With five days left, the four had taken an underground room and filled up another few factories. Mia received a call above surface.
"I concede to your demand. I will give you Sharp's location for a promise that this will stop."
Mia smiled. She had been feeling a little powerless recently, but some problems didn't need a Solar Beam. "Good. There's something in everything we made that proves that they're counterfeit - it'll be easy to check. I'll let you know what it is after we deal with Sharp. Give me his location."
"He is currently hiding out near our western border." He gave her a set of coordinates.
"If he isn't there, it'll be a billion next time." said Mia.
She hung up and grinned as she turned to her squadron.
"Going to be waiting on that phone call for a long time." nodded Samuel, and the four laughed as they set out. Mia called up Junpei & Yamato to surround the coordinates.
"We never got to use wheelbarrows, though." muttered Serena, her shoulders in a slump. She wouldn't be worth a lead nickle on the trip to Sharp. She'd sit dreamy-eyed in the Jeep, fantasizing about coming across a starving family with a wheelbarrow full of gems like a punk rock genie & being the hero of the day.
◆◆◆
Yuruko formed a dozen tracking devices near their underground room, left her laptop there, and the four rode in the Jeep across the savanna that night.
"…I realized something." frowned Mia. "When the president mentioned Sharp, he … almost sounded afraid of him."
"Everyone we've run in to has." said Samuel.
He was a bit worried but didn't show it. Though he often put on an act of stupidity, in truth he was decently acquainted with philosophy - Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and Aurelius. He found most of it inapplicable to his life as a Texas child in poverty, and had stumbled across thinking most of it was only written to put families like his at peace with their post in life, but it was the same text teaching him how to be a better fighter once he entered Urasaria.
"That's it, right?" said Serena, pointing to the fifty-foot tall walls on the horizon. Sharp's fortress was peaking over the top. He'd been ready for a long stay.
"Uh, Samuel, can you summon Outcast?" said Yuruko.
Outcast's armor formed. "Should I ask why?"
"To handle the recoil." muttered Yuruko, anti-materiel rifle forming. She laid the barrel on Samuel's shoulder and he buckled a bit.
Serena tried her best relevant & Australian accent. "Strangah, what yah need that for? Goin' huntin' an elephant?"
"RE4 would've ended in five minutes with this." muttered Yuruko, aiming.
One guard was walking the ramparts. He looked in their direction, but Yuruko squeezed the trigger and what followed was a roar that blasted his torso off and sent his legs falling backward in to a puddle of their own blood.
["We Are Finally Cowboys" - No More Heroes Extended.]
Mia stopped the Jeep a half-mile from the compound. "Be careful with Xenocyclin."
"Uh, that wasn't Xenocyclin." chimed Yuruko, reloading with a 1-inch bullet. "Some regular dude tried to fire this and shattered his shoulder from the recoil."
"Sounds about right." said Samuel, jaw wincing beneath Outcast's helm. He had cried in front of Mia before; he still didn't show pain.
"Serena, start setting up." said Mia. "Can you see anyone else, Yuruko?"
"Yep."
Another roar. Mia saw a head fall down the wall before its owner did, and a tunnel of ice formed over the Jeep once she heard the alarm. Yuruko disintegrated her anti-materiel rifle, and in the next instant -
- one explosion blasted their Jeep with the strength of a thousand forward, Serena's tentacle keeping the vehicle repaired as another explosion blasted them forward -
- and another -
- and another -
- and another -
- and another -
- and another -
- and another, and another, and another, complex's wall rapidly approaching at 300mph ahead -
" - now!" shouted Mia, and an orange beam disintegrated the wall as streams of fog filled the ground; in through the sudden hole they flew -
- and four hands of ice caught them as soon as they leaped out to stop their roll, then brought them back together. A dome of ice formed over the four as they huddled, one wisp of fog lighting the fuse outside -
- and the four hugged tight as the explosives Serena had planted outside triggered, hundreds of bombs exploding outward and shockwaves ripping the land to shreds & the walls out of their roots for the full & explosive minute -
- and after a minute of silence, Mia nodded to her three. A spray of purple tore the frozen walls down -
- and the four sighed to find the main metal fortress still standing, only a few bites taken out of it with the outer walls shattered & gone.
Serena frowned. "What the fuck."
"Probably made by a Revenant." sighed Yuruko.
No time to waste, the four rushed inside the main hall, outlets at regular intervals. One guard was up ahead and he wheeled as soon as he heard the four rushing towards him. Yuruko dumped six shots in his chest and Mia ran past him with a spray of purple that enveloped him & left nothing behind, rushing in to the first hall at her left.
