62 The Raid - Part 2

Kro and Aless struggled pitifully against their bonds, stretching and straining, but it was no use - the stones were like steel. All they could do was watch, as Mao briskly made her way over to the two, dagger in hand.

.

Kro, as a last resort, spit out the needle he had stashed in his mouth, the taste of blood on his tongue, right at Mao's eye. The woman plucked it out of the air like a leaf.

.

"We'll… give you information!" Aless struggled out.

"No." Mao shook her head. "You don't seem like the cowardly type, and I'm not the best at reading lies. Goodbye."

.

Kro screamed in pain as the rocks binding his body began to constrict fast, crushing his ankles and ribs, forcing blood up his throat. His breaths came out painfully and labored, and blood pooled around his body, but from then on he didn't let out another cry, closing his eyes and bracing for death.

.

He opened his eyes for a split second, glancing at Mao with a hateful expression, before he caught a faint shimmering of light next to the short woman. His face twitched, but nonetheless he held his expression, despite the relief that he felt.

.

Mao let out a cry of pain as she toppled to the ground, one hand reaching for her back, as the light behind her started to shimmer and refract, revealing Falo's form, a knife in his hand, planted into Mao's back.

.

"Hey kids." He muttered. "You've run into some trouble."

"Falo!" Kro cried. "Oh man, I've never been so happy to see you-"

.

Falo sheathed his knife, walking over to try and free Kro and Aless, but his expression hardened when the stone didn't budge.

"She's still alive!" Aless shrieked. "Falo!"

.

Falo let out a grunt of pain as Mao swept out his legs from under him, blood flowing from her back, but not nearly freely enough as would be expected from a deep wound.

.

"You should have used a bigger blade." She breathed out, brushing shards of rock off her skin. "That's unusual. I heard magistrate agents don't work in large groups."

"I believe it's called arrogance." Falo mused, jumping to his feet.

"Hmph."

.

Mao brought down her hand, and the entire room shook as a massive stalactite was forced out of the ceiling, the jagged point of the rock formation piercing into the floor where Falo used to be. The cowled agent leapt backwards and threw a small shard of ice at Mao in retaliation, but it was easily blocked by the woman's mana shield. He shot another shard of ice, and Mao didn't even bother to block it, watching as it plinked off her stone skin. Meanwhile, Falo dove for cover as a massive beam of stone flew right at his chest.

.

"Not much water here." Mao observed.

"Going to tell me to give up?"

"No." Mao shook her head. "That would be pointless."

.

Mao clenched her hand into a fist and pulled down, hard, dust falling from the ceiling as another beam came down from the roof, but with a flat end, meant to crush Falo. He dove for cover again, but his coat caught on the stone. He quickly slashed it away with his dagger, but the split second he took to glance at it rendered him an unmoving target for one of Mao's beams.

.

Falo let out an "OOF!" as the wind was knocked out of him, a stone beam catching him in the chest before forcing him into a wall.

.

"Ow…" He groaned. "My back…"

.

Mao would have said something, but she had felt like she had said too much that day. Quickly, the stone in the wall behind the middle-aged man turned into coiling restraints around his arms and legs. The dust on the floor quickly coalesced into a jagged spear of rock, Mao sparing no time, but Falo ripped his hands out of his bindings right before he was impaled in the neck.

.

Mao raised her eyebrows, before looking at the rocks that were previously bound around Falo's hands. There were shards of ice littered within.

.

"Clever."

.

Meanwhile, Falo took a deep breath as the air coalesced around him, the temperature in the room dropping as a long spear of ice formed in his hand, the tip pointed and sharp. Mao drew her knife, ready to clash swords, but was caught off guard when Falo tossed it like a javelin. She was still able to easily dodge, the object sailing past her back pitifully.

.

Mao scoffed. "All that mana, for a waste of-"

.

Suddenly, Mao was sent flying as Falo's spear exploded with massive force behind her, the shockwave sending her across the room, her head colliding with a wall with a loud "CRACK!" that made Aless wince. Falo was also sent off-balance, but he did not suffer nearly the same damage, instead sliding across the floor a few meters.

.

The bindings around Kro and Aless turned to dust, and while Aless walked out fine, Kro collapsed onto the floor, his chest and legs crushed under the pressure.

.

