Gazing up no longer yields the view of a green sheet over the sky, that sight of the ruffling leaves like a complex filter system composed of countless flexible plates for sunlight to bounce between, ending up tinted in the leaves' pigment, supported by countless bark pillars like skyscrapers with no other structure even fractionally as tall. No, that low, physical ceiling which once loomed, oppressed those beneath, and taxed the light, no longer clouds the skies. For those skies have been freed, an infinite blue expanse with no bounding physical material, those clouds white and sparse, fluffs that complement the sky rather than cover it. None of those clouds hold the capacity at least to obscure the cyan supersun that sits at the top of the sky, beaming its absolute light from such vast distances across the cosmos, yet with enough brightness to perfectly light not only the sky, but the green landscape below, a beautiful field decorated with trees not so overwhelming, for they do not control the lands but rather complement a vast lake at the center which glistens in the sunlight, naturally forcing a gap in the plain. Distant mountains stand tall, their features faded to silhouettes defined only by their jagged curves, varying in height among a lengthy sierra that drives a consistent line over the horizon.
The landscape's near silence is mixed suddenly with an uproar that doesn't wane, as cutting through the sky at a height of the mountains is the blue bus pod, soaring like a bullet. It races over the lake which vaguely reflects the body moving in a straight path, injecting movement in an environment still in isolation. The engine's roar echoes across the plain and far beyond the open terrain, reverberating in free space as the pod strides across the environment without bounds.
That view of the distant mountain figures beneath the gleaming cyan supersun is admired through the clear window screens along the sides of the bus's silver interior, the resolution so crisp that they appear just as any physical window, just an opening to the world. A sight reaching so far to technically beyond the world itself, entirely unobstructed by trees, is admired so sincerely by Hemlock whose gaze is fixed exclusively to that window, his eyes wide to take the view which reflects in his irises.
His infatuation isn't uncommon though as in the seat in front of him, Maple is held by a similar trance, unable to help but focus intimately on such a majestic, unbounded scene. She too sits by the window next to an older woman from the other group, whose focus is instead to the other side of the aisle, where other passengers are dazing out the window either at their side or above. She follows Alder's upward gaze to the long sunroof screen, a view simpler with just the morning blue sky only adorned with scarce fluffs of white clouds, yet even that holds his interest for it's a sky without filters, that alone riveting of an image. Those clouds move slowly, drifting gradually across the sky but also being flown past quickly, as the world itself moves backwards at such rapid yet consistent speeds.
That sunroof screen gleams down to shed light into the bus's interior, not only for those staring up at it but the many other survivors sitting in pairs along the two columns separated by the thin walking aisle. While the survivors as people differ, various in size and age, they're dressed similarly by those green cloaks over brown tunics. They alone crowd the back half of the bus, still present even up to the front, but mixed in with them are passengers in completely different dresses, the one furthest in the back the most radically different as she's made of solid gold including her face which lacks any features, almost like a robot.
Sitting at the seat closer to the aisle, Dana glances at the window before turning to stare forth down the aisle where other survivors sit, but one of those seats houses the man dressed in the brown overcoat, whose head is at least distinctly human albeit seemingly the oldest in the group as not only is he bald, but his sunken cheeks tell of far senility. Ekitai strangely just dazes straight ahead at the back of the seat in front of him, apparently uninterested in the window screens nor the other passengers, or rather more focused in his head of which he merely needs a dark canvas to paint his own thoughts, the black leather seat functioning just well enough. Next to him sits the woman with vibrant pink hair dressed in a casual white hoodie, whose head rests against the wall itself, staring directly into the screen, providing her eyes a canvas more colorful with teeming life. Kokei however doesn't seem focused on the view unlike the other survivors but rather uses the canvas to project her own thoughts. The two of them dwell in their own introspections, silent at sides.
In the seats across from them are just another two survivors, Pine at the window seat gazing serenely at the window next to him to appreciate the open space, however his attention turns towards his own father next to him who instead faces the driver at the front of the bus to guide, "We should be reaching the city pretty soon, past this lake there's not much left to go."
Specifically, the father speaks to the man in the blue suit, his face concealed in a white mask that he stares through parallelogram lenses that shine a passive azure glow. Meditat keeps his focus on the windshield screen ahead of him, which unlike the other screens is equipped with an augmented overlay providing widgets such as speedometer gauges and gyroscope models. While he chooses to face this, secluded in this single driver seat with only the closed door beside him, he does respond to the father with an acknowledgement: "I understand, thank you."
The father hums to himself, dropping his chin on his hand in contemplation for a few moments. He then lifts his head and advises cautiously, "I would say that we should be a bit careful about just flying into the city though, we'll more than likely be mistaken as pirates and attacked. Even flying near the city is definitely going to give us attention, so we should probably stop somewhere on the outskirts and walk in."
Taking in that information, Meditat contemplates in silence for a moment, considering and strategizing before he then proposes, "I agree that we should park outside the city so as to not make ourselves intruders, though we should park close enough to amass attention. Perhaps right outside the city would do."
The father and Pine exchange perplexed glances upon the strange idea before the father faces Meditat and queries reluctantly, "Wait, why would we want a crowd? A lot of people have been coming here to seek refuge, we don't really need a welcome party just for us, there's stations set up near the entrance we know to go to for all of that. It'd be best not to cause a ruckus."
Despite the apprehensive contention, Meditat shakes his head and instead refutes, "On the contrary, a controlled event to draw attention without escalating to combat would be perfect. It'll simplify our planned procedures upon arrival."
Greater puzzlement hits both Pine and his father upon that ambiguous reference, especially as Meditat's responses are spoken with a certain tactical tongue, an additional plan beyond the simple refugee escort they've been following all this time.
Troubled, the father contemplates a counterargument, which Pine takes notice to. He frowns, pondering on his own before facing Meditat and responding, "I don't really know what the point of it is, but I take it that you know what you're doing, and you're doing what's best for all of our safety. So if that's what's best, then we'll go with it."
Astounded, the father turns to Pine from the opposite reaction he was intending to give. He stares at his son with bewilderment before Meditat gently thanks, "Thank you."
Behind him and the seat behind himself, Dana peers further up the aisle to Meditat, listening in on the conversation with a slight head tilt. Her head then straightens as her attention shifts onto the screen ahead of him, interested enough to lean forwards which Meditat does as well, facing the same point of interest that both Pine and his father turn to at the discussion's resolution.
