Chapter 5. ...Petted the Wildlife, Played in the Rain...
Nobody made a move. Nobody wanted its attention. Heroes and villains watched in breathless terror as Leviathan slinked down the street. A lop-sided thing it was, one shoulder malformed with swollen growths. An ugly thing it was, face ripped away on one side. A hole through the belly, a gouge in the neck, the beast bore its wounds in total silence. Splattered on scaly hide were the blood of hunted prey, meeting rain to drip down in rivulets. Grasped in a hand was one such quarry, the remains of a man encased in armor and crown of steel, body torn in two and his legs nowhere to be seen. Leviathan discarded him with a careless throw.
"Is that…Kaiser?" Sundancer whispered.
Jaune frowned. That name hadn't been announced by the armband. Had it malfunctioned?
Leviathan pointed ahead with a claw and the seawater flooding the street responded, gathering. It soon formed a swell measuring the height of a man, spanning half the street across. A minute adjustment of the claw and the water moved to engulf a rusted van, lifting the wheels off the ground then pulling the entire thing towards the creature. Once the vehicle was close enough, sharp claws tore it asunder, revealing an empty interior.
Near where the van used to be, a dark figure—Skitter—rushed out of a hiding spot, sprinting to gain distance from the monster. Noticing her, Leviathan sent a water blade scything after the runner. Both Jaune and Sundancer shouted for her to duck, their voices drowned out in the rain.
Just before contact, the younger of the blond flying siblings landed next to Skitter and a blue bubble sprang up around them to weather the blow. Above, his sister retaliated by firing laser bolts at Leviathan.
From there, the battle began in earnest.
Those few who could, shot at Leviathan from range. A rifleman appeared over the lip of a building, unloading on the monster's head in an effort to hit the eyes. Twice, Leviathan launched watery afterimages to strike his position. Twice, he managed to take cover, and got up to continue the assault.
Leviathan, that clever beast, repeated the feat, this time whipping its tail back and forth to send two lines of water through the air, one hiding behind the other. The first was dodged like the ones prior, but the second… the rifleman never heard the warnings that others cried out, and the second blade neatly severed his neck as he popped up to take a shot. Leviathan did not spare him a glance as it lumbered on.
Jaune wondered what name the rifleman went by. The armband refused to say. His gunplay waylaid the monster for half a minute. His end came too soon.
"Jaune, how can you be so calm?"
"I'm screaming on the inside."
"Um. Wow. I wish I didn't know that. I thought maybe you weren't worried because you had a plan."
"I do have one. It's called 'protect Sundancer while she cooks the lizard'. So long as you're okay, I'm okay too."
"..."
"Do you feel better now?"
"Strangely enough, yes, I do."
Out of an alley came the next contender, a man in an odd outfit of blue overalls over a red shirt; a red cap sat atop his head. He was strapped down with a mix of devices and weapons, heeding no central theme that could be identified except perhaps that of an insane gadgeteer. It's difficult to tell past the heavy rainfall, but faintly can he be heard screaming at Leviathan.
The man brought up his left arm, which was encased in a blue egg-shaped thing from elbow to hand, and aimed it at the monster. The object flared and sparked, and for a worrying moment seemed about to go off, before spitting out a massive blast of golden energy that detonated on Leviathan's chest.
It slowed for a half-step, but nothing more.
Unbuckling the arm cannon, he let it drop in the flooded street as he swung a rifle from his back. It bore a ramshackle appearance, bulky with the internals on display. Blue beams sprayed in quick succession to zap Leviathan's face, nearly striking its eyes but for a hand rising to block the attacks.
As the man lined up a new shot, electricity crackled along the barrel and the muzzle melted into a useless lump. Not missing a beat, he unslung the rifle and hurled it at Leviathan. The gun landed at the monster's feet and erupted in an explosion, followed up by two cartoony bombs, and a blue turtle shell borne on wings whose detonation dwarfed the ones preceding.
Leviathan walked out of the smoke, missing some pieces but very much alive.
The red-capped man walked forward to meet it, cycling through his arsenal with reckless abandon.
