*On the empty roads of Brister, Raika and Ryuuji are speeding down the streets on a motorcycle being driven by Raika*
(Raika): I like this bike, it’s got a lot of power to it. How you holding up back there, Ryuuji?
(Ryuuji): I don’t suppose I can ask you to slow down just a little?
(Raika): We’re in a hurry. Don’t worry, we’ll be at Round Table shortly.
*Raika looks up the road to see an overturned car on fire and a bunch of rioters in the street blocking the way. They were holding various weapons and waiting to attack*
(Raika): Looks like we got a blockade up ahead.
(Ryuuji): How’s your road rage?
(Raika): Much better after the therapy sessions.
(Ryuuji): Well now would be a good time to forget those lessons and unleash the rage within.
*Raika nods and gets a sadistic look in her eyes as she starts to speed up towards the rioters. Ryuuji leaps off the motorcycle into the air*
(Ryuuji): Fire Grid Form 33: Double Stomp Meteor!
*Ryuuji came falling from the sky with both his feet aiming down engulfed in fire. He landed on a rioter double stomping them on the face to the ground. One rioter tried to attack Ryuuji from behind with a knife but Ryuuji sensed the attack coming and countered with a spinning flaming backfist which sent the rioter flying off to the side. Another rioter threw a chain and wrapped it around Ryuuji’s right arm in an effort to immobilize him. Ryuuji grabbed the chain with both hands and pulled the rioter towards him to deliver a flaming lariat. A rioter holding a steel bat swung at Ryuuji where Ryuuji dodged the attack and used an upward palm strike to knock the bat out of the rioter’s hand and into the air. Ryuuji then grabbed the arm of the rioter, twisted it and delivered a high kick across the rioter’s face before lifting them up and throwing them at two more rioters. As the steel bat came falling from the sky, Ryuuji caught it and handed it off to Raika who was speeding by. Dragging the bat along the pavement, sparks could be seen flying up from the bat. The sound of the bat hitting the pavement and sparks got the attention of the two rioters that were hit by the rioter Ryuuji threw and they were both smacked hard across the face by the bat to knock them out. The remaining four rioters began to run away as they saw Raika approaching them. Raika cracked one of them in the back of the head followed by a second and third rioter who hit the ground face first. Raika stopped the motorcycle and threw the bat at the last rioter who was further away. The bat hit the back neck of the rioter who fell to the ground sideways clutching his neck. Raika then sped towards the rioter and ran over them with the motorcycle before stopping and letting out a sigh*
(Raika): Ahhh~, how’s that for road rage?
*Ryuuji runs over to the turned over car and drags it off to the side of the road before returning to Raika and hopping back onto the motorcycle*
(Ryuuji): Don’t care who they are or where they come from. There’s no force in this world that’s going to stop me from saving my family. Let’s roll.
*Raika begins to take off down the road*
***
*Back in the sewer shaft, Dust along with Sanada, Jin, Gael, Hibana’s drone, and Alita were waiting for Hibana to get the elevator working*
(Hibana): Elevator is working. Hop in guys.
(Jin): We sure this thing isn’t going to come crashing down with us inside?
(Alita): I have checked the cables pulling the elevator. They are still strong and sturdy. I calculate a 98% safe trip.
(Gael): And the other 2%?
(Alita): We will plummet to our death.
*Everybody stood there silent*
(Alita): I am of course joking. I will survive.
(Dust): Okay, do us a favor and try to keep jokes like that to yourself.
(Alita): Understood. I will attempt to tell a better joke next time.
*Everyone gets into the elevator and heads down*
***
*Flashback*
*A few minutes earlier, everyone was standing outside of the shaft staring at Alita*
(Dust): What the hell is that thing doing here?
(Zia): Beg your pardon Dust, but this thing is a she and her name is Alita.
(Alita): Hi, I’m Alita. Nice to meet you.
*Alita bows her head once again*
(Jin): Hey, I recognize you. It’s the same mechanical soldier we fought in Orion City.
(Gael): A mechanical clone of Khaos’s granddaughter.
(Sanada): I was under the impression they were all destroyed.
(Amarti): I decided to keep one around for good measure.
