Crown-Guards advanced again, tightening around them. Solace stepped beside Arlenna without looking, "Back-to-back?" Arlenna said, smirking. Solace cracked her neck. "Let's move."They snapped into position, far enough away from each other so solace didn't feel uncomfortable, their blades and fists were ready. A guard charged and Arlenna spun to meet him as Solace dropped low and rolled backward beneath her legs. Arlenna vaulted forward in the same breath, flipping into a deadly lunge, her blade spearing through the guard's shoulder joint and dropping him instantly. Solace popped up from her roll and back-kicked a guard behind her without taking her eyes off Arlenna. Another Crown Guard rushed in from behind the one Arlenna had just dropped. Solace planted her foot and vaulted back over Arlenna, bursting upward before crashing down with a dense-form right straight to his jaw that folded him into the ground on impact. They switched places seamlessly, Arlenna ducked as Solace kicked over her shoulder. Arlenna spun and sliced a knee joint while Solace swept two legs out from under another guard, the exchange flawless and effortless, pure instinct between them.
"Thiago's doing good?" Arlenna asked between breaths. "He better be," Solace snapped, elbowing a Crown-Guard in the throat. "What's the escape plan?" Arlenna said. "You are leaving," Solace said, catching two staffs at once, iron ringing as the blows crossed in her grip. She twisted, stepped in, and used their own momentum to throw them both aside then snapped her gaze skyward. "But first," she added, lifting her chin and pointing, "you're taking out that." A massive Dopo airship was cutting through the sky, Its bulk erased the sky as it advanced, reinforced hull plates flashing through the ash-choked air. Cannons rotated slowly into position like it was waking up, and it was coming in fast. "Can you do that?" Solace asked. "Don't disrespect me," Arlenna cut in, glancing over her shoulder. "Does that airship have cannons?" "I think so," Solace said, voice steady. I'm going to get you up there. You're going to bring it down." Arlenna put the sword in her right hand away back on her left hip she kept her other sword tight in her left hand. The one that looked as if it had just been forged, pristine and untouched despite everything it had been through.
Solace seized Arlenna's right hand with both of hers and planted her feet, density flooding her muscles. Then she jumped, a sharp upward burst to meet Arlenna's height, and at the peak she threw her hands up, launching Arlenna skyward in one brutal, explosive pull. Arlenna surged past the first Dopo airship, where Crown-Guard bodies were already leaping from the deck. She stabilized herself in open air, boots finding balance where nothing should have held her. She took one breath in, slowly, The battlefield disappeared beneath her as her focus narrowed to a single, approaching shape. When her eyes locked onto the incoming ship, it was like time thinned. She raised her blade high above her head, both hands steady on the hilt and two voices became one "Dragons tail."
Her sword came down like a hammer as she carved a brutal downward slash through the air, cutting from high to low in one devastating line. A tall, red arc of friction and pressure tore forward. The air itself split, for a heartbeat, the slash sat embedded in the ship's frame, the impact frozen. Then the hull screamed, the damage catching up all at once. Crown Guard tore themselves from the decks, leaping into open air as the vessel came apart beneath their feet. Some jumped with weapons still in hand, others with nothing but instinct, bodies tumbling end over end through smoke. Ropes snapped, railings ripped free and boots skidded across tilting metal before vanishing. The airship split fully then, its two halves drifting. Decks collapsed inward, Cannons tore loose from their mounts and spun away. Great slabs of reinforced hull broke free and began their long, thunderous fall. Metal struck stone with the sound of a collapsing mountain, shockwaves rippling outward as shattered plating and burning fragments rained down. Smoke billowed upward, swallowing screams, and light. Above it all, the broken airship continued to fall apart, piece by piece, but Arlenna was not finished.
