Yuki to sit next to him.
Slowly, she took the spot next to him, and to her surprise, found her head falling to the side of his chest, his right arm wrapped around her back to hug her arm. "There will always be days where Guardians cannot change fate, and to do so takes so much risk that it can leave more than its fair share of scars," He squeezed her softly, smiling at the memories bathed in a faint blue glow. "You failed; accept it, learn from it, because now, only place to go is up,"
Her eye was wide, staring at the images that overlapped with her memories, the faces of her friends, her family, all of it was what she fought for. A tear fell from her cheek, finding her head leaning against Zane more, shivering as she didn't sob or scream, she silently came to terms with her self-destructive state while he rubbed her arm, humming a gentle melody as one by one, the memories faded in the room, leaving only sunlight of a falling sun to fill Yuki's room with a warmth she hadn't felt in a while.
To no one's surprise, Zane found himself rooted in place, the girl falling asleep against his side as she snored softly. He hummed a laugh, carefully placing her head on her pillow with a thin sheet over her body. "Rest well, Guardian," He saw her curl up before relaxing, he wasn't certain nightmares would disappear so he took a seat on the chair next to the desk, reading through something titled as 'Guardian Analysis for the Future #01' and another, 'Splicer Lessons 101'. Taking up a pen, Zane decided to revise her work for her, Rika silently resting in the sunlight on the windowsill.
Over two months have passed by in a flash...
The time flew by without them realizing it, but that didn't deter those exiled from their home, no, everyday, their drive only seemed to infect those around them. Everyday was a valuable lesson, one that Yuki, in particular, brought with her.
Ceres took a swing at Yuki with her left hand, but Yuki easily blocks it with her robotic wrist, pushing the Titan's hand away from her. The interplay repeats with Ceres' right and Yuki's left, only this time Yuki uses the momentum to turn and come back at the Guardian with a roundhouse kick. Ceres bends backward to dodge it, her legs in a lunge. She gives her student a solid punch, pushing her back a few feet.
The strawberry-blonde then rushed forward, delivering a left hook right into Yuki's face. Yuki's upper body reared back from impact. Recovering, she blocked a right hook and used Ceres' turning momentum to deliver an elbow jab. Grinning the entire time, Ceres blocks it and then dodges all the kicks Yuki follows through with. Ceres moved forward, doing her own roundhouse kick. Yuki joins both hands atop each other to block Ceres' landing foot. With a loud cry, she pushes it up and back. The Titan regains her footing in a flip while Yuki waits for her landing. Using her robotic arm, she knocks Ceres back with a single hit. Holding onto her right bicep, Ceres slides through the dirt, her feet flat on the ground until she came to a stop.
"Hah, that stung a bit, those cybernetics are as durable as an Exo's body," Ceres smiled, tossing a towel at Yuki's face, hearing her blow a raspberry before running it down her face. She undid her bobble, allowing her blue hair to run down just below her shoulder blades, shaking it loose in the wind.
"I tried to incorporate more kicks with my left like I do with my right arm," Yuki replied, taking a sip of water from a canteen on the step. "So, what now, teacher?"
Ceres laughed, standing with a hand on her hip. "Now? We tackle what's behind you."
"Eh?" Yuki cocked her head back, coming face-to-face with the silverette Zane. "Hi, Zane!"
"Hello~ You all done for the day?" He blinked at Ceres who held up an 'OK' sign.
"Just for lunch, then it's onto sword training, but I think that's more your style than mine," Ceres replied.
"Sweet, okay, Yuki, close your eyes, got a surprise for you, it'll be great, trust me!" This was new? Yuki gave a questioning brow but closed her eye regardless as she heard him move around to the front of her. "Hold out your hands," Unable to stifle a silly smile, Yuki did so, feeling two cold, slightly heavy objects rest in her palms, strange, they felt like... "Okay! Uh, you can look now," When she blinked, Zane was watching with a nervous grin, Ceres smiling fondly while Yuki's gaze drifted down only to freeze with her jaw unhinged.
Two identical swords rested in her palms. A thin black handle with a sky-blue grip, the guard curved like a 'C', stretching up the blunt side of the sword in black, leaving only a clean silvery-blue blade to catch the sun's rays. "Featuring two identical Quickfang swords, both with an augment called 'Whirlwind Blade', using stored up kinetic energy you can unleash two devastating cyclones of Void energy, pretty neat, right?"
The craftsmanship and quality is near perfect | And to have two of them in such condition | Hmph, I don't think our bland imitations could compare
"I-I uh..." She was at a loss for words. "No kidding..."
"Why not give them a test run?" Ceres smirked, stepping back as Yuki jumped to her feet, testing the twin swords in her hands. It felt so... right again, the last of her makeshift cutlasses were shattered against Kovik, and even then, she could just remake them with SIVA. But these were clearly crafted with the care and concentration of a swordsmith. The feeling wasn't too light or too heavy, the grips were worn in but her hands grooved to the surface.
Taking a breath, Yuki started with the right blade, swinging wide as she felt pressure built prior to this use within the handle. She squeezed tighter, "Whirlwind Blade!" With a cry, a halo of purple energy dragged her body into a spin, carving a clean ring through the air around her. Using the swinging momentum, Yuki dove up and slashed with her left. Calling out the name again, her body did a rapid spin, her boots casting the remnant Void energy aside in the process. "Woah!" Her eyes twinkled with light.
"Like it?" Zane asked, "I've got like... sooo many,"
"He's a serious hoarder," Rika snickered as he flicked her shell. "Ow, hey!"
"I. LOVE. Them." Yuki beamed, holding the twin swords close. "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you~!"
"I think you made her day," Ceres giggled behind her hand, happy to see her in such high spirits.
"Well, she'll need them, that Baron can't hide forever," He looked to the sky. "That Splicer made one mistake exiling them all here."
"Hm, what's that?" Ceres asked, piquing hers and their ghosts' interest. They were met with Zane's crystal blue glare, and a winning smile on his face that was directed at Yuki who performed various strikes at the air with her Quickfangs, clearly enthralled by her actions.
"By the time they go back, he'll have several powerful Guardians to contend with," Zane knew it well, Light or not, Yuki and her friends were more than ready for whatever came next.
To Be Continued...
Finally, we can move on with the story, Yuki's was by far the hardest to put into words, overcoming her failure is what tipped me off to recalling Zane's own trauma and I had my solution. Plus, now she has two of my favourite swords from D2, Quickfang. Time to hunt a Baron. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Guardians!
Next Chapter Intermission: Fragments and Pieces
"We finally found the asshole, who's ready for some payback!?" Rayla roared, pumping her fist.
"YEAH!" Yuki, Hana, Akio, and Velk joined in with Tekres raising his fist silently off to the side.
"He will not be easy to tag, we must use his methods against him," Tekres snarled. "Coming soon, Fragments and Pieces."
"You ready to take back our power, Siva?" Yuki asked, the ghostly apparition of SIVA behind her.
|I have your back|
"Continue On...!" Yuki hollered.
"TOWARDS THE LIGHT!" The others cried out.