Fifty-Six

"You know, there once was 9 sections to these slums."

It took only moments for Rose to take in the girl's words. The shaking of the ground continued, though lessening in intensity. The slums stood still and the face of the info-broker maintained an expression of certainty below her cheekiness.

"Interesting," Rose murmured, deciding it was not her issue whether the slums shrunk or not, "But I don't much care, could you take us to meet Brian and his sister now?"

Her mind was still on the injuries of her friend. That, above anything else, was her priority.

"There's no need," Mare replied, tapping on her pad in quick succession.

"???"

"Just watch. This will be a sight worth every second of your time~"

". . .I wouldn't trust you with the value of something."

"Oh come on, I'm quite fair with my prices."

"Noted and disbelieved."

Mare laughed as the ground rumbled, spiking in intensity in an instant. The shield that covered the Red District vibrated and large cracks circled that section of the slums as people ran from it, curses ringing from their lips.

"What the fuck is going on now!?!" Elsa yelled within the shaking truck.

Rose narrowed her eyes, spying metal slowly rising from the ground.

"What's happening. . .?"

"Everything as they should," Mare simply replied before bringing a finger to her chin and smiling, "Mostly, I can finally get my big payment."

Following her words, the land below the Red District raised higher.

"Holy shit what the fuck is that?!" Elsa yelled, head poking out from within the car's window, disbelief upon her face and mouth agape as half of the fifth rim slowly rose.

In the end, dust fell along with sand to reveal a castle of iron carrying a part of the slums upon its roof. It looked more like a large box with windows. . .but it was no doubt a large construct resembling a castle. It gleamed silver under the sun. In quick time, light seeped out from the large doors upon its face.

"There they are, showing off," Mare turned her head with a tsk, "They better have my money."

The wide doors opened and two figures walked out.

One was a rather young looking boy. Seeming no older than 13 or 14, his skin was caramel and his upper body bare. He wore red shorts with hands in his pockets, long black hair swaying behind him, and a grin plastered upon his face. His golden eyes shining as slummers stared at his figure.

Besides him or, rather, standing slightly behind was a stunning girl. She was tall, at least twice as tall as he, and her blonde hair, tied in a ponytail, waved with the wind. She wore a suit of white and blue, capped off with a tight skirt that showed off her pale thighs on both sides and a hole in her chest showing off her assets. Like the person before her, she was a dark elf; caramel skin and pointy ears packaged with crimson eyes.

". . ."

Rose watched the two advance towards them with leisure, suspecting them to be the so-called 'lucky lord' and his sister, then stop in tandem with the shaking.

The boy brought his hand to his chin as he looked her over. "Wow, seeing you in person is really something else."

The girl by his side merely rolled her eyes before turning to the info broker.

"Good to see you again, Mare."

Mare laughed, "Good to see one of you noticed me. . ."

"Oh my bad, my bad, good to see you again Mare."

"It's too late, Brian. Where's my money?"

"Miser."

"I'll bite you, you know?"

Rose looked through the corner of her eyes to see Elsa waving her over.

"Oi oi." The girl waved. "Ask them what the heck that is, would'ya?"

". . .not to heal your leg first?"

"Do you see that thing?!"

Rose sighed, "Alright alright."

Laughter echoed behind her as the trio reached them both.

"Oh? That?" Brian pointed to the iron construct. "That's a relic of our ancestors. It took a lot of searching, but could you believe we found it buried under this shit-hole of a place?"

Rose thought that answered nothing.

"What do you mean searching? I'm the one that did all the searching, you just sat in your room!" Mare pursed her lips.

"Uh, huh—"

"That he did." Lucy rolled her eyes. "Though I must correct you there as well, brother. At the very least, the relic stands next to Alos. That's a better location than any."

"Better must be boring then," Brian pretended to yawn.

"Whatever," Lucy muttered, ignored her brother, and spoke to Rose, "You asked me to heal your friend, right?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright, could you roll up the jeans?"

"Ah. . .yes. . ." Elsa nodded and did as she was told.

The hand of the dark elf glowed blue as the mana in the surroundings swirled to her palm before making contact with Elsa's wounded leg.

"I can do it without touching you as well," Lucy said, explaining as she focused, "But it's much faster and much more thorough if I'm in contact with the person, using my body to control the mana into them."

Elsa's leg shined blue as a tinge of pain ran through it. However, it was extremely minimal and her eyes opened wide to see the hole in her leg slowly close back and her skin return to its perfect state, pale and clear.

Next came Elsa's nose and torso.

"My Gear allows me the ability to use mana to revitalize cells, effectively speeding up the healing process and forcing new growth as well as melding them together," Lucy spoke, finished, smiling as she stood back up.

"She's pretty much just a portable healing capsu—"

A foot slammed against the slum lord's face, forcing his body against the ground. Lucy released her leg, vein twitching upon her head.

". . ." Rose and Elsa were speechless.

At that moment, however, Rose's eyes twitched as her core hummed and her blade slashed out.

A clang rang.

"Wow." The air blurred and rippled as if it was the surface of water, and a figure made himself known. "You're fast."

"No," She replied, "You were too slow. That wasn't an attack to kill."

The two figures separated and Rose recognized the other as a boy who was once her partner.

Chase smiled. "I suppose you're right."

The sound of steps followed his words.

Walker walked, his steps soft as Lilias, Samuel, and Liz followed after him. Behind them stood a small army in black, and vehicles carrying turrets upon their backs.

"Well well." Paul Walker smiled. "To think you've been under my nose all this time like the rat you are. Tell me, Brian, what is that construct you have there? It wouldn't happen to be a gift for me, would it?"