(Dust): Alright, I’ll ask, where did it-
*Zia shoots Dust a death glare*
(Dust): I mean she come from?
(Amarti): Remember when Zia and I stayed behind at the abandoned mall to treat her injury? Well that was an excuse to secure a mechanical soldier. Destroying such advanced technology would be a waste so we stayed behind to see what we could salvage. Thankfully, you guys managed to leave one intact for us to keep.
(Jin): The one I shut down with electricity.
(Amarti): Correct. In exchange for helping Brutus escape safely, he agreed to help get the unconscious soldier out of the city for us. We then met up with him once we arrived back in the kingdom and he handed the soldier over to us. From there, I had our good friend Dr. Midou take a look at her. He was nice enough to reprogram her for us as well as add a few enhancements to make her stronger. It took her some time to get used to her new environment and fighting style, but she’s made great improvements over time and is now ready to help out the team.
(Sanada): And you did this behind our back without evening telling us?
(Amarti): You guys all seemed busy and I was waiting for her training to be completed before I unveiled her, but with everything going on now is the time to reveal her.
(Hibana): Wow! I can’t believe it! A fully functioning mechanical soldier with AI! I have so many questions to ask you!
(Alita): You must be Hibana. It’s nice to meet you. You are a lot smaller and more mechanical than I was led to believe.
(Zia): That’s because it’s a drone. The real Hibana is somewhere else.
(Alita): Ah, I see you.
(Hibana): When this is all over I’ll come meet you face to face. You and I are going to have so much to talk about.
(Alita): I look forward to that. I also wish to converse with you as well, Hibana. I am very much impressed with the work you have done.
(Hibana): *Squeal* an AI praised my work. You are so adorable!
(Dust): Amarti, you sure this is a good idea? I mean the last time we saw this thing it tried to kill us.
(Amarti): Don’t worry, I assure you she’s on our side now and will do everything in her power to help you achieve your mission. She will fight, protect, and do the wiring for the generator. You have nothing to fear.
*Flashback ends*
***
(Dust): *Inner Thoughts* Nothing to fear, but everything to lose.
(Hibana): We’ll be at the bottom shortly.
(Dust): Alright, this is it. Mutt, use those eyes of yours and tell us what you see.
*Gael closes his eyes and focuses on the aura of others in the area. After sensing the presence of Eclipses he opens his eyes*
(Gael): We got Eclipses waiting for us just outside of the elevator.
(Dust): Any idea what they look like?
(Gael): Alligators. Mean looking alligators ready to attack.
(Sanada): The urban legend of alligators living in the sewers becomes a reality.
(Dust): Shouldn’t be a problem. Rookie, introduce our presence to them.
(Jin): I was hoping you would pick me.
*The elevator reaches the bottom. Eclipses that looked like black alligators with yellow eyes and teeth slowly crawled close to the elevator as the doors slowly open. Before the Eclipses could attack, Jin stepped out and began firing his gatling gun wildly at the Eclipses. Many Eclipses screamed out in pain as they shot multiple times and began to disappear. After about ninety seconds of shooting, Jin stopped as he ran out of bullets. There were still a few Eclipses crawling around and once the bullets stopped they began to crawl towards Jin, but Dust and Sanada jumped out to finish up the rest of them. Dust chopped the Eclipses in half with his wires while Sanada slashed through them with his sword*
(Gael): Alright, the coast is clear. But there are more, deeper in.
(Sanada): And I am sure our ruckus has alerted them.
(Dust): It was bound to happen. Let’s get into formation. Me, Sanada, and Gael will lead. Jin you’re in the middle. Hibana and Alita will hang back close to Jin.
*All of them begin to run forward through the sewers with Gael using his aura senses to guide them*
***
*Back on the streets of Brister, the White Knights were out in full force fighting against rioters and prisoners. Javan was busy fighting off a number of these rioters and prisoners all while protecting injured knights and innocent bystanders. Brodie was using his strength to toss prisoners around and batter them with his bucklers. Pennie was firing at prisoners and spun around like a ballerina when she was surrounded by rioters and prisoners. Lukas was protecting the injured knights and innocent bystanders with his lightning hounds who kept the rioters and prisoners at bay which allowed Wato and Lola to attack from behind. Saber was using her sword whip to slash multiple prisoners at once while Violet and Indigo provided her with back up*
(Saber): Keep fighting everyone. We have to push through.
