Dim orange overhead lights are the only source of luminescence within the gray room, the walls at first glance perhaps appearing to be painted however they are strangely enough made of solid stone, as though the room itself was a fortress, reinforced with material uncommon for interior walls. There lacks any windows as aforementioned, as the only distinction on the walls is a huge painting attached to the back wall in a dark wooden frame, the art made with an oil painting technique which depicts the very circular stone wall in the center of the vibrant, green valley which this room stands in the center of, glistening under the cyan sun in that painting among the blue sky and white clouds, though its light doesn't reach this room.
Before that painting is a long, solid wooden table shaped as a horseshoe, the table itself tall as there's a platform around it functioning almost like a stage to further elevate the table higher from the carpeted floor. This in turn elevates the eight men and women who are seated around this table, all on the outside facing in, dressed in fancier vests and dresses better pronouncing themselves with a professional presence. They vary in age, some leaning towards their thirties and others further ahead, their wrinkles and receding hairline indicative of approaching seniorhood. They all show similar expressions of troubled contemplation, frowning as they cast glances at one another as though seeking support yet only find their companions to bear that same apprehension. They're silent, in turn resulting in the entire room being purely silent given the room's decent seal.
A few of the adults glance towards the far end of the table where the horseshoe opens, not towards each other but rather two other figures who stand before them, both of whom dressed radically different as one is casually sporting an oversized white hoodie over knee socks whereas the other is completely armored in a metallic golden hide, a few feet taller than its companion, its shoulders broad like a bodybuilder. The two stand side by side in patient silence, and despite the golden figure's menacing body, it carries itself in a formal posture with both hands neatly resting behind its straight back. The woman with long pink hair in that white hoodie doesn't have nearly the same professionalism though she still carries the courtesy of keeping her back straight, her arms crossed over her chest. She's unable to help but her fingers tap incessantly on her sleeve anxiously, though she glances to her friend to find the golden cyborg completely still, blank.
It's helped that whereas the woman's pink gaze is exposed to be wary, frowning and tense, the golden cyborg's face is simply not present, but rather a nearly flat plate that doesn't even leave the sculpting of a nose, mouth, or eyes. Despite there being no eyes, it has its head pointing towards the very center of the horseshoe table, clearly staring at the men and women. They aren't the only two standing before the table, for there's a man behind them, carrying a similar professional posture to the cyborg with his hands behind his back, dressed in a forest green trench coat over a brown and green suit made of a material resembling kevlar. He remains attentive but allows the other two to take prominence on the stage, watching the session in full view.
All three of them watch the nine adults just ponder to one another, some of them whispering to their neighbors, too quiet to comprehend words. The debate has already transpired and now the results await, though the jury struggles to come to a determination for it's a case they're unprepared for despite the reinforcements built into this room made long ago.
Among them, a woman in her thirties raises her head to face straight at the golden cyborg, also raising her finger before querying in a hesitant tone, "But how can you know for sure that…actually wait hold that thought," as any confidence in her voice falls quickly as does her gaze, back to her neighbors, unable to deliver a solid counterargument.
Despite the clear show of dominance as the council can't even seem to find an argument, Kokei faces Dana with a frown before murmuring the concerned notice: "Shouldn't we say something to make this run smoother? It feels like we're stuck."
Dana maintains her forward stare but does respond in an electric though gentle assurance, "Too much pressure and we risk provoking a rushed decision, we've delivered our statement. It might look like we're stuck but trust me, we're moving just fine."
Kokei sighs softly before accepting, "Well…okay…," before facing the council again, clearly still not particularly eccentric about this lack of pace in discussion, but faithful in her friend.
That expression quickly jumps to shock as her head raises, her eyebrows scrunching as Dana's head subtly lowers too, both of their attentions being split from the physical meeting. They stall for just about a second before synchronously facing each other, Kokei visibly disturbed, anxious more than ever with wide eyes.
Dana then immediately faces back at the council to boldly declare, "We've received word that the Syndicate's in sight, it might be a matter of minutes before they reach the city. We'll depart now to reinforce our allies. I recommend a swift decision as I can't guarantee the four of us alone will prevent any potential casualties." She then turns to Kokei before prompting, "Come on, Kokei." The both of them spin around towards the commander, as behind him is the wall opposite from the painting where there stands a wide barrier made of red energy functioning as the door, the only exit in the room.
"Wait a second," commands one of the councilmen, prompting Dana and Kokei to spin back again to face the table, their bodies moving with discernible urgency which is further explicit on Kokei's face.
That alert has left the councilmen in a state of greater disturbance clear by their faces, but the woman at the center places both of her hands on the table and stands up before arguing, "With the resource predicaments we're still dealing with, it would be unwise to follow your advice. With what we ourselves know, I still think it's best that we just follow standard procedure for pirate defense," before a distant boom suddenly breathes into the room from outside, enough that the woman stumbles backwards from the abruptness of the sound, shrieking in sudden fright.
All of the councilmen are riled more than ever, murmuring to each other as one proclaims, "What was that?? I thought you said it'd be minutes," to which Dana turns her head towards the closed exit door before recognizing, "They're fighting back, they need us."
Down on the stone brick streets of the city, between the buildings many of which are stores identifiable by the traffic flowing in and out, parents in green cloaks or white tunics walk with one hand carrying a bag full of groceries as their other hand holds that of their children. They stroll casually until that sudden boom rumbles the city, crisper and louder outside, prompting the entire street to freeze though a few people slip out of stores in curiosity.
Everybody in the streets raise their heads to the source of that sound, the top of the distant wall where to their surface they find two huge silver cannons floating above the barrier, one of which flashes before firing a powerful shot out into the valley which results in yet another boom which causes panic in the crowd as people begin to instinctively race for safety.
At the top of the wall hovers the two huge silver cannons which orient autonomously in the air, resembling naval cannons by their long barrels attached to orbs housing their pivot point, one of which's barrel flashes before launching another concentrated plasmic purple cannonball with another thunderous boom. Between those two cannons stands Ekitai beside Meditat who raises both open hands in the air before releasing flames that aren't in tight streams but rather fan out far, though they stop beside the cannons before transforming into an array of additional cannons made with the similar design of long barrels attached to orbs. Each fan develops four cannons that materialize the same silver just as the flames disperse, resulting in a total straight array of ten guns, each making minor rotational adjustments before firing volleys of plasmic purple orbs proceeding a flash, carrying a boom that surprisingly doesn't deafen the two men standing directly under such powerful artillery. Despite the cords of creation being untethered, blue flames remain burning bright on Meditat's hands in preparation for the next addition as both him and Ekitai stare out to monitor the effectiveness of the defense, for Ekitai currently stalls, seemingly unable to begin shooting yet. Through azure lenses and yellow eyes, the two trail the concentrated plasmic purple cannonballs being fired out in quick succession at a nearly constant rate, individual guns pausing a couple seconds before firing at asynchronous times. Each plasmic cannonball is flung towards the distant black dots, each one firing at supersonic speeds, leaving the cannon with a crash of thunder.
Each of those plasmic balls hurdle through the air until reaching that distant fleet, one of them just barely being evaded by the black truck pod as it sways off to the right, prompting the other trucks at its side to sway away to make space. The trucks continue to sway from side to side as other plasmic cannonballs bolt past them, one following the other, then another following that one, each one aimed at a different pod, however they're able to avoid the cannonballs decently. That is except for one pod that, while strafing to make space from another evasive pod, gets struck itself by a purple cannonball, which is absorbed into the pod itself in a bright flash that consumes the entire hull, causing the entire truck to then begin sparking as it starts to descend automatically, its engine whirring down, forcing the pods below it to strafe to make room for its steady plummet off the fleet.