In front of Dana's gaze, past Pine's father and Ekitai sitting ahead, ahead of Meditat at the driver's helm, and through the windshield screen clear at the center of the augmented dashboard, is the sight of a vast valley surrounded by distant mountains, the field decorated with scattered trees and a running river cutting straight through, passing into a colossal structure: a circular wall as tall as the towering trees of the forest if not taller. The wall's diameter covers far more than the villages explored yesterday, made of stone bricks only broken up by a huge arched door by the river where a few guard towers stand.
Quick to take attention is a worrying site: surrounding that great wall is a thick infestation of black roots, each one significantly shorter than the wall as they're only a few stories tall, but dense enough that just at a glance it's clear that there's magnitudes more roots than in the treehouse village. They all spread out upwards like a menacing field of black flowers, reaching heights nearly as tall as the guard towers, an invasive species crowding the otherwise tranquil valley.
Staring silently at that approaching scene, Meditat remains seated though Dana stands up and strolls up the aisle, prompting the attention of all the other passengers including Ekitai and then Kokei, Ekitai able to swing his head over to catch a glimpse of that same windshield. As other survivors rise from their seats to stare over at the front screen which Dana approaches, Pine's father's face dawns a morbid expression as he announces, "That's…that's the city…oh god I hope it's still safe…I was so focused on getting here that I didn't even consider this happening…."
As Dana stops at Meditat's side, Meditat slightly lowers his head before declaring: "There are guards present in the towers, I'll have us parked close to them but with a safe distance."
Pine's father sighs to a regurgitation to that plan he's still against, but he's aware to know the most he can do is warn, "Just remember, everyone's on edge, probably more than ever."
Meditat nods his head and acknowledges, "I understand, I'll keep that in mind and keep this interaction peaceful. Regardless, I'll ensure your protection." He then glances off to the left as the engine's hum begins to gradually calm. Behind him, Ekitai nervously chuckles and promises, "I swear I won't start shooting at them this time, I'll let you handle the public relations."
Immediately, Pine's father turns to stare at Ekitai and exclaims, "Wait what, 'this time'??" Pine quickly grabs his father's shoulder for comfort, quickly dispelling, "Don't worry about it," as the mountains through the window screens seem to grow taller.
In truth, the bus pod has begun its descent, visibly decelerating too in its approach towards that gargantuan wall, and the black field around it. It doesn't shift in sudden drops, but rather glides smoothly towards its rest, descending beneath the wall as the roar tapers to a growl, specifically moving towards those two guard towers, navigating over the nest as there's a ring of separation between it and the towers.
Atop each tower are two guards, dressed in dark green armored vests, smooth metallic plating over the shoulders and separation for joints. The armor is definitely bulkier than what the Syndicate hunters were dressed in, their suits not nearly as streamlined. The vests are at least pretty thin as is the armor plating, not overbearing the guards, allowing them to comfortably hold the rifles in their hands by traditional grips. The two guards standing on the left tower are already facing that approaching pod, which reverberates a blaring hum, descending nearly just over the tips of the black roots, not a full mile away. Both guards are young adults, the one on the left being a woman with long blonde hair and the one on the right being a man with short black hair. The man, keeping his sights on the pod, notifies promptly: "I've requested reinforcements, I'm surprised they're choosing not to fly over the walls, pirates are usually more bombastic than to use the front door."
The woman guard keeps a steady stare at the pod before asserting, "Pirates can't be predicted, remember. Stay on guard, the moment they show any hostility, we fire."
Next to her, watching the pod decelerate to a running speed as that hum softens to one more passive, gentle, the man sighs before remarking: "What if their show of hostility is shooting us first? I know we have these suits but how much do they help?"
"Remember the rules, no shooting until we know their intentions," the woman reprimands as the pod reaches a crawling pace, passing the edge of the ring of roots where it stops advancing and instead gently descends, its hum nearly a whisper.
"Okay okay, I'd just be surprised if refugees hijacked one of these on their own," the man surrenders before placing the rifle's stock against his shoulder, not raising it to take aim just yet but preparing himself to lift at a moment's notice, focused on the bus which slowly rotates to its side, the door now facing the towers.
Steadily the bus pod descends the final ten feet, the blades of grass beneath it ruffling violently as if being blasted by a powerful wind. The hum has softened such that it's nearly silent, and at last the pod freezes just about a foot off the ground, easing on the grass beneath it which stops quaking so aggressively. The hum falls to complete silence, indicating that the pod has been parked, standing still as its blue wall reflects those towers in front of it, the four guards in total staring down at the door, armed.
Those four guards atop the two towers stand clear, their rifles visible in their readied arms, staring down at the door next to all the passengers who stare back through the window screen, murmuring with anxious tones upon recognizing the tension amassed immediately upon entry. In fact, a few of the survivors lower their heads beneath the window screens as if trying to duck under a breakable material, a clear indication of their stress being placed in this situation. Kokei and Ekitai face the window on the other side to face those guards, warranting a nervous inhale from Kokei before she murmurs, "I guess…at least they're guarded."
Next to her, Ekitai stands up from his seat, shocking a handful of the other survivors as that action appears reckless. Unnerved by that but rather the general situation, Ekitai faces Meditat before offering: "Do you want us to come with you?"
He watches Meditat step off of his driver's seat, standing in front of Dana before he turns back to Ekitai and shakes his head while briefing, "I'll step out alone first, stay with the others." He then turns to Dana and nudges his head before requesting, "Stay by them, I'll handle this." Dana nods her head and, without doubts, she turns her body around and strolls down the aisle, stopping by Ekitai before turning around to watch Meditat who steps in front of the closed door, arms at his side, hands open.
After taking in a breath and exerting it softly, Meditat watches the door of the bus dematerialize into a cloud of particles that scatter and disperse, and after waiting for a couple seconds proceeding the full opening, he then steadily steps off of the bus, grounding himself on the soft grass just lightly being pushed by a gentle breeze that drives through the plain, pushing his cape too. He raises his head to the four guards facing down at him, their rifles revealed in their tight grips, shoulders against stocks, needing only to make the swift motion of raising their arm to take aim and pull the trigger. They glare at him, tense, prepared to fight another raider, however their glares steadily soften to puzzled gazes, raised eyebrows in a rise of uncertainty.
In silence, all four guards stare down at Meditat, though their silence isn't to intimidate as they no longer bear their menacing stares, rather they all seem bewildered enough to be cast speechless, prepared for any figure other than him.