Brian merely replied, "Good to see you, Walker. . ."

A punch landed on a palm.

"You two better stop your yapping," Liz Amok snared, "You know I'm really mad right now with Alos eating up my territory."

"Good to see you too, Liz."

"Fuck you."

"And fuck you too."

"Ha ha, you fucking wish you could."

". . ."

The two groups stared at each other. Walker stood, looking down on Brian as both smiled.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to want to join us, would you?" The smaller of the two asked.

"Join you with?"

Brian smiled. "Fighting against The Tower."

That earned narrowed eyes from Walker, an expression of shock from Elsa, and puzzlement from Rose.

"You're mad if you think I'll help you against The Tower," Walker spoke, the rings upon his hand glittering, "I originally just wanted your section, Brian, but I think I'll be taking that thing of yours as well."

"Oh? You don't even know what it does," Brian Chaz laughed as the air swirled and mana rolled around him, entering his body with the image of a beast gleaming behind.

It was a dragon.

"But. . .that works too."

At that moment, lightning crackled around the boy.

Rose looked up to see guns targeting down from roofs, and backwards to see an army matching Walker's. With those pieces set, Samuel brought out one of the three blades strapped to his side and Lilias gripped her two weapons.

'I suppose it'll blow over anytime soon?' She thought, hand reaching towards her pulse pistol.

The group stared at each other until. . .

"Uh. . .I think I'll just slither out. . ." Mare's body blurred and she morphed into a wolf.

"Catch her," Walker mouthed to Chase, "She holds a lot of information we could use."

The boy stepped forward. "It'll be done, father."

His weapon lashed out as a rage of water drilled towards an already running beast.

By instinct, Rose swung her blade and flames flew.

"I see you've made your choice." Walker snapped his finger.

Rose felt her leg strain and buckle as a force of solidified mana slammed atop her, sending her knees shaking to stand. She blinked her eyes in time to see the radiance of red and blue smack against each other.

"Lucy."

"Already on it."

With the clash of fire and water, the yelp of a girl, the situation exploded and pulses of blue filled that section of the slums as Elsa realized a bloodbath like the last war was unfolding before her very eyes.

Slummers who had no business here scurried as the battle for the Red District began. Like always, slum lords fought brutally in the end. A head on collision of force which winner would be decided by the feet most stained red and the heads most claimed.

Elsa activated the re-charged emblem on her chest, jumping out of the heavily targeted vehicle as pulses flew around her, cursing, "I just got my legs back, let me rest a bit, would'ya?!"

A hand grabbed her and she found herself within the air as the figure holding onto her jumped.

"What the fuck—!"

Two fists clashed and an explosion of their force ripped through the area, sending a shock wave of lightning and debris that threw everything back.

"Now this is what I like! I can go all out with you!" The voice of a woman reached high with laughter.

"Fucker," Brian cursed, dodging a blow to his chest and sending a fist crackling with lightning forward.

Two monsters were fighting. Their very clash shattered the field.

Rose landed upon a roof, overlooking the current state of the place. Everyone had been thrown back, and very few people had expected the clash of two fists. Currently, in the middle of the area, there was a large gap with one boy exchanging blows with one girl.

She frowned, fire radiating off her body as she looked for Walker. Instead, she found a swirling mass of blue aimed her way.

"Hey, wait, not again?!"

Bits of wood and rock exploded and feet landed on solid ground once more.

"We'll take care of the turrets," Rose muttered as she saw a text blip upon her Pad, signed with the name 'Lucy.'

She only had to think of the elusive Mare to understand how the girl had her contact information.

Elsa stood up at that point and stared at their surroundings.

They found themselves in the midst of Walker's men. Swords, guns, and turrets already aimed their way. Basically, they were surrounded.

"I've got your back then," Elsa grinned.

Rose gripped her blade and tossed her pistol to Elsa, "No need for that. I'll cut a way to that mecha of yours, that is what you want, right?"

". . .you know me well."

The thing laid upon the floor as the chaos unfolded. Only a mage could pilot it.

Yet, before they could even move, Rose found two mana creations in the shape of a dragon slicing down from the sky and combining into a beast with its jaws opened.

"Get down."

Her sword lit in flames and she slashed upward.

"Fly."

A bird's cry resounded.

A trail of fire blazed into the sky, twisted like a spiral then flapped its wings as it became a phoenix. A screech rang across the battlefield as it leaped forward and met the combined dragon in kind.

An explosion ripped through the air. Fire blanketed the sky and Elsa shielded her eyes.

Laughter came as a figure stepped through the hoard of soldiers, parting the small sea. She ignored the pulses flying in the air, and the continual clash of the two armies.

"I think we can both go all out in this." Lilias smiled, crimson eyes cold as she grasped her twin swords.

Elsa's mouth stood agape, "The fuck is that. . .?"

Above her body, the dragonian wore an illusionary armor of blue. Crafted from mana, it was shaped like any other suit, save for the two horns that pierced from atop its form.

"My spirit."

The suit of armor rolled just above Lilias's body as if it were an ethereal fog. If a person stood farther away, it could be mistaken for a mana shield.

"So that's how you survived last time?" Rose asked, raising her sword, "I'll have to cut harder this time."

Two crimson swords broke their blades apart. One forming a barrel in the middle and another slithering like a snake as mana rolled between cracks of its shards.

"I was asked to capture you before, Rose," Lilias replied, finding it amusing the homunculus thought there was even a chance, "This time, I'm here to deliver you as a corpse."