Underdogs

--Mandi's Perspective--

"Did everybody get that? Our opponents, Austin and Amy, are dangerous. Austin can spawn blades anywhere, so we can't all jump on him at once in case we're cornered and all killed at once... we'll take extra care. Ellios, you'll attack after Rin and Ren do, we'll let them perform the majority of the charges, and follow up when they're at a good distance away. We keep moving, and it's harder to be hit," I said, tracing our path in the dirt path in the middle of the city.

Quake would be moving in, slowly trying to push us out of the city to corner Sky. So long as we stood at this front on defense, they would be stuck and have to deal with us. I have no doubt Sky could take these peons on, but knowing that we were holding the line was enough to repay him for the safety he's provided for us.

"The Mahina Gate is being hit. How do we know that we'll get to Austin and Amy before they run past us?" Rin asked me, turning away from Ren and Ellios's direction.

"Zeka was launched in here at full speed, along with Cole through that wall. That leaves the Masked Girl, Kire, Fico, Austin, and Amy. Austin and Amy would do the best inside of the city, around objects Austin could interact with. Do you want me to run through the main strategies?" I asked her. Both Rin and Ren nodded at the same exact time.

"So, the reason we're attacking Austin and Amy is that we're best suited for combat like this. Ellios, you two, and I are perfect for sectioning off a person and keeping them away from the Strand Users. Austin is only one man, and the four of us can hold him off. If it were the Masked Girl, she could use her hidden ability to her advantage before Sky found it. We won't fight her because if she cuts off our body parts, she's able to put them on her body, does it make sense so far?" I asked the two. They both nodded again.

"Okay, so we're not fighting Kire because we want Ra to be able to interact with him, in other words, we need Kire as close to the mountain as possible so Ra can safely come out. He'll be driven out by Group C, either by enticing him with something he wants or redirecting him by blocking the path to us. Group Orion will come in and stop Fico, which covers all bases. No member of Quake is left," I explained thoroughly to everybody, eventually getting them to understand after repeating a few things.

"I don't understand, why are us Arkians the only ones fighting?" Ellios asked me.

"We're not the only ones fighting. Just because we're getting all of the action doesn't mean Ruby's soldiers aren't all escorting citizens and getting to safety in case we fail. We're the first line of defense, to prove our worth to the city, and then they can clean up our mess if we fail. Do you get it?" I asked Ellios, and he nodded in return.

The main gate started to break down, slowly but surely. Quake was inviting themselves in.

"I find it hard to believe this is happening... we haven't had any time to rest, why do things keep happening to us?" Ren asked.

"Tell me, what comes after this? We can all rest after Quake... nothing else will be in our way after this. The road to the future is paved with blood and sins, and we build upon it until we reach the end," I told her.

"What kind of ridiculous quote... fine, we'll keep fighting for the time being, but I want a massage after this is over," Rin said, stretching her arms out.

The gate busted down, and the plan was perfectly enacted the same way we proposed it.

Fico, Austin, The Masked Girl, and Kire all walked in, and we all took the initiative.

Fico visibly had trouble initiating her ability, which led to a perfect opening for Noboki.

Kire had an arrow with a rope attached to the end wrapped around his ankle, and The Masked Girl was pushed out with Fico and Noboki as well.

To begin the onslaught, Noboki turned the corner and tackled Fico out of it. Behind her were Ellie, Tavian, Dante, Amera, and Moon. Orion's crew all joined her and helped drag The Masked Girl with Fico to try and help her. That was the plan all along, but we had fail-safes in case The Masked Girl decided to team up with Kire or Austin.

Kire was immediately dragged up a mountainside by Alatus, Fudo, and Lia. The three of their attacks startled him and prevented him from using his ability effectively before they sectioned him off.

After everybody was sectioned off, the gate was closed by Yonoa once more, putting up a titanium one encased in Mahina Steel, and he jumped off the tower, running to the mountain bunker.

We had three gates prepared just for that. The basic one, the first line of defense, and the final line of defense in which they wouldn't be able to break through. It was all falling perfectly in line... Sky was getting very good at strategizing. He might even pass me up soon.

"Ah, looks like I'm trapped with you children... I'm really ashamed you guys aren't taller, doesn't that make you ashamed as well?" Austin asked us. He flipped his scarf around his body, cockily peering down at us.

"I guess a little... I think you have other things to be worried about though," I told him.

Rin and Ren both had Katanas made of Mahina Metal now, and Ellios had a spiked mace that was a new weapon to his fighting style.

"I hope you guys have more than just those weapons, Amy and I aren't too happy with the current situation, and it's going to take a lot more than that," He replied.