"Kro!" Falo cried, scrambling to his feet, alarmed.

"Aless…" He croaked. "Don't-"

"I'm not going to leave you!" She interrupted firmly.

"You better fucking not." He groaned.

.

Falo and Aless went to opposite sides of the boy, picking him up and supporting him on their shoulders. Aless turned to Falo.

.

"Can you get him out of here?" She asked.

"What!?" Falo said, baffled. "Why aren't you coming? We have to go!"

"But the mission-"

"What…?" Falo said, incredulously. "Kro is seriously hurt! We gotta get him out of here!"

"We can't go without fulfilling the mission!" Aless cried.

"The mission is not nearly as important as your lives!" Falo exploded.

"No!" Aless shouted. "The mission is all that matters! That is what we are born for!"

"The mission…" Kro gasped weakly, repeating a mantra. "The mission is all that matters."

"No it's not!" Falo said hurriedly. "Even if it was, who's going to go on missions if you two die!?"

"We're replaceable." Kro muttered. "I… I-I changed my mind. Leave me."

"You're not replaceable!"

"We're the worst of all the agents." Aless muttered. "Yes we are."

"It doesn't matter!" Falo said, frustrated. "Maybe as agents, but not as people!"

"We're not people anymore." Aless said quietly. "We are tools. The mission-"

"FUCK THE MISSION!" Falo screamed.

"WITHOUT THE MISSION, WHAT DO WE HAVE!?" Aless shrieked. "WE'RE FAILURES!"

"LIVES! YOUR FUTURES!" Falo shouted. "THINK OF YOUR GIRLFRIEND! YOUR FRIENDS!"

.

Aless stood there, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly, but no words came out. She took a step forward, but before that…

.

"AAARGGHH!" Falo crumpled in pain, dropping Kro on the floor as a rock spike impaled him in the stomach. Aless looked in horror as the blood began to pool around his feet, her head jerking to the side to see Mao, bleeding, but still alive, the woman clutching her bleeding forehead and glaring at Aless with murderous intent.

.

"Your camaraderie was your downfall." She snarled, as she stumbled to her feet. "You should have made sure I was dead."

"Dammit!" Aless cried, starting to panic. "Fuck!"

"Aless…" Kro said faintly. "I'm sorry…"

"Sorry for what!?"

"I-... I don't know." He whispered, coughing up another mouthful of blood. "But I feel like… I have to say something. I… I don't… I don't know what to do, Aless. I don't want to die. I…"

.

"How touching, but you all have to die here." Mao interrupted.

.

Mao raised a shard of rock, but as she guided the projectile towards Aless, she stumbled, the rock going off course. Aless, caught off guard, dodged frantically, but the stone still tore through her mana shield, and a good chunk of her shoulder. Aless cried out in pain. Ordinarily, she wouldn't have flinched, but the panic and tension in the situation made the woman's usually calm demeanor fly out the window.

.

"Dammit…" Mao groaned, shaking her head. "Still… blurry."

"The next one isn't going to miss." She growled to herself, before setting her sights on Kro's collapsed body.

.

Aless's eyes widened, the storm of emotions growing wilder and wilder inside her, torn between duty and friendship, between purpose and life, between-

.

Mao grunted in pain, the shard of rock she was levitating falling to the ground, as a large shard of ice impaled her in the stomach, deep but off-center, missing her vitals. She looked at Falo, who blew away the base of the rock he was stabbed by with a controlled explosion, leaving a chunk in his gut to staunch the bleeding.

.

"You should have gone into shock by now." Mao hissed.

"I've had worse than a hole in the gut." Falo groaned out. "And I do have potions with me."

"I've fought stronger opponents who were less trouble." The small woman growled. "It would please me greatly if you would just let yourself be squashed!"

"And I've fought stronger as well!" Falo shot back.

.

(And lost.) He thought. He kept that part in his head.

.

"Mmmmmrrrrgghhh…" Mao grumbled, visibly irritated, as she swayed side to side, holding her forehead and closing her eyes. The woman didn't speak or move for a few minutes, as Falo watched her carefully.

.

Suddenly, Mao opened her eyes, dark greens glaring venomously at Falo, as she held out an arm, a single finger pointed directly at him.

.

Falo's eyes widened. "There's no way."