The stage left completely quiet, Meditat chooses first to speak, keeping his hands at his side as he informs in a projected voice, "I'm here to escort a group of ten refugees from the forest, they were on their way here. Some of them are armed for self defense, as are two of three allies of mine, all of whom are currently inside the bus. Can these people be let in the city?"
Looming over Meditat, the four guards just stand in place, reactionless or rather still stuck in the same frozen trance. It's only a man in the right tower who breaks out of that state to take a step towards the railing before demanding, "Please have all of your passengers step out of the vehicle first. Procedure requires us to get a full view of anyone entering the city."
Next to him, a younger man turns before muttering, "I mean, that has to be him, I don't think he'd sneak a bomb in."
The older man chuffs before refuting, "We have a procedure that we have to follow. Even if God wanted to enter, he'd have to follow."
Noticing the quick rise of an argument, Meditat interjects with the compliance: "Of course, I'll have them step out now, I only wanted to secure peace before exposing them vulnerable."
He then turns to face the open door of the pod before shouting, "Everyone, come outside and line up side by side."
A few seconds of a pause follows, leaving him to just stare at the open door, before from it then emerges first the golden faceless cyborg, immediately warranting the woman in the left tower to clutch her grip and nearly raise it up before the man accompanying her mutters hastily, "Don't, nothing happened, I thought you said we wait for their intent."
The woman clenches her teeth and freezes her stance, abiding her companion's advice before admitting, "Sorry I-...I've just never seen something, someone like that."
"It's fine, we just have to get used to these kinda things," the man empathizes as that cyborg stops at Meditat's side, allowing the open door to be used by the old man whose face is exposed, draped over by a green cloak over a dark brown tunic and navy blue slacks.
He raises his head in awe to the gargantuan wall as the guard man remarks, "Okay, that looks like those forest people."
The refugee approaches the side of the cyborg as another steps out of the bus, this one in the same clothing but a young boy instead, who has that similar astonished gaze. He follows the older man to his side, allowing the next to step out of the bus, the senile, bald man dressed not in the cloak but a brown overcoat over a black jumpsuit, glancing in both directions before facing up the wall, as if trying to peer over.
On the left tower, the older man's eyes sharpen before he mutters to himself, "Wait…isn't he familiar?"
The younger man at his side raises his eyebrow and tracks the same man, humming for a moment before admitting, "I don't recognize him, I figure he's another one of those allies, I guess like before there's some without masks."
The older man lowers his head in contemplation, still deep in thoughts to search memories, however his attention is diverted upon noticing the young woman step out in the hoodie, her silky long pink hair waving in the breeze. He hums before concluding, "Guess so, I'm surprised they're dressed so casually though."
As the seemingly young woman stands next to the old man, more passengers dressed in those green cloaks over brown tunics emerge from the door, one by one. Other young women and young men, older folk, they all follow one by one in a prompt manner, lining up shoulder to shoulder to remain fully visible to the guards. The group is surprisingly large as more than ten have exited the bus, yet more continue to flood out, all of them since the girl in the hoodie being dressed in the same attire associated with the villagers from the forest. At last an old man in that same cloak steps out, approaching the side of a young girl at the end of the line, followed by nobody. He reaches the end of the line and stands still, fourteen figures side by side all before the guards.
At the end of the line, Meditat raises his head back up to the guards before briefing, "This bus was a construct of my abilities, I will now dispose of it in a blue flame and it will promptly vanish. The flame will be contained to the bus and won't commit harm." He then stands in place for a couple seconds, just enough time for the two guards on the left bridge to glance at each other in confusion before Meditat subtly waves his hand, leading immediately to the entire blue bus erupting in a blue fire that snaps all four guards's attention, the two on the right stumbling back in shock.
Behind the group, the bus loses all form, for it takes just seconds before the solid metal body morphs into flame which is quick to lose its shape, dispersing its structure and fading into nothing in what felt like an instant, leaving nothing but those fourteen people standing in a line, waiting patiently.
In a brief pause, the men on the bridge just stare blankly at where the pod once was, bedazzled by its sudden vanishment. The older man blinks twice before returning to his senses, stammering: "Oh yes, yes, thank you for your cooperation. We'll request the gate to be opened, wait just a second." He then glances at the younger man who nods his head before placing his hand over the top edge of his vest as if patching in through an invisible radio device, angling his mouth towards that edge before whispering a brief sentence. He then drops his hand from his vest to once more secure his grip on his rifle before facing back down.
The survivors and Bellators wait for a patient, silent pause before there's a sudden aggressive hum emitting from between the towers, straight from the door in the wall. In fact, that door gradually raises, a mechanical barricade not dematerialized but moved as a complete unit. The door itself more than a story tall, it takes more than a few seconds to open, though glimpses of the environment past it is revealed incrementally from below, first the wide stone brick road stretching the entire width of the doorway, revealing a mob right behind the door dressed in dark uniforms similar to those the guards are dressed in, countless of them as defined by their legs.
Meditat takes one step forward in a protective instinct, warranting a quick glance from a few of the survivors before they face back at that opening door, watching it rise enough for them to note that the road seems to cover the entire ground, even to the buildings lined up along and further ahead, each of them tall with about four to five stories easily counted by the physical windows, made with solid colors leaning towards yellow tones with variation.
In front of those buildings though is the squad of twelve armed guards dressed in the same suits as the four in the towers, carrying those same rifles, their heads exposed as the key distinctions as the rest of their bodies are tightly armored. The only one not dressed in those suits is the one who stands before them all in the center, a man dressed instead in a forest green trench coat over a suit made of a fiber material resembling kevlar though more flexible, similar in fact to the Syndicate hunters, though a mixture of brown and green. He holds not a rifle but a single pistol, lowered the same as the weapons held by the other guards.
Upon the gate finally rising wholly above the opening, a far better view of the vast city is presented, all of the buildings sporting a style resembling old Swedish urban architecture, tiled triangular roofs on top among towers with sharper points. What's immediately discernible is that the city isn't on a single level, but rather the further buildings seem elevated not just as being taller but hoisted on a raised platform, forming an inner ring followed by another ring raised even higher, composing three levels of height, all matching the same style of architecture with a great tower in the very center, the tallest building of them all. The tower however is nowhere as tall as the titanic wall that wraps around the entire city, more than the height of a football field, the very outer edge of the three ring structure that is a sea of distant chatter and general noise pouring from it through the gateway.