That one microscopic black dot slowly drops, observed by Meditat and Ekitai both who quickly conclude the success of that one shot. Despite that win, Meditat's hands ball to fists, his body tensing in the agitated acknowledgement of their defense's penetrability. He then turns his head away from the fight to glance towards the city on the other side of the walls, gazing longingly towards the central tower which Ekitai notices with a glance of his own. He's quick to tune into his ally's anxious thoughts, frowning before facing back at the approaching fleet, the sight of which brings tension to his sunken cheeks. He tightens the grip on his own handgun which has yet to be fired, unable yet to contribute to the fight, a guilt that is worn on his face as a wince.
Meditat faces forward back to the fight, watching his long ranged guns at work, the barrels making consistent minor pans and tilts to line up perfectly for the interception of the next target before firing its next energy shell with a boom, all ten of them in action. While that number composes a formidable defense, it's still vastly inferior compared to that of the fleet's composition especially when factoring the decent agility of said fleet which dodges the majority of the attacks, equipped with military technology beyond his own studies, the cutting edge ten years ahead of him. To adjust against this grave difference in a swift, perhaps simplistic manner, Meditat raises his hands higher as his forearms ignite just before he opens his hands and unleashes another two flares, another pair of artillery mounted on his defense.
From silence to a single boom to a boom every couple seconds, the abrupt jump in constant booms one after another recontextualizes the council room into a box sitting in a warzone, warranting horror from all its members who raise their heads to the ceiling where those booms emit from, same as the commander who turns around with a worried frown.
Dana and Kokei stare at the door anxiously, having already received the call to action which now has begun and yet they haven't left the room, they haven't even taken the first step to regroup. Kokei turns to Dana to desperately await the next decision, only to find her friend stalling in place, conflicted. They hear the council behind them murmur to one another, one wondering, "That's not…us right?" Only one of the council members remains standing though, that woman who again repeats in a brazen choice, "We'll follow standard procedure, prepare ground to air artillery on a Level 2 Event, we know it's the perfect balance effective on pirates without unnecessarily expending our resources. We still need to think about tomorrow, it'd be irresponsible to burn everything now."
All the councilmen turn to that woman as she's the only one to confidently assert a position, one that isn't even challenged as all the other councilmen glance at each other and mutter in discussion without voicing any strong opinions. There is noticeable uncertainty among many of them, however some of them nod as indication of agreeing with the stance, ultimately leaning towards retreating back to protocol.
Kokei tilts her head towards the door as if trying to silently signal her friend towards their mission, which is at last when Dana motions, though she first turns around to face the council to whom she addresses in a stoic tone, "Ultimately, it is your decision on how to guide your city's defenses, and I understand your concerns with management at challenging times like these. I won't attempt to force a drastic decision, however before we leave to protect what we can and you order your defenses, I do agree with one of your statements and request that you do: think about tomorrow."
Without awaiting a response, Dana turns around and glances at Kokei before briefing, "Follow me," before she launches into a sprint for the exit, leaving her back turned to the council who all turn to watch her, entranced by those final words. Kokei swiftly glances back at the council before facing Dana and dashing off behind her as requested, following her past the commander, straight for the door which deactivates just in time for her to sprint out into the corridor.
Kokei follows her through the open doorway into that very corridor illuminated by orange ceiling lights, surprisingly a large hall housing a large crowd most of whom are dressed in formal vests and dresses, the others dressed in military armor and weaponized as guards. The crowd's already in chaos, shouts filling the halls as officials race frantically from the constant booms as guards shout to calm them down to little avail. Dana and Kokei race past officials and officers, some of whom glance at them though are entranced more by the storm outside, leaving a path the two have to push through. Dana does this blatantly, shoving past anyone regardless of status, leaving a path for her friend while her head is trained on the stone walls, a sealed armor around the tower all but for the huge windows in an array, about a story tall. She trains her gaze on the nearest window they approach as she begins to lean her sprinting towards it, a smooth turn that begins to intersect with the panicked paths of the officials. She even runs straight into an armed officer who shouts in anger yet she pays no mind, shocking Kokei though she continues to follow despite the lack of delicacy. Kokei chases Dana who, upon reaching the wall beneath the window, suddenly leaps off the ground and crashes straight into the window, shattering it into countless shards propelled outside which horrifies the agents in the hall, scurrying away from that window, all except for Kokei who Dana spins towards midair, who like the glass among her gleams under the cyan sun.
Just as Kokei reaches where Dana had leapt from, Dana extends her hand towards her, which extends boundlessly like a tentacle, the head of which sprouts open to not simply coil around Kokei but rather spread its golden metal around her body, encasing her in a suit of her own, one that covers her nearly completely including the back and sides of her head. The suit only stops at her face, where instead the rims of her helmet project a partial golden bubble which wraps around her face, protecting it like the visor of a space helmet. She inspects her own body, raising her arms to find that the golden suit has details of its own somewhat mimicking Dana's own armor, distinct grooves simulating plating, embedded diamond-shaped plates made of a darker tint. While she doesn't have a necklace of diamonds around her, she does find a ring of embedded diamonds around both of her wrists similar to bracelets.
In the way that the helmet visor is similar to that of a space suit, the tentacle attached to her chest may very well resemble a tether, one that's used to abruptly yank her body from the ground, pulling her through the shattered window, flinging her out in the open air outside the tower where those booms are clearer as is the source, as she's able to turn her head towards the row of silver cannons atop the distant wall. Dana notices the cannons too after spinning around once again, and upon orienting her body to face those cannons, the soles of her clawed feet gradually glow gold as the back of her body morphs subtly to open vents along her back muscles. Those vents light up too until they as well as her feet flash simultaneously, and her body launches straight towards those cannons with an immense supersonic boom of its own, bolting in a straight shot which carries Kokei who immediately clings to the tether as she's sucked in. The purpose of the suit has demonstrated itself almost right after deployment, protecting Kokei's body from the immense forces she's dragged through, though even then she struggles to observe her surroundings especially as the whole city below is simply a blur.
Her cheeks tense as does her grip on the tentacle perfectly melded with Dana's arm as she soars, golden trails emitted from her feet and back, approaching the walls at a fraction of the time it took them to reach the center. The city below shrinks rapidly as the two climb up in altitude like rockets, but after one last attempt at any sort of inspection of those blurry streets, Kokei raises her head to the skies they approach, or rather the top of the walls now in sight, heading straight for the line of cannons. They approach those cannons still at supersonic speed without a steady deceleration, and in fact nearly pass it just as Dana's entire torso expels a repulsive thrust that immediately freezes their flight, countering all their momentum in a single brake timed perfectly for them to drop a few feet and land on the wall's surface.
Dana in fact lands herself and Kokei right behind Meditat and Ekitai who turn before approaching them, Dana able to simply march towards them though Kokei stumbles in a struggle to reorient herself but furthermore recover from the intense flight. She's still recovering as the golden suit begins to peel off her body first from the back as though a seam tore off before her boots fold up, the entire suit retracting off of her. The helmet deactivates its visor just before collapsing down her neck, joining the rest of the golden material which all amass at the tentacle which then detaches off Kokei's chest, causing her to stumble forwards as that tentacle's head reshapes into a clawed hand as it retracts perfectly into Dana's arm once more right as she apologizes over the thunder, "Sorry we're late, what's the status?" to which Meditat turns to face towards the fleet which his guns continue to fire at.