Six guards were standing at the end of it. Their heads turned to face them and six shots blasted their expressions off of their skulls as the four rushed past, then sighed as they found it a dead-end. They rushed back in to the main hall and checked the other three, groaning as they came back to the center and ran up the main hall.
"God, where the fuck is he -" sighed Mia, and as they turned another corner -
- Serena's tentacle smacked the next guard and all Mia saw was knives replacing his teeth as he fell dead to the ground. One guard was standing at the entrance of a room ahead; Mia saw a set of stairs behind his back as they rushed fifty feet within range, and in the next instant -
- Yuruko squeezed her shotgun's trigger twice -
" - curve the bullets!" shouted Yuruko, relevantly -
- and ghastly hands dug two shells right in to one's man's eyes, shrieking as he staggered back, more and more buckshot added in to his skull -
" - you really enjoy that a bit too much." winced Mia, relevantly -
" - Blackburn!" shouted Serena as she came within range -
- streams of fog filled his tongue with knives and all they heard was him gargling metal -
" - Medicinal!"
- another blast ripped his leg off and sent the limb spinning across the room in a torrent of blood -
" - Outcast!"
- ghastly hands gripped his right arm, another set holding him forward as they started to pull -
" - Worldwide." winced Mia -
- and a pillar of purple flame disintegrated him without a single ash left, three extremely violent sighing beside, leader never letting them have any fun.
"Matoi would've allowed that, you know." muttered Samuel ruefully.
"You can tell her after."
Yuruko grinned as the four ran up the stairs. "I'm pretty sure she's never gonna wanna see Serena again."
"Did you try to talk to her about anime?" sighed Mia, relevantly - " - just because she's Japanese doesn't -"
" - um, maybe -" winced Serena - " - seriously, I have to show you -"
- Yuruko nodded as they came to the second floor - " - she fucking looks exactly like this one -"
" - intersection up ahead." muttered Samuel. A left & right intersection was ahead; Mia rushed ahead as she gestured for the three to stay back, and as she came to the center -
" - Worldwide - Solar Beam!" she shouted, right palm sweeping right & left palm sweeping left -
- and the dual orange beams shot through their foes in each direction, Serena laughing behind.
"There." chimed Mia, and the four ran left over a line of burnt corpses, still-beating hearts poking out of their bubbling ribs.
"Gotta be getting close to an existential threat, you know." said Samuel and Mia sighed as they kept running -
" - I - some day."
"Maybe Ryumi could do that with blue." chimed Serena.
"If she could do it with blue, I'll do it with purple." muttered Mia and Yuruko laughed as they turned the corner -
- and another orange beam disintegrated a dozen men without a single ash left, four sighing as they kept their run going.
"How fucking many guys does he have?" winced Yuruko, relevantly -
" - it's his Revenant." winced Mia. "They all look the same."
"What about the light?" said Samuel and Mia paused as they rushed in to another room, set of stairs leading up to the third floor; no time to waste, they took them up and ran down another hall, and as they turned the corner -
" - there's the b- holy shit his hands really are fucked up -" winced Yuruko, relevantly -
" - Matoi warned us." winced Mia, pressing her three back.
[End.]
One hundred feet separated the four & one.
"My name is Roland Daedalus Sharp. I already know who you are. I'll warn you now that what you've heard of my Revenant is not true; none of the hosts you've fought were fully aware. I've spent thirty years absorbing every bit of history, knowledge, Revenants and politics that I find, and when I was in school, I take pride in that I only answered a question wrong once, by saying Napoleon was French, not Corsican. I've come to enjoy the process of making somebody look foolish without them even knowing it."
Mia's eyes caught a faintly glowing green light on her left hand.
"My motivation is not wealth. No one remembers the name of the richest merchant in Venice. I've found over the years that manipulating others is not something I enjoy, the ways serial killers enjoy killing, but it is something that I am exceptional at. I was aware that every host I sent would fail, and that Zesotho's president, my friend, would reveal my location, because I've learned that the newly civilized become disloyal as soon as the knife leaves their throat. I'll offer you, and your squadron, this. I'll remove Matoi's infection and allow you to -"
- a blue beam disintegrated his right hand without a single ash.
"The Royal Four knows there's no guilt in killing an evil thing." grunted Mia.
Sharp gasped as the scar formed, stepping back a hundred feet away; Mia noticed he flinched less than any other host she'd fought before.
