"Alright!! Breaching wall in Three! Two! ONE!!" Foxtrot laughed and punched forward, shattering a section of the ice wall wide enough for his squad to push through. "You and you, stay here and make sure nothing gets out- let's do this, boys!!" A young man grinning with fire in his eyes signaled, and the soldiers surrounding him flooded forward, sweeping the street beyond.
Around the city, countless such cases, soldiers flooding the streets, weapons blazing and laughter spilling into the air. Children ran to the windows, hands flattening against glass, eyes lighting up as they watched the infected began to fall… and yet they had no idea, of the true spectacle about to unfold.
-
"Aerendyl, this is bad," a voice snapped into his earpiece. "A young dragon is infected in the forests near the city- outside the wall, but it's a flying one.
"Ouch, this is why you don't wander too far from mama. Where's mom?"
"Sending you the location now."
"Heard."
Tucking his wings, Aerendyl pivoted left and bolted away toward the side of a mountain, temporarily leaving the fires behind, pushing rain-slicked blonde curls out of his face. The world was naught but streaks of colors… until he snapped his wings open, descending with heavy beats on a forest clearing, twisting his face into a frown.
Before him, she stared back; a powerful thing, all rippling muscles and beady black eyes. Her jaw tight, wings tense, tail thrashing… she was grieving.
Taking a breath, Aerendyl landed silently, angled his head, and looked down at her massive, curved ebony claws.
"I'm… not, uh… I'm not very good at this," He whispered, throat tight, then cleared his throat and looked up as the dragon leaned down, nostrils flaring, her slitted pupils lacking the fire one might expect. The massive winged lizard spoke, then, and when she did, her voice was as the sands of a lost nation blowing away to reveal what once was.
"What is happening there?"
"Magic is killing and reanimating the bodies of those it takes." Aerendyl stated flatly, a shudder running through him like ice in his veins for only a moment as the mother narrowed her eyes.
"My child has not returned."
"I'm sorry."
For a moment, the two simply stared at one another in relative silence, rain pummeling them from above, and then the dragon slowly looked away.
"Please. Do not make me help you."
"I-I have to do it," Aerendyl winced, bravado gone for just a moment. "I've… I've lost people too. I'm sorry. I won't ask you to help."
"Have you… lost a child?" The dragon snorted, leaning closer still, bringing her muzzle mere centimeters from his face, then turning, so that they were eye to eye.
"No, but… parents. Lovers. Siblings." Aerendyl winced, nodding. "I… I'm sorry. I have to. Needed you to know."
Silence, for a moment.
The mother stared.
"You will not kill my son," The dragon whispered at last, voice thick with emotion. Quiet, sure, but even her soft tones stirred the breeze. "You will kill what thing uses his body- I will choose to believe that whatever magic sweeps the streets took him quickly. I will not intervene."
Aerendyl turned, then shuddered, stopping. Drew a slow breath. Tried to ignore the strange pricking feeling at the backs of his eyes.
"When my guide told me that your kid was infected, sent me your location, I… I was ready. I don't know what changed."
"You looked a mother in the eye and told her that her child was lost. Sometimes, the gravity of a situation does not reach you until its claws pierce your heart without warning." The dragon spoke as though explaining what the world was like before demons and angels arrived, with a weight that crushed the air from his lungs. "There is no dread in saving a city; but there is dread in delivering such news. You did not see it coming; good men often don't. Go- you have people to save, angel."
"I…"
"Go… and take a mother's blessing," The dragon whispered, voice breaking.
Sucking in a breath, Aerendyl nodded, unfolded his wings… and rocketed into the air.
The smiles could come just a bit later, he thought, glancing at his watch; apparently, he was closing in on the hatchling's location.
There. A glint of red on the forest floor, pacing erratically… Aerendyl tucked his wings and dived once again, closing his eyes for a moment, bracing.
No showmanship.
No grandeur.
This isn't pretty.
There's no audience.