As Ekitai dashes to Kokei who adjusts her balance, Dana follows Meditat's gaze to the fleet of distant black dots, however they've notably grown in size, their faces distinguished even from afar. Among the thunderous gunshots there can now be heard a distinct constant roar, that of the fleet now audible, for they now move between the mountains not of the shadowy backdrop but the very walls of the valley which Ekitai and Kokei turn their gazes to.
Driving forward with nonstop strafes in all four directions, the black trucks evade the volley of plasmic shells as they drive between the mountains not as tall as those passed earlier. Up close, their engines bellow against the cannonballs that soar past them, though one of them does manage to strike another truck, causing it to begin sparking intensely while uncontrollably descending. The pods beneath hastily strafe away to make room though one fails to notice the dropping truck until its underbelly grinds against itself, triggering sparks to fly before that pod dashes to the right, allowing the shot truck to continue its steady plummet. The remaining trucks continue to advance forth, passing those mountains to fly next over the vast green fields surrounded by the ranges of the valley.
They soar straight for the center of that very valley, the center where stands the fortified city guarded by the colossal walls, and at the top of the walls stands the four Bellators facing back down at that fleet dangerously approaching. They stare in silence though it's Ekitai first who moves, dashing to Meditat's side as his thumb flicks his handgun's screen not to the side but rather upwards several times. Upon reaching Meditat, he raises his small gun up towards that distant fleet and declares, "I can reach them from this range," before cocking the hammer down, which itself causes the coils wrapped around the barrel to brighten yellow hot, so much so that they start emitting smoke. Yellow like those coils, his eyes sharpen before he steadily pulls the trigger, triggering a flash in the aperture of his barrel preceding the release of a forest green bolt, one that's immediately distinct as not only larger than his usual, but visibly excited enough that it's nearly unstable, vibrating in flight like a lightning bolt. That supercharge does provide it a sharp leap in launch power, capable of reaching from the center of the valley to the very end like a sniper, perfectly striking the truck at the head of the pod. On impact, the green bolt discharges a flash from where an abrupt infestation of sharp vines grow, rapidly covering the pod but furthermore penetrating the metal itself like thorns, enough that the engine begins coughing before that pod starts descending as indication of failure.
Observing the success of that shot, Dana glances to Ekitai and nods before taking a step forth as her shoulders extrude cannons and her whole arms transform into lengthy guns, with a rectangular end at the barrel similar to an anti-material rifle, as she joins, "Same, I can work from here."
Kokei gazes at Ekitai and Dana in initial relief, though then frowns upon the realization she admits, "I don't think I'd be able to reach them from here though…."
Meditat faces Ekitai, then Dana, and finally Kokei before nodding his head and nonetheless briefing sternly, "Ekitai, Dana, you remain here as stationary defense, I'll take Kokei for counter runs." He then straightly faces Kokei before offering, "I can provide you with a flight suit since I'll likely be unable to guide you myself."
Kokei scrunches her forehead in contemplation and hums for a moment, glancing down at the ground by her feet before then raising her gaze back to meet Meditat and considering, "Actually, I think I can handle that myself, I want to try."
Meditat nods his head and turns to face the fleet while extending, "That's fine, but if you feel the need for assistance, request it immediately." He bends his knees and declares, "Let's move," before launching himself with a powerful boost straight for the Syndicate. Behind him, Kokei shakes her head before sprinting for the edge of the wall to Dana's and Ekitai's concerned curiosity, watching her brazenly jump off the wall's edge, forcing herself to keep her head up away from the terrifying drop. Her eyes remain wide open though, her pupils brightening white as her entire body rapidly wraps itself with pink sparks and arcs, surging with lightning that she guides with her feet to kick back, launching herself in the air after Meditat too, guiding her own body like she had done that first day. Rather than merely hovering, she bolts at racing speeds, her hair pushed back completely, the lightning around her crackling bright to carry her after the gleaming blue comet which now reaches the head of the armada.
Matching the tenacious roar of the engines is the propulsive power of the comet until abruptly ceasing, only the head racing forth that being Meditat who throws his flaming arm forward, hurdling that flame into a ball which explodes in a wide, fiery eruption that refines into a large flat metallic net illuminating bright purple, the net itself laced with spikes facing the direction away from Meditat: straight at the leading truck flying right into it.
As Meditat dashes up, the frontmost truck drives straight into the net which wraps around the face of the pod, plunging the countless spikes into the hull which chokes the engine instantly, followed by that truck's abrupt deceleration and descension as its nose starts to dive. Meditat lands on the roof of that truck by the back edge to leap off, his cape waving wildly as he faces off with the whole remaining fleet ahead of him, both arms flaming. From behind him fire purple cannonballs, but in far greater rapidity is a volley of darts propelled by golden trails, small enough to be held yet upon impact with any truck they detonate an explosive energy that knocks the vehicle backwards as it begins to fall. Amongst it are sparse radiating bolts of various colors, a gray bolt that on impact results in the pod suddenly being coated in a stone coat as though a mere sculpture, one that immediately plummets in free fall while another bolt, purple, strikes a truck further in the middle of the convoy, causing it to flash that same color.
That truck that flashes purple doesn't seem to be damaged itself, however two of the neighboring trucks begin to inexplicably lean towards it, not seeming to dodge as they don't move with quick strafes but rather act as if being pulled towards that struck pod. That truck is quick to notice the phenomenon and rises to avoid those attracted trucks which only rise too until they converge, smothering the truck thereby forming a cluster which then falls altogether, forcing all the other trucks to steer clear away from it in fear of being pulled into the ball.
Even after safely passing the clump, a truck happens to drive straight for the sparking pink ball in the air, surging around Kokei who aims both hands together at that group, guiding one massive swarm of bright pink lightning onto that truck, quickly spreading over the hull to cover them swiftly to which it freezes in place. She raises her arms, raising the stream of lightning which in turn raises the pod, before she slams both arms down, leading her stream and the pod just as she cuts off the swarms, leaving it plummeting straight down.
Just as she watches that pod fall, another one races past her, prompting her attention as she turns her head around to watch it. Before she spins into action, a blue cable is shot onto the side of the truck from the far side, reeling in Meditat who raises his free right arm before expelling a flame from his hand to form a long handle topped with the head of a lump hammer, though at the size nearly that of a sledgehammer given the longer handle. The face of the metal head has a distinct dot that gleams bright blue before it's brought down on the scarlet spider insignia of that truck, triggering the hammer's block to click before discharging a thunderous boom that emits a shockwave of excess energy.
He erases the hammer from his hand and runs along the side of the truck as it begins to descend, leaping off it towards another pod advancing for the valley's center. He dashes upwards to throw himself above the truck to aim his hands down at its roof, releasing a flame that, on impact, manifests a metal ring with the diameter of the truck's width, one that rises up cylindrically in a shape similar to a rocket thruster. It functions like one too as the hollow aperture ignites a powerful fiery blue propulsive force that overwhelms the truck's own engine, pushing it down towards the ground to allow Meditat to advance onwards as Kokei grabs another pod in a great electric field midair and swings it into another, causing a collision with a different pod as a golden dart soars past it to strike another one behind it, dropping it as many more darts and bolts shoot at the remainder of the armada.