"DREAM ALL DAY." he said, and in the next instant -
- a metallic sludge covered his body, and in the next instant -
- the four gasped as every drop of air left their lungs, and Mia felt her temperature rise as Serena staggered beside, sudden pressure lost out of the entire corridor; Mia opened her mouth to speak -
- and no sound came as a swift set of internal scarabs kept her blood from boiling; at her side, dents formed in Yuruko's skin & in Outcast's armor, and as streams of fog tried to reach them -
- they came up short as the four barely staggered ahead; Blackburn's tentacle shot through Mia's veins & gave her air as black circled her vision, and a spray of purple hit the left wall
- and Mia didn't nod as it melted in to metallic sludge. Ice scarabs swarming her boots, she stomped down and shattered a hole in the floor -
- and the four gasped anew as oxygen rushed in to the corridor, dents popping out of Outcast's armor as normal pressure resumed; below, more metal formed & tried to close the hole -
- but ghastly hands kept it open for business as the four rushed forward, Mia's frozen boots stomping holes in the floor to ensure new air was able to enter the hall. Sharp turned his back ahead, and in the next instant -
- a dozen spikes burst out of the ceiling & towards them -
- but one barrage of Outcast-punches slammed them back in to the roof; another set of spikes burst out at his right, and his gauntlet swung to meet it -
- but they melted in to metallic sludge as soon as he touched them, tendrils of gray forming to yank him further in to the wall as he thrashed -
" - Medicinal!" shouted Yuruko, knife forming in her glove -
- and a whirl of steel freed him from the encapsulating links, four keeping their rush going with Sharp still 70ft ahead. The corridor started rumbling all around them, and in the next instant -
- one automaton appeared right behind Yuruko -
- but an Outcast-punch ripped its head off & sent its spine flying back up the hall; its corpse disintegrated in to sand as it fell, then reformed in to one giant hand that grabbed Yuruko tight -
- and threw her with the strength of a hundred back up the hall -
- right in to the arms of one automaton that smashed her head in to a spiked wall & nearly took her sight with it. Grunting as she thrashed, another automaton shoved her face in to the wall as it melted to metallic sludge, tendrils forming to yank her further in -
- but she lashed out with a kick that amputated both automated below the knees, sand spilling out of their corpses as they fell -
- and one snake forming out of it; Serena winced as it leaped towards the back of Yuruko's skull -
- and winced again as one explosive shot blasted it apart & part of Yuruko's hair with it, chemist groaning as the revolver between her feet disappeared. She swam further in to the wall of metal & disappeared inside, leaving a trail of blood behind; Mia heard Sharp laughing as the wall turned to sludge around Yuruko -
- but the next scene was instant. Worldwide's sword formed and one slash shot out a frozen crescent that hit the sludge above Yuruko -
- and froze the entire wall solid, ensuring Yuruko could move unabetted as she disappeared further in.
Mia & Serena & Samuel turned forward and stepped towards their foe 60ft away, eyes ready for whatever would appear next.
Walls shifting around them, their footing started staggering, and in the next instant -
- the floor disappeared beneath them; in to the sudden hole they fell & glanced down -
- and saw a sandwyvern with a jaw of metal bursting out 50ft below; a swarm of scarabs flew down to meet its ascent -
- but jets of metallic sludge glued their wings together & slowed their flight, more sludge flooding out of the walls as they fell -
- but the next scene was instant.
"Worldwide!" "Outcast!"
Ghastly hand grabbed the geysers, re-directing them below the three -
- and Mia's boots of ice ensured the sludge froze solid as soon as they landed; no time to waste, the three swept back up to the corridor and hit the ground running on a platform of ice, Sharp still stepping back 60ft away with no expression yet.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"CONNECTION." he said, and in the next instant -
- the walls disappeared, revealing an empty room hundreds of feet across; Mia pressed her two back as they halted quick, wooden cocoon in the north-right corner & Sharp speaking at the other end.
"Did you think I hid here for no reason?" he said. "You expected to fight me in my own compound?"
Dozens of metal walls burst out of the ground, maze rapidly forming around them as more automatons appeared around them. One sweep of burning purple cleared the crowd without a single ash left; Mia stomped to raise their platform of ice as more metallic sludge burst out of the floor, no possible sight of Sharp as the maze's walls reached the roof - " - we need to -"
- Serena whispered something to her, and she nodded as she swept her palms forward for the next instant scene.
