Saint Louis aimed her guns upward and shot at the swarm of drones coming at them from above, but the parasite-like creatures all dodged in unison like a flock of starlings. Despite their rotund shape and the lack of any appendage dedicated to flying, they were incredibly adept at it. Their maneuverability seemed to be especially off the chart, so Richelieu's second in command decided to change approach.
"Everyone, switch to your anti-air and get ready to engage in close quarters," she said to her comrades around her, her voice loud and clear for everyone to hear.
Heeding her words, Le Terrible, L'Indomptable, and La Gallissonnière complied, their personal weapons at the ready and their AA turrets unleashing a flurry of bullets toward the incoming swarm.
They were standing at the bottom of the staircase to the main entrance of the Basilica, right below the opening of the energy dome, and their job was to deal with everything that tried to breach the perimeter established by the shield while the rest of their comrades kept at bay the mass-produced ships surrounding the base. The human personnel were forced to remain inside the building since their manned vessels docked at the piers were the first to be targeted by the Sirens when they appeared.
What they weren't expecting, though, was for that weird flying saucer to be such a dangerous threat. They didn't know how to deal with it, as it just hovered above the energy dome.
Luckily, smaller and faster rounds proved more effective on the drones as they began falling to the ground one after the other. By the time the swarm reached the group, almost half of it had already been put out of commission, their bodies falling at their feet and twitching like dying pests.
At that point, the shipgirls dropped the weight of their riggings by dismissing them and were ready to clash with the swarm.
La Gallissonnière drew wide arcs with her battle axe, her swings powerful enough to repel entire bunches of them. Saint Louis was more graceful with her moves, her black and gold cross spear allowing her to thrust and swipe at the incoming drones as she dodged their attempts at slashing and clutching onto her with their sickles.
L'Indomptable was the more effective of the group at dealing with the assault. Her short stature didn't impede the dexterity with which she brandished her lance and shield, nor her ability to dodge and block the crawlers that came at her.
Le Terrible, on her part, was having trouble. Her short stave didn't give her much of a fighting chance against the Drone-types, and soon she found herself on her backfoot. Without the initiative on her side, the destroyer was forced to dodge as best as she could, until she lost her footing on one of the corpses at her feet and fell with her butt to the ground.
Luckily, her sister was there to cover for her. L'Indomptable put herself between her and the horde of drones coming at her, raising her shield and blocking their advance. They tried to crawl over the side of the big lump of metal, but the destroyer aimed her lance over the shield at the bunch; its tip opened sideways to reveal a barrel with a loaded torpedo, which exploded right into the monsters' faces, disintegrating those in range. The shipgirl, completely unfazed by the explosion she had just set off right on the other side of her shield, stood up and turned to her sister.
"Merci, soeur…" Le Terrible said, breathing a sigh of relief as she picked herself up and dusted off the filth from her clothes. "I thought you said you weren't keen to have me along."
"Mmpf… I know what I said, and what just happened only proves me right. You shouldn't stay out here fighting these critters; you should be protecting the humans inside," L'Indomptable declared, but then her haughty glare turned into a concerned frown. "Besides, what would Le Malin and Le Triomphant say if I let something happen to you?"
"My, look at you with that derpy face; you're so adorable, ma petite soeur," Le Terrible chuckled as she teased her sister.
"Heads up! They are not done yet!"
Saint Louis' warning forced them to bring their guard up again. The remaining drones had regrouped and were coming from above again. L'Indomptable only had time to push her sister down and cover both their bodies with her shield as the swarm came down on them.
They both braced for impact, but a flurry of gunfire reached their ears before the Sirens could, eliminating most of those coming down on them. The two destroyers peeked out from under the safety of the shield to see Le Triomphant and Jeanne d'Arc standing on the docks, riggings out and guns smoking. The two Iris shipgirls had just stepped foot on the pier from the water after pushing through the enemy line thanks to their comrades' help.
