Wandering in the dark.

[ASG: The Long Night Commences]

As it happened, GV had already been looking around by the time that Lumen found him. There was enough chatter in the dark side of the city to let him know that something bad was going on.

Lumen had confirmed it and filled him in on what the girls knew.

An odd wave that wasn't AIM coming from the north, discussion on the dark web about attacks that had been going on in that area. All of it had led to GV heading there.

Now though, Lumen hesitated.

"The signal's source has been moving for a while now, it's not in the north anymore."

With some added directions from her, he homed in on the strange source. As he did he saw fewer and fewer cars on the road.

The city was quieter around here until-

He heard something that sounded like a loud crash.

Leaping through the air, he hopped a bridge and ran through an alley to reach the scene as he saw something like an armoured car drive down the road and away from what looked like...

Well, the equipment looked like that of anti-skill but there weren't any symbols on it. A dark side organisation? Something like a private army?

They had a man with them who had on a lab coat. A scientist then. Likely the leader of this little band.

"It's not him." Lumen noted. GV hadn't really thought it would be but the confirmation was good to have anyway.

And then one of the soldiers gave the scientist an anti-vehicle weapon. Something like a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

"I think we don't have the proper context for this." GV murmured as he saw the man take aim at the car.

He wasn't about to step in- well, he wasn't going to until Lumen realised something as she looked at the car.

"Index is in there!?"

GV wasn't about to ask how she knew. Lumen had likely been trying to get a read on the entire situation so she could inform him and Joule.

The understanding that the scientist was about to launch an explosive at a vehicle that held an acquaintance of his made him move though.

What was the easiest way do deal with this? He couldn't hit it with a directed bolt of lightning at this distance. Nor could he tag it without giving himself away...

"Shit."

He stood up to get in the way. As he did though, someone dropped between the fleeing car and the scientists.

"Her." Lumen noted "She's the one giving off the strange energy."

Considering the woman's clothes, she was probably a magician. The religious clothes reminded him of the mages he'd met in the past, Index included.

Was she stepping in to protect Index?

She was looking at the car as the man fired the grenade.

GV swore. While it was possible that she might have some magic that would keep her safe, she didn't seem to be paying attention.

The explosive went off just as he exited into the open. No one seemed to have noticed yet though. The soldiers were all focusing on the explosion.

[ACMI2: Roman Catholic Church]

A blast of wind dispersed the smoke from the explosion, revealing the woman, unharmed, within.

GV took note of her weapon. It was shaped like the cross, giving further evidence towards his guess.

"Nice city huh?"

The woman's voice travelled as she turned towards her attacker. GV took note of her face, it was covered in piercings.

"Can't say I care much for the inhabitants but they have some interesting architecture."

Her voice was... calling it friendly was wrong but it wasn't instantly hostile.

"Who the hell are you?"

The scientist didn't sound too worried either, he'd pulled the launcher up to rest on his shoulder now it was used.

"You might say we're rivals in the killing game?"

Well... the tone of her voice was non-hostile. Her words made him worried though.

The scientist groaned and stepped away.

"You deal with her." He told his soldiers.

They raised guns towards her.

Now, GV had to figure out what was going on before deciding his next move.

Factions, the soldiers were part of academy city. The woman was part of the chuch. They were at a cold war.

As far as he knew, she hadn't attacked first. She had come into this city though, likely without asking. That and her chocie of words implied she'd be trouble in some way.

She had helped Index though, why had the soldiers been trying to kill her? In this case-

GV made a snap decision as he heard the woman continue talking.

"Good, I'm glad to see you're not taking this personally."

"If you want my personal attention," The scientist was walking away towards an open car "you'll have to try harder than that."

The car drove away, the soldiers still yet to fire.

"Wow, what a guy." The woman noted with a mocking tone "Your boss certainly knows how to make a girl feel special-"

She paused for a moment, likely seeing GV holding up a hand.

Then, a current ran through the water that the rain had left on the ground.

They weren't wearing rubber boats.

GV had made the current to paralyze their legs. He didn't know enough yet to kill anyone.

All of the soldiers stumbled and fell, their legs becoming jelly and throwing them off their feet.

"Hmm." The woman chuckled slightly "Well, that was unexpected."

"Just returning the favour." GV called back, nodding to the space behind her where the car had been "I wouldn't have been able to stop that grenade in time."

The woman paused and began laughing. Proper laughter. GV caught the gleam of silver from her mouth.

"Oh? That?" She spoke as her laughter drew to a stop "I just wanted his attention actually." She gestured back behind him where the scientist's car had departed "That rescue was purely coincidental."

"Then do you mind if I ask," GV called "what are you doing in academy city? Some sort of mission that required you coming into academy city's territory?"

"My, you are well informed." Even as she complemented him, something felt off. She was mocking him somehow. She continued after a moment.

"Before that though, are you one of the children tainted by this city's science?"

"Odd way of phrasing that." GV pointed out "Are you asking if I'm an Esper?"

The woman grinned "Well, you did release that lightning earlier."

GV shrugged "Sure then, I'm an esper-"

As he spoke, she charged.

[ACMI2: Attack]

She swung her cross-shaped club towards him as he threw himself back. She let out a laugh at that.

"Oh, you are fast." The mocking tone hadn't left. Instead it was worse now. He hadn't noticed before because her attention hadn't been on him but she'd been mocking the soldiers too.

"It's a good thing this won't take too long." With that, she spat something out from her mouth. A chain with something at the end.

Well, he'd probably have to fight back somehow-

It was so sudden.

"GV!" Lume cried out in panic as his momentum carried him back into a wall. The world around him was going dark and he couldn't move well.

How? How had she hit him? He'd even been ready to use Prevasion-

Thinking of the power activated it. his entire body shimmered for a moment in and out. In that moment he was able to get his brain speeding through possible options without the fuzz in his head when he was physical.

When he returned to normal though, the fuzz returned. The darkness creeping at the edge of his vision.

He couldn't fight her in this state.

Returning to prevasion he moved. A bolt flew towards a lamp post, breaking it but allowing him to reappear atop it. He stumbled and shifted again as he fell towards the ground, his momentum letting him move towards a manhole cover.

With only one more jump he was through and in the maintenance tunnels beneath the road. It wasn't a sewer but a pipeline with things like cables that connected the city together.

His body was exhausted now, both in and out of his electrical form. As he was able to use one more bolt of strength to send him down the tunnel and hopefully away from the woman if she came down here looking for him.

Then, in physical form once more, he fell to the ground.

"GV!" He heard Lumen's voice grow quieter.

Once more she called his name, but by that point he was unconscious.

End of chapter.

One of GV's weaknesses: non-directional constant effects. There was no pracitcal way for him to avoid Vento's Divine Punishment.

On the other hand, Lumen saw everything and was even reading GV's mind during the important moment. That's information she can pass on.