"Hydro Salt Jet!"
An orange beam & frozen ray burst out of her palms, combing to one enormous jet of water that streams of fog filled as it flew -
- and the seawater volley corroded through half of the metal maze up ahead, and in a second sweep on the return -
- half of the geyser shot back towards them, and a purple pillar of flame burst up to meet it; in to the flames went the water -
- but Mia frowned as it didn't dissolve in to steam, and as it came within range -
"Outcast!" "Blackburn!"
Ghastly hands redirected half of it away, and streams of fog filled the other half with white crystals of waterlock -
- diluting the rebellious stream in an instant, only a few droplets hitting their face as they staggered back. Metal maze gone, Mia saw Sharp standing 60ft away & over the wooden coffin; his eight-fingered hand shot through it -
- and he shrieked in agony as the Xenocyclin mine within exploded, blue liquid shooting through his eyes as he staggered back, shouting for "DREAM ALL DAY" -
- and the rest of the liquid left his eyes and shot towards them -
- but a familiar set of bullets met them mid-air and neutralizes them down, familiar chemist rushing o from behind to meet the three. She'd kept herself hidden in the floor before and spoke fast now. "Need - need to tell you -"
" - what is it?" said Mia, four rushing in pursuit with Sharp still 60ft away -
" - sludge is - gallium, liquid at room temperature - creation of metals -" panted Yuruko, relevantly - " - geyser - probably didn't disintegrate because ruthenium - absorbs heat - burns forever -"
- Mia nodded, making sure she'd embed a frozen ray in her next beam to shatter it first. Sharp slowly stepped back, and Yuruko felt uneasy as no automatons sprouted up to slow their chase.
Once they came 40ft within range, Mia swept her palms forward as her three ran ahead -
- and she felt her body's blood pausing in her arteries. A whip of scarabs shot towards her three, and she saw Serena's throat fill with knives and a dozen geysers of blood & torn flesh burst out of it. Yuruko's right eye fell out of its socket as two spikes burst out of her ears. A torrent of blood flooded out of Outcast's helm.
Mia yanked them behind her as she aimed her palms center - " - Sol-"
" - DISARM."
A green light burst out of the four's left hands -
- and three rays shot through Mia's left eye and melted it in a puff of white smoke; all she saw was silver walls appearing ahead to amplify the brightness.
Yuruko screamed as her other eye disappeared. Serena's left arm shriveled as all of its blood drained out; she dropped to her knees as her tentacle shot through the floor -
- and a set of explosions shot through the floor and towards Sharp, only staggering him him a few feet back as more streams of fog flew in to the floor -
- but a hole opened up in the ceiling; a ray of moonlight pierced through it -
- and disintegrated Serena's tentacle without a single ash left; she hit the ground face-first.
"H-Hydro -" panted Mia -
- but the next scene was instant. An enormous globe of water formed over the four and swallowed the rest of the light before it could hit them, three barely able to stagger back as Samuel picked up Serena's limp body. Mia felt Sharp's liquid manipulation try to part Worldwide's ocean ahead, more fire & ice scarabs keeping the lunar light from piercing through; in her mind, Mia gathered Ryumi's face & the disposition she figured she had as the room flooded.
Yuruko threw something forward and an explosion blasted the four 40ft back, right in to one metal wall; Mia gurgled our an order to run as she stood -
" - w-what?" grunted Samuel, standing up slow -
" - F-FUCKING LISTEN TO ME!" shouted Mia, sword forming as she turned to the wall; one frozen slash opened it up in to another corridor and the three rushed as fast as they could away, Serena making no sound & a blind Yuruko grabbing on to Mia for support as they ran.
Mia's one eye left glanced back and saw Sharp rushing after them, 70ft separating them but gaining fast. Walls of metal burst up ahead to slow them and Mia lashed out with a swing that sent a twin jet of purple & ice down the hall, clearing their path as they kept their rush going.
She heard Sharp shouting DISARM again, and in the next instant -
- gloves of water formed over the Four's hands as the green light flashed again -
- and another green ray melted her one-eye in to white smoke; she grabbed Samuel's shoulder as she screamed, only male the only one left who wasn't blind now.
"P-Please tell me t-that wasn't Serena." said Yuruko.
"I-It wasn't."
