"Can't you leave those behind?" I asked Einervaene as she kept up with me. The pair of us moved about more cautiously after having seen Larishazza's approach. She was getting fired at by the people of this land so ferociously... Her own magic was as equally damaging as all those shells and bullets.
As such, we were moving far slower as to not set off our magic. We were even being constantly reminded to do so by the line of black we followed. A near-endless strip of burnt earth that had been eviscerated by magical power. It would make you forget it was even water magic that she had!
"No! These aren't just some random boots I can buy somewhere else! These are the ones I had custom-made to work with my magic!" Einervaene complained as her grip tightened on the boots. Her feet were barer than mine as we kicked up stones and dust. So why she took them off baffled me. Surely she preferred the awkwardness to the uncomfortable nature of just running on stones?
Then again, even though I still had sandals on that were perfectly fine. I could very much feel as the stones were shattered and crushed. We were making them into a finer powder than they already were! Just a show of how even our efforts could not hide what power we had...
"Then just get them made again!" I told her as my frustrations made my concentration slip. A slight bit of magic flared out as a result. Something that seemed to be more than enough to get the guns firing again.
"I THOUGHT YOU WANTED US TO AVOID THIS!?" Einervaene screamed back at me as she began to run in a jagged line. Yet, even though we were now being shot at, I could tell something was off. Far less was being shot at us... Had Larishazza...?
No, she couldn't have! There's no way she would intentionally ignore what we advised when it came to Nin! She knew very well what the stakes in this were! So, unless the guard broke before her dancing backside...
"My ba- EEEEPPP!" I began to apologize before I yelped in surprise. A large shell had just zipped past my ears and they were ringing. And it would continue to be like this for the pair of us. We were not in any real danger, but so much of this surprised us.
Unlike Larishazza, we were not being so blatant with our magic and that meant everything was faster. Our own senses were not so excessively beyond what this realm was capable of. A bullet still sped past like a bullet, an explosion still staggered us. And, most importantly, they still set off our survival instincts like usual.
Even though the occasional dull and quick, poke-like feeling reminded us of how harmless it was. These shots did nothing and barely stopped us! Then, we finally reached the outer wall of the city and we hid. Well, I hid, I have no idea where Einervaene had gone...!
Until I then figured out she had gone to the other side of the wall...
"VADEI!" she yelled out to me, her voice quickly being drowned out by all the gunfire. And I could only assume it was being split between us as I was being shot at too. The ground shuddered and broke and flew about me. Yet, I was safe, something I oddly enough did not like.
Now I think I understand why Nin was so reactive to when he first got his powers. Stuff like this would have made him a pile of burnt blood before! Now it just zooms on past as if nothing had happened whatsoever! A boom here and there and all that came out of it was messy hair and ash on my clothes.
"Dammit... Just... Dammit..." I muttered in annoyance as I began to get frustrated at the mess. Occasionally pushing my luck by sticking my hand out to catch bullets. And, then, I went flying into the distance violently as a shell had struck my hand. But, luckily, Einervaene had used her magic to help me recover.
"Vadei!?" she cried out as she looked me over until I pushed her away. Shoving her away before I then shook my head in confusion. Sneezing shortly after as all the harsh smells were becoming very bothersome. My nose was stinging as if it were burning!
"We need to get past all this without bringing it into the city..." I comment while looking at the towers we could see from down here. Which was probably about half of them if a little less. They were quite tall after all.
"H-How? Just look at what happened to the place I was just at!" Einervaene pointed out while she frantically gestured at the smouldering crater she left. Molten stone clearly marked it out as I could even see a cherry-hot scar in the ground. One that led directly towards me.
"Going by how my hand is completely fine," I began to say while flexing my palm, "we just break it once we get close to them?"
"W-What if we kill some of them?"
"They're shooting at us!" I deadpan to her.
"I know, I know..." she repeats over and over to the backdrop of exploding munitions, "It's just with Nin and this being his home...!"
"I'm sure he can understand quite fine if a few guards die, so long as we don't destroy the city itself!" I tell her while prodding at the mountain again. Maybe I should climb it and sneak past them? Leave Einervaene to handle the vehicles and guards and all that? It would certainly help me plan better...
Not being chased by all the guards as they would be focused on her, not me...
"Would it best to take on of their guns then? Magic is too damaging in this land!"
"Do whatever you want!" I tell her before I start climbing the mountain once more. Using my magic more openly as I left her behind.
"Where're you going!?" she called up to me as I went higher and higher with a quickening pace. Both because I wanted to save my sister and because I wanted to avoid falling again. As this mountain was falling apart each time I touched it!
"To save my sister!" I reminded her as my expression became far more serious. There was no room for humour now even if our approach might as well have been a slapstick comedy. I needed to find my sister and see if I can get any others out of this place! Then, we just needed to run as far as they could while avoiding the danger of the soldiers...
"O-Okay! I'll see what I can do here!" she told me before I then heard the guns pick up in intensity. Briefly looking down at the destruction down below before leaping from the mountain. Crashing violently through the walls of one of the towers and getting up. Screams quickly surrounded me as they all fled at the sight of me.
A cruel snort then came out, "Yeah, that's right." I said as I began to sniff the air. All this violence had practically everyone going down the floors. So, I think it made it easier to sniff out my sister. Or perhaps not as I still only smelt human odours and mechanical ones.
