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Serpentine's room.
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{Palace of the Golden Dawn. (Evening.)}
When someone says 'what could possibly go wrong?'
Things go wrong.
Duh-doy.
He did it. He killed Serpentine.
The adept who knows way too much and would have become a terrifying threat if she had the time to create copies based off every single adept. Has met the same fate of those she saw.
Whoever said that vengeance made one feel empty had to be a liar, for he felt only relief. Still as quickly as it came it also dissapeared for his real troubles were just about to begin...
He killed Serpentine...in front of her comrades. Those being four very powerful adepts.
Luckily, time's flow still feels slowed down to him, letting the Slayer glance at the troubling individuals during the amount of time it takes for the corpse to fall and spill blood on the floor.
Prado's face has a smile that's slowly turning into an O face, perhaps she had a look of excitement at the reversal of the situation, but she clearly did not expect this outcome. A strange reaction for sure, when she was the one to claim she would not mind the monk's death. Perhaps she held unknown feelings of friendship within, a shame to realize only now.
The one who threw sand now has her hands covering her face. Eyes widened in pure horror while her body trembles in what looks like a turtle's pace to the Tiger and to others would be the incoming signs of a panic attack. He sees better though, the way her fists shake and are about to clench a clear sign that soon all that fear will transition to an anger like his own.
The pink-haired one's face doesn't show any emotion at the sight, her mouth held stiff and her hands three fractions of a second away from shooting more bullets. Even so, he can see a glimmer in her eye, one of new opportunities, one of a joyous change, relief at trash removed.
For a moment he ponders what ZedΩ's face will be like, will it show the sorrow of a lost companion? Shock at some grand plan of his going off the rails? Or will it be all followed by rage when the wanna-be messiah realizes that life does not bend logic backwards for one man.
"HOW DARE YOU!"
What he gets is a tanned hand trying to grab his skull by the temple faster than he thought possible, but not fast enough for him to foresee and easily dodge if he feels like. But whether it's because of arrogance, or the alcohol, he simply stands still, ready to let the evasion take care of it, then while the man goes through him in surprise, a GS shot in the back of the head should end it all. In a way things sure are fortunate then, for that means yet another kill before he will jump through the window, grind on some chains before diving into a river to escape.
He pays dearly for that mistake when he notices that the blurry and shaking all about like bubbly hand is actually covered with a fistful of golden feathers that grasp onto him.
"MY KNIGHT!"
In years to come, Copen would startle awake in the wee hours of the night and wonder why a dream of a nice, scrambled eggs breakfast should fill him with stomach-twisting dread instead.
Not.
Copen feels ZedΩ's hand twist into him and redouble his grip as they both start to glow up: the next thing he knew everything went black; he was pressed very hard from all directions; he could not breathe, there were iron bands tightening around his chest; his eyeballs were being forced back into his head; his ear-drums were being pushed deeper into his skull, his body became nothing more than a bizzare mush glowing ever bright, but as soon it happened..
It ends, one moment he was standing in front of a bunch of shocked adepts and the next their leader has warped them both to another location entirely, one outside he can guess when he feels the gales of the wind and the warmth of a red-tinted sun shine over him. Swiftly he tries to stand up, to shrug off the experience like it was just a fever dream, but his body disagrees.
It disagrees in a manner best left unsaid.
Losing his nutrients through a very tight rubber-like tube does not stop him from taking a moment to observe his surroundings. What he sees is a muddy sky filled with grey clouds, letting through only tiny rays of the sun. The platform he's on is covered in golden tiles and he can see a small shed nearby where one would take the stairs and open the door in order to arrive here, here being the very top of the golden tower. Golden arcs surround the arena to protect those who enter against the fierce winds at this altitude, and attached to those arcs are chains of similar colour filled with energy, all converging to one specific point...
A plush red carpet spans the lenght of the room, leading one from the entrance to the foot of a throne set atop a dais. The Vermillion backrest of the throne creating the shape of an A, albeit only vaquely while still framing whoever would be seated at it's center. On the sides and top of the throne were magnificently crafted statues of golden birds and flowers and right behind it all lies a black blade with golden outlines attached to a bizzare mechanism where all the chains converge from. Seeing how there are several forcefields surrounding it and the blade itself is most definitely a glaive, Copen is baffled at the stupidity of leaving a source of power so exposed, then again, one would need to bypass the forcefields to even touch it and let alone that, they would need to enter this country first, somehow fight their way to the top and several other obstacles come to his mind which still does not justify the sheer confidence one shows by leaving such a critical point for everyone to just witness. Perhaps they can just make another one if this one is destroyed, or perhaps it's a red herring entirely? He doesn't know.
