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Project Deicide

The room was dark, consumed by a deep void that was penetrated only by the subtle luminescence of white digital letters on the face of a clock. It’s dull glow revealed little, save for the little table it sat upon, and the corner of the bed it rested next to. No noise could be heard, save for the subtle and rhythmic breathing of the one slumbering within the beds confines. If any were inside however, which there weren’t, one could even hear the muffled pounding of a heartbeat. It was odd, but common for those that knew of the sleeping personage within.

The digits on the clock read 4:59, leaving an uncertainty as to how many seconds were left until the next minute turned over. The empty room waited in anticipation, until at last a five consumed the four, and the last two digits were wiped clean to begin the count to sixty once again. Just as the time changed, so to do the quiet atmosphere of the room. It was greeted, not with the blaring of an alarm, but the subtle melody of a violin as it slowly tuned its way into the darkness.


For the first few seconds, the slumbering figure didn’t react, continuing to snooze away. Then, all at once their breathing seized up, taking in a deep breath that filled their lungs before rushing out with a low hiss. A normal rhythm returned, followed by the sound of stirring bedsheets as the risen figure sat upright. They’d their eyes for a long while, before stretching their thick arms skyward as to release the tension built up during the night. After releasing the last bit of sleep from their body, they’d swing their legs over the side of the bed and stood to turn on the light.

The darkness was dispelled, and as the violins melodic humming continued quietly ringing in the room, Kenzo Lunas began getting dressed for the day.

He’d timed his rising, as he did every morning, a full hour and a half before Pod Exercises were to begin. This gave him ample time to head to the gymnasium to train in his own as he regularly did during the week. It wouldn’t be anything too exhausting, just a standard workout of weight lifting and intense cardio. The electric adept needed the extra push, as he was beginning to tire of the trash gas tank his body had.

A tight black t-shirt was slipped on, alongside a pair of red fighter shorts over the grey boxers he’d been wearing during the night. Black socks were then slipped on, followed by a pair of white athletic shoes that were already beginning to see wear and tear. His constant training regime was hard on his clothing, which was no different than anyone else. But, somehow the faculty always had new clothing ready and available at their disposal when necessary. It was nice, but he couldn’t help but feel a tad wasteful every time something tore or straight up fell apart.

Dressed and ready for the day, Kenzo returned to his bedside, where the soothing violin continued to ring from his Alarm Clock. Pressing a button, the music ceased, and Kenzo would gather his Phone and Headphones before heading out, turning out the light as he left.

Down a series of halls, passing other adepts rooms, the young man made his way to the spacious Gym #1. The room was dedicated to individual training, as was #2. 3-6 on the other hand were designated Pod Training facilities, as spacious as the rest but full of various arenas and simulations. But those wouldn’t open until 6:30.

Shortly after departing, he’d arrive at the double sliding doors that spread apart for him as he drew near them. Inside he’d go, initially thinking the gym empty, only to then see a familiar shaved head. Dovar Yat locked eyes with the tank of his Pod, with fresh bags under his eyes indicating that it had been another long night of planning for him. He was on one of the squat racks, with a decent weight loaded up. Kenzo thought to work in with him, but decided against it, knowing full well that conditioning took priority for the beginning as well as the end.

“Good morning, Kenzo.” Dover said rather cheerfully.

Kenzo nodded his head with a smile in reply.

“Sleep well?”

Kenzo raised his right hand to make the ‘more or less’ motion. Furrowing his brows, he’d point his finger at Dover with a concerned look.

“No I didn’t sleep last night. You know how it goes. I need to stay on top of our schedules, especially with how close we may be to the Projects start up.”

The Tank waved his hand at the comment, slightly rolling his eyes with a huff.

“Look, I promise I’ll get a good nights rest tonight. I just wanted to make sure we started this week right, that’s all.”

Kenzo seemed to be satisfied by that answer, and gave a thumbs up to his teammate before leaving him be and heading to the rows of cardio machines on the opposite from the weights. He’d pick out one of the many treadmills, grabbing a hand towel from a fresh stack in one of the baskets nearby, and hopped up to set his things in the cup holders.

Slipping his headphones in, and putting on some upbeat music (The first song to be shuffled in was ‘Hollywood’s Bleeding’ by Post Malone), Kenzo started up the treadmill and walked at a brisk pace of 4.0 mph for a solid minute or so. Then, bracing himself for the torture, he’d ramp up the speed to 15 mph. It was a solid running lace that wouldn’t wear him out too quickly. His increased athletic ability made it possible, and he could go much faster, but the goal was not to burn himself our. Rather train himself and his body to last at a certain level of effort for an extended period of time.

It hurt his sleepy muscles for the first little bit, but eventually he’d find his stride, and slipped into the flow of the motion as he continued to run with the treadmill.
 
Ofelia Amador never seemed to wake up slowly. One second, the room around her was still and quiet, her body still as she slept, and the next, she was jerking upright in her seat, nearly tipping the chair backwards. She threw her weight forwards, clinging to the desk and the papers on it, keeping herself upright as her mind shook off the haze of whatever nightmare she just had. She didn't remember it, she never did, but the lurking sense of terror and dread that sat heavy in her chest - remnants of whatever horrors her brain had stitched together - told her everything that she needed to know about them.

Finally gathering her wits about her, she turned to the half-obscured clock in her room that read 5:1-, the last digit hidden by the sheet that Ofelia had thrown over it in some past rage. A little bit late for her liking, not that she'd had much control over her sleep schedule in the past months. She stretched upwards, taking in the desk in front of her. Her back was aching from sleeping in her chair instead of her bed, and the blanket that slipped off of her shoulders told her that Kousuke had been with her right up until her collapse. Turning her attention to the papers and the scribbled writing on them, she found messy scrawlings about offensive and defensive setups. Her pod had won it's last sparring match a week prior, but her team's positions had fallen apart halfway through. A victory, she thought, but a messy one, and one that easily couldn've been a loss. It was up to her to work out better arrangements that wouldn't put the team in any danger.

She pulled herself out of her chair, throwing off yesterday's clothes and examining them with a frown. They were completely wrinkled and would need more than a spin cycle to fix. Placing them at the bottom of her closet, she yanked on some leggings and whatever sports bra her hands grabbed first. No shoes, because shoes wouldn't fit with where she was planning on going. She snatched the papers from the desk, tucking them into the waistband of her pants.

She folded the blanket that she had slept under, tucking it back into its spot on the bed, and made a mental note to thank Kousuke for it later. Ready to go, she slipped her door open, making her way into the halls. As silently as she could, she closed the door behind her, her bare feet quiet as she backed away from it. She carefully made her way to the gyms.

She could hear the sounds of equipment and people moving in the first two, but that was now what she had in mind. She made her way down to the third gym, which was still dark and silent. Their doors were locked, the paper on them announcing that it wouldn't be open for another hour. Ofelia didn't need to listen to those kinds of rules, though. Watching the doors around her to make sure nobody was watching, her body oozed to the ground, skin and flesh melting into water. She was a master of sneaking around at this point, as she used careful, half-formed muscles to push herself under the locked door and into the gym, dragging her clothes behind her.

On the other side, she pulled her body back together, standing and dusting off her clothes. She flicked on the lights, illuminating the large room, with it's various training areas set up for people of different abilities. She beelined to the area with a concrete floor and a drain, built specifically for Adepts with water-related powers.

She had hardly begun her stretches when the gym door was thrown open, an older Adept's shadow cast across the room. Ofelia looked over to see one of the mentors, with none other than Paulina Nickolav standing beside her.

"Good morning, Mr. Vivek, Paulina," she greeted, continuing to warm herself up, unfazed by their discovery of her.

"I knew that I heard you sneaking out of your room!" Paulina cried, triumphantly, "What do you think you're doing, sneaking into gyms before opening?" Ofelia straightened out, looking Paulina in the eye as she began her more personal training regime.

"I can't exactly do this in the other gym, can I?" she asked, her arms melting away into water, which splattered as it hit the concrete beneath her. The water instantly collected itself to rejoin her body, only to fall back away again. It was her strange version of reps - her control over her abilities only grew stronger the more she used it.

"That's no excuse for breaking the rules," Paulina replied, though Ofelia noticed that Mr. Vivek was looking incredibly tired and uninterested. She doubted she would get in much trouble at all.

"Would you rather mold growing in the training gyms?" Ofelia snorted, "Besides, out of the two of us, you should be the one going the extra mile to train. Your improvement lately has been abysmal and I doubt you're going to even be in the front row during our next spar." The threat was not without its weight: Paulina's position on the front row of Adepts had always been questioned, and after she had failed to cover Andre multiple times during their last spar, Ofelia was ready to have her on permanent support row duty.

"You'd better get to training, then, kiddo," Mr. Vivek spoke up with a chuckle, addressing Paulina, "Your group's next spar is scheduled for today. I hope you're prepared." Ofelia was instantly filled with horror as she reached for the papers that she had brought, completely not prepared for a new spar. If she introduced her team to a new setup today, would they be able to master it in time to fight?

Neither Paulina nor Mr. Vivek seemed to notice her panic as Paulina practically ran out, no doubt heading to the individual gyms, and Mr. VIvek closed the door behind him.
 
After 30 minutes of keeping up that hard pace, Kenzo would eventually slam his fist down in the stop button. His legs were already beginning to feel the excessive fatigue, and his head felt light as it typically did after such endeavors. Sweat dripped down the side of his head as he looked at the results, his breath slightly ragged. 7.5 miles. To the average person that was an outstanding feat, but to him it wasn’t even close to where he felt he needed to be. Just running on its own wasn’t all he’d be doing in a fight. He’d be working his entire body, and if he could hardly push himself running for a half hour, how long would he be useful in an all out brawl with one of the many Gods that rule this shattered world?

He’d sigh with an obvious frustration, shutting down the machine and going to grab supplies to clean it off, before heading towards the weights. Lifting always made him feel a little more confident in his progress, as he was able to exercise his muscles for far longer. It was Monday, which meant it was push day for him. This involves working all of his muscle groups that performed a push function, including his chest, triceps, and shoulders.

Approaching one of the flat benches, he’d set his things down once more before wracking up a few plates to the sides, six to be exact. It’d bring the total weight up to 585, an impressive feat for one repetition to some, but he was going for 10 with plans of only upping the weight more and more. Four sets would be conducted, with advancing increments of 10 or more pounds.

This same process would be utilized for the remainder of his workout, high repetitions at a high weight. After bench the order would go as follows. Incline dumbbell bench (3x12), Shoulder press (5x8), Dumbbell flies (4x12), Pushdowns (4x10), and Weighted dips (5x10). By the end, he could feel the tension in his body running high. He was reaching the point of exhaustion, which was exactly as planned. Without hesitating, he’d clean up what remained of the weights he was using, before gathering his things and arriving at the treadmill once more. The pace was amped up to 25 mph, and Kenzo braced himself the machine slowly sped up to that pace. It was a dead sprint for his fatigued body, and one that he’d go with for as long as he could muster.