In front of the city, the man in the trench coat shouts the order: "Move aside, let these refugees enter the city." Promptly, the armed guards march to alter position, lining up along the right side of the gateway, turning around to open space up for passage. The man in the center remains in place, though he himself blocks little space, before then holstering his pistol inside the inner pocket of his trench coat, presenting himself without danger.
Given the permission, Meditat glances back to the passengers he's brought: his team and the survivors, before then declaring: "Follow me, they'll take care of you." He then sets foot off to march towards the gateway, being followed promptly by Dana which leads both Kokei and Ekitai to follow next.
The survivors then begin to follow, a few at first then joined by more after a brief moment, somewhat apprehensive by the weapons but gradually easing to the safe embrace they offer. In a matter of seconds, the entire group of survivors follow Meditat's lead past the guard towers, the four still training their focus on the crowd due to its size, far from just a few hikers.
Meditat guides the combined party up to the gate, stepping off the grass plains onto the stone bricks, approaching the man in the center. As the Bellators follow him onto the brick road, the man in the trench coat faces his guards before commanding, "All of you, lead this group to the relief center and have them situated. I'll route the false alarm back to command."
Reaching the crew of reinforcements, Meditat stops about six feet in front of who seems to be their commander, Dana and Ekitai stopping at his side, Kokei accompanying Ekitai.
Steadily the survivors follow up to the guards, one of which waves his free hand and announces, "We'll escort you in a minute." Glancing over to the announcing guard, Meditat's gaze then traces to the survivors as do his allies, taking notice of the waves of relief washing over them, smiling and releasing heavy breaths, victory truly achieved. Hemlock lets out a yawn and stretches his arms to which Alder chuckles, Maple and Aspen joining in as well as they chatter to each other.
Meditat turns his gaze back to the commander to whom he nods to before thanking, "We appreciate your hospitality, these people endured great turmoil but I'm glad that there's a home for them to take refuge in, it's noble for this city to stand as a haven."
The commander places his hands on his hips and chuckles before remarking, "Well that's some damn high praise, honestly it's not a paradise exactly but it's the best we can do." He turns his head to stare up at the rest of the city before explaining, "Our entire government collapsed when it all happened, we lost a lot of good leaders and the rest vanished, honestly we would've probably have fallen into anarchy if people weren't so desperate. At this point now we don't have much of a government, just people trying to work with each other, the entire military is technically out of a job since we don't have an employer now but hey I guess we can do some volunteer work until we figure that out."
Pine's father pats his son's shoulder and remarks, "Well damn we did it, one hell of a hike but we made it through." Simultaneously the commander faces forward, or rather beyond Meditat's shoulders, his eyes sharpening to focus on the field of black roots beyond the gates with a frown before gloomily admitting, "But that's probably going to be held back for more with all that happened a couple days ago. I'm just glad those things disappeared but I won't lie, whenever new people come, we're all terrified that just one of them will somehow trigger another wave."
His head slowly lowers as that despair starts to set in, but he readjusts himself with a jolt, raising his head back up to meet Meditat's to apologize, "Ah right sorry, going off the deep end again. I have to thank you for bringing these villagers here safely, for as much shit as of late, this is one splash of good luck."
The commander stretches his back before recalling, "Oh right, I'll need to relay that false flag, honestly you were pretty close from triggering a whole battle, hopefully nobody misfires a mortar. Give me a second to do that."
As the commander reaches for his shoulder to seemingly trigger a similar radio mechanism, Meditat overhears Aspen jest towards Hemlock, "So, you ready for that nap now?"
Alder and Maple burst into chuckles and giggles as does Hemlock before reminding in sarcastic sternness, "Remember now, I don't want anybody hollering at me for at least three days, I'm celebrating in the bed they give me."
Despite the lighthearted nature of the comment, Meditat suddenly lowers his head as Ekitai is quick to glance at him, carrying a similar disturbed expression.
"I'm reporting a false flag to the intrusion in Gate A, the pod was a convoy transporting refugees, no threats to deal with," the commander relays before leaving his hand off the shoulder, only then for Meditat to raise his head before requesting, "Actually, there is a matter I was hoping to discuss promptly, one you may want to report as well."
The commander's eyebrow raises in perplexity just as one of the guards exclaims, "We'll be escorting now, follow us!" Him and the other eleven guards then begin to march down the city road, leading the full group of survivors who steadily follow in batches, working their confidence up as they do seem somewhat intimidated still by the vastly different environment, alien in their own world. Alder pats Hemlock's chest and accepts before strolling onward, "Okay okay, you're going to miss out on one hell of a drinking night though," to which Hemlock scoffs and sneers, "Please, it doesn't matter how much you drink when it's just flavored water."
"Yeah, dirt water," Maple joins in before jokingly gagging as she follows the group beside Aspen. As the four begin to leave, Kokei, Ekitai, and Dana all turn to face them just as they all happen to turn their gazes to them. Meditat too turns his head, pausing from the conversation upon noting the movement.
A sincere smile flashes on each of the four survivors, one of Alder's arms over Hemlock, one of Aspen's arms over Maple. As they stride to follow their new guides, Maple softly waves her hand over her chest in a heartfelt act.
All four Bellators face back at the survivors, Kokei specifically softly waving her hand over her chest too, watching the refugees whom they've spent over a day with, and yet grown to connect with even if a short lived connection. Kokei smiles genuinely too as Ekitai can't help but smirk at Hemlock.
As those four pass, Meditat again faces the commander before beginning to explain, "We have concerning intel that later this evening, this city will be the target of an assault carried out by a militarized organization equipped with advanced weaponry and pods, potentially several of them."
Ekitai sighs before correcting, "I'd anticipate more than several, I have the feeling it'll be the size of a small army. Yoddo wouldn't have been so confident otherwise."
At the back of the line, Pine and his father follow the guards as the commander frowns before asking, "Is this another pirate crew? We should be able to hold our own at least."
Meditat shakes his head before reluctantly explaining, "It's not a pirate crew, their equipment is to the quality standard of E.G.A military field armaments."
Just about to pass the Bellators, Pine stops in place to his father's confusion. The boy however turns towards the team, focused specifically on Meditat to whom he asks, "Is…there something wrong?"
One by one, from Kokei to Dana, the three Bellators turn to face Pine, leaving Meditat the last to face him.
Quickly glancing to find the refugees continuing onward, Meditat turns back to Pine, pivoting his body to face him straight on before softly assuring, "Nothing that we won't handle, I just want you to focus on getting oriented here, alright?"
