Rapid fire updating, am I right?
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"We're here." Drake looked up from massaging his wrist as Taro shouted this across the bridge. Getting up and walking to the window with everyone else, Drake was confused.
"Nothing's destroyed." he pointed out.
"Or on fire." Ultear added.
"Look like a nice place." Damien noted.
"Don't let it confuse you." Simon warned. "Somewhere beneath this city is a weapon capable of wiping out the country." No one said anymore after this, nothing more was required. As Taro landed the Christina at the outskirts of the city, Mami walked up to them.
"Alright everyone." Mami said as Winter walked back inside. "We don't know where in the city Apocalypse has gone, but it's assumed he knows where the Etherion cannon is and how to get there. That being said, the rest of his Phantom Dove buddies are also in the city somewhere. Whether or not they're with Apocalypse remains to be seen, but they most likely know where he went. If you find anyone of them, beat it out of them."
"Simple enough." Drake said. "If I catch any of there's scents, I'll track them down."
"I'll go with you." Winter said. "Just in case you need backup." Drake nodded thankfully, as he hadn't wholly trusted his injured form to hold up against one of them anyway.
"I guess this means we're splitting up then." Simon said. "Sounds like it'd be our best option."
"Divide and conquer." Damien agreed.
"If anyone of you sees Apocalypse, don't try and be the hero." Ultear warned. "He's too powerful for anyone of you on your own."
"So basically don't be a Nashi." Damien said. It was obvious he meant it as a joke, but no one took it that way. "Anyway, let's do this, we're wasting time."
"Agreed." Simon said. "Move out, and let's do our best to stop this before it's too late."
"We'll stay here." Mami said, referring to her and the others from Blue Pegasus. "Ken'll keep tracking his magical signature, see if it can be narrowed down."
"And make sure Nashi and Elise are okay." Akio added. Drake nodded as he headed to the door with everyone else.
"Well, let's do this."
They had broken off into groups once they left the Christina to be a little safer in the event they found Apocalypse. Ultear had gone with Simon, Drake with Winter, and Damien and Terra. Ultear felt bad for whatever poor sucker got stuck with Damien and Terra, because those two together was bound to destroy some shit.
"Sense anything?" Simon asked, and Ultear shook her head.
"Nope." She replied. "Seems like a normal city."
"Just act as normal as possible then." He said. "The less people we freak out, the better."
"We're both wrapped up in various places and look like shit, and acting normal is what's going to keep it calm?" Simon cast her a bemused look at this outburst, and she just smiled back.
"What I'm saying is don't start some shit and freak everyone out." he replied. "The last thing we need getting in our way is freaked out citizens." Ultear agreed with that wholeheartedly, they were on a timer as it was.
"What do you think he plans to do with that cannon?" She asked in a low tone. Simon shrugged.
"Could be a lot of things." He whispered back. "Leverage on the royal family, a power up for the Olympians, or he could just started targeting shit at random for fun."
"Royal family huh?" She asked. "Could Crocus be his target? The castle?"
"It's a possibility." Simon agreed. "But if he's working for the Olympians, I doubt he wants to take out the royal family as the display of power. Probably lesser targets first as a threat for something."
"Jewel? Control? Something else?"
"All of the above." Simon replied. "Mavis, I don't know." Ultear nodded and they didn't speak again, too focused on looking around for anyone suspicious. Ultear could see nothing but store owners, customers, and various citizens milling around, indirectly concealing the enemy from her and Simon. Just as Ultear was about to ask Simon if they should split up, he threw a hand out in front of her to stop her.
"What?" She asked. Simon nodded ahead of them, and Ultear followed his nod to see two figures standing in front of them, both looking around suspiciously. One had white hair and a disfigured face, while the other had a much better face, given the same hair color. "They were with Apocalypse." She whispered.
"Found them." Simon said. "Try your best not to alert them, we need to see if they know where they're going." Ultear and Simon did their best to remain silent, pretending to window shop so they could keep an understandable distance from their target. Getting to close would only alert them, an the two seemed to be heading for less crowded roads.
"We might have to follow them where it'll be obvious what we're doing." Ultear whispered as she pointed to a purse and gave Simon a false look of wanting. He sternly shook his head.
"You're right, they seem intent on losing the crowd around here." Simon walked in the direction of them again, and Ultear followed. Pretty soon, the two men took a turn into an alleyway, which immediately made sirens go off in Ultear's head.
"They're baiting us." She warned as they approached the alley.
"We can't follow them any less discretely." Simon replied. "I have an idea anyway, I just hope you'll forgive me."
"...Eh?" Simon said nothing as he peered around the corner, and then walked into it. As they approached the turn into another alleyway, Simon cleared his throat.
"It's just right over here, don't be so scared!" he said. Ultear realized this was his attempt at making the two men think they weren't tracking them, and played along.
"I'm not used to men luring me into alley." She replied loudly.
"Calm down, you've known me too long, you know I'd never hurt you." Just as they rounded another turn, Simon's face flickered with panic. Before Ultear could ask, he grabbed her by the wrist and spun her around, pinning her against the wall. They're faces were mere inches away from each other, and Ultear's face exploded with red.