"Ew, what are these things? Did they come out of that monster up there?" Le Triomphant shivered at the sight of the heaps of corpses at their feet.
"Le Triomphant?!" The two destroyers scrambled to their feet. L'Indomptable ran up to her, barely containing her excitement, followed by Le Terrible with a smile and a more laid-back attitude.
Le Triomphant didn't waste time and hugged her sisters. "I'm so glad we made it in time; are you okay?"
"We are, soeur; thank you for helping us," Le Terrible replied, nodding her head in thanks to the both of them as Jeanne d'Arc went to greet Saint Louis and La Gallissonnière.
"Wait, when did you get here? And where's Le Malin?!" L'Indomptable asked her.
"Unfortunately, Le Malin had to stay at Azur Lane," Le Triomphant replied, much to her sisters' chagrin. Then she moved to the side of the pier and pointed out to sea, prompting the other shipgirls to look in that direction. "But don't worry, we didn't come here alone."
Surprise and wonder came to her comrades' faces. Behind the line of enemy ships was Richelieu's hull, accompanied by a number of Royal Navy and Iron Blood ships. Further away, Bearn's flight deck was visible, flanked by three more Royal Navy carriers. They had already breached the enemy formation to the south. Their intervention had allowed the Kansen of the Orthodoxy on that flank to switch their focus on helping the comrades who were fighting the mass-produced vessels on the other sides.
What had initially been an encirclement of the base was slowly turning on the Sirens as the shipgirls launched their counterattack.
"Hell yeah, now things are getting interesting!" La Gallissonnière blurted out in excitement as their comrades gave battle to the alien ships. "Hey, everyone, why don't we join them?"
"Our job is to protect the entrance. We won't abandon our post just to follow the thrill of battle," Saint Louis declared.
"Tze, spoilsport," the pink-haired shipgirl scoffed.
Before Saint Louis could further reprimand her, another screech resounded in the air, prompting them all to look up. The Hive-type was spewing another swarm of Drone-types, which were coming down straight toward them.
"Very well, then." Saint Louis called out her rigging again and took a stance with her cross spear, immediately followed by everyone else. "We shall purge them all equally!"
"Oui, m'dame!"
Drachenberg spewed another fire breath at the drones as he climbed higher through the swarm. Algerie and Jean Bart were using their guns to clear the way of the minions, while August's aircraft had already taken off from her rigging's wings, offering support to the dragon as it flew toward and above the Hive-type.
"Here we are," August declared as Drachenebrg came to a stop after gaining enough altitude. "Ladies, get ready."
"Get ready for what?" Jean Bart inquired.
"To jump," August stated matter-of-factly, prompting the two Vichya shipgirls to regard her with an incredulous expression.
"Are you out of your mind, Parseval?!" Jean Bart blurted out. "You expect us to jump on that thing?! Why would we even do that?!"
"Because I need you to take care of this Siren's core while I deal with the rest," August replied nonchalantly.
"What are you talking about? What's the rest?"
As if on cue, a thick, long, spine-like appendage appeared in their line of sight and swatted at Drachenberg, forcing him to move out of the way right on time as the shipgirls tightened their grip on him.
"That's the Hive's tail," August informed them.
In the past, Leviathan gave her a rundown of some of the more threatening Original Sirens they were used to fighting, and this was one of them. It was like a carrier's rigging; it kept spawning drones ready to be launched outside until its energy was depleted. Its weak point was the big, glowing orb at the center of its discoid body.
In another situation, she'd have been able to take care of it by herself, but the presence of the drones rendered it impossible to get close with their aircraft. Those things would just swarm them with numbers, and the fact that the flying saucer had other means to protect itself meant she couldn't do it alone, hence why she brought those two with her.
"I'll draw its attention to me while you two focus your efforts on the orb. Good luck down there," August declared, snapping her finger, prompting Drachenberg to position itself right above the flying saucer.