A minute went by, then two, then three, each feeling like an eternal hell for the adept. He was losing his wind, and he cousins feel his legs anymore. Everything felt numb, but he pushed onward. His brain was screaming at him to stop, but he refused. Dovar, having just finished his own workout, came around to the front of the treadmill to view Kenzo’s progress. Minute four elapsed.

“Let’s try and get 6 today.”

Kenzo only gasped in response as he trucked along. After an aching sixty seconds, the fifth minute passed. The electric adept was beginning to falter, and Dovar could see it.

“Come on Kenzo! Keep pushing!”

5:15, 5:16, 5:17. Every second felt like forever. Kenzo was losing steam, but forced every ounce of will he had to keep his legs moving.

“You’re almost there! Don’t quit now!”

Growling now, Kenzo began to gather his second wind as he edged in on the last 30 seconds of his sprint. Sparks began to flare and crack against his body, as the increasingly electricity coursing through his body reacted with the sweat. Dovar continued shouting words of encouragement as Kenzo fought for that six minute time.

Five, four, three, two, one, finally! Six minutes shone on the treadmills clock! Promoting Kenzo to slam on the stop button, collapsing to his knees as the impact of his workout finally took its full toll on his body. His vision would be hazy for a moment, as his brain took a moment to focus. Eventually, he’d gather his strength to stand, using the side rails of the treadmill to keep him steady!

“Excellent work my friend! Your conditioning is coming along quite nicely!”

Kenzo frowned, running a hand through his course black hair.

“I’m still not ready...” he’d say, a somber look enveloping his eyes. A strong hand was placed on his shoulder.

“None of us are. I dare say none of us will be. We can only estimate what to expect when we arrive at the surface. We can only hope that what we do now will be enough. Be of good faith, Kenzo. In time, you’ll come to appreciate your growth.”

Dovar patted his friends back, before glancing up to the clock on the wall.

“We’ve got ten minutes, let’s head to meet with the others at Gym #5. We have a challenge against another pod right out the gate this morning. It’s Ghost 4 I believe.”

Kenzo stood upright, hobbling off the treadmill.

“Think you’ll be ready to go?”

The Electric Adept nodded his head, an excited grin on his face.

“Excellent! Always the first to bounce back. We’ll have Althea Ice you up before the match begins. Come one, let’s get moving so we aren’t late.”

The two cleaned up their stations, then quickly began the voyage to Gym #5
 
As soon as the gym door closed, leaving Ofelia alone again, she melted almost entirely into water. The task in front of her was suddenly daunting, and her thoughts overwhelmed her in a matter of moments. They couldn't do what they did last week. Falling apart like that again would only end in trouble. They had to keep a stable setup that would maximize all of their strengths. Something flexible enough to improvise, but not too weak that it could snap. And, of course, it needed to be something that the others could grasp quickly. They'd have no time to practice it.

Ofelia pulled her torso out of the puddle, flipping through the papers that she had brought. Unintelligible scribbled lined their margins, with notes about combinations and her thought process. Move Andre to the front, one said, let him fog up the room from the center out. Put him in between Kitty and Awiti, another note mentioned, to help Awiti's ability and provide backup for Kitty. Keep Griffin in the back row, beside her, another page listed out the pros and cons of him as support. His attacks clashed far too much with the other members of the pod for him to be useful in the offensive row. The amount of effort Ofelia would have to put into watching him and steering him away from Kitty, Awiti, and Paulina would be more trouble than it's worth. The only place he could be of any true help without causing problems would be at Kousuke's side.

Ofelia asked herself over and over if she was really cut out for the position she had earned. It was a lot of responsibility, and Ofelia could never seem to live up to all of the expectations that were put on the shoulders of the team leaders. Every new battle felt like a jigsaw that didn't even have a solution. She just had to shove pieces where she thought they would fit and hope that the finished picture ended up alright.

She dropped the papers to the floor, frustrated, and went back to her training. If her strategies weren't going to get better, she was. She turned to one of the dummies along the wall, throwing a frustrated punch at it. Her fist fell apart as she came into contact with it, spraying in all directions and soaking the fabric of his skin through. She did the same with a kick, her leg splashing to the floor but reforming as she landed an actual punch this time, though the dummy hardly moved. Her punch was only as strong as a regular human's, after all. Her powers gave her no strength advantage.

Somehow even more annoyed than before, she sat back down on the floor by her papers, running her hands through her hair and pushing it back as she began tearing the paper into sections. Drawings of her pod members became their own little tokens, and she placed them carefully in front of her. Alright, what about Kousuke as a front line? His golems could intercept any enemies and slow them down right away, leaving them as easy pickings for Awiti and Paulina. If Griffin glued himself to Kousuke's side as well, defending him from attack, Kousuke's ability wouldn't end. Using Kousuke's golems as a wall wasn't a new idea, though, and Ofelia remembered her terror when Kousuke had collapsed from overexertion a year or so ago in a match. Ofelia would turn herself inside out if that were to happen again.

The door to the gym opened again, this with Kitty in its doorway. She smiled, overly cheery for the early hour. Ofelia saw Awiti cowering behind her.

"Come on, Captain! I got the team together, we're going through some warm-ups," she told Ofelia, unfazed by the half-liquified form of Ofelia and the drenched scraps of paper that sat around her legs, "Kousuke said you got some new plan for us so we should review it!" Ofelia rose to her feet, the water reforming into the shape of her body. She was quiet for a moment as she collected the papers from the floor, putting them in a pile on one of the workout benches.

"Let me mop up first," she finally answered, heading to one of the closets off to the side of the room. She expected Kitty and Awiti to go on without her, but when she emerged from the closet with a bucket and a mop in hand, they were still standing by the door, chatting to one another. It took her a few moments to clean up the water she had left on the concrete - residue from her ability - and to chug a full water bottle that she picked up from the vending machine to make up for it. Finally, after throwing the paper scraps in a recycling bin by the door, she followed Kitty out into the hall and towards the gym where they'd be sparring.

Ofelia was still barefoot, and she felt exposed without a sweater on, but there was barely enough time to head back to her room for one. No use dwelling in it, either. She had a reputation to uphold and it included looking confident, no matter what she was in.

Reaching the fifth gym, she found it set up for a sparring match, the center of the room lined with materials that they could manipulate or use to fight. Her pod was, as Kitty had said, already collected and warming up along the wall. Ofelia wasted no time approaching them and getting to business.

"Today, we will play our parts or we will fail," she began, not bothering with a greeting, "Break the setup and we'll never be organized enough to defeat a God. We can throw punches all that we want, but without a plan, they'll be ineffective. Understand?"

"No pressure or anything," Andre mumbled.

Griffin wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pretending to lean in to whisper something but saying it loud enough for them to all hear, "Next, she's going to be telling us how to wipe our own asses."

"You're asking to be pulled today," Ofelia snapped, "Remember last time you thought that you could go off-book? Awiti almost died."

"She's fine now," Griffin shrugged, though Ofelia knew that he still felt bad about the incident.

"She might not be, next time," Ofelia turned to the rest of the pod, "Either way, the strategy is important for this one. Listen closely." The pod, clearly sensing her bad mood already, didn't interrupt as she ran through the positions and the parts they were going to play.
 
By the time Kenzo and Dovar left the Gym, the majority of the other adepts were up and moving about, heading towards their destinations for the morning workout. Some had matches much like they did, whereas others were simply going through drills. Typically days rotated, with some being more busy than others, but they’d gotten used to that sort of lifestyle by now.

Gym #5 was little more than a five minute walk, meaning they’d stroll in at 6:25 just five minutes before the hit time. As was expected, the other three members of their pod were present and had already begun their personal routines of warming up. Joining them was Ghost 4, with seven members in total. They’d have a two person advantage over them, but numbers hardly made an Army. Kenzo was taller than all their opponents, as was Samson. Their size could be an asset in this fight, but they’d just have to wait and see.

“Mornin’ Cap, Kenzo. How was the morning weights?” Gouki questioned as he stretched out his arms.

“Well enough, Kenzo was hitting it hard as usual, but I took it a little easier. Big man got 6 minutes finally on his post workout spring.”

“Outstanding! I tell ya, you’re improving by the day my man! It’s only a matter of time before you’re an unstoppable force!”

Kenzo grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Stepping forward, he’d embrace his oddly colored friend, before approaching and hugging Althea as well.

“We’re all very proud of you,” she’d say, wrapping him up in a tight hug.

“Tch, speak for yourselves. I’m pissed, now he’s gonna be all burnt out for the match today!” Samson, ever the pessimist, had finally chimed in. Prompting a stern look from Kenzo. “Oh I’m sorry, you can’t expect all of us to start blowing smoke up your ass when you make progress.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Althea said, putting a frosty hand on his back. “Samson’s just scared he might have to play tank this time around.”

A bright red tint went across the Iranians face as the group all began to chuckle.

“Wh-whatever. Lord knows I could do it better than the rest of you.” Kenzo shook his head, and pointed at Dover. “Oh whatever ya dipshit, Dover’s too much of a control freak to be a good tank.”

Before the tensions could get any higher, Dover chimed in.

“That’s enough, all of you. Let’s focus up here. If we can win this match today that’ll make for five in row since our last defeat.”

“Yeah, it would be eight today if Gouki hadn’t-“

“I said that’s enough, Samson! We’re not focusing on past battles and previous mistakes. The goal is to improve and work together. I don’t care how outnumbered we are today, I’ll gladly bench you if this is the way you wish to behave.”

Finally the message seemed to get through to Samson, with the younger man finally shutting his trap.

“Okay, now. You all know the drill, it’s no different than before. Listen for my commands and adjust accordingly. We’ll start off in Trio, Althea and Samson will take the rear, Kenzo, Gouki, and I will take point. Keep your distances, and keep an eye on your closest targets. We don’t know their abilities so watch before you engage. Any questions?”

Silence.

“Good,” Dover raised his fist, which was swiftly joined by the other five. “Get!”

“SOME!”

“Get!”

“SOME!”

“Get!”

“SOME!”

“Bury the Empire!”

“DEATH TO MARS!!!”

As their voices rang out and echoed in the gym, the four split up taking their positions on their side of the arena, with Dovar cutting up the middle to the border between the two sides to meet Captain Amador.

“Ofelia,” he’d say flatly, offering his hand to be shaken.
 
"I'm support?" Griffin cried as soon as Ofelia finished, his voice echoing around the room. Ofelia shot him a level glare at the same time that Kitty smacked the back of his head.

"Kousuke can't defend himself," she replied, to which Kousuke looked away with an embarrassed frown.

"Why don't you do it, then?" Griffin argued though he knew perfectly well why.

"She's scared," Andre piped up, "Bravo-4's winning streak is really good, apparently. Supposed to take on Mars."

"I'm not-" she began, only for Griffin to interrupt her again.

"Playing it safe then, huh? Wanna sneak by with another victory that really shouldn't have been one, like last time? Let us do all the work?"

"Both of you, out," she hissed, pointing to the doors, "I've warned you plenty."

