tampered | Log; ongoing

Log; ongoing

When; April 24th, before the fall of the Deus Ex Machina II
Rating; Let's assume PG-13
Characters; Tsurugi (

sword_boy, Rin (

revengeisalie), Umi (

soulofocean); later Huey (

child_radical); (Anyone who wants to save Huey)
Summary; The Major wasn't very smart in choosing to kidnap Huey at the last minute. That created some very angry people willing to go through the Deus Ex Machina II at any cost in order to save Huey.
Log;
As Tsurugi boarded the Zeppelin, he could only think back to events involving his sister. His sister, which was brutally murdered by that one Worm because he couldn't defend her. He wouldn't allow a repeat of that day in any sense to occur. He wouldn't let Huey to suffer because he wasn't paying attention like the older brother figure he decided to become for Huey should have.

Tsurugi knew he wasn't alone in the matter, and he was glad he wasn't the only one here in helping to take back Huey from this Major figure that he had heard so much about. As the chivalrous man that Tsurugi was, he wouldn't allow anyone to be put in harms way but he knew that these people wanted to save Huey just as badly as well. He couldn't ignore their desire to save Huey because he wanted to protect everyone. Because of that, Tsurugi welcomed them completely.

With the craft that Stark provided for anyone to enter the Zeppelin arriving at their boarding point, a clicking noise could be heard from something perching on Tsurugi's shoulder. The mechanical scorpion, Sasword, which helped him so greatly in fight those monsters back within his world was just as angry about Huey's disappearance. Tsurugi turned his head to the very noisy Zecter on his shoulder and said "Just wait a few more minutes, and we'll be there. We don't know where Huey-chan is, so will you find him for us, then report back?" A response of a clicks which seemed happy in nature, only confirmed Tsurugi's request. Tsurugi smiled at his Zecter, while the doors opened allowing the passengers to board the Zeppelin.

With Sasword jumping off Tsurugi's shoulder, and scurrying away rather quickly in order to find Huey, Tsurugi turned to his companions and said softly that "I shall be rather weakened until my Zecter returns. I can still fight, but I won't be able to fight with my full strength. Please forgive me, and help me overcome this weakness until Sasword can return."

Even with a ship full of unknowns, Tsurugi was ready to travel anyway in order to save a person he cared about. He knew that nothing would stop them from rescuing Huey.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Umi hadn't had trouble finding her way to the small rescue team once she'd parted from her own assigned unit. Mister Stark had done an amazing job at organizing this. The battle was in progress all over the flying fortress. After seeing her share of it she'd grown used to the rush of anger and enthusiasm inside her enough to think more clearly.

Rescuing the prisoners was their top priority, but if she had to stab more undead freaks to get to wherever they were kept, then so be it. A couple more bruises wouldn't kill her.

"...That... Scorpion robot thing..." She asked Tsurugi, sword in hand, glance following the Zecter as it scurried away. "You really think it'll find the way to the prisoners? Never mind: if you're weakened then we'll cover up for you! These creeps are using mostly blades and explosives. I can deal with both."

The dragon sword stayed firm in her grip as she followed her companions through the ship.

He looked at Umi fondly, and said "Sasword, that robot thing as you put it, can find at least Huey-chan without problem. Sasword rather likes Huey-chan... or rather Huey-chan's hair."

Walking forward, looking down what seemed to be an endless hall, Tsurugi knew this was going to take awhile. Holding his Rider Sword in hand, he said "I can only deal with the bladed foes safely until Sasword returns. Once I have Sasword back, the battle will drastically be more in our favor, and I will be able to deal with all the foes on board this vessel."

Sasword was still off aways in unknown territory, so Tsurugi knew there was only waiting and walking to do. "Shall we sweep each room we come across to make sure we aren't missing anything whether it be a friend to save or a foe which could ambush us? Once Sasword is back, I'll know where to at least find Huey at... but until then, shall we keep ourselves busy?"

"Oh, right. Huey mentioned the hair fixation. Not that I can blame... um. Sasword. Huey has mushy hair." Umi's smile was filled with melancholy. To think that just a day or so ago she'd been talking to Huey like nobody's business... She couldn't have imagined anything like this would happen. But The City had taught Umi a harsh lesson on unpredictability. Now it was a matter of getting back at it.