"How are we even going to-" Jean's words were cut off as the rigging pushed the two Vichya off himself with a flick of his tail, right on time to dodge another hit from the monster's appendage. Algérie and Jean Bart were sent into a freefall as they shouted their hearts out.
Algérie pulled herself together, summoned her battle axe, and declared, "If we are going to do this, let's do it right!"
"Damn you, Iron Blood! I'll get back at you for this; mark my words!" Jean growled in frustration and aimed her rigging downward. August said the protective casing of the orb was too tough for regular ordnance, so they had to get creative if they wanted to crack it.
Algérie twisted herself so that her feet were stepping onto Jean's shields, then the cruiser used her legs to push herself down with all her strength, readying her weapon. Right before crashing into the monster, she took a swing at the orb with all her Kansen strength. The impact was so violent that the sound of metal clashing resounded through the battlefield; even the monster itself staggered in the air under the sheer force of the blow.
Algérie's axe was reduced to pieces, and the shipgirl was launched backward, landing on the body of the monster with a groan of pain, but the payoff was well worth it. The previously smooth reinforced glass was covered in a net of cracks, its outer shell having lost most of its sturdiness and its glow dimming.
Jean was more than happy to capitalize on it. She loaded her AP ammo and aimed her turret downward, unleashing multiple volleys at her target before even landing, pulverizing the orb.
The cacophony of explosions that followed spread for the entirety of the monster's body; with its core destroyed, the rest was soon to follow. With the giant tail also out of commission, Drachenberg was free to fly down to the two shipgirls level, allowing them to jump on his back again as it all collapsed under their feet.
The two Vichya women glared at the carrier as the dragon flew away and down to sea level.
"Why those looks? All's well that ends well, am I right, friends?" August replied with a smirk.
"Don't ever do something like that again! Is that clear?!" Jean Bart growled in anger, her heart still beating a hundred miles an hour.
August shook her head and chuckled under her breath. She looked down toward the battlefield as her aide descended. The Hive-type was out of commission, its mangled structure falling down and sliding over the energy dome and into the water. Right on time. The shield had been up for a long time and was about to give out. The flagships and their escort were able to free the southern side of the enemy formation surrounding the Basilica; the same went with the other shipgirls defending the outpost as they dealt with the remaining threats on the other sides.
But even though the Hive had been dealt with, the swarm was still very much present.
"Someone get these buggers off of me!" Elizabeth cried.
"I'm coming, Your Majesty!" Warspite yelled back.
"Verdammt, they're everywhere!" Scharnhorst voice came in from the comms, mirroring everyone's thoughts.
"B-big sis…" Unicorn whimpered, clutching Yuni to her chest as she hid behind Illustrious' white gown. The two carriers were standing inside the white-haired woman's bridge, looking outside as the drones crawled over the carrier's deck and windows.
"I'm here, Unicorn; don't worry, everything's going to be all right." Illustrious reassured her.
The Drone-types were swarming the fleet, attaching themselves to their hulls, piercing steel, and breaking glass with their sickles. The damage they were causing was superficial at worst, but that didn't mean they couldn't feel it; after all, their vessels were linked to their minds and bodies. To the shipgirls, it was like having a bunch of spiders crawling under their skins, and the sensation was driving them nuts, distracting them from the ongoing battle, and hampering their fighting capability. Some of them, especially the battleships, had already received plenty of hits from the enemy vessels, which took advantage of their plight to reorganize and push them back.
"Everyone, recall your hull and fall back!" Richelieu ordered. "Then regroup and get ready to engage these things!"
Unicorn whimpered even more. The idea of leaving the safety of the bridge to come face-to-face with those buggers was making her shiver like a leaf. Good thing she couldn't summon her hull anymore and was able to avoid the experience of having those critters crawl all over her.
"I'm doing it, Unicorn; stay strong and hold onto me." Illustrious gave her a heads-up before the carrier around them disappeared in a flurry of azure Cubes, the light solidifying into her rigging as they both landed on the water.
