I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Ichiei Ishibumi*
M for mature topics. No children allowed. *
The Broken Boosted Gear
By Try Another Time
Deep within the cold and snowy mountains of Italy stood an institute. A place created by a certain group of members from the catholic church for the sake of one specific project.
The holy sword Excalibur had been broken long ago during the reign of King Arthur and its pieces were recovered by agents of the church. The sword was considered as one of the most important weapons that humans could use against the supernatural and for that reason the pieces were used to create seven different swords.
The goal for this action was to create agents under the leadership of 'God' that could be used against devils and other enemies of the human race but few were capable of wielding such swords.
Varper Galilei had the goal of changing that and for that reason, he had started the atrocious project that was taking place deep within these mountains.
Early that morning, Galilei's office.
"No, they can't do this to me. I'm close to figuring out how to make it work." Varper said.
In front of him laid a document. The seal of the heads behind the project was visible and one single sentence mattered more than the rest of the document.
'The project is terminated; Clean the remnants and return to us with the swords.'
Varper had been living his whole life for the sake of one day being able to wield one of the holy swords and now when he was so close to figuring out how to do it, his dream had been destroyed by one single document.
Maybe it was due to the fact that for three years he had been unable to produce results. Maybe it was due to the multiple orphans that had died due to the drastic procedures that he had used in some cases but now his bosses had taken a decision and he couldn't go against it.
Or could he? Varper wasn't a one-trick pony and he always had an alternative in case things didn't go his way. He had the seven swords on his hands and there was no way he could stop now.
If they wanted to end his research, he was happy to destroy the remnants but he wasn't going to return the swords. He had waited far too long for this and he wasn't about to give up that easily.
Varper takes the phone that is sitting on his desk and makes a call that would change the course of his future for the rest of his life.
Training grounds.
Isaiah and the rest of the orphans were practicing once more with wooden swords that were provided to them by the researchers in the institute. It had been four years since they were brought to this place for the sake of making them into 'heroes' or at least that was the story that they had been fed.
They were fed, trained, and supervised every day of the year as each one of them was subjected to different experiments.
Some of these experiments involve simple things such as getting some blood samples from them. Others were much painful and Isaiah had seen several of his friends being taken away after they had "failed" during such experiments.
"We are taking them back to the orphanage." That was the answer he was being given each time he asked.
He wanted to believe them but something was telling him otherwise. Even now as he was clashing swords against a white-haired girl, he couldn't ignore the eyes of the researchers. Their eyes watch his every movement and track his every action.
"Liars." That was the name that Isaiah had given to them. Each and one of them was lying and he knew it.
While her partner continues to turn his sight to somewhere else that wasn't her, the girl took the chance to knock the sword away from Isaiah's hand in one swift move.
The boy blinked for a few seconds as he looked at his hand. "Eh?"
"Don't 'eh' me. What are you doing Isaiah? We are supposed to be training." The girl said.
"Sorry, Tosca. I just…" Isaiah wanted to give her an excuse but he was unable to find one.
Tosca looks mad and drops her sword before she pinches his cheeks. "We are supposed to become heroes together and you're daydreaming!"
"Ouch! I'm sorry!" Isaiah doesn't try to stop her. He was used to this.
They had been together since day one in this institution. They shared a room, practiced together, ate at the same table, and shared everything with each other. The other orphans were his friends as well but Tosca was his closest one.
"You promised me that you wouldn't get distracted."
"I know but please let go of my face."
"But you keep doing it. This has happened four times in just this week."
"I won't do it again but let go of me before the researchers punish us."
Tosca looks around and sees that a few of the researchers are looking at them from the sidelines. They always wrote things down and if someone did something they weren't supposed to do they would either get reprimanded or forced to a week in solitary sword practice.
Tosca hated that. Being forced to a white room in which you only had yourself, a wooden sword, and no interaction with anyone was the worst experience Tosca had ever experienced. Nobody liked that punishment. The walls of the room could make you paranoid as the only sound you could hear was yourself. There was no bed and only a small bathroom area in the whole room.
If an orphan did not practice as supposed to, the time within the room would increase until they choose to let the orphan out. It could take several weeks of complete solitude before a punished orphan could come back to the rest so everyone tried to follow the rules.
Tosca let Isaiah go and waited for the researchers to look at another pair. She then looks at Isaiah. "This better be the last time that you get distracted during practice. You're my partner and I can't do this alone. We promised each other to become heroes as a team so you need to keep your side of the promise." She extends her hand.