With all the force he could muster, Aerendyl slammed into the hatchling, cratering the mud. Trees exploded outward, shattering in every direction as a cloud of dirt filled the air. None of that mattered, though; the dragon was snarling, neck snapped and yet still trying to bite.
"Careful Aerendyl!" The voice in his earpiece crowed. "One method of spreading is by bites and I don't think even you can take the full force of a dragon bite!" Maybe in another world, he quipped something like, 'Couldn't have told me that sooner'?, but this wasn't another world, and Aerendyl leapt out of the bite's range as the hatchling staggered to his feet, snarling, head hanging near his shoulder on a limp neck.
Scrambling forward like something straight from the far reaches of hell, the dragon lashed out too quickly for even Aerendyl to dodge- and so he caught the talon, wincing, drew back his fist and punched the thing in the chest, denting scales, but his fist slid off due to the rain. Again, shattering them and breaking flesh before another wild swipe forced him to stagger back.
The moment the archangel was clear, the hatchling beat its wings, strange, wet screams coming from its disjointed maw as it took off into the air, climbing.
"Shit," the blonde winced, rolled his shoulders and took off straight… but the hatchling pivoted, lashing out at him in passing, and Aerendyl grit his teeth, slowing down. I'm gonna need to be more careful… but if we get into the air, the city will see me. Us. This.
Slower, he took off again, dodging under a claw and grabbing the hatchling's shoulder, crunching, ripping, throwing one of its four legs to the wind. The dragon did not roar, did not cry out; just tried to bite uselessly as they sailed higher, closer to the city itself, over the icy wall.
Lights.
Gritting his teeth, Aerendyl beat his wings harder and ducked another bite, tearing another limb free.
Camera.
Turning, he began to push downward, taking the dragon's control of the flight away. White-knuckled, he grabbed the thing's broken, gored shoulder and the base of it's neck, starting to pull. For a moment, there was a strange sense of peace… and then Aerendyl pulled as hard as he could.
Action.
"PEOPLE OF MIR- YOU ARE SAVED!!!" Aerendyl screamed, voice carrying for miles as he rent the dragon in two and flung the pieces in opposite directions, listening to the burst of cheers and applause before; all smiles and hollowed chest. Below him, soldiers were already near; infected falling by the hundreds as angels, demons and humans laughed, confidently tearing up the masses and yanking civilians to safety. Sighing, still smiling, Aerendyl hovered there in the air, beating his wings comfortably. Feathers wet, hair lank, for a moment there was just the rain, the wind, the beating of his wings and the distant staccato of gunfire… and then Aerendyl let himself fall toward the street, closing his eyes.
-
"They're getting in!!" Somebody shouted as the barricade cracked; infected had been throwing themselves against the doors of the police station for what felt like hours… and finally, the doors shattered inward as the scared refugees cowered back, maybe ten? Twenty? Of them pouring in. Haru stood stricken for a half second as Fox started forward; too many of them- if even two or three were demons…
Did we cause this?
Does it matter?
I don't care if I'm just a lesser demon, Haru thought mindlessly, stepping forward, half-numb shock, slamming her fist through one of their heads, watching the body drop. Through another. More were swarming in; too many to count.
If I die here, and it didn't matter, then at least I tried, She monologued internally as another slammed against her, and she grabbed the thing's torso, ripping it in half and throwing the pieces at other infected, staggering forward.
Is this what I got summoned here for? To learn what a hard and bloody life is? Slamming her fist through the torso of another, then decapitating.
Is this- slamming her boot into the head of one Fox had thrown down, crushing its skull. Is that what life is supposed to be, here?
More, and more, and more infected, biting her; Fox screamed in agony as her hair was pulled, and Haru closed her eyes helplessly, a strange calm washing over her. It was as though time had stopped, and suddenly her thoughts were clear.
When I was summoned, I felt normal, weak; and now I can go for hours without stopping. I know I'm a demon. I am, a demon, not a human. I'm also going to make sure Fox doesn't die.