A frown crawls on Pine's face upon detecting the subtle hint of uncertainty buried in Meditat's modulated voice projected through his mask. His eyes scatter in contemplation for a moment before he ultimately breathes a sigh, raises his head, and pushes a soft smile before wishing, "Good luck, and thanks for everything."
Staring back at the boy, Meditat simply nods back and briefly responds, "Of course," before watching him face the rest of the refugees and resume his stroll, catching up alongside his father. The four watch them reach the group and merge in once again, following the guards further down the road, leading those refugees to a new life, one where they'll be protected at all times.
Meditat's head slightly lowers for a pause, though he himself moves forward or rather he faces the commander head on again to resume, "I apologize, but to the task at hand, I'd anticipate a full scale battle this evening."
Dana glances over at Meditat and then the commander before appending, "This organization is a threat on the Core Worlds too, they're infamous in Earth 50, even when they held a passive role. They were a boundary nobody wanted to cross, because no matter where you fled, they'd already be there."
The commander's forehead scrunches in contemplation which he voices, "Hmm, I mean we can try to call in more personnel but we've fought off a pirate raid before, we've made this city a fortress, we should be able to contain this."
Ekitai then sighs before corroborating insistently, "Look, these people aren't like pirates, their weapons are stronger, they'll come in larger numbers, and they'll be far more organized. They're right, nothing short of total war should be expected with these people, if they're going back to their roots then they truly won't take any half measures. They're a bomb charging for the past century, and they're going to blow up here."
The weight of the situation seems to finally now be settling on the commander who crosses his arms over his chest and hums to himself, seeking better solutions. Kokei nearly jumps upon hearing a louder mechanical hum from right behind her, warranting her and the other three to turn around to find the huge gate being lowered, controlled by a series of wires attached to large spinning reels sitting by a balcony occupied by a few armed guards. Just as slowly as it was raised, the gate very gradually returns to the ground, that persistent mechanical hum remaining a constant.
At least aware of the source, Kokei can alleviate herself with a soft breath before facing forward along with the rest of the Bellators, facing the commander who turns to Meditat before proposing, "For a request of this scale, I'll need to go to the command tower, they won't take this lightly. In fact it'd be best if you all come to help persuade them, I'll admit I don't think I alone have that kind of authority to demand something like this, but with your outside experience you may be able to help plead this case."
To this news of success of swiftly alerting for maximum defenses, Meditat pauses to stare up at the towering wall, contemplating to himself as all of his allies face him, waiting on his word including the commander. Meditat carries his gaze to the city ahead, the grand mass of colorful homes and buildings, a city housing an untold sum of both natives and refugees who had just run from horrors of their old homes, hoping to find safety here.
Meditat finally faces the commander before determining, "That's understandable, however I'd prefer to keep guard given that we don't have an exact time of the assault, and I'd like to be able to retaliate as soon as possible. We'll remain stationed here for the duration of the assault to aid your military, but to do that I need to stay on watch, every second matters."
As the gate shuts, he then turns to his allies before requesting, "Can you all join him to garner defenses? I'll have you immediately alerted when the Syndicate is detected."
Dana nods her head and accepts, "Understood, we'll stay with him but the moment you send the signal, I'll get us to you in no more than half a minute." Meditat turns to Dana and nods back, though that's when Ekitai lowers his head and mutters, "I'm sorry but…I'm going to need to be up there too." Kokei's shocked by the sudden participation as both Meditat and Dana face him as he raises his head to stare back at Meditat before declaring, "I have to be there the moment they're in my sight, I can't wait even if it's just ten seconds. I hope you understand, but I need to be there."
Kokei frowns upon understanding the source of that sense of responsibility, one emergent from guilt, though she raises her head as Dana assures, "Me and Kokei can handle the communication, I'll draw on my experiences with the Syndicate, there's plenty to say. But remember, I expect to hear you within the second that you see the first pod."
Meditat nods his head and calms, "I will, I expect you to be here in no more than twenty seconds." He then takes a few steps back, divergent from the road, before raising his right hand to then project a blue cable onto Ekitai's hand. Ekitai leaves his palm open and turns towards Kokei, who faces up at him to plead, "Just don't do anything stupid, I don't want you trying to take too much on yourself."
Ekitai lets out a sigh before pushing out a light smirk before remarking, "I'm with the bigger idiot who wanted to come here to begin with, I'm not stupid enough to let myself die."
He refers to Meditat who raises his other hand towards the top of the wall behind him before firing a second wire out from his palm. He then closes his hand just as that wire starts reeling him in, immediately pulling him off the ground, not a full second later yanking Ekitai up with him still smirking, unbothered by the abrupt launch. Both Dana and Kokei raise their heads to watch the two climb for the sky for a brief pause before Dana then fixes her gaze onto the commander to then ask, "Where is the center we're to head to?"
The commander faces Dana before then turning to the center of the city and raising his hand to point his finger straight to that tower in the middle, at the highest level, the tallest building. He explains, "It's the old council building which doubles as the military headquarters, it shouldn't take us more than an hour to reach it if we leave now."
Dana glances to that tower in the center of the city so far away, bothered by the lengthy travel time as her uncertainty is palpable. She shakes her head before offering, "Given the urgency of the situation, may I carry you there instead?"
The commander drops his arm and faces Dana with a bewildered stare, tilting his head before asking: "Wait, like pick me up and go? I mean would it be faster-," which is enough of a response for Dana's back to grow two tentacles, one that coils around Kokei and another around the commander, whose eyes immediately widen in panic, his hands instinctively grabbing onto the tentacle like the handle of a roller coaster.
"Wait-," the commander begs right before Dana launches off the ground with a boom, leaping high in the air straight for the city's center with a trail of golden light left like smoke, wisps among the dust that the guards stare at on the balcony atop the gate before glancing at each other, unsure of how to appropriately react.
Clutching to the golden tentacle gripping him for dear life with squeezed eyes in terror, the commander's face tenses with clenched teeth as his trench coat blows back the same as his hair, a constant, powerful breeze formed just by the speed of the leap.
Cautiously, the commander opens his eyes, his body oriented diagonally such that facing straight points him towards the ground which he finds now to be far below, well above the buildings of the districts underneath, enough that a fall from this height would undoubtedly splatter him. That thought warrants a nervous wince, leading him to raise his head to find that the walls are still towering well above them, as in fact they're at a height from the air such that they're almost aligned with the top of the central command tower which they're headed straight for.