ZedΩ doesn't even look at him for a moment, staring at the sun instead while Copen holds onto his stomach after having released his peaking sickness. "I understand….!" He says with a deep inhale and a voice very restrained by anger. "You're a young man! You have drive! I understand that!" he turns around to bore his eyes into his. They weren't right, somehow. Murder of his harem member notwithstanding. "But still…of everyone, to go so far…"
The way he stops to clench his heart and how the sun gains a few more points to reflect on makes it very obvious that ZedΩ is leaking manly tears but even so the will in his emerald eyes remain pure, untarnished by the grief he feels. A sense of determination in them saying more than words can while he looks down at Copen, one flaming wing keeping him looming above.
It doesn't take long for Copen to scoffs at the display, Lola floating behind him in continuous song as he condescendingly and without mercy states the obvious. "She knew too much. What were you expecting to happen the moment you let her mess around? She found out." he takes a moment to slowly stand up, noticing that several golden hexapyles cover the area. Good, that means they won't be easily interrupted. "And she died for it." he says with a tone of mockery while giving Lola the secret hand-signal to use Healing on him while they're still busy talking. After all just because he feels sober now doesn't mean he actually is. "You knew that."
"Even so." He starts.
"No! no even so!" Lola interrupts, power still surging into her partner as she speaks with anger. "Actions have consequences and the moment your gal stood in our way, her life was as good as goo! If you didn't foresee that then you're a fool which we all know you're not. Even worse you totally would have let her kill us! So if you think playing the victim card will have an effect on us, then save the speech buddy!" Knowing her partner would just respond with stoic silence, she takes it upon herself to throw back the nonsense in the weirdo's face.
Oh and she quickly uses healing too, but really mentioning that kind of lowers the mood...
"Even so this cannot be allowed to stand!" ZedΩ replies with a tone of this-is-unforgivable-and-I-will-kill-you-for-it as he throws off his black coat, letting it dramatically flow away by the wind while his white shirt remains to cover his well-muscled and bandaged figure. "Had you ran and vandalized some room, that would have been tolerated. Had you fought against some soldiers in self-defence, that too one cannot begrudge. The future is far too important to be lost over matters like that! Had you possessed the insight to remain in your room and properly wait then I would have soon received you for a dinner where all is explained. And were you to reject my offer then again, I would have allowed you to leave peacefully. For I am a civil man. However it is now clear to me, no matter the reason or cause. You will always show your fangs and claws to those who matter to me. Like a mad dog you act, so like one I'll!-"
He suddenly stops, a glint of something flashes in his eye as he takes in a deep breath. Then exhales, letting the surplus of emotions leave with the old air as his face regains composure.
"You killed my friend." He states calmly, "She'd probably laugh at the face I'm showing now but she was a good friend all the same. One I don't intend to let leave this world alone."
Cry from the south, rings against injustice.
Their trillion wings, illuminate the world.
Flesh and body, become a vermillion god.
Septimal Surge!
Suddenly ZedΩ begins to shine in a holy light, a thin outline of bright, nearly red but slightly gold energy thrums around his body. The power swells and recedes rhythmically, crackling with unspent force, flaring like a cape of flames who's exposure makes the very tower tremble in fright, the ground shakes in rhythm, gales of wind intensify and the clouds above him split apart so the beams from the sun can pour down on him like a natural stage-light. Compared to Lola's power, which seeps into Copen's body at a constant rate, ZedΩ's energy is fully contained despite becoming visible to the naked eye. He is in complete control over it all.
"Oh no!" Lola says in pure shock while the music still plays. "He's taken off his cloakand his septima is reaching levels of power way above last time, his power has increased by like...A LOT, that's so scary!" sarcasm aside, the muse is genuinely worried at the development.
Copen doesn't reply, simply staring down at the adept in front of him. He doesn't move a hand to protect his face against the wind, or squeezes his eyes to lower the glare of the sun, no, steadfast and determined, his muse-given aura continues to glow like a crimson acid, ready to tear away at everything in the world on an imperceptible level, even the wings of this bird.
The intense stare-down between West and South must feel like an eternity of tension to those present, if there were any that is. But to Copen and ZedΩ the stare conveys a simple exchange.
For the sake of my people and the future, I will destroy you here and now!
I won't stop my duty, even if it damns me to hell.
"Illuminate the world, Golden Trillion!"
"Time to douse this hyped-up torch!"
Everything becomes light after that, a pure flow of combat where both opponents try to outfire and outspeed each other. Their arena now a paper to paint destruction upon.
In less than a second, Copen and ZedΩ are amongst the clouds. The place where their feet left the ground firmly shattering into rubble moments after. Preserving their momentum as they zoom in the sky, bullets and arrows fly through as the duo dodge and weave through the bullet-hell of their making and blades of ice and fire meet as they joust when one gets too close, every swing, every shot is met by a counter and every counter met with another one. The speed of their exchanges rises beat by beat as both figures turn into rapidly moving blurs to a naked eye. The energy from their clash enough to destroy an forest with the shock waves.