Griffin puffed up, skin starting to glow with heat as he towered over Ofelia, "No. I'm going to take the front offense position today." Ofelia was quick to grab Griffin's face, steam coming off of her skin where they connected. Still, Griffin winced as his fires were only put out, not hot enough to evaporate Ofelia entirely.

"Threaten me again," she dared him, "And then tell me how the hospital bed feels when I'm through with you." The two of them stood glaring for a tense moment, neither willing to step down, when the shouts of the other team snapped them out of it. It was a silly cheer, one that Kitty had tried to make for their team a while ago, but had never really stuck. It was also Kitty that got between Griffin and Ofelia, pushing them apart carefully.

"We'll just go with Ofelia's plan and work out offensive positions after, alright?" she smiled, trying hard to defuse their anger. Ofelia turned towards the field without responding.

"Get in position," she called to them, seeing the captain of the other team heading to the middle. She walked to the border, looking him up and down with a judging glare. He didn't look all that bad. Definitely more leader-like than she seemed to be. His team actually got along, for one. And, though the way he said her name made her want to drench him, he seemed kinder. For one hopeful moment, she told herself that if she watched him in combat, she could be more like him. She'd be the leader that people could respect and love. But then there was a pang of pain from her hand, where Griffin had burnt her, and she brushed it aside. She didn't need to be loved. She needed to be strong.

"Dovar," she deadpanned, grabbing his hand. It melted right as he gripped it, forming a puddle on the floor under the two of them, "Best of luck. You'll need it."

She turned back to her team, who were all in their beginning positions. Her spot was open near the back, with Andre and her forming a rear guard. She didn't go to it, though, instead moving to take up a position beside Kousuke. Griffin looked her up and down, bewildered for a moment, before pointing to her hand.

"You're hurt," he said, as if it was news to either of them.

"It'll fix it after the fight," she replied, "You'll still need to cover Kousuke when I'm directing the others. But I'll help, so you'll have more opportunities for attack."

"Captains, are you ready?" the referee called, though he didn't wait for an answer to blow the whistle, indicating the start of the match.
 
The two Pod captains exchanged their greetings, with Dovar looking a little confused when Ofelia’s hand turned to water. But he’d quickly disregard it, focusing his attention back to the task at hand. After they split and returned to their team, Dover nestling himself at the front between Kenzo and Gouki, the referee called for the captains confirmation. Dovar firmly nodded his head, which was followed by a whistle blowing.


For a time, the whole room seemed to sit still, with both sides of the conflict carefully eyeing one another. Dovar analyzed their formation, lookin for any gaps or potential exploiting, but with the lack of understanding of their abilities it was hard to call the right move. Even then, the seven were situated such that it’d be difficult to advance without compromising their own formation. He’d need to scatter them, and try potentially find out some of their abilities. Only then could he properly strategize with his team.

Fortunately, he had the perfect answer to this.

“Floor is Lava!” He shouted to his team.

In a split second, having practiced this command many times in the past, the five members of Bravo-2 all reacted to their Captains words. Althea rose from the ground atop a pillar of ice, planting one beneath Samson as well. Meanwhile Dovar grabbed Gouki’s shoulder, causing him to float toward the ceiling before flying up high himself. Just as they all left the ground, Kenzo growled as electricity began sparking and cracklings about his arms and hands. Taking no more than three seconds to charge up his energy, the electric adept slammed his hands onto the ground beneath them, causing shockwaves to surge all around him that would brutally electrocute any who still remained in contact with the surface.

While the distraction was laid out flawlessly, the two adepts at the rear were poised with their abilities, ready to provide cover fire from their vantage points. Kenzo would retreat to the pillars after his attempt to electrify them all were finished, ricochets of energy still zapping all around the ground, and put his back against the icy surface to quickly get some time to recover. Dovar remained up high, looking to see how Ghost-4 would react. Gouki on the other hand had seemingly disappeared In the commotion, laying the groundwork for an attack behind enemy lines. It looked like one of the thinner males was keeping behind their captain, potentially as a means of protection. Carefully he’d crawl across the ceiling in their direction, but wouldn’t engage just yet.

The ball was in their court now, with the first stage of the battle being put into place.
 
Ofelia waited for them to move first. She was still nervous about her position, scared to see if it would hold up. If they launched a full attack right at the start, all of their weaknesses would be obvious. Start on the defense, she thought, see what her team could do.

The sudden flurry of movements from the other team had her eyes flying around the ring, though she noticed the electricity right as it began sparking. Kousuke stiffened beside her, noticing it as well, and the ground around him began rumbling as he tried to pull up as many golems as he could before the electricity could go off. They wouldn't be fully formed in time, they both knew it, but they'd be able to lift their teammates off of the ground and keep the electricity from hitting them.

"Stay still," she yelled, turning to the team. Most everyone had figured out what was happening, but Ofelia froze when she saw Paulina, a blunted spear of metal forming in her hands, pulling itself from the ground.

Oh no.

It was too late to yell at someone to get over there, and even atop a golem, the spear would still conduct the electricity if she didn't manage to pull it out in time. Ofelia hit the ground, hard, liquifying parts of her torso and legs to make herself lighter. The golem was already poking out of the ground and Ofelia could feel the electricity start to buzz beneath her. She grabbed the spear with shaking hands and yanked, forcing Paulina to lose her focus and pulling the spear out of the ground. As soon as Ofelia felt it come loose, she melted, the electricity whining across the floor in waves. To say it hurt was an understatement: the electricity flowed through her and shocked every cell, but it didn't stop her from reforming her head, undamaged, as soon as it subsided.

"Andre!" she shouted, her voice watery as her tongue was reconstructed, then turning back to Paulina, "Throw it."

Andre's ability swept through first, the entire field covered with a thick layer of fog. It was almost impossible to see your hand in front of your face. It didn't matter to Paulina, though, as she had already been aiming at one of the opponents on the blocks of ice. Her spear went flying with a satisfying "zip".

"Attack pattern Delta!" Ofelia called as the golems finished rumbling their way out of the earth. Griffin immediately lit up like a torch, the only visible item on the field.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" he roared, "Who wants a piece of this, huh?"

"Shut up, for fuck's sake," Paulina yelled back, and Ofelia grinned as she melted once again. She may not be the nicest to her teammates, but she knew them well, and her script was always in-character. Both of them were bait, just asking the enemies to attack them. Griffin was easy to spot amid the fog, though Awiti was waiting to tie up anyone who got close with her vines and roots. But Griffin was also obvious: anyone could guess that he was a trap. Paulina's shout would give away her location and make her tempting to go after as well, though she was nastier, with Kitty in wait. And Ofelia? would find a nook to hide, as a puddle, to pop out at the best moment.
 
Dover wasn’t surprised in the slightest when the team was able to prevent any casualties in Kenzo’s attack. The male being guarded by Ofelia had an interesting quirk, generating golems to raise them all off the ground before the electricity could consume any of them. One of the females went to summon a spear, but was quickly cut off by their captain before their mistake could be capitalize on. Then the arena was covered in a thick smog, blocking their vision. The spear he’d seen earlier came flying by soon after, barely missing him, and flying towards the pillar of ice behind him.

He heard it collide soon after and feared the worst, zipping to follow its path. Much to his relief Althea, on her guard after the fog was created, had constructed a wall before her in case any projectiles came their way.

“I can’t see shit boss! We need to get all of this crap cleared out!”

“No! Only get the fog out of our side. It may be hindering us but it’s distorting their vision just as bad, even if human torch over there is providing some light.”

Not only this, but Gouki was still over there. The fog would only aid his stealth, and support his method of fighting. Samson followed his captains instructions, casting a powerful gust of wind to gather the clouds and sweep them back towards their source, stopping just of the halfway mark. At last they could see a bit better, and Dover analyzed what he could see. Flameboy was approaching, as was a second figure that he could barely make out from the light casting off of him. It was hard to tell if it was a person or merely a shadow, but it wouldn’t make sense for one to advance alone.

“Althea, focus fire on the leftmost side of their arena. Make it rain over there, I want whoever’s on that side on the defensive. Argus, clear a path. To the Pyro.” He’d then fly down to see Kenzo, looking to be ready once again. “The hotheads restless for a challenge. Why don’t we give him one?”

Kenzo nodded with a grin, standing upright from his resting position against the pillar. Once Samson cleared the way through the fog, the electrode took off running, careful to pace himself as to save energy for the encounter. They’d see him coming, but he was counting on it. Electricity swelled and pulsed around him, ready to deflect any of the flame attacks that came his way.

Althea followed her instructions as well, conjuring a large array of icicles that floated beside her. In controlled trios, she cast them off towards the left, creating more as she went along.

Meanwhile, deep within what remained of the fog, Gouki continued snaking his way across the ceiling having memorized where his target was sitting. If the dude could create addition units, that would pose a problem for their already disadvantaged numbers. Given the lack of sight for any present, Gouki figured they wouldn’t move much if at all. They’d likely sit and wait, letting their stronger units advance the front lines all the while supporting from the rear.

Still cloaked, both from the fog and his own abilites, Gouki arrived in the general area of where he thought the other male was, and dropped down. Landing softly and as quietly as possible, he’d stalk the the fog ridden area until he finally saw a figure in the confusion. Dashing in, he’d only be revealed after his knee would come into contact with the figures jaw. Sure enough, it was the make he’d seen earlier. Gouki followed up with a swift right cross, before backing off and vanishing in the smoke once more.

“Sorry mate! Can’t have you fudging the numbers now can we?”

He’d wait for them to recover, before advancing and delivering a flurry of blows once again, this time initiating with a knee to the gut followed by an uppercut. Then just as before, he’d retreat in the comfort of his camouflage, waiting to see if he’d baited any of the others in his direction from the scuffle.
 
Ofelia knew that the mist would hurt them just as much as it would harm, and that was obvious as soon as the icicles started raining down. The golem that Paulina had been standing on a moment earlier took most of the blows, though it was starting to fall apart. Kitty grabbed whatever icicles she could, turning their kinetic energy back around and launching them back in the direction that they had come from. Ofelia doubted that any of them would hit, as Kitty's aim had always been worse than Paulina's.

Paulina yanked a shield of metal out of the ground, using it to block any icicles that the golem didn't manage to. Ofelia stared at the golem, pausing for a second longer than she needed to, before cursing to herself. It wasn't regenerating as fast as it should, which meant that Kousuke was distracted. Had someone snuck up on them? Were they launching projectiles at him as well?

Ofelia began moving in the direction that he had been last, desperate to get to him and help him. She felt somewhat hopeless in the fog, though she didn't dare let the emotion overwhelm her. She wasn't helpless, she told herself, her team was powerful. She was powerful. If she was careful and kept control of the team, they'd be fine. No one would get hurt.

Electricity began crackling along the floor, and she realized that the one with electric powers was coming back for another attack. In this fog, they were isolated, so they'd never be able to avoid something that was the same caliber as the last.

The fog was here to help, she told herself, as it clawed down her throat, it was made by her team and could be dispelled at any time. It wasn't going to strangle her. She wasn't going to suffocate in it.