As she began her descent, her free hand snapped to her hip. She tore her second sword free and let herself fall headfirst, body aligned, and eyes locked on the heart of the first airship below. Solace's throw had been perfect, so Arlenna did not fight the drop. With both blades raised high and crossed above her head in an X, she drove straight down in a devastating vertical line, spinning as she descended, weight and will aligned into a single, unstoppable force. Her shoulders locked, spine braced, and legs snapping into lethal alignment, every part of her surrendered to the strike. Gravity was no longer in control, her northern physical augmentation answered the call, magnifying the plunge until the air itself seemed to buckle. She was no longer a warrior in motion, she was impact incarnate, a living meteor carving a line from sky to earth.
Arlenna slammed into the top of the airship and it ruptured. Reinforced decks screamed as they split apart, iron bones snapping like kindling. A colossal wound was torn through the top of the vessel, metal folding inward, girders twisting and collapsing-as Arlenna drove straight through its spine. Crown-Guards were ripped from their posts, and flung helplessly. They vanished into roiling smoke and fire before crashing down into the arena below, a rain of bodies, shattered armor, and torn banners. The skyship reeled, twisted, and then crashed into the arena stands with a thunderous roar. Seats shattered, pillars toppled, and a tidal wave of smoke and debris surged outward. Solace lunged in from the left, lightening herself to soften the fall while sweeping her over her shoulder. She intercepted her mere moments before she would have struck the ground, transforming a potentially catastrophic impact into a breathtaking display of strength and precision. More boots hit the arena floor, new ones. Two men strode into the arena in black armor, and their look hit instantly.
Black tactical vests built for movement, a deep red patch stitched across the chest and back, MAJOR-CRIMES printed across it in bold white letters. A white DOPO patch sat on the left shoulder. A red Northern stripe on the right shoulder, the mountain insignia stamped cleanly in the corner. Their gloves were marked with red accents for grip, their black boots bore subtle lines of the same color, and light, flexible armor plates sat beneath each vest. Their weapons weren't standard issue, they had compact shock batons with red-wrapped grips, shift-blades holstered flat against the thigh. They weren't bulky like Crown Guard, and where Crown Guard marched, Major-Crimes stalked.The moment they appeared, the Crown Guard shifted, sliding aside, widening space. Their posture flipped to support, every visor turning toward the new arrivals. These two were the real authority, Arlenna saw the change instantly, and frowned.
"...Those don't look like regular DOPO." Solace's head snapped toward her. "What does that mean?" She didn't get to finish, the Major-Crimes detectives picked up speed, cutting straight through the scattered guards.
Solace grabbed Arlenna's wrist. "No time, go." Before Arlenna could argue, Solace turned heavy density and launched her over the escape wall, hard. Arlenna flipped midair, eyes wide. "Solace!" Thiago saw her coming, sprinted under her, and expanded a flat shield beneath her boots, letting her land safely. She stumbled once, caught herself, and was breathing hard. He blinked at her, confused. "Why'd she throw you?" Arlenna pointed back at the arena.
"Two DOPO just walked in, they're... different." Thiago froze, his expression changing immediately. "Different how? What'd the vests say?" "I didn't get a good look," Arlenna said. "Something about Crimes... something?" Thiago's face went pale. "MAJOR-CRIMES." He took two steps backward toward the arena. "No. No, no, she can't fight them alone, we have to—" Arlenna grabbed his arm. "Thiago stop, she threw us for a reason," Arlenna said firmly. "We get the kids out first, we can figure out the rest later." Thiago stood there, torn, but he nodded. Arlenna started toward the children, but she looked back at him. "Why are you acting weird? You said Major-Crimes like it meant death."He ran a hand over his face, exhaling through his teeth. "Because MAJOR-CRIMES DOPO don't show up unless it's getting serious," he muttered. "And if Solace is fighting them alone..." Thiago inhaled sharply, thinking fast.
"Arlenna, DOPO isn't just guards. The DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC ORDER is a whole Government agency with three levels."