Grabbing the infected on her, Haru punched, kicked, ripped; moving faster, faster, faster, motions seeming almost to blue as she worked. Fox cannot die. Nobody else can die, I'm not a failure, I am going to save what's in front of me because if I don't, then who will-
Background noise faded as Haru remembered the dragon sailing with the helicopter in the distance. This is a world where something can look human, and have the strength to take down both of those things at once. I can do this, I can save these people, I can be as strong as that dragon- I've already broken the rules of this world. The rules of Starria, the rules of Aurelia-
"GET THE FUCK OFF OF US…!!!" Haru screamed, tears stinging at her eyes as from her mouth a jet of flame roared out swathing the door, half the infected mob, and setting the tip of Fox's tail on fire as she staggered back. Staggering forward, confused, Haru swiped out at the crowd of infected; Fox was backing up, toward the citizens, but she was going to kill the infected; I can. I can kill them, I can be like Aerendyl, I can be as strong as a dragon-
Her body felt disjointed, and wrong, and the arm that swiped next wasn't pale, it was green like emeralds. Regardless, Haru screamed, and again, fire spilled off her tongue, roasting the moving corpses as she staggered forward, still, screaming; one tried to slip past her, and she grabbed it, hand shredding painlessly, long talons exploding from her hand as she slammed it into the floor, crushing its bloated flesh.
What if the spores infect me-
How many have I breathed in-
No, they won't. If I'm infected, I can't save them, at least not yet,
Mind still foggy, Haru pushed forward; she couldn't fit through the doorway, so she broke it with a roar, craning her neck back to the sky and beating her wings- Wings-
"Woah!!!" A soldier, beneath her. Haru's head snapped down, and she opened her jaw to scream again… but no. It's a human.
"Dragon, are you friendly?! I repeat, are you friendly?!" The soldier backed up quickly, weapon raised, and Haru slowly nodded, rationale returning slowly. What happened to me-
"I am, friendly," She spoke, and her voice was not her own; deeper, like velvet and roses. "I… I saved as many as I could."
"Command I've got an unknown dragon near the police station, claims friendly, not attacking. No signs of hostility, just adrenaline. Please advise," The soldier spoke frantically, touching his ear as his squad, presumably, caught up, a handful of soldiers all watching Haru confusedly; Why am I so tall- am I- am I the dragon?
Her head swam, suddenly, and Haru took a step forward before exhaustion claimed her, slowly collapsing. Her eyes closed, unconscious before she hit the ground.
-
Fox jumped as Haru's tail thrashed, almost taking her ankles off- she was confused, staggering back and clutching at her wrist, pretty sure it was broken. Confused, alarmed, she watched as Haru began to decimate the infected in earnest, flames broiling from her maw… and, though every inch of her wanted to scream at Haru; Don't abandon me, don't leave, don't die-!! She turned and, with every ounce of self control she had, screamed at the cowering civilians.
"GET OUT OF HERE; WE NEED TO GET DEEPER INTO THE BUILDING, WHEN THEY GET CAUGHT ON FIRE THEY RELEASE SPORES- WE'LL A-ALL BE INFECTED!!" She screamed, tears bursting down her cheeks as she realized how many Haru must be breathing in- she had to get them deeper into the building. Thank the gods they listened, and together, Fox spilled out of the lobby with them, into another hallway, and kept going; she leveled a kick with an infected trying to crawl through the window and kept going, pushing into a room labeled as records, full of filing cabinets and the like. "Stay in here!!" She shouted, shaking her head, eyes wide, lingering in the doorway as the others poured in… and then she staggered back, looking down at the hardwood floors, swallowing.
Rain and wind poured in through a few shattered windows, and memories swam behind her eyes; all those years ago, the experiment, the white-haired person who'd saved her… going back won't fix anything though, will it girl? You're as powerless now as you were then- just be a good girl and wait for somebody to save you.
She looked up; one of the men in the room was beckoning for her to join them, and she shook her head.
"N-No, sorry- I… I have to get back out there. Gotta try."