The clash reaches it's zenith when ZedΩ, fed up with it. Cloaks himself with enough energy and fire to melt down any man, forcing Copen to back off. Then follows it by unleashing all of it in a ring of fire that were they not hundreds of feet in the air, would have destroyed a dozen of buildings on it's own. Still, it fails to kill by the time it detonates, the slayer having already gone through a blue portal to escape it's range. The latter looks unimpressed with his crossed arms while his muse has the gall to taunt ZedΩ with gestures conveying that he's "Too. Slow."
Holding in a scoff, ZedΩ gladly ups the pace if they want it so badly. Putting on a boost of speed, he races towards the two. Reaching inside the well of Septima energy in his body, his wing increases triple its normal size while a red aura surrounds him. The air around him distorts as an audible boom is heard, the sound barrier shattering as he leaves behind trails of golden flowers that turn into golden birds following him as he continues his Rostrum Charge.
As he barrels towards them, the muse smiles knowingly. Something shimmers around them, like a soap bubble in the light. Seeing that she's got a purple colour on, ZedΩ averts his eyes. Guessing correctly with his theory that he needs to see the light in order to be paralysed.
Use a toy too many times and it's counter will be learned.
Every action has its equal, opposite reaction after all.
ZedΩ is only mini seconds away from dealing a major blow when he suddenly collides with an invisible wall. The Vermillion Bird is sent flying back by the energy, then does a flip to recover his landing with just the right timing. For were he just a second late, he would have made a painful crack on the floor, with his face rather than with his feet creating a crater below him.
"Good job boss, you've found his weakness!" The Slayer's muse quips while he tries to trample upon ZedΩ with his heavy boots but the latter rainbow-warps to avoid it. "The sun easily melts ice, takes no damage from fire but is easily blinded by it's own reflection! How fitting."
ZedΩ just rubs his head once he's solid again, trying to silence the ringing and pounding in his ears. "...Huh?" he slurs for a moment, before slapping his own cheek and to his opponent's surprise, dust himself off, "I don't think explaining your ability to the enemy is a wise thing to do, then again, you're here now so I'm hardly surprised." before returning a smug reply.
"How?!" The muse says in horror, eyes widened in incomprehension while Copen just gives her a blank look and just stays on guard. "How in the how are you still unharmed?!"
"Hm?" The odd reaction makes ZedΩ pause while rising an eyebrow. "What do you mean? We've barely begun the bout and none of us have taken any noticeable damages so far."
"You hit your head!" Lola shouts again, aggressively pointing at him with incredulity.
"So? That did hurt a bit but was a mild blow at best." ZedΩ shrugs, then internally tightens his guard in case this is some pathetic attempt to distract him so they can attack mid-reply.
"You slammed into a wall at the speed of sound!"
"Yes, yes I did." Bland acknowledgement at the fact parts from ZedΩ's lips, then he grimaces as he did NOT forget the reason they're fighting. "Which is a problem for YOU if you don't have anything stronger to hit me with doesn't it? Don't bother giving up though, I will be turning the both of you into ashes anyway. But if you want to end it yourself, then I'll allow it."
He gets no answer, but that's fine as he's not here for the banter.
"Then again, that's only if you survive the following." ZedΩ rain-bow-warps himself to the centre of the field, does an unnecessary pose while gathering energy and unleashes a SP!
Luminous swords point toward heaven
Regret cannot stop their revelation
"Wait, no, wrong attack." ZedΩ corrects himself mid-chant, because of course he's not going to use an attack of that magnitude when just a few floors below are his faithful people and servants. The lack of dramatic shouts or fruitless attacks in an attempt to disrupt him is however very suspicious, one quickly resolved when he looks back at his foes and sees that they're gone, not in the process of running away. Just gone, like the wind. "Oh, please…"
"Do they really think they can escape from me?" He scoffs at the notion, knowing that he simply needs to wait for some camera to detect them no matter where they go. After which he'll simply warp to their location and start the part where he kills them where they left it.
The general gist of it planned, ZedΩ sighs to himself while picking up his black cloak, then while dusting it off the aura surrounding him vanishes into nothing and so does his mood as a sense of nostalgia and memories start to pour in. "Serpentine...I'll be sure to avenge you and achieve our goals. Just you watch from wherever you are now, things are bound to become ex-"
Sounds of explosion and gunfire coming right from beneath him interrupt his moment. Informing him of the reality that yes, they did run, straight where he does NOT want them.
"You have to be kidding me." Before he warps to check up on the noise, his eyes travel to the glaive for a moment, consideration clear in his eyes. "No, that would be overkill." He decides as the sentiment is replaced with determination. "I'll take him out with my own power."
