Ship Fall

The rest of the soldiers turned their eyes to the sky, they were shocked by the sudden appearance of a Dreadnought crashing through the sky. When they were sent out into the city they were not informed of there being a large enemy vessel along with the fighter ships.

Even though they were surprised by its looming presence they couldn't spare their focus for longer than necessary due to them being under heavy fire. The Frames were moving slowly and were being pummeled as well as shot down by the small group of soldiers and people.

Nellia continued to fire at the Frames that attempted to make use of the high ground, while the others kept their fire on all the Frames taking up the ground. Clenching her fist and pulling it back, crushing and pulling out the core of two floating eyes. Looking at the crushed cores by her feet Nellia let out a slight sigh.

– "Good, it works."

Seeing what she did the soldiers could now fire their weapons without having to watch out for multiple beams that could vaporize them out of existence, so they were thankful. Moving out of cover the squad captain pulled a grenade out from his side, pushing down the top and tossing it at the Frames before moving behind the closest mound of rubble.

Covering his head there was a loud resounding boom as scraps of metal were sent flying everywhere. Peeking around the side of the land boat Nellia saw how a large portion of the Frames was missing large parts of themselves, as streams of Flauna were flying out into the air. Upon spotting the streams she once more moved her hands around as the Flauna squashed, condensed, and then violently torn apart.

Focusing back on the Frames she fired her handgun at the ones lurking off to the side before pulling back behind cover, dodging a multitude of beams aimed at her. The beams were quite powerful, it might not vaporize her, a Transcendental, but it would most definitely hurt her — while the land boat was by a majority completely fine, just a few burnt marks.

Just as she was going to fire her handgun again, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand.

– "Miss Nellia! Behind you!"

Swiftly turning around she whipped her handgun and smacked away a Frame that had a much smaller stature compared to the others, it also sported a ragged cloak while it carried two sharp and sleek daggers in its hands. The assassin-like Frame after being pistol-whipped spun one of its daggers in a reverse grip before rushing at her.

Having no particular experience in hand-to-hand combat, Nellia could only try to use her speed to dodge and fire with her handgun whenever possible. Moving her body to the side she dodged a pierce towards her and then, in turn, raised her handgun, blocking the second dagger, that he slashed up at her. Backing away she let loose three shots, two penetrating it and the other being dodged.

The Frame was halted in its steps before it resumed, its cloak fluttered as a few daggers were sent flying out of it and at Nellia. Not expecting the hidden weapons Nellia barely dodged the majority of them as one of them penetrated her stomach.

Hearing her grunt, a soldier behind her turned around and fired his rifle and littered the Frame with holes before turning back around, they had almost finished clearing out all the Frames. Though the soldier would have assumed that that was enough to have taken out the weak-looking Frame, it wasn't. A red glow protruded from its figure as it released loud thumping sounds, the Frames body seemed to have buffed up and its daggers, after being placed in its cloak grew slightly longer as well as sharper.

As Nellia raised her handgun once more something surprising happened. The Frame was crushed. A large piece of metal had fallen out of the sky and crushed the Frame to smithereens, better yet large pieces of metal and other materials had fallen on some of the remaining Frames that the Soldiers were dealing with as well as into some places around them, leaving only two left.

Thanking their luck they finished off the remaining two, focusing every gun on them. Once they finished off the last and made sure it was down for the count they looked up to the sky. There it was the falling Dreadnought was getting ever closer but the "small" pieces that had broken off from it quickly rammed themselves into the city, thankfully a few pieces of the ship had crashed into and got rid of their adversaries.

Nellia tossed her gun to the side as it had its barrel sliced off by the Frame in its final moments. Looking down at the dagger in her gut, Nellia wrapped her hands around its hilt preparing to you'll it out.