"Yes, there is a way…" Mao mumbled. "I would say that this is out of respect for your tenacity, but… it's really because I want to blow you all to pieces."

"Aless, grab Kro, and get the hell out of here!" Falo shouted, the panic leaking into his voice.

"Why?" Aless asked, although she was already stashing papers into her backpack by the fistful, not caring if they got crumbled.

"THAT'S A FLARE!" Falo shouted, his voice cracking as he saw the light around Mao's finger distort, starting to gather and compress at her fingertip.

Aless's eyes widened. "But that spell-"

"RUN!"

.

Aless quickly slung Kro's arm over herself, before attempting to run. She hissed as the puncture in her leg made itself aware to her, but she bore through the pain.

.

"You're not getting away!" Mao hissed, starting to walk after them, but stopped, after a solid wall of ice met her path. She turned her head slowly towards Falo, who stared back at her with a determined expression, equal to her own.

.

"They're still going to die here." She said coldly. "You have only guaranteed your own death."

"It's worth it."

.

.

.

Havel sighed dejectedly as she walked away from Raxas's office, not having found anybody within. She really wanted to hang out with Aisha… she wanted to show the girl her new dress.

.

A massive lurch in the building sent Havel flat on her ass, the building shaking violently as glass shattered, tiles broke, and the magicite lights in the walls snapped and fell onto the floor, glowing dimly.

.

"An earthquake?" She squeaked. She crawled her way over to the nearest window on unsteady ground, watching as buildings in the outer ring of the city toppled over and crumbled. A part of the outer walls of the city even fell, bricks falling out of their foundations and turning to dust.

.

(An earthquake, this large, centered in Alcinera?) She wondered. (It's almost as if… oh no.)

.

.

.

Meanwhile, Aless and Kro felt the explosion even closer by, sent flying through hallways, doors, and pillars, as their bodies were launched flying backwards by the shockwave. After what seemed like an eternity, their bodies finally hit solid ground, Aless's shirt dragging on the ground as the friction began to slow the two down, Aless clutching Kro's body in her arms.

.

"Thank god for shields." Aless groaned. "Although… I'm dry now."

"Haha." Kro laughed weakly. "Dry."

"You're alive." Aless mumbled, burying her face into Kro's shirt, tears starting to stain it. "Thank god."

"Where's… Falo?" Kro gasped out.

"He's… he's gone…" Aless said bitterly, her voice starting to crack. "He… gave his life for the mis… for us. He gave his life… so we could live."

.

Kro was silent, as Aless let her tears stain his shirt for a bit, before standing up, dragging Kro with her. She slowly limped her way to a doorframe, slightly crooked on its hinges, using her entire weight to force it open.

.

Aless felt her heart wrench as she saw a hallway full of people, talking amongst themselves, some with a few minor injuries. Among them was the shopkeeper, who stared at them with the rest, as they heard the door forced open.

.

"It's the intruders!" Yapi yelled, pointing his finger at the two. "Get them!"

.

Aless gasped before slamming the door shut, trying to limp her way away from the hallway, but she was too weak, and it didn't help that she had to carry the weight of two people with one good leg. She toppled over, trying desperately to crawl her way away, fingernails digging into the dirt.

.

"No! No!" She shrieked, seeing the door burst open, a crowd of drug dealers spewing out. "It can't… it can't…"

.

Aless wrenched her eyes shut and braced herself for death, hugging Kro close to her chest.

.

But oddly enough, death never came. The sound of boot falls stopped, replaced with the sound of… sizzling.

.

Aless dared to peek one eye open, to the sight of all the den members frozen, staring at one of the walls, which glowed red menacingly. She watched as the wall literally melted away into a pool of lava, and suddenly the sound of sizzling was joined by the sound of creaking metal, and jangling chains.

.

The lion's head on Raxas's helmet screeched as it turned to gaze on Aless, looking absolutely broken, bleeding and sobbing on the floor, clutching Kro's broken body to her chest.

.

"Sir!" Aless sobbed. "Sir, I'm so sorry, Kro, Falo, I-"

"Give him this." He said, handing Aless a red bottle. "Get out of here."

.

He helped Aless up onto her feet, and she began to limp her way out of the den.

.

"Aren't we supposed to capture those two!?" Someone in the crowd murmured, uncertainly.