A handgun that spewed jets of fire, used until it slagged. What Jaune recognized as a lightsaber, one that sputtered and smoked, summarily tossed at the beast to go boom. A purple gun of alien design, whose spiky projectiles snapped on Leviathan's hide. A blue circle on a wall, an orange counterpart on the opposite side of the street, linked portals for him to avoid a deadly burst of water. A red-and-white ball that opened up and deployed a yellow beam to no effect… then it set off in a devastating lightshow that scooped out part of the road. A dagger, slashed at a seawater tendril to turn it to ice. A book that launched fireballs, itself going up in flames. His hands continued on in a blur of motion, never resting.
Almost inevitably, the weapons would backfire in spectacular fashion. Yet, even that became another element of the offensive, though the man did not come out from it unscathed. Shocks and burns left their marks on him. Blood dripped down his body, mixing with the water at his feet. Patches of skin bubbled, or dried and cracked.
In return, he has inflicted greater harm upon Leviathan than any one person so far. Half the thing's eyes have shut. Little chunks were missing along its limbs and torso to create a pitted surface. The right hand has shriveled to an ashen husk, movable albeit slow. The monster listed to one side.
The man proceeded to pull out an oversized wooden hammer from a pouch (that disintegrated a moment later). Jaune goggled when the thing's head mechashifted into a rocket thruster, the back igniting to propel its wielder on a beeline for Leviathan. Ducking under a swipe, he smashed the hammer into Leviathan's kneecap with a *BOOM!* and a cloud of smoke.
Without even stopping to see what kind of damage it did, he winded the hammer back and swung it again…and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again until a glowing belt he wore fizzled out and the hammer crashed to the ground, suddenly too heavy for his arms to bear.
His knees hit the street soon after. He slumped in exhaustion.
Left with just his overalls and cap, the man stared up at the looming giant. It, in turn, regarded him for a short while, still as a statue. Then—in a slow, drawn-out movement akin to the raising of a guillotine—Leviathan lifted an arm high over its head.
The mad inventor watched it all play out, and in the moments before the end, a distraught howl filled with anger tore from his throat, its echoes ringing loud and clear over the rain to reach Jaune and Sundancer.
That rage. That despair. Who did he lose? Sharp claws descended, and they'll never know.
"Sundancer, Sundancer, are you sure you want to be here? Now could be your last chance to go."
"If I say I'm running away, what will you do?"
"…There's something for me here that I'm looking for. An object of great value I have never seen but I know I need, and might only be attained in this battle, if that makes any sense. Until it's found, I can't leave."
"Then, I'll stay, too."
With almost casual ease, Leviathan plunged its tail into a storefront, reeling out a person dressed in a blue devil outfit. A swarm of bugs, their controller unseen, affected a rescue by besieging the monster's face, in vain as it ignored the insects to slam the prey against the ground. A sickening crunch, and what remained of the body was released.
Blades of water flew, and they collapsed the front section of a carport. Blood seeped out of the rubble to mark a passing, while nearby another figure dug themselves out, none the worse for wear.
A needle measuring several feet long pierced one of Leviathan's leg. Shadowy bolts failed to do the same. Leviathan swept an arm. High on a rooftop, two figures abandoned their sniping position as it was crushed by the attack. They withdrew rather than risk firing a second salvo.
And then, it's down to Jaune and Sundancer. After a procession of heroes and villains, all that stood between their team of two and Leviathan was the length of a city block.
"Sundancer, Sundancer, it's our turn. Are you ready?"
"I am, so lead on."
They drew closer together, Jaune one step ahead with his shield raised, Sundancer half-hidden at his back, her sun in tow at a safe distance. At his direction, she alternated the ball from one side of the street to the other, vanishing away some of the water behind them to prevent the possibility of a sneaky wave or geyser coalescing in their blindspot.
Quick as a flash, Leviathan opened the battle by whipping its tail at them, the thick limb halting midway. The watery echo continued, on track to take their heads off.
Beacon-honed instincts took over in response. Fear abated, the future pushed aside, here and now it was time for a fight.