She needed to find Kousuke. It didn't matter what the boy with electricity was doing. Keeping the golems running was her priority.

Behind her, she heard Paulina's yell, along with the clattering of metal. She was taking a more offensive position, beginning to get sick of defending. Ofelia heard a horrifying crash as some metal weapon struck what sounded like the wall of the gym, clearly leaving a dent, at the very least. Kitty must be the one throwing them, then. The next projectile came with the sound of shattering ice.

Ofelia turned back to the mission at hand, continuing through the fog. The sound of a "wack" hit her ears and she turned towards it, hurrying in its direction. Kousuke was half-bent over, groaning from an obvious hit to the stomach. Ofelia didn't think twice before rushing to his side, tilting his head up to look for injuries.

"Where are they?" she whispered to him, seeing the red spot on his jaw. He looked bruised and disoriented, but not badly injured. It's clear that he wasn't even trying to defend himself, all of his energy and focus poured into the golems.

"In the fog," he mumbled, "He can hide." The ground shifted beside her as he began pulling up another golem, though he visibly winced as he did.

Ofelia was not going to let him pass out on her again. "Attack pattern Zeta!" she called into the fog.

"You're kidding!" Griffin's voice called out, not scripted this time, "I like Delta so much more! Tell me you're kidding." He was closer than she had originally realized. Awiti was by her side in an instant, vines climbing over the ground around her. Zeta didn't include their summoner being half-unconscious, but Awiti took it in stride, roots bursting out of the ground to support him and lift him from Ofelia's arms.

"I've got a tank on my tail!" Griffin said as he reached them, breathing heavily. Ofelia turned in the direction that Griffin had come from, feeling the electric shocks pulsing through the floor again. Paulina and Kitty only took a moment longer to reach her side, and Ofelia motioned for them to get into position to intercept. The last to join their huddle was Andre, who approached from behind. He carefully cleared out the air around them, giving them a pocket of clean air that they could see more clearly in.

Attack pattern Zeta: Their strongest, and Ofelia's least favorite. It was a position of brute force, one that they took when things began falling apart. If they were lucky, they'd form a new plan and split up a moment later without any combat. If not, they'd fight back-to-back in a chaotic and messy fashion, one that Ofelia hated but ended up having decent results.
 
The moment Ofelia came to aid her comrade, Gouki kept to the shadows knowing that his tactics wouldn’t work so well with multiple people. But he wouldn’t leave just yet, instead listening to their brief conversation which was followed by a command that upset one of their members. Then, one by one he could hear them all beginning to approach. They were gathering their forces to preserve strength. Clearly the strategy of the fog was not working out for them. This might just be their opportunity to finally overwhelm them now that they were on the defensive.

So, Gouki raced away, avoiding the other members still traveling to join the group. He could see the electricity of Kenzo in the distance, and made his way over to him first. He’d reveal himself, stopping his teammate before they would charge in to engage with the mass of enemies lying in wait. Without a sound, he’d shake his head, and point back towards their side of the arena. Kenzo paused and cocked his head to try and register what he meant, before nodding his head in agreement and following Gouki’s move.

They’d soon break the fog, drawing the other threes attention. Gouki motioned for Dover to fly to him, which his captain followed. In a hushed whisper they’d talk, avoiding anyone listening on on their conversation.

“They’ve withdrawn their forces into the fog. I believe they’re collecting to form a defensive front.”

“Sitting targets surrounded by fog. Couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity.” Dover whispered back.

By now, Althea and Samson had joined them, ready for the next stage of their plan.

“Last Sun. If we can back them against the wall they’ll have no point but to surrender. Wait for my command, Samson, as I’ll have you clear the fog when we’re within range. Besides that, stick to the plan.”

The four all nodded their heads, before turning to face the fog. Then, as one, they charged headlong into the mist. A few steps in, Dover would take to the air with Gouki, keeping his eyes trained and watching for the shadows of movement. All the while Gouki felt out the distance based on how far he’d crawled earlier, as they were around that same area the male had been alone. Once they were getting close, he tapped Dover shoulder.

“NOW!” Hollered the Captain.

With one mighty gust, Samson dispelled the rest of the clouds, putting the group in plain view for them all to see. It was a little early, but close enough that the plan still worked well enough. As soon as the clouds moved and his targets made clear, Kenzo began blasting at them with massive chains of electricity that zapped through the air with their electric blue glow. This time there’d be no golems to keep them off the surface, he could aim wherever needed, and let the energy work its magic as he advanced in them.

Samson laid down a heavy gust of wind against them, that blasted at their position over and over again. He focused on any projectiles that might be thrown, keeping them off course so that the party could advance. Althea stood fast next to him, watching for anything that might skip through the cracks as to blast it away with her ice. She too laid down fire with her icicles, taking varied angles and aiming for gaps in their defenses. Ice Barriers were put in place to keep the lower halves of her and Samson’s bodies protected.

Then, like a bat out of hell, Dover deployed Gouki from his arms letting him sail towards and into the same male from before. If he could take him from the group and keep him distracted, those golems wouldn’t be able to provide cover much longer. Dover also followed in his descent, reaching and touching the shoulder of Ofelia. He wasn’t sure if it would cause all of her or just the water attached to that portion to float, but it was worth a shot. Taking away their strategist would let them fall into chaos, and then it truly would be game over.

He just hoped this Hail Mary panned out, otherwise they just might suffer for it.
 
Ofelia felt the pressure building up. The shockwaves of energy had stopped. The enemy was up to something, and Ofelia had no way of knowing what. Her plans hadn't worked and despair was settling on the tip of her tongue.

She was going to lose.

Ofelia didn't want to. She needed to prove herself, needed to show her team that she could do it. Her brain rushed through scenario after scenario. How could they turn this situation to their advantage? How could she fix all the mistakes she'd made?

She wasn't as good a leader as Dovar, a little voice chimed in the back of her head, she was quite awful compared to him. Her strategies were abysmal and her team wasn't nearly as coordinated. She didn't move fast enough, didn't use the abilities of her teammates to the best of her abilities. Their teams may be in similar age groups, but their gap in skill was a chasm. Ofelia would need years of experience to compete with him and his team. But now, she didn't stand a chance. Should she just forfeit before somebody got hurt? Her team would label her as a coward, but Kousuke was in bad shape. Maybe it'd just be better to give up now and work on it for next time-

"Ofelia?" Paulina's voice snapped her out of her own thoughts, "What's the plan?" Ofelia stared at her for a moment, eyes wide with fear. Paulina froze, seeing her Captain's obvious panic, but Ofelia looked away quickly. She had to pull it together. She was this team's leader. It was no time to have a mental breakdown.

"They might try attacking from above again," she spoke quickly, "Give shields to the golems, get them in position to protect us. Awiti, is there any way you can ground us so that the electricity won't have an effect?" The party members got to work, Kousuke setting up the golems to form a barrier of stone around them. Paulina yanked weapon after weapon out of the earth, and Awiti grew a set of trees in a ring around them, explaining how their trunks would give them some protection against electricity.

Their attack finally came in the form of a powerful gust of wind that blew away the fog they were using as cover. They were prepared, though. The metal shields that the golems sheltered them from a good portion of the electrical attacks that struck, though their muscles began to hurt from the sparks that had made it through their gaps and hit them. They clung to the trees as the wind threatened to smack them around, desperately holding their ground. Kitty intercepted icicles thrown at the group - the wind meant that she couldn't throw them back, so the ground shook under her feet as she sent the kinetic energy into them.

Ofelia noticed the smaller male heading for Kousuke, though she was almost immediately distracted by the team captain finally coming face-to-face with her. She felt her shoulder lifting from his touch and immediately melted it, frightened of what it would do to her body. It wasn't fast enough, as her body floated upwards, defying gravity. She melted more of her flesh, expecting the water to fall back to the ground, but it only continued floating into the sky. She used her other hand to grab the captain's arm, trying desperately to keep herself grounded. As she flailed, she saw the scene in front of her: Kitty's hands were bloody and mangled from grabbing too many icicles, Griffin was breathing heavy, the fires on his skin patchy, Awiti was half-collapsed against a tree, overwhelmed by the electricity.

Ofelia had failed, and she knew it.

"We forfeit," she gasped, panic rising in her system as the shame of the words rose in her gut. She was unable to reform her body, with her water floating further away, and for once, she felt absolutely powerless.
 
In the final moments of the battle, Ghost-4 put up a valiant effort against Bravo-2’s final siege. After the clouds were cleared, all hell broke loose. Each side of the battle were pulling out all the stops, with Dovar rallying his teammates in an increasing offensive posture, and Ofelia’s relying on defense to weather the storm being brought against them.

Everything had worked nearly as well as Dovar’d hoped. He had to admire the teams creativity though. Truly they were adepts with a large array of possibility on their side. However, it was a shame they couldn’t coordinate better. From what he saw and heard, there was much conflict amongst them. Not that they were any different, every pod suffered from conflicting ideas to a certain degree. But their’s seemed to be especially volatile, though that could very well be his opinion.

Ghost-4 had been entirely set back on their heels, with Gouki and his own breach from within successfully acting as the finally catalyst in putting an end to the battle. As Ofelia floated up into the air, her team would begin to falter, and at last the words of victory rang out. Ofelia had surrendered, and the battle was over.

“Cease Fire!” Dovar called in response, raising his hands for his teammates to stop what they were doing. The wind quit howling, ice stopped raining, and electricity ceased its spark. Gouki let go of his target, and instead switched gears to help him to his feet, aiding him in walking.

“Sorry man, that was a rough one. You all fought so well! I wasn’t sure how we were ever going to fight in all that fog!”

Kenzo, Althea, and Samson were all out of breath by this point. They’d all taken to their knees shortly after the fight had ended, gasping for air as they began fighting to regain their energy. Dovar touched down on the ground to join them in meeting with their opponents.

“Yeah... that’s gotta be one... of the tougher duels we’ve undergone...” Althea spoke softly in between breaths.

Once more a whistle sounded, indicating the end of the match.

“Bravo-2 has secured the battleground! Excellent work adepts, we’re proud to see such growth in all of you. Please rest up and join everyone else for breakfast in the cafeteria once you’re ready.”

Kenzo’s stomach growled at the mention of food. He’d need a lot of bananas to compensate for the energy expended today. They were always a part of his diet regiment to regulate the large amounts of potassium his abilities expended. But before that, he wanted to meet with the others for a bit. Gathering the strength to stand, he’d first approach the fire adept, a tired smile on his face.

“Good match.” He’d offer to shake hands, and would go through a similar process with everyone else on the opposing team. It was a ritual for him, win or lose. All in an attempt to continue making new friends and knowing more of the people like himself that were involved in this plot to free their world. At the end of the day they were all one force, and one fight, and he wanted to be wise enough to remember that. No matter how off the rails he got at times.

Dovar himself would approach, v-lining right for Ofelia.

“Ghost-4 is an exceptionally fine team of adepts. You should be proud, Captain Amador. I look forward to sharing the battlefield with you all some day.”
 