Mia heard another wall of silver burst up ahead, then one Outcast-punch shattering it -
- right in to a group of three automatons that grabbed Serena's body tight, trying to yank her out of his hands as they shoved Samuel back; their fingers shot through her torn neck -
- but three streams of fog shot out of her skull & dissolved them with nothing left behind. Swift cloud forming to stitch her throat back together, Serena thrashed out of Samuel's hands and hit the ground staggering, tentacle rapidly regenerating as she coughed up blood -
" - t-t-this is f-fucking -"
" - h-heal -" panted Mia as they ran -
- and streams of fog gave Mia one eye back, Yuruko the other, Serena still panting as they ran, her own left arm still shriveled - " - n-need t-to -"
" - y-yes." winced Mia, now that she could again.
Another few seconds of running and Blackburn gave Serena her left arm again, tentacle shooting through Yuruko & Mia's arms to heal their wounds. Samuel glanced back and saw Sharp still chasing them, holes opening up in the ceiling overhead -
- but streams of fog filled them with wood before the lunar light could come inside; Mia shouted for her three to turn as Sharp came 50ft within range, her second eye reforming for the next instant scene.
"DIS-"
" - Worldwide." winced Mia, and in the next instant -
- three pillars of purple disintegrated their left hands without a single ash left, and Mia's jaw clenched as she grabbed her sword -
- and a whirl of golden blade temporarily amputated her, swift ice forming to plug the Royal Four's wounds.
"W-Worst - worst f-fucking counter e-ever -" gagged Yuruko, relevantly -
" - f-focus." groaned Mia, heart reeling as she staggered back.
Ahead, Sharp stopped, no green light in the corridor anymore. He had laughed before; he wasn't laughing now.
"He can't manipulate Worldwide's l-light." muttered Mia. "H-He would have done it earlier."
"I-I c-can't manipulate anymore, either." muttered Samuel, Outcast's blue gauntlet gone.
"L-Liquid s-s-shit is lower range t-than M-Mia, I-I think." winced Yuruko, handgun forming.
She dumped six shots in to Sharp and her jaw clenched when his didn't. She squeezed the trigger another six times; he swept underneath and a metal wall burst up to catch the bullets behind, and Serena realized it before she did -
- the pressure dropped out of the corridor again; six holes opened up in the wall -
- and the sudden wind blasted the bullets with the speed of a thousand back at the four, normal pressure resuming as they flew -
- but the next scene was instant. Serena's tentacle shot through the ceiling and a waterfall of acid fell out: in to the liquid went the bullets, disintegrating before they could be sent back to sender.
Yuruko winced and un-Xenocyclined her ammo as the four stepped back, trying to think of a useful weapon as another sudden wind blasted Sharp 10ft closer towards them -
- but an explosion blasted him 20ft back and sent him rolling across the floor of his own design, grunting as he stumbled to his feet.
"Still g-got this." muttered Samuel, pitching arm readied as streams of fog gave him another three grenades. He threw them forward -
- and the pressure dropped out of the corridor again as metallic sludge covered Sharp's body -
- but a geyser of saltwater corroded it away -
- and he gasped as he staggered back, dents forming in his skin as all the oxygen left the air. Mia kept her palms ready as her blood didn't boil & Serena's tentacle gave her oxygen, Yuruko & Samuel trying not to fall unconscious beside.
'DREAM ALL DAY isn't his original Revenant, then.' thought Mia. 'Is that why it can hurt him?'
Ahead, bubbles formed under Sharp's skin as black stars filled Mia's visions. The pressured dropped further; a swarm of scarabs kept the Royal Four's blood from boiling. One automaton appeared behind Serena and she didn't have the energy to fight it off as it yanked her tentacle out of Mia's veins -
- but gusts of oxygen pooled out of Yuruko's boots & hands, another few seconds of air for the four -
- and five gasps filled the corridor as normal pressure resumed, Sharp cursing & coughing up ahead. Samuel turned and threw the automaton towards Sharp, and streams of fog dissolved it in to sand -
- which formed one solid jet that shot back towards them -
- but Mia held her flaming purple hand out & heated it in to a pole of glass, knowing Sharp wouldn't resist -
" - ELECTROLITE!" shouted Sharp; a hole opened up in the ceiling and a beam of moonlight hit the glass -
- but a beam of burning blue shot through it and disintegrated his right arm without a single ash left, second set of scars forming all over his body; he screamed like a man in a nightmare as Serena refilled the ceiling, no damage from ELECTROLITE'S light manipulation done -
- and he swept underneath an orange beam that nearly ripped his head off and took the right half of the hall with it; the expression on Mia's face when she knew she was out of his range forced his legs to turn back and run away as fast as he could, FREAK SCENE's automatons bursting up behind to cover his trail, promising himself that if he could get out he would deactivate DISARM on Matoi & her friend, the past pulling his focus back in to the decades he had spent donating in to Africa, feeling it was his right to absorb children with Revenants as he rushed past the corner and in to a solid wall of metal -
- and the gallium parted at his touch; he rushed inside and cut left as fast as he could, knowing the end of the compound was fifty feet up ahead, CONNECTION's construction & destruction reconfiguring the compound as fast as it could as he reached the end of another hall.