The first move Jaune performed in this conflict was aimed at Sundancer. He swept out her leg, dropping himself low in kind. One hand went under her, the other angled his shield up. Most of the water passed harmlessly overhead, with the very edge clipping the metal in a weakened blow. Peeking around Crocea Mors, he spotted an area of bulging water, and recognized Leviathan's work. It was building up for a wave.
Assisting Sundancer upright, he spoke in her ear.
"Swing your sun around, fast as you can!"
He thought that meant a jogging pace when he gave the order. It's the limit to what she had shown. What he didn't expect was for her to have been playing nice all this while. The fireball outpaced a man sprinting, drawing a curved path that evaporated swathes of the water below as it careened towards Leviathan.
Before the mini sun forced him to turn his head, Jaune caught a last glimpse of the monster leaping backward, ditching its attack for the sake of finding safety.
"It's…afraid."
Spotting movement, Jaune spun his ally to switch places, with him facing the spot where the water was molding into a tendril, coiled to spring. One slash of his sword and it lost its form. He then barked out a laugh and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"IT'S AFRAID! ! !"
The echo bounced off the buildings around them.
He had suspected it. He had dared to dream of it. But oh, did it feel amazing to see the truth confirmed with his very eyes. Elated, Jaune peered down at the girl who wielded a star, and said for only her to hear.
"I think we've got a real shot at making it to tomorrow, Sundancer. We just have to hang on. Follow my lead."
"Yes!" She replied, giddy. Interlaced within her voice was a new vigor, a resolve to fight now strengthened by a hope to live.
They scanned the surroundings for Leviathan's next move. Sundancer, able to look at her conjuration, discovered it first. She pointed high.
"It's jumping over!"
Jaune grabbed her, and ran. Slung over his shoulder, she pulled the sun after them, and Jaune directed her to position it in their former place, under where Leviathan will land.
"No good! It just latched onto a building with the tail!"
Turning his head, he watched the monster slam into the ground, having redirected its bulk out of harm's way. Leviathan rolled to its feet, neck twisting in a mirror pose of Jaune to stare at the pair.
Setting Sundancer down, he used the free hand to flip off the beast.
A thought occurred, and he addressed Sundancer. "I wasn't too rough on you, was I?"
It had not seemed so at the time, the girl exhibiting a dancer's grace to shift her body almost in sync with his movements, but he had first-hand experience on how sudden motions can disorient a person.
Sundancer shook her head. "No, it's… I think I would be dead by now if not for you. You're fast."
"Combat training will do that." He shrugged, eyes riveted on Leviathan. "Is it fine if I keep moving you like this?"
"Eheh. Please do."
At once, he grabbed her hand. "Good! Because it's attacking."
"It's wha–eep!"
Sundancer went from standing adjacent him, to spinning on a revolution that placed Jaune between her and three water-claws—his shield tanking the brunt of them, to in front of him with one arm outstretched to guide the miniature star. It obeyed her command and accelerated at their foe.
In a burst of speed, Leviathan dove to the right, the fireball searing one side of the monster black in its passing. It rolled as it hit the road, the water steaming when touched by the burnt hide. The maneuver finished with an arm planted deep in the asphalt to stop its momentum, and after Leviathan recovered it kicked off the ground to rush them. Jaune resettled half a step ahead of Sundancer, a hand at the small of her back.
"Don't panic."
"It's getting close."
"Don't panic."
"It's getting way too close!"
Do matadors exist in this universe? He'd have to ask his new acquaintance later. In the here and now, he observed the approaching beast, eyes flitting at a frantic pace to take note of the possible escape routes.
It hunched a shoulder. He made his choice.
A twirl and Leviathan skirted on by, its ever-present cloak of moisture missing by inches. Sundancer was screaming in his ear, unaccustomed to this level of intensity that she could scarcely follow.
The monster tried to turn, one arm swiping back at the pair; it failed to connect, too far out of reach. Jaune didn't drop his guard, crouching low with Sundancer, the shield forming an incline and his body wholly blocking hers. As anticipated, a sword of water bridged the shortfall, smacking the surface of Crocea Mors with a clang, the force diverting upward in a spray, pouring down with the rain.