There was a moment of silence after the call for a cease-fire, everyone pausing and catching their breaths. All of the abilities around her stopped, and Ofelia could pull her body together again. She heaved for a moment, worried that she would throw up. She had lost enough water to be missing a full hand, and she poured her energy into her skin to keep it from bleeding.

She turned back to her team, ready to help them to their feet, though they were already doing so. Kousuke was being helped up by the boy that had been attacking him, a tired smile on his face as he nodded along and spoke about the match. Kitty was helping Awiti, supporting her and getting her upright. Andre had joined them as well, a towel in his hands to slow Kitty's bleeding.

The whistle decided the end of the match and the Adept's words reminded Ofelia that she still had a lot to do today. Training would continue as normal, and she would have to do a lot of analyzing to understand what had gone wrong. Of course, she knew what went wrong, and it mostly boiled down to her miserable leadership and the other team's excellent one. Could she really defeat a God this way? She found it hard to believe that at this point, she'd barely even stand a chance. She needed to improve, and a lot.

Griffin was breathing heavy and glaring at the battlefield in front of him when the electricity adept approached him, holding out a hand to shake. Griffin stared for a moment before grabbing it, nodding with a half-pained smile.

"Yeah man, good fight," he replied, though he was anything but pleased by it.

Ofelia almost jumped when Dovar's voice spoke up, stunning her out of the thoughts whirling around in her head. She narrowed her eyes, showing off none of the emotions that were overwhelming her.

"Don't underestimate us when we do," she replied, "I intend to surpass you and your team in every way." She was ready for some harsh snap from him, something about how she hadn't even come close today, or that she shouldn't get her hopes up. But then she saw Griffin approaching her and knew that things were going to get out of hand.

"Excuse me," she said to him, heading towards Griffin. The other team, after congratulating the others, noticed them as well and began to coagulate together.

"What the hell was that, Ofelia?" Griffin screamed first, and Ofelia wanted to knock him unconscious to shut him up. His rage was the last thing she wanted to deal with.

"If we had pushed any further, we would've gotten injured," she replied, trying not to get mad in response.

"We could've won! We were so close!" he cried, even though his skin was blistering from his own fires.

"You were scared," Andre piped up, "The captain grabbed you and you were scared."

"Don't talk down to me," she snapped, "You're supposed to defend us, remember that? You hardly did anything."

"Ofelia, where's your hand?" Kitty asked, though Griffin didn't notice as he continued on his rampage.

"Every one of our positions fell apart. What does that say about them, huh?" he scowled, "How great are your plans when they never work?"

"Have you considered what it says about you?" she glared, "You didn't protect Kousuke at all."

"Griffin, stop," Paulina interrupted before he could talk again, "All of the patterns that we used today have worked in previous fights. It's just a matter of our matchup being hard, and the other team's skill. Let's shut up and move on."

For once in her life, Ofelia was glad for Paulina's words, as Griffin went quiet after them. He frowned but didn't say anything more as he pushed past Ofelia, heading to the exit of the gym. Kitty clapped Ofelia on the back as she went to leave.

"Get some water," she told Ofelia, "Make sure you heal up."

Finally, Ofelia was left with only Kousuke, who looked to be in the worst shape. He opened his mouth to talk, but Ofelia shook her head.

"It was my fault, I know. I need to improve," she said, "Go get food. I'll go to the cafe in a minute." He nodded and left the room, leaving Ofelia alone.

She beelined for the containers of water on the side of the gym, tearing one open and downing it in only a moment. She practically threw it off to the side as she reached for another, chugging it with the same intensity. The third one was slower, and she sunk down to the ground on her fourth and took gasping breaths in between sips.
 
Dovar opened his mouth to reply to Ofelia’s rather harsh comment, but instead kept his mouth shut as she turned about her face to join her team, leaving him to return to his as well.

Letting off a sigh, Dovar turned from Ghost-4 and focused back on his team that had slowly collected after exchanging words with the adversary. Well, all except Samson. He just stuck to the back and leered at everyone. Once gathered, they’d all grin at one another for a moment before breaking into cheers and shouts of triumph.

“That was damn near perfect Captain!” Gouki chimed in with glee, proudly smacking Dovar on the back. “After we had them gathered they didn’t stand a chance!”

“That’s not entirely true. My strategy may have adapted to their positioning, but it wasn’t what did the heavy work. You all attacking autonomously and using your abilities in creative ways is always what make the plans work. I merely provide guidance and let you all use your heads. However, charging headlong into the fog like that could’ve been out undoing. If you’d been wrong about their actions, or we’d given them time to plan, who knows what to have expected running in blind. But, you are adapted quick and pulled the trigger right away. It was a tricky situation we were put in, but we used i to our advantage. Mark my words, give it a few more weeks, and we’ll be seeing the countryside of Rome very soon. Mars won’t know what hit him.”

Cheers erupted once again, with even Samson joining in this time. As much as he liked to be an ass, it was moments like these that made him appreciate being a part of a team. When he could relish in the spoils of their victory, as opposed to coming undone in defeat, just as their adversary was now.

Althea and Kenzo both shared the same sentiment of the situation, looking on and feeling sorry for the Captain being berated by her pod. Gouki, however, was just glad it wasn’t him this time around.

With everyone beginning to depart from the gym, they’d wrap things up amongst one another, before moving out to the cafeteria. They were all starved and tired, so Dovar allowed an hour and a half to be cleared in their schedules after breakfast for them to rest before getting back into the thick of things that afternoon.

They’d arrive, with each of them splitting off to grab whatever food they craved that morning. Each of them had recommended diets, so typically their food choices centered around that. But they were still prone to indulging in the good stuff.

Kenzo had grabbed himself a whole bunch of bananas, a healthy serving of perfectly cooked hash browns, a strawberry toaster pastry, and a stack of five pancakes drenched in syrup. This was only round one of course. With as much energy as he constantly expended because of his evolution, it only made sense that he required a lot of fuel to sustain it.

He’d join the others at their table, sitting at the end to the left of Althea, and began shoveling the food hastily into his mouth eager to appease his growling stomach. He’d gotten remarks about never giving himself a chance to taste his food, but he didn’t care. He’d slow down and actually enjoy the meal after his stomach would stop tormenting him with hunger pains.

As the Adepts all finally collected to eat, enjoying what seemed to be a normal day. They’d be unaware of the turn for the worst their routine wound have, with the majority of them speaking with and eating amongst one another for what would be the last time.
 
After Ofelia had finished her sixth water bottle, her hand wrist starting to slowly shift as her body attempted to reform what she had lost, she left the gym and beelined for her bedroom. She grabbed a sweater and the schedule that she had worked out for today. The battle had been news to her, so it wasn't written in. She had planned for the rest of the day packed with training, and after that loss, she wasn't planning on changing it.

She made her way to the dining hall, spotting her pod at a table together, food stacked high on their plates. Kitty seemed to be in good spirits already, waving her arms around as she chatted excitedly with the others. None of them noticed Ofelia, and she was alright with that.

Ofelia didn't have to eat nearly as much as other Adepts did, with most of her body running off of the water that she drank. Her breakfast consisted of some scrambled eggs and a bowl of various melon slices. She ducked into the kitchen with her plates on her hands, not too keen of sitting with her pod after what had just happened.

"Amador, what are ya doing back here?" one of the cooks called, seeing Ofelia sneaking to the back.

"Getting water," she said, only a half-lie as she yanked upon one of the industrial fridges and pulled out a pitcher.

"Just get out of here if my boss comes, yeah?" the cook replied, knowing Ofelia's preference to tuck herself into the small herb farm that the kitchen grew. Balancing her food carefully in one hand, Ofelia headed off to said garden, seeing no one else in it. It was a peaceful spot, with some of the only plant life in the facility, save for the larger farms that grew the remainder of their food. She liked the yellowish glow of the lamps that hung over the plants, and the trickle of water as the hydroponics systems ran. It gave her a moment of peace, if only for a little.

Time to clear her head.

It never really lasted long enough, as soon her food was gone and the pitcher consumed. Her hand's palm was halfway done forming, her thumb almost completely finished. The clock on the wall announced that it was almost time to begin the rest of her pod's training for the day, so she made her way out of the farm and back into the dining hall. Her pod hadn't moved, still finishing up the remainder of their meal, and Ofelia approached them, schedule in hand.

"You've all had time to rest up. We're going to continue endurance training today, along with defensive maneuvers," she began as soon as she reached the edge of the table, "We'll also review this morning's fight to highlight mistakes."

"Already?" Andre asked, "I'm so tired, can't we get another hour to chill?"

"If we won, maybe you would've gotten the entire day off," she replied, "But now, we need to work twice as hard to improve. Now quit whining and get-" Before Ofelia could finish, a crash echoed from above them, shaking the entire room. Dishes shattered as they were knocked off their surfaces and the lights flickered violently. Ofelia whipped around, searching for the cause of the disruptions, seeing nothing other than more panicking Adepts. Maybe just some seismic activity, she thought, trying to come up with a logical solution. Her theory was instantly discarded as the alarm system began blaring and a voice spoke over the PA system.

"Attention, all Adepts, we are under attack."
 

Yes I know it’s two songs by Shinedown in a row, sue me!


“I repeat, we are under attack! All adepts gather in your pods and head for the transervers immediately! Project Deicide is in full effect, we need to evacuate!”

The sound of the crashes only continued to ring out in the air, which was soon followed by the sound of distant gunfire and the shouts of adepts who had either left earlier or were barely on their way to eat. Blaring sirens joined the mix, as the entire facility was out into a state of emergency.

Kenzo immediately felt his mind go into a state of shock, gripping the edge of the table as the color drained from his face. No no no, this couldn’t be happening! They were supposed to be hidden from the world! He wasn’t ready! No one was ready! The project was already on a crash collision for failure before it even had the chance to initiate its plan!

The electron heard shouting and commands being issued, but none of them registered in his state of panic. It was only after a gentle and cool hand grabbed his arm that he snapped back to reality.

“Kenzo, we need to leave.” Althea said calmly, though terror still plagued her eyes as she tugged at his arm.

“Are you fucking deaf?! Move your ass Kenzo! We need to leave now!” It seemed Samson had broken into hysterics, an obvious panic in his voice.

“Stay calm, all of you. We can make it out of here so long as we stick together and rely on help from the other adepts.” Another explosion rang off, this one much closer. “Let’s move. Spartan formation.”

All five formed a circle, facing their only exit from the cafeteria.

“As one we move. Samson I need you to focus. If they’re carrying rifles, we need to be ready to disperse those bullets or we’ll be sitting ducks.”

The gunfire was only getting closer.

“Advance!” Dovar shouted, causing all of them to take off at a steady pace out the door and into the action...

In truth, only three of them would be able to adequately defend themselves in this situation. Dovar and Gouki would be sitting ducks, with both of them only being able to evade to an extent. But they both tried to keep their cool as they stuck to the back of the formation, keeping their eyes trained to help their comrades.

Smoke was trailing through the halls by this point, with flashing yellow lights occasionally brightening the atmosphere. The noises of battle still droned on, with the occasional sickening cries of an adept being cut down.

