Nicole walked the streets, with everybody around her laughing and chattering. It was bright, with the sun shining down, and Nicole took in a breath of air.
The air in Neverstien was much better than the air outside, thanks to the filters all around the city. Some devices helped make the seasons more bearable.
Nicole sighed and twirled around.
She always loved these times, when she was surrounded by people and the sky was blue. Everything was so lively, and there was hope lingering in the air. It felt like anything could happen, where random people could fall in love or win a lottery. Nicole just wanted to stay like this, exploring all the new places of Neverstien she hadn’t visited yet.
Still, she had a job to do.
Nicole touched the earpiece, switching it on. “How much longer?”
“Not much,” was the reply. She heard the sound of keyboards clacking. “He should be here in about 5 minutes.”
Nicole nodded. “Good. Did you get a scan yet?”
“Yes. We’ll direct you. Also, Brisingr is coming to help.”
Nicole stopped moving. Brisingr? As in-her? No way, that’s impossible! But what if it’s true? Nicole wondered.
“Are you sure?” she checked, not wanting to get her hopes up.
“Her signature exactly matches, and she reported herself. She’s eager to see you again.”
Nicole grinned. “Not as eager as I am to see her.”
Leaning against the lamp post, Nicole scanned the area for Cynthia. Finally, she found her sitting inside a cafe and chatting animatedly with a waiter.
Shaking her head in amusement, Nicole opened the door and made her way over.
“Hey, Cynthia. It’s time.”
Cynthia turned. Cynthia was quite an alluring person, a white-haired girl with huge emerald eyes and a petite figure, and Nicole wanted her to enjoy this. Heavens knows how much she needs some romance in her life. Unfortunately, time was a-wasting, and Cynthia was required for the following events.
Cynthia smiled a smile that could make even the coldest of people give away. “Oh, that’s no worries! Here, let me just pay.” Cynthia handed the waiter some money and exited quickly.
“Woah, what's with the rush?” Nicole asked.
“He gave me his phone number!” Cynthia squealed, vibrating in excitement.
“Calm down, Cynt-wait, what?!” Nicole frowned. “Looks like I’ve got to teach somebody a lesson.”
Cynthia panicked. “No, wait! Nicole, don’t!” She wrapped her arms around Nicole’s back, trying to get her to stop.
“Cynthia, stop!” Nicole shrieked, embarrassed as people began to look at them. She burrowed her red face into her arms.
“Are those girls a couple?” somebody asked.
“Oh yeah, it sure seems like it!”
Nicole sighed. “Look at what you did,” she reprimanded Cynthia as people began crowding around them. “Now they’re going to think we’re dating!”
Cynthia frowned, letting go to put her hands on her hip. “Is that a problem?” Her eyes promised pain if she said yes.
Nicole sweat-dropped, backing away. “No, no!” Geez, she thought. This girl is the paragon of a demon with the face of an angel.
“Anyway, how much longer down you think it’ll take?” Cynthia asked.
“I-“
“Alert, alert, all civilians. Mystery Quake warning. Mystery Quake warning.” The sound of the all too familiar alarm told the answer.
“Welp, never mind,” Cynthia said as everybody around them began to panic, running away.
There were hundreds of designated safe spots all over the city, structures that popped up and then slid into the ground until the disaster was over. All the billboards in the city, big or small, shifted to maps of the city and arrows pointing to the nearest safe spot.
The first signs of the Mystery Quake began to form, a spark in midair. Nicole nudged Cynthia, drawing her attention to it.
Cynthia nodded. “I got it.” She began rubbing her hands together, getting ready. Nicole took a step back.
Although the city did its best to help the people, some people were bound to be left behind. And unfortunately, if people saw what was causing these Mystery Quakes, then chaos would ensure.
Maybe it was heartless, but it was safer than having people running around panicked while everything was happening.
White energy began wrapping around the entirety of Cynthia’s white arm. She stood still with her eyes closed as power began to fill her up.
The spark became larger, turning in what resembled a miniature black hole. Nicole frowned, electricity starting to crackle off her body.