As bolts strike trucks, a brown one causing a hull to rapidly rust, Meditat stretches his hands in opposite directions ahead to breathe out a thick flame twenty feet forward which then circles around and connects to create a single massive ring the radius of a building story. That ring materializes with a silver finish before activating a panel of blue energy within itself like a gate, one that a pod attempts to fly through but is suspended in the middle, caught in the field. Unable to move, it can't dodge the purple cannonball that lands squarely on the head, killing the pod's flight systems.
On the edge of the wall, Ekitai and Dana stand under the array of hovering cannons, huge compared to the small handgun in Ekitai's hand which he simply aims and fires with the press of a light trigger. Each trigger pull fires a blaring jagged bolt, hypercharged by the smoking coils, each one a different color as after each shot he swipes on his screen. Beside him stands Dana who bears two cannons on her shoulders, each one shaped like a rocket thruster though with a grid aperture, each one firing its own darts one in random order, propelled by their own golden trails. Both of her arms are held up to aim her integrated anti-tank rifles which she fires one after another in steady shots, each one expelling with its own boom.
Standing as the defense on the line, the two reinforce their allies on the front, helping to shave the armada before it can reach the city. Despite their decent efforts, for many have already fallen, they find many trucks passing their allies, some of them approaching close to the wall as their engines grow loud enough to challenge the booms of the cannons, most of those shots being evaded regardless. They reach close to the edge of the black garden in fact, having escaped from the first line.
Ekitai clenches his teeth in anxiety at that observation, quick to make the jump to declare in thoughts, "Link Network, they're about to breach the walls!" which prompts Dana to pan her gaze to him briefly.
Simultaneously as Kokei guides a truck to the ground, ensnared by her electric field, Meditat jerks his left arm back to pull himself towards what seems to be the last truck while raising his right arm which holds onto a device resembling a lance, its blade produced from a solid plasmic purple energy. He plunges the blade straight into the center of the spider, inserting it whole into the side, causing the whole vehicle to spark before dropping.
As he relinquishes his grip on the lance which burns in an open flame, both him and Kokei glance back towards the walled city, where they notice the convoy that's passed them, nearing those borders. Swiftly Meditat spins his body and declares, "Link Network, we're falling back to reinforce you," before projecting a multitude of cables from both hands onto trucks passing him, using them as the ends of a slingshot to launch himself far past them, straight for the wall, his arms and legs together in a tight dive.
Face forward, he accelerates himself with a continuous propulsive boost that exhausts a comet's tail, boosting him hastily as Kokei follows close behind him, her body more intensely surging with pink electricity, more strength to carry herself in the air, her hands spread out for keener control. The two pass trucks soaring past them, not many remaining as the majority seems to have been dismantled already, their defenses effective.
Kokei pushes herself to keep up though the comet accelerates exponentially, passing her quickly to race those two remaining trucks near the wall. It hastens enough that it releases a supersonic boom that shakes the sky, like a jet that in the matter of seconds reaches the heart of the village, reaching between both trucks which at that very moment he fires a flame from each hand as his back releases another flame. The two flames from his hands each manifest a stick with a wider head, somewhat shaped like a bowling pin, as the blaze from his back forms a black drone shaped with a simple triangle like a stealth bomber, the two ends of which project blue cables, one onto each truck as those trucks are struck by the pins which discharge purple explosive bursts that shut them down. Both trucks, depleted of their own engines, are then dragged off by the drone which flies them in the opposite direction while Meditat soars over the city's wall. He spins around, prepared to regroup, facing Kokei reaching the black garden now, no other trucks behind her. Ahead of her however are a remaining pack of ten trucks which just at that very moment soar right over Meditat's head, prompting the swivel of both Dana and Ekitai who had failed to shoot them down in time.
Meditat turns his head to follow those trucks too, his lenses gleaming brighter as if shocked, and he instinctively spins again to face them and launches himself in a midair boost in pursuit, aiming both hands at those trucks now flying freely above the city, no more barriers between it and the countless innocent inhabitants, for there's no longer functional defense from the physical material of the walls the tops of which extrude grounded turrets.
Both of Meditat's open palms ignite, charging up his next creation, his targets locked on with a focused glare. His fingers tense as his cape flows freely, and in desperation he extends his arms forward and unleashes his flames just as a golden tentacle coils around his stomach and aggressively yanks him away.
He instinctively grabs the tentacles to free himself in assumption of it being an attack, though the explanation follows before he can snap the tentacle as all the sudden a continuous, rapid bombardment of bright orange gunfire is unleashed on that pack of trucks from nearly all angles over the wall, rendering the sky a death trap in an instant.
Meditat's body is pulled onto the surface of the wall, dragged to Dana who's right arm had transformed into that tentacle which, after placing Meditat on his feet, unwraps around him and retracts back into a hand. He glances back at her, also noticing Kokei just now landing on the top of the wall beside Ekitai, both of them same as Dana facing the pack. He does the same, turning back to scan the array of grounded cannons similar to his –which burn up on erasure as they've completed their task–, finding many more scattered around the entire circular wall, hidden defenses only now being called to action, for the city has finally made a move with no restraint.
That action cannot be understated as the entire sky has been lit orange from the gunfire that rips apart those ten trucks, as while there's still a great remainder of trucks, they're being obliterated swiftly. In fact, the backs of all those trucks vaporize open in fact to reveal the cabins housing squads of hunters in the same Syndicate uniforms who all race out of the open doors, about ten hunters in each pod, diving out to escape their convoys being torn apart, making the dicey decision to expose themselves in the open.
Diving out of the many trucks whose hulls are punctured from just about all angles but the back, the Syndicate hunters place their hands and legs together to dive straight down, their weapons not currently present. They shout to one another, many of their faces terrified from the sudden aggressive defense, though one of the leading hunters sporting a thick brown beard roars, "TO THE TOWER!!" He then spreads his arms and legs, revealing the uniforms to be fitted with a thin, translucent scarlet film resembling a wingsuit with lining resembling a row of legs like a spider. Their boots and hands expel a light red trail of what appears to be a propulsive energy that they use in conjunction with the wingsuits to pull themselves from the dive to more smoothly glide for the center of the city where the central tower stands, a whole flock passing under the artillery fire.
Watching the syndicate advance their raid despite the impressive counterattack, Meditat recognizes the need for haste as he sprints towards the city and shouts, "Bellators, after them," while projecting a wire from his hand to grab Ekitai's free hand. His hips then fire another two cables as he leaps up with an additional dash before pulling towards the anchors, throwing himself and Ekitai over the wall, straight into the aerial warzone. He reels the wire from his hand too, pulling Ekitai closer to himself while diving beneath the gunfire before then continuously dashing in pursuit of the winged hunters, chasing them over the city, leading Dana –who has collapsed her shoulder cannons and arm guns– and Kokei who follow him independently with trails of golden energy and pink lightning after his blue comet's tail, dodging the raining debris of the ruined trucks rendered scrap metal.
While Dana and Kokei both strafe away from the hailstorm, Meditat chooses to fire cables onto incoming rubble to pull himself forward, zipping between chunks of black metal, that boost strong enough to carry him closer to the tailend of the gliding army.
