An absolute monster of combat. That is what the next three chapters essentially are. This… is chaos. Take your time people. And I hope you enjoy the show.
Azurda laid his chin across his back, just beside the ramshackle hut. The night air was calm, the sky clear and a myriad of stars shining down. With one eye opened the old titan traced hundreds of constellations he'd learned over his vast lifetime. Kassandra would appreciate it the next time they stargazed.
Hirkham walked along the nearby dock, doing his final rounds for his shift. The dockmaster stepped lightly, doing his best not to disturb the slumbering titans moored to the structure. Azurda certainly appreciated the effort, nodding to the young man in passing.
Seeing the old dragon still awake, Hirkham paused. "You need anything, old timer?"
Azurda groaned, less appreciative of the age reminder. Still, he saw some opportunity for a spot of fun. "I'm well enough young man… though, if I can trouble you, perhaps you could have a word with the pair down a ways?"
Hirkham followed the old dragon's gaze towards a duo of docked ships, mounted on a set of whale like titans. The dockmaster noted some increased, if slightly low, "vocalizations" between the two. He scoffed out a brief laugh, "What's the issue then? They being obnoxious with their flirting?"
"Oh yes, very much so."
That caused the fair haired man to blink. Azurda savored the stunned silence before dealing the final blow, "I fear that physical intimacy may be imminent if this is allowed to continue. The youth really have no shame nowadays."
Sweat was building on Hirkham's brow, the sheen evident even in the soft moonlight. Azurda was doing his damnedest not to crack a grin as he watched the young man stew. All efforts were lost when one of the engaged titans let loose a deep, rumbling bellow from its throat. The aging drake wheezed out long puffs of laughter as Hirkham's eyes went comically wide.
The dockmaster had enough presence to throw a decently heated look towards his stone skinned tormentor, "I don't like you no more."
This only made Azurda laugh harder.
Before a remarkably stone faced Hirkham could embark on his unfortunate task, Azurda went silent. The titan's long neck unfurled, his horned skull turned towards the warmly glowing interior of the trade guild.
More accurately, it seemed like he was trying to strain his attention to something beyond the colossal vessel, attempting to perceive something on the far side of it.
Hirkham was about to ask Rex's gramps what was up when his own situational awareness kicked in. The pair of engaging titans he'd been making to break up had gone deathly silent and still all at once.
His voice came out in a rushed whisper, "What in the-"
Azurda shushed the dockmaster. Not a moment later, the distant sound of a tremendous crash reverberated out from the guild's bay doors. Barely a second later, sporadic reports of what could loosely be called gunfire erupted from the trade hub, backed swiftly by a chorus of screams.
"Holy shit," Hirkham's cry came out as a breathless rasp. Tension seized his entire body, his eyes shifting rapidly as his thoughts raced through various scenarios. "That crash from before sounded huge, probably not just some brawl gotten out of hand. An invasion? Some sort of terror attack?"
As the fair haired human darted through procedures, Azurda's tightening eyes flashed down at a sudden bout of movement. "Hirkham… Hirkham!"
The young man jumped at the shout, wheeling around towards the towering visage of the titan. Azurda wasn't looking at him when he continued.
"Young man, get on my back right now. And keep that gun handy."
Hirkham balked at the long barrel revolver he held in one hand. He didn't even remember drawing it, the old piece having seen use only twice in all his tenure.
Caught up in crisis mode, Hirkham swiftly followed the old dragon's orders. As he climbed aboard, Azurda sunk lower into the cloud sea, lowering his head until his horn was only just peaking over the dock.
All the while, his gaze never left the squad of gunmen in grey cloaks sweeping over the port. The large group were making fast progress over the dockworks, tossing panicked and confused workmen and mariners to the ground with hardly a second glance. They were intently heading straight for Azurda and Hirkham.
Rex dipped and dove through the shattered remains of the staircase and various crushed shops. An insurgent lifted themselves shakily from a pile of rubble, grey cloak torn and pops of light leaping from the ripped ends.
The boy in blue dashed past. His azure sword swung into the back of the recovering soldier's skull. Rex barely registered the dull twack of impact or the subsequent crash of dead weight slamming into loose debris. The young Driver kept forwards, following the pull of his instincts.
A roaring blaze had overtaken a row of nearby shops. This urged those who were in hiding throughout the conflict to start moving in an unorganized mass. As Rex cleared the rubble, he was promptly knocked aside by a panicked civilian. He managed to stay on his feet, markedly better than a young woman a few meters away, tossed to the floor by a mother and child fleeing the devastation.
Rex was before the downed woman in seconds, kneeling as he offered a helping hand. "You alright? Come on, we gotta-"
The boy's sight snapped up, noting a flurry of movement. Rex pulled back his palm, settling both hands on the hilt of his scimitar. Lunging over the stunned woman, the blue Driver hefted his sword into a guard position.
The first scorching beam struck the boy's blade right along the center. Steam blasted off the rippling surface, briefly spraying Rex in the face. The second shot caught the salvager in the thigh, the third in the same shoulder the crustip had blasted hours before.
On round number four, the dome of hexagons finally manifested. In a heartbeat the shining barrier was peppered with beams that splashed off the protective field. Three of the grey cloaked zealots stood beside a pyramid of barrels, hammering the boy's position with a hail of fire.
The young lady behind him screamed.
Gritting his teeth, Rex focused on maintaining the field whilst slowly drawing his weapon into a ready stance. With a wild yawp, the azure swordsman loosed a wide slash, cleaving through his own barrier.
A final heat lance raced past his right cheek, splitting it open.
The soldiers ducked and dove aside as a blue crescent streaked past them. The cutting wave whipped by, tearing through the center of the barrel pyramid and the stall behind it.
Rex turned to the girl, snatching up her arm and hauling her to her feet. "Go! Get out of here," he hollered as he pushed the young lady away. The girl took off without a second thought, her retreat quickly copied by several bystanders who had hunkered down when the shots first rang out.
The tower of casks toppled over, crashing over the three grey cloaks. One was simply buried as his comrades scampered away. The remaining two immediately turned their sights on the boy. One spun so fast he fell to the floor before adjusting his aim.
Barely turning in time, Rex cut through one ray as another slammed into the plate covering his kneecap. The ether field came back into being shortly after, catching the ensuing barrage.
The prone soldier cut off his fire. "Flank around him," the trooper called to his teammate, "he can't hold that barrier on all sides, not on his own!"
A quick "Ya!" answered the ground bound grunt. His comrade slunk around, her lithe frame shifting swiftly across the battered bazaar with fluid ease. She maintained sight on the boy, ducking another slashing wave as she returned steady bursts of fire.
Her attention was entirely on the salvager. The tiger took her completely by surprise.
Dromarch lunged towards the fanatic, catching her with both paws across the shoulders and driving her to the floor. He loosed a wild snarl as his jaws clamped over the back of her neck.
The two hit the ground, the woman shrieking in a desperate frenzy as her gun clattered out of her grasp. Her grey cloak ran bright with silver runes that did little to dissuade Dromarch's grip.
Hearing his partner's screams, the prone trooper rolled onto his side and railed a frantic volley at the striped predator. Dromarch took two blasts before throwing himself into a forward tumble, taking his captive with him. The female insurgent's entire upper body flared gold as her system pumped charge into her muscles.