Movement stopped for both sides. Jaune and the beast locked eyes, sizing each other up during the stalemate. The sun relocated near, ready to intercept should Leviathan renewed its assault.
A red bolt of light slapped the mouthless face. Beast, boy, and girl turned in the direction from whence it came, just in time to see a giant needle zoom through the air. Leviathan attempted to counter it with an afterimage of its claws, and received a puncture wound in the palm for its efforts.
The nearby heroes and villains have rejoined the battle. No more sacrifices, they were here to make a stand. Hope had bloomed again.
Yaaaay!
The mini star shrank a whole magnitude smaller. Jaune whipped his head towards the other girl.
"Sundancer! Are you hurt?" He checked over her for wounds, seeing nothing beyond scratches. Still, he noted how she had hunched over, limbs locking up.
"I…they…"
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"There's too many people!"
"I don't understand. Isn't that a good thing? They'll back us up."
"NO! I mean— what if I hit them!?" She wailed. The girl in his arms was hyperventilating by this point. Her visored mask began darting this way and that. With a jerk, the sun moved further from the buildings, and fell below the fliers. It continued to diminish as time went on. Becoming weaker. Safer.
And it dawned for Jaune at last.
Sundancer was frightened of what she could do. She had downplayed her power in the beginning—reducing the speed and strength of the sun she wielded, maneuvering it with utmost care—because the idea of killing a person had sickened her even when the target in question was an enemy. Now, with allies of unknown numbers dotting the area, she saw the possibility of her sun cutting a bloody swath across the landscape, and panicked. Rightly so, Jaune had to admit, because he cannot deny the absolute lethality of that fiery orb. Simple proximity could spell death.
Why then, had she released that tight control earlier?
Because of him. Because he said so. Upon his orders, the sun raced and swooped and flew without a hint of worry. In possession of a peaceful–almost passive–temperament, she meekly listened to his command on the impression that he knew what he was doing. It told of a crippling lack of self-confidence.
A flaw he could encourage so she'd fight as he wanted, or…
"It'd be fine. You won't make a mistake."
The battlefield was no place to play therapist. He'll give it a good try, anyway, and there's no better time than when other people were distracting the beast.
"B-but…"
"It'd be fine," he repeated with emphasis. One of his arms wrapped around her shoulder in a half-hug. "Because your control is impeccable. I'm proof of it. Look at how I've fought by your side. I spun you round and round, until you can't tell what's up or down. Yet, I got out with not a single lock of hair singed. All the damage you've inflicted landed on that scaly bastard. Who can boast of such accuracy? You. Only you." The sun pulsed, shining a touch stronger to signify he was on the right track.
"That was when it's just you and me," she mumbled. "With so many more people, I can't watch everyone to make sure I won't k– hurt them."
"Well, it's a good thing I'm here to support you, then. We'll work together, two pairs of eyes to cover all angles. That's the way of it back where I came from." Leaning down, peering into her visor, he said, "Rely on me, as I rely on you, and the brighter tomorrow will surely arrive for us." That was what Beacon had stood for. He missed it already.
Her voice, thick with emotion, asked one thing of him. "Promise?"
Heh.
An Arc never goes back on their promise. That's what the stories say. As a consequence, most Arcs tended to be real careful with the 'P' word. It's not worth the trouble, as his careless mouth had learned so often.
"I promise." Jaune agreed to yet another one with a smile.
Sundancer stood straighter now, surer. Her hands were clenched in fists, raised to her chest. She looked past his shoulder, and Jaune felt the day grow warmer, sunnier.
"I didn't mean to freak out..."
"Who could ever blame you?" Jaune countered. "A love for your fellows is not a flaw. Just know that I'm here to lend a hand."
A sniffle, badly hidden. "Watch my back?"
"Of course."