He boosts forth again before firing a cable from his hip onto the body of one of the hunters whom he begins reeling towards, arching his free arm back as that hand is engulfed in a fire that materializes a hilt which projects a plasmic blue blade the length of a dagger. He plunges that blade down at the precise moment he reaches that hunter who only turns his head at that last moment before being stabbed in the back, immediately shutting his eyes as he falls unconscious. A nearby hunter turns his head to notice the attack, though Ekitai is quick on the draw, firing a white bolt at him which immediately covers the man in a puffy, marshmallow-like coating, inhibiting his flight. At the same time, Meditat kicks off the body as his wrist fires a flame towards the plummeting man, which manifests an orb drone that projects its own blue cable onto the man's back to safely carry him down, leaving Meditat to set his blazing glare at the nearest hunter next.
At the head of the descending flood of gliders, the man in the brown beard sharpens his stare at the approaching tower, honing his focus on the plaza at the gate, where a company of armed guards race out of the open doors to spread out for defense. A few of them stop and raise their arms to aim their rifles before firing a rapid burst of bright orange lasers, prompting the gliders to begin evading desperately, though a few are struck out of the sky. The leading man takes notice of the attack from both sides before focusing back on the plaza, then routing his gaze to a few of the nearby buildings, specifically the rooftops high from the ground given that those buildings are five or so floors tall. He compares those rooftops to the plaza, observing a clear line between the two, prompting him to then shout, "Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, take a nearby rooftop each for vantage firing, all other squads charge the plaza!" He then brings his arms and legs together, closing the wingsuit to transition into a dive for acceleration, plummeting straight towards the gunfire.
Meanwhile above him, the stream of divers branches off as four divergences split out, each about ten hunters, though the main trunk remains the thickest. A few of those divers also choose to switch between closing and opening their wingsuits, clearly well trained with their equipment as the majority expertly dodge the gunfire from below, moving quickly enough to keep distant from the Bellators picking off the tail.
Again there are a select few unlucky hunters who are shot from the guards below, falling limp and gliding aimlessly into a plummet, though the four branching squads maneuver keenly enough that they manage to dive down to the rooftops swiftly, almost all of them reaching the surface where they sharply swoop up to orient themselves upright, then bring their arms together to close the suit and drop for a safe landing on the tiled roofs. Despite the sharp pyramid shapes, they stand perfectly straight, their boots seeming to latch onto the angled surface and support them adequately, enough in fact to sprint up to the peak of the roof.
As more hunters land on the four roofs chosen arbitrarily as the closest to the plaza, flashes of blue light appear over all of their right forearms, substituted then by those hovering firearms like the one Yoddo was armed with, although with a variant shape as the barrel isn't as lengthy though the body is stubbier, better resembling an assault rifle. Upon reaching the top of their rooftops, they stare down at the plaza ahead, the final defensive barrier protecting the tower whose destruction would annihilate all that's left of a governing body. That defensive barrier is upheld by a mob of guards led by the commander in the trench coat, the doors to the tower shut, closing those guards off from retreat. They don't face that option, but instead aim their handheld rifles at the gliders now descending past the rooftops, approaching the plaza straight, most of them landing right outside for cover.
Like the first four squads, the hunters diving straight for the plaza sharply pull up right before impact, reorienting themselves and collapsing their wingsuits for a graceful landing. Immediately as their boots touch the stone brick floor, blue flashes flicker over one of their forearms, equipping them with those same hovering stubby firearms which they trigger, firing a rapid burst of orange bolts, a rate befitting of that assault design.
Holding down fire, the hunters sprint for cover behind the walled gates to the plaza, the plaza itself an open space thus leaving all of the guards vulnerable to be shot from them as well as from the roofs, as a few are shot down before their comrades take notice to the multiple squads, spreading out and shouting as they switch targets, trying to fend off the multiple angles while confined to one open space, causing many to begin backtracking towards the closed door though the commander stands his ground, firing out of two pistols though with visible unease, indecisive as to where to aim when there's five different sources of gunfire.
Not all hunters have yet to land though, as those in the back continue to glide with wide arms towards the plaza, prepared to join the raid. One of them however is shot by a bright magenta bolt that suddenly and inexplicably expands his suit, inflating it into an airy ball completely uncontrollable, muffling his screams. One of the other hunters glances over to him, horrified by the sight, though he can't react beyond those facial expressions before his back is caught by a blue wire which yanks him backwards into Meditat's crystal-reinforced fist, knocking him out before he discharges a blue flame that completely consumes the man within what materializes as a metal capsule that autonomously descends, allowing for a safe though contained landing.
Another two hunters roll in the air, facing Meditat and Ekitai who's chained to Meditat by a blue wire. The hunters grit their teeth and raise their arms at the two warriors, blue lights flashing above their forearms which equip them with firearms, though one of them is suddenly engulfed in a swarm of pink lightning that freezes his body as the other one is shot by a golden bolt before his unconscious body is grabbed by a tentacle. That body is tossed aside as the man suspended in the pink field is thrusted down, and that pink field disperses as the tentacle retracts into the arm of Dana who flies alongside Kokei.
His focus still ahead, Meditat observes the gunfight below before boldly commanding: "Split up and handle the rooftops, Dana take far left, Kokei near left. I'll drop Ekitai," before steering his boosts over to the right whereas Dana and Kokei both steer their own flights in the other direction, diverging in wordless acknowledgement, their gazes immediately fixed on their targets.
Rocketing closer to the city surface, the blue comet begins to accelerate once again, rumbling loud enough that even over the gunfire, a few of the hunters atop one of the rooftops turn their heads. They take notice not only of the presence of the comet but its approach straight for them, prompting those few to shout in panic, pulling the attention of the rest of their squad who all face the comet, taking steps back in fear as they're unsure what the object even is as they've been focused on the human guards below. They scream to one another and aim their rifles at the comet just as it nearly collides straight into them, though it miraculously soars straight past them, threading ahead with only a thick blue trail cutting through the rooftop left behind.
The hunters stumble away from the trail and cough though seem relieved as some of them turn to face back at the plaza, but that's when through that dissipating trail emerges the barrel of the handgun wrapped in bright coils, firing a frosty blue bolt –though it's not as unstable nor loud but instead has reduced to its common consistency– at one of the hunters which immediately entraps him in a cube of ice which slides down the roof. All the other hunters are quick to switch sights back to that trail where Ekitai rolls out, firing a light gray-blue shot at another hunter which knocks him far back straight off the roof, warranting a shriek that prompts all other hunters to aim at the gunslinger while the rooftop across from them is struck by what appears to be a large pink plasma ball.
At the core of that plasma ball is Kokei who lands at the other rooftop surrounded by guards, though she remains a foot off the surface, hovering freely as she aims each of her hands at one of the many hunters who've all taken notice to her, two of them trapped by the fields of pink electricity she guides in arcs. She claps her hands together, leading both fields to be flung towards each other, thrusting both of those hunters to smash into their comrades which knocks others off balance to fall down the roof.
Sneaking up behind her is a hunter who raises his rifle for the back of her head, though her back discharges another swarm that surrounds him, freezing him in place for her to spin, reaching her hand into that swarm as if to pick it up, and then throw her arm which tosses that man far off his vantage point, tossed as if he was nearly weightless. Her body hovers backwards to strafe away from a gunshot that nearly grazes her hoodie, prompting her to glare at that gunner as the blue comet soars towards a distant rooftop on the other side of the plaza.