Perhaps I needed to get higher in this tower? From what I remembered, we were basically taken all the way to the top. Which this view out the window has shown to be quite a while off... Now, I could either climb again or run about the stairs and other parts...
I was leaning towards the safer route which did not have a risk of falling. Or, well, as high a risk of falling given the current situation with the excessive gunfire. Something that I could still hear even while in this alarm-filled building. And, if all these retreating and panicking humans meant anything...
"They might be taking her with that fat bastard when he runs himself!" I realised as a possibility before I ran as fast as I could. Snapping doors off their hinges and also likely breaking the bones of whoever I touched. Be they panicking people or surprised guards. It also helped put into perspective as to why such fear was all over this city.
We could just run into it and demolish it without even trying! The last time I was here I was trying so very hard to be careful and even then... Now, though, that same restraint just didn't exist for the moment. I was just letting out all the anger I had for this city.
And no amount of screaming or crying was stopping me from carrying it on. I was even enjoying it to an extent as these people had caused mine so much harm! They deserved every bit of it a hundredfold! For every one that died in their abusive watch, I would terrify a thousand more!
I would make sure we were scarred into the memory of these people! A reminder to their leaders to stay hidden behind their mountains forevermore! And even if Nin hated me for it, I would learn to cope. For the state my dad was in could never be forgiven!
"Come on... Where are you!?" I asked while moving about, sniffing the air harshly and keeping my ears on the move. She had to be somewhere in this city, somewhere at the very least! They couldn't have taken her out of it, could they...? If I was to discover she had met a lonely fate then...
"M-Master, where are we being taken to?" I faintly heard as I broke down another set of doors. Something that was quickly covered up when gunfire was unleashed upon me. The barking of orders barely being heard over it. Then, just like that, I was over there where the armed men were.
And they screamed bloody murder until only one was left alive while I panted at them. His fear settled in quickly even if he did not react to it very much. I did not move to kill him like I did the others, though. Instead, I opened his mouth after licking one of my fingerx, and I spat in it.
"The others like me, where are they!?" I demanded to know as he freaked out over what I had just done.
"W-What do you mean!? WHAT ARE YOU!?" he responded with before he shouted as he began to unload a small gun onto me. Each shot uselessly went off of me while I started to growl. It may have not hurt but it was still a loud bang near my ears...
"Answer the question." I told him simply before I positioned a claw next to him. Slowly pushing it into his neck and watching as his breathing sped up. Sweat streamed off of him as if he had just gone for a shower. He stank of blood, more, however.
"I... I saw more things like you at some point on the upper floors... I swear I don't know anymore! I don't have the right to go up to those floors!" he told me as he began to react more and more to the idea of dying.
"Useless!" I quickly snapped at him before tossing him aside and moving on. And I tried to ignore him as I walked away. But all those little pokes I felt on my skin made me angrier and angrier. Not enough to go back and intentionally kill him, but enough for me to set off some magic.
To decimate the hallway we were in and hopefully him. And, apparently, those who were on the higher floors as well. As I should have expected it really. Everything here was weak and so were the floors and ceilings.
But, at the very least, I had a pathway to the higher floors now. A path I exploited well until everything began to be made of gold. At which point, everything actually began to take effort to destroy. Not much, but it was an improvement over before.
Then, I was suddenly charged and forced against a wall. A gold glow appeared in the corner of my eye while I tried to resist. And, as I got the upper hand and pushed back against my attacker. He yelled and yelled to those behind him.
"Conquei...?" I let out in confusion as I saw what looked like the tail of an oxfuinei disappear through an automatic door. With a sudden scream coming from the man as I crushed his hands, I tossed him aside. Sniffing the air with renewed vigour before I charged. Smashing through what I could as I started to smell familiar scents.
I was then briefly stopped by a sudden hail of gunfire that caused me mild pain. Stinging like sensations were now going across me and skin was coming off. Enough to draw just a bit of blood but not enough to seriously harm. So I growled out what pain I did feel while looking at the crumpled bullets.
"Thunder-gold..." I muttered to the backdrop of suppressive fire. Panicking slightly when an explosive of some kind then rolled down near me. And, when it went off, I felt like I had just been punched and shoved into a hot shower. But I recovered quickly even if it did hurt a lot more than prior attacks.
The smell of my sister, however, was disappearing. Even if it turned out to not be my sister, I could not risk losing it. I had to find her and save her! She needed to see Dad one last time just in case...
"OUT OF MY WAY!" I screamed as I charged out towards the attacking goldhands. Being far more reckless with my magic so I could just slaughter them. And as I went into another room, I went past a grand mirror that let me see my new make-up. The famous blood and gore brand.
Then, I finally found them or at least someone else. And my presence made everyone panic as they knew what that meant. Their precious little goldhands were nothing before me! And so were they!
"WHERE IS MY SISTER!?" I roared before I tore down a gilded pillar, shattering it with so little effort. And when I got no answer, I began to throw the rubble towards the terrified crowds. The swarm of Tobaballian nobility...
"V-Vadei?" I then heard someone say and then I calmed down. It was her... It was Conquei! My sister was alright, she was alright!
"There you are!" I exclaimed before I moved to give her a firm hug. One that could potentially snap her spine if it was enthusiastic enough. But, as I went to get her, something stopped me, another goldhand had charged me. And we both flew out a nearby window with not a sound leaving me.