Isaiah sees the determination in her eyes. "Together." He grabs her hand and shakes it up.
"Good. Now go and get your sword. We still have time to practice." Tosca releases Isaiah's hand and moves to get her own sword.
Isaiah begins to walk to the place where he was.
"Attention. All candidates must go to main hall B. We have a special announcement to make." The voice of the director was heard throughout the building.
Isaiah stops and turns around. He looks at the researchers and sees they are moving away from the orphans before they begin to discuss something. Their faces look angry for some reason.
Isaiah began to approach Tosca and the rest of the orphans.
"What do you think the announcement is going to be?" Tosca asks.
"No idea. They could just say it now and not waste our time." One of the older male orphans says.
The rest of the orphans agreed as well.
"Maybe they found a way for us to actually wield one of the Excalibur." Says one of the younger girls.
"This doesn't feel right to me," Isaiah admits. "Pietro please be ready in case anything happens."
Pietro, who is one of the oldest orphans, looks at Isaiah. He was a bit taller than Isaiah; his hair was brown and his skin color was a bit darker than Isaiah. "Why? Do you think we are in trouble?"
"I don't know but in case something does go wrong you're one of the only ones that can use your powers. If something goes wrong you and the rest of the old ones are our only way of protecting ourselves." Isaiah says.
"Aren't you being too paranoid?" Tosca asks.
"We can never be too careful. You also know that I don't trust them at all."
The rest of the orphans look concerned but decide to stay quiet and follow the lead of the oldest ones in the group.
"I hope that you're not right Isaiah. I don't know if my power would be enough to protect everyone." Pietro admits.
"I hope to be wrong as well," Isaiah says before grabbing Tosca's hand. If something did happen, he wasn't going to stop until he made sure that Tosca was fine.
Tosca said nothing and just strengthened her grip as well. They were partners until the end.
Some minutes afterward.
The orphans were led by the guards of the institution into the hall where they needed to go. There were at least 27 orphans including Isaiah and their ages range from 5 all the way to 11, so like always the youngest ones were in the middle while the older ones separated between the front and the back.
Once they reached the doors the guards stopped at both sides. "Go inside and wait."
The orphans nodded and entered the room. As they entered the hall, Isaiah felt that something was really wrong with the place. There was nobody inside when they got in. The fact that there were no windows or other exits made him even more paranoid.
"Dear candidates. This is the director Galilei that is talking to you."
Isaiah stops paying attention to the bastard as soon as he sees the doors being shut by the guards. Then he notices a weird smell coming from different spots of the room.
"Those bastards!" His mind enters into overdrive after realizing what was happening. "Pietro, they are trying to kill us!"
His fellow orphan notices the smell as well and rage invades his eyes. "Everyone cover your mouths and noses! They are trying to poison us."
"We thank you for your participation so we ask you to please die. In the name of God, Amen."
Every single orphan covered their mouth and noses but for every single one of them, it was too late. The clock had begun and their fates had been sealed as soon as they entered the hall. The gas was entering their systems. It was going to get worse as time passed.
Pietro and the other sacred gear users approach the door while covering their mouths before they start to attack it with their different powers. They were trying to escape before the poison killed all of them.
Isaiah who was next to Tosca cursed himself mentally for being so careless but he wasn't about to let himself and the other orphans get killed that easily. "Everyone be ready. As soon as Pietro and the others blow the door down, we are escaping from this place. Stay together until the end."
Some of the orphans were scared shitless but most of them understand what their fellow orphans were trying to do. It was a matter of life or death and they had no other choice but to trust the oldest ones.
Back with Varper.
"Come on people. Move it. Erase all the data and prepare all the explosives around the base for their detonation. Give the timers between 5 and 15 minutes to explode. We have no time to waste." Varper said.
"Sir." One of the guards approaches Varper. "We have retrieved Destruction, Nightmare, and Transparency. The other four swords are on their way from the containment areas."
Three guards were holding three different containers. Each held one of the seven swords.
"Good. What about the orphans?" Varper was ready to leave the place with his research and the swords.
"Trapped. We even put several explosive charges set to detonate one after the other. Even if they escape from the poison the explosives are going to take care of them or they will far to their demise into the water streams under us. There's no way for a human to survive in that place." Says the guard.
"Great. I just need the other swords and then- "Before Varper could say anything else a sound stopped him right on his tracks.
The roar of two beasts capable of bringing the end of their lives was heard right outside the building. The monitors around them show the outside of the institute and what they saw brought them down to their knees.
"Dragon?" Varper couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Outside of the institute.