– "Miss! Please wait that's not-"

Pulling the dagger out, Nellia looked at the blood covering the dagger with a look of disinterest before tossing it to the side. She looked at the soldier that had called out to her a moment ago. The soldiers were cleaning out the area and making sure everyone was good while treating the injured, one of the medical soldiers approached her with a med kit.

– "Miss, Allow me to patch you up."

– "... Do as you wish."

Sitting on a small stack of rubble nearby she slightly lifted her dress shirt for the woman. Pulling a white bottle from the box she poured a lot of it over the injury before pulling out a roll of bandages and wrapping them around the wound and entire stomach area.

– "I can't believe you just pulled it out like that. Can you not feel pain or something?"

Nellia's head was hung down with her eyes shut she continued like that in silence.

"Miss? Are you awake, we'll be moving out soon."

Debating on whether to shake her or not the soldier looked back and forth between Nellia and the land tank.

– "Yes... I'm awake, let us go."

Rising from her sitting position, Nellia looked at her clothing, it was a shame that a once splendid suit was now ruined and dirty. Stepping onto the land boat she sat in one of the front seats that were offered to her and slipped on the seat belt and the Nyanal rested on her lap while she gazed out the window.

The Dreadnought was now close to crashing into the ground, the people were very thankful as it wasn't going to crash into the city, the damage from its broken parts had already done enough damage to the city. The large ship seemed to be on course for smashing right outside the city, they soon began moving as the land boat drove through the bumpy streets.

Still gazing up at the Dreadnought Nellia spoke to the woman in the driver's seat.

"What is that large vessel, is that what they call a Dreadnought?"

– "You're correct. That vessel, while a Dreadnought is a Dreadnought of the Kritol."

– "Kritol? Didn't they lose the last with a mass retreat?"

– "You're correct."

– "... So they struck first? When are we going to strike back?"

Looking back to make sure that the door behind them was shut and closed the woman spoke up.

– "I... I can't say for sure. We've recently received intel telling us that there is currently a cease-fire due to the Kritol getting their hands on a powerful weapon."

"It's said that there is nothing we can do back to them at this moment in fear of our soldiers being wiped out by said weapon."

– "Makes sense."

As if the problem was of no concern to her Nellia shrugged the words off before resting her head on her hand while gazing out at the ever-darkening sky and the veil was taking over said sky.

While driving through the streets they met up with more land boats that joined them on their way back to the Brigid Tower, having now become a convoy the Frames that they met on the streets did minimal damage to them. They practically steamrolled through all the Frames that approached them while they moved.

Now They were two blocks away from the Tower and the soldiers were growing slightly nervous, a while ago they had started to see a great lack of Frames. Now that they were going to reach the Tower and had more soldiers and civilians in their company they had to be much more vigilant and careful than they were when each land boat was moving on their lonesome.

And the nervousness they had was found to be right to feel — there was a particularly large piece of the Dreadnought in their path, it was large enough to take up the entire street, even having damaged the buildings on the side. Forced to a stop, the soldiers reassured the civilians as a few of them stepped out of each land boat.

The soldiers from the back land boats stayed around their boats and secured the perimeter, while those from the front land boat, Nellia and her group of soldiers approached the obstruction, looking around they checked if there was a way to pass it without much effort. They wanted to go through this road as it was the fastest route to the Tower; There was a street available to them close by, but if they did take said path they would take far longer getting back and that would risk all of their lives.

Crouching down in front of the ship piece Nellia observed it in silence under the stares of the soldiers. Placing her hand on it she shut her eyes while thinking, the Nyanal was circling the metal from the sky before coming down with a ton of panicked mu's.

– "There are enemies on the other side. Grenades."

– "Yes."

With a reply, one of the soldiers ran back to the land boat before coming back with two arms full of grenades, to which she held a few of them up to the little Nyanal.

– "You're pretty smart. Take these, and drop them on the tin cans"

– "Mu!"

As if saluting her it exclaimed loudly and plucked up two of them before flying over the metal.