*All of a sudden, a few of the rioters and prisoners went flying from a blast of magic. The blast came from the Black Tortoise Knights being led by Rika who was holding a pitch black sword that was only one centimeter in width and looked to be as thin as paper*
(Rika): Medic personnel, help the injured and bystanders. Everyone else with me. Take out these rioters and prisoners. Show no mercy.
*Following Rika, the Black Knights began fighting the rioters and prisoners with weapons and magic all while protecting medical personnel who made their way to the injured. Rika was easily slashing through anyone that got in her way to clear a path. Some rioters and prisoners tried to escape, but as soon as they turned around they came face to face with Saber who slashed through them with her sword whip. After the medics got done healing the injured, Black Knights helped them up*
(Rika): Get these people to the shelter immediately.
(Black Knight): Yes ma’am! You heard her, let’s move!
*Some of the Black Knights left with the injured to escort them to the shelter*
(Saber): Well this was the last person I was expecting to see. The Night Queen herself, Rika Gareth.
(Rika): It’s nice to see you too, Saber. It’s been a while. You seemed to be having some trouble back there.
(Saber): We had it under control. Still, thank you for your assistance.
(Pennie): Um, Brodie, do they know each other?
(Brodie): Yeah, they went to the academy together. Tied for top of their class when they graduated together along with another young lady named Shirai Cait.
(Lukas): The Iron Empress, The Night Queen, and The Lightning Duchess. Together they were known as the Three Royal Swords. Three very talented ladies whose mastering of the sword was only rivaled by their intellect and beauty. Their legacy was even known at the mage academy.
(Lola): You’re telling me this Rika chic is on the same level as the captain along with someone else? What she doing with the Black Knights?
(Brodie): Got me. Just like Saber she had her pick of any order to choose from after graduation and chose the Black Knights. It shocked everyone including me.
(Violet): That sword of hers is so thin I can barely see it.
(Indigo): It’s almost like a sheet of paper. How can she cut anything with a sword that thin?
(Wato): Don’t be fooled by appearances. Despite how it looks I sense strong magic within that sword and as we saw earlier she was able to slice through her opponents with ease.
(Saber): So what’s the plan now? Communications are still down and we can’t contact anyone to know what’s going on or relay information.
(Rika): Then it’s a good thing I showed up. We’ve received word from the commanders to assist with escorting citizens to the shelters and wait for the power to return before we mount a full assault.
(Saber): Who’s working on restoring the power?
(Rika): Shadow Eye is taking care of it.
(Saber): Those are not reassuring words.
(Rika): *Chuckles* Don’t worry, you can always count on them to be in control of any problem.
***
*Back in the sewers*
(Hibana): We are not in control of this situation!
*The group was being chased by a horde of Eclipses crawling after them. Jin threw a few mini-bombs at them and Gael fired of energy balls of light magic to take out a few, but they were still being chased by a lot of them. Staring up ahead, Gael could see they were coming upon a collapsed bridge*
(Gael): Dead end!
(Dust): Get ready to jump!
*As the group came across the collapsed bridge, they all jumped with Dust shooting off two wires where he and Sanada grabbed onto one of them and then used their other hands to grab Jin and Gael. Alita used the jets in her feet to fly. The Eclipses tried to leap at the group but couldn’t reach them and fell below into some water. The Eclipses swam to shore where a bunch more Eclipses were standing by and looking up*
(Jin): Who knew alligators could be so fast.
(Sanada): All that muscle isn’t for show.
(Dust): Alright, lets swing across to the other side.
(Hibana): Negative, we need to go down. The way to the power generator is just down there.
(Dust): And of course the Eclipses are blocking the way.
(Alita): Not to worry, I shall clear a safe landing for you.
*Alita begins to fly down towards the Eclipses*
(Hibana): Wait! It’s too risky to fight alone.
(Dust): Hang on. She was trained by Zia. Let’s see what she can do.