"Are you fucking insane!?" Someone shot back fearfully. "That's a fucking judge!"

"But Mao-"

.

"By the power invested in me by the magistrate." Raxas shouted, his voice hollow, and echoing menacingly. "Lay down your weapons, and I will grant you a quick death."

.

"W-wait!" One of the drug dealers walked up fearfully. "Don't we have a right to a trial?"

"You wish, scum." Raxas said coldly. "You did, once. But you are all guilty of high conspiracy."

.

Raxas gripped the man's head in his hand, and without even a scream, the man's body was completely vaporized and turned into ash.

.

The sound of screaming and yelling filled the hallways as people shoved against each other in order to not meet the same fate. Raxas could only watch with contempt as people were shoved violently to the floor, as the group of administrators tried their best to flee.

.

A few spells were flung at him, but the spells did not even dissipate or deflect on a shield or armor - they were incinerated instantly, bursting into flames at their caster's palms. Raxas advanced menacingly on the group. A few earth mages attempted to open a pit beneath the judge, but the entire earth was engulfed in flames, the floor around Raxas melting into lava.

.

Raxas took a few more steps and was met with a few brave souls, trembling in fear as they shook in their heavy metal armor and stolen guard uniforms, hoping that they could at least slow down the judge enough time for the others to escape.

.

The guards watched in horror as Raxas cleaved cleanly through an entire guard with his greatsword, cutting through her shield, armor, torso, and sword in one clean stroke. The two halves of the woman fell to the floor, her face frozen in shock. The rest dropped their weapons and tried to sprint away with the rest of the administrators.

.

Raxas raised his arms, and two massive jets of flames emit from his hands, coming almost alive, eating at the walls and floors of the hallways, and spreading the fire everywhere. Raxas could hear screaming echoing through the corridors.

.

He turned around and left, the smell of burning flesh spreading throughout the den.

.

.

.

"Dammit!" One of the dealers cried, coughing uncontrollably as the earth burst open, creating an opening to the surface. "How did they find us?"

"Why did they come for us, after they haven't touched us in years?"

"What do we do now?"

"Guys!" Yapi ran to the head of the crowd, counting only five survivors. Those that had been touched by the fire died almost instantly, the flames eating their bodies like ravenous wolves. "We're outside the city. We're safe. We should regroup and find-URK!"

.

Three CRACKS were heard in rapid succession, as Yapi fell to the ground. Firstly, the sound of Aisha's massive crossbow firing, the massive limbs snapping into place with a small shockwave. Secondly, the sound of Yapi's natural shield shattering. And thirdly, the sickening sound of bones crunching, as the ballista bolt tore through his neck, killing him instantly.

.

The four left stared in shock as they looked at his dead body, not even twitching. A second crack was heard, and soon, there were only three left.

.

"Where did that come from!?" Someone demanded.

"There!" One pointed to the massive, hundred meter tall wall of the city, on top of a rampart, where a small, blurry figure could be seen. Someone threw a ball of fire at the figure, but it barely flew past even halfway up the rampart.

.

.

"Three." Aisha muttered to herself, as she pulled the trigger, her hair blown back by the resulting shockwave from her crossbow.

.

"Four."

.

.

"Five."

.

Aisha sighed as she put her crossbow to the side, catching the eye of the wall guard next to her, her companion for the morning. He looked sick to his stomach, leaning over and seeing five prone figures, blood pooling in the grass of the plains outside the walls.

.

"I'll never understand how you agents can stomach this." He said queasily.

"Aren't you a guard?"

"I've never killed anyone before." He muttered. "And when we kill people with magic, there's usually no… blood."

"It's just blood." Aisha rolled her eyes, sitting down.

"It's more than that." He gulped. "When you see blood… you know they're dead. That their life's over."

"It's not like you killed him."

"I know… but…"

"Hold on." Aisha held up her hand. "There's another one. She's limping. Should be easy."

"I can't watch this…"

"Where are you going to go?" Aisha mumbled, as she lined up her shot with the white-haired head of her target. "The wall's crumbled on that side."

"Maybe I can climb down, or something…"

.

Aisha took a deep breath as she pulled the trigger, watching as the bolt flew true to her target, right to the woman's head. The woman fell to the ground, but Aisha narrowed her eyes. The bolt hadn't gone through. It had ricocheted off her head.