No time to waste, one sweep with his left hand tore the wall down and he leaped out from the third floor just in time to dodge another blue beam that would've ripped his legs off; metal legs formed as he hit the ground running below, turning just in time to see the Royal Four standing in the hole he'd taken for an exit.
"Be careful." muttered Mia. "We need to -"
- a hundred spikes burst up behind them; Mia glanced back and saw a sandwyvern shooting down the hall -
- and the four leaped out despite the hundred foot fall; below, hundreds of sandworms shot out of the ground and flew up to meet them -
" - SOLAR FLARE!" shouted Mia as they fell, and a blast of blue burst out of her -
- disintegrating half of the compound and every worm of sand without a single ash left as the four landed safe on the ground, worm of flesh up ahead with fifty feet separating them. Mia readied her palms, and her jaw clenched as Ryumi's scarabs started biting her hands.
"N-Not f-fucking now." she grunted.
With some difficulty, Sharp staggered to his feet, holding his left hand out. "E-E-ELECTROLITE requires a-a concentrated source of light. T-The moon isn't strong enough at this distance. B-But I have never relied on a-any event that I cannot cause myself."
A wall of sand burst up ahead of him, and in the next instant -
" - DEBASER!" he shouted, and a solar wind heated it in to glass; a flash of green came out of his left hand -
- but he staggered back as a cloud of smoke burst up around him -
- and another -
- and another -
- and another, and another, and another; he heard them shouting something ahead, but only Mia could hear -
" - pride of South Africa!" shouted Yuruko, reloading her 6-chamber grenade launcher.
"Or RE5." muttered Serena, relevantly. "Or Killing Floor-"
" - stay focused." winced Mia. "Yuruko, be ready."
Yuruko fired another shot out -
- and they knew the explosion had hit Sharp before they saw the smoke clear; Mia stood her ground as another shot hit Sharp chest-on -
- and another -
- and another, fluroantimonic acid melting his skin as he screamed, flesh melting & starting to drip; one grenade hit the wall of glass -
" - F-F-FREAK SCENE." grunted Sharp -
- and a coat of transparent yellow saved it before it could disappear, one hole left in the aperture -
- and the next grenade melted a layer of skin off Sharp's chest; Mia winced as she saw his still-beating heart inside, layers of tissue dripping out of the ghastly aperture, and as another volley flew towards him -
- the next scene was instant.
"D-D-DISARM!" he shouted, and four rays of light sliced through the four grenades -
- and the four winced as they saw the light's source, scars cracking all over his body with his heart infected by its own colony; another ray of light sliced the next volley -
- just in time for a blue beam to rip through his eight-fingered palm and disintegrate it without a single ash left; Mia kept her aim centered as her scorching ray swept through his chest, hundreds of scars forming as he weakly staggered forward.
He moved like a man in a ghastly nightmare towards them, and a ray of green light shot through Mia's neck and burst out the other end. Another flash of light shot towards her head -
- and Samuel's arm blocked it for her; Outcast's right arm melted in to liquid obsidian and he had to step back, Sharp screaming ahead -
" - D-D-DIS-"
- the skin melting off Sharp's bones as his limbs burst in to purple flames, layers of his heart falling out of his chest & disintegrating before they'd hit the ground, her scorching ray turning white, then orange.
" - FREAK SC-"
- but streams of fog kept her beam looking blue, another eight-fingered hand turning to goo as he stumbled back, beam still piercing his chest as an explosion ripped half of his neck off. Another ray of green shot towards Mia's right arm, but Serena covered it with her own -
- and her tentacle turned to black goo as she screamed, holding on to Mia for support as her legs stumbled.
"C-Come the fuck o-on -" winced Yuruko, Mia's swarm nearly depleted at her side, Serena's fog running out quick. Samuel staggered ahead of Yuruko as Mia's beam turned white again -
- and one anti-materiel Xenocyclin shot blasted Sharp's neck apart in a cloud of gore, nothing left but an ugly corpse and a mangled heart falling to the ground.
