*
*BooOOm!! *
A thunderous roar sweeps past the vicinity, leaving a wave of cries and screams in its wake. The crackle of electric fires soar into the winds, blending into the backdrop of chaos and despair. People run and people fall. Civilians scatter with no regard for their surroundings, after all how could they? Their lives were in danger. The evacuation efforts halted here, the vehicle transports were blown up. The cause? No need to guess.
Traces. There are two types within every residential zone at the moment. Just as the planetary military was holding back the main force of the fodder infantry Traces, the C grade vampire types, the vampires were also holding off the drones firing at them to protect the stragglers. They were in a stand still then, and now there was nothing left but craters at almost every school.
The world government was right. Keeping the civilians in their homes had maximised survival rates. After all, the missiles sentby Ledaine had targeted the schools. They leave nothing but a crater, the military units perched atop those scrapers... Left nothing but ashes in the skies. The citizens have suffered a minimum of 20% casualty rates, but the military... Had lost the bulk of their people due to those bombs. High command remain in their cushy chairs back at headquarters, and naturally the ones that died weren't all they had. War couldn't be fought just on soldiers, it required food, technology, transport, logistics, motivation.
However that was the state of the soldiers on site. Those in the vicinity, those with the immediate power to help the common people. They were all gone. Now the evacuation transports got attacked, a sizable number of vampires also got wiped out by the bomb, but they weren't at the epicentre of the missile assaults. Their main army was injured or maimed by the bomb, the stragglers were completely fine.
That was the thing, the bombs didn't have enough power to penetrate more than a hundred kilometres. It disintegrated the school buildings and the most sizable forces of the government, but it wouldn't inflict any more casualties on the innocent. That is where the vampire stragglers come in, they were far more fearsome than any bomb. They entered houses, slaughtered, and left. Their leader's presence branded their souls with fear, they no longer lounged to enjoy their prey. The oh so weak humans, destined to merely become their playthings, now stood less of a chance to survive.
Slaughter, observe, move on. The cycle repeats without end, until...
"{Deluxe drive disdain}!!" (Aluemia)
Black spirals fly across the air, faithfully finding their way to their targets. They bore into flesh with nary a squelch, exploding out of the other side at hypersonic speeds. They blew out the brains of these vampire Traces. Even with the grade difference between C and D, her projectiles are still too fast for the Traces to react. After all what use is a gun if the opponent could dodge the bullets?
A few bodies dropped to the ground, but vampires are like locusts. Killing 3 won't do much, the rest will soon swarm.
One gets close from the side, but Baron arrives to intercept it. Her sword is broad at the core and thin towards the tip, it carves out flesh using the vampire's own momentum against it.
"{Feather of cherishment}." (Baron)
She swiftly pulls her sword out, dropping the body on the ground. Another vampire drops from above, bring an overhead swing. With their comparatively lower strength, that swing would have cut through them defences and all. However the last member was different. Swinging her gauntlet, she couldn't kill the vampire like the other two could, but she wouldn't die from such an attack either.
" {Eve in doubt}." (Ernesti)
Her black leggings and inner wear clung tight to her skin as her white vest and skirt fluttered. Her hair swims through the gale produced from the collision, her skill aids in her defence. The vampire felt like they had swung at a large rock, arms growing numb. Another black spiral flies past, leaving a hole in its head.
"... I know this isn't the time, but thank you. Let's draw their attention away from here then lose them." (Aluemia)
She wasn't quite sure if all the headshots had actually killed the vampires. The only sure method to disposed of these enemies was through burning them with fire. That's why they were carrying around liquid combustables earlier. They no longer had such a luxury, they ran here as fast as possible to save people. If it was one on one, there was a high chance they would lose to these vampires. That was the sheer disparity in grade designations. An 80% loss rate.
"That's rather low. Even lower now that we're together. Don't worry Aluemia, just trust in us." (Baron)
"You got that right. No one is getting close to you now, so fire to your hearts content." (Ernesti)
For a moment, she stared at their backs dumbfounded. Their glossy hair swept by the raging urban winds in the dimming twilight. A speckled fo sunlight penetrates the fortress of clouds, licking a sliver onto her debris freckled face. She regains her composure promptly, her mind flying past high speeds to formulate the next course of action. Her teammates are counting on her. That was reason enough to start moving.
"... Team, adopt mobile column manuevre tactics. Just like we practiced, I am 'railgun'." (Aluemia)
She hops backwards and a vampire strikes the earth in front of her. As a matter of fact, these vampires don't resemble those depicted in media, they don't wear gaudish black velvety cloaks or white frilly ruffle blouses. They are primary clothed in dark grey, resembling the concrete coating the base layer. Needless to say, they prioritised camouflage like a modern army. The ground rumbles under the strain, bare of contact with her delicate hops.
Baron and Ernesti fill the gap, placing their bodies in front of her. They put their lives in her hands, it's a heavy weight she quickly grew sick of enduring, but there isn't much choice if she wants to fight. The alternative was to run with her tail tucked between her legs. She presses her hands together, letting go a myriad of black spikes materialise between her palms.