The Drone-types lost their balance for a second but recovered immediately after and plunged onto the pair all together. Unicorn covered her head and yelled in fear, but Illustrious extended her flight deck, sending an airwing of miniaturized fighters at the incoming drones. Unfortunately, she couldn't do much alone, and even if the aircraft managed to halt a few of them, there were still too many. Before they could overwhelm her, the armored carrier wrapped her flight deck around herself and Unicorn, then hugged the light carrier against her chest, bracing for what was coming.
But then, a blinding light enveloped them, coming from between them. It was so dazzling that it was hard to look at, making the drones stop in their tracks. Once the light subsided, the shipgirls had disappeared. The drones looked around with their yellow shutter eyes, trying to figure out what happened, but then another bunch of miniaturized fighters rained down on them from above without warning, taking them off guard. Those remaining looked up in confusion to see the two carriers riding on a white, purple-maned, winged unicorn.
Unicorn herself was riding on its back, a newfound courage welling in her heart, while Illustrious was sitting sideways behind her, still trying to get her mind around the fact that she was riding an actual unicorn—Yuni, of all things.
After recovering from the shock of the close call and the surprise of the plushie's newly discovered ability, the two carriers didn't waste any time, summoning as many of their planes as they could from their riggings and sending them down against the Sirens from their advantageous position. Most of the remaining drones were reduced to smithereens after the assault of the miniaturized fighters, and the few that survived scurried away immediately.
After the last of the stragglers left, Yuni flew down to sea level, allowing the shipgirls to set foot on the water.
"Good job, Unicorn," Illustrious said, then her gaze turned to the oversized unicorn as she was enveloped in a dazzling glow before returning to her normal size. "Tell me, though, did you know Yuni could do something like that?"
The light carrier replied with a sheepish smile as the stuffed animal jumped into her arms, curling up against her chest. "We've been practicing in secret; it was supposed to be a surprise... I'm sorry for not telling you."
"Oh, don't worry; I assure you that your big sister is more than surprised," Illustrious giggled, patting the light carrier on the head and stroking the plushie's chin.
"Illustrious! Unicorn!" Warspite's voice reached their ears, and the two carriers turned to watch as the rest of the fleet approached them. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were helping Bismarck, with Deutschland and U-556 following behind them. Richelieu and Queen Elizabeth were also there, accompanied by Béarn and Chaser.
Almost the entire delegation had regrouped.
"Miss Warpsite! Everyone! Are you okay?" Unicorn gasped in shock at seeing her comrades. Their bodies were covered in cuts and shallow wounds, and their uniforms were torn and ripped in many places, marking the spots where the drones' sickles had reached them and their hulls. Out of everyone else, Bismarck seemed to be in the worst shape; after the previous hit to the rudder, her leg was busted, and she was being held by the shoulder by the two Iron Blood battleships.
"Don't worry, Unicorn." Chaser reassured her with a smile and a slight wince of discomfort. "It stings a bit, but it's nothing we can't deal with."
"It's good to see that you two are also all right," Bismarck said seemingly unbothered by her condition. "Now that we're all accounted for, Cardinal, any word from your subordinates?"
"Thanks to August's intervention, the greatest threat has been repelled." Richelieu informed her. "And thanks to us all, the enemy fleet has been wiped out. I can't tell you how thankful I am for the help you've offered today, mes amies."
"If you want to show us your gratitude, Cardinal, why don't you start by showing us our lodgings first? My dress is so ragged you could barely use it as a mop," Elizabeth quipped, looking at herself in disgust.
Richelieu had to hold back a giggle as the queen lamented her tattered dress while Warspite tried to comfort her.
"You are right, Your Majesty; please follow me."
"Welcome back, Cardinal," Saint Louis said, bending to the knee as Richelieu and her retinue stepped on the pier. The concrete platform at the foot of the staircase was still partially covered with the corpses of the Drone-types.