Besides...
"They can't get out, their song permeated through the whole tower so my plan must have succeeded. Everything is to my advantage so I may as well make this a cat and mouse game."
The law of dramatic irony would demand that Copen is holding Layla at gunpoint now.
Which he isn't. Mostly cause he doesn't even know who that is or if they exist.
He is however causing havoc in the tower, having used a portal from Lazy Laser to warp down to the hallway he's in now. Then sneaking his way about with the stealth-mode on his suit, it being the 'bend-light to turn into an invisible figure' kind of tech straight from the movies while sticking close to the walls the whole time just to be sure not to risk bumping into someone.
Likewise Lola's causing a distraction by sending sounds of conflict to a different floors with her septima so they can use the time given to look for a security-room in order to locate where the vehicles are stored, hack and disable all security measures, then get the heck out of dodge.
Once those sounds attract attention, they'll see various clones of Lola and him running from the tower in different directions, each one of them indistinguishable from the real one yet not too expensive energy-wise as they're only capable of running and not precise combat. Even if it doesn't fool most of them, it would still be seen as a distraction made while the real duo makes their escape rather than lurk in the tower as doing so would be sheer insanity.
He's not, he just knows how to use his ex-weapons efficiently.
"You sure that's gonna work, boss?" Lola asks him in a low whisper, back to her pod-form as a singing idol is pretty much the antithesis of stealthy and well, not screaming for attention.
"It's that, or fight our way past everyone and past him again." He responds, hands already on a door as he slowly but carefully opens it, ready to shoot anyone inside if there is. "I'll take my chance with the less cumbersome one." even so he waits for their chat to be over first.
"So, are you saying we would have lost to him?" she asks, her tone conveying worry.
"Maybe, on a scale of raw power he's very far above us." Copen admits that, but does not look discouraged. "But even so, you don't need superior firepower to kill someone. Whatever augmentation he was using must be very draining for such a return while your song can be used as long as we need it to, so theoretically we could just wait for him to exhaust himself or a single good shot from GS should make him as mortal as anyone else." he doesn't fully believe that, saying most of it to reassure his partner. Part of him worried about what they would do if by the time ZedΩ finds them he's pulled out the glaive for an even more ridiculous power-boost. "We managed to injure him before, so in a way we only need to not give him the time to use that SP or if that fails, outlast it's duration. We can do this Lola, that I know."
"Oh okay. Sorry to have asked." she just bobs herself up to nod, not feeling reassured by a lot but still fully confident in her partner's ability to get out of the worst situations with his head.
"No problem, now, on three we go in...3...2...1." He opens it, rushes into the room and is ready to shoot or knock out the first person that notices his presence. A thing that's unlikely to happen if a door opens randomly with nobody to be seen on the other side, but still he must be ready in case anyone possesses heat-vision or can read minds at a short proximity.
He finds a spartan-looking office room with nothing noticeable in it short of a few ATEMS tapestries on the walls, some desk where files are put in and an office with a laptop where some little girl wearing a bizarre bunny-shaped pyjama is staring at them, blinks once and then puts her food on the table before obediently raising her hands in the air. Unflinching.
Copen doesn't move his gun away yet. Able to easily recall two girls of similar age that have given him a fight for his life and with that dress-up? She's definitely an adept. "Stay quiet." she has to be one or an esper because otherwise she should not be able to see through their camo.
"Make a noise and I'll shoot, make a suspicious move and I'll shoot. Do anything I might think looks remotely shady and I'll shoot. Nod if you understand that." he quickly spouts his demands as he closes the door and keeps his gun aimed at the girl while Lola has her p-bits cover the room with a sound-proof barrier in case the girl does attempt something after all.
The girl just continues to stare at him, observing the gun with a blank look that no normal child should have, whether she has nerves of steel or is simply unable to feel fear is unknown but he doesn't need to wait long before she gives a small nod and looks past him. Her red eyes glimmer with an odd intensity when she looks at his partner, who returns the gaze with one of concentration and then turns to him again, "Something's wrong here, boss..."
"What is?" He asks perplexed, sheathing his gun and turning off the stealth-mode to conserve energy and well, some part of him doesn't like pointing weapons at children if they cooperate.
"All of it." Lola replies, then changes into her idol form, not on purpose as she looks at herself in surprise for a moment, before glancing at Copen with a serouis look. "I get absolutely nothing good out of her. Like I mean, her wave is suspicouisly reacting with my own AND there's nothing normal about her body. She's super suspicous, boss!"
"Wait, go back to the first part. What do you mean resonate?" As interesting as this 'suspicouis' status sounds, Copen could just put it in the 'for later bucket'. Also it's just too vaque, the resonating however? Big red flag, big enough to concentrate on first.