Still shooting as his cohort reached around mid spin to start a proper grapple with the big cat, the lying man turned at the rapid thoom of footfalls. Rex was racing towards him, sword held out to his side, howling out a battle cry. The man threw himself backwards, rolling onto his rear as he hoisted up his rifle.
Rex slapped the barrel aside with his free hand as the zealot squeezed off a shot. Then his sword lashed forth in a rising cleave. Rippling ether sparked against rows of saffron cables, tearing through padded armor wherever it was exposed.
The scimitar finally caught its target along the left side of his throat, slashing out with a spray of blood and static. The soldier's re-breather was cut through, pulled from his mouth and allowing pained gurgles to sound freely.
In a practiced motion, Rex swung his blade in a swift twirl. The flowing weapon shined blue as excess flecks of blood were whipped from its surface. Rex hopped into a quick jog, moving towards where he last saw Dromarch. The stilling body behind him was already out of mind.
Rex didn't have to go far as his feline crewmate stepped out from the battered front of a collapsing shop. His mouth was stained crimson, the tiger turning his head to spit up a glob of pink fluid. The fur about his head and shoulders looked particularly rough, like someone had been clawing at it.
The pair met eyes, not exchanging a word. Rex didn't ask about Dromarch's opponent and he definitely didn't try to peer into the dark space of the ruined shop. Most of the boy's efforts were pointed towards keeping his arms from shaking.
A jangling crash drew the duo's attention. Rex entered a ready crouch, blade high, as Dromarch sunk low, a wrathful growl rumbling from his throat. Hands raised, a meek looking man arose from behind a stack of crates.
Rex relaxed, noting the lack of pipework armor and advanced weaponry. The next most notable thing about this frightened figure, even moreso than his cat ears, was the brilliant green of his eyes.
"You're… Rex, right," the nervous man questioned. Dromarch began a slow stalk of the area, watchful for additional invaders and checking the wreckage for fallen civilians. It also really helped the green eyed Gormotti to have the powerful, terrifying predator not focused on him.
The salvager stepped slowly forward. "Yeah, I'm Rex. You okay, man?"
That drew out a shaky laugh, "More or less. That girl with the fox mask took care of that."
"Fox mask," Rex tapped a finger against his chin before his eyes sparked, "Kassandra?"
The slightly less shivery man nodded. Dromarch had patrolled around to his backside, rousing a pair of storage workers to take the chance to flee. He now gave the unawares cat boy his full attention.
"Never got her name, not too talky, that one."
Rex stared at Dromarch over the guy's shoulder, both wearing looks of incomprehension. Maybe they weren't talking about the same girl?
"Your friend Nia was there too."
Dromarch all but lunged at the man, his "sudden entrance" rekindling the guy's terror. "What was she doing when you last saw her, was My Lady injured in the conflict!?"
Rex shook his head at the stuttering mess that had been made of their "informant." As he strode forth to smooth over the interaction, the cacophony of battle surged nearby. Rex ducked and Dromarch dragged the green eyed lad to the floor as stray beams pierced through heavy tarp and the wooden backs of several stalls.
From his planted position, the now scared shitless civilian jabbed a finger towards the source of mayhem, "The mask girl went off that way, Nia followed after her!"
Dromarch put pressure on his back, leaning his fang filled maw towards the panicked man's face. "Stay low, stay hidden." That said, the striped Blade bounded away, darting between stalls and deeper into the market.
Rex offered a nervous wave before running after him. Their helpful, if terrified, samaritan wasted no time as he scurried on all fours back to his crate bound hiding place.
Kassandra threw her arm forward in a rough jab. The wrapped head of her hammer struck her opponent right across the brow. Lead Lady staggered briefly from the blow, grinding her teeth against the pain. She recovered fast, drawing up her thin saber in a rising slash.
Her target didn't try to back away. The speed with which she rebounded from the hammer strike had thrown Kassandra off balance. The whipping saber caught the Blade along her front, drawing a thin line diagonally across her torso.
The pair shuffled apart. The blonde zealot's right hand rose to her face, the appendage racked with tremors even through the golden glow of the overlying cables. She clumsily pressed her re-breather back into her mouth, taking deep inhalations. Just as the sting of her battered skull was beginning to ebb, a spray of sparks popped against her lips.
Mute bitch had cracked her mouthpiece. Lead Lady took one last drag before hurling the cord away, leaving it to swing against her chest.
Kassandra stood, still as stone in a relaxed-but-ready stance. She didn't check over her injuries – she didn't even seem to notice them. Her enemy's saber had carved from her left hip up through her right upper arm, sliding just beneath the housing for her core crystal. Her navy blue mantle had been cleaved through, drifting freely down her back.
'Return to me.'
The descending shawl turned into ether dust. The sparkling mist snapped back to Kassandra, crashing against her back and flowing around to her front. The mist darkened, collecting over the line of crimson cut across her body.
Brown eyes widened, Lead Lady watching as an apparently sentient shadow closed over the Blade's wound. Even the brief streaks of blood that dripped out were drawn back into the shifting scar of darkness. The woman in the hoodless cloak shook her head.
"What are you…?"
Throughout the process, Kassandra didn't move a muscle. Her mask's scarlet gaze stayed set upon her opponent.
The brunette's arm became a sudden blur of movement. Lead Lady barely made out the white head of the hammer sailing towards her neck. She only just began to swerve out of the way when the flying bludgeon brushed against her collarbone. Her already bruised right hand slapped against the bound head of the weapon, managing to push it away enough not to drag along her front.
The insurgent twisted around fully, just able to remain on her feet following the awkward maneuver. She tightened her hold on her saber, resisting the urge to grab her once more aching right hand.
She literally folded forward as Kassandra "appeared" before her, drilling the woman's gut with her left fist. The Blade's right hand was held high, darkness pooling from the air into her palm. The hammer manifested in a quick flash of dark blue.
Lead Lady threw her injured arm into Kassandra's stomach. As the two fell apart the blonde fanatic swept her sword out, warding off the Blade's advance. Then she started to blindly backpedal.
Something rigid caught the back of her left heel. The reeling zealot fell backwards, slamming off of a dense pillar and onto a short set of steps.
She didn't have time to register the minor aches. Kassandra loomed over her, stomping down on the woman's position. The blonde scrambled back, palms hastily clawing their way up the brief stairs and along the edge of the wide pillar.
Kassandra pounded after, taking one long step as she swung her bludgeon high overhead. Lead Lady's rig flooded yellow as she braced both hands on the top of the steps. The floorboards cracked beneath them as the insurgent launched herself up and away from the approaching Blade.
The hammer crashed down just shy of the commander's left leg. Impact cratered the floor with vicious force, hurling chips and planks of wood out in a shattering blast. A plume of black smoke burst out behind the spray of debris, rushing out from ground zero.
Already airborne, the dark blast propelled the insurgent leader out of the avenue between market stalls and onto the raised platform of Feast Street. The enormous bay doors leading to Argentum's exterior lay nearby, the wild rhythm of battle echoing through the night air.
'So noisy.'