They re-entered the conflict and the combatants, whatever their alignment, took notice. The sun drew a lazy arc to start, visible and obvious. Those with a working brain saw their silver bullet, and removed themselves from its path; those without ended up doing so anyway when the temperature became too much to bear. Fliers migrated up and back relative to them, giving the sun a wide berth. Thus, a thin corridor opened among their allies to grant them space for fighting. It was the best the two were going to get.
Sundancer set the fireball high at his suggestion, aimed down instead of sideways to gain a greater measure of safety for other people.
"Clear!" On Jaune's go-ahead, the orb hurtled towards Leviathan. It missed as the monster evaded, just barely, and melted a hole in the street. "Reel!"
The sun reverse-coursed on the same trajectory it fired, functioning as a jab rather than the wild swings of previous. It came to a rest in the original position while the other heroes and villains rushed at the beast to get their licks in.
'Clear!' and 'Reel!' evolved into a rhythm as Jaune and Sundancer grew adept at spotting opportunities within the chaotic scramble. In the downtime, Jaune's mouth never rested, calling out to other combatants when the chance presented itself. Mostly, it was to shout warnings, often some variation of 'Move, you idiot!', but he also tried to organize those who wielded powers he had gotten a grasp on so they could better mesh with the offensive.
Some listened. Others had their own ideas, deaf to the strategies in play. Naturally, problems arose.
In the middle of helping Sundancer retarget, a laser sped past his head from someone who thought they'd make great cover to hide behind, grazing way too close for comfort. By reflex, he jerked from it, and caused Sundancer's shot to go entirely off-course. The monster used the lucky reprieve to return a salvo of water-claws that forced the pair to hunker down and lose a precious opportunity. After it ended, Jaune peeked over the lip of the shield, and beheld an open field.
"Cl—" Jaune had to bite down on the word as a teeming cloud of insects flew by, breaking their sightline of Leviathan. What it accomplished he couldn't tell, but it dispersed to leave him a nasty surprise. A wide cutting scythe of water filled his vision.
Diverting the blow proved impossible. He planted his feet solidly, and took it head on with Crocea Mors.
Numbness spread over the shield arm. A portion of the blade, a mere handful's worth of moisture, slipped through his guard to sock him in the jaw, scrambling his thoughts.
"JAUNE!" Sundancer, seeing how he stumbled as she stood at his back, screamed in worry. "Are you okay!?"
"Uuuugh, yeah. Yeah." Things stopped spinning. His stance firmed. "I'm good to keep fighting. Don't worry."
The sentiment changed when he spied a new development that was absolutely worthy of worry. During his short period of disorientation, Leviathan had created a ten-feet high wave that nobody could dispel. The sun was out of range to block it. With a push of a hand, the swell of water rushed at them.
Timely rescue arrived in the form of the blond siblings' younger brother. Dropping out of the sky ahead of them, he activated his power. A blue forcefield sprang up to take the brunt of the wave.
"Nice! Thank- Sundancer, we've got to move!"
The overflow from the wave had spiraled into a geyser. It barreled on, set to pummel Jaune's group. Hoping to destabilize the jet of water, Sundancer recalled her orb, but suspended the endeavor as the sun risked flying too near to people. The geyser lost cohesion in part, yet maintained course.
His plan was simpler. Grabbing her, Jaune hastened out of harm's way—and bounced off the wrong side of an energy barrier being deployed by a person in high tech armor. They've taken cover within, attention focused on the incoming strike with none to spare for others in their vicinity.
Left with little choice, Jaune parried the attack on his shield, twisting his body to flip over Sundancer rather than crash into her. He hit the street, knees and elbows slamming against the asphalt to flare in agony; mouthfuls of filthy seawater entered his lungs in the process.
Coughing and sputtering, he struggled to get back on his feet, slipped and had to be caught by Sundancer. She struggled to hold up his form, and exhaled a relieved breath when he was finally able to stand on his own.
Angry, frustrated, he scanned the battlefield. It was getting messy. Sloppy. The body count has begun ticking up in a repeat of the fight at the intersection.
Rage boiled over. He roared over the din.
"Damn you all, just MOVE ASIDE!"