Blood ran down Mia's neck. Her legs folded to the ground and her head slammed against the sand. Yuruko rushed over first and formed a wall to help her sit against, burns forming on Mia's right hand as she wheezed.
"I've - I've got you." winced Serena, regenerated tentacle in Mia's veins.
Mia leaned back and turned her head against the wall. A purple breath came out of her mouth and disintegrated it & sent her head slamming face-first in the sand. A swarm of scarabs covered Serena's tentacle and started chewing holes in it; she shrieked -
- and Worldwide disappeared as Mia wheezed, turning her face up. "S-S-Sorry -"
" - i-it's c-coolio." winced Serena, backing away. "A-Any other wounds?"
"N-No." Mia coughed as she sat back up. "I-I-If that wasn't e-enough for p-purple, I-I don't know what t-the h-hell i-i-is."
The four sat down and Mia melted their four stumps of ice, four streams of fog giving them their left hands back.
"I missed you." said Serena.
"My first girlfriend." muttered Yuruko, relevantly.
Mia glanced back at the compound. Solar Flare had taken a bite out of it and swallowed half of it -
- and the next scene was instant.
Hundreds & hundreds of red tendrils burst out of Sharp's heart, and the four shot up -
" - r-run." winced Mia. (Necessary as it was, she felt a bit ashamed of having to order it again.)
The four ran as fast as they could back inside the compound & in to another hall, turning their eyes back once they were twenty feet inside -
- and saw Sharp's heart unfurling & layers of flesh growing, field of red spreading fast to block where they'd come in, and in the next instant -
- a wall of automatons covered in heart tissue appeared ahead -
- but streams of fog filled their throats with heart-shaped knives, heart-constructs groaning as they disintegrated and the four kept their run going. The infection was fast spreading on the walls & floor behind, one hundred feet left between the four & it -
" - are y-you fucking kidding me?" groaned Yuruko as they ran. She had a project on Revenants surviving their hosts coming up and had a good citation now. "H-Haven't we suffered enough?"
"I-I don't have - a f-fucking scarab left yet -" grunted Mia as they ran, one ice scarab crawling out of her hair - " - i-if you need an ice cube, ask Serena -"
- and Samuel burst in to laughter first, three wheezing as they cackled - " - I needed that -"
" - why am I on ice-c-cube duty?" laughed Serena as they ran -
" - b-because you were when you were my protege - mine were too cold -" wheezed Mia - " - and -"
" - you know, Marisa was right when she used to call you a lesbian mom -" laughed Samuel -
- and the three burst in to laughter as their leader's cheeks filled -
" - do you, do you have any protege pictures?" cackled Yuruko -
" - f-focus." groaned Mia, glancing back to see the infection catching up 75ft feet behind -
" - Blackburn!" shouted Serena, and in the next instant -
- one icecube hit the beast and the four nearly bent over laughing as the infection spread over it -
" - an - an actual counter -" winced Mia, 50ft separating them & death behind -
" - I - gotta be something, uh -" winced Yuruko, rapidly forming gas masks for the four, MGL grenade launcher forming -
" - I don't need one." muttered Samuel, Serena laughing as she put her's on, Mia putting her's on beside as they ran, and as Yuruko put her's on, she stuck her finger in her MGL -
" - here we go." she winced, firing six shots behind -
- and the fluroantimonic acid within exploded in a flash of gas, corroding away the chasing infection and right through the walls; Mia coughed beside as they ran -
" - my f-fucking god -"
" - d-doesn't seem to have the m-metal or - l-light shit." winced Yuruko. The four rushed out of the hall and in to an open room, and in the next instant -
- a dozen heart-automatons appeared around them -
- and another, and another, and another; the four shot back to back, purple sweeping & gauntlets thrashing, hearing the infection catching up outside -
- but the next scene was instant.
"Miasma Cloud!" shouted Serena, and an enormous cloud of fog filled the entire room -
- and not a single automaton was left standing once it disappeared, thousands of knives hitting the floor as the mist cleared. No time to waste, the four rushed out of the room as the infection crept in to it.
"S-Sweet." winced Yuruko as they ran in to another hall. "T-Told you t-that was a good name."
"Better than Hydro Salt Jet." mumbled Serena; Mia laughed at her side -
" - excuse me?"