Beyond the errant thought, Kassandra paid little mind to the world around her. Her attention was reserved fully for her enemy, Lead Lady having crashed through a batch of tables and chairs on her way down.
Padded armor and her solid rig saw the blonde through with minimal damage. The shock of being knocked around was distracting, but not enough to overshadow the ominous presence advancing on her. The holy warrior tumbled free of the destroyed furniture, grabbing a mostly whole chair mid spin and lobbing it towards her impending attacker.
Kassandra batted the wireframe chair aside like a crumple wad of paper. The Blade stalked forward faster as she bludgeoned a second seat out of the air, shattering it into three sections. She reached Lead Lady in three steps, marching through the throng of fallen seating as the fanatic threw herself towards the handle of her discarded saber.
Shots pummeled Kassandra from the left, the unexpected volley accompanied by a deep, bestial growl. The beam barrage seared against her wrappings, too sudden for her to have formed a shield, and dropped her to a kneel.
The frazzled blonde wasted no time as she clutched the hilt of her weapon, turning on the brunette and swinging out with her golden sword. Kassandra raised her hammer, catching the saber's edge. Her feet and knee dragged against the hardwood as Lead Lady's strike forced her back into a still standing dining set.
"Sergeant," a deep voice bellowed, "we have you, come to us!" An instant after a second, sustained bombardment of scorching rays slammed into the crouched Blade. Kassandra's hammer was already up to intercept, her shield of shadows forming rapidly.
Clutching her side and hurriedly hobbling over, the invader's sergeant took stock of her reinforcements.
Two large, stone like shells stood before her, edges pressed against the floor, formed side by side like interlocking shields. Her grey cloaked comrades peeked over their tops, five soldiers in all using the rocky plates as hard cover. One hooded figure beckoned her closer as the four others maintained fire.
Resting between the two shells, its thick throat perched atop the point where the two masses met, was a long, reptilian head. Like the twin plates below, the being's hide was slate grey and rough like stone. Two sets of pitch black eyes shifted over the open ground of the thoroughfare, the beady orbs devoid of empathy or reason. As its lips pulled back in a low snarl, rows of serrated teeth peeked out from its parted maw.
The flagging trooper reached up near the right edge of the creature's brow, towards one of the skull spanning horns which swung back and then curved forward to a tight point. When the zealot gave a firm tug to the hardened bone, the beast pulled its head back as the soldiers perched on the twin plates grabbed hold of the barriers.
The two shells lifted, the reptilian monster growling as the slabs drifted forward, the grey cloaks mounted on it lurching with the motion. Beneath the hoisted barriers, the creature's scaled belly could be seen dragging across the wooden deck.
As Kassandra recovered from the lull in enemy fire, the twin plates hammered the ground. The soldiers resting atop had radiant saffron coursing through their systems, the heavy force barely jostling their holds. In short order, the long necked titan dragged its body forward by the thick plates formed from its arms.
Kassandra took a step towards the mobile defense. Lasers immediately resumed their assault, surging against her projection of darkness. The zealot's great beast continued to sluggishly drag itself towards the hunkering Blade. Kassandra's shield of shade thickened, the wrappings around her weapon running with black writings.
Lead Lady hobbled up near the advancing titan, circling around its right arm plate. Turning to the distant Blade, she clicked her tongue at the shifting wall of darkness before turning to the figure holding the great beast's horn.
"Explosives! Arc them over that barrier!"
The fifth soldier, up til now observing the dark Blade's behavior, didn't even blink before rapidly snapping his fingers. Another tug on the titan's horn had the belly dragger halt in place. In tandem the Beast Handler and two of his squad drew thick, cylindrical pods out from pouches around their hips. The remaining two kept up their rate of fire, undaunted even as Kassandra started forward due to the dwindling pressure.
"Volley," shouted the Beast Handler, his reptilian mount loosing a piercing shriek in kind. Three skull sized, white capsules were launched high over the approaching veil of shadow.
This was the image Nia was greeted with upon reaching the popular avenue. The cat eared Blade shot towards her mask wearing crewmate, hopping into a swift twirl as she flung her dual rings towards the arcing explosives.
One chakram struck true, splitting the bomb which burst apart with a trailing blast. The second ring nicked its target, throwing it somewhat shy of its destination. A far more powerful blast erupted as the cylinder flared yellow, an explosion which was quickly half consumed by the shifting void of Kassandra's shield.
Dashing forth, Nia's hand shot towards the third grenade. A stream of water condensed around her arm, coiling around it before streaking towards the bomb. As the crystalline liquid reached the explosive, Nia clenched her fist. The water shot gleamed blue as it closed around the grenade in a whirling sphere.
A shot beamed Nia in the ribs. Lead Lady had "procured" Beast Handler's pistol, railing rapid rounds in the cat girl's direction. She fell to the floor before reaching Kassandra, the masked brunette turning sharply at the sound of her collapse.
Nia kept her fist clenched, even as she watched the crew of riflemen rotate their barrels onto her. The water bound bomb exploded, showering the area in a spray of drizzle and mist.
Something small and fast soared over the battlefield. It swept over the shield armed titan and its occupants, whipping by with a sharp whistle and the violent noise of ruffling cloth. Something slightly smaller pitched loose from the swiftly flying object as it jetted past.
A white cloud burst into being, overtaking the grey cloaks and their living tank. The soldiers, having a closed breathing system, were only concerned with their obscured vision. Their titan mount, with no such defense, flew into a frenzy. One invader was tossed clear across the thoroughfare, wild blasts arcing from his gun as his screams pierced the air.
Lead Lady leapt awkwardly from the smoke, coughs wracking her body as she fled the path of the titan's panic. She still had Beast Handler's sidearm, connecting its feed line into her pipework rig. Catching sight of powder on her sleeves between coughing fits, the blonde noted the familiar scent.
'… Fucking starch?'
Kassandra's fox mask rumbled, its ruby eyes blazing brightly. The depression in her hammer's flat glowed a murky maroon as she swung it up and over her barrier of darkness.
'An adequate level of Calamity.'
The brunette nodded internally at the succinct thought. Then she slammed the hammer down on the shifting barrier.
Floorboards splintered as the bludgeon crashed down. More importantly, Kassandra's flowing plane of shadows were driven into the ground, vanishing swiftly in the spaces between planks.
A keen eye could spot the stream of darkness shifting away from Kassandra in quick order.
Beast Handler and his crew were just starting to get their mount under control when the patch of walkway beneath them billowed with puffs of black smoke. A second later and the floor simply fell in beneath them, dragging the considerable mass of the serpent titan and its riders down like a sinkhole.
Lead Lady was pissed. She snapped the sights on her procured pistol onto the brunette Blade, giving the trigger a strong squeeze. A shimmering lance blasted Kassandra in the head, snatching the mask off her face. Its eyes fell cold as it clattered across the wide avenue.
"Kassandra," Nia shouted, leaping to her feet at once. She was sent reeling as another mad barrage of beams was sailed towards her. The blonde fanatic marched to intercept the cat eared Blade, firing all the while. From the giant crater, a few of the titan riders were climbing free.
The whistle of rushing wind returned. Lead Lady as halfway through turning her head towards the sound when what looked like a cannonball in a tablecloth plowed into her stomach. The fluttering mass pitched the blonde woman up and into a soft serve stand before arcing back into the air.