Issei and the rest of the group had arrived at the institute. They were right on top of the complex and they needed to act fast.
"Everyone knows what to do. Find the swords, save the orphans and kill the rest." Raynare says.
Everyone nods in agreement.
"Good. Let's begin with them." Raynare grabs Asia in her arms and jumps from Issei's back into the floor. As soon as she finds guards who are pointing their guns at her she kills them without any mercy by shooting a few light spears at their heads.
Kuroka jumps as well alongside Rael before she does the same in a different area of the building. Her curses incinerate the bodies of the guards that try to oppose her.
With the opposition eliminated, they enter the building through different doors.
Tiamat and Issei then take care of their own tasks. They charged the flames on their mouths before they set several parts of the institute on fire. They do this with the security towers and the perimeter of the building especially with the helipads where a few ones were waiting for the researchers to come out.
The couple transforms back into their human forms before they set out to take care of the rest on their own. Their noses were smelling the swords' exact locations which meant that only a miracle could save Varper now.
Back with the orphans.
With the doors out of the way, the kids began to move through the hallways of the institute. Some of them were coughing up more than others but everyone seemed affected by the poison. Their bodies were slowly dying from within.
"Isaiah, do you think we can survive this whole situation? You heard that sound." Tosca said.
"I did but I will not stop until I get us out of this place," Isaiah said before he began to cough even more.
"We need to find some help. That wasn't normal gas." Pietro said.
As they began to turn around the corner, the kids found a group of guards who began to open fire as soon as they were seen.
"Kill every single one of them and activate the damn explosives." Said one of the guards.
His orders were heard and throughout the whole building different explosions began to occur left and right.
"Are they insane?" Tosca asked.
"They are. Isaiah, take a different route. Fall back now. We'll cover you." Pietro and the oldest kids activate their powers once more and begin to fight the guards in order to protect the youngest ones.
"Don't die. You need to come back to us." Isaiah says as he and the rest went back to pick a different path.
Pietro and the others don't look back and focus on the task before then. "I'll try my best, Isaiah." Pietro was determined to survive or die while giving these bastards a taste of his sacred gear.
In a different area.
Kuroka and Rael continue to advance through the halls while searching for their different targets.
"Rael, are you sure that you want to be here? You know that I'm going to continue to attack every single person that is not a kid." Kuroka says.
"I need to be here. Although I can't fight, I still can heal and offer a certain amount of support. I also want to make sure that those children get out of this building as soon as we get to them. I won't forgive myself if more of them die due to this atrocious project." Rael seems affected by the knowledge she had. 27 was the number of orphans alive at the moment but the number of dead orphans that had occurred throughout these three years was quite higher than those alive.
When Issei said that they needed to clean their closet and that he was going to help with that, she felt a sensation of relief.
Having someone that they could ask to interfere on their behalf meant that they were able to be more like their creator and correct their mistakes although it was going to be not as peaceful as when he interfered with human affairs. They needed to change and the Welsh Dragon was going to be the one to help them.
"I won't tell you what to do but make sure that you keep that invisible barrier around yourself. Remember their condition: No interaction with humans. Just watch and keep your voice down. If we find a sword you can take it and come back after you drop it off." Kuroka said.
They had guidelines for her and Issei accepted them. It was a major disappointment that someone as strong as Gabriel couldn't use all of her powers but she wasn't the one that made the rules. Maybe later on the status quo would change but at least for now, she was an invisible angel that only she and the other supernatural beings could see.
"Kill that thing." A guard said as he saw Kuroka approaching.
Kuroka evades the bullets with ease before continuing to approach the group. "Well, another group I'm going to add to the death list." Kuroka activates one of her spells.
A magic circle forms below the guards and within seconds a freezing mist attacks them. The guards scream in anguish as their bodies begin to freeze. The process doesn't take long and after a few seconds, at least 10 human ice sculptures stood before Kuroka.
"Good. My spells are getting better with each day. I really need to continue this training regime in the long run. Raynare is a good training partner but Issei is one that I can go all out with." Kuroka looks at one of the sculptures and sees a container in one of its hands. "What can this be?"
Kuroka rips the container out of the frozen hand which leads to the hand breaking into pieces. Kuroka disregards the mess that this creates on the floor and opens the container.
"Oh my. Rael, I think we just hit the jackpot." Kuroka smiles as she sees the object before her.
Excalibur Blessing in all of his glory was nicely packed inside the container.
Kuroka closes the container once more and gives it to Rael. "This is yours. Please come back as fast as you can."