.

Aisha tried to load another bolt into her crossbow, but the action was interrupted as a massive stone pillar broke through the rampart right below Aisha, crumbling the ground beneath her and sending her sliding down towards the ground.

.

Aisha dug her sword into the side of the wall as she fell, slowing her speed as she fell towards the ground. She still hit the ground in a heap, groaning as she rubbed her head, but she was still entirely fine, thanks to her quick thinking.

.

A stone beam flew over her head, and Aisha instantly started to move, recognizing the woman as an earth mage. She moved quickly and erratically, dodging shards of rock, spikes from the ground, all the while making her way closer to the white haired woman.

.

Aisha made her way close to the woman, and all of a sudden, the attacks stopped, as the short woman hissed in pain, clutching her head, her eyes peeking through the gaps in her fingers.

.

They were remarkably similar to her own. Dark, and determined, but while Aisha's were red and empty, the stranger's eyes were green, venomous, and filled with hate. While Aisha's face was full and cute, neutral, the white-haired woman's face was scrunched up into a poisonous look, stress lines, scars, and a gaunt look marring what could have been a cute face.

.

Other than that, they could have been sisters.

.

"More of you…" Mao seethed, with a venomous hatred, before her voice calmed, going low. "Nevermind. This is just… a setback… I'll… I'll get out of this. And I'll… rebuild."

"So much work…" She muttered to herself. "So much work, destroyed… but I'll be fucking damned if this is the end. I worked my way all the way to the top. I'll be damned if all that work goes to waste!"

.

Aisha just stared at Mao, wondering if she had gone insane.

.

"Your head's not looking too good." She observed.

"You…" Mao murmured. "You're not like the rest. I can see it."

"Ok."

"Let me leave, and I'll… I'll give you whatever you want. A thousand platinum." Mao offered, swaying side-to-side as she held her head. "Men. I can get you a seat in the magistrate…I'll eat you out if you fucking want."

.

"Sorry." Aisha shook her head. "I don't want any of that."

"...Women?" Mao tried.

"Er… still no." Aisha mumbled. "And I still can't let you go."

"What's your stake in this!?" Mao demanded, wincing as her head lanced with pain. "You're clearly... you're strong. Stronger than those two damn... kids... not as strong..." Mao gasped in discomfort. "Not as strong as the guy I killed."

.

"The old man?" Aisha asked impassively, face completely devoid of emotion. "So what?"

.

"What is this to you?" Mao hissed. "This is my life. What right have you to take this from me?"

Aisha just shrugged. "It's just a job."

.

"Have it your way then!" Mao snarled.

.

Ignoring the splitting pain in her head, Mao lifted two stone beams out of the ground, but before she could throw them at Aisha, the fey girl had already closed the distance between them, swinging at Mao's chest.

.

Her sword made a grinding and scraping noise, and Mao hissed in pain - Aisha looked at her sword in surprise.

.

Her little stunt had completely ruined the edge of the blade, and unlike her last sword, Aisha's poor knowledge of weapon upkeep started to wear on the sword. Instead of cutting through Mao's weakened stone skin, it only left a few cuts, beading angrily with blood and staining her suit.

.

Mao swung a fist wildly at Aisha's head, but she dodged backwards, and was easily able to land a kick on Mao's head, sending the woman sprawling onto the ground.

.

"You're beaten. Just give up." Aisha said quietly.

"Why would I give up…" Mao laughed, scathingly. "When I'm fighting for my life?"

Aisha shrugged. "To make my job easier?"

.

Mao let out a hiss as the pounding in her head got much worse. She had a concussion, at best. Every single movement, every word, sent searing pain through her head, but pure willpower kept her standing, kept her fighting.

.

She clenched her fists, breathing heavily. "I got here… from nothing. While the other maggots on those streets begged for food, wishing for a better life… I made a better life for myself. I killed people… I stole money, I sold out my friends… I even sold my own body… in that damn brothel, I…"

.

Aisha was silent, although she still kept the grip on her sword firm.

.

"I sacrificed everything." Mao breathed out, sweating. "I sacrificed everything to get to here. And now, it's all gone. Just like that. I have nothing left. That is… right now, at least. So I'll be… I'll be DAMNED if all that sacrifice goes to waste!"