"What the – mmrph!"
Nia's sight was drawn back towards the collapsed titan. Three of the former riders had climbed halfway out of their pitfall. Two of them had their carbines drawn, looking like they were once poised in her direction. At the moment though, all eyes were on the third grey cloak soldier.
Zealot number three was flailing wildly, his head and upper torso consumed by a thick, royal blue blanket with golden trim. The heavy sheet was doing a masterful job restraining the man… too masterful.
A nopon with lime green fur stood nearby, their appearance further noted by the aviator goggles perched over their eyes. Nia's eyes widened a fraction as she recognized one of the nopon from the textile shop she and Kassandra had passed earlier.
As though responding to that thought, Lime Green raised both paws skyward before hurling them back towards the ground. In response, the sapphire sheet wound back and then drove itself forward. Its unfortunate occupant went along for the ride, his skull blindly flung into the floor.
Lime Green somehow gave an audible smile. Then they repeated their motion, sending the fanatic plummeting down once more.
The other soldiers made the connection quickly, their guns leveled towards the nopon a second later. This only just managed to unnerve Lime Green, his movements jerky as the little fuzz ball threw his arms up for a third time before rotating them in a fast swing. This ended with both limbs thrust out to their left side.
The living quilt instantly complied with their orders, the blue blanket charging into the two ready insurgents. The unfortunate captive, of course, went along for the ride. Like a wrecking ball, the hoisted trooper plowed through his comrades, summarily sending them all tumbling back into the hole.
There was a distinct shredding sound as the sapphire sheet darted up out of the pit and soared "happily" towards its master. It dropped one of the invaders' grey cloaks at Lime Green's feet.
The light jade nopon did a little shimmy as they reached down towards the pilfered grey cloak. In time with this jolly jig, Lime Green's sentient fabric wound itself around his shoulders. The thick sheet which would have served as a cape upon a human figure all but consumed the nopon's body, more akin to a wizard's cloak with a fair degree of fabric fanning out across the floor.
"Oh me, oh my," the green nopon chanted, stretching out the stolen cloak as his goggled gaze swept over its surface. "Secrets, such secrets! What will you have to teach Limalima, meh? So excited…"
The now named Limalima began to nuzzle his face against the grey fabric.
"Lima!" A shrill cry drew Nia's attention as the flying battering ram from before came swirling and zig-zagging through the air above where Lead Lady was "deposited." The shrieking orb was wrapped entirely in an emerald blanket lined in curling patterns of bronze. The quilt itself looked to be hauling the covered sphere in its wake, the open ends pulling in erratic directions.
From his position on the ground, Limalima offered, "Kilolo's efforts still mediocre. When nopon wear clothes, must make sure clothes not wear nopon."
Limalima observed his, presumably, fellow nopon's flight path for a few seconds more before a trio of shots streamed in his direction. One caught the nopon in his lower half just as his own azure garb launched them from the ground.
Lead Lady had broken free of her ice cream confines. Her attire was a mess of many flavors, a glob of chocolate dripping off the side of her pistol.
Nia resumed her dash towards her fellow Blade as heated rays zipped past, one pinging off the Gormotti's upper back and forcing her to stumble.
Kassandra, just ahead, was utterly unperturbed by the goings on. In her periphery, Nia could see the serpentine titan rolling itself upright, further adding to the stress of the situation. The bandaged brunette herself appeared quite occupied shuffling about stacks of debris on all fours. Her panic stricken gaze darted across the junk and floorboards in swift, desperate motions.
A second and then a third lance seared into Nia's lower back and right elbow. Her natural healing affinity made quick work of the actual wounds though the spikes of pain were debilitating. It helped that Lead Lady was sorely out of her weapon's effective range, a deficiency she would see corrected.
As the blonde zealot took a step back onto the main avenue, she felt her confidence boosted by the sight of their warbeast and its crew reorienting themselves. Further fervor came as behind her, to either side, Lead Lady spotted additional crusaders striding free of the denser markets. It would be a passionate charge against the aberration.
The fanatic leader threw up her left arm, saber held high and a golden gleam rushing up her limb and along the thin edge of the blade. Her mouth fell open, readying a rallying cry of battle.
"Catch me, my prince!"
Lead Lady's head whipped around just in time to catch the shining reflection off of dark lenses. In the span of a breath a set of stubbly, stocking covered legs speared into her brow, knocking her upper half nearly perpendicular to the ground. She swiped her blade at the intrusive weight a second after it kicked off her forehead.
Stepping back, the insurgent brought up her pistol. She got it halfway when a long band of black… hair snatched her arm at the wrist. And then she got her first look at her newest adversary.
A bronze coated nopon in angular shades drifted slowly to the ground before her, flapping his wings for the added air time. The two titanic lengths of wriggling nosehairs sprouted from his nostrils were disconcerting enough.
The fact that this bulky nopon had appeared in the classic, overly pink attire of a fantasy princess brought this to a whole nother level. He had a pearlescent fucking tiara, riddled with finely cut quartz. And it was perched on top of a golden afro, its mass easily a match for the nopon's own body.
Nia shuddered at the sight, the very presence of this thing weighing heavily on her soul.
Bobobo stared back into the frankly stunned expression of the grappled blonde. After a beat of silence, the nopon ventured, "Well, am I gonna be gettin' my kiss soon?"
Lead Lady thrust her sword forward. Bobobo shot back, maneuvered by his free lengths of stache. As she glanced to either side for potential reinforcements, the holy warrior noticed her compatriots were not assembling for a glorious final purge of the enemy.
They were actively in flight from something. The answer to what that was came all too swiftly.
Two blasts tore out from sections of the market where the two groups of her fellow soldiers had come from. Debris shot out across the avenue in a rain of heavy fragments, accompanied by great surges of water. Whilst their padded armor and metal rigs kept her troopers largely free from harm, several were knocked around from the sheer force of the scrap hitting them.
Two figures emerged, leaping through the dust and spray into the thoroughfare. On her left was a young man in blue plate, a diving suit rather than proper armor, the curved edge of his scimitar rippling with teal ether. It was a figure she recognized instantly.
To Lead Lady's right soared a veritable Adonis, his tanned form sculpted in dense musculature. The pink, form hugging apron actually seemed to exaggerate the image. But if anything cemented this man's status as some sort of warrior god, it was the massive frame of the double headed war axe hefted over his head.
Lasers tore through the air in a rapid frenzy. The rather unfortunate Kilolo – presumably, a visual confirmation had yet to be established – re-entered the fray, blindly battering through a squad as their unruly quilt dragged them across the avenue. Gorg's axe fell like a meteor, the head flowing with tidal ether, a miniature tsunami erupting from the point of impact.
As a half dozen of her fellow faithful were swept away by the surging tide, different howls of conflict arose from Lead Lady's let. The salvager boy had dashed after the second squad, a downward swipe cleaving the rifle out of a grunt's hands before they could bring it to bare. As her cohort reached for their backup weapon, the boy surged up in a rising slash, clanging off the soldier's rig and severing two cables with a spray of sparks.
Lead Lady wrenched her gun towards the bastard.
"You're gonna miss the best part!"