"W-What...?" She began as she heard chuckling. After listening for a little bit, she heard more laughter and something along the lines of, 'kids these days,' before Simon released her.
"Like I said." he said, shrugging it off. "I hope you'll forgive me." Ultear tried to clear the daze her had had been thrown into my the action.
"...For the sake of the tracking, it's fine." She managed. Simon nodded gratefully and began to walk down the alley again after the men, Ultear right behind him. She did her best to not dwell on the action, but her female mind refused to let her forget it.
"Do you think we...?"
"Shit!" Simon shouted, sprinting out of the alleyway. Ultear followed just in time to see their targets taking off down the street. Both her and Simon gave chase, just in time to see both men take off in different directions.
"We can't lose them!" Ultear said.
"You take the ugly one who sent left!" Simon replied, veering off to the right to take off after the other man. "Good luck Ul!"
"You too!" She said, sprinting down the alleyway after the uglier one as Simon activated meteor behind her and jumped from rooftop to rooftop after the other. "I just hope one of these idiots knows where Apocalypse is..."
Drake felt worthless. This was because he couldn't pick up a scent from any of the Phantom Dove targets, and it irritated him. Winter had already tried reassuring him that it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't help but feel like he wasn't trying hard enough.
"They're here somewhere." Winter said. "Don't worry about it."
"I know." Drake said, sighing. "I just feel like I should have picked one of them up by now."
"Who knows where they came in from." She replied. "We probably just haven't crossed paths with them yet."
"Yeah." Drake agreed, keeping his sound magic at an all time high to pick anything up that could help. He kept his ears away from Winter's thoughts, he'd learned a long time ago intruding on his friends thoughts when it wasn't necessary got him hit. This, however, made sure he heard every bit of gossip from the women of Silverridge, and he was ready to kill himself. All he heard were women gossiping about how shitty their husbands were, how the guy they liked friend zoned them, or something to that effect. It also meant he heard every time a young woman found him attractive. He was used to knowing right off the bat, but hearing it still irritated him.
"Anything?" Winter asked, intruding on his plans to say something about having a girlfriend.
"A lot of women are interested in me." he replied, making her laugh. "Other than that, not much."
"Here, let me help." Before Drake could ask what she meant, Winter grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers. Drake wanted to laugh as every women's thought immediately turned venomous, insults directed at Winter.
"Great job," he said, "now they just hate you."
"Let them, we're trying to save Fiore here. They'll change their tune pretty soon." Drake nodded, not as if he cared either way. Just as he was about to make a comment on Winter's clammy hands to piss her off, he stopped dead.
"I got one." He said, inhaling deeply. The scent was definitely one of the guys Apocalypse had been with at the estate, he could tell.
"Where are they?" Winter asked. Drake inhaled a few more times before he got a trail, and he began to walk before, losing his grip on Winter's hand. He knew he must've looked like an idiot walking around town inhaling deeply, but that wasn't important. Pretty soon, the rail led them into a crowded street, which made the various other scents of citizens get in Drake's way.
"I'm going to lose it." Drake muttered. "All these people are getting in the way."
"Not much we can do about that." She replied. Drake did his best to follow the trail, but it started to go cold quickly. Before long, however, it strengthened abnormally, and Drake froze. "What happened?" Winter asked.
"It got really strong right here." He replied, looking around. Taking a few steps away, the scent got weaker once more. "Okay, what the hell. It's really strong right here, but anywhere else it's weak."
"Uh, Drake?" Drake looked back at Winter, and she pointed at the ground. There, right where he'd been standing a moment before, was a manhole leading to the sewers below the city.
"...Oh." Was all Drake said. Winter had a disgusted look on her face, and Drake could understand why. They were talking abut the sewers here.
"Is it possible you were just smelling the sewers?" She asked weakly.
"Not unless everyone in Phantom Dove smells like absolute shit." He replied. "Come on, we don't have time to spare." Drake knelt down and pried at the manhole, cursing to himself as it wouldn't open.
"Lets just think this over." Winter said weakly. "Your sense of smell will become useless and seeing as we're underground, your hearing becomes less powerful too. We're being set up to get attacked down there."
"I hate to break it too you Winter," Drake replied in a whisper, looking up at her, "but we're talking about an Etherion cannon that can destroy anything Apocalypse aims it at. I think that, for the sake of Fiore and the whole world, you'd deal with a little sewer water and shit smell." Winter watched him for a little bit before she sighed and waved her hand. This caused a gale if wind to come up from the sewer and the manhole flew off, causing Drake to fly back and land on his ass with it in his hands.
"Come on." She said, walking up to the hole. "We're wasting time." Winter jumped into the air and right down the hole, using her Sky magic to slow her fall. Drake sighed and he tossed the manhole cover aside and walked up to the hole.
"Here's to the shitty job." he said, grinning slightly at his terrible joke before jumping down the hole himself.
And the chase begins! Also, due to an email fiasco I had last night, seven reviews haven't shown up on the actual review page for this story. I'm sure if you guys check you'll know who you are, but just know that I did see them regardless!
I hope you enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get ten!