“Look’s like it’s game time,” Nicole said, pulling out a small handle. Pressing a button, the handle slid out a full battle-ax. Nicole held it with both hands, preparing to fight.
“He’s coming through!” the voice over their intercoms announced.
The black hole pulsated and burst out, revealing a huge figure in the wake of its destruction.
At the same time, Cynthia snapped her eyes open, revealing they were completely white, pupil and everything. With more and more power forming around her arm, Cynthia began.
“Eons-“
Cynthia shifted her stance, pulling back her left arm.
“Beyond-“
The white power acted as a pseudo rocket launcher, ready to add more oomph to her punch.
“Past!”
Cynthia punched and the result was an overwhelming white beam shooting out of her hand.
It smacked the figure straight on its chest, and a white area spread outward. Nicole shivered at the feeling around her, as everybody came to a standstill.
Eons Beyond Past.
Cynthia’s ultimate power, the pinnacle of all her training. An ability she could use to stop time in any designated area. Curiously enough, for the people outside the area, it seems like time sped up instead, shortening whatever happened in the area into a split second.
Cynthia could also anchor this area onto anybody, so when this person lost consciousness, the time barrier would fall as well.
In this circumstance, the person was the monster before them.
“Okay, what are we dealing with here?” Nicole asked.
“Hmm, we’re checking,”
The monster roared, showing off his bulging muscles. He wore wrist gauntlets and a pair of pants, nothing more, nothing less. He had a short beard around his jawline and grey eyes. All in all, he just resembled a bigger than the average guy.
But Nicole knew looks were deceiving.
“Found it! It’s Atlas!”
Cynthia’s eyes widened. “Atlas, huh? As in the Titan who held up the sky?” A lecherous leer slid over her face. “How amusing.”
Nicole shivered from her partner. “Well, if even part of his legends is true, this is going to be hard.”
Nicole fired off a bolt of lightning, which simply bounced off the Titan’s ginormous chest.
“Yep. Pretty hard.”
Atlas growled, before leaping into the air. He stayed in the air for a few moments before beginning to descend.
“Oh no, you don’t!” Nicole raised her hand to the sky, feeling the electricity in the clouds crackle. “DIE, SCUM!”
There was a brilliant flash of blue light as lightning struck Atlas down. He landed on top of a building, causing it to collapse.
Nicole panted, clutching her smoking arm.
“Careful, Nicole. Your circuits are beginning to fry!”
Nicole cursed. “So soon?”
Cynthia laughed. “Don’t worry, Nicole. I can take care of this.” She whipped out a pair of guns and began firing high concussive blasts at their opponent.
Each one impacted the instant they landed on his skin and threw him backward. Cynthia didn’t let up her relentless brigade and continued firing.
Nicole noticed the buildings around them taking damage as well. “Careful, Cynthia!”
“I know, I know,” Cynthia muttered as she leaped into the air. “Take this!” She threw a grenade on top of him and a huge blue explosion occurred.
“BRATS! I am Atlas, General of the Titan Army!” Atlas roared, swatting away the bullets.
Nicole snickered. “Should we tell him the Titan Army no longer exists?”
Cynthia smiled. “No, let him indulge in his delusions a bit longer.”
Atlas overheard this all and growled. “Why you-!” He dodged the remaining bullets and aimed for Nicole.
“Think again!” Nicole began slashing wildly at the Titan, but each blow was completely negated by his gauntlets.
“What a pathetic effort!” Atlas yelled before grabbing Nicole’s wrist. Thinking fast, she conducted enough electricity to force him to let go.
“Ah!” He closed and opened his fist, eyes glowing with rage.
“No so pathetic now, am I right?” Nicole asked before slamming her ax down on top of his head. He caught it and took a swipe at her stomach.
“Head’s up!” A barrage of bullets sent Atlas staggering back, and Nicole whacked him in the head with her ax, sending him flying back.
“We’ve analyzed him! His gauntlets-those are his Willful Constructs!”
Nicole gazed at the gauntlets. They seemed plain enough, but that was because they were turned off. Cynthia and she just needed to defeat him before he could activate them.