That shout immediately reminded the incensed woman that Bobobo was still a thing. A thing whose nosehair had an iron grip on her shooting hand. As she turned her fury back on the crazed nopon, the blonde zealot received an affectionate greeting from a burlap sack of rice which smacked into the side of her head.
The tendril of hair holding her wrist yanked down, driving the rattled woman to a kneel as Bobobo landed before her.
"These types of ceremonies," the fuzz ball intoned, "the best bit is always when some wailin' dames and teary-eyed fools start tossin' rice around."
A swipe of her sword arm cleared the pale cloud that burst from the sack. Lead Lady glared across at Bobobo.
This… crazy shit… was somehow wearing a white edition of the princess dress. He'd even swapped out the tiara for a veil, which fit his afro even worse than the glittery band!
"Now! To celebrate this union of woman and man," the nopon thrust one arm and a wing towards Lead Lady, "you must gather every grain of rice! Use of one's hands is not allowed!"
The woman shrieked in rage as her cable network flared, her golden sword striking at the nopon bride.
All the while Nia pressed for Kassandra, stumbling both from the shock of being shot as well as her own frantic pace. A storm of rays scorched by as the band of troopers rising out of the hole popped shots at her. Behind, their beast was slowly being roused by its handler.
Nia spun around, summoning both rings and flinging them towards the group of shooters. One sliced just over the trio, the now cloakless man in the center dragging his fellows down and out of danger. With that gap in fire, Nia double timed it towards Kassandra.
The three grunts recovered, again shouldering their weapons. They had about half a second before Limalima buzzed overhead, coating the area in a cloud of starch. Predictably, the titan behind them fell into an immediate hacking and thrashing fit. Havoc ensued. Again.
Kassandra was focused.
'Have to find it.'
She was very focused on her search.
'Need to find it.'
The mounting hysteria was nothing really, of almost no concern at all.
'Need to find my face!'
… It was going well for the first twelve seconds or so. Now she was knocking aside overturned chairs, her palms riddled with nicks as she rooted through scattered piles of debris with increasingly reckless abandon.
'Hands are miniscule, the body will heal – need my face!'
This was the state Nia found her in when she slid into place beside her. The cat eared Blade took her friend by the shoulders, attempting to pull her off the floor. Kassandra wrenched free with startling haste, giving Nia no further attention before returning to her search.
'No distractions, no distractions, no distractions-'
Nia paused to watch for three seconds. She then swiftly caught Kassandra by the arm, whipped her around, and railed the brunette with a fist across the brow. The urge to shake her now throbbing knuckles was summarily suppressed.
"The hell is wrong with you," Nia shouted, cutting through the mayhem of the struggling titan a ways behind her. She again snatched Kassandra by the shoulder as the girl tried to go back to her rifling. Catching her fellow Blade's gaze, Nia couldn't quite restrain the jolt that rattled her frame at the sight.
'…'
Kassandra's eye were far too dilated, just two quivering pools of dark red that seemed to stare through her rather than at her.
Some semblance of self peeked through as the bandaged girl declared, "My… my face, need my face."
The tone was wrong, too deep to belong to her bubbly friend. A glance down revealed the long, blackened slash that ran diagonally up her torso. The wound was an angry thing, seeming to draw in everything around it; the skin and cloth along its edges looked to have fused together in some macabre fashion. It didn't bleed, but the sight would have a been a deal more tolerable if it did.
That tiny lapse in concentration was enough for Kassandra to break free again, diving back into her frantic venture. A full on growl rumbled out of Nia's throat as she quickly went over her options and why "smash my friend's face into the floorboards, repeatedly" was not the right decision. Then something caught her eye and the Gormotti girl had to pause.
Kassandra rolled a cracked barrel out of her way, ripping into a break in the side of a large crate. The entire back half of the box was already torn clear off but the notion of simply crawling around to search the already opened side was beyond her ability to process. Her hands, raking against the splintered planks of wood, were now running red.
A hand snaked around her front, arm resting heavily over her chest. Before Kassandra could rage against the obstruction, something smooth, solid, and correct was pressed against the back of her head. At once it was as though a wave of calm had washed over her. The thought of her ever being in a blind panic was…
…
… she was panicked at some point? That seemed strange.
Nia stayed silent, waiting as her fellow Blade's breathing evened out. The mask had been right out in the open, its white form obvious against the dark hue of Argentum's wooden decks. How had she not found it immediately?
"You back with us, Kassandra?"
She recognized Nia's voice. The arm holding her remained stern, like they thought the brunette might start to struggle. Kassandra blinked at the thought, then blinked again as she considered Nia's words.
"I," the red eyed Blade glanced up and to the right, "went somewhere?"
Nia's grip slackened at once. That utter obliviousness couldn't be faked. Even still, she gave the rear facing mask a long look as she pulled away from Kassandra. The pale fox's wide eyes still held small motes of flame in their centers.
"Nia! Kassandra!"
The pair spun to face Rex as the boy bowled over a fleeing insurgent. Another nearby threw over a round table as some sad excuse for cover, launching a duo of blasts at the salvager. Almost like an afterthought, Rex swung in the shooter's direction, his gaze fixed on the girls as he rushed forward. The crescent of water sailed quickly into the last second defense, parting the table in two and throwing the lone invader to the ground.
For the first time since this madness began, a grin split Nia's features. Having your Driver nearby was truly rejuvenating – watching him thrash your enemies even more so.
Three rending beams blazed past the cat girl. Nia swung out one arm, summoning a chakram, before one shot from a second volley pinned her above the elbow. The yelp wasn't even out of her mouth before Kassandra jumped in front of the Gormotti Blade.
Her cloth bound hammer flashed into her outstretched hands. A wide, glimmering plane of bright cyan formed a circular barrier in front of the extended weapon. Even while seething against her newest burn, Nia took note of the now "normal" color of Kassandra's shield.
"Nia!"
The instant Rex's palm clamped down on her shoulder it was as though light began to stream through her very being. The strain of gravity lessened, the colors and details of the world became sharper, more vibrant. The curved blade in the boy's grasp shined with new radiance.
This is the sight that the trio of pit-falling troopers were greeted by when they marched out of the smokescreen. Kassandra began to buckle under their hastened, much more focused fire, her teeth clenched in effort. The three insurgents kept up the pressure, confident that they would break through sooner or later.
"Not very chivalrous of you."
That simple statement heralded the entrance of a massive axe-head, colliding full speed into the lower back of the shooter furthest to the right. The soldier in the middle had enough time to turn towards the commotion before a second axe-head, trailing out of the first and made entirely of water, took him in the back of the legs.
The last zealot standing watched as his companions were launched forward, the first whirling limply and bouncing off the brunette's ether shield. He felt the harsh spray as the rushing surf smashed into his neighbor. He got a rather good glance at the wealth of tanned skin, sculpted physique, and pink apron serving as their assailant. He almost got his gun up in time.
Gorg's palm drilled into the last man's ribcage. Even with his network flowing bright, the holy warrior could feel his body ripple. The man might have stayed combat effective if Gorg didn't follow up by taking a handful of the trooper's front.
The pipeworks audibly warped as his fingers curled into a fist.
One spin was all he needed. One rotation to gain enough momentum. The lifted grunt was shortly hurled back through the dissipating dust cloud.