Said girl has lowered her arms into a crossed position, her blank face still the same but the overall gesture seems to indicate that she does not take such a blunt remark too kindly.
"Well, I mean..." Lola thinks about the proper word to say, then waves her hand as if to shrug. "It's like...she's calling out to me? More like shouting but uh..in a kind of begging sort of way rather than a try to take me over way since I'm stronger?" She takes another moment to ponder, then realizes a far simpler way to explain it. "Just put on your visor! You'll see!"
"Understood." With a press of a hidden button, the round objects attached to the back of his head spread out a visor that hides the upper part of his face with a red and black colours. It doesn't do much to hide his identity but it's main features lie in it's superior scan abilities.
It's got the usual features such as night-vision, heat-vision and the visor can even turn into a mask in case he finds himself underwater or in sub-space. (Though he could only survive in that void for about 5 minutes) So it was no exagaration to say that with it, the entire world is open to him. Better yet, when put to it's maximun it could even see the lifewave of all things. From the pathways of spiritual and physical energy in the human body to the sluggish energy of the natural world all around us. This naturally includeds Septimas as they are a part of both.
He barely uses it for a few seconds before his visor spontanouisly sparks, "What in the...!" he hissses, swiftly removing the rebelling machine from his face before it can hurt him.
For a moment, such a reaction surprises him. Before he remembers that some people are just so powerful that no ordinary machine can gauge their level. Keeping such a thing to mind, he changes the setting of his visor and changes his approach. The difference now like jumping into an icy lake versus sitting in a tub of slowly cooling water. With careful preparation and gradual effort, the true nature of the person in front of him slowly reveals itself...to his horror.
He has never seen anything like this. There was no way this should exist! The thing's lifewave was like no other he had ever seen. It wasn't even like an emptiness or absence.
This was far worse than that! Reflexively his feet move back from it and he has to take in deep breaths to keep his composure, because otherwise he'll loudly call it an abomination.
He looks at the thing with a new outlook. The thing returns the look with eyes of a colour red, a bright, vibrant red with a gaze seeming guileless, straightforward, and void of any particular emotion. He notices that her skin, eyelashes and hair are off the same blond colour unlike the habitual looks of the inhabitants of this region. Perhaps due to albinosm. More importantly the masterful quality of her clothes and the golden feathers attached to a jeweled collar on her neck blatantly indicate her status as someone important. Yet the bizzare head-wear she's wearing is of an function alien to him. He can only make a guess it's either meant to protect her from auditory triggers (If her ears are sensitive to spefific noises) or to keep some constant sort of monotoring on her brainwaves? Regardless he notices as he is observing her, so does she. Most likely due to wariness, there's only so much composure an...13-14ish girl can have.
No, he musn't think that. No ordinary girl would be alive in her state!
She's like a fracture. A living incomplete being. An anomaly.
He has seen powers that destroy or disrupt the septimal/life flow. (Greed Snatcher, Carrera's Magnetism and theoritically the Muse's Songs if one were of a dark enough mind coughZondacoucgh to try it. Emphasis on powers here because yes, stabbing someone is technically the same thing if it prevents the adept in front of you from using their powers. But let's not be silly here and avoid opening the can of worms filled with dumb technicalities.)
And others that make it collapse into extremely dense concentrations. (Don't mistake this for SP skills as those are the gathering of septima energy. But to give an example, the 'Shredder' Septima of the serial killer Raptor allowed them to gorily rupture the bodies of those hit with this effect. This is canon by the way, there's an adept that Fists of the North Star people.)
This was not like those, it was like the lifewave around and throughout her body was being ripped into threads and twisted all round. As if some immense force was bubbling inside of her body, a lunatic and chaotic energy that pulls and reaches for a missing link that it finds in Lola yet is unable to force the latter into giving away. There's a gap in her heart where the lifewave simply...ins't there. For it to beat without a wave is impossible, yet it does, and thus she lives.
This is not a body that's blessed by the lifewave. No, this is a body artificially engineered to maximize the flow of it. To have the septima it wields reach heights never seen before at the cost of the body itself. This monster will be like a star, shining ever bright for only a moment.
From his perspective this can only mean one thing. "You...you're not human." he says out loud, yet too low for even himself to truly hear. "This is beyond reviving what's dead, it's...its..."
"W-hat? What is it boss?" Lola audibly gulps in anticipation as her gaze flickers between them.
"It's an artificial lifeform, no, a designer child!" Copen's knuckles are turning white while his scan registers that the thing's blood is black, the same colour as those who wear Glaive Armor. Not only that but he can indeed see some sort of wave bounce back and forth between the Lola and it. The chaos inside the latter just on the burst of awakening after one more push.