Cynthia raised her guns to the air and absorbed the energy around them into the nozzle, preparing for a stronger blast.
“Nicole!” Cynthia yelled.
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“On it!” Nicole shouted back. Turning her ax around, Nicole shifted it into a huge cannon, firing constant blasts of electricity at the Titan.
Atlas growled as he dodged them all, getting closer and closer.
“He’s moving faster than your lightning, Nicole! You need to think of a different strategy!”
Faster than her lightning? Well, there must have been a reason this guy was a legend, right?
“The building on your left; its structure is weakened. Wait until he gets to point 4AB before striking!”
“Got it!” Nicole said. She eyed the building mentioned. It was pretty big and must weigh tons. Surely it could do something.
“Hey, Ugly! You’re pretty good for your old age!” Nicole yelled.
“You impertinent brat!” Atlas roared.
There! A bolt of lightning shot out from her hand and hit the weakened beams, slicing right through them. The building careened and fell over, completely crushing the Titan.
Of course, it also crushed a lot of other buildings and the impact of it send a wave of dust and debris. Nicole tried her best to move all the metallic ones out but opted to create a barrier instead.
“Where’s your strength you used to lift the sky, huh?!” Nicole baited Atlas, hoping he would take it. They needed a clear view of him.
Sure enough, the building was lifted and thrown straight towards the, twirling in midair. If in a different situation, Nicole might have been mesmerized by it.
“Cynthia, now!”
“On it!”
Cynthia fired one of her guns and it hit the building, creating a white outline as it froze in midair. Nicole jumped up, using the metal underneath her to grant a boost. As she ran the width of the building, she caught sight of Atlas, without a scratch on him.
Gritting her teeth, Nicole changed her circuits into her ax and drove it down.
Atlas swatted it into the ground and kicked her in the stomach, sending her tumbling back into a destroyed cafe.
“Urgh. . . “ Nicole whimpered. The one-hit had destroyed her electric barrier, and it still hurt like crazy. She forced herself to get back up.
“What’s the situation here?” Nicole asked.
“You won’t be able to beat him with pure force.”
“Yeah, we figured.” Cynthia joined into the communication chat.
“Nicole, your circuits are overheating. We’re trying to deal with it the best we can, but you’d got to slow down.”
“That’s not an option,” Nicole glanced out the shattered window at the sight of her partner jumping around as Atlas pulverized the block. “He’s going to kill everybody!” Nicole winced as a car smashed into a frozen person.
“Well, his intelligence level is lower than average. His tactical strategy is firm, he’s a General after all, but he has a weakness to trickery. Heracles tricked him after all.”
Nicole spat on the floor. “Oh, hate that guy. Anyway, what do we trick him with? The last time, he was tricked to hold the sky up again. We don’t have anything that heavy.”
“We’re scanning. Right now, pull him away from this block. Let me direct you two. We created a safe pathway where all the civilians have been cleared out, and you’ll have much better fighting him there.”
Nicole nodded. “Understood. Cynthia?”
“Heard it!” Cynthia called out. She leaped from building to building, continuing to fire at Atlas to keep his attention.
Nicole got out from the wreckage and made her way over to Cynthia, turning her ax into gun mode again and shooting off bursts of electricity.
“Ground forces are coming, make sure Atlas doesn’t turn on them!”
“Got it!” Nicole shouted. “Guess we gotta make him mad!”
Nicole added more firepower to her cannon, pushing herself to her limits. Atlas roared, constantly bombarded by attacks.
A row of tanks rolled in, with soldiers hopping out and making their way over to the frozen civilians. A couple of larger vehicles entered the scene, opening their sides to reveal seats for the civilians.
“What’s this?” Atlas asked as he began to turn around.
“Oh no, you don’t!” Nicole snapped, firing off her strongest blast yet straight into the Titan's face. The force of it sends all three of them flying back, luckily dissipating before reaching the soldiers and civilians.
“Turn left!”
Nicole groaned, getting back to her feet. “Yeah, okay. Cynthia, you all right?”
Cynthia flashed a grin. “Oh my, you’re worried about me? I’m so embarrassed, I can’t even!”