A heavy thud of impact sounded almost the moment the flung invader vanished into the cloud. A wide plate of stony flesh pitched out of the fog, the appropriately dazed soldier sprawled across its surface. The wall of rough skin tilted, softly spilling the downed man onto the ground, as the long snout and thick neck of the serpent titan leered out of the fading smokescreen.
Its four eyes were watering and it was very clear the beast's breathing was still somewhat erratic. But as its right arm plate swept over the prone fanatic, shielding him from view, the armored behemoth met Gorg's steady gaze with a seething hiss. The handler, stood in a light crouch on the serpent's left shoulder, rubbing large circles against its throat as he glared down at the water Blade.
Gorg ginned in turn, swinging his war axe into a ready position across his back.
Then a leaflet struck the titan in the side of the head. Gorg blinked before a dozen additional papers swept into the creature's left side. The monster staggered as half its field of vision was blocked. Gorg's grin widened as he leapt towards the stunned beast.
Rex slid in beside Nia, his free hand grasping her shoulder as the boy began to fret over her. Nia almost had enough time to be annoyed by this, Kassandra looking quite amused as she scooched closer to the pair. Then the hammer wielder's eyes caught movement.
"Watch out," the brunette called as she twirled past her crewmates. Her bludgeon flew out in a horizontal sweep, catching the sparking head of a shock staff. The grey cloak wielding it took his right hand off the weapon, thrusting his open palm towards her throat.
Nia's arm flew up, a shot of aqua slapping the soldier in the face. His grapple attempt went wide, brushing off the side of Kassandra's face. She then returned the favor as her left hand lashed out, snatching the figure by the back of their head and yanking them towards her.
The head of her hammer launched up and slammed the trooper in the gut. The man arced back and landed on his ass, his spear clattering across the boardwalk. The noise masked the incoming footsteps and Kassandra was taken neatly off guard by the shorter soldier ducking around the first's sailing body. She wouldn't have time to bring up her hammer to block the golden mace swinging in at her.
Rex brushed past his Blade, his rippling scimitar clashing with the white shaft of the enemy's weapon. A neat trail of scuffs over her pipe system and small tears in her padded armor revealed where the boy had earlier cleaved her down. Rex winced at his own thoughtlessness, hurrying past the enemy without even checking if they were out of the fight. He'd been too focused on reaching the girls.
Behind the woman he was clashing with, three more grey cloaks advanced to join the melee. Behind Rex, Nia awkwardly leapt to her feet.
Everyone flinched as a hurricane of leaflets surged in from the nearby row of shops. Papers buffeted Rex's crew all about, but they mostly brushed past and moved on. The invaders weren't so lucky, the mace bearer standing before the young salvager utterly encompassed in parchment in the span of seconds. Rex had just enough awareness to reach out with his free hand, pushing the bound woman over.
Her companions were slightly less encumbered by the leaflet storm, one managing to draw up his rifle.
Several hundred kilos of fur, muscle, and claws barreled into the gunman at high speed. Dromarch clamped his jaws onto the trooper's arm and swung him about like a rag doll. He got a full rotation before releasing his hold with a harsh snarl. The wrenched zealot flew straight into one of his comrades, the pair rolling across the avenue into a bank of toppled benches and a smashed table.
The last man standing had one of those pronged shock sticks drawn, his knees bent and stance fluid as he eyed the predator that took down his teammates. The papers clinging to his form seemed to dry and wither as his pipework rig radiated a hot amber all throughout, his cloak alight with silver runes. As Rex moved along his periphery, the soldier's left hand drew a serrated dagger from his hip. The steel edge instantly flared orange.
Nia all but lunged to Rex's side, having to catch herself on her Driver's shoulder. Kassandra stood on the boy's left, her wine hued eyes shifting between the last standing figure and the bound insurgents. The slim gaps in their paper cocoons shined bright yellow as their forms began to swell.
Nia cast her own senses all around them and was thus the first to notice the tall form approaching from the stalls lining the side of the avenue.
The paper storm had not quite faded away following Dromarch's entrance. Instead it had re-centered, concentrating itself into a much smaller area. An outstretched hand, pale indigo in tone, held the condensed spiral of wind and leaflets. In that hand's twin was a dense, sea green tome, its cover open and pages turning in a hauntingly smooth rhythm.
The Indoline bookshop owner had always been a curiosity amongst Argentum residents. With her burgundy suit jacket and matching pencil skirt, one of many sets in various colors, coupled with the thick braid of scarlet lockes wrapping around her throat, Madame Faye certainly gave off an aura of authority. All she needed was a tiny set of glasses, preferably angular ones, and she would be all powerful.
Evidently, Nia's jab from months ago that the woman was some kind of witch had proven accurate. She would claim every ounce of credit in calling that one; damn Dromarch for talking her out of the betting pool!
Gorg brought his axe down on the serpent titan. Again its armored forearm shot up to meet the strike. The trooper the beast had been protecting aimed around the hide shield, scoring a glancing shot across Gorg's abdominals.
Beast Handler tore away at the papers pasted against the titan's head, doing well to keep the creature calm throughout. Judging by the yellow glow emanating from his upper body, removing the scraps of parchment was a surprisingly difficult task.
That was without Madame Faye taking notice. Once the mage-apparent turned her gaze towards the man's efforts, the situation abruptly changed, her book's pages rushing through with sudden haste. Beast Handler loosed a yelp as the shredded leaflets leapt into motion, snapping around his arm and taking his limb in a vice like bind. If not for the aura running through his system, the appendage would have been crushed.
The pained cry of its minder seemed to be the last straw for the four eyed serpent. As Gorg recoiled from the blazing blast of the carbine, the titan surged forward, winding smoothly around the lone trooper standing stunned in front of it.
Both of the monster's thick plates came cascading down upon the backpedaling Blade. Beast Handler, sensing his mount about to go berserk, vaulted from its back and rolled across the floor. Gorg hurled himself back as the crushing blow cratered the floorboards. The titan settled its throat on the crease between its fleshy shells, its mouth drawing open. A pale blue glow illuminated its maw.
A bolt of fucking lightning erupted from the serpent's jaws, streaking over the ground and tearing a jagged trail across the thoroughfare. Gorg was still mid leap as the white hot stream barreled towards him.
A shrieking wind sounded as hundreds of swirling leaflets collected into a dense spiral between the Blade and the bolt. Madame Faye's left arm was extended towards the whirlwind, the tome in her right hand flipping through pages at blinding speed. The streak of lightning pitched into the paper storm, the two forces briefly clashing before detonating into a chaotic burst.
Faye fell to one knee, looking suddenly exhausted. She continued to hold her book high over her bowed head, its pages now turning at a remarkably sluggish pace. Back on his feet, Beast Handler tore through the last of the parchment constricting his arm, the effort now far easier. The man's palm raced to a holster on his hip, fingers grasping empty air.
Lead Lady still had his sidearm.
The lone grunt came back to his senses, raising his carbine in his superior's stead and settling the sights on the heaving Indoline woman. A smooth trigger squeeze sent a heated beam across the field.