What if it gets you infected, and you become one of them? Well, I don't want to be alive if I'm going to be alone again- go to her-
Her feet moved before her min followed, and Fox, clutching her wrist, staggered down the hallway and back into the lobby, looking around… the air seemed clear, though. Is it possible that Haru burned hot enough to get rid of the spores, too…?
"Haru," She called, looking around; desks, a waiting area with chairs broken, and bodies; bloated, bleeding bodies galore. The linoleum floor was like sludge under her, clinging to her boots, and the room itself flooded with a suffocating heat as she passed bodies and burn marks, wincing. Regardless, Fox hurried forward, stepping over them and pushing through the gaping hole in the wall where before there had been a front door- there, Haru lay naked in the grass, unmoving, surrounded by soldiers.
"Get away from her," Fox muttered, stumbling forward, eyes unfocused, and one of the soldiers raised his weapon toward her, raising a hand.
"This person is being taken into custody-"
"This person is a member of Wolfpack," Fox snapped. "-as am I? We report directly to Queen Aurum, so stand down if you value your freedom or your job." Her words felt alien, not her own- but they spilled naturally off her tongue nonetheless.
"I…"
"Just back off, take it up with your superior, tell them that Fox and Haru of Wolfpack did this," She muttered and stepped forward, mindless of the weapon, kneeling at Haru's hip, checking for a pulse, her ears folding back. Alive. "Haru, what the hell, how did you turn into a…?" the soldiers above her were talking, but she couldn't hear much of anything.
"Haru, wake up," she whispered and winced; her wrist was beginning to try and heal, scrapes sealing closed slowly. The badger girl was breathing, but nonetheless seemed far too deeply asleep to rouse. Sighing, ignoring the soldiers, Fox simply knelt, leaning forward and resting her forehead against Haru's shoulder as if she were praying. "Please, please wake up…"
After some time, one voice pierced the fog of her mind, for its familiarity.
"Hey."
When she looked up, she remembered helicopters being juggled; Aerendyl was there, smiling.
"A-Aerendyl, she- she turned into a dragon? She can't turn into a dragon,"
"I think I have an idea, but come on," He smiled warmly, still, and knelt, reaching out a hand. "I'll take you two somewhere safe you can rest, okay? Contracted Arms is here, nobody has to suffer anymore."
"What about all the people who've died…?" Fox whispered, blinking slowly. "Their families…?"
"We've done all we can. I want to take you and Haru home to rest-"
"Aerendyl!! Aerendyl, Contracted Arms director of Ravenwood!" Another voice, and Fox's head snapped up; there was a reporter pushing through the soldiers unabashedly, cameramen at her left and right. "Are we safe?! Has the infection been contained?"
"Eh?" The angel blinked, folding his wings slowly at his back. "Yes, the infection has been contained."
"Are the reports of an unregistered dragon true?!" The reporter insisted as a soldier tried to get in her way, holding up a hand.
"They are not," Aerendyl shook his head, crossing his arms. "What has happened here is an unfortunate attack; and I need to do more investigation before I speak to a cause or a source. The last thing I want is to point blame where I ought not to."
"Aerendyl, if you had to guess, who has committed this attack?!" The reporter asked again, urgently; slowly, more citizens were coming to street level, curious; Fox took off her Bulletproof vest and then jacket, leaving only her tank top as she slapped the former two onto Haru, hiding her form as best she could.
"I won't guess, now no further questions please. We'll make an official statement when more has come to light," Aerendyl repeated, and the reporter open ed her mouth, trying to ask something else before the Contracted Arms soldiers ushered her back.
"Please," Aerendyl whispered a moment later, kneeling down beside Fox. "Let me take you and Haru back to your base. Let my men take care of putting things back in order as best we can."
"Haru…"
"You have nothing to worry about," Aerendyl reassured her, nodding. "No labs, no arrest. Due process though; that's having me put you two in chains for questioning. Let me get you out of here, because anybody else might not."