Nicole deadpanned. “Your expression doesn’t match that at all! Anyway, ideas?”
Cynthia tapped her chin. “Hm, why don’t we wrap you around in bandages and put you on a fishhook? Men like pretty girls!”
Nicole twitched. Cynthia sounded like she enjoyed this plan. Though, she probably did.
“No. No way.”
Cynthia pouted. “Oh well. How about-“
“Looks like you don't need to worry about that. He’s right in front of you.”
They turned around to find it was true. He glared down at them, and judging from the way his chest was upheaving from rage, he didn’t seem too happy.
“Huh. Nicole, I’m planning you if I die,” Cynthia stated.
Atlas laughed. “Oh no, I won’t kill you! What a waste! No, you'll be my slaves! What joy we will experience.”
Nicole shivered as an image she really didn't need flashed into her brain. She shook her head aggressively. “Never!”
Cynthia looked nonplussed for a moment. “Huh. Guess that really would have worked. Who knew?”
“Not the time, Cynthia!” Nicole yelled, right before launching a bunch of ax towards his ‘private spot’.
“OOOF!” Atlas bent forward and Nicole took the purity to grab Cynthia and took off, attracting them both to building after building.
“Is he following?” Nicole asked.
“Yes. Turn right now!”
Nicole did as she asked. “How much longer?”
“From the current speed both of you are going at, 30 seconds.”
Nicole frowned. Not the best odds. She glanced down at Cynthia who stuck her tongue out.
“And how much more time can I gain by dropping Cynthia?”
“15 more seconds.”
“Hear that, Cynthia? You’re fat,” Nicole teased before making a swift turn at the bequest of the voice in her ear.
“Oh, you know you like it!” Cynthia teased. Nicole rolled her eyes before spotting it, halfway across the city,
“The bridge is 5 miles away. You’re going to have to work overtime, Nicole! We’re giving you a boost!”
Instantly, Nicole felt her circuits whir back to full power before this battle began, and she started traversing a much greater distance.
“I can help too, you know!” Cynthia took out her pistols and fired behind them, the force from the gunshots aiding their propulsion.
“Twist to the left!”
Nicole did as instructed and the two of them barely escaped the huge arm. Cynthia fired off a few rounds at the arm, causing Atlas to retract it.
“Go to the ground!”
Nicole immediately felt around the ground for metal and gravitated towards them, now running on the buildings. Up above on the top of said buildings, Atlas bellowed before obliterating the entire block with a single punch.
Nicole barely managed to get out of the way, but it was too hasty. She and Cynthia hit a billboard and slumped down. This was it. She had no more juice. Nicole could see the red visage of the bridge over a couple more buildings. She’d gotten so close, but it was all worthless now.
The only thing she regretted was not seeing her before going out-
“Hold on!”
A pair of missiles soared out from the sky and slammed into Atlas. More and more rained down, each creating a huge explosion that leveled buildings.
Nicole felt arms drag her further away from the attacks and closer to the bridge.
“You say I’m fat, Nicole? That’s so mean! I can barely lift you right now!” Cynthia pouted.
“Har har har,” Nicole forced out. “Ow. It hurts,”
“I’m sure it does,” Cynthia cooed.
“Then why are you dragging me over the rocky part of the roof?”
“Hm? You seem tired, come on, don’t talk,” Cynthia tapped her earpiece. “Come on, give us the good news.”
“Our attacks are damaging the Titan, however, we can’t go full out without destroying everybody in a mile vicinity.”
“Well then, guess the bridge is our only solution. Hey, give my partner some power here,” Cynthia ordered.
“Got it.” Nicole distantly heard the clacking of keyboards, and her circuits flared back to life once more. “But you have to understand, Nicole. You’re pushing it. There is serious damage to your circuits, and it’s going to take a long time to heal, even if you don't continue. How about dropping out, huh?”
Nicole barked. “Yeah, as if. And leave everything to his dunce here? As if.”
The person on the other side sighed. “Very well then. I suppose all we can do is support and advise you, as usual.”