*As soon as Alita landed, the Eclipses began crawling towards her. Stretching out her left hand, she fired off a photon cannon which blasted through three Eclipses to destroy them. Alita charged forward where she transformed her right hand into a light blue photon saber. Using her speed, Alita managed to slash through five Eclipses in quick succession before one Eclipse leaped in the air and tackled her to the ground. The Eclipse managed to pin both of Alita’s arms to the ground to stop her weapons, but her eyes began to glow pink and she fired off laser beams to chop the head of the Eclipse off. With the body of the Eclipse vanishing, Alita returned to her feet just in time to catch an Eclipse that leapt in the air towards her trying to bite her. Alita got the Eclipse by the snout and jaw with both hands and used her superior strength to stop it from closing its mouth. She then spun around and swung the Eclipse’s body at other Eclipses to swat them away before lifting and slamming the Eclipse’s body on the ground. Alita then used her mechanical tail to pierce through the Eclipse she just slammed and then flew over to five of the six remaining Eclipses where she used her tail to slash them apart. The last Eclipse and Alita stared each other down before Alita fired off her right hand like a rocket towards the Eclipse where she activated her photon blade to pierce the Eclipse through the head and kill it. Her hand then flew back and reattached to her arm*
(Dust, Gael, Sanada, and Jin): So cool!
(Hibana): Really!? After everything you just saw the rocket fist is the thing that impresses you the most?
(Dust): You’re a girl, you don’t understand the appeal and coolness of the rocket fist.
*Dust created another wire to lower himself and the others down where they rejoined Alita*
(Alita): The area is secured. We may continue.
(Sanada): Excellent work, Alita.
(Jin): Yeah, those enhancements are no joke. You’re way stronger than you were in Orion.
(Alita): Thank you. My training with Zia has paid off.
(Dust): You couldn’t ask for a better teacher. Many years of fighting have put her in a league of her own.
(Gael): Oh come on, she can’t be that old.
(Jin): Yeah, what is she? Mid-twenties? Thirties top.
(Dust): Try 91 years old.
*Gael and Jin were stunned to hear that*
(Dust): I will be sure to tell her about your guess. I’m sure she’ll get a good laugh out of it. For the record, Amarti is 88 years old, Hibana is 43 years old, and I’m 104 years old.
(Jin): You guys are that old?
(Hibana): What do you mean, that old? Maybe to you humans we’re old, but to other elves we’re barely adults. On average, an elf can live up to 700 years. It’s both a blessing and a curse. We have all the time in the world and yet we have no idea what to do with it.
(Dust): Speak for yourself little miss shut-in. All you do is eat, play games, sleep, and watch webanime. Meanwhile, I’m out and about seeing the world.
(Hibana): Show me something interesting in the world and I’ll be more willing to go outside.
(Sanada): One thing is for a certain, having an elf as a godparent is ideal. Although I hesitate to trust a child with this lot of elves.
*Jin and Gael couldn’t help but snicker at Sanada’s comment while Alita gave them a confusing look*
(Alita): Interesting. You are all comrades yet you have no problem making backhanded comments at each other. Why is that?
(Jin): Well that’s hard to explain. You see, the reason why we can make such backhanded comments at each other and not get mad is because we’re all friends here.
(Alita): Friends?
(Jin): Yeah, a friend is someone who you can be yourself around. Someone who sees both your positives and negatives and accepts you for who you are.
(Gael): They stick by you through the easiest and toughest of times. You can always count on them to have your back when you need them the most.
(Jin): While it’s true we make fun of each other it never comes from a place of hatred or spite, but rather from a light-hearted place to calm the nerves and get a good laugh out of each other.
(Sanada): Yes. Take my last comment for example. While Dust may seem like the last person you would want a child to be around, in truth, you couldn’t ask for a better guardian. He may not show it, but in truth he cares a great deal for those around him. In fact, he was the one who organized Jin’s welcome party.
*This revelation shocked Jin. Dust. The same Dust who for months wouldn’t call Jin by his name was the one who organized his welcome party. That means that since the beginning Dust was going to accept him into the order*
(Jin): Really!?
