Banquet In The Stars I : Dance with the Frames

With the sound of heels clicking and clacking, rubble crunching and crumbling, metal clanking and clunking, ships zooming and thrusters whirring, missiles swishing and booming, and weapons whirring, banging, and popping; Nizael walked through the remains of the house.

These sounds resounding all around her, causing the belligerent melody of destruction and war, a song she had long since committed to memory. There were ruined walls to her sides and holes contaminating the ceiling, the occasional projectile passing overhead reminding her of their presence.

She loathed the fact that she once more had to leave her granddaughter's side once more, but the thought of Sol, and her new friend, Karma, being by her side calmed her heart.

As she made her way to the main entrance she stepped down the broken staircase into the main hall, Helia was following closely behind her and she had long since removed her veil and was carefully moving with a dagger and handgun that she had previously hidden under her dress.

As they walked down the stairs they caught sight of the bloody body of one of the Shadow Guards, there was the wreckage of several Frames spread around him. Catching his slight movements Nizael was assured that he was still leaving, albeit barely.

Getting to the base of the stairs she crouched down in front of the man, Helia keeping watch of their surroundings.

– "General," The guard sounded out stiffly.

– "Shadow A2. It seems you've done a number on these Frames." Nizael smiled at the downed man, congratulating him with a slight chuckle.

– "Yeah, those blasted puppets couldn't handle me, hahaha– cough," A2's laugh was interrupted by his sudden burst of coughs.

"General, the other three are out in the front courtyard, they have the remaining Frames rounded up there, there are about five of them..." The man quieted down, relaying his information to her in a weak voice.

– "Understood, I'll handle it. You just get some rest." Assuring him, she smiled once more.

– "Right..." With these words, the man went quiet.

Wiping the smile off her face, Nizael rose to her feet and turned her head to Nizael; There was anger visible on her face as she checked out her rifle. Picking up A2's weapon she inspected it, little ventilation squares were going along both sides of it that flicked open now and then, and its barrel was a large cylinder, similar to a large silencer; It was an air cannon.

– "Use this Helia, I want you to fire this at any escaping Frames, the Air Cannon will disrupt it." Tossing the weapon at her Nizael made her way to the door.

– "Oh, ah, got it." Clumsily catching the Cannon Nizael returned her handgun back under her skirt, following after Nizael.

As they got closer to the door the sound of battle got closer. Stopping in front of it Nizael readied her rifle and Helia her cannon, not wasting any time Nizael busted the door open, taking it off its hinges – she quickly rushed out and came to the sight of three injured Shadow guards fighting five slightly damaged Bull-headed Frames. On-site she started firing, pellets were launched from the rifle barrel, and once they made an impact with anything they caused small contained combustions. Deciding to go for pulling the Shadows out she put pressure on the Frames, pushing them back with a flurry of continuous combustions aimed at their joints.

While the Frames were being pushed backward, Nizael moved forward, grabbing the Shadows and moving them behind; As she was doing that Helia was firing her compressed air at the Frames, although little damage was done to them still halted their movements. Two of the Frames activated their wings and launched to the sky.

Firing with precise marksmanship, Helia shot her Air Cannon three consecutive times at the Frames in flight, she managed to blow off the wing of one, grounding it, while only maiming the other. After the three shots, the ventilation on the rifle opened continuously for a few moments, leaving her unable to fire it.

The other flying Frame shot itself at Helia while her weapon was preoccupied, It outstretched its large metal hand in an attempt to grab, but to its surprise sh,e was no longer in its sight. On its right side, Helia had her hand lit ablaze with golden flames quickly slamming her hand into its back a large thud resounding out as there was now a pit that held a downed Frame with slightly melted metal.

Positioning herself in the pit Helia's foot lit ablaze in the same golden flame as earlier and stomped repeatedly on its back, after she finished there was a melted hole going through its body. After she finished stomping she saw a blue stream of Flauna escaping the Frame's body before zooming off into the sky – she quickly raised her Air Cannon at the stream and fired at it, dispersing the Flauna with the compressed air.