Kilolo, the uncontrolled flying nopon, definitely wasn't intending to catch that round. The hysterical cries of "What is happening!?" as his soaring quilt immediately ignited said more than enough. The nopon comet did one wide turn up towards the bottom of the third floor, snapping through one of the large chandeliers and sending it plummeting down.
The bound and toppled group before Rex's party burst free of their paper cocoons in violent shocks of orange. One insurgent popped to his feet, taking a quick step towards the boy in blue whilst brandishing a spiked ball mace.
His show of vigor was rewarded with the ornate light fixture falling right on top of him. The crushing display and spray of debris sent everyone diving back, Dromarch closer to his crew and the fanatic wielding the spear and dagger towards his recovering teammates. The two groups were promptly cut off from one another, at least for the moment.
Kassandra reoriented, shoring her footing and freeing up both hands in a catching position. Kilolo, still very much on fire, flew straight down into her midsection.
"Gotcha," the brunette cheered as she clutched the nopon into her frame. The nopon whose cape-blanket was still very much on fire…
To the side, Madame Faye slowly rose back to her feet. Seeing this, the shooter who clipped Kilolo lined up another blast. Limalima's vengeance came swiftly, the aerial nopon zipping by as he released his ordinance. He had unfortunately run out of starch, he supposed old melon fruit would make a serviceable substitute.
Nia groaned as a somehow clueless Kassandra allowed her attire to start burning. Her tone of annoyance turned to one of strain as she made to summon water from the air.
Gorg beat her to it. The now-partially aproned Blade, his garb half ruined with scorch marks, thrust a kind of… aquatic impression of himself towards the unperceptive girl. Water Gorg sprinted at Kassandra, leaping at her just as the brunette realized she was on fire and started some frantic dance to put it out.
She was still bouncing around when Water Gorg burst against her like a fierce deluge. Her movements slowed gradually as the feel of being a drenched rat settled in. Her mask never so much as twitched, not even once, throughout all of this.
Real Gorg gave a brief chortle. Real Gorg then caught an electric blast to the chest. His Just Desserts apron did not survive.
Rex stepped into the path as Gorg was launched backwards. The Blade baker's axe was flung from his grasp, whirling high into the air. Rex caught the larger male against his chest, his free arm wrapping around Gorg's front as he held Nia's sword far out to the side. The pair slid back several meters, the Blade's long legs dragging out in front of him.
Looking about as smug as a legless giant could, the armored titan reeled back for a follow up shot. This went awry as the nearby foot soldier, his skull mostly encased in half rotten fruit, gave a long, errant squeeze of his weapon's trigger whilst flailing about in disorientation. The sustained beam plugged the large beast in the side, trailing swiftly up its neck and towards its left eyes.
Beast Handler was too slow to help his fellow, the melon splattered grunt disappearing in a blinding flash of white-blue as their wounded mount swept its lightning breath across him. Nia threw herself into Kassandra, tackling her and her soggy/singed cargo to the floor as the sweeping blast sailed over them.
Gorg's weight and the force behind him eventually pushed Rex to the ground. The pair were right in the path of the raging titan's breath.
A thin, black strand wrapped around the shaft of Gorg's whirling axe. The long bundle of dark threads pulled taut, driving the weapon downwards.
Bobobo, sans princess attire, lunged in between the prone duo and the approaching electric stream. His absurd nosehair drew Gorg's waraxe down and underneath himself, sweeping it upwards in a rising slash. Water flooded the weapon's edge as it clashed against the shocking beam.
The most unholy of shrieks belted through the area as the ether born liquid exploded into the shape of a massive, gaping mouth. The ludicrous construct shot forth at speed, swallowing the jagged bolt all the while continuing to scream bloody murder.
Kassandra watched this with a look of wonder, loosening her grip enough for the struggling Kilolo to escape. Nia threw the girl's soggy bangs over her eyes, ears folded against her scalp, face buried in the brunette's upper back as she rapidly chanted, "If we don't look, it doesn't exist – If we don't look, it doesn't exist!"
The mouth shaped surf dumbfounded both the serpent titan and its handler, the two too stunned to move before the flowing wall slammed into them. The unfortunate pair were knocked right back into that fucking hole, now filled with foamy water.
Screams continued echoing through the guild for a few seconds after the construct splashed apart.
Bobobo hit the floor in a three point crouch. He held Gorg's axe high overhead, both lengths of nosehair wrapped loosely around its shaft. The curved blades of the weapon shined a brilliant blue.
Gorg hoisted himself up, using Rex as a hand hold. One palm cupped the burned flesh over his pectorals, a cool glow banishing some of the pain, as the tanned Blade threw a wide smirk at the fro'd nopon's back.
"Finally made some time for me, boss?"
"Time is endless, I have no reason to make more of it." Bobobo gave them a side glance, some lantern light gleaming off his shades, "If you are not 'worthy of time,' then why are you still moving?"
Gorg sputtered his lips, not even trying to hold back, "Trying to sound philosophical there?"
"Sound is an interpretive phenomenon-"
"That's enough now," Rex barked. Bobobo's features instantly flooded with disappointment. Nia started cycling through her mantra at double speed as Kassandra fought to observe the ongoing exchange. Rex settled his sight on Bobobo, "You made it through okay?"
The nopon ha-rumphed, turning his nose up. In the background, the plate armed titan thrashed wildly in the impromptu pool, Beast Handler being catapulted from the water.
"Had to bow out," the bronze fuzzball declared, "the lady found a more suitable dance partner."
On cue, the blonde commander whirled into frame. Kassandra, having cleared her sight, snapped to attention at her presence, hauling herself and a shocked Nia to their feet. The Gormotti Blade was blinking quickly to clear up her vision. There had to be something with it, there was no other way to explain the jewel encrusted tiara sitting lopsided atop Lead Lady's head.
And was that the hem of a fucking tutu wrapped around her left thigh?
Lead Lady expertly spun around a pile of splintered chairs, pointing Beast Handler's pistol back the way she came. A razor wind whipped past, cleaving the small gun in two before she could pull the trigger. The blonde zealot leapt to the side as a much larger blade of air carved through her prior position.
Rex recognized the insectoid/reptilian Blade from Bana's office. As it lashed out with its claws, Lead Lady traded swift parries with her saber. Both her rig and her sword absolutely hummed with golden might, yet still her blows seemed to only just manage to scratch the Blade's carapace.
"Yo kid!"
The young salvager flinched at the voice. Gorg and Bobobo had directed their attention elsewhere and so there was no barrier between himself and the advancing Malos.
"Uh, who's that?" Nia, with Kassandra's aid, had shambled over to her Driver's side. Rex felt a touch more confident.
"One of Bana's clients, wanted us for a job." The boy never once looked away from the darkly garbed brute. So he caught full view of the guy's reaction to Nia, the suddenly shocked gaze followed by an expression of quiet contemplation… and tentative approval?
Nia pressed, "And you're nervous because?"
Now Rex turned to face her, a wry grin in place, "Pretty sure they're all crazies."
The boy wasn't exactly quiet while saying this and Malos didn't hold back the amused smirk as he shot a look at the young Driver. But his gaze quickly refocused on Nia, his features notably softening. His eyes seemed most intent on the exposed, fuchsia gem embedded in her chest.
Nia was almost weirded out enough to cross her arms over her bust.