"Sweeping sounds like the way to go." The smile turned into a determined grin on her face as she eyed the way they still had to travel, past the enemy lines and to the prisoners. She was ready to trust Tsurugi's Zecter. Huey's roommate sounded resolute enough to get the boy back. It was a shame that they'd had to meet under such circumstances. "The other teams aren't getting a break, so why don't we do our share too? We'll get bored otherwise!"

A blue watery aura started glowing around her as she raised her rapier and glanced back at their companions. She was going to make her participation in this fray worth every second. "Shall we?"

Rin breathed in deeply as they boarded the enemy ship. She was prepared. That was what she told herself. Her mantra. She knew it was dangerous, especially on such short notice - but could she always live a half-hearted life, even in a place she didn't really belong to? Rescuing a friend was important.

She called to mind Youko, who'd been worried when she told her (she'd thought she could tell Youko, damnit) and Manji, whom she'd snuck out on. Again. But that, she'd learned, was maybe sometimes a necessary evil.

Her thoughts had occupied her while the others talked, but when the topic came to the matter she dreaded most, she spoke up without thinking: "Wait! You want to kill them all? Shouldn't we try to keep the casualties down?"

In her precarious state between fury and desperation, her eyes glowered at them almost accusingly.

Elsewhere in a holding cell inside the Deus ex Machina II, Huey was glaring at the backs of the guard detail. When the boy woke up earlier with the roaring salvo of rockets being launched from the ship he thought about how much of an idiot he was. He, who was known to be of rational thought and mind, was taken by anger and baited by that man, the Major. And those thoughts about how easily the man manipulated him kept him occupied, stewing in a combination of dissapointment and anger. It was after all the one thing which kept him from focusing on the wails of dispair which echoed through the ship.

And so he continued to sit while newer thoughts about the assault filled his head. What were the Major's true forces like? Were his friends safe? Were they in the thick of things fighting as well?

Though that and many other trains of thought were halted when he heard the sound of something bursting through the wall after ramming it for a few seconds. Huey, the guards, and the other prisoners could do nothing but look absolutely flabbergasted at a mechanical scorpion which seemed quite pleased with itself after looking around the room for a few seconds. And the confusion only grew as the thing clicked and chirped happily as it scurried off through its self-made entry.

"What in the world was that all about?" one the guards asked.

"Don't know...could be another experiment." suggested another.

The child could do nothing but smirk at the small hole. Thinking back to how Tsurugi told him that his Zecter would burst through anything on his orders. And anywhere that Sasword was, then Tsurugi wouldn't be too far behind. At least he hoped that was the case in his current situation.

"...It's not as if--- WATCH OUT!!" back to the foggy corridor - air made thicker by the fumes of powder and fire - Umi's reply to Rin's perfectly understandable argument had to be put off. A squad of foul-looking troopers bearing huge spears charged in their direction, weapons at the ready. Something that had been stifling within Umi since she woke to find herself hooked to unknown machinery, knowing she'd been manipulated, examined like a mere lab specimen just... clicked.

The dragon rapier stabbed through the undead creatures' armor without effort. Umi moved sideways, expecting the rest of the squad to open fire on them now that they had a perfect aim. Without hesitation, she turned on her heels and summoned her magic, water sprouts swirling around her, temperature dropping so that hints of frost appeared on the walls.

"Koori no Yaiba~!"

A blizzard of massive ice blades took out the undead squad in rush. That put an end to the fire that had gradually been growing until it blocked their way down the corridor. Catching her breath, Umi turned to Rin and Tsurugi again. "Like I was saying... It's not like they're not already dead, Rin! These are zombies, far as I can tell. We can try to spare those we can, unless things get pretty ugly."

Tsurugi started slashing at everything that came near him. His attacks clearly didn't have the elegance of his fencing foil, but he knew that in this instance, there was no reason to care about elegance. This was war.

"Sasword is going as fast as it can." Tsurugi slashed down another zombie in his way. "I really don't see why people buy games emulating this..." A zombie attacking him interrupted Tsurugi's speech. Tsurugi slashed at him, and kicked the zombie onto its back, and made sure that the zombie wouldn't get up again. "...As I was saying, this isn't at all fun." He looked down and saw the state of his suit's leg which he had used to kick the zombie down. "They got my suit dirty... The Worm never get my suit dirty." He kept that thought brief and returned to the bigger situation at hand.