And, they did. Not by their own cognizance, though. Whose power it belonged to, he hadn't a clue, but the space in front of him warped in mind-bending twists and—suddenly—a clear road stood before the duo. The person who did this deserved a medal. Sundancer agreed, and she pressed the advantage, not even needing his command. The mini star went screaming down the lane.
Leviathan responded by raising a wall with its hydrokinesis. Water met fire, and exploded into steam. Their foe vanished from sight; it had been engulfed by the billowing cloud.
Seconds passed, quiet but for the rain. A woman garbed in forest green and a wispy cloak gestured with her hands to call up a light wind. She channeled it to blow away the steam, revealing…
Nothing. Where did Leviathan go?
"It's circling behind us!" The assembled heroes and villains spun towards the shrill cry. It belonged to Skitter, who was staring at the buildings that lined the street. Her head slowly turned to track something unseen.
Her gaze reached a street corner.
Leviathan bounded into view, the tail enabling it to adjust course without losing speed. Its legs moved in a blur, outright sprinting faster than a car as it raced at the combatants —no, at Sundancer. The last three working eyes of the monster centered solely on her. People in its path went ignored. Attacks washed off without retaliation.
It swiped a hand, launching echoes of its claws. It swung the other, reinforcing with more of the same. The tail was next, contributing a horizontal line going from one side of the street to the other. Then, it restarted the combo, bringing forth a frenzied onslaught the likes of which they were completely unprepared for.
Facing this grinding, slicing storm of blades, Jane considered their options. Simulated the encounter. Calculated his moves. He…did not fancy those chances.
Go wide, go high, both futile. Block or dodge, they'd die. Retreat to nowhere, advance to nothing. Leviathan, that unstoppable beast, was going full-tilt in pursuit of one goal, for the girl by his side to perish.
It was looking like Leviathan would get its wish. This went beyond Jaune's capabilities to overcome. He'd break if he tried. Judging by the choked gurgle that escaped Sundancer's lips, she has arrived at a similar conclusion.
There existed a part of him, a nasty and ugly thing, that told Jaune he could therefore seek to save his own life. Give her up as a loss. Hunker down, roll into a ball. Make himself small. Trust in Aura to spare his hide. He'll get out alive. That voice crooned so enticingly, indeed.
There then arose another piece, that which encompassed the promise he swore, and it rebelled.
No. No! Like hell! Sundancer had stepped up when the occasion called, risking her life despite her doubts and fears. It's his turn to stand on that same line.
No sooner had he thought so, and put himself forward to protect his friend, did Jaune hear a steady thumping. The rhythm intensified, louder and louder as the barrage drew near. It grew to be the only sound in the world, this roaring heartbeat of his.
What might the sensation he's feeling be, the pulse of invigoration that set his body afire?
It's… familiar.
The first of the attacks struck, two claws on his shield, one passing over the rim to cut into his neck. Aura or no, he should have fallen dead from the sheer burst of damage concentrating on one point.
He should have, but for the light which lit him aglow. It radiated not from the faraway sun, seeming rather to emerge from within. Alongside it came an unshakable certainty. Right now, he could hold back the world if he needed to.
The blade of water cut into his neck. It stopped cold, failing to break skin.
And unlike that day in Forever Fall so long ago, he did not close his eyes. He did not let the fleeting moment slip away. Someone was counting on him still, so Jaune wrested hold of the power, willing the gates connecting him with that well of energy to stay open.
Using his shield, he batted aside the second set of claws. The force that had strained his arm now caved as it met an object too hard to overwhelm. The road crumbled beneath the heels of his feet as he pitted himself against the fake tail. A flurry of counters scattered the onrush of water blades that followed. The real tail speared Jaune in the chest. It knocked the breath out of him, and naught else. He has yet to retreat a single step, utterly immovable.
Leviathan itself slowed, then paused, as it arrived in front of Jaune, brought short by an unexpected deviation in the plan. It slapped down with an arm, and was soundly rebuffed. Next was a repeat, only harder. Nothing changed, so it fired a water-echo of a claw, then bolstered the attack by using the whole hand, moving on to an arm in a gradual escalation.