– "So that's what she meant by disrupting it." Helia commented before returning to assist Nizael against the remaining four, no, three Frames as Nizael finished off the one with destroyed wings.

After seeing to it that the Shadows were out of the way, Nizael prevented the Frame that was downed by Helia from bull-rushing her, firing her remaining combustion rounds at it, slowly tearing it apart. – Click – The rifle made a clicking sound as it ran out of ammunition, tossing it aside she moved around dodging the four Frames for a moment, before her hands began to glow out with a white heat, which she, in turn, slammed into the most damaged Frame.

Finishing it off, Nizael heard the swishing and the cutting of air as a Frame that got behind her was halted as compressed air was launched at it and a stream of Flauna. Retreating a few steps, the metal on her arms slid down forming into two thin Sharp sticks that she firmly gripped within her hands.

As if in response to her going for a melee fight the three remaining Bull-headed Frames had their chest-thumping vigorously followed by the metal covering their arms, legs, and backs to spike up; The metal covering the chest area thickened as a core of Flauna in their chests became much more visible.

The Frames seemed to have entered into a form of overdrive as they Bull rushed Nizael, Helia's Air Cannon barely having an effect in impeding them anymore.

Then one of them pulled its fist back, sending a heavy right hook at Nizael, who in turn spun, dragging one of the sticks across its arm and the other up into it, readjusting her grip she threw it at the other rushing Frame; With the two Frames double-teaming her, the other rushed past her at Helia, who decided to stop using the Air Cannon for the moment, hanging it off her side.

Lighting aflame one of her arms, she pulled her handgun out once more and prepared to intercept its attack. Firing shots, the bullets knocked as many spikes off its legs as holes appeared in turn. Weaving under a punch, she swerved her handgun past the Frame and shot multiple shots at one of the Frames that were attacking Nizael, allowing her to deliver multiple tears to its leg.

The Frame in front of her went for a few punches throwing rights and lefts, then going for a slam. Helia continued to dodge them, though she couldn't avoid a few cuts here and there. At this point her dress was definitely worn and torn, thankfully she had shorts on under it. Popping out the handgun's clip she delivered a quick fiery punch to its kneecap, replacing her mag as it was forced to take a knee – She brought the gun up to its chin and emptied her clip, stepping back she waited as a loud bang rang out and its body collapsed to the floor.

Following its destruction, Helia once more quickly raised her Air Cannon and dispersed the Stream of Flauna that escaped the Frame she just defeated, while sending one more shot towards Nizael's defeated Frame. The last frame was only a shell of itself, Nizael had practically torn it apart; One arm was completely torn off while the metal covering its other arm and legs was covered with tears and dents, with its feet having been melted to the ground.

Not a moment later, a stream of Flauna launched out of the Frame before being quickly discovered by a shot of compressed air. Helia seeing how they were finished for the time being popped her handgun's empty magazine out, before quickly replacing it.

As they were in the middle of a battle they didn't have the time to pay attention to the sky or what was happening in it. Helia went to check out the surroundings as she launched herself up to the room of the house with her flurry of golden flames.

Nodding at her actions, Nizael observed the sky, the sun was setting, the silhouette that was in the sky earlier in the day was now much more visible, but now a blanket was in its hands, and the winged cats were nowhere to be seen, as the many zooming fighter ships had scared them out of the sky, that was now lighting with the combination of many blue streams of Flauna.

Looking into the sky, although it wasn't in the atmosphere, she could tell that a Kritol fleet led by their Dreadnought was sitting in space, sending these small fighter ships down to them. She could see billows of smoke pouring out of her beloved city as Kritol and Detrid ships met in the sky.

The streams of Flauna that had gathered in the sky were due to the Bavel Tower, she could see it from here; It was preparing to launch their Anti-Space cannon at the fleet, she knew how the same scene of the this could be seen in the skies of every other city across the planet — but it would take time to charge.

Knowing this she prepared to see off, rushing to the Bavel hanger within the estate, yearning to teach the Kritol the consequences of disturbing their peace.