Tsurugi looked around to see what other zombies were nearby. "I'm sorry Rin, but we can't have honor their value of half-life. They are way too gone to help, unless you know someone who can completely resurrect them." He slashed down another one that came near him. "Umi-chan, may I suggest that you use that magic of yours and seal of that entrance which seems to be their main way of entry."

Even through the heat of battle (though "heat" per se was almost an ironic word, considering Umi's magic kept the corridor half-frozen) Umi kept sparing an eye for checking out Tsurugi's sword work. Nice. Whenever this madness was through she'd have to ask Huey's roommate for a match. His technique was affected by his temper, but in a situation like this it was inevitable. His words for Rin were true as could be, as well: they couldn't afford elegance nor pity when their friends' lives were at stake. Less so when it came to yucky zombies.

"...I can try to! With ice... I'll make it as thick an ice wall as possible!" Her glance turned to assess the size of the corridor. Blocking that would eat up quite a lot of her energy, but it'd also buy them time. More: it'd not only benefit the three of them - and Huey, wherever he was - but also the rest of the teams that were already past this point. "Step back a little. I'm gonna try this."

Focusing on her magic brought a halo of blue light around Umi's figure. She raised both her left hand and closed her eyes, sensing the hissing of the air as it became thinner and colder around her. A sturdy layer of frost started growing into an icy barricade right behind them. Hopefully Tsurugi and Rin would manage what enemies decided to charge them while she was busy with this.

Tsurugi slashed at anything that tried to get through... anything that tried to get near Umi. Tsurugi knew that with each sacrifice, someone must compensate. His allies were taking up his slack because he sent Sasword off to find Huey. He and Rin would now have to protect Umi until she could safely prevent any further trouble.

"I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking about the energy it would take up. I was blindly assuming that you could use magic freely... or is that a misassumption?" Tsurugi was only trying to think strategically when he asked Umi to attempt to erect a barrier... and Tsurugi felt like an utter idiot because he wasn't thinking long term. Tsurugi knew they only had to get safely to Huey, and secure the location long enough for Nakumura to teleport them out, but not to think of something like that, he felt ashamed. "No matter what, I shall pick up any slack that you've lost because of your inability to act." he stated as kept up the position of being the chivalrous knight that he tried to be.

"Don't sweat it." Umi's voice came out deep and almost otherworldly through the tide of magical energy surrounding her, but smiling back at Tsurugi with a reassuring look in her eyes didn't break her concentration at all. She had never used her ultimate spell for this purpose, but the cause was worth it. It had been a great plan and she let her eyes say this. "Even if I can't use magic for a while I can still stab through any nasties just fine...."

Inch by inch... several feet thick... the ice barricade kept building up. Umi didn't care if this made her vulnerable to attacks. She simply kept focusing. She had faith in her companions and their abilities. It was something she'd learned to do back in Cephiro: to trust others for working as a good team.

When a host of enemies appeared behind the ice wall and started attacking it with their rifles, she pressed on, the frozen air congealing, barrier still building up, up, until it finally blocked the corridor entirely. "They won't pass."

She'd really hoped they wouldn't be discovered immediately, and now she berated herself - the Zeppelin wasn't so big as for there to be much chance for that. This wasn't a labyrinth-like underground dungeon. Well, they had to work with what they had. So Rin fought off the demons with her own sword as well as she could.

The first few, she tried to fight off without killing blows, but she soon noticed that they kept coming at her, and being careful, in this case, was distracting and ineffective. Soon, she stood there panting and bruised, clothing slightly torn and several cuts on her skin.

Rin took a deep breath and readied her sword, heels almost digging into the floor. 'Well... so be it', she thought and fought without holding back.

Meanwhile, she could see out of the corner of her eye what Umi was doing. Great, keep going was what she wanted to say, but she kept to herself, afraid of distracting Umi and instead hoping even her thoughts might help some.

"I'm not the best of fighters", she admitted to Tsurugi in a low voice, "So when Zecter comes back, I could try to get to Huey while you two fight them off."