"Malos!"
"For fuck's sake Sever, wha-" the black clad warrior turned to his partner, throwing his arms up in a defensive block and lowering his posture in the briefest instance. Less than a second after and his monstrous Blade came rocketing into his front as a familiar, crackling bolt drilled into Sever's plated gut.
Lead Lady stood by Feast Street's newly minted watering hole, their titan snake hanging on the pool's edge and spewing a continuous beam. Beast Handler, frazzled and waterlogged, patted the beast's arm in approval.
A few meters into their flight, Malos stomped down with both feet. At once their progress slowed, to the point that Nia and Kassandra's mouths fell open at the show of strength. The dark haired Driver's right arm shot down, a shaft of blue radiance collecting in his hand.
The ether weapon that formed in his hand was similar to a tonfa, the short handle extending perpendicular to the proper shaft on which the blade was housed. The edge itself was a meandering work that tapered off in several fine points, the design mimicking a trail of flames. The cutting blade spanned the full length of Malos' arm, a stunning sapphire glow burning over its surface.
At the same time he swung up his weapon, Malos flung Sever to the side like yesterday's trash. A screeching sound that somehow matched Bobobo's earlier efforts ripped across the thoroughfare as the stream of lightning itself was sliced in half all the way back to its source.
Beast Handler dragged his fingers down his charge's arm in a raking motion, the creature complying at once and diving back into the pool. The aerial slash ripped through the remainder of the bolt before leaping through the empty air and carving into a batch of shops at the edge of Feast Street.
Sever rolled onto his feet, patted his still steaming belly twice, gave a few short coughs, and then strode back towards his Driver. Malos never spared him a glance and Sever offered no commentary. Actually, the monstrous Blade appeared to be suppressing laughter.
Rex and Nia watched the small exchange in silence.
"My Lady, Master Rex." The pair – plus Kassandra – looked to Dromarch as he stepped in line with them. Rather than speak further, he gestured to the nearby entrance from whence the enemy titan originated.
Another squad, at least, of grey cloak warriors was spilling into the structure. Beyond their front ranks, they could spot some sort of bulky shape lugging its way in from the darkness.
"Eyes behind, kiddos," growled Bobobo, a visible shiver crawling over Nia's form, "Another party with no cake to show for it!"
Ignoring the shaded nopon's additional thoughts, the others watched as the remnants of the group that had been chased onto the avenue circled around the fallen chandelier. Gorg threw them a toothy smirk as he lifted his waraxe from Bobobo's grasping stache.
Malos' gaze drifted between the two groups, looking more eager with every passing second. It was like a child who couldn't decide which toy to play with next. His monstrous Blade seemed no less full of energy, though his beady eyes were set firmly on the legless titan drawing itself out of the flooded crater.
Lead Lady stood at the ready, her visage a mask of hatred staring down her targets and the various interlopers. She took a moment to reach up with her now gunless hand, shifting the tiara back into place. Bobobo's shades flashed over.
Beast Handler had retrieved his annihilated crewmate's discarded carbine, holding it across his front as the final wave of reinforcements advanced from the gaping portal behind them. At once, the two commanders allowed their systems to run hot orange.
A second later, every standing fanatic's rig flared the same chaotic hue. The air itself seemed to heat, Madame Faye stepping towards the other defenders as they tensed for the two pronged assault. The invader's siege beast slapped down its plate defense before loosing a bellow of challenge over the thoroughfare.
And then a second, far more potent roar rended the air in response, crashing in from the opposite entrance on the far side of Feast Street. All eyes shot to the source of the responding roar, Malos' expression suddenly sobering.
Azurda, wings flared wide and horned head towering upwards, glared a singular promise of death onto the insurgent forces. Pale smoke billowed free of his lips, his wide jaws parted in a low snarl. At the base of his neck, holding on with one hand and brandishing a wooden rifle with the other, was a very stoic Hirkham.
His long gun had a bayonet attached to it. It was visibly red with blood.
"Holy shit Gramps…"
The wizened dragon belted out a thunderous cry, loping forth with powerful bounds.
Kai-ju fight! Kai-ju fight! Yes, this was the moment where I lost any semblance of self control.
Let's start by showing some love to our OCs, eh? You might notice that all of the "Argentum Defenders" are amongst the individuals Nia and Kassandra spot during their trek through the markets. Argentum in this story is a bit of a "lawless territory," like a very, very light incarnation of Roanapur from Black Lagoon. It's a "hive of criminal/outlaw elements" but there is a clear sort of structure being held in place. The people living here are hard by necessity, they're used to fending for themselves and know how to handle pandemonium. Argentum regulars are a different breed…
Limalima and Kilolo are tow of the nopon from the textile shop, the one advertising the "sensational flying fabric." Guess it wasn't just talk. Their names come from military designation: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, that sort of thing. Not entirely sure if Lima and Kilo are still used by the American military but if it was good enough for SOCOM 2, then it's good enough for me. I imagine Limalima's character and voice being a blend of Uncle from Jackie Chan Adventures and Mole from Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
Madame Faye is the Indoline woman we see manning the bookstore in chapter three. Kind weird seeing one of them so early into the story… and yeah, she's a witch. Noting suspiciously related to any particular rare Blades, nothing at all… Her name is a pretty basic reference to fairies/elves and is just meant to convey an "otherworldly" atmosphere about her. But again, nothing suspect here…
The grey cloaks have a titan serpent. Remember this for later…
Malos and Sever re-enter the fray. I hope I managed to convey here that the relationship between them is a borderline hostile one and that is exactly the way they like it.
Our big reveal: Gorg's Driver is Bobobo!
Yeah, hope the hints I sprinkled back in chapter three stuck with some of you. But yes, we have our first, proper, in-universe, still living nopon Driver. And of course it's Bobobo… who else could it be!? I know that Word of God within XC2's staff was that Gorg was never meant to be a reference to Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, the aesthetic is still just there. Having that Blade be bonded to Bobobo is extra spicy since the series Bobobo-bo-Bo-bobo is itself a parody of Fist of the North Star, which itself was an inspiration for the creator of Jojo. Everything is connected…
I mentioned last time that I want Blades to have more unique qualities to their power sets. You see with Gorg that when he manifests his element, it comes out as physical constructs of his weapon and Gorg himself. This is a reference to Jojo's Stands but it's also me showing some variety between Blades of the same element type. You'll notice that Nia never forms such constructs, she just whams the enemy with torrents and summons mighty currents for mobility, that sort of stuff. We'll see more of Dromarch as well in the following chapters and just how different his own abilities are to theirs.
This is my way of making Blades more unique. We don;t have to worry about game mechanics so we can go pretty wild with various powers relating to each element. As an example, I'll spoil the fact that we'll be seeing a fair amount of Dark Blades throughout this adventure. Kassandra is one and her "darkness" manifests as "curses." Malos', as in canon, pertains strictly to "destruction." I have ideas for things like "shadows," "gravity," "nothingness…" We're gonna have a lot of characters at some point and I want them all to stand out in their own ways
Alright, that's enough rambling. There's plenty more action to be had from this early major event. Next time: Titans clash and the conflict escalates. Saturn makes his return and the rest of Torna navigate their way through the backdrops.