"O-Okay, swear," Fox muttered, drawing a sharp breath. "How did she-"
"I have an idea of how, but let me explain in a bit," Aerendyl hummed, and suddenly Fox's world spun; she was over one of his shoulders, and a second later Haru was on the other, to her left. Another moment, and Fox gasped as the entire world spun; one moment she was surrounded by curious, frightened citizens and soldiers, the next there was clouds, sky, and breathing felt a whole lot harder.
"Aerendyl- wait-!" She called, but he didn't stop, sailing through the air fast, bolting along under the cloud cover.
"Don't worry, I'll go right back for the others! You can trust me, I'm the good guy."
For a time, Fox fell silent, defeated, letting her eyes fall closed, head spinning. Alexei, and everything else…
His vision swam behind her eyes, and her brow furrowed just a bit, the base of her tail twitching, the rest of it dragged along by the wind. Dark hair and clear blue eyes; impossibly tall and statuesque. It was his fault- all his- what was his name again? He'd brought Alexander, and then…
"Alexander is still at the Abasaba office," Fox called, sighing. "There's a complex underneath it. Live in for the employees."
"Think I heard you! Abasaba office basement complex!? Alexander there?! I'll send people! Incoming!!" Before Fox could ask what he meant, there was a wing wrapped around her and they began to spin with dizzying force, ripping the air from her lungs- for all of a few seconds, Fox saw stars, and then suddenly she was sitting on the cobbled walls of the castle with Haru, wrapped up in Fox's jacket, half on her lap.
"I have to go," Aerendyl muttered, stepping back.
"Wait, you said you'd explain-!"
"Uh, yeah- later, I'll be back!" Aerendyl nodded and dived off the side of the wall, suddenly gone.
"Ugh, you fu-" Fox started, then winced, trailing off as pain exploded behind her eyes, suddenly gagging; she'd adjusted to the air, and suddenly felt as if the air was attacking her violently, wheezing, vision swimming.
"Hey- HEY-!!" A voice, behind her, and suddenly Fox was lifted by a brunette woman; Cobalt, and there was Lif holding Haru, both of them being carried inside.
"To medical!" Lif shouted, the voice barely reaching her ears with how the world spun. "The little one has a broken wrist, for certain. Make haste."
"Going!" Cobalt snapped. "Cecil, Aurelia, get out of our way, we need to get them checked over, Aerendyl brought them back."
"Aurelia, Cecil…" Fox muttered, head bobbing, fighting to hold onto consciousness.
With a blink, the world shifted; she was lying in bed with Haru, all thick sheets and warmth… for just a moment, it was as though everything might have been a bad dream. For a long while, she stared at the ceiling, dizzy, tired… when she tried to flex her fingers, it was easy to do so. No breaks, no pain… slowly, she sat up, wincing and looking down. Haru slept peacefully, hugging her waist, clothed in simple sweatpants and a tank top… how long was I out?
The clock on the wall read at just past eight in the morning, and Fox grit her teeth, sitting up fully and stretching, groaning. Again, she looked down at Haru, swallowing; safe. Fine. The dragon thing… I sound crazy. Was it all some stress induced hallucination?
I should wake her up. Kiss her. Eat her ass I dunno. Those urges and more came to mind, but all overpowered by a need to take care of her- and right now, that means letting her ass rest.
Wincing, Fox walked out into the hall, some of the ache returning to her legs as she looked around; empty. To the gym, maybe?
Empty as well. Sighing, Fox looked down at herself; ratty hair, she was a mess. Could use a shower… answers first.
Continuing on, she eventually found her way to the cafeteria, where Ica was picking at a plate of food, alone. "Ica, you okay?"
"Nnh…" He turned and looked up, nodding, swallowing. "We're still waiting on Starria to make an official announcement. You doing okay?"
"Y-Yeah, but about what?" Fox winced, stepping forward and sitting down, shivering, cold; she wore the same tank top and sweats as Haru; Who dressed me?