– "Miss... are you sure it can-"

– "Wait."

Following her words, two large combustions rang out and shook the shop piece, the soldier that questioned was surprised and ashamed by his previous inquiry.

Coming back to Nellia the Nyanal plucked up two more grenades and went back over the ship piece, dropping the grenades, repeating the process a few more times before landing on her shoulder licking its paws. Rubbing its head she stepped forward to the piece, signaling for the soldiers to back up.

Manipulating the Flauna in front of her, she raised her hands and attempted to try and manipulate the large ship piece before being interrupted; With an enormous explosion outside the city – at the same time the entire city shook, she was almost knocked off her balance thankfully though she was able to balance herself. The soldiers though fell on their rears before quickly rising back onto their feet.

After the large explosion, many smaller explosions rang out after it, making it seem like there was a continuous launch of extra loud fireworks.

Dropping her hands away from the ship piece Nellia gazed outside the large walls of the city. It was practically glowing from explosions and fires and she could also hear something ghastly along with the loud explosions; There were loud and strange gnarls and growling coming from outside the wall, as it was almost nightfall she knew what those strange creature noises were coming from.

As she was going to return her focus on destroying the ship piece it shook. The metal piece shook multiple times, seeing such an unexpected event the soldiers quickly raised their rifles, and the land boats turned their turrets at it as well.

Bang Bang Bang – Something loud was banging against the metal as it was starting to crack. Cracking and cracking a large portion of the large ship piece cracked off as a large hand punching back and forth like a piston was poking out of a hole before an even larger figure was revealed.

Stepping out from under the piece was a body of metal similar to a Frame but this one was bigger and bulkier. Its hand that had been moving like a piston was now calm and its other hand wasn't even a hand, it was a sword with the barrels of a gun sitting in between the blade, separating its edges. The head of it was a glass dome and within that dome was a Kritol soldier.

– "What the hell is that?"

Backing once more the soldiers were unnerved by this new enemy, it looked much stronger than the average Frame and it had survived being crushed by the ship piece.

Watching the still suit of metal Nellia

– "Support me. I won't be able to deal with it by myself-"

Foom! Boom! – The bang of an extremely loud gun, no, a cannon penetrated their ears if they were physically weaker then their eardrums would have busted from its sound. One of the land boats was sent flying into the air before crashing back down the street, exploding.

– "No!"

The medic of Nellia's group would have rushed into the fire if not for being held back by one of her companions. All the civilians and soldiers in and around that land boat were most certainly dead they had almost no time to react as the cannon fire was almost instantaneous.

There was a small trail of flames coming from the Suit of metal as the arm with the gun sword, or cannon sword, and it was viable to attack the other boats, so there was only one option that would keep at least a majority of the civilians safe.

– "All land boats pull back to the previous block! My squad and Miss Nellia will stall the Frame!"

– "Yes!"

The soldiers behind them all re-boarded their land boats and backed down the street, the boat Nellia was on also followed them.

– "I apologize for making such a decision without asking you, Miss, but-"

– "Don't. I will do what I can, you guys cover me."

Not even waiting for a response back Nellia ran up on the Frame, it had begun to raise its cannon sword once more so she had to put a halt to it. Throwing the blade she picked up from the boat at its arm she tossed another grenade into the air as the Nyanal leaped off her shoulder, snatching it up.

The Nyanal got above the Frame as the sword hit it, doing no damage to it; Twisting the top of the grenade the Nyanal flew directly at the Frame twirling around the piston arm, throwing the grenade at its gun blade arm. Quickly pulling away from it the grenade exploded a second after it hit the Frame; covering the small area in smoke.

– "Nice!"

Several enthusiastic shouts rang out from the soldiers before they were silenced by their captain's hand.

– "That wasn't good enough."

With his words, a large piece of metal slamming down on the road entered their ears and the body of the Frame stepped out of the smoke, barely a scratch on it.

– "Fuck."