He held up one finger. "Level One, Department Of Public Order Regional Authority, the base. Everything inside the kingdom, like Kingdom-Guard, Crown-Guard, Tactical teams, and all the usual units that keep streets from boiling over, to—" He pointed in the direction the two men had come from. "—Major-Crimes." Arlenna's brows pinched. "Hold up, are they the ones who can just… leave the kingdom?" "Yes," Thiago said. "They can, but they don't always. Most Level One are still jurisdiction-bound unless the situation justifies it." "So who else can?" she asked, confused. "Cross-Kingdom Task Force can," he said. "Response and Mediation Corps can, and major Crimes can, too. They're all Level One, same tier, different jurisdiction." "Then who's in charge?" she asked. "Depends on the case, Cross-Kingdom task force for anything that spills across FLEX Zones. Major-Crimes when a case demands higher oversight. If a Tactical team is deployed, Major-Crimes leads the operation, though their primary role is conducting evaluations when they believe a situation already is, or may escalate into, a high-level case within a FLEX Zone. Oh and Response and Mediation Corps handle scene de-escalation, and prevent conflicts from turning into massacres, with the authority to call in medics, and heavy support units when situations escalate."
He raised a second finger. "Level Two, DOPO Continental Directorate, Now this is where it gets serious. Bureau Agents can't leave the continent, but inside it, they outrank everyone. Level Two deploys a whole menu of special agents, Special Operations, and purpose-built teams like Reapers Ops. Reapers Ops is a Special Operations Unit inside Level Two. Within that one unit, it has two wings. Opposition, Owls, the Menders who keep DOPO alive and casualties at zero, and Operatives, Crows, the killers who erase the problem so it never becomes a story. Arlenna swallowed. "So Crown-Guard isn't even that?" "Not really," Thiago said. "Crown Guard can be dangerous, but it genuinely depends on who they're protecting. Some are only a step above Kingdom Guard, just trained sharper. But if they're assigned to someone the world can't afford to lose… those guards can be monsters. Major-Crimes, Cross-Kingdom Task Force, and Bureau Agents? They're a whole different class." He lifted a third finger. "Level Three, Pan-Continental Authority." Arlenna nodded once. "That's the top. The people who can walk into any continent and be obeyed?" Thiago adjusted the straps on his pouch. "Yeah," he said. "But there's no point going into details, if we ever see them..." He gave a humorless half-laugh. "We're probably already dead, nobody fights Level Three, you survive them, or you don't." Arlenna nodded slowly, the weight of his words sinking in. She turned toward the children, urging them forward.
Inside the arena, the two Major-Crimes Detectives went still, their attention sharpening in perfect sync. The Pinpoint tags around their necks listed the same details, continent marked as Northern born, genus recorded as H. sapien, species as hume. Only the names differed, one read Kantor Marcin, the other Duvek Joel. Joel stood like a boulder planted in the sand. Six-three, broad-shouldered, all heavy muscle built for delivering hits rather than tanking them. His skin was pale against the harsh arena light, and his short blonde hair looked like he'd run a hand through it sometime this morning and never bothered again. His blue eyes didn't miss much, even if he pretended not to care. Next to him, Marcin was the contrast. Slightly shorter at six feet, Dim-skinned, dark-haired, and built for speed. His frame was toned instead of bulky, but still powerful. His dark brown eyes were sharper, more calculating, the kind that tried tracking movement before it even happened.
They exchanged a glance. "I'll go after her," Marcin said. He crouched once and launched himself toward Arlenna, crossing half the arena in a single leap. Solace shot upward at the same moment, light as a feather. She caught Marcin by the ankle mid-air, and his eyes widened. "What the—" Solace twisted her body and whipped him back toward Joel. Marcin hit the floor feet first, rolled once, then pushed himself up in one smooth motion. He dusted off his vest with aggressive swipes, clearly annoyed, then pulled a brush from his pocket and brushed his waves back into place, muttering under his breath. He straightened fully and turned around. "Major-Crimes Detective, Stand down," Marcin called."Or don't," Joel added. "Makes no difference." Solace dropped back into a fighting stance, her eyes sharp."Stand down?" she snapped. "Tell me you believe these kids deserved this, I dare you." Joel folded his arms. "If they're in chains, there was a reason. We don't waste time questioning what's already been judged," he said. Marcin's eyes flicked toward Joel. It was just a small look, but enough to show the line didn't sit right with him. Something uncomfortable moved through him. Solace saw it instantly. "It doesn't matter what they did."