"Saint Louis, it's good to see you safe and sound, and the same goes for you all," Richelieu said, addressing her second in command and the other French Kansen present. Le Terrible, Le Triomphant, and Jeanne d'Arc welcomed her with a smile and bow, while La Gallissonnière and L'Indomptable simply nodded their heads to her.
"What about everyone else?" The Cardinal inquired.
"The rest of your subordinates are dealing with the last stragglers as we speak. They'll be done in a matter of minutes," Saint Louis replied, referring to the rest of the French shipgirls still out to sea around the Basilica. "And all human personnel have taken refuge inside. No Siren was able to break in on our watch, so they should be all fine, if a bit shaken."
Richelieu nodded to her, then inquired about something that had been on her mind for a while.
"And what about the ASD? High command should have issued us a copy. Why didn't you use it?"
Saint Louis stiffened in her place at her words.
"I'm ashamed to say this, Cardinal, but... We didn't have the chance. The system was delivered the other day, but our engineers haven't assembled it in time."
While Saint Louis gave her report, the sudden appearance of a shadow over their heads informed them of Drachenberg's arrival. August, Algérie, and Jean Bart dismounted, the two Vichya shipgirls stretching their limbs and wincing in pain, glad to be stepping onto solid ground again.
Seeing that everyone was losing themselves in small talk again, Jean Bart decided to speak up. "Well? Are we just going to ignore the elephant in the room? What were those Original Sirens doing here?"
"Forgive me, Cardinal. Original Siren?" Saint Louis asked her with a confused frown at the Vichya battleship's words.
"About that, I'll brief you and everyone else later, Saint Louis," Richelieu said. "For now, our priority must be to put up the ASD system as soon as possible. We missed the opportunity to check if it also works against them, but if they try something like this again, we won't lose the chance to test it."
"Oui, m'dame."
Now that the situation was under control and she could think about it more lucidly, Richelieu realized how much the battle had gone in their favor, and she couldn't help but question their good luck.
It was too easy. Those were Original Sirens they were talking about—the same ones that had terrorized the shipboys' world for years, and yet they let August and the others bring down the Hive without putting up much of a resistance They even used only mass-produced vessels, which, by the way, were identical to the ones the humanoid Sirens she knew so well used; the only difference were the lights. The energy coursing through those hulls wasn't the reddish orange they were so used to—not even the azure typical of the Arbiters. It was yellow, just like the Cube described by August and Leviathan.
Which left her thinking... If the Original Sirens were there, where were their Elites?
"Madame August, could you please describe again the appearance of the Siren that attacked you and your beloved on that occasion?" She asked the Iron Blood carrier.
"But of course, Cardinal," August replied.
As August began recounting those events to the Iris flagship, a voice reached Saint Louis' radio; it was one of the officers tasked with protecting the researchers and engineers inside.
"Madame Saint Louis, please come in!"
"I hear you, officer, what's the situation inside?" She responded in her comms.
"Not good, madame. They are inside! They managed to break in from underwater!"
"What?! Why are you only saying this now?!"
"B-because we just noticed… There's a huge hole in the vault leading to the ocean… Everything's flooded, and the Wisdom Cubes stored inside… They are all gone!"
Everyone turned to look at Saint Louis, having heard every single word, and realization dawned on Richelieu. That's why she felt that something was amiss. It was too easy because the Hive-type and the swarm of Drone-types were just decoys. They must have taken advantage of the commotion of the battle to mask the noise of their digging in order to get to the storage room undisturbed.
Everyone stood still, too shocked to react, but at the same time, they all realized the same thing.
The bloody sunset hadn't disappeared. The Mirror Sea was still up!
Nothing else needed to be said. All the shipgirls rushed toward the entrance, but before they could even get close to the big, double gate, a loud tremor shook the Basilica.