"Mir has made an official statement globally, offering their sincerest apologies for any suspicion cast on Starria for the recent events. They've recommitted to hunting down the Elevated within Mir and driving them out. Starria hasn't responded though."
"Shit…"
"Yeah."
"Hey- back in the city, Haru-"
"Turned into a big-ass dragon and went on a rampage, killing swarms of infected and leaving a lot of people very confused?"
"Y-Yeah- that's not- she can't-"
"I still have this," Ica cut her off, sliding a printed report to Fox across the table and sighing. "We ran her blood in medical."
Fox swallowed her spit and looked down, ears swiveling forward curiously.
Note: The magic can be wrong, and should not be taken at greater than 83% believability.
Rating: Greater Demon
Magic Abilities:
*Enhanced Body
*Expanding Skin: Skin is magically reinforced to stretch as needed. As such, non-enchanted blades/weaponry will certainly be unable/struggle to pierce skin.
*Enhanced Healing
*Immunity to airborne pathogens
*???: Transformative properties (Unclear)
Suggested Units for put-down: archdemon/archangel squad
Suggested Gear for Put Down: archdemon/archangel squad
"it's different…" Fox whispered, angling her head. "Transformative properties, unclear…?"
"Well," Ica sighed, nodding. "You're not from this world, so I guess it wouldn't make sense to you. In this world, powers are decided by what you believe; when there's no ego and no audience. Nobody can just magically start believing they can kill gods, you have to know it deep in the bottom of your heart."
"So Haru…"
"I don't know what ran through her head," The twink sighed, picking at his soggy lasagna and swallowing. "All I can tell you for sure is that in that moment Haru knew she was going to become something capable of saving you and everyone else around her. Whatever her soul did to her came after."
"So she can just awaken new powers on the fly…?"
"Who knows what drawbacks or conditions there are, but… yeah. She didn't just say oh, I can turn into a dragon now; she knew deep down that no matter what it took, she was about to become something that can save you. I'm sorry, but I dunno more- maybe she can turn into anything, maybe just dragons, I don't know."
"Mn…" Fox nodded, swallowing. "That… ugh… I need more sleep…"
"Nah you need a shower, stank-ass Fox," Ica snorted, smirking. "Sorry, bad joke. The others are all back by the way. Even Aurelia and Cecil."
"Mn… I'm gonna go shower… should we be worried about the thing with Starria…?"
"I think so," Ica admitted, swallowing and setting his fork down. "Their whole ideology is trusting nothing that isn't human; I bet they're locked in debates right now. All of this; it's an example for them."
"What do you mean," Fox asked, something in her chest tightening.
"I mean that magic is beautiful, and inclusion is right; it's not about one of us being better, it's about the world being what it is. It's not our place to change that, and angels, demons, magic, elves; they create as much beauty as they do terror. Starria, though… they see us as messy, dangerous, and unpredictable. We see the good and the bad- but they only see the bad. I fear they'll use this, as a means of attack."
"Mn…" Fox nodded, swallowing again. "What happens if they attack?"
"They wouldn't stand a chance against us," Ica chuckled, but there was no mirth in his voice. "Even so, millions could die. Maybe more. Even if we'd win, I don't want to speak in favor of genocide. As a basically-gay dude from Starria, I understand oppression well enough to know what could happen if we occupy them…"
"Mn… well, let's hope they can use their heads," Fox muttered, rubbing her arm. "I'm gonna go check on Haru, then shower."
"Sounds good. Even Charlotte seems to still be sleeping. We all need rest," Ica agreed, sighing.
"The city we left behind," Fox began, trailing off and looking down.
"Thousands dead. Contracted arms saved the day. Picked up the pieces. We got enough evidence to put all of Abasaba behind bars and out of business. To declare The Giant an international wanted man. Maybe, to end the war with Starria. I know it's not the beautiful victory lap we'd want, but… something about yin yang, I'm too tired for poetic shit. Go shower."
"Copy that," Fox agreed, sighing.