Rael nods and transports herself to another location with the sword in her hands.
Kuroka smiles and then creates a small magic circle next to her ear. "Attention my fellow partners. I just got one of the swords. We have six more to go and there are also the orphans. Let's finish with this as fast as possible." The nekomata swings her tails from side to side, feeling proud of her achievements.
In one of those swinging motions, her tails smack the broken frozen sculpture and this leads to its fall. As soon as the sculpture touches the floor, the whole thing cracks and breaks into different pieces scattered around the area.
Kuroka didn't show a hint of guilt toward the guard. This was a mission and their leader was asked to take care of all the people inside the institution. They were the ones sent to eliminate the project and all of those involved in it. This was just the first of many judgment missions that the angels were going to offer to the Welsh Dragon.
The cleaning process had just begun.
Back with Valper.
"This can't be real. Nobody knew about this site. Why are they even here?" Varper watches the different camera feeds around the institute and sees how his whole security team is being slowly eliminated by Issei and the members of his team.
In one monitor, Tiamat was seen surrounded by the charred corpses of many guards and researchers.
In a different one, Raynare was seen cutting the heads of guards' while being followed by Asia who was wearing a red hooded cape.
In the last one, Issei was being surrounded by flaming copies who were attacking everything that was deemed as a target. The screams of the researchers as they were crushed or cut into pieces were heard by all of those present in the room with Valper.
"I can't stay here. I need to leave now. Where are the other swords?" Varper asks his chief of security.
"I don't know sir. They were supposed to get here by now. I tried calling them but none of them answered their radios." The chief of security said.
"Damn it. This wasn't supposed to happen." Valper looks around the room for solutions but he can't find any. He couldn't risk getting out of the office nor could he wait in here forever. He needed to make a run for it before everything went down to hell.
Then he remembers something important. Varper walks towards his desk and begins to look through his things.
"Sir, what are you looking for? Do you have something that can save us?" The chief of security asks.
Varper says nothing and continues to look until he finds what he is looking for. He grabs a scroll and his face turns pale. "I know that this means selling my soul but I won't die this day." Varper walks back to the center of the room and approaches the three swords that he has. He opens the scroll and begins to read its contents.
The rest of the people inside the room don't understand what he is doing or what he is reading but once they see a magic circle forming below Valper they realize what he's doing. In a matter of moments, Valper is transported to a different location alongside the three swords leaving the rest of the employees behind.
Meanwhile, Tiamat.
Tiamat, who was checking one of the sword containers that she had retrieved from the corpses around her detected the disappearance of the scent of some of the swords. She creates a magic circle and communicates with the rest of the group. "I found one of the swords but the scent of three of them just vanished. Who took them?"
"Not us," Raynare says.
"It wasn't us either. Rael hasn't come back yet." Kuroka replies.
"Someone on the researchers' team must be the one behind their disappearance. Raynare, focus your attention on finding those kids. I'm going to demolish this building before another sword is taken away. Tiamat, Kuroka, go all out, and let's find the ones that are still here before someone else takes them away." Issei said.
"Got it," Tiamat says as she focuses her attention on the sword closest to her location. "You're next."
Isaiah and the orphans.
The group continues to move through the hallways while trying to evade the guards and the explosions that are taking place around the building. Some were caused by the explosives prepared by the guards and staff while others were caused by Issei's group.
The kids didn't know what to do except keep trying to find a way out of this place. Time was running out for them as the poison continued to worsen their health.
Isaiah was suffering the worst of its effects and he was barely able to hold himself together. His eyesight was starting to fail. His legs were feeling weaker with each second and his lungs were worsening with each breath he took.
Tosca was in no better condition either but she continues to push herself for the sake of the rest. She held Isaiah over her shoulder as they continued to move on. "Come on. We are almost out of this place. We can't die here."
"Tosca you need to go in the front. I can continue on my own." Isaiah says.
"You can barely walk and I won't leave you behind. Shut up and let me help you." Tosca says as she looks at the kids in front of them.
All of them were feeling worse than before. Although they had covered their mouth and noses it was practically ineffective to block the gas from entering their systems. The clock continues to tick down and without some immediate help, their deaths were practically confirmed.
Then the group heard the shots coming from behind them. The guards were getting closer to them and they knew it would mean death if they stood around to face them.
"Run. You need to run away. I will distract them. You can continue on this path and I'm taking this one to draw their attention." Isaiah said as he pointed at the hallway on their left.
The other kids were unsure but the sound of shots was getting closer with each second. They needed to move now.