(Dust): No. I simply asked Chief if he did any parties and passed the information to Amarti and Morrison.
(Sanada): According to the others he spent that whole week planning the party and inviting people.
(Jin): You did all that for me!?
(Dust): No!
*Dust begins to speed up and walk ahead of everyone hiding his embarrassment as Alita observed what was happening*
(Gael): You get it now, Alita?
(Alita): Not entirely.
(Hibana): Give it some time, it’ll come. After all, you got good friends to work off of.
(Alita): You. . .consider me your friend?
(Hibana): Of course! We just got done fighting a horde of Eclipses and are trying to restore power to the kingdom. If this isn’t a friend bonding experience then I don’t know what is.
(Alita): Interesting. I feel very warm inside knowing that you consider me a friend, Hibana.
(Sanada): I believe the word you’re looking for, is happiness.
(Dust): Which is what I’m experiencing right now. Look!
*The group runs toward Dust who is standing near the end of the tunnel they were in. Once they reached Dust he pointed at a the rusty generator they were looking for. The room they were in had the generator in the middle of the area with a platform railing leading to it. There was a monitoring station off to the right side and the place was slightly flooded with water*
(Hibana): Well, this is the place. We’ll need to get rid of this water though before we can start working on the generator.
(Alita): The monitoring station over there should have an operating drainage system to get rid of the water.
*The group ascended down some stairs to reach the water which wasn’t deep and only went up to their shins halfway. As they waded through the water to reach the station, Gael stopped, sensing something*
(Gael): Wait! Something’s here. Something big.
*Everyone readies their weapons. Sanada draws his sword, Dust takes out his knife attached to a wire, Jin takes his hammer, and Alita extends her tail out*
(Sanada): Is it in the water?
(Gael): No. It’s somewhere else. Watching us.
*As everyone looked around, Dusk felt saliva hit his coat and looked up to see yellow eyes and many teeth closing in on him*
(Dust): Move!
*As if on reflex. Dust kicked Jin out of the way back toward Alita and Hibana’s drone before jumping out of the way. Sanada and Gael jumped forward to dodge whatever Dust saw. Dust dove face first into the water where he was submerged for a few seconds before he popped back up after a loud thud which rippled through the water. Turning his head around Dust was shocked at what he was looking at, as was everyone else. An Eclipse in the form of an 11-foot-tall alligator had its teeth in the ground and was staring at Sanada and Gael on one side and Jin, Alita, and Hibana’s drone on the other side. The Eclipse released its grip on the ground and lifted its head up. Everyone was able to get a better view of the Eclipse. They were intimidated by its muscular frame and how it was able to stand upward on two feet. The Eclipse let out a loud piercing roar to get everyone’s attention*
(Alligator Eclipse): Get. . .out.
Author’s Note: A talking Eclipse!? I bet nobody saw that coming. A lot of interesting bits in this chapter. The mechanical soldier from the last volume makes a return. Not as an enemy, but an ally. Similar to Terminator 2 where this time the Terminator is the good guy. I did enjoy writing the bit between Dust and Zia where Dust still sees her as nothing more than a robot, while Zia who has spent time with her has come to see Alita as an actual person. Her name obviously comes from Battle Angels and as for her personality, I based it on a few characters. The first is Aigis from Persona 3, Vision from Marvel, and Dorothy from Big O. She’s obviously smart but is still learning what it means to be a living being. What it means to be a friend and what happiness is. Continuing with the female cast we also got to see Rika show off what she can do and her history with Saber. Originally I was going to do a weapon triangle with the Royal Swords and call them the Royal Triangle but I just didn’t feel like an axe would match up with the personality of these three ladies. So I decided to give them each a sword, but make each sword unique and different from a regular sword. Hence the sword whip and thin sword that Saber and Rika have respectively. Rika’s sword was inspired by the Black Lily Sword from SAO. I remember watching the anime and just falling in love with that love. I just thought it so unique and cool. It was like watching someone fight with an invisible blade. Finally, we get our first look at a talking Eclipse. I know some people have been asking for a good Eclipse fight and we’re finally going to get one in the next chapter. You’re going to see just how much of a threat these things can be. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.