Specifically, the commander turns to follow the tentacle coiled around him to find Dana being the one soaring for the tower, oriented like him, her body exhaling a golden stream of light as exhaust of her energy, keeping her afloat for movement straight forward. Her face is set forward though it lacks any features, just a blank slate but one clearly capable of observations. Her hands remain at her side to guide her steady flight, minding the two passengers being carried.
That other passenger is coiled by the other tentacle attached to her back, that being Kokei in the hoodie, her pink hair wildly blowing back against the current, yet she shows no anxiety from flight. She casually stares at the ground, unbothered by the understanding of the fatality of a fall, instead focused on a different element that her eyes sharpen to concentrate on.
Through Kokei's eyes is the city below, but more keenly a stone plaza that ends with a staircase leading up to the next ring. Roaming the plaza is a mob dressed in a variety of styles, about half of the men dressed in tunics complemented with a vest and the women dressed in dresses of similar style. The other half of the mob is a mash of diverse styles, some of them in dark gray rags, others in flannels, a notable handful even in those familiar green cloaks over brown tunics.
Up the wide stone staircase that a crowd walks up and down, the two rings intimately interacting so as to not forcefully separate the sections of the community, people walk with filled tote bags, some on their own and others in families, chattering amongst themselves. At the top of the staircase is another plaza, this one shaped as a diamond, surrounded by buildings on three sides to split the next ring into different paths.
Kokei inquires with enough projection to speak against the winds, "Are half of them refugees from different areas? There's a lot of them."
Curious to what Kokei refers to, the commander follows her gaze down to the same staircase, that sight leaving him with a gentle smile before he answers, "Yeah, more or less half. Honestly we're really lucky with all the refugees who came here, right after…everything happened…we had half a city left, it was hell trying to run everything, businesses were closing left and right and it felt like we'd have to abandon half the districts just to handle what we had left."
Down on the ground, that diamond shaped plaza sits as the apex of a great chatter, where in the center lies a fountain and between that and the buildings are wooden booths which a mob of people stroll between, those booths operated by people too, a few each, some of them displaying fresh fruits or piles of clothing. Dressed in that same diverse attire indicating various origins, they all walk side by side, brushing against each other with their own routines, pacing from booth to booth in what most appears to be a marketplace.
The commander reflects, "Housing refugees isn't new for us, we've had to do it a lot from all the constant pirate raids, which was always a bit tricky to work with since we had to make space and people would get rowdy about giving them too much and all that stuff, you know how people are."
At that same time though, one of the sellers dressed in a casual tunic under an apron scolds a woman in a green cloak, who stumbles backwards anxiously as she's pointed furiously. She tightly grips the bag in her hand and takes a deep breath to fuel herself with the energy to shout back angrily in defense, causing a minor ruckus as a few passing customers take notice.
"Of course it's not like that kind of stuff isn't happening even now, I mean it doesn't help that we've gotten more of an influx than ever at the lowest our native population's been, it puts people on edge, makes them get defensive, and then people get defensive over that and you can see where that all starts to spiral," the commander admits with shame.
One of the passersby in the crowd, a bearded man in a flannel, stops in place before charging straight between the stand and the woman, standing as a blockade as he argues back with his head turning to the both of them, his hands raised to their faces. His argument however doesn't incite greater angst from either of them though, but rather seems to calm them down, as his intention isn't to fight but disperse.
"But those scuffles and debates are bound to happen, we figured that much especially with how tense everything is. What surprised us though is that despite that, they're still all working together, in the short time the refugees have been flooding in they've been helping businesses or building their own, they're willing to put in the work for this home, and because of that now this home can actually keep itself up," the commander mentions with a risen optimism.
Staring down at the city in motion, the commander lets out a sigh before declaring, "I'm sure not one person likes the situation we're in, but at least I'm content with how it's going."
Citizens and refugees alike walk up and down the staircase dividing the two rings, those walking up reaching the next stone road where they continue onwards down the wide, bustling strip between those bright buildings, oranges and yellows embellishing the city in color. People pass in and out of many of those buildings in crowds too as they seem to house stores as indicated by the signs hanging above the doorway.
A few of the city dwellers turn around and raise their heads to the sky upon hearing a gentle whooshing sound, which they follow to the golden bolt soaring through the sky above them. A few children tug the arms of their parents to receive their attention to reroute it to that bolt, though it doesn't stop the street traffic as those parents continue to walk forwards but at least turn their heads, astonished by the fascinating sight.
Watching those civilians in the streets, Kokei gently smiles before considering, "Huh…people from different homes coexisting like this, it really is nice. I'm glad Maple and the others were right about this place, they're going to love it here, and I'm sure the people are going to love them."
A soft, electronic sigh emits from Dana before she reminds, "Which is why it's all the more important that we keep it protected. I know the Syndicate was always a faction to fear but I never thought they'd do something so explicitly and unwarrantedly cruel, they at least used to operate on a code."
Next to her, the commander frowns for a moment in silence, recalling the tense situation on their hands, the safety of the civilians he just reflected on all to be challenged. He faces Dana before inquiring curiously, "So you have a history with them?"
Another silence follows as Dana contemplates a response, her chin being lowered towards the city streets below. She does then raise her head to answer, "I've had to deal with them in the past, yes. Most of the time they weren't an active aggressor, just a passive beast you had to keep happy and fed, but as long as you did that it wouldn't do any harm. Most of the time it made pretty reasonable demands, a pain to follow but it was just a fact of life. There were exceptions now and then but it felt like there was always a certain maturity that kept it restrained, they were aware that respect had to be earned with intelligent dominion, they were merciless with their punishments but the victims to an extent understood what they had done to warrant it. But there was always that feeling that they were just waiting for an excuse to lose all sensibilities and do something stupid, and they must've figured there won't be an event like this for a long time."
The commander frowns from the growing dread as more information is given on this enemy after which he comprehends, "So even in the Core Worlds they're seen as a threat…and they're here…I hate to say this but I'm not even sure if the full force of our military defense would be enough to stop them."
"That's why we're staying here," Dana states before announcing, "We're arriving at the tower, I'll land us in front."
Both Kokei and the commander face forwards after having been engrossed in the intimidating briefing, upon which they find themselves just blocks away from the central tower.
Dana smoothly transitions to a dive, the tentacles holding Kokei and the commander maintaining a secure grip without crushing them, the three plummeting as the heads of the golden shooting star towards the entrance of the plaza that stands before the command tower's entrance marked by the horde of armed security guards on patrol.