It seemed very, very confused, and Jaune laughed in its face as the clues lined up.
The thing could sense power, it must. That's how it knew he was supposed to be dealt with already. The attacks unleashed were more than adequate to turn a mere human to ribbons. And so, unable to fathom the presence of Aura, it gawked at the anomaly that withstood the blow when he should falter. Lived, when he should die. Here was a creature that defied reality, a thing incalculable to the great beast.
Though, he had his limits.
All too soon, the attacks progressed to the level where his peculiar state cannot fully compensate for the opposing force and leverage. Leviathan's long tail rose high, then dropped like an axe to crush him. Prepared as he was, with shield held in both hands, Jaune's knees buckled under the strain. He hardly recovered before a massive arm bashed his front, nearly making him crash into his charge. Wiping off the water in his eyes, Jaune looked up at the approaching Leviathan.
Yeah, asking him to hold out for much longer would be too tall an order. But then…
A sudden feeling of summer heat caused him to break out in a grin.
…he was never the star of the show. Just the distraction.
"Let him have it, Sunny Days."
Joyful laughter was her answer to him, as Sundancer did exactly that. Her star had navigated all obstacles, tracing a near circle to avoid hurting Jaune, and intense light bore down on him from the sun crossing the sky overhead. In a reversal of their tactics thus far, Sundancer took command, ordering him.
"Jaune…run fast."
Asking no questions, he scooped up the girl and booked it. Behind them, the burning star crashed down on Leviathan at a speed far faster than Sundancer had ever displayed, only possible now because she trusted her partner to survive. The orb connected with Leviathan's back, heat exerting a near physical force to press it to the ground. The beast went wild, thrashing as steam and smoke wafted from its skin, blending together in a spiral pattern. The veil of moisture that it secreted at a constant pace dried up in a flash. Water from the area drew to the beast, vanishing long before reaching Leviathan. The few waves that managed to form struck the sun, the buildings, the roads, anywhere and everywhere in a blind panic. Cautious, Jaune carried Sundancer further out of range from the frenzy before he dared to release her. Side by side, they watched in awe as the monster attempted to drag its sorry carcass towards, not them, but the ocean. Away.
Jaune and Sundancer both sensed it, the turning of the tide. Leviathan was hurting, pushed to the brink. The thing wanted out. Victory was at hand.
They've done it. She's done it!
Their hearts soared in triumph. The beginning of a cheer was ready to burst from their lips.
The elation withered as an object interposed itself between Leviathan and the pair. Lobbed in a gentle arc, it spun in a slow revolution, allowing them to observe the particulars of the object's design, a cylinder colored yellow with a blinking light at the end and buttons along one side.
It sort of looked like a bomb.
The object landed in the water with a splash, closer to Leviathan than them. There shortly followed a dull, muffled thump. Nothing happened for the briefest of moments.
Then, the surface bulged. Volumes of water became displaced. There ensued no explosions, no fire, only a formless pressure spreading out from the point of origin at a walking pace. Slow, deceptively so.
This mysterious effect surpassed a tipping point, and accelerated. The water around it was shoved away in an ever-expanding ring, rain bouncing off an invisible barrier as the asphalt underneath rumbled. The circle extended to Leviathan and induced a minor tremble along its body, the beast too heavy and dense to be much affected.
The phenomenon raced on. A roar reached Jaune's ears. No time to think, to question, he pulled Sundancer into a protective embrace. Pure impact struck them in the next instant, taking the pair clear off their feet.
The sun shining above the battlefield collapsed into nothingness.
Author's Notes: Whodunit? Whydunit?
I'm betting it's that Skitter person. She saw what looked like two riajuus walking hand in hand past her earlier and wanted them to explode.
A stranger came from distant lands to raise up a hero, the two fighting back-to-back, coming to rely on one another, each growing as a person and a partner, until—against all odds—they reach the point of victory… whereupon they ate a bomb to the face? Where are we, Worm? *Checks to see if this is in Worm* Yup, it's Worm.