The thing's head-wear now makes sense to him, it's so it can hear Lola's songs the same way an Azure Striker absorbs electricity. Similar septimas fuel each other when exposed to another.
Though one's first awakening is the hardest to achieve...the girl is now just moments away from finally manifesting it in full. It's why he and Lola are here, that was ATEMS plan.
"It's a living glaive! A muse made by ZedΩ!" he concludes half-disgusted and awed.
"What? How is that possible?" Lola glances at the girl, who in her fair due is taking the presence of two strangers blatantly talking about her with the silence of an champ.
"I mean like, isn't cloning just not the way? Genetics don't even matter when it comes to Septima right? Even then it's not like there are any Muse Septisomes to be bought or found anywhere in the world since any and all traces of it we disposed off." Lola inquires.
"Even so, another Muse exists in front of us." Copen mentally curses whatever method ZedΩ managed to create her, but knows what he must do now. "A threat that we can't overlook."
He steels his gaze as he points his gun at the girl, his brain bluntly refuses to interpret the way she flinches for once and turns her gaze towards his partner. He presses one finger against t-
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Lola interrupts, facing Copen and backing up a bit to flail her arms around with the clear message of 'don't shoot! Don't shoot!' in front of the girl. "I know this looks bad. Really bad even. But are you really going to shoot a child who can't even fight?"
"It's a weapon, Lola." Copen refutes. "You're technically one too, I-no, you know what I mean so don't glare at me like that. But you have FREE WILL. It doesn't, it's a tool who knows nothing about a world that doesn't concern her creator. One who would rather die than ever oppose her master/father-figure/whatever ZedΩ made himself out to be to it and we don't have the time or luxury to try and kidnap it. Thus our best option is to defuse it."
"By best option, did you mean the easiest one?" Lola in protest puts an arm around the girl protectively, cheek against cheek as she pouts at Copen with disapproval. "She's just a little mute girl who's...AHEM." she quickly coughs in order to skip over that basket of eggs."You're a super-genius! Can't you at least try to figure something out? Also did you even talk to her?"
"What?" Copen responds, unconvinced but also not pulling the trigger. "Why talk to i-"
"Her!"
"…" Copen glares silently at Lola...then relents after two seconds. "Fine." He says. "I don't see what good would come out of talking to 'her' but I can give it an attempt." He turns away from her after saying that, his eyes fixed in the general direction of his feet as he deeply ponders.
*'Only the song of the butterfly can forestall the primal's rise.' was it? So I'm supposed to actually believe that an adept would use the power of the muse for only selfless intentions? *
*Don't make me laugh. No matter how long that thing lives, it's only a matter of time before they try some grand 'Diva Project' to take over the world. There is no way a Muse could ever live a peaceful life. The best gift one can give her is to return her from whence she came.*
For a moment, it seems like Copen is mimicking a statue, the flickering fire in his scowl the only sign he's still alive. But, slowly, the flames die out and his gaze softens when they're reduced to sparks, embers of life in eyes too dull to rightfully belong on someone his age. Eventually he glances at his gun and runs his fingers along them. Then sighs as he holsters and finally….
*Lola must be sympathizing with her, but she'll see my way eventually. I'll play along for now.*
"Talking huh…" He responds with a grim voice. "Fine, let's hear what she knows."
Conversation: Who are you?
[-Next to the Sun aka Layla's theme plays-]
Copen: "Hmm."
*I said I would talk to i-her...but in hindsight should I apologize first for trying to shoot her or would that make the atmosphere even worse? The two of them are staring at me intently...*
Copen: "Sorry for trying to kill you? It's nothing personal."
*The girl immediately tenses up, eyes still blank but distrust and fear oozing out of her body-language. Lola sighs as if she expected that to happen then gives me a sharp look.*
Lola: "Boss, you're hopeless...can't you ask something simpler first? Like her name?"
Copen: "...What's your name?"
?: "….." *She shows the back of her collar, a name and number is written on it.*
'Layla'
Lola: "Layla huh? Isn't that the name of some princess?"
Copen: "Kind off, it's from an old story about a 7th century Arab Poet and their lover. But to make it short, it's the name of the Juliet of the various virgin love stories in these lands."
Lola: "Oh wow, girl, you've got one awesome name then!"
Layla: "Mm." *She nods to that, a flicker of pride in the gesture. But still uneased by me.*
*Then again if she didn't fear me, I'd be questioning her sanity or suspect something is afoot.*
Lola: "This is going well so far, go ahead and ask the next question boss!"
*I don't understand her enthusiasm in this, this whole conversation is nothing more than a farce to extract information out of ZedΩ's pet project. So why is Lola acting friendly and more importantly why is the girl letting it happen? Is she just stalling for time by being obedient?*
Copen: "The way you said it feels patronizing…but sure, Layla, what is your origin?"