That tower stands at the very center point of the city, the position equally closest to all points of the edge, and yet equally farthest from any points of the edge. A great distance lies from that tower to the walls, past the upper and middle rings, all across the base ring. Those walls stand greatly above the tower too, small and short from the perspective atop, so distant despite the entire city having an open structure that allows it to be seen even from the very edge. For despite its relatively low therefore minor presence from a height so great, its distinct peak separates it enough to be exclusively focused on through the azure lenses Meditat peers through, standing at the edge of the wall, his black cape waving over the straight cliff, his posture straight like a flag pole watching over the fortified city.
He then pivots around and strolls down to the other end of the wall surprisingly thick, about thirty or so feet in fact. The high breeze continues to brush against him as he approaches Ekitai standing at the other edge, facing out into the free lands, his hands in his pockets, the ends of his coat flapping in the wind, his posture straight, trained.
"Dana's currently in contact with the city's governing council, I should be receiving an update once a decision is factored in," Meditat reports as he approaches Ekitai's side, to which the old gunslinger doesn't move his gaze but rather readjusts his posture slightly before acknowledging, "Sounds good, I just remembered she's a pretty big C.E.O so she should be good at this kind of stuff, it's like marketing or something."
Upon reaching Ekitai's side, Meditat stands in place with his hands by his side, staring out into the open lands same as his ally to whom he assures, "She should, at least in the negotiation aspect. When she was my assistant, one of her frequent responsibilities would be partner negotiations, and now as the head she's developed far above. Her former status in Versepolis's criminal underground did result in a decent background with the Syndicate, at least enough to hopefully convince them of this threat. I doubt it's remotely as thorough of a background as you have however, but her knowledge should suffice in this case especially given the comparatively nonexistent knowledge the city has on them, there'll be few arguments of genuine weight in their arsenal to counter with."
Meditat lets out a soft sigh before then admitting, "You could've drawn valid points that could likely provide a stronger image of the threat, but I trust that Dana has the requisite background to handle that task, and I understand your desire to stay on guard. I…think to an extent I understand the personal responsibility felt when preparing for an enemy you've been allied to. Dana struggled with those feelings for a long time and I'd be remiss to claim I haven't been in that position either."
Gazing off into the vast fields ahead, enclosed by the valley of mountains tall for they stand even taller than the wall, yet still significantly shorter than the towering silhouettes in the backdrop, Ekitai releases a sigh of his own and lowers his chin, facing down at the garden of black flowers along the wall. Confronted with that verbalization of feelings he didn't need to declare himself to be detected, he admits as well in a voice raspy yet somber: "Maybe you have, but I've been with them for centuries, I worked with Yoddo's parents, those drivers are brothers and I've worked with their grandfather. He wasn't wrong, I am a legend to them, I mean most members who'd do something like betray Richard would easily get themselves kicked off and executed, but when I did it, everyone just went along with it and betrayed him too. I could really just do whatever I want and I'd be praised for it. Maybe in a way they just saw me as a fact of life, I've been around for longer than they've all lived so I'd be the last person to ever go against them. It makes more sense that way, at least."
From down to the ground, Ekitai raises his head up to the sky where the supersun sits in the afternoon, the free sky vibrant blue, overlapped only by sparse clouds. Meditat tracks his gaze to that same sight above, remaining silent to listen to Ekitai recall, "They invited me to join in these raids when I learned about them, and honestly I realize how perfectly I embodied exactly what they were trying to be: doing whatever the hell I want to, taking whatever I want from anyone, and treating all of it like a joke while doing it. I probably had some hand in radicalizing some of them like Yoddo, he looked up to me and I'm sure he thought he was doing what I'd do. And he probably was right too…."
Frowning as his yellow irises absorb the light of the cyan sun, Ekitai sighs before admitting sheepishly, "For so long now I've been letting myself lose the way I see life, its individual value, I've lived for so long that for as fucked as it sounds to say I stopped seeing them as something to be treated seriously. There's always been a part of me that's felt they're different from me on some kinda base level, and since I'm just always surrounded by people who'll die off so quickly, well I guess I just somehow got to the thought that stealing from them or even killing them didn't really mean much. I let myself treat them like toys, like a kid who just likes stomping on bugs for mindless pleasure."
He descends his chin to face the distant shadowy mountains before professing, "Sure I did leave the Sea Hats somewhat because of how serious they were being with what they were doing, and I mean a byproduct of that was the scale of the stealing and killing, but as much as I hate it, I didn't even leave them for that. As childish as it sounds, I just felt like it wasn't as fun doing what they were doing, it wasn't about how atrocious the shit we were doing was, I just didn't think it was fun. That's the kind of shitty person I was, I didn't care about what was right or wrong, I just cared about what was fun. That's just how I led my life and I somehow just never thought anything was wrong with it, back when I left the Sea Hats I was more nonchalant about it than I should've been, I wasn't even thinking about how it'd feel for them, I didn't realize how much it'd hurt them."
Ekitai then at last turns to face Meditat to wonder, "It's still beyond me that your clone let me stay even after he saw my disregard for life. And even after I met him it took so long for me to see that anything I was doing was wrong, while he was trying to solve conflicts with fewest casualties I was taking them without needing to. But as we kept running into your…brother again and again and he talked more and I started getting the sense of what kind of person he was…I couldn't help but realize he kind of sounded like me, and all this time I was running alongside you, acting like we were all buddy buddy, and I was being the exact kind of person you stand against. I don't think I ever would've given up killing but…somehow that bizarre son of a bitch had me rethinking everything."
He then lowers his gaze to the floor and breathes a sigh before contemplating, "But even after that I still kept my connections to the Syndicate, I didn't even try to speak against them when they mentioned these plans, I didn't do anything. So I guess I'm still disregarding life if I'm just letting it be taken."
A pause of silence follows as Ekitai finishes his thoughts, leaving Meditat standing beside him facing him, the only sound now being the whistle of the wind. He stares at him for a few more moments though the gaze isn't reciprocated, as Ekitai hangs his head low in shame, that sincere frown discernible even at the dropped angle.
Still facing him, Meditat then states, "Well, you're here right now, aren't you?" Ekitai steadily raises his head with a puzzled expression to which Meditat recounts, "You agreed to come here for zero gain for yourself, you've shown no resistance against sticking around here, in fact if anything you seem more invested to protect these people. I mean I'm sure part of you is doing this specifically to get back at the Syndicate but they're not coming after you, we could've just gone back to Earth 50 and raided their outposts and that would've probably been a more effective means of damaging their operations. But you're here, protecting this city and its people. Same with the operation to save Dana and her crew, same with ceasing the civil war back then."