“And you’re best at it, seriously. But right now, we’ve got something very important to deal with, so, suggestions?” Cynthia asked.
“Don't go in the air, travel by foot. The winds generated by our crafts are too risky for you to risk it. Only attempt if Atlas is right next to you.”
“Well, you heard the boss. Let’s go!” Nicole and Cynthia began walking (the more accurate term is hobbling) as best they could, trying to push back their injuries.
Nicole hissed as her entire body heated up. Her Art was electricity and therefore, high usage of it burnt out her magical circuits faster than the other Arts. Yggdrasil had already healed her twice. Doing so a third time was far too dangerous.
Still, Nicole wanted it, especially as both her and Cynthia could hear the if anything whirring and her arms in particular throbbed. She wasn’t even sure how she was still wielding her weapon right now.
“Let’s go, we’re here!” Cynthia hissed as the way to the bridge was clear.
It was truly a magnificent sight, a beautiful structure. A red metal, shaped into a long bridge. Perhaps it was a bit simple in design, but just the sheer enormity of it was enough to make somebody pause.
Unfortunately, Nicole didn’t have time. Making their way over to it quickly, Nicole rested against the frame.
“There are too many people here,” Nicole stated. Hundreds of cars packed full of people were lined up on the bridge.
“There’s a spot in about 3/4 from where you’re at where it’s most stable. Push all the cars there.”
Nicole exchanged glances with Cynthia before letting out a deep breath. Stretching her electric barrier, Nicole could feel a lot of things located within it.
But the thing which stood out the most was metal.
Focusing on each car, Nicole gently pushed them back. It was tedious work because she had to make sure the car in front didn’t go first, lest they roll over each other.
“Atlas incoming!”
Nicole cursed. “Cynthia?”
“On it!”
Trying her best to ignore the clash behind her, Nicole concentrated on sending the vehicles skittering back. Once the last car was finally clear, Nicole spun around.
There was Atlas and Cynthia of course, with Cynthia using her superior agility to dodge his attacks. Yggdrasil’s crafts swarmed the sky, risking firing a missile whenever a fist came too close.
“Cynthia, over here!” Nicole waved her arms.
Cynthia used dear ole Atlas as a jumping board and made her way over. Panting, but with a bloodthirsty look in her eyes.
“What? I and Atlas were having some fun!”
Nicole gulped. “You can have some fun later. For now, let me deal with this.”
Cynthia sighed. “Fine, I was getting bored anyway.”
“All fighters, fall back into the air. I repeat, fall back into the air.”
The crafts obeyed, blasting off into the sky. This was their next phase.
“Hey, Atlas? How does it feel to be so thoroughly mocked by a couple of high-schoolers?” Nicole asked.
Atlas growled. “I will have your head as my favorite toy.”
Nicole grimaced but didn’t let up. “I hear a lot of talking, but no action. So, are you going to show me why they made you a general and everything? I mean, surely there had to be someone better, right?”
Atlas sniffed the air. “This is a trap.”
Nicole rolled her eyes, but inside, her heart was pounding. This was it. “Of course it is!”
Atlas wore a look of shock. “You freely admit it?”
Nicole yawned lazily. “Obviously. This isn’t about whether or not you would fall for this. If you had, frankly, that would be a disappointment. No, this is about who would win. The might of Humanity or the glory of Titans? Let’s go at it. Come on, Atlas. You’re the last of your kind! Don’t you have to represent it or something?”
Atlas looked conflicted and Nicole grinned. She had him.
He was a general and a great warrior, right? Well, they had honor and a desire to prove themselves, she’d figured. It wasn't exactly a moral way to fight, and it wasn’t honorable, but hey. You did what you had to do.
“So?”
Atlas’s eyes smoldered. “Very well. I accept, fleshing!”
Atlas stormed forward, almost faster than the eye could see. Certainly speedier than she could traverse, even on her best days.
This wasn’t about speed though. It was about reflexes.
And her reflexes were as fast as lightning.
Catching him off guard, Nicole put her weight on her front long and leaned forward, right underneath his stomach. Viewing his upside-down shocked face for a moment, Nicole winked before angling her cannon.