" - um," winced Serena - " - Mia, your names are a bit, um -"
" - exit should be up ahead." muttered Samuel. A solid wall as up ahead, and once they reached it, a spray of purple hit it -
- and the four sighed relieved as it disintegrated normally, running outside to the savanna, and not stopping until they were fifty feet away from the compound. The four turned and saw the infection claiming the outer walls, growing until it covered the entire fortress & stopping then.
Serena sighed as they stepped back. "…can we just leave it here?"
"Doesn't have the metal Revenant." winced Yuruko. "P-Probably no light Revenant."
"…Yuruko." muttered Mia. "I need to try something."
"C-Could try the icecube again." nodded Samuel.
Yuruko held her MGL out, and a swarm of scarabs burrowed in to the grenades; she fired one out -
- and a purple pillar hit the beast fifty feet away, immense heat melting its flesh & setting it dripping -
" - holy fuck that owns -" cackled Yuruko; another five shots -
- and five pillars of flame disintegrated five holes in the beast's skin, infection trying to regrow but falling off in layers before it could spread. Yuruko reloaded and pulled the trigger another six times, thinking it was about time she enjoyed a fight with this squadron as the next six hit it & it shrieked -
" - w-why the hell is it s-screaming?" winced Mia, relevantly -
" - probably will never know." winced Yuruko, firing another six shots out -
- and another six pillars of flame took six bites out of it, leaving parts of the metal compound exposed below; Mia rushed up as her palms swept forward, shouting for Worldwide's Bolt -
- a bolt of lightning erupted from her palms, and as it hit the metal -
- the four staggered back as the entire beast exploded in to a million chunks of gore & flesh & blood, unnatural screams filling their ears as bits of it rained from a lacerated sky, billions of drops of blood turning them crimson until a dome of ice formed over them and they knew that it was dead.
"…g-god." panted Mia, collapsing to her knees.
"…r-really rough." winced Yuruko, leaning on Serena, and the two fell to the ground.
Mia shot up when the ground started to sink, but nearly busted a cracked rib when she realized it was Samuel falling unconscious with Outcast still on him, exhausted from the fight against the man with eight Revenants.
◆◆◆
With Rin & Matoi's scars clearing the second Sharp died, the four set back to Urasaria while the other three stayed behind for another week. With a little surprise, Mia had noticed Yuruko was more talkative on the flight back, though they had taken one out of Egypt.
The following morning, Mia received a call on her tablet, in her office.
"Hello, this is Swarm." said Swarm.
"Hello, Swarm. My name is Codex, with the government - you may recognize me from the interview last month."
"Yes."
"Are you alone?"
"…I am."
"I thought I told you to be honest." he laughed. His voice leaned back. "I needed to ask you about something. Have you seen the news recently about something going on in Africa?"
"…I haven't. Is there some Revenant I should deal with?"
"Oh, no, no. There were some hosts, or some very experienced counterfeiters going around. Almost looked like they were trying to wreck the economy, printing off millions and millions of dollars and giving them to anyone they could. Well, they don't use dollars down there, but you get the point. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but, your squadron does contain two people with creation Revenants, yes?"
"…yes, but they've been by my side the entire time. They would rather travel to Japan than - Africa, if anything."
"Right. Do you know if, ah… oh, what's her name. The one with the jacket."
"Serena."
"Serena, right. Can she create dollar bills?"
"… I don't believe so. We attempted to use Blackburn to pay for a ransom at one point, but it was very obvious."
"Oh, that's unfortunate. I know she was having to save up for something expensive. Least it says on her profile, here." He yawned. "If you look at - you really should look at some of what I'm talking about, I'm sure it's all over the internet. They were wearing apparently these ... cartoon masks. Serena is also… see, I try to put in any small little detail in these profiles - she's also interested in that stuff. Correct?"
"She watches Japanese cartoons, yes."
"Japanese cartoons - that's what they are. My son is in to those, too. I sometimes think he's going to come home and tell me he married an Asian woman because she looked like one of those characters. You said she's been with you all of last month, yes?"
"Yes."
"Alright. I'm sure that's true, so I'm not going to bother looking in to it. Just had to go through a routine check with the Revenant Trade Commission - they always ask every country to check their creation Revenants when something like this happens. Few people in my office are getting rooted out, too…" He yawned. "…but, well. So long as nothing more happens, they won't look much in to it. France already has anti-inflation measures, and no one cares about whatever the hell goes on down in Africa. Thanks for taking the time to speak to me."
"Thank you."
"You've always been an excellent student, Mia. I'd hate for that to stop now."
Mia frowned when she heard someone knocking.