“Samson, clear our path, we need to see what’s up ahead.”

“Are you crazy? Those bastards will see us from further away if we do that! The smokes are only cover!”

“Think about the match today! If it lingers and we keep walking through it we’ll be no better off than Ghost-4 was.”

As much as he wanted to argue, Samson knew his captain had a point. So, channeling a large gust, he blew the smoke away to reveal their path. There, amongst a growing pile of corpses of fellow adepts, a group of soldiers stood in wait. They’d holler and aim their weapons, leaving little time for Dovar to command his team.

“Samson! The bullets!”

But it was already too late. Thrown into shock at the imminent threat, Samson froze in his tracks as the bullets came flying through the air. Kenzo and Althea barely had enough time to protect themselves, but their center was exposed. Try as they might, they couldn’t create a barrier in time to save Samson.

Three separate rounds pierced the air and collided with his body, the first two sinking deep into his chest, and the third burrowing it’s way into his left eye. He’d be dead before he hit the ground, leaving Kenzo and Althea to fend off the onslaught of bullets as best they could.

“Samson!” Gouki cried out, dropping to his knee to tried and rouse his teammate.

“Gouki it’s not use! We need to move!” Dovar pulled on Gouki, forcing him to stand and move as the group continued to advance.

Kenzo growled in a rage, slammed his fists into the ground, sending a current surging forwards through the metal ground that knocked the platoon off their feet. Althea followed up with a barrage of icicles that shot into and through them.

“Keep moving! We’re running out of time!”
 
you could put five of 'em in a row and i'd only cheer you on!!
there's my theme song for the scene. I know!! I dug something up!!! :D

The words ringing through the speakers froze Ofelia momentarily, the horror of the situation sinking in. They needed to leave, now. There was no more training, no more leadership from older Adepts. It was her and her pod and the enemies trying to gun them down.

She didn't have time to panic.

"Get in a line! Beta formation, but I'll be leading," she instructed, training kicking in. It felt strange using the attack pattern names outside of gyms and training rooms, like they were only pretend. But this was real, and her formations were supposed to help them survive. No enemies that were going to stop once she forfeit. No cease-fires. They had guns, and they were willing to shoot.

The team was quick to respond. Ofelia knew that they were just as shocked as she, but training came first, and they had enough of it to know what they were doing. Ofelia led them, running to the kitchen as they followed behind her.

"The kitchen has no exits!" Kousuke called from his position in the middle of the line, watching the other teams as they ran to the doors that served as the only exit from the dining hall.

"It does," she replied, keeping her words vague. She ran through the mess: utensils and pots scattered across the floor, food spilled as the cooks had run out in a panic. She knew the path; she had followed it just minutes earlier. She pushed into the herb garden, holding the door open as she let her pod in, checking to make sure that there was nobody behind them. She didn't see anybody, though the footsteps and gunshots were getting closer.

"You're putting us in a corner," Andre hissed, and Ofelia pushed past him to the back of the room. With a hard kick aimed at the bottom of the herb systems, toppling the garden, she revealed a pipe that traveled into a crate in the wall.

Ofelia was lucky. Her team was all fairly small, with Kitty's shoulders being the broadest. She had a large frame, for her size, but it was still small enough to squeeze through gaps that some of the larger Adepts couldn't get their foot in. So the vents that protected the pipes and carried water, while a squeeze, was entirely plausible for them.

Ofelia grabbed the crate's lid, trying to pull it off of the wall. She struggled with it for a moment before Kitty came up beside her and tore it from its screws. The grate clanged loudly as she threw it behind her, revealing the long, dark passage.

"Griffin, first. Light the way," She instructed, dropping her voice in case anyone was close enough to hear, "Awiti, next. Kousuke, after. Paulina, after him. Then Andre, then Kitty, and I'll be in the back."

No one questioned her. There wasn't the time, and they knew it. Griffin slid into the vent, forced on his hands and knees, crawling forwards. Some fire lit up in his fingers, illuminating the space in front of him as he went.

As Awiti climbed in behind him, there was a banging in the kitchen. Heavy footsteps and yelling echoed around, and all of them heard it crystal clear. Ofelia gave Awiti a shove, letting Kousuke crawl in behind her. As soon as Paulina was ready to enter, Kousuke turned around.

"Griffin says that the tunnel goes up. It's climbable," he whispered, obviously playing telephone with the others in front of them to give her the message.

"Then climb," she replied, giving Paulina a nudge. Halfway there, she thought. They just needed time for three more people.

The footsteps were getting closer, doors being slammed open as they searched for survivors. Ofelia's heart thumped heavily against her chest, every cell in her body screaming for her to go, go, and get out of here. Kitty was in the vent now. Ofelia's turn.

She grabbed the gate, hoping to block up the vent as she slid into it. It was too late. As she was crawling in, the door was thrown open, the soldier locking eyes with her as she tried to put it in place.

"Go!" she screamed, alerting the others of the danger. The soldier opened fire, but Ofelia didn't need to worry about his bullets. They flew right through her, water splattering where they hit.

It only took a moment longer for the soldier to throw aside the crate cover and look into the vent. He fired into the space, his bullets threatening to hit Kitty if Ofelia let them pass through her.

Half-formed, Ofelia willed, pouring her energy into her body as she attempted a trick that she had never quite mastered: making her body a slimey water, half flesh, half water. Something strong enough to stop the bullet. To keep it from hitting Kitty.

Ofelia hissed as the first hit her, only clipping her arm. It hurt more than it would in her water form, but it slowed it down enough to divert it into the vent's wall. They were almost at the upwards climb. Kitty would be safe there.

The next three bullets hit Ofelia straight on, soaring through her stomach and chest. They clattered harmlessly to the ground behind her. Deep breaths, she thought. Almost there.

Another to the chest. Kitty was standing up now, beginning to work her way upwards.

The next hit her head. Ofelia gasped at the sensation of her skull splitting to make way for it, and her guard dropped. The bullet flew through her, right into Kitty.

Ofelia whipped around, gasping at Kitty's form, blood beginning to seep from the wound on her chest. Another two bullets flew through Ofelia, embedding themselves in Kitty's chest. Kitty screamed, then went limp.

"Kitty!" Ofelia cried, scrambling over to the girl. She pressed her hand to the wound, but she was certain of it: Kitty was already gone.
 
The reality of the situation was finally setting in for all of them. This wasn’t a drill, nor was it a game. It couldn’t even be compared to the matches they’d gone through or the simulations. This was a real attack against their lives, which had just proved its lethality only moments prior.

Samson was gone, and he was never coming back. There wasn’t any way to reset or surrender now. A key part of their team was dead, and they could do nothing but continue running straight ahead. He wasn’t alone though, as on their path they saw many other adepts having been slaughtered in similar fashion to the wind adept. And that number of dead could only be assumed to keep rising, as the various explosions and bursts of gunfire still echoed in the halls as the group fled for their lives.

“The transervers are close.” Dover said, reiterating the obvious to all of them to ensure they were aware. “Be in your guard, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve got the place on heavy lockdown.”

The quad would take a sharp right down on of the many halls, passing the various rooms that once housed them all. Bodies still littered the ground, with some looking to have been drug out of hiding places within their quarters. They’d given up on escape and only hoped to hide, which resulted in their death all the same.

They continued running past the doors, some open and others closed, with the hope of their overall survival growing stronger and stronger. Until out of nowhere, another series of gunshots rang out. Hidden in the darkness of a couple of the rooms, another group of mercenaries had been waiting for foolish adepts to pass, and opened fire as soon as they were in sight. The group hardly had any time to react, with the bullets circulated by all of them. Kenzo felt his right thigh be pierced by one of the rounds, and out of the corner of his eye saw Althea take one to her shoulder.

“Keep moving!” Dovar urged! “We need to keep moving! Kenzo, light them up!”

Kenzo turned about face, viewing the trial of blood. Dovar had a wound from a bullet grazing the side of his neck, and Gouki had been struck in his knee. Their mobility would be slowed to a screeching halt, and now Kenzo needed to ensure they could still push forward.

Electricity crackled in his hands as he zapped at the group exiting the rooms, kicking them all back and leaving them temporarily paralyzed. In the confusion, they sprayed and prayed, sending more rounds their way. Most missed, but one lucky bullet traced its way into the base of Dovar’s skull. He’d fall to the ground, but was still breathing. Kenzo’s eyes widened, realizing his friend had just been irreparably paralyzed from the neck down.

“Go.....” Dover croaked with the last bit of energy he could muster, face down in the ground as he began to accept his fate.

Kenzo went to grab and pick him up, but was met with more gunfire that barley missed him, with Dovars body shielding him from the rest.

“Kenzo we need to go! Leave him!” Gouki pleaded, as Althea summoned a wall of ice to block the hall.

Tears welled up in the electric adepts eyes as he swallowed his hope and left his friend behind, sprinting to join the other two.

“Bury the empire!” The tired voice of their leader shouted behind them.

The three remnants of Bravo-2 didn’t even hesitate to reply to their Captain one last time, shouting with cracked voices as they choked on their sorrow.

“DEATH TO MARS!!!”

It was Dovar that had made that chant, and it brought a slight sense of satisfaction that it would be his last spoken words. The ice behind him began to crack, and as Althea raised another to continue protecting their rear, all Dovar could hear was the stomping of boots before feeling a bayonet driving into the left side of his back, piercing his heart. He’d die, with a prayer in his heart that the rest of them might live.

But it’d only fall on deaf ears.
 
Ofelia didn't have enough time to mourn Kitty. The soldier behind her was still firing and filling Kitty with more holes that were hardly spurting blood by now. Ofelia reached around Kitty's neck, yanking off the dog tag that sat around it. Her name and designation sat inscribed on it, made by Paulina for everyone in the group. Clutching it in her hand, she looked up, seeing the ten-foot climb that Griffin had mentioned. Peering over, Andre stared at Kitty's corpse with wide eyes. Neither said anything as he held out a hand for Ofelia. She jumped, legs scrambling against the metal in front of her and back pressed against the vent behind her. She shimmied her way up until she grabbed Andre's hand, letting him pull her up into the horizontal vent.

Another five pairs of eyes were staring back at her, all searching for Kitty. Ofelia's appearance only confirmed what they already knew.

"We have to keep moving," Ofelia said before any of them could speak, "He'll follow the vent to find us, so we have to go fast." The silence that followed was devastating as they turned around, resuming their shuffling along the vents. Ofelia had to bite her lip when she heard a sob from Awiti, the girl attempting to hold it together but failing. Everyone heard her whimpers as they continued. Nobody spoke.

They moved without incident for a few long minutes, climbing further and further up until they came to a grate. Ofelia slid past the rest of the pod, slowly melting herself down and trickling out of the grate's slit. She found herself in the facility's farm, good ways up from where they had originally started. Only a few more floors to get to the surface, she realized, though the top floors would be the most dangerous. And who knew what was waiting for them once they escaped. Still, it was hardly the time for negative thoughts like that. All that mattered now was escaping and surviving.