A beam of crackling energy hit him and his momentum combined made him go further than ever before today. He crashed right smack dab in the middle of the bridge, perhaps a bit too close to the civilians, but she took it.
“Now!”
Alarms blaring, the entire section off the bridge Atlas was on got cut off by two thick sheets of metal. Yggdrasil had remotely activated its defenses. Atlas looked almost bemused for a second.
“You think these will stop me?” He punched and a huge dent was formed, almost completely going through the entire thing.
“Oh, shoot!” Nicole magnetized herself to the wall and flung towards it. She knew Atlas was strong but to punch through that almost completely?
Spreading her fingers across the cool metal, Nicole activated her powers, sending all of the energy she had through her circuits and into her hands.
Atlas’s screams filled the air as lightning crackled in the quarantined section, blasting Atlas over and over again. It was so much the lightning even reached the sky and almost overspilled.
“Releasing, now!”
There was a distant grinding sound and water splashing so Nicole let go, falling flat on her butt. She’d used so much power already, all she could safely use. But to beat Atlas, she would have to throw safety aside.
Clambering to her feet, Nicole headed to the side, leaning over the bridge. Cynthia arrived.
“Okay, Nicole. Time to show us what you got, Sparky!”
“Don’t call me Sparky,” Nicole grit out. “I need emergency power, all of it!”
“You do understand all of your circuits will be completely fired? You won’t be able to use your Art for a while,” a new, higher-pitched voice said.
Nicole nodded. “Understood and accepted, sir.”
There was a pregnant pause, then-
“Ready up, then.”
“We’re going to give you full power, so brace yourself, all right?”
Nicole nodded, her throat slightly dry. “Got it.”
“3. . . .2. . . . .1”
“AAAAAARRGH!”
Thick strands of lightning arced out of her body. Neverstien went dark as it was unable to handle this kind of power. Cynthia was immediately thrown off the bridge and nearly hit her head against the post.
Nicole dimly recognized all of this, but she was mostly focused on her own overwhelming powers. Her circuits were abuzz with energy, practically humming as they worked overtime. Still, in the back of her mind, Nicole knew she needed to get rid of this as soon as possible.
Looking down, Nicole spotted a dark mass beginning to make its way up.
Atlas.
Nicole took a deep breath and got in a ready stance. It was time to test out a move she’d created long ago with the help of her, a move normally impossible.
With her current power level though. . . .
The lighting cracklings around her body disappeared and instead, a bright blue light was seen emanating from the sky.
This is for you,-!
The rest of her thought was torn away as a bolt of lightning slammed down into the river. A bolt of lightning the width of the river and a mile thick. A bolt which was more like a beam of pure energy, the pinnacle of her power.
A huge burst of water rose from the river, dousing not only Nicole but the cars and the buildings on either side of the river before collapsing again.
Nicole fell, her legs weak and everything became foggy. There was too much static for her to hear.
Looking up, she caught a glimpse of a jet firing a large rocket straight into the river, resulting in another burst of water. Nicole cackled. That was good. Needed to make sure it was gone. Wait. What was ‘it’ again?
Nicole shook her head, trying to get the fog out. Atlas. Atlas! Remember Atlas!
Her body was too weak to move, and her earpiece was fried from the electric discharge. Still, from here she could see a nice view of the river below.
She hadn’t aimed to evaporate the river and was glad to see she hadn’t. Apparently, a semblance of control had remained.
The entire surface of the water, going both ways as far as the eye could see, has electricity running over it. If anybody tried to swim in the river, they would most certainly perish.
“Welp, guess that’s that,” Nicole muttered. Looks like Brisingr wasn’t needed. She didn’t mind. She wanted her reunion with her friend to be over food, not during a fight.
Bubbling water caught her attention. Or more accurately, the dark mass behind it.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Nicole whispered. She hoped it was just Atlas’s dead body rising, but if he’d died, his body wouldn’t be here anymore.
Sure enough, a fist rose out from the water, lightning zipping around it.
“What a prick,” Nicole muttered to herself.