Everyone jumped back and summoned their riggings as they took a defensive stance, expecting something big to smash through the doors from the inside, but instead, the tremor stopped, and the enemy appeared from behind them.
They all turned toward the wharf, and August's eyes widened in understanding.
The Original Siren that just appeared was identical to the one that attacked her and Leviathan. It came out of the water, right beside the pier at the foot of the staircase to the entrance of the cathedral.
It turned to look at them, if you could say that, considering that the thing didn't have either eyes nor a head, and everyone reacted the same way; they aimed their riggings at it and prepared to open fire, but the Siren didn't even flinch. It just stood there, hovering menacingly, staring down the myriad of guns and barrels aimed at it.
All of a sudden, a column of water exploded behind him.
The shipgirls gaped as the curtain of water spray dripped down the gargantuan shape, revealing a creature that seemed like it came out of their worst nightmares. It had a long, segmented snake-like body covered in black metal plates, traversed by yellow energy lines. It was so thick that it could barely pass through the double gates of the Basilica if it tried. Its head and neck seemed to almost merge together, unrecognizable from each other like those of a worm. Its mouth, though, was big enough to swallow a dozen people whole if it tried, especially since it could be opened on four sides.
The Siren didn't waste time making a good show of it. It lifted its head and screeched at them, revealing rows of sharp metal teeth and a single yellow-glowing eye-orb at the center of its gullet.
The ear-splitting noise made them wince in pain, forcing them to cover their ears with their hands.
Then, a low, humming buildup sound filled the air as the lights traversing its dorsal plates began lighting up one after the other with an even more intense glow. The glowing of its eye-orb became blinding as it focused all its energy into its mouth, charging up a laser beam that was becoming bigger and bigger with each passing second. The Humanoid-type ignored the shipgirls and moved to safety behind its bigger kin.
Time seemed to slow down as the shipgirls watched in horror. The ear-splitting screech and the awareness of the fact that they'd still get caught in the attack even if they moved out of the way were daunting, rendering them incapable of moving an inch.
Except for two of them.
Bismarck and Jean Bart were the closest to the water; it didn't even take them half a second to make their decision. Bismarck ignored the pain in her leg as they both dashed toward the docks, and without wasting time, they dismissed their riggings and called out their hulls right next to the pier, using their vessels as an impromptu double wall of protection, hiding themselves and their comrades from the sight of the monster.
U-556 understood immediately what her liege was doing and tried to rush over her, but August grabbed her right as Drachenberg lunged at them to cover his mistress and her Iron Blood comrades with his body. Warpsite put herself in front of Elizabeth, and Illustrious grabbed a hold of both Unicorn and Chaser, using her flight deck to cover them all.
Richelieu and the others could only watch in dismay and brace themselves as the creature unleashed its attack.
The laser beam cleaved through the two battleships, bursting a whole through their hulls, but instead of hitting the piers and the staircase where the shipgirls were huddled together, it traveled over their heads by a hair. It nailed the gates of the Basilica, bursting through the interior of the building, traversing the structure in its entirety, and coming out of the other side. The monster then diverted it upward and sideways, allowing it to cut through the roof and walls like a knife through butter.
The shipgirls could only cover their heads as roofs and belfries were brought down. Fragments of stone, iron, and glass were sent flying all over the place around them.
Once the light subsided, the heat diminished, and the cacophony of the building crumbling around them stopped, they found the courage to lift their heads and look at the damage.
The Basilica had been reduced to rubble; only the sturdiest walls and partitions remained standing. The inside had collapsed on itself, and the interior had become unrecognizable. By sheer luck, only one of the many belfries stood out against the sky in defiance, all its comrades brought low by the Siren.
Speaking of which, both the giant serpent and the Humanoid-type had disappeared, and with their presence gone, the Mirror Sea had also been dispelled, the sky going back to its previous clear state, and the sun shining above the rubble of the Basilica.