The room was already ransacked, dirt and plants scattered across the floor. She slowly pushed herself to the door, reforming only part of her face to peer into the hall. There were corpses along the floor of soldiers and Adepts alike. If Ofelia's stomach had been formed, she would've lost her lunch.

She spotted two soldiers further along the hall, by the staircase that would let them go further up. She wouldn't dare try the elevator in a situation like this, and she wasn't sure if there was another staircase anywhere near their position on this floor.

Reforming her body, she went back to the grate, slowly prying it open with the help of Griffin's fire, which melted the corners of the metal. Moving as slowly and quietly as possible, each team member was pulled out of the vent, crouching by the door in case the soldiers heard them.

"The plan," Ofelia whispered once they were all down, "You'll all sit along the door wall. I'll throw something to get their attention. When they come in to attack me, jump out and attack them. The gunshots will attract attention, so we have to move fast to the stairs after that." They all nodded.

Ofelia clipped the dog tag around her neck as the others got into position, with Griffin and Awiti closest to the door. They nodded towards her, and she slammed her foot into one of the standing farm systems, knocking it over and causing a loud crash as it toppled. It was immediately followed by the sound of footsteps and rattling metal, and a moment later, the soldiers stood at the door. Their guns went alight immediately when they saw Ofelia, and her body turned to water as Awiti's vines wrapped around their feet and yanked them over. Griffin was on top of them before they realized what had happened, scorching their skin and melting their gun barrels down. Before they could finish screaming, the group was off in a full sprint towards the staircase.

Right as they began climbing, bullets began raining down on them. Awiti cried out and ducked away, though Paulina was stopping each and every one, letting them amass into a spear in her hand. Ofelia grabbed Awiti's hand and kept running. They met one soldier on the first landing, and a kick to the face from Ofelia followed by Andre shoving clouds down his throat was enough to make him crumple to the floor. Ofelia turned to the guard on the next landing, only to see a spear fly through the air and impale him, hanging him to the wall behind him like he was a poster. Ofelia turned in shock to Paulina, who looked equally surprised about what she had done.

And then Andre crumpled.

Paulina's momentary shock about her murder had let a bullet slip through from under them, striking the boy in his neck. He gasped, a horrifying watery noise as blood filled his broken windpipe. His hands clawed at his throat as he bent over, blood trickling from his lips and onto the floor beneath him. Ofelia dropped beside him, trying to pull his hands away to see the wound.

"Andre, it's ok," she said, "Come on, we can get you help-"

"My home," he choked out, coughing up more of his own flesh, "I want to go home."

"I know," Ofelia replied, pressing his shirt to the wound to try to slow the bleeding. It wasn't working. His hand came to her face, his nails digging into the skin of her cheek.

"I can't-" he tried to breathe, but he couldn't get the air into his lungs. He convulsed for a moment in Ofelia's arms, slowing after a moment as his eyes rolled up into his head. Ofelia shook him for a moment longer, pressing the shirt to his throat harder as his blood soaked through her pants. Ofelia was only distracted by Awiti, who let out a horrifying wail that echoed around the staircase. The girl collapsed to her knees, loud sobs raking over her body.

Ofelia grabbed Andre's dog tag and laid him down on the ground, turning to Awiti and scooping her up in her arms.

"Come on," she said, to the others, "We can't stop. They'll be more of them coming." Paulina nodded, another spear readied in her hands.

As soon as they were up another landing, another bullet came soaring for their heads. Once again, Paulina stopped it, handing off her spear to Griffin. He readied it, and for a horrifying moment, Ofelia wondered if that's what the Greek god Apollo looked like. Maybe, in another world, he was one of the tyrants that ruled over the Earth above them. But the moment passed as he sent it flying, right into the head of the soldier above them.

Ofelia turned around when the door to the stairwell opened burst opened behind her, a soldier bursting in. He didn't have a gun, probably disarmed by another adept, but he charged up the stairs anyway, right into Paulina. Both the soldier and Paulina screamed as the soldier grabbed the half-formed spear that she had been fashioning, grappling for it. Griffin jumped into the fray, grabbing the arms of the man and trying to yank him away. He did, the spear in the man's hands. The man stumbled back a few steps as both he and Griffin lost their balance, hitting the top step and going crashing down the rest. Ofelia couldn't tell who was alright until Griffin shoved the man over, his skin melted half-off. He was still, but there was blood on Griffin. Ofelia handed Awiti off to Kousuke, hurrying down to Griffin's side.

The spear had gone right through his torso, and he hissed as she grabbed the end of it. She tore a piece of cloth from the soldier's clothes, shoving it in his mouth and yanking on the spear. He screamed and clamped down on the fabric as it slid out, leaving the wound gaping and bleeding.

"Ofelia," he said, spitting out the fabric. Ofelia turned to him and saw his face and arms covered in burns and blisters. He was starting to reach his limit.

"Come on," she replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and trying to pull him to his feet.

"Stop," he hissed, the pain clearly too great, "Look below us. There are more coming." The ringing in her ears had blocked most sound, but he was right: there were the shouts and footsteps of reenforcements coming.

"We need to go," she nodded, and he pushed her arm off of him.

"You need to go. I'm not going to make it," he grinned, fire flickering on his fingers, "I'll stop those guys so they don't reach you. Make it out, alright?"

"I'm not leaving a teammate behind," she scowled, only to yelp when his fingers burnt the skin on her hand.

"Here," he said, pressing something into her hand, "You've gotta survive for us. Take down Kitsune, right?" With that, he erupted into flames, and Ofelia had to stumble back to keep herself from burning. He stumbled to his feet, clinging to the rails. He flashed Ofelia a last smile before turning back to the enemies that were beginning to approach.

"Hey, fuckers!" he screamed, throwing himself into them, the smell of his burning flesh mingling with theirs. When Ofelia looked down at her hand, she found his dogtag sitting here, half-melted.
 
At last the three remaining members of the pod had arrived at their first destination, one of the stairwells. They knew it would be heavily occupied, but it’d be their only means of getting to the first floor where their final destination waited for them. The transervers, their one way ticket to the Roman plains where their hand in Project Deicide would commence. It was intended for all to transfer en masse in their individual pods when the time came, but due to these circumstances everything was clearly rushed. The pod needed to get to one of the servers and select their destination, where they could be saved from this hell hole and go on to pursue the tasks their fallen comrades dreamed of joining them in.

For Dovar and for Samson, they pushed on.

Carefully, they’d open the doors leading up, clearing the room just as they’d been trained to do in search of hostiles. None were on the landing point for their floor, but they could heard the sound of boots above and below them. They needed to move quickly, or they’d be sandwiched together between the mercenaries, with little hope of escape.

Kenzo took point, generating an electrical field around himself to combat any rounds that might come their way, and Althea took the rear to keep them shielded as they progressed.

They did their best to keep quiet, but with Gouki and Kenzo both limping, their irregular footsteps still managed to ring out in the closed space. Kenzo had done his best to numb his thigh with his electricity, but the pain was still shooting through. The both of them could only grit their teeth and keep moving.

As they cleared the first stairwell, they’d approach the second, with the second floor door being seen just above. They could hear some of the Watchmen lingering on the next set of stairs and approached cautiously. When close enough, Kenzo sent a pulse of electricity coursing through the metal railing that stunned the three guards waiting. Althea leapt over the side, a sword of ice in hand, cutting cleaning through their torso’s. In a heap they’d fall, with a loud bang as their rifles clattered to the ground.

As they’d advance past them, they wouldn’t notice a primed grenade sitting amongst the gear of the fallen. Gouki, trailing at the back from his injuries, would be the only one to see it, and wouldn’t be able to call it out in time. With a loud explosion, the grenade sent the group flying in opposite directions, with Althea and Kenzo hurtling further up the stairs, and Gouki being blow back against the wall.

“They’re on the upper floors!” A voice chimed below them.

Shrapnel decorated the front two’s backs, and Gouki’s front. A massive hole remained where the stairs used to be, separating the teal Adept from his team.

“Gouki, hurry!” Althea called, “We’re so close! You’ll have to jump!”

Breathless, Gouki stood and hobbled over to the edge of the gap, looking down with wide eyes.

“I don’t think I can make it!” His voice was weak, and full of fear. Those golden eyes began to well with tears as the last trickle of hope slipped from his fingers.

“Yes you can!” Kenzo chimed in, “I’ll grab you if you miss! You have to try!” That was the most he’d spoken at one time in a while.

Hesitant, but looking ready to try, Gouki braced himself in a half squat. He took a few deep breaths, and closed his eyes. Mustering all the power he had left in his legs, Gouki forced himself to jump as high and forward as he could. Sure enough, he wouldn’t make it far enough to latch onto the edge, but his arm came smacking against Kenzo’s outstretched one. The electric adepts grip tightened, and he strained with all his might to pull his friend up with him and Althea.

But it wouldn’t be fast enough. Whatever mercenaries were on the lower stairs would see the adept dangling and opened fire, putting tens of bullets into and through Gouki as he hung there helpless. They also shot up Kenzo’s arm, mangling it in the process which caused him to lose strength entirely and release the corpse of his friend.

“GOUKI!!!” Kenzo and Althea yelled, as their friends body plummeted, only to be trampled under the foot of the advancing soldiers.

Using some of the last of her strength, Althea put up another wall to cover them while they advanced further up to the first floor. Her tears froze against her cheeks as she did so.

Althea and Kenzo were a mess by this point, the both of them stifling the pain they felt in their hearts as they climbed what was left of the stairs. At this point, it all just felt numb. Seeing so many people die back to back, it almost felt common. They felt sick to their stomachs, and wanted nothing more than for this nightmare to end.

But it never would. The top floor awaited them, with its hope of survival standing fast. So too did a final wave of soldiers, ready to cut them down before they’d ever escape.
 
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Ofelia could have stood and stared at the flames for the rest of eternity. How many people, she thought, would have to die for her to get out alive? How many sacrifices made?

“Ofelia!” the call from Kousuke snapped her out of her stupor, and she gripped the dog tag tighter and ran back up the stairs. Throwing a final glance over to the inferno below them, they continued moving upwards. There were only more guards waiting for them, and the team's defenses began to fall apart. The bullets wouldn't hit Ofelia, but she wasn't able to take the guards down as quickly as Griffin could've. Kousuke couldn't raise up a golem in a cramped stairwell and Awiti was still shaking in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. More cuts and wounds were beginning to appear on Paulina's skin as she ran out of energy, unable to keep blocking the bullets.

A bullet whizzed past Ofelia's ear, right into Kousuke behind her. He let out a yelp as it struck his thigh, collapsing onto his other knee. He just barely held Awiti in his arms, but the pained scowl on his face told Ofelia that he wouldn't be able to continue carrying her to press on.

"Paulina, grab Awiti," Ofelia said, rushing to Kousuke's side, "Give Kousuke the spear." Paulina took Awiti from him, handing him the weapon. Ofelia wrapped his arm around her neck, helping him to his feet and leaning his weight against her to keep him upright.

They were so, so close. Only a few floors away.