.

With that, Mao clawed her way to her feet, bracing her right arm with her left. The light around her began to distort, as once more, Mao began to draw the energy in the air into her fingertips. Aisha's eyebrows raised at the sight of Mao's eyes, crazed, but also brimming with a mad determination, burning, consuming, and absolute.

.

Aisha raised her sword and was about to attack, when the earth behind her vaporized away, both women stopping to stare as a blue-clad figure walked slowly towards the two.

Raxas's armor was smeared with black lines, the same color as his sword. Aisha realized that the black substance was burnt blood, which meant his sword…

.

"So you are the one who used a flare." He observed, addressing Mao. "You must be a powerful mage."

"Judge Raxas." Mao breathed out. "To think… to think I would attract the attention of such a man…"

"I trust you are the head of the Alcinera Nepenthe operation." He said, pointing his sword at Mao. "You are guilty of over 50 crimes. You will die here."

"Fifty, huh." Mao said breathily. "Must have been a lot of paperwork."

"It was."

"Unfortunately… I have no plans on dying here."

.

Mao clutched her arms harder, as she began to focus more on charging her spell. Aisha's eyes widened as she saw the life visibly drain from the rest of her body, her arms thinning ever so slightly.

.

"If you're not going to leave us a body to bury…" Raxas stepped forward. "Then tell me where Falo is."

"Everywhere, I would imagine." Mao cackled. "I hope he lasted long enough to feel his body ripped apart!"

.

Raxas was silent, and although he didn't move an inch, Aisha could feel the brimming fury inside of him, wincing as his fist splintered through the grip of his greatsword.

.

"He was your friend, wasn't he!" Mao giggled insanely, her cackle turning into a grating, shrieking howl as the flare in her hand grew darker, ever so slightly larger. "You're all so weak! I thought the magistrate would be more difficult to fight!"

.

"You'll die for that." He growled, the dirt around him starting to melt into lava. "That flare will do nothing to me."

"It's not you I would be concerned about!"

.

Mao turned and launched the flare directly at the city, the tiny sphere flying innocently towards the walls. Raxas felt his rage explode as he glared at Mao with absolute hatred.

.

But Aless and Kro could still be inside. And he had to protect Aisha too.

.

Moving like a blur, Raxas quickly dashed his way over to the flare, right before it hit the city walls, and created a massive wall of flames, right between it and the city boundaries. The ball hit the wall, and all of a sudden a blinding light filled the entire plains, as a massive explosion rocked the landscape.

.

Raxas was blown away by the force, being right next to the explosion, and the shockwave also knocked Aisha back an incredible distance. Trees in the distance were ripped out of the ground by their roots, and dirt was flung everywhere, a crater forming underneath them.

.

.

Raxas caught his footing, and searched furiously for Mao, but the only trace of her left in the plain was a small hole in the ground, closing quickly. He narrowed his eyes.

.

A massive column of blazing energy came down on the hole, as if the sun itself fired a laser, and Raxas felt a sick sense of satisfaction when he heard Mao's shriek come from within.

.

For a minute, he just stood there silently, as the dust settled, and the wind began to blow again, staring at the ground.

.

"Falo… I… I'm sorry…" He said in anguish, dropping to his knees. "I wish I listened to you. I wish…Oh… Miari. I… I couldn't… I lost another friend…"

.

He covered his face with his hands.

.

"Falo… man…" He cried, voice cracking. "What am I going to do…? Without you? I can't… do this without you… My best friend…"

.

Raxas's grieving was cut short when he heard hacking and coughing from behind him, and he instantly ran over to Aisha, holding her throat with both hands as she choked, her breaths not coming out right.

.

"No, no no…" He muttered, fists clenched so hard, his armor began to warp. "I can't… I can't lose another today. I-"

"It's…" Aisha choked. "It's here. It's here. The shadow. It's… next to me. I can't- I can't… breathe."

"What's wrong!?" He asked fearfully, ripping his helmet off. "Are your lungs okay?"

.

Aisha let out a strangled cry that sounded like a cough and a retch combined, as some sort of liquid came out her mouth. Raxas first thought was that it was blood, but…

.

Blood didn't come out black, and it sure didn't seep through plants and dirt like acid.

.

"Aisha!" He screamed.