All of the hunters atop that rooftop raise their arms at the incoming comet and shout before opening fire, though it doesn't deter the comet from making impact: soaring straight into one of those hunters which knocks him far back, caught in the comet itself. He's flung off the rooftop freely until that comet freezes, dispersing the head to reveal Meditat whose right hand starts low at his side, aiming at the edge of the rooftop which he fires his flame at. He then raises that hand, painting the sky in an arched flame before aiming it at the man, forming a thick cable from the rooftop to the man which then materializes to a robotic arm with a claw that grips the hunter.
The arm flexes before throwing the man in the other direction back at the rooftop, flinging the hunter into his comrades as Meditat now aims that hand at the arm itself to project a wire which he uses to spin around, using it as a pole to swing a full turn back towards the rooftop, letting go to throw himself straight into another hunter whom he knees with his crystal boot. Both of his hands ignite to manifest hilts that simultaneously activate plasmic blue blades which he rolls before slashing at the remaining hunters, all as the golden bolt approaches the rooftop across from him, raining gold hail down like a bombing.
Indeed the hunters on that rooftop scatter fearfully in avoidance of those golden bolts being rained down, some of them landing on those hunters, knocking them down. Just as that bombing run is completed, that huge bolt extends two golden tentacles which each grab a hunter before pulling both off the roof, concurrently pulling Dana back towards the roof where the other hunters stand, facing both of her arms that transform into conal cannons as the two tentacles attached to her back release those hunters and instead grab onto the tiled roof, hoisting her up several feet in the air, towering over the hunters.
Hunters fire at her yet her body moves quickly as it's dragged around by those two tentacles, effectively keeping her evasive while her opponents remain mostly still, easy targets for her to unleash her barrages down on. Another two tentacles emerge from her back and reach further ahead on the roof, letting her crawl around the rooftop while maintaining her height advantage, moving in long though quick strides while continuously firing down on the hunters who struggle to protect themselves, now being the victims out in the open being shot at from above.
Despite having no solid cover, Ekitai's quick rolls keep himself untouched by the gunshots directed at him from the remaining guards, and between rolls he finds just enough time to trigger a single shot, but one shot is all that's needed to take down another hunter, as this next shot has a yellow radiance, and upon striking its next target, that target oddly begins coughing and wheezing as if suddenly becoming gravely ill, enough so that he stumbles back and falls off the roof. As that hunter falls –leaving only two left–, Ekitai springs out of another roll to fire a red bolt at the chest of another hunter whose entire suit shades brick red, and furthermore he becomes stiff, unable to move his entire body as if he's become a brick himself, unable to stop Ekitai from springing out of that roll and punching him with the barrel of his handgun, sending that hunter falling backwards helplessly.
The final hunter aims at Ekitai who aims at him too, but it's the old man who shoots first, a turquoise shot that induces a sharp disorientation that causes the man to begin stumbling aimlessly before falling on his own accord. Ekitai turns his head to the other rooftop just to find Meditat flying towards him via continuous boosts, seeming to have already cleared his rooftop. Ekitai raises his free hand which is then caught by a blue wire Meditat projects, pulling him off the ground as he commands in thoughts, "Link Network, we'll all pounce the plaza together next, me and Ekitai are clear. Ready?"
One more hunter left for just a second before his legs are grabbed by a tentacle, raising him in the air to be easily shot, Dana turns her head as she mentally responds, "Link Network, clear," before dropping the man as her other tentacles bend before she springs off the rooftop in the direction for the warzone plaza.
. All of her tentacles retract into her back as she raises her head to find Meditat and Ekitai on the opposite side as they all hear Kokei in their heads, "Link Network, done, coming," which prompts Dana to turn her head to find Kokei launch off the rooftop in a pink surge, carrying a strand by an extended swarm of arcs that hold a hunter just before he's slammed into the ground below.
Kokei glances back at Dana, then faces Meditat and Ekitai on the other side who exchange glances with her, all of them accounted for. They then simultaneously face down at the plaza beneath them, the most brutal portion of the battle where hunters charge straight at the guards in an open firefight. Those hunters however don't realize at that very moment that they've lost their elevated support, and only some notice the shadows creeping over them, prompting them to raise their heads too late. Those who do are faced with the sights of the four Bellators diving for them, Kokei's arms surrounded in electricity, Dana's arms already conal cannons, Meditat's hand gripping a plasmic blade as his other hand holds a cable holding Ekitai who aims his handgun.
Hunters shout and knock the shoulders of their comrades to divert their attention away from the guards and onto the incoming warriors, a pair only turning towards Meditat just before they're both slashed in the head with a single swing of the plasma blade, dropping both bodies promptly. Other hunters turn towards the commotion just as Ekitai, whose tether is detached, rolls forward and springs up while firing a white bolt that consumes a hunter within a webbed cocoon.
Advancing down the plaza to oppress the guards against the door, more hunters march forth while pressing heavy fire, leaving themselves completely open to the shower of golden bolts Dana rains down before landing on her feet as two tentacles emerge from her back, their heads fitted with barrels that autonomously fire more energy rounds while her arms move to mow down the mob with precise swiftness.
More hunters are becoming aware of the assault on them, a few even raising their heads to the rooftops where their support should be standing, to which they're horrified to the sight declaring the opposite. The brown-bearded man is among them, who shouts: "WHERE'S ALPHA AND-," before a field of pink electricity wraps around him and several other comrades, freezing his body still before it's raised off the ground about ten feet. Those electric arcs generate off the arms of Kokei who lands in the battle, throwing both arms down which slams that collection of guards hard to the ground, knocking them out in an instant.
Whereas the hunters were charging the guards from five angles, cornering the guards and oppressing them, now those very hunters find themselves boxed in by those guards and the four warriors, working their way in to rapidly chip away at their forces. It's now them who begin frantically shifting their aim, spinning as they debate to themselves between the guards firing at them or the warriors assaulting them from the other sides, but as one of those hunters faces their options, his face is punched by the head of a golden tentacle which extends forward to then fire a rapid burst of golden energy shots at the other hunters, same as the other tentacle also attached to Dana's back as two other tentacles emerge from her back, both of their heads flattening to plates which activate shields that deflect incoming fire, allowing her to simply march forward while her arms fire fans of shots that drop bodies all in front of her.
Behind those fallen hunters are those who tread steps back to keep a safe distance, only to then be shot in the back by a bolt which paralyzes their bodies, forcing them to fall. Those shots are fired from the smoking gun Ekitai wields as he strafes in the battlefield, keeping consistently mobile. From the corner of his yellow eye, he notices a rather disturbed hunter raise his firearm at him, finally crying: "THIS IS ON YOU," as he takes the shot. That orange bolt doesn't travel a full foot from the barrel before being caught by the plasmic blue blade shaped like a cutlass which Meditat holds over the gun, dashing to that hunter's side before placing the barrel of his own sidearm, designed similarly to a Beretta M9, against that hunter's head to pull the trigger, firing a blue bolt that drops his body.