But that wasn't what was on the shipgirls' mind at the moment. As they tried to get their bearings, a heart-wrenching scream shook them out of their stupor.
"LORD BISMARCK!"
U-556 rushed over Bismarck's unmoving form, followed by her Iron Blood comrades. The battleship was lying on the side, her black officer cap on the ground, and her blonde hair sprawled around her as a blood stain formed under her body. Tears began pouring out of the sub's eyes, and her weeping filled the silence in the air as she tried to shake her liege awake.
Richelieu's eyes widened in horror as she noticed her sister in the same condition next to Bismarck. She rushed over to her and went down on her knees, taking her in her arms and bringing her head up. "No, no, no… Jean, please wake up!"
The sudden movement caused Jean to wince in pain and cough up blood. "Thank the Lord, she's still conscious."
"Would it kill you to be a bit gentler?" Jean rasped.
"Jean, hurry up! You need to recall your hull!" The Cardinal was on the verge of a panic attack. "We still have time to repair it if you do it!"
Jean turned her head to the two warships, noticing the gaping hole in their superstructure. They were already taking on water and were slowly disappearing under the water line.
She scoffed at herself. The damage was a lot worse than what happened to Dunkerque, and if her friend was barely able to make it, then there was no hope for her, especially with the Basilica, the hospital, and the dry docks in that state.
"Richelieu…" She tried to say, panting in exertion, but her sister shook her head in panic.
"Don't talk; you need to save your strength..."
"Richelieu."
The Cardinal also saw the condition her hull was in, but she refused to accept it. "Lord, please, I beg of you-"
"Richelieu! Stop fooling yourself!" The strain of raising her voice forced her into another coughing fit. "There's nothing… you can do…"
Richelieu tried to protest, but her words died in her throat when she noticed that the blood staining her hands and pouring out of her sister's body wasn't stopping. She began breathing heavily as tears began flowing down her face.
All semblance of composure was thrown aside as she wept, hugging her sister tighter; no one even dared get close to the pair of siblings.
"No, you- you can't die on me, soeur, please!"
"Hehe… Look at you, getting all mushy…" Jean wheezed out in a breath. "What are your buddies going to say? Aren't you ashamed?" She said with a smile and the little bit of sarcasm she could muster.
"No, you don't understand- I still haven't..." Richelieu swallowed the lump in her throat before finding the courage to speak.
"I'm sorry for being such a bad big sister, Jean..." Richelieu began, Jean's eyes widening as she spoke. "I never wanted to leave... I never wanted to hurt you... I only did what I thought was right for our faction- for us, but then you decided to stay behind, and I didn't know what to do," she sobbed. "If I had the chance to go back and remake that choice, I'd do it, even if it means turning my back on the alliance... Even if it means being just you and me against the world… I just want to go back to how we were before. Please, sister… Please, don't leave me…"
Her sister's words left Jean speechless. With her mouth agape in shock, her own eyes began welling up with tears as a torrent of emotions flooded her. She had to suck in a deep breath to prevent the dam from breaking.
"I thought you hated me... I thought you saw me as nothing but a disappointment… I thought you left me behind out of spite…"
"No, never! I could never- I love you too much, Jeanie."
A bright smile appeared on Jean's face as even more tears flowed down her face. With an immense effort, she brought her hand up to rest on her sister's hair in a comforting head pat.
"I love you too, Richie… I'm sorry…"
The last whiff of energy abandoned her, and her body went limp.
Richelieu just stood there, cradling her sister in her arms as she and everyone else around her wept.
AN: L'Indomptable has a fucking Gunlance and you can't convince me otherwise. That weapon wouldn't be out of place in a Monster Hunter game.
Oh, wait, did someone say, "Major Character Death?" Too soon?
Because they are totally dead... The two characters that in the story of the game have been taken for dead for the longest time, and one of them coming back with a power-up...
Yep, totally dead.
Next Chapter: Wake-up Call