Her voice was quiet, but her anger wasn't. "They don't deserve to be in chains." Joel stepped forward, cracking his knuckles lazily. Solace continued, "Since when did protecting the powerful matter more than protecting the helpless?" Marcin adjusted his vest, and two of them squared up with solace. Marcin darted in on quick feet, his body blurred, momentum snapping through his limbs as he shifted angles faster than most eyes could track. Joel followed with a sharp advance, his first punch slammed against Solace's guard. Solace absorbed the impact, adjusting her density, grounding herself. Joel moved again, Low kick. Elbow. Knee. Marcin circled behind her, waiting to lock her down. Solace didn't give him the chance, She spun toward him first, snapping a punch at his head. Marcin reacted instantly, crossing his forearms just in time. Her strike hit solid, too solid, shaking through her knuckles but barely budging him. He countered immediately, dipping low and driving a short, explosive strike into her ribs. Solace braced, density flaring through her side, absorbing the worst of it. The blow still sent her sliding back across the sand, Marcin didn't wait.
He blurred again, closing the distance with a spinning elbow. She ducked under it and kicked his right leg up behind him. When both of his feet planted, they locked into the ground like stone, Solace realized, and she couldn't let him stabilize. She was already too tired to fight that kind of weight properly, especially in a two-on-one. "Not happening." Solace said. Marcin recovered instantly, slipping behind Joel at the perfect angle, ready to chain their attacks. "You're already questioning this." Solace said. Marcin reset his stance."I'm not questioning anything," then he stepped in again, committed. That was when Solace moved. She snapped into light-density and shot toward Marcin, feet barely touching the ground. At the last second she cut her weight even further, then launched upward, a clean, sudden jump that stole her out of his reach.
She drove her heel into the sand with a loud boom that rippled through the ground. The arena floor buckled under Marcin, slumping and tearing open as it gave way. He couldn't stabilize, the ground wouldn't support it, and his footing collapsed from under him. Solace landed beside him and drove a heavy density punch straight into his jaw, Marcin's head snapped sideways. Before he could reset, she grabbed his vest with both hands, turned heavy density again, and threw him into the broken stone, Marcin was knocked out. Only then did Solace lift her head toward Joel and saw his eyes were wide. Joel snarled and rushed her with a fast, dangerous combo, jab, cross, hook. Solace slipped the jab, dropped beneath the cross, then snapped into a backward flip as the hook tore past where her head had been, her heels skimming his forearm before she landed.
He stepped in hard, driving a brutal liver shot, then followed with a rising uppercut meant to take her head off. The punch rocketed upward as Solace snapped back a step, missing her by inches, then spun around his arm and slipped behind him before he could reset. Joel spun instantly, sand kicking under his boots, chest heaving, fists high. Solace was already ten steps away, light on her feet, steadying her breath. She glanced back. "Nice form, you hit hard." She shook her head. "But I'm not staying here." Joel planted himself, ready to chase, but he couldn't. Marcin was out cold, and his raw strength couldn't keep up with her speed. Solace brought her pointer, middle finger, and thumb together. Kissed them dramatically, then flicked her hand toward the sky, the Pinnacle Kiss. Only then did she turn light density, the sand exploded beneath her as she launched upward, clearing the arena wall in a single jump, gone in an instant. By nightfall, whispers crossed kingdoms, bouncing between airship docks, train yards, and campfires. The day Solace defied the arena, the crown, and two Major Crimes Detectives became known as The Matriarch Ascension.