He then dashes to the next hunter who he slashes in the chest while raising his sidearm just as it erupts in an open flame from which another births a compact crossbow with translucent blue wires functioning as the string, one that fires an arrow that splinters itself three ways, which each then combust to reveal large nets that wrap around groups of hunters, administering electric shocks that drop them one by one. Behind those captured hunters are a few more who take aim at Meditat but are then swarmed by a field of pink lightning which Kokei controls, throwing her arms to hoist them off their feet and throw them into their comrades, toppling them too in one fell swoop. A couple of those hunters who were pushed down attempt to crawl back to their feet before being fired down by Dana's arm cannons, keeping them down as her tentacles pivot independently to fire at other hunters including a batch which Ekitai aims towards, firing a blue bolt at their feet which explodes slime all over their boots, marooning them in place to be helplessly struck down by those very tentacles. He then spins around to find Meditat's boots expelling a flame that manifests a miniature mortar only about a foot tall, aimed up to fire a surprisingly strong solid ball into the stomach of a hunter which propels him in the air towards Ekitai who fires a brown bolt at that airborne body, which on contact covers the body in red roots that then grow more roots which rapidly spread down over the battlefield, grabbing three other hunters and wrapping around them like a potato seeking soil. Those four hunters captured in the roots are then caught in another trap: the electric pink field which Kokei flings quickly, hurdling all of them far out of the plaza. She then locks her gaze on one of the few remaining hunters charging at the commander, whose distracted in a fight, prompting her to lead her arcs to catch that hunter in a bind, freezing him to then be struck by the blue bolt fired from an orb drone hovering over Meditat's shoulders as he slashes other hunters with another plasmic blade designed like a katana before then leaping in the air as he erases that sword and replaces it with another gripped in both hands: a longsword not with a plasma blade but a solid silver one that blue streaks course through like veins, held tight as he swings it straight into the ground as the blade's contact with the stone floor triggers the release of an explosive energy burst that knocks the remaining hunters back, who are then shot by golden bolts raining down on them from tentacles raised high, leaving all of them unconscious on the floor, no other hunters standing.
Over the quelled battlefield, the four Bellators observe the scene that's fallen quiet quickly, confirming the harmless state of the hunters. Meditat takes a quick glance as the orb hovering over his shoulder burns up, leaving him to then approach the commander which Dana accompanies him in doing, retracting her tentacles in her back. Kokei raises her head upon noticing the slight change in the sky's tone, cyan more intense, indicative of the start of the sunset.
Ekitai meanwhile continues to observe the bodies, though he doesn't meticulously scan them, rather he frowns somberly while just staring at them with a low head. Meditat assesses, "Are any of you injured?" while Kokei reaches Ekitai's side and frowns upon noticing his expression.
Shaking his head and letting out a heavy breath after the intense battle, the commander turns his head back to the guards, a few of them on the ground, some held up by their comrades, firearms laid on the stone brick floor that's been stained in blood. He sighs at the morbid sight, but he optimistically asserts, "We can handle ourselves from here, I appreciate your concern. I…think they would've been a lot worse if you hadn't helped."
While Kokei places her hand on Ekitai's shoulder to comfort him, Meditat nods his head and reciprocates, "You did well holding them off, I understand why these refugees from such distances sought safety here."
He then faces Dana and checks, "You're fine, right?" which she simply responds with, "Of course-," as a familiar voice shouts from a speaker on the commander's shoulder: "SIR, THEY'RE COMING FROM THE GARDEN!!"
Immediately Meditat and Dana face the commander, as even Ekitai and Kokei take curious notice by turning around.
Perplexed, the commander places his hand over his shoulder, but before he can respond he again hears the voice of the female tower guard from outside the gate exclaim over what sounds to be gunfire, "THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM, THEY'RE OVERRUNNING THE GATE!!!"
Horror consumes the commander's face as Meditat and Dana exchange glances, quick to realize that the hunters onboard that first set of trucks shot down before reaching the walls must've reached the gate on foot to continue the assault.
Ekitai and Kokei turn around to face Meditat who jogs towards them while commanding, "The gate's being attacked, let's move," before two cables fire from his hips, angled up to the buildings they were battling atop, pulling him off the ground as he projects another wire from his hand to grab Ekitai to lift him off too.
Kokei spins around as Dana launches off the ground with a boom, and once Kokei's body is charged with pink arcs surrounding her, she too springs into the air, leaving lightning sparking sporadically, leaving the commander who stumbles away in shock to the quick deployment, other guards watching too.
Atop one of the two towers standing before the closed gates to the city, beneath the sky growing a deeper shade of cyan as the supersun begins to set, the male guard holds the trigger down to fire a rapid burst of orange bolts down towards the field of black roots, as emerging from that field is a mob of about twenty hunters, navigating cautiously between the roots out to the open field between the garden and wall where they're then able to spread out, widening the targets which the guards have to track. While they're able to move with free agility, they raise their arms equipped with hovering guns to aim at those guards who are primarily stationary, firing back at them in rapid bursts too, in fact with even faster fire rates, each bolt brighter, hotter, stronger. They shout commands to one another, pushing against the two towers as the two men on the other tower across fire back, their stocks pressed against their shoulders, their eyes trained right above the barrel to track their shots, though they duck occasionally to dodge the flood of gunfire aimed up at them. The two shout to each other, communicating frantically though their words are mixed with the gunshots, incoherent to separate.
On the other tower, that male guard continues to maintain his best efforts at deterring the raid while the woman accompanying him crouches below the railings for cover, her hand on her shoulder as she screams over the gunfire: "WE NEED REINFORCEMENTS, PLEASE!!"
She then removes her hand from her shoulder and takes a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut to calm herself. She then reaches over to her rifle placed against the railing, picking it up and raising to her feet as she presses the stock against her shoulder, standing beside her ally to then aim and fire down. All four of the guards fire steadily on the invaders, wary of the gunshots that follow back, many of them striking the railings which absorb the energy, leaving reddened hot spots.
Arcs of pink lightning crawl over Kokei's body as her gleaming eyes glare ahead, focused as she carries herself high above the colorful buildings among the vacated streets –the yellow lights emitting from the windows more prominent given the reduction of global light–, her hands open at her side for balance.
Her gaze remains focused ahead at the soaring golden cyborg, Dana, moving like a jet with her arms and legs pressed tight in a diving position, her legs exhausting thick golden trails as they roar with propulsive power. Her flat face is tilted up to keep her face forward, inclining, flying at the end of the comet's tail.
Up that tail is the head of the comet whose entire back constantly exhausts a bright blue residual burst, Meditat's cape raised high as it fends off against the heavy winds, his lenses glaring through it without waver. His right hand remains at his side, clenching the cable which is held on the other end by Ekitai, whose eyes are squeezed to bear against the currents, his forehead wrinkled. His overcoat waves wildly too, exposing his jumpsuit underneath, subtly stained purple. On the other hand is his handgun gripped tight, high above the ground at a dangerous drop, yet he doesn't stow it but rather chooses to keep it on him, the coils wrapped around the barrel slowly cooling off.
Leading the team, Meditat kicks his feet forward to orient himself upright before projecting two wires upwards from his hips, which travel to the tall stone wall, attaching onto the surface for him to reel himself closer to the edge. He detaches from those cables before reaching the anchors though, instead again kicking his feet forward which are boosted to spin his body laying up, his back facing the far ground below, allowing him to then fire the next pair of cables from his hips which fire straight up the wall, pulling him into a vertical climb accelerated by a continuous boost and quick zips as Meditat rapidly projects cables from his free hand to yank himself before detaching those hip cables and firing another pair, moving in increments up the wall at blazing speeds, so close to the stone barrier as Ekitai's boots dangle just off it. They climb beside their shadows running in the wall, reflecting their haste, which Ekitai glances at as does his shadow, facing each other. Meditat and his shadow keep their heads up as he disconnects his two cables and replaces them with another pair, pulling himself in one last stretch before passing the wall's peak, diverging from the shadows where he fires a cable from his hand onto the top surface of the wall to swing around the border itself like a pendulum.