"Go ahead without us," Tosca said as she ordered the other kids of her age to continue to guide the younger ones.
The kids did as told by Tosca and began to move.
"Tosca. You need to go with them. I'm only dragging you down." Isaiah said.
"I'm not leaving you behind. We are in this together so I will not let you do this on your own. So shut up and let's go." Tosca said as she began to drag Isaiah with her across the hallway.
"That's the damn kids. Kill them both." Said a guard as he and the rest of his group found the pair.
Tosca pushes her body to run while she is dragging Isaiah alongside her. They try to evade the bullets but that is practically a failure. One gets her on the shoulder. Another one gets Isaiah on the right leg.
The pain was strong but Tosca continued to run while dragging her partner alongside her but luck was not on her side that day.
Several explosives that were right below their feet went off. The explosion took everyone by surprise and within seconds the floor below the pair started to crack. The pair tried to escape from what was coming but they were too slow to do it in time.
Time slows down for the kids as they begin to fall to certain death. Below then there was a series of dangerous underground water streams that not humans could swim against. Tosca tries to hold onto Isaiah but as soon as they touch the water they are swept away in different directions.
Their fates were no longer on their hands.
Not too far from there.
The girls continue to move through the institute while looking for the children. Raynare had cut down many guards and researchers while looking for either the swords or the kids. Her clothes were stained with the blood of her victims but she didn't care.
This was her job and it wasn't the first time that the blood of another stains her hands.
Asia had come along not because Issei asked her to but because she chose to do it. After hearing the fact that children were being used as subjects for outrageous experiments, she had chosen to come along for the sake of helping the children. "I know that there will be blood and my hands won't be able to kill but I want to heal any child that we might find injured on the way."
With this determination as her guide, she continues to follow Raynare as they look for the children.
"Come on. Where can they be?" Raynare asks as she looks around.
"They have to be close. We can't let them die in vain." Asia replies as she continues the search.
The pair continued to traverse the hallways until they heard steps close to their position.
"Asia, behind me." Raynare creates several light spears and prepares to attack while Asia hides behind her.
The steps get closer until both groups meet each other's eyes. The kids are frozen in fear as they look at the bloody form of Raynare who has several spears pointing at them.
"Raynare is them. We found them." Asia says after seeing the 18 kids in front of them.
Raynare makes the spears disappear. She approaches the kids but they are completely scared of her. "You can relax. We're here to save you. Is this all of you?"
The children don't reply.
Asia then approaches the kids. "Don't be afraid of us. We were sent by a group that wants all of you to be safe."
One of the youngest kids begins to cough violently and he falls to the floor.
Asia reacts quickly and approaches the kid before she begins to use her sacred gear to heal him. The other orphans watch expecting a miracle to occur.
Other orphans start to cough as well and this raises flags on Raynare's mind. She kneels in front of one of the older ones. "Look at me. I know you're scared of me but I need to know what is happening. Why are all of you coughing?"
The child is scared shitless but decides to talk. "Poison. They tried to poison us. Isaiah, Tosca, and the others stayed behind to allow us to escape. Please, help them. If you truly are here to save us, save them as well."
"Fuck." Raynare looks at Asia and the healing seems to work but she wasn't sure about it. "Asia, we're taking this group back to Grigori. These kids need immediate treatment."
Asia nods and continues to support the child in her arms. The boy's breathing had become calmer but his face was still pale like a ghost.
Raynare uses her magic once more. "Welsh-sama, we found a group of kids. They have been poisoned and need treatment. There are other kids left as well. I'm going back to Grigori with Asia. I'm coming back as soon as I can."
"Do what you have to do," Issei replies.
"Be careful." Raynare ends the call and looks at the kids. "Get closer. We're leaving this place."
A teletransportation circle forms below the group and within seconds the group disappears.
In another place of the building.
Kuroka continues to take care of the rest of the mission until Rael comes back.
"You took too long," Kuroka said as she kicked a researcher so hard that his body pierced the wall.
"My apologies. Michael and the others were giving some information. Valper took three of the swords and escaped from the building thanks to the use of an unknown scroll. He is nowhere to be found. I know that Tiamat has two swords on her hands. That leaves only one more sword and the rest of the kids in the building." Rael says.
"How many kids are left?"
"Two fell into the streams below and only 3 are alive at this moment. Four of them died due to their injuries and the poison." Rael admitted with visible regret.
"Let's move. If three of them are still alive we can still save them." Kuroka said.
Rael nods and the pair sets out to find the kids before it's too late.