Lola: "Huh? Origin? Don't you already know what she is?"
Copen: "No, I have only a theory. I want to know what she knows about herself."
Layla: "….."
*She doesn't say a word, instead glancing at the laptop next to her and back to us. My suspicion increases when I notice that said device is hooked onto the cameras of this building and must have monitored prior events. Even so, I see an opportunity and get her question.*
Copen: "You may communicate with us through writing, yes. If it makes things easier."
Layla: "mm.." *She opens a word tab and starts typing down her answer. In the meantime I whisper to Lola to use the device as an entry-way into the systems and do our usual thing.*
Lola: "Gotcha, entering the matrix in three, two, one, hacking go!" *She wasn't supposed to say that out loud, but then again as long as our records are deleted, I've got nothing to say.*
Layla: "…!" *She gives a tap against the office to show that she's done. Naturally I move over to her so I can take a closer look about what she wrote. A bit anxious about what it'll reveal.*
'I was born from a giant peach that floated down a river'
*Great the moment Lola leaves the conversation, things already turn sour.*
Copen: "Amazing, you know sarcasm. Now what's the real answer?"
Layla: "..."
Copen: "Does your silence mean you don't actually know or don't want to tell it?"
'Yes.'
Copen: "..."
Layla: "...?"
*Cheeky brat, despite her abhorrent nature she seems to posses an actual personality and feelings. While I'm tempted to just intimidate her into fessing up, that can make it all go cold.*
Copen: "Sigh...Is there anything you want to tell us then?"
Layla: *She starts writing again, faster than last time. And then looks me dead in the eye.*
'You should let me go. Or else ZedΩ will kick your butt.'
Copen: "Spooky, what he is to you anyway?"
Layla: "!" *Again as if hit by lighting, she starts writing quickly again.*
'Warm, reliable, Big Brother, a kind light that shines for everyone, also an idiot.'
*Just as I expected and said before. She's been fully indoctrinated by his presence. The most powerful leash is not made through a closed fist but an open hand. Only death can save her.*
Copen: "What about ATEMS in general and what's your position in it?"
'Don't care. Got the position of Priestres: means I read dusty books and the stars for information. Look good to spread the faith, and eventually will sing for him so he can save the world and take down all the bad guys.'
Copen: "Does that include Lola and me?" *I can already guess the answer.*
'No and yes.'
Copen: "Care to elaborate?"
'I like Lola, so she'll be spared. You are a bad man, enough said.'
Copen: "...And why do you like her?"
'She looks nice and feels nice, also fellow muse. The Key to my lock.'
Copen: "Uhuh, do you have anything else of interest to share?"
'What will you do if I say no?'
Copen: "Do you want to find out?"
Layla: "..."
*She stops writing, her hands are off the keyboard and her blank face furtively glances around the room in a sort of mild panic. It's obvouis to me now that rather than not having emotions she's simply unable to show most of them, like the fear she's feeling is painfully real.*
*With a deep breath and all of her courage, she desperately types one more message*
'I don't want to die.'
Copen: "..."
[~Copen feels nothing~]
[~That is a lie~]
[~Copen feels disgust, pity and self-loathing~]
[~Copen mistakes the inability to shoot a defenseless child as a sign off weakness~]
[-Theme and conversation end-]
"I won't kill you." Copen says as he lets out a sigh. Looking anywhere but at the girl he inflicted such fear into. "He'll just make another one if I do. It'd be a waste of ammo."
Layla stops looking around and gazes straight into his eyes with intensity, most likely looking for deceit or the sign he's only saying it so he can kill her the moment she gains slight hope.
Fair enough, even he doesn't buy it himself. "Even so, I can't just let you be." After saying that he moves over to her and easily picks her up, then hoists her on one of his shoulders like she's a sack of potatoes but stops mid-motion as he remembers he's covered in the blood of a certain adept. Dried thanks to ZedΩ's donations but still covered in blood regardless.
"Lola, are you done?" He inquires to his companion while holding onto Layla with one hand like a baby kitten, then takes an additional moment to swiftly remove the collar with golden feathers she wears so that she can't be warped to safety as ZedΩ failed to do with the monk.
"Yeah, sure am!" She replies, a pleased expression on her face as she sits on one part of the desk. "A long time ago, even. But you two were still talking so I didn't feel like interupting..."
He can understand the feeling of not wanting to be part of a conversation turned sour. But if that's the case then why is she looking at him as if he did so-oh. "Lola, be truthful to me..."
"Hm?" She tilts her head in curiosity.
"Did you..." He takes in a deep breath, knowing she means well. "Did you plan that?"
"Of course not!" She quickly understand what he's getting at and frowns in response, then flies closer to him to point one finger at his forehead. "I simply believed in you, like I always do!"