Ekitai takes a quick panoramic glance at the field they soar high above before following Meditat's gaze to the other side of the wall, circling around like a partial ferris wheel, ultimately reaching the other side where Meditat detaches that wire at the perfect moment to transition into a perfectly straight free fall. His cape straightens perfectly, the wind hollering in their ears yet they're able to distinguish the gunfire among it, tracing it down below to the exchange of orange flashes between the ring of black roots and the wall where the two towers stand.
Synchronously Meditat and Ekitai raise their hands forward, Meditat's hand projecting another wire whereas Ekitai pulls the trigger, brightening the coils around his barrel before shooting a green bolt, both of them traveling in the same direction.
Side by side, the two guards stand with their rifles up, their triggers pressed, shooting a constant stream of orange bolts at the hunters charging at them from the garden, firing back at them. A few shots nearly graze the heads of the guards, prompting them to duck their hands just as they notice a stream of green shots rain down from above among a solid blue ray.
Abrupt bewildered shouting erupts from the mob below, prompting the two guards to stand back up in shock to find a few of those hunters laying on the ground, held down by what appear to be vines and weeds overgrown. That ray has attached onto another hunter who raises his head just as the blue comet dives straight into impact, smashing into the hunter which releases an explosive burst of azure particles, knocking the other hunters back as it nearly pushes the guards.
Those guards stare with wide eyes as the two others on the other tower raise their heads again to find a barrage of golden gunfire raining down on the hunters, just as the cyborg clad in gold dives into the field, followed by a ball of pink plasma whose arcs extend to grab onto hunters who become entranced enough that they freeze in place, though that's against their will.
In awe, the four guards watch Dana's diving body extrude four tentacles that grab four hunters, shoving them straight into the ground as she lands on her feet, immediately raising both arms that transform to conal cannons for her to fire at the other hunters beside Meditat who dashes from hunter to hunter, one hand firing cables to zip him to targets as the other hand swings a plasma dagger held in reverse, slashing enemies in the chests and back.
A cluster of hunters who aim at him are then caught in a web of pink lightning before they're all thrown high in the air, switching positions with Kokei who lands by the ground, remaining a foot in the air as she pulls her arms down, pulling that cluster to slam into the ground. She then reaches her hand to another hunter and swarms him with her arcs, making him an easy shot for Ekitai who uses another paralyzing bolt. Ekitai swiftly then aims at another hunter to fire a white bolt which covers that hunter in a thick binding of webs, easy for his head to be picked up by a tentacle for Dana to aim her left hand at and fire a few shots while her gaze remains elsewhere, raising her other hand though her shoulder extrudes to reveal an array of apertures which all fire a barrage of darts, many of which directly strike other hunters, one of them nearly missing and only landing on the ground near a hunter, though the explosive force of the dart's burst launches him in the air to then be grabbed by a blue cable which Meditat reels up, his other hand and entire forearm armored in a heavy gauntlet with a pattern of blue, white, and black metal to mimic his own suit though multiple times thicker. The hand is already closed in a fist, the knuckles of which is a black panel full of slits like a vent, where an airy blue light gleams underneath before he throws that fist towards the man as the vent expels a powerful wind that knocks the man far back. That entire gauntlet then burns up, erased to free his palm to release a flame that manifests a whip that he grips made of a silver, metallic material yet as flexible as rubber, which he swings at one of the few hunters remaining, the head of the whip coiling around the man to pick him up. Meditat spins before throwing his arm and pulling the whip back, which uncoils it from the hunter sent flying freely in the air as Meditat then uses that same whip to slash at another hunter, knocking them out. That hunter sent flying is then grabbed by a tentacle as the other tentacle pulls another hunter's gun away, disarming him before Dana opens fire on his chest. As that hunter falls, the tentacle gripping the other one then flings him, but before he can slam into the ground he's caught in a pink electric field emitting from Kokei's left hand as her right hand releases another swarm that traps the last other hunter, who she slams into the ground before tossing her other arm, hurdling the final hunter in the air before he ultimately collides with the ground, skidding along the grass before coming to a stop with a pained grunt, still conscious.
That hunter raises his head and observes around to find all his allies defeated on the ground, their attempt at a second wave failing before they could even breach the gates. He winces as those warriors who stopped them scan the area to ensure that all of the hunters are defeated and in harmless states, though one of them takes notice of that hunter and begins to approach him, his brown overcoat waving back against the breeze.
The hunter grunts as he places his hands on the ground, trying to ready himself to spring back up despite the odds. He doesn't move in a rush though, but is rather focused on the man approaching him in a slow stroll, his handgun at his side, the barrel smoking, the coils still hot. The other warriors turn their attention to the two which the hunter notices at a glance before then facing the gunslinger once more before coughing. He pushes through the cough with a growl before then bellowing: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, WHY ARE YOU PROTECTING THESE NOBODIES? THEY'RE FROM THE RIM, THEY HARDLY MATTER, THIS WAS GOING TO BE AN EASY GRAB. I FIGURED THIS WOULD BE RIGHT UP YOUR ALLEY, SO WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS AND NOT JOINING THE FUN?!?"
At last the gunslinger stops in front of the hunter, towering over him, his sharp yellow irises glaring down on him. In a calm, steady motion, he raises his handgun just enough to aim at the hunter, and he softly answers with a frown: "I'm growing up," and in one final burst of bewildered vengeance the hunter roars and aims his firearm at the gunslinger who pulls the trigger at just about the same time, firing a sky blue shot that simply puts the man to sleep, causing his arm to fall backwards as it fires its shot a moment too late, losing the standoff.
In fact, that orange bolt fires in the complete opposite direction, instead striking one of the black roots, which leaves an impact as the caustics by that point light up in reaction.
That sentimentally tranquil expression on Ekitai's face quickly falls as does Kokei's, both quick to dread as they face the same sight which Meditat and Dana also turn to, same as the four guards atop the towers.
In front of the four warriors over the victorious battlefield, the root that was shot begins to light up completely, not just the point of impact but the entire root and all the branching roots that rise from it. Just as the whole root illuminates, the roots directly neighboring it light up, and just a second later the roots beside those two groups light up, and then the roots around those.
Like a circuit, collections of roots light up along a chain, spreading not only to the back of the field but around it, expanding to all of the roots in front of the Bellators.
Lowering their guns, the four guards turn their heads to watch as all the roots visible to them light up one another, from the ones straight ahead of the gate to those at the very edge of their sight, wrapping around the wall, until every root in sight has brightly shining caustics. The young man faces his older ally as if seeking inspiration, yet only finds that ally consumed by the dread of the imminent, his eyes wide.
On the other tower, the man and woman just stare with the same petrified stares, and the man takes one minor step towards the woman, nearly nudging against her shoulder, clearly uneasy.
Ekitai slowly begins to take steady steps backwards, lowering his gun with a guilty expression, as though feeling responsible for the trigger. He winces and clenches his cheeks, stopping beside Kokei who can't even look at him, her attention fully devoted to the glowing roots in front of her, surrounding her.
Next to Kokei stands Dana who glances to Meditat, who just stands still, as if bracing, for the battlefield is still nearly silent, at least compared to the rage of the gunshots earlier. The only sound is the gentle winds, gently grazing Meditat's cape.
That is, until the growling begins.