Ofelia saw the grenade coming, soaring past her and into the space between her and Paulina. Paulina stopped it in the air, hovering for a horrifying moment in front of her.

"I can't-" she gasped, and Ofelia realized that Paulina had finally reached her breaking point. The grenade fell to the floor and Ofelia barely had enough time to dive out of the way. Metal shards hit her body as she shielded Kousuke, the noise of the blast leaving her ears ringing as she rose. She hadn't managed to protect him from everything, but he was still breathing and conscious.

Ofelia whipped back around to Paulina, seeing a wall of branches that had blocked her from the blast. Ofelia scrambled over to it, finding an unconscious Paulina and Awiti in a ball.

"We're almost there," Ofelia said, grabbing Paulina and trying to lift her. Ofelia realized after a moment of struggling that she just wasn't strong enough to lift her. She looked frantically to Awiti.

"You have to help me," Ofelia told her, "I can't do it alone."

"Why?" Awiti gasped, voice cracking from her crying, "We're going to die anyway. We can't survive this!"

"We have no other choice!" Ofelia replied, pulling at Paulina again, "We have to keep trying."

"We don't," Awiti shook her head and turned towards Ofelia. She had a branch in her hands, Ofelia realized, sharpened and pointed towards her chest. "I never signed up for this! I don't want to do this! I should've been dead a long time ago!"

"We have a mission!" Ofelia cried, "We've worked so hard, we can't give up now!" Awiti yanked at the dog tag around her neck, yanking it off and shoving it into Ofelia's chest.

"Take this, since you're collecting them like trophies!" she screamed, then pulling off Paulina's as well, "And hers, too, since you can do nothing to save her! You couldn't save any of them, in the end!"

"Stop it!" Ofelia yelled, "Stop! I'm not leaving her behind!" She finally managed to stumble to her feet with Paulina in her arms, only to lose her balance under the weight and crash to the floor again. Awiti let out a dark, sickening crackle as Paulina groaned, the fall waking her.

"Paulina! Come on, I need your help! I can't lift you alone," Ofelia shook the larger woman. Paulina's eyes squinted, half-open, before her head shook feebly.

"I can't feel anything," she groaned, her words hardly a breath on her lips, "I can't move."

"Push through! We're almost there," Ofelia tried pushing her upright, but Paulina hardly budged.

"I'm just going to rest for a little," Paulina whispered, "You're a way better boss than me, Captain." Her eyes fluttered closed, and she was unconscious again. Ofelia shook her, repeating her name to try to wake her, but to no avail.

"You can't save her," Awiti said, and Ofelia had to blink through the tears to see the girl, "You can't save any of us." With that, she drove the stake through her own heart, screaming as it tore apart her chest. Ofelia stared in horror as she coughed blood, Awiti's lips trembling as she spoke her last words, "I'll see you in hell."

Ofelia could only sit in horror as she tried to grasp the situation around her. Awiti was dead. She couldn't carry Paulina. Kousuke couldn't help. Yells were coming from the stairs beneath them, meaning that Griffin's inferno was done burning.

She had no choice.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered to Paulina, pressing her head to her chest for a moment, "I can't save you. I'm so sorry." She stumbled to her feet, shoving the dog tags in her pocket, which were starting to clank against one another. She wrapped an arm around Kousuke, lifting him again, and leaving Paulina behind.
 
The second Althea and Kenzo arrived at the top floor, they knew it was going to be sheer insanity. They weren’t the first adepts to arrive, with other smaller groups (presumably having had their numbers cut down in a similar fashion to Bravo-2) fighting to get to the transervers and escape the madness that had consumed their home.

Join them, was a final defense of mercenaries, all opening fire on the adepts. It was a large mob of them, no smaller than 30, whose aim was sharp and precise as they protected the way to the transervers. As Kenzo and Althea sprinted to join the fray, they’d witness an adept wielding flames jump high into the air to perform an aerial assault.

And that’s when they heard it. The impressive burst of fire that was being emitted by a handful of the Watchmen, wielding Gattling Guns that pierced the air and eviscerated the Pyro with ease, turning his body into a fine red mangled paste by the time he reached the ground. Many of the other adepts close to him suffered a similar fate, not standing a chance against the sheer power of the weapons wielded against them.

In a split second decision, Kenzo grabbed Althea and pulled her across to an alcove in the hall, just before the machine guns charged up for another burst that tore apart the corner that they rounded about.

“What are we gonna do?” She questioned in a hushed whisper, still fighting back on the tears that had been slowly seeping out ever since their first comrade fell.

Kenzo looked toward the damage on the wall, then back to her. He was cradling his mangled arm, knowing he’d only be half as useful as he was now. And he wasn’t entirely sure how much longer Althea would be able to hold up in her attacks. Both were absolutely tired, never quite having gotten a chance to catch their breath even after the match with Ghost-4.

Letting go of his arm and letting it hang, he took her hands in his good one, a sad smile spreading across his face.

“We fight.”

Nodding her head and doing her best to return the smile, she’d squeeze his hand before letting go and looking toward the corner.

“Last Sun?” Kenzo questioned, asking for approval of the tactic.

Althea nodded, “Last Sun.”
With his one good arm, Kenzo charged up as much energy as he could muster, before doing just as he had at the start of their match that morning. Slamming his hand to the ground, the shockwaves rippled and cracked through the ground, frying the Units closest to them from the inside out and stunning all others behind him. He could only pray that any adepts that were still alive wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire.

Althea charged in, summoning as many icicles as she could and sending them flying with perfect aim, taking down as many soldiers as she could while heading up the middle with Kenzo.

They’d take turns alternating, with Kenzo delivering controlled shocks to the ground every so often fo stun the additional units that would come through. It was all he could do at this point, as any additional energy would probably knock him out at this rate. Meanwhile Althea continued providing cover and impaling as many of the soldiers as possible, frost beginning to cover her hands and arms as the cold became overwhelming even for her own body.

They were making steady progress, pushing back the mass of the soldiers and allowing more adepts that still lived to join the fight. The doors to the transervers was almost in sight. They’d be home free!

That is, until their hopes were suddenly dashed in a moment. From behind, they heard an explosion sound off, and the sound of rubble scattering.

A behemoth, consisting of an unholy union of flesh and metal, had made its way into the main hall cutting off the adepts means of retreat. Three individual crimson cybernetic eyes gazed at the youth, as the launchers mounted to its framed arms spun to lay down heavy fire. Rockets were propelled over and over again, decimating the battleground and ripping every adept caught in its explosion to shreds. At the same time, what remained of the Mercenaries began laying down fire once again.

2173562C-ECF7-4A9B-84DA-A6DE5F2173FA.jpeg

Althea summoned a thick wall of ice to hide from the Behemoths Rockets, distracted by its powerful presence and failing to notice the Watchmen still remaining. Kenzo dashed in as round of bullets went off once again, taking a few hits to his already damaged right arm as he did so, and tackled Althea to the ground to get low behind the rubble left behind from prior explosives.

They were pinned down, and losing numbers quick.

For the first time that day, Kenzo began to consider the inevitable.
 
some music for Ofelia's breakdown!!!
Ofelia couldn't see straight as she burst out of the stairwell, the door slamming open to reveal the hallway that would lead to the transerver room. Her eyes were blinded by tears, and she brushed them away to see the mess in front of her. The floor was a graveyard, lined with blood and flesh. This time, her stomach was intact, so she bent over on the side of the hall to throw up.

Ofelia didn't need to wait until she died to see Awiti again. She was already in hell.

Screaming and crying filled the hall, explosions echoing all around her. They were battling for the transerver room, Ofelia realized, which meant that there were other survivors who had reached it too! Moving as fast as she could with Kousuke limping at her side, she made her way along the blood-covered halls.

"Ofelia, it sounds bad," Kousuke croaked, voice hoarse. The pain was getting to him.

"It doesn't matter," she replied, "The hall will be wide enough for you to make some golems. And there are others there, too."

"I won't be much help," he frowned, "I'm not strong, like Kitty or Griffin."

"And what do you suggest?" she snapped, annoyed, "We sit here and die?"

"You can survive anything," he pointed out, "When you melt, you're impossible to hurt. If you just hide-"

"And leave you behind?" she interrupted, and an explosion rocked the hallway around them. Kousuke went silent and she kept bringing them closer to the madness. Finally, she turned the corner, seeing the violent scene playing out in front of her. A cyborg, massive and glaring, staring down at a battlefield of blood and gore, soldiers firing at whatever survivors were hiding in the cracks. She was frozen for a terrifying moment as a rocket shot off from the cyborg's arm, heading for the ground in front of the two of them. Kousuke moved first, a golem rising in front of them, larger and more imposing than his regular ones. It still wouldn't be enough. Ofelia moved to push Kousuke back around the corner, but he had seen it coming. With a movement Ofelia wasn't prepared for, he shoved her back into the direction that they had come from.

And the rocket hit.

Ofelia was knocked back a few feet, her body melting in places where she hit the ground too hard. When she collected her wits about her, rising to her knees, she saw nothing where Kousuke had just been standing.

Her ears ringing and her balance thrown off, she crawled on her hands and knees across the corpses and debris towards the spot that he had been standing in. Rock and earth littered the ground, likely the leftover remains of his golem. Kousuke's corpse was nowhere to be found. She ignored the bullets that tore through her body as she began digging through the piles of flesh and bones, desperate to find Kousuke hiding somewhere in it. She was screaming something, but she couldn't hear what. Her hands grew slippery with still-warm blood and she knew that the gore beneath her fingernails would never really be washed out after this.

Then, her hand grabbed something cold and metal. She yanked it up, a piece of flesh falling off of an all-to-familiar dog tag.

This time, she heard it when she wailed. Her scream tore through the ringing in her head and filled the hall with her grief. She couldn't stop her own gasps and cries that came after, Kousuke's name falling from her lips like a mantra.

She had failed. She had completely, in every form, failed. She hadn't managed to protect a single one of her teammates. She saved nobody, except for herself.

Someone grabbed her shoulder, yanking her back. A soldier looked down at her, a gun held in one hand, pointed at her.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed, flailing away and kicking at him, all fighting training gone from her mind, "Get away from me!" Her hand wrapped around his throat and she poured all of her energy into it, the other half of her body melting as the water poured into her arm. She lifted him and slammed him into the ground, his helmet and skull crunching. More bullets flew her way but she ignored them, rising to her feet and swaying as she rose. Kousuke's dog tag dug into her skin as she held it like a lifeline.

She spat out a bullet that had gotten lodged in her watery flesh, listening to it clang on the dead soldier's armor. She turned to the massive cyborg, her swollen, bleary eyes meeting his glowing red ones.

He had killed Kousuke.

Ofelia charged, no plan in her head as she ran. Rockets blew up in front of her, forcing her body into water, but she only pulled it back together again and continued running. She was losing water, she could feel less and less of her flesh form every time, but she didn't care. She had always been weak. Her only job on her pod was to lead them. Now, with no more team members to lead, she was useless. All she could do was run, and hope that she won.

She screamed in anger as her fist hit the cyborg's jaw, and it cracked.
 
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