With a harumph, she turns her back to him and crosses her arms with a pout. Before half-turning to give him a smile. "And like always I wasn't wrong. I know you better than yourself."
"Then you know how I feel about such tactics." He replies without bite, still a flash of annoyance visible on his face. "But anyway, go ahead and put..." he pays attention again to the girl squirming in his grasp then looks back at Lola. "our 'guest' into a capture field."
Lola winces for a moment, wondering if she hurt his trust. But that's a conversation best had later. Instead she puts on a smile again, "Aye, aye. One field coming right up!" after that declaration, several p-bits surround Layla before they create a purple round barrier around her that lifts her in the air and well, it's called a capture field for a reason. "Layla has been caught!"
"Good, now with all this out of the way." Copen gives himself a glance again and after a few gestures and spray given from Lola, makes at least an attempt to store some of monk's septisomes. An easy task done with difficulty but one done quickly. "We should move out."
"Yep, oh, boss, don't forget!" Lola adds in a reminder. "The capture field is compatible with your prevasion, but the strain of it being attacked can only take so much. What I'm saying is that if you get hit more than three times, it'll go down and we'll be sitting ducks!"
"What an inconvenient design." Then again, it's that or having to worry about the unwilling passenger in the midst of travel. The cost is really a lesser evil if not very minor compared to the pain of not using Anthem again lest the girl WILL awaken. "But we can deal with that."
"Anyway, let's go, Lola." Copen says then stops, pondering whether or not to use the door or to just open the window and get out that way. In the end he just heads for the door instead.
Then he stops, a metaphorical lightbulb appearing above his head. "Hey Lola, you're in the system now right? Can you can turn the security against them now?"
"Uh...only the cameras right now I think? Other things would take a few hours to achieve. Their security is crazy-multilayered boss, like you need passwords for almost everything!"
"Ah, never mind then." He shrugs, half-dissapointed. "We'll do this the usual way."
"High-action platforming?"
"Something like that."
For one last moment his gaze lingers on the girl floating uncomfortably in the capture field. The embers of his eyes turn baleful again as he considers what he must do if the escape fails.
*No matter what happens. I won't let this girl be used as intended, even if...*
*Even if I have to kill her for it. That much is obvouis, but that leaves the other question...*
Again the spark is reduced to an ember, his neutral glare becoming a tired frown.
*What will I do with her if I succeed?*
Author note:
And that's the end of this chapter, well actually this was supposed to be one huge chapter on it's own but in the end that proved simply to be too many words at once. So, the rest of it will later instead.
That aside did you know that Layla's 'Djinn' Septima is described as being superior to the 'Muse'?
(In the english description of Luxia, the japanese one says she simply does not have the same limitations as the muse but that kind of feels like the same thing to me, so correct me if I'm wrong here.)
Like serouisly alongside the usual 'influence adepts by singing' and 'reviving people from the brink of if not outright death'. Her septima also possses a ridiculouis long-range controll (Enough to get past Japan's Barrier at least, so from the border of a country into one of it's capitals as the minimun) and the ability to be used offensively (Whether it's because it went berserk or not, it still means it CAN fight.)
Well, if you're going to make a mysterouis muse that's capable of harnessing her septima far better than any other muse we've seen so far. Then at least you can tell us her origins. But nah, she's just a plot coupon for ATEMS to gain entrance into Japan as far as we know right now. Maybe GV4 will tell us more about them, but for now I'll just have to go with the reason off 'she's been actively made for this.'
How ZedΩ did it? To be revealed for later. Cause telling everything at once is just boring.
Also Copen, edgy boy that he is. Would have never let an encounter with ATEMS go smoothly, it's a shame ZedΩ had to learn that for some people redemption is just not a thing you can offer them. Lola did stop him from ending the story prematurely though, if only because A) she's been with him for a year now so she definitely has a say in things now. B) Killing a defenseless child is nothing short of a moral event horizon. Like serouisly, you're a villain after that. No takebacksies.
And speaking of him, ZedΩ is a good person in this fic. Like sure he's done some shady stuff occasionally but not at the level of forcing someone to be dependent on drugs to keep them obedient like Nova did. He's totally the antagonist still, cause again an adept with a powerful septima and organization not trying to take over the world? Please, you'd have more luck finding...I can't find anything unlikelier.
Totally a septima nerd from what I read though, I can totally see him trying to make his own grimoire-system after Layla is capable of using her septima. But let's leave the talks about him here for now.
Anyway one more chapter (I swear this time!) and we'll get a short perspective on what's Gunvolt doing during all this. Because as said before, stuff is going wild in Japan. Wild enough to be worth a peek.
I hoped you enjoyed reading this and if you've got any critisism or questions, do let me know.
Until next chappy.