"I think we're safe now..." Tsurugi said surveying the current grounds. Their entrance was now blocked, and they could only go forward. He found it strange that Sasword hadn't returned yet, but he doubted that Sasword had been captured.

He looked partially away to check on his companions, only to notice some movement in the corner of his vision. There were more of those strange soldiers of the Major's... and while they weren't as numerous as those Zombie-like soldiers, they looked stronger... much stronger. He knew with Umi weakened, and the small but still problematic trouble that those Zombie soldiers had given, that they could be in trouble. "Intel said that these new ones are much stronger. We could be in..."

Echoing from another corridor, a slightly mechanical voice announced []. From the source of the sound, a small explosion destroyed a part of a wall and a purple flash emerged from the explosion like an arrow, hitting one of the new soldiers in the stomach and knocked back this new group like a set of dominoes. "...I retract my earlier statement. The battle has changed. Dramatically at that. Sasword is here."

Huey listened to the guards talk about the appearance of Sasword and inwardly called the lot of them morons over every single outlandish excuse they could come up with.

"Do you think it could've been something that was inside the hold?"

"I'm thinking it could've been left by one of those other guys who left already."

"Could be."

The limits of their thought process made the boy roll his eyes. The Major may have been an amazing mastermind but the peons before him were only a step up above Ed and Gin Rummy. Huey clenched his hands together and massaged the stiffness out of his shoulders. He believed in Sasword and its ability to return back to Tsurugi and the others without much trouble. Although what was in there to detract invading parties made him worry a bit over his friend. Tsurugi may have been the man to state that he’ll replace God with a slash of his sword but he wondered how true that would hold towards automated miniguns.

At the arrival of the new, fouler-looking troopers Umi had raised her rapier to en garde stance. Even if a long while would have to pass before she was able to cast another attack spell without the risk of passing out from exhaustion, she was more than ready to do her part. Tsurugi and Rin were doing a good job at dispatching foes. But Umi wasn't about to fall behind in the battle.

When the explosion occurred she had her back turned to the spot where Sasword entered the corridor. Umi turned to give the Zecter a wide-eyed glance, gaping for a moment. How on earth had it...!?

But this meant progress!

"---hey, that was fast!" She smiled at Tsurugi, ready to believe Huey's roommate had a lot to back up that winner attitude of his. "Does this mean we got a guide now? All the better! This place's getting on my nerves." Her eyes turned to the part of the corridor not blocked by her ice barricade. "Lead the way?"

"Allow me to finish this battle before it involves you two." Tsurugi stated while he smiled at his two companions. "Let me show you Sasword's true potential!" he yelled as Sasword jumped into Tsurugi's hands. "Henshin!" he said as he placed the scorpion within a slot on the sword. The scorpion responded with the announcement of [], and a heavy armor started to form around Tsurugi.

"Come you monsters. Come see the man who'll replace God with his sword!" he taunted. The soldiers started to swarm at Tsurugi. Tsurugi hit the scorpion's tail into the sword as said in a normal voice "Cast Off". The armor looked like it was perking up, as if ready to burst. The soldiers swarmed over Tsurugi, covering him. The announcement, [], could be heard. The soldiers looked like they had won until they were thrown away by an explosion of the heavy armor that covered Tsurugi, leaving him with a lighter and more elegant armor in place. One more announcement could be heard, [], with a flash of light blazing for only a second from the eyes of the armor that Tsurugi wore.

His looked at the surprised soldiers then laughed for a second. "You thought I would do something that stupid? Hah! Prepare for your defeat. Normally I wouldn't be as cruel or lacking my chivalry but today is a very special exception." Tsurugi pulled the scorpion tail from his sword out and placed it back in. The scorpion announced [], and Tsurugi moved his non-sword hand to the side of his belt. The soldiers were all starting to rebound, and head towards Tsurugi. "Goodbye" was all he said when he hit the side of his belt, and the scorpion announced [].

A few seconds later, another announcement of [] came, only that Tsurugi now stood behind the entire battalion. With that, the entire battalion keeled over, and exploded into unnaturally colored flames. Tsurugi looked back at his companions, and said "Huey-chan and a few other prisoners are close. Shall we go?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Log; ongoing

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject