Kismet’s Tale

      Colonel Vito arrived at the location where the readings were. Behind him was a fleet composed of hardened veterans equipped with the best weapons money could buy. Supported by a dragon ship armed with minigun modules.

He was ready for one hell of a fight after receiving the coordinates from one of his sources.

“What the hell happened?”

One of the tanks rolled in. A powered framed Vulcan surveyed the area, guarding Vito as he walked around. It was then that he saw the bodies on the walls, pavement, and the destruction.

“Search the grounds!” he commanded. “I want to know what happened here!”

The search began.

The soldiers searched the area, uncovering the rubble. It was then that they found some of the soldiers that were crippled. Unable to walk, the soldiers open-fired at them. A Vulcan Unit decided to show them his forearm-mounted minigun, and pointed it.

The Soldiers carried the survivors to the Colonel. Most of them battered, bruised, and arms broken. One of the soldiers was missing their limbs. “Show me their stumps,” one of the medics moved.

The survivors didn’t resist with barrels pointed on the back of their heads. Examining the stumps, the medic looked at the clean-cut done to their arms.

“Sir,” one of the soldiers called, “you should see this.”

“Medics examine them, keep them alive, and watch the area.”

Nodding their heads. They turned around, and gathered their gazes on the rounded up survivors. Vito followed the soldier in the interior of the compound, entered a room where they found the body of a lady whose head was split open.

There was a soldier who stayed near the body, lost, and seemingly out of his mind. Vito looked at the soldier who escorted him to this place.

“We found him like that, Sir, and even threatening him doesn’t seem to give any response. He just...doesn’t move at all.”

The soldier was unresponsive. Something broke the soldier that the only thing it could do was bring the corpse of the lady into the interior of the compound. If this was any lady, Vito would have not been as shaken, but here she was, Minerva Glasgow, in all her glory, was now a corpse in front of him. She had seen the lady enough to know who she was at glance, and yet here she was...just dead.

“Anything?”

“A CCTV system is installed around the compound. Most of them were destroyed, but our tech wizard was able to salvage the footage that was on the backup memory of the cameras.”

“You saw it?”

“Not yet, sir. We like to show it to you first.”

Vito nodded. “Tell the soldiers to secure the perimeter, nothing gets in and out of the compound without my permission. Tell the gunships to secure the air, and the Vulcans to extend their search. See if there is anything that we can use to figure out what the hell happened in this damn place!”

“Roger that, Colonel!”

 

Vito went to the security room where most of the CCTV footage was. Most of them were destroyed. They were cleanly sliced by something sharp.

“How is it man?”

“Aye, sir, playing the video now,” the technician attached a coaxial cable to this player.

On the footage, everything was normal. The camera faced the wall and the soldiers doing their routines. Vito ordered the technician to continue rolling the video until something happened.

The wall was breached suddenly.

A figure standing almost seven-foot-tall in full powered exoskeleton gear stood rushed, and started assaulting the compound.

It was an unbelievable sight of strength and overwhelming agility. No matter what they threw at the bastard, he kept on slicing and dicing them. The sight of a fully plated Vulcan being caught, and thrown like a sandbag amazed Vito.

Not to mention that blacked blade he wielded was able to cut through anything. He had seen unbelievable feats from Lady Bellatrix, but this one was amazing in its own way. There were soldiers all over him, but they were not able to match him. It was like everything was so slow that he only needed to move his body just enough to avoid the bullets or slice through them.

“I ain’t seen nothing like it, Sir. Can the magiborne do that?”

“Afraid they can’t, Specialist. Afraid that they can’t.”

The footage continued until the battle between the Lady Minerva and the Ghost. He had decided on the name after seeing how blurry he was, and not even the CCTV footage could capture him fully.

The next thing that happened was beyond him. If the first assault was terrifying to look at. Then the battle that happened between the lady, and the Ghost was a dance of death.

Utilizing everything in his disposal, the Ghost was able to close in, and break the defenses of the Lady. Whatever it was the blade was made out of, it was able to slice through whatever the Lady threw at the Ghost.

Vito felt his scalp numb at the thought of being in front of the storm of projectiles, and even though he had seen what Lady Bellatrix could do to the base. The Ghost knew that it had to get in, and overwhelm her in close-quarters if he wanted to win.

It was desperate enough that the Lady Minerva, the one she knew, was forced to a corner, and used a gun to try and kill her opponent.

It was not enough. And what happened next was something that Vito didn’t know what to feel. The Kismet’s Tale, the artifact that they had been trying to take from Lady Minerva, was just gone like that.

“A magi? No, it’s far different than the Crest and the Bloom that they use...what is this?”

It was something that disabled the artifact and the Lady’s power. Whatever it was, it caused worry to Vito who had no idea who this bastard was. How he should classify this man was beyond him.

“Like a Ghost, isn’t he?”

Colonel Vito. Instinctively, he slammed his elbow backwards, only to feel his body turn upside down. He broke his fall, and threw his hands upwards.

“Active camouflage, isn’t it nice?” a voice said. “Reflect the lights, and you can easily be invisible, I like it. How are you, Vito?”

“Oh, why are you here Miss Nano?”

A woman appeared before her. She wore a shoulder mantle and long boots that was complemented by her rather old attire.

“What? I can be anywhere I please, Laika has told me that I am needed here, and look at what we have here,” she looked at the footage. “Of course, the demands of our Lady have indeed been...adequate.”

Vito felt something click. She’s not serving Lady Minerva, and her Mistress, Laika isn’t either...then who the fuck is this Lady?

“Vito, oh, Vito...your face really is so tell-tale.  Anyway, I was planning to make a plea for Minerva, but I’m afraid that’s nothing. Oh, I hate this kind of work, but old Crocker has long since died, so I have to do all of this hard labor.”

Vito backed away. The technician close to Vito had already dropped down. He wasn’t dead, just unconscious.

“So….what are you here for?”

“Vito, I just want to talk to Minerva, but she’s dead, unfortunately. Anyway, Laika wants me to check on her since she’s not around. I think you wouldn’t mind if I took her away?”

Vito stood up while watching her. Nana leaned on the wall, and crossed her arms. She was already shielded in ten layers of shielding, and any bullet would just be a waste. He wasn’t equipped to handle an Archmagi like her.

“What do you want?”

“I want Minerva’s body back. She doesn’t need to be violated now, does she?”

“Done.”

“I want the footage as well.”

“That can’t happen.”

“Vito, do you have a choice?”

Vito balled his fist. There was a cold fury in the eyes of the Colonel before it died down. “Fine, you didn’t hurt my soldiers, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t,” she said. “I am not a brute.”

“What about your men?”

“Our men? Leave them be, do you think the crippled have any use for us? Your leaders are going to need them to show that they have uprooted the anti war sentiments. ”

“Besides, I saw them. They truly have seen a ghost. I cannot blame them. So, would you be a dear and help me pack Minerva?”

Vito reached out to his radio while feeling the energy around him crept close. Even if he does something, she would take his head first.

“Sarge, have the Lady packed. She’ll get buried respectfully.”

“I understand.”

“Good boy, now, isn’t that great? I’m sure Laika and our Lady will be glad that you cooperated.”

“That’s it then?”

Archmagi Nano lifted her chin “I understand that you are willing to help Viola’s Pact, but she’s dangerous in her own right. I know you are desperate to honor your pledges because of your Grandfather Rigel, but Vito, you should think about where you stand sometimes.”

Vito remained muted. “Is that all?”

“I like it. I like this solid servitude. See, this is why I really like you, Video.”

“Thank you, Milady.”

She winked and took the VHS tape from the equipment. Vito walked out of the security room, and back to where the body was laid.

“Cut in half so easily...what a sad day.”

“Are you?”

“She was still a friend of mine. We had differences, but she truly wanted them to stop fighting on the Easternside of the World. I think she saw something in them. What’s with that look?”

“What do you mean, Ma’am.”

“Ah, of course, I do understand that Viola and I had our differences after she showed us that she still had the spark in her, and only through Minerva’s dedication to her craft that she was able to discover what we needed to do to get our sparks back. The bloom keeps us perpetual, and though she might have angered...a lot with her secrecy...she’s still the founder of the modern practices of using the bloom and the Nullers technology.”

“That so?”

“Hmm, yes, your Lady Bellatrix is quite secretive. Though most of our societies prefer to stay outside of the common man’s plight.”

Vito looked away. “Then please return us our President.”

“Sweet Wendy? I do admit that Minerva might have gone far, then again, Elric had been persuasive about the need for the magiborne to live normal lives. Vito, not everyone wants to rule the world, and do you think Laika, and my Lady will attempt anything after the civil war in the Old Empire years ago? You read about what happened to Prince Arno, and the siblings who returned. We almost lost that war, and there are so many who are...capable of having the bloom and the crest in them these days.”

After the soldiers packed the Lady. Nano raised her pointed finger and shot a red beam of light. Not long a helicopter appeared, and landed on the area close to where a wall was standing before the Ghost’s attack.

Two heavily armed Nullers appeared and looked at Colonel Vito and his men before taking the body of the Lady in the helicopter. She climbed onboard, and took a glance at the forces they had.

She did not cease her powers for a moment.

“I thank you for your cooperation, we may not see eye to eye sometimes, but to honor this humble request is...good of you.”

“What are your plans now, ma’am?”

“Plans? Please, we know that you are moving in the forces. There is a chance that the magiborne will be collared, but they will also have...give them incentives to calm them. Segregation, and a peaceful life...is something that the magiborne desires the most. Although, I doubt that they would accept the loss of their strength...who would want that? Look at me, rambling here. For now, I shall bid you farewell.”

“Farewell, ma’am.”

“Of course,” the helicopter started to hover. “Colonel Vito, tell Lady Bellatrix that Laika, and our Lady Cassowary sends her regards.”

Vito placed his hands behind his back. “Will do, Ma’am.”

The helicopter left. One of the soldiers who had been with him since then walked up.

“What do we do, Boss?”

“I need a drink, Sarge. A stiff one.”

“Aye, Colonel. I can’t imagine reporting this.”

Colonel Vito sat on the rubble while watching the helicopter disappear in the distance.

Miss Wendy Otto was not here, and thus it only means that they must find however it was that was doing all of this.