Ekitai huffs with a frown before insisting in a guilty tone, "Well maybe I just did that for the thrill of it, for the adventure, maybe I'm just doing all these things to have fun and I don't actually care about the people that I'm saving. I mean I've said this before, this is all just a game to me, I'm just here to have fun with your wacky adventures and once I've had my fun I'll just go find something else. Even if this has been your life's work, it's basically a vacation for me, it's going to end and I'm just going to move on to the next thing, like I did with the Sea Hats."
"And yet you cared about them after moving on," Meditat recalls, stumping Ekitai who watches the man face back to the valley ahead, his lenses shining as the cyan sunlight reflects off his golden shoulders. He resumes, "You say you moved on but you cared enough to defend them against your current thing. Like you said, the Sea Hats weren't fun anymore, so they meant nothing to you, but we're fun so we mean something to you or you wouldn't be here right now. So you should've had no problem with me capturing Gally, but you insisted against it, and when I ignored it you took it upon yourself to physically stop me."
Frowning at the direct confrontation to that fight, Ekitai attempts to apologize, "Look, I'm sorry about that I-," interrupted by Meditat: "And you did the right thing," stumping Ekitai once more as Meditat glances at him before again facing the fields ahead.
"You were the level headed person in the room, not me. You weren't picking the side of who was going to give you more fun things to do, I know you know Gally and his crew were stuck in menial tasks all day. You were protecting someone you cared about, you were protecting someone else's life. I can't imagine it's easy for you to walk away from the Syndicate and all they provide you, it's clearly in your own best interest to stay yet again you're acting with the lives of other people in mind. And I'm sure in combat it'd be far easier for you to simply dispatch your opponents permanently, but you've chosen to take the harder path for the sake of protecting life, something only up to you to do," Meditat states as the breeze pushes against his hood as it does with Ekitai's coat.
Meditat then turns his head to face Ekitai to declare, "I don't know everything that went through his head, but I understand why he'd want to keep you around. You're a good man, and you're a good hero. He knew it, and I know it."
Wind blows against the two warriors, their capes and coats gliding with the current as the cyan sun shines down upon them and the wall they stand at the edge of, the vast fields and valley ahead of them, mountains encasing them in the distance.
Staring back at the man whose face is masked yet his words are expressive enough, Ekitai huffs as his hands slide out of his pockets to his side before he then reveals, "I won't lie, back then I couldn't help but see you as a bit of a prick, someone parading with the name of someone else without deserving it. It might've made it easier to pull a gun on you when I don't think I'd ever have let myself do the same to him, I don't know if that undoes everything nice you just said about me, but it's just something I had to get off my chest. Everyone else was accepting you but I just lost someone who I felt like I actually somehow kind of could relate to in some way, and he was just gone and you were supposed to be taking his place, his name, and his role."
He then can't help but let a smirk creep on his face before he jests, "Maybe part of me was also upset that I was the only ugly guy left in the group, but hey that's just something between us."
Now his mood stuck uplifted even if at first to tell a joke, that smirk morphs to a soft yet genuine smile, one he huffs at as though in embarrassment to his own emerging emotion. He shakes his head before then earnestly acknowledging, "I don't think I'll let myself ever meld the two of you as one person in my head, but I can respect your courage, your unyielding fixation on saving everyone, and whatever you do with how you talk that'll give me the drive to do something as stupid as fly out all the way to the Rim and battle armies of invincible monsters."
He raises his left arm and playfully bumps his fist into Meditat's golden shoulder as he declares: "You're a damn good leader, and I trust you with whatever crazy plan you have."
Meditat nods and bumps his own right fist into Ekitai's shoulder as he responds, "I'll hold you to it, Bellator."
They simultaneously drop their hands to their side and face forward to resume their watch, back onto the sky above the valley, the silhouettes of mountains beyond between which is a scatter of miniscule black dots.
That lighthearted, uplifted smile of Ekitai unfortunately dissolves rather quickly upon noticing those dots, warranting a step forwards as his yellow eyes sharpen as Meditat too leans forward, his lenses glaring slightly brighter.
From the perspective atop the walls, there only seems to be ambiguous black dots between the mountains, which would only be noticed upon intense concentration given their thinness.
Upon a zoomed perspective though, each of those dots are in fact a black truck pod, a whole fleet of them, nearly countless spread out, taking a loose formation.
While silent from the wall, they all chuff with deep, heavy engine hums, mixed together like a siren. They move between the peaks of two different mountains. Each of those trucks, fully enclosed at the moment, sport that signature scarlet spider insignia on their side, the legs stretched to the edges of the face. The sunlight is cast onto the trucks, slivers reaching those beneath, those by the bottom of the fleet primarily cast in shadows.
All moving in one direction, the fleet heads directly for the next array of mountains ahead, the ones composing the edges of the valley, that valley being the one containing the wide open field where the massive ring wall stands surrounded by the field of black roots at the bottom. At the top of the wall is the one who registered that zoomed perspective through those azure lenses: Meditat. He completes his detailed inspection at the same moment that Ekitai has reached his own conclusion, being the same given his dreadful expression, his jaw dropping slowly.
Meditat takes a step back, and immediately conjures the thought: "Link Network, they've arrived," as Ekitai pulls his overcoat open with his left hand whilst reaching into his inner pocket with his right hand, triggering his coat's inner pocket to light up with a brief blue flash indicative of retrieval.
Ekitai's right arm pulls back to reveal his firmly gripped handgun which he immediately raises forward as his thumb swipes on his weapon's interface to select his ammunition. Next to him, Meditat clenches both fists which ignite in azure flames, rising up but being pushed backwards by the breeze which similarly carries his cape and Ekitai's coat. As he squares his shoulders to prime his stance, Ekitai's thumb pulls down on the hammer of his handgun, cocking it to prime his weapon. The two stand side by side, glaring straight at the approaching fleet, standing at the edge of the wall guarding the city, propping them as guardians themselves. Meditat's pencil insignia brightens, the rest of the streaks coursing through his body doing the same as the flames in his hands grow, charging steadily, that azure glow cast onto Ekitai's shoulders, the gunslinger's yellow